David stepped out into the hallway, lighting a cigarette in an attempt to escape the smell. The burning tobacco didn't much mask the putrid scent of Edgar's foul stench, but the nicotine helped.
"What are we gonna do with him?" Marko closed the door, speaking in a hushed tone.
"Besides kill him?" David exhaled a steady stream of smoke. "I don't see much value to him, now that the rest are dead."
All the Emersons were dead, Laddie and Star, too. Beth was supposed to be taking care of the grandfather; she had taken off for the hospital when he and Marko had left for this rental house. Edgar was it. Once he was gone, David was scot-free to take over Santa Carla.
"What, you want to keep him around to torture him?" David raised a brow. Marko had a decided sadistic streak that people missed on first glance of that baby face of his. The fact Edgar was missing toes, most of both pinkies gone, and the rest of his fingers were mangled did not escape David's notice.
"It's kind of fun?" Marko shrugged.
"You said Alan didn't last long."
"Nah. His heart gave out a few days after we bagged them."
David raised a brow. "How has Edgar survived this long?"
"Will power? Hope? Maybe out of sheer spite?" The younger Boy shrugged again. Something felt off. David could feel Marko was evading giving him a truthful answer.
Grinding the cigarette out under his boot heel, David strode purposefully into the makeshift cell. Edgar was sitting on the metal twin bed, glaring angrily through his shaggy bangs.
"Come to finally finish me off, night stalker?"
David ignored the teenager's smart remark and walked right past the line of tape on the floor. Edgar looked startled as the vampire drew nearer.
"Hey, man, wait up!" Marko called, hurrying after David. He was too late. David pushed Edgar down onto the thin mattress, his hand pressed hard against the teen's chest, pinning him while he searched.
"Get off me, el vampiro!" Edgar screamed, trying to push David's hand off his chest. His strength was no match for the Lost Boy's. David pushed aside the rags that had once been Edgar's t-shirt. He could see healed burns, from cigarettes and probably a lighter, along with white scar tissue from knife blades. The largest piece of visible damage to the teenager's body was the fact his right nipple was missing, sheared off, leaving puckered pink skin that stood out against Edgar's natural skin tone.
David whirled around, releasing Edgar and advancing on Marko. His eyes were growing yellow, the red seeping in to the turn the natural blue violet. "What did you do!"
"Uh…" Marko backed up, his gaze locked with David's, reaching for the switchblade in his back pocket. "Well, uh… Alan didn't last long, and we needed all the info we could get, so it was just a good idea to…"
David's hand around his throat silenced the rest of Marko's explanation. The head vampire began to squeeze, choking the younger Boy as he pushed him hard against the wall. Marko's eyes began to bulge, his fingers scrabbling to pry David's loose. David growled and squeezed harder, his eyes burning red under the heavy brow, talons digging into Marko's pale flesh.
"Whose blood did you give him! Max's?" David roared. "Yours?"
"Hey, man, I didn't drink any vampire blood!" Edgar yelled. David ignored him.
Marko gurgled, unable to answer David. The head vampire snarled and squeezed the younger vampire's throat with violent intensity before releasing his grip. Marko collapsed to the filthy carpet.
"I can't believe Beth agreed to doing this. I can't believe either of you would be so damn stupid to turn this idiot into a half-vampire!"
"I ain't no half-vamp, man!" Edgar growled. He fell back against the mattress as the Lost Boy loomed over him, his eyes wild with fright.
"Yes. You. Are!" David shouted, as he began to poke Edgar hard in the chest and upper arms before he started to slap his face. Edgar tried weakly to fend off the attack, raising his chained wrists, trying to use the chain to block David. David roared and punched the teenager in the nose. A sickening cracking sound was followed by the scent of blood in the air.
Leaning back, David looked down at Edgar, whose countenance had changed. The heavy brow, the golden eyes tinted red, the double fangs in his open mouth. Edgar slowly licked at the blood that seeped out his broken nose, pooled along his upper lip, looking up at David with violence in his eyes.
"God damn it, Marko!"