Blood Lust: A Supernatural Horror (26 page)

She was incredulous. “This
footage
is worth a fortune! It’s news!
We’re a news station!
They have no right
,
”
she added
defiantly
.

The second agent spoke.
“
This incident is currently under investigation. We cannot
risk
a
public
panic
by allowing
you to air
unsubstantiated
video
.
Give us the
memory card
and
our labs will verify its authenticity
.”

She stared at him, wishing she could see the
eyes behind those two-hundred dollar shades. How could he keep a straight face
speaking such bullshit
?
“Unsubstantiated?
My cameraman and I
both
were
eyewitnesses
. We don’t need you to verify it.”

“
Nevertheless, i
t is our duty.”

“We have a
c
onstitution
al right
,” she said.

“
We’re with Homeland Security, Ms. Ramirez
, part of the same
federal
government
that
issues radio and television licenses
.”

She leaned forward.
“Is that a threat?
What is your name?
”
she demanded.

“Agent Hays and Agent Nelson,” he
replied, smiling.
H
e
held out his hand. She reluctantly handed him the
card
.

“I want this back,” she warned, knowing she would never see it again.

“Thank you, Ms.
Ramirez
,”
he
said. “When our investigation is complete, we will return your
footage
.”

Capaldi
was waiting outside Everson’s office. He shot the agents the bir
d when they passed.
She imagined they glared at him behind their shades.

“We’re not through yet,” she said. “
Next time we play
what we get
unedited.”

Capaldi smiled. “What kind of cameraman do you think I am
?
I made a copy before I gave you
the memory card
.
”

Ella
kissed him on the forehead. “You’re a genius, Steve
.
Hide it
, and then pick me up a couple of blocks away around the corner in case they’re watching.
”

“Where are we going?”

“
We stick with Hardin.
He’s my story
now
.
”

1
1

After answering a few
dozen
questions
from confused colleagues
and having my wounds treated
by
a uniform with first aid training
, I made an excuse and left the squad room. I
checked out
a black and white unit
from the motor pool
and
drove
directly
to Joria’s hotel
. I desperately needed her
input
on the
remaining
juvenile
Chupacabra
before confronting Captain Bledsoe
. I was certain he would not only relieve me of my duties
but also
place me on suspension pending a formal inquiry.
I could not afford such hindrances at this stage of the hunt.

She answered the door in panties and a
cotton
t-shirt that did little to hide her body.
Her eyes went wide when she noticed my condition.

“Tack
!
What happened to you?”

I pushed past her
wordlessly as I
stumbled to a chair and collapsed. She closed the door and sat in the chair opposite me
leaning forward
.

“The creature has children,” I burst out. “Three, I think. I killed two.”

A look of anger crossed her face; then
quickly
vanished. I assumed she was angry at my going alone to face the creature. “Two?” She asked.

I nodded. “I saw three empty eggs but only two juveniles. The adult chased me. I lost it at the precinct station.”

She reached out a hand and
caressed mine gently
. “You were very lucky.”

“Damn right!” I agreed. “I wrecked my car in the process.”

She stood and offered me her hand. “Come. Lay down on the bed and rest.”

I let her lead me to the bed
, too exhausted to resist
. She gently pushed me down.
The soft mattress felt like a slice of heaven.

“Let me take off your shoes.”

She untied my shoes and slipped them off; then lifted my legs onto the bed.
It felt good to lie back and relax. My shoulder ached. My head throbbed and my chest
ached with each breath
. Every muscle in my body seemed pissed at me
for
my escapades. Joria slipped into bed and nestled up against my back. Her body warmth seeped into my muscles, relaxing them but affecting another muscle. I reached for her but she
gently
brushed off
my
awkward
advance
.

“Sleep,” she
whispered in my ear
. “I’ll be here for you later.”

I closed my eyes and slept.

****

When I awoke, Joria was watching the news.
I listened from the bed
as
Ella Ramirez
on WBBT channel
7
finished her report.
It was not good news.

“
The police ha
ve
identified the
bodies of
two
more
dead girls
brutally killed by the Midnight Monster
.
”
A shot
of the monastery
from
the previous night
flashed on the screen
with police units swarming all over the scene.
“My cameraman and I have been following the movements of one of the detectives on the case closely. Detective Thackery
H
ardin
, as many of you may remember, lost his partner to the
Midnight
Monster earlier this
week.
”
A v
ideo
clip
of Lew and I entering the Sattersby apartment building ran in the
lower
corner of the screen. They got a great shot of my scowl as I
confronted the line of reporters. Luckily, there was no sound.
She continued, “
So far, five young women, a young man and four members of the police have become the Midnight Monster’s grisly victims.
Tonight, exclusively on
WBBT 7 News
,
we will air a video of the Midnight Monster in action.
”

Joria heard me stirring
and turned to face me, smiling
.

“How do you feel?”
she asked with a lilt in her voice.

“I was better until I heard the news. That bitch is spreading my name all over the television.
City hall is going to love this.”

“
Forget it for now.
I’ve ordered breakfast from room service. It should be here soon.”

As if on cue, my empty stomach rumbled. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten.
“Sounds great.”

More seriously, she
said,
“Tell me about last night.”

I talked her through the
night’s
events, leaving out the condition of the bodies. She knew that well enough
and
I
didn’t need to
remember
.
I could still see them.

“How large were the juveniles?”

“About five feet tall.
” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “
Why didn’t you mention the possibility of of
f
spring
?
I thought
the creature
was
a
male.”

“They are
hermaphroditic, as you must have guessed by now, capable of procreating on their own. I did
n
o
t say anything because I had hoped
that
I might be wrong. They seldom have young
or they would have
overrun humankind
long ago
.
My father
uncovered legends of
more than one creature
but could not prove it.
We have never seen more than one.
If the creature is nesting, i
t could explain
its
reluctance to leave the
area
.”

“How many
young
do they normally have? I saw three empty eggs.”

She
hesitated. “Three only?”

“Just three,” I replied. “Why?”

She
turned away
. “
Nothing.
I don’t know
how many young they bear
.”

I stared at her. Something didn’t sound right
. After years on the force
,
I had developed a
sixth
sense of when someone was lying to me.
But w
hy would she lie
?
I dismissed my suspicions as unfounded
but decided not to mention my unknown assailant
.
I scratched my chin.
The scab had fallen off but it still itched.

“I got the impression they mature quickly. If we don’t act fast, we’ll
soon
have two adults to deal with.” Th
at
thought frightened me.
I got up and stretched. I was still sore but not as sore as
before my nap
.
“I need a shower,” I said. I didn’t have fresh clothes to put on but at least I wouldn’t smell as bad
ly after a good scrubbing
.

“Breakfast should be here by then,” she said.

I went into the bathroom and removed my clothes. Looking in the mirror, I saw I could use a shave but it would have to wait.
I wasn’t going to borrow one of those cheap disposable razors from Joria.
The scars on my chin and forehead did nothing to improve my appearance
, not that I had ever considered myself handsome
.
I stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade
down
my body, soothing my weary muscles. As I stood there letting the water sluice off my body,
considering my next move
,
Joria pulled back the shower curtain.

“Is there room for two,” she asked coyly.

She was naked. I ran my eyes over her
luscious
nude body app
rais
ingly
.
I noticed t
hree
parallel scars on her shoulder, barely visible through her tan. I dismissed them as my eyes roved the remainder of her body.

“Plenty of room. Come on in.”

I moved over to make more room for her. She snuggled
against
my body, her head coming just to my chest. She looked up at me mischievously and smiled.
Then she began to kiss my chest, slowly moving lower until she was kneeling in front of me. She engulfed my manhood with her
soft, full
lips as I leaned back
against the cold tile
moaning in ecstasy. A knock at the door barely registered.

“Room service
,
”
a voice shouted
from outside the bathroom door
.

“Leave it on the table
,
” I half moaned, half yelled at him, answering for Joria, who was too busy to answer. Food was no longer on my mind. A few minutes later, when I could no longer hold out against her ministrations, I exploded,
my knees buckling as I
f
ell
back against the shower wall. I was spent, exhausted, incapable of further movement.