Out of the Frying Pan
Max
walked home dejectedly after his failed date with Lucy. She’d run off
in the middle of dinner, without even saying goodbye, and was out of the
restaurant before he could scan her mind to find out what was wrong.
Although, he had his suspicions that David was somehow behind it.
Idiot childe.
He would not stop this from
happening. Max was sick of cleaning up after the boys and their antics
around town. Their behaviour attracted too much attention from those who
had the means to hurt them. The kids in the comic book store were
relatively harmless, but there were those who did more than hand out
guides and vampire deterrents. Hunters, who actively sought out members
of the supernatural community in Santa Carla for one reason; to kill
them.
David was young - in immortal terms - and
thought he could handle anything that came his way. Thought that Max
would always be around to bail them out. Nevertheless, Max knew
different. Being immortal didn’t mean you were invincible. They lived in
a cave above the San Andreas fault, for Gods sake. If another quake
were to hit like it did when it used to be a hotel, they were fucked.
They’d be buried in rock and saltwater with no escape. No, once he had
Lucy, they would all live together in his house. It was big enough to
accommodate them all, especially if David was serious about making Star
his mate.
A gypsy vampire…
Max scowled to himself. What the hell was David thinking? Didn’t he have better taste?
A strange howling noise made him increase
his pace. Although his path was lit by bright lanterns, he was shadowed
by trees and hedges on either side. Great for when he didn’t want to be
overlooked, not so great when there were hundreds of places for an
attacker to lie in wait.
“Who’s there?” He demanded. All these
thoughts of hunters, had him on edge. Thorn whined at him from the door
and he sighed in relief as he greeted his canine companion.
“Is that you, Thorn? Is that you making all that noise?”
Suddenly, something came swooping down
and hit him on the back of the head. Thorn immediately began barking,
trying to protect his master from harm. The thing that had hit him fell
to the floor and he picked it up to examine it. It was a rather crudely
made bat-shaped kite. Before he could determine where it had come from,
all the lanterns went out and a roar of engines and headlights came
hurtling towards him. As David and the boys pulled up, grinning wildly,
Max threw the kite at David, who just stared at it blankly.
“What the hell are you boys playing at?!”
“Whoa, chill out, old man.” Laughed Paul. Max glared at him and then cuffed him around the ear.
“Ow, what was that for?”
“How was your date?” David interrupted.
“Practically non-existent, thanks to you.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“Mind telling me why Lucy ran off in the middle of dinner?”
“I don’t know, maybe you’re losing your
touch.” David began to smirk, but it was cut short by Max grabbing him
by the throat and hauling him off his bike. The others shifted about
nervously, unsure if they should intervene. After a minute of them
staring each other down, Max sighed and placed David on his feet. Once
he had regained his composure, David spoke.
“All I did was what you asked. Michael
needed a reason to see Star, so we gave him one. Besides, he’ll be lucky
if he survives the night.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I told you, Max. Star is losing control, turning feral—”
“—Then kill her.” The boys froze, even
David, for whom this very thought had crossed his mind, couldn’t believe
what he was hearing.
“Max, she needs help.”
“We don’t have time to be babysitting the
weak. If she’s going to be such a hindrance, get rid of her. You will
not ruin this for me, David. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable, and
is precisely the reason I want Lucy to join us.”
“What’s she gonna do? Ground us if we misbehave, put us on a timeout?”
“Perhaps. Boys need discipline, and I intend to see that you get it by any means necessary.”
They resumed glaring, each getting
angrier by the second, until Dwayne gently reminded David that they
still had to eat before they went home. He got on his bike, now utterly
convinced that this obsession had driven Max insane, and led the boys
back to the Boardwalk. He planned to stay out for as long as possible,
anything to avoid the scene that was unfolding in his home right now.
Max watched them leave, a triumphant
smile on his face as he tickled Thorn behind the ear. A plot had begun
to form in his head. As he had said before, being immortal didn’t mean
you were invincible. Maybe it was time the boys found that out for
themselves.
oOo
Above the sound of the crashing waves,
Star heard the bike pull up, and her heart immediately fell as she
realised she was going to have to go through with this. It was the same
feeling she’d had at her engagement party. Soon, Michael was calling her
name, and she hid deeper in the shadows with a sedated Laddie behind
her.
She watched as he frantically lit the oil
drums, searching for her. Instead he found the blood bottles. He picked
up the jewelled one that had been used for his initiation and took a
sniff. The bottle was thrown across the room, smashing, sending its
pungent odour over to her. With all her strength, she resisted the
temptation to lose control and finally made her presence known to
Michael.
“I’m over here, Michael.” Star announced sadly, channelling her bloodlust into pheromones.
“What’s happening to me, Star?”
She could feel his fear as if it were her
own, and in a way it was. Neither of them knew what was happening to
them. Granted, Star did know what was happening to Michael, however
she’d been sworn to secrecy until David was ready. She wrapped her arms
around him and sighed.
“Michael, I can’t tell you, I don’t know
how to help you.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Star could barely help
herself, how could she expect to help Michael as well? She kissed him
mechanically, waiting for him to return them. She didn’t have to wait
long.
She didn’t remember leading him to her
bed or taking his clothes off, but here they were, with him slowly
undressing her. Fear had paralysed her. All she could think about was
how hurt David had looked when he’d asked her to do this. What had he
said before he left? He was grateful? No, he’d said we’re grateful. Who was we,
the boys? No, they were as uncomfortable around Michael as she was.
What, or more likely, who was David protecting? Whatever the answer, she
was determined to find out, once she had made it through this night.
Their whoops and cheers woke her. Star
couldn't bear to face anybody, so she kept her eyes closed and hid
behind her hand. She could feel Michael's breath on her neck and his arm
around her, possessively, as if he were daring David to take her from
him. But that was just it. She wasn't Michael's and his touch sickened
her. Star wept silently, praying he would leave soon so she could talk
to David.
Eventually he did, kissing her softly on
the forehead. Star waited until she was sure he had gone, before she
wrapped herself in her shawl and went in search of David. She found him
picking up the shards of the bottle that Michael had smashed.
“Isn't that a bit pointless?” She asked
quietly, pulling her shawl closer over her naked body. Her body used to
be something that she had no shame in sharing with him. Now, she felt
defiled, and the longer David refused to meet her gaze, the worse she
felt.
“Pointless...?”
“Surely there are others?”
“Sure. But that one...was special. Meant something to me.”
“Meant something? Are we still talking about the bottle?”
“You tell me, Star. In fact, don't bother. I have too much to do before I go to sleep.”
“Like what?” She asked, confused. She'd
done what he had asked, even though she didn't want to and now he was
punishing her for it?
“David, what's your problem?”
“My problem?”
“Yes. You tell me to sleep with
Michael to give him a reason to join us, even though neither of us is
happy about it, and now you're acting like I did it out of spite. I told
you it was a ridiculous idea. Say he does join us now, how long am I
gonna have to keep up the act? Come to think of it, why do you want him
to join in the first place? I can see it in his eyes, David. He doesn't
belong with us!”
“DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?!” His
temper exploded so quickly that she was taken aback. So rarely did he
lose his temper like that.
“So why are you doing it?” She asked
quietly, on the verge of tears. Her voice cracked as all the misgivings
that had plagued her mind over this whole mess, spilt out all at once.
“Why make him fall in love with me, when
I’m yours? Do you have any idea how disgusting I feel right now? Every
time I look into your eyes, it just confirms what I already know.
Michael's going to...he is tearing us apart and I won't just stand by and let it happen.”
“Star, please. I'm tired, I don't want to talk about this now.” It was her turn to be angry.
“No! I'm not stupid. You and the boys have been acting weird ever since the Emersons moved here! What aren't you telling me?”
“Star, just drop it!” He was having
trouble maintaining his human visage now, so she slowly turned away,
shaking her head, sadly.
“Look, I know I had a hard time with the
transition, but I did it, didn't I? I'm getting better all the time. I
did it for you…” her voice quivered as she came across the real reason
this secrecy bothered her so much.
“Sometimes…I feel like I'm back with the
Gypsies. Why does everyone think they can dictate who I should fall in
love with? I thought things would be different with you, but they’re
not. I’m still an outsider in my own family because they don't trust me
enough to tell me what's going on.” David exhaled sharply, and placed a
gloved hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch and he inwardly
winced.
“We don't do it on purpose. You have to understand that there are some things that you just aren't ready to know yet.”
“Maybe...maybe I should come tonight, then? Maybe it won't be so hard for him to accept—”
“—No. He needs to see you as his salvation. He needs to be able to trust you completely, so you'll be the one he turns to.”
“Why can't it be you he turns to, like the rest of us did?”
“I don't think I'm his type.” She let out a smile with a sigh and he allowed a smirk to appear briefly.
“In a way, I’m kind of relieved I don’t
have to come tonight. I don’t think I can face him right now, or any of
you for that matter. I think I’ll take Laddie out tonight, make up for
sedating him last night.”
“I’m sorry that I had to put you through this…it won’t be for much longer, I promise.”
Star couldn’t believe it. David had
apologised to her again. What was troubling him so deeply that he felt
it was necessary to apologise for the curious way he’d been treating
her. She turned to ask him, only to discover he’d gone.
Guess he didn’t have so much to do after all.
Were all vampires this complex?
Returning to her bed, she decided against
it and instead quickly grabbed her clothes and slipped into bed next to
Laddie. As she drifted to sleep, she reminded herself to wake up early,
so she and Laddie could be gone before the boys woke up.
oOo
Max had another dinner date with Lucy,
this time at her house. He was determined not to let David spoil it this
time. As he got to the door, it opened without him even knocking and he
came face-to-face with Lucy’s eldest, Michael. He seemed to be in a
rush, however Max wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to get inside
the boy’s head.
“How’re you doing? You must be Michael,
right?” Max was trying to probe Michael’s mind, but for some reason it
was proving quite difficult.
“And you must be Max.” Michael sneered at him.
This wasn’t right at all. Yes he had
certain powers that he hadn’t had before, nevertheless, he shouldn’t be
able to block a Master vampire so effectively.
“Right. How are you?” He shook his hand
in a last ditch effort. Sometimes physical contact was needed to make a
mental connection with a more powerful vampire, however he didn’t get
the feeling that Michael was all that powerful. Max was oozing charm and
sending off “trust me” signals, yet Michael seemed to be able to see
right past them. Deciding to let it go, he sighed.
“Well, you’re the man of the house, and I’m not coming in until you invite me.”
“You’re invited.” Michael said, a little half-heartedly. Still, it got the job done, and Max felt the barrier melt away.
“Thanks very much.” He smiled at Michael and walked inside.
He found Lucy in the kitchen, getting
ready to set the food on the table, and greeted her warmly. Max
presented her with the flowers he’d picked from his garden - an apology
gift from Thorn for attacking her yesterday. Thorn had received a very
stern telling off for the mistake and been threatened rather
unpleasantly if he was to do it again.
A kiss between them was interrupted by
Lucy’s youngest son, Sam, introducing the guests he had brought over for
dinner. Those Frog brats from the comic store. Max thanked his
foresight to get Michael to invite him in. Whatever they were planning
was sure not to work now. Well this was set to be a fun evening!
The romantic family dinner both Max and
Lucy had hoped for, was punctuated every now and then by the boys trying
to out him as a vampire. The garlic had amused him, as not many
vampires were affected by it and he actually did enjoy eating it on
occasion. The water had been more problematic. Had he not been invited,
it would have burned like the dickens, right now it just made look like
an idiot and he was thankful it wouldn’t stain. He sighed, at least it
wasn’t David that was ruining tonight. He now saw that his boys weren’t
the only ones in need of some discipline.
oOo
“So where’d she go?” Dwayne asked David, who shrugged and lit another cigarette.
“Dunno, but she didn’t want to be around us tonight, or more specifically - me.”
“Come on, man, she’s crazy about you.” Paul laughed, swinging a leg over the railing so he could sit on it.
“Not right now, she’s not. And I don’t blame her. What Max is making me do, what I’m making her do is sick and she doesn’t even know why she’s got to do it.”
“S’not like you’ve got a choice.”
“I could stand up to him. Say no.”
“Yeah, and get your ass kicked.” Dwayne muttered.
“How’s that different to any other time?”
“'Cause this time he’ll kill you.” Marko
spoke up. David sighed, knowing he was right. They all stared into the
fire below them, waiting for Michael to approach them. He shoved Marko
out of the way and grabbed David by his coat.
“Where is she?” Michael growled at him. David blew smoke in his face and grinned knowingly at him.
“Take it easy, Michael.” He said in a soft voice, however Michael was having none of it.
“Where’s Star, David?”
David felt his eyes flash dangerously,
his grin disappear and a coldness envelope him which was usually
reserved for enemies. Michael was the reason Star wasn’t with him
tonight - Michael was his enemy. David grabbed him back and snarled at him.
“Michael, you ever want to see Star again? You’d better come with us, now.”
They rode to a quiet place near the
beach, where the boys had heard the remainder of the Surf-Nazis were
partying. Parking their bikes, they quickly hid themselves from view in
the branches of a nearby tree and beckoned Michael over to them. They
observed the Surf-Nazis with predatory interest, while they danced
around their campfire.
“Initiation’s over, Michael. Time to join
the club.” David slipped into full fang and growled at Michael, the
light from the fire silhouetting his angular features. Michael looked
around him fearfully, only to find the others were grinning and laughing
at him with sharp fangs and amber eyes. Before he could say anything,
the boys took to the air and descended upon the Surf-Nazis with fervid
hunger.
Their victims screamed in terror as they
were thrown and dragged viciously along the sand. It had been a while
since they had partook in a feeding frenzy, but tonight they had an
audience to perform to. Tonight was for Michael’s benefit. Limbs and
necks were broken, revealing to Michael the savage beast that now
resided within him. He tried to look away, but the smell and vividness
kept him glued to the violent scene unfolding before him. Claws tore
into flesh, fangs carefully scraped across skin, revealing the sweet
nectar beneath, which splattered across the sand.
Michael felt himself changing, feeling
drawn to the brutality. He clung desperately onto the tree, fearing what
would happen if he let go. The boys were now throwing what was left of
the bodies onto the fire, revelling in the misery they had caused. The
smell of charred meat wafted over to him on the breeze, driving him wild
with hunger until he could bear it no more. He screamed, fell out of
the tree and rolled down the sandbank.
Drawing in ragged breaths, he looked up
to see the boys standing over him, grinning maniacally. They were
covered in blood. It was smeared around their mouths and drizzled down
their necks and chests. Paul and Marko’s shirts were torn, which seemed
to explain why Dwayne never wore one. David was missing his trademark
leather gloves, yet Michael couldn’t recall if he had been wearing them
earlier.
“So…” David began.
“Now you know what we are and now you
know what you are. You’ll never grow old, Michael, and you’ll never die,
but you must feed.” He wiped the corner of his mouth and laughed.
oOo
Star was huddled in a corner, shaking.
She was in a dishevelled state not unlike the boys were. She’d taken
Laddie to the cinema in town which was playing Labyrinth.
They’d just gotten to the part where Sarah had to choose the door that
led to the castle, when it hit. She didn’t know what had set it off, but
suddenly she was fighting for control over herself. Just like that, she
passed out, or so she thought. When she came to, everybody in the
theatre was dead, the screen was splattered with blood and Laddie was
nowhere to be found.
“LADDIE?!” She screamed, jumping out of
her stupor. A little form scurried out from beneath one the seats in the
front row and Star breathed a sigh of relief. For a second she thought
he might have been among the bodies that surrounded her.
“Are you okay now?” He asked, nervously.
He thought it had been scary when she lost control while feeding on
those bums and she’d snarled at him. This, however, was totally
different.
She’d been like a rabid animal attacking
anything that moved and even some that didn’t. He’d remembered Dwayne
explaining to him about why they rarely attacked in crowds - something
about causing mass hysteria. Well that certainly hadn’t seemed to bother
Star, in fact it seemed to fuel her hunger. He’d hidden beneath a seat,
making himself a small as possible when he realised he couldn’t stop
her. Although he couldn’t be sure, he was almost positive that no one
had made it out alive. She’d even killed the projectionist and the guy
selling popcorn. He seriously doubted anyone would want the popcorn with
the blood topping - except for vampires, of course.
“I think so…” She answered shakily. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”
Laddie shook his head, and quickly
buttoned up his coat, hiding the claw marks she’d made when he’d tried
to pull her off a little girl.
“David’s going to be really mad.” She
whispered, surveying the damage she’d caused. He took her by the hand
and squeezed it reassuringly. She squeezed back, smiling sadly at him.
This was his Star. She would never hurt him intentionally. It was just that thing inside her.
“Come on, we’d better get out of here. We’re supposed to meet the boys soon.”
David seemed to be in a better mood. He
kissed her softly upon the lips and she smelt the blood on his breath.
Under normal circumstances, this may have led her to deepen the kiss,
but she’d had her fill of blood tonight. Laddie raced over to Dwayne and
scrambled up onto the bike behind him.
“How was your night?”
“Fine.” She answered, a little too quickly, however David didn’t seem to pick up on it.
“So, does he know?”
“Yep, and now it’s your turn.”
“My turn to do what? I’m not sleeping with him again.”
“I don’t want you to. All I want you to do is play damsel-in-distress one last time.”
“What? Why?”
“I told you, Star. He needs to see you as his salvation. You’re going to persuade him to save you from the…monsters.” He chuckled at the last word.
“How is that going to convince him to join us? Shouldn’t I be persuading him to give into temptation?”
“No. I don’t want him to be like us just yet. He needs to prove himself.”
“And rescuing me, proves that somehow?”
“Sure. Now, here’s what you need to say to him…”
What he didn’t tell her, was that David
now had no intention of inviting Michael to be a Lost Boy. He’d seen it
for himself earlier. Michael wasn't suited to this life, and he refused
to tear his family apart over Max’s twisted fantasy. Tomorrow night his
plan would go into full effect and Star would get to meet - and
hopefully kill the vampire who had condemned her to death. If not,
Michael would see that Max was behind everything, kill him and David and
the boys would kill the Emersons like they should have done in the
first place.
oOo
Star found herself outside Michael’s
window and called up to him. David was watching her from the shadows,
making sure that she stuck to the plan. She asked if she could come up,
however, Michael refused. She turned to see what David wanted her to do
now and he mentally prodded her to continue. She nodded and launched
herself in through his bedroom window, landing beside Michael's little
brother.
“She’s one of ‘em!” He screamed, dashing over to his bed and wrapping himself in a blanket.
“You know where David took me tonight, don’t you, Star?”
“Yes.” She replied, following the script
that David had given her. “It’s my fault, if you hadn’t met me, if I
hadn’t liked you. I tried to warn you.”
That had been Marko’s idea. He suggested
that to an outsider, Star’s behaviour looked more like she was trying to
protect Michael, rather than trying to kill him. It fitted into David’s
plan perfectly.
“Well I’m just like David now, Star.”
“No you’re not! You’re like Laddie and me, we’re not one of them.”
She was going off script, however David smirked to himself when he realised where she was taking it.
“Why didn’t you kill me last night?”
“You were supposed to be my first. It’s
what David wanted.” She felt a stab of guilt at the mention of last
night. It wasn’t a memory she particularly wanted.
“But I couldn't...”
“Why? Because you care so much about me?”
“Yes, I do.” She answered hesitantly, reaching up slowly to touch his face. He knocked her hand away and she recoiled slightly.
“What are you doing here, what do you want from me?” This question brought her back to David’s prepared answers.
“I wanted to tell you that it’s not too
late for you. But for me it gets harder and harder to resist. I’m weak.”
She replied, feeling a tear fall as she remembered what she’d done in
the cinema. Michael grabbed her by the shoulders and she winced.
“Why did you come here tonight, Star?”
“I was hoping you’d help Laddie and me.”
Michael just laughed in her face. She
jumped out of the window and flew off into the night, briefly hearing
Michael call after her and his little brother telling her not to kill
anybody.
Too late for that, kid.
She thought sadly.
David: Well done. You did well.
David appeared alongside her and she let out a sigh of relief.
Star: Do you think it will be enough?
David: I hope so.
When they got back to the cave, they found the boys waiting anxiously around the fountain.
“It’s done.” David confirmed. “Get some sleep boys, we’ve got a long night tomorrow.”
Star was about to go to bed, when David stopped her.
“What’s the matter, Star?”
“Huh? Nothing, just thinking about what I’ve got to do tomorrow.”
“No, you’re hiding something from me. What is it?”
“’Cause you always tell me what you’re hiding.” He flashed her a warning look and she sighed.
“I had a little trouble earlier, before me and Laddie met up with you.”
“What trouble?”
She explained what had happened in the
cinema, watching David’s expression grow darker. Once she had finished,
she waited for the eruption of anger, however it didn’t happen. Instead,
David barked with laughter.
“David, I don’t think it’s funny. What if I’d hurt Laddie?”
“You took out everybody?” He smirked.
“Yes! Even the ticket-booth operator!”
“Did they overcharge you or something?”
It was her turn to flash him a warning look. He grinned at her and pulled her into his arms.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” He whispered in her ear.
“What’s so amazing about blacking out and killing everyone in a cinema. This is scaring me, David. I can’t control it.”
“You didn’t kill Michael. Besides, I think I’ve worked out what’s wrong.”
“What? Can I stop it?”
“Sure, you just need to stop tapping into our hunger pangs.”
She released herself from his embrace and looked up at him quizzically.
“Your hunger pangs?”
“Yeah. I think somehow, the night you
made your first kill, you used our collective hunger to guide you. It
isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s useful when food is scarce. But I
don’t think you turned it off after you killed. So basically you’ve been
walking round with the hunger of five vampires - six if Laddie’s had
any hunger pangs. I’ve been a bit preoccupied, or else I might have
noticed it before.”
“So, I’m not turning feral?”
“Not if I can teach you how to shut us out. Then it should only be your hunger, you’re feeding.”
“Show me how to do it, then.”
“Not tonight. Once tomorrow night is out of the way, I’ll be able to put all my energy into guiding you and Laddie.”
There was another reason, which David
kept to himself. If Star was channelling all of their hunger, she’d be
the perfect weapon against Max.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him.
“What for?”
“For not giving up on me.”
“Just remember to burn the cinema down next time.”
Star smacked him lightly and David felt
himself leading her to his room. He wanted her to know that she didn’t
disgust him as she feared - quite the opposite. Tonight he was going to
show her that she still belonged to him and push aside any trace of
Michael Emerson.
Afterwards, Star suggested that she
should be with Laddie, in case Michael came for her before the boys woke
up. David had tried to persuade her to stay with him, but eventually
agreed that it was for the best and joined the boys in the back chamber.
Star felt herself being shaken awake and
someone calling her name. She expected to see one of the boys or Laddie,
but instead she was met with Michael’s face. He began to wrap her up in
the shawl, and told her he was taking her out of here. In her
haziness, she tried to recall her lines and begged him to take Laddie
first. Her sleep-addled mind was trying to concentrate on the strange
additional voices she could hear, but it was hard to force herself to
stay awake during daylight hours.
The next thing she knew, her jacket was
placed over her face and she was being carried away. Once outside, the
sun’s rays sizzled her skin even underneath the material that covered
her. Despite the pain, out in daylight, it was now impossible to stay
awake. The pull was far stronger than when she been a half, looking to
enjoy the sun while she still could. The need to sleep overwhelmed the
torment of the burning and soon she passed out in Michael’s arms.
Suddenly a sharp pain in her chest jolted
her awake. She screamed and writhed in agony, clutching at her chest.
The pain was like how she imagined a heart attack must feel, although
that wasn’t possible when your heart didn’t beat. She rushed to cover
herself with the shawl that had slipped. Beneath the fabric, she sobbed,
not understanding what had happened. She felt for Laddie’s hand,
grateful that he hadn’t experienced what she had just felt. Somewhere
distantly, she could hear Michael’s little brother shouting at Michael
to start the car. Just before she fell into unconsciousness again, she
wondered if David knew what he was doing. She hoped for his sake that
he did.
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