The Damascus Chronicles

by Dominic R. Daniels

  “Do you really believe that? But we take lives.”

  “It doesn’t matter, for all the evil that is in any person, a fragment of good survives too.” Serena kissed him. Michael went over to make himself a rum and cola at the bar to try to relax; as he sat down on the couch, Serena wrapped her arms around Michael’s waist, hugging him in guilt. “Thanks,” she said.

  “It’s okay,” Michael repeated. They kissed passionately and fell asleep on the couch together.

  Chapter 11: “The Psychic Gift”

  All of a sudden sharp, piercing pains hit Michael. His muscles became so tense that his veins turned dark blue. His eyes changed to pure white and his ears rang with urgent screams. He saw a vision; he was looking at a man in his thirties, tied up on a chair in what seemed to be an old, abandoned factory. The man, in his late thirties, had brown hair, brown eyes, was dressed in a derby brown hat, brown coat, tan pants, and black shoes, his face bruised and bloody from being beaten. Serena woke in shock. “Michael! Michael!” she screamed, horrified at the sight of her lover having what seemed to be an epileptic fit. In a flash it was over. Michael lay motionless on the floor and then came out of his trance. He was breathing harshly and perspiring heavily.

  “I saw him,” Michael panted.

  “Him, who’s him?” asked Serena nervously. “Fredricks,” yelled Michael.

  “Who?”

  At that same moment the telephone rang and Michael answered eagerly. A young man spoke on the other end of the line in panic, “Hello, hello, Michael!” yelled the young man.

  “Tommy, is that you man? What’s wrong!”

  “Mike, thank God,” said Tommy.

  “What the hell is going on?” said Michael. “Mike, they got Danny!”

  “Who has him?”

  “Two of Frank Scarfo’s guys, I spotted them around the corner of the shop, they grabbed Danny,” babbled Tommy.

  ”Did you get the license plate number?” asked Michael.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I can trace it to them. Quick, give me the plate number.”

  “110568. Get to them quick, they’re going to kill him!” Tommy screeched.

  “I’m on it!” yelled Michael as he hung up the phone.

  Chapter 12: “Rescue”

  “Danny you dumb knucklehead!” Michael said to himself in the car with Serena.

  “Who’s Danny?” Serena asked.

  “An old friend of the family and mine, damn you! Danny, Damn it! He’s always getting himself into shit! What the hell are you looking at, what’s with the face?” Michael glanced at Serena. “You! I have never seen the gift react that fast to a fledgling,” said Serena.

  “What?” Michael asked.

  “The dark gift that we possess – normally it takes many years for a fledgling to develop their abilities. Many die after changing. Their human bodies can’t withstand the transformation of being turned,” explained a surprised Serena.

  “You mean to tell me that I could have been fertilizer and you kept this from me all this time?”

  “Well you came through, didn’t you,” protested Serena.

  “Thanks!” Michael retorted. He hit the tracking device on the dashboard as they sped off into the night.

  The scanner began to ring with a pinging sounded as they closed in on their quarry.

  “We got a signal,” Serena said. Michael stopped the car in front of Scarfo’s meat packing plant. Another car was already parked in the shadows. The back gate was locked tight; so was the whole facility, which was built like a fortress. Michael hit the high beams, and with tires screaming he rammed the car through the gate, crashing right through the main wooden door of the factory. As they sprang out of the car they saw a tall lanky man and a short pudgy man holding Danny Fredricks over a giant meat grinder, the blades spinning fast and sharp.

  “Okay pig, where’s the money?” demanded the short, pudgy man.

  “It’s in my coat,” yelled Fredricks.

  “Get it!”

  “What is this? This is 10 grand. Where’s the other 20, you chiseler!” yelled the tall man.

  “Aw Al, come on! Would I screw my partners over?” Fredricks asked.

  “Yes!” both of them yelled.

  “Hey Al, let’s see if this pig can fly!” said the short man, and Al replied, “Let’s, Sonny!”

  “I don’t think so, assholes!” Michael leapt onto the platform.

  “Waste them!” Sonny yelled, as they opened fire. Michael dropkicked Sonny, knocking him down. In a whirlwind Al grabbed Serena, locking her in his grip. Serena neatly broke his wrist by twisting it backwards.

  “AHHHAAHA!” screeched Al. Slipping to the ground he dropped his machine gun, which fell to the floor. Firing as it landed, the bullets cut through the chains that held Danny from being sliced into lunchmeat.

  “No!” Danny screamed as the chains broke. Plummeting downward, Serena reached Danny in a graceful acrobatic dive, pushing him away from the grinder blades before the chains fell apart into the activated machine, smashing it to pieces. Sparks flew onto the ground near some old rusted half opened barrels of fuel that was used to run the machines. Some of the barrels had leaks in them as small puddles of fuel began to catch fire.

  Scarfo’s two goons ran out of the place with all the others, just before the whole factory blew. Michael, Danny and Serena hijacked Al’s car; Scarfo’s thugs gave chase, firing at them. After ditching the car, they fled to the bullet subway station, Fredricks thanked his two rescuers with a little present: five thousand dollars in cash and a shipping list that had important dates on them.

  “You’re still doing cons, you greedy son of a bitch!” Michael exclaimed.

  “Come on Mike, a guy has to eat,” said Danny. “Yeah, and I have to bail your ass out of shit every time you mess with the wrong people,” Michael replied.

  “Sorry,” said Danny.

  “Ah piss on it, man it’s nothing.” Michael winked at him.

  “Thanks for your help. Someday I may be able to repay you for being a good friend. Keep in touch; we’ll do lunch.”

  Michael nodded. “Yeah right.” He smiled as Fredricks boarded one of the departing trains.

  Chapter 13: “The Stakeout”

  “Do you think he’ll be okay?” Serena asked. “Fredricks is okay. Now let’s look at that list,” replied Michael.

  Serena pulled the shipping list out of her pocket and inspected it carefully. “There are listings of dates and times here for cargo shipment pickups,” she said.

  “Let me see that.”

  “Here.” Serena passed him the list.

  “Whatever Scarfo’s men wanted from Fredricks was more than just cash. This list also contains all the merchandise they plan to move out, as well as the manifest that comes with it. If this information was released to the press, Scarfo could take a major hit to his operation. Danny really hit a big one this time. It’s no wonder they wanted to kill him,” Michael mused. “They’ve got a shipment moving out tonight.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Serena asked. “Let’s go,” said Michael.

  “Where to?”

  “The industrial district.”

  They boarded the express train and zipped to the other side of town. From within the old abandoned Bards Bureau Storage Warehouse came angry voices. Below the rafters that were covered in beds of dust and decay, a crowd of men grumbled and bellowed with distaste for one another’s business practices.

  “The deal was for 20 million, Garcia, not 30!” Franco yelled to a muscular Spanish man with a twisted black mustache, rugged beard, and knife scars on his face. The Spaniard was dressed in a black leather jacket, army fatigues and wore a machine gun pistol on his belt. His eyes burned like those of Satan himself.

  “That was the deal, but you changed it when you dicked me over with only half!” Garcia spat.

  “Sonny, kill this fucking wetback,” yelled Franco as both sets of men drew their guns on each other.

  “Go ahead,
Dago, whop, asshole! Shoot!” Garcia challenged.

  “You greasy, bean eating son of a bitch!” yelled Franco.

  ”By the way, there’s a remote-controlled bomb linked to inside one of the crates. Pull the trigger and this place goes boom!” mocked Garcia.

  “You’re bluffing,” Franco fired back, holding his pistol half cocked.

  “Am I? Hey! Antonio!” Garcia yelled to one of his thugs. The thug removed a remote detonator out from his jacket pocket.

  Franco called off his mens guns. “Tell you what, Franco, I’ll give you the guns back if you cut me a percentage on the take from the dope you got coming into town.”

  Garcia coolly replied, “Forget it!”

  “You got no choice; I’m your only way to get the stuff in and out of the states safely.”

  “Give me a guarantee.”

  Garcia tossed Franco a packet of files containing important information.

  “You fucking snake!” said Franco as he skimmed through the files.

  “Oh yes, we know everything about you Scarfo. Our government is especially looking to protect its image and would go to pieces if what goes on with your country and mine, including this little venture, was released to the public.”

  “He has it all – on the organization, shipments, hit lists, Swiss bank accounts, and prison records,” said Sonny.

  “Think of it this way, gringo – you do business our way, you protect your ass, we protect ours, and we each get a cut,” said Garcia coolly.

  “Filthy bastard,” grunted Franco reluctantly. Suddenly, a clinking sound came from the catwalk above, as a broken pipe fell.

  “What was that?” said Al.

  “Look up there!” yelled Garcia.

  “It’s them, those two freaks from the plant!” screamed Sonny.

  “Kill them!” ordered Franco.

  “Duck!” warned Serena, grabbing Michael from the rafter. They both hit the floor as shots landed against the side of the railing.

  “Thanks!” said Michael.

  As the couple returned fire, bullets flew through the air; goons below fell to the ground and live ammo spurted everywhere. Blood gushed from bodies being shot to pieces, heads exploded, and limbs were torn off. Garcia extracted a grenade launcher from one of the crates and fired it over his head.

  “Look out!” Michael yelled. The explosion from the grenade destroyed the left side of the railing, throwing Michael and Serena against some crates and breaking them into splinters. The noise of gunfire stopped, and as the smoke and debris of the dust settled, Franco and Garcia’s men moved in carefully to inspect the aftermath.

  Suddenly, Michael emerged from the broken crates with Serena behind him, his fangs bared in anger and his eyes burning blue with hate. He noticed another man standing next to Franco. The man’s face was covered in a white mask and he was dressed in a blue suit, identical to the vision Michael has seen in his nightmare.

  “YOU!” Michael roared in anger as he recklessly lunged to attack. Sonny fired his pistol, wounding Michael and Serena in the chest. Serena kept him from getting killed as she slammed a smoke grenade against the ground. The grenade caused a thick cloud of gas to fill the air, and as all of the men coughed and sputtered in the gloom, Serena and Michael vanished without a trace.

  “Where the hell did they go?” yelled Sonny.

  “I don’t know but I want them dead!” Franco yelled at Sonny and Al. “Garcia, you have a deal. Gather as many men and weapons as you can, find those two, kill them, and bring me their heads on a platter!”

  “Would you prefer their eyes ripped out or their noses cut off?” agreed Garcia.

  “Franco, I saw that guy at the penthouse three nights ago,” said Sonny.

  “So it was the same guy. I thought so.” Franco nodded. “They must not interfere again with this operation. Find them.”

  Chapter 14: “Partners”

  Serena opened the door to the rooftop loft in the old theater where Michael lived. Blood was flowing from her body, and with Michael still bleeding from his chest, the two fell to the ground over the threshold.

  “I can’t feel anything,” moaned Serena.

  “Just hang on baby, I’ve got you,” said Michael, holding up Serena on his right shoulder. “It hurts,” said Serena. Michael pulled out the two bullets from his chest with blood on his hand. Serena pulled out the two bullets from her chest as she winced in pain.

  ”Stay here, I’ll find you blood,” said Michael gritting his teeth bearing the pain. Glancing out the window he saw a tabby cat on the fire escape, and using his telekinetic gift he was able to command the furry beast to come into the apartment. Michael slit the cat’s throat with his switchblade, giving the creature to Serena. She tore into the cat’s flesh, feeding aggressively. Her wounds healed quickly and her eyes returned to their natural color. Michael healed faster, for his injuries were less severe than Serena’s. Michael saw a rat run out of a little hole from the base board of the wall.

  “Disgusting,” said Serena.

  “It’s just a rat,” said Michael, and grabbing it, he looked into the rodent’s little black eyes; Michael’s own eyes glowed yellow as he drained his victim’s energy. Dropping the corpse of the pest, Michael was healed. At that moment both were restored.

  “Are you all right?” asked Michael.

  “Thanks, I’m fine now,” said Serena, feeling relieved from the pain. “That was too close.”

  “At least we’re in one piece.”

  “Cool.” Serena’s breathing was a little heavy.

  “After all, I can’t let you die on me now can I, love?” said Michael.

  “Do you mean it?” said Serena looking into Michael’s eyes with curiosity.

  “Why the hell not? We were a pretty good team back there,” smiled Michael.

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ve found more than just a girlfriend, I’ve found a partner.”

  “Are you serious?” questioned Serena.

  “Why not? As deadly as we are together and as compatible, we make the perfect team. Besides, I admire a woman who knows how to kick ass.” A wicked grin spread across Michael’s face.

  Serena gave him a grin of satisfaction. “I have a little present for you.” She handed him a high-powered rifle and laser canon gun.

  “Where did you get this?” Michael asked.

  “I managed to confiscate a carrying case of guns from the warehouse just before we vanished,” said Serena.

  “I have to hand it to you sweets, it looks like we have us a whole new ball game. The Don will be pleased with these toys,” Michael chuckled.

  “Come on. It’s time to sleep. We need the rest; we’ll figure something out tomorrow night.” They walked downstairs to the bedroom, undressed and dove underneath the cool covers of the bed and slept.

  Part 3: The Past Comes Back

  Chapter 15: “Recovering the Goods”

  Michael woke from his deep slumber about an hour after sunset. Serena was already up. Michael caught the scent of blood coming from her and he knew that she had gone to feed before he woke. “I guess you’re not too hungry this evening,” he said.

  “How did you know?” asked Serena.

  “I just could tell, I felt it.”

  “Show off. Oh well, how did you sleep?”

  “Comfortably,” replied Michael, as he stretched and got out of bed.

  “How about some breakfast? My treat,” she offered.

  “Sure, but just some coffee, I’m not that hungry for anyone tonight,” Michael answered. He dressed quickly, pulling on a sports coat and jeans, along with black leather shoes. The two headed out down to Jack’s Coffee Shop.

  “So tell me,” Michael asked as he sipped his coffee, “how did you get the gift?”

  “I was born with this condition. It wasn’t until I was 20 when the symptoms began to awaken, the thirst, depression, and the insomnia. There was even times while I slept that I felt my spirit leave my body, then flow back in,” said Serena.<
br />
  “How did you handle it?” asked Michael.

  “I cried a lot. People often ridiculed me in college because of my pale skin; they thought I was a freak. When I came to America after leaving the KGB, where I was an assistant to my uncle, I went to school at night, studying botany and medicine. I became an outcast.”

  “Horrible,” said Michael.

  “I only had one friend, he was such a sweet man,” said Serena.

  “Tell me about him.” Michael was intrigued.

  “His name was Joshua. He and I were very close friends in college until graduation. We both dreamed of being doctors. He knew that I was different and yet he treated me so kindly and lovingly. I remember how he always kissed me tenderly. Our loft used to be so cozy and he would bring me fresh-cut lilies and white roses every day; they filled the air with sweetness. Whenever we made love he took my breath away. It was the happiest time in my life.

  As we approached graduation we both thought of getting married, having children. We would talk about it often, sometimes jokingly.”

  “Did he ever know about, you know … the gift?” Michael asked curiously.

  “He didn’t know, but I think he wouldn’t have cared anyway, he loved me too much to care,” said Serena. “Then, one evening as we were walking home together through the park we were approached by a man in a dark coat. It was so dark that night; I couldn’t see the guy well. The guy pulled out a gun and stuck it to Joshua’s head. Joshua gave him his money, and after that, the bastard killed him anyway. The man ran away in the darkness. I chased him, but he had disappeared into the night. I ran back and held Joshua in my arms crying and screaming, but no one could help him, not even me. He died seconds after he was shot.

  After that, I lost my compassion for people. Before then I never fed on them, but after Joshua’s death I didn’t care. I went back into the KGB and have never been the same since. That was 80 years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” Michael said.