Tomorrow's Dead: The Julia Poe Vampire Chronicles, page 21
“I heard she can’t shoot straight anymore,” one of the remaining men declared. “We mustn’t be scared of her.” Even leeches know my business, thought Poe.
“Too right, stoner man,” said Poe with a smile. She slid a wrist knife from her arm and flung it at the greasy-hair leech. The knife landed in his inner thigh.
Caught by surprise the man cursed but kept to his gun as he pulled the small blade from his leg. “See what I mean? The bitch can’t shoot straight.”
Poe nodded in assent. “You’ll be dead in 30 seconds,” she said as her eyes surveyed the man’s thigh that was oozing blood like a faucet. “Femoral artery, my man.” She ignored his screams and focused on the last leech.
Poe concentrated her attention on Blue Bean Bag, who was clutching his nuts and calling her the vilest names in leech speak. She pushed the coffee table out of the way with her foot to give her speed leverage. From the opposite end of the room she sprinted, landing her knee in the potty mouth’s chest and collapsing his lungs Muay Thai-style. The unstable bean bag nearly downed her but she rolled off before her head hit the hardwood floor.
And there was Red Beard who’d just entered the scene holding a skinning knife he’d pulled out of his tacky alligator boots with pointy toes. “Get away from me, bitch!” he said, nearly crying from fear. The man’s equilibrium was off, and his left eye was blind. He swung the knife left to right.
“Wow. Manly knife you have there,” Poe said with a laugh. “If only you knew how to use it, eh?” With a round kick, she dislodged the knife from his hand. It flew in the air, and the vampire killer easily caught it by clapping her hand together like a praying Buddhist monk. She kicked herself mentally for the dangerous and flashy move. “Oops! Looky here, I got your knife now.”
Poe contemplated making the man take off his pants so she could cut off his ding dong, but the thought gave her the chills. She didn’t want to catch disease, so she generously buried the knife in his last good eye.
She would feel guilty later she knew, but at the moment Poe felt satisfied with her methods. When she made it to the second floor, the pregnant woman was sitting up talking to a curly-hair Latina who looked like an emaciated J-Lo. By the stairs was a pushcart filled with blended and mashed meals that resembled vomit.
“Hi!” said Poe stupidly. “Problem’s been taken care of upstairs.”
The custodian’s eyes widened in fear. “They’ll think I did it, Julia Poe. I’ll be killed!” The scar gave her away.
Poe shook her head. “Believe me, they won’t because you can’t do what I’ve done to those men upstairs. They’ll come after me.”
“Take me with you, please!” she said. The custodian was in her early 30s, meaning she’d been a slave since she was a little over 10 years old. And the pregnant woman must’ve been allowed to grow up as a child then turned into a blood cow.
“Me, too,” said the pregnant woman. Her voice was unsteady like she’d just started learning how to speak. Most blood slaves unhooked from the system had the same initial problems including learning how to walk again and chew.
“I can’t. I’m sorry, ladies.”
“Please. Take us away from here,” said the Latina. “We’ve suffered so much already.”
“Listen. Any day now the vampire government will topple and the underground will take over. In the meantime you both have to look after your friends.”
“Others will come to take care of them. Please,” begged the pregnant woman. “Isn’t that right, Jimena?”
“Lucy is right. We rotate every meal time,” said Jimena. “These people will be fed. Besides, Lucy’s having a bad pregnancy, possibly a breach birth, and she needs a real doctor. I can’t handle this myself.”
Poe had no choice. “Listen. My ride isn’t going to be here until dawn tomorrow.” She gave the location where she would be meeting Rufus. “If you guys can make it there, then I’ll take you both. You’re gonna have to find your own transportation. And please don’t invite anyone else. My friend has a very small plane.”
“Skinheads live there,” said Jimena nervously. “And they don’t answer to anyone.”
Poe waved at the air. “Oh, don’t worry about them. They’re all dead. I killed them my first day here.”
***
The weather was chilly, too cold for her tacky brown leather jacket to handle. The sun shone elegantly in Poe’s mind as she inhaled fresh air to purge her lungs of the smell of blood and killing. The thickening fog upset her stomach. As surely as she breathed there were rows of Victorians that housed leeches who abused their own kind without sanctions from the vampire order. I can’t possibly go through each house, she said despondently. “Who’ll take care of the people until the full-blown revolution?”
Sainvire had left her. She was surrounded by suffering humans she couldn’t even hope to save. Her damn outfit was embarrassing and reminded her of her crassness and ignorance. She missed Maclemar. He always had the knack for making her see the shiny side of things. “At least there’s Christmas,” she muttered. She still needed to track down Percy’s presents and give Penny the attention she deserved. Poe had been too busy killing to pay attention to her loyal companion.
Poe’s self-pity ended when a battered pickup truck nearly careened as it made a sharp turn from Castro Street onto States Street. Poe quickly moved from the street to the sidewalk. She walked as if she belonged. Perhaps a custodian on an errand, she told herself.
The truck slowed when the driver spotted Poe and followed her pace. From the corner of her eye, she could see a goateed driver waving at her. She was about to hide out in one of the houses when the man said, “Psst! Hey!”
Poe had no choice but to turn around and face the driver who was transporting in the flatbed five passengers wearing fatigues. The back of her neck prickled. Something wasn’t right. The men in the back from what she could see carried no guns or weapons of any kind. The driver had a look of ex-cattle or drug-addicted leech. Take your pick, thought Poe.
“Sí,” she said, sounding racially bugged up as she conjured her quarter blood line.
“You’re Julia Poe, ain’t ya?” said the driver. He’s definitely a leech.
“No entiendo, señor. I am custodian, okay?”
Three of the soldier wannabes jumped out of the truck. The two remaining would’ve made Poe’s mouth water for they looked too handsome to be believed. One in particular sat on the roof of the trunk with his hands crossed across his chest. The blue-eyed looker with light brown hair winked at Poe. His California blond friend, second place in the beauty contest, would’ve kicked any past blond actors in the ass.
The three shorter and burlier men bent on approaching Poe didn’t worry her so much. “Your Spanish is as awful as your fake tan, Julia Poe,” said a smallish man not much taller than Poe herself.
The girl was tired of pretending to speak a language she obviously didn’t know so she shrugged her shoulders and began throwing darts from her eyes at the three men. “Okay. So you got me,” she said. That was when her hands dug for her guns in her holsters and shot the three weaponless walking dead in the head before they could even blink. When she pointed her guns at the handsome devils in the back of the truck, she found that they’d disappeared.
The leech driver flattened himself on the seat but Poe, without looking, stuck her hand through the window and fired two shots. Her worried eyes roamed the street. The two day vamps had disappeared. The runaways must have more power than the three I killed.
Heads from windows along the street watched her as she tried to figure out what to do next. Some custodians waved at her. Leeches flipped her the bird and yelled profanities, disturbing her concentration.
“Shut the hell up!” shouted Poe. “Or I swear I’m going to bust into your houses and shoot your balls off!”
She felt wind on the back of her head, and she turned around to find a smiling cutie waving at her. “My name’s Earl,” said the handsomest tan halfdead she’d ever met. Surrender your guns, and no one else needs to get hurt.”
The hell? She pointed the gun at the vamp and pulled the trigger. Without even moving, Earl caught the whizzing bullet in his hand like snagging a ping pong ball. “Oh, shit,” said Poe out loud. Sure that he would miss at least one bullet, she emptied a full clip on the man, but she was wrong. He caught all of them with a wicked smile on his face.
Blondie landed in her blind spot. Kill one of them at least, she thought. Poe was chagrined that she didn’t see the flying day vamp’s look of surprise as her bullets hit him in the nose and heart for she had locked her gaze on Earl. He fell dead by her feet.
“I never liked him anyway,” said her blue-eyed foe. “Too vain. Anyway, are you ready to give up?”
“Hell no,” said Poe, pointing a gun that contained at least eight more bullets. “Just get away from me, you ugly son of a bitch.”
His eyebrows rose. The vampire with neck-length hair obviously had never been called ugly before. “Wow. I like you, Julia Poe. You’re spunky, pretty, and you killed every single bastard I work with. Thanks! No need to waste bullets on me. I’m on your side.”
Poe shook her head disbelievingly. “Say again? I thought I heard a big fucking lie.”
“I’m Earl. I work with the underground. We’re supposed to take you to the Council chambers, but it seems you killed almost all of us.” She looked him up and down, studying his uniform and blue beret, and scoffed.
“Do you think I was born 20 seconds ago? You’re the enemy if I ever saw one.”
He tucked his brown hair behind his ear. “You’re prejudiced because I’m ugly. Well I’ll tell you something. My sisters work for the Council, and they’re in trouble. If I don’t turn you in, it will confirm Nesbitt’s suspicion that they’re working with the underground because Sainvire forgot to decapitate them along with the other four Council members. I have no choice in this matter, cupcake. I’m sure Sainvire will turn up to get you. He’s good like that.”
“You want me as bait?”
“Not me, Julia. Nesbitt. He wants Sainvire, and he wants you. I’m hoping your boyfriend would get you and we can finally wrestle Nesbitt out of his damn golden throne. In the meantime he has lots of soldiers on his side, and we don’t want humans or good vampires to get hurt. Bradley and Jane know of this plan because I spoke to them this morning. They’re ready to take over tonight if, and only if Nesbitt thinks he’s getting the two of you.”
“That is the biggest bunk I’ve ever heard of! Sainvire’s probably gone now. I don’t know where the hell he is.”
“Having a spat, eh?” he said, grinning. “Maybe you can consider going to the prom with me after this whole mess is over.”
She was nearly hyperventilating. To believe Earl was to be utterly and irrevocably stupid. “I don’t date canines, so forget about it.” Her gut told her he was telling the truth. “Who are your sisters?”
“Sara and Mina. They’re twins, and they’re both part of the Council or what’s left of it. They’re powerful vampires where I’m only a halfdead. Sainvire didn’t touch them when he went after the other three Council members because he knew they’re with the underground. But like I said, Nesbitt is on to them, and I need to bring you in to show my sisters are nothing to be fussed over.”
Poe handed her guns to Earl. Her face was stoic. If she was making a mistake, she could have Sainvire and herself killed. She pointed at the gun in his right palm. “If I come out without any of my limbs, I want you to shoot me in the head, alright?”
He nodded. “I promise.”
“Pull the body out of the seat, will ya? I’m allergic to leech blood.”
Earl tucked the guns in his military jacket and pulled the leech from the car. He found a spool of bubble wrap in the back of the truck and covered the front seat with it.
Poe went around the car to the passenger side and let herself inside. Let me do the right thing, Sister Ann. If this vampire is lying, I’m gonna end up getting Kaleb and the underground killed.
CHAPTER 14
THE HALFDEAD EARL DROVE through milky fog without hesitation. His half-vampire sight penetrated the thick fog San Francisco was known for. A smile lingered on his lips, and Poe had the urge to slap it off his face. Already she regretted agreeing to the word of a halfdead whose sisters were Nesbitt’s Council members. When Kaleb had slaughtered four Council members, he didn’t mention Sara and Mina. Perhaps the sisters hadn’t been around when Sainvire went on a rampage. For all she knew, Earl’s family was waiting for her arrival at City Hall. She glanced out the window and narrowed her eyes. Even in fog the city had class.
Like falling off a cliff, the truck lurched and flew, hitting the ground seconds later. While the chassis bounced Poe reached for her weapon but the gun wasn’t there. Poe couldn’t help it. She eked out a girly scream, and Earl whooped as he rammed his foot on the gas. “Fuck a duck!” cried Poe.
“This is Filbert Street, Julia Poe. The steepest street in San Francisco. Some say it’s 22nd Street, but don’t believe it. I thought we’d take the scenic route before going to the Civic Center.”
Poe ought to have been annoyed, but the feeling of plummeting to her death invigorated her. Strangely enough, all fear and worry left her mind. “Let’s try 22nd Street, why don’t we?” she said, inhaling deeply and exhaling her chicken ways.
“Sure. Hopefully everything’s coordinated. Bradley and Jane must’ve rallied their supporters and rehashed their plans with my sisters.”
“Why is your entire family helping the underground oust Nesbit?” asked Poe.
“It’s in our blood I suppose. Pardon the pun. Our parents were Bohemians from the 1920s who dabbled in vampirism when they learned about a cult called the Spring of Life. Mother turned all three of us and regretted it right away. We were just blooming into our adult lives, enjoying the perks of life, and were literally forced into the vampire club. Maybe I only half-turned because I was a kid. We’ve never forgiven her for cutting holes in our heads and spitting blood in our brains.”
“What happened to your mother?”
“She’s dead. Flung herself into the sun.”
“Oh,” said Poe awkwardly. She had nothing more to say about that topic. “Your sisters. Why the heck did they ever join the Council?”
“Mina and Sara are strong. They can fly and have the strength of a rhino. I’m the runt of the family. Because of the way we were raised, we tend to ask a lot of questions. My sisters hate being on the Council, but that’s the only place they could make much of a difference.” He turned toward Poe and smiled. “They’ve been working with the underground for 10 years now, and the time is right to destroy the old ways and begin again. Sainvire knows them very well.”
Poe refrained from screaming again when Earl floored the gas, flew into the air on 22nd Street, and hit the ground with the shocks violently taking a beating. “How was that, Julia Poe?”
“Fucking great, Earl!” said Poe with a grin on her face. “And call me Poe. Let’s go again.” Questions left her. She wanted the thrill of dying because she knew death was a distinct possibility that night.
“No problema,” he said. He made a u-turn and lugged the truck up the hill.
After four soaring adventures on 22nd Street, Earl parked on the sidewalk. “Time for you to show me the roadmap, Earl. My head isn’t ready for the spike, so I won’t go unless I hear a coherent plan.”
“Fair enough,” he said as he faced Poe’s weary look. “Jane’s people will replace the custodians on the building, and they’ll be armed. There’s about 20 guards around Nesbitt at all times, but they’ll be called in for a meeting. Goodbye to them. Again they’ll be replaced by our vamps.”
“What about the vamps in the basement? Walking upstairs at sunset?”
“Our vamps will behead them until there are no more hindrances to the overthrow. You see, ex-cattle, reformed leeches, halfdead, and vamps for the cause have infiltrated the Council. My sisters will take care of Nesbitt if Sainvire doesn’t get to him first since you’re the bait.”
“Where is he anyway?” asked Poe nonchalantly as she studied a bay house like a real estate agent.
“He’s blowing up the last of Nesbitt’s toys. Don’t worry, he hasn’t deserted you,” said Earl, his ocean eyes twinkling.
“Of course he hasn’t deserted me!” she cried. “He can’t live without me.”
Earl nodded seriously. “I can see that. You and Sainvire make quite a pair.”
“Can’t I have my guns with me for protection?” asked Poe to change the subject.
“Afraid not. We have to make your captivity authentic. We haven’t seen Nesbitt use his powers because all he has to do is work his brain into a fever and order someone to carry out his plotting, but rumor is he’s something to behold. We don’t want to take the chance. But you’re certainly welcome to your wrist knives. I don’t want to leave you completely powerless.”
“That’ll do. Thanks,” said Poe. She was silent the rest of the drive to the government campus. She thought of Sainvire and their conversation the night before. She had accused him of leaving her behind to be tortured by Quillon Trench. Her words hurt Kaleb, and worse, her blame was truly unfounded. Trench was the bad guy. He was the one who had tortured her and not Kaleb Sainvire who have sacrificed his life for her. Suddenly she wanted to weep, but it wasn’t the proper place or time.
She cleared her throat and said to the halfdead, “If you pick up any signs that Nesbitt is going to torture me, have someone break it off. Otherwise I can’t promise to be a good little prisoner. I won’t be hurt again.”
“I won’t let that happen. I’ll be at your side the entire time.”
Poe nodded. “I think this is the beginning of a new friendship, Earl. I like you, so you better not turn against me.”
“Not me. I like being half-alive,” he said with a grin.
