The Blood Red Rose

by Mark Stewart

  AMBER LOOKED over her shoulder wearing an innocent expression which spelled out the words 'come and chase me.'

  The look taunted Haleton.

  Amber turned her back, forcing her long hair to trap the dull light from the nearest streetlight. Haleton felt overcome. His knees buckled from his weight. The feeling wasn't familiar. Fate had thrown a love dart.

  Haleton watched the girl start to sprint across the road. A truck's headlights highlighted her image through the fog. If Haleton didn't move faster than he'd ever done before, it will be certain death.

  In the time, it takes the valves of a human heart to open and close Haleton started to move.

  Amber seemed oblivious to the large vehicle bearing down on her.

  Haleton threw off the love feeling to focus on what lay ahead. He knew his rescue attempt, either saving Amber or watch her die by being crushed to death will only take a matter of seconds. Her death would be quick. He took comfort in the fact she'd feel no pain.

  Amber stood in the middle of the road smiling at him. The noise from the truck's powerful engine echoed off the objects on both sides of the road. What Haleton couldn't understand is why the truck deliberately changed direction. It appeared the driver wanted to deliberately run her down. He couldn't afford to waste a single second to view the driver, not if he wanted even a slim chance to save her. As it stood, he gave Amber only a seventeen percent chance to survive and a zero chance to walk away unscathed.

  In between steps, Amber's body weight transferred from her back foot to her front foot. To grab her and race across the road would have been the easiest thing to accomplish if only the headlights of the truck were turned off.

  Haleton spied a rock in easy reach. The thought entered his mind to throw it at the headlight. He knew he could easily smash it, but will the light go out in time and what of the second headlight. There were no more rocks. The second headlight beam from the truck will still have Amber in a spotlight, resembling daylight. Good for the truck driver, no good for him. He'd dematerialize into a shadow in a heartbeat. Again, Haleton thought of the driver, deciding it must be deliberate. The image of Alex Crompton entered his thoughts. Yes, it could be a possibility. They hated each other. How quickly life can change. One minute close cousins, the next minute they hated each other.

  Haleton focused on Amber. Her face looked slightly strained. She proved to be fast. Her back foot was now ahead of her front foot. Amber looked to be picking up speed in an attempt to avoid the truck. Her entire upper body appeared to be highlighted in the net of light. Somehow, he needed to succeed in the rescue. At worse-case, he'd be the only survivor. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to cope if he made a wrong judgment.

  Sprinting, Haleton's feet were only lightly skimming the asphalt. Water particles were mushrooming up from a puddle he had stepped into. Already he could feel his body starting to tingle as rogue particles of light bombarded and embedded into his exposed flesh. A few more heartbeats and he'd be able to grab Amber. His timing needed to be exact if he wanted to win the dash.

  Amber's mouth started opening to emit a high-pitched scream. Haleton watched helplessly as she tripped over something which the driver threw from the moving truck. The object hit her left knee. Haleton could tell she was going to fall hard onto the road. He surmised the line of sight with the truck's front wheel. He knew it would roll over her rib cage. By the time, he reached Amber and pushed against her torso to save her; he'd be a shadow. Her life will be at an end. The Cantala name will be gone. Alex Crompton would win.

  Haleton doubled his efforts. Amber's left shoulder dropped to only centimeters off the road. Instead of running through the beams of light Haleton dived flat. His body scraped the road. As Amber crashed to the tarred surface, the truck's headlights passed over them. The large front tyre missed her head by the width of a human hair. Amber's body shielded Haleton from the truck's headlights. His body protected her from the rough road.

  Haleton pushed Amber flat on the road and watched the truck's rusty subframe flow harmlessly over them. He jumped to his feet and helped Amber to the other side of the road where he made her sit on the footpath.

  Haleton sprinted for the truck. If the driver happened to be Alex Crompton, he wasn't going to get away again. He caught up to the truck by the time it reached the first bend in the road. He leaped onto the back-roller door, clinging to the handle. Hurling himself up and onto the roof, the truck entered the bend. In two large steps, he firmly planted his feet on the bonnet. Looking through the windscreen, the scene almost made him choke on his saliva. The male driver appeared to be dead; bitten on the neck. Blood still oozed from two puncture wounds in his jugular vein. The old driver's eyes were open. His body still convulsed as if it tried to tell his brain he wasn't dead.

  The truck rammed through a wire fence, heading for a shallow creek. Haleton jumped and watched the truck nose-dive into the stagnant water. He stood in the dark listening to the engine die. His eyes glistened for the first time since the start of the curse. He slowly shook his head at the alarm bells ringing in his mind. Looking back down the road, he caught a whiff of a familiar smell. The scent caused a shiver to shoot down his back. His brain clicked into overdrive. His thoughts mingled and mashed together to form one large alarming inconceivable evil idea. His heart quickened, pounding against his rib cage. Haleton could hear nothing except the heartbeat in his ears. His vampire fangs quickly extended to full length. He made a low rumbling growl. It sounded endless. Sprinting back to where he left Amber sitting he pushed his emotions to the side. He felt annoyed at being tricked and used for bait.

  Haleton yelled inside his head at the thought of Crompton standing so close to the unguarded Amber Cantala. What of Craig, surely, he'd be in the equation. He had left the area to walk home. Haleton doubled his efforts to retrace his steps. It wasn't in Crompton's character to allow a mortal to live. He needed an innocent victim. Both Amber and Craig might have stuck fast in his murderous web. The plan couldn't have been any more perfect.

  Haleton got back to where he left Amber. Twirling in circles, he looked for Crompton or the bodies of his friends on the dead quiet street.

  "Crompton, where are you?" yelled Haleton.

  The only noise came from a field mouse darting through the branches of a small bush in the search for food.

  Haleton again yelled at the top of his voice. "Crompton, let Amber and Craig live their life to the fullest. They mean nothing to you. Let them be."

  "William, what a pleasant surprise, it's good to see you again."

  Haleton twisted around to face Crompton square on. "Where's Amber?"

  "Is that any way to talk to me? I thought after our last encounter you'd have been slightly more hospitable."

  Haleton hissed at the man.

  "Don't make me laugh," he said casually waving his hand. "You know perfectly well I don't scare easily."

  "Are you positive?"

  Crompton sighed and pointed his finger at Haleton. "I'm quite sure."

  "I wouldn't grow too comfortable in your thinking. Where are they? Tell me or else."

  "You'll do what? Try and kill me again. We both know the idea will never work."

  "I'll hound you for all eternity if you hurt my friends in any way."

  "Eternity is a long time," jeered Crompton. "Before you launch your scathing attack I want to show you something. Cast your gaze on the building across the street." He made a high-pitched whistle.

  A face appeared at the top of the four-storey building. Craig's mouth was taped, and his hands bound tight behind his back. His feet were tied together at the ankles.

  "If you look across the street at the roof of the opposite building you'll be in for a real treat."

  Haleton glanced up at the roof. He spied Amber. She was a mirror image of the tied and gagged Craig. Haleton snarled at Crompton.

  "What do you want in return for their safety?"

  "I hope you're not begging for me to save their mortal lives?"

&
nbsp; "What do you want?"

  "Join my gang."

  "Never," spat Haleton.

  "That's a shame. I'm concerned the mortals going by the name of Craig Benyon and Amber Cantala won't live to see the next sunrise let alone midday."

  "You know I can catch both of them."

  "It's a contingency plan I did consider. The idea kept me deep in thought for nearly a minute. I did, however, find a solution to the problem. I've decided to let you in on my idea. Give me a moment to explain the rules. There aren't many. For you to make a wise decision, I need a minute to explain."

  "I'll give you thirty seconds," growled Haleton.

  "I love the way you think you're holding the winning cards," hissed Crompton.

  "Make your play."

  The man in the black top hat and tails gave a sharp nod before voicing his idea. "You see it will go exactly like the following. I will signal my men to place Cantala and Benyon on the top edge of the building they are standing on. I will ask you one last time to join my gang. Of course, you'll refuse. I'll signal my gang to give Cantala and Benyon a slight push, or if you'd prefer me to call them Amber and Craig, either way, works for me. Both hostages will fall to the ground headfirst. What you need to ask yourself is; William Haleton, my dear cousin, which one are you going to try to save? I'll give you a moment to consider your options. I'm betting the first thing you'll say is; you will still be able to save them both. Don't bother to convince me. I tried a small experiment on a copy of what you are about to attempt. Let me tell you I couldn't run fast enough across the road to save both mannequins which I stole from a dress shop. So you see I know I'll win. I don't want you to stop my excitement by telling me which you will save. I don't care." Crompton pushed two fingers into his mouth and made another sharp whistle.

  Amber and Craig were forced to stand on the top edge of their building. They both looked at the other. Craig gave Amber a slight nod. She raised an eyebrow.

  "By the looks of things, I could swear Benyon loves the girl. Too bad it never worked out," jeered Crompton.

  Haleton checked his watch. "It looks like you've left me no choice except to join your gang."

  "How sweet it is to hear the words coming from your mouth. I did want you to try my experiment. My gang and I made a bet you'd save the girl."

  "How do I know one of our cronies won't push the mortals from the roof?"

  "You don't," replied Crompton.

  "I said I'd join, but on one condition."

  "I don't care for the mortals; I want you."

  "I care."

  "It's a weakness I'm prepared to overlook. You'll get used to it. Soon you won't care either. Boys, drop the pair over the side. I have what I want. Haleton, kneel so I can make it official."

  Haleton stared at his cousin. "You're out of time."

  Crompton looked up at his gang members. He watched each one disappear in a cloud of midnight black smoke. They hovered in the air for a moment before each of the plumes vanished.

  Crompton checked his pocket watch. His eyes widened. "You deliberately stalled so you could watch my gang disappear."

  "I told you our paths would cross one day to waste time. The council of four succeeded. When we first met, I checked my watch. I'm short of time too. However, you were here before me."

  Crompton sprinted towards his foe. Before he got halfway, he disappeared in a plume of black smoke.

  Haleton sprinted up the side of the building to untie Amber. He jumped to the opposite building carrying her safely in his arms. In seconds, he'd set Craig free.

  While Amber hugged and kissed her hero, Craig started to walk off towards the center of the building. He reached out and opened the door to the stairwell. Before descending the stairs, he turned to view the love scene.

  "You two should go somewhere private, nut out anything standing between you and get married so you can live a long, happy life." Craig faked a smile. "I'm going home. I've been through too much excitement for any mortal man in any one day. When you need me, you know where I live."

  "Be careful on your way home, Crompton might still be in this time zone hanging from a tree branch for a chance to bite," called Haleton.

  Amber chuckled, waving him away.

  "I'll be fine, thanks for caring." Craig shut the stairwell door in his wake.

  Haleton focused on Amber. "It's not my intention to break up a party. Time is short. Crompton and his gang arrived in this time ten hours before I did. My time here is counting down fast."

  Amber stared at Haleton. She started to take on the look of a girl who was about to panic. "I sure hope Craig will make it home okay."

  "I'm positive he'll be fine."

  Although Haleton sounded convincing, Amber walked next to him, the same concerned expression on her face. She studied each thick bush as they walked.

  "I never want to run into Crompton again," she whispered. "Like Craig, I've seen enough of his appearance."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN