Page 26

We were at war, and in war, there were casualties. Tonight, Marisol was one of them.

I raised the Cripo Glock, aiming the barrel at the center of Marisol’s back. My hand was steady. It always was. I’ve killedbefore, though never another vampire. That distinction didn’t matter now.

I exhaled slowly, squeezing the trigger with precision. The gun made a sound unlike any normal firearm. The noise was a soft phut that was barely louder than a handclap. There was minimal recoil. The barrel barely moved as I fired the second shot immediately after the first.

Marisol’s body jerked violently as the specialized bullets pierced her skin. She didn’t scream. There was no time. Her back arched in a grotesque parody of the pleasure she was experiencing moments before. Her arms went rigid, fingers splayed wide, as if reaching for something just beyond her grasp.

The bullet’s ingredients worked with terrifying speed. A soft orange glow emanated from beneath her skin, tiny veins of light spreading outward from the entry wounds. She collapsed forward onto Juan’s chest. Her body convulsed slightly before going completely limp.

“What the fuck?” Juan shouted.

With a grunt, he pushed Marisol’s body off of him, rolling her to the side of the bed. His eyes darted wildly around the room until he found me standing in the doorway, gun still raised. Recognition dawned on his handsome face. He knew me. I was the one sitting quietly in the background when he had his secret meeting with Natasha days ago.

Marisol’s eyes were open, and her mouth frozen in a startled gasp of surprise. The orange glow beneath her skin was fading now, leaving behind a grayish pallor that signaled the serum had completely worked. She was paralyzed. The bullets of the Cripo Glock did the job they were designed to do. Incapacitate.

Juan scrambled backward against the headboard.

I lowered my weapon. “Hey, my guy, you gonna cover your cock?”

His hands fumbled for the bedsheet to cover his nakedness. His erection, so proudly engaged moments ago, withered under the reality of what he was witnessing. Sweat beads blanketed his forehead and his chest was heaving with panic.

“You, you’re that guy,” He stammered with one hand covering his genitals under the sheet. “I did what she told me to do.” He howled, speaking of Natasha.

“Be quiet and listen. You did exactly what you were supposed to do. We need to talk about what happens next.”

Juan’s eyes moved to Marisol’s body, then back to me. There’s fear there, but something else too. He was already thinking about how to navigate this situation, how to come out alive. The sheet trembled in his grip, but his gaze settled on me.

“Whatever you want.” He said as his voice evened out. “Just tell me what to do.”

I stepped fully into the bedroom, keeping the Cripo Glock visible in my palm. “First, we need to wrap her up. And then we’re going to have a conversation about your payment for services rendered.”

“Okay.”

“Get dressed.” I told Juan, tucking the Cripo Glock into my waistband. “Then help me wrap up her body.”

Juan nodded. His movements were jerky as he slipped from the bed. He pulled on a pair of jeans from the floor and struggled with the zipper.

“I didn’t know you were going to... while we were...” Juan gestured vaguely toward the bed, pulling a t-shirt over his head. “You could have waited until after.”

“I could’ve but I didn’t.” I replied, moving to the edge of the bed. I grabbed the corner of the fitted sheet beneath Marisol. “Help me get her wrapped in the sheet.”

Juan hesitated only for a second before joining me on the opposite side of the bed. His eyes focused on Marisol’s face. Her opened eyes were freaking him out.

“Should we close her eyes or something?” He asked.

“Nah, it doesn’t matter.” I began folding the sheet over her body, tucking it tightly around her shoulders. “She’s not coming back.”

Working together, we rolled Marisol’s body until she was completely enveloped in the fitted and the flat white cotton sheets. Juan moved with surprising efficiency once he started. His initial shock gave way to a keen focus that suggested he would be fine after the dust settled. I could see why Natasha enlisted this young man for our plan.

“We need something to secure that she stays wrapped up.” I was talking out loud. The sheet-wrapped form on the bed looked like a cocoon or a mummy. “You got any rope, anything like that?” I asked.

“I have duct tape in the kitchen.” Juan offered, already moving toward the door.

While he was gone, I checked Marisol’s wrapping, making sure the sheet completely covered her. There was no blood. When I was wrapping her up, I only saw the two bruises from the shots. Natasha said the serum would dissolve inside the body in four to six hours. I had time, and I had more bullets.

Juan returned with a roll of silver duct tape. His composure was more settled now that it was past the initial shock. He tore off strips with his teeth, handing them to me as I secured the sheet around Marisol’s ankles, then her knees, her waist, shoulders, and finally her head. The process moved smoothly.

“When are you leaving town?” I asked as we finish securing the last piece of duct tape.