No Man's Land: An Imp World Novel

by Debra Dunbar

  Going to the location of the sixth rat trap, Kelly frowned. It was gone. Leaves had been scraped to the side leaving a patch of cleared dirt; branches were broken as if there had been some sort of struggle where she and Jaq had placed the trap. Looking for the trap in an expanding circular search grid, she finally found it smashed to small bits a few feet from where it had been placed. She shook her head as she examined the broken splinters of wood and twisted metal wires. This didn’t look like a large animal had been caught and thrown the trap off. It looked like a large animal had been caught and smashed the trap in a fit of rage. Human? How embarrassing it would be if one of her neighbors had gotten caught in her trap.

  Carefully she picked up the wood and metal pieces, easily visible to her night vision. One had a spot of blood. She scrutinized the spot and licked it. Not that she thought she’d recognize the victim. As soon as the wood touched her tongue, she recoiled in surprise, spitting to rid her mouth of the taste. It wasn’t human: it was vampire. And whoever this vampire was, he wasn’t her family. His smell matched the faint odor she’d picked up at the first trap. Kelly held still, every muscle tense as she searched the woods carefully. This was dangerously close to her trailer. She’d hoped to take a scout by surprise, but could it be that her presence had been discovered? Was she now the hunted?

  Concentrating, she sniffed around, specifically on the area that had been disturbed. There was nothing to reveal where the vampire had gone, or how long ago he’d passed through. The most telling thing she discovered was the lack of an aura. Whoever this was, he was a New, and mostly likely a scout.

  A spy. A scout. Right near her trailer. How long had they been coming here? How long had they known about her? When did they plan to ambush her? To kill her? Damn. First she lost her method of feeding, and now this. What a night this turned out to be. Heading back toward her trailer, she once again thought through her options. She could leave. Take the twenty she had to her name, and a duffle bag of her scant belongings, and move in further from the border. Hope that her family didn’t take exception to her move.

  Kelly shook her head, willing the paranoia to go away. Jaq lived here too. If this scout had been watching her, the other woman would have known and most likely would have already taken his head off. No, this had to have been a coincidence. Or if not, the vampire had only just discovered her. She still had time, as long as she could catch him before he alerted his entire family.

  He’d managed to get caught in a rat trap. She chuckled at the thought. The vampire had clearly lost his temper, too. No control at all. Idiot. She could take him. If she could catch him, that is, especially if she had Jaq the Mighty Werewolf by her side.

  A twig snapped, and Kelly whirled about, jumping as she saw Jaq standing two feet behind her, arms crossed. Sheesh, that woman was quiet.

  “Sheesh, you’re deaf. A herd of elephants could have plowed you over and you wouldn’t have noticed.”

  That was a gross exaggeration. Her hearing and all of her other senses were exceptional. She’d just been momentarily lost in thought, slightly panicked at the idea of an enemy vampire so near her home.

  “Did you see this?” Kelly shoved the damaged trap at Jaq. The other woman took it, sniffing it before nodding.

  “He was gone by the time I got here. I tracked him to the Virginia border, but he’d already crossed.”

  Even in the dark, Kelly could see Jaq was worried. “Do you think he knows I’m here?”

  “If you could smell him, then he sure as heck could smell you. I’m just hoping with the snow, he wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly where you’ve been staying, or if you’re still here or not.”

  “Plus you said he went straight back to Virginia. Not toward Maryland like the others?”

  Jaq nodded. “Fast too.”

  Kelly felt a twinge of panic. She should leave — move somewhere else in case the vampire came back with reinforcements, but then could her family find her to collect the information? She had no way of contacting them to let them know.

  “You know, this guy’s a bit of a moron getting himself caught in a rat trap,” Jaq commented, turning the damaged piece of wood over in her hands. “I’m thinking we put something a bit bigger out here and we might catch him. It’s easier to have him come to us than try and run him down across the state.”

  Kelly was doubtful. “I don’t know. Unless you’ve got a bunch of silver weapons around, it’s not likely to work. Box traps or snares, no matter how big or strong they are, aren’t going to hold a vampire,.”

  Jaq grinned, pocketing the damaged trap. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not too attached to my jewelry then, is it?”

  17

  Kelly crawled out of bed in the late afternoon and showered to get ready for her first day of waitressing at Dale’s, cursing Jaq under her breath the whole time. They’d both been out in the forest until past dawn setting up a variety of traps to hopefully injure and slow down any vampires approaching near the trailers. Kelly had been concerned the neighbors might get caught in them, but the other woman quickly assured her that no one but her or Mike entered the woods — and Mike would recognize the traps before he got close enough to set one off.

  So now the vampire faced an evening of waitressing, followed by more trap setting and hunting enemy scouts. There’d been no time to iron the black skirt and pink–stained shirt, and her expensive shoes were a wreck. With any luck, this Dale guy would toss her out for improper clothing and she could spend the day doing something useful — something that would expedite her acceptance back into her family. Kelly frowned as she pulled on the skirt, a fresh wave of irritation at her friend washing over her. What was Jaq thinking getting this job for her? She had no time for this. And the ever–present gnawing hunger deep inside was becoming insistent.

  At least there was one good thing about this ridiculous job. She’d get tips. Hopefully enough for a bus fare somewhere where she could accost a human and take what she desperately needed without the neighborhood werewolf watch patrol being any wiser. Bus fare, a meal, and maybe some clothing that actually fit, as well as more appropriate footwear for her new, hopefully temporary, lifestyle.

  Kelly looked at herself in the tiny bathroom mirror, smoothing the skirt and checking her hair. She was thinner than when she’d been in Atlantic City, and the skirt was in danger of spinning around her hips. She’d never been busty, but the shirt hung on her like she was an adolescent. People would begin to wonder if she kept losing weight in spite of the huge quantities of food she consumed. If things didn’t change soon, that Melody woman would probably drag her off for an intervention, accuse her of having some eating disorder. Which she did, sort of.

  At least her face and body had healed. Kelly opened her mouth and examined the spots where her fangs should have been. They were still empty sockets. It wasn’t like she’d expected any different.

  “Hurry up in there. You’ll be late,” Jaq called, rapping on the trailer door before barging in.

  Kelly grumbled, glaring at the other woman as she walked right on into the bathroom. There was no privacy with anyone around here. She could have been taking a number two on the toilet and Melody would have no qualms about walking right on in and discussing a recipe for baked chicken. Jaq was just the same.

  “I am hurrying.” This was a good as she was going to get — blood–stained shirt, loose skirt, and shoes that were beginning to look like she’d stolen them off a hobo.

  “Here.” Jaq thrust a folded ten dollar bill into Kelly’s hand. “Dale doesn’t provide his staff with free meals, so you’ll need lunch money. Well, supper money actually. It’s too late for lunch, isn’t it?”

  Kelly stared down at the money, once again thinking how surreal the last few days had been. This conversation was no exception.

  “I don’t …I can pack something. Here, take this back.”

  She shouldn’t care. Jaq and the humans had already given her so much that ten dollars shouldn’t matter, but it bothered her
. Jaq refused to take the money, waving Kelly’s hands aside, and blocking them when she tried to put the folded bill in her pocket.

  “Call it a loan, then. You can pay me back in a few weeks, or once you’re back on your feet. It’s no big deal.”

  The werewolf turned to leave, and Kelly chased after her, half running to keep up with Jaq’s long stride.

  “It is a big deal,” she insisted. “I don’t borrow money.”

  Jaq opened the door and turned to her with a grin. “You do now. Look, you’ll need stuff like underwear and make–up. You wear make–up, don’t you? You seem like the kind of girl who would wear make–up, but maybe vampires don’t. And you definitely need underwear. Anyway, just let me know and I’ll loan you more. Bank of Jaq, that’s me.”

  Kelly’s mouth dropped open and she stood like an idiot, ten dollar bill in her hand, staring at Jaq. Yes, she wore make–up sometimes. And underwear? She’d been commando after realizing that none of her loaner clothing included undergarments. How had Jaq known that?

  “See you tonight after work,” Jaq said, ruffling Kelly’s hair before disappearing through the doorway.

  Crazy. They were all crazy here. Kelly smoothed down her dark locks and pocketed the ten dollars. It was a loan. If she made anything in tips tonight, it would go to pay the werewolf back. There was no way she was going to be beholden to anybody.

  ****

  Dale’s was a typical roadside tavern, heavy on the wood décor and beer signs. There was a pool table, a dart board off to the side, and thirty or so tables in addition to a bar that spanned half the width of the restaurant. The door chimed as she walked in, and the man she’d seen in the truck the first day looked up from behind the bar. He glanced at her from head to toe, frowning as if he was just as displeased by her presence as she was.

  “There’s a locker in back for your purse. Tomorrow you need black slacks. There are two Dales’ t–shirts on the desk. If you need more than that, you gotta buy extras at twenty a piece.”

  Wow. What a welcome. Kelly had no purse but changed into one of the t–shirts, stuffing the other one and her stained blouse into one of the open lockers. So much for hunting tonight. She was going to have to squeeze in a late–night bus trip to a Walmart for black pants. Fingering the ten Jaq had given her, Kelly frowned. The twenty she had back at the trailer plus any tips she earned should be enough for the bus fare and one pair of pants. Hopefully. Otherwise, there went her vow to pay Jaq back this evening.

  Shutting the locker, Kelly walked out, perplexed to see that she and the man were the only ones still there. Where were the other wait staff? The bartender? The cook, for crying out loud? She’d always insisted on promptness from her employees. What was with these werewolves?

  The man ignored her and flipped a page on the catalogue. Should she ask him if he was Dale? Or would that make her look even more like an idiot? Shrugging, Kelly walked over and began grabbing ketchup bottles from a shelf under the bar, lining them up on top. A bit of searching revealed an industrial–sized jug of ketchup on a wire rack in the kitchen. Kelly flicked on the grills to warm as she went by and began filling the ketchup containers, wiping them carefully with a clean rag.

  “What do ya think you’re doing?” The man asked gruffly, his eyes never leaving the catalog.

  “Getting ready to open. I assume you’re Dale. Thank you for giving me a job here.” He had taken a chance on her — a vampire of all things in a werewolf establishment. Plush she had no references, no verifiable job experience, nothing beyond Jaq’s recommendation. It was more than Kelly would have done, which made her wonder about how much pull Jaq actually had around here.

  Dale grunted. He was a big beefy guy with a red nose and balding head. Kelly bet his cheeks shook when he laughed, although from the look of him right now, she wondered if he ever cracked a smile.

  “You looking at new grills?” Kelly asked, leaning over to see the catalog as she lined the saltshakers up on the bar to fill. She knew she was annoying her new boss, but couldn’t help it. The werewolf’s surly silence just begged for idle chit chat.

  Dale made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “Wish I could afford a new grill. I’m looking at security cameras, although those seem to be out of my price range too. Chip down the road just put some in yesterday after that that guy got sliced up in his parking lot. He’ll get a bad reputation with those kinds of fights going on.

  Kelly knocked over a salt shaker, catching it in a rush of speed before it hit the floor. Well, there went any further opportunity for her to grab another human outside the strip club. She’d not even thought to look for security cameras. If she wasn’t more careful, she’d be exposed.

  Although she might already have been. Had Jaq reported her activity at the strip club to the rest of her pack? Was that what was behind Dale’s comment on the security cameras. She wiped up the spilled salt, and eyed him suspiciously.

  Dale had raised his eyebrows at her lightning–quick grab at the saltshaker and scowled. “Luckily the guy lived. Funny that. Broken bottle and a whole lot of blood, but he seemed fine outside a few shallow cuts. And the blood was all his, too. Couldn’t remember a thing beyond some prostitute accosting him outside of his car.”

  Kelly carefully controlled her breathing and continued filling the shakers. She felt Dale’s eyes on her, saw him close the catalog and roll it, tapping it lightly on the bar as he turned to face her.

  “I don’t like you being here one bit,” he growled. “Jaq should have killed you the moment she saw you. I got no idea why she’s helping you out like this, but out of respect for her, I’ll go along with it. Just know that if you lay one fang, one broken bottle, on anyone within a hundred miles, I’ll know it. And I’ll kill you myself.”

  Kelly steadied her hand as she screwed on the tops of the shakers. Werewolves seemed to be a pretty violent bunch if Dale was any example. Besides Jaq, they were all just waiting for her to make one wrong move so they could kill her. Kelly got the feeling she was in far more danger from them then any Kincaid scout. She could probably take Dale, but how many others were there? Jaq had said over a thousand, and Kelly began to think she hadn’t been exaggerating. One vampire would never be able to wade through a mob of determined, pissed–off werewolves. They’d easily overpower her. She had to make things right with her family and get the heck out of here before she would up dead one way or another.

  “Yes, Sir.” It seemed the right thing to say. The only thing to say.

  The door chimed again, breaking the tension as three women walked in — all werewolves. Great — as if working with one wasn’t bad enough. The real icing on the cake would be if all the patrons were werewolves too. There would go any tips. She’d be lucky if she finished her shift alive.

  Dale stalked off to the back without introducing her. Kelly stared at three sets of surprised eyes that traveled from her face to the saltshakers and back.

  “Hi I’m Kelly …the new waitress.”

  There was a thick, tense silence as the three women stared at her. This was going to be the worst job ever. She’d take that jerk Stephen and the malicious Pierre any day over this.

  “Nan’s the cook. Elaine and Jen — bartender and waitress.”

  Kelly nodded and the others finally turned from her to begin their opening routine. “I turned the grill on for you,” she told Nan as the woman shouldered by her.

  “Overachiever,” she snarled back. “Stay outta my kitchen.”

  It was going to be a long evening.

  Kelly watched Elaine and Jen, and they, in turn, scowled at her and wrinkled their noses, occasionally whispering together. Finally Kelly had enough. “Look, what is wrong with you people? Did I take someone else’s job or something?”

  Elaine stalked over to her, towering over the tiny vampire. Kelly fantasized about putting her fist through the woman’s face. She might be small, but she was still a vampire. Of course, if she did that, the other three would beat her to a pulp before s
he managed five steps toward the door.

  “You better not bite any of the customers, or I’ll rip your fangs out.”

  “Too late,” Kelly responded, opening wide to show the gaping holes. She was furious. Stupid fricken werewolves. It’s not like she wanted this job. It’s not like she even wanted to be in the same state as them.

  Elaine’s fierce expression turned to one of horror. “Saint’s alive. Did Jaq do that to keep us safe from you? Why didn’t she just kill you instead?”

  Jaq? How in the world could they have thought Jaq would have done that to her? “No! I was punished by my family and exiled here.”

  “Jen, come here and look at this! Your own people did this to you? You guys are a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters. What did you do? Did you fight back? How do you suck blood? Will they grow back, or can you get fake ones?”

  This wasn’t much better than when they were threatening her. She’d turned into some kind of vampire freak show. Kelly avoided the questions about her feeding and decided to steer them towards the questions less likely to get her killed or arrested.

  “I lost my temper and yelled at a prominent guest in public.”

  Jen sucked in a breath. “And they did this? Wow, I wouldn’t have made it two days as a vampire.”

  “Was it another vampire you yelled at?” Elaine asked excitedly. “Did she challenge you? Did you beat the snot out of her?”

  “No it was a demon.”

  That brought a look of respect to both the women’s faces.

  “Did you kill the demon?” Elaine asked. “I’ve never seen one, but I’ve heard they’re vile. I can’t imagine one of them letting you live after you offended it.”

  “She wasn’t mad. Actually she thought the whole thing was funny. But we have rules, and I broke them. We need the demons, need their favors and their alliance. My behavior could have damaged that alliance, so they made an example of me.”