by Alice Bell
I followed Zadie down the hall. Inka’s footsteps were close behind. My heart hammered.
Zadie pushed open the door. I gulped, in spite of myself.
Scarlett sat huddled on the floor, clutching at a silver chain around her neck. I wondered what she held in her fist. A cross? She wore a black gown. Her feet were bare, her hair ratted. She shivered so hard, her teeth chattered. Mascara made black rings around her eyes. She looked up; unseeing. She was in shock.
How long had she been there?
“She’s a cagey one,” Inka said. “She tried to get out on the fire escape.”
Zadie snickered. “Don’t feel sorry for her. She’s a royal pain in the ass. Holding us hostage.”
“Holding you hostage?” I said.
“Yeah, we can’t leave. Or she’ll get out.”
“Wh—why—” I could hardly get the words out. I licked my lips. “Why don’t you just kill her?”
Inka answered. “We can’t touch her. Someone gave her an angelite crystal that was very powerfully endowed. She’s using it against us.”
Good for you, Scarlett, I thought. Hold on for me. Just a little longer.
“We could have killed her,” Zadie said, her tone bitter. “Nights ago. The first time we saw her. But Inka said nooo,” her voice turned into a whine and she cast a pout at Inka.
Inka ignored her, turning to me. “You can get the amulet away from Scarlett. Can’t you, Devon?” It wasn’t a question. It was a command.
I approached Scarlett, looking down at her. She rocked, holding the amulet, eyes closed. I’ve done this to her, I thought. There was no reason for Zadie and Inka to hone in on Scarlett, except to get to me.
“Hey, Scarlett,” I said. Her eyes flew open. She withdrew, scuttling backwards, never letting go of her necklace. Hold onto that for your life, Scarlett.
Shrugging, I turned to Inka. “She’s warding me off too. I guess she doesn’t remember me.”
I feared it was true that Scarlett didn’t remember me. But I wasn’t evil. I meant her no harm and so I could have easily reached down and yanked the chain from her neck.
Inka crossed her arms. “Really?” she said. “Your little girlfriend is warding you off? I must say, I am surprised. I expected her to run into your arms.”
“I guess you’ll have to think up a new plan,” I said.
Inka’s eyes bore into mine. I thought she looked a tad bit furious.
“I have a plan,” Zadie said. “Let’s just turn up the heat and leave Scarlett here to die of a heat stroke.”
I opened my palms at Inka. “There you go. Plan B.”
Inka’s lip curled.
Zadie took my hand. “You want to, Devon?”
“It would be the kindest thing to do,” I said.
Zadie squeezed my fingers. “We’ll put Scarlett out of her misery.”
Inka turned and stalked away, her heels tapping angrily on the tiled floor.
I closed the door to Scarlett’s room. I hoped to god it wasn’t the last time I’d see her.
Inka waited in the kitchen. I sensed she was turning over an internal conflict in her mind. It was clear she had Zadie under her power. But I was an unknown entity. And she should fear me, I realized. I was a soldier, a slayer of Vampires, trained by Decimus.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Zadie said. “Can we get the hell out of here or what?”
“I think we need to have a visit with Devon,” Inka said. “Aren’t you eager to hear where he has been, Zadie?”
“Maybe later,” Zadie said. “Devon and I have a different kind of catching up to do,” she gave me a school girl smile.
“I would not like to be the last to know where you’ve been, Devon,” Inka said.
“The realm,” I told her.
Zadie sucked in her breath. “You got captured?”
“I went there on purpose. To find you, Zadie.”
She put her hand over her heart. “You’re so brave.”
I turned to Inka. “And to find out who turned me.”
Inka’s lips parted. I’d surprised her.
I thought of the years I’d walked the earth alone, lost. Why didn’t Inka come to me then? I would have been putty in her hands. As it stood now, she was not only at the top of my list, but my first priority. I couldn’t wait to take her out.
The moment was right.
I had to act now. Or never.
In a flash, I leaped over the counter and landed a karate kick to Inka’s face. It was a good square blow. I felt her bones crack. She was stunned, giving me time to yank the wine rack from the wall and break off a piece. The broken end was sharp.
Zadie keened.
I spun around, as Inka staggered toward me. Blood spurted from her nose and mouth. The whites of her eyes burned red. Her hands, like claws, reached for me, but she was wounded; a beat behind. I ducked and rose up to stab her in the throat, like I’d done a thousand times in the realm.
There was a hush, as if the world had paused on its axis. Ashes dusted my hands and my eyelashes, my hair.
It was my turn to be stunned. The witch is dead?
The answer came like whiplash, slamming my head against the wall. Stars exploded behind my eyes, and the floor rushed up to meet me.
Somewhere in the distance, beyond the tunnel of darkness closing in, there was a whimper.
I tried to stand up but I couldn’t move. My whole body throbbed with pain so intense, I drifted away from it, into a star-studded abyss, where I became weightless.
I heard the sound of humming.
I saw Angel wings brimming with light.
Yet, once again, the relentless hand of fate brought me back to the cold hard earth.
The sound of screaming and breaking glass splintered my eardrums. A lightning bolt of energy surged through my veins. My eyes snapped open.
I leapt to my feet, still holding my crudely fashioned stake.
Across the granite bar, I saw Zadie backing away from the window. I watched her slide down the wall. She crouched, covering her head with her arms.
“Holy shit,” I heard myself say.
The night air rushed through Scarlett’s shattered vista window. Glass crunched beneath my boot when I stood before the ledge to peer down to the sidewalk below.
What I saw was unreal. I didn’t know what to make of it. Broken glass sparkled in the glow of streetlamps. My eyes followed a trail of ash, like blood drops, across the street, where they disappeared.
A wail of sirens erupted on the far side of town.
“Is she dead?” Zadie said, behind me.
I went to her. “I’m sorry, Zadie. I really am.”
She lifted her gaze. “Why did you kill Inka? Why? She was our sire.”
I wasn’t convinced I’d killed Inka but I didn’t disabuse Zadie of the idea.
I let my stake drop to the floor and squatted next to her. “We’re better off without her, my love. Don’t you think?” I wiped away her tears.
She sniffed. “Maybe,” she sounded doubtful.
I settled next to her, stretching out my legs. “Come here, Zadie. Lay your head in my lap.” I stroked her hair, as she lay there. “It’s all going to be okay,” I said.
“As long as we’re together,” she murmured.
My old feelings for her stirred. She was my first love. What would have happened to us if we’d never parted?
I caressed Zadie’s face, admiring her exotic beauty. Did I want to know why she had changed her mind about going back east with me, so many years ago, when we were young? I suspected my mother had something to do with it. Had my mother done me a favor? Or sealed my horrific fate?
“We had good times, Zadie,” I spoke softly. “We’ve been lucky in love.”
Her eyelids fluttered. Her lips curved. “Yes. I love you in the worst way, Devon.”
Truer words were never spoken.
I reached for the stake but didn’t grasp it. There were so many what ifs. And I had the likelihood of immortality
stretching ahead of me. Who would I share forever with, if not Zadie?
“You do love me, don’t you, Devon?” Zadie’s eyes were open; wide and unnatural, staring up at me. “Like no one else?” There was something in her voice, something flat and inhuman. It turned me cold.
My fingers curled around the stake. Before I could change my mind, I plunged it into Zadie’s heart.
TWENTY-NINE
Scarlett
I heard Devon’s voice, heard him speak my name but I thought it was a dream. Or a trick. I scooted against the wall holding onto my necklace. But the sound of his voice, the thought of seeing him again had pierced through the fog in my mind.
Slowly, holding onto the bed, I pulled myself up. It was dark in the room but the yellow-green light of street lamps filtered through the gauze curtains. I crept to the door to press my ear against it.
Oh! Devon was talking but I couldn’t make out what he said. Tears stung my eyes. I wanted to run to him. But I knew better.
Zadie spoke loud enough for me to hear her clearly. “Let’s leave Scarlett here to die…”
I put a hand over my mouth. To die. Devon won’t let you kill me, I thought. You monster. But then Devon said, “There you go,” like it was a good idea.
That can’t be right. He would never say such a thing.
Yet, what did I know about him? I couldn’t remember how I’d met him. For a long time, I didn’t even remember he existed. I had only a few snatches of memories of him.
It didn’t matter, I realized. I had a deep love for him. He was in my heart for whatever reason. Like Catherine had said about Heathcliff, he was my soul. No matter what was going on out there, I believed Devon had come to save me.
In the next instant, I heard a scuffle, then screaming. My whole body went taut. My fingers curled around the door knob but I stayed like that, just waiting.
I didn’t know how much time passed. It felt like forever, not knowing what was happening but hearing the anguished cries, the sound of shattering glass, wailing, followed by an eerie quiet.
I could barely breathe, as I leaned against the door.
Are they all dead? Please not Devon, I prayed.
And suddenly, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I opened the door and ventured out, walking softly in my bare feet. At the end of the hall I heard Devon’s voice. “We had good times, Zadie,” he said.
My heart almost stopped. After a few seconds, I peeked around the corner. Zadie was lying with her head in Devon’s lap and he was stroking her hair, so lovingly. Behind them my vista window was broken.
Unable to look away, I watched. Zadie said, “You do love me, don’t you, Devon? Like no one else?”
Does he? I wondered.
I stared, my pulse racing, my heart ready to break into a thousand pieces. Then I noticed Devon was holding something. It was a jagged piece of wood. He raised his arm and in one swift move stabbed Zadie in the chest with it.
I gasped. Black spots swam in my vision. Though my knees started to buckle, I managed to stay upright.
I expected spurting blood, more screaming. I covered my eyes but when I looked again I saw nothing but a pile of ash.
I staggered out into the room. “Devon?”
He looked up. “Scarlett,” he dropped the stick. “Oh, Scarlett,” he got to his feet and came to me, pulling me into his arms. I could hear the thump of his heart. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said.
I held onto him tighter, breathing him in. As I did, I remembered everything, how we met, he’d changed my tire, our first kiss, the world had tilted, making love to him upstairs in the attic. I remembered every single precious moment.
I felt his lips in my hair. “You remember me,” he murmured.
“Oh god, how could I forget you?” How did I?
“I love you, Devon,” I said, my voice muffled in his shirt.
He disentangled himself from me and tilted up my chin to look into my eyes. “I love you too.”
“You do?” I said, surprised. No one had ever said it to me before.
He laughed. “You have no idea…”
A Note
Thank you for reading Vampire Night. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, could you be so kind as to take a moment to leave a review? If you wish to contact me, I can be reached at [email protected]. Again thank you for reading.