by Dyan Chick
"You make it sound so easy," I said.
"We don't really have any other options," Jason said.
Draven stood, then pointed at Cody. "You, help me steal the body."
"Me?" Cody asked. "Why me?"
"Because you're too pretty to die," Draven said.
Cody's face reddened. "I'm not really sure what that means."
"I don't think I want to know," Jason said.
"Just go get the body," I said.
Cody let out a sigh as he stood. "Fine."
"Where's the fire hydrant with the least amount of people around?" Jason asked.
"Fifth and Carr," Cody said.
"We'll meet you there," I said.
"Come on, handsome," Draven said from the doorway. "That body isn't going to move itself."
"I'm coming with you," Jason said as he walked toward the door. "It'll be easier with three."
"Jason." I reached toward him, then dropped my hand. There were too many unsaid things between us for me to make any impact now. "Be careful, you guys.”
Jason nodded, then followed the other two out the door.
I let out a long breath. "Are we really about to try to take out a demon?"
"Just like old times, isn't it, Angie?" Gage asked, throwing his arm over my shoulder.
"Right," I said. "Let's not make a habit of this."
Twenty-Four
Jason
The last thing I wanted to do was steal a body. No, scratch that, the last thing I wanted to do was anything with a vampire. Stealing a dead body was even worse with him in tow. But I didn't want him out there without supervision. Whatever Angie saw in him, I didn't see it. How was I supposed to trust that the bloodsucker wouldn't just take down Cody and leave us hanging? If the monster found Angie and the others waiting for us, they'd be caught off guard and I didn't want to think about what could happen to them.
Angie was my problem. Even if the two of us never worked things out, it was the bond between us that brought her back here. It had to be. She wasn't stupid. She could have hidden the body in another way, but something had made her think this was the only option. My money was on the bond between us.
Thankfully, the tiny parking lot in front of the funeral home was empty and wasn't lit. I was sure there wasn't a whole lot going down here at night. Unfortunately, the only funeral home in town was owned by one of the few human families so I couldn't just call in a favor. That meant, we had to break in.
The funeral home was in a hundred-plus year old brick house that had once been a well-appointed home. It was currently a historic landmark so the interior was largely preserved and loaded with antique furniture. They hosted funeral services on the main level, and I knew they had offices upstairs. I'd never been in the basement, but I was guessing that's where the bodies were kept for embalming and storage. Our Jane Doe was probably nearing her expiration date and I wasn't thrilled with dragging her out of here. I wasn't sure if it would be better for us or worse if they'd already done something to the body in terms of prepping it for a funeral. Either way, it didn't matter. We needed something to attract the creature and as long as this worked, I didn't really care. At least that was what I told myself.
Cody was the best person for the job, but I felt bad for dragging him back in. When we started the casino, we'd all hoped our money issues would be solved and we'd be able to quit the side hustle that involved less than legal activities.
Cody had been breaking and entering since he was a kid, resulting in several stints in juvie. Thankfully, they'd been before he started shifting on the full moon. After getting busted again as an adult, he'd fled here, hoping to find some protection in a town rumored to be full of supernaturals. We'd needed some help for a job and Cody arrived just in time. Ten years later, he was like family. It was as if he'd always been here. But he'd been the most excited of the whole crew to go legit. And now I was asking him to go back to his roots to steal a body of all things.
"You got this?" I asked as the three of us walked to the back door.
"Yeah," Cody said. "I could do this in my sleep."
"Sounds like you have experience," Draven said.
"I'm sure you have your own skill set, Draven," I said.
"I'm impressed," Draven said. "It's not something I've ever mastered. These newer locks just baffle me."
I was glad it was dark and nobody could see my doubtful expression. If I didn't know better, I'd say Draven was flirting with Cody. Badly. "Let's just do this and get the fuck out."
Cody pulled a few tools out of his pocket and went to work on the lock. A moment later, it clicked and he turned the doorknob, opening the door. He really was gifted.
Quietly, the three of us stepped into the old building. It was lit with an emergency exit sign and a random light in the middle of the hallway. It was enough to find our way through the museum like interior, past the ornate chairs and polished wood tables.
Our footsteps made the old floorboards creak as we walked and a slight chill hung in the air. Goosebumps rose on my arms, even though I wasn't cold. I didn't consider myself someone who was freaked out easily, but there was a definite discomfort to being inside a funeral home alone in the dark.
"I think the basement's this way," I said, turning down a hall and walking into the kitchen.
There was a closed door in the kitchen that looked like it might be the entrance we needed. Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I told myself there was nothing to be worried about. I'd been around my share of dead bodies and I generally wasn't squeamish. Something about this place just put me on edge.
I opened the door and let out a breath of relief at the sight of stairs. "Let's grab what we need and get out of here quick."
"Agreed," Cody said. "This place is creeping me out."
"It's a lovely home," Draven said. "It does feel authentic to the time it was built."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. You're old and you like dead people," I said. "Must feel nice and homey to you."
"You'd think it would," Draven said. "But there is something that makes even me want to get out of here quicker. I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Can we just go?" Cody hissed.
I flipped on the light switch and a single, bare bulb at the bottom of the stairs lit up. Frowning, I took uneasy steps down the staircase, moving slower than necessary into the damp basement.
The temperature dropped with each step and I could hear the humming of machinery. It sounded like a refrigerator and I tightened my jaw at the thought. It probably was a giant fridge. For dead people. And here I thought vampires were bad, but at least they didn't store the bodies for days. Anytime we had a problem with someone who died, we got rid of it right away. The thought of trying to keep one fresh made my stomach turn.
I entered a dimly lit room with stainless steel tables and shelves of shiny tools. Nearby, a table was littered with makeup, brushes, tubes and random containers. Probably the stuff they used to make the open casket dead look more alive. It never worked. They always looked dead to me.
I heard a bang as someone ran into something, then a symphony of small objects hitting the ground in a series of chimes and clinking sounds.
"Shit," Cody said quietly.
I turned to see him hopping on one foot, rubbing his shin while Draven silently picked up the fallen objects.
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
Cody glared at me. "Dude, it wasn't on purpose."
"Mom, is that you?" A female's voice sounded from what I thought was an empty room.
My heart hammered against my ribs and I turned toward the newcomer.
A teenage girl walked out of an adjoining room holding a severed arm. Her mouth was covered in blood. I looked from her shocked expression to the arm. It had bite marks on it. Pieces of flesh were missing.
"Oh my god," the girl said. "Please don't kill me."
My stomach churned as I put the pieces together. This girl was a grave robber. But not just a grave robber. She was ea
ting her victims. I struggled to make my face impassive as I knew I was wearing an obvious look of disgust. And here I was, with a vampire as a sidekick. I really had no room to talk. The problem was, vampires had to drink blood to survive. If this girl was eating bodies for fun, that was entirely different. And I was totally judging her.
"We're not going to kill you," Cody said.
I shook my head. "No, we don't mean anyone harm."
The girl sniffed, then narrowed her eyes. "None of you are human."
"I suspect you're not, either," Draven said.
"Nobody is supposed to know," the girl said. "My mom promised me nobody would know."
I lifted my hands in mock surrender. "I swear, whatever your secret is, we're not going to share. We just came to borrow a body."
"Borrow a body?" The girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Okay, maybe honesty wasn't the best policy here. But we were on a deadline.
"You're an aswang, aren't you?" Draven asked.
The girl's color drained from her face, making her flesh as pale as the dead skin on the arm she was holding.
"It's alright," Draven said. "We share a similar affliction. You see, I need blood to survive, and you need - well, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's similar."
"What are you?" she asked.
"I'm a vampire," he said, then he bowed.
I scoffed. "He's an insatiable flirt."
"We're werewolves," Cody said.
I elbowed Cody in the side. Telling people what we were wasn't a good idea.
"What?" Cody said. "Do you want the body or not? Clearly, she's scared and we are running out of time."
I looked back at the teenager. She was thin and frail looking with sunken eyes and hallow cheeks. Like she'd been starving. And Cody was right, she looked terrified of all of us.
"We really aren't going to hurt you," I said. "There's a demon on the loose. It's attracted to dead flesh. We're trying to kill it."
"Dead flesh, like bodies?" The girl dropped the arm. "Could it come here?"
"Maybe," I said. "But that's what we're trying to prevent."
Honestly, I couldn’t care less where the demon went as long as we could kill the thing before it found the dead mage. Who knew what would happen if a demon attacked the other monster living in the woods. We could end up pissing off the forest creature so much that she'd leave her home. And that could not happen.
"You own the casino, don't you?" she said.
"Yes," I said, slowly. "The Lucky Rose. That's right."
"I'm sorry about the woman," she said.
My brow furrowed. "The dead lady, yeah, that's why we're here. We thought we'd borrow her since she didn't have any family."
"It's my fault she's dead," the girl said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Shhh," Draven said, as he walked closer to the girl, one hand outstretched.
She flinched, then backed away from him.
"It's okay," he said. "I understand the need to eat and the confusion. Are you the only one?"
She nodded.
"How long have you been the host?" he asked.
"Host?" I asked.
"I'm lost," Cody said.
"Aswangs often transfer from one body to another when their host dies. They need human flesh to survive," Draven said without even looking back at me.
"I didn't want this," the girl said, her voice shaky. "I tried to avoid it. I tried not to eat, but regular food doesn't work for me anymore. I just throw it up."
"I know," Draven said. "How long, dear?"
"Two months," she said. "Since my grandmother died."
"Claire DeFou?" I asked, startled. Of course, the DeFou family had owned the mortuary for generations. Of course she was the granddaughter of the recently departed matriarch.
"My mom said it's natural, that it's just my life now," the girl said.
"What's your name, dear?" Draven asked.
"Julie," the girl said.
"Julie, do you have anyone to help you with this?" Draven asked.
I drummed my fingers on my thigh, overly aware of all the time we were wasting while there was a demon on the loose. "Can we do this later, Draven?"
Julie looked at me, eyes wide.
"Jason, please," Draven said.
"Julie, I feel for you, I do. First time I shifted was a fucking nightmare. But we have a demon on the loose."
"Please never have children," Draven said, then turned his attention back to the girl. "Julie, sweetheart, I can help you with this, but right now we need your help, okay?"
She nodded, then gave me a decidedly angry look, before pointing behind her. "Body's in there." She glanced down at the fallen arm, then looked back up at us. "It might be missing a few pieces."
"That's okay, dear," Draven said. "I can help you with the cravings and with being more discreet."
She nodded. "Sorry about the body at the Casino. I lost control."
My stomach turned again. "It's alright. Water under the bridge."
"Through here?" Cody asked, pointing to the room the girl had come from.
She nodded.
"Thanks," I said. "And I'm sorry if I was rude."
"You were," Draven said. "Some people just don't have manners."
Julie managed a weak smile and I took it as an acceptance of my terrible apology. I walked past her and Draven into the room. It was freezing cold and the body, sans arm, was laying naked on the table.
I tried not to stare at the blueish, pasty flesh. "Why doesn't it have clothes on?"
Cody shrugged. "I guess you don't really need them once you're dead."
"True," I said.
Cody threw a long black bag over the woman and the two of us lifted her as we pulled the fabric under her. We zipped it up and lifted her from the table. I had hoped I could carry her over my shoulder, but rigor mortis made her stiff.
Awkwardly, Cody and I carried the log like body up the stairs while Draven watched.
"I'm going to stay here," Draven called up after us. "Good luck, boys."
I wondered if I should worry about leaving the girl alone with a vampire. Then, I remembered she had to eat dead flesh to survive. If anything, Draven might be the one in danger. Or maybe they cancelled each other out.
This town got weirder every day.
Twenty-Five
Angie
The street corner of Fifth and Carr was empty. An abandoned gas station sat on one corner and an old school-house turned museum sat on the other. It was as good a place as any to make a last stand. Possibly even better since it was away from the crowds on Main.
"Well, at least there's a fire hydrant here," I said.
"You two spent a lot of time waiting to kill demons? I must have missed something," Jane said.
"Not quite demons," Gage said. "But we've had some times."
"Let's not bore her with the details," I said, walking over to the fire hydrant. "Anyone know how to open this thing?"
"I thought you were in charge of the water," Jane said.
"I can control the direction of the water and pull more water from the source, but I can't break a fire hydrant," I said.
Jane huffed, then stomped over to us. She set her hands on the top of the hydrant.
I watched her silently, wondering what she was doing. "I'm pretty sure you have to use a tool of some sort."
"Do you want this open or not?" she snapped.
"Give her a minute, Angie," Gage said. "Jane knows her stuff."
I rolled my eyes and walked away. I still didn't know what they all saw in Jane. She had the people skills of a shark. She was another good reason to get as far away from here as I could. While she might not be mated to Jason, I'd often wondered if the two of them would have coupled up if not for me. If I left, would they be able to? Could they ever be happy knowing Jason was supposed to be with someone else?
Personally, I'd felt like there was an empty place inside me since I left here. Returning was painful, but the
hole wasn't as bleak when I was near Jason. It was as if I'd been breathing under water without him. It was possible for me to do, but it wasn't as effortless as breathing air. And I couldn't do it forever. I needed a break from time to time. While I'd been away, it was as if I hadn't had a single break. Now that I had returned, I felt like I'd gotten that breath of air. How could I walk away from that?
"Angie, we've got a problem," Gage called.
I turned around, expecting to see an issue with the fire hydrant. Instead, I was greeted by a lone female figure walking up the dark road toward us. Her hips swayed in an exaggerated fashion as she walked and her dark hair moved like tentacles around her head, flowing and twisting as if she were underwater. Subtle shockwaves of magic rippled through the air, making it feel like it held an electric charge. "What the fuck?"
I walked over to Gage and Jane. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
"Oh yeah," Jane said. "That's probably our demon."
"What's with the human skin?" I asked.
"How come you don't have two tails and gills?" Jane snapped back.
"Fair point," I said. Most of the supernaturals could blend right in with humans. Our scary, non-human appearances written down over the years were either disguises, or made up by men who didn't want to appear weak when they explained what happened to them. It was true, many of us could shift into other beings, some of them quite terrifying, but it was rare for a human to see a monster in monster form.
"Um, maybe we should open that fire hydrant," I said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it," Jane said.
"How did it find us?" I asked.
The creature was walking causally toward us. Her tight jeans and leather jacket made her look like any other twenty-something out for a night on the town. The swirling tentacles for hair was the part that gave her away. "We sure she's a demon?"
I felt like I should avert my gaze. She reminded me of medusa with that hair.
"I'm not a demon," a hissing voice called out. "I'm something much older."
"Oh, fuck," Gage said.
