I also do not own the songs “Wanted Dead Or Alive” OR “Supervixen”, that are featured in this chapter, that honour belongs to Bon Jovi & Garbage respectively.
A Man About A Dog
Max was already waiting for him when he got to the house.
“I thought it was urgent, David.”
“It is.”
“Well, what is it?”
“I want to get rid of the Surf-Nazis.”
“And you come to me with this, why?”
“I thought I had better warn you that you're about to have a load of bodies on your hands.”
“I'd hope you'd be more discreet than that, David.” Max frowned at him.
“Sure.”
“Well, now that we've got that out of the
way, I'm glad you stopped by because I have some news to tell you. That
woman you saw in the video store.”
“What of her?” David asked, not liking where the conversation was heading.
“I'm going to turn her.”
“Say that again?”
“I think you boys could do with a mother's influence. Lucy is the perfect woman for the job. She's kind, caring, generous—”
"—Max; I don't think— ”
“ —I don't care what you think! You don't judge me, David. I am Head of this family, not you. You do as I say. Is that in any way unclear?”
“No, sir.” David sneered.
“Good. Just be thankful that I at least
had the decency to inform you first of an addition to our pack. Besides,
I'm going to need your help.”
“To do what?”
“To lure Lucy. She has two sons. I figure
if we get them to join the family first, then there is no way she can
refuse. Start with the eldest, Michael. He looks about your age, so
should be easy enough for Star to wield her feminine charms on him."
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about using Star?”
“I did, just now.”
“Star is mine. I don't like the idea of using her as bait.”
“You've never minded before.”
“That’s different. That was for meals.
Besides, she's still having trouble controlling her urges, Max. Tonight
she almost went feral.”
“You bought her back?”
“Of course I did.”
“Good, then this should be a good challenge to see if she's worthy to join the family.”
“She is— ”
“ —I'm glad we're in agreement.”
“Max, too much responsibility so soon could tip her over the edge. Do you really want a feral vampire loose in your territory?”
“Weren't you the one trying to convince me how strong she is? What an asset she'd be to our pack?”
"Yes— ”
“ —and did I doubt you in any way over your judgement?”
“No, you didn't, but— ”
“Then why do you doubt mine over Lucy?”
“I don't…I didn’t.”
“Good. You have your orders. See that they are carried out.”
“Sure...”
oOo
The haze that lingered over Star’s
head finally cleared once she had bled Greg dry. Now she felt better
than she had in a long while. Leaving the body, she followed the sound
of raised voices coming from the main cavern. Dwayne and Laddie were
reading comics, and Paul and Marko were fighting over the station Paul's
rock-box should be on.
“Bud, it's my rock-box and I say we're listening to this!”
“I'm so glad to see that my breakdown hasn't seriously affected any of you!” She laughed.
“STAR!” Laddie rushed over to her, and she embraced him tightly.
“It was close this time.” Dwayne whispered in her ear as he hugged her and she shivered in his embrace.
“I know. I felt it. Where's David?” She
asked nervously. A part of her remembered what she had done to him, and a
flood of guilt overwhelmed her.
“He went out; he'll be back soon.”
“Well, why don't we start without him? Paul, turn the music up!”
“Now you're talking!”
Paul grinned as he turned the volume knob
as far as it would go, making the dust and debris around them pulsate.
They danced for hours in the flickering light from the oil drums. About
two hours from sunrise and David still hadn't returned. Star was
exhausted, and poor little Laddie could barely keep his eyes open. She
put him to bed and tucked him in with her old teddy bear that he loved
so much. She was about to return to the boys when she felt a tug at her
skirt. It was Laddie, staring at her with sleepy eyes.
“What is it?” She asked, kneeling in front of the bed and taking his hand.
“That boy at the Boardwalk.”
“What about him, sweetheart?”
“His brother had a comic...” He yawned, barely able to stay awake long enough to finish his sentence. “It was about vampires...”
“That's nice.” She smiled, kissed him on
his forehead and left him to sleep, making her way to the main cavern to
see what mischief the boys had gotten into while she had been gone.
Paul was strumming away on his air guitar and singing - if you could
call it that - at the top of his voice.
“Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days, and the people I meet always go their separate ways.”
“I think your guitar’s out of tune,
dude.” Dwayne grimaced, to which Paul replied by giving him the finger
before returning to the song.
“I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride. I’m wanted…dead or alive!”
“Just dead, Paul, just dead.” Confirmed
Dwayne. Star reclined on the love-seat, laughing as Paul pretended to
smash the guitar over Dwayne's head. Marko returned from tending to the
few pigeons that hadn't fled from the loud music and Paul's off-key
singing, and sat next to her.
“Are you feeling better now?” he asked reluctantly, as if he expected her to break down again just from his asking.
“Yeah.”
“Good. We were really worried about you.”
“That's sweet.” Star yawned and rested
her head on his lap, smiling at Paul and Dwayne, whose argument had
turned into a scuffle. Marko gently twisted strands of her hair around
his fingers and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
David returned a little while after Star had fallen asleep.
“How is she?”
“Asleep.” Whispered Marko, gesturing to
the sleeping Star on his lap, whose hair he had been stroking. David
smiled, then sighed as he steeled himself for what he had to tell them.
“Max wants to extend the family.”
“With who?” asked Marko.
“The woman from the video store and her kids.”
“And her kids? What's he been smoking?” Paul laughed.
“He's in love.” scowled David.
“He thinks that the best way to lure this woman is to initiate her kids
into the pack first. And for that he wants to use Star.”
“And you told him where to go, right?” asked Paul.
“How could I have done that, Paul? He was
the one who agreed that she could stay in the first place. You know how
he feels about gypsies and we haven’t even told him about Laddie yet.
That’s conversation I’m really not looking forward too. Speaking of
which, I've got to figure out how I'm going to tell Star, without telling her about Max.”
“Good luck with that, bud!” said Paul,
putting away his rock-box and heading for the boys' room. Marko gently
roused Star and followed Dwayne to their room.
“You were gone a long time. You missed the party.”
“I'm sorry about that, but I needed to be on my own for a bit.” He lied.
“David? What is it?”
“Star, I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“That guy from the concert, the one that was staring at you.”
“What about him?”
“I want him to join us.”
“Why him?”
“Star, don't argue with me.”
“I'm not arguing; I just asked a perfectly reasonable question.”
“He took an interest in you.”
“So do lots of guys, but you've never wanted them to join us before. What makes him so special?”
“I think he could be a good addition to
our pack.” He had spoken the words with conviction, but something about
the way he said them didn't sound right.
“Based on what, David? You don't even know the guy's name!”
“Do you want me to stay with you again?” he asked, ignoring her protests.
“Are you pulling rank on me?” She asked suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she sighed in defeat.
“No, I think I'll be all right.”
“Good girl. I'll see you tonight, then.”
David left for his own room, leaving Star
to wonder what the hell had just happened. She got the gist of what it
was he wanted her to do, but he hadn't actually asked her to do it. It
was like he was scared to say the words. If so, then why did he want her
to do it?
Star lay down on her bed and began to
replay their conversation, listening for any minute detail she might
have missed. Any kind of fluctuation in his speech or intonations. There
wasn't of course. David was as unreadable as ever, and it wasn't long
before she had fallen asleep.
A few hours later Star woke in a cold
sweat. Hunger was calling to yet again. However, it seemed to be getting
fainter, which she hoped meant that her full vampire strength was
finally taking hold. Wrapping herself tightly in her shawl, she danced
past pools of sunlight and made her way to David's room at the other end
of the cave. Ever since these urges had manifested themselves, David
had made it a point to sleep in his own room in case she needed him. She
pulled back the dusty old blankets and got in beside him. When he
stirred, Star kissed him gently on the cheek.
“Fine. I'll do it, but I'm not happy about it.” She whispered in his ear.
“Thank you.” He whispered back.
He turned over, wrapping his arms around
her and pressed his lips against her forehead. As she closed her eyes,
she could have sworn she heard him sigh. She couldn't work out if it was
a sigh of relief or regret, or whether she had imagined it completely.
oOo
The rules were as follows. One: Find
this boy. Two: Engage him in friendly conversation and finally three:
Bring him to meet the boys. It sounded simple, but as Star left David's
side, the sound of throbbing veins and blood pumping amplified, was
making her feel nauseous. It was so hard to concentrate on the boy's
heartbeat alone. She took in a breath and closed her eyes, concentrating
her energy. There he was over by the ear-piercing stand.
Great. That will make my blood-lust die down!
There has to be a way to get him away from there.
She thought to herself; she would never
be able to think straight if she didn't. Forcing her most seductive
tone, she made her way over to him.
“It's a rip-off.” Star whispered in his
ear, quickly turned and walked away, hoping he'd follow. She felt his
puppy-dog eyes boring into her back.
*Sigh*
OK, now you've hooked him, better think of something to reel him in with.
“If you want your ear pierced, I'll do it.”
“What's your name?” He asked.
“Star.” She replied absently. Maybe if she could get him away from the crowds...she could...what?
So hungry...
“Oh, your folks too, huh?” he sniggered.
“What do you mean?” She challenged, momentarily forgetting what they had been talking about.
It was no good. The hunger was overriding
her concentration on the task at hand. She tried taking a deep breath,
but the smell of blood from freshly pierced ears and veins that were
throbbing all around her wasn't helping.
“Ex-hippies...”
Feeling his words become muffled and then
dissipate entirely; she turned to face him, but all she could think of
was how good his neck looked and whether all these people on the
Boardwalk would really care if she just snacked on him here and now.
They'd seen weirder things, right?
“...but Star's great. I like Star.”
“Me too.”
oOo
David looked over to where Star was
luring the boy who had introduced himself to her as, Michael. He was on
his fifth cigarette since leaving her to find him, and now that she had,
he was more concerned than ever. He'd watched her preparing for her
battle against her hunger, despite having drunk enough blood that
evening to see any of the boys through a couple of days. It was a battle
that she was losing, and it terrified him.
There were strict rules among the vampire
populous about feral vampires. If they could not be brought back, they
were to be killed. Not out of respect for mortals, but because they were
a danger not only to vampires, but the entire supernatural community.
They also drew too much attention to their kind.
Damn, Max!
He was sure that with rest and careful
monitoring (that she would protest against), Star would be perfectly
fine within the week. This was a strain upon their family, that none of
them needed, least of all Star.
Marko: She's losing it, David.
David: I know she is.
Paul: So what do we do?
David: We intervene.
oOo
“Michael's great, I like Michael.”
“Wanna get something to eat?”
YES!
“Okay.”
Star thought her head had exploded when
she heard the bikes approaching, because it sounded more like her hunger
spilling out. Marko and Paul were behind her with smirks on their
faces, and Star had to restrain herself from grinning back. Dwayne
blocked Michael's exit and Laddie’s worried face appeared from behind
him.
Paul: Shit, girl, you're in trouble now.
Paul's voice entered her head. She was
about to ask why when David pulled up alongside with a look of thunder
on his face. She knew he wasn't happy about the seduction aspect of this
plan, but she hadn't even done anything yet.
“Where you going, Star?” Was what came out of his mouth, but his head was screaming...
David: Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?!
Star: What you asked me to do.
David: I asked you to lure him, not feed on him!
FUCK!
“For a ride.” She replied, in defiance of
what David was telling her. “This is Michael.” Michael, not knowing the
real reason Star tensed up, pushed further.
“Let's go.” He took Star's hand and
sneered at David. Right now, she didn't know who she was pissed off at
more. She knew David could be cruel, but denying her food when it was
right within her reach was just plain mean. She was hungry, and this
plan was stupid.
Star: David, this is a fucking stupid idea! So yeah I lure him, then what? Oh, by the way, these are my friends and my possessive boyfriend, and also we're vampires, would you like to join us? Get real!
“Star?” David gave her a warning look.
She knew when not to push him, and this
was one of those times. Letting go of Michael's hand, she got on behind
David. Paul was laughing at her defiant statement, and even Marko was
having a hard time keeping a straight face. Dwayne was as ever,
impassive. David gave Michael a triumphant smile.
“You know where Hudson's Bluff is, overlooking the point?” He challenged.
“I can't beat your bike.” Michael replied, dejectedly.
“You don't have to beat me Michael. You just have to try and keep up.”
They sped off into the night, whooping
and cheering and racing across the beach, weaving between scattered
groups of people with Michael bringing up the rear.
Come down to my house, stick a stone in your mouth.
You can always pull out if you like it too much
You can always pull out if you like it too much
Supervixen – Garbage
As they drew closer to the cliffs, the
boys dropped back, allowing Michael to claw his way to the front until
he was neck and neck with David, who was egging him on. Although Star
knew it was one of his tests, she rather hoped that David had
miscalculated, and they would get to see Michael drive off the cliff. No
such luck. Getting off the bike, she was just in time to see Michael
swing for David. He took the punch, but that didn't stop her from
screaming, nor the boys from holding Michael back. It was tough for any
of them to keep a straight face with Michael challenging David to a
fight.
It is hard to resist, and I never miss
I can take you out with just a flick of my wrist
I can take you out with just a flick of my wrist
Supervixen – Garbage
David only grinned and asked him “how far he was willing to go.”
And I'll feed your obsession.
The fallen star that you cannot live without
I will be your religion.
This thing you'll never doubt
You're not the only one.
You're not the only one
Bow down to me...
The fallen star that you cannot live without
I will be your religion.
This thing you'll never doubt
You're not the only one.
You're not the only one
Bow down to me...
Supervixen - Garbage
They brought Michael to the cave. He
clung to Star's side, while Dwayne lit the oil drums and Paul turned on
his rock-box. As David gave Michael the history of the cave, Star
mentally communicated with Marko, and together they surveyed Michael's
reactions with interest.
Star: I don't know how long I can keep up this act.
Marko: We've noticed. What was that back at the Boardwalk? Shooting your mouth off at David? What were you thinking?
Star: Excuse me for being touchy when I'm hungry, and food is dangled in front of my face then taken away.
Star replied irritably, and Marko smirked.
Marko: David will be asking me to get food - er, non-people food - in a minute; you want anything?
Star: No way, I know what you have planned! I'll get something later.
He winked and moved towards his pigeons, waiting for the signal from David.
“Marko, food.” Marko left silently. David
turned back to Michael, triumphantly. “That's what I love about this
place. You ask and then you get...” Paul handed David a joint, who
passed it to Michael.
Star moved behind the lace curtain that
separated her sleeping quarters from the main room. Sitting down on the
bed, she tried to sigh her negativity away. There was something about
all this that didn't feel right.
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