Dead Surround - The Julia Poe Vampire Chronicles (37 page)

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time for this,” he said, his hard voice carrying. “I promise I’ll come back next week so you can hack me to pieces.”

A bearded undead, apparently the spokesperson of the group, stepped forward. “That’s not our intention, Mr. Sainvire.”

“Then what do you want?” asked Sainvire curtly.

“Some of us have put guards outside the cattle farms to guard them from idiots who don’t think long-term. Most everyone has tried Plasmacore at least once in this town and found it not so bad.”

“So what do you want me to do?” asked Sainvire.

“Maybe you can tell us what to do. Be our master again? Without authority, we’ll fall to pieces.

You know that from Machiavelli and Plato, right?”

Sainvire stared at the vampire that summed up the stereotypical professor and nodded. “I’m not going to be anyone’s master. I can come back or send someone here to help you organize, but my hands are full. Keep the cattle protected. Tell anyone who defies that order that Kaleb Sainvire will personally skewer them like rats if even one human is hurt. And if anybody tries to leave Downtown, I will come after them myself. Alright with you? What’s your name?”

“I’m Bartholomew Hayward,” answered the pragmatic vampire. “And it’s alright by us, sir.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hayward,” said Kaleb. He levitated slowly upward then jetted as expeditiously as he could toward Venice.

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THE SOUND OF SURF crashing against rock intrigued her enough to open her eyes. She blinked a few times to clear her vision only to come face to face with Penny looking anxious to please. She had fallen asleep on the sand again trying to avoid the island inhabitants as much as she could. She air-kissed the dog, and at once her loyal companion licked her face with sand paper tongue and lay her head on Poe’s stomach. The dog knew better than to rest any part of her body on Poe’s chest.

Three months earlier she had woken up in a sea of smiling faces. There was Habib, Michelle, Maclemar, Joseph, Morales, and Sainvire.

“Poe, you came back to us,” said a very grateful Morales. “If I failed as T-Doc, this worthless gang of worms would’ve lynched me.”

“Good to see you, Poe. We’re all safe. Maclemar brought us all to Catalina Island single-handedly,” said her curly-haired friend.

“Aye, Sharren. No Revs here. You can relax and enjoy the panoramic view when you get up and around,” said Maclemar whose eyes looked misty.

“Thanks, Mister. I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

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Poe’s gaze rested on Sainvire who was as still and implacable as she’d ever seen him. His stubble bothered her. He said nothing.

Joseph cleared his throat and nodded at her.

“Couldn’t think about you being gone, sis. Not you.

Our superhero.”

As she gazed at the dying sun, she felt the tender love she had for her friends. However, at that moment, all she wanted was for them to leave the room and let her be. Truth was, a few months ago she would have been willing to trade her life for them. But she realized she was an ordinary girl. She was no superhero, and nothing would be the same.

Trench and his cronies had rutted on her and spooned her blood into their greedy mouths while they restrained her to the bed. There were no champions like Xena or Bruce Lee to get her out of the bind. Not even the ghosts of her parents had helped her out.
Then
I got
shot in the chest and nearly died. Where are you, Sister
Ann? Goss?
Her pathetic belief that she was a godsend sure-shot was laughable now. Her chest hurt whenever she tried to overextend herself.

Poe tasted mortality, and it shook her enough to embody weakness and broken spirit. The guts and sass she’d honed since the deaths of Sister Ann and Goss were gone. How could she explain such a thing to her friends?

One of the bravest gestures in her life was to smile to reassure them that she was fine. Good old Poe was back.

Her chest hurt, but her courage pained her more. It was sorely bleeding, and she believed none of her friends or even Sainvire could help her.

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She heard the soft padding of feet on sand. It was Sainvire. He kneeled next to her and studied her face.

“The last boat is leaving, Poe,” he said with a heavy heart. “Won’t you reconsider?”

Ever since Sainvire had promised to restructure Downtown, the people from Catalina Island agreed to go back if only to restore their dignity. Custodians, janitors, and ex-cattle would now have a hand in destroying the reign of the vampires for which Poe refused to be part of.

“I’ve done my part. Don’t you agree?” she said, her voice low. “I deserve my retirement, and I can’t stop thinking about Chops. Besides, the pain in my chest might foil any plans you may have of parading me around.”

Sainvire sighed, and he scratched Penny’s collarless neck. “You know I wouldn’t do that. I just want you near me. I have to be where our people are.

And we have a chance to correct the wrongs vampires have inflicted on humans. Then there’s Plasmacore.”

“Yes, Kaleb. I bear no ill will. I’ve always believed that your people come first.”

Sainvire covered his face with his hands in shame for not disputing the truth of what Poe had said. Ever since Poe had woken from her near-fatal wound, she’d pushed everyone she loved at bay. She asked for her own room. He waited for her invitation and so did Maclemar, but it never came. She insisted on her privacy. To see her so haunted, so fearful that she’d rather have isolation than the company of her friends, hurt him like nothing he’d ever experienced. The old Poe was hiding behind the pain in her chest where a bullet had nearly stolen her life. Morales said that Poe had experienced the mortal coil. The pain was in her 342

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head, and the sooner she snapped out of it, the better she would be.

“You come first, Julia Poe,” said Sainvire as he captured smooth black hair between his fingers. “I’ll stay with you if you wish.”

Poe grinned up at him. “It would kill you to stay with me, you know that. I need to heal up. I need to sleep in the sand with Penny.”
The only one in this
demented world who would never leave my side.

Sainvire stood to leave as Poe rested her head in the sand. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of Penny’s warmth on her belly. Sainvire’s dead heart was heavy. The woman he loved was defeated, and he couldn’t face the sad fact. Poe was lost to everyone, and it was as if the world lost half the moon.

“I love you, Julia Poe,” he said somberly.

Poe never responded, and Sainvire walked away with a barrel full of remorse on his broken shoulder.

THE END

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