Dave looked at Tina. “I give you sex, and I never get a shoulder rub.”
“Yeah, but you never give me good sex.”
Jenny laughed.
“I've known this dumbass since we were sperm,” Cindy said. “So we can get away with stuff like this. He knows I don't want him.”
“How about a kiss? No tongue?”
“Don't push your luck.”
I smiled. Dave gave me a fake look of sadness.
Then she leaned close to my ear so no one could hear.
“Maybe later.”
I laughed. If only she weren't joking.
We watched a movie while waiting for the pizza. It was actually fun. I didn't know where to put my hands, so I rested one on Cindy's leg next to me. She was in the same situation, so she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder. Wow. She was being a little too touchy. It felt great, but made me want her more. That feeling I could do without. If we were alone, I'd probably spill my guts to her.
About halfway through the movie the door to my bedroom opened. Alicia gave us all a quick look before ducking into the bathroom. We all looked at each other, then I got up from the couch.
I gave the bathroom door a quick knock.
“What the hell? Can't a girl use the bathroom?”
I knew she wasn't using the bathroom. And she knew who was at the door. Sibling communication.
I cracked the door open.
“Alicia?”
She was splashing her face with water. She saw me in the mirror and turned around. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were still red from crying. She gave me a small smile.
“I probably look terrible.”
“You always do.”
“Shut up.”
I closed the door and leaned against the wall.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“You sure you don't want to go to the police?”
“No. What would I tell them? Two guys, I have no idea who or where they are, tried to drug and fuck me?”
I winced. The anger almost built up all over again.
“Besides, I don't think they'll be touching anyone for a while.”
We were quiet a second. She looked down at the floor.
“You disappointed in me?”
“Huh? What the hell are you talking about?”
“I keep messing up. The guy, he said his name was Tom, probably a fake name. Anyway, he said he just wanted to talk, away from everyone and the music. And I believed him. I'm so stupid. What is wrong with me?”
I grabbed her by the shoulders. “Hey. You don't keep messing up. And I'm never disappointed in you.”
She nodded, and looked relieved. I love my sister. Scary to think our opinions matter to each other. We gave each other a quick hug.
“How did you know what was going on, anyway?”
“My little ghost powers. I'll always have your back. Now clean up, and come out and eat some pizza.”
We had a good time for the next few hours before everyone started heading home. Cindy went back to her apartment, while Alicia slept on the couch. It was an insane day, but it made me realize how much my friends and family meant to me.
I definitely needed some rest.
*****
I finally got some overdue sleep. It was past noon when I woke up. Alicia was gone. She'd left a note on the table saying she and Cindy had gone shopping. That was good. I wanted to see Alicia relax as much as possible.
I took a shower and was half dressed when the cell phone rang. I took a deep breath before answering. I doubted Victoria was calling just to say hi.
“Hello?”
“Alex. It's Victoria.”
“I figured that.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah. It was a crazy night. But it's all fine. Everything okay on your end?”
She was quiet a moment. “Yeah. I, uh, took care of William. Left him out for the sun.”
“Are you okay?”
“I will be. I grabbed his files and spent most of the night looking them over.”
“Find anything?”
“I think so. They weren't officially missing, as it hadn't been a day yet, but William was smart. He's got a report that two people, Shannon Smith and Tom Zimmerman, went missing a few blocks from where the butcher shop is.”
“Hmm. Shannon and Tom. Do you think-”
“Yes. I already looked into it. They were the vampires we fought that night.”
“Okay. Do you think we can dig into their lives? Try to figure out where they got bit?”
“We can try. They both worked at the same place. Some place called Waylon Research. We should probably start there.”
Waylon Research. The two words immediately brought to mind the vampire in a cage at Bachner's hideout. He had a security uniform with the initials W.R.S. on it.
Waylon Research Security.
“Oh shit,” I said.
“What's up?”
“The vampire. The one I told you Bachner had. He worked there too, as a security guard.”
“Okay. Finally, we got something,” she said. “Can you meet me there tonight? Say like midnight or one o'clock?”
“You mean, like, break into the place?
“Exactly. I'll get the address, figure out what I can about the building.”
“Do you really still need my help?”
“Yes, I do. Don't worry, after all this is over, you'll get a big fat check.”
“I'm not worried about that, Victoria.”
“I know.”
I frowned. I just wanted life to go back to normal. Hell, it was Sunday, and I didn't make a habit of being up late before a work day. But I knew I wouldn't say no to her.
“Alright. I'll be there.”
“Thank you, Alex. See you tonight.”
Chapter 28
I didn't see Cindy or Alicia for the rest of the day. I guess they had a female day, which was fine by me, as my mind was far away.
It was a restful day. But as the sun set and I made myself dinner, I started growing more anxious. I hoped tonight would be a simple night. I hoped we would go to Waylon Research, Victoria would find what she was looking for, and we'd head home. But what were the chances of that?
Waylon Research was out in the middle of nowhere. A series of turns off the beltway led through a wooded area and a gravel road. Through the trees up ahead I could see a building surrounded by a fence and light posts.
The cell phone rang.
“Alex,” Victoria said. “I can hear your truck.”
“Where are you?”
“Right by the fence. Far corner, by the light pole. Why didn't you fly?”
I didn't expect the question. “Uh, cause my truck still works?”
“You're making too much noise. Stop right now, back up, and park in the woods somewhere.”
“Alright. Don't go nowhere.”
I did as she said. Once I killed the engine, I realized there was no light at all.
It took me almost falling in the dark to remember I had night vision.
I closed my eyes, and willed the darkness away. Gray replaced black, while trees and bushes took shape once again. I headed to the far corner of the fence, and saw Victoria leaning against a tree in the shadows. She shook her head as I got closer.
“You can fly and you're fireproof, but you can't be quiet at all,” she whispered.
“Hey, give me a break. If I go ghost and start walking through shit, I lose my night vision.”
“Poor you.”
I stood next to her and stared at the building. Nothing really jumped out at me about it. Looked like a typical office building. Plenty of windows, with a few office lights on. An empty parking lot. Nice little sidewalk leading to the front door.
“You notice anything weird?” I asked.
She nodded. “The security.”
I squinted. There was a lone security guard walking around. One time I sa
w him talk into his radio. Looked normal to me.
“What about him?”
“Just gives me a weird feeling. Security guards don't usually walk around anymore. Most of them sit in nice cozy rooms and watch monitors all night long. Hell, there probably shouldn't be any security at all, at least not people.”
“Well, what exactly is this place?”
“Medical consulting. They basically improve hospitals and medicine.”
“Okay then. What's the plan?”
She pointed to an open office window on the fifth floor.
“We get in through there.”
“Uh, you can fly?”
“No. Don't worry about me. I'll meet you in there.”
I shrugged, then vanished and walked through the fence. I walked calmly across the parking lot, invisible to everything. I passed the security guard and walked through the front door.
There were plenty of offices, plenty of what looked to be exam rooms. I didn't pass by a single person.
I walked through the door leading to the stairs and started climbing. It was strange not hearing my own footsteps. I felt a little guilty. Not just at the fact that I was sneaking around, but that I was sneaking around so easily.
I got a little lost on the fifth floor. I had to peek into office doors, as I had no idea of which office Victoria was pointing to from outside. I got lucky, though. I turned a corner and saw a light come on at the end of the hall. I took a peek in, and sure enough, Victoria was sitting at a computer.
I closed the door behind me, and noticed the window was still open.
“How the hell did you get up here?”
“I'm a vampire, Alex.”
I waited for her to continue. She didn't. I leaned over her shoulder as she typed away at the keyboard.
“What are you looking for?”
“To be honest, I have no idea. But we have three feral vampires, all with ties to this place.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Just sit there and look cute for a minute. Keep an eye out, make sure security doesn't make their way up here.”
I shook my head. Something felt wrong with Victoria paying me five hundred dollars a day to stick my head out an office door.
“So, you talk to Cindy yet?”
The question caught me off guard. Seemed like a weird time to be talking about my personal life.
“Uh, no. The chance hasn't really come up yet. I will, though.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“Well, getting slapped in the face and losing my best friend, for starters.”
She shook her head. “You don't give yourself enough credit. I keep telling you, if you weren't hung up on her, I'd be all over you. It's a shame we're a few centuries apart.”
I laughed. “Yeah. A real shame.”
“Seriously, Alex. I just lost a good friend. You always think there's enough time. There never is. You know, when I was your age, I-” she cut herself off.
“What? What's up?”
She almost looked amused. “You gotta love computers. Fifty years ago, I'd be tearing apart file cabinets and offices. Not anymore. Check this out.”
I looked at the monitor, but didn't really know what I was looking at.
“What is it?”
“I'm just poking around in their file server, seeing what they got. Look at this.”
She pointed at a file folder on the screen.
Hominus Nocturna.
“Hominus Nocturna? What the hell is that?”
“Fancy name for vampire.”
“Are you kidding? That's sitting right there on their file server?”
“Not exactly. I've picked up a few tricks along the way.”
“Well, what's in there?”
“Let's find out.”
The file folder was full of videos, probably a hundred or so. I wasn't prepared for any of them at all.
Victoria picked one at random. It showed an examination room. A man was restrained on a table. It only took a moment to realize he was a vampire. He thrashed and struggled, looking a lot like the feral vampires we'd already found. A man in a white coat took some notes, then faced the camera.
“The mixture looks like it has the complete opposite effect of what was intended. Instead of killing the mutant strain, it seems it only makes it stronger. We're gonna keep trying.”
Victoria cut him off to load another video. This one showed the same room, except with two vampires restrained instead of one. The same doctor looked into the camera. He paced a little, obviously unnerved.
“We've been unsuccessful in killing the original mutant strain. Although, by sheer dumb luck, we've discovered that this new mutant strain can be passed to ordinary humans.” He gestured to the tables. He didn't look comfortable at all. “The, uh, subject on the left is...was...a janitor who strayed too close to Section B. We're still working to reverse his condition.”
I looked at Victoria. She was cool. I admit, I was freaked out.
She loaded one more, the last one. The same doctor, even though this time he wore plain street clothes. He looked visibly shaken. The two vampires behind him on the tables were motionless. I could see wooden stakes jutting from their chests.
“This will be my last report before I resign my position. The new mutant strain isn't reversible. It should be destroyed. But it seems my supervisors don't agree. I'm worried that it could be made even stronger.”
Victoria closed the video. She clasped her hands and stared at the monitor. She said nothing. I was the first one to talk.
“Victoria, what did we just see?”
“They were trying to cure vampirism. Looks like it backfired, and turned into what we're dealing with. He called it a strain? More like a damn plague. And it just doesn't affect some humans, but all of them, and makes them like animals.”
“You and me alone, we've already seen four vampires in the city. Who knows how many Bachner and his crew have seen.”
“Yeah. This is scary. This is why I hate the twenty-first century sometimes. Our kind and science don't mix.”
“What's the next move?”
“He said something about Section B. Gotta be here somewhere. Let's make a stop there.”
A new voice, right behind me.
“You can't. There's no time.”
I spun around. Victoria noticed my surprise, and spun in her chair. But she didn't see what I saw. My mouth hung open.
“You've got about fifteen seconds before this place explodes.”
“Huh? What are you-”
“Get moving. Now!”
I grabbed Victoria. “Come on. We have to go.”
I pulled her to the open window. I popped my wings, and ruined yet another shirt.
“Hold on tight.”
She didn't ask any questions. She gave me a tight hug.
We flew about ten feet from the window. Then the explosion rocked my ears. I felt the heat at my back. We flew forward, but I didn't have any control. We were heading to the ground.
It was Victoria's turn to save me. She held on tight and wouldn't let go. She hit the ground first, and cushioned our fall. The air rushed out of my lungs. I rolled on my back, in time to see some flaming debris heading right for us. Victoria was already on her feet and pulling me out of the way.
I only remember my legs moving. Victoria had me by the shirt and led me away from the burning building. A few more tiny explosions went off. I gasped for breath.
When we got near the fence she stopped. I fell to one knee and tried to breathe. She was next to me, holding the back of her head. Vampire or not, she was in pain.
“You okay?” she asked.
I managed a nod. We both turned and looked at the fire. Just like that, the five-story building was up in flames. How in the hell was that possible? Explosives on each floor?
“Shit. I hope no one was in there.”
I saw some shapes moving near the front of the building. They started wandering away from the fire, looking lo
st and confused. I could make out arms and legs. Finally I could see their clothes. But they weren't on fire.
My heart sank.
“There were people in there,” I told Victoria. My voice cracked a little. “Looks like at least two security guards, and a few late night office workers.”
“You...can see their ghosts?”
“Yeah.” It was the first time I'd ever seen ghosts of people who had died just minutes before. It was surreal. I'd never seen anything more sad. Just like that, so many lives and families destroyed. “Should I say something to them?”
The voice came from right next to me. “There's nothing you can say.”
I turned to look at him. The ghost who had minutes earlier saved our lives. Detective Bill Sloane.
He gave me a quick nod, then gestured to the other spirits, who wandered aimlessly. They looked at each other, then at the burning chaos behind them.
“In about a half hour or so, they'll realize they're dead. They'll probably lose it for a while. Just yell and scream. Then their families will come for them.”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“Alex?” Victoria said. “Who you talking to?”
“Yeah,” Bill said. “My parents, and my sister who I lost when I was younger to cancer. It was great to see them again. But I told them I had some things to do first.”
“Like what?”
“Like put away one more case.”
“Are you kidding?”
Victoria tossed her hands in the air. “Alex, please fill me in on what the hell is going on.”
I took a frustrated breath and grabbed Victoria by the hand. It was almost by instinct. I had no idea of what I thought would happen.
But my hand started tingling, like it was asleep. Then she took a quick breath. She looked right at Bill, and could see him.
“William?”
Bill was as surprised as Victoria and me. He almost managed a smile.
“I see why everyone on the other side is talking about you. How are you doing that?”
I shrugged. “I really don't know. I don't ask questions anymore.”
“William,” Victoria said. She took a step forward to touch his face. Her hand went through his skin. She pulled it back quickly. “I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for what I did.”
“You drove a stake through my heart and left me for the sunlight,” he said. “You did exactly what I would have done. We're cool, Victoria. I don't blame you at all. I blame whoever cooked up that vampire virus.”
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