The Lost Boys

Chapter Fifteen

When midnight struck, and the door popped open with a metallic chink, Mattie flew from the cave, her clawed feet never even touching the ground. The wind rushed into her ears as she bypassed the Boardwalk and headed for what had been her human home. As she lowered her feet onto the dirt driveway, the destruction made it all too evident that a battle had taken place. Her grandfather's car was halfway into the house, resting where the front door had once been; several windows were blown out, and what lights remained on were flickering. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air. The fire had only recently been extinguished. There were other scents in the air: her mother's perfume, Sam's hair gel, and Michael's sweat. But, much like the smell of fire, they were past scents. Mattie's senses strained forward, trying to find some life left in the house.

There was none.

It was eerily silent when she entered the house. Her eyes darted towards the fireplace, which more resembled a gaping hole than a hearth, and she noticed Max's glasses resting neatly in the center, almost as if they had been placed there. She knew that Max was dead. She had felt it back in the cave, just as she had felt the death of Dwayne and Paul.

She let out a little sob at the thought of Paul's death.

The grief threatened to overwhelm her, and she forced it down. There would be time for mourning later after she had found....well, she wasn't sure. She hadn't felt David's death, and it was him that she decided it was best to focus on.

She was grateful that she didn't pass any human bodies on her way upstairs. Though they were responsible for the death of her brothers, Mattie couldn't bring herself to hate her human family.

Perhaps, she thought to herself, they were on their way out of town.

There was only one door open upstairs, and it led to Michael's room. She entered slowly, bracing herself for the worst, only to find that it was empty. Sighing in relief, she decided to cut through the bathroom to get to Sam's room, but as soon as she entered the bathroom, she saw Paul - or what remained of him - in the tub. She sunk to her knees in horror.

"Oh, Paul." She sobbed softly.

Mattie reached out to grab the little that remained of his body, but the moment her fingers hit the water, they were burned. Mattie recoiled in pain with a hiss. For several minutes, she sat before the tub, looking forlornly at the floating pieces of her former lover as it completely disintegrated in the acid-like water. It was only when a large thud reverberated from downstairs that she moved. Casting one last look at Paul, she murmured a regret-filled goodbye and started slowly for downstairs.

"Hello?" She called as she overlooked the destroyed downstairs from the landing.

Mattie. David's voice rang in her head.

Where are you?

He sounded weak - very weak - but nearby. A groan came from below. Eschewing the stairs, Mattie jumped straight down. It took her only a matter of seconds to locate David amongst the wreckage. He had a pair of deer antlers shoved in his chest, but they had missed his heart. She knelt over him.

"David."

He opened his eyes and focused on her face. "Is there anyone else?"

Mattie shook her head, fighting tears. "What happened?"

"They set up a trap for us." He explained in halted breaths. He grimaced in pain. "It worked."

"I need to pull these out of you." David nodded. Mattie grabbed the antlers and pulled. They popped free with a sickening sucking sound. David was almost translucent from a lack of blood. "You need to feed. Can you walk?"

"I don't know."

"Well, get ready to try."

Mattie lifted him to his feet, and, after several halted attempts, they left the house.

"They think we killed you," David said as they made their way down the road. There was no need to ask who 'they' was.

"Are they...?"

David shook his head. "I don't think so." Mattie nodded, feeling relief that at least her human family had survived. "With Max dead, Michael should be human again, same with Star and Laddie."

"But not me because I fed on a human."

"Yeah."

"They'll never accept me as a vampire. And I'll never forgive them for killing Paul, Marko, and Dwayne." David glanced at her, and she offered him a weak smile. "Guess it's just you and me."

"Guess it is."

The headlights of a car illuminated the road behind them.

"Hope you aren't feeling picky about what you eat," Mattie muttered as she waved the car down.

The driver rolled down the passenger side window. It was a middle-aged man who was on the plump side.

"What happened?"

"Our motorcycle went off the road." Mattie lied, making sure her face and voice looked appropriately panic-stricken. "My boyfriend is hurt, really bad. I didn't want to leave him!"

"I'll take you to the hospital."

The man got out of his car to help put David in the backseat. As the man hovered above him to make sure that he was secure, David grabbed him and began to feed. Mattie pushed the man's legs into the car and closed the door, muting the man's screams. She climbed into the driver's seat and started to drive.

"Stop at Max's place first," David said from the back, his voice already noticeably stronger. "He keeps a bunch of cash there. We'll need it."

Mattie nodded and listened as he rattled off directions.When they reached Max's house, David pulled the spare key from its hiding space and warned her about Thorn, Max's dog.

"Where are you going?" Mattie asked as David stumbled away.

"I need to feed more." He replied. "And I need to get rid of the body. I'll be back in ten minutes, and then we're getting the hell out of here."

As David limped away, Mattie made her way into Max's house. She was indeed greeted by Thorn, but he was whimpering pitifully, and his tail was between his legs. Mattie knelt down and offered him her hand.

"You know, boy, don't you?" Thorn licked her hand and allowed her to pet him. "Well, guess you're with us now." Mattie stood. "Don't suppose you know where the safe is?" Thorn's ears perked up, and he trotted into another room. Mattie followed him into what looked like an office. There, behind the desk, was the safe. "Thorn, you are not the average dog. Good boy." She bypassed entering the combination by simply ripping off the door. Just as David had said, there were stacks of money. Grabbing a box from the floor, she dumped the papers out and threw the cash in. Once the safe was empty, Mattie, with Thorn following, hit the kitchen and grabbed Thorn's food. Taking one last look around the house, Mattie returned outside and loaded everything into the car.

"What's Thorn doing out here?" David asked as he came back up the driveway, two gas cans in hand. He was covered in blood and still looked awful, but he was clearly healing.

"He's coming with us. What's with the gas?"

"Gotta burn the house, just in case." David looked between Mattie and Thorn. "This isn't a road trip."

"He has no one to look after him. Besides, he could come in handy."

David regarded her for a moment before sighing. "Whatever. You're driving. We need to find an out of the way hotel where people don't ask questions before sunup."

Mattie nodded and watched as David disappeared into the house. He returned minutes later just as flames started to become visible through the windows. Silently, they got into the car.

"Where am I going?"

"Head for New York. I think I know someone who can help us."

As David rested in the backseat and Thorn sat in the front passenger seat, Mattie drove them out of Santa Carla.

***END***