AN UNWELCOME SURPRISE

THE DEAD GAME

At Linda’s apartment, Todd walked in first. Almost immediately his highly attuned senses picked up an unusual scent. It smelled of flowers and cinnamon. He stood still, trying to place the unique aroma. It somehow seemed familiar to him. Linda never wore fragrances and neither did Shana. He looked down the dark hall and wondered who had been in this apartment…or maybe still was? From the living room, he heard a woman’s voice. “Welcome. What took you so long?”

     He had assumed that everyone was accounted for in town, but this woman didn’t live in town. Now he placed the scent. He strode into the living room. “You’re not really Hank’s daughter are you, Frances? Is that even your real name?”

     “Very astute of you, even though you are a mere human vampire. My name is Maxell and I am Natalie’s granddaughter,” the woman said with hatred burning in her eyes. “You killed my grandmother and now I will return the favor and kill all of you.”

     The woman was beautiful with her blonde hair and voluptuous figure, Todd thought, but underneath she was as cold as ice. 

   “Natalie was one of The Dead before becoming a saint. Are you the same thing?” Linda asked as she watched the slinky blonde move gracefully around the room.

     “No, silly human, I am not a saint but the last of The Dead in town. You’ve ruined all of our carefully laid out plans. We were waiting for Wolf and his gang to rid the world of unwanted vampires before we annihilated every last vampire, including all members of The Dead. I would then be ready to ascend to become La Santa Muerte, like my grandmother. We were to be the only true power on earth. Finally we would be free to be worshiped properly and fully by humans.”

     Furious that they had another rogue vampire to deal with, Todd shouted at her, “You’re just another sniveling follower. The world will be a much better place with you gone.” He quickly turned to find a weapon, but by the time he turned back, Maxell and Linda had already disappeared together. The living room was empty.

     He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the sheriff’s office. As soon as Sam answered, he yelled into the phone, “Linda is gone! Natalie had a granddaughter who’d posed as Hank’s daughter. She is the last of The Dead. This Maxell woman has abducted Linda. We need to quickly rally the forces. Call everyone. We must find them before she harms Linda.”