by TJ Green
Avery was happy to see all of them in one piece, but particularly Alex. “Are you all right?” she asked, concerned. “What happened? Did it pick you up?”
He nodded, his face pale under the witch light. “Shook up, but unharmed. I never even saw it coming. It’s quick and strong.” He felt his neck. “I can still feel its grip, and its smell—ugh! It certainly didn’t expect me to fight back.” He looked at the others. “How are you?”
“Annoyed,” Reuben said, brushing himself off. He’d skidded across the floor as he entered the building, colliding with the opposite wall, almost taking down El in the process. “That thing is bloody quick.”
“And it stinks,” El reiterated, wrinkling her nose. “But I’m fine.”
“Briar? Caspian? Are you okay?” Avery asked, turning to them.
“Just about,” Briar said, still breathless. “It ambushed us by the crematorium. Caspian witch-flew us out of there with mere seconds to spare.”
Caspian looked as annoyed as Reuben. “I didn't even hear it! I could only bring us as far as the corner of the building—I had no idea where we were going!”
“It bought us precious time,” Briar said, reassuring him.
Another thud on the outer door interrupted him, echoed by an answering thud from down the hall.
They fell silent, listening with dread, and then heard another thud and a blood-curdling scream.
“Shit. She’s awake,” Alex said, drawing his sword and racing back down the corridor without a backward glance, El and Briar hard on his heels.
“I’ll hold this door,” Caspian shouted. “Reuben?”
Reuben nodded, gripping the stake firmly in his right hand. “I’ll stay with you. Avery, go with Alex. We’ll shout if we need you.”
Avery skidded into the morgue seconds after the others to see the door labelled 4b being dented from the inside, crumpling as if it were a cardboard box.
Great. A vampire outside, and one inside. We’re trapped.
Before any of them could act, the door burst open and a snarling Bethany dropped onto the floor, squinting in the bright light. Her skin was pale, almost blue, and her bloodless lips were pulled back, revealing two long, curved canine teeth either side of her mouth. Her eyes were like dark pits, and for a brief second she was unfocused, but as she saw them, her mouth opened, her jaw unnaturally wide.
Everything became chaotic, Avery barely able to register what was happening, it was all so quick.
The newly-turned vampire leapt at Alex and he threw her back against the wall where she crashed to the floor, before jumping again to her feet. Briar hurled a stream of fire towards her, but Bethany ran at her, evading the fire with catlike reflexes. El and Alex slashed at her with their swords, but she dodged effortlessly through them.
The vampire wrapped herself around Briar, the force of her lunge carrying them both to the floor, Briar underneath, her arms pinned. Briar looked terrified as Bethany opened her jaw wide, revealing the long curve of her teeth, ready to strike her neck. Avery ran forward, braced herself, and plunged the stake into the middle of the vampire’s back. The vampire rolled off Briar and lunged to the doorway, effectively blocking them in. She hissed and snarled, the stake hanging uselessly from her back.
How the hell had that happened?
Despite being in shock, Avery noticed the girl moved in an odd way, her limbs stiff, and her hands grasping like claws. Her lack of humanity was startling. She reached behind her and wrenched the stake out of her back, throwing it to the side,
A series of shouts sounded from the corridor, followed by a tearing, groaning sound, and then they heard plaster falling, along with noise like a roaring wind. A lean creature landed on its feet behind the girl, and rose to its full height of over six feet. Its shoulders were broad, and it wore the semblance of dark clothing, but its skin was grey and leathery, and its eyes glinted like dull metal. It scooped the former girl towards it, encasing it in his scrawny limbs, and then it was gone, leaping up through the hole it had made in the roof, and silence fell.
10
Reuben and Caspian skidded to a halt, and Reuben stood under the hole in the roof, looking up. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“So much for blocking the entrance,” Caspian said angrily.
Alex turned quickly towards the freezer storage doors. “We haven’t got much time. We need to kill the other two girls before we leave.” He hesitated. “Not kill, they’re already dead. You know what I mean. But that thing may come back, and I do not want to hang around.”
“I agree.” Briar patted her neck with a trembling hand, clearly shaken, although she was trying to hide it.
Caspian nodded as he stepped into the storage room. “There’s an excellent chance of it returning if it has somewhere close by to store its new friend.”
“Did she hurt you?” Avery asked Briar, struggling to call Bethany an it, despite her lack of humanity.
Briar shook her head. “No. You saved me.”
“We all saved each other,” she answered.
Reuben was still standing in the corridor. “I suggest three of us get the cars and bring them outside the rear entrance while we still have time. I don’t want to be attacked again.”
Caspian immediately volunteered. “I’ll go.”
“So will I,” El said, joining them. She too looked shaken, and that was unusual for El. “I know what I’ve just seen, but I can’t behead someone. Yet.”
“I can do it,” Alex said, looking at a second whiteboard on the wall. “Names, Avery?”
Reuben answered instead. “Amy Warner and Clara Henderson. I checked earlier.”
“5c and 3a,” Caspian noted, eyeing the doors warily, especially the one that was dented and hanging loose. “Are you sure we should go?”
“Yes.” Alex’s dark eyes met Caspian’s, and he glanced at Reuben and El beyond. “Be quick, and be safe. We’ll deal with this.”
They nodded and ran, leaving the other three to stand staring at each other bleakly for a few seconds. If Avery was honest, beheading a dead girl was the last thing she wanted to do, but it had to be done.
“Plan?” she asked, the stake once again in her hand, poised to strike.
Alex looked decisive. “Briar, grab the gurney, and we’ll slide the next body straight out and onto it to give us plenty of room. Then—” He paused and swallowed, looking at the floor as if strength would flow from it to him. “I will use the sword to cut her head off.” He looked up at Avery. “Stand ready with the stake—just in case.”
They had only one stake between them as Caspian and Reuben had taken the other two.
They nodded in agreement, and while Briar fetched the gurney, Alex opened the freezer door. 3a was in the section at the top of the freezer, and the body was covered in a white sheet. As soon as the gurney was in position and raised to the correct height, they slid the body clear of the freezer on a long, white tray and then rolled the gurney to the centre of the room, lowering it to waist height. Alex peeled the white sheet back, revealing the victim’s head. She’d already had a post-mortem as they could see the stitched incision that ended at the base of her throat.
Briar looked at the young girl’s pale face and sighed. “What a way to go.”
It was the first time—other than seconds before, and Avery didn’t really count that—that she had seen a dead body. She felt overwhelmingly sad more than anything else.
“Well, at least she’s not moving,” Alex observed. He raised his arms high above his head, sword extended, and took a few deep breaths.
“Are you sure we have to do this?” Briar asked, looking between Avery and Alex.
Alex didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He brought the sword down so quickly that there was a whoosh of air and then a solid thunk as he sliced through the girl’s neck, beheading her in one, clean sweep. Her head rolled to the side, turning towards Avery, and even though she was expecting it, she jumped.
She met Alex’s eyes across the body. “Well done
.”
He looked pale. “One more to go.”
They pulled the sheet back over the girl, slid her body back into place, and shut the door, before turning to the next. They worked quickly, listening for any sign of movement from outside or in, but all was still silent.
This girl was as young as the others. Her dark hair was swept back from her head, her skin was an icy blue, and her eyes were closed. Alex once again raised his arms high, ready to bring his sharp blade down on her neck, but without warning her eyes opened, revealing pupils as black as night. She snarled low in her throat and started to rise, her right hand shooting up to grasp Alex’s arm.
“Shit!” Alex instinctively tried to jump back, but he couldn’t. She was too strong, and he couldn’t bring the sword down, either. “Avery!”
Briar was standing at the end of the gurney, and she leaned forward, her hands on the girl’s legs to stop them from kicking up. She whispered a spell, momentarily pinning her down.
Avery’s heart was in her throat, but she leapt forward and brought the stake down over the girl’s heart, thumping into her body with a sickening crunch as she hit the rib cage. She used her magic to force it down harder than her normal strength would allow, and the stake plunged through her body with such force it went through the plastic tray beneath her, as well. The dead girl loosed her grip on Alex and tuned to Avery. Her black eyes focused with a hungry intensity, and she snarled again, showing her sharp, white teeth and her extended canines. Alex didn’t hesitate.
“Get back,” he yelled at Avery and brought the sword down, severing the girl’s head, the sword’s tip missing Avery by inches only.
The head rolled to the side, eyes frozen open. In seconds her eyes reverted to their normal human state, her teeth retracting.
“Holy shit!” Alex exclaimed. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Briar ran to the doorway. “The cars are here—I can hear them. And something else.”
A howl carried on the still night air.
“We haven’t got time to put her back,” Alex said. “They’ll know what’s happened soon enough, anyway. Let’s go.”
Avery hurriedly pulled the stake free, and Alex swept the room, ensuring they had gathered everything, and then they ran to the back door, wrenching it open.
The cars were lined up, engines revving, ready to flee. Reuben leapt out of his car and ran to El’s Land Rover. “I’m going with El. Alex, you take my car. Caspian will make his own way home.”
“No!” Briar said immediately, running straight to Caspian’s passenger door. Caspian leaned half out of his window, peering into the sky above. “I’ll go with Caspian. He may need me. You can find me a bed, right?”
He looked grateful, even if he didn’t voice it. “No problem. Jump in.”
Alex slid behind the wheel of Reuben’s car, and Avery had barely shut the passenger door when he revved the engine and raced across the car park, following the other two past the Gardens of Remembrance and onto the country lane.
Alex glanced over at Avery. “Are you all right?”
“As much as I can be after encountering three vampires in one night.” She noticed Alex’s hands were gripping the wheel, his shoulder’s stiff, as he concentrated on the road. “Are you?”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever forget cutting someone’s head off, but I’ll survive. Better that than being bitten.”
All three were driving fast—too fast for these lanes—but it was now well after midnight, and hopefully no one else would be on these back roads. A howl sounded again, and Avery saw a blurred figure as something leapt out of the fields to the right, over the hedge, and onto the top of El’s car. It crouched, gripping the sides, and then started to punch the roof as El’s car veered across the road.
“What the—” Avery’s voice trailed off as she wound the window down, wiggled halfway out of the car, and aimed a blast of wind towards the vampire. Alex put his foot down, bringing them closer.
Avery’s aim went astray as El’s car kept veering across the road, but an explosion of light from within the car pulsed up through the roof, knocking the creature off balance. Avery aimed again, directing a vortex of swirling air at the dislodged vampire and tossing it high in the air. She grinned to herself. I’ve got you now!
She slowed her breathing and focused, trying not to let her underlying panic throw off her natural control. The wind whipped the vampire around and around, turning it in the air, where it hung helplessly for a few seconds. Avery raised her hands, lifting the creature higher and higher before sending it spiralling to the right, far over the fields.
Alex had slowed down, keeping the car steady, and Reuben had done the same, all three cars moving together and staying close. The main road was ahead, the lights of the junction bright against the night sky. Safety...hopefully.
Avery made sure the vampire was still being carried on the fierce wind and then ducked back in the car, just as they reached the junction. Barely slowing, they turned left and headed towards Harecombe and White Haven.
“Do you think we’ve lost it?” she asked, peering behind them.
“I think so.” Alex took a deep breath in and out. “Well done.”
“Do you think it can fly? Like a bat, I mean?”
“Isn’t that Dracula?
“I don’t know! My vampiric lore is shaky.”
“Maybe it can. Can they change into smoke or something? You should call Genevieve, let her know what happened. She’ll be worried. But I think we’re safe. For now.”
“For now,” she echoed ominously as she stared ahead, vacantly. Just how long would for now last?
11
Happenstance Books seemed unnaturally bright and festive after the events of the night before, but Avery was glad for it.
She’d had a bad night’s sleep—they both had. Images of dead girls and snarling vampires filled her head, and even Alex’s warm arms couldn’t dispel those. Before sleeping they’d reinforced Avery’s protection spell, but they’d agreed they would need more—something more specific to the undead. The others had also arrived home safely, but they’d agreed to meet again later that day, and invite the ghost-hunters. They would catch up with Genevieve and the others another time.
Sally took one look at Avery over their morning coffee and asked, “What happened?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do.”
Avery fell silent for a moment, thinking. Sally was right. She did need to know, if she was to protect herself. But equally, this would terrify her, and did she really want to inflict that on her—and Dan—before Christmas?
“Spill!” Sally insisted, cradling her cup of coffee as she leaned against the shop counter. “I can cope.”
“What’s going on?” Dan asked warily, as he joined them.
Avery looked at him and sniggered. “What the hell are you wearing?”
He looked down. “What? It’s my Christmas t-shirt. I’m being festive!”
His t-shirt was bright red with white lettering and it read, I’m not Santa, but you can sit on my lap.
He grinned. “I have several that I shall wear from now until Christmas. Hope you approve, boss.”
“Of course—as long as you don’t offend anyone too much.”
Sally interrupted. “Don’t distract her, Dan! Something has happened. Look at those bags beneath her eyes!”
Avery grimaced. “Thanks!”
“Ah. More mayhem in White Haven.” He bit into a mince pie. “What now?”
Avery glanced around, checking the shop was empty. “We encountered a vampire last night. Well, two actually, and almost a third.”
Dan almost spit out his pie. “Are you serious? I foolishly assumed that conversation we had the other day was purely theoretical. ”
“Yes! And it wasn’t. I wouldn’t lie about that.”
“So those girls were killed by a vampire?”
“Yes. Without a doubt.” Saying it now, in the cold light of day, sou
nded ridiculous, but last night had been only too real.
Sally visibly paled. “Is it here? In White Haven?”
“No, not quite. We think it’s halfway between here and Harecombe. Close enough.” Avery looked sheepish. “We broke into the Cornwall Coroner’s office last night and it attacked us there.”
Dan whistled. “Wow, Avery, you just keep surprising me. And what did you do that for?”
She filled them in, and noticed them both looking at her, slack-jawed. When the door chimes rang to announce a customer, they all jumped. The customer nodded in greeting and headed to the shelves, browsing the stock.
Avery concluded in a low voice, “I need to enhance my protection spells, for this shop, and you two, so I’m going to spend a few hours doing that today, if that’s all right.”
Sally and Dan exchanged an uneasy glance, and Sally said, “That’s fine. Do I need to start wearing garlic bulbs?”
“Maybe. I’ll let you know when I’ve done some research. Hopefully I can think of something more sophisticated than that.”
Dan waved her away. “Go now. I’ll call you for elevenses. And you better have made progress!”
“Yes sir!” Avery saluted him and headed up to her flat.
***
Avery laid out her grimoires and started hunting for spells to specifically protect against vampires. In order to cheer herself up she put on some Christmas music, lit the fire, burned some incense, and turned on the fairy lights that she’d placed around her walls and across her shelves.
Satisfied she’d banished some gloom, she began searching her grimoire methodically. She found all sorts of interesting spells that she’d missed before, some of them quite unpleasant. There was one to give someone warts, one to cause uncontrollable sweating, and one to cause ‘the pox.’ She shuddered. Her ancestors seemed really quite unpleasant sometimes. She could only hope they hadn’t really used them.