Ciaran was different. His long blonde hair fell to his shoulders in a shaggy skater sort of cut. He wore a hoodie and shorts, complete with sneakers, kneepads, and a helmet to go with his skateboard. Ciaran had died before he reached the cusp of adulthood. I was looking at a boy, not a teenager.
Lorcan made me feel at ease. It probably had something to do with his eternal smile, but Ciaran frightened me. There was something truly awful about him, a dangerous feeling that made me afraid to turn my back.
Ciaran could sense my unease, and that seemed to please him. I found him eyeing me often when he thought I wasn’t looking, but when I turned to catch him, he didn’t stop staring like regular humans tend to do.
Ciaran didn’t seem to mind that I knew he was staring at me. Derry must have noticed my unease. More whispering commenced until Ciaran finally laughed, and walked out the front door with Lorcan.
“He’s frightening,” I said.
“He’s trying to be,” Derry said. “I’ve said it before; my brothers are a bit wild. They won’t hurt you, but you should try and avoid them whenever I’m not around, and certainly never go anywhere alone with them.”
Only a few minutes later, I heard the sound of a door being shattered from somewhere in the motel. I sat up from the bed I’d just plopped myself down on. Derry was staring out the window.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Derry answered.”
“Well, I certainly heard something,” I argued.
“Don’t worry about things,” Derry said. “You’re safe. You’re under my protection.”
Through the muffled walls, I heard the fearful sounds of someone begging and pleading for their life. I once again looked towards Derry, but Derry was no longer in the room with me.
The begging and pleading turned into screaming.
I rushed to the door of my room and threw it open.
The screams went quiet.
I took a step outside and then another. I didn’t know where I was headed to exactly, but I’m pretty sure I wanted to find out who was screaming, and how I could help them.
Derry rushed to my side, wrapped his arms around me, and led me back to my room.
“Where did you come from?” I asked.
“I’m right outside,” Derry answered. “Why did you leave the room?”
“I keep hearing screaming,” I said.
“Don’t worry about that,” Derry said. “You need your rest. I can tell that you’re tired.”
“How do you expect me to sleep when I can hear someone begging for their life?” I asked.
“We’re keeping you safe,” Derry explained.
“By torturing people?” I asked.
“We’re not hurting anyone,” Derry said. “I think you’re hearing things from all the stress of the day.”
“Derry,” I said.
The realization of my situation came rushing back to me. Bob was shooting Trixie inside my head over and over again. Derry was clawing Felony’s face off right in front of me again and again.
Derry wrapped me in his cold dead arms.
“I have you now,” Derry said. “Nothing can hurt you. I promise you, nothing can hurt you.”
I started crying, and soon I did my best to collapse, but Derry’s strong arms held me upright.
Within moments he was ushering me back into my room and closing the door behind us.
“Look at me,” Derry said.
I did as he asked, and looked up into his reflecting eyes. I immediately felt a gentle buzzing sensation at the base of my skull.
“You’re safe,” Derry said in the silkiest of voices. “Now, you need to sleep. When you wake up, you’ll feel so much better.”
I didn’t want to sleep, but the buzzing sensation increased until Derry’s words were all that I could focus on. It no longer mattered what I wanted. The only thing that made sense in my entire life was the realization that I was exhausted. I needed to sleep, and that was just fine because Derry was watching over me.
I smiled, and Derry gently scooped me up and carried to the bed.
“I’m so glad to be with you,” I whispered. “I feel so safe when you’re around.”
“My sweet love,” Derry whispered into my ear. “Rest now, tomorrow everything will be different.”
Derry
I was happy as I listened to Selma quietly snore. She was seeing too much of my true nature, and I worried that the strain might be too much for her. Her restful sleep was doing its best to ease my troubled mind, but she still held most of my attention.
“Your human is fine,” Ciaran laughed.
“I know that,” I said.
The woman struggling in my arms seemed shocked to hear us speaking, or perhaps it was our accents that took her by surprise. Ciaran noticed her reaction.
“I wasn’t talking about you, pretty lady,” Ciaran said as blood drooled from his mouth. “You are most certainly not fine.”
I normally would have laughed hysterically, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I’d already had enough blood, and I really didn’t want to get loopy with Selma so near. It wouldn’t take much to hurt her beyond repair, and I certainly wasn’t ready for that to happen.
The woman struggled in my arms, and I sank my claws even deeper into her skin to prevent her escape. Ciaran noticed my lack of interest and shook his head.
“I’ve never been entranced by a human,” Ciaran said. “I’ve tried speaking to them on occasion. Sometimes I even make friends with the kids I skate with…at least for a while, but none of them have ever held any sway over me.”
“Is that what you think is happening?” I asked.
“She certainly has power over you,” Ciaran said.
“I’m not sure what it is,” I admitted.
“She’s beautiful,” Ciaran laughed. “She smells like the sun, and she isn’t afraid of you. How could you not be interested? Besides, you’re a romantic. You’ve been searching for the perfect love story your entire life.”
“I haven’t,” I said.
“Ever since our mother--”
“Stop it,” I said. “I’m not interested.”
Ciaran looked over at me. His blonde hair was falling in his face, and he looked too innocent to be covered in so much blood.
“We’ll need new clothes again,” I said.
“Lorcan brought some,” Ciaran said.
I nodded and bit down hard on my victim’s collarbone. A loud crunch came from the woman, and she managed to scream before the blood began to gush, and her life slipped quickly away.
When the motel was empty of life, I took a shower in one of the many rooms and dressed in the jeans and t-shirt Lorcan had brought for me. My hair was still damp as my brothers and I perched on the roof of the motel.
“This is an odd situation,” Lorcan said.
“I’ll say,” Ciaran agreed.
“You shouldn’t have sent Bob away,” Lorcan said.
“Because he was doing so well with Ciaran around?” I asked.
“Hey,” Ciaran complained.
“He would have been good for keeping an eye on your human while she was awake during the day,” Lorcan explained.
“She can stay here,” I said. “We’ll close up the place like it went out of business.”
“What about the cars in the parking lot?” Ciaran asked.
“There’s not enough people here,” I said. “If we lock up the manager’s office nice and tight, the ruse will work for the day.”
“What if it doesn’t?” Ciaran asked. “What if your human escapes?”
“She wants to be here with me,” I said. “She has no desire to escape.”
“She might not feel the same way in the light of day,” Ciaran said. “Maybe you should get inside her head.”
“I already did that,” I said. “That’s how I got her to sleep. It wasn’t an easy task, by the way. You were letting that woman scream her head off.”
“I’m not changing up my life just be
cause you adopted a puppy,” Ciaran snapped. “We’ve already lost our house if you remember?”
“I remember,” I said
“Because it just happened,” Ciaran continued.”
“Okay,” I said. “Get over it. We weren’t going to be able to stay there forever, regardless. I keep telling you that, but you refuse to listen."
“We could have stayed there longer,” Ciaran said. “If you would have stayed away from that girl.”
“That’s true,” Lorcan said.
I laughed for some reason. I was in too good a mood to continue the argument. Fortunately, my laughter was contagious. Before I knew it, all three of us were quietly giggling.
“I’m going to get used to feeding heavily,” Ciaran said.
“Don’t do that,” I said. “We can’t keep this up.”
“You’re the one that brought us here,” Ciaran laughed.
“I did that out of necessity,” I said.
“You did that because you didn’t plan ahead,” Lorcan said. “You never plan ahead. You and Ciaran are both too impulsive.”
I looked at Ciaran, and Ciaran looked back at me.
The two of us started laughing again.
“It’s true!” Lorcan cried. “Both of you drive me nuts!”
“Surely we’re not that bad,” I said.
“We are three vampires keeping watch over a human girl at a motel in which we massacred all the guests,” Ciaran said. “I’d say Lorcan has every right to be experiencing anxiety.”
“What’s anxiety?” Lorcan asked.
“It’s just a word to describe what you’re feeling,” I said. “Ignore your brother. He rarely knows what he’s talking about. As far as I’m concerned, the three of us are on a fun adventure.”
“Now I’m some sort of undead Tom Sawyer,” Ciaran said, pouting.
“You’re more of a Huck Finn,” Lorcan said.
“Wait a moment,” Ciaran said. “Have you read the books?"
“No,” Lorcan admitted. “I can’t read.”
“I wish I could read,” Ciaran said. “It would be lovely to read all those wonderful stories I keep hearing about.”
“Maybe you’ll learn someday,” Lorcan said.
I knew how to read. I wasn’t much for novels or fiction, but I occasionally scanned a newspaper when I happened upon one. It was good to know what the humans were getting up to.
A car slowed down and looked as if they were about to turn into the motel. I sat up to watch, but it was a wasted effort. The car continued on its way without incident.
“I was hoping they’d turn in,” Ciaran said.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“I could do with some more feeding,” Ciaran said.
“No way,” Lorcan said. “You’ve already had so much.”
Ciaran only stretched out comfortably, interlaced his fingers, and placed his hands behind his head. I laughed softly when I saw how comfortable he was making himself.
“Why are you so happy?” I asked.
“There’s a river of blood coming my way,” Ciaran said. “Your human girl will make sure of that. Men will be climbing over themselves, trying to rescue this one.”
Selma
I awoke with the morning sun. A quick look at my cell phone informed me that the morning was almost over, and I felt more refreshed than I had in years. That was probably because of Derry. He did something to me to help me relax, but I wasn’t sure what.
I stretched out in the bed, knowing that I’d be alone, and a part of me wished that I could go back to sleep. I wanted Derry. I wanted to wake up in his arms.
Did I hear screaming last night?
No.
That would be impossible. Derry wouldn’t hurt anyone. He wouldn’t let his brothers hurt anyone. Why was I suddenly so frightened? Why could I hear screaming inside my head like a distant memory?
The air conditioner clicked on, and the room grew cold, just like it did when a vampire was close by. I sat up in bed just in time to hear what sounded like an army of people stomping around just outside my room.
The door burst open shortly after, and armed and uniformed men rushed inside with their many guns aimed directly at me. I stifled a scream and froze with my arms high in the air. After that, I was roughly yanked from the bed and thrown to the floor.
Unfortunately, I was only wearing a tank top and underwear. A boot came down on the small of my back, but the owner of the boot never placed any weight on his foot. Too many people started shouting at the same time. I was asked a hundred different questions, but I refused to speak.
After what seemed like hours, I was placed in the back of an SUV, and I was driven to the police station. As we exited the parking lot, I saw the multiple bodies on stretchers, covered by white sheets.
“Why were you staying at that motel?” Detective Pearson asked. “Did you have anything to do with the murders?”
“What murders?” I asked.
“Everyone staying at that motel is dead,” Detective Pearson answered. “The bodies of the victims all match the victims of our local serial killer. I mean, if this is some sort of copy cat killer we’re dealing with, then I’m a monkey’s uncle because not many people can inflict this type of damage.”
The two of us were in a sparse white room with a table, a couple of chairs, and a really bright light over our heads. I was naturally scared to death, but I still didn’t reveal a single thing. In my mind, only one of two things was going to happen. Either the police would locate my father, and I’d be back with the vampire hunters before nightfall, or Derry would come for me.
“Are you involved with any of the killings?” Detective Pearson asked.
“I’m not,” I answered.
“I know you’re not the killer,” Detective Pearson explained. “You’re just not strong enough, but I think you know something. I think the killer knows you, and I think you know him. So tell me, did you have a falling out? Did he leave you behind?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Why were you at that motel?” Detective Pearson asked.
“I was sleeping.”
“Why isn’t your name in the registry?” Detective Pearson asked.
“I didn’t sign the registry,” I answered.
“Did someone else sign the registry?” Detective Pearson asked.
“No.”
“Then we certainly have problems,” Detective Pearson said. “We all know who your daddy is, but that’s not going to help you very much.”
“Is that what you think?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” Detective Pearson answered. “We’ve got you. We know you’re a part of this somehow, and you aren’t going anywhere. My advice is as follows. Make your peace with this. Your reign of terror is over, and it won’t be long before we round up the actual killer.”
“That’s a good dream,” I said, “but maybe I can give you some advice as well since you’ve been so kind to me.”
“Go right ahead,” Detective Pearson said.
“Release me before sunset,” I advised.
“Why’s that?” Detective Pearson asked.
“I have a feeling you’re going to find out,” I answered.
Derry
I woke up too early, and I had to wait in the shadows of the empty building for close to an hour before I could take to the air. I was meeting my brothers only a couple of miles away from the motel, and I was the first to arrive.
I was anxious, and I didn’t like it. I was worried about leaving Selma alone. I didn’t like her being unprotected, but there wasn’t much I could do about that last night. The motel wasn’t the greatest of ideas, but I did what I had to do. Now I needed to be smarter.
Ciaran and Lorcan arrived within only a few minutes of each other.
“Should we feast before we gather up your girl?” Ciaran asked.
“No,” I answered. “I don’t want her to be alone any longer. If she decides to have a look around, s
he’s going to find some bodies.”
“If she wanted to look around, she’s had all day to do so,” Lorcan said.
“You think she looked around?” I asked.
“I’m sure she has.”
“Then we shouldn’t waste any time,” I said. “It seems as if I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.”
“If she panics and doesn’t un-panic, are we going to be able to feed on her?” Ciaran asked.
“I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said.
“What exactly are you hoping for?” Lorcan asked.
“I’m not sure,” I answered.
“He’s going to bring her over,” Ciaran teased.
“I am not,” I said.
“You’re going to try,” Ciaran laughed. “You’ll have to. It’ll be impossible to keep her without turning her.”
“As if you’re some kind of expert,” I laughed. “What do you know about humans?”
“I know they’re dangerous,” Ciaran answered.
“You also know how to terrorize them,” Lorcan teased.
Ciaran laughed softly, and the three of us took to the air. We arrived at the motel within minutes, but things were certainly not as we’d left them. Even now, the police had the entrance blocked off with yellow tape, and multiple officers were searching the parking lot for clues. The three of us landed on the rooftop of a convenience store across the street from the motel.
“She’s not there,” I said.
“She hasn’t been there for hours,” Lorcan added. “I’ve got her scent.”
“She wasn’t injured,” Ciaran added.
“No,” I said, “but she’s been taken from me once more.”
“We’ll get her back for you,” Ciaran said.
“I can track her down for you,” Lorcan added.
“I can track her myself,” I said. “Let’s go get her.”
“I have a better idea,” Lorcan said. “Why don’t the two of you find us a suitable home for the next few weeks, and I’ll locate Selma.”
“That makes sense,” I said.
“It’ll keep you from losing her again,” Ciaran teased.
“I’m not ready to laugh about this yet,” I said.
“It’s a good thing you have two little brothers to keep you humble,” Ciaran said.
The Forgotten: A Vampire Story Page 16
