Free Rule of Vampire by Duncan McGeary Page A

Stuart started sucking on his neck, Jimmy said quietly, “Please don’t.” Stuart left him faceup on his bed with a puzzled expression on his dead face.
    All three of them were waiting for him when he went out the next night, and he took them down to the beach, where they each picked off a homeless person. Stuart decided to go upscale and grabbed a tourist. Her blood was clean and fresh, and he knew that his homeless-eating days were over.
    They piled into Stuart’s pickup and went roaring down the coastal highway. All three of his progeny were still hungry, so when they saw the three hitchhikers, they stopped.
    One of the vagrants got away, but Stuart wasn’t worried. Who was going to believe an old bum, anyway? Especially if he started shouting about vampires and stuff.
    His buddies all stayed at Stuart’s place the next day. His parents didn’t object. They seemed to be afraid of him.
    Stuart loved that.
     
     

 
    Chapter 13
     
    Terrill stood at the center of the enclosure, his eyes closed. He could sense his Maker––who was destined to become his Maker yet again––stepping up behind him and felt him gently lift the collar of Terrill’s shirt. Michael’s fangs went in smoothly––no other vampire had had so much practice––and Terrill’s life drained away.
    His last thoughts were Will I still be human? Or will I be vampire?
    And then he died a second time.
     
    #
     
    Terrill sat up, and it was clear from Michael’s startled reaction that he hadn’t been out for long. He didn’t remember any dreams or nightmares. It was as if he’d simply closed his eyes.
    He was in pain. He could feel the outlines of the cross fused to his chest, and he lifted his shirt to see his flesh blooming bright red around its contours.
    Michael looked surprised. “Interesting. But maybe it’s for the best, Terrill. It will be a constant reminder that you are like no one else, living or dead.”
    Terrill almost couldn’t speak, he was in so much pain. He stood, lowered his shirt, and put his hand to his neck, his fingers feeling the two puncture wounds. He turned up the shirt’s collar.
    “Now,” Michael said. “Here’s what you must do.”
     
    #
     
    “She isn’t here,” Terrill said when he finally emerged from the hideaway.
    Sylvie looked disappointed. He’d called her on his cellphone and told her to come and get him. The plan to avoid the Council vampires by sneaking Jamie out of the other side of the thicket was useless for now.
    “Should we wait for her?” Sylvie said worriedly.
    “I’m not sure she’ll want to see us. If she sees us waiting, she might not appear at all. No, I think we’ll have to surprise her.” Sylvie didn’t seem to notice how distracted he was.
    The two Escalades rolled up. The lead SUV’s passenger-side window, which was facing away from the sun, slid down. Clarkson motioned for Terrill to come over.
    “No luck?” she asked.
    “She was here recently,” he said. Clarkson’s blank stare made him want to explain more than he needed to. “I could tell; there were women’s clothes all over the place. Anyway, she was here.”
    “Well, on a day like this, she’d better be under shelter. Still… maybe she’s moved up in the world again. You know, from homeless to whore.”
    Terrill saw Sylvie wince. “That was uncalled for,” he said.
    Clarkson looked contrite, but she didn’t apologize. “What are you going to do now?” she asked.
    “You said you’d give me two more days. We’ll ask around; we’ll come back tomorrow; we’ll drive around and see if we don’t catch a glimpse of her. It’s not like the town is so big that it’s impossible to track her down.”
    After Clarkson assented to their plan, Terrill and Sylvie drove down every road in Crescent City more than once, but found no sign of Jamie.
    They waited until noon the next day, then swooped down on the hideaway and repeated what they’d done the day before. This time, Clarkson questioned why