Necromance

by Armand Rosamilia

  I made eye contact with my gawkers and they turned away and whispered to one another like chicks. Neither of them was my mark. I ordered another cup of coffee and relaxed as much as I could with ‘The Itch’ running fingers up and down my spine.

  A gust of wind pushed against the glass of the window next to me. I stared at the people going by on the street, wondered what they were up to, where they were going, and what was on their minds.

  I’m not a mind-reader, but I enjoyed this mental game while I waited for my coffee. A young woman, rather attractive, walked by and smiled at me. I smiled back and watched her turn the corner. She reminded me of one of my sisters.

  I have at least three sisters that I know of, half-sisters, if you want to get technical, except for my twin, Krysti. We hate one another. Actually, all of my sisters hate me, and I don’t blame them.

  My mission in life – which I never chose, by the way – was to rid the world of evil, one Fiend at a time. My sisters decided long ago to fuck every Fiend they could find and use them for power.

  What’s a Fiend? If you believe in God and Satan and all of that fiction, you’d call them Demons, minor ones at that. I usually hunted them, exclusively, and there were, perhaps, a hundred of them in existence, spread out across the world. They came in all shapes and sizes and wreaked havoc wherever they went, without drawing undue attention to themselves. They were highly intelligent, mostly good-looking, and could usually go long in bed. Trust me; I’ve been with a few. One time, in Cleveland, I had this amazing threesome… anyway, the one thing they all had in common was they were male.

  My coffee came and I decided to go crazy and order another of those delicious sandwiches. I stand six foot tall and I’m of medium build, not heroin chic but not chubby, either. I’m built like a brick shithouse, as the saying goes. 36 DD’s, 24 inch waist, 36 inch hips form the curves below. To paraphrase AC/DC in the song Whole Lotta Rosie, ‘you could say she’s got it all.’ And, with my middle name being Rose, it just fits.

  Back to my sisters: all of our middle names are Rose. That was one of the only things our father gave to us before moving on to another woman and having another child. Dad is a necromancer, and he can summon the dead and ask them questions. Of course, somewhere along the way, he decided it would be better to summon them to do his bidding. Dad became a social outcast in the magic circles – pun intended – and was marked as a pariah. Instead of killing him, they slapped him on the wrist and told him to stop.

  Did he? Hell no. He simply surrounded himself with as many non-conformists and moralistically vacant fellow necromancers as he could and formed his own little clique. Along the way, he started having children, girls only, in hopes of growing his ranks. It worked, except for me. For whatever reason, I didn’t take too well to his control, but I did take to his teachings. I was, as they say, an apt pupil. I could do necromancy better than my sisters and they hated me for that. I also had ‘The Itch,’ which manifested on my first menstrual cycle and hadn’t left me yet. ‘The Itch,’ not the bleeding.

  Two bites into my sandwich I saw who I was here for. I can’t explain it but I knew it was him. It isn’t like they have a glow around them or carry a sign that says KILL ME, PLEASE but I know. I always know. He had just crossed the street and was heading away from my position.

  “Shit,” I muttered. I waved at the waitress furiously. “Check, honey, I need the check.”

  “I’ll be right with you,” she said and frowned at my behavior.

  I took out a twenty dollar bill and dropped it on the table. “Keep the change,” I said and regretted that. A big chunk of my cash was now gone and I’d need gas soon. As tacky as it sounded, I grabbed the pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich and carried it with me out the door.

  I knew which direction he was moving in so I walked briskly that way, still managing to enjoy my sandwich. The roll they used was excellent and I wished I had more money to buy some rolls and some pork roll before I left.

  “Focus, dumb-ass,” I said to myself. I almost ran into the mark when I rounded the corner. He was entranced with two streetwalkers that were trying to get his money. I knew he couldn’t resist. None of them ever can. They have an amazing sex drive, as you can imagine.

  Fiends are different from the Vamps, who feed on the life of their victims, men and women. They don’t suck their blood, turn into bats, sleep in coffins, or wear black cloaks (unless they like the fashion of it). Vamps are also different because they are exclusively female. Fiends feed by killing and slowly eating the victims until they’ve completely consumed them. They garner energy from violent acts, the more horrific the better.

  I knew these two street-wise chicks had no idea how their afternoon was going to end if I didn’t intervene.

  With so much traffic on the street and so many onlookers, I couldn’t do a damn thing right now without attracting unwanted attention. I decided that following them to whatever hotel would suffice. There’s always plenty of time to kill someone – supernaturally or otherwise – when there aren’t witnesses. I hoped I could do it without getting the hookers involved. But I also wasn't going to let their sorry asses get in the way of what I had to do. Morally, I didn't care about these women. They could do anything or anyone they wanted, but, if they got in my way, I'd snuff out both of them. Simple as that.

  They didn’t go far, cutting through a side alley and ending up in a shitty motel parking lot. I watched from the mouth of the alley, as they went inside the lobby to pay for their time. I knew he'd pay for the four hour block, which usually made the women laugh until the Fiend started in and they prayed it lasted twice as long.

  Of course, within twenty minutes, they were usually begging for their lives. A Fiend uses the last three hours or so to eat his victim and get rid of every last drop of blood and gore. Crazy shit, I know.

  I was about to take a chance and cross the parking lot to get a better view, in case he was impatient and decided to kill them right at the main desk, or he saw something inside he liked better, when I saw an unnatural shadow move on the second level of the hotel.

  Unnatural because, I knew immediately, it was a Vamp, using her powers to keep from being noticed. To anyone but me (and someone in my family), there would be nothing odd going on. Just another black spot within more blackness. As a kid, I'd once observed a Vamp stand still for fourteen hours without moving. What was I doing? That's another story.

  Now I had to decide what the Vamp had to do with the Fiend, and quickly. They usually didn't work in tandem, unless there was something in it for the both of them. I couldn't imagine what, but stranger things had happened before. Anytime I'd ever heard of them working together, the bottom line was they would battle at the end and one of them would die. In so much as these creatures could actually die, of course.

  The Fiend was taking his time and I didn't like it. If I ran across the parking lot, I'd be in the line of fire for the Vamp, but, if I took the time to circle the block, I might lose them all. And the worst thing to confront is a monster once it begins to feed and gains strength and energy. No thank you.

  "Fuck it," I said and started to run across the parking lot. I could see the Vamp tense up when she saw me. I boldly pointed in her direction. "I see you there, sweetie. I have no beef with you today, so get lost." I pulled a small silver stake from my purse. I always travel prepared. I carried a few of them, balanced for throwing. I'd become quite proficient in surprising a mark with one thrown through his heart and snuffing out his life. The silver messes with their ability to stay in form and they've also been enchanted by my father to use against an unruly demon and send it back to Hell. When he found out I'd stolen them... let's just say he still hasn't gotten over it.

  The shadow dissipated but I knew I wouldn't scare her easily. If my guess was correct, even now, she was behind me, waiting and watching. Unlike the Fiends, Vamps liked to ambush you and almost never openly attacked. They fed on the weak, and most men fit the description when it came to them.

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nbsp; As I feared, the lobby itself was empty. It meant they'd either snuck out the back door or were inside and I was too late. I walked around the counter to the closed office door, holding my weapon and not knowing what I was going to find when I entered. Unlike in a movie, I wasn't calm, cool or collected. I wanted to puke.

  I casually opened the door. In a bad horror movie, the room would be dark, the windows covered in newspapers and blood, and a single exposed light bulb would be swinging from the ceiling.

  Instead, it was nice and bright, with track lighting over the office desk and a nice floral print couch on the opposite wall. Someone had taken his time to dress up the place, even though the hotel was set in the middle of a horrible area. I commended the owner, although, not so much right now. He was sprawled on the floor, his throat ripped open and flowing.

  The Fiend looked up from the desk chair and smiled at me like he'd been expecting my presence. The two hookers were unconscious on the couch and naked. "Ahh, Miss Cheri Rose Thorne. I was wondering when you'd be back in the Northeast. Tell me, are you enjoying your stay in New Jersey so far?"

  "I'm thinking it's a rhetorical question. The food is good. That's about it." I leveled the stake at him. "Any last words?"

  He actually laughed. That was never a good sign in my line of work.

  "See ya," I said but, before I could throw the stake, I felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of my neck.

  "Nice tat," I heard one of the hooker bitches say to me, as she reached around and took my stake. She was referring to the one that started on the back of my neck and went down between my shoulder blades: a black rose with three thorns and a ring of red cherries around it. I know what you're thinking… it sounds stupid, but it really does look cool. Trust me. It also neatly ties my name together. And guys having sex with me from behind have never stopped to complain about how stupid the tattoo is. Hell, women messing around back there have never complained, either.

  "I'm guessing this isn't all it seems," I said to the Fiend. "And forgive me, but I'm not trying to be rude. I just don't think I caught your name."

  "David," he said and tapped his fingers on the desk. "But you can call me… Mister Coverdale."

  I laughed at the cheesy joke name. Fiends never gave you their real name, which was part of their power. For some reason, they loved using the names of Metal musicians from the 1980's. I can't begin to tell you how many Fiends named Nikki Sixx or C.C. DeVille I've had to put down in my time. Frankly, whenever I ran into one who was calling themselves Donald Trump or Dennis Rodman, I was surprised.

  I twisted my head slightly and looked at the two hookers, now seeing them for what they were: Turned humans. They had no special powers other than their greed. They worked for the Fiend and did his bidding, modern day Igors. I despised people like this, and I knew I'd been duped into following them and now I was screwed. And not in a good way.

  I sighed and acted defeated. If it came to it, I'd kill at least one of them before it was over, so there was something to look forward to. "Now what do we do, Mister Whitesnake?"

  He shrugged. "I kill you, of course."

  "Then do it," I said simply. I knew by the look in his eyes he was more interested in scaring me than eliminating me, which I took for a good sign. These guys didn't mess around. "I'm getting bored, to be honest with you."

  "I need your help…" he whispered and now I could actually see a flicker of fear in his eyes.

  "Excuse me," I asked and walked to the desk, sitting down on the edge near him and trying to remain casual, while my eyes took inventory of anything and everything I could use to kill one of them. Once I was sure I had a game plan, I glanced at the two chicks. "Can you tell her to stop pointing that thing at me before she does something stupid and I mess her up?"

  He motioned for them to sit back down on the couch and they complied, trying to act tough. I wasn't scared. The momentum had shifted back to me. "I want my stake back before we do anything."

  "No chance; not until you hear me out."

  "Do I get to kill someone," I asked, before he could continue.

  He nodded. "I'll even do one better. If you take care of this nuisance, I'll give you something as well: the location of your twin sister."

  I tried to act casual but he knew I was interested.

  "All you need to do is eliminate someone for me."

  "If it's the Vamp hanging around, I'll do it gladly. But then you and I will need to have a little chat. Sound fair?"

  The Fiend smiled and nodded.

  * * * * *

  The Vamp was easy enough to follow. Vamps left a trail unless they masked it, and, since not many people knew how to follow, they rarely did. The fact this one knew I was around and didn't made her very stupid and/or underestimating of me, or very smart and leading me into a trap I had no choice but to walk into. Since Vamps tend to be quite arrogant, I was hoping she thought she could easily defeat me.

  The hotel was a step or three up from the seedy one, but still not anything you'd write home about. It was still set in a crack-infested neighborhood but no one bothered me as I walked; although, quite a few dudes watched my ass as I passed and more than one hooker envied what I had and they might've had in better times.

  When I got to the room she was definitely in, I drew the stake. I was going to go the dramatic route and knock and say something witty when I heard the moaning from inside. The bitch was feeding!

  I kicked in the door and entered, this time not taking any chances of being duped by another human. The lights were on and the bed was currently occupied by the Vamp and two guys.

  When she ignored me, I closed the door (as best I could) and put my back to it, the stake still in my hand and pointed at her naked body on the bed. She'd changed her form to look human, albeit a very sexy one.

  Both men were busy having sex with her while she sighed, her eyes looking right at me. She winked and her eyes seemed to be asking me if I saw anything I liked and wanted to join in on the fun.

  While the two dudes were having fun taking turns with what they took for a sweet whore, she was slowly draining them of all energy. A Vamp could drain you in many ways, but the best was always by having sex with and stealing the intense pleasure feelings from the victim. The old cliché of dying happy while screwing was truer than most people imagined.

  "I'm going to need everyone to relax and… step away from the woman," I finally said. I admit I was really turned on right now. Vamps can charm you but most of the time they simply smile at a guy or tell them they're horny and… well, it's that easy. Unlike in the movies, where the 'evil but sexy monster' uses their glowing eyes to charm the unsuspecting victim into doing their bidding, all the Vamps had to do was show some skin, smile with their full red lips and say something provocative. Guys fell for it every time. There was no need to waste real energy when all you had to do was smile and bat an eyelash.

  One of the guys noticed me for the first time. He was probably already too far gone to hear what I was saying. In the throes of sex, he probably thought this threesome just became a foursome.

  "Won't you join us," the Vamp asked me, licking her lips. "There is still plenty for you, Cheri."

  Did everyone in Newark know who I was? I was beginning to get annoyed.

  "I'm not interested," I said. Both men rolled to either side of the Vamp on the bed, exposing their packages. I gotta say I was impressed. But not enough to join in the fun and be drained and killed by her. "I need to have a little talk with you."

  "Do you mind if my friends stay for awhile? We were just starting to have a good time," she said, laughter in her words. She stared intently at me.

  I looked at the guy on the bed and focused on his junk and shook my head. "Really, bitch? You think you can charm me that easily?" She almost had, truth be told. She'd caught me for a second.

  From the corner of my eye, I could see her shrug and lift off the bed. The Vamp began stroking both men with her hands, as the two men crowded around her. />
  "Seriously, we need to talk." I still had the stake out and decided I was wasting time. I'd wanted not to have to kill these two innocent men but time was running out.

  "Can you give me a second? I so want to see which man can last longer. We'll make it a game, shall we?" She glanced at me. "Whichever one finishes first gets to die quickly. For the loser…" The Vamp grinned.

  Fuck this. I stepped up and put the stake to her head. The two studs were now so drained and out of it they didn't move.

  She stopped the two men trying to get into position, and put up a finger.

  "You have balls," I said and went to plunge the silver stake into her temple. It wouldn't technically kill her but it would send her back to Hell, and she'd be really pissed at me.

  "I have information for you," she said with a grin. "Care to listen before you end my time in this wretched world?"

  "Not really. I'd rather stab you in the head." I didn't stab her, of course. The bitch had something to bargain with and I at least wanted to hear what she had to say. I assumed she also knew the whereabouts of my sister, Krysti. I also guessed now everyone on the planet knew I was in search of not only Vamps and Fiends and other creatures of evil, but was looking for my family as well. "You have two seconds to open your mouth before I put you out of your misery."

  "Fine," she said testily. Even though Vamps and Fiends are technically not from around here, they can still be harmed in normal ways. You don't need a silver bullet or a holy item, but it doesn’t hurt to use them, either. I always had my silver stakes at the ready. The last time I had to use one I put it through a Vamp's eye socket. Sticking them in the heart won't make them explode or turn to dust. It will leave a shitload of blood everywhere, though. I've ruined quite a few nice outfits because of it, and I wasn't going to fuck up my Pantera shirt today, if I could help it.

  "Still waiting," I said. The two guys were told to go clean up and the two of us watched them go into the bathroom, giggling like little kids. Their strength would return in the next six hours or so, depending on how much she'd drained and how quickly. Within the next ten minutes, both would be exhausted and asleep. Some Vamps kept two or three strong men around at all times, sampling one or another and keeping them at less than 100% in order to control them. To a Vamp, a man was like a battery charger and they enjoyed plugging in. I knew of a small group of men based out of San Antonio who actually got in touch with Vamps online and offered themselves. Free, great sex and all you got was tired? Most guys would sign up for it. The reality the Vamp eventually couldn't drain you anymore (like a battery cell getting weaker) and would kill you wasn't a bad thing to some people.