by P W Hillard
"I'm sorry?"
"Oh, did you not want to leave?" replied Lucille.
"Leave? I'm sorry who are you? Are we going to another cell?"
Lucille waggled her finger. "Right, right, you don't recognise me, hang on." There was a momentary flicker and Lucille appeared in her usual form. She smiled for a moment, before realising that she was naked except for her underwear. She had transferred her clothes to her reflection, whilst her clothes in Dales form were part of the illusion. "Oh uh, two seconds." Lucille snapped her fingers, and a red and white pinstripe dress appeared, along with a pair of matching red sandals. "That's better."
Linda watched, her jaw hanging open from what she had seen. "You're… you're that demon."
"Still hung up on that? Not a demon. Clearly."
"What then…what sort of monster are you?" asked Linda. Lucille began to take a step closer, an answer forming on her lips. "Stay the fuck away from me!" Linda shouted.
"Fine," Lucille huffed. "I'm surprised the detectives didn't tell you. They do love to make a joke or bad pun about it. Well, so do I, so I can't say I disapprove." Lucille gave an exaggerated wink. "I'm an angel. Possibly the most famous one really. An angel that hangs around with demons, you getting the connection yet?"
"Oh my god," mouthed Linda almost inaudibly. "I…how? How are you real? What were you doing there? In a bar?"
"That's my job? I mean it's my bar. I'm not the big evil monster your stories describe. Well, not anymore anyway. That's why I'm here! To help you! Your friends are in trouble, they're all going to get arrested unless we go an help them."
Linda shook her head. "Why would you help them? You're not just a monster. You're the monster. The biggest one there is. We tried to kill you and here you are helping us. Why?"
Lucille leant against the cold wall of the cell, arms crossed. "Because then you owe me a favour. Then you leave me alone. Even if the police succeeded in arresting most of you, I'm guessing they won't get all of you. Would rather not have that hanging over me forever. Doesn't matter anyway. Your choices are to come with me, or stay here in this cell, well forever. I know what I would pick. Trust me, being locked away is no picnic. It's barely even a buffet, one where someone brings vegan cheese. Bleh," she said, sticking out her tongue.
"How, how are you going to get me out of here?" asked Linda. Lucille smiled and stepped over. This time Linda didn't protest. She sat there on the cot, as Lucille placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Your own mother wouldn't recognise you," Lucille said with a wicked grin, as thick smoky shadows began to flow out from under her fingers. They travelled over Linda, crawling over her body like fat swollen slugs. After a moment, they covered Linda entirely. Then suddenly, the cloud began to dissipate, as though blown away by some silent breeze. Where Linda had once sat was an older woman, in her early fifties. She wore a police uniform, missing only its hat. "Right," said Lucille. "It won't last long, so we better get a move on."
Chapter Twenty-One
The roller shutter slammed open, forced open by three ridiculous-looking men in motorcycle helmets and raincoats. A padlock clattered to the floor, torn from the ground where it had kept the shutter closed. The three men stood there, piercing eyes glaring out from under clear plastic. Then, moving together, they stepped under the shutter, crouching slightly to avoid knocking their heads. One of the men, shorter than the others stepped ahead of them, the other two falling in behind. The tallest of them cracked his knuckles, his hands covered in thick polyester gloves. As, they approached there was an odd smell, almost like cooked bacon.
"Stop there," declared Maximus, pulling his blade from his waistband. He held out it outwards, its point offering sharp support to his statement. "One step closer and I'll gut you. How did you find us?"
The front man laughed, a kind of wheezing throaty chuckle. He flicked up the visor on his helmet. "Good luck with that mate, didn't go so well for you last time," said Vlad. He took a step forward defiantly, placing his finger onto the tip of the dagger.
"I don't know if you're brave or just stupid. We got two of your kind last time vampire," said Anthony, taking a place beside Maximus, his dagger also drawn. He glanced over his shoulder at Jess. "Stay behind us," he said to her quickly, before widening his stance, the blade held ready to strike.
"Hmm, just the first one I'm afraid. As you can see, I am totally fine. Well eventually, I will confess that your man gave me quite the nasty fucking burn. Now here's what's going to happen. You will put down the pig-stickers and we'll all have a nice friendly chat about all…this," said Vlad, gesturing to the room around him. "Then, when we're all said and done, I'll let my boy here do what he wants. I should warn you though, my man you killed, that was his brother, and honestly, he is rightfully fucking pissed. Maybe if you ask really nicely, he'll make it quick?" Vlad's face twisted into a sneer, visible even beneath the thick balaclava. "What do you think my boy?"
"I think I should rip off their faces and feed it to them. I think I should tear out their fucking teeth one by one and push them into the soles of their feet. I think I should pull out their intestines through their arseholes and hang them with it," growled Carl.
"See? He's been thinking it through," Vlad said. "All those are a better way to go than your girl. Tried something new on her and wouldn't you fucking know it she popped like a fucking balloon. I shit you not." Vlad mimed an explosion with his hands. He watched the look of horror on both legionnaires faces with perverse glee. "Oh, didn't I mention? You left one of your own for dead, but she was very much alive. So noble of you. She was more than willing to give you up, with a little persuasion."
"Fuck you monster," spat Maximus in reply. "You made a big mistake coming here. In the middle of the day as well, real stupid of you."
"You try to be fucking nice to someone and this is how they treat you. Oh well, can't say I'm disappointed, we all knew this was the way things were going to go. Bit shit for you though." Vlad let his shoulders drop. "Fine then, Carl, they're all yours."
Carl crouched, his coat brushing against the floor, dust scraping from the ground as it moved around him. He leapt, the dust following into the air, a plume following the angry vampire. Maximus dived, slamming into the concrete with a thud. Anthony was not so lucky. Carl hit him square in the chest, knocking the man backwards. They barrelled into a ratty worn-out sofa, that toppled backwards as they tumbled over it. There was a clatter, Anthony's knife had been knocked from his hand, bouncing off a stone pillar and pirouetting across the floor.
Jess didn't wait, her experience taking over. She dashed forward, scooping the knife from the ground. She turned and placed her back against one of the pillars. The knife was gripped tightly in one hand, the other fishing for her phone from her coat pocket. Across the room, the vampire that had been called Carl was pummelling Anthony. The vampire's attire had prevented him from bringing his fangs to bear or getting a good grip, so he was rapidly striking the man's head with his great meaty fists. Maximus had scrambled back to his feet. Rather than help his colleague, he had begun to walk slowly backwards, blade swaying before him.
"Steve, deal with the other two. The less time we are out here the better," said Vlad. He had begun to lean against the wall and was nonchalantly adjusting his gloves.
"Yes boss," said the third vampire almost wearily. Steve let out a sigh and sauntered over slowly towards Maximus.
Mark slammed shut the car door. He had watched as three men had torn open the shutter and stepped into the building. Now he was running across the street. He phone was buzzing loudly. Before they had left Mark and Jess had each installed a paired emergency app. Jess had pressed hers, which meant that Marks was now blaring an alarm. He silenced it as he approached the building, taking up a position against the wall beside the open shutter. He peered in, clearly seeing one man being beaten to death whilst another was being backed towards a wall. He quickly pressed another option on the app, sending the alarm to Sandra and Gemma who were parked nearby. H
e took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders to move inside, and then stopped. Mark stared, confused as Dale Cooper and a uniformed officer rounded the corner. They stared back, and Dale waved awkwardly. Mark was never someone to turn down unexpected help and gestured silently inwards with his head. Dale and his accompanying policewoman looked inside and nodded.
The three police barrelled into the warehouse, startling Vlad, who stumbled forward, swivelling quickly on his heels to face the newcomers. He stood there for a moment, then chuckled to himself.
"Fucking coppers," he said, "Fucking typical. Perfect fucking timing you know that. Me and my boys were trying to make a delivery and these psychos started waving knives. Could have gotten here a bit quicker. What do I pay my taxes for hey?"
"Oh, come off it vampire," said Dale, his tone was oddly sarcastic. Mark shot him an odd side glance. "You people always think so highly of yourselves." Dale turned to look at Mark, smiling. "I think it's probably all the books and films where they're count this or count that. Goes to their heads."
"Can't blame a guy for trying," admitted Vlad. "Right well this is a right fucking -what some American G.I's I once knew would describe as- a clusterfuck." A figure emerged from behind the toppled sofa, dressed in an identical outfit to Vlad. His gloved hands were covered in blood. Another turned from the man he was menacing.
"What do we do boss, what's the ne-"Steve cut off with a splutter, his brief distraction costing him. A horrid slow gurgling noise rumbled as his fingers desperately clung at the dagger point sticking from his throat, protruding from beneath his helmet. Maximus pulled out the blade, causing Steve to stumble forward, blood cascading onto the concrete. He struck again, placing one hand onto Steve's shoulder, pulling his body onto the blade as it lunged up through his back. It cut upwards, sliding in from underneath his ribs cutting deep into his lungs and heart. Maximus pulled the blade free again and the vampire's corpse collapsed onto the floor.
"You fucker!" shouted Vlad, breaking into a sprint, darting across the room.
"Maximus!" came the cry from the policewoman as she followed. As she ran, she seemed to blur, her shape becoming ephemeral. Smoke trailed behind her, the last vestiges of the illusion streaming off her. Linda barrelled forward from the smoke, diving into a tackle, her arms grasping Vlad by the legs. The pair collapsed onto the concrete. There was a loud crack where Vlad's helmet struck the ground.
Dale shrugged, "Cat's out of the bag I guess. This is a little bit more complicated than I imagined. I'll get this sorted in a jiffy. A weird word that, jiffy." Dale seemed to be growing paler, a faint light glimmering through from just beneath the surface of his skin. It grew stronger, becoming a brilliant piercing light. In his place now stood a vaguely humanoid figure, though instead of a head there were three floating faces, masks suspended in the air. Behind the figure were six feathered wings. They curved inwards, wrapping the glowing form like a cloak. The wings themselves were affixed to a single brilliant point of light seemingly connecting to the entity by some invisible force. "Now then," it said, the three faces speaking simultaneously, each in a different melodic voice, "I think everyone should put down their weapons."
"Oh god, it was…it was telling the truth…I…I" stammered Linda.
"What the holy fucking hell are you!?" Vlad exclaimed, defiant before the creature's radiance.
"It's an angel," whispered Maximus, his blood-soaked dagger clattering to the ground from his hand. "An honest to God angel."
Vlad let out a loud snort, "Hah! Ain't no such fucking thing as God. I've seen the worst that men can do. There is no God and there is no angels. I don't know what that fucking thing is but I'm sure it can fucking die like the rest of us."
The angel lifted off the ground slightly, floating forward towards Vlad. Its three faces span about each other as it moved. "Not even the angels know the truth there my child. We are creatures of order first and foremost. And this, this is chaos. Carnage. It cannot be abided. You and your monster-hunting friends. This all stops now."
"No," came the reply, forming a solid wall of sound. A declaration of opposition. "They killed my brother. You don't get to say what I can and can't do. You don't get to stop me," Carl's voice was growing deeper as he spoke, becoming an almost guttural bark. He seemed somehow bigger, his coat becoming tight. "You don't…get…" his speech trailed off leaving only a furious snarl. He tore free his helmet and snatched off the balaclava revealing a twisted bat-like face, needle-like fangs jutting out at odd angles. Immediately there was a sizzling sound, smoke trailing off his exposed skin. He tore open his coat flinging it to the floor as his arms stretched and his chest swelled. Wings erupted from his forearms, small at first before quickly growing to match his twisted frame.
The monstrous bat creature shrieked and barrelled across the chamber, lashing out at the angel furiously with its clawed hands. The luminous angel slid backwards, floating a few inches to avoid each strike. With each step towards the entrance, the sound of searing flesh grew louder, welts and burns bubbling on Carl's engorged flesh. The floating faces had taken on an almost bored countenance. Seemingly over the brief entertainment that he had provided, the angel raised a hand and with a flick of its wrist sent Carl lunging forward. Invisible force sent the monstrous thing tumbling through the shutter, twisting the metal as he barrelled underneath. He struck the far wall surrounding the building with a crunch. Then, with another swift motion of the hand, the shutter shattered, each bent warped metal strut becoming a swift merciless projectile. The barrage of metal dug deep into Carls flesh, burying themselves in the stone wall behind him, pinning him in place. He thrashed momentarily before falling silent, life draining from his body. It sat there, grotesquely warped, laced with metal and slowly burning in the sun.
Always one to tell when the tide had turned, Vlad didn't wait. Whilst Carl had soared through the air and had taken flight, his legs pounding furiously. He cleared the outer wall in a single leap, his boots striking the tarmac with a thump. He stormed over to the van he had arrived in. He tried the handle, the door refusing to budge. He quickly patted himself down before swearing to himself. Carl had the keys. Vlad briefly considered tearing the door free, before realising he still wouldn't have been able to start the worn-out vehicle. He spun around as he heard another thump behind him. The woman who had arrived with the angel had climbed the wall, clearly of the same mind as Vlad. He thought for a moment about taking the woman out, of tearing open her stomach and scattering its contents across the street. He was stopped by an itch, a tiny burning sensation on his wrists and around his eyes. Their makeshift sun-shielding wasn't going to hold up. Vlad slammed shut his visor and with no particular location in mind, ran.
Linda watched the Vampire tear off down the street, moving far faster than she could ever hope to catch him. She took a deep breath and began running in the other direction. She had no intention of going back to that cell. To be interred beneath what she had been surprised to find was New Scotland Yard. As she ran Linda couldn't help but feel disappointed, the sight of Maximus collapsed onto the ground trembling. At least he had managed to take out a vampire and not totally disgrace himself. As the warehouse faded into the distance behind her, the wheels in Linda's mind began to turn.
"Stop, wait," said Mark futilely as Vlad and Linda ran past him. "Fuck, right uh…"
Jess moved from behind the pillar, dagger still held in her hand. "What the hell do we do now?"
The angels faces span around to look at her, followed by the rest of its body. "I would suggest you arrest that man," it said pointing at Maximus, who was on his knees shaking, staring at the angel.
"Right yeah, you're nicked I guess?" Mark said half-heartedly handcuffing Maximus. "Come on, up you get."
"So, uh, who are you?" asked Jess. She pulled her notebook from her pocket, ready to note its answer.
The faces smiled. "Ah, that would be telling. This will fade in about half-hour."
"What will fade?" asked Jess as the angel snapped it
s fingers. There was a brilliant blinding light that filled Jess' vision.
Mark and Jess sat on the bonnet of a police car rubbing their eyes. They blinked, spots of light still floating in their vision. Sandra stood before, thermos and cups in her hand. She smiled sweetly as she poured the first cup of warm coffee, handing it over to Jess who grasped the small tin mug eagerly.
"You still seeing stars then?" asked Sandra.
"Yeah, can't say I recommend it," Jess answered, moving the mug back and forth in front of her face. "This must be what it feels like when you get hit by a stun grenade, like in the movies."
"Oh, I reckon that's worse," said Sandra as she poured a second cup. "That's like loud too right?"
"Who were they?" said Mark more to himself than anyone else.
Sandra shrugged. "No idea. We've been in contact with Dale, the real one. He's fine, guess they just picked his image at random. It's a little concerning they could just walk right into the station though."
"They would have needed his access card," mused Jess before taking a sip of the coffee.
"Yeah, Dale says his is missing, but has no idea when or how it was taken."
"It was Lucille, right? It must be, everything is there right? Motive, means, opportunity, she has all of them," added Mark.
Sandra screwed the cap onto the thermos then placed the pale blue cylinder onto the ground. She took a seat next to Jess on the bonnet. "I mean, you would think so, but Dale says she was there the whole time. Reading in her room. Not even she can be in two places at once."
"Anything on the cameras at the office?" Mark scratched his chin and then blinked furiously, trying to clear a new spot of colour.
"Nothing," declared Sandra. "Literally nothing, they don't appear on the cameras at all. Like a vampire in the movies. There's a hell of an irony for you."