Beheaded Vampin #8

8/3/2019 Beheaded Vampin #8

1/51

Beheaded

Vampin #8


2/51

Surprise Visit

Chapter 1

Her father insisted they talk, down on

the dock, privately.

For days, shed been telling her

parents to go away; although it wasntso much that she wanted her father to

leave, but it was her mother she didnt

want to deal with.

Despite her telling him to go to

hell, he bent over and picked her up

from the bed. He carried her down the

stairs, through the kitchen, and down

the wood slatted path, where he put

her down, gently, on the sun warmed

bench.

Ho-o-ow, she spoke slowly,did you find me?

I got my cell phone bill, and

there were charges on Meghans

account. We activated the GPS tracking

on the phone, and here we are, said

her mother.


3/51

After having lost her phone in a

plane that went down, above theTranscarpathian Mountains, shed been

using her sisters old phone. The GPS,

they thought, would lead them to

Meghan, but it brought them to Starr.

Gently, slowly, she reached herhand up to her neck and was surprised,

for a moment, to feel that the stitches,

that had been holding her head to her

neck the last week or so, had been

removed.

She must have been asleepwhen someone took them out!

Since being beheaded, she was

doing better, but her motor functions,

including her speech, were still slow.

Credenza never mentioned thatsevering of spinal cords was not easy

healing, like normal wounds. Her brain

worked fine, but not even her larynx

could follow her brains synapses

quickly enough for her to deliver even

the shortest monologue in less than

five minutes.


4/51

Trying not to let her hand fall

like a dead weight, as is what happenswhen there is no muscle control, she

used all the strength she could muster

to slowly lower her hand down onto her

lap.

Wheres Meghan? Why do youhave her cell phone? asked her

mother.

As usual, thought Starr, no hello

or how are you, and her father, as

usual, just stared off into space. Shed

been gone a year, without a word, butthey didnt seem to care very much

about that.

Briefly, an image of Meghan,

lying in a blood drenched bed, flashed

in her mind.

A couple questions whizzed

around in her mind. How much should

she tell them? Would they believe her?

Or would they blame her for

everything, as they did when Meghan

was abducted?


5/51

She looked into her mothers

eyes, and slowly opened her mouth toreply. She said, I, she paused, dont

know.

What happened to you?

I, uh, she moaned in pain,

prefer not to answer your question.

Why not? she asked angrily.

Because its none of your

business.

Starr, youve had stitches allaround your neck! You look like

Frankensteins monster! I want

answers, and I want them now!

Being spoken to, like that,

reminded her that she was still,technically, a minor. Still, she thought

to herself, things had changed; there

was no way she could go home, now.

Starr didnt have the strength toreply. Since the accident, prolonged


6/51

activity tended to wear her out,

quickly.

She simply stared, willfully, into

her eyes.

Fine, said her mother angrily.

Ill go pack your things. Your father

will put you in the car, and but Starr

cut her off.

Im not. co- co-, she

stuttered. Words with hard c sounds

were especially difficult for her to say.

It had something to do with the wayher throat had to form to get the sound

out. Slowly, she rose and, skipping the

word come, continued with, hooome

with you.

Oh, yes, you are, she said

authoritatively, standing up to grab

her.

Her mother put her hand on her

arm, but a loud animal growl issued,

uncontrollably, from Starrs throat,

scaring her. She yanked back her hand.


7/51

Both her mother and her father

stared disbelievingly at her; slowly,they backed away.

Judging by the looks on their

faces, she must have accidentally

called forth her inner demon.

Pain and tiredness was winning

her over, once more. She looked up the

dock to see Misaki running to help her

back up to the house.

She put Starrs arm around her

neck.

This conversation is over, she

said, and Misaki, carefully, guided her

back up the steps of the dock, up the

wooden path to the kitchen porch, and

back inside the house.

Inside, chaos reigned as usual.

Mot, Danny and Kay fought over video

games while Misty, Becky and Lucas

chattered in the corner of the living

room.

Ever since her accident, a lot of

noise seemed to overwhelm her,


8/51

making her feel dizzy and disoriented.

She often wished they would spendmore time outside, but, since being

surprise-attacked by a dozen vampires,

they were afraid to go outside, and

especially now that their strongest

protector was hardly able to move her

own limbs.

Carefully, Misaki helped her up

the stairs, and into her bedroom.

Once down on the bed, she said,

Mica?

Mica was one of her closest

friends, and fellow vampire, whose

hearing was more extraordinary, than

most other vampires.

Hi, she appeared at the door.

Did you hear all that? she

struggled to say.

You can just whisper to me; Ill

hear you plainly. Yes, I heard the

conversation.


9/51

Misaki left the room. Mica moved

in and sat in the chair next to her bed.

I dont want them here, she

whispered. You must insist that they

leave. Tell them I dont know where

Meghan is.

But, Starr, you do know what

happened to Meghan. Dont you think

they have a right to know?

Know that their daughter

turned into a whore? Know that she let

a man beat her, give her drugs, andthen kill her? When Mica said nothing,

she continued with, No, it would just

be one more thing theyd blame me

for, and they already blame me for

letting her get away.

What if you went home for a

few days? Spent some time with

them?

Mica, you seem to be under the

impression that we were the Brady

Bunch, and maybe, once upon a time,we were, but when Meghan left, that all

changed. Besides, if vampires are


10/51

going crazy and killing people, en

masse, the safest place, for me, is herewith fellow vampires, like you, Marla

and Shane.

Misaki entered the room with a

mug of chicken blood and a straw. She

stepped in front of Mica, sat on the bedand held the cup of warm liquid up to

her mouth.

Freshly killed chickens blood?

she asked, as Misaki positioned the

straw between her lips.

I found an abandoned coop, a

few miles down. Chanler helped me

bring them back. Misty freaked when

she saw me wring one of their necks,

haha.

You?

Yeah, I had to do it all the time,

back home.

Starr often forgot that Misaki

was from a place that was not only of

technological advancement, but also

still had its roots in farming and


11/51

superstition. It was for that reason she

loved Misaki, only second to Lily; inher, she found wisdom, healing, super

intellect, and a basic street sense that

put her above all the other kids.

Thank you, Misaki.

As she put the straw back up to

her lips, someone came and stood in

the doorway.

Chanler? Why are you back so

soon?

Not now, Starr, he said. I

dont want to worry you. I just wanted

to say hello, and let you know that Im

back.

No, now, Chanler. I need to

know whats going on, she said,getting agitated and accidentally

choking on a bit of the blood.

Ahuh, ahuh, she coughed and

cried, for the pain was terrible.

Misaki lent her forward, and thentold her to swallow again.


12/51

Chanler entered the room and

sat behind Misaki, on the bed. Helooked at her a moment.

Its okay, she returned to

whispering. You can speak in front of

Misaki and Mica.

He eyed them a moment, and

then said, Well, after you left, we

spoke to a few members of the Order

of Negru. They claimed to know

nothing and, to be honest, I believed

them. Besides, they were still in good

standing and, despite our differences, Idoubt Madam Balaji would have

anything to do with this new vampire

species; the Negru are bourgeois

elitists. So then we spoke to a few

members who were either banned from

the Order, or quit. To be honest, wewerent getting anywhere; no one knew

anything, so when I heard about

Lucenzo giving Lily treatments for her

infection, I had to come immediately.

Now, of course, it all makes sense.

As I made my way here, to check

on you all, Michelle and the others


13/51

ransacked Lucenzos house, in Boston.

Apparently, they found a picture ofLucenzo and Amir, the Ukranian we

met in Fedir. It looks like Amir was a

member of the Order back when it first

started, in the nineteenth century,

which is probably why no one

remembered him. Most Ordermembers, now, are less than a century

old, including its new headmistress,

Madam Balaji.

What about the rest of the

Ukranians?

We dont know where they

could possibly be. We simply dont

have the resources for what Lucenzo

and Amir have accomplished, together,

so weve gone an unconventional route

we never thought wed ever do.

What?

Were working with the Centers

for Disease Control.

Mica gasped.


14/51

What? What about exposure?

she asked incredulously; even Misaki,who wasnt a vampire, lowered her

mug and looked at him.

Look, we need a mass plan to

exterminate all the vampires, and we

need to decontaminate those placeswhere the virus was leaked. We dont

have the resources, so we have no

choice but to go to the CDC.

Starr sat in silence a moment,

thinking about what working with the

CDC could mean, for them.

I was hoping youd help us. We

need you.

You need me? I dont know if

youve noticed, but I cant even feed

myself.

Yeah, but that wont be for

long. Youll be fine, soon enough.

How long do you think? she

asked hopefully.


15/51

Couple of weeks, maybe, before

you will feel like you can manageanother mission with the Fleet;

although you may not feel completely

back to normal for months, and even

then, you may still feel strange. These

types of injuries are devastating, even

for us, but you will recover. Ive readabout these injuries, and they just take

time.

Starr didnt know whether to be

relieved or depressed. She couldnt

stand the thought of being in bed while

the others were taking action, and she,

certainly, hated the idea that she

wouldnt be as physically fit as she was

before.

What about the breakouts in

Europe? Mica finally spoke up.

Well, we have to worry about it

later. For now, were gonna send

intelligence reports to the other

governments, and several of the last

Fleet members have gone to meet with

the Ukraines and the Romanians,


16/51

where the outbreaks first happened.

After, theyre coming back here.

How is the cleanup effort gonna

work? Mica asked.

Well, lets just say that your

idea, he motioned to Starr, to get out

of the city was a good one. Like Akron,

they were planning to quarantine areas

where the most people were infected,

and then torch the places. I dont think

the plan is going to change much,

either. The only difference is, with us,

they will know exactly where to target,and now they dont need to burn entire

cities to the ground, and thats where

you come in, Starr.

She looked at him,

questioningly.

Reading her facial expression, he

answered, Well, not many people

have your kind of extra sensory

perception; the kind that allows them

to see in different places. Myself, and

the others, are simply telepaths: wehear the voices, but cant always tell


17/51

where they come from. We can sense

them, track their scents, and the virus,but with your ability, we can pinpoint,

exactly, where the vampires or virus

are, and then we can determine

whether we go in and kill them by

hand, or bring the Big Fire if theres too

many of them, if you know what Imean.

Big Fire was the Fleets code

word for a modern day napalm job.

Why are you here though?

Surely, the Fleet needs you? askedMica.

Looking Starr in the eyes, he

said, I came back to protect you all.

The chicken blood, finished,

Misaki stood up and left the room.

Id better go inform the others,

said Mica, and she followed her out.

Michelles in Romania, he

said, as he moved closer up the bed,

filling the spot where Misaki sat, a

moment ago.


18/51

He leaned over, closing in on her

face. When he pressed his warm lips tohers, she felt blood rush in her brain.

The rush was too much for her, and she

passed out.

The next thing she knew was

someone turned on the light. It had

been like this, off and on, for a while:

one moment, she was awake, aware,

having a conversation, and, the next,

she was out, then shed suddenly wake

and there would be someone in herroom.

She stared at the long, muscular

torso of a man that sat, next to her, on

the bed. He grabbed her hand and

squeezed it.

Michael?

Hi, Starr.

Michael was the one who turned

Starr, after shed been stabbed in the

back, by her sisters killer.


19/51

How did you know were here?

My dad told me.

Does he know where Lucenzo

is?

If he does, hes not saying. Why

are you talking like that? Whathappened to your neck?

Chanler entered the room with a

cup and straw.

It hurts her to speak. Lucenzo

cut off her head, and then sewed itback on, a week and a half ago.

Will she be alright? he asked

sounding scared for her.

Starr heard a slight loathing in

Chanlers voice, as he said, Shell be

fine, eventually. Shes just slow to do

things, for the moment, and he sat on

the opposite side of the bed, moved

Starr upward, and adjusted the straw

to her lips.

I dont understand; I thought

beheading killed vampires.


20/51

Immediately, a sour scented

pheromone, almost reminiscent ofspoiled milk, filled her nostrils.

Was Chanler jealous? Starr

wondered.

If you reattach the head,

immediately, death can be prevented.

Lucenzo didnt want to kill her, but only

to stop her from telling us, too soon,

that he was the one responsible for the

attempt at a vampire apocalypse.

He leant over and put the strawto Starrs lips.

Can you do that later? I want to

talk to her, privately, asked Michael.

No, she needs her strength, he

said, as he looked at him through sliteyes. This will keep her awake longer,

and speed her healing.

Its alright, Michael. You may

speak in front of Chanler.

Well, I just wanted to say thatyou were right, Starr.


21/51

About what? asked Starr,

letting the straw drop from her lips.

Chanler pulled back the cup,

sighed loudly, and looked at Michael.

Michael turned his head toward

Chanler and asked, Do you mind?

Yes, I do mind.

He stood up and said, Dude,

what is your problem? You wanna have

a go?

Misaki entered the room.

What is going on here? she

asked, sounding far beyond her years.

Chanler, please wait outside.

Michael and I need to talk please,

she returned to whispering, as the pain

was mounting in her neck and head.

Ill be back; dont let her pass

out, she hasnt eaten in a few days

because weve been unable to wake

her.


22/51

They left the room; Misaki closed

the door behind them.

Michael sat back down on the

bed and held her hand once more.

Im so glad youre alright.

Michael, what is it you weregoing to say?

Just that you were right about

my father; there are things hes not

telling me.

He paused; she merely waitedfor him to pick up again.

To answer one of your

questions, from last time we spoke, I

turned you; I know I did. Weve been

friends forever, and I would have neverlet you die, but he cut off.

He stood up and paced the

room, as he ran his hand through his

hair, agitatedly, My father has been

acting peculiar. When the virus first

broke out, he came to see me andmake sure I was alright. But there were


23/51

times when hed disappear, both

physically and mentally. I knew he wascommunicating with someone,

telepathically, but he wouldnt tell me

who, or what, was going on. Anytime

Id try to probe his thoughts, Id see a

dark tunnel. Hes definitely hiding

something, but I dont know what.

One thing he told me, before he

last took off, was to follow you, and to

make sure that you were safe. I should

have caught up with you weeks ago,

but I had to look after my mom.

Besides, lets face it, you can take care

of yourself. But, then he returned and

was so angry with me. He told me to

get here or he would beat me, so here I

am. Really, I hadnt a clue that youd

been injured. If I had, I would have

been here sooner.

Starr merely looked at him,

trying to deduce what everything hed

just said could possibly mean.

Unfortunately, processing thoughts was

difficult, as she was prone to severefatigue after thinking too hard. Since

shed just had a visit with her parents,


24/51

her energy was nearly spent, and a fog

was clouding her brain, once again.

Its just strange, he said.

I think you should leave, said

Starr. If he asks, tell him I kicked you

out. Whatever hes up to, I dont need

you leading him here. He could be

working with Lucenzo, for all we know.

Whats Lucenzo go to do with

this.

But Starrs head was starting to

lull, and the fog was getting thicker.

She felt herself slipping into sleep.

Next thing she knew, Chanler

was in the room again, trying to feed

her. She told herself to drink, but it got

harder and harder to draw the liquidthrough the straw, and the room got

darker and darker, and darker

Suddenly, she was awoken by

Misaki.

Come on, she said, pulling herup into sitting position.


25/51

She set a plate of little pink, oval

shaped chicken brains on her lap. Thescent awakened her senses, and she

realized she was very hungry. Her

fangs protruded forward as she felt the

pink slip and slide, slightly, between

her thumb and finger.

Amazingly enough, her hands

worked much better than when she

was awake, last.

How long have I been asleep,

this time?

Three days, she said.

I feel like some of my energy

has returned, she said as she picked

up a soft, cold pink brain, and relished

its tongue-like feel in her mouth.

Today, Im gonna take you for a

walk. You have to keep moving, so that

your body will heal right.

All of a sudden, a walk sounded

great. She wanted to see and feel the

sunlight.


26/51

She was still fairly slow, she

noticed as she carefully walked backdownstairs, both her hands heavily

gripping the bannister, but she was

happy to know that she wouldnt be a

cripple. Her progress wasnt quick

enough, for her, but it was happening

and, for the first time in two weeks, shefelt like smiling, until she walked into

the kitchen, where she saw her mother

cleaning the mornings dishes.

What the hell are you still doing

here? she asked viciously.

Im not leaving until youre well

enough to come with us.

Mom, even when Im fully

recovered, Im not leaving with you,

and you cant make me. Things havechanged, and you need to accept that

and move on.

Youre still my daughter.

Yes, but not that you ever

cared. Id been gone a year, and neveronce did you come to find me.


27/51

I didnt know about GPS; that I

could track you down, until I called thephone company

Yeah, you didnt learn about

GPS until you called about Meghan,

right?

She said nothing.

Heres what happened to

Meghan: she was murdered by her

scum, pimping boyfriend. He also

stabbed me in the back, and I would be

dead, too, if it werent for Michael.Remember Michael?

She said nothing.

I always knew she was your

favorite, but I never knew how little you

cared for me until she was abducted.Now you want me to come home and

be your daughter, but only to replace

her, so, no, I will not be going home

with you; not ever. You cant make me,

either. I may be crippled, but only for

the moment. Like snapping twigs, Icould still break your limbs, if you tried

to force me.


28/51

Her mothers eyes widened, and

her jaw dropped. She looked indignantand shocked.

Starr ignored the look, and

continued past her, through the

backdoor, onto the porch.

Outside, the air was nice; she

heavily breathed in the moist pollen

rich air, not that her kind actually

breathed anymore, but the taste of air

was, sometimes, as refreshing as a cup

of blood.

Oh, wow, she said. Spring is

coming, and its gonna be a lovely one,

here on Lake George.

Do you feel that you can walk

down the steps on your own? asked

Misaki sounding concerned.

Yes, she said, and, although it

took her nearly thirty minutes to step

down the six steps, and walk the long

wood slatted path, she managed to

make it all the way to the end of thedock.


29/51

Shane got up from her spot on

the bench, allowing Starr to sit next toBecky and Kay.

Seeing the way the suns rays

bounced across the water entranced

Starr. For the first time, since being at

the cabin, she truly looked at thesurroundings: the trees, tall and

abundant, blanketed the bank.

Occasionally, ripples of water moved

across the surface when birds plunged

into the water, catching fish and

devouring them.

Suddenly, she felt like someone,

familiar, was near to her. Gently, she

turned her head toward the house and,

for a moment, she could have sworn

she saw a white and red amongst the

trees behind the garden.

Probably just one of the kids, she

thought to herself.

Exhausted from her walk down

to the dock, she didnt think much of it,

and turned her head back, in time, to


30/51

catch Misty leap a cannon ball into the

water.


31/51

Almost Healed

Chapter 2

Over the next few days, Misaki came

around and took Starr on walks along

the bank. Shed even begun to practice

Tai Chi with her.

I didnt know you know Tai Chi.

Why did you never tell me? You know I

was always miserable, not having

anyone to practice martial arts with.

Because I didnt want to

practice with you, haha, she laughed.

Youd kill me, but I think itll be good

for your recovery. I was teaching Lily,

before she ran off with Lucenzo, but

she just got bored. She has this crazy

idea that she wants to be a warrior, of

some sort, but she doesnt have the

patience to properly learn.

What she said, about Lily, was

true: she was all romantic notion, but

not an ounce of discipline or

perseverance.


32/51

With each stretch, she felt tugs

and pulls at the tendons, and oncertain muscles. Sometimes, the

stretches made her cry out, but with

each one, she felt stronger and, the

more she stretched, the less it hurt.

By the end of the week, she wasable to stay awake for hours, as

opposed to minutes, without passing

out.

Both Michael and Chanler kept a

watchful eye on her, and helped

wherever they could. But they hadbecome unbearable to be around, and

when Michael tried to take over feeding

her, Chanler punched him in the face,

sending him through the wall; after

which, Misaki ordered them to stay out

of Starrs room, permanently.

Her mother and father were still

sleeping in the den, and refused to

leave. Occasionally, shed catch her

father staring at her, and her mother

was perfectly skilled at acting like there

was nothing wrong in the world. She

could be found, going about mothering


33/51

all the kids until they were rolling their

eyes and cursing under their breath.

Despite the situation with her

parents, and everything wrong in the

world, Starr couldnt help but be

extremely chipper when, one morning,

she woke up on her own. Up until thatpoint, shed slept continuously, only to

be woken by Misaki or Chanler, or other

visitors. To wake up on her own was a

sign that she was getting better.

Happily, she decided to take a

shower on her own, too, but Misakichecked in on her, periodically.

Down in the kitchen, she was

greeted by all the kids who clapped

and cheered for her obvious healing

advancement.

Are you gonna have breakfast

with us? asked Lucas, a handsome

black boy shed rescued from an

abusive family in Harlem.

She smiled and said, Yeah, Ithink so. The sausages smell really

good.


34/51

Like a gentlemen, he stood up

and pulled the closest chair, to her,out. She leaned on his shoulder as she

settled down into the seat, and he

gently pushed the chair inward.

Coffee? he asked.

Yes, thank you.

Ill get it, said her mother.

Lucas sat back down and tried to

serve her.

No, Ill do it, she said, andleaned forward, slowly, and pulled the

plate of sausages toward her.

Your speech is much better,

said her mother, as she set a white, hot

mug in front of her. I didnt know youdrink coffee.

Starr opened her mouth to say

something spiteful, but Chanler put his

hand on her lap and squeezed, gently.

Wanna go for a walk afterbreakfast? he asked.


35/51

Sure, she said, eyeing Michael

as she said this.

He smiled and shook his head.

As they finished breakfast, a

loud rumbling rattled the windows of

the kitchen and vibrated up through

the floors, shaking the table.

Then, through the window over

the sink, they watched a black

helicopter lower down, onto the bald

patch that Lucenzo and the others

cleared, of trees, weeks ago.

One by one, they followed each

other, outside. The door slid open and

out came a couple members of the

Fleet: Alin, Saul, and Michelle.

Starr felt like the coffee in herstomach had turned to acid, and was

burning through her stomach lining.

Hey, Starr, said Alin. I hope

youre doing better. Im so sorry to

hear about what happened.

Hi, Starr, said Saul.


36/51

Michelle, who paid no attention

to Starr, walked up to Chanler andkissed him on lips.

The acid in her stomach burned

up into her esophagus.

What are you guys doing?

asked Starr annoyed. We dont have

room for you, she said, hoping theyd

leave, and take Michelle with them.

We told Chanler that wed meet

him back here, Alin replied sounding

shocked at Starrs disdain.

We cant stay, anyway, said

Michelle. We need to go to Georgia,

immediately, she said, looking into

Chanlers eyes.

Why now? Whats the rush? he

asked.

Vampires stormed the

Parliaments Chamber.

What chamber? asked Starr.


37/51

Romanias Parliamentary

Chamber, said Michelle, not looking atStarr. Amir has, somehow, organized

these new vampires to march

together.

What do you mean, organize?

he asked her.

Were not sure, Amir

answered. We were having a meeting

when we were attacked by at least a

thousand vampires.

Mica gasped, Marlas jawdropped, and Shanes face went

several shades paler.

How many survived? asked

Starr.

Everyone is dead.

These vampires are maniacal

and unruly. How did he organize them,

as you say?

Im not sure. That is what we

need to find out, which is why we needto get to the CDC headquarters. We


38/51

simply dont have the resources to

figure this out, but they do.

We need to warn the CDC that

the same may happen here, too,

added Saul.

Well, I cant go. You guys will

have to go without me.

What? Michelle shouted.

What do you mean?

I cant leave everyone, here,

unprotected.

She grabbed him by the wrist

and dragged him back over to the

helicopter where they argued,

ferociously.

Okay, said Alin, rolling hiseyes. We need to go, and we need

you to come with us, Starr.

Absolutely not! said Starrs

mother.

Mother, shut up!


39/51

Starr, dont talk to your mother

that way!

Dad, shut up!

Chanler stormed back up to the

group.

Alin, there is no way that Starrcan go anywhere. Shes still

recovering.

We cant leave her behind;

Credenzas orders.

Credenzas orders were toprotect Starr, and so Im staying;

besides, wheres Credenza? Whens the

last time we heard from her? Not since

before the virus broke out. We dont

even know if shes alive.

Well then Im staying too.

Michelle, you cant stay, said

Saul.

Michelle, said Alin forcefully.

Get your ass on the helicopter.

She turned around.


40/51

I swear she is driving me cr-r-r-

azy, Alin rolled his r harshly. I dontknow how you put up with it, he shot

at Chanler.

Okay, listen. Well be back in a

week. I expect you to check in with me

every three days.

I expect Starr should be

capable of a mission in a week or so.

Okay, well I expect you all to be

ready to leave, when we come back for

you.

They walked up to the

helicopter, but then it wouldnt start.

Everyone stood, watching them in

silence.

Finally, the door slid back open,and Saul leapt out, followed by the

others. They huddled around the

engine; Chanler walked down to them.

After a few moments, he

returned.


41/51

Theyll have to stay here until

its working, again.

Theyll have to sleep in the

attic, said Shane.

So Michelle and Chanler spent

the day cleaning out the attic, and Alin

and Saul worked on the helicopter.

Every so often, Alin would run off down

the road to other peoples cabins and

look for parts.

Starr managed to stay awake for

most of the day; though she knew ithad something to do with the feeling of

acid in her stomach.

Since the arrival of the Fleet, the

kids seemed to want to go outside

more.

She sat on the dock, watching

them fish and jump off the dock, as

they did before they were attacked by

the vampire mob.

Misaki walked past the

helicopter, down the dock and sat next

to her.


42/51

Michelle and Chanler are

fighting, up in the attic, she said witha slight smirk. Why doesnt he just

break up with her? Shes a major you-

know-what.

I dont know, said Starr,

pretending not to care, but using hermind to probe the house and see what

they were arguing about.

Because, interrupted Shane.

When people make promises to each

other, they should keep them.

Whats up, Shane? Whats your

problem, now?

Well, for one, it just seems that

trouble follows you wherever you go.

Now, instead of these so called Fleet

members going off and taking care of

business, theyre here, and its because

of you.

How can you blame Starr for a

helicopter breaking down? For all you

know, if they hadnt stopped, thehelicopter would have broken down,


43/51

and theyd have died in a crash, said

Misaki angrily.

To her surprise, Misty joined in,

too, with If it wasnt for Starr, none of

us would be here right now. Wed still

be stuck in the city, risking being blown

to pieces for decontamination.

What about everything Ive

done for you, and for this group, but all

you ever do is criticize me and guilt trip

me. Now I dont know what your

problem is, but, whatever it is, you

need to deal with it and stop puttingyour issues on me. And, if you dont

like the situation, then you need to

leave. You dont run this show, and you

never will.

She looked at them all, rolled hereyes and walked off.

Dont worry, Starr. Shes just

scared. She wants this nightmare to be

over with, and for everything to go

back to the way it was before, said

Misaki.


44/51

I know that, but Im sick of her

always blaming me. I dont understandwhy she doesnt pick on someone

else.

Because youre the one always

taking on the responsibility. Youre the

leader of this group. We all look to you,which makes you an easy target for

blame and anger.

Yeah, well, tell her to get some

therapy, said Kay. Shes driving us all

crazy.

The Fleet members were there

for several more days. Alin and Saul

went to town to search the general

store for more parts.

Chanler stopped coming to visit

Starr. Michael, noticing the change in

him, took his place, and looked after

Starr when Misaki couldnt.

I dont know what you see in

that backstabber, he said to her. He

needs to make a choice and stop


45/51

stringing you along. Oh, come on, let

me kick his ass for you.

Haha, no dont. Its not worth

it.

Michelle rarely stayed in the

same room with Starr, and was hardly

seen at meal times.

Thats because she knows shes

in the enemies house, Marla said

smartly.

Chanler didnt talk to Starr

again, until one evening when she sat

on the dock, alone, watching yellow

and gold rays expand, further, across

the sky and turn to violent shades of

orange, as birds flew to their resting

places in the trees.

Hey, Starr, he said.

She started, and grabbed her

head as the blood rush made it pulsate,

painfully.


46/51

Oh my, Im sorry, he said

apologetically. I didnt mean to causeyou pain.

She leant her elbows on her

knees, propped her head in her hands

and closed her eyes: it was all she

could do when her head pained her.

Im sorry about Michelle and

how shes been behaving.

She said nothing, but continued

to rub her scalp.

She senses that there is

something between us.

She re opened her eyes and sat

up.

Did you tell her that there

isnt?

Yes, but, he moved closer to

her. I think she can tell that I wish

there was.


47/51

He reached out for her hand, but

she pulled back quickly.

Wow, youre reflexes are

certainly bouncing back.

Look, Chanler, just go back to

your girlfriend and stay away from

me.

He reached out for her hand

again, and said, Starr but she

yanked back her hand, stood and

walked to the end of the dock.

Starr, I like you but Im seventy

years older than you. Michelle, well,

shes been there for me, for a very long

time. Its just not that simple.

I know its not, which is why Im

making it simple for you. When thehelicopter is fixed, go to Georgia, and

dont come back.

He walked up behind her, but

she didnt want to talk anymore. She


48/51

turned, and said, Eventually, even the

closest of friends need to part ways.

And then she walked back up to

the house. From her left, she heard a

rustling in the trees.

She turned and went to inspect,

but found nothing. Her head started to

pound, she wobbled on the spot, and

decided to go back to the house.

Alin and Saul didnt return, from

town, until the next morning.

Chanler cornered her in the

kitchen.

So Im leaving. I feel bad about

it.

Well be fine.

Okay, well, call me if you need

anything at all.

Michelle appeared at the door,

smelling foul; her jealousy stinking up

the kitchen.


49/51

They walked out the back door,

Starr watched as they climbed insidethe helicopter and it lifted.

In the center of Starrs chest,

she felt a pulse, and it thumped harder

and harder as she followed the

helicopter, with her eyes, beyond themountains.

Ive been watching you and

Misaki practice Tai Chi, came her

mothers voice from behind.

Starr closed her eyes tightly,cursing under her breath.

Im still not clear on who those

people were.

Theyre members of an

organization that protects the worldfrom things, like whats happening in

the world, right now.

Well, they havent been doing a

good job, have they?

Actually, they have, she saidangrily.


50/51

So when did you become one of

these things?

You mean, a vampire, her

voice quavered. She was angered by

just her nerve to talk to her, but she

tried to remain calm and replied, The

night I found Meghan.

Is it true? Those things you

said, about her, the other day?

Yes.

Meghan would never do those

things. I just dont believe it.

Then why did you ask?

Because I wanted to know.

Starr rolled her eyes and made

to leave the kitchen.

Wait, Im not done yet.

What? What do you want,

Mom?

Your dad and I plan to leave

tomorrow.


51/51

So?

I just thought you should know,

in case youd like to come with us.

Great! Goodbye, she said

angrily, and walked outside faster than

she meant to, and stumbled flat onto

her face.

Shane, who was digging in the

flowerbed, helped Starr to her feet.

Beheaded Vampin #8

Documents