The reaper checked his watch. ‘Thought so,’ he said. ‘You’re early, so there’s no need to get snippy.’
‘I’m dead,’ she retorted. ‘I’ll be as “snippy” as I like. How would you feel?’
The reaper grinned. ‘Ah well,’ he said. ‘As to that, you’re not, not yet anyway – it’s not your time yet …’
‘All right, so I’m early, in a few minutes I’ll be dead, it’s all the same thing to me.’
‘No, no, you misunderstand. You’re early for our little meeting is all. This is what they call a near-death experience, the latest thing in popular theology apparently. And this is about, as near to Death – that’s me – as you’re likely to get without actually crossing over ha ha, little joke there – no? Oh well, it’s playing merry hell with my schedule if you want to know the truth, they never had any of this nonsense in the old days, you either lived or died end of story, but you have to keep up with the times, so they tell me.’
‘It’s a fad,’ said Tamar. ‘You know what humans are like.’ Now that she knew that she was not dead, she had recovered her equanimity with astonishing speed.
‘A fad, yes, I suppose so, well I’ll just have to …’
‘So, is there any point to this meet and greet, or am I just going to go back in there,’ she pointed to herself lying on the hospital stretcher looking wan and battered. ‘God, I look terrible.’
‘The point? Ah well yes… caught me off guard a bit, sorry about that, rather spoils the drama doesn’t it? You were supposed to feel the awe and solemnity of the occasion, but I don’t suppose you would have anyway, not you! I daresay you’ve seen stranger things than me in your time, eh? Anyway, I’m here to offer you a choice – you can continue your life from this point on or you can have a new life – in the same body of course – but without the powers and responsibilities not to mention enemies that you have now.’
‘Do you always offer people this choice?’
‘No you’re a special case.’
‘No powers?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Is this a test?’
The reaper looked awkward. ‘Well now, you can hardly expect me to answer that, can you?’
‘I’ll take that as a yes. Okay, it doesn’t matter anyway; I don’t see that I have much of a choice really, no matter what you say. I have to go back to who I was otherwise people are going to die, aren’t they?’
‘Are you sure? This is a chance to change your destiny. To start again, a clean slate, no consequences I promise.’
‘Not for me maybe, besides, destiny’s a load of bull anyway. I’ve made my decision – if this isn’t an hallucination brought on by the drugs.’
The reaper smiled. ‘You know better than that,’ he said. ‘So be it,’ he added, in a voice that made her shudder. He handed her a packet bearing the legend “Not to be opened until …”
‘Until when?’ she said. But he had gone. His voice floated across the aether to her, ‘See you in hell.’ His head re-appeared in mid-air like the Cheshire cat, but not as scary. ‘Oops, I shouldn’t have said that,’ he grinned then he vanished again, this time for good.
* * *
‘What the hell went wrong?’ said Stiles, as they waited.
Denny shook his head.
‘I thought she could fly,’ said Cindy. ‘I’ve seen her fly.’
‘I thought she was invulnerable,’ said Denny. ‘Just goes to show, doesn’t it. Now shut up.’
Cindy backed away nervously. Denny had gone from intimidating to terrifying.
The doctor reappeared. Denny leaped to his feet.
‘She’s stable,’ the doctor informed him.
‘Don’t give me that bollocks,’ said Denny menacingly. ‘Tell me how she is.’
The doctor backed away involuntarily. ‘She’s still unconscious but …’
‘Doctor, doctor,’ a breathless nurse appeared. ‘You have to see this, the patient with the head trauma, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear someone had switched patients on us, I’ve never seen anything like it.’
‘What are you babbling about?’ said the doctor, irritably. But Denny knew, he barged past the doctor and the nurse and a flustered orderly and into the post op. Tamar was sitting up, looking fine.
‘Thank God!’ he said, putting his arms around her while he still could. ‘I told you, you weren’t going to die.’
Tamar’s fingers closed on the packet in her hand; she smiled to herself – she thought she could guess what it was. ‘Thank God you were wrong,’ she said.
‘What?’
‘Nothing, never mind.’
‘We have to get out of here,’ she said unromantically, ‘before I get written up as a miracle.’
Cue the comic interlude with much dressing up as orderlies and running around with stretchers. Oh no, wait, they could teleport. Denny drew the curtains around the bed. Put it down as another mysterious disappearance.
* * *
Tamar had no good explanation as to why her powers had failed her, but she did tell them that it had happened just as the dagger went in. ‘As if he was sucking the life out of me,’ she said.
‘The Hart did say he would try to take you with him,’ said Stiles. ‘He must have realised what was happening.’
‘Well he’s gone now,’ said Tamar with satisfaction,
‘So why’s it still all dark?’ asked Cindy. She had not wanted to bring this up; it did rather spoil the party atmosphere.
‘It’s as if nothing’s changed,’ said Stiles.
‘It’s true,’ said Denny. ‘The vampires are still out in full force.’
‘So, what can we do?’ said Tamar.
There was a silence. Denny was frowning. He had been thinking about this and he thought he understood. He had been hoping that the darkness would suddenly clear, that he was wrong, but it was time to face facts.
‘I think we have to face the fact, that it’s not over,’ he said reluctantly. ‘There’s another. Someone else is behind this. Ran-Kur was just a front, a patsy.’
‘Where do you get that from?’ said Stiles. ‘How do you know the vampires haven’t just decided to stay here because they like it?’
‘What about the darkness?’ said Cindy.
‘Exactly,’ said Denny. ‘Vampires can control the weather, but not on this scale, not without help. And anyway, this darkness is something else.’
‘But what makes you think there’s someone else behind all this?’ persisted Stiles.
‘It came to me in a dream,’ said Denny. ‘And I think I might even know who it is. Time to wake up Peirce.’
Part Three : The Reckoning
~ Chapter Twenty Nine ~
The ‘Master’ was delighted. All was going according to plan; these heroic types were so predictable. It was a shame that Tamar had survived. On the other hand, it would be more fun to kill her, himself. He had suspected all along that he would have to, he quite relished the idea. Then again, an eternity of torture – even better. And she would suffer the worst kind of torture, the mental kind, knowing that she had brought it all on herself, and her friends and her lover. It would kill her – she was so arrogant – to know that she had made the biggest mistake of them all. He rubbed his hands together. If only they would hurry up. Still he had waited this long, he could be patient, if he attempted to interfere now, it could ruin everything. She was not stupid; she just was not as clever as she thought she was.
* * *
‘You can’t think that Peirce is behind this,’ said Tamar.
‘I don’t,’ said Denny. ‘But he’s in deep. He knows what’s really going on, I’m sure of it.’
‘And if he doesn’t?’
‘At least he knows where we can find the one who is. He’ll tell us if I have to beat it out of him.’
Denny explained, about the dreams he had been having about the “vampire” he had met in the old house. ‘It’s him, I’m sure of it; I keep seeing him, mocking me.’
‘Do w
e really need Peirce?’ asked Tamar. ‘If you’re so sure it’s the house you went to, can’t we just go there and see?’
‘Don’t you think I’ve tried that? It must be shielded or something; I can’t find it; I was asleep when they took me there.’
‘What about focussing on the vampire himself?’
‘If he is a vampire. And no, I can’t, he must be shielded too. Like Peirce said, “better protected than a school girls diary”. It just makes me more certain that he’s the one we’re after’
‘But how can it be?’ objected Stiles. ‘Ran-Kur definitely was a god, wasn’t he, and that definitely was Ran-Kur wasn’t it?
‘Yes it was,’ said Tamar. ‘The summoning was absolutely specific.’
‘So, what could make a patsy out of a god?’
‘There are things more powerful than gods,’ said Tamar. ‘Besides, all he would have to do is use Ran-Kur’s name, it’s been done before.’
Stiles had to concede this. ‘So, we’re sure, then?’ he said.
Tamar nodded. ‘I think Denny’s right.’ She looked at Denny. ‘But Peirce?’ she said. ‘I don’t like it, I don’t trust him.’
‘How else are we going to find that house again?’ challenged Denny.
‘Well, - I – no, I got nothing.’
‘Excuse me,’ said Eugene, ‘but who is Peirce?’
‘In the bottle,’ said Cindy. ‘I told you. I never saw him, myself. But I heard all about it. He’s a vampire, remember? I told you.’
‘Oh yes, Peirce, ha, ha, good name for a vampire.’
‘Why?’ said Cindy, blankly.
‘Because, pierce, vampires pierce … and you kill them by … never mind.’
‘It’s a good job she’s pretty,’ he said in an aside to Stiles.
‘Can we get back to the point?’ said Denny, impatiently. ‘Peirce?’
‘Oh let him out,’ said Tamar. ‘I want this finished.’
Peirce, naturally enough was not inclined to be helpful. ‘Why should I?’ he said. ‘You put me in a bottle.’
Denny smacked him. ‘Keep talking,’ he said. ‘I could do this all day.’
Peirce began to change back into fog. Denny clapped a jar over him.
‘Try that again,’ he said when he released him, ‘and we’ll leave you in bits all over the world.’
‘He’s scary,’ said Eugene to Cindy.
Cindy nodded. ‘Attractive, though – if you like bad boys. Which I don’t,’ she added hurriedly.
Peirce subsided. ‘Okay, I’ll behave,’ he said, mutinously. Bastard!’
Denny grinned, wolfishly. ‘You’d better believe it. I’m just getting started.’
Tamar produced the sketch she had done from Denny’s description. ‘Who is he?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Try again,’ said Denny, suddenly producing the Athame.
Peirce baulked. ‘Where the hell did you get that?’
‘I’m sorry; I thought we were asking the questions.’
‘All right, all right! I’ve never seen him, but I think he’s the one they call the “Master”.’
‘And the big country house, where is it?’
‘What, you want me to draw you a map? I can’t.’
‘But you can take us there.’ It was not a question.
Peirce shrugged then squealed as the Athame dug into his neck. ‘Yes, Yes I could.’
Tamar made like the good cop. ‘Look, think about it, this is the one who’s been using the prophecy to control all the vampires. He’s the one who’s been masquerading as Ran-Kur. You want to take him down as much as we do.’
‘Cut it out,’ said Peirce. ‘I don’t have much choice, do I?’ He indicated Denny. ‘Just keep him away from me.’
‘Even vampires are afraid of him,’ said Eugene, with a hint of wistful admiration in his voice.
Peirce looked around him. ‘So, who are these two?’ he asked. ‘Are they coming too?’
Cindy and Eugene looked at each other. ‘Yes,’ they said, decisively.
Denny suppressed a groan.
~ Chapter Thirty ~
It was becoming increasingly clear that Cindy and Eugene were becoming something of an item, and Stiles felt that he had gone from being a third wheel to a fifth wheel, despite the fact that Peirce was back in the mix, he did not count, he was dead.
Not that he minded. He was glad that Cindy had someone; many someone’s really. Eugene could be any man who took her fancy; he was perfect for Cindy. And he no longer wanted Tamar, but – all this coupledom was making him feel out of place or in the way or something.
Peirce had led them a merry dance so far, in and out the mulberry bush, so to speak. At least that was how it seemed. He said he was looking for something, but declined to explain what. When pressed (round the windpipe) by Denny, all he would say was ‘It’s complicated, but I’ll know it when I find it.’
Denny suggested that they go back to the train tunnel, where he had been taken from, but Peirce said that it didn’t work like that. So far he had taken them to a park, a field and a football stadium. There was a pattern beginning to emerge here. Either they had to be in an open space, or Peirce had a yen for the smell of freshly mown grass.
On the third day (cricket pitch), Peirce finally announced. ‘I think this is it.’
‘What?’ said Denny, now thoroughly sick and tired of Peirce and his magical mystery tour.
‘The place, the portal the vampires use to get to the house.’
‘Portal?’ said Tamar. ‘You never mentioned a portal.’
‘Does this mean it’s in the other dimension?’ asked Stiles.
‘Oh no,’ said Peirce. ‘It’s just a transportation device, technically we could walk or drive there or even teleport, if I knew where it was, but I don’t, none of us do. It’s a secret; I don’t reckon the “Master” trusts anyone.’
‘I wonder why?’ said Tamar, sarcastically.
‘Okay, so this portal, how come you didn’t know where it was.’ asked Stiles, suspiciously.
‘They move it,’ Peirce explained, ‘and I’m out of the loop, due to the fact that I spent the last few months in a bottle!
‘It wasn’t that long,’ muttered Denny.
‘What are you complaining about?’ Peirce continued. ‘I found it, didn’t I?’
‘So, how does it work?’ asked Tamar.
‘Well, we just walk through it of course,’ said Peirce as if explaining to a small child, how to use a door.
‘I meant where the hell is it?’ she retorted. ‘How do we access it?’
‘It’s right there,’ said Peirce, slowly, pointing at a patch of empty air. He frowned. ‘Can’t you see it?’
Tamar peered. ‘Nope, can’t see a thing.’
The others concurred.
‘Oh,’ said Peirce, clearly nonplussed. ‘That’s – unexpected. Um, well I guess it doesn’t matter, just follow me.’
They made to step forward after him, when their path was blocked by a phalanx of vampires, looking like a gang of rejects from the cast of “Grease” (rejected presumably for being too greasy) grinning evilly and swinging baseball bats. They leered at Peirce. ‘We thought you might try this sooner or later – traitor.’ The front man, in a studded leather jacket, and with longish oily hair, said.
‘You can’t kill me,’ said Peirce with quavering bravado.
‘No, but it’s amazing what you can live through.’
Denny was counting under his breath. ‘Nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two, three, four, twenty five.’ He turned to Tamar. ‘I think we can take them,’ he said. ‘There’s only twenty five of them.’
The vampires advanced. ‘First we deal with you,’ said the front man. ‘Then we’ll have dinner.’ He leered at Tamar. ‘I call that one.’
Denny exploded (not literally of course) and a pitched battle began.
‘Denny!’ called Tamar, ‘stop pounding that vampire’s head and just stake the damn thing. Cindy needs h
elp, and I’m kind of busy.’ She had two of them at arm’s length, while they tried futilely to hit her.
A vicious vampire with one eye had Cindy on the ground. Denny dusted his vampire and ran forward; he staked the vampire through the back and landed on top of Cindy. It was possibly the first time she was glad to see him, although this was a view of him she had never expected to experience. Before they had time to feel embarrassed, he was yanked to his feet.
Peirce was having troubles of his own; he was tied to a tree, his head was on fire and six vampires were dancing around him jeering. They stopped suddenly, as Denny fireballed them; he resented doing it, but without Peirce, they could not go through the portal. Peirce burst his bonds (Denny did not intend to waste time untying him) and ran for it.
Stiles stopped him. ‘Oh no you don’t Sonny Jim,’ he said. ‘This is your fault.
Stiles’s fighting technique of low blows and biting back was effectively decimating the foe; he grabbed Peirce by the collar. ‘Who would you rather face, them or him?’ He indicated Denny, who was doing unspeakable things to a short vampire, who had only one arm, although he had had two before Denny got his hands on him.
Peirce nodded. ‘I take your point,’ he gulped.
Eugene’s preferred fighting technique was to morph into a dragon, between him and Denny’s predilection for throwing fire, the cricket pitch was lit up like the town drunk.
When Denny changed tactics and started turning them to stone, the remaining vampires, who still had their legs attached, gave up and ran for it.
‘I quite enjoyed that,’ said Denny.
Tamar rolled her eyes. She turned to Peirce. ‘I guess someone blew your cover.’ She said.
‘Well, if you defeat the Master, it won’t matter,’ he said.
‘Doesn’t it bother you that one of your “boys” turned you in?’
Peirce shrugged. ‘Not really, vampires are not known for their loyalty.’
‘That’s what’s worrying me,’ said Tamar. ‘You’re a vampire.’
‘And you don’t trust me, so that’s all right.’
Reality Bites Page 19
