Love Bites
Chapter 17

Cory’s cellphone rang and Lily quickly said, “Well, no time for even a quickly now.”

Cory just rolled his eyes and answered his phone. Dallas said, “Find her?”

“Yes.”

“Good, now listen closely…” Dallas gave Cory instructions to a building out in a rundown industrial park and added, “You’ve got ten minutes.”

“There’s no way in hell I can get there in ten minutes. You should know that’s like 20 minutes from just about anywhere.”

“Well, you better drive like a bat out of hell. At least I hope you’re driving. Remember what I told you. One minute late, I take something – let your imagination run wild. Five minutes, and all you’ll replace is blood and an ear. Then I move, call you again and we start over until your 12 hours run out, or your sister runs out of parts for me to leave. Normally I would’ve started the clock already, but I like you. You have ten minutes from when I hang up. Good luck.”

Cory didn’t bother to reply, Dallas was already gone. While he was on the phone, Lily had already opened the door and was waiting for him. They ran out, pulling the door closed, down the stairs and out the door to the parking lot.

At the car, Cory was in the glove box pressing the button on the remote to open the gate before Lily had the car started even with her faster reflexes.

Before Cory had his door shut, Lily had the exotic car on and it in reverse. She had the car moving as he closed the door. Doing a three-point turn, Lily exited the lot into the alley, still accelerating. Thankfully for them there was no other cars in the alleyway.

The car was doing over 60 miles per hour when it shot out of the alley, pulling a hard left onto the thoroughfare barely missing a car going the opposite direction. Lily pushed the car faster, reaching over a hundred in under a block, racing to the madman holding Kayla.

Paying no heed to stop signs or lights, Lily proceeded to weave through traffic with uncanny ease. Her faster reflexes gave her the ability to see, analyze and react to obstacles far faster than anyone around her. This undoubtedly save their lives several times over. Slaloming past cars on the two lane road, using both lanes as necessary, Cory thanking God he fastened the seatbelt after getting into the car.

Cory’s cellphone started ringing. As he picked it up, he noted the time; his ten minutes were up. Answering the phone, Dallas immediately said, “I’m sorry Mr. Hudson, your time is up,” as a scream from Kayla rang out in the background.

Lily threw the car into a sharp right and caught air as it hit the small incline of a driveway entrance. Cory reached across the car’s interior, hitting the horn on the steering wheel while yelling, “Don’t hurt her. We’re here, we’re here.”

Kayla’s scream ended abruptly, and Dallas said, “You continue to amaze me Mr. Hudson… I was looking forward to a little fun with your sister. Although I will admit, she looks much better with both of her ears still attached. Maybe I can still entice her with a trade. What do you think, immortality for her virginity? She would of course be getting the better end of the deal but still…”

While Dallas was still talking, Lily slid the car to a stop and had her door open, looking impatiently at Cory, motioning in a circle with her index finger, signaling him to wrap it up.

“Never,” Cory told Dallas. “Let’s get this over with. Where are you?”

“Always the impatient one, aren’t we? Okay, on the right of the building is a door. Go inside, go straight until you get to the next door. Once through that, I’m sure you can’t miss us. Two minutes Mr. Hudson. You can take your time. Tell Miss Madison once inside the second door, she has exactly sixty seconds to say her goodbyes to you. My gift to you, shall we say,” and with that, Dallas hung up.

Cory jumped out of the door Lily had opened for him and grabbed her hand. Leading her around to the right, he quickly gave her the condensed version of Dallas’ little speech, ending with her sixty second goodbye. Going through the unlocked outer door, they entered a hallway that was straight with a door on either side and one in front. It was only about thirty feet long, so they had plenty of time to spare, considering they only had two minutes total.

Pausing before the inner door, Cory asked, “Come up with any ideas yet?”

Looking into his eyes, she shook her head no, and said, “No, you?”

“My best plan is still don’t die… That’s all I’ve got.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes at him, saying, “Now’s not the time to flirt, Mr. Hudson.”

He squeezed her hand and opened the door. They both stepped through the door, and it closed quietly behind them with a hiss of pneumatics and a click. The space opened up to a mostly empty large room, with support pillars set evenly around.

In the center, Kayla lay clad in a gossamer white, nearly transparent gown, atop what looked like an altar of some sort.

Cory thought she looked like an angel laying there, almost as pale as the gown she was wearing.

No, not an angel, he thought. A sacrifice.

Lily broke his thought by moving between him and his sister. She raised her hands, taking a hold of his head by his lower jaw and cheeks, and tipped it down slightly so she could look directly into his eyes.

His incredibly clear blue eyes, she thought. She brushed her thumbs lightly over his lips and said, “I only have one minute so this will be short, don’t waste it. I love you, Cory. Take your sister and go to safety. I’ve lived a long and mostly good life, made better these last six months. I have no regrets, so don’t you.”

Gazing back into her still liquid gray eyes, he replied, “It’s not over yet. Maybe we can…” and she put a finger over his lips and shook her head no. He continued, “I love you too. I won’t forget you and neither will Kayla, that’s a promise.”

“Live a long life full of love my sweet.” With that, she leaned into him and kissed his passionately. Midway into the kiss, she abruptly pulled back saying, “Ow, fuck,” and reached behind her with one hand. It came back around holding a small metal tube with a black cotton ball looking thing on one end and a sharp point on the other.

Lily yelled, “Loser! Seriously, what the fuck? A dart? Can’t take me fair Dallas? Have to drug me to win?” Her other hand dropped from Cory’s face.

A laugh rang out from behind a pillar near Kayla. “I have so much bigger plans my dear Lily. Like kill your toy there first. Make his sister my slave, right after I deflower her, then make her watch as I slowly tear you to pieces. Then turn the lovely Kayla and make her into a little vampire making machine. I imagine I could get several hundred out of her. What do you think?”

Cory heard her voice inside his head say, “Get your sister and run. Don’t stop for anything. For me. Please.” Then he saw her eyes flash that molten gold color and instantly she grew her long fangs. If she hadn’t been drugged, Cory would have never seen her turn and charge a pillar near Kayla, but as it was, his eye could barely keep up.

A surprised hiss came from around the pillar as Dallas was not expecting Lily’s speed, which was still fast, even though drugged.

Not hesitating, Cory ran for his sister. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see lily and Dallas fighting. Even drugged, she was holding her own.

Age has its advantages, Cory thought.

Reaching Kayla, Cory saw she was being restrained at both hands and feet by leather cuffs that were secured to the altar. Above her head lie a kriss, a 6” long curving bladed dagger, it’s tip a dark red – the color of drying blood.

Cory quickly scanned his sister’s body through the mostly transparent material, subconsciously thankful she still had on her underclothes, and found a four-inch red incision on her right forearm. With blood on the S shaped dagger, but none on the gown, Cory ignored the wound for now.

He focused on releasing her right hand from the restraint. As he did, he heard a grunt from Lily, then Dallas say, “Not so fast, pretty boy,” and found himself flying over the altar Kayla was laying on. He landed with a thud on his face with his arms out in front of him to cushion the landing, which still hurt like a bitch. His upper back also ached where Dallas had hit him.

He immediately knew a standup fight was out of the question. Dallas would kill him quickly. Trying to get up, he expected Dallas to come finish him off until he heard the sounds of fighting over the rushing blood sound in his ears. Finally standing again, he turned and vaguely saw Lily and Dallas engaged in some sort of martial arts, each trying to strike the other, while blocking the incoming strikes.

He rushed back over the ten feet he flew from the altar, now on the other side, and started on Kayla’s restrained left hand. All the time spent unbuckling the restraint, he called her name softly and begged her to wake up. “Kayla, Kayla, wake up. Wake up, come on, you can do it,” over and over.

The restraint almost undone, he heard another grunt from Lily and instinctively looked up and saw Lily falling backwards, landing had on her rear, dazed. Cory saw a blur and braced himself just in time to get hit again, this time from the side in almost a full body check.

Again, he flew, this time sideways, landing on his right shoulder with a grunt of his own. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he heard Lily’s voice inside his head again.

You need to hurry sweetheart. I can’t hold him off much longer. The sedative is taking its toll. I’m too slow.

Turning his head, he saw Dallas had made his way back to Lily before she had even stood up again. Dallas sent a knee flying at Lily’s head which she ineffectively blocked. With her waning strength, she got her hands up but they were driven back into her own face. She had only managed to absorb some of the punishing blow, which opened up a cut where the already existing bruise was on her cheek.

Throwing a wild punch loosely aimed at Dallas’ groin, he easily avoided the intended target, but it still landed with a meaty thump on his right thigh.

Cory heard, Hurry, he’ll be slowed down, in his mind. He leapt up and ran back to his sister, reaching for the restraint before even getting there. Managing to get it unbuckled, he moved down to Kayla’s feet, which were spread to either side of the altar, and started on the left ankle.

Hearing a grotesque snapping sound which reminded him of a small tree branch breaking, he looked up to see Lily’s left arm ricocheting off the side of her skull. Her arm was curled unnaturally in a C shape starting at mid-forearm, which would have matched the shape of her head it had just rebounded off of it place against it.

Cory saw Dallas’ leg drop from the kick he had just delivered. Dallas was smiling like the cat that just ate the canary, knowing Lily was finished. Cory knew that if she was finished, so was he – and Kayla.

Standing back upright, Cory took a step back from the altar and said, “Hey asshole… Why don’t you leave the lady be and see how you fair against me? If you’re not afraid, that is.”

Dallas threw his head back and laughed a deep laugh. “So, the little boy wants to play, does he? I wouldn’t want to kill you too quickly, so I hope you don’t mind if I toy with you, hurting you slowly. Your lady friend is finished as you can see. Maybe it’ll be fun to let her watch me rip you apart. Then have my way with your sister.”

Cory looked at Lily, who had her arm cradled to her chest, tears coursing down her cheeks, mixing with the blood running down the left side of her face. He took another step away from the altar and waited. “Come get me, asshole,” he taunted.

Cory watched as Dallas disappeared, running to fast to see, paused for a one count, and threw a giant roundhouse left.

Dallas came to a stop, punching Cory in the midsection as Cory’s punch connected with Dallas’ jaw. Cory stumbled back several feet, bent over gasping for breath, wondering if he’d ever be able to draw in a proper breath again.

Dallas on the other hand, wasn’t so much hurt as in shock. He did take a step back due to the force of the blow, coming to rest against the altar. “Why. You. Little. Shit. You actually hit me. If I was human, that might have actually hurt,” Dallas said.

“You already had your goodbye time, so now it’s dying time.”

Dallas raised his hand and drew it back with a sneer on his face. Cory was still bent over, trying to catch his breath, but managed to raise his head to glare at Dallas belligerently and saw Dallas’ eyes open wide in surprise. His raised fist flew around behind him like he was trying to scratch his back in a hard-to-reach spot.

Cory watched as Dallas’ eyes grew even wider and his hands fell to his sides before slumping to his knees. “You… you… yo…” he said swaying for a few seconds before finally falling face first to the floor, unmoving.

Cory, still unable to stand upright, finally noticed his sister sitting up, holding the long curvy dagger, now blood stained along its entire length, that had been sitting above her head.