trunk. She began emptying things, office folders and a blanket, onto the ground in order to get to the spare. Grabbing the tire iron and jack, she went to work. The car was up quickly; the lugs off within minutes. She had changed flat tires before, growing up during a time when cell phones weren’t so common.
With the spare on—a full-sized tire—she hastily tightened the lugs. A small but comforting sense of triumph fell over her; giving her badly needed strength. The reprieve, however, was short-lived. Upon lowering the jack, the elevator door chimed. Karen froze. Panic fell over her.
On her knees, she couldn’t see past the car parked next to hers. She left the jack and crawled to the car’s rear, peering around the bumper. The man from upstairs stepped out of the elevator. He must have seen her on the security camera.
Karen scrambled backward, the jack only halfway to the ground. She’d never lower it in time.
“Karen,” the man called. “Karen Lakemire.” The man’s voice was hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure she was there. “Karen, I’m Special Agent McKlintock. I’m here to help. I’m not going to hurt you.” The man’s voice sounded closer.
Karen opened the passenger door. The car chimed in response—a dead giveaway to her location. “I have a gun!”
“Now why would you need a gun, Karen? I’m here to help. You may have been infected with a virus. We need to get you to a hospital.”
“Don’t come any closer or I’ll blow your head off,” she said, getting down to the ground and looking under the car. She saw shiny black shoes. He’d stopped walking. Maybe he believed her about the gun.
“Karen, this is only going to happen one of two ways: you come with me and let us help you, or you’re going to be taken by force. We can’t let you into the population, infecting others. Either way you’re coming with me.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, and began to rock the car, pushing her weight against it, hoping to knock the jack down. She needed to get the car to the ground and finish tightening the bolts.
“I don’t believe you have a gun, Karen. I’m coming over there, unarmed.”
Karen heard the man’s footsteps, as if he’d purposely made them louder than they needed to be.
“Well, I do have a gun and you’ll find out when you get here,” she said. “Josh gave it to me.”
The man’s footfalls stopped. “Josh was a sick man. I’m betting he told you a lot of things. I can assure you that they were all lies. If you don’t come with me you’ll end up like him.”
She climbed partially into the car, leaving her feet in contact with the pavement, and began pushing against the ground, trying to get the jack to fall. The very real threat of being captured or killed stoked her fear. The agent would be upon her soon. Grunting, Karen threw all her energy into the effort. The car lurched forward, crashing to the pavement, freed of the jack.
Pulling her feet inside the vehicle, she closed the door and turned the key in the ignition.
The car wouldn’t start.
Chapter 6
Morgan made it to his house in downtown Poughkeepsie. He needed a fresh supply of vampire blood, but as it was just after dawn he would be forced to use his emergency ration. He opened the freezer and took out the frozen blood popsicle. The older the blood, the less nutritious—and palatable—it became. Still, Morgan devoured the frozen blood. His supply was running dangerously low. He needed to restock his freezer.
He spent most of the day sleeping, rose at sundown, showered. While dressing, he realized it was time to move. The area’s vampire population had been decreasing since his arrival, and now with the Morses around it would dwindle further. He decided to head south, relax in a small town for a few days and not worry about hunters or vamps. He was long overdue for a vacation.
There had to be more to life than simply killing vampires. He would need to find The
With the spare on—a full-sized tire—she hastily tightened the lugs. A small but comforting sense of triumph fell over her; giving her badly needed strength. The reprieve, however, was short-lived. Upon lowering the jack, the elevator door chimed. Karen froze. Panic fell over her.
On her knees, she couldn’t see past the car parked next to hers. She left the jack and crawled to the car’s rear, peering around the bumper. The man from upstairs stepped out of the elevator. He must have seen her on the security camera.
Karen scrambled backward, the jack only halfway to the ground. She’d never lower it in time.
“Karen,” the man called. “Karen Lakemire.” The man’s voice was hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure she was there. “Karen, I’m Special Agent McKlintock. I’m here to help. I’m not going to hurt you.” The man’s voice sounded closer.
Karen opened the passenger door. The car chimed in response—a dead giveaway to her location. “I have a gun!”
“Now why would you need a gun, Karen? I’m here to help. You may have been infected with a virus. We need to get you to a hospital.”
“Don’t come any closer or I’ll blow your head off,” she said, getting down to the ground and looking under the car. She saw shiny black shoes. He’d stopped walking. Maybe he believed her about the gun.
“Karen, this is only going to happen one of two ways: you come with me and let us help you, or you’re going to be taken by force. We can’t let you into the population, infecting others. Either way you’re coming with me.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, and began to rock the car, pushing her weight against it, hoping to knock the jack down. She needed to get the car to the ground and finish tightening the bolts.
“I don’t believe you have a gun, Karen. I’m coming over there, unarmed.”
Karen heard the man’s footsteps, as if he’d purposely made them louder than they needed to be.
“Well, I do have a gun and you’ll find out when you get here,” she said. “Josh gave it to me.”
The man’s footfalls stopped. “Josh was a sick man. I’m betting he told you a lot of things. I can assure you that they were all lies. If you don’t come with me you’ll end up like him.”
She climbed partially into the car, leaving her feet in contact with the pavement, and began pushing against the ground, trying to get the jack to fall. The very real threat of being captured or killed stoked her fear. The agent would be upon her soon. Grunting, Karen threw all her energy into the effort. The car lurched forward, crashing to the pavement, freed of the jack.
Pulling her feet inside the vehicle, she closed the door and turned the key in the ignition.
The car wouldn’t start.
Chapter 6
Morgan made it to his house in downtown Poughkeepsie. He needed a fresh supply of vampire blood, but as it was just after dawn he would be forced to use his emergency ration. He opened the freezer and took out the frozen blood popsicle. The older the blood, the less nutritious—and palatable—it became. Still, Morgan devoured the frozen blood. His supply was running dangerously low. He needed to restock his freezer.
He spent most of the day sleeping, rose at sundown, showered. While dressing, he realized it was time to move. The area’s vampire population had been decreasing since his arrival, and now with the Morses around it would dwindle further. He decided to head south, relax in a small town for a few days and not worry about hunters or vamps. He was long overdue for a vacation.
There had to be more to life than simply killing vampires. He would need to find The
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