Dead Surround - The Julia Poe Vampire Chronicles (25 page)

“If worse comes to worse and the helicopter can’t fly, I’ll carry her off somewhere while you and the rest fend off Newbitt and Trench.”

Joseph nodded grimly. “That’ll do. As long as Megan’s safe.”

Sainvire put an arm around his best friend’s shoulder and squeezed. “She’ll be safe, Joseph. She has you and the child to live for.”



The four had been resting under the tree Poe had used for kicking practice the day before. They could see the farmhouse clearly though no light shone through the windows. The only source of light was behind the barn where major overhaul and repair of the battered helicopter was occurring.

“How much time you think we got?”

“Dunno, Michelle. Maybe half an hour?”

“All I know is I can’t run anymore this night,”

said an exhausted Maclemar. “My last stumble back there did me in.”

“Then we’d best find us some more guns and a better shooting position, right quick,” said Poe, rising to her feet after petting Penny affectionately. The decade-old dog had followed her through hell and back. “I love you, Pen. And don’t you forget it.”

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A volley of bullets besieged the ground the moment they crossed the fence surrounding the farm grounds.

“Whoa! Whoa, fuckers! Quit firin’ on one of your own!” yelled Michelle who remained on her feet while Maclemar and Poe dove on the ground for cover. “Stop shooting, assknocks!

“Michelle?” asked a voice from one of the rafters.

“Yeah, motherfucker, it’s me! And I’ve got Poe and the Welshman with me, too.”

“Hold your fire!” ordered the voice.

Before Poe could haul herself off the ground, Sainvire’s size 12 Pumas landed in front of her. With uncharacteristic brusqueness he pulled Poe to her feet.

“What the hell are you doing here, Poe?” he furiously asked. His fingers dug hard into her arm.

Penny growled her disapproval.

“I’m, I’m here to protect Megan,” she answered with confusion.

“The hell you are! You’re supposed to be taking care of Piper!”

Maclemar stepped forward looking equally dangerous. “Sainvire, take your hands off her.”

As if realizing the heavy pressure of his hand on Poe’s flesh, Sainvire let go and took a step back. He ignored Maclemar who positioned himself protectively to the girl’s right. Sainvire said, “You’ve just complicated an already glum situation, Julia Poe.

Not only have you left Megan’s child unprotected, you have also brought more problems for us. There are only eight available seats in the helicopter. Now we have to worry about three more bodies.”

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“That’s assuming the bird will fly,” Maclemar commented. “You know Rufus doesn’t know shite, don’t you?”

“Painfully. Escape plan or no, we have eleven against a hundred well equipped vampires with bulldozers. The odds are pretty bad any which way we turn.”

Maclemar remained quiet in contemplation. He broke his silence with, “I don’t know anything about helicopters, but I’m pretty good with engines. I’ll see what I can do.”

Sainvire nodded. “Thank you, Maclemar.”

“Don’t thank me yet. If I get the bird running, I expect these two girls to get a spot inside.”

“I can’t promise that,” Sainvire said direly.

“Then I won’t even bother.”

“Don’t be a fucking idiot, Maclemar. This is no time to bargain,” pronounced Poe. “I don’t want a place that’s not rightly mine. Besides, I have Penny to think about. So you better go help Rufus fix that helicopter. Now!”

Maclemar opened his mouth to protest, but Poe’s determined face dissuaded him from even trying.

“Right ya are, sweets,” he said then walked toward the barn.

“Michelle, Ed can supply you with better firepower.”

“Yessir. I know when I’m not wanted,” she said and walked away. She yelled, “Ed, where the hell are you? I need me some guns!”

Poe and Sainvire glared at each other in stifling quiet until the young woman tore off her night vision gear. Wiping the sweat from her face with her sleeve, Poe locked in her death stare.

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“I aim on staying here. No matter what,” she said. “So don’t worry about me taking up space in your precious helicopter.”

“Don’t make me sound like a monster,” he sighed. “Those seats are reserved for those brave enough to sit it out while Megan recuperates.”

Poe nodded. “I know. But I still don’t appreciate you thwacking me on the head and choosing for me.”

“Sorry about that, Poe,” Sainvire apologized. He glanced briefly at the bright moon. “I’m sorry about a lot of things.”

“Me, too.”

“Maclemar’s a good man,” he began. “He seems to deeply care for you.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“He’ll make you happy.”

Poe wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose.

“Gee, thanks for the blessing, you goddamn vampire.

Do me a favor and don’t tell me who I’m going to be happy living life with. Now take me to Megan.”

She trailed him. He said, “I’m only thinking practical, Poe. There’s no one else I’d rather be with, but my responsibility is immense, and there’s no end in sight.”

“Just zip it, mister. I don’t want you anymore.

I’m totally over you, so don’t even flatter yourself.

I’m into warm-blooded creatures now.”

Sainvire stopped walking and grabbed the front of her shirt. His eyes were angry-silver in the moonlight. “I gave up a lot of things when I took up this dead-end cause. I’ve eaten about as much shit as I can swallow with a smile on my face, but if you think giving you up to a man that breathes is an easy feat, then I can strangle you right now. I want to fly 227

Rono/DEAD SURROUND

us as far away from here as possible and live our own life so badly I can taste it. But I know that you’ll never let me. Just like I know I need to finish this through.” He let go of her shirt. “So don’t poke fun of my efforts. They cost me dearly.”

Poe’s throat hurt. He’d thought about absconding with her and leaving all the mess behind. He truly cared for her, and the realization made her want to weep. Instead she swallowed her pride and quietly said, “Since I’m probably gonna die tonight, I need to say
mahal kita
.”

“
Mahal kita din,
” he said, catching her off guard.

“Don’t be so surprised, Poe. My best friend’s Filipino after all.”

“So I keep forgetting.”

“Just don’t forget what counts the most no matter what happens.”

“I won’t.”

The sound of a bulldozer cutting through the perimeter barriers of old farm equipment and rusty automobiles rang.

“You can find Megan in the first floor near the kitchen,” he said while taking her hand. “I’ve got to delay the shock troops a little while longer to give Maclemar and Rufus some more time. I love you, Poe. If I don’t see you again, I pray you’ll have a long and happy life.”

He bent down to kiss her forehead and touched her lips with his thumb. He took to the sky before she could say anything back.

With a tortured heart Poe trudged on to the farmhouse. There really wasn’t enough time to cry.

Not when the end was so near. “You stay out here, Pen,” she said. She bent down and hugged the dog.

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Joseph opened the door for Poe. His youthful face furrowed with grief. The vampire had been watching them from the kitchen window.

“I told Kaleb it was a bad idea to bash you over the head,” he said quietly. “I knew you’d pull a dumb stunt like this.” He motioned for her to sit down while he poured her a glass of goat’s milk intended for his child. “How’s my Piper?”

“The babe’s got Megan’s lungs,” Poe said before taking a sip of the milk. “She was crying something fierce when I got off the bus. I’m sorry for leaving her, Joseph. I was kinda thinking more about Megan, I suppose, because I haven’t bonded with your kid yet.”

“You better plan on bonding with her quick since you’re her godmother.”

“Yeah, I heard. I will when this thing’s over with.”

“You’re a good friend to Megan and me. I appreciate your effort.” He nodded, and his ponytail bobbed. “I’m sorry it’s gonna get you and your friends killed.”

“Hey. I knew my days were numbered when I was eight,” Poe said with a laugh. “I’m surprised I’ve lived this long. Anyways, the bus was heading away from Trench’s people. That’s a big plus.”

Wordlessly Joseph stood up and lifted Poe to her feet. He smiled with sad eyes. The vampire who couldn’t excrete tears encompassed her in an embrace which lasted a lifetime. "She’s dying, Poe,” he whispered in her ear. “I can smell death on her.”

Poe bit her lower lip until the pain made her forget the selfish urge to cry. “She’ll be okay. She’s strong.”

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“Infection has set in, and we don’t have working antibiotics.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her wide, fearful eyes. “I asked permission to turn her, but she refused. She doesn’t want to live as a dead even for the sake of seeing our child grow up.”

Like drowning alone in a dark lake, Poe struggled to keep afloat. There was nothing worse than witnessing the grief of friends. The process of turning someone into a vampire involved puncturing a hole through the cranium and spitting black dead blood in the brain. No wonder her friend was against it.

“Joseph, I’m so sorry. I feel so useless,” she said.

She pointed at the firepower surrounding her hip belt alone. “These goddamned weapons are useless, and they’re all I know in life.”

“Convince her, Poe,” Joseph said tiredly. “Tell her she can’t just leave us. This life is hell enough.

But with her in it, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

She patted his back. He was the closest thing to a brother she had in this whacked world. Joseph even shared the same name as her fallen older brother.

Megan’s room was next door to the kitchen. With a trembling hand she touched the door handle.

Megan lay on a twin bed surrounded by kerosene lamps. Her cream complexion was pasty with a greenish hue. Her bluish lips and her matted red hair like clumpy seaweed gave her the look of a dying mermaid. Poe inhaled and exhaled dragon-style enough to flush the sadness from her system.

“Megan,” she said softly from on the edge of the bed. She took her friend’s cold hand. “It’s me, Poe.

I’ve come to tell you about Piper.”

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Blue-veined eyelids fluttered open. Her jewel eyes rested on Poe’s face.

“Hey there.”

“Hey yourself. You want me to put on
Freaks
and Geeks
for you?”

“My favorite show.”

“Yup. I see a box set over there. And I think I saw a laptop in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather talk to you,” Megan said with a cough, and she winced at the pain her cut stomach evoked. “How come you’re here? Where’s Piper?”

“She’s safe with Morales. What a voice box that girl has!”

“You’ll watch over her for me?”

“Of course. I’m her godmother for crying out loud.”

Megan smiled and closed her eyes for a moment.

Then with slow deliberation, she captured her friend’s brown eyes trying so hard to be brave. “Poe, I will not be turned into a vampire. I would hate you, Kaleb, and my Joseph for it. Maybe I’d even take it out on Piper.”

“But you can’t just leave us.”

“Sure I can. It’ll hurt for a while, but it’ll eventually get better.” She faced the window where an outline of the moon was visible beneath the thin calico curtains. “They’re almost here, Poe. Can you do me a favor?”

Poe sobbed. She clutched Megan’s hand with both of hers. “Anything, Megan. Anything.”

Megan smiled wanly, extricating her hand and patting Poe’s disheveled ponytailed hair.

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“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down, Poe. I bet you’d look mighty pretty.”

“Sorry. I’m sweaty. I had to run wearing this to get back here,” she explained. She held her night vision helmet.

“My amazing Poe. Such a good friend.”

“What can I do for you?” Poe asked. She wiped tears from her face.

“You can lend me one of your pistols and leave the room.” Megan’s hand stopped playing with Poe’s hair.

“Jesus, you can’t ask that of me.”

“You said anything.”

“Not that. Never that!” she yelled. She got on her feet and backed out. “Joseph would never forgive me!”

Before Megan could utter another word, Poe exited the room. Once the door closed she sat on the floor and covered her ears. Her eyes and nose oozed.

“She asked for your gun?” Joseph queried. He was suddenly sitting on the floor beside her.

“Uh huh,” Poe answered miserably. She took the tissue he handed her and blew her nose.

“She asked for mine, too,” he said grimly. “I guess she has the right to die the way she wants.

Especially with those bastard lions at the gates.”

Determination etched on his chiseled face. He stood up and pulled a .22 from his back pocket. “Say your goodbyes, Poe. Then go outside. We don’t have much time.”

232

A SINGLE SHOT WAS all it took.

Poe heard it as she ran blindly toward the barn.

The helmet bobbed unused against her legs. All she could think of were Maclemar’s reliable arms enveloping her. He was the only solace left for her in such dark times.

With only the moon for illumination, Poe did not see the two vampire scouts that dogged her every step. Penny made a throaty warning noise, but Poe didn’t pay attention. Finding the girl’s tears apropos, the taller of the two reached out and yanked Poe’s hair. Her run ended. Chuckling quietly, the vampire clamped his gloved hand over Poe’s mouth. Penny clamped down on the intruder’s boot but took a kick for her troubles.

“That’s right, little girl. Cry away. The big bad wolf’s here,” he whispered in her ear.

The vampire, half-a-head taller than Poe, bared his fangs that sharpened as she stared up at them. He licked his lips slowly for show. On impulse Poe jumped as high as she could, ramming his chin shut with her head until the vampire’s fangs pierced his own tongue.