by David Salkin
dead !”
The doctor spoke quietly. “I will give you a few minutes with her, and then you are to leave her alone and let her get some rest. She just had surgery.” He pulled a syringe from his pocket and pushed it into Sharon’s IV tube. Sharon’s eyes fluttered and she woke up with a yawn, surprised to see so many people in her room.
Forty-Two
VWX
Tall Pines
Adam and Sara had walked back to their cottage in uncomfortable silence. Their conversation had gotten dark and worrisome to Sara. She had listened to Adam go on and on about the blood and gore and violence of the war, and it unnerved her. He had been the picture of an ideal boyfriend from the first date until arriving at the lavish Tall Pines resort, but the last conversation was so bizarre, it frightened Sara. She wondered if he had some type of post traumatic stress disorder or something. Was he as “normal” as she had assumed, or was he just another psycho-boyfriend like some of the others she had come across in New York?
They walked back into the cottage, Adam’s face looking dark and angry, and Sara’s looking upset and gloomy herself. When he closed the door behind them, she burst out. “I just don’t understand how you can bring me up here to the most beautiful place on earth, and then just go off about all those horrible things! I don’t know what you went through, Adam, but I think it has affected you. I’m not sure I can deal with it if this is how you are. Honestly, Adam, it was a little scary.”
Adam was almost ignoring her, taking off his shirt and shoes. She watched him with some alarm, sex being the furthest thing from her mind at that moment.
“Are you listening to me, Adam?”
“Of course I am, Sara. I am sorry to have made you so upset.” Well, at least he apologized, she thought. She still didn’t want to kiss
and make up quite yet. Adam continued stripping off his clothes as Sara spoke. He pulled the covers of the bed open and slid into it. “Adam! I am not fooling around right now! I’m serious. What got into you up there?”
“Just come lay down next to me for a minute,” he said in his most charming voice. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I have been dealing with a lot of emotions lately that I haven’t felt in a very, very, long time.” Sara’s ice melted just a little.
“What do you mean?” she asked, still standing near the door.
Adam patted the bed next to him. “Come here.”
Sara kicked off her shoes and sat next to him, taking off her jacket, but still a bit leery.
“You have made me feel so many things that I am not used to. I didn’t realize how lonely I was until I met you, Sara. It was very sudden. Out of nowhere, really.”
Sara felt her heart melt and lay down on her side next to him. “I think I know what you mean. I’ve dated guys over the years, and some were more intense than others, but I’ve never felt anything like this before, either. It’s crazy to think you can love someone that you just met, and I certainly wasn’t looking for anything serious. It’s not like I was husband shopping or something—but I just, I don’t know…”
Adam smiled, his blue eyes shimmering as he gazed at Sara’s pretty face, watching the artery in her neck pounding so hard it made the skin move. He could almost see the spray.
He patted the bed next to him again. Sara moved closer and gave him a kiss.
“There has never been anyone I thought about sharing forever with, Sara,” he said in a soft intense voice. She looked at him and turned to mush. She was in love, just like him.
“Oh, Adam,” she said, and gave him a hug. He inhaled her smell and felt the heat of her skin. She didn’t fight it when he pulled her sweater off, and she slid her jeans off herself. When he reached for her bra, she stopped him.
“Can we just talk a little?” she asked. “I want to lie next to you and feel your body—but I don’t want to ‘do it’ right now, okay?”
“Of course,” he said, and pulled her close.
Sara buried her face in his neck and shoulder and hugged him tight. No one had ever discussed “forever” with her before, nor would she have considered it, anyway. But this man, that she hardly knew, had somehow made it seem possible. It was overwhelming—sudden and shocking and wonderful.
She said it out loud. “I’ve never considered anyone as a potential soul mate,’ she said softly. “I mean, I’ve been in love and had boyfriends, but I always knew they weren’t forever. You make me feel totally different, Adam.” She pulled back and smiled. “But you did scare the crap out of me before.” Her smile made him smile back. He could smell her chemicals changing. She was warming back up. Fear was changing to feelings of love again. It was closer to the time now.
“Soul mate?” Adam thought to himself. “That would require a soul…”
· · ·
Roy and Doug were on the roof of the hospital awaiting an FBI helicopter. Doug was on the phone finishing his call as the small black chopper banked its way in. Doug was screaming over the rotors as the chopper touched down. It was a four-seater, with only a pilot in it when it landed.
Doug was in Roy’s face yelling over the noise, obviously excited. “It’s definitely his apartment! They found a woman’s coat in there, and it tested positive for blood and semen. He also had a bunch of women’s clothing and all sorts of antiques and weird shit from all over the world. The guy’s been collecting trophies for a long time. This is definitely our guy!”
Roy and Doug climbed into the back seat of the chopper and said hello to the pilot, who told them to strap in and put on their headphones. The voice activated headphones allowed them to speak to each other inside the small helicopter without yelling.
“I’m Agent Moore. I have your flight plan for Tall Pines Resort up in the Adirondacks. Sit back and enjoy the scenery. It will be a gorgeous ride up. I was told to fly nape of the earth when we get close?”
“Roger that,” said Doug. “We are apprehending a possible multiple murder suspect who is extremely dangerous. We won’t want to tip him off on the way in. You are to drop us off at the nearest town, about a mile and half away, where the local sheriff will have a car waiting for us.
We’ll drive in from there.”
“Roger. And I have a standard kit on board below if you need it,”
said the pilot.
“Excellent. We’ll take it when we hit the ground,” said Doug. “What’s the kit?” asked Roy.
“Kevlar and automatic weapons. You ever fire an MP-5?” “Been a while since I handled a machine gun,” Roy admitted. “Just spray and pray,” said Doug. “We’ll review real fast on the
ground.” Doug opened his coat and revealed a Marine K-Bar knife.
“And I’ve been saving this for a rainy day,’ he said.
“Stake through the heart, huh?” asked Roy.
“Or head on a pike,” said Doug.
The two of them spoke to the FBI tactical coordinator at Federal
Plaza who was reviewing satellite images of the resort to assist in their
apprehension of Adam Priest once they arrived on scene. A second
helicopter would be leaving federal Plaza within the hour with a second
team of four agents in full tactical gear.
Roy and Doug watched the city of New York disappear behind
them as they headed northwest towards their destiny with Adam Priest.
Forty-Three
VWX
Tall Pines
Adam had spoken softly and sweetly to Sara, whose guard was now down as she held her lover under the warm covers. They talked about how they met, and how fast it all seemed, but how they both knew this was so different for each of them. They talked about how they could see a long future together. Sara thought it romantic that Adam constantly referred to “forever” with her.
Finally, after much pillow talk, Adam rolled Sara gently on her back and kissed her passionately. He moved to her neck, giving her goose bumps and making her squeal. He allowed his teeth to slide out only a tiny bit—it was so hard
to stay under control. As he moved his body against hers, she responded and grinded her hips back against him, moaning softly as he gently sucked her neck.
• 236 • “Careful,” she whispered playfully, “You’ll leave a mark!” She giggled and squirmed as he bit a little harder. His needle sharp fangs slid into her skin so gently, she didn’t even feel them pierce her neck. He sucked her skin, tasted her blood, and felt his lust rise deep inside him. The animal was trying to get out. It would take every ounce of his being to remain in control as the first few drops of her blood flowed over his tongue. She groaned louder as he sucked her harder, his erection now pressing against her panties, which were getting damp from the inside.
Adam let his stomach empty some of the blood that flowed inside him back up his own throat into the two tiny holes he made in her neck. He only allowed a tiny bit to flow back up into her wound, and then swallowed it all back down. He moved to her mouth and kissed her deeply. Sara was now so turned on she opened her mouth fully, her legs wrapped around Adam as she ground herself against the rod between her legs. She didn’t realize what Adam was doing at first, as he exhaled slowly and deeply into her lungs.
At first, she thought it something sexual, allowing him to exhale into her mouth, strange though it was—but he didn’t stop. She moved her head away slightly to break the seal on their lips, but Adam held her tight and blew deeper into her lungs.
Sara felt the room spinning. It was going dark. She felt like she was falling, and could hear the noise of thousands of voices screaming out in horror and pain. Adam moved off of her mouth and she tried to push him away—to say something—but nothing would come out of her mouth. Her eyes fluttered, only half open as they rolled back into her head and she stared at infinity. She could hear the sound of her bra ripping, and felt Adam’s mouth on her left breast. It seemed like he was biting her so hard, but she couldn’t scream. He was tearing off her panties, and her legs just lay spread under him, not fighting, but falling. The room spun faster and she felt dread and horror inside, like she was dying—drowning—disappearing.
Adam entered her with such force that her eyes opened wide for a moment, bringing her back to the present. She looked up at him, and could swear she saw blood on his lips and mouth. She didn’t feel pain—didn’t feel anything, except his huge erection deep inside her, and it hurt her. He was smiling and seemed to be screaming or howling at her or something, but her world was completely silent. She couldn’t hear, couldn’t keep him in focus. She was falling falling falling…
Adam was forcing himself into her over and over, biting her breasts and neck, but not tearing her apart. His face had partially changed, showing elongated fang-like teeth, but he had not allowed the monster to fully come out. He held back as hard as he could, howling against the urge to open her throat and drink every last drop. Instead, he refocused his bloodlust sexually, slamming into her as hard as he could, smelling and tasting her different chemicals as she hallucinated.
Sara couldn’t speak or scream, as much as she wanted to. She saw images of such terror that her heart was pounding like it was trying to leap through her chest. She could see women torn apart and spraying blood. Adam’s face covered in it as he turned into some animal. She saw soldiers with limbs blown off and Adam holding up pieces of what had been humans. The feeling of horror and dread was changing inside her head. It was becoming curiosity. She could feel her real body being pounded up and down as Adam raped her, but she no longer could feel any pain. She looked closer inside her own head at the visions in front of her. She could feel warmth spreading between her legs. She could taste blood in her mouth—and it was not repulsive. It was hot. It was life and energy. Her body felt so hot all over, and every nerve ending was screaming in joy.
The sounds in the room seemed to be slowly returning. She could hear the bed squeaking. Hear Adam grunting and making animal noises. She tried to focus her eyes on him, instead of the endless stream of insane images in her brain. She looked at Adam—saw his face. It wasn’t Adam—it was something stronger—something more perfect. She could feel herself orgasm as he also came deep inside her, but in her head, she could see it was a long stream of blood. There was blood everywhere. She was bathing in it as the room started to spin darker again.
The sounds came back, but now they were confusing. She heard an explosion.
· · ·
Doug and Roy landed in the middle of a mountain road where a sheriff was waiting with three cars and half a dozen men. He was pissed when Doug and Roy took a car, wearing Kevlar combat vests and carrying small machine guns, and ordered them to stay put. It was their county. They didn’t like being ordered around by the FBI or some city cop, but they had orders, and they sat and chewed tobacco and spit in anger.
Roy drove like a madman, the car barely hugging the curves of the mountain road. Doug had loaded both weapons and showed Roy how to remove the safety, but advised him to stick with the pistol if the woman was present. The FBI Tactical Team at Federal Plaza had advised the manager of the hotel to stay inside, and keep any guests inside the main building. The manager had given the Feds the cottage number for Adam Priest, and waited for help to arrive.
Roy roared on to the narrow road that led to the make-believe village of small chalets, then slowed down as they looked for chalet number twelve, about halfway down the lane. They hopped out of the car, pulled their weapons, looked at each other, and ran for the door. There was no waiting to get a key. Doug fired a round through the doorknob and Roy kicked the door open as hard as he could. The instant the door flew open, Doug was inside with his Glock 17 up in the two-handed firing position. Roy entered right behind him, weapon drawn and ready like Doug’s.
In front of them was a scene from Dante’s Inferno. A beautiful young woman was laying spread wide, slick with blood, with some demonic creature from Hell between her legs thrusting away at her. Adam’s face was covered in blood, huge fangs out of his mouth, with more blood gurgling up out him with every passing second. He was raping a woman that looked half dead, and he appeared to be in a state of animal rage that was completely unnerving to both officers. They both fired multiple times, screaming in absolute terror as they fired— both of them hit their target over and over.
The thing known as Adam Priest flew off the bed and slammed against the wall, huge chunks of his face and head missing, as ninemillimeter hollow-point rounds impacted through his skull. The creature roared, the sound coming from him nothing from this world. His roar filled the room, and Doug and Roy were still screaming back in stark fear as they continued to fire round after round at the creature. When their clips emptied, they dropped the magazines out of the handles of their Glocks and snapped new ones in the blink of an eye. They approached the creature with weapons extended in front of them. It lay on the floor naked, covered in blood, its back against the wall. It had multiple holes through its face and chest that poured blood out of them, but the thing wasn’t dead yet.
Adam eyed the two men and then looked at his own body. He shoved a finger into the hole nearest his heart and pulled it out, looking at the blood in shock. It hurt. He looked up at the two men and spoke, but his voice was a gurgling sound of some Germanic Language they couldn’t understand. He was screaming words that meant nothing to them, repeating the phrase “Olmer Bartha” over and over.
Doug stepped closer and emptied his entire clip into the thing’s face, until most of his face was unrecognizable pulp. Roy stepped up next to him and emptied his own weapon into the thing’s chest where its heart should be. Doug looked at Roy and said, “Fuck this,” then knelt down, pulled his K-Bar knife out and grabbing the thing by some hair, cutting and pulling until the thing’s head was off. He dropped it on the floor and then shoved his KBar as hard as he could into the thing’s chest.
“Stake through the heart,” said Roy quietly, still in shock, his hands shaking as he fought the urge to vomit.
“Stake through the heart,” repeated Doug, also shaken to the edge of sanity. T
he head was next to the body, huge fangs extending from the mouth, as the silvery eyes went black and dead.
Roy looked at the woman on the bed and ran over to her. “Not much of a pulse. Looks like he was almost done with her.” Roy pulled his radio and called for paramedics to Tall Pines immediately.
Doug grabbed blankets and started wrapping the girl. “Quick! Help me wrap her up and get her out of here. We’re going to torch this fucking thing. “I’m not taking any chances!”
Roy and Doug wrapped the woman tightly with sheets and blankets, her face white with blue lips. Her eyes were almost closed completely. They rushed her out of the chalet and laid her in the backseat of their car, then ran back inside the room. There was a large stone fireplace that had starter logs near a pile of real wood. Doug began working and Roy just followed his lead. They took what had been Adam Priest and shoved him against the corner of the room, covered him with starter logs and real wood, shoved newspaper and magazines all over him, and lit the logs.
The starter logs lit immediately, catching the paper and filling the room with light blue smoke. Doug reloaded his Glock, fired another seventeen rounds into whatever was left of the thing’s head until it broke into small pieces, and the two of them watched the room start to catch fire. When the fire reached the drapes and the smoke thickened around the burning corpse, the two of them backed out of the room. They ran back to the car and Doug pulled his radio.
“Team Two! This is Agent Patmore. Subject is down. I repeat— subject is down. We have a female in need of immediate medical assistance. She is not conscious and has lost a lot of blood. She has a very weak pulse, but we are going to lose her if we can’t get her to a hospital immediately. Bring the chopper directly here and get her aboard. She’s needs to be Medivaced immediately.”
