Chapter 27
Susie awoke calmly unlike the previous evening, although she was again the last one of the three to rise. Amy and Ruthie were already dressed and performing their early evening rituals at the table; Ruthie studying her Bible and Amy making sure her hair was arranged the way Robert preferred. Every evening she rose with the hope that that would be the night that Robert would return.
"Susie!" Amy exclaimed in delight, "I'm so happy to see that you rose so peacefully tonight."
"Yes," Susie felt her hair and face with her hands as though still acquainting her mind with her new identity.
"We can get a new wardrobe for you later tonight if you like," Amy offered, "I'm sure you're tired of wearing the same dress every night."
"I've rarely owned more than one or two dresses at a time," Susie explained groggily, "it would be nice to have a spare."
Ruthie silently hoped that Amy and Susie had forgotten their bedtime conversation and in an attempt to keep them away from the subject said, "Oh, yes," that's a nice idea, Amy. We can take Susie where you like to find your dresses."
"Yes," Amy finished her hair, and reached for her cloak, "but we need to find our Reverend Williams first and, of course, feed." When she noticed Ruthie's uneasy expression she added, "not in that order, of course."
"Yes," Ruthie calmed herself, "of course and closed her Bible and stood to put on her cloak as well.
Outside the evening autumn air was crisp from a recent shower that caked the fallen leaves with soot from the many chimneys of homes and the smokestacks of factories.
"What a lovely night," Ruthie remarked as they walked toward the scene of Susie's alleyway mauling.
"A lovely night for the hunt," Amy smiled, "but then every night is fine for hunting."
"Tonight we hunt a preacher," Susie said, "Ruthie, did the newspaper say which church Reverend Williams leads?"
"No," Ruthie recalled, "it's strange isn't it?"
"Yes, very," Amy agreed, "I wonder why the important fact wasn't mentioned."
"It would have made our search much easier," Susie pointed out.
"This may end up being a very long night," Ruthie said, "perhaps we should show Susie the livery stables before we begin."
"Oh, Ruthie," Amy pouted, "you know how I hate to feed on animals."
"I know you do, but it's a quick and easy way to feed," Ruthie argued, "we'll have more time to find Reverend Williams, if we even find him tonight." Ruthie thought she could at least save one human life tonight by persuading Amy to feed on livestock to free up some more time to search for the Reverend, even though she wasn't enthusiastic about that idea either. Amy promised not to harm him, making his life already safe for the evening.
"If we have to feed on animals until we find him," Amy declared, "then we MUST find him tonight."
"Why do you dislike feeding on horses, Amy?" Susie asked as she followed her sires to the stables, "does the blood have a sour flavor?"
"No," Ruthie answered before Amy, "the blood is fine and satisfying. Amy is sickened by the animal hair."
"It makes you sick, Amy?" Susie asked incredulously. She thought it hard to believe that Amy should find that a few hairs in her mouth could be more perverse than draining the blood from a living being.
"I simply dislike it," Amy pouted, "I dislike it vigorously. Pulling all those animal hairs from my mouth afterward severely detracts from the pleasure of feeding. However, to save time I will resort to feeding from animals, but it must be more respectable animals such as horses or other such farm animals. I have never stooped to drinking from rats or other such vermin."
"Always the lady, aren't you?" Susie condescended.
"Yes, I am at that," Amy's nose lifted under her hood, "imagine if Robert ever witnessed me feeding on a rat or rabid dog, he would be completely repulsed by my lowly actions and leave me for good."
"If he hasn't already," Susie remarked in a whisper too low for Amy to hear.
Close to the horse stable the vampires slowed and waited a few yards away to see how many people might be in the area. They needed to move unseen to the building and determine how many men are inside. At this late hour there should only be the evening stable hand unless travelers or a coach had recently come into town. Then a driver or horse owner may still be inside supervising the stable boy.
While Amy and Susie waited in the shadows Ruthie quietly moved along the outside of the stable inspecting all four sides and listening intently at both doors for voices and human movement inside. Finding no sign of humans inside Ruthie motioned to her two accomplices and they swept in close to the door and turning to vapor entered under the locked door.
They quickly chose two horses that were quietly feeding on some hay and didn't notice the vapors entering their stalls and manifesting out of their sight. The horses whinnied and kicked as the hungry fangs assaulted their skin and the mouths violently sucked pints of blood from their veins. Just as quickly and deliberately as they had entered the vampires escaped and with hoods drawn low slipped across the street and behind a nearby building as the victimized horses continued to snort and whinny inside.
Amy spit out and pulled horsehair from her mouth in an exaggerated manner while her companions were less affected by the presence of a few hairs.
"That wasn't as bad as you described, Amy," Susie said, "in fact, it was quite tasty and satisfying."
"And much less sinful," Ruthie added.
"Let's get on with the task at hand," Amy suggested, "the stable boy will be investigating the odd behavior of the horses. Perhaps Reverend Williams will also be intrigued by the uproar."
Reverend Horace Williams was not attracted by the horses' excitement although the stable boy and one or several neighborhood dogs were mildly interested for a short time. When the excitement died down into the normal sound of a typical evening, the vampires struck out to search the streets for the mysterious preacher. After several uneventful hours of scouting the side streets and alleys of the center of town the girls decided to use the last hour of the night to find a new dress for Susie.
Since Amy was familiar with the shop and its wares, she quickly found skirts and blouses in Susie's size and urged her to try them on for fit and feel. Without being able to produce a reflection, the young women had to depend on their sense of feel to determine how well clothes fit. If it made them feel fine or comfortable the outfit was a success.
"How does that feel, Susie?" Amy asked expectantly as she stepped back to view Susie in the flowing linen skirt and silk ruffled blouse she had helped her into.
"It feels fine," Susie answered in awe, "I never knew how wonderful clothing could make me feel." Her eyes sparkled for the first time since her transformation, "I've never worn such luxurious clothing."
"We could find much finer things than those," Amy said, "there may be some velvet here somewhere."
"Yes," Susie said, "let's find something in velvet!" The closest Susie even hoped to feel velvet on her skin in the past was to work in a velvet mill. She never dreamed of wearing it herself.
Ruthie sat up on a counter watching the fashion show, "I see you have a much more agreeable model this time, Amy," she smiled.
"Oh, goodness, Ruthie," Amy said as she sifted through racks of skirts looking for one in velvet, "Susie, do you believe that Ruthie chooses not to wear beautiful clothes, but prefers her old housedresses?"
"No," Susie frowned, "why would you do that, Ruthie?"
"I'm simply more comfortable this way," she replied, "I didn't feel comfortable in all that finery. I don't like dressing like someone I'm not," she motioned downward to her dress, "this is who I am and this is how I like to dress."
"Well, I've never dressed this extravagantly in my life," said Susie with a twirl, "but I will from now on."
Amy enthusiastically rushed back to Susie with a brown velvet skirt, "This will go very well with that blouse."
It did go well with the blouse and Susie wore it back to the lair never to wear h
er old worn clothes again. The sensation of her new velvet and silk attire against the plushy upholstered satin of her casket brought on feelings of pleasure and peace that she had never felt before. She closed her eyes to sleep wondering what other luxuries her new powers could bring.