Crypt Girls

In the corridor she could see Ken unsling the shotgun from behind him, leveling it down the corridor at waist level.

"Girls! Get moving, they're coming!"

As they pushed past him toward the painful light of the entrance he began to fire - just holding the trigger back and working the slide, producing a long thundering wave of sound.

Rose glanced back and wished she hadn't - in the dim, flickering light she could see a mass of misshapen bodies pushing up the corridor from the darkness. The hail of shot from the roaring gun was taking down the ones in front and they were tripping the ones behind, but the horde kept pushing forward. The shotgun finally fell silent as the ammo ran out.

Rose dropped the man's arm and yelled to Lily, "Get him outside!"

Ken had dropped the shotgun to dangle on its sling and pulled out a revolver to fire down the hall, dropping any creatures that broke free from the tangle of bleeding bodies.

Rose grabbed an oil lamp and flung it down the hallway, where it burst spraying burning oil all over the things. That set them back and she snatched another oil lamp, then finally a third - the hall was full of flame. She wasn't sure whether it was fear of fire or the pain of the light that held them back.

Ken grabbed her arm and began propelling her toward the entrance.

"Run!"

Even dragging the blonde man, Lily was further ahead than she had expected. Too far for Rose to do anything when one of the deformed ape-men suddenly leapt out a side passage at Lily and her charge.

Lily didn't hesitate at all. Instead of screaming, or trying to run away, she dropped the blonde man and met the beast thing with a lunge of her own, hissing in fury.

The ape man was obviously shocked at Lily's strength, fighting to hold her back. Rose could see Lily had changed again - dark-eyed and manic, she was snapping her spade-like teeth at his face.

Rage washed over Rose as she saw Lily, her Lily, struggle. A second later, she felt her own teeth sinking into the back of the fiend's neck, as her own claws raked his sides. He lost his grip on Lily and she viciously tore into his throat.

They ripped at him in a red haze of hate and fury. Until a voice made it through the sound of blood rushing in their ears.

"Girls! He's dead. Leave him."

She looked over at Ken as she stepped back from the ruined corpse. He looked less shocked than he should have. Lily was crouched over the blonde man, and for just a second Rose feared for her mind, but Lily looked up, blue eyes sparkling. "We have to keep going. I can feel more of them coming - a lot more!"

Rose could feel it too; the dark hateful thoughts as the things crawled out of their slime pits beneath, rushing almost mindlessly upwards. Those behind would soon force the ones in front through the flames.

Ken kicked a door inward and rushed into the room.

"Rose, help me with these." He pointed at several barrels. "It's raw alcohol. It will burn."

Rose felt herself grin. "There's enough here to zozzle half the city!"

They pushed the barrels over, spilling gallons and gallons of alcohol. If any place on earth needed to be burned, this was it.

They splashed through the liquor back into the corridor, Ken sending a couple shots back toward the falling mass of bodies.

Lily was already standing in the sunlight with the wounded man, her face broke into a smile when she saw them charging out.

Ken yelled up ahead to her. "Keep running Lily!"

They only slowed for a second at the painful sunlight. Rose caught up, looking back in time to see Ken pick up some kind of dull tan pack near the entrance, the do something to it and hurl it further back into the cave before sprinting out.

"Go to the right!"

As he caught up to them, Rose felt the ground drop away and they tumbled down a steep slope. The top of the rocky ridge erupted in a sheet of smoke and flame. A wave of debris shot straight out the entrance, then the whole hillside seemed to lift and settle. Once they rolled to a halt, Ken stood and rapidly reloaded his shotgun, scanning the ridge for movement. They froze and listened. Odd low rumbling and cracking beneath their feet told of further collapses deep underground.

Rose grabbed a heavy rock and looked around while Lily examined the blonde man. Like Ken, Rose and Lily were bleeding from dozens of cuts, scrapes and gashes, but none of them were severe. The blonde man, likewise, had only added a little to his injuries as far as Rose could see; he was starting to show some vague signs of consciousness.

Crumping noises continued for a while and the hill sank in on itself as if it were melting.

Ken looked at them.

"Can you walk?"

Lily smiled wanly. "Yeah, we'll walk to the moon and back to get outta here."

She paused, looking around, squinting against the sunlight. Then looked at Ken.

"Where are we anyway? I don't know which way to walk."

"We're about 100 miles south east of Saint Louis. You only need to walk about a mile to my truck - that way..." he pointed, "and we'll drive the rest of the way."

Lily smiled, a real smile, although Rose thought the effect somewhat ruined by the bloodstained teeth. She squared her shoulders and gestured to Rose.

"We'll get Blondie here, you just be ready to shoot any of those things, if any got out."

"Are you sure you can get him?"

"Ya, he's not as heavy as he looks."

Lilly and Rose easily pulled him up and Ken led them toward the truck. Despite the rocky ground, Rose realized her feet didn't hurt, and she and Lily had little trouble handling their unconscious load. It wasn't long before they reached the truck, where they laid the man in the back while Ken pulled a battered fiberboard suitcase out from under the front seat.

He pulled out a couple of white dress shirts and a bar of harsh lye soap.

Handing Rose the soap, Ken gestured toward the spring-fed pool. "I'm sure it is a little cool, but you need to scrub that dried blood off..."

Before he even finished the sentence, both girls were in the water, desperately scrubbing as hard as they could - Rose found that she could use handfuls of sand to scrub a lot quicker than just soap. Their hair was so matted that Rose was afraid she'd never get it clean, but after a while it loosened up and came out - although it was obvious that Lily's platinum hair was dimly stained, at least for now. If she squinted she could pretend it was a natural light brown rather than the tint of dried blood.

Somehow, she felt more naked now that she was clean and she quickly slipped one of the white shirts on - noting that Lily did the same with the same urgency. Without a towel, they would have to rely on the sun to dry them and their new 'dresses'. It wouldn't take long in this heat. Ken seemed not to even notice their nudity other than to give them the shirts. The shirts covered more than the dresses they wore to dance halls would have, but it still felt a bit unseemly to Rose.

Ken pulled some apples and carrots out of a bag and handed them each a couple; he seemed to be eyeing them a bit cautiously, and Rose noticed he seemed to keep one hand near the revolver in his belt.

Rose took a bite of the apple and chewed slowly, it tasted clean and sweet and perfect. "What's wrong?"

Ken hesitated for a second. "Why were you there?"

For the next several minutes Rose told him how they'd been kidnapped and mistreated, while he asked concise questions. She didn't pull any punches, woodenly telling him how they were fed and when they realized what was happening. She couldn't even meet his eyes when she was finished. Lily seemed to be holding her breath.

Ken nodded slowly, chewing his own apple. "That fits what I saw and heard. Not sure what they were trying to change you to, but they seemed to think it had failed. It wasn't your fault, you know." He held up a hand to stop their ashamed replies. "Not your fault at all - and they were shocked you didn't... feed on the Treasury agent here."

Seeing their shocked faces he pulled a wallet out of his pocket and opened it, showing a badge and an ID card. "John Dietrich, Department of the Treasury. I found his wallet in that... mess."

The whole experience seemed to hit Lily at once. She plopped ungracefully straight down, sitting cross legged in a clump of violets, bright blue eyes wide open staring at her hands. "Oh, that's just ducky! We almost ATE a Treasury man?!"

She began to shake and Rose rushed to her, kneeling and pulling her into a hug. Ken gave them time to compose themselves.

Lily finally calmed down and managed a weak smile. "You know, Sister Mary Anne at Saint Tristan probably expected us to turn out this way."

Rose couldn't quite suppress a giggle at that.

Ken shook his head. "This isn't something you did, it was something that was being done to you. And they failed. They didn't get to turn you into whatever kind of monsters they were trying to." He paused. "Not all the way, anyway. You know you changed when you ... dealt with the one in the tunnel?

Lily looked at her nails for second. "Yeah. I could feel it and I could see Rose change. And change back."

"You also carried a big man a mile over rocky ground like he didn't weigh anything. You didn't get tired, and most of the cuts and scrapes you got falling down that hill are already gone."

Rose looked down at her skin and saw that other than a few light, fading, bruises, she was unmarked, as was Lily. She looked back at Ken. "Why don't you seem surprised by this?"

"I saw some things during the war, something the Huns let loose at night sometimes. A lot like those creatures in the caves. I've also heard other stories."

A low voice grumbled from the bed of the truck. "I've seen and heard some things too. Thanks for getting me out of there. And not eating me."

The blonde man weakly pulled himself up into a sitting position while clutching his ribs. He looked over them, one eye swollen shut.

Ken looked at him with a flat expression. "Back among the living."

"Mostly. There were things in the Belleau Wood that looked like those things. They usually hunted at night, they ate men and hated the light." He gave a slight smile. "Especially the light from the kerosene bombs we made from glass bottles."

For a fraction of a second, the man and Kens shared humorless grins. "So now what?"

"We head back to Saint Louis. The cavern collapsed, so unless someone wants to excavate several thousand tons of rock, this is over."

Rose listened for a second. "I think, they're all gone. I can't feel them anymore."

Lily cocked her head. "Me neither."

The man looked over at Ken. "So you're just going to give me a lift into town?"

Rose broke in. "You got any better offers?"

The Treasury agent looked at her, then back at Ken. "Does she have any idea who you are?"

"A better question is who do you think I am?"

The federal man pulled himself further up. "Rumor has it that Gambini brought in a professional. A guy they just call Silence."

"Do tell. I thought he was a spooky story for little kids."

The federal agent gave a half smile through bloodied lips. "Yeah, well, I don't think all the stories are true, but then I just saw a mountain full of monsters killed off, so if I were a betting man, I'd say more of the stories are true than I thought."

Ken shrugged.

The agent looked at Rose and Lily.

Lily mimicked Ken's shrug, then slipped her arm around Rose's waist. "I don't care if he's the Kaiser in disguise, he got all three of us out of there. So, Dietrich, if it's all the same to you, I would just as soon get headed home."

Ken checked Agent Dietrich over, splinting a leg he thought might be broken.

After he was done, he looked at Dietrich, who was eying the girls a bit warily.

"I think the girls should ride up front with me."

It took Rose a second to realize that Ken was actually concerned that Lily and she might not be able to resist their urges. She was certain that the feeling had passed. Mostly certain anyway. But, all in all, it did seem like a wise decision.

Agent Dietrich nodded. "No point in being careless. Any chance you could loan me a gun... just in case."

Ken shook his head slowly, amused. "Here's your badge though. I've got a cabin at the Lost Valley Resort about 30 miles from here. We should be able to make it before dark. We'll figure out the rest after that."

Rose found herself seated between Ken and Lily as they pulled out. Under other circumstances, the drive would have been awful - the road was tortuously bad and the truck bounced along in a boneshaking manner. But they were going away from that awful, hellish place. Rose admitted to herself that being sandwiched between Lily and Ken was hardly a terrible experience. Lily only lasted a few minutes before dropping off to sleep with her head on Rose's lap. While she fought sleep off longer, within a half hour Rose found herself slumping against Ken as exhaustion won. Her last conscious thought was that he had gently put an arm around her and helped her settle in.

A distinct lack of truck noise was the first thing Rose noticed on waking. The second thing she noticed was Lily's brilliant smile as she looked down at her.

"Wake up, sleepy head."

Rose struggled upright, looking around at thick underbrush. The changing light of an evening sun filtered through the trees.

Lily smiled "He'll be right back - he's making sure the coast is clear for us to slip into the cabin."

Then she settled more seriously next to Rose. "He said something about waiting here a few days in case some of those things got away. And to get Mr. Dietrich a doctor. I think he wants to make sure we don't deliver a dead Treasury man to the police station."

A few minutes later, Ken slipped soundlessly from the underbush.

"Everything is quiet. Our cabin is the last one on the trail, so there shouldn't be anyone walking by."

The federal agent was awake, but in no shape to walk, but Rose and Lily easily lifted him out and followed Ken through the trees to little cabin. Once inside, Ken made sure the curtains were drawn while Rose and Lily laid Dietrich on the couch.

Ken explained that while he had checked the cabin he had also walked to the main office and used the sole telephone to summon a doctor who would look over Dietrich it the morning - no questions asked.

When he came back he sat them down. "I also called a friend, who might know more about what's happening to you two. She'll be here tomorrow night."

"A lady friend?" Lily sounded as disappointed as Rose felt. That startled her. She'd started thinking of Ken as hers and Lily's.

"A lady who is a friend. She owns the Beauchamp's Voodoo Lounge nightclub. She knows about stuff like... this," he gestured to them.

Lily smiled. "We went there a couple times on double dates. You know, there's a cellar you can go down into to pick out your own wine."

Rose giggled. "I remember that. There are places you can look up right through gaps in the dance floor."

Lily burst out laughing. She fought to catch her breath, tears running out of her eyes. "Rose said... 'Lily, I think there's a serious lady's underwear shortage in this town!'"

Even Dietrich laughed at that.

Rose claimed the bathroom for her and Lily to clean up more thoroughly. Ken produced two more clean shirts for them to wear.

"This is all I have right now, but there's a small store here I can buy you a couple dresses in when it opens in the morning. This place specializes in providing some quiet isolation for men of some means and their 'nieces' to relax in."

Rose couldn't help herself. She smirked "Why, Mr. Stanton, whatever kind of place did you spirit us away to?"

Lily caught on a second later, plastering herself to Ken's side and joining in on Rose's comment, batting her blue eyes up at him. "Oh Uncle Ken, however shall we express our gratitude for this lovely vacation?"

He shook his head ruefully. "If I'd have known I would be convalescing a Treasury agent and watching over a couple of waifs, I'd have looked for a family resort with bigger cabins. And maybe brought some clothes for you two along with me."

Rose wrinkled her nose at him. "What would be the fun in that?"

She reflected that she was getting as bad as Lily about flirting.

Cleaning up took them several minutes and a whole lot of water; poor Lily scrubbed her pale hair until the last traces of blood were gone. After Ken cleaned up, they worked to get Dietrich cleaned up as gently as possible. He was weaker than before and she could tell he was in more pain than he was letting on. She could smell the pain and weakness. A surreptitious glance told her that Lily was sensing the same thing.

That really worried her; the cabin only had three rooms - a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. Only the bathroom had a door to close and it didn't lock. Lily and she seemed well past the hunger, and while she could smell the agents pain and weakness, it no longer made her mouth water and stomach growl - but the daylight was almost gone and the hunger and the voices had always been stronger at night. She wasn't worried about Ken, he had never smelled like food.

Dietrich seemed to read her mind, he rolled up on his side. "I'm not trying to be ungrateful - and I understand staying here a couple days. I'd just be more comfortable if you had a room to lock me in at night. Or lock them in. Or something."

He trailed off, expecting an argument.

Rose spoke up before Ken could say anything. "No, it's okay. I'm not sure I trust us yet either. I feel pretty normal now, but I don't know how we will be at night. The... feelings are worse in the dark."

Ken looked around. "I'll see if I can get another cabin tomorrow. But we'll have to come up with something for tonight."

"Aisle Two, shelf Three" pronounced Lily.

Ken looked at her in puzzlement.

Lily suddenly blushed brilliant red and seemed at a loss for words.

Rose caught on "Oh, Mrs. Garrison's books!" She turned to Ken. "Those books we had to put up in the restricted Crypt - Aisle Two, shelf three is where the one with, um, tied-up women."

Lily regained her composure and rallied with a cheeky grin. "If we're bad you can always resort to shelf four. And five."

That was how Rose and Lily found themselves tied up and gently placed on the bed. Lily played it up for all she was worth, playfully asking to be tucked in and making teasing remarks the whole time Ken tied them up. He fielded her comments with good humor. Despite Lily's entreaties for "snuggles," Ken moved an easy chair to the doorway between the living room and the bedroom. Dietrich still looked concerned though.

Seconds after she laid down, Rose fell into a dreamless, whisper-free sleep.

###

Bright sunlight woke Rose the next morning - she had one arm wrapped around Lily.

She sat up suddenly when she realized her bonds were off. Spinning off the bed, she dashed to the doorway.

Ken was standing next to a well-dressed, but furtive, weasel-looking man who was examining Dietrich.

Ken gave her a half-smile. "I took the ropes off you two after the sun rose about three hours ago. You didn't wake at all."

The strange man - who she assumed to be the expected doctor spoke. "He'd be best off if you keep him here until he really stabilizes. A couple of days or so." The Doctor pointedly didn't look in her direction. He obviously decided that the less he knew the better off he was.

True to his word, Ken went out and came back with two dresses.

"Here you go, for Lily..." he lifted a light blue shift from the bag. "and one for Rose." He handed a light yellow shift to Rose.

He stepped out while they changed, even though Lily called after him, giggling. "It's not like you haven't seen everything already, you know!"