Larry. None of this would be happening if not for you. I would be dead like I wanted, Abigail would never have been turned, the portal would never have been opened and Caleb would still be here. This is all because of you, and all I’m doing is cleaning your mess. No, I don’t like it, but I don’t have a choice. You put me in this position — so sit there and judge me from Olympus, fine, but remember, it was you who set this into motion. Your greed.”
I guess I’ve been holding shit in, too.
John stood to leave. “Screw it, I’ll find Shadow on my own.”
“Wait,” Larry said. “You’re right.”
John turned, waiting for Larry to finish.
Larry said, “I’m kinda freaking out now. Feeling like shit for something that happened with Abigail. And all I keep thinking is this shit wouldn’t be happening if you weren’t out there in the field. You are so much better with her than me. This shit wouldn’t have happened if you’d been with her, instead of me. I fucked up.”
John sat back at the table, his heart frozen in fear that Larry was about to say something horrible. “What happened?”
Larry told him about a woman they’d killed — a woman he was certain had killed her own child, but hadn’t, which Abigail discovered while feeding. Abigail was feeling horrible, and Larry was feeling guilty, thinking maybe he let emotions cloud judgment, and that he should’ve done a better job making certain the woman was guilty, or switched their target to someone else, for whom there was no doubt of their guilt. It wasn’t hard finding truly guilty people, after all. But something about the woman had worked under his skin, and he might not have been as thorough as he usually was.
John shook his head, thumbs on his temples, wishing he could have been there to spare Abigail the torment. Larry was right — John probably wouldn’t have made such a mistake, though there was no way to be certain. It was one thing feeding yourself, another to be responsible for feeding another. Perhaps feeling the constant pressure to provide people for Abigail to feed on made it easier to make mistakes.
“How is she doing now?” John asked.
“I think I found someone who can help,” Larry said, explaining that he’d just hired an au pair to watch Abigail, a nice young woman he felt would be great to have around, especially since Abigail had no other females in her life.
Larry joked, “It’s not like I know shit about preteen girls, what they’re into, or anything about periods or shit like that. Hell, I know Abigail stopped aging, but what if she goes through puberty? I am so not prepared for periods and training bras!”
John didn’t like the idea of someone else, someone he hadn’t vetted, being around Abigail. “How did you find the au pair? How do you know you can trust her?”
“Relax,” Larry said. “She used to work for our neighbors across the street. They’re moving and she needed a job. It’s just a few hours a night, and half the time, I’ll probably be home, anyway. But she’ll be there for Abi. I’m basically hiring a friend for her.”
John remembered what happened with Lydia. “What if they accidentally touch?”
“Abi and I had a long talk. She’s wearing long sleeves, pants, and even gloves. I told Katya that Abi is a bit OCD and not to touch her.”
“She bought that?”
“Yeah,” Larry nodded. “There’s tons of people out there with weird disorders and shit. Hell, hit cable and you’ll see a TV show devoted to one disorder or another, all times of the day. They got one now with people who eat plastic, cat fur and other funky shit on TV now. Weird shit. People don’t even blink twice when you’re wearing gloves. Hell, you could wear a painter’s mask, and half the people wouldn’t even notice. Dude in Guns & Roses wore a bucket of chicken on his head.”
John thought Larry was making light of the subject, but had to trust that he was making the right choice. John hadn’t
I guess I’ve been holding shit in, too.
John stood to leave. “Screw it, I’ll find Shadow on my own.”
“Wait,” Larry said. “You’re right.”
John turned, waiting for Larry to finish.
Larry said, “I’m kinda freaking out now. Feeling like shit for something that happened with Abigail. And all I keep thinking is this shit wouldn’t be happening if you weren’t out there in the field. You are so much better with her than me. This shit wouldn’t have happened if you’d been with her, instead of me. I fucked up.”
John sat back at the table, his heart frozen in fear that Larry was about to say something horrible. “What happened?”
Larry told him about a woman they’d killed — a woman he was certain had killed her own child, but hadn’t, which Abigail discovered while feeding. Abigail was feeling horrible, and Larry was feeling guilty, thinking maybe he let emotions cloud judgment, and that he should’ve done a better job making certain the woman was guilty, or switched their target to someone else, for whom there was no doubt of their guilt. It wasn’t hard finding truly guilty people, after all. But something about the woman had worked under his skin, and he might not have been as thorough as he usually was.
John shook his head, thumbs on his temples, wishing he could have been there to spare Abigail the torment. Larry was right — John probably wouldn’t have made such a mistake, though there was no way to be certain. It was one thing feeding yourself, another to be responsible for feeding another. Perhaps feeling the constant pressure to provide people for Abigail to feed on made it easier to make mistakes.
“How is she doing now?” John asked.
“I think I found someone who can help,” Larry said, explaining that he’d just hired an au pair to watch Abigail, a nice young woman he felt would be great to have around, especially since Abigail had no other females in her life.
Larry joked, “It’s not like I know shit about preteen girls, what they’re into, or anything about periods or shit like that. Hell, I know Abigail stopped aging, but what if she goes through puberty? I am so not prepared for periods and training bras!”
John didn’t like the idea of someone else, someone he hadn’t vetted, being around Abigail. “How did you find the au pair? How do you know you can trust her?”
“Relax,” Larry said. “She used to work for our neighbors across the street. They’re moving and she needed a job. It’s just a few hours a night, and half the time, I’ll probably be home, anyway. But she’ll be there for Abi. I’m basically hiring a friend for her.”
John remembered what happened with Lydia. “What if they accidentally touch?”
“Abi and I had a long talk. She’s wearing long sleeves, pants, and even gloves. I told Katya that Abi is a bit OCD and not to touch her.”
“She bought that?”
“Yeah,” Larry nodded. “There’s tons of people out there with weird disorders and shit. Hell, hit cable and you’ll see a TV show devoted to one disorder or another, all times of the day. They got one now with people who eat plastic, cat fur and other funky shit on TV now. Weird shit. People don’t even blink twice when you’re wearing gloves. Hell, you could wear a painter’s mask, and half the people wouldn’t even notice. Dude in Guns & Roses wore a bucket of chicken on his head.”
John thought Larry was making light of the subject, but had to trust that he was making the right choice. John hadn’t
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