Chapter 10

[seymoure]

Chapter 10
“Only The Dead Don’t Die”

       There was no rush to their planning. No one was going anywhere tonight.
       They had all the city charts and maps available, and Renny held back nothing.
       He had been brought in when his old chief, a small time hood named Charlie Chaos had been missing for six weeks. Feratu just moved in and, somehow, no one questioned him. No that lived questioned him.
       A couple of guys, Tank Mammori and Knuckles Crackers, but, after a short session in the “Boss’ Office,” they just followed orders and rarely spoke. He hadn’t heard a dozen words from the pair of them before they, also, vanished in the night.
       “Where’d the boys go?” Hardy Boyd asked.
       “They were just dead tired,” Feratu hissed in his almost human tone, “So I sent them out of state for a little rest.”
       “Where to?” Boyd continued, not realizing he would be making the trip himself soon.
       “Place out west,” he was told. “It’s called Exsanguinated.”
       Doctor Thursday looked up at Faustus, who was nodding in return.
       “Please,” Renny asked, “Where is that?”
Thursday told him, “It’s not a place, it’s a condition.”
       “Huh?” the mug persisted.
       J.J. jumped in, “Means they bled to death.”
       Renny looked around the room and saw all the heads moving in agreement.
       “Does Feratu ever appear in the daytime?” Faustus asked the mobster.
       “Never.”
       “Blood loss, never out in the daytime, power to control people with his mind.” Mary Jane said, “What do you think, Doc?”
       “I hate to rely on supposition,” came the answer, “We should wait until we have enough evidence.”
       “Oh, I just remembered,” Renny added, “Somebody once took out a crucifix and Boss went a little crazy.”
       “Really,” said Mat, nodding his head.
       “He even hissed.” Renny went on.
       “Could it be that he is a real vam . . .” Baxter began.
       “We are scientists,” Doc Faustus stated, “We will wait for positive proof before we go off half cocked with wild speculation.”
       Mr. Mike returned from the record room, “They have his passport on file. He’s from Rumania. Province that used to be known as Transylvania.”
       “My God,” Doc gasped, “He’s a Vampire!”
       “Leaping Lightning,” Baxter sputtered.
       “Leaping Lightning indeed,” they all agreed.
       Now things had gotten weird.
©2005 C. Wayne Owens