Turning Point

by K M Smith

  “Oh, uh, sure, of course,” Jake said, taking a step back to allow her to pass.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Leo shake his head and shove the glass door open. The chimes signaled his departure. Jake followed, carrying the to-go box.

  ◆◆◆

  Alice padded carefully down the hallway toward the restroom. Heartbeat pounding in her ears, she opened the door to the women’s room and walked in. Two sinks held their place in a gray Formica counter-top. Leaning over, she rested her hands on the counter’s edge and looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn’t seen herself since leaving to meet up with her girlfriends the night before. I look like shit. Red eyes with dark circles and pasty and blotchy skin stared back at her. And her hair? Gross. God, she thought, rubbing her cheeks, how old am I? The water from the faucet was ice cold as it rushed out. She splashed it on her face, shocking her brain into gear and hoping it might help her appearance a little, too.

  “Okay, Alice,” she said quietly. Taking deep breaths, she geared herself up. “Time to think like a vampire.”

  She played through her options in her mind. A. Go back out there and wait for them to take you to Drew, for who knows what reason, she paused, and swallowed hard. What if he needs to eat me as some sort of sick vampire bloodline ritual? The thought made her shudder. No, they said you were to be delivered unharmed. Either way, let’s not go with A. She turned around and leaned against the counter. Tilting her head back, she gazed at the pocked Styrofoam tiles in the ceiling. B. Attempt to leave undetected and run as fast as you can to hide from them. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. They’re faster and have super-smell. She paced in front of the stalls rejecting ideas. Nothing she came up with gave her any advantage. Time was ticking; the vampires would become suspicious if she didn’t think of something soon.

  ◆◆◆

  The restroom door creaked as Alice pushed it open. She cringed at the sound it made and hoped it was louder in her head than it was in real life. Peaking her head around, she spied the rear exit door. It’s an exit, it has to lead outside. It was too late to back out now, anyway.

  The hallway was empty. Squeezing through the door, she positioned herself so that the main dining area was visible while she remained out of sight. Unable to plan too much for fear of Leo getting in her head, she scanned the restaurant and noted her captors were not by the front door. She hoped they had gone to the car to wait, and that they weren’t lurking around the corner just out of view. Damn. She hadn’t considered that possibility before. Her heartbeat quickened. Palms slick with sweat, she worked to bring her breathing under control. You’ve got two choices, Alice, she thought, stay, and be at their mercy, or make a break for it and see what happens next.

  She bolted for the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Adam

  The alarm sounded, and Adam bounded out of bed and raced to his car to get a jump on Alice’s captors. He hadn’t wanted to sleep the day away and miss any opportunity to track down Alice, but if she had been taken by vampires, and he was certain that she had been, then they also would have been stuck where they were for the day. His gut told him this was Drew. With Sarah’s revelation that Drew loved Manhattan, Adam’s search area narrowed significantly. He’d worry about the details when he got closer.

  The yellow indicator lights on his black BMW flashed as he hit the unlock button twice on his key fob. The tweet-beep of the alarm disengaging echoed around the nearly empty student lot. There was space for his car at Goodrich, but he parked on campus because an unclaimed BMW would stand out in the small gravel driveway at the house. Anonymity had its price.

  He flung open the door and shot into the driver’s seat, pushing the ignition button and buckling his seatbelt simultaneously. The streets were quiet at this hour, but Adam eased out of the parking lot and drove cautiously away from town. He didn’t need an over-eager and under-quota townie cop noticing him; he just wanted to make it to the highway, so he could floor it and find Alice before Drew got to her.

  Driving east on I-94 and heading toward New York, Adam sent a telepathic signal to Alice. The moment the connection was made, Adam felt another supernatural wall shoot up. Damnit! The failed connection was not entirely fruitless because he discovered their blood bond was stronger than the obstacle of physical distance. Still, he’d have to rely on what he already knew. The night before, Alice’s mother had revealed Andrew’s love of New York. As a novice vampire, Andrew would’ve sought the comforts of home and that meant New York City. A fleeting urge to visit Wales passed through Adam and tugged at his heart as he thought back to his time as a newly turned vampire. He understood the desire to go home.

  ◆◆◆

  Traffic on 94 was heavy but moving. One hand on the steering wheel and the other on the console, Adam scrolled through his playlist until he found The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm.” The tinkling of the piano keys and driving rhythm pulled him out of his thoughts and cleared his mind. He stared straight ahead, not bothered by the glaring red rear lights that would’ve fatigued most drivers.

  He imagined the flow of traffic was blood flowing through veins: traveling from city to city, place to place, never actually ending, but being pumped through by the continuous ebb and flow of people entering and exiting the highway. Adam put his head back on the headrest and let the music take over. A steady stream of headlights from the opposite side of the highway worked in concert with the rear lights ahead, and through drowsy eyelids he envisioned a living backdrop to the soundtrack playing in his car.

  He sighed. Being a vampire normally exempted him from the mundane annoyances of human life, but the curse of heavy traffic persisted.

  Several hours and 250 miles later, Adam was brought out of his highway hypnosis by the beep of his car’s fuel gauge warning him he’d need to fill up soon or risk thumbing it to New York. While that wouldn’t be the worst outcome, and feeding sounded good right now, he liked driving and saw no reason to give that up.

  He rubbed his hand over his smooth chin and face to bring himself fully into the present. Blinking several times, he focused on signs and sights outside the car. A sign up ahead indicated that Newton Falls, OH, would be the last reputable place to fill up before exiting Ohio and entering Pennsylvania. “Okay, Newton Falls, Ohio, let’s see how reputable your gas station is,” he said, then pulled into the exit lane.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Alice

  The door made a ka-thunk whoosh sound as Alice slammed her body into the metal bar-handle and stumbled out into the frigid evening. The wind stung her cheeks and the black star-free sky pressed in around her. She breathed heavily and looked around. Her mind raced but nothing helpful surfaced. The heavy door slammed behind her and she jumped and let out a yelp. Covering her mouth, she turned around to make sure no one had heard or followed her out.

  Now what? She wrapped her arms around her waist and gripped the fabric of her sweater, twisting it in her fists. She kept her feet firmly planted but craned her neck and squinted her eyes as she surveyed the area. There was a large brown metal dumpster up against the wall to her left with bits of trash surrounding it and scattered along the wall to the right. The u-shape of the restaurant created an alley out back, about thirty feet long, so Alice couldn’t see anything other than what lay straight ahead. The only light came from a dim bulb right outside the door, placed there for the staff to throw out the trash and linger for a cigarette. The alley appeared to be paved, though it was old and cracked and hadn’t been shoveled since the last snowfall.

  The longer she stood still, the foggier her brain became. Jake and Leo would surely have heard her clumsy attempt at escaping. She needed to move, or at the very least think of something other than the smell emanating from the dumpster and the putrefaction associated with it. She shook her head and gagged.

  The cold seeped in through her clothes. She’d only been wearing a sweater and jeans when she got out of the car, and that’s all she had on now. Darkness loo
med in the distance, seemingly sucking the walls into its giant mouth. Shaking from the surge of adrenaline, Alice stared into the void. The unknown in front of her and vampires at her back, the choice seemed impossible. But Alice had never been one to allow others to dictate the path her life would take, and she wasn’t about to change that now.

  Breathe, Alice, she told herself. Focus, remember your goal. She followed her own instructions and closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. She pursed her lips together as she exhaled and opened her eyes.

  It was quiet. No chatter coming from the other side of the door, no shuffling of rodents or other creatures you might expect to find near a restaurant’s dumpsters. In the unnerving silence, her thoughts became muddled and she lost her focus. Oh god, what if Jake and Leo have killed everyone inside because of me? She propelled herself back toward the door where she’d made her escape not even a minute before. Placing her hand on the door handle, she hesitated. If she went back inside she may as well sign her own death warrant. Out here, she still had a fighting chance.

  Instead of pulling the handle, she turned and ran, stopping short when she reached the end of the alley. She paused, then slowly peeked her head around one of the corners, looking in all directions and listening for any footsteps on the asphalt. Certain she was alone, she dashed out into the dark night. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it would have to do.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Leo

  Leo chuckled and shook his head. He had been inspecting his fingernails while they waited for Alice.

  “What?” Jake asked, his eyes glued to the front door.

  “Nuthin’…”

  “What is it, Leo?” Jake asked again, annoyance noticeable in his voice.

  “You wouldn’t appreciate the humor.”

  “Try me.”

  “Your little girlfriend’s got ’erself so worked up, she thinks we’ve killed everyone inside!” Leo broke out laughing.

  “You’re right, I don’t appreciate the humor,” Jake said. “Do you know where she is?”

  “I know where she isn’t—and that’s in this car, with us, on the way to meet her daddy.”

  Jake rolled his eyes.

  “Her daddy, who’s graciously allowed us to remain undead provided we do this one thing for him.” Leo emphasized this point by poking Jake in the arm.

  “I got it, Leo,” Jake sighed. “Dammit. Now what?”

  “You tell me, smart guy. You're the one who said to ‘let her go.’” Leo shook his head, then tapped the window. “There.”

  “What? Where?”

  “She’s running!” Leo made a move to open the car door.

  “Don’t,” Jake commanded from the driver’s seat, his hands gripping the wheel. “Not yet. See where she goes.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Adam

  Adam filled up in Newton Falls. Once finished, he pulled over into a parking space. He placed his hands on his steering wheel and closed his eyes.

  “Alice?” he spoke the word as well as throwing his thought net out to catch her.

  Nothing.

  Adam tilted his head back and sighed deeply. He lifted his head and checked his watch. If they got on the road at sunset, they would’ve been moving for four hours. That put them close to Manhattan by now, provided they got about five hours’ driving in yesterday.

  Damn.

  “Okay, Alice, one more try,” Adam spoke to his empty car. This time he focused all his energy on sending out a message. Again, he closed his eyes and gripped his steering wheel. ‘Alice, if you hear me, respond by telling me where you are.’

  Pause.

  ‘I’m in the woods!’

  Adam’s eyelids popped open and he slammed the car into reverse, tires squealing as he left the parking lot.

  ‘Alice, are you still there? I’m on my way! Do you have any idea where the woods are?’

  Silence.

  “C’mon, Alice.” Adam tapped his steering wheel and repeatedly checked his mirrors to keep his mind busy while he waited for her to reply. “Talk to me!” Gripping the wheel, he pushed his foot all the way to the floor. Road signs and mile markers flew past in a blur. In those brief, silent moments, his mind had already made several mental leaps to count Alice as dead. Why isn’t she responding? He squeezed his eyes and blinked away any negative energy. There were no suspicious supernatural walls like there had been before, but worse; he felt no connection at all. Driving took priority, but he kept his mind open just in case she responded.

  ‘I’m here. But I think they can hear us when we talk like this,’ Alice sounded breathless in Adam’s mind.

  ‘I think you’re right. But I can’t help you if you don’t tell me where you are.’ By this time, Adam’s BMW was moving well over a hundred miles per hour along the nearly deserted highway.

  ‘We stopped for dinner, for me, at a place called Mama Italy’s, just off the highway somewhere in Pennsylvania. I don’t know where we’re going. But I am here now, and I think I’ve already said too much.’

  Adam understood her nervousness, but he kept her talking. ‘It’s okay. Just stay put. When I get close I’ll be able to find you.’

  It was quiet for a moment and Adam tried not to worry. He had hoped she would talk through her nervousness. ‘Alice—’

  Just as Adam spoke in her mind, Alice sent a message back to him. A message he was hoping he could avoid until he’d caught up with her. ‘Adam, do you know my father? The vampire?’ She stressed the last word.

  Adam winced at the question, but he’d need to confess eventually. ‘Yes.’

  There was a long, empty pause. The seconds felt like minutes, hours, as Adam waited. The leather of his steering wheel had turned shiny from his worrying hands.

  The crackle and buzz that signaled a new mental message came through and Adam let out a long, slow breath. His relieved feeling didn’t last long as the popping and fizzing intensified, turning violent in his mind long before her words came through. ‘I knew it! You’re all liars! Don’t bother trying to find me. I’m not interested in being a pawn in one of your stupid games! Leave me out of it!’

  ‘Alice! I can’t leave you out there. I don’t know who’s out there with you, and… and I promised your mother I’d get you home safely.’

  ‘Why are you talking to my mom!’

  Adam flinched as he heard her mental voice ratchet up an octave. He shook his head as her accusation echoed through his mind. He broke her. His choices, his actions, broke Alice before she was born. Ashamed and desperate to atone, he replied the best way he could.

  ‘Alice, I went to your mother to find out where you might be going. Your mother wants you safe, and I want to help. I am coming to get you to bring you home. You can hate me all you want, but I will do that for her.’

  Alice didn’t reply. Adam kept driving. Her silence made his heart heavy, but he couldn’t explain his relationship with her father via telepathy.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Alice

  The woods were dark. Thick swathes of heavily needled branches blocked out much of the light from the cloudy night sky. Alice crouched as she made her way through the woods, only her nerves pushed her forward. Her eyes had had time to adjust, but in this darkness, she saw only silhouettes. Tall trees became giant umbrella-wielding monsters and life-size stick figures.

  “Keep your cool, Alice,” she whispered, knowing full well a panic attack was setting in. Waves of apprehension danced up her spine as bats screamed and raccoons wailed somewhere off in the distance. Nocturnal creatures crunching leaves and snuffling around in the soil became madmen with axes looking for a scared young woman to prey on. Hands on her head, she cowered, as if that would hide her from any of these nighttime ghouls. She tensed and coiled her muscles until she was a knot of tension under a fragile armor of skin and clothes.

  Her chest tightened, and she choked on the air as it pushed in around her. Twigs snapped as she fell to the ground, sending streaks of icy panic up her arm
s toward her heart. Her fingers sunk into the soft, cool soil and she grabbed at it hoping to ground herself, to find her way out of this panic. On her hands and knees, she hyperventilated, forcing oxygen into her lungs to calm her overworked nerves.

  Several agonizing moments later, the overwhelming panic had dissipated. Alice blinked back tears and sat on her heels, her hands resting on her thighs as she regulated her breathing.

  The forest remained quiet, giving Alice time to think about what would happen next. She knew she’d sounded petulant in her last brain-to-brain message to Adam, but how was she supposed to feel? She’d been thrust into this strange supernatural community and expected to just accept things for what they were, regardless of how she felt about any of it. Her entire life she’d thought her father had died. Her mother had mourned him and had lived her life as a widow. And now? Now, vampires are real, her father apparently is one, and she is somehow connected to all of this through a manipulative and controlling vampire named Adam.

  What the hell am I supposed to do! It’s cold. I can’t call anyone. I don’t have a car. I don’t even know where I am. Vampires everywhere and I’m stuck under a tree in the woods. Alone. More tears rolled down her cheeks, and she let them. Eventually someone, some vampire, would find her, but for now, she wanted to sit and cry and feel sorry for herself and her ridiculous predicament. Giving in, she sat against the trunk of a tall pine tree and sobbed for several minutes.

  With her panic gone and her pitifulness all cried out, her body relaxed, and she felt good. Renewed. She could see better, if not well, in the shrouded darkness of the forest. She looked down at her hands and wiggled her fingers, relishing each smooth and fluid movement. Not the best way to recharge the batteries, but I’ll take it. She laughed out loud and clapped her hand over her mouth when she remembered she was supposed to be hiding. God, Alice, send a flare out why don’tcha?