Part 20 (1/2)

Everyone in the place was suddenly standing, and fists were flying wildly. It had all happened in just seconds.

Swearing, Bryan leapt over the still screaming and blubbering fat man. He thrust out an arm, pus.h.i.+ng his way through the crowd.

Mary had escaped into a back alley. He did the same.

Jessica stayed with Nancy and Jeremy until the sun began to rise. By then Jeremy seemed to have made a major change. He grew calm, no longer so shattered. He was quiet and pensive.”It's safe to leave by day, isn't it?” he asked Jessica.

She hesitated. ”I don't really-”

She broke off; he was staring at her with something close to contempt.

”You do know,” he said quietly. ”I don't know how you know, but you know.”

She stared back at him. ”You're probably safe by daylight,” she said at last. Then she shrugged and started across the room, taking a seat at her desk and staring at them. ”Don't believe the legend that vampires can't move about by day. They can, and they need only sleep near or with a few granules of their native soil. They don't like sunlight, but it won't kill them, and too much salt.w.a.ter, not just holy water, can kill them. What else? A really powerful vampire can make you forget just about anything. And a really powerful vampire can twist most people to his or her will without even looking them in the eyes.” She paused again. The kids had worried that everyone would think they were crazy. Now they probably thought she was totally insane.

”I wouldn't talk about this, if I were you. If you try to convince other people that vampires are real, they'll probably find a way to lock you up. Maybe we all deny what we're afraid to believe, I don't know. The point is...” She gritted her teeth and leaned forward. ”The point is, there is a particularly powerful vampire known as the Master. He's just about as evil as sin itself. He has appeared many times throughout history. He was dormant for many years, and I actually believed he might have been destroyed, but...anyway, I believe he followed Mary here. So it's not just Mary walking the streets of New Orleans. There's far worse out there,” she finished softly.

”Are you a slayer, then? Are there really such things?” Jeremy asked.

She lowered her lashes, shaking her head. ”No. I'm not a slayer. I simply try to stop them from killing, from making more of their kind. Sadly, I failed to save Mary.”

”How do you know about this...Master?” Jeremy asked.

”He's been around before,” she said simply. ”I went to the conference in Romania hoping to hear rumors of vampire activity. As usual, there was lots of talk about cults and people who think they need to suck blood, but in all that hot air, you can usually find some glimmer of truth or catch wind of one of the parties the Master has started hosting as his personal feast. He likes to pick and choose. Mary was quite beautiful,” she added softly.

”This is insane,” Nancy said.

Of course it sounded insane. They'd insisted they'd seen vampires without having any idea of what that really meant.

”You wanted the truth. I've given it to you. You'll need to protect yourselves at all times. Especially if I'm right and the Master is here, planning one of his parties.”

She was surprised when Nancy said, ”The sad thing is, I believe you.” Her voice turned to a whisper. ”I was there. And I know that you're telling the truth. I just want it to be insane.”

Suddenly Jeremy sprang to life and shook his head. ”But...the whole city needs to be warned. The entire state. h.e.l.l, the world!”

Jessica sighed. ”Don't you understand? You can't go creating panic, or a situation in which you condemn those who can fight the evil to being stuck in a mental ward.”

Nancy looked at Jeremy. ”We need to go. We can help our friends, at the very least. We can hand out crosses to our friends. We can ask them to wear them in memory of Mary.”

”I'm going to suggest you come back here tonight,” Jessica said.

”But our friends-” ”You two are the ones he wants. He'll be angry with Mary, because she wasn't able to seduce you into letting her in.”

”If he hurts her-” Jeremy began angrily.

”Jeremy,” Nancy said, taking his arm, ”she's dead. The Mary we know is dead. Isn't that true?”

Again Jessica looked down, wondering what to say. She lifted her head and stared up at the two of them. ”The Master is evil- excessively cruel. I'm afraid that Mary, who is now his creature, isn't at all the person you once knew. She'll sound like the woman you knew and loved, but she is his to command. Jeremy, you have to be strong. Strong for her.”

”You mean, so I can kill her,” he said bitterly.

”If need be.”

”Maybe I can-”

”You have no idea what you're up against. You have to keep yourself safe and let me know any time she comes. Do you understand?” She hesitated. ”Jeremy, the Master hates me, and he will try especially hard to hurt the two of you, because he knows we've grown close. He'll target some people for his amus.e.m.e.nt, but others...” She trailed off, not certain how much to say. ”I believe the Master is intent on ruining my life, hurting those I care about. You have to be strong, Jeremy. You have to resist Mary, no matter how hard that is. Do you understand? She intends to kill you.”

Nancy was frowning, but she clearly comprehended that they were in serious danger. ”He understands.” Nancy said firmly. ”I'll see to it.”

”Let's go,” Jeremy said dully.

”Be back before dark,” Jessica warned them firmly.

Jeremy looked at her, troubled. ”Why does he want to hurt you so badly?”

”It's a very long story.”

He waited. She remained quiet.

”All right,” he said softly. ”I'm going to a.s.sume you had something to do with the fact that he was...gone for so long. So you need to be careful, too.”

”I will be,” she vowed.

Then the two of them were gone.

She leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. After a moment, she murmured aloud, ”That didn't go too badly.”

She took a deep breath. Then she started to cancel her appointments for the week.

Except for one.

Sean leaned his head wearily against the back of his chair, momentarily closing his eyes. Maybe the aspirin would kick in soon.

What a night, and what a horrendous beginning to the day.He'd already had to make the call to Mary's parents to tell them that their daughter's body had disappeared. At the hospital, there were two rumors going around. One claimed that a psychotic necrophiliac had stolen the body. Then there was the suggestion-taken more seriously by most-that the girl had never been dead, that the doctor on call had made a horrible mistake, and she had simply awakened, perhaps suffering some memory loss, and had grabbed some clothes from somewhere and headed out to the streets.

He'd also had to arrange for constant surveillance of Dave where he lay in the hospital, and he had to make sure he chose the right men for the job. The days were easy enough, but the nights were murder.

Now he was being told that Bryan MacAllistair was waiting to see him.

”Send him in,” Sean told the desk clerk.

MacAllistair entered the room and just stood there imposingly, waiting.

”What can I do for you?” Sean demanded.

MacAllistair looked worn, exhausted. ”Come clean,” he said, taking a seat at least.