THE DEAD GAME -- GAME 204

THE DEAD GAME — DAY 204

Chapter 36
At Linda’s apartment, Todd walked in first. Almost immediately his highly attuned senses picked up an unusual scent. It smelled of flowers and cinnamon. He stood still, trying to place the unique aroma. It somehow seemed familiar to him. Linda never wore fragrances and neither did Shana. He looked down the dark hall and wondered who had been in this apartment…or maybe still was? From the living room, he heard a woman’s voice. “Welcome! What took you so long?”
     He had assumed that everyone was accounted for in town, but this woman didn’t live in town. Now he placed the scent. He strode into the living room. “You’re not really Hank’s daughter are you, Frances? Is that even your real name?”
     “Very astute of you, even though you are a mere human
vampire. My name is Maxell and I am Natalie’s granddaughter,” said the woman with hatred burning in her eyes. “You killed my grandmother and now I will return the favor and kill all of you.”
     The woman was beautiful with her blonde hair and voluptuous figure, but underneath she was as cold as ice. Todd understood this.
   “Natalie was one of The Dead before becoming a saint.
Are you the same thing?” Linda asked as she watched the slinky blonde move gracefully around the room.
     “No, silly human, I am not a saint but the last of The Dead in town. You’ve ruined all of our carefully laid out plans. We were waiting for Wolf and his gang to rid the world of unwanted vampires before we annihilated every last vampire, including all members of The Dead. I would then be ready to ascend to become La Santa Muerte, like my grandmother. We were to be the only true power on earth. Finally we would be free to be worshiped properly and fully by humans.”
     Furious that they had another rogue vampire to deal with, Todd shouted at her, “You’re just another sniveling follower. The world will be a much better place with you gone.” He quickly turned to find a weapon, but by the time he turned back, Maxell and Linda had already disappeared together. The living room was empty.
     He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the sheriff’s office. As soon as Sam answered, he yelled into the phone, “Linda is gone! Natalie had a granddaughter who’d posed as Hank’s daughter. She is the last of The Dead. This Maxell woman has abducted Linda! We need to quickly rally the forces! Call everyone! We must find them before she harms Linda!”
     “Don’t worry. She obviously took Linda hostage as a way to trap us. She’ll hold onto her until she has us,” Sam said.
     “Where should we look for them? Do you have any ideas?”
     “Natalie loved Wolf’s house. Now that I think about it:
Natalie adored Wolf and his house way too much. Before she became a saint, they must have been secretly meeting there, devising their warped plans. I wonder when Natalie had become involved with vampires; she used to be such a sweet old lady. We should meet at Wolf’s house and see if that is where Maxell is holding Linda.”
     “I hope that this is the last of them. I’ll get in touch with
everyone, even the elders. Please don’t do anything rash—like going in without back-up.”
     “Okay, but just don’t bring any humans; they’ll just get in the way. I don’t need any more people to worry about.”
     “Fine,” Sam said. “I’ll meet you there.”