Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
D emetrius drove slowly through town. It was only Mischief Night, not even Halloween yet, and the sidewalks were packed with people. He’d never seen so many people in the downtown area before. Well, so many people he didn’t recognize.
After they’d talked with Michael, Clarabell had driven Demetrius back home so he could get the spare keys for the Cadillac, then she’d dropped him off in the hospital parking lot so he, Amelia, and Eileen could patrol the town together.
“Where did all of these people come from?” Eileen asked. She sat in the passenger seat beside Amelia, staring out her window.
“Tourists,” Demetrius said.
“Gruesome lookie-loos.” Amelia’s voice was quiet and tinged with anger. “Here to revel in the pain we’ve all lived through.”
“So, what’s the purpose of all this driving around?” Eileen said. “What’s the point?”
“We’re trying to track down a vampire,” Demetrius said.
“Yeah, I know that. But why? Shouldn’t we be avoiding them?”
“We’ll find a vampire, hopefully disable or wound it so it can’t flee, and call Michael to come and question it.”
“No offense, dear,” Amelia said. “But that’s not a very good plan.”
Demetrius blew out a breath. “I know. But there’s not a lot for us to go from , is there?”
Someone screamed within one of the groups on the sidewalk, and Demetrius hit the brakes. He heard an agitated honk from behind but ignored it. Leaning forward, hands draped over the top of the wheel, he looked from group to group. Had it been a scream of fear or just surprise?
A small commotion seemed to be happening at the corner of a dark alley between buildings. He pulled ahead, moving slowly to avoid the throngs of people jaywalking. A restricted zone was available and he edged the big Cadillac in along the red painted curb.
“Stay here a minute,” Demetrius said, then he got out and rounded the front of the car.
The truck that had been behind him drove past and someone shouted, “Learn to drive, asshole!”
He wondered briefly if they’d swear at him as he was saving them from having their throat ripped out. Most likely.
A crowd had gathered at the entry to the alleyway pass-through to the large parking lot behind the stores. Most people wore those headbands with the werewolf ears or some other kind of costume. Every person held their phone up overhead to get video of whatever was happening before them. Every single one.
Demetrius endured several rude comments, a few elbows to his side, and even a hard pinch on his ass as he threaded his way through the crowd. This alley ran between the frame shop and Antonio’s restaurant. Years ago a large LED light had been installed high up on the wall, and the city council had a short time ago found the money for someone to paint a mural. As he neared the front of the crowd, a stoner dude behind him said, “Fucking realistic as fuck man. This town has gone all out. I can’t wait to see what they do for Halloween tomorrow.”
Chills ran up Demetrius’s back. He could wait to see what happened tomorrow. He could wait for years. Or, better yet, never find out.
Stepping through the final row of people, he stopped and stared.
A woman in her eighties, at least, stood behind a man in his twenties. Her wrinkled hands were on his chest, as if covering his nipples. The white poof of her hair was visible, as were her red eyes as she kept her mouth clamped on the man’s neck. A runner of blood trickled down his pale skin, shockingly red in the glow of the LED light overhead.
“Jesus Christ!” Demetrius ran forward, shouting over his shoulder, “Amelia! Eileen!”
Before he knew it, a long stream of water arced past him. It hit the man’s shoulder and splashed up into the face of the woman behind. Black, smoking spots marked where the water had touched her. She released the man, and he fell forward in a dead fall as she screamed up toward the sky. Demetrius moved fast, catching the man and lowering him as gently as possible to the ground.
Another shot of water struck the side of her face, and she screamed again and turned away. Her whole body shuddered, and she pressed a hand over her blackened skin. Smoke curled up from her head, and Demetrius made a face at the smell of burning flesh.
“Fuck yeah! This town has the old folks in on it, too!”
Demetrius looked over his shoulder and saw Amelia standing at the front of the crowd. She held the squirt gun across her body like a woman ready for war.
“Call Michael,” Demetrius said. “Tell him to come quick.”
From the back of the crowd, he heard someone say, “What happened? Is it an act? I missed it. Do they repeat them throughout the night?”
He was very much afraid that the scene would most definitely be repeated throughout the night. Many, many times.
Eileen stood in front of the crowd and started acting as a kind of tour guide, telling people the show was over and they needed to move on.
“That’s our friend,” a young girl said, pointing to the man still lying on the bricks. “Is he okay?”
“He may have gotten a little too invested in his part,” Demetrius said. “We’ve called a doctor to come check him out. Why don’t you have a seat on the bench over there and wait for him?”
“Who are you people?” the girl asked. “Do you have some kind of ID or something?”
“Hey, you’re the critter dude!”
The voice was familiar, but Demetrius couldn’t quite place it. He looked up and saw a man in his early twenties smiling down at him. From the man’s expression, he’d hit a bong or eaten some laced brownies before wandering the street.
“I used to be,” Demetrius said. “Not anymore.”
“You don’t remember me, do you?” The guy crouched down before him, still smiling. “You came over and evicted a bunch of chipmunks from my house a few months ago.”
Demetrius gave him a closer look. His dark hair was cut in a floppy, Bieber-esque style that fell over his forehead just above droopy, stoner eyes. The memory clicked into place. This kid had created a video game and bought one of those huge houses out in Hollow Hills.
“Yeah, I remember you.” Demetrius glanced to where Amelia and Eileen were talking to the victim’s girlfriend. “Sorry, I’m kind of in the middle of something here.”
“I’m Baron. You got rid of the chipmunks for me.”
“Yeah, right. Baron. Hi, it’s good to see you again. Look, right now is kind of a bad time?—”
Aldrik lifted Baron up from his crouch and dragged him back a few feet. He curled one strong arm curled around Baron’s throat, the boy’s eyes wide, and his mouth a dark “O” of surprise. Aldrik peered over Baron’s shoulder, his red eyes shining in the shadows.
“Dude, whoa,” Baron said. “This monster act stuff is totally on point. Is this your new gig?”
Demetrius stood up and held out a hand. “Aldrik, let him go.”
“Is he important to you?”
“He’s a human being, so yes, he’s important.”
“Dudes, this is totally killing my buzz.” Baron struggled a bit, then frowned. “Damn, this guy works out. His sticks are like logs.”
Aldrik put his nose against Baron’s neck, then scowled. “He reeks of cannabis. I do not drink from a spoiled sample.”
Aldrik ran off, leaving Baron flailing to catch his balance. He stayed upright, barely, and looked around, then back at Demetrius. “Dude, that was intense. Like, level VR stuff. I hope they’re paying you extra for this.”
Michael ran up from the opposite end of the alley, suddenly appearing beside the shrieking elderly woman vampire and grabbing her tight by the upper arms.
“What the fuck?” the victim’s girlfriend said. “Is that…? How did he…?”
“Dude, where you’d come from?” Baron asked, looking up the alley walls. “Did he fly in on wires?”
“No, it’s not wires. Get inside, Baron. It’s not safe out here.” Demetrius turned to the girl. “It’s okay. He’s on our side.”
The young girl’s eyes widened even more. “Side? There are sides? I thought this was staged or something, like those fucking haunted houses all over the country.”
“Your friend is going to be okay,” Demetrius said. “Give us a minute to get this woman under control, and we’ll check your friend out.”
“Under control?” the girl looked around wildly. “Help! Somebody help! They’re attacking this old woman!”
“It’s all part of the show, folks,” Eileen said, poking at a few people with her cane. “Move along now. Let us get set up for the next one. There you go. More to see around town. Eat at Margie’s diner and tip well.”
“Here, dear,” Amelia said, pulling a small bottle of booze from the bag slung around her shoulder. “This will help calm you.”
The girl slapped her hand away. “I’m not drinking anything you psychos offer me.”
Demetrius found that Baron had wandered off. He hoped the kid had taken his advice and gone home instead of somewhere to smoke some more. When he turned back, two older men ran up from the opposite end of the alley, moving faster than Demetrius could track. One of them wrapped an arm around Michael’s neck, and the other grabbed the now screaming young girl by the upper arms. Opening his mouth wide and exposing his fangs, he prepared to latch on to the side of her neck, but a stream of water hit him right in the mouth, filling it as he gargled and screamed. The sizzle and pop of his burning flesh reminded Demetrius of meat placed in a hot skillet. Releasing his victim, he ran off down the alley, leaving behind a dark, foul smelling trail of smoke.
The girl sat down hard on the decorative brick pavers. Her face was pale as she stared at the other end of the alley. Without a word, she got up and snatched the small bottle from Amelia’s hand, twisted it open, and chugged it down in one long swallow.
Demetrius left the unconscious young man and took a crucifix from Eileen. He approached the older man struggling with Michael and pressed the crucifix against the back of his neck. The reaction was immediate. The crucifix grew hot in his grip, and a line of smoke curled up from the burning flesh. With a shriek of agony, Michael’s attacker bolted, leaving a cloudy trail.
Transferring the crucifix to his other hand, Demetrius wiped his palm and fingers on his pants. It relieved some of the sting, but the tingling sensation lingered. Next time, he would wear work gloves.
Michael looked over his shoulder and smiled grimly. “Thanks.”
“Can you hold her?” Demetrius asked. Behind him, he could hear the young girl talking quietly with Amelia and Eileen.
“I believe so. But we’ll need to act quickly and move away from the busy sidewalk.”
“Take her to the other end of the alley,” Demetrius said. “We’ll be there soon. Anything we can do for this man?”
Michael looked over at the man on the ground. “He’s still breathing, so it wasn’t a third bite, which is good. He should come around in a few more minutes.”
“How would we know if it was the third bite?” Demetrius asked.
“He’d be dead,” Michael replied in a matter of fact tone. “The third bite drains what remains of the blood.”
“Oh,” was all Demetrius could say as his stomach knotted. “And that’s all that’s needed to turn someone into a vampire?”
“Yes. The sunset after a third bite, if there’s been the slightest transfer of blood or saliva between vampire and human, the human will awaken as a vampire.” Michael adjusted his grip on struggling woman. “Meet me at the other end.”
And he was gone, moving too fast for Demetrius to follow. He squinted into the shadows gathered at the other end of the alley and saw Michael push the still struggling woman against the wall and hold her there. He tamped down an inner voice crying out about elder abuse, then turned to Amelia and Eileen.
“Let’s get this man comfortable and go to the other end of the alley.”
The girl had dropped onto a bench situated across from the mural-painted wall. Demetrius and Amelia got the man up and, nearly dropping him a few times, more or less transferred him safely to the bench beside his friend.
“He’ll be awake again soon,” Demetrius said. “And you two should get off the streets and out of town before sunset tomorrow.”
She stared at him and nodded.
Eileen had already started off down the alley, the sound of her cane echoing off the buildings. Demetrius and Amelia caught up with her just before they reached Michael, and Demetrius was glad to see that Oliver and Dave had arrived. Deputy Walsh was there as well, looking increasingly uncomfortable as she watched Michael restrain the struggling elderly woman.
“Where do you sleep in the daylight?” Michael asked as he clamped down tight on the old woman’s wrists.
“With our father,” she said, and then she stretched her head forward and snapped her fangs. “In the dirt of the country you abandoned.”
“I see my brother has been talking with you,” Michael said. “Where is that place? Tell us where he’s holding Dr. Baldwin and the others.”
“You’ll never find them in time,” the old woman said, snapping at him again. “They’ll have joined us by the time you find them. And the streets of this town will be drenched with blood.” She looked right at Demetrius, and a shiver went through him at the hatred and hunger he saw in her eyes. “You’ll never get the stain out of this place. It’s been here for generations, and here is where we will thrive.”
A long blast of holy water hit her face, splashing onto Michael’s hands and chest as well. She let out a piercing shriek as Michael gave a startled cry and released her, pulling back hands that trailed smoke. She clutched at her face and, with hate burning in her eyes, peered at them through her smoking fingers.
“All of you will join us.”
In a flash of movement, she was gone.
Demetrius looked over his shoulder and saw Amelia give a single, decisive nod as she lowered her squirt gun. “She really was going on, wasn’t she?”
“Amelia,” Demetrius said, shocked at her actions. “We needed her to find out where Cody and the others are being held.”
“Amelia’s correct, actually,” Michael said, waving his hands in the air to ease the sting. “That woman was most likely trying to keep us here until Aldrik or Father came to her aid.”
“How would they know?” Walsh asked, looking around, then lowered her voice. “Telepathy?”
“Oh, no. Nothing that grand. Just incredible hearing.”
“Oh, that’s all,” Oliver said drily.
“Right then,” Michael said. “We should move on. Keep an eye out for any other vampires.”
Demetrius felt the breeze as the doctor ran off. Laughter and shouting from the other end of the alley caught his attention. A group of people just a few years younger than him walked past on the sidewalk. They were laughing and joking, some wearing werewolf ear headbands, two sporting t-shirts that read Paranormal Hollow, PA. Demetrius longed to be part of a group like that. Carefree and indulging his interest in spooky things without full knowledge of the terrifying realities happening behind the scenes. Without the weight of so many lives on his shoulders, and so much blood staining his hands. Without so many arguments between him and Cody.
“I guess we should keep patrolling?”
Dave’s question brought him back to the moment. “Yeah, let’s stay in motion.” He started to turn away, then looked around. “Where’s Clarabell?”
“She wanted to go back to the library,” Oliver said. “So she dropped us off at home to get my car, and then she headed that way. Said she wanted to ask Tracey some more questions.”
“Okay.” Demetrius looked at Deputy Walsh. “I know you’ll keep us informed, but I have to ask. Anything new?”
She shook her head. “Just Mischief Night stuff, and a lot of drunk and disorderly.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way.”
“I hear that.” She tapped the large silver crucifix hanging around her neck outside of her uniform. “Stay safe.”
“You, too.”
Demetrius followed Amelia and Eileen back down the alley toward the street. The girl and the young man who had been attacked were gone. Demetrius hoped she listened to him and got them out of town quickly. He was also glad to see no sign of their client Baron as they waded through the people on the sidewalk and got back into the Cadillac.
Geraldine, Demetrius thought with a sad smile, running his hands around the steering wheel. Cody had named her Geraldine.
“Ready?” he asked.
Amelia and Eileen both brandished squirt guns. “Ready,” they said together.
Demetrius smiled grimly. “Those vampires had better watch out.”
Downtown quickly became chaotic, so Demetrius left the main strip and headed to the outskirts. He circled the high school parking lot, taking his time and thinking about leaving school through the doors at that end of the building with Cody beside him. Sometimes they would take the bus, but if the weather was good they’d walk home, talking about all the bullshit things they used to back then. Demetrius missed those times and casual conversations. When this was all over, he needed to make a point to just talk with Cody about something other than the business they used to own and the insane monster cases they got wrapped up in. He needed that back in his life. They both did. And he wasn’t going to entertain the idea that he might lose Cody.
The marching band was on the football field running through a routine, and he stopped at the far end of the field to watch.
“I was in marching band,” Amelia said.
“You were?” Demetrius saw her wistful smile. “I didn’t know that. What instrument did you play?”
“Oh God, I hope it was the tuba,” Eileen said, and they all laughed.
“No. I played flute.”
“I had no idea, Aunt Amelia,” Demetrius said. “I love that.”
“Frankie Brangstrom played the tuba.” Amelia said. “And he used to fart in time with his parts. Made the whole band room stink, especially after Salisbury steak day in the cafeteria.”
They laughed again, and it felt so good they let it roll on for a lot longer than warranted. When they had settled again, Demetrius looked back at the field. The band teacher was talking, so they’d stopped playing. The lights gleamed off the brass of the horns, and a breeze ruffled the feathers of the ridiculous hats each student wore.
He squinted slightly and thought back to when he attended Friday night games during high school. The Parson’s Hollow Barracudas were a middle of the pack team, but they had heart and drive. He could still recall how big and perfect and beautiful Cody looked in his uniform. White pants clinging to him like a second skin, grass stained from his efforts. When he came off the field and removed his helmet, his wild and shaggy hair had been matted with sweat, and his smile shone brighter than the lights overhead.
“Okay, let’s check a little farther out of town,” Demetrius said, blinking away tears and clearing his throat. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch a vampire hitchhiking or something.”
“What about the pastor?” Eileen said. “For the Renfield.”
“Father Krasniewski?” Amelia said.
“No, not him. Hell, he blessed our jugs of water.” Eileen brandished her squirt gun. “I was asking about Pastor Campbell.”
“Roland?” Amelia said in surprise. “Oh, no. I don’t see that at all.”
“Why did you suggest Pastor Campbell?” Demetrius asked.
“I don’t know, just trying to think of least likely suspects,” Eileen said. “Like in the movies, you know? The surprise reveal.”
“If that were going to be the case, one of us would be their Renfield,” Demetrius said.
They all looked at each other.
“Well, I’m not,” Amelia said. “After being an unwitting werewolf for a year, I’m not at all interested in helping out wicked vampires.”
“Me either,” Eileen said.
Both women looked at him, and Demetrius scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Yes, all right,” Amelia said. “We’ll give you a pass.”
“I should hope so.”
For her part, Eileen just gave a quiet, “Hmph.”
Demetrius couldn’t help looking at their old office space as he passed the strip mall on the way out of town. It still had a For Lease sign in the window, and he briefly entertained the idea of applying for their business license again and renting that same space. A surprisingly deep pang of loss echoed within him, and he turned his attention back to the road. Living in the past wouldn’t help anyone, especially Cody.
The two lane blacktop stretched out in front of them, the dotted yellow line running ahead within his headlights. Two miles down the road, The Hollow Leg bar appeared on their right. It was a rectangular building made of weathered brick. Neon beer signs glowed in the windows, and a couple of big lights high up on poles threw a white glow over the gravel parking lot. Pick-ups and SUVs were parked close together, and Demetrius was about to look back at the road when sudden movement from the shadow-drenched back corner of the bar caught his attention.
“What was that?” he said, slowing.
“See something? Eileen asked, squinting out the side window.
“Maybe. I’m going to check it out.”
There were driveways at either end of the parking lot, and Demetrius pulled into the one at the western end. He rolled slowly up the open lane along the side of the bar. The garbage trucks came up this way to empty the dumpster in the back corner, which now shone in Demetrius’s headlights. A raccoon poked its head up from the depths, and he thought briefly of Trevor. He rounded the back corner, gravel popping under the tires. The headlights swept across the small copse of trees ten yards from the back wall of the bar, then revealed a grisly tableau at the far corner of the building. A man wearing a white apron was facing them, head tipped uncomfortably to one side, his face pale and his eyes wide and unblinking even in the glare of the headlights. A young man stood behind, mouth clamped on the aproned man’s neck, and a runner of blood glaringly red along pale skin.
“Oh, coconut trees,” Amelia whispered.
“Let’s go!” Eileen had the door open before the car had come to a full stop.
“Wait, Eileen!” Demetrius called, but she’d already hit the ground and rounded the door, bringing up her squirt gun.
“Bite this!” Eileen shouted, releasing a stream of holy water that didn’t even make it halfway to her target.
“Dammit,” Demetrius said as he got out, hearing Amelia grunting as she slid across the bench seat to follow Eileen. In an effort to distract the vampire from having Eileen for dessert, he shouted, “Hey, ass fang!”
The vampire snapped his head up and the force of his red-eyed glare made Demetrius hesitate. Panic and terror went through him from the top down, as if he’d stepped under an icy waterfall. He tightened his fingers on the squirt gun, and he had a sudden realization of the fragility of the plastic it was made from, and how easily it would shatter. Just like his bones.
“You let him go!” Amelia shouted from just behind Demetrius, startling him back to alertness.
With a curl of his lip, the vampire allowed him to crumble in a heap onto the gravel. Grinning, he ran a hand across his chin, smearing blood, then rushed at them. Demetrius was just able to pull the trigger of the squirt gun before the vampire bumped him aside to get at Amelia. As he fell back hard, Demetrius heard the vampire shriek and Amelia scream before he blacked out.