"I'm
sorry I doubted you."
"I'm
sorry I didn't tell you, or take you with me. He wasn't in a
compromising mood."
It
was Rafaela's turn to laugh. "Did you expect him to be? Those
were his children."
"Most
of us aren't that fond of our offspring. It was more of an affront to
his ego than any true affection."
"How
many did you take out?"
"Only
four. They got the jump on me."
"Hiding
in the ether?"
"How
did you guess?"
"I
had fifteen."
"How
the hell did you get away?"
"Flash
grenades."
He
chuckled softly. "Glad I wasn't there. I'd have a hell of a
sunburn."
"I
thought about what you said about the nuke."
"You
want to do that?"
"No.
But what if we used light? I know it doesn't burn you to a crisp like
they show in the movies, but it still hurts."
"It's
not a favorite, that's for sure. What do you have in mind?"
"Still
working on it." She turned the car northwest at the next
intersection.
"Where
are we headed?"
"To
see someone who specializes in weapons of mass destruction. You're
not the only one with connections, you know."
Dirk
tried to smile, but she could see he was in pain.
"Check
the cooler on the seat next to you."
He
opened it and found several bottles of red, viscous liquid. Each was
neatly labeled with type, gender, race and date. Dirk laughed loudly.
"I know you didn't do this yourself."
"I
raided the stash of a guy I killed awhile back. Bastard was a real
sicko. He was a serial killer. He kidnapped his victims, slowly bled
them dry and killed them. He bottled their blood and kept it on a
shelf in his pantry."
"Wow,
that is pretty sick. I've had my dark times, but that's twisted."
"But
it will come in handy. I'd kept it for bait, but it looks like you
need it more than I do."
Dirk
put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you." His voice caught
in his throat. "I do love you, Rafaela."
"And
I you, Dirk."
He
opened a bottle, downing the contents with a contented sigh.
"Feeling
better?"
He
burped. "Sorry. Yes. Mind if I have a nap?"
"No
problem. I'll wake you when we arrive."
Dirk
made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. For him to be so
willing to sleep, Rafaela knew he was badly wounded. She drove
quickly, her destination in mind. She stopped briefly in Birmingham
and exchanged her car for another one. Dirk mesmerized the owner of
the small second hand lot to take her modest Ford as a full trade on
a three year old, dark gray Camaro.
"Why
a muscle car?" she asked for the third time as she pulled out of
the parking lot. "We could get better mileage with a different
model."
"Perhaps,
but I want something that can really cook and hold the road. If we
get in trouble, you need to be able to get away."
"And
what about you?"
"I
can zap out Houdini style. You can't."
She
had to concede that argument. They drove several more hours, finally
crossing the Arkansas line. Rafaela adjusted her route and slowed the
car, pulling to the side of the nearly deserted road.
"You
need to drive now. I'm beat."
"Where
am I going?"
"Stay
on this road until you see signs for Oark. Then wake me."
"Ark?"
"O-A-R-K."
"Got
it. Sleep well, Ella."
She
went in the back seat and fell immediately asleep. She didn't wake
until Dirk spoke to her.
"First
sign for Oark."
"Pull
over, I'll drive."
They
changed places.
"You'll
have to hop out before I drive up to the house."
"Are
you serious?"
"This
guy doesn't like vamps. He never met one he didn't want to kill. I
need to talk to him without you there."
©
Dellani Oakes 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment