Darkness Reigns (Darkness Trilogy)

by L. M. Justus

  A weird sensation of bubbles rushing through my bloodstream overcame me. My vision went red and a wave of fury washed over me. Why couldn’t I have five minutes of peace?

  I lost it. I didn’t even try to hide my inner monster. I grabbed his wrist in an iron grip and the knife fell to the ground. In one swift movement, his neck was exposed and I bit down hard. The guy screamed and his friends freaked out and took off. I didn’t take much blood before shoving him to the ground. He clasped a hand to his neck and scrambled backward away from me. He scrambled to his feet, slipping in the snow, desperate to escape. The predator in me wanted to give chase, but I managed to stop and let him go.

  I licked some of the blood from my lips while drowsiness crept in. Even though I hadn’t taken a lot of blood, I realized I was still going to lose consciousness. I didn’t have time to think about anything else before I died.

  “Reed,” a voice said, calling me back into consciousness. “Reed, wake up.”

  Sarah’s scent filled my nose before her hand slapped against my cheek.

  My eyes blinked open. I sat up and bits of snow fell out of my hair and off my face.

  “Are you okay? What happened?” Sarah said. She held out her hand and I grabbed it and held on while she pulled me up.

  “How did you find me?” I asked.

  She glanced at the spots of blood on the ground; the red stood out in stark contrast to the pure white of the snow.

  “After you left, we went out for breakfast. When I finished eating, I went back to the motel,” she said. “My sister and Trudy wanted to hang out longer at the restaurant, but I was concerned about you. I got worried when you still weren’t back, so I came looking for you. The motel is less than a block away from here, so you weren’t hard to find.”

  “I bit someone,” I said.

  She pursed her lips and nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. Your mouth is . . . bloody.”

  I wiped the corner of my mouth and my fingers came away with undeniable evidence. “Goddamn it. Why did I do that? I wasn’t even hungry, just . . . angry. How could I be so stupid?”

  “Where is the person you attacked?” Sarah’s no-nonsense, cop persona kicked in.

  “He and his buddies took off.”

  “Probably to find help,” she pointed out. “We’d better get out of here, pronto.”

  She turned to exit the alleyway. “Wait,” I said. “If they get the cops, they’ll be able to follow our footprints back to the motel room.”

  Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but I interrupted her by scooping her off her feet. She let out a squeak of surprise as I jumped onto the roof of the building. I set her down and she quickly gained her bearings. We held hands as we walked across the snow-covered rooftop. We continued across the tops of four more single-story buildings until we reached the motel’s parking lot.

  When we got to our room, we walked in without knocking. The curtains were drawn to block out the light, and blankets were draped over them as an extra layer of protection. Trudy and Sophie were nowhere to be seen, but Nathaniel and Marcel sat at the very back of the room.

  Sarah and I quickly closed the door. Marcel’s eyebrows rose in question, but he didn’t say anything.

  Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed. “Dare I ask?” he said.

  “Um . . .” I said. I really didn’t feel like explaining myself.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Sarah said, pulling me toward the bathroom.

  “You fed from someone,” Nathaniel said. It wasn’t a question.

  I stared at the floor. The blood around my mouth was starting to dry and I could feel it pulling my skin as it caked and then cracked.

  “You are unable to erase memories,” Nathaniel continued in disbelief. “And that sketch of your face is all over the news.”

  “I know. I screwed up. I’m not having a very good day,” I said, my voice cracking.

  “Nathaniel,” Sarah said with pleading eyes.

  He seemed to get the message because he didn’t say anything else as Sarah steered me into the bathroom. I leaned against the counter, facing away from the sink and mirror, while Sarah closed the door and locked it.

  She took a white facecloth from the neatly folded pile next to the bathtub. Letting the water in the sink run until it was hot, she soaked the washcloth and rubbed in some soap. She raised the cloth to the corner of my mouth and was about to start cleaning, but I placed my hand over hers to stop her.

  “Here, I can do it myself,” I said.

  She swallowed and then lowered her hand. I turned to look at myself in the mirror and my mouth fell open when I saw the image staring back. It was the monster I’d feared seeing back when I’d first been turned. The haunted eyes, face smeared with blood.

  I shifted around to face Sarah again. “What’s wrong with me?” I whispered. “I feel like I’m losing my mind. One minute I’m bursting with anger, the next I’m happy, and then I’m mad all over again.”

  Sarah started wiping off the blood and I didn’t stop her. I could have done it myself, but that wasn’t the point. When she was done, she rinsed the cloth, wrung it to dry, and laid it out against the sink’s edge.

  She combed her fingers through my hair and drew her hand down to cup my cheek. Her thumb traced a gentle line along my jaw, and then she leaned in to place a soft kiss against my lips.

  When she pulled back, she tilted her head, her eyes searching mine. Was she probing my thoughts?

  “There’s nothing wrong with you, Reed,” she said. “You’re stressed out–we all are–but you especially. You lost everything. Your family, your home, your normal life, and you haven’t had time to grieve properly. All that pent up emotion is bubbling to the surface.”

  I glanced at the door, knowing Marcel and Nathaniel could hear every word we said. My face grew hot; I didn’t want to fall apart in front of everyone, but I could feel the wall around my heart starting to crumble.

  “Nathaniel’s upset with me, and with good reason,” I said.

  “Only because he cares about you,” she said.

  I gave her a look that said I wasn’t convinced.

  She chewed her lip and then continued. “Think about a kid running into the street chasing a soccer ball. The parent yells at them because they care about their child–the thought that their kid could have been run over scares them. If they didn’t care, they’d shrug and say, ‘Whatever.’ Right?”

  “Right.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I managed to choke out.

  Sarah waited silently.

  I blinked and a tear escaped and rolled down my face. “No, I’m not.”

  She wrapped her arms around me and I rested my head against her shoulder. And I cried. She held me as I let the flood of tears out, the dreadful weight I’d carried for weeks free at last. I had a feeling I’d shed the last bits of my youth and innocence for good. I needed to deal with the shadows of my past so I’d be ready to face the future and conquer the reigning darkness.

  Nathaniel

  Trudy and Sophie had returned from their breakfast a quarter of an hour earlier, and everyone had remained mostly silent in their shared room since then. Marcel and Nathaniel whispered to the women to make them aware of the situation with Reed and Sarah. They had not meant to pry, but they heard their entire exchange through the thin bathroom door. It was an awkward thing, to be privy to such a personal expression of woe, but Reed’s emotional breakdown was neither unexpected nor unnecessary. If the boy failed to manage his suppressed anger and grief, his behavior would grow increasingly unpredictable and volatile.

  A sharp rap on the motel room caught Nathaniel’s attention.

  “I’ll get it,” Trudy said.

  She opened the door a crack and peeked out. A man’s voice filtered to the back of the room where Nathaniel and Marcel waited, safe from the sun’s rays that leaked in.

  It was a police officer–no, two officers–a male and a female. They asked whether Trudy had seen certain pe
rsons of interest. When they repeated their enquiry in English, Trudy stepped back to allow them into the room.

  “My husband has a severe migraine, officers,” she said. “We’d be happy to answer your questions, but would you mind coming in and closing the door? The bright sun makes his headaches much worse. And I’d appreciate it if we could get this over with in a hurry to let my husband rest.”

  Impressed with Trudy’s quick thinking, Nathaniel watched as the two officers entered the room and shut the door. They glanced at Sophie, who stood off to the side and gave them a small wave. Sarah and Reed were out of sight in the washroom.

  The officer that had spoken held out a couple of photographs. The female officer surveyed the room with a wary eye.

  “Do you recognize either of these people?” the policeman asked.

  Trudy glanced at the pictures without taking them. “I haven’t seen them, no.”

  The police officers studied Trudy’s face carefully. It seemed obvious to Nathaniel that Trudy was lying but, unlike the humans, he could detect her increased heart rate and smell her apprehension.

  The man said, “Have you been watching the news? These two are wanted in relation to the disaster in New York, and there was a reported sighting of one of them in this area. They should be considered dangerous, so if you have any information at all . . .”

  The photos were almost certainly of Reed and Nathaniel, and the officers were possibly seconds away from recognizing him sitting in the darkness at the back of the room. He needed to take control before things continued any further.

  He turned to Marcel beside him and whispered, “I will take the one on the left.”

  Marcel nodded. “I understand.”

  They did not waste a moment. Darting forward, they placed themselves in front of the two officers and captured their gazes. The act of mesmerizing humans was so commonplace, they instantly had the police officers under their spell.

  “You questioned this woman,” Nathaniel began, “and she replied that she had not seen these people. You felt confident she spoke the truth.”

  Nathaniel glanced at the photographs before continuing. “When you saw my face, it looked completely different from the man in this photograph. You are satisfied there is nothing more to ask us and you must be on your way.”

  Nathaniel and Marcel retreated to the shadows while the officers blinked, trying to clear their minds.

  “I think we’re done here,” the male officer said, scratching his head. “We must be on our way.”

  They opened the door and left.

  The vampires sighed with relief and relaxed into the couch. Trudy and Sophie each chose a bed and sat down.

  “That was too close,” Sophie said.

  “Indeed,” Nathaniel agreed. “The authorities are progressing more quickly than I had predicted.”

  The bathroom door swung open, and Sarah emerged, followed closely by Reed. Both looked terribly somber, eyes red and shoulders slumped. Nathaniel needed to give Reed a respite from lectures and he hoped Sophie had the decency not to goad the boy any further. For whatever reason, Sophie and Reed had clashed from the moment they’d met, and there did not appear to be any signs of improvement.

  Reed stopped in front of the dresser at the side of the room, and picked up his samurai sword in its sheath. He paused, sighing, and then turned to walk over to Sophie.

  “I owe you an apology,” he addressed her quietly. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a jerk. I’m stressed out, but that’s no excuse for me to take it out on you. I know you’re under a lot of pressure and way outside of your comfort zone too.”

  Everyone held their breath, waiting for a snarky comeback, but Sophie wisely held her tongue. She waited for Reed to continue.

  “Anyway, I know you’re scared and also . . . I can tell that you hate having to be rescued. You’re definitely a fighter, so I thought you should have this.” He held out his hands, the sword laid across them as a peace offering.

  With only a touch of hesitation, Sophie reached forward and grasped it gently, holding it with reverence. “Thank you.”

  “I have a feeling you’ll get pretty good at wielding it,” Reed continued. “It’s coated in silver, so it’s really effective against vampires. You know, just in case.”

  Trudy, who had been watching the conversation closely, gave them a wistful smile. “I think Joe would approve of you having his sword too,” she said.

  Nathaniel had never met Joe, but he knew he had been one of the vampire hunters in Trudy’s group and been killed in the melee at the New York King’s lair. Trudy hadn’t mentioned any of her fallen friends since their hasty departure from New York, but her losses must have weighed heavily on her as well.

  When Trudy’s eyes met Nathaniel’s, he tried to give her a reassuring look. She smiled back, although it was a sad smile.

  “So, we heard the local cops paid us a visit,” Sarah said, lacing her fingers through Reed’s and giving his hand a squeeze.

  “They were looking for us. Reed and myself that is,” Nathaniel said. “They had a photograph of Reed. Not an artist’s rendition, but an actual photograph. A school photo I would guess.”

  “Are you serious?” Reed said and raked his hands through his hair. “How the hell did they get my picture? This is getting out of control.”

  “Someone from back home must have recognized you from the artist’s drawing and provided a real photo,” Sarah said.

  His lids lowered as he pondered her words for a few seconds. “Which means . . . maybe my friends and family know I’m still alive? Or, what’s left of my family, that is.”

  “Exactly,” Sarah agreed. “You told me your nana already knows, but you also said she promised not to tell anyone else. Which must mean there are other people who’ve figured it out.”

  “Well, I know my nana said she wouldn’t say anything, and I trust her, but she might have told my aunt–my dad’s sister.”

  “Suffice it to say,” Nathaniel said, “the net around you is closing quickly, so we had best leave immediately at sundown.”

  “Which was our plan already,” Marcel pointed out.

  Nathaniel sighed. “Indeed.”

  Fortunately, up north, the sun set quite early in December, and they were able to depart shortly after half-past four. It was a ten-hour drive to the tiny village of Radisson, but if all went smoothly, they would arrive well before sunrise. Not that things tended to go smoothly with their group, but one could hope.

  Both vehicles had full tanks of fuel, and the vampires sated their bellies with blood. The women stockpiled a generous store of food and drink, and they drove while the men had their death sleep. After they had awoken, Marcel and Nathaniel replaced the drivers to let the girls get some much-needed sleep.

  Hours of quiet contemplation later, Reed broke the silence at last. “I know we’ve already talked about this,” he said from the passenger seat next to Nathaniel, “but are we really doing the right thing? Isn’t there another option besides running and hiding from the Queen? I mean, we could spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulder, wondering if she’s about to attack. There has to be a better way.”

  “The Queen is old, even according to vampire standards,” Nathaniel said. “I suspect she will destroy herself in some fashion or another before the century is over.”

  Reed gawked at Nathaniel incredulously. “So . . . how does that make this a good plan? We only have to keep hiding until the end of the century? The end of the twenty-first century? That’s like ninety years away! The girls will have died of old age by then anyway.”

  “What else would you suggest?” Nathaniel asked.

  “I have no idea. You’re the one who lived with her for decades. How do we reason with her?”

  “I am afraid I see only two conclusions to this game of hers,” Nathaniel said, glancing over his shoulder to confirm that Sarah was still asleep. “Either the Queen dies, or one of our female companions will be subjected to an attempted turning. If
I do not try to turn Sarah, Trudy, or Sophie, the Queen will track us down eventually and do so herself.”

  Reed rested his head against the back of the seat. The wind rushing past was the only sound as their vehicle sped through the night. “So the Queen dies then. She’s not immortal. I know she’s old and strong and all that, but there are six of us. Plus, Sarah can read minds for Christ’s sake–she can ‘listen’ for the Queen coming. Everyone except for you and Marcel can go out in the sun. We have advantages on our side. All we have to do is take control and use them against her.”

  Nathaniel shifted his eyes from the road to glance at Reed. He was pleased to note that the boy’s recent emotional breakdown had not caused him to fall into despair. Instead of spiraling down the path to reckless abandon, Reed appeared ready to face their options with seriousness and maturity. It was an excellent start, but did not bring a solution to their predicament any closer within reach.

  “I wish it were that simple, Reed. I do not mean to sound pessimistic, but if we battle the Queen, we will almost certainly suffer casualties. Perhaps we would prevail, but the casualties are what we are trying to avoid in the first place.”

  “All right, here’s another idea,” Reed said, sitting up straighter. “You know how the King of New York was doing research into vampire weaknesses and stuff? Well, don’t you think there’s a good chance that other vampires in the world are looking into why women are less likely to survive the transition? Or why anyone fails to make the transformation successfully, male or female? We could ask around; maybe someone’s already found a solution. If we could turn one of the girls without worrying about them dying, it would solve our problem.”

  “It is a possibility, however unlikely,” Nathaniel admitted. “We can discuss it further once we are settled.”

  Marcel’s signal light flashed ahead of them, indicating a right turn off the two-lane highway. Nathaniel followed the smaller vehicle onto a narrow road packed with snow. Trees, laden with a heavy blanket of white, blocked most of the moonlight. They proceeded slowly through the dark along the twisty route until they could drive no longer. While there appeared to be a trail that continued into the forest, it had not been plowed.