Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
T he array of weapons laid out on Amelia and Otis’s dining table was both impressive and disturbing.
“Where the hell did you find a crossbow?” Cody stretched out a hand, but pulled back, afraid to trigger the thing. Instead, he let his fingers hover in the space above its stock.
“Oh, catalpa trees, you can find pretty much anything you set your mind to in garage sale season.” Amelia came in from the kitchen and handed him a steaming cup of coffee. She looked good, the bruise fading from around her eye, and her hair freshly styled. “We just picked up a few things here and there. After Parson’s Pines got cut off from town thanks to those zombies, everyone in the community has been more open to arming themselves. Even Bradford Mason, who was once arrested for protesting a war.”
Cody sipped his coffee. “The Civil War?”
She playfully smacked his arm. “You wicked boy. The Vietnam War.” She tipped her head and put a finger to her chin. “Or was it the Korean War?”
“Anyway,” Cody said, waving his hand above the arsenal on display. “Does everyone in the community out here have a dining room table that looks like this?”
“No, you silly.” She sipped her own coffee. “Some people have work benches set up in their garages.”
Cody shook his head. “This town.”
“Yes, you could say it like that. Or you could look at it as a town people love so much they’re willing to adjust their way of thinking and do what they need to protect it.”
Cody gave her a long look. “Have you talked to Demmy?”
“No. Not today. But you’d be surprised how observant I am, and how well I pick up on nonverbal cues. Care to talk about it?”
“Not really,” Cody grumbled, but then he looked at the rows of wooden stakes, the crossbow, the multiple crosses and, oddly enough, a couple of those big squirt guns with a long range. “Why squirt guns?”
“Oh, that was Eileen’s idea, actually. We all took a few gallons of water down to Our Holy Mother of Perpetual Twilight and had Father Krasniewski bless them for us. Told him we were all trying to get our fall flowers to grow better.”
“Long range squirt guns filled with holy water,” Cody said with a nod. “I’m impressed.”
“I’ve got a couple of extra filled and ready if you want to take them when you go.”
“I might do that.”
“Come into the living room and sit down for a minute. Sun’s been down less than an hour. It’s going to be a long night.”
“How are you so calm about all of this?”
“I’ve lived in Parson’s Hollow all my life, dear boy. As have you. You know this town has always been a little off.”
He followed her into the living room and sat in the chair as Amelia settled on the sofa. “I don’t remember hearing about werewolves or zombies or vampires when Demmy and I were growing up.”
“Well, no. Nothing like that. I must admit these last few years have brought some strange things into town. Oh, which reminds me.” She stilled and gave him a steady, searching look. “Nix.”
Cody smiled. “Nope. I’m not a water dwelling shape-shifter. Just good old, all American me. But I’m glad to see you’re being cautious.”
“I figured it was the one and only Cody Duran Bower, but it’s always best to be sure. Those silly superhero movie sequels always have villains teaming up, so you never know what these monsters might do.”
“God help us all,” Cody said. “But I doubt these guys are interested in sharing the spotlight.”
The doorbell rang, shooting an arrow of fear and anxiety into the center of Cody’s chest. “You expecting someone?”
Amelia picked up her phone. “We have a video doorbell now. Otis’s idea. Oh, it’s Eileen and Dieter.”
“Why are they out wandering around so late at night?”
“Oh, ficus trees, stop with your worrying. They aren’t wandering. They came down for some help.”
“That Dieter and Eileen?” Otis called from the entryway.
“Yes, dear. Could you let them in, please?”
“Where was Otis?” Cody asked.
“The garage. He was whittling some more stakes for other residents. Dieter wanted to help, and Eileen wanted to talk with me about what she’s learned from Isaac.”
“Is that the guy with the police band radio?” Cody asked.
“That’s the one.”
Otis led Dieter and Eileen into the living room. Dieter wore his customary white pants, white dress shirt, and black bolo tie. The clasp for this one was a large crucifix, the Jesus figure sporting a small, sparkling fake ruby in the center of its chest. His full and neatly trimmed white goatee and mustache matched his hair and made him look a bit like Colonel Sanders. Dieter had represented Cody in the civil lawsuit brought against him by the family of one of the zombies Cody had dispatched as it was attacking Demmy.
Ollie’s grandmother, Eileen, had her silver hair pulled back in the usual long braid that extended halfway down her back. She wore a heavy black sweater with an extreme turtleneck underneath a man’s quilted flannel barn coat. She smiled brightly at the sight of him, and he bent nearly in half to give her a strong hug.
“How are you?” Eileen asked, years of smoking first cigarettes and now pipes making her voice deep and scratchy. “You and Demetrius holding up okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine.” Cody gestured toward the dining room. “I see the Parson’s Pines Reserves have been called into action again.”
“I like that name,” Dieter said with a smile. “I may get t-shirts printed up.”
“How about jackets,” Otis said. “You know most of us struggle to pull t-shirts over our heads.”
“Even better! I’ll make a note.”
“Come on into the garage,” Otis said as Dieter pulled out his phone to tap a note to himself. “I’ve got a whole system set up out here.”
Dieter followed Otis out of the room and Cody heard the interior door to the garage open and close behind them. He took his chair again, leaned in to pick up his coffee from the table, but stopped when he saw Amelia and Eileen sitting on the sofa and staring at him.
“What?” Cody sat back, coffee forgotten. Guilt flared up within him, a slightly queasy feeling like he’d had too much greasy food. Was this like an intervention? Were they going to cuss him out for being such an asshole to the amazing husband he didn’t deserve?
“What do you know?” Eileen said.
“Oh. That. Well, apparently, about as much as you.” A tiny bit of relief helped tamp down the guilt, but not by much.
“I think you know a lot more than we do,” Eileen said. “Come on, out with it.”
He groaned and leaned forward to snag his coffee cup, finishing it in a gulp. “You know I hate talking about this stuff.”
“Which is why you’re the best person to talk to about it,” Amelia said. “You won’t glorify it or sugar coat it. Now, come on. Stop stalling and tell us what you know. Then we’ll share what we know, and we’ll all be better prepared for what’s to come.”
“Fine.” Cody told them about the scene in the morgue. He didn’t leave anything out, including that Dr. Graham himself was a vampire but called himself a vegetarian because he hunted animals instead of humans.
“The medical examiner?” Eileen said, her face screwed up. Then she looked thoughtful and nodded. “You know, that kind of makes sense. If he’s been around that long, he’s had the chance to really get to know human anatomy and the kinds of things we can do to one another.”
“Jesus Christ,” Cody whispered, putting his face in his hands.
“So, there are two vampires at the center of all of this,” Amelia said. “Dr. Graham’s brother, Aldrik, and this Xavier, who turned both of them.” She looked at Eileen. “Can you imagine having been around for thousands of years?”
Eileen snorted and looked away. “I’d have walked into the sun by now, the way this world has turned out.” She smiled and looked back. “Hey, you think he knew Plato and Aristotle and those guys?”
“Oh, how amazing,” Amelia said, then brightened. “Or Jesus!”
They both cackled, and Cody groaned and scrubbed his hands roughly up and down his face.
“All right, we’ll stop,” Amelia said.
“You’re protecting my grandson, right?” Eileen said.
Cody leaned forward and rested his wrists on his knees, hands hanging between his legs. “As far as I know, Ollie is just fine.”
“As far as you know?” Eileen looked at Amelia. “They fighting again?” She looked back at Cody. “You fighting with Demetrius about monsters again?”
“You know, I don’t need a guilt trip from the two of you about this.”
He snatched his cup from the table and got up, stomping into the kitchen. The coffeepot was empty, and he stood with his hands on either side of it, supporting himself and hanging his head. Demmy had not yet responded to his text. Was he in trouble somewhere and unable to? Or had Cody finally gone too far this time and broken things between them for good? What exactly had he been so angry about anyway? Was he expecting Demmy to change who he was at his core just because Cody hated monsters? Was that fair of him to ask… or demand? And it wasn’t Demmy’s fault that a group of vampires had come into town. He hadn’t set out bait to attract them.
“Cody.” Amelia’s voice was soft, and her touch gentle when she placed a hand in the center of his back. “It’s going to be all right. You’re a part of each other. There’s no way he wants to be away from you for long.”
“He got out of my truck in the parking lot at work and walked off. He took a sick day and I haven’t heard from him all day. Not a text or call, nothing.” He shook his head and fought back the tears. “I was a complete asshole, and I’m afraid I’ve broken things between us.”
“Oh, you soft-hearted giant of a man,” Amelia said, turning him to face her with surprisingly strong shoves and tugs. She hauled him down into a hug, rubbing his back and rocking him slightly. “My nephew is so head over heels in love with you, there’s nothing that will stop him from coming back. You two will set things right.”
Cody sighed and allowed himself to be hugged and comforted. He blinked away a few quiet tears and breathed in the familiar soft scent of Amelia’s perfume. It was comforting, more earthy than flowery, and she’d worn it as long as he’d known her. When he finally pulled away, he did feel a little better. Amelia smiled up at him and placed a hand on his cheek.
“You go sit down again. I’ll make another pot of coffee.”
“Maybe half caff?” Cody suggested. “So I might be able to get a bit of sleep?”
“Yes, okay. Go on and sit down now.”
He returned to the living room and sat across from Eileen. She had her cane in front of her, both hands resting on the handle and her feet planted flat on the floor.
“What’d you do this time?” she asked.
Cody let out a long breath. “Told my husband he had a savior complex and tried to get him to stop obsessing about monsters.”
“You remember where you live, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You remember everything you two have done together, right?”
Cody waved a hand. “Okay, I get it.”
Eileen tapped a finger to her chin and looked up, pretending to be in deep thought. “How’d we meet again?”
“All right, Eileen. I get it. My life is all about monsters now.”
“Is that what you really believe?”
“Well, it’s not a walk in the park,” Cody said, hearing the edge in his voice. “I mean, you could walk in the park, but you’d probably be torn apart by a monster while you did it.”
“So there’s no laughing with Demetrius? No joking? No quiet moments of comfort at all?”
Cody shifted in his seat and looked away. “No. I didn’t say that.”
“No, you didn’t. But all you can see are the monsters, when your husband might be seeing you as the light that wards those monsters off. He told me once, after everything happened with Nicolae, that he thought the scent and memory of you was the only thing that kept him from falling completely under his control.”
The prickling sting at the corner of his eyes made Cody scowl. He glanced back at Eileen and found her looking particularly proud of herself. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
“Hell, I’ve been married three times, and now I’m living with a fella. I’ve seen some things.”
Amelia came into the room carrying a tray with three cups of coffee. “I decided it was probably best if we all had full strength. We’re going to be up all night, I’m sure.”
They each took a cup and Cody sipped. The coffee burned a bit as it went down, and it felt good. Like an affirmation he was alive and well and able to kick some vampire ass. He just needed to know where to find them.
“You two have given me a lot to think about,” he said. “And right now, I need to go out and find my husband.”
“That sounds like a grand idea.” Amelia smiled. “Come on, Eileen.”
They both got up. Cody stood as well, suddenly nervous. “I meant me, by myself.”
Amelia looked over her shoulder with a smile. “I know you did. But that’s not how it’s going to be. We travel in groups here in the Pines, and you’re officially a member of the Parson’s Pines Reserves. Let me just get a few things and we’ll be ready to go.”
“Look, not to sound like a complete chauvinist about this, but I really would prefer to go out on my own and not have to worry about your safety as well.”
Eileen planted her cane and looked up into his face. “You remember when that alpha werewolf was chasing you around the condos out here?”
Cody knew where this was headed. He dropped his shoulders as all the air in his argument evaporated. “Yes. And I know you stopped him with silver-dusted buckshot.”
“Okay then.” Eileen gave a nod and moved off. “I just need to visit the little old woman’s room and I’ll be ready.”
Cody sat heavily in the chair and put his face in his hands. How had this become his life?