Night Things: The Monster Collection

by West, Terry M.

  Hanson and his remaining sons stood up. "This is a private meeting, friend," Hanson said.

  "Friend?" the vampire said, in a thick Romanian accent. "I am not your friend. I haven't come here to make friends."

  "Listen, you ugly prick. We are sick to death of you prissy European fuckers coming to New York to show us what's what and expecting us to follow you blindly," Hanson continued. "I lost a son today and I am in no mood to hear your bullshit."

  The vampire sneered, and then he grabbed Hanson's son, Benny, taking his head so quickly that Hanson felt the wind from it, but never actually saw it.

  Hanson stared to the floor at his headless child and he felt weak and sick.

  The old vampire pitched Benny's head away and drew close to Hanson. "Sit the fuck down and be silent, or your losses will continue," he said, motioning to Hanson's last surviving son, Tracy.

  Hanson and Tracy eased back into their seats. The old vampire regarded the rest that were still standing.

  "All of you, sit the fuck down!" he ordered.

  They obeyed quickly.

  "I admire courage, but you must never offend me," the vampire explained. "If you do, I will destroy you, your children, and your maker. I will obliterate your house. Do you understand?"

  They all nodded, fearfully.

  "Good. I am obviously from a different time and maybe I am out of touch, but there are certain things that are fundamental to our species. I have heard that in the great battle in December- Z Day, the humans call it -that you associated yourselves with other creatures. Let me be clear about this. We do not work with shifters or zombies. They are beneath us."

  "That wasn't our choice. That was Dracula. He tried to unify us all against the humans," Hanson explained.

  "That sounds like him," the vampire said. "I know Dracula well. He was my brother. We both drank the black blood at the same time. I was as powerful as he, but he often left me out of things. We could have worked together and crushed humanity, but we had different philosophies. The fool wanted adulation and worship. But I rule on one simple thing that is far more effective than brainwashing and positive reinforcement. It is called fear. Betray me, and I will destroy you. Fail me, and I will destroy you."

  "Who are you?" Hanson asked.

  The vampire shot a glare at Hanson. "You do not know? I am the true and only Nosferatu. I am the bird of death and the master of the plague rats. I am Orlock. Dracula was a pretender to the throne. I am the one who was intended to rule the night. And I will show my brother how it is done."

  "Dracula is dead," a female vampire advised quietly.

  Orlock scoffed. "Do you know how many times I have heard that proclamation throughout the centuries? My brother may be an egomaniacal buffoon, but he never stays dead."

  Orlock paused and looked thoughtfully around the room. He picked a vampire at random. "Stand."

  The vampire rose, nervously.

  "Who is in charge?" Orlock asked.

  "Um, we haven't really chosen a leader for this group."

  "Chosen a leader?" Orlock said, incredulously. "A leader isn't chosen. A leader takes command and destroys any who oppose his will. Let's expand beyond this room. Who rules New York City?"

  "Johnny Stücke?"

  Another blur faster than even vampire eyes could follow and the group was down another member. Orlock threw the head against the wall and it left a smear.

  He angrily motioned to the scar on his face. "Do you see this? Johnny Stücke gave me this gift when he was Dracula's dog. He was called Primul then. But you need only call him enemy. I am ashamed of all of you, for taking his rahat. That is why I am here. To make you real vampires. To show you your true potential."

  Orlock approached a female vampire and motioned for her to stand.

  "Who rules New York City?" he asked again.

  After carefully considering it, she uttered, with a fearful grimace, "Orlock?"

  Orlock smiled and nodded favorably. "Good! Sit."

  The vampire sat so hard and fast that she toppled her chair.

  "Now I ask you all, who rules New York City?" he said, his voice booming.

  A mixed cry of You and Orlock shook the room.

  "Bun," he said approvingly. "Let me tell you how things will be. Our greatest strength in the past was superstition. Skeptics tasted sweeter than bomboane. But now the humans know we are here. Continue to exist as you have. Follow their rules. Don't give the black blood to just anyone. Dracula's attitude of ask and you shall receive ends tonight. Pick only the most powerful to turn. Those who will benefit our race. I will be watching who you choose, and there will be consequences for polluting our bloodline. We will build an army stronger than Dracula's."

  "Mr. Orlock, sir," Hanson said, broaching the subject gently. "Dracula tried to wage a war. It failed."

  "We are not rushing to war. I am not reckless like my brother. I know our chances, given how weak the new world vampires are. When you fear failure more than death, we will be ready. What I intend to do will take an extensive period. But we live forever, da? Our goal at this moment is to grow our numbers and convince the humans we are no threat."

  "What about Johnny Stücke?" Hanson asked.

  Orlock looked crossly at Hanson. He clicked his nails but didn't take the vampire's head. "I have plans for him. I will take everything from Johnny Stücke and destroy him myself. When the time is right."

  21.

  Grabbing it with Both Hands

  Earlier in the night…

  Stücke's driver dropped me off at Herbert's building. The chauffer let me know that he would wait in the car until I was ready to leave.

  Herbert buzzed me into his building. He must have spent a fortune on the bars, locks, sensors, and security videos. He had explained that he didn't need a homeless person wandering into his lab.

  I took the steel stairs to the upper floor of the industrial warehouse and found Herbert in his lab. He was peering down a microscope.

  "Welcome back," he said, standing and acknowledging me with a soft smile. I had expected more cheer from him. But I could tell the man tried to keep a tight grip on his emotions.

  "Hey, no prison can hold Carol Haddon," I joked.

  Behind Herbert, the zombies were loudly pressed against a wall. Though he had the blinds closed, they still sensed us and raged.

  "How do you get any work done with that?"

  Herbert shrugged. "You get used to it. So, how was your dinner with Johnny Stücke?"

  "Interesting," I said. "He's letting me stay at his building. He has set up a room for me."

  Herbert paused and I could tell that he was choosing his words carefully. "I have known Johnny Stücke a long time. He has done very well managing that beastly anger of his. But you have to remember that if he is provoked, it can be a scary and dangerous ordeal."

  "I'm not naïve, Herbert," I said. "I know he has a checkered history. But he is trying to change things, and I have to support that."

  "It's just that this is all happening very fast. I don't want it to overwhelm you," Herbert said.

  "Life happens fast and it can change in a heartbeat," I said. "I have to embrace this all with both hands or I'll go crazy."

  Herbert nodded. "You are my friend. I just want your best interests served."

  "I appreciate that, Herbert," I said. "I really do. But you were the one who brought Stücke into my life."

  "It was the only way to keep you from being destroyed at Z Station. I didn't want to involve Johnny in this. But I had no choice."

  "I was in trouble and you called the only person you felt could help. Johnny is involved now."

  Herbert sighed. "Do you mind if I take some blood?"

  I took off my jacket and presented my arm to him.

  "I won't be able to take it from there," Herbert said, grabbing the largest hypodermic needle I had ever seen. "I'll have to pull it directly from your heart. Your blood doesn't circulate like it used to."

  "Oh, shit. That needle is huge,"
I said, anticipating a great deal of pain.

  "You won't feel any discomfort," Herbert promised. "Please take off your blouse."

  I did and Herbert aimed the needle below my bra.

  "You aren’t going to use an alcohol swab?" I asked.

  Herbert looked at me, amused. "Are you afraid of an infection, Carol?"

  I chuckled and shook my head.

  He pushed the needle between my ribs and found my heart. I felt the intrusion, but no pain. He filled the tube with the thickest, darkest blood I had ever seen. Then he withdrew it.

  "You can button up," he said, taking the chamber off, capping it, and marking it with a pen.

  "What are you going to do with it?" I asked.

  "I'm going to try and develop a serum based on your blood. And then I will test it and see if I can recreate the results of your transition."

  Herbert put my blood in a small freezer and regarded me. "There isn't much else to do tonight. Come back tomorrow, and we will run more tests."

  "Okay. Have a good night," I said, starting to leave.

  "Carol," Herbert called after me. "Remember what I said. Watch your back."

  "I always do," I assured Herbert.

  ***

  It was late when I returned to my new home. Johnny wasn't around for our promised nightcap, so I settled in and slept.

  The next morning, I found the gym two floors below me. It would be the first workout I had since my death, and I was curious to see how my body would respond to exercise. I entered, dressed in my sweats, and I saw Abraham Janvier and Holly Hack in a boxing ring.

  They both gripped wooden sparring swords. Holly was panting and sweating in a corner and Abraham stood in the center of the ring. "Come at me again, Holly," he encouraged the girl.

  Holly caught her breath, and then she charged, screaming like a demon and swinging the wooden sword. Abraham easily evaded her attack and smacked the back of her head with the sword as she went past him.

  Holly winced, stopped, and rubbed her head.

  "You are wasting all of your energy before you even engage your opponent," Abraham chided her. "Conserve your strength. Center yourself. Let the enemy come to you and respond accordingly."

  Abraham's eyes drifted to me. He looked back down to Holly. "That is enough for today. We will continue tomorrow."

  Holly climbed out of the ring and walked toward the doors. She regarded me, and as I braced myself for apathy, she gave me a direct, "Good morning" as she passed.

  "Good morning Holly," I called back.

  Abraham climbed out of the ring and approached me.

  "I am sorry for what happened to you," he said.

  "Why? I'm not," I replied. "I guess you won't be taking me to the prom now, though."

  "I am not as fanatical as you think. Stücke has told me how important and special you are."

  "How is the kid doing?" I said, tired of the chosen one bullshit spreading around the building.

  "She has potential. Once she manages her emotional responses, she could prove quite formidable. You could help."

  "No, I wouldn't be a good teacher," I said.

  "You hold a fourth degree black belt. Many your age rarely rise above second or third degree."

  "Kempo encourages the perfect balance of health, lifestyle, and self-control. I have never chased belts. It's not about the destination, it is about the dedication," I explained. "You could put the highest degree attainable on me. It doesn't mean that I would be a good instructor. Or that the art would be appropriate for Holly. She needs to find a discipline that speaks to her. Like I did."

  "That is true," Abraham said. He motioned with his hands. "The gym is yours."

  He left, and my eyes ran over the most expensive training equipment money could buy.

  "Happy Hanukah, you lucky bitch," I muttered to myself.

  I didn't know if my muscles would truly benefit from the machines and weights now at my disposal. But I hit them hard anyway.

  ***

  It was the first time that I didn't need a shower after a grueling workout. I hadn't tired or sweated. Nothing was sore or strained. If the timer on my phone hadn't gone off, I could have worked out forever.

  But I had to be in Jersey late that afternoon, so I went to my room. Lunch was waiting for me. Raw meat arranged in a smiley face under a silver serving tray parked at my door. I think Victor had a crush.

  I went inside and decided to take my meals in private from that moment on since I had no control over the viciousness of my appetite. The meat face was gone quickly and I licked the red juice from the plate. I considered ringing Victor for seconds.

  There was a knock at my door. I opened it and Holly greeted me. "Hello," she said. She had showered and changed her clothes.

  "Hi," I said.

  "Johnny told me you were a counselor. That people told you their problems and you tried to help them feel better."

  "Yes. I dealt mostly with Night Things, but I am certified to help anyone."

  "Can I talk to you?" Holly said, demurely.

  "Of course. Get in here."

  I guided Holly to the couch and sat next to her. "What's going on?"

  "I'm sorry I was rude when we met," Holly said. "It's hard to meet new people sometimes. Especially Night Things."

  "Apology accepted. And there wasn't anything unusual about your response to me. It is okay to be distrustful."

  "The only one I trust is Johnny," Holly said. "Because he promised my daddy he would protect me. And he doesn't break his promises. Did Johnny tell you about my dad?"

  "Yes, he did. I'm sorry he died."

  "Me too. I was mad at him. But I didn't want that."

  "You know you can't take it personally, Holly. Right? Your dad loved you. But sometimes we can have all of the love in the world and still be miserable. Whatever haunted your father, it was something deep inside of him. He couldn't be saved. But that doesn't mean he didn't care for you."

  "The last time I saw him, I told him I hated him. But it wasn't my father I hated. It was the man he'd turned into. Johnny said he was trying be good. That eventually, I would forgive him. But Daddy didn't give me a chance to. He died knowing that I hated him. More than anything else."

  "You wanted to punish him. He had to have known it would take a long time to make things between you and he better. But again, what happened to him wasn't your fault."

  "I was at the movies last night, and I saw him. I was waiting for popcorn and he was outside. He looked so sad. Like he wanted to tell me something. But it was weird. Because he wasn't the man I'd told I hated. He was my daddy before the drugs and bad things came into his life. When I was little, my daddy was smart and funny. He was sad sometimes, but he was always there for me. He told me I was his best friend."

  "Maybe he's still looking out for you," I said, convinced that she had merely seen a person who resembled her father. Somewhere inside, the girl had a desire to make peace with the man. This was her way of thinking she still had a chance to.

  "Maybe," Holly said.

  I could see that she had an urge to cry, but she fought it madly.

  "It is okay if you want to cry," I encouraged.

  Holly bit it back. "No. No it isn't."

  There was a deep, dark wisdom on her face that shouldn't have been there.

  "I'm surrounded by men with guns to protect me. Because I am Gary Hack's daughter, and the Night Things will never forgive him. But one day, I'm going to be strong enough to protect myself. And nothing is ever going to hurt me or make me cry again."

  ***

  I found Johnny in his study. He was sitting behind a desk and read over notes. A cigar went ignored in his hand.

  I rapped on the door. "Hey. Glass said I could find you here."

  Johnny smiled and put the folder aside. He motioned to the cigar. "Should I put this out?"

  "No. I don't think second hand smoke is an issue for me now."

  Johnny took a puff and motioned to the chair at his desk.


  "I am sorry I wasn't around last night," he explained. "I issued a brief statement about the shelter attack, but I have a more detailed press conference to arrange. I had to meet with my speech writer for a midnight prep session."