Devotion Calls

by Caridad Piñeiro

  An hour later the search along the ground had yielded nothing, which, given the chupacabra’s pattern of traveling over the rooftops, wasn’t surprising to him. As they reunited at the far corner, Diana proposed that she and Ryder hit the rooftops on one side of the street while Samantha and Peter took the other.

  “And you expect me to do what?” Ricardo said, anger and frustration in his tone. “Just stand here and wait?”

  “Head back to your shop and act as go-between in case we find something.” She turned to the others. “If anyone discovers the chupacabra’s trail, call Ricardo, who will relay the message to the rest.”

  Although he nodded in agreement, he had no intention of just sitting there and waiting. After the two couples headed off, he retraced their steps up and down the block, thinking that there must be something they had missed. Sara would have walked down this street to get to the subway. She would have had her knapsack. She always had her red Diesel knapsack.

  Something red should have been visible along the street or in one of the alleyways unless…

  Ricardo spied the garbage cans along the curb, waiting to be picked up in the morning.

  Perfect hiding places, he thought. Did the chupacabra have enough intelligence to know to hide the knapsack? he wondered, but the answer came to him immediately.

  Of course it would.

  Slipping his cell phone from his pocket, he dialed Sara’s number and began to slowly walk down the block, pausing at each garbage can for any hint of a ring. His one hope was that she didn’t have it on Vibrate.

  By the end of the block, despair sank its teeth into him, holding him like a prisoner in its clutches. Not a chirp or beep. He crossed the street and dialed again, listening to Sara’s cheery voice as her voice mail picked up time after time. He was midblock when he dialed again and thought he heard the sounds of Shakira. He shot a quick glance toward the music. It was probably coming from one of the apartments, only…

  As he disconnected from Sara’s voice mail, the music stopped.

  He dialed once again and the same exact snippet of the Shakira song started. He tuned into the sound, moving toward the source. It grew louder the farther he moved into an alleyway, the sound filling him with satisfaction and hope. Unfortunately another feeling assailed him, as well—the niggle of a familiar force tugging at his center.

  The chupacabra’s energy.

  As the ring tone grew stronger, so did the chupacabra’s energy, until the force of it vibrated within him. And then he noticed the flashing antenna and keypad of Sara’s cell phone on the ground of the alley by a garbage can. As he picked it up, something surged through him—images of darkness and of Sara. Bound and gagged. Somewhere dim and murky.

  He dropped the phone, severing the connection with the energy the beast had left behind. Breathing heavily, Ricardo tried to refocus his own, but it took several moments before he felt in control once again. When he did, he picked up the lid on the garbage can and looked down at a pile of trash-filled white kitchen garbage bags.

  And resting right on top, Sara’s bright red knapsack.

  He removed it from the pail and slipped it over his shoulder, fighting the pull of the chupacabra’s dark energy as he did so. Then he bent and picked up her cell phone, tucked it into his pocket, but immediately, images of her and the chupacabra’s thoughts permeated his mind.

  Ricardo struggled with the invasion, feeling it sap him of energy, until he realized that the longer he fought it, the longer it would take him to find Sara.

  With that realization, he opened his mind and let the beast in.

  Chapter 24

  S ara shivered as the chupacabra ran a razor-sharp nail down her cheek.

  “Ssso soft. Ssso p-preet-ty,” the beast repeated, moving closer until all Sara could see was her own pale and bloodied reflection in the lenses of its huge red eyes.

  Her fear was apparent, riling her. She refused to be afraid. Ricardo would find her. She had to believe that.

  Then the beast trailed that hideously lethal hand down her neck and under the collar of her jacket. As it moved across the tops of her breasts, she fought back her revulsion, closed her eyes and thought, Ricardo will get here soon.

  The human’s female was so pretty, he thought, remembering how her caramel skin had glistened when he’d seen them together through the skylight. How long had it been since a woman had looked at him? Since he had savored a female the way the human had enjoyed this one?

  Soon he would…

  Why soon? he thought. Now might be just the right time.

  With one sharp talon, he sliced the shoulders and sleeves of the jacket, eager to see her. Maybe even to taste her, much like one of his vampire cousins might savor such a treat.

  At his actions, she renewed her struggles, seemingly aware of his intent.

  Fear crept into her eyes, tightened the lines of her body as she pulled on the wire wrapped around her wrists.

  He liked the fear. He had always liked the fear, especially in the eyes of the servant girls he’d once employed, and who had satisfied him on more than one occasion.

  Like this one might satisfy him—until the force came to find her. And the force would come. He had no doubt that the human would not rest until she was free. It was why he had taken her—to assure the human’s cooperation in healing him. In making him human again.

  Then he would rightly enjoy this woman. But for now…

  He rose up to his full height, inching closer to her wrists, where the wire had bitten deep with her struggles. Fresh blood trailed down her arms, and he leaned forward and gave a lick. His long tongue lapped all the blood that flowed freely in a river of red. Her salty flavor was so different from that of the animals he had sampled. Beneath that unique taste was soft, warm skin. Smooth and scented with the hint of orange blossoms. A clean scent that teased his nostrils.

  He breathed in deeply, imagining how she might smell when she finally lay beneath him. Taking him in. Calling out with the pleasure he would bring her.

  Inside of him, something stirred for the first time in nearly a century, and he smiled with glee.

  Soon he could have her.

  “T-t-taassty.” He licked her wrists until they were clean of blood. Then he danced away from her, clapping his hands as he imagined what he would do once he was human again.

  Soon…

  A warm, metallic taste filled his mouth. Blood. Ricardo stumbled to the mouth of the alley as the beast’s thoughts and energy nearly overwhelmed him. As the creature’s desire intensified, so did Ricardo’s fear for Sara’s safety.

  Images of what the beast wanted seared his brain.

  The chupacabra wanted to be human again…and it wanted Sara.

  Ricardo thought back to the last time he had seen the beast. It had been so far removed from being human that to make it so would surely kill him.

  He didn’t have enough power to do a cure of such magnitude, but the beast wouldn’t understand that. Wouldn’t care.

  And Ricardo knew that if he couldn’t cure it…

  He refused to acknowledge that outcome, instead renewing his vow to find Sara. His only hope was to free her before the chupacabra realized that its desires would never be fulfilled. That its humanity would never be restored.

  He headed out into the street, opened himself to the beast’s energy, using those thoughts and the unique signature of its life force to find it. As he neared the cur
b, the chupacabra’s energy grew stronger, but that made no sense to him.

  Ricardo stood at the edge of the street, glancing all around, but seeing nothing that would clue him in to where the creature could be. He looked down, lost in thought until he noticed the sewer grate across the way. He remembered the dimness of the images he had briefly touched upon as he had connected with the monster.

  His friends had headed in the wrong direction. The beast hadn’t gone up onto the roofs, it had headed downward, into the sewers. It made perfect sense. That was how the creature could move unnoticed from spot to spot. It was likely where it kept its lair. Hid its kills.

  Where it was hiding Sara.

  As Ricardo stalked across the street, the force of the beast became stronger. He knew then that he had to get belowground. But how? The manhole covers were too heavy to lift on his own. He needed some kind of vampire strength to help him or…

  He remembered a Con Ed work site about a block up.

  Whirling, Ricardo broke into a run and raced toward the spot. The Con Ed employees had called it a night, leaving a metal barricade and bright yellow tent around the opening. With a quick look about to see if anyone was watching, Ricardo slipped beneath the metal barricade and into the tent.

  As he had hoped, the manhole cover was off, giving him access to the tunnels below. He glanced downward, into the darkness.

  He moved onto the sewer stairs and started the descent, eager to pick up the trail of energy once more. This detour had moved him farther away from where Sara was imprisoned.

  As he went down, he paused to pull out his cell phone and check out the signal. Full strength, but with each step deeper into the sewer, he lost a bar. Once down below, he wouldn’t be able to signal his friends.

  Heading back up a few steps, he dialed Diana, who immediately answered.

  “I found Sara’s stuff and I connected with the chupacabra,” he told her, his voice remarkably steady. “It’s in the sewer tunnel somewhere.”

  “Where?” she asked. In the background, he could hear loud street noises. Too loud for her to still be up on one of the rooftops.

  “There’s a Con Ed work site on 108th and Third, but I can’t sense the chupacabra here. I think it’s closer to Second, maybe even First.” Without giving Diana a chance to reply, he said, “I’m heading into the sewer. You may lose my signal.”

  With that, he disconnected and quickly stepped down the stairs. The metal bars were cold beneath his hands and slick beneath his sneakered feet, making his footing precarious.

  He hopped down from the last step into something wet and cold, slimy and smelly, that seeped through his sneakers. He forced himself to ignore what it was and to focus on the life energy of the chupacabra. He had to find it somewhere along this sewer. With a quick upward glance through the manhole, he oriented himself in the right direction—back toward First Avenue, where he suspected the creature’s telltale signature would be strongest.

  Reaching into his pocket, Ricardo pulled out his cell phone. No bars, as he had suspected, but the glow of the keypad provided the barest of light in the otherwise black tunnel. Slowly he moved forward, ever vigilant for a trace of the beast, for any sound that might tell him where the chupacabra had Sara.

  A cold sweat erupted on Ricardo’s body as he moved farther and farther away from the open manhole and his sole avenue of escape. But he wouldn’t let fear keep him from what he had to do. He was an ex-marine, after all, semper fi and all that, he reminded himself. He could take care of himself long enough for the cavalry to arrive.

  Within about ten yards of the opening, he hit a wall as the tunnel in which he was walking intersected with another. Left or right? he wondered, still not picking up any vibes from the creature. Pausing, he closed his eyes, attempting to focus on the chupacabra, but nothing came except a sound.

  He held his breath and listened carefully, and it came again. A barely perceptible clank. Metal grating against metal. To the right? he wondered, and finally forged ahead in that direction, sloshing carefully through the runoff in the sewer, trying not to make too much noise and alert the chupacabra to his presence.

  But then again, if he could feel the beast, the beast would probably know he was there, as well. His arrival wouldn’t be a surprise no matter how hard he tried.

  Undeterred, Ricardo pressed onward.

  Diana stared at her cell phone in disbelief.

  She was blocks away from the location Ricardo had given, and if he went down into the sewers as he had indicated, he would have a substantial lead on her in the tunnel.

  Dialing Ryder, she quickly gave him the address, but he was even farther away than she was. “I’m going after Ricardo. He can’t handle this thing on his own,” she said, and Ryder agreed.

  “I’ll call the others and let them know where to meet. What about the GPS chips?” he asked her as she raced toward 108th and Third.

  “If we’ve lost his signal belowground, we probably won’t be able to track him with the chip, but call Sebastian anyway and have him try to pinpoint Ricardo’s phone and mine.”

  “Will do,” he said, and with that, Diana surged ahead. She moved as fast as she could, which, since she’d been contaminated with Ryder’s blood, was much faster than human speed. In this case, faster was better, just like her improved healing powers and increased strength, also by-products from Ryder’s blood.

  Tonight, she welcomed those new powers, thinking that a beast much as the one Ricardo and Sara had described would be no match for an ordinary person.

  Only she wasn’t ordinary anymore, she thought as she reached the Con Ed work site, slipped past the barricade and tent and jumped down the manhole.

  She landed in the wet sewer and cringed at the smells. With these odors in the close confines of the tunnel it would be hard to detect the sulfur scent of the beast.

  But she plowed forward, heading toward First Avenue as Ricardo had advised.

  The dark of the sewer had closed in around him, making it difficult to gauge how far he had gone and where he might be. Pausing, Ricardo closed his eyes and stretched out his arms, attempting to detect the beast’s energy.

  For a moment, something niggled at his subconscious. Something familiar, he realized. But he was unable to pinpoint what it was.

  Determined, he forged ahead, and as he did so, there came a tug on his energy. A distinct pull that said someone was searching for him, as well. At the end of the tunnel, he stopped, again trying to figure out whether to go left or right. But if his sense of direction was working, First Avenue was off to the right.

  As he glanced in that direction, he noticed a dim light at the end of that offshoot.

  Taking a chance that the sentient chupacabra was somehow responsible for the light, Ricardo raced in that direction. As he neared the next intersection, he finally sensed it.

  The beast was nearby and agitated.

  Ricardo could also detect Sara’s presence. The connection they had made the other night was somehow still binding them. He could feel her fear, but also her determination.

  He wouldn’t fail her, he vowed, as he headed down the tunnel, which was illuminated by some randomly placed bulbs hanging from a wire strung along the sewer wall.

  The deeper he moved into this section of tunnel, the stronger the sensation of both the chupacabra and Sara became.

  The images and thoughts surged through his mind, leaving him no doubt about what the beast wante
d from him and why it had taken Sara.

  But what it wanted Ricardo could not provide. With that realization came another—that with his powers he could take much more easily than he could give.

  Ricardo hoped it wouldn’t come to that. That he wouldn’t break the promise he had made so long ago to never use the dark side of his gift.

  Mumbling a small prayer beneath his breath, he plunged onward, but stopped short when he caught sight of Sara hanging from a hook in the wall of a small alcove, blood dripping down her wrists.

  Chapter 25

  T he light was here.

  From where it rested a few feet from the woman, the creature sensed a sudden surge of energy. Unmistakable energy. With an explosion of speed, he placed himself between the woman and the human. He confirmed his earlier observations of the man—that he was youngish and powerfully built. Not that the human would be any match for him in his current state, but once he was human…

  Once he was human! the beast thought with glee, and raised his taloned paws, holding them outstretched to the human with the wondrous powers.

  “H-h-human,” he said, and took a step toward the man, who surprisingly held his ground, as if unafraid. It puzzled the creature for a moment, but then he realized that the man was putting up a front, trying to appear brave when all around him was the smell of fear.

  “You want to be human again?” the man asked calmly.

  Joy surged through the creature as he realized that the man finally understood. Hopping from foot to foot and clapping his hands, he repeated, “H-h-human-n. Maaake meee h-h-human-n.”

  The man gestured to the woman behind him. “Let her go.”

  The request prompted complaint from the bound woman, who pulled at the hook, shook her head with agitation and tried to speak past the gag in her mouth. The beast didn’t understand the reason for her pique and didn’t really care.