The Cure

by Loren Schechter

  “I’m not going to a formal,” said Kathy. “Nobody would wear something like that to a school interview.”

  “It’s elegant. Try it on,” Bunny ordered.

  “But I never wear lacy things.”

  “Don’t argue with her,” Aurien cautioned. “Bunny knows what she wants.”

  But it’s not what I want. Kathy’s eyes made a non-verbal appeal, but Bunny’s frown seemed carved from marble.

  Aurien took the hanger and dress from Bunny. “Come,” she said to Kathy. “We’ll go up to the fitting room. You might like it better once you see yourself wearing it.”

  Kathy allowed herself a heavy sigh of dissent. Remembering Finkelstein’s advice to never argue with vampires, she muttered “okay” and followed Aurien up the stairs. The vampire made no attempt to come into the fitting booth with her, but she held the louvered door open and watched as Kathy sat down on the small bench to take off her shoes.

  “Do you mind closing the door?”

  “Don’t be so shy,” said Aurien. “I’m not going to poach on Bunny’s territory. I just like to inspect nice merchandise.”

  Kathy flushed. I’m a piece of meat to these women. Not women — vampires. Biting her lip, she slipped her jersey over her head and hung it on a hook.

  “How come Bunny hasn’t even bled you?” asked Aurien.

  Kathy felt her skin crawl. She slipped out of her jeans. I’m not naked, I’m not. “She wants me to do a job for her. I won’t do it if she bleeds or turns me.”

  “And once the job is done?” Aurien raised an eyebrow.

  “She intends to kill me.” Kathy took the dress from its hanger. The material felt scratchy.

  “What a waste,” said Aurien. “I smell such good blood in you. Perhaps I could speak to Bunny. Would you consider a vampet position here?”

  Kathy stepped into the dress. “No, I don’t see myself being bled on demand. Not that it matters. Bunny really wants to drink every drop of my blood before I die. I tried to kill her, the first time we met. I don’t think Bunny ever forgets or forgives.”

  “Bunny’s not that implacable with women,” said Aurien. “It’s men she hates – not that she’s lesbian, mind you – it’s just how she grew up with her step-father and half-brother, and then her boyfriend turning her. She’s been through a lot.”

  “I’ll bet every vampire could give similar excuses,” said Kathy.

  “Here, let me zip up the back.”

  “No, thanks. I can do it.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m not going to bite you.”

  Kathy felt the vampire’s cold hand through the material.

  “I’m not trying to excuse what Bunny does,” said Aurien. “I’m just trying to encourage you to be nice to her. She has a soft spot for animals and down-on-their-luck mortals. As far as I know, during the past three years she’s been living in Boston, she never attacked a street person or invalid.”

  “I don’t suppose their blood is that good,” said Kathy.

  “I doubt that’s the reason.” Aurien walked around Kathy, tweaking the dress to get a more perfect fit. “There, you look lovely. Go look in the mirror.”

  The navy dress made her face look washed out, the blue of her eyes more pallid. She fingered the lace. “I suppose it’s nice, but it’s not appropriate. No one wears dresses like this to a school interview. I hate that Bunny’s making me wear it.”

  “It’s a smaller sacrifice than Bunny usually demands.” Aurien smiled. “You’ll feel better after we do your face and hair.”

  For the next two hours, with her ratty clothes on again and her new dress hanging at a safe distance, Kathy sat in the spa with her companions before lighted mirrors, applying makeup and letting Aurien do their hair. Kathy needed only touches of mascara, eye-shadow, blush and lipstick, but the others required Aurien’s artistry with paint, putty and powder to face and hands before they looked really human.

  Wow, thought Kathy as she looked into the mirror. Hector would probably swallow his tongue if he saw me like this. Quite a change from the wilderness girl.

  “Good job,” said Aurien. “I’ll tote up the bill and you can be on your way. I’m sorry I can’t do anything about the fangs.”

  “We’ll let Kathy do most of the talking,” said Bunny. “She talked herself into this trip; now she can talk us to the prize.”

  “Do I get a vampire discount for the clothes?” asked Vendetta.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Aurien. “This is S’Right. What do you think about the dress now, Kathy?”

  “Frankly, no offense to all your efforts, but I think it sucks.”

  Aurien and Bunny smiled.

  Kathy was perplexed. “Is that funny?”

  “No,” said Aurien. “Not as long as it sucks right.”

  27

  Chamomile Tea

  “It’s stress,” said Angela. “That’s why your eyelid’s twitching. You ought to drink some chamomile tea. It’s better for stress than blood is.”

  “Really?” Bart massaged his eyelid. “How enlightening.” Fifteen years practicing neurology and I’m being told what to do by a girl who flunked out of community college. Explaining facial tics would be wasted on her. As is most everything. His functioning eye observed the mess she’d made of the motor home supplied by the Boston branch of the Legion. An empty pizza box, soiled napkins, and a Dr. Pepper can littered the table at which they sat; dirty dishes and cups were piled up in the small sink. The bed in the back room hadn’t been made in the two days they’d been at the campsite. It wasn’t his mess, for he’d rested each night under the stars and hadn’t eaten a thing. He had no doubt that, more than the dangers of their mission, it was Angela’s laziness and lack of hygienic housekeeping that caused his eyelid to twitch and set his fangs on edge.

  “Vampires don’t get sick from germs,” she’d offered in self-defense. “As long as my body’s clean and my blood is hot, what difference does it make how this dump looks? Besides, you’re a High Priest of the Satanic Legion. They should’ve put us up in a five-star hotel, not a ten year-old RV.”

  “We have to blend in with the population so as not to be noticed,” he’d said. The truth was that his school-based chapter of the Legion didn’t even have the clout of chapters in Boise and Pocatello, and no group west of New York was respected by the vampires in Boston. That would all change once he became known as the High Priest who saved the Legion from mass defections of vampires eager to return to their pedestrian lives. No true believer could allow that. Nor could any High Priest determined to move higher.

  “Would you like me to make some?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Chamomile tea.”

  “It won’t help.”

  “How do you know? Have you ever tried it?”

  He pressed his fingers against his temples to keep angry regret from his lips. Why had he expected her to be different from the others? Ambrosial blood in a pretty vessel? Vampets started out in awe of vampire power, intelligence or talent, willing to surrender their blood for a few crumbs of recognition and the promise of immortality. But over time, they become more demanding, more possessive and entitled. They ended up like Angela, wanting to feed him chamomile tea instead of the fresh blood he needed. How was their relationship any different than marriage?

  “I know tea doesn’t help this. I studied medicine for years. Before you were even born.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So? Doctors don’t know everything.”

  Bart’s favorite ringtone, the Grateful Dead’s Friend of the Devil, cut through his exasperation. He snatched his phone from a pocket of his hunter’s vest. “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry, sir.” The voice was male but bordering on falsetto. “I found no messages to or from a Dr. Quintz on the machines you gave us. And there are no files that contain genetic, chemical or mathematical data.”

  Bart’s eyelid twitched. “Why did it take you two days to come up with nothing? I was assured that you’re the best ha
cker in the Boston Legion.”

  “Yes, sir. I start M.I.T. in September. It took me a bit to get by the passwords. There were numbers, but the key words were in Tagalog.”

  “A computer language?”

  “No, sir. It’s a language spoken in the Philippines.”

  “Well, hold on to the equipment. I’ll pick it up on my way out. Did you at least find out where Agent Harry Winkish is staying?”

  “Yes, sir. He’s registered at the Shangri-La Motel on Route 20 in Marlborough.”

  “I’ll need a key card to his room,” said Baneful. “Send a couple of Legionnaires to suck it out of a clerk. Leave it at the front desk tonight in an envelope under the name of Mr. Dwinch.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You’re using my name?” asked Angela.

  “Why not?” Baneful pocketed the phone and glared at Angela. “The equipment you stole is useless.”

  Above the table, her hands sprang apart, her black fingernails fluttering like frightened beetles. “But when I texted, you messaged me to steal Rose’s stuff. We couldn’t let Homeland Security get the data.”

  “Unfortunately, it took two days to prove it was the wrong move. That leaves either tonight or tomorrow before graduation on Sunday.”

  “Rose is a sophomore. Her classes go for another two weeks after graduation.”

  “If Homeland Security or my half-sister don’t steal her away.” He opened his eyes wide and took a few trial blinks. That’s better. He stood up from the table. “I think I’ll pay Rose Blood a visit tonight. Even without the data, she can serve as insurance that Dr. Quintz doesn’t cooperate with anyone else.”

  Angela’s dark eyebrows squeezed together. “Do I have to go with you? Someone might recognize me.”

  He looked down at her. She’d be an attractive vampire, but her habits wouldn’t change. “I’m not asking you to go. Your map and Rose’s room number are good enough.”

  “You’ll keep her as a hostage?”

  “Who knows? I might turn her into another vampet.”

  “That four-eyed freak? You gotta be kidding. She’s not anywhere near as hot as me.”

  “I’m more concerned about the quality of her blood — and her housekeeping.” He indicated the mess in the sink.

  She scrambled to her feet. “I’ll clean the place up, Bart. I really will.”

  “With the right inducement, I’m certain Rose will help. Right now, I have to prepare.” With one finger, he lightly touched her breast. “Come lie down on the bed. I need a snack.”

  “But you’ll have Rose’s blood this evening,” said Angela.

  “True. But I want to test a theory. If my eyelid still twitches after I feed on you, I’ll ask you for a pot of chamomile tea. How’s that?” He offered her a small smile.

  “Sure. You’ll see, it’ll help.”

  “Perhaps.” He nudged her toward the bedroom.

  She sighed but went without further urging. She kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed. He sniffed the salty, oregano aroma of her blood, then lowered himself onto her. Angela’s grunt turned into a purr of anticipation. She wrapped her limbs around him so he could draw warmth from her body. He licked the sweat from her neck and nibbled her ear. When she moaned, he knew she was ready. Extending his fangs, he pierced her neck and sucked in her rich blood with delight. She cooed at his happiness. He fed slowly, savoring her essence with both joy and sadness, for he knew it was the very last time.

  28

  School Visit

  With Soo at her side, Kathy followed Bunny and Vendetta from the visitors’ parking lot toward the brick archway that marked the main entrance to Leet and Lucre. The midday sun and the smell of newly mowed grass were invigorating after the funeral home odor that persisted in the Lexus despite Bunny’s efforts to air it out.

  Gravel crunched under their feet as they walked toward an asphalt path. Kathy looked down at the blue patent leather pumps that made her feet look a size larger. How come Bunny let Vendetta keep his boots but insisted I wear these ridiculous shoes? What is it with adults? They expect us to act grown up but insist we dress like seven-year olds.

  “I look like a blue Barbie,” she whispered to Soo.

  The Korean girl shook her head. “Anything you wear looks good on you. But I look like a skunk with bangs.” Soo touched the vertical white stripe on the front of her designer dress. An identical stripe ran down the back. “Why were we not permitted to pick out our own clothes?”

  “We would’ve been there all day,” said Bunny. “If I were your age and size, I would’ve loved to wear that dress. But that doesn’t matter. We just need to show that we’re rich.”

  “Your outfits show that,” said Kathy. Soo and I could’ve come casual.”

  Bunny now wore a shoulder-length blonde wig, sunglasses, and a beige suit with an open front jacket. Beige flats, gloves and a leather clutch completed her outfit.

  Vendetta had chosen charcoal trousers and a black Italian blazer cut big enough to conceal his daggers. He wore calfskin driving gloves, and Aurien had tucked a red handkerchief with an embroidered crest into his chest pocket. Her vampet had shined Vendetta’s steel-toed boots until they looked almost new.

  “We may look rich,” said Soo, “but Kathy and I are not dressed right for a school interview.”

  “Did I not suggest it would be better to let them pick their own dresses?” asked Vendetta. “Less expensive, too.”

  “Stop!” Bunny’s whispered command brought them to a standstill. “Look, we’re on a mission here. You’d do better to observe the terrain and the enemy than to whine about your clothing or the cost.”

  “Sorry,” said Kathy. She looked beyond the brick archway. A massive stone building and clock tower stood at the far end of a spacious grass quadrangle bordered by sentinel oaks. Ahead and to her right, there was a similar ivy-covered edifice topped by a dome. To her left, a modern building of brick and glass lay closer to her than its stodgy three-story neighbor, whose narrow windows, one atop the other, suggested it was a dorm. Far beyond the quadrangle lay athletic fields, sheds, a barn, a corral and then what appeared to be acres of woods. The asphalt paths to the buildings were flanked by long flowerbeds. Beside the path that led to the central building, a workman was weeding a bed of yellow daffodils. Except for the gardener and two girls in shorts and halter tops sunning themselves on the grass, the only people visible were workmen raising a huge white tent beside the domed building.

  “Where’s the enemy?” asked Kathy.

  “Assume everywhere,” Bunny replied. “Let’s move out.”

  “That gardener could be our enemy,” said Vendetta, moving off with Bunny. “He has an earbud.”

  “You see something that small from here?” asked Kathy.

  Soo peered between the vampires walking in front of her. “I see it.”

  Vampire eyes. “How do you know he’s not just listening to music?”

  “We don’t,” Bunny said softly. “But we have to assume agents will have come to question Rose. If they think she might have what they’re looking for, they’ll be worried she could pass it on to us or to the media. So they’ll monitor every visitor and every phone call in and out…Ignore this guy as we pass. Rich people don’t notice the workers unless they screw up.”

  “But the agents took Dr. Quintz’s data from his lab and the Cloud,” said Soo. “Why do they need what Rose has?”

  “No men on the roofs,” Vendetta’s head moved left to right. “Perhaps in the clock tower but out of sight.”

  Bunny nodded. “The access road runs in back of the buildings. The feds will have their cars back there. They can get to theirs faster than we can get back to ours.” She looked at Soo. “For all they know, Dr. Quintz could’ve given Rose newer data. They’ll want it to compare.”

  They walked through the archway. A weathered brass plaque commemorating the founding of the school in 1887 was bolted into the brick. Beyond the arch, a tall post supported a map-board. Bunny ins
isted they all look at the map to orient themselves. The Office of Admissions was in the gable-roofed, stone structure with the clock tower. As they started toward it, the deep chime of a bell came from the tower. A girl in a maroon and gray uniform exited the brick and glass academic center, followed within seconds by a slew of others, most emerging in pairs or small groups, chatting and laughing.

  Kathy quick-stepped around the adult vampires. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up. Maybe I can find out where Rose is from one of the girls.” She marched quickly across the grass to intercept a cherubic girl with dark, curly hair. “Excuse me. I’m here on a campus visit. Someone at home told me she has a friend here, her name’s Rose Blood. Do you know where I can find her?”

  “Rose?” The girl’s dark eyes widened. “I don’t even know if she went to classes today after what happened.”

  “Something bad happened to her?”

  The girl glanced back at her peers. “Yes. Everybody’s talking about it. Rose got mugged yesterday. Her laptop was stolen right out of her hands.”

  Kathy stiffened. We’re too late.

  “Oh, she wasn’t hurt that bad.” The girl’s baby cheeks flushed. Her hand flashed to her chin. “I guess I shouldn’t have told you if you’re looking to come here. This type of thing almost never happens on campus.”

  “It happens everywhere. Do they know who did it?”

  “Some girl. She wasn’t a student here.”

  “A girl?”Probablyone of Baneful’s wind-up Satanists. “What did she look like?”

  “I don’t know. But Tanya Lyskovitch saw the whole thing. And of course Rose did. You can ask them. But this is a good school. Don’t judge it by one mugging.”

  “I won’t. Thanks. I better get back to my folks.”

  Bunny, Vendetta and Soo were waiting for her at the bottom of the steps to the stone building. Kathy quickly told them what she had learned.

  “It’s Bart’s doing,” said Bunny. The feds wouldn’t need to steal the laptop; they’d just take it. Okay, let’s do this.” Bunny motioned Kathy closer. “I’m counting on you to do most of the talking. We’re going to keep our lips zipped tight.”