Dracula: Hearts of Fire (Dracula Heart's)

by Albert Gallant

  Michael had gotten himself a cell phone for the first time in his life. He stared at it on the small table beside the bed willing it to go off. At one o’clock he called John but it went directly to voicemail. His mood went from good to a little nervous. He took the tie off and tossed it onto the bed wishing that it could be smashed like a stubborn alarm clock at sunup. Had something gone wrong? Had it been a police sting? Even worse, what if John Shaw had been sucked dry by a vampire? He had no other leads to follow, no other ropes to cling to at all, and this one was apparently becoming unravelled. It was funny how the mind liked to conjure up problems that didn’t even exist.

  “Ring, damn you!” He felt like punching the cell but he didn’t.

  Michael had never paced in his life but at a little after two he started, and with another call that had gone to voicemail his mood shifted to desperate. He knew he was most likely being unreasonable but still. It was awful having a situation where he was totally dependent upon another. He stared out the window briefly and then continued to pace. The phone rang and he rushed to it, only to discover that it was some bullshit about lowering the interest rates on his credit cards. Time was moving forward as his mood was declining. Michael felt like punching John Shaw whether he deserved it or not. Unfortunately, the situation that he found himself mired in was no one’s fault but his own; if you let something precious get away you shouldn’t be surprised if you can’t get it back.

  At almost three he called for a nine inch all-meat pizza, sprinkled it with flakes of blood but could only manage a couple of bites. It smelled good though. It was meant to be a bit of a distraction unfortunately it didn’t work. A freight train plowing through the hotel wouldn’t be a good enough distraction. That’s what he got for letting Lauren’s gray-blue eyes get to him. Falling for a red sheriff, how stupid was that? They put their lives on the line on a daily basis. If John had an official office he would go there, however he’d been told that his Lincoln Town Car was his office. It was just easier and cheaper, keeping the overhead at a minimum. Technology made it easy with a cell phone, laptop and GPS in the car. The private eye placed ads online and in the New York Times whenever business tipped a little too low for comfort.

  At four o’clock Michael was going stir crazy in the motel room and had to go for a walk; he grabbed his AT&T cell and took off. He reached incredible speeds as he blurred through the city. He almost ran into the M10 Harlem 159th bus and apologized to the driver. He blurred to the American Museum of Natural History at Central Park West at 79th Street but didn’t go in. He stared up at the pillars and then sat on the steps and stared at the traffic. Another call to John went unanswered. He watched tourists taking photos of one another in front of the Museum, and thought it might be fun to go inside with Lauren on his arm. He watched a young couple walking hand-in-hand stop at a portable booth selling hot dogs and pretzels in front of the museum; they bought a single pretzel and ate it together, when their lips touched Michael had to look away.

  “Come on John, call me already.”

  Suddenly, one yellow taxi smashed into the back end of another yellow taxi. The drivers got out and the foul language started to fly. It was obvious who was in fault and yet the argument ensued. They talked as much with their hands as with their curses. Another driver had to get in the middle to stop the two short men from coming to blows. Michael knew the police would soon be on the scene; he had had enough and blurred off.

  Michael didn’t stop until he got to Central Park West at West 72nd Street; he was at the entrance to the Strawberry Fields Memorial, across from the Dakoda Apartments where John Lennon was killed. It was then that he cell phone rang. “John, is that you?”

  “It’s me Michael,” said John Shaw. “But I’ve got some bad news.”

  Michael’s heart sank. “Bad news, what do you mean?”

  “Lauren didn’t show up for work. An investigation has started but she’s officially missing.”

  “Missing, what the hell does that mean?”

  John hesitated. Almost ten seconds went by before he responded. “She’s a vampire sheriff Michael, when they go missing it’s never good news. They’ve found her badge which would have enabled them to track her, but no bones yet. It doesn’t sound good. What do you want me to do?”

  “Find her, that’s what I want you to do!”

  “I can’t guarantee anything.”

  “I know that!” And with that Michael cut off the call.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  DRACULA RUSHED AND STOPPED Gage’s blade from slicing all the way through Piers Anthony’s neck, with the wind from his movement throwing a book on the floor; the blade hit the Master’s hand it was like hitting steel, and it was a good thing because another inch and the author would have been nothing but bones. The Master threw Gage’s blade and it stuck into the wall. The author’s wound healed but it had been a close one, Piers had felt his skin start to turn to dust; he placed his hand where the wound had been and came away with a slight dusting of his skin. It was definitely scary having been that close to death. The Grim Reaper had been turned back but just barely. The look on Pier’s face was one of relief. Dracula appeared relieved as well.

  “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.” Annie shook her head at the spectacle that she was seeing and would never forget.

  Wei’s blade took Nash and Vaile’s head off simultaneously. It was something that he had always wanted to do, but vampires had never been in the proper position before now to actually get two biters simultaneously. He never really thought that he’d get two bad vampires at the same time. Wei had a small bet placed with Bao and he turned with raised eyebrows at him. Moon Diamond launched itself around Gage’s neck and commenced to choke him, using its entire body as one powerful muscle. A struggle ensued as Gage attempted to blur and run away, however he was in too much discomfort to manage it. Dracula gestured for the others to let the cat be as he wanted to observe the end result. Annie was fascinated by the turn of events. The vampire threw himself down on the floor in an attempt to free himself from the Siamese, and down there he rolled and smashed at the cat with his fists, but with each passing second he became weaker. Gage pushed himself against the wall and managed to stand but it was too late, his head popped off and the dust of what he had been went through his bones to the floor below.

  The Master was impressed by the outcome.

  Piers Anthony was also impressed. “Did you see that?”

  “Indeed.”

  Annie picked up the cat and gave it a hug.

  Wei and Bao both nodded at Zacharia’s accomplishment.

  After the battle had ended Annie continued to make her rounds and kicked the bones of every single vampire that lay dead on the floor. She took quite a bit of satisfaction in kicking the now deceased vampire bullies. The senior had to pause and catch her breath and then slowly made her way over to the Master as she continued to struggle for air. It was necessary to rest before she proceeded. She approached, looking way up at him as she was a little thing, clearing her throat for what she was about to say. “Mr. Dracula, would you be so kind as to turn me into a vampire? I am so tired of struggling for my breath. Would you do that for me? Please. Or you could kill me? That would be okay too. This old body has had it. Just too many miles.”

  Everyone turned their attention to Dracula; they were curious as to his reaction to the request. Piers Anthony showed a slight smile as he raised his eyebrows. Was Dracula made uncomfortable by the request? Wei and Bao stared at the Master but said nothing, though they were definitely interested in how he would handle the request from little old Annie; they slowly sheathed their swords. Annie took a step closer to him and smiled. He had been impressed with her bravado, as the battle had raged on around her, she had gone about her business of kicking the bones and hadn’t cared if someone would have killed her or not. The battle hadn’t phased her one iota. Dracula thought that she had bigger balls that most.

  Old man Brian peeked arou
nd the corner from his walker. He had been a well-respected doctor in his time but now most days he wasn’t even sure of where he was. He would take off his belt and listen to it with his imaginary stethoscope. Brian accessed the mess that was strewn about from the fight. “Who’s gonna clean up this mess?”

  The Master smiled at Annie. “Are you sure that’s what you want Annie? If I turn you there’s no going back. You must realize that the only way out of the vampire condition is death. Are you agreeable to that?”

  “Oh yes. It can’t be worse than my current condition. Either kill me or cure me. Please and thank you.”

  Dracula minded the old woman and saw that she was a good person; he saw how beautiful she had been as a young woman. He picked her up and she turned her neck to him as he bit her, a small amount of blood ran down her neck. Annie stiffened and pointed her toes. When Dracula put her down all her pain was gone, and she was stronger and faster than she ever believed possible. She picked up her canister of oxygen and was tempted to throw it through the window but then thought better of it. Why should they be forced to replace the window because of her carelessness? Her energy was through the roof. She couldn’t ever remember feeling this good.

  “You wouldn’t believe how good I feel. This is incredible.”

  Dracula looked down at Annie and smiled. “Annie, be good or I’ll have to come back and get you.”

  “I will.”

  Brian shouted his loudest. “Annie’s a vampire!”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  IN THE FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST of New York State the sun shone and was alternately blocked by the puffy clouds of summer. The scents of the nearby pine trees were defeated. The birds that had been singing stopped as supernatural whispers glided around them. Two newly constructed military type barracks were out of place in the middle of the woods. The dwellings were miles from everywhere and would soon be under the cover of an enchantment. Painted in dark olive green no roads let to them. The empty barracks stood side-by-side and awaited the vampires that would reside within. Animals shunned the area, with a few rabbits running for their lives as they felt pursued by the stench of burning flesh.

  A mid-level blood wizard named Ahmet was putting the final touches to a spell that would keep all humans several miles away from the place. He was dressed in black with a leather motorcycle vest and black chaps, including a leather skull cap with red flames. He was a mean looking dude in his mid-fifties, only he had been born in San Francisco in 1852 to parents of the famous gold rush. He had killed his parents long ago; his father had been a nasty vampire. The idea was to make the buildings invisible from curious eyes. The enchantment was also supposed to keep the vampires away, however the wizard was unsure of that part of the spell, but he wasn’t about to notify Sharpton of that. He was going to take the money, disappear and never look back.

  Ahmet was a mountain man with his salt-and-pepper beard down to his chest. His arms were tattooed with demons that looked real from a distance. One of the tattoos was a skeleton holding a double-edged axe dripping blood was particularly scary, it certainly frightened small children. Ahmet had two dozen dead animals stacked in a pile in front of the buildings; they were set ablaze and burned with peculiar black and orange flames. There were deer, foxes, crows, rabbits, porcupines and a large cow moose at the base of the fire. He went through stylized movements and hand strikes in the air that magically pushed the smoke, engulfing the buildings. His hands cut through the air like a master of Kung Fu, with strength, concentration and a mantra that circled the buildings, his rough voice echoed around and returned to him. It looked impressive.

  “Sssshhhhhhhhhhooooo!” Ahmet’s vocals produced a sound that nearly mimicked an arrow cutting through the air. He stood very still and listened, it was as if all sound had been removed from the environment; he stood with both hands extended as he felt a small amount of energy leave his body, mix with the air. His extremities tingled, emitting sparks and he was therefore satisfied with the enchantment. Ahmet whispered to the dark spirits and they hissed back at him.

  Sharpton blurred into the area with a leather satchel containing the payment for the deed, twenty thousand dollars in cash. He was just over six feet two inches tall with black hair down to his shoulders, dark complexion and amber eyes. His mother had been black and his father had been a nasty Irishman that liked to beat anyone that he could get his hands on. He was partially the product of incompetent parents. Sharpton was handsome enough, better than average looking. He faced Ahmet and held up the satchel and shook it. Sharpton was a blood wizard himself, but at such a low level that he hadn’t bothered with it; he thought it a waste of time to learn spells that couldn’t kill anyone.

  “Sharpton,” said Ahmet, “how’s life treating you?”

  “Pretty damn good.” Sharpton tossed the satchel and Ahmet caught it. He noticed the wizard was tired and sweaty, probably due to the fact that the spell had taken a lot out of him. “Is it done?”

  “Yes.”

  “You of course guarantee your work?”

  Ahmet hesitated but only briefly. “Enchantments are tricky but the spell seems to be working just fine.”

  “I’m not going to be at all happy if this doesn’t hold together.” Sharpton smiled and raised his eyebrows at him.

  A white-tailed deer ran through the area and smashed right into the building on the left as it had been invisible to the animal, getting up it again walked right into it. Sharpton watched as it finally made its way around and continued into the forest; he was impressed. He nodded at the wizard to indicate that he approved.

  “See. The buildings are invisible so that they can’t be spotted from a distance. More important is that most will shun this area. That small bag I gave you of sulphur and salt allows you access to the area, but the vampires that you are bringing here will have to be led in.”

  Sharpton nodded. “Well done. Can I interest you in joining the cause?

  “Not a chance in hell.”

  “Really? Are you sure?”

  “Sharpton, what I meant to say was that I am occupied elsewhere with my own project. I’m in the process of enhancing my abilities.”

  “Off with you then.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  LAUREN RETURNED TO CONSCIOUSNESS inside a glass-covered coffin. She slowly opened her eyes and stared through the dirty glass; she could see multiple finger prints smudged on it. She had no idea how she got in there. A beam of light shone through it onto her left breast, but then vanished as the clouds blocked the sun. It was no ordinary coffin, it was shallower than normal and because of that she could barely move. She was pressed by both sides of the narrow box. Besides that the casket had been spelled. It was an entrapment spell, put on the box by a high-level wizard and that meant big trouble. Lauren had a spell put on her several years earlier that would allow her to break free of any binding, but whatever wizard had her now was obviously much more powerful than the one that had created her anti-entrapment incantation, either that or it had simply worn off.

  “How the hell did I get in here?”

  Lauren noticed that her badge was missing therefore no one could track her. She could see her swords near her on an old Mexican copper inlaid grand coffee table on a stylish iron stand but she couldn’t get to them. The coffee table had two cubby holes and four long drawers. Inside one of the cubby holes was an hourglass with pale blue sand the color of the ocean. Sand was slowly draining from the top to the bottom.

  It was then that she realized that she could only move her head. Couldn’t wiggle her toes or fingers, couldn’t move her arms, her head was it, and what a terrible feeling it was. It was as if the sheriff was paralyzed from the neck down. She was resting on some sort of flat surface about two feet off the floor. It was obvious that she was in some sort of log cabin with a high wooden ceiling, and from what she could see it was an expensive looking place. Apparently she was alone as she couldn’t hear anyone. It would have been the perfect opportunity to escape.

>   “Someone’s gonna get a shit kicking.”

  Lauren put all of her concentration into one kick that would bust it open. She thought that if she put her mind to it she could accomplish something; she hoped that the power Dracula had infused in her had some counter magic to it. She visualized it, over and over, kicking that thing open so she could get the hell out of there. Lauren put several minutes into it but soon became discouraged. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t move an inch. Being trapped in such a fashion was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Although she didn’t know it the spell that had been placed on her was not only supposed to completely paralyze her, but was meant to have kept her unconscious as well. The extra energy that Dracula had infused in her had interfered at least somewhat with the enchantment.