Night Things: The Monster Collection

by West, Terry M.

  “And you can prove this?” Mullins said.

  “Yes, I can. What’s this about, detectives? Really?”

  “You have an ex-wife? Pamela Spencer?” Mullins said.

  “Formerly Pamela Hack. Is this about her? If it is, then why are you pressing me about the spooks?”

  “You hear things, Mr. Hack,” Mullins said, motioning to Thomas. “Dead things got mouths, too.”

  “I am confused here,” Gary said, feeling the tendrils of want begin to curl into the base of his brain. He was losing his patience with this. “Is there an issue with the Night Things, or is my ex-wife chasing me for something? I can’t imagine what.”

  “The authorities in Rockland County found your wife and her husband dead, Mr. Hack. The discovery was made Wednesday morning at their home in Sparkill,” Mullins reported solemnly.

  It was a good thing Gary was already sitting down. “What?” he asked, all of the venom in him was gone suddenly. “Oh my God. What happened?”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were drained and dismembered,” Mullins explained. “We believe the perpetrators may have been a pack comprised of both vamps and furries. And that’s unusual because the two seldom work together. We are running DNA tests, but spooks don’t leave much in the way of a genetic trail to follow.”

  Hot tears ran down Gary’s face. The world began to spin too quickly and this made him dizzy. Gary knew he was responsible for this. He would have to maintain his ignorance with the authorities. Gary’s only chance at finding an answer and retribution for this would be through Johnny Stücke and no one else.

  “We have been trying to contact you. We tried your number in Mrs. Spencer’s cell phone,” Mullins continued. “It had been disconnected.”

  “I changed my number a month ago,” Gary said, wiping his face sadly. “I didn’t give Pamela the new one because we weren’t getting along. We were fighting about things. I needed a break from her and I didn’t want to leave breadcrumbs behind me. Even though we’ve been divorced for a long time, she has always brought it upon herself to keep tabs on me. I guess that’s how it is when you have a kid with someone.”

  An icy realization suddenly struck Gary. “Fuck me!” he said, standing up and gripping the small table. He just about pitched it over. “What about my daughter? Holly? Where is she?” he frantically asked both detectives.

  “We have no evidence that Holly was at the scene during the murders, but we have been unable to locate her. We have tried her friends, neighbors and other members of your ex-wife’s family,” Detective Mullins said grimly and without a shred of optimism. “She’s missing, Mr. Hack.”

  Gary sank back into the small chair. He thought he might vomit as the black possibilities piled up in his head. His eyes found Detective Mullins, and he considered coming clean about it all.

  "Is there something you want to confide, Mr. Hack?" Mullins said, sensing Gary's quandary.

  "No," Gary muttered. Again, he decided to leave it in Stücke's hands. He wasn't afraid of the repercussions. Gary would have gladly taken all of the torment Hell could propose to save his daughter. He had no faith in the legal system against the Night Things.

  Mullins slid a card across the small table toward Gary. "If you hear from her or recall anything that might help, call me. Give Detective Thomas your cell number."

  Thomas took a small notepad from his interior suit jacket pocket and jotted the numbers down as quickly as Gary stammered them.

  Gary was released and he stumbled onto the city sidewalk. The sky was darkening and Gary looked around dumbly. He didn't know what course to take. Stücke. He had to call Stücke.

  His cell rang. Gary pulled it to his ear and hoped the big man had heard his telepathic plea.

  "Hello?"

  "Walk two blocks South and wait in front of the pawn shop," a gruff voice instructed. "Do not go back into the police station. Do not call Johnny Stücke."

  "Who is this?" Gary asked frantically.

  "We have your daughter," the voice informed him. "Do as we say or we will kill her."

  The line went dead.

  Gary glanced around frantically. His sense of direction consisted of left, right, up and down. But he was familiar with a shop within two blocks. He had hocked a few valuables there when he was in between gigs to feed his habit.

  He made his way as quickly as he could to the building. The usually brisk sidewalk traffic seemed to move in slow motion. Gary muttered insincere apologies as he navigated around the pedestrians, bumping one or two in his way.

  He finally stopped in front of the pawn shop and dug his phone out. Gary waited for it to ring. A dark and rusty gypsy cab halted in front of him.

  The back door opened and a text shook his phone.

  Get in.

  Gary climbed cautiously into the vehicle and shut the door. The driver, whose yellow-green eyes reflected in the rearview mirror, spoke before Gary could pose a question.

  "There is a hood next to you on the backseat," the driver's beastly voice informed Gary. The cabbie was a night thing, but Gary had no clue what breed he was dealing with.

  Gary looked and saw the black cover next to him.

  "Put it on," the monster insisted. "Keep it on until we tell you to take it off or we will kill your daughter."

  Gary did as he was instructed.

  "Can I ask you something?" Gary asked gently through the hood.

  "No," the demonic cabbie said.

  The car lurched forward and Gary grabbed the back of the front passenger seat for security. They drove for several minutes before the creature hit his brakes hard and Gary nearly slammed into the seat before him.

  His door opened and cool night air rushed inside the cab. A pair of hands grabbed him roughly and hauled him out. There were two of them; Gary felt hands on either shoulder and upper arm. They guided him quickly for what felt like forever. Their footfalls echoed.

  Gary surmised they were underground now. Subway, he wagered.

  The terrain became rougher. Gary tripped over what felt like subway tracks. The creatures became impatient and finally picked him up and his feet rose into the air. Gary's sneakers skimmed the ground. They carried him for what felt like miles and then they dropped him unceremoniously.

  The black hood was removed from Gary's head. It was dark and cold as a tomb. His eyes adjusted. He rested on the filthy floor of a dim and abandoned subway platform. Set several feet further back from the edge was what looked to be a grotesque throne. It was composed of red-stained bones and skulls.

  Gary looked behind him toward the lifeless rail and he gasped softly. Hundreds of dead faces studied him quietly from the shadows. Every variety of night thing seemed to be assembled in the darkness. There were many zombies, and the horde frequency should have been urging them forward toward human meat.

  But they remained calm and motionless. Their eyes showed no sign of hunger. They simply stood and gazed.

  Gary looked closer and spied vampires and other assorted ghouls and what must have been shifters on the human side. All of the spectators maintained an unusual patience. Even at the sight of an easy meal. He would have thought them wax figures if he hadn't have noticed an occasional eye blink here and there.

  Though he should have been relieved that they weren't fighting over pieces of him, Gary was more frightened by their inaction.

  "Impressive, is it not?" a voice boomed from the platform.

  Gary stared back to see a tall and lean figure emerge from the darkened edge of the platform. The creature was a vampire. That was obvious as the leech grinned and his fangs caught the light. His clothes were antiquated. Gary could not put an era on the style of clothing. The dark purple flowing outfit and black powdered wig the bloodsucker wore seemed a combination of dark priest, shady nobleman and harsh king. This beast was important and flamboyant. Gary could sense the power, purpose and bottomless confidence that radiated from the vampire's white skin. He felt as if he were standing before a monarch.

  The vamp
ire answered the confusion on Gary's face. "I am the first. The alpha. All of the Night Things were born from my shadow. My presence focuses and steadies them. Look at my children, Mr. Hack. They stand side by side. Allies and enemies alike. Banded together to preserve our race."

  There was arrogance and wisdom in the vampire's voice. The accent was definitely old world.

  The vampire turned to his mob of followers.

  "This is Gary Hack," he proclaimed. "He is an enemy of the Night Things. He has committed despicable and unforgivable acts against our kin. And he will pay for those sins. Starting tonight. But he isn't the only one. Humans always demoralize and exterminate that which they fear."

  Gary watched the crowd as the vampire spoke. Though motionless as they listened, their eyes burned with fury.

  "We are being hunted in the streets, with no laws to protect us," the vampire continued. "There are private clubs, where humans can pay to torture and end us. Snuff films, like the ones Mr. Hack had a hand in. Hangings. Beheadings. Our lairs are being burned to the ground while we occupy them. We are being sold to the sex trade. In more savage countries, labor camps for the undead are being created. Before long, we will all be slaves or pets. Domesticated and defanged."

  Gary could sense that the audience were voraciously devouring every word that came from their master's lips.

  The vampire turned slowly back to Gary and stared evilly at him. "I am Dracula, Mr. Hack. And you, sir, are completely fucked."

  Detective Thomas emerged from the darkness behind Dracula and joined the vampire near Gary. Dracula acknowledged the dead cop's arrival.

  "Ah, Detective Thomas. It was so nice of you to provide Mr. Hack's cell phone number. Having one of our own on the inside has been very advantageous to our cause."

  "You're one of them?" Gary muttered, hate boiling in him despite the dread that made him drunk.

  "Of course he is," Dracula scoffed. "His duty to the living left with his pulse."

  There was a commotion in the darkness. Two zombies dragged a disheveled Detective Mullins to their master. His suit was filthy and he had a huge gash in his forehead.

  "Harry, you followed me?" Thomas said, unbelievingly.

  "I knew you were dirty," Mullins said hatefully. "Your kind cannot be trusted."

  "I didn't know he was trailing me," Thomas said apologetically to Dracula. "But it doesn't surprise me. He isn't the most... tolerant of our people."

  "I expect better, detective," Dracula chided. "Is your partner worth bringing into our ranks?"

  "No," Thomas muttered grimly. "It would be a fate worse than death for him."

  "You're goddamn right," Mullins said, rebelliously bucking in the dead hands that restrained him. "I'd rather be nothing! You are all lifeless shit bags!"

  "You don't have to worry, Detective Mullins," Dracula said. "I do not turn anyone who does not wish to be blessed with everlasting life. But still, I can't just let you walk out of here."

  Dracula grabbed the cop by his lapels and pulled him forward. The zombies quickly released their charge and backed away. Dracula bent and bit into the neck of the detective and drained him within seconds. Mullins paled and died. Dracula took the detective's dead body and hurled it easily over Gary's head and into the crowd of Night Things. The front row zombies immediately tore into the corpse.

  "Leave nothing," Dracula commanded.

  The dark master of the night wiped the little blood that had spilled onto his chin with the purple sleeve of his robe. He paused, eyes clenched shut and the vampire savored the life he had just consumed.

  "When I drink the blood of an enemy, it tells me many things about the person," Dracula confided to Gary. "Detective Harold Mullins was a good man. He was strong, wise and honest. Had he chosen to join me, he would have ascended quickly in my kingdom. But you, Mr. Hack? Becoming one of the undead is not an option for you. Though I wouldn't sully my tongue with your blood, I still know many things about you with simple observation. You are weak and selfish. You used and destroyed our brethren to fatten your pockets and feed your addiction. I can smell the want on you. Even now, among the fangs, you would ingest the poison if you were able."

  Gary couldn't argue. His body quaked not just from fear. He had strayed too long without a hit, and he was feeling it. He was beginning to think death might be favorable to the withdraw that was twisting his stomach and causing his head to swim in agony. Fuck it. He deserved it.

  "Complete and utter destruction will be your only reward at the end of all this," Dracula promised. "But we will get to the details of that soon. There are a couple of people here who wish to say hello to you before we continue with this."

  Dracula motioned beyond Gary.

  Gary turned toward the undead crowd. The zombies in the front had Mullins' remains smeared on their satiated faces. The crowd parted, revealing Ella Howes.

  "Ella?" Gary gasped.

  Ella was a middle-aged, statuesque transvestite whom Gary had known for many years. Ella had been his most faithful crew member. She was one of the best directors of photography in the low-budget film business.

  But after the disaster that had been the zombie gangbang, Ella had fled to Mystic, Connecticut to live with her cousin.

  She approached Gary slowly. Her hair, which had been Auburn for as long as Gary knew her as Ella, was now dyed as black as the color could get. She also wore dark clothing and as she became more visible in the light, Gary realized this new look mirrored her undead soul; if there was such a thing. He could clearly see now by the muted color of her eyes and the fangs which dipped a little over her bottom lip that she had been turned.

  Gary shook his head in despair. "Ella, no, not you. Anyone but you."

  Ella marched right up to Gary and grabbed him by his throat. He clutched her hands and realized he could not pull her off. His breath came in a sliver of air.

  "You fucking egocentric junkie," she growled. "They found me, Gary. They made me pay for the videos we shot. They got to me right before my surgery. I was going to finally become a woman. But now I'm stuck. I will always be a freak. Vampires can't transition. I'll be this way forever you son of a bitch."

  "There is nothing wrong with you, my dear," Dracula said, extending his hand toward Ella.

  Ella released Gary and walked to her master. Dracula pulled her close. He kissed her deeply. When he was done he pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

  "You are one of the most spirited and beautiful brides I have ever taken", Dracula said softly. "You have a place with us, Ella. Your transgressions under this despicable man's influence have been forgiven and my house has been opened to you. There is no judgment among us. You are an exquisite and captivating creature. Now do me a favor and go fetch our guest."

  Dracula kissed Ella's hand and she smiled brightly and walked back into the dark crowd.

  The undead audience swallowed Ella in to their ranks. They spit her back out, seconds later and she was steering a girl toward Gary and Dracula.

  It was Holly. She was dressed in an outfit that could have come from a fancy doll. Holly looked a little old for the clothes. She wore a starched white blouse with a denim overall skirt ensemble. Her red hair, which she had taken from her mother, was twisted into exaggerated pointed pigtails. Make-up had been applied to her. Rouge on her cheeks and light mascara which was streaking from the corners of her eyes. The eleven year-old looked nothing but lost, distraught and frightened. She seemed much smaller in the crowd of leering Night Things.

  Holly's face usually glowered in judgment and derision when she looked at her father these days. But when she saw Gary, her eyes widened and she attempted to bolt toward him.

  Ella firmly held the girl close to her. "No you don't, little missy," Ella said playfully. "And don't you dare smear that make-up or muss those clothes. It took me hours to make you presentable to the master. You look just like the little girl I always wanted to be!"

  Gary fought the urge to charge Ella, one of his best friends whom he now
hated with a passion. Instead he turned to Dracula and was ready to crawl naked on to the altar to save his child. "Listen, I get it. I murdered your kind and I take full responsibility. I won't give you any excuses, okay? So do whatever you want to me, but please leave my daughter out of this."

  Ella presented Holly to Dracula. Dracula stood the little girl in front of him. She stared helplessly and fearfully at her father while the powerful leech tenderly gripped her shoulders from behind. Gary took in the image; the tall and grey self-appointed king of the undead leaning over Holly. Dracula could kill her, in an instant, if he wanted to be cruel. He could snuff her out and Gary would be helpless to stop him.

  "We will have your life, Mr. Hack," Dracula informed him. "But that isn't enough. You are going to help me. You'll do exactly what I instruct you to do. I killed your ex-wife and her husband so that you would understand that I do not make hollow threats. If you do what I require, I will let this little angel go. If you do not, she'll either die or join our ranks. That will be up to her. But I do have to tell you, little ones such as her make the most vicious of our kind. Puppy teeth are very sharp."