The Dark Messenger

by Milo Spires

  The bed that Becky had occupied was now empty!

  She rushed forwards through the doors, letting them swing wildly behind her, and looked desperately around for a nurse.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she heard someone ask. Jenny recognized the voice as she turned in the direction of where it was coming from. There standing in front of her was one of the nurses from earlier.

  ‘Looking for your friend, are you? Well she’s upstairs. They moved her to a ward, because at the time we needed the space.’

  ‘Which ward, do you know?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘Yes, she’s in Karnargie Ward. I am new here, but I believe it’s on the fifth floor. You can check the map outside; it’s on the wall next to the lifts,’ she said, pointing back the way Jenny had come in before.

  ‘How is she?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘She’s fine now. She was very violent earlier, but then the drugs kicked in. We think she had a fit, but now she’s sedated and resting quietly.’ The nurse frowned. ‘Or she was the last time I heard anyway, which was half an hour ago. Specialists are coming over to see her though, so you might want to be there when they arrive. They told us that their ETA was about twenty minutes when we called them from the red phone earlier.’

  ‘Who is on the other end of that red phone?’ Jenny asked suspiciously.

  ‘Sorry, but we aren’t really allowed to speak about that phone.’ The nurse blushed. ‘I shouldn’t have just said what I just did,’ she said, hoping Jenny would just accept that and say no more.

  But she didn’t.

  ‘What?’ Jenny nearly howled. ‘This is my mate, and that red phone business gets me a little paranoid. You say that she’s fine, so why are specialists coming in then? Who are these specialists and what do they specialize in?’ She shook her head and turned away. ‘Actually, forget it!’ she snapped.

  Chapter 8 - A Good Vantage Point

  Kaine knew that if he was not ahead of himself today, there could be every chance that his attempt to save Jenny from the hospital could go horribly wrong. Whoever Rex had decided to send back in time to get her must be one of his best soldiers, he thought, and if we got into a fight it was probably going to be a huge one.

  ‘Time to get the guns out, darling.’ he said to his wife.

  ‘Er…guns? Have you got a plan then?’ she asked from inside the bathroom.

  ‘Yes. I need you to take the CheyTac rifle and head into Brighton. I’m just going to look for a good place for you to sniper from--somewhere in range of the hospital car park, where I will be.’ He picked up their iPad off the bed from where Regina had left it when she spoke to Christine, and loaded up Google maps. After a couple of minutes of considering different options he finally decided on a place.

  ‘I have found the perfect place for you; at least I believe so. We will have to wait till you get there to be sure but there’s an old cemetery nearby where you won’t be seen. There are other places too, but I think they may be compromised. The distance from the nearest gravestones to the hospital entrance is perfect--it looks like a thousand yards. Whoever is there won’t be able to see you, not even a vampire.’

  He then changed screens to check the local weather. The forecast was good but there was no way to know if it would stay that way. He noted a steady, seven mph gentle south-westerly breeze.

  ‘Nice,’ he said to himself.

  The cemetery was located northeast of the hospital, so he felt sure that if Regina had to shoot at someone, there wouldn’t be too many obstacles in her way. All she had to do was sight her shots perfectly, aiming a little higher than the target to allow for the bullet dropping. She knew that, of course, but he still worried a bit.

  ‘What if, when you get there, it all goes wrong and you come out on the other side of the hospital. What if I don't get a clear shot?’ she asked in a quite concerned tone.

  ‘Don’t worry. I have downloaded a map of the area and the hospital to your IPAD and on my phone. When I get there, I will make it all happen in your sights. Don't worry about that,’ he replied.

  ‘What about the roof, though? Couldn’t I get a shot from up there with a different gun; might be a lot easier, don’t you think? Surely that’s the best place, as I could see someone coming from all angles.’

  ‘No!’ Kaine barked.

  ‘Excuse me? There’s no reason to yell,’ she exclaimed.

  Kaine softened his tone. ‘Sorry. This guy is likely to be up there hiding, waiting and watching for sure,’ he explained. ‘He will kill you if he sees you. It’s a terrible place, far too risky. If I had time, I would go up there first and kill him, but if he isn’t there he might see me. We can’t afford him knowing that I am around. Honestly, its bad enough that you having to come. Trust me, he won’t be stupid. He will be watching everywhere, so darling, please make sure you stay well hidden.’

  He walked slowly into the bathroom so as not to drop the iPad or lose the page that he was on.

  ‘Can I show you?’ he asked. She stepped over to look at the screen.

  Kaine held the iPad out so that she could see the place on the map where he wanted her to go, and then dropped a pin on the screen marking it exactly. He then sent the location downstairs by wi-fi to her bike’s GPS.

  ‘I’m going to take my bike too, because flying would be far too obvious,’ he explained. ‘It’s crucial that we both blend in. Whoever Rex has sent will be an Elite soldier, and he will be watching the skies for other vampires, I am sure of it.’

  ‘How do you know?’ she replied.

  ‘Because, darling, that’s exactly what I would do,’ he laughed. ‘Come on, you know who I am by now--a well-trained warrior as well as your loving husband. Tactical planning is my specialty, you know that!’

  He reached down and softly pinched her bum between his thumb and forefinger, which immediately aroused her. She turned, expecting something more from him; maybe a long kiss, a cuddle even, or maybe she might be able to persuade him to get back under the sheets again. But he had already walked away back into their bedroom with his mind deep into the planning of the rescue operation. Again her face dropped and she frowned. She was really feeling quite sexual this morning--damn this mission we’re going on, she thought.

  ‘Okay, so the road it is, Mr. Warrior,’ she said cheekily as she finished brushing her teeth. She knew that he was right though--riding their bikes with everyone else made perfect sense, and they would definitely blend in.

  Kaine then put down the iPad, saying that he was going downstairs to sort out the weapons and that he would meet her in the garage. Grabbing his jacket off the bed where he had left it earlier, he started walking across to the door which led through into their kitchen. He had to stop and smile at what he saw.

  Standing there, without daring to step one foot further into their bedroom, were Bruce and Solomon, their two German Shepherd dogs.

  ‘No, you two you can’t come this time,’ he said, smiling at them.

  They were two years old and had identical colouring at first glance. Both were black and tan, but Solomon had the edge in size and power over his brother. He was slightly longer and had a deeper bark. They were matched in one ability: both were able to kill, and quickly. They were very eager to go anywhere with their masters, very loyal, and extremely intelligent, sometimes too intelligent, Kaine thought. Once or twice, when he was messaging Regina, they both could have sworn that they felt the dogs had tuned in to their minds--they felt the intrusion, almost like the dogs had their own telepathic powers somehow.

  He often let them go out at night on their own, because he believed it strengthened the bond between them. They were so close to each other anyway that even at bath time they preferred to jump into the tub together.

  Training sessions with these dogs twice a day for nearly two years had really paid off.

  The “hide-and-seek training” was the exercise that Regina really enjoyed. She would hide inside their house, and when an alarm clock went off, they would be set to finding her. She was alwa
ys so shocked at how quickly they got her though. It annoyed her sometimes because a few of the hiding places that she had thought of were really quite good.

  They were also trained to find by scent, using rags with different odours on them, and taught how to react in different battle situations. Kaine would charge them using a blunt wooden sword, which at first he would swing gently, giving the dogs a chance to learn to evade his strikes without being hit. As their skills had grown though he couldn’t get them, no matter how fast he had moved. He remembered how he had dropped to the floor once and lay on his back completely exhausted, laughing and cuddling them after his first-ever failed attempt at getting them with the weapon. Now they were impossible to get even with one leg bound to their body. He wanted his boys to be as good at avoiding blades on three legs as four, knowing that if ever they suffered a broken leg or lost a limb in a fight, they still needed to be able to perform until the battle was over.

  Most suggestions he made regarding improving them Regina had agreed with in principal, but when he had said that he was thinking of having their two front canine teeth capped with silver, she had laughed and said NO. He had explained why he felt it was so important, and after listening to him she had finally agreed.

  Kaine walked down the spiral staircase from the other side of the kitchen into the garage with both of the dogs beside him. They had been allowed to accompany him downstairs into his workshop whilst he got ready, as he felt bad that he was not going to be able to give them their walk. He felt that he would be making up for it; in a second or two he was going to surprise them by letting them go out on their own till he and Regina came back later from the hospital.

  Walking over to a silver cupboard, he opened the door, reached in, and took out two motorcycle key fobs, pressing the “un-arm” mode on both of them. He then pressed the auto-start buttons.

  The bikes were beautiful: two white Italian 1200cc Ducati Panegale sports bikes, with V-twin latest technology. Their headlights turned on a second after the engines had automatically fired up. The sweet purr sound they made on tick-over always gave him such the nicest feeling inside.

  He then opened the cupboard next to the one the keys had been in, where all their biking gear was kept--two black crash helmets, jackets, and gloves. The helmets were brand new, and inside they had rear view mirrors, automatic blackout screens, and voice activated displays linked to their GPS systems--plus full internet connectivity through their phones. The cameras outside their home were set up in such a way that if there were any intruders, warning messages would be beamed through to their bikes if they were out, which would save them being surprised when they got back--although they knew that the dogs would be enough protection in most cases. He thoroughly loved technology, and couldn’t believe how he had managed without it in all the years he had lived.

  ‘Here I am, baby,’ Regina said as she hopped down into the garage. She wore a tight pair of black trousers, part of her ladies’ battle gear—imported from Austria at the same time that he had ordered his outfit. Her legs were delicious, so slim and toned, and amazingly beautiful. Seeing them in those trousers made him think twice about leaving for the hospital. He could sense his feelings becoming quite urgent, and knew that he had to resist. They had to be quick getting there, so he looked away, concentrating on turning his bike round.

  Solomon and Bruce both saw their mum and charged at her, wagging their tails and whining.

  ‘Oh, you two are my babies too, don't worry about that,’ she said as she bent down to give them both a big hug and a kiss. Kaine looked up briefly again and smiled.

  Regina’s phone then beeped and she realized she had a message. She opened it and saw it was from her friend at the hospital.

  ‘I just received a text from Christine. The ward’s name is ‘Karnargie Ward’, up on the fifth floor she thinks.’

  ‘Okay, thanks. Can you get your stuff on, please? It’s down by your bike. Then grab your rucksack so you can take your camo blackout sheet--you might need it. Oh, and have you got your face oil?’ Kaine enquired.

  ‘Yes, thanks,’ she said as she walked over to get her gear on.

  ‘I’m going to get your rifle, ammo and night scope, just in case it’s a long siege,’ he said.

  ‘What guns are you taking?’ She gave a small laugh. ‘Remember, you are going to a hospital. I think something maybe just a little discreet, don't you?’

  He laughed as he opened his jacket. Inside were two high-powered machine guns. They were both M92 AK rifles, which he had only used a few times since getting them. He had tested them out on a fifty gallon drum filled with cement a couple of days before, and they had torn the thing to pieces.

  ‘I am also going to take the Gurkha knife as well, just in case,’ he said.

  ‘Are you trying to kill everyone in the hospital?’ she asked, amused.

  -------------------------

  Regina left the tunnel entrance first, and Kaine went behind her for a couple of miles down the short country lane before the first roundabout. On the second roundabout a short distance ahead, he had to take a different route, turning right. He would have loved to have gone for a fast bike ride, knees-down on corners and chasing her, but this was not a pleasure ride. Jenny’s life depended on them, he felt sure of it. Every second counted.

  ‘See you soon. I will park my bike right where the entrance to the hospital is. Sight your shot on my bike and wait; make sure that you sight the bike quickly, and then hide. I am sure they will be around. I don’t know why, but I can feel it,’ he messaged. He leant his bike in a sudden hard right, heading down the hill in the direction of the hospital.

  ‘Don’t worry, baby. You have trained me well. See you later,’ came the answer.

  Then almost instantly she messaged again and told him, ‘Wow! I just pulled a wheelie!’

  Chapter 9 - Closed Ward

  The lift doors opened on the fifth floor, and Jenny found herself shocked at what was there in front of her. She had expected to find people walking about, visitors, nurses on shift, people moaning in beds, that hospital ward smell--the usual sight that one would expect to find in a hospital. But there was no one.

  Instead it looked like a building site under construction. The ceiling in front of the lift was missing, there was dust everywhere, and workmen’s tools were propped up against the first wall to her left.

  She stepped out of the lift, and immediately regretted it; the lift closed tight behind her and the thing started whining away as it went back down again. Desperate to stop it, she jammed her fingers hard on the buttons several times.

  Nothing--no lights at all. With a sinking heart, she doubted if they even worked at all, considering how loose the front panel was. Peering inside, she could see the wires actually went nowhere. They had all been cut.

  ‘Damn! Today just can’t get any worse!’ she cursed. She could still hear the cables inside, twanging away with the heavy load beneath them.

  Turning back around, she saw in front of her an old set of double doors. In either direction to her left or right the corridor was blocked. On the left, the passageway was stacked high with building materials--timber, sand, plastic sheeting, and other equipment. The right side was clear, but a few meters away there was tape across the corridor with a sign saying,

  DANGER

  NO ENTRY

  WORK IN PROGRESS

  Jenny considered what she should do. Which way should she go? She didn’t think that anyone could have taken Becky to the left, for the construction paraphernalia didn’t look as if it had been disturbed for at least a week.

  But the passageway to the right…if it weren’t for the thick dust…

  It still seemed the more logical way to go. ‘How disgusting!’ she thought as she turned in that direction.

  She then noticed an old lopsided sign dangling above the doors. The words were faint, but still legible: