“Oh, God.”
“He killed her parents and her three younger sisters—ripped their throats out right in front of her,” he says grimly. “He saved her for last because he wanted to turn her so they could be together. Our dads and your grandfather rescued her just as the guy had broken down the bathroom door she was hiding behind.”
“Sharon. I’ve heard my mom mutter that name when we were house-cleaning. I wonder if that was one of her sisters?”
He nods. “Yeah, that was one of her sisters. My dad told me about her family. He talks about your mom and dad all the time, actually. It’s kind of like he got stuck after what happened to my mom and lives in the past.”
I feel sick to my stomach, as tears gather in my eyes. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Come here,” he says gently. He takes me in his arms and I sob into his chest. “It’s okay,” he whispers.
“It’s not okay. I get so damn mad at her for being so cold and so crazed about this never-ending hunt we’re on, and all this time she was living with this—keeping it locked up inside.”
He strokes my hair.
“God, if only I had known.”
“It’s not your fault. They should’ve told you.”
I pull away from him and wipe my eyes. “I’m sorry.” I sniff. “Your shirt is all wet.”
I wipe his chest with my shirt sleeve and he leans in until his face is inches from mine. His breath warms my cool lips and my entire body is on fire. “It’s okay,” he whispers.
“Are you, uh, sure?”
“Daphne, can I …”
I close my eyes and will myself not to faint. “Yes.”
I wait for what seems an eternity with my heart pounding, and then gasp as I feel his hand brush some hair from my cheek. His fingers linger on my face leaving a trail of electricity. His lips touch mine gently at first, and then my mouth opens and oh my God he’s kissing me.
I’m kissing him.
“Revenge,” something cold whispers in the air.
We pull apart and look wildly around the room.
“Hunger.”
Smoky black shapes are flying around just outside. Kiki sits up groggily and puts her hands over her ears. “I’m having that dream again.”
“Seek.”
I stare out the windows with wide eyes. Dark shapes blacker than the night are flying across the river in a direct line to the house. Strange whispers fill the air making my skin crawl. Tyler reaches out and wraps me protectively in his arms.
“What the hell is going on?” Kiki wails.
“Kiki, get away from the window!” he commands.
She scrambles to his other side and he draws her close.
Dozens upon dozens of black shadows swoop around and then zip off into the night.
As they disperse, one shape hovers outside the glass in front of us. The creature appears to be made of undulating smoke. I can almost make out a woman’s face and bare breast, and then bloodred eyes appear and lock onto mine. The thing drags sharp claws along the window making goose bumps pop up on my arms. “Revenge. Mother comes,” it hisses before flapping batlike wings and flying off.
Soon the only sound is our labored breathing. I can feel Tyler’s heart pound against me.
Kiki gulps. “What the fuck was that?”
I look up at Tyler. “What were they?”
“The lamia.”
13.
Sam stops the limo at a light and Tyler squeezes my hand. I yawn and lean my head against his shoulder. Kiki’s chin dips toward her chest a little and she gives a start.
“Did I fall asleep again?”
I nod. I’m thinking none of us slept very well. After what we saw, we hightailed it out of Kiki’s house and Tyler brought us back to the motel. Luckily my parents didn’t see us get out of his car. It was weird being with Mom after what Tyler told me though. I tried to change the way I look at her and the way I react to the things she says, but I couldn’t help but get mad at her like always.
She smelled the champagne on my breath and accused me of being drunk, completely dismissing what we saw. And she gave Kiki an earful about being a bad influence.
At least Dad got her to agree to let me spend the day with Kiki since it was likely we’d be moving on to our next job soon. Mom just wanted to do one more night, and then let the Harkers clean up the rest.
Of course we had to promise there would be no alcohol involved. At first I was surprised Tyler’s father gave him the day off so he could come with us, but unlike Mom, Mr. Harker seems to be encouraging us to spend time together. Also unlike Mom, he thought it was a good idea to find out what we could about the lamia. Tyler had strict orders to meet his father downtown tonight no later than sunset.
I catch Kiki smiling at me. So cute, she mouths.
I roll my eyes, but can’t help smiling back at her. I try not to think about leaving them both. I purse my lips and will the tears gathering in my eyes to go away and vow to enjoy every last second I have with them.
Kiki sits up. “Pull over there, Sam.”
A small purple sign reading DARK SIDE EMPORIUM: PROPRIETOR RUPERT WOODS hangs over a dark stairwell leading down to a basement shop. Sam pulls the limo to the curb. He takes in the skulls and weird statues in the window, and turns to Kiki. “Picking up something for your parents?”
“Just doing a little research.”
He shakes his head. “Will we be heading back to California soon, Ms. Crusher?”
From the tone of his voice it’s obvious he’s had enough of South Bristol.
Kiki slumps down in her seat. “Yeah, when Daphne leaves we’ll head back. I’ll be staying with her at the motel until then.”
“Very good.” He goes to open his door but Kiki puts a hand on his shoulder. “We got it, thanks.”
As we walk into the Dark Side Emporium the first thing that hits me is the smell of some horrible incense. The small, narrow shop is filled with oddly shaped candles, bins filled with bones, black feathers, and dried herbs.
“This is creepy,” I whisper and Tyler takes my hand into his. I look up at him and feel my eyes watering again. It’s so not fair all this is going to be taken away from me so soon.
“Watch where you’re walking!” a deep voice barks.
I jump and realize there is a very tiny man sitting behind the counter.
“Don’t mess up my salt,” he continues, waving a metal prosthetic hand at us.
Kiki points to the floor at the base of the counter and we all take a step back. Salt has been used to “draw” a circle around the counter.
The man looks at me with dark, sunken eyes. “You never know what might pop up and I need to keep myself protected. Demons and such can’t cross the line.”
We exchange looks and the man scoffs. “You kids don’t know shit. What’re you doing here anyway? You don’t look like the type that should be shopping in here. Go home and play your video games.”
“Mr. Wood, we need some information about the lamia,” Kiki says.
The man’s squinty eyes widen. “This got to do with what’s happening in South Bristol?”
“Yes!” I say. “How did you know?”
He smiles, revealing a large gap between his front teeth. “Oh, we’re all talking about what’s happening to them kids. It’s a shame, but nothing’s to be done about it. Them’s not ordinary demons—old as Adam and Eve they are. Made of smoke and fire so they can’t be caught. Can’t be trapped.”
Tyler takes a step forward, clearly being careful not too get to close to the salt. “We think we saw them last night—we think we know the general vicinity they’re coming from.”
The man nods. “I’ve only seen drawings of them—right scary things. But something’s opened a doorway to hell. That’s what’s attracting all the vampires.”
“You know about the vampires, too?” Kiki says.
“I know a lot of things, and whenever there’s an opening to hell the vampires come out of the woodwork—like they
can hear their souls calling to them from the pits of hell. I’d take a vampire any day over what’s coming though.”
Kiki raises her eyebrows. “Something else is coming?”
“Those creatures sneaking out of the mouth of hell preying on infants are the children of the demon Lilith. I just heard they had the first fatalities so that means Lilith is close to showing herself. She is most powerful during the new moon, and once she arrives there’s gonna be a lot more deaths and she’ll fly farther and farther away from the opening each night, spreading carnage in her wake. And she don’t just go after the children.” He gives Tyler a look and clucks his tongue. “She likes to taste the blood of young men and pregnant women just the same.”
“And I thought vampires were scary,” Kiki deadpans.
I swallow the bile rising in my throat. “I know demons are supposed to be bad, but why would Lilith do that?”
“Revenge.”
I shudder and can hear the awful voices in my head as if the lamia were in the room with us.
The little man hops off his stool and picks a large white crystal off the counter. “Come closer; one at a time—mind you don’t cross the salt.”
“I’ll go first,” Tyler says.
The man reaches over the line and I realize he’s missing two fingers on his remaining hand. He waves the crystal up and down like a metal-detector wand. “You’re good.” He tilts his head toward me. “Now you, Red.”
After Kiki and I both fail to elicit a response from the crystal the man steps over the line and walks to a bookshelf. “Can’t be too careful. I’ve had demons come in looking like right ordinary people before. I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
He hobbles over to a bookshelf and scans the titles. “You there, big guy. How’s about you get that book for me—the one with the red cover.”
Tyler walks over and takes the book the man is pointing to and gives it to him. The man places it on a table crowded with bowls of different kinds of polished rocks and a bowl of what might be dried rat tails.
He flips through the pages, clucking his tongue and shaking his head until he turns to a page showing a drawing of the creatures we saw last night.
“That’s them!” I say.
He smiles appreciatively at us. “You can count yourself lucky you had a sighting. Can’t say there are many people who get a chance to gaze on a rare creature such as this.”
“Lucky us,” I mutter.
Mr. Woods clucks his tongue again. “There are varied stories about the origins of Lilith and the lamia, but she or something like her appears in Jewish, Greek, and Sumerian lore, just to name a few. Some accounts say she was the first wife of Adam who refused to lie beneath him and flew out of the Garden of Eden to cavort with demons, giving birth to hundred of the lamia each night. God sent three angels to bring Lilith back to the garden. When she refused, they threatened to kill her children and they did—a hundred a day. Lilith and her demon offspring fly out at night seeking revenge by taking the lives of innocents.”
Kiki raises an eyebrow. “You seem to know an awful lot about this.”
Mr. Woods shut his book. “I did a lot of research when I heard what was going on. I heard there was a big payout for whoever could help the town out. Unfortunately, the only way you can stop Lilith from rising from hell is to summon angels or a sympathetic demon. I don’t know anyone who’s summoned an angel and lived to tell the tale.” He holds out his disfigured hands. “And with demons there is always a price.”
“Angels are good though,” I say. “Why wouldn’t they want to help?”
Mr. Woods laughs. “Angels consider themselves far superior to the likes of us, and don’t like to be called like dogs to attend to human affairs. They’re more likely to strike you down dead than to help you. Many demons, on the other hand, enjoy getting out of hell. The trick is not to let them get the upper hand. So to speak.”
Tyler looks at Mr. Wood. “Do any of the stories offer suggestions about other ways Lilith can be stopped? Or ways to protect yourself from her?”
“Jewish lore says a charm or amulet engraved with the names of the three angels sent after Lilith can be worn around the neck and the sight of them repels her and the lamia.”
“A charm with a couple of names on it can repel demons?” Kiki asks skeptically.
Mr. Woods looks at her with narrowed eyes. “There’s a lot of power in a name. That’s why demons go by so many, so you can’t guess their real one and control them. But there are a lot of simple things that repel demons too.” He points toward the counter. “Can’t get any simpler than salt, and burning sage—they loathe that.”
“Do you have any of those charms you mentioned?” I ask.
“I can make ’em for you. I do a lot of custom charm work. Takes a bit of time,” he says, clanking his metal claw on the table for emphasis.
“We’ll wait for them. One for each of us,” Kiki says.
Mr. Woods eyes her. “You got three hundred dollars?”
“Yes,” she replies.
He scrunches up his face. “Dang, I should’ve charged you more. But if you’re willing to pay three hundred I’ll get to work right away.”
“Do you have any information about summoning angels and demons?” I ask.
“Look on the shelves—reading’s free.”
Kiki looks skeptically at me. “Do you really want to go there? I mean, look at what happened to him,” she says in a hushed voice.
“It won’t hurt to read about it. And who’s to say he knows everything there is to know about angels?”
“We’ve got nothing better to do,” Tyler says.
Kiki nods. “Let’s hit the books.”
An hour later we leave the store with our amulets dangling on silken cords tied around each of our necks. Mr. Woods engraved angel wings on the front and the names Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelat on the backs. We’re loaded up with a boxes of salt and incense that could be used to summon either a demon or angels, if we decide to go that route.
As Sam pulls away from the curb Kiki picks up the incense and runs it under her nose. “Blech! If I were an angel I certainly wouldn’t want to have to appear in the smoke from this stuff. I’d totally smite down anyone who tried it.”
We’d read that if you were to evoke an angel that the “ethereal smoke” from incense was the substance in which they could be seen. The book used the word “smite” a lot, which had Tyler leaning toward trying for a demon. Mr. Woods recommended a few demons people had some success controlling that might be convinced to close the opening to hell—for a price.
“I think it would be really foolish to try for angels,” Tyler says. “They’re too powerful.”
“But I’m partial to keeping my hands and fingers intact,” Kiki says, waving jazz hands in Tyler’s face.
“Yeah, I’m really leaning toward angels too. It seems counterintuitive to get some unreliable demon to do our bidding and not know if he’ll take a limb in return.”
Tyler looks at me. “That might be bad, but it could be worse. Have either of you ever seen the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark?”
Kiki nods. “Like, a gazillion times!” She fans her face. “Harrison Ford was so freaking hot! Why did he have to get old and wrinkly?”
“I’ve seen it too.” I smile at Kiki. “And I agree with your assessment.”
Tyler gives me a look.
“Don’t worry,” Kiki says. “Daphne thinks you’re totally hot.”
Tyler’s red cheeks mirror mine.
He takes a deep breath. “Anyway, do you remember the end when they opened the ark and unleashed the power of heaven?”
Kiki’s mouth drops open. “Oh, my God! All of their faces melted off.”
Tyler nods.
“That was just a movie!” I insist.
Kike bites her lip. “I like my face, and I paid too much money to get my nose fixed only to have it melt off. Besides, Mr. Woods was pretty adamant about not summoning demons over angels.”
&nb
sp; “Are you forgetting he lost a hand and a half to one?” I shoot back.
Sam clears his throat. “My grandfather was a preacher and he warned his parishioners that if they ever desired divine intervention never to summon angels—”
“See!” Kiki says. “Never summon angels!”
“May I finish, Ms. Crusher?” he continues.
“Oh, sorry. Yeah.”
“He told them to simply ask for God’s help and if the Lord deemed the request worthy, He would send the necessary angel.”
“Did your grandfather ever do it?” Kiki asks.
“Yes. If he’s to be believed, angels led a school full of children trapped in a fire right through a flame-filled doorway.”
I look at Tyler. “See? Angels!”
Kiki leans back in her seat. “I don’t want to get smited, though.”
“God and Lilith go back a long way. I’m thinking he’s not going to want her running amok again.”
“Okay, I guess I’m in. Angels it is,” Tyler says.
Kiki nods. “Based on Sam’s recommendation, I concur.”
“Good,” I say. “We’re agreed. And really, I’ll bet angels are way better than dealing with vampires.”
Kiki grimaces. “Now we just have to figure out where the opening to hell is. Let’s just hope we come out with our faces still on when we do.”
14.
We pull up to Kiki’s cottage around four o’clock and she gasps. “My parents are here! Sam, did you know they were coming?”
He looks at Kiki in at the rearview mirror. “It’s just your mother. She called me to see how you were doing. You might want to take her calls once in a while, by the way. But I may have expressed some concerns. She was planning on coming out anyway. Apparently she has some news for you.”
Kiki leans over the seat and swats him gently on the shoulder. “Damn it, Sam, this is like the worst time ever! You should’ve told her not to come!”
We get out of the car and the front door opens. Kiki’s mother stands in the doorway with her arms spread wide. “Maybelle! Darling, let me look at you.”
Kiki groans. “Mom, don’t call me that!”
“She’s Maybelle?” Tyler whispers to me.