The New Night Novels (Book 1): Rippers: A New Night Novel (15 page)

     Elise nodded as she turned back to the house. “Write it down, if you can. I’m going to try to sleep. I just wanted to make sure you’ll be around to let us know if any of them come in the night.”

     “You’ll be the first to know,” Jameson assured her. “Go get some sleep.”

Chapter Twenty-One – New Arrivals

     Jameson worked through the night. He tried to gather up things around the farm he thought would be useful. He examined the tractors Shaun had parked around the pond hole and wondered if he could drive them well enough to fortify their defenses. He wanted the wall to be set back away from the road. Trees blocked the view of the farm from the road and he thought with a little work, they could even camouflage the driveway. The place had a lot of potential to become defensible. If things were going the way he predicted they were, he wanted the farm to be locked down as tight as they could make it.

     Phoebe came out of the farmhouse with a cup of coffee and held it out to Jameson. The darkness under her eyes aged her a decade at least and frown lines seemed permanently embedded in her previously youthful face.

     “You need more sleep,” Jameson commented as he took the coffee cup. “Thanks.”

     “You need more blood, but you don’t hear me pointing it out like a jerk,” she retorted. “It’s 5a.m. and I’m a band kid. We used to practice an hour before class started. This is about normal wake up time for me.”

     “It’s about bedtime for me,” Jameson said as he looked toward where the sun would soon rise. “None of them came in the night. I think this place is truly abandoned.”

     “My uncle would have brought everyone who stayed in town here,” Phoebe said softly. “He would have wanted everyone to join together and defend the place. I guess it didn’t work out as well as he hoped.”

     Jameson nodded. “I think he was a smart man but something happened he couldn’t have predicted.”

     “You burned them,” Phoebe said as she saw the remains of the bonfire. “I wish you would have left them. I would have liked to see if it was anyone I knew.”

     “Your dad wouldn’t have been one of them,” Jameson assured her.

     Phoebe gave him a puzzled look. “Why would you say that?”

     “I read the note when you went to bed,” Jameson admitted. She’d dropped it on her way into the house and Jameson had picked it up. “Your uncle still wouldn’t have had it if your dad had been in the group that turned.”

     “I guess that’s true,” Phoebe said as she sipped her own coffee. “I didn’t even think of it that way.”

     “I’m going to head inside soon. Elise wanted me to write a note about what you should do today. Can you find me some paper and a pen?”

     Phoebe nodded and turned to follow him in. “My uncle kept a notepad on the fridge. Do you want something to eat before you head to bed?”

     “Is that another sly comment about me needing blood?” he asked in a half-joking tone.

     “I know you need blood,” Phoebe retorted. “I asked about food.”

     “Depends on what you’re thinking,” Jameson answered as he held the farmhouse door open for her.

     “Well, my uncle raised chickens so there’s plenty of eggs. He has two big freezers full of meat from his pigs and one cow he slaughtered last year. I’m sure there’s some bacon or sausage around. He also used to freeze biscuits for use so I bet he has a couple packs in the fridge, too.”

     She moved to the refrigerator and opened it. “Some orange juice,” she commented as she pulled it out. “Milk. Blueberries, and strawberries from the garden. It’s all good stuff.”

     “I’ll take some of the fruit and the milk. You uncle has some cereal. A bowl of that will be fine for me.”

     “Suit yourself,” Phoebe said as she handed him the gallon of milk. She reached for the cupboard that held bowls, opened it, and pulled one down for Jameson. She also handed him a pen and the notepad.

     “I closed the big gate out front,” Jameson said as he poured his cereal. “You’ll need to open it before you go into town. You and Leland should go. Elise can stay with the children.”

     “Sounds like a good idea,” Phoebe said. She moved toward the stairs. “Don’t eat her or them while we’re gone.”

     “Ha ha,” Jameson said to the empty room.

     Phoebe met Leland on the stairs. “Shower?” he asked in a half-dazed voice.

     “Shower on the second floor, coffee and food in the kitchen,” she said. “We need to get a move on, so let’s do it quick.”

     “Mini Hitler,” he mumbled as he made his way to the kitchen.

     “She’s doing what she needs to keep her head straight through this,” Jameson commented as Leland entered the kitchen.

     “Eavesdrop much?” Leland questioned.

     “Can’t help it.” Jameson tapped on his ear and pushed the paper with his handwritten notes toward the teen. “There’s a lot of stuff we need to get. There’s gotta at least be a hardware store in town.”

     “Axes,” Leland read from the paper. “Chainsaws, gasoline, heavy duty twine or rope, shovels, work gloves, shelving units, lumber. What are we doing, building a village?”

     Jameson shook his head and looked outside, where he’d spent all night digging a perimeter of holes around the farmhouse, garden, and barnyard.

     “Nope,” he answered. “We’re building a big fuckin’ wall.”

     Phoebe came downstairs with her wavy chestnut hair pulled into a tight bun. She had a baseball cap secured over her mound of russet locks and had donned her same clothes after a brisk wash in the shower.

     “We’ll need to hit as many of these little stores in town as we can,” she told Leland as she slipped into her tennis shoes. “Are you ready?”

     Leland held up his empty cup and gestured to the coffee pot. “I haven’t even…” he began. Phoebe sighed.

     “I talked to Elise and she’s fine with staying with the kids,” Phoebe said. “She wants clothes, nonperishables, and kids’ needs added to that list of yours, Jameson. Also, anything and everything needed for the coming of the baby. Blankets, diapers, rash cream, first aid supplies, formula bottles, you get the drift.”

     Jameson grabbed the list and quickly penned in the additions. “Better get moving, Leland,” he suggested. “I don’t think Phoebe is keen on waiting for you.”

     “I wish I could drive one of Uncle Shaun’s trucks but I’m just not good enough yet,” Phoebe said with another sigh. “We could do so much more if we had two vehicles.”

     “How about three?” Jameson asked as he lifted his head and listened. “There are two vehicles coming up the driveway.”

     “The sun’s up,” Phoebe said in a hesitant voice. “You can’t go out to meet them.”

     “Let them come in,” Leland suggested as he hurriedly drank down his coffee. He hissed. “Damn. Burned my tongue.”

     “Grab the gun,” Phoebe said to Jameson.

     The vampire stood and handled the gun to her. “I don’t need it,” he assured her.

     Phoebe took the weapon in hand. She was familiar with the rough grip and sleek barrel. Though her mother hadn’t liked it, Uncle Shaun had taken her shooting often. She wasn’t a fantastic shot, but she could pretty reliably hit what she aimed at.
     Leland rushed upstairs and grabbed his bat. He returned to the kitchen as the cars finished the drive up the long driveway and parked in front of the house.

     “Is the door locked?” Phoebe questioned.

     “I didn’t lock it when we came in,” Jameson said. “I don’t fear being sneaked up on.”

     “I didn’t lock it, either,” Phoebe admitted. “I guess whoever’s out there is welcome to come in.”

     A knock sounded at the door and a voice called out, “Hello? Is anyone in there?”

     Phoebe frowned toward the door. It had been a while since she’d heard it, but she recognized that voice.

     “Dad?” she questioned as she moved toward the door. She said it louder as she started to run. “Dad?! Is that you?!”

     The door was flung open and a man with the same wave in his light brown hair and the same surprise in his wide hazel eyes looked in as Phoebe ran from the kitchen.
     “Phoebe?” he exclaimed. She hit him at a run and he wrapped his arms around her. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here! Where’s your uncle?”

     Phoebe pulled back from her father and gave him a sad shake of her head. “They got overrun somehow. Uncle Shaun didn’t make it. Jameson buried him out back.”

     She pulled Gerry into the house and led him to the kitchen. “This is Jameson and Leland.” She made the introductions with a wave of her hand toward the men when she said their names.

     “Well, I can see we have a lot to talk about,” Gerry said as he sat at the counter. “Is that coffee? Can I have some?”

     Phoebe nodded and grabbed a cup for her father. As she filled it, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, “It’s all clear, guys. Come on in.”

Chapter Twenty-Two – Defenses

     Two people entered the kitchen. Phoebe recognized one of them as her Uncle Arthur, whom she’d always called Uncle Art. A woman Phoebe had never seen moved to Gerry’s side as soon as she entered the room and clutched at his shoulder.

     Gerry patted her hand and smiled up at her. “Jenn, this is Phoebe. These two are Jameson and Leland, but we’ve just met ourselves. Can’t tell you much about them.”

     Jenn smiled at Phoebe. “But I’ve heard so much about you, dear,” she said.
     When Jenn approached, Phoebe took a step back. “Not really down for a meet and greet right now,” Phoebe said softly. “We have a lot to do today. We need to get this place secure.”

     “Of course,” Gerry said as he stood.

     Phoebe had gotten over the momentary shock and euphoria that accompanied seeing her father alive. Instead, all the anger and angst that were attached to thoughts of her father made her face stern and her voice icy. Gerry had abandoned her before and now he was here, at the end of the world, and with a woman, no less.

     “Gerry and Jenn can drive one vehicle apiece and help us gather stuff in town. Trucks, preferably. You can take Uncle Shaun’s if you didn’t drive a truck or larger vehicle here. Uncle Art, can you stay here with our other group member, Elise?”

     “Sure thing, kiddo,” Art said. “Where’s she at?”

     “Upstairs in the kids’ rooms. We have two little ones with us; Eli and Carmen. They’re pretty shook up. We want to get things stable as we can for them.”

     With a nod, Art took the stairs up. He paused halfway up and turned around to say, “It’s good to see ya, kiddo.”

     Phoebe forced a smile her uncle’s way and turned to Leland. “You’ll have to shower later,” she told him. “We’ve wasted enough time as is.”

     Leland looked longingly up the stairs but nodded his agreement. “You gonna ride in the van with me?” he asked.

     “Yep,” Phoebe said. “Let’s get going. We’ll take the small stuff. Nonperishables, clothes, soap, and the like. Gerry and Jenn can hit the hardware store and get the big stuff from there using the trucks. Jameson, will you write out another list for them?”

     Jameson nodded and spun the notepad back to him. He picked up the pen and began writing again.

     “Oh,” Phoebe said to her father as she turned to show him the wound on her neck and pointed to Jameson. “He’s a vampire. And, yes, he bites.”

     With this, Phoebe turned and walked toward the front door. Leland followed. He heard Phoebe’s father mutter, “What the fuck?” as they left.

     It took three and a half hours to collect all the items on the list. Between Gerry, Jenn, Phoebe, and Leland, they packed each of their three vehicles twice to the bursting point.

     They went back inside after they had unloaded all of their collected goodies into several large piles in front of the porch.

     “Okay, now what should we be doing?” Phoebe asked Jameson after she woke him up.

     Jameson groaned and swatted at her. Elise had helped him nail dark blankets over the single window in the room he’d taken on the second floor. With the door closed, he’d been cocooned in a safe zone of shadows. But a certain teenage girl had decided to jump on his bed and dredge him out of deep sleep after only a few hours of comfort.

     “Your dad wants to douse me in holy water and tie me up with blessed silver,” Jameson growled. “Not only does he think I regularly feed from you, he thinks I’ve corrupted you and defiled your innocence.”

     “I doubt he even cares,” Phoebe mumbled as she nudged Jameson’s leg with her knee. “Come on. What do we need to do?”

     “Cut down trees,” Jameson said in an irritated tone. “Cut down big, thick, tall ones. Let them fall and leave them for the night. I’ll handle the rest.”

     “Okay, that’s weird. What if there are Rippers around and they hear us cutting?”

     “Then I guess you better cut them,” Jameson told her. “Now let me sleep. I have a lot of freaking work to do tonight.”

     “All right. Sleep well.”

     Phoebe shimmied off the bed and jogged for the door. “Doesn’t she ever do anything slow?” Jameson wondered aloud. He rolled himself back over and bunched up blankets. Closing his eyes, he willed himself back to sleep before the tree chopping started. If he didn’t fall asleep before they started working, he would never be able to go back down.