Chapter 18: T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
Vampires don't dream. When the sun begins to rise their bodies crave rest. Yet in those moments when a comfortable repose gives way to sleep or wakefulness, there are memories. Memories of yesterday, memories as crisp and clear as if they had just happened.
Amy Johnson stood over him as his eyes opened. Ezekiel blinked and took in his surroundings. He was in a cabin, similar to the one he shared with his mother and stepfather. The room they were in was dark, there were no candles lit, just the light of the moon to provide a whitish glow against the objects in the small room. But the boy found the lack of lighting unnecessary, what little light the moon provided lit the room up almost as bright as day.
"Where are we?" He asked groggily and sat up, feeling around for his glasses.
"We are still in Canada. How do you feel?" Amy moved over to the other side of the room and resumed folding some laundry from a wicker basket.
"Hungry?" Ezekiel sat up and swung his legs around to rest on the floor. Although his shoeless feet felt light as a feather they smacked the floor with a resound that made Amy jump slightly.
"You will learn in time to control that. You are several times stronger than you were in your last life. Yet to hunt effectively, you will have to become lithe like a cat. Too many like us bumble around, not minding to keep our way of life discreet, and draw unwanted attention." Amy had finished her folding while she had been talking. She looked at Ezekiel and sighed. "Don't bother with your shoes and roll up your breeches' legs to your knees. Roll up your sleeves too. You are going to receive your first lesson on how to hunt, and I do not want to have to wash laundry again before dawn."
ooOOoo
Ezekiel withdrew his razor sharp teeth from man's jugular and released him. The over six foot tall oaf fell face forward into the mulch-y carpet of the forest floor. Ezekiel stood up and away from the body like he had been scalded. The man reminded him so much of his stepfather, he had felt so justified in luring him into the woods and away from the young girl he had been beating. Over-taking the man had been almost too easy, but when he had sunk his teeth into the man's neck and drew in his first mouthful of the coppery life-blood, instinct took over and the boy drained the man.
But now, looking down on the lifeless man, Ezekiel wanted to scream. Something inside of him knew this was just wrong, what had he gotten himself into? What would Mama say? They had been trying to save lives, and here he was taking one just to sustain his own. Soon he would have to take another, and another. How many people would die because of his need to feed?
He sensed a presence behind him and turned to see Amy's concerned face.
"The first life you take stays with you. No coincidence you chose such a brute for your first meal. Your stepfa-"
She stopped short as the boy covered his mouth to stifle a wail and collapsed to his knees as he was consumed by shame. Amy knelt beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Magnus and I have been at this long before your ancestors arrived in this part of the world. I've seen newborns do the same thing as you. Pick off their tormentors from their human life, or someone just like them."
"Why did I agree to this?" The boy drew his knees to his chest and buried his head in his crossed arms. Even at the risk of soiling her dress, Amy sat down beside Ezekiel and drew him to her, running her cool fingers through his sandy blonde hair.
"Shh.. Little broer. You have such high ideals, and that is a good thing. But you have so much to learn about the world. You have been given a gift, and it is what you choose to do with it that counts." She leaned her cheek on the top of his head and gave him a squeeze. "Think of the lives you will be saving. Stopping those who would bring harm to the innocent. Their lives will not go to waste. They will nourish you so that you can continue your work, our work." Amy lifted his chin and look him straight in the eyes. "Do you understand, Ezekiel?"
ooOOoo
"Ezekiel? Come now child, it's time to wake up." The teenaged vampire blinked a few times and woke to the twenty-first century family room of the Hardy-Cohen home. Amy stood over him in a sleeveless silk blouse and curve-hugging jeans. A far cry from her voluminous grey woolen winter skirt and jacket she had worn in 1860's Canada.
He looked around the room and found the nurse, Chet, rubbing the inside of Mrs. Hardy's forearm with an alcohol pad. She looked a bit pale, but otherwise fine. Her younger son, Joe, paced the floor.
"What happened to Mrs. Hardy?" Ezekiel asked as he sat up.
"I implored her to aid in your healing. The werewolf that attacked you inflicted quite a bit of damage. Joseph's donation did not seem to have the same effect as Frank's did for me, so we had to turn to Mrs. Hardy. But your arm is well healed now, and so is the crack across your skull. I know your affiliation with Miss Woods has made you quite comfortable around werewolves, but not all of them-"
"Nell!" He gasped and his last memories before the attack came slamming back into him. "Is Nell okay? Where is she?"
"Nell is home in bed. They had a Memorial Day family reunion this afternoon, and she has school tomorrow. She has called several times to check on you, I'll text her before we go to bed and let her know you are finally back with us." Amy sank down beside him on the sofa and began to run her fingers through Ezekiel's hair, tracing the fading line where his skull had cracked when he hit the tree. "Why did you leave the protection of the back yard? You could smell that it was not a member of Mr. Woods' pack. All you had to do was call and wait for Allen or I to join you before you ventured past the barrier."
"Not one of my brightest decisions."
"I'll say. Biff spent most of today cutting up that tree for firewood for Frank and Phil's neighbor. It nearly hit the power lines to the home on the other side of the lot. Mom was kind enough to donate her blood again tonight to speed up your healing. Thankfully she can recover from the blood loss faster than Frank could when he did the same for Amy." the tone of bitterness was not lost in Joe's voice.
"Joe, Sweetie, please calm down. I just want to know what that werewolf was doing lurking around in the back lot near this house!" spoke up Laura from where she was sitting across the room. She lifted her legs up as Chet pushed an ottoman under her feet and then left for the kitchen to get a snack and a drink for her. "I had hoped with Eric and that bastard, Louvel, dead all this was over, that we only had to worry about homophobes or any of your surviving "family" members who might be carrying a grudge over last year's attack on the Hersher Estate."
"From what Allen and the Woods' pack were able to gather, it seems Frank has incited the wrath of another pack. From their smell, possibly one associated with the Louvel and werewolves who kidnapped him last year." Amy replied as she sat up straighter.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that Frank and Phil got that cursed gift at the wedding and then a werewolf shows up lurking in the woods. Those sons of bitches are waiting for something to happen." Joe mused as he sat on the edge of the ottoman near his mother's feet.
"I am surprised Riona has not destroyed the gift yet." Amy remarked and gave Ezekiel's head one last motherly pat.
"It's a mezuzah, she thinks some dark spiritual magic has been cast on it. Tricky to destroy so she's doing some homework. I've got it in the safe at the office until she comes up with something." Joe had never seen Amy's eyes go as wide as they did just then.
"They've employed the services of a witch who would sink to such a low as to curse a holy item… How is Riona coming with a solution? That cannot stay in your office safe forever."
"She's been burning the midnight oil researching how to do it as safely as possible." said Laura.
"Let's just take the thing out to the middle of B.F.E., slap some C4 on it and blow it to smithereens!" Chet suggested as he re-entered the family room with a glass of orange juice and one of Phil's protein bars for Laura.
"Have you not been paying attention for the last year Nurse Betty? Nothing supernatural is ever that simple." Ezekiel snarked.
"Ezekiel, mind your manners. Chester has a point, it took only a few humans and a little fire power to take down our clan. However Chester, Ezekiel is correct as well. When it comes to such volatile spells, incineration without the proper spell work can sometimes strengthen or unleash the evil upon those it was not intended to afflict." Amy stood from the sofa and gazed out of the French door's panes to the inky night sky. "I may not have the gift of foresight Mrs. Hardy, but are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Laura closed her eyes and sighed.
"The visions aren't exactly clear… I can't see the immediate future, but I do know things are going to get a lot worse before they get better."
ooOOoo
"Robyn, good morning!" Vanessa greeted the other woman Tuesday morning as she entered the newly renovated Pasquale's. The smell of fresh paint and varnish was still strong in the air, but the restaurant and night club looked even better than it had before the attack. The restaurant still wasn't open to the public yet, but the catering idea that Tony had come up with in the interim had helped keep the business afloat during the reconstruction so that they did not have to rely soley on their insurance claim.
Vanessa stood from her chair and gave Robyn a friendly hug and invited her to sit at table she and Tony had occupied during their interview. Even though she was technically still on maternity leave, Vanessa could still submit stories and photos to the newspaper from her home office. Her project today involved promoting the Prito brothers' rise from the ashes of the attack and their Grand Re-Opening the coming weekend.
"So, are you here for business or pleasure?" Vanessa asked teasingly as the prim and proper Robyn situated herself at the table.
"A little of both. Tony invited me for breakfast and we were going to see if he wanted to make any changes to the design of his ad in the mag." Robyn looked at the table and saw a third, steaming cup of coffee with her name scribbled on the side of the cup and a basket of breakfast pastries. "Ah, he must have stopped by Julia's on Fifth, everything smells heavenly."
"I know, and didn't they do a good job on Frank and Phil's wedding cake? I know where I'm going for Ashleigh's first birthday cake. They had such an adorable collection."
"By the way, where is Tony?" Robyn finally asked. Vanessa looked at her watch then back up to the raven haired girl.
"Marco tapped him on the shoulder just as we were wrapping up our interview, said he needed to speak to him in the kitchen."
"Well, speak of the devil. Here he comes now!" Robyn said cheerily as Tony approached the women from the kitchen holding his cell phone to his ear. He gave Robyn a quick peck on the cheek but looked to Vanessa, the expression on his face was unreadable.
"Van, I hate to ask, but would you take a few more pictures for me? I don't want them published, but my insurance man is tied up and won't get here for hours. I want… need pictures of this as quickly as possible and emailed to him. Do you mind Van?"
"Tony I don't mind at all." The blonde girl grabbed her camera and she and Robyn began to follow Tony, but he turned on his heel and gently touched Robyn's arm.
"Robyn, Honey, I don't think it's a good idea for you to see this. At least… from a professional point of view."
"Tony, whatever it is, I'll keep it to myself. I promise." Tony nodded and led the way through the kitchen and out the service entrance where Marco was waiting for them.
Vanessa stopped in her tracks and covered her mouth to gasp. Robyn paled and nearly stumbled as she stood next to Tony
"You need to call the police to report this."
"Are you stunatu*? We can't have the press all over this with the Re-Grand Opening this weekend!" Marco balked. Robyn put a calming hand on Tony's shoulder and he covered it with his own, giving it a tiny squeeze. Vanessa snapped pictures of the scene before her and scanned around for anything else that might look like evidence. It was then that she noticed the alley's security camera.
"I'll call Joe and Fen, they could probably inspect this without attracting attention like the police would. And I'm sure they can pull a few strings with Con Riley to get their hands on the surveillance video from the attack, compare them to see if people behind this had anything to do with the attack." Vanessa looked around to where leftover paint cans and rollers from the exterior repairs remained. It was as if Marco could read her mind.
"Even though I'll have to pay them overtime, I'll call Shawn and Danny to come in a few hours before their shift to get this covered up after the Joe and Mr. H. are done. I'm sure they won't mind the extra pay." Marco said flatly. Tony nodded in agreement. Vanessa pulled her mobile phone from her pocket and dialed Joe's number. While she waited for him to pick up, the four of them stood there in a disgusted silence.
The back of the buildings in Bayport's historic district could be seen clearly from the busy Barmet Avenue. And there for all of eastern Bayport to see was a crude, sackcloth effigy that was hung up from the back alley's light. In red and black spray paint, the words "Where Fags Come to Dine" were sprayed on the wall.
The "n" in "Dine" was marked out with a red "X".
ooOOoo
Joe sat shoulder to shoulder with Con Riley, going over the surveillance tape from Pasquale's back alley on one computer screen. On a computer screen next to it were images from the first attack on the restaurant months ago. Tony sat quietly behind them sipping his fourth cup of coffee that day. Needless to day, his nerves were jangled.
"Well, it's the same make and model truck as in the last attack. The guy in the bed of the truck looks a lot shorter than the one that threw those Molotov cocktails. Prito, you really need to invest in a better camera. This shit's so grainy I can barely make out any details." Con groused.
"That one right there…" Tony pointed to the man in the truck's bed tossing a rope over the light's hardware to hang the effigy, he had turned for just a moment and the camera had caught his face. "He's the same ass-hat we had to throw out the night of the attack!"
Joe hit a button to freeze and enlarge the image while Con flipped through some notes in a folder.
"Yeah Joe, that's him! He was with that taller guy that accosted Frank and Phil that night." Tony leaned in closer to see the face of the vandal trying to jeopardize his business.
"Glen Martin." Con confirmed. "He had a pretty solid alibi for the night of the explosion, but now we've got him on tape. We can haul him in and book him on vandalism, destruction of property. Misdemeanors. But since he's in a truck similar to the one used in the attack, I'm going to question him about the drivers and if he knows more about the folks behind the explosion."
Con assured Tony they had all the crime scene evidence they needed between the effigy they'd brought in, the video and the pictures that Vanessa turned into them of the vandalism and the tire tracks left behind. Satisfied, Tony called his brother to let him know it was okay for Danny and Shawn to start with the cleanup. Joe thanked Con for his help and the police detective left Hardy Investigations to get a warrant for Martin's arrest.
"Really appreciate your help on keeping this kind of quiet Joe. Eh, Joe?" Joe looked like he was a million miles away, but he snapped his head up and looked at Tony.
"Sorry Tony. Rough night last night." Joe admitted sheepishly.
"Little bambina still keeping you up?" Tony slapped his hand on Joe's back sympathetically as they entered Joe's office.
"Nah, she's finally sleeping through most of the night."
"C'mon Joe. You can talk to me, what's eating you?" Tony made himself comfortable in the chair in front of Joe's desk as Joe sank wearily into his own.
"I'm really worried about Frank and Phil's safety. Not just because of the nut-job homophobes…" Joe went into the details of the cursed wedding gift and the werewolf that attacked Ezekiel. He left out the part about his and his mother's "donation" in an attempt to heal Ezekiel. Joe wasn't quite ready to explain to his friends outside of the ones who already knew that he was half Elf. For a moment, he imagined that this must have been what it was like for Frank when he was battling with coming to terms with his sexuality, having a secret about himself that he didn't know who he could trust with.
"Christ, Joe. I hate to say this, but it almost seems like Frank and Phil would be safer to stay in Mexico."
"Tony, I'm starting to wonder if there will ever be somewhere where my brother will be truly safe."
ooOOoo
Author's Notes:
*stunatu: Sicilian for "crazy"
I. Am. So. Sorry!
RL has had me running around like a crazy person and things are just starting to calm down. Tends to put a damper on the creative process, if you know what I mean. Thanks to you all who have checked in and who've continued reading, and re-reading. *Hugs* - Holly