"Zoey!" he shouted. "Put your arms away. I've got you."
"You'll drop me!"
"No I won't." The flames were soothing as they struck his face and neck, but were distracting. "You're making it worse."
He was afraid the fire would spread to the sheets as she tucked her arms away, but his skin absorbed the flames. Flying straight up, he loomed over the hospital, searching for his familiar truck in the parking lot. Zoey twisted her head and peered through a crack in the sheets. She had a view that few experienced. Living, dead, or vampire.
"Fuck," she whispered, almost as if speaking too loud would ruin the experience. "You're…flying."
"These wings aren't for show."
Someone jumping up and down caught his attention. Outside the parking lot along the street were two someones, standing on top of his truck. Kylie and Nate waved their arms frantically and shouted. Cindy waited behind the wheel. He smiled at the sight of them. They didn't let him down.
He readjusted his grip and soared toward the earth. He caught a glimpse of several policemen and doctors, watching from the broken window. Paying them no mind, he angled toward the truck. He flew a mere ten feet above the ground. A woman walking to her car spotted him and cowered in fear. Alex landed and set Zoey down gingerly. The truck rocked, and Cindy slid open the rear window. There was almost an accident in the street as two cars passing each other nearly collided, their attention completely on the man with wings.
Even Kylie was speechless. Nate had seen him fly before, and gave him a thumbs-up as he dropped down into the truck bed. Kylie stood motionless with her mouth hanging open.
"Are you okay?" Cindy asked.
"Yeah, we're good. Drive nice and slow."
"Where?"
"Anywhere with some privacy and a lot of shade." He folded his wings behind him. The stares of the few people around him were making him nervous. The woman in the parking lot was running toward another bystander to ask if they saw what she did. "Kylie? Know any good places?"
She didn't respond. It took a touch on the leg from Nate to bring her back to the moment.
"Kylie?" he said. "You with us?"
She shook her head and blinked several times.
"Yeah. There's some woods not far from here. I played paintball there once."
Alex relayed the directions, and Cindy slowly pulled into the street. She drove calmly, like Alex said, and not like they were smuggling a vampire who escaped from the hospital with help from a man who could fly.
It wasn't the perfect plan. It was barely a plan at all. But Zoey was safe, there weren't cameras in his face, and no one at the hospital got hurt.
He would call that a success.
CHAPTER 16
Cindy moved the truck slowly through a section of trees off one of Stewardtown's many side roads. Many of the leaves had fallen, but there was still plenty of protection from the sun. Once she was satisfied they were well hidden she came to a stop.
Alex stood up and gently pulled at Zoey's sheets. Kylie and Nate hovered close by. He looked at his friends with appreciation, especially Nate. Originally, he didn't want the young ghost coming along. Now he couldn't imagine the case without him.
"Thanks, guys," he said, looking them both in the eye. "Thanks for all your help."
Nate smiled and nodded. "You got it, man."
Kylie squatted next to her best friend. "Is she okay?"
"Zoey," Alex said, returning his attention back to her sheets. "Are you still with us?"
Her voice was a mere whisper.
"So…thirsty."
Cindy shut the driver's side door behind her. She circled the truck, carrying a cooler.
"I think we can help with that," she said. "Hopefully we have enough—"
Alex jumped when Zoey dove from the truck with a speed only a supernatural creature could have. Kylie shouted, and Nate jumped to the ground. Alex popped his wings, ready to pounce on the parched vampire.
Cindy wasn't her target.
Zoey tackled the cooler in Cindy's hand. Cindy released her grip and jumped back a step. Alex was at her side in an instant.
"I'm okay," she said, gathering herself. "She just scared me."
He gave her a quick hug. Cindy handled the supernatural world better than most, sometimes even better than other supernatural beings.
He looked down at Zoey, making sure to keep himself between the vampire and his wife. Zoey ripped the cooler open and grabbed the first bag of blood she saw. She leaned her head back, revealing her fangs, and viciously bit into the plastic bag. Strange noises filled the air, a mix of moaning and growling. Alex almost felt embarrassed to watch, but couldn't look away. Draining the bag quickly, she didn't hesitate in reaching for another. She fell in a fetal position and finally slowed down, taking breaths. The sight reminded him of a baby nursing on a bottle.
With each drop of blood Zoey began to heal. Her skin assumed its normal color, her hair grew. Her fangs shrank into normal teeth. She began to look less like a burnt corpse and more like a young woman. A young woman with only scraps for clothing. Alex turned his back and Cindy bent down to check on her.
"Hey!" Kylie said, glaring at Nate. "You want to turn around?"
"Oh! Sorry."
Alex lowered his head and smiled to himself. Nate stole one more peek, drawing Kylie's wrath. She bore a hole through him as she adjusted her glasses.
"Shit," Zoey said. "I never want to go through that again."
Alex turned to see Cindy had helped Zoey to her feet and wrapped a sheet around her. Zoey had made a mess in feeding. Blood dribbled from her chin onto her chest, running onto the sheet. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, embarrassed, but couldn't licking what was left.
"Thank you," Zoey said, to the two people present actually alive. "You saved my life. The sun…I've never felt anything like it before. I don't think I could have taken much more."
"You couldn't have," Alex said. "Much more, and you'd be gone." He took Cindy's hand. "This is my wife, Cindy."
Zoey waved, smiled, and searched the area around her. Sunlight crept in between the trees, but they were safe where they were.
"Is Kylie here?"
He nodded and extended his free hand. Zoey gingerly accepted it, and gasped when she saw Kylie and Nate. Kylie stepped forward, wanting to hug her friend, but stopped short. Physical contact between the living and dead was nearly impossible, even through Alex.
Zoey did her best to hold back tears.
"I thought I'd never see you again."
Kylie laughed shortly and gestured around her, to her new friends.
"Believe me, this is all new to me, too."
"I'm sorry. For everything that happened that night. For everything I said and did. I said you were jealous of me. I'm the one who's jealous of you."
"What? Me?"
"I worry about what people think of me. You don't worry about what anyone thinks. I wish I was like you."
"That's not true at all."
The two friends laughed and smiled at each other. They had so much more to say, but didn't know where to go next. It would take time, but time was something they didn't have.
"Zoey," Alex said. "I hate to step in, but what the hell happened at your house?"
She stiffened and squeezed his hand.
"The detective lady! They took her!"
Her grip was so strong Alex had to pull his hand free. In doing so Zoey lost sight of Kylie and Nate. She looked in their direction, confused for a moment, before he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax. Tell me what happened."
"I could hear everything. My hearing…it gives me a headache sometimes now. Detective Nash came to my house. She was upstairs talking to my dad when I heard more people coming. She fought with a bunch of guys. People were shooting guns. I ran up and tried to help, but the sun…I couldn't do anything. They dragged her out, like they didn't care who saw them. My dad was hurt, and the sun tore me up."
"Did they say anything?"<
br />
Zoey closed her eyes and struggled to remember.
"They said something about the dock. They wanted to get her back to the dock. Kylie, do you think they mean the lake?"
Kylie nodded. "It's the only place I can think of."
"What lake?"
"There's a lake off Spring Road that's popular in the summer. It's empty now, or at least I thought it was."
"Spring Road," Alex said, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Stop number two."
"Babe," Cindy said. "Can I talk to you a second?"
They walked away, leaving the vampire and two ghosts behind. Kylie and Nate engaged in their own conversation, while Zoey was left alone. Zoey discretely retrieved another bag of blood from the cooler and sank her fangs in.
"Maybe we should let the police handle this," Cindy said. "A quick, anonymous call, and we're all done. This is getting a little out of hand. Demons LLC is supposed to be here to solve a murder. It sounds like you've done that. We're not crime-fighters."
"Maybe we should add another tab to our website. Paranormal investigation and crime-fighter."
Cindy smiled, but said nothing. She already knew what Alex was thinking, due to her wife powers.
"I can't just leave her," he said. "I got beat up pretty good yesterday. I was unconscious, with my wings out. She could have taken me to jail, the news station, even the circus. But all she did was make sure I was okay. I have to help her. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."
She nodded. "I know. That's why I love you."
They embraced, and headed back to the others. Cindy angled for the passenger's side of the truck. Alex nodded at Nate, who sat in the truck bed with his legs sticking through the gate. Kylie paced back and forth, while Zoey leaned her head back and squeezed the few remaining drops of blood into her mouth. He took Zoey's hand to include her in the conversation.
"I'm going to the lake."
Kylie looked up. "Is that a good idea?"
"Yeah," Zoey said. "They've got guns."
"I'll be okay. How do you get there?"
Cindy tapped him on the shoulder. She handed him his phone that she retrieved from the truck.
"Here," she said, handing it over. "I've got a map pulled up for you."
Alex shook his head. One day he would truly learn how to use the technology around him.
"Okay. Wish me luck."
Cindy grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. She separated the moment before it became awkward to watch. The girls laughed while Nate held up his hands in defense.
"I'll pass on the kiss. But good luck, man."
Alex popped his wings and flew away.
*****
It was only a ten minute flight. Alex kept to the treetops, avoiding as much of central Stewardtown as he could. He stopped occasionally in midair to check his phone. The voice navigation was worthless, as it wanted to give him street names. The position locater, however, was spot on, adding a small level of comfort. Being lost on the ground felt very different than being lost in the sky.
The trees finally opened up to reveal the lake. Zoey was right. There was barely any activity at all. A single boat floated near the center, with several fishing rods mounted to the back. There were three boating ramps leading to the water, and not far from them a dock house, sitting behind a long pier.
The parking lot was nearly empty, except for a van and two cars.
He stayed near the edges of the lake, near the shoreline. He flew so low the tip of his left wing dipped into the water as he glided and banked. As he neared the dock house, he saw a man walking slowly. Alex didn't want to judge by appearances, but he had the look of someone doing something shady. The stranger certainly wasn't taking a leisurely walk, or preparing to go fishing. It was more like he was checking the perimeter.
Alex climbed in the sky, until the man patrolling was little more than a dot. He adjusted his angle on the descent, coming down directly over the dock house. He landed quietly and folded his wings. There were voices, parts of a conversation, but he didn't have the chance to shift his attention when a single word made him jump.
"Yo."
He whirled around to see Nate. Alex put a hand to his chest and felt his heart working just a little harder.
"Shit, Nate!" he whispered. "You scared the shit out of me!"
"That's not good, if I'm scaring you. How the hell do you think you'll save the cop lady, if you can't handle little old me?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Scouting the place. You didn't think I was staying back with the ladies, did you? Kylie and I came here the other night, so I just popped in."
"What's the deal with this place?"
"There's six men. I think they've all got guns."
"Is Lisa here?"
Nate's demeanor changed.
"Uh, yeah. She's…she's not in good shape. She's tied to a chair—" His voice cracked a bit. "They're filming beating her. I don't know if this is such a good idea."
Alex nodded gratefully. Nate was amazingly helpful. If saving Lisa's life came down to seconds, Nate had given him just that.
He commanded his wings to shrink into his back. Sliding into the spirit realm, he willed his form to sink, and he moved through the roof. He was halfway to the floor when Nate poked his head through the ceiling above him.
"Alex! What are you doing?"
He took in his surroundings. There were shelves, crates, barrels. There was a man leaning against the wall, talking on his phone. An innocent enough sight, except for the blood on his hands. Laced through the fingers on his right hand were a set of brass knuckles.
Nate floated down next to him.
"What's the plan?"
"First, get Lisa out of here."
"She's back this way."
He led Alex through some old boating equipment to the rear of the dock house. He had an idea of what he'd see, thanks to Nate's scouting, but still stopped when he walked through the last set of shelves in the way.
Detective Lisa Nash was unrecognizable. Her hair was drenched in sweat and blood. Her left eye was swollen shut, her clothes torn. Spots of blood were spread about her feet.
Alex tried to think of the terrible things he'd seen. Demons ripping members of his father's cult apart. Prisoners turning on each other and the guards in horrific ways. For some reason, they didn't compare to seeing Lisa, bloody and beaten.
On a desk against the wall across from Lisa sat a camera. He could only assume they were torturing Lisa on orders from Charles Wallace, the criminal she'd arrested and put away.
He entered the living world just long enough to turn the camera, and then vanished again. He circled behind Lisa to examine her restraints. Her wrists were bound with duct-tape, which were taped to the chair. He reappeared and focused on a single index finger, watching it shift and mangle into something far more sharp.
Lisa jumped and gasped as she felt the presence behind her.
"Huh? What the—?"
"Shh! Be quiet."
"Alex?"
"Yeah."
"How did you—?"
"Not now. Is this all that Wallace guy?"
"Yeah. I guess my date of decease came a lot faster than I thought." She nodded toward the camera. "But not before we recorded a greatest hits video first. Is Zoey okay?"
Alex had to admire the detective. In her current condition, her thoughts went to someone else.
"She's fine."
"She's…not human, is she? Just like you? That was her in the alley last night."
He finished slicing through the duct-tape and willed his finger to change. The restraints were the only thing holding her to the chair, and she nearly toppled to the floor. Alex caught her by the shoulders. He glanced at Nate, who had a look on his face like he'd be sick, if that were possible for a ghost.
"Can you find us a way out of here?"
Nate nodded. "There's a side door not far back. Let me see if it's clear."
He ran away, while Lisa pulled herself to one knee.
"Who are you talking to?"
Alex ignored the question.
"Can you walk?"
She flashed him a defiant glare.
"I'm not crippled."
He helped support her weight by wrapping her arm around his shoulders. She walked fast, but her steps were uneven and wobbly. Nate appeared from around a storage rack, excited.
"Dude! You won't believe it! It's completely clear! You can walk right out!"
They followed Nate to the side door, and it almost seemed too good to be true, but the ghost was right. The door was wide open. A view of the woods next to the lake greeted them. They stepped outside, and Lisa let out a small breath next to him. She truly believed she wouldn't be leaving the dock house alive. One small flight, and they'd be gone.
A simple realization washed over Alex. The people after Lisa would never leave her alone. She would always be in danger, in hiding, on the run.
"We can't leave just yet," he said.
Lisa raised an eyebrow.
"We can't? Why not?"
"Yeah," Nate echoed. "Why not?"
"Just…one second."
His wings sprouted, and he beat them a single time to launch Lisa and himself upward. They landed on the roof. Gently, he eased Lisa down, letting her rest along the edge.
"I'll be right back. Wait here, okay?"
She struggled to smile. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."
He jumped down and ducked back inside. Heading back to the chair, he could hear voices behind him, loud and laughing. The rational side of him was shouting to go back outside, grab Lisa, and fly away. He was allowing himself to get pulled into something beyond him, that might not have an answer. He pushed the rational side away, but it followed him in the form of a teenage ghost.
"Man!" Nate said. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm trying to help Lisa."
"Leaving her bloody and broken on the roof isn't helping her! Fly your ass on out of here!"
"I have to talk to these guys. Convince them to leave her alone."
"And how are you going to do that?"
He pounded on the wall behind the empty chair.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Can everybody come back here for a second?!"
"Ah, shit," Nate said, turning his back in frustration. "He's lost his mind."
Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7) Page 27