Among the Living (Tyler G Book 1) Page 4

  It was a bit strange, but Eve just nodded, and so did Ginger when she came out.

  "We can talk about it on the way there? I know where to find Lars. This way." That got him to follow along with her, though she didn't take his hand or anything.

  "Let's get the truck, then pull it behind the store to load up. I already wrapped them up with a few tarps and got some machetes from the supply closet. They're in the back. Come on, we need to hurry, since I have other things to do today."

  They ran then. Only at the speed he could go, which wasn't his best, but was faster than a quick walk. People stared at them as they passed, but that was just silliness on their part. After all, a girl covered with bullet holes, and a man with a bleeding puncture wound... That was probably perfectly normal for this place.

  It really didn't take long for them to get the truck from the giant man at the power lifting place, who looked at him, grunted a bit, and slapped him on the good arm. Hard. It wasn't meant to be mean though, he didn't think.

  "I hear you fought bravely this day? You should come here and lift the weights with us. You are a bit slender. Powerful though! We make you bigger. You have more strength with which to fight, yes?" He was handed a brochure at the same time, so he got that it wasn't a free membership, but it wasn't that bad of a plan really.

  He worked out, but running and waving his hands in the air was hardly resistance work.

  "I... Can't afford it yet, but maybe in a month or so? I just got a new job. Here, down at Hartley and Co?"

  "Most excellent! Come then, when you can. Do not wait long."

  Then, like they'd known each other for years, the man handed him the keys to his truck.

  So he and the cute girl with him could go and kill some Vampires.

  After they were loaded up, and hit the freeway, he turned to the girl in the bucket seat next to him, and tilted his head.

  "You know, Lars is really cool."

  That got a sweet looking nod.

  "Very much so. I agree."

  Then they headed toward the forest.

  Chapter three

  It only took about an hour and twenty minutes to get to the trailhead that Ginger wanted to use. They actually skipped the first one, since there were four or five cars parked there. The second one had two, and finally, the third time being the charm, they were alone on the last one. Then it was a not so simple matter of carrying bodies into the forest, off the beaten dirt path, while being eaten alive by flies.

  Well, Ty was eaten. Ginger wasn't bothered in the slightest.

  He would have complained about it, since the darned things actually hurt a lot and drew blood about half the time when they bit him. Not that he bled much, but it seemed like it would hurt, so it did. It was a thing that happened to him a lot. He'd get hit, or cut, and not realize it until hours later when he saw the blood. Then it would hurt. Like it made any sense.

  "Horse flies." The trick, he knew, would be to keep moving. To make them follow along, trying to catch them.

  The other part of the day was that the damned things followed him anyway. Committed to their task.

  Trying not to be a complete pussy, he took the smallest of the bodies, one of the women, and fought his way overland with her wrapped in a blue tarp. It was harder than it sounded like it should be, since the Pinchot, in this area at least, was nearly impassable that way. For a regular guy. He got the idea pretty quickly, since it meant that just heading a few hundred meters off the trail he was in a place where no Human had probably been in decades. If not longer than that.

  His new Vampire pal had made four trips, and had the hole finished by the time he got there, and was just sitting and waiting for him, with two sharp looking, green plastic handled, machetes sitting next to the bodies. Even the heads were uncovered, exposing the necks. In short, it was all ready for him.

  That got him to swallow. It was a lot different to consider killing people than it was to actually do it. The fact was though, that it was the right idea. If these people woke up, after having been fighting him that morning, they would kill him. If they could. Yeah, maybe the others could help him hide, or even get them not to, but the Library Vampire had told them that her kind could be unreasonable. Especially when they were young.

  One way to tell that kind of thing was how easily they went down in the morning.

  Taking a breath he looked over at the cute Vamp girl, who was standing there, just waiting for him to do something, her face sort of blank. It was smooth and pale, but she looked like the kind of person that should have had a smattering of freckles on her nose. Her jeans and t-shirt fit her apparent age, but that was, most likely, a trick.

  "Hey. Um, you're awake. That means you're really old and powerful, right?"

  That got a smile to be directed his way, though there was a polite headshake with it too.

  "Most of the time that would be right, but I was allowed special training, so I could stay up all the time. In case you ever decide to pretend to be one of us, the sun burns when it's up. Like a hot poker in your eye, only all over. Constantly. Basically, I can do it because I'm a complete bad-ass. I've only been a Vampire for six years. It isn't odd for people that are over a hundred, or even near two hundred, to still go down part of the day."

  "Ah. Cool. I'm... Going to kill these people now. You... Might want to look away." It was going to be gross after all. Really, he didn't want to do it. Even if it was needed to save his life.

  Still, the hole was already dug, and unless he wanted to crawl into it himself, that would be a waste, if these beings weren't taken out. Either he was willing to fight for his own life or not.

  Cutely enough the girl nodded somberly and took a few steps to the side, behind the mound of dirt that was in place.

  It was worse trying to hit people in the neck than he'd thought it would be. Tyler didn't feel sick, but he kind of had to try and shut off thinking about what he was doing. It took longer than he would have thought it would, and he froze when he was done with the men.

  Looking down into the dead face of the woman he carried over, he sighed.

  "Is it wrong that I think she looks kind of hot?"

  The Vampire girl shook her head, but didn't laugh at him for stalling.

  "She's okay. If you want, you can fuck her before you take her head off? Now that would be wrong, but who's going to know about it? Just me, and you."

  "Sick." He laughed a little though, not meaning it at all, and swallowed hard, then let the blade meet the dead flesh with a thud. It was all done with his right arm, but it still made his left ache and burn from the exertion. Again, that was part of the mental thing he had going on with pain.

  When the last one was finished, he moved to push them all into the hole, which Ginger allowed him to do alone, but then she took the shovel she'd brought with her and worked, nearly faster than he could see, to get everything covered and hidden. It wasn't perfect, but that was why they'd gone off the path like they had. Chances were really good that no one would ever come this way again while he was alive.

  "I think it should be safe. I mean, you went deep, and no one will be around here much."

  His awesome new friend giggled a bit.

  "Wait, you do know that this is legal, right? The Vampire Council is supposed to deal with Vampires that get out of control, and even the Human government is good with that. We can't easily hold them in cages, and these morons attacked a Human today, or close enough. If they'd just been going for Tara, well, they might have died anyway, since she's a friend of Eve's, but they shouldn't have engaged with you at all. Worse it was in public. On a street. They were dead anyway, most likely. This way we can just tell everyone that they got in a fight with a random guy on the street, and died from it." She waved at the dark earth then bent to cover it with some pine needles. There was a thick layer of that sort of thing on the ground, that had been moved into a different pile. "Which is true, since they went down at daybreak, and you took their heads for them. That totally has to
count."

  "Oh, goody, I'm a bad-ass now, too?" He felt weak, and like a wimp, but managed a watery smile.

  "Yep. I mean, you might want to avoid fighting gangs of Vampires, or the really cool ones like me or Eve, but you really did it. Now, we should get the truck back."

  That meant a jog back to the vehicle, taking it through a gas station, and using a hand wash unit to scrub the big blue thing. He didn't know if what they'd done was really legal or not, but that guy Lars had lent it to them so they could go and hide the bodies. Not washing it seemed rude.

  That meant getting quarters, which he used Eve's debit card for, her PIN rammed into his brain for all time. Three-three-two-six. Everything went through though, and he didn't get more than he needed for the job at hand. It wasn't snacks, but hopefully she'd be all right with the extra ten dollars he'd gotten for it. The gas cost enough that he blanched when he saw the tally, but again, the card handled it.

  Ginger gave him a funny look when he drove to his house. It was further away, but really, he needed to change and probably get a shower. The house wasn't exactly nice, and it was rented, but the neighborhood wasn't exactly a haven for crime lords, and it had a yard. One that he cared for, by and large. That meant it was grass, and some flowers along the walkway, but it was pretty enough that Ginger smiled on seeing it.

  "Come in? I won't take long, but I need to get ready for work. What time is it?"

  That required going in for him to find out. It was nearly noon though, so wondering if he'd be fired for being late on his first day, he looked at the card that he was holding right under Eve's debit, and went directly to the phone.

  He hated talking on the phone. It was part of his being shy thing. Worse, he didn't know who was on the other side. It could be a mean person, or someone that would think he sounded mentally impaired, what with all his stammering and weak sounding hemming and hawing.

  Still, if he wasn't fired, he needed to do it. Fifteen dollars an hour as a starting wage was enough to try his best for. Plus, he was nearly certain that most of the time he wouldn't have to ask anyone if they wanted fries with that. Not that there was anything wrong with that kind of job, but Tyler had goals, which meant he needed to grow up a bit.

  "Hartley and Co. This is Hiram, what can I get for you today?"

  Rather than let himself blush, he forced relaxation, and dropped into a deep mental state. Kind of like what he'd done to take off those people's heads. The feeling of it, as well as the scent of the forest, came back to him in a rush, but he didn't pause for too long.

  "Hi. This is Ty Gartner? I'm starting there today, but it looks like I might be a little late. Zack said to call if that happened? I need to catch a quick shower, and then return a truck to the man at the power lifting gym. I should be there in say... Forty minutes?"

  He waited for the man to tell him not to bother coming in, because being that late on his first day was too rude to put up with, but there was just a considering sound, and then words that, if not kind, weren't exactly rough either.

  "Thanks for getting in touch. That kind of thing can happen. Get here when you can?"

  "Will do. Be right there."

  Ginger stayed in the living room, standing there the whole time, while he rushed around, a bit panicked. He wanted to look nice, but didn't have the world's most professional wardrobe. He did have a plain blue button up shirt though, and some black slacks. No real shoes to go with it, just his running ones, which he slipped back on.

  His short hair looked professional, but he shaved, using a safety razor, so he wouldn't have three days growth on his face. It made him look a bit younger, but also like he wasn't planning to rob anyone in a back alley. The hard part was changing the gross bit of Vampire shirt he was using for a bandage. That required at least a third hand, so after pulling the big first aid kit his mother had insisted on buying, he took it out to the living room. Shirtless and oozing blood from the uncovered wound.

  The girl went red eyed instantly, but kept her fangs held back. From the way her mouth was working it took some work to do. She managed it though, and then, without speaking, moved over and dressed the wound for him. It wasn't until they were all the way back out to the truck, and driving to the other side of town that she spoke.

  "I had to hold my breath. You smell wonderful by the way. More so, being wounded. Not like a Vampire at all. Human, more or less. It will be a lot better once you get that fixed. I only drink animal blood, but that doesn't mean that cake doesn't sound good too, you know?"

  He thought he did. In this case Tyler was the delicious cake.

  "Hmmm. Will that be a problem? I mean, if we become roommates?"

  Rather than deny that it would, the girl shrugged a bit, and looked at the side of his head boldly.

  "Sometimes. You aren't really that bad. It's a gentle thing, or will be if you aren't opened up like this. That's just part of being a Vampire. It's illegal to feed off of Humans now, or attack them, so you're safe. I can see if you were afraid. I mean, it's weird, right? Being a Vampire?"

  It was, but he also wanted to get out of his house. Mainly so his mother could have her own life again. She really deserved it. The woman was practically a saint after all.

  "I don't think it will be a huge issue. Not if you can ride in a car with me now like this." He was about to explain what he meant, when she just nodded at him.

  "Exactly what I was thinking. This is close quarters, and you're covered in blood. Well, not really, but I can still smell it. This is a good test that way. So, where should we live?"

  "Oohh. Cleverly changing the topic and everything. Good plan. Um. I don't know, we should probably see what's available first? I don't have a car, so something closer to work would be good. I can run, of course, but going fifteen odd miles each day, both ways, would be a bit much, if it can be avoided." As it was he was driving carefully, and going exactly the speed limit.

  He had the whole time, not wanting to be caught with bodies in the back of the open vehicle. It hadn't been a problem, since they hadn't seen even one police car the whole time, but he wasn't exactly insured for the thing he was in, and didn't want to make problems for Lars. That meant not getting into an accident if he could help it.

  Ginger grinned at him.

  "I can ask around at work? Honestly, it isn't that big of a deal on my end. I just want someplace to store my clothing and maybe bring a guy. Or girl. Depending on what I feel like that day. That... That doesn't bother you does it?" She seemed worried about the idea.

  Tyler nodded though, since it really did.

  "A bit? I mean, having you coming in with hot hard bodies all the time when I'm not getting any will kind of suck, don't you think? I'll live, but yeah... I can see that being difficult for me." It was honest, and came with violent scarlet colored blushing.

  Ginger giggled again. It was cute, and not too overdone, thankfully.

  "I meant doing girls, too. Not that I've done that much. So far I've never really been with anyone that wasn't a Vampire. You know, I hear it's a lot harder to lick someone when they're filled with yummy goodness? Also, I'm a Classic, which means I don't have a sex drive. It's more about making connections and keeping my people happy than anything else."

  That was news to Ty. He didn't respond for a moment, but finally nodded, keeping his eyes straight ahead, watching the road like a hawk.

  "That won't be an issue. I... I don't know, but I think I might like guys, too." Then he waited because it was just possible she'd have a problem with that.

  Girls being bi was trendy and almost normal anymore. Men were looked down on for the same thing. He was holding his breath he realized, when she finally spoke.

  "Neat. Maybe we could get together and do group stuff? I've never done that."

  He hadn't either, but had to wonder why she'd bother with it, if she didn't get anything out of it herself. Tyler didn't ask, since body hiding murder buddies or not, they'd just met. That probably did help him feel more comfortable with her
.

  "Yeah? Not that it will come up that often, I don't think. If I can, I need to spend the next half year or more basically working all the time. That means doing such a good job that Zack doesn't fire me. I don't know, Greater Demon. That sounds like the kind of boss that could be picky, doesn't it?"

  They were pulling into the parking lot, near the gym, when she spoke on the topic.

  "Zack is probably the best of the Greater Demons. He's really young for one of them, too. Don't make any deals or bargains with him, and remember, anyone you meet there might be another of his kind. Half of them are insane, and you won't be able to tell if that's the case, so be really polite, all the time. Helpful, honest and brave. They know everything, so if you have a problem, it's best to just go and see about it with him. Also, just because he's not bad seeming, that doesn't mean he isn't evil. They all are. Heck, the Vampires are. Don't mistake our outer behavior with what we really are inside. It's different."

  Then, as if it made any sense at all, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek after he parked.

  "So be careful."

  He could see that. After all, he really wasn't even certain that he wasn't dreaming the whole thing up. That probably meant that being very cautious was a better than average idea.

  As he took the keys and climbed down from the vehicle, the scent of pine hit him again. That and dirt. If nothing else, he was a murderer now. One with a job. A thing that he hadn't killed to get, which meant hurrying along was a good plan.

  Lars was still in his work place, and the giant man with his heavy features smiled hugely at him, showing slightly yellow, but very heavy teeth, including fang like tusks that were hidden otherwise.

  Without speaking he took his keys back.

  "It has both tanks filled, and we took it through a car wash, so that it won't be all dusty, or smell like Vampires. I don't know if that's a thing for you?"