Harvest Moon

Four days ago her life had been normal, three days ago it began to get weird and on her last day it had gotten down right scary.

First strange marks began to appear on bodies; bodies who’d blood had been drained. Then bodies began to show up with entire throats torn out and then the numbers began to multiply. First it was four bodies, then nine, then a staggering twelve bodies just in her last shift alone. New Orleans might be a big city and it has it’s fair share of crime but never in her three years of working in the ER had she ever seen something so horrifying and strange.

As horrifying as those things were they were not what led Adel to her current predicament. No, what led her to that were the events that occurred at the end of her last shift.

At six forty five am, just fifteen minutes before the end of her shift Adel was given a report that needed to be taken to the morgue pertaining to a DOA that had come in earlier in her shift; the computer had been on the fritz so all reports had to be hand written and transported to whatever location they were needed in.

Report in hand, Adel made her way to the elevator. Quietly she hummed to herself as she entered the elevator and pressed the button for basement. She leaned back against the wall in exhaustion as the elevator made it’s way down the three floors. When the doors opened she silently stepped off and made her way down the long hallway that led to the morgue.

Pushing the door open Adel stopped in her tracks with a gasp. There laying in front of her was Trent, the tech she had sent the body with earlier; also her ex boyfriend and he was very obviously dead.

She had just enough time to take in the fact that his throat had been torn open and the apparent lack of blood before she heard the sound of the freezer doors opening and shutting in the next room. Panicked Adel dropped down to her knees and crawled under the desk to hide. Silently she bit her lip as she tried her best to control her breathing and hold in the screams that she wanted to let loose. She could hear three voices as the doors pushed open and they entered the room.

There was a loud crashing sound almost as if two rocks crashed together, “Let me go it’s mine; the blood is mine,” A girlish voice yelled.

“Get her out of here, and don’t let her kill anyone else,” a harsh familiar voice whispered.

“What about the human; I can smell her; she is scared.” another voice questioned.

“Leave her. He will be angry enough that our cover has been blown.”

“But.”

“I said leave!” the familiar voice yelled.

When silence once again enveloped the room Adel was terrified. Tears poured down her face as she held both her hands over her mouth and nose trying to keep her ragged breathing from being heard.

“You can come out now Adel,” the voice spoke from right in front of the desk she was using as cover.

She knew that if she obeyed that it would mean almost certain death but at the same time something was telling her that she should trust this familiar voice. Against her better judgment Adel slowly crawled out from under the desk and turned to face her possible killer.

“Pastor Vargus?” she gasped in shock.

The handsome man stared at her with an impassive face, “I have done a great service to you Adel but after I leave here the protection ends.”

“What are you?” she questioned as her mind began to fit the pieces together.

He smiled, “Why ask a question if you already know the answer?”

“Why am I still alive?”

“I’ve always admired your work ethic and it would be a shame to end a life such as yours; even if you are just human.”

Adel stared at the hospital chaplain in confusion, “You are different than they are.”

“Only in age; it gives me the advantage of being able to control myself where as Stewart and the girl can not.”

“Trent?” Adel questioned as her eyes landed on his body once more.

He sighed, “Yes, I am sorry about that, he was special to you was he not?

She bit her lip, “He was my ex boyfriend.”

“That is quite unfortunate but do not worry, Stewart will be punished for allowing her to kill here.”

As certain questions formed in her mind, Adel continued to gaze at the man she had seen almost daily for the past two years, “I’m confused, if you are…what you are, then how is it that you can work here without…eating?” She questioned unable to voice certain words that were running through her head.

“Because I am older, I am better able to control myself, to blend in. It is that reason he chose me for this,” he answered.

“But you do..” Adel trailed off unable to finish her sentence.

“Feed on humans?” He asked, “Yes.”

Adel nodded as her mind reeled. She knew she should be terrified, and she was of the situation she was in, but standing there in front of him she felt no threat whatsoever and she silently wondered if she was insane.

“So what happens to me now?” She wondered aloud.

He frowned, “You need to get as far away from the city as possible. You will not have much time before Stewart betrays me and they come after you. Take what you can and leave no trail. You are lucky that the tracker was killed yesterday, it will make it harder to find you with just Stewart knowing your sent.”

“But.”

“Seriously you do not have much time. Adel you need to run.”

And run she did.

When she decided to leave the city she knew flying would be out of the question because it left a paper trail so at the last second she booked it to the bus station just managing to catch the next bus out and as she got off the bus in Baton Rouge an hour earlier with nothing but the clothes she could fit into her suitcase and the contents of her savings account that she had hastily withdrawn on her, she decided that driving would probably be her best option .

Picking up a Peddler as she left the bus station and set out for the first car that looked promising.

“Can I help you?” A girl who looked to be in her mid twenties asked answering the door.

Adel smiled, “ I‘m interested in buying your car.”

The girl frowned, “Usually people call first.”

Adel sighed, “I know and I’m sorry but my car just breathed it’s last breath, I’m in need of a ride and I ran across your ad and figured why not.”

The girl rolled her eyes, “Whatever, the price is a thousand and it’s right there if you want to take a look at it.”
Adel glance over her shoulder at the beat up red Corolla, “No need, it’s perfect.”

“You got the money?” the girl asked as she stepped out the door and lit a cigarette.

“You got the keys?” Adel countered.

The girl rolled her eyes, flicking her ashes before reaching inside and grabbing the keys off a peg on the wall, “Here ya go,” she said tossing the key at Adel.

Adel released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding as her hand closed around the key, “Thanks,” She added as she held out the folded bills to the girl.

The girl dropped her cigarette and crushed it under her foot before taking the money from Adel and sticking it in her front pocket, “you runnin’ from someone or something?” she asked nodding towards her suitcase.

“Or something, “Adel mumbled.

The girls eyes softened, “You hang in there girl, stay safe,” she added before stepping back into her house

Adel smiled, “Thanks.”

As the door closed Adel opened the trunk and tossed her suitcase in. She had the money, she had the wheels, now all she had to do was figure out where to go.