Or was there that chance? Xavier may have only been with them for a short time but he had risen quickly to his position as Francesca's lieutenant. Just because Xavier was a vampire when he joined them it didn't mean that Francesca would not have chosen to turn him had they met while he was still human.
Again Gabriella fought to remove such thoughts from her head. Xavier was just the last in a long line of temporary playthings. Gabriella had been the only permanent love in Francesca's life. There had been many males that Francesca used since they had been together but no other women. It was Gabriella that she wanted. The others were there merely to provide Francesca with a physical pleasure that Gabriella could not provide, although in these modern times there were a few toys to help with that.
Feeling ashamed at her thoughts Gabriella stretched languidly before pushing herself out of the seat and to her feet. Francesca had just finished with Xavier and returned to their chambers.
Gabriella put a wide smile on her face. "Are things going well?"
Francesca returned the smile. "Yes, my love."
She took Gabriella by the hand. "Come," she said. "I have been so wrapped up in these other concerns that I have not been paying you the attention you deserve."
It was like she had read Gabriella's mind.
Francesca led her to their most private room. "It is time I rectified matters," she said.
As they kissed all the worries that had plagued Gabriella were cast away.
Gabriella rapped softly on the door to the little hut three times. There was no answer from within and she took a small sniff of the air. There was nobody inside the security guard must be on his rounds. To tell the truth Gabriella preferred that. She liked them young and tender. When they got old they either went all tired and stringy or got fat, cholesterol was not one of Gabriella's favourite flavours.
"He's not here," she called out.
Although Gabriella had approached the hut alone when she turned around Francesca was right there with her.
"So the hunt continues," Francesca said. "Perhaps we shall come across him during our search. We can make better sport with him out here in the dark."
Gabriella pouted and Francesca smiled at her. "You would prefer something younger? You are a veal girl, mutton never did do it for you."
Now Gabriella returned the smile. "You know me so well."
"Yes I do," Francesca replied. "And I know that you not only enjoy the hunt for the food it provides us. We will find something more tender to feast on, but if we come across the doddering security guard we will have some fun as well. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Or a human corpse."
George rounded a corner and heard faint sounds of activity. In the distance he could see unloading in progress. He was a little surprised at where this was taking place, outside the old steelworks, because they rarely got deliveries there and never anything as big as this.
Years ago the site had been put forward to be transformed into some theme park or education centre. When that fell through it had been purchased by some mysterious buyers for an unknown purpose. That place was just off the area George had been employed to keep an eye on but he went to check it out anyway. It was very nearby and in his mind at least if not in reality it was basically on his patch.
George reached the gates that separated the old works' drive from the road and looked inside. Halfway down the drive several trucks, decidedly military in appearance, were being unload by an eclectic group of individuals. Some of the group were working in a manner so precise it again made him think of the army, while others seemed to have as much discipline as the little vandals he looked out for every night. He could hear the sounds of guttural snarls and curses as they worked. Many different languages were being spoken within the group.
Whatever they were unloading had to be pretty light. The crates and boxes looked as if they should by quite heavy themselves and these people were carrying all of them individually. The only time George saw more than one lifting the same thing it was to carry a large box that seemed as though it should have taken at least a half dozen big men to lift if it were fully loaded.
George turned his torch beam on the face of one of the men closest to him. "Hey," he said. "Working the graveyard shift, are you?"
The entire group dropped what they were doing and turned to face him. Those who George had thought of as disciplined gave him a once over and went back to work, the other lot spread out and walked towards him.
One of the disciplined group looked over at the others. "Get back over here. The Mistress wants this done."
"Don't worry," The woman closest to George, now that they had spread out in a semicircular arc, said. "We'll only have a short meal break."
When she turned back so that George could see her face what he did see terrified him. As he looked around he saw that every one of those advancing on him had the same gruesome visage. He turned to run but many hands with grips of steel took hold of him. He was stretched and pulled in many directions. Many sets of teeth bit into his arms and legs. His clothes were ripped and the monsters tore chunks of bloody flesh from his chest and body.
After a short time his entire world was pain and hurt. His vision was blurred with his own blood. It was with indescribable relief that George passed away and surrendered to the darkness.
They had yet to see any sign of the security guard but now the vampires had found something better. A young woman behind the wheel of a broken down car parked on the edge of the industrial district.
Francesca and Gabriella had watched as she pulled over and spoke panicked into a mobile telephone. She had looked around as if searching for some sign of where she was to tell whoever was on the other end of the line. But the nearest street sign was several metres behind her hidden in darkness that a broken street lamp did nothing to dispel.
The vampire pair waited for the woman to finish talking. She stayed sat in her car like a good girl. Who knew what dangers could be lurking out here waiting to prey on a poor damsel in distress.
It was very late now, two or three in the morning, and no other traffic passed by on the road. Francesca led Gabriella out from the shadows of the disused building behind which they had watched this new victim. They approached the car from behind and split off to either side of the vehicle. They kept their faces turned away so that if the woman saw them in her mirrors she would not be alerted to their true nature too early in the game.
Francesca tapped on the driver's side window and the woman jumped startled. Immediately she hunched down in a defensive posture. Francesca had to fight to keep from laughing when the woman visibly relaxed as Francesca bent down to show her face to the woman. She didn't feel threatened by another woman. The human tensed again at catching sight of Gabriella off to the other side, but yet again she relaxed at seeing she too was a woman. Gabriella didn't look like she would hurt a fly when she put on her sweet human face.
"Need some help?" Francesca asked.
The woman rolled down her window and looked up at her. "My car's broken down. I've called my boyfriend to come and pick me up but I couldn't give him very specific directions. Could either of you tell me exactly where I am? Please. You hear stories about women being attacked when they're alone late at night and this happens to them."
"Oh yes," Francesca said. "You do hear some truly abominable accounts."
"Awful," Gabriella put in. "Horrific."
"Yes," The woman said. "Can you please tell me where I am?"
"Sorry, yes, well," Francesca looked around. "Do you know I'm not quite sure?"
She absolutely relished the look of hopelessness that crossed the woman's face. "We did just come from a club back there," She waved vaguely off to the side. "I'm sure someone there could tell you."
The woman looked unsure. "Aren't you supposed to stay with your vehicle in a situation like this?"
"Piffle," Francesca said. "There will be three of us. It will be quite safe, I assure you."
"If you're sure," The hum
an unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car.
"I'm Francesca and this is Gabriella," Francesca said by way of introduction.
"Susan," The woman said. "Do you girls often walk out alone this late?"
"Oh yes," Francesca said.
"Actually this is quite early for us," Gabriella added.
"And you aren't afraid of being attacked?" Susan asked. "Two good looking women out alone."
Gabriella laughed and Francesca said. "We can take care of ourselves. Don't worry we have nothing to fear. Come we shall take you to the club and then your boyfriend can come to take you home."
The three women set off. Francesca and Gabriella walking on either side of Susan each holding her hand. The vampires led her back the way they had come down an alley alongside an empty building.
"Shouldn't we stay by the road?" Susan asked. "We can wave a car down if it comes past."
"A car that could be filled with murderers or rapists just waiting for a chance to have some perverted fun. I don't think so."
"But my boyfriend could drive past."
"You worry too much," Francesca said. "This way is best. Trust me."
Francesca and Gabriella skipped gaily along with Susan walking warily between them. They emerged from the side of the abandoned factory onto the edge of a large square made up of the backs of four disused buildings. Tipped over bins and a burnt out car were scattered over the square. The three women stood beneath the only remaining working streetlight while the vampires pretended to be getting their bearings.
"I could have sworn we came this way," Francesca said, casting around.
"Perhaps it was over that way," Gabriella said playing along.
"No, no. It can't have been that way."
Susan freed her hands and stepped back so she was stood against the lamppost. "Look, thanks for the help, but if you can't remember perhaps I should just go back to my car."
"We'll have it in a moment," Francesca said.
"Forget about it. I'll just wait for my boyfriend."
Francesca gave Gabriella a subtle glance and she capered around behind Susan. The human started to turn to watch her but Francesca grabbed her face to hold it still.
"What were you doing out so late?" She asked.
"N . . . nothing I was just, I mean I was . . ." The human woman stammered.
As Gabriella took hold of the woman's arms and held them behind the post Francesca said. "Get on with it."
"I was just going home. I just dropped my mother off at the airport and I took a different way back and my car broke down and I knew I was near home but I didn't know where and I phoned my boyfriend and . . ."
"Enough," Francesca ordered.
"She's starting to give me headache," Gabriella said. "Naughty."
"What is this?" Susan said. "Please I just want to go home. Please." She started to sob.
"We're going to play a little game," Francesca said turning around slowly in front of Susan her arms outstretched watching the stars. "I'm going to ask you a riddle. You do like riddles, don't you?"
Susan just stood there, her back against the lamppost with her arms firmly held. Francesca stopped spinning and glared at Susan. "You do like riddles?"
This time Susan nodded tears still running in tracks down her cheeks.
"Good. I'll tell you a riddle then and if you get the answer right we'll take you back to your car."
Francesca looked away and when she turned back she wore the face of the vampire. "If you get it wrong, you're dinner."
Gabriella let out a peal of laughter.
"Oh my god. What are you? Please I . . ."
Francesca silenced her with a finger to her lips. "There is a man in a gallery looking at the portrait of a man on the wall," she began. "So this man he says, 'Brothers and sisters. I have none. But this man, his father is my own father's son.' Now you tell me, who is the man in the picture?"
"What? Wait."
"Tick-tock. Tick-tock," Francesca said wagging her finger back and forth in the air.
Susan closed her eyes. If she had not remained upright Francesca would have believed that she had fainted.
"Hurry it up," Gabriella said. "We don't have all night."
"She's right," Francesca said. "Time to answer."
"Just a second," Susan said. Her anger at being rushed seeming to dispel her fear for a moment. "The man in the picture is his son," she proclaimed triumphantly.
"Well done," Francesca said. "And under such difficult conditions as well."
Gabriella released her grip on the woman's arms. Susan stepped to the side so that she could see both vampires. The vampires stood side by side watching her. She dare not turn her back on them to run.
Gabriella regarded the woman for a long moment. She still wore her human mask. She looked over to Francesca.
"You said we could eat this one," she said making puppy dog eyes up at her.
"You promised to let me go back to my car," Susan said shaking all over.
Francesca looked from one to the other of them. "I promised you," she said looking at Gabriella. "Then I promised you," she said looking at Susan.
There was a moment of silence. The only sound was the human’s ragged breath and the sound of her clothes and jewellery as she trembled.
"Well this is a predicament," Francesca said. "It looks like I'll have to break my promise to one of you." She looked at the human.
"Now if I break my promise to her," she said indicating Gabriella. "She'll get all upset and she'll probably pout for the next hundred years.
"Whereas, if I break my promise to you, you'll be dead and we can feast."
Susan's shaking grew in intensity up to the point that Francesca truly believed that if they let her carry on her bones would turn to jelly.
"Hold on a second," she said. Hope spread across the human's features. "I can keep both promises. You see, I said we'd take you back to your car. I never said you'd be alive when we did."
Susan turned to run. She thought she could get away. But even though she was running away from the vampires she charged headlong into Gabriella, her face was now a contorted mess with an angled brow leading to an upturned nose with flared nostrils and a mouth full of sharp elongated fangs. With a ferocious growl low in her throat Gabriella took hold of the screeching human and used her fangs to full effect.
Francesca was there with her tearing through the flesh on the opposite side of her neck. The vampires looked into each others eyes at exactly the same instant and they leaned together to share a bloody kiss. Susan's blood mingled in their mouths and ran down their chins.
When they were through with it Gabriella let the corpse drop to the floor.
"Pick it up," Francesca said.
"Why?" Gabriella asked.
"I made a promise," Francesca answered. "I really should keep it."
"Promises don't mean anything to a dead person. Doesn't death void them or something."
Francesca looked at her mischievously. "We haven't had all the fun out of her that we can. Follow me."
Gabriella took a hold of the lank hair of the cadaver and dragged it along behind them. They came back to the car and found it where they had left it. Francesca pulled the driver's door open busting the lock. The car alarm went off and Gabriella dropped the body startled.
"Get the keys."
Gabriella took them out of Susan's pocket and tossed them up to Francesca. With the alarm silenced the vampires propped Susan's corpse up in the seat resting her head on the steering wheel. Francesca slammed the door shut and led Gabriella back into the shadows.
They waited there, lurking in the shadows until another car came down the road. It pulled over in front of the dead woman's car and a young man in a dark blue fleece hurried out of the car, leaving the door open behind him, and ran back to his girlfriend’s car.
Francesca and Gabriella left their hiding place and padded out silently up behind him. He looked relieved to see Susan in the car but as he approached and saw h
er leaning against the wheel his apprehension grew.
"Suzy?" he said tentatively tapping on the window.
When she made no sign at having heard him he reached down to try the door handle. The ruined door stuck slightly when he tried to open it but with a final tug it swung open.
The boyfriend crouched down and gently put a hand on Susan's shoulder. "Suzy?"
He pulled his hand back and stared at his palm and fingers now covered in a slowly congealing mess of bloody ichor.
"Oh my god, Susan?" he said in anguish. "Please, God, no."
He pushed Susan's corpse back in the seat. Her head rocked to the side exposing the gory mess of her torn jugular. Bloody veins and flesh hung in loose flaps. Dead empty eyes stared at him out of lifeless sockets.
"Oh no." The boyfriend held her hand between his own and rocked back and forth on his haunches. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it tenderly.
Gabriella put her hands on his shoulders. "There, there." she said soothingly.
The boyfriend jumped under her hands and looked up. "What . . ."
Gabriella smiled sweetly. "I hope you taste better than she did," she said.
Realisation dawned slowly on the boyfriends face. Helped no doubt be seeing Gabriella's fangs coming down on his face. Francesca joined her in the feast tearing strips of flesh from his throat. Blood spouted free covering the two vampires, the car and a large portion of the road. When they had done they arranged the couple in the woman's car, placing her mouth to his ruined neck and his to hers.
Gabriella capered around Francesca as they turned onto the driveway of their ex-steelworks home. "Did you see his face?" she asked. "That was so much fun. Can we do it again? Soon."
Francesca watched Gabriella dancing and twirling like a nymph. "Of course, my sweet. When we . . ." She let her voice trail off.
Francesca and Gabriella were plastered in blood but a new scent of blood was redolent in the air. Francesca looked around and saw the remains of a body. Flesh sliced off by dozens of pairs of razor fangs.
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