Dead by Dawn (24 page)

Chapter 35

              The storage container was alive with the sound of hushed voices. Everyone was awake and all of them were trying to figure out what had just happened.

Adam, having heard Lindsay crying out, had a pretty good idea. They had been one word away from being sold out to the vampires: that is what happened.

So far Sarah was staying quiet. Sherry was telling Chip he better not let her go, and Keith was cursing repeatedly. The most notable voice however was Matt, he kept repeating to himself over and over, “I can’t do this, oh fuck I can’t do this. Please please, I can’t do this.” By the sound of it, he was sobbing as well.

“It’s alright,” Adam whispered in his direction. “We’re alright. She didn’t get us.”

There was a scream outside. Adam guessed the vampires were finding an easy meal in Lindsay.

Why did she do it?
he wondered.

Sarah tugged on his sleeve and he looked down, though he couldn’t see anything in the dark. “Do you think she was the one that turned off the lights in the school?”

“I don’t know,” said Adam. “Maybe, probably.”

“Oh please, fuck, please,” Matt went on.

“Keep your voice down,” Adam stressed into the darkness. “We’re safe as long as you don’t let them hear us.”

He debated going to the other couch and rubbing the guy on the back or something. Matt was blowing a gasket over there.

Lindsay’s screams cut off and Adam could only guess why.
Would they kill her or turn her?

“They gave her heroin,” Joe said.

“What?” asked Keith.

“The vampires bribed her to do their dirty work with heroin. It’s the only way she could’ve gotten those drugs back at the school.”

“Vampires can bribe people?” asked Adam.

“Possibly,” said Joe. “They’ve made it this far so they must be smarter than we’ve given them credit for.”

“Still, bribing seems wrong,” said Keith. “How would they know she depended on that specific drug, and where the hell did they get it? If you ask me, it’s a lot deeper than what you’re saying.”

“You think they’re manufacturing drugs?” asked Chip.

“Maybe, but more likely they were just dealing. Think about it, druggies make the perfect patsy for a vampire. They can deal at night in exchange for favors during the day. If the vampire ever got thirsty it could simply take out one of the addicts. Who’s going to question a drug related crime as being a vampire attack? At least before, that is.”

“Damn,” said Adam. “You think?”

“I don’t have a clue, but if the vampires baited Lindsay with drugs, there’s no telling what else they have up their sleeve.”

A squealing noise cut through the night as what sounded like claws were dragged across metal.

All chatter in the room ceased. The loudest noise was Matt’s heavy breathing and rasping.

“You have to be more quiet,” Adam forced the words out of his tight throat.

“I can’t help it,” Matt replied, although he did quiet a little.

The squealing sound faded. Adam couldn’t see anyone in the dark, but he sensed them all relaxing.

He lay back down, doing his best not to jostle Sarah. She didn’t complain and he was soon spooning her. He thought she might tell him to stop, but she didn’t. They had gone through enough for one night and both were thankful to have somebody close.

Adam woke to Joe lifting the large metal door. Sunlight poured in causing his pupils to shrink in size. He threw his hand up and tried to blink the light away.

“Time to get moving,” said Joe.

Keith was already standing up and stretching.

“Looks like we made it through another night,” said Adam, his voice coming out hoarse.

Keith pulled out his revolver and checked for bullets before putting it back on his hip. After that, he bent down and grabbed his drag bag. “Let’s not waste the day then shall we.”

Adam sat up and rubbed his eyes, Sarah did the same next to him.

“I’m sore,” she complained.

“Spending all day on a motorcycle will do that to you,
”
Adam said. “And just think, we have to do it all over again today.”

“Yeehaw,” she said, sounding sarcastic.

“Come on. Let’s walk it off a bit before we start riding.”

They met up with Keith and Joe towards the front office. The pavement underneath them was gray and cracked. The ground sloped towards a drainage pipe in the center of the lane. There was still dew on the grass where the lot ended.

“I think I got it,” Keith was saying as they walked up. “We’re only a few hours below lake Michigan. If we could get to the middle of that lake before dark, I doubt we’ll run into any vampires on the water. We could come onto shore during the day for supplies. Hell, we might be able to follow that routine indefinitely.”

“Until winter comes, or there’s a bad storm,” said Joe.

“True, but that’s something we can think about once we’re out there. Barring good weather it should at least give us a few weeks to come up with another plan.”

Joe nodded. “Okay, start figuring out the fastest way to Lake Michigan from here.”

“How are we going to get a boat?” asked Sarah.

“We’ll probably have to steal one,” said Joe. “I’m willing to bet there’s been quite a few left behind after all this started.” He gestured out with his hand as if to show them how abandoned everything was.

“I don’t know,” said Adam. “I think you might have something with those storms. Ever hear of the Edmund Fitzgerald?”

“That was Lake Superior,” said Joe. “But yea, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“We’re going to have to risk it,” said Keith. “I’d still say it’s safer than being on land with all the vampires running around.”

“Unless they decide to swim out to us,” said Adam.

“We wouldn’t be close enough to shore for them to see our boat.”

In the end Matt was the last of them to wake up, shortly after Chip and Sherry. He took his sweet time getting to the truck, to the annoyance of everyone else.

“What’s for breakfast?” he asked.

Keith tossed him a candy bar they’d taken from a party store the day before. “Bon appetit, now let’s go.”

Matt grumbled a little, but climbed into the back of the truck anyway.

“Ready?” Adam asked.

“Ready as ever,” said Sarah, flipping down the visor on her helmet.

They stopped twenty minutes later at a small gas station. The open sign lay amongst broken glass where the door had been blown out. A small tangle of wires swayed over the opening, their ends ripped in half.

Joe went in first, followed by Keith, then Adam, Matt, and Chip. Sarah went in last while Sherry stayed near the truck.

Everything inside seemed to be in order, all except for the cashier’s desk. The cash register was lying on the floor, its contents strewn about. The money held no temptation for them, it didn’t seem to mean much anymore. Dried blood left a huge black smear across the countertop, judging by the size and sheer amount, the person who suffered the loss was likely dead. A string of scratch-offs stretched into a pile near the cash register, as if somebody had grabbed them at the last moment as they were falling backwards.

“What do you make of this?” asked Keith.

Joe leaned over the counter and looked around. “Vampire attack, probably days ago, maybe a week.”

“Dumbass was working the night shift,” said Matt.

“Shouldn’t we be getting supplies?” asked Chip.

“Yea,” said Joe. “Let’s get to it.”

Back outside they dumped their finds into the bed of the truck. They now had enough junk food to last the entire group three days.

Across the street from them was a large motorcycle dealership. It looked like royalty, with three story glass walls, surrounded by orange pillars. The bikes beckoned to them from their displays, begging to be ridden. They had every make and model, shiny and new, spread out over all three floors.

“What do you think?” asked Joe, crossing his arms and leaning against his truck. “We could move a hell of a lot faster if we all had bikes. Save on gas too.”

“Until the lawyer breaks his neck,” said Keith.

Adam had to agree with that logic. There were only two types of bikers, those who've crashed and those who are going to. If any of them didn’t know how to ride then they were the latter. Not a good thing considering the current healthcare situation, i.e. none.

“You know how to ride a motorcycle, Matt?” asked Joe.

Matt was coming around from the back of the gas station, zipping up his pants. “Now seems like as good a time to learn as any.”

Chip leaned against the truck. “In his defense, Sherry and I've never driven a motorcycle either.
”

“Looks like we’re sticking with the truck,” said Joe, uncrossing his arms and heading for the cab.

It took three hours and one more rest stop before their first glimpse of the lake. It was mostly the roads going east and west that were congested; they had little trouble traveling north. It was still eerie crossing a land without people. At one point they had to slow so they could get through a herd of alpacas that had found their way onto the expressway.

Sarah reached out and brushed one with her hand as they passed.

They were odd looking creatures, a lot like sheep only taller and with long necks. Their owner had either evacuated or was dead because they now roamed freely.

Joe honked the horn when the truck reached a spot they were completely covering the road. When the alpacas failed to move he began creeping forward. Faced with the truck’s large grill, they finally got the hint.

While waiting for the truck to make it through the herd, Adam glanced to his left. There was a wall of trees attempting to block his view, but he could still see it. A large and dark expanse went on as far as they could see. They had reached Lake Michigan.

Chapter 36

              Lake Michigan looked in many ways like the ocean. It was vast, lying under a never-ending horizon. Their little band of survivors were smaller than grains of sand by comparison. The water lapped against the shoreline. The shore itself was made of small rocks, most of which were no bigger than a baseball. Sarah thought she could only tell there were two differences between any ocean and Lake Michigan. The first was the size of the waves. In the lake, a three-footer was as big as they got. The second was the scent, it was fresh water and therefore the smell of salt was noticeably absent.

Of course when she looked harder she could find more. There were no sea shells, instead there was driftwood. If they passed a house the yard usually went right up to the water. She couldn’t say she’d ever seen an ocean front do that.

As she thought about it there was one particular difference that, she decided, made her like the lake the most, there were no sharks. Because screw sharks.

Sarah stared out at the lake as they drove along, lifting the visor of her helmet to get a better view. The road they traveled ran along the border of the lake. Only a rocky beach lay between them and the water. On their right was a large pine forest with the occasional stretch of ranch houses scattered here and there.

Sarah wished they could stop for a moment. She wanted to run over and dip her feet in the water. She thought it might have been the most beautiful place in the world. Now that her life was destroyed, stopping to soak it in seemed like a dream.

Even the pine forest was magical with rows and rows of trees, layering the ground in a thick, pine needle carpet. The sun came through in places, touching the ground with golden rays and bringing the forest to life. Even surrounded with such beauty, her eyes never strayed far from the water. It was her first time seeing one of the Great Lakes.

Her eyes froze on a tent as they passed by. It was a small one, for no more than two people. It was red and set up facing the water. The back wall was ripped to shreds so she could see clear inside. Tattered strands swayed in the breeze. She had just enough time to make out a bloody pillow before they passed by.

Sarah turned away, trying to banish the image that was now plastered in her mind.

Somebody should take that tent down, or burn it, or something.
Leaving it up that way was creepy.

A mile farther, the road veered away from the lake in order to make room for housing. The houses were all mansions. They were mostly massive brick buildings that stretched the length of three normal houses. With towering glass windows and richly slanted roofs, multiple chimneys and balconies, they were one step short of being castles. It appeared as though each house had been slapped with a three garage minimum, a requirement that most exceeded.

Joe stopped his truck in front of the first driveway, which was securely enclosed by a luxurious gate. Adam shut off the bike a short way from the tailgate.

“I think we should stay here instead,” said Sarah.

“Right,” said Adam. “Screw the lake, look at this place.”

Joe and Keith were already out of the truck, trying to force the gate open. It went pretty easy when Adam, Sarah, and Chip added their weight.

The gate rolled to the right, doubling up in front of the fence on that side.

Matt slapped the side of the truck, near where he was sitting in the bed. “Let’s roll.”

What the driveway lacked in length it made up for in luxury. The entire thing was made of pavers. There was a roundabout in front of the house with a fountain in the center.

The fountain wasn’t running of course, and the grass was above their ankles. The scenery never failed to display some hint that all was not in order.

They moved the two vehicles in front of the fountain and all of them approached the house together.

The front entrance was large and intimidating. Two pillars led the way under an overhang and up a step onto a cement porch. In front of them was a set of double doors made from a rich-looking dark wood.

Sarah stepped up first and pounded one of the large knockers on the door.

“I’m gonna go on a limb here and say no one’s home,” said Keith, stepping up beside her. He was holding a palm-sized rock he grabbed from the garden around the porch.

He used it to break the glass in the door, then reached through and twisted the lock.

Both he and Sarah took a step back as the door swung open.

They went in together.

“Hello, rich people?” Keith turned to Sarah and shrugged. “Told you.”

Matt came through the doors next, pushing his way past everyone. “I almost bought a place like this. No lake, but the house was the same.”

“How many people did you have to sue to be able to do that?” asked Joe.

“Enough,” said Matt, bobbing his head slightly.

The inside of the house did not disappoint. They came in under a large chandelier, looking up at a balcony crosswalk. The ceilings were high and peaked. Any room with a flat ceiling was ten feet high.

“Come on,” Sarah said, grabbing Adam by the hand and running up the stairs.

They reached the balcony just as Sherry and Chip were walking in.

Sherry looked up at them as she took in the front room. “Wow.”

As it turned out there were bedrooms on either side of the crosswalk. The bedroom on the far side was obviously the master. It was huge, with a bathroom and walk in closet to match. The bed itself was neatly made with down comforters that stretched more than ten feet across.

“Oh yea, we are definitely staying here,” said Sarah.

“Yea, if you want to die,” said Adam.

“What do you think the gate’s for?”

“I don’t think that gate’s going to stop a vampire. It hardly even slowed us down.”

“But look at this place!”

Adam had to fight back a smile. “I know what you mean.”

They came back downstairs to find Keith and Joe helping themselves to some warm beer from the fridge. Matt was opening a bottle of wine and pulling out three glasses so Chip and Sherry could partake as well.

When Keith saw Adam and Sarah he held up a set of keys. “Look what I found hanging from a magnet on the fridge.”

“Our ticket to a floating safety net,” said Adam, catching a beer as Joe tossed him one.

Sarah caught her own beer in stride. It spewed out of the top when she cracked it open and tasted like warm garbage. She continued to drink it anyway, telling herself it tasted good despite the temperature.

The keys Keith was holding belonged to a small yacht, docked outside. Sarah stared at it through the back window, wondering how many days she would have to call it home.

It was around thirty feet long with a shiny black exterior. It had three decks, although the top deck wasn’t anything more than a lookout.

Sarah had never slept on a boat before, she wondered if she’d get seasick.

“I propose a toast,” said Chip, raising his wine and pushing his glasses further onto his nose. “To survival, and to the loved ones who lost their lives so we could make it this far.”

Keith raised his beer as well. “And to killing some fucking vampires!”

The rest of them raised their drinks and Sarah took note of the positive vibe running around the room. For the first time they were taking preemptive action into their own hands, and the plan was coming together.

“How long will we have to stay out there?” asked Matt.

“Assuming the vampires burn through their food supply, a month or two, maybe more if they’re smart about it,” said Keith.

Adam took a swig of his beer then grinned. “It’ll feel like no time at all.”

“Unless the military figures things out, then it’ll be less than that,” said Sherry.

“Only time will tell,” said Joe. “For now, let’s worry whether or not the boat’s going to start, before it gets too much closer to dark.”

“You can’t honestly think a yacht like that’s not going to start,” said Matt.

Keith was already walking toward the back door. “I think he’s more worried about how much time we’ll have left to find a new one on the off chance it doesn’t start.”

Sarah set down her half empty beer and followed him outside. She was excited to see the yacht up close.

First she had to step out onto the large porch, built over bright sand that had obviously been brought in. She had to make her way down the large steps that were twenty feet wide and two feet long. She could almost take two normal steps before having to step down to the next level.

There was a stretch of pavers that wound their way from the porch, through the beach. At the other end they reached the dock. At the end of that, far out in the water, was the yacht.

“We got half a tank,” said Keith after walking inside the cabin.

Joe was hopping on from the dock. “That should get us through tonight and maybe a little of tomorrow.”

“Are we staying out there the whole time?” asked Sherry.

“We’ll probably come back tomorrow during the day. We have to find diesel ahead of time,” said Keith.

Adam was coming down the dock. “This thing is pretty nice.”

Sarah wasn’t so sure. It was an awesome boat by all means, more than her family could ever afford. However, there was only one bed, and a couch that folded down from the wall.
Where were they all going to sleep?

Joe went down into the cabin and a few seconds later the engine rumbled to life.

“Wait,” Sarah called, climbing out of the boat. “I’ll be right back.”

She grabbed Adam by the shoulder as she went by. She was going to need his help.

They had already raided the house for some food and beer. They would soon be taking the boat as well. What was a little bit more?

Given what she knew about the sleeping situation on the yacht, Sarah had a plan to raid bed supplies from the house. She went around to every bedroom and loaded Adam and herself up with blankets and pillows. In the end both had to struggle just to get back down to the dock with their load.

Adam accidentally let a pillow fall into the water. They let it go and Sarah was still proud of their take.

They may not have a very good place for everyone to sleep on the boat, but dammit she was going to make it as comfortable as possible.