by Alison Fish
Chapter 8
At the end of the day when workers are weary and children are whiny and tired after the winter sun sets and men of commerce are looking forward to going home to their fires, family, supper and after dinner pipes; vampires are rising. The victims of vampires are at their weakest after a day of difficult toil that makes them slow, sleepy and especially easy to overpower.
Poor workers who demanded a pint or two of ale after a day's work were the easiest prey and they were often the most acceptable prey for Amy who needed Ruthie's approval in choosing victims. These drunken men were the most likely to abuse their wives and children on their return home using excuses such as their meal was no longer warm, or not ready to eat, or not available at all. These poor families lived in the most eastern part of the city northwest of the railroad station; an old rundown neighborhood, spared by the traitor Benedict Arnold's brutal attack of 1781 called Widows Row. This neighborhood would become Ruthie's new hunting ground for the small animals she preferred to victimize instead of people even though they were available in other areas of the city. The alleys littered with trash and oftentimes sewage were also abundant in rats, cats and stray dogs that were, like Ruthie, looking for nourishment. Stalking and devouring her prey first, Ruthie would carry the corpse until Amy found and fed from her own victim. Ruthie would lay her animal victim's ragged corpse near Amy's human victim in an attempt to shift the blame of the attack to the dead animal. The uneducated superstitious neighbors, who were sadly familiar with mysterious and untimely deaths in their unhealthy, unsanitary neighborhood, would find the dead animal near the human corpse and usually assume the human was attacked by a diseased animal and in fear for their own health and welfare, quickly dispose of both bodies without further investigation.
Rather than stalking the docks as in the past the two lovely vampires frequented this particular poor neighborhood where they could easily find victims and quickly return home. Robert had taught Amy that choosing a new hunting ground every so often would keep the number of corpses found in one place at a minimum and would help to keep their existence a secret by keeping the authorities free of suspicion. In addition to choosing a new hunting ground, since moving to their new lair, Amy had been teaching Ruthie how to read ever since the first evening in the new lair when Ruthie had made known her desire to do so. They found Amy and Samuel's old primers in the nursery, which had been closed off for several years. Borrowing candles from the storeroom in the cellar, Amy set up a small corner of their room to use as a study area and she was pleased and excited at how quickly Ruthie learned. After several months, Ruthie was fulfilling her dream of reading the Bible on her own and bloodless bodies were being found on a regular basis in Widows Row.
"You know, Ruthie," Amy said as they prepared for their evening hunt, "maybe it would be a good idea if we went back to the docks to hunt for a while. We've been spending an awfully long time in that horribly filthy neighborhood and I'm nervous that someone may find us out before too long or at least become suspicious of so many deaths in one area."
"It's strange that you mention that because I've been thinking of leaving that place alone for a while myself," Ruthie had finished dressing and was sitting at the study table.
"You have?" Amy sat beside her.
"Now that I can read pretty good for myself, I'd like to go back to seeing if we can help some runaways," Amy looked interested. She relished the idea of taking more slave hunters out of the world, "We can slip inside the post office and read the wanted posters and then look out for those runaways. You know, ever since we moved here we've been really selfish and not helping anybody at all but ourselves. Since we have the power, we should be trying to use it for good."
"That's a good idea but I was thinking that now that it's summer, the docks will be busier and the ocean breeze will be more pleasant than the stench of the mills and the drunks in a refuse strewn alley. Besides, we really have been hunting in one neighborhood for too long."
Ruthie reminded herself that Amy felt no guilt for victimizing and even killing her prey and didn't feel the need to help others but still tried to convince her to accept her idea, "Think of all the lost souls we might have missed helping these past months. We should see if we can find some people to help."
"But we have been helping, Ruthie," Amy argued, "Think of all those beaten and bruised wives and children we've freed from the tyranny of their hateful and cruel husbands and fathers."
"Yeah," Ruthie countered, "but we also left all those poor families with no man in the house to provide for them. Those wretched women probably went right out and married a man just like the one we freed them from."
"Oh, Ruthie," Amy was shocked, "why would they purposely put themselves in such a horrid position?"
"To keep from starving," Ruthie explained matter-of-factly, "and to keep their children from starving."
"I didn't think of that," Amy looked distressed, "I really thought we were rescuing those families."
"Well, you never had to worry about going hungry, so you wouldn't think of something like that," Ruthie muttered, "Just like you and your maid."
"Are you going to bring that up again?" Amy became defensive, "I told you I learned my lesson about thinking of others."
"I know," Ruthie tried not to smile, but her youthful dark eyes sparkled, "I just couldn't resist it."
"Very funny, Ruthie," Amy pouted for a minute then said, "All right, why don't we go to the Quaker's house tonight and see if they have any visitors."
"From there," Ruthie offered a compromise, "we can go to the docks to do some hunting."
Heat still hung in the air after the sun had set giving the vampires an idea of what the day's weather had been like. The Quakers lived north of the city past their most recent hunting ground; however, Amy and Ruthie took a more direct route from their lair through yards and side streets until reaching Main Street several blocks northeast.
Ruthie brought up a subject she was intensely curious about, but Amy was reluctant to speak of: "Amy," Ruthie said tentatively, "we've been staying at your house for some time now and we've been up to the nursery to borrow books. When are you going to look in on your parents?"
Amy tensed and a sense of dread came over her as Ruthie brought up the uncomfortable subject.
"Aren't you even curious a little bit to see them?"
"No, I don't want to see them," Amy admitted.
"Don't be afraid," Ruthie encouraged her friend, "it will make you happy to see them again and see for yourself that they're all right."
"No," Amy argued defiantly, "it won't make me happy. It will make me sad. They are my family and I'm torn from them forever. At least I have a chance of being with Robert again. I can never be with my parents again."
"I don't know how you can be in the same house with them and refuse to see them." Ruthie remarked, "If I were you, I couldn't do that. I'd have to peek in on them."
"Well, you're not me!" Amy snapped angrily, "I don't wish to discuss it further."
Amy remained coldly silent until they reached the street of the Quaker's house, "I hope we find some hunters to hunt tonight, Ruthie."
"So do I," Ruthie agreed, I want to rid the world of slave hunters," She knew that Amy was still angry with her and that Amy didn't really care whether her prey was a slave hunter or not. She simply needed to feed on someone and if a hunter wasn't available, she'd just as easily and without distinction feed on almost anyone else. It was only for Ruthie's sake that she chose to victimize only men who preyed on others.
Under the window at the Quaker's house, Amy and Ruthie silently listened for any conversation, "Why don't we go inside?" Ruthie suggested, "We can hear everything inside."
"The house is too small." Amy answered, "Someone inside would be sure to notice our vapor."
Ruthie acquiesced and continued in silence below the window. No stars could be seen through the hazy fog of the muggy summer night that was thickened with the smoke and soot that still hung in the ai
r from the mills running from dawn to dusk. The only sounds on the quiet street were from the concert of crickets and panting of neighborhood dogs. Ruthie and Amy were so still and quiet that they disturbed neither, leaving the neighborhood ignorant of its bloodthirsty intruders.
After several more minutes of silence Amy whispered, "If I don't find some prey soon, I'll feed on the first person who crosses my path."
Ruthie, knowing Amy to be serious, feared for any innocent passerby who might catch Amy's eye or unwittingly attract her with his scent and quickly suggested they return to the city center.
"You don't have to stay mad at me, Amy, I won't speak of you seeing your parents again." Ruthie tried to calm Amy's anger and, hopefully, in effect calm Amy's desire to attack the first person she came upon.
"Never again?" Amy eyed Ruthie in disbelief.
"Never again," Ruthie promised, "I know how upset it makes you to think about seeing them and even though I don't understand it, I'll respect it."
"I would greatly appreciate it if you did," Amy seemed slightly relieved although she didn't fully trust that Ruthie would keep her promise, since she brought the subject up regularly.
Once again, avoiding Widows Row as they had on the trip north, the hungry vampires on the return trip followed the railroad tracks back to the city in the direction of the wharves. The cross-river ferry was closed down and deserted for the night, it's final run for the evening completed only an hour or two earlier. The oppressive heat, which had no effect on the girls' body temperatures, seemed to stifle the air itself as no breeze blew off the river for Ruthie to enjoy as she usually did when they hunted along the riverbank.
Coming upon the dark massive hulk of the biscuit factory, a man stepped out of the shadows of a stack of railroad ties and approached the girls on the tracks. Amy looked at him hungrily and Ruthie looked at him nervously fearing Amy's rabid hunger. Ruthie was hungry as well, but still in her ravenous state could control her natural impulses and find a furry quadruped to feed on, rather than a human.
The man, comfortably smoking a pipe stopped Ruthie and said, "Be a good girl and tie my boot. I was just about to do it myself when I saw you and now can avoid dirtying my own hands with the task." He assumed Amy was Ruthie's employer, "You don't mind, do you, Miss?" His attitude and manner of dress gave the impression that he was a night watchman or maintenance man, possibly a night supervisor who had stepped outside for some air and a smoke. He stood with his left foot on the track in front of him and toward Ruthie as he arrogantly waited for her to serve him while he puffed contentedly on his pipe. Ruthie stood staring at him and his outstretched leg in insult and indecision.
Amy, however, suffered no indecision as she sent the pipe flying and rattling across the tracks as she attacked. The expression of contented arrogance disappeared from the man's face and transformed to surprise and terror as Amy viciously sank her teeth into his neck. The untied boot slipped partially off his foot as he flailed on the tracks before becoming unconscious from blood loss.
"Don't kill him, Amy," Ruthie tried to raise her voice, but the sight and smell of the man's blood was so tempting in her state of hunger that her voice came out in a hoarse rasping whisper as she bared her teeth craving a taste for herself.
Amy who was kneeling over her unconscious victim looked up at Ruthie, blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth and asked with reproach, "Why shouldn't I kill him? Aren't you angry at the way he treated you like a servant? He doesn't even know you. He deserves to die."
Ruthie's hunger was strongly affecting her judgment as she watched Amy lick the blood from her lower lip and return to her feeding, but her recent studies of the Bible were affecting her as well, "But the Bible says killing is a sin."
"The Bible wasn't written for us," Amy stood back and looked at Ruthie who was hungrily eyeing the man sprawled across the tracks, "when are you going to accept that."
"Lord Jesus forgive me," Ruthie dropped to her knees as she reluctantly gave up control of her blood lust, looked up to the heavens in anguish and remorse and then feasted hungrily on the man until he was drained. The vampires fled speedily away from the scene leaving the body on the tracks as the distant whistle of a train sounded.
As the train passed throwing the body of the victim off the tracks and mutilating him beyond recognition, a quarter mile away Reverend Williams holding a kerchief over his nose and mouth was slipping into a filthy, stench filled, maggot and rodent infested corner of Widows Row. Rats scurried around his feet, fearless unless faced with the danger of the feral cats that frequented the alleys desperate for survival like every other living thing in the city. Peering behind barrels of trash and piles of debris the Reverend turned to exit the alley with an expression of disappointment and determination on his pale, thin hairless face. Unusual for men of his time, he wore no whiskers and his worn wide-brimmed hat all but obliterated his eyebrows in the dark making his face appear paler and more hairless than it actually was. The relentless seeker of the homeless and lost souls continued to search alleys and side streets throughout the poverty laden area until he was certain that nothing but rats, cats, maggots and dogs stalked the alleys and no human bodies-alive or dead-were left to rot in the still summer night.