Page 43 of Missing Moon
“I’m okay.” I return the hug.
“Never thought I’d see you back here. Word is you went off to bigger and better things.” Gwen smiles.
I offer a weak smile. “Bigger, yes. The jury’s still out on the better part.”
“I’m about to head to the Monarch,” says Gwen. “Don’t really have time to properly catch up. Are you going to be around a while?”
“Probably yeah. This won’t take too long, but it’s important.”
She tilts her head. “What do you mean?”
“It’s about Mack.”
Most of the color drains from her face. She stares at me for a long, awkward moment. “Bad news, isn’t it?”
My face gives it away before I can say a word.
She breaks down in sobs.
I help her inside, to the living room and a seat on the couch. It’s like a trip back into the 1980s in here. Everything is beige or brown. Except the TV. That’s on the newer side, a nice big flat panel.
“What the hell are you doing here telling me this?” Gwen sniffles. “Where are the police?”
“The police aren’t equipped to deal with this.” I take her hand in both of mine, looking her in the eyes. “What I’m going to tell you sounds extremely crazy and weird, but I promise you it’s the absolute truth.”
She stares at me.
“Normally, I don’t go around telling people this sort of thing because most people can’t handle it at all.” I take a breath. “Mack asked me to tell you the truth, so here I am.”
“He asked you? But… he’s dead?”
“You’ve obviously heard rumors going around here about all the missing people.”
Gwen nods. “Some say there’s a serial killer out there. Or aliens are abducting people. Old Earl Miller thinks the government is operating a secret CIA lab out in the woods and they’re grabbing people for experiments.”
“I’m afraid the reality is a lot weirder than an unethical government project. This is going to sound really crazy but… Klamath has a vampire problem.”
She blinks. “Are you on something, dear?”
“Nope. Look at me. Do I look like I’m in my forties?”
“Well, umm. No, actually. I was thinking you seemed a bit young. What’s your secret?”
I chuckle. “I used to be a blood vampire... but now I’m something else.”
She blinks, totally lost. I don’t blame her.
“I’ll explain.”
“Please.”
“After my attack, I spent a few years as an undead, bloodsucking vampire—and one thing led to another, and I ended up as a different kind of vampire. An energy vampire, to be exact.”
She stares at me.
“That’s oversimplifying things. Point is… there are vampires here in Klamath and one of them attacked and turned Mack.” I look down. “He’s at peace now. His spirit asked me to tell you what happened to him. He didn’t leave you willingly. He was taken from you.”
Gwen fixes me with a hard stare. “This is pretty crazy.”