Chapter 3: Getting Packed

Garlic scented candles polluted the chamber with a thick and gaudy smoke. Each breath was intoxicating and nearly intolerable, yet the small crowd suffered it without complaint. The building was ancient; it was tucked away in an old, and decrepit, manufacturing sector. It was little more than a distant memory for the people of New York, forgotten and lonesome amid the sea of concrete skyscrapers and aged brick masonry. Once it had been a warehouse, and an open stable remained tucked at the far end of the construction. It was a reminder of a bygone era, when horses pulled trailer loads of supplies from the nearby harbors to be stored and resupplied. There were rumors that rogue cults used the grounds for witchcraft, but the many upside down crucifixes spoke of something far more sinister.

Regardless, none of the robed participants took note of the many blasphemous icons on the walls, and etchings on the floor. They weren't here for that, nor did they mind it. With hooded cowls and padded vestments, they surrounded a vibrant youth on her knees at the dead center of the chamber.

The woman was naked, she sat cross legged in the dark with her crystal blue eyes shut, and her short blonde hair sticking to her scalp. The girl had her head down, her hands rested in her lap. In each palm she held a newly pressed silver coin. The trinkets were smooth in her hands, she could feel the rough outline of an onion emblem engraved into each. The steamy air caused a bead of sweat to stroll down her brow, and drip onto the soft curves of her breasts.

In front of her was a single raw onion, the symbol of all anti-vampires. Not too long ago they were known as a cult, but that time had come and gone. No longer would they stay 'hidden' like the vampires before 'Revelation Day'. The day that vampires exposed their existence to the world was known by many other names, but to their little coven, it was akin to that of judgment day. The Coven planned long and hard for their eventual retaliation, and now they were ready to rise. For the first time in millennia, mankind would re-claim it's rightful place as the dominant species on this earth.

The woman recited the oaths of aspiration, she raised her head to the exuberant of their holy conclave. Her eyes were hazy from all the incense, it made them shed tears down her cheeks. Once the final vow was spoken, she reached down to pickup the raw vegetable in front of her. The crowd around her chanted as she brought it to her thin lips, and bit down.

Tucked away at the far edge of the shadows, a pair of eyes watched as the acolyte sank her teeth into the ripened vegetable. Hidden from sight, creeping alongside the cast iron beams that held up the roof, the owner of those prying eyes watched silently. The vampire couldn't help but chuckle a little as she watched the cult chant in unison around the rising acolyte.

…

Meanwhile

…

Rose sat next to the dryer on a cheap cushioned chair. She was nearly naked, letting her breasts hang free as she tried to relax. Her only garment was a pair of silky pink panties. She wasn't lounging in her underwear purely for her own enjoyment, or her girlfriends, instead she was simply lazy. Most of her clothes were packed away, and the last load of laundry included the vast majority of her undergarments. Rose was munching on a bag of salt and vinegar chips while occasionally glancing at the swirl of the dryer. Nearby, her phone was streaming the newest episode of 'Walking Thrones' to keep her entertained.

Rose wondered how much longer she would have to wait before the cycle was complete. She dared a glance away from the phone to look over at the dryer. Much to her disappointment, the timer was still far from reaching zero. A bundle of bras and braziers tumbled in the vortex, tangling among themselves. She regretted not finishing the laundry earlier.

Just as Rose was trying to scoop up another large chip, the doorbell rang. She didn't want to get up, her attention was fixated on the episode streaming on her phone. An army of zombified dragons was storming the capital city. Rose froze to watch the scene of terror as people ran screaming in the streets from the onrushing flames. Her palms were clammy as the episode continued toward its dramatic climax.

The doorbell rang again, causing Rose to break her attention again. "Shit," She spoke out loud as she paused the episode. She got up from the chair, and scrambled to find something to cover herself. The only thing available within sight was a mini tank top hanging from one of the dirty bins. She supposed it would have to do.

Wearing only the loose shirt and panties, Rose rushed out of the corner laundry room and ran down the hall. Her chest bounced with each step as she walked toward the front door. The inside air conditioning strained to keep up with the rising temperatures assailing the apartment complex from the outside. It was hard not to notice the obnoxious sound coming from the overhead vents as she made her way across the living room. Once at the front door, Rose peeked through the view slit and sighed upon recognizing who it was. She opened the door, which caused a sharp dip of cool air to spill out from the apartment.

Waiting outside stood Maggie Stryx. Her dark hair was frizzled from the constant summer humidity, and her dark sunglasses hung crooked over her eyes. She wore a loose blue gown over her her swelling stomach, and a pair of sweatpants that needed to be washed. In her arms she held a small child with an arm sling, while her free hand clutched a full gallon of orange juice.

"Hey Rose," Maggie spoke with a New Yorker accent. There was a hint of exhaustion in her tone as well, although Rose had gotten used to hearing it from her. "You'll need this for the trip," Maggie offered her the gallon of orange juice.

It would've been comical had she not been serious. "You're probably right," Rose accepted the jug without mentioning that she already had several cartridges of juice to replenish her iron and sugar levels.

"Trust me I am, Reby gets really thirsty when going on long trips. Hell, when we flew to Miami we got held up in the airport for six hours. Luckily I had a full liter of blood hidden for Reby to keep her from getting anxious." The child in Maggie's arm seemed to stir awake, he started shuffling in the sling.

Rose couldn't help but wonder how Maggie smuggled blood on an aircraft. "You're kidding?"

"Nope, so guzzle down that sugar. And make sure Reby controls herself. Oh and don't let her drink you while driving."

Drink me while driving, Rose rolled her eyes. "I'll do my best," She wondered how the hell she could stop Reby if she even wanted too.

"You better!" Maggie didn't intent to sound hostile, but her voice caused the child to awaken and cry out. "Ok so where is that blonde monster?"

"I think she's online, she just got back from the gym." Reby had been going to the gym almost every day, Rose wasn't sure where the vampire's sudden obsession came from, but it had done wonders for her figure. "She should be able to watch over Gre-" Rose caught herself, "Barty I mean."

Maggie wasn't amused. She named her infant son after her own father, Bartholomew, however Reby and been frequently referring to him simply as Gregory. Rose had to catch herself from mixing up the name.

"Thanks for the delivery, do you need us to babysit?" Rose asked.

"No," Maggie sighed, "I'm here to help load the car, Reby can look after him until were done."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You really don't have to."

"Reby texted me that she twisted her ankle," Maggie looked over at the small pile of bags organized in the living room. Rose still had to pack up the clothes in the dryer, but most of Reby's luggage was ready to load in the car.

"She's fine," Rose grinned. She knew her girlfriend hadn't twisted her ankle, but merely wanted to find an excuse to get out of work.

"What?"Maggie seemed surprised.

"Trust me I was just with her, she's in immaculate health, and probably just wanted to spend more time playing with Barty." That or she wanted to finish whatever game she was playing online. Rose decided not to mention that last part.

"That bitch," Maggie blurted out, forgetting the child in her arms.

Rose waved her hand in the air in jest, "Hey that's my girlfriend your talking about."

"Thats my best friend I'm talking about…" Maggie shot her a rude glare.

For a moment the two of them just stared each other down in silence. The tension in the room suddenly thickened. The two women were close to snarling at one another before erupting in laughter. The child joined in the laughter as well, copying his mother without understanding what was going on.

Maggie brushed her dark hair back, and bounced up and down to encourage the babe to laugh a bit more. She stopped when Barty started to cry in protest, "Ok lets just get this over with, you have anything else to pack?"

Rose looked down the hallway to where the washer and dryer were located. "I'm finishing the last of my laundry now, need another ten minutes."

"Sounds good, I'll make sure Reby doesn't get into any mischief." Maggie proceeded to walk down their hallway to the lone bedroom.

"Good luck with that, you'll need it." Rose chimed.

…

An Hour Later

…

"I think this is the last one," Maggie Stryx dragged the heavy luggage bag to the sedan outside, and let it sit along the rim of the trunk. It was clear she was struggling with her swollen belly, the vampire had wasted little time in between pregnancies.

Rose had insisted she didn't need any help loading the car, but Maggie was eager and willing to help anyway. Like Rebecca, Maggie was a vampire, and Rebecca's lifelong bestie. Little wasn't shared between them, even some things Rose wished her girlfriend would keep to herself. Rose happened to meet the dark haired beauty on the same cruise she met Rebecca, it was hard to believe that was only two years ago.

"You really shouldn't lift that," Rose tried to sound comforting.

"Don't tell me what I can or can't lift, seriously you're just as bad as my good for nothing husband." Maggie scoffed as she leaned against the side of Rose's sedan. The 'good for nothing' husband was also an acquaintance of Rose's. His name was Kyle Stryx, and he was likely busy at work, so Rose felt that Maggie's frustration was unfair.

Rose looked at the full trunk, three full suitcases were stashed alongside a smaller duffel bag and several smaller satchels and purses. It stunned her seeing just how much they were bringing on a weekend getaway. Thinking back on it, she was packing more on this trip than she had on the singles cruise two years ago. Of course only half the luggage was hers, but still Rose never had to pack so much before.

"How are you and Kyle doing?" Rose asked, referring to Maggie's husband. At first Maggie simply referred to him as the 'baby daddy', or moron for short. Even after the wedding she had mocked him with similar titles. Rose couldn't help but notice that Maggie had adjusted her tone about him recently, calling him by name or even referring to him as 'husband'.

"Why don't you ask him yourself? You see him every weekend, I'm sure he'll divulge everything." Clearly Maggie was upset about something. She wasn't wrong though, Rose had met up with him every weekend. They had both volunteered at the local animal shelter, it was a welcome distraction after working in the blood bank all week. Not to mention the puppies and kittens they took care of were absolutely adorable.

Both Maggie and Rebecca suffered from terrible allergies around most pets, and like Rose, Kyle loved animals. While neither of them could enjoy a little furry friend in their own apartments, they could at least provide a helping hand at the local shelter. On two occasions Rose had helped to foster a lone dog for a couple days, only to watch as Reby devolved into a mucus filled wreck.

"Are you too fighting again?" Rose asked her bluntly.

Maggie shot her an accusing glance, "He stole something precious from me! That's all I'm going to say!"

"Ok, ok," Rose held her hands up in fright. She had only ever seen Maggie like this once, "I'll ask him to give you back the peanut butter."

"F-ck you!" Maggie slammed the trunk shut.

Rose just stood there trying to appear as calming and nice as possible. A trickle of sweat strolled down her brow.

"Whatever, I better check on Barty. Reby better not be feeding him chocolate again." Reby's mission in life seemed to make the small child think his name was Gregory, and feed chocolate whenever possible. Maggie was close to eviscerating her for both those counts.It was remarkable how much the child looked like his father, except for his eyes. He shared the same sharp eyes as his mother, that and a narrow grooved nose. Even at a year old, Rose could somehow picture what he would look like when he was older. She imagined a young man with dark brown hair bearing a handsome face. Rose felt it would be exciting to see him grow up.

The pair went back into Rose's apartment to check up on him. It was such a relief to get back inside where the air conditioner held sway. As they walked to the bedroom, they could here the laughter of the child, along with a soft hym.

"Ring around the Rosies life is full of posies," The voice belonged to Reby.

Rebecca was clapping her hands while watching the small child laugh and crawl around in circles. He was bouncing on the mattress playfully while rolling around.

"I see you two are getting along," Maggie walked into the room and smiled.

Rebecca didn't seem to notice Maggie at first, or purposely pretended she had not. "Little Gregory my man!" She was continuing to clap as the child rolled around.

"Reby, we talked about this, his name is Bartholomew!" Maggie tried as hard as she could to speak softly and hide her outrage. But there was no hiding the grumble in her tone.

Rebecca just looked up at her with mischief, "Did we? Funny can't remember that."

"Stop acting dumb," Maggie's voice drew sharp and exaggerated the word 'dumb'.

"Be careful, you'll hurt Greg's feelings." Rebecca replicated the tone.

"I see your ankle is better?" Maggie's lips were trembling with anger.

The sound of the air conditioner was enough to distract everyone's attention for a split second. Rebecca sat back and looked over at Rose. "Rosie, my darling! Is everything good to go?"

"I think so," Rose remembered the laundry, "Actually just one more thing, then we should be good to start driving tonight."

"New Orleans here we come! Can't wait to start dancing, not to mention enjoying our balcony suite." Rebecca's excitement was palpable.

"You too have fun, just not as much fun as last time we were on vacation." Maggie gently scooped up her child and held him close to her chest. "When are you heading out?"

"Tonight, if were lucky we should get there by early morning." Rose originally protested the idea of leaving so late, but it was the only way they would make the twelve hour drive and still get there in time before the convention started.

Rebecca chuckled, "Don't worry babe, we're already lucky so we should be fine." The vampire's tease caused the child to laugh. While he had no understanding of the words, Rebecca's playful voice always seemed to get a rise out of him.