Something of the Night

by Paul Cave

  Daniel Harper’s face broke through the gloom, and Jacob’s hand froze.

  “What is this?” Jacob demanded.

  The reply came from behind. “We knew you’d slip out again tonight, so we’re here to either assist or deter,” Elliot Harper answered.

  Jacob found the older brother at his back. Anger crept into his throat. “You were told to get some rest.”

  “Sir,” Daniel said, addressing Jacob respectfully. “We spotted them as well, and there’s too many for you to handle alone.”

  Before the three trackers had returned to the safety of the cavern, Jacob had located a party of scavengers camped out approximately two miles north of their underground shelter. He’d recognised the faint flicker of a campfire and had quickly led Elliot and Daniel away from the distant flames, in the hope that neither would spot the small party of bloodsuckers. He had guided the two brothers downward into a small valley and had not climbed out of the natural basin until the camp was safely behind them and out of view. Knowing both boys were close to their physical limits, he had not wanted to push the brothers any further. He’d decided to keep the camp a secret and would deal with these unwanted guests himself.

  Daniel’s face broke into an uncomfortable grin. “We spotted them as well,” he said again.

  “You were told to get some rest,” Jacob repeated. Irritation still covered his face in a veil of anger.

  “We’re not tired,” Elliot said. “And anyhow, why should you have all the fun?”

  “Christ,” Jacob moaned. Yet he was impressed by the brothers’ insatiable appetite for the hunt, he finally allowed the mask of anger to slip from his face. He forced a grin of his own and said, “Okay, but after this, you will get some rest. Or I’ll have you assigned to your barracks for good.”

  Daniel snapped out a stiff salute. “Yes sir!”

  With the chains of rank broken many years before, Jacob moved up to Daniel and placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. With mock agitation, he said, “And if you ever call me ‘sir’ again, I’ll have you reassigned back to Major Patterson, and you’ll be swabbing out the shit-stalls and polishing boots for the rest of your days.”

  A moment of genuine affection passed between these two men, and in silence they embraced. Elliot Harper moved forwards, paused momentarily, and then he too was pulled into this tight knot of humanity.

  Jacob tilted his head back. He looked into both their faces then sighed. “If your mother was alive today, she’d be wearing my guts for garters.”

  “Indeed, Uncle Jacob,” they said in unison.

  ***

  Jacob was the last to crawl out of the hole. He sat on his haunches, then twisted and carefully dropped the hatch securely down. Although he was unable to lock it from the outside, a layer of false vegetation covered the small metal access, hiding it within the surrounding earth. Once, when sunlight still graced this land, the fake grass and plants had looked like healthy, vibrant foliage, but now the plastic undergrowth looked blackened and dead, and blended in with the lifeless plant material that covered this dreadful land in a dry scab.

  It had been a long climb upwards from the base of the underground complex, requiring all three to ascend a ladder in near darkness. It was a one way trip. The foot of the ladder gave way to a blast door that could only be opened from the inside. Even then, a key code was needed to active the locking mechanism. Nobody would stop you from leaving the complex with too much determination. Hell, a few less mouths to feed would be welcome! But getting in again was a whole different matter. Just one vampire slipping through could render the underground to a nest of the undead in a matter of days.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Jacob said.

  He stood and moved away from the hidden manhole. The two brothers trailed silently behind him as he effortlessly negotiated his way into the dense woodland. The forest they passed through clung to the side of the valley like some dreadful skin cancer, black and decaying. They weaved between the tree trunks and made their way towards the base of the hillside and the distant encampment.

  Above their heads, the sky churned in a mass of black dust and purple clouds. Jacob tilted his head upwards and looked into this miasma. He wondered if the sun would ever again find its way through the gloom to caress the land beneath with its bright fingers of light.

  In the distance, the campfire began to grow.

  They trekked in silence before stepping into the radius of the camp. Jacob raised a fist. Like fleeting ghosts, all three disappeared into darkness as they dropped to the earth. There, they hid in the decaying undergrowth. Jacob signalled for Daniel to flank to the right, before ordering Elliot to circle around the camp to the left. Quickly and without any hesitation the two siblings parted, disappearing in opposite directions. Jacob mentally counted off the seconds until he felt confident they had taken up position. He rose from the safety of his hiding place and began to descend upon the dark figures that surrounded the campfire. He slipped in and out of the shadows and eventually reached the fringes of the small camp.

  He counted eight cloaked figures surrounding the fire, sitting or standing in close proximity to the crackling flames. Most of the figures carried an assortment of weapons, which ranged from simple wooden staffs to more sophisticated mechanical weapons. Three or four of the scavengers had rifles slung over broad shoulders or automatic handguns tucked into the folds of their ragged clothes.

  With a bitter smile, Jacob reached into the confines of his cloak and withdrew a weapon of his own. Surprisingly, this implement looked no more menacing than a simple battery-operated flashlight. This, though, was not the usual tubular, hand-held flashlight, but rather a square-shaped beacon. The top half of the light consisted of a clear Perspex dome and the lower half was made up of heavy-duty plastic that housed a large alkali battery. At the base of the lamp was a simple ON/OFF switch.

  The tracker rose from his position. He flicked the ON switch, and then cranked his arm back. His shoulder tensed as he readied to launch the object into the centre of the encampment. But then, unexpectedly, his altered position revealed two bound shapes, huddled together and securely tethered against a nearby tree.

  He dropped back down and quickly flicked the switch off. He held his breath, hoping that his hidden position had not been compromised. A couple of seconds dragged out. Nothing happened. He crawled closer in an attempt to make out the two captives.

  They sat at the base of the furthest tree, huddled together in an attempt to ward off the bitter chill. One of the pitiful shapes appeared larger than its fellow captive - it was clearly an adult, but its gender was a mystery. The second figure though was too small to be an adult; and as Jacob squinted into the darkness, he witnessed the gloom part to reveal the face of a young girl. No older than her tenth birthday, the girl appeared unharmed, apart from the look of fear that had callously etched itself onto her small features.

  Jacob understood at once that their original plan of attack would jeopardise the safety of these two prisoners. He quickly reached a conclusion. Boldly, he stood and walked into the midst of the vampires’ camp.

  Chapter Five

  “What is this?” one of the cloaked figures asked.

  “Easy, friend,” Jacob said, entering the glow of the fire. An array of feverish eyes turned from the flames to settle upon him. He flashed the nearest figure his elongated canines. Stepping closer, he said, “I’m part of Ezekiel’s camp, further north. I saw your fire and came to investigate.” For a second he held his breath. If his gamble paid off he might just live for another few seconds.

  The closest vampire to him opened his mouth. He broke into a heinous smile and his teeth reflected firelight from a set of sharp fangs. “Ezekiel?” he queried. “We are from Ezekiel’s camp, and I don’t remember you, friend.”

  The other vampires sensed tension building, so they stepped closer and began to circle around this unwanted guest. Jacob allowed them to take position around him.

  “You lie,” he said.


  One of the closest vampires moved to strike.

  “STOP!” a voice commanded, halting the blow before it had been delivered.

  Everybody froze.

  Another figure stepped out of the shadows. As he moved closer to the campfire his face became clearer. He was middle-aged with long silver-streaked hair that fell loosely about his broad shoulders. His features were finely chiselled and a set of crimson-threaded eyes fixed Jacob with a deathly stare.

  “Tell me your name, friend, before we decide to feast on your flesh,” the silver-haired vampire said.

  “My name is Jacob, and as I’ve already told your comrades, I’m from Ezekiel’s camp,” Jacob replied. “Now, you tell me, what are you doing out here, so far from the northern clans?”

  The question hung for a second before the older vampire answered. “You are either brave or stupid, stranger. What makes you think we’re not one of Ezekiel’s scouting parties? Maybe you’re just a lone scavenger, here to steal our prize?”

  Jacob allowed himself a brief smile. “If you were with the northern clans, you wouldn’t be stupid enough to light that fire. What purpose does it serve, but to keep them alive?” With a flick of his wrist, he pointed to the two tethered figures. “These flames would draw every scavenger within ten miles, not just me. That means you’re either a dumb son-of-a-bitch or desperate.”

  “Thomas, let’s kill the fucker now!” shrieked the vampire who had almost struck out.

  “Wait!” Thomas commanded. “Desperate, how?”

  “Because … Thomas … you’re alone. You carry no clan insignia, which means you’re looking to join with either the northern clans or with that bastard Raphael,” Jacob said.

  “Really?” Thomas quizzed.

  “Yeah – really. If you weren’t looking to form an allegiance, then they’d be dead already,” Jacob commented, again gesturing towards the prisoners. “You’re keeping them alive to bargain with. They’ll buy you all a stable position with any of the clans.”

  “Perhaps,” Thomas conceded. “But what makes you think we’re interested in forming an alliance with Ezekiel?”

  “Because if you weren’t, I’d have killed you already.”

  Thomas paused for a second. Then his chest and shoulders swelled outwards. A colossal roar of laughter erupted from his lungs. “Brother Jacob, I do believe you’re either fearless or insane,” he chimed, between howls of amusement.

  The group around them began to laugh foolishly like a bunch of dim-witted lemmings.

  “Just one thing, Jacob,” Thomas began; his eyes had returned to their usual harshness, “If you are indeed a servant of Ezekiel then why don’t you carry his insignia?”

  The laughter ceased.

  Thomas fixed Jacob with his bloodshot eyes. “What’s up, Jacob? Has the cat got your tongue?”

  Jacob stood, momentarily silent, but then his face split into a bitter sneer. “No, Brother Thomas, but I’ve got yours.”

  Thomas frowned. “What ..?”

  Jacob stepped closer. “I said I’ve got yours.” Then with lightning speed he threw his cloak open and his arm appeared holding something cold and lethal. In the blink of an eye, the blade swooped upwards in a compact arc before it plunged towards Thomas’s head.

  The silver-haired vampire opened his mouth in a silent “NO…” The blade filled his mouth, choking off any plea. Razor-sharp steel cut its way through the vampire’s blasphemous organ before exiting through his chin in an explosion of bright blood. The vampire staggered back, the blade withdrawing with a gush of blood. A large sliver of wagging flesh fell to the muddy earth, and there it twisted and thrashed in silent condemnation.

  Within a heartbeat the camp erupted in violence.

  The vampire nearest to Jacob slung the rifle off his shoulder. He wasted no time aiming or firing, but simply swung the weapon towards the tracker’s head like some barbaric club. However, before the wooden stock connected with Jacob’s skull, the attacking vampire jerked violently, and the attack fell wide of its mark. Gurgling, the vampire fell backwards to the ground, his face a gaping hole of pulp and bone fragments.

  Daniel Harper appeared from the trees, stepping over the fallen body. The automatic pistol trained along the path of an escaping scavenger, and Daniel dropped the second figure with a series of deadly shots.

  Jacob caught movement from the corner of his eye. Another vampire swung its wooden staff in a tight circle, aiming for his head. The tracker ducked under the attack, then stepped in and thrust the knife towards his assailant’s torso. The vampire read the counterattack. With a sweep of its staff, it blocked the knife. As bone and wood connected, the vampire felt a satisfying thump. Pain bit at Jacob’s wrist. The blade flew from his hand and it spun wildly across the camp before disappearing into the shadows. The vampire descended upon him. Jacob reached into the folds of his cloak, quickly withdrawing a small flashlight. He aimed it at the scavenger’s head and his mouth split open in a bitter smile.

  “Open wide,” he said, and hit the ON switch.

  His attacker froze. A bright ray of blue light cut its way through the darkness, dazzling the vampire with its intensity. For a second the scavenger became pinned by the flashlight’s brilliance. Next, as if touched by fierce flames, the skin of its face began to swell and blister. Huge boils of pus exploded on both its cheeks, causing rivers of yellow to run down over his chest. In seconds the face was a mass of pulsating tissue and dripping fluids. Then, succumbing to an overwhelming internal pressure, the scavenger’s head ripped itself apart in an explosion of pure white light. From inside the headless corpse a sound escaped in a high-pitched shriek. The light grew in intensity, and the noise increased to an almost deafening pitch. A pulse of white light raced away from the gaping wound and shot upwards into the darkened sky. Like a screaming rocket the beam of light tore into the air, cutting the darkness in two.

  For a second Jacob could have sworn the white light burnt a hole through black clouds to reveal a clear blue sky above. Yet, in an instant, the thick fog knitted the hole shut, and the moment of blue magnificence became only a fleeting memory, scorched onto the back of Jacob’s eyes. In that one second of brightness, though, he felt his soul cry out in ecstasy.

  Jacob spotted two vampires fleeing into the forest. He dropped to the earth and retrieved the fallen rifle. Quickly, he took aim and brought down both figures before they found the safety of the woods. Another scavenger fell to his knees, his arms held wide in submission, begging for mercy. A single shot from Jacob’s weapon silenced the vampire’s plea. More shots rang out, as the two brothers brought down the vampires before any could escape.

  Eight dead or squirming bodies surrounded the campfire, cut down by the scythe of humanity. The only vampire still standing was the leader, Thomas. The vampire spat out a mouthful of blood. He fixed Jacob with his scarlet eyes. His mouth opened wide and a muted curse fell from bloodied lips. The rifle rose towards Thomas’s head. Jacob squeezed the trigger. A short, pathetic click sounded as the rifle misfired. “Shit,” Jacob snapped, lowering his eyes. He pulled the firing-bolt back and the dud ejected from the chamber with a sharp ping. Pushing the bolt back, he slid a fresh bullet home. He raised his eyes and took aim.

  Thomas was gone.

  He felt someone at his side and turned to find Elliot there. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Where’s Daniel?” Jacob asked, unable to find his nephew amongst the carnage that was scattered about his feet.

  “Shit!” Elliot spat.

  “What?”

  “Over there,” Elliot said, and pointed into the forest.

  Jacob caught a flicker of movement as Daniel disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Before he could react, Elliot said, “Help the prisoners, I’ll fetch him.” In an instant the older brother had been swallowed up by the darkness also.

  Jacob stepped over the slain scavengers to reach the two tethered captives. He dropped down before them and r
eached out with a hand of reassurance. “I’m here to help,” he told them, and offered a warm smile. The young girl unexpectedly flinched at the sight of the stranger in front of her. Furthermore, as she tried to pull away, a cry of terror escaped from her trembling lips. For a second he was confused by her anxiety. But then he remembered the fangs that disfigured his face. “Don’t worry, little one. I’m a friend. I’m not gonna harm you. I promise.” The young girl continued to push herself against the tree, desperate to escape the hideous visage before her.

  “What’s your name?” he asked, in a gentle voice.

  Her eyes locked with his. She opened her mouth, and he thought she was about to offer him a reply.

  She screamed, “GET AWAY FROM ME!”

  Stunned by her outburst, he stared back at her open-mouthed.

  “I said, get away from me,” the girl shrieked. This time she kicked out at her unwanted saviour with piston-like legs. Her boot connected with his shin, which caused him to yelp in pain.

  “Wait! Wait!” he insisted, quickly moving out of the girl’s range. “I’m like you … see.” He reached into the folds of his clothes and withdrew the beacon. He flicked a switch and then quickly set it down between them.

  With a blinding intensity, the Perspex dome exploded in a glare of ultraviolet light. Both Jacob and the girl were forced to squint as they were caught within a brilliant blue ring. He thrust his hand into the centre of the light. “See, it doesn’t burn.” Behind him, some of the still figures began to sizzle as the light reached them. The girl was momentarily dazzled by the brightness. Finally, she noticed Jacob’s hand had not burnt or blistered. She raised her head to look upon him through astounded eyes.

  “You’re really here to save me?” she asked.

  He smiled. “I’m here to save both of you.” He focused on the woman at her side. She sat motionless. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, and reached out towards her.