The Dark Messenger

by Milo Spires

  ‘Where are you?’ Kaine messaged, pausing for a second before sending another thought. ‘I can’t believe this! All these years we sat in the lounge and never knew this existed. The steps go down really far, then they turn left along a corridor to a room. Looks like the machinery for the cable car in the valley was fitted inside here at some stage. You have to come down here, darling!’

  Regina could sense the sheer excitement in her husband’s mind—like a big kid playing with his new toys.

  ‘Be there in a minute, just sorting out some torches for Jenny,’ she replied as she felt the dog’s fur brushing her legs and realized they were keen to go down too.

  ‘Go,’ she said as she clicked her fingers, then smiled as they both charged down the steps side by side into the darkness below.

  ‘I sent your boys down,’ she messaged.

  ‘Are you coming down here, Regina?’ Kaine messaged. Then, without waiting for her reply, he sent another message: ‘I found another room. This must be where they had the cables feeding from for the cable car.’

  ‘Hurry up, darling,’ she said, thinking he must have forgotten how dire their situation was, and that any minute they could be fighting for their lives if they didn’t find a way to escape.

  Kaine hadn’t forgotten though; it was foremost in his mind. But this room! Everything down here looked amazing: an old generator, old winches, load’s of cabling and really nicely designed cast-iron pulley wheels. However, it all had to wait for another day, and he was well aware of it. He had only noticed them while he was looking around for a possible way to escape, and he knew they only had minutes left to find one.

  Ahead of him was one last room to check, down a small set of steps behind a door that was covered in rust from the years that it had been there under their hillside. He wasn’t hopeful, but still he knew he had to look.

  Pushing the door with a normal amount of strength, he realized that it was jammed. He looked down at the hinges and could see they were never going to work again in the state they were in. They were rusted solidly together, and the handle as he pushed down on it seemed to have become disconnected inside somehow. Flicking the switch in his brain, his body suddenly surged with power as he prepared to use his massive strength. Grabbing the handle in his left hand, he punched the door unbelievably hard with his right hand. Still the door refused to budge.

  Furious, as he realized that it still hadn’t been enough power, he decided to give it everything he had. Stepping back a few paces, his rage exploded as his eyes then glazed over and his body was filled with immense power. He launched himself at the door a second time, putting his shoulder into it first. As he connected with it this time, it gave way like the door in the hospital had. The door and frame flew forwards at ridiculous speed, exploding outwards so hard that it flew across and hit the wall on the opposite side, before it crashed down to lay on the floor in front of him.

  Kaine looked quickly inside the room, doubting there would be anything that could help in there. To his surprise, there was, indeed, something that gave him a spark of hope. On the opposite wall above the now-mangled door was a small hole. It looked like it must have been used in the past as a vent because of the size of it. He knew that, because of his size, he couldn’t fit through himself, but he wondered if the women and dogs might be able to squeeze through. Stepping down into the room, he walked over to it.

  It was actually only about twelve inches square, if that, and looking down as far as he could see in to it, the dark passage seemed to get narrower in the distance.

  A disturbance in the air caused him to smile, but he wasn’t sure if it was just the air cooled in the tunnel from the damp ground all around it, or if it was actually air coming through at him from the outside. Then he wondered if it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but he swore blind he could feel a faint draft coming from inside.

  But should I allow Regina and the women to crawl inside there, without knowing if they would be safe? he asked himself.

  ‘Hello, Kaine.’ Becky’s voice suddenly cut in on his thoughts; she had just arrived and was looking in through the doorway at him. The boys were right behind her, sniffing at every crack and crevice.

  Turning around, he smiled at her. ‘Do you think you three women could fit in that hole?’ he asked, pointing at it.

  Becky looked up in horror. It was so tiny; she didn’t like thinking about getting in there at all.

  Seeing her facial expression, Kaine said, ‘Maybe it leads somewhere out into the trees below our house or something. You should be safe there. I just hope it’s not blocked, but there’s no time and no other choices really. You could try running with me, but I'm sure you would get caught since you don't have any wings yet.’

  Becky was about to answer in the negative, but then suddenly her mind was distracted by what she had just heard him say about wings. More specifically, her wings.

  ‘So I will grow wings, you think?’ she asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

  ‘Yes of course. You are a vampire.’ He waved his hand in front of her face. ‘But forget that for now. Hello—the question I just asked? The hole?’ he stressed, pointing back at it.

  Becky looked up at it and said, ‘I don’t know, but I think so. It will be tight but what about you though?’

  ‘I won’t be coming with you as I can’t fit in there—just look at the size of me. No, I will take the boys out the top exit and straight down to the beach, then come back for you ladies afterwards.’

  ‘There you are!’ Regina said as she suddenly appeared, looking down into the room at them. Solomon and Bruce both went crazy seeing her, and charged towards her to say hello.

  ‘Hi darling. There’s a possible exit in here, but it’s for you three. I can’t fit in,’ Kaine said.

  ‘Well then I won’t be going either. I’m not leaving you in here with them; there’s too many.’ She walked over and stood toe-to-toe with him, all seriousness. ‘Kaine, will you for once realize when there’s too many for you to fight, please? I don't want to be a widow,’ she said looking at him meaningfully.

  ‘Ok I wont fight them, I promise. Anyway my new plan is to leave through the top exit and then afterwards I will fly down to the beach and make my way around through the dense bushes to find you. You have to go this way, darling. I can’t defend you out there against them all and not be killed myself. I have to go alone, and you and Becky need to protect Jenny anyway,’ he said, hoping that she would understand.

  No one could argue because they knew they didn’t have long left. This plan sounded perfect, but Regina wondered if he didn't have something else on his mind to do and wasn’t telling her; somehow blocking her out as she then scanned his mind for clues.

  ‘Jenny you go in the middle because you won’t have any light,’ Becky said, giving her a quick cuddle before she climbed up inside the hole.

  ‘Give your torch to Kaine,’ Regina said, ‘but be quick because Kaine has to go upstairs again.’

  Jenny hung back, her face somewhat ghostly in the torch light. ‘I...I don't like this. I am so scared. What if we get trapped in there and die?’ Her voice was getting shrill. ‘I can't go in there, really, please don't make me! I am claustrophobic!’ She truly looked different, very different from the normal Jenny they had grown to love. She was absolutely terrified!

  ‘What do we do?’ Regina messaged to her husband, feeling that this was no time to speak aloud.

  ‘I will take her with me, I can carry her on my back and the boys can go in there with you,’ he messaged.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, realizing that this hardly seemed to alter the plan in the slightest. She only hoped with all her heart that there was a way out at the other end of this hole. From where she was standing, it looked very much like there wasn’t. The thought of being stuck in there for days without food and water was not very appealing, to say the least. She feared for her babies too; they wouldn’t be able to stand, go to toilet, or anything.

  ‘The poor thin
gs,’ she thought as she looked down at them with a concerned look upon her face. She knew that there was a great chance it would be hell in there; she truly feared the worst but knew there was no other way, and she had accepted that. Her flying abilities were nowhere near as good as Kaine’s, and if they all left with him from the top exit and were somehow seen, they would be killed for sure.

  Anyway, that wouldn’t be fair to Becky, who had now already climbed up inside the tunnel. She also felt there was no time to wait for her to crawl back out either. There was nothing for it; she had to get in there and start following. She really had no choice.

  Regina leant forwards and kissed Kaine. She looked up into his eyes and said to him, ‘We will meet again, my lover.’

  He smiled down at her and said, ‘For sure.’

  Then she turned and stepping up from the edge of the broken door, she pulled herself inside the vent.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘It’s okay, my love. You will come with me, and the boys will go with their mother,’ he said softly as he stepped forwards to give her a quick hug.

  He leant down and hoisted Solomon up into the vent and then did the same with Bruce. They didn’t know their orders and waited for their master’s word, which they knew would come soon. Leaning in as far as he could, he wrapped his arms around them, not knowing if he would ever see them again.

  ‘You two be good. Help your mum and Becky out to safety. I love you both very much. Now—go! Find your mother.’

  As they scampered away down the tunnel on their bellies, he had the strangest, most forlorn feeling inside. A tear then appeared upon his cheek and began to roll steadily downwards. As it did, he noticed it, and surreptitiously wiped it away.

  Chapter 34 – Bye Bye, you old bastard

  (Back in the cells under the Tower of London.)

  Hoidrious was outside their cell and issuing his demands with two of his goons, whilst Longinus got the real picture painted for him, regarding his relationship with his cellmate.

  Raffious had proved indubitably with a kick, that he didn’t give a toss about the fact that Longinus had cared for him over the past week, because given the chance of escape, he was still gonna bugger off without him.

  When Longinus had started thinking about escaping, he was glad that he hadn’t been foolish enough to include Raffious in it at all. Ok with some slight changes it could have included him, but now he knew the truth about the slimy toads intentions, he was definitely out of it and reduced to nothing but the lure….

  Raffious who was stretching his legs, was furious that the old crone Hoidrious, had made him both endure being paralysed and also having to suffer the deep embarrassment of pissing down himself all week.

  Thinking that Hoidrious wouldn’t dare hurt him as he had Rex a prisoner, he decided to chance his luck a bit further by giving him a piece of his mind.

  ‘You dirty old prick, yes ever so funny you di…….’ He blasted but ended his sentence abruptly as he caught sight of the vampire leaders veins beginning to pulsate.

  Suddenly wishing there was someway he could retract his last statement, he swallowed deeply as he realized the full gravity of the words he had just used in front of this evil fucker, and now, by them, in his mind, and by his own stupidity, he expected pain, a lot of pain.

  ‘You can have that one.’ Hoidrious said with a sinister grin, before he then said to Raffious, ‘Now come here gorgeous, because I have a necklace for you to wear.’

  Raffious was deeply relieved he had missed out on pain, and then sighed to the effect.

  One of the goons standing next to Hoidrious had slipped his beefy hand inside his jacket and pulled out a rustic brown wire hoop with mini spikes everywhere. To look at, it didn’t look too dissimilar to that of a piece of barbed wire, which farmers use to keep livestock in with.

  Daring not to enrage Hoidrious any further, and grinning at the gorgeous comment, Raffious walked cautiously towards the bars.

  One of the goons then passed the wire necklace through to him and regardless that he knew what a necklace was, the masked idiot told him to put it on over his head. Raffious replied with a blank expression, suggesting the goon partly lacked intelligence. Then being extremely careful not to reopen his really sore, and deeply slashed cheek from outside the coven when Longinus had stuck the tip of his sword in him, he finally slid the barbed necklace down into position around his neck.

  ‘Good.’ Hoidrious said as he held up a glowing amulet, about the size of an egg. The amulet like a remote control sent a spell of some kind to the necklace, to engage it.

  THHWACK, the necklace suddenly completely shrunk in size, and stopped with the tips of the barbs embedding themselves just a millimeter beneath Raffious’ skin. A moment later it corrected itself by pulling out slightly, then blood from the tiny fifty or so pinprick holes, began to slowly drip down his neck.

  ‘What is that.’ Longinus said as the old boy foolishly, half considered raising a debate on how the necklace had just hurt him. Then wholesomely, he recanted as he thought about their promise of amputation, which had the effect to keep his puckered lips even more puckered.

  ‘Not really your fucking concern, spy.’ One of the goons blasted at him, ‘How dare you ask what the necklace is for.’

  ‘Wo, just askin.’ He said as he stepped backwards with his palms up towards the beastly dude and then resumed his seating position on the bench. Fuckin ignorant prick, he thought.

  Longinus could feel his power inside growing exponentially as he reminded himself of the escape plan and the gorgeous air that was awaiting him up above. It was as if his body had had enough of this place too and wanted to leave now, and not in a minute like the mind was telling it. The body could sense freedom and was gearing itself up for the death-defying exit they were about to be making.

  Hoidrious stepped closer to the bars and after staring at Raffious, he said in a calm, somewhat un-evil voice, ‘Tomorrow night you will be led upstairs to where your powers will work again. Then you and Dracus with this amulet will leap to wherever you are holding Rex a prisoner, and then together you will bring him back. If you try to escape, the collar will shrink and suffocate you. No magic of yours can remove it. If you move more than twenty feet away from the amulet that Dracus will be holding, the necklace will start shrinking and no one can stop it, not even Dracus.’

  Raffious smiled and like a creep, then assured him one hundred percent that he would bring Rex back and apologized for the trouble he had caused him.

  ‘Finally we are leaving this fucking stinking place.’ Longinus said with a loud but baited breath. As he said the word stinking though, he suddenly realised that he wasn’t covering his mouth or even felt the need to either. He seemed to be breathing the putrid stench inside quite freely.

  Then it dawned on him for a horrible moment that he hadn’t been covering his mouth of recent at all, plus the stench was nowhere near as bad now, as it was when he had first arrived at this paradise hotel of doom. He shuddered at the thought as suddenly a new memory popped into his mind- the memory of his being told the very first time he was dragged along the passageway about the killer effects the place had on its prisoners. The jailers with their grim masks had said just after kindly flattening his nose for him, that he shouldn’t worry, and that he would get used to the smell. Only when he did, that soon after incredible pain would begin to take over, and then afterwards insanity would take its first foothold in his mind. And then as if that hadn’t cheered him up no end, they gave him the ultimate in happy news by adding there was more. They said that after he had died, instead of resting in peace like humans, he would wake up in the fires of HELL.

  ‘You wont be going anywhere,’ Hoidrious suddenly boomed at him, ‘You will never be leaving these cells. Raffious will be getting Rex, then afterwards he will be free, but you will never be. Anyway something for you to look forwards too, and just to add a nice ending to this day. In a couple days time, we will come down and wit
h a blunt axe, start amputating your limbs. Or maybe like turning down a fine wine for another vintage, you might prefer what we have in the cells beneath us instead? There’s a rack or a brass bull. The first one is to dislocate your limbs before pulling them off, or the second, being the bull, is where we lock you inside it and then build a fire underneath the thing. We will stoke the flames so they roar vehemently, until the bull is screaming hot. Do you get the drift? ’ Hoidrious said with a wide grin upon his face.