Out of the Night

by Robin T. Popp

  Afterward, they took opposite sides of the road to answer nature’s call and Mac, who had expected Lanie to balk, was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t.

  As Mac feared, the trip took much longer than six hours, and it was pushing midafternoon when he spotted the road that would lead them to the compound. Turning, they followed it until suddenly the rain forest opened up and they found themselves in a huge clearing. Ahead was the parking lot, and to the right was a small white-stone building with tinted front windows. The modern building looked out of place in the middle of the Amazon jungle.

  The parking lot was empty, except for a single army-green utility truck parked off to one side.

  “Why don’t you go in and let them know we’re here,” Mac said as he pulled into a parking spot. “I’ll get our bags and be right behind you.”

  He grabbed his Colt .45 from under the seat and climbed out. Moving around to the back where the bags were stowed, he glanced up and saw Lanie making her way up the front walk. He opened his pack, checked the gun to make sure the safety was on, and was about to place it in the bag when he was startled by the sound of the front door of the building crashing open. Whipping his head up, he saw Lanie running out, her face deathly white.

  Forgetting about the bags, he raced to her side. “What’s the matter?”

  She gripped his arms, staring up at him with an expression that sent alarms tripping throughout his body. “Inside . . .”

  Still holding his gun, he released the safety. Then he shoved the Jeep keys into her hand. “Go to the Jeep.”

  Mac wasn’t sure what type of trouble to expect, but he wanted her out of the way when it started.

  Rushing to the door, he bent his head close to listen. All was quiet. Gripping the handle, he slowly eased it open, and making hardly a sound, he slipped inside.

  The absolute silence was the first thing he noticed. As quiet as the proverbial tomb, he thought as he looked about. He stood inside a small foyer, facing a security desk that was absent a guard. Beyond that was a set of double doors leading to the rest of the building.

  Mac crept forward, constantly scanning the area for what had frightened Lanie. After about four steps, he found it.

  Behind the desk, strewn across the floor like forgotten rag dolls, were the bodies of the missing security guard and four other men. Their unnatural gray pallor and sightless, staring eyes left no doubt that all five were dead.

  A small noise behind him had Mac whipping around to confront the source, weapon leveled and ready. Lanie stood right inside the door, her eyes wide and staring at the muzzle pointed at her.

  Before he could gesture for her to return to the Jeep, she recovered and moved quickly toward him. When she reached his side, she paused at the sight of the bodies.

  “Who—”

  He touched a finger to her lips to silence her. Though he doubted it, whatever, or whomever, had killed these men might still be lurking about the compound. The last thing he wanted to do was announce their presence—at least, no more so than the door crashing open already had, he thought ruefully.

  Spotting the guard’s weapon lying nearby, Mac picked it up. Checking to see if it was loaded and ready to fire, he considered giving the weapon to Lanie and then thought better of it. It would be his luck to have her accidentally shoot him in the back.

  He clicked on the safety and tucked the weapon into the waistband of his pants, then gestured for her to follow him. Reaching the double doors, he leaned his head close, once again listening for sounds from the other side.

  Hearing none, he pushed one of the doors open a crack and peered through. Nothing. Opening it farther, he quickly stepped through, gun ready and body tensed for action.

  The hallway appeared empty. He moved forward, the sound of Lanie’s breathing echoing in the silence. When he reached the first door, he motioned for her to stand beside him against the wall as he reached for the handle and slowly turned it. Swinging the door inward, he again braced for an attack. Again, nothing happened. Carefully, he stepped into the doorway and then slowly into the room. It was someone’s office, neat, undisturbed—and empty.

  Back in the hallway, they moved to the next door and repeated the process, slowly working their way through the entire building. By the end of their search, they’d located the security office, the kitchen, offices, and residence rooms. All looked normal and undisturbed.

  The last room, the medical lab, was a different story.

  “What have you gotten yourself into this time, Knight?”

  Lanie turned at the sound of Mac’s muttered question, having asked herself a similar one only moments before. “What do you think happened?”

  “I have no idea, and that’s the God’s honest truth.” He shook his head as he looked around.

  She wondered if he saw it the way she did—metal gurneys knocked askew and medical instruments scattered across the floor. In Lanie’s imagination, the attackers had heedlessly shoved things aside in their pursuit of the four men, whose bodies now rested crumpled against the far wall, as if, after being murdered, they’d been carelessly tossed there and forgotten, like so many bones discarded after a meal.

  Such a violent end to life, Lanie thought, and yet the question of how, exactly, they had died remained a mystery to her. For all the show of violence, there was very little blood and no obvious wounds.

  Still struggling to make sense of it all, she saw Mac reach into his shirt pocket and pull out a phone. As he punched in a number, he turned to her, looking worried. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, finding his concern surprising, yet touching, until it occurred to her that he was probably worried about her falling apart and adding to his problems. He had no way of knowing that she was a trained EMT and had seen far worse than this at some of the traffic accidents she’d attended. It was the unexpected shock of finding the bodies and the fear that the murderer lurked inside that sent her running from the building initially.

  “Admiral, this is Knight,” she heard Mac say moments later. “We’ve got a problem.”

  Lanie walked over to the body lying closest to her and examined it as she listened to Mac describe what had happened.

  “No,” she heard him say after a pause. “Heading back through the jungle at this hour would be unwise. We’ll stay here; just get that team to us ASAP.” She glanced up and saw him looking at her. “She’s fine.” He ended the call and put his phone away.

  “Was that Charles?”

  He nodded. “He’s sending out a team.”

  “Good. I hope they get here soon.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to chase away the goose bumps.

  “Even if they leave now, they won’t get here until morning. We’re on our own.” He looked around the room, shaking his head. “What the hell kind of research were they doing out here, anyway? Biochemical? Weapons?”

  “Maybe biochemical, but I don’t think so.” She sighed. “I think it was cryptozoological.”

  His brow furrowed as he shot her a curious look. “Come again?”

  She wondered how best to explain. “Cryptozoology. Literally translated, it’s the study of hidden animals. You’re probably more familiar with it in the context of searching for evidence of Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster.”

  As expected, his expression turned to one of total disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “No, it’s a legitimate field of research and happens to have been my father’s area of expertise. As big as this world is, there’s no way that man has discovered and documented all the life-forms that exist here. As civilization spreads out and encroaches on these animals’ space, they have nowhere to go—and we suddenly have sightings.”

  “You believe in all that shit?”

  She glared at him. “Let’s just say that over the years, traveling with my dad, I’ve seen stuff that’s hard to explain any other way.”

  He stared at her for a moment, as if considering whether she was a harmless but crazy academic�
��or just plain certifiable. “So you’re telling me that Big Foot killed these men?” he scoffed.

  “No. To my knowledge, and admittedly I’m no expert, Big Foot doesn’t drink blood.”

  Now she had his attention. “What do you mean?”

  “Come look.” Squatting beside the body closest to her, she waved her hand up and down it. “There aren’t any bullet holes or stab wounds. It’s unlikely that poison was used. The only evidence I can find of foul play is this.” She gently pushed the head to the side, exposing the side of the neck. Dried blood was smeared across it, but two puncture wounds were clearly visible. Each hole was the size of the end of a Q-Tip, and they were spaced a little over an inch apart.

  “Go on,” Mac said, coming to squat beside her.

  “Okay. Well, notice the pallor and dryness of the skin. The grayish cast denotes a lack of blood. Now, I figure they’ve been dead for several hours. If that’s true, then we should see signs of lividity in the lowest levels of the body—in this case, the man’s right side, since that’s how he’s lying. But look here.” She pulled up the man’s shirt. “It’s the same gray color—there wasn’t enough blood left to pool and discolor the skin.”

  At her declaration, their eyes met and Lanie wondered what thoughts raced through his head.

  “Who would take the time to do something like this?” he asked.

  “I guess it could have been some type of wild animal,” she offered.

  “No, it was human.” He pointed to a bloody stain on the man’s shoulder where Lanie could barely make out the imprint of a hand—a human hand.

  “Well, I know this sounds far-fetched, but there might be one other explanation . . .”

  “What?”

  She didn’t say anything, her gaze and attention focused on the two puncture marks on the victim’s neck.

  “Oh, hell, no. Don’t even say—”

  “Vampires.”

  He swung his head away from her, uttering a soft curse under his breath before slapping his hands against his legs and pushing himself to a standing position. “You know? For about three minutes there, I actually thought you had a brain cell.”

  Lanie knew it sounded crazy and wished she could laugh it off and tell him that she was kidding, but too many years with her father kept her silent.

  “I don’t believe any of that crap.” Mac walked to the opposite side of the room, clearly agitated. He stopped at the doorway long enough to look back at her. “It’ll be dark soon. I’m going to check the outside of the compound while I can still see.”

  He left the lab and she hurried to follow, trailing after him to the small security office they’d discovered earlier. She stood silently by the door as he systematically searched each of the cabinets. From the fourth, he extracted a handheld search lamp that, when switched on, was so bright, Lanie had to shield her eyes from the nearly blinding light.

  Apparently satisfied, he shut it off, left the office, and walked to the front of the building, Lanie following behind him. As they passed the security desk, she tried to ignore the bodies.

  “I want you to wait in here,” Mac said, heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “No, I don’t want to stay by myself.”

  “I don’t care. You’ll be safer inside.”

  She jerked her head toward the bodies. “Like they were? No thanks; I’m going with you.”

  He glared at her. “Be reasonable. We’ve searched the entire building. There’s no danger inside, but there may still be something outside. If I run into trouble, the last thing I need to worry about is keeping your butt safe.”

  “You worry about your butt, and I’ll worry about mine.”

  He pointed a finger at her, his expression stern and unyielding. “Stay here.”

  She pushed her glasses up her nose with the tip of her index finger as she stared at him, unfazed. “Do you find that works with most people? Because I’m not buying it.”

  His expression grew outright lethal and despite her bravado, she found herself a little intimidated. “Fine, I won’t go with you,” she finally huffed.

  “Very sensible of you,” Mac acknowledged, pulling the guard’s gun from his waistband and handing it to her. “Do you know how to use this?”

  “I think I can grasp the basic concept—you point and pull the trigger, right?”

  She peered down the weapon’s sights at an imaginary target, perilously close to where Mac stood, her aim not quite steady as her arm wavered in the air. Mac swore again as he pressed her arm downward until the weapon was pointed at the floor. Then gently but firmly, he pulled it from her hand, checked the safety, and shoved it back into the front of his pants.

  “On second thought, it might be better if I was the only one who carried a gun.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself, but then I’m going with you.”

  They left the building and Mac paused on the sidewalk outside. Lanie knew he was listening for anything that might sound out of the ordinary. With anyone else, she might have scoffed at the action. After all, they weren’t in familiar territory—how would they know what sounded normal and what didn’t?

  But Mac was different. More capable was the description that came to mind. The way he’d handled the situation inside, had coped with finding all the bodies and yet remained calm, cool, and collected—it made her wonder what he’d done and seen in the Navy.

  When he started walking, she was struck by his skills. He moved without a sound, making her own attempts at stealth sound loud and jarring by contrast.

  He led them along the front, hugging the wall until they’d traveled the length of it, at which point he stopped and cautiously peered around the next corner. Apparently seeing nothing of concern, he gestured for her to follow as he continued around to the side.

  Here they found a four-foot-wide stretch of ground, cleared of trees, with patches of undergrowth insidiously creeping back. It was as if the rain forest, looming dark and silent beyond the clearing, was trying to reclaim its own. Lanie kept a wary eye open, expecting something to jump out at any moment.

  When they reached the back of the building, Mac again guided them close to the wall so he could see around the corner. When he gave the all-clear, they proceeded to the backyard.

  Like the side, this area had been cleared of trees and brush, but a huge metal cage, like one would find at the zoo, stood in the very middle.

  There appeared to be something inside, but with the growing shadows of dusk, it was impossible to tell exactly what it was. Moving closer, Lanie made out what looked like the statue of a gargoyle.

  Unfamiliar with the different cultural beliefs of the South Americans, she was unsure if the statue was religious or decorative, but she was intrigued by its appearance. It sat hunched on its disproportionately large hind legs like a big cat. All four legs ended in three-toed claws, and a row of sharp fins ran down its head and back. A caninelike muzzle protruded from its round face, with two three-inch fangs extending from its upper jaw. The oval eyes appeared too large for its head and gave the statue an almost demonic, alien appearance.

  As the sun sank lower in the sky, shadows danced across the cage, making the statue appear almost alive. Intrigued, Lanie tried the handle of the door.

  “Why would they keep a statue locked in a cage?” she mused, more to herself than to Mac. “I want to take a closer look.” She searched for a way to unlock the door.

  “Look at it tomorrow, when the light is better,” Mac ordered. “We still have half the grounds to search.”

  She didn’t even glance at him as she dragged her foot across the grass, feeling for a dropped key or some hidden mechanism. “Those men have been dead awhile. Whatever killed them is gone, or we’d be dead now, too.” She paused when her toe hit something. Bending down, she moved the grass aside and found a small remote-control box. Picking it up, she saw an on/off switch. “I found it.”

  “Wait,” Mac hollered at her, but it was too late. She’d alread
y flipped the lever. The sound of a bolt shooting back echoed ominously in the silence, causing the hairs on the back of Lanie’s neck to prickle. She tensed, expecting something to spring out of the cage at them. Beside her, Mac stood with his gun ready.

  Time seemed to stop as in the distance a bird cawed and a gentle breeze stirred the leaves of the surrounding trees, creating a gentle rustling sound.

  Lanie gave Mac a withering look for scaring her and moved past him to the cage’s entrance, where she hesitated only a moment before continuing on in.

  The statue was fascinating. The masonry work was so detailed and fine that it gave the piece a lifelike appearance. Intrigued, Lanie pressed a finger against it and found the rough surface cool to the touch.

  “It’s amazing,” she breathed when Mac came to stand by her side.

  “Yeah. Can we go?”

  Her gaze traveled to the statue’s face, mesmerized by the craftsmanship that was so exquisite she could practically see the eyes glowing red in the darkness and drops of moisture running down the long, deadly fangs.

  Then the eyes blinked.

  Chapter 3

  Lanie felt herself pushed roughly to the ground and looked up to see a nightmare come to life. Though he struggled, Mac could not escape the creature that held him so effortlessly in its front claws. With his arms pinned to his sides, the gun he held was useless.

  Horrified, she watched the creature draw him close and lower its mouth to his neck. She saw the fangs pierce the skin, but it was the sound of blood being sucked from Mac’s body that catapulted her into action.

  Lying on the ground where it had fallen was the search lamp. Crawling over, she grabbed it and, standing so that she faced the creature, pulled the trigger. The sudden brightness of the beam pierced the night and the creature reared back, in that moment releasing its hold on Mac.

  Lanie held the beam steady with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Mac as he fell against her. She wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead as she struggled to support his weight.

  As the creature tried to shield itself from the light, Lanie frantically cast her eyes about for something else to use as a weapon. The sudden explosion and reverberation of Mac’s gun startled her as he discharged his weapon into the creature’s belly.