“What do you mean?”
“Let me ask this. What do you remember of the explosion which destroyed the vampire mansion?”
“I would imagine anything I know you would’ve had checked already. What is your point?”
“We have access to many sources, Mr Delavega. One of them includes mystics. Many years ago, we, through them, became aware of an ancient legend; a prophecy if you will. That thought lost will return. A great power will awaken in the flames. They will be, in equal parts, cherished and hunted. Darkness surrounds them, yet will not wield them. The sky will weep and turn into an enemy of man. The dead will rise and stalk the living. The power of a god is sought by many, but meant for only one. Now, this is as vague as all prophecies are, but I think you and I can both agree the explosion proceeded a horrific run of murders and the black sky we still have over us. Nothing is certain, but it has been more or less agreed upon that this was the fire mentioned.”
“Perhaps. But even if I did believe in prophecies, I don’t know what this has to do with me?”
“The power of a god, Mr Delavega. That wasn’t me exaggerating. Those were the exact words used. The prophecy cannot be accurately dated. It is hundreds of thousands of years old. When gods would’ve actually walked around, according to things like Greek mythology. An actual person.”
“You think God is walking around Sydney?”
“Not God, Mr Delavega, a god. And not only do I think he is walking around, I believe I know who he is. What do you know of Lee Nightingale?”
Dante resisted the urge to laugh. “You think he’s a god?”
“Why do you mock the idea so quickly?”
Dante had to pause before replying “He’s a fuckwit”. He really didn’t know what Gavin or Sovereign truly knew. He didn’t know how accurate this prophecy was, but he did know who it referred to. And he needed to keep Sovereign away from Alex, regardless if she truly was the being talked about. “Well…he is the strongest vampire I have seen, being so young anyway.”
“Indeed. And when did he appear?”
“He was released from the mansion dungeons after the fire. He broke free.”
“And as yet, he hasn’t been put back. He roams free, still, after several attempts to apprehend him, correct?”
“By all means, if your intent is to kill him, I won’t stand in your way.”
“My orders are rather vague when it comes to Mr Nightingale. He is a subject of great fascination among my superiors. While he would be a fantastic case study, there is some feeling that he poses too great a threat. If he is the being the prophecy speaks of, it would be more prudent to put him down. Should that be the case, can I count on your cooperation?”
“Let me put it this way. If you said to me you could piss him away, I’d gladly hold your dick for you.”
“Very good. I see no reason why you and Sovereign cannot work together. Find him, and you will be officially endorsed as king.”
“Only the Messengers endorse kings.”
“Ah yes, the Messengers of Osiris. An ancient, hidden society of the oldest vampires known. They have mystical abilities and dictate monarch appointments via parchment delivered by carrier pigeon…” Dante caught the smirk and chuckle. “Oh, my apologies. Falcon.”
“Am I missing something?”
“You cannot possibly believe in that claptrap? They don’t exist Mr Delavega. The vampire equivalent of Santa Claus. They have never been seen. Only a legend that says they exist and how they operate. One that has continued for as long as anyone can remember.”
“You’re the one that has been talking of gods among us.”
“With physical proof all around us right now. Tell me, how did you come to be ‘anointed’ as king? You took it upon yourself to murder your predecessor. No Falcon delivered any consequences for you. Only your orders, am I right? A theoretical slap on the wrist?”
Dante took a minute to think it over and nodded in agreement.
“Wouldn’t you think the awe inspiring, mysterious and deadly vampire overseers would say more than ‘You’re a naughty boy’ or more to do than treating you like a teenager by removing your allowance, as in, access to the vampire fund.”
“My position is under review, as it were.”
Gavin gave another smirk. “Well, once you stop believing in fairy tales and the boogy man, you might turn out a decent contact for us. The Messengers do not hold your fate. Believe it or not, we do.”
“You accuse me of believing in fairy tales yet you are the one talking of prophecies and gods walking among us.”
Gavin popped another almond and smiled. “I see I haven’t convinced you.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Fair enough. Why don’t you come along to our headquarters for a tour. That way, you can see for yourself. That way, you may assist in furthering our potential partnership.”
Gavin stood, clearly meaning now and wanting an answer. Dante’s first instinct was to say no. There were plenty of other things he should, or could, be doing. But then another thought struck him; it was best to know all he could about these people.
“I would welcome that.”
Chapter Twelve
The Last Place I Thought You’d Be
“Mish?”
“Yah honey. What’s up?”
“I um… I need you to come and get me.”
“Car trouble?”
“No. Um… I’m in jail.”
It was a conversation Michelle never thought she would have with Alex, of all people. But Michelle never, in her wildest dreams, thought to consider the fact that Dominus had made a public display with Alex or that there would be witnesses. Dante had never said anything, so Michelle assumed he didn’t know either. It must’ve been around the time Alex came to her apartment. Until this moment, Michelle had never considered where she had been before then, only afterwards.
She found a parking space quite near the station and walked towards the entrance. How the hell was she going to explain this? How was she going to help Alex? Alex would be so scared and confused. Hell, Michelle was too.
Michelle approached the front counter, so nervous she almost forgot to use the last name Dante had organised for her after her ‘death’. After being missing for so long, in Julian’s clutches, the Police had called off the search. But her case was still open to this day, even after a makeshift funeral organised by her family for some sense of closure. “Hi, my name is Michelle Dav- Delavega. I’m here to talk to Alex Hensley. Or with someone about her?”
“Ah yes, that would be me,” a voice called from behind the wall. A well-groomed, thirty something man gave her a small wave. He wore neat, casual clothes. He didn’t strike her as a stereotypical cop. He disappeared briefly before reappearing through a door to the right of the counter. He walked up and held his hand out. “Solomon Crane. Just in here if you please.”
He opened the door for her and she sat down in an interview room.
“Ok,” he said, pressing play on the recorder. “Miss Delavega, let’s start with the easy ones. You agree you are here today to give evidence in the case of Peggy Deltone against Alexandra Hensley as defence for Miss Hensley?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. Now, you received a phone call from Miss Hensley. Do you know what she has been accused of?
Michelle held in a breath. “Attempted murder.”
“For the record, can you please tell me if you believe she’s innocent of this accusation?”
Michelle let out her breath. “I know she is innocent.”
“Ok. Can you tell me where Alex Hensley was on the night of the twenty-fourth?”
“She was with me. All night.”
Solomon gave a relaxed smile. “Date night?”
“Is that really relevant?”
Solomon’s smile faltered a touch and cleared his throat. “I was simply trying to ascertain whether you went out to dinner. A movie. Something where you could provide a receipt, a credit card transaction.�
��
“No, sorry. We were in all night.”
“Order in?”
“I cooked her dinner. There might be an empty pasta packet in the bin, but that’s it.”
“Is there anything you can tell me that would verify her not being at the school at the time she was accused of? Anything that proves without doubt she wasn’t there. There were two male witnesses there supposedly. One was described as a young Aboriginal man, the other a Caucasian man with reddish hair. Do you have any ideas as to who they would be?”
Michelle knew exactly who those two were but shook her head all the same.
Solomon made a note. “Now, Alex tells me she has been in hospital recently. She’s been having some memory trouble. I’m sure you can appreciate the fact that having memory trouble at the same time as a serious crime accusation doesn’t look good.”
“Sure, but you don’t have to ask proof from me. You can check with the hospital. It’s all there.”
“I have. But I wanted you to fill in the blanks for me. The hospital confirmed she was there but not why.”
Michelle shifted in her chair. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know exactly what happened. I found her unconscious and brought her to the hospital.”
“Where was that?”
“At home. Her place.”
“That’s interesting. Alex told me that when she asked you about it you’d found her at the school one night. Unconscious.”
Michelle froze. Alex had told the truth based on what Michelle told her. Michelle had tried to cover for her, but ended up digging her own grave. The look on Solomon’s face told her the same. It was strange. The look was one of disappointment.
“Michelle, I really hope you know what you’re doing. Once you go down a path like this, you’ll never get off it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Trying to get your story straight. Now look, I don’t know if you’re trying to hide the truth from me or Alex. But if you know more than you’re telling me, and I suspect you do, not only will Alex go to prison but so will you.”
A knock on the door stopped the interview.
“Sol, boss wants to see you. Urgent.”
Solomon moved the chair out and stood up. “Please think about this before I get back. Alex is currently in a holding cell. I’d really hate for you to end up there too.”
Michelle was left alone to ponder his words and how the hell she could possibly get both Alex and herself out of this.
*
Solomon walked into the Superintendent’s office. “What’s up?”
“I was gonna ask you the same question. I see this on my desk.” He gestured to the resignation letter. “But I see you in an interview room on a case that’s not yours.”
“Look, that,” Solomon said, “was because I didn’t think you’d be in today. I wanted to talk to you about it. See what my options were. The interview is another matter.”
“Yes, it is. And it’s got nothing to do with you.”
“I know I jumped the queue…”
“Jumped it? You ignored it just before smashing it. Since when do you think it’s appropriate to just declare a case yours? You didn’t even bother to wait and find out who the case belonged to, or even ask for your assignments. Just waltzed in, deciding you’d take it. What part of that idea seemed good to you?”
“Look, I’ve been following this woman for over a year. Her name keeps popping up in and around these mysterious disappearances and deaths. Now I don’t think she’s doing it but-”
“You’ve told us about this before, Solomon. This is why I wanted you away from this. You showed Rosey all your information months ago and nothing came of it. None of your hunches have amounted to anything.”
“Because he took me off the case! Yet again. What do you think the resignation was for? How the hell am I supposed to be a good cop when the rug keeps getting swept out from under me?”
“Solomon, don’t blame circumstances because you’ve let your standards slip. You’ve been put on four cases in the last year and you’ve completely blown them off to chase shadows and been told to stop. If that counts as pulling the rug out from under you, call it whatever you want.”
“What?”
“You’re so busy thinking everything has a hidden meaning, there’s a conspiracy around every corner, that you’re missing what’s right in front of you. Case in point, right now! We had over half a dozen colleagues killed in that Randwick riot. We need our experienced cops helping out the transfers from Matraville. You saw the department email. You’ve seen the crime rate around here and we’ve had no sunlight for how long now? Our front windows have three bullet holes in them from over two weeks ago and they still have them, because we can’t get any glass repairers to come out here. People are either too afraid to go outside or are leaving the city in droves. Good people. The bad ones are not only staying but gathering in numbers. Things are going to hell, and we are the only ones with the responsibility to help. The only ones who can. We need all hands on deck. You wanna think up conspiracy theories? You know where the door is. You wanna resign? Go right ahead. You want to stick around? You stick to the script and leave this Hensley case alone. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly,” Solomon said. “Sign it.”
“You’re willing to throw it all away? For what?”
“I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. I know something isn’t right here, and I’m not going to help myself or my family by sticking around. You’ll be doing both of us a favour.”
Solomon made sure the signature was written as he stormed out to the parking lot. He needed to cool off before he did something he would really regret.
*
Michelle snapped her eyes up as the room plunged into darkness, a second later a light in the corner flashed the yellowy orange of emergency lighting. A power outage to most people, but Michelle knew different in her gut. Something was wrong. She shot to her feet as screams reached her ears throughout the building. Gunshots rang out before suddenly running silent.
Michelle tried the door but to no avail. She instinctively reached for her pistol only to find she had left it in her car. It wasn’t the smartest idea to bring a loaded weapon into a station when brought in for questioning on an attempted murder case.
She jumped as the door shuddered. Someone was on the other side, attempting to open it. No, break it down. It wasn’t a cop, as they would call out before. But she wouldn’t just wait here to be picked off. Whatever was going on outside, she wouldn’t die wondering. The door thundered again and the hinges disjointed. One more hit and it would come free. Michelle grabbed the chair she sat in by the feet and flipped it so she could hit whoever it was with everything she had. Michelle leaned back as the frame splintered and the door fell. She had to stop herself from striking at the last minute. Melina stepped forward, a look of fierce determination on her face.
“Let’s go,” she said.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Station is under attack.”
“I can see that. By who?”
“Julian. He’s come for Alex.”
“What? We’ve got to get to her, now!”
“Relax,” Melina said, halting Michelle with a hand to the chest. “We’ve got goons between us and her. Julian didn’t come alone. But neither did I.”
Chapter Thirteen
The Cavalry Arrives
Alex sat with her face down in her hands, thinking many things. How she had landed here. How impossible all this was. She hadn’t been in the position long but when she sat up, her cell was almost completely black. The only light was from outside her door, to the right of the corridor, a yellow light flashing.
Bullets and screams followed shouts and cries. Alex bolted to the door, peering out of the Perspex viewer.
“Hey!” she said, slapping her hand on the door.
“Do not be afraid, Alex…”
Alex turned on the spot. Of course her cell was still empty, but
the voice sounded as if right next to her. “Is someone there?” Alex whispered. She didn’t know whether she wanted a response or not. She didn’t have to wait long.
“In a manner of speaking.”
Alex pressed her fingers to her cheeks. “Fuckety…I’m hearing voices. Oh my God…the hospital, the memory. I’m going insane.”
“No, you’re not. Though you are in danger.”
“I’m not hearing this…I’m not hearing this…” Alex chanted. It was a lesion on her brain. A dream. A delusion. It had to be.
“Remember the V, Alex.”
“Please, leave me alone.”
Alex turned towards the outer entrance as a tall figure walked in, one she recognised. Scum that she hated. Julian walked forward, blood streaming from his mouth, with an arrogant stride.
“Oh shit…”
“Back away from the door…”
Alex didn’t need to be told twice, moving several steps until her calves hit the bench. The thin vampire that brutally tortured Michelle for sheer pleasure stood there, gazing at her with a look of smug triumph.
“I’m so fucked…”
*
“Hello there…” Julian hissed. “Long time no see. Have you missed me? It pained me so much to miss out on your recent unpleasantness. Being the puppet master works for me, for a time, but now comes the time to cut the strings and take the prize the demon should’ve,” he breathed coldly, reaching for the door handle. With one move he could obliterate the lock, then she would be his. “The life of a vampire whore.”
His head snapped back to the side and he stumbled away from the door. Spinning around, he saw Lauren materialise out of nothingness; her power concealed her approach and her cheap shot.
“I can’t decide if you’ll be first or if I’ll make you watch what I do to her first.”
“You ain’t getting anywhere near her, you greasy haired cunt.”
Julian popped directly in front her, from several feet away, in less than a second. She jumped in surprise and he gripped her throat, slamming her into the wall. “Is that so?”
With a twist of his body, he sent Lauren flying back so hard she landed on the floor with a thud and rolled several feet.
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