Chapter:   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Night Vengeance

Chapter Two

It was not yet dusk when a disturbance above awoke him. He growled, his fangs grew and his eyes burned red. He waited and waited, then burst from the ground, as soon has the sun set on the horizon.

An old couple walking hand in hand in the woods cried out in terror as a dark figure of a man burst from the earth. They turned to run but it was too late, the figure grabbed them both by the throat and sank his fangs deep into their necks, alternating one from the other until they were both drained dry. He dropped them and laughed manically, their fear had given him a rush and he was feeling good. His cape swirled as he turned and walked away, leaving his two victims lying where they'd soon be found.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Sitting in her favorite chair, Raelynn grabbed the remote control from the table and turned on the TV. A commercial announcing Aroma Therapy Moisturizing Skin Lotion had her smiling proudly, Parker & Yakomura Advertising had made that ad a month ago. She took a bite of her turkey sandwich and flipped through the channels, a news report caught her eye and she turned up the volume.

"…found lying on the ground. The coroner estimates time of death occurred in the last hour and a half. Large gapping wounds on both their necks indicate they were mauled by some kind of animal. The coroner also reports that both victims were completely drained of blood. Their names are withheld…"

Raelynn didn't here the rest, blood pounding in her head, sandwich on the floor, she rose and like a mindless automaton walked to her room and opened her chest, it was time to go hunting.

Justin rose from the earth and called the first person in his vicinity to come to him. It was a homeless man and his dog that kept growling as the man approached. Justin scanned the old man's mind, planting images of them meeting before.

"Justin! Good to see you again," said the old man. "Quiet Jester! It's only Justin, nothin' to be afraid of."

"Hello Sebastian, how are you this evening? And Jester?" said Justin as he went down on one knee and stroked the dog, his hands calming it instantly. Jester wagged his tail and licked Justin's hand.

"Jester's just spooked 'cause of the killings?" said Sebastian as he looked beyond Justin and slightly shuddered.

Justin instantly planted memories of friendship, camaraderie and protection in the mind of the homeless man and Sebastian visibly relaxed.

"Killings?" Justin asked casually.

"Yeah, an old couple out for an evenin' stroll were found dead not far from here. Their necks were ripped out and they were drained of blood. The cops say it was an animal that done it, but I say it was somethin' else," said the old man.

"What do you think it is?" Justin asked curiously.

Sebastian looked right and left then stepped closer to Justin, "I think it's one of them creatures that only come out at night," he whispered then nodded, "yep, that's what I think."

Justin knew the old man was right, it was a creature that only came out at night. It was time to hunt. He put Sebastian in a trance and drank just enough to ease his hunger then surrounded him and Jester with a protection spell and sent them home, a box in the alley off Hampton Street. He stood there and watched until he could no longer see them then shapeshifting into a black owl he launched skyward, and began his hunt for the vampire.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Raelynn stayed in the shadows as she stealthily made her way to the scene of the crime. She'd track the vampire from there and hope she found him before sunrise; otherwise more people would die this night.

She climbed the rock wall circling Hitchcock Woods and landed deftly on the other side. She ran from tree to tree until she reached the yellow crime scene tape. She scrutinized the area and spotted the lone police officer on guard. She pulled out a long slim bamboo straw and a tiny dart dipped in sleeping powder. She aimed it at the officer and blew. The dart flew out of the straw and embedded itself in the officer's neck.

She waited and watched as the officer suddenly slapped his neck when he felt the sting then his eyes rolled back and he toppled to the ground.

From his perch high in a tree, Justin watched the woman run on silent feet to the officer. He saw her pull the dart from his neck and put it in the pouch on her belt then scan the ground. She walked over to where the bodies had been and simply stood there, staring at the depressions they'd made.

Suddenly she looked up, straight at him, "You can come down now tall one," she said softly. "I know you are there."

Astounded that she'd detected him, Justin almost fell from the tree. He glided down and shapeshifted at her side. She stepped back and looked at him with her clear blue eyes.

"I am Justin," he said and bowed. "Who are you?"

"You are not like the other one," she said, ignoring his question. She looked him up and down, scrutinizing his face. "You are not the one I seek," she said and turned away.

Without conscious thought, Justin moved quickly, grabbed her arm and suddenly found himself lying face down on the ground, the woman's knee firmly planted on his back, preventing him from movement. For a woman of small stature she moved as fast as him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grabbed you like that. I just didn't want you to leave before I learned your name," he said, thinking quickly. He could've broken her hold on him but he didn't want to frighten her if he disappeared in front of her eyes.

Raelynn thought for a moment, she didn't sense danger from him or violence in him but she knew he was capable of it. She slowly removed her knee and stepped away from this Justin. She watched as he slowly stood and dusted himself off.

"I applaud your quickness," he said. "It's the first time anyone's thrown me like that in a long time."

"Centuries I would say," she said, shocking him to his core. How could she know he was centuries old?

"I read your mind," she simply stated and turned back to looking at the ground.

Before he could respond to that she said, "He slept here." She pointed the slight depression in the earth. "This is where he emerged, see the way the dirt is displaced."

Justin frowned, "Who slept there?" he asked still a little stunned she could read his mine when he couldn't read hers.

"The vampire of course," she said impatiently. "That's why you are here isn't it? To track the vampire?"

As he was about to speak, her head suddenly went up and she stepped behind a tree. He scanned and swore; someone was coming. She'd detected their presence before he had. He quickly stepped behind another tree and dissolved into mist, streaming up he made his way to the tree she hid behind and was surprised to find her no longer there, she'd escaped him again.

Raelynn climbed the wall and paused. She looked over her shoulder but didn't see Justin. She wondered why she hadn't destroyed him the night before, then knew why, he fascinated her, his voice was purely amazing, she'd felt the light compulsion from it when he'd asked her name and she'd almost told him, but her disciplined mind couldn't allow that. She shook herself from her musing and jumped off the wall.

 

©2006 Romance at Heart Magazine.

©2000 Angel Young.

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