Nocturnal

by David Paul

  They arrive at the movie theater.

  “Sleep tight, babe,” he said. Fiona gets cozy on the leather seat. She reclines the seat way back and relaxes. Fiona has had a long night, and she needs a break. It has been an emotional roller coaster for her. “I’ll be back, soon.”

  David leaves to see Rawley. The rain has stopped, but a cool fog lingers on the surface of the streets. After a brief flight, the vampire is there. The unmarked police cruiser is still parked a ways down the street. Rawley is waiting on his back porch with a gun in his waistband as David appears out of nowhere.

  Rawley wastes no time, and he lead the vampire inside the house.

  “So what happened?” Xavier asked.

  “He wasn’t our guy, Xavier.” David lights a cigarette inside of the house. Rawley is not much of a smoker, but he doesn’t complain. Rawley provides an ashtray for the vampire. “He used the demonroot to rape women. He was a sexual deviant and not a devil worshiper.”

  “Did you take him out?” Xavier asked.

  “He is no longer a danger to the world,” David said. The vampire smiled a bit. “I smashed his face in and drank his blood dry.”

  “So much for Bates,” Rawley said.

  “Do you not approve of my actions?” The vampire asked. David was worried that Xavier would be against his actions. After seeing Rawley’s nonchalant reaction, he realized that Xavier is an uncompromising man whose focus is on the big picture. In the grand scheme of things, Bates is one less wart off of the ass of society. When the balance of good and evil is at stake, then one soul could make the difference between victory and defeat. Rawley scored that as one more point for the righteous.

  Even though The Knights of the White Light are holy men with a holy cause, they have to be in the trenches working beside the Devil. They are not just priests with guns and military training. The Knights are warriors devoted to preserving the good of mankind. It is almost a selfless job because the majority of the world is unaware of their existence. They kill people and creatures regularly without remorse. They have been given the license to do so by God himself. Even God himself has had to use his might at times. The Lord guides their hands.

  “Honestly, I do not disapprove,” Xavier said. “I was just hoping that the lead would have panned out for us.”

  “Who else do you have then?”

  “I got two names left,” Xavier said, “and I’ll split them with you.” Rawley has two index cards in his hand. “So, who do you want?” Xavier asked. “Pick one, Benny Grabowski or Dr. James Carver. Grabowski is a motorcycle mechanic extraordinaire, and Carver is a renowned psychotherapist.”

  “I’ll take the doctor.” David goes through the doctor’s information on the index card. David didn’t think that a motorcycle mechanic would be the mastermind behind a demonic cult. Perhaps, the mechanic could be muscle, but not the brains, and that’s why he chose the doctor.

  “Keep me filled in,” Xavier said. Xavier hands him a picture, a business card, and a synopsis of his entire work history, including books that the doctor has written and published.

  “Let me leave you, Xavier.” The vampire thanks him non-verbally. “I’ll be in touch with you.” The vampire is almost out of the back door. “Don’t be too bashful to call me if you have new information,” David said. Xavier simply nods in agreement as David walks out the back door. The vampire vanishes into a mist.

  David is contemplating the best course of action for handling Dr. Carver. A part of him wants to go directly to his residence to invade his mind. Another part of David wants to observe the doctor in his natural work habitat.

  He gets back to his car to find Fiona playing with the Facebook application on her cell phone. David secretly laughs inside because he does not understand the need for such nonsense as Facebook. He has evolved over the years from ancient technology to that of today, but certain things he finds foolish.

  Ironically, he has an obsession with high-end German cars and vampire movies, which he finds both fascinating and exciting. David loves to watch how his kind is portrayed in books, movies, and popular culture. He laughs at the realism of the movies. His favorite vampire movie is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which he finds somewhat realistic with several critical exceptions. Dracula was not the first vampire, and that fact was completely misrepresented in the film.

  “Have you had enough for one night, babe?” David asked.

  “I’m pretty tired.” Fiona grabs his arm and cuddles up next to him.

  “Let’s venture home,” the vampire said. He throws the car in drive and heads out of the parking lot. “I have a new lead to follow up on, and I need the computer to obtain more information on our subject.”

  “Is this guy like the last one?” She asked.

  “What do you mean by that, Fiona?”

  “Is he a lowlife delinquent?” Fiona asked.

  “He is actually a well known psychotherapist with an impeccable reputation.” David explained his findings to her. He hands Fiona Rawley’s makeshift dossier of Dr. Carver.

  “That almost doesn’t make any sense, babe,” she said.

  “I know, but stranger things have happened.” David agreed with her somewhat. “The other lead that Xavier is following up on is a motorcycle mechanic,” the vampire said, “and that seems like a stretch as well.”

  “What are you expecting to find?” She asked.

  “Honestly?” The vampire asked. “I’m looking for an entire satanic cult that I can dismantle. I can’t let evil get the upper hand. Many years ago, there was a prophecy about an epic battle between good and evil, and I touched upon this with you. What I left out is that it is supposed to happen roughly two years from now.”

  “All that stuff you told me about is supposed to happen in roughly two years?” She asked. Fiona pouts. She has learned too much tonight. It is overwhelming to her. “That’s just great.”

  “If it gives you any comfort,” the vampire said, “I’m trying to help the side of the righteous win over the wicked.”

  “Yeah, but what happens if evil wins?” Fiona asked.

  “Life as we know it will cease, and anything and everything that you have ever been afraid of in your nightmares will become your reality.” The vampire didn’t sugarcoat the facts. “Your choice will be to bow down to Lucifer or receive a torturous miserable fate similar to hell on Earth as his slave.” “That sounds great,” she said, “real nice.” Fiona sounds sarcastic, and she has a true look of worry on her face. David doesn’t respond to her sarcasm.

  David never told Fiona the complete story of the prophecy because it is a prediction and not a solid guarantee. No one knows if the end of the world is really going to happen in two years. Even Nostradamus had predictions about the end of the world. The Mayan calendar ends in 2012. A lot of theories point to this date, and no one will know the complete truth until that day comes.

  Maybe, it will be like the Y2K scare. Everyone thought that there would be such a disastrous outcome, and the only disaster was to corporations that had to hire programmers to upgrade their computer systems. David is concerned about the prophecy because he has seen certain parts of it come true first-hand. He has no real fears for his own well-being, and his only true fear is for the safety of the woman he loves.

  David has a twisted soul. The love that he has for Fiona is so great that it keeps him grounded and helps him retain his humanity, but his hatred for his affliction has a large part of him waiting for an end to his existence. The number of lives that he has taken as a vampire almost rivals that of a world war. Death and pain have ruled the majority of his time on Earth, and he wants it to end. Peace of mind is a treasured, yet unobtainable commodity that David has yet to procure, despite his great wealth. Ironically, in either the realm of the vampire or the world of a human, money cannot buy happiness.

  His existence proves this old adage to be a truism.

  “I’d like to enjoy some wine on the balcony before sunrise,” the vampire said.

  “Ba
be,” she said, “I’ll stay with you until I fall asleep. I’m running out of steam fast.”

  “Thank you, dear. I’ll use the laptop outside, and we’ll enjoy a fine offering from my best collection as we do some research.” The two ride in a comfortable silence until they arrive at the house several minutes later. Fiona has a lot on her mind.

  Detective Detangelo is waiting for David at the iron security gates of the mansion, and he is preventing David’s entrance onto his own property. The unmarked car is parked completely parallel to the security gates. David beeps his car horn loudly at the cop.

  “David, we need to talk,” the cop said. The detective is half-blinded from David’s headlights.

  “My favorite detective is here.”

  “Cut the bullshit, Marciano,” the detective warned David. “This isn’t a joke.”

  “Can I at least get into my own house?” The vampire asked. The detective has no patience. Detangelo moves the police cruiser quickly, with a slight tire spin, and this allows David access to the property. The cop seems overanxious. David waits for the garage door to open.

  “We drove around all night and had dinner in East Greenwich,” the vampire said to Fiona. David quickly corroborated his lies with Fiona as he pulls into his garage. “You had lobster, and I had steak. We didn’t have reservations at the Grill on Main, instead, we just walked in.” The two of them get out of the car, and the detective looks them up and down. “This is Fiona, detective.”

  Detangelo looks at Fiona and blushes like a child because of her stunning beauty.

  “Nice to meet you, Fiona,” the cop said. The detective is still blushing. Her weird effect on men is comical to the vampire.

  “Same here, officer,” Fiona said in an innocent voice. Realistically, Fiona is an accomplice to the murders of at least three people tonight. Even though David did a convincing job of stating his case to her, she knows that she witnessed murder this evening. She is still a bit shaken up. Having a police detective in her driveway is not helping her nerves.

  “Detective,” the vampire said, “come on inside.” David guides the detective inside the house and dismisses Fiona. “Fiona, I’ll be upstairs in a while.” The two men head into the library once again for another talk. The detective sits down in the same chair that he sat in last time he was inside David’s house.

  “That’s quite a lady you have there, David.”

  “She is something else, detective.” The vampire makes a bold understatement. “What can I do for you now?” David asked.

  “Where were you tonight, David?”

  “With all due respect, detective, it is none of your goddamn business where I have been tonight.”

  “If you have nothing to hide, then why would you drive over a hundred and thirty miles an hour to avoid my surveillance team?” Detangelo asked.

  “Because,” David said, “there shouldn’t be a team on me in the first place.” David pours the detective an aged Irish whiskey without asking him if he wants one. The detective accepts the beverage without a fuss. “Besides, I like to drive fast.”

  “Look,” the cop said, “I have a satanic murderer on the loose and no more leads.” Detangelo takes a healthy swig from the glass. “I got a murdered lowlife found on a toilet with a bashed in face and missing all of his blood. I got two known drug dealers dead in the projects.” He takes another sip. “All this in one night, and it all happened after my tail lost you,” the cop said. He looks at David strangely. “I got witnesses in the projects telling me the killer was driving a black Mercedes.”

  “Am I the only man in the state driving a black Mercedes?” The vampire asked. David pleaded his case. “I mean, you are really grasping at straws over here.”

  “I got a witness that gave me your description,” the cop said. Detangelo reveals more of what happened. “Those guys don’t talk in the projects. They must have been really shaken up for any of them to talk. They said the killer was as fast as lightning, and he killed Paco “Mad Dog” Ramos with a backhand across his face.”

  “Detective, I am a business man.” David tries to discredit the detective. “I’m not some kind of superhuman, ninja killing machine.”

  “Where were you, David?”

  “I had dinner at the Grille on Main,” the vampire recalled, “then we took a quick ride to the beach and came back home. It was just your average date night, detective.”

  The sly vampire lied through his teeth.

  “Something tells me that you are lying.”

  “What do I have to lie about?” The vampire asked. David notices a fleck of blood on his sleeve and immediately rolls up his sleeve. “You should be looking for a group of people performing the rituals.”

  “What makes you say that?” The cop asked.

  “C’mon, Detective,” David said. The vampire is very confident. “Have you ever dealt with a demonic cult before?” David asked. “It’s never one person that does the killing. An entire network of worshipers is behind those types of cases. Only voodoo sacrifices are done for the benefit of one individual, and even then, there is usually a group of followers. You need to broaden your search.” The detective is secretly astonished by David’s intelligence and insight.

  “You should have been the detective then,” the cop said, “because you got all the answers.” Detangelo tried to hide his slight admiration with sarcasm.

  “Jack,” the vampire said, “it’s not rocket science.” The detective drinks his whiskey until the glass is empty, and David pours him another. “You just have to know what you are actually dealing with. You are not dealing with some wild flake running about the city picking targets at random. You are dealing with a methodical killer who is selecting prey in discriminatory fashion and performing rituals with robotic precision, prior thought, and planning. This individual has the support of an evil network that will kill or be killed to support the cause.”

  “How do they recruit for such a thing?” The cop asked.

  The detective is starting to realize that David could be a huge help to him.

  “They prey on individuals with weak minds and insecurities. They somehow know how to find the easily influenced and the forgotten souls. Promises of wealth, acceptance, and cosmic power are enticing rewards for some.”

  “I understand that part of it, but how do you introduce that insanity to someone?” the cop asked. Detangelo pondered the notion. “It is not like you can walk up to someone on the street and invite them into a satanic cult.”

  “They lure people in with sex and drugs or empty promises, propaganda, and brainwashing,” David said. “The delusional people buy into it.”

  This isn’t the first time that David has dealt with devil worshipers. Throughout his time on Earth he has been summoned to appear before many a foolish mortal wishing to bring death upon his or her self. David never could understand how someone would purposely give away his or her soul. In his case, he loathes every minute of it. Not everyone started off with David’s character and integrity, and maybe that is the difference. Perhaps, that is what makes him so unique of a creature.

  In a sense, the masses sell their souls for much less like material goods and wealth. Is the wealthy businessman who neglects his wife and children to pursue his greed any better? Is the prostitute who spreads her legs for money any better? The seeds of evil manifest themselves deep inside the souls of many men and women and flourish when nurtured. This is the classic battle between God and Lucifer. The Devil plants the seeds to taint the good nature of man, and God beckons man for the seeds not to be watered. Our free will alone determines a bountiful unholy harvest or a righteous famine.

  David has seen the manipulations and brainwashing before. He has seen normal humans possessed with vile and vindictive spirits. It is all real. The documentaries that we all see on late night cable TV are mostly true. It is not television sensationalism. Lucifer loves that his work is broadcast on television for the masses to see his power and to fear him. The beast thrives on fear.
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  All of his followers are greedy and self-centered, and they motivate the weak-minded by tapping into their fear and using that to mislead them. What David knows, and the detective didn’t know is that a war is going on right now. The people of the present world are so disillusioned and fear-stricken that they can be easily misled. Politicians have wronged them and spread lies for personal gain. Clergymen have taken advantage of the children for their own sick desires.

  All the great heroes have passed on, and their legacies have faded. They have nowhere else to turn for guidance, and they look into themselves instead of looking into the heavens. The only thing left is personal satisfaction. There is no tangible earthly gain for being a decent person. If one is lucky, they’ll receive a plaque for their efforts or an exquisite eulogy at their funeral. Where’s the payoff on Earth? For many, salvation is always promised in the afterlife, but never in their mortal life. Lucifer plays upon that. Those black seeds have grown inside many hearts, and it has led them to seek their worldly desires in lieu of saving their own souls. Once an individual forgets why they are on this mortal journey, then they can easily be led into temptation.

  David is actually toying with the idea of leveling with Detangelo and working with him, instead of against him. The only thing stopping him is the truth. Justifying three murders in one night is a hard sell to a seasoned lifelong policeman. Even at that, David is seriously considering dropping truth on the old cop, just to see what might happen. The silly torments of a vampire shine through. David knows that he can scramble Detangelo’s brain afterward so the thought is even more enticing. As much as these makeshift interrogations annoy David, he’s actually enjoying the conversation. It amuses him. He has seen the world’s darkest moments and knows of the possible end of reality as we know it.