Draculas

But when she reached the second-floor landing, she said, "We've got a problem."

Clay reached her side and peeked through the slit and saw what she meant: at least three monsters prowling the hall. One was dressed like a clown, but all its teeth were gone--shattered. Clowns looked weird enough in full light, but in this shadowy half-light, this bugger was about the most terrifying thing Clay had ever seen.

He could feel his temper rising. He sort of prided himself on being able to stay cool in any situation, but he was getting pissed.

"Are we the only people in this goddamn place who haven't turned?"

Sha

"Okay. The third floor. If it's the same up there, I'm just go

But the third-floor looked empty. Clay stepped out, shotgun ready. All clear. He spotted an EXIT sign glowing in the shadows at the end of the hall. He motioned Sha

"We'll try that one," he said, keeping his voice low. No telling what was about and he didn't want to attract any attention.

She nodded and gripped the strap of his duffel. They hadn't taken two steps when a loud voice froze them.

"Well, well. If it ain't Deputy Dawg!"

As he whirled, Clay's finger tightened on the trigger, ready to fire. When he recognized that asshole Randall Bolton stepping out of the shadows ten feet away, he almost fired anyway.

"Stay right there, Bolton."

"Or what? You'll shoot?"

Clay took in Randall's bloodstained face and hospital gown and didn't like what he saw. He looked almost crazed.

"Absolutely. You've been infected. How long ago?"

"I'm not infected."

"You got blood all over you."

"Well, shit, you've got blood on you too! Everybody in this goddamn place has blood all over them! You want me to hire some guy in a white coat to scrape this stuff off me and put it under a microscope? This blood ain't mine!"

"Why should I believe that?"

"Do you see any dracula wounds on me?"

"Maybe on your leg. Looks like that one took a lot of stitches." Clay, of course, couldn't even see Randall's leg wound from the front, but he'd certainly heard about it.

Randall's eyes narrowed. "You think that's fu

"Hilarious. Whole department knows about Randall Bolton damn near cutting off his own ass. Drunk again?"

He couldn't remember how many times Je

Randall's face reddened. At least Clay assumed it did, beneath all of the blood. "Takes a small man to bring up something petty like that when we're in so much shit. I been dry ninety-seven days now."

Clay snorted a laugh. "Believe that when I see it."

Randall took a step toward him. "You're seeing it right now, you dumb fuck. I'm standing right here."

"Stay where you are!" Clay raised the shotgun to his shoulder. "You might turn any second now."

Randall stopped and shook his head. "You know better'n that, Theel. We've got monsters everywhere in this place, but you don't want to deal with that, you just want to wave your gun at me like a schoolyard bully. You think you're hot shit, but without your badge and your big bad gun, you're just a coward."

Clay's temper had already been frayed when he'd stepped out into the hall. Now it snapped.

"That so? Okay. My badge is off." He shrugged off his duffel bag and handed Sha

Sha

"Sha

"Never mind him. Are you insane?"

"No, just go

"Clayton Theel, you stop this macho bullshit right now!"

"Sure, honey. Right after I stop his bullshit."

He stepped away from Sha

Randall stared at him. "Did you get that from a kung fu movie? Are you Chinese now?"

"Are you two kidding?" Sha

"If Theel wants me to knock him on his ass in front of his girlfriend, I guess the draculas can wait a little while," Randall said.

Clay started circling. "Is that what you call them? Not bad for a dumbass."

Suddenly Sha

Clay looked past her at Randall. "I saw one of your draculas downstairs in a clown suit."

"Be

"Oh, you're friends with a clown? Figures. Birds of a feather, and all that. Well, when I finish kicking your ass, I'm going down there and kicking his ass, then I'm go

"Well, shit, looks like bad circumstances bring out our perverted sides, huh? Should I act like a little choir boy when you dress me up? As for that clown, I greased that rat-fuck son of a bitch but good."

Something familiar about that line, but Clay couldn't place it.

"I don't believe this!" Sha

Clay remembered the clown's broken teeth. "You the one who messed up his teeth?"

"Yeah. Think I may take up dentistry on the side during the slow lumber months."

Clay was impressed--not about the threat but about the number he'd done on that clown. Wouldn't ever admit that to Randall, of course.

"Well, there's plenty more where he came from."

Randall gri

Clay stopped circling and stared at him. "Aliens?"

"Hell yes Aliens! Beat the shit out of the original."

"I know. I loved that movie."

Randall stopped and puffed his chest. "Seen it eighty-three times."

"Wait-wait-wait!" Sha

"He sure was, honey. You saw it. Aliens, remember? With Newt, the little girl who--"

"You mean there's two of you?"

Clay wasn't following. He looked at Randall. "I guess there's hope for you yet."

Sha

"Yeah, okay." Now that he was closer, he noticed Randall didn't look in exactly top form, anyway. "We'll settle this some other time."

"Count on it."

"You really dry?"

"Bone. Day one hundred coming up."

If true, he deserved at the very least a pat on the back.

"Well, good for you. Seriously."

Clay picked up Alice and the shotgun from where Sha

"You coming?"

He shook his head. "Je

"Somewhere?"

"She was with a bunch of kids. I think she's hiding them."

Je