Selections from By Blood We Live

by edited by John Joseph Adams

  Lucy sat up in bed. The blankets were shoved against the footboard, but she was wrapped in a kimono. The glow inside her lit it up like a Japanese lantern.

  "You upset him," she said, her voice cold.

  He grabbed his wallet from the dresser, and started changing his clothes. "You know, he was already pissed. Something about being hit on the head while you were su—"

  "No, I mean it." Her cold voice shattered with panic like ice in the sun. "He's going to hurt me, Martin. You promised you wouldn't let him hurt me."

  "He's not going to hurt you." He pulled on clean pants.

  "Where are you going?"

  "Into town for a drink."

  She grabbed the lamp on the bedside table and shoved it onto the floor. The base cracked. "Are you going to go see Kate? Are you going to go fuck Kate? Is that it, Martin?"

  "I don't even like Kate," he said softly. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then pushed her gently onto the bed. "If it makes you any happier, I'll go to the IceHouse. Won't even see her."

  "I'm sorry, Martin. I didn't mean that. It's just—"

  "I know." Rising, he took their bank deposit bag from its hiding place and emptied the cash into his pocket. Then he took the rest of their bills and did the same.

  She clutched at his sleeve. "You're running away! Omigod, Martin. You're going to catch the ferry and leave me. You can't do that."

  "I just need time to think," he said.

  He pried her fingers loose and left the house before he lost his nerve.

  It was after midnight before he returned, driving down the long dirt driveway through the woods to their house. He was drunk. Two other trucks followed his.

  Lucy waited for him on the porch, in the papa-san chair, sitting directly under the one bright light.

  The trucks pulled up and parked beside him. Martin lifted the case of beer off the front seat and carried it over to the picnic table. "I'm going to go get some ice to keep this cold, guys," he shouted over his shoulder, staggering to the porch.

  Doors slammed in the dark. "Ain't gonna last that long," a harsh voice said. A can popped open. The others laughed.

  Lucy rose and pressed herself against the screen. Insects pinged against it, trying to reach her. Bats screeched through the air, feasting.

  "Is that really you, Martin? Who are those men?"

  "Just some guys who work, from the quarry," he said, his tongue thick in his mouth. "I ran into down at the Ice Cellar. They're good guys. We had a few, a few beers."

  "What are they doing, Martin?"

  "Shhh." His forefinger smashed his lips. "They're doing us a l'il favor."

  Her nostrils flared. Her mouth flattened out in a ruby O against the screen as she strained to see what they were doing. She took a step toward the door and sank to her knees, too weak to go any further.

  A stocky, bearded man walked stiffly over to the porch. "Howdy, Missus Van Wyk," he said, sounding a little more sober than Martin. "Your husband told us 'bout the problem with the water stagnating in the pumphouse, making you sick and all'a that. Well, this ought to take care of it."

  "Can' tell you how much I 'preciate this," Martin said.

  He grinned and patted a wad of bills in his shirt pocket. "You already did. Just remember, it wasn't us who did it."

  As he turned and walked away, Lucy whispered, "What are—"

  "It's self the fence," Martin slurred.

  The bats veered suddenly from their random feeding and began to swoop and shriek at the quarry men. Martin stepped over, blocked Lucy's view. The bats flew with less purpose. The men finished their work and ran back towards their trucks a hundred and fifty feet away. One of them grabbed the beer.

  Lucy scraped at the screen, making it sing, her face a mixture of anguish and hope. "He said we couldn't kill him. He said he could turn into—"

  One man shouted something as she spoke, then a second, then the explosion, a sharp blast that was mostly dark, not at all like the movies, followed by the pebbled drum of debris pattering on the lake.

  Someone whistled, a note of appreciation.

  "That ought about do it," someone said, and the others laughed. They climbed back into their trucks and drove off into the night with their headlights off.

  Martin and Lucy leaned against each other, not touching, the screen between them.

  Nursing a hangover, having hardly slept at all, Martin walked up and down the shore at the first hint of dawn, searching for bones or other pieces of Pitr. He thought the gulls might come for them, the way they sometimes came for dead fish. But the gulls stayed way offshore and he found nothing.

  Bill came over at sunrise. The island's sheriff and his only deputy arrived shortly after. Martin, prepared to confess everything, instead heard himself repeating the story about some guest injuring himself, with Bill corroborating. Telling them how they bricked in the pumphouse to be safe. Speculating that maybe there was some kind of gas build-up or something.

  The sheriff and his deputy seemed pretty skeptical about that last part. They climbed all over the rocks, examining the pieces. The deputy waded down into the water's edge. The flat rock from the garden stood out among all the water-smoothed boulders. The deputy grabbed it, flipped it over. The rat's blood made a dark stain on the bottom.

  Martin's heart stuck in his throat.

  "Say, is Lucy feeling any better yet?" Bill asked.

  "Her fever broke last night, after almost a week," Martin answered, his voice squeaking.

  The deputy let go of the rock. It splashed into the water. "What's that? Mrs. Van Wyk's been sick?"

  Martin explained how sick she'd been, what a strain it had been on him, with no guests, not able to get out of the house. The sheriff and the deputy both liked Mrs. Van Wyk, appreciated the volunteer work she did for the island's Chamber of Commerce.

  The sheriff's radio squawked. Some tourist had woken up on his yacht this morning missing his wallet and wanted to report it stolen. The two men left their regards for Lucy and headed back into town.

  The deputy's eyes stared at Martin from the rearview mirror as the car pulled away.

  Lucy stood by the window, wearing a long dress, a sweater on top of that, with a blanket around her shoulders. A slight breeze ruffled the lace curtains, slowly twisting them. Martin pressed his hand to her forehead. Her temperature felt normal; the glow had dissipated.

  "I destroyed the camera," he told her. "And all the other tapes. I patched up the hole beneath the stairs."

  "I'll never be warm again, Martin."

  "I'll keep you warm." He wrapped his arms around her.

  She turned her back against his touch. "I'll never be beautiful again," she whispered.

  "You're lovely." He fastened his lips on the rim of her ear. "You're perfect."

  She jerked her head away from his mouth. Outside, a remnant of oily mist layered the surface of the lake, tiny wisps that coalesced, refusing to burn away in the morning sun.

  For Further Reading

  compiled by Ross E. Lockhart

  What follows is a selected bibliography of vampire fiction. This list focuses primarily on vampires in fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels published within the last thirty years or so, and largely ignores young adult, tie-in (Buffy, Angel, etc.), romance, and erotica titles, although some crossover is inevitable. This list also looks beyond the obvious origins of the vampire genre; if you're not already intimately familiar with John William Polidori's Lord Ruthven (The Vampyre, 1819), Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (Carmilla, 1872), or Bram Stoker's Dracula (Dracula, 1897), then start there. Titles noteworthy for their high literary value are marked with an asterisk.

  To learn more about the stories in By Blood We Live, visit the anthology's website at johnjosephadams.com/by-blood-we-live.

  Acevedo, Mario

  —The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (et seq.)

  Aldiss, Brian W.

  —Dracula Unbound

  Altman, Steven Elliot

  —Zen in th
e Art of Slaying Vampires

  Andersson, C. Dean

  —I Am Dracula

  Armstrong, F. W.

  —Devouring

  Armstrong, Kelley

  —Bitten (Women of the Otherworld) (et seq.)

  Arthur, Keri

  —Full Moon Rising (et seq.)

  Aycliffe, Jonathan

  —The Lost

  Baker, Scott

  —Ancestral Hungers

  —Dhampire

  Banks, L. A.

  —Minion (The Vampire Huntress Legend) (et seq.)

  Barbeau, Adrienne and Michael Scott

  —Vampyres of Hollywood

  Bellamy, Dodie

  —The Letters of Mina Harker

  Bennett, Nigel and P. N. Elrod

  —His Father's Son

  Bergstrom, Elaine

  —Shattered Glass (et seq.)

  —Mina (as Marie Kiraly)

  —Blood to Blood: The Dracula Story (as Marie Kiraly)

  Bishop, David

  —Operation Vampyr (et seq.)

  Bledsoe, Alex

  —Blood Groove

  Bodner, Hal

  —Bite Club

  Bradbury, Ray

  —From the Dust Returned *

  Brand, Rebecca

  (see also Charnas, Suzy McKee)

  —The Ruby Tear

  Briggs, Patricia

  —Blood Bound (et seq.)

  Brite, Poppy Z.

  —Lost Souls

  Butcher, Jim

  —Storm Front (The Dresden Files) (et seq.)

  Butler, Octavia

  —Fledgling *

  Cacek, P. D.

  —Night Players

  —Night Prayers

  Cecilione, Michael

  —Thirst

  Charnas, Suzy McKee

  (see also Brand, Rebecca)

  —Stagestruck Vampires and

  Other Phantasms

  —The Vampire Tapestry

  Clark, Simon

  —Vampyrrhic

  Clegg, Douglas

  —The Priest of Blood (The Vampyricon)

  Conner, Michael

  —Arkangel

  Curtin, Joseph

  —Daughters of the Moon

  Davidson, MaryJanice

  —Undead and Unwed (et seq.)

  Dedman, Stephen

  —Shadows Bite Del Toro, Guillermo and Chuck Hogan

  —The Strain (et seq.)

  Dietz, Ulysses G.

  —Desmond

  Doherty, Robert

  —Area 51: Nosferatu

  Due, Tananarive

  —My Soul to Keep (et seq.)

  Elrod, P. N.

  —Quincy Morris, Vampire

  —Bloodlist (et seq.)

  —Red Death (et seq.)

  Farmer, Philip Jose

  —Image of the Beast *

  Farren, Mick

  —Darklost (et seq.)

  Ford, John M.

  —Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History

  Fox, Andrew

  —Fat White Vampire Blues (et seq.)

  Friedman, C. S.

  —The Madness Season

  —Black Sun Rising (et seq.)

  Garton, Ray

  —Live Girls

  Golden Christopher

  —Of Saints and Shadows (et seq.)

  Gunn, Derek

  —Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder (et seq.)

  Hambly, Barbara

  —Those Who Hunt the Night

  —Traveling With the Dead

  —Renfield

  Hamilton, Laurell K.

  —Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter) (et seq.)

  Harris, Charlaine

  —Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire) (et seq.)

  Harris, Narrelle M.

  —The Opposite of Life

  Harrison, Kim

  —Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows) (et seq.)

  Hawkins, Kerri

  —Blood Legacy: The Novel

  Hendee, Barb and J. C. Hendee

  —Dhampir (et seq.)

  —In Shade and Shadow (et seq.)

  Hudson, Charlie

  —Already Dead (et seq.)

  Huff, Tanya

  —Blood Price (et seq.)

  Jefferson, Jemiah

  —Voice of the Blood

  —Wounds

  —Fiend

  Jewell, Elizabeth

  —Dark Callings: Bloodlines

  Jones, Matt R.

  —Hollywood Vampires: UnholyWar (et seq.)

  Kenyon, Sherrilyn

  —Fantasy Lover (Dark Hunter) (et seq.)

  Kiernan, Caitlín R.

  —The Five of Cups

  Killough, Lee

  —Blood Hunt (et seq.)

  Kilpatrick, Nancy

  —Child of the Night (Power of the Blood) (et seq.)

  King, Stephen

  —'Salem's Lot *

  Knight, E. E.

  —Way of the Wolf (Vampire Earth) (et seq.)

  Kohler, Karen

  —Slayer (et seq.)

  Kostova, Elizabeth

  —The Historian *

  Kupfer, Allen C.

  —The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing

  Lash, Batton

  —The Vampire Brat

  Laws, Stephen

  —Fear Me

  Laymon, Richard

  —Bite

  —The Traveling Vampire Show

  Lee, Tanith

  —Dark Dance (Blood Opera) (et seq.)

  —Vivia

  —Sabella

  —The Blood of Roses

  Lindqvist, John Ajvide

  —Låt Den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One In) *

  Lumley, Brian

  —Necroscope (et seq.)

  —Vampire World I: Blood Brothers (et seq.)

  Lukyanenko, Sergei

  —Night Watch (et seq.)

  Marks, John

  —Fangland

  Martin, George R. R.

  —Fevre Dream *

  Martinez, A. Lee

  —Gil's All Fright Diner

  Matheson, Richard

  —I Am Legend *

  McCammon, Robert

  —They Thirst

  McKinley, Robin

  —Sunshine

  McMullen, Sean

  —Voyage of the Shadowmoon

  —Glass Dragons

  Mellick, Carlton, III

  —The Faggiest Vampire

  Merz, Jon F.

  —The Fixer (et seq.)

  Meyer, Stephenie

  —Twilight (et seq.)

  Mitchell, Mary Ann

  —Sips of Blood (et seq.)

  Moore, Christopher

  —Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story (et seq.)

  Mosiman, Billie Sue

  —Red Moon Rising

  —Malachi's Moon

  —Craven Moon

  Navarro, Yvonne

  —AfterAge

  Newman, Kim

  —Anno Dracula (et seq.)

  Powers, Tim

  —The Stress of Her Regard (et seq.)*

  Pratchett, Terry

  —Carpe Jugulum

  Resnick, Mike

  —Stalking the Vampire

  Rice, Anne

  —Interview with the Vampire (et seq.) *

  Romkey, Michael

  —I, Vampire (et seq.)

  —The Vampire's Violin

  —American Gothic

  Rusch, Kristine Kathryn

  —Sins of the Blood

  Saberhagen, Fred

  —The Dracula Tape (et seq.)

  Schiefelbein, Michael

  —Vampire Vow (et seq.)

  Shepard, Lucius

  —The Golden

  Simmons, Wm. Mark

  —One Foot in the Grave

  —Dead on My Feet

  —Habeas Corpses

  Smith-Ready, Jeri

  —Wicked Game

  Stableford, Brian

  �
�Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of Eternity

  —The Hunger and Ecstasy of Vampires

  —The Empire of Fear

  —Young Blood

  Steakley, John

  —Vampire$

  Strieber, Whitley

  —The Hunger (et seq.) *

  Taylor, Karen E.

  —Blood Secrets (et seq.)

  Thompson, James M.

  —Night Blood (et seq.)

  Thurlo, David and Aimee Thurlo

  —Second Sunrise (et seq.)

  Thurman, Rob

  —Nightlife

  —Moonshine

  Waggoner, Tim

  —Necropolis

  Watts, Peter

  —Blindsight

  Wellington, David

  —13 Bullets

  —99 Coffins

  —Vampire Zero

  —23 Hours

  Wilson, Colin

  —The Space Vampires

  Wilson, F. Paul

  —The Keep

  —Midnight Mass

  Wright, T. M.

  —The Last Vampire

  Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn

  —Hôtel Transylvania (et seq.)

  —A Flame in Byzantium (et seq.)

  —Out of the House of Life (et seq.)

  —The Angry Angel (et seq.)

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks to the following:

  Jeremy Lassen and Jason Williams at Night Shade Books, for letting me edit all these anthologies and for doing such a kick-ass job publishing them. Also, to Ross Lockhart at Night Shade for all that he does behind-the-scenes, and to Marty Halpern for catching all my tyops.

  David Palumbo, for another amazing cover. I fear I'm being spoiled.

  Gordon Van Gelder: he gave me my start in the business, so if we were vampires, I guess that would make him my sire or master. Or something. Too bad this editing gig doesn't come with eternal life. On the plus side, it hasn't turned me into a living corpse.