Blood of the Forsaken

by David Horrocks

  Shining his flashlight around, Aaron examined the folding chairs that were spread throughout the room in loose formations that were more like staggered lines than actual rows. In the far corner, surrounded by the same flyers and posters that decorated much of the rest of the room, he could see a round, wooden table that had been littered with cardboard coasters, a few half empty beer bottles and an ashtray full to overflowing. He moved the beam of light across to his right to view the small stage that was central to the room’s layout, with empty stands where instruments had once been. All other equipment had been removed, the only evidence of which was the dust free spots on the wooden floor. From what he could work out, the occupants of this place had left not all that long ago, but there was no telling if or when they would return.

  “Aaron, you’ve got to see this shit!” Tommy’s voice boomed from somewhere up above, causing Aaron to crane his neck to look upwards. Sure enough, the eager hunter peered down from over the edge of a walkway on high. “Come on, man! They could be back any second!” He was right. They needed to find out as much as they could in the shortest possible time, and nothing was better than surprising someone from high ground.

  “I’m coming!” Aaron called back, making his way to the bottom of the metal steps that led up to where his friend was waiting. The metallic clang of his footsteps bounced off the walls and were reflected back at him, making it sound almost as if someone was following him up. However when Aaron stopped to check over his shoulder, he could see that no-one was there.

  A short ascent later and Aaron was face to face with Tommy, who was standing ready next to the open door of a brightly lit room beyond. The light was harsh on the eyes after spending so much time in the dark, but they were already beginning to adjust. “What did you find?”

  Tommy stepped through the doorway, forming a silhouette in the entranceway for a brief moment before disappearing around the corner. “Come check it out!”

  Blinking a few times, Aaron followed Tommy through and began to look around the veritable treasure trove of information and potential leads. There wasn’t much to the room itself, with only a mattress as a made up bed and various other pieces of furniture stashed around the area. But the interest Tommy had in the room had nothing to do with what filled it, rather with what covered the walls.

  There were more posters of a band that went by the name Entropy of the Heart, the one that they had been told played in this so called club. They were crudely drawn and clearly made by an amateur, but it gave the impression of a group that was proud of their music. The band were trying their damnedest to make it in the business, wanting nothing more than to share their songs with the world. Around the posters and taking up space in between were handwritten lyrics on paper, music sheets and a multitude of photographs that were either pinned to the wall or held there by tack. The pictures seemed to be of the band members and their times together, with the occasional fan selfies thrown in for good measure.

  As Tommy put his nose up to some of the notes to read the lyrics contained on their pages, Aaron matched up photographs of people with the band members on the poster, using the information they had been given by Murphy to fill in the blanks. “Miguel Chavez… Chavz on the keyboards.”

  Tommy chuckled. “And one hell of a bro, huh? Check out those guns!”

  Aaron continued, moving along to the next band member, a skinny little man with a bald head and a big lip ring. “Skid. AKA Skinny Pete, the Skidster.”

  It was difficult to ignore the smirk on Tommy’s face as he came to stand nearby. “Shoulda called him shit stain.”

  Aaron shot his friend a glance. “Not nice, Tommy.”

  The white pearls of Tommy’s teeth were clearly visible. “Neither’s the smell.”

  Clearing his throat, Aaron moved onto another picture. This time it was of a large man who looked as though he belonged in a biker gang. “Mike Peterson. Extreme bassist and all round badass.” It was surprising that Tommy had nothing to say to that, instead letting Aaron continue. “Jacko. Jack Olsen, the axeman.”

  It seemed that Tommy’s silence wouldn’t keep up for that long after all. “Now that guy just looks like an asshole, am I right?”

  Aaron nodded once. “Yeah, sure… Now for the interesting one. The singer only known as Entropy. Murphy said that there was no real name on record. In fact, he couldn’t find anything about her at all.”

  He looked up and down the wall, looking for a purple haired woman that matched the one drawn on the poster. However, Tommy beat him to the punch, plucking one particular photo off the wall as he stared at it in disbelief, his jaw wide open. “What the…?”

  Aaron moved over to take a look, his friend's hand almost shaking as he gripped the picture so tight that it crumpled in the middle. “Tommy? What’s up?” There was no answer as he seemed to be stunned by whatever he had seen in the photograph.

  The man in the image was unmistakable and easy to recognise as the one they had been after him for some time. It was Samuel Mitchell, his hair past his ears and looking like he needed a haircut. His dark eyes looked tired, but his smile was genuine. It seemed that he had found happiness there in Miami, but that wasn’t something that Aaron wanted to dwell on. Sam Mitchell was a monster that had already harmed people and he was a danger to anyone around him.

  From his own past experiences, Aaron knew that supernatural creatures had to be kept in check or they could run rampant and innocents would be hurt in the process. He couldn’t afford to see a monster as anything other than what it was, a threat to humankind. To humanise them would take him a step closer to losing his will to hunt, and that in turn could run the risk of more lives being lost. That risk was simply unacceptable.

  Aaron didn’t understand why Tommy had been so shocked by the photo until he looked over at the woman in the picture. She was caught in an embrace with Sam Mitchell, her own happiness more than apparent. It was the same person from the poster, with purple streaked hair and a variety of piercings, but there was something about her that seemed familiar. She looked like someone who he used to know, but that was impossible.

  “Christie…” Tommy’s words caught Aaron by surprise. It wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him, the girl looked exactly like Tommy’s girlfriend and his old friend, Christie Reece, albeit with an updated image.

  “Tommy, that can't be her… Christie's dead.” He reached out to place a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder, only to have it batted away in anger.

  Tommy wasn't going to take no for an answer, grim determination set on his face as he shoved the photograph in front of Aaron’s nose. “Take a fuckin’ look, Aaron, it’s her! She's alive! My girl is alive!”

  Chapter Eleven: Out of the woods.

  It had been a long trip across North America, with countless stops to fill up the gas tank, obtain snacks, or for those with functioning bladders to take regular bathroom breaks. The journey had been slow going through Texas after Skid had eaten some bad Mexican food, with Sam wishing that his nose couldn't pick out specific scents within the consistent waves of flatulence. It didn't help that he could literally taste the gaseous stench of the burrito and whatever else had been digesting in the man's gut. Entropy apparently had an easier time at filtering out smells and didn't seem quite as grossed out. That or she had survived through a similar situation before. Whereas Skid seemed to think that the entire situation was extremely hilarious and didn't show any sign of suffering at all.

  The van was a little cramped when loaded up with six people, their bags and all their instruments, but they somehow managed to cope. The mattress in the back found heavy use, with Sam and Entropy using it through the day under the cover of thick blankets and the other three taking turns throughout the night. It wasn't pleasant resting in the drool and sweat of the other guys, with perspiration being a big problem in the warmer states, but there wasn't much choice. After all, Sam was the only one who didn't need to be there and so he didn't have the right to complain. Of course, Jacko coul
dn't help but remind him of the fact, with tagalong, waste of space and other more colourful terms fast becoming part of his repertoire.

  However unpleasant the drive had been, it was finally coming to an end, with Sam taking on the last leg of the journey. The border crossing had been stressful for everyone as he didn't have a passport or any other identification so to speak, so the others had hidden him under the drum set. Thankfully the Canada Border Service Agency wasn't quite as strict as the US side, which was something they wouldn't need to concern themselves with until they were heading home. That was a bridge that they would have to cross when it came to it.

  The open ranges of the prairies with their shallow, rolling hills would occasionally give way to clusters of trees and small wooded areas as they passed by towns not too far away from their final destination. The city of Calgary was in their sights and the lights could already be seen on the horizon, with the mountainous backdrop of the Canadian Rockies just beyond. The white peaks glistened under the light of the moon, making them stand out amongst the stars in the clear night sky. Although the city was an impressive sight to behold, it wasn't anywhere near the size of overpopulated Miami and Sam was thankful for that. After all, he had come from a small town in the middle of nowhere and had been out if his depth ever since. Sure, Calgary wasn't anywhere near being a small town, but it was at least a little more manageable. The smaller population, with much less overcrowding, wouldn't overwhelm his senses quite so much.

  As Sam carefully drove the van down a particularly straight stretch of road, he slouched backwards in his chair, leaving one hand on the wheel as he tried his best to relax. The nights driving had been uneventful so far, with Entropy in the front passenger seat in her tank top and sweatpants, listening to her favourite tracks on her phone with her eyes closed. The wailing of a guitar could be heard blaring out from her earphones as she tried to drown out Mike’s heavy snoring coming from the back. Unfortunately there was no such escape for Sam, and he had to listen to each and every deep, rattling breath. He envied her ability to tune out the world around her as she lost herself in the music, which was a skill that he had never managed to acquire.

  Boredom had taken over and Sam couldn't carry on without some sort of mental stimulation, so he nudged Entropy in order to grab her attention. Her eyes popped open and she bolted upright, looking around to see what had happened. “Huh? What’s up?” She almost yelled at him, not able to hear the volume of her own voice over the music. The sudden noise caused someone to stir in the back, but they quickly drifted back to sleep with a disgruntled murmur.

  Entropy pulled her earphones out, looking at Sam with her eyes wide. “Is everything okay?”

  Sam chuckled, both of his hands back on the wheel. “Yeah, just bored.”

  The surprise faded from her face as she settled back into her chair, smiling wryly. “Oh. What you wanna talk about?”

  He hadn't thought that far ahead and shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know… Just something. Anything.”

  Entropy pondered for a moment or two, looking out the windshield. “Okay. I never did ask… Why were you in that area of Miami the night we found you? You said you went to see your parents in Fort Lauderdale, but that's miles away.”

  Sam stared at the road, taking time to respond. “These men were at my parent’s house, looking for me. They chased after me, and I just kept on running.”

  Entropy looked over at Sam, her eyebrows raised. “You ran all that way? Holy crap!”

  He glanced back at her, tilting his head to one side. “I was scared... I think they were trying to kill me.”

  A look of dread crossed Entropy's face. She stared directly at him, a serious tone in her voice. “Jesus. Those sound like hunters, Sam... You were lucky to make it out alive.”

  Sam was left feeling bewildered. He couldn't believe that there were people that hunted down others like that. After all he was still a person, wasn't he? Despite any physical changes that he had gone through, he still had feelings, thoughts and emotions. “That's a thing now? They hunt down what? People like us? What did we do to deserve that?” He had plenty more questions where those had come from, but Entropy didn't seem to have any answers.

  “I don't know… But that's one of the many reasons that we need to be careful. You more than most.”

  Sam’s grip on the steering wheel had tightened. “Do you think they're still after me? It's been months.”

  Entropy frowned, speaking through gritted teeth. “I won't let them touch you.”

  The pair fell into silence, both lost in their own thoughts. As Sam continued to concentrate on the road, Entropy sat there with her body turned towards him. She just watched him without a word, as if she was studying his face. He appreciated how protective she was of him, but he hoped that the danger had passed and that those men would never find him. It had been so long now they that had to have given up the chase. No-one could be that persistent.

  The van reached a section of road where the foliage was so thick that the trees blocked out the natural moonlight, leaving the vehicle's headlights as the sole source of light. It was so dark outside that the beams seemed to struggle, barely penetrating through the clouds of fog that swept across the tarmac. The mist seemed to appear out of nowhere, obstructing the view of the road, bringing with it an eerie feeling that they were being watched.

  Sam slowed the vehicle to a crawl, not wanting to run off the side of the road or hit anything that may have fallen in their path. There was something primal deep inside that caused him to tense up in fear, and from the look of it Entropy was experiencing the same petrifying sensation. Neither of them could find the words to express how terrified they were feeling, jaws locked tight as teeth ground together.

  “We there or somethin’?” Chavz yelled from the back, the sudden break in speed disturbing his slumber. He popped his head out through the door in the divider and into the cab at the front, looking out from between Sam and Entropy's seats. Neither of them could bring themselves to answer as they stared out into the woods.

  “Wha’s goin’ on?” Chavs rubbed his eyes sleepily.

  It was Sam who finally pulled himself together enough to vaguely answer the question. “Something's out there…”

  Entropy stayed quiet, her eyes scanning what little she could see of the treeline through the fog.

  “We stoppin’?” It was Mike this time, squeezing into the opening next to Chavz who took it upon himself to reply.

  “Nah, man. They said they seen somethin’.”

  Mike joined in the search, looking out the windshield for whatever might be out there. “Well alright then. Been some time since I last played 'I spy'.”

  A frustrated groan from Jacko in the rear let them know that he was awake. “Some of us are tryin’ ta get some bloody sleep!” A few seconds later and he too had squeezed in through the same opening, his head poking out over both Chavz’ and Mike's. “What the fucks goin’ on?”

  Mike was the one to answer this time, holding back a yawn. “They said somethin’ was blockin’ the road.”

  Sam shook his head, still scanning for movement as he slowly pushed forwards through the fog. “No. I said that something's out there. We haven't seen anything yet.”

  Jacko grumbled. “So ya pissed yerself for no reason? Don't be soft.”

  For a split second, Sam could swear that he saw something move between the trees in the corner of his eye, but when he turned his head to look there was nothing there. “I swear it’s out there, whatever it is.”

  Jacko cackled, the foul smell of old cigarettes on his breath. “Calm ya tits, fella. There's nowt there.”

  As if on queue, a ferocious howl echoed out from somewhere in the darkness. Sam felt as though he almost ripped the steering wheel from the column as he jumped out of fright. Entropy had dug her nails into the dashboard with a yelp, while the others were stunned into silence, other than Mike who proceeded to bark an order. “Keep drivin’, Sam. Don't be stoppin’ for nothin'.” H
e didn't have to tell Sam twice, as the van picked up a little speed, the driver still struggling to see the road.

  Sam caught a glimpse of something moving again, although this time he could see something similar in shape to a wolf, but much larger. Its head was oversized, with a powerful jaw and huge teeth that could easily shatter bone. The beasts matted fur looked grey in the dark and its sinister eyes almost glowed a deep red. It looked as though it was on the prowl, hunting for its next meal, but hopefully they were not part of the main course.

  As Sam tried to get a better look, the giant wolf skulked off into the bushes, disappearing off into the night. Beginning to wonder if he was the only one who saw it, he turned his head to see that he wasn't alone at all. Even Skid had joined the group now, with both him and everyone else sharing the same look of abject horror. They had all seen the the beast in the woods and were not sure if they could believe their eyes.

  Entropy’s voice quivered as she spoke. “Sam, you heard Mike. Keep driving and don't stop until we reach civilisation.”

  As beautiful as the landscape was, there was a darkness that lurked there in the wilderness. It wasn't safe to linger in the woods or walk alone across the prairies, for dangerous creatures wandered at night. There was safety in numbers, but only the foolish would stop to look around. The best thing for them to do was to make it to the next populated area and wait out the darkness, which was easier to do when you weren't deathly allergic to sunlight.

  **********

  It was getting dangerously close to dawn when the van rolled into the parking lot of the Whispering Pines Motel, a small place at the edge of the city’s limits. It wasn't a pretty sight, with a flickering sign and poor upkeep, but it was going to be their accommodation for the next few nights until it was time to head back home. The band couldn't afford luxuries and had to stay at whatever cockroach infested place that they could afford, and this motel more than fit the bill.