Page 25 of Voyage of Death and Desire

The number of bodies covering the street after the bombing is nearly overwhelming, even for me. The Germans have bombed the city for the past few days, destroying many city blocks. The few people who haveventured onto the streets are covered in dirt, and their clothes are full of holes.

“Where are you going, missy?” a voice says from an alleyway as I pass.

Seeing the number of humans that have died has taken my appetite away. I ignore the man and keep moving down what’s left of the street.

“Did you hear me, bitch?” he repeats.

“Leave me alone,” I warn and keep walking. The sound of a young child crying stops me in my tracks. I turn toward the sound, seeing the man whose voice I heard, holding a small girl in his arms. She can’t be any older than six or seven, and from the looks of her clothes and hair, she’s alone.

“My daughter needs a mother.”

Something inside me clicks, telling me this girl isn’t his daughter. I move in front of the man and girl. “Are you all right, dear one?”

Tears stains cover her cheeks as the man squeezes her tightly. “She’s fine, aren’t you?” The girl nods. “See, she’s just a little scared.”

“Are you hungry?” I ask the child. She nods again.

“We’re both hungry if you know what I mean,” the man answers, looking me up and down.

“I’m hungry, too,” I admit. However, my need to free this child has overcome my need to eat.

“I have some food up there.” He points at a set of stairs that have been broken in several places from thebombing. “Why don’t you come up, and I’ll fix food for all of us?”

The girl looks at me with large eyes, begging me to help her. The smell of copper fills my nose, and I realize she has blood covering her extremities. I know in an instant what he’s done.

“Give her to me,” I demand.

“Come on up and—” I don’t wait for him to finish. I grab the girl and knock him to the wall behind him in one quick move. Moving with vampire speed, I take her around the corner, hiding her from what I’m about to do.

“Stay here, and I’ll be right back.” She nods at my words as fresh tears cover her face.

Seconds later, I’m in front of the man, pinning him against the wall. I don’t waste time with formalities. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing she didn’t want.” He smiles. “She needed someone to take care of her and so did I.”

“You’re going to die now.” I make sure he can see everything that’s about to happen to him as I bring out the monster locked inside.

The scream that leaves his mouth is cut short as I sink my teeth into his neck, draining every ounce of blood inside his body. What’s left of him slides into the rubble below. “Have fun in hell, asshole.”

Back in front of the young girl seconds later, I hug her close, offering the loving comfort she’s been denied, and take her to a hospital not far away.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” a woman wearing a white uniform asks as we enter the emergency room.

“I found her on the street. She was alone, and I think she’s hurt.”

“Thank you,” the girl whispers as the woman takes her from my arms and ushers her toward a back room.

“Ma’am, I need your contact information,” another woman says from a desk not far away.

I turn, leaving the hospital and the girl behind.

Los Angeles, California

1986

The amount of humans covering the beach is almost overwhelming. Families with children in tow are hauling everything they own to the sand to spend a few hours on the water. I’ve lost track of the last time I ate, and my stomach growls at the memory.

“Shut the hell up, Frankie,” a middle-aged woman warns as she drags a young boy across a scalding hot parking lot. He’s not wearing shoes and no doubt his bare feet are burning from the asphalt.

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