by Zach Adams
“I would have known if it was one of my kind. I am the last.”
Isaac and Donny both stared awkwardly at their feet.
L’æon rose to his feet and led the pair back to the garage. He had resumed his favorite gray disguise by the time he reached the passenger side door. The drive took roughly fifteen minutes with minimal nighttime traffic, so feel free to use your imagination to fill in the time gap as we change paragraphs.
As they approached the downtown transit center, Isaac lowered the windows. L’æon-Chaplin closed his eyes and pointed in the direction of whatever he was detecting.
Isaac drove a few streets past the bus station and L’æon-Chaplin raised a hand for him to stop. They parked on the curb behind a tall hotel and proceeded on foot. Isaac thought he could smell something acidic around them, shrugging it off with the assumption that it was just the city.
As they walked, a pale face peeked from behind the corner of the next building. All three spotted her, but L’æon-Chaplin still felt it necessary to point and hop in place in a cartoonish fashion.
Isaac nodded tensely and they continued on their way, but the face had already returned from wherever she had come from. The trio picked up their pace and rounded the corner just in time for the figure to vanish in the blink of an eye. The sour odor became stronger as they proceeded.
On a back road near the city’s homeless shelter, the figure stopped and allowed them to catch up a bit. As they cautiously approached Isaac faintly heard a girl’s voice whimpering. He looked first to Donny and then to L’æon-Chaplin, both of whom nodded to confirm they heard it too.
“H-hey, listen, um…” Isaac began. “We’re not trying to hurt you; we just want to talk.”
The figure lifted their head, pushing raven hair over their shoulders. They stood and turned to face the trio, revealing a girl close to Isaac and Donny’s age. She was, as L’æon had described, pale and vaguely glowing, not entirely unlike the elf. Hers was somehow less lifelike, something unsettling blended with the forlorn look in her dark eyes. The group stopped walking a few yards away from her.
“Do you have a name?” Donny asked. The girl nodded shakily.
“L-L-Lucinda,” She murmured. Despite the distance between them, the sound carried as though she said it directly into their ears.
“Why are you running?” Isaac asked.
“To lead you,” Lucinda replied. “We are almost there.”
“Almost where?”
Without another word, Lucinda turned away and proceeded down the street, though not quite as hastily as she had previously.
Our Spidey sense is tingling, Panic hissed.
“Almost that way, I guess,” Donny said.
The trio followed Lucinda deeper into the city, into tighter alleyways behind the grey buildings all around them.
As they made it halfway down their path, she finally stopped at the end just as Isaac slipped on the ice, falling on his ass but cushioning himself with his backpack. Donny helped him back to his feet immediately.
“I’m sorry…” Lucinda sobbed as she abruptly vanished, her voice left floating on the chilly air. Behind them, three figures nearly identical to the ones Isaac encountered in the library approached with inhuman, jerking movements not unlike marionettes. They were clothed in the same rags the original hollows had been.
On the other side of the alley, where Lucinda once stood, a police car stopped, and four armed officers in helmets and body armor exited the vehicle. Though much less pronounced, Isaac noted their steps had a similar unnatural quality to the hollow, as if they weren’t in control of their movement. It was tough to tell at the distance they stood, but Isaac also thought their badges looked more like a V-shaped logo than something police would normally wear.
“Isaac Falcone,” The officer on the driver’s side slurred. “Under arrest.”
All four raised their weapons, and the hollows broke into a sprint. Isaac looked to his right to see that Chaplin had gone, and L’æon stood in his place, giving away no sign that he was disturbed by how the evening had turned.
“Dí’prætä,” L’æon said as he lifted his left palm to the firing officers. Their bullets flew into a curved shield which was only visible by the moonlight reflected from it. The feral hollow leapt on all fours to close in on their prey. Isaac swung his backpack at one, which latched its fingernails into the fabric and tugged on the bag. Isaac kicked the hollow in the kneecap, sending it to the ground, then kicked again somewhere between its chin and collarbone.
The second went for Donny, flinging its arms and jaw toward him. Donny hit the creature in its left eye, rocking its head back violently. It paused, momentarily confused that such a soft and delicious-smelling meal could do such a thing. The hollow shook its head and lunged again, this time being thrown into the quickly approaching third of the creatures by L’æon. The storm of gunfire threatened to rupture Isaac’s eardrums.
This can’t be real please someone or something please make this stop being the reality we live in! Panic cried.
Shut up and hit stuff! Rage barked.
“Tä’gläcí äy æ’chévän,” The elf said, using the same gesture as he had in the library. The three hollow became rigid for a moment and disappeared into thin air. Bullets continued to slam into L’æon’s steadily diminishing shield. He spun on his heel, now showing dim signs of tension around his face.
“Säväním,” L’æon grunted. Around them, gravity seemed to redirect at a ninety-degree angle, and his magical shield crept slowly toward the cops. Every few inches it picked up momentum until it barreled into their squad car with the force of a train, effectively ending the threat but making an awful lot of noise. When none of the officers stood back up, the trio approached.
Isaac knelt on the ground next to the nearest officer, L’æon doing the same on the cop’s opposite side. Donny stood to the side, watching for anyone coming.
Isaac’s previous observation was correct, the badge was a fake with a V shape adorning it. A similar symbol was tattooed on the victim’s neck.
“Definitely hollow,” L’æon said. “Freshly turned, too, or he would not have been able to speak.”
“That’s not all,” Isaac told him as he pointed at the tattoos and badges. “These guys used to work for someone I know. An old friend of my parents who bankrolled some parties I went to.” He looked up at Donny. His friend’s face said he was quite tempted to run home screaming. L’æon seemed unaware.
“Do you think Lucinda is a vampire?” Isaac asked L’æon.
“Possibly a halfling,” The elf replied. “When we first caught up to her, I had the same thought, but she is far too weak to be a full-blood. Someone sent her to us. I will continue the search from here, you return to your vehicle and we will reconvene at Donald’s home.”
Isaac and Donny both nodded and did as instructed.
When Isaac finally remembered where they had parked, he and Donny returned to the protection of the car. As the engine came to life, the stereo joined it. Isaac had left his iPod plugged in and turned the volume up several points and turned it to shuffle. “Strange Animal” by Sparks played.
“You trying to wake the whole damn city up?” Donny asked over the music. Isaac backed out into the street and headed south.
“We don’t know how close he still is,” Isaac explained. “He can catch pieces of other people’s thoughts; he’s been doing it to me since we met. I can’t block him, so I drown myself out.”
Donny looked like he just joined Chloe’s computer engineering class midway through the semester.
“I thought L’æon was on our side?” Donny asked. Isaac shook his head.
“That’s what he claims. He might even really believe he is. But there are too many coincidences…”
Isaac explained L’æon’s penchant for convenient timing; how he arrived just at the perfect moment to save the day from hollow and moura, only to continue leading Isaac into further danger. He also added to his theory L’æon�
�s heated refusal to teach him anything that could keep him safe, failing to leave the bitterness out of his tone as he mentioned it.
“He always seems to find me,” Isaac said. “So, I’ve gone with it, to observe him and figure out a way to save my ass. I don’t even think he’s really an elf like he says. You see how all these hollow keep showing up? I think L’æon is the vampire trying to kill me,” Isaac paused while Donny gave a whimpering half-laugh. He was glad on some level that this sort of reaction wasn’t unique to him.
“Sorry,” Isaac continued. “I probably should have asked before inviting a vampire into your house.” He smiled sheepishly as he turned and saw Donny’s terror on his face. They took the well-lit E 5th Avenue in hope that, were they to be attacked, someone would see.
“I wish we could stop at this Wendy’s,” Isaac said to break the tension in the car as they passed the restaurant on their left. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I’d almost consider letting L’æon have his way with the universe if he could get me a Baconator first.”
“Doesn’t look like they’re open anyways,” Donny said.
“Plus, you know, wanted for mass murder,” Isaac replied, pointing at himself. They both chuckled uncomfortably. After a moment they made eye contact and promptly burst into genuine laughter.
“Listen man, you know I’ve got your back,” Donny said once he caught his breath. “If you’re right about this vampire guy… Well, I’m sort of stuck in this with you now, right?”
The ground beneath the car began to shake, but Isaac and Donny failed to notice through the vibration of the car.
They finally felt the difference when the car was struck from behind by a roughly seven feet tall dark figure, lurched forward violently, spun several times to the right, and stopped in the middle of the road. The attack nearly caved in the rear end of the vehicle and ripped off most of the bumper.
“What the fu -” Donny began to shriek.
“Shh!” Isaac hissed, throwing his palm over his friend’s face. “I need to get this car started again, damn it!” He frantically turned the key in the ignition. The car whimpered and coughed but failed to start. With the vehicle down, the pair could feel the heavy footsteps of their unseen attacker approaching.
This is the end this is the end this is the end, Panic cried on a loop.
Get out and fight the bastard! Rage replied unintelligibly. Isaac could not pretend that every thought in his head was logical.
This is the end is the end is the end! Panic continued to wail with increasing volume and desperation. It made it rather more difficult for their host to get anything more useful through.
Isaac slapped the steering wheel and, on frustrated instinct, shouted a word he had read in the Book of L’æsälum.
“Næ!”
A few blue-white sparks danced from his fingertips and drifted away on the air, and the car immediately rumbled to attention.
As Isaac peeled off in whatever direction they weren’t being attacked from, he couldn’t resist a glance in the rear-view mirror.
Several yards behind them stood a mountain of wiry, almost sick-looking muscle. It could have been close to eight feet tall if it wasn’t hunched over. Thick, coal and ash fur covered most of the skin. Long, out-stretched arms ended with hands bigger than Isaac’s head, each finger bearing a jagged claw long enough to make the young men insecure. Back-jointed canine legs, primed for sprinting, ended with wide feet which were, Isaac noted, picking up their pace to catch a kill-one-get-one-free meal. Within seconds it was stomping asphalt quick enough to be on them again, moving at a velocity rarely seen outside of nature documentaries.
“Is that a fucking werewolf?” Donny cried. Isaac recalled what he had been told about vampires.
A plague. The lot of them are murderers and slavers. And when their bloodlust takes over, the monstrous form they take… They call it a gift. They take joy from pain… L’æon’s voice echoed in Isaac’s mind. The beast on their tail certainly fit the bill for a monstrous form powered by bloodlust.
Isaac broke out in cold sweat and slammed the gas pedal to the floor. Traffic laws are for people not fighting for their lives.
“D-Donny… I th-think that is L’æon.”
Isaac screamed through five red lights before taking a sharp left on D Street, toward the mall on 5th Avenue. He swatted away a Blues Brothers-inspired mental image and turned right to avoid crashing into the building.
They made it as far as the next light before seeing that the way forward, past the museum, was still roped off with police hanging around.
After a moment of indecision, they could feel the thump, thump, thump of L’æon’s footsteps. Isaac turned right onto C Street before the monster behind them or the police in front could see who was sitting at the light.
They passed two turns before Donny noted that L’æon was approaching from their right, blazing a trail through a grassy park.
“Go left, there’s a church!” Donny yelled. A white-walled building topped with a cross stood several yards in that direction.
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Isaac asked.
“You know, like in all the movies and stuff! Vampires can’t enter a church, right?”
Isaac considered this and turned right.
In the time it took to have their conversation, L’æon had circled around them and was approaching from the other side of the church. His canine jaw hung open, almost seeming to attempt a breathless grin.
If we stop, he’ll get us before we can even get to the church, Panic said.
Punch it! Rage cried.
Isaac slammed on the gas and crashed into the werewolf with as much momentum as his car could muster in the short distance. The collision rocked Donny and Isaac violently against the interior of the vehicle and sent L’æon flying a couple of yards away. He wasn’t moving, but neither was the car.
Maybe not the best strategy…? Panic asked wearily.
Are you kidding? We kicked his ass! Rage said. Isaac saw stars dancing between himself and the broken windshield.
“Did you kill him?” Donny asked. He hurled his weight against the passenger-side door to force it open and stumbled as fast as he could to the opposite side. Isaac was stuck halfway through a similar process, so Donny helped pull him out of the car.
“I doubt it,” Isaac said. He grabbed his backpack and the pair stepped across the church’s lawn as fast as they could. They tried the door, but it was locked.
“Yet another church in my life letting me down,” Isaac mumbled. “Last option is run.”
They did. Their legs and lungs were livid. Isaac and Donny cut through the lot the church stood in and through a residential neighborhood. Cookie-cutter houses in navy blue or white lined the streets with near-identical lawns. There were cars in driveways, but no lights in windows.
“We have to stay away from people, and try not to be too loud,” Isaac said between gasps for air as they ran.
“Right, if someone looks outside, they might recognize you,” Donny replied. He was not quite as winded as Isaac.
Isaac pointed to the right and the pair changed direction, exiting the neighborhood in exchange for the much less populated C Street.
“No, dumbass, if he gets back up, we’d be leading him right through them,” Isaac explained.
“Sure, but it’d give us more time to - no, no, right, bad idea, don’t know what I was thinking,” Donny began to argue, then changed his mind when Isaac shot him an angry look.
“Well, where are we supposed to go?” Donny asked. “We’d be found at either of our places, neither of which we can get to on foot.”
A vicious roar shook the snow from several nearby trees. Each of the duo thought they heard the other whimper in fright, each unwilling to admit that it was, in fact, both of them making the sound.
“Forward until we have a new option, go!” Isaac said as they both renewed their sprint.
We’ve barely left downtown! We’re nowhere n
ear anywhere safe! Panic reminded Isaac. He visualized an obscene gesture at the thought and continued, though he couldn’t deny his lungs burned and he was unsure how much further he could go. His neck and head were sore from the collision, Donny almost definitely felt similar. Maybe there was a reason a pair of fragile sapiens were the default prey to these sorts of creatures.
We can’t go any further, we can’t go anywhere…
Just… slow down…
Isaac growled and forced his legs to keep moving. He could feel the shock of each step from his feet to his spine. Or perhaps those were the quakes of L’æon’s monstrous footsteps.
“Don, any thoughts? Somewhere to hide or, I don’t know, lead that thing into some dangerous industrial machine? Or a big vat of acid?” Isaac asked as quietly as he could manage.
Donny hummed thoughtfully for a moment and punctuated it with a sound which can be best summed up with a single exclamation point.
“Don?” Isaac asked again. He turned back to his left, where Donny had been following. In the same instant, the dark blur of the werewolf shot from that side of the street, taking Donny effortlessly out of sight with it to the far right.
“D-Don?” Isaac said once more, barely whispering. Though he knew very well that stopping meant death, he couldn’t move.
Can’t call out for him, or L’æon will catch you, Panic said.
No shit, Isaac thought to himself. He can hear me, smell me, there’s no -
Another sound drifted through the chilly night air. It was distorted, as if run through some sort of filter, and made vague by the air.
The breathless voice which reached Isaac’s ears was husky, somewhere between hateful and hungry. It was warped and inhuman, unrecognizable.