by David Paul
“Rawley,” The vampire said softly. David is right behind him. The murder suspect spins around surprised, but he is not scared.
“Can I help you?” The suspect asked. Rawley has the pistol pointed directly at David’s face. The vampire is as cool as a cucumber.
“That pistol is not going to do you any good.”
“What do you want from me, and why are you here?” Rawley asked. The snub-nosed .38 caliber revolver is still pointed at David.
Rawley cocks the hammer backwards.
“I need to speak to you,” the vampire said. Rawley is listening with his weapon readied. “May I come in?” David needs Rawley to openly give him passage into the home. “I do not want to have this conversation on your back porch.”
“Tell my why I would let a perfect stranger inside of my house?” Rawley asked bluntly.
“Because,” the vampire said, “the Coelho woman is dead, and you are the primary suspect in a satanically motivated, murder mystery.” The suspect’s hardened stare doesn’t budge. “The cops are down the street sitting in an unmarked car watching you as we speak.”
Even with Xavier pointing a gun at him, David doesn’t even sense the slightest bit of evil in Xavier’s heart, which is boggling to him. Although it seems that Rawley has no idea that David is a vampire, the cross around his neck is annoying David. Rawley must have complete faith in the symbol, which makes the cross very effective. To David, the cross is almost blinding, and it might be the reason why he is unable to charm Rawley. On the other hand, Rawley could also have an abnormally strong will. It has been many centuries since the last time David was totally unable to charm someone. He took it as a welcomed, but unexpected challenge.
“That has nothing to do with me,” Rawley said. He lowers his weapon. David still cannot charm Rawley, but he does know that Rawley is telling the truth. The vampire just knows.
“They know that you bought all of the demonroot,” the vampire said. “Her autopsy showed traces of it in her bloodstream. That puts you in the wrong place at the wrong time.” David makes a valid point.
“And what makes you so concerned about this?” Rawley asked. The vampire notices that Rawley’s heart rate increases. Rawley is getting riled up. “Are you a cop too? What are you?” The human asked.
“You wouldn’t believe what I am.”
“Try me, buddy!” Rawley said. The gun is still in his hand. “I’m not easily frightened.”
“I don’t want to start a pissing match between us,” David said. There is a bit of tension as no one wants to back down. David senses something about Rawley that he had encountered somewhere in the past, but cannot immediately place what it is yet. “I am not a cop.” The glare off of Rawley’s cross makes David turn away. “I’m looking for the person who committed the Coelho murder, and since you are a suspect, I had to look you up.”
“What I don’t understand is if you are not a cop, then why do you care?”
“I care about the evil in the world,” the vampire said. David turns back toward Rawley. “When I do find out whom it is, that person will pay with their life.” David revealed his true motive. Rawley is amazed by David’s honesty, and somehow, that comforted him.
“Come inside, mystery man,” he said.
Rawley seemed to lighten up.
“My name is David.” The vampire shakes his hand. Rawley gives a firm handshake, the sign of an honorable man. Rawley is surprised by the vampire’s cold grip.
He brings David over to the living room, and they both sit down. The furnishings are very modern and expensive, but delightfully tasteful as is the rest of the house that David saw while walking in. The decor of the house immediately made the vampire feel like he was in a high-priced New York City apartment. Rawley is obviously very wealthy himself. He pours the two of them a drink. Xavier poured Scotch for himself. Ironically, he served blood red wine for David.
Xavier has a smug look of confidence on his face. “So why did I just invite a vampire into my house?” The human asked.
Rawley knows that he is correct.
“What makes you think that I’m a vampire?” David is smiling and waiting for Xavier to explain himself.
“It wasn’t immediately obvious at first,” Xavier said, “but most people jump a mile when a .38 is in their face.” The vampire nods. “I saw that you were having difficulty looking at my cross, and I sensed evil in your presence.” Rawley is three for three. “Not too many people can sneak up on me and actually get behind my back unnoticed.” Xavier is counting out his observations on his fingers. “You have intensity in your eyes that most humans only have if they are jacked out of their mind on steroids…or if they are a vampire.”
The vampire gives Xavier a short round of applause. David sips his wine.
“Very well done,” David said.
“Why would you be interested in stopping a satanic ritual then?” Xavier asked. That defied all supernatural logic. “Wouldn’t that be a fun night out for a vampire?”
“Xavier, you are correct.” David isn’t going to deny the obvious. “I am a beast of the night,” he said, “but my loyalties are not to Satan or any of his followers. I rid the world of his filth.”
“Well that’s a first.” Xavier chuckled and sipped his drink. “Every vampire that I have encountered has been as evil as they come,” Xavier said. Xavier has a raised eyebrow. “Then again, a wooden stake through their black heart makes them behave rather nicely.”
“You’ve done that before?” David asked.
“You bet your ass that I’ve done it before.”
Xavier looks dead serious and covers up the cross on his neck to make his guest more comfortable. David notices the silver bullets in the revolver resting on the coffee table within reach. The bullets wouldn’t be effective against the vampire unless they were blessed. The vampire also finds it odd that a human is perfectly calm and unafraid of him being in his house. Xavier is not some normal nine-to-five type of guy, and he is making it obvious. Xavier intrigues David because he is so different than the usual humans that he comes in contact with.
“You know what I am, so what are you?” The vampire asked. “You don’t seem like a regular stockbroker, and you’ve got balls of steel.”
“I am a Knight of the White Light,” Xavier said.
Simultaneously, a light bulb and a bell go off in David’s mind as he realizes what Xavier is and the group that he belongs to. He hadn’t heard that name spoken in many centuries. The organization is a radical group that exterminates beings that serve evil. Their mission is to help keep the balance of good and evil by disposing of evil. There hasn’t been too much work for them as of late. With numbers of vampires and werewolves dramatically down since the olden times, they have had a lack of work in that department.
They were fearless warriors that had the blessing of the Pope and the Vatican. Only a man of the purest heart and born of the finest stock could be a Knight of the White Light. A candidate would have to possess extraordinary physical prowess as well as a gifted mind. There is no application process because the Knights recruit their own for the cause. They ask you. Everyone in their organization is as tough as nails, both mentally and physically.
Some say that they wield additional power given to them straight from the Vatican. If the Vatican were the United States government, the Knights would be the equivalent of the CIA’s Black Ops. With all of the millions of dollars that the Vatican has, a small portion funds the Knights. The Knights are not a well-known organization. They are more like a secret society than a club.
The Vatican would never admit to the public about knowing that vampires and such exist, and they’ll do anything to keep that knowledge from the public. Ironically, people would probably be better Catholics if they were aware of this kind of evil existing on Earth because it would give them more of a need for God. It was such hypocrisy. The church taught the truth by hiding the truth. They weren’t ready for the re-write of the Bible that included knowledge of the supe
rnatural creatures that haunted the night. Somehow, vampires didn’t fit into the Bible with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the rest of the cast.
In this day and age, the majority of people wait for an awful experience to happen to them before they turn to God. Very few are strictly believers based on faith. The rest are the hypocrites. The hypocrites wear a mask of righteousness in public to hide their wickedness in private. Everyone wears a mask, including the vampire. During the Crusades, the Knights were at the forefront ridding the world of evil, so that the Church could convert the rest to Catholicism. David didn’t realize that they still operated in modern society.
“I didn’t know that the Knights still existed,” David said.
“We have been here all along protecting the world.”
“Most of the creatures of the night are already destroyed,” David said.
“They are still out there and in greater numbers than usual,” Xavier said.
“The Battle of the Apocalypse is around the corner, and I think that the Devil is creating a new army in preparation.” Xavier points to a stack of news clippings beside his couch. “If you look at all of the newspapers, there has been an uprising of cult activity, missing persons, and unsolved murders. Behind the scenes there has been more activity with the undead. I think that they have an Elder vampire out there turning innocents. The time is upon us, and I will do my duty.”
Xavier drinks more of his Scotch.
“So why did you buy the demonroot then?” The vampire asked.
“To keep it out of the hands of those who will use it for what it is meant for,” Xavier said. He is speaking the truth. David was very wrong about Xavier Rawley. “I paid Axel at The Black Talon a hefty sum of money to alert me every time someone goes in there looking for demonroot or any other ingredients used for black magic. He has an excellent video system in there that is perfect to get visuals on the buyers, and Axel will also provide me with names off of credit cards if possible.”
“He gave you up rather quickly when the police spoke to him,” the vampire said.
“I don’t blame him for that,” Xavier said. “I doubt he wants to get charged with aiding a murder suspect.”
“I understand,” David said.
“He’s already sent me three names that I was going to investigate, so he’s still on-board.”
“Is it against your policy to work with a vampire?” David asked politely. David invites Xavier into a mutually lucrative partnership. “I’ve spent my life ridding the world of evil and would like to continue on with my quest.”
“I don’t know if I can trust a vampire.” Partnering up with a vampire was a gray area in Rawley’s handbook. It wasn’t his usual arrangement. He didn’t make friends with vampires. He killed them.
“Then why did you invite me in your home?” David asked.
“I planned on killing you.” Xavier laughed, but he was totally serious.
Rawley was trained in a soldier-like fashion. He was subjected to some of the most physical and mental extremes that a human can endure. Some Navy Seals who were invited to be Knights have failed to pass the rigorous training. The mental aspect of the training is even more challenging than the physical tests, which are absolutely grueling. The mental training consists of torture, resistance to mind attacks, and so much more. Some candidates have had nervous breakdowns, and others have gone completely insane. Others have died right in the middle of training.
On the other hand, David is an ancient master vampire from the most powerful bloodline in vampire history, and he is not easily disposed of either. The Knights of the White Light are as tough as they come, and they are very resilient, but Xavier could only kill David if he was extremely lucky. It would take the entire team of Knights to take out David, if they were lucky. David ranks amongst the most powerful of his kind.
In ancient times, the preferred weapon of the Knights was a crossbow with blessed bolts. One shot through the heart would be a lethal shot for an undead. The hard part was hitting the vampire because they have superhuman reflexes, and they have a wicked sixth sense about them. It wasn’t uncommon for a vampire to literally catch an arrow or crossbow bolt right out of the air to avoid a deadly strike.
David is not sure what the Knights use in the present day. He suspects blessed bullets, but he still isn’t worried about his safety. David would welcome death with open arms if he could be free of the curse. Xavier knows that David is a vampire, but he is completely unaware of the extent of his powers. Nevertheless, David admires Xavier’s fearlessness, and that makes him respect Xavier. Xavier reminds David of himself when he attempted to fight Regina in the Black Forest.
“That’s funny,” The vampire said, “because I planned on doing the same to you if you were involved in that murder.”
David laughed along with Xavier.
“Look, I’m not going to play around with you, Xavier. I have to feed, and I refuse to feed on innocent blood. I lived a righteous life before I was kidnapped by an elder vampire and turned into the monster that you see before you. I’ve spent the rest of my existence trying to redeem myself for what I have become.”
Something feels right to Xavier. Something is prodding him to accept the vampire’s offer. The worst-case scenario in Rawley’s head is that he would destroy the bloodsucker. It was a win-win.
“As long as our interests do not conflict, then we can be allies,” Xavier said.
“When the end of the world as we know it comes, I’ll be on the right side, even if it costs me my soul,” David swore to Xavier.
Somehow, Xavier truly believes what David has said to him. He can sense his honesty and almost a faint aura of goodness wrapped around a black lifeless heart. Xavier has dealt with a decent amount of vampires in his past, and he never met one like David. Every other creature of the night spoke in lies and gave off an eerie vibe that words cannot completely describe. It was almost like a putrid sickness that could be seen and felt by Xavier.
The unsuspecting ordinary human would be enthralled with the vampire’s outward appearance, but someone like Xavier sees the vampire’s true self. David didn’t give off this vibe, and that was very strange to Xavier. This is a good alliance for David because it will give him more access to information. The Knights have been around for centuries as well, and they have a vast network. David has been on his own for centuries, occasionally getting help from prophets and such.
David hasn’t killed a vampire or werewolf in years, and it will be nice to find out what’s left out there. Xavier and David have a great deal in common in regards to the way they think, they way the act, and what they believe in. Their main difference is that David is not a human anymore. Besides that, they could have been comrades fighting for the same cause, and there is a mutual understanding about that fact between them.
“I’ll help you get more information on your leads. Give me someone to investigate.”
“I’ll let you start off with Gregory Bates,” Xavier said. “He’s got priors for cruelty to animals, some minor drug charges, and a domestic violence charge that he served time for. Bates is affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood and is covered in tattoos everywhere but his face. His last known address is on this card.” Xavier hands David a photo and an index card filled with information on Bates.
Apparently, Bates had purchased demonroot several times before Xavier bought all of it. Bates also purchased black widow venom in powdered form. Both are staples in black magic and demonology. David gets a weird vibe from Bates’ photo. He can practically sense the evil through the photo.
“I’ll take care of this one,” the vampire said. “He won’t live to see another day if he has anything to do with the Coelho murder.”
“That is fine by me, David.” The two exchange mobile phone numbers and shake hands like men of character. An unlikely alliance between a vampire and a vampire hunter has formed. “We must stop evil at all costs,” Xavier said. He paused. “The wicked will fall at the hands of the righteous. Keep me in the l
oop, and let me know what you find.”
“Thanks for the drink, Rawley.”
David stands up to be escorted from the house.
“My pleasure,” Xavier said. Xavier smiles optimistically. “Thanks for seeking me out. I have a good feeling that we will be able to do some damage together.”
“Be careful operating because all eyes are on you,” David said.
Rawley opens the back door, and David disappears into a mist. He floats away unnoticed. Rawley stands there and watches the unholy phenomenon transpire in wonderment.
Chapter Ten: The Hunt Is On
David races back to his Mercedes to see Fiona sitting there very bored. David jumps into the car, and Fiona instantly berates him.
“Where have you been?” Fiona asked. She had concern in her voice. “I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry,” David said. “Xavier Rawley isn’t the killer. In fact, he is someone that we can trust. Rawley gave me someone to check out.” Fiona is surprised. “Would you like to come with me?” The vampire asked.
“I guess.” She sighs.
“What’s wrong, my love?” David asked.
“This is actually kind of boring.”
“Try doing this for hundreds of years,” David said.
“Well, I’d rather come with you than be sitting at home, so let’s go,” Fiona said. She hopes for some excitement.
Gregory Bates’ last known address after prison is in a very dumpy area of the city. Abandoned buildings serve as makeshift apartments that shelter the homeless and those that do not want to be found. The police rarely frequent these areas because they honestly do not care about what goes on inside the buildings. Crack pipes and needles litter the ground, and it’s a notorious haven for dealers and junkies alike. No policeman wants to risk his life by getting stabbed with an AIDS infected needle to save a lost soul. Such apathy is found even in modern times.