Bloodliner

Chapter 11

Chapter 11Jonah climbed out of Mavis' car and put his foot down in the middle of nowhere.

True desert. No man's land.

Even for someone who'd grown up in Tucson, Arizona, this was pretty out there. Nothing but dirt, rock, cactus, and sunrise as far as the eye could see...not counting the vicious critters lurking in the shadows.

He just had one burning question at the moment.

"Where the hell's the town?" Jonah spread his arms wide and turned in a circle. "Where is it?"

Stanza marched past him. "You'll see."

Jonah stared after her. She was heading for nothing but desert.

Jonah turned to Mavis, who was leaning against the car. "Am I missing something?" he said. "Is there a mirage or something?"

Mavis shrugged and started toward him. She looked beat to hell, but at least she wasn't covered in blood anymore. Stanza had washed her up and bought her a fresh sweatshirt and jeans at a Wal-Mart in Tucson.

Without a word, Mavis stumbled past Jonah and followed Stanza. She kept her eyes on the ground and didn't even glance at him.

"Maybe I'm the mirage," said Jonah.

Though Mavis didn't answer him, he decided to cut her some slack. She was probably still in shock after the vampire attack at the church. Unlike Jonah, who'd met the blonde vampire in the alley behind Halcyon, Mavis had gotten her first taste of creatures of the night at the church, in a life-or-death bloodbath.

He hoped she'd get over it soon. He was curious, and he wanted to get her story. After all, she was family.

Just when he'd thought he didn't have any family left, Mavis had come along. Maybe she'd be the one bright spot in the vampire horror show his life had become.

According to Jonah's watch, they walked through the desert for almost an hour. When Stanza finally stopped, the sun was up, and the heat was rising fast. Jonah hoped they'd reach their destination soon, and that they'd find water there, because they were all going to need it before long.

It didn't look promising, though. The car was a speck on the horizon behind them...and there was still no visible sign of any kind of town, village, shack, or trailer.

"Wow," said Jonah. "What a great town! This place is the best-kept secret in New Mexico!"

With a grunt, Stanza kicked the side of a boulder. Suddenly, Jonah heard a muffled grinding sound from somewhere nearby.

He stumbled backward when the ground began to move. Not three feet away from him, a shelf of dirt and rock rose at an angle, exposing a dark space underneath.

Sand poured down all around as the shelf continued to climb. When it had risen to eye level, Jonah saw that it was a slab of metal six inches thick and six feet wide, red with rust. Big underground gear mechanisms on both sides turned and cranked it out of its bed.

The slab stopped moving when it reached a forty-five degree angle. Without hesitation, Stanza ducked her head and started down the metal ladder that lay beneath it.

Jonah and Mavis moved up to the edge but didn't follow. All Jonah could think of as he gazed down into the dark pit was what Stanza had called this place the night before.

A vampire town.

Stanza shouted up at them from below. "Come on, you guys. Shake a leg."

"Were you serious when you said this place was a vampire town?" said Jonah.

"Door closes automatically in thirty seconds," said Stanza. "I have the car keys, so you'll die in the desert if you don't get down here."

Jonah stared into the darkness and shook his head.

Do I pick certain death in the desert or possible death in vampire town?

He shrugged and ducked under the slab. "Ah, what the hell." He put a foot on the first rung of the ladder. "I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms."