and like
any group of teenagers we divided ourselves into cliques. Strange
as it was to me, I was in with the “cool kids.” We were the most
valuable members of the Family—Nate’s inner circle.
I was the strongest, physically, of
the Family, and I fought with a smooth, graceful power, both of
which meant I was part of every raiding party. Hector and Maria
were lethal in tandem. They fought as a unit like they’d trained at
it for years. Maria was finesse and Hector was strength. Luisa was
the quartermaster. She bragged that she could shoplift from any
store in the city, and she proved it time and time again. We ate
well for a bunch of dirty street kids. Corey was the oldest member
of the Family, even older than Nate. He’d been in the Army, but
he’d torn a muscle in his arm during basic training and he got an
early discharge. Mostly his contributions involved talking tactics
with Nate, but he was no slouch with one of the Family’s two
shotguns, so he came along on the ones that required extra
firepower.
It was the middle of September. I’d
been with the Family for six months when Squirrel gave us a target
on the southern tip of the Bronx, not far from the headquarters of
the City’s sanitation department. The target: an old vodka
distribution warehouse. Lots of the Family were excited by the
prospect of bringing back spoils of war in the form of booze.
Squirrel didn’t mind providing information that could get us
killed, but he blanched at buying booze for a bunch of underagers.
It seemed like he had his priorities screwed up, but what did I
know. Luisa, of course, could have ‘lifted beer or liquor, but Nate
saw it as an unnecessary risk, so we didn’t drink much. We didn’t
even know if there was anything in the warehouse, but we were eager
to find out.
“Good spot for a vamp
nest,” I said, holding a bandana over my face to shield from the
stink of sewage drifting out of the East River. “The smell alone
would keep anyone from checking it out.”
“ Sí ,” Hector said. He fingered the
grip of the pump-action shotgun in his hands.
We didn’t use firearms much. Nate
didn’t like them: They were too noisy for our purposes. But in
situations like this, when there was a large nest with what could
be a lot of vampires, we sometimes had to compromise. Nate may not
have liked shotguns much, but there was no denying that they were
effective.
“You sure you’re okay with
that thing?” It was an empty gesture and we both knew it—I was
terrible with guns. I’d be lucky not to blow my own face off, let
alone do more than singe a vampire’s clothes.
Even so, Hector paused
before he answered. “ Sí . I’m fine.”
“Look on the bright side,”
I said. “You can always use it as a club.”
He glanced at his tattoo—the vampire
skull broken by a baseball bat. He liked to get in close and bash
in brains. He smiled. “That’s true.”
In the distance, on the other side of
the parking lot, we could see Nate, Maria, and Luisa creeping
towards the back entrance. Corey, meanwhile, was leading a small
band towards the third door, on the west-side of the building and
out of sight. I caught Hector blowing a kiss in Maria’s
direction.
“ Te amo ,” he mouthed, silently, then
glared at me, challenging me to make fun.
I kept my face carefully neutral and
said, “Should we go in?”
We had no idea how many vampires were
inside, but we’d seen movement, so we knew they were in there. The
sun was high, so they’d be trapped when we attacked. On an
intellectual level, I knew that a cornered animal could be even
more dangerous, but I couldn’t convince myself that we’d be
seriously threatened by the vampires. We’d done this a lot. We knew
what we were doing.
Hector smiled. “Let’s go.”
Behind us, boats and
ferries traveled up and down the river. The people onboard were so
wrapped up in their own lives, their own businesses, that they
didn’t notice the small army of teenagers
any group of teenagers we divided ourselves into cliques. Strange
as it was to me, I was in with the “cool kids.” We were the most
valuable members of the Family—Nate’s inner circle.
I was the strongest, physically, of
the Family, and I fought with a smooth, graceful power, both of
which meant I was part of every raiding party. Hector and Maria
were lethal in tandem. They fought as a unit like they’d trained at
it for years. Maria was finesse and Hector was strength. Luisa was
the quartermaster. She bragged that she could shoplift from any
store in the city, and she proved it time and time again. We ate
well for a bunch of dirty street kids. Corey was the oldest member
of the Family, even older than Nate. He’d been in the Army, but
he’d torn a muscle in his arm during basic training and he got an
early discharge. Mostly his contributions involved talking tactics
with Nate, but he was no slouch with one of the Family’s two
shotguns, so he came along on the ones that required extra
firepower.
It was the middle of September. I’d
been with the Family for six months when Squirrel gave us a target
on the southern tip of the Bronx, not far from the headquarters of
the City’s sanitation department. The target: an old vodka
distribution warehouse. Lots of the Family were excited by the
prospect of bringing back spoils of war in the form of booze.
Squirrel didn’t mind providing information that could get us
killed, but he blanched at buying booze for a bunch of underagers.
It seemed like he had his priorities screwed up, but what did I
know. Luisa, of course, could have ‘lifted beer or liquor, but Nate
saw it as an unnecessary risk, so we didn’t drink much. We didn’t
even know if there was anything in the warehouse, but we were eager
to find out.
“Good spot for a vamp
nest,” I said, holding a bandana over my face to shield from the
stink of sewage drifting out of the East River. “The smell alone
would keep anyone from checking it out.”
“ Sí ,” Hector said. He fingered the
grip of the pump-action shotgun in his hands.
We didn’t use firearms much. Nate
didn’t like them: They were too noisy for our purposes. But in
situations like this, when there was a large nest with what could
be a lot of vampires, we sometimes had to compromise. Nate may not
have liked shotguns much, but there was no denying that they were
effective.
“You sure you’re okay with
that thing?” It was an empty gesture and we both knew it—I was
terrible with guns. I’d be lucky not to blow my own face off, let
alone do more than singe a vampire’s clothes.
Even so, Hector paused
before he answered. “ Sí . I’m fine.”
“Look on the bright side,”
I said. “You can always use it as a club.”
He glanced at his tattoo—the vampire
skull broken by a baseball bat. He liked to get in close and bash
in brains. He smiled. “That’s true.”
In the distance, on the other side of
the parking lot, we could see Nate, Maria, and Luisa creeping
towards the back entrance. Corey, meanwhile, was leading a small
band towards the third door, on the west-side of the building and
out of sight. I caught Hector blowing a kiss in Maria’s
direction.
“ Te amo ,” he mouthed, silently, then
glared at me, challenging me to make fun.
I kept my face carefully neutral and
said, “Should we go in?”
We had no idea how many vampires were
inside, but we’d seen movement, so we knew they were in there. The
sun was high, so they’d be trapped when we attacked. On an
intellectual level, I knew that a cornered animal could be even
more dangerous, but I couldn’t convince myself that we’d be
seriously threatened by the vampires. We’d done this a lot. We knew
what we were doing.
Hector smiled. “Let’s go.”
Behind us, boats and
ferries traveled up and down the river. The people onboard were so
wrapped up in their own lives, their own businesses, that they
didn’t notice the small army of teenagers
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