Night Realm

by Darren G. Burton

  “Well,” Emma said and lay back on the sand. It was still damp from this afternoon’s storm. “There’s certainly no love lost between you two then.”

  “Absolutely none.”

  Chelsea’s phone rang and she couldn’t pull it from her pocket fast enough.

  “Hello?” she said tentatively, not recognizing the phone number that flashed up on screen.

  “Hi. Is this Chelsea?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Travis. I don’t know if you remember me, but we met the other night at your friend’s birthday party.”

  “Of course I remember you!”

  “Well, I was wondering, if you’re not too busy tonight, whether we could meet up and, I don’t know, hang out?”

  “Sure. I’m in Surfers now if you want to meet me here.”

  “Okay. I’ll meet you outside McDonald’s at nine.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  Chelsea grinned and said to Emma, “That was Travis.”

  “No kidding,” Emma retorted. “And you played so hard to get.”

  “Do you think I should have put him off?”

  “No. You go for it, girlfriend.” She checked the time on her phone. “That’s only half an hour away. I’ll hang out with you ‘til then, then I’ll be off.”

  They both lay back and watched the light show over the ocean, drinking vodka and smoking cigarettes until five minutes to nine. After dusting the sand from each others’ backs, the pair left the beach and Emma walked with Chelsea to McDonald’s.

  “Have fun,” Emma said and shot Chelsea a wink. Then she was off, walking quickly down the mall.

  Chelsea sensed, rather than heard, someone come up behind her. She turned and looked up into the smiling face of Travis. Immediately she felt herself start to melt. It was exactly the same as it had been on Friday night. It wasn’t a one-off. He still had that affect on her. His face was unblemished, the pale skin showing no signs of bruising at all from Friday night’s battle.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi.” She felt her voice catch in her throat and feared if she said something more just now that it would come out sounding like a croak.

  “Let’s take a walk,” he suggested and led the way across The Esplanade and onto the boardwalk.

  They headed south at a slow, leisurely pace.

  “I’m glad you called,” Chelsea said. “I really wanted to see you again.”

  “Me too. Lucky John had your number.”

  “Why did you disappear the other night?” Chelsea wanted to know.

  He shrugged. “Too many police. I just didn’t want to get involved.”

  “You looked pretty involved to me. Thanks for looking out for me, though.”

  Travis turned to her and smiled. “Anytime, Chelsea. I couldn’t stand by and let someone hurt that pretty face of yours.”

  She returned his smile. “Charmer.”

  “I’m trying to be.”

  “Is that what you’re like with all the girls? Lay on the charm to win them over?”

  “Not all the girls, no. Only the ones that mean something to me. I save it for the special ones.”

  “Oh, yeah. And how many of those have you got on tap at the moment?”

  “None that I know of, but hopefully one soon.”

  “If you’re lucky you might be able to charm me,” she said rather cockily.

  They paused and stood leaning against a railing, looking out over the dark water. Lightning still flashed occasionally way off on the distant horizon. More and more stars were appearing as the belt of cloud gradually receded out to sea.

  “So, what have you been up to the last few days?” Chelsea asked him. “Anything exciting?”

  Travis shook his head, his dark eyes somehow gleaming in the shadows of night. “Not really. Just been lying low and taking it easy.”

  “How did you do what you did?”

  He turned to look at her, resting his right elbow on the rail. “What do you mean?”

  “The other night at the party, taking out all those guys so...easily. You’re incredibly strong, and fast.”

  “I don’t know. Technique. The speed’s a gift, but I think the strength is just technique.”

  “No, I think it was a little more than just good technique. That was pure strength from what I saw. And I saw it all.”

  He shrugged and said rather obliquely, “I am what I am.”

  “What does that mean?” She took her cigarettes from her bag and extracted one from the packet. “Do you mind if I smoke?”

  “I don’t mind.” He stared into her eyes a moment, then looked back out to sea. “I like you, Chelsea, but if you really knew me you may not like me.”

  “As much as I enjoy a mystery,” she said, exhaling smoke into the night, “what are you really talking about?”

  “Nothing. Forget about it.”

  Chelsea sensed a sadness within him then and wondered what it was about. Did he have some dark secret he wasn’t yet willing to share? He sure talked and acted like he did. She decided not to push it just yet, even though curiosity was getting the better of her and nagging her to ask questions. She finished her cigarette in silence and flicked the butt over the fence, where it disappeared amid a thatch of sea grass.

  “Want to take a walk down there?” Travis nodded toward the waterline.

  “Sure.” Chelsea took her shoes off and carried them in her left hand as she followed Travis down onto the soft sand. When they reached the hard sand near the water’s edge, she asked, “Do you like the ocean?”

  “It’s okay. I’m not big on the beach in the daytime. I prefer it at night.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s cooler. I don’t like the sun.”

  Why did she constantly get the feeling he was trying to tell her something without actually coming right out and saying what it was? She was being surprisingly open with him, but felt she wasn’t getting the same in return.

  They waded through ankle-deep water, heading north now. Chelsea really wanted to reach out and hold his hand as they walked, but refrained from doing so.

  “I usually try to keep away from girls,” he told her.

  Chelsea frowned in the darkness. “Why would you want to do that? You’re not gay, are you?”

  “No, I’m not into men. I like women. It’s just hard for me.” He glanced at her. “But when I met you the other night I felt like I just wanted to be around you and keep seeing you.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” she pointed out.

  “That depends.”

  “On what?” She lit another smoke, the flame from the lighter momentarily illuminating their faces.

  “On how well you handle the truth about me.”

  “God, you love being mysterious, don’t you,” Chelsea said, starting to feel a little frustrated now. “Just talk to me, Travis.”

  He stopped walking and said, “Kiss me.”

  “Really? Okay. Now you’re being more direct. I like that.” Chelsea tossed her cigarette and slowly moved her face in close to his. When her lips made contact with his lips, she froze. Literally. She pulled her mouth away and touched his face with her hand. “You’re so cold,” she said, completely dumbfounded. “How? I mean, why are you stone cold?”

  Travis looked away and took a step back. Chelsea went to reach for him, but he just retreated further.

  He said, “If I tell you the truth, you either won’t believe me, or you’ll want nothing more to do with me.”

  “Travis, enough of the vague talk.” Before she said the next words, Chelsea made a concerted effort to keep her voice calm and soft. “Just tell me. Please.”

  “I’m not what you think I am,” he said, still sounding ambiguous. “I mean, I look like one of you, but I’m not.”

  “Travis!”

  “It’s hard to just come right out and tell you, Chelsea. Just give me a moment and let me tell you in my own time.”

  The silence stretched out over a per
iod of minutes. To Chelsea it seemed more like half an hour. She waited, smoked a cigarette and waited some more.

  “I’m a vampire,” he eventually blurted out. “There. I’ve said it.”

  Chelsea was on the verge of bursting into a fit of laughter, but when she saw the deadly serious expression on his face she managed to choke it back.

  “Did I just hear you right?” she said.

  “You don’t believe me, I can tell.”

  “Well,” she shrugged, “apart from being cold and mysterious, you haven’t really shown me much proof.”

  “There was the fight the other night. Remember? You saw what I can do.”

  Chelsea lit another smoke. “So, are you like the vampires in the Twilight movies?”

  He shook his head adamantly. “No. Not like them. They’re fiction. I’m dangerously real, Chelsea.” Travis turned to her and, even in the darkness, Chelsea could see the intensity in his eyes. “Touch me again,” he said.

  She did, placing the fingertips of both hands either side of his face. Chelsea kissed him once more, this time knowing what to expect and not pulling back. The kiss lingered. Gently she removed her lips from his and said, “Am I in danger being around you?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

  She grinned. “Do you want to suck my blood?”

  “Don’t joke about it, Chelsea,” Travis was firm. “That is what we do. So far I’ve managed to stay away from humans and have only fed on animals, but there may always be a first time.”

  Chelsea was feeling somewhat uncomfortable now. Mixed emotions flooded through her body and mind. His revelation hadn’t changed her mind about him. She was still just as drawn to him as she was before, maybe even more so now. However, she was finding it difficult to fight off a feeling of trepidation that was seeping into her; a fear of the unknown. Deep down she actually believed what Travis had just told her.

  “How many of you are there?” she asked.

  “There are a few of us,” he was vague again. “I have an older brother. He’s gone rogue. He’s got a taste for human blood again. That’s why we left Perth. Michael was attracting too much heat. Now he’s started all over again here.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Chelsea wanted to know, her mind fuzzy with confusion and the internal struggle to process what she was hearing.

  He cupped her face in his cold hands and stared deeply into her eyes. “Because I trust you. Don’t freak out, but I’ve looked inside you and I know I can trust you.”

  “When?”

  “When what?”

  “When did you look inside me?”

  “At the party, just before we went out for a dance.”

  Chelsea recalled the sensation she’d had the other night, where it felt like her thoughts were being plucked from her brain one at a time.

  “So you can read minds,” she said, feeling a little violated.

  He nodded. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again to you, I promise.” He sucked in a deep breath. “We all have powers, many of them the same. Some of us have different gifts to others. My brother Michael has it all. There is nothing he can’t do. He’s the only one of us who can fly and he has incredible strength.” Travis looked hard into her eyes again. “You can’t tell anyone about us, Chelsea. Promise me.”

  His eyes had her trapped. “I promise,” she heard herself say and meant it.

  “I’m lonely, Chelsea,” he went on, satisfied that he had her loyalty. “I want a companion. When I met you I just knew you were the one I was looking for.”

  “What does that mean exactly? What sort of companion does a vampire have? Do you mean you want a girlfriend?”

  He smiled then and lightened the mood. “Of course that’s what I mean.”

  She pursed her lips. “Well, you might take a bit of getting used to, but I’m game to try if you are.”

  He held her tightly in his arms then. For Chelsea that was a surreal experience. While she loved being held close to his slender body, the distinct lack of warmth emanating from him was a little unnerving.

  Could she get used to it? She sure hoped so, because she really liked this guy.

  Twenty Three

  Kelly held the torch while Paul wrestled the punctured tyre from the front, left-hand side of the old station wagon. A moon had risen in the sky, adding a bit more light to see by.

  The pair were backpackers from the UK and were travelling around Australia together. The plan was to do this trip for a year, then head home, finish their degrees and get married. So far they were only two months into their adventure.

  They’d come to grief on a lonely stretch of country road west of the Gold Coast. Somewhere down the road Paul had managed to drive right over a pot hole. The tyre had burst and he’d very nearly lost control of the vehicle, narrowly avoiding crashing into a grove of gum trees. As the pace of the car slowed he’d managed to wrestle the station wagon into submission and pull safely to a stop on the side of the road.

  He dumped the wounded wheel on the dusty ground beside him and picked up the spare. Thankfully it was full of air. The last time he had a flat tyre back home his spare had been flat also. That would not have been a good scenario out here in the middle of nowhere at night. He positioned the wheel over the four protruding bolts and finger-tightened the wheel nuts into place. The plan was to then lower the jack and tighten the nuts with the wheel brace.

  Paul was just about to lower the car to the ground when he heard something in the bushes just off the shoulder of the road. He stood up.

  “Hand me the torch,” he said to Kelly.

  She said, “It’s probably just an animal.”

  “Maybe, but I think I might go check just the same.” He took the torch from her and aimed it into the bush. There was a shallow gully just off from the roadside. “Wait here.”

  Paul moved off, guiding his way with the beam of light. His boots crunched on gravel with each step until he was off the shoulder and stepping his way through long grass and around small shrubs. He paused when he reached the edge of the gully and played the light all around. Hearing nothing and seeing nothing, he glanced back towards the car. Kelly was standing there with her bum leaning against the passenger door, the vehicle still raised off the ground by the jack.

  There was a rustling sound in the bushes on the gully’s other side. Paul shone the torch beam over there and saw the branches of a tree quivering. Apart from that nothing else moved.

  He stepped down into the gully. A rock gave way beneath his foot and he went tumbling down to the bottom. He sat up, a cloud of dust rising around him. He felt a pain in his shoulder blade where a stone had bruised him during the roll.

  “Are you okay, Paul?” he heard Kelly call out to him.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Paul stood up, dusted himself off and started scaling the other side of the embankment. When he reached the top he paused to shine the light around. Again he listened, and once more his ears were greeted with dead silence.

  “Can we just get out of here?” Kelly moaned, her voice more distant now as he ventured further away from her.

  Soon, Babe, he thought.

  Paul stepped into the forest and continued his search. He didn’t really know why he was bothering. Curiosity was getting the better of him. It was his nature. Hell, they were here on the adventure of a lifetime and he wanted to explore the country, day or night. If there was an unusual animal out here somewhere, then he wanted to see it.

  He glanced behind him, but Kelly and the car were now obscured from view. When he was deeper in the forest he thought he better give up the hunt and make his way back. He hadn’t seen a thing and hadn’t heard the animal for a few minutes now. It was probably long gone.

  With a resigned sigh, Paul turned on his heel and tracked back the way he came. He broke free of the trees and carefully traversed the gully, not wanting to fall this time. When he came up the other side he shone his light towards the car. The car was where he’d
left it, but Kelly was nowhere to be seen.

  He didn’t panic right away. She’d probably just gotten bored and wandered off somewhere. Or maybe she went to take a leak.

  Again his shoes crunched gravel as he stepped onto the shoulder of the road. He shone the light all around and inside the car. She wasn’t in there. Paul stepped onto the road to check the other side of the vehicle.

  There she was lying sprawled out on the bitumen, her long, dark hair splayed out like a fan. Blood leaked from two puncture wounds on her throat.

  “What the fuck?” he exclaimed.

  He dropped to his knees and touched her face, then felt for a pulse on her wrist. There was one there, but it was very faint. He put his ear close to her nose and mouth and heard shallow breathing. Paul tried to wake her, but she didn’t respond.

  Now panic was starting to get a hold of him. What had happened while he was out there exploring the woods and nature hunting? Who or what had done this to Kelly?

  Paul shone the torch on the two wounds on her throat. She looked like she’d been bitten by something and his first thought was a snake. He knew from prior research that Australia was crawling with venomous snakes. Maybe one had bitten his girlfriend? But even that didn’t make sense. Why had it bitten her on the neck? Why not the ankle or the leg? Surely she wouldn’t have been lying on the road at the time.

  Before attempting to pick her up and put her in the car, Paul checked her for any sign of other injuries. From what he managed to see of her torso and limbs there weren’t any. The only wounds she had were the bites on her throat.

  He opened the rear door, then grasped Kelly under the armpits and half dragged her to the car. Once he’d managed to get her upper body onto the seat, he went round the other side and dragged her all the way in while leaning through the other door. He closed the door, being careful not to bang her head, then went back around to the roadside, tucked her feet inside the car and closed that door as well.

  Moving at high speed he released the jack, quickly tightened the wheel nuts, then tossed the jack, tools, and punctured tyre into the back. He needed to get her to a hospital, and fast.