Demon Deathchase (22 page)

Perhaps the reason the mayor had invited the Vampire Hunter up onto the deck was to
show him the deadly wilds of their destiny.

“Come with me,” Mayor Ming said. “I’ll show you the real problem at hand.”

—

Agirl lay on a simple bed. Even without seeing her paraffin-pale skin or the wounds
at the base of her throat, it was clear she was a victim of the Nobility. The most
unsettling thing about her was her eyes—she had them trained on the ceiling, but they
still had the spark of life.

“This is my daughter Laura. She’s almost eighteen,” said the mayor.

D didn’t move, but remained looking down at the pale throat against the pillow.

“Three weeks ago she started acting strangely,” said Mayor Ming. “I picked up on it
when she said she thought she was coming down with a cold and started wearing a scarf.
I never would’ve dreamed it could happen. It’s just impossible we’d have a Noble in
our town of all places.”

“Has she been bitten again since then?”

At D’s icy words, the distraught mayor nodded his head. “Twice. Both at night. We
had one of our fighting men watching over her each time, but both times they were
asleep before they knew it. Laura keeps losing more and more blood, but we’ve seen
hide nor hair of the Nobility.”

“You’ve done checks, haven’t you?”

“Five times—and thorough ones at that. Everyone in town can walk in the light of day.”

But D knew that such a test wasn’t proof-positive that one of the townspeople wasn’t
a vampire. “We’ll run another check later,” D said, “but tonight I’ll stay with her.”

A shade of relief found its way into the mayor’s steely expression. Though the man
had lived more than two centuries, apparently at heart he was just like any other
father. “I’d appreciate that. Can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine,” D replied.

“If I may be so bold, could I say something?” The firm tone reminded the mayor and
Hunter there was someone else present. A young physician stood by the door with his
arms folded. Making no effort to conceal the anger in his face, he glared at D.

“Pardon me, Dr. Tsurugi. You have some objection to all this?” the mayor said, bowing
to the young man who’d interrupted them. The doctor had been introduced to D when
the mayor brought the Hunter to his daughter’s room. He was a young circuit doctor
who traveled from village to village out on the Frontier. Like D, he had black hair
and dark eyes, and there didn’t appear to be much difference in their ages. But, of
course, as a dhampir D’s age wasn’t exactly clear, so external appearances were useless
for comparisons.

The young physician shook his intelligent yet still somewhat innocent face from side
to side. “No, I have no objection. Since there’s nothing more I can do for her as
a physician, I’ll entrust the next step to this Hunter. However—”

“Yes?” said the mayor.

“I would like to keep watch over Ms. Laura with him. I realize I might sound out of
line here, but I believe it’s part of my duty as her physician.”

Mayor Ming pensively tapped the handle of his cane against his forehead. While he
probably considered the young physician’s request perfectly natural, he also must’ve
wished Dr. Tsurugi had never suggested such a troubling arrangement.

Before the mayor could turn to the Hunter, D replied, “If my opponent can’t escape,
there’ll be a fight. I won’t be able to keep you out of harm’s way.”

“I can look out for myself.”

“Even if it means you might get bitten by one of them?” asked the Hunter.

Anyone who lived on the Frontier understood the implication of those words, and for
a heartbeat the hot-blooded doctor’s expression stiffened with fear, but then he replied
firmly, “That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” His eyes seemed to blaze with intensity
as he gazed at D. It might’ve been fair to say he was glaring at the Hunter.

Without giving his reply so much as a nod, D said, “Not a chance.”

“But, why the—I mean, why not? I said quite clearly I was prepared to—”

“If by some chance something were to happen to you, it would turn the whole town against
me.”

“But that’s just . . . ” Dr. Tsurugi started to say. His face was flush with crimson
anger, but he bit his lip and choked back any further contentions.

“Well, then, I’d like you both to step outside now. I have some questions for the
girl,” D said coolly, looking to the door. That was the signal for them to leave.
There was something about the young man that could destroy any will to resist they
still had.

As the mayor and Dr. Tsurugi turned to leave, the wooden door in front of them creaked
open.

“Hey, how are you doing, tough guy?” someone said in a cheery voice. The face that
poked into the room belonged to none other than John M. Brasselli Pluto VIII.

“How did you get here?” the mayor asked sharply.

“I, er . . . I’m terribly sorry, sir,” said one of the townsfolk behind the biker—apparently
a guard. “You wouldn’t believe how stubborn this guy is, and he’s strong as an ox.”

“Don’t have a fit now, old-timer,” Pluto VIII said, smiling amiably. “I figured D’d
probably be at your place. And it’s not like there’s anyone in town who doesn’t know
where the mayor lives. Anyhow—D, I found out how the girl’s doing. That’s what I came
to tell you.”

“I already told him some time ago,” Dr. Tsurugi said with disdain. “He learned about
her condition while you were busy eating.”

“What the hell?! Am I the last one to know or something?!” Pluto VIII scratched wildly
at a beard that looked as dense as the jungle does when seen from the air. “Okay,
no big deal. C’mon, D! Let’s go pay her a visit.”

“You do it.”

As the gorgeous young man leaned over the bed just as indifferent as he was before,
Pluto asked him, “What gives, bucko? You risk your life saving a young lady and then
you don’t even wanna see if she’s getting better? What, is the mayor’s daughter so
all-fired important?”

“This is business.”

Pluto VIII had no way of knowing that it was nothing short of a miracle for D to answer
such a contentious question. With an indignant look on his face matching that of the
nearby physician, the biker pushed his way through the doorway. “Damn, I don’t believe
your nerve,” he cursed. Spittle flew from his lips. “Do you
really
know how she’s doing? She’s got level-three radiation poisoning to her speech center,
and just as much damage to her sense of hearing to boot. And neither of them can be
fixed. She’s got some slight burns on her skin, too, but supplies of artificial skin
are limited and since it’s not life threatening they’ll leave her the way she is.
How’s that strike you? She’s at the tender age where girls look up at the stars and
weep, and now she’s gonna have to carry the memory of watching her folks get eaten
alive, her body is dotted with burns, and to top everything off she can’t freakin’
talk or hear no more.”

More than the tragic details of what was essentially the utter ruin of that young
woman, it was Pluto’s righteous indignation that made the mayor and Dr. Tsurugi lower
their eyes.

D quietly replied, “I listened to what you had to say. Now get out.”

—

III

—

Once the clamorous Pluto VIII had been pulled away from the room by the mayor and
four guards, D looked down at Laura’s face. Vacant as her gaze was, her eyes were
still invested with a strange vitality, and they suddenly came into focus. The cohesive
will she’d kept hidden tinged her eyes red. The will of a Noble. A breath howled out
of her mouth. Like the corrupting winds gusting through the gates of Hell.

“What did you come here for?” she asked. Her eyes practically dripped venom as they
stabbed back at D’s. Laura’s lips warped. Something could be seen glistening between
her lips and overly active tongue. Canine teeth. Once again Laura said, “What are
you here for?”

“Who defiled you?” asked D.

“Defiled me?” The girl’s lips twisted into a grin. “To keep feeling the pleasure I’ve
known, I wish I could be defiled night and day. What are you? I know you’re not just
an ordinary traveler. We don’t get many folks around here who use words like defile.”

“What time will he be here?”

“Well, now . . . Suppose you ask him yourself?” Her pleased expression suddenly stiffened.
All the evil and rapture was stripped away like a thin veneer, and for a brief moment
an innocent expression befitting a slumbering girl of eighteen skimmed across her
face. Then, once again her features became as expressionless as paraffin. Dawn had
come at last to the Great Northern Plains.

D raised his left hand and placed it on the young woman’s forehead. “Exactly who or
what attacked you?”

Consciousness returned to her cadaverous face. “I don’t . . . know. Eyes, two red
eyes . . . getting closer . . . but it’s . . . ”

“Is it someone from town?” asked D.

“I don’t know . . . ”

“When were you attacked?”

“Three weeks ago . . . in the park . . . ” Laura answered slowly. “It was pitch black
. . . Just those burning eyes . . . ”

“When will he come next?”

“Oh . . . tonight . . . tonight . . . ” Laura’s body snapped tight, like a giant steel
spring had suddenly formed inside her. The blankets flew off her with the force of
it. She let out what sounded like a death rattle, the tongue lolled out of her mouth,
and then her body began to rise in the most fascinating way. This paranormal phenomenon
often occurred when a victim’s dependency to the Nobility was pitted against some
power bent on destroying that bond. Hunters frequently had an opportunity to observe
this behavior, so D’s expression didn’t change a whit. But then, this young man’s
expression probably wouldn’t show shock in a million years.

“Looks like that’s all we’ll be getting,” said a hoarse voice that came from between
the young woman’s brow and the hand that rested against it. “The girl doesn’t know
anything aside from what she’s told us. Guess we’ll have to ask her little friend
after all.”

When the Hunter’s hand was removed, Laura crashed back down onto the bed. Waiting
until light as blue as water speared in through the window, D left the room. The mayor
was waiting for him outside.

“Learned something in there, did you?” said Mayor Ming. He demonstrated the mentality
of those who lived out on the Frontier by not asking the Hunter if he could save her
or not.

The fact of the matter was, when a vampire with a victim in the works learned that
a Hunter had come for him or her, they’d make themselves scarce unless the victim
was especially dear to them. After that, it was all just a matter of time. The future
of that victim might vary depending on how many times he or she’d been bitten, and
how much blood had been taken. There were some who could go on to live a normal life
even after five fateful visits to their bedroom—though they usually became social
outcasts. But there were also some young ladies whose skin turned to pale paraffin
from a single cursed kiss, and they’d lie in bed forever waiting for their caller
to come again, never aging another day. And then one day a victim’s gray-haired grandchildren
and great-grandchildren would suddenly see her limbs shrivel like an old mummy’s and
know that somewhere out in the wide world the accursed Noble had finally met its fate.
The question was, just how long would that take? How many living dead were still out
there, sustained by nothing but moonlight, hiding in the corner of some rotting, dusty
ruins, their kith and kin all long since dead? Time wasn’t on the side of those who
walked in the light of day.

“Tonight, we’ll be having a visitor,” D told the mayor.

“Oh, well that’s just—”

“Is your daughter the only victim?”

The mayor nodded. “So far. But as long as whoever did this is still out there, that
number could swell until it includes every one of us.”

“I’d like you to prepare something for me,” D said as he looked to the blue sky beyond
the window.

“Just name it. If it’s a room you need, we’ve already prepared your accommodations.”

“No, I’d like a map of your town and data on all the residents,” said D. “Also, I
need to know everywhere the town has gone since it started its journey, and what destinations
are set for the future.”

“Understood,” said the mayor.

“Where will my quarters be?”

“I’ll show you the way.”

“No need to do that,” the Hunter replied.

“It’s a single family house near the park. A bit old, perhaps, but it’s made of wood.
It’s located . . . ” After the mayor finished relating the directions, he pushed down
on the grip of his cane with both hands and muttered, “It’d be nice if we could get
this all settled tonight.”

“Where was your daughter attacked?” D asked.

“In a vacant house over by the park. Didn’t find anything there when we checked it
out, though. It’s not far from the house we have for you, either.”

D asked for the location, and the mayor gave it to him.

Then D went outside. The wind had died down. Only its whistling remained. There must’ve
been a device somewhere in town for projecting a shield over the entire structure.
The town’s defenses against the harsh forces of nature were indeed perfect. Blue light
made the Hunter stand out starkly as he went down the street. The shadow he cast on
the ground was faint. That was a dhampir’s lot. There was no sign of the living in
the residential sector. For the tranquil hours of night, people became like breathing
corpses.

Up ahead, the Hunter could see a tiny point of light. A bit of warmth beckoning to
the dawn’s first light. A hospital. D walked past it without saying a word. He didn’t
seem to be looking at the signs that marked each street. His pace was like the wind.

After about twenty minutes he was out of the residential section, and he stopped just
as the trees of the park came into view. To his right was a row of half-cylindrical
buildings—one of them was his destination. That’s where young Laura had been attacked.
The mayor had told him all of the buildings were vacant. At first, that’d only been
true for the building in question, but, after the incident involving Laura, the families
living nearby had requested other quarters and moved out. Dilapidation was already
creeping up on the structures.