The Blood That Bonds (32 page)

“
I don’t know,
Two.”

“
Me neither. And that’s not
all. What have I got left here? I have no job. I have three
friends, one of whom also now has no job and is still hooked on
smack. The other two don’t really understand me and don’t know how
to help me. In another week or two, tops, I’m not even going to be
a vampire anymore.”

Two rolled her eyes and bit her lower lip,
fighting back tears. Sam seemed to be trying to find the right
words, but coming up empty. Two waved her hand, dismissive. “Don’t
worry about it, Sam. I’ll be okay.”

“
Look, Two, I’m just a poor
Dominican girl from the Bronx, so maybe it’s not my place to say,
but maybe you need to look on the bright side? You’re not on
heroin. You’ve got friends. This might be a chance to start a new
life.

Two said nothing, just stared, sullen, at
the floor.

Sam toyed with another cigarette for a
moment, then lit it. She looked concerned.

“
What, Sam?”

“
You want me to be
honest?”

“
Yes. I can handle
that.”

Sam shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “I
don’t know you very well, Two. We only met a day ago. But I like
you, and I’m worried that you’re going to go and do something
stupid, like kill yourself or something. I’m afraid to leave you
alone.”

Two shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.
At least, it hadn’t occurred to me yet. Not since right after
Theroen died anyway. I wouldn’t do that to you or Tori.”

“
Good. She needs you to
take care of her. And I think you can count her as another friend,
and me, so now you’re up to five. You could maybe forget Abraham,
if you tried, and go back to a normal life. Would that be so
bad?”

Two pondered this, trying
to put her feelings into words. “No,” she said after some time.
“No, it wouldn’t be so bad. Being human is a wonderful thing, in a
lot of ways, and I guess I could probably get used to it again.
It’s being without
him
that I’ll never get used to. I’ll never forget, Sam. I … there
was love, a lot of it, even though we didn’t know each other for
that long. But that’s not all of it. When Theroen turned me into a
vampire, it connected us in a way that human beings just can’t
understand.

“
The way his mind worked,
he was always there, always with me. I didn’t even really
notice
it, not until he
was gone. I feel empty, Sam. Like a part of me died with him. That
feeling’s not going to go away. I can tell you that right now. At
best, it’s just going to fade a little.”

“
So what are your options
then, Two? Find another vampire? Make the change again? Maybe you
could get Tori to do it.”

“
Tori’s not strong enough.
I’ve been thinking about it since we left the mansion, Sam. I’ve
been trying not to, but I can’t help it, and I guess really I know
what the next move is. That’s why I told you that you could go. You
don’t need to be a part of this. I don’t want you to.”

Sam closed her eyes, rested her forehead in
her palm, and sighed. When she spoke, she did not look at Two.
“You’re going back, aren’t you?”

Two nodded, looking out the window. The rain
on the glass distorted the red light of a neon sign across the
street, made it ripple, reminding her of blood. After a moment, she
answered Sam’s question.

“
Yes. I’m going back. I’m
going to kill that fucker.”

Sam was quiet a moment, smoking her
cigarette and staring up at the ceiling. The ghosts of car
headlights from the street below made the room pulse as if
breathing.

Finally, Sam spoke. “That’s crazy, Two. You
said so yourself. You said he was a god.”

“
The Romans killed God two
thousand years ago. Or his son, anyway. Maybe I can do the
same.”

Sam blew air through her pursed lips,
unimpressed with this line of reasoning. “What are you going to do,
Two? Shoot him?”

“
No. Yes. I don’t know.
I’ll bring a gun. And a knife. A big one.”

“
Oh, good. A big knife.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “What about garlic? A wooden stake? Maybe some
holy water or a cross?”

“
That’s all bullshit.
Abraham’s just like anything else … if you destroy his brain, or
his heart, it’ll kill him. The problem is that you need something
like a nuclear bomb to do it.”

“
Or a big knife.” The
sarcasm in Sam’s voice was caustic.

“
What do you want from me,
Sam? I have to try. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t
try.”

“
Theroen would never
forgive you for going back,” Sam said. Two drew in a shocked
breath, and Sam looked up at her, saw the expression on Two’s face,
and immediately put her hand to her forehead in regret. “I’m sorry,
Two. Really. That was unfair.”

After a moment, Two shook her head. “No. It
would only be unfair you were wrong. But I have to, Sam. I have to.
Go home. Get away from this. Forget you ever met me, or Abraham, or
any of us, and go back to your life.”

Sam considered this, and nodded. “Okay, Two.
I’m sorry you have to do this, but I know damn well I can’t stop
you, and I don’t know enough about this to try and talk you out of
it. I’ll stop making you feel bad about it.”

“
Are you
leaving?”

“
I have nowhere to be …
might as well hang here. I’ll leave when you do. Or when we run out
of cigarettes. Whichever comes first.”

Two nodded, and lit another.

* * *

Time passed, and girls began to show up. Two
greeted each with a sardonic grin. Two had been one of Darren’s
girls, and they all knew her. They asked where he was.

Darren was out, she told them. Would he be
back soon? No … no, she didn’t think so. One by one, each girl got
the point. Most left smiling. None had called the cops. Two might
not have brought salvation – many of the girls would simply move on
to new pimps and pushers – but at least she had brought them
temporary freedom.

Molly was one of the last, and she came in
bruised and bleeding, black eyes like raccoon markings, rail thin.
The heroin was finally getting the better of her. Two could see it
in her posture, in her eyes, and in the way it had eaten away at
her body. Molly took one look at Two, and her shoulders slumped.
She looked down at the ground and began to weep.

Two crossed the distance between them at a
run and took Molly up in her arms, holding the girl, crying
herself, murmuring words of comfort to her friend. Finally, through
hitching breaths, Molly was able to speak.

“
I thought you were
dead!”

“
No. Just gone. Are you
okay, Molly?”

Molly sniffled and looked up at Two. “Yes. I
mean … no. I mean …”

“
You’ll live.”

Molly nodded. She embraced Two again for a
moment, then stood back.

“
You look
different.”

Two smiled at this, wiping her eyes. “I
guess I am. No more smack. No more Darren. At all. We took care of
him.”

Molly’s eyes widened. “Is he—?”

“
Dead? Yes.”

The expression that followed this piece of
news had no business on the face of a twelve-year-old. It was a
combination of satisfaction, glee, and hate. It hurt Two’s heart to
see it there, but she understood. She understood very well.

“
Good,” Molly
said.

“
Yes. Listen, sweetheart,
how do you feel?”

Molly pondered this a
moment, then sighed. “I dunno. I don’t even care anymore. I don’t
care about the fucking, or the beatings, or what the other girls
say about me. I don’t care about scoring crack or meth. I don’t
even like shooting up anymore, but I
need
it.”

Two frowned. “This isn’t supposed to be your
life. We’re going to change that.”

“
We are?”

“
Yes. Here, hang on a
second.” Two counted out several hundred dollars in cash and set it
on the desk. “You’re going to take a cab to Smith Street, and get
out at Sid’s bar on Pacific. You’re going to ask the man at the
door if you can talk to Rhes. Chances are that the guy you’re
asking will
be
Rhes, but it might be the other bouncer. If Rhes isn’t there,
tell the bouncer Dan that Two said he needs to call Rhes right now.
Can you remember this?”

Molly nodded, big eyes peering at Two,
trying to keep track.

“
Good. When you meet Rhes,
you’re going to give him the note I’m about to write, and whatever
cash you don’t spend on the cab. He’s going to take you in until I
get back. Trust me, he’ll do it. ”

“
Where are you going? Are
you sure?”

“
Yes, I’m sure. I’m going
away for a bit. I have things I have to take care of.”

“
Who are these
people?”

“
Friends. Don’t worry about
me, kiddo. Get yourself into that cab, and go see Rhes.”

“
Okay, Two.”

Two found paper in the desk, and scribbled
out a quick note.

Rhes and Sarah,

This is Molly. She’s addicted to heroin and
she needs your help. She’s a sweet, wonderful girl who deserves
better, and I’m begging you to help her get through this. I’m sorry
there’s no notice, but I know I can count on you. Please do this
for me.

I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.
There’s something dangerous I have to do. I can’t explain. It’s too
fucked up. Everything is fucked up, but I want you to know that
right now, at this moment, I am okay. Better than I ever was. Clean
and sober and I have a reason to live, even though I don’t know if
I will.

That’s why I need you to help her. Please.
She’s just a kid, and I need her to live, even if I don’t. Don’t
worry about hearing from Molly’s former employer. He’s dead.

If Molly needs someone to hate, let her hate
me.

Thank you so much. I love you both.

- Two

The note was a gamble. If Molly read it, she
would never make it to Sid’s bar. If she knew that Two was sending
her to a life without heroin, she’d choose the street. Two folded
the note in half once, then again, and taped it shut.

“
Take this,” she said,
handing it to the girl. “Don’t open it. Don’t read it. Just take it
and give it to Rhes.”

Molly looked concerned. “You sure?”

“
Absolutely. Rhes is a
sweet guy, and his girlfriend Sarah’s wonderful. You’re going to
live with them, for a while at least. They’ve got a big black dog
named Jake. He’s a sweetheart. You’ll love him.”

“
Where am I going to get a
fix?”

It hurt to lie to Molly, but there was no
choice. Two looked into the girl’s eyes and did her best. “Rhes
will take care of that. He knows people. Do you trust me,
Molly?”

“
Yes, Two.”

“
Good. Give me a hug and
then get the hell out of here.”

Molly embraced her again, and Two hugged
back. She hoped to make it through the dark days ahead, but knew it
was unlikely. Molly was redemption. Even if Two failed and Abraham
destroyed her, Molly at least was safe.

After a moment, they broke apart. Molly was
crying again when she said goodbye, but she moved resolutely toward
the door. At its edge, Two called to her.

“
Hey, Molly?”

The girl turned around, cocked her head,
raised her eyebrows. “Yeah?”

“
Do you still pray every
night?”

“
I stopped. I didn’t think
God was listening.”

“
Maybe he was.”

“
Maybe I’ll start
again.”

“
Do that. And pray for me,
okay?”

* * *

Two lit a cigarette and leaned back, lost in
thought. It hurt, seeing Molly, but in that bittersweet way—as much
pleasure as pain. Sam spoke up.

“
Seems like a nice
kid.”

Two nodded.

“
There’s no fix waiting for
her with this guy Rhes, is there?”

“
Of course not.”

“
Think she’ll make it
through?”

“
God, I hope
so.”

“
You forgot to tell
her
why
she should
pray for you.”

Two gave Sam a bitter smile. “No. I didn’t
forget.”

Sam stood up, stretched,
walked over to the desk and looked Two in the eyes. “He’s going
to
kill
you, Two.
I’m sorry, but this is crazy.”

Two shook her head. “You can’t talk me out
of it, Sam.”

“
Too bad. I’m not going to
stop trying. Will you bring Tori?”

“
Yes.”

“
Will she fight
him?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
What if he kills her
too?”

Two smacked her hand down on the table and
looked up at Sam, eyes flaring. “Then he fucking kills us both.
Tori’s probably better off anyway. That was the decision. That was
the plan. Kill Tori, Kill Melissa, drop you in the city and run
like hell. Abraham just fucked it up.”

Sam took a step back, holding up her hands.
“Okay, Two. I’m sorry. I know this is hard on you.”

“
No, we’re beyond that.
This is the easiest thing in my life, Sam.
I have no choice.
”