Dark Temptations

by Eric Alan Williams

  Xairin was currently possessed. His voice sounded as if whispering overpowered his own voice as he asked. "A rift?"

  "A FUCKING PORTAL! Not even Lilith or Damien has that kind of power!" Jason said.

  Xairin looked at Jason with red glowing veins lighting up the riverbank. He turned and looked at the rift, it looked like a claw mark in mid-air, glowing, and now, six feet tall, just floating there. Xairin walked over to it and stuck his hand through it. He could feel the cold air on the other side of it. He pulled his hand back, looking at it, and then stuck his head in. The rift had formed in the sewer, he stepped in.

  Jason walked up to it. It was still there. Jason's heart was pounding. Immortals with this kind of power were rare, this was a grand alpha power, and Xairin was a delta. This gave Jason a shiver. Without any warning, Xairin's hand reached back through, grabbing onto Jason's arm and pulled him into the rift.

  Jason almost felt like puking. He had never traveled through a portal before. He was weak in his knees when he reached the other side.

  They were far enough away that Albert's attackers didn't know they were there. Xairin chattered his teeth. "They're about two hundred yards ahead, and one tunnel over."

  "Xairin was still talking in a possessed voice. "I can see them. They're about to, they're pulling out the knife."

  Xairin saw something odd, something that didn't happen when he was attacked. He could see them through his biosonar, pulling off their faces. Xairin could see them, their real faces had been hidden by some sort of high-tech prosthetic mask. He gasped. "OH MY GOD!"

  "Time to die, you witch loving filth!" Xairin's ears heard a newly emerged bald man say to Albert.

  Xairin's flesh began to pulsate. His hair vanished, his face became bat-like, his wings remained concealed, but as for the rest of him, Jason saw Xairin in his nosferatu glory. "I have to stop them."

  Jason nodded. "Okay, okay, if we are doing this, then we are really doing this." Jason titled his head. His body began to stretch. He took his shirt off and his pants off quickly as his body burst into thick dark brown fur with black tips. His snout elongated; his feet stretched until he was in a full bipedal hybrid form. He looked downright monstrous. Even Xairin was a little surprised at how scary he looked.

  Xairin took off while Jason ran on all fours to keep up.

  Marshall Dingus stood there smiling at Albert's beaten body lying there and took pride in holding the man over so that Todd could get a clear swing at the back of Albert's neck. Albert was begging. "Please, please don't do this? Please?"

  "Too late demon lover, it is time for God to judge you for your perverted ways you witch loving whore!"

  "DO IT TODD, DO IT!" Marshall yelled. "SEND THIS SINNER STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

  As Xairin got closer, he could see into Marshall’s mind. Without his protective mask on, his neural dampener was turned off without body heat present to activate it. Xairin saw clearly that Marshall wasn’t the one who killed Rory, but he was there, not just at the protest, but when Rory died, he helped carry the head. Marshall was there for all of it. He saw the face of the man who swung the blade at Rory’s neck and each face that helped. Xairin ran faster.

  Blood sprayed upon Todd's face and covered his bald head. Marshall was gasping, choking even. The heavyset nineteen-year-old looked down, to a beholding a terror sticking out of his body. He saw a white-clawed hand sticking out of his chest, holding his heart. The clawed hand ripped backward, vanishing from sight as Marshall fell to the ground. The six men that were left standing there, gasped as they saw a vicious creature eating the heart with a smile across its fierce face. The man beside Marshall screamed. "OH MY GOD!"

  The black man standing beside Marshall backed back quickly, but not fast enough. He was lifted off the ground. The other men screamed out. They saw another savage face biting into the black man's shoulder, swinging him back and forth like a rag doll. They saw the yellow piercing eyes of a werewolf, ripping the man to pieces.

  "JESUS CHRIST!" Todd screamed.

  Xairin leaped over, grabbing Todd by the left arm and twisting it until he heard six snaps. "Well, well, well, the doorman." The nosferatu said. He tossed him forward more than twenty feet and looked over at Jason. "That one lives. The others." Xairin smiled. "Time to meet your fucking MAKER!" Xairin roared out.

  The four men took off running. Two went down another tunnel, while the other two split up completely. Xairin ran past Albert, making sure to stomp Todd's left leg hard enough to shatter the kneecap so he couldn't runoff. He pursued the two that went together.

  One of the men, Trent Morrison, took off his black cloak as the water in the tunnels was soaking it, weighing him down. He made it to a ladder and started climbing up. A furry hand reached up, ripping into his stomach. Trent fell down. The last thing he saw was those yellow eyes, and a set of malefic teeth coming at his face.

  Brandon Steelton was running as fast as he could. He had shed his black hooded cloak for the same reasons. He was an athletic man, a law student with a promising future ahead. The blue-eyed man had made it around a turn and ended at a metal grate. "OH, FUCK ME!" He yelled. He turned around and could hear snarling coming closer. Brandon turned back around and started trying to shake the metal grate lose. He pulled as hard as he could pull, kicked at it, and even managed to bend part of it. The growling noises were getting louder. "Oh, dear God, please, please, God, help me! Give me strength, lord!" He cried. Brandon managed to pull the grate back a little more. He was just now able to slip through it. He started squeezing himself through. He heard a howling noise.

  Brandon made it through the side. He fell down and turned back. He could see a seven-foot-tall werewolf, standing there growling at him. Jason was foaming at the mouth with an alpha's primal rage kicking in. Brandon stuck his middle fingers up. "FUCK YOU!"

  Jason took a step back and rammed his shoulder against the metal grate. It burst at each of its bolted seams, landing on top of Brandon. Brandon yelled out. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

  The werewolf picked the grate up, slinging it. With one hand, the snarling beast reached down, picking Brandon up by the neck and held him where they were eye to eye. Brandon couldn't speak, nor scream, the grip was too firm. His eyes watered as his guts began littering the current below. The werewolf's claws entered at his belly button and ended at his heart. Brandon's eyes began to roll back. Jason let his body fall to the ground and let out a blood-curdling howl.

  Xairin was chasing behind Ryan Tussney and Anthony Lancello. The two hit a dead end. Xairin appeared out of thin air the moment they turned around. He reverted to his true form and smiled. Both men flung themselves backward against the concrete wall as Xairin started speaking. "Now, I have a question: were any of you two, the ones that helped kill me? Does my face look familiar to either of you?"

  Both men shook their heads. Their heart beats told Xairin that the next words that left frightened lips were valid. "We've never seen you before. "The blond man answered.

  Xairin looked at him. "What's your name?"

  The blond guy was far too afraid to lie, "Ryan. Please, I don't want to die."

  Xairin looked at the darker haired man beside him. "And you are?"

  "Anthony…"

  "Well, boys, I don’t think Albert back there wanted to die either.” Xairin smiled. “Those masks, I have a few questions about them. There was a man named Greg, he did to me, what you guys were about to do to poor Albert back there. So, those masks got me thinking, who is Greg and if Greg really looks the way I think he does?"

  Xairin’s blood was enraging Xairin. The use of his powers, the rift he had created, gave his blood more control than previously experienced. His blood was doing most of the talking while Xairin delighted in the power it gave him.

  Both men looked at each other. Xairin rushed up to Anthony and kicked in both his knees until the bones were exposed, followed by twisting his arm until his ulnar broke free at the elbow and popped through the skin. The man yelled as Xairin tossed him agai
nst the wall. Ryan fell backward, crying. "Who is Greg? And is it a mask that Greg was wearing? He had a manbun, blond hair, tall, black outfit, said his name was Greg, now, tell me before you end up like Anthony here."

  Xairin's face lit up with red lights as his veins glowed. "ANSWER ME!" He yelled in an inhuman voice.

  Ryan trembled. "Blond hair, tall, Greg, his name isn't Greg, it's…"

  Xairin rushed over and lifted him up by his throat. "Tell me more, or you die."

  Ryan tried to speak. But he couldn't. Xairin let up a little. "Tell me, is his real name?"

  Ryan tried to shake his head. "Travis, his name is Travis, he likes to wear the Greg Davenport mask. We… We wear masks once we've killed our first witch and earn our cover."

  Xairin dropped him and knelt down; meanwhile, Anthony whimpered in pain.

  "Go on."

  "We get those masks to conceal ourselves once we slay our first witch. The Monk calls it a rite of passage to prove ourselves to the cause."

  "Who is Travis?" Xairin asked.

  "Travis Newstead. He's our lead witch slayer. He and Todd back there. Travis uses the Greg Davenport mask, it's his favorite lure."

  Xairin was feeling surges inside him. Using the rift power, and allowing his blood to take control, was giving Xairin very little control back. He was trying, but the alien side of him wanted blood. Now he would just have to settle on what Todd knew, now that he knew that Todd was one of their top hunters. His blood was about to force another power to emerge to further its control over Xairin and Xairin was letting it with a smile in his growing dark heart.

  Xairin smirked and got up and walked off. His blood stopped him. Xairin turned around, grinning devilishly. He threw his hands at both men, raising them up off the ground as he levitated them. He couldn't get a handle on his blood. His blood wanted the carnage to continue, and not only that but every cell inside him was growing hungry.

  With both men levitated. Xairin felt something inside him pulling at them. Xairin couldn't stop it. Both men began to convulse in mid-air, Ryan's eyes popped out of his head and blood flowed through the air, washing against Xairin's skin and absorbing it. Anthony's wounds began to drain, his eyes burst, both men were floating as blood flowed from their eyes, ears, mouths, and numerous rips in their flesh that began to form. It flowed like snakes in the air, swirling around Xairin as his body absorbed every drop.

  Jason arrived fifty feet away and stopped. The werewolf's deadly facial expression turned to that of a whimpering pup. He was witnessing Xairin drain them dry, in the same manner, that it was well known that Lilith could.

  Both men shook and convulsed until their bodies began to wither and dehydrate rapidly. They mummified in mid-air, sating Xairin's need for blood. The two dried up husks fell to the ground.

  With his blood being nourished, Xairin started to regain some control. "THE POWER!" He yelled as he fell to his knees. Inside him, his cells were remembering how to use this power, as well as opening a rift. Xairin was breathing heavily, trembling even. His eyes turned solid red, lighting up as he stood up. He turned around to see Jason watching. He started walking over as his nosferatu appearance reasserted.

  He grabbed Jason by his furry cheeks. "Don't worry babes, I'm in control."

  Jason followed behind as Xairin returned to Todd. He reached down and grabbed him by the leg and proceeded to drag him. They arrived where Albert was lying.

  Xairin knelt down and bit into his wrist. "Drink from me, and you will heal. I won't hurt you."

  Albert was scared as hell, looking up at the face of white death looking down at him. He realized though, a vampire and a werewolf had laid waste to those around him. That gave him some reassurance as Albert reached up slowly. He grasped Xairin's wrist but didn't have the strength to pull upward. Xairin knelt down and helped him.

  Albert, being infused with Xairin's blood, this time, more than a drop, began to heal. "Make sure you tell law enforcement, everything that happened here, and that a Society Sentinel team showed up and helped you. As for this bald fuck here, tell them we took him to interrogate, His name is Todd, just tell them to look up the name Todd that once worked the door for The Haze. That's how they were hunting gay men, and sensitives."

  Albert spoke slowly. "They found me on a gay dating app."

  Xairin growled. "They use those too. Now be a good little human and let them know." Xairin patted his face with his clawed hands.

  Xairin turned around and threw his hand out. He felt the energies in the air begin to make another tear. This time, Xairin thought of the camp that his mom and dad used to go to. He hoped this would work. The rip formed, and he picked up Todd by the leg, causing the man to dangle and scream from the pain. Jason ran as fast as he could, got his clothing and ran back before this side of the rift began to fade and followed behind them.

  Chapter 10.3

  Xairin exited the red rip on the other side and came out into a dark forest that had overgrown along an old hiking path and some campsites. He couldn't see the path that used to be here but could make out a partial imprint of where a campsite used to be. He had arrived on the same wooded trail, that he recalled from when he saw his mother's black eyes. No one was around. The camping area hadn't been used in at least ten years or longer. Jason emerged from the rip. It started to fade away. The rip looked like a burn in the air, that took a few minutes to vanish. Meanwhile, Xairin flung Todd against a tree, hard.

  Xairin let his face return to normal. Jason was also starting to change back.

  Xairin approached Todd as he laid there. The bald man's eyes grew wider and wider as Xairin got closer. Xairin remembered the doorman from that fateful night, and now, he knew precisely why he was asked if he had taken his meds that night. Todd remembered that face as well. This was the man that got away, the redhead, the ginger that Travis asked for. His face was ingrained in his head. The Monk was highly displeased when it was reported that they failed to face the bat demons and claim the head they were sent to get that night. Todd's heart raced as Xairin knelt down and smiled. "Todd, right?" Xairin shook his finger at him. "I remember your name tag. You worked at The Haze the night I was taken. You, you were there that night. So, tell me what role did you play in my abduction? Huh?"

  Jason walked up to Xairin and dropped his clothing on the ground. He was standing there, naked, sweating. His eyes were still a piercing yellow, with sharp teeth growling at the man, the rest of Jason looked human aside from that.

  Xairin looked over his shoulder, admired the view, and then turned back to Todd. "What role did you play, or I let my werewolf boyfriend eat you, so, time to get all chatty, or else you end up as your friends did."

  "You're just going to kill me anyway," Todd said.

  Xairin laughed. "Maybe, probably, but you get to decide if you go out quickly, or I promise we can make it hurt all night long because, to be honest, I'm kind of new to this whole torture thing."

  Xairin thrust his left hand down and began crushing Todd's leg. "But I will make you a deal." The man yelled out in pain. "You tell me everything I want to know, and tell me the truth, I will give you a fighting chance." Xairin pointed his hand to the left. "If you can make it to the dirt road, after you tell me everything I want to know, I will let you live, and I promise I won't let my boyfriend eat you, but if you don't, and you try and lie, because trust me I won't need psychic powers to know if you try and lie to me, we can hear your heartbeat speed up every time you lie. So, don't..."

  Xairin stood up as he continued pointing. "The road is about a hundred yards that way. You make it to the road, we let you go. I will give you thirty minutes to crawl, I will be that generous, which is a hell of a lot more than you and your friends offered me. Now, do we have a deal? Or do we start eating you slowly?" Xairin laughed, "Or better yet, we turn you, and then bury you in a silver box, so you can starve for all eternity, your choice. You have thirty seconds."

  Todd knew he could resurge; he knew that much about immortals. The thoughts of
being fed on slowly or being turned and left in a box scared the shit out of him since he was Claustrophobic, add in the thoughts of starving forever, that made him speak up. "What do you want to know?"

  "Your role in the night I was taken. Because I know you remember my face. Your facial expressions gave that away a minute ago."

  "We scope out the bars for sensitives, and report back who we think will be an easy target. I was told to find a redhead that night, it is what Travis wanted.'

  Xairin thought for a moment about that fateful night and when he first met Todd. Todd was a new employee at the Haze and had replaced a dear old friend that used to work the front door. He scoffed. "There used to be an old army vet, Burt Townsend, that worked the door for years at the Haze, did you have anything to do with him?"

  Todd nodded. "Travis killed him so I could get the door job."

  Xairin's eyes watered. Burt had been kind to Xairin ever since they first met. Sure, he was former military, but he was a sweet old man that treated everyone equally. Even when he kicked someone out, he was always polite about it. Xairin ground his teeth. "What makes a person want to kill other humans the way you do?"