Inside, a police officer-a lanky black man-stood outside Franklin's door, talking to an orderly.

"That's Deputy Dudu," Nia said. "I wonder what's happening."

"Is that really his name? Sounds like a comic book character."

"In some ways, he is a comic book character. But he tries to be a good cop. Tries too hard, in fact" When they attempted to walk into the room, the deputy stuck out his long arm in front of them, like a traffic guard.

"Hold on a minute, folks," he said. "I know who you are, Miss James, but who is this fella?"

"I'm David Hunter. I live across the street from Franklin Bennett. We're friends."

The deputy blinked, lowered his arm. "Oh, you're Mr. Hunter's son. Chief Jackson told me you'd moved into town. What happened to your foot?"

"I twisted my ankle when I was running," David said. He flexed his fingers on the handles of the crutches. He saw no purpose to lying.

"Why are you here, Deputy?" Nia said. "What's going on?"

"A young lady who was a patient here went into a frenzy, attacked her mother, Dr. Dejean, and Doc Bennett, too. She bit Doc Bennett"

Nia put her hand to her mouth, shocked.

"She bit him?" David said.

"Sure did. She's on the loose, somewhere" The deputy looked around warily, his hand on the b.u.t.t of his revolver, as though he might find her lurking in the shadows of the corridor. "Orderlies couldn't contain her; she's escaped the hospital and is at large. Extremely dangerous, I'd say, judging by the damage she caused here. You be careful and be sure to alert law enforcement authorities if you happen to see her."

"We will," David said.

Ruby came to the doorway. "I'm so glad you're here. Hurry, come in."

As David walked away from the deputy, he thought he heard the cop mumble something about aliens invading the town. Odd. The guy was probably talking about a TV show.

Franklin looked older than usual. He lay in bed, the sheets pulled up to his frizzy gray beard, his thin arms resting atop the covers. His face was drawn, and his lips were pale. He appeared to be asleep.

Ruby went to her husband and tapped his shoulder. "Sugar, they're here"

David and Nia settled in chairs beside the bed.

Franklin's eyes fluttered open. He was not wearing his gla.s.ses, and he squinted at them. Ruby slid his gla.s.ses over his face, and Franklin scooted up a few inches, exposing the bandage across the side of his neck.

What in the h.e.l.l?

"I see the consternation on your faces," Franklin said. He coughed. "I come here to visit a young lady and I wind up as a patient myself."

"Tell us what happened," David said. "Tell us everything."

Franklin cleared his throat. Ruby helped him sip water through a straw.

Then he started talking.

"That is what happened," Franklin said, concluding his tale. "Now I will ask you: do you believe me?"

David and Nia looked at each other. She was frightened, he could see, just as he was, too. But he could also tell that she believed. And so did he.

Vampires, for G.o.d's sake.

"Yes, we believe you," David said. "There's too much evidence to deny. We don't have time to waste running around like skeptical fools in horror movies who always get killed by the monster they won't believe in. We believe enough to take action."

"Exactly," Nia said. "Until it's been proven otherwise, it's smart, and safe, for us to believe that vampires really exist."

"Good," Franklin said. "My friends, if anyone had told me that a time would come when I would accept the existence of vampires, well, let me say that I would have given that individual a sound tongue lashing."

"This guy we saw earlier, Kyle, is a vampire, but not the head vampire," David said. The words sounded strange coming out of his mouth, but he continued. "Diallo, the one who was buried in the cave, he's the big dog"

"Indeed," Franklin said. "We have not encountered him, yet, and I believe that we've been fortunate. He has a history of bloodshed."

"And Kyle, the kid, wants to set him loose," David said. "He came here, probably from France, to find his father, a monster."

The meaning of what he'd said struck him. Kyle had come to this town seeking his father. Hadn't he, in essence, done the same thing? He came to Mason's Corner to learn more about Richard Hunter, to demystify the enigma, to discover the connections that he and his father shared. In a way, he and Kyle were alike.

"I didn't know vampires could have children," Nia said.

"And if there's a father," David said, "there might be a mother, too"

"What do we know, definitively, about these creatures?" Franklin asked. "All of our beliefs are based on novels, films, and myth. Fiction, in other words-not fact. All of our a.s.sumptions could be incorrect. These creatures could possess talents that we cannot imagine."

They were quiet as the truth of his words sank in. David happened to glance outside the window, at the setting sun. Night was coming soon. The day had ushered in frightening revelations. He was afraid to think of what this night would bring.

"I see what you mean," Nia said. "The dogs are a good example."

"Precisely," Franklin said. "The young lady told me, 'the dogs are the master's servants.' The manipulation of canines is not commonly a.s.sociated with vampires."

"You know what scares me?" David said. "The girl who you said was a vampire, she was bitten by a dog. Not a vampire."

Nia said, "Which means a person can be turned, I guess you could call it, by being bitten by one of those mutts that serves the vampires. Like the dogs we saw outside the cave"

Franklin nodded somberly. "If a number of hounds fall under Diallo's influence, these vampires could spread through town like a brushfire. Dogs tend to travel in packs and could rapidly overwhelm the townsfolk. Infection likely spreads via saliva. Similar to the rabies virus."

"Do we know how long it took for her to change, after she was bitten?" David said. He looked to Ruby.

"Shenice was admitted to the hospital last night, shortly after midnight," Ruby said. "She turned into that d.a.m.nable thing earlier this afternoon, I'd say around four o'clock, as close as I can place it."

"About sixteen hours for the metamorphosis to complete," Franklin said. "By that estimate, I have only until late tomorrow morning before I am no longer myself."

"Dammit, Frank, don't say that," Ruby said. "You're going to be okay, do you hear me?"

"Ah, I feel the infection spreading like an icy river through my blood." Franklin closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He shivered, then looked at them. "I fear that medicine cannot stop its progression. My physician, Dr. Hess Green, prescribed a vaccination of human rabies immune globulin, but my symptoms have continued unabated-they have worsened, in fact. Therefore, I am not optimistic-"

"Excuse me "" Ruby quickly left the room, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Franklin watched her leave, an expression of deep sadness on his face.

David held Nia's hand tightly.

"We can't lose you, Franklin," David said. "We'd be lost."

Franklin's eyes were fierce. "Listen, you are going to fight this, with or without me-probably without me. I won't tolerate any talk of giving up, of wallowing in sorrow. This is no time for weakness and self-doubt." He pointed his long finger at David. His voice was like iron. "David, this is the challenge, the responsibility, for which you have been brought here" He shifted his finger to Nia. "You must partner with David. He needs you"

"David couldn't stop me from helping him if he wanted to," Nia said.

"But Franklin .. " David could not finish his sentence. The rightness of Franklin's stern words was undeniable. From the beginning, signs had pointed toward a task that he would be obligated to complete. His grandfather's ghost had warned him; Pearl, the psychic, had warned him. His role was clear.

But he hesitated to accept the job. This wasn't his hometown. He was only a temporary resident. He planned to eventually leave and return to Atlanta. Why were the goingson in an obscure Mississippi town that barely merited a dot on a road map his problem?

Franklin's eyes drilled into his brain.

"It is your responsibility, David," he said. "If you don't believe it yet, you will soon. You have been brought here for a purpose. You cannot run from Destiny."

"Yeah," David said. He sighed heavily. "I know, deep down, that you're right. But what in the h.e.l.l am I supposed to do?"

"That's my question, too," Nia said. "Are we supposed to start collecting garlic and holy water? Sharpening wooden stakes? Wearing crucifixes?"

"I do not know whether any of the traditional, fictional weaponry will have an adverse affect on them," Franklin said. "But I have a handgun, a Smith & Wesson .38, at my house. It is in the study, in the bottom left drawer of my desk. It is loaded, and additional ammunition is in the drawer as well. Have either of you ever fired a revolver?"

"I haven't, but she has" David hooked his thumb toward Nia.

"I have my own piece," Nia said. "David can use your gun."

"Excellent," Franklin said.

"In the movies, guns never hurt vampires," David said. "I guess we'll find out what's fiction and what's real."

"Shenice bit another man, before she escaped," Franklin said. "A staff member. He refused to be hospitalized and left to go home. What will become of him, I do not know. He may live with others, and attack them, too. Thus, their numbers will multiply." He sighed. "We need Chief Jackson's a.s.sistance, to prepare and protect the town"

"I thought you said earlier that he wouldn't talk to you," Nia said.

"I think he is afraid," Franklin said. "But I know that man's heart. He will rise to the occasion. First, you must convince him."

"We'll do our best," David said. "We'll call him tonight."

"I doubt you will reach him," Franklin said. "I asked Ruby to contact him, after she called you to come here. She could not reach him. He has gone into hiding and his own deputy cannot locate him."

"I hope he hasn't left town," Nia said.

"We'll keep trying until we get ahold of him," David said.

"There is a key to my home" Franklin indicated a set of keys on the nightstand. "Retrieve the revolver, let yourselves in and out as you wish. But I warn you, keep your grubby hands off my Crown Royal." He laughed, and they joined in. They laughed harder than his small joke deserved, and David believed it was because they were so absurdly stressed out. Anything to break the tension was welcome.

"I am exhausted, and must sleep," Franklin said. "When you leave, please ask Ruby to return"

"Do you need us to do anything for you, Franklin?" David said. "Anything at all?"

"Yes, in fact, I do"

"Name it," Nia said.

"I want you to pray for me"

David and Nia drove away from the hospital, Nia behind the wheel again. David was tired of being a handicapped pa.s.senger, but his only choice was to lean on Nia. Franklin was right. He did need her.

"Thank you for helping me, with everything," he said.

"Like I said a few minutes ago, you couldn't stop me from helping you, David. I'm in this until the end. This is my hometown."

David leaned back against the seat. "Life is so crazy. A little over a week ago, I come here, and the only thing I'm thinking about is hanging out in my old man's crib and learning about him. Now look: I'm a vampire slayer."

"You aren't lying," Nia said. "I don't want to believe that any of it is real. I feel like we're in a nightmare, and if we just hang on and stay alive, we'll wake up and everything will be okay."

"I know," David said. He gazed out the window.

Twilight was upon them. A silver moon glowed in the sky, like a giant coin.

The town, previously so ordinary, had acquired an aura of mystery and menace. As they drove, David watched the houses they pa.s.sed, and he wondered what was happening within them. Was there another person like Franklin in one of those homes, bitten by a vampire, bedridden as the monstrous transformation took place? How about the Labrador that he'd spotted ambling across a yard-could it be a minion for the vampire?

He felt an acute need to get inside his house and lock the doors.

"Franklin covered a lot of ground, but there are still some things we need to figure out," David said. "Let's talk about them as soon as we get to my place, after we get Franklin's gun"

"Okay."

They arrived at David's home. Nia parked in the driveway.

As was his habit when a vehicle parked nearby, King came to the front window. The dog parted the curtains with his snout. He seemed to be grinning. David was eager to hang out with the silly mutt.

"Do you want to get the gun?" David said. "Don't know if it makes sense for me to do it, seeing as I have these crutches"

"Sure, I'll go"

"I'll wait over here."

They got out of the Pathfinder, David manuevering awkwardly on the crutches. He shut the door, leaned against it.

Nia came around the SUV and stood beside him. "It's quiet out here"

"You're right," he said. "I don't hear a thing. No dogs barking, no crickets. Nothing."

The deep silence had an ominous quality, like the silence before a storm, he thought.

"It's like the silence before a storm," Nia said.