Incubus Dreams   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

People have no sense. Or they knew something we didn’t. Naw.

I heard, “Get the EMTs up here.”

Patterson trotted off to let the medics know it was safe to come up. Sheriff Christopher glared up at me. “It was one of your vampire friends.”

“Looks like a knife wound to me, how do you know it was a vampire?”

The trooper spoke in a voice that was strained low with pain and shock, “Bastards flew off with her. Flew up like fucking birds, straight up.”

Okay. “Alright, vampires. Who did they take?”

“One of the dancers,” the trooper said. “I was making a drive-through, like we’re supposed to. Saw her come out, and saw them just come out of the shadows, one on either side of her. She started screaming. I got out, pulled my gun. But there was another one, I didn’t see him. I don’t know why, but it was like he just appeared behind me. He put the knife to my throat, told me to watch. Then the others just flew away with the girl. They fucking flew away.” He closed his eyes and looked like he was struggling with the pain.

The EMTs were there, pushing us all back.

The trooper opened his eyes, and he looked at the sheriff. “He had the knife at my throat, why didn’t he kill me? He switched the blade, drove it into my shoulder. Why? Why didn’t he kill me?”

I answered, while the medics went to work on him. “He wanted you alive, so you could tell us what you saw.”

“Why?” he asked, and he looked at me.

“It’s a message.”

“What message?”

I shook my head. “They want us to come and save her. They want to force us to move tonight, while they’re strong, not wait until dawn when the advantage is ours.”

Sheriff Christopher stood up and reached out for me, but seemed to think better of it, and just motioned for me to follow him. I followed him. “Last I knew we didn’t know where these bastards are hiding. You sound like you know.”

I blinked up at him and thought, What can I tell him that won’t get us all in trouble? “I’ve got a date with Mobile Reserve for just after dawn, but if they’ve got a hostage, we can’t wait until dawn.” I dug my cell phone out of my jacket pocket and dialed Zerbrowski’s cell. “Give me Captain Parker’s number, Zerbrowski.”

“Why?”

“The vamps took a stripper, alive. They even made sure we had a wounded but living state trooper to tell us about it.”

“Jesus, Anita, it’s a trap.”

“Probably, but give me the number anyway.