by Minda Webber
“It will take twenty minutes to drive to MacArthur Park, so that leaves us some time to come up with a plan and devise some weapons. So stop pointing fingers. If Dagan goes alone, then who’s to say they’ll release Debbs? If one or two of us goes, then who’s to say they won’t capture them as well? So we’ll all go and fight with weapons,” Bea said, her voice filled with command.
“Weapons?” I liked the sound of that. “What kind?”
“I don’t know, maybe something like mustard gas. We can use the chemistry lab.”
“Mustard gas?” Hart asked suspiciously. “Wouldn’t we get sick as well, really sick? They used that stuff in one of those World Wars and people died.”
“Not exactly mustard gas, but something that would disperse upon hitting an object, some form of bomb that can’t hurt us, but will hurt the vampires.”
“Garlic,” I said at the same time that Seth mentioned the smelly little herb.
“A garlic bomb, perfect,” Bea said and then smiled wickedly. “Seth and Zoe, go find all the garlic you can in the school lunchroom and bring it to the lab. Then run out to the archery field and pick up some crossbows and arrows. V.J. and Dagan can go round up weapons while Hart can find all the netting in agriculture and art classes. Jason, you help me with the bombs, okay.”
Jason nodded reluctantly.
It was a sound plan and we all hurried off to do Bea’s bidding. As I was pulling out Debbs’ flamethrower from her jeep and Dagan was getting the stakes, we had talked. He felt tremendous guilt that Debbs had been taken in his place and he was once again placing me and my friends in danger. He was also prepared to die.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I said. “It would be horrible.”
“But deep down, you blame me for Debbs being kidnapped by vampires.” He had the stakes under his arms and had stopped beside the Jeep’s door staring down at me.
I started to lie to him, but I knew he would be able to tell. “I guess I do. I know that it’s not fair. You really aren’t to blame. But if she dies, I don’t know if I can live with myself. We’ve been fighting about you and I never fight with Debbs about anything this serious. She told me to tell you to go away. She wanted you to solve your problems on your own. She didn’t want me dating you because you’re a Dracula. But I knew best and I didn’t listen. Our last words to each other were angry words. What if I never see her alive again? She could die thinking I was mad at her.” Heck, she could die being really angry with me.
He reached out to hug me, but stopped when I took a tiny step back from him. I hadn’t meant to step back since I needed comforting, but somehow letting him hold me felt like a betrayal of my best friend. His head snapped back and he looked like I had slapped him.
I just wanted to lay my head down and cry. “Debbs, Bea and I have been friends from the first week I moved here. Most people have one best friend. We all have two and we all get along great most of the time.” Except lately, when Debbs had warned me about Dagan and his troubles. I should have listened. Well maybe.
“Is she the only girl in the Van Helsing family?”
I nodded, trying not to notice the way he was trying to avoid looking at me. He looked like he had lost his best friend, while I felt like the Wicked Witch of Hawley High. “Her parents would go crazy if anything happened to her.”
“We’ll get her back, V.J. I promise you this. Somehow, we’ll do it.” He shut the jeep door for me and we hurried over to Jason’s CRV and loaded our weapons. We were going to take two cars in case something happened to one of the vehicles.
“I hope so,” I said, trying hard not to cry. Right now my best friend might be facing torture by some really nasty vampires and my boyfriend indirectly had caused this to happen.
I wanted him to hold me and yet I just couldn’t let him, which hurt his feelings, making me feel guilty about that as well. I knew he was hurting. His blue eyes were filled with pain, pain for Debbs being taken, pain for us going to rescue her and possibly being hurt or killed and pain because I was upset with him. It wasn’t fair. But then my little sister was always telling me life wasn’t fair.
“Are we taking Hart’s pickup?”
“Yeah, since he’s a great getaway driver.” He’d gotten us away from some overzealous zombies one July fourth, along with a bunch of nasty old witches one Halloween night. “Let’s get my grave robbing kit and then head to the lab and see if Bea’s almost finished.” My other friends were going into danger as well. One or all of us might be severely injured, captured or killed! What had started out as a happy night with me feeling all warm inside because my guy was watching me cheerlead was gone. This was now an unhappy night.
Walking back to the lab in the deserted and darkened corridors of the school, Dagan and I didn’t hold hands or even speak much. I felt bad seven ways to Sunday and beyond. I don’t really know what that means, except my mom uses that term when she’s had a really lousy day. And they didn’t get much lousier than this.
When we reached the lab, Bea had finished her garlic bombs. She had enough to make sixteen of them. She’d also found a gas mask for Dagan to use, which I thought was very thoughtful of her.
Bea, being the smart girl that she was, didn’t seem to hold him to blame whatsoever for Debbs’ kidnapping, which caused a new wave of guilt to wash over me.
While I was feeling guilty, Hart and Seth had fashioned netting which we could shoot to ensnare the vampires with crossbows they had gotten from the archery field. It wouldn’t hold them for long, but it might give us enough time to escape. Such were the dreams of us mortal fools. We didn’t plan to win the war, just escape it with our lives intact and a vampire slayer and vampire in tow.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
You know how in all those war movies the soldiers climb out of the tanks all pumped up and shouting one-liners of bravery? Well, we didn’t do it like the movies. Instead, we quietly got out of the vehicles at MacArthur Park and started gathering our weapons in the silence of the night.
Scared witless would probably be a good description for most of us. I know, we had faced scary things before and had come out the victors. But this time it was different. We were about to go up against an unknown brigade of vampires in the spacious shadowy area of MacArthur Park, a sure recipe for disaster.
I couldn’t help but frown in frustration and fear as I watched Jason pick up his Holy water machine gun. To my right, Hart had Debbs’ flame thrower tightly in his grip. Seth, his face grim, was lifting out a crossbow. He handed it to Bea and then grabbed the other one. Seth and Bea had both taken archery.
I picked up four of the garlic bombs and handed them to Zoe. I looked the freshman over carefully. She was pale, but firm in her conviction to help us as we’d helped her in her time of need. That took courage, and I wondered what Debbs would say about Zoe’s coming with us? But then I guess living in the House of Usher, Zoe had to have some spirit; she couldn’t be a cowardly lion living where she did. I hope she lived tonight to regret her decision to help us.
I was frowning when Dagan walked over to me, carrying my gun which shot the flame bullets. “Be careful, V.J. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I wish you didn’t have to be here. But as short as the time has been that I’ve known you, I realize that you wouldn’t let anything happen to one of your friends if you could help it.” He looked off in the distance and then looked back at me. “You’re one of the bravest people I know.”
I could see how badly he was hurting. “You’re brave too. You’re going to be traded to them!” My throat suddenly felt very dry and I wanted to cry. I didn’t know if he would live to see the dawn if our plan to rescue Debbs and keep Dagan safe failed. “Very brave.”
“No, I’m scared to death.”
“Because you’re smart. Only a stupid vampire wouldn’t fear what you are walking into and that’s what makes you courageous.”
“Well,” he said and hesitated. There was such sorrow in his voice that it could break a heart, most l
ikely mine. “I’m sorry about all this.”
“I know.” I had been looking away when I spoke to him, but I turned then and saw the way he was looking at me- like he would never see me again so he was looking his fill. He believed that he was going to die this night and yet he didn’t have to go out there and make the exchange. He could have walked away and been safe, but he hadn’t.
“Oh Dagan.” I rushed into his arms and hugged him tight like I would never let him go. “Don’t die on me, please, please don’t die. We’ll track you if they end up taking you. I’ll find you. Just don’t die on me!”
He grabbed me like a drowning man grabbed a life raft. “Be safe, V.J. I couldn’t bear it if you got killed as well. Be careful and know I love you. I didn’t want to tell you until this was all over, but I might not get another chance. I love you and I don’t want to lose you now that I’ve found you. It’s what makes this so hard to do.”
I felt the wonder of his words and my heart swelled with pride and joy. “Dagan Dracula, I love you too. So don’t go away.” I was crying and he brushed my eyes with his fingertips and then lifted my head and kissed me. Of all the kisses we had shared, this one was different. He was telling me that this was goodbye.
The tears just fell harder as he released me and stepped back. His eyes were red and misty too. Taking my hand, together we walked into the darkness, into the danger where red eyes glowed from the dark and the howls of wolves sounded far off in the distance under the bright moon.
About half a mile into the park, Dagan put his hands to his lips and signaled that the vampires were up ahead. We knew we couldn’t surprise them, since they would hear us coming with their paranormal abilities. Our only hope lay in the surprises Bea had invented for the occasion.
As we rounded a curve in the path, we entered a small clearing with picnic tables. Debbs was sitting on top of one, tied up with two vampires on either side of her. The tallest one had his claws encircling her neck. She was sitting very straight, and though I couldn’t see her face from where I was standing, I knew she was mad.
Behind Debbs on the far side of the table another vampire stood who was also guarding her. Off to the right and near the tree line were three more vampires. On the left of the picnic table another group of three vampires were standing close to a water fountain. That made nine of them and seven of us. Bad odds, especially since the bad guys were vampires.
“So you have come, grandson of Dracula,” the vampire standing to the right of Debbs said. He was very thin and very old, with hair the color of wheat in the summer. It was long and hung in a ponytail to his waist. He wore a cape and was one of the first vampires I had seen that actually wore one. To me capes were really old news. And personally pretty tacky.
“I came as your note requested,” Dagan answered.
“Not requested, but demanded.” The vampire stood very still and yet I got the feeling he knew exactly where every member of our gang was. “You have brought help,” he snarled.
“They aren’t the authorities. We haven’t broken with your instructions. You have no reason to harm the girl,” Dagan said as he moved closer keeping his arm with the gun lowered and by his side, hidden by the long trench-like coat he was wearing, the kind they wear in London in the rain or in the old westerns. Dagan had borrowed it from Hart. It was Hart’s uncle’s favorite coat to wear in winter. He wouldn’t be pleased if Dagan bled all over it, but then neither would I.
The thin vampire laughed cruelly as he drew a line across Debb’s neck with one long fingernail-like-claw and a thin line of blood appeared. “I can do what I wish with the Van Helsing female.”
Debbs didn’t even flinch just turned her head and spat at the vampire. Her spit hit him on the chin. He drew back and open-handed slapped her across the mouth. I saw blood burst from her lips. The vampire had split them.
“Stop it,” Seth shouted, and ran forward. Hart grabbed him by the arm and stopped him from running headlong into the line of vampire defenses.
“You puny humans, what conceit to think that you can stop us! Your arrogance will be your downfall. If I wish to torment the Van Helsing, I can. I shall,” he boasted, his smile evil.
I hated him, but since when have I ever liked anybody who picked on the weaker. Not that Debbs was weaker if she had a fighting chance. But bound like she was, all she could do was sit there making faces at the bad vamps. They didn’t seem impressed.
“You can hurt the Van Helsing, but where is the sport in that?” Dagan said as he moved closer. I was following behind him slowly as the rest of my crew was spreading out. “You need livelier prey.”
He shrugged his shoulders elegantly. “She’s a Van Helsing and it is of little concern whether she lives or dies. They breed like rabbits so what is one less in their devious line? Vampires from around the world will rejoice if she dies tonight.”
“You gave your word, me for her,” Dagan replied his voice tight with anger, but beneath that I could sense the fear. Yet he moved closer, about twenty feet from the picnic table. “I expect that word to be honored or are you disonay?”
I recalled that disonay was a vampire insult having to do with dishonor and a lack of social standing in the vampire community. At least that is what Debbs had told me last year when she had been explaining one of her vampire stakings.
“You are a fool to die for this human, especially one of her line.” He glanced around at my friends spreading closer to him. “You’re also a fool if you think your pet humans can take us. Humans are as blades of grass to our wind, which will tear out their roots, destroy them!”
“Who are we addressing?” I asked from behind Dagan’s back.
The vampire quit caressing Debbs’ throat and stepped to the side, trying to see who had spoken. “Who am I addressing?” He asked.
“I asked you first.”
“As if I would answer a human. I am vampyr! I am over eleven-hundred years old! You should be running for your very short human life.”
“For an old man, you sure aren’t smart,” I answered and signaled my gang to begin the attack. Zoe and I both threw a garlic bomb at almost the same time. Earlier, Zoe had told me that she had been pitcher on her middle school team for two years. Our throws were good and we quickly dispatched two bombs that landed by Debbs, one hitting the vampire that was speaking. He began to do a funny dance, wiping at his eyes and coughing, a thick wet cough, and he soon was overcome with the fumes, as well as the big vampire behind him.
We quickly lobbed two more bombs that landed to the group to the right. The bombs went off as a white cloud of smoke drifted from them and the smell of garlic hit the air.
A heavy-set vampire came out of the trees lightning fast and attacked Dagan, leaping across the distance before Dagan could draw his gun since he was donning his garlic gas mask.
I would have done the same thing. You can’t shoot a gun if you’re coughing or gagging. It makes your aim squirrely. The vampire pinned Dagan momentarily and I lost sight of them with the white smoke covering them from view.
I fired at a vampire to my right as I ran towards Debbs. She tried to roll backward and off the table, but a female vampire that came out of nowhere suddenly landed by Debbs’ side, pinning her to the table. But within moments the bombs soon had her gasping as well. Coughing, she dragged Debbs with her.
I ran, my head scouting in all directions since I didn’t want to be tackled by a vampire. I noticed that Jason started spraying the group around Debbs with the Holy water, which caused the vampires behind the table to start howling in pain when the water hit their face, burning it like acid.
I was amazed. This was like some B horror flick, and we were the starring cast. And the cast was winning! Hard to believe but true. The garlic bombs had been unexpected. Although they weren’t deadly, they did slow the vampires down enough that we were hurting them or killing them before they killed us.
“Thank heavens for the Franklin’s propensity for inventions and science,” I muttered.
/> I darted my eyes quickly to the left and saw that Hart had let go with his flame thrower, burning one of the vampires in the group, while Seth shot his crossbow at a vampire and nailed it in the chest. The vampire flew backward as another one landed atop Seth and started trying to rip out his neck. Zoe landed a garlic bomb on both the vampire and Seth. The vampire started gagging.
Bea had shot her crossbow after tying her end of the netting to a small tree. The arrow hit a vampire in the back who was running towards Zoe. He had long black hair worn in a pigtail in back, Asian. The arrow stopped him in his tracks and he began clutching at his back. The netting spread tight from his back and attached to the tree.
Two more vampires running to attack us were caught in the netting and flung backward. Unfortunately, the netting tore and the vampire with the crossbow arrow in his back had just finished yanking it out. He was enraged and screamed, his sharp jagged fangs standing in relief beneath the near full moon of October. Rule of thumb, if you can’t kill a vampire and only wound it, you’re in deep doo-doo. They get really mad when they’re hurt badly and tend to take their rage out on whoever is unlucky or stupid enough to cross their paths.
Another rule of thumb. Never trust the first count on vampire rescue missions.
I had misjudged, there were way more than nine vampires in MacArthur Park tonight so we were up the creek without enough stakes. The vampire who’d yanked out the arrow came for me, running at full speed. Hart’s flame thrower hit him across the chest and he burst into flame. Another one bit the dust, no pun intended.
I heard a short yelp and quickly glanced over at Dagan, to find him trapped on the ground by two vampires. The long blonde-haired vampire was winding a silver chain around him. I knew it had to hurt badly.
I screamed and threw my last garlic bomb which landed on the two holding down Dagan. They had ripped off his gas mask so that the garlic bomb got all four vampires. They began choking and gagging.
I was sorry that Dagan had gotten caught in the crossfire, but he’d be okay in about six or seven minutes. While I was running, Bea took the one farthest away from Dagan in the chest with a crossbow. The arrow went high and pierced his chest, not taking out the heart. He howled in outraged pain while I drew my Holy water gun and shot the vampire trying to drag Dagan off into the shadowy oak trees.