Richard Laymon: The Stake

“I don’t know what to think. I can’t even believe you’re here right now.”

Bonnie put her arms around him again. “I’m here, Larry. And everything’s okay. Everything’s just fine. The dirty bastard’s dead, and Lane’s alive.”

“Because of you,” Larry murmured.

“You gave my life back to me, or I couldn’t have done it. You pulled that damn stake out of me. I’m so...” Her voice trembled. She looked up, and Larry saw tears glimmering in her eyes. “I’m so glad to be back. I’ll always love you for that, Larry. I’m so happy I could... could do something good for you.”

Lowering his head, he kissed each of Bonnie’s eyes. They were wet. Her tears tasted salty.

She sniffed. “Look, I’d better amscray.”

“You can’t leave,” he said. “It’s morning.”

She rubbed her face against the front of his robe, sniffed again, then sighed. “I’d like to stay, but... too much has happened here. I’ll go off somewhere, start over.”

Bonnie eased away from him, but he caught her by the shoulders.

“You’ll burn up,” he said.

“You’ve seen too many movies, Larry. I love the sun.” She spread her arms, tilted back her head and closed her eyes. “It’s like warm hands. Warm hands caressing me.” She sighed. “I think I’ll go to the ocean and be a beach bum.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

Her eyes met his. She smiled a little sadly. “Want to keep me in your garage?”

“We could figure out...”

She touched a finger to his lips, silencing him. “I can’t stay. You know that. But I’ll always love you.” She curled her hands over his shoulders, drew him down and pressed her lips gently to his mouth. Then she kissed his cheek. Then the side of his neck.

There, her lips parted and her teeth slid into his flesh.

A cold stab of panic quickly melted away. He felt the pull of her mouth, heard the soft sucking sounds. A pleasant, warm languor spread through him. Closing his eyes, he saw Bonnie standing naked on a beach, arms spread out, face raised toward the sun, a mild breeze stirring her golden hair.

She stopped sucking. Her teeth eased out of him and he felt a harsh ache of loss. She licked the side of his neck. She kissed the wounds. Tilting back her head, she gazed up at him with such tenderness and love that he thought his heart might break. Her lips gleamed with his blood.

“Now you’ll always be with me,” she said, her voice husky.

“You mean... you made me a vampire?”

A smile trembled on her red lips. “Nooo.” Stepping away from him, she placed her open hand between her breasts. “From now on, you’ll be with me here.” She lifted the hand. She tapped her fingers against the side of her head. “And here. If you ever need me, I’ll know it.”

“I need you now.”

“No. Not now, but maybe someday. And if that ever happens, I’ll come back.”

“But...”

She was gone. She didn’t turn and walk away. She didn’t vanish in a puff of smoke. She didn’t dissolve. Suddenly, she was simply there no more. Larry stared at the daylight glaring in through the garage door.

“Oh, Bonnie,” he whispered.

As tears filled his eyes, he lowered his head.

There on the garage floor, between the hammer and the stake, stood a pure white sea gull looking up at him.

Larry crouched down.

With a quick flap of wings, the sea gull perched on his knee. It cocked its head to one side.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he murmured.

The bird pecked his knee. But not very hard. Then it took flight. It circled his head once, buffeting him with the soft breeze of its wings, then flapped its way to the garage door and soared into the sunlight.