Salvation

By Leaveil Dabney

The Tradition and First Born Law have governed the way of life for hundreds of years – an agreement where humans supply Vampires with fresh blood for the protection of their cities, and a law that promises the first born child of each family to that city’s Vampire cause.

Vampires reign supreme underground, but even they fear what awaits them on the desolate surface. The faltering Sun has dawned a new age of faster, stronger Vampires – the Vampeez.

Levi is a First Born – property of Salvation and scheduled to be Turned on his 18th birthday. When his girlfriend, Sarah, is Turned months before his own birthday, he finds himself thrust into the secrets of the Vampire world in attempts to salvage her memories and their relationship.

Salvation’s council seizes Sarah’s vulnerability to begin their plans to do away with the Vampeez, but they must also contend with a new threat. A new Vampeez Queen has been crowned and is about to prove herself to be a formidable foe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796052398

Leaveil Dabney

Salvation is Leaveil Dabney’s second novel. If he’s not writing YA fantasy, he’s reading and collecting YA fantasy novels to add to his ever-growing personal library. His inspiration comes from his unquenchable urge to escape reality. If he could, he would live inside the pages of his favorite books. Dabney lives in Virginia, where he is currently working on his follow-up to his debut novel, Eternal Earth Secrets Untold.

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Copyright © 2019 by Leaveil Dabney.

Library of Congress Control Number:     2019911722

ISBN:                  Hardcover                        978-1-7960-5242-8

                            Softcover                          978-1-7960-5241-1

                            eBook                                978-1-7960-5239-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/16/2019

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Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1     Still Human

Chapter 2     Saved

Chapter 3     Turned

Chapter 4     Enough Secrets

Chapter 5     Humanity

Chapter 6     Family Ties

Chapter 7     Immortality versus Humanity

Chapter 8     Change of Heart

Chapter 9     Fiery Glow

Chapter 10   Frequency Overload

Chapter 11   Camp HELL

Chapter 12   Rescue Amiss

Chapter 13   Transition Complete

Chapter 14   Blood-Related

Chapter 15   Twenty Miles … Twenty Questions

Chapter 16   Five Steps Ahead

Chapter 17   Hidden Fighter

Chapter 18   Around the Campfire

Chapter 19   Secret Weapon

Chapter 20   Allies?

Chapter 21   Alone

Chapter 22   Retribution

Chapter 23   Against the Odds

Chapter 24   Salvation

To family and friends … May you get lost between the pages.

PROLOGUE

(2017 WORLD NEWS FLASH)

~We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for an emergency worldwide report. This message has been declared a global announcement. This is not a test.~

"T HIS IS JEFF Lynch broadcasting live with an exclusive worldwide report. For months now, scientists around the world have been keeping a close watch on the radical changes of our Sun. As previous reports have mentioned, the Sun’s hydrogen levels have been steadily depleting. It has always been speculated that when this was to happen, the Sun would gradually swell to three hundred times its original size, causing temperatures throughout our solar system to skyrocket and life on Earth as we know it made impossible.

"With the updated results from satellite SAP (Super Advanced Probe), scientists have concluded that what they’ve always theorized about the depleting hydrogen levels in our Sun is incorrect. The Sun is indeed depleting its reserves of hydrogen and will eventually expand in size, but the cosmic increase in temperature that scientists expected to end all life on this planet has been retracted.

"The new data tells us that when the hydrogen levels reach below 60 percent, the Sun, along with our solar system, will forgo a drastic change. Instead of an expediential rise in temperature, temperatures throughout the solar system will begin dropping. As the Sun swells and UV rays weaken, the amount of sunlight our planet receives will increase. This will eventually result in constant daylight. Scientists have even gone as far as saying the earth will never see another moonlit night as twilight will be as darkest it’ll ever get.

Being aware is the first step in the right direction of understanding and overcoming this predicament. Over the next century, these changes to our Sun will have begun. Government officials and organizations around the world are joining forces in efforts to brainstorm how these changes will affect future generations. If you would like to stay abreast on those ideas or to suggest your own, log on to our website using #changingplanet. As the universe and our world changes, so shall we. Stand fast. May God protect us all in the decades to come.

~ (Fifty Years Later) ~

"Good evening, folks. I’m Susan Hassle with your around-the-world SAP news report. Today we’re celebrating the fiftieth anniversary findings of satellite SAP’s jarring revelation of depleting hydrogen levels of our Sun. Many of you, including myself, were only small children when this discovery was originally broadcasted by Jeff Lynch fifty years ago. As inhabitants of this planet, we’ve all since been affected by the changing conditions of our solar system.

"Many things have changed in the way we live our lives in the last fifty years. The biggest campaign to result from the turn of events has been the Unite the People, Change the World, Save the Planet movement that started a year after satellite SAP’s findings. This campaign has been iconic in the combining of the world’s governments and resources. It has, and still is, the driving influence behind the world’s rising economy with its contribution to the vast increase in energy-efficient-driven jobs and technology. In a recent conference, the Unite the People, Change the Planet, Save the World organization leaders, who wish to remain anonymous, gave their annual goals and have promised that their organization will continue to strive in their efforts to make our planet a safe and thriving place for all life to prosper in. You can find more details on their goals listed on their cyber-site.

"Now for some interesting facts from space. As satellite SAP maintains its orbit around our Sun, it continues to send us a steady feed of information. Hydrogen levels stand at 75 percent, compared with its 94 percent fifty years ago.

"In other news, it’s been sixteen years since the first cycle of the Sun’s expansion began, resulting in the loss of the planet Mercury. The Sun is expected to double in size in its second cycle within the next century, engulfing the planet Venus. Computer models are still predicting that the Sun’s expansion will not threaten Earth.

"The swelling of the Sun continues to have the opposite effect in temperatures. The solar system will continue to see a steady decrease in temperature every seven years. UV rays have also continued to weaken. This is the eleventh year since the BHSA (Beautiful ’n’ Healthy Skin Association) has had their ban on tanning lifted.

"Daylight hours have steadily increased and will continue to do so. Last year began the twenty-year countdown until our last moonlit night. After which point the planet will only experience twilight as its darkest hours. For more information on the planet’s changes, you can view our cyber-site.

Government officials, scientists, and other organizations across the world continue to be proactive in staying ahead of any changes our planet may face. As we take the time to reflect on our planet’s recent history, let’s remember to continue to strive toward a better future.

~(One Hundred Years Later)~

(Cameraman) We’re live in three … two … one.

Are we on? (Camera man nods.) "Good day, Earthtonians. I’m Kudro Stationyette with an exclusive live world update. Thanks for tuning in. On today’s show, we’ll tackle a radical, unique topic that’s been the talk of many for the last several weeks. Also on the list, the growing concerns to our planet’s continued dropping climate and the steps on how the government intends to address the issue of freezing crops.

"But before we get into the everyday worries that have plagued us, let’s switch gears to this new, exciting topic that I’m sure you’re dying to know more about. As inhabitants of this planet, we’ve been dealing with the changes the Sun has forced upon us for a century and a half now. We’ve witnessed firsthand the extreme transformation the earth has undergone and are no longer virgins to the changes to come. We’ve dropped our once-labeled foreign identities and have come together in this new world and way of life as Earthtonians. There is nothing we can’t and will not overcome.

"Today’s electrifying topic takes us in a whole new direction of topics ever to be discussed. Today we’re going to address the thousands of rumors that have been spreading around the globe like wildfire about Vampire sightings. Yes, folks, Vampire sightings. Are they real? Do they walk among us? Today we’re going to put those questions to rest with real answers.

As unbelievable as this topic may seem, I can assure you that what you’ll soon see and hear is not a hoax. We can all say that things on this planet have severely changed in the last 150 years. Whether all of those changes have been good or not, who can say? Point is, in the time and age we’re living in, there are definitely areas in the world that have been overlooked. Today we hope to bring at least one of those topics to light. We have a very special guest with us today, ladies and gentlemen. He goes by the name Ancient 42 and claims to be one of the original Vampires ever created. Let me add that I’ve had the opportunity to speak to our guest before the show, and even I was amazed at how easily my skepticism was erased. This guy is definitely the real thing. But I won’t try and persuade you. You’ll have your chance to call in and ask your own questions shortly. Let us welcome Ancient 42 to the show.

~(SIX-HUNDRED-PLUS YEARS LATER)~

SALVATION

CHAPTER ONE

Still Human

~Distant voices~

H E’S NOT WAKING up, Miller! Why isn’t he waking up? He didn’t fall from that high up. If he’s dead, the Council will be furious. I can’t … I just can’t go through with having another child just to have it taken away from me again. One child is more than enough to expect of any mother.

Would you calm down, Michelle? Of course, he’s not dead. He’s still breathing. Look at his chest. The fall must’ve just knocked him out. Stupid kid. Playing on the towers like he’s already a Vampire. You’d think he had some kind of death wish with the stunts he pulls. Just last week, he was caught trying to sneak to the surface without an escort. This week, he’s climbing the training towers.

He looks pretty banged up. Will he be all right?

I think so. Lucky for us, he didn’t break his neck. His left leg is definitely broken though. Maybe a rib or two bruised too. The Council will believe us that it was an accident. They won’t punish us. Six more years and we won’t have to worry anymore. He’ll finally be Turned. Let’s get him home and clean him up.

It’s a funny thing being unconscious. People around you assume that since you can’t respond, your hearing and brain stop working too. Well, it’s not true. I heard everything my parents spoke that day, and it’s replayed in my mind ever since. That was when I realized they never really cared about me. Eighteen years was their sentence. After that, I’d be the concern of Vampires.

In a weird sense, falling off that tower was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. It allowed me to really understand the world I lived in. Firstborns were the property of their city’s Council, and I was one of them. Don’t get me wrong, Vampires protected humans, but their hierarchy of authority was built on lies, secrets, and most importantly, the fears humans still have about them. It was that fear that turned what would’ve been love and affection from my parents into obligation. That was all I was in their eyes, a burden to be kept safe until my eighteenth birthday. I’m a Firstborn, and in a few short months, I’ll become a Vampire.

I hated Vampires. I hated what I’d soon become.

Hello, Earth to Levi. Have you been listening to anything I’ve said to you in the last ten minutes?

I blinked myself back to reality only to see Sarah standing in front of me, waving her hand in my face in attempt to get my attention. Caught again, I thought. Think of a good response. You’re beautiful.

She rolled her eyes but still smiled. A compliment only confirms you weren’t listening. As I was saying, I can’t believe I get Turned tomorrow. I’ve been anticipating this day ever since my parents first told me that I was a Firstborn. Isn’t it cool how you and I get to become Vampires? I can’t wait to see what type of ability I’ll develop.

Of course, Vampires was the topic. Unlike me, Sarah was actually thrilled about being Turned, and her time had finally arrived. Don’t get too ahead of yourself. There’s no guarantee you’ll even develop an ability. The statistics show only three out of ten Vampires get the privilege. And even then, you won’t know until your transition becomes final.

Don’t burst my thought process right now, Levi. I already know how unexcited you are about all of this. I’m starting to think if you could get out of it, you would. Come to think about it, you’re not allowed to ruin my last day as a human, so until this time tomorrow, I forbid you to talk negative about being a Firstborn around me. It’s already enough that soon, I’ll be fighting Vampeez. Can you at least allow me to believe I’ll get a cool ability?

I’ll just go back to my room then since I have nothing good to add to this conversation.

I turned to leave and then stopped in the doorway. "Are we still on for dinner tonight? This is going to be your last meal as a human."

I’ll see you at eight.

I left Sarah’s room with only one thought: tomorrow my best friend, and girlfriend, would be Turned and chucked into the already raging war between Vampires and the Vampeez.

Being Turned was an honored tradition for humans in these difficult times. Everyone but me seemed to embrace it. Although humans were allowed to have large families, the Firstborn Law made it so all firstborn children belonged to their city’s Council. Once they were eighteen, they’d be Turned. Being a Firstborn was one thing, but being a Firstborn and Council favorite made my life difficult. Talk about putting pressure on the parents. Firstborns were all expected to make it to their eighteenth birthday, and if they just so happened to die or get severely injured to the point of disfigurement, the parents were the ones who had to answer. Usually, they were forced to replace the child. With Sarah’s eighteenth birthday tomorrow and mine only three months away, we were both about to fulfill our duty to our parents.

On the surface, Vampires seemed good-natured and friendly. Hundreds of years ago, they used their strength and special abilities to build our underground cities and vowed to protect them. All they asked in return was for humans to keep them strong by allowing them to feed off their blood, an agreement known as the Tradition. Humans honestly believed in the greater good of their predator protectors, but I knew the truth—Vampires kept humans around for their own survival. The surface could no longer sustain human life, and without humans, there would be no fresh human blood. Vampires would fade into extinction with the rest of mankind. I was entrusted to keep such secrets because I would one day soon be a part of the lie.

Vampires and humans coexisted within the cities, but Vampires kept to themselves. Their wolf pack personas and secret meetings about the war above ground kept humans slightly on edge about their true demeanors. Fear was Vampires’ best