Читать книгу Barry and the Vampire in the Rosedale Encounter - Darrell Bartell - Страница 11

Barry woke up, rolled over, and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand, which read one-thirty p.m. It felt good to get nine hours of sleep—and on a school night.

Making sure the bandage on his arm stayed dry, he showered and dressed, then opened the door and walked out into the living room. The couch, coffee table, and other furniture accessories had been pushed to one side. Casey had turned the area into a temporary dojo, where she practiced her katas with a four-foot Bo staff.

Barry had seen several styles of martial arts from watching those choreographed kung-fu movies, but this was different. Swift and deadly were her movements and strikes, but these were also precise and poetic. Casey’s concentration was intense. He wasn’t sure if she knew he had entered the room until she stopped and bowed.

“Hungry?” she asked.

“Famished.”

“Menu is by the phone and when you order, include a pot of hot coffee.”

“Vampires drink coffee?”

“On occasions we like to live it up a little.” She put the staff aside. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Barry went for the phone while Casey disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door. A few minutes later, an attendant arrived and rolled a cart into the room. Barry gave him two fifty-dollar bills and told him to keep the change.

“Thank you, Mr. McElroy,” said the grateful attendant as he departed the suite.

The seventeen-year-old looked at the cart and asked himself, “Did I just tell him to keep the change?” He’d never done that before. The suite and ordering room service were new to him; for the sake of his ego, he didn’t want to get used to this. The last time he had stayed at a hotel, his father’s unit had returned from Afghanistan on a C-130 cargo plane at Fort Bliss. The only available room service was the Denny’s down the road from the base.

Barry removed the lid from the tray. Steak, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and toast were sitting on the plate, ready to be devoured. He didn’t keep them waiting. Halfway through the meal, Casey entered the room wearing blue jeans and a lavender blouse. She put her brunette hair up in a ponytail.

“How’s it taste?”

“Delicious.” Then he remembered. “Oh no, I am so sorry,” he apologized.

“For what?”

“I forgot my manners. Did you want something to eat? I should’ve ordered for you.”

“That’s considerate, but I stepped out for a bite after you went to bed.”

“Oh.” Barry slowly lifted his head and looked at her as he realized whom he was talking to.

“Relax,” she laughed. “Nobody died last night. I found some jackrabbits.”

For a moment, Barry’s breakfast churned in his stomach. “You eat jackrabbits?”

“I don’t eat,” she informed him. “I drink.”

“Maybe you’d better give me the lowdown and fill me in about vampires.” The grim expression on her face made him wonder if he’d picked the right time to have this conversation. Then she spoke.

“Remember one thing: you tell no one.”

“I won’t.”

“This conversation doesn’t go outside this room. It’s not for a book or a movie.”

“I understand,” he acknowledged.

Casey poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip. “Vampires 101. For centuries vampires have walked the earth. We exist among the myths and the urban legends. It’s how we’ve survived for so long.”

“Like werewolves?”

“Wouldn’t know. Never met one.” She took another sip, sat down on the floor, and crossed her legs. “Our immortality is not only a curse, but a responsibility. It’s a secret we must guard at all times. Should even one of us fail to maintain control it would expose . . .” She paused for a moment to consider a name, “the community.”

“How many humans have you told this to?”

“None,” she replied. “You’re the first.”

Casey looked up. Barry wondered if she was telling a story or making a confession.

“Secrecy is our greatest ally. We shun publicity and don’t seek out the limelight.”

“What about those pictures at your place? All those musicians?”

“That’s different.” She got up to pour herself another cup of coffee. “I’m talking about newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. We don’t do interviews or things like campaign for public office. It’s too risky.”

Barry finished his steak and washed it down with a swallow of orange juice.

Casey continued, “Vampires 102. I don’t burst into flames when exposed to sunlight and my skin doesn’t shine or sparkle like glass. I can tolerate the sun, but I dehydrate faster than humans. If I don’t get blood, I feel drained and become delirious.” She took another sip. “I can be photographed. My reflection can be seen in a mirror. Because of my condition, I have special abilities. I can run faster than the eye can see. My strength is immeasurable and I can fly. I can hear a heart beating a block away and my night vision is better than your average nocturnal animal. If I’m tracking prey, I won’t stop once I get the scent.”

“What about shape-shifting?”

“Sorry, only in the movies,” she answered.

“Religious objects?” he asked.

“They only affect the true vampires, the ones who have lost their souls. If you stick a crucifix in my face, you’ll only piss me off. Sort of like waiving a red flag, daring me to come at you. And I will come at you.”

Casey put her coffee cup on the tray. “Holy water doesn’t burn me, but it does irritate my skin, like poison ivy. Takes time, but I can regenerate.” She turned toward the sliding glass doors. “I sleep in a bed or a sleeping bag if I’m camping. I don’t have a coffin and I never will.”

“What about garlic?”

“Can’t stand it.”

“Because of your condition?”

“No,” she replied. “I simply can’t stand garlic. Didn’t like it on pizza when I was a kid and I don’t like it now. But it doesn’t ward off vampires.”

“Can vampires sense each other?”

“I don’t sense, but I can recognize another vampire from the lack of a beating heart. I’ll let you know if I see one. Remain with me and you’ll be safe. Stray away and someone might mistake you for a snack. So stay close at all times.”

“Then I guess I’m ready for Vampires 103.” Barry didn’t like the next question, but had to ask. “How do I destroy a vampire?”

Casey walked over to her gym bag, grabbed an eighteen-inch long wooden stake and tossed it to Barry. “With that.”

“Wow, seems a little heavy.”

“It should be. It’s made out of oak. Hemlock is also effective,” she continued. “You ram it right into the heart, either from the front, the side, or from behind. If you’re successful, you’ll paralyze me for a few minutes. If the stake isn’t removed after a certain amount of time, then I’m immobilized or comatose. Once I’m immobilized, you cut off my head.”

“Back up, rewind—I do what?”

“You cut off my head,” Casey repeated. “With a sword or an axe if one is handy.”

Barry struggled to keep his breakfast down. “Explain ‘immobilized’. Aren’t you supposed to turn into dust or something?”

“Like I said, most of what you know about vampires is a bunch of bat crap.” She walked out to the middle of the room. “When I’m paralyzed or comatose, I’ll stay that way until the stake is removed. But here is the catch. The older the vampire, the less effective the stake; the younger the vampire, the longer it takes to regenerate after you remove it.”

“How long will this affect you?”

“I don’t know.” Casey took off her blouse and tossed it to one side. Her well-proportioned breasts were complimented by the purple sports bra she wore. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

“Say what?” Barry’s blushing red cheeks instantly lost their color.

“You’re going to stake me.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now,” she demanded.

“But I just ate, and what if we get blood on the carpet?”

“Don’t worry. Hotel doesn’t charge for steam cleaning.” She placed her feet shoulder-width apart. “Now stand up and get ready.”

Barry pushed the serving cart aside and rose out of the chair. “Casey, I don’t think this is a good idea. What if something goes wrong?”

“I have to be sure you can do this before we meet my family.”

“I get that, but do you even know what will happen if I stake you?” Barry started to wheeze. He pulled out his inhaler and took a deep burst. When it didn’t help, he took another one. “How can I be sure you won’t toss me out a window?”

“I will not toss you out a window.”

“How do I know—”

“Enough already,” she growled.

“But Casey—”

Before he could finish, she lunged at him, eyes blazing red, fangs extended, both arms reaching out to grab him. His instinct to survive surpassed all sense of reason. With both hands, Barry held up the heavy piece of wood and allowed Casey’s momentum to work for him. She screamed when she fell on the stake and collapsed on Barry. Her weight caused them to fall to the floor. Panicking, he rolled Casey off to one side and slid across the room. Staring at Casey, he watched her lifeless body.

“Casey, are you all right?”

No answer.

“Casey, please say something.”

Barry’s hands shook as he crawled over to her and rolled her on her back. The vampire’s lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. Blood started to flow from the wound. The only dead bodies Barry had seen before were the thugs Casey dispatched to save his life. He never looked into their eyes when she was done with them. He wished he hadn’t seen hers.

A minute passed, which turned into five. Then a knock on the door.

“Hello! Hello! Is everything all right?” cried out a voice from the other side. Another knock on the door. “Excuse me, this is hotel security. Is everything all right in there?”

If they opened the door with Casey lying there, he would have a lot of explaining to do. “Just a minute,” Barry shouted. “I’ll be right there.” He got up from the floor and slowly walked to the door. With the security bar latched in place, he opened the door and looked through the narrow space. “Can I help you?”

A stocky man with a badge hanging from his left jacket pocket stood in the hallway. He had a puzzled look on his face. “Mr. McElroy?”

“That’s right.”

“Martin Ryan, sir. Hotel security. We received a call about a disturbance in your room.”

Visibly shaken, Barry tried to find the words. “Disturbance? No, I don’t think so. You must have the wrong room.” He tried to close the door, but the man put his foot in the opening.

“Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m going to have to ask you to let me in. To make sure everything is all right. You understand? Hotel policy.”

Barry’s mind blurred, searching for an explanation. “Is that necessary?”

“Sir, if you don’t mind. Please open the door.”

He contemplated his options and realized he didn’t have any. Barry closed the door and removed the security bar. When he opened the door a little wider, Casey came to the rescue, wearing a hotel bathrobe.

“Is something wrong, honey?”

Barry couldn’t tell if her appearance startled the man or if she was using her powers.

“We got a call about a disturbance coming from this room,” said Mr. Ryan.

Casey giggled, “That was me. I’m afraid I got a little too loud.”

Barry straightened up as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Sometimes we get carried away. He can be such a tiger behind closed doors.”

The sunburst color in Barry’s cheeks caused the security guard to roar with laughter. “I understand. So everything’s okay?”

“Everything is fine,” she giggled again. “We’ll try to keep it down.”

“All right, then. Have a good day.”

“We will.” Casey stepped in front of Barry, closed the door, and replaced the security bar.

“Son of a bitch!” Barry tried to keep his voice down so the security guard wouldn’t return. He took another shot from his inhaler and put it back in his pocket.

“You’re not going to die on me, are you?”

Barry paused. “Son of a bitch!”

“You said that already.”

Feeling faint, he walked over to the middle of the floor and dropped to his knees. Trying to keep from hyperventilating, he looked up to see Casey standing over him.

“You feeling okay?”

After a couple of deep breaths, Barry repeated, “Son of a bitch!”

“Go ahead. Get it out of your system.” She walked over to the serving cart.

“How did you? I mean? You were—”

“Staked? Helpless? Yes, I was.”

“I saw you—”

“Flat on my back with a stake through my heart.” Casey returned and handed Barry a glass of water. “Drink this.”

He sat up and took a couple of gulps. “What happened?”

“I came around and took out the stake. I saw you walk over to the door so I put on this robe.” She removed the garment to show her blood-soaked sports bra with a hole over the left breast. The wound had already started to close up. “How long was I out?”

Barry tried to regain his senses. “Five or six minutes.”

“More than enough time. You understand how much this means to me? If I lose control, you know what you have to do?”

Barry’s breathing slowed. “Shouldn’t I practice a little more?”

“You really want to?”

Barry pondered the question. “On second thought, once was enough.”

“Good, because for the record, that shit hurt like hell. But don’t worry. You did fine for your first time.”

“Now who’s the comedian?” He finished the water and handed the empty glass to Casey.

“You want another one?”

“I’m fine. What about the decapitation part?”

“That’s easy.” She put the glass on the serving cart and walked over to her gym bag to remove another katana. The handle was red and gold in color with a symbol carved below the handguard. “You can use this one of two ways.” Casey took a stance to demonstrate. “Lifting the head, you place the blade underneath the chin and quickly go from ear to ear until the head falls from the shoulders.”

“And the other way?”

The vampire took the blade and raised it high above her head. “The other way is to strike at the neck. Sort of like swinging a baseball bat, but you have to follow through, like this.” Her strikes were swift and certain. “The blade is razor sharp, so you shouldn’t have a problem. Get up and try it.”

Barry, still shaking, got up from the floor and took the katana from Casey. She stepped back to give him room to try a couple of practice strikes.

“See, you’re getting the hang of it.”

“This is weird,” he swung again.

“What is?”

“The sword. It feels alive.”

“It was handcrafted by the best sword master who ever lived. It’s an interesting story, but legend has it part of her soul is inside the blade. And I believe it.”

“Her?” he questioned, striking again.

“My teacher was a woman. She gave me the sword after I completed my training. It’s been passed down through generations.”

Lightheaded, Barry stopped and walked over to the chair to sit down. He took a moment to think. Did she say ‘training’?

“Give it a few minutes and you’ll be as good as new. Let me get cleaned up and we’ll be on our way.”

“Where are we going?”

“Where else? My family reunion.”