Bite the Hand that Feeds
Before Gabriela could reach the safety of numbers the front door pushed open bringing in the soft petrichor scent of evening rain. A smell she used to find soothing but even that could not soothe the anxiety that had her entire body tensed in anticipation of the next new danger to present itself.
She didn't have to wait long as Eli entered the house with a swagger. Flanked to either side of the elder vampire were two human men.
Gabriela could smell the warmth and vitality of their blood as her fangs threatened to erupt. The men were thin, with sunken cheeks, hollowed eyes, and the tell-tale jerky gait of a habitual tweaker.
Behind them followed three more women, all bearing the same pockmarked skin, hollow eyes, and emaciated frames. Their movements were slightly more fluid, but not by much as they attempted to roll their protruding hips seductively beneath the barely there latex dresses.
Impossibly high heels combined with thick soles at the balls of their feet added height and the illusion of lengthened legs. Bringing up the final rear were two larger vampires Gabriela had yet to meet.
Close enough in appearance to be twins both men were dark complexioned with eyes dark enough to be near black. Their expressions were cold, neutral, and uncaring as they herded the last of the humans inside the promised warmth of the home.
As one the others turned their attention on the approaching group. Eyes glinted with hunger as lips parted in eerie unison flashing the white of sharp fangs. Gabriela shrank back, forcing her back against the wall as she felt the danger in the air rise to the surface.
She did everything to make herself appear smaller, to disappear in the background. The air stirred, despite the sudden stillness of everyone but the addled humans. Their swaying and twitching bodies contrasted with frozen control of the family within.
"I need to use the little girls' room..." One of the women whined. Her nasally voice broke the stiff silence of the moment.
Gabriela pulled herself from the wall then as she forced a calm smile to her lips. The woman's dirty blond hair was puffed up in a fashion that had faded away in the 80's. The bright blue eyeshadow and heavy red lipstick only added to her dated appearance.
"I can show you the way." She didn't offer her hand to the woman so much as motioned that the woman move ahead. The woman's ankles wobbled a little in the deathtraps she called shoes.
As Gabriela led the woman deeper into the house, past the half bath and towards the bathroom located in the master bedroom. It was the only bathroom with a window in it, and the only one she could hope to try and get this woman out of.
"I really gotta go. The other one woulda been fine." The whining cut off as Gabriela grabbed the woman's arm squeezing just enough to get her attention. "Owww"
"Shh.. you need to get out of here before its too late." Gabriela hissed trying to silence the woman's protest as she shoved her practically into the bathroom before locking the door behind them.
The woman protested, fishing out a baggie of yellowish white crystals, as she tried to pull away from Gabriela to squat on the toilet. A tittering giggle escaped the woman as she wiggled her thong panties down to relieve herself while working on turning the raw product into a usable substance.
"Don't worry doll-face, there will be plenty for everyone. Dusty said we are all in for a good time." The sound of tinkling liquid broke up the woman's words as Gabriela anxiously shifted her weight from side to side.
Her gaze flicked back and forth from the window to the closed door. Briskly she turned on the tap to full force so the sound of running water to mask the noise of their occupancy.
"I am not worried about getting high. I am worried about saving your damn life." Her mind rang distantly with the screams remembered from her waking.
Her gums ached where her fangs threatened to erupt from the temptation to bite into the woman. Only the rancid scent of the drugs tracing her system and the repulsion of hurting another human kept her from acting on the impulse.
"yah, yah.. It hasn't killed me yet." Gabriela snorted at the woman's retort. Emaciated, with pitted skin, her caked on make-up did little to hide the half healed scabs. Already she looked to have one foot in the grave and yet Gabriela refused to not try to save at least one of the women.
She heard the distinct thumps of footsteps coming down the hallway. The off tune humming added a sense of urgency until Gabriela impatiently snatched the baggie of drugs and ran to the window.
A hard jerk to break the window frame free of where it had been painted closed. With a desperate throw Gabriela sent the baggie flying.
She heard the stumbling steps as the woman finally reacted, watching her drugs sail away into the night. Her underwear were pulled half up and the woman lurched to grab the windowsill, shoving Gabriela to one side.
With half of her body dangling out the window the woman groped into the darkness for the lost stash.
"Damn it, you bitch. That cost me $50." Gabriela didn't reply to the shrill scream of anger as she instead shoved her shoulder under the woman's hips and shoved trying to throw the struggling and surprisingly tenacious woman out the window.
"Just run, damn you.." Gabriela winced as one of those wicked and surprisingly heavy shoes struck against her shoulder and the side of her head as the woman kicked and windmilled before finally toppling head first out the window.
Behind her Gabriela could hear the bathroom door rattle. The water wouldn't drown out the storm of swearing and the angry thumping along the overgrown grass as the woman searched for her drugs.
"Cream Puff, what are you up to in there? Come out.. come out.." Vincent's voice had turned almost gleeful with his sing-song call. Again the doorknob rattled as he twisted at it. The resistance was brief before the lock simply broke beneath the force of his hand.
Alarmed Gabriela tried to climb out the window as well. She grunted as her fingers curled against the windowsill and attempted to pull herself up with a half hop. A scream tore from her throat as a strong arm looped around her waist, pulling her away from the last desperate attempt at freedom and saving the other woman.
"Hey Vinnie, found Cherry and her stash out here. Trying to party without us baby?" The raucous male voice grated along Gabriela's ears even as the now named woman's voice echoed in a husky laugh. The crinkle of plastic as the retrieved baggie was crushed in her greedy hand.
The arm around her middle flexed tighter, holding her feet off the ground even as Gabriela clawed at the wooden lip until her nails broke to the quick.
Vincent gave her another hard jerk until she released her hold leaving her dangling from his grip around her middle. Her body awkwardly held to keep her body half upright versus sag in half like a broken doll.
"Naw, that crazy bitch in there..." Her words cut off with a piercing scream. Gabriela squeezed her eyes shut as she shuddered with the woman's death keen.
The hold on her adjusted as Vincent moved her to being forced upright. His hand under her chin as he forced her face towards the window, to peer into the darkness and the sounds of rending flesh.
"You can't save them. They don't want it." Vincent's breath felt hot in her ear and she shivered as her jaw clenched tightly. Her eyes remained pressed tightly closed, refusing to look into the night.
She refused to bear more witness to this horror than she needed. Over the wet noises of drinking she could hear the woman's gurgled last breaths. A mercy when death finally came and greeted her.
"When you have finished your meal join us inside. Clean up first though, you know Eli feels about table manners." Vincent snorted as he gave a hard squeeze to Gabriela's middle as he forcibly carried her out of the bathroom.
The tips of her toes drug against the hardwood floor as he didn't bother to fully lift her, just half drag the limp weight of her body back to the main gathering.
"Foolish little girl, what do you think would happen? She would run? You just have to promise them a high and they stagger right into the slaughter. Soon you will learn to enjoy it. Not as satisfying as hunting them, true fear is better than the drug diluted shock that they can give." He continued his tirade as he brought her back into the main room. The rest of the family milled around, watching as the faces of the intended prey went slack and eyes glazed over.
"Budgie bird, your little chick was trying to fly the coop. Caught her in the back trying to make dinner a take out affair." Vincent dropped her at Eli's feet, like a loyal hound who had retrieved a lost bit of game, and Gabriela grunted as her knees struck the hard tile.
Bridget's expression was distant again. That neutral expression that told Gabriela that she was truly in trouble and would have to maneuver it on her own.
Another cold hand curled under her chin, forcing her gaze up to meet his soullessly pale ones. A faint grin on his lips as the Patriarch of the family studied the newest addition. His lips pursed as he made a soft tsking noise.
"Can't have that. You need to get over that little quirk pet." He made a quick motion outside the range of her vision and one of the slack jawed humans was pulled over to kneel beside her. A strange pitched giddy giggle escaped the man's lips as he head lolled back.
"Now, bite him.." A finger ran between her lips, feeling at the aching base of her fangs. A dark chuckle escaped the man as Gabriela jerked her head back and defiantly clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes narrowed as she stared him down.
"Bite now." The command issued and Gabriela took the moment of his relaxed grip to jerk away attempting to gain her feet.
A hard hand on her shoulder forced her back down with her nose nearly buried into the human's clothing. The rank scent of drugs, filth, and hot living blood that pulsed beneath his veins attacked her senses.
Gabriela wrenched herself away and with a hard turn sank her fangs into the flesh of the hand holding her. Vincent's loud curse gave away the identity of the one forcing her still. Her jaw tightened further as she felt the small shifting bones of his hand press against her teeth.
His hand pressed against her brow before he jerked his hand back, tearing his flesh free. Blood sprayed over her face and hair, reaching even the passed out human slumped on the floor.
"You will pay for that...." Vincent cursed as he shook his hand sending droplets of blood into the air even as the flesh knit back together, filling in the gouges from her teeth and fangs. His fingers flexed as the flesh of his hand appeared once more whole and unblemished.
"Eli, let me have charge of her..." Bridget's protest was cut off before nothing more than a gasp of denial could be voiced.
"No, not yet. Take her back to the cellar and put him in with her. Hunger will break that reluctance." Eli chuckled as he blotted at his clothing with a handkerchief in a vain attempt to clean away the spray of Vincent's blood.
Gabriela struggled to rise and run, to escape the punishment coming, only to find herself swung over Vincent's shoulder. His large hand hard as he smacked across her ass.
The sharp sting held nothing on the embarrassment she felt as she was carted from the room. Her stomach bouncing against the hard boney ridge of the man's shoulder. Behind him another man carried the human in his arms; a gleeful grin on his face.
As they descended the stairs she could hear bets being made, guessing at how long until hunger would force her to surrender the last remains of her humanity.
The journey to the cold, mildew rich room was short as she was unceremoniously deposited on the dirty damp floor. The human joined with a grunt as another packet of drugs was dropped on the ground next to the unconscious man.
The soft buzzing of the dangling light above her was the only sound that followed the final slam of the heavy door as the two male vampires left. Her stomach knotted and body screamed to fall on the easy source of nutrition.
Afraid of herself, Gabriela crab walked back towards the far wall and curled up on herself. The soft buzzing continued, giving her something to focus on as she waited for the dawn; prayed for it to keep her from making a decision that she would regret for whatever remained of her life.
Dawn came an eternity later. She felt the draining rise of the sun even buried beneath the layers of cement and bricks. Her body turned leaden and she gave a soft sigh of relief as her body went lax, passing out against the floor and dank wall; a gift of mercy for at least one more day.