by Yirak, Laura
Judy meanwhile paced around and sipped on too much tea in the kitchen. Allister had left for the night asking for a sandwich on his way out. She had been happy to make it. It took her mind off of the situation. He was quite the story teller and had told her a story about when he was a boy and the trouble he used to get into. Judy figured that it was his personality and those don’t change much, even with a little age.
The back kitchen door swung open and a dirty Patrick stepped in.
“Did you find him?” Judy hurried over.
He held out the rosary beads and she took them, “That’s it. That’s all I found.”
She gasped, instantly feeling faint, “Oh my. I canny believe this is happening.” She swallowed hard and took a seat. “You searched everywhere?”
“Yes. I even took a boat on the water.”
“You think he’s drowned?”
“I can’t say. I found the rosary beads in the forest, but who’s to say how those got there. I’ll go back out again in the morning.”
Judy started to cry, “Patrick what if he’s drowned, I canny bear the thought.”
“Don’t think it then,” Patrick said with no tone.
They both had nothing more to say. Patrick cleaned off in a hot shower and left Judy downstairs alone. The water soothed him and for a short time he forgot about everything. It was just him, his old bruises, and the steam. He re-dressed and lay down on his bed. Sleep slammed him like a hard stone.
Judy on the other hand waited by the window, wide awake, waiting for her Priest and reciting St. Michael’s prayer.
“I see you’ve had dinner,” the Count said as Alesta took a street that led down into the main street of Glasgow.
“Yes, he won’t remember a thing. I was peckish after watching you earlier, I couldn’t wait and I have a feeling that it’ll be an exciting night.” Alesta wrapped her arm around his side.
“It always is when I’m around.” Nicholas pulled her in tight and they made their way to the quietly buzzing city below looking like any other couple.
It wasn’t any exciting and rambunctious Friday night, only a boring Wednesday, so the crowds weren’t as crowded and the bars and clubs not as full.
“What’s the highest point in the city? That’s where we need to go,” he asked. “It’s been a while for me. Cities change like day and night.
“It’s the Tall Twins, some posh flats,” Alesta answered, “I’ll lead the way.”
Just as she whispered the words she became like shadow and then like a flock of tiny little bats sweeping their way quickly into the night. The Count followed her lead transforming into the same and they swarmed the night sky like a dark cloud weaving between the buildings and the high rises.
The cloud danced its way to the Twins and then narrowed to two lines becoming nothing but two figures all dressed in black. Their hair whipped in the wind and the cold felt so much colder at such heights.
“It’s time to call him,” Nicholas said but not out loud just between thoughts.
They both neared the edge and held hands. Vampire vision revealed every little detail in different shades of blue. The River Clyde ran in the distance brightest as the water was alive. Alesta focused her thought to the water and its properties. She pictured the swirling mess and saw Ro’s face in it. His body lay on the bed where he died that night and became the undead. Alesta sank her fangs once again into his neck, tasting his sweet blood. The blood pumped through her body and she felt his heart beating with hers. The Count joined in and paced his heart to match. The beat echoed through their ears and into the night. It pulsed everywhere till the low sound narrowed to a specific location on the horizon, right were the bright blue river disappeared.
“It’s Mercy Hospital. He’s going to strike again. We must hurry,” Alesta cried but her voice dissipated in the wind and so did they as they took off once again.
Father Mac Namara awoke to the sound of water all around him. It was the loch and he was on the beach, but it was night. He sat up and looked down, he was covered in mud and he’d lost his bible and beads. He slowly got up realizing that he felt somewhat normal and made his way along the shore, a fear crept into the pit of his stomach, but fear of what? He couldn’t remember anything. Where was he?
An old ivy laden building appeared as the tree line thinned. He looked up at it. It seemed familiar but from when he wasn’t sure.
A white figure came out running, “Father, Father! Oh my! Look at you, you must come inside.”
“Judy? What are you doing here? Where am I?”
“Father, you’re at the Manor, I called you here earlier.” Judy stopped and examined his young smooth, dirty face.
His eyes seemed a different color, darker somehow.
“Father, you mean you don’t remember?” Judy asked.
“Remember what?” he asked.
She grabbed his hand and led him into the warm kitchen.
“Come, come, follow me let’s get you warmed up then.” Judy sat him by the fire, “Stay here. Let me get you something to drink.”
The Father sat alone warming his hands and looking up at the painting above the mantle.
Judy handed him the glass, “There you are.”
“I know him, that’s William, Lord William McKenzie,” he pointed up the picture.
“Yes Father, that’s right.” She gave him a look of confusion, but he wasn’t paying attention, just staring at the picture.
“Father, what’s wrong? What happened out there?”
“I don’t know. I woke up on the ground next to the water,” his voice sounded slightly different, maybe a little deeper.
“Father…..wait here a second.” Judy ran off thumping up the stairs.
She pounded on Patrick’s bedroom door, calling his name.
“Wake up, wake up, he’s here. He’s alive!”
Movement sounded from behind the door and Patrick’s voice, but Judy couldn’t make it out. The door opened swiftly and Patrick stood with shocked eyes looking like he had thrown on his clothes.
“He’s here. Thank god. Sorry, I passed out, I meant to come back down and wait with you, but…..”
“Something’s wrong, something’s very wrong,” Judy whispered.
“Why you whispering?”
“He’s by the fire, shhhhhh!” Judy put her finger up to her mouth. “I can’t put my finger on it, but he’s not the same.”
Patrick whispered too, “Are you sure? He’s been out for hours in the cold and wet. How do you know it’s not just exhaustion?”
“He’s down there staring at the oil of William above the fire. He’s acting like he knows him.”
Patrick paused a second and thought about what Judy was saying, “This Manor is well known, and it’s obvious who it would be considering that’s the name of this place, anyways, I’m sure he’s taken history in school and the likes.” Patrick put his hand on Judy’s shoulder for comfort.
“But you see he’s not from around here, how would he know?” Judy persisted.
“He’s been with St. Michaels now a while hasn’t he?” Patrick asked.
“Aye.”
“And you worked closely with him?”
“Aye.”
“Does he mingle a lot with the townsfolk?”
“Aye.”
“There you are then, stories, lots of stories and folklore. People like to gossip, you know that Judy.”
“Yes, ah know, but I just feel it, I canny explain it. Just come down with me Patrick and see for yourself.” She pulled his hand, but he let go.
“Just a minute, let me figure this out. What do YOU think it is?” Patrick just looked at her worried lined face.
“I’m afraid to say.” She started to walk off, “just come and you tell me what YOU think,” Judy whispered loudly.
Father Mac Namara just sat there looking at the fire. Judy and Patrick took a seat in the big leather chairs on either side of him. Patrick watched him for just a minute, trying not to look too obvious.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far.
Judy spoke up interrupting the peace, or what seemed to be peace, but just an uncomfortable silence for her, “So you don’t remember a thing Father?”
“No, nothing.” The Father didn’t move, didn’t even blink. “Why am I here? I must get going.”
Patrick looked at the state of Father Mac Namara. His garbs were soaked, mud scattered about, dirty hands, nails, some mud on his tanned face and his hair caked.
“I have your rosary beads Father.” Patrick pulled them from his pocket and handed them over.
Patrick caught a glimpse of his eyes, they appeared darker, but maybe it was just the light.
“Oh thank you. I must have misplaced them.” Father Mac Namara took the beads and rubbed the red balls between his fingers like he had done so a million times before.
“I found them in the forest Father. I looked all over for you, but there was no sign. Did you find Ian?” Patrick asked.
“Ian? Who’s that?”
Judy furrowed her brow at Patrick and he just shrugged his shoulders.
“I really must get back to the chapel. It’s late. What time is it anyways?” the Father asked.
“Late, middle of the night,” Judy said.
“Oh my.” The Priest stood up, “I’ve got to go then.”
“Don’t you want to get cleaned up?” Judy asked, “At least let me get you a towel for your face.”
“No, no, won’t be necessary.” Father Mac Namara stood up and made his way to the front door.
Judy noticed that his walk was different as well, “Right then, call us if you need anything and thanks for coming by.” Judy didn’t know what to say at this point and neither did Patrick.
They made sure that he got safely back into his small car and watched Father Mac Namara drive off.
“What the bloody hell was that then?” Patrick said.
“You see what I mean. He’s different somehow.” Judy followed Patrick back inside to sit in front of the fire.
“Something happened out there. The sight of him, it’s like he was in some sort of battle and he doesn’t remember a thing. I have a baaaad feeling about this and I have no idea what to do about it either,” Patrick said.
“I just canny believe it. Maybe he’s lying, doesn’t want to scare us,” Judy said.
Patrick got up to poke the fire a bit and add another log into it, “Judy if there’s one person in the world who doesn’t lie…..it’s a Priest.”
Mercy hospital was very easy to see, being the number one trauma hospital in the region. It was very tall for a hospital with a bright red cross that lit the top of the building for helicopters delivering the sickest of the sick and those with very serious injuries, but this time it was no helicopter landing upon the roof.
Hundreds of tiny squeaking bats swirled around the top in an organized chaos, merging to become two dark figures.
“It’s been years since we’ve done that,” Nicholas said.
“Exhilarating! I’d forgotten how much fun that is. I don’t do it much anymore.” She leaned over the edge of the building and scanned below, “Don’t have a reason to.”
“You should, I do, makes me feel free, alive.” Nicholas looked over as well, their hair twisting together in the wind
Alesta laughed, “Alive! Yes that’s how I feel…..Almost.” She moved from the edge but everything looked normal, “Now we wait. He likes to crash through windows so I figure that’s our cue and I think I’ve got a good mental block. Thanks for your help on that. He won’t even know we’re here.”
“Tell me, why did you choose him, of all the people to pick? Why didn’t you just contact me?” the Count asked.
Alesta turned to him, “I couldn’t just contact you. I felt guilty for what I had done, didn’t think you’d approve of what I did to William.”
“Assumptions. You know better. I would have understood. I’ve seen everything Alesta. Nothing surprises me anymore, except you my dear. You never told me all the vicious things William was doing. Every time I came to visit; it was all fake wasn’t it? The extravagant parties, the dinners.”
“You didn’t see what he did at our last ball together, you would never imagine what he did and anyways I knew you were jealous of my marriage to him. Although you never said a word before, I could feel it.” Alesta took his hand.
“It was hard to let go in the beginning, you’re right, but I had to let you go. You needed to get out there and grow into the vampire you have become. You needed to learn the world without me sheltering you, and you did, but still why Ro?”
“I think it was the hair. Yes, the hair. It captured me, so bright, like the sun I haven’t seen in centuries, that and he appeared to be a good all-round male, someone I could boss about a bit but not entirely.”
“You mean not at all,” Nicholas laughed.
“Not funny, not funny.” She paused, “Wait did you hear that?”
They both looked over the edge, but it was only an animal moving in the brush below. It scurried away as if it knew they were watching, two predators.
“I found out later after speaking with some of the help around the castle that Ro had been seen doing odd things.” Alesta sat up on the ledge and dangled her feet over.
“Like what?”
“Well you know we had that chamber down in the castle dungeons where William left people to rot. Well he’d go down there and do things to some of them, sexual things, things involving pain and humiliation.”
“And you didn’t pick up on this before?”
“No. I was blinded by my own selfish intent, but I think William already knew what he was that’s why he made him a guard. Do his dirty work for him.”
“Alesta, Alesta.” Nicholas shook his head.
“I have to undo what I have done. If he was that dreadful alive just imagine what he has done since I delivered him to eternity. I don’t ever want to do that again, or make another vampire.”
“Things aren’t as simple as night and day Alesta.”
“I understand, but…” she said.
Nicholas interrupted, “Look at you, I never intended this for you, but it happened.”
“I realize that and we both accepted that a long, long time ago. I had no idea then what you were, but loved you anyway.” Alesta leaned in to the Count for a small peck, but got interrupted by a very loud crashing sound like a million shards of glass exploding.
The chase was on. The two swooped down the side of the hospital just as quickly as they had got up there and followed the running shadow and scream of the newborn child. Alesta quickly wondered why Ro went on foot and not by air and figured she’d have the chance to ask him later. All she could think of now was stopping him. Evil had to be stopped.
Ro ducked again into a forested area, with trees as his cover and the river Clyde roaring in the forefront. The scream of the innocent child muffled as he neared the river side. Nicholas went ahead of Alesta as they pushed through densely grown bushes and saw Ro the shadow just ahead of them. Ro was on to their presence and turned for a quick glance, but that was his mistake, taking that one second to look. Ro seeing the two close behind jumped up to cross the raging River Clyde. It was as wide as a soccer field. The Count, who was quicker, leapt up after him. They collided in mid air. Ro tried to hold on to his prize but couldn’t, he let go and they all began to fall towards the unforgiving waters.
Alesta gasped and transformed into her bat-like figure, clothes ripping off, just as quickly as you could blink an eye. Her dark grey wings extended and flapped violently as she swooped in to save the baby. The other two vampires were swept under the raging waves.
She plucked the baby out of the ice cold grips of the river and safely landed on the shore.
“Baby!” She removed the wet blanket and picked up her torn clothes off the ground and rewrapped the newborn as best as she could.
“It’s still breathing. I must get it back to the hospital,” she said.
The deb
ate now was where to put the child as the hospital was now swarming with police. She didn’t want to be discovered or seen in her current form. It wouldn’t be a crowd pleaser.
An ambulance sat off to the side waiting to assist in any way. There was one driver sitting behind the wheel talking on his radio and an EMT standing off outside leaning and looking at all of the cops buzzing around. The lights were on and flashing. Alesta landed, snuck quietly behind the ambulance, removed her clothes from the baby and rewrapped it in a blanket from the back of the ambulance. She sat the baby down on the stretcher inside and stepped back out.
Completely unaware of her presence; she tossed a rock on the EMT’s shoulder and disappeared. He turned around, but there was no one there. He then turned back again to look at the cops. Alesta shook her head then tossed another rock, this time harder. The EMT rubbed his head and walked all the way around to the back and looked into the ambulance. It took him a minute to focus on the small pile and to even realize what it was.
“Huh?” he whispered as he pulled back the blanket, “Oh my, it’s a baby,” his voice louder with revelation.
The baby wasn’t moving. He listening for breath and immediately called out to the driver to grab an officer as he placed a little oxygen mask on the newborn and took its vital signs.
“We’ve got to get it inside,” the EMT yelled, “It’s so cold.”
More staff came out the hospital to assist, doctors, nurses, followed by police officers. Alesta waited long enough to see the baby being carefully placed in an incubator and wheeled inside. She knew it was safe in their hands now.
The Clyde was strong and deadly to the living. Its currents showed no mercy and no knowledge of anything other than being a river with one path and one purpose. The Count and Ro were caught in its grips and each other’s, struggling to stay afloat and kill each other at the same time.