Dark Side of the Earth

Chapter One

The faint glow from a distant streetlamp seemed to lure the couple towards the edge of the forest they had been walking through, ever since the moon had reached its fullest that night. His hand lightly touched hers, and she felt a sensation like tiny electrical impulses travel up her arm and embrace her heart. She looked up into his pale face; his eyes stared straight ahead to the horizon, as if deep in thought.

„You've barely spoken all evening“, she said softly. He turned his head to look at her out of deep brown eyes, but remained silent, just giving her one of his dashing smiles before looking back to the sky. She squeezed his hand, but said nothing. Let sleeping dogs lie, she thought. He'd open up sooner or later, she'd just have to be patient.

She stopped suddenly, pulling back, still holding his hand. His shoulder clicked as the joints were pulled at, and he turned around with a questioning look on his face. She tugged on his arm, pulling him close to her. It was now or never. She wanted him to show her how he really felt, and even if it wasn't with the spoken word.

He didn't shy away, but let himself be drawn in. Soon they were just centimetres away from each other, and she paused, cherishing the moment. Then she leaned in..

He pulled away suddenly, eyes wide open looking up at the sky.

„What? What is it?“, she cried, half franctically, half disappointed. She felt her heart sink into her stomach, but held on tight to his hand.

„It's .. it's.. I have to go..“, he muttered, looking around wildly.

„But why?“

The sky was turning a lovely shade of rose pink, and the streetlamp no longer seemed so prominent.

„It's.. I mean.. I can't stay..“

He managed to pull free and started to shrink back into the darkness of the forest.

„I really have to go! I'm so sorry, I.. it'll kill me.“

With that, he turned around and ran off.

The girl looked after him, gaping, as a tear started to run down her cheek. She wiped it away in frustration. It had been a perfect night, and would have been a perfect end.. she felt the rage climb within her, and she clenched her fists as her voice rang out into the silence of the early morning hours.

„YOU... BASTARD!!“

**

The Centre of Conspiracies in Northwest London had been booming the whole night, after a mysterious flashing light had been sighted over Hampshire and had not yet been identified as aircraft. Ian McEugen was sitting on the edge of his chair, hunched over his keyboard, gazing at the umpteeth video footage of the unknown light source, his mouse in his right hand already wavering over the link to the next video.

„I think I've never seen you and Youtube that close before“, his colleague commented, tilting his head onto one side, the receiver of his telephone pressed to his ear. He was waiting for an answer from one of the airport terminals near the sighting to see if they had had the flying object on their radar at the time of the appearance.

„Then you have never seen me at home on a Friday night“, came the answer. Ian then frowned, suddenly realizing what he had just said.

„I.. uh.. you know what I mean. Friday seems to be the day of the week where the most occurences happen.. ya know.“ His eyes were still fixed on the screen, watching that green-blue light bob up and down in the air for twenty seven seconds before disappearing.

The length of the light footage varied between about a minute, and two seconds, depending on how fast the witnesses had had to whip out their camera or mobile phone. Most were blurry though, not to mention shaky, and most had amusing commentaries in the background, ranging from a simple

„What IS that??“ to „I bet this is to do with the Coming of the Asteroid Belt. We're all doomed I tell you!“

Ian sighed as he clicked the link of the next related video. He was still in hope of better footage, but he knew it could take all night. Beside him, his colleague was still waiting for a response from the dozy airport staff. He rested his face in his hands and stared at the screen as once again the mysterious light whizzed back and forth as the camera man tried to focus his camera and centre the object. Then the witness found his bearings, and Ian stared at the light, squinting, trying to make out something, his nose practically pressed against the screen.

Just as the little round slider reached the last part of the bar, a gruesome looking face suddenly filled the screen, accompanied by a loud, high pitched scream that made the computer speakers crackle. Ian's heart jumped into his throat, bounched off his Adam's Apple and rocketed right down into his feet. At the same time Ian himself jolted backwards, flinging his mouse away, tipping his chair backwards. It teetered dangerously on the back two legs, and Ian grabbed the edge of the table as he felt the gravitational pull try to lure him to the ground. He steadied himself for a minute, but then felt the chair's legs slide towards the table, and before he knew it, he was sat on the ground, still holding onto the desk with one hand, his chair underneath him, his knees up around his ears and his feet dangling over the edge of the overturned chair.

After a moment's silence, in which his colleague leaned over to make sure Ian was alright, they both burst out laughing.

„I can't believe you still fall for those!“

Ian muttered something under his breath, but smiled at himself and his own stupidity. He let go of the table and rolled backwards onto his side, then picked himself up off the floor. He coughed, lifted his chair from the floor and sat back down again. „Bloody.. Youtubers..“ he said, rolling his eyes and exaggerating a sigh. „You know, Dan..“

„Yes? Hello?“, his colleague interrupted him, speaking into the mouthpiece of the phone.

„Ah yes. Hmm. Mmm-hmm. Mhhm... uh-huh. Okay. Okay thanks, bye.“

He put the phone back on its hook and looked at Ian.

„It was, in fact, a plane. Small private aircraft.“

Ian sighed. „So much for the Coming of the Asteroids.“

„Don't worry, we still have plenty of findings and theories to evaluate for that conspiracy, I'm sure we'll find something sooner or later that makes sense enough to start a mass panic.“

**

The young man ran into the small, rundown hut in the middle of the forest, slamming the door behind him just as the sun peeked over the horizon. He paused a few moments, leaning against the door, waiting to catch his breath and for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

He jumped as a voice boomed out from the shadows.

„What went wrong, ADRIAN?!?“

Adrian slumped down. „I couldn't do it. I don't know. I just... can't. I can't.“

He buried his head in his hands, breathing heavily.

„This is the third night in a row!“, the voice came again, this time a little softer, yet still strong enough to show the authority of the speaker.

This was met with a silence; Adrian couldn't find the words. Finally, the owner of the voice stepped forward and grabbed his hand.

„Come on, let's go down into the cellar before the sun starts shining through the cracks in the roof.“

Adrian let himself be pulled to his feet and followed his acquaintance to a trap door in the corner of the room. From there, an old rusted ladder led down into the cellar, which was in complete darkness save a flickering candle in the far corner.

As soon as they were both underground and the trapdoor shut tightly above them, Adrian spoke up.

„Nathan, you know.. I just feel I can't do it. Physically,“ he added. „I mean.. the thought of the blood.. and in my mouth.. running down my throat..“

He shuddered, and went to sit down on a rug near the candle.

Nathan sighed.

„I blame your parents. Entirely. I mean, which vampire lets their children feed on human breast milk, and not blood, like any normal vampire??“

Adrian propped his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, looking very miserable.

„I did try to like it, I really did. But even just a mouthful is enough for me to throw it up again.“

Nathan nodded. „Naturally. Your body grew used to milk. You have to give babies blood from birth on, otherwise they won't be able to stomach it in later years. Most humans can't drink blood either.“

He sat down next to Adrian. „But don't give up just yet. It's only been three days, and you happen to be working with one of the best.“ He smiled, even though it was barely seen in the dim light.

„But you should get some rest now.. no doubt the young lady will be texting you with some eloquent message sooner or later, wondering why you abandoned her like that and leaving her to walk all the way home in the early morning hours.“

„Don't make me feel any worse about it than I already am, please“, Adrian said, getting up and walking over to where an old mattress lay on the ground on the opposite side of the small cellar room. Nathan didn't answer, just remained sitting, watching the flickering of the candle's flame, and the jumping shadows it cast on the wall and floor.

Deep inside, he was getting a little anxious. It wouldn't be too long now before his and Adrian's services were needed in much more serious matters. If it didn't work out until then, he would be forced to abandon the young vampire and hope he made it on his own.