Part V

The office was dank and hazy with cigarette smoke. Marl demons were known for their nicotine dependence. I took a seat in an ancient leatherette chair and waited for the inhabitant of this space.

It didn't take long. The Marl nodded a greeting and sat down in front of the desk. He took a yellow legal pad from a side drawer and looked up expectantly.

"Give me the data"

"Right then, Female aged five. Light brown hair. Green eyes. Born somewhere in New York…"

"Not California? That's gonna cost you extra" The demon asked.

"No, the East Coast is better. List her mother as deceased, her father as myself so make sure it jives with what you did for me"

The demon grunted his agreement. "When do you want her birth date to be"

"February 27. Make her a fish"

"Fine. So lets see you want a birth certificate, social security… What about immunization records?"
"I'll get those done myself" I said getting ready to leave.

"Then that'll be the standard three hundred"

I put the bills on his desk. The demon took them and hummed softly as he counted. The Marl's second addiction is money.

The sum was the correct one and the demon's misshapen face twisted into his version of a grin.

"Good. Tell my secretary to give you a receipt. The papers will be ready by the end of the week so feel free to pick them up on Friday"
I rose from the chair and went for the door.

"Mr. Spike, one more thing. What's her given name?"

We had discussed this at length. The bit had not been pleased at giving up her pet name. I let her pick and managed to avoid cringing at her choice.

"Summer. Put her down as Summer"


***

She had gotten the chicken pox a week and a half ago. It had been a chilling experience.

Even now she still had traces of drying pustules on her face and body. Three straight days of fever and vomiting had made her gaunt. Her hair no longer shined and her face looked bruised and distorted.

And I couldn't get over the fact that I'd nearly lost her.

She didn't have her shots, she didn't take vitamins and she didn't have a bloody doctor because she did not exist. And I couldn't take care of her properly because I hadn't been human in over a hundred years.

Instinct told me to keep her cool so I would bathe her body with wet washcloth periodically. I also gave her a little water but she couldn't keep that down. Tylenol didn't help much either.

It hit me there. My master plan had so many holes in it that it was disintegrating in front of me.

The bit's immune system perked up on the third day and the fever receded. She fell into a deep sleep for most of the day. I sat down and tried to keep my body from shaking. When I could finally get my hands steady enough to drive I went to pick up some soup. She hadn't eaten at all ever since the sickness started and I knew that she would be hungry. I also made a brief stop at the butcher's because I hadn't fed either.

The night was starless. Sometime during my vigil it had rained because there were puddles in the street. I parked the car in front of a diner and turned the engine off but did not rise from my seat. As usual my memories found me.

The house was of one of those clapboard affairs that would not withstand one really good rainstorm. It was the expected product of an economic depression. The wind had a bite that night and the tiny dwelling groaned with each flare up.

Drusilla loved this part of the country with its harvest picking farmers that followed the crops along with their families. She loved the hopelessness that she could taste in their blood. Whenever possible Dru would prefer to eat the desperate. I, as usual, indulged her.

So there we were, preying on the weak and what all when we came across this particular dwelling. As pathetic as this little house was we could not enter without an invitation and we were forced to improvise. Drusilla's singsong voice drew the youngest member of the family out with its hypnotic charm. The little girl was five and small for her age. Her dark hair was braided and coiled atop her head and she wore one of those blanket sleepers with feet.

Dru giggle with delight. She swept the child into her arms and swung her around in a parody of ring- around- the- rosie. I stood there and watched in fascination at the antics of my dark princess. I was already salivating at the imminent prospect.

Soon enough Dru wearied of the child and went for the kill. The child was hypnotized and did not mutter a sound as Drusilla's sharp fangs crushed her tiny throat. I let her drink her fill before I moved in for my share.

The little body was almost devoid of blood when the mother's scream pierced the night. I imagine she must have checked in on her youngest and found her missing. Filled with dread she ran outside uncaring of any danger just to find two demons feeding on her baby's dead body. I can invoke what she felt.

Drusilla approached the hysterical woman and snapped her neck ending her misery. It must have been a relief, really.

My foray into the past was abruptly ended by a blaring siren's wail. I collected my thoughts and shook the present back into my head. My bit could wake up at any minute and I didn't want her to be alone when she did.

TBC.