A MONSTER DOES A DANCE

Meanwhile, back in Center City, Baylah saw Johnny Jump Up. It was late, maybe an hour and a half before the dawn. He was sitting on a thick, granite slab blanketing an ancient grave in a small, black-iron-fenced, Old City church yard. The shadows were thick. The street light didn't penetrate much. And he's so painfully skinny, it's hard to see him anyway. But he was there. She stopped, just to make sure. He saluted her and grinned. Dried blood caked the corners of his mouth. Had he just eatten? She did not know. Was it human? She did not want to know. So she gave him a curt, little nod and continued on her way. But about two heartbeats later, something hit her back. It startled her. She spun around, as only a vampirina can and saw that it was a roughly severed human thumb. When she peered back into the church yard, the evil spectre was not there. Baylah whispered a prayer and continued on her way. The cold can't harm a vampire, but that doesn't make it any more inviting. After a couple blocks, she broke into a steady trot and raced the whole way home. The boney, night leaper was still hungry. There is only so much a little, dead, cherub girl can do. And although she gave him a tiny bit of agita, she couldn't completely put him off his feed. So he dripped down into the subway to see what he could find. Few people bothered with that obscure, oozing, neglected spur near Chinatown. But two dumb, young girls did. Oh well, at least they wouldn't be dumb for long......

Things happen fast in the city. The dim, green station lights flickered. And then they saw him leaning in a corner. The first girl whispered - Don't look. There's something wrong with him.....The second girl just nodded. They stared straight out over the empty tracks. Steam hissed from somewhere down the line. A dusty night pigeon fluttered down from the iron rafters. It's eyes burned red like blood. The corpse-like being laughed. The girls slid close together. He sprang up to his feet and began to caper about, in a little dance. His heels clicked smartly against the concrete. The second girl laughed. But she stopped and almost swallowed her tongue when the lights went out. At least she could not see him as he made the monstrous leap and snatched the other quiet one away. Pity darkness doesn't hide the screams.............. Three minutes later, when the roaring train arrived, the unfortunate souls encased within saw just what happens to dumb girls after dark....But the heads were never found..........