No Man's Land: An Imp World Novel

by Debra Dunbar

  Jen made a sympathetic clucking noise. “This is an awful sorta punishment. If they was any sort of civilized, they would have just killed you.”

  “I won’t be here long. Jaq’s helping me and soon I’ll be back in Atlantic City with my family.”

  The two women exchanged skeptical looks. “Girlfriend, people that do this sort of thing don’t welcome you back with open arms. Better find a new family.”

  Girlfriend. That was a big change from five minutes ago. “It doesn’t work like that. When you change families, you start at the bottom, and you’re always regarded as an outsider. This is how things work in vampire societies. They’ll let me back in.”

  She hoped. Part of her was beginning to think what the women were saying had a higher probability of truth. But the faint hope of redemption was better than imagining a short, painful life in exile.

  Customers started coming in at that point, and they all hustled to get ready for the dinner rush. Kelly lost herself in the familiar routine of work. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the casino, the satisfaction in organizing everything so it all fell together like pieces of a puzzle. This wasn’t so bad, and for a few moments she indulged in a daydream that it could last forever. Tolerated, if not welcomed by the werewolves, comforting and familiar work, and a magical supply of blood that would sustain her without getting her killed by her furry hosts — it was such a pleasant fantasy.

  18

  Midnight came quickly. Kelly counted out the fifteen dollars in tips as she walked home then stuffed it into her pocket with the two phone numbers written on napkins. Jen and Elaine had gotten nervous as the men slipped her the phone numbers, once again threatening her with bodily harm if she dared lay a hand on any of the locals. Not that they had anything to worry about. Between Jaq and Dale, there was no way she’d be able to feed on any human within a ten mile radius, and the very idea of dating one was revolting. She’d had quite a dry spell with her long hours at the casino and the odd interplay of status in vampire relationships, but she was hardly desperate enough to consider even a fling with a human. Don’t date your food — it was an unspoken rule among vampires. Even so, she’d pocked the numbers with a wink, just to annoy Elaine and Jen.

  Jaq was waiting for her on the steps to the trailer, and Kelly felt her temper flare once again.

  “That place is crawling with werewolves. Everyone there is a hair’s width from ripping my heart out with their claws. How many werewolves have you run your mouth to? Do you realize what a danger this is for me? They’ve already made it clear they don’t like me, and threatened to harm me if I so much as look at a customer wrong.”

  Jaq stood, towering over the vampire. “I had to tell them, you idiot. Besides, you might as well have a sign on your forehead announcing you’re a vampire. Anyone a hundred yards downwind could tell.”

  Kelly gaped. This was worse than she’d thought. Over a thousand Jaq had said before. The idea made her shiver. “How many are there in the trailer park? Did you tell the humans too? Melody and Joe? Barbara? Margaret and Shanna?”

  Jaq waved an irritated hand in front of her. “No, I haven’t told the humans. Of course they don’t know. Just the pack. Mike and I are the only werewolves on Briar Lane, but there are a few hundred around Ranson and Charles Town. More once you get up towards Martinsburg.”

  Kelly suddenly felt dizzy, and for once it had nothing to do with her slow starvation. How in the world was she ever going to feed from a human again? Everywhere she went, she was in danger of coming across a werewolf — and they all knew. They’d all be watching for her, scenting the air. Her plans to take a bus into Charles Town derailed. She’d slowly starve, and there was nothing she could do about it. “Werewolves,” she said slowly, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. “I’m surrounded by werewolves.”

  Jaq scowled. “Well, yeah. I told you there were a couple thousand of us here. Did you think I was lying?”

  Yes, she had. Or at the very least exaggerating to make it seem to Kelly that she would be up against a formidable army. She’d never truly believed there were that many of them in the state.

  “Crap.” She needed to get out of here. It was bad enough when she’d thought she was exiled among a bunch of humans and a handful of werewolves, but now she was surrounded by enemies. Kincaid to the south, and now a couple thousand of these predators whose territory she’d invaded.

  “Tell me about it,” Jaq muttered cryptically. “You’re fine. Really. No one will mess with you as long as you don’t go attacking any humans. Or werewolves.”

  The gnawing in Kelly’s middle grew more insistent at Jaq’s words. How would she survive? She had to get out of here. Get back to her family and home.

  “Come on then.” Jaq motioned with one hand toward the woods. “Let’s go check your traps and see if we can pick up any scents. If we move quick enough, we may be able to cover a good bit of territory before dawn.”

  Kelly threw up her hands in frustration. She didn’t have enough strength to go racing all over the countryside, and no matter what was in those traps, nothing was going to help at this point.

  “I can’t. I need to find a bus into town and go buy pants for this stupid job. My priority should be finding and interrogating a Kincaid scout so my family will reinstate me and get me out of this hellhole, but no. Instead, I have to go buy a pair of black pants for a job I’ll have all of a week max.”

  “Are all vampires this ungrateful?” Jaq snarled. “I help you when you’re dying in a trailer, dumped by this so–called family who you’re so desperate to get back to. I bust my tail bringing you food, protecting you from the local pack–members. I give you information on other vampires, help you set traps, offer to help you track and catch one. I get you a job. This is the thanks I get?”

  She was right, and Kelly felt guilty, but she also felt hungry and at the end of her rope. “Thank you, I really do appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I don’t need a job. It’s wasting my time and I’ll be home in a few weeks.”

  “You’ll be lucky if you’re not dead in a few weeks,” Jaq shouted. “Stupid fool. Do you really think they’ll take you back? They ripped out your fangs, beat you worse than I’ve ever seen and left you for dead in that trailer. They’re using you, and if you don’t get killed by that rival vampire group, they’ll finish you off themselves.”

  Kelly felt tears sting her eyes. All she could do was shake her head. It was true, but she just couldn’t face the alternative.

  “I got you the job because I want you to stay.” Jaq’s voice turned soft, with an edge of hurt in it. “Forget the vampires. You can have a home here, with us.”

  Kelly choked on a sob. “With werewolves? With humans?” That wasn’t home; it was a kind of hell. She’d go crazy. Vampires didn’t live outside their family units. Ever.

  Jaq winced. “Yes. It’s that or death, and I’d hoped you’d find us preferable to dying.”

  Kelly gaped, unable to come up with any response. Couldn’t Jaq understand that life here would be death? Forbidden from feeding from the humans? Starvation would kill her long before the insanity of loneliness set in.

  Jaq made a frustrated noise. “Fine. Go have fun at Walmart buying pants. Or quit the job and go hunt vampires on your own. I don’t care anymore.”

  The blond woman spun about and stalked off down the lane as Kelly watched after her, feeling like she’d just made yet another in a long line of terrible decisions.

  19

  Kelly looked at the set of darts on the table before her. She’d gone on a shoplifting spree at Walmart once she’d realized how little forty–five dollars actually bought her. There was still a twenty under her mattress that she’d managed to keep, but the rest was spent — including the ten that Jaq had “loaned” her. Shame reddened her cheeks, and Kelly bit her lip. She’d pay the werewolf back soon. If she ever saw her again. Their argument gnawed at her insides just as painfully as her hunger, but she couldn’t think about that now. She had
too much to do.

  Jaq’s traps, carefully placed in the woods and around the trailer, would serve as an early warning system, but Kelly was far too weak to fight vampires in any kind of hand–to–hand combat. It was time to create some weapons.

  Covering her hand with a washcloth, she took the silver chains Jaq had brought over the night before and cut the links into small bits. With a pair of tweezers, Kelly carefully placed a bit of the silver on the tip of the dart and melted it in place with a crème brulee torch she’d borrowed from Melody. Why Melody had a crème brulee torch, she had no idea. The human seemed more like a cake and pie person. Kelly didn’t even think the woman had the foggiest idea how to make the custard, let alone caramelize the sugar on top. Not that she had any room to criticize. Even a box cake would be beyond her skills.

  In a few hours, she’d covered the metal of the darts with a thin coating of silver. It wouldn’t kill a vampire, but it would hurt like crazy and give her the few seconds she’d need to rush in and finish him or her off.

  Vampires weren’t as hard to kill as legend said. Yes, they could re–grow limbs and organs given enough time, and could heal an amazing amount of damage. Remove their head, destroy or remove their heart, slice them into little bits, blow them up or burn them sufficiently, though, and they’d be dead. Even a fall from a great height, like from an airplane, would most likely kill them. Slicing them in half worked. The key was to inflict such massive damage that their body couldn’t cope.

  Silver helped as it burned, and the pain it caused distracted a vampire enough to gain an edge over him. Everything else would work only if you were fast enough and strong enough to reduce them to small chunks before they could kill you. With modern technology, even a human could kill a vampire. In fact, a human mob could take one out with axes and guns as long as the vampire didn’t escape and run for safety. And Kelly was pretty sure werewolves could kill them too. She thought of Jaq with a twinge of guilt then shook her head. No. She’d apologize later. Right now, she had work to do.

  Finished with darts, Kelly eyed the remaining bits of silver. Inspired, she took out the large metal washers and melted silver onto the rims. It was tricky work, and the silver slopped over onto the sides of the washers. She’d need to either use a slingshot, or be very careful if she pitched them with her hands so as to not burn her fingertips. Looking out the window, she eyed the rising sun. She could catch a few hours of sleep and check the traps before donning her new black pants and heading to Dale’s, or she could just get it out of the way now.

  Kelly was dragging, but it was better to push on and sleep later. She hadn’t had a decent amount of human blood since the incident at the strip joint. The feeling of deprivation was starting to become familiar, even manageable, as if she could carry on at the edge of starvation forever. Shaking her head, she gathered her supplies and headed into the woods. She’d just need to push on and hope some caffeine during her shift at Dale’s would help her make it through the night.

  Kelly surveyed each trap. They were all empty.

  On one of the paths, Jaq had constructed a drag noose and used sticks to create a fence that would hopefully channel her prey into the noose. They’d attached small wire nooses at short intervals along its length. Jaq had called it a squirrel pole, but there were no dangling, hanged squirrels ready for consumption.

  Kelly also checked the deadfall trap before heading back to her trailer and crawling into bed. Nothing.

  No human blood, and the prospect of any in the near future was bleak. No fresh animal blood, either. Kelly just couldn’t face any more of the old cow blood Jaq had stuffed into her fridge. With her head throbbing and hands shaking, she shivered in her blankets and slept fitfully until it was time to get ready for her new job.

  ****

  “You look like shit,” Dale told her as she walked through the door. It chimed merrily, causing Kelly to rub her head. “You got that stomach thing going around?”

  “Insomnia,” she told him. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  With a dozen cups of coffee, she managed to make it through the night, depleting her meager tips to buy a rare burger to eat on her way home. There was no Jaq on her doorstep, nothing inside her trailer to indicate the woman had been there at all since she’d last seen her.

  She practically cried with relief when she saw a small groundhog caught in one of her traps. Slicing its throat, she drank, being careful not to spill any of the precious blood. It didn’t do any good. She was just too far gone for animal blood. A wave of depression crashed over her. Was this going to be the last night of her life? Even if she managed to find a way to get a small bit of human blood before dawn, this was the future she faced. Existing day to day, always worried about where her next meal would come from, and getting the majority of her blood from animals. Living in exile away from other vampires, trying to fit into a human world and surrounded by werewolves. Kelly imagined decades of this existence, centuries actually, and thought again about the fillet knife. Was there any joy, any satisfaction in this kind of life? Maybe Jaq and the others were wrong. Maybe her family would send for her. Maybe they would eventually take her back if she proved useful.

  Shaking her head, she walked back to her trailer. She was so exhausted. And hungry, and depressed. It was still early, but if she went to sleep now, it might help her mood.

  As soon as she approached the trailer, she realized that sleep would need to wait. A vampire was inside. A vampire with an aura. Drat. Rube was here. Here for information she didn’t have. Kelly hesitated. Would he kill her? Give her more time? Either way, she had to find out.

  The aura grew stronger as she neared her front door. The asshole was back. Let’s hope this time he brought some blood.

  She walked inside and instinctively assumed a respectful position. It was like forcing rusty bolts to turn to lower her head and place her hands behind her when she really wanted to rip his head off. Not that she could even open a jar of pickles at this point.

  “Hello, Kelly,” Rube said. His tone seemed uninterested, as if he’d had a chance encounter with her on the street. “Everyone is quite surprised you’re still alive, myself included. Not that I’m particularly displeased about it. You’ve won me quite a bit of money with your dogged survival.”

  Well at least he wasn’t planning on killing her in a fit of pique for having lost a bet.

  “Personally, if you were to croak in three days, I’d be a rich man, but it’s not up to me. Boss wants to see if you can still be of value to us or not. Let’s see what you can do.”

  Rube reached in the pocket of his black cashmere coat and pulled out a bag. It was full of blood. Kelly’s eyes shot to it, and her mouth watered. Struggling, she pulled her eyes away and tried to keep from trembling with desire. He was either intending on teasing her with the food only to deny her, or she would need to earn it in some way. Either scenario sucked. And either way, she wasn’t about to let him see how much she wanted the contents of that bag. As if sensing her inner struggle, the vampire squeezed and rolled the bag in his hand, molding it in an almost sensuous way. She fought to keep her eyes averted and swallowed heavily.

  “Been eating any more bunnies?” His tone relayed amusement and disgust, as if he were enjoying a particularly gruesome horror movie with her in the leading role. She felt her temper snap to the surface.

  “You should try them sometime; they’re quite good.”

  Her reply was beyond rude, and she regretted it the moment it left her mouth. They were hardly going to think she’d learned her lesson and bring her back into the fold if she continued to act like this. Maybe it was the hunger and lack of sleep fueling her recklessness. Or maybe I’ve just had enough of being jerked around by these entitled assholes, she thought.

  His aura flared. It felt like a whip across her.

  “Watch your tone,” he warned.

  A few moments passed while he continued to tempt her with the bag of blood.

  “What additional
information do you have for me?” he finally asked. “The Master was pleased with your information on the movements of scouts probing our borders, but now I need more. Did you find and interrogate one of their scouts as requested?”

  “There was one a few nights ago, but he was across the border before I could capture him.” Well, before Jaq could catch him. Still, it sounded like she was at least making progress.

  Rube made a tsk noise. “You must not fail, Kelly. You do understand what’s at stake here?”

  She nodded, although she wasn’t sure if he was referring to the family or her own personal future. Although in her particular situation, they were kind of one and the same.

  “The Master would also like you to gather information on Kincaid strongholds over the border in Virginia, as well as the names of any spies they’ve placed in our territory. Probe the border and find out.” He rolled the bag of blood between his palms. The red of it caught in the moonlight, and she couldn’t help but glance longingly at the bag. How could she possibly do what he asked? Kelly felt like that woman in the fairy tale, commanded to spin wheat into gold. Where was Rumplestiltskin when she needed him?

  “I’m a casino manager,” she said, unable to keep the frustration from her voice. “Not James Bond. Surely you have someone more qualified than me to do your spy work, or does this particular job require a defanged vampire skilled in eating rabbits?”

  She found herself instantly pinned against the fridge, his hand gripping her jaw, and his aura a flame against her skin.

  “You are very insolent for someone on the verge of starving to death,” he snarled. “You should be begging me for a way to prove your value, to show me a good reason we should bring you back into the family.”

  His words were like a cold splash of sanity on her pride.

  “Please, Sir. I do want a way I can earn your trust again. But I’m not skilled to do this. I can’t do this task,” she said, hating the desperation in her voice.