The Calling (15 page)

Inside the room, clothing hung along all the walls. Costumes of all types—velvet jackets covered with mold, taffeta skirts blossoming with water stains, pink net nibbled full of holes by nesting mice. The room was filled with the smell of times past, of decaying successful but abandoned theater productions.

In a bin, large props leaned against the wall: spears, swords, umbrellas with long poles like a slave would hold over a king or queen. Several flags on poles and a tall royal septre. There was even a croquet mallet, a rake, a broom.

Why had no one cleared out the costumes and props when they closed the building? Why had no one sold them to other companies or to one of the secondhand clothing stores?

The light from the room helped Miki find the next. She moved faster and flicked on the light there without as much fear, needing to hurry now.

A makeup room, grease paint filling her nose with leftover dreams. All the mirrors were covered with black curtains, for good reason, Miki now knew. The images were of burned-out eyes, staring at her. Quickly, she snapped off the light and moved to the next dark cubicle.

At the entrance of this room, she stopped abruptly. Smells assaulted her, choking odors of musty earth, body fluids, and the unmistakable scent of Primavera's perfume.

She clutched her umbrella, getting ready to defend herself, and flooded the room with light.

The light was dim, as if the bulbs had been replaced with the lowest wattage available. Mattresses lay spread around the room, bare, stained mattresses.

What did you expect? Coffins? You bought into the myth that vampires must sleep in coffins at night?

A tight smile came across her lips, unbidden, humorless.

They all slept in the same room—this same close, airless room. On those dirty beds. And you want to join them? To live here with Davin?

She blinked tears from her eyes and she started to shake, out of control. She gave in and hunkered down close to the wall nearest the doorway, whimpering, pressing her fist against her mouth hard to keep from blubbering like a baby.

Elah found this group and gave up his life for this? She had planned to do the same thing. The idea of living forever in a similar setting wherever they went started to erode any romance Miki might have left.

She must escape before it was too late. She must take Paige with her. Pulling herself together, she left the “bedroom” light on and spun into the hall again.

There seemed to be another stairwell opposite the one she had come down. Did it go down or up? The idea of going deeper into the bowels of this old theater building made her pause and try to think. She'd see where it went, and make a decision then. It might lead right back to the auditorium. Where was the rest of the troupe? Where was Paige? Why hadn't she come across them?

The stairway did lead up, and a dim light had been left burning in the stairwell. Miki's mouth filled with the coppery taste of fear as she climbed the stairs, one soft footstep at a time, glancing up, then back, expecting at any minute to see them hovering above, below … Where were they? She was ready, as ready as she could be.

She knew they stood behind her before she turned around, before they spoke. And no one spoke.

First she heard Romney's giggle. Then they all started to laugh. The air reeked with harsh, shrill laughter that circled her and spiraled up the stairwell like acrid smoke.

Twenty-Two

S
HE WAS GLAD
that Rima attacked first. Miki had only one weapon. It served her well. She had the satisfaction of seeing the point on the end of the umbrella shaft pierce Rima's chest Rima's scream echoed from wall to wall of the basement rooms.

Primavera stepped back. “No! No!” She knelt beside Rima and cradled her in her arms.

Rima's body shrank and melted like wax from a burning candle. The odor of rotting flesh twisted and swirled around them all. Soon all that was left was a grinning skeleton with long black hair, hair dried and kinked like raveled rope. Primavera screamed and stepped back, dropping the bones, which rattled and clicked together. Rima's skull rolled across the floor and stopped at Miki's feet, her eyes burning dark holes, her grin forever set.

The horror the vampire troupe experienced at seeing one of their family actually die gave Miki time to run. She still didn't think she had a chance of escaping, but her will to live her own life had returned. She was going to try.

Gone was her desire to be a part of this group of people.

Gone was her idea that living forever might be wonderful.

She was even losing her attraction for Davin. Her love for him was a big part of what had been bringing her back day after day. Now she saw his beautiful body and face turn to ash and bone, his skull smile at her forever.

There had also been something special, something hypnotic about the dance, but that was not enough to hold Miki now that she saw what the troupes' lives were really like. Sleeping all in that one dirty room together, killing to stay alive. There wasn't a shred of romance connected with a life-style that thrived on blood, someone else's blood.

She sobbed and shuddered, thinking as she ran. Her bare feet made no sound on the stairs, and as she entered the auditorium again, she walked carefully, quietly, practically holding her breath.

She saw no one. Heard no one. Could she make it to the stage door and outside? And if she got outside, how could she stop their following her? How could she hide forever from these people?
Had Paige been able to hide? Where was she?

“Paige!” The word bounced from wall to wall across the empty auditorium.

Miki was in the hall near the stage door when the curtains to her left parted. Romney leaped in front of her and hissed. His mouth opened wide, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth. Red lips framed an evil smile. Kyle appeared beside him, reaching for Miki, long fingernails like tiny scythes slashing out at her.

She backed away. “Let me go.” Miki didn't know if she could reason with them, but she'd try. “You can still let me go. You can leave here. You don't have to kill again.”

Primavera leaped from the heavy curtained wall and landed between the two young men. “You think we will let you escape? After you've killed one of us? Our sister?” Her face was twisted into a mask of evil and determination.

Miki stepped back once more, right into the waiting arms of Davin. “Oh!” She ducked her head and cringed.

Had he gone from her side to theirs? Earlier, he would have let her go. She knew that. But could he stand alone now against his friends?

“Yes, Davin,” Primavera said. “It is fitting that you hold her for us. You kept her here. You let her kill Rima.”

“Rima is dead?” Davin both held Miki prisoner and sheltered her. “How could this happen?”

“A lucky stab.” Romney tipped his head back and laughed a full-blown laugh. No giggles this time.

“I had to kill her, Davin,” Miki explained. “I had to defend myself. And I know they killed Paige.”

Was it Miki's imagination or had Davin's voice held a sense of wonder, even a note of envy? She wished she could talk to
him
about what it was like to live forever. On one hand it seemed desirable, on the other some kind of living hell. Never to come to the end of anything, never to follow a natural rhythm that had been designed for people from the day they came into existence.

“Then we are short a dancer.” Davin finally spoke. “We cannot perform without Rima. You wanted to be with us, Miki. Now you can stay. Now we have to have you in our family.” His voice was low, seductive, compelling Miki to say yes, she would become one of them. Yet she heard a slight question, a small chance to say no, to decide against their life-style. Could she be wrong? Could she want to hear Davin offering her a choice?

“I can't stay, Davin. At first I wanted to. Now I know I can't. You're killers. You're all killers.”

It was Davin's turn to laugh. His voice started low, then swelled, filling her heart and soul with a terrible fear.

She stepped away from him. The stage door was blocked. Where could she go? Shadows embraced her as she moved back. Primavera's eyes, red rubies in the dark velvet night, followed her, keeping her pinned to the wall on her right.

Miki spun away, dashing toward the stage. She leaped onto the black velvet swing, somersaulted to stand, then bent her legs and pumped to sail into the air.

The four other dancers followed her, circling the swing, hissing and laughing and reaching for her, swaying in some ritual dance. Davin's handsome face was contorted into a hideous mask. His eyes glowed redder and redder. He tipped his head back and hissed, his long incisors curving over his full, red bottom lip like yellow ivory daggers.

She could feel the sharp points sinking into her neck. She wondered if it would hurt? She felt doomed to know.

“Leave her alone!” Elah shouted as he dashed onto the stage, followed by Barron.

Barron spoke slowly, coaxing his dancers to obey. “We are found out. We must leave here again. It will serve no purpose to take her along.”

Miki took advantage of the moment. Romney and Kyle stared at Barron. Primavera moved to stand beside Davin.

She sat, turned loose of the velvet ropes at the top of the swing's arc, and flew to land lightly on the far end of the stage. Immediately she dashed back to the stage door.

She heard them follow. They didn't have to obey Barron. Their capes fluttered behind them. If she got out, they would change and fly after her.

Grasping the door, she tried to yank it open. It was locked!

Elah reached her first. He stepped in front of her and sheltered her with his body. At the same time he handed her a long spear he had taken from the room of costumes.

“You must kill me first,” he said to the dancers who had reached them.

“Elah—” She could not believe that this old man was going to protect her, was offering his own life to save her.

“I will die willingly for you, my dear Michaela. I chose this life as you almost did. I was a fool. I have no fear of death. I do fear this life of a living hell.”

“Move over, old man.” Davin stopped and ordered Elah to give Miki up to them.

Miki grasped the spear so tightly her hand began to ache.
Please, Davin, please let me go
.

She spoke her thoughts out loud. “Please, please, Davin. Let me go. You can escape. I won't tell. No one would believe me anyway. You have your life. Take it and leave me here. I can't go with you.”

“I love you, Miki. I want you with me forever.” His voice became hypnotic again, his words seductive.

Miki tried not to let Davin's words reach her heart. His kind of love thought only of himself. In order to keep her, he would have to betray her, to kill her in a way so that she became like him. His love was selfish. His need for her love could be fulfilled only if he infected her and sentenced her to a living death.

Selfish and betrayal were not words that belonged alongside love.

“I'm sorry, Davin. I can't stay, I can't. I don't love you.”

Her words angered Davin. He grabbed Elah and tossed him aside like a feather into the wind. He reached for Miki, determined to have his way.

She had no choice. Bringing the spear back as far as she could lift it, she plunged it into Davin's chest.

“Davin!” Primavera screamed.

From Davin's lips came a scream that caused Miki to shrink back until she pressed flat onto the cold brick wall.

She watched as his body wrinkled, shriveled into a dry husk, like sheaths of yellow paper, rustling as he hit the ground. His hands, clutching the shaft of the spear that pierced his heart, turned into skeletal bones, which broke apart and rattled onto the floor bouncing onto the scarlet pool of his cape.

Skin from his face melted, dried, flaked off, leaving only another grinning skull. But just before all life left him, she heard him whisper four last words.

“Thank you. My love.”

Elah returned to her, shook her from her frozen stance, unlocked the door, and pushed her out, all in one motion, three seconds total.

He slammed the door in her face. She heard the lock click into place, and then heard his scream.

“Elah—” For one moment she paused at the door, concerned for him, but he was one of them. He had chosen to be with them. And he had chosen to save her life.

Alone, swathed in cool, damp night air and shock, her sense of survival took over, pushing back any remorse or worry, silencing any thoughts of what she had done. Or what was happening inside the theater now.

Tapping into that primal part of her brain where only basic signals originated, her legs followed the instinct to run. To flee danger. To escape from any threat.

She wasn't sure how far she ran, how many minutes passed while she tore along the empty sidewalks. Only when she stopped to catch her breath did she feel the pain of bruised and cut feet. She felt her heart threatening to burst in her chest.

She collpased on a bench beside some bus stop, under the streetlights, placed her head in her hands, and sobbed hysterically.

“Miki? Miki!” Her mother's voice reached her as if from a long, hollow passageway. Fog swirled around her, then drifted aside to let her see her mother running toward her.

“Mom?” Miki stammered, trying to gain control. “What are you doing here?” She stood and fell into her mother's arms.

“A man called me. At first—at first I thought it was—Never mind what I thought. He said you were in danger. He said I should get help and come for you. I tried to get in the theater but the door was locked. I ran all the way around the building, looking for a way in—When I didn't see you, I got back in the car and drove around the block until—”

“A man called you? Elah, it must have been Elah.” Miki shuddered to think what might have happened if her mother had gotten into the theater.

“I called Bill. Half the police in town are down here looking for you.” Her mother sank down onto the bench beside her and pulled her close.