The Damascus Chronicles

by Dominic R. Daniels

  “God has never abandoned you. What’s happened to your faith?” questioned Isabelle.

  “I don’t know.”

  “He still loves you Michael, and you know I’ll always love you too, no matter what you choose to do in life or how you feel about us,” said Isabelle.

  “Thanks, I appreciate that,” said Michael as he hugged Isabelle and kissed her on the forehead.

  A little while later, Isabelle went upstairs to bed. Michael sat upstairs in his office to think. For the first time in years, Michael knelt down under the crucifix Isabelle had placed on his wall to pray to God. “God please help me, please help me, old man, help me to understand why I do what I do. I don’t know who I am anymore,” pleaded Michael.

  Finishing his prayer, Michael went out to feed. His vampiric hunger was agitating him and he needed fresh life force energy. He vomited up the food he had eaten earlier in the alley behind the club and went to hunt in the inner city, draining the life forces of several stray animals. About two hours later he returned, crashed on the sofa in his office and fell asleep.

  The next morning at police headquarters, Commissioner Hamilton set up raids with the DA to bust crime rings that may have been involved with the murder of Frank Watson. She wanted to nail every crooked creep she could in hopes of finding answers in the death of her best detective.

  She finally got her opportunity when a raid took down a drug lab run by Santerini’s criminal organization in midtown. The lab was run out of the abandoned Hillman sugar factory and was being used to produce cocaine. One of the smalltime drug runners from the lab named Jimmy Lemont talked after being persuaded by Commissioner Hamilton’s officers. Hamilton broke up the beating, as she herself kicked Jimmy Lemont in the stomach, bringing him to his knees on the wooden floor, demanding information. “All right dirt bag, who’s been killing cops in my city? And don’t play coy with me. I know either your boss Don Santerini or the Scarfos’ set it up.” Commissioner Hamilton held the guy by the collar and cocked her pistol, which was pushed against Jimmy Lemont’s forehead.

  “Okay, you got me; it was Damascus, Michael Victor Damascus! The guy and me pull jobs sometimes, just please don’t kill me!” screamed Jimmy as a river of sweat poured down his face. Commissioner Hamilton removed her gun from Jimmy Lemont’s head and told the boys in blue, “Get this garbage out of here. And get a warrant boys, we have a little hunting to do.”

  Fortunately for Michael, he had registered his nightclub name under Mickey Blue’s name. Mickey didn’t know that Michael had alliances with the mob; he thought that the building was registered in his name as an act of charity.

  Suddenly Serena awoke in her room that was darkened by big red drapes. She sensed psychically

  that Michael was in trouble, so she called him. Michael had gotten up an hour earlier in his darkened office.

  “Michael, it’s me Serena, you have to get out immediately. The police know it was you who killed that cop. They’ll be looking for you,” said Serena. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” said Michael. He took his pistol out of his coat. Everyone else was asleep. Normally, Isabelle and Mickey Blue would sleep during the day, since they had worked the evening before. Suddenly, there was a small knock on the door. Michael hid the gun in his desk drawer, locking it.

  Sally was in her pajamas, looking at her uncle as he opened the door. “Sally honey, you should be in bed still. It’s early,” said Michael. “Sorry Uncle Michael, I had a bad dream.”

  “Well, since we’re up I might as well cook you breakfast in the club’s kitchen.” In the back of his mind he wasn’t worried about the police, but he knew that he would have to deal with the police commissioner later that night.

  In the kitchen, Michael fried up some eggs and bacon for Sally. He also made some black coffee for himself and they sat down to breakfast. “Sally, do you want to do anything tomorrow? It’s Saturday,” said Michael.

  “No, its okay. I just want to sleep, and maybe go to a movie,” said Sally.

  “We’ll go together. In the meantime we have to prepare for you to go back to the school that your mother had you in.”

  “I miss school, I haven’t been there since Grandpa and Peter died.”

  “I know you miss them a lot. I know they loved you with all their hearts,” said Michael.

  “Does the pain ever go away for you since my mom died?”

  “Ever since your mother’s death, life has never been the same for me. I miss her every day, but I try to push on the best I can,” said Michael.

  “I guess that’s what I have to do, push on,” said Sally.

  “Tell you what, since you’re not going to be back in school for a few weeks, how would you like to help out here at the club during the evenings? I’ll give you a hefty allowance, 400 dollars a week, if you help out,” Michael offered.

  “Uncle, you don’t have to do that. Mom would never give me that much,” said Sally, surprised at her uncle’s generosity.

  “I’m not your mother, heaven bless her soul, and besides, you’re my only niece.”

  “All right I’ll do it,” said Sally enthusiastically.

  “Good. Now head back to bed for the day because later tonight I’m going to teach you how to work here.”

  “I love you Uncle Michael,” said Sally, hugging him.

  “I love you too Sally, now go back up to bed. I’m going to be working you hard, so get some rest.”

  Sally went back upstairs to sleep. Isabelle and Mickey Blue came down to greet Michael at noon.

  “Good afternoon me boy,” said Mickey Blue. “Same here,” said Isabelle.

  “How did you both sleep?” asked Michael. “Good.” Mickey Blue yawned, dressed in his blue collared shirt and slacks.

  “Not bad. I just wish I could get this crick out of my neck,” said Isabelle, stretching in her black tank top and blue jeans. “So what’s the agenda for today?”

  “What else, let’s get this place ready for tonight. Listen Mickey, I have a private appointment later tonight. Do you mind watching over the club while I’m out since Sally is staying over?” asked Michael, remembering he had to take care of Commissioner Hamilton’s meddling.

  “No problem, just tell me what time you’ll be back,” said Mickey Blue.

  “I should be back by midnight.”

  The whole day the club’s blinds remained closed, but the lights were on. The three of them spent all day cleaning up the club while playing jazz music and other tunes off the old record player. In the early evening Sally was up and learning to work the club before it opened at 9 pm. Michael taught Sally how to stock the bar, call for deliveries, file paperwork of the establishment’s bills and tax records, and other little jobs. By the end of the day, they were all beat but the work wasn’t over.

  “I’m so tired,” Sally sighed.

  “Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet, tonight this place is going to be booming,” said Isabelle. “Can I sit up front to hear you sing,” asked Sally.

  “You sure can sweetie, but I’m off tonight. Let’s put you in some formal clothing anyway; after all, this is a high-end club,” said Isabelle cheerfully as she brought Sally upstairs to find her something to wear.

  “So tell me, do you like blue?” asked Isabelle, showing Sally an exquisite blue dress lavished with golden trim from a trunk on the floor.

  “It’s beautiful, can I try it on?”

  “I had a feeling you would like it. You know, I always wanted to give this dress to my little girl but I never had one. Now I can give it to you.”

  “Oh, Isabelle, I can’t take this, it’s worth too much to you.”

  “Go ahead, I like you a lot.”

  “Oh thank you, thank you!” said Sally, anxious to try it on.

  Back downstairs Michael and Mickey Blue were talking about the night’s lineup. “By the way, what band do we have signed on tonight, since you two are off?” Michael asked.

  “A blazing one, The Hot Rodders, a new wave-technotronic rock band,
” replied Mickey Blue.

  “Great. A little rock is just what this place needs; it’ll help bring in the younger crowd,” said Michael.

  After the employees began to arrive at the club, Michael bid Isabelle, Mickey and Sally goodnight and headed out to the police commissioner’s apartment to wait for her.

  Michael knew people all around town; they kept him informed on the home locations of the top people in the city. Michael managed to hop across the rooftops to the commissioner’s home and break in by picking the front door lock; the commissioner was, resting in her bedroom. The place was silent. Michael opened the door to the commissioner’s bedroom where she was sleeping comfortably. He walked over to the bed; he wouldn’t kill her but he would make a point tonight. His fangs began to protrude, his eyes glowed white, the veins in his face began to show slightly, and his claws began to grow on his fingers.

  The commissioner was startled awake and saw Michael standing over her. Frightened by the intruder in her home, she grabbed the pistol she slept with under her pillow and aimed it at Michael’s face. Michael knocked the pistol out of her hand so fast that the gun fired; the shot broke a nearby mirror.

  “What do you want!” screamed Commissioner Hamilton, horrified at this undead sight. Michael jumped on top of her, cupping his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and placed his gun to her forehead. His eyes now began to burn with a hot red fire as he spoke in anger, “Now listen commissioner, I am only going to say this once; don’t make a sound or I’ll blow your head off.” The commissioner nodded in understanding, so Michael removed his hand from his victim’s mouth. “What are you going to do?” asked Commissioner Hamilton in fear.

  “Listen to me. Stay the hell away from Michael Damascus and the Santerinis. I am going to be direct. If you so much as bring one scumbag cop into this, I will cut your heart out and eat it on a plate,” said Michael.

  “You killed Watson, you bastard!” cried Commissioner Hamilton.

  “That’s right, but I was only following orders. I can’t bear the guilt of whacking another good cop so please don’t let it be you. If you value your life, close your investigation and I will let you live,” said Michael.

  “Go ahead, you bastard! If you kill me you’ll be proof that this city needs us.”

  “I’ll do more than that if you don’t listen. I will turn you into something so horrible you will beg God for death day and night,” Michael promised. “You mean like you,” breathed Commissioner Hamilton.

  “Yes, you will become like me, a wretched soul,” said Michael.

  “All right! All right! I’ll close the investigation. Please leave. I can’t bear it.” In a flash Michael disappeared from the room. Commissioner Hamilton trembled in fear and shock. She couldn’t believe her eye’s what she had just seen. She called her second in command right then and ordered the case closed. No one asked any questions.

  Michael entered the Black Spider at midnight and the Hot Rodders were blasting on stage. Mickey Blue was watching the band while Isabelle had a drink and kept an eye on Sally, who was so tired that she was sleeping in a corner booth. Michael saw her and said “Poor kid, I worked her too hard. She pooped out before enjoying the show.”

  Isabelle nodded, giving him the hint. Michael carried Sally upstairs to Isabelle’s penthouse and tucked her into bed. He kissed her good night on the forehead and shut the door. The night went on with music playing, glasses toasting, and people dancing, filling the air with love and laughter.

  Chapter 35: “Drive by for Mike”

  It was Saturday night, a night for Sally and her Uncle Michael to spend together. Sally was just dying to see a new movie called Journey Beyond the Land of Nod at an old movie theater. They came out of the theater at 2 am after the show and decided to head to Bobby Scarfo’s Pizzeria on Aubrey Ave. “That was great, I loved Ethan Webber as BODON in NOD, he is so cute,” said Sally.

  “Sally you’re just a kid, you’re too young to be thinking about boys,” said Michael.

  “I can dream, can’t I?” Sally laughed.

  Just then a black car crept around the corner. The front window lowered and a man armed with an M16 machine gun appeared. He was wearing dark glasses and had a shaved head. Michael sensed the man pointing the machine gun in his direction and in a split-second he grabbed Sally and turned around. “What the!” screamed Sally as the man in the car fired, shooting Michael in the back multiple times. Michael fell to the ground, covering Sally. The shooter in the car sped off. Sally pushed her uncle off, screaming in fear that her uncle had been killed, but there wasn’t any blood, so she pulled open Michael’s jacket to see the bulletproof vest that had protected him. Michael exclaimed, “Are you all right!” checking her for gun shot wounds.

  “Me! You just got shot!” screamed Sally in panic.

  “I’m fine. The vest caught the bullets. Let’s get home. We’re not going out anymore until I figure out who did this!”

  Sally was still in shock. “Call the police,” she said.

  “No cops,” said Michael.

  “But!”

  “I said no cops! Now let’s get you home,” yelled Michael, flagging down a taxi.

  Back at the club, which had just closed for the evening, Sally was still shaken up from the shooting. She ran into the club and went right to Isabelle, hugging her tight. “What’s wrong sweetie?” asked Isabelle.

  “Uncle Michael was shot!” cried Sally.

  “What?” Isabelle said as she went to Michael. He took off his jacket and vest; his back had bruises all over it. “What happened!”

  “We were attacked by a guy in a black coupe, I grabbed the kid and took the shots in the back, lucky the vest caught the bullets.”

  “Call the hospital!” Isabelle ordered.

  “No doctors, I’ll be fine. I just have some large bruises. For now, keep Sally here; someone is obviously trying to kill me. I don’t want her to be endangered again,” said Michael.

  “Who would want to kill you?” asked Mickey Blue.

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. For now, all of you stay here, something is very wrong. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”

  “You can’t just think we’re going to let you go through this without our help,” said Mickey Blue. “Yes, you will stay out of this! All of you!” roared Michael.

  “But what about Sally’s needs? We have to take care of her,” Isabelle protested.

  “I’ll give you some money to pay for Sally’s expenses. Your safety is my primary concern. I love you all. You’re the only family I have left.” They all nodded sadly in agreement.

  “What are you going to do now?” asked Mickey Blue.

  “I know a guy around town who will be able to help me.”

  “Not Danny Fredricks, that goofball grifter?” asked Mickey Blue in disbelief.

  “Yes, Danny will help me, but I have some others too. Now put Sally to bed. It’s late and she needs her rest,” said Michael.

  “But uncle, I want you to be safe too.” Sally hugged him tightly.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I have a gun and a permit.”

  Michael took Sally up to Isabelle’s room and tucked her in, giving her a medal on a chain and said, “Now listen, you wear this medal around your neck, it’s a guardian angel. If you ask your guardian angel to watch over you they will protect you,” he told her.

  “I will,” said Sally. Michael kissed her goodnight and closed the door. They all went to bed.

  For the first time in his life, Michael was frightened. He had never known fear before when he was on the battlefield, but the fear of losing his only loved ones now terrified him. All night he was gripped by fear and was so disturbed that he could not sleep until the next night.

  Chapter 36: “Hunting down the Prey”

  The next night, after waking up from a few hours rest, Michael searched all over town to find information on the guy that had tried to whack him and his niece. He had not foreseen it this time. Appa
rently the less he fed, the less his vampiric gifts developed. Deprivation of sleep had also weakened him. A vampire must rest to preserve strength, and without rest they lose power quickly. Michael couldn’t find any information, only shaking heads. The last place he thought to check out was a lounge where associates of Scarfo’s hung out at times. Down the block he saw a man in a fine suit heading inside. “Rangoon!” said Michael to himself. He recognized the guy. Inside the lounge he found Pete Rangoon having cocktails with Sonny and Albert Scarfo, bragging in Italian about how he had wasted Damascus. Michael sat in the corner having a drink, wearing dark glasses and a black leather fedora. He listened with his vampiric hearing to the scumbags’ conversation.

  “So I had this one job to deal with this hot shot, the fucker screams for his bitch when I break him down,” said Rangoon. Sonny and Albert Scarfo laughed.

  “Did the MD take a fall?” said Sonny.

  “Yeah, I took care of the guy easy, him and some little brat,” boasted Rangoon.

  Michael understood what they were saying. He was so mad that he came close to shattering the glass in his hand, his face contorting as he heard Rangoon’s words. He saw that the trio was leaving, so he stepped outside into the alley next to the entrance and pretended to have a smoke.

  As the others left, Rangoon was getting into his car when Michael grabbed him from behind. “Who the fuck are you!” yelled Rangoon in shock.

  “I’m your worst nightmare asshole,” said Michael as he held up Rangoon with one hand by his collar. Removing his hat and glasses, Rangoon recognized his attacker’s face.

  “You!”

  Michael’s vampiric nature came alive as his eyes began to burn with white light. His fangs appeared and his claws sprang out.

  “What the fuck!” Rangoon yelled.

  Michael smiled wickedly and teleported with Rangoon to the top of a nearby building that was very high up from the ground. Rangoon was so petrified with fear that he didn’t move. Michael looked into his eyes and said “Give my regards to the Devil in hell,” and with an evil grin he jabbed his claws into Rangoon’s chest, twisting and churning his organs. Rangoon coughed up blood; he couldn’t breathe as Michael drained his life. As Rangoon took in his last breath, Michael said “A junky to the end,” removing the cocaine Rangoon was carrying from his pocket. Then he threw Rangoon off the ten-story building, watching him fall until he hit the bottom.