Tomorrow's Dead: The Julia Poe Vampire Chronicles (15 page)

They quickly removed the barricade.  In one sentence Poe apologized for her threats,
thanked the petrified guards, and told them to radio Sainvire and Morales.  She floored
the gas and ignored the one-way signs.  At the Biltmore Hotel she pressed violently
on the brake and bounded out.  Sainvire had to jump in and shift the gear in park.

Morales and his team carried Maclemar inside the hotel.  “Percy, can you take care
of Penny and Chops?” he asked.  “Take them to Habib’s so you can eat.”

Poe noticed the blood on Percy’s hands and stopped the child.  “I love you, Percy. 
Thanks for being so brave.”

“I love you, Poe.  Maclemar’s going to be alright, and we’ll be a family again.”

Poe nodded and bit her lower lip.  Sainvire embraced her on the steps of the Biltmore
where they had just said goodbye a little over a month ago.  “Please don’t let him
die,” said Poe.

“Morales and other surgeons will be at hand.  They’ll do more than their best,” he
said. 

Poe pushed away from the vampire.  “Fuck!  I forgot these.”  She took out the Ziploc
with three fingers in melted ice water inside.  She ran inside the building with her
man’s fingers.  She entered the OR set up in the back of the hotel, but before she
could take a second step, a nurse wearing gloves and a surgical mask stopped her. 
“We need to keep this area clean of germs, Miss Poe.  Let me have that bag.  We’ll
reattach them right away.  Quick thinking on your part.”

“How is he?”

“He’s being prepped for an x-ray.  Then we’ll see where we’ll go from there.  We’re
all pulling for Maclemar, Miss Poe.  He’s a terrific man, and he’s in the best of
hands.”

Poe left the kind nurse more nervous than when she entered.  Her bloody hands were
shaking, and she felt faint.  Before she hit the ground, Sainvire shot over to catch
her fall.  The vampire had been watching the girl from the end of the hall. 

Poe blinked and stared into Sainvire’s grays.  “What’s going on?”

“You fainted.”

“No, I didn’t.  I was just feeling really sick,” said Poe.  “Where you taking me?”

“My office.  You can wash your hands and face and take a nap if you want.”

“I’m fine.  Really.  I should wait outside the operating room.”

“Believe me, Poe,” said Sainvire as he opened the door to his office.  “You need to
collect yourself.  Clean yourself up.”

Poe gaped at the blood on her hands.  “Yeah.  Wouldn’t want James to see me like this.”

Sainvire sat her on the toilet lid and left her in peace.  He cobbled together the
stabbing at the island, but he needed more answers.  Poe was too grief-stricken to
answer his queries.  In all his years the worse he ever felt was when Julia Poe suffered
from fiends and heartache.  He’d done her so many injustices that he couldn’t count
them anymore. 

When Poe left with Maclemar for the island, Sainvire swallowed the pill and told himself
that was the right course of action for the couple.  Inside, however, he felt like
permanently dying.  Their new life together a stab in the heart, the thought of Maclemar
touching Poe made him obscenely jealous.  Poe was his, and he stupidly thought she
felt the same way.  There was a time when she would’ve accompanied him anywhere on
earth, but his duties prevented him from leaving with the only woman he’d ever loved.

The fault was completely his.  And now that Maclemar, a truly fine man, was down,
his heart was breaking for Poe. 

***

Poe took a shower in Sainvire’s bathroom, scrubbing blood from under her nails with
a face towel and a horsehair hairbrush.  Her black t-shirt hid the blood stains, and
thankfully her green army pants remained untouched.  She left the empty office and
walked over to the waiting room.  Kawana, an old friend, was the only one waiting
for Maclemar’s results.

“Poe!” said Kawana.  She hugged the girl who was the same height. 

“Kawana!”  Poe embraced her friend for a long time.  The beautiful black vampire had
been Sainvire’s undercover agent under Quillon Trench’s nose.  Next to Ed she was
the second strongest vampire Downtown.  “I’m glad you’re here.  I feel so damn weird
right now.”

“I know, honey.  Maclemar’s a great man.  He’ll pull through.”

“Has anyone come out yet?  Any news?”

“According to Nurse Amy, he’s in surgery.  We won’t find out for a while.  Kaleb actually
sent me down to get you.  If you want to think of something else other than this tragedy,
then maybe you can come to the meeting with me.”

“What meeting?” Poe asked.

Kawana looked both ways at the empty hall and whispered in Poe’s ears.  “We’re going
to take all the babies from San Diego.”

Poe’s eyes bulged.  She contemplated the balls of such an idea and immediately wanted
to listen in on the plans.  Besides, San Diego needed to be punished for ruining her
life.

The vampire wearing blue workpants and a pullover walked hand in hand with Poe to
lend what little support she could give.  Kawana had also been there for her during
her days captive at Quillon Trench’s lair. 

They took the elevator to the third floor and headed for a small conference room that
could comfortably fit 30 people.  Four guards were posted outside the room and upon
seeing Poe and Kawana immediately opened the door for them.  All eyes turned to them
and away from the long table containing enlarged assessor maps and engineering plans
of Downtown San Diego.

“Come in, Poe,” said Maple as other people and vampires beckoned her inside.

“Thanks.  I’m just here to observe,” said Poe.  She didn’t know why, but she walked
toward Sainvire and Joseph and insinuated herself between them.  Joseph reached for
her cold hands and squeezed lightly for support.

To her right stood Sainvire.  He was looking down at her.  Poe turned away from his
disconcerting stare, but she held his freezing hand just because she felt like it. 
The distraught vampire killer focused her attention on the schematics before her. 
She’d always been good at reading maps and architectural plans though she only had
a third grade education.  Her heart was pounding, and she needed to get her mind off
Maclemar.

“We land the helicopters on the San Diego Freeway by the airport and await word that
the children are outside.  Then we’ll fly in,” said Rufus.  The halfdead was responsible
for training over four-dozen Downtown residents how to fly helicopters and small planes. 
Sainvire was positive that Downtown had the most elite flying force in California
thanks to Rufus’ addiction to flight simulator video games.

“Since we’re taking both nurseries plus custodians, we’ll need sea backup, and that’s
where the Tunics come in.  Many of them can fly and are resistant to sunlight,” said
Michelle.  For the first time, Poe noticed the faces around her.  Perla was in the
room standing next to Maple.  “They’ll run the yachts after we drop off some kids
on the boats.  I believe there will be three boats, right Maple?”

“Yes.  Three.  We can come up with a fourth if you need it.”

“We’ll hold off on that.”

“Wouldn’t it take too long to gather the kids, wait for the helicopter, pack them
inside, then drop them off the boat?” said Sainvire.  “Isn’t there an easier way out? 
Everyone will be exposed in the middle of Downtown San Diego.”

“They won’t dare shoot us while we have the children,” said Michelle.

“That’s a big gamble, Michelle,” said Sainvire.  “Our raid will be during the day. 
That means sun-immune dead and drug-addicted leeches.  Very unstable elements there.”

Poe detached her hands from Joseph and Sainvire and began walking around the room
studying the plans.  Her wet hair smelled of shampoo.

“Most of these guys can’t shoot,” said Charles Bedo, the redhead escapee from San
Diego.  He provided detailed locations of the two nurseries.  “There are a few more
sunblockers than ever since vamps have taken to making Plasmacore on the sly.”

“About how many?” asked Poe, staring at the first nursery site on the map.

“I don’t know.  Maybe 50.”

“That’s a lot of dead to gamble with, Michelle,” said Sainvire.  “You know we can’t
go on this mission unless we have an absolutely error-free plan.”

Jenna, who was standing next to Poe, tapped the girl’s shoulder.  “Hi, Poe.”

“Oh hey, Jenna,” said Poe a little awkwardly since she was too busy nosing around
to bother whose foot she was stepping on.  “How are you?” she asked the tall pretty
blonde with a pixie hairstyle.

“Good.  I was wondering your opinion about the plan so far.”

Poe shrugged.  “I’m just an observer.”

“We’d like to hear what you think, Poe,” said Kawana.

Michelle nodded.  “You’re a megahero, girl.  Let’s see what you can come up with.”

Poe’s jaw worked trying to decide if she wanted to interfere or not, but at the same
time the plan was so bad she didn’t want anyone to get hurt.  “Alright.  I’ll put
in my two bits, but you don’t have to do as I say.

“We’ll listen,” said Michelle.

“Okay.  A day before you carry out this raid, I would drop flyers saying, ‘Is there
humanity left in you?  Save humans.’  And the second one should be something like,
‘Custodians, get ready.  Freedom is near.’  This will screw with their minds.” 

“There’s nowhere in the city we can land our birds without getting jacked,” said Rufus.

Poe brushed wet hair from her face.   For many it was the first time they’d seen Poe’s
hair free from a ponytail.  “The map here shows you’ll have at least six helicopters
and two backups.  I’d personally position them in front of the Gas and Electric Building
where the kids are being held on the first floor.  Put one helicopter on Ash Street
and another on A Street.  As a precaution, I’d land one on the roof.  You’ll look
badass.”

“That’s crazy.  Park them in the middle of the street?  They could ruin our birds,”
said Rufus.  “Leeches will shoot at us.”

“Not if we catch them off-guard.  Instead of transferring the kids to the ship, the
helicopters ought to fly them straight home.  I think four or five helicopters will
carry 120 kids.  Now the last two or three helicopters will be used for the custodians. 
If they read our flyers right, they’ll be ready for us.  If we need more than two
helicopters to take the custodians, then we’ll drop them off with Maple on the boats.”

“They won’t all fit with our team and the kids combined in a helicopter,” said Michelle.

“Sure they will.  A lot of Perla’s Tunics can fly.  They can take the kids and place
them in the copters and fly back to the boat.  The kids are light enough to carry.”

“What about our soldiers?” asked Joseph.

“Keep more than half of them on the boat to wait for the custodians,” said Poe.  She
bit her lower lip.  “I know the Tunics aren’t battle ready, but they can do what they
need to do and pull back.  Once the other two helicopters with custodians are empty,
pick up the soldiers.  These guys will deal with firefights.  No vampires other than
the day vamps will bother us because when the dead are asleep they’re truly dead.” 
Poe had kicked sleeping dead and set them on fire, but none of them ever woke up.

“I’ll be on the bullhorn scaring the shit out of people on the ground.  I have it
on good authority that I scare the blue shit out of them over there.  That’s why they
came after us on Catalina.”  The thought of Maclemar’s injuries pained her.

The group members conferred with each other, adjusting some points but mostly agreeing
to keep Poe’s strategy.

“What a mind you have, Poe,” said the redhead.  “No wonder the House of Runer is so
determined to capture you.”

“Is Runer a daywalker?” Poe asked with anger in her voice.

“No, he’s not.  But he’s the most powerful among the four houses in San Diego.” 

“Good.  I’m going to string him up and present him to his people with his skin flayed. 
Anyone who tries to hurt my family and friends will die by my hand.”

“Sounds like you’re going with us,” said Joseph.

“If you guys don’t mind?”

“Hell no,” said Michelle, and other voices assented.

As they were walking out the room, Sainvire put his hand on her shoulder.  “What about
Maclemar?  Shouldn’t you be with him?”

“I’m no good waiting around.  When we get back I’ll have the answer about his health
one way or another.  I have bloodlust, Kaleb.  I can taste it in my mouth.  I’ve got
to kill Runer for what he did to James.”

“I’ll be there with you, Poe.  Whatever it takes to get the bitter taste of revenge
out of your mouth, I’ll support you.  Just don’t lose your head.”

Poe kept her gaze level to the vampire’s misshapen shoulder.  She was afraid to look
into his eyes.  “I appreciate it, Kaleb.”  She finally stared into his kind eyes and
turned to leave.

A
S
R
UFUS
AND
J
OSEPH
flew Cessnas over San Diego urging vampires to humanize themselves once more and
for custodians to prepare for flight, Poe lay cold and uncomfortable on the four chairs
pushed together to act as her bed.  She was shivering in the waiting room from the
evening cold at two in the morning.  No one had bothered to take her to a room, and
she was too proud to ask.

When Sainvire draped his warm coat on her body, Poe nearly fell off her makeshift
bed.  The vampire had a history of sneaking up on her, and she didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry, Poe.  Didn’t mean to startle you.”  Poe patted the chair by her head,
and the vampire sat down. 

Poe rested her head on Sainvire’s lap.  “I was freezing.  I didn’t know where else
to go.”

Sainvire tucked Poe’s black hair behind her ears.  “You mean no one’s assigned you
a room?”

“That’s okay, really.  These chairs are designed for comfort.  Look at these contours.”

“Yes, if you like bending like an apostrophe,” said the vampire.

“Now that I have your coat, I can fall sleep.  You can watch over me if you want.” 
What Poe didn’t want to admit was her fear of bad news concerning Maclemar.