B00724AICC EBOK (28 page)

“
Slow down!” The dog’s master let go with several commands but the animal wasn’t about to stop anytime soon.

The cat watched as a bicyclist went by and then several female joggers. Everyone’s head turned to the right as they admired the beautiful cat. “Yah, I’m a good looking cat now move along.” But of course he was unable to talk, although his feline mouth went through the motions of attempting to do so.

Zacharia suddenly discovered himself running at full speed, and then flying through the air as Moon Diamond had launched himself at a seagull on a rock near the river. The gull made its escape as the cat almost fell into the water; he would not have looked so attractive had he fallen in there. He scolded the cat but of course realized that it was most likely a useless endeavour. The cat roamed around in there like a rat in a maze, and was about as open to commands as such.

The wind increased slightly, perhaps in preparation of blowing up a little precipitation. He took notice of a cute 60-year-old who was out for a stroll with her granddaughter Madison. Then the cat observed a tall man that was following them, and actually did a double take. Vampires didn’t usually feed during daylight hours, mostly because it was easier for them to be identified in the light. But a biter that was pursuing was almost always up to no good. When the grandmother and the girl stopped to watch several mallard ducks, Everett waited for them to finish before continuing his pursuit.

So Zacharia decided to follow the follower.

“
Madison, see the bright colored ducks, those are the males mallards. Isn’t it funny how the boys are prettier than the girls?”

The 5-year-old thought on it. “How come the boys are prettier than the girls?”

Patricia smiled at her granddaughter. “I’m not really sure why that is. That boy duck seems to have an awful lot of girlfriends.”

“
He better get a good job”

Patricia and Madison continued down the path as the vampire followed them. The fellow wore a suit that looked to be out of the 1930’s, with broad shoulders and pinstripes. It would have cost him twenty dollars back in those days. He also wore a black fedora hat. Everett had his suits made-to-order as he liked the style, but it did make him stand out. Even though he pursued from quite a distance, Zacharia knew exactly what he was up to, and he didn’t like it. He let go with a low growl that the guy heard but ignored. It was a warning but not many vampires paid attention to a cat.

The flow and the amount of people on the path varied, and at times there weren’t many people around, that’s what Moon Diamond figured the fellow was waiting for, the opportunity to pounce. It would perhaps be a quick but fatal attack. After several minutes the area appeared to quiet considerably, a lull in the flow. No one seemed to be around and the cat watched Everett blur and grab Patricia by both arms. Madison screamed and kicked at his shins as he showed them his fangs. The cat also blurred and jumped into his face. Everett screamed as the fedora fell to the ground.

Patricia screamed. “Damn vampires!” She grabbed Madison by the hand and ran.

Everett grabbed and pulled at the cat, but it was a difficult thing to do because the more he pulled the more it hurt, finally tearing it from his face, along with spaghetti sized slices of skin. He healed but the pain was unbelievable. He attempted to stomp the life out of the cat several times, but Moon Diamond was much too fast to allow that to happen. Everett kept his eyes on the woman and child as they ran. He rushed toward the woman once again as the grandmother placed herself in front of the child, but this time found the cat attached to his forehead, and it started to chew pieces out of his head, and to scratch as if it was in a litter box only more furiously. He screamed from the burning and excruciating pain as he again struggled to be free of the Siamese. Blood ran down his face. He was unable to remove the feline, even with all his vampire strength. The cat twisted itself around and chewed off about a quarter of his ear. Ultimately he managed once again to remove the cat from his head and ran off screaming, jump-dancing from the pain, vowing never to return to the area.

Patricia approached the cat and looked down at it. “You are no ordinary cat, are you?”

Moon Diamond sat and shook its head no.

“
Oh my goodness, you understand me. You saved us. Would you like to come home and live with me? I would love to have you as a pet.” She bent down and showed the cat some affection and Zacharia couldn’t help but stick his ass in the air, no matter how much he wanted not to; he couldn’t fight that instinct. At least Dracula wasn’t there to see it.

Zacharia felt better than he had in quite a while. He had accomplished a good deed. On this day the world turned out to be in a little better shape than it would have been had he not been there to rescue the woman and child. The cat walked away with a swagger, and almost felt as if he should be wearing a cape. He decided to head home for another nap but first he had to cough up another fur ball.

Half way home to Martin Street, the Siamese noticed a young man with a scruffy beard. A Rottweiler trotted beside him lifting its leg onto a nearby utility pole. There was no leash to tether the animal as a woman and child crossed the street to avoid the big dog. The animal noticed Moon Diamond and took after the cat, only the feline didn’t run. The beast approached for a fatal bite and suddenly found the cat on its back digging in and riding it like a horse. The cat dug out skin and fur as the Rottweiler squealed.

It was indeed turning out to be a pleasant day.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

IT WAS THE MORNING AFTER BARAC OBAMA had been elected the 44
^th
president of the United States of America. The air was infused with the hope of things to come, and of dreams to be explored. The entire country was pulsating with the excitement of his accomplishment. Just as Neil Armstrong had been the first on the surface of the moon, Obama was the first African American to be elected president and no one could ever take that away from him. He had been stamped into the history with a thunderous thump that would resonate far into the future of important accomplishments. It was an achievement that no one would ever forget. The entire planet took notice of his achievement.

Two pedicabs were lined up in front of Macy’s waiting for fares in the cool November air. An old man in a smart-looking suit got into the one in front and it headed out to a new destination; they talked about the changes that they anticipated with the new president. The big red Macy’s sign was a beacon for potential customers and tourists alike. Two red sheriffs in their black trench coats had been privately hired to make the bad vampires think hard about approaching the area; they hung around the entrance watching and listening for trouble. Two young men and a sixteen-year-old girl were sharing a large all-meat pizza with its aroma was making passersby hungry. The girl laughed and Pepsi shot out of her nose onto the sidewalk.

Jenny was eight and exploring the Manhattan Mall across from Macy’s with the Empire State Building towering nearby. They had just exited the Toys R US store. They were empty handed but they had just commenced shopping and so there was plenty of time to return to the store if they were so inclined, and they both knew that it was likely. Shopping was an adventure that they both enjoyed, and like most women it seemed to be in their blood. Their skills of hunting and gathering were quite refined, but they also enjoyed window shopping.

Allison smiled at her daughter. “Jenny, what do you think about Obama becoming president?”

Jenny was dressed in red pants with a matching red top with white snowflakes on both. She had her hair in a ponytail. She scrunched her nose as she considered the question. “Everyone is so excited, it’s like it’s already Christmas. But it’s not an easy job. Everyone is so proud of him. I wonder if he really, truly thought it would happen. I mean deep down. I bet he tossed and turned all night.”

“
I don’t know. What do you suppose he thinks when he looks in the mirror?”

“
Hey, it’s the president.”

They knew something was going on when they heard people running and screaming, and both figured it to be the work of a murderous biter. They were everywhere and people had to be very careful, especially when wandering after sunset. Attacking in such a public place was a rare occurrence, whoever it was had to be stupid, crazy, or suicidal, and perhaps all three. The vampires were so damn fast that the only way not to become a target was not to be seen.

In the distance both Jenny and Allison observed a man’s head come off, and then the vampire throwing himself down, lapping into the blood on the shiny white and black checkered floor. He looked around crazily as he continued to feast noisily. Allison grabbed her daughter’s hand and they started to run but it was too late. Thaddeus had placed them both in his sights. His crazy eyes and smile was an awful thing to behold, he bounced off the walls to make himself even more menacing as if removing someone’s head hadn’t accomplished that. He was carrying a sword and would halt and hold it at awkward angles, then blur another short distance and repeat, he really was insane.

Thaddeus rushed in front of them and stared at Allison, visualizing her as his next juicy meal. “You look delicious my dear!” He swung his sword at Allison’s neck, fully expecting her head to pop off.

It was exactly then that Jenny’s instinct took over, and just as a wild animal reacted without being taught, the young girl pushed her mother out of the way just as the blade of the 17
^th
century basket-hilted broadsword was swung. It went under her mother’s chin and missed her neck by less than a half inch. All three of them were surprised at the turn of events. Allison went over her ankle in her black high heel pumps and twisted it. Thaddeus swung the sword at Jenny, the sound of it cutting through the air was impressive; the girl leaped and took it from him and breaking his wrist, both his ulna and radius. It was his turn to scream. It was exactly then that Jenny realized that she could read his evil mind. It was for the very first time that she had grasped that ability. It was also the first time she realized how much strength she had; she was pumped. It was the adrenalin that forced the talent to the forefront, and what she saw in him appeared to be pure evil. Thaddeus was planning on killing dozens before making his escape. His thirst for blood was horrifying.

Jenny was also able to sense how he sniffed and tasted blood from a distance; she saw how he perceived the world and it was horrible. It almost made the child vomit. He saw every human as walking bags of blood, as food for the taking. She wandered briefly in his mind and the more she observed, the more it disgusted her.

Thaddeus paused momentarily as he looked at Jenny. “What the hell are y--?”

Before the three-hundred-year-old vampire could finish his sentence, Jenny swung the sword with precision and cut his head off. His skin turned to dust as his bones fell lifeless onto the mall floor. The child was shocked and appalled at what she had accomplished. Jenny had killed her first vampire and she cried. She wept well into the morning hours and thought that her life would never be the same, and unfortunately she was right.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

KEITH FOUND HIMSELF OUTSIDE of Lenny’s restaurant with the upside down V-shaped blue Lenny’s sign above the entrance on John Street in New York. He was always in a particular good mood before a kill. The anticipation gave him an enthusiastic feeling inside. He had followed two police officers from a distance, past Andrew’s Coffee Shop, then past the nearby Subway restaurant, and finally waited for them outside Lenny’s near the throng of bicycles out in front. The officers were in the mood some of the restaurant’s spicy grilled chicken. Lenny was in the mood for some good old fashioned killing; he wanted the blood of those officers.

Keith imagined biting one officer’s neck and watching the blood pour out, not enough to kill him but enough to make him ineffectual so that he could observe as he killed and drank the other officer’s blood. Perhaps he would even put his neck through the spokes on one of the bikes, maybe the red one, just to slow the bleeding enough. He visualized his kicking and struggling on the ground as entertainment for his meal, like a good movie with a pizza on a Monday night. It didn’t take much to handle a human.

“
Don’t take all damn day,” the fat bastard said to himself. He stood outside in the rain, getting wet and more impatient by the minute. The showers were off and on. He liked to kill police officers because it always made the news in a big way, but of course preferred not to have to deal with a red sheriff, just in case. Keith was enjoying his nasty way of life immensely. He thought seriously about bending the wheels on the bikes, and then dismissed it as it might draw attention to the area, especially if the owner suddenly showed up. It really didn’t matter if he was spotted because he could zoom out of the area in an instant. He figured that he was quite high up on the vampire most wanted list, perhaps at the top for all he knew. But there were so many on that list and he figured that it was to his advantage. Not so easy to just zero in on one in particular.