Forbidden Feast

by Joelle Sterling

  Carrying the slimy, blood-covered rock, she trotted back to her mother. Phoebe took one look at the blood-slimed rock in Holland’s hand and recoiled. “Throw that down; it might be contaminated.”

  Holland handed Phoebe the untarnished rock and then wiped the tainted one against her pant leg. “The corpse is dead, and whatever disease it had probably died with it.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I know I need a weapon. And until I get something better, this will have to do.”

  Phoebe gave a sideline glance to the trail of blood that streaked the front of Holland’s jeans.

  “The good news is, we know how to kill them. Aim for their head and strike hard!” Pleased with herself, Holland smiled.

  As they moved along, they came upon a sign that read: Flowers, Bulbs, and Shrub. “Hey, Mom! I bet there’s some cool stuff in there to kill those corpses with.”

  “No, there isn’t. That’s a gardening shop. Let’s just keep moving. There’s no telling what’s lurking inside.”

  “We can’t rely on these rocks for protection. We’ll be out of luck if we throw them and miss. We need something sturdy and with a sharp edge . . . like a shovel. I bet that store sells shovels.”

  “It’s dark in there, hon, and we won’t be able to see those things creeping up on us.”

  “Just stick close. You guard the back and I’ll guard the front.”

  Holland tried the door handle. Finding the door unlocked, she pushed it open slowly. Phoebe shook her head ominously and then followed Holland inside. With their backs pressed together, they entered the shop. “Over there,” Holland said, pointing to the gleaming metal that shone in the darkness.

  “Grab one and let’s get out of here. I can’t see anything!”

  As they inched closer, Holland almost squealed in delight. “They have pitchforks, too. We’re really in luck.”

  They exited the store and once they were back on the street, Holland held up the new weapons. “Pitchfork or shovel?”

  “Either one—it doesn’t matter.”

  Holland kept the shovel and gave Phoebe the lighter pitchfork. “I guess we can toss these now,” Phoebe said, unclenching the rock in her hand.

  “Keep it. It’ll come in handy, if only to briefly immobilize a corpse.”

  “This is stupid; I don’t need a rock and a pitchfork.”

  “It’s not stupid, Mom. Trust me, okay? If we have to, we’ll hit ’em with the rock and jab ’em in the head with the pitchfork and shovel.”

  The two walked in silence for the next mile, their senses attuned for potential threats. But when nothing jumped at them from the shadows, Holland soon let down her guard, becoming engrossed in her thoughts of Jonas. An image of his face was imprinted on her mind like a poster-sized photograph. His expression was one of anguish. He appeared to be suffering and in immense pain. His lips moved, and he seemed to be saying, Holland, I need to see you one last time. I don’t want to leave without telling you goodbye.

  Holland let out a soft moan.

  “Is something wrong, hon? Did you see something?”

  She shook her head. “Just another cat. Ran through the bushes and scared me.”

  Phoebe looked at the street sign. “I think the armory is nearby. It’s on the seven hundred block of Halpern Street and we’re at the corner of Seventh and Garfield Avenue. It’s time to get off these small streets and venture onto the main streets. Are you ready?”

  Holland nodded, her mind on Jonas. Holland! Holland! She heard him shouting in her mind.

  CHAPTER 30

  Plaintive wails and pained shrieks were coming from every direction. He could hear shouts of agony from miles away. The entire city was being massacred and it was his fault.

  A white van came to a stop and a group of people, two men and a woman, emerged and stood staring at the bloody mayhem that was occurring. They didn’t appear afraid. In fact, from their expressions, they seemed mildly amused. What’s wrong with them; why are they standing around risking their lives? Jonas wondered. None of the creatures seemed aware of the people from the van, which he found puzzling. Looking at them closely, he detected that they weren’t quite human and the way their eyes zoomed in on him revealed that they knew that he was something other than human also.

  The female in the bunch regarded Jonas for a moment and then smirked. He saw something familiar in her fiery eyes, and the cruel curve of her mouth reminded him of Zac. And that’s when it occurred to him that the people standing outside the van were vampires.

  One of the males slid open the side door and yanked out a man who was struggling and thrashing and yelling for mercy. The vampire shoved the man out into the street, and then folded his arms and calmly observed as a horde of flesh-eaters swooped down on the man.

  Jonas had failed the mother and her twins, but he wouldn’t fail again. On the top of the biting and growling throng was a creature wearing a security guard uniform. There was a gun strapped to its side. Jonas yanked the gun from the holster and began shooting the creatures, aiming for their heads.

  The vampires hissed and arched their backs like cats as Jonas fired the weapon repeatedly.

  The female vampire advanced toward Jonas, and grabbed his arm. “This doesn’t concern you; mind your business.”

  “It does concern me,” he said, tugging himself out of her clawed grasp. “These creatures are my spawn.”

  “Your spawn? Who are you?” she asked with a sneer.

  “I’m Jonas Laroche.”

  The female vampire sniffed the air that surrounded Jonas. “I don’t know who you are nor do I know what you are, but it really doesn’t matter. Be on your way, Jonas Laroche; you’re in over your head. We own the mayor and the police force; we vampires are running this town.” She smiled wide, revealing her fangs.

  Jonas’s first instinct was to grab her and choke her, but at the moment the thought entered his mind, all six vampires shot him dirty looks. Like Zac, they could read minds, too. Strangling her wouldn’t have done any good. Killing vampires was as difficult as killing his kind.

  Gazing down at the havoc on the ground, it was apparent that the creatures attacking the man from the van had now tripled in numbers. There weren’t enough bullets in the gun to make a difference. There was no way to save the poor man.

  Bleak hopelessness engulfed him, and Jonas stumbled away. He had to warn Holland that the vampires and the creatures he’d sired were a double threat in Frombleton.

  Taking long and swift strides, Jonas made his way to Holland’s neighborhood within minutes. Chilling screams coming from various houses filled the air. Aged and decayed creatures that roamed the streets hesitated when Jonas approached, as if expecting him to stop and chastise them. But Jonas kept moving. The newer, rogue creatures that still possessed the fresh looks of the living kept up their quest for blood and didn’t seem to notice Jonas at all.

  It was like the apocalypse, and if this was what Mamba Mathilde had foreseen, then he couldn’t blame her for banishing him from her home.

  Though he didn’t feel worthy of forgiveness, he formed his lips in prayer, asking for mercy.

  Outside Holland’s home, he quickly discovered that he couldn’t penetrate the force field. “Holland,” he yelled. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called her again. But his cries were met with a deafening silence.

  Her house was dark and silent, and even more unsettling, he couldn’t detect her powerful fragrance. What did that mean? Had she been attacked and murdered while he sat in his hotel room, tending to a headache? It was unfathomable that he had forsaken the one bright light in his life. He’d failed the one person who had loved him despite his unforgiveable flaws.

  There was nothing else to live for if Holland was gone. And if she were still alive, she’d have a better life without the likes of him.

  Trudging to the woods, Jonas knew what had to be done. In the moonlight, he moved low-hanging branches out of the way as he trekked with surefooted certainty tow
ard the place where he’d once been buried. The area was covered with dead leaves and brush, but he recognized it as surely as he’d recognize his beloved former home in Haiti.

  He brushed aside the twigs and leaves and began digging into the dirt with his hands. As he dug his own grave, he drew in a tortured breath, and a strangled sob tore from his throat.

  At last, they were outside the armory. “We made it, hon; we made it!” Phoebe dropped the pitchfork and threw her arms around Holland. Holland squeezed her mother hard and then released her.

  She lay her shovel down and reached out, attempting to penetrate the force field. She shot her mother a look of shock. “I can’t get through.”

  “Yell for Rebecca or send her some sort of mental message. If she knows we’re out here, she’ll remove the barrier, won’t she?”

  “I don’t think she can.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This is the work of numerous witches and it’ll probably take an elaborate ceremony to take it down.”

  Phoebe looked over her shoulder, and in the distance she could hear the blood-curdling screams of people being attacked. “We’ve got to get in there before those things get close.”

  “I know. Give me a minute.” Holland closed her eyes, trying to concentrate, but the sound of Jonas’s voice was blocking her. Please Jonas, I’ve got to help Mom. Please be quiet for a minute.

  As if responding to her plea, she heard Jonas say, “Goodbye, Holland,” and then his voice went silent.

  Too bad she didn’t have The Book of Spells on her. That book could surely provide the right ritual to get through the force field. Times like now, she had to rely on her natural-born instincts and powers. With her eyes shut, Holland imagined herself pulling back bars of steel, and after a few moments, her fingers began to tingle. Arms outstretched and her hands curled around imaginary bars, she said, “Come on, Mom. I’ve got it open.”

  “I don’t see anything. Which way should I go?” Phoebe asked anxiously. “And why are you sweating, hon?”

  “Because . . . keeping these bars open is really hard.”

  Phoebe looked around with an expression of bafflement. “What bars? I don’t see anything.”

  “Mom! Stop asking questions. Just step through the space between my arms,” Holland said, panting and perspiring profusely as she struggled to keep the steel bars separated.

  Phoebe squeezed sideways through the opening between Holland’s arms and a sudden, bright smile flashed across her face. “You did it! I’m inside.” She motioned for Holland to follow her. “Step inside, hon, and let the bars go.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom; I can’t go with you.” Holland released the bars and jumped backward.

  “Why, Holland, why?” Phoebe ran toward Holland but was met with an electric-like wall of resistance.

  The door to the armory opened and Rebecca came out. “Where are you going, Holland?”

  “Take care of Mom; I’ll be back.” Holland knelt down and picked up the shovel.

  “Please don’t go back out there to fight those things. We made it, Holland; don’t go back,” Phoebe pleaded.

  “I have to,” Holland said, and held up a hand and waved goodbye.

  Several women that Holland didn’t recognize came out and ushered a sobbing Phoebe toward the door, and once her mother was safely inside, Holland walked off into the night.

  CHAPTER 31

  Holland no longer jumped at shadows; she didn’t look over her shoulder every few minutes. Although her heart was heavy with the knowledge that something was terribly wrong with Jonas, she walked through the darkness, carrying a shovel, and feeling invincible.

  There’s something about love that removes fear, and Holland moved along the dangerous streets with Jonas’s love wrapped around her like a cloak of protection.

  She turned left and then right and then walked straight for several miles. She had no idea where she was going, but her feet seemed to move on their own accord, guiding her with the accuracy of a navigation system.

  The chaos happening in the streets seemed to be happening in a separate reality. Holland bypassed graveyards of abandoned cars without incident. She walked close to new and crumbling buildings without terror. Nothing could stop her from heeding Jonas’s call.

  Finding herself in Naomi’s old neighborhood, Holland paused and gazed at Naomi’s house. You were such a good friend, and I miss you. I hope you’re in a better place, Naomi. Wherever you are has got to be better than being here. She wiped a tear and continued until she ended up on the path that she used to take as shortcut home after leaving Naomi’s house.

  The path where she’d found the strange markings that she later discovered were Jonas’s footprints. As if listening to the computerized voice of a GPS, she veered off the path and worked her way into the dark woods.

  But the sudden blast of a gunshot caused her heart to leap in her chest and her feet to become frozen in place. The voice in her head was no longer guiding her. She was on her own and had no idea of which way to turn. She didn’t know what she’d do if someone had hurt Jonas.

  “Jonas, where are you?” she hollered. Her heart thumped so loudly, she doubted if she’d be able to hear anything if it didn’t quiet down. Willing herself to move, Holland began running, her shoes crunching twigs and dried leaves. Small animals scurried from her path as she blazed a trail and finally stood a few feet away from Jonas’s prone body.

  “Oh, God. Jonas,” she whimpered, her hand covering her mouth. She dropped the shovel and ran to him. Flat on his back with his arms outstretched, blood trickled from a hole in the front of his shirt.

  “Who did this to you, Jonas?” Holland asked, lifting his head.

  “I did,” he gasped.

  Holland gawked at the gun on the ground beside him. “Why, Jonas?”

  “This is where it began, and this is where it has to end,” he murmured. “My death is the only hope.”

  “No! I was working on another spell. I only need a few more days. My spell will set you free.”

  “It’s no use. Too many of them. Those creatures will die with me.” Jonas lifted his head and attempted to sit up.

  “Don’t move. Be still.”

  “I have to rest.”

  “Rest right here—in my arms.”

  Jonas dropped his head. “The vampires have grown powerful. They have people working for them in city government and on the police force. You have to use your magic on them.”

  “Okay. I will. But I need you to stay with me. Oh, Jonas, please don’t die.”

  “I have to,” he uttered and then forced himself out of her arms, groaning as he rolled away from her.

  “Where are you trying to go?” she cried.

  “Back to my burial place. To the most blissful sleep I’ve ever known. No more nightmares. No more voices or screams. Only sweet serenity.” He coughed and took a shuddering breath.

  “Jonas, don’t go,” she cried, reaching beneath his shirt and trying to stop the flow of blood with her hand.

  “I’ll always love you, Holland, but my time has come.”

  “No!”

  “Yes! You must do something for me.”

  “What is it?” she asked in a voice that cracked.

  “Cover my body with earth. It’s the only way I’ll find the peace I seek.” With a painful grunt, Jonas flung himself away from Holland. A splash of moonlight revealed that he’d thrown himself into a deep hole in the ground.

  At first, Holland shivered with horror at the sight of Jonas’s crumpled body lying inside his self-made grave. Kneeling, she looked down at his lifeless form; weeping openly, she called his name. After what seemed like an eternity of shedding tears, she wiped her eyes, rose to her feet, and picked up the shovel.

  Fresh tears sprang to her eyes when she heard the first batch of dirt hit his body. Sobbing mournfully, Holland shoveled dirt onto Jonas until his grave was completely filled.

  CHAPTER 32

  “You did what you had to,�
�� Gabe said, trying to comfort Eden. But it wasn’t much consolation. Taking out random biters was one thing, but putting down a man she’d grown to know was disconcerting. It didn’t help that Leroy was furious with her. He’d confiscated his weapon and accused her of being trigger-happy, refusing to believe that Tony had turned into a biter, despite Charlotte’s corroboration of Eden’s story, and despite the evidence of the infected wound that Tony had hidden from everyone.

  At Leroy’s insistence, Tony hadn’t been burned like the others; he was buried in the back of the store. Leroy had delivered a passionate eulogy that was tinged with accusations directed at Eden, and after the last shovelful of dirt had been heaped on Tony’s body, Leroy had turned to Eden and Gabe and said, “You have a tank full of gas now, so I guess you two should be on your way.”

  Gabe and Eden gazed at Leroy in surprise. “Yeah, well, uh, I guess there’s no point in hanging around,” Gabe commented uneasily. “How much we do we owe you for the food and lodging?”

  “No charge,” Leroy muttered.

  “I want you to know that we’ve appreciated your hospitality, and we’ll be out of your hair first thing in the morning,” Eden said. “And um, we’re going to have to purchase more diapers and formula for Jane.”

  “Fill up some bags with baby items, food, and beverages. Take whatever you need, and get going,” Leroy said, and then folded his arms.

  “You want us to leave, tonight?” Eden asked anxiously.

  “Yeah, I think it’s best if you left my premises right away,” Leroy said adamantly and then turned to Charlotte. “I’ll give you a lift home in the morning.” Eyes filled with grief, he left the main room of the store and climbed the stairs wearily.

  “I don’t think you two should be traveling around out there at night. I’m going to go upstairs and have a talk with Leroy,” Charlotte offered.

  Eden shook her head. “That’s okay, Charlotte. Leroy thinks I overreacted because he didn’t witness what we saw. Don’t worry about us; Gabe and I will be okay.”