On the Edge of Humanity

ONCE I WAS IN THE car, fear crept in as I thought about what Kate had said. The inside air was suffocating me, so I pushed the button on the door panel and the window opened. A brisk breeze played with my hair as I leaned out, trying to wash away the claustrophobia and, hopefully, the events of the past week.

The side streets were quiet this morning with few cars on the road. Ben lived a couple of miles from the Jupiter Sentinels' compound so we didn't have far to go. The scenery changed suddenly when we crossed over South Main Street. We were no longer in the mill district. Three story tenements dotted the streets, with chain-link fences wrapped around each property, securing the tenants inside. The sidewalks were deserted except for a couple walking their dog.

I pulled in my head. Ben was resting his elbow on the portable console that separated us in the backseat. His chin was propped up in his hand as he stared out the other window. Tripp's left hand was at twelve o'clock on the steering wheel and his right arm rested on the console. He seemed relaxed now after trying to keep Lieutenant London from killing Ben. I couldn't see Sloan's face as he sat in front of me, but it sounded as if he were texting or something on his cell phone. Webb had stayed behind to do whatever it was he did as the leader of the Sentinels, which was probably a smart thing for all of us, especially Ben.

After several stop signs and a few traffic lights, Tripp made a right turn and we were now traveling on Rock Street slowly passing the former Durfee High School building. I had always admired the Renaissance architecture of the old school, which looked more like an old-world church than a high school. It was a historic landmark, erected high on the hilltop in the middle of the city. Anyone traveling into Fall River from the west could see the clock tower from the other side of the Braga Bridge.

Tripp made a few more turns, then we were traveling east on President Avenue. Olivia's Jeep was a few blocks behind us. The radio crackled when Tripp came to a stop at a red light.

"Alpha One, come in," Olivia called out.

Sloan pushed the button on the radio. "Go, Echo Three."

"Thirty minutes then you're out," she commanded.

"Ten-four."

What did she mean thirty minutes? Was that all we had? I had planned on a long shower and staying awhile. I had no desire to return to the cement and steel prison.

"Jo? We need to get in and out. Get what you need, then back to the car. Same for you, Ben," Tripp instructed.

I tapped Ben on the arm. "Do you think your dad will be home?"

Ben dropped his arm and looked at his watch. "Probably not." His voice was sullen.

He had been quiet ever since we got in the car. He seemed a bit uneasy since Webb almost ripped off his head then had him escorted out. I imagined he was regretting ever getting involved in the first place, and I couldn't blame him. I didn't want to be here or know anything about vampires either. I thought that surely Mr. Jackson was worried about us.

"Webb spoke to Mr. Jackson this morning. I believe he's at school," Sloan piped in.

I wanted to tell Sloan it was impolite to eavesdrop. But one pissed off vampire was enough for now.

The car turned onto Ash Street. The trees were rustling from the light breeze that blew this morning. We passed Ben's neighbor, Buster Greene, who was out picking up his newspaper in the driveway. He stared at us as we drove by. I wondered why he was even home. Baseball season had already started and usually he was on the road a lot, according to Ben. Maybe he had a few home games this week.

Buster's house faded behind the trees that separated Ben's house from Buster's. Tripp pulled into the driveway alongside Ben's Ford Explorer. How did his car get back here? It was parked at Crest and Skylark yesterday where the fight broke out. Ben and I looked at each other. As if he knew what I was thinking, he shrugged. He opened the back door and stuck his foot on the ground.

"Not yet," Sloan snapped.

Tripp's head jerked up. He adjusted the rearview mirror.

Oh no! Not again. The last time Tripp's head jerked up like that was yesterday at school when he sensed danger. I held my breath.

A car pulled alongside the curb in front of the house. Tripp turned to look over his left shoulder.

"Okay, we're clear," he announced.

Olivia stepped out of her Jeep, then her partner, whose name I'd found out was Fehherty, backed the car up, disappearing from our view. Olivia scanned the area with a mechanical precision, as if she were programmed with a computer chip in her, then walked toward the left side of the house. As if on cue, Sloan climbed out and walked around to the right side of it.

Ben jumped out when Tripp gave the all-clear.

"Jo, thirty minutes," Tripp reminded me.

"I got it." I slid out.

I ran up the steps and caught up to Ben as he was unlocking the door. Lucy came barreling down the hall, wagging her tail when Ben stepped in.

"Hey, girl. How're you?" Ben said in a high-pitched voice.

"We only have a few minutes, Ben," I said.

"I don't care how long we have. I'm taking my time. I don't want to go back to that dungeon and deal with more shit from the vamps. I'm going to school." He was holding Lucy in his arms.

"How're you going to get by our bodyguards?"

"Shh." He put his index finger to his lips and looked around as if he were going to tell me a big secret. "Dad? You home?" Ben called out.

"Sloan said he was at school," I reminded him.

Just in case, we stood still inside the door waiting for any signs of Mr. Jackson.

Ben shook his head. "He's not here. He would've heard us by now."

Tripp glided in through the front door and glared at us. "We need to keep on track." He pointed to the watch on his right wrist.

"It's not like we have vampire speed," I muttered.

"I heard that, Jo," Tripp growled.

Didn't he know girls take longer to get ready? I glared at him, then turned and padded up the stairs thinking about a hot shower spraying down on me. I hesitated outside my bedroom with my hand on the wall and peeked through the corner of my eye at Ben's room. He stood in front of his door, still holding Lucy, his soft cognac-colored eyes looking at me. My heart skipped a beat. We stared at each other for a long second, then he walked into his room.

I blew out the air in my lungs and closed the door behind me. Once in my room, I dropped my backpack and flopped on the bed. I grabbed a pillow, buried my face in it and screamed. My feelings were all over the scale. One minute my body tingled, then the next minute fear coursed through me, then pain. I couldn't make sense of anything. The emotional faucet opened and tears poured out. I kept telling myself to be strong and stay focused, but I wasn't sure how much more vampire excitement I could handle. I wiped my eyes with a corner of the pillowcase, stood up and headed into the bathroom.

I stood under the hot spray, letting the water massage my face, relishing the pressure. I raised my hand to my left cheek and the stitches were all but gone, except for one just below my eye. I dragged my hand around my chin. The little holes of dried up blood were history. I sat down on the bench and let the steam coat my skin, hoping it would open up my pores, cleansing me of all the terrible things in my life. I examined the stab wound under my left breast and the dark bruises had turned to a yellowish-blue. The area was still sore to the touch, but not as painful as a week ago. My fingers soon shriveled, so I stepped out and toweled off.

I didn't have time to dry my hair; I brushed it out, gathered it into a ponytail and wrapped a band around it. I braved a quick glance in the mirror, hoping my appearance had graduated from a zombie to a halfway decent-looking human. Satisfied I was presentable, I changed into a clean pair of jeans and another long-sleeve Henley, only today it was red. As I laced up my boots, a loud bang echoed in the house, followed by glass shattering.

I jerked up my head, held my breath and listened. Another loud bang, only this time it sounded as if someone were chopping wood. I bent over and quickly laced up my other boot. I grabbed a few clothing items and with shaky hands shoved them into my backpack. I grabbed the doorknob when a knock startled me.

"Jo?" Ben whispered. "Jo, you in there?"

Relieved it was Ben, I pulled the door open. He wore black jeans and a navy blue t-shirt that fitted his muscular frame. A slow burn made its way up my cheeks. Oh my. Please don't notice.

"We got to get out of here," Ben said.

"What's going on?" I peeked into the hall.

"I think those Pluto vamps followed us." He extended his hand, motioning me to take it.

"Wait." I took two steps backwards, turned, quickly blessed myself and picked up my backpack. I turned around and my face plowed right into Ben's tight abs. "Geez. Give a girl some space, would you?" I looked up.

His gaze bored into me.

"You're going to have to do more than bless yourself," he said.

"No shit!"

"Come on." He bent down slightly and grabbed my hand.

This time, his touch didn't spark any type of tingling sensations. I wanted to scream, again. Maybe last night was a fluke or maybe my nerves and adrenaline were masking my vampire hormones.

He pulled me as we walked down the hall towards the stairs. We passed his room and Lucy was scratching to get out. When we reached the top of the steps, it sounded as if a lamp broke somewhere in the house. The bulb made a popping sound. Ben stopped and I plowed right into the bulging backpack he had strapped to him.

I rubbed my nose where it made contact. I really needed to pay attention more. My nerves were going to get me hurt or into trouble.

"How we getting out of here?" I asked.

He let go of my hand, walked down the hall then back. The grunting sounds were getting closer. We needed to get out of here, fast. I didn't want to be used as a pincushion. I escaped yesterday; I wasn't so sure I was going to be as lucky today, even if Jonah was locked up. Somehow, I didn't think that mattered.

"Ben?"

"I'm thinking," he whispered.

"You don't have time to think," I murmured. I wanted to shout at him. I was tired of being chased, sliced and told what to do. "Do you have the keys to your car?"

He shook his head.

"Aren't they in your backpack?" I didn't understand. He parked his car at Crest yesterday.

"I left my keys in the car when I saw that dude about to stab you with a needle the size of a yard stick. It was all I could do to put the car in park and shut it off."

Something banged against the wall near the stairs. I jumped and let out a little screech. If Ben wasn't going to move, I had to. We would be vamp meat before we could blink. I wrapped the other strap of my backpack over my left shoulder and adjusted it so I had equal weight on both sides. I grabbed the railing and stepped down onto the first stair.

"What're you doing?" Ben ran over to me.

"We can't stay up here. We're cornered."

He raked his hand through his wet cinnamon hair. "Let me go ahead of you," he said. He jumped down, landing softly onto the second step, then the third and stopped, knuckles white as he held onto the banister. He waved his hand.

I took in a deep breath and followed, but not too close in case he knocked me out with his backpack. When we reached the middle of the staircase, Ben bent over the railing and peered down the hall, popped his head back then extended his left arm and stopped me with his hand.

"What's wrong? Is it Tripp?"

He shook his head.

The banging stopped.

Where were Tripp and Sloan? I prayed they were okay, that they were close by.

"I need to get my spare keys," Ben whispered. "They should be on the key rack in the kitchen."

Great. Nothing like walking into a vampire's nest.

Ben peered over the railing one more time. "Okay, the coast is clear." He waved his hand again. "Let's go."

I didn't move. The house was spine-chillingly quiet. Where did the vamps go? It sounded as if they were in the hallway a minute ago.

"Come on." Ben signaled again, only this time with a nod.

I ran down the rest of the stairs. Ben had already slipped down the hall. I peeked into the living room on the right. The room was empty, although the wood coffee table was broken into pieces. I slinked down the hallway to the kitchen, stopping behind Ben who was standing at the basement door.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

Ben slid his hand through the crack in the door and eased it open. Then he slowly poked in his left ear and stood there. My heart hammered against my chest. As Ben stepped back, sweet incense drifted in the air. My mouth watered.

Ben looked over his shoulder at me. "What?"

My eyebrows were pinched together. "I smell blood, lots of it."

"How do you...Never mind. I didn't hear anyone downstairs. You stay here. I'll get my keys. They should be on the other side of the wall." He pointed to the kitchen.

The smell of blood had me frozen. Suddenly, it was driving me crazy. My head began spinning. My veins burned like they were on fire. Is this how drug addicts feel? Why, all of sudden, are the cravings this strong? I needed fresh air.

I took a step to turn when, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a hand as it reached around the other side of the kitchen entrance and grabbed Ben's wrist. Then his body jerked forward and he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Jo, run!" he shouted.

I stood motionless and didn't know what to do. Where was I going to go? If I ran outside, I would probably run right into a swarm of Plutariums. If I stayed here, I would be vamp meat anyway. Either way, I was screwed. Where were the Sentinels? Did the Plutariums take them out?

My brain told me to get out of the house, but my feet had something different in mind. Before I knew it, I was running into the kitchen.

I rounded the corner and tried to stop, but my feet kept going, sliding as if I were skating on ice. I looked down and the floor was covered in blood. I extended my arms to balance myself. I plowed right into a black-haired vamp who leaned against the kitchen island with one ankle crossed over the other, examining the hilt of a dagger between his hands.

I pushed, using his hard chest as a springboard to force myself away from him. The dagger he held thudded to the floor. I lost my balance, the weight of my backpack threatening to pull me backwards. Trying to stay upright, I swung out my arms, thrashing at the air as if I were trying not to drown. I bent slightly forward and nearly fell face first into the pond of blood.

I dug my heels into the floor as an anchor to keep my legs from extending outward. My arms hung out to my side parallel to the floor as if I were walking on a balance beam. Slowly, I placed both my hands on my knees and pushed up, straightening my upper torso. When I was certain I was safe from swimming in the pool of blood, I blew out all the air in my lungs.

"Bravo, Jo." The black-haired vamp clapped. "That took some skill."

His dagger lay on the floor, the blade gleaming.

Whose blood was on the floor? Oh my God! Was it Tripp's blood? He was the only Sentinel in the house with us. A sudden pang of anger welled up in me. I wanted to punch the smug vampire standing in front of me.

"Who the heck are you? And what did you do to Tripp?"

"Now, now. Slow down. One question at a time, my dear."

"I'm not your dear, creep."

"Jo, maybe tone it down a bit. He has a knife," Ben said in a low voice.

The vamp glared at Ben. "It's a dagger. Get your weapons straight, kid." Then the vamp turned to me. "Yes, Jo. You should listen to your boyfriend here." He flicked his thumb towards Ben then said. "My name is Fernando and I'm pleased to finally meet you, Jo."

Why was it every vamp I met during the past few days had been pleased to meet me? Was I some kind of goddess? Yeah, right. I didn't think so. Maybe a zombie goddess-now that I might believe.

I stole a glance at Ben who seemed flash-frozen where he stood. The key holder dangled near his head. All Ben had to do was grab his car keys and run. On the other hand, a sticky, slick substance beneath my feet kept me rooted in place. If I ran, the blood would claim me before the cocky vampire did. Plus the smell of it had my head spinning. I was toast, but Ben wasn't.

Ben looked at Fernando, then at me.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't even try it, boy," Fernando said, glowering at Ben.

"Run!" I mouthed to Ben.

Ben took one step to his right when a thud sounded in the room. My heart jumped out of my chest. What just happened? Ben had a look of sheer terror splattered all over his face. A half an inch to the left of his head the dagger stuck straight out of the wall.

I gasped.

"Ben, run!" I shouted.

Ben grabbed a handful of keys from the hook and sprinted out of the kitchen.

"I don't care about him. You know I'm here for you, sweet thing," the smug vamp said.

"Fuck you, asshole."

"My, my. I do have a feisty one on my hands. I like a challenge, you know."

I slid my left foot back, then my right one, using the blood to my advantage. Maybe I could lure Fernando into the puddle of blood and see if he could stand without falling. I kept my eyes trained on him as I inched back towards the hallway. He didn't move.

"You're not going to get away from me, sweet thing." He tilted his head to one side and curled his lips at the ends.

"Humph, watch me, asshole."

I was hoping the boots I wore would have some traction on the bottom. Here goes nothing. With the adrenaline pumping through me at warp speed, I turned on my heel, glided a few feet, then ran. I made it to the front door and stopped.

Don't stop. Keep going, my inner voice screamed. I turned but Fernando wasn't behind me. Did he get stuck in the pool of blood? Why wasn't he chasing me? It couldn't have been that easy, could it? I opened the front door, dropped my right foot over the threshold when he grabbed me by my ponytail.

I reached around with both hands, trying to get him off me, but he only pulled harder-as if I were his pet dog on a leash.

"Let me go," I screamed. "You're hurting me."

He grunted and pulled me into the entryway. "Sweetheart, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you, but you gave me no choice."

Why do I always end up fighting off creeps, even vampire creeps? Where are Tripp and the other Sentinels?

"Let me go," I repeated as my muscles tensed.

"Only if you cooperate," Fernando said, spinning me around so we were facing each other.

Terrified, I widened my eyes.

"I will use this on you and I won't hesitate either." Then he wagged the dagger around my face. "Like the person who already branded you."

Fantastic! Another asshole who needed a knife to threaten a sixteen-year-old girl who was half his size with only human strength. I was beginning to think having vampire strength wouldn't be such a terrible idea right about now.

"Fine," I said. "What do you want then? You want to kill me? You want to inject me with some horse needle? Or..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ben with a baseball bat in his hand at the other end of the hallway. What was he doing? I thought he ran out. I had to do something or else the vampire with his sharp hearing would hear Ben or smell him.

"Do something," I muttered.

"Cat got your..." the vamp said, then moved in a blur and turned around and faced Ben.

Shit! Too late. I had hoped it would be more of a surprise. Now Ben was screwed.

"Um, sir." I tapped Fernando on the shoulder.

He gave me a fleeting look and growled. His fangs had descended and his eyes were liquid coal.

We were so screwed. Ben and this vampire, Fernando, were about to go head to head in a battle that Ben couldn't win, even with a baseball bat.

"Sir, forget him. You're here for me, right? Let him go and I'll go with you."

He flicked his gaze back to Ben, his dagger ready to take action.

"Seriously, asshole," I shouted. "Take me. You said Ben means nothing to you. Besides, how can he hurt you? He's human."

Ben had stopped in the middle of the hall. "What the fuck are you doing, Jo? You can't go with him. Are you nuts?"

"Yeah, Jo. What the fuck are you doing?" Fernando mimicked.

I had to convince this angry vampire I was serious even though I wasn't. I had to lure him away so Ben wouldn't get hurt.

"But I want to go with him. Maybe I'll see Sam. I can help him," I said with a soft voice, hoping the vampire would believe I was sincere. But, while I was trying to lie, I realized that maybe I was right. Maybe I would see Sam and could help him.

Fernando stepped to the side with his back toward the living room. I assumed he did that just to keep his eyes on us. I cocked my head to one side and studied the black-haired vampire. He seemed relaxed, as if he were settling in for the night to watch a movie. Maybe that was a good sign.

"You're not going with this dude," Ben said.

I shifted my glance to Ben, who had moved closer with both his hands wrapped around the base of the bat, knuckles reddish-white.

"Who're you to tell me what I can do?" I said.

Fernando kept shifting his glance between Ben and me. "This is quite amusing. You human teenagers are very dramatic."

I wanted to laugh. This vamp didn't know what the word dramatic meant. He was the one being dramatic with daggers and fangs.

Ben took a step forward, shaking his head. "I can't let you do this, Jo."

"Boy, I wouldn't come any closer. She's already told you she doesn't want you." He chuckled.

I glared at the vamp. "Stay out of this, asshole."

Fernando glared back. "Sweetheart, I told you my name is Fernando and if you call me asshole one more time-"

In that moment, Ben swung the bat, making, contact with the vampire's head, knocking him to the floor.

"Run, Jo. Now!" Ben commanded.

I ran out the front door, jumping the porch steps two at a time, turned to my left and ran in front and around Ben's car to the passenger's side. The engine was running. Right next to Ben's car was Tripp's, but no one was in it. I scanned the street. The neighborhood was dead quiet, not even the birds were singing this morning. I stood between the two cars watching the front door, waiting for Ben to emerge.

"Come on, come on," I said into the cool spring air. I tapped my foot frantically on the concrete. "Hurry up, Ben," I whispered to myself.

Then I remembered Olivia's Jeep. Where was it? I started to walk down the driveway when Ben came running out.

"Get in the car," he shouted.

I turned and ran to the car. Ben was already backing it down the driveway. He leaned over and opened the passenger door. I began running with the car. Was he mad? How was I going to get in the moving vehicle?

"Slow down so I can jump in," I yelled.

"Just jump in the fucking car, Jo!"

I grabbed onto the inside door handle and tried to jump in, but the car was moving too fast. Then out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Fernando staggering out of the front door, holding his head, a bloodthirsty expression plastered on his face.

"Shit. Get in! Get in!" Ben's voice cracked.

"Slow the fucking car down, will you?"

As the car slowed, I tried again, grabbing onto the inside handle and slid my left foot in when Fernando flew through the air and landed on the hood. The car jerked and I lost my footing, the car dragging me down the driveway as I held on. Then Ben slammed on the brakes and Fernando's body slid off the hood onto the pavement while my head hit the bottom of the door.

"Come on, Jo. Get the fuck in the car-hurry!" Ben said in a frantic voice.

I was going to kill someone today and it just might be Ben. With the SUV now stopped and the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I stood up, jumped in, and shut the door. My heart raced as I tried to get my backpack off my shoulders.

Ben stepped on the gas and the car flew out of the driveway onto the street. I kept my eyes focused on Fernando's body, which lay motionless next to Tripp's car. I wasn't sure if he were dead, but since he was a vampire, I didn't think a fall like that would kill him.

The car fishtailed as Ben shifted into drive, then floored it. We sped off down the street, passing Olivia's Jeep, but neither Olivia nor Fehherty was anywhere in sight.

"Where're Tripp and Sloan?" I asked.

"No clue. Don't care right now."

"Ben, slow down. There's a stop sign ahead," I shouted.

The car decelerated, and out of nowhere someone fell on the hood. The dent from Fernando only got deeper when the flying brute landed on the Explorer. Ben slammed on the brakes and the vampire flew off, skidding across the pavement in front of us. My body jerked forward, my hands plastered against the dashboard, keeping me from going through the windshield. Then Olivia appeared out of the blue, eyes pitch black, fangs in full view. She bent down, hoisted up the new vamp, then threw him onto the lawn of the corner house.

Ben and I watched in amazement as the broad-shoulder vamp, who Olivia just planted into the grass, stood up as if nothing fazed him.

"Do these vamps ever die?" Ben asked.

"I don't know," I added.

"Uh oh." Ben was looking in the rearview mirror.

I gaped behind me and Tripp was in a dead sprint toward us.

"Ben. Maybe we should wait for him."

"Are you insane. I'm not hanging around any more of these vamps," Ben said, stepping on the gas.

The car bucked. I grabbed the seatbelt and strapped myself in. We had just crested a hill when the front of the car rose in the air.

"Shit. Tripp's on the trunk," Ben bellowed.

I craned my neck and Tripp had both hands on the trunk, pulling the car toward him. He couldn't stop the car like that, could he?

"We really need to stop," I said, bracing my hand on the dashboard.

"Look, the safest place for us right now is anywhere but here," Ben said in the calmest voice.

The engine revved up and sounded as if Tripp were holding back a wild lion.

I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. I didn't want to hurt Tripp, but maybe Ben was right. Maybe we weren't safe around them. In a flash, the front of the car dropped, the engine whined and we pitched forward. I turned. Tripp had his cell phone at his ear, probably calling Lt. London.

I said another prayer, thanking God it wasn't Tripp's blood on the floor in the kitchen. But whose blood was it? We'd just passed Olivia fighting the brute, who I assumed was a Plutarium. Where were Fehherty and Sloan? The last time I saw Sloan he had disappeared around the back of the house, while Fehherty had stayed in the Jeep.

I covered my mouth. Was that Sloan's blood on the floor? I shook my head a few times. I didn't have time to worry about Sloan. Ben and I needed to stay alive. Besides, I wasn't ready to be a prisoner again, not yet.

"Where should we go?" Ben asked, shifting his glance between the road in front of him and the rearview mirror.

I thought about it for a minute. With the vampires behind us, this was our chance to search for Sam without vampires breathing down our necks, especially Lieutenant London. We were free for the moment.

I was determined to take full advantage of it.