The Walkers: The Return

Chapter One

Chapter One
Music suggestion: "Familiar" – Agnes Obel

It was easy for leeches to pick off humans during Fiesta. The crowds were immense, the alcohol flowed like water, and everyone was too distracted by the shiny little things on vendor tables to notice their mother, father, brother, sister, girlfriend, boyfriend, and such had disappeared into a back alley. In spite of the burning sun that lit the city up during the day, San Antonio was a vampire's wet dream—metaphorically, of course. Collin and I leaned against the metal fencing that surrounded the city's La Villita attraction where the humans were enjoying NIOSA by cramming themselves into the tiny space like sardines. I recoiled briefly as the human stench overwhelmed my senses. They didn't realize it, but humans smelled like water...dirty water.

As a small child called for her mother, I noticed a tall woman approach her and gesture to a corner. My lips opened slightly and I tasted the air. Despite the overwhelming human swamp, I detected the defining tang of vampire venom wafting through the air. For good measure, I emitted a low growl, one that every leech could detect a mile away—the call of a predator. The woman guiding the child stopped and visibly flinched, her eyes panning the crowd for the source of the noise.

Got you.

I nudged Collin and nodded toward the crowd. We skirted around the ticket counter easily due to the large crowd, and we dipped behind a group of middle-aged women holding giant margaritas and arguing with the bike police, side-stepping a pack of teenagers using nail polish to remove the black marks on their hands that indicated they were minors. From there, it was a straight path to the leech that was pulling the child closer.

"It's okay, mija," the leech cooed to the child. She tried to stroke the girl's cheek, but the child instinctively repelled. "I will help you find your mama."

As she reached down to wrap her fingers around the child's throat, possibly to carry her off, I moved behind her and leaned in, my teeth tantalizingly close to her ear, clicking my tongue in reproach. The leech turned and our eyes met. Her cheap contacts were starting to burn away, peeling back the dark, muddy brown to reveal the red beneath. I smiled and tightened my grip, and she hissed and bared her teeth in response which made me laugh. Beyond her, I could see Collin leading the human child to the police that were still arguing with the drunken group.

I pulled my prey toward the back of the crowded market, searching for a hidden corner or shadowy alley, but each turn I took was filled with more humans. I growled, knowing I couldn't feast in front of them. Experience had taught me that there was no alcohol strong enough to drown out a memory like that.

The leech struggled in my grasp and cursed me in Spanish. I responded by sliding my hand from her neck to the small of her back. It was something Tobin and Rix had shown me once, although I had never tried it solo. Without much hesitation, I drove my nails into her skin, digging through the tough exterior, tearing my way through her insides and finally grabbing hold of her spinal cord. A shudder passed through her body as I closed my fist around its circumference, hearing the resounding. If I were to let her go, this injury would close and repair itself in a day—but it would be painful.

To the human observer, we were two friends, possibly lovers, disappearing for an intimate moment. Sure enough, as we moved forward, I noticed how the humans happily ignored us as they stumbled around like blind cattle.

Further back, a staircase spilled the crowd onto the Riverwalk below, a local tourist destination, and I growled as the likelihood of a quite spot to enjoy my meal further shrunk. As I cast my eyes across the expansive sea of humans, I spotted a narrow alley behind a gate, with only a dim flickering light illuminating the space. I pushed my way through the crowd and navigated my companion and me to the gated entrance.