When Darkness Falls - Six Paranormal Novels in One Boxed Set

by Shalini Boland

  He tried to focus on images of his brother and his sister, but all thoughts of them were obliterated by the next white-hot bath of fire. He screamed, not caring about anything other than the need to make it stop. He was surely about to die. Then the blissful coolness came as his body regenerated once more. Raw weals returning to marble white skin. Charred flesh healing, knitting itself back together.

  Up in the viewing gallery, Madison was hysterical. She banged on the glass with her fists and screamed at them to stop.

  ‘Do something!’ she yelled at Vasey-Smith. ‘They’re killing him! How can you just sit there and watch? This is worse than when he woke up at home. The lights are too powerful.’

  ‘Look,’ said Blythe. He came over to her and put his arm around her shoulder, pointing down into the theatre. ‘Look at your Alexandre. He is fine. See.’

  When Madison looked, she saw the UV lamp was now off and his flesh was indeed healing.

  ‘Is that it then?’ she asked hopefully. ‘Have they finished with him?’

  ‘Nearly,’ Blythe replied. ‘You may wish to look away now, child.’

  She ignored his advice and looked down once more as they switched on the lamp for the third time. This time his body looked like it was disintegrating and they turned off the lamp almost instantly.

  ‘Alex! Alexandre!’ she sobbed. She banged on the glass, which just flexed uselessly under her fists. ‘No more! He can’t take any more. You’ve gone too far. He won’t survive.’

  ‘Madison, look,’ Blythe said. He was smiling in amazement and Madison hated him for it. She looked down again and saw Alex’s body had almost returned to normal.

  ‘But that is incredible,’ Blythe exhaled. ‘Remarkable. If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes I would never have …’

  ‘Oh shut up!’ Madison turned to him. ‘Yes, remarkable, incredible,’ she mimicked him. ‘That’s somebody’s life you’re playing with. He’s not here so you can get your rocks off.’

  Vasey-Smith spoke. ‘Madison, Alexandre knew the risks but he wants to do this for his family. We aren’t forcing him.’

  ‘I know that,’ she replied. ‘But he doesn’t have to get so excited about someone else’s agony!’ She jerked her head angrily in Blythe’s direction and looked down into the room again, as they finally released Alexandre from the straps. He sat up, dazed but intact. Dr Rasheed draped his robe around his shoulders and led him out of the room.

  ‘Where are they taking him?’ Madison asked. ‘I need to be with him.’

  Vasey-Smith pressed a button and a young man in a suit came into the room.

  ‘Take Miss Greene to the prep room.’

  Madison followed the man along the corridor and down the steps to the small room where Alexandre sat on a plastic chair in his robe.

  ‘Oh, Alex. Are you okay?’

  ‘Now I am,’ he said and opened his arms to her. She approached him cautiously.

  ‘Is it okay to touch you? I mean, your body must still be sore.’

  ‘My body is as good as new,’ he smiled. ‘But my mind is in a more delicate state. Please come to me. I need to feel your body. To feel something good.’ He lifted her onto his lap and buried his head in her hair. ‘You smell so wonderful. I hate the synthetic stink of this place.’

  ‘Alex,’ she whispered into his neck. ‘I thought they were going to kill you. I was going crazy up there.’

  ‘I did not want you to witness that. I am sorry.’

  ‘Don’t you dare apologise. You were so brave. Did it work? Did they get whatever they needed to help the others?’

  ‘They are very optimistic, yes. But I am still so frightened for my family. I would gladly suffer that again if it meant they did not have to endure it. My poor little Isobel. And it is my …’ He broke off and looked so upset Madison thought he was going to cry.

  ‘What?’ she asked. ‘What is it? Is there something else?’

  ‘You know,’ he said. ‘I never really admitted it, not even to myself, but this whole thing is entirely my fault.’

  ‘What’s your fault?’

  ‘Everything. It was my fault we all ended up going to Cappadocia in the first place and it was I who found a way into the underground city. If I had not been so selfish and arrogant, none of this would ever have happened. I would have died a normal human death a long time ago with all my family and friends.’

  ‘No.’ She cut him short. ‘No, I’m not having that. You can’t start thinking what if. That’s a short cut to a shit life. You’re gonna get your family and friends back in a few hours time, then we’ll go home and everything will be fan-bloody-tastic, okay?’

  ‘I love you, Madison Greene.’ Alexandre kissed her hair and stroked her cheek with his forefinger.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt.’ It was Dr Rasheed. ‘Mr Blythe asked me to enquire whether you wish to proceed with the others now, or would you rather wait a few hours?’

  ‘We will proceed,’ Alexandre said as he and Madison stood up. ‘Let me first get dressed and then we will most certainly proceed. I want this over with.’

  Madison sat in the viewing gallery. Alexandre wanted to be in the theatre whilst the others were being revived but the white coats advised him this would be counter productive as he would still be affected by the UV even at a distance. But he knew nothing would stop him getting into that room if anything went wrong.

  Winston Blythe asked him which of the vampires should be woken first, but Alexandre refused to choose. He could not do it. Any choice he made would be wrong so he asked Blythe to randomly select the order in which they were to be awoken.

  Minutes later, Alexandre gritted his teeth as he saw Jacques being lifted onto the bed and strapped down. He was naked and looked like a beautiful alabaster statue with unnaturally golden hair that shone like a halo around his head.

  Please God, Alexandre prayed. If you can hear me, please give my brother back to me. He is a sweet boy. His condition is not of his choosing, he is … Then suddenly, the UV lamp was switched on. Alexandre leapt out of his seat and tore at his hair.

  ‘Non!’ he shouted. ‘I cannot watch this.’ He paced the room as Jacques’ body smoked and charred under the UV. Great red bubbling blisters appeared on his skin and his hair began to scorch and frizz. He flailed and jerked like a puppet on strings being pulled violently up and down. His eyes opened and he grabbed at his skin, trying to cover his face against the light and the pain.

  And then, suddenly, he was no longer there. The bed was empty, the straps undone. The doctors switched the UV lamp off.

  Alexandre disappeared from the viewing gallery and went straight to Jacques who cowered under the bed like a wounded animal. Alexandre draped a robe around his brother and led him out from his hiding place.

  ‘Jacques, do not fear. It is I, your brother, Alexandre. You are safe now, Jacques. You are safe.’

  ‘Where am I?’ Jacques voice was hoarse, scared. ‘What is this place? I feel strange, I was in terrible pain. I do not understand what I am seeing.’

  ‘I will explain everything, Jacques. Come, you are safe.’

  Alexandre led his brother through the door of the little antechamber and sat him on one of the plastic chairs. Jacques’ body was already fully healed, his skin restored to its beautiful unblemished state. He looked around in fear and bewilderment, but Alexandre crouched in front of him and took one of his hands in both of his.

  ‘I will explain everything as soon as the others are awake. I cannot believe it is really you, little brother.’

  ‘Are we vampires still?’ Jacques asked in a croaky voice.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I was in such pain. It was terrible, Alex. It will not happen again, will it?’

  ‘No, no. Never again. You are safe, Jacques. My little Jacques.’ Alexandre took his face in his hands and kissed both his cheeks. ‘I thought ...’ Alexandre’s voice was breaking and he could barely speak. ‘I thought I would never again talk to you.’

  ‘Why would you thin
k that?’

  ‘You have been ill. But you are healed now.’

  ‘This place is so strange. Where are we?’

  ‘We are still in England, but things have changed greatly. Do not think about it now. Just sit and rest.’

  ‘And your clothes are odd, Alex,’ he said, looking at his brother’s modern-fitting suit.

  ‘These are not the only things you will find strange, but I will tell you later.

  ‘The others? Isobel and ...’

  ‘They will join us shortly. Brother, I have missed you so much. I love you, Jacques.’

  Alexandre could not quite believe it had worked, that he had his little brother back. He would no longer be without his family, he was sure of it. They would all be returned to him very soon.

  And sure enough, one by one, the others were brought out under the life-giving, death-giving lamp and each in turn, burned and woke. Like chemotherapy that attacks the disease but also attacks the body, so the ultraviolet rays ate out the sickness from each of them, leaving them weak, but alive and awake.

  The last to be revived was Isobel and she was now screaming hysterically. Once the UV lamp was extinguished the others stumbled dazed into the room to try to calm her down. But Alexandre was there, calming, soothing and reassuring, so full up with happiness he barely knew himself.

  It had worked. It had actually worked and he was here in this awful sterile room with his beloved family and friends, his nineteenth century lifelong companions.

  Madison had watched from the gallery, horrified at their agony, but amazed at the transformation of these once inanimate creatures. She felt like an outsider as she joined them in the operating room. Leonora put her arm around Isobel who had curled up into a ball whimpering, trying to hide her nakedness.

  ‘For shame! I am unclothed. Please hand me something to wear. Who are these strange people and what are these things around me? Am I dreaming?’

  Madison came into the room and gave Isobel a robe.

  ‘Thank you,’ Isobel said, putting it on.

  Alexandre led his newly awakened family across to the door that led to the antechamber and found to his surprise that he couldn’t open it. He tried the handle again, but the door was most definitely locked. He smiled up at the dark glass of the viewing gallery and called out.

  ‘Mr Blythe! We are all well, but the door is locked. Please open it so we can come and thank you in person.’ He tried the door again, but was still unable to open it. ‘Mr Blythe! Sir! Can you hear me?’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Madison asked.

  ‘This damned door is locked. There must be some problem with ...’

  Suddenly, a set of overhead lights flashed on. They were all ultraviolet and the five vampires cringed down onto the ground, screaming in pain. Madison had to cover her ears to block out the piercing sounds of agony. Alexandre was burning again, but he managed to get up and throw himself relentlessly against the heavy metal door. It buckled and dented, but his body was weakening under the deadly glow of the rays.

  Madison’s screams joined the others’ as she saw all the vampires’ bodies scorching and bubbling. The pain must have been incredible. Madison yelled up at the gallery for them to do something. Alexandre channelled the excruciating agony and used every ounce of power left in his melting body to hurl himself at the door. Finally, the locks snapped like wood and the door opened.

  Alexandre dragged the others to safety. Madison could only watch helplessly, as their bodies were too hot for her to touch. They collapsed through into the little antechamber and she followed them, shocked and horrified by what she had witnessed. But even as Madison entered the little room, she saw the vampires had almost healed.

  ‘There must have been some kind of malfunction,’ Alexandre exhaled. ‘Those lights! They were everywhere. Is everybody well?’ He looked at them. They all appeared dazed, but physically were completely recovered. ‘We need to return to the gallery to see whatever could have happened. Is everybody alright to come now?’

  But before anyone could reply, UV flooded the small room. They cried out in shock and pain. Madison ran out into the corridor and saw yet more ultraviolet pulsating down its length.

  ‘We have to find you somewhere safe!’ Madison yelled over their cries. ‘Follow me!’

  They ran and stumbled down the corridor, pushing open each door they passed, only to find UV shining down from every ceiling in every room. At the end of the corridor, they saw another door, but it was locked. They ran, crawled and staggered down the deadly luminescent corridor.

  ‘Open this one!’ Maddy screamed. ‘Here! Over here!’ She was crying at the sight of them so consumed in flames she could hardly make out who was who.

  The mass of glowing red vampires hurled themselves against the locked door and thankfully it soon gave way. They tumbled into a bright space, but the lights were blissfully ordinary and it was cool and free from the UV’s torturous beam. Leonora and Isobel were sobbing, but Madison heard an angry cry followed by a crashing noise behind her.

  Alexandre was going crazy. He pulled over filing cabinets and hurled desks at the wall so they cracked and splintered. The room was completely destroyed. The others sat on the floor in shock. Alexandre now stood in the midst of the chaos he had created with a murderous stare in his eyes. His skin had rapidly repaired and he looked almost normal.

  ‘I am going to kill those two men,’ Alexandre said, his eyes glinting with fury. ‘I am going to rip their heads off and smash their bodies to pieces.’

  Madison realised it hadn’t been an accident. Blythe had tried to kill them. Alexandre was so angry he could barely talk. His eyes glittered and his muscles tensed and flexed. He looked ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

  The others were bewildered and scared. Everything they had seen so far was alien to them. They did not understand any of what had happened or where they were. All they knew was that Alexandre and Madison were trying to help them, to save them from the hellfire that pursued them, that tried to scorch their flesh and visit such brutal agony upon them.

  Madison peered out of the door and saw the UV lights still pulsing throughout the corridor. She closed the door and took in her surroundings - it had been an office of some sort before Alexandre destroyed it. She noticed another door at the back of the room and tried the handle.

  As the door opened, she felt a chill. Madison now stood in a vast, clinical room which stretched away into the distance. Everything was white, except for a wall of large grey filing cabinets. The harmless overhead lights hummed, but Madison saw grids of black tubes running alongside the normal ceiling downlights – ultraviolet.

  They were currently turned off, but she knew potentially they could come on at any moment. In the centre of the room she saw a high table covered with a sheet and Madison realised there was probably a body under the sheet.

  Alexandre followed her in and she pointed to the banks of UV. He looked up, nodded in acknowledgement and walked straight over to the table. Lifting up the sheet he saw the naked body of a young man. But it was no ordinary man. Alexandre knew instinctively that he was looking at a vampire.

  Chapter Thirty

  *

  Alexandre stared at the beautiful young male vampire lying on the slab. He was overcome with a strange creeping sensation. The feeling he knew its face from somewhere, but it was as if his brain didn’t want him to remember. Looking around the rest of the cavernous room, he saw a wall lined with deep metal drawers. Alexandre pulled one open. It slid back a long way, revealing the unconscious form of another vampire.

  Even though he was one of them, Alexandre did not consider himself to be the same as these creatures. He still thought he and his family were intrinsically human and did not believe these others bore any relation to him.

  Alexandre had the chilling realisation this drawer was only one of many. The wall of drawers towered up to the ceiling and stretched off down the vast room into the distance. There must have been hundreds. He opened an
other drawer, then another and another. They all contained the bodies of dormant vampires. What were they doing here? Why had they been kept alive? And why had Blythe revived him and his family if he was going to kill them in the end anyway?

  He went back to the naked creature on the table and examined it more closely. It had that statue-like quality which characterised the sleeping sickness. Madison came up behind him, staring nervously at the body.

  ‘Why’s there a dead bloke in here?’

  ‘Madison, I think you should go back into the other room. This is not a dead body. It is a ...’ Before he could finish speaking the vampire sat bolt upright and opened its eyes.

  Madison gave a short scream of fright and realisation hit Alexandre like a knife through his gut. He did indeed know this creature but the last time he saw it had been over one hundred years ago, when they had both been deep in the belly of the earth. The creature had not been naked, but magnificently clothed in an elaborate golden headdress, robes and shimmering cloak.

  All those years ago it had hissed viciously at him before draining the blood from his human body. Alexandre remembered how it had felt to know he was about to die, and he put his hand up to his throat, to the place where his human skin had been punctured. This was the ancient Cappadocian vampire who had stolen his life and turned him into one of them. He realised he had come face to face with his maker.

  Alexandre and Madison stood, shocked.

  ‘Get out,’ Alexandre whispered to her. ‘Back out of the room, slowly.’ Madison felt the chilling numbness of terror. She didn’t know how she managed it, but she got out of the room, making it back into to the wrecked office where the others were huddled together in the corner, trying to recover their strength.

  Alexandre stared in fascination at the creature which followed his every move with its dark vacant eyes. It was an ancient being with no remnants of humanity left in its cold soul. Alexandre knew that if it wasn’t sick, it would have crushed him like rose petals.