Silent Shadows
XV
Arcadia looked like a normal suburb, lots of kids in parks and people walking their dogs. Seemed like a nice place to live. It was about 6 PM when we pulled into the city and by the time we found the address the sun was going down.
“We should wait until morning.” Danny said. He saw the look on my face and sighed. “Fine, but I’m going in first.” He handed me my backpack. “Put the gun in the back of your jeans.” I checked the clip and made sure the safety was on before sticking it into the waistband of my jeans. God knows I didn’t need to shoot a butt cheek off.
We crossed the street and Danny knocked on the door. It creaked open slowly to reveal an empty hallway.
“Stay close.” He said quietly. The house was dark and smelled like a musty basement.
“I don’t think anyone’s here.” I couldn’t hear anything. Not a heartbeat, not breathing, not anything.
“We should go. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Behind us the door banged shut.
“Aw shit.” I pulled out my switchblades, keeping the flat of the blades against my forearms.
A figure was walking out of the shadows down the hall in front of us. It was a man, tall and bone thin, with a face straight from my nightmares. The vampire who’d attacked my parents.
“How nice of you to join us. Veronica, I believe?” His voice reminded me of insects skittering over rocks or something equally disgusting.
The wolf slumbering inside of me reared her head. She was quiet most of the time, sleeping until I could release her. Now she fought, trying to get out of the cage she was in. I wished she could come out. I wanted to rip the skin from the vampire’s bones and tear him to shreds.
The vampire tutted, walking towards Danny. “I should have known you wouldn’t come alone. You seemed like such a smart girl.”
“Stay away from him.” I snarled.
The vampire smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp white teeth. “You’re going to be such fun.”
“Now, now Eleazar, I thought we weren’t going to play with our food.” The second vampire who’d been there that night, a woman, appeared from behind me.
“It’s so difficult when they have such spirit, Tasha my darling.” Eleazar said.
“Werewolves are known for being feisty creatures.” Tasha stroked my cheek and I backed away.
“What do you want with us?” Danny looked like he was fighting the shift, trying not to change just yet.
“You’re just a bonus. It’s Miss Veronica over there we want.” Eleazar crooked one pale finger at me.
“We like to get the whole set.” Tasha was wearing a necklace made of human teeth.
“The whole set?” I was glad Danny asked it. I was too busy staring at the molars around Tasha’s neck.
“You know, wipe out the whole family, that kind of thing.” Eleazar shrugged and flashed his fangs again. “It’s a pity your mother didn’t last past the first week. It would have been such fun to watch her scream when we killed you.”
I finally snapped. “Don’t talk about my mother you son of a bitch!” I flung one blade at him. He caught it by the point with a bored look on his face.
“Now, now, that’s no way to treat your hosts.” Tasha pinned my hands behind my back, taking the other blade out of my hand. I prayed she wouldn’t feel the gun in my jeans.
“I think I’ll start with you.” Eleazar moved closer to Danny. “It’ll make her scream so deliciously.”
“You sadistic bastard.” I spat.
“Flattery will get you nowhere love.” Eleazar smiled again. In that split second he was looking at me, Danny shifted and sprang at him. They rolled down the hall in a snapping whirl.
I drove my elbows into Tasha’s stomach, surprising her enough that I was able to get loose. She held up her hands, her nails lengthening into long claws. She slashed her claws just inches away from my face. I only had the gun and my fists at this point, so I kicked her in the stomach. It had just about as little effect as if I’d kicked a wall. I heard a long angry howl from the next room and a loud crunch.
If I hadn’t just gotten sliced across the face by Tasha I would have run to help him. Blood welled up in the stinging scratches, dripping into my eyes and my mouth. She pushed me up against the wall, pinning my hands above my head with one hand.
“Just one taste before Eleazar and I feast on your corpse.” She whispered, licking the blood off my lips. Her breath tasted like cold air laden with death, like the air in a crypt.
I couldn’t get loose of her iron grip. I heard one of my wrists crack under the force. She drove the claws of one hand into my stomach and I screamed in pain. A grin on her face, she twisted her claws in my stomach. I dropped to my knees, hot blood seeping out from between my fingers, soaking through my shirt.
She put her hand around my neck and let out a scream like nails on a chalkboard, pulling her hand away like she got burned. The cross around my neck glowed softly. It must have protected me from her. Even in death, my mom was protecting me. I couldn’t move from my place on my knees, the pain in my stomach making me still. I reached back to the gun still in my jeans, pulling it out with difficulty. Tasha was just getting up, cradling her hand where I could see a cross shaped brand.
“Rot in hell bitch.” I wasn’t sure how I was able to hold the gun steady, or how I got the shot clearly. It seemed like time had gone syrupy again and I knew just where to fire. I emptied the clip into her chest just as the front door banged open. My vision was going white around the edges. The blood loss would end my life, not a vampire bite. A bright light filled the room as I dropped onto my side, eyes fluttering closed.
“We should wait until morning.” Danny said. He saw the look on my face and sighed. “Fine, but I’m going in first.” He handed me my backpack. “Put the gun in the back of your jeans.” I checked the clip and made sure the safety was on before sticking it into the waistband of my jeans. God knows I didn’t need to shoot a butt cheek off.
We crossed the street and Danny knocked on the door. It creaked open slowly to reveal an empty hallway.
“Stay close.” He said quietly. The house was dark and smelled like a musty basement.
“I don’t think anyone’s here.” I couldn’t hear anything. Not a heartbeat, not breathing, not anything.
“We should go. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Behind us the door banged shut.
“Aw shit.” I pulled out my switchblades, keeping the flat of the blades against my forearms.
A figure was walking out of the shadows down the hall in front of us. It was a man, tall and bone thin, with a face straight from my nightmares. The vampire who’d attacked my parents.
“How nice of you to join us. Veronica, I believe?” His voice reminded me of insects skittering over rocks or something equally disgusting.
The wolf slumbering inside of me reared her head. She was quiet most of the time, sleeping until I could release her. Now she fought, trying to get out of the cage she was in. I wished she could come out. I wanted to rip the skin from the vampire’s bones and tear him to shreds.
The vampire tutted, walking towards Danny. “I should have known you wouldn’t come alone. You seemed like such a smart girl.”
“Stay away from him.” I snarled.
The vampire smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp white teeth. “You’re going to be such fun.”
“Now, now Eleazar, I thought we weren’t going to play with our food.” The second vampire who’d been there that night, a woman, appeared from behind me.
“It’s so difficult when they have such spirit, Tasha my darling.” Eleazar said.
“Werewolves are known for being feisty creatures.” Tasha stroked my cheek and I backed away.
“What do you want with us?” Danny looked like he was fighting the shift, trying not to change just yet.
“You’re just a bonus. It’s Miss Veronica over there we want.” Eleazar crooked one pale finger at me.
“We like to get the whole set.” Tasha was wearing a necklace made of human teeth.
“The whole set?” I was glad Danny asked it. I was too busy staring at the molars around Tasha’s neck.
“You know, wipe out the whole family, that kind of thing.” Eleazar shrugged and flashed his fangs again. “It’s a pity your mother didn’t last past the first week. It would have been such fun to watch her scream when we killed you.”
I finally snapped. “Don’t talk about my mother you son of a bitch!” I flung one blade at him. He caught it by the point with a bored look on his face.
“Now, now, that’s no way to treat your hosts.” Tasha pinned my hands behind my back, taking the other blade out of my hand. I prayed she wouldn’t feel the gun in my jeans.
“I think I’ll start with you.” Eleazar moved closer to Danny. “It’ll make her scream so deliciously.”
“You sadistic bastard.” I spat.
“Flattery will get you nowhere love.” Eleazar smiled again. In that split second he was looking at me, Danny shifted and sprang at him. They rolled down the hall in a snapping whirl.
I drove my elbows into Tasha’s stomach, surprising her enough that I was able to get loose. She held up her hands, her nails lengthening into long claws. She slashed her claws just inches away from my face. I only had the gun and my fists at this point, so I kicked her in the stomach. It had just about as little effect as if I’d kicked a wall. I heard a long angry howl from the next room and a loud crunch.
If I hadn’t just gotten sliced across the face by Tasha I would have run to help him. Blood welled up in the stinging scratches, dripping into my eyes and my mouth. She pushed me up against the wall, pinning my hands above my head with one hand.
“Just one taste before Eleazar and I feast on your corpse.” She whispered, licking the blood off my lips. Her breath tasted like cold air laden with death, like the air in a crypt.
I couldn’t get loose of her iron grip. I heard one of my wrists crack under the force. She drove the claws of one hand into my stomach and I screamed in pain. A grin on her face, she twisted her claws in my stomach. I dropped to my knees, hot blood seeping out from between my fingers, soaking through my shirt.
She put her hand around my neck and let out a scream like nails on a chalkboard, pulling her hand away like she got burned. The cross around my neck glowed softly. It must have protected me from her. Even in death, my mom was protecting me. I couldn’t move from my place on my knees, the pain in my stomach making me still. I reached back to the gun still in my jeans, pulling it out with difficulty. Tasha was just getting up, cradling her hand where I could see a cross shaped brand.
“Rot in hell bitch.” I wasn’t sure how I was able to hold the gun steady, or how I got the shot clearly. It seemed like time had gone syrupy again and I knew just where to fire. I emptied the clip into her chest just as the front door banged open. My vision was going white around the edges. The blood loss would end my life, not a vampire bite. A bright light filled the room as I dropped onto my side, eyes fluttering closed.