Page 63 of Dark Obsession

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Adrenaline pumped through Cody, sharpening his vision and hearing. He bent low as he forged a path through the corn, pausing now and then to listen. Demmy stayed right behind him, coming up close each time they stopped. Cody heard Demmy’s quiet breaths and felt his hand against his hip as he steadied himself.

Annie burst through the stalks just ahead of him. Cody darted toward her, but she was ready and stepped aside. He stumbled to the ground, the taser still gripped in his outstretched hand.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” Annie said in a sing-song voice as she turned between them. She ended up pointing at Demmy. “You’ll be the first to go.”

Cody was trying to scramble to his feet, but the dirt was soft beneath his shoes and the space narrow between the stalks. Demmy remained in a crouch staring up at her. He aimed one hand over his shoulder and pressed a button on the key fob. Back in the parking lot, Zenona’s Subaru started honking. Annie jerked her head up, and had just enough time to say, “Huh?” before Cody lunged forward, pressing the taser to the small of her back and zapping her. She went down, sprawled in the dirt.

“She’ll be up quick.” Cody reached out over Annie.

Demmy ignored his hand and jumped over her. As he ran past Cody, Annie was already pushing to her hands and knees, and Cody zapped her ass before following.

They ran, no longer trying to be quiet. Cody batted leaves aside, and ears of corn smacked him in the face and arms. Bruised by corn—what a story to tell if they lived long enough. Demmy kept pace close behind as Zenona’s car continued to blare its warning.

Movement a few rows away to either side of them pushed Cody to speed up even more. Demmy was keeping up, but Cody didn’t know how much longer either of them could maintain that pace. His breath burned in his throat. The rows of corn seemed to be narrowing, the stalks crowding in close. The bright white glow ahead made Cody think of those big LED lights up on poles in yards. Maybe they would make it after all.

Bastian casually stepped out of the corn in front of him. Cody slid to a halt and Demmy ran into him, pushing him forward another two steps.

“You’ve been very naughty with Andy’s toy,” Bastian said, wagging a long, slender finger and shaking his head. “Bad boys get punished.”

The rustle of leaves behind made them turn. Leo and Annie stood close together, blocking their retreat. Annie had her arms crossed as she glared, a corn leaf sticking up out of one side of her hair. Leo bared his fangs, fists clenched at his sides. Demmy turned his back to Cody, facing Leo and Annie, and Cody grabbed his hip, pulling him in close as he watched Bastian. A dog barked from not too far away. Christ, the last thing he needed was some farmer coming out to investigate.

“What the fuck are you trying to do, huh?” Cody said. “What’s your endgame?”

Bastian’s expression hardened. “My endgame? As if it should be anything more than refusing to repress my true instincts and ensuring those close to me are fed and safe from harm.”

“But bringing harm to us daylight dwellers?”

The vampire took a step closer. “I’ve been around this area a good long time. I followed Xavier here, and Aldrik, though that one turned out to be more of an idiot than I would have liked.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Cody said, instinctively drawing his head back as Bastian eased another step closer.

A brief flicker of a smile from Bastian, revealing his fangs. “Yes, I’m sure.” He thought a moment. “I believed in Xavier’s vision of a vampire colony base here, spreading outward across the country. So many resourceful folks here are just begging for eternal life.” He lifted his chin and turned his head back and forth as if scenting the air, then fixed those glowing red eyes on Cody again. “Can’t you just smell it in the air?”

“Cody…”

The tremble in Demmy’s voice made Cody glance behind. Annie and Leo stood much closer, staring intently. When he turned back, Bastian stood inches away, eyes burning, mouth open wide to reveal his fangs. Cody gave a shout and retreated, forcing Demmy back a step.

A quiet popping sound not too far away, there and gone. Cody lifted the taser, but Bastian knocked it aside, the blow shooting pain across Cody’s hand and up his arm.

Something fell to the ground the next row over. By the sound, it wasn’t very large, but Cody didn’t, couldn’t, look away from Bastian’s burning eyes. Then something small and white dropped between them, landing at his feet. Suddenly, the vampires were gone. All he felt was the breeze of movement and heard corn stalks snapping as they fled.

“W-what happened?” Demmy sagged against him, still back to back.

Cody turned to look all around, hands on top of his head. Nothing moved, and he blew out a breath as he exchanged a confused look with Demmy who was pale, wide eyes darting back and forth. Cody looked down, then crouched to pick up the object. He chuckled as he held it out to Demmy, who took it, his forehead creased in confusion.

“Garlic?” Demmy said.

“They gone?” a woman called from a short distance ahead.

“They’re gone,” Cody replied. “Thank you.”

“Happy to do it,” the woman said. “Those fuckers have their way with my crops every year. Come on out, let me get a look at you.”

Cody led the way along the row until they emerged into the yard of a farmhouse. The moon hung directly overhead, its glow filling in the corners the big LED light didn’t reach. A woman Cody guessed to be in her fifties stood between the house and the corn, an old hound dog at her feet. She had blond hair cut short—a pixie cut, he thought it was called—and a Buc-ee’s t-shirt with a pair of jean shorts and rainbow Crocs. She held a clear plastic tube connected to a trigger mechanism. A few garlic bulbs gleamed inside, and he chuckled. A garlic launcher. The woman raised her hand in greeting.

“My name’s Beverly Sue.” The dog chuffed, slightly puffing out his drooping upper lips. “This is Hortense. You boys been over to that bar? Are you hurt? Do you need bandages?”