walls and ceiling in wide strips. He saw no sign of Harvey. The stairwell to Gabe’s left was blocked by a gutted couch halfway up. A crumpled-up twenty-dollar bill sat on the floor by the first door to the right. Breadcrumbs.
Gabe let the door slip closed behind him and stood still while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He also listened for sounds, but all he could make out were rats scurrying inside the walls. He slowly opened the door on his right. Concrete steps led down to what had once been a laundry room. Gabe could make out the shape of a lonely, dented machine lying on its side against the wall. Faint light filtered through dirt-caked windows to his right. They were no more than seven or eight inches tall, squished high up under the ceiling, like the ones in Harvey’s apartment.
To the left stood a double steel door, and sounds of raised voices came from behind it. Gabe tiptoed closer and carefully pushed one wing of the door open a crack. He saw a hallway running the length of the building. On either side were wire-walled enclosures that had most likely been used for storage once. Light shone from the far end. It dumbfounded Gabe for a minute, till he made out that it came from the rays of the setting sun. That end had to be all the way at the front of the building, with similar windows to the laundry room. The main difference was that these windows faced west and were broken.
Two figures were silhouetted by the light. One of them was Harvey, the other a tall stranger. They were arguing, surrounded by the vague shapes of boilers and ducts and assorted detritus.
Gabe pushed the door open inch by inch and slipped inside.
“I’m not giving you the money till I have Dill!” Harvey said, agitated.
“I can simply take it from you,” the other one replied, voice thick with smugness.
“You and whose army?”
Gabe pulled two stakes out of his pockets—one in each hand—and kept creeping down the hallway. Something about the other vampire—Gabe was certain that’s what it was—seriously raised his hackles. He felt the guy, not in that light, spidery way he sensed Harvey, but with something akin to that deep sense of apprehension he’d had back in the ruins and catacombs of Europe.
“The night’s almost here. I know you can feel it too, but you’re just a baby vamp, barely five years old, and a weak one even at that. Isn’t that true?”
Gabe was close enough to see the shock on Harvey’s face.
“You…”
The smirk on the other vamp’s mug was not a pretty one. Overall, the guy was one ugly mofo. Gabe didn’t like him one bit.
Harvey spun around to dash down the hall, away from the other vampire. Gabe simply knew what Mr. Ugly was about to do, even before the vamp reached down into a pile of junk. Gabe propelled himself forward with all his strength, not caring about concealment anymore.
“Down!” he boomed at Harvey.
Harvey froze for a split second, but in the next he threw himself on the ground. The axe whizzed a mere inch above his head, crushing into a concrete pillar. The ugly vampire stared at Gabe with incredulity, but his surprise swiftly warped into rage. Eyes burning red and his fangs bared, he lunged at Gabe, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Gabe let his own momentum carry him forward. He raised his fists and with a quick, efficient forward thrust, he plunged both spikes into the vampire’s chest. One of them skewered the vampire right through the heart. He stared at Gabe with an absolutely stupefied expression and then exploded into a cloud of dust.
“Wow! Baszd meg! ” Gabe yelled, jumping back. He wasn’t used to dust, and it unnerved him a little.
“That was impressive,” Harvey said behind him.
Gabe whirled around. “You okay?”
Harvey was back on his feet, busy wiping his hands on his jeans. “Yeah. Why two stakes?”
Gabe looked down at his hands. “One iron tipped to punch through the breast plate easier.” He raised his right hand. “One
Gabe let the door slip closed behind him and stood still while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He also listened for sounds, but all he could make out were rats scurrying inside the walls. He slowly opened the door on his right. Concrete steps led down to what had once been a laundry room. Gabe could make out the shape of a lonely, dented machine lying on its side against the wall. Faint light filtered through dirt-caked windows to his right. They were no more than seven or eight inches tall, squished high up under the ceiling, like the ones in Harvey’s apartment.
To the left stood a double steel door, and sounds of raised voices came from behind it. Gabe tiptoed closer and carefully pushed one wing of the door open a crack. He saw a hallway running the length of the building. On either side were wire-walled enclosures that had most likely been used for storage once. Light shone from the far end. It dumbfounded Gabe for a minute, till he made out that it came from the rays of the setting sun. That end had to be all the way at the front of the building, with similar windows to the laundry room. The main difference was that these windows faced west and were broken.
Two figures were silhouetted by the light. One of them was Harvey, the other a tall stranger. They were arguing, surrounded by the vague shapes of boilers and ducts and assorted detritus.
Gabe pushed the door open inch by inch and slipped inside.
“I’m not giving you the money till I have Dill!” Harvey said, agitated.
“I can simply take it from you,” the other one replied, voice thick with smugness.
“You and whose army?”
Gabe pulled two stakes out of his pockets—one in each hand—and kept creeping down the hallway. Something about the other vampire—Gabe was certain that’s what it was—seriously raised his hackles. He felt the guy, not in that light, spidery way he sensed Harvey, but with something akin to that deep sense of apprehension he’d had back in the ruins and catacombs of Europe.
“The night’s almost here. I know you can feel it too, but you’re just a baby vamp, barely five years old, and a weak one even at that. Isn’t that true?”
Gabe was close enough to see the shock on Harvey’s face.
“You…”
The smirk on the other vamp’s mug was not a pretty one. Overall, the guy was one ugly mofo. Gabe didn’t like him one bit.
Harvey spun around to dash down the hall, away from the other vampire. Gabe simply knew what Mr. Ugly was about to do, even before the vamp reached down into a pile of junk. Gabe propelled himself forward with all his strength, not caring about concealment anymore.
“Down!” he boomed at Harvey.
Harvey froze for a split second, but in the next he threw himself on the ground. The axe whizzed a mere inch above his head, crushing into a concrete pillar. The ugly vampire stared at Gabe with incredulity, but his surprise swiftly warped into rage. Eyes burning red and his fangs bared, he lunged at Gabe, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Gabe let his own momentum carry him forward. He raised his fists and with a quick, efficient forward thrust, he plunged both spikes into the vampire’s chest. One of them skewered the vampire right through the heart. He stared at Gabe with an absolutely stupefied expression and then exploded into a cloud of dust.
“Wow! Baszd meg! ” Gabe yelled, jumping back. He wasn’t used to dust, and it unnerved him a little.
“That was impressive,” Harvey said behind him.
Gabe whirled around. “You okay?”
Harvey was back on his feet, busy wiping his hands on his jeans. “Yeah. Why two stakes?”
Gabe looked down at his hands. “One iron tipped to punch through the breast plate easier.” He raised his right hand. “One
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