by Avery Kloss
“You were right. A change of scenery was just what I needed.” I hadn’t felt one single twinge of depression all week. “I hope you and Dr. Walker have a good time.”
“Clark. You can just call him Clark.” She closed the laptop. “I’m meeting his daughter. She lives in Astoria.”
“Oh, I see. Wow, it’s getting kinda serious then, isn’t it? Meeting family members and stuff.”
“She’s a little older than you.”
“Have fun.” I did not know what to think of that, my mother’s relationship with the guy growing more complicated by the day. “I’ll just chill here. I’m gonna … read or something.”
“He’s picking me up soon.” It looked like she wanted to talk on another topic, but she seemed to change her mind. “I’m just taking it one day at a time. It’s nice to date again, especially with someone like Clark. He’s … he’s very caring and respectful. We’re just taking it slow.”
“You don’t have to explain your love life to me, Mom. You do you and I’ll … do me, okay?” I grinned. “If you’re happy, I’m happy. It’s awesome you found someone.”
“You’re not destined to be single forever either, Brie.”
“Guys are the last thing on my mind.”
“All young ladies want to be swept off their feet and romanced.”
“Don’t lump me in with that group.”
She laughed, “You’ll have the experience one of these days, probably sooner than later. You’ll fall in love and—”
“Okay, I gotta go.” I poured water into a mug.
“You probably shouldn’t wear that ring on that particular finger, though. It looks like you’re already married. You should wear it on your right hand.”
“I like it just the way it is.” I brushed past her, heading for the stairs. “See ya later, Mom.”
“All right, Brie, but I’m right. You’re going to meet someone who’ll sweep you off your feet.”
“Ugh, Mom, no,” I giggled, racing up the stairs.
I kept myself busy until I heard a car approach. Mom had to walk around the outside of the house to meet Dr. Walker, who picked her up. He held the door for her, as she stepped into the passenger side. They drove off a moment later. I had waited for this moment for the last thirty minutes, casting a quick look at myself in the mirror, where I saw a young woman dressed in black jeans and a dark purple top. We had moved the jackets to a closet near the kitchen, where I pulled out a thick, black one. Shoving the phone and some lip-gloss in a pocket, I found mom’s car keys on the counter. I left the house a moment later. The sun went down a while ago, although a hint of light lingered, the last vestiges before darkness took over.
I had a destination in mind, ignoring all the warnings I had been given. I did not want to live my life safely or wisely, throwing caution to the wind. I wasn’t the same old Brie anyhow, because something had changed within me. I had cheated death twice. I planned to do so again tonight.
20
I nearly missed the exit, the lights of the establishment in view at the last second. This forced me to swerve into the turn lane, but luckily, no one drove behind me. Lights shone through the trees, the bar tucked in neatly by the side of the road. Motorcycles and cars filled the lot. It made finding a parking space difficult. I managed to squeeze between a tree and a truck, stepping from the vehicle a second later.
The repetitive thump of music echoed along with the din of talking. Questioning the sanity of this excursion, I felt a moment of doubt. I had a few things I needed to ask Gabe Murray, and there was no other way to do it. I stepped over gravel, suddenly feeling the vibrancy of a peculiar energy. I paused to reflect on it for a moment, while I caught a glimpse of myself in a car window.
It’s not too late. I can turn around and go home.
Swallowing a fair amount of apprehension, I approached the entrance, where a small group of people chatted. A man sat on a stool by the door, the sounds of merriment escaping, as someone barked with laughter. He stared, his cold, dark eyes traveling over the length of me. I ignored the prickle of warning that sent my heart racing.
“ID, please.” He pursed his lips waiting for me to provide the driver’s license.
“I’m underage.”
A rumble of laughter emerged from deep in his lungs, his smile smug. “You better skedaddle back the way you came then.”
“I’d like to speak to Gabe Murray, please. If I can’t go in, send him out.” That seemed entirely reasonable to me. I smiled sweetly. “Please.”
He considered me for far longer than necessary. “Did he ask for you?”
“Yes,” I lied.
“Go on in then, but you’re not to touch one drop of alcohol, young lady. Is that understood?”
“Sure.”
Stunned that the ploy had worked, and far easier than I thought it would, I felt a moment of triumph. I slipped past him, and entered the bar, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkened interior. People sat at tables or stood against walls, the vibe … unnerving. I had never encountered a place with such kinetic and possibly dangerous energy. I felt eyes on me at once, reminding me of the time we went to the zoo, when a tiger followed my every move behind a thick piece of glass.
Cutting a path through several tables, I ignored the men that stared, keeping my attention firmly on the bar area and the person who wiped the counter down. I had met him before. He noted me, and stiffened, his hand pausing over the rag.
“What the hell are you doing here?” A frown deepened the lines on his face. “You turn right back around and get the hell outta here.”
I struggled to remember his name. Was it Jim or Clive or something? “I need to talk to Gabe. You didn’t give him my message before, did you?”
“You … you’re nuts. You need to go.” He left the rag where it was, and lifted the end of the counter to step out from behind it. Grabbing my arm, he propelled me through the crowd, although I would not help him, dragging my feet.
“Let me go!”
He released me, which I hadn’t expected, staring at me as if I had hit him. Rubbing his hands together, he glared now. “What was that? What’d you do?”
“Nothing, you moron.” Annoyed at being manhandled, I placed my hands on my hips. “Where’s your boss?”
“Fine,” he snapped, brushing past me. “I don’t need this crap.” He lifted the counter. “If you want to put yourself in danger, then screw you! Third door on the right.” He pointed. “That way.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I get you a drink, honey?” slurred a bleary-eyed man.
“No.”
I strode across the room, the object of everyone’s attention, and their eyes like tiny darts into the back of my neck. The clientele consisted mostly of men, but a few women sat, while several danced with partners. Rock music blared tunes from the 80’s, the feeling decidedly retro, right down to the brightly lit jukebox in the corner. A woman stood beside it, her frame thin, with pale, pretty features and a red mouth. I met her gaze and shivered, her look … hungry.
Darting down the hallway, I arrived at the door in question, but found it closed. I knocked and waited for a reply, casting a wary glance over my shoulder. I could have sworn I had been followed. The bathrooms brimmed with people, several women laughed after the door swung open.
“Come in,” called a man’s voice.
A moment of hesitancy gripped me, where I questioned the sanity of this decision, but I could not change my mind now, could I? Something warned me that, if I opened the door and went inside, I would cross some sort of unseen line. I knew in that instant my life would never be the same again.
Is this what you want, Brie?
This isn’t high school. This isn’t a game. This isn’t the loony bin. This is something else entirely. These people will eat you alive.
Brushing off the doubt, I turned the knob, and opened the door. The room looked just as dark as the rest of the establishment, the walls painted charcoal, with a built-in bookshelf aga
inst the far wall. A man sat at a large, ornately carved desk, a computer open before him.
Gabe Murray grinned slightly—dangerously. “I thought I smelled something delicious.” He closed the laptop, and leaned back in a large leather chair. “I told the boys to get me a snack, but … this sure takes the cake.”
“I want to ask you a few questions. I came here before, but you weren’t here.”
He seemed to breathe me in, his nostrils flaring. “Close the door.”
The deep baritone of his voice skimmed over me. “I … probably shouldn’t.”
“True, but it’s a little late now, isn’t it, honey?”
Closing the door, I faced him. “What did you do to me the other night?”
“Boy, if I had a dollar every time a woman asked that question.”
I tried not to snicker at his obtuseness, but I failed. “You know what I mean.”
“The effects don’t last more than three days. Sorry.”
“What effects?”
“My blood.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came here to thank you for saving me. I should’ve died in the fall.”
“Yeah,” he intoned, staring at me, waiting …
“So, thank you.”
“That’s why you came here?”
“Yep.”
He sat forward, tapping a pencil on a piece of paper. “I never should’ve interfered. Damn.” He seemed to chastise himself, his lips thinning. “I should’ve let you die. You wanted to anyway. What sane person flings themselves off a balcony, right?”
“I still can’t believe I didn’t break any bones.”
“Oh, you did, plenty.”
“No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t be here if I had.”
He continued to stare, a curious, yet predatory glint in his dark eyes. “There’s something different about you.”
“You have skills, you know. You should probably be working in a hospital or something.”
A peal of laughter filled the room. He got to his feet, his height intimidating. Striding around the desk, he leaned against the furniture and crossed his arms over his chest. He wore a black shirt with long sleeves, the ends rolled up. I inhaled a hint of whatever soap or aftershave he wore, my senses suddenly flooding with the aroma—woodsy, citrus, and … a hint of something else.
After a lengthy moment of consideration, he murmured, “You look a lot better up close, but do I dare?”
“What?”
Dimmed recessed lights spotted the ceiling, one above his face, revealing a man far younger than I first thought. His manner and bearing spoke of someone older, as did the way he talked, but … that impression seemed incorrect. He could not be older than twenty-five, if that.
“My blood shouldn’t still be in your system. Something’s … different.”
“You can say that.”
He tilted his head to the side, as if observing me at this angle might bring an answer. “There’s only one way to get to the bottom of it, I suppose.”
“All you have to do is ask. I’ll tell you.”
He stared at me, waiting.
“I … had another accident on the balcony a night later.”
“What sort of accident?”
“Kinda … falling over again.”
His eyes widened for a split second, his nostrils flaring. “You’re not one of us. If that happened, you’d be … you would’ve drawn our notice. You’d be running around town terrorizing everyone.”
I had no idea what he spoke of, saying, “I’m fine. I didn’t die again.” I grinned. “As you can see.”
He stared over my shoulder. “Here comes trouble.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come here!” He grabbed me, shoving me behind him.
“Hey!”
The door flung open, revealing several men dressed in leather, the dark orbs of their eyes flashing in pasty white faces. “We smell supper, boss.”
“Not this time.”
I now regretted coming to the bar. Some of the patients at The Hope Unit had to be kept separated, because they were criminally insane. That was the feeling I got now. These men had to be on drugs or whatnot, and I feared for my safety.
“You owe us a meal,” said one of the men. “I smell fresh meat, really fresh.” He sniffed the air. “Like flowers in the sun fresh.”
“This one isn’t for you. I’m asking you nicely to leave.” Gabe’s cold hand pushed me further behind him. “Now.”
A low, hissing sound emerged, one of the men showing impossibly long, sharp teeth. “I’m sorry, boss,” he rasped. “This one’s too good to pass up. Just a little taste, eh?”
They all suddenly flashed the same teeth, their lips glistening red. Horrified, I now dared to entertain the idea that these men were vampires. Vampires did not exist. They were the monsters born of imagination in horror books and films. Everyone knew vampires weren’t real, but why did four of them suddenly want to eat me?
Gabe sprang to action, and hissed, with arms opened wide. He tried to keep the men at bay, although one broke free to skirt the desk, where I had gone to put some distance in. In a moment of sheer panic, I closed my eyes and wished to be invisible, to hide from these people, these hideous, awful, scary men. A white-hot burst of energy shot through me, a sensation that felt like falling endlessly, floating …
“Where’d she go?” yelled the man. “She just disappeared!”
I stood against the far wall, my heart hammering in my chest, while the men glanced at one another, their expressions confused—shocked. Disbelief flickered in their eyes.
“What happened to the girl?” asked a man, his teeth retracting. “You owed us a meal, Gabe. We always share with you. It was our turn.”
“That one promised to be especially tasty,” said the shorter of the four. “Is there a trap door in the floor or what?”
Gabe gazed at where I stood, his eyes drifting up and down and everywhere. “No, no trap door. Brie?” Confusion briefly erased his angry countenance, but it returned a second later. “She’s not to be touched! She’s not a meal for you knuckleheads.” He squinted, as if trying to see better, sniffing the air. “How can she just vanish like that?”
“You’re holding out on us, boss.”
“Shut up,” he muttered, frowning. He appeared thoughtful, and then a grin emerged with a hint of admiration. “Looks like I might’ve met my match on this one. I wondered about that.”
I kept my mouth shut, too stunned to speak. Lifting a hand, I glanced at it, although I saw nothing. I stood there against the wall, yet I could not see my chest or my hips or my legs or my feet—nothing.
Oh, my God! What just happened?
21
The hazy establishment teamed with people, all of the tables full, while music blared in the background. I walked straight through the throng, passing tables, but no one saw me. Slipping out the door, I hurried for the car, and gasped for air, because I had forgotten to breathe. With trembling hands, I started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot, although I drove erratically.
“Get a grip!” I shouted. “But I can’t see my hands!” I glanced at myself in the rear-view mirror, yet I saw nothing but the road behind, lit by the glare of the car’s taillights. “It looks like no one’s driving this car. What am I gonna tell the cop, if I get pulled over?” On the verge of pure panic, I spied a dirt road, veering for it, as dust and gravel flew into the air all around.
Once parked, I rested my forehead on the steering wheel, gasping for air. What had happened tonight?
“Okay, breathe. Just breathe.” I made blowing sounds, like a woman in labor. “Air, air is good.” I shook my head from side to side, and rubbed my forehead against the steering wheel. “Vampires really are a thing. Or was I hallucinating? Maybe I’ve totally lost my mind. It was going anyway, but this … is ridiculous.” I lifted my head, glancing at my hands, which I could not see. “Where am I? I want to be back to being myself, please—” No sooner ha
d I said that than I suddenly saw my hands, clear as day. “Oh, thank God!” A rap on the window made me jump. A man stood there. I gasped, recognizing him.
“You wanna come out here, honey?”
Gabe had followed me, which renewed my sense of panic. “Nope.”
Stomping on the gas pedal, the car sprang forward, although he had anticipated the move, coming to stand before it, leaning on the hood with his hands splayed. I pressed the accelerator harder, but it yielded nothing other than the smell of rubber and a loud, grinding noise, which brought forth a cloud of dust.
“Stop it, Brie. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
I withdrew my foot, although I had no intention of leaving the vehicle. “Go away.”
He made a face, annoyed. “Let’s talk. You have my full attention now.”
“You’re a freaking vampire!”
“Eh, nobody’s perfect.” A wolfish grin emerged. “I could ask you what the hell you are. People don’t just vanish into thin air. That’s a nifty trick you got there.”
“I … didn’t know I could do that.”
“Let’s talk.”
“You’re going to … to eat me.”
“That’s an idea, but … ” he shrugged, “I’d rather pick your brain first.”
“And then eat me.”
He sighed, rolling his eyes. “Get outta the damn car.”
“What guarantee do I have you won’t bite me?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Then I’m not getting out.” I dared him to challenge me, glaring at him. “Buddy.”
“I won’t bite.”
“So?”
“I won’t harm you. I could’ve let my boys feast tonight, but I didn’t.”
“Ha! The only reason they didn’t is because I made myself disappear. They were about to pounce.”
“I would’ve stopped them. I sired all of them. They’ve no choice but to listen to their master.”
“Will you answer my questions?”