Mere Mortal by Katie Roman
~*~*~
I drove home in silence. I didn't even bother with the radio. My body had long since surpassed tired. I looked forward to lying down with Sasha and watching TV. I'd sleep when I was dead. I shuddered, thinking how close that might be.
The light in the front room was on. Chris was off work and probably playing video games. I was relieved. I'd have to go into a dark house if he wasn't up and about. Sasha didn't greet me at the door. Chris wasn't around. I walked into the kitchen and put my purse on the table.
“Hello?” I called tentatively.
The door flew open and Chris stopped dead in his tracks. He looked like a hunted animal. “Sasha ran away!” He blurted out.
“What?!” I bounded passed him onto the sidewalk. I missed the last step and nearly fell flat on my face onto the walkway.
“I took her out an hour ago. She caught a scent or something. I don't know. She pulled the leash out of my hands and ran for it. I'm so sorry! I've been running up and down the streets looking for her.”
I ignored him, running off into the darkened alley crying out for Sasha.
Eight
I zigzagged through the streets and alleys. I screamed Sasha's name. With each minute that passed my whole body filled with desperation. Sasha got loose from her leash before. She was an inquisitive dog. These things happened once in a while. But somewhere out there Jessica lay in wait. Sasha would not become a causality to that vampire bitch.
“Sasha!” I stopped to catch my breath in an alley behind Austin. My legs hurt from inappropriate footwear. My body would not thank me for this tomorrow.
The night was chilly. The air settled over my sweaty body, blanketing me in its coolness. “Sasha!”
A man came to his chain link fence. He had a bag of garbage in his hand. He looked at me like I was a crazy person. I'm sure I looked the part with my hair blowing wildly around my face and my eyes wide in fear. “Are you looking for a little brown and white dog?”
“Yes!” I bounded over to him. My legs screamed in protest at running in sandals. Sasha first. I could deal with the pain when we were both safe at home.
“I caught a glimpse of one. Another woman, with blond hair was chasing her. They headed toward the park.” He pointed westward. “Your friend wasn't having any luck catching her.”
A blessing in disguise. “Thank you so much!” I shook his hand furiously before running for the park.
I knew the little park well. I sometimes did my runs there. It had a modest playground, a few baseball diamonds, some tennis courts, a brick one story park district building. Nothing truly spectacular, but it served its purpose. Sometimes, when I babysat my niece and nephews I would bring them over. It was a nice place to visit, during the day.
The lights over the baseball diamonds were lit. They cast a glow over the field before me. I realized my folly pretty quickly. When I was running my mind didn't stop to process what was happening. It all hit me in a rush. My purse, with the stake gifted to me by Angie, was on the kitchen table. It was past midnight, there was a full moon, and I was entirely alone. My cellphone sat next to the stake. In my purse. On the table. A few miles away. I could run pretty fast if I needed to, but I'd never outrun a vampire even in running shoes, much less sandals and long, flowing skirt.
I jogged a little further to one of the parks' baseball diamonds. There was a discarded metal bat left by the little leaguers. I picked it up, silently thanking forgetful little boys. I ran around calling for Sasha. That was also a terrible idea. Stupid, stupid Samantha. I suppose it didn't matter. Any Other, friendly or not, would sense me in the area anyway.
The air hit me as my heart rate dropped back down. The night was cold. With each intake my breath hung in the night like a little fog. I held tight to my bat.
“You smell pretty sweet when you sweat.” I stopped. I knew what I'd see if I turned around. My heart pounded harder than it had while I was running. I forced myself to remain calm. I slowly turned.
Jessica was there. She wore a leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and a faded Bob Dylan t-shirt. She held my Sasha. My dog looked terrified. This was a predator and she knew it. “I liked watching you run. You were so consumed with finding this doggy you never stopped once to think.” Truer words had yet to escape Jessica's lips.
“Put my dog down.”
“Your werewolf friend was easier to catch than I thought.” She gave Sasha a little shake. She couldn't possibly think my little Corgi was Sean. “He fits into a nice package, so small and stupid. I offered a piece of jerky and he came right to me.”
She was serious. The fool probably only cared about vampires. She'd never bothered to do her homework. No werewolf or shape shifter could shift into a different mass. Their bulk didn't magically disappear. If a two hundred pound, six foot three man shifted into a wolf and all that weight and height got redistributed. Not even a witch skilled in the art of transformation could solve the size issue. The “turning a prince into a frog” myth was still very alive and believed. However, if a witch did turn a man into a frog, it'd be one giant frog. I assumed Jessica, now an Other herself, would understand this. Had she not noticed the complete lack of male bits on my dog? Or did she think someone Sean, a man as a human, turned into a female dog at the full moon? I'd laugh at her idiocy if I wasn't so pants-wettingly scared.
“Give me the dog back.”
“No sweetie, I don't want your werewolf to get it in his mind to attack.” Her voice was even and calm. Sasha whimpered. I needed to get her away from Jessica. One wrong step, though, and my dog's neck would be snapped. “I'll put him down when you decide to take his spot. One bite and I'll make you forget about him.”
“This is all because I won't turn over Angie's file? That's what a crazy person does!”
“I represent an interested party. I was told to retrieve her information and I intend to do just that. You represent an obstacle. Now,” she tightened her grip on Sasha. “I don't want to hurt your friend, but I will. What are you going to do?”
“Give me my dog back!” I shrieked.
My shrill scream pushed Sasha into action. She knew when her mama was scared. She bit into Jessica's arm and gave it a shake. Jessica dropped her more from surprise than pain. In her moment of distraction I hit her in the face with the bat. The sound of metal connecting with skull made my stomach churn and roll. It cracked and a few droplets of blood sprayed out, coating the bat. Jessica staggered. The right side of her face was unrecognizable. I stood in horror as she fell to her knees, clutching at her face.
Sasha snarled and snapped by my legs. I snapped back into action, running, with Sasha a few paces before me.
I was jerked back as Jessica pulled on the back of my shirt. I landed flat on my back. Jessica took the bat from my hands and flung it. She sat on my pelvis. Blood dripped from her temple. The hit I gave her would have killed a human. Before my eyes the bones knitted themselves back together. The fraction, the indent from the bat, healed quickly. Only an open wound remained. She'd need more blood to finish the healing process. I had done such a number with the bat whatever blood she had earlier in the night wasn't enough. I filled with a sort of grim satisfaction.
The warmth of her blood dripped onto my face. It was cold almost as soon as it touched my skin. Having vampire blood enter the bloodstream was bad. Jessica only had to scratch my face open to infect me. I wouldn't become a vampire, no that was more complicated, but I'd be bound to her until her blood ran through my system.
She took hold of my chin. My eyes locked with hers. No, not this again. Those beautiful eyes held mine in a trance. “I'm going to open a cut on your cheek now.” Her sweet voice made it sound like this would all be all right. That this was normal.
No! Samantha, no! This wasn't normal. Not for me. Other men and women might like being bound, being a servant to a vampire master. But that wasn't me. I liked how I lived. I did nice things for other people because I wanted to. I performed favors because it was my choice
“Naughty, naughty.” Sasha barked wildly. I prayed she wouldn't attack. She'd kill her. “Sit still,” Jessica commanded.
I took my thumbs and jammed them into her eyes. “What the fuck?!” She screamed out and rolled over. I took the opportunity to run again. See you heal from that one!
I thought I glimpsed something in the shadows, by the tennis courts. I had no time to worry about what it could be. Whatever it was, my concern for it was second to my heart-pounding fear of Jessica.
She moved so fast. Suddenly she stood before me. I felt movement all around me. Something ran from the tennis courts to us. It was a large hulking shape. The already chill air became even colder. It was a feeling I was familiar with. My mind emptied of everything, but terror. Where had I felt this cold before?
Jessica pulled up a bench, poised to throw it. In an instant I ducked and the bench missed slamming into my head. I felt its breeze on my neck as I covered my head. Behind me the bench clattered into the dirt.
“Leave her and the pooch alone.” Angie!
I uncovered my head. In front of me stood a seething Jessica. The cut from the wound was still open and bleeding. A great black wolf circled and growled around her. Behind me was Angie flanked by four more wolves. The biggest of the pack was almost up to Angie's chest. Between its legs Sasha barked with new found confidence.
Jessica flashed her teeth. “You! I've heard about you. I've been looking for you. Let's make a trade. You for Samantha.” She had an arm around my waist in a second. The biggest wolf bounded at her. When Jessica fell backwards I went with her. Her arm wrapped around my neck. The wolf bit at her legs while I struggled against the crushing power of her arm on my windpipe.
The bark and snarl of the wolf was the thing of nightmares. I had heard angry dogs before, but this shook me down to my bones. The rest of the pack descended on Jessica, all snarling and snapping jaws. She let me go when one bit her thigh. She threw me off and rose herself, swinging wildly at the wolves. I rolled onto my back, trying to get up, but my legs wouldn’t obey.
Angie grabbed me by the front of my shirt. I stood uneasily on my feet again. The werewolves snapped at Jessica's heels as she danced about. In one terrible moment Angie had me by the neck. She was on her tiptoes inspecting my face. “You'll survive,” she declared. “Nightmares will be in your future, though. Now go home, call your BSB watchdogs and do me a favor. Omit my being here.” Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. I could see star and moon reflected beautifully in them. Two black spheres showing me infinity. I nodded.
Warmth from Sasha's body pressed against my leg. I bent down to pick her up. My body shook as the adrenaline drained from my limbs.
“You'll be safe to walk. We'll keep her occupied.” Angie pointed to Jessica who had climbed up the fence around home plate. “I'll teach her some manners.”
I could feel Sasha's little heart beating double what mine was. I was thrilled she was alive.
“Hey! Come back! You fucking bitch!” Jessica screamed. “You fucking cunt!” Desperation was ugly and scary in a vampire. I retrieved the baseball bat. There was no need for little kids to find it covered with blood tomorrow. I didn't bother to look back. I just turned my feet home and walked.