The Cure

by Loren Schechter

  “I doubt she knew what she was getting into,” said Kathy.

  “Maybe not. But if you or she play me false, I will inform security. Tell me the truth — you are not part of the Buffett family or super-rich, are you?”

  Soo made eye contact with Kathy. They shook their heads simultaneously.

  “Then I’m better staying out of it,” said Tanya. “I will just take you to Rose and then back to Admissions Office. Then I am done with you all.”

  30

  Warnings

  An impatient knock on the door prompted Rose to look up from restoring order to her desk. DHS agents again?“Who is it?”

  “Tanya. I bring you guests.”

  Guests? “Just a minute.” Rising from her chair, she touched her nose and winced. Can’t do anything about it.At least my bed is made and my clothing’s back where it belongs. She opened the door. Behind Tanya stood two girls who looked dressed for a prom. “What’s up?”

  “These girls wish to see you.” Tanya’s lips curled down in disapproval. “They claim they work in a movement of resistance and that you are in the crossed hair of a terrorist.”

  Rose took a step back. “What?”

  “We can explain,” the taller of the two strangers said. “I’m Kathy. This is my friend Soo. Can we come in?”

  Is it safe? Terrorists or kidnappers wouldn’t come in fancy dresses. Either Tanya’s pranking me or Winkish is testing me. Did he bug my phone while he had it? “Wait!” She retrieved her phone from the table beside her bed and stuffed it under her mattress.

  “Okay, you can come in.”

  Tanya moved aside to let the strangers enter, then resumed her place in the doorway. “I want no part of your troubles, Rose, but I must tell you these girls pretended they might apply here, but they really came just to see you.” Tanya looked down her nose and raised her voice. “They made up a story that they were super-rich. Naturally, I recognized they are imposters. Their pretend parents are occupying Miss Flowers. To myself, I would not trust them.”

  Kathy eyed Tanya like a cat does a small dog.

  “So why did you bring them up to see me?” Rose took stock of her guests. The Asian girl looks sad. Kathy’s in charge. Awful dress. With that face and body, she doesn’t need to dress up.

  “If you are in danger, you should know as much as possible,” Tanya was saying. “And they seemed honest about their lying. But I don’t want to think anything more about this. I do not want anything to spoil my graduation. So when you are done, you take them back to office.” Tanya stepped back and pulled the door shut.

  “Thanks a bunch,” Rose said to the closed door. Stifling a twinge of resentment, she turned toward the two girls. “Feel free to sit down on the bed or the chair – wherever you like.”

  “Thank you,” said Kathy, “but we’ve been sitting in a car for days.”

  “We came here from Idaho.” Soo kept her head bowed as she spoke. “But thank you. Perhaps you would like to sit?”

  Rose crossed her arms over her chest. “No, let’s get on with what you have to tell me.”

  “You’ll find what we say hard to believe,” said Kathy. “But the thing you must believe is that you are in terrible danger from a — a killer named Dr. Bartholomew Baneful. We’re pretty sure he sent Angela to steal your computer.”

  “Really? If he has the computer, why would he want to kill me?”

  Kathy extended her hand. “Before you call us crazy, hear us out. Last September, we enrolled in a wilderness school in Idaho. It turned out to be run by vampires.”

  Rose laughed. Tanya put them up to this. “You sure it wasn’t aliens?”

  “We’re not joking.” Soo shielded her mouth with the back of her hand. “Vampires exist. We didn’t find out until we went to that school.”

  “Sure. But somehow you weren’t turned into a vampire.”

  “We escaped,” said Kathy.

  “I got turned later. See?” Soo bared her fangs.

  “Jesus! Are those real teeth?”

  Tears welled in the Asian girl’s eyes. “Too real.”

  A vampire? No such thing. She’s a good actress. Tanya and these girls are setting me up.

  “Here’s the thing,” said Kathy. “A vampire named Bunny was working with your father to find a genetic cure for vampirism. Many of them, especially the young ones like Soo, would like the process reversed so that they become normal again.”

  Rose shook her head. “My father never told me anything about vampires. He’s a scientist; he wouldn’t believe in them.”

  “Scientists don’t deny what they see with own eyes,” said Kathy. “Especially when they can test it in their lab. You going to deny what you see? Feel Soo’s hand or cheek.”

  Soo extended her hand. Rose hesitated.

  “Go ahead,” Kathy said, “she won’t bite you.”

  “Not today.” Soo offered a small smile.

  Rose touched the back of the girl’s hand. “Cold.” She took a step closer and touched her forehead. “Why aren’t you shivering?”

  “The undead are not bothered by heat or cold. We do not get sick in body; only in spirit. I want this cure more than anything I’ve ever wanted.”

  “But this Dr. Baneful doesn’t want you to have it?” Rose scrutinized the girl’s face. She’s sincere, but what does that prove? Mentally ill people can be sincere in believing the weirdest things.

  “Dr. Baneful is the worst kind of vampire,” said Soo. “He enjoys torturing his victims before he kills them. And he destroys anyone who threatens his power or that of the Satanic Legion.”

  Rose shuddered. “Torture. Oh, God. What’s the Satanic Legion?”

  “A vampire group built on anger and hatred and out to destroy everything,” said Kathy. “Dr. Baneful wants to destroy your father and all his data because it could eventually give young vampires a better option. Even if you don’t have the data, he’ll kill you rather than take the chance you’re lying. Please, Rose, believe what we’re saying. You’re in great danger.”

  Trying to swallow, Rose put a hand to her throat. “I need to sit.” She retreated to her desk and hunkered down in the swivel chair. “I’ve never seen my father’s data. But what if I did find a copy and I gave it to this Baneful guy? Would he leave me alone?”

  “He’d kill you for your blood.” Soo sniffed. “Definitely. You are A,B positive.”

  Rose startled. “How do you know that?”

  “Vampires smell it,” said Kathy. “And even if you gave him your copy – ”

  “I didn’t say I had a copy.”

  “ — he’d think you might be doing that because you’ve hidden another.” Kathy walked over and squatted down next to Rose’s chair. “Look, your father’s experiments could take years to produce results, but the vampires have plenty of time. It’s the government that feels time is running out. They don’t want to panic people by admitting vampires exist. A stronger species that feeds on human blood is everyone’s nightmare. So some government guys have been assigned to track the vampires down and kill them.“

  “The agents here are from Homeland Security,” said Rose. “But wouldn’t a cure solve the problem?”

  “Some vampires would not accept it,” Soo said. “The older vampires have no one in the normal world to go back to. Others would not want to give up power or immortality.”

  Rose fingered her barrette. “I don’t understand. Couldn’t the government give vampires a choice – either take the cure or be executed?”

  “Would people go along with killing cancer patients or alcoholics if they refused treatment?” asked Kathy. “Once the government admits vampirism is a curable disease, they couldn’t execute vampires for their addiction. They’d first have to prove a specific vampire murdered someone.”

  “The government people who come to you do not want a cure to be found,” said Soo. “They seized your father to suppress his data. They will try to take whatever he may have sent you.”

  Damn you, CQ, thoug
ht Rose. Why the hell did you get me into this? “It doesn’t make sense he’d send a copy to me,” she protested. “He wouldn’t want me to get hurt.”

  “He must have thought it would be safe,” said Kathy. “He knew everything he owned would be searched. Even if the authorities found out he gave you up for adoption when you were little, they weren’t likely to connect you to his work.”

  Rose flushed. “How do you know he gave me up?” she demanded.

  “Facebook, Google, court records,” said Soo. “Nothing is private in your country. Or mine.”

  ‘“And the government has even greater access to your information than the vampires do,” added Kathy.

  “At least the government will keep him safe,” said Rose.

  With a shake of her head, Kathy stood up. “They’d kill him rather than let him work for vampires. As it is, they’re likely to force him to work on vampire genes in order to find a way to create immortality for a few V.I.P.s.”

  “So if I found a copy of his data, I should destroy it?” Rose asked her.

  “Too late for that. The government already has him and all his original data. A few vampires have been sent to try to rescue him, but you’re at terrible risk . The best thing you can do is come with us. Second best is to give us what you have so Dr. Baneful has less reason to kill you.”

  “He’ll want her blood,” said Soo.

  “That’s why the first option is the best.”

  Rose jumped up. “That’s enough! Look, I don’t know you guys. Maybe you’re telling me the truth, but maybe you’re just trying to scare me. Even if I had any data, why would I just hand it over to you? Because you tell me I can’t trust the government? That I have to be afraid for my life? Sorry, I have more than two options. A third option is to do nothing. Maybe there’s a fourth. All I know for sure is that I need time to think without you two standing here.”

  “Please, Rose, you don’t have that much time,” pleaded Kathy. “Tanya told us your computer was stolen, your room and hers were searched, and DHS agents are still all over campus. If it’s not your father’s data they’re looking for, what do they want?”

  “Whatever they want, I obviously don’t have. They certainly searched hard enough.”

  “That is of no consequence now,” said Soo. “Dr. Baneful will come to take your blood and your life. He will torture you to see what else you might have.”

  With a moan, Rose drew her clenched fists into her chest. “Why don’t you all go away and leave me alone? I never asked to be any part of this.” She stiffened at Kathy’s gentle touch on her shoulder.

  “It’s not much comfort,” said Kathy, “but we didn’t either. We’re just trying to do the best we can. The most important thing for you is to keep yourself safe.”

  Rose pulled back and looked into Kathy’s eyes. She seems sincere, but how much can I trust her?Such a crazy story. “Sure, I just need to figure out what that is – what will keep me safe,” she said. If I could talk to CQ, he’d tell me what to do. God, what if anything really bad happens to him? But he got me into this.

  “Maybe all those people who want my dad’s data would be better off asking him what he did with it. Better yet, let me talk to him. He’ll tell me.”

  “I told you the federal agents have him,” said Kathy. “The vampires aren’t sure they can rescue him.”

  She’s so smooth; she has an answer for everything. “I’ll give you my cell phone number,” said Rose. “They returned my phone last night. Except they may have hacked into it or put some kind of listening device in.”

  Kathy flinched.

  “Don’t worry. They can’t hear us from that. I put it under the mattress. I’ll check it every few hours. If you leave a message, I’ll borrow someone else’s phone to call. I need to speak to my father.” She went to her desk and jotted her number on a slip of paper. “What’s your number?”

  “The vampires took our phones,” said Kathy. “They didn’t want us calling anyone. Please, don’t deny what’s happening. Even if our guys rescue your dad, Dr. Baneful might have captured you by then. Come with us now.”

  “You risk your life for your father,” said Soo. “I doubt he would want you to do that. Courage is no excuse for foolishness.”

  Rose nodded. “You’re right. But I’m not trying to be foolish. And I don’t have much courage. I just don’t want to do something that might hurt or disappoint my father.” She handed the slip to Kathy. “Leave a message when you have him safe and he can talk with me.” She heaved a sigh. “I guess that’s it. I’ll take you back to the Admissions Office.”

  “We know the way,” said Kathy. “It’s better that you don’t come. One of the vampires we’re with is unpredictable. You’re safer not being there when we tell her you haven’t given us anything.”

  “Okay, then.” Shit! Why did I promise CQ not to look at what he gave me? I should’ve just said no. So what if I would’ve disappointed him? None of this would’ve happened. ”Thanks for the warning.”

  “One more,” said Soo. “Don’t sleep in this room again. If Angela found you here, Dr. Baneful will know. It will be most dangerous at night.”

  “So where can I sleep safely? If this Baneful guy threatens a girl here, she’ll say anything to save herself. I know I would.”

  “That’s why you would be safer with us,” said Soo.

  If this is a scam, what’s in it for them? “No, I’ll find a place.” If I tell the Dean or Winkish, they’ll lock me up until my mother comes back from the Philippines.

  “Good luck,” said Kathy. “I’ll call as soon as your father can talk with you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Rose saw the girls out, locked the door and threw herself down on her bed. Casting her glasses aside, she put her head into her pillow and screamed. Only once, because the pressure of the pillow hurt her nose. She turned over and reached for her glasses.

  Damn CQ!What would the great scientist advise me to do now? She pressed her hands against her head and grit her teeth. Face it – CQ’s a prisoner somewhere. And I can’t trust anyone here.

  She scrambled up from her bed and began pacing back and forth, trying to think logically. Either vampires were real or they weren’t. Was there any proof? That Soo was cold and had fangs? That could’ve been faked. Tanya saying a vampire was seen in Russia after goats were killed? Possibly a farmer’s imagination. If vampires existed wouldn’t more people have reported seeing them? But people don’t see a lot of things until they’re discovered.

  What if vampires didn’t exist? Then what all these people wanted was something other than a cure. Maybe that Baneful guy was just invented to scare me into handing over the data.

  But if vampires are real, where can I sleep?

  She stopped pacing and pressed her hands to her head. The clock tower?The infirmary?Nurse Rathke won’t believe me unless I come in with a fever. Anything worse, she’s likely to send me off to the hospital.

  Yes! She took hold of her belly. What can I take to make me very sick?

  31

  Plumbing Supplies

  Leaving Angela’s body in the mobile home’s bedroom, Bart Baneful washed telltale red smears from his face in front of the bathroom mirror. He rolled his tongue around the inside of his cheeks to capture the savory residue of her blood, then dried his face with a towel. He offered himself a satisfied smile and returned to the bedroom to find a clean shirt and his black hoodie. He ignored Angela’s corpse until he was fully dressed, then dropped to his knees beside the bed and crossed his arms on his chest.

  “Thank you, Satan, for the blood of life,” he prayed. “You indulge our appetites, empower us to create chaos, and reanimate our existence. Amen.”

  As he rose to his feet, he looked down at the bed. With her eyes closed and her black hair a halo above her blood-drained face, Angela looked more peaceful than he’d ever seen her in life.

  “You just weren’t clever enough to be a helpful vampire, my dear,” said Bart. “Your blood w
as really the best part of you.”

  He armed himself with a stolen Baretta, his own SIG P320, and three loaded syringes that he took from the refrigerator. He put on his sunglasses and pulled the hood up onto his head. Before stepping out into the afternoon sunlight, he looked toward the other trailers.

  Safer to come back at night to set the fire. Rose Blood might as well burn up with Angela.

  He locked the door and went to the black Ford Fusion he’d stolen in Boise. It now had Nebraska license plates, but he was careful to keep within the posted speed limits as he drove. He’d scouted several plumbers’ shops on the Web and in person before deciding that Pipe Dream Plumbing was the most suitable target. Their website said the company was owned by Fred Bonshtecker. His Facebook page indicated he was in his sixties but still wore a ponytail and was content to have his friends call him “Bongo.” His business appeared to be no more than a two-van operation, with the office located in an old concrete building protected by a chain-link fence. Bart parked the Fusion several blocks away. He walked with his hood on and his latex-gloved hands in his pockets.

  The office phone had been answered by a crusty-sounding woman who said they closed promptly at 5p.m. Ten minutes before closing, Bart donned a life-like rubber mask, pulled the hood up around it, and entered the office.

  “Bongo here?” he said to the dumpy brunette behind a desk.

  She peered at him over wire-rimmed reading glasses. “He’s still out on a call. Can I help you?”

  He sniffed. B negative. Not worth tasting. “I’m not sure. It’s personal.” Keeping his hands in the pouch of his hoodie, he looked around. The room had an acrid odor, two barred windows, and a back door that was marked Employees Only. A second desk held piles of catalogues and a large brass clock in the shape of an upended toilet that bore the inscription The Muck Stops Here. “What time do you expect Bongo back?”