Mika. Snake Eyes. Nightmares. Read online

  MIKA

  ESNAKE EYES

  I

  NIGHTMARES

  BY

  GHESIA MORETT

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Mika. Snake Eyes. Nightmares.

  PROLOGUE | YEAR 2028 | THE SEEKER

  YEAR 2066 | START THE DAY

  FAMILY THINGS

  MORE THAN NIGHTMARES

  BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT

  WITH OPEN EYES

  A WAY OUT

  STAMPEDE

  THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON

  THE PROMISED JOURNEY

  FLOWERS IN PARADISE

  LIFE PROMISE

  WHEN THE WORLD COMES CRASHING DOWN AROUND YOU

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  START THE DAY

  FAMILY THINGS

  MORE THAN NIGHTMARES

  BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT

  WITH OPEN EYES

  A WAY OUT

  STAMPEDE

  THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON.............................

  THE PROMISED JOURNEY

  FLOWERS IN PARADISE

  LIFE PROMISE

  WHEN THE WORLD COMES CRASHING DOWN AROUND YOU

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  YEAR 2028

  THE SEEKER

  Night was falling, and a couple of matters still needed to be resolved. After spending the day stuck in his enormous office, all he really wanted to do was leave and enjoy the charms of his beautiful girlfriend. He had just found a new film where she would be able to show off her talent. She would be waiting for him excitedly and more than grateful, or at least he hoped so. The good news from the stock market and the successful launch of the new hologram air screens made it seem like that day would end better than it had started, despite the unbearably long meeting he had during the evening.

  Everything is going too well to last, he thought, somewhat pessimistically.

  At the sound of knocking on the door, he froze before he immediately put on glasses to hide his new cat eyes.

  Laura, his secretary in that complex, poked her head in a little timidly.

  “Pardon me, Mr. Newman,” she said, entering. “A teenage boy and girl have just arrived. They're saying that they're your relatives.” She hesitated for a moment, seeming skeptical. “Though they don’t look a lot like you.”

  He cursed his luck. The day had been going too well, he thought, convinced that everything has a price.

  “Yes, I forgot to tell you, Laura,” he told her. He couldn’t come up with a better excuse for the appearance of two kids who looked nothing like him. He really would have preferred to never see them again. “Please, let them through. I’m dying to see them,” he said with a strained smile.

  “Sir.” A little puzzled, she suggested, “You should turn the lights on. You can’t see anything.”

  “Thank you, Laura. I was so into the computer I hadn’t noticed.” He gave the voice command and the lights turned on, making the office seem even bigger. His eyes worked better than he had expected. He had spent a small fortune on them, so they had better be worth it. Now he was going to be able to test them. He got up from the leather ergonomic chair and went around his desk to welcome his “relatives” while Laura smiled at him charmingly and left the office. He sat in front of the desk waiting for them. It had cost him so much to get away from them.

  In his mind, the memory of his stepfather’s small office with the little door bells seemed more real than the luxurious and enormous office he was in. The painful memory of his early life, lost so long ago, came back as he saw Luci walk through the door. She was still as beautiful and angelic as that night. Her wardrobe had changed, but not her face and her almost divine beauty. He still remembered her coming in with her chiffon dress and her elegant updo full of ringlets, too beautiful for even that era. In that moment, she had mesmerized him. His downfall had been plainly written in her pale blue eyes. Even after a couple of centuries, she still seemed as charming and beguiling as ever. The teenager that came in after her had also been behind her on that ill-fated night. The sight of him was startling and just as upsetting as it had been back then. He looked as angelic and beautiful as her, though he was taller and slimmer. They honestly looked like siblings. Their eyes were the same icy blue and their hair was so blond, it was almost white. If you looked hard enough, you could tell their facial features were different. They were both so good-looking and delicate that it was hard to say which one was more beautiful. They were dressed elegantly and formally despite their adolescent appearance.

  He felt a chill seeing Héctor come in behind Luci, smiling at Laura and thanking her charmingly. Héctor fixed his eyes on Laura, making her blush a bit as she was drawn in by his gaze. She smiled absentmindedly as she shut the office door.

  When the door was finally closed, the three studied each other for a moment. Excited, Luci threw herself at him straight away to kiss him on the cheek.

  “My dear friend, so much time has passed,” she said, smiling at him after she kissed him. The smoothness of her cold lips no longer made him feel the same fire inside, maybe because he knew her nature too well. Despite everything, he still adored her. She took his hands affectionately and looked at him with delight.

  “Are you not happy to see your favorite cousins?” Héctor asked, approaching from behind Luci with a somewhat cynical tone.

  “With Luci it’s always a pleasure,” he said, looking at her and returning the kiss on the cheek. “With you, I’d prefer to see you impaled and with a severed head.”

  “Oh, Del,” Luci scolded, slapping him lightly on the hand while Héctor looked at him scornfully. “Don’t be mean. We’ve come to see you because you’ve had us very worried and this is how you welcome us? You’re still angry at him?” she said, sweet and lovely.

  “I’ll always be angry at him, love,” he clarified without caring about Héctor’s cold and furious face.

  “Don’t test me, Del,” Héctor grumbled, restraining himself.

  “I don’t go by that name here,” he answered arrogantly, knowing that it was going to irritate Héctor even more. “Here, I’m Mr. Luis Newman.”

  Héctor glared at him, but now his new eyes protected him incredibly well. His look couldn’t fill him with terrible pain.

  “Don’t bother, darling,” Luci told Héctor, smiling and looking back at his eyes curiously. She carefully took off his glasses and smiled at him knowingly and with astonishment. “It seems impossible to believe. So, this is why you disappeared for all this time?”

  Héctor was in a state of furious silence. He, on the other hand, felt so satisfied that he even seemed happy.

  “For this, and because I needed a vacation,” he told Luci calmly.

  “Ah, dear. You look ravishing with that look, though I’ll miss your black eyes,” she insisted, with a conspiratorial smile, knowing that Héctor would be about to explode at his small act of revenge.

  “Meanwhile, you’ve been losing time and money?” Héctor asked in a cold and condescending tone, still holding himself back.

  Héctor must have wanted something much more important than money if he was restraining himself enough to not start hitting him.

  “I would say that I’ve earned more than expected,” he stated lightly. “The best investment of my vampire life.”

  A knock on the door brought them to a standstill as Laura entered with a tray in her hands. “Pardon me, I figured you all would like a cup of tea,” she said, carrying it in. She carefully left it on the coffee table between the huge sofas in the middle of the room. They were oriented towards the desk and the large window behind him, which was still covered by metallic blinds. “I hope it’s t
o your liking.”

  “Thank you, Laura,” he said, smiling. “It’s already very late. You can go home.”

  “As you wish, Mr. Newman,” she said kindly, “though I don’t mind staying, if you need me.”

  His young and pretty secretary didn’t know what she was getting herself into. He urged her to go since his guests weren’t a business matter. Luci sat on the sofa, dropping her big and heavy bag next to her. She looked at the teapot and the set of cups, amused, while Laura said she would see him tomorrow and left the office. The blinds of the window started to slide open, letting the weak artificial light from the street come in.

  Night has already fallen, he thought, disappointed.

  His beautiful girlfriend would have to wait longer than he wanted. He hoped he wouldn’t find her asleep when he arrived because his “cousins” didn’t seem ready to leave any time soon.

  “Can we cut to the chase already?” he asked, annoyed and impatient. “I have a date and I’d rather not miss it.”

  “Is that the new device for the hologram air screen that has been announced with such great fanfare?” Héctor inquired curiously, pointing at the long flat device on the table next to him. “It seems very large and a little heavy. People are accustomed to smaller devices.”

  He was surprised that Héctor would be interested in it. He usually didn’t care much about those kinds of things. Maybe Héctor was just trying to waste more of his time.

  “That’s right. Physical screens will soon disappear. However, within a decade the air screens will be obsolete, and the devices will be almost invisible. Everything will be connected to the web,” he informed them, pleased with his investment. “As a matter of fact, the engineers are already finalizing the first prototypes for the mobile receivers and data transmission. It was all financed together with our dear government. It’s the main stakeholder. This is just the first step in the evolution of new technology.”

  “I guess, like your new eyes,” Héctor noted, without paying the device any more attention. “Actually, evolution is why Luci and I came to talk to you.”

  He stared at Héctor, not liking his enigmatic tone and his mocking smile. Meanwhile, Luci seemed to be enjoying herself pouring tea in the cups and playing with the teaspoon. She liked pretending to be a normal human.

  “It’s a thrilling subject,” Luci continued, leaving the teaspoon on the plate of her steaming cup of tea. “Though I suppose that you keep up with the latest breakthroughs being made in genetic engineering.”

  “How are our investments in that field going?” Héctor asked with feigned interest. His smile was a little mocking again, and it made him nervous knowing that they were broaching a subject he didn’t like.

  “Quite well,” he responded, looking at them surprised by their interest and calm behavior. “You’ve already seen my eyes.”

  Héctor looked at him and smiled condescendingly, not batting an eyelash.

  “Have you heard talk of a Dr. Hans Zastler?” Luci asked, looking at her tea cup thoughtfully. He shook his head. “He’s a young, charming German with an excessive obsession for the search of a genetic molecular change in the human being.”

  “He supports the theory that there are hidden genes in some human genetic codes, much stronger than normal. He would just have to find suitable donors to create a new human evolution.”

  “What’s your point?” he asked, not understanding what caused their sudden interest or the purpose behind such a fruitless search. That field had been done away with and prohibited in almost the entire world. It was too dangerous for humans. Genetic research was limited to regeneration and cures to illnesses.

  “You’re our seeker,” Héctor told him, shooting him a look. “You should understand our interest. The blood of Nosferatu is still lost in the generations of people that don’t even know where they come from. We’re tired of waiting. If the beings we’re looking for don’t appear, then we’ll create them.”

  Héctor said it with such conviction it truly scared him. His fixation of dead legends had hit rock bottom.

  “Are you crazy?” he asked, still unable to believe Héctor’s words. “It’s impossible. The chances of finding a genetic descendant are one in two million. You want me to find them just to create a being that only existed in a vision more than a millennium ago?”

  “Nosferatu existed. We’re proof of that,” he affirmed, sounding even more determined. “His genetic code remains hidden, passing from generation to generation.” His face loosened up and he glanced at Luci. She smiled at him too, as if only they understood a joke that no one else knew. Then they laid their eyes back on him. “In fact, our friend Zastler has been more efficient than you. Not only has he found it in some humans, but he’s already testing it on some volunteers.”

  “What are you trying to say?” he asked very concerned. This is what he had been afraid of since they started talking about the subject. He looked at Luci angrily. “You told me I would be the one to find the child.”

  “And you will,” she confirmed simply. “Zastler is merely playing with unknown forces. He thinks he can create a new and more evolved race, but he’ll only get as far as we let him.”

  Luci’s utter calmness left him stunned. She was the one that had told him a thousand times that it was better if such powerful beings never appeared in the world because they would bring chaos and the destruction of everything that could support life. Héctor’s obsession of bringing back the blood of the most powerful vampires had seemed insane, but this was beyond all reason. Sometimes Luci’s visions were more confusing than helpful. He didn’t know what she was trying to get him to understand.

  “He needs better facilities, a specialized work group, and an inconspicuous location free from government surveillance,” Héctor stated seriously, with a restless look.

  “Now I understand your interest in me and your unexpected visit.” He smiled, finally catching on. Even his interest in the device made sense. “You’re completely crazy, Héctor. I don’t want any part of this.”

  “You don’t have to do it,” Héctor informed him coolly. “I think I’ve put too much on your plate. I only need you to bring him to this great country, our beloved United States, and find him some facilities and a discreet team. Far from annoying burdens and distractions.”

  “That’s just bureaucratic paperwork. My employees will take care of that,” he said more relaxed, and went to sit back in his armchair.

  “Actually, I’m more interested in you dedicating your efforts to something easier to find.” He stared at him calmly, while Luci took out a blue plastic folder. She stood up and placed it in front of him on the desk.

  He looked at her surprised to see that folder again.

  “I thought that it had been decided that searching for those swords was one of your bouts of madness,” he said with some cynicism. “They don’t exist. Never have.”

  Héctor smiled easily and with confidence.

  “You should see our latest findings. We were more surprised than anyone,” he declared, trapping Luci in an affectionate hug.

  Héctor knew perfectly well that doing it in front of him like that would annoy him, but Luci only had eyes for him, curiously waiting for him to open the stupid folder.

  Upon opening it, he didn’t understand what the big deal was. There were only photos and documents of the border guard in Tibet. Though the last picture caught his attention. A boy wielded something that glimmered in his hands, like shiny golden sabers, fighting against the guards. The photo wasn’t great. It was too grainy, probably taken by some old satellite. He stared at it, not really knowing how to take it. He raised his eyes and looked at them. They were still watching him anxiously, waiting for his reaction.

  “It could be anything,” he pointed out, not wanting to get into the matter. He stuck the picture back in the folder. “The photo leaves something to be desired.”

  “It’s from a few months ago,” Héctor said, letting Luci go. She glanced at him, nodding
slightly so Héctor wouldn’t notice, confirming his worst fears. There would be no way to get it out of his head this time. “But there are a thousand ways to...”

  “Oh, come on,” Héctor cut him off, impatient and angry. “They are right in front of your eyes, but you don’t want to see them.”

  “They don’t exist, Héctor,” he said, getting angry too. He was confident in what he was saying. “There isn’t a single legend or clue that indicates they ever existed in any moment in fucking history. Don’t let it consume you any more than it already has.”

  In a burst of wind, Héctor was on his desk, seizing him by the throat and squeezing with so much force that if he had needed to breathe, he would already be dead.

  “They exist and you’re the crazy one,” he said ferociously. He felt like his bones were going to shatter inside him. “Those swords are traveling out there somewhere in the hunter’s hands and you’re going to find them before they can reach their destination.”

  Héctor slowly released his throat and calmly got off the desk, carefully straightening his clothes out. He could feel the bones in his neck mending themselves, though he still wasn’t able to talk because of the disaster his throat had become.

  “You’re our seeker. That’s why we found you and gave you eternal life. Find them or we won’t have anything to negotiate with. Our children will need them sooner or later. I don’t care how long it takes you, but find them,” Héctor ordered, glaring at him.

  Héctor turned around and offered his arm to Luci. She grabbed her bag from the sofa with her eyes fixed on him and then she took Héctor’s arm.

  “We will look forward to hearing from you,” Héctor said, smiling at Luci, who was still looking scared. “Don’t forget about Mr. Zastler.”

  They left quietly, like they had entered, and left him with an insane order, making him furious again and disconcerted by the events. He wondered when he would be able to free himself from Héctor for good. He looked out the window, annoyed and defeated. But, after a bit, he devised a thousand ways that he could end his personal nightmare. Maybe the search for the swords would be more useful to him than to Héctor. It could help him get lost in the world and maybe spend some time in his homeland. He needed to remember the smell of the flowers at night in his beloved Seville. It always cheered him up to find the most sensible way to continue biding his time. If Luci was right, he would end up finding a lot more than the child. He just hoped it was in an inevitable future and not just a potential one. Luci used to warn him that the future was full of movement, with both decisive and changing moments. Though some were fixed, others were less reliable or wrong. Only time would tell, and vampires were the lords of time.