The Taste of Night

Trying to force away all thoughts, he led the hunters to the stairs. And as they climbed, single file up the concrete stairway, shoes thudding and scraping the dust, Dr. Weller heard the moans. Soft at first, then louder as they stepped out onto the first floor.

  A shrill animal howl somewhere down the long hallway. Open doorways to the left.

  Stakes gripped against their sides, the hunters trotted toward the open doorways. Dr. Weller clicked on his flashlight and sent a beam ahead of them on the floor. He saw piles of trash, rattling and blowing from the gusts of wind through the glassless windows.

  Sudden movement. An animal scampered out from under the trash. Dr. Weller stopped and motioned for his hunters to stay back, and then lowered the beam of yellow light to the creature. A fat raccoon.

  The animal waddled away from the light, down the trash-cluttered hall, followed by four small raccoons, running hard to keep up.

  Dr. Weller motioned for his posse to move again. Stepping over the garbage and stacks of newspaper, they walked silently toward the dark apartments.

  No doors on the apartments. They heard hoarse coughs. Loud snoring. Eerie moans and groans…

  Yes, they’re here.

  Yes, they’re asleep.

  Yes, it’s time.

  Dr. Weller raised his wooden stake and pointed it down the hall. “Let’s kill vampires!” he cried.

  chapter four

  “GOOD-BYE, LIVVY”

  HE STEPPED INTO THE FIRST APARTMENT, WOODEN stake raised in his right hand, flashlight gripped in his left. He swept the light around the floor. It stopped on a figure sprawled on his back, arms dangling over a nearly flat mattress on the floor.

  Heart pounding, Dr. Weller moved closer. A young man, asleep, his mouth open. And the dark stain on his chin…the dark stain…caked blood. Running down his chin onto his bare chest.

  He must die. I have no choice. I have accepted this responsibility.

  But yet Dr. Weller hesitated. Am I taking a human life?

  No.

  Not human. Not human any longer.

  A scream of agony ended his thought, followed by another shrill scream from down the hall. The hunters had found their prey. Vampires were being slaughtered.

  He set down the flashlight. He raised the pointed stake high in both hands.

  Another scream of horror from another apartment.

  The young man stirred in his sleep. Closed his mouth. Eyes still shut, he licked at the caked blood on his chin.

  With a loud grunt, Dr. Weller arched the stake high, then brought it down with all his force. The point pierced the young man’s chest, then sank deep into his body.

  His arms shot up and his legs kicked. He opened his eyes wide and a scream of pain shattered the silence of the room.

  Dr. Weller buried the stake deeper, pushing hard, gripping it with both hands. The vampire’s eyes sank into their sockets. The arms and legs, still now, began to shrink. A rush of air escaped the vampire’s mouth, and then he didn’t move again.

  Dr. Weller freed the stake with a sharp tug. It pulled out easily, no blood on the tip.

  He grabbed the flashlight and lurched back out into the hall. Screams echoed off the plaster walls. Screams and howls of pain and shock, and the hard-running footsteps of the hunters as they invaded the open apartments to kill their deadly prey.

  Dr. Weller stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Then he dove into the next apartment, the wooden stake trembling in his hand.

  The light danced over the apartment floor. A small, square rug in one corner. A suitcase against the wall. A wooden table cluttered with bottles and tubes and jars of cosmetics.

  Dr. Weller swallowed. A female vampire lived here. His legs suddenly felt weak as he moved toward the bedroom in back. The flashlight grew heavy in his hand. He took a deep breath. Held it. Burst into the room.

  And saw her sleeping on a low cot.

  He recognized her with his first glance. Livvy.

  Oh, no. Livvy.

  She had cut her hair as short as Destiny’s. She wore a long, black nightshirt down over her knees. Her hands were crossed over her chest. In the trembling glow of the flashlight, her short, blond hair shimmered around her pale, sleeping face.

  I can’t do this, he thought.

  I brought her into the world. How can I kill her now? I despise all vampires. A vampire murdered my wife, took away the person most precious to me.

  I hate them. Hate them all.

  But to drive a stake through my own daughter? That’s asking too much of any man.

  Images flashed through his mind, bright and clear as photographs. Livvy as a baby. Livvy and Destiny in their snowsuits building their first snowman. Livvy and her mom giving each other makeovers, bright purple lipstick shining on his wife’s lips, sparkles in her hair.

  Livvy…

  I can’t.

  With a sob, he turned to leave. He stopped when she stirred, groaning in her sleep.

  She’s not my daughter, he realized.

  It’s not Livvy anymore. It’s a deadly creature in Livvy’s body. And I have no choice.

  He moved back to the cot. Raised the stake high in both hands. Changed his mind.

  One last kiss for my daughter. A good-bye kiss.

  Good-bye, Livvy.

  He lowered his face to her cheek.

  And he let out a startled cry as her hands shot up. Her eyes opened wide. She grabbed him by the neck and tightened her fingers around his throat.

  “Ohh—” he gasped.

  She stared up at him, and the fingers squeezed tighter, tighter…

  “NO!” he choked out, struggling to free himself from her grip. “NO! LIVVY—PLEASE! NO!”

  part two

  ONE MONTH EARLIER

  chapter five

  LIVVY’S GRADUATION PARTY

  “I LOVE THE BLUE EYE SHADOW. IT’S SO RETRO,” Livvy said. She turned to her two new friends, Suzie and Monica. “How does it look?”

  “Awesome,” Suzie said. “But wait. You have lipstick on your chin.” She dabbed a tissue over the dark spot on Livvy’s chin. “There.”

  “Is that the cinnamon lipstick or the grape?” Monica asked. She shoved Suzie aside to get a better look at Livvy. “It’s so hard to tell in this light.”

  A single sixty-watt bulb hung on a long cord from the ceiling.

  Livvy took the tissue from Suzie and dabbed at her lips. “It’s black. For nighttime. My favorite time.”

  Monica grinned at Livvy. “My favorite time too. Party time.” She licked her full, dark lips. Then she picked up her hairbrush and began running it through her long, straight black hair.

  “Hey, it’s date night,” Suzie said.

  “Every night is date night,” Monica said, “when you’re hungry.”

  Livvy turned to Suzie. “Are you coming with us?”

  “I think we should go out on our own,” Suzie replied. “See what’s out there. Check out the fresh meat. You know. And then we can meet later.”

  Livvy studied Suzie’s face, so pale, nearly white as snow. Suzie had been an immortal for a long time, for so long Suzie didn’t remember when she made the change.

  One night when the moon was still high in the sky, and the three girls had fed well and were feeling comfortable and full, Suzie told Livvy and Monica her story. She’d had a tough time, chased from town to town, nearly caught by vampire hunters in a city near Dark Springs.

  Her troubles showed on her face, Livvy thought. Suzie’s pale, papery skin was pulled tight against her skull, so tight her cheekbones nearly poked out. Her hair was patchy and thin. Her arms were as skinny as broom handles, her fingers bony, almost skeletal. Her eyes had started to sink back into their sockets.

  She tried to cover it up with loads of makeup and by wearing trendy clothes, young people’s clothes. And she stayed in the darkest corners of the night, swooping out only when prey was near. But Suzie was too far gone to hide the fact that she was an immortal.

  That won’t happen to m
e, Livvy thought. I won’t let that happen to me.

  Livvy tossed back her blond hair with a shake of her head. She had cut it short—short as her sister’s—and she loved the way it felt now, light as a breeze. “Wish we had a mirror,” she murmured.

  Suzie laughed. “What good would that do? We don’t have reflections, remember?”

  The lightbulb over their heads flickered and went out. Livvy sighed. “The generator must have conked out again.”

  Some clever immortals had hooked up a power generator to the building across the street. The stolen electricity provided light for the whole building. But the generator was too small and kept blowing out.

  “Wish we lived in a fancy hotel,” Monica said, still brushing her hair. “Instead of this empty apartment building. We could send down for room service. You know. Dial the phone and say, ‘Just send the waiter up. We don’t need any food.’”

  Livvy laughed. “Forget room service. I just want to live in a place where the lights stay on.”

  “Lights hurt my eyes,” Suzie complained, furiously powdering her face.

  “I don’t mean bright lights,” Livvy said. “None of us can stand bright lights. I just mean lights that don’t flicker on and off every few minutes.”

  The three new friends had built their dressing table out of plywood and concrete blocks left by the builders of the unfinished building. They had set it up in front of the glassless window where they could sit and watch the sunset.

  Livvy had found a cot in one of the downstairs rooms and dragged it up to her bedroom. Suzie and Monica shared an apartment downstairs but came to Livvy’s room in the evening to do their makeup and get ready to go out.

  Livvy liked them both. Monica was big and dark and sexy and had no trouble getting the guys. And Suzie had the experience. She knew everything they needed to know to survive.

  “When’s the full moon?” Monica asked, adjusting the top of her tank top.

  “I think it’s in a few weeks,” Suzie said, gazing up at the darkening sky. A faint smile crossed her pale lips. “Warm blood under a bright full moon. Poetry, right? Does it get any better than that? I don’t think so.”

  Livvy turned to her. “What about tonight? They’ll be some hot guys out tonight. Why wait?”

  Monica brushed her arm. “Hey, didn’t they have graduation at your school this morning? I thought I saw some cute guys walking around in blue robes.”

  Livvy glared at her. “Why bring that up?”

  Monica backed away. “Whoa. I didn’t mean anything. I was just asking.”

  “Do I give a damn about high school graduation?” Livvy snapped. She surprised herself at how angry she felt. Was she angry at Monica—or at something else? “I don’t give a damn. Trust me.”

  “Okay, okay.” Monica raised both hands as if asking for a truce.

  “I’ve already graduated,” Livvy said, still feeling upset. “I’ve graduated to what I want to be.” She stood up. “Hey, maybe tonight I’ll celebrate my graduation. Maybe I’ll have a little graduation party of my own.”

  “We’ll all party tonight!” Monica said, licking her lips.

  Suzie gazed out the window. She seemed to be in her own world. “You know,” she said, finally turning back to them, “the better looking the boy, the richer the blood.”

  “No way,” Monica insisted. “That’s superstition.”

  “It’s a proven fact,” Suzie said, toying with a strand of her long hair.

  “Who proved it?” Livvy asked.

  “I did.” Suzie grinned. “Listen to me. The hot guys have the hottest blood.”

  Monica stared at her. “No lie?”

  “No lie.”

  Livvy sighed. “I get so high when the blood is fresh and warm. I mean…the way it feels on my lips and then on my tongue. I can feel it all the way down my throat. And afterwards, it’s so wild. I always feel like I’m flying…just flying out of my body, into outer space.”

  “I always feel so warm,” Suzie said, her eyes dreamy. She sighed. “Like a happy, contented baby. But then the hunger starts again. So soon…it starts again, that gnawing…that needy feeling.”

  “Let’s keep it light,” Livvy scolded. “It’s my graduation party tonight, remember?” She stood up. “How do I look?”

  She had her short, shimmery hair combed straight back, pale lip gloss, light blue eye shadow covering her eyelids, a pink midriff top over low-riding, white jeans, lots of bare skin showing, three earrings in each ear, a glittery rhinestone in her right nostril.

  She walked up and down the bare room, doing the model strut. Monica and Suzie made admiring sounds. “Whoa. I love the nighttime!” Livvy exclaimed. “I feel lucky tonight!”

  She realized that Suzie was staring past her. “Hey, what’s up?”

  She turned—and saw a fat brown field mouse hunched near the open doorway, gazing up at them with its shiny black marble eyes.

  Suzie spun off her chair and lowered her lean body into a crouch, eyes unblinking, locked on the mouse.

  “Oh, no. You wouldn’t,” Livvy said. “It’s so cute.”

  With a sudden lightning movement, Suzie pounced. The mouse let out a squeak as Suzie grabbed it, wrapped her fingers around its stubby brown fur.

  Its last squeak.

  Suzie tore off its head and tossed it out into the hall. Then she tilted the body over her mouth and squeezed out the juice.

  When she had finished, dark blood trickling down her chin, she heaved the drained corpse into the hall. Then she turned to Livvy and Monica with a grin. “Appetizer,” she whispered.

  chapter six

  NIGHT BIRDS

  LIVVY TRANSFORMED INTO A SLENDER BLACKBIRD. She perched on the windowsill, gazing out at the purple night sky.

  Her feathers felt stiff and scratchy, and it took a while to get used to the rapid pattering of her heart. Once she adjusted to seeing two views at once, her eyesight was sharp.

  She raised her wings and lifted off the window. The cool air ruffled her chest feathers. She swooped higher, pale white stars blinking so close above her. What a thrill!

  To fly. To be free of the ground. To swoop and soar like a wild creature.

  I’ll never get tired of this, Livvy thought.

  And then she felt the hunger, a sharp pang that tightened her belly. She opened her beak and let the onrushing air cool her throat. The gnawing hunger was insistent, wave after wave, until she felt dizzy from the need.

  I have to feed.

  What will I find tonight? Who will help me quench my thirst?

  The yellow moon loomed above her, wisps of gray cloud snaking across it. Livvy lifted her wings and floated, gazing up at the moonlight.

  No one else can see the moon like this. I am so lucky.

  But then she felt a ripple in the wind at her side and heard the flutter of wings. Livvy turned and saw another blackbird, more plump with a streak of white in its wings, soar beside her.

  The two blackbirds flew together, side by side, wings touching. They lifted high toward the stars, then shot low above the shimmering trees.

  Livvy landed softly in tall grass and felt the dew tickle her feathers. The other bird shook its wings hard as it bounced to a landing a few feet beside her.

  They both transformed quickly into their human forms.

  Straightening her pink top, Livvy gazed at Ross Starr. The moonlight gave his short, blond hair a glow. He wore straight-legged jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms. He flashed her his Hollywood smile—the smile that had convinced her she needed Ross, needed to bring him with her to the other side.

  “Hey, Ross,” she murmured. “What’s up? That was nice, wasn’t it.”

  He stepped forward and kissed her. “You and me. Flying together. Yeah. That’s what it’s about, right?”

  He tried to hug her, but Livvy pulled away. “I’m hungry. I mean, I’m starving.” She held her stomach. “I…can’t even think straight.”

  He smiled agai
n. “Oh, yeah. Fresh nectar. I want mine super-sized!”

  She kissed him on the cheek. “Get lost, okay?”

  He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. “Come on, Liv. I need more than a kiss. You look so hot tonight.”

  “Ross, please—” She squeezed his hands, then pushed them off her. “I told you I need to feed.”

  He shrugged. “Okay. I’ll come with you.”

  “Oh, sure. That’ll be helpful. You’re gonna help me pick up a guy?”

  He frowned at her. “I don’t like you with other guys.”

  “What’s your problem? He’s not a guy. He’s a meal.”

  She didn’t hear what he said next. She transformed quickly, stretching her wings, ruffling the stiff tail feathers, a blackbird again.

  She bent her thin bird legs, pushed up from the dew-wet grass, letting her wings lift her…lift her…over the treetops. She saw Ross swoop ahead of her, then fall back, teasing her, following her despite her pleas.

  He bumped her playfully, swiped his beak against her side, lowered his head and bumped her again.

  They flew side by side, gliding over Millerton Woods, light and shadows over the thick tangle of trees, shivering under the golden moonlight.

  Livvy made a wide turn, wings straight out at her sides, and realized she was flying over Collins Drive now. Her father’s office came into view. The light glowed from the front window. Was he still at work this late at night?

  She swooped higher, away from the little, brick building. I don’t want to see him. He’s not part of my life anymore.

  Flying low, the two blackbirds turned onto Main Street. Livvy landed behind a maple tree and gazed at the people in line at the movie theater. Ross dropped beside her.

  They transformed into their human shapes, hidden by the thick tree trunk.

  “You know, graduation was this morning,” Ross said.

  “Shut up,” Livvy replied sharply.

  “How are we going to get jobs?” Ross said. “We’re not high school graduates.”

  “You’re so funny,” Livvy replied. “Not.”