Night Walker (Undeadly Secrets Book 1)

by Aaron L Speer

  Alex sighed and waited. After a couple of minutes, the door opened a crack; Lauren peeked through at Alex.

  “Are you going to mind your own business?”

  “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  “Really?” Lauren said, swinging the door open. “It looks like you’re trying to run my life. Is that how things work now? You’re miserable, so you have to make sure I am too?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Now things have gone to shit with your man, you think everyone ought to feel bad. How many times have Matt and I had arguments over the years you’ve been dating? The guy is fine as a friend, but he’s a fuckwit as a boyfriend. But I have never ever given you shit about him. We are friends, and for some unknown reason, you say you love him. Whatever. Then the one time I get a guy that I really like, you tell me I should stay away from him because you don’t like him. Can you understand how I would get pissed off?”

  “Don’t you think my warning you means I think it’s really serious then? I would never do anything to hurt you, but look at yourself, babe. You look terrible. I can tell something is wrong with you.”

  “I feel fine,” Lauren said, looking peaked, a sheen of sweat on her forehead.

  “Loz…please just talk to me.” Alex placed her hands on Lauren’s shoulders. “Are you afraid of something?”

  Lauren’s eyes flicked down to the ground, something she did when she was uncertain, but the moment was gone again in a second. “Afraid? Of course not!” Lauren was vehement, shaking her head and struggling loose from Alex’s grip. “Look you’ve made your point, ok?”

  “It’s not just me who has asked you to be careful, Loz. Dante told me to warn you as well.”

  “What was that?” Lauren snapped, whipping her head around. “Dante told you? Dante told you! And what exactly did he say?”

  “That Ryan is dangerous. He warned me to tell you to stay away from him.”

  “Oh, of course he did,” Lauren said, smiling in a way Alex had never seen before. “Well, it all makes sense now. Come up with this idea together, did you? I guess Matt was right. You get Matt jealous by spending time with the guy I wanted, and Dante gets me to break up with Ryan so we can go back to the way he kept me dangling? I don’t think so.”

  “He didn’t keep you dangling. This has got nothing to do with him and you. He told me he doesn’t like you, he never has.”

  Lauren stopped, suddenly lost for words. Alex saw her shocked expression and thought that maybe she had got through to her finally. Lauren slowly slung her purse over her shoulder, never keeping her eyes off the ground.

  “But…he likes you. He would gladly part those skinny legs of yours, right?” Lauren said, menace in her tone. “I think I figured out why Matt only lasts a minute with you. It’s the same reason I see the way he looks at me. One of these days I just might show him what a real woman can do.”

  With that Lauren turned on her heel and marched out, leaving a breathless Alex standing in the living room, wondering what the hell just happened and where her best friend had gone. That sure as hell wasn’t her.

  Alex paced around the house for what felt like ages. God, what was she supposed to do? Every fibre of her being was telling her she had to do something. Her friend was crying out for help even if she didn’t know it. She came up with a half-baked plan, but the best one she could. She found her phone and called Matt.

  “Yeah?” Matt asked when he picked up.

  “Hi. Look I really need your help.”

  ”Can it wait? I’m expecting a phone call in a second.”

  “No it can’t. It’s Lauren.”

  “What about her?”

  Alex told Matt everything she knew, managing to keep the fact Dante had to carry her home out of it. There was no sound on the other end of the phone until she finished the story.

  “So let me see if I understand this. You claim you haven’t liked this guy since day one, but the only reason you want us to do anything about Lauren is because of Dante? Why don’t you just call him? It doesn’t seem like you need me at all.”

  “Matt, stop! Enough! I don’t want to hear that, least of all now. I didn’t call him did I? I called you. I’m not asking you, I’m begging you. Please…just help me,” she finished desperately.

  There was another long pause, before Matt finally gave a soft committal. “All right. What do you need?”

  Alex sighed heavily. “How soon can you pick me up?”

  *

  By the time Lauren had gotten out of the cab, she had finally managed to stop crying. She paid the driver, thanking him for…she wasn’t sure what. Just being kind, maybe, letting her sob in the back seat without question. Then she braced herself and walked through the doors and up the stairs to Ryan’s apartment. God, what’s wrong with me? How could I talk that way to my best friend? She hadn’t meant any of it. She’d been accused before of having a foul mouth and rotten attitude, things she could accept because they were accurate. But she had never been cruel, never to Alex.

  As she moved down the hallway towards Ryan’s door, she suddenly felt as if she could not move. Her knees trembled and she placed her hand on the wall for support. Her mind flooded with the same images that had flashed in front of her when Alex had asked her what was wrong: A void. Laughter; several people laughing. A tap dripping with a tick, tick, ticking sound. Red water. Screaming, calling for help, help that never comes. There was a distinct sensation of danger beyond Ryan’s door. But what danger? Why couldn’t she remember? Lauren was frozen with fear, and unable to bring herself to continue, she crumpled to the floor.

  She reached for her phone, selected Alex and called her, but the line was engaged. Unable to think of anyone else, she called Matt. Another engaged signal. With no other choice, she left a voice mail with a stuttering, terrified voice.

  “Matt? It’s me, Lauren. Umm, I’m in a lot of trouble. I—I think I need your help. I’m at Ryan’s. But I can’t go in. I—I don’t want to go in. I can’t move at all. Something’s wrong. Can you please come get me?”

  Through tear-blurred eyes, she saw Ryan’s door opening. With a quick burst of energy, she used the railing to pull herself to her feet so he wouldn’t see her sorry state, only just managing to get herself upright when Ryan came out.

  “Hey, babe. What took your sexy arse so long?” he grinned as he approached her. He wrapped her in a bear hug and lifted her to the wall, trying to bury his tongue down her throat, paying no attention to the fact she was not returning his attempt at a kiss.

  “I—I’m just not feeling very well. I should probably—”

  “Aw, you’ll be fine, pooh bear,” Ryan said, taking her hand and leading her towards the apartment.

  “Yeah…ok. Well, let’s just go to dinner then?” she said, trying to halt him.

  “Nah. I’m still only half ready,” he said dismissively, trying to pull her through the door.

  “I’ll just wait here for you then.” Lauren knew she sounded fishy, but she truly did not want to step foot inside Ryan’s apartment right now. Why hadn’t she listened to Alex? What did Dante know about this guy?

  Ryan laughed and looked at her like she was a bit crazy. “Not in the hallway. What’s wrong with you?”

  “Let go!” she screamed, ripping her hand free.

  Ryan faced her, expressionless now, all pretence gone. Without words, both of their intentions became clear to the other. Ryan was determined to get Lauren inside and she was determined to run. Lauren turned to do just that but was caged in Ryan’s vice like grip.

  “No no, sweety. Not tonight.”

  “Get off me. Help, someone!” she screamed, fighting with every last ounce of strength she had. She kicked and screamed and swung with her elbows until she herself was thrown against the wall, smacking the side of her head. Suddenly silent and only semi-conscious, she crawled this way and that, blood dripping to the floor from a gash in her head. “Scream all you want, baby. No one else lives in this build
ing.”

  Ryan was behind her, the door to his apartment was in front of her, she had nowhere to go.

  “See what you made me do?” Ryan asked mockingly, hands in the air with exasperation. “You went and cracked your head open. You were supposed to be intact. Now I won’t get as good a price. Fuck!”

  Ryan curled his fist and flung a punch directly to her face. “Now get in here.” Wringing his hand, he grabbed a fistful of her hair with the other and dragged her inside the apartment.

  Chapter Ten

  Pol Ti Volare

  Lauren awoke to a sharp slap, her head throbbing.

  “Get up,” Ryan ordered. “You need to be awake for this.”

  Lauren’s eyes fluttered open, barely making out the sight of Ryan kneeling above her. She was lying on a cold floor in the centre of a circle of candles, hands and feet stretched out and tied. Looking at the ceiling, she thought she must be in the bathroom.

  “I hope you’re happy, bitch,” Ryan spat. “Because of this,” he said, pressing hard on the gash still partly oozing blood, “I am out five hundred bucks. Thanks a lot.”

  “What are you going to do with me?” She heard her voice tremble. It sounded as weak as she felt.

  “Not much, anymore,” he replied solemnly, reaching up towards the sink and shining a light from a video camera in her face.

  “What are you doing?” she croaked.

  “Continuing my business. Now shut up and smile pretty.”

  He picked up a balaclava off the floor by his feet and placed it over his head. He turned the camera around to face himself and cleared his throat.

  “Good evening again, subscribers. Your buddy RarRar here, ever ready to provide you with the most authentic and brutal dark fantasies. At darkfantasies.com.au, you send them, we make them! Today we have one of our more popular ladies of late, Lauren, looking a little the worse for wear. But I’m sure that will not impede your viewing pleasure. What’s going to happen on tonight’s webi-sode, you ask? Looks pretty scary to me!”

  He switched off the video camera. “Got to leave them wanting more, you know? I’ll edit it later.”

  “Ryan, please… Whatever this is, don’t do it.”

  “Hey, it’s not up to me. I am a man of the people and this is what they demand to see.”

  “They want to see me killed!?”

  “Killed? Goodness, no, darlin’. Not at all. Far from it. The fee for that is more than most of my subscribers can pay anyway. What they want is to watch a transformation and how it happens. You should be glad. You were the most requested candidate, from almost twenty-thousand votes.”

  “Transformation?” Lauren’s head was pounding and she felt the blood running into her eye. She couldn’t concentrate. What was he talking about? She tried to shake her head to clear it, but that just sent waves of pain and nausea through her again and again. “I thought you liked me,” she added feebly.

  “You women will never learn.” Ryan’s tone was playfully reproachful. “This is why the bad boy always wins and the nice guys always lose. I used to be a nice guy. No, really. I bought flowers, chocolates. Took girls to movies. Bought them lunch and dinner, little gifts here and there when they felt down. And what did I get in return? ‘Oh, Ryan, you’re such a nice guy. Not like this arsehole I slept with over the weekend.’ ‘Oh, Ryan, help me. My boyfriend is so mean, he hits me. I’m breaking up with him.’ Then two days later? ‘Oh my god, Ryan, my boyfriend and I had the best sex last night!’ And on and on. Finally, I realised bad boys do the things good guys only dream about. You wouldn’t screw me until after I waited until you were at your lowest point. I rubbed your arse to see if you were a sure thing, and instead of you slapping me like you would have if I were a nice guy, you actually found it daring. You think that by rooting me you are getting one up? You don’t get that it’s the guy who wins. I never gave a shit about you. I just knew if I played you right, you’d be all eager to take it. And boy were you.”

  “Why?” Lauren mumbled. “What happened to you?” The question was half serious. She was trying to play for time, but really wanted to know. Was there a human being in there?

  “Jessica,” he replied. “That was her name. I knew her since high school and been in love with her since day one. No joke. She was gorgeous. I thought she liked me as well, but I didn’t have the guts to say anything. There began eleven years of pure hell. I heard about everything she did with other guys. Every fucking sexual detail. Do you know what it’s like to have your heart sliced every time you talk to someone or message them? She knew I liked her, and said she didn’t like me in that way. And I just accepted it, why? Because I loved her. And it seemed that I was the only one in her life that actually cared about her. I loved her smile, her eyes and the sound she made when she laughed. I began making little videos of myself, what I was feeling, and what I really wanted to say to her but just couldn’t. All my mates told me to stay away, that she was bad news. But I didn’t listen.”

  “Then the day came when she broke up with yet another guy, some obese cunt. She came to me devastated again, and I finally let her know everything. Everything. Didn’t hear from her again for a couple of days, but when I did, I got good morning and good night messages. She started messaging more, wanting to see me more. She told me she loved me too, that she always had but was afraid. We went all the way. She said she wanted to have my kids. My head was spinning and it was the best feeling ever. And it lasted for three weeks. Then, out of nowhere she says she’s not sure of her feelings anymore. That she likes me as more than a friend, but not as a boyfriend. What the fuck, right? This new charade lasted for a few months until I finally figured out she really wanted the fat fuck back. That’s right, the dude that treated her like shit! I suspected then, I never meant anything to her at all, and I was just being used. I think I might be the first guy in history to be out of the friend zone and put right back in because he wasn’t good enough in bed. Then she tells me about a one night stand she has. When I ask her why she’s telling me, especially seeing as though she knew how I felt about her, she said she just had to tell someone.” Ryan gave a tsk, tsk sound. “F Y I, wrong thing to say to a guy whose heart you don’t care about breaking.”

  Lauren suddenly realised where this long-winded sob story was going, what he was trying to tell her. “You killed her?”

  “Filmed the whole thing. It was a kind of a nice little epilogue to the video diaries I’d done. It took me weeks, but I finally confessed to my best mate what I’d done. He didn’t believe me, so I sent him the video. Instead of turning me in, he asked me to do the same thing to a chick that had broken his heart. He wanted to see her burn and would pay me a thousand dollars. The rest, as they say, is history. The videos were put online, and more and more people took notice, thinking they were fake or torture porn. Some realised what the go was, and offered me jobs. Girls wanting me to go after their cheating exes, or the girls they cheated with. Who hasn’t wanted to hurt the person that hurt them? But then the requests became more specific and colourful, as did my clients. My eyes were opened up to a world within ours. The money got better and better, and here we are. A life time of stories to tell.”

  “Oh, yeah? And what are your stories about me?” Lauren changed tacks, trying to play up to his ego. Her head, though still aching, was starting to clear now Did he drug me? and she had to do whatever she could to get out of here.

  Ryan was suddenly excited. “You were my best. I’ve had bondage requests before. And some pretty gruesome S&M. I had a viewer pay just to see a girl kept tied up until she starved once. I faked that one though. Once she passed out and looked pretty dead, I sold her to my current ‘artists’. They helped me out for a portion of the proceeds when I got some recent requests in which people wanted to see a hot chick get fed on while having sex. Coincidentally, this group of artists wanted to feed on a girl while she was having sex. Bonus! I filmed everything for the site with this,” he said, pointing his thumb to the camera. “And filmed the
parts I wanted you to see with the phone. Notice how you never saw any higher than your stomach?” Ryan chuckled. “Your body was a bit of a mess most nights, which was a trip to watch on replay, because you can’t see the fuckers through a lens. You’d see bite marks on your neck being made and opened up from nothing, blood pouring out and scratches running across your tits.” He chuckled incredulously. “I needed to keep my show going, so they glamour you to forget, luckily one of them could, and then we’d all have another go in a couple of days. Sometimes I wasn’t sure it was going to work. I didn’t think anyone could scream that hard and actually forget the pain they were in. Man, three guys feeding on you at once, while getting fucked.” He shook his head in what seemed to be amazed appreciation. “But still, they healed you up, and even though it wore off a bit tonight, the glamouring worked well enough. You earned me a shit-load of money, and for that I thank you. The website has gotten loads of hits and has now been noticed by the right, shall we say, people. Why just yesterday, Julian Kent contacted me with the names of a couple who want a child. My luck just keeps getting better and better. Bad guys finish first, see? And while women are as fucked in the head like you are, they always will.”

  Lauren watched Ryan’s crazed monologue and realised in that moment there would be no getting out of this. “You’re gonna let some people kidnap me? You fucking psychopath.”