Say Live, Let Die

Chapter 15: "hold on to what you have"

There were humans crowding the Boardwalk even though it was a Sunday evening, people taking advantage of the warm autumn weather that made the night pleasant. David was glad to find something that hadn't changed in his absence.

After parking their bikes in the usual spot, he and Marko had headed towards the covered colonnade, scaring open a spot with just a dark look. David smiled to himself; he still had it. He leaned against the iron rail as Marko hopped atop it, both vampires looking out at the less crowded beach.

The incessant sounds of people talking and laughing mixed with the noise of the amusement rides and the rock music that was pumping through speakers placed throughout the Boardwalk. It felt like he was home again; the atmosphere soothed David's mind and reminded him of how awesome it was to live in such a place, with a steady source of tourists to eat and a cave to live in right on the ocean.

If other vampires existed out in the rest of the world, none had it so good as David did.

"Oh wow!" Marko exclaimed as Beth returned from her errand, handing him a flyer. "I wonder if they sprung for milk cartons, too?"

He flashed it at David, grinning. It was a standard MISSING flyer, one of hundreds that dotted the telephone poles and public notice boards throughout the coastal town. A black and white photo of Edgar and Alan Frog, looking solemn and expressionless as usual, stared up at David.

"Here," Beth handed David a pack of Camels, which he promptly tore into. She turned to Marko, nodding her head at the flyer. "You better stash that before someone sees us looking at it."

"Yeah, I guess so." Marko shrugged, crumpling the flyer up and stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

"You mentioned something about those Rambo-wannabes last night?" David eyed Marko while he lit up.

"All part of my rehabilitation therapy!" Marko grinned, his eyes bright. "You know how flammable old comics are? Pretty damn flammable!"

David looked at Beth, who shrugged. "It seems the Frogs improperly stored some boxes of comics next to a heat source and they unfortunately lost their store and main source of income."

"Oh really."

"And their parents." Marko's grin took on a decidedly evil cast. "Smoke inhalation will do that."

"Edgar and Alan were put up temporarily in a local motel, since they couldn't return to the family home, now being adolescent wards of the state. That and the horrific sewage backup that had rendered the home inhospitable." Beth explained.

"You've been a busy boy, Marko." David chuckled.

"The Emersons must have put up the flyers. The Frogs have no immediate family in the area, or the state." Beth mused. "The fire happened over four weeks ago. It was all a tragic set of a circumstances to befall the Frog family. Do you think Sam got a idea in his head and suspected us?"

"We didn't come to the Boardwalk, babe." Marko shook his head.

"You didn't?" David tilted his head, looking between the two vampires. "We always come here."

"Didn't feel right without you, and if one of them had seen me they'd have known something was coming. Beth and Maria kept me supplied with take-away." Marko winked. "It was kind of nice, having home delivered meals."

"We didn't go out because you were in rocky shape for the first few weeks." Beth reminded him. David's brow rose.

"Really?"

Beth eyed him. "What, you feel off, too?" David scowled at her. "You better tell me, if you aren't feeling one hundred percent."

"I'm fine, Beth."