OV: The Original Vampire (Book #1) (19 page)

“Where is he?” She asked.

“He’s around and I have a feeling he’s close to finding us.”

“So, if he finds us?”

“He is dirt, and he will bring us down. We won’t be able to leave Port Angeles, or anywhere. We won’t be able to go to New York.”

“Why? Will he hold onto our pant-legs like a spoiled brat?”

“No, he will suck our energy by asking for this and that. We will lose concentration and therefore not be able to Shapeshift to New York.”

“We can always take a plane.” She looked at him confused.

“We can’t.”

“Why?”

For the first time, Vinnie looked scared. He said something too fast to be recognizable.

“Say. That.
Again.” Josie stared down at him, like down a barrel of a shotgun.

“I burnt the money.”

“Crap Vinnie, No No No! We are doomed here. We might as well start shooting Meth.”

“It’s actually a blessing.”

“Fuck you.”

“Josie. Money never stopped or started me from doing anything.”

“Tell that to America!” She jumped up off the ground and started to sing loudly, ‘America. America! O’ say can you see, by the dawn’s early light? What so proudly we hailed, at the twilight’s least gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars, throught perilous night. . .”

“Okay. Okay. Everyone heard you! I hear
you. . .It’s gone. The money is gone! It’s tied up in greed, extortion, exploitation, go get some! It’s a never-ending cycle. It’s consumerist slavery. Go ahead!” He walked over to the edge of the lawn and looked past the empty freighters towards Canada. He shouted, “Shit!” A couple seagulls flew off.

“Excellent disposition, monologue, diatribe, what else did college forget to teach me?
Oh yeah, tirade!” She threw the pamphlet at him. The pages flapped in the wind.

“I’m going somewhere quieter.” She walked down the trail towards the beach. She ran down the beach until she knew she was alone. She looked at the boats far away, moving like snails. “Dad, I’m so scared. Life’s moving too fast and you’re dead to me.” She whispered to herself.

She grabbed the deck of Tarot cards from her pants pocket and lined them up on the sand. “Okay cards, how do I get my dad back?” She closed her eyes and saw nothing. “Shit. No Gateway even? Try Josie, try.”

She had a lot of voices in her mind, the last one echoing the fight she just had with Vinnie. She sat Indian-style and slowed her breathing. Suddenly there was a white, arcing light that flashed like a shiny sword on her eyelids, then another. Soon, she was in the tunnel where she could communicate directly to her memories, the dead, and the undead.

“Bud!” She yelled. “Dad, it’s me!”

There was a black dust storm down from her and it looked like it was gaining size and strength. It crept closer to her as debris hit her face. She covered her face until the wind died down. She then heard a voice.

“Bud is no longer yours. Never was yours, actually, the alcohol had him way before you.” It was Van Norden’s voice hidden behind coils of intestines, dried out glands, and brown peeling flesh.

“Van
Norden?” I thought we baked you in eternal sunlight?”

“Part true.
Part, I-don’t-care-what-you-think. I have, what you could say, a monopoly on the spiritual levels of the subconscious and the fifth dimension.”

“You’re not getting my fifth dimension.” Josie kicked dirt at him. “Where’s my dad?”

“He’s back in Vommitville.”

“That’s funny. Last time I saw him, he was wearing a suit and smiling and walking down the sidewalk.”

“Then what happened, Josie?”

“Ah, you know, so why should I play this with you?”

“Your positive attitude gets me hard. Vanterkroft likes to tarnish spirits. Bright spirits do nothing but breed ignorant children. Do you want children Josie?”

“You’re a creep and that’s none of your business.”

“Well then, you’re worthless. Vanterkroft likes worthless. Worthless spreads apathy, then sloth, then we get your weak, empty soul.”

“Not happening. You’re worthless.” Josie opened her eyes. She was back on the beach, looking blankly at the water.

Vinnie walked up. His hair was dripping wet.

“Where were you?” She asked.

“Doesn’t fucking matter.” He grabbed her arms and tossed her over his shoulder. He walked her over to a log and lied her down. He pulled off her pants. She could feel his warm breath on her core. He grabbed her thighs and flexed every muscle in his body to please her. She watched the sweat drip off his forehead onto her navel. She rubbed his sweat onto her stomach, like suntan lotion, as she grabbed his hair and pulled down. There was no time for cordialities, because the desire and stress of everything clashed in one second and developed hot white lust.

They were both determined to over-titillate the other one until one became defenseless with quivers, shudders and hot flashes of ecstasy. Josie had enough
foreplay, she pulled his arms towards her. She could feel him enter. He was harder than usual, maybe a fuck after a fight was the best aphrodisiac.

They rolled off the log onto the sand without disconnecting. With sand as a shock absorber, Josie’s body created a mold of her body in the sand and held her there as she took every thrust from Vinnie with a gasp, panting, and the occasional shrill of delight. He flattened her into an oozing, sexed-up masochist, addicted to the land of fuck.

“Let’s get out of here. I mean for real. Let’s go.” She said, as she watched Vinnie’s cock, which glistened with her sex, sway back and forth as he put his clothes on.

“Yeah, lets.” He almost fell with just one leg in his pants.
“So, train, plane, or automobile?” He asked.

“The Gateway.”
She smiled like she was stoned.

“I don’t know Josie, are you ready for the long distance
Shapeshift?”

“Yes, of course. Well, maybe. I don’t know. Let’s try.
Tonight.”

“Where?”

“Let’s go to the pier where the cops got you.”

“Oh, like an anniversary.”

“Perhaps, or the ultimate F-you to Port Angeles, the loggers, my past, etc.”

“Your past is your past. Is it clear for
take off, your past?” Vinnie looked over at the sun which climbed down and touched the trees on the hill.

“You’re right. My past is my past. It doesn’t concern you.” She pulled up her pants. “Let’s get going.”

“We have to find pure silence to Shapeshift.” Vinnie said.

They walked over to the pier. “Did the cops beat you up after they drove you off?”

“No, they called me names, but it was elementary, like bullies in a sandbox.”

“Do they start that young, in the sandbox?” She asked.

“Who, the cops or the bullies?”

“Both, I guess.”

“Okay. Let’s lie down over here
next to the seagull crap.”

“If only my doctor would say that.” She laughed.

“The Pacific Northwest sure is beautiful, too bad the rain puts people in a coma.” She knelt down and watched a tugboat go lazily past.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, close your eyes.” Vinnie said, as he lied down beside her.

The sound of water hitting the pilings, the seagulls squawking, and the random human noise faded away into silence. The spirals of light danced on their eyelids, as they slowed down their breathing and followed the waves of light to their desired destination.

They both opened their eyes to the sound of a train blowing its horn.

“Josie, get up. Josie, get up!”

A huge headlight on top of a train came towards them. She raised her hand slowly as he pulled her off the track.
The train slugged past. It slowed down and entered the yard.

“Where are we?” Josie asked bewildered.

“Looks like a train yard.”

“But where?”

There were trains lined up together on several tracks. They looked like sleeping snakes. The whole atmosphere seemed cold and reptilian, a reptile made of steel and stone. There were flames waving under an overpass.

“Let’s go over there.” Vinnie scoped the area.

“They could be bums.”

“Bums are usually friendlier because they rely on people for help.” He said.

They walked over. There was a man passed out. His one boot was smoking near the flames.

“Hey man, your shoe.” Vinnie pointed.

The other two guys sat quietly watching the fire. The man with the smoking shoe jumped up, “Well shit, hey!” He did a dance while sticking his leg up and twirled around until he pulled his shoe off and threw it.

“I’m Flat-tire!” he hobbled with one shoe over to shake Vinnie’s hand.

Vinnie didn’t think twice. “I’m Vinnie. Flat-tire?”

“Yep.
Yes sir! Got a flat tire on ma bike, rode freight ever since.”

“When was that?”

“First day a train made its way across America.”

“Wait. The first train was probably
back around the 1890’s?” Vinnie said.

“The Great Northern.
1893. Went through the Cascades, yep.”

Josie and Vinnie looked at each other, “You were on that?” Josie asked.

“Yep. Back then men’s lungs were black from coal and strong tobacco.”

“So, how old are you?” Vinnie asked.

“Well, I was, they say ten when I rode the Great Northern, so ‘bout 118, May 20th.”

Vinnie leaned forward, looked at the other two men before speaking, “So, you’re immortal?”

“Yes sir, seen at least four generations of Vanterkroft.”

“Wait. Wait.” Josie walked closer, “Did you say,
Vanterkroft?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Are they here now?” She asked, as Vinnie slowly looked over the train yard.

“
Naw. Nothing here. They took all their virtuosity.” He pointed to the two who stared at the fire, “and moved on.”

“So, why are you still so,
animate?” Josie questioned.

“Let’s say I’m a type of ‘talent scout’.”

“A talent scout, here?” Josie looked around, “The only talent I see is getting drunk on Maddog.”

“See, that’s the thing,” He scratched his sides and twiddled his fingers, “If and when someone comes down here, because they’re young and want to experience hopping trains, I hang out with them, see, I pick up on who, why, what and where, see, and maybe when.”

“I don’t get it.” Josie said.

“If they speak with any sort of caliber, of quality, of upbringing, of innocence, well, I tell
Vanterkroft and they come seduce them. They suck their virtuosity.”

“How do they seduce them?” Vinnie asked.

“Whatever the victim wants through expression, Vanterkroft modifies the ‘cheese on the end of the stick’, usually break them down with Draksblood, then take them some other place. I don’t know where.” Flat-tire looked at Josie for a minute, “You seem disconnected with yourself. I have the perfect fix.” Flat-tire walked over to a car battery that was lying on the ground next to the fire. It had two wires connected to it and the ends lied on the ground. It looked like mini jumper cables for a car.

Flat-tire picked up the wires and looked at Josie. “
Come hither dear. We will re-polarize your balance.”

“Oh no.
What does that thing do?” She asked.

“I connect the clamps to your earlobes. The electric current balances your left and right side of your brain. You won’t be confused anymore.”

“I’m not confused!” Josie walked back over to Vinnie and pretended to ignore Flat-tire.

“It’s okay Ma’am. Women seemed confused by me, then again they confuse me!” They laughed, except for the zombies who watched the fire.

“We need to get going Flat-tire.” Vinnie said.

“Oh yeah, no
drinky pooh, where ya headin’?”

“New York City.”

“Oh man.” Flat-tire looked around and cupped his hands and whispered, “That’s where they all go.”

“Who?”
Josie whispered back.

“The. . .” A train blew its horn. Flat-tire got excited, “You better get this one. It’s got three engine units. Hide in the last one. They usually don’t go in the last one.”

“Okay, thanks Flat-tire!” Vinnie held Josie’s hand, as they ran towards the train. The train crept out of the train yard like a Chinese dragon in a parade, as Vinnie motioned to Josie, “Stay low. We have to run alongside it so the engineers don’t see us.”

They ran alongside the train, like wild Indians running alongside buffalo. Vinnie grabbed the steel rung of a ladder that was connected to the side of a gravel car.

“We’re not going to make it to the engine. Grab my hand! Vinnie held out his hand. The train picked up speed. Josie ran as fast as she could. Her lips were tight and her face was red. “Come on, baby!” He yelled. Vinnie was sweeter under pressure.