Chapter 5
To appease Ruthie's desire to feed without killing, the two young vampires devised some creative feeding practices. They attempted to feed off stray cats and dogs, but the fur she would find in her mouth afterwards was repulsive to Amy. Ruthie, however, preferred the option to harming and killing people. Livestock also provided more than an adequate feeding source especially since horses and cows were such large animals, draining them completely would have been difficult. After attempting these various methods, Amy still preferred to derive her primary supply of blood from humans.
Ruthie suggested that Amy at least restrict her attacks to people who prey on the weak and defenseless. That way Amy would be helping to improve the city and protecting innocent victims while fulfilling her basic need for blood. Amy agreed to Ruthie's request, which brought challenge and interest to the hunt in that she needed evidence of cruel or violent behavior before claiming someone as a victim. Collecting evidence required perseverance, patience and stealth. It also took some time and, in the meantime, Amy satisfied her hunger by feeding off apparently anonymous drunken men along the waterfront. However, too many deaths in one area would attract the attention of the authorities even though the victims were drifters or vagrants with no family or friends who might miss them in the city. Out of necessity, Ruthie reluctantly condoned Amy's feeding off the drunks and drifters and took on the task of assisting Amy in her search for heathens to victimize.
At times Amy could find a victim without much work at all as she and Ruthie would pass by the poorly lit homes on the working class side of town and hear the moans and cries of a wife being beaten by her husband. Amy would see to it that the violent husband would never again victimize his wife. She would return to the house night after night to slowly feed off the weakened exhausted husband little by little until after several nights he had no blood left at all. Slowly draining a victim in this way allowed the girls more time to find a new source of blood without having to return to the waterfront to feed off drunks and sailors and whoever else may be in the vicinity. It was only a matter of time before one of the waterfront victims would be missed by a family member or crewmember and an investigation would ensue.
Sleet fell on their hooded heads as Ruthie and Amy walked into town in search of blood. Ruthie opened her mouth to catch the cold sleet on her tongue as she walked, enjoying the feeling of freedom and invulnerability toward the weather. If she had still been existing in her past life, she would be spending the night keeping the fires lit so her master and his wife could sleep in peace and warmth while she remained cold and tired as she toiled endlessly with no hope for rest until spring. With the onset of winter the squirrels behind and within the old farmhouse and the rats in the city's alleys became her main source of blood while Amy continued to search for Ruthie's idea of deserving victims.
"No one is gonna be out tonight in this weather," Ruthie remarked, "you might be better off hunting some livestock tonight."
"I don't care much for being out in this weather myself," Amy replied, "but I'm starving. I don't think bad people let the weather deter them from their crimes, do you?"
"I don't know. Maybe we just have to look harder."
Amy suddenly stopped walking, "Did you see that, Ruthie?"
Ruthie intently peered in the direction Amy's gaze was fixed, "I don't see anything."
"I saw three shadowy figures going through the back yard of that house over there."
"Shadowy?" Ruthie asked, "do you think they're like us?"
"No, I don't think so. They were crouching down and moving quickly as though they were hiding from someone."
"Let's go see if we can find them," Ruthie suggested, "they must be up to no good if they were moving the way you say they are."
The house Amy saw the figures pass by sat on the corner of the street they were traveling and a side street toward the north end of town. Just as Amy and Ruthie rounded the corner onto the side street they saw the front door of a house quickly and quietly open and close. The two girls rushed to the house and hiding in the shadows under a window listened for voices and movement inside. Any noise that may have been coming from inside the house was drowned out by the rapidly approaching sound of men on horseback.
The two girls backed away from the house and moved under an old ice-coated maple tree near the road. As the men on horseback entered the small street they reduced the horses' gait and began scanning the houses and the yards as well as they could through the falling sleet. Not finding what they were looking for, the men stopped in front of the yard where Amy and Ruthie were standing no more than twenty feet away. The two men carried guns, whips and chains on their saddles. Ruthie knew what they were right away even though she was no longer vulnerable to ordinary men, her life long fear returned and she slipped back behind the tree.
"I think you found your supper," Ruthie whispered to Amy, "those are about the worst kind of men on this earth."
"Are you sure?" Amy hadn't yet guessed the scene she was witnessing, "who are they?"
"They slave hunters," Ruthie whispered, "Those shadowy figures you saw must have been runaways."
"So those are slave hunters, are they?" Amy was delighted to find such worthy victims, "I'm going to need your help, Ruthie, because there are two of them. We don't want one to get away."
"Oh, no," Ruthie's voice shook in fear, "I'm not going near them. They'll kill me."
"Ruthie, remember they can't kill you," Amy put her arm around Ruthie's shoulders, "You don't want them catching those runaways, do you? Now, hold your head up and let them see how well you're dressed. You are much more powerful than they are."
"No," Ruthie answered reluctantly.
"I'll be right behind you," Amy said, "You get their attention by walking where they can see you. I'll follow you. You grab the skinny one and I'll take the fat one."
"Well, all right," Ruthie was reluctant as she watched the men adjusting their coats and hats attempting to keep the sleet from running down the backs of their necks while still trying to detect any trace of movement that might lead them to their prey. As she timidly stepped out from behind the tree and into the icy street in the direction of the men, the two cold wet men noticed her right away as she pretended not to see them. The skinny one spoke first: "Hey, bitch, where you think you're going?"
"Anywhere I want," she replied with a shaky voice as Amy stepped up behind her.
"Is this mouthy little nigger yours?" the fat man angrily asked Amy.
"Of course not," Amy replied smugly, "she's her own woman."
Both men laughed, "You Northerners are an odd breed. That's very funny, missy, but we're on the lookout for some runaways. Maybe this one here is helping them hide. Since when are nigger girls allowed to wear such fancy dresses, even if it is all wet?"
"Yeah," jeered the skinny man, "where'd you steal that dress?" he looked at Amy, "Did she steal that dress from you, missy?" You want us to get it back for you, not that you'd ever wear a dress that's been on the back of a nigger."
Both men laughed as Ruthie and Amy approached them. Ruthie's rage over the attitudes and behavior of the two slave hunters overpowered her fear of them and Amy smiled as Ruthie challenged the men, "You want to try and take if from me?"
The skinny man stopped laughing and dismounted and approached Ruthie, "I'll take it off you with my bare hands and beat you till you're bleeding from every inch of your black body for daring to talk to me like that. Then I'll beat you some more for daring to look me in the face."
"You go get her!" The fat man cheered his partner.
Ruthie's eyes, blazing with fury, never left the face of the hunter as he reached for the front of her dress and she blocked his attempt by grabbing his arm and snapping it back crushing the bones. His mouth opened in surprise as she dropped his broken arm, grabbed him by the throat, pulled him toward her and sunk her teeth deeply into his cold clammy unshaven neck.
The fat man gasped in anger and surprise and reached for his ri
fle, but Amy grabbed his leg and pulled him sharply from the horse before he could release the gun from the saddle. He landed flat on his back on the icy lane as his horse reared back and both horses fled in fear. Before he could scream or utter any sound other than a low grunt as he hit the ground Amy was astride him, the way he had been on his horse, quickly draining him of every drop of blood that he held. To prevent attracting attention to the house where the runaways were sheltered, Ruthie and Amy carried the bloodless bodies of the detested slave hunters a mile into the woods and left them on the frozen sleet covered ground for the wolves to devour.
"You were great, Ruthie," Amy laughed as they hurriedly walked home shortly before sunrise. The sleet had given way to fluffy flakes of snow and Amy twirled amongst the falling snow between two rows of glistening trees as she spoke, "You saved those runaways from certain capture. You're a hero!"
"Yes, we both are," Ruthie wasn't as light-hearted as Amy, "I still don't like killing. I'm gonna have to do some extra praying before bed today."
"Oh, Ruthie," Amy fell alongside her friend, "just think of all the people you've saved tonight. Not just those three, but all the others they would have captured or killed in the years to come."
"Yeah, I guess if you say it that way," Ruthie slightly lightened her step, "I didn't think of it like that. Maybe I did save a lot of people."
"Of course you did," Amy twirled again. The night's adventure made Amy so happy that she was lifted slightly from her grief over Robert for the snowy walk back to the lair where she was reminded of his ongoing absence as soon as she saw the dark abandoned farmhouse in the distance. During the time that it took for them to attack and dispose of the slave hunters' bodies, the constant pain in the pit of her stomach that Amy had been enduring since Robert's abandonment had been forgotten as she worked together with her new friend. However, the pain of emptiness and longing returned as soon as she entered the lair and saw that Robert was still missing. Each time she left the lair she returned with the hope that his coffin would be returned just as abruptly and mysteriously as it had vanished to the space from where it had disappeared.
Amy and Ruthie spent the early parts of the next few evenings outside the house where the runaway slaves were given sanctuary the night they devoured the slave hunters. By listening at the windows they were intrigued and excited to learn that the house was the home of Quakers who provided a regular and welcome stop on the Underground Railroad. Although most runaways were more likely to travel up the Connecticut River Valley, some followed the Thames. They learned there was another stop about fifteen miles north, but the exact location and family name were never spoken loud enough for them to hear from outside.
"We can help these people, Ruthie," Amy excitedly turned toward her friend, "there may be more slave hunters in the area and we can stop them."
"I'd like to stop every slave hunter in the world," Ruthie showed her sharp white incisors.
"All we have to do is keep watch at this house. Any more runaways in the area will be sure to come here and if anyone is chasing them, we will be here to stop them."
"That sounds like a lot of waiting," Ruthie said with uncertainty, "can't we become hunters of the slave hunters instead?"
"How do you propose to hunt slave hunters?"
"We feed on any man who carries a whip or chains," Ruthie's sudden enthusiasm for feeding on humans surprised and pleased Amy who hated the degrading sight of Ruthie hunting and feeding off of small animals, especially rodents.
"Ruthie, I'm surprised at your sudden ferocity. Did you finally realize that feeding on humans to survive isn't a sin?"
"Slave hunters aren't human. They're evil, more evil than we are," Ruthie's eyes flared with hatred and anger as she spoke.
"I agree," Amy hesitated, "except for your implication that we are evil, of course. We are simply trying to survive in this world."
"Just because we're feeding off evil people doesn't made us less evil ourselves," Ruthie debated, "but we can at least use our evil ways to overcome other evils and help innocent people."
"Now that we're in agreement, let's find some fresh blood."
Although Ruthie wouldn't feast on humans other than slave hunters, she accompanied Amy through the snow as they made their way south to the waterfront. The air was crisp and cold as it blew in from Long Island Sound and the moon was bright, glistening off the ice-covered trees along the hushed city streets. If the two girls had been alive, their exhalations would have become clouds of vapor; however, nothing could be seen leaving their cold lips. Their bodies were invulnerable to the cold as they lightly and silently swept through the long deep shadows of dormant trees and darkened houses toward their destination.
Hunger and impatience led Amy to agree with Ruthie's desire to help others. Amy, even though she loathed slave hunters, would feed off anyone who happened to be convenient, but her need and desire for Ruthie's respect and companionship gave her the motivation to search for victims that met with Ruthie's approval. Typically, the waterfront offered the greatest opportunities for finding victims who derived pleasure from making innocent and defenseless people suffer and now that more textile mills were being built to handle the southern cotton, the waterfront was busier than ever. The whaling industry was still strong as well and being near the ships helped Amy feel closer to her family.
The waterfront had become a familiar place to Ruthie as well as she lurked in the shadows with Amy stalking prey and experiencing the icy feel of the air coming off the frigid Thames. Ruthie could now enjoy many comforts in her undead state that she never experienced in her life of oppression and deprecation. Seagulls soaring from pile to mast with their raucous calls while water lapped against the docked boats and the dock pilings were like a lullaby to Ruthie as she patiently and discreetly remained on the piers for hours at a time waiting for Amy to find a convenient victim. The creaking of the wooden ships added a more subtle tone to the seagulls' high-pitched cries until the seagulls returned to their nests and left the only the creaking wood as the prominent nighttime sound.
After spending her entire life restricted to household duties, Ruthie relished the feel of the ocean air on her skin and in her hair that, along with the departure and return of the ships, gave Ruthie a feeling of freedom and independence she had never dreamed of. Overcoming the slave hunters provided her with a new strength and confidence that raised her self-esteem to the point where her life long attitude of inferiority was all but gone. As they neared an alley that connected the main street to the shore they were approached by a sailor who smelled of stale rum, tobacco and human filth.
"Which one of you ladies wants to earn my money tonight?" He swayed from excessive alcohol consumption as he blocked the entrance to the alley, "It don't matter to me. You're all the same in my eyes, so you two decide who gets the pleasure of my company. I'd take the both of you, but I only want to pay for one."
Equally repulsed and insulted by the drunk's insinuations and insults, Amy and Ruthie gave each other a knowing look of agreement and dragged the filthy drunk into the alley. Amy enjoyed her nightly feast before even reaching the waiting ships and they agreed to dump the now lifeless victim into the river and enjoy the remainder of the evening discreetly walking among the many ships docked along the wharves. Ruthie still felt a twinge of guilt from aiding Amy in another murder, but not the overpowering guilt she felt at first, which brought her to her decision to only feed off animals.
"Can you imagine the idea that that man, drunk as he was, mistook us for ladies of the evening?" Amy asked as his body disappeared into the icy black water.
"That was pretty mean of him to think so," Ruthie agreed.
"I suppose proper ladies shouldn't be seen along the waterfront, especially at night, but it was indecent of him to blindly assume that we were in the market for men."
"Very indecent."
"If my father had seen the way that man talked to me, he would have killed him himself."
"I wouldn't know
about anything like that," Ruthie remarked, "up till now I always been used like something that's been paid for only I never got any pay."
"I'm sorry, Ruthie," Amy's indignant attitude softened, "I didn't mean to remind you of that."
"That's all right, Amy," Ruthie stated matter-of-factly, "it was my life, but it's over. I wasn't trying to make you feel sorry for me. I was just saying that I can't relate no way to what you were saying, that's all."
"All right then, let's change the subject. Now that our hunger has been satisfied for the evening, yours with an animal and mine with a man who acted like an animal, would you like to continue our nightly stroll along the water?"
"Yes, that would be fine," Ruthie held out her arm for Amy to take and the two girls started out along the dark edge of the riverbank to make their nightly tour of the ships at port.