The Death Thief

Alleyway

I, in turn, looked back out to the street, but I felt certain I'd lost too much time. I didn't know much about how similar the vampires in Whisper Valley were to the ones portrayed by Hollywood, but I assumed the heightened senses and impressive speed were probably not that far off the mark. In fact, I had some bruising on my back to prove how quick and fierce a vampire could be.

For all I knew, Calista was already being beaten senseless by Matias, who may or may not be under the control of his jealous dam, Lady Derosiers. Or maybe I sensed the aura around Matias wrong. Maybe he was squeezing the stress from his body when he balled his fist. Maybe it was heartburn that made him snarl. Not that I knew if vampires even got heartburn.

One way or another though, I couldn't go to bed that night without confirming Calista's safety. That, however, required me to find her and being the newest resident of Whisper Valley, I had no idea where to even begin looking. I, however, didn't have the time to dissect the few interactions I had with Calista to discern her routines and places of interest. What I did have was the fact that she was a zombie and apparently they answered to Raid. So maybe if I found him, I could find Calista. To find him, though, I'd need to find a zombie to point me in the right direction and there was only one zombie I knew. Bungee.

I recalled his mention of working shifts at Hen's Brew and Stew Diner. It was opened all day long so there was a chance he was there. It was a long shot, but it was all I had.

I headed down the street while the wrought iron lamps that lined them, flickered on. Not a tinge of daylight, not a single ray of sunlight remained. Night had officially won the battle and began its reign over the sky. Darkness settled into the alleys and I kept close to the curb where the halos of light were the brightest. Despite Kyra and Everett's assertions that humans were protected commodities in town, I had far too much evidence otherwise and when the majority of the population made their living slinking in the shadows, I wasn't willing to press my luck and earn myself a few more stitches that night.

And I truly appreciated just how many creatures of the night lived in town, the farther I got from the outskirts. The sidewalks bustled as ashen-faced vampires headed off to work or went about their errands. As with the daytime crowd, most of them jumped to the other side of the road when they saw me coming. However, instead of a look of disgust twisting their faces, I caught lusty gazes as they covered their noses with their hands. I checked my side and looked down to my leg to see if my bandages had given way, but I was clean as far as I could tell. Apparently just the mere scent of humanity was enough to drive a hungry vampire wild. I simply gave thanks that so many chose to keep to the town's rules and I made sure not to look too insulted when they jumped into the street to create distance between us.

I passed by the hotel as I spotted the diner's beacon not far down the street. In the daylight I had ignored it completely. Just some unimpressive signage in the harsh embrace of the sun. However, at night, Hen's logo lit with neon brilliance. The Brew and Stew was marked by a large purple cauldron with lime green animated bubbles. With my finish line in sight, I picked up my pace, directing my feet to the chrome and glass door. So fixed was I upon my destination, that I almost missed the screams coming from the back alley.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I was hungry, instinct took over. I'm sorry!" The voice was hoarse. The gravel of his exhausted cry rumbling his words. So low was his voice, that my feet merely hesitated at the sound, not even certain I heard the words correctly.

"You've violated my trust once. You were...she was...You failed me! So this time I'm going to make sure you truly understand what will happen if you fail me again."

That I did hear. Anger cut through the ambient noise of crickets chirping in the fields and cars cruising down the street. I stopped in my tracks and headed over to the corner of a brick building neighboring the diner. I hugged the wall and peered into the alleyway, where a couple dumpsters took residence. Other than that, there was only one thin, shivering body on the floor and a broad, hulking silhouette against the little light that filtered into the alley.

"I told you it was a mistake! I won't rat you out. I won't do anything!"

"Maybe if I smash your teeth in, then I won't have to worry about whether or not you can keep to your word. So far I only have proof of the latter." With that the large figure hunched over and reached down for the quivering man. A man I knew must have been the very zombie I was looking for. A zombie who was already struggling to pay off the "medical" bills for Calista. I knew he didn't need to add his own. However, as he was drawn up by his throat, his hands wrenching at the much stronger man's grip and his legs kicking at the air, I had no idea how I was supposed to help. I could run to the police station, but I only had a vague idea where that was in town, and even if I knew how to get there right away, I didn't know if I could even get there in time for Kyra to stop the punch that the man was already drawing back.

With one shaky breath and a resounding pound of my heart, I leapt out from my corner and into the alley.

"H-hey!" I shouted, my lips trembling and my knees buckling. "L-leave h-him..." The man turned and I saw a flash of red when the light from the street glinted across his eyes. I knew he must be a vampire and without a doubt, I knew he must be Matias.

For awhile I choked on air, unable to find strength in my lungs to draw the oxygen in. However, when I caught sight of Bungee's sad eyes in that same street light, a part of me burned and a pocket of courage released and freed my tongue of its paralysis.

"Leave him alone!" I demanded, gasping after I forced the words out. "I'll get the sheriff. I'll tell her you maimed a zombie."

A snarl cut through the silence that seemed to have fallen over the alleyway. The burst of adrenaline that gave my voice strength diminished in an instant when Matias dropped Bungee on the ground and looked at me in full. I wondered if Calista was the only one who no longer cared about keeping up appearances. Perhaps this town had existed in harmony for centuries, but would I end up being the tool needed for a rebel looking to bring back the old murderous ways.

I squeaked as my mind tumbled into a dark world of possibilities and visions of my throat being torn open by a hungry vampire. However, after one last roar of disapproval, he turned for the other side of the alley and disappeared into the dark. With him gone, all pretenses that I was somehow a courageous human being fell to the wayside. I crumbled to the rough asphalt and shuddered with each breath that I suddenly cherished more than I ever had.