Other Places 1: Shortcuts

by P. S. Power

  "Nope. Dress for a Demon. Mistress of Souls? I don't know if that's trademarked or what. She seemed nice. Gave me her card. I think she may have also asked me out. Not really sure how that works with her kind." Was it rude to call her part of a kind? It probably was. He'd have to work on that, it wouldn't do to go around insulting people. Especially ones as powerful as she obviously was.

  The Bat girl slapped his arm, getting up and walking across the room to do it.

  "You're making fun of me, aren't you? Feeding me false information in case I'm a spy? I'm not, I promise."

  It would have been enough for him to leave it at that, but Troy cleared his throat, getting their attention.

  "Uh, no. Calley, I know Zack. He might not always be in perfect touch with reality, but he doesn't lie. I mean at all. If he says it, then he at least thinks that's what happened. So, you might have a date? That's cool, right?"

  Not answering, since a yawn took him, he followed the question with a shrug. It really seemed like a horrible idea to him. If he wanted a date almost anyone else he'd met would probably have a higher potential for survival. Calley at least seemed to agree with him, at least as soon as she got the idea that it wasn't all some kind of trick to make her look foolish with her boss later. Like he'd do that?

  "Hell no. That is a very bad idea, Troy. The Line Walker should not, never, ever, in no way, no-how, hook up with a Greater Demon. That's worse than insane, it's... suicidal." The slightly twitchy girl seemed serious enough about the whole thing at least.

  Trying to change the subject, Troy asked if she was secretly a Vampire or Mage. The girl froze then, but Zack didn't, knowing that Troy was still having problems processing things and sort of thought it was all make believe. Still, he'd asked, and could process the words if nothing else.

  "Shape shifter. Bat, I think. Anyway, I'm off to bed, so you two have fun, or whatever. We need to go shopping later. For food. Maybe get some new clothes for me, so I don't have to keep wearing your stuff every day." He waved and said goodnight, heading to his own room without waiting to get an answer.

  After all, it would be either yes or no and he had to do it regardless. At least if he got a chance. It was more than a little coincidental that Calley had shown up at his house, he realized, as his eyes shut. There had also been a lot more protesting that she wasn't spying than he would have thought seemed reasonable. After all, he really wouldn't have gone there at all, if she hadn't mentioned it. Why would anyone want to spy on him? That was about the last thing he thought before sleep took him.

  When he got up it was nearly five in the afternoon, so a quick shower later he was out the door, the sky already well and truly black, with no stars showing at all. It was cold as he walked, heading around the corner to the left. It was the "long way" to go to the store for him, but would let him get across town to the Wal-Mart. True, it wasn't exactly a high end clothing store, but he could cobble together some outfits from there without spending everything he had. That and some food would have to do, since the four hundred odd dollars he had left was going to vanish almost instantly, he knew. Money did that when you hadn't had any for a long time.

  It took him enough trips back and forth for security to meet him at the door on the last one and openly walk behind him the whole time. Two of them, looking very surly and anxious, even though he'd paid for everything he'd gotten.

  Finally at nearly nine Troy got up and was, it turned out, all alone.

  "Calley bailed about ten minutes after you went off to bed. Too bad too, I haven't had any sex in days. You can't win them all." There was a slow shrug then. "You finally got a day off? I should have gotten up and taken you shopping. Sorry, I didn't think about it."

  It was a nice thought, but the pounding on the door stopped his reply. It used to be, not that long before, that no one ever knocked on their door. Now there was pounding at all hours. It was nice in a way, since it meant they were more popular now, but also a bit of a pain. When Troy opened it, he was pushed back hard enough to make him stumble a little. It took a few seconds for the three Vampires to walk in, trying to act like they owned the place.

  Zack grinned, "why... if it isn't my old nemesis, Eighties Hair, and his two minions." It was important not to leave people out after all.

  OK, it seemed insane to him too, making fun of three obviously hostile Vampires that were trying to invade his home, but Mirror Him had taken over and was moving toward them instead of away. That made sense. Right there, just about a foot to the left hand of the Vamp with the mullet, was a bend in space, created by the three unnatural beings crowding together. It would shift as they moved, but as long as he stayed in it, they couldn't easily touch him. That wouldn't help Troy, but M.H. seemed to have a plan for that too.

  "Now, which of you fuck-nuts dies for the final time first? Volunteer by moving." There was a dark and rasping quality to the words, but for some reason it got the three to pause for a second. "Good. You're smart enough to figure out what not to do when you get the chance. Now, kids... we need to chat. You're all about to walk into a meat grinder and I'm not just talking about messing with me. Come in and sit down." He waved them forward, not moving until they did, facing them the whole time, staying in the rift created by their combined beings.

  Troy glared and crossed his arms at them, which didn't do much to any of them, except the girl, who was wearing a fringed tan leather jacket and looked to be from the seventies if Zack had to guess. She smiled at his roommate, fangs extended. To his credit he didn't blink at all, just looking back. It was a dead panned and almost bored look, as if he were letting them know that pushing him was a very annoying thing, but not a big issue.

  Zack pointed at the one he thought of as the leader.

  "You Eighties Hair... do you have a real name or should we run with that? It's a little awkward sounding."

  The man glared, trying to look tough. It kind of worked, since he was pale and hard looking. Lean and a bit muscular. They all had a similar cast to them that way. They also all smelled a bit. Like they needed to shower, but hadn't thought about it in a while.

  The sitting Vampire growled his words, sounding almost like he was chewing them.

  "Randal."

  "Nice to meet you Randal. Now, are you three fuck-ups in charge of the world's most stupid power grab, or is someone behind it for you? No... never mind, you wouldn't be here if you were the masterminds. Who is it? Janus? No... one of his lieutenants?" Where M.H. was getting this from Zack didn't know, but Randal looked at the others, including the more cow-boyishly dressed male, who grunted.

  It was that one that answered.

  "Yeah. Lazar. We don't know what the orders are from the top, if any, but we don't have a lot of choice. We either do what he tells us, or we die, so you know, it isn't personal. We're supposed to take this entire zone as fast as possible. The Bey is in town, and rumor has it that you brought him here. We figured that killing you would keep that from happening again. Or, well, we were told to do it. The reason why is kind of a guess."

  Randal rolled his eyes and got sarcastic then, "hey Mitch, why don't we tell them our entire plan? Moron. Now, shut up. We came to do something..."

  Those words got Zack the body back, for some unknown reason. If there was a fight coming, he wasn't exactly the one to be in charge, was he? It wasn't until he looked over at the door, which he hadn't seen open at all, or even heard move, that he got the idea, it wasn't going to be a battle. Not at all. Just an execution.

  Bey stood there, smiling, his feet slightly further apart than normal, his hands open, but pointed slightly toward the floor. Before he could move, Zack held up a hand.

  "Wait, please. We were just discussing how these three could survive. I personally suggest throwing yourself on The Bey's mercy. Maybe add in some things about this Lazar person and how very much you want to help prevent a war. You know, being good Vampire citizens and all that."

  The cowboy tried to move first, headed toward the window. His head rolled of
f onto the carpet without Bey even seeming to have moved. It got blood on the sofa. Thicker and darker than normal too, which would probably make it stain even worse than if the guy had been a regular person. Zack sighed and pointed at it.

  "Come on guys, I can't afford a new sofa and a new carpet. The fact is that either you throw in with us, or you die, right here and now. The right answer seems pretty clear to me, but I don't know what you've been through. Maybe you two are ready for it to all be over? If so, then why not tell us what you know first... and then Bey and I can take you somewhere nice and make sure you die in peace? If you don't want to survive I mean." It was kind of a sad thought, since they were nearly immortal and all that already. It could be what they wanted though. It almost had to happen, didn't it? Some people just wouldn't be cut out for long term survival.

  It was seventies girl that moved first, going to her knees and putting her hands out in front of her, begging, bending low. Randal followed suit a few seconds later, looking a bit pissed about it. He did it anyway and Bey looked over at Zack, instead of the floor where the possible threats were. It was a good sign that the older Vampire just didn't think of these kids as a real threat at all.

  "Well, friend Zack, what do you want to do now?"

  Shrugging he smiled.

  "Um, well, we should try to use them to steal as many of their friends from this Lazar guy as possible, then kill the rest using our new mini-army."

  It made sense to him, and for some reason Bey clapped.

  "Ah! Perfect!"

  Chapter twelve

  Luckily, as Bey put it being more than a little flowery about the whole thing, Zack and Troy were both far too important to be placed in charge of that aspect of an issue that was, after all, not their problem. It was a very polite way of telling them that they didn't have to die to make it all work. He seemed pretty happy with the idea anyway. The younger Vampires, Randal and Rowan, both seemed to think it was a trick, but Troy snorted at them when it was suggested by the angry eighties man.

  "A trick to do what? Save the carpeting in here? If Mr. Bey here wanted you dead, we'd all be carting your bodies away by now. You're being given a chance, so, you know, if I were you I'd straighten up and fly right..." There was a sudden stop as Troy held his head. "Damn, I've turned into my father haven't I? What's next? I threaten to take my belt off and turn this car around?"

  Not getting it Bey and Zack both just stood still, but Rowan smiled. Weakly. She was pretty enough, in a kind of better than average, but not television level, way. The other female Vampires were all just as pretty, though most not really more so particularly.

  That was what he was thinking when Bey asked to used the phone and if they had a blanket or something they didn't mind losing, to wrap the body of Mitch up. The headless cowboy was distressing Troy a little. It was strange, but the body didn't bother Zack at all he noticed. Shrugging, Troy got his second best bed spread, the one that was nice enough, but had a large red wine stain on it from something or other.

  Since it didn't bother him overly, he moved to lay the thing out, its silky brown surface plenty large, only to find Rowan helping him move the man's body onto it. The others just watched, at first, until Bey made a phone call, after very politely asking if that would be permitted. He had to use Troy's cell after all, which was personal property.

  Troy nodded, looking a little pale, like he might be ill.

  "Sure, um, it's not long distance is it?" Then he shook his head, looking at the now truly dead corpse, which hadn't done anything as convenient as turn into ash or vanish on its own, like it would in a movie. "You know, don't worry about it. Go ahead and call whoever you want."

  There was a little bow from the man to Troy then, and a call made quickly enough that some kind of super power was clearly involved. He asked the address and held the phone out so that the person on the other end could hear it. Then after just a few words, he hung up, smiling.

  "Very well. I have people coming to see to our new compatriots. Randal and Rowan... Well, those are fine names, aren't they? You understand that you are to be, how shall we put it... On conditional freedom? Bought for you initially by the Line Walker, but the dues must be paid by you in cooperation and good behavior. If you betray us, you die, of course. You have a chance, one that I was not originally going to give you. I was merely on my way to execute you all when I happened to catch your scent here. Be most pleased that you did not accidentally kill the Line Walker or Mr. Lopez. They are both far more important than you are right now. Do you understand?" There was a happy smile and friendly voice to go along with it. Rowan nodded and mumbled something polite sounding, and Randal just grumped at them.

  "Always the one on the freaking bottom, aren't I?"

  Bey smiled at him, and it wasn't, Zack noticed, the one he used when people were in trouble.

  "That's a part of being young. Yes, you fill that essential position near the base, and it takes centuries for our kind to move out of it, in the main. However, this is an opportunity for growth, both personally and in a social sense, if you play it correctly. You are on the bottom today. Tomorrow you may be much higher, if you work hard and are clever. I would enjoin you to think about that."

  It was curious but there was a little bow that went with it, first to Randal and then Rowan. As an afterthought he turned to Troy and beamed for a few seconds.

  "Indeed, there is room for much advancement. Mr. Lopez, I think that it would be most advantageous if you were to organize the plan to absorb the fellows of our new friends into the local organization. I hear that Edom is most impressed with your current enthusiasm as far as organizational properties. We very nearly went with your plan to kill them all you know, using the older Vampires in the area to move on them during the day. It is merely that I have a plan in place for such things that is time tested that prevented it. Since we are moving from that now, perhaps a fresh mind would be best to head up that portion of things?"

  The little Vampire elder walked slowly across the room and placed a hand on Zack's roommate's shoulder.

  "What do you think our new friends should do first?"

  Mirror Him was watching Rowan and had some suggestions for her at least.

  "Let's throw that skank in the shower and see if she smells any better for it." The words were followed by some other suggestions for Randal that weren't half as friendly. When Troy didn't say anything, Zack did though, working from M.H.'s idea. After a fashion.

  "If others are coming, we should make sure these two have a chance to make a good first impression. I don't have any girl's clothing, but I have some things that might fit them. Rowan should use the shower first, since she's the lady." Were there rules for things like that? Between the two, neither of whom he was overly happy with, Zack liked her slightly better, hence getting to shower first.

  Rather than be insulted, she smiled shyly and let Troy show her to the little room for it, after raiding the new clothing on Zack's bed for an oversized sweater, a belt and pair of black slacks that he wasn't certain would fit her. She eyed them and swore she could make them work. When she came out, about ten minutes later, she smelled a whole lot better, and had clean wet hair. That part was odd, because moments after Randal changed places with her, it was totally dry.

  Absorbed into her.

  She certainly looked better for it too, even with the slightly boyish clothing.

  Randal was bigger and while he got a clean shirt that fit, had to use his own blue jeans, since nothing they had would really work. He was cleaner at any rate, when the others finally got there, parking around the corner a good way and walking in.

  They came as a group, descending on the house with a grim purpose that Zack didn't really like at all. If they were just going to kill the new kids, they should have told him, since he wouldn't have let them wear his new cloths for it. Edom, Lenore and Nikki were the ones that came inside, but there were at least six more that hid and waited for them to do something. Zack could feel the rifts they crated o
utside when they moved. It was kind of useful, really.

  As Ed started to move in on Randal, who just stood grimly, Bey smiled and explained it all to him.

  "Ah! These are our new people. More to the point Edom, they are given over to your care. Young Troy is, I believe, taking them on as a project? He's agreed to organize our new friends for us, isn't that wonderful?"

  Edom stopped and went very still, then nodded, a cool smile on his face that warmed a bit when he thought about things for a moment. Nicole shook her fake red hair out of her face and brushed it away as Lenore glared at the body on the floor.

  "I see that they're prone to littering? Well, I suppose that we can dispose of that. Let's call the others to have it loaded into the trunk of my car. I hate digging ditches, but if it must be done..."

  Thinking about it Zack shrugged.

  "Messy. I can take him through the node, if one of you helps me. Bey can do it, but he's probably busy right now. That thing where you jumped and let me pull you through? Can you explain that to someone?" It was a cool trick and he half expected to insist on doing it himself, but instead he called for Barb, who just nodded when she heard about the idea.

  "I'll need a shovel. Luckily I dressed for this." She didn't smile or anything, seeming pretty somber about it all in fact. It took her a little practice to get the trick of it, at least while carrying a flopping wrapped up corpse on her shoulder, since the head kept trying to slip out. Five minutes later they were off in a far location that he didn't think was in human lands at all. At least everything was slightly purple. It was hard to tell, since it was night, but as Barb explained, the sun made her sleepy. She was old enough that she didn't have to sleep if she didn't want to, but it was work.

  "Like how, if you wanted to be up for three days straight. You could do it, but it takes effort and isn't much fun. Caffeine doesn't help us either. As you get older it's easier to deal with. Of course, that's our kind of Vampire. There are six of us, different sorts. Everyone here is the same family. Some of the others are wild though, if you ever get to meet them. Not all bad. Us Classics about the worst as far as going to war and starting problems, to tell the truth."