by Shook, J. E.
Reginald sniffed the air. 'That must be him,' he thought, feeling his fangs begin to slide down. 'Got to move or the scent will mingle.' He strode back out onto the street and began to walk quickly with light steps. His ears took in every sound within one hundred yards, filtering each in an instant. He could hear a man shouting at the television ten stories up because his team was losing. He could hear a pair of dogs mating in an alley as he passed by. He heard a car being cranked on the next street. He heard no clues to the man he was chasing.
Luckily as he came to another street corner, the scent became stronger. Reginald leaned towards the wall and sniffed. He smiled. "He leaned here to catch his breath. I've got him!' He began to sniff around a perimeter but was interrupted when he heard a garbage can fall over in the vicinity. Instinctively, Reginald darted off towards the sound.
The second street over had small houses lined all along it facing the Soares River. As Reginald walked out of an alley onto the street, he heard a man nearby swearing under his breath and the sounds of garbage being handled. He walked along the sidewalk, huddled near the fence to where he could stay mostly out of sight. His steps made no noise as he walked.
Soon, the scent and noise intensified. Reginald glanced over the fence and saw a man standing a garbage can upright, still swearing under his breath. Reginald noticed that the light blue purse under his arm contrasted with his dark clothes. Reginald sniffed deeply one last time. 'That's definitely him,' he thought, feeling a surge of strength flow through him. Without hesitating, he leaped over the fence and knocked the man down as he began to climb the steps to his porch. With a thunk, the man's head hit the steps and quit moving.
Reginald felt his blood freeze. "Did I kill him?" muttered, looking around. He reached down and felt of the man's pulse. Though it was faint, it was steady. Reginald let out a relieved sigh.
"Umm, what do I do now?" he wondered out loud. "If he wakes up and just goes about his business, then I've made no difference. I've got to keep him from getting away." Reginald stood there another few moments. "This isn't perfect, but it will have to do."
Glancing around another time, Reginald took off the man's coat and tied one sleeve around his right wrist. Hoisting the thief up against the porch, he looped the coat through the iron railing along the side of the porch. With the man's arm stretched completely back, he twisted the coat and tied the other sleeve to the man's left wrist, securing him in place.
"That should hold him for a while, I think," Reginald said, looking over his handiwork. He stood there for another moment before shaking his head. "One more thing to do." He reached into the man's pockets and fumbled around until he found the cell phone he was certain was there. After taking a deep breath, he dialed 911 and waited for a response.
"Hello, 911, please state your emergency," a woman's voice came over the other end.
"Umm, uh," he started, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and spoke in a deeper voice. "There is a man tied up at one four one near the corner of Rolfe and Matai streets. I am certain that he has stolen property." Before the woman could say anything else he canceled the call. Smiling to himself, he tossed the phone back down on the ground in front of the man. 'I think I've done something good,' he thought to himself.
The thief groaned and slowly shook his head. "What happened?" he asked, forcing his eyes open. He tried to rub the grogginess from his eyes, but he couldn't move his arms. "What the hell?" he said, looking over his shoulders to see his arms tied. He struggled to get free but the knots were too tight. He looked all around him but saw no one.
"Who did this? Come out!" he shouted. I'll get you for this! You won't escape me!" He noticed the dropped purse several feet away. He began to struggle even more intensely. As the phone began ringing in front of him, he began to swear louder as the knot dug in deeper as he struggled. He finally gave up the struggle once a policeman found him several minutes later.
Reginald could hear his heart beating in his ears. 'I can't believe I did that, I can't believe I did that,' he kept repeating in his mind. He looked at his hands and noticed they were shaking intensely. He balled them into fists and stuck them in his pockets, but he couldn't stop the shaking. He saw the frozen breath coming out in a constant stream as he walked forward. "I've got to calm down," he muttered.
He was walking along the street by the river as a police car passed. A huge smile broke out on his face. 'What if he's going to arrest him?' he thought. Reginald struggled to keep his giddy laughter contained. He noticed the entrance to Midnight Storage ahead of him. 'I can collect my thoughts there.' He increased his pace. The place was empty as it normally was at night. He steadied his hands enough to open his compartment. He breathed deeply as he stepped inside. He lit a candle and sat down at his desk.
"I think I did the right thing," he said to the empty room. "If everyone only keeps looking out for themselves, nothing will ever change." He looked at the cramped room. "If I don't do this, I won't ever change." His eyes slowly drifted through the room. "So many memories. So many happy ones. So many sad ones. So many regrets." His eyes lingered for a long time on a sword mounted on the wall. After a minute, he walked over to it.
The sword was resting in an old wooden mount. It was three feet long and made of bright steel. The cross-guard was made of gold and the handle was made of ivory. Reginald ran his fingers up and down to blade, feeling the cold metal with his fingertips. He gripped the handle and lifted it easily from the wall. Holding it up, he saw the candlelight glimmering on its blade. He struggled to keep from shedding a tear as a distant memory flooded his mind.
Reginald felt a powerful force collide with his blade, sending him backwards into the hard ground behind him. His entire body was filled with pain, while blood dripped from scratches all over. His breathing came out ragged as he tried to keep conscious. He felt like he close to death.
"Get up," he heard his father say. After he didn't move, the words were repeated. "Get up."
Reginald tried to push himself up, but fell facedown into the dirt. He groaned as the dirt rubbed into his wounds. He tried again, but had no luck.
"You are one of the vampire, Reginald," his father said. "You were not made to lie in the mud like the filth you came from. Get up."
Reginald just lay there, struggling to breath. After a moment he heard footsteps approaching. He managed to turn his head enough to see the feet of his father standing directly in front of him.
"You have three seconds to move," his father said. "After that, you are no true son of mine, nor will you ever be. You will be a mistake I shall ignore forever."
Reginald felt tears begin to stream down his cheeks as he pushed with all of his might to stand. After what felt like an eternity of struggle, he felt his arms go limp and he crashed once more. Before he could move again, he felt a powerful pain explode in his guts. He began to convulse as the pain grew worse.
"Anthony!" he heard his mother scream.
"If you wish to keep your son, then see to his wounds quickly. I will return in several weeks," his father said.
"Mother," Reginald gasped, his vision beginning to blur.
"Hold on, Reginald," his mother said, rushing to his side. Reginald screamed as she pulled the sword from his back and flung it to the ground beside him. His screams echoed through the forest as he slowly lost consciousness.
"Why?" Reginald asked, laying his hand on his stomach. There was no scar showing the severe trauma, except for the memory. "You truly did hate me, but why?" He stared at the glimmering sword. He slashed and stabbed with it several times, feeling the wind and hearing sound as the sword cut the air. He smiled sadly. "You gave up teaching, but I watched from the shadows. I learned more than you think. I just have to hope I can put the knowledge to practice."
He looked over and saw the red and blue flannel jacket from before lying on a chair. He looked at his watch and took in a deep breath. "Just past midnight. This night is far from over."
He reached behind a nearby
dresser and pulled out a leather-bound sheath that was attached to a strap. He smiled as he heard the scraping of metal against metal as he put the sword in the sheath it was made for. He slung it over his shoulder, feeling the weight of the sword on his back. He grabbed the coat and put it on over the sheath, covering everything but the grip that stuck out from the collar. He took out a battered gray cap from a drawer and placed it on his head.
"I need something to help cover my face," he said, looking all around the room. He saw a dark blue handkerchief on a table. "I could, but that would make me look like quite the bandit." He continued to look. His eyes stopped on a helmet on a shelf toward the back of the room. "Overkill and horrible visibility." He sighed and grabbed the handkerchief after another minute of looking. "This will do for now. I'll try to find something better later." He wrapped the handkerchief over his face and securely tied it in the back. He glanced in a mirror and saw that it covered the lower half of his face while the cap shadowed his eyes. "That will do," he said, smiling.
Reginald stepped to the door and sighed. He reached up and felt of the hilt of the sword. "Tonight will change things for the better," he said, walking out into the night.
Chapter 8
A woman stepped out from her apartment into the cold night. She glanced up at the nearby streetlight. Noticing that it was flickering, she sighed. "Why can't they hurry up and fix the damn thing?" Carefully watching her footing, she walked towards her car. She fished out her keys and fumbled to unlock the door. As she pulled the door open, she felt someone roughly push her roughly into the side of the car. Before she could scream, she felt a hand clamp tightly over her mouth.
"Silence will keep you alive," a harsh voice said into her ear.
She struggled to twist her head around to see her attacker, but the pressure was increased, making her gasp in pain.
She felt something cold and hard brush against her temple. "Cooperate, and I won't have to use this."
The woman became completely still as she fought to keep her nerves steady. 'Oh, why me?' she thought to herself.
"This is a nice car," the voice said. "Let go the keys to my new ride, lady."
She let the car keys drop to the ground. Poking the gun into the small of her back, the thief bent over and picked them up. Smiling, he grabbed her purse. "I bet there's some good stuff in here too, right?"
'Really, why me?' she thought again. She gasped as she felt hands groping around her waist. "What are you doing?" she cried.
"Shh," the man said, putting the gun back to her head. "Just making sure you're not holding out on me. I'm not enjoying this, much." She felt him squeeze her buttock. Laughing, he slid his hand into her pocket and took out her phone. "Ah, not bad. This'll fetch some nice cash. Now turn around slowly to the wall. Keep your eyes down. If you look at me, I'll be the last person you see."
The woman eased around the dark sidewalk until she was facing the wall near her car. She hoped desperately for the sound of a passing car, but the streets were completely deserted. The man had picked his timing perfectly. She placed her hands on the wall and leaned her forehead against the cold bricks.
"Alright, just don't turn around and nothing bad will happen to you," the man said. As he turned to get in the car, he saw a man leaning against it. "Woah, where'd you come from?" he shouted, pointing his gun at the stranger.
"What? Are you playing games now?" the woman asked, anger creeping into her voice despite the fear.
"Shut up. You got a death wish, pal?" the thief asked as the stranger stepped closer. After a moment of silence, he said, "So you're choosing silence as your last words."
"You told me to shut up!" the woman cried. "Are you that deluded?"
"Woman, I said shut up!" the thief yelled, turning his gun towards her. Before another word could be spoken, the stranger leaped forward and sliced off the thief's trigger finger in one swing of his sword. He sputtered and gasped as the gun fell from his hand with a clatter.
"You will no longer carry such a deadly weapon in my city again," the stranger said calmly. "Remember this when you return to society. I will allow no one to harm others."
The thief fell down and scrambled backwards along the sidewalk on his backside. The woman finally turned around to see the spectacle taking place. She watched as her heroic stranger walked forward as the thief tried to keep away.
"Resistance will serve you little," the stranger said. "The cops are already on their way. You will serve your proper sentence."
The thief scooted another several feet before falling onto his back. She heard him sobbing as he gripped his hand to suppress the blood and the pain.
"Are you alright, ma'am?" the stranger asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said, walking forward. "Thank you, so much."
The stranger grunted as he sheathed his sword. He stepped over to the man and took the woman's keys, purse, and phone. Walking calmly to her, he handed them to her. "Here are your possessions."
Up close, she could tell little about him. His eyes were just glints underneath his cap and his face was covered by a bandanna like in the old westerns. "Who are you?"
The man seemed taken aback. "Umm," he uttered, trying to come up with some sort of response. He jerked as heard sirens in the distance. "When they get here, tell them what happened. Tell them that I'm a defenderd for the this city." He turned and started to run away, but stopped after a few steps. "Defender. I'm a defender."
Before she could say anything, he had already turned a corner. "Wait," she called sprinting to the corner and looking for him, but he was already out of sight. She turned and walked back towards her car as she heard sirens became closer. "Wow, this will be quite the story at work tomorrow," she said, seeing blue lights approaching from up the street.
Reginald leaned against a light pole several blocks away. 'Wow, I can't believe I missed the wrist, but I can't argue about the results,' he thought, letting a grin break out on his face. 'She was so grateful. Why haven't I been doing this all along?'
The smile remained plastered on his face as he kept walking up and down the streets. He kept his senses on full alert as he patrolled, hearing any sound and sensing any movement around him. There were several false alarms that he checked on. A girl was crying in her house because her boyfriend had left her to devote more time to video games. A brother and sister were having a fistfight a couple stories up on one street. Reginald climbed a fire escape to check and was impressed when she knocked the wind from her brother and claimed the remote. He believed a man was dying in some bushes in a park, but embarrassed the both of them when he realized the man had eaten something that disagreed with him. The sight and smell caused Reginald to retreat quickly.
He did have to stop several times and let his body relax. Vampires were built to hunt, but their bodies were made for finding prey quickly. Though heart attacks weren't a worry, intense and prolonged activity could make them feel weakened. After each rest, Reginald focused on violent images, letting his anger surge and bring him back to full power.
Reginald was walking by a row of apartments when he looked at his watch. "Wow, four thirty already," he said. "I better wrap this up soon."
As he turned to begin the long walk home, his ears detected a worrisome noise come from one of the apartments.He kept listening and heard it again. It sounded like muffled cries. He also thought he heard something like wood scraping along a floor. Swiftly he made his way towards the apartments, trying to narrow down the source of the sound. Realizing it was coming from upstairs, he leaped up the stairs four at a time and began to check every door and window. As the sound became closer, he noticed one of the doors open just a crack.
Reginald slowly reached out and gently pushed the door open. Seeing only darkness inside, he pulled out a small flashlight and shone it in the room. Inside, he saw a horrible mess. Furniture was overturned and torn, with books and papers ripped up and littering the floor. The main thing he noticed was the woman tied up and gagged in the center of the room
. She sat in a chair facing the door, looking terrified as she saw Reginald. Tears were streaming from her red and swollen eyes. She was dressed in a light night shirt, allowing Reginald to see several small bruises forming on her arms and legs. Other than those, she seemed unharmed.
"Are you alright?" Reginald asked, stepping to the edge of the door.
For a moment, she seemed confused. Then she quickly started grunting through her gag. Reginald couldn't understand anything she was saying. He tried to take a step forward, but a wave of nausea passed over him, making him fall against the door frame. "Oh, no," he muttered, wiping his face with his sleeve. He stared down at the small doorstep like it was a wall. "Why?"
He looked up and saw the woman eyeing him strangely. He nudged his foot forward, but as soon as the tip of his shoe passed over the threshold, he felt as if his stomach was about to turn inside out. He quickly withdrew his foot backwards, allowing the feeling to pass.
"Umm, this is hard to explain," Reginald said, scratching his head nervously. "I have, umm, OCD, yeah, and I can't actually intrude into another person's space without being specifically invited."
The woman remained completely still.
"Yeah, I know, it's weird, but I get sick when I do. I admit that I'm a weirdo."
There was no response.
"I can't help it, my parents made me this way."
No response.
"So, can I come in or not?"
The woman provided a series of grunts.
"Did you just invite me in?"
The woman nodded.
Reginald went to take a step forward, but stopped as his gut constricted.
"I'm so sorry, but that didn't work," he said. "Nod your head if it's alright. Can I come in?"
The woman nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
