Among the Living (Tyler G Book 1) Read online

  It left his bedroom open and empty, with only a closet and a dresser left. That and a girl laying dead on the floor. The pale white corpse didn't stir at all, even when Eve picked her up.

  "We'll meet you at your new place in about half an hour?" Then as if waiting for him to nod, or mumble that it would be good, the girl fled. It was still light out, which was probably her idea at the moment. If the other Vampires, the bad ones, couldn't go out during the day, then maybe it would be safer for her to do it right then, as opposed to waiting for Tara to get up too.

  Ang didn't speak again, just nodding and smiling when they got to the house. This time he got out, and started to help get the truck unloaded. Calley popped out too, hugging him before starting to work. Now she was in jeans and a baggy black shirt, which made her look a lot younger than she had before. The sun glinted from her specs. Even as she worked she kept bopping around, though they all moved quickly. It wasn't even a good fraction of what the Vampires had done for the first part.

  To his surprise, Ang came in with them when it was finished, and while he let Ty shake his hand, he also settled on the couch.

  That got Calley to move in next to him. It was cozy enough looking that he got the basic idea. These two were more than just friends. At first it seemed like that, until the thin guy turned and started pushing on his friend's head, moving her away.

  "Boundaries, Cal. Move it. Back." There was a gentleness to the whole thing, as if he meant it, but was just correcting a person, and not trying to drive her from her own living room. It worked too, after a few seconds, getting her to pull all the way back to the other side of the thing.

  One of the really nice things here was that the furnishings all matched. The two soft looking chairs were brown, and so was the sofa. There was a tasteful throw rug on the wooden floor that was tan, but that matched the drapes. The walls were a light yellow color, but that kind of off gold that didn't make him want to scratch his corneas out. In short, it was a nice looking place. Adult, and not like a bunch of kids lived there.

  "You know, Calley, I don't know much about you, do I? I mean basic stuff, like what you do for a living and how old you are. I have the really important stuff, like you being awesome, and a Bat when you want to, but other than that, not a clue." He blushed, but the girl took his talking to her as an excuse to move in next to him, in the chair that he'd settled into.

  They both fit, given the fact that they weren't huge and the chair was nice sized. Soft too. The house had air conditioning, which was nice. It meant that he didn't have to move her away too, since the side of her warm body was pressed against him solidly. She did mention being a social animal though, so he wasn't going to read into it too much.

  "I'm thirty-four. I know, I look younger than that. A lot of Shifters do. Ang here is what, a hundred and twenty?"

  The Asian looking guy nodded.

  "Something like that, give or take a few years. How about you Ty?"

  "Um..." He felt like a little kid now, but didn't mention that part. "Eighteen next week. On the twenty-seventh, in case you want to come to the party?" Not that he had anything planned. Calley held him close.

  "Oohh! We should invite everyone! Maybe have a barbeque? That would be cool. What kind of cake do you want? Or... Never mind. I can get that one. Fruit cake. Am I right? I know, how about strawberry short cake? That sounds good, actually." Then as if her head was on a swivel, she changed the conversational direction without even taking a breath. "I'm the Assistant Ambassador at Westfield for the Shifter Nation. I'll need to invite my boss. She's a bit of a bigot. Anti-Human? That means she won't come. Still, I need to ask, unless you don't want her here? That would be awkward, right?"

  "Anti-Human? That's a thing? Why?"

  It was the Dragon man that answered, since Calley went dead silent.

  "You can't change shape. A lot of our people think that being able to do that is a sign of being better than others. It's a crock, of course. The value of anyone is in what they do, not what they are born. Which doesn't change how people feel at all. It's the same basic idea as people disliking others based on color, or religion. Many feel at greater ease in life if they have someone to blame their own failures on." There was a very direct look, at Calley, then.

  She nodded.

  "Damned straight. Anyway, we can get some of the Vamps, and Zack, I bet. I... don't think we should invite the other Greater Demons yet. Not unless they become closer to you? I mean, The Line Walker won't take you as a slave most likely, but the others might, if you say the wrong thing. Especially The Mistress of Souls. That bitch will jack you up, and there isn't a lot you can do about it if she wants you to be her butt boy."

  That sounded a bit bigoted too, but he didn't say anything, since even Ang was nodding a little bit, as if the threat at least was real enough.

  "What about Lars, from the gym?" He didn't mention why, but Calley nodded, blurting it out.

  "Right. He lent you his truck to hide those bodies. We should get him to come. All of the Trollienkeine. It will cost more that way. They eat a lot. So does Zack, for that matter. Speaking of which, it's dinner time. I don't know what to make. I can do some rice for you?"

  It was actually a good thought, since he was kind of hard to feed, eating all that fruit all the time.

  "That sounds great. Thanks. I can do it, if you want?"

  It seemed like that wasn't going to go over very well, but after a few moments Ang stood up, and headed toward the door without speaking. As he opened it, the Vampire girls both walked in, passing him.

  Honestly, it was almost like he didn't want to be around them. They seemed pretty nice to Ty however. Calley didn't have a problem with them either, as far as he could tell.

  Eve drifted over to the couch, and sank into it, the soft thing holding her in a gentle embrace. Ginger however moved to her room and dropped a bag in it. Then she walked out smiling.

  "Lucy, I'm home!"

  It was cute. That also had Calley running out to give her a hug and a kiss that was probably warm enough that it would have been awkward if the girl had a sex drive.

  "Hi honey! Now, I'm making dinner, and didn't get anything for you. I can pick some up, for the fridge?"

  That got waved away as the short woman hugged her back.

  "I get it at work and only need to eat once or twice a week or so."

  Calley nodded, "right, I forgot, you're all hard core over there. It's impressive really. I know that if I was that Robs guy I wouldn't want to fuck with you. Any of you. So, how about some tunes?" She ran off, and after a moment there was a very low sound, that he could barely make out coming from the other room.

  It was rhythmic, and probably music, but he couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. The only one that got it was Ginger though, who at least explained it to him.

  "Bat's have really good hearing. So do Vampires. This is just about right, really. Can you hear it?" She seemed curious, rather than like she was just making conversation.

  "Kind of? It's really low. So, is that how you know everything about me Calley? You just heard it?"

  "Yup. That's half of my job. Well, not really to spy on you, just everyone else. So far you and Ben aren't really on the list. Not officially. That will probably change soon. I mean, what with you working for The Rotted and getting unsolicited advice from The Technician."

  Eve looked over at him, and shook her head slowly.

  "Dangerous games to play, before you know what the situation is like on the ground. Darla is a buddy of mine, but I wouldn't cross her. Anne... She's insane. Not totally unmanageable, but be careful with all of them. Not that you get a choice about it. We never really do. That's kind of what that sort does, isn't it?" She kept looking at him, as if trying to communicate a secret message with her eyes.

  He thought he understood it. He was, in her estimation, being a moron. Worse, he was too stupid to recognize it yet. It pissed him off a bit, but not that much. She knew more than he did and was probably right.<
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  Calley looked at her and nodded though, her eyes going wide.

  "Yeah. Plus he's getting in tight with all those Vampire a-holes, too. That can't end well." Then she bobbed back into the kitchen. Smiling.

  The very good looking Vampire woman nodded however, her face so serious it was compelling for a moment.

  "Not a small factor either. Vampires aren't as bad as Greater Demons, but we aren't exactly the happy go lucky crew we've been telling everyone. I should know, since I made up half of the lies that have been coming from the council in the last half year. Still, Ty here can probably handle the younger ones well enough for now. You should have seen him move, Calley. I mean, it was hard core. Different as well. We need to get together and practice."

  By which she meant doing that right then. Out in the front yard. Eve was actually really good, even working at the same speed he was as they sparred. Ginger wasn't as talented, but sped up so much that he couldn't match her after a while. Very carefully however, which didn't leave him broken or bruised. Just standing there as she very lightly tapped him in different locations, over and over again, even as he tried to cover and block.

  Standing back and watching, Eve finally nodded.

  "A bit weak on grappling. Good on hands and kicks. Throws too, but you could use more ground work against someone strong. More strength and speed too. I like the technique. What's it called?"

  That was an awkward thing, since it didn't have one, really.

  "Um, it's just something I've been working on. A high guard, with some moves to try and make up for the fact that I don't have that kind of speed or strength. Preemptive strikes and trying to target as well as possible."

  "Neat!" Ginger came for him again, and while he didn't stop her, he did work out a bit about how to keep her back a little. Mainly by kicking at her knees, or where he thought they might be in a bit. She was just so much quicker than he was that she kept flickering out of reality as far as he could tell.

  The other Vampire was worse than that, just not being visible when she chose not to be. Plus, she was actually good. It was hard for him to tell if she was better than he was, which was surprising. He never thought that he was all that good at fighting really, since he'd only ever been in one fight before. With those Vampires, the day before. All the rest had been practice, normally done alone. That he was doing it at all was kind of cool, and he did find some gaps in his style, working with the girls.

  One of those was that he really was painfully slow.

  Thankfully Calley called him in to dinner. Rescuing him in time. The others went in with him, even though they didn't really eat anything other than blood.

  His Vamp roommate grinned at him when they got to the table.

  "It's one of the things I miss most, not being Human anymore. No candy. I mean, I could eat it now, if I wanted to spend a long time being very uncomfortable. No cake for me. Or pie. Or roast beef. Well, I could have a bit of that, but no more than a bite or two. It's sad, really. No sex, no food. It's all just about blood and doing paperwork. That, and cleaning."

  Tyler raised his hand, and settled in front of a large plate that was filled with rice. It was plain, though that was fine. That way he knew what was in it. In this case, when he took a single bite it seemed to be salted. Not too much.

  "Thanks Calley. Anyway, I was just going to say that I clean too, if that makes you feel any better? Mainly um..." He covered with another bite, trying to figure out how to say he was a jizz mopper.

  Calley, who had a hamburger on her plate, smiled.

  "You tidy up after succubi?"

  Pointing he nodded.

  "That one! I bet it's not any better than what you do, most days."

  There was a giggle from next to Calley, where Ginger had settled, near enough to the bat girl that their legs had to be touching under the table.

  Which, the woman had very plainly explained as her reason for wanting them there in the first place. She needed people around, and that probably meant being cuddly with her. Which would be hard for him. After all, the girl was cute. If she was going to be right next to him all the time, he was going to want to have sex with her, sooner or later. Which would probably be in about ten minutes, considering he was eighteen and not a moron.

  Which might well have him kicked out on the first day, if he wasn't careful.

  The conversation shifted then, to being about the most disgusting things they'd ever cleaned up. The aftermath of a fight that Eve had had with a Greater Demon being the winner. Apparently that had been so horrible that she threw up.

  "You see though, Vampires can't throw up. It was so bad that it pushed the boundaries of reality."

  It wasn't something he could even try to outdo, and really, he kind of had to hope that he never had to. Just the description, which wasn't that graphic, made him feel a bit queasy.

  "You win. I can't top that. Now, I need to get my room in order, and go to bed early."

  That got everyone to nod along, as if talking about sleep before eight at night made sense, but he normally got up at four, so it really did to him. Though, and it was a thing that made a lot of sense to him, he needed to make a point of getting in touch with his mother, so she knew what was going on.

  That only seemed fair, since things had really happened pretty damned fast.

  Chapter seven

  There was a window in his room, if only a single one, and it had an eastern exposure. No curtains either, which meant that Ty was up at about four, which was about his normal time for that kind of thing. It took a few seconds for his sleepy brain to fill in that something was wrong. There shouldn't be a window there, for one thing. Blinking he glared at it. Then he noticed the walls were the wrong color, too. A pale blue instead of stark white.

  A sense of panic ripped through him. Jolting upright he looked at the space, which was sparse, as far as furnishings went. It was all his stuff, naturally. The things he'd brought the day before. Sitting where he'd left them, after unpacking as well as he could without furniture the night before.

  His bed was there, and so were his blankets and pillows. Reminders that he'd simply moved, and not been suddenly translocated to a different place. Not that thinking that was sane. People didn't do things like that, not as far as he knew.

  Except wasn't that kind of what Zack did at work? He took people places that were very far away, kind of like that.

  On the floor, next to his bed, were his pictures. One of his mom, Lucy, and his biological parents, Karen and Thomas. Lucy had never hidden that his parents had died when he was young, or that she'd taken him in, because she couldn't have her own child. Even given that, she'd always been his mother. Ever since he could remember.

  When he was five and the larger neighbor boys were bullying him, she was the one that had told him to fight, the next time they tried. Including a few dirty tricks that had let him win too. Mainly scratching and hair pulling, but it had worked pretty well against seven year olds.

  At ten she'd scraped and saved so he could take singing lessons. Then she'd bought his keyboard for him that Christmas. That hadn't made the trip, since it was old now, and broken from constant use, but it had been his favorite present ever. He'd practiced for hours every day, for years before it had broken a few months before. Really, he was good on it. Probably pro-level. Singing was about the same for him.

  It was Lucy that had helped prop him up when he was sad, and who'd spent eighteen years making sure he had what he needed, even if it meant not getting to have the life she should have had. Just to make sure he was okay. That was a thing that even as a kid he'd realized he could never really repay. True, that was most parents, but it meant more, he thought, since she didn't have to do it for him.

  The story was an old one for him, so he got up, changed into the slightly sodden running gear that he'd used the day before, and then brushed his teeth. He kept his hair short, but did comb it first, before setting out to find a new running route. That way if anyone saw him, he wouldn't
look like a disheveled mess. Not too much.

  The new neighborhood was solidly residential, and quiet, at least at four-thirty or so when he got out into it. No one yelled at him, or tried to kill anyone on the path he chose, and a few slow and plodding hours later he got back inside. It wasn't that he'd intended to go that far, having had a nice long run the day before, but he got lost.

  Still, he'd also found himself, by orienting on the mall, and then working back from there. The front door had been unlocked, since he didn't have a key yet. That seemed fair, since he also hadn't given Calley any money either. By seven he was showered and ready for the day. Not that he had anything specific to do. There was a big screen TV in the living room, which had a game station thing hooked up to it. Not wanting to demand expensive things, Ty had never gotten into games, choosing to read free books from the library instead for entertainment. Television was a different matter, since his mom had always made sure they had cable hooked up. Never the pricey premium channels, but they had it. A computer too.

  Normally he just flipped past the news channels at that time of day. There wasn't much on anyway, and being halfway informed wouldn't hurt him. Lucy had always told him that, so he'd made a point to try and pay attention to the world.

  Keeping in mind that everyone else there had super hearing, he turned the volume down as low as he could, and realized that it was probably still the same as if was blasting the thing as loud as he could for their poor ears. Sure enough, a few minutes later a sleepy and glasses free, Calley came out. She did smile though, and watched the flat picture box for a while before speaking.