A Little Undead (10 page)

A few bats swept by as I waited
for my ride. Swift and sure, they danced on the rising evening winds,
a reminder that life in this sprawling city was not yet extinguished.
Still, I would have preferred nightingales. Bats only further
reminded me of my problem.

'If I didn't know a place to
buy fake contacts tomorrow I'd write this whole superpowers thing off
as a bust here and now. Though even with the issue of Fred seeing my
psycho-killer eyes fixed I'll still have to deal with my fangs,
claws, partial blindness in sunlight, and disturbing fixation on
blood.'
My shoulders slumped, head bowing forwards.
'So be it.
Try hard, then try harder, right?'
Though if that didn't work it
might be time for me to seek professional help. Shame the
professional help would probably involve some sort of crazy Van
Helsing wannabe that would alternate between trying to stake my heart
and performing an exorcism. For that matter, it would probably be a
good idea to start wearing sunblock, too.
'Just in case,'
I
thought to myself.
‘Besides, it’s good for the skin.'
Rescheduling the family Thanksgiving feast to Halloween to help
avoid questions wasn't a half-bad plan either.

The taxi arriving was like a
blast of fresh air. Unfortunately, it was then that I realized I'd
spent most of my taxi money on that giant cup of hot chocolate
earlier. A few quick strides took me around the corner and out of
sight. There was only one cab company that covered this area of the
capital and I had no desire to be blacklisted.

“
Hey, need a ride?”
His police cruiser rolled up beside me.

“
Jake?”

“
The one and only. Hop
in?”

I hesitated. He really didn't
seem a bad sort, I probably would have even called him a gentle giant
if he hadn't pushed me into knifing a zombie through the eye socket.
That said, I was more worried about what I might do than what he
would. “Your windows work, right?”

He blinked, then nodded.

“
Great.” The taxi
cab was already driving off so I left my hiding spot and took
shotgun. Rolling down the window I sighed contentedly as the cool
night air blew through my hair. Oddly enough, I'd worked up a sweat
signing the papers. Though whether it was from Fred staring at me or
from trying to avoid thinking about the artery in his neck I wasn't
sure. In truth, I wasn't ravenous, more that peculiar sort of hungry
that makes you think snagging a piece of candy from a toddler when
they're not looking might not be such a bad idea.

I was glad the seat was high
enough that I didn't have to strain to have my nose reach over the
sill. With such a steady breeze the scent of Jake's blood through
his skin was hardly noticeable – though I did note in passing
that it smelled remarkably like mashed potatoes and gravy with a
heavy dash of black pepper on top. Besides, I was definitely not in
the mood for a booster seat joke right now. '
Planning my life out
as some sort of American Vampire is ridiculous. I just need to keep
Alex from interfering with my life and avoid shifts with Bruce and in
a few days everything will be back to normal.'
It was a
sentiment that would have been far easier to put faith in if I wasn't
telling Jake my address with a sleeve in front of my mouth to hide my
mutation.

But in the end I wasn't ready to
fall back into the pit of despair that had gripped me in my
apartment, at least not yet. Instead I simply buckled myself in, the
exhaustion that had gripped me in my previous cab ride absent, though
I did suffer from a vague craving.
'Maybe Chinese tonight?'
It
didn't sound appealing.
'Well, I'll think of something.'
I
wondered if I really expected to fool myself into thinking it wasn't
blood that I craved. But seriously, I'd gotten by just fine with
human food for at least the past eleven years, even if I did like my
steaks extra rare. There had to be a way to get off the blood diet.
It was possible that if I just binged on human food for a little
while I'd slowly shift back to normal, wasn't it? Not that I had the
money for anything beyond a few eggs and pasta, but maybe Cassandra
still had some fix-it work I could do. Being short might not be much
of an asset on the police force but small hands came in handy with
most of the electrical repair work I'd done for her the week
previous.

Jake cleared his throat. “So
are you claustrophobic?”

“
What?”

“
It's okay if you are. My
uncle always had to be near an open window too. Bit of a nutter but
a nice fellow. He's dead now of course.”

Claustrophobic. That was as
good a cover story as anything right now, I supposed. “I'm
sorry for your loth.” '
Argh.'
My
fangs had grown to full length again without me noticing. I really
had to be careful with that lisp.

“
Don't worry about it, was
a long time ago. Before you were born, probably.”

“
Probably,” I
murmured, musing again about the various unknowns regarding my birth.
After all, even if there was some vague truth to my dreams, how much
of it could be real? There was no way I would eat a diseased man's
leg no matter how hungry I was. And besides, if I had really been
trapped in a room with a feral lunging towards me there was no way I
could have survived.

We
slowed, deja vu washing over me as we sat still in front of the
overly long streetlight. A solitary car drove through the
intersection as I tapped a clawed finger against the car door,
restless and... suddenly gut-wrenchingly hungry?

The windshield shattered, glass
exploding inwards from a fist-sized hole as the entire window
spider-webbed from the force of the clawed hand thrusting inwards.
Through the tint of my sunglasses the assailant was dark even to my
eyes. It was a giant, dark figure limned in red light. It was just
a fleeting glimpse as I jerked my head away, glass shards flying
dangerously close to my eyes, but it was enough to make my heart
gallop in terror. Jake's shout was cut off behind me with a deep
crack that sounded suspiciously like a snapping bone. Snapping my
head back towards Jake revealed only an empty seat, glass debris
flying outwards from where he had been pulled through the windshield.
'No bloody way.'
My
sunglasses chose this moment to slip off the end of my nose.

As
I stared at where he had been just moments before I could feel the
car slowly drifting into the center of the intersection. My strange
night vision was working overtime as my eyes flicked down to the now
elevated brake pedal before focusing on an oncoming truck. “Shit.”
I didn't normally swear, and this one colorful word that had snuck
out wasn't heated, or even truly disbelieving. It was more a “
Wow
,
this is something I'll probably need a therapist for” kind of
thing.

All contemplation of my
likelihood of ever riding in a car again aside, I knew I had to do
something, and quick. I'd never driven a car before, and as far as
my memories were concerned I'd only ever been in one a few times, but
I knew those pedals were what made the car move and stop.

I lunged towards the one I hoped
was the brake but was pulled back, seat belt bruising my ribs and
waist. Heart thudding in my ears I fumbled it open with my clawed
fingers, light from the oncoming truck shining in my eyes.
'There's no time!'
I dove headfirst underneath the steering
wheel, legs sprawling in the air as my hand pressed a pedal to the
floor. I could feel the car jump forwards, my spine twisting from the
acceleration, a horn blaring so loud that no other sound could be
heard save for the truck's shrieking brakes.

Chapter 4:
Scene of the Crime

The crisis was
very nearly curbed in the early days after the outbreak of the
Animator virus. The brave and the foolish in many areas of the globe
rallied and nearly drove the living dead to extinction. It was then
that those among us that had hidden themselves away ran out of food.
Weakened by hunger and sleepless nights of endless fear, they were
easy prey for the swiftly mutating zombies. With the sudden
resurgence of the ranks of the undead, combined with a rapid
depletion in readily available ammo, food, and fresh water, the
situation had gone beyond the point of swift recovery.

– Where We Went
Wrong.

A man's voice grated in my ears,
irritating and unwelcome. All I wanted to do was sleep away this
pain. “Miss, are you okay?” Even half unconscious I knew
that was a stupid question. “Just hold on, don't move, the
ambulance is on its way.” My body lay wedged between the
steering wheel and the stick shift, legs bent over the glass-covered
dashboard while my head made rest on the dirty carpet below. My right
eye burned, and I couldn't summon the will to move and relieve the
pressure on it from where it pressed against the floor. My left eye,
however, managed to slowly open to a slit.

I gasped softly at the sight. In
a world of black tar and cement buildings he was a veritable
kaleidoscope of color, full of warmth and light. My body uncoiled,
pain ignored as I pulled myself closer to this fire in the night. I
seized his arm and he reached out a hand to steady me as I regained
my feet. My ankles twinged as I lifted myself onto tiptoes, my
breasts pressing against his firm chest. I tilted my head to the side
of his neck, tongue flicking over my needle-pointed teeth and chill
lips as I drew myself still closer.

He said something then, hot
breath brushing my forehead. I paid it no heed, the sirens coming
ever closer a bare blip on my radar as my teeth sank into the river
of fire pulsing beneath the thin barrier of flesh. My eyelids
fluttered open and in that moment all thought fled. If Alex had been
like candy and fine wine then this man was pepper steak and honey
toast. Every fresh gulp of the substance was sweet and fiery and
filling all at the same time.

Time ceased to exist, the man's
ineffectual shoves and strikes like the feeble tantrum of a small
child. The more he sought to break free of my grasp the tighter I
bound his arms. It was like... instinct. His feeble shaking was
barely able to remind me that he existed at all beyond the feeling of
his blood sliding down my throat. I could feel its power glide
through my veins, cuts and bruises healing in seconds such was its
strength. He swung me around in the air at first, my body no heavier
for all its strength, but it didn't last. Soon his struggles
weakened and it was I who was supporting him, like a lioness her
strangled prey. My chilled skin heated, burning with pride, with
satisfaction.

“
Take her down! Nonlethal
force only!”
'What?'
My mind struggled to reboot, my
mouth slowing its assault on the man's blood supply.
'Where...
what am I doing?'
Ignoring the desperate urge to continue I
released my curved fangs from the man's neck, pushing him away.
Unfortunately I misjudged my strength, flinging the man a dozen feet
through the air to thud against a police vehicle.
'Police?'

I
wasn't a lawbreaker. I would have stayed and sorted all this out,
somehow or another, but when the flashlight moved to my face there
was no more thinking, no more wondering, only instinct. I could see
further into the night than ever before, but when the artificial
light hit my eyes it sent pain stabbing into my brain. I jumped
back, the leap carrying me ten feet or more, and then I was running.
Faster and faster until my hair flew straight behind me. And then,
surprisingly, I was home.

I
couldn't think about the police now. Couldn't think about that man
I'd hurt so badly. They would find me or they wouldn't, but right
now I needed to lie down. Regardless of how charged my body was my
spirit felt ready to curl up and die. It was only luck and poor
lighting that had kept them from shooting me like some mindless
zombie. I'd certainly bitten into him like one.

I
wanted to cry. It was simply too much. One terrible event after
another and now the apartment I'd worked so hard for didn't even feel
safe. The door was still off its hinges, and with things like what
had attacked Jake prowling the night my gun felt like a very paltry
thing. My hard-won new home lay completely open to attackers, living
or dead. It was too late to beg for nails from Cassandra, and asking
someone for a place to sleep for the night was out of the question.
Right now, I needed to be alone.

The
blood had nearly dried during my run, thick and tacky against my
skin. The bathroom would have to be enough, I decided. Pulling
together my pajamas and a pair of blankets I blocked the bathroom
door with a tilted chair. Prying off my uniform I wondered if any of
them had recognized what I was wearing when I bit that man. Had the
darkness and blood been enough to hide my identity? I wasn't sure at
the moment that I didn't want to be found, the guilt lay on me like
heavy stones.

Dry
and clean to the eyes, at least, I huddled in the scavenged blankets.
I wrapped them around me as tightly as I could, pressing my back
into the corner. Like this, I could almost pretend someone was
embracing me. Flashes of terrors half-seen kept jerking me awake,
but gradually fear gave into exhaustion.