The arrow Molly launched flew straight and true yet missed it’s target, the heart of Lazarus Gorey. Quicker than the blink of an eye, Lazarus lifted his arm and caught the arrow mid-flight.
“Shit,” Molly said, then she blushed as swearing was something she was taught a lady didn’t do.
“I see you found my antique archery collection,” Lazarus said, studying the arrow’s head. “Looks like my bodkin is rusty.”
“Sounds like a personal problem.”
Lazarus feigned laughter. “Funny.” He threw the arrow on the floor as he walked slowly toward Molly. He didn’t want to spook her, then have to chase her, and possibly hurt her accidentally. He wanted Molly alive and well, to soon be immortalized. “I’m surprised you chose the English crossbow. That’s a big weapon for a petite gal such as yourself. Being so large, one would think you would find it hard to handle.”
“I was in a hurry so I grabbed the first thing I could.”
“Still, you were very accurate. You must be an accomplished archer.”
“Captain of my high school archery team,” Molly said in a flat tone.
Lazarus nodded. “I believe it. There was probably nothing you couldn’t do well.” Eyes filled with admiration, Lazarus paused to look at her. “You have nerves of steel to do what you did, taking a shot at me like that, knowing full well it could have been suicidal. It won’t be, though. Quite the opposite. Ah, my dear Molly, you are a warrior. I like that. No, I love that.”
He moved closer to her. Molly swung the large bow at him. Lazarus snatched it from her hands and threw it aside. It smashed the glass doors of a cabinet filled with ceramic mugs from medieval Germany. The mugs teetered, then spilled out, clattering on the floor.
“That’s the spirit,” he said. No longer feeling any fear, Molly glared at him. If a hateful stare could have killed, Lazarus would have dropped dead on the spot. He took no notice of the hate and reached up, touched her cheek lightly with his hand.
“I have to say,” he almost whispered, “I really admire you. You’re like the daughter I never had.”
Molly continued to glare at him, wondering what was on his mind.
A voice came from the other end of the room. “What is all this racket, Lazarus?” Augusta stood in the doorway, surveying the wreckage in the dining room.
Lazarus turned, putting his arm around Molly’s shoulders, partly out of affection, partly to keep her from running.
“It seems we have an interloper,” Lazarus said. Augusta looked blankly at Molly, not wanting to let on that, not only had she had seen Molly earlier, she had imprisoned her in a closet. Not one to easily disguise her feelings, Molly gave Augusta the same hateful look she gave Lazarus, but said nothing.
“Sorry about all the noise, my dear,” he continued, “I may have broken a few things. Totally my fault, honey. I got carried away. This one here tried to kill me. English longbow, can you believe it? She’s got spunk.” He looked down at Molly. “Do the kids still use words like spunk?” Molly simply looked at him without replying. “Well, whatever.”
Lazarus dragged Molly along as he walked toward Augusta. “Honey, I know you don’t want to have children. I don’t blame you, you don’t want to ruin that figure, but tell me, how do you feel about adopting? I mean, look at her.” He squeezed her shoulders tightly. “She’d make a great daughter.”
Molly looked up at him. “Are you fucking nuts?”
Lazarus took a fatherly tone with her. “Now, sweetie, let’s watch the potty mouth.” To Augusta he said, “See how I handled that? I’d be a great dad. That’s the thing about fathering, you have to know how to deal with situations when the child gets a little out of line.” He squeezed Molly’s shoulders again, causing her to wince. “This will be so wonderful, being a family as we take over the world. Tell me honestly, Augusta, what do you think?”
She thought he was seriously losing his grip on reality. Perhaps being the most evil vampire in the world had taken some sort of toll on his mental health. Having tried to remain expressionless while Lazarus spewed out his absurd idea of adopting a girl who just attempted to murder him with his own bow and arrow, Augusta now showed a warm, comforting smile. Wanting to assure him that everything was all right, she said, “Laz, I think that’s a great idea. I will, of course, have to get to know her. Once I do though, I’m sure I’ll love her as much as you do.”
“That’s great, sweetheart, just great.” He leaned close to Augusta and whispered conspiratorially, “One of us will have to turn her, you know. As the father, I think it should be me. You don’t think that’s creepy, do you?”
Great, Augusta thought, he wants to turn the vampire slayer into a vampire. “No, honey,” she said through a fake smile, “it’s not creepy at all. There will be time enough for that later, though. Right now, we should go check on Archie and the others.”
“You won’t have to go far to check on them,” Lazarus said, looking past her. “They’re standing right behind you.”
“Shit,” Molly said, then she blushed as swearing was something she was taught a lady didn’t do.
“I see you found my antique archery collection,” Lazarus said, studying the arrow’s head. “Looks like my bodkin is rusty.”
“Sounds like a personal problem.”
Lazarus feigned laughter. “Funny.” He threw the arrow on the floor as he walked slowly toward Molly. He didn’t want to spook her, then have to chase her, and possibly hurt her accidentally. He wanted Molly alive and well, to soon be immortalized. “I’m surprised you chose the English crossbow. That’s a big weapon for a petite gal such as yourself. Being so large, one would think you would find it hard to handle.”
“I was in a hurry so I grabbed the first thing I could.”
“Still, you were very accurate. You must be an accomplished archer.”
“Captain of my high school archery team,” Molly said in a flat tone.
Lazarus nodded. “I believe it. There was probably nothing you couldn’t do well.” Eyes filled with admiration, Lazarus paused to look at her. “You have nerves of steel to do what you did, taking a shot at me like that, knowing full well it could have been suicidal. It won’t be, though. Quite the opposite. Ah, my dear Molly, you are a warrior. I like that. No, I love that.”
He moved closer to her. Molly swung the large bow at him. Lazarus snatched it from her hands and threw it aside. It smashed the glass doors of a cabinet filled with ceramic mugs from medieval Germany. The mugs teetered, then spilled out, clattering on the floor.
“That’s the spirit,” he said. No longer feeling any fear, Molly glared at him. If a hateful stare could have killed, Lazarus would have dropped dead on the spot. He took no notice of the hate and reached up, touched her cheek lightly with his hand.
“I have to say,” he almost whispered, “I really admire you. You’re like the daughter I never had.”
Molly continued to glare at him, wondering what was on his mind.
A voice came from the other end of the room. “What is all this racket, Lazarus?” Augusta stood in the doorway, surveying the wreckage in the dining room.
Lazarus turned, putting his arm around Molly’s shoulders, partly out of affection, partly to keep her from running.
“It seems we have an interloper,” Lazarus said. Augusta looked blankly at Molly, not wanting to let on that, not only had she had seen Molly earlier, she had imprisoned her in a closet. Not one to easily disguise her feelings, Molly gave Augusta the same hateful look she gave Lazarus, but said nothing.
“Sorry about all the noise, my dear,” he continued, “I may have broken a few things. Totally my fault, honey. I got carried away. This one here tried to kill me. English longbow, can you believe it? She’s got spunk.” He looked down at Molly. “Do the kids still use words like spunk?” Molly simply looked at him without replying. “Well, whatever.”
Lazarus dragged Molly along as he walked toward Augusta. “Honey, I know you don’t want to have children. I don’t blame you, you don’t want to ruin that figure, but tell me, how do you feel about adopting? I mean, look at her.” He squeezed her shoulders tightly. “She’d make a great daughter.”
Molly looked up at him. “Are you fucking nuts?”
Lazarus took a fatherly tone with her. “Now, sweetie, let’s watch the potty mouth.” To Augusta he said, “See how I handled that? I’d be a great dad. That’s the thing about fathering, you have to know how to deal with situations when the child gets a little out of line.” He squeezed Molly’s shoulders again, causing her to wince. “This will be so wonderful, being a family as we take over the world. Tell me honestly, Augusta, what do you think?”
She thought he was seriously losing his grip on reality. Perhaps being the most evil vampire in the world had taken some sort of toll on his mental health. Having tried to remain expressionless while Lazarus spewed out his absurd idea of adopting a girl who just attempted to murder him with his own bow and arrow, Augusta now showed a warm, comforting smile. Wanting to assure him that everything was all right, she said, “Laz, I think that’s a great idea. I will, of course, have to get to know her. Once I do though, I’m sure I’ll love her as much as you do.”
“That’s great, sweetheart, just great.” He leaned close to Augusta and whispered conspiratorially, “One of us will have to turn her, you know. As the father, I think it should be me. You don’t think that’s creepy, do you?”
Great, Augusta thought, he wants to turn the vampire slayer into a vampire. “No, honey,” she said through a fake smile, “it’s not creepy at all. There will be time enough for that later, though. Right now, we should go check on Archie and the others.”
“You won’t have to go far to check on them,” Lazarus said, looking past her. “They’re standing right behind you.”
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