by M. Garnet
The Vamp was resorting to force and would soon do her harm. He had no choice but to expose himself. He freed her and the fight was short. Unfortunately, she was witness to the final burst. He started to approach her with her food and was wise enough to back off as she showed fright. He just gathered up the evidence and left. He dumped the hard items, followed her to her home, and settled down in the shadows to think this through. He was going to have to meet with her, and that would really be interesting.
* * * *
Okay, this was a dream, a hallucination, a bad trip. She would wake up soon and find that she had fallen asleep at her computer. She would have a sore back, stiff shoulders, and she would have to do a lot of exercises to work it off. But that made her feel better. She took the two bags and walked home, waiting to wake up. She put the food away without eating, waiting to wake up. She took a shower waiting to wake up. Finally, she went to bed and fell asleep and woke up the next morning.
Chapter Three
She woke up and began to realize that last night hadn’t all been a dream. Somehow, some of it had really happened. But she wasn’t sure what was real and what was not, so she got dressed, ate a bowl of cereal, and gathered up a couple of items. She went out for a walk. She would be damned if she was going to sit still and decide whether she was going nuts or dreaming and sleepwalking. She was going to try to find some evidence from last night’s fight, or whatever it was. Before leaving, she stocked up her little fanny pack with several things she thought she might need.
She thought things would look better and probably a lot less insane in bright daylight. She took the same direction she had walked last night. She went around the corner and approached the place of the fight. Walking with her head scanning back and forth, she managed to trip and fall on all fours. No one could call her graceful. She looked around to see if anyone saw her fall, and was thankful that this time she was alone. Not much damage done, a scraped knee that didn’t bleed and a scraped palm that did start to leak through several scratches. She unzipped the fanny pack and pulled out a tissue and clinched it in her hand. There was no real evidence to be seen in daylight. No holes, no scuff marks, but she walked over to the point where the body had turned to dust and sat down on the curb with her sandals in the clean gutter, looking closely.
There was still a light trace of dust in some of the areas. She felt a buzzing in her head and put her head between her knees, taking deep breaths. Okay, most of what happened seemed to have been real. She was not sure she wanted to actually go into this. But she was here and she needed to follow through, so taking a deep breath and with shaking hands, she pulled out a small plastic envelope. She had these in many sizes as she used them to save all kinds of items in her drawing and computer work. It was the normal type with the top that would zip together. Sitting on the curb, she leaned down and shook a little of the dust from a couple of grass stems that had been pressed flat during the fight. The dust settled down into the little pocket and she leaned back to close the envelope. But as she was pressing the two sides together she became aware that there was a large boot resting next to her leg on the curb.
She had been so involved in not fainting and not throwing up breakfast that she totally had lost track of the world around her. She had not heard any cars going by, any birds in the trees, or anyone approaching. She froze, just holding the envelope between her two hands, one awkwardly still holding a tissue within the palm. She took another deep breath, slowly letting her eyes travel up the long leg covered in dark jeans. There was a heavy hand on the waist that had a large ring on the first finger. The wide chest was covered in a tight tee shirt and there was a gold amulet on a chain hanging against impressive pecs. She was looking at the man who had been in the mall, leaning against the rail, also parked next to her in the expensive sports car. This close, she also saw that he had the most unusual eyes for a Latin-looking man. His eyes were pale blue, almost without color except for the iris and an outline. He had heavy eyelashes and his dark eyebrows were drawn into a frown.
“Well, I was not warned that you were very clever.” His voice was rich and low and she realized it was the voice from last night. He slowly reached down and carefully took the plastic envelope from her hands.
“Are you going to hurt me?” Her voice cracked as she looked up at him. She was surprised that she could look at him so steadily, as she was shaking so much inside.
“Actually, I have been sent to protect you. May I help you up?” He held out his hand, but she didn’t want him to touch her.
She shook her head, pushed herself up and took a step back. “No, I just scraped my hand—I don’t want to get blood on you.” She saw a strange look pass over the handsome face. She actually saw his nostrils flair, like a dog or wolf on a scent of some prey. His muscles bunched in his arms and he actually stepped back. That was when she saw the silver sports car. It was pulled in at an angle to the curb right behind him.
“Wait.” It was not just a word, it was a command, low and raspy from his throat, as he turned. He went to the car and reached in and retrieved a large brown envelope that he just tipped up over his seat and emptied. He pulled out a folded white handkerchief from a back pocket of his jeans. He held out the handkerchief to her and opened the envelope for her to drop the dirty tissue into the top.
She looked at him, still frozen. The whole act was not that unusual. No one wanted bloody tissue lying on the ground. It could be contaminated. Offering her the folded white cloth was a very gentlemanly thing. But she felt sure this man had killed someone last night right in front of her, someone who had turned to dust. Did the government have some type of new weapon? Still, she had no proof. She had not seen him, only dark shadows, but wait—she knew the voice. It was the same.
She looked at her palm. The small scrapes had stopped bleeding. “Thank you.” She dropped the tissue into the envelope. “But I don’t need that.” She pointed at the folded white cloth. “See, it is just a surface scrape. It’s stopped bleeding already.” She knew she was talking too fast, nervous.
Now she was backing up and had reached the sidewalk. She nodded her head at him, still looking at him, twisting her head as she walked, and started for home. She held her breath, but he stood still, just watching, holding the envelope as she reached the corner where she turned and started to run.
She felt the panic hit her stomach as she fled. She didn’t know what she was fleeing from, but she knew there was danger behind her and that it probably was in those pale blue eyes. She reached her door and was glad she had not locked it. As she leaned against it and locked it from the inside, she berated herself for leaving her home without locking the door. She slid down and sat on the floor, waiting for her heart rate to slow, for her breathing to calm down.
Chapter Four
Rad was on his cell. He dialed what some Vamps would call a servant. Rad called him friend. “Marco, wake up.”
“Rad, where are you and what can I do for you?”
“I am in a little town in northern Louisiana, doing something for the Council. Listen, I am sending a sample of blood on a tissue. I want you to do some tests on it, but be careful. First of all it has the most beautiful smell to it. Second, I don’t want anyone to know that we got this sample. Do you understand? No one must know. See if there is enough of the blood to find out what makes it so good and what makes it different.”
“As always, I am your servant.” The man on the other end spoke with respect before the connection was broken. Rad drove to a mail drop shop, purchased plastic bubble wrap and an overnight mail envelope. He addressed and sent off the package, then returned to his job.
He drove back to her street and sat in his car, thinking about her. He was wondering how she was going to react to finding out that there really were monsters out there. Well, she had already seen him dust a guy at the end of a fight. So if she kept it together after that, then she might make it through the rest.
* * * *
Misty got up and went in to h
er computer. She logged in, deciding to try some research on weapons that would turn a person to dust. Not much there. Evidently it was pretty hard to get rid of the human body when you were trying to kill someone. Turning to dust on death brought up cremations, and how long it took to cremate a body, which took hours but still left some small tokens, like fillings, some bone pieces, etc. Several times, as she was trolling through the web, she got Vampires, but she just deleted them and continued. She found instant human combustion, but there also was some traces left, whole body parts that did not burn up completely.
She next logged onto a chat room to question some geeks as to a weapon that would turn a human body to dust. When the room got serious she threw the whole thing into a tizzy when she added that the clothes and possessions did not turn to dust, just the person. This led to theories on living matter only and a lot of wild guesses such as vibrations, radiation, beams being controlled, just how far was science in these areas? The general consensus was that no one was into this right now. Some of the geeks on line worked in these areas and said they were disappointed in today’s results.
One person said, “You know when you drive a stake into the heart of a Vampire, they turn to dust.” The chat room turned to talk of whether there really were Vampires so she logged out. It was past noon and she was starved.
She made a sandwich and grabbed a juice and made a face. When she had gone to the store she had not bought anything to drink. This was her last juice and she only had one water bottle on a lonely shelf. She went to the front window, looking out, but did not see anyone. She saw a neighbor go by with his dog. It wasn’t one she was friendly with, but she did know he lived in the area. Okay, this afternoon, she would get in the truck and drive to somewhere away from the little complex that she had always found so safe. She would pick up a few more items.
Going back to her workroom, she began applying color to a drawing. This was the type of work that she loved so time flew away. Finally, nature took over and she had to go to the bathroom. On her way down the hall she glanced into the living room, becoming aware that it was dark. She finished her business, went on through her small house and turned on lights in every room.
There was a knock on her door that froze her in the middle of the room. She stood there waiting and there was another knock. A voice that she knew called out. “Misty, it’s Terrie, I have a delivery for you.” She breathed a sigh of relief going to the door. Terrie stood there with her hands full. Misty took one bag and Terrie immediately rushed into the little kitchen bar to set down the rest of the bags.
“Gosh, that was heavy. This one has a six-pack of water in it. I did not have time to put it in the fridge to cool. It has been a crazy day.” Terrie always was bubbly and her tongue seemed to move faster than her brain. “Anyways, your boyfriend was so nice, but I didn’t want to wait until Paul got home because Paul got this really nice bonus and we are going out to celebrate. Oh, just wait until you see my new dress.” She was unpacking the bags and because she was hyper, oh yes, always hyper, she was dancing around, putting items away. Misty just stood there with her mouth open.
“Terrie.” She tried to interrupt her friend. “What boyfriend?”
Terrie whirled around. “Oh, Misty, I am so glad for you. He is so handsome and so rich. That Mercedes he drives is beautiful. Oh look, the expensive cookies, these are so good but I never can buy them. Paul said he was taking me to a nice restaurant. We really shouldn’t, but Paul is so proud that I just don’t have the heart to tell him no. And he doesn’t want to drive. He wants to take a taxi. Can you believe it?” Terrie almost had everything put away and she opened a bottle of water and handed it to Misty.
“Hey, I gotta go. I need to finish in only a half hour. See you.” She had the door almost open before Misty reached her.
“Terrie, when did my boyfriend drop off all of this stuff?”
Terrie looked at her for a second. She seemed a little confused. “You know, I really don’t remember. He asked me if he could come in, such nice manners. He even gave me flowers. I have to go.” Misty let her go—she didn’t want to ruin her friend’s special evening.
But she double checked the door lock, running through the house as she checked the back door and all the windows. She was shocked to find a couple of windows unlocked. Over the time she had been there she had become so complacent that she hadn’t thought to check her windows. She started closing the blinds and turning on every light. She was no longer hungry. Even the water in her stomach wanted to come back up. She stopped, taking several deep breaths through her mouth.
What had he said? Actually, I have been sent to protect you. He killed a man who attacked her and now he brought her food. Was it possible? Was there something that she was doing that the government wanted protected? She went back to her computer. She started searching, carefully reviewing her past projects. She went back through everything she had done for the last six months. There was not anything that would fall into a government category. Designs for game covers, for song discs. There were some office signs that did not have any connection to state or federal government agencies. She worked relentlessly, checking and rechecking. The next thing she was aware of was cramps in her back. She rose up slowly, the impression of the keyboard in her cheek. It was morning again. The keys she had lain on were repeated over and over on the screen. She got up, her muscles protesting. She went through the house, turning off lights. When she reached the kitchen she looked in the refrigerator and found not only water but also Gatorade. She opened a bottle, taking it with her to get dressed in work-out clothes. Taking a belly pack, she put in essentials. Finally, making sure everything was locked up tight, she took a moment with her back against her front door but didn’t see anyone that seemed out of place in this neighborhood. She jogged to the small gym that was only a couple of blocks away, still watching people she passed.
She signed in and went to the side that was for general exercise or a modified type of Shiatsu. There were already several people in the long room towards the front. She tossed her shirt off and in her sports bra she joined in quietly, pushing her body to take the positions, using the muscles to the extent needed to hold each stance. The leader, an older man of indeterminate origin, moved gracefully from each stretch as he led the group. There were sweat beads on his forehead and it was not long before she had also worked up a good sweat from the graceful moves, holding the muscles so tightly. She also felt all the stiffness and poisons leaving her body with the perspiration.
The leader of the exercise was replaced by a young black man who moved in effortlessly to keep the sessions on a continues routine. These exercises went on most of the day with people coming in and leaving. She realized that there were several people behind her as she felt she’d had enough. She stepped around the men behind her but stopped.
He was leaning against the wall. He had her sweatshirt in one hand. She wondered if she had the nerve to approach him. She reached down to pick up one of the cheap towels from a stack and wiped her face as she looked at him. As the dump basket for the used towels was on the way, she dropped in the towel and went up to him. She did not like the way he looked at her. She had seen the same look on hungry dogs. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on.
“Does protecting me include watching my work out?” she asked as she walked around him. “And what is the big idea of telling my landlord you were my boyfriend?” She was walking fast now. But of course he was right behind her and reached around her to push the door open.
“My car is right here.” He pointed to the silver sports car. It sat low and sleek in front of the building in a no parking zone.
She stopped and turned to stare up at him. He had dark sunglasses on, so she really couldn’t see the unusual eyes. Just as well, she didn’t want to be distracted. “Look, I don’t know what this is all about, but I am opting out. I don’t know who you are and I don’t really want to know. I am not the type to ride in that fancy car. I am sweaty and I stink. Go away.” Sh
e turned away and started down the sidewalk.
A hand clamped around her arm. Even through the cloth, it felt cold and hard. She knew that there was very little chance of pulling away and she really did not want a wrestling match in the middle of the sidewalk. As it was, a couple of people were glancing at them as the people walked past. Okay, a quick ride home in a nice car. What could that hurt? “Let go, I will ride with you.” She felt him release her arm and he went over and opened the passenger door, waiting. She stood for only a moment, then slid down into the car.
They rode in silence for two traffic lights but when they stopped for the third she couldn’t resist. “New leather. Car smells great. I really hope I leave sweat marks. You deserve it.” She looked out the window so he couldn’t see her smile, but when she looked forward and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye she was surprised that he was also smiling. It was a crooked smile that was almost a challenge. He finally pulled in behind her truck. She meant to get out quickly but the door wouldn’t open. He turned off the car but still the door didn’t open.
“Okay, unlock the door, I need a shower and lunch.” She wouldn’t look at him. She just sat and waited.
“I could help with lunch—invite me in, I will make the sandwiches while you take the shower.” She heard the lock on the door click.
She got out a little slower while she was thinking. She felt him walking behind her and she fished her key out. She unlocked the door and entered, surprised that he was standing, waiting and looking at her. She needed some answers.
“Okay, come in. Find the fixings in the kitchen. I will be right with you.” She stepped back as he entered. The room suddenly seemed a lot smaller with him in it, so she decided to ignore him. She went through her bedroom to the private bathroom and after locking the door, took a short shower, clipping her hair up so that she didn’t have to wash and dry it. She put on the loose top and jeans she had brought in with her, then walked barefoot out to her empty main room.
