by Adams, Nancy
But again, it was Thursday night, and I hadn’t fed since Tuesday, nearly forty-eight hours earlier. Part of the Plan involved How to Feed Amber While She Was at Home, preparing for the Great Migration to the West, and Horace had convinced me not to go the full three days, especially not this time—not while I was close to my family and friends! I told Mom that I wasn’t too tired, and felt like going for a drive.
I’m pretty sure she thought I was going out to meet Vince, and she probably thought I was sleeping with him—we’d had a few dates that had lasted all night, so even though we hadn’t (quite) gone all the way, I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Mom thought we had. At the moment, though, it just made her give me a look that she probably would have called “knowing,” and tell me to be careful.
I went up to my room to get my purse, and peeked in on my sisters; they shared a room, and at least a small part of their support for my determination to move probably came from the hope that one of them would get mine. That was okay; even though I didn’t really want to leave, I knew I had to, and that I would never be back to live under that roof again.
The little munchkins were already asleep, so I went down the hall for my purse (it had been found in my car, of course, and was given to Dad when he was allowed to come pick up the Mustang on Tuesday morning) and grabbed it and my keys, before slipping back downstairs and out the door.
The Mustang was in its usual spot in the driveway, and I felt a slight pang of regret as I got in. In a couple of days, I would be hauling five vampires across the whole country, and there was no way they’d fit into my little hatchback. Come the next morning, I was going to go visit the local used car dealer and trade it in on a van, but for that night I was going to enjoy my little Pony Car one last time. I fired it up and backed out of the driveway, and headed west on our old blacktop road.
The first intersection was a half-mile down the road, and when I pulled up at the stop sign, I waited; this was where Horace and I had agreed to meet, and sure enough—right on schedule—he and Simone stepped out of the wooded lot on my right and jogged over to the car.
Chapter Eight
Simone
Horace wanted me to wait with the rest while he went to meet Amber, but me? I’m stubborn, I am, and he knew he wouldn’t win if he argued, so when he went, I went with him. “She’s my ducklin,” I told him, “and I wanna see her!” He knew he wouldn’t win, he did.
Me and the rest had been waiting about a mile or so away when we heard the guns, and Rudy said that was our signal. It meant Horace was on his way, and he’d told Rudy, when we heard ‘em, to take the truck and go park back around where we first saw Amber, that little store building. It still had tape all around it, but just down the road from it was another old building, and we parked the truck there and waited. Mad and Jen was back in the back, and I was sittin’ up front with Rudy. Sure enough, there came Horace about ten minutes later, who jumped in.
“The girl really can act,” he said. “She made it real, and I think she’ll be fine. We picked a spot to meet up tomorrow night.”
“We’re good, then?” Rudy asked him, and Horace said we was.
“Time we get back into our swing, then, isn’t it, now?” he said, and I laughed aloud. I hated it when we had to run and hide, it ain’t fun. I want to be in the fun parts o’ life, that’s where I belong!
Rudy laughed at me, and drove off, and we went to a city a couple hours away, Saint Louis. There was this place up there that Horace knew about, a really hot club, and we parked in the parking lot like regular people.
I like clubs. There’s always someone there thinks I’m cute, and if I let ‘em think they’re turnin’ me on, they don’t get upset when I nip ‘em.
Horace
Once I was in the truck, I used the rear-view mirror to help me regain my own face, twisting and pushing it back to the way it usually looks. Rudy grinned as he drove, and we headed for St. Louis. It wasn’t that far away, we could find us some blood donors, and after that night’s work I could use a drink.
Simone loves it when we go to nightclubs, especially the ones with good bands and current rock and roll. I prefer the country ones, myself, but this place was called Mike’s Roadhouse, and the band on the stage wasn’t bad, if you like Ozzy Osborne, Kiss and that type. Rudy tugged on my arm and pointed at a couple of women sitting alone, and I let him make the first move; he’s got that sort of “golden-boy” look that women like, especially older women who get into younger men. Rudy was only in his early twenties when I turned him, and he knows how to pour on the charm.
Mad went straight to the dance floor with Jen, and they put on a show that got a lot of men shouting and whistling. This area was still in the fifties in some ways, I think, but the gals may have brought ‘em out of that a bit, what with their act. If Jen had ever kissed a man like that, the bloke’d be trying to marry her, and when Mad bent her over her knee and spanked her, I could see a half dozen men start to drool. Some of ‘em were looking at Jen, but a few were staring at Madeline and dreaming about letting her bend them over. She’d be a happy lass that night, I knew.
Simone was dancing even as we went through the door, and being as she’s so small, a man who looked like he might be Mike came over to ask for her ID. She pretended she couldn’t hear him, at first, and when he bent down to talk in her ear, she threw her arms around him and whispered into his. I heard her, of course; she said, “If you let me stay and play, Daddy, I’ll let you play, later.”
She can always spot ‘em, the ones who like that game. He froze for a second, then whispered back, “If any cops come in, you ditch whatever you’re drinking and come to me, fast. I’ll say you’re my niece, and I didn’t want to leave you home alone.” He gave her little bum a squeeze, and she kissed his cheek as he turned away, then grabbed the hand of another man and led him to the dance floor without even introducing herself.
Rudy had the two ladies laughing and blushing, and I saw him point me out to them. They smiled shyly, and wiggled their fingers at me, and I began moving that way. I made sure they could see my walk, and it worked like it always did. By the time I got to their booth, Rudy was sitting with one of them on one side, and the other was patting the seat beside her. I slid in and gave her a smile, and she sat a bit straighter so I could see how well her Cross-Your-Heart was working on her figure.
“I’m Janice,” she said, “and my friend is Annie.”
“I’m James,” I said, using the same name Rudy had told them for me. “Passin’ through here, and this looked like a nice place to moisten our lips, eh?”
Annie giggled. “Yeah, it’s good for that, all right. That’s why we come here on weekends, Babe.”
“To get our lips wet!” I saw Janice pretend to blush, and she shook a finger at Annie. These ladies were hoping to have a good time, later on, and Rudy and I were just the blokes to make sure of it.
Mad sat down at the booth behind Rudy about then, with a mousy little fellow who was almost wetting himself in his excitement. I heard her tell him to get under the table and kiss her foot, and he looked like he was going to pop his rockets as he did as he was told!
A glance around told me that Jen had a man who was working on wooing her—that’s what she wanted, romance and kisses, and she was lovely enough to get them anywhere—and I knew Simone was already working her own little games. I relaxed, and put an arm up for Janice to slide in under.
She didn’t disappoint. We spent some time at the club with them, and when it closed we went with them to their room in the hotel next door. Janice happily took me to her bed, and didn’t even seem to notice when I bit; Rudy must have timed it right, as well, because his Annie only squealed louder.
We stayed for a while after, and cuddled the ladies ‘til they went to sleep, then slipped away into the night. Simone was already at the truck. She’d skipped out on Mike, but he was probably going to daydream about her for years, anyway.
I said, “Time to go, kiddies,” knowing th
at both the girls would hear me if they were within a half-mile. We waited only a few minutes for Jen, and Mad showed up after only ten more. I drove, this time. We headed back into Illinois, and found a place to park for the night in the forests.
Simone had jumped into the middle of the front seat, and as I drove she pulled something out of her blouse to show to me. I took it, and was amazed to see a Missouri Driver’s License for a girl who looked almost exactly like our Amber.
I looked at Simone, and she grinned. “In case we wanna take her out with us, sometimes. This girl, she’s twenty-two. I saw her, and she looked so much like ducklin that I just had to steal her ticket!"
I put my arm around her, and kissed her forehead. We parked just west of Mount Vernon, not far from where we’d been parked the day before, and all climbed into the back. My last thought before I died for the day was that I’d have felt safer if Amber were there.
We woke at sundown, of course, and I drove us on toward Corlin, but we had to make a stop.
One of the things Amber and I had discussed was not letting her get hungry while she was at home, so we needed to grab a meal for her on the way. Easy enough; a quick zip into the big truck stop at Mount Vernon solved that, with a man who thought our Simone ought to be his personal plaything. That irritated me, it did, and so when we left there a few minutes later, we left the old pickup behind and took this lad’s nice new Blazer! Mad and Jen were keeping him quiet in the back seat, and we made our way to a place I’d noticed during my run, the night before.
“Can we play with him?” Madeline asked me once we’d gotten him out of the truck, and I grinned.
“Sure, keep him happy ‘til Amber gets here.”
The fellow was listening carefully. He was tied up, and he’d already figured out that these girls who had bound his hands and feet were awfully strong, but he only asked, “Who’s Amber?”
“Mmm,” Mad said, “don’t worry, love. You’re gonna like Amber, she’s absolutely special!"
“Yeah? And is she as hot as you two?”
Jen snickered. “She’s hot, all right, and young!"
“And she’s wild, like Mad said,” Simone threw in. She leaned close and stage-whispered, “Amber likes to do things with her mouth that you just won’t believe!"
Nobody ever accused our Simone of being untruthful. She wanted to go with me to meet up with Amber, so we took off at a run a few minutes later.
Chapter Nine
Amber
Simone climbed into the scrunchy backseat and bounced into the center of my rear-view mirror, then leaned up and kissed my cheek.
“I missed ya, ducklin,” she announced, and then she giggled. I couldn’t help the grin that lit up my face.
“Missed you, too,” I said, and suddenly realized it was true; she’d gotten to me, and was already a part of my life.
Horace had settled into the front passenger seat. “So, how’s it been?” he asked, a thumb pointing back toward my house. “Everyone okay, after our little performance last night?”
“Yeah,” I said, “but if Daddy ever sees you ‘gain, I think you might not be as immortal as you think you are!"
He laughed. “Well, and I can’t really blame him for that, now can I? After I pointed a bloody big ugly gun at his baby girls? Good thing I’ll look a lot different, if we ever do meet again, eh?” I’d noticed he already had his old face back.
I pulled away from the intersection, and Horace pointed straight ahead. As I drove, he said, “We went up to Saint Louis last night, after my ‘escape,’ found a few sips for us and snagged a fellow for you on our way back in this evening. Mad and Jen are keeping him company ‘til you get there, and I daresay he’s probably having a high old time of it, by now!"
Suddenly I was shaking; I’d left the house with this purpose in mind; it was part of the Plan: the vampires would bring me a—well, a victim—so that I could feed, even before I had a chance to get hungry. This was because I’d worried aloud about being near my family when the hunger set in, and Horace had agreed they should get me another, um, meal for this night. He told me how Rudy and the women had been hiding nearby when the sheriff had showed up, and the five of them had taken the stolen pickup up to Saint Louis and back before they slept that morning.
So, there I was, driving toward the second man I would eat and kill, and I was trembling with what I told myself was a nervous anxiety—but I’ve never been one to deceive myself for long, so after a moment I admitted privately that I was really trembling in anticipation. I was listening with half an ear to Horace, but my mind was on how this next victim would taste, how his screams would excite me, and whether I would feel that absolutely fantastic, wonderful thrill again—
Mmmmmm—
They’d holed up down an old dirt road, one that had once been part of the old coal-mining operation that had long ago dwindled until there were only a few mines in the area still functioning. The road was far too bad for anything but a four-wheel-drive truck, so we hid my car in some woods and ran in on foot, a total trip of only ten minutes or so.
This had been an old mine, with a vertical shaft, and there were still a few of the old concrete block buildings standing. Simone ran on ahead, and Horace and I followed her into the biggest of them.
Rudy was sitting against an inner wall, and smiled at me when we came in. “Hey, Amber,” he said, in an accent that was a little different from Horace’s. “We brought you some takeout!” Simone giggled, and said, “Ha! Takeout!"
I was buzzing like the electric fence we strung around the cow pasture, and my mouth was watering like I was headed toward a feast—which I was, of course, and then I focused enough to catch the scent of a living man…
We walked through a doorway, and there he was, lying on an old mattress that had probably been brought out there by some of the guys I’d gone to high school with. I briefly wondered how many of my classmates had given up their virginity there, but then my attention returned to my dinner, there before me, his hands tied and stretched up over his head.
Madeline and Jen were both lying with him, and I was sure Horace had been right about the man enjoying himself, even though he was laying flat on his back, bound hand and foot.
“Aww,” said Madeline. “Look, here’s our Amber!” She leaned down and kissed him, hard, then said, “It’s Amber’s turn, now, lover boy, and she’ll want you all to herself!"
The man tried to look toward me, but it was far too dark for him to see. I, on the other hand, could see him clearly, and my excitement was growing as I saw a fit, good-looking man who might have been in his thirties. He was naked, as I’d said; I caught myself staring at him, and I shuddered when I remembered how exciting it had been when I’d eaten Ronnie. I could tell that he was both excited and scared. I could literally smell his fear, and it caused that vibration to start in my belly once again.
I’d decided that it would be best not to get my clothes all bloodied, and so I had put on some old underclothes and stuffed some clean ones into my purse. I let that excitement build as I slipped off my shoes and unbuttoned my pants and shirt. Simone took each item as it came off, to hold them for me, and then I walked slowly to where he lay, and stretched myself out beside him.
He gave a low chuckle. “So, you must be the Amber I’ve been hearing about?”
His voice was low and sexy, and I shivered. “Oh, yeah,” I said, “that’s me.” I laid a hand on his chest, and he smiled as I let it explore his torso. “So,” I whispered, “just what have my friends been telling you about me? Hmmm?”
“Mmmm, that you’re sexy—and young...”
“Uh-huh,” I said, laying my head on his chest and nodding so he could feel it. “And what else?”
My hand began slowly making its way down over his belly, and I heard his heart speed up.
“They say you like to take it in your mouth.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, and made my voice as sexy as I could. “I really do, yeah...” And then, I swear, I just couldn’t h
elp myself, I brushed my hand across his face and said, “Oh, wow, I just want to eat—you—up!”
He smiled at me. “That sounds pretty good to me.”
“Okay,” I said, and caressed his face once more. “Are you ready?"
“Oh, hell, yeah, Baby,” he said, “I’m so freaking ready, oh yeah!"
And right then I thought, God, what am I doing? This poor man will be dead in just a few minutes, and I’m getting my jollies over him!
I remembered what Horace had said, about how what this man was giving me was a lot more valuable than some hot sex, but I just wasn’t ready for that. I reached my face up and kissed him, and then kissed my way down his neck to his chest, then his belly, and then I quickly moved on down to his legs, rubbing my cheek against his thigh as the thrill of anticipation reached a crescendo inside me.
I turned my face toward his leg and kissed his thigh at once, then opened my mouth and bit into it. A huge chunk ripped free when I pulled, and I began chewing.
He screamed, and began trying to buck me off as I chewed it up and swallowed, and then I opened my mouth and took yet another big bite. Blood was spraying from the gaping wound, and some of it hit me in the face, but I didn’t care.
My hands were holding his legs down, and I bit into his other thigh, chomping as hard as I could and pulling back, tearing a long strip of red, bloody muscle free. He started begging, then, pleading with me to stop, to let him go. Too bad—all it did was make me even more excited. I finished the chunk of muscle, and went back for more, his alternating whimpers, screams and curses making him taste magnificent!
And then it happened again, just like with Ronnie. As I was just starting to feel overstuffed, his heart caught my attention, its beat dropping into a low, fast, harsh rhythm, trying to scavenge more blood from somewhere, blood it could pump to the parts of his body that were screaming for it, and the sound was like a signal. Instantly I was up, straddling him, and just as I’d done before I grabbed his head, looked right into his big, brown eyes, shoved my hand through his skin and muscle and ribs, ripped out his heart and bit into it!