I headed for the stable I had spotted earlier, the buckets clinking at my sides.
Milkman Benjamin.
I imagined my sister would get a kick out of that image.
My sister. The thought that I was a threat to even her now made my gut clench.
I have to figure out why I’ve turned into this monster.
But first, I need to escape this place.
I arrived at the stable, entered it, and walked along the aisles of slobbering camels until I spotted Michael, bending down in one corner over a bucket milking a particularly stout camel. After learning from Jeramiah that he was one of the managers of The Oasis, I was surprised to see him doing such a menial job.
He didn’t even look up as I approached, although he had obviously sensed me.
He had been nothing but frosty with me since the time I had first met him with Jeramiah in Chile. I had no interest in trying to spark up a conversation so I ignored him too. Though it would have been useful to get at least some direction as to how to milk a camel.
Walking further down the aisles, I picked a camel who seemed to have a particularly swollen udder and placed the bucket on the floor. As I motioned to touch her, she jerked backward and began grunting and kicking wildly. One of her heavy feet narrowly missed my right foot.
I stood up and placed both hands firmly on her back, trying to calm her.
“It’s okay, girl.”
Believe me, I’m as uncomfortable about this as you are.
My body expelled animal blood like it was poison anyway. Any fear this creature had of me was unfounded. I approached her head and stroked her long neck. That seemed to calm her down gradually and she stopped struggling. I bent down and started squeezing the milk from her teats. This time she remained still for me—well, still enough for milk to start squirting into the first bucket.
Once she seemed to be growing uncomfortable again, I moved on to the next camel. Then the next. And the next. Until all six buckets were filled up with the frothy white liquid. Wiping my sticky hands against a towel hanging on a hook, I looked around the stable for Michael. I couldn’t see him. He appeared to have finished his work and returned to The Oasis.
I was glad that the buckets came with lids. If they hadn’t, I would’ve spilled a lot of the milk on my journey back. The lids were tight, but balancing six heavy buckets of milk was a challenge even for a vampire. My palms were only so big. Still, going slowly and taking care not to slosh the milk too much, I reached the entrance of The Oasis and descended the staircase.
I took the elevator down to the ground floor. Looking out across the gardens, I spotted Jeramiah by the lily pond again. He was talking with a female vampire I didn’t know the name of but had seen the night before.
“Jeramiah. What do you want me to do with these?” I asked, nodding to the buckets.
“Ah,” he said, looking pleased as he eyed the large buckets. He left his female companion and approached me. Taking three buckets from me, he led me back toward the bottom terrace. We headed straight for the room that led down to the prison. We both took the buckets inside, and as we reached the door at the back of the room, I noticed that the lock had been replaced. It looked much stronger and sturdier. When Jeramiah drew out a key from his pocket, I could see from the way that it was molded that this was a much more complicated lock—much more difficult to pick than the one I’d managed to crack.
I wondered whether they’d found out that someone had been down there—and that the intruder had been me.
Or perhaps it was a coincidence.
A very odd coincidence.
As he opened the door and stepped inside with three buckets, I motioned to follow him. Planting his buckets on the floor, he swiveled back around and held up a hand, blocking the entrance.
“I’ll take these. Thanks.”
He took the three buckets from me, placed them on the ground next to the others, and then closed the door behind him. There was a sharp click as the door locked.
A delicious aroma wafted into my nostrils from down below. I could appreciate the smell even as a vampire. Someone was cooking something exotic in the basement. It must have been for the humans. I was curious as to who exactly was doing the cooking and where. I had not noticed any kitchens. Then again, I’d only explored a small part of the maze that was their prison system. I actually had no idea how big it was. For all I knew, it could be spread out over several levels underground.
I decided to wait for Jeramiah to return. He did about five minutes later, locking the door behind him and slipping the key into the right pocket of his pants.
He flashed me a smile. “That can be a morning duty for you from now on. Six buckets of camel milk. I have to think what else you can help with around here. I’m going to discuss it with Amaya and Michael.”