The Beast Inside

by David Horrocks

  Alice knew that the scent of her blood would lure in the bestial man and she had to find shelter away from open air. If Matty didn't come soon, she would have to hunker down and wait out the sun which would be rising in a couple more hours. She had no desire to burn to death in the light of day, as it was apparently one of the worst and most painful ways for a vampire to die.

  After a long search, Alice finally found a stack of shipping containers that looked as though they hadn't been used in a long while. They were well hidden in the maze like chaos of other similar large steel boxes somewhere within the industrial sector. She climbed up to one that was positioned slightly higher off the ground, as there would be less chance of a random passerby opening it there.

  The door was rusted and almost fully sealed, but after pulling at the handle for a while, she managed to yank it open before stepping inside and pulling it tightly shut. This temporary haven from the sun would do in a pinch, hopefully keeping her hidden from her stalker too, at least until Matty found and rescued her.

  As Alice slumped down in the furthest corner from the entrance, she felt a sharp stabbing pain, gnawing at her insides. She was starving and needed blood, but she had no choice but to wait for rescue. The bestial hunter that stalked her was likely still searching for her and she was safer in a reinforced metal container then hanging around outside where he could sniff her out. Her body was hurting so badly, as she felt the hunger taking over.

  A rabid sort of anger was building up inside Alice and was fighting for control. If she wasn't careful, she'd accidentally kill her next meal and then she'd have taken a second innocent life. Such an act would confirm the greatest of her fears. The fear that she was a monster like the one that she was running from.

  The phone in Alice's damp pocket beeped at her, begging for attention. She picked it out and did her best to wipe moisture from the screen, hoping that the water wouldn't damage it somehow and render it inoperable. The display showed seven missed calls from her would be saviour. Matty had been frantically trying his best to get hold of her.

  The signal was weak, but was enough to make a call if she stood next to the door. Once she was in place and her reception improved, Alice redialed Matty's number and waited for him to answer.

  The phone only rang once before Matty picked up, still speaking calmly and methodically.

  “I should be nearby. Where are you now?”

  Alice peeked out of a gap in the door, but was unable to see anything of note. The rain had stopped, but the skies were still full of dark storm clouds.

  “A shipping container…”

  “What?”

  “It doesn't matter. I'm safe for now.”

  Matty was clearly relieved.

  “Good. Where can I meet you?”

  Thinking hard about places she had passed by when running for dear life, Alice recalled a little cafe that she had seen on a street corner. It would be closed, but it was as good a landmark as any.

  “There's a little place on 107th Avenue. The Coffee Bean. I can be there in ten minutes or so.”

  She could hear the roar of Matty's motorcycle on the other end of the phone as he raced to their meeting point.

  “I'll be there. Stay safe.”

  **********

  Alice had climbed down from her hiding place inside the dripping wet container and was cautiously making her way back to the street when she overheard the voices of two men talking nearby. She crouched down low, avoiding splashing in puddles as she crawled behind a stack of pallets so she wouldn't be seen.

  The men didn't realise that she was there, as she peered out from between gaps in the wooden slats, however from the sound of it they had been searching for her.

  “Jay said he tracked her scent here, so she has to be around somewhere.”

  Both of them were armed with submachine guns which they carried with murderous intent, as they searched around their immediate vicinity. The larger of the two aimed his weapon down a gap between container stacks.

  “Keep looking then. The sooner we find her, the sooner we can go home.”

  They slowly moved in Alice's direction, moving back to back so no one could get a jump on them. As they came within a few feet, Alice remained completely still, praying that she wouldn't be discovered.

  There was something about the men that Alice seemed to recognise, but she couldn't place where she had seen them before. They could have been guards in the royal court, but she couldn't recall.

  Just when she thought they were about stumble upon her, a metallic clattering caused them to turn away. They trained their weapons in the direction the sound came from, both now facing away from her.

  “What was that?”

  The shorter and skinnier man stepped forwards first, his gun raised and prepared to fire.

  “Come out! You can't hide from us.”

  Alice waited patiently as the second man followed closely behind his partner, raising his own weapon aggressively. Just a few more steps and she would try and sneak away in the opposite direction. She just had to bide her time and wait for the right moment, but the right moment never came.

  The phone that she was still holding in her hand broke the silence as it rang loudly and alerted the armed men to her presence. She had tried to decline the call from Matty after the first ring, but it was too late, as they were now looking directly at the pallets that she was cowering behind.

  “Come out, now! We know you're there!”

  Alice didn't move, still crouching out of sight. There was no denying that she was hidden there, but she had to take the time to prepare the remainder of her blood stores. Every last drop would be needed to make a break for the cafe where Matty would be waiting and ready to assist.

  Just as the men had reached the other side of the pallets, Alice pushed with all her might to knock the stack over. A surprised and premature squeeze of a trigger sent bullets ricocheting noisily off sheet metal as both men were buried beneath the weight of the hefty wooden constructs.

  She hoped they'd be trapped there for a while, but if not, it at least bought her the precious few seconds that she needed to escape. A quick burst of speed propelled her away from the gunmen and towards freedom.

  As she sprinted around a corner and past a row of gas canisters, Alice ran right into another lone gunman who she knocked off his feet as she too was sent tumbling to the ground, grazing her hands and knees on the rough concrete. She scrambled up to stand ready to defend herself, but found that he was still lying flat on his back.

  The man groaned as he clutched his head, having seemingly hit it hard against the ground. His skull had cracked from the collision and was leaking blood that appealed to the beast within Alice, causing it to stir with a hunger that could never be satiated.

  Without thinking, Alice found that she had dropped back to her knees and was lapping up spilled vitae from the pool that had formed. It was warm and welcoming, giving her a rush of strength that left her feeling like she could take on the world. The taste and consistency of the blood let her know that these men were human, unlike the one who had chased her there.

  It was known that the queen did sometimes use mortals to do her bidding, but these ones were beneath her usual refined tastes. They were scruffy and unkempt, but not like those found in the poorer areas of the city. This particular man tasted as though he was from somewhere with cleaner air. Somewhere open with plenty of trees.

  The men could have been mercenaries from out of town, but they didn't seem professional or well trained enough to be real soldiers. Maybe they weren't even working for the queen and this was something else altogether. Once again he seemed familiar, but she just couldn't place where she had seen him before.

  The trembling in Alice's hands had ceased as her addiction was fed by the man's fresh blood. Now she would have the extra energy that she needed to get out of there. It took every ounce of her willpower to not finish it all, leaving just enough blood for him to survive as she took her jacket off and wrapped it
tightly around his head to try and seal the wound. Her saliva could only close an opening that she had made with her own teeth. It was a tool for hunting and not a miraculous method of healing the afflicted.

  As Alice finished tying off the makeshift bandage, the yells of more armed men could be heard echoing across the storage yard. It sounded like the others had escaped from underneath the wooden pallets as well, which meant that she would quickly find herself outnumbered by gun toting maniacs if she stayed put much longer.

  Standing up straight, Alice used her new found vigor to rush forwards and away from those who were hunting her.

  **********

  The street outside the cafe was devoid of life as Alice approached it in the silence of the night. She kept close to the wall across the street, trying to stay hidden and out of the orange glow of the street lights. She had made it that far without being caught or killed, but it felt as though her luck was running out. The faint shouts of those on her trail weren't all that far behind and they were closing in fast.

  A large motorcycle was parked next to the curb outside the cafe’s door. It was a large, black cruiser with chrome detailing. The type of two wheeled vehicle that a biker would be proud to own, as it was well taken care of and polished to perfection. Alice knew it as Matty's first love and favoured method of transportation, which meant that he was somewhere near by. She tried to spot him from the other side of the road, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was possible that he had heard gunshots and tried to find her instead of waiting, which meant that she would have to wait for him to return.

  Alice looked both ways to make sure no one was watching before she ran across the street to wait by the motorcycle. She had no idea how to ride it and the keys weren't in the ignition, not that she would have left without Matty anyway. He was her ticket out of there and the only person she believed could protect her. She knew that he would put his life on the line to save her and she felt the exact same way about him.

  Alice rested a hand on the leather seat of the bike, touching it as if it was an extension of Matty’s body. He would soon realise that she made it to the meeting point and would come back to find her waiting. They could then ride off home to the safety of Katherine's apartment before the imminent sunrise that wasn't far off now. There wasn't much time to spare.

  Someone approached from down the street. They walked towards Alice with long strides, moving with purpose. The silhouette was tall enough to be Matty, but was a little too wide in stature. The wicked grin and pure white fangs were easily recognisable, as they belonged to the same bestial man from the motel. He had tracked the scent of her blood that lead to the cafe and was now moving in for the kill.

  Alice couldn't risk waiting for Matty to show up and rescue her, so she decided to turn and run away. Just as she began to move her legs, she saw that her escape route had been cut off by a band of armed men who had spread out to block the street as they approached. She spun around to face the bestial man again and found that he too had been joined by his own reinforcements who were covering the other half of the road. They were flanking her from every direction, guns threatening to fire at a moment's notice.

  Alice knew that her only chance of survival was to fight her way out of there. It was either them or her and holding back would only end in her demise. She would go in swinging, but the odds were not in her favour.

  For some reason no one had fired their guns, which gave Alice the impression that their orders were to take her alive. This meant that they had to act with restraint while she was under no such delusions.

  As soon as the first of them was within range, Alice lashed out, grabbing them by their shirt as she used their momentum and her own boosted strength to swing them face first into the solid brick wall. Ignoring the bone crunching sounds that followed, Alice turned her attention to the next in line who she kicked square in the chest, sending them flying backwards. They collided with two more men who were also knocked to the ground as Alice lept onto another and proceeded to claw at his eyes.

  As Alice's nails dug deep into the man's flesh, she found herself being pulled away by others who caught her off guard. It took four men to restrain her, giving the rest of them time to recover from her assault.

  Struggling was useless, as every time Alice broke free of the grasp of one of her captors, three more were still holding on tight. They held her in place as their leader moved to stand over her. She hadn't seen him clearly until now, but could see that he lead his men through fear, with an intimidating aura that put her on edge. His dark eyes stared through long greasy hair, with a savage grin that showed his hunger for blood.

  It was then that Alice realised where she had seen him before. This was the same man who had driven the red truck that had run her off the road in Colorado so long ago. The exact same person that Jolee claimed had killed Bill and Martha Delaney, the adopted parents who had raised her as their own. Two people that she still loved and missed dearly.

  So Jolee hadn't actually managed to finish the man off the night he rescued her from the wreckage. Whoever he was, she hated him with a passion.

  The bestial man licked his lips with anticipation as he spoke.

  “You thought you could get away, but we can find you wherever you go.”

  Raising his hand, he wrapped his meaty fingers around Alice's throat as he displayed his dominance. She felt her windpipe being slowly crushed by his vice like grip, with no sign of him letting go. He was in no danger of killing her, but the agony she felt could mean a lengthy recovery.

  Despite the pain, Alice refused to surrender, somehow managing to spit in the man's face. Her defiance only served to enrage him as he squeezed harder, threatening to rip her throat right out of her neck in a messy display of power.

  As a mortal, Alice would have blacked out from the pain already, but as a vampire she was awake for every agonising moment.

  A large hand rested on the man's shoulder, causing him to release his grip and turn his head to see who it belonged to. He found himself face to face with an antagonised Matty, who repeatedly pounded his clenched fist into the man's face until he let go of Alice.

  The gunmen, who had been taken completely by surprise, rushed in to assist their boss, but they didn't have time to draw their weapons before Matty set upon them at lightning speed. His actions were a blur as he smashed heads together, tore guns out of the hands of their owners and tossed fully grown men out onto the pavement.

  Before the gunmen could rally themselves, Matty had begun firing on them using their own weapons with deadly precision. It was obvious that he had fired more than his fair share of guns, as his skill with them was clear.

  A couple of guys broke free from the brawl, trying their best to run for cover, but found themselves quickly mowed down by the ex-serviceman who wasn't taking any prisoners.

  As Matty worked on finishing off the rest of the group, Alice slumped down against the wall, holding her hands to her neck. The pain that still lingered was excruciating and would likely feel that way for a while, leaving her with one hell of a sore throat. She looked up to catch her rescuer stomping someone's head into the curb. The sound of it alone was appalling.

  Matty stopped to shake something wet and mushy from his boot before rushing in to check on Alice, kneeling in front of her as he gently examined her neck with a finger. She winced, causing him to pull back his hand apologetically.

  “They'll pay for this. Whoever sent them… They'll pay.”

  A gunshot pierced the air as a bullet struck Matty in the back. Whoever fired the round clearly hadn't been told of a vampire's durability as Matty scowled, standing up to turn and face the shooter.

  Shooting Matthew Walker was like poking a bear with a stick, and something that only someone who was stupid or ignorant would attempt. It seemed that the group's leader fit the bill as he held one arm outstretched, six shooter in hand with its smoking barrel.

  Matty took a step forward, which caused the bestial man's eyes to widen with fear. H
e clearly wasn't used to things not going his way. He fired again, hitting Matty in the shoulder as he took another step and then another. His momentum was building up as a walk turned into a charge and the man fired once more.

  Matty continued to pick up speed like a freight train, near unstoppable as the gun was unloaded into his body. He didn't miss a step as he grabbed the man by the jaw, raising him high into the air before driving his head into the pavement.

  Alice couldn't see what happened exactly from where she sat, but she imagined that there wasn't much left of the man from the neck up and she was right. Flesh and bone was left as nothing more than a bloody pulp.

  Matty raised his fists into the air and let out a bellowing roar, signifying his victory. Alice knew that the monster had taken control and that he would regret using such force in front of her, but he did it to save her life. He would do anything to keep her safe.

  As his beastial rage left and he resumed full control, Matty looked back at Alice. His fangs retracted, leaving the normal face of a man who was tortured by his own actions, but he still managed to smile softly as he looked upon her face. She could sense the emotions emanating from him as he started to make his way back to her. There was no doubt in Alice's mind that he loved her. She could see it in his eyes and she knew with all her heart that she loved him too.

  It was admittedly a little too soon for her to be having such strong feelings for someone she had only known for just a few short months, but something about him just seemed familiar. It was as if she had known him her entire life and she sensed that he felt the same.

  Alice tried to call to Matty, but she found herself unable to manage more than a harsh whisper as her throat was too damaged. Her words of warning went unheard and he was too fixated on her to see what was coming.

  A speeding city bus plowed into the unsuspecting soldier, catching him with its bumper as it dragged him under its wheels, smearing him across the asphalt.