by D McEntire
It became a sit and wait game for what seemed like an eternity before a nurse entered the room. Without warning, the woman held her nose and ripped the long tubing out of her nostril with one hard pull. The shock jolted Marie to the core. She opened her mouth in a cry of pain, but there was no sound.
When the nurse vacated the curtained-off room, movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she sucked in a breath. Marie’s grandmother stood beside the bed, looking down at her. Sorrow shimmered in the depths of the woman’s eyes.
She wore a beautiful pink suit with a matching hat and white gloves. A small purse lay over her arm. She was dressed as if going on a Sunday drive.
“Grandma. It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you,” Marie whispered, blinking away the hot tears stinging her eyes.
“You shut me out. I could no longer reach you until now. Your guard is down, so I was able to slip in.”
Marie could hear bitterness in her grandmother’s voice.
“I’m sorry, Grandma. I couldn’t take the pain anymore.”
Marie’s grandmother patted her hand. “I understand, sweetheart. Although it hurt, I understand, and you need to believe you’re not crazy. The man in your dreams is real, and he needs your help.”
Marie waited as her grandmother glanced around the room.
“It seems after the stunt you pulled, it will have to wait, which is actually for the best. Right now it’s not safe, but soon you’ll have a window of opportunity to get to him.”
Confused by her grandmother’s comments, Marie frowned. “Grandma, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Her grandmother ignored Marie’s questions as she glanced at the watch dangling on her wrist. “Time for me to go. We’ll talk later.” In a flash, Marie’s grandmother was gone.
“I hate it when she does that.”
The sound of someone clearing his throat made her freeze. Marie had forgotten the cop standing in the corner. “Great, now they will really think I am crazy.”
Present…
Marie shook her head at the memory of her grandmother’s sudden reappearance in her life. The moment had been both joyful and unsettling. She had been glad to hear she was not crazy. Her head had not conjured those images. But the realization a man was truly suffering out there had been a hard pill to swallow. His salvation, according to her grandmother, was now in her hands.
“Talk about having the weight of the world on your shoulders,” she muttered and scrubbed her face with both hands. She had been relieved when the policeman had removed the handcuffs and told her she was not under arrest. But, her attempt at suicide had not gone without consequence. She had ended up here.
“Ms. DeVeux.”
The sound of her name being called made Marie turn toward the door. One of the staff stood in the entryway, glancing around the room before her gaze finally settled on Marie. The recollection of an appointment scheduled for today with the committee to decide her fate increased her heart rate. She fought down the panic threatening to overcome her and ruin any chance of success.
Her doctor had recommended her release. Though far from the truth, she had told him the visions and dreams had stopped. In actuality, they had become increasingly vivid. Each episode had a sense of urgency, which became more and more compelling. She didn't need her grandmother to tell her the man didn’t have much time remaining.
Though it had shamed her to think such a thing, at one point she’d told herself if the man died she could get her life back to normal. Her grandmother had squelched the thought immediately. Marie had heard her grandmother in her head loud and clear. The man’s life wasn’t the only thing at stake. Her sanity was also in jeopardy. There was a good chance her mental wellbeing hinged on the outcome. She needed to get out of here. She needed to find him before it was too late—for both of them.
As the nurse approached, Marie nervously unwound the band of her ponytail holder, pulled the strands tight, and rewrapped the cotton ring around the thick, brown mass. She took a moment to make sure her shirt and pants were presentable before following the woman through the security doors and down the hall to the room where the committee waited.
Two men and a woman were seated at a table. Her doctor sat off to the side. The nurse led Marie to a chair in front of the committee where she sat and clasped her trembling hands in her lap. As she waited for the questions to begin, she hoped she would give all the right answers.
Chapter Two
The door opened soundlessly, but Kern’s senses were on full alert. He had smelled the human’s approach before the man had even laid his hand on the doorknob. After several long months held in the little room, much of it spent chained to the wall, he had become well aware of his captor’s scent.
Kern peered through his eyelashes as though asleep and watched the man’s movements. Holding himself still, he waited for the opportunity to strike.
He had endured grueling tests and torture that would have killed a normal man, but Kern was not a normal man. He was a Watcher—a vampire warrior whose duty was to protect innocent humans and vampires against the Rogues.
The man entered the room slowly, stopping several feet outside of Kern’s reach. Kern could feel the human’s stare as his captor scrutinized him from head to toe.
“Vampire, I know you are awake. I haven’t put you out for quite some time, and I’m certain the last tranquilizer I gave you has worn off.”
Kern could not hold back the contempt he held deep within his soul. Never before had he wished another man dead, unless the man was a Rogue. Letting out a slow hiss, he raised his head and glared at the human.
“You will release me,” he growled, only to hear the man laugh. Kern was humiliated. A well-trained Watcher, a vampire, captured by humans. It was unthinkable.
A smug smile formed on the man’s face. “I’m not done with you yet. There are still many things I wish to know, and I’ve only scratched the surface. So don’t try your mind compulsion on me, because it won’t work. The drugs I’ve kept circulating throughout your system are designed to keep your thoughts fuzzy and your body weak.”
He chuckled. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard to Kern’s ears.
“I see it has been working well.”
“Who are you, and why are you doing this?” Kern had asked this question many times. Though he never received an answer, it hadn’t stopped him from asking. There was no fathomable reason for his capture and endless torture.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to answer your questions since you won’t be with me much longer.”
Kern knew the man would kill him at some point, so the declaration came as no surprise. Death no longer mattered. He wanted this over—an end to his suffering.
“I’m Dr. Pearson,” the man said, moving to lean against the wall, well out of Kern’s reach. “You have been most helpful in my study of vampires and how to rid the world of your kind.”
The man practically spat out the last sentence. Hard lines on his face and the anger seething in his eyes bore witness to his contempt for the vampire race.
“You are killers—an abomination of nature—and I plan to stop as many of you as possible. Knowing more about you and how you can be brought down will help me. I don’t care if it takes until my last breath, all of you will die.”
Kern narrowed his eyes and stared at the man. Everything inside of him screamed to have this man’s throat beneath his hands as he ripped the human apart.
“Your last breath may come sooner than you think, Doctor.”
Dr. Pearson’s smile abruptly left his face, replaced by an overly confident sneer.
“So sure of yourself, vampire? I don’t see you getting anywhere near me.”
The return of the man’s cocky smile as he pointed at the chains and cuffs tethering Kern’s hands and feet to the wall ramped the warrior’s anger by several notches. He didn’t think it was possible to become even more enraged than during these past months. It was the truth the
man spoke about the chains that made Kern want to lose control and roar. But, he kept himself still, holding on to what little reserve he possessed. He would not give the man the satisfaction. He would not become the monster the man believed he was.
Thick, heavy manacles clasped his wrists and ankles while reinforced steel chains restricted his movements. Subjected to constant drugging and long bouts of starvation, he didn’t have the strength to make even the slightest bend in the metal, but that didn’t stop him from trying.
Kern fists were clenched so tightly he smelled his own blood as it welled beneath his fingernails embedded in his palms. He knew his eyes were a blaze of red for his inner demon wanted revenge, retribution.
The doctor shifted from the wall and brandished a dart gun. Kern didn’t have to guess what was going to happen next. The sting of the darts hitting his chest shook him. The room swam, then slowly receded into darkness.
Marie stepped out the front door of the hospital and inhaled deeply, thankful for the fresh air. Dry leaves rustled in the wind. Her hair blew about her face, but she didn’t mind. The breeze was a welcome respite from her six-week stay behind the hospital’s brick walls.
Leaves swirled in a circle, encompassed in a mini-whirlwind. The sight brought a smile to Marie’s face. As it rolled past, a sense of peace drifted over her, sweeping away the remnants of confinement in the musty old building. Freedom. The word actually had meaning to her now. She had missed her freedom.
The daily routine of having to down doses of mind-numbing medications, being told when to return to your room, when to sleep, when to get up, when to eat and when to sit in the boring Day Room had been aggravating. At any moment she had expected to be lined up and walked down the hall for a restroom break as if they were kindergarteners. Oooh. Oooh. Can I be hall monitor, Mrs. Parker?
The wind picked up. This time leaves blew directly at her face. Glancing skyward, she noticed the approach of thick, dark clouds. She needed to get moving. It was time to begin her journey.
Marie opened the plastic bag one of the hospital staff had provided. All the belongings she’d had with her lay inside. A manila envelope sat on top, its corners creased and bent. Her doctor had given it to her with the rest of her things. Her parents had made only one visit during her stay. They had left the envelope with instructions to give it to her upon her release.
Before leaving the doctor’s office, Marie had opened the envelope. The money inside had not been a surprise. In fact, she had expected it and recognized the gift as silent advice—returning home was no longer an option.
They had never understood, Marie thought grimly as she shoved the envelope to the bottom of the bag. Even when she had told them of things she couldn’t possibly have known.
Her grandmother had not been her only visitor from beyond. The woman had occasionally brought other relatives along. Marie’s room had often become a family reunion at which she had been the only living guest at the party.
Drops of rain began to fall, slowly at first, then becoming heavier. Thankfully, Marie noticed a bus approaching. The marquee listed its destination as Downtown Mall, which was where she wanted to go. Holding her bag tightly, she ran to the curb and waited, and as soon as the doors opened, stepped inside.
Sloshing through the rain-laden streets, the bus acquired and deposited passengers. Marie spent the time gazing out the window, peering through the lines of water cascading down the outside of the glass.
As the bus pulled to a stop at a traffic light, a blurred form caught her attention. Quickly, she wiped away the fog from the glass, leaned closer and gasped. The man from her dreams stood transfixed, staring at her with stricken eyes. The silent admonishment squeezed her heart. Her failure to recognize the dreams and visions were real, important, even a matter of life and death, had only served to cause them both more pain.
Marie glanced at the people around him and was stunned no one else seemed to notice the statuesque figure wearing only a pair of cotton drawstring pants. No shirt, coat or shoes covered his body.
When the bus jerked forward, Marie blinked several times before her gaze refocused on the scene outside the window. He was gone. The loss of his image was as bad as the expression he had held on his face. Rubbing her temples to ease the ache forming behind her eyes, she let out a long, slow breath.
Bright lights from the mall’s parking lot came into view. Marie grasped her bag and waited while the bus pulled to a stop outside the main entrance. Covering her head with the bag, she dashed down the steps and dodged puddles until she reached the glass doors. The need for waterproof boots quickly made its way to the top of her mental shopping list.
Soft music emanated from speakers set in various locations throughout the mall. Silver and white snowflakes hung from the ceiling, gently swaying in the breeze coming from vents in the air ducts. Marie approached an elaborately decorated stage set in the middle of the atrium. Surrounding the structure were Christmas trees and fake snow. Plastic reindeer stood at attention—a few on the stage while others adorned the area below.
The words Winterland Fantasy hung above a large chair positioned at center stage. Marie watched as an overweight man stepped out from a miniature log cabin amidst cheers and applause from the crowd.
A long line had formed before the bearded man in the red suit made his appearance. Parents were waiting patiently, though most of the children were not so understanding. Marie saw excitement on their faces and in their eyes as they waited for their chance to sit on the man’s lap and recite the list of toys wanted for Christmas.
Listening to a small girl attempt to whisper her wish list, Marie brought her hand to her mouth to cover a giggle. She observed the tot nervously chew on a finger and nod each time the man in red asked a question. The child’s innocence and the love in the wide smile on her mother’s face was a stark contrast to her own childhood. Her own smile quickly faded with the thought, and she turned away from the joyous scene.
Marie stepped through the entrance of a major department store. Everything glittery and bright was strategically placed to capture the customer’s attention immediately. They all but screamed holiday gifts.
Her heart ached at the thought of the upcoming holidays. She had no plans for Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Those holidays would be spent alone unless her grandmother made an appearance.
With a mental scowl, Marie told herself it did not matter anymore. Her family had turned their backs on her as if she had a contagious disease they were afraid to catch.
But there was one shining light Marie held deep within her heart, and that light kept her going—the love of her grandmother. She was visiting Marie again, and although it seemed to be only on the older woman’s own terms, Marie did not feel so alone.
Walking through the department store, Marie did her best to ignore the beautiful jewelry calling to her. Sterling silver was her favorite. Instead, she made a beeline for the outerwear department where she picked out a pair of warm gloves and a knit cap before making her way to the shoe department. Another favorite, she thought. One can never have too many shoes.
Marie smiled to herself. At one time, she’d had so many shoes in her closet, her over-the-door shoe rack suffered a dire injury. Royally breaching the maximum capacity had bent the metal frame, rendering it useless, not to mention creating a major shoe avalanche. The recollection made her laugh softly as she lifted a pair of well-insulated Timberland boots from the shelf. For what she planned, she wanted to keep her feet warm and dry.
After picking out a roomy backpack, several pairs of heavy socks, underwear, bras, blue jeans, T-shirts, a thick sweatshirt and a waterproof jacket with a zip-out liner, she was ready to go.
Not caring the purchases had siphoned a big chunk out of her funds, Marie vowed to make do and turned her thoughts to her impending journey.
Dr. Pearson studied the vampire slumped against the wall. After making sure the creature was unconscious, he reached into his pocket and pressed a button on a hand-held re
mote control.
The remote was linked to a mechanism that contracted and released the chains holding the vampire. He was planning to take a little holiday. Dr. Pearson started not to allow enough length to reach the toilet, but decided against it. He hated the creatures, but couldn’t bring himself to be that cruel. Another thought came to mind. Since the vampire would not be fed or given water for at least a week, or longer if he chose to extend his vacation, the killer would have to sink to the level of using the toilet to quench his thirst, and that suited him just fine.
The doctor chuckled, relishing the idea of bringing down a creature who thought itself above humans because it was stronger and faster. They preyed upon people, using them as fodder, and he planned to put a stop to it. No one would ever have to suffer the loss of a loved one to these beasts again. No one would have to feel the pain he knew all too well.
He had been working hard these past eight months and was looking forward to a vacation, though it would be somewhat of a working vacation. He would be meeting two men in Colorado with whom he had been corresponding through emails. The men believed in the existence of vampires, and he wanted to get them on his side working to eliminate the demons from society.
“Happy Holidays,” he drawled, then turned and strolled out the door, locking it behind him as he left. Scanning the lab, he wanted to be certain nothing was turned on which could cause a fire or alert anyone of the lab’s existence. Satisfied all was well, he headed through the tunnel leading to the old Military Hospital.
Kern awoke with a sour taste in his mouth and with the room spinning slightly. The doctor had tranquilized him. Anger boiled inside at his defenselessness against the doctor’s drugs. Most drugs had no affect on vampires, but the doctor had found something with a high enough dosage to incapacitate his kind.
