The Cure

by Loren Schechter

  Bunny grabbed the collar of his quilted jacket and yanked him up like a gasping fish. “Never shrug off my questions. Do that again and you’ll have to shrug with your hips. Do you need a letter on that?”

  Two feet off the ground, Arvin wriggled in her grasp. “No. I’m sorry. No shrugs, no letters. That’s okay. I get it.”

  She looked over at the mules. “Nice animals.” She dropped him lightly onto his feet. “Let’s ride.”

  Two hours later, they passed through the narrow ravine that led to the school. With the benefits of vampire night-vision and a full moon, Bunny took in the outward signs of progress that had been made in the past twenty years. The concrete bunker built into the mountainside now had a second story with window slits. The portion of the roof that projected a few feet out from the mountain had been camouflaged with rocks and brush to prevent detection from the air.

  If they finished the fortification of the old mine under there, it’ll take artillery or bunker busting bombs to take the place out. “Looks a lot better than I remember it.”

  Arvin swayed in his saddle as he looked back over his shoulder. “You were here before?”

  “For seventeen months. Taught Phys Ed.”

  “Why didn’t you stay?”

  “None of your business. And don’t believe what other people tell you.”

  They dismounted in front of a long wooden outbuilding that had a sagging roof and gaping spaces between wall planks. One of the few structures still intact from the mining days of the nineteenth century, it was clearly not habitable. The stink of penned mules, soiled hay and rotted grain made Bunny wince.

  “You take care of this place?” she demanded.

  “No, no, not me.” Arvin scuttled away from her to stand behind his mule. “It’s only a temporary pen. Most of the mules were moved away to a cave to avoid thermal imaging from the FBI helicopters.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Whoever has the job should be defanged.”

  “Victor was the livestock boy. He ran off one night after freeing the wolves Dr. Baneful was using for his experiments. Nobody’s wanted the job since.”

  So Bart is still torturing animals. Why do they let him stay? “The Council should appoint a stable boy,” she said.

  “I don’t know how it is where you come from, but here we’re libertarians. You can’t make a vampire do anything.”

  “I can, and you people better, otherwise your community will fail. Even worse, these animals will die. Now let’s get them inside and see they get fed.”

  “I’ll come back to take care of them. Miss LittleHawk told me to bring you to her as soon as we got here.”

  “LittleHawk can wait. The animals shouldn’t have to. You expect them to serve your needs, you better attend to theirs.”

  “But then you’ll follow me straight to Miss LittleHawk?”

  “No, Arvin Chudkher, you’ll follow me, wherever and whenever.”

  “Oh.” He looked dazed. “What are we going to do?”

  “Wasn’t I clear? We’re going to rub down and feed these animals, then go see Edna LittleHawk. After that, we’re going to save the vampire world.”

  8

  Arrival

  Kathy willed herself to put one foot in front of the other. The granite ridge that sloped upward toward the serrated mountain peaks would have been a difficult climb in daylight; it seemed impossible at night, what with the cold wind stinging her cheeks and fear chilling her resolve. More than once, she’d had to stop to turn away from the wind and catch her breath, but Finkelstein hadn’t given her much time before urging her on, nor had he offered to carry her backpack. The flashlight he’d provided barely illuminated the ankle-high rocks strewn across the path, much less the camouflaged traps he’d pointed out as they climbed toward the school. She knew that the traps weren’t set out for animals, nor was she convinced by Finkelstein’s assurances that he knew the location of every trap, and that the howling of the wolves meant nothing more than a boys’ night out. Even worse, after hours spent bouncing on a mule and climbing this last piece on foot, her stomach was cramping and she had to pee. Returning to save Hector or else to die bravely with him had seemed so right in Boise; now, following a vampire up a treacherous mountain path, it seemed like an idiotic idea.

  Turn back? She doubted Finkelstein would guide her back to Boise. And then what? Return home to hide? To watch grass grow? Hector had saved her life; she had to try to save his. But she’d need lots of help.

  “Will you hide me somewhere until we free Hector?” she asked.

  Finkelstein looked back at her. “We? Edna and I told you not to come back. Any sensible girl wouldn’t put herself at risk for an undead life. And you’ve always struck me as sensible. So why risk the fate you rejected with Conrad in a hare-brained attempt to rescue another boyfriend?”

  She came to a dead stop. Her arms cut through the air in opposite directions. “Hector’s not my boyfriend! He’s my best friend. That’s different.”

  “You’re right,” said Finkelstein. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

  “Hector helped us through our stay here and helped us escape. How could I live with myself if I just abandoned him? I know what that’s like.“

  “You, darling?” He sounded skeptical. “Because you were sent off to boarding schools?”

  “No! Because people I loved died,” she snapped. “Not just Conrad…” She paused, then rushed on. “There was this couple, the St. Claires, that took care of me and taught me for years. They got killed in a car crash. I never even got a chance to thank them or say good-bye.”

  “Sudden loss is horrible,” said Finkelstein. “I’m not minimizing your grief, but think what it’s like to be turned into a vampire and have to abandon everyone you care about. At least you had your parents.”

  She shook her head. “They just didn’t understand why I couldn’t come back to normal after a few days, or why I started running away. They’re good people, but they’re into doing, not listening.”

  “I’m sure all that hurts,” said Finkelstein. “But aren’t you doing and not listening, too?”

  “No. I’m listening, but I need to face things with people I care about. So let’s go!” She brushed by him and started up the path.

  “Not so fast,“ said Finkelstein. “A great poet once said, ‘Teens rush in where even fools fear to tread.’ Let me go ahead here. The path is tricky.”

  She moved against a slab of granite to let him pass, then fell in behind him. “You have it wrong,” she said. “It was ‘fools rush in’ and it was Elvis Presley.”

  “No, it was Alexander Pope, and I made what he said more specific. But is that your plan? Hide from over a hundred vampires who can smell your blood through a sealed spacesuit while you wait for yours truly to perform a miracle?”

  “I don’t have a plan. Not a specific one.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” He lengthened his stride.

  She hurried after him. “I hoped maybe you and Miss LittleHawk would help.”

  “Edna will speak for herself. As for me, I’m not a Moses or a Samson. I don’t make trouble. And I generally don’t like people who make it for me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “And I’m Finkelstein. A lot of good that does either one of us.”

  “But – ” She put her hand over her mouth. Arguing won’t help. Begging’s even worse.

  She followed him silently until he raised his hand to stop her. The school appeared as a dark blur tucked beneath a mountain overhang. No light came through the window slits of the second floor. She had no doubt that vampires were there. Able to see in the dark, they didn’t waste fuel generating light.

  Hector ‘s probably in the dungeon, without light. Has he lost hope? Has Lionel been able to help him?

  Finkelstein scanned the ground they had to cross to get to a side door of the school. He sniffed the chill breeze.

  What’s he smell?

  He motioned her close. “Here’s the plan,”
he said softly. “Bunny is already talking with Edna or flaying her brother, whichever she chooses to do first. We’ll go in a side door and try to avoid everyone. If we run into anyone on the way to my office, I’ll claim you for my own – either as my student or my prey – it will depend on who we happen to meet. Whatever I say, you must play along. Understand?”

  Kathy nodded.

  “Good. I will get you to Edna after she and Bunny have finished their business. After that, darling, you can become Edna’s problem if she’s in the mood for a big headache. I’m not, and I have other students that need guidance…Why do you look like you’re fighting not to open your mouth?”

  “I have to pee.”

  “You have this entire mountain to irrigate. Go choose a rock.”

  “I’m afraid there may be something more happening inside me.”

  “Oh.” He tapped his forehead with his fist. Heaving a sigh, he looked upward. “Not good in vampire territory, darling. Did you bring – uh — stoppers?”

  “In my backpack.” Tampax and a few days of isolation took care of it when Soo and I lived here. No time now for days of room confinement.

  Finkelstein shook his head. “My training did not cover such issues.”

  “I need a bathroom. Or at least the chemical toilets we used before.”

  “Once you girls ran away, your bedroom was turned into a supply closet. The Council hoped your locked gate would reduce pilfering.” He thought for a moment. “The student bathrooms are too busy — not always for the right purposes, but that just increases the risk of discovery. The best place would be the female faculty spa. But get out as fast as you can.”

  “What if a teacher comes in? What do I say?”

  “Don’t worry. At this hour, night classes have finished and the ladies are either kibitzing over coffee in the cafeteria or curled up in their rooms with a good book and a warm glass of blood. I’ll stand outside and guard the spa door. If we can get there without you being seen, nothing bad will happen.”

  * * *

  With Finkelstein scouting the corridors and stairwells before allowing her to proceed, Kathy descended to the sub-basement. Her vision was still limited by the flashlight’s beam, but once Finkelstein whispered that a corridor was clear, she sprinted on the packed earth covering the rock floors of the rehabbed mine. After only twelve days away, the sulfurous odor from the mountain’s geothermal core seemed more repugnant than ever.

  “So far, so good,” muttered Finkelstein as she caught up with him outside a thick door.

  She raised the flashlight. The pink paint on the door was faded; in some spots, the paint was crackled, in others it had peeled away. Her beam reflected off a brass plaque screwed to the door. The first line was engraved in delicate script; the second in block letters.

  Female Faculty Spa and Retreat

  UNAUTHORIZED VISITORS WILL BE DISMEMBERED

  Kathy took a step back. “Are you sure about this?“ she whispered.

  “Turn off your flashlight.” His voice was barely audible. “I’ll sniff it out. If someone’s in there, we don’t want to announce your presence.”

  Kathy clicked the beam off. Finkelstein opened the door, stuck his head in and sniffed. “Anybody home?” He pulled his head back and motioned Kathy to enter. “There should be a switch on the wall for lights, but wait until the door is completely closed before you turn them on.”

  “Electric lights?” she whispered.

  “And magnifying mirrors. Some of the ladies like to admire their improved bodies.”

  “You’ll stay out here?”

  “Yes, but be quick.”

  Kathy stepped into the dark room and closed the door firmly before clicking on the flashlight. The beam cut across a counter with three washbasins and bounced back off the gilt-edged mirrors above them. She found the wall switch to the left of the door and flicked it on, blinking in the light coming from tubes above the mirrors. The room was at least six times the size of her bathroom at home, but it had neither toilets nor showers. Three chrome stools were tucked in below a granite counter on which pyramids of rolled washcloths and dispensers of soaps, lotions and tissues were neatly arranged. Against a side wall, there were two chairs and a magazine-laden coffee table. A floor-to-ceiling cabinet beside the archway to the next room was marked “Makeup and Sundries.” Her curiosity was piqued by what “sundries” lay within, but her need to find a toilet was pressing.

  She went through the archway and switched on the lights. White tiles, four stalls, two more washbasins, even a bidet – and a voice that said “I doubt even Jesus could love you in that perfume, dear.”

  Kathy recoiled. Her backpack hit the wall. “I, uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone was in here.”

  “Quite understandable.” The fluttery voice came from inside a stall. “I’m not wearing scent. I’m just back from hunting. Excuse me.” A mechanical sucking sound started up, undercutting the voice. “You know students are not allowed in here.”

  Kathy squeezed her thighs together. “I’m sorry, but I have to pee real bad.”

  “Well, go ahead. I know the feeling. We’ll dismember you when you’re more comfortable.” She tittered.

  Underlude! thought Kathy as she raced to the stall farthest from the vampire. She slammed the door shut, locked it and pulled down her jeans. The mechanical sucking sound had become intermittent. The toilet seat felt cold, her relief immeasurable. The cramping seemed to be easing. No blood on the toilet paper, none on her underwear. As a precaution, she inserted a tampon, then gave a big sigh.

  “Feeling better, Kathy?” the fluttery voice asked.

  “Miss Underlude?” Kathy stood and pulled up her clothes.

  “I wasn’t told you were coming back. Are you planning to stay? What with two boys terminated and you gone, my Theology elective is down to three students. And not one of them has read C.S. Lewis, much less Thomas Aquinas or the Dalai Lama.”

  Kathy shrugged. “That was due to the St. Claires. Otherwise I would’ve been reading the stuff other kids read.” Don’t think about them. The St. Claires lived and died in another world. She pushed the button at the back of the toilet. The toilet whooshed. She picked up her backpack and unlocked the door.

  “I hope you’ve come to understand and forgive Conrad’s decision,” said Underlude.

  Kathy turned away from the sinks and glared at the stall her teacher occupied. “I’m working on it.”

  “It shocked and grieved many of us, but we vampires accept the need for suicide,” said Underlude. “Living forever as an outcast and killer is more than sensitive individuals like Conrad can bear.”

  “Yeah, well did anyone think charging me with his murder was more than I could bear?”

  “None of us could stop Dr. Baneful from accusing you. But Conrad’s death wasn’t your fault and the trial would have proved that.”

  “I’m glad you’re so sure. Baneful got people to lie.” She turned on the tap to wash her hands. The water was warm. “I’m just here for a brief visit. I hope you won’t say anything to anybody.” She dried her hands with a paper towel.

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” said Underlude. “This Vakextractor is slow. You know I was kidding about the dismemberment, don’t you?”

  “Sure. What’s a Vakextractor?”

  “Didn’t you see the girls using them in the bathroom when you were here?”

  “They put chemical toilets in our rooms. They thought we’d be safer.”

  “Right.” The sucking sound stopped. The toilet flushed. “Well, our intestines grind to a halt once we’re turned. And even though we hunger for blood, most of us still like the taste of food.” Underlude flushed her toilet again. “Gravity helps to some extent, but not as much as a Vakextractor. It has different sized disposable tubes for different orifices. Need any more details?”

  “No, that’s quite enough. Please excuse me, but I’m in sort of a rush.”

  “That’s one of the few nice things about being a vampi
re.” Underlude emerged from her stall. Gray-haired and portly, she was buttoning a strap of her denim overalls, beneath which she wore a flannel shirt. “We always have enough time for everything.” She cocked her head. “Oh dear.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You’d better go into the shower room. We’re getting company.”

  9

  Your Girl

  Bunny’s forehead wrinkled with puzzlement. “What do you mean I shouldn’t go in?”

  “The girl is cleaning the spa,” said Finkelstein, blocking the door. “The floor’s wet and slippery. The girl asked that you come back in half an hour.”

  “She knew I was coming to wash up?”

  “You, in general.”

  Something’s going down. Bunny glanced at Arvin. Is he in on it? The straw-head didn’t look away.

  “Miss LittleHawk told me I should bring you directly to her,” Arvin said. “Maybe you should come back later.”

  “That’s right,” said Finkelstein. “Edna wanted to see you first thing.”

  They’re in cahoots. “I’m not going to Edna and the Council smelling like mule.” She took off her hoody and handed it to Arvin. “Hold this.” Under it she wore jeans and an American Flag tee shirt with the motto Freedom Demands Blood and Guts.

  She glared at Finkelstein. “Get out of my way. I won’t mess up her clean floor.”

  “Why is a student cleaning instead of the custodian?” asked Arvin.

  “Good question,” said Bunny. He doesn’t know what’s happening any more than I do.

  Finkelstein raised a finger as if scoring a point. “That’s the thing. Arthur – the custodian — is out hunting. Unfortunately, a Vakextractor misfired in there.” His cheeks sagged, his lips turned down. “Quite a mess. Believe me.”

  “Believe you?” She laughed. “The card shark who pulls a fourth king off the bottom?”

  The guidance counselor shook his head. “Never. You overestimate my ability and underestimate my character.”