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  He looked down the corridor, at Vicky's door.

  I'll go in therefor only a minute, he promised himself. I'll make sure she's okay, then I'll come back.

  He put his hand against the quarantine doors.

  Maria, stationed at the desk, raised her head. "Where you going, Junior? Quarantine's a restricted area. Medical staff only."

  "I'll be right back," he said. "I gotta check on a friend." He pushed through the doors before the woman could tie him up in a conversation.

  Although on his last visit to this section he had peeked inside each room, on this trip he was so focused on Vicky's doorway that he didn't bother to look anywhere else.

  He paused at the threshold, wiped his face with a handkerchief. Quietly, he stepped inside.

  The room was dimly lit. There were four beds inside, each of them layered with crisp white sheets, but Vicky was the last patient brought to quarantine, and had the room to herself.

  She lay on the bed nearest the window. Light glowing from the lamp on the nightstand enveloped her in a soft golden aura.

  The blinds were open to the night. Outside, lightning snapped across the sky, and thunder rolled.

  Junior cleared his throat. "You awake, Miss Queen?"

  No response. She did not stir, either.

  Hesitantly, he approached the bed, his boots squeaking across the floor.

  Although she was ill, wore no makeup, and had disheveled hair, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. Her lovely face was turned to the side, and one of her slender, copper arms lay across the bedsheet. Her skin was drained of its usual, healthy shine, but her full lips were soft and rosy.

  It was impossible to believe that this gorgeous woman was going to change into a vampire one day. Junior couldn't believe it.

  She looked more lively than she had only a short while ago, when she had first been brought to the hospital. Maybe the medical people had given her a dose of something to heal her.

  She shifted, sleepily pulling away the sheet a little, as though she were too warm. Her movement partially exposed her firm, ripe cleavage that swelled underneath the thin hospital gown.

  Ron's voice came to Junior's mind.

  How about we sneak back there and get a look at her titties? She got them nice, big, round tittles, nipples like Hershey Kisses ...

  Vicky's moist tongue slid out and glided across her lips. She moaned softly.

  Cold sweat broke out on Junior's forehead.

  "You ain't even gotta be awake to make my heart race, Miss Queen," Junior said. He exhaled.

  He gently pulled the cover over her chest, in case someone nasty like Ron came inside to see her.

  His hand brushed across her face. He felt her smooth skin. He tenderly stroked one of her lush eyebrows, ran his fingers through her long hair.

  He remembered a time when he and Vicky had lived next door to each other, and they were both kids. Junior had been roaring down the sidewalk on his bike and had fallen off and skinned his knee, and Vicky, who had been playing with her dog, came over to him and cleaned his knee with her own saliva, then got him a Band-Aid ...

  A scream snatched him out of his reverie.

  He shot upright. Who was hurt?

  But it was only the wind. Outside, a gust harassed the trees and screeched around the building. As he looked out the window, a pulse of lightning stung his eyes.

  He pulled the cord to lower the blinds. They clattered to the bottom of the windowsill.

  "There we go," he said, turning back to the bed. "Now, you can sleep in some peace "

  The words died on his lips.

  Vicky Queen was awake, and she was smiling at him.

  Chapter 19

  Franklin Bennett swam out of slumber, immediately conL sumed with a raging restlessness and an unstoppable urge to do ... something. Something he could not articulate. Not yet. But the nameless compulsion drove him to action.

  He flung away the bedsheets.

  He was in a hospital room. His glasses lay on a nightstand. He reached for them, as was his habit upon awakening-and paused.

  His vision, without the spectacles, was hawk-sharp. He could clearly discern even a speck of dirt on the far wall.

  He pursed his lips, confused.

  What is happening? I am a patient here, it seems. How long have I been asleep? Days, weeks? I cannot recall. Most important, why am I here?

  I cannot remember.

  Perhaps he could remember, if he exerted the mental effort, but it did not seem worth the trouble. He was a prisoner to the urge that he could not elucidate. Satisfying the need was the only endeavor worthy of his attention.

  He raised into a sitting position. The overstuffed chair be side the bed was empty, but Ruby had been sitting there only a short while ago. He smelled her lingering feminine scent.

  Smelled her? What an odd way to determine his wife's whereabouts.

  It doesn't matter. I have to find Ruby. I have to get my hands on her. She has what I need. I do not know what it is, but she has it, in abundance.

  He bounded out of the bed, with an agility that he had not known since he had been a teenager. His gown billowed around him. He had to get out of this foolish getup. After he had found Ruby.

  Across the room, a young woman arose out of her bed. He did not know who she was, and he did not care. She did not possess anything of interest to him. She seemed equally uninterested in him.

  He heard footsteps shuffling along the corridor: slow, tired steps.

  As the footsteps neared the room, Ruby's scent grew stronger.

  Quick as a bat, he hid behind the door.

  He shot his roommate a stern glance, warning her not to interfere, though he sensed that she was enslaved to a need that matched his own.

  Ruby trudged inside. She saw his empty bed, and gasped. A mug emitting the pungent aroma of cinnamon-apple tea dropped out of her hands and crashed against the tile.

  My wife has what I need, and I must have it now

  Franklin blocked the doorway. Ruby spun around.

  "Franklin? Sugar, what's wrong?" Fear and worry flashed in her big eyes. But Franklin was less concerned about her eyes, and fascinated with the tender flesh of her neck.

  He heard her pulse throbbing. The rapid pounding thundered in his head, like a bass drum.

  "Come to me, love." He gripped her shoulders. Ruby opened her mouth, perhaps to scream, but only a highpitched whine squeaked out of her.

  I'm going to do something awful to my wife, my lover, my lifelong companion, my best friend, but I cannot help it, God help me, I cannot resist, she has what I need and I absolutely MUST have it now

  He pulled his wife into his strong arms, bowed his head, and pierced her neck with his unexpectedly sharp teeth. Ruby batted her hands against him, but as his fangs sank deeper, she sighed and leaned against his chest, willingly, as though she accepted that it was inevitable and appropriate that she should be the first to give him what he needed; the only thing in the universe that would satisfy his intense craving, the substance that flooded his mouth like warm, tangy cider and filled him with orgasmic pleasure.

  Blood.

  Vicky Queen smiled at Junior. "Hey, sweetie."

  Her hair had fallen across her left eye, and she brushed it away with a light motion that, for some reason, made Junior's heart throb. Vicky had always been able to do that to him. She affected him in ways that he didn't understand.

  But she wasn't the same old Vicky. Her eyes were red and wild. Something about her smile made him pause, too.

  When her grin spread wider, he realized what it was: her teeth were wickedly sharp. With teeth like that, she could snap a drumstick in half with a single bite. Or tear into a man's throat and suck his blood ...

  She's a vampire, you dummy, a voice in the back of his mind warned. Vampires have fangs. Get out of here.

  "Were you checking on me, Junior?" Vicky said. Her long eyelashes fluttered. "That was sweet of you. You've always been so sweet to me ""r />
  "I just wanted to make sure you were all right," he said. He sidestepped away from the bed. "Guess I'll be going now. I'll tell the nurse you're up and about; she can come and get you whatever you need."

  Vicky yanked away the sheet, revealing the rest of her body. She wore only the gown, and the thin material ended at her upper thighs; her shapely, smooth legs gleamed in the lamplight like polished bronze.

  "I need you, Junior. You need me, too"

  "But .. "Junior stuttered. His hand grasped the locket on his chest.

  Mama, please give me some strength.

  "Come here, Junior," Vicky said. "Lie on the bed with me. Let me kiss that muscular, chocolate body of yours. Let me bring your fantasies to life."

  A vivid image flared in Junior's head, something he was surprised that he could think of. him lying on that bed and Vicky Queen sitting on top of him, her firm breasts jiggling, his hands squeezing her fine hips ...

  Vicky's alluring eyes were hypnotic.

  He had taken a step toward her bed when his attention was diverted by a scream, outside the room. This time, it was not the wind. It was a human scream; a sound of horror and pain.

  Junior snapped to alertness. What was he doing, going to Vicky's bed? She was going to do something bad to him.

  Vicky hissed. Her eyes narrowed to red darts.

  Junior ran to the door. He didn't dare to look behind him and get caught in Vicky's spell again.

  In the hallway, he dashed past rooms. He glanced in Doc Bennett's room and saw something terrifying: Doc Bennett was standing and had cradled Mrs. Bennett in his arms, as if she had passed out in a faint. He turned and looked at Junior, and blood streamed down Doc Bennett's chin. His red lips formed a smile that chilled Junior to the marrow.

  Doc Bennett 's a vampire; Vicky Queen's a vampire; I bet everyone back here's turned into a vampire.

  He was afraid to check on the other people and confirm his idea. He concentrated, instead, on getting out of there.

  The exit out of quarantine seemed to be a hundred miles away. Up there, a female nurse strained to open the doors. She had bright red bite marks on her pale neck. She must've been the one who had screamed.

  "I got it, miss," Junior said. He pulled open the double doors, and the woman stumbled through. Junior risked a look over his shoulder.

  Patients poured into the hallway, like wild animals released from cages. Inhuman hunger burned in their crimson eyes. They hissed and spat. Their long fangs gleamed like needles.

  God, all of them had become vampires.

  Outside quarantine, the patrol team members looked frightened and bewildered.

  Junior snatched the ring of keys off the desk, to lock the doors.

  "Don't just stand there!" Junior shouted. "Let's keep them from getting out!"

  Then the lights went dead.

  David and the remaining members of their special team arrived at the police station.

  There, the storm had knocked out the power. The backup team used candles to illuminate the office. The people sat in a circle, as though they were performing a seance.

  King, sitting near the doorway, wagged his tail when he saw David. David was glad to see the mutt was okay.

  The team immediately slammed him and Chief Jackson with questions.

  "Where's Ben?"

  "We've been getting calls that the power's out all over town. What should we do?"

  "Where's Bertha?"

  "We heard lightning's knocked down a bunch of trees. The roads out of town are blocked with 'em. How can we get out of here?"

  "Listen!" David held up his hand. "Please, calm down. We'll get to your questions. First of all, is everyone here? Where are the boys, Jahlil and Poke?"

  "Gone, man," a guy wearing a basketball jersey said. "They didn't wanna stay."

  "You're kidding me," Jackson said. "You let my boy leave?"

  "We couldn't stop them," the guy said.

  Jackson cursed and threw his hat against the wall. He stormed around the room, fists bunched on his waist.

  David was concerned about the kids, but he had to move on. He told the group a condensed version of what had happened at Jubilee. None of them questioned the reality of what David and his group had seen. They were beyond doubts. The world of nightmares had become real.

  "On the way here, we saw the strong winds and lightning," David said. "But we had no idea that trees are blocking the main roads that lead out of here, or that the power has been knocked out everywhere. Somehow, I don't think that's an accident. The vampires are setting us up for an attack."

  "Diallo?" Nia said. "Jesus, if he's powerful enough to cause a storm ..."

  "I know, I know," David said. "We've got to find him. We have to assume that he's finally on the prowl, out there" He motioned to the window, and everyone peered fearfully at the glass, as though expecting a monster to bust inside. "Once we find Diallo and put him away for good, this madness will be over."

  "I don't even know what this vampire cat looks like," the man in the basketball jersey said. "How are we supposed to take him out?"

  "You'll know who he is, if you see him," David said. "He's not like you and me, remember. If you see either Diallo or his son, Kyle, you'll know it. Trust me. I expect them to show up on our radar at any second"

  A frantic voice crackled from the team's two-way radio: At the hospital, the patients in quarantine were on the move. And all of them were vampires.

  Franklin, David thought. Dread rippled through him. Please, God, don't let me be the one to do it. Don't let me be the one ...

  When the lights went out at the hospital, everyone panicked-except Junior. Already holding the key in his hand, he calmly found the keyhole, slipped the key inside, and latched the quarantine doors.

  But he didn't think they were safe yet. He probably could have busted down those doors himself if he were angry enough. And there were close to twenty people on the other side who were furious about being penned in quarantine.

  No, they ain't people, Junior reminded himself. Not anymore, they ain't.

  A nurse turned on a flashlight and shone the beam at the door.

  The vampires pressed their ghastly faces against the square windows. They bared their sharp teeth, hissing.

  People screamed. Fear weakened Junior's knees, too. But he couldn't give up. This was the time for him to be brave.

  The creatures beat their fists against the door.

  Junior braced his hands against the heavy door. "We got to block it with somethin'!" he said. His arm muscles felt like they were about to rip.

  Ron and Maria pushed a table across the hall, and Junior moved aside so they could lever the table against the door. Another man, DeWayne, grabbed a desk, and Junior helped him lift it and stack it on top of the table.

  The vampires roared, hammered the doors harder.

  "That ain't gonna hold them back long," Junior said. Already, the desk rocked.

  "What else can we do?" Ron said, his eyes frantic.

  "We gotta get ready to fight 'em," Junior said. "We can't let them get out of here or they're gonna get everyone else in town. Gimme a bomb."

  Maria slapped a bottle, which they'd called a Molotov cocktail, into Junior's hand. A dry rag dangled from the tip.

  He fished a cigarette lighter out of his pocket.

  In front of him, the barricade trembled.

  Ron and Maria each gripped a bottle bomb. DeWayne had the gun, cocked and ready. They had retreated far enough from the doorway so that when the barrier crashed, they would be out of harm's way. The nurse who held the flashlight was several feet behind them, her terrified face slick with sweat.

  Blood-curdling sounds came from the vampires: cries and moans of hunger and aching need. Junior wanted to clap his hands over his ears. He wanted to run away. He looked behind him. The corridor was as dark as a tunnel; the only light came from the lightning that flashed through the windows.

  The makeshift barrier clattered. The desk teetered, tumbled o
ff the table, and crashed to the floor.

  "Get ready!" DeWayne said. He aimed the gun.

  Beside Junior, Maria recited a prayer.

  Junior tightened his hold on the makeshift bomb. His thumb itched on the Bic lighter.

  The table finally flipped over.

  The quarantine doors exploded open.

  The vampires stampeded outside like a herd of enraged bulls. Moving fast, oh man, Junior could not believe how fast they were. As soon as DeWayne squeezed off a booming shot, hitting one of the monsters in the stomach, another vampire jumped through the air and tackled the man, knocking him flat on his back. The vampire plunged its teeth into his neck. DeWayne screamed.

  Junior was paralyzed.

  We ain't got a chance against them, there're too many, and they're too fast and strong.

  Ron and Maria lit their bombs, flung them in the general direction of the vampires, and ran. The bottles shattered on contact with the floor. A wall of flames whooshed in the air. Some of the vampires caught fire, and wailed in agony. The others scuttled away, frightened.

  The fire alarm rang into life. The showers came on, spraying cold water everywhere.

  No, Junior thought. It's gonna put out the fire!

  Already, the water was pounding the flames into submission. Watching the dying fire cautiously, the vampires began to come forward.

  I better run before they get their nerve back, Junior thought.

  He took off.

  His boots clapped across the wet floor. He ran past closets and darkened rooms. He wondered what would happen to the other, regular patients at the hospital. He didn't see any of the medical staff. Had all of them run away, too?

  Far ahead of him, Maria and Ron were in the lobby.

  "Hurry up, Junior!" Maria said. "We're getting out of here!"

  "I'm coming!"

  Ron and Maria vanished through the exit doors.

  Junior heard the vampires behind him. Feet slapping against the wet tile. Hissing. Hungry for his blood.

  Don't you dare look behind you, Junior.

  He finally came to the lobby. He was about to push through the glass doors when he saw Ron and Maria. They were sprawled on the sidewalk outside. A pack of demon dogs swarmed over their bodies, like lions feeding on felled deer. Those mutts that could turn you into a vampire with a bite.