The sound of something being thrown down the stairs woke Madigan. She
pushed herself off the dirt floor and turned her head toward the noise.
When she looked, she saw a girl lying on the ground by the bottom of the
stairs. A tall green haired man with bright green eyes looked at her.
"Dinner, cara mia." He helped Madigan to her feet.
She looked up at him in wonder. "Why can I see? What did you do to me?"
He motioned toward the girl, who was now crying, begging to be let go. "Are you not hungry cara?"
Madigan looked at the girl thoughtfully. She licked her lips and started toward the girl.
"Please, don't hurt me. I didn't do anything." She cried.
Madigan shook her head. "I'm sorry." She grabbed the girl by her hair and pulled her head to one side. Mauro showed her where to bite and she sank her teeth into the artery in the girl's neck.
When she was finished, she dropped the girl's body and turned to Mauro. "What did you do to me?"
"Come upstairs. Everyone's gone out so it's just us." He took her hand and led her up the stairs. He brought her into the front room before turning to her. "I made you one of us." He cupped her face in his hand. "I gave you back your sight."
She glared at him, trying hard not to cry. "I never had sight. I was born blind. All you did was take away my gift."
"I gave you a much greater gift."
With a newly given strength, Madigan struck out, sending Mauro flying across the room. He crashed into the wall and sank to the floor unconscious. "No you didn't." She whispered and left the house.
She wandered down the driveway, wondering where she was. Being able to see threw off her sense of direction and she closed her eyes, trying to find her way.
***
After a while, Madigan found herself on the boardwalk. The lights and sounds were too much for her newly enhanced senses and she ducked into a dark alley, shaking. She felt close to crying.
"Madigan? Is that you?" A voice called to her. She turned and saw a tall dark haired man coming toward her.
She backed away, unsure of who he was. "Do I know you?"
"Its me. Dwayne?" He held out a hand to her. "What did they do to you?"
"One of them changed me." She fell into his arms, blood tears finally falling from her eyes. He scooped her up and flew her back to the cave.
"You can see now." Dwayne said. She nodded but stayed silent. He landed them on the cliff edge.
Madigan looked around. "It beautiful."
Dwayne turned and looked at her. "Hmm?"
"The ocean. I've never seen it before." She said softly, watching the waves crash against the rocks below.
Dwayne took her hand. "Come inside. The others are worried about you."
She followed him down the stairs and into the cave. The other Lost Boys looked up when he came in.
Paul shot to his feet. "Madigan? You found her?"
"We sort of found each other." He let her climb down on her own, moving out of the way so Paul could hug her.
"I was so worried about you." He said as he hugged her tightly.
"Paul?" Madigan asked, though she was already sure of who the man she was looking at was.
Paul put out his hand and touched her face. "Madigan, who changed you?"
"The one named Mauro." The teas started again. She let Paul pull her against him. "He took away my Sight." She sobbed.
David approached them slowly. He touched Madigan's shoulder and she looked up at him. "Did you see Lily?"
She shook her head. "I was in the basement until I escaped."
David reached out and wiped away her tears with his finger. Slowly, he brought that finger to his mouth. "Tell us what happened."
Paul led Madigan to a couch and she told them everything she could remember.
"Can you take us to this house?" David asked when she was finished.
Madigan nodded. "I think I can get back there."
"Good. They started this war. We're gonna finish it. And get back Lily." David growled. The other Boys nodded.
"I want to help." Madigan spoke up. The Boys turned and looked at her, almost
as if really noticing her for the first time.
Paul shook his head. "No."
Madigan put her hands on her hips. "Why not? You're going to need all the extra hands you can get."
"We don't even know if you can fight." David said.
Madigan growled. "I can fight. All of this is my fault. Let me help."
"If that's what the lady wants." He put up his hands in mock surrender.
***
Dwayne crept up to the side of the house. He could see Lily and the other vampires lounging around in the living room. She turned her head toward the window and looked directly at him. He froze and waited for her to raise the alarm but she only turned back to the tall bald vampire and smiled. Rolling his shoulders to relax, Dwayne kept creeping along the side of the house.
David landed silently on the roof. He crept to the dormer and slid the window open. He crawled inside, looked around.
Marko leaned against the rear wall of the house. One of the vampires was sitting on the back steps, smoking. He had long braided hair hanging over his shoulder and he tossed the braid back so it hung down his back. Marko grinned and stalked toward him.
Back in front, Madigan emerged from the shadows and headed toward the house. "Mauro!" She called as she walked. The vampires appeared on the porch.
"You came back cara." He smiled victoriously. "Did your precious vampires turn you away when you were no longer useful to them?"
She shook her head. "I came to kill you."
The vampires laughed. Mauro stepped off the porch. "I doubt it cara." He started to say something more but was cut off by a scream from porch.
"Valentino!" Isabella screamed and fell to her knees. Lily and Ottavia knelt next to her. She looked at them. "He's gone."
"Someone killed him?" Ottavia growled. She turned toward Lily and shoved her hard. "You brought them to us vacca."
Lily stumbled back into Diego's arms. "What are you going on about?" She asked the crazed female.
"Someone has killed Valentino. Who do you think that would be? Hmm?" She pushed herself to her feet and started toward Lily. "Your Lost Boys."
"I have nothing to do wit-" She began but cut short when she saw the crossbow bolt embedded in Mauro's chest. He held a hand out to Madigan, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Madigan gave a little yelp and stepped back from him. His eyes widened as he fell forward and died.
Lily's head snapped to the side with the force of Ottavia's punch. Diego pushed Ottavia back and ushered Lily into the house before the girl could do any more damage.
"Is it the Lost Boys?" Diego asked softly, guiding Lily through the house to his room. She nodded.
"I saw Dwayne. Are you going to warn Nino?"
"No."
"Dinner, cara mia." He helped Madigan to her feet.
She looked up at him in wonder. "Why can I see? What did you do to me?"
He motioned toward the girl, who was now crying, begging to be let go. "Are you not hungry cara?"
Madigan looked at the girl thoughtfully. She licked her lips and started toward the girl.
"Please, don't hurt me. I didn't do anything." She cried.
Madigan shook her head. "I'm sorry." She grabbed the girl by her hair and pulled her head to one side. Mauro showed her where to bite and she sank her teeth into the artery in the girl's neck.
When she was finished, she dropped the girl's body and turned to Mauro. "What did you do to me?"
"Come upstairs. Everyone's gone out so it's just us." He took her hand and led her up the stairs. He brought her into the front room before turning to her. "I made you one of us." He cupped her face in his hand. "I gave you back your sight."
She glared at him, trying hard not to cry. "I never had sight. I was born blind. All you did was take away my gift."
"I gave you a much greater gift."
With a newly given strength, Madigan struck out, sending Mauro flying across the room. He crashed into the wall and sank to the floor unconscious. "No you didn't." She whispered and left the house.
She wandered down the driveway, wondering where she was. Being able to see threw off her sense of direction and she closed her eyes, trying to find her way.
***
After a while, Madigan found herself on the boardwalk. The lights and sounds were too much for her newly enhanced senses and she ducked into a dark alley, shaking. She felt close to crying.
"Madigan? Is that you?" A voice called to her. She turned and saw a tall dark haired man coming toward her.
She backed away, unsure of who he was. "Do I know you?"
"Its me. Dwayne?" He held out a hand to her. "What did they do to you?"
"One of them changed me." She fell into his arms, blood tears finally falling from her eyes. He scooped her up and flew her back to the cave.
"You can see now." Dwayne said. She nodded but stayed silent. He landed them on the cliff edge.
Madigan looked around. "It beautiful."
Dwayne turned and looked at her. "Hmm?"
"The ocean. I've never seen it before." She said softly, watching the waves crash against the rocks below.
Dwayne took her hand. "Come inside. The others are worried about you."
She followed him down the stairs and into the cave. The other Lost Boys looked up when he came in.
Paul shot to his feet. "Madigan? You found her?"
"We sort of found each other." He let her climb down on her own, moving out of the way so Paul could hug her.
"I was so worried about you." He said as he hugged her tightly.
"Paul?" Madigan asked, though she was already sure of who the man she was looking at was.
Paul put out his hand and touched her face. "Madigan, who changed you?"
"The one named Mauro." The teas started again. She let Paul pull her against him. "He took away my Sight." She sobbed.
David approached them slowly. He touched Madigan's shoulder and she looked up at him. "Did you see Lily?"
She shook her head. "I was in the basement until I escaped."
David reached out and wiped away her tears with his finger. Slowly, he brought that finger to his mouth. "Tell us what happened."
Paul led Madigan to a couch and she told them everything she could remember.
"Can you take us to this house?" David asked when she was finished.
Madigan nodded. "I think I can get back there."
"Good. They started this war. We're gonna finish it. And get back Lily." David growled. The other Boys nodded.
"I want to help." Madigan spoke up. The Boys turned and looked at her, almost
as if really noticing her for the first time.
Paul shook his head. "No."
Madigan put her hands on her hips. "Why not? You're going to need all the extra hands you can get."
"We don't even know if you can fight." David said.
Madigan growled. "I can fight. All of this is my fault. Let me help."
"If that's what the lady wants." He put up his hands in mock surrender.
***
Dwayne crept up to the side of the house. He could see Lily and the other vampires lounging around in the living room. She turned her head toward the window and looked directly at him. He froze and waited for her to raise the alarm but she only turned back to the tall bald vampire and smiled. Rolling his shoulders to relax, Dwayne kept creeping along the side of the house.
David landed silently on the roof. He crept to the dormer and slid the window open. He crawled inside, looked around.
Marko leaned against the rear wall of the house. One of the vampires was sitting on the back steps, smoking. He had long braided hair hanging over his shoulder and he tossed the braid back so it hung down his back. Marko grinned and stalked toward him.
Back in front, Madigan emerged from the shadows and headed toward the house. "Mauro!" She called as she walked. The vampires appeared on the porch.
"You came back cara." He smiled victoriously. "Did your precious vampires turn you away when you were no longer useful to them?"
She shook her head. "I came to kill you."
The vampires laughed. Mauro stepped off the porch. "I doubt it cara." He started to say something more but was cut off by a scream from porch.
"Valentino!" Isabella screamed and fell to her knees. Lily and Ottavia knelt next to her. She looked at them. "He's gone."
"Someone killed him?" Ottavia growled. She turned toward Lily and shoved her hard. "You brought them to us vacca."
Lily stumbled back into Diego's arms. "What are you going on about?" She asked the crazed female.
"Someone has killed Valentino. Who do you think that would be? Hmm?" She pushed herself to her feet and started toward Lily. "Your Lost Boys."
"I have nothing to do wit-" She began but cut short when she saw the crossbow bolt embedded in Mauro's chest. He held a hand out to Madigan, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Madigan gave a little yelp and stepped back from him. His eyes widened as he fell forward and died.
Lily's head snapped to the side with the force of Ottavia's punch. Diego pushed Ottavia back and ushered Lily into the house before the girl could do any more damage.
"Is it the Lost Boys?" Diego asked softly, guiding Lily through the house to his room. She nodded.
"I saw Dwayne. Are you going to warn Nino?"
"No."