Of Man and Monster

by Saje Williams

  The Thirst tickled him a little and he knew he'd probably have to feed not long before dawn, or as soon as he rose the next night. What am I going to feed on? He wondered. I can feed on animals, but ... they taste like crap.

  Who said living forever was going to be easy?

  He headed for the bowling alley. As he approached he noted a crowd around the side door and had to smile. If it were Friday or Saturday, he would've thought they were looking for a party. But it was a school night.

  Jim Fogarty, a senior he barely knew—one of the Varsity football heroes, if he remembered right, with broad shoulders and a solid, handsome face that attracted its share of admirers—sat on the hood of his old Blazer, a map spread out behind him. The other students clustered around him. “He might just be a freshman punk, but he's one of ours,” he told them. “The cops can't find him. But maybe we can."

  "How?” asked Vince Taggart. He was Jim's opposite number. Tall, skinny, with lank brown hair hanging halfway down his neck and over his eyes. Redburn High's resident dealer. Pot, as far as Cory knew, but that was bad enough. “We don't even know who—or what—grabbed him."

  "Some Freak. We all know it. You've heard the rumors about the vampire killer, right? What could he be but a Freak?"

  Vince aimed a dark look Jim and shook his shaggy head. “Freak is as Freak does, Fogarty."

  "What the fuck does that mean? Forget it. I don't want to know. I don't speak stoner. And I don't want to."

  "Fuck you, Fogarty."

  The other kids snickered. Jim's face reddened as his jaw tensed. “You think this vampire killer's a local? Think he's living in town? I don't. I think he's hanging at one of the camps."

  The camps were party spots, strewn across thousands of acres of unclaimed federal lands. Cory knew there were dozens of them, but had only been to three so far. He wasn't really part of the party crowd.

  The others were nodding.

  "Makes sense,” Vince admitted. “Okay. I'm in. Anyone else?"

  It's me they're talking about. Guilt—and a strange sense of satisfaction bubbling underneath—washed over him. He watched, a phantom figure cloaked in blackness, as they climbed into their cars and, one-by-one, pulled out of the parking lot. They're hunting monsters for my sake. He was struck numb by the realization.

  I need to feed again. And I need some get of my own. But how can I do this to someone else? I'd hoped Ben would...

  Shit. I am so stupid. Just because Ben turned him away didn't mean the other Nosferatu players would do the same thing.

  What did he have to lose?

  Four

  Wednesday night.

  "I knew it!” Jason Keening's grin was quick. “When we heard Ben's story, we all said it was a vampire! Ben didn't want to believe it."

  Cory nodded, matching Jason's grin with a rueful one of his own. “He believes it now.” The older boy's excitement was palpable. Rather than being scared, the fox-faced teen could barely contain his enthusiasm. “What's it like? Like the game?"

  "Would you like to find out?” He said this almost tonelessly.

  Jason sobered abruptly, actually thinking about it. After a moment staring at the snake tank in the corner of his room, he turned back and met Cory's gaze. “You think we can take out this bitch?"

  "With enough of us—sure."

  As if that was the answer he was expecting, Jason shrugged. “So what are you waiting for? Make me immortal."

  Can I even do this? Cory leaned forward, his friend's heartbeat echoing through his senses, pounding in his head. He could taste the blood through Jason's skin, the rich, hot scent rising off Jason like invisible smoke.

  The heat was almost sexual as he leaned forward and pulled his friend into his arms. He felt a burning in the pit of his stomach as he hungrily nuzzled the other boy's neck. They both gasped as he drove his fangs deep, ripping through the flesh and thrusting his tongue into the wound.

  He almost cried out. The blood! Images flashed across his inner vision, scenes from the what could only be Jason's life. Running in a field with a golden dog. Standing on third base. Watching a baseball soar over the back fence. Sitting behind the wheel of his dad's car for the first time. Standing by his little brother's coffin after leukemia had claimed him.

  He experienced Jason's life even as he took it from him.

  * * * *

  With the body tucked deep into a small cave a few miles from town, Cory found his way back to his house. He snapped the padlock sealing the basement door and crept inside. The wolf-dog, who'd finally revealed his human-given name as Boru, crept through the doorway behind him. He would stand sentinel while Cory slept.

  He crept over to the back wall, ignoring the cobwebs in a way he wouldn't have done only days before. Spiders held no terror for him now. Now that would really be irrational, wouldn't it? he thought, briefly amused at himself.

  He shoved a large plank out of the way and climbed into the crawlspace beneath the floor of the house, pulling the board back behind him.

  As sunlight slowly poured over the Cascades, Cory slipped into oblivion.

  * * * *

  Thursday morning.

  Bigby grunted as he tossed the report down on his desk. “Looks like paydirt. We track down this tiny blond woman everyone's describing, we just might find the killer."

  "Weird,” Shine remarked, shaking her head. “Hard to believe such a little thing could be who we're looking for."

  "Isn't it?” Bigby seemed unimpressed.

  "So how do you think she's doing it? Drugging them?” Binks asked.

  "Not sure. Toxicology found nothing. Hell, for all we know, she hypnotized them."

  "Next question ... why?"

  "Because she's fucking nuts?” Shine answered with a snort. “Does it matter? We're hitting all the motels in town, then me and Tooms are heading for Bend to do the same thing there."

  "She's not in a motel,” Rachel told them. “Unless you're thinking she hauled all three corpses in to stay with her last night without anyone noticing."

  "She could have dumped them anywhere,” Shine said, frowning.

  "Then why bother? If she didn't want the bodies for some reason, why take them?” Rachel knew why, of course, but she saw no reason for them to waste all day chasing down motel rooms to no purpose. She was almost certain the vampire had holed up someplace out in the desert. With all the caves out there, she could be practically anywhere at all. Safer to hide far away from anyone who might threaten her.

  She was still waiting to hear from Chase. He hadn't told her how long it would take. He'd taken Cory's baseball cap and took off without another word.

  She tried not to admit to herself how much his demeanor confused her. Some of his standoffishness she could attribute to Cory being missing—as if he felt any overture on his part would be disrespectful or something.

  At the moment she'd welcome some sort of distraction. Any sort of distraction. She had no doubt Gavin Chase would be a suitable distraction in any circumstances.

  Truth was, she didn't want to think that her son might have been taken by a vampire. He could be lying dead in some cave out there. She didn't even allow herself to hope he might have been turned. And would that be preferable? she asked herself.

  "Flynn?"

  She glanced up into Bigby's concerned gaze.

  "You all right?"

  Silly question. Of course she wasn't “all right.” But she nodded.

  "Just tired,” she told him.

  He rested his gaze on her for a few seconds longer, then turned back to the rest of the team. “She's probably right,” he said. “But I don't think we can afford to dismiss any possibility. Go ahead and check out the motels. Flynn and I will check the caves ... unless you have an objection?” he added this last as if he actually thought it was a possibility.

  "Objection? Of course not, Chief."

  He grunted something under his breath. “So what are you two waiting for?” he roared suddenly, sounding for all the world li
ke the grizzly bear he occasionally resembled—particularly during hunting season when he allowed his hair and beard to grow wild for a few weeks.

  Tooms and Shine wasted no time getting out of Bigby's sight. Once they'd left the room, he turned his attention to Rachel again. “I heard some things out of the high school,” he told her. “Some of the seniors have been out checking their secret party spots—seeing if someone's been camping out there, and if there's any sign of Cory."

  She allowed herself a hint of a smile. “I didn't expect that."

  He shook his head. “Either did I. Commendable ... but I let it be known I'd prefer they stay out of our way."

  "Good idea,” she replied. “So they gave up some of them to us?"

  "Some of their choice locations? Yeah. Shocked the hell out of me.” He gave a slight shake of his head. “Sounds like your kid's pretty well liked at school."

  "I wouldn't bet on it,” she muttered darkly. “I think it's more that they think it could have happened to any of them. They want the kidnapper found ... and Cory saved."

  "Because it might have been one of them?"

  She nodded. “Uh-huh."

  "Well, it's a help, at least. We'll crawl around and see what we can find out there. Maybe we'll get lucky."

  "One can always hope."

  She didn't know what to say to that, so she settled for “I'll drive."

  * * * *

  Cory stirred restlessly in the dark, wondering what had woken him. It took a few moments, but awareness slowly crept up on him and he blinked into the darkness. The sound of vicious snarls and muffled shrieks cut through his daze. He tried to extend his senses outward and found he couldn't. Even his sense of smell, which he'd grown accustomed to being so potent, seemed as limited as it had been when he was mortal.

  He turned over and crawled to the edge of the basement, pushing the plank aside just a little. His eyes stung as reflected sunlight smashed into him. He jerked back with a moan, his face searing.

  "Boru!"

  The dog's mental voice reached him, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He swore silently, crawling to the edge again, trying to peer around the plank. Boru's snarls grew more aggressive. He heard another scream, cut off suddenly.

  "Close the door, dammit!"

  He didn't know who he was yelling at, anyway. Boru? The invader, whoever it was? Yeah, would you shut the door so I can come out and bite you myself? He nearly laughed at the absurdity of it.

  The door slammed shut suddenly, plunging the basement into shadow. He thrust the plank out of the way and crawled out. Boru had someone pinned against the wall to his left, half under the water heater.

  "Hold!” he commanded.

  The dog backed off but stayed only a few feet back, growling low in his throat.

  Cory checked the door and secured it quickly, turning back to the figure crouched beneath the water heater. It was sobbing quietly.

  The smell of blood nearly stung his nostrils as he moved closer. He felt something beneath his foot and bent down, fingers finding a length of wood. He picked it up and ran his hands over it. One end was sharpened, the other blunt.

  A stake. Shit. He dropped the wood to the floor. At night his vision could cut through gloom like night-vision goggles. Not now though. The sun being in the sky above seemed to limit his powers. Limit them to nearly what he possessed as a mortal.

  "Monster.” The voice was quavering, almost childlike, full of fear and pain.

  "Ben? Ohmygod. What are you doing here?"

  "I knew you'd hide here. No one has used this basement for years. Ever since your father ran away."

  "Why? Why come here, I mean?"

  "Isn't it obvious?” Ben bit out. “I can't tell anyone about you. Who'd believe me? But I can't let you prey on us ... we won't be your cattle, damn you."

  "Shit. Dammit, Ben. You idiot!” What am I going to do with him? If I just let him go, he's going to keep trying to kill me until he either succeeds, or I kill him. No, I'm not going to kill my best friend. “How bad you hurt?"

  "Why should you care, demon?"

  "I'm not a frickin’ demon, you loon. It's me. Cory. Why can't you believe that?"

  "I believe in evil, Cory. And vampires are evil. Creatures of the devil."

  "How do you know that for sure? I'm not the one who attacked you ... you snuck in here and tried to kill me. Which do you think is the most evil, Ben?"

  "You twist things like the devil himself,” the injured boy snarled. “So, are you going to kill me yourself, or leave it to your hell hound?"

  "I'm not going to kill you, Ben. But you sure as hell aren't leaving here until tonight. Once I let you go ... hell, Ben ... you'd better not come back. Next time you might not be so lucky. What I want to know is if you're going to bleed to death in the meantime."

  "No,” the blond kid spat. “I'm not going to make things easy on you."

  "Glad to hear it. God only knows I don't have enough to worry about. Boru—hold him."

  The dog gave a rumble. With a tired smile Cory climbed back into his hidey-hole. The wolf-dog would do as he was directed. Before he pulled the plank completely over the gap he leaned out and gave the dog one more instruction. “If he yells ... shut him up."

  * * * *

  It was their fifth campsite and Rachel was starting to get sick of it. Lots of beer bottles and other trash, but nothing that even hinted at anything remotely connected to Cory or his kidnapping. She climbed out of her department issued Blazer and kicked some of the trash around in disgust. “At least someone could've taught these puppies to clean up after themselves."

  Bigby gave a grunt of laughter from over the cab of the truck. “They're just happy to be able to get away with this now and again. Can't afford the time to clean up. They just get in their cars and cruise home."

  "A lot of DUIs on the road those nights, aren't there?"

  He gave a slight shrug. “Almost a tradition. You know how it is out here. Kids are doing the same thing their parents were doing twenty years ago. Hell, I'd be willing to bet at least half the parents know where some of these sites are."

  She nodded. “You're probably right. It's almost too bad that we can't make sure they're safe, if they're going to do it anyway."

  His eyes widened. “Sounding a literal liberal there, Rachel. We can't encourage them to drink."

  "Of course not,” she snorted. “We can just ignore it if they get stupid and drive afterward. We can't police the whole goddam desert, now can we?"

  "What do you suggest we do, Rachel?"

  She didn't have an answer. Seems pretty ridiculous to be worrying about this now, she thought. It bothered her that they were doing this, though ... that no one thought enough about keeping them safe.

  "This is the back side of America,” he told her, almost sadly. “Some traditions die harder than others. You're still a big city girl at heart."

  She'd almost forgotten about that herself. She'd been here for so long that the “back side of America” felt a lot like home. She'd left the big city behind her without a single look back. The gang battles, the drug war, the whole damn thing had become too much ... she wanted to raise Cory somewhere where she didn't have to worry about that so much.

  So much for security.

  They climbed back into the truck. She sat there for a minute, hand on the key. “You think whoever took Cory is really out here?"

  Bigby met her gaze and dropped his eyes. “No. I don't think so. It's a good thought, but it doesn't ring quite right. You're the one who said the killer probably wouldn't be in a motel."

  "She's not. But she's sure the hell ain't hanging out in some litter-strewn campsite. She's in someone's house."

  "You don't think she's a local, do you?"

  "Uh-uh. No doubt about it. She's from out of town."

  "You sound so sure."

  It wasn't phrased as a question, but she could hear the question he meant anyway. He was her boss, but she wasn't sure how much she should tell
him. She didn't actually know all that much. Just a bunch of stuff she didn't feel ready to share with him yet.

  Like the fact that there was a real vampire out there, turning those girls into things just like her. Like my son?

  She didn't know that. Not yet. But she was deathly afraid it was the truth. If he wasn't dead, he was undead. She wasn't sure she was ready to deal with that.

  Question is, am I going to have a choice?

  She pulled up in front of the police station and noticed Gavin's Mercedes parked across the street. He met her eyes as she climbed out of the truck and managed a slight nod. She nodded back and followed Bigby into the building.

  She didn't expect Gavin to follow them in, but, as they paused to chat with the dispatcher, he came through the doors and approached them standing around the desk. He nodded at Rachel and turned his full attention to Bigby.

  "Chief Bigby, I'm Dr. Gavin Chase.” He pulled a card out of his jacket and handed it to the big man. “I'm with Homeland Security, working under the authority of the Paranormal Affairs Commission."

  The Chief nodded, looking at the card. “You're the ones who hunt down Meta-criminals, aren't you?"

  "Sometimes,” Gavin admitted. “Usually we just offer support for the hero groups, but that's about to change."

  "So what can we do for you, Dr ... Chase, is it?"

  "Chase. Yes. Well, I'm here about your vampire murders. We need to talk."

  * * * *

  Thursday night.

  Cory emerged to find Ben still half hidden behind the water heater. When he slid out of the hole, Boru lifted his head and whined quietly. Ben glanced up, stinking of fear and hatred. He spat at Cory's feet.

  Their eyes met.

  "Get up,” Cory told him.

  Ben climbed to his feet, groaning. “What are you going to do with me?"

  "Send you home, you dumbass. Just like I said before. I sure as hell ain't going to hurt you. Any more than Boru already did, that is.” He reached out, grasped Ben's wrist. “Let me see how much damage—"

  "Don't touch me!" Ben jerked his hand back. Or tried to. If Cory hadn't let go, his friend probably would've snapped his wrist in his grasp.