by Ray Garton
“Casey,” he gasped, “are you okay?” He rushed around the open trapdoor to her side; she was curled against the wall across the room, trembling and crying. Davey crouched beside her and held her close. “We've got to get out of here. Can you walk by yourself?"
Her whole body quaked in his arms and she pressed herself into his embrace, hissing, “Davey, I'm so hungry, I'm sooo hungry, Davey, help me, make it stop."
He gently pulled away and moved toward the trapdoor from which he could hear Benedek's struggles. He looked over the edge and saw the man trying to clamber up the stairs, his hands groping for a firm hold, his mouth open wide.
Something behind him was holding him back.
“Davey,” he croaked, “they're biting me, Davey, they're biting my feet!"
Davey went two steps down the stairs and, leaning forward, braced his left elbow against the edge of the opening and reached his right hand toward Benedek.
“Grab it!” he shouted.
Benedek reached for Davey's hand, but was pulled back down a few steps until he got his grip again and pulled himself up one step, another, one ... more...
The creature behind Benedek bounded onto his back, digging the claws of its wing into Benedek's shoulder. Turning its swollen, cracked head toward Davey, the creature spat, "We found him first!" It laughed through its bloody grin as it pulled Benedek back down the stairs.
Casey tried to calm the shaking, but it only worsened until it felt as if her skin were shaking right off her bones like gelatin. She was only vaguely aware of Davey and of Benedek's cries on the stairs below and...
Casey turned, looked beyond the trapdoor to Shideh.
She was lying on the floor on her side, rolling onto her back. A bloody, stringy mass stretched from her belly to the floor as she turned over with a painful groan. Trying to sit up, she scooped a hand through the viscous matter beside her and clumsily lifted it onto her belly. The tendons on her neck stood out as she growled.
Shideh pressed both hands over the opening in her stomach, sucked in a deep breath, and let it out in a slow, throaty sigh. She inched her way to a sitting position and turned her head toward Davey.
Davey took the knife from his pocket and went down another two steps. Swinging the knife upward past Benedek's head, he plunged the blade into the creature's left eye, pushing it up to the hilt. A gout of blood rushed out over Davey's hand, onto Benedek's head, and the creature screamed, throwing itself backward, off of Benedek and down the stairs.
The knife remained in Davey's hand as the creature's head slid off of it.
Davey held his bloody forearm out to Benedek. “Grab my wrist!” he said.
When Benedek had a firm grip on Davey's wrist and arm with both hands, Davey stepped back, heaving Benedek up the stairs until Benedek was able to grab the edges of the opening and pull himself the rest of the way out.
Davey's heart was thundering in his chest, his lungs were on fire, and his eyes were beginning to tear, blurring his vision, but not so much that he could not, upon turning around, see Shideh sitting up against the wall. Her smile was confident. She tried to stand but stumbled, and tried again.
Davey pulled Benedek to his feet.
“Davey, they have J-Jackie down there, I f-found her, she's—"
“Walter, you've got to get out of here!” Davey snapped, turning him toward the door. “Go outside, go back to the cab, just get away from the building!"
Benedek staggered toward the door but Shideh threw herself forward and wrapped an arm around his leg, trying to use it as a crutch to lift herself to her feet. Benedek almost tripped but spun around.
She held on.
Benedek's right foot was bare and bloody, his left wore only a torn sock. Davey saw the pain in his face as he put his weight on his right foot, and the anger that flared in his eyes as he pulled his left foot back and kicked it hard into Shideh's stomach. The stockinged foot disappeared for a moment into the gash in the woman's belly, then pulled out, dripping with dark fluids.
Shideh let go of his leg and slammed against the wall, her scream strangled by the blood in her throat.
Benedek staggered away from her and fell against the door, opened it, and turned to Davey.
“Come on,” he said hoarsely, nodding toward Casey. “Get her and let's go.” He had to shout to be heard above Shideh's screams.
Davey hurried to Casey and lifted her up, turning toward the door as the tall balding man came back into the room, passing Benedek as if he weren't there and crouching at Shideh's side. He looked over at Davey, bared his fangs, and roared, "What have you done to her?" He turned to Davey and tensed, like a cat about to pounce, but Benedek moved faster, shoving the man with his foot, hard, throwing him over the floor just far enough to tumble him through the open trapdoor.
Davey kicked the door shut as the man began to scream.
Benedek held the door open and Davey carried Casey to it, stopping when he heard Shideh's voice, but different, thicker, deeper.
“There is nowhere you can go,” she growled, “where I can't fiiiind you!"
Her face was dark now, covered with hair. Davey carried Casey out, through the token cage and into the front corridor. Her head was pressed to his shoulder and she was babbling senselessly.
“Here,” Davey said, turning to Benedek. “Take her outside. I want to get the customers out of the booths."
“This place could go any second, Goddammit!” Benedek snapped.
“I won't be long,” he insisted, carefully passing Casey's trembling body to Benedek's arms. "Get out!"
Davey ran down the musty corridor and rounded the corner into the room of booths. One of the men was already coming from a booth, buttoning his pants through the open front of his raincoat.
“The fuck is goin’ on?” the man barked, brushing back a few greasy strings of his black hair.
“There's a fire!” Davey shouted. “Get out! Now!” He began banging on the doors with his fist, shouting, “Fire! Get out!” He grabbed the handle of one of the doors and pulled hard, jerking it open, breaking its latch.
A short old man gasped, pulling up his pants.
“Jeez — what the—who do you—"
Davey grabbed the collar of his coat and jerked him out of the booth. The man fell to the floor, his pants just above his knees.
“Get out of here, there's a fire!"
The man began crawling, trying to pull his pants up at the same time.
“Davey!” The voice was muffled, but Davey recognized it immediately.
He looked into the booth and saw Anya pressing her hands to the glass.
She was beautiful.
“Davey, what's happening?” she shouted. “What are you doing?"
Davey smiled coldly as he slammed the door of the booth, wishing he could stay to watch her burn.
Benedek eased Casey into the backseat of the cab, then got in beside her.
“What the hell's going on?” the driver asked. “Whatsamatter with her? Look, I don't want no trouble, okay?"
Ignoring her, Benedek slammed the door and said, “Start the car and pull up there,” pointing toward Live Girls.
As the cab began to move, Benedek leaned back in the seat and clenched his teeth against the throbbing pain in his foot and back. Looking through the windshield, he saw several men running out of Live Girls, their long coats slapping behind them, some with their belts unfastened and flies open.
The cab stopped and idled before Live Girls.
“Goddammit!” Benedek hissed when he saw a tall, naked woman bound through the black curtain and run down the sidewalk, her black hair sweeping behind her as she took long, graceful strides. Another followed her. “They're getting away."
“Who's getting away?” the driver demanded. “Look, whatever you guys are doing, I don't want no part of it, so get your ass outta my cab!"
“Davey?” Casey whispered, huddled against the door of the cab.
Benedek put an arm around her. She was convulsing vi
olently; her lips were pulled back in a grotesque, painful grimace as she looked up at Benedek. There were tears in her eyes as she clutched the collar of his coat.
“I'm ... so ... hun ... greee...” she sighed. Her breath, damp with rot, made Benedek wince.
Benedek said softly, “Is there anything I can do?"
“Didn't you hear me?” the driver barked. “I said I want you outta—"
“I heard you, but I gotta sick woman back here, okay?” He leaned closer to Casey and asked again, “What can I do?"
She touched his face softly, and as she spoke, she moved her hand over his ear to his neck, around his throat, fluttering it over his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.
She had beautiful eyes. Benedek had not noticed the first time he saw her just how beautiful they were, how big and soft and inviting, how embracing...
“I have to feed, Walter,” she breathed, “I have to feed soon or, or I don't know what's going to happen to me, something bad, I, I feel like my, like my skin is melting off, and I'm afraid..."
She put her hand over his on her shoulders.
“...that if I don't feed soon..."
And gently lifted it, pushing the sleeve up a bit.
“...it will melt. Right. Off. My bones."
Benedek took in a deep breath as she touched her lips to the underside of his wrist, looking up at him through long lashes.
“Casey,” Benedek said, but his mouth only formed the name soundlessly.
“Just a little,” she whispered, her breath warming his skin. “That's all, just a little..."
When he felt the sting, Benedek suddenly felt weak and leaned heavily against the back of the seat.
Casey stared up at him, unblinking.
She slurped softly.
Benedek wanted to close his eyes and relax, enjoy the feeling of ease that was blanketing him, but he did not want to lose sight of her eyes...
“How much longer is your friend gonna be, anyway, huh?” the driver asked.
Benedek blinked, glanced at the driver in the rear-view mirror, then down at Casey. He saw a drop of blood beading at the corner of her mouth and jerked his hand away, the ease he'd felt an instant before turning to nausea as he slapped a palm over his bleeding wrist.
Casey fell away from him, leaning against the opposite door, smiling slightly and licking her bloody lips, laughing quietly deep in her throat, her whole body trembling orgasmically. She closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself.
“Did you hear me?” the driver asked. “How long is your..."
Massaging his wrist, Benedek spotted Davey through the wet window over Casey's shoulder. He was running from Live Girls.
“He's coming now,” Benedek said.
Davey stumbled to a halt on the wet sidewalk, frantically looking for the cab.
“Davey! Over here!” Benedek called.
Running toward the cab, Davey began screaming, “Drive! Drive! Drive!” as the cabdriver shouted over her shoulder, “I want you bums outta my Goddamned cab or I'm gonna—” and Benedek beat a fist on the partition and roared, “Just drive the fuck outta here now!"
Davey threw himself inside the cab.
The door slammed.
The driver put the car in gear.
And the dark doorway of Live Girls belched fire with a bone-cracking WHA-BOOMPH!
The car jolted with the explosion as it pulled away from the curb.
“Faster!” Davey shouted.
“This ain't a fuckin’ freeway!” the driver replied, her anger replaced by fear and confusion.
Davey and Benedek looked at one another for a moment—Davey felt a smile pushing the corners of his lips up—then they turned their eyes to the back window.
Pedestrians were hurrying across the street away from the burning building; some fell; a woman's coat was on fire; flames licked the sidewalk and rose toward the night sky. There was another explosion and the building next to Live Girls began to burn; its windows exploded outward, showering the street with glass, and a flashing sign that promised a live sex show sprayed sparks onto the sidewalk as it fell and shattered.
A burst of flames broke away from the fire, shooting up then billowing as it swept down in a bright arc over the street, taking shape, stretching out its wings.
“Oh God,” Davey whispered.
Diving downward, straight for the cab, screaming...
“Drive faster!” Davey shouted, hitting the partition.
It was a loud, hurt, and angry scream.
Shideh's scream.
The creature landed with a heavy jolt on the trunk, slamming its head against the window, spreading a web-like pattern of cracks over the glass.
Her face was barely distinguishable amid the flames that had already destroyed her flesh and were exposing bone beneath as she spread her burning wings over the window and screamed wordlessly as she slowly slid off the trunk and landed in a burning pile in the street, jerking violently a few times, then remaining still as the flames died away in the rain.
Davey collapsed against the door, wiping the perspiration from his face.
“Jesus,” he muttered. “I didn't think...” He turned to Casey. She was slumped between the two men, her head back, eyes closed, a look of euphoria on her soft face. “Casey?” Davey said softly. “You all right?"
She didn't reply.
Davey saw Benedek's bloody wrist and noticed the drops of blood on Casey's chin, and he knew what had happened. “Walter, I'm sorry."
Benedek shook his head. “It's okay. I know she didn't mean to hurt me, and”—he looked down at her—“I think she needed it."
As Benedek leaned forward and gave the driver his address, Davey leaned close to Casey's ear, holding her to him.
“Casey? You okay?"
She nodded slowly.
“We're out. We're out of there now. The place is in flames."
She opened her eyes a bit, smiled for just an instant, and breathed, “Good.” Then she leaned on Davey, squeezing into the crook of his arm.
“No!” the driver snapped at Benedek. “Next corner I'm lettin’ you clowns out, you hear me?"
“Look, this is important. Another ten bucks if—"
"Hey! You already owe me twenty for waiting."
“Jesus,” Benedek sighed, fumbling in his pocket. “Okay, all I've got're two twenties. That okay?"
The driver thought about it, then shrugged. “Okay."
They were all silent as they rode. Davey finally felt the pounding in his chest subside, and as he calmed, he began to notice the beginnings of his own hunger.
18
____________________________
BENEDEK STOOD BEFORE HIS MEDICINE CABINET IN HIS bathroom, gingerly putting two Band-Aids over the wounds on his wrist. The ringing in his ears had not stopped, and pain throbbed up his leg from his injured foot.
He looked at his reflection for a long time, noticing how trapped it looked within the chrome frame around the mirror. Trapped, as he was. Trapped with the knowledge of what was growing in the city. He knew he could not use the paper to spread the news. The editor would chuckle, and say something like, “Take it to the Post, Walter."
If the Times did anything at all with the story, it would be a small piece discreetly tucked away somewhere near the back of the paper with a headline like: POTENTIAL HEALTH CRISIS IN MANHATTAN.
Benedek rubbed his hand over the stubble on his jaw, toying with an idea.
Davey sat on the sofa with Casey lying against him. He stroked her hair gently. The relief of having her with him, alive—as alive as he was, at least—almost outweighed the horror of what had happened.
“You're trembling,” she said.
He nodded. “I'll have to feed soon."
She pulled her head away and looked into his eyes. “What are we going to do?” she asked.
Davey sighed. “I don't know. We'll have to leave the city. The police are still after me."
“Why?"
&nb
sp; Chad Wilkes's fearful eyes flashed in Davey's memory for a moment. Stella Schuman's strangled scream echoed in his memory. He knew the police would connect her death to him, too.
“I killed Chad,” he said softly.
Casey's eyes slowly widened and she touched a knuckle to her lips, stifling a laugh.
“I'm sorry,” she said. “It just, well, it just, you know, conjures up some humorous images."
Davey smiled. It was good to see that Casey had not changed too much.
“He thought he was being raped by a homosexual,” he added.
She put her whole hand over her mouth and her eyes crinkled as she tried to hold the laughter in.
“And”—Davey looked away for a moment—“Miss Schuman."
She laughed out loud, but her laughter collapsed into chest-heaving sobs and she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly.
“Davey, I don't want to be like this,” she cried, her voice muffled in his shoulder.
He embraced her and a large knot formed quickly in his stomach. “I'm sorry,” he breathed, “I'm so sorry. It's my fault. I'm sorry."
They held one another until Benedek came into the room.
“How are you, Casey?” he asked.
She looked at Benedek with sorrowful eyes. “I'm so sorry,” she whispered.
“Don't worry about it.” He smiled and held up his bandaged wrist. “See? All better. I'm just glad you're okay."
“Are you all right, Walter?” Davey asked.
Benedek sat down in a chair facing them. “Now. Right now, I've got about a truckload of adrenaline shooting through these veins.” He held his arms up for a moment. “But I suspect that in a while, I'm probably gonna be a mess."
“Sorry."
“I think there's been enough apologizing for tonight."
“What are you going to do?"
He shrugged.
“You going to write the story?"
“I'm going to write it, but not for the Times. They'd give me another vacation. A permanent one. But don't worry; the story will be printed. I don't know how well it will be received, but it will at least be printed."