Fifteen men in dirty jeans and leather jackets with patches identifying them as members of the Los Bravos motorcycle club lined up on the porch outside the doors of the bar.
One of them stepped forward. He looked at Dunnigan for a moment then said, “What the fuck, John. Why’d you push our rides over?”
John said, “I didn’t. I was standing out here waiting for someone and a woman came by. She said something about one of you getting her pregnant and leaving when she needed you most. She shoved the bikes over and ran away. Any of you slept with an unstable woman lately?”
They looked at each other and laughed. John said, “Let’s get these fine horses back on their feet and see if there’s any injuries.”
The bikers and John lifted the bikes upright. When they’d inspected each one and found only scratches, the leader of the bikers gave John a hug and said good night. John said, “Say hello to Marg for me.” He walked back to Kate’s car and got in.
Kate stopped in the parking lot of Mom’s Home Cooking Diner. She turned to John. “You passed everything. I’m going to tell you what your working conditions will be. After that, I’ll go back to the office and tell Sheriff Thursby that you weren’t interested. Ready?” She paused. Her smile bordered on malicious. “First, I’ll be your partner. Permanently. Your only partner. You can’t ask for a transfer. Second, our office doesn’t work like normal law enforcement. Joining the Aniok Sheriff’s Department is like being drafted. We’ve got an arrangement with the United States Government that anyone who joins us and leaves is treated like a deserter from the Army. You’ll be recaptured and put in jail. Third. Forget about advancement. The brass is in place and they’re going to stay that way. You can only advance if one of them retires and they’re all young. How about it? Ready to abandon the effort?”
“No. Let’s get this done. Nothing you’ve said discourages me. The relationship with the Federal Government is interesting but nothing more. I can work with you. No matter how nasty you get, I can count on you to have my back. Your loyalty to the badge is greater than any dislike you have of me.
She said, without good humor, “Fine. Let’s get moving.”
The trip to the Sheriff’s office was silent and hostile.
The Sheriff was waiting for them outside the building. He had a bundle in his hand. He leaned over to talk in the driver side window. “Don’t get out of the car. We’ve got a suspicious person on Swansdon Avenue looking in bedroom windows.” He thought for a moment then told John “Raise your right hand.” John did. “Will you defend, enforce, and obey the Constitution and laws of the United States, the State of Alaska, and the Charter and Ordinances of Aniok Island, obey the lawful orders of your superior officers and the regulations of the Aniok Police Department and protect the rights, lives, and property of all citizens, no matter what their species or position in society and uphold the honor of the police profession with your life if need be.”
John said, “I will.”
He handed John the bundle and added, “Carry this at all times.”
The Sheriff leaned back and Kate pulled the car away from the station.
John said, “What did he mean by ‘species’?”
“You’ll find out.”
John unwrapped the bundle. He looked at the obviously lethal weapon sitting in his hands. “What the hell is this?”
“You should enjoy it. It fits your shooting ability.”
He held it up. “What kind of criminals do you have on this island?”
She didn’t answer for a moment then said, “That pistol isn’t for humans. We have a bear problem. That’s a .460 Rowland conversion for the 1911A1 pistol. Twice the stopping power of a standard .45. Take a look at the cartridge.”
John dropped the magazine out of the pistol grip. He said, “Hydroshocks? These bullets open on impact. That increases the stopping power even more. No police department uses these.”
“We do. As I mentioned. Bears. You can’t call Animal control. We don’t have any. We can’t tranquilize and transport a fifteen hundred pound Kodiak bear. If a bear gets out of control, we have to kill it quickly before it can get to us or a civilian.”
“Damn.”
“I agree.”
They arrived at Swansdon Avenue five minutes later.
*****
The same young/old man stood on a branch of a tall pine tree overlooking the house on Swansdown Avenue.
Vampires can fly. He liked to amuse himself by perching on a branch only an inch wide.
Two women lived in the house below. He’d picked one as a diversion and the other as a weapon. The young/old woman appeared at his side. “Are they down there now.”
“Yes.”
“Will you be taking either of them for yourself?”
The man laughed. “Jealousy? At our age? No. I’ll give one of them to Dimitri and take control of the other one. I won’t touch her, I promise.”
“See that you don’t.”
*****
Peggy Harrison cowered in her bathroom. She still had the 911 operator on the line. She was as close to hysterics as she could be without actually screaming uncontrollably. She said, “I saw his eyes at the window. They scared me so much I fainted.” She paused. “I didn’t fall down.” She paused again. “He came inside the house. I saw his eyes again. He came toward me. My roommate came into the room and startled him. I fainted then. He took my roommate. He kidnapped her. He’s got her outside somewhere.”
Kate heard the news relayed to her from the dispatcher. John heard the message. “Perp has civilian in his control. Use extreme caution. Consider perp armed and extremely dangerous.”
They were behind Peggy Harrison’s house. Kate held up her hand for silence. They both heard whimpering coming from the forest. John enjoyed the feel of the powerful new gun in his hand.
He and Kate walked into the forest toward the painful sound. Kate said, “I’ll explain later. Shoot without a verbal warning, even if he poses no threat to us and is unarmed.”
A tall, slender man held a girl in her late teens in his arms. He pressed her against his slim chest. He stared in her eyes. She stared back, helplessly in his control. He pointed to her neck. She leaned her head over. The man opened his mouth as wide as it would go. Fangs grew an inch out from his upper jaw. He bit down on her carotid artery, making two puncture wounds. He covered the injury instantly and sucked a bit of blood. Without raising his mouth off her neck, he licked the two punctures. They healed immediately.
He stood up and moved behind her. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, and she began screaming. He streaked away from the scene, unfortunately, in just the wrong direction.
Kate heard him coming first. She pointed to a spot in the forest where he’d come out. She held her gun on the spot. John did the same.
The man popped out of the forest. Both police officers fired at the same time. They kept firing until the man reversed direction and fled back into the safety of the thick pine woods.
Kate put her hand on John’s arm. “You can’t catch them once they’ve gotten into the safety of the forest, and they’ll wait in ambush.” She realized that she was touching him and removed her hand. “Did you hit him?”
John said, quite calmly, “Three times. All center of mass.” ‘Center of mass’ means right through the heart.
They looked in the woods until they found the girl. Kate said, “Are you alright?”
She was dazed, almost cut off from her surroundings. She kept looking around. She said, “Where is he? I need to know.”
John said, “He got away.”
“Oh no. I need him.”
Kate told the dispatcher, “We need to transport one female to the holding cell. She appears to be under the influence of a type one.”
“Roger that.”
Kate held the girl’s face near her own. “Who did this to you? Can you tell me?”
“I want him. Please take me to him. Please.”
Kate told John. “Some of the perps on the island use a quick acting drug that scrambles the thought process of the victims. We’ll take her to a secure ward in our local hospital and keep her safe until the drug wears off.”
The ambulance arrived a minute later. The paramedics tied the girl down to a gurney and left with her.
Kate said, “Let’s interview the caller.”
Peggy answered before Kate could knock a second time. She swung the door open and threw herself into Kate’s arms. “I’m so frightened. How’s Dierdre? Is she alive? Is she still human?”
Kate wrapped her arms completely around Peggy and held her tightly. “Yes. It doesn’t look like he hurt her. We’ll know more when the hospital gives us their report.”
“Thank you for coming, Kate. It means a lot.” The two women clung together like two survivors of a shipwreck.
John watched the exchange. This version of Kate didn’t seem like the type of woman who would care about anybody. She did in high school but not now. Everything about her changed when the chip fell off her shoulder. Her voice was gentle and feminine. She even moved her arms and body differently. As she comforted Peggy, she held the near-hysterical girl with real care. Peggy cried on her shoulder and shook.
Kate asked her, “Do you have anyone to come stay with you?”
“Hal is coming over.”
“Good. Make sure all of the doors and windows are locked and pull down the shades. We’ll check back with you in the morning to get your statement.”
A fit, handsome young man ran up the front walk. Peggy detached from Kate and let herself be engulfed in the young man’s arms. She wailed in real fear. Hal maneuvered her into the house.
On the way, John looked at Kate as if she’d grown a horn in the middle of her forehead.
She said, “Don’t go into it. It doesn’t concern you.”
John said nothing at all.
*****
The young/old man floated into Peggy’s bedroom. He examined Peggy’s excellent figure with undisguised lust. Has she been able to see him, she would have run away in horror.
Hal gathered Peggy in his arms. She snuggled and cried for a few minutes then settled down. “Thank you for coming, Hal. I need you very much. Hold me for a few minutes. I just need to be held by someone who loves me.”
Hal kissed her cheek. “I do love you. I’ll hold you as long as you need me.”
The Vampire moved until he could look directly into Peggy’s eyes. She locked onto his and stopped moving or breathing. Hal didn’t notice. The vampire waved his fingers, and she nodded her head.
Hal didn’t see her eyes became flat and dull. She said, “We’ve got too many clothes on, Hal. I need your bare skin touching me all over.” Hal hesitated. Peggy said, “Please. I really need to feel your skin against mine.”
Hal took his clothes off. Peggy dropped her shirt and bra on the floor. As Hal watched, she shed her panties and dropped them on top of her other clothes. She fell on the bed on her back and held her hands out, begging for him to come to her. He took off his shorts and laid down next to her.
She closed her eyes and turned away from him. She said, “That thing around your neck glares in my eyes. Get rid of it please.”
Hal was puzzled. They were both Catholics. He wore a small cross around his neck. It’d never bothered her before.
Abruptly, she tried to pull it off. She snagged it with three fingers and cried out. She jerked her hand away as if it burned her. He unhooked it and put it on the stand by the bed.
Peggy kissed him. “Thanks, Hal. I don’t know why, but it seemed to glint in my eyes.”
She reached down and wrapped her hand around his cock.
He jumped. “Are you sure about this, Peggy? You’re still a virgin. We were going to wait until after the wedding. Is this a good idea?”
She pushed him over on his back and licked his cock from bottom to top. “I think it is. We love each other. Why should we let a bunch of stuffy men who aren’t married make up our rules.”
She opened her mouth and sucked on the head of his cock. After two strong pulls on his cock, he shook and moaned and gave up whatever reservations he had about pre-marital sex.
Peggy moved over him and sat down on his erect cock. She trembled a little as his cock penetrated her maidenhead then sank down until his cock was completely surrounded by her pussy. Her little button rubbed against his pubic bone. She moved her hips forward and back to make it feel even better.
Ten minutes of this and Hal couldn’t remember his name or where he lived. He grunted and groaned. Peggy’s voice became self-satisfied and cruel when she said, “Are you going to cum, Hal? Are you going to fill me with your semen? You’ll get me pregnant. I know it. What will you do then?”
Hal heard about every third word. He no longer thought with his brain, and it showed. He jerked twice then lifted his hips into Peggy hard enough lift her off the bed.
She said, in a very calm voice, “There it is. That’s what I needed.”
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes as she felt Hal pump his semen into her waiting body.
After Hal recovered, she dropped down on his chest. She said, “Happy now, baby? Did you like that?”