The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  She must have noticed us, a second later she was off the stage, and in a blur of movement she stood in front of us. “It’s much easier for me to get to you,” she said, reappearing. She was totally composed and not at all out of breath, come to think of it, I had to wonder; did they really breathe. “He’s upstairs,” she said, laughing loudly and pointing toward a staircase in the far corner. I didn’t like that laugh, and I had no clue what she meant by it. But then she was gone again, back on stage. Terry took the lead, his broader stance made it easier to push our way through the crowd. I think Carmen or I would have ended up dodging more, or just pulling out a gun and making a path. But Terry got us through with little effort.

  Upstairs, the music had dimmed and lack of crowd noise made it easier to talk to one another. “Which room?” There were only two doors to choose from, but I still couldn’t feel where he was. I shrugged. I tried again to search for his presence, but still nothing. However, I didn’t feel anyone in the room to our right, and there was a human in the other. I’ll take what’s behind door number two if you please.

  I reached for the door handle and his shields dropped. He was there.

  “Who’s here with you, Amun?” I asked, entering the private room of the club. He looked up away from the young woman lying across his lap. He’d been feeding. No blood showed on his face, good table manners. They lounged in a pit inset into the floor filled with pillows that created a round couch that took up nearly the whole room. She seemed to come to out of a daze; sounds of pleasure still came from her. She didn’t seem to mind the two small punctures in her neck dotted with drying blood. Both Terry and Carmen were stunned by the show but not put off, maybe they were becoming more accustomed to this world than they or I realized. “Are we interrupting?” This is what Tarja was laughing about.

  The woman sat up with a look on her face that was of pure contentment, she was satisfied. I assumed that a vampire killed when it fed, I guess I was wrong. “No, no not at all, Mr. Black, Christine and I were just enjoying the afterglow.” He looked at her and she looked like she wanted more. “Please, excuse us.” She let her lower lip jut out in an attempt to pout. She wasn’t going to argue, but she didn’t like the abrupt end to the evening. He stood and reached his hand toward her. “Please.” She took his outstretched hand and got to her feet. She stormed out of the room, flashing Carmen with a dirty look. Maybe she didn’t like other girls around her vampire; although, I had little doubt that she wasn’t his only willing meal ticket. After the door slammed shut behind us, he stood silently gazing at the door. His shirt was unbuttoned. “I apologize. I wasn’t expecting you so soon. Tarja was supposed to entertain you until I returned.”

  “I think then that she must have thought we’d be entertained by the show up here.” He looked puzzled.

  “She told us where to find you,” Carmen said.

  “Again, I apologize.” He looked irritated. “It must be unsettling for you to see such displays.”

  Perhaps a little. “You got to eat.” Surprisingly, it was Terry who made the comment.

  “Thank you for understanding.” He gestured to the opposite side of the floor pit. “Please join me. There is someone I’d like you to meet.” He repositioned himself on the pillows. I hesitate to say he lounged. His movements were too graceful, he always looked like he was posing for a master painter. We joined him, though not nearly with as much ease. He seemed to just fit perfectly on the soft cushions, where we had trouble finding a way to sit comfortably and still be upright enough to draw and fight if need be. One nice attribute of the odd seating was being able to see the door, along with most of the room. “Can I offer you anything to drink while we wait for our other guest?” His finger began to make its way toward a call button.

  “I think we’re alright,” Carmen said. She knew we didn’t drink while we worked. He didn’t look at all offended.

  Terry still fought with the cushions. “Fuck it, I’ll stand.” He stepped out of the pit and stood behind us like a sentinel.

  I felt Tarja approaching, and said, “Tarja’s coming, but when can we expect your friend’s company?” Soon I hoped. I didn’t like waiting. I had no idea what or whom I was waiting for and that made me uneasy.

  “I don’t think we have much longer,” he said, looking toward the door. Not a second later, the door opened, Tarja entered on the arm of another vampire. I didn’t even feel him with her as she climbed the stairs. His build matched Amun’s. Except for the red hair, the two of them could have been brothers. Amun rose to greet his guest. We rose because it seemed the right thing to do. They moved toward one another more slowly than I would have thought. I’d figured that with their ability to move faster than humans, they would do so all the time. They didn’t move slowly on our behalf, at that moment as the two old friends approached each other they took no notice of the humans in the room. I felt slightly awkward witnessing this reunion. The new vampire turned his head exposing his neck to Amun the way that Tarja had when she’d overstepped her bounds. On seeing the motion, I figured that Amun was the more powerful of the two. Or at least that is how the new vampire saw things. I looked to Terry and Carmen. Did either of them know who this new mystery vamp was? But they both looked as puzzled as I did. “There is no need to stand on proper manners.” Tarja didn’t even take our presence into account. She was engulfed in the show. Amun embraced his guest. “It’s been too long my old friend.”

  When the hug broke, the other vampire spoke, “yes,” his voice hardly above a whisper, “too long.” A single blood tear rolled down his cheek. I didn’t know that vampires cried blood. Fuck, I didn’t know vampires cried.

  “I forget my manners.” His hands still grasping the other’s shoulders, he turned him to face us. When he turned, I noticed another difference between the two of them, his eyes were the same red of his hair, the same color as blood. “Suetekh,” I knew the name but couldn’t place it, “this is Miss Carmen Piper, whose father we are searching for. And these are her associates Mr. Terrance Goodspeed and Mr. Vincent Black. My lady, gentlemen, this is Suetekh, or Seth as you may call him, he’s a very old friend and ally.” When someone as old as Amun says something like that, “very old,” it kinda scares the shit out of me. I didn’t even want to think what kind of a time frame that could mean.

  He placed two fingers to his lips and bowed in a gesture that I had not seen. The puzzlement must have shown. “He will not take blood that has not been offered from any of you,” Tarja said. She seemed to be becoming more tolerant of our ignorance of vampire customs.

  “I forget that you are all still new to our world,” Seth spoke, his voice was fuller than the wisp of speech we’d heard before.

  “Appreciate the thought,” I said, “it’s very kind of you. But please, who are you?” I had to catch his eyes. He was being polite and not looking into ours. When I did, he knew I wasn’t just another human.

  He laughed then. “Amun spoke true. You are to the point, aren’t you, Mr. Black?”

  “I do try.” Glad to know my reputation preceded me.

  “This will be a long story,” Amun spoke, “perhaps we should relocate to a more comfortable area for all.” He glanced at Goodspeed. Any normal person would have turned red. But not Terry, he remained vigilant, arms crossed over his chest staying close to his guns. “Please.” He gestured toward the door.

  He led, and we followed across the hall to the other door. The new room was much different than the one we’d just left. It was completely against the design of the rest of the club. Deep burgundy modern couches filled the room and a private bar stood in one corner. The three of us, Carmen, Terry, and I, took the couch that faced the door. Amun and Seth took the opposing one, while Tarja curled at Amun’s feet, resting her head on his lap, eyes fixed on us. Everyone was silent; they were as close to as immortal as possible. They had the luxury of time, us simple mortals didn’t. “So, where does this long story begin?”

  “Long before there was a kingdom of Egypt, whe
n tribes still warred with one another over the lands of the Nile.” Seth spoke very slowly, very softly. “I was still a mortal; Amun was a young master under the control of Ra.” It was at that moment I realized that Amun wasn’t just named after the sun god of Egypt. He was the sun god of Egypt. I wanted to jump out of my seat with the revelation. But I didn’t, I wanted to hear the story. “Amun found me, a sick and dying man. I was of no importance but he brought me to his master, Ra, who agreed to save my life by giving me a new one. Since that time we have fought side by side, though he is the one that has always taken the roll of leadership. He has always had a crusade to fight. I do not care for the politics of it all. I fight when I’m called upon. And only for those that I trust.” I could understand that.

  Trust? That’s a hard thing to give. And I would imagine a very hard thing to earn back when you are dealing with hundreds and thousands of years.

  “So you vampires played gods?” I didn’t mean for it to sound sarcastic, but with the look Carmen gave me told me that must have been the way it sounded.

  “Yes,” Amun said, “the ignorance of the weak-minded can be a powerful tool to the wise.”

  “As you stated, Mr. Black, we played gods. We ruled the world at that point. But we were not free to rule ourselves. Once, when the Council was first formed it was good and just, but as power can often do, the principals and honor died in the struggle for more power.” Seth spoke; his voice was again soft and flat. It wasn’t what I had said; there was some other pain in his voice. There was some forlorn sadness to his tone. “In our time under Ra, Amun was his second in command and I was his chief protector. A job I failed at.” Was that the pain I’d heard? “Even when Ra was imprisoned in a silver sarcophagus by the Council, Amun and I were not free of their rule. We’d become slaves to service the Council and command the vampires once under Ra. Over the years the Council began spreading their power to other parts of the world. By the 19th dynasty of Egypt, Amun was left to govern over Egypt. They thought that the legends they had made for themselves would keep the humans of the region under their power with little to no struggle. Amun and I were left there. And in their eyes we failed the task they had set for us. As punishment they removed Ra from his entombment and made us watch as he was slowly killed.” Another crimson tear rolled down his face. “After all those years without feeding, he was as weak as a newborn. It was a horrible sight to see the once most powerful vampire to walk the earth removed from that coffin. His skin was stretched tightly over his bones. He was no more than an animated skeleton covered in dried leather. Bound by silver chains, there was nothing I could do to save him. Amun was able to break his bonds but was overpowered and beaten before he could do anything. And so we were forced to watch as he was very slowly cut apart. With every cut, he screamed, as did we. Every time his mouth opened, the dry skin around his face cracked and split. Though he did not bleed, for there was no blood in him. It was then that we decided to rid ourselves of their tyranny. Amun was the stronger of us. He was the new leader of our coven. Though we had suffered the horror of watching the execution of Ra, our punishment was not over. I was to be bound in my chains where I could be seen as an amusement, tortured at their discretion. Amun, too strong for the chains, was placed in the coffin that Ra had been imprisoned in for so long. I do not know how long we were kept that way; time had stopped having meaning. I do know that those years were the longest of my immortal life. One night a Council member that had waited for the perfect time, freed and fed me. With the strength she’d given me, I saved Amun. We searched for any of Ra’s vampires. But there were none to be found. During our punishment they had been eradicated. We were the only surviving members left of Ra’s bloodline. We fled Egypt. Starting out as two lone vampires, we began to form our new coven named after our fallen master. We roamed the world looking for humans whose power and strength could help us, as well as searching for other vampires trying to free themselves from the Council. In the time of our beginnings, the power of the Egyptian gods was just a memory. With the damage we’d done, along with the invasion of Rome, the Egypt that was, had become no more than a memory. But even the Roman Empire had nothing against the massive expanse that the Council held over the world. Their powers expanded from the islands of Japan to Europe and past our home of Egypt all the way south to the tip of Africa. Some members and their covens even found it amusing to toy with the natives of the Americas, which wouldn’t be discovered by other humans for hundreds of years. It seemed that we were not safe anywhere we went. To state the obvious, we survived.”

  He continued to tell us about the beginning of Ra, the coven. His speech seemed more like a story then a history, though I believed every word that he spoke. As he was ending his story I had to ask him. “Where was the start of vampires?”

  His red eyes seemed to glow at me, and his grin, even without showing his fangs, was a bit too evil for me. “A wonderful question. However, one I cannot answer. I’m not sure if there are any alive that could. And one that I wish so deeply to someday find out for myself.”

  Amun let out a small chuckle. “My friend Seth has always been a bit of a historian. He has always looked to the past and wondered about the future. Never caring about the politics of today.”

  I didn’t share his love of things that were gone, nor the things yet to come. I lived in the moment. Because, I never knew which moment would be my last. That thought never bothered me. I knew I’d die. It’s part of life. At least for some. “I’m—”

  I didn’t get to finish asking what I was going to ask. I felt a peak of energy from the lower level and Alexander was rushing toward us. I wasn’t the only one that felt his approach. All the vampires and I were on our feet. Carmen and Terry also rose out of their seats quickly after seeing us do the same. Something was wrong. Those of us with guns had them drawn. When the door burst open, he stood there with streams of blood from every orifice on his face. He was weak, I’d say out of breath if vampires did so. Something was very wrong. The rage from the club continued to grow. “A master,” was all he could say.

  “One that you could not handle?” Amun sounded bitter and angry. Alexander just shook his head. “Tarja?”

  “Yes, my lord?” she said, stepping next to Amun.

  “Take care of Alexander. If the rest of you would please join me.” Without another word, or waiting for a response, he made his way out the door. None of us said a word walking down the stairs. In the club, the music had stopped but it was far from quiet. There was the sound of fighting and people screaming, some in fear, others were enjoying the show. When we entered the room, I saw through the crowd a vampire being held off the ground by his neck. Though he was only held by one hand, none of his kicking and trashing was helping. He was at the complete mercy of his attacker. “Drop him!” Amun’s voice roared over all the other noise. Everything went silent, save the struggling vampire still held aloft.

  “As you wish.” Having said that, he released the vampire. With the most minimal movement of his arm, he sent the struggling vampire flying into the center bar.

  Our entourage continued to make its way closer to the unwelcome guest. We’d all switched to professional mode. Amun led us, with Seth to his right; I to his left, both a step behind, Carmen and Terry matched our formation. The crowd split in front of us, like the red sea before Moses and the Hebrews. Human and vampire alike stared at us in a hypnotized awe. It was more to do with Seth and Amun than Terry, Carmen, or I, but I’d like to think we helped a bit. The attacking vampire was smiling at us, baring his fangs as though that would frighten us. Fucking idiot. Why did so many vampires think that if they flashed pointy teeth we’d go running in fear?

  “Amun,” his voice was deep, as he tried pushing his powers at us. Powerful he was, but nothing special to me. He was trying to use his voice against us. Not even Terry or Carmen was affected by it. He wasn’t focusing. He was aiming at all of us. His attack was spread too thin.

  “If you wanted my attention you have it. T
hough, this was not the wisest course for obtaining it.” Amun wasn’t counter attacking. I was wondering what he was waiting for. Did he want us to do something? Maybe he just wanted to talk? Not my style. I couldn’t imagine that this vamp was in much of a talking mood. “What have you disturbed my friends and I for?” he said gesturing to the crowd.

  “I’ve come to take your fangs to the Council.” He sounded so damn sure of himself. I didn’t think he knew he was completely outmatched by Amun not to mention Seth, the three of us, and all of the vampires in the crowd around us that were loyal to Amun. Amun began to laugh. His power filled the room, drowning out the ill attempts of our attacker. Amun’s laughter insulted the hell out of him. “Not taking me at my word is a dangerous mistake, Amun!”

  The laughing continued. “Think about your situation. You have walked into a building filled with your enemies. And you think that you are any match for me and mine? You are truly a foolish fledgling.”

  “Fledgling?!” His powers flared. He was pissed and losing his focus.

  “Yes.”

  “I am a master!”

  “You may have the powers of a master, but not the wisdom nor the control of one. You will never be a master.” Seth spoke in a soft voice that seemed to carry across the room without any raise in volume.

  “Seth, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He begin to chuckle. “The Council will be pleased to hear that you have resurfaced.”