B00724AICC EBOK

by A. J. Gallant

  Half way home to Martin Street, the Siamese noticed a young man with a scruffy beard. A Rottweiler trotted beside him lifting its leg onto a nearby utility pole. There was no leash to tether the animal as a woman and child crossed the street to avoid the big dog. The animal noticed Moon Diamond and took after the cat, only the feline didn’t run. The beast approached for a fatal bite and suddenly found the cat on its back digging in and riding it like a horse. The cat dug out skin and fur as the Rottweiler squealed.

  It was indeed turning out to be a pleasant day.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  IT WAS THE MORNING AFTER BARAC OBAMA had been elected the 44 president of the United States of America. The air was infused with the hope of things to come, and of dreams to be explored. The entire country was pulsating with the excitement of his accomplishment. Just as Neil Armstrong had been the first on the surface of the moon, Obama was the first African American to be elected president and no one could ever take that away from him. He had been stamped into the history with a thunderous thump that would resonate far into the future of important accomplishments. It was an achievement that no one would ever forget. The entire planet took notice of his achievement.

  Two pedicabs were lined up in front of Macy’s waiting for fares in the cool November air. An old man in a smart-looking suit got into the one in front and it headed out to a new destination; they talked about the changes that they anticipated with the new president. The big red Macy’s sign was a beacon for potential customers and tourists alike. Two red sheriffs in their black trench coats had been privately hired to make the bad vampires think hard about approaching the area; they hung around the entrance watching and listening for trouble. Two young men and a sixteen-year-old girl were sharing a large all-meat pizza with its aroma was making passersby hungry. The girl laughed and Pepsi shot out of her nose onto the sidewalk.

  Jenny was eight and exploring the Manhattan Mall across from Macy’s with the Empire State Building towering nearby. They had just exited the Toys R US store. They were empty handed but they had just commenced shopping and so there was plenty of time to return to the store if they were so inclined, and they both knew that it was likely. Shopping was an adventure that they both enjoyed, and like most women it seemed to be in their blood. Their skills of hunting and gathering were quite refined, but they also enjoyed window shopping.

  Allison smiled at her daughter. “Jenny, what do you think about Obama becoming president?”

  Jenny was dressed in red pants with a matching red top with white snowflakes on both. She had her hair in a ponytail. She scrunched her nose as she considered the question. “Everyone is so excited, it’s like it’s already Christmas. But it’s not an easy job. Everyone is so proud of him. I wonder if he really, truly thought it would happen. I mean deep down. I bet he tossed and turned all night.”

  “I don’t know. What do you suppose he thinks when he looks in the mirror?”

  “Hey, it’s the president.”

  They knew something was going on when they heard people running and screaming, and both figured it to be the work of a murderous biter. They were everywhere and people had to be very careful, especially when wandering after sunset. Attacking in such a public place was a rare occurrence, whoever it was had to be stupid, crazy, or suicidal, and perhaps all three. The vampires were so damn fast that the only way not to become a target was not to be seen.

  In the distance both Jenny and Allison observed a man’s head come off, and then the vampire throwing himself down, lapping into the blood on the shiny white and black checkered floor. He looked around crazily as he continued to feast noisily. Allison grabbed her daughter’s hand and they started to run but it was too late. Thaddeus had placed them both in his sights. His crazy eyes and smile was an awful thing to behold, he bounced off the walls to make himself even more menacing as if removing someone’s head hadn’t accomplished that. He was carrying a sword and would halt and hold it at awkward angles, then blur another short distance and repeat, he really was insane.

  Thaddeus rushed in front of them and stared at Allison, visualizing her as his next juicy meal. “You look delicious my dear!” He swung his sword at Allison’s neck, fully expecting her head to pop off.

  It was exactly then that Jenny’s instinct took over, and just as a wild animal reacted without being taught, the young girl pushed her mother out of the way just as the blade of the 17 century basket-hilted broadsword was swung. It went under her mother’s chin and missed her neck by less than a half inch. All three of them were surprised at the turn of events. Allison went over her ankle in her black high heel pumps and twisted it. Thaddeus swung the sword at Jenny, the sound of it cutting through the air was impressive; the girl leaped and took it from him and breaking his wrist, both his ulna and radius. It was his turn to scream. It was exactly then that Jenny realized that she could read his evil mind. It was for the very first time that she had grasped that ability. It was also the first time she realized how much strength she had; she was pumped. It was the adrenalin that forced the talent to the forefront, and what she saw in him appeared to be pure evil. Thaddeus was planning on killing dozens before making his escape. His thirst for blood was horrifying.

  Jenny was also able to sense how he sniffed and tasted blood from a distance; she saw how he perceived the world and it was horrible. It almost made the child vomit. He saw every human as walking bags of blood, as food for the taking. She wandered briefly in his mind and the more she observed, the more it disgusted her.

  Thaddeus paused momentarily as he looked at Jenny. “What the hell are y--?”

  Before the three-hundred-year-old vampire could finish his sentence, Jenny swung the sword with precision and cut his head off. His skin turned to dust as his bones fell lifeless onto the mall floor. The child was shocked and appalled at what she had accomplished. Jenny had killed her first vampire and she cried. She wept well into the morning hours and thought that her life would never be the same, and unfortunately she was right.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  KEITH FOUND HIMSELF OUTSIDE of Lenny’s restaurant with the upside down V-shaped blue Lenny’s sign above the entrance on John Street in New York. He was always in a particular good mood before a kill. The anticipation gave him an enthusiastic feeling inside. He had followed two police officers from a distance, past Andrew’s Coffee Shop, then past the nearby Subway restaurant, and finally waited for them outside Lenny’s near the throng of bicycles out in front. The officers were in the mood some of the restaurant’s spicy grilled chicken. Lenny was in the mood for some good old fashioned killing; he wanted the blood of those officers.

  Keith imagined biting one officer’s neck and watching the blood pour out, not enough to kill him but enough to make him ineffectual so that he could observe as he killed and drank the other officer’s blood. Perhaps he would even put his neck through the spokes on one of the bikes, maybe the red one, just to slow the bleeding enough. He visualized his kicking and struggling on the ground as entertainment for his meal, like a good movie with a pizza on a Monday night. It didn’t take much to handle a human.

  “Don’t take all damn day,” the fat bastard said to himself. He stood outside in the rain, getting wet and more impatient by the minute. The showers were off and on. He liked to kill police officers because it always made the news in a big way, but of course preferred not to have to deal with a red sheriff, just in case. Keith was enjoying his nasty way of life immensely. He thought seriously about bending the wheels on the bikes, and then dismissed it as it might draw attention to the area, especially if the owner suddenly showed up. It really didn’t matter if he was spotted because he could zoom out of the area in an instant. He figured that he was quite high up on the vampire most wanted list, perhaps at the top for all he knew. But there were so many on that list and he figured that it was to his advantage. Not so easy to just zero in on one in particular.

  A car beeped his horn at a 12-year-old boy driving in the middle of the street and w
as given the finger for his effort, although the kid did get out of the way. The boy’s head jerked to the right when he saw Keith. Aiden looked back at the obese fellow and immediately started to laugh, and circled around again to approach him. The kid was from a broken family and had pretty much raised himself. “What the hell did you have for lunch? A Rhino.”

  Keith scanned the area and saw a few people. He was considering whether to eat the brat or not. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get the hell out of here.”

  “If I were you mister, I wouldn’t go over the Brooklyn Bridge, it’ll never hold your fat ass. It’ll cost a shit load of money to put it back up.”

  The vampire scrunched his face and threw bad vibes at the boy. The kid rode for a bit on one wheel to show off his skills. Keith could kill him with a single blow but decided to be patient. He wasn’t there for the brat. He would most likely be doing the same thing if the roles were reversed. “This is your last warning kid.”

  “I wouldn’t want to have your grocery bill. You probably buy hamburger by the cow. Your toilet is probably the Grand Canyon!”

  Keith showed the boy his fangs and that was sufficient, he peddled out of the area as fast as he was able. Aiden was so scared that he wasn’t sure if his heart would ever slow down. He never considered the possibility that the guy was a vampire, but in the future he would take that into account. Who knew that someone so fat could be a vampire?

  Two elderly ladies were heading towards Keith from down the sidewalk, both with rather large red handbags. They were approaching eighty but continued to be excited by the future. They walked every day as long as it wasn’t raining too hard. One was shuffling along and so the other had to adjust her gait. Both were dressed in similar flowery dresses, with winter coats too big for them as well. The vampire saw them approaching from quite a distance and rolled his eyes when they waved to him. It was obvious that they were going to engage him in conversation, and he’d sooner poke his own eyes out than occupy them with their witless banter. They were probably lonely and seeking entertainment. The closer they got to him the bigger their smiles. He had visions of ripping their skin off and tossing it into the street. But Keith had to steady himself as he wanted those officers.

  “Young man,” said Stella. “I’m Stella and this is Carol. We’re sisters don’t you know. Do you see a resemblance?”

  Keith slowly shook his head. “You look like two old crows to me.”

  Carol was hard of hearing but Stella was used to it. “What did he say?”

  “He’s a comedian dear; he said we look like two old crows!”

  Carol thought on it and she closed her umbrella as it had stopped raining. “How much does a comedian get paid? It is by the hour?”

  “That’s right, five peanuts an hour.”

  Stella actually clapped at the statement. “That is so funny. When is your next show?”

  Keith rolled his eyes and wanted to smash them but didn’t. He glanced at the restaurant but no sign of the officers. The day was turning out to be unpleasant but the taste of the officers would turn it around.

  “He should come to the apartment and put on a show for us.”

  “You’re a big fella. How does a person get to be your size? Do you eat too much? I have a relative and she’s the size of an elephant, but she’s big boned don’t you know.” Stella continued to check out Keith’s girth.

  “Is this the Subway sister?” Carol was looking up the building, way past the sign.

  Keith felt like slapping himself in the forehead, just like in the cartoons. “Can you do me favor ladies?”

  “What did he say?”

  “As long as we don’t have to lift something too heavy. The older we get the weaker we get. I couldn’t even get the top off the jam jar this morning. Carol had to hit it with a hammer, broke it don’t you know.” Stella shook the rain off her red umbrella and it went into Keith’s face.

  “Could you kill me? Ladies, could you do that for me?”

  “What did he say?”

  Keith could stand it no longer, and so he blurred out of the area and would never return to John Street. In less than a minute both officers exited the restaurant not realizing how close they had come to death.

  “Sister, he must have left something on the stove.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  STEPHEN, LUKE, AND NOAH were in Alexandria, situated on the western bank of the Potomac River, and only about six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. They were in a rental house awaiting the arrival of a colleague with information of how to handle the dagger. The idea was to thrust into Dracula’s heart, but was there a ritual or something else to follow beforehand? Stephen hadn’t slept much in the last several days, having dreadful nightmares of attacking Dracula and it going terribly wrong. He was worried though he kept that to himself. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they got their heads all torn off and discarded like so much junk.

  The living room had a large black sectional sofa with two black reclining chairs to match. On both sides of the sofa were tiffany style stained glass lamps. A large flat screen LG television hung on the wall. A huge area rug showed Arabian scenes took up a large portion of the floor. They stared down at the impressive Hithroma on the coffee table and continued to wonder if it was the genuine article or not. By the look that had been on Philo’s face, Stephen guessed that it was in fact genuine.

  The smell of fresh popcorn permeated the air. Luke sat at the end of the sofa as he dug into the large white plastic bowl and took a handful of popcorn and ate it. Stephen watched him as he chewed like a camel. He was a loud eater and at times it could become annoying. Luke then shook dried flakes of blood out of a small green container that had at one time held white cheddar seasoning onto the popcorn as he filled his mouth with more, because without the added blood his stomach would not have been able to tolerate it.

  It was a Monday night but with the excitement of having obtained the dagger it felt like Friday. All three were simultaneously excited and worried. The act of actually plunging it into Dracula’s chest was not without risk. They weren’t positive of what would happen, even though Stephen pretended to be certain of the outcome. They were also aware that the big guy might just shred them for the hell of it. Would it be possible to obtain the element of surprise with Dracula? They would not be happy if upon using the weapon every single vampire on the planet perished, including themselves.

  Noah drank down his blood filled beer stein that was adorned with bats. The moment he saw the antique stein he knew he had to purchase it. It was just under a foot tall. He wiped his mouth, leaving blood behind on his hand. “I still can’t believe we got it.” He was prone on the black leather recliner but couldn’t take his eyes off the dagger. “Are you gonna just walk up to him and plunge it into his chest or what?”

  Stephen shrugged. “We’ll see what Bordon has to say about it. He’s the so-called expert on these sorts of things. He’s a low level wizard you know.”

  Luke placed his stein down on the end table near the lamp. “Can he be trusted? We’ll have everyone chasing us if they discover that we have Hithroma. It’ll be like in that old movie with the mob chasing the Beatles, except it’ll be vampires chasing us.”

  Stephen once again picked up the dagger and judged its weight. Hithroma felt twice as heavy as it should have felt for its size, and he hoped that it was a good sign. Until he plunged it into the Master’s chest he couldn’t be sure that they really had Hithroma. He ran his fingers over the diamonds and the red ruby and continued to be impressed. He threw it and it stuck in the wall next to Luke’s head.

  Luke belched. “If that’s the real thing, I imagine that we’ll end up in the history books. Should you be throwing it around like that? What if you break it?”

  “It’s a knife, not a carton of eggs. Perfectly balanced for throwing.” Stephen thought that perhaps he shouldn’t be throwing it around but said nothing more on the fact that it could perhaps be broken, although
knives were usually sturdy things. But with his luck who the hell knew if it could be broken or not.

  Luke put down the popcorn and pulled the knife out of the wall. “It’s hard to imagine that this thing could change everything.” He placed the weapon back on the coffee table.

  Stephen stood up and made his way to the living room window and peered out. There was no sign of Bordon. He stood there for several minutes as he imagined how the tide would turn when he was in charge. He visualized that perhaps millions of humans would have to be eaten before they finally surrendered to his will, and their screams would be exciting. If it turned out that he could control all vampires it would make things a lot easier, otherwise there would be war. The opposing vampires would have to be tracked down and dispatched. Blood would indeed run in the streets.

  “I’m bored,” said Noah. “Let’s go eat someone.”

  “Not going anywhere until we talk to Bordon. Luke, where is he now?”

  “Bordon? Oh, you mean the Master. He’s been travelling more lately. He was in Orlando for a while but he’s back in Moncton.” Luke cocked his head and zeroed in on Dracula’s location. “Yup, he’s still in Moncton. I went there once to watch some curling.”

  Stephen shook his head at the thought of curling. “That is one boring sport. At least in hockey they try to kill one another. Football too. They should have vampire football.”

  In less than a half hour they were all dozing. A pounding at the door made all their eyes pop open. Bordon stood out on the steps nervously scanning the area. Helping anyone to plot against Dracula felt a lot like treason. He was a tall fellow with hair like a young Art Garfunkel. The door opened and he was invited into the living room. He sat on the sofa and they all stared at one another with awkward silence.