by J. S. Malcom
Ironically, I have to keep close to Nora. She might be able to see where we’re going, but it’s been touch and go for me. We stop as we approach the buildings, where Nora takes out a cell phone. She fires off a quick text.
“Just letting them know it’s me.” She doesn’t explain who she means by “them,” but I don’t get to think past that when Nora says, “Okay, we’re good.”
She slips her phone back into her pocket and we start walking.
“What is this place?” It seems like the perfect place to follow a vampire if you’re hoping never to be seen again. Or, at least if you want to make sure you never again see daylight.
“Home to some friends,” Nora says. “Which is why I needed to know if I could trust you. It wouldn’t exactly be okay if you came back later and reduced them to ash.”
Right, I have done that to vampires a few times, so I can’t exactly argue. But, from what I’ve gathered in the past, vampires often live in posh circumstances, having had decades, sometimes centuries to amass wealth. Very much like the Vamanec P’yrin, actually. So, why would this dump be home to any vampires?
We approach one of the buildings and I can see it more clearly now. It looks like an old factory of some sort. Even by moonlight, I can tell that the exterior is half covered with moss, while the other half is smattered with graffiti. Tall, thin openings for windows, which arch at the top, were bricked over at some point too. Probably to keep out squatters. Presumably, vampires weren’t anticipated.
A door made of rusted steel groans open as Nora pushes against it. I look past that opening to see a pitch black void. Seriously?
Yes, seriously.
I follow Nora just a few steps inside before I’m completely blind. I have to stop walking.
Nora sighs. “Use your cell phone,” she says.
Right, of course, but did we really need the attitude? I dig out my phone and click on the flashlight app, immediately wishing I hadn’t. I’m basically in a tomb, ahead of us a steel staircase covered with cobwebs and leading to God knows where. Beyond that, there’s a vast hollowed out space that must have once been a manufacturing floor. The place reminds me of the abandoned warehouse where, not long ago, I ran for my life as someone tried to kill me. Although, by comparison, the abandoned warehouse was bright and cheerful.
Nora starts climbing the stairs. No, she doesn’t need to light up her cell phone. Apparently, she can see perfectly. Tell me again how I managed not being killed by vampires in the past?
“This place was once an aluminum plant,” she says. “Word is it’s coming down in about six months to make way for a new apartment complex.”
“It’s nice,” I say, almost positive that a rat just scurried past on its way downstairs.
Nora chuckles. “Thought you’d like it.”
We reach a landing and Nora stops. She turns to face me, causing my heart to skip a beat. If she made a move right now I’d be toast. I’ve dropped all of my defenses. Our eyes meet and a smile tugs at the corner of her lips. Yes, she totally knows what just crossed my mind.
“See, here’s the thing about vampires,” she says. “Not all of us have the advantage of belonging to a group. Some are turned and forgotten, left to scrap for themselves. It’s not easy. Has that ever occurred to you?”
The answer is no, it’s never once occurred to me that there might be vampires in need. The concept is just so strange, especially since I’ve wiped them out like cockroaches at any given opportunity. None of which I say as I keep looking back at Nora.
“That’s what I thought,” she says, and starts climbing again. “So, those particular vampires get into the habit of keeping their ears to the ground. They pretty much have to if they’re going to survive. They also end up living in places like this for a while. Years, sometimes decades. And that’s if they’re lucky.”
I’m not sure what to say as we ascend another length of staircase to the third floor. We stop on another landing, in front of another steel door. Nora turns to me again. “Ready to meet my friends?”
“Sure. That sounds great.” In other words, should I light up an orb right now? I don’t, but it’s not easy. Especially since my supernatural radar just started pinging like crazy. I’d just managed to tone it down where Nora was concerned, and that took some doing. Now, all of my instincts tell me to prepare for battle.
“This should be interesting,” Nora says.
She swings the door open and I prepare myself to venture further into the tomb. So what I see next takes me completely off guard. Beyond the door, there’s a floor full of light, enough so that my pupils dilate. As my vision starts to clear, I see that the light comes from above, where somehow ceiling lamps have been brought back to life. The cement floor is partially covered with beat up old area rugs, beneath which electrical cables snake their way toward what looks to be some sort of rigged up power junction.
Two guys sit sharing a sofa. They’re around my age, both of them holding remotes while their video game displays on an old TV. One has tawny hair and brown eyes. Even seated, I can tell he’s tall. The other looks to have once had olive skin, leaving him not quite as pale as his buddy. A blonde girl sits with her legs draped across the arm of an upholstered chair. She’s wearing torn jeans and a ratty old sweater. She was staring at her phone, but all three vampires look our way now. Well, they glance at Nora, but they stare at me. I swear the tall guy licks his lips.
The olive-skinned guy says, “What the hell?”
“It’s okay,” Nora says. “I’ll explain everything. Mind if we sit down?”
Not waiting for a response, she swings the door closed and crosses the room. Heart pounding, I follow after her to where we both drop down onto another sofa. Nora pulls back her hood, runs her hand through her hair, and lets out a weary sigh. “So, obviously you heard about what happened. Now I’m trying to figure out what to do about it.”
How they know, I have no idea. Maybe Nora called them?
The lick-lipper tears his eyes from me to study Nora. “How are you holding up?”
“As well as can be expected,” she says.
The other guy says, “Who’s the witch?”
I have no idea how he knows. Something he feels? Smells? I’ll have to ask Nora later, which in itself is a strange thought.
“This is Cassie,” Nora says. “She’s one of the veil witches you guys heard about.”
At this, their eyes go wide. The girl actually scoots back in her seat, tucking her legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees. Much better. My pulse starts to slow as I remind myself that I’m not going to be anybody’s dinner. On the contrary, I hold the upper hand in this room.
Before the questions start—or possibly accusations—Nora says, “Cassie, this is Stephanie, Eric and John,” indicating first the girl, then the shorter guy and finally the taller one.
Wary eyes meet mine again as, slowly, the three vampires nod. I guess they must know Nora well enough to trust her, but I can tell they’re not happy.
I’m kind of at a loss, so I just give a little wave. “How’s it going?”
The vampires ignore my casual question and look back to Nora. Okay, be that way.
“So, here’s the deal,” Nora says. “As you know, I decided to trust the Shadow Order and talk to them. It didn’t seem like I had much of a choice. Anyway, that’s where I met Cassie. They thought we should work together.”
“Why?” Stephanie says. “She’s a freaking veil witch. What makes you think she won’t kill you? Or the rest of us?”
“She won’t,” Nora says. “She let me look.”
Eyebrows are raised at that one. Maybe they figured a witch would never risk letting a vampire take control of her mind. Actually, that probably was pretty stupid. What the hell was I thinking?
“Here’s what we know so far,” Nora says. “Whoever killed my friends was another veil witch. None of the witches know who he is, and I’m the first person who’s actually seen him. He’s probably the same guy who
’s been killing those witches.”
“They’re not dead,” I say. “Not yet, anyway.” Even as I say it, I’m not sure how much I should tell the vampires. Although, obviously, they know at least some of what’s been going on.
“Well, my people are dead,” Nora says. “That’s for sure.”
I’m not sure what to say. After all, Bethany and the others might still have a chance. The same can’t be said for Nora’s friends.
Nora shifts her attention back to the three vampires. “This witch, whoever he is, was brought to my house by another vampire. Not one I’ve seen before, but I might know his name. Have any of you guys heard of someone named Mason?”
Stephanie lifts an eyebrow. “Guess you don’t get out much.”
There’s an undercurrent of resentment in her tone, signaling an implication I don’t understand.
“Not so much lately,” Nora says. “Why, what’s the deal?”
“Where did you hear about him?” Stephanie says.
Nora hesitates, then takes a deep breath as if to steady herself. “Joel mentioned him. Last week, when he was talking to Thomas. I heard him say that he and someone named Mason had gotten into a disagreement. I remember Thomas telling him to be careful.”
Stephanie, John and Eric exchange glances, but none of them speak. I assume Nora is talking about her dead friends.
Nora’s eyes flick back and forth between them. “What is it?”
“Mason came up from Atlanta a few months ago,” John says. “Word is he’s both powerful and ruthless, and that his reputation preceded his arrival.”
“And that he’s gained a bit of a following,” Stephanie says. “We figured it might be best to steer clear.”
Before that one goes unexplained, I have to ask. “Why’s that?”
Stephanie’s eyes meet mine, hard and flat. Evidently, she doesn’t appreciate questions from the witch in the room.
“She needs to understand,” Nora says, her tone telling me she sympathizes with Stephanie.
Stephanie looks from Nora to me again, her gaze just slightly less hostile. “For some of us, it’s better to fly under the radar. Especially if there’s going to be a shift in power.”
Okay, I think I get it. Not that I’ve made a study of vampire politics, but I remember Autumn telling me about some dude named Phillip, who in these parts is considered to be the “arch vampire.” So, basically he’s the head honcho. And if there’s a potential power struggle brewing, choosing sides will carry risks. Even more so, I take it, for those at the bottom of the heap.
“So, this Mason guy,” I say. “What made him come up here?”
Eric shakes his head. “Good question. We don’t know, but he must have had his reasons to show up all of a sudden.”
The timing is interesting to say the least, and I can’t exactly convince myself it’s just a coincidence. I look to find out what Nora is thinking, but her eyes have grown distant. She speaks softly, as if to herself. “So that must be it. Mason set us up because of that argument with Joel.”
She has to be right, of course. That disagreement must have led to Nora’s friends being targeted. And somehow this Mason character had already established some sort of alliance with the mystery veil witch. Enough so that he could arrange for that witch to do his dirty work. I can’t begin to imagine what brought them together, but the act served both of their agendas. In Mason’s case, the settling of a score, while the veil witch magically framed my sister.
Glances are volleyed around the room while Nora keeps thinking. Even I’m included this time. Obviously, no one knows quite what to say.
Finally, it’s Nora who breaks the silence. “Where can we find him?”
When she says it, I suddenly wonder if that’s why she agreed to work with me. Does she think it’s just a matter of me taking out Mason? I agree he has to go, but there’s way more to it I’m sure. In fact, right now I need that vampire alive way more than I need him dead.
Either way, apparently it’s not going to be that simple. “No idea,” Stephanie says. “Like I said, we’re doing our best to fly under the radar.”
“But you said you’ve seen him around,” Nora says.
Again, Stephanie shrugs. “Once or twice.”
A few moments pass as Nora thinks. “Okay, well maybe we will too. I’m assuming it must be about that time for you guys. Like you said, I’ve been keeping pretty close to home.”
“You’ve kind of had a steady supply,” Stephanie says, her tone bordering on resentful.
Nora hesitates, and then nods. “That’s true. But, come on, you would have done the same thing.”
Stephanie sighs. “You’re right. We would have.”
“And it’s not like I haven’t been in the same position,” Nora says. “You guys know that.”
I’m not entirely sure what they’re talking about. All I can guess is that lately Nora hasn’t had to hunt much for her food. That’s something I’ve heard of, that more established vampires sometimes have willing donors. Usually, humans hoping to be turned. At other times, the vampires might even have a connection with someone who can supply blood bags. But at one point it sounds like Nora must have been out there scrapping too, just like her less fortunate vampire friends.
“Still not sure it’s a great idea,” John says. All the same, he sets down his game controller, signaling that he might be waffling.
Nora offers him a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid.”
Eric gestures toward me. “What about her?”
Nora shifts her gaze my way, her eyes lingering on mine. “She won’t do anything stupid either, right?”
It takes me a moment, but I get it. They can’t exactly have me following them around randomly melting vampires. “Just gathering facts,” I say. “On my honor.”
“And, hey,” Nora says. “Can you rein in your vibe a little more? It’s not like we can’t feel it.”
Right, that. I take silent calming breaths, forcing my magic to back off. It’s not easy, but I manage to dial it down a few notches.
“Better?” I say.
Nora nods. “Better. See if you can keep that under control.” She shifts her attention back to her friends. “Are we good?”
After a moment, Stephanie shrugs. “Okay fine. I’m freaking starving. Let’s get moving.”
CHAPTER 5
The list of things I never imagined doing keeps getting longer. Now I get to include heading out to feed with a pack of vampires. To make it seem somehow even more surreal, we take the bus. Until tonight, it never occurred to me that vampires might even ride a bus. I guess I just thought they remained lurking in the shadows until they popped out for veil witch target practice. But why not? There’s no rule saying pale people with fangs can’t ride the bus. Okay, technically, their fangs don’t descend until they’re ready to feed. Still, it’s a miracle I never ended up sitting beside one before. Which I’m sure would have turned out great when I reduced my seatmate to a pile of bones.
I sit next to Nora, her at the window and me at the aisle, with Eric and John in front of us. Stephanie sits across from me, where she shares a seat with an old guy reading a book. I can’t help but imagine Stephanie suddenly plunging her teeth into his neck.
I must not be too far off, because Nora leans across me to talk to her. “So, what’s good these days?”
Wait, does she mean what I think she means?
“There’s a new club down by the canal,” Stephanie says. “I hear it’s quite the smorgasbord.”
Yep, that’s what they’re talking about. At first, it strikes me as strange that they make no attempt to lower their voices. Then again, without context, it just sounds like they’re discussing options. Which, of course, they are. Meanwhile, Eric stares at his phone. From what I can see, he’s reading the news to catch up on the political landscape. John listens to music through earbuds, his vampire head bobbing to some beat I can’t hear. It’s just so freakishly normal. No wonder people do
n’t notice.
Before long, the bus pulls to the curb and we start filing off. My pulse escalates as I think about what lays in store. Maybe Nora hears my heart beating because her eyes gleam with amusement. “Sure you’re up for this? I could always report back later.”
I actually do think about bailing, but the stakes are just too high. I also pride myself on rising to a challenge. How I’ve lived this long is hard to say.
We mix in with people on the sidewalk, soon approaching a block lined mostly with bars and clubs. Now that we're here, I have no idea what to expect. Nor can I see how this is a feasible plan. Do they just converge on club-goers like a pack of hungry wolves?
Thankfully, that doesn't happen. Instead, we circle the block and then another, repeatedly venturing further out and then back in again. The vampires chat and banter the entire time. They trade stories. They goof off and laugh. At first I'm not sure what they're doing, but I finally realize the method to their madness. It may not seem like it, but they're hunting. It’s just that they can see, hear and smell things undetectable to me. Their behavior is the perfect camouflage. What deer hunter wouldn't look, sound and act just like a deer if he could? In a way, it's terrifying to think how perfectly disguised vampires are, at night virtually indistinguishable from anyone else. No wonder humans keep failing to wipe them out.
Another factor is time. Like all immortal beings, time moves differently for vampires. This becomes more evident as an hour passes, and then another, my companions seemingly oblivious. It keeps getting later, with fewer people on the streets, which at first I think must be a disadvantage. But then I remember the times I've been accosted by vampires. It's always been late, and I've almost always been alone. So, it could be that this is a waiting game to isolate prey.
We're almost back to where we started when Stephanie abruptly stops. She cocks her head, listening to something I can't hear. Then she nods to the others. We shift direction and cross the street. We cut into an alley. It's only when we're between two buildings, and all the other street sounds fade, that I too hear her voice.