Mayfly by Rei Fletcher

Author:Rei Fletcher [Fletcher, Rei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-08T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

She heard sirens passing on the highway. They were out past the city limits, but maybe the boom was big enough that it would take more than the local volunteer fire department. It sounded like a lot of them. There'd be police and ambulances and all of that.

They grew less frequent. She searched for a flashlight and turned off the car. It wasn't long until dawn, and gas money wasn't going to do much good when there was no station nearby. She sat in the driver's seat and shivered, telling herself it was only the cold, and definitely not terror.

"Marianne."

It was so faint she thought it was her imagination. When it came again she shined the beam of light around the interior of the car, ready with her knife in case it was a bug that had survived. Nothing was there. Ash kept her car spotless. No place for anything to hide.

"Marianne, help."

She emerged cautiously, knife at the ready. Under the pine boughs, there was a strange movement and a wet sound. The beam flashed over a pale face, smeared with red, and soft brown hair.

"Ash!"

She ran to help her. The blood was from her stomach and leg. Marianne swallowed hard and helped her limp to the car. She felt so light.

"We'll get help." She thought of the screaming sirens. "A doctor or something?"

"Feed."

Her eyes rolled up, wide and full of pain. There was so much blood. Marianne touched her hair softly, trying to make her feel better. She'd need a lot. But she'd stop, Marianne was sure of it.

"You can. I'll let you."

She smiled: a wry, little one. "Bless. The trunk."

Marianne found a cooler in the back and heaved it out. Ash needed help to sit up, leaning against the side of the car. She pawed weakly at the plastic lid. Marianne pulled it off, feeling a wave of cold from the cooling packs inside, surrounding bags full of red.

"Don't look."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Please!"

Ash's expression wasn't worried; it was desperately ashamed. Marianne wanted to protest. She didn't care. It wouldn't bother her. She would prove it.

"I'll...go keep watch."

She went down to the bend in the road, where she could see both the car and, more distantly, the highway. It was a narrow, two-lane highway, but it was the only route west, and even at night the traffic was steady. In between the rushing of cars, the roar of the big trucks, and the now-sporadic sirens, the sounds of Ash's feeding reached her. It was a low, wet, growling, interspersed with the hollow sound of the cooler being manhandled. It didn't sound human.

Is this what I'm okay with? Is this better than what I was doing?

The sounds trailed off. Without any directions, Marianne decided it would be safe, or Ash wouldn't mind, anyway.

There were scores in the dirt where Ash had scrambled for the bags. They were scattered around her like the remains of a Twinkie binge. She was laying down, and only lifted her head when Marianne approached, slowly returning to her place against the car.

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