“How the hell?” he shook himself in disbelief, and brick dust fell off
of his shoulders. “What are you? Some kind of superhero?” he laughed out sarcastically, and he started to climb to his feet. Lillian’s long, pale fingers closed around his neck then. His thick hands came out grasping her by the forearm as slowly, she stood, lifting his two hundred plus pounds along the wall as she came to her full height. His heart sped away from him in sudden terror. Sweat prickled on his brow as his feet came off of the ground. “What? How are you doing this?” he cried out in strangled alarm. She leaned into him, bringing her face to his as the change came over her. The blue veins beneath the nearly translucent skin on her face began to pulse. The nails at the tips of her fingers lengthened and sharpened, tracing gently against the sensitive flesh of his neck. Her small, pale nose seemed to peel back before the terrified man’s eyes. Her upper lip reeled back as a pair of razor sharp fangs slid gently over her bottom lip. She opened her mouth as her eyes faded in color until they shone a startling, glowing white. The man’s heart plummeted into his stomach. Terror streaked through him like a strike of lightening. “What the hell are you?” he screamed out.
“I am the hunter.” she whispered to his mind as she leaned into him and sank her fangs into the giving flesh of his neck. Warm blood pooled on her tongue, and she closed her eyes and drank it in. “And you are my prey.” she fi
nished the thoughts to his mind as her fingers closed tighter around his throat. He fought then, his big fists slamming into her back, his feet kicking out, and at last he opened his hands, his nails digging into her skin as the life slipped out of him. His heart slowed as the fight and his last thoughts left him. His many sins flashed in his mind, and she drank them in as well, feeling the guilt as if it were her own. She pulled back, peering into his lifeless eyes as his heart made one final, feeble beat. Slowly, she let go of the body, and it fell hard to the ground. She had no remorse for a man such as he, a man who preyed upon the weak and the helpless, and took joy in their misery and pain. It was done. She turned, stepping over the thick, bulky legs, and came to a sudden stop. She heard the wild, frightened heartbeat before she saw the wide, bulging, brown eyes. The same boy from earlier on the sidewalk stood there staring at her with his chest heaving in horror. He seemed to be glued to the spot he stood in as those terrified eyes watched her. Carefully, Lillian lifted a long, pale hand to her full, blood red lips, and suckled away the last of her victim’s blood. She thought of what the boy had said to her earlier, “I could eat you alive.” he had said in a crude manner. She smiled at the thought.
“Still want a bite?” she asked, and he turned so quickly that he slipped and fell. Clumsily regaining his footing, he ran for dear life.
They would come now. The other boys would come. They would want to see for themselves, she reasoned. She wasted no more time. She turned, gripped the brick wall with her long, sharp nails, and climbed with skill and speed until she reached the top of the building. Then she stood, standing on the ledge of the roof above, and peering down at the child that still sat on her new bike, waiting for Lillian to come to her. Lillian closed her eyes. She concentrated on the child below. “Go home.” she sent the thought to the child’s mind. “Go home. I’ll follow you there.”
The child nodded her head in understanding. Her little feet came up, and she began to pump the pedals in earnest. On the roof above, the creature followed, jumping from one roof top to the next until she was far enough away. When she stepped off of the ledge and landed a foot away from the child, the child did not jump. Instead, she smiled up at Lillian, happy to see her. The creature stood, nodded to the child, and together they started back toward the child’s home, the creature whispering words of caution along the way.
Chapter five
Detective Jack Stone ducked beneath the stretched, yellow, police lines at the murder scene and made his way into the still dark alley. The murder had been called in forty-five minutes ago, but Jack had been clear across town and had just then made it to the crime scene. The uniforms had already been there and had assessed the situation but they were waiting on Jack’s sign off before they sent the victim’s body to the morgue since this was Jack’s case.
Jack came upon two men in blue standing over the fallen body of the victim, a forty-something male, Jack thought by first glance. The body was still leaning against the dingy, brick wall at the back of the alley as if the man weren’t dead, as if he were just some homeless drunk that had fallen asleep there, slumped over like that.
Dr. Nicole Harold, who ran the East side Morgue, stood to Jack’s left, a pen and small tablet in her hands as she took notes. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was tied back at her nape and a billowing, white lab coat blew out behind her in the breeze, exposing her tall, slender body in the dark slacks and plain white shirt that she wore. Her blue eyes fixated on Jack skeptically
, and Jack sent her a nod. He didn’t much care for the woman. The irrational ideas she had related to him after the last homicide he had investigated, still had him wondering if he had been supposed to laugh or recommend to her superior that she be mentally checked out.
“There’s no blood, Jack.” Dr. Harold called out to him, but Jack barely spared the woman a passing glance. Not this again, he thought in frustration. A man had just been murdered. Listening to Dr. Harold’s insane theories would waste time and get him nowhere! The woman was a lunatic, a fanatic. If he had to listen to another one of her crazed theories, he was going to have to shoot himself. Jack groaned inwardly as Dr. Nicole Harold stepped up beside him. She was an exceptionally tall woman, thin like a model with no breasts to speak of, but she had a nice little body all the same. If only she kept her mouth shut instead of constantly rambling on, Jack thought in agitation. Jack looked over at her,
meeting her bright blue eyes.
“Check his neck. There are two puncture wounds, just like before.” she blurted out, and it was all Jack could do not to roll his eyes heavenward. He peered down at the body making his own assessments. The man looked as if he had been in good shape, an athlete of some sort or a jogger perhaps? Jack stepped forward and crouched down low. Taking his flashlight,
he nudged the victim’s head to the side and wasn’t surprised to see the two puncture wounds looking like two, tiny black holes in the man’s fleshy neck. Dr. Harold was a lunatic with her wild beliefs and theories, but she wasn’t a liar. She had told him that the holes would be there and they were.
“That doesn’t mean the guy is without blood.” Jack flashed his light around on the paved ground for any sign of blood. Not a drop. How had that been accomplished? The last killing had been a bloodbath, red splattered everywhere like paint! This kill was different. It was more cleanly done. Simple. Clean. Precise. Puzzled, Jack stood to his tall height and continued to comb the area with curious, amber eyes.
“Who found him?” Jack asked.
One of the uniforms, a handsome young man who looked fresh out of high school, nodded back down the alley to where a Hispanic kid was being detained by two more uniformed officers.
“The kid was screaming that a monster did this, Jack. He swears she drank the man’s blood.” Dr. Harold stepped in closer to whisper. Jack had to smile. It was just too insane. He turned, smiling at Dr. Harold. Her expression stayed the same however, drop dead serious as stone!
“So, what? Your expert opinion, Dr. Harold, is that we’re dealing with a vampire here, a female vampire to be exact?” he scoffed in good humor.
“He said that she had the man off the ground, Jack. His feet were dangling in the air. He said there was blood on her mouth, on her…” Nicole stopped; suddenly she seemed very aware that the two other officers had crept in closer to listen.
“Her what?” Jack countered, feeling more than a little agitated by such nonsense.
“Her fangs, Jack.” Nicole finished on an a low whisper. Jack laughed out loud and the other two men joined in at her expense. Her lips pursed with pride.
“Good one.” Jack said with a nod that meant he was finished with this conversation and then he turned and walked back down the alley to where the other two officers and the short, Hispanic boy stood.
“Good evening…?” he searched for the boy’s name as the boy’s round, dark eyes shot up and flew open wide on his caramel face.
“Jose.
Jose Gonzales.” The boy replied in a shaky voice as Jack waved the other two officers to back away. “Are you going to call me crazy too?” Jose snapped angrily.
“Depends. Are you going to insist you saw a female vampire sucking some guy’s blood?” Jack returned sarcastically, flashing an amused grin.
“Asshole.” Jose returned furiously. “I know what I saw! I’m not loco! She was there, and she was real. She was so strong. She nearly broke my wrist.”
“Your wrist? Then you had contact with this woman?” Jack was suddenly interested.
“She walked right by us. She was so pretty, man. I told her I could eat her alive, but it seems she was the one doing the eating tonight, eh?” Jose rambled as if suddenly lost in his thoughts.
“God help me.” Jack mumbled as he grabbed the bridge of his nose and shook his dark, blonde head. This was getting him nowhere. All this talk of vampires was ludicrous.
“You should listen to what he has to say.” Dr. Harold suddenly stepped to Jack’s side.
“What he has to say makes no sense.” Jack returned, clenching his teeth. “Vampires do not exist and no woman that I know of could lift a man of that size off the ground. You ask me, I think Jose here had something to do with it.” Jack accused hotly.
“Sure blame it on the Mexican. You prejudiced pig!” Jose spat at Jack’s feet. “I didn’t do shit, man. I told you what I saw. Believe me or not, it happened.” Jose’ thick accent seemed to echo off the outside walls of the buildings as his voice rose in extreme anger.
Jack rolled his soft, amber eyes heavenward. “Take Mr. Gonzales into custody, sit him in a holding cell over night. I’ll see what he has to say in the morning.” Jack instructed the uniforms, and he turned to walk away, only to come up short when Dr. Nicole Harold stepped forward to block his path.
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to do?” she demanded in angered disbelief.
“No. I’m going to order the victim’s body to be taken back to the morgue where you can get your pretty, little hands into it, and tell me how he died, then I’m going to go grab myself a cup of steaming hot coffee and find a place to relax and think.” Jack countered with finality.
“Some detective! Think?” Dr. Harold mocked loudly in her upset. “Really Jack, is that the best you can do?”
“That’s what I’m paid to do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Dr. Harold.” Jack made a wide berth around the impossible woman and headed toward his unmarked car, a dark sedan that was in bad need of a paint job. He heard Dr. Harold huff in frustration from behind him, but he didn’t stop and the woman didn’t pursue him. Jack made it to his car and drove slowly away. This was number two, he thought as he headed down Sixty-third and
Main. Two victims, both male, both with gaping, black holes in their necks, side by side as if indeed a pair of fangs had sank into their flesh. The first victim had been drained of blood, and Jack had no doubts that this one would be as well, but perhaps the killer had slipped up this time around? Perhaps, he had left some sort of clue on the body or in the alley. Jack would double back after Dr. Harold and the others had gone. He thought better when he was alone with nothing but the scene of the murder to back trace in his mind.
Chapter six
The scent was strong and it was familiar to her, but she could not recall where she had smelt it before. It called to her, not because of the hunger that usually led her, but out of curiosity alone. It was mortal, she knew that. She closed her eyes and drew it in more deeply. The manly aftershave that he wore wasn’t what was familiar to her, though it was a pleasant scent, she thought. It was what was underneath: his skin, his blood, his hair…
She rounded a corner and realized that she was heading back to where she had already been that night.
Sixty-Fifth Street was only a block away now, and that was where the familiar scent was coming from. The breeze shifted and she lost the scent, but just for a moment. It was a mortal, she realized, but who was he? She knew this particular mortal, or she had once upon a time.