by S.A. Tadej
“Well, it’s beautiful here at night,” Devin said as he grabbed the backpack and got out of the truck. “Come on.”
I got out of the truck and Devin grabbed my hand. “And don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand the entire time, so you won’t get lost,” he teased.
“Hey, I told you I was like eight at the time. I’m a big girl now. I can handle myself.”
“Okay,” Devin laughed as he dropped my hand and walked briskly in front of me.
“Very funny,” I said as I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest. But Devin didn’t stop or turn around. Soon he disappeared on the dark trail. “Hey, wait!” I yelled as I ran to catch up to him. I couldn’t see him anywhere. How far could he have gotten in such a short time?
“Devin!” I yelled out as I slowly walked down the trail. “Devin, come on! This isn’t funny! It’s so dark. I can barely see a thing.”
I could feel anxiety welling up in my chest as I inched my way along the dark trail. What an asshole! This is crazy! I should just turn back and wait by the truck. At least the parking lot is lit up.
As I turned around a shadow emerged from the tree and grabbed me from behind with one strong arm around my middle, pinning my arms to me and the other arm crossed over my shoulder, with the hand covering my mouth. “Do you wanna die tonight?” the voice whispered. My survival instincts kicked in and I kicked wildly and bit my attacker’s hand. He released his hold on me.
“Geeze, what the hell. It was a joke,” the familiar voice said.
I spun around to see Devin. “That was not funny,” I cried.
“I’m sorry. I thought you knew it was me.”
“Well, I didn’t. I couldn’t see you at all. It’s so frickin dark out here. And you know what else – this place sucks at night!” I said as I stormed off toward the parking lot.
Devin caught up to me quickly and grabbed my arm.
“Let go of me,” I warned.
“Are you okay?” Devin asked softly as he lightly stroked the back of my arm.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I murmured, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Nicole, please. I said I was sorry. There’s something I really want to show you. Will you come with me, please? I promise I won’t leave you again.”
I wiped at the corners of my eyes, took a deep breath and turned around to face him. I gazed into Devin’s pleading eyes and all my anger melted away. “Promise?” I repeated.
He smiled ear to ear and grabbed my hand tightly. Devin turned on his flashlight as we walked down the trail. We passed all kinds of different trees and rocks.
“We’re almost there,” Devin said as we walked over a wooden bridge and went down several wooden steps. Finally we arrived at Devin’s destination – a small enclosed area that overlooked the river.
“This here is called Lover’s Leap,” Devin said.
I walked over to the edge of the enclosed area and looked out. There were several small islands with trees in the river and lots of rock formations.
“Wonder why they call it Lover’s Leap,” I said.
Devin put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him. “Well, the legend is that a young Indian brave was in love with a girl from another tribe, but because of tribal rivalry, the chiefs had forbidden the two lovers to marry. They didn’t want to live their lives apart, so they chose to die together instead. They met one evening at the top of the rock formation, held onto each other, and jumped to their deaths in the swirling waters below. Ever since then, this spot has been called Lover’s Leap.”
“Wow, that’s so sad,” I said.
“I think it’s beautiful,” Devin replied. “Imagine loving somebody so much that you would rather die than be apart.”
“Guess it is sort of romantic.”
Devin lifted my chin and gazed into my eyes. “I know how that man must have felt,” he whispered. Then he kissed me sweetly and held me to his chest. It was as if time stood still as we stood there silently holding each other, looking out over Lover’s Leap.
“So how do you know so much about this place?” I finally asked.
Devin released his hold on me and sighed. He walked closer to the overlook and ran a hand over the back of his neck as he looked out. “My dad,” he whispered.
“Your dad?”
Devin turned to look at me. “Yeah, my dad used to take me and my sister here all the time when we were kids.”
A part of me really wanted to ask more about his sister, but I resisted, remembering how upset he had appeared the last time I brought it up.
Devin grabbed my hand again. “Come on, I want to show you the Aurora Canyon. It’s not far from here. And after all the rain we got last night, the waterfall should be active.”
“A waterfall? That sounds cool.”
“It is.”
Devin and I walked hand in hand until we reached the canyon. It was quite majestic looking. I loved the way the large rocks seemed to spiral upward. The waterfall was pretty cool too, but not much water rushed from it.
“So this is the waterfall?”
“Yeah. There’s much better ones in the park,” Devin said, sounding disappointed.
We walked on slowly until we reached another canyon. This one had tall moss-covered rocks and a thin, streaming waterfall cascading from the top down the middle of the canyon. It must’ve been fifty or so feet tall.
Devin moved his flashlight around. “Oh my God, Devin, look,” I said excitedly as I pointed to a white tailed deer drinking from the water that pooled at the bottom of the waterfall. The deer looked over at us and quickly scampered away.
“So what’s this one called?” I asked.
“St. Louis Canyon,” Devin responded as he pulled me closer to the waterfall. “This waterfall’s usually pretty active cuz it’s fed from the St. Louis Canyon Creek.”
“St. Louis Canyon? Isn’t this where they found them three older ladies murdered back in the 1960’s?” I asked as I took a step back.
“Yeah. Their bodies were found on the floor of that overhang just over there,” Devin said as he pointed under a small ledge. “But as the story goes, they were killed deeper in the canyon and then their bodies were dragged and positioned under that rock ledge.”
“That’s so disgusting. Them poor ladies! It feels kind of creepy being here, knowing that this is where they were murdered,” I said as goose bumps rose on my arms.
“Yeah, well they caught the man that did it. So it’s safe now,” he chuckled. “Besides, you have me to protect you.” Then he turned to face me and looked deep into my eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes, of course.”
A grin spread over his beautiful face.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“Climb on my back.”
“No. I mean… why?”
Devin continued grinning. “Just do it,” he said as he dropped his backpack onto the ground.
I jumped up onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his middle.
“Hold on tight,” Devin laughed. At that, he began climbing up the tall canyon. Oh my God, what is he doing? He’s going to kill us!
“Devin, what are you doing? You’re crazy! Put me down!” I yelled.
“Just hang on tight and don’t look down.”
“Oh my God, if I live through this, I’m going to kill you!”
Devin laughed. In no time, we were at the top of the canyon. How did we get up here so fast? I slid off of Devin’s back and looked down. How did we even get up here at all?
I looked over at Devin. He was smiling ear to ear at me. I shoved him. “Great, now how are we gonna get down?”
“I got it covered,” he responded. “Now just relax and check out the view from up here.
I had to admit, the view was spectacular. As I stood there looking around, taking in the beauty around me, Devin approached me from behind and wrapped his arms aroun
d my waist.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it really is something,” I responded. “But seriously, how are we gonna get down?”
Devin grinned and in one quick movement had thrown me back onto his back. “Close your eyes and hold on tight.” Then he jumped. I closed my eyes tightly, fearing the worst. Any moment now, our bodies are going to be splattered on the pavement.
I kept my eyes tightly closed waiting for the impact.
“You can open your eyes now,” Devin said.
I opened my eyes and looked around. We were safely on the ground. But how? There was no sound whatsoever when we hit the ground. It just didn’t make sense.
I eyed Devin suspiciously. “How did you do that?”
He just grinned and grabbed my arm. He pulled me over to the surprisingly warm waterfall and kissed me passionately as we stood underneath it.
“I should get you back home,” he said when he finally broke away from the long kiss.
“Oh God,” I moped. “Now we gotta walk all the way back.”
“You can do it. Remember, you’re a big girl now. You said it yourself,” he teased.
“Oh shut up…” I started to joke back. But Devin interrupted by swiftly picking me up into his arms. Then he started to walk with me still in his arms. “I was kidding. I can walk. Just put me down before you get tired.”
Devin stopped and looked me directly in the eyes. “Trust me, this is nothing,” he grinned then resumed walking.
I nestled my head against his shoulder. “Guess I could get used to this,” I whispered.
Devin didn’t put me down until we reached his truck in the parking lot. I couldn’t believe he had carried me so effortlessly all that way and he didn’t even seem to be tired. He unlocked the doors and held mine open for me. Then he drove me home.
He pulled into my driveway and cut the headlights. I heard Nevaeh’s distinct bark and howl. I turned my head toward the front of the house and saw her through the glass window on the front door. She was standing on two legs with her front paws pushed against the door, barking. I looked over at Devin. He looked nervous.
“Guess my dog has a mind of her own,” I laughed. “I wonder why she doesn’t like you.”
Devin shrugged.
“Well, that’s okay,” I said softly as I leaned in closer to him, “Cuz I like you.” Then I kissed him.
Devin broke away after a few minutes. “Umm, you should probably go in before your dog breaks through the door and eats me,” he laughed.
“Okay,” I agreed.
I started to get out of the truck when he interrupted me. “Hey, Nicole?”
I turned around. “Yeah?”
“Is it okay if I call you later?”
“Yeah, I’ll still be up for awhile.”
Devin smiled and nodded. I closed the truck door and watched him pull out of the driveway. I decided to go in the back door since Nevaeh was still howling at the front door. I was afraid that she would run past me if I opened the door.
As soon as I was inside, she bounded toward me, knocking me down and licking my face. “Okay, okay, mommy missed you too,” I said as I stroked her fur. “Can I get up now?” I laughed.
I went upstairs and decided to take a bubble bath as I waited for Devin’s call. After I finished, I went to my room, sat on the bed, and turned the TV on. Nevaeh jumped up on the bed and laid by my feet as usual. Soon after, Devin called.
“So what are your plans for tomorrow night?” he asked.
“I gotta work.”
“What time do you get off?”
“Well I got first out tomorrow, so probably around 9:30 or 10:00. What did you have in mind?”
“Thought maybe we could go back to Starved Rock. There’s a lot more I want to show you.”
“I think I’ve seen enough,” I laughed.
“Oh come on. It’ll be fun,” Devin persisted.
“Well can’t we go during the day sometime?”
“I work during the day.”
“Yeah, but what about on the weekend?”
“I work weekends too.”
“So you never did tell me – where is it that you work?”
“I do construction.”
That would explain the muscles. But then shouldn’t he be tan?
“Well, you’re the whitest construction worker I’ve ever met,” I teased.
Devin was quiet for a few moments. “Yeah, well I work in the office mostly, so I don’t get much sun.”
“Office work, huh?” I giggled.
“Well, I know it’s not as cool as being a waitress,” he teased.
“Hey! I’m not going to be a waitress forever,” I said defensively.
“Nicole, I was just kidding. There’s nothing wrong with being a waitress.”
“I know. It’s just not what I want to do forever though.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Well, I’ve been saving up some money and I’ve enrolled in some interior design courses at the local college. I start in September.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“What are you doing?” I heard a man yell in the background.
“Nicole, I gotta go. I’ll meet you after work tomorrow,” Devin whispered and abruptly hung up.
“Okay, bye,” I said to myself as I hit the end button on my cell phone.
I had so much on my mind as I tried to fall asleep. So many things just seemed out of place about Devin. First of all, he was more gorgeous than any mortal man I’d ever seen, even in the movies. His appearance just seemed too perfect. Then there was his job supposedly as a construction worker. Okay, he had said that he worked in the office, which would explain his non-tan complexion; only he didn’t strike me as the brainy office worker type. And how did he get to be so strong if he sat at a desk all day long? And furthermore, how was he able to scale up the side of that canyon and jump down with me on his back like it was nothing? And why didn’t my dog like him?
Something just wasn’t right. But it didn’t matter. I would not – could not – stay away from him. Something bigger than the both of us was pulling me to him. I didn’t know what that thing was, but it was stronger than gravity.
Chapter 12
“What are you doing?” Damien repeated.
Devin stood up from the tree he was perched against and looked Damien in the eye. “Nothing, I was just talking to her for a bit.”
“Well isn’t that sweet,” Damien sneered.
“Hey, it’s all part of the job,” Devin said defensively. “Make her trust me, right?”
Damien smiled. “Come on, there’s some newbies I want you to meet.”
Devin followed Damien through the thick trees until they reached the old farmhouse. Damien pulled the door open. Inside, a stereo was blaring some weird cult music and candles were lit all around the living room, providing the only light aside from the fireplace. Several men were involved in some sort of grudge match.
“Enough!” Damien screamed, his voice a loud rumble that seemed to shake the delicate walls. The men immediately stopped fighting and watched him as he walked around the room surveying the damage. The drywall was damaged in multiple areas. Damien reached out and pulled a large piece from the wall, shaking his head in disapproval. “We are supposed to be killing humans… not each other!” Then he threw the piece of drywall at the crowd.
Devin looked around the room, counting twelve new vampires. Three of them were women, the other nine men. Why the hell was there so many? Just what were Damien and Kya planning to do with them all? Then his eyes caught sight of Kya coming down the stairs, her long black hair framing her pale white face, and his body tensed. She was their leader for all intensive purposes. And what an evil one she was! She even scared him.
He continued to watch her descend the staircase, her long fingernails, which were painted blood red to match her lipstick and her
eyes, making a horrible screeching noise as they scratched at the banister. To the untrained eye she was beautiful - stunning really. She appeared to be in her mid twenties although in reality she was centuries older than that. But to Devin, he saw her for the truly hideous being that she was.
Everyone was silent as they also watched Kya descend the stairs. Her eyes roamed from person to person. Damien strolled up to her and kissed her cheeks. “Sorry for the disturbance. I’m handling it.”
Kya stared at Damien. “Doesn’t look to me like you’re handling shit,” she responded in her deceptively sweet voice as she violently shoved him out of the way. She continued to walk slowly, her eyes meeting each one of the vampires’ eyes. “Lets get something straight,” she said in a low voice. Then she walked directly up to one of the vampires - a tall man, maybe twenty years old, with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, and tore his head off. Then she threw it into the fire. “No more fucking around!” she screamed. “Your orders are clear. What are you all still doing here? Go bring me more!”
The new vampires scampered about quickly. Kya turned back to Damien and motioned to the body of the vampire she had just beheaded. The headless body was still shaking about violently on the floor. “Clean this mess up!” Then she turned and slowly walked back upstairs.
Damien turned to Devin. “Don’t let this happen to you. Follow your orders. Remember, you’ve got two days left. Bring Kya the girl, or I’ll do it myself.” Then he grabbed a jagged piece of wood from a chair that had been broken earlier that night and thrust it into the wriggling vampire’s chest. All movement stopped.
Devin walked over to the large bay window overlooking the front yard. He watched the newly created vampires as they left the yard. Deep down he knew that they wouldn’t be bringing anyone new back with them tonight. He remembered how hard it had been for him in the beginning. Once he bit down and tasted the sweet blood, he was unable to stop until every last drop was gone. It took lots of practice and self-control to just bite and walk away. Tonight, all that the new vampires would be doing would be committing more murders – draining more corpses – adding to the local coroner’s growing pile of lifeless bodies. And the county sheriff would be busy visiting more homes – telling more families that their loved ones were dead. When did it all end? When would it ever be enough for Kya? And what would be next for him?