Dark Corner (44 page)

Nia had come to the front of the sanctuary, to stand beside him. Before the chief had called David to come forward,
Nia had returned to the church and told him what had happened at her house. He hated that Morgan had gotten away,
but he was grateful that Nia and her mother were not hurt. It
could have been much worse. Nia was sure that Morgan
would resurface, later, and he agreed. They would have to
stay alert for him.

David directed the group to sit in the pews nearest the
altar, so he could speak to them without using a microphone.
The people were mostly between the ages of twenty and
sixty, but there was a nearly equal number of men and
women, a nice balance.

He gave the volunteers more details about the vampires they were dealing with, explaining the distinction between
"pure" vampires such as Kyle and Diallo, and lower-level
creatures such as the vampiric dogs and the mutant people,
the valduwe.

He told them how guns could temporarily slow the monsters, but only fire could destroy them. He was pleasantly
surprised when one of the volunteers, a bald white man
named Mac who owned a grocery store, announced that he
had a flamethrower in working condition. "Part of my collection," Mac said with a wink. "I'm a retired sergeant,
United States Marines." Everyone else, in addition to having
a gun or knife, would be given a plastic water gun filled with
a flammable mixture, and a book of matches. They would
have a supply of Molotov cocktails, too.

David organized the volunteers into seven groups of four
members each. They would distribute a two-way, handheld
radio to each team.

The assignments followed: one team would patrol the
hospital, where the infected people would be quarantined.
The second team would patrol the east side of town. The
third group would handle the west side; the fourth team, the
south side; the fifth group would watch the north side. The
sixth group was an emergency response team that would be
stationed at police headquarters, and would provide backup
as needed. Against Jahlil's wishes, Jackson placed his son
and his kid's friend on the backup team.

The seventh and final team would assist David, Nia, and
Chief Jackson on a mission to Jubilee; David was sure to include the war vet who owned the flamethrower in this group.
Instead of waiting for the vampires to strike, they planned to
take the initiative against Diallo and Kyle. "So we're the suicide mission team," a member joked, and no one laughed.

"We'll be checking in with one another every hour,"
David said. "At seven o'clock tomorrow morning, we'll regroup at the police station. Plan on staying up all night: take
some No-Doz, drink some coffee or Mountain Dew, do whatever you have to do to stay awake. We have to stay alert.
You won't believe how fast these vampires and these dogs
can move. None of us can afford to lose our edge.

"But let me tell you what the hardest thing will be," David
said. "It's going to be fighting someone-maybe hurting
someone-that you know, who has become a vampire. It
could be your spouse, your child, your parent, your best
friend. If you're put in this situation, you have to remember
that the one you love who's now a vampire ... they don't
exist anymore. You're seeing a monster that only looks like
the person you remember. You must absolutely remember
that, and be strong. It won't be easy, but you have to protect
yourself."

The volunteers nodded, their faces grim. David looked at
Jackson, and the chief gave him the "OK" sign.

"If you're bitten, you must let your team members know,"
David said. "You'll be taken to the hospital and quarantined,
and we'll find someone to take your place."

He was quiet for a moment, checking everyone's faces, to
make sure his words sank in.

"Does anyone have any questions?" David said. "If so,
fire away pardon the pun. We don't have much time until
nightfall."

"I've got a question," a young man in an oil-stained Tshirt said. "Is killing these bloodsuckers the first option, or
the last resort?"

David looked at Jackson, then at the young man. "Unfortunately, I think it's the first option. Once a human has
changed into a vampire, they're lost to us. We haven't found
a way to turn them back. We have to do what's necessary for
the greater good of the town"

"How long does it take for someone to become a vampire, after being bitten?" a woman asked.

"We don't know, exactly," David said. "So far, it seems to
take at least sixteen hours. If the bite comes from the master
vampire, though, it takes only minutes. That's why anyone who gets bitten is dangerous to be around, and that's why we
have to get victims into quarantine, ASAP."

A middle-aged black man with an afro and dressed in a
dashiki raised his hand. "Why did this happen here, brother?
This is a small, peaceful town full of God-fearing folks.
Why here?"

"I don't know," David said. "I guess that's how life works
sometimes. Ordinary people are called to do extraordinary
things. When we beat these monsters, think of all the people
we'll save in the long run. It seems to me that if a town is
called on to beat back an evil force, that town would need to
be full of good, brave folks. So I can turn around your question to ask: Why not here?"

Nia smiled at him, and so did many of the volunteers.

After answering a few questions about logistics, they
wrapped up the meeting. Jackson led them into a conference
room, where they had stored the team supplies in duffel bags
on a long table. Jackson distributed one bag to each team:
each contained a radio, a loaded handgun, extra ammunition, a knife, a flashlight, a roll of duct tape, four plastic
water pistols filled with flammable fluids, four glass bottles
full of the same lethal mixture, a box of wooden matches,
and a first aid kit.

David and Nia had purchased most of the items from a
Wal-Mart in Southaven. Jackson donated the firearms from
his personal collection and the police department's arsenal.

"Feel like I'm back in 'Nam," Mac said. He chomped on
a cigar. "I knew some weird crap was going on in this town.
Could feel it in my blood. I can't wait to fire up old Suzie
again."

"Old Suzie?" David said.

"My flamethrower," Mac said. "Saved my ass plenty of
times."

David could not resist smiling. "My friend, I'm glad
you're on my team tonight. We'll need all the firepower we
can get"

Mac grinned around his cigar.

The teams left the church. The members would return to
their respective homes to pick up any essential items, and
would later rendezvous at their assigned post. David's team
agreed to meet in front of the police station in thirty minutes, at seven-fifteen, about an hour before sunset.

Plenty of time to take care of business at Jubilee. He
hoped.

"How're you feeling?" David asked Nia, as they left the
church and crossed the parking lot to his SUV. They were
among the last to leave. Jackson and his son had left in the
patrol car. Inside the church, Reverend Brown and his staff
prepared for the all-night service.

"Honestly?" Nia said. "I've never been so scared in my
life."

"Fear is good. It'll keep us alert. I think we've got a long
night ahead of us ""

"But if we find Diallo and Kyle at the Mason place, we
can end this early."

"I hope we do," he said. "But it would seem almost too
easy to find them there. Maybe I'm being a pessimist.
Sorry."

"You're only being realistic. We have to be prepared for
anything."

He started up the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.
He would swing by the house to pick up King, and to get
everything he needed for later.

Thick gray-black clouds mantled the sky, giving the false
impression that twilight had already arrived. A stiff wind
buffeted the vehicle, and the sour odor of an imminent rain
permeated the air.

"The thunderstorm is going to hit soon," Nia said. "The
timing couldn't be any worse"

"I know," he said. "I wonder how Franklin is doing. I'm
afraid to find out"

"I'll call." Nia punched a number into her cell phone.

David's heart pounded. Naive hope tugged at him. He
wanted to believe that vampires did not exist at all, and that
it was a curable virus, and all they needed to do was discover an effective treatment....

"Ruby, it's Nia," she said. "How is he doing?"

David clutched the steering wheel.

"Oh, he's sleeping?" Nia said. "He hasn't been awake
since this morning? I guess that's good news, considering
what we were expecting." Nia chatted with Ruby for a couple more minutes, murmured words of comfort, then ended
the call.

"Maybe our theory about how long it takes to change into
a vampire was wrong," Nia said. "Franklin was bitten over
twenty-four hours ago"

"Maybe," David said. "Or maybe he's waiting."

"Waiting?"

"Remember what Pearl told us? She said Diallo would
launch an attack on the town. If that's what he's going to do,
it would make sense for him to keep his troops quiet until
he's ready to go to war, then suddenly hit us with everything
he's got"

"Aren't you just full of optimism? Come on, David. Be
encouraged."

He shrugged. "Sorry, I'm only trying to consider this
from Diallo's viewpoint. He's not a mindless brute, he's a
warrior. He's going to have a strategy. We have to keep that
in mind. Pearl warned us not to underestimate him, ever"

Nia was silent. She knew he was right. But he took no
pleasure in being correct. He yearned to be an optimist in
these circumstances, to believe that it was not going to be as
bad as they thought, but to do so would be to ignore the cold
dread that twisted his stomach into knots. The dread that they were going to face a horror that was worse than what
they imagined. The dread that their well-laid plans were
going to prove worthless. The dread that, by sunrise, all of
them would be dead.

Junior was a member of the patrol team that was assigned
to the hospital. Before he reported to his post, he went home
to pick up something he wanted to have with him during his
watch.

As he pedaled across the road on his old Roadmaster bicycle, he kept on the lookout for monster dogs and vampires.
He didn't see any, but night was coming soon.

He was frightened of what was going on in town, but he
felt sort of responsible. He and Andre, after all, had dug
open the cave and let those vampires out. They hadn't known
any better at the time they'd done the job, but that didn't
mean that they weren't responsible. Junior was obligated to
volunteer for the patrol team. Andre was, too, but Junior was
sure his cousin was somewhere getting high.

Junior didn't find it hard to believe in vampires. He'd seen
the man in black, and he didn't seem like a normal man at
all. Plus, Chief Jackson said vampires were real, and that
was good enough for Junior. The chief was a smart man.

Pa's rusty Ford was parked beside the trailer. Junior set
down his bike beside the steps. He noticed a green flyer
tucked underneath the door. He picked it up and went inside.

The only light came from the small television. Pa was
sprawled in the recliner, head tilted back, mouth open. His
snores made the thin walls tremble. Cans of Coors beer
stood on an end table five cans arranged in a pyramid. Pa
had a strange habit of stacking up empty cans in weird
structures and would pitch a fit if Junior moved them.

'Course, Pa was drunk, as usual.

Junior wondered whether he should wake up his father
and tell him what was going on. He decided against it. Pa was impossible to talk to when he had been drinking, and
Junior was in a hurry.

He went into his tiny bedroom and dug underneath the
bed. He pulled out an old cigar box.

Inside the box, wrapped in velvet, gleamed a silver locket
on a necklace. Mama had given it to him before she died.
Opening the locket revealed a black-and-white photo of his
mother when she was a young woman.

Junior never wore the necklace because he was always
working outdoors and didn't want to lose it or get it dirty. If he
had a job in a nice, clean office, he'd wear the locket every day.

He slipped the necklace over his head and tucked the pendant under his T-shirt, treasuring the feel of the cool jewelry
resting against his heart.

He was ready.

He was about to leave the trailer when he turned and
looked at Pa.

Would Pa wake up before morning? What if a vampire
came for him while he slept?

It wasn't right to leave his father there, alone, with no information at all.

Junior had put the green flyer on the kitchen counter. The
flyer talked about the "Health Emergency in Mason's Corner"
and announced the town meeting. It didn't say anything
about vampires, but it did have a phone number listed as an
emergency hot line. Junior found a pen, underlined the number, and wrote "Call!" beside it in his shaky handwriting. He
placed the flyer in a spot where Pa was certain to see it: inside the refrigerator, on top of a six-pack of Coors. It would
be the first place Pa would look as soon as he woke.

Junior locked the door, then hopped on his bicycle and
left to do his work at the hospital.

The "special mission team," as Chief Jackson had come
to think of it, gathered in the parking lot of the police station promptly at seven-fifteen. The sixth team the backup group,
which included Jahlil-was inside headquarters, sitting tight
and handling phone calls.

Five minutes ago, Jackson had talked to Dr. Hess Green
via cell phone. Although the doctor had every right to be
upset with Jackson for how he had initially lied about what
was happening in Mason's Corner, Green had put aside his
anger and was doing an efficient job of picking up the ill.
The doctor and his two assistants had taken six individuals
to the hospital, and had three left to transport. Factoring in the
nine people who had already been admitted to the medical
center, that would bring the total of bitten people to eighteen.
Eighteen potential vampires. Sweet Jesus.