Part 54 (1/2)

In the bedroom, Pearl sat at Jackson's bedside, and Nia and Jahlil sat on chairs that surrounded the bed. David knelt beside Nia.

”What do you think, Pearl?” David said.

”He is in shock,” she said, ”due to having lost a tremendous amount of blood. I cleaned and redressed his wound. However, to have the best opportunity to recover, he needs a transfusion.”

”A blood transfusion?” David asked. ”We'd have to take him to the hospital for that, and you know-”

”-the hospital has been overrun with vampires, and the blood supply doubtless raided,” Pearl said. ”I understand that the circ.u.mstances are not in our favor, David. I will do the best I can”

”What if we take him to another hospital?” Nia said. ”There's one in Hernando. It's only a fifteen minute drive.”

”We can't leave town ” Jahlil shook his head. ”I tried. The bridge is torn up, and I bet the other roads out of here are blocked, too. They've thought of everything, man.” He sniffled, wiped his nose angrily with his blood-stained s.h.i.+rt. ”My dad ... he's not gonna make it, is he?”

”I have witnessed many miracles in my life, child,” Pearl said. She held Jahlil's hands. ”Please, keep hope”

Pearl resumed her healing treatment, which she called Reiki. Her eyes closed, her face serene yet concentrated, she slowly moved her hands across Jackson's body, keeping her palms balanced above his skin. Reiki, she said, was simply a method of channeling and directing life force energy. In the absence of high-tech medical equipment and a staff of doctors, it was the most powerful technique at her disposal. As David watched, he thought about the irony of Jackson's condition. He needed a blood transfusion in the midst of a vampire attack, for G.o.d's sake. If they merely took Jackson into the fray of battle, he was sure the vampires would be willing to share a little blood.

Not funny, he thought.

Rain rapped against the windows; the storm clouds had finally begun to shed their burdens. Occasionally a strong wind buffeted the house, like a punch thrown by a furious spirit.

How long would it be before the vampires located them? Surely, they were searching. The fiends would not rest until they had found them.

He looked away from the window.

Nia rose out of her chair.

”Pearl, can I use your bathroom?” Nia said. ”I need to clean myself up ””

Pearl turned, her hands hovering over Jackson's chest. ”Of course. You will find towels in the cabinet underneath the sink.” Her dark eyes went to David. ”Make yourselves at home, there is some tea I've already brewed in the kitchen, and food if you are hungry. I will be treating Chief Jackson for quite some time.”

”Thank you,” David said. ”Jahlil, can I get you anything?”

”No,” he said quickly. ”I'm staying in here”

That kid is tough, but he's held together with thin wire right now, David thought. He wished he could do something, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was pre pare himself to step in and be a friend for Jahlil, like he had promised Jackson that he would.

Jackson's features were slack and peaceful. Gone was the melancholy expression that habitually dragged down the police chief's face, making him look twenty years older. But David found the man's placid visage disturbing.

He looked like a dead man on display in a coffin.

Chapter 22.

t Emma Mae's, the party was in high gear.

.After Emma's announcement at the town meeting, people had begun showing up at her place around eight o'clock. By eleven-thirty, cars and pickup trucks crowded the street, parked b.u.mper-to-b.u.mper for the entire block. Her house was full of loud, carefree people who knew how to have fun. Playing Bid Whist and poker. Eating ribs, chicken, and corn on the cob. Drinking beer and Hennessy. Telling stories and talking s.h.i.+t.

The thunderstorm had knocked out the electrical power, but Emma was prepared for that; candles and kerosene lamps burned in every room downstairs. She had batteries for the boom box, so she could play hits nonstop by Bobbie Blue Bland, Wilson Pickett, and B.B. King. She'd flung up the garage door and set up the big barbecue grill on the edge of the garage floor, fragrant smoke blowing into the air as she served up a seemingly endless supply of ribs and chicken.

No one was going to stop her from partying. Least of all some vampires. Who believed in those d.a.m.n things, anyway? She'd believe it when she saw one with her own eyes.

Lillie, of course, believed that nonsense. As Emma stood at the kitchen counter, brus.h.i.+ng her special barbecue sauce on another steaming slab of ribs, she looked out the window and saw the glow of Lillie's cigarette as her sister hid behind the curtain at her home next door. Spying on Emma, as usual. Emma sneered. If the old heifer was so curious about what was going on, she should've brought her skinny a.s.s over here.

You better take Blood to the hospital, you old fool, Lillie had said after the town meeting. I know you lying about him having a hangover; I heard that man got bit by one of them demon dogs ...

Emma had told Lillie that she didn't know what the h.e.l.l she was talking about and she needed to mind her own business. But inwardly, she worried. Blood was still asleep. That man had never slept through a party in his life, but she couldn't wake him for anything. He would only groan and s.h.i.+ft on the bed. He was running a bit of a fever. She had put a cold towel on his forehead, to try to break the fever, and it didn't seem to help. She was really beginning to worry, but she wasn't going to take him to the hospital so they could pump him full of drugs and do government experiments on him like he was some kinda lab rat. She didn't trust the hospital in town, not after what had been said at the meeting.

If Blood wasn't better by morning, she would take him to a hospital in Southaven. In the meantime, she would continue to check on him every hour. It was, in fact, about time she looked in on him again.

She finished slathering sauce on the ribs, then placed the meat in a foil-lined pan. She took the pan to the serving table in the corner of the kitchen. Elmer Jackson, the police chief's cousin, and Buster Hodges, the daddy of Junior, the kid who cut her gra.s.s, hunched over the table, piling food on their plates.

”Where's your boy, Buster?” Emma said. ”I ain't seen him here tonight.”

”Don't know where that kid at,” Buster said. ”Probably out working. You know that boy ain't happy 'less he working somewhere ””

”Ain't that the truth,” Elmer said. ”Boy been saving up to buy a truck from me. He came by the lot and told me to save him that black ninety-eight Ford pickup I done had for a few months. Said he was gonna buy it.”

”He ain't gonna buy s.h.i.+t,” Buster said. ”That boy got pipe dreams, like his mama did.”

”Aww, let the boy have his dreams,” Emma said. She set down the ribs on the table. ”He's a sweet kid.”

Buster grumbled and stabbed a chicken thigh with his fork. Emma almost told him that his son wasn't the only one who'd had a dream once, but she let it go. Buster hated to be reminded of his pro boxing days. A couple of years ago, at another of her card parties, Elmer-never one to bite his tongue-had told Buster that he'd lost a hundred dollars betting on his sorry a.s.s in a fight, and Buster had launched across the table and knocked Elmer on his tail with his fearsome right hook. Since then, Elmer had avoided coming within ten feet of Buster.

But look at them now, Emma thought. The men were fellows.h.i.+pping like true brothers, eating together. It proved that when things got too heavy to bear, there was nothing like an old-fas.h.i.+oned house party to set things right. A party was good for the soul.

She went through the house, smiling to herself. All around her, folks were having a good time. On the boom box, Wilson Pickett crooned his signature song, ”In the Midnight Hour.”

Earl Jones, a card-party regular, jumped up from his seat at the poker game as Emma walked past. Drunk as a skunk, he took her hand and twirled her around in a little dance.

Emma giggled, feeling like a teenager again. That heifer, Lillie, didn't know what she was missing, staying cooped up in her house like the crazy old woman in the fairy tale who lived in a giant shoe. The only difference was that Lillie had that p.i.s.sy weiner dog, Rex, instead of a bunch of cats.

All the cats are gone outta this town, Lillie had said, earlier. Did you notice that, you old fool? All the cats are gonescared off by those demon dogs!

Lillie and her superst.i.tions. Emma didn't care about some d.a.m.n alley cats.

Earl stumbled in the middle of his jig, and Emma helped him sit down.

”You better sit your tail down and get back to them cards,” she said. ”You can't hang with me, baby.”

”Don't mean I don't wanna try,” Earl said. He flashed a l.u.s.ty grin that was highlighted by a s.h.i.+ny gold tooth.

”You better not let Blood hear you say that” She smiled. ”I'm 'bout to bring him down here”

”About time, wake that gimp-legged n.i.g.g.a up,” Earl said. He expertly riffled his cards in his big hands. ”I wanna get him at this table and clean out his pockets”

”You hush,” Emma said.