are the devil’s children.”
Cheryl was still edgy but seemed a bit relieved. Steve urged Walter to continue as Alley curled up in his arms and Bobby fell asleep on his lap. He couldn’t believe his little guy could nap at a time like this, but it didn’t matter, it was better than hearing him cry in fear.
“Hope used to be a normal, quiet town. I had a good congregation, at least thirty to forty every Sunday. Then, week by week, they started thinning out. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on; ordinary people were turning into vicious blood thirsty killers. Now they’re all devils and I give my sermon to these empty walls.” Walter sighed and took a seat on the steps of the tiny stage.
Cheryl asked, “You said that everyone was afraid that there was some lunatic running around? Why would they think that?”
“Oh because the police informed the public that Charlie Stevens’ blood had been found at the scene. They said it was everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. They presumed him dead.”
“So you’re telling me that this whole town is now overrun by vampires and bats?” Steve cut in.
“I’m afraid so.” Walter replied.
“How have the authorities not got involved?”
“Well…They seem pretty normal in daylight, as you’ve seen, at least the converted humans do. Unlike the bats themselves, they can handle the sunlight to a certain extent. They cover their skin with clothing, otherwise they would burn, but when night rolls around, they feed.”
22
They feed? These words haunted every member of the Starks family except for Bobby who was still snoozing. They had a hard time grasping the fact that they had been nearly torn to shreds by a group of bats and man-eating vampires. What was worse was that they couldn’t turn off the t.v. if they got too scared; it was real… really real.
Steve stood up and paced the front of the church. “So when the sun comes up, we’ll be able to leave…Right?”
“Not quite.” Walter said in a whisper. “Once they have a taste for you, they have a hard time letting go.”
“So you mean they’ll attack us in broad daylight?” Steve was frustrated.
“They’ll try their best to get you, yes.” Walter stood to meet Steve and stop him from pacing and fidgetting like a scared dog. “It doesn’t mean that you can’t escape… It just means that it’s not going to be easy.The bats themselves will be gone, so that helps. They can’t handle daylight. But… The once-humans will wait for you around every corner. They will sacrifice themselves for your blood. Do you have any more garlic?”
“No. We used what we had in the car.” Steve was exhausted and on the verge of giving up. Plus, he could feel a fever coming on.
“It’s okay. I can bless the water, but from my experience, it only lasts for a minute. Does your car still run?”
Steve was trying to relax after realizing the preacher was only trying to help. “No. I think its dead.”
Walter walked in a circle stroking his beard. He appeared to be thinking hard with his brow furrowed.
Steve couldn’t understand. “How have you survived?”
“I’m a man of God. My flesh is poison to them.” He kept strolling in a circle.
Steve had spent his share of time in church. Sure, he hadn’t made it a weekly event for his family, but he felt that believing was enough, and he wasn’t sure what the difference was between a believer and a preacher. Was there some special ceremony you had to attend or something? He didn’t understand how Walter Doomley had become immune to the evil jaws of the creatures outside.
“Why do you stay here?” Cheryl asked.
“I believe in time, I will be able to stop them. Plus, if not for me, who else is going to stick around and help those in need and spread the word about evil to the innocent?” Walter said.
“Why didn’t you come warn us?” Cheryl said.
“It all happened too fast. I never had the chance.”
“We believe in God. Why do they want to tear us apart like pieces of meat?” Steve asked.
“Well, my son, you have not devoted your life to the lord. It’s not your fault, no one does these days. There are too many temptations out there… Too many distractions.”
“But…”
“Shhh!” Walter cut in. “There’s no time to sit and wonder the ways of the world. We need to get you and your family out of here in one piece, and I think I have a plan.”
23
Walter’s plan seemed foolish and would never work. But then again, everything up to this point had been unbelievable, and Walter really believed that it just might work. He prayed it would, or he might be single handedly responsible for their deaths. He led the Starks family to a backroom that was his living quarters. There was a small bed stuffed in the corner with a little kitchenette set up beside it. Behind a door was a small bathroom. He entered this room and began filling a tub with water. Steve, Cheryl, Alley, and Bobby waited for his return. Walter did not reveal his plan yet, so when he returned they intended to ask.
When Walter came out of the bathroom, he headed to a bookshelf and pulled down a thick Bible. He unhooked a long golden cross that hung on a chain, which hung on a nail that was driven through the wall. He returned to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. They could hear him talking to himself behind the closed door. All they could do was wait.
“What do you think he’s doing?” Cheryl asked.
“Blessing the water.” Steve said as if this was something he experienced everyday.
“But he said Holy water doesn’t work?”
“No…He said it only works for a minute. Maybe if you keep dowsing yourself in it, it’ll keep them away?” Steve wasn’t really sure what the old preachers intentions were, but he had to assume it was somewhere along those lines.
Alley was sitting Indian style on the floor attending to Bobby. Her little brother seemed to be coming around from the shock. He actually giggled when Alley made a funny face by puffing out her cheeks and rolling her eyes in the back of her head. Steve watched them for a moment and was amazed at how well they had handled all that had happened. In his own heart, he was still chilled to the bone about being in the middle of this freakshow. He was silently beating himself up inside again for bringing his family into this nightmare, but the smiling children on the floor seemed oblivious to the fact that they were still not out of the clear.
Steve nearly jumped out of his skin when someone tapped his shoulder. Walter had quietly exited the bathroom and was standing behind him smiling.
“Sorry about that. I should have known you’d still be a little jumpy.”
Steve laughed at his own fright. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”
Walter surprised him by having a completely different plan than he had imagined. He explained he had indeed blessed the tub full of water, but they would not be dowsing themselves in it, they would be carrying it with them and using it as a temporary barrier as they walked. Walter was a little reluctant to his own plan, but he felt there was no other choice, unless the family wanted to spend the rest of their days holed up in the church.
“As I said, the holy water only works for a minute. The water dries up extremely fast in these parts. Pouring it over yourself would do no good because your skin and clothes would absorb it too quickly. Each of you, except Bobby obviously, will be carrying a bucket of water. You’ll have to use it sparingly as you cross the street, but you will basically be enclosing yourself in circles of the holy water as you move. The water should instantly evaporate as it hits the boiling pavement, forming an invisible sheild. I will follow and do my best to keep them away, but when they have a taste for something, they don’t give up. And trust me; there will be a ton of them.” Walter paused. “What in the world did you do to make them want you so bad in the first place?”
“Heck if I know?” Steve said.
“They usually don’t attack like this unless someone either kil
led one of the babies, or exposed a great deal of blood to them. They can’t control themselves at the sight of blood.”
“Oh crap.” Steve said, “I did kill a bat in the attic.” He was going to say because he was mad one bit him, but he wasn’t ready to admit he lied. “I also killed one in the basement that tried to attack me. That’s when Henry turned into a vicious animal and scared the crap out of us.”
Walter nodded his head as if to confirm that killing the bats was the exact reason they were being hunted. “Well, let’s fill these buckets. It’s almost time.”
When Steve walked into the congregation area to snatch the buckets out of the broom closet, daylight was starting to peek through the stained glass windows. He was releaved that it was almost time to get this horrific night over with, but at the same time, he was frightened to his toes that they might not make it. He rushed back to Walter’s room and they began to fill the buckets.
24
With their buckets filled and their prayers said, they stood by the front door working up the courage to step into the early morning light. Walter had handed each of them rosary beads to put around their necks.