The Turning (The Forsaken Series Book 2)

by Phil Price

  Jake and Doug shot up from the forest floor, their expressions shocked, eager for information. “Where?” Jake said, grabbing the vicar’s arm.”

  “I walked for about ten minutes. I heard a whimper further on. It was a baby. I’ve heard enough in my time. It wasn’t close by. But it was close enough to hear.”

  Wilf stirred from his sleep, farting loudly. “What’s going on?” he asked as he saw their expressions.

  “Father Stephen heard a baby in the forest.”

  “Fuckenell!” Wilf said, scrambling to his feet. “How far Shaman?”

  “Whoever it is, I’d say they’re about half an hour ahead of us. And stop calling me Shaman! Call me Kenneth.” Stephen protested mildly.

  “Fair enough, Shaman,” Wilf said, excitedly as he began pacing the forest.

  Doug noticed the edge to the men. He knew he would have to be the calming influence, as ever. “Okay. Look. This could be great news. It could very well be them. But it may not. It may be someone, or something else. Whatever we do, let’s proceed with caution. If Kenneth heard a baby cry, I’m sure we can track them down. And Kenneth said himself, something is pulling him along. Let’s hope whatever it is, is close to Katherine and Alicia. Now. Let’s get ready to move, before they do. And let’s have everything we need ready, just in case this all goes tits up!”

  Forty

  They are on the move, Tamatan thought as he squatted next to a tree, doing his daily business. They are changing course, heading south. I can almost see them. He paused. There are others, further away. I can feel them. Something familiar too. “Jake!” he exclaimed as he pulled his strides up, belting them with shaky fingers. “What are you doing back here,” he said aloud. Something ill has befallen you if you’ve come back here. He moved off, quiet as a leaf on the breeze, heading south eastwards, towards who knew what.

  ☨☨☨

  “What’s wrong Elias?” Alison said as she watched the giant stiffen.

  “Something is closing in. We need to move. Katherine. Don’t make a sound. The moment you do, I’ll take your baby and dash her brains out against the nearest tree. Do you understand me?”

  Katherine nodded, clutching the infant to her breast as she fed. “I won’t speak, although I cannot stop the baby making a sound.”

  “Just do your best. If I think you’re not, she dies. Then you die. You two,” he said to Coop and Alison. “Bring up the rear. Stay close.” They both nodded, Coop readily, Alison dumbly. Elias moved away from the tree, walking south. He motioned with his gaunt hand for Katherine to follow, which she did, her boots scuffing the bracken that littered the forest floor. After a few hundred yards, the group entered a clearing. A single ray from the sun lit the dark wood like a lone beacon, bathing the trees in an ethereal glow. Elias skirted it smoothly, hoping the others would follow suit. Katherine paused for a moment, letting the sun warm her skin before Coop’s cold fingers shoved her onwards. He sensed the destructive power of the sun, letting his instinct guide him around a tree, away from harm. Before Elias could react, Alison walked blindly into the clearing, the sun’s rays instantly blistering her skin.

  “AAAAAHH!” she shrieked, pulling her arm out of the light. It sizzled and puckered in the darkness, drawing further curses from her.

  “Silence,” Elias said, clamping his hand over her mouth. “We need to move. They will have heard that. Your stupidity may have cost us. Pray that it hasn’t,” his voice, loaded with fury, made Alison cower against a tree. She hissed quietly as he turned his back on her, hurrying south with the others in tow.

  ☨☨☨

  The four of them froze on the spot, gooseflesh jumping from man to man. “Fucking hell! What’s that?” Jake said, his face turning white.

  “Whatever it was, it’s not happy. Let’s go find out,” Wilf said, his weapons ready in his hands.

  “I can feel them close by,” Kenneth said. Follow me.”

  Doug followed the others, his legs like rubber, his throat like sandpaper.

  ☨☨☨

  Tamatan jumped behind a tree as the shriek echoed through the forest. He stood immobile, mentally counting in his native tongue of Antish-Glav. After a while he stuck his head out, scanning the dark trees around him. Whatever that came from it was in pain, he thought as he set off, weaving through the trees, heading south. He moved silently, his eyes hooded to reduce their glow, such was his caution. He knew that if there were vampires close by, they may spot him in the darkness. After a while he noticed a shaft of light towards the east. It lit the forest around it, naturally drawing him towards its welcoming glow. He caught himself after a few steps, keeping to the shadows, his eyes scanning the forest ahead for danger. Or for a baby. In truth, he knew not what to expect.

  ☨☨☨

  Alicia began crying in her mother’s arms as Katherine did her best to keep her movements as smooth as possible. Elias turned, his red eyes burning in the gloom. “Hush that baby!” he hissed.

  “How do I do that?” Katherine asked defiantly. “She’s a baby. She does not know what is going on. She’s probably tired, and she has nappy rash. Something you failed to think of when you snatched us.”

  “Hold your tongue wench, or I will rip it out!” Elias spat. She didn’t cower. She fronted the giant out, drawing a thin smile from his grey lips. He knew she had courage. He’d seen it before. He knew she would not die scared. She will go out fighting, he thought as he pulled her along roughly. For her part, Katherine tried to soothe Alicia as he moved through the trees, banging her head on a low branch that she failed to spot. Blood sprang from a gash in her hairline that made Coop and Alison wince. Elias smelt it too, issuing a command without breaking step. “Don’t harm her. Or I will have your head on a stick.” They hissed behind Katherine, the rebuke like a slap in the face. They obeyed their master as they followed in his wake, wondering just where he was leading them.

  ☨☨☨

  “Look at that,” Jake said as he saw the shaft of light.

  “That’s a welcome sight,” Doug said as he slowed his pace to a stop, enjoying the feeling of warmth on his skin.

  “Father,” Wilf said. Let’s put you to the test. Stand in the light. See if you are a monster, or still a Shaman.”

  Stephen never hesitated. He walked forward, letting the sun flood over him. The other men half expected a scream, followed by sizzling flesh. Nothing happened. Stephen looked solemn though as the men looked at him. “I can feel it pulsated through my skin. It doesn’t hurt, but it feels alien to me. I think it has answered my question. I may never be a full vampire, but I’ll never be a full man either. I’m both. A half-breed.”

  The three men let the news sink in, their shoulders visible sagging. A solitary tear rolled down Doug’s face, shimmering in the sunlight. He was about to offer reassurance when a noise from the south made them all start. It was the sound of a baby crying.

  “That’s Alicia!” Jake gasped as he motioned to break into a run.

  Stephen stilled his departure with a strong grip on his arm. “Jake. You need to live through this. I don’t. I’m done for. And I’m glad I am. Let me put myself in harm’s way for you. You’re young, with a life to live. I’m old, with nothing to live for. Let my last good deed be this.”

  Jake looked at the vicar, a wave of recognition hitting him. “You want Elias, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I have a score to settle with him. Guzman killed my wife, but Elias sent him to do it. He’s mine when the time comes. Now let’s move. They are getting away.” They set off at a jog, four abreast, navigating the narrow tree’s. Even Doug, who was spent a few minutes before, was fuelled with renewed vigour. He desperately wanted to see the girls. Jake’s girls. His girls. His family.

  “There!” Jake said. I saw movement ahead. I’m sure of it. “KATHERINE!” he bellowed. “KATHERINE! IT’S JAKE.”

  “Jake! Ja-” The unseen voice was abruptly cut off as the four men picked up the pace.

  “Look!” Stephen said as the men
came to a natural crossroads in the forest. Ahead the ground fell away into a steep ravine that disappeared into the earth. Two things barred their entrance to the ravine. Two vampires. Fangs bared. Eyes ablaze, full of fury.

  Forty-One

  “Alison!” Doug said as he came to a skittering stop. His former wife stood looking at him, teeth bared, fingers curled, ready to strike.

  He noticed the boy next to her. He was tall and would have looked fair if it was not for his grey skin, yellow eyes, and a black pit of a mouth. “Die!” he hissed before launching himself at Jake. The young man was ready for him, raising his cross and stake, braced for impact. The impact never came. In a blur that almost defied their eyes, Coop was smashed into a nearby tree. The four men and Alison looked on frozen as Tamatan pinned the boy to the ground, clamping his green lips over Coop’s grey ones. Light spilled from Tamatan’s eyes, nose, and mouth as he sucked the life-force out the vampire. Alison made a move to help, being pinned back against a tree by Wilf’s cross.

  “Stay there, you evil old crow!” he commanded as she wailed and cursed them. Coop’s grey skin was now black, his yellow eyes now completely sunken into his skull. Tamatan stood up, leaving the withered husk on the forest floor. Before anyone could utter a word, Alison broke, reeling down the ravine, a strangled wail ringing out across the forest.

  “We’ve got to go after them,” Jake said urgently. He looked at Tamatan. “Where did you come from?” he asked.

  “We can talk later over tea and pikelets. We need to be on their heels. Because they are heading into the last place you would want them to be.”

  “Where?” Wilf asked, his stomach clenching.

  “The island of Tenta. A place full of murderers and monsters. A place that not even Elias is safe in.”

  ☨☨☨

  He held the woman and child in his arms as he hurried out of the cave, a burst of sea spray engulfing him. He turned on instinct, shielding the humans from the brunt of the sea’s assault. His saw the town ahead, along a rocky path that clung to the cliff. It was cold here, not like the forest he’d just left. Icy pellets of sea mist pummelled him as he made ungainly progress towards the town of Tenta, which shared its name with the inhospitable chunk of rock it lay brooding over. He could just make out the several tracks that ran in haphazard fashion from the island. They stretched out to sea, becoming lost in the night. It gave the island a bug like appearance. A nasty bug, with a poisonous bite. The landscape lay underneath a blue moon that shone down from the sky. High clouds blew across its face, reducing visibility for Elias as he hobbled along. He came off the path after a few hundred yards, almost losing his footing in a puddle. Katherine whimpered in his arms as he righted his progress, heading for cover next to the first building in the town. The sea spray lashed against the wooden structure, rattling doors and window shutters. Elias made his way around the front of the cabin, hearing shouts and curses within. Light spilled underneath the door jamb, along with an acrid stench. He looked directly up the main though fare that led across the town. I need to lose myself, he thought. They will be on to me soon. He skipped across the dirt track towards an identical cabin on the other side. The track was like a slow moving brown river of sludge, gently moving down towards the sea. A path wound its way through rickety houses, gradually climbing towards the town’s summit. He followed the path, knowing of one person who could shelter him. He just needed to remember where she lived.

  ☨☨☨

  The four men and Tamatan stood before the doorway. They were in a single line, such was the tightness of the ravine. Mud and earth crumbled from above, peppering them as they stood looking at the red outline. “Go Jake,” Tamatan said. “But be ready. We’re right behind you.”

  Jake stepped through the doorway, feeling a slight resistance as he moved. It felt like he was in slow motion for a second before being released from the hold. He took half a dozen steps in the dark cave as the others followed. “Is that the sea?” he said, looking towards the arched entrance.

  “It is. And a rough sea it is too. We must be careful. Not only of vampires, but of being swept away by a wave.”

  “I need my torch,” Jake said as he removed his pack. He knelt on the wet black rocks as he flicked the switch, the stark light making them shield their eyes. He played the torchlight around the cave, looking for danger. “Looks empty. Tamatan. Do you know where this leads?”

  “Yes. Out of the cave and turn right towards the town. I will lead the way. Keep your weapons ready.” They followed him, Doug taking up the rear as a wave pounded the path in front of them.

  “Fuckenell,” Wilf said as he clung to the wet rocks, his clothing saturated.

  “We need to move quickly,” the little demon said as he took off down the path towards a low-lying cluster of buildings that gently rose towards a summit, swathed in cloud.

  Another wave struck the entrance, buffeting Father Stephen down the pathway, banging into Wilf and Jake. The three men went down, momentarily covered in frigid spray. Doug had seen the wave a split second before it struck, moving backwards to avoid the impact. As he stood there watching the men floundering on the rocks he felt a presence close by. Like he was being watched. He turned to his left, his eyes falling where the pathway ended just passed the cave entrance. A shape moved in the darkness, making him start. A pair of yellow eyes locked onto his, making Doug forget about his companions. The figure advanced, the light from the blue moon illuminating her face. “Alison,” he said, his cross and stake falling on the rocks, the clattering sound lost to the sea.

  “Look at me,” she hissed, her teeth protruding from under her thin lips. Doug swayed on his feet, unaware of the voices calling to him.

  “DAD! RUN!” Jake bellowed from further down the path as another wave struck. The vampire was thrown into her husband, the impact of the sea dashing them into the rocks.

  Doug was released from his trance as he tried to scramble to his feet. He saw his son looking at him, an expression of frozen terror on his face. Before Doug could move he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder as Alison bit down into his flesh. He tried to struggle from her grip, but was locked in cold wet vice of dead flesh and bone. Doug knelt there, an arm around his throat, holding him firmly as the vampire drained him. Slick red blood ran down from his neck, darkening his shirt as Alison worried his shoulder. Unable to move, he looked at Jake, taking in the features of his beloved son one last time. All the pain he felt, the cold that was penetrating his skin, and the noise of the sea fell away from him. He drank in Jake’s features, not quite quenching his thirst. “I love you,” Doug said smiling as another wave hit, obliterating the pathway.

  ☨☨☨

  Elias dropped Katherine and the baby on rough wooden planks, protested loudly under their weight. He looked around, his senses heightened. He’d made it closer the summit of the town, opting to use the cover of a large porch to take stock of his surroundings. The baby started to cry. “Shut that child up, woman!” he yelled, his usual calm persona replaced by anguish and doubt.

  “She’s hungry,” Katherine said, undoing her top. Alicia latched on willingly, drawing a wince from her mother. “Careful sweetie,” she cooed, fighting the sharp pain as little gums dug into the rubbery flesh of her nipple.

  The side door of the building burst open, two men spilling out. They were both short, not much taller than Katherine. They were wiry and had a crazed look in their eyes. Ignoring Elias, they leered at the mother and daughter. “Look ‘ere Frenk,” one said. “We’ve struck lucky tonight. She’s got her tits out already.”

  “The young un looks to ‘ave claimed one for ‘erself,” the other said. They both looked at Elias, his face turned away from them. “You can watch if yer like, old man,” Frenk said, grabbing his crotch, wringing his hardening cock with vigour.

  “We’ll leave a bit for ya,” the other man said. “Frenk. You can fuck the babby while I roast the mother over the porch. Then we can swap over once I’ve blown me muck.” Frenk never r
eplied. The other man heard the thud as his body hit the planking, his head landing a hundred yards away in a dirty puddle.

  Elias grabbed the other man by the throat, lifting him one-handed until he was face to face with him. “I’m afraid you and your friend are out of luck,” he hissed, crushing the man’s neck in his huge hand. One eye popped from its socket as the man’s bowels voided, making Katherine’s nose wrinkle in disgust. The giant vampire tossed the corpse into the street, the dead man skidding through mud and effluent until he came to a rest further down the hill. “Inside,” Elias said almost gently. Katherine did as she was asked, grateful to be out of the rain and howling wind. The giant closed the door, blocking it with a large wooden dresser that was stacked with peculiar looking glass jars. His red eyes lingered on one for a few seconds, recognising the shape of a small human hand floating in liquid. Elias had been a vampire since time beyond memory. He had killed countless humans, vampires, demons and beasts, yet he shuddered when he saw what was floating in the pinkish liquid. He turned his eyes away, not wanting to know what grisly activity took place in this dark, putrid cabin. Katherine had made herself as comfortable as possible, settling on two bags of grain. “I would not wish that kind of treatment on anyone. I am a vampire. I feed on humans. I am not a monster. But you’ve seen what monsters lurk here. Haven’t you?”

  “Yes. I guess I should thank you for that,” she said, looking up at the giant.

  “Don’t thank me Human. I am not here to be your friend. I am here for my own interests. You and the baby. I need to find someone. I will leave now. You will stay here. I think it’s safe to say that you do not want to meet any more local friends tonight?”