by Phil Price
“Yes. To bring Katherine back. She’d been taken by one of them. He came back here, and with the help of others, he rescued her and took her home with him.”
“I spoke to him a few days ago. He said he’d met someone, but was very cagey. Now I can see why.”
“I know you’re a policeman. But leave her be. They’ve had a little baby. She cannot live here, as you can imagine. Jake has a new start in life. I take it you know about his first wife and daughter?” Tony nodded silently. Kenneth also stood, leaning against the table. “Well, I’m sure this is the strangest night you’ve had for a while.”
Tony half smiled, his face softening. “Yeah you could say that. It’s not often that I stumble across another world, get punched by a vicar, and then find out that vampires are roaming around out there. I wish I’d have stayed in and watched X-Factor now.”
Kenneth smiled. “My plans have changed tonight. I was to come here to find Eddie. I cannot do that now. Not with you here. I cannot put you in danger. We must stay here out of sight.”
“Do we have to wait until tomorrow night before we can get back?”
“Yes. The door only-” Kenneth’s words ended abruptly as he heard a noise outside. He looked at Tony who stared back at him. A creak of wood told the two men that someone or something was outside on the porch. Tony backed up next to Kenneth who stood with the cross in front of him. It started to glow in his hand, drawing a gasp from the policeman. They watched in frozen horror as the front door slowly swung inwards, its hinges protesting. A figure entered the room from outside. Just a step. The cross did its job by keeping it at bay.
“Two of you,” Hagen said. Tony could make out the vampire’s face. The skin was dirty grey. The eyes yellow, feral, and cunning. They were smiling. Two curved fangs protruded beneath thin lips that were also smiling at the two men. He shuffled forward a step, but was driven back by the power of the crucifix in Kenneth’s hand.
“There is nothing for you here. Only trouble. Go find another meal. We’re not on your menu,” Kenneth commanded. Tony heard a creak to the rear of the cabin that made him look over his shoulder. A hallway leading into darkness offered no clue as to what was back there. He turned back to the vampire near the front door.
“You smell so good. Look into my eyes. Throw away your amulet and let us all become friends.” Tony was shaking. He could feel his legs almost buckling underneath him. He was ready to collapse. A hiss from behind made him spin around, coming face to face with the missing girl from the Lickey Hills. He remembered her name was Beth. He’d seen her picture a hundred times. He’d thought she was pretty, if a little young for his taste. What stood before him was the same person – but not a person. A vampire. She was still wearing the same dress she’d worn on the night of her disappearance. However, it looked dirty to Tony. Her skin was grey, like putty. Her eyes yellow and hungry. Fangs popped out from under her lips as she smiled. Tony tried to call out to the vicar but the words jammed in his throat. Her eyes locked onto his, his body suddenly relaxing.
Kenneth looked behind him to see what was going on. “Oh no!” he said, spinning around to bring the cross to bear on the other vampire. Beth staggered backwards, her tongue sticking out through her teeth as she hissed at the vicar. He sensed movement behind him, but it was too late. As he went to turn around Hagen smashed into the pair of them, sending a tangle of bodies and limbs skidding across the wooden planks. Beth was on Tony in a flash. Swooping in, fangs aimed at his throat. Instinctively he brought his free arm up, jamming his forearm under her chin to save himself. She pressed his arm down, trying to get within range of his flesh. He had never felt strength like it as he cried out in anguish, knowing what was about to happen. He could smell her fetid breath as it poured from her mouth. Spittle landed on his face almost making him retch. He could feel her thighs pinned against his exposed midriff. Her flesh was cold. It felt damp and lifeless. He squirmed underneath her, trying somehow to escape. Tony knew it was futile. She was too strong. He could feel the tip of her teeth touch his flesh, as he started to feel the strength fade from his body. Behind him, Kenneth was in a similar battle with Hagen. Although Hagen could sense that this human was different. He did not smell good. He was repulsive to the vampire. Hagen didn’t want to feed. He wanted to kill the man underneath him. Kenneth had a hold of the vampire’s hair, bringing his cross up into his face. He swiped it across his cheek, drawing a scream from Hagen. Beth recoiled from the cross, rising up over Tony who had now closed his eyes, ready for the end. He looked up to see her shielding her face with her hands. He reacted without thought, as he thumped the stake into her chest.
“NOOOOOO!” she yelled as she felt it penetrate her skin. To him it felt like striking a brick wall. The shock of the impact shook his arm all the way to the shoulder as the vampire fell backwards. She pulled him with her, his grip on the stake lifting him upright until their positions were reversed. He threw all his weight onto her, driving the stake into her further. Beth was screaming underneath him, trying in vain to claw him away from her. Her strength was also leaving her as the sharpened chair leg was pushed deeper into her chest, puncturing her blackened heart.
“GET OFF HER, HUMAN!” Hagen yelled, momentarily forgetting about the foul-smelling man underneath him. Before Hagen could utter another word, Stephen’s stake also found its mark. The vampire fell into the wooden wall next to him, vanishing in the darkness. The stake clattered to the floor, along with the vampire’s dirty clothing. Beth cried out in anguish as she too crumpled under her attacker, turning to mist on the floor. Tony fell forward, striking his head on the rough planks as the vampire vanished from sight. Both men lay panting on the floor, neither having the strength to utter a word for a few minutes. Eventually, Tony moved round to see where the vicar was.
He was relieved when he saw the older man looking at him, his ruddy face bathed in sweat and grime. He looked at the policeman and smiled. “That was fun. I cannot believe what has just happened. That was like something out of a movie. Oh my.” His head lay back on the floor as he stared panting at the ceiling.
Tony’s breathing was also laboured. “Do you think there are more of them?”
Kenneth struggled into a sitting position. “Most definitely. Whether or not they are close by is anyone’s guess. Let’s just hope they are far enough away that they didn’t hear the commotion. The two we’ve just met I’ve not heard of. I know of two vampires. Jake told me about Eddie and Elias. This could mean that there are lots more.”
“Great,” Tony said as he too sat up, leaning against the wall. “I can’t believe what I’ve just seen. Vampires. Parallel worlds. This is so fucked up. I just don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Believe me, I was the same. I’ve spent my whole life following the good book, only to find out that it’s a pack of lies. My God does not exist. How can he when this exists alongside our world? I don’t remember reading about this place in the Bible. I’ve drawn the conclusion that good and evil exist, in whatever world you’re in. It’s almost too big for the human mind to take in.”
Tony nodded his agreement, his breathing slowing. “So, what’s the plan?” He looked at his digital watch, tapping the screen. The display was frozen, showing a screen full of eights. He shook his wrist absently. “We’ve got about twenty-three hours before we need to be back at the doorway. Do we stay here?”
“I think we should stay here until morning. I think we’re safer in this house than out in the forest. When the sun comes up, we’ll head out and do some exploring. I’ve got some food in my pack, which should keep up going. I’m pretty sure there are no McDonalds around here.”
Tony laughed. “God, what I wouldn’t give for a Big Mac right now.” They moved back into the main part of the house, sitting down at the big table next to the window. Both men were lost in their thoughts. Stephen looked calm. Tony was chewing his thumbs, trying to make sense of the last few hours.
Stephen broke the silence. “What will you do when you
get home?” Tony thought about the question for a moment.
“I’ve no idea. What can I do? Tell my superiors? Tell them there is a doorway to another world. A world full of monsters. I’d be queuing at the dole office by the end of the week. I think I need to sit on this. Mull it over. Being hasty is not an option for something like this. How about you?”
“I will go back to Rednal with you. Then plan to come back. My wife’s dead. My faith is shot to pieces. I have nothing in our world. If I die here trying to destroy Eddie, so be it. I will go to wherever I’m going, knowing that I tried to do something. Tried to avenge the death of my wife somehow.”
“What about Jake and his family? Will you tell them what has happened here?”
“Of course. I will tell them everything. Things have been happening in Cornwall too. Any information that I can give to Jake, may just alert them of any danger.”
Tony nodded. “I gave Jake a hard time when Darren died. I thought he was up to no good. I need to apologise. I can now see what he’d gotten himself into. You say that Elias is the boss? Well he killed Darren. I liked Darren. He was a great copper. A great bloke too. If this Elias gets his comeuppance I’d be fucking thrilled. Pardon my French.”
“No need for pardons. I think we’re past that now. Part of me thinks that all of them need to be wiped out just to make us safe. They’re not going away. But how we go about that is an answer I don’t have. The only person who can answer that is in Cornwall.”
Twenty-Four
Elias looked out at the city below. The woman fed next to him, greedily draining a young girl who was dressed in combats and a parka. Dried blood had splattered the yellow jacket when her throat had been slashed by Elias’s nails. The blood now looked black in the moonlight. Another body lay a few feet away. The man’s neck had been snapped before Elias had fed from him. He stood, suddenly feeling uneasy. Something felt wrong to him. Like a far-off scream had reached his ears. He’d felt that before, knowing what could have happened. His red eyes glazed over, not focused on the majesty of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet high up in the Himalayas. He knew that he was powerless to do anything. The doorway in the chasm behind them would not open until the following night. He would not tell her. He’d keep it to himself. After all, he may be wrong. His instincts though, told him otherwise.
☨☨☨
Daylight crept across the sky, lightening the forest until both men could make out the tree line clearly. The mist had subsided back into the forest, making the village seem almost normal.
Kenneth checked his watch, glad that it still worked. “We have seventeen hours before the doorway opens. We may as well explore a little. Pointless staying here. We may learn something.”
“Sounds good to me. The station will be wondering where the hell I am. Not sure how to explain this one away.”
“Tell them you have flu. And that you’ve been in bed all day and night.”
“Which way shall we go?” Tony said as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt.
“I travelled east before. Out of the forest. There is a huge mountain out that way, but nothing else. Just grassland as far as the eye can see. West looks to be more forest. So, we could either try north or south?”
“North,” Tony said without hesitation. “Let’s head north.”
☨☨☨
They headed eastwards first, until the forest gave way to the grasslands. Tony looked on in awe at Agar to the south. It sat there, silently brooding. Thunder rolled across the land from the south, bringing the hairs up on the policeman’s neck.
“This way,” Kenneth said, making Tony turn around to look north. They set off, keeping close to the tree line. After an hour, the forest jutted out eastwards, making the two men wonder if this was such a good idea.
“What do you think?” Tony said as he took his jacket off, wrapping it round his waist.
“Let’s go a little further. Around the next bend. If it’s no good, we can head into the forest.”
They rounded the next bend, coming across a break in the forest. A crude roadway split the trees, meandering away into the distance. They looked at each other and nodded in unison. Kenneth pulled two bottles of Lucozade out of his haversack, passing one to Tony.
“Cheers,” he said, cracking the seal. In three quick glugs, he’d polished off the bottle, burping loudly. “Boy, I needed that. How many do you have left?”
“Two more bottles,” Kenneth said before draining his own bottle. “And some chocolate bars. We’ll have them later. We should keep the bottles too. In case we get stuck here longer than planned.”
Tony nodded, handing him the empty bottle back. “Let’s hope you’re just being over cautious. I need to be back home tonight.”
“Let’s hope we both get back to our beds then. But we need to be realistic. We’re in another world. Who know what will come running around the bend at any moment. Monster, vampire, unicorn. We need to keep the openest of open minds.” They fell into silence as they pressed on. Both men noticed how the forest to their right seemed to fall away into the ground. They stopped by a huge lone tree that stood in the middle of the track.
“Strange,” Tony said. “The ground really falls away sharply. Like a depression.”
“Hmm,” Kenneth said as he walked a few paces into the Vale. He instantly felt cold. Not chilly. A deep cold that quickly settled into his bones. He shivered. He became aware that the cross in his jacket pocket was warm. Pulling it out, he motioned to Tony. “It’s almost hot. Whatever is in this forest is not friendly. Shall we carry on, or take a look?”
Tony pondered for a moment before deciding. “We’ve got plenty of time. Plus, it’s daytime. What could go wrong? Let’s take a look.”
☨☨☨
Eddie woke with a start. He looked around the dark cell in which he lay. Karaa lay next to him. On her back, hands laced on her chest. She was breathing steadily, her eyelids fluttering. Eddie sat up, looking at the heavy cell door that was hanging ajar. He’d been destined for a cell like this one, countless years before. Only a combination of street smarts and good fortune had spared him a slow death. Now he sat in the cell that could have been his prison and inhaled. Two smells hit him. One made him droll. One made him smile.
“He’s come back for me.” He looked at Karaa next to him. He thought about whether to wake her, opting to let her sleep. He knew they would find a way to him. Gravity would lead them. He walked out of the cell, his ears listening for any sounds. He formed a plan in his head, wanting some fun with whoever was heading his way.
☨☨☨
“Do you think this is a bad idea?” Tony said as the trees closed around them. They had only been walking a few minutes, the forest plunging away into the ground before them.
“Only time will tell. I’m not looking forward to the climb back up,” he said as he noticed mist starting to form around the trees. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as his face disturbed an apparition in his path. He waved his hand in front of his face, an uneasy feeling creeping into his gut.
Tony walked ten feet to his left, clumsily trying to navigate the steep forest floor that seemed to lead ever downwards. “Is it me, or has the temperature dropped?”
“It’s not you. It’s freezing down here. Let’s hope we make it back to the top. Back to relative warmth and daylight.” They both stopped in their tracks, Tony walking towards the vicar as their eyes took in the site before them. The forest fell away steeper, a black pit signalling the bottom of the depression. They could make out an entrance that led further downwards.
“That looks inviting,” Tony said as a distant rumble of thunder echoed through the trees. A strong breeze ruffled their clothing as the first drops of rain fell from the sky.
“Let’s head down and take a look. If it’s about to pour down, maybe we can find shelter.”
☨☨☨
Coop and Sharla hunkered down behind their respective trees after spotting movement in the forest.
“How man
y?” Coop whispered.
“Many. More than all my fingers and toes.” Coop calculated the information, his spear held firmly in his grip.
A man appeared from the murky forest in front of them. “Show yourselves now. You may live to see the sun once more if you do as I say.”
Sharla smiled at Coop, standing up. “Lars. It’s Sharla and Coop from the east. You got our message?” Lars approached them, his long stride fluid and easy. Coop had not seen him since he was a boy. He stared in awe as he approached. He was dressed in animal skins like them. His muscular arms bare and rippling. He held an axe over one shoulder, it gently bounced on his muscles as he moved. His head was sparse of any hair, showing a crisscross of scars, tattooed across his head. Green eyes shone out of a grizzled face that was covered in a thick grey beard. A wicked scar ran from his one eyebrow down to his jaw, giving his face a lopsided look. Coop could see that the approaching man was a warrior. His legs were almost quivering as he clapped Sharla on the shoulder.
“Hail Sharla. You are even more beautiful than I remember.” Coop looked at Sharla, who was now blushing, a toothy grin etched on her face. He’d never seen her like that before. He was almost jealous of this mountain of a man who towered over him. “And who is this whelp?”
“This is Coop. You remember him? It’s been many seasons.”
Lars placed a weathered hand on Coop’s shoulder. “Hail Coop. I do remember. I know that my sister thought highly of you. I can see that the pup has grown some teeth. We will need you for the fight that is to come.”
“I have more news. And it’s not good Lars. We found Karaa. She’d been turned. She’s a vampire.”
Lars sucked in his breath. A pained expression appeared on his face. He leant against a tree, his axe falling to the ground with a thud. “Who did this? Whose neck is destined for my steel?”