The Death of Lily Tucker
Lily Tucker is your typical twenty- something who lives in a small town in Mississippi working as a bank teller. Vampires had made their existence known but have yet to come to Natches, Ms.. Lily holds a killer secret that eventually becomes too much for her to live with.
Coming soon...
Prologue
My Life hasn’t always been such a mess. There was a time when it would have been considered boring. That of course was before vampires made their way into Natchez, Mississippi. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific event that caused my life to spiral out of control, but vampires showing up at my front door would have to be in the top ten list. I don’t regret anything about it though, don’t get me wrong. As much turmoil and chaos that they have caused, they also brought me to him.
Chapter 1
One thing I hated more than working at a boring bank in a small town was working the night shift. Vampires were trying to live their lives among humans and that meant businesses adjusting their hours to accommodate the undead. I stifled a yawn as my second customer of the night drove off from the window. They both were human of course. We have yet to actually have a real live..er..dead vampire go public in the small town of Natchez, Mississippi.
“Lily! Look alive.” Rick, my manager, yelled from over my shoulder. He was close enough that I could feel his whiskey-laced breath on my neck. He was a short pudgy man with a receding hairline and bad complexion. I jumped as he startled me nearly falling from my stool. He placed his hand on the small of my back to keep me from falling, but I would have much rather hit the ground than have his slimy hands on my body.
As soon as he walked away I made a beeline for my best friend Laney who was working one of the registers in the lobby.
“Did you see what Rick the Prick just pulled?” I whispered angrily.
“You let him get away with it Lily! You need to stand up for yourself. You don’t see him laying his grubby little hands on me, do ya?” Laney scolded me as twisted her long brown hair into a bun and secured it with a bank pen. Laney is incredibly petite and stand only 4”9’ but she makes up for what she lacks in size with personality. Men are extremely intimidated by her. I nodded in agreement. I knew I should tell him off or make a scene but I couldn’t afford to lose my job.
“He’s lucky I don’t tell my brother.” I added before hurrying back over to the window to wait for customers. It was an empty threat. My brother, Justin, is extremely over protective. He is only three years older than me but acts as if he is my father. I suppose that is because he has always been the man of the house. Our real father left our mother when we were still in elementary school. We had only seen him a handful of times since then. He could be dead in a gutter somewhere and I would never know nor care.
A big red Chevy truck pulled up to the window at just after one o’clock in the morning. It had tires that stood taller than me and an engine that sounded like a lion. I cursed under my breath.
“What can I do for ya’ Jake?” I asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice. Our bank had three locations in our county and one of them was only a few blocks from Jakes house. I couldn’t help but feel like he came all this way to get under my skin. I had spent two years with this man and we even talked about getting married. That was until I found him passed out on the back porch covered in stripper glitter. Jake rolled down his window and smiled. I instantly blushed and hated myself for not being able to mask it. He looked incredible. His wheat colored hair was perfectly disheveled and his brown eyes warm and inviting.
“Come on Lily, don’t be that way.” He replied and his grin grew twenty watts brighter. When I didn’t respond he went about his business. “I need to cash this work check.” He explained and slid the check from Roland farms through the metal slot below the bank window. I quickly got him his money and slipped it into a little envelope, sending it back out through the metal slot.
“Have a nice day.” I said blandly and turned my back on him before he could respond. The truth was, it was killing me not to happy to see him. He was my best friend and the man I wanted to marry. Laney shot me a sympathetic glance. But I avoided looking her in the eye. The last thing I needed was to be pitied. Everyone looked at me as if I was a helpless puppy. It was nauseating.
Several more customers came and went and before I knew it my shift was over. I did my final counts for the night and headed home. I wound down the windows of the Borego and let the cool night air blow on my face to keep me awake. Long strands of my blonde hair whipped around my face and I was forced to drive with my knees while I pulled my hair back into a loose braid. Traffic was pretty much non- existent at three o’clock in the morning and I was able to make it across town and home safely in fifteen minutes flat.
My home was small but comfortable and it was mine. My mother had been side swiped by a drunk driver six months ago just outside of town. She was on her way home from the hospital where she worked as a nurse. I volunteered there once a week as a candy stiper and that night I had been just finished my shift and was riding home with her. It was a rare occurrence that we would get off work at the same time, so we planned to go out for dinner and catch the new Matt Damon flick that was playing at the multiplex in the mall. But we never made it home that night. I should have suffered the same tragic fate but they were able to free me from the car rather quickly. My side of the car was ripped open like a tuna can but her legs were crushed beneath the steering column holding her firmly in place, sealing her fate. I don’t remember much from the night due to going into shock. She struggled for two days to pull through but the injuries were just too great and my brother and I had to make the agonizing decision to pull her off of the life support. Her home was left to my brother and me, but he had long since moved out on his own.
I fumbled with the keys trying to find the one for the house. I found it as I reached the front door and slid it into the knob. The door popped open with no resistance, the lock not slid all the way into the doorframe. My heart leaped into my throat. I shifted the keys between my fingers and tightened my hand into a fist around them. My brother had taught me to do this because hitting someone with your keys would be much more effective than just using your hand. I slipped out of my flats and crept into the house, my back pressed against the wall. The house was pitch black and I struggled to make out the shapes of the furniture, let alone an intruder. I slinked around the corner into the dining room, my palm burning from the keys that dug into my delicate skin. I didn’t loosen my grip. I crossed left foot over right, pausing when an old floorboard creaked under my heel. I closed my eyes momentarily and cursed myself for not remembering every squeak and quirk of this old building. I had lived here since I can remember and knew everything there was to know about this place. Including the squeaky floorboard that I had so carelessly stumbled across. I scanned the room for any sign of movement. The moonlight broke through the curtains and cast just enough of a light that I could make out the shape of my great grandmothers china hutch along the far wall. Nothing looked out of place but I squinted my eyes to see more. Nothing was out of place so I moved along the wall to the kitchen and listened for anything that sounded out of place. My heart thudding in my chest and I slowed my breathing to calm myself down. Just as I began to relax my phone rang from my purse causing me to jump and a scream to escape my lips. I flicked on the kitchen light and dug through my purse to dig out my cell phone. My brother’s name flashed across the screen.
“What?” I yelled into the phone unable to hide my frustration.
“What the hell, Lily?” he asked and I took a breath to calm myself down. My brother and I were incredibly close and could have passed for twins. We had the same blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
“Sorry, Justin.” I breathed heavily into the phone. “What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound more polite. It must have worked because my brother began to ramble, the way he did anytime he was excited, barely coming up for air.
“I just ran into Jake over at the pool hall. He was going on and on about you. Said you were looking sweeter than mayhaw jelly.” He laughed. I rolled my eyes.
“I’m sure that is not how he said it.” I replied dryly. Jake was anything but sweet. He had an ego the size of Texas and an attitude to match. But he had always been sweet and caring when we were together. My stomach panged with sadness and I realized just how much I really missed him.
“I’m paraphrasing.” He admitted and I smiled pushing myself off of the kitchen wall and looking through the fridge for something to eat. “You should come down here.” He said, practically yelling and I realized he was still at the pool hall.
“I’m exhausted. I just got off the night shift at the bank.” I shook my head, pulling food out of the fridge.
“Why are you so boring?” he asked but I knew he was just picking on me.
“Talk to you later, Jut.” I replied. I had called him Jut since I was old enough to talk. It rolled off the tongue easier than Justin for a toddler.
“Later.” He said and hung up the phone. I clicked the button and slid my cell onto the counter, and went back to digging in the fridge for more supplies.
I slipped something into the microwave and went about preparing a chef salad.
Chapter 2
The microwave dinged and I opened the door to pull out the contents. I screamed and jumped at the feel of someone touch my back. The bag of blood I had just warmed for Taylor coated me like a scene from the horror movie Carrie. Taylor’s laugh quickly turned to apologies as I used the dishrag to clean myself. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he said,
“That look actually suits you.” I couldn’t help grinning as I threw the ensanguined dish towel at his face.
“You scared the shit out of me!” I scolded him, but the overwhelming joy that came from seeing him quickly began to override my irritation. It was always this way with Taylor. From the first moment I saw him I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He showed up at the bank just days after I had returned to work from the accident. I was working one of the registers when he had come in to withdrawal money from his business account. Nothing about him was out of the ordinary except for his stunning good looks. He had dark hair that looked perfectly tousled and deep grey eyes. His skin was tan and tattoos were scattered across any visible bare skin. He was everything a bad boy wished they could be. I could barely speak without tripping over my own words. He sent my heart leaping out of my chest. I'm sure that is the effect he has always had on woman, even before he was a vampire.
~All material on this site is copyright protected. Any copying of material without written consent of the author, Teresa Mummert, is prohibited. ~
Coming soon...
Prologue
My Life hasn’t always been such a mess. There was a time when it would have been considered boring. That of course was before vampires made their way into Natchez, Mississippi. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific event that caused my life to spiral out of control, but vampires showing up at my front door would have to be in the top ten list. I don’t regret anything about it though, don’t get me wrong. As much turmoil and chaos that they have caused, they also brought me to him.
Chapter 1
One thing I hated more than working at a boring bank in a small town was working the night shift. Vampires were trying to live their lives among humans and that meant businesses adjusting their hours to accommodate the undead. I stifled a yawn as my second customer of the night drove off from the window. They both were human of course. We have yet to actually have a real live..er..dead vampire go public in the small town of Natchez, Mississippi.
“Lily! Look alive.” Rick, my manager, yelled from over my shoulder. He was close enough that I could feel his whiskey-laced breath on my neck. He was a short pudgy man with a receding hairline and bad complexion. I jumped as he startled me nearly falling from my stool. He placed his hand on the small of my back to keep me from falling, but I would have much rather hit the ground than have his slimy hands on my body.
As soon as he walked away I made a beeline for my best friend Laney who was working one of the registers in the lobby.
“Did you see what Rick the Prick just pulled?” I whispered angrily.
“You let him get away with it Lily! You need to stand up for yourself. You don’t see him laying his grubby little hands on me, do ya?” Laney scolded me as twisted her long brown hair into a bun and secured it with a bank pen. Laney is incredibly petite and stand only 4”9’ but she makes up for what she lacks in size with personality. Men are extremely intimidated by her. I nodded in agreement. I knew I should tell him off or make a scene but I couldn’t afford to lose my job.
“He’s lucky I don’t tell my brother.” I added before hurrying back over to the window to wait for customers. It was an empty threat. My brother, Justin, is extremely over protective. He is only three years older than me but acts as if he is my father. I suppose that is because he has always been the man of the house. Our real father left our mother when we were still in elementary school. We had only seen him a handful of times since then. He could be dead in a gutter somewhere and I would never know nor care.
A big red Chevy truck pulled up to the window at just after one o’clock in the morning. It had tires that stood taller than me and an engine that sounded like a lion. I cursed under my breath.
“What can I do for ya’ Jake?” I asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice. Our bank had three locations in our county and one of them was only a few blocks from Jakes house. I couldn’t help but feel like he came all this way to get under my skin. I had spent two years with this man and we even talked about getting married. That was until I found him passed out on the back porch covered in stripper glitter. Jake rolled down his window and smiled. I instantly blushed and hated myself for not being able to mask it. He looked incredible. His wheat colored hair was perfectly disheveled and his brown eyes warm and inviting.
“Come on Lily, don’t be that way.” He replied and his grin grew twenty watts brighter. When I didn’t respond he went about his business. “I need to cash this work check.” He explained and slid the check from Roland farms through the metal slot below the bank window. I quickly got him his money and slipped it into a little envelope, sending it back out through the metal slot.
“Have a nice day.” I said blandly and turned my back on him before he could respond. The truth was, it was killing me not to happy to see him. He was my best friend and the man I wanted to marry. Laney shot me a sympathetic glance. But I avoided looking her in the eye. The last thing I needed was to be pitied. Everyone looked at me as if I was a helpless puppy. It was nauseating.
Several more customers came and went and before I knew it my shift was over. I did my final counts for the night and headed home. I wound down the windows of the Borego and let the cool night air blow on my face to keep me awake. Long strands of my blonde hair whipped around my face and I was forced to drive with my knees while I pulled my hair back into a loose braid. Traffic was pretty much non- existent at three o’clock in the morning and I was able to make it across town and home safely in fifteen minutes flat.
My home was small but comfortable and it was mine. My mother had been side swiped by a drunk driver six months ago just outside of town. She was on her way home from the hospital where she worked as a nurse. I volunteered there once a week as a candy stiper and that night I had been just finished my shift and was riding home with her. It was a rare occurrence that we would get off work at the same time, so we planned to go out for dinner and catch the new Matt Damon flick that was playing at the multiplex in the mall. But we never made it home that night. I should have suffered the same tragic fate but they were able to free me from the car rather quickly. My side of the car was ripped open like a tuna can but her legs were crushed beneath the steering column holding her firmly in place, sealing her fate. I don’t remember much from the night due to going into shock. She struggled for two days to pull through but the injuries were just too great and my brother and I had to make the agonizing decision to pull her off of the life support. Her home was left to my brother and me, but he had long since moved out on his own.
I fumbled with the keys trying to find the one for the house. I found it as I reached the front door and slid it into the knob. The door popped open with no resistance, the lock not slid all the way into the doorframe. My heart leaped into my throat. I shifted the keys between my fingers and tightened my hand into a fist around them. My brother had taught me to do this because hitting someone with your keys would be much more effective than just using your hand. I slipped out of my flats and crept into the house, my back pressed against the wall. The house was pitch black and I struggled to make out the shapes of the furniture, let alone an intruder. I slinked around the corner into the dining room, my palm burning from the keys that dug into my delicate skin. I didn’t loosen my grip. I crossed left foot over right, pausing when an old floorboard creaked under my heel. I closed my eyes momentarily and cursed myself for not remembering every squeak and quirk of this old building. I had lived here since I can remember and knew everything there was to know about this place. Including the squeaky floorboard that I had so carelessly stumbled across. I scanned the room for any sign of movement. The moonlight broke through the curtains and cast just enough of a light that I could make out the shape of my great grandmothers china hutch along the far wall. Nothing looked out of place but I squinted my eyes to see more. Nothing was out of place so I moved along the wall to the kitchen and listened for anything that sounded out of place. My heart thudding in my chest and I slowed my breathing to calm myself down. Just as I began to relax my phone rang from my purse causing me to jump and a scream to escape my lips. I flicked on the kitchen light and dug through my purse to dig out my cell phone. My brother’s name flashed across the screen.
“What?” I yelled into the phone unable to hide my frustration.
“What the hell, Lily?” he asked and I took a breath to calm myself down. My brother and I were incredibly close and could have passed for twins. We had the same blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
“Sorry, Justin.” I breathed heavily into the phone. “What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound more polite. It must have worked because my brother began to ramble, the way he did anytime he was excited, barely coming up for air.
“I just ran into Jake over at the pool hall. He was going on and on about you. Said you were looking sweeter than mayhaw jelly.” He laughed. I rolled my eyes.
“I’m sure that is not how he said it.” I replied dryly. Jake was anything but sweet. He had an ego the size of Texas and an attitude to match. But he had always been sweet and caring when we were together. My stomach panged with sadness and I realized just how much I really missed him.
“I’m paraphrasing.” He admitted and I smiled pushing myself off of the kitchen wall and looking through the fridge for something to eat. “You should come down here.” He said, practically yelling and I realized he was still at the pool hall.
“I’m exhausted. I just got off the night shift at the bank.” I shook my head, pulling food out of the fridge.
“Why are you so boring?” he asked but I knew he was just picking on me.
“Talk to you later, Jut.” I replied. I had called him Jut since I was old enough to talk. It rolled off the tongue easier than Justin for a toddler.
“Later.” He said and hung up the phone. I clicked the button and slid my cell onto the counter, and went back to digging in the fridge for more supplies.
I slipped something into the microwave and went about preparing a chef salad.
Chapter 2
The microwave dinged and I opened the door to pull out the contents. I screamed and jumped at the feel of someone touch my back. The bag of blood I had just warmed for Taylor coated me like a scene from the horror movie Carrie. Taylor’s laugh quickly turned to apologies as I used the dishrag to clean myself. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he said,
“That look actually suits you.” I couldn’t help grinning as I threw the ensanguined dish towel at his face.
“You scared the shit out of me!” I scolded him, but the overwhelming joy that came from seeing him quickly began to override my irritation. It was always this way with Taylor. From the first moment I saw him I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He showed up at the bank just days after I had returned to work from the accident. I was working one of the registers when he had come in to withdrawal money from his business account. Nothing about him was out of the ordinary except for his stunning good looks. He had dark hair that looked perfectly tousled and deep grey eyes. His skin was tan and tattoos were scattered across any visible bare skin. He was everything a bad boy wished they could be. I could barely speak without tripping over my own words. He sent my heart leaping out of my chest. I'm sure that is the effect he has always had on woman, even before he was a vampire.
~All material on this site is copyright protected. Any copying of material without written consent of the author, Teresa Mummert, is prohibited. ~
