Page 8 of Loved to Death

“Aren’t you a beauty,” he said softly, rubbing the horse’s neck while scanning her stall. She had fresh water and hay, so he knew someone had been there looking after her. He moved to the back of the barn and found a saddle, and more importantly, saddlebags. He opened one and found women’s undergarments, a navy-blue dress, a hefty bag of coins, a bible, a Colt revolver, and a small wooden comb. He opened the other and found horse tack: a brush, a blanket, a bridle, some rope, two extra horseshoes, and a small tool kit for replacing horseshoes.

He stuck the bag of coins in one pocket, the revolver in the other, and put the rest of the items back in the saddlebags. He was no thief, but desperation had taken over. Then he leaned against the wall to wait for Polly’s inevitable return.

As the night wore on, Thomas started to lose hope. Having time to quietly reflect on his predicament made matters worse. He was a murderer. He’d killed the only man he’d ever slept with. He’d consumed blood. Lots of blood. And he’denjoyedit until the blood stopped flowing. His family thought he was evil and the townsfolk would certainly agree once they found out what he’d done.

Three separate times during his wait, Thomas considered saddling up the mare and fleeing as far and as fast as she would take him. But that wouldn’t give him answers, so he stayed.

About an hour before dawn, the door to the barn opened, and Polly walked in. Her eyes zeroed in on Thomas almost immediately, and they opened wide with shock. “It can’t be,” she muttered.

“What have you done to me?” Thomas demanded.

She walked up to Thomas and looked him over, as if he were a prize pig on display. She started to circle him, but he turned with her, keeping her in front of him. “You’rethe thing I’ve been tracking all night. I could feel your presence the second you awoke, but I couldn’t find you. You kept moving.”

“What?” He shook his head at her strange comment. “What have you done to me?” he demanded louder than before. Stepping forward, he used his height to intimidate the demon woman who barely came to his shoulder.

Apparently not intimidated, she leaned in even closer and smelled his neck.

Unsettled, he stepped back.

They made eye contact again and she said with awe, “How did this happen?”

“What do you mean ‘how did this happen’? You tell me how it happened! What the hellamI?”

“You’re undead.”

“Undead?” He shook his head, not wanting a name for it.

“You were alive when I found you. You were dead when I left you. And now you’ve awoken undead, like me. A vampire.”

“Vampires are fictional creatures.”

Ignoring his statement, she asked, “But why you after all this time?” Her eyes moved to the left for a moment before focusing back on him. “You bit me.” She held up her hand and pointed to the area where his teeth had gone in, but there was no wound. “You bit me when I was feeding and broke the skin. Did you taste blood?”

He nodded.

She glanced to the side with a hateful scowl. “Bastard.”

“Excuse me?” Thomas found this conversation confusing at best.

Shaking her head, she focused back on him, and reached out to touch his neck where she’d bitten him. “You’ve fed. Were you seen?”

“I-I killed someone.”

Speaking slowly, Polly said, “Yes, I know. That wasn’t the question. Did anyone see you feeding?”

Thomas nodded.

“Damn it! We’ll have to act quickly.” She pointed to the saddlebags. “Grab those. Leave the saddle.”

“What do you mean act quickly? I want answers!”

Her lips pressed into a thin line and she glared at him. “If you want to survive the coming day, do what I tell you immediately and without questions.”

His eyes narrowed. “I will do no such thing.”

She slapped him hard enough to make him fall to the ground with seemingly very little effort on her part.

“I don’t have time to give you answers right now. Daybreak is less than an hour away,” she said.

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