Night Realm

by Darren G. Burton

  With nothing much else to do right now, Ryan went into the living room and switched the TV on.

  * * *

  Marks was at home sitting on his leather couch. All the lights were off bar the soft glow emanating from the bulb in the range hood above the stove. In his hand he held a glass of scotch. Ice cubes rattled as he brought the glass to his lips and took a long swallow. His mind was by now a little fuzzy from the alcohol and that’s exactly how he wanted to feel. Sure, he knew getting drunk wouldn’t take away his problems, but at least it would ease the pain temporarily.

  Linda had called him a few hours ago. Her mind was made up, she’d said. There was no longer any future together and she wanted a divorce. She was even kind enough to let him stay in the house for now while she stayed in Brisbane.

  “Thanks a fucking lot,” he grumbled and drank more scotch. “Bucket loads of fun sitting here all by myself in a house full of memories.”

  He drained his glass and went into the kitchen to pour another.

  * * *

  Chelsea and Travis were parked in a car park at Main Beach. They sat there looking out over the ocean. There was a light breeze that carried the scent of salt on it. Chelsea breathed deeply and thought again about how wonderful she felt. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a while, just letting herself get lost in the moment.

  Travis’ phone rang and he answered it. There was a brief exchange of conversation and then he hung up.

  “We’ve got to go,” he said to Chelsea.

  “Go where?” she groaned and didn’t move. “I like it here.”

  “I have to drop into Bliss and pick up something from my sister,” he explained. “It’s important.”

  “What is it that’s so important?”

  “I’ll explain later.” Travis started the car and followed the beach road back into Surfers. Fortuitously he found a convenient parking space not far from the night club. He cut the motor and got out. “Just wait here for me,” he told her. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  “Okay,” she reluctantly agreed. “But hurry back.”

  “I will.”

  Chelsea lit up a cigarette and smoked it while she waited. Two guys slowly walked past along the footpath in front of her. When they saw her sitting in the BMW all alone, they paused.

  “Hey, gorgeous. Wanna come party with us tonight?” one of them asked her.

  “Fuck off!” she said and flicked her expired cigarette at them.

  The guys were just about to come out with a return response when Travis appeared beside the car.

  “Is there a problem?” he said to them, his voice calm, but stern.

  Both the guys sized him up, hesitated, then shook their heads.

  “No problem,” the first guy said and they continued on.

  “Stupid drunks,” Chelsea spat. “I’m glad you came back when you did.”

  “So am I.” He got back in the car and started the engine. “Wanna come for a drive to my place?”

  Chelsea grinned. “Sure.” Then her features darkened and the smile slipped from her face. “Will your brother be there?”

  “I don’t know.” He drove onto the highway.

  “Weren’t you worried that he’s dangerous?”

  Travis nodded. “It’s okay, though. He won’t touch you if you’re with me. He’ll respect that. Trust me.”

  “I do trust you.”

  * * *

  Michael left the house and followed a pathway downhill through the woods. When the ground leveled out it opened up into a bit of a clearing. An old barn stood in the clearing, trees growing all around the back of it and plants nestling against the shelter of its wooden walls.

  He’d blacked out a section of it inside beneath the loft for Paul and Kelly to hide in during the daylight hours. He’d told Selena he’d gotten rid of the British backpackers, but he could tell she didn’t really believe him. Michael entered the barn through a side door, stepped around some old bales of hay and opened the door beneath the loft. Even though it was dark inside, he could see clearly.

  Paul and Kelly were gone.

  He slammed the door shut and raced outside, where he stood still as a tree and listened intently. When he heard nothing, he took off from the ground and searched from the air. He had to find them before they did something stupid.

  * * *

  Paul had Kelly’s hand in his as they made their way through the forest.

  “How good do I feel?” he said.

  “I know. Me too. I’ve never felt so alive before. I’m buzzing.”

  Paul laughed. “Even though technically we’re supposed to be dead.”

  “Only in the human sense.” She stopped abruptly, dragging him to a halt. “Kiss me,” she demanded in a playful way.

  Paul grinned. “With pleasure.”

  Their lips and tongues met in a cold, but lively embrace. Paul felt himself getting aroused and wondered what it would be like to have sex together as vampires. They hadn’t tried it yet, and obviously they were still capable of doing it.

  Kelly broke the kiss and breathed heavily, “I want you.”

  Headless of the dirt on the ground, dead leaves and insects, the pair stripped off their clothing in a mad hurry and indulged in noisy sex that was way more aggressive than they’d ever experienced before. No matter how vigorous they were, there was no pain, no injuries. Just pure lust and exquisite pleasure. When they were done they both lay back on the ground, staring up at the stars through the tree branches, panting heavily.

  “That was so awesome,” Kelly said, smiling with satisfaction.

  “The best ever,” Paul was adamant.

  “I’m hungry now, and not for kangaroo blood.”

  Paul stood up, dusted himself off and held out his hand to Kelly. Once she was on her feet the pair got dressed, kissed heatedly again, then continued journeying through the forest.

  “We need a real meal,” Paul said to her.

  “Do you think we should wait for Michael to take us out to feed?” Kelly pointed out. “He might get angry.”

  “We don’t need Michael to hold our hands for us. We’re capable of feeding without him.”

  “But still...”

  “Forget Michael, Kelly. You and I are a team. Not us and Michael. Let’s just do our own thing our own way.” He glanced at her as they walked. “Okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  They emerged from the woods onto a road and they followed it south. After walking for about five minutes they spied lights approaching up ahead. The headlights cut through the trees as the vehicle swept round a bend. Paul dragged Kelly into the middle of the road and they stood there like statues, blocking the way. The car finished negotiating the bend and came straight for them, headlights on high beam and very bright, but not affecting their vision. When the driver of the car saw them, she slammed on her breaks and swerved. The car skewed off to the left, skidded in the dirt and stalled. The girl behind the wheel panicked when she saw Kelly and Paul approaching her. She tried to get the car started, but it resisted.

  Paul went round to the driver’s side, wrenched the door open, ripped the seatbelt from the woman and dragged her screaming and kicking out of the vehicle. Kelly slapped her hard across the face to subdue her while Paul held her. Red welts rose on the pale skin of the woman’s cheek. When she continued to struggle Kelly slapped her again. The woman slumped in Paul’s arms, barely conscious now.

  Paul grinned, exposing his fangs. “You ready, Babe?”

  Kelly nodded.

  She opened her mouth and plunged her fangs into the hapless woman’s throat, sucking on the warm blood. Paul did the same, exhilarating in the sensation of human blood filing his veins. Together they fed on her until every drop of blood had been drained from her body. When they were done, Paul let the lifeless corpse flop down on the roadside.

  He grinned sadistically, his face covered in gore. Now he felt more invigorated than ever, stronger than he was before. He had a
taste for human blood and he liked it very much.

  Thirty Two

  Travis drove the car up a sloping, winding driveway. He came to a stop outside a two story home that was made of timber. Pressing a button on a remote, he engaged the automatic garage door motor. When the metal door lifted, Chelsea saw a red Mercedes coupe parked in the three car garage.

  “Michael must be home,” Travis said rather grimly. “That’s his car.”

  He came to a stop beside Michael’s Mercedes and cut the motor. Chelsea followed him through a door that led into the living area.

  The living room looked normal enough with lounge, armchairs, television and stereo equipment. A wooden coffee table rested on a rug between the lounge and armchairs. Branching off from the living room was a dining room with a seven piece wooden setting. A modern kitchen was to the right of the dining area.

  “The kitchen doesn’t get used much,” Travis commented and glanced all around. He shrugged. “Maybe Michael’s not home.”

  He led the way up a carpeted staircase. Chelsea tailed her boyfriend down a short hallway and followed him into his spacious bedroom. Travis closed the door while Chelsea looked around.

  The room had large glass windows that overlooked the forest. Special blinds had been installed, made of some thick black material. There were runners going down each side of the window and another across the bottom.

  Travis noticed her examining the blind. “Makes the room light proof during the day,” he explained. “We have them installed all around the house, plus special frames around the doors.”

  “It must suck not being able to go out in daylight,” Chelsea said.

  “I’m working on it,” Travis said. “Look.” He pulled the memory stick from his pocket and held it up. “I have to go over some things tonight for Selena. Sorry to be boring, but I really have to do this. Feel free to have a sleep for a while if you like. I don’t know how long this will take.”

  Chelsea nodded. “That’s fine. I just love being in your company no matter what we’re doing.”

  Travis smiled, sat down at a desk and plugged the memory stick into his laptop. Chelsea reclined on the double bed. It was soft and comfortable and she soon found herself starting to doze.

  * * *

  Marks was awoken from a drunken slumber by his mobile phone ringing and vibrating on the coffee table beside him.

  “There’s been another murder, Sir,” he was told by a sergeant at headquarters.

  Bleary-eyed and struggling to focus, Marks got to his feet, went over to the kitchen bench and scribbled the details down on a scrap of paper. He then splashed handfuls of water over his face in the kitchen sink, drank down a quick cup of coffee, grabbed his voice recorder and cars keys and stepped out onto the driveway. Once inside his blue Ford Falcon, Marks started the engine, switched the headlights on and sat there letting the car idle a moment.

  Although not blind drunk, he was still feeling a little intoxicated and really shouldn’t be driving anywhere. After all, he was supposed to be a law enforcement officer. He picked up his mobile phone and contemplated calling another detective to go to the scene. In the end he changed his mind, put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

  He headed west past Nerang and out towards Beaudesert. Not long after he passed through Mount Nathan he spied the group of police and emergency vehicles up ahead. Lights flashed and people milled about everywhere. Portable floodlighting had been set up to illuminate the area. As Marks pulled to a stop behind an ambulance, he saw several flashes over near a rust-coloured sedan as a forensic photographer documented the crime scene in pictures. The detective got out of the car, took several deep breaths of the fresh night air to clear his head, popped a mint into his mouth, then wandered over to the crime scene tape.

  He was glad the SOCOs hadn’t finished yet. Gave his mind a chance to sharpen up a bit before he started chatting with Chris Saunders and viewing evidence. He paced around for a while, trying to avoid engaging in any conversation with anyone. Gradually the fog in his mind dissipated and, by the time the SOCOs wrapped it up, he was feeling almost sober.

  Chris spotted Marks and indicated with his head for the detective to come on over. A police constable held up the tape for him and Marks passed under it. He made his way over to the car and Chris Saunders. The body of a young woman lay on the ground beside the vehicle, her green eyes open and lifeless. Chris squatted down and gently closed the woman’s eyelids. Marks knelt down beside the body and Chris immediately pointed something out to him.

  “See here, David,” the SOCO said, pointing to the woman’s throat. “Those same puncture wounds that we found on the first victim.” He shook his head. “Only this time there are two sets. They really look like bite marks this time, too. If you look closely you can even see imprints of teeth from the lower jaw. Both bites are different, indicating they were inflicted by different perpetrators.”

  “Do they look human to you?” Marks quizzed while examining them closely.

  Chris nodded. “Kinda. Except I don’t know any human eye teeth that would be long enough to penetrate the flesh so deeply.” He shook his head again.

  Marks stood up abruptly and felt his head spin. “I want a rush put on the results of the swabs on those wounds.” He ran a hand over his bald scalp and sighed heavily. Gradually the blood filtered back into his brain.

  “You don’t look so good, Detective,” Chris noted. “You feeling alright?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve just had a rough couple of days.”

  “With the murder cases?”

  “No. Personal.”

  Chris smiled wryly and nodded as if he understood.

  “What?” Marks said.

  “It’s woman troubles, isn’t it. I know that look on a man’s face,” Chris assured him.

  Marks stroked his goatee before replying. “My wife and I are getting a divorce.”

  “But she’s the one who wants it. Right?”

  Marks nodded. “Something like that. Hell, I’ve known for a while that it hasn’t been good between us, but just hearing that she wants a divorce sounds so final.”

  “Divorce usually is, I’m afraid to say. Sorry to hear that, David. You’re a good man.”

  “And Linda’s a good woman. I’ll catch you later.”

  He turned and walked away. Once again the constable held the tape up for him so he could pass under without having to bend too much. He didn’t know if it was a mark of respect, or whether he was starting to look old.

  Tonight he felt old.

  * * *

  Michael was waiting for them when they returned to the barn. The moment they walked in the side door he stepped out from under the loft. Without a word he backhanded Paul across the face and sent him flying through the air. Paul crashed into a pile of hay and came up spluttering. Kelly wasn’t spared his wrath. Michael picked her up and threw her into a wall. The entire building shook from the impact.

  “How dare you defy me,” Michael said with menace. Paul and Kelly slowly, and rather unsteadily, got to their feet. “You’ve been out feeding, haven’t you?”

  “Only on kangaroos,” Paul lied.

  “Bullshit! I saw the police out at a crime scene not far from here. A young woman, reddish-brown car on Beaudesert Road. Sound familiar? That was you two.” He glared at each of them in turn and repeated, “How dare you defy me.”

  “We’re sorry,” Kelly said earnestly, scared to death of Michael.

  “Yeah, we’re sorry,” Paul offered, but didn’t sound anywhere near as convincing.

  “Was it just the one?” Michael kept Paul locked with his intense gaze.

  Paul nodded. “Yep. Just the girl.”

  “I can read minds, Paul, and you’re lying.”

  * * *

  Marks was halfway home when the report of another murder victim came over the police radio. He did a U-turn and sped back in the direction he’d just come from.

  He arrived on the scene twenty minut
es later. Two patrol cars were there already and as he came to a stop on the side of the road, other emergency vehicles, more police and the SOCOs started to arrive, fresh from the last crime scene. The small truck with the floodlights arrived and soon the entire area was illuminated with bright light.

  The victim was a male motorcycle rider. The bike lay on its side half buried in bushes. A helmet rested on the dirt just off the shoulder of the road. The dead man was prone at the edge of the forest.

  Before the SOCOs took over and booted everyone out of the cordoned off area, Marks managed to get a look at the dead man’s throat. He saw two distinct puncture wounds there before Chris Saunders gently nudged him aside.

  Marks remained at the scene until the SOCOs had finished their work. Meanwhile, he had officers combing the area and canvassing any nearby residences, probing for information and clues.

  Two murders in one night occurring within several kilometres of one another. What the hell was going on?

  * * *

  When Travis had finished going through the information Selena had wanted him to look over, he woke up slumbering Chelsea by lying on the bed beside her and taking her into his arms.

  Chelsea felt his cold lips touch hers. She was still half asleep and felt incredibly relaxed. She kissed him back, then opened her eyes. He smiled at her.

  “You finished?” she asked him.

  “Pretty much.”

  “Good. So now it’s me time.”

  “It sure is.”

  She glanced over at the window and saw that it was still dark outside. She asked, “What time is it?”

  “After two in the morning. Plenty of time yet before I have to close that blind.”

  “Good. Come closer,” she urged and their lips locked and eager tongues embraced.

  Chelsea felt herself getting aroused very quickly. Travis had that affect on her, despite his lack of physical warmth. It was such a strange and surreal experience being intimate with a man who wasn’t hot-blooded in the literal sense.