putting the dogs in the car when she smelt
it — the awful smell of decaying flesh. “Rathe, do you smell it?”
“You can smell the Damned?”
“Yes, and it’s not the first time. Just before the
nightmare man appears, I can smell decomposing bodies. Last night, in the woods,
I smelt it, too.”
Searching the dark sky, he ordered, “Get in the
car.”
When he was in the car with her, she asked, “Won’t
they find us?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve hidden us. The Damned
would have to be right on us for us to be discovered.” Putting the car in
reverse, he turned and drove back onto the highway. “Mariah, I think it’s a
demon vamp the spell is hiding you from.”
“Demon vamp?”
“A vampire who lost his soul. Hence the term
‘Damned’.
“Oh. God, what do I do now?”
“My advice is simple — do not break the spell
hiding you. If it does, you will be exposed to him, and he can easily find you.”
“Don’t break the spell. Sure, sounds like a viable
plan,” she said sarcastically. “Rathe, why does this vampire want with me? What
did I do to make him determined to kill me?”
“It’s not you personally. When a demon vamp — the
Damned — becomes fixated on its prey, they won’t stop until they kill it. The
vamp searching for you is obsessed and wants only to end his game when he kills
you.”
The man in her nightmares was real! A demon vamp. One
of the Damned. How could she fight such a monster if he did find her?
“Where do you go at dawn?”
“To the earth, where we rejuvenate and sleep.”
“Does the Damned sleep in the ground, too?”
“No, they usually sleep in coffins.” He explained,
“Once a vampire loses their souls, they can no longer withstand the purity of
earth and cannot return to it.”
“Oh.”
Back on the road, he stopped at a supermarket. Told
to stay in the car, she watched him enter the store. When he came back, he had
a sack of dog food in one arm and several plastics sacks in his other hand. Giving
her the sacks, he tossed the dog food in the back of the SUV. Opening the bags
he’d given her, she found a toothbrush, toothpaste, couple of bottles of water,
and a brush for her hair. For the dogs, bowls for food and water. While he fed
her dogs, she brushed her teeth, taking a sip of water and spit it out on the
ground.
Tackling her hair with the brush when he got in,
they drove back onto the highway. Several miles later, a truck stop came into
view. There were a dozen semis parked in the paved lot, their windows dark. Rathe
drove past them and the cars parked at the restaurant, heading toward the empty
space beyond.
“Uh, you passed the restaurant.” He parked beside
a lone lamppost, and turned off the engine. “Why did you park way out here?”
“Less conspicuous for me while I catch a bite to
eat.” He grinned, chuckling when she rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor. “I’ll
meet you inside the restaurant after I feed.”
“Sure.” Getting out of the car, the smell of deep
fried food hit her nostrils and nearly made her puke. “I think I’ll walk the dogs
before I eat. Please, go ahead and find a blood donor. We'll be fine.”
Letting the dogs out, she saw him walk around the rear
of the SUV and opened the tailgate. He reached in and seemed to be searching
for something. When he had what he sought, he returned to her.
“Don’t walk too far. Keep your eyes and ears open
for anything out of place, or unusual. Call out if you smell the Damned.”
“I will.” A gust of wind tossed her hair about
her, and he was gone.
While the dogs played, she thought she heard someone
whispering. High-pitched giggling broke the quiet. The gagging, sickening sweet
odor of rotting flesh hit her.
She yelled at her dogs, “Salish, Bear, back in the
car!” Shutting the door behind them, she felt the rush of wind behind her.
Whipping around, she came face to face with a short,
heavyset man, whose bloated features were gray-tinged in the
it — the awful smell of decaying flesh. “Rathe, do you smell it?”
“You can smell the Damned?”
“Yes, and it’s not the first time. Just before the
nightmare man appears, I can smell decomposing bodies. Last night, in the woods,
I smelt it, too.”
Searching the dark sky, he ordered, “Get in the
car.”
When he was in the car with her, she asked, “Won’t
they find us?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve hidden us. The Damned
would have to be right on us for us to be discovered.” Putting the car in
reverse, he turned and drove back onto the highway. “Mariah, I think it’s a
demon vamp the spell is hiding you from.”
“Demon vamp?”
“A vampire who lost his soul. Hence the term
‘Damned’.
“Oh. God, what do I do now?”
“My advice is simple — do not break the spell
hiding you. If it does, you will be exposed to him, and he can easily find you.”
“Don’t break the spell. Sure, sounds like a viable
plan,” she said sarcastically. “Rathe, why does this vampire want with me? What
did I do to make him determined to kill me?”
“It’s not you personally. When a demon vamp — the
Damned — becomes fixated on its prey, they won’t stop until they kill it. The
vamp searching for you is obsessed and wants only to end his game when he kills
you.”
The man in her nightmares was real! A demon vamp. One
of the Damned. How could she fight such a monster if he did find her?
“Where do you go at dawn?”
“To the earth, where we rejuvenate and sleep.”
“Does the Damned sleep in the ground, too?”
“No, they usually sleep in coffins.” He explained,
“Once a vampire loses their souls, they can no longer withstand the purity of
earth and cannot return to it.”
“Oh.”
Back on the road, he stopped at a supermarket. Told
to stay in the car, she watched him enter the store. When he came back, he had
a sack of dog food in one arm and several plastics sacks in his other hand. Giving
her the sacks, he tossed the dog food in the back of the SUV. Opening the bags
he’d given her, she found a toothbrush, toothpaste, couple of bottles of water,
and a brush for her hair. For the dogs, bowls for food and water. While he fed
her dogs, she brushed her teeth, taking a sip of water and spit it out on the
ground.
Tackling her hair with the brush when he got in,
they drove back onto the highway. Several miles later, a truck stop came into
view. There were a dozen semis parked in the paved lot, their windows dark. Rathe
drove past them and the cars parked at the restaurant, heading toward the empty
space beyond.
“Uh, you passed the restaurant.” He parked beside
a lone lamppost, and turned off the engine. “Why did you park way out here?”
“Less conspicuous for me while I catch a bite to
eat.” He grinned, chuckling when she rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor. “I’ll
meet you inside the restaurant after I feed.”
“Sure.” Getting out of the car, the smell of deep
fried food hit her nostrils and nearly made her puke. “I think I’ll walk the dogs
before I eat. Please, go ahead and find a blood donor. We'll be fine.”
Letting the dogs out, she saw him walk around the rear
of the SUV and opened the tailgate. He reached in and seemed to be searching
for something. When he had what he sought, he returned to her.
“Don’t walk too far. Keep your eyes and ears open
for anything out of place, or unusual. Call out if you smell the Damned.”
“I will.” A gust of wind tossed her hair about
her, and he was gone.
While the dogs played, she thought she heard someone
whispering. High-pitched giggling broke the quiet. The gagging, sickening sweet
odor of rotting flesh hit her.
She yelled at her dogs, “Salish, Bear, back in the
car!” Shutting the door behind them, she felt the rush of wind behind her.
Whipping around, she came face to face with a short,
heavyset man, whose bloated features were gray-tinged in the
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