DEAD SEED (AKA "Vampires Don't Exist")

TWENTY-FOUR: Out of Time

The next night, Aralyn climbed the stairs to the attic. She wondered what Cora was working on for the baby. Probably a painting — Aralyn hoped it was a painting. She was a little worried Cora might be trying to construct a new animal out of the corpses of several others. She could just imagine it:

"I made the young master a 'puppitten' for company." Aralyn envisioned Cora showing her a Frankenstein-esque creation of a puppy and a kitten, the parts sewn together and dripping with blood. It wouldn't be the first time Cora had tried to create a hybrid out of animal corpses.

"I just don't know how to make their heart start beating again," she had said one time, showing Aralyn a bird with a lizard head. That had been several months ago.

"Please be a painting," Aralyn whispered as she climbed the steps. She stopped halfway to catch her breath and stretch her back.

"You better hurry, she's not got long left." Cora's voice drifted calmly down the stairs.

Who was she talking to?

"I know that, Cora." A voice Aralyn didn't recognize.

"What if you can't make it here in time?"

"Labor takes many hours, even a day or more, especially with the first child. I can make it here in time as long as you keep in touch. You can't go days without talking to me Cora, not this far into the pregnancy."

"It's not my fault I couldn't call you, I spilled blood on the phone you gave me."

Silence, then a frustrated response. "Can it be cleaned?"

Whoever was in Cora's room with her must have been examining the phone they were talking about because it went silent again. Aralyn thought about going further up the stairs so she could hear better, but the stairs sometimes creaked. She didn't want them to know she was listening.

"You should probably just move in here with me, Mister Orrin," Cora's voice finally said. "You can sleep on my floor ... you'll have to share it with the spiders. Don't worry though, they're friendly," she added reassuringly.

So, it was Orrin. She thought he had given up on her. Aralyn clenched her fists at her sides.

"Thank you for the offer, Cora, but I can't stay here. Aimeric would know."

"Yes," Cora sighed. "I suppose he would."

"You must keep me updated," Orrin said gently as if speaking to a child. "No more waiting, and if something happens to your phone again, tell Claire. I need to know as soon as Aralyn goes into labor. We can't let Aimeric turn her."

"Why are we waiting again? Why can't we just leave now?" Cora asked.

"Because he would find us before she gives birth, then she's right back here again. We need to take her away at just the right time. If we wait for the chaos of labor, it will be easier to catch Aimeric off guard, and by the time he might find us Aralyn will already have birthed the child — he wouldn't dare turn an infant already born."

"Oh, I see," Cora said in her dreamy voice.

"I must be going now Cora. The phone should work still, the blood didn't get into any of the important parts. Just charge it."

"All right Mister Orrin."

Aralyn started to panic, thinking Orrin would be opening the door in a moment and catching her eavesdropping. She thought about rushing back down the stairs but knew she couldn't move quickly enough.

So instead, she waited, prepared to confront the two of them for whatever it was they were planning. They wanted to take her. Orrin hadn't given up after all, and now Cora was in on it. Did that mean Claire was too? Aralyn remembered that night on the beach with Claire. She had given up too easily, Aralyn realized then. Claire hadn't meant it when she said she wouldn't force Aralyn to leave....