âThen ya stuck ya tongue in my cooz-â âMom!â The tall high yellow boy looks at his mother in disgust making stack eyes snap to him his eyes soften lightly but the boy just mean mugs his father
Stack clears his throat âKeep yo voice now thatâs not exactly how I rememberâ âoh it ainât You remember fallinâ asleep with ya head on my chest leavinâ in the middle of the night without a fuckinâ word leavin me with a three year old that kept askin where his daddy wasâ Stackâs eyes start shining with guilt but his pride forces it down still believing him leaving was for the better âThe hell you doin back here Maryâ
âI buried my mama yesterday stack figured I might see you and smoke as much as she looked after both but I guess yâall love lasted as yall could get somethin out of herâ
âYeah thatâs all she was food and a warm bedâ
Lawrence gasps the wounds of his grandmother still fresh the thirteen year old puffs his chest out âDonât talk to my mama like thatâ Lawrence contemplates if he can take stack delta slim stopped playing his harmonica to see if thereâs gonna be a fight Sammie looking between stack and Lawrence unsure if he should step in
The curly haired boy steps an inch forward ready to defend his mother before Mary pulls him away âCâmon we donât need you dirtyinâ up your good pantsâ the mother and son walk away Lawrence sighs in relief he really wasnât sure if he could take stack without biting him
Stack stands frozen like a stack his own son wanted to fight him delta wheezes behind him stack grumbles straightening his suit his fast tongue canât find anything thing slick to say
Later on Mary ruffles through her suitcase looking for the suit jacket she just bought âI know I put it in here, Lawrence!!â Lawrence comes out the bathroom wearing the jacket twirling on his heel âI look goodâ Mary giggles
Straightening his collar âMy big strong boyâ âima a manâ Lawrence flexâs his muscles Mary tickles under Lawrenceâs chin making him let out a boyish giggle âSure manâ Mary says sarcastically
When they get to the juke cornbread blocks the door not recognizing Mary or Lawrence he kindly takes off his hat âcuse me miss yall sure yallâs at the right placeâ Lawrence looks around unsure if they are âThatâs a damn good question cornbreadâ
Cornbread tilts his head now recognizing Mary and her son âLil Mary,pepperâ âNot so little no more huhâ cornbread hugs both of them pepper was Lawrenceâs nickname when he was a baby because he would cry his face red like a pepper
âMy condolences regardingâ to your mother we wouldâve made the repast but me and Therese had to workâ Lawrence stands closer to his mother for comfort âItâs alright it was a beautiful serviceâ after a beat of silence âLet me go on in here and get a drink before I start tearin upâ cornbread moves out the way so Mary and Lawrence can go Inside
Lawrence looks around in amazement already getting on the dance floor it calling him âBoy if you donât get the fuck out my faceâ Lawrence can hear his mom say but the dance floor calling is too loud nobody is really paying attention to the thirteen year old boy smoothly sliding to the floor thereâs a lot of people that shouldnât be here
Lawrence was twirling a girl around when he heard Mary call for him he waved at her and went straight back to twirling
Lawrence had went over to the bar for a drink water because Mary wouldnât let him order âhey Annie!â Lawrence greets his aunt he takes one look at smoke and squints his eyes âMister Annieâ âYou know my nameâ smoke grunts but Lawrence is already sliding back to the dance floor
Mary smiles softly when she hears Lawrence âWHOOOOOâ waving his arms in the air but her face hardens when she looks back at stack âwhy canât you just tell me the truth I was young enough to think you was comin back but Iâm grown now Stack I knew you never planned to stay and you still canât say itâ âSay what that i love you that I think about you every i just wanted to keep you some place safe and that was never gonna be here and it was never gonna be with meâ
Mary sheds a tear quickly wiping it away she slowly walks back to bar her head low Lawrence noticed her âHey mom! Wait whyâre cryin? Was it him!â Lawrence points at stack âWhat did he do!â Mary puts her hand on Lawrence chest pushing him back to the dance floor dancing with him
Lawrence canât fight but he can bite like a rabid dog Lawrence still shoots stack the nastiest glare from across the room When Sammie starts preforming Lawrence felt a hand grab his it was the girl he was dancing with earlier the pale young man ears flush Lawrence slowly foot shuffles making the girl laugh they dance together once more Mary smile stack weaves through the crowd barely avoiding one of Lawrenceâs mean mugs
Lawrence was two catfish bowls into getting to know his future wife he already decided, her name is Beatrice her parents own a candy store and she snuck out to be here tonight
Seeing his mama walk towards the door Lawrence excuses himself from Beatrice to walk towards the door Lawrence and Mary have matching facial expressions of confusion seeing three white people singing with no melody smoke cuts them off
âAww it was just about to get goodâ the one in the front says Lawrence thinks he looks like he stank âI believe you itâs justâŚthis here is a juke jointâ âBlues musicâ âBut we got money and we ready to spend it with yâallâ the brunette man Lawrence physically winces at the sight off
âAnd that music soundin damn near perfect and yall sayin we ainât welcomeâ âif you go down the road youâll find plenty of white barrelhouseâ âOh this because weâreâ the man rubs his hand âhowâd they get inâ Lawrence looks around at who that white man is pointing to âthatâs is non of your bu- âthey here because they familyâ âoh they were talkin to usâ Lawrence mumbles
âCanât we all for one night just be familyâ smoke grabs his pistol the three white folks back off âNo need for that weâll be on our way but weâre gonna walk real slowâ âWeird ass crackersâ Lawrence walks back to the bar
Mary and stack talk lowly âWhat about them crackersâ âwhat about emâ âlet me go out there feel em out before they get to farâ stacks eyes widen they ainât seem dangerous but he still donât trust them âWhy just let me do itâ
âTheyâll tell me a lot more than theyâll tell you I can find out what they really haveâ Mary is insisting on going out and itâs making stacks heart pounding âWait!â Stack calls a bit too loud he clears his throat âWait donât you wanna sit down Yous been standin all day donât Lawrence need somethin Lawrence!â In return stack gets another lip curling glare from Lawrence
âWhy donât you want me to go stack we need this moneyâ for the first time stack shows emotions in his eyes he starts kissing Mary to try and distract her âStackâ kiss âStackâ deeper kiss Mary starts leaning in âI thought I was someone elseâsâ stack nips Maryâs lip scooping her up jogging towards the broom closet
âWatch the door I need to peeâ cornbread asks delta slim already grabbing his lantern âYou canât do right here?â Delta teases âshut up you old fool watch the door!â Cornbread walks into the woods to relieve himself but he starts hearing the trees whisperâ âIs that cornbreadâ âI love me some cornbreadâ âFellowship and love fellowship and loveâ cornbread whips his head around trying to see who that is but itâs dark his lantern isnât bright enough âPeekabooâ
Mary giggles they kiss passionately hands everywhere Mary playfully tugging at stackâs bottom lip stack sits down on the floor unbuckling his pants mary hikes her dress pulling her panties to the side slowly sliding down on stack he grips her hips slowly pulling her up and down Mary drools in pleasure âBaby you droolinâ Mary wipes her mouth her voice smooth like silk âYou want someâ stack nods leaning back opening his mouth Mary spits in his grinning like the devil they kiss again
Lawrence follows Beatrice around his feet are starting to blister but he lost feeling in them after the third catfish bowl âLawrence you see yo daddyâ smoke calls his nephew âLeave me aloneâ Lawrence doesnât even look at his uncle smoke just asks the next person but Sammie immediately comes back when he catches Mary riding stack
Smoke huffs and puffs seeing Sammie come back without stack âDidnât I tell you to go get stackâ âHe was gettin some nookieâ âI donât give a fuck what he was gettin I told you to bring himâ âIâm not doin that by myselfâ smoke walks to the back room but notices delta slim watching the door instead of cornbread
âHey where the hell is cornbreadâ âProbably buildin you a new outhouse nigga left to take a piss two damn days agoâ âAnd he left you to watch the doorâ âWhat you think i canât handle itâ smoke spins off walking towards the door Sammie on his heel âYall get decent yall in here playin gamesâ smoke swings opens the door not even flinching at Maryâs screams from being caught
âCâmon boy! One of patrons got cut he needs stitchesâ stack huffs pulling out of Mary smoke grimaces at the wet pop smoke doesnât leave until stack is fully dressed
âOh now you come back I was startin to think you done went homeâ Cornbread doesnât answer barley lets delta slim get up before he rips his throat out
âhey! Let me in i want another drinkâ smoke already annoyed raises an eyebrow âThe door is wide open why canât you just come inâ thats it the invitation smoke unknowingly just opened Pandoraâs box delta slim walks through the threshold with new found hunger and blood lust he goes to the gambling room bo and a few other people are in there he ravaged them
Smoke just wanted to play some poker just for a moment just to cool off but instead he sees delta slim eating a manâs face off with quickness he pulls out his guns unloading the chamber everyone was startled by the gunfire even Lawrence drops to the floor delta slim is only down for a second before he snarls at smoke running straight out the door
âWhat happened!â Annie gasps covering her mouth seeing the bodies on the floor smoke is shell shocked he ainât never seen no shit like this not even in the war âdid he say anythinâ smoke shakes his head staring wide eyed âSmoke we have to move the bodiesâ smokeâs eyes drift towards Annie âHuh?â âSmoke he mayâve had something you shot him and he kept runninâ smoke nods âyeahâŚy-ye-yeahâ smoke unlocks the back door dragging Bo and three other people out the door
âPartyâs overâ a collection of groans and moans when Annie says that everyone âwait! Where you goinâ Lawrence gently grabs Beatriceâs wrist âYou donât have to go Iâll protect youâ Beatrice smiles not wanting to really leave either
Grace checks the gambling room three times pacing like a caged animal âBo whereâs my Boâ before she can ask smoke one of the patrons smoke dragged out starts banging on the door he wasnât bit just drank to much âSmoke let me in manâ smoke already refilled his gun as the banging on the door gets louder âSmoke I swear Iâll pay my tap man is that what this is about what ever you need man!!â âhuh lookit hereâ Cornbread stares at the man with hunger starting to run at him âSome weird shit is goin on out here! Smoke let me in!! Smoke let me in!â
Just as smoke opens the door the man gets tackled by cornbread biting into his neck smoke goes to slam the door but Grace runs to the front shouting âWait! Wait!â She gasps softly âBoâ Bo walks to the steps âcome on Grace I got the car warmed up lets go itâs late Lisaâs waitinâ grace stands there frozen bo looks at her confused
âWhat is it Grace?â âHeâs killin himâ Graceâs voice cracks Bo merely glances at cornbread eating human flesh like itâs an everyday thing âoh you talkin about that? Donât worry about cornbread hes just a lil hungry thatâs allâ Grace still doesnât move Bo rubs the back of his head like Grace is being unreasonable âCome on come on I got the car all warmed upâ
Bo flashes Grace that smile he knows gets her weak âOr you can let me back in there and we can go and grab our thingsâ Boâs eyes flash an unnatural color âDonât listen to himâ Annie gently grips graces shoulders
âGrace we gon find a out of this I swearâ âI am your way out this world already left you for dead wonât let you build wonât let you fellowship we will do just that together, forever,â âItâs better this way Grace so why donât you go on ahead and invite us inâ Grace feels herself sweating in fear âyou should listen to him Grace or listen to me cause I know everything he knows and i want you to let us in or we gon go down to the grocery store and pay little Lisa a visitâ
Grace wails âNo! No! Donât you fucking dare!!â Lawrence rushes over to comfort her âOh yes I know everythingâ the white vampire switches languages Grace eyes widen in horror unfortunately understanding everything heâs saying âWhatâd he sayâ Lawrence asks Grace but she canât hear anything but her heart pounding âThis canât be realâ Pearline is in disbelief âYou the devil ainât youâ Sammie voice wavers
âSammie! Youâre the one I came here for I sensed you Iâm trapped here I want to see my people again but your gifts can bring them to me now just give me lil Sammie and Iâll let yâall liveâ Sammie steps closer everyone pulls him back slamming the door
âWhat the hell are they why was cornbread eatin that manâ grace feels ready to rip her hair out âThey vampiresâ everyoneâs eyes snap to Annie âI only ever heard stories never came across one myselfâ âWhat stories you heardâ âThey switch places with the soul of a man cursed to live here with all this hate canât even feel the warmth of the sunriseâ
âHow we killâem we get to them before they get to usâ grace is shaking her mind on one thing her daughter and her man âGarlic wooden stakes to the hearts and silver bulletsâ as everyoneâs preparing Annie pulls to the side âIf I get bit I promise youâll free me before I turnâ âWhat you mean free you what you talkin aboutâ Annie points the stake at her heart
Smoke snatches it away âI got someone waitin on the other side they waitin on you tooâ grace looks at the window everyone hearing singing Bo blows Grace a kiss Grace covers her ears speed walks to the table grabbing the wooden stakes ready to kill them all herself
Everyone starts running over to her Lawrence runs to her the weight of the situation starting to become clear âAunty Gracie pleaseâ the boy starts to cry Grace looks at him her nephew Maryâs son then her mind flashes to her own daughter she needs to get home âCOME ON- smoke overs her mouth she bites him hard âCOME ON IN YOU MOTHER FUCKERSâ Lawrence feels like he was just stabbed in the chest stumbling as Sammie pulls him towards the table to grab a weapon
Lawrenceâs hands tremble as that white devil pushes open the door âRight onâ Grace throws a mocktail at him but he throws it at the wall Lawrence feels like heâs having a panic attack as he watches Grace run to Bo burning with him as she stabs his chest
Remmick runs to Sammie standing behind Lawrence in a panic Lawrence just busts the vampire in the nose with the barrel of the gun instead of shooting him âOH HELL NAWâ Lawrence screamed grabbing Sammie and Beatriceâs hand running up the stairs when remmick gets up from being bust in a face and garlic being thrown at him
âGO GO MAKE IT SUNRISEâ smoke shouts Pearline screams as remmick is now at the catwalk
âSammieâ remmick shoves Lawrence and smoke out the way in pure panic Lawrence latches his teeth in the back of remmickâs head making even the vampire howl from the pure force Lawrence is using pulling back Lawrence spits out a chunk of hair and blood the taste fowl in his mouth tripping as smoke shoved him back him Beatrice and Sammie all fall from the catwalk Lawrence breaking everyoneâs fall
Lawrence holds on to Sammie as the three of them limp away but remmick flys down grabbing Sammieâs face slapping him into the water it starts to pour down thunder Lawrence feels like a child as he flails in the water trying to find the surface the rain and the current dragging him under
Sammie says the Lordâs Prayer that white devil saying it with him âlong ago the men who stole my father land and forced these wordsupon us. I hated those men. But the words still brought me comfortâ remmick forces Sammie under the water twice both times Sammie sees Lawrence sinking to the bottom
âThey lied to us! And to themselves told stories of a God above and a devil below lies about of a dominion of man over beast and earth Hierarchy of man woman and groups of kinâ
âYou will taste the sweet taste of deathâ just as Remmick is about to bite Sammie he swings hitting him into the water the head with the sliver part of his guitar it nearly knocked remmickâs head off his shoulders âShit!â Remmick pulls out the sliver his head using his vampire speed to zip towards him trying to bite him again
Before smoke comes behind him stabbing him with a long freshly sharpened stake stabbing through both ends âDid he get youâ smoke frantically checks Sammie for bite marks the sun rises more remmick burns turning into a fire tornado everyone he turned burns too Sammie and smoke watch in horror Sammie collapsed against his big cousin
Lawrence was sitting on a beach watching the waves crashing before he hears a faint âLawrence!â âHm?â It gets louder his ears start ringing he hears Mary sobbing and feels air being forced into his lungs âLawrence! Wake up please!! Mama canât lose you too!â
Lawrence chokes up water opening his eyes to stack kneeling over him giving him mouth to mouth Mary and Beatrice sobbing as he finally opens his eyes âLawrence my boyâ stack hugs him tightly shedding a few tears
Sammie is a old man now just finished a show sipping on bourbon âHey boss I got a lady out here said she knew youâ Sammie waves him off
âDonât bother me noneâ the bouncer nods letting her in Pearline walks in her hair down wearing a tight black skirt and a crop top âHey preacher boyâ Sammie thought he was hallucinating âH-howâ Sammie asks amazed Pearline sits across from him ignoring the bartenders lustful stare âRan inside after the sun started risin hid in a closet until sunsetâ
Pearline slides off her seat slow and tempting wraps her arms around Sammie smelling him deeply he doesnât have much time left âYou named this club after me?â Pearline nuzzles his ear âYou was my first everythinâ âYou think you have one more song for meâ âSammie has never moved faster to get his guitar preforming traveling when heâs done Pearline is staring at him not with bloodlust in longing love
âI have all of your records never realized how bad records sound from back thenâ Sammie looks Pearline up and down he may be old but it still works âYou wanna stay here? At least for the nightâ Pearline smiles slow sultry âLead the wayâ Sammie recreates that night at least the one good part as he talks Pearlineâs hand taking her upstairs.