by Matt Drabble
“Not all of them” Drake’s voice drifted over the banister and down the stairs. “I’ve still got one left”
Ghost watched as Drake stepped out onto the top of the majestic staircase like Scarlett O’Hara, he was dragging someone with him, Oh God, not Jess, he thought.
Drake began his grand descent, as he moved closer Ghost could suddenly see his unwilling captive, it was Jimmy.
“Jimmy” Ghost shouted.
“Oh he can’t hear you” Drake laughed, “Not where he is”
Jimmy was dragged as though drugged. He shuffled forward, his expression was vacant and distant, his eyes were glazed, and his mouth drooled.
“You see I’ve had such a long time to think about this day my friend” Drake spouted flamboyantly. “And I could not think of a better vision, than to watch this” he shook Jimmy, “And his best pal fight to the death whilst I watch”
“Is he, did you?” Ghost left the question hanging.
“Oh yes” Drake replied his eyes lighting up in wild anticipation and excitement.
“I’ll kill you” Ghost stated softly through sorrowful pain.
Drake threw back his head and roared with laughter, “Didn’t you already try that” he screamed maniacally.
“This time I’ll make sure it takes”. Ghost whispered low. He threw the water balloon with his left hand and limp charged the stairs.
Drake dodged the balloon easily but dropped Jimmy’s chain as he did so, despite all of his carefully laid plans and schemes his primal mind took over and the monster loosed.
Ghost saw Jimmy’s release just before Drake flew into him smashing them both to the floor. He desperately tried to raise his hands in self-defence but the blows were just too quick for him. There seemed to be a hundred fists and claws that hit him from every angle at once. He felt his flesh shred and his blood flow from a dozen wounds and Drake’s face flashed at him with fangs and rage. He struggled and covered to no avail, abruptly and mercifully the assault ended.
“NOOOOOO!” Drake howled stepping away forcefully, as he fought for self-control, “It will not end this way, you will not cheat me of my vengeance”
His gaze bore into Ghost’s, and he could feel the burning rage within the vampire now, he coughed and spat dark blood onto the floor beside him. “How does it end?” He asked, hoping to prolong the conversation for a little respite.
“It ends as it began” Drake stated, slowly regaining his composure, “With begging and pleading”
Ghost dragged himself into a sitting position against the bottom stair, the carpeting was soft underneath him, and he leant against the banister. He looked up past Drake to Jimmy, who was lying face down about half way up the staircase, they locked eyes. “How exactly is Jimmy supposed to beg for anything, he looks catatonic?”
Drake stood over him and looked back towards the prone body of Jimmy; “Oh he’s going to beg when you drive a stake through his black heart” he smiled.
“The fuck I am” Ghost panted through the pain.
“The fuck you are” Drake confirmed. “You see if you don’t, then I am going to bring your reporter girlfriend here, or that copper that’s on your payroll” Drake was enjoying himself now, “In fact, I will keep bringing people here and feeding them to Jimmy, until I find someone that you do care about, and then you will kill him”
“It wasn’t personal you know” Ghost’s voice sounded raspy, “It was only business, you’d have done the same thing in our position”
“I was a professional, not some common street thug without honour” Drake stated grandly.
“Bullshit Drake, I didn’t make the rules, I just played the game. Sooner or later you would have decided that we were too much of a threat, and we’d have ended up buried in a shallow grave”
“I made you, both of you. You were to be my heirs, my legacy, my…” his voice faded.
“Your what, sons?” Ghost laughed out loud despite the lack of humour in the air. His wounds were grievous and mercy free, but the ridiculousness of the situation was almost too much to bear. “Is that how you really saw us, you arrogant prick, some snot nosed children kneeling at the whims of a father. Is that really what got under your skin, ungrateful children?”
“YOU MADE ME BEG!” Drake suddenly screamed, “YOU MADE ME PLEAD FOR MY LIFE AND YOU TOOK IT ANYWAY!”
Ghost saw the talon slashing before it caught him and knew that he could do nothing other than grit his teeth against the impact. The razor sharp nails sliced through his shirt making four long red lines appear and there was the briefest moment before the pain struck. He rolled back in agony fearing that the end was fast approaching. He looked around desperately, but there was no Calvary coming. There was only the slow juggernaut reckoning of a criminal life approaching over the horizon. “Jimmy” he looked up the stairs and pleaded softly.
“Oh yes, JIMMY, JIMMY” Drake called mockingly, “He can’t help you” he laughed, “Jimmy’s tank is empty, he’s been turned but he hasn’t fed yet, and he’s as weak as a newborn babe. He has no strength to stand or fight, without sustenance he can only watch helplessly”
Ghost locked eyes with his old friend and he saw the light dance weakly in Jimmy’s eyes one last time. He saw the fearless child that fought the orphanage tormentor when massively outmatched. He saw the youth that had fought by his side against overwhelming odds as they battled the Raphael’s from Sandy Bay. He saw the man that had never backed down; no matter what the odds or the fight. He saw his friend and his friend saw him; he reached up and tore open his bloody shirt,
“Hey Jimmy” he called weakly, “You hungry?”
“Noooooooo!” Drake cried out in disbelief.
Ghost watched as Jimmy dredged the depths of his own insanity, as he defied all logic and reason. Impossibly he found the force to stand and leap. Jimmy flew through the air past the grasping Drake on the stairs and landed on him. Ghost cried out as Jimmy’s jaws bit down hard on his open wounds and drank greedily.
“STOP!” Drake roared as he charged.
Ghost felt a powerful kick as both he and Jimmy were suddenly airborne. Drake booted their entwined bodies hard and they flew down the staircase. Their bodies were locked together as Jimmy drank, his weak grip strengthening by the instant as they fell. They crashed down hard through the wooden banister rails shattering them. Ghost landed heavily beneath his old friend on the hardwood floor, his body fragile and failing.
Jimmy was on his feet in a flash he looked down with an animal’s wild compassion as Ghost looked up.
“This time I’ll look after you” Jimmy whispered softly beyond Drake’s hearing.
As Drake charged towards them, for the very first time Ghost found Jimmy’s mad dancing eyes a welcome sight.
The two vampires clashed in mid air, Ghost could only see blurs of movement as snapping jaws and slashing claws clashed and slashed. He could only watch from his prone position as the two animals rolled around like rabid dogs. Drake may have felt like a master, he may have spent years plotted an intricate vengeance, but now he was faced with Jimmy on equal terms. The fight was a brutal haze; Ghost could hardly keep his attention focused on the swirling mass of tangled limbs. The animals crashed through the exquisite furniture around the open atrium. Super strength leg muscles gave the impression of flight as they leapt into the air spinning and clawing. Drake fought like a madman, but he was at a disadvantage, Jimmy was a madman. Primal snarls echoed off of the walls as two monsters fought, Ghost could hear the ripping and tearing as fangs clashed and jaws snapped. The two vampires had deep talon grips on each other, sharp claws that gouged bloodless wounds on each other’s chests. There was no skill within this dance; there were no rules and no compassion. Drake leapt suddenly into the air taking Jimmy with him, smashing into the high ceiling above sending down a plaster shower. They twisted and rolled, taking it in turns to smash each other’s frames into the stone walls. Ghost watched in fascination as Drake’s head suddenly hung and bounced at an obscene angle,
his neck broken and his cranium swung loosely. Drake lifted Jimmy high above his head with a manic glee, he brought Jimmy down hard over his knee, and the sound of Jimmy’s spine shattering was almost more than Ghost could stand. He watched in grotesque fascination as Drake grabbed hold of his own hair and righted his broken neck with sickening sounds. Ghost had never felt so hopeless, his eyes suddenly locked with Drake’s and the vampire’s face was lit with glee. It was an expression that turned to pain as an elongated talon with razor tipped nails grabbed his genitals, shredding the expensive suit trousers, and the delicate flesh instantly. Drake’s face suddenly looked desperate, his confidence eroded as Jimmy stood, never releasing his iron grip.
“No, you can’t” Drake mumbled, “You can’t, I won’t let you, I won’t allow this, not again”
Ghost saw the desperation on Drake’s face, his arrogance painting pictures, after all of his planning, after all of his scheming, he had still failed to account for Jimmy, he had never understood Jimmy and Ghost thought that no-one ever would, even him. Jimmy was a force of nature, he was unable to be boxed and contained, any plans that relied on Jimmy to take a certain path were always bound to fail.
Ghost eased himself up to his knees; the splintered remains of the banister lay all around him. A jagged stump of wood poked through his thigh where it had pierced him when he’d landed. He screamed as he tried unsuccessfully to lift his leg off of the spike. The blood was pumping heavily now, and he knew that he had severed an artery, it would not be long. He felt warm and sleepy as his life drained away and pooled on the floor around him. Somewhere off in the distance he heard laughter, crazy, maniacal laughter; this was Jimmy as never before, Ghost didn’t need to see Jimmy’s eyes to know that they dancing as never before and perhaps they would never stop. The enveloping darkness overtook him and he sank gratefully down into the black embrace and feared his judgement.
A harsh slap woke him from a comfortable drift.
“Ghost, GHOST!”
Another slap, then another, the unwelcome attention was disturbing his rest; he was drifting on warm water beneath the hot sun.
“Wake up damn you”
He felt from a distance, coarse fingers forcing open his mouth, suddenly it was filled with a coppery liquid that made him gag. He coughed and spluttered as the hot sandy beach faded away beyond his despairing reach. Suddenly he was awake and sitting as another hard slap hit him, “Whoa” he cried, “I’m awake, I’m awake”
“I know” Jimmy answered with a smile. “That one was for scaring me” he laughed, “Let’s get you up”
Ghost felt himself hoisted back to his unsteady feet,”Shit” he said remembering and looking around frantically, “Drake, where is he?”
“Oh, he’s over there” Jimmy pointed to the top of the staircase, “Oh, and over there and there and there” he laughed pointing all around the atrium, “Wouldn’t want to be his maid”
Ghost looked at Jimmy, his face was ripped with five finger claw mark, and great bloodless gouges were torn into his chest. Large angry bite marks lined his arms and loose flaps of skin hung from his forehead. He bore the brunt of a terrible mauling, he was a picture of a car crash victim, and yet he was the victor.
“How are you feeling?” Ghost asked.
“Fantastic” Jimmy enthused, “Check it out” he held up his arms to show that the wounds were already closing. “How about you?”
Ghost stood for a moment and considered the question, how exactly did he feel, “Actually I feel great” he answered.
“It’s a kick isn’t it?” Jimmy chuckled, “Do you realize just what we’re going to be able to do with this sort of power?” he paced furiously, “We’re a two man army”
“What did you do Jimmy?” Ghost suddenly demanded as his heart sank, knowing the worst without the answer.
“Saved your ass my friend, damn close thing it was too, you were almost gone”
“You, you turned me?”
“Hell yeah, you didn’t think that I was going to do this alone did you?” Jimmy’s eyes danced and swirled like never before. “Forget one shitty city Ghost; we’re taking over the world”
Ghost watched intently as Jimmy danced with uncontrollable delight, he could see the cogs and wheels turn as his friend revelled in his Godly status. Ghost thought of everything that a human based Jimmy had wanted and achieved, and he shuddered at the thought of him as limitless.
Ghost stooped carefully whilst Jimmy was distracted with worldly conquers and he pulled the forgotten broken banister spindle up and through his thigh. The tip of the makeshift stake still dripped with his own fresh blood and the sight was both enticing and hypnotic.
Jimmy turned to him with wild excitement and started to speak with a child’s glee, he never saw the weapon until it was too late.
The sharp tipped spindle pierced Jimmy’s chest before he realized what was happening, and it found his heart. Ghost clutched him tightly as he sagged, and they sank to their knees together. Ghost held his friend as the light faded and slowly died in his eyes, Jimmy gasped and shuddered with disbelief as he fell away.
“I’m sorry Jimmy”, Ghost wept, “But you were already too much of a monster”.
He stood slowly and lowered his friend gently to the floor, leaving him to his grave as the monument around him burned. The flames from the lower level were now eating through the basement door and the house filled with choking smoke. Ghost carefully walked back towards the library to check that the flammable library was being greedily consumed. The fire danced eagerly, devouring everything in its path as it leapt around the room, ready to rush beyond the shallow four walls and into the house, finishing the job.
Once satisfied that nothing would stand behind, Ghost headed out of the back door and into the graveyard. The night air was cold outside, but he felt a shudder run through his bones for all of the wrong reasons. His heart felt still in his chest, and he thought of Jimmy and of Eddie and their meaningless empire a million miles away. He thought of Jess in her warrior’s glow and the life that dangled and tantalized with promises, that would always lie beyond his reach. He sat down heavily upon the wet grass and looked up to the dark starlit sky. The heavens twinkled with immortal life, and he waited for the sun to rise.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
July 1988
Ghost watched as Jimmy splashed around in the sea, it was their first ever visit to the beach, the trip had been funded by some local organization of the good willed and intentioned.
The sun was hot and beat down with welcomed strength warming the normally cold water. Jimmy kicked and swam amongst the waves, diving over and through the white churned surf. His face was a picture of bewildered happiness and animation, as he felt the ocean for the first time. Ghost noted that Jimmy’s temper was absent for the day, perhaps sharing their enthusiasm for a holiday.
They’d had a picnic on the sands, a mountain of sandwiches with more fillings than they’d even known existed. There had been enough crisps, cakes, fruit, biscuits, and fizzy pop, enough for even the hungriest of children.
Ghost lay back under the hot sun and closed his eyes against the caressing rays, feeling the tension recede for even a day, was heaven. All the while he kept one ear out for Jimmy; at fourteen, he was already solely responsible for the twelve year old.
Jimmy’s laughter rang out as he ran and splashed through the water without a care or restriction.
It was a perfect and innocent day, and in Ghost’s mind, it would always stay the only one.
MORE BOOKS BY MATT DRABBLE
“Rapture Falls”
Baine is a mystery even to himself, a man with unexplained supernatural abilities and no past, when he awakes he knows only two things; his business is death and horror and business is good.
The delicate balance of his world is shattered as he finds himself a pawn torn between exiled warring archangels on earth fighting for Metatron's Cube, a holy artefact that holds God's secrets of creation. Ancient angelic factions,
The Grigori and the 11th Order headed by Lucifer and Gabriel threaten the very existence of our world and Baine soon discovers that he alone is the key. As the centuries pass, Gabriel and Lucifer struggle to maintain their iron willed control over their respective orders whilst attempting to fight against the invading tide of human emotions that threaten their angelic serenity.
Thrust into a supernatural war that has raged since the dawn of time, Baine finds himself fighting for his life and his freedom, but he must first understand his past before daring to dream of a future,
As the war rages, carnage ensues and the bodies mount, a dangerous man without emotion or conscience must choose; between wielding the infinite power for his own gain or else finding the humanity within himself to save us all.
A full length dark fantasy novel, a thriller packed full of horror and action.
www.amazon.com/Rapture-Falls-ebook/dp/B0089KMT0M
“Gated”
British couple, Michael and Emily Torrance lived perfect lives, he was a writer of horror fiction getting paid for his hobby, and Emily was immersed in her life as a teacher. Their world was complete when Emily fell pregnant and their family was set to be complete.
Their dreams however, were shattered one wet winter night by a car mounting a pavement out of the darkness.
To overcome their loss, they up sticks and move to Eden Gardens, an ideal American gated community promising "Heaven on earth and twice as nice"
They find that the town and people are perfection personified and their lives and faith are restored as they settle into Eden.
But they are about to find out that when you sign a lease, you should always check the fine print.
A horror/thriller packed full of twists and tension