Blood of the Forsaken

by David Horrocks

  Observing in silence as the scene unfolded before him, Sam bided his time and tried to gather as much information he could. He was still attempting to work out what was going on and tried to listen in, but it was impossible to filter out the sounds of the local wildlife, passing cars and someone's dog barking in the distance. He was left feeling frustrated as he found himself unable to hear anything from inside other than muffled voices as they were drowned out by a cacophony of unfiltered noise. All he could do was quietly observe as he tried to hypothesise what was actually being discussed.

  Sam's parents were sat close to each other as his mother held her baby girl against her chest, her other hand brushing hair from her face. They seemed to be fully engaged in the conversation with the two men, but they weren't acting distressed or upset in any way. Sam took a moment to just take in the sight of his family. His father had more grey hair than he remembered, but other than that he hadn't changed one bit. He was squinting through his glasses as he nodded in response to something that was said, adjusting the collar of his beige polo neck shirt. As for his mother, she didn't look all that different, although she did seem tired. Her smile was what he remembered the most and it hadn’t changed one bit. She was still the same woman that he knew and adored, and it was wonderful to see them both, even at a distance.

  Sam felt a little guilty when he looked at his sister as he didn't feel any attachment to her at all. After all he didn't even know that he had a sibling until just a few moments ago. He had grown up as an only child and recalled asking for a brother or sister on more than one occasion, but he had let go of those feelings a long time ago. He didn’t know the girl, but he wanted that to change and hoped that he would soon have the chance to introduce himself to her. She would have the opportunity to grow up knowing that she still had a big brother instead of just being told about him. It was a dream that could become a distinct possibility if he played his cards right.

  Getting lost somewhere in his mind, Sam almost forgot about the strangers that were visiting his parents as his thoughts dwelt on a future with his family. It was then that he came to realise that Alice wasn't with them and that she was still nowhere to be seen. She had become part of their family after her own parents had died, and yet she wasn't present in the room. As shy as she was, she wasn't the sort of person to hide away while there were visitors as she considered it to be rude.

  Maybe Alice had gone out somewhere, but where could she be? Knowing her, she could have been off exploring, but the city didn't offer the same solitude that she used to enjoy out in the country. Maybe she had a new job and was at work, or perhaps she had enrolled in college and was finally getting the education that she had always desired. Sam vowed that he would wait all day if he had to, just to get a glimpse of the friend who he missed with all his heart.

  Sudden movement inside the house caught Sam’s attention, causing him to focus on the outside world once more instead of the maelstrom of thoughts that were swirling chaotically in his head. The conversation between his parents and the mysterious men had ended as they all stood up from their respective chairs. Hopefully this meant that the strangers would be leaving and that he could relax a little as he formulated a plan.

  Now that everyone was moving around, Sam was able to see the men who his mom and dad had been conversing with. The tallest of the pair was slim and athletic, with his dark hair smothered with gel to keep it locked in place. He was what most people would consider to be good looking, with a boyish smile that Sam presumed would make women swoon. However, his casual sense of dress and general demeanor made him seem rough around the edges, as if he was trying too hard to be a bad boy. A plaid shirt, jeans and work boots were simple, yet impractical for local temperatures, implying that he wasn't all that smart.

  The slightly shorter of the two was also relatively slim, with longer hair that stopped a few inches above his shoulders. He was better prepared for the hot climate, with a red t-shirt that was adorned with a simple white design on the front, plain cargo shorts and matching red sneakers. The odd, yet inquisitive looking individual didn't share the same swagger as his friend, instead seeming a little more uptight. He had a distant look in his eye that gave the impression that he had seen some things in his life that had changed him irreversibly. Sam knew that look, as he seen it in the mirror on more than one occasion.

  Taking the time to observe both men as they shook his father's hand and said goodbye to his mother, Sam still couldn't identify either of them and had no recollection of ever meeting them before. He found it troubling that he still had no clue as to who these people were, why they were there or even where they had come from. Unfortunately, he didn't have a chance to find out more as the taller man caught sight of him in the corner of his eye, drawing the attention of his companion as he waved his arms dramatically. Sam could hear the yell from where he rested, his face almost pressed against the glass of the window. “Aaron, it’s him! He’s fuckin’ here!”

  Sam knew that he had messed up. He had gotten too close to the window and had been spotted there. The problem had arisen as he had been far too curious and hadn't waited patiently as he originally planned. There was a split second decision to be made of fight or flight and he went for the one with better odds of survival for both him and his family. It was time to run away from there as fast as he could. It was time to run for his life.

  Chapter Four: A little southern hospitality.

  “Are you boys sure you don't want something to drink?” Mrs Mitchell definitely had the warm and welcoming attitude of someone from the south. She was always so pleasant and it didn't seem to be forced at all.

  “No thank you, Mrs Mitchell.” Aaron said, with a level of politeness to match.

  “Please, call me Olivia.” She smiled warmly, patting her baby’s back as she held it gently in her arms.

  Tommy was a little less refined in his response. “Nah, I'm good.” He was trying, but polite conversation had never been his forte.

  Mr Mitchell was the friendly sort too, but was a little less open with it than his wife. “So how did you know our son?”

  Aaron looked over at Tommy who was slouching on the sofa right next to him. They made eye contact for a second before Tommy nodded his head in the direction of the Mitchell’s, as if he was trying to tell Aaron to answer the question.

  Clearing his throat, Aaron did his best to answer, formulating lies as he went. “We met Sam in Seattle and took him under our wing. We tried our best to help him but… Well, we're sorry for your loss.” He felt terrible for lying to the Mitchell's faces, but they had to get a foot in the door so that they could get their hands on the information they needed. As bad as it made him feel, lying was unfortunately part of the job.

  Tommy wasn't a great actor, but this time he somehow managed to pull through. He genuinely seemed sorry for Sam's death as he spoke. “His passin’ sorta hit us both hard.”

  Olivia’s sadness was written on her face, but she was grateful for their kind words. “Oh… Well I'm sure you did everything you could. Thank you kindly.”

  Mr Mitchell placed his hand on Olivia's back to reassure her before looking over to Aaron through his circular framed glasses. “So what brings you to our neck of the woods?”

  Thankfully, Aaron had ready planned his next response. “We couldn't make it to Sam's funeral, but he meant so much to us. To be perfectly honest, we were in town on vacation and wanted to come and pay our respects.”

  Olivia smiled warmly at the pair of them. For some reason, Aaron couldn't help but admire her fading beauty. She was of Italian descent, with tanned skin and deep, brown eyes that he could get lost in for days. Twenty years ago, he imagined that she would have been quite pretty and the sort of woman that he would have dated, but the years had given way to wrinkles, the odd grey hair and dark circles under her eyes that made her look weary. Aaron had to stop himself from looking at Mrs Mitchell for too long, averting his eyes every time he caught himself staring. Life on the road meant that h
e had no time for relationships and that he was often left feeling lonely.

  Mr Mitchell was oblivious to Aaron’s wandering eyes as he replied. “Well we appreciate the thought. Are you in town for long?”

  Tommy was a little less tactful this time, shaking his head as he spoke. “Not if we can help it.”

  The Mitchells both looked a little taken back, glancing at each other in confusion before peering over again.

  “What Tommy means is… We don't want to miss our flight.” Aaron tried to focus on Mr Mitchell as he spoke, not wanting to get caught looking at Olivia with dreamy eyes. Her flowing dress was distracting and that inviting smile was almost too much to bear. It seemed that he was developing a taste for older women.

  Mr Mitchell was a little older than his wife, but not by much. He looked like the kind of guy who had a great deal of responsibilities as he worked hard to support his family. He dressed smartly to keep up appearances, was clean shaven and was definitely a bit of neat freak. His Southern drawl was much more apparent than Olivia’s, but he tried his best to enunciate as he spoke. “That's alright. We know he didn't mean any harm by it. He's just a straight shooter, right fellas?”

  Aaron nodded, smiling widely. “That's one way of putting it.”

  Olivia arched an eyebrow with curiosity. “Is there anything we can help you boys with while you're in town?”

  Aaron tried to keep his thoughts clean, reminding himself that they were there to do a job and that these kind people had lost their son not all that long ago. He instantly felt guilt for his attraction to Mrs Mitchell as she was a grieving mother who was just trying to get on with her life. No-one expects to lose their child, and eighteen was an awfully young age to die. Aaron and Tommy had come to the house expecting to find Sam there, or maybe even his parents covering for him, but these people weren't capable of deceiving anyone.

  “We just wanted to warn you about some vicious rumours we heard while passing through Kansas on the way here. It was all over the news out there.” Aaron had changed from a possibility of an interrogation to full on damage control. He didn't want to hurt these innocent people.

  “We already know…” Came Mr Mitchell’s speedy reply. “My friend Bob called us himself. He's a Sergeant in Birchfield’s Police Department.” He sounded annoyed, but his feelings weren't directed towards them and so Aaron let him continue. “He claimed our son was alive and that he’d dug his way out of his own grave. I knew the man liked to drink, but really… It’s terrible to even think such things, never mind calling us in the middle of the night.” Furrowing his brow, his mouth became a stern line. “I told him that he needed to get some serious help and lay off the moonshine.”

  Mr Mitchell wrapped his arms around his wife and child protectively. Olivia reciprocated by resting her head against his, causing Aaron to feel even more awkward about his previous thoughts. He could tell that Tommy was swallowing back his words, stopping himself from saying anything about the undead or anything else along those lines. Sighing loudly as he let his wife go, Mr Mitchell looked at his guests apologetically. “I’m sorry, you really don’t need to know about our troubles. I imagine you have enough on your own plates without us adding to it.”

  Aaron was actually relieved that they hadn’t believed Sergeant Ellis. Their lack of belief meant that the job would be less destructive, or so he hoped. “That’s okay, Mr Mitchell. We understand that you’ve gone through a great deal over the past year. Sam was a great guy...”

  Tommy coughed, covering his mouth and playing it off as if he did so unintentionally. Aaron wished that he could kick his friend for his reaction, but thought better of it as he didn’t want to arouse any suspicions.

  Olivia gently patted her baby on the back, rocking her back and forth as she rested the little girl against her chest. The baby placed her head against her mother’s neck, cooing a little as she relaxed in her arms. The woman seemed to enjoy listening to the sounds that her child made, a smile returning to her face. “I’m sure that Sam would have been happy to know that you cared enough to visit. I wish we’d met under better circumstances.”

  Aaron gave a polite nod. “I’m just glad that we got to know him while we could.”

  Tommy nodded his own head in agreement, mimicking his friend. “Yeah, it’s a damn shame. Maybe we can exchange stories or someth…”

  Cutting his friend’s sentence short, Aaron decided that they weren’t gaining anything by staying there and slowly stood up to leave. He wanted to leave the Mitchell’s in peace and get on with the hunt without disrupting their lives any further. “Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. We should really get back to our vacation and let you go about your day.”

  Tommy stood up next to him, stretching his arms as he suppressed a yawn. The Mitchell’s rose in unison, with Mr Mitchell extending his hand to Aaron across the coffee table. “Thanks for stopping by. It’s been a pleasure meeting you boys.”

  Aaron shook his hand and bowed his head respectfully as Mr Mitchell turned to shake Tommy’s hand as well.

  Olivia held her baby with one arm, quickly waving to the pair with her free hand. “Feel free to stop by anytime. Our door is always open to friends of Sam.” It was obvious from her tone that she meant her words. Anyone or anything that reminded them of their boy would be welcome and have a place within their house.

  Only one person in the room had noticed the face staring at them all through the window as he turned to leave. Before Aaron could say his goodbye, Tommy had started waving his arms around as he yelled in surprise. “Aaron, it’s him! He’s fuckin’ here!”

  The Mitchell’s were completely stunned, but Tommy’s shouts had already awoken the baby. As the little girl began to cry, Aaron found himself turning to look out towards the window. True enough, a face looked back at him in terror, barely visible for a second before it vanished from sight. If it was Sam, he was on the run now and they had to think fast.

  Aaron felt terrible. He didn't know what state they would be leaving Mr and Mrs Mitchell in as they made their exit. His words failed him as he looked back at their shocked faces and completely blanked on what to say to excuse themselves. It wasn’t exactly the polite farewell that he had in mind, but there really wasn’t time for that now.

  Tommy was already powering his way out of the front door and into the street before Aaron could even react. The door handle slammed against the wall, the surfaces crashing with a horrendous bang that only served to make the baby wail even louder. As he sped through the entryway of the air conditioned house and into the blistering heat of the outdoors, Aaron found that he had been left in Tommy’s dust. His friend was already half way down the road and making his way towards a nearby alley.

  Mr Mitchell called from the living room, but Aaron couldn't make out what he was saying. Whatever had been said, he was sure that their welcome had been rescinded, as even good country folk had their limits and this sort of anti-social behaviour was usually frowned upon. Aaron prayed that his and Tommy’s actions wouldn’t cause any trouble for the family and that they wouldn’t have second thoughts about their doubts towards Sergeant Ellis’ story. It was better that they remained clueless about Sam’s current existence and that they believed that he was still six feet under.

  Tommy disappeared behind a wooden fence and down the alleyway that he had been running towards. He was hot on the trail of Sam Mitchell and nothing could stop him now. It was times like this that Aaron was glad how fast his best friend was. Tommy would either catch up to their target or corner him somewhere down the road, allowing them both the opportunity to confront their quarry and find out exactly what they were dealing with.

  **********

  “Man, that son of a bitch is fast…” Tommy had doubled over, resting his hands upon his knees as he wheezed loudly. They had been running for miles under the midday sun and were both out of breath. Aaron had only just caught up, having lagged behind for most of the chase. Tommy had always been faster ever since they were ki
ds. There was no shame in it, he was just a natural athlete.

  “You… aren’t… kidding…” Aaron could barely speak, only managing single words in between breaths. He felt faint and could see stars as they had exerted themselves a little too much in the heat. Neither of them were used to the humidity and they were drenched from head to toe in sweat. It would have been disgusting if they weren’t so distracted by the disappointment of their quarry getting away.

  “...Where the fuck did he go?” Managing to force himself back in to a fully upright position, Tommy had started the hunt again. He was peering over bushes and looking behind trash cans, searching for anywhere that Sam Mitchell could have been hiding. When it came to physical activities, he often had the edge and would always be the first to recover. It was especially true now that he had given up smoking. If he only gave up his drinking habit too, then he would be almost unstoppable.

  “Well... we can definitely rule out him being a vampire…” Aaron had almost caught his breath now too, but exhaustion was setting in. The high temperatures were really taking a toll on their bodies.

  Stopping his search, Tommy turned to his friend with interest. It hadn’t dawned on him why they couldn’t be hunting a ‘bloodsucker’ as he called them. “Why’s that?”

  Aaron took another big gasp of air and pointed towards the sky. “It’s just after noon… and he didn’t burst into flames.”

  It took as long for Tommy’s brain to catch up as it did for Aaron to catch him while running. “Oh shit, you’re right! Then what the hell is he?!?”