The lighter.
He had forgotten all about it. He slid it into his front pocket, put on his socks and boots, and exited the room. There were five vampires, forming a circle, who looked to be chatting, a short distance away, standing in the hallway. They glanced over at him, recognized him as one of their own, and turned away. He walked right up to them, between two of them, pretending to join the conversation, and then staked them all.
They barely saw it coming. He had the stake at his back, loosely held by his belt loop. He pulled it out, crouched low, and swung in an arc that matched their circle, jamming it into their hearts, one by one, in quick succession. His speed nearly matched theirs, and
they were slow to respond, caught completely off guard. The
next group of vampires that approached from the farthest end of the hall, seeing what had happened, would not be so easily surprised.
25
Now they felt as if they had to wake the others, to let them know what had happened. Eve went to Tony’s room, Myron went to Johnny, and Jeremy found himself knocking on Staci’s door like some long ago afternoon, when he was trying to ask her out on a date.
Staci, groggily, at the other side of the door said, “Who is it?” He could almost see her moving her eye toward the peephole.
“It’s me, Jeremy.”
“How do I know it’s really you?”
“’Cause I’m still nervous as hell knocking on your door and no vampire would ever admit that.”
He heard the bolt unlatch, and the door creaked open. She stood there, beautiful in baby blue pajamas, her hair tousled.
“What is it Jeremy?” She saw his face. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah,” he said, moving past her into the room. She locked the door behind them. They sat on her bed, the sheets in disarray.
“Is it Blake?” she asked, “Did he d-d-?
“No,” Jeremy said quickly. “That is, we don’t know. Eve had been calling the hospital and getting no answer. So she thought something was wrong. Myron and I were still up, and we all went there, and the hospital was on fire.”
“On fire?!”
“Yeah, the whole thing! Up in blazes. And we don’t know who was in there, or if anyone got out. We’re all going to meet in my room, to watch the news, and see if they know anything yet.”
“Oh God, Blake. Not Blake, not like that.” She started to cry.
“Hey, hey, don’t do that,” Jeremy reached his arm around her shoulders. “We don’t know anything yet.”
She grabbed him and hugged him tightly. “You don’t understand. That man was a father figure to me when I didn’t have one. I wanted to believe that all adults, especially men, were selfish and cruel. I loved him like a father. Do you understand that?”
“Yes Staci, I do. I’ve had a good father, a strict father, but still a good man. Blake was like a second father to me, so yes, I know.”
She looked up into his face, with her watery blue eyes, and she kissed him. For a moment he kissed her back, lost in it, lost in her, remembering how good they were. But this wasn’t then, this was now, and this couldn’t be. They pulled away at the same time.
“Oh God Jeremy, I’m so sorry. I can’t.”
“I know,” he said.
“I mean, I’m married- happily. I love him, and I can’t.”
“I know,” Jeremy repeated.
“It’s just, I’m so scared. I don’t want to go back there. I mean, first that woman in my room, now Blake… I’m not a teen anymore. I don’t think I have that kind of courage.”
“You do. We’re all scared. We’re doing this for Blake, and for the town, and for those who can’t fight for themselves. No matter how scared we are, it’s the right thing to do. We’re the only ones who know what we’re facing.”
Staci smiled through her tears, “Good old Jeremy.”
“Hey, watch it with the ‘old’ stuff.”
She hugged him to her, got the last of her tears out and said, “Thank you.”
“Ah, it was nothing,” he winked, mock punching her under the jaw.
Staci laughed. They lingered there for a moment. She took a few seconds to compose herself, wiping the dampness from her eyes. “All right, let’s go.”
26
There were about six of them coming toward him. Blake knew
he couldn’t take them all without the element of surprise, so he did
what they least expected. He ran toward them, plowing through before they reached him. They parted, and Blake did manage to stake one of them, but that wasn’t his objective. It was the window at the end of the hall behind them. He ran straight through them and straight through the glass, putting his arm up to shield his face, crashing through in a rain of shards and falling several stories to the grass below. He landed on his feet in a crouch, which anyone who might have been below would not have believed, looking at a man who now had to be in his early sixties. But there was no one.
Facing them all would be an impossible task, but he couldn’t let them survive either. He ran around the building, searching for something, anything he could use. At the back of the building he found a gas powered generator. Which meant there had to be gas cans stored somewhere nearby. He found a shed at the end of the lot with a large caution sign. Blake snapped the padlock with his hands as if it were made of paper mache. He circled the building with the gas cans, pouring it all around the edifice’s foundation, splashing it up against the walls. He retrieved the lighter from his pocket and lit it all when he was done. The gas immediately sparked, a line of flames following the line of gasoline on the ground and creeping up the walls. That would probably cover the first two stories, once it got going, but he had to make sure the whole thing caught, and they had no chance of escape. He ran to the generator, locked the flame on the lighter to the on position, and tossed it from several feet away into an open grate in the generator, running like the devil.
The thing exploded in a fireball of flying metal, the fiery debris hitting the upper floors and crashing through several windows, blasting a hole in the back wall, and engulfing the hospital in flames. Several vampires did jump through the windows, only to meet a fiery death below. The inhuman shrieks and wails could be heard from three blocks away, where he now stood. Satisfied that he had destroyed most, if not all of them, he disappeared into the night.
Hours later he still felt no different. He had avenged the
deaths of the hospital staff, but he himself was still no longer quite human.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE FALL AND RISE OF JOHN WINTER
(2014)
1
There’d been no sign of Blake since the hospital fire, and he wasn’t on any list of deceased. He was now simply one of the missing. They had no choice but to go on with the original plan. In two day’s time, just before the crack of dawn, Eve would fly them into the pit. But tonight was a night for camaraderie.
All seated together, enjoying a meal at the hotel’s restaurant, they all knew deep down this might be the last time they would all be together.
The talk was easy, light-hearted, unrushed. There seemed to be an unspoken promise not to speak of anything serious. When they each left for their rooms, there was only a cursory mention of the following day and plans. Tonight they would rest. The following night they would prepare for battle.
2
Someone was knocking at the door, or at least Johnny believed someone was. He’d been in a deep sleep, and it felt like part of a dream, so much so he had to lift his head from the pillow to listen for the knock again.
Yes, there it was. Someone was gently rapping on the door. Johnny got up in his sleep pants and nothing else, padding barefoot across the carpet to the door.
“Who is it?” he whispered, expecting it might be one of his friends, unable to sleep.
“Concierge,” a female voice responded.
“I didn’t order anything,” Johnny said, confused, but not yet
suspicious.
“Yes sir, someone asked us to deliver a message for you.”
“All right,” Johnny said, “Tell me.” He did not open the door.
“It really is something they asked me to deliver in person. There’s something for you to open.”
“Well, can you just leave it at my doorstep?” Johnny said. “I was kinda in the middle of sleeping.”
“I’m sorry sir, but they specifically said it was urgent, and needed your attention right away, and to make sure that you personally got it.”
“Oh yeah? A message from who?”
“He said his name was Blake and that you’d understand…”
Johnny was fully awake now. “You’ve got a message from Blake?” he said, swinging the door open.
The sight that awaited him on the other side of the door was a curvy, raven haired beauty that simply oozed sex, and looked like she wanted it right now.
“Hi,” she said. She wasn’t carrying anything to give him. “I’m sorry I deceived you, I just wanted to see you. I overheard you and your friends say Blake several times, and I figured he was someone important.”
“Well, that wasn’t very nice. We’re actually worried about-”
She pushed past him.
“Hey!” he said.
“I want you baby! You get me hot!” As if to prove how hot he got her she undid her top. She wore no bra.
Even with a reputation like his Johnny wasn’t completely used to total strangers throwing themselves at him like this. He usually talked to them first, for at least half an hour. But he enjoyed this.
“You going to just stand there googly-eyed or are you going to shut the door behind you?” she said. “There’s no need to give the entire floor a free show. This one’s just for you.”
Johnny shut the door and walked over to the bed with her. She took off his shirt. He took off her skirt. She took off his pants. He was already hard. She was phenomenal, and he was mesmerized by
her beauty.
“Who are you?” he said.
“That’s not important. What is important is I’m going to make you feel good.”
3
There were no adventures, sexual or otherwise, in any of the other rooms. Most of them had trouble sleeping. Eve had the most of all. Night was her daytime.
Jeremy lay awake thinking of Staci, and what almost, but didn’t, happen the other night. Myron kept getting up to make sure he’d locked his door, eventually falling into an uneasy sleep. Staci held the crucifix pendant on her chain in a fist, clutching it as she would a hand reaching down if she were drowning. Tony exercised in his small hotel room, until he wore himself out, causing him to collapse into an effortless slumber.
“She’s married,” Jeremy told himself. “She’s got kids. Don’t try anything stupid. Forget about her.” And now he was talking to himself. Great. He repeated the words in a whisper, then again silently, over and over. The mantra eventually calmed him and put him to sleep.
Staci too fell under by whispering a prayer over and over while she held fast to the cross. She’d never been overly faithful, but it somehow did comfort her.
None would hear the screams coming from Johnny’s room. His guest made sure of it.
4
John Winter lay on his back, while the woman rode him.
“Yes!” he was shouting. She was a wild one. He smacked her ass, and she liked it. She said “Harder!” and he slapped it harder. When he was on top she said “Faster!” and he obliged. And it looked
as if she wanted to cap off the night by going down on him. He was
lucky to be this good looking.
She was looking up at him while she was sucking him off. Something didn’t jive. It was almost as if he knew her from somewhere.
“Do I… know you?” he said stupidly.
“Do you know me?” she said, pausing the fellatio. “I think you do. Intimately,” she smiled.
“That’s not what I meant.” She continued blowing him, smiling, looking up at him. She saw the flash of recognition in his eyes. He said, “You’re the one that was in Staci’s room; you were down in the pit that night.”
“Yes,” Arianna said. The teeth came out, and she bit down. Johnny opened his mouth to scream, and she slammed his skull against the headboard, knocking him unconscious.
“Now that’s not polite,” she said, “Let me finish you off.” She clamped down harder, jerking her head from side to side until the penis shaft tore from the body. Johnny awoke just long enough to see his dangling, mangled member in her mouth. His eyes rolled in his head, and he passed out. The next time he’d open his eyes, he’d awake in the dark, alone.
5
Eve fell asleep around five a.m., the TV still on one of the countless infomercials she’d absentmindedly watched throughout the night while channel surfing, the blinds and heavy curtains shut all the way on their tracks.
The rest of them woke up between eight and ten a.m., Tony getting up first, and Myron, who had the most trouble sleeping, getting up last. Tony went to knock on Jeremy’s door when he was done showering and dressing. Jeremy had just got up and was preparing coffee. Tony suggested they go downstairs and enjoy the free continental breakfast. They left a note for the others on Jeremy’s
door, in case they came looking for them while they were gone.
Staci joined them downstairs a half hour later. There wasn’t much left but she got what she could before the cafeteria stopped service at nine-thirty.
“You think Myron and Johnny are still asleep?” Jeremy said.
“Probably,” Tony thought. “Didn’t you guys have trouble sleeping?”
“Yeah,” they both nodded.
“We can go up and see them when we’re done here,” Staci suggested. “I want to try and relax for a bit. It was nice last night with everyone.”
Jeremy smiled, “Yeah.”
“I mean, I hadn’t realized how much I missed everyone, until I saw you guys again,” she said.
“Here here,” Tony said, raising his glass of orange juice. Staci raised her water, and Jeremy his apple juice, and they clinked glasses.
“I love you guys,” Staci said.
“We love you too,” Tony and Jeremy said in unison. Staci laughed. They talked and ate the rest of their food, and then strode to the elevators.
6
They knocked on Myron’s door, to be greeted by a groggy-eyed pajama suited boy, who despite his more rugged, handsome looks reminded them of that fourteen year old boy they knew a long time ago. He rubbed his eyes and said, “Hey guys,” and they laughed.
“What?” Myron said. He wasn’t in on the joke.
“Nothing,” Tony said, “We love you bud.”
Myron was a little embarrassed and simply said, “Thanks.”
“Take a shower and get dressed. We’ll come back for you in a bit. We’re going to go see if Johnny’s up.”
“All right. Sorry, I didn’t sleep very well.”
“I know the feeling,” Staci said.
They waved.
“See ya later Myron,” Jeremy called back.
Myron raised a half salute and shut the door.
7
Wherever he was, there was no light. He was on his back, still, a hard floor pressed against him. It smelled of wood, and earth, and damp. Johnny realized he was in a box, a wooden box. He could feel the skin on his back pushing through the holes made by the hardwood slats. He reached up and felt the roof of the box, poking his fingers between the panels. He had to shut his eyes and mouth as dirt rained down on him.
John Winter was not only disoriented, but suffering from an acute case of amnesia. He wasn’t quite sure who he was, and he for damn sure didn’t know how he had got here. The only thing he knew for sure was that here was underground. Someone had buried him alive. To what purpose, he didn’t know. But he needed to get out.
Panic seized him and he screamed, “Help!” He banged on the wood above him, averting his face from the falling earth. “Can
anyone hear me?! Help!!”
He smacked the wood harder and two of the slats splintered and cracked in half, releasing a wave of dirt into his crude coffin. It seemed to him the wood shouldn’t have broken that easily, but maybe now there was a way out. He hit the wooden slats repeatedly with the palms of his hands, breaking more and more, as he was showered with dirt. The opening was wide enough now where he could push himself through the box. Johnny hoped he hadn’t been buried too deep. He clawed his way up through the dirt, snaking his body through damp soil. If it had been hard packed he wasn’t sure he’d have made his way through it at all. He thought that he’d probably never felt more like a worm. Of course, he wasn’t really sure what he’d ever felt, because he didn’t remember anything. It felt like forever, but it was only a few minutes before his head burst through
the topsoil, and he could open his mouth and eyes and breathe in the
air.
It was odd though, because the air felt different than usual. He was aware of it being there, but it was almost as if he weren’t breathing it in at all, as if it were just passing through him. He pushed his shoulders and chest through. When he was waist high in the dirt, he realized where he was- a cemetery. There were headstones all around him. It was night, but it appeared that the dark was dissipating, as if sunrise was not far off. Fog rose from the graves and blanketed everything.
Johnny pushed himself the rest of the way out, collapsing onto a mound of firmer dirt and grass. He judged he’d only been buried about three feet under, and in an old wooden crate that was not solid, no less, because it had broken apart so easily. It didn’t make much sense, unless the person doing the burying wanted him to get out easily.
He stumbled up, his legs wobbly, shambling away from his unmarked grave, looking every bit a zombie. He brushed the dirt off of himself. He was dressed in jeans and a white undershirt, and sneakers. As he moved his way through the headstones he kept patting himself, and brushing off more dirt. He made sure to run his fingers through his hair and shake it out, as well as up and down his face. Eventually throughout this process, he found that he had a wallet in his back pocket. Eagerly, he pulled it out and flipped through it.
The Pit in the Woods: A Mercy Falls Mythos Page 51