Kyla's mention of a bank account made Elizabeth wonder....
"Kyla, what do you do for a living?" she asked
"Contract killer," Kyla responded.
Aaron, sensing Elizabeth's discomfort, changed the subject.
"Joe was always Joe," Aaron said. "It's an easy name, so any Neanderthal could have pronounced it. But that last name, Newman, now that was a clever idea he got. Do you know where the first Neanderthal remains were "discovered" in the twentieth century?"
"No," Elizabeth responded.
"It was in the Neanderthal in Germany. In English, it would be the Neander Valley. The valley was named after a hymn writer named Joachim Neumann. But he authored his hymns with the last name Neander, which was the Greek version of his last name. Joe learned this and saw that last name Neumann. What does that sound like? It sounds like "new man." Joe agreed that the Neanderthals were a new group of men in a new world. He would probably sign to you that he considers modern humans to be an old people in an old, developed world. You guys have all of this technology and history behind you. But the Neanderthals had to start from scratch and died out within 100,000 years. That's not very old."
"What about you, Aaron? Why the name Aaron?" Elizabeth was curious about this. After hearing everyone else's answers she was certain she would get a profound explanation.
"My first name is Ayro, but it didn't sound right for the times. I chose Aaron because I liked it," he said simply.
"Oh," Elizabeth answered back equally simply. "May I ask what you do for a living?" Elizabeth was a little afraid of what the answer might be.
"I'm a silent partner at a winery in Temecula."
Phew! Elizabeth thought.
"You know, Gar really wasn't so bad," Aaron said. "He was the one who got into contact with Marnie and Lyle when we all wanted to rent out an island. There aren't too many landlords who are fine with vampires. He made all the arrangements for us to live openly here. If it hadn't been for Gar, none of us would be on this island right now."
Maybe I thought to harshly of Gar, Elizabeth thought.
When they reached Gar's land, they went to his tent to make sure he hadn't returned. But there was no sign of him and no inkling as to where he might have gone. Ren saw his canteen, shook it, and heard the swish of water. She took it with her in case they all got thirsty later. They decided to walk every square inch of Gar's land (which wasn't much). The island was only about fifteen acres total. The biggest chunk was Kyla's at five acres. Then Aaron's came in at four. Ren and Cal shared four together. Gar only had two acres to himself. And he had only accepted such a small piece because it was prime land for hunting. There was a freshwater stream with fish, a waterfall, numerous hiding places, and caves.
It didn't take them long to make a meaningful discovery. Aaron was about to walk past a tree when he saw something dripping from it right in front of him. He looked down. It was red blood. He looked up and his jaw dropped.
"Kyla, look!" he shouted. He pointed up. Kyla, who was not far from him, looked up to where he was pointing. A sound of horror, not quite a scream but not a gasp, escaped her lips. Elizabeth saw the interaction take place, remembered her dreams from before, and felt a chill run down her spine.
A bloodied, tortured body was hanging high up by a noose from the tree. Its face looked nearly ripped off. And the body was wearing Gar's clothing. The two vampires looked away and at the same time noticed the letter nailed to the tree.
"Whoever did this..."Aaron trailed off shaking his head.
Chapter 18: The Letter
They all gathered around the letter, careful to keep away from the blood dripping from the tree, and read the short note that had been scrawled onto it:
Dear All,
I am a powerful and determined individual. I know what I want and I always want the best. There is a prized possession on this island. Her name is Elizabeth. A female half vampire. And a very powerful one at that. She is the best of her kind that I have ever seen. What a companion she would make for any vampire. Aaron is not deserving of this rare find. And neither are any of you. All of you, except Elizabeth, will die. You will all be murdered one by one, and your bodies will be mutilated beyond recognition, unless you take the coil of rope left at the bottom of this tree and tie Elizabeth to the trunk. Then, I will allow all of you, except Elizabeth, to leave the island immediately. Or...you can find a way to escape. Though I doubt you will. You've all walked into a trap and this piece of land is not near the shore. Even if you manage to escape the island, you will not necessarily escape my desire to end your lives.
Signed,
Must Have Half Vampire