The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  Hum… I had no clue what she wanted. “Which is?”

  “I get to pick the first movie,” she said, standing.

  “I can live with that.”

  “Good.” She grabbed me by the hand as well as pulling Terry out of his chair, not an easy thing to do.

  “Don’t I get a condition?” Terry questioned, as he was being pulled in tow by a woman less than half his size.

  “No.” she was being very persistent. I apparently wasn’t the only one wanting a night off.

  “Agh, you two are gonna be all cute and shit aren’t you?” He asked, still being towed. I was hoping so.

  “Yes.” She glared over the shoulder. “You want another bruise?”

  He kept his mouth shut. Good job, Terry! See, even men can learn new tricks, just like an old dog. Convinced he wouldn’t protest the night off, she dropped his arm. But not mine. We must have looked so gosh darn cute walking hand in hand, both clad with more fire power than most NRA members.

  Terry did pick up the comments again once the movies and drinking started. I don’t know why neither of them wanted to play cards against me! It wasn’t like I was much of a card player or anything. You live in Vegas and so many people presume you are always at the casinos playing cards. Okay, so they were right, I would have kicked their asses. It’s not my fault they don’t practice. The night was full of movies, which Carmen picked most of, drinking and food. She kept shushing Terry and me, with our sarcastic additions to the movie. Though the more she drank, the more she joined in our little game. None of us allowed ourselves to get drunk, though Terry was the closest. It was good relaxing fun. Something we all needed. We didn’t even have to worry about Edward and his pestering interruptions. When we’d all had our fill of movies, snacks, and alcohol, we went our separate ways laughing at nothing.

  My head was buzzing when I got to my room. Not drunk, but feeling damn good. I sobered up long enough to put most of the guns in their formed cases. I kept one with me as I stripped off the holsters and clothes. In just my boxers, I began brushing my hair, which was a tangled mess after my country ride, then teeth. I heard a soft knock over the running water. I left the gun on the sink’s edge, I knew who was knocking and I knew the gun wasn’t needed. Carmen stood on the other side of the door looking unsure about being there. Her look quickly changed to one of confidence. She was wearing flannel pajama pants and a tank top. I caught myself staring, and wondering how women can pull off being so damn sexy when all they are trying to do is be comfortable. When I snapped back to my mind, I noticed I wasn’t the only one staring. Her eyes where dancing over me, taking the view of me in. When her darting eyes met mine she was biting her lower lip as an innocently evil smile crossed her face. “I’m coming in.” The toothbrush was still sticking out of one corner of my mouth, so I just stepped back and gestured for her to come in. She crawled into the bed as I finished in the bathroom. “It was a wonderful idea. We all needed a night off,” She called to me from the other room.

  I spat the toothpaste into the sink. “I thought so. That, and we never got that movie night we’d planned when I first arrived.”

  When I emerged back into the bedroom, her glasses and gun were already on the bedside table and she was nuzzling her head into the pillows. She looked half asleep already. I stood backlit by the bathroom light, watching her for a moment. She smiled up at me looking very comfortable. “You coming to bed?”

  I clicked off the light. “Yep, just enjoying the view.” I set my gun on the nightstand, on what would be my side of the bed, and climbed under the covers.

  She stopped nuzzling the pillows and kissed me softly. “Goodnight, Vinny.” Then she laid her head back down. After a brief moment, she found the comfortable spot she’d been looking for in the curve of my chest and arm. Her fingers were gently twisting in my loose hair for a while.

  “Goodnight, Carmen.” It wasn’t long before I heard her breathing change to the deep easy rhythm of sleep. I was enjoying the feel of the weight of her pressed against me and the way her fingers, though not moving, were still laced in my hair. I had no trouble finding sleep that night. Not long after she’d fallen asleep, her touch and relaxed breathing took away the thoughts that normally swam in my mind and I fell soundly asleep.

  I awoke slowly and something wasn’t right. I was too groggy. The first thing I could feel was the throbbing pain in the back of my head. As I came to, I realized that I was no longer lying down but chained to a wall. The room was dark and held a humid stench. As my eyes focused and adjusted to the low light, I could just barely see the outline of others hanging on the wall with me. Every time I tried to focus on one of them, to see who was on the wall with me, the pain flared in my head. I couldn’t make out anything about them but the fact that they were humans, or at least human-like beings, vampires or maybe werewolves, I couldn’t tell, and they were chained just as I was.

  I could hear footsteps approaching the room. Each step fell heavy on what sounded like a stone floor. An eardrum splitting creak erupted as the door flew open. A bright light blinded me when the door opened. I tried so hard to adjust my eyes, but the pain in my head would not allow it. The light only made the pain in my head worse. I wanted the darkness again. With the light, I could make out the silhouette of a man carrying something large over his shoulder. It had to be a man. The figure stood too broad to be a woman, the movements too masculine. When the man stepped into the room, he dropped what he was carrying.

  When the limp mass hit the floor, I could see that it was a body. There was no face and no features that I could see; only that it was another human. And something deep inside me, that place in me that I call on for my power, cried out to me that it was a friend that lay there motionless and lifeless. I screamed wordlessly at first, rage driving the volume and power in my voice. Curses lashed out from me at the unknown figure. Then he began to laugh. The laugh was deep, full, and evil. I tore at my bindings. I tossed my whole body around, still screaming at the murderer of my friend. I did everything I could to try and free myself. Hate consumed me. I wanted to tear him apart with my bare hands. I screamed, but his laughing continued. I struggled as his large hands, larger than any man’s should have been, reached for me. The closer he came the louder I cursed him, but no matter how close the villain came, I could not make out any more of his face. He was a nameless faceless horror. I never stopped fighting.

  The dream ripped me violently from my sleep. I shot up in bed and my gun was in my hand without realizing I’d even grabbed it. I was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Something about the dream deeply troubled me. I couldn’t make out anything from it, and I was lost. I’d woken Carmen in my rush to sit up. She was fighting to keep her eyes open. “What’s wrong?” she asked. I looked over at the alarm clock. The glowing red numbers seemed to be laughing at me. We’d only been asleep for an hour.

  “Nothing, just a bad dream.” I set the gun back on the night table and curled up on my side.

  She brushed the hair away from my neck and kissed it. “Don’t worry about it.” She yawned. “I’m here. I’ll shoot the monsters under your bed.” She laughed as much as her tired voice would let her. If the dream, whatever it was, hadn’t troubled me so much, I would have joined in. She shuffled her body until it spooned against mine, I’d never been held by anyone before. It was an uncomforting comfort, if that makes any fucking sense. I let her hold me, and soon sleep again embraced us both.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  When I woke, she was still lying next to me, gently breathing. She didn’t wake when I got out of the bed. I left her lying there and went to the bathroom. The shower pulled the last of sleep from my body. I shaved and returned to the bedroom. She was just waking up as I began to pull clothes out of the closet. “Good morning,” I said to her as she stretched.

  She yawned deeply. “Coffee.” She didn’t make it a request. And I thought I wasn’t a morning person.

  “Well, get that nice ass outta bed and we’ll go get some
.”

  She dropped her head back against the pillows and grunted. “Fine,” she said, tossing the sheets off her. Her feet hit the floor hard. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” She was rubbing the sand from the corners of her eyes as she picked up her glasses and gun.

  “Hey,” I said walking over to her, “what’s wrong?”

  She took in a deep breath and slowly sighed. “You are just too damned comfortable.” She ran her fingers in my hair again. I loved when she did that. “I didn’t want to get outta bed.”

  I brushed the hair from her face and kissed her. “Neither did I.”

  “Ah, but you did.”

  I had nothing to respond with. She was right. There was no way I could argue. She turned and walked to the door. “Thank you, Carmen.”

  Her eyes held puzzlement when she looked at me. “For what?”

  “Staying.”

  For the first time that morning she smiled at me. “No worries. But I need coffee and a shower. I’ll meet you downstairs.” And with that, she shut the door. I was still smiling staring at the place she’d just been standing.

  What was it about her that made me feel so at peace? It was so damn confusing. I was used to being alone. No matter the money I had or the cars I drove, nothing replaced that feeling of being wanted. She gave me that feeling and I didn’t want to lose it. Deep inside, I figured this would all end when we saved William from his captives. I hoped I was wrong, but life has always proven that good things never last. That thought brought sadness to me that I hadn’t expected. I didn’t want to dwell on something that I could do nothing about, so I pushed it away. When the time came I’d, we’d, deal with it. With that negative thought put away, I went to make the coffee that she wanted. I figured it’d be sweet of me to have it waiting when she came downstairs.

  The kitchen was empty when I arrived. I didn’t know where the coffee was kept so I began to dig in the cabinets. There was no Folgers to be found anywhere. There was; however, an array of fresh coffee beans. That worked for me. I much preferred freshly ground coffee to anything you can get pre-ground. It just tasted better. Gourmet all the way, baby.

  The coffee was ready and hers sat, still steaming, on the table when she arrived. I was sitting on the countertop with my own cup in hand. She didn’t say anything. But the look on her face let me know she thought it was very sweet. She collected her cup and leaned against me.

  We stayed there in silence sipping on the hot coffee.

  Terry soon joined us. With a chuckle, he entered the room. I assumed the laughter was at us. “Coffee?” I motioned with my mug toward the pot, still on the warming plate.

  “Love some.” He seemed to be moving slowly as he retrieved a mug from the rack on the wall. He filled his cup and breathed deeply taking in the aroma, trying to wake his senses.

  “Feeling alright?” Carmen asked, leaning her head against my shoulder.

  He wasn’t hung over, but damn close. “On the top of the world.” Didn’t look like that to me. But who was I to judge. We decided over breakfast that I should speak with Amun alone and try to figure out more information about my tricky powers. I reluctantly agreed. The whole idea that I was more than just a good hitter was still freaking weird to me. They were going to try and figure out who the mole in The Guild was. I knew that I would be no help to them. That alone made the decision to see Amun a little more bearable.

  We split up after we’d eaten. They went wherever they were going to figure out the mole situation and I went to the garage.

  Carl was under the hood of a Jag. Doing an oil change one handed. Not an easy task, I’ve had to do it. “Need some help?”

  He jumped, hitting his head on the hood. I didn’t know why I startled people so much. With a grunt he looked up at me, rubbing the back of his head. “Thank you, Vincent, but I’m nearly done.”

  “Sorry about your head. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve done much worse to myself over the years.” I knew just what he was talking about, my forearms and hands were covered with scars from working on cars. “Did you enjoy your ride yesterday?” he asked, wiping his good hand off.

  “Very much, thank you.”

  “Anytime, my friend.” He leaned against the workbench. “I assume you need a car.” He looked me up and down. “You don’t look like you are dressed to get greasy.”

  I was wearing jeans and a nice sweater under my leather jacket. “No, I guess I’m not. Yes, I do need a car. I need to go into the city.”

  “You want to take the Porsche again?” he said, smiling.

  “Love to.”

  “You know you are the only one that will drive her.” The smile turned to a laugh. “She scares most people.”

  “I guess I’m just a little crazy.”

  “That you are.” He turned back to his project. “You know where the keys are. I already filled her up, I thought you’d be back to see her.”

  No doubt, I thought to myself, I’d have to get one of my own. But the waiting list for one had always deterred me from investing. She was just too perfect to pass up. Maybe I could just steal this one, I’m sure I’d blend in with one of the rarest cars ever to grace the earth. But then again, maybe not.

  The guards opened the outer gates without stopping me that day. I knew I had hours to kill before Amun would wake-up, rise, whatever the hell he does. So I took my time. I stayed off the M11 and took back roads to the city. A time or two I allowed myself to get lost on those roads, only to find my way again, when I felt like it.

  It was late afternoon when I reached the outskirts of the city. Once on the busy city roads, I longed for the open twist of the country roads I’d just left. So much horsepower and no room to run.

  Johnny was sitting on the curb outside of his shop smoking a cigarette when I pulled up. He rose to his feet when he saw it was me. “Sit down,” I said, arming the car alarm. He did what I’d asked. I pulled out one of my own cigarettes and took a piece of the sidewalk next to him. I lit the smoke and sat there waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t. I guess I would start this conversation. “Why is it that you stood up for us against Simon the other day? We’ve done nothing but talk down to you.”

  He took a drag staring into nothing. “May I speak bluntly?”

  “Please.” For the love of god, please! I was so sick of this ass-kissing lord of the manor shit.

  “Simon and I were ordered to follow the vampires’ laws that day. I must always follow them. He just had to last one damn day.” He took another drag. “When a guest arrives, the lesser are supposed to stand, that is the vampires’ ways. He didn’t follow the laws of our host, nor Michael’s orders. It wasn’t my place to get after him, but Amun is my master as well as Michael, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing.” He chuckled a little. “That, and I really love to piss Simon off.”

  I joined Johnny in his laughter. “I can understand that.” I understood all too well the love of pissing someone off. The more I talked to Johnny, the more I liked him. He wasn’t a leader, not yet. Perhaps after some years under Michael he could be, but for now he was a damn good soldier. He wasn’t as weak as I had thought him to be, he stood up for what he thought was right. I began to wonder what his story was.

  He cut off my thoughts. “I don’t think Amun is up yet, but you are more than welcome to wait inside if you’d like.” He tossed the butt of the dead smoke into the road.

  “I’d rather wait out here if it’s the same to you.”

  He was utterly baffled. “Why?”

  “Well, it seems to me that we are going to be working, and possibly fighting alongside each other. I’d like the chance to get to know who’s gonna have my back.”

  That he understood. “Good point.” He lit another cigarette.

  “I’ve got one favor to ask you.”

  He looked a bit worried at what that might be. “If I can help, I will.”

  “Knock off the standing when I come around and that shit. I u
nderstand there are times when you have to be formal, but to be honest I can’t stand it.”

  I caught him off guard, whatever he thought I’d ask him, that wasn’t it. “I can’t do that.” His eyes showed a hint of sadness.

  “Why not?”

  “Until Amun tells me otherwise, I must follow the laws. If I fail at that, both he and Michael wouldn’t be too happy with me.”

  Ah, I could see what he was talking about. He had responsibilities. And I could do nothing to supersede the orders of his masters. “Do you want me to talk to Amun?”

  “That is up to you, Mr. Black.” Such a good follower he was. He didn’t know it, but he was giving more away about himself than he was trying. More often than not there is more information about a person in their actions than in their words.

  “The way I look at it, Johnny, is that I am not above you. This is your world that I am being drug into. You have the experience and the knowledge that I need.” He didn’t respond. He just sat there with his arms around his knees smoking, unsure of what to say. “How did you come into the service of two masters?”

  “Not a very interesting tale I’m afraid.”

  That I didn’t believe. Any story that turns a man into a werewolf had to be interesting. “I’d like to hear it anyway. If you are willing to share.”

  “Alright.” He rested his chin on one knee. “After I was attacked,” there was pain in his voice when he said ‘attacked’. I didn’t want to press the matter, “and changed, Michael found me and cared for me. The first few full moons are the hardest. A lycan can go on a killing spree without any clue as to what he or she is doing. Then wake up as a human covered in blood that is not yours. It’s scary to be out of control like that.” Did he go on such a rampage? “When Michael and Amun made their pact, I was sent to service Amun as a token of good faith,” He said, and laughed through the smoke that came from his nose, “and as a bit of a snack.”