Sanctuary's Fiend

by Andrew Lynch

  He had a bandage around his left forearm. I couldn’t see any blood, but I knew it was there.

  I felt my whole body pulse. I wanted to see the cut. I wouldn’t drink any, I’d just look at it. That would be fine. I’d look at his blood, and then I’d sit back down. Sit back down?

  “Yes, Reliquiae?” Mr. Anderton said.

  I was standing up. Everyone was looking at me. I mumbled something and sat back down. I heard Sasha’s nasty snicker. He carried on talking.

  I could feel my legs tensing, trying to get me to move. To get closer. To quench the thirst.

  I gripped the edge of my desk. I scrunched my eyes shut. I could do nothing but focus on not moving. There was no voice in my head, no angel on one shoulder, devil on the other. No question of right or wrong. No conscience. Just physical instinct.

  Someone tapped my left shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked. It was Ariel, pointing at her phone. She wanted me to check mine. I shook my head, not trusting myself to loosen my grip on the desk.

  A few seconds passed, and someone tapped me on my right shoulder. Erin leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Ariel says to ask you what’s up?”

  Through gritted teeth, I whispered back, “I’m. Just. Hungry.”

  After our meeting at the bunker, we’d told Erin what had happened, as she’d be joining us when we went hunting with Johnny’s elf gang tonight. Hunting for me, I think. So she knew what I meant when I said ‘hungry’.

  “Is there anything we can–”

  “Do you have something to share with the whole class, ladies?” Mr. Anderton asked.

  Erin pulled back and said, “Sorry, sir.”

  He went back to writing on the board. His right hand, moving chalk, his left hand, in his pocket. Showing off his bandage.

  I gripped the desk even tighter.

  The bell rang, and everyone slammed shut books, and jumped out of their seats. With the speed and efficiency of a military operation, everyone began to leave despite the protests of Mr. Anderton.

  “No need to leave so fast, everyone. You’ll make a teacher think you don’t like him!”

  No one responded. He had said it halfheartedly, having learned that you couldn’t stop the herd instinct.

  I wanted to be first out the door. I wanted to run away. But part of me wanted to stay. I was slow to rise, unpeeling my fingers from the desk edge. I slid out of the desk and stood up. Ariel and Erin were waiting for me. Had they gone through these same urges, just in their own way? Was I making a bigger deal out of this than anyone else?

  “Reliquiae, can I speak to you for a moment, please,” Mr. Anderton called.

  I glanced at my friends. They were looking at my desk. I looked down and saw they were seeing the crushed and splintered wood. I had done that. Together, they each grabbed one of my hands and led me forwards. At Mr. Anderton’s desk, they stood in front of me.

  Mr. Anderton looked up, and confusion crossed his face. “Don’t worry ladies, I’ll only be a moment with your friend.” He nodded towards me. “You two can wait outside.”

  “That’s fine, we’ll wait with her here,” Erin said.

  He was about to protest, but he must have seen something in my face. I don’t know what he saw. Pain? Fear? Hunger? Desperation?

  His eyes glanced down to the fountain pen he was using. He ran his fingers along it absently as he spoke. “No problem. Reliquiae–”

  “Just Rel,” I said.

  He shifted in his seat. “Of course. Rel. I wanted to talk about last Friday–”

  He talked for a few seconds more, but I couldn’t take my eyes from his forearm. This close, all I could smell was the rent skin that lay beneath that bandage. I didn’t hear what he said.

  “What happened?” I interrupted him, pointing at his arm.

  I felt Erin and Ariel’s grip tighten on my hands.

  “This? Oh. Just a scratch. A graze really.” He was lying! “Anyway, your father and I spoke, and I talked to Richard, and we all thought that, if you’re willing, we’d like for you to continue tutoring–”

  “Can I see it?” Like I said, just a peek was all I needed. Then I’d be okay and could get on with my day.

  “Umm… see what?” he asked.

  “Got to go, sir, don’t want to be late for class!” Erin shouted as she pushed, and Ariel pulled. Before I knew it I was out in the hallway. The smell of blood became less potent, and I could feel my self-control returning as the busy hallway overwhelmed my heightened senses, allowing me to think clearly again.

  “Oh God, I just asked to see his cut, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, I think he thinks you’re really weird.” Erin said, the two of them still guiding me - which was good, because the weakness had returned.

  Erin checked her phone as it buzzed and said, “Yep, I agree. Let’s get her home.”

  “No, I’m fine now. Don’t worry, I can walk on my own, come on.”

  They shared a look, but let go of me. I stumbled. They both shook out their hands. Possibly I’d been holding on tighter than I thought.

  With free hands, I could check my phone.

  Okay, but you’re staying home tonight.

  “No!” I blurted out. “No. Tonight will be good. I have to go!”

  Uhh, why?

  “I think… I think that I want to… to hunt. Yeah. I think that hunting something will… fix me.”

  They both shared another look, but we carried on to the next class.

  That was true. I really did hope that my instincts just wanted me to hunt. Something. Anything. Because if that didn’t fix it, then I didn’t know how much longer I could stop myself.

  I’d have to feed.

  Chapter 12

  Reliquiae

  It couldn’t have been me who killed that man. The paper had said that there had been blood everywhere. It sickened me to think it, but I would lap up every drop of blood that was put in front of me right now.

  But I wasn’t so hungry that I’d forgotten what I was doing or blanked out parts of the day. Maybe when that happened, my instinct to feed turned into something else.

  I saw the group up ahead. They’d all worn black, same as me. Baggy hoodies and sweatshirts for most of them, tight tactical turtlenecks for the elves.

  The sun had just set, and I knew the bunker sessions would have just begun. We were half an hour away on the other side of the supernatural neighborhood, on the edge of a small park that looked lovely in the sunshine, very green with a river, and plenty of places to sit beneath shady trees. But now, even with my night vision, it looked scary and intimidating.

  I recognized Erin and Ariel, obviously. Johnny was here, talking to two other tall and lithe guys. There was another guy sat on the floor. I’d seen him around - hard not to in the supernatural community - but I didn’t know his name or what he was. He looked very… wide. Not fat, but definitely not an elf.

  “Hey, she’s here,” Johnny said when he saw me.

  Everyone turned to face me. For a second I wanted to shrink back. I never liked all eyes being on me. After a hesitant step I pushed myself in between Ariel and Erin. “Yeah, sorry. I got held up.”

  They didn’t need to know what it was that held me up. They probably didn’t want to know that someone about to go hunting with them was almost too tired to stand.

  But it didn’t matter, there was no way we were actually going to find anything tonight.

  “We’re definitely going to find something tonight,” Johnny said.

  “Find what?” Erin asked.

  “The thing that did the killing, duh,” one of the other elves said.

  “Do we know what it was?” I asked. Don’t say vampire, don’t say vampire.

  “I dunno. Definitely supernatural though.”

  “Could be drugs,” Erin said. “Might just be a human. Some crazed druggy?”

  “Nah.” Johnny waved away the suggestion. “You’ve been watching too much TV. Have you ever seen a druggy in Sanctuary?”

  Er
in just shrugged.

  “I don’t think we see everything in this place,” I said. Realizing that I’d lived for sixteen years without paying much attention to what was right in front of my face - me being a super vampire thing - had made me rethink my view on certain things.

  The guy sitting on the ground moved for the first time. “What do you mean?”

  He stared at me and I shrunk back. “Nothing.”

  He went back to staring straight ahead. Now that I’d seen him move, I realized that he was unnaturally still. I didn’t think he was even breathing.

  Johnny snorted. “No, no. We’re the things people don’t see. We see everything!”

  There was no point saying anything else. And everyone was looking at me like I was weird again.

  “Anyway,” Johnny said, “Have you seen where it happened?”

  Everyone shook their heads. Apart from the other elves, who stood behind Johnny looking like models posing for an advert.

  We walked into the park, and after a few minutes stopped next to a bench that would have been shaded by a small copse of trees had the sun been out. On the way I’d asked Ariel if she knew who the wide guy was. She didn’t, and neither did Erin. Once he’d stood up I could see that he was actually a bit shorter than me.

  “This is it,” Johnny said, pointing at the bench.

  Even I, with my perfect night vision, couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t smell any blood either. And seeing this spot didn’t bring a sudden flashback of myself committing this crime.

  “Are you sure?”

  The other elves chuckled as Johnny said, “Trust me. I know where it happened.”

  Elves were annoying in groups. And on their own. Shockingly attractive, but annoying.

  “I don’t see or feel anything.” Erin agreed with me.

  “Because it’s been cleaned up, obviously.”

  Erin rolled her eyes. “No, I mean that I, as a ghost, can’t feel anything left behind.”

  Johnny shrugged. “You’re still learning. Probably not strong enough.”

  “A death this violent?” Erin said. “Trust me, I’d feel something.”

  I backed her up. “If Erin can’t feel anything, and I can’t smell anything, and none of us can see anything…”

  Johnny cleared his throat and the other elves huddled in around him. After a whispered conversation, that I couldn’t hear which I guessed meant my abilities were ebbing, the elves walked away as if nothing had happened. One of the superfluous elves shouted over his shoulder, “Good job, girl. That was just a test to see if you were worth bringing. Come along to the real site.”

  Erin, Ariel, myself, and the wide guy all exchanged glances.

  They know we know they’re lying, right?

  “I’m not sure they do,” Erin said.

  The wide guy started following them. “Elves make their own reality.”

  We followed the, apparently clueless, elves through some trees, heading to another bench on the far side of the park. We crossed over the river that ran through the middle, but on the other side I realized that Erin wasn’t next to me and Ariel.

  “Uhh, guys?” she called from behind.

  We turned, and she hadn’t stepped on to the bridge.

  “Oh jeez,” I slapped my forehead. “Sorry! I forgot.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll go around!”

  It almost never comes up. I’d forgotten too! Ariel laughed. Or laughed without any sound coming out, like she always did.

  Movies didn’t get many things right about us supes. Like how could so many of us have children that grew up normally and integrated into society. No, no. Hollywood was mainly bad stereotypes and stupid tropes. However, running water did block any of the unliving supernaturals from crossing it. They got that right.

  Now that I thought about it, I guessed that was all the proof I needed that I was alive.

  We were almost at the bench when something grabbed me and pulled me to the floor.

  I was about to scream for help, but a hand covered my mouth.

  “Be quiet!”

  Okay, not a mugger or a monster. Just Johnny.

  I had let my thoughts run off thinking about Erin. Now I was lying on top of Johnny, as he held me close.

  I won’t lie. I’d thought about this before. Usually under different circumstances, but hey, a girl had to work with what she got.

  He removed his hand.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I whispered, and elbowed him in the gut. Of course I only hit rock hard, chiseled abs.

  “Someone’s there. Look.”

  I peered past a tree and saw a figure looking at the murder scene. They weren’t sat on the bench, they weren’t stood there waiting for someone, they were lurking in the trees behind. Just a silhouette. A bulky, disfigured shadow.

  I gasped. I didn’t even want to ask, but I had to. “Is that what did it?”

  “It must be. Who else would be hanging around here? Some monsters like to return and claim trophies.”

  “We need to get out of here!” I said.

  “What? No way. This is exactly why we came tonight.”

  Adrenaline pumped through me at the thought of a fight. But I found myself wanting to take the flight option.

  I looked to the others. Ariel looked nervous, torn between stopping a killer, and being at the killer’s mercy. The wide guy looked like a statue, unmoving, and uncaring. The elves seemed excited, grins on their faces.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll handle this,” Johnny said confidently. As one the elves stood up, staying behind their trees. Then they all crept out and began slowly moving towards the monster.

  As the adrenaline had kicked in, my abilities had come with it. I could smell the world again, and my eyes were sharper. The bulky, disturbing silhouette of the monster now looked smaller and less scary, the fear of my mind was no longer playing tricks with my eyesight. I could hear the river behind us, and the near-silent footfalls of the elves. Underneath the smell of the dirt that had been shoved into my face when Johnny had pulled me to the ground I could smell the blood of everyone around me. The sweetness of the elves, the allure of Ariel, and the strong earthy musk of the wide guy, distinctly different to the earth around me. Further away, I could smell the monster. He smelled…

  A strong, musky oak, with a hint of sweetness at the end.

  Just like his son.

  Without thought, I ran towards the meal. I mean, the monster. No, the human. Teacher. Rick’s father.

  A single heart beat was all it took. I could feel my heart pump, and by the time it pumped again, the mixture of adrenaline hitting my barely repressed hunger had me caught up with the elves. A thought ran through my mind. These elves were hunting my prey and I should stop them. But my legs had a mind of their own and were carrying me further forwards.

  By the second heartbeat I was next to the bench where the murder had happened. Mr. Anderton was moving in slow motion under the trees. He was so slow, this would be easy.

  No time to think. I needed to feed and he was here. I was horrified at the thought of what I was about to do, but the other side of me… the other side of me didn’t care. It was hungry.

  Something crashed into the side of my face, and everything went black.

  I was on the ground.

  My head was scrambled and I didn’t know which way was up or down. I was lying down so it didn’t matter, but still.

  The first thing I noticed was that my hunger was gone. Wow. Hit so hard I wasn’t hungry any more. Not great, if that was going to be the only solution to my Draugr issues.

  The next thing I noticed was that someone was kneeling over me. It was probably Mr. Anderton, but he was so blurry I couldn’t be sure.

  Which led to the final thing I noticed. I had been crying.

  In fact, I was still crying.

  “Rel, I’m so sorry,” the blurry Mr. Anderton said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Erin said to him. So she’d had time to catch up. Damn. “You
thought you were being mugged or something. We’ll take her home.”

  “No, no. I insist. I’ll escort you all.”

  “My head feels like it’s on fire,” I groaned.

  “You just take a few minutes to recover,” he said to me. Then to everyone else, “I’m afraid I really do have to take you all home now. As your teacher, I can’t let you be out after dark so close to where… something like this happened.”

  He was trying to protect us from what he thought was some random criminal. Little did he know what was really out here. Or how close he’d come to finding out about the supernaturals in this town. I wondered how he’d react if he found out that we existed.

  Another thought hit me.

  “Hey. What is a teacher doing hanging around in a park at a murder scene after dark?”

  Chapter 13

  Mr. Anderton

  I stopped myself from scratching at my forearm. It didn’t really itch, my mind was just trying to wander. I couldn’t figure this puzzle out, so it was trying to find something to distract me. So I let my free hand sit in my pocket as I fingered the pen there.

  I’d already been to the scene once, on the night after I met with Claire. And Tom. Tom seemed like a nice guy – we had chatted casually over lattés about our kids and about differences between England and the USA. Apparently he had enjoyed travelling around Europe after he left college. He’d suggested that I should go along to a baseball game with him and his wife. I’d felt normal for the first time in a while. Just a guy trying to make friends.

  Anyway. The police hadn’t cleared things up then, but I still hadn’t been any closer to finding a clue. I didn’t know what I was hoping to find this time.

  Everything was gone. I hadn’t seen the body, of course, but all the blood had been cleaned, and the rough, churned up dirt had been replaced with fresh grass. Nothing.

  This wasn’t usually my role. I got sent in once someone already knew what it was we were dealing with, and told me how to lure it out.

  I wasn’t part of that life any more though. Turned out that doing everything by yourself is much harder. What was I even looking for here?