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Screeches of pain filled the air, stirring the silent peace of the evening. Deep in the forest everything was moist with an early morning's dew. Another scream shot out and only a young fawn gave any heed to the panic. Shooting out of the brush the fawn dashed out into the open and dashed away from the new danger at hand.
Panting and breaking out in a feverish sweat a young girl no older than fifteen collapsed to the ground. Dragging her fingers along the ground blood broke out beneath her once perfect nails. Screaming out again she laid her head down, the twigs and dead leaves clinging against her sweaty skin.
Giving up was all that was left, there wasn't any point in putting off the inevitable. Fate had dealt her a cruel hand, and now she had no choice but to accept it. Thoughts of her family, her friends, the life she would never have; all these things flashed before her eyes and all she could do was beg for a quick death.
The twigs snapped as another creature approached. The darkness filtered in through the trees and the air began to chill. Creatures of the night brought the darkness with them, the cold chill of their icy breath spread across the land. With wide eyes the girl watched as the dead leaves curled up in an icy frost. A single tear fell, freezing before it even hit the ground.
Towering over her the creature smiled revealing it's sharp pointy fangs. There was no white in that smile, the fangs held a dark brown color of decay. A normal human's teeth would have long ago fallen from the gums, but this wasn't a human.
Reaching down with it's sharp claws that doubled as nails and creature grasped the girls hair. Pulling her to her feet another fierce scream pierced the dark silence. Thrashing in his grasp she had a change of mind, as long as she was still alive she wanted to live.
But it was too late.
The creature held her tightly to his body dressed in black. Blending into darkness the two disappeared. The sound of a struggle filled the atmosphere, but the darkness hid all.
And then the thump of a dead corpse echoed through the trees.
"Hector, give it a rest already!" Nancy proclaimed as she turned the television off. If only she had paid any attention at all, perhaps it would have helped. Getting up from her spot on the sofa she straitened her evening gown before waltzing over to her daring husband. Wrapping her arms around his neck she leaned up giving him a soft kiss with her rose bud lips. "It's our anniversary, so please don't get too upset. The umbrella is where it always is, in the closet."
Taking his wife's hand he gave her a warming kiss. They both knew the restaurant would cancel their reservations if they were late, so they left quickly into the raining night. The expensive car sped down the streets and the happy couple laughed at the light atmosphere.
The restaurant was packed, but the two slid in without trouble. Nancy drew heads as she followed Hector into the romantic restaurant. But she ignored all, the only man she would ever love was Hector. He was the apple of her eye, nothing appealed to her more than his five o'clock shadow rubbing against her soft skin.
The table sat in the back where few eyes could pry in on the happy couple. Both stared into each other's eyes seeing what they both wanted, each other. Reaching over the table Hector grabbed his wife's hand and pressed it to his cheek. Letting out a light laugh Nancy pressed her glass of wine to her rose bud lips.
As the evening progressed both the husband and the wife drank and ate in merriment. The two flew across the dance floor locked in each other's arms. The music was low and the lights were dim, and once again all eyes were on the beauty held in the short man's arms. The love flowed around the air from their touch. The statues of angels plastered on the wall even showed envy towards the two.
Grabbing his coat the husband left his lovely wife at the door while he ran off to fetch the car. Feeling eyes on her, Nancy turned to meet a pair of red eyes. The red eyes flowed over her body, undressing her, breaking down all barriers she built to up to protect herself. Smiling to the man Nancy turned frightened, but looking away would not make him go away. Clutching her purse to her small frail body Nancy started to walk towards the parking lot, a bad move on her part.
It only took a second before the red eyed man wrapped his arms around her body. The street lights flickered in the cold rainy night before blacking out completely. The darkness crawled in and Nancy tried to scream, only Nancy knew the danger she was in.
In one swift moment before Nancy knew what the red eyed man was doing, pain erupted throughout her body. Pain focused in on her neck and she bit back another scream. Opening her eyes she saw only darkness.
The monster dropped her body. In a second he was gone, a smirk plastered on his face as he noticed the woman's dress shifted to the side of her body revealing cleavage.
A pair of lights, headlights, broke the darkness and Hector jumped out of his car only to see his wife's lifeless corpse.
Chicago
"Hey Nancy," I spoke softly kneeling down at her grave. Placing the white flowers on the tombstone I traced the words over and over again. The wind rustled my hair sending it all into a tangle. Distant thunder echoed through the graveyard, informing everyone of the storm approaching. Looking up I frowned at the clouds. "It's going to rain."
Standing up I pulled my coat up around my neck, the fabric clung to my soft skin. Looking to my mother I noticed the distance in her eyes. The gray stones gates towered over her while the steet behind her remained busy with traffic. It was here she stood, as I visited Nancy on then anniversary of her wedding, of her death, and my mother always stood there. It broke her heart thinking of her first born lying six feet under dirt. I didn't like the thought either, but someone had to make sure Nancy's grave was kept in good condition.
When my mother saw me she turned and walked towards the car we had parked on the street. She still hated me. But the feeling was pretty much mutual. The engine roared to life almost instantly as she turned the key. Running to keep her from waiting I slid into the passenger seat. Smiling I turned the heat up so that my cold fingers wouldn't be so numb.
"So how was it?" my mother spat out. It sounded as if she were angry, and I think she really was. She had been angry for three years now. Ever since Nancy's death she had resented me, and I think it was because I was still alive. Nancy had been the star of the family, everyone's favorite but mine. She was better at me in everything, every single little thing. And when it came down to it, I hated her for that.
But my mother loved her. She was my mother's favorite and my mother wished it was me who would have died and Nancy who had lived. It didn't make sense to me, how someone could be so mean as to neglect their own child. But here she was, my mother making no sense at all.
Rolling my eyes I looked out the window. The traffic had picked up by now, hopefully we would miss rush hour. "It was nice. You should have came. Nancy would have liked you to visit her once in awhile I bet."
Her grip around the wheel tightened and she did a sharp lane change placing the car in a space I would have thought too small. Reaching for the seatbelt I quickly strapped myself in, nothing worse than a mad woman driver. "Do you remember your father?" she asked. It hit me like a bag of bricks, not once in the last fifteen years had she brought that man up. He had left when I was only a small child, and my mother hated him with a passion. Can't blame her though, I'd be mad if a man left me with two kids and no money.
Nodding my head I risked a glace at her and I breathed a sigh of relief to see she was still watching the road. "What about him?" I asked. Looking out the window I couldn't help but notice something strange. It was when I noticed the train running down the middle of the streets I realized we weren't headed in the direction of the apartment. "Mom?" I tentatively asked. Looking back I noticed something odd in the back seat and I couldn't help my horrified expression when I realized that there were suitcases in the back.
"Honey," my mother said with a smile. She was trying to be comforting but I she could shove that up her butt. Crossing my arms over my chest I glared at the woman. "I've called him. And he's agreed to have you stay with him. It's very nice there, or so he says. Apparently he's living in a guest house right now."
Closing my eyes I tried to compose myself before I killed her. My hands were already clenched into fists, my veins bulging with rage. "No. No, no, no!"
My mother sighed in disappointment. Probably because Nancy would never ever throw a tantrum like a child. No, that was below her. "The man who owns the guest house is apparently rich. He has a large estate and lives in a mansion. Your father said that they have servants there. And he said that you would never be bored. There's a swimming pool, arcade, horses; and it's only a three hour drive to the big apple. Didn't you always want to go there." There was no point in pointing out that I only wanted to go there as a tourist, then come back to the windy city where people were down to earth. Honesty, I couldn't picture myself anywhere but here.
Hitting my head on the window I saw a child in the backseat of the car next to me picking his nose. Frowning in disgust I turned away to glare at the car in front of us. "I'm not going! I'm not leaving! What about school! What about my friends! What about what I god damn want! I'm not going! No! No! No!" I screamed pounding the dashboard.
Maybe if I was lucky the airbag would go off and I'd miss my flight. The car swung onto the ramp exit and I saw a plane preparing for landing. It would be useless, I was practically already there.
-xXxXx-
Standing in the gate I looked all around in a blatant stare. With my bags on a cart I pulled in along as I tried to find the exit. People pushed by as if they were in some great rush. Perhaps they all just had places to be. Trying to stay out of everyone's way I sat down on a bench. I knew no one would come to rescue me, it was the same way everywhere one went. Looking around I tried to make sense of all the signs. There was English on them of course, but then there was Spanish, French, Japanese.
Standing I grabbed my stuff and just started moving. I followed the crowd, hoping that someone else knew where they were going. Passing windows I risked a glance out to see that the sun was already setting. The airport was huge from what I saw. Big jets ran the strips of runway taking off and landing.
When I rounded the corner to see the exit I smiled in joy. But I stopped before going out, causing a man in a suit to swear profoundly at me. Ducking out of the way I tried to think of what to do, because no one ever told me how I was going to get to the house. A cab would work, but I didn't even know the address.
Reaching into the purse I had draped over my shoulder I dialed the number my mother gave me. It was my father's number, but I didn't really consider the man a father. He wasn't there.
The ringing went on before a ruff voice picked up. He sounded like he was hung over or something. "What?" he roared into the receiver.
Flinching back I contemplated just hanging up. Looking around I realized that if I did that I would be stuck in this awful place. "Dad? It's me. Listen, I was wondering how I was suppose to get to your place from the airport."
Silence filled my ear and I thought he had hung up. Looking at the screen I saw it was still connected. I asked him again and this time he grunted in response. Listening I heard two voices in the background of the other line. There was static and then a new voice came on the line. "Hello sweetie!"
"Dad?" I asked in question.
He sounded happy at least, someone was happy to have me around. That would be a nice change from the usual glum. "Who else?" he joked lightly in the air, "Sorry about Eddy, he isn't very happy because he isn't allowed out. I thought I'd have him stay home for your homecoming. So what did you want sweet cakes?"
Looking around I noticed a group of Asians with their cameras hanging around their necks. One with glasses was clicking away at the airport lobby. "I'm at the airport now but I was wondering how I was suppose to get to your house? Should I take a cab?" I asked. Stepping back I took a seat on my luggage.
"Absolutely not!" he declared, "Cabs are dirty and they will just take advantage of a young girl like yourself! Plus, I've already sent Eric to fetch you. He should be there already. Where are you? I'll call him and have him find you." So I told him where I was hopelessly sitting on my pink suitcases. While I waited for Eric I talked to my father. He was so cheerful, it made me feel bad for throwing such a fit about coming. Thinking about it I realized that this might be better, I could actually be loved.
When I asked about Eddy, my father laughed brightly through the phone. Explaining that he had remarried two years ago, he aquired a new wife as well as a teenage son. Though Eddy came off as a jerk, my father assured me that he was really a sweet kid. But I had my doubts, when I met him in person I'd make my own opinion.
Eventually my father apologized profoundly to me, explaining that he had a few things to do before I arrived. So we said our goodbyes and I ended the call. Dropping my phone back in my purse I looked back around the lobby. Things didn't look as hectic now, maybe it was just because the night was coming and most of the people had left the airport, or maybe it was my new attitude.
Smiling I realized something, I was happy.
When a stranger walked up to me with a hard glare I inched back on my bags, trying to avoid him. Looking over his body I wasn't very sure of what to make of him. He was nicely dressed in what looked to be designer clothes, his hair was a dark brown but it seemed to shine in the light. Staring at him I looked at his eyes, they were a beautiful blue. Looking away I tried to focus elsewhere.
"Miss Faye I presume," the stranger said softly. Responding to my name I looked up to see him staring coldly at me still. But when he caught my eyes he let out a smile revealing his teeth, perfectly white. Nodding I stood up. "I'm Eric. Sorry about the wait, I was looking for you at the gate exit."
"No problem," I said with a smile. Gathering up my bags I looked at him wondering if he was going to help, but he just stood there. He looked around the lobby, his eyes darting every which way. He was ignoring me, that's what he was doing. "Something wrong?" I asked trying to sound concerned.
Shaking his head he glanced down at me, "No. We should just get going, that's all. Here, let me help you with your bags."
xXxXxXx
xXxXx
xXx
Of course he would drive an expensive car. When I asked what it was, he just said Ashton Martin. Like I knew what that was, it sounded more like a designer's name. Sitting in the passenger seat I had two bags sitting on my lap, the others filling the trunk. In my opinion this guy was an idiot, who would use a car like this to pick someone up from the airport. He knew I was going to have luggage and there was pratically no room for luggage in this thing.
The window was rolled all the way down letting the fresh night's air into the car. Resting my head back against the seat I watched as the city slowly began to thin out, eventually opening up into a forest.
It was uncomfortable sitting in the car with this stranger. He didn't make any room for small talk and he never relaxed.
"So are we related?" I finally asked quietly, though it sounded loud in the perfect silence.
Eric glanced over throwing me a gentle smile, his mood changing slowly as we left the city behind us. "No," he said with a light laughter, "I'm just a friend of Professor Barley. I visit from time to time and when I heard Eddy complaining about having to pick you up, I offered." Smiling I thanked him for coming, instead of Eddy. Eddy was getting worse and worse by the second.
"So what's it like there?" I asked trying to imagine my new home.
Tapping him fingers on the wheel he looked at me, staring at me for a moment before looking back to the road. His right hand shot out for the radio controls. "It's nice there. The main house is more like a big castle, and there are gardens surrounding the entire place. Outside the gates there's a forest, that goes on for miles. But overall, it's just a nice place. I think you'll like it. We've got horses there too, you like them?" Blushing I confessed to never even being near the creature. Eric laughed promising a horse ride with him before he left the estate.
The car didn't seem so depressing now, now that Eric let down his barrier. "If you need anything during your stay, just ask me." Looking at Eric I saw him staring out the window, "I'll be around for awhile."
"Thanks," I meekly squeaked out . Staring out the window I watched the trees pass us by. The shadows jumped around and I saw a wolf dash out of the trees. Holding my breath I caught it's yellow eyes before the car sped around a bend.
Two murders, cold cases with no clues, sat on his desk; the third was too much to bear to have it out infront of him. His own daughter gone missing, only to be found two weeks ago drained of all her blood. Both cases he dug up were three years old, but he had to find some connection. He had to make up for his daughter's death.
It was on the news when he had first heard of her death. Her face flashed on the screen, his heart was torn into shreds, he needed his revenge. Her body was found on the coast of main, no sign of a struggle. She was just dead.
After three days of hard work the Detective found two old cases, a woman from Chicago and a young girl from southern Wisconsin. He frowned, the victims were identical in several ways, but the locations were spread out. It was possible for the perpetrator to have relocated in the past three years, but why make another kill now. But what confused the detective even more, was how the crime was actually committed.
All signs pointed towards a vampire, the blood, the punctures on the neck; but it wasn't possible. The Detective sat up in his chair reopening the file. He would read them over and over again until he had every word down to memory.
He needed this, his daughter needed this.
Nervously I straightened my clothes, it wasn't everyday I met my father for the first time. As soon as Eric got in the car again he let out a heavy sigh, and pulled the car through the gates quickly. The iron bars closed as soon as the car passed through.
Staring out the window I tried to imagine what my life would be like now. It was hard to believe I was even here. Everything radiated in the moon's glow; the fireflies floated through the air, blinking every now and then. His hand wrapped around mine and Eric gave it a reassuring squeeze. Glancing over to him I smiled. I was going to be okay.