Excerpt from Prey
A woman hurries down the street bundled up against the recent rain. I absently watch her through the window until suddenly Kelly says, “That’s Sarah.”
“Is it?” I ask, looking a little closer.
“You can’t tell?” Kelly’s voice and face are all stunned surprise.
“No,” I respond, trying to see past the glass. “Through glass they look human to me.”
Kelly leans back, “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I think they appear as they did before they became…” I glance around the café to make sure no one can hear. “… vampires.”
“That’s weird.”
“Yeah, because everything else has been normal.” My voice is dry.
“Maybe we should go talk to her, tell her to call off the other vampires.”
“I doubt she will. She wants us all dead.”
“Yeah, but maybe we can learn a little more.”
“Like if she really tried to mesmerize you or if she just faked it.”
Kelly shrugs on his jacket and flashes his grin at me, “Yes.”
I pull on my coat, grab my umbrella and follow Kelly to the door. As we walk out onto the street, I notice the waitress’s look of envy. Lucky me, I am leaving with an incredibly sexy werewolf to chase down a vampire. If only she knew, I feel certain the look on her face would not be one of envy. We turn and hurry after Sarah. I glance up at the rooftops, checking to see if anyone is up there. Then I carefully scan the streets.
Kelly discerns what I am doing, “Worried?”
“Yeah, leading us into a trap makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“It does. If only I could turn into a bird. I could check out the situation.”
Kelly’s words startle me into stopping dead on the street.
“What wrong?”
“Uh, nothing. Just a crazy idea.” I say and set out after Sarah again. Can they change into birds? John always makes me think of a falcon while Kelly makes me think of a dog. Is that because John can change into a bird? “Kelly, have you ever tried changing into a bird?”
“What? No, that would be crazy.”
“Yeah, because turning into a dog is so normal.” I dryly comment.
Sarah turns left down a narrow street. Kelly and I glance at each other and then take off after her. In Vancouver, we would call this road an alley although it is cleaner than an alley would be. Very constricted, only wide enough to allow one vehicle through at a time, the street still has narrow sidewalks for us to walk on. Half way down the block, some construction makes the alley narrower by taping off an area where they are replacing the bricks of the sidewalk. Kelly and I quickly check that there are no other vampires around, making sure to check the roofline.
“Sarah!” I call out.
She spins around, startled. “You! What are you doing here?”
“We wanted to talk to you.” Kelly states while slowly moving towards her.
“We want you to call off your…” I search for a word. “your people.”
She smiles an evil sort of smile. “My people wish revenge, especially Drake. He was very fond of his little toy. And I am not inclined to let you live.”
“Well, it was worth a shot,” Kelly shrugs. We glance at each other, unsure how to proceed. We did not think this through properly.
Sarah lunges with blinding speed and snatches me off my feet. “Everyone is after the two of you.” She says as she holds me up off the ground. Regarding me like an insect, she is about to speak when suddenly she screams and flings me away.
My head hits the wall hard. I see stars swimming in little circles before my eyes. Stars? Or are they fireflies? I try to focus, what the hell are those things twirling around. Lights making little circles but then lights fade out as they complete their pirouettes only to be replaced by new ones doing the same dance. Am I in a cartoon? Am I a cartoon? I give my head a shake but it makes the stars move faster. I hear growling. Growling? I have the feeling that noise is important. Is danger nearby? More growling and scuffling sounds penetrate through the fog in my head. I reach out with my right hand and find the wall, then using it for balance I stand up. My vision clears up. I see a Husky attacking Sarah. He tries to bit her face while she has her hands around his neck, pushing him away. Sarah is unable strangle Kelly because she cannot get her hands all the way around his neck while he is in his dog form. I search around me for a weapon.
The alley is fairly clean so there isn’t much to use but then my eye falls on some pieces of wood within the construction zone. Stake through the heart is what all the stories say. I am not sure if that is what I need to do but it would kill a human being so I hope it will work on a vampire. I edge my way over to the taped off area to grab one of the pieces of wood. I give my head another shake, trying to clear it. What am I thinking? I already know that a stake through the heart kills them. I grab a small chunk of two-by-four and, using dhampir strength, snap it in two, hoping to create a point. The piece breaks into two uneven stakes. Keeping the larger piece in my right hand, I look back at Kelly and the vampire, cursing myself. Sam was right. I should have been working harder at learning how to fight. I put my hands down at my sides, hoping Sarah will not notice the stakes. Her struggle with Kelly keeps her focus on him as I creep around behind her.
As Sarah stumbles about, trying to fend off Kelly’s teeth as he snaps at her, I notice she favours her right leg. Blood seeps through her pant leg and the pain affects her ability to maintain her balance. Kelly must have transformed and bit her while she held me. Abruptly, Sarah shoves hard, forcing the dog back a few feet, before kicking him and managing to throw the husky several metres away. Then quick as a shot, she pulls out a gun and fires. The sound of the gun echoes through the alley and in my head. The husky squeals. I cry out as I jump forward and drive the splintered wood into Sarah’s back. As her body crumples, I leap over it and scurry to Kelly who is lying on his side, still.
“No, no, no, no,” I whisper, running my hands through his bloody fur. “Kelly, Kelly, you have to change. You have to change back to human so I can take you to a hospital. Kelly, can you hear me? You have to change. You have to change.” My bloody hands search through his fur for the bullet wound. What the hell do I do if he can’t change back to human?
“Is it?” I ask, looking a little closer.
“You can’t tell?” Kelly’s voice and face are all stunned surprise.
“No,” I respond, trying to see past the glass. “Through glass they look human to me.”
Kelly leans back, “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I think they appear as they did before they became…” I glance around the café to make sure no one can hear. “… vampires.”
“That’s weird.”
“Yeah, because everything else has been normal.” My voice is dry.
“Maybe we should go talk to her, tell her to call off the other vampires.”
“I doubt she will. She wants us all dead.”
“Yeah, but maybe we can learn a little more.”
“Like if she really tried to mesmerize you or if she just faked it.”
Kelly shrugs on his jacket and flashes his grin at me, “Yes.”
I pull on my coat, grab my umbrella and follow Kelly to the door. As we walk out onto the street, I notice the waitress’s look of envy. Lucky me, I am leaving with an incredibly sexy werewolf to chase down a vampire. If only she knew, I feel certain the look on her face would not be one of envy. We turn and hurry after Sarah. I glance up at the rooftops, checking to see if anyone is up there. Then I carefully scan the streets.
Kelly discerns what I am doing, “Worried?”
“Yeah, leading us into a trap makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“It does. If only I could turn into a bird. I could check out the situation.”
Kelly’s words startle me into stopping dead on the street.
“What wrong?”
“Uh, nothing. Just a crazy idea.” I say and set out after Sarah again. Can they change into birds? John always makes me think of a falcon while Kelly makes me think of a dog. Is that because John can change into a bird? “Kelly, have you ever tried changing into a bird?”
“What? No, that would be crazy.”
“Yeah, because turning into a dog is so normal.” I dryly comment.
Sarah turns left down a narrow street. Kelly and I glance at each other and then take off after her. In Vancouver, we would call this road an alley although it is cleaner than an alley would be. Very constricted, only wide enough to allow one vehicle through at a time, the street still has narrow sidewalks for us to walk on. Half way down the block, some construction makes the alley narrower by taping off an area where they are replacing the bricks of the sidewalk. Kelly and I quickly check that there are no other vampires around, making sure to check the roofline.
“Sarah!” I call out.
She spins around, startled. “You! What are you doing here?”
“We wanted to talk to you.” Kelly states while slowly moving towards her.
“We want you to call off your…” I search for a word. “your people.”
She smiles an evil sort of smile. “My people wish revenge, especially Drake. He was very fond of his little toy. And I am not inclined to let you live.”
“Well, it was worth a shot,” Kelly shrugs. We glance at each other, unsure how to proceed. We did not think this through properly.
Sarah lunges with blinding speed and snatches me off my feet. “Everyone is after the two of you.” She says as she holds me up off the ground. Regarding me like an insect, she is about to speak when suddenly she screams and flings me away.
My head hits the wall hard. I see stars swimming in little circles before my eyes. Stars? Or are they fireflies? I try to focus, what the hell are those things twirling around. Lights making little circles but then lights fade out as they complete their pirouettes only to be replaced by new ones doing the same dance. Am I in a cartoon? Am I a cartoon? I give my head a shake but it makes the stars move faster. I hear growling. Growling? I have the feeling that noise is important. Is danger nearby? More growling and scuffling sounds penetrate through the fog in my head. I reach out with my right hand and find the wall, then using it for balance I stand up. My vision clears up. I see a Husky attacking Sarah. He tries to bit her face while she has her hands around his neck, pushing him away. Sarah is unable strangle Kelly because she cannot get her hands all the way around his neck while he is in his dog form. I search around me for a weapon.
The alley is fairly clean so there isn’t much to use but then my eye falls on some pieces of wood within the construction zone. Stake through the heart is what all the stories say. I am not sure if that is what I need to do but it would kill a human being so I hope it will work on a vampire. I edge my way over to the taped off area to grab one of the pieces of wood. I give my head another shake, trying to clear it. What am I thinking? I already know that a stake through the heart kills them. I grab a small chunk of two-by-four and, using dhampir strength, snap it in two, hoping to create a point. The piece breaks into two uneven stakes. Keeping the larger piece in my right hand, I look back at Kelly and the vampire, cursing myself. Sam was right. I should have been working harder at learning how to fight. I put my hands down at my sides, hoping Sarah will not notice the stakes. Her struggle with Kelly keeps her focus on him as I creep around behind her.
As Sarah stumbles about, trying to fend off Kelly’s teeth as he snaps at her, I notice she favours her right leg. Blood seeps through her pant leg and the pain affects her ability to maintain her balance. Kelly must have transformed and bit her while she held me. Abruptly, Sarah shoves hard, forcing the dog back a few feet, before kicking him and managing to throw the husky several metres away. Then quick as a shot, she pulls out a gun and fires. The sound of the gun echoes through the alley and in my head. The husky squeals. I cry out as I jump forward and drive the splintered wood into Sarah’s back. As her body crumples, I leap over it and scurry to Kelly who is lying on his side, still.
“No, no, no, no,” I whisper, running my hands through his bloody fur. “Kelly, Kelly, you have to change. You have to change back to human so I can take you to a hospital. Kelly, can you hear me? You have to change. You have to change.” My bloody hands search through his fur for the bullet wound. What the hell do I do if he can’t change back to human?