Temporary Monsters by Craig Shaw Gardner Read Free Book Online

we?” Lenny asked. Karnowski nodded as the elevator lurched into action.
    Lenny was beginning to get the hang of this.
    The ancient elevator shuddered to a halt at B6—the bottom floor. Karnowski led them out into a dimly lit hallway, then, three doors down, into an even more dimly lit room. Once Lenny’s eyes got accustomed to the light from the single overhead bulb, he saw that the room was empty, except for four coffins leaning against the far wall.
    Lenore frowned back at Karnowski. “Isn’t it time?”
    The tall man consulted his watch. “Half an hour past.”
    Lenore sighed as she walked up to the second coffin from the left. “I guess I’ll have to knock.”
    Lenny wondered if he could wait in the other room—any other room. But he took a deep breath and stood absolutely still as Lenore strode forward to bang on the coffin lid.
    Nothing happened. Lenny started breathing again.
    Lenore was not happy. She had knocked twice on the largest of the four coffins, the noise echoing around the cavernous room. She pulled her arm back and really pounded on the lid.
    â€œWho disturbs my eternal rest?” a voice rumbled at last from deep within.
    Lenore was unfazed. “Can it, Herbert. You’ve got to go to work like the rest of us.”
    The coffin lid opened slowly to reveal a man in an old-fashioned tux, his hands folded across his chest. The man’s face was very pale, with the slightest indentations in his lower lip where the tips of two very pointy teeth peaked from beneath his upper lip.
    Lenny had watched enough horror movies to know just what was going on. He already knew were-creatures and ghosts were part of the Terrifitemps team. Why not vampires? Especially vampires who could make coffin lids swing upward without moving their hands?
    The hinged lid stopped with a groan once it had swung aside, and the man stepped from the box with a heavy sigh.
    He surveyed the room as if it were every bit as disappointing as he had imagined.
    â€œWhere’s the romance?” he moaned.
    As if on cue, two of the other three coffins popped open. A woman stepped from each—their skin unusually pale, their lips an unnatural red. Their long hair cascaded across their bare shoulders; one the lightest shade of blonde, the other the deepest shade of black. Each wore a slightly tattered ball gown; the blonde wore rose, the brunette wore violet. But it was what was beneath those ball gowns that Lenny found fascinating. They both had what used to be called hourglass figures. Impossibly small waists, full, supple hips—and the cleavage, full, rounded globes nearly spilling out of the low-cut evening wear.
    Lenny had never found cleavage quite so fascinating. He took a step forward with no conscious thought, as though he were being controlled by a will greater than his own. He dragged his gaze upward, away from the chests to the faces. They were both stunningly attractive, a cross between every prom queen, pop star, and fashion-magazine cover girl that Lenny had ever been drawn to. He took another step.
    Vampires, he told himself. It was time to stop walking.
    Both women smiled. They had beautiful smiles.
You will come to me now
, the smiles said.
    Lenny couldn’t look away. He stumbled forward. Vampires, he reminded himself again. Pointy teeth, sucking blood, living dead vampires. The woman in violet extended a slim, pale hand in his direction. He needed to touch that porcelain skin. His brain might scream no, but his shuffling feet said yes, yes, yes.
    What else could Lenny think about? Something, anything!
    Well, there was that fourth coffin. Three vampires already stood before him. What hideous thing lurked behind that closed lid?
    The woman in rose smiled back at him. “New blood?”
    Lenore stepped in front of Lenny, blocking his view of both vampire beauties.
    â€œLadies, I’m afraid he’s part of the team.”
    Lenny shivered. His feet stopped