I stop before door number five and listen for a beat. I don’t hear anything, which is both good and bad, and I’m hoping it means there’s only one vampire in there. One I can handle.
Maybe.
Probably.
I fucking hope so.
I unzip my purse, making sure my gun is easily accessible, though I’m really hoping I’m not going to need it. Bullets won’t kill the vampire and explaining why I shot someone is not something I want to do right now. Or ever.
I blink, force my shoulders back, and grab the doorknob. It opens with a twist, and I stumble in, doing my best to appear wasted. The door hits the wall behind it, and the vampire jolts up. The room is set up much like a hotel room, with a bed in the center, lame decorations, and a dresser on the adjacent wall.
Unlike a regular hotel room, there are chains on the wall over the bed and bloodstains on the carpet. The guy is sitting on the bed, with the drunk girl on his lap. Her head droops down and I know she’s close to passing out.
“Josh?” I call, stumbling into the room. “Are you in here, Joshy? I’m sorry I got mad at you,” I slur, and stop a few feet from the door.
Tight-leather-dress girl looks up, blinking rapidly. She’s so drunk she has no idea what’s going on. The guy narrows his eyes and I’m still not sure if he’s human or a vampire. The entire room stinks like sulfur, cigarette smoke, and bleach. The scent is so strong it makes me nauseous. He narrows his eyes and his glare gives me a chill.
“You’re not Josh.” I put out my hand, acting like I can hardly stand. “But hey!” I point to the girl. “I know you! We went to McKinley High together. Allison, right?”
“No, I’m Marissa, and I…I…” She leans over the bed and pukes. The guy on the bed shoves her to the floor, and her hands land in her vomit.
“Stupid bitch,” he sneers, and I think I see a flash of fang under his lips. He looks down at his feet, worried there might be puke on his expensive-looking shoes.
“I got her,” I say, trying to keep up my drun- girl pretense. “Come on, Marissa. Let’s go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up.”
She grabs onto the bed, needing to pull herself up. I take her arm and start to lead her out the door. My heart is racing and I know I’m only seconds away from my cover being blown. The guy moves closer behind me and the source of the smell of sulfur is undeniable now. It’s coming from him.
“Come on,” I say again, and urge her to move a little faster. I’ve only been this drunk once before, and it was in college. I spent the night puking into my dorm’s toilet and was convinced I was dying. If I give her one second to hesitate and sit down, I probably won’t get her back up again.
We’re almost to the door when the guy grabs my arm.
“Looks like your boyfriend left you,” he coos in my ear. “Why don’t you stay and play with me?”
“In a room full of barf? No thank you.” I push Marissa out the door and jerk my arm back. He tightens his grip and tips his head down to mine, flashing red eyes.
He expected me to scream in shock and fear. He didn’t expect me to bring my knee up to his balls, then shove him back. He hits the door and opens his mouth. A row of fangs drops down from his gums.
“Run,” I tell Marissa, and give her another push. She takes a few quick paces then falters, sliding against the wall. I grab her wrist and pull her up. “Keep going.”
I turn back just in time to duck out of the way of a punch from the vampire. His fist hits the wall, and his hand goes through the drywall, getting momentarily stuck. I turn my attention back to Marissa and help her get a few more feet away before the vampire grabs a handful of my hair, yanking me back.
I whirl around, already prepared, and deliver a hard blow to his nose with my elbow. The pain does little to stun him. My heart is in my throat as my mind races with what to do. Shooting him in the head might work. But it might not. And then there will be mass chaos from a gunshot and people could get hurt.
He advances on me again, and I move out of the way, sending him crashing into the wall. He might be stronger than me, but I’m quicker and more skilled in my movements. As a woman, I’ve learned over the years that blunt force and brute strength aren’t necessary to win. Years and years of self-defense classes and belts earned in various martial arts have given me a leg up, and, thankfully, this vampire hasn’t figured it out yet.
He hits the wall hard and I reach inside my purse for my gun. Holding the barrel, I crack him over the head with it, and then kick him in the chest.
Marissa hasn’t gotten very far, and, with another kick to the knee, the vampire goes down. He’ll be back up in seconds, I know, but seconds are all I’ve got.
“Come on!” I shout at Marissa and put the gun back in my purse. Her eyes are wide and she’s blinking rapidly, trying to process what the hell is going on. There’s a good chance she’ll remember this in the morning, but I’m hoping she’ll chalk up her memories of the fangs and glowing eyes to having a few too many margaritas.
We get to the end of the hall and I gently shove her around the corner.
“Keep going,” I say. “Find your friends.”
I watch her take a few shaky steps down the hall, going back to the strip club, and turn, holding my gun out at my side. But the vampire isn’t there. My heart thumps away, too loudly in my chest. The people in room three are fucking away and all the other doors are closed.
I narrow my eyes, looking in the doorways. He’s here, I know it, and it’s too damn dark to make anything out for sure. I risk a glance back down the hall at Marissa—she’s wobbling and going slow but is still on her feet, thank God—and then look back and find myself face to face with the vampire.
