Something of the Night

by Paul Cave

  “I don’t understand. Why aren’t they bringing them back?” the teenager asked. The two of them were huddled together at the rear of the cell.

  “I don’t know, honey,” Hannah Cain replied, shaking her head, setting her fiery-red hair ablaze.

  “They’re coming for us, aren’t they?”

  Hannah squeezed the girl’s hand, “We don’t know that for sure,” she said.

  The girl started to cry. “Yes they are,” she sobbed. Hannah wrapped her arms around the girl’s bony shoulders, holding her tight.

  “We’ll be okay, I promise. I won’t let them take you, not without a fight.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes, I promise,” Hannah swore. She would like nothing more than to tear the jailer’s hideous face apart. But something had changed within the bloated mass of flesh. The jailer’s usual look of cruelty had gone, and in its place a businesslike posture had appeared. The vampire looked as if she was in a hurry, eager to ‘process’ all the prisoners as quickly as possible.

  Hannah pulled herself away from the girl. She turned to face the small window that was just above her head. The glass had broken long ago. Only iron bars remained. She stood on her tiptoes and managed to catch a glimpse of something pass by. It was the trailer of a truck. Hannah heard the hiss of compressed air as the driver applied pressure to the brakes. All day, vehicles of one description or another had rolled by.

  “Maybe we’re moving out,” Hannah speculated.

  The girl looked up and the pale light from outside turned her face ghoulish. “Moving where?” the dreadful mask asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Hannah admitted.

  During her long incarceration, Hannah had endured numerous journeys from one cell to another, across country, with the end result always the same – a damp and mouldy room, shared by beaten and abused women. Perhaps now they were on the move again. Like their human counterparts, the vampires needed provisions to survive, and once an area had been picked clean, they moved to the next. They’d been travelling steadily south for the last couple of months. The underground lay just fifty miles or so from here. Maybe Ezekiel had finally found his prize?

  Hannah slid back down beside the girl. “Guess we’ll find out sooner or later.”

  ***

  Brothers Isaac and Jeremiah strode purposefully through the bleak corridors. Most of the previously occupied cells were now empty; their residents packed and ready to move out. As they traversed these hollow, soulless passageways, Isaac’s eyes shifted from left to right with sly intent.

  “All is going as planned,” he told his companion.

  Jeremiah nodded. “Good.” They continued until they entered a side passage, which was just off the main wing. “What of the Major?” the tall vampire asked.

  Isaac’s thin face grinned malevolently. “His fate has been sealed.”

  “Then we move soon?”

  “Once our… infiltrator has taken care of the Major and his subordinates, then we will strike with a ferocity never seen.”

  “So you have our strike force ready, yes?”

  “Yes,” Isaac hissed. “They are waiting south of here. As soon as Sarah gives them the signal, they will cut out the heart of the humans, leaving all who remain at our mercy.”

  “And Ezekiel suspects nothing?”

  “Our foresight has paid dividends. It was a good idea to amass our troops slowly and over time. All our soldiers who prepare for the war are believed to be lost or dead – slain in battle. Even their commanders know nothing of their existence.”

  “An army of the dead?” Jeremiah mused. The irony of his statement cut deep lines at the corners of his bloodshot eyes and cruel mouth.

  Isaac chuckled. “Ezekiel is a fool. His plan for an alliance is absurd, vampires and humans, together? Ridiculous!”

  Jeremiah stopped. “I fear our leader has spent too much time with the infant boy. He’s grown weak and disoriented, and needs enlightening.”

  “Then we must show him the light.”

  “Indeed.”

  They arrived at a dead-end with a door to either side. Isaac looked behind to make sure nobody had followed them. Then he pulled Jeremiah to the right and into a utility room. Only a couple of cardboard boxes and some junk could be found. Most of the room was hidden in shadows. The lean vampire reached into the folds of his cloak and retrieved an electronic gadget. Skeletal fingers twisted a knob and the device crackled into life.

  Fifty miles away, another device switched on. And, like its counterpart, the operator was hidden amongst dust and darkness.

  For the next couple of minutes, Isaac held a conversation, which was intermittently interrupted by the squeal of static. Although the voice at the other end was distant and tinny, one trait was clear in the speaker’s voice: excitement. Things were moving according to plan and soon the attack would be underway. The secret conversation ended, and with a squeal of farewell the electronic device fell silent. Isaac returned it immediately under his cloak.

  “We are almost ready,” Isaac said.

  “Has the Major been… retired yet?” Jeremiah asked, his face eager and twisted.

  Isaac shook his head, “Not yet, brother. But soon.”

  “How soon?”

  “They’re about to – retire him without delay.”

  “Good,” the tall vampire said. “I’ll have our troops ready to go as soon as the signal is given.”

  Together, they withdrew from the room and headed back towards the main wing.

  A couple of minutes passed. Then, unexpectedly, the darkness shifted slightly and a huge figure stepped out from the shadows. Thalamus crossed to the entrance and his broad shoulders barely cleared the doorframe. He stepped outside and followed in the wake of the two vampires. His earlier feelings of fear and betrayal had begun to disappear, and once again his confidence in his master’s ability was restored.

  Ezekiel had been right, there were traitors amongst them. Traitors who were so blinded for the want of spilt blood that their judgment had become tainted. Still, his master would show them judgment, and Thalamus would be the one to deliver it.

  ***

  Hannah’s head snapped up.

  “What is it?” the girl asked, pulled from her fitful slumber.

  “Quiet,” Hannah ordered. She climbed to her feet and moved over to the front of the cell. The corridor stretched out in a channel of iron bars. Most of the cells were now empty, but further down, Hannah could make out the silhouettes of other prisoners, ragged looking figures with wild, tangled hair and even wilder eyes. Hannah pushed her head through the bars as far as she could, to get a better look. Bara appeared in a swell of flesh, and with a rattle of iron entered the furthest cell. The mumble of conversation drifted to Hannah, carrying a hint of urgency about it. Something in its tone reminded her of the strange questions Bara had asked earlier. The jailer had seemed keen to find out which prisoners had originally come from the south, and how many of them believed they still had family living outside these prison walls. All those who had come from the north or claimed to have no existing family were escorted from the cells without delay and led away under armed guard. Then, they simply had not returned.

  What the hell was going on? Hannah wondered. She watched as two ragged figures were pulled from the cell.

  “What are they doing?” the girl asked as she drew alongside Hannah.

  “They’re taking more prisoners out.”

  “But why only the ones from the north?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  They stood there shoulder to shoulder as the jailer moved from one cell to the next. In all, eleven prisoners were picked out. They shuffled away together as one bedraggled group.

  It was the walk of the dammed.

  ***

  Ezekiel used the pen to strike out a number of names from the long list on the table before him. The handgun rested at the top of the sheet - a deadly paperweight. Nearly half the names had
been either crossed-out or had a small question mark placed against them.

  The young boy at his side looked up. The vampire leader watched his face intently. The boy’s eyes lit up with delight and affection. A couple of seconds later, the thump of heavy boots echoed from the connecting passageway. Thalamus’s colossal form filled the doorway for a second. He moved over to the dais without pause. He stopped, bowed his head slightly and then offered Ezekiel a respectful salute. The gesture was returned. Ezekiel waved the towering vampire closer.

  “Your intuition appears correct,” Thalamus said. Without delay he explained all that he’d heard during the secret conversation.

  Ezekiel nodded. “Brothers Isaac and Jeremiah?”

  “Yes.”

  “What of Bara?”

  Thalamus shrugged slightly. “I think not. Although she does have her own agenda.”

  “That doesn’t concern me, yet,” Ezekiel replied. He was all too aware of Bara’s abuse of the prisoners. “But she is separating the prisoners as I have instructed?”

  “It appears so.”

  “Good – good.”

  Thalamus took a step closer. “Master, should I summon Brothers Isaac and Jeremiah?” His hands formed themselves into tight fists, and the muscles in his arms bulged. He was going to enjoy their suffering.

  “Not yet,” Ezekiel answered.

  Thalamus frowned and his jaw twitched with tension. “Why not?”

  The vampire leader stepped down from the platform. “It is safer to let them think they have the upper hand.”

  Confusion deepened the lines of Thalamus’s brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “How many have flocked to their cause?” Ezekiel asked.

  Two huge shoulders shrugged. “I’m not sure. Perhaps hundreds.”

  “And you know all their names? And where they hide?”

  “That would be impossible,” Thalamus said.

  “Indeed,” Ezekiel concurred. “So for now, let them think they have the element of surprise.” The vampire leader took his comrade’s arm as he began to lead them outside. The little boy hopped down from the platform and followed close behind.

  “What about the Major? If they kill him, won’t that give rise to a fight? And how then will you form an alliance?”

  Ezekiel smiled confidently. “Brother Thalamus, the Major’s demise will weaken and demoralise the humans. Yes, they may wish to fight, in revenge for their leader, but what chance do they have against our numbers? Let Isaac’s troop weaken their resolve, then when I offer my hand as saviour they’ll flock to me like lost sheep returning to the fold.”

  “But how can they trust you?” Thalamus asked.

  Ezekiel’s smile turned sly. “We shall use Brothers Isaac and Jeremiah as a token of peace. And show our new comrades just how seriously we take their allegiance and safety.”

  “How?”

  “We execute them both – and all those who have flocked to their banner. We shall show our cousins that they need not fear us, for we shall deliver them from evil. The acts of betrayal will seem like just a dreadful mistake and none of my doing. And how do you think they’ll react once they see the return of their family and friends?”

  For a second Thalamus became confused. Suddenly, he understood why his master had segregated the northern prisoners from the southern. “You’re using the prisoners to bargain with?”

  “Indeed.”

  “And you think they’ll give us sufficient leverage?”

  “Yes,” Ezekiel replied. “The humans will welcome us with open arms once their loved ones are returned.”

  They walked in silence for a moment. Then Thalamus voiced his main concern. “Master, although I understand your motivations, I’m not sure the rest of the soldiers will.”

  A long pause followed before the vampire leader spoke. “Our legions will not worry about my intentions once they receive their meal tonight.”

  “Meal?” Thalamus asked.

  “Fifty miles is a long way to march on empty stomachs, with little or no energy. Our troops will not function if they are incapacitated from hunger,” Ezekiel said.

  They found themselves within the open courtyard.

  “But we have no food,” Thalamus remarked.

  “Yes we have,” Ezekiel responded confidently.

  “Where?”

  “There,” he said, and pointed to a mass gathering. About forty or so prisoners had been rounded up and held to one side.

  “The northern prisoners?” Thalamus asked, and his stomach twisted with the thought of hot, fresh food.

  “Indeed,” Ezekiel said. “Indeed… ”

  Chapter Thirty

  Both sets of footsteps dwindled to a light patter. The cardboard box tilted upwards and a pair of beady eyes appeared at the bottom. Scratch sniffed around. All clear. He crawled from under the box and padded over to the entrance. His nose twitched for a second time. Their unwelcome guests had gone. His ears tweaked, and a click of a switch further ahead plunged the tunnel into darkness. The single bulb inside the utility room cast a weak light onto the wall of the tunnel.

  Yap! Yap!

  The box rose, then tipped over to one side. Rebecca stood and stretched her back and legs.

  They’d stayed hidden during the conversation of the two infiltrators and the speaking device. Now, they had to warn Major Patterson of his immediate danger. But where would they start? The underground was a huge maze of long corridors, tunnels and open caverns, and the Major’s habit of changing his quarters made him elusive. He could be anywhere!

  Scratch returned to Rebecca’s feet. She stepped over him and poked her head cautiously through the doorway. The tunnel was silent and Rebecca feared she would not have the courage to make it through the darkness. Twice in the same day she’d had to hide from something evil and twisted.

  Scratch yapped before diving head-first into the pile of junk.

  “This is no time for games,” Rebecca told him.

  He stopped and gave her a quizzical look.

  “Oh yes – the rainbow,” she said.

  She joined the mutt in the clutter of boxes and rubbish and continued with her search. After a couple of minutes, her foot connected with something and a chime of glass sounded. She bent down and there it was, lying on its side. She reached down to retrieve the object. The colours flashed to life. Decorating the walls in beautiful colourful patterns. She caught her breath. The magic of the thing made her heart beat faster, and her fear of the dark passage seemed less somehow. She held it to her chest and then returned to the tunnel.

  “Okay, Boy, are you ready?” she asked.

  The mutt appeared at her feet. He was ready to go. Rebecca took the first step into darkness, closely followed by the small dog. Together, they felt their way through the dark tunnel and began their urgent search for Major Patterson.

  ***

  The mutt jumped onto the bed and his head slipped underneath the sheet. Rebecca heard him sniffing around for a moment, then his head reappeared and he jumped to the floor. He raced to the other side of the room before plunging his nose into a pile of dirty laundry.

  Rebecca stood at the entrance to one of Patterson’s dwellings, looking nervously from left to right. “Hurry,” she said. “What are you looking for, anyway?”

  Scratch ignored her and continued to bury his head in the pile of socks, underwear and other worn clothing. He stepped away from the laundry and cleared his nose. Then he dropped his head down and began to systematically trace out the area of the floor. After a couple of minutes he stopped and joined Rebecca at the entrance.

  “What now?” she asked.

  He turned left. Followed the passageway for a couple of yards. Then worked his way back. He passed Rebecca and tracked the floor in the opposite direction.

  Yap!

  He pushed his nose to the floor, picked up the Major’s scent and began to trace the invisible line of Patterson’s passing. Rebecca stepped away from the Major’s old sleeping quarters and q
uickly followed the dog.

  The mutt was racing ahead, his nose close to the floor and his little legs a blur of motion. Rebecca trailed behind by nearly ten yards. She saw him disappear around a bend and called out. “Wait!” She heard the patter of claws and his head appeared at the end of the tunnel. Woof! Woof! She caught up. Her small lungs heaved with a need for cleaner air.

  “Okay, I’m alright. Let’s go,” she said, once she’d regained her breath.

  Scratch was already on his way. He sniffed along the floor, and the trace of Major Patterson led him to a split in the tunnel. He was left with the choice of either continuing onwards or taking a right turn. He stopped. Both had the Major’s scent. In fact, nearly the entire underground contained a hint of the man, and it had taken great skill for Scratch to identify the route, which had been taken most recently. This time, however, both scent trails were equally strong.

  “Which way?” Rebecca asked.

  Scratch huffed. Not sure which way to follow. He followed the tunnel to the right and the scent remained constant. Now he worked his way back. Again, a strong smell led him into the darkness. He became confused then, and for one crazy moment he spun in a circle as he chased his tail. The moment of madness passed. Embarrassed, he sat on his hunches, pink tongue visible, panting out an apology.

  “Well?” Rebecca asked, her arms held out.

  He stood and attacked the right-hand passage with his nose. Okay, Major Patterson and possibly two other people. He returned to the main tunnel and repeated the process. Major Patterson, the same two others and … wait, something else. The same dreadful scent he’d smelt in the utility room. YAP! YAP!

  Scratch tore down the main passageway. Rebecca gave chase. Her hand tightened around her treasure.

  “Wait… ” she called. Scratch had left her behind. She heard a distant yap that seemed to come from miles away. A teardrop born from fear dripped from the corner of her eye.

  “Please wait… ” she called again.

  The dark tunnel only mocked her with silence.