Daisy After Life (Book 1): Perdition

by Demers, Raven J.

  When they were sufficiently far enough from the house, Nathaniel pulled a bag from his coat. "Stupid fragging move, Daize."

  She grabbed at the bag, ripping it from his hands, and puncturing it too soon, she let the blood drip into her mouth from the hole, and then brought it to her lips, taking long drags off of it and gulping them down. As her mind began to refocus, and her steps grew steadier, she asked, "When did you get your coat and shirt back?"

  Nathaniel looked down, and pulled at the collar of his coat. "You gave me a good distraction down there. Nice move, by the way, smearing your blood on her face. She'll be sending a death squad for us in no time at all."

  "No, I don’t think so." She squeezed the wad of cash tight in her hand. "If she’d wanted to kill me, she would have." Daisy thought about it. "Why didn't she kill me down there? Why give me the money after all of it?"

  Nathaniel started walking again. "What? You've got a death wish now?"

  Daisy shook her head. "I humiliated her, and I was too weak to defend myself. She could have torn me to pieces, burned them, and danced on the ashes before I could have lifted a hand to stop her."

  Nathaniel shrugged. "You showed her you had a pair of balls. She respects that ... seeing as she has a pair herself." He chuckled at his joke, and then guffawed. Daisy stopped when he fell to his knees, choking on the laughter.

  "Nathaniel?" she asked, worried.

  He shook himself and stood up. "That's twice you nearly got me killed this week. Come on, let's get back to the cottage before you do anything else to destroy us."

  Daisy said, "No. We're going to get Perdy."

  "No, Daisy, we're doing no such thing." He pulled at her arm, and this time, he was the stronger one.

  She was, however, more determined. She reached up and twisted his nose at an odd angle, and shoved her hand into his jacket, finding another of the pilfered bags tucked in there. When he caught her wrist, she fell forward, toppling them both, and her teeth found the bag, ripping into it. She sucked down what didn’t spill out onto Nathaniel's chest.

  A rush of energy flooded Daisy's body, and she punched him for good measure, racing away in the direction of Esperanza's house.

  Daisy wasn’t fast enough. Nathaniel caught up with her in less than a block. "No, Daisy, this is madness. If not because of Valerie, then just think of how you look. You’ll give us away for what we are. There ain’t nothing anyone could do for you then."

  She stopped running, and looked down at herself. Her torn dress showed a gaping hole where she’d been attacked, and the area was stained with blood. Her hands, too, were covered in that same near-black sludge. She could only imagine how she appeared from behind, after landing in the old pool of it. The smell clung to her like tar, and stuck in thick, seeping gobs, too.

  "I have to help her, Nathaniel. I can't let her go back to that abusive aunt. I might as well kill her myself and save her from the suffering."

  "Hey," Nathaniel said with a smile. "That's not a bad idea." Daisy hit him. "Kidding," he said, "kidding. Sort of." She hit him again. As he rubbed at his repairing jaw, he added, "I guess you're learning to be one of us, aren't you? Daisy the Sadist. Has a nice ring to it."

  "Oh God," Daisy said, and collapsed onto the street. "You're right. I am a monster. I took pleasure in it." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, Nathaniel."

  He rolled his eyes, lifting her to her feet. "We're in the middle of the road. Save the breakdown for the sidewalks. Or better yet, let's not have one at all."

  She shrugged off his hands. "It's still early enough," she said, sniffing the air. "I'll head back to the cottage, take a bath and change. There will be time enough to come back here."

  "Yeah," he said, unenthusiastic. "Great idea. And when we come back you'll what? Hand Esperanza a wad of bloody cash and say, 'Don't ask, just take it?'"

  Daisy didn’t answer, but carried through with her plans, shutting Nathaniel's chatter out of her mind there and back.

  When she finally knocked on Esperanza's door, she was clean, albeit a bit wet, and wore fresh clothes. It was a long wait before Esperanza opened the door, bleary-eyed. The morning was closer than Nathaniel liked. Despite the two pints of blood Daisy fed on, her movements remained slower than normal. Nathaniel said her body was regrowing its internal organs, but shrugged when she asked why it bothered.

  "Who is—" Esperanza took in the pair. "Anthea?" Her voice quickly changed from irritation to surprise. A moment later, tiny arms wrapped around Daisy's neck. Perdita, still in her nightgown, swung into Daisy's arms, and curled up against her chest.

  Change of Plans

  Daisy shut her eyes for a moment, as the scents of the youthful blood of Perdita and the richer, more alluring blood of her aunt threatened to undo her. She struggled with herself to let go of the child, and struggled with the child who didn’t wish to let go. Gently, but firmly, she untangled the arms around her neck, and set her down, with an apologetic smile.

  The girl clung to Daisy's leg instead, as Esperanza tried to make sense of the scene. "We managed to secure some funds so you can handle the court fees," Daisy said, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out the money Jared had given her. "I think you'll find this is more than enough for anything your sister might throw at you." Daisy had removed the top two bills before arriving—the ones most obviously saturated with blood. The others just looked old and worn.

  Esperanza stared at the roll of cash. "I—I don't know what to say." She glanced at Daisy and then looked down, ashamed. "Thank you," she began, struggling to find the words. "It's not that we don't appreciate it, but money isn’t our biggest obstacle."

  Daisy shook her head. "But you said you couldn't afford to go to court. I don't understand." For a moment, Daisy resented all she had gone through to get to this moment. She stroked Perdita's hair to remind herself not to kill anyone.

  Esperanza's dark eyes lifted, revealing the tears streaming down her round cheeks. "Yes, but I didn't mean money. I’m a citizen, but my husband —"

  "He’s undocumented?" Daisy's resentment faded instantly as she saw the torment in the woman's eyes. "But surely if you’re a citizen, he should be able to stay, right?"

  Esperanza shook her head. "Please, it's hard enough for us. I hate what Arabella allowed to happen in her house—and she is my sister-in-law, not my sister." The woman spat a curse in Spanish that Daisy couldn’t follow. "My citizenship will only get us so far. My husband has a record from his youth. Petty theft when he was seventeen and starving. If someone were to bring it up in court —"

  "They'd send him back," Daisy said. Nathaniel sighed with impatience as he leaned against the edge of the porch. Daisy shushed him.

  Esperanza ignored the rudeness of Daisy's companion. "We couldn’t get by in El Salvador, even with my education. I came here on a student visa to train as a nurse with credentials the U.S. would recognize, but they wouldn't let us come together. When I went back to visit between semesters, we made it across the border together with help from his brother. We've managed to make a life here. Our children were born here, but he can’t work as he did in El Salvador."

  "I'm sorry," Daisy said. "I suppose that means Perdita will have to go somewhere else. Is there other family I can take her to?"

  Esperanza shook her head. "No. No one here, and no one close enough to us to care." She kept her last words quiet, out of habit of talking over children's heads.

  Daisy pondered. "Then there's only one thing you can do. You said you’re a citizen, so you alone could pass inspection?" Esperanza nodded in the affirmative. "Call the police. Now. Tell them your niece was visiting you, and you heard someone break into the house, and now she's gone. Nathaniel, give me your coat, and start heading for the cottage."

  Esperanza stood baffled by this suggestion. "I don't understand."

  Nathaniel handed over his coat, looking equally confused, as Daisy put it on, popping the collar up so it obscured most of her face. She was so small in it, it looke
d like she’d been swallowed by a leather couch. "Whatever you see me do, don't think too much about it. It's safer that way. Close the door, lock it, and get Perdy and yourself to another room." The woman paused a moment, and then followed Daisy's instructions.

  Thank you, Lord, for helping her trust me, though she knows not what I am.

  As soon as the door shut, Daisy went around to the side of the house, and found a window. She pushed up against the lock, and heard a screech and crunching sound as the lock broke and the window slammed open. Daisy climbed in through the window, and heard the startled waking sounds of the other children. She headed first to the pantry, and pilfered some simple foods for Perdita, then rushed back following the girl's scent. Esperanza saw Daisy come around the corner, and her eyes widened in shock. Whatever she saw in Daisy's face visibly horrified her.

  Daisy said, "Don't worry, you'll see her again," and opened her arms. Without any sense of fear, Perdita ran into them, jumping up. Esperanza's husband, Ramy, came out in boxers, bleary-eyed, shouting, and brandishing a baseball bat, long enough to see a short intruder in a black, leather coat race out of the back door with his niece in tow. Esperanza was already on the phone with 9-1-1, a wad of dirty cash in her other hand. "To pay for damages," Daisy said, as she took off.

  Outside, Daisy hopped a fence, never once allowing Perdita to come close to harm. She made sure to pass a few humans along the way who would verify as witnesses a strange, white-haired individual seen running with a young girl in custody, thereby assuring Arabella would have no cause to doubt Esperanza's story when they arrived in a few hours to claim the girl. The police would swarm the house, and with luck, no one would think to check Remy's citizenship. At least, I hope they don't, Daisy thought to herself. If Arabella is smart, she'll keep her mouth shut, or she might get a visit of her own soon.

  A part of her wished that she could have met the woman. One well-placed threat could get her to back down. Or a small show of my abilities—toned down, of course. Oh Henry, what's the matter with me? How could I hold such violence in my heart?

  She continued to run as fast as she could, which wasn’t as fast as she ought to, and allowed herself to focus only on the scent of the girl and the comforting warmth of having her wrapped once again around her neck.

  Despite the short trip, the morning encroached upon her senses. The tickling of dawn's arrival coursed up her back as she raced toward the vast orchard in which the cottage hid. Nathaniel heard her approach, and opened the door, keeping himself well out of the way of any threat of sunlight, although there was none yet to be seen.

  Once inside, the sun not quite over the horizon, let alone the tree line, Daisy sat down, only to find Perdita had fallen asleep during the trip. The rocking sensation gently soothed her back to slumber. "Poor thing," Daisy said, "so much worry for a little girl." She stroked stray hair back from the child's face.

  Nathaniel sneered, and said, "Nearly got us killed. I don't know what you think you're doing, but I doubt we'll survive it. Especially her." He walked over to Daisy, hovering. "Gimme my coat back. It's bad enough I have to spend all day around food I can't eat, I won't do it without what's mine."

  "Really, Nathaniel. Quit acting like you're two." Daisy set Perdita down gently onto the couch. She had found Nathaniel's coat pockets very useful, and pulled out the cans of food and sausages she had taken from Esperanza's kitchen. When she was done, she removed the coat and handed it back to Nathaniel, already huffing with distaste at the situation. "There you are, and thank you for its use."

  He snatched the coat from her fingers, and stalked off toward the hall. For a moment, he stopped and turned. "How are you going to finish your lessons with her around?"

  "I'm sure we'll think of something, Nathaniel."

  He hissed, and headed for an empty room. After slamming the door, he made obvious stomping noises as he paced back and forth. Daisy sighed, and sat next to the girl, straightening her nightgown. "Oh dear," she said, "It looks like I'll have to make you more clothes." She smiled softly, and leaned forward, about to kiss the child's cheek.

  She stopped, only inches from Perdy's face. The temptation of her blood caused Daisy’s shoulders to tense. There's no reason not to, Daisy told herself. She's as good as dead no matter where she goes. The warmth of the flesh below her drew her in closer.

  No one would blame me. Daisy shook herself as if slapped. "No," she said. A firm command. No vampire would blame me, surely, but I would. I would live with it up until the moment I walked into the sun. Just as Jared predicted.

  Laying the girl down gently, Daisy moved quickly across the room, standing far enough away that the child’s scent was no longer immediate and demanding. The fierce need screamed to bite her, rend her, and drink the sweet ambrosia beneath.

  Lord, give me strength to protect this child from harm, she prayed.

  After several of Perdy's heartbeats, Daisy moved forward with caution, coming only close enough to pick up the food and put it in the fridge.

  For the first time in days, weariness overcame her limbs and mind. She remembered what Nathaniel said about sleeping. It was likely she would need to sleep to speed recovery. But where am I going to get more blood? She knew Valerie wouldn’t be handing out any medical bags so long as she was doling out the punishment, and as far as Daisy was aware, most of their pilfered pints were lost to Daisy's impulsive decision. Whatever Nathaniel had saved, she—or they—had already polished off.

  It wasn’t enough. She knew it. There was still a great deal of healing of internal organs left for her body, and sleep alone would not save her. Nor would the blood of animals. If she didn’t raid another blood bank, or feed on fresh human blood, she would get weaker over time. I can't risk it. Not if it means Perdy's life.

  After placing a throw over the slumbering child, she stumbled off to the bedroom she’d used on her first night, curled up, and went to sleep.

  Daisy dreamed of a time close to the end of her life. One familiar, for it became a routine in her final years.

  She reclined in her favorite easy chair, the one near the broad bay window. The sun beat down upon the top of her head and back of her shoulders, as she set down her knitting, placing it in her lap. For a few moments, she leaned back, stretching her neck up and back to let the sunlight fall upon her face. The warm glow seeped into her old flesh, making her chilled bones feel rejuvenated once again.

  A cloud passed overhead, and the sun stolen away, the moment ended as quickly as it came. She stared forward, grateful for her time in the sun, but wishing it had never left her. Then her hands, stiff and sore, would pick up the knitting, and work with difficulty to hook the yarn over the needle in a loop, push her needle in and back out again, and slip off the last rung.

  A small voice woke her, the tentative pleading of a child, not wishing to anger the larger person. "Anthea?" she asked, stepping cautiously forward. "Anthea?"

  Daisy stirred, and opened her eyes. The fragrance of sweet cream, wild flowers, and a hint of cherry lemonade hit her, and she stiffened, willing herself not to move by instinct, not to reach out and feast upon the child coming closer.

  Tiny fingers touched Daisy's arm, and she shut her eyes again, clamping her jaw tight. Through clenched teeth, she hissed, "What is it?"

  "I'm hungry," she said. "And ..." The girl glanced down in shame. "I think I had an accident."

  Daisy took a short breath, and confirmed it. She could smell the urine now, and it pushed away the hunger enough she could think as a grandmother again. "It's ok, Perdy. I'll help you clean it up." She sat up, careful to avoid contact. "I can help you, but I'm hungry, too. It's better I not touch you right now. Can you get yourself undressed? I'll run a bath for you."

  Perdy nodded, and started stripping off the soiled pajamas, which she let fall to the floor. Daisy stood and left for the bathroom, hiding her own stained and spoiled clothes in the waste bin. She turned the water until it felt warm to her, and hoped it would be the right temperature for th
e child, not trusting her cold, dead body to be an accurate gauge of heat anymore.

  When she returned to the room, Perdy stood nude in the room. Daisy directed her to the bathroom. "Check the temperature of the water before getting in, and adjust accordingly. Cold water’s on the right."

  Perdy ran off in the correct direction, and Daisy headed for the living room with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water to clean up the mess. The accident was minimal. Most of the urine had ended up on the pajamas, which she threw into the washing machine to get them clean.

  "Anthea?" Perdy's voice carried down the hall over the loud rush of running water. "Can you wash my hair? I can't do it too good."

  "Too well," she corrected the child with a stroke of her cheek. Daisy laughed to herself, shaking her head. "Of course," she said. The way Arabella raised her, it didn’t surprise her in the least this seven year old struggled with simple hygiene tasks herself.

  It felt routine, an old habit she’d forgotten she possessed. When she entered the bathroom, Perdy sat in the tub, the water still a mere two or three inches high. Her hair was only half wet in patches, having dragged herself in what water she could.

  "You have to wait until the tub is full, sweetheart. Then we can wash your hair." She recalled a similar impatience the previous bath she'd given the child.

  Daisy, still weary and abdomen tender to the touch, bent over to scoop water up and onto the child taking care to slow her movements. "I'll get some breakfast started, and then I'll be back."

  Perdy nodded and kicked her feet to make the water splash around her.

  Daisy headed to the kitchen, swiftly opening the canned pasta in beef sauce she had stolen, and tossing it into the only pot she could find. I'm surprised they even bothered having this one in here! What does any other vampire use them for? She lit the gas in the stove, and set the flame to low, letting the food warm.