“Where’s the search party hunting tonight?” Robin asked.
Her sudden voice made Timmy jump.
Laughing softly, Robin said, “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He pursed his lip, releasing his tensed breath, almost whistling. “Over by the farmlands, I think. They were supposed to last night, but it was supposed to storm…”
“Right. That’s what I thought. We should be all right, then.”
“I hope.”
“Me too.”
The road slanted upward, so they walked slightly leaned forward as they climbed the hill. Timmy’s calves began to tighten, burning. Reaching the top, they paused.
The main strip of Plainfield was below them. The moon was nearly full on the expansive flatness of the sky and threw down a wide glow on the town. Timmy saw the dark shapes of the lifeless buildings on either side of the road. Nana’s store was easy to spot on the corner, sitting at slight angle from the rest.
He saw Maxwell’s Barbershop.
And next to it—the funeral home.
Timmy’s throat tightened. He swallowed the cold dry lump.
We’re going to see…dead bodies.
He’d seen the dead before. At funerals. After they’d been prepared, dressed, and readied for presentation. Seeing them in such a false representation of their former selves disturbed him. How would he handle bodies that were all messed up? Based on Dad’s descriptions to Ma, Robin’s aunt and uncle had been mangled beyond recognition.
I don’t want to do this.
“Ready?” Robin asked. “We’re almost there.”
“Ready,” he lied, trying to keep his voice from cracking.
“Let’s go.”
Robin moved first, and Timmy followed. Her hand felt warm and slippery in his. He wondered if it was his nervous sweat, hers, or a combination. Didn’t matter. Though she’d put up a good front, Timmy figured she was just as scared as he was. Anybody in their position would have to be nearly terrified.
They were almost to Mr. Vincent’s Drugstore when they heard the low chugging noise of an automobile.
“Shit on a toadstool!” Robin squealed. “Somebody’s coming!”
Timmy’s heart launched into his throat. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted headlights looming over the hill and starting down.
Oh, shit. Did somebody see us!
He pictured somebody looking out their window, spotting two kids walking by. Being meddlesome, the person left their house to go after them. Probably thought kids out after dark were up to no good.
And we’re not!
Looked like a truck from how high up the lights sat. They made two, wide funnels through the darkness.
“Come on!” Robin squealed, yanking his arm forward.
Holding hands, they ran. Timmy stayed beside her, not knowing where she intended to go. When she started across the street, he figured it out. They were heading toward the barbershop, and would make their way to what was beside it.
Goult’s.
“The alley!” she said, her voice shaky and breathless.
“Okay!”
The truck’s lights raked across the road just as they made it across. In Timmy’s jarring vision, he saw the alley between the two buildings like a drawbridge constructed of shadow. Robin went through a few steps before him, pulling his arm straight. The darkness swallowed her. It got Timmy’s hand, then his arm. Soon, Timmy was engulfed by the black.
Robin jerked him to the right. His shoulder bumped the building’s brick wall. He spun around to face the road.
The truck drove by without slowing.
“That’s…Eddie’s truck,” said Timmy, huffing.
“Gein?”
“Yeah…”
The engines grumble began to fade, then suddenly steadied. Faintly, Timmy heard the squeaks of hinges of a door opening.
“He got out of the truck,” Timmy said.
“Is he coming over here?”
“I…I don’t think so. Sounds like he’s at my grandmother’s shop.”
Listening, Timmy heard nothing but the truck’s engine, chugging and sloughing. This went on for a few minutes before a door banged shut. The engine’s tone shifted, then it drove away.
Within seconds, he couldn’t hear it at all.
“You know him really well?” Robin’s voice was dry and winded.
“Yeah…”
“What’s…he doing out and about?”
“Not sure. Maybe he thought Nana would be at the store.”
“Never mind,” said Robin. “Come on.”
He felt two quick yanks on his jacket. Turning around, Timmy saw the pale shape of Robin’s backside dashing through the alley. From her swinging arms and flapping hair, it looked as if he were peering down at her as she drowned in a river of darkness.
He followed the swishing paleness of her hair to the other end of the alley.
When they stepped out, the moon gave them more illumination to see by. It was nearly bright compared to the dark-shrouded alley. They were behind the buildings now, walking across the gravel parking area. Rocks popped and crunched under their footsteps.
Robin made it to Goult’s first. Ignoring the backdoor, she walked by the concrete steps, and squatted at the stone foundation. Timmy saw the faint, rectangle shape of a hopper window. It was maybe two feet long and three feet wide. A tight fit, but they should be able to wiggle through just fine.
I can’t believe we’re going to do this. We’re going to break in!
Timmy Worden, son of Tom Worden was about to commit a crime.
His legs felt weak as shame washed over him. Dad’s warnings replayed through his mind—about women controlling men, making them do things they normally wouldn’t.
Now it made sense.
And within a day, Timmy had already disappointed his father without his knowing it.
Disappointed me, too.
Timmy jumped at the grating sound of metal scraping metal. Something clattered.
“Not so loud,” he said.
“Sorry,” Robin said in a strained voice. Sounded as if she were trying to lift something heavy. When the window popped open with a rusty snap, he realized she’d been struggling to break the lock. Robin let out a heavy breath that turned to laughter. “Got it.”
Oh, God.
Though he hadn’t realized it until now, he’d subconsciously hoped they wouldn’t have been able to get inside. Maybe all along, he’d thought they really wouldn’t have been able to, and he’d just gone along with it to make Robin feel better.
Now it was about to really happen.
“It’s really dark in there,” she said.
“That’s good.”
“How’s it good? We won’t be able to see.”
“And anybody driving by won’t be able to see a light moving around in there.”
Robin was quiet a moment. “Makes sense. But we’ll be in the basement, where Goult keeps the…bodies.”
“Still, better not to risk it.”
“You’re right.”
Robin remained squatting in front the window, her head ducked to see inside. Timmy figured she was trying to talk herself out of climbing through. Maybe he should try talking her out of it, too.
She’ll think I’m a wimp.
Timmy stayed quiet.
Finally, Robin turned. “Let’s get this over with.”
-26-
Ed watched Bernice double-check the door to the store was locked. Then she stepped away, hurried down the steps, and jogged toward the truck. She was hugging a large satchel to her chest. Instead of getting in his truck, she bypassed the passenger door. Turning in his seat, he watched her through the back window. She dropped the large satchel in the back. It made a soft thump when it landed in the metal bed.
The door opened and Bernice climbed in. “Get moving, Ed.”
Nodding, Ed pulled the gear and took off as Bernice slammed the door.
“Was that your...supplies?”
“It wa
s.”
“I see.”
“How’s your head feeling?”
“Good.”
“Truth.”
“Still hurts, but much better than it was.”
“Good.”
The hunter’s cap made the pain worse than it probably would have been without it. But he didn’t like going anywhere unless he had it on. He felt odd when without it, as if he’d left home without his pants. Nobody would probably recognize him if he wasn’t sporting it.
Maybe I should take it off.
If somebody saw them tonight, he could say it wasn’t him.
“Did they have a hat on?” he’d ask.
“Well, no...”
“Then it wasn’t me.”
Who’d see us?
Half the town was either asleep or out in the woods searching for kids they weren’t going to find.
Unless they’d decided to feed on them.
Bernice said they wouldn’t risk an attack tonight with so many people out.
“A silent takeover,” she’d said. “Like a plague that wipes out a village one-by-one.”
They’d been sitting at her table, eating a tasty meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Ed was on his second plate and fourth glass of water.
“Why are they here?” he’d asked.
“They’ve always been here.”
“How do you know that?”
“My family’s been involved with this vampire for a long time, Ed. A long time.”
“Did your husband know?”
“No, he did not. I kept it from him. This was passed down to me from my father’s side of the family. My dear husband was just a clueless schmuck when it came to this, God rest his soul.”
“And Tom?”
Bernice shook her head. “No. He doesn’t know, either. I had hoped to tell him about it someday, but he…” She looked off to the side, nose wrinkling. “He took after his daddy a little too much. He’s sensitive. And so is Timmy to a degree, but my grandson has something in him that shows an open mind and strong heart. Probably gets that from his mother. She’s a tough one, if I ever saw one.”
“Gets it from you, too,” Ed said.
Bernice waved off the compliment, then reached under the table. Soft scraping sounds could be heard as her arm fidgeted. “I’ll show you this first,” she’d said, sliding a folded piece of paper, browned with time, across the table. “Lay that out for me.”
Nodding, Eddie took the paper square. Afraid that he’d tear it, he carefully unfolded it piece by piece. He moved his plate and glass to make room. By the time he’d finished, it covered a large chunk of the table.
A map. A very old one that looked hand-drawn, not at all like the kind Bernice sold at her store. Inked at the top of the page in a thick black scrawl was Plainfield.
“That’s a map of our town,” Bernice had said. “Long before roads plowed through the fields and our forests were cut down for more houses and businesses. See these, Ed?” She leaned forward, tapping lines on the paper. “These were the old wagon trails. See where they intersect right here?”
“I do,” said Eddie.
Coming from multiple directions, they joined in a particular spot to form a cross.
“That’s the old graveyard.”
“Where the vampire was?”
“Right,” she’d said. “That’s where my granddaddy put it back down when I was just a little girl. He killed the vampire and its damn undead-women slaves. He left my daddy in charge to watch over the graveyard when he got ill, and when it came time for my daddy to pass on, he bestowed that duty onto me. One day, I’d planned to give it to Timmy.”
Ed nodded.
“I really failed, huh?” she’d said. “The vampire’s awake and killing again. He’ll keep turning people into his minions as he tries to take over the town one person at a time. And he’ll do it too.” Bernice had looked sad, the dim light of the room twinkling in her wet eyes. “I really didn’t think there was anything left to worry about. It’s been so long since my granddaddy had slain the vampire, I thought we were safe. I got lazy, content. I stopped going out there as much. I stopped preparing for the possibility of the vampire’s return a long time ago.”
“Why was I digging?” Ed had asked the question without even realizing he wanted to. He flinched at the sound of his voice.
“It wants to find its bride. And to bring her back.”
“Bride...? The vampire said I was looking for its existence.”
“To that creature, she is its existence. It can’t seem to function without her. And until you found where she was buried, it hadn’t known where she was.”
“It knows now?”
Bernice nodded. “Oh, yes. It knows. But it does the vampire no good just to know. It needs you to bring her out of the grave. It can’t get to her. That fence?”
Ed nodded.
“It’s made out of silver. The silver had been brought over here with intentions to use it to build the town. Instead, the fence was made to keep the vampire out, and the bride in.”
“Those graves at the small graveyard, those weren’t its brides?”
“Hardly. Just women it turned to help with its quest. Women from town it wanted for their family. One of them was my aunt. The others were just wives who’d been brainwashed into joining the vampire legion.”
“Was his bride somebody from Plainfield?”
“Not our Plainfield. They were joined together long before. My daddy explained it to me like this—and his information was scarce to none. We both know Plainfield was founded in 1849, but what we didn’t know was that Elijah Waterman was a member of the first group that slayed the vampires. Plainfield used to be a vampire village in the old times and our ancestors, well, not yours, since you’re not from Plainfield, were their slaves. From the little that I know, these vampires were together for as long as anybody can tell. I don’t know if one changed the other, or if they’d been bonded in their blood-thirst. But back in 1849, the vampires were defeated. The bride was killed first, and buried in secret. A cage of silver was erected around her to keep her there if she were to wake up. The vampire had no knowledge where she was buried. He was slain before he could learn. Soon after, Plainfield was founded as a new village, free of the vampires’ power.
“Somehow, when I was a little girl, it was awakened. The town was, again, held captive in the vampire’s clutch. Nobody other than my granddaddy knew where the bride had been buried, and the vampire went mad trying to find her. And my granddaddy, the last living relative of the original slayers, and a few others, were able to kill it and its three minions. They were buried in the old graveyard. Silver wasn’t rightfully available then to build another protective fence, so iron was used. It appears the iron was utterly useless. And the consecration the priest put on the land was broken the moment the grave was defiled.”
Ed hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until his lungs felt about to burst. He’d let out a long gust of air before speaking. “So the vampire was forcing me to dig up every grave in Plainfield until I found her?”
“More than likely.”
“Why didn’t it have Mary do it?”
“It needs her protection while it sleeps. It can’t be left alone when it’s so vulnerable.”
Bernice guzzled what was left of her water. She gently set the empty glass on the table. “Augusta never told you any of this?”
Minutes passed before Ed had been able to speak again. “My mama? How did she know anything about the vampires? Was she involved?”
“She wasn’t necessarily involved, but when I first met her all those years ago, I knew straightaway Augusta knew the Bible better than any preacher I’d ever met. I sat her down one day and told her everything. To my surprise, she believed all of it without question. She said she’d felt God calling her to move to Plainfield for His mission for a long time before she finally obeyed Him. With her assistance, I felt that if the vampire did return, her religious knowledge would come in
handy. She’d made a vow to me she’d start preparing you and your brother, Henry, for the moment, should it happen. But after Henry’s accident, she...well, things were different then. And I guess when she got sick, I just decided to stop trying myself.”
Ed had been hit by a flutter of memories—his mother’s consistent warnings, her preaching’s of evil things lurking in the dark places nobody could see. He’d chalked it up as the paranoid ramblings of a mother trying to control her sons with punishments of doom and hellfire.
Instead, she’d been trying to teach him.
And when Henry died, Mama lost all hope.
Then her episodes, as the doctor had called it, her strokes, handled the rest.
That means...
In the truck, Ed came to the same conclusion he had back at Bernice’s table. Ed Gein had been destined to fight this vampire from the beginning.
Gripping the steering wheel, his breaths came in short bursts.
“Are you all right?” Bernice asked.
Ed nodded. “Just thinking about things.”
“Well, it’s time you stop letting your mind strike you down with fear.” She pointed out the windshield.
Ed saw where her finger was aimed. Mary’s Tavern was up ahead on the left.
Cold ruptured in his stomach, squirming through his bowels like icy worms.
We’re almost there.
-27-
Though he was reluctant, Timmy volunteered to climb through the window first. Getting on his stomach, he went in feet first. His waist bent over the edge as he kicked air. Finally, his foot tapped something sturdy. He brought his other foot down. It felt durable enough to hold him up.
He dropped. His fall was short. Abruptly landing on his feet, his eyes were level with the window. He figured he was probably standing on a desk or a short bookcase.
“Okay,” he said. “Your turn.”
Robin nodded, then repeated Timmy’s motions. Feet first, she wiggled her legs through the window. The skirt hiked high up on her legs, leaving her legs very bare. Each time her thighs parted, Timmy glimpsed the white band of her underwear between her legs. Averting his eyes, he focused on her calves.
The Vampire of Plainfield Page 21