Chapter 5

Master of Puppets

Veins that pump with fear

Sucking darkest clear

Leading on your death's construction

Taste me you will see

More is all you need

Dedicated to How I'm killing you

-Metallica-

I was slightly surprised that Michael actually came with us to the bridge, that he left Star behind to hang out with us. But then again I, of all people, knew how alluring the boys were to a mortal and how persuasive David could be. Even now, as a vampire, I had to stop what I was doing sometimes and stare at them in awe. How they all seemed to move together, to a tune no one but them could hear.

We stopped at the bridge we all knew well, we loved playing chicken with the train and confirming our immortality. Daring ourselves, more than anything else really. Michael looked confused as we all got off the bikes and started walking along the tracks.

"Perfect timing," David purred and I didn't have to see his face to know he was smirking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Paul exchange a look with Marko and the trademark grin appeared on his face as he stifled a snicker.

"What's going on," Michael asked and I thought I could detect a hint of suspicion and fear in his voice. Marko couldn't hold it in anymore so he started laughing and David said, amusement clear in his voice;

"Michael wants to know what's going on," he paused and looked around strolling casually down the tracks.

"Marko, what's going on?" The poor mortal was obviously still affected by the rush from drinking our blood combined with pot so he didn't even question that this whole conversation shouldn't be as hilarious as we thought it was.

"I don't know, what's going on Paul," the curly haired boy asked with a twinkle in his eyes that Michael would have seen had he not been busy watching his own steps. The rocker next to me was swaying his arms all over the place looking more intoxicated than he really was and laughed out;

"Wait a minute. Who wants to know," in a hazy voice that made me giggle as Dwayne called;

"Michael wants to know." we all held an unnecessary breath as our mullet sporting leader threw his arm over the dark haired mortals shoulders and said;

"I think we should let Michael know what's going on." Paul squeezed my hand slightly as Marko stepped up to the hole. David turned gracefully towards our shortest brother and said;

"Marko," with a meaningful look on his face. Marko's Cheshire Cat grin was in place and with a small twitch of his hand and a;

"Good night, Michael." He stepped into nothing and dropped out of sight.

"Bombs Away," he chortled as he fell, making me snort and the green eyed boy take a step forward in surprise. With an almost unnoticeable nod from David, Paul steps up and with a snap of his fingers he says;

"Bottoms up man." and joins his brother with an excited yell, Dwayne is next and doesn't say a word as he lets himself fall down into the dark. By now, Michael's amusement has turned into horror as I step up ready to take the leap.

"Bailey, no," he finally gets out and stares at me in horror as I just smile and with a small whoop let myself fall. David joins us shortly hanging under the bridge, one of our favourite pastimes. Michaels white face appears above us once he ears our hollers of joy and excitement, coaxing him to join us.

"Michael Emerson, come on down," David yells in an uncharacteristically sing-song-ish voice. We all watch as he slowly and carefully join us. We share looks of slight surprise; this part of the plan was something Marko came up with at the last minute. We hadn't been sure the boy would even join us at the bridge; even more uncertain was if he would actually climb down and hang there with us. Seemingly risking his life. We were all whooping as he managed to position himself across from David and Paul was swinging from side to side yelling;

"Welcome aboard Michael," with a slightly manic laugh. David's low voice broke through the cheers though when he asked;

"Fun, huh?" In the distance we heard the train and the bridge started to shake slightly, it was just the beginning.

"Hold on!"

"Just relax cousin," I said with a smirk as Michaels face showed more and more panic as the train drew closer and the shaking increased. He was putting so much effort into holding himself up that he never noticed all of our eyes flashing red for a minute or the fact that it seemed a lot easier for us to hold on then it was for him. I laughed as Paul head banged next to me and the shaking got really violent.
Suddenly, Paul who loves this game more than any of us let go and falls down into the fog with a scream.

"Don't be scared Michael," Marko says with a grin and lets go. Dwayne follows suite and then we were three.

"Bailey, don't," he all but pleads; the fear in his eyes is clearly visible now, all haziness gone.

"Don't worry Mike," I say and with a gasp I let myself fall into the unknown. Paul grabs my waist as I float by and we all cheer when David, once again last, joins us. We all stay floating in mid-air and stare up at the mortal desperately trying to heave himself up while looking down and screaming for David and me. We start calling for him to just let go and trust us. I detect a hint of worry in David's eyes, had we gone too far too fast? Suddenly the boy can't hold on anymore and falls, his scream is one of pure fear and he doesn't seem to notice that he's falling a lot slower than he should be. He is unaware of the fact that he's actually floating slightly. As suddenly as his scream began it stops and he starts to actually fall, he's lost consciousness.

We all drop to the ground and David catches the dark haired boy in his arms. We all stay silent staring at him wondering what we should do next.

"Take him home. Hope he'll think this last part was a dream," Marko speaks up biting his thumb anxiously again. The rest of us nod in agreement and we fly up to the bikes where David throws Michael on the back of his Triumph and I jump onto my cousin's bike. We take off into the night and silently climb up the roof of my old home. I look inside my old room and see the younger Emerson boy sleeping soundly in there. Paul stealthy takes care of the hatch on the window and together, Dwayne and David manage to get the mortal inside and throw him on the bed, out cold still.

"Let's get out of here," Dwayne mutters as soon as he's outside on the roof. Just as we hit the ground a chill go through all our spines as Max calls us. We all share looks, none of us sure what to expect.

"What do you think he wants David?" I ask slowly, the boy just shrug and motion for us to follow him. The ride to Max's place had never felt so long.

We barely made it through the door when our self-proclaimed head vampire descended upon us. We didn't get a word in as he babbled on about my mortal aunt and how time was running away. He wanted us to speed up the plan.

When we left we were all fuming. Here we were worried that we had screwed up by messing with Michael too much too fast and he wanted us to speed it up?

"What is he thinking," Dwayne ground out his dark eyes flickering from black to red. David placed a calming hand on his shoulder but Dwayne shook it off angrily. His livid thoughts was almost hurting my head, he was projecting so hard. I had never seen my calm brother so mad before.

Flashes of a village burning went through my mind, I could hear screams. I could even smell the stench of flesh burning.

"Dwayne. Calm yourself." David's voice was struggling to break through the screams. From the struggle clear in his voice I could determine that he really had to use a lot of will power to get through. I had never heard him struggle so hard, this was usually second nature to him.

One scream made it through the rest, so clear that I almost thought the woman was standing right next to me.

"Dyami, run! Take Talisa and hide!" The agony in the womans voice made me crumble to my knees, because I knew her, she was important to me. Only it wasn't actually me who knew the woman, it was Dwayne. He never spoke of his past, too painful David said but now he was so angry that he was projekting everything onto us. The agony, the pain and anger, no absolute fury of watching his people, his tribe and family suffering. Burning, all of it, all of them.

All because of the man who came, an image of Max flashed by, he destroyed everything. But her dying hurt the most, Kaya suffering was almost as painful as what would come next. His wife I realized, like I had always known. Talisa's throat ripped open and the blood, it was everywhere, it felt like dying. Daughter.

Then a blonde man-boy screaming. Anger, pain of fangs piercing skin then darkness. Reborn again. Kaya, gone. Talisa, gone. Dyami, dead but reborn as Dwayne. Hate.

I sucked in an unessesary breath as that last word echoed in my mind. Bloody tears were streaming down my face, so much feelings, none of them my own.

A hand touched my back and I threw my arms around Paul, closing my eyes I let out a strangled cry. Trying to come to grips with not only my own feelings, but also Dwaynes´.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't control it," I had never heard Dwayne sound so broken before. Before I could say anything he was gone. I looked at David who was clenching his fists.

"I thouhgt we forgot most of our pasts, that was very specific," I said quietly, carefully because I didn't know if I was stepping out of place.

"We do. But sometimes very traumatic events can shake us and stick to our very core, so that we remember everything. Every detail, every-" he swallowed hard and his blue eyes were tinted red with anger, and sorrow when he looked at me.

"Every emotion that our human selves felt. Dwayne relives that moment, more often than any other. That is why he loathes when Max decides to take on a new woman so much more than the rest of us." He sighed and motioned for us to follow him.

I wanted to ask him more, but Paul sensed what I wanted and shook his head slowly, now was not the time.

The four of us went back to our home, all we could do was wait for our brother to return.