2

CHAPTER 1

The cargo ship bobbed uncontrollably in the deep seas of the North Atlantic Ocean, its crew

working tirelessly to control the sails and lines that guided the vessel’s bearings as the ship pitched and

tossed them around like rag dolls. The captain paced anxiously in front of the helm while his second in

command fought to steer the ship.

“Don’t worry, Captain, this storm will pass by us soon and it’ll be smooth sailing once again,” the

second in command assured the senior officer.

The captain sighed and stopped his pacing before he replied, “Mikhail, I hope that you are

correct, my friend. I made a promise to both parties involved that this cargo would get there safely.”

“I aim to make sure that you keep that promise, sir,” Mikhail replied as he turned the rudder’s

wheel quickly to avoid a rising wave of water.

“How far away are we from New York?” a voice asked from the behind the two men.

The captain and Mikhail turned around to see a figure dressed in black standing just inside the

door way.

“At the rate we are currently going, we are thirty-six hours away from the New York harbor,”

Mikhail replied.

“Excellent. Carry on; I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the dark figure said as he left the shadows of

the doorway and disappeared.

Mikhail waited until he was sure that the darkly-dressed figure was gone before he said,

“Captain, that man gives me the creeps.”

3

“Relax, my old friend. When we reach New York he will be gone and you won’t have to worry

about him anymore,” the captain replied as he walked over to the instrument panel and checked their

present heading.

“What’s that man’s story, anyway? He only comes out at night and he walks around all pale and

mysterious. He doesn’t talk to anyone and when he does, it’s with a strange accent. I can’t put my finger

on where that accent is from,” Mikhail said out loud as he kept the wheel from spinning.

“All I know is he paid me in cash to travel with us. In addition, he asked that he be left alone and

not be disturbed while he sleeps down in the cargo hold,” the captain replied honestly to his second in

command.

“Aye, aye, sir. Your orders are being followed, it’s just some of the men are afraid of the

unknown,” Mikhail told the captain with a hint of fear in his voice.

“There’s no need to fear him. He hasn’t harmed anyone on this ship that I’m aware of,” the

captain replied as he turned around to stare out the ship’s windows.

With that said, Mikhail turned his attention back to steering the ship.

*************************************************************************************

Three hours later, the storm ceased, the clouds disappeared and the moon revealed itself off

the starboard bow. The crew onboard the cargo ship breathed a sigh of relief and made their way down

to the lower deck for dry clothes and a nap.

”I’m sure glad that’s over! I’m exhausted!” exclaimed a middle-aged sailor named Dennis.

“I second that, Dennis,” his bunkmate Pierre said as he stripped off his wet clothes and hung

them on a nail next to his hammock.

4

“I sure could go for a bite to eat before I lie down though,” a fellow shipmate named Javier

mentioned out loud.

“I’m too tired to eat right now. You go ahead,” his bunkmate, Gary, told him as he climbed into

his hammock.

“Suit yourself,” Javier said as he shrugged his shoulders and climbed up the steps that led to the

upper deck.

Javier stopped short as his head rose above the hatch opening. He quickly ducked back down

and whispered,

“Psst, that man is on the deck.”

“So? Ignore him and go get something to eat. If you don’t bother him, he won’t bother you.”

Dennis told him as he stifled a yawn.

“Okay,” Javier said in a shaky voice.

Javier proceeded to climb up the ladder. When he reached the top rung on the ladder, he

cautiously stepped over the lip of the hatch and stood on the top deck. The entire time that he climbed

up the ladder until now, the thirty-two year old man hadn’t taken his eyes off the man dressed in solid

black.

“Even now, your heartbeat races as you stand there staring at me. Fear not, for I shall do you no

harm. Go, treat yourself to a snack before you go to bed,” the figure dressed in black said without

turning around to face Javier.

“How…How did you know I was going to get something to eat?” Javier asked shakily.

5

“Ah…I heard you mention it earlier while you were on deck,” the man replied.

“I…I never said I was hungry until I went down below,” Javier said as he took a step towards the

door that would take him to the kitchen.

“Hmm…my mistake. Perhaps I made a lucky guess. Please, go and leave me be,” the man

clothed in black said nonchalantly.

Javier swallowed hard and walked over to the kitchen door, still keeping his eyes on the man

standing on the deck. When he reached the kitchen door, Javier took his eyes away from the man so

that he could reach the doorknob. Just as the sailor placed his right hand on the doorknob, he heard a

swooshing sound and quickly turned his head around to locate the origin of the noise. He let out a gasp

when he noticed that the man dressed in black had disappeared from the deck. Javier turned his head

around frantically to look for the man but could not find him anywhere on the deck. The sailor gave up

after a few minutes when his stomach reminded him that he was hungry. Javier shrugged his shoulders,

turned the doorknob, and entered the kitchen. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the

large capacity walk-in cooler located on the opposite wall. When he reached the cooler, he opened the

door and stepped inside and immediately found the ingredients that he needed to make a sandwich.

The sailor gathered the items, stepped outside of the cooler, and set the ingredients on the counter so

that he could make his snack.

*************************************************************************************

Javier finished his sandwich, picked up the ingredients and returned the unused items back into

the cooler. He closed the cooler door and walked over to the kitchen door. Just as he opened the door,

he stopped when he heard voices coming from somewhere outside on the deck.

6

“It’s been centuries, my old friend. What brings you to United States?” a female voice asked.

“I have changed, Celina. I seek a place to dwell and start a new life in America. Can you help

me?” the man dressed in black told the woman in a desperate tone of voice.

“My sweet Christophe, you come find me after all these centuries and ask me to help you when

I do not know what troubles you. Please, tell me what ails you,” the woman named Celina replied with

concern in her voice.

“If I told you the truth, you may not believe me,” Christophe told her as he looked up at the

moon.

“Christophe, even after all these years you still don’t trust me?” Celina asked her companion.

Christophe let out sigh and said, “Very well. What I am about to tell you my surprise you, so

please let me finish before you say anything,” Christophe told her as he lowered his gaze and stared

directly into her eyes.

Celina slowly nodded her head and waited patiently for Christophe to continue.

“Two months ago I was hunting in the woods near Inverness, Scotland when I was visited by a

glowing figure dressed in white. This figure floated closer and closer and I began to distinguish that it

was a woman. I stopped in mid-stride and shielded my eyes from the brightness as it came within feet of

where I stood. Then she spoke to me in a voice that sounded like harp, clear and musical at the same

time. She told me that her name was Wynonna and that she was Druid Priestess from a long time ago.

She was sent to make me an offer that would change my life forever. Wynonna went on to tell me that

she knew all about me and that she could hear my thoughts just as easily and if I had spoken them out

loud. She told me she knew deep down inside I wanted to change and become a force of good rather

than evil. When I nodded my head to confirm this, she went on to say that she would grant me that

7

wish if I promised to leave the island and travel to America to protect the innocent in any way that was

necessary. I agreed to do this without knowing how she would grant my wish.

“The next thing I knew, she placed her right hand over where my heart used to beat and

instantly I began to fill with so much power and light that I floated off of the ground. As I dangled in mid-

air she spoke once again. She said ‘Now Christophe, I give you a soul, a heartbeat, and a conscience to

guide you. Use them wisely and you will do great things. Abuse them and you will suffer forever. You will

remain an immortal as you once were and feed as you have always done, however, your meals will

consist of things that kill instead of things that are innocent. You will be known to the mortals as

Christophe Evangelist.’

“When she had finished with me, she lowered me back to the ground and then disappeared. I

stood there on the trail weak and hungry. I regained my composure and flew to find food. My first meal

consisted of a man that had killed his wife for her adultery and fled to the hills to hide from the law. As I

drank from his murderous veins I felt the power surge through me unlike anything that I have felt

before. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s not like before when I drank from the innocent, it’s more like

the energy that Priestess Wynonna gave to me on the trail earlier.

“Things seemed so clear to me after that first meal. I immediately made arrangements to leave

the United Kingdom and find a vessel of old that would transport me across the ocean. I could have

chosen a modern transport ship, but alas, I prefer the old style cargo ships. It turns out that Captain

McDonald had two of these ships in his family that had been passed down to him from generation to

generation. The other vessel was already out to sea and this one just needed to be loaded with cargo. I

fulfilled that need for him. I have packed what I could of my belongings that would sustain me in my new

home in the United States. Now, I need your help to find that place. Will you help me?” Christophe told

his story to Celina as honestly as he could as he stared out into the vast night sky.

8

Celina placed both hands on Christophe’s right arm and said, “Yes, I will help you find a home.

Now, I must go and feed because the sun will up soon and we both must get some rest. But, before I go,

I must ask you if I can have that man that’s been eavesdropping on our entire conversation,”

“No, we can’t risk that kind of exposure,” Christophe replied.

“Very well then, I’ll be right back,” she told him as she let go of his arm and disappeared from his

side.

She re-appeared standing in front of Javier. Javier jumped back, startled, and started to close

the door. Celina reached out and grabbed his left wrist and pulled the sailor forward out onto the deck.

“Look at me,” she commanded.

Javier did as he was told. Their eyes met and in a soft mellow voice she said,

“Forget what you have heard and seen this night. It was all a dream and now you will go to bed

and sleep until sunrise.”

“It was a dream. I must go to bed now and get some sleep.” Javier mumbled.

Celina let go of his wrist and disappeared only to re-appear next to Christophe.

“Sleep well, my old friend. I shall see you when this ship lands in New York.” She told her friend

as she gave him a peck on his right cheek before she vanished into the night.

Christophe left the deck and went down to the cargo hold to sleep in his crate. Javier left the

deck and went down to the lower level where his shipmates were sleeping. He climbed into his

hammock and settled down. Minutes later, he drifted off to sleep and dreamed of black seagulls flying in

the night.

9

CHAPTER 2

Mikhail hailed the ship that was on their port side using the two way radio that was mounted

above his head.

“I hail the ship, Victoria Three; this is the cargo ship Mermaid’s Quest. Do you read me, over?”

“This is the Victoria Three, we read you, over.”

“I see that you are heading west. Would you like some company, over?” Mikhail said into the

handheld microphone.

“That’s affirmative. Where are you headed, over?”

“Our heading is New York harbor, over,” Mikhail replied.

“What a coincidence, so are we, over.”

“What’s going on?” Captain McDonald asked his second in command as he came into room.

“Captain, we have another vessel on our port side, sir. They are going to the same place that we

are,” Mikhail informed the senior officer.

“Ah, I see. Carry on then,” the captain told Mikhail as he gestured with his right hand, signaling

the man to continue with what he was doing.

“Did you hear me, Mermaid’s Quest, over?”

“Sorry, please repeat, over,” Mikhail replied.

“I asked if we could anchor together and board each other, over,”

Mikhail turned towards the senior officer tentatively asked, “Captain?”

10

“Tell them that will be fine with me. It will do the men some good to socialize and take a break

after this long journey.” Captain McDonald told Mikhail.

“Aye, aye, sir.” Mikhail nodded in understanding as he turned back around to speak into the

microphone.

“Please respond, Mermaid’s Quest, over.”

“My captain said yes, Victoria Three, over,” responded Mikhail without hesitation.

“Wonderful. We will see you at sunset, Mermaid’s Quest, over and out.”

Mikhail replaced the microphone back into its slot and concentrated on steering the ship.

*************************************************************************************

Outside on the deck the men were busy with the sails and the rigging that controlled them.

“Look at that ship! It’s a beauty!” Dennis called down from the ships crow’s nest.

The Victoria Three was also a cargo transport ship except that it was designed to look like a

yacht. The upper housing held the crew and the kitchen while the lower decks held the cargo. On this

particular voyage she was transporting luxury cars from Europe and the crew consisted of one dozen

men and their captain. The men were standing on the deck of the Victoria Three watching the crew of

the Mermaid’s Quest. When the crew from the old cargo ship looked over at the crew from the Victoria

Three, they exchanged cordial greetings and waves. This made the men on the Mermaid’s Quest feel

rather jubilant, and they simultaneously began to sing an old sailing song. This in turn brought cheers

and whistles from the crew of the Victoria Three.

Down below in the cargo hold, Christophe fervently tossed and turned in his crate. His

conscience was reliving all the kills that he had subjected innocent people to before he met the Druid

11

Priestess Wynonna. He dreamed about the beautiful daughter of a senator that he had killed during the

Roman Empire. He kept re-enacting her smile and laughter over and over again when he told one of his

whimsical jokes. How her hair had flowed so elegantly in the gentle breeze that blew on that evening

when he had reached out, took her into his arms and kissed her ever so passionately on her luscious lips.

He’d broken away from that kiss and nuzzled her right ear and licked down her neck with his tongue.

She’d leaned her head over to the opposite side, exposing her neck and shoulder and moaned.

Christophe knew at that point that he had won her over and went in for the kill. He lifted his head up

and snarled hungrily. His fangs were fully extended and his eyes were now a lemon yellow. He

immediately tilted his head down and sank his fangs into her jugular. He drank ever so slowly, savoring

the taste of her sweet honeysuckle blood. He caught her in his arms just as she started to sink lower to

the ground, her body growing weaker and weaker as each moment passed. In the end, her head went

back and Christophe released his bite on her, making sure that he did not take the last drop of blood

from her diminishing body. He then cast her body aside as if she were an old blanket and licked his lips

in pure ecstasy.

This dream he had over and over again until the sun began to set outside. When darkness fully

encased the sky, he opened his crate and climbed out. He could hear the crew lowering the sails and

other voices not familiar to him talking to the crew of the Mermaid’s Quest. Curious, Christophe made

his way up to deck and met up with Captain McDonald.

“Captain, the voices that I heard from below do not match your crew, and why have we stopped

sailing during the night when we are so close to reaching our destination?” Christophe questioned the

Captain.

“Forgive me, Mr. Collins, should I have conferred with you first before permitting my men some

leisure?” Captain McDonald asked the man dressed in solid black.

12

“No, that wouldn’t have been right. It is your ship and your men. It is not my place to second

guess your intentions, captain,” Christophe replied as he quickly shook his head.

“Come, join us on the Victoria Three,” the captain said inviting Christophe to the ship off to their

port side.

Christophe thought for moment and agreed to join the captain and his crew on the Victoria

Three. As the two men walked across the gangplank that linked the two ships together, Christophe

sensed something was wrong with the crew on the Victoria Three. He dismissed the feeling and stepped

onto the deck of the ship. Captain McDonald drifted away from Christophe and joined the captain from

the host ship. The men from the Victoria Three eyed Christophe warily. Then it occurred to Christophe

what was wrong. These men from the host ship were evil in such a way that Christophe knew that he

either must leave or kill them all. Christophe turned around and started to walk away when one of the

men from the host ship hollered out to him,

“Where are you going, Mister? Please, stay and join the fun.”

Christophe stopped halfway from the gangplank and turned around.

“No, I’m afraid not. I have much to do before we land. Maybe some other time,” he replied

through gritted teeth.

“Aww, let him go, Pierre. He looks ill anyway,” another crewman from the Victoria Three called

out to his shipmate.

“Allright, go about your business. I’m sure we will be over on the Mermaid’s Quest later

anyway,” Pierre said as he pointed to the vessel.

13

Christophe turned around and walked back towards the gangplank. When he reached it, he

crossed over onto the Mermaid’s Quest. Once he set foot on the deck, he let out a breath that he did

not know he was holding and immediately headed back down to the cargo hold. After he reached the

cargo hold he walked over to one of his old travel trunks and opened it. He removed from its depths a

sword and an old breastplate. He busied himself with strapping the breastplate on and checking the

sword for any possible nicks or dullness. Pleased that he couldn’t find any, Christophe closed the trunk

lid and positioned himself between the cargo door and his belongings.

An hour later, he heard footsteps walking across the gangplank, and the feeling that he had felt

earlier returned. The voices that went with those footsteps didn’t match any of the Mermaid’s Quest

crew. As he concentrated on the voices he could distinguish the words that the men were saying.

“That captain was fool to leave his ship! He should have stayed onboard with his second-in-

command and that man dressed in black,” one crewman said in between chuckles of laughter.

“Yeah, I agree, but instead of three bodies to dispose of on this ship we have two. So be thankful

that he did come aboard our ship,” another crewman from the Victoria Three said as he stepped off the

gangplank and onto the Mermaid’s Quest.

“Let’s get these other two and split. The faster we tow this relic into the shipyard the faster we

will get paid,” another crewman said as he shuffled his feet back and forth in anticipation.

“Relax, Ringo. Did anyone find out what cargo this ship was toting?” a fifth crewman asked the

others.

“One of the guys on the crew of this ship said that man dressed in black had some old antiques

and relics,” the first crewman said as he stood there on the deck looking around him suspiciously.

14

“Okay, Derek and Ringo go check out the cargo hold. The rest of us will go find the second in

command. We’re going to the helm first to see if he’s there. We’ll meet back here in thirty minutes,” the

crew leader instructed his men.

Derek and Ringo left the small group and located the door that led down to the cargo hold.

Derek opened the door first and entered the dark interior, followed closely by Ringo. Christophe, who

could see them approaching stood his ground and growled at them.

“Damn it man, I wish there was a light down here. I swore I just heard a dog growl at me,” Derek

told his companion.

“Me, too, Derek,” agreed Ringo.

“Come on, let’s search for a light so we can see what’s down here,” Derek suggested.

Derek turned to the right to search alongside that wall while his partner went left. The two men

hadn’t gone but a couple of feet when the growling noise became louder and closer to where they were

standing. Both men looked over their shoulders towards the sound but they could see nothing in the

dark. The two men resumed their initial search for a light. Suddenly, Ringo felt something cold against

his neck then a warm sensation gushed down his throat and across his shoulders. He reached up to feel

what could be causing that sensation just as his head slid down and rolled across the floor.

“Ringo, what was that noise?” Derek asked with panic in his voice.

When he didn’t receive a response, he started to shake. He turned around and felt something

brush against his shoulder.

“Ringo, is that you?” Derek asked in a panic.

15

Suddenly, something bit him on the neck, and he began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. He tried

to reach up with his arms and hands, but they felt as heavy as a ton of bricks. Within minutes, he passed

out and slumped to the floor shortly thereafter, dead with only a single drop of blood left in his veins.

Christophe relished in the taste that Derek’s blood had given him. He felt invincible, like he could fly to

the moon and back without getting lightheaded or dizzy.

“Now, for the rest of them,” Christophe said to himself with a wicked grin spreading across his

face.

Christophe disappeared and reappeared just outside the helm’s door.

“You know that we have to kill you, why are you fighting us?” the crew leader said mockingly to

Mikhail.

“I don’t want it to be said that you took this ship so easily a baby could do it,” Mikhail mumbled

through a bloody mouth and swollen lip.

“Enough of this three ringed circus, will one of you please take this knife and finish him off? I’m

going outside to smoke,” the crew leader said in disgust as he tossed his switchblade knife to one of the

crewmen.

Just then the door flew open and the crew leader’s head flew across the room. The other

crewmen screamed in horror and tried to run out the door but were stopped by the man dressed in

black. Christophe stood there, ready for battle with his bloody sword and his bloodstained breastplate.

The crewman that had the knife threw it at Christophe and missed. This only enraged Christophe more

and when he snarled, exposing his pointy fangs, the crewmen gasped in horror.

“You’re not real! This can’t be happening! It’s the twenty-first century for Christ’s sake!” one of

the crewmen shouted at Christophe.

16

Christophe let out a roar of laughter and said, “I am very real, but you shall not live long enough

to tell others about me.”

In an instant, Christophe disappeared before the men. While the crewmen stood there in

disbelief, they lost their heads, as Christophe beheaded them one by one. When Christophe was

through, he re-appeared next to Mikhail, who had passed out from his injuries. When the swordsman

saw that the second-in-command was out cold, Christophe disappeared to go and rescue the rest of the

crew from Mermaid’s Quest.

17

CHAPTER 3

Christophe re-appeared, flying above the Victoria Three and listened with his keen hearing. He

wanted to make absolutely sure of where the crewmen were before he barged in and started killing.

From what he could distinguish, the crew of the Victoria Three had the crew from the Mermaid’s Quest

in the cargo hold. Christophe disappeared once again and floated his way down to the cargo hold. Once

there, he could see the crew from the Mermaid’s Quest being detained by several men with handguns.

For several minutes, Christophe remained where he was, planning his next move. Finally, he

decided to separate the guns from the hands, and then he would behead the evil crew as they tried to

make sense of things. Christophe disappeared and approached the first evil crewmen that held a gun.

The swordsman raised his weapon and quickly separated the opponent’s hand, which still clutched the

gun. The man let out a horrifying scream when his appendage fell off, and Christophe ended his

suffering by beheading the crewman. Christophe watch in amusement as the rest of the evil crewmen

scurried around frantically waving their guns and shouting threats into thin air.

Christophe flew down and cut off each man’s hand that held a gun. He circled back around and

slit their throats with one swift swipe of his sword. The crew from Mermaid’s Quest trembled where

they were huddled together because they did not know what was happening, except people’s body

parts were flying off and throats were being cut by an unseen adversary.

“Please, don’t hurt us! Please, let us go!” they cried out into the vast cargo hold.

Christophe flew down behind some BMW’s and re-appeared. He slowly walked out from behind

the cars and made his way over to the crewmen from the Mermaid’s Quest.

18

“Do not fear me, men. I can’t do any harm to innocents, only to those that are evil. Please, stand

up and let’s go back to the Mermaid’s Quest and set sail once again,” Christophe said soothingly to the

frightened men.

The captain and the crew looked at Christophe with fear in their eyes. Christophe stood there

and waited patiently for the men to relax and come to their senses. Many minutes passed before the

Captain came to his knees and slowly stood up.

“Come on men, he’s right. We’re nearly there. Let’s go and set sail and get as far away from this

ship as we can get,” the captain told his crew as he motioned for them to stand up.

The crew reluctantly stood up from their positions on the floor and waited for captain. The

captain walked across the cargo hold floor towards the door that would take them up to the deck of the

ship. The men grouped together and followed their captain, while Christophe disappeared and flew back

to the Mermaid’s Quest. His intention was to dispose of the bodies in the helm and the cargo hold

before the captain and the crew saw them. He reached the helm first and saw that Mikhail was still out

cold, so he single handedly picked up the carcasses and carried them out to the deck. He tossed them

over the starboard side of the ship and watched as the current carried them away. He couldn’t do

anything about the blood that remained on the floor and walls; they would have to take of those

themselves. When he heard the crew of the Mermaid’s Quest approaching, he disappeared and flew

down to the cargo hold.

Once there, he removed his breastplate and set it and the sword down next to his crate. He then

walked over to the head and both bodies, picked them up from the floor and carried them to the door.

When he reached the door, he was met by three crewmen offering their assistance to help him with the

bodies. Christophe agreed and handed the carcasses over to them. The crewmen took the bodies and

the head and heaved them over the rail and down into the ocean. The captain appeared from around

19

the corner and instructed the rest of the crew to take down the gangplank and to fully open the sails.

The crew did as they were told and Christophe watched as the men silently completed their tasks.

The Captain walked over to Christophe and very quietly said,

“I don’t know what you are Mr. Collins, but I sure am glad that you’re on our side. Thank you.”

“Captain McDonald, if I told you what I was, you’d never believe me,” Christophe replied before

he disappeared and went back to the cargo hold because the sun was about to rise on the horizon.

The captain stood there blinking and looking where Christophe had just been standing a

moment ago.

“Captain, Mikhail is waking up, sir,” one of the crewmen told Captain McDonald.

“That’s wonderful news, thank you, sailor,” the captain replied cheerfully as he walked back to

the helm.

Twenty minutes later, the Mermaid’s Quest was once again sailing across the ocean and heading

for the New York harbor. The men busied themselves by cleaning the blood from the helm and tending

to Mikhail’s injuries. Javier, the ship’s pre-med student, told Mikhail that he had suffered two cracked

ribs and one broken one and that he would have to order Mikhail to bed rest for the remainder of the

voyage. Mikhail grumbled and complained until the pain killer started to work and he drifted off to

sleep. Dennis, the ship’s navigator, took over Mikhail’s position at the helm. Gary, the ship’s engineer,

took it upon himself to go up the crow’s nest and watch out for land. The captain and the rest of the

crew prayed for the rest of their journey to be uneventful.

20

CHAPTER 4

Dennis calculated they still had to travel half of this new day before they saw the Statue of

Liberty on the horizon. He also knew that if they hadn’t stopped like they did they would have been

there by noon. To take his mind off of this, he decided to ask the captain about the man dressed in

black.

“Captain, what do you make of that man, Mr. Collins? What is he?” Dennis asked very carefully.

The captain sighed and said, “Dennis, I haven’t a clue as what that man is. Apparently he’s here

to do mankind a favor. Although, I hope he doesn’t go slicing people’s heads off in America. That would

cause a big problem.”

“Aye, I agree, Captain. Should we tell someone about the Victoria Three?” Dennis wondered out

loud.

“Hmm…I’ve been thinking about that. I’ll mention that we passed an abandoned vessel half a

day’s journey away. When they board it, I’m sure they’ll discover the fate of the crew. From that point

on, I’ll deny knowing anything about it. I suggest that you and the rest of the men do the same,” the

captain said in stern voice as he gazed out the helm window.

“Aye, Aye, sir,” Dennis said as he concentrated on the compass and the map next to him.

*************************************************************************************

Later that evening, as Gary did a sweep of the horizon from his vantage point in the crow’s nest,

he spotted what appeared to be the Statue of Liberty’s torch. He picked up the binoculars and brought

them up to his eyes, adjusted them a little and peered through them.

“Whoohoo! It is! Land ho!” he hollered down to the crew below.

21

All the men that were on deck raced to the front of ship, frantically looking for any signs of land.

As the smog cleared and the cloud dispersed, they could see the top portion of the Statue of Liberty. A

loud cheer of jubilation resounded amongst the crewmen. Two of the men scurried to go tell the

captain, while the rest of the men gave each other high fives and pats on the back.

Off to their starboard and port side, tug boats were churning their way towards them and

hailing them on the radio.

“Looks like we’ve got an escort into shore, Captain,” Dennis said as he reached up above his

head in order to pick up the microphone and answer their hail.

“Allow them to tow us in,” the captain told Dennis in a serious tone.

“Mermaid’s Quest, this is the tug boat, The Royal Spitz, asking if you need help docking, over.”

Dennis brought the microphone down to him and pressed the talk button,

“This is the Mermaid’s Quest seeking any assistance that we can get would be greatly

appreciated, over.”

“We’re going to pull alongside of you and cast you a rope; secure the rope onto your rope

anchors, over.”

“We copy that, over and out,” Dennis said into the microphone as looked up and saw the

captain motion for him to end the call.

“I’ll go out and prepare the men with the necessary instructions that they need. You remain

here just in case,” the captain told Dennis nonchalantly.

22

Dennis nodded in understanding and remained at the helm while the captain exited and walked

out onto the deck. Much to his surprise the men were already tying the ropes from the tugboats onto

their ships rope anchors. The captain looked up and saw that the sails were already down and several of

the men were strapping them to the mast. The captain smiled with pleasure at the fact he had such a

good crew.

“Captain, I see that we finally made it,” Christophe said from behind the captain.

“What? Oh, yes, we have. Promise me something, Mr. Collins, if you don’t mind,” Captain

McDonald said still keeping his back to Christophe.

“Anything that you ask of me, I’ll do my best to keep it between us,” Christophe replied.

“Promise me that in America you won’t behead anyone else,” the captain said softly.

“Hmm…that will be one promise that will be hard for me to keep, but I shall honor it since you

did ask that of me. Be careful, Captain McDonald, during your stay in America and on your return

journey home,” Christophe said as he walked over to the cargo hold.

The captain sighed heavily before walking over to the starboard side to watch their approach

into the New York harbor. He saw other vessels docked along the harbor, people walking around, and

semi-trucks being loading with loads from various cargo ships. The two tugboats were guiding them

over to the oldest part of the harbor where sailing ships and slower vessels often docked. There was one

dock that was vacant at the far end of the harbor and as they approached it the tugboat on the portside

told the crew of the Mermaid’s Quest to release their guide rope. The crew did as they were told, and

soon only the one tugboat on the starboard side was left to guide them in. The tugboat brought them so

close to the dock the men could safely jump down to it and secure their docking ropes to the rope

anchors. A couple of the crewman volunteered to jump overboard and soon the Mermaid’s Quest was

23

securely docked. The remaining tugboat instructed the cargo ship to release the lead lines so that they

could go out and help others. The crew of the cargo ship did as they were told and the tugboat drifted

away.

Mermaid’s Quest bobbed gently in the water as the men lowered the gangplank and started to

unloaded the cargo. Christophe went ahead of the crewmen to see if he could locate Celina. He found

her at the end of the dock next to a large U-Haul truck. As he approached her, she smiled and reached

her arms out to welcome him. They embraced in a quick hug, and then Celina said,

“Christophe, I’m so glad that you made it. I found the most beautiful home for you; I hope that

you like it. It’s out in the country where you will have peace and quiet.”

“Thank you, Celina. I’ve been doing some thinking after we last saw each other. I’ll be in need of

a vehicle and a new identity if I am to stay here. Can you help me to acquire those things as well?”

Christophe asked as he motioned for the crewmen to bring his belongings over to the U-Haul.

“Ah…my sweet Christophe, Those things have already been obtained for you at your new home.

Your vehicle sits in the garage and your identity is in an envelope on the front seat. You’d be amazed

how quickly Matthias worked when he found out it was you were coming here. He wasted no time at all

in forging you a birth certificate, driver’s license, and a new career,” Celina chuckled as she mentioned

the new career.

“Celina, what is so funny? What new career?” Christophe asked puzzled by her reaction.

“Your new career pertains to you becoming an undercover cop with the DEA,” she said in

between giggles.

“Oh! Well, I can see the irony in that. Does Matthias know what my purpose is? Did you in some

way tell him?” Christophe asked his old friend.

24

“No and no. Christophe, he is our father, the one who made us what we are. He knows us better

than anyone else,” Celina told him seriously.

“He’ll figure it out soon enough I guess. I dread his lecture which I’m sure I’m going to get,”

Christophe said disdainfully.

“So, how was the rest of your journey?” Celina asked, changing the subject.

Christophe went on to tell her about their encounter with the Victoria Three and its crew. She

frowned as he talked, but she didn’t say anything until he was through with his story.

“Oh my, does the cleanup crew need to be called?” she asked as he concluded his story.

“No, It’s probably too late for that anyway. I’m sure by now Captain McDonald has already told

the proper people about seeing an abandoned ship half a day’s journey out to sea,” Christophe

explained to her as he looked around and spotted the captain talking to some people in three piece

suites.

“Very well, I do believe all of your things have been loaded onto the truck. Are you ready to

leave now?” Celina wondered out loud.

“Yes, I am ready,” Christophe told her as he walked around to the passenger side of the truck.

Celina opened the driver door of the U-Haul truck and climbed inside. Once she settled into her

seat, fastened the seatbelt, and closed the door, she started the engine. They drove in silence through

the city until they reached the outskirts of town.

“I took the liberty of getting you some clothes to wear as well. You won’t blend in at the DEA

wearing a black-long-sleeved shirt, pants, socks, and leather boots. You’ll have to dress like the other

agents,” Celina told him, breaking the long silence.

25

“I hope you picked out clothes that I’ll like,” Christophe said jokingly.

“Relax, I think I know what you like, even after all these years,” Celina said as she cast a glance

over to the passenger riding with her.

“So, may I ask what you do for a living?” Christophe questioned his driver.

“Ha, ha. I suppose that I had that coming didn’t I? I manage a construction crew that works the

night shift. We are rebuilding areas of the New York that are rundown and in need of repair,” Celina

explained to him.

“What about Matthias? What does he do?” Christophe asked her as they slowed down in front

of street that was on the right-hand side of the road.

“Matthias works with computers now. If you need lessons, go see him,” the driver said flatly.

Celina turned down the street and drove down it for a few hundred yards. As they rounded a

corner, Christophe could see a two story red brick house with black trim around the front door and all of

its windows. Celina pulled up into the driveway of this house and put the U-Haul into park before she

turned off the engine.

“The windows have been spray-painted black for you on the inside so that the light won’t be

able to come in. Come on, I’d love for you to check out the house,” Celina told him as she opened the

driver door and jumped out.

“Coming,” Christophe said as he opened the passenger door and climbed down.

“Take all the time that you need with the U-Haul. I checked it out for seven days and you have

six days left. Just come find me when you are through with it. Here are the keys,” Celina explained to

Christophe as she tossed him the keys.

26

Christophe caught the keys and together the two of them walked up to the front door. Celina

removed a set of keys from her right jean pocket and handed them to Christophe.

“These are the keys to the front and back doors. I left them unlocked earlier so that you

can walk straight in,” she told her old friend as they reached the front steps.

Christophe walked up the steps, stopped, and turned around. Celina remained below him on the

sidewalk.

“No, I’ll wait here for you. You go on ahead,” she told him as she motioned for him to continue

forward.

27

CHAPTER 5

Christophe turned around and reached for the doorknob. The doorknob turned as if it had just

been oiled. Christophe gave the door a gentle push, and it opened into a large, well lit foyer. As

Christophe gazed inside he noticed that all the lights were on and illuminating his new home. Christophe

stepped through the doorway and into the foyer. He closed the door behind him and began to take the

tour of his new dwelling.

Directly in front of him in the foyer was a staircase that led upstairs to the second level. To right

of the staircase was a set of white French doors that opened into the living room. To Christophe’s left

was a large dining room that was separated by a counter leading into the kitchen. As Christophe walked

around, he found another set of French doors that were located at the rear of the kitchen. He opened

the doors and stepped out to find he had a deck that overlooked his garage behind the house.

Christophe left the deck and made his way to the staircase that would take him to the second level.

When he reached the second floor, he noticed that there were two large rooms dividend by a restroom

just off to the left of the staircase and towards the right of the staircase was a door that led into the

master bedroom with a bathroom.

Satisfied with his new home, Christophe left the upper floor and joined Celina outside.

“I like it. Thank you, Celina,” he told her as he leaned over and gave her kiss.

“I’m glad that you like it. Now, let’s get you moved in,” she said as she walked to the back of the

U-Haul.

Christophe joined her, and after they opened the door of the U-Haul, they began to unload his

belongings and put them inside his house. Two hours later, they finished unloading the moving truck,

and Christophe closed the door and locked it.

28

“Thank you, Celina for your help. Now, I’m curious to see what vehicle you picked out for me to

drive,” Christophe told his companion.

“You’re welcome, now I must go. I hope that you will enjoy your vehicle and your new home. I

will see you later,” Celina said before she flew away into the night sky.

Christophe watched her leave, and then he made his way to the side of the house. Once there,

he found a gravel path that would take him to the two-car-garage located behind his house. When he

reached the building, he noticed that it was also made of red brick with a large garage door that was

currently closed. He walked up to the door and grabbed the handle that was located down at the

bottom of the door. He lifted it up, and the door rolled easily up into the ceiling of the garage. As he

looked inside he noticed that the interior light was on and he could see a brand new black Hummer

parked in the garage.

Christophe whistled and approached the driver’s side of the vehicle. Once there, he opened the

door and saw a manila folder lying on the front seat. He picked it up and opened it. He saw that

Matthias had in fact given him all the documentation that he needed for his new identity, including what

he would need for his new career. Christophe discovered that his new name was Chris Noir and that he

was a DEA agent from California. As he continued to flip through the paperwork he discovered that he

had to report to work tomorrow night and see an agent by the name of Phillip Hemming. Enclosed with

the paperwork was a map with detailed directions to DEA Headquarters in New York City. Christophe

decided that he better get back to the house and do some unpacking of his belongings before sunrise, so

he closed the folder and shut the driver’s door to the Hummer. He exited the garage and reached for the

bottom of the door so that he could pull it down. As he pulled down the door he noticed that the

Hummers New York license plate said, ‘Hrtbeat’. Christophe laughed at the irony, then he closed the

29

door and walked back up the path to the front door. As he opened the door and went inside, the

enormity of the task that lay before him hit him like a ton of bricks.

“I’ve got plenty of time to put this stuff away. I’m hungry,” Christophe mumbled to himself as he

retreated back outside and closed the front door behind him.

Christophe turned around and flew off into the night sky in search for his meal.

*************************************************************************************

A young lady by the name Anne Marie Myers walked down New York Boulevard lost in her own

thoughts. She was completely unaware that she was being followed by a man wearing a dark blue

hoodie and carrying a serrated hunting knife. She turned down the street that would take her to the bar

where she worked as a custodian every night. She knew that it wasn’t the greatest of jobs, but it was

only temporary until she finished college at the university. She came up to the front of the bar and

passed it so that she could walk down the alley that would take her to the service entrance located at

the back of the bar. She had just turned into the alley when someone grabbed her from behind and put

her in chokehold. She felt a pointed object poke her in the stomach.

“If you scream, I’ll have to cut you wide open,” the man growled into her left ear.

Anne began to tremble when she realized that she was helpless against her assailant. The man

took the knife and slowly cut the buttons off of her shirt. As her shirt popped open, the man fondled her

breasts with the knife wielding hand. Then he took the knife and cut the shoulder straps to her brazier.

Just as the man was about to trace her breasts with the tip of the knife, a swooshing noise came from

behind the assailant and his victim. Before the man could spin around to see what had caused the noise,

he heard a snarling sound and felt his hood being forced off of him.

“What the hell?!” the man barked out loud.

30

The next thing he knew, he felt two sharp objects jab into his neck and he began to feel

lightheaded and weak. He released Anne by shoving her to ground in front of him. After regaining her

composure she turned and around and gasped. A man dressed in solid black was biting her assailant on

the neck. From what she could see he had raven black hair and stood five feet seven inches. She

couldn’t make out his eye color because his eyes were closed. When the man dressed in black released

his hold on the assailant, his mouth was stained with blood. She let out a small shriek, as the man in

black looked at her.

“Fear me not, for I do you no harm. You can go now and seek help,” the man in black told her

just before he disappeared from her sight.

Her assailant dropped to the ground in such a way it reminded her of a puppet that had been

cut from its strings. Anne screamed as loudly as she could until the service door to the bar opened and

several of her co-workers came running over to her. She took the remnants of her shirt and covered

herself up the best that she could.

“Anne, are you alright? What’s wrong? What happened here?” the bar owner asked her when

he reach her.

“That man attacked me! He’s dead now! Oh my God, that man killed him! Please take me

inside!” Anne shrieked as she struggled to stand on shaky legs.

The bar owner reached over and scooped Anne into his arms. The others that came out behind

the bar owner remained outside while one of them decided to call the police using their cell phone.

Curiosity got the best of them and they all walked over to the figure lying on the ground.

“Hey, check this out! This dude’s got two holes in his neck and he’s ice cold!” exclaimed the

young man that washed dishes for the bar.

31

“No way, let me see!” commanded one of the waitresses as she pushed the dishwasher out of

the way so that she could get a closer look.

Just then sirens could be heard pulling up to the front of the bar. The bartender, who had called

the police, took off up the alley towards the front of the building. Minutes later he returned with two

police officers behind him.

“See, this guy attacked Ms. Anne and she said some guy killed him. She’s inside with the bar

owner if you need to talk to her,” the bartender explained to one of the uniform officers.

“Buck, you stay here and call dispatch and tell them we got a homicide down here. I’ll go inside

and talk with the victim,” the officer standing next to the bartender told his partner in a serious tone of

voice.

“Allright, Lester,” confirmed Buck as he walked over to the body that was on the ground.

The people from the bar backed up from the body to allow Buck the access that he needed.

Meanwhile, the bartender was leading Lester through the service door and into the employee lounge

that was located inside the bar. When the two of them arrived, they saw the victim wrapped in a blanket

and sitting on a love seat sipping on a cup of water while the bar owner hovered around her like a

vulture.

“NYPD ma’am, can you tell me what happened?” Lester asked Anne who had looked up when

the two of them entered the room.

Anne handed her cup of water to the bar owner and turned her attention back to the officer.

She swallowed hard and then told him everything that had transpired. When she was through, Lester

had a look of disbelief on his face, followed by a look of sympathy.

32

“Ms. Anne, I understand that you have been through a terrifying ordeal tonight, and perhaps

your mind is playing tricks on you because what you’re describing doesn’t exist. Now please,

concentrate and tell me what really happened,” Lester told the young woman as he sat down next to

her on the love seat.

Anne stuck her chin up at the officer and said,

“Officer, I am of clear mind and quite able to distinguish a fairy tale from the real thing. If you

check the body out back you’ll see that I’m not lying to you.”

“Hey, Lester, did you know that the stiff outside has two puncture holes in his neck? “ Buck

asked as he barged into the room.

“You’re joking with me right, Buck?” Lester said with uncertainty in his voice.

“Now would I come running in here like that for a joke? I’m serious, that John Doe has two

puncture holes in his neck,” Buck said defensively.

“See, I told you that I was telling the truth. Now do you believe me?” Anne said sarcastically.

“Has the medical examiner arrived yet?” Lester asked his partner.

“Yes, he has. Dr. Levy says the as far as he could determine, without having done an autopsy,

the body has no blood left in it,” Buck explained nonchalantly.

“Amazing, Well I’m through here. Buck, lets you and I split and do some patrolling around the

neighborhood. Ms. Myers, I suggest you have someone take you home so that you can get some rest.

Here’s a card that may help you. The organization on that card helps women who have been assaulted

get through it so that they can move on with their lives. Please, do me a favor and call them,” Lester

told the young lady sitting next to him as he handed her a business card.

33

“Thank you officer for your help,” she replied mundanely.

Lester stood up from the love seat and joined his partner across the room. Together, the two

men left the bar via the front door so that they could avoid the chaos that was at the rear entrance.

They walked over to their patrol car, got in, and drove away.

34

CHAPTER 6

“Bobby, can you take me home now?” Anne asked the owner after the two officers had left the

employee lounge.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” he asked as he helped her off

the love seat.

“I’ll be fine. Just take me home. I feel like taking a shower and going to bed,” she told him as

bravely as she could.

“Allright, let’s go out the front door, so we won’t be in the way of what’s going on in the alley,”

Bobby suggested.

“Okay,” she agreed with a sigh.

Together, Anne and Bobby left the employee lounge and made their way to the front of the bar

where all the patrons we busy with their drinks, completely unaware of what had happened earlier.

When they reached the front door, Bobby opened the door for her and then he pointed to his car that

was parked at the corner. Anne nodded her head that she understood as she waited for him to close the

door behind them. The two of them then walked over to his Honda Accord and got in. After he started

the engine and the put the car into gear, Anne lay her head back in the seat and closed her eyes.

Ten minutes later, his car pulled up in front of her apartment building and he put the

automobile into park.

“Anne, we’re here,” he told her as he gently shook her left shoulder.

Anne woke up and mumbled, “Okay, thanks Bobby.”

35

“Would you like me to walk you to your door?” he asked with concern in his voice.

“No, I’ll be fine,” she told him with slight smile as she opened the passenger door and climbed

out.

“Call me if you need me,” he told her quickly before she closed the door.

“Allright,” was her immediate reply from the other side of the closed door.

Anne turned around and walked down the sidewalk to her apartment building’s main door.

Bobby continued to watch as she opened the door and entered inside, and then he drove away.

*************************************************************************************

Christophe went back to his house after his meal was over. After he entered through the front

door, he spotted his crate in the living room and immediately walked over to it. He set the manila folder,

which had been stuffed into his waistline earlier that night, onto a nearby box. Then he picked up the

crate and carried it over to the stair case. He had decided on the way back to his house to put it the

master bedroom upstairs until he could obtain a regular bedroom suite. He carried the crate up the

stairs, entered his new sleeping quarters, and set it down in the center of the room. Next, he opened it

and got inside and closed the lid. He lay there thinking about what his next night would be like at the

DEA Headquarters. He knew that he had to come up with story as to why he transferred to New York, so

as he lay there his mind went through different scenarios until he came up with one that would work.

Satisfied, he drifted off to sleep.

*************************************************************************************

Anne Myers stepped out the shower for the third time, feeling somewhat better. She wrapped

the towel around her naked body and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The image that

36

she saw was disotorted, much like what she felt like inside her mind. Everything that she knew that

made sense in her world no longer mattered. What she had seen and experienced tonight threw all

reality and reasoning out the window. Did she really see that thing kill her attacker? Why would such a

creature as that save her? She figured first thing tomorrow morning she would go the campus library

and do some research on the creature and see if she could come up with some answers. She sighed

deeply and retrieved her hairbrush from the counter. As she stood there combing her hair, she felt like

she was in a deep trance. She let out a couple of tired yawns and figured that she better get some sleep

if she was going to get anything accomplished tomorrow morning. She put the hairbrush back on the

counter and left the bathroom. She made her way over to her bed and pulled back the covers to retrieve

her pajamas that were under the pillow. She then removed her towel and tossed it aside into the clothes

hamper. She slipped into her pajamas and crawled into bed. As she pulled the covers up to her chin, she

said a silent prayer to God. When she had completed her prayer she turned off the lamp that was on her

end table next to her bed and drifted off to sleep.

*************************************************************************************

“Come on Lester, I’m exhausted and our shift is almost over. Let’s go back to the precinct and

type up our reports. We’ve been searching for hours now and we’ve found nothing,” Buck pleaded with

his partner as they drove around the city searching alleys and abandoned buildings.

Lester sighed heavily and said, “You’re right, Buck. I’m so sorry for lugging you around like this.

I’m not even sure what I was looking for anyway. Perhaps, I was hoping we’d get lucky and find the

murderer.”

“You do know that the captain will have our heads if we don’t get back soon,” Buck told Lester

as they drove around aimlessly.

37

“Okay, okay,” Lester said with hint of annoyance in his voice as he did a U-turn and pointed the

patrol car in the precincts direction.

Twenty minutes later their patrol car pulled into the precinct’s parking lot and parked in their

designated spot. Lester removed his keys from the ignition, opened his car door, and got out of the car.

Buck, who had been so anxious to get back, was halfway across the parking by the time Lester had put

the car into park. Lester took his time and walked into the precinct behind Buck a few minutes later. The

two of them made their way over to their desks and sat down. Buck immediately retrieved the papers

that he needed to type up his report, while Lester sat at his desk doing nothing but staring off into

space.

Buck finished his report and looked up to see Lester sitting at his desk, report not even touched.

Buck shook his head, got up from his desk, and walked over to Lester.

“Lester, snap out it,” he said as he snapped his fingers together in front his partners face.

“What? Oh, yeah, the report! You go on ahead and I’ll turn mine in a few minutes,” Lester said

as he came to and scrambled to find a blank form.

“Allright,” Buck replied as he turned and walked away towards the captain’s office.

Lester quickly filled out the details in his report, signed, and dated it and got up from his desk to

go turn it in to the captain. As he walked over towards the captain’s office, he heard other people

speculating about the corpse in the morgue that was drained of all its blood. He heard some people say

that the guy must have slit his wrists, other people told them no, there wasn’t any blood on the ground

around the body. Lester grinned as he turned the report into the captain’s inbox that was on his desk.

“If they only knew what I know,” he thought to himself as he turned to leave the office.

38

He exited the office and went downstairs to the officer’s locker room to change out of his

uniform and back into civilian clothes. When he was through, he closed his locker and left the locker

room via the door that led to the garage where his SUV was parked. He got into his vehicle and left the

precinct and headed home.

39

CHAPTER 7

Christophe awoke just after sunset and climbed out of his crate feeling very refreshed

and ready to start his new job. He walked over to the walk-in closet to see what kind of clothes Celina

had picked out for him. When he opened the door to the closet, he saw t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers

lining the interior. He thumbed through the outfits and selected a dark purple crew neck t-shirt and a

pair of black jeans. He bent over and picked out a pair of black high-top sneakers and exited the closet to

change his clothes. After getting undressed and changed into his new attire, Christophe left his bedroom

and walked downstairs to go retrieve the manila folder. He found the folder where he had left it and

opened to retrieve his driver’s license and new social security card. He placed these into one of his rear

pockets, retrieved the map and driving instructions, closed the folder, and set it back down. He then left

the house and walked to the backyard to the garage.

When he reached the garage, he opened the door and got into his Hummer. He found the key to

it in the sun visor and put it in the ignition. In an instant the Hummer roared to life, so he put the vehicle

into reverse and backed out of the garage. He then steered the vehicle around so that he could put it

into drive and go up the driveway towards the road that ran in front of his house. He left his yard and

headed down the street towards New York City.

*************************************************************************************

Anne walked home from the university feeling more confused than when she had entered the

library earlier that morning. All the books that she had read about that creature didn’t match what she

had seen and heard the previous night. She was in such a concentrated state of mind she didn’t realize

that she was crossing the road directly in front of an oncoming black Hummer. The sound of squealing

brakes immediately brought her out of her distracted, troubled mindset. She looked up and saw the grill

of the Hummer inches from her head. She looked at the driver to apologize, and she recognized the

40

creature from last night. She let out a gasp and walked over to the driver’s door. The creature rolled

down the window and said, “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” she replied as she stared at him.

“I see that we meet again, Ms. Uh, I don’t even know your name,” the creature fumbled.

“My name is Anne Marie Myers, and I know what you are. Can we talk privately?” she said

bluntly to the creature.

“Sure, get in,” he told her as he motioned for her to get in the Hummer.

Anne walked around the front of the vehicle, got into the passenger front seat, and closed the

door. The creature let his foot off of the brake and stepped on the gas pedal. The Hummer went forward

for quite a while before Anne spoke.

“I am not sure where to begin with all the questions that I have to ask you. I guess I’ll start with

an easy one. What is your name?” she said as she watched him drive through traffic.

“My name is Chris Noir, Anne,” he told her as he stared at the road in front of him.

“Why did you save me last night?” she asked him.

The creature let out a sigh and said, “The man that was attacking was evil, and I had to eat, so I

did what I did to survive,” the creature called Chris explained to her.

“I…I want to thank you for doing that. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. I

won’t hesitate to help you,” she burst out quickly as the Hummer turned down a side street.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” as he stopped at a red light.

41

“Where are we going?” she looked away from him and looked outside the windows of the

Hummer.

“I’m going to work. When I get there I’ll have someone take you home,” as the traffic light

changed to green.

“Work? What kind of work do you do?” puzzled by his answer.

“I’m a DEA agent, Ms. Myers,”

“Oh wow! Does anyone that you work with know that you’re a…a creature of the night?”

shocked by his response.

“No, of course not. You are the only mortal that knows who I am, and I’d like to keep it that

way,” as they turned into a parking garage.

“Your secret is safe with me, Mr. Noir. I won’t tell a soul,” as he parked in an empty space in the

DEA parking garage.

“We’re at my place of employment now; please come with me and I will have someone drive

you home,” as he motioned for her to get out of the Hummer.

“Okay,” as she opened the passenger door and climbed out of the vehicle.

Chris removed the key from the ignition and stuffed it into his front pocket. Then he opened the

driver’s door and got out of the Hummer. He walked around to the rear of the vehicle and motioned for

her to follow him. She obeyed, and together the two of them walked out of the parking garage. They

headed across the street to the DEA building that was the district’s headquarters. When they reached

the sidewalk that ran in front of the building, Chris turned to the left and walked up to the front

entrance of the building. He opened the double doors for her and then followed her inside.

42

The two of them walked up to the female receptionist and waited for her to finish her phone

call. When she completed her call, she hung up the phone and said, “Can I help you?”

“I am Agent Chris Noir, and I am here to see Phillip Hemming. Also, this young lady needs a ride

home,” the creature told the receptionist.

“Please have seat over there, Agent Noir and I’ll send for Agent Hemming right away. As for the

young lady, I can call her a taxi so that she can get safely home,” the receptionist said as she picked up

her phone.

“That will be fine, thank you,” Chris told the lady behind the desk.

Anne and Chris then turned around and made their way over to a couch in the center of the DEA

lobby to wait. Five minutes later, a taxi pulled up out front, and the receptionist told them it was Anne’s

ride home. Anne stood up from the couch and said good-bye to Chris before she exited through the

double doors and got into the taxi. Chris watched her leave and felt saddened by her departure, because

he felt that, for a mortal, she was really sweet and trustworthy.

Minutes passed by slowly and then an hour came and went before Agent Philip Hemming came

downstairs. Agent Hemming got out of the elevator and walked straight over to Chris.

“I’m so sorry about the delay, Agent Noir. Please, accept my apologies,” Agent Hemming said to

Chris.

“I understand, sir. I know that I’m here early, but I figured that we had much to discuss and that

we would need all the time that we could get our hands on,” Chris strongly told the agent.

43

“Yes indeed, you’re quite right… Agent Noir. Please follow me and I will introduce you to your

partner and the rest of the team that you will be working with on a regular basis,” Agent Hemming

explained as he motioned for Chris to stand up and follow him to the elevator.

Chris stood up, and the two of them walked over to the elevator. Agent Hemming pushed the

button that would bring the elevator down to the lobby. The elevator doors opened a short time later,

and the two agents stepped inside. Agent Hemming pushed the button that would take them to the

third floor. As the doors closed on the elevator, Chris turned his head to the side and studied the leader

of his team.

Agent Phillip Hemming was an African American man in his mid-to-late-orties with gray hair. He

was the type of man that looked like he went to the gym on a regular basis, because he had very strong-

looking biceps and forearms. He appeared to be two inches shorter than Chris, but he was definitely

broader in the shoulders and across the chest in such a way that it gave him the appearance that he was

a very powerful man.

“Studying me closely aren’t you, Agent Noir?” Agent Hemming sternly asked the newcomer.

“Yes sir, I am. Just learning about what kind of man you might be under all those muscles,” Chris

replied very seriously.

Agent Hemming laughed out loud in such a way that it relaxed the tension that Chris had been

dealing with since his arrival. The elevator stopped its ascent and the doors opened onto the third floor.

“Come on,” Agent Hemming told Chris as he settled down and stepped out of the elevator.

Chris complied, and together the two of them walked down the hallway to a set of double

doors.

44

“Behind those doors is a team of people that work the graveyard night after night. They do

things at night that most of the day people can’t stomach. I hope that you feel welcome here and stay

with us indefinitely, Agent Noir,” Agent Hemming told Chris as he stopped in front of the double doors.

“I plan on it, Agent Hemming,” Chris replied as honestly as he could.

With that being said, Agent Hemming pulled open one of the double doors and followed Agent

Noir inside.

45

CHAPTER 8

Agent Noir was greeted by a thunderous round of applause from a group of ten individuals. They

had been standing just inside the doors entranceway waiting for him to enter.

“Allright everyone, settle down now so that I can make introductions here,” Agent Hemming

shouted above the noise.

The small group of people quit clapping and settled down immediately.

“I’ll start with the ones on the left end and work my way up the line. This here is Agent Camille

Turner, your partner. Next to her is Agent Andy White, then his partner, Agent Peter Quincy. That is

Agent Dianna Newcomer with her partner, Agent Katrina Gold. In the middle of this group is Agent Jesse

Jackson with his partner, Agent Stephen Smith. The third from the end is Agent Eugene Bellamy with his

partner, Agent Richard Scott. Last but not least is my partner in real life as well as here, Agent Penny

Hemming,”

“Hello and welcome!” they all said simultaneously to the new addition.

Chris smile at the small group that was approaching him and began to shake hands with them

one at time. After Chris had shaken everyone’s hand, the small group went back to work. His partner,

Agent Turner, motioned for him to follow her to their desks. When they reached the desks, Chris saw

that a leather billfold and a Glock twenty-two were sitting on what was to be his desk. He reached for

the billfold and opened it. It contained his DEA ID and badge.

“Congratulations partner: it’s official, you’re one of us now,” Agent Turner beamed.

“I…I don’t know what to say. Things like this don’t happen in California this quickly,” Chris lied.

46

Agent Turner laughed and said, “I don’t doubt that one bit. They’re more laid back there than

we are. Things happen here quickly because the drugs and the firearms are constantly on the move in

and out of our state. Right now we are gathering information to take down a major drug cartel in

Queens, New York. It’s quite the undertaking.”

“Oh, I see. What exactly is our part in it?” Chris asked with a curious tone in his voice.

“You and I are undercover as husband and wife. You’ve been away to Cambodia for the last six

months and that’s how long I’ve been undercover. The ones we’re hoping to bust have been dealing

with me, and they believe that I’m in direct contact with you at least once a week. You’re expected back

any day now with five million dollars in cocaine. I’m told that Agent Hemming will brief you later on after

you’ve settled in better,” Agent Camille Turner explained briefly as she sat down at her desk.

Chris pulled his driver’s license and social security card out from his back pocket and put them

into his billfold. Then he placed the new billfold back into his rear pocket. Chris picked up the Glock and

gave Camille a questioning look.

“Oh, you can get the holster and the ammunition for it from Agent Hemming anytime you want

to,” she explained to him as she pointed over to his office across the room.

“Thank you,” Chris said as he turned around and walked in that direction.

Chris reached Phillip’s office and knocked on the closed door.

“Come in,” Phillip said from inside his office.

Chris opened the door and walked into the office and approached Agent Hemmings’ desk.

“What can I do for you, Agent Noir?” Phillip asked.

47

“Camille said that I needed to come to you for a holster and ammunition,” Chris told his

supervisor.

“I have them right here,” Phillip replied as he withdrew the items from a drawer in desk and

handed them to Chris.

“Thank you, sir,” Chris responded with a pleasant tone.

“There will be a briefing in three hours in the conference room next to my office. Until then, feel

free to float around and get to know everyone,” Phillip said to Chris as he turned to his computer and

began typing.

“If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like to go out and get something to eat,” Chris said nonchalantly.

“I don’t mind, just be back in time for the briefing,” Phillip said as he continued to type on the

keyboard.

Chris turned around and left Phillip’s office, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to

Camille and told her he’d be right back. She acknowledged by saying, “Be careful and hurry back.”

Chris told her he would, and then he walked to the double doors so that he could the leave the

room. When he reached the doors, he was approached by Penny Hemming.

“Where are you going, Chris? You just got here,” she said as he reached for the door handle.

“I’m hungry; I was going to get myself something to eat,” he explained to her.

“Oh, you should try the bistro around the corner. They make the best sandwiches,” she

suggested to the newcomer.

48

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he opened the door and walked away, leaving Penny

standing at the door.

Chris walked to the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator doors opened and he entered

the small space. He located the button for the roof and pressed it. The doors closed and the elevator

began the ascension to the roof. Five minutes later, the elevator came to a stop on the roof, and the

doors opened. Chris stepped out and looked around to make sure that no one was around. Satisfied that

he didn’t see anyone he flew off of the roof to go and find his meal.

*************************************************************************************

The convenience store clerk set the broom and dustpan away in the cabinet and closed the

door. When he turned around, he was eye to eye with a gun.

“Give me all your money, now!” the gunman shouted at the clerk.

“Okay, okay, please don’t shoot,” pleaded the store clerk.

“Move it! Empty the register into this bag!” shouted the gunman as he tossed the plastic bag at

the store clerk.

The clerk grabbed the bag and turned to the cash register next to him. He fumbled with the key

that unlocked the register, and this angered the gunman.

“Hurry up! Get me my money now!” shouted the man holding the gun.

The clerk finally managed to get the key to open the register, and he started grabbing the

money and placing it in the bag. When he had finished with all the money, the gunman grabbed the bag

from the clerk, aimed the gun at the clerk’s torso, and pulled the trigger. The clerk grabbed his chest and

collapsed on the floor, dead from a single bullet to the heart. The gunman bolted from behind the

49

counter and ran out the front door. He ran out into the parking lot and down the street towards Central

Park. When he reached the playground, he slowed down and came to halt near a clump of trees. He

collapsed at the base of tree to catch his breath and count his loot.

As he counted out the money, he heard a swooshing sound behind him. He turned his head to

investigate. Suddenly, he felt two sharp jabs on the left side of his neck. Before he could reach up and

feel the cause of the pain, he realized that he felt lightheaded and dizzy and he couldn’t lift his arms.

Several minutes later he passed out, slumped over, and died beneath the tree with two puncture

wounds to the jugular vein.

*************************************************************************************

Chris walked into the DEA office an hour after he’d left, feeling fulfilled. He made his way over to

his desk and sat down. His partner stared across the desks at him with curiosity. She wondered why he

looked so pale when he left but was so full of color when he returned.

“Where’d you go?” she finally asked him.

“I went out to get something to eat,” he told her honestly as he looked into her eyes.

“Oh, okay,” replied Camille, her curiosity now satisfied.

Chris excused himself and got up from his chair to walk around and chat with the other

members of the team.

50

CHAPTER 9

When the time came, Phillip got everyone’s attention and told them to come to the conference

room for the briefing. Chris followed his partner, and as everyone entered the conference room, they

sat down at the oval-table. Chris took his seat between Camille and Penny, and everyone waited for

Phillip to begin.

“Allright, time to begin. First thing I’d like to cover is the cocaine that we’ve requested. We have

been approved for the amount requested, and it will be here by the end of the week. What I need for

my undercover couple to do is to make an appearance and make contact with the suspects. Camille,

please fill Chris in with who they are. I want you two to set up a meeting for the trade at the old

shipyard sometime on Saturday night. When they have the cocaine loaded and in their possession, we

will move in and take them down. Does anyone have any questions?”

Everyone around the table shook their heads, so Phillip continued.

“The second thing that we need to cover pertains to our next assignment. One of our

informants has told the agency that a cargo vessel en route to New York was transporting a large

amount of unknown drugs. This vessel is adrift out to sea, and they want us to investigate it. In addition,

the informant also told our agency that the drugs are in the gas tanks of BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, and

other foreign cars located in the cargo hold. Apparently, they are past due to arrive at their meeting

with the buyer, and his entire operation is going crazy. Our job will be to pose as the crew of that vessel,

bring it in, and allow the buyer to make the initial contact with us. As always, when the deal goes down,

we bust them with the drugs. I’ll know more details about this as they become available to me. Once

again, I’ll ask, does anyone have any questions?”

“What is the cargo vessel’s name?” Chris asked, fearful of the answer.

51

“The ship is called the Victoria Three,” Phillip replied quickly.

“What happened to the original crew?” asked Eugene Bellamy.

“No one seems to know; the informant just said that they’ve disappeared,” Phillip said rather

reluctantly.

“Disappeared? How can an entire crew just vanish into thin air in the middle of the ocean?”

Jesse Jackson blurted out.

“This sounds kind of fishy to me. Did they pass through the Bermuda Triangle or abandon ship?”

Richard Scott asked Phillip.

“This much I can tell you: all the ship’s emergency life rafts are intact, and their heading did not

take them through the Bermuda Triangle,” Phillip answered.

“Sir, is there anything else that we need to know about this ship?” Camille asked cautiously.

Phillip sighed and replied, “Just one other thing you might want to know. Before the crew

disappeared, they were in brief contact with the ship called the Mermaid’s Quest. Apparently, they

discussed boarding one another. That’s all I know so far. I will know more later, I promise. Now, that’s all

I have to discuss for tonight, unless anyone of you would like to volunteer something about either

mission.”

No one said anything for several minutes, so Phillip dismissed the team. Everyone stood up from

their seats and left the conference room. After all of them had exited the room and entered the office,

each person went to their desks and sat down. Camille rifled through her folders, withdrew one, and set

it on her desk.

“Chris, are you ready to see who I’ve been dealing with?” she asked her partner.

52

“I guess so; show me what you’ve got,” Chris replied.

Camille opened the folder and withdrew several photographs to show her partner.

“This picture is the head honcho in the drug cartel. His name is Jose Carmen, and he’s ruthless.

I’ve met him once, and I got the impression that he’s one you don’t want to cross on a bad day. His

right- hand man is Enrico Sandersville, and he does all the heavy or dirty work for Jose. I’ve been mostly

dealing with the third one in charge, Louis Patton, and he’s one that is hard to please. A person has to

brown nose with him before anything business wise can be discussed. With him, flattery will get you

places. He mostly deals with nickel and dime transactions only. When it comes to big purchases, all

three of them will be there with at least six of their personal henchmen.

“The money is supposed to be brought to you and me in tens and twenties, no large bills. The

five million dollars will be placed into two large travel suitcases. Let’s make contact with them tomorrow

night, say around eight o’clock. We can meet at Central Park and go to our home location together from

there,” Camille said as she handed each picture to Chris for him to look at and memorize.

“That sounds fine to me. What kind of attire do I need to wear on Saturday night?” Chris handed

all the photographs back to her.

“Well, not too classy and not like you’re dressed now. I guess casual would be the ideal way to

describe it. A pair of dress pants with a nice button down shirt and a tie. Don’t wear any sneakers; wear

a pair of loafers.” she explained very carefully.

“Hmm… I don’t have anything like that in my wardrobe. I guess I need to do some shopping. Are

we free to go for the rest of the night?” Chris said to his partner as he stood up from his chair.

“I think so. If you’ll look around, you’ll see that most of the team has already left,” Camille said

as she pointed directly behind him.

53

Chris turned around to see what she was talking about. Much to his surprise, Chris saw that only

four people remained in the room.

“Well, I guess it’s time to go then. I’ll see you tomorrow night in Central Park at eight o’clock,”

Chris informed his partner as he pushed the chair under his desk.

“Okay, partner. I’ll see you then,” she told him as she waved goodbye.

Chris returned her wave and left the room. When he reached the elevator, his mind was mulling

things over. He knew that he still had to obtain furniture for his new place and now additional clothing

as well. He didn’t know his way around and didn’t know what stores would be open at this time of night.

Suddenly, an idea came to him, and a smile formed at the corners of his mouth. He got into the elevator

and pushed the button that would take him back down to the lobby of the DEA building.

Several minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and he stepped out. He walked over to the

receptionist and got her attention.

“Please, can you tell me the number of the taxi cab that the young lady got into earlier?” Chris

asked her as politely as he could.

“Yes, Agent Noir, I can. The cab’s number was zero-two-six,” she replied after thinking for a

minute.

“Great, thanks,” he said as he left her desk and headed out the front door.

Chris turned the corner and looked around to make sure that no one was looking. When he

didn’t see anyone, he pushed off of the ground with his toes and flew into the sky to try and find the

cab that had taken Anne home. He didn’t have to fly very far when he spotted the cab just a few miles

away parked outside a business complex. He located a secluded alley a block away and landed. He

54

stepped out of the alley and looked around. He spotted the taxi cab just up the street and to his left, so

he started walking in that direction. When he reached the taxi, the driver was asleep behind the wheel,

so Chris tapped on the window. The driver bolted upright in the driver’s seat and looked at Chris with

sleepy eyes. Chris withdrew the leather billfold from his back pocket, opened it, and showed it to the

driver. The driver nodded and rolled down his window.

“I need to know where you took the young lady that you picked up in front of the DEA building

earlier tonight,” Chris said to the driver with a serious tone in his voice.

“I took her to an apartment building on Martin Luther King Boulevard. The address to the

apartment building was one-one-two-seven. Do you want me to take you there?” the driver offered to

the agent.

“Yes, please,” Chris said as he closed his billfold and put it back into his rear pocket.

The driver nodded and rolled up his window while Chris stepped to the back door, opened it,

and got into the cab. The driver started the taxi and pulled away from the curb. As they drove away,

Chris paid attention to where they were going so that he could get there on his own if he had to. Fifteen

minutes later, the cab came to a complete stop in front of an apartment building.

“We’re here, sir. I’m not charging you for this ride, Agent Noir; because I believe what you guys

do at the DEA is good work. Have a good night, sir,” the driver told Chris when he turned around to look

at him in the backseat.

“Thank you,” Chris said as he opened the taxi door and got out.

Chris then waved to the driver and closed the taxi’s rear door. The driver returned the wave, put

the taxi into gear, and drove away.

55

CHAPTER 10

Chris walked up the sidewalk in front of Anne’s apartment complex. The agent then walked up

the steps to the front door, opened it, and stepped inside. He spotted some mailboxes to his left and

walked over to them. He found Anne’s mailbox right away and noticed that her apartment number was

30C, which was on the third floor. Chris wandered the halls to look for an elevator, and when he didn’t

find one, he decided to take the stairs up to the third floor.

When he reached the third floor, he found her apartment was the first one to the right of the

stairs, so he walked up to the door and knocked. He heard footsteps approaching and waited patiently

while Anne undid the locks. She opened the door a crack to see who it was before she opened the door

completely. When she realized that it was Chris, she quickly opened the door and motioned for him to

enter her apartment.

“Thank you,” he said after he stepped inside and she’d shut the door behind him.

“How did you find me? Oh, never mind. What brings you here so early in the morning?” she

asked through sleepy eyes.

“I need your help, Anne. I have a couple of problems that I hope you can help me out with. I’m

afraid I don’t have much time, so I’ll be quick. I need furniture for my house and casual clothes to wear,

and I need to know where I can purchase these things,” he informed her as she listened intently.

“Well, there’s Wal-Mart, it’s open twenty-four hours and so is K-mart. If you want high dollar

furniture there’s always the super centers open during the day. Oh wait! You can’t because of what you

are, I almost forgot. I know I can get those things for you. How would I get them to you though?” she

said to him as she motioned for him to sit down on her futon couch.

56

“I have a U-Haul truck for the next five days. Will that help?” he asked her, shaking his head at

her offer to sit down.

“Yes! That’s perfect,” she exclaimed happily.

“I will come by with the U-Haul and some money so that you can purchase my furniture and

haul it at the same time. I am trusting that you will pick out suitable things for my home in the country,”

he said to her seriously.

“Yes, I will,” she replied honestly.

“Here, copy my address down from my driver’s license,” he told her as he withdrew his billfold

from his back pocket.

“Let me get a pen and paper. Hold on a second,” she said as she walked over to her counter and

opened a drawer.

She rummaged around inside the drawer until she found a pen and a blank envelope. She

returned a minute later with these items and said, “Allright, I’m ready now.”

Chris opened his billfold and withdrew his driver’s license, then he handed it to Anne and

watched as she wrote down his address. When she was through, she returned his ID back to him and

said,

“Hmm…I’ll have to Google that address; I’m not familiar with that area.”

“Why don’t you come back to my place and spend the night? You can take the U-Haul in the

morning to get the furniture?” he asked her as she stared at him in disbelief.

“Really? Are you sure it will be okay?” she asked him.

57

“Yes, you’ll have to fly with me back to my Hummer, and together we will drive to my house in

the country,” he bluntly informed her.

“Fly?! Your kind flies? Oh, wow! This is so weird! Okay. Let me go and change clothes, and then

I’ll be ready to go with you,” she said in shock and disbelief.

Anne ran to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She threw open her closet door and

selected a nice pink blouse and a pair of khaki pants. She quickly stripped off her pajamas and got

dressed in the clothes that she had selected. When she was through, she found her sandals under the

bed and slipped them on her feet. She then grabbed her purse and exited the bedroom.

“Okay, I’m ready,” she told Chris, when she found him standing by her balcony door.

“Please, come into my arms, do not be afraid,” he said soothingly to her.

Anne began to approach him as Chris completely opened the balcony door. When she stood by

his side, he wrapped his arms around her waist and together they stepped out onto the deck.

“If you want to, you can close your eyes,” he whispered in her right ear.

“No, I want to see this,” she bravely replied.

“One, two, three,” he counted out loud as he took off from the deck and flew away into the

night.

Anne let out a gasp as her feet lifted off the deck. She nuzzled closer to Chris, but not out fear.

She was more in awe, because she wanted to reach for the stars that appeared so close to them as they

flew into night sky. She became disappointed when she felt herself descend down towards the ground

below.

58

“We are here,” Chris whispered into her right ear.

Anne’s feet touched the concrete of the parking garage’s roof, and Chris released his hold on

her.

“We’ll take the stairs down to where I am parked,” he informed her.

“Allright,” she replied as she followed him over to the staircase that would take them down to

the lower levels.

The two of them walked down the stairs until they reached the first floor of the parking garage.

Then they made their way over to Chris’ Hummer. Chris removed the key from his front pocket and

unlocked the passenger door for Anne before he walked around the vehicle to open his door.

“Thank you,” she said to Chris as she climbed into the passenger front seat of the vehicle.

He nodded his head as he climbed into the driver’s seat and closed his door. Anne quickly closed

her door and buckled her seat belt while Chris put the key into the ignition. He quickly started the

vehicle and put the Hummer into drive, pulling out of the parking space without hesitation. As Chris

drove, neither said a word for quite some time. When the Hummer reached the outskirts of town, Chris

stepped on the accelerator, increasing their speed to fifty-five miles per hour.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Anne asked puzzled by Chris’ need for speed.

“It will be sunrise soon,” he replied disdainfully.

“Oh, I understand,” Anne said as they drove along on a stretch of road that was vacant of any

traffic.

59

Ten minutes later they reached the street that Chris lived on. He completed his turn on the

street and drove a short distance until he reached his driveway. Pulling into the driveway, he drove the

Hummer straight back to the garage and parked the vehicle. Turning off the ignition, Chris turned to

Anne and said,

“I have to go inside the house now. Here are the keys to the U-Haul. I will give you the money

when you come inside,” he explained as he reached into his front pocket, retrieved the keys, and

handed them to her.

“Okay,” she acknowledged.

Chris opened his car door and climbed out of the Hummer while Anne unbuckled her seat belt.

She picked up her purse, opened the door and exited the vehicle. By the time she closed the door, Chris

was nowhere to be seen, so she headed up the driveway and walked to the front door, which was wide

open. Chris was inside the living room opening a large chest that stored his coins, money, and valuables.

He withdrew a bundle of cash and motioned for Anne to come closer. Anne walked up to him and stared

at the bundle of money that he was offering to her as he closed the chest and locked it with his free

hand.

“Here’s twenty thousand dollars, if you need more you will have to wait until I wake up tonight.

If you need to hire some men to help you move it in, be very wary of who you select. If you happen to

purchase a bedroom suite, just set it aside in one of the spare bedrooms upstairs. I’ll be in the master

bedroom sleeping until sunset. Good luck and be careful,” Chris explained to her as he placed the money

directly into the palm of her right hand.

Chris then told her what size clothes he wore and what exactly he would need for work. When

he was through, he excused himself by telling her he was tired and ready for bed.

60

“So, you’re going to sleep now?” she asked him as she put the money into her purse.

“Yes,” he replied as he turned to leave the room.

“Sleep well, Chris,” she told his back as he walked away.

Chris went to the staircase and disappeared to his bedroom. Anne waited for several minutes

where she stood before she took the initiative to walk around the house. She explored the rooms on the

first floor before she crept upstairs to see what the layout looked like on the second floor. When she

reached the landing at the top of the stairs, she avoided the master bedroom and went directly to the

two large bedrooms. Satisfied with what she saw, she went back to the stairs and back down them to

the first floor. She walked to the front door, which was still open, and exited the house. She was turning

to close the door when she realized that dawn had approached while she was exploring the house.

“Phew, that was close. He barely made it home in time,” she said as she shut the front door and

walked to the U-Haul truck.

When she reached the U-Haul, she opened the driver’s door and climbed inside. She set her

purse down on the passenger seat and then put the key into the ignition. When the U-Haul roared to

life, she fastened her seat belt and put the truck into reverse. After backing out the driveway, Anne

reached the street and turned the wheel to straighten out the truck. When the truck was parallel with

the street, she put the truck into drive and drove back to New York City.

`

61

CHAPTER 11

Anne’s first stop was the moving company that she had used three years earlier. The men that

helped her move to New York just happened to be a father and son who ran their own business, and she

was sure that she could convince them to help her. She pulled into the parking lot of Hal’s Your Pal

Moving and Storage and parked the U-Haul truck alongside the main building. She grabbed her purse,

opened the truck’s door and climbed out of the U-Haul. She wandered around until she found the front

door that led to the office. Opening the door, she entered the business and made her way over to the

receptionist behind the counter.

“Excuse me, I’m looking Hal and his son Calvin,” she told the receptionist as nicely as she could.

“They’re in the back at the moment, counting inventory; shall I page them for you?” the older

woman behind the counter said to Anne as she picked up a walkie-talkie.

“Yes, please do,” Anne said, nodding her head.

“Hal, Calvin, your presence is requested at the front desk,” the receptionist said after she

pressed the walkie-talkie’s button.

“Coming,” a voice replied on the walkie-talkie.

Five minutes later, Hal and Calvin appeared behind the receptionist.

“What can we do for you, young lad?” the older man named Hal said to Anne.

“I need your help moving furniture into a U-Haul and then into a house. I have the truck already,

and I’m willing to pay you whatever price you see fit to charge me,” Anne explained to Hal.

“Five hundred sound fair to you, Miss?” Hal said bluntly.

62

“It’s a deal,” she replied as she opened her purse and secretly counted out the five hundred

dollars from the confines of her bag.

She withdrew the money and held it out for Hal to take it. Hal reached out his hand, retrieved

the money and gave it to the receptionist.

“Log this into the labor account,” he told her when she retrieved the money and placed it into a

lockbox that was under her desk.

Hal and Calvin came around the desk and joined Anne. “Where are we going?” Hal asked her.

”To Rooms-2-Go and then to Wal-Mart,” she told him as they turned around and walked to the

front door.

“Lead the way,” Hal said as he opened the front door for her.

The trio exited the office and walked over to the U-Haul truck. Anne retrieved the keys, opened

the driver’s door, and climbed into the truck. Hal and Calvin walked around to the passenger side, and

Hal opened the passenger door for his son. Calvin climbed into the middle seat while Hal waited

patiently outside. When Calvin settled into his seat, Hal climbed in and shut the door while Anne

inserted the key into the ignition and started the truck. Anne put the truck into gear and drove around

the parking lot towards the entrance. When traffic cleared in front of her, she made a left turn and

headed to the furniture store that she had in mind.

Forty-five minutes later, the trio arrived at Rooms-2-Go and pulled into the parking lot. Anne

parked the U-Haul around the back of the store where the loading docks were. The three of them exited

the U-Haul and walked to the front entrance of the store. Hal opened the door for Anne and Calvin and

then went through himself. Anne walked around looking at the furniture before she made any

selections. A customer representative approached her and offered to help. Anne explained what she

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needed as far as the furniture for a bachelor friend of hers. She also told the representative that she

would be paying for everything in full and with cash. The representative told her that he would be glad

to assist her in searching for the appropriate items.

“Let’s start with the bedroom suite first, “she told the representative who was named Chuck.

“Follow me, “Chuck said as he motioned for the three of them to follow him towards the right-

hand side of the store.

“What do you think about this set?” Chuck asked as he pointed towards a black and chrome

queen size bedroom suite.

“I don’t know. What do you think, Hal?” Anne said as she turned around and looked at the older

man.

“Hmm…tell me more about this friend of yours?” he said as he scratched his head with the

fingers of his right-hand.

“He’s works as a DEA agent on the graveyard shift,” she told Hal in a whisper.

“Ah, it sounds like he’s an important man of the night; then I think that suite would be perfect

for him,” Hal said nodding his head.

“Okay, I’ll take it,” Anne told Chuck with a smile.

“What next?” Chuck asked the young lady.

“Living room furniture,” she replied.

“We have this Mahogany set that has black leather cushions,” he explained to her as they

walked to the middle of the store.

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“Hmm…that sounds lovely,” Anne said with a pleasant tone.

“It’s right over here,” Chuck said, directing their attention over to the far right.

“Oh wow! I’ll take that, too!” she exclaimed when she looked at the couch, loveseat, coffee

table and two matching end tables.

“Okay, what else does he need?” Chuck asked her.

“A kitchen table and chairs,” she told the representative.

“Right this way,“ Chuck said motioning for them to follow him.

The representative led the way over to the far corner of the store where the kitchen furniture

was kept out on display. As Anne walked the area, she spotted the perfect table for Chris. The table was

solid oak wood with a glass top, and it had four matching wood chairs that had gray cushions.

“I want that one!” said shouting to the group that was waiting across the room for her to

choose.

Chuck walked up to her and said, “Excellent choice, Miss,”

“I think that will be all for now. If I need to get more, I’ll come back another time,” she honestly

told Chuck as they walked back to Hal and Calvin.

“Come with me to the counter and I’ll check you out at my register,” Chuck instructed Anne.

“Okay,” she acknowledged.

Everyone walked behind Chuck as he led them to the counter. Chuck pressed a few keys on the

computer and using his mouse, moved it around in a fluid motion on the mouse pad. A few minutes

later, he swallowed hard and said, “Your total comes to seven thousand two hundred dollars.”

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”Is that all? Okay, hold on a second,” Anne said as she withdrew the bundle of money and

counted it out for Chuck.

“Here you go, Chuck,” Anne said, handing the money over the counter to the sales

representative.

“Thank you, Miss. Your receipt will be ready in just a minute,” Chuck said as he entered the

amount paid into the computer.

The register opened and Chuck withdrew an envelope from within the tray. He inserted the

money that Anne had given him into the envelope and slid the package into a drop box located in the

cabinet next to him. Seconds later, the printer dispensed Anne’s receipt, and Chuck handed it to her

with a smile. Anne replaced the remaining money back into her purse and turned around to Hal and

Calvin.

“I guess all that’s left to do is load it into the U-Haul.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Allright, Chuck, please show us what we need to do,” Hal said to the representative.

“Just pick what you want to carry first, and take it to the back loading dock,” Chuck replied.

“I’ll go back the truck up to the dock,” Anne volunteered.

“Okay,” Hal said as he headed over to the kitchen set so that he could start with it first.

Anne made her way to the front door and walked back to the U-Haul truck. When she reached

it, she opened the driver’s door, climbed inside, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the truck.

Next, she put the truck into gear and pulled around so that the truck’s rear door was aimed at the

loading dock, then she put the truck into reverse and backed up.

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Meanwhile, inside the store, Hal and Calvin were waiting patiently for her to get the truck into

position. When they saw the truck stop outside the loading dock, they began to load the furniture into

the back of it.

Three hours later, the two men were finished loading the truck and they were exhausted. Anne

suggested that they leave the store and go find some lunch and relax a little bit before they went to

Wal-Mart. The men agreed, and after locking the rear door, the three of them got back into the cab of

the truck and Anne started it up. She then drove the vehicle out of the parking lot and made a right-

hand turn to go deeper into town where the restaurants were located.

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CHAPTER 12

Anne drove the truck to Longhorn’s Steakhouse and parked the U-Haul in the back parking lot.

The three of them exited the truck and walked around the front of the restaurant. When they entered

the restaurant, there was a small line of people ahead of them, so they sat down on a bench to wait

their turn. Customers left the establishment, and tables eventually became available. Soon the three of

them were shown a table, and they sat down to read the menu. Several minutes later, a waiter came to

the table and took their orders. After the trio placed their orders with the waiter, the server left their

table, leaving the three of them alone to talk.

“Miss, what do you need to get at Wal-Mart?” Hal asked Anne.

“I need to get my friend some casual clothes for work. When I’m done there, we’ll drive out to

his home to unload the truck. When you’re done doing that, I’ll drive you two back to town,” she told

Hal and Calvin.

“That will work out just fine; we’ll wait in the truck while you go shopping in Wal-Mart. You’ll get

what you need faster that way without us slowing you down,” Hal said as their food arrived at the table.

The three of them ate their meal in silence. When they were through eating, Anne left a tip for

the waiter and paid for their meal using her own money from working at JC Penny. The three of them

left the restaurant feeling full and refreshed. They got back into the U-Haul, started the truck, and left

the restaurant parking lot. Anne made a right-hand turn onto the street in front of the restaurant so that

they could go to Wal-Mart, which was one block away from where they were.

The U-Haul turned into the department store’s parking lot ten minutes later and parked the

truck at the very end of row eight. Anne got out the truck, taking her purse and the keys with her. She

then made the long walk towards one of the entrances leading into the store. When Anne reached the

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interior of the store, she picked out a cart and pushed it to the men’s section. She browsed the aisles

until she found what she was looking for. She selected seven short and long-sleeved shirts, seven slacks,

and seven ties for Chris to wear. She placed these into her cart and went to find him some loafers to

wear. She found what she was looking for in his size on sale at the end of a clearance aisle. After she put

the shoes into her cart, she headed for the front of the store to find a checkout lane.

She selected lane twelve and placed the items in her cart onto the conveyor belt. When it was

her turn to check out, the cashier scanned each item and when she was through, she gave her total.

Anne reached into her purse, and withdrew the money she needed from the bundle, and gave it to the

cashier. When she received her change back, she stuffed it into her purse and picked up the bags that

contained the clothes. She set the clothes into the cart and made her way over to the entrance way that

would take her back to the U-Haul. Exiting Wal-Mart, the young lady pushed the cart back to the U-Haul

truck. When Anne reached the truck, Hal got out and opened the rear door so that she could put the

clothes in with the furniture. He offered to return the cart, and she gladly handed the cart over to him.

She waited by the truck as she waited for Hal to return. A few minutes later, Hal came back, and then

they climbed back into the U-Haul.

Anne started the truck and put it into gear. She steered the U-Haul out of the parking lot and

back onto the street that would take them out of town to Chris’ house in the country. As they traveled,

Hal’s son, Calvin, took a nap from his location in the middle of the bench seat.

*************************************************************************************

Anne parked the U-Haul in the driveway, shut off the engine, and said, “We’ll set everything

inside for now. My friend wants to do the arranging himself. The bedroom suite goes upstairs and to the

left in one of the spare bedrooms. When we are through, I’ll take you two back into town.”

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“Okay,” Hal acknowledged as he shook Calvin awake.

The three of them climbed out of the U-Haul and walked to the rear of the truck. When they

reached the back, Anne unlocked the door so that Hal and Calvin could unload the truck. Hal and Calvin

pulled the ramp down from the rear of the truck and locked it into place. After it was secure, the two

men walked up the ramp and began to grab furniture. Meanwhile, Anne was busy looking for a prop so

that she could brace the front door ajar for the two men. Right away, she found a large rock at the edge

of the driveway. Just as she set the rock into place, Hal and Calvin appeared, carrying the first load of

furniture. She quickly got out of their way and directed them on where to put the furniture in the

house. The men followed her instructions and deposited what they were carrying into the appropriate

room. They exited the house and returned for another load. They continued taking turns until the truck

was unloaded.

After the men had completely finished, Anne removed the rock that she had been using to prop

open the door. When she set the rock aside, she shut the front door and told the men that it was time to

take them back to town. The three of them walked over to the cab of the truck and got in. After

everyone was settled, Anne started the truck, put it into reverse, and backed out of the driveway. When

she reached the street in front of the house, Anne straightened out the wheel, put the truck into drive,

and drove off. The ride back to town was uneventful, and as they pulled into Hal’s parking lot and

parked the truck, Anne thanked the men for their help.

“It’s no big deal, Miss. That’s what we’re here for. If you need us for anything else, please, don’t

hesitate to call us,” Hal told Anne as he handed her one of his business cards.

Anne accepted the card and stuffed it into her purse. Hal and Calvin climbed out of the U-Haul,

waved, and said good-bye to Anne, who then returned the gesture back to them. After the two men

walked away, Anne drove the truck out of the parking lot and headed back to Chris’s house.

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*************************************************************************************

Anne pulled into the driveway feeling very tired. She turned off the truck’s engine, grabbed her

purse, and exited the U-Haul. As she half-walked and half-dragged herself up the sidewalk to the front

door, she looked at her watch and noticed that she could get couple of hours of sleep before Chris woke

up. She opened the front door, entered, and closed the door behind her. She turned around and made

her way into the living room where she collapsed on the couch, exhausted. She settled down into a

comfortable position and drifted off to sleep.

*************************************************************************************

Later that evening, Chris awoke and climbed out his crate. He exited the master bedroom and

walked across the short hallway to the spare bedrooms. He discovered the bedroom suite and the bags

of clothes from Wal-Mart in one of the bedrooms. He picked up the bags of clothes and went back to

the master bedroom to change his attire. Chris sorted through the clothes and selected what he wanted

to wear. After he put on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, he exited the master bedroom and went

downstairs. He saw Anne sleeping on the couch and decided not to wake her. Instead, he walked over

to one of his trunks and opened it. He removed a pad of paper and a quill pen, and wrote her a quick

note. When he finished writing the note, he folded it and placed it on top of Anne’s purse, which was

lying on the floor next to her.

Chris stared at her for several minutes before he decided to leave the room. He exited through

the front door and closed it behind him. He then followed the sidewalk around until he reached the

garage door. After he opened the door, he entered the garage, got into the Hummer, and started the

engine. Chris backed out of the driveway and onto the street in front of his house where he then

changed gears and drove away.

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CHAPTER 13

Chris parked the Hummer in Central Park’s parking lot and looked around to see if he could find

Camille. When he did not see her anywhere, he turned off the vehicle’s engine and decided to wait for

her. Ten minutes later, Camille’s SUV pulled into the parking space next to him. She put the vehicle into

park and turned off the engine. Camille gathered her belongings, stepped out of the SUV, and closed the

door. She then walked over to the passenger side of the Hummer, opened the door, and climbed inside

next to Chris.

“Hello, partner. Are you ready?” Camille asked him as she set her belongings down on the

floorboard and buckled her seatbelt.

“Yes. Where do we go from here?” he inquired.

“To our house located next to the mall. If you drive, I’ll tell you how to get there. It’s not difficult

to find,” she told him as he started the engine.

Chris put his vehicle into reverse and backed out of the parking space. When the Hummer was

completely out of the parking spot, he put the vehicle into drive and slowly pulled out of the parking lot.

“Turn left when you reach the entrance to the park,” Camille instructed him.

Chris did as he was instructed, and he drove the Hummer until Camille told him to turn right

onto a side street.

“Keep going straight until you reach the stop sign, then turn left, go about two blocks and make

a right onto Ponce de Leon. Our house will be the fourth house on the right-hand side,” Camille

explained to Chris as they drove.

72

Chris nodded his head, and ten minutes later, they pulled the Hummer into the driveway of two-

story house.

“Nice house, “ Chris replied as he put the Hummer into park and killed the engine.

“If you think the outside is nice, wait until you step inside. The Agency spared no expense

furnishing it to suit our needs,” Camille told Chris as she unbuckled her seatbelt, gathered her

belongings, and opened the car door.

Chris nodded as he removed the key from the ignition, opened his car door, and exited the

Hummer. Together, the DEA agents walked up the driveway and stepped onto the path that led to the

front door.

“I’d give you a tour of the house, but I don’t think we have time. We need to make that phone

call right away so we can set up the meeting,” Camille said as they reached the front door.

She removed a set of keys from her purse, inserted them into the locks on the front door, and

opened it. She motioned for Chris to enter first and followed him inside. As she crossed the threshold,

she reached for the interior light next to the door and turned it on.

“Remarkable! “ Chris exclaimed as he gazed around the interior of the house from his vantage

point next to Camille.

The interior living room, which was directly in front of him, was decorated in furniture and

accessories from the medieval times. There were old suits of armor around the perimeter of the living

room and in between each knight were weapons of various kinds from that era. In each corner of the

living room were large flags mounted on flagpoles. Each flag had a different insignia and pattern of

colors that represented different family crests.

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“Come on, let’s go make that phone call,” Camille said breaking Chris’ concentration.

Camille motioned for Chris to follow her into the kitchen, which was located on the other side of

the living room through an arched doorway. The female DEA agent tossed her belongings onto a kitchen

counter and led Chris over to a telephone hanging on the opposite wall.

“Before I dial the number, I must tell you that they may not agree to our terms, and they might

have something different in mind. So be prepared to write down on that pad of paper whatever I tell

you to write,” Camille said as she pointed the paper and pen hanging on the wall next to the telephone.

“I understand,” Chris said nonchalantly.

Camille picked up the phone and dialed a phone number and waited for someone to pick up the

phone. By the third ring, a male voice answered the phone.

“Louis here, state your business,” the male voice said.

“Louis, it’s me, Lawanda Flake. I’m here with my husband, Nathan,” Camille said into the

mouthpiece of the phone.

“Ah, yes, we’ve been expecting your call. Tell me, is everything okay?” Louis asked.

“Yes, everything is fine. My husband just informed me that the product will delivered Friday

night, and we should be ready Saturday night for the exchange. He wants to meet at the old shipyard

around seven o’clock,” Camille explained to Louis.

“That sounds perfect. I’ll inform my constituents immediately, and I think they’ll agree. If they

don’t, I’ll let you know something by Friday afternoon,” Louis replied, sounding rather pleased.

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“That will be okay with us. Until next time, bye,” Camille said into the phone before hanging it

back on the wall.

“Well, I think that went well. Although, I think he was presumptuous to agree so quickly without

consulting his constituents first. I have this feeling they might change things at the last minute, but I

could be wrong,” Camille told Chris as she walked over to her things on the counter.

“So, what do we do now?” Chris asked Camille as he walked over and joined her at the counter.

“Well, you can stay here for a couple of days, or you can leave and come back tomorrow night.

That’s up to you. Personally, I’m staying here for the next two days, just in case. If you do decide to

leave, make sure that you come back tomorrow wearing the same clothes. That way, it won’t look like

you’ve left and gone somewhere else to change,” Camille said as she picked through her things on the

counter, searching for something.

“I have to make arrangements to stay, so I guess I’ll go and come back tomorrow night. That way

it will give me a chance to pack a few things so that I can stay here for a few days,” Chris decided, after

thinking for a moment.

“Okay, great. I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Camille said as she withdrew her cell phone from

within her bag of things.

“Who are you going to call?” Chris asked her out of curiosity.

“Oh, I’m reporting in so that Agent Hemming knows the status of the phone call I just made,”

she replied.

“Okay, I’ll go ahead and leave now. I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Chris told his partner as he

exited the kitchen.

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“Bye,” Camille quickly replied.

Chris walked across the living room towards the front door. Once there, he opened the door and

exited the house. He shut the door, being careful not to slam it just in case she was on the phone. The

vampire DEA agent walked down the path back to his Hummer. When he reached the vehicle, he

withdrew the keys from his pocket and opened the driver’s door. As he climbed into the front seat, he

glanced around the perimeter to see if he was being watched. Having not sensed anything, Chris

shrugged his shoulders and closed the driver’s door. He inserted the key into the ignition and started the

Hummer’s engine. After buckling his seatbelt, Chris put the vehicle into reverse and backed out of the

driveway.

********************************************************************************

The time it took to drive home passed by without incident, and Chris entered through his front

door forty-five minutes later. As he looked around, he saw the projects that he still had to accomplish,

such as unpacking and arranging his new furniture. He debated on which to do first, and then he

decided that he would be better off getting something to eat before embarking on those physical

projects. Chris turned around and left the way he had come in, and then he locked the front door and

flew to find his dinner for the night.

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CHAPTER 14

As Chris flew he looked and listened for someone doing evil things. So far the night’s ambiance

was passing along quietly. Chris decided to broaden his patrol and fly over to West Islip. He didn’t have

to wait long when he heard the sounds of someone in trouble. His keen hearing honed in on the sounds,

and he quickly landed on the roof of a nearby townhouse. He knelt down on one knee and listened.

***********************************************************************************

Rosie sat on the edge of the big man’s bed trembling in fear. The room’s only illumination was

from the window in the bedroom. The big man had a knife and threatened to kill her if she didn’t do

what he asked. She had begun to cry uncontrollably when he cut off her clothes at their seams. This

angered him and he had slapped her across the face. In Rosie’s six short years, she had never been hit by

anyone, so when the big man had slapped her, she screamed. Now she was on the big man’s bed,

naked, with a swollen face and a bloody lip.

“Now, you lay down on that there bed, little girl, and I’ll show you what being a grown-up is all

about,” sneered the big man as he approached Rosie.

Rosie shook her head defiantly in response. She didn’t understand exactly what he meant, but

she knew it couldn’t be a good thing, because of the way he was looking at her. Rosie missed her mom,

dad, and her dog, Mr. Pickles. She wished she was at home now, in her own bed, safe and far from this

77

big man. Two hours ago, the man had taken her from the playground and promised to show her the My

Little Pony collection that his daughter had in her bedroom. She loved those little horses and spent

hours playing with the few that she had in her own bedroom. As soon as they entered the big man’s

house, he locked the door, grabbed her by the left arm, and dragged her upstairs to this bedroom.

“Well if you don’t lie down, then I’ll have to make you myself!” the big man shouted at Rosie. As

he ran over to her, he placed one had on each of her small shoulders and forced her to lie flat on the

bed.

The big man took his right hand and placed it around Rosie’s throat. Using his left hand, the big

man reached down and un-zipped his pants, and withdrew his wee-wee.

“Now don’t you dare scream, because if you do, I’ll have to choke you,” the big man said

between clenched teeth as he used his left hand to separate Rosie’s legs.

Rosie struggled and used her hands to claw at the big man’s arms and face, but the more she

fought him, the tighter his hand became around her throat, and she couldn’t breathe. It was at that

moment, when she was struggling for breath, that the big man jabbed something into Rosie. She wasn’t

aware of what it was exactly or where he had jabbed her; she just knew that it hurt, a lot. She felt the

big man’s right hand release some of the pressure from around her throat, and she let out a blood

curdling scream.

Just then, she heard a shattering noise coming from behind the big man. The big man cursed out

loud and turned his head to see what the commotion was behind him. He looked and saw that the

bedroom window was smashed in, and a dark figure with red eyes was approaching him.

“What the hell!” the big man exclaimed as he jumped off of Rosie and turned to meet the

intruder.

78

The next the big man knew, the figure was attacking him. The intruder slashed his throat with

something sharp, spun him around, and pierced his neck twice with something that he couldn’t identify.

The big man struggled and fought against his attacker. but he felt himself growing weaker by the

second. Soon, the big man slumped lifelessly to the floor, and his attacker wiped the remaining blood

from his lips. The intruder had his back to Rosie until his eyes and his smile became normal. He then

turned around to speak to Rosie, who was cowering on the floor next to the bed.

“Please, do not be afraid. I’m here to take you back to your mom and dad. Here, Let me wrap

you in this blanket,” the dark figure said to Rosie as he picked up the blanket from the edge of the bed

and stooped down next to the little girl.

“You know my mommy and daddy?” Rosie asked the strange man.

“No, but I can take you home to them. Here, let’s wrap you in this blanket and then I’ll carry you

out of here,” the man told the girl.

Rosie nodded and accepted the blanket from the nice man. She opened the blanket, wrapped

herself with it, and stood up. The strange man reached out with both of his arms, gently scooped up the

child, and held her firmly against his chest. The strange man walked over to the bedroom door and

managed to yank the door open with one hand, despite the fact that it was locked. He located the stairs

and descended them.

When he reached the first floor, the child in his arms said, “I live at two-fifteen Briar Street, and

my name is Rosie Corkwood.”

“Hi, Rosie, my name is Chris,” the strange man replied as he walked across the floor towards the

front door.

“Mr. Chris, I feel so sleepy, can I put my head down now?” Rosie asked the man carrying her.

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“Sure Rosie, just put your head on my shoulder and go to sleep. When you wake up, you’ll be

home in your own bed.” Chris told the child in a hushed whisper.

Rosie snuggled closer to Chris. Next, the little girl gently placed her head on his right shoulder,

closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep. Chris smiled down at the child sleeping in his arms as he

opened the front door and stepped outside into the night air. Chris then made sure that the blanket was

securely around the sleeping child before he took off to find two-fifteen Briar Street.

Chris did not have far to fly to find Briar Street; it was just ten minutes away from where he had

rescued her. As he landed on the street corner, he looked for the odd numbered houses and

immediately found her house. Parked outside of two-fifteen Briar Street were several police and

unmarked cars with their lights flashing, along with uniformed men and women milling around the

house. Chris noticed that two K-9 police dogs were with their handlers and that they were sniffing out

the neighbors’ yards. Chris paused where he was and shifted the child so that he could use one hand to

retrieve his DEA identification. He held this exposed so anyone who approached them could see it. Chris

took one final look at the sleeping child and proceeded to walk up to the front door to Rosie’s home.

He was halfway there when a policeman spotted them.

“Hey, you, stop!”

Chris stopped and turned towards the voice. He flashed his DEA identification and smiled.

“Hey! He’s DEA, and he’s got the kid!” the policeman exclaimed excitedly.

Just then, two people appeared in the doorway of Rosie’s home. A man and a woman with tear-

stricken faces and hope in their eyes stared at Chris and tentatively walked down the path that led to th

DEA agent. Chris nodded his head and smiled and shifted the blanket so that Rosie’s sleeping face could

80

be seen only by her parents. Rosie’s mother let out a gasp, and the child’s father let out a joyful cry.

They quickened their pace and immediately were at Chris’s side reaching out for their child.

“She’s been through a lot. It’d be better to let her sleep and see to her medical conditions

tomorrow after she wakes up. I’ll explain everything to you after I know she’s safely in her own bed.”

Chris told the parents as he released the child into the mother’s arms.

The parents nodded and motioned for Chris to follow them inside their home. As they walked

up to the house, the police officers were smiling and patting Chris on the shoulders. When the four of

them entered the house, the police and detectives backed away so the mother could carry the child

upstairs, while the father beckoned Chris to follow him into the living room. Chris accepted the

invitation and sat down on the blue couch and waited for the mother to return while the father was

busy pacing the floor.

Five minutes later the mother returned and sat down next to Chris on the couch.

“Thank you for bringing my baby home. How can we ever repay you?” Mrs. Corkwood said

through watery eyes.

“You’re welcome, and payment is not necessary,” Chris honestly replied.

“Please, tell us what happened. We’re dying to know,” Mr. Corkwood said as he continued to

pace the floor in the living room.

Chris told them how he was walking down the sidewalk and heard the child’s scream of pain. He

explained that he barged in and subdued the man that was on top of Rosie and then brought her home.

Chris knew that he was lying, but if he told them the truth, he would ruin everything. He only hoped that

the child would not blow his cover when they asked her about how he came into the room and subdued

81

the big man. By the time Chris had finished relating his version of the story, Mr. Corkwood had stopped

pacing and stared at him with a look that Chris couldn’t decipher.

“So, do you often walked around that neighborhood alone at that time of night, or was this just

a lucky fluke?” Mr. Corkwood rudely asked the DEA agent.

“Sir, I was on my way out to get something to eat when I happened to hear your daughter

scream. I guess then it would be a lucky fluke, as you called it. I’m just grateful I was there when I was,

or else who knows what would have happened to Rosie,” Chris replied calmly.

“Yes, yes of course! How rude of me. Please forgive me Agent Chris…err…what was your last

name by the way?” Mr. Corkwood tried to apologize.

“Noir, Agent Chris Noir,” Rosie’s rescuer informed the couple.

“Agent Noir, please forgive me. It has been a very emotional night for both of us and we are

both emotionally drained right now. We are in your debt. If there’s anything we can do for you in the

future, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Rosie’s father told Chris as he reached out with his right hand for

Chris to shake.

“There is one thing that you could do for me,” Chris replied.

“Name it,” Mrs. Corkwood said fervently.

“When Rosie awakes and tells you her version of what happened; be advised that she was

probably raped and was suffering from trauma at the time, so her perception could possibly be off just a

little bit. Just be patient and loving to her and get her any help that she may need,” Chris told them as

he stood up from the couch.

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“You can count on that, Agent Noir. You have a deal,” Mr. Corkwood said as he waited for Chris

to accept his handshake.

Chris nodded and accepted the fathers’ handshake.

“Now I must go home. I have to pack some things for a case I’m working on. Please excuse me,”

Chris told the couple as he released the father’s hand.

“Certainly we understand; good luck with your case Agent Noir,” Mr. Corkwood told Chris as he

escorted their guest to the front door.

“Thank you,” Chris replied.

Chris continued out the front door and across the lawn to the sidewalk. Meanwhile, Mr.

Corkwood waved goodbye from his position in the doorway before he closed the front door. Chris

continued to walk up the sidewalk to the corner, and when he reached his landing spot, he looked in

every direction to ensure that no one was in the vicinity. He did not detect anyone in the area, so with a

“swoosh” he flew back to his home.

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CHAPTER 15

Chris arrived home around midnight and walked into his front door feeling very full of life and

energetic. He decided to skip the physical duties that he had planned so he could pack a few things for

his two-day undercover mission. He immediately walked upstairs and into his bedroom to take care of

that small detail. He had just finished stuffing the last of his clean clothes into a duffel bag when he

sensed an old familiar presence inside his house.

“Celina, I know you’re here. I’m upstairs in the master bedroom,” Chris said with his mind.

Moments later, Celina appeared in the doorway looking very perplexed.

“Uh, oh, I know that look. What’s wrong?” Chris said as he zipped up the duffel bag and picked it

up.

“You don’t know, do you?” she replied in shock.

“What am I supposed to know?” Chris asked her as he dropped he duffel bag next to his crate.

“That the elders are extremely pissed off at you, and that Matthias sent me to talk some sense

into you,” Celina informed her friend.

“About what, exactly?” the male vampire asked his old companion.

“The Elders are pissed off because your kills are raising red flags with the humans, and Matthias

wants you to be more careful or else he’ll have to intervene,” Celina explained to Chris with an urgent

tone in her voice.

“Hmm…I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble, but I’m not going to stop doing what I’m doing. I

thrive on evil just like you thrive on human blood. It’s the way I am that pisses the Elders off, and

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Matthias, well, if he feels he must intervene then I won’t stop him, but it won’t do him any good to try

to stop me,” Chris told Celina seriously.

“Okay, you can’t say that I didn’t warn you. Just be careful, please,” Celina said before she

disappeared from the doorway.

Chris sighed when he sensed his friend had left, and then he crawled into his crate and settled in

for the night. Chris lay on his back thinking of the events that had surrounded him since his arrival to

New York. He knew that he didn’t regret the things that he had done; instead he felt great pride in his

achievements. He drifted off to sleep feeling hopeful about tomorrow.

*********************************************************************************

Matthias listened to Celina with a straight face. When she was through, he clucked his tongue

and solemnly said, “Ah, my young son has decided to be brave after all these centuries. I think I will wait

a day or two before I pay him a visit. I want to make sure that his guard is down and that I will have the

element of surprise.”

“What are your intentions after you surprise him?” Celina asked her elder.

Matthias shrugged his shoulders and walked away from his daughter, not quite sure how to

answer her question. He contemplated lying to her to avoid the drama, because telling the truth would

devastate her. He stopped halfway across the alley and turned to look at her.

“I’m just going to talk to him about leaving behind the bodies and the danger that it’s putting on

us. It would sound better coming from me than the Elders. If I can’t talk some sense into him, then I may

have to use alternative methods,” Matthias told her calmly as he casually walked back over to her.

“Alternative methods? What exactly does that mean?” Celina asked with a curious tone.

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Matthias sighed and replied,“I may have to use force in order for him to see reason.”

“Oh, please don’t fight with him. I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time you two saw

each other,” Celina begged her creator.

“Calm down, I wasn’t referring to hand to hand combat,” Matthias lied to her, “I may have to

settle for relocating him somewhere that won’t raise any red flags.”

“You know he won’t go for that idea. He’s happy where he is, and I doubt very highly he’d want

to give it all up,” Celina reasoned with him.

“I’m not going to stand here and argue with you. Let’s go and get some rest before the sun rises

in a few hours,” urged Matthias.

“Allright,” agreed Celina half-heartedly.

With barely a sound the two of them took flight and headed their separate ways.

Anne lay awake in her bed that night with the past several days’ events running through her

mind.

“To think, just a few days ago, my life was simple. Now, here I am helping a vampire! A vampire,

wow, I wonder what other myths are actually true. Are there werewolves, too? Hmm…I wouldn’t be

surprised anymore if there were such creatures walking amongst us,” the college woman mumbled to

herself as she peered at her white ceiling. Outside her window she could hear her sorority sisters

whispering to each other in the middle of the night.

“I think after my classes are over tomorrow, I’m going out to Chris’ house to help him unpack. I

want to surprise him when he comes home from work,” Anne thought to herself as she rolled over onto

her left side and stared out her bedroom window. She watched as a plane’s lights blinked in the far

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distance as the aircraft slowly flew across the night sky. Anne’s eyes drooped lazily down and she

yawned softly before she slipped into an exhausted, heavy sleep.

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CHAPTER 16

Camille awoke the next morning feeling calm and relaxed. She climbed out of the four poster

queen sized bed and got dressed. She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen to fix herself

breakfast. As she stood over the stove and cooked some scrambled eggs, the phone on the wall rang,

startling her. She removed the frying pan from the burner and set it onto the rear burner. Next, she

turned off the burner that she had been cooking on and answered the telephone.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Lawanda, it’s me, Louis,” the man on the other end of the phone informed the undercover

agent.

“Yes, Louis, what can I do for you this morning?” Camille said into the phone trying to sound as

pleasant as she could, despite her growling stomach.

“Jose wants to meet you and your husband today at three o’clock this afternoon. He’s going to

send a car out to your house around two-thirty to pick you both up,” Louis explained to the woman on

the other end of the phone call.

“Uh, what is this about?” Camille asked with a skeptical tone.

“I’m not sure why he wants to see you both; he never told me the reason. He just told me to call

you and tell you exactly what I just said to you. If I were you, I would be ready at two-thirty and not be a

minute late,” Louis told her sternly.

“Okay, we will be ready. Thank you for calling, Louis,” Camille said politely.

“No need to thank me; I’m just following orders,” Louis said quickly, right before he hung up the

phone on her.

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Camille stood there still holding the phone for a few seconds before she hung it in its cradle.

“I better call Agent Noir and Agent Hemming and fill them in on the situation,” the agent said to

herself as she crossed the kitchen and picked up her cell phone that was on the counter.

She opened her contact list and searched for Agent Noir’s phone number. When she found it,

she touched the screen so that it would instantly dial his number. The phone rang several times before

someone picked up.

“Hello?” a female voice asked skeptically.

“Hello…who is this?” Agent Camille asked, puzzled by the caller on the other end of the phone.

“This is Anne…uh, who may I ask is calling?” the young voice said with curiosity.

“This is Agent Turner, Agent Noirs’ partner. Is he available, because I really need to speak to him

this morning,” the female agent replied with urgency in her voice.

“I’m sorry, Agent Turner, but Chris is sleeping, and I doubt that I could wake him. He’s a really

heavy sleeper. Perhaps I could deliver a message to him when he wakes up?” Anne offered the agent.

“Hmm...it will be too late by then. Please, see if you could wake him up now. It’s really

important that I tell him immediately,” Camille reasoned with the young woman.

“Okay, I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee this will work,” Anne told the agent calmly.

“Just do your best; that’s all that I ask,” the undercover agent dryly told Anne as she walked over

to a kitchen drawer and opened it, removed a fork, and then started to eat the eggs that she had cooked

earlier.

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“I’m going to put the phone on mute while I try to wake him up,” Anne explained quickly as she

headed up the stairs to the second floor.

“Okay,” Camille replied through a mouthful of food.

Anne pressed the mute button on the phone when she reached the top of the stairs. She then

took a deep breath and walked over to the master bedroom. She reached out with her free hand and

opened the door and entered the room for the first time. The room was bare except for a duffel bag and

a long crate in the center of the room. She tip-toed across the floor and approached the crate. She knew

that Chris was peacefully sleeping inside the pine box, and she hesitated on whether to lift the lid or

knock on it.

“Oh, hells bells and buffalo feet! I’m going for it!” she thought to herself with confidence that

she didn’t know she had.

Anne knelt down and set the phone on the floor next to her. She placed both hands on the crate

lid and slowly opened it. When she had the lid in an upright position, she dared herself to look down

inside the crate. Chris lay there as if he were a corpse, arms crisscrossed on his chest; his feet were side

by side pointing straight up, and his face was frozen with his fangs exposed. Anne swallowed the lump

that was inside her throat. When she was sure that the lid was going to remain upright, she knelt down

next to the crate and took a deep breath before she reached out with her right hand and shook Chris’

right shoulder.

“Chris, you have an important phone call from Agent Turner, please wake up,” Camille said out

loud as she shook the vampire.

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Suddenly, Chris sat upright with his eyes open and arms crossed, profusely hissing and growling

at Anne. Anne jerked her hand back from his shoulder, afraid that Chris would harm it somehow, and

then she scrambled to her feet.

“I’m sorry to have awakened you so early, but Agent Turner says it’s urgent. Please, forgive me,”

Anne pleaded to Chris, her voice shaking and trembling slightly as she spoke.

“Where is she?” he hissed through exposed fangs.

“She’s called you on your cell phone. I muted it so she wouldn’t hear anything,” Anne explained

to the vampire.

“Give it to me,” he demanded through his teeth.

Anne reached down and picked up the phone and took tentative steps towards Chris. When she

was within distance to hand him the phone, she stretched out her hand that held the phone and waited

for him to accept it. Then, without warning, Chris loosened his arms and snatched the phone from Anne.

He removed the mute option from the phone and held the phone up to his right ear.

“Hello?” he said huskily.

“Oh, Chris, I am so sorry to have awakened you, but this is important. Louis called me a couple

of minutes ago and told me that Jose Carmen wants to meet with us at three o’clock. A car is coming

here at two-thirty to pick us both up. Louis said that it’s in our best interest to be ready. How soon can

you get here?” Camille said so quickly that Chris had to concentrate really hard to catch every word.

“Have you told Agent Hemming yet?” Chris asked her after his fangs had receded back into his

mouth.

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“No, not yet. He was on my list to call next, though,” she explained to him as she placed the

skillet and fork into the sink to wash later.

“What time is it now?” Chris asked her.

“It’s nine o’clock in the morning,” she informed him.

“I’ll be ready as soon as I can, and I’ll get there before it’s time to be picked up. I have to make

some arrangements first before I head that way,” Chris told his partner as he climbed out of his crate

and quietly closed the lid with his free hand.

“Okay, Chris. I’ll see you when you get here.” Agent Camille replied before she hung up the

phone.

Chris handed the phone back to Anne and said, “It seems that I need your help one more time.”

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CHAPTER 17

Anne stared at Chris’ face while she regained her composure. A few minutes later, she finally

spoke,

“I’d be glad to help you, Chris. What is it that you need me to do?”

Chris sighed heavily before he replied,

“I need you to obtain some clothes for me that are fire retardant. You may even have to steal in

order to get them for me. I need them before two o’clock this afternoon.”

Anne swallowed hard and sat there quietly thinking. After several minutes had passed, Chris

cleared his throat to get her attention. Anne turned her head away and stared at the blackened out

window where the sun tried its best to break through.

“It’s because of the sun isn’t it?” she asked him before she turned her head to face him.

“Yes,” he confessed.

“I’ll have to go find a fire station and scope it out. I’ll do my best, Chris, but I won’t guarantee

anything,” she said reluctantly.

“Your effort in the attempt to try is fine with me. If you succeed that would be wonderful.

However, if you fail, I will have to come up with a different plan,” he admitted honestly to the young

woman.

“I better go now; time is wasting away as we speak,” Anne said quickly as she jumped to her

feet.

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In a sudden swift movement, Chris was out of the crate and grabbing Anne by her left elbow.

Anne jumped as she felt his hand touch her exposed skin. His cold fingers wrapped around her elbow

felt like an icepack to her warm flesh.

“Please, be careful,” he told her with a concerned tone.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I use to date a firefighter, and I know exactly what to get you. I’ll be

fine,” the young college student said as placed her right hand over his cold one.

Chris looked down at their hands touching, and thoughts ran through his mind that shouldn’t

have been there. He quickly released his hold on her and said, “Um…I think you need to go now.”

Anne slowly nodded her head then made her way out of the master bedroom. She descended

the stairs, grabbed her backpack and left the house.

Upstairs, Chris listened to Anne’s borrowed car start and then drive away from his house. Chris

sighed and turned around to close the crate’s lid. He placed his right index finger, on the lid and closed it

with a soft thud. Next, the vampire retrieved his duffel back and made his way downstairs. He stopped

halfway down the staircase and admired the view. Apparently, Anne had done him the courtesy of

arranging his furniture and unpacking his things while he was sleeping upstairs, because the boxes were

all opened and empty of their contents. He also noticed that all of the furniture was arranged in such a

way that it made the house look like it was suitable to live in. A smile spread across his face as he

continued down the stairs to get a closer look. When he reached the last step, he set the duffel bag

down and walked over to the living room to admire Anne’s work while he waited for her to come back.

Anne drove back to the city, where she knew of a particular firehouse that she would try first.

The chief was a friend of hers that she had met while dating Gary Bellows. Antonio Keys, the chief, was

always nice to her whenever she visited Gary at the firehouse. She was hoping that she wouldn’t run

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into Gary this morning, because their breakup hadn’t been a pleasant one. She had discovered that Gary

was married with three kids and that he was just using her to feed his mid-life crisis that he had been

experiencing when they had met at a fundraiser.

Anne pulled into the parking lot next to the big bay doors of Firehouse seventy-two and turned

off the car’s engine. She took a deep breath before exiting the vehicle and immediately spotted Chief

Keys staring at her from just inside the first bay door.

“Anne? Is that really you?” Chief Keys called out to her with a disbelieving tone.

“Hi there Chief! Yes, it’s really me. I know it’s been a long time, but I need a favor from you if

you’re willing to help me,” the college student said as she approached the fifty-two-year-old.

“Don’t worry, Gary got transferred a month ago to another station. He’s not a threat to you

anymore,” Chief Keys told her in a reassuring tone.

“Oh. I’m not here about that, Chief. I’m here to see if you have some old fire retardant clothes

that you don’t want anymore. I have a friend that needs them badly,” she explained to the older man.

“Hmm…I believe that Tracy went through all of them two days ago and tossed the old ones in

the donation box out back. Do you want me to page him for you?” Chief Keys told the young lady as he

motioned for her to follow him into the garage.

“Oh! Would you, please. That would be so wonderful if I could have them, as long as it’s not too

much trouble,” Anne said as they passed by one of the fire engines.

“Ah, it’s not any trouble at all, my dear. Just hold on a second for me will you?” Chief Keys said

as he retrieved a walkie talkie from his belt and turned it on.

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“Tracy Maltese, please come to the donation box. Tracy Maltese, meet me at the donation box,

A.S.A.P.” he said into the walkie talkie with a strong tone of voice.

The sound of running feet could be heard approaching their location. Chief Keys motioned for

Anne to follow him outside, and together they exited the garage. They were met by a very muscular

thirty-five-year-old wearing a white t-shirt and blue uniform pants.

“You called me, Chief?” the man asked, barely out of breath.

“Yes I did, Tracy. I need you to retrieve those flame retardant clothes and let Miss Anne go

through them,” Chief Keys explained to him.

“Yes sir,” Tracy replied as he reached into his right front pocket and retrieved a ring that had

several keys on it.

He walked over to a donation box, and using one of the keys, he unlocked the box and swung

the door open wide so that Anne could see its contents. Anne peered inside the box, and a big smile

spread across her face.

“I take it you like what you see?” Chief Keys asked her as he watched her reach in and pull out a

pair of flame retardant pants.

“Oh yes. I like them very much. These will be perfect for my friend,” Anne said, pleased with her

treasure box full of goodies.

Tracy helped Anne pull out a shirt, a pair of gloves, and a ski mask that were also flame

retardant. Anne inspected each article to make sure that there weren’t any rips, tears, or holes in any of

the clothing before she folded them into a neat pile on the ground. When she was through sorting

through them, she stood up and thanked everyone for their generosity.

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“Ah…don’t worry about it, Anne. They were going to be reused anyway by trainees at camp. As

long as they get used, that’s all that matters. Tell your friend he’s welcome to come by and thank me

personally if he wants to.” Chief Keys told Anne as he watched her scoop up the clothes.

“I’ll be sure to tell him, chief,” she assured the older firefighter.

Anne walked away from the two men and headed back to the car. When she reached the car,

she opened the rear passenger door and set the clothes down in the seat. Satisfied they were secure,

she closed the door and walked around to get behind the wheel. She climbed into the car, started the

engine, and left the fire station.

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CHAPTER 18

When Anne entered the vampire’s house, she heard him talking and figured that he was on the

phone, so she quietly shut the front door. She made her way into the living room, where she found him

sitting on his new couch talking on his cell phone with urgency in his voice.

“Camille, do you think Agent Hemming is doing the right thing here? I mean, anything could go

wrong with his plan at any moment. Please, tell me you see it that way, too,” Chris told his partner on

the phone.

Chris went silent as he listened to his partner on the other end. He looked up briefly and saw

Anne setting the clothes down on the opposite end of the couch. She looked up at him with a concerned

glance before she turned around and exited the living room to give Chris his privacy.

“Okay, I understand. Listen, I have to go now, but I will call you before I head that way. Until

then, I have some loose ends to tie up,” Chris said quickly before he closed his cell phone, and stood up

from the couch to go find Anne.

“Anne, where are you?” Chris said out of habit, because he already knew where she was: in the kitchen.

“I’m in here,” she replied cheerfully.

Chris entered the kitchen and found Anne sitting at the kitchen table chewing on a piece of gum

that she had apparently found in her backpack.

“Anne, I love what you did with my furniture and all of my belongings. I couldn’t have done

better myself. I see that you were successful in obtaining the fire retardant clothes for me, thank you,”

the vampire said.

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“Oh, it was nothing. I enjoyed every bit of it. I wouldn’t trade my experiences with anyone. Ha! I

doubt anyone could be as cool as I am about being associated with a vampire. I think I’m handling this

quite well. What do you think?” Anne replied sarcastically, completely throwing Chris off track by her

reaction.

“Um…I think your being really calm about the whole arrangement that we have. Anne, what’s

wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Chris stated; confused by Anne’s suspicious look. “Did

you think I’d be going crazy or something?” she asked suspiciously.

“Um, no I never thought that at all. I mean, I have had mortal friends before, just not one

so…attractive,” Chris admitted to the young lady.

Anne’s mouth dropped open and closed just as quickly. She blushed as she covered her cheeks

with her hands. Chris approached her, reached out to remove her hands from her face, and said,

“Please, don’t cover your face. It warms my heart to see you blush. I wouldn’t have said that if I

didn’t mean it.”

Anne dropped her hands down and placed them into his before she looked up into Chris’ face.

“That’s much better. Thank you,” Chris said smiling.

“Chris, what loose ends do you to have to tie up before two o’clock?” she asked him out of the

blue.

“Oh, just one, and I’m staring at her now,” Chris admitted openly.

“Me? What about me?” she asked him, obviously shocked by his answer.

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Chris knelt down on one knee in front of Anne so that he was level with her, the whole time

maintaining eye contact with her.

“Anne, you must leave here and return back to your dorm room. I don’t know when it’ll be safe

for you to come back here. I will contact you somehow to let you know when you can come back to visit

me again. The case that I am working on is extremely dangerous, and I can’t afford to get you mixed up

in it. Please, don’t cry. I’ll be alright,” he told her in a serious tone of voice.

As he spoke to her, Anne’s face changed from shock to sadness at the thought of never seeing

her beloved vampire again. She had millions of things running through her mind at the moment and

none of them were good. She fought the tears back and softly asked, “How long do I have to wait?”

“I don’t know. A few days, perhaps even a week,” he answered as honestly as he could.

“Allright, I’ll go now, but before I do can you do something for me?” she asked sweetly.

“Anything for you, Anne.” he replied honestly.

“Hug me,” she stated flatly.

“Gladly,” he said as he gradually stood up, still holding Anne’s hands.

Anne stood up along with him and waited patiently. Chris let go of her hands and opened his

arms to receive her into a hug. Anne stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist and

hugged him tightly while Chris wrapped his arms around her back and gently hugged her back, being

careful not to use his strength to harm her. The two of them held their hold on each other for several

moments before Anne released her grasp and wiggled her way out of his arms.

“I must go now so that you can get ready to leave. I…I’ll miss you,” she said to him with a long

face.

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“Aww…I’ll miss you too, Anne,” he responded back with a caring tone.

Anne picked up her backpack from the kitchen table and exited the kitchen, leaving Chris to

stand there and watch her leave. She opened the front door, closed it behind her, and walked outside to

the car, feeling like she’d lost her best friend. When she reached the car she climbed in to the driver’s

seat and started the engine. Anne put the vehicle into reverse and back out of the vampire’s driveway.

When she was on the street in front of his house, she put the car into drive and drove down the street

very slowly because the tears running down her cheeks made it difficult to see the road clearly.

Camille hung up the phone, feeling anxious about what could possibly go wrong with this

meeting at three o’clock despite what Agent Hemming had just told her. She set the phone down on the

counter and decided to go change clothes because she felt like what she was wearing was to drab for

the occasion. She glanced at her watch and noticed that it was already twelve o’clock, and there was

still no sign of Agent Noir yet.

“I hope he gets here soon,” Camille said out loud as she headed up the stairs to change.

While Camille was upstairs changing, Chris pulled up into the driveway. He was thankful that the

Hummer had window tinting and that the flame retardant clothes, trench coat, hat, and sunglasses kept

the sun off of his skin. He just hoped his luck would continue to hold. He took a deep breath, grabbed his

duffel bag, and scampered out of the Hummer, slamming the driver door behind him. He rushed into

the house and immediately began to close all of the blinds and curtains on the first floor. He removed

the articles of clothing and accessories from his head and set them on the couch in the living room next

to his duffel bag. Then he picked up the television remote and turned on the flat screen television that

was mounted to the wall across the room. He flipped through several channels until he found something

that interested him: Americas Most Wanted. He sat down on the couch next to his things and waited for

Camille.

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Twenty minutes later, Camille’s footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

“I’m in here, Camille,” Chris called out to her.

Camille entered the living room and stopped in the middle of the room.

“What in the world are you wearing?” she asked him curiously.

“Oh, I blister real easy in sunlight. I wore these just so I don’t end up in the hospital later,” Chris

lied to Camille as she stood there staring at him.

“Oh,” she replied satisfied with his answer.

“You look real nice,” he complimented his partner.

“Thanks,“ she said as she sat down on the loveseat.

“I suppose now we sit and wait for our ride to pick us up.” Chris stated as he turned his

attention back to the show.

Camille didn’t respond; instead she sat back on the loveseat and watched the show with Chris.

They commented back and forth on each reenactment and all of the criminals that appeared on the

show. When that show ended they watched the local news and made small talk.

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CHAPTER 19

The doorbell rang promptly at two-thirty in the afternoon. Camille answered the front door

while Chris stood behind her wearing his protective clothing. The front door opened to reveal two men

wearing three piece suits.

“Mr. and Mrs. Flake, quickly and quietly get into the car,” one of the men told them before

anyone could utter a word.

The two men stepped aside and gave the husband and wife the space that they needed to come

outside. Lawanda led the way as the four of them headed over to a black Cadillac Escalade parked in the

driveway next to the Hummer. Lawanda walked over to the passenger rear door and climbed into the

back seat, quickly followed by Nathan. The man that had spoken earlier closed their door and entered

the front seat next to his partner. The driver started the vehicle and put it into reverse, carefully backing

it out of the driveway. When the SUV reached the street, he changed gears and pulled away from the

house.

As they rode in the back seat, the undercover agents noticed that their windows were covered

with cardboard and the rest of the windows were blackened out. They had absolutely no idea where

they were going. The passenger in the front seat kept turning his head and giving Nathan a look that

seemed to say “what the hell’s the matter with you?” Lawanda noticed this as well and decided she

better say something to the men about her husband’s clothing attire.

“My husband has a skin disease that reacts to the sun. He breaks out real bad in red blotches if

he’s exposed to the sun, so that’s why he’s all covered up,” she told the men, breaking the silence in the

SUV.

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The two men in the front seat nodded their heads but didn’t respond to her explanation,

although, the passenger in the front seat did stop looking at Nathan with that questioning look. He did,

however, continue to watch both of them as they traveled. Nobody in the SUV noticed that Nathan was

battling a demon deep down inside. From the instant that the front door opened Nathan sensed evil in

these two men, and his instinct told him to kill them. However, he knew that if he did, it would ruin the

mission that they were on and, it would expose him for what he really was. Nathan was locked in a

battle, and seething deep down to destroy the evil that was in the front seats.

The Cadillac traveled in and out of traffic with ease as the four of them steadily headed to the

east coast. From the view that Lawanda could see out the front window, they were heading toward

West Islip Island, but she wasn’t sure. She did know that wherever they were going, Agent Hemming and

the rest of the team weren’t far behind. She prayed that the tracking device in the heel of her left shoe

was still working because she felt that if things went badly, she would at least have the comfort in

knowing that the rest of the team was close by.

A few minutes later, the thumping sound of a bridge could be felt throughout the vehicle. The

two men up front briefly spoke in Portuguese to one another before going silent again. What they said

made Nathan tense up because he spoke fluent Portuguese, and it looked bleak for Lawanda. They had

discussed which one was going to kill the woman first, and that didn’t set right with Nathan. They had

called her a loose end that they didn’t need anymore because the husband was back. Nathan didn’t

know how he could stop the execution from happening without exposing what he was, but he did know

that there would be fatalities.

The SUV finished crossing the bridge they were on then made a turn that would take them down

the coast towards the ferry that would take them to West Islip Island. Lawanda had been to the island

once before, when she had to attend a funeral for a friend of the family many years ago. She sensed

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something was wrong by the way the driver kept looking at her in the rearview mirror with a grim look

upon his face. Soon the Cadillac reached the ferry, and the vehicle parked on the large deck of the

transport ship. The ferry boat waited until all of the vehicles were onboard before blowing its horn. As

soon as the horn stopped blowing, the ferry boat’s engines came on, and they pulled away from shore.

Ten minutes later the ferry boat landed on the shores of West Islip Island. Eventually, the

vehicles in front of the Cadillac made their way onshore, and then the four of them were traveling

towards the upper countryside of the island. The road that they were on twisted and turned, like a

snake through the hills and countryside. After traveling for a few minutes, they turned onto a two lane

street that ran past some elite houses and buildings. Three blocks later, the SUV pulled up in front of a

wrought iron gate, and the driver reached up on the sun visor and pressed the button on an automatic

door opener. The gate in front of them opened slowly inward, and when it was wide enough for the SUV

to travel through, the driver steered the vehicle through.

From what Lawanda could see, the house was a three-story colonial with white siding and black

trim. There was a cherub fountain in the center of a small garden directly in front of the house and a

wrap around front porch on the first floor of the building. The SUV pulled up directly in front of the

house and parked. The driver and his partner got out of the SUV and opened the rear passengers’ doors.

The two men motioned for the undercover agents to get out of the vehicle and follow them to the front

door. Once there, the driver opened the door and led the small group inside.

The massive entranceway held a sitting room that was decorated in a Spanish motif. As they

traveled through the entranceway, they were led down a hallway towards a large room that was on the

left-hand side. When they entered the room, Chris removed the clothing from around his head and

hands, and then he stuffed them into a pocket of his trench coat. The room was a study that contained

an office desk, chair, and two plush leather chairs. Sitting in the office chair was a man in his mid-to-late

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forties with black hair and a tan complexion. His face was weather worn, and his eyes were harsh and

pierced through you like a hot knife through butter. He didn’t move or say a word as Lawanda and

Nathan were directed to sit down in the two plush leather chairs. The driver and his partner stood off to

the sides of the office desk and watched their guests with intense stares.

“Welcome to my home,” the man behind the desk said to the undercover agents.

“Thank you for inviting us here,” Lawanda Flake replied in a pleasant tone.

“Forgive me for being rude. I should have introduced myself first. My name is Jose Carmen and I

have some information for you that you might be interested in,” the man across from them said warily.

“Oh, it must be pretty important information or else we wouldn’t be here,” Nathan Flake

deduced.

“Oh but it is,” Jose confirmed through narrow eyes.

Just then two men came bursting through the door, dragging another man that had his hands

tied up behind him and a gag in his mouth. Everyone in the room turned their attention to the

commotion that had entered the study. The man that was gagged and bound was struggling with his

captors as they brought him to stand behind the undercover agents. Upon closer inspection, Lawanda

noticed that the man appeared to have been recently beaten.

“This man tells me that you two work for the DEA Iis that true?” Jose asked the undercover

agents.

Nathan made eye contact with Jose and slowly said, “We do not work for the DEA. We are

civilians.”

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The two men held their eye contact for what seemed like an eternity to Lawanda. Finally after a

few seconds, Jose repeated back what Nathan had said. Then Jose blinked his eyes and looked towards

the man that was being restrained.

“Well now, it seems that we have a liar in our midst. I hate liars,” Jose said dryly as he leaned

back in his chair and opened a desk drawer.

“I’m not lying!” the captured man frantically gargled out.

Jose withdrew a .44 caliber Magnum from the desk drawer and aimed it at the captive as he

stood up from his desk and walked around it. He came to a stop directly behind the captive, aimed the

handgun at the back of his and pulled the trigger. The force of the impact shot brain matter and skull

fragments in Lawanda and Nathan’s face. The two men holding the body grabbed it harder when the

corpse began to fall to the floor. Jose removed a red bandana from his rear pocket and wiped the blood

matter and hair from the barrel of the gun. When he had finished that, he stuffed the bandana into the

body’s brain cavity and calmly said, “Get this piece of crap out of my sight.”

The two men holding the body nodded their heads and waited for Jose to get out of their way.

Jose stepped aside and watched as the corpse was half-dragged, half-carried out of this study. Jose took

a deep breath and returned to sit in his chair behind the desk. He laid the gun on top of his desk; within

easy reach.

Jose looked at the undercover agents and gravely said, “I’m so sorry that you had to experience

such a thing, but I had to make sure. I’ll have Thomas and Sullivan escort you down the hallway to use

the rest room so that you can get cleaned up before they take you back home.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lawanda squeaked through her lips.

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Nathan and Lawanda stood up and followed the two men that had brought them here.

Together, the four of them left the study and walked three doors down the hallway to the rest room.

Nathan entered first and selected a washcloth that was hanging from a towel rack next to the sink. He

turned on the water in the sink and went about the task of cleaning his face. When he had successfully

cleaned himself up, he motioned for Lawanda to come in to the rest room. When she had entered the

room, he stepped outside and spoke in Portuguese to Thomas and Sullivan,

“Thank you for your help. Oh yeah, please don’t kill my wife; I love her very much,”

Thomas and Sullivan’s jaws dropped open and they stared at Nathan such an incredulous way,

that it caused Nathan to chuckle. Lawanda finished up in the rest room at that point and joined the

three men in the hallway.

“What’s so funny?” she asked Nathan curiously.

“I’ll tell you about it later, dear,” he replied in between chuckles.

Lawanda shrugged her shoulders and followed the three men down the hallway towards the

front door. When they reached the front door, Jose was holding it open for them and said, “I wanted to

thank you for your co-operation today. I will remember this for a long time, go home and prepare for

the exchange as scheduled.”

Nathan nodded his head, and Lawanda gave him a crooked smile. The driver and his partner

then escorted the undercover agents out of the house and back into the Cadillac Escalade. As they left

the driveway, Lawanda slumped back in her seat and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sleepy; she just

wanted to have some peace and quiet to mull things over. Nathan remained silent as he fought to

control the urge inside him to go back and kill Jose Carmen and the two men in the Cadillac.

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CHAPTER 20

Anne stared out the window of her dorm room feeling worried, anxious, and confused. She was

worried that she’d never see Chris again, anxious because if she did she wouldn’t know how she’d react,

and confused because she didn’t know if a person such as herself should be falling in love with a

vampire. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on her dorm room door. She sighed and

turned around to answer it, feeling unsure of who it could be at this hour of the night.

When she reached the door, she hesitated a moment before removing the chain lock. She shook

her head and removed the bolt from the chain lock. She slowly opened the door to see who it was on

the other side. When she saw that it was Chris, she let out a squeal of joy and opened the door all of the

way. She let go of the door knob and flung herself onto Chris.

“I take it you’re glad to see me?” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her

a gentle but firm hug.

“Oh! You have no idea how glad I am to see you! I’ve been worried sick since I left your house

Wednesday afternoon! These last two and a half days have been torture!” she exclaimed so loudly that

it echoed down the hallway, and people down the hall opened their doors to see what the commotion

was about.

“Relax; I’m not done with the case, yet. I still have to leave to wrap it up tomorrow night. I just

couldn’t wait until next week before I could see you again. I can’t stay long tonight; I still have to eat,”

Chris explained as he unraveled his arms from around her and held her back so that he could look into

her eyes.

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“Well, I’ll enjoy whatever time I do have with you to the utmost extreme. I really am glad that

you are here. Come on, let’s get out of the hall and go outside.” she said in a normal voice. She leaned

closer to him and whispered, “ I have nosy neighbors.”

Chris smiled and let go of her waist. While Anne shut her door he looked down the hallway, and

he smiled at the other college students who were watching them from down the hall. A few of them

returned back to their rooms, while others stuck around to see what would happen next. Anne turned

around after securing her door, and together, she and Chris walked the hallway to go downstairs. On

the landing of the second floor, Chris took his right hand and reached out for Anne’s left one. She

instinctively met his hand halfway, and when their hands interlocked she looked up at him smiling with a

calm and happy expression.

When they reached outside, they walked over to a picnic table that was located off to the side

of the building for students to sit. As they settled down in their seats, Chris decided to fill her in on what

had happened the last several days.

“I haven’t been home since Wednesday afternoon; I’ve been at our undercover house with my

partner since we got back. We reported on what had occurred while we were out Wednesday afternoon

and have stayed at the house driving each other nuts since then. I sleep in the closet during the day with

the shades closed because she’s under the impression that I have a skin allergy to the sun and that I

would end up in the hospital if I’m exposed to it. She doesn’t know what I am, yet. In time she may

figure it out. Right now she thinks that I am out getting Chinese food for both of us. After I eat, I’ll stop

somewhere and get some for her,” Chris told Anne as he gently stroked the edge of her hand with his

thumb.

“Oh, wow. You have been busy,” she replied mundanely.

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“So what have you been doing these last few days?” he asked her as he leaned closer to her.

“Studying for finals, mostly; at least I’ve been trying to study. My mind has been elsewhere,” she

said, feeling a tad sheepish.

“Anne, I have a confession to make,” he said softly.

“Oh?” she replied, shocked that this beautiful creature would have something to confess to her.

“I’ve never been in love with a mortal before, nor have I kissed one without killing her

afterwards. This will the first time for me,” he said, feeling guilty all of the sudden.

“Oh my goodness, I never thought about that. Um…” she started to say before she was

interrupted by Chris leaning closer to her face, his lips brushing hers ever so softly.

At first, Anne leaned back at the touch, then she leaned in and met his lips halfway. The feel of

his cold lips upon hers sent shivers throughout her body, but eventually the feeling subsided and she

was able to enjoy the tender moment they were now sharing. Chris’s tongue slipped into her mouth and

was met by a warm sensation back from Anne’s own tongue. The two of them leaned in closer and

were locked in each other’s embrace, sharing this moment for as long as they could. Soon Anne was

having trouble breathing, so Chris eased back and separated from her so that Anne could breathe

normally again.

After several minutes passed, Anne was breathing normally again, and she looked at Chris with a

questioning stare.

“What? What is it?” Chris asked after a minute or two had passed.

“I was just wondering when the last time that you ate was. You look paler tonight than I’ve ever

seen you look before,” she finally asked him with a worried tone in her voice.

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“With all that has been going on, I haven’t had a chance to get away. My partner keeps

wondering why I haven’t eaten anything at the house in the last several days, and I finally told her that

I’m real picky about what I eat and that what she has in that house isn’t what I like. To answer your

question, it’s was several nights ago that I ate last. That is why I must go now to find some food. I hate to

leave you after what we just did, but I’m afraid that if I don’t go now and eat, then I will not have the

strength for tomorrow night,” Chris answered her the best way that he could so that she wouldn’t

pursue the issue further.

“Oh my goodness! Go and eat and don’t let me stop you,” she said feeling slightly guilty for

wanting to keep him here longer than he needed to be.

“Allright, I’m leaving now. I’ll be in touch with you again as soon as I can,” Chris said as he stood

up to leave.

“Chris, happy hunting,” Anne whispered to him in the darkness of the night.

Chris smiled at her before he took off into the night sky to hunt for his next meal. He had left the

Hummer parked in the parking of Lu-Chan-Hoo’s restaurant earlier in the evening so that he could hunt

after visiting Anne. Now he was heading towards the Bronx to see if he could quickly find something that

would satisfy his insatiable hunger. As he approached the Bronx, he felt tremendous surges throughout

his body; evil was rampant in this area right now.

Chris decided to land in a small park just inside the city. He figured he wouldn’t have to wait

long before someone evil crossed his path, so he casually strolled along the perimeter. As he reached

the end that was closest to the main street, he was slammed with the feeling of intense evil emanating

from somewhere nearby. He stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes to focus in on the location.

Absentmindedly, his feet began to walk him towards a nearby alley. He opened his eyes and intently

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listened for any sounds that would give him an idea about his meal. He thought he heard voices in the

alley speaking very softly to one another. As he approached closer, he could distinguish that it was two

males in a heated argument. Chris’ body immediately transformed into the ultimate killing predator; his

nails grew, his fangs extended, his eyes changed color, and his footsteps quieted.

As Chris came to the alleyway’s entrance, he began to hear bits and piece of what the two men

were arguing about.

“Damn it all to hell, I told you to watch where you were going! Now you’re going to leave a trail

of bloody footprints straight to our pad!” hollered a gruff voice into the night.

“What if I just took off my shoes then, would that make you happy?” the other voice barked

back.

Chris appeared from behind a dumpster and growled at the scene before him. Two men were

standing over the remains of what appeared to be woman; arguing over bloody footprints. The bigger

man was holding a serrated knife in his right hand and something else in his left hand. The smaller man

was covered in blood from head to toe and was looking at his partner with hate in his eyes. Upon

hearing Chris’ growl, both men turned their attention to the direction from which It had come.

“What the hell was that?” the bigger man demanded to know.

“How the hell should I know? It sounded more like a giant dog to me,” the smaller man snapped

back.

Before his partner could respond, Chris attacked with such speed and stealth that what

happened next was in fast forward. The smaller man watched in horror as his partner was gutted like a

fish and when the bigger man slumped down on his knees, a creature bit his neck; spewing blood in

every direction. Before the smaller man could utter a scream, he was placed in a choke hold that made

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him pass out on the ground where he stood. After the smaller man was unconscious, Chris released his

hold and went to finish drinking the blood from his first victim. When he had finished drinking all that he

dared to, he turned his attention back to the smaller man. Chris knelt down and with one hand lifted the

man’s head up by the hair. The vampire positioned the body so that his victim was facing him as he

ripped the man’s shirt open. Chris bared his fangs and hissed before he sank his teeth into the man’s

heart. The victim awoke and struggled to get free, but his efforts were in vain. Within minutes he

slumped down on the ground and his life was over.

Chris released his bite and stood up to check on the woman lying on the ground. He reached

down to check for a pulse and to inspect the damage. Her body was intact, however her skirt was bloody

and she was lying in her own pool of blood. Chris found a pulse, but it was ragged and he feared that she

wouldn’t have much time left if he didn’t call for an ambulance. He reached into his pocket and

withdrew his cell phone and placed an anonymous call to nine-one-one. After giving out the location,

Chris hung up the phone and walked over to the big man’s corpse because he was curious as to what the

man had been holding in his left hand. Chris picked up the big man’s left wrist and pried open the

clenched fingers. Apparently the two men had discovered this woman’s secret and tried to teach her a

lesson. Chris jumped back in shock at what he had discovered; in the big man’s hands were male

genitalia. They had been brutally cut from the transgendered victim’s body so badly that they still had

pubic hair attached. Chris came to his senses and reclosed the fingers back over the body parts as

tenderly as he could so as not disturbed the evidence any further.

Off In the distance, Chris could hear sirens approaching his location, and he figured that now

was the best time as any to leave. He took off into the night sky and flew back to the Chinese restaurant

to get Camille her dinner. He was sure that what had happened tonight would be in the newspaper

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within twenty-four hours or less. He felt that this particular night could be the start of a war between

himself, Matthias, and the Elders.

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CHAPTER 21

Chris walked into the house carrying the Chinese take-out food. He found Camille in the kitchen

preparing a small salad for herself. She looked up when Chris walked into the room and slightly smiled.

“You look ten times better than you did when you left here earlier. What did you do, eat yours

on the way home?” she commented as she walked over to retrieve the take-out food from Chris.

“I ate mine while I was waiting for yours to be prepared,” Chris lied to his partner.

“Oh, okay, I kind of figured that you would. I made this salad for myself because I kind of

guessed you weren’t into fresh vegetables,” she said as he set the take-out on the kitchen counter.

Chris made a disgusted face at the idea of eating fresh vegetables, and Camille saw it.

“Okay, I guessed right. I’m sorry I brought it up,” she said putting up her hands in a defensive

manner.

Chris chuckled and turned to leave the kitchen; he was thinking about turning on the news to

see if what happened earlier was being featured live.

“Where are you going?” Camille asked him.

“To watch the news in the living room,” he replied as he headed out the doorway.

Chris entered the living room and found the remote control for the television. He turned on the

television and changed the channel until he found the local news channel. He sat down on the couch

and listened intently as the news played out on the flat screen television.

“So far so good,” Chris thought out loud as the first half hour went by and nothing happened.

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Just then the news changed to live video in the Bronx. Chris sat up quickly and watched with

mundane enthusiasm as the news reporter interviewed the lead homicide detective on the case. It’s

what Chris had feared would happen; what he had done earlier had turned up in the news after all.

Camille, who had finished eating, stood in the doorway of the living room watching the news as well.

She made no comment as the lead detective talked. When the interview was over, she watched as her

partner slumped back in his seat and ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

Chris had been so distracted by the news that he didn’t realize that Camille was behind him

watching everything. Under normal conditions, he would have heard her footsteps approaching, but

then again things weren’t normal right now. He jumped up when Camille spoke to him in a low, worried

tone. “Chris, is everything alright? You seem really troubled about that news broadcast.”

Chris squared his shoulders and replied, “Things are okay for now. I have a feeling that the FBI

will be getting involved soon on what they discovered in that alley. If that happens they might interfere

with our transaction tomorrow night,”

“Holy crap, you’re right! We better call Agent Hemming and tell him this information- that is if

he doesn’t already know by now,” Camille replied with urgency in her voice.

“You make that phone call while I try to do some thinking upstairs. I think that Chinese food

didn’t agree with me because my mind is all cloudy right now,” Chris told her as he crossed the living

room floor and made his way over to the staircase.

“Allright, I’ll go do that. I hope you feel better soon, Chris,” she said with concern.

“I’ll be fine. I just need to lie down and see if it passes,” he told her in an assuring tone of voice.

Chris went upstairs to his room and closed the door behind him. He leaned his back on the door

and stood there thinking about what do next. He knew he had to go tomorrow night to the make the

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exchange, but he didn’t know if he could control the monster inside of him. The temptation from all that

evil was enormous. He supposed that he would have to deal with it the best that he could no matter

what happened.

His next thought settled down on him like a brick falling from Empire State Building. What would

he do if Matthias or the Elders showed up between now and then? Chris knew that they would try to

stop him somehow and he also knew that he wouldn’t like how they would go about doing it. He hoped

it wouldn’t be around Camille, because he doubted very highly that she could deal with it. It probably

would send her to insane asylum somewhere for the rest of her life. Chris shook his head. No, he

couldn’t let that happen to her. He decided he’d try to talk with them, and if that didn’t get any results,

he supposed he could ask for leniency. After all, he was the first and only one of his kind; they’d have to

understand that somehow.

The last thing Chris had to battle was the FBI coming down here to investigate all of these

unusual bodies lying in the morgue. He figured that they would send a special coroner and scientists to

investigate the bloodless bodies. He decided that he would have to get to the coroner somehow and

hypnotize them into believing it was a vigilante that was killing these people and not a cult. Chris sighed

deeply and shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know if that would work or not. Then he had another idea:

what if the FBI sent a special team down from New York City? Would he have to hypnotize them, too?

Somehow, Chris had to get control again. In the meantime he would have play things by ear and

hope for the best. After this deal tomorrow night, he thought about asking for some vacation time to

see if disappearing for awhile would help his dilemma. A grin lit up his face as he decided to try to take

that course of action. It was the best that he could come up with at this point in time, and it helped

relieve some of the tension that had seeped into every joint in his body. Chris stepped forward and

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turned around to open the bedroom door. Just as he opened it and started to step out, Camille whipped

around the corner almost causing the two of them to collide.

“Oops!” she said frantically as she struggled to regain her composure.

“It’s alright, Camille. I take it you talked with Agent Hemming?” Chris asked her as he stepped

out of his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

“Yes, and he said that the FBI are already here! They arrived two days ago, and they took over

the office across the hallway from ours. Wow, that was fast!” she explained to him; obviously very

excited at this newfound information.

Chris’ face went grim. This new information profoundly set him back a little. That meant that

they had two day’s head start over the case. Two days of memories that he would have to erase. That

was tricky, but he would have to try. It was too late to do anything tonight because soon the sun would

rise and he doubted that he could return in time. He’d have to go right after the bust tomorrow night.

“Chris? Are you okay? You look like I just told you the worst news in the world,” Camille said to

her partner as he stood in the hallway thinking.

"What? Oh, I’m fine. That news just made me wish for some vacation time when this is all over.

Is it possible to do that?” he said as he snapped back to reality.

“Of coarse it is! It’s our prerogative. The two lead undercover agents always get vacation time

after a major case is over. The rest of them can solve that boat case without us. What did you have in

mind?” Camille quickly told Chris as the two of them walked down the hallway towards the staircase.

“I was thinking of heading to Washington State by myself for a little relaxation,” Chris informed

her as he tried hard not to sound mean about leaving her out of his plans.

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Camille nodded her head in understanding. She hadn’t thought about going with him because

she had plans of her own. She was going to Hawaii for her vacation when this was all over. She could

understand why Chris wanted to be very far away; it lessens the chance of being called off your vacation

early if you’re clear across the country.

The two of them reached the staircase and headed downstairs to lock the house up for the

night. They both wanted to go to bed early so that they could be well rested for tomorrow night. Chris

headed to the front of the house to lock the front door. While Camille went to the rear of the house to

make sure that the back door was still locked. Once that was done, they met at the staircase and

proceeded back upstairs. They said their goodnights and went to their bedrooms for the remainder of

the night.

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CHAPTER 22

The next night, Chris ended up driving them to the old shipyard because Camille was distracted

and Chris wanted to arrive to the exchange in one piece. From the moment Camille awoke until now,

she had a far distant look in her eyes that concerned Chris immensely. He tried to convince her to tell

him what was bothering her, but she only shrugged her shoulders and walked away. When Chris

suggested that he drive, she merely nodded her head and got into the passenger side.

Chris drove through the gate that separated the old shipyard from the new one and headed

towards the last boathouse down the center lane. Chris glanced at the clock on the dash and saw that

they were fifteen minutes early. When he reached the boathouse, he parked the Hummer and turned

off the ignition and sat there to wait. He knew that the rest of the team was nearby, even though he

couldn’t see them. The drugs were hidden inside the boathouse, and he was told by Agent Hemming

that they were safe and secured underneath a pile a life preservers. The wire that Lawanda was wearing

in her earrings would transmit the entire transaction to the rest of the team. When she gave the

prearranged signal, the DEA agents would move in.

Just then a vehicle approached their destination and Chris turned around so that he could see

who was arriving. The vampire could see with his keen eyes that the vehicle coming towards was a black

SUV followed by another car; a grey stretch limousine. Chris and Camille waited in the Hummer until

both vehicles parked next to them and their engines were turned off. Chris exited the Hummer first and

walked around to open the door for Camille. She slowly climbed out of the vehicle and stood beside her

partner.

The front doors on the black SUV opened simultaneously so that Louis Paton and Enrico

Sandersville could exit out of the vehicle. The people in the limousine remained inside their vehicle and

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watched everything transpire through the black tinted windows in secrecy. Louis and Enrico closed their

car doors and approached the undercover agents.

“Good evening, are we ready to do this?” Louis asked the small group as they walked down the

trail that would take them towards the boathouse.

At that moment Lawanda emerged from her trance and replied, “I believe that you will be quite

satisfied with this deal, Louis. Do you have the money ready for us?”

“Yes, it’s in the limousine; I will go get it after we test the product,” Louis said as they entered

the boathouse.

“Wait here and I will retrieve a sample for you,” Nathan told the group as he continued to walk

over to the pile of life preservers.

Nathan approached the corner of the pile and lifted a life preserver out of his way to reveal a

block of cocaine that was wrapped tightly in saran wrap and weighed approximately one pound.

“They are all packaged the same way,“ Nathan informed the two drug dealers as he walked back

over to them holding up the small block.

“That’s perfect; it will make it easier to disperse on the market that way,” Enrico said as he

smiled with pleasure.

“Here, Louis, you open it up and let Enrico sample some. That way you know that I have in no

way tampered with it,” Nathan told the third man in charge as he held the block out to him.

Louis accepted the block and with his other hand he produced a small pocket knife and slit the

center of the small block open. Next, the drug dealer scooped up a small sample using the tip of his knife

and held it up so that his partner could snort it. Enrico took a deep breath, leaned over and pinched one

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side of his nose closed before he snorted the white substance up his one free nostril. Louis took the

pocket knife and licked the blade clean of the remaining residue before he closed it and returned the

object back to one of his pockets.

“Mmm…Now that is some good shit! Wow!” Enrico exclaimed in complete joy after a couple of

minutes had passed.

“Shall I go and get the money now?” Louis asked his partner tentatively.

“Yes, yes, go!” shouted Enrico.

“Here, hold this,” Louis told Lawanda Flake as he held out the block of cocaine for her to take

into her possession.

Lawanda took the block of cocaine and watched as Louis exited the boathouse. While he was

gone she handed the block over to Nathan who then returned it underneath the life preservers. Louis

returned with two large rolling suitcases trailing behind him.

“It’s all here if you want to count it.” Louis huffed as he came to a stop next to his partner.

“Yes, we would like to count it,” Lawanda said as she walked over to the suitcase closest to her.

“Okay, knock yourself out,” Louis said as he let go of the suitcase and stepped aside to give her

room.

Lawanda knelt down and unzipped the suitcase so that it exposed one point five million dollars

in small denominations. She quickly sifted through each stack of bills and smiled when she reached the

last section. She stopped counting the money, zipped up the suitcase, and stood up.

“The deal is done,” she said so loudly that it echoed in the boathouse.

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Suddenly, shouting could be heard outside the boathouse as the DEA team moved in to seize

the limousine, the people inside it, and surround the boathouse all in a matter of seconds. Louis froze in

his spot like a deer caught in headlights, while Enrico pulled out a gun and started waving it around like a

maniac.

“Who’s there? Come out and face me like a man!” the drug dealer screamed irrationally.

Agent Noir decided to blow his cover and act fast before the strung out drug dealer killed

someone.

“DEA, Drop the gun!” Agent Noir hollered above Enrico’s ranting and raving.

Those words woke Louis up and he lunged for Agent Turner, but she dodged his maneuver by

sidestepping away; causing Louis to dive head first on the floor. Just then a small group of DEA agents

entered behind everyone in the boathouse and they all pointed their guns at the two drug dealers.

“DEA, drop your weapons and get on the ground!” the team leader shouted at the two dealers

inside the boathouse.

Louis, who was already on the ground, froze where he was and didn’t move a muscle.

Meanwhile, his partner was aiming his gun at the DEA agents that had just entered the boathouse.

“I’m not going down for this!” he shouted at the small group of DEA agents.

Just then a loud click and pop noise echoed the boathouse as a taser gun was deployed into

Enrico’s upper torso. Enrico hollered out in pain as the electric current coursed throughout his body

causing him to drop down on his knees. He threw the gun aside so that he could remove the prongs that

were imbedded in his chest, but he didn’t have a chance to because the DEA agents swarmed in on him

as soon as the gun was tossed aside. Within a matter of moments, Enrico was shackled and his partner

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was handcuffed. The DEA agents led Enrico and Louis outside to be placed in their paddy wagon along

with the men that were in the limousine.

After the drug men were safely locked up and being hauled away, the DEA agents gathered

together to go over the details of the bust. Agent Hemming informed Agent Noir and his partner that

ATF, DEA, and several local state agencies had raided Jose Carmen’s house at seven o’clock that evening.

They successfully captured the infamous drug cartel leader and several of his constituents in that raid.

Agent Hemming went on to say that it was a successful bust and that everyone had done an excellent

job doing their part. He released everyone to go take care of their posts and meet back at headquarters

Monday night at seven o’ clock.

The DEA agents dispersed and everyone filed out of the boathouse. Two agents remained

behind to retrieve the money and the cocaine so that they could haul it back to headquarters that night

to put it into the evidence locker. On the way out, Agent Noir and his partner got Agent Hemming’s

attention and took him off to the side away from everyone else.

“Sir, we were wondering if we could take our vacations now.” Agent Turner asked, feeling

exhausted and drained.

“Hmm…I suppose that would be okay, I mean, I was going to give you your vacation slips

Monday night, but if you would rather leave now, I completely understand,” he told them in a pleasant

and understanding tone.

“Thank you, sir,” Agent Noir said to his commanding officer as the three of them made their way

up to the Hummer.

“So, what are your plans from here?” Agent Hemming asked both of them.

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“I guess we’ll head back to the undercover house to retrieve our things before we each go

home,” Chris said absentmindedly.

“Yes, that’s the plan,” Camille confirmed as she climbed into the Hummer.

“Allright, you two have a safe and happy vacation,” Agent Hemming told them as he turned to

wave goodbye.

The two agents in the Hummer waved back while Chris started the engine and backed the

vehicle out of the parking spot. The drive back to the undercover house was quiet, and soon they

reached it without a word spoken between them. Once inside the house, they each gathered up their

things and put them into the Hummer’s back seat. They left the house exactly the way they had found it

and after securing it, they got back into the Hummer and left. On the way back to the park to retrieve

Camille’s vehicle, Chris finally broke the silence and asked,“What was wrong with you earlier tonight?”

“I was depressed because…I’m going to miss you while I’m on vacation. You’re the best partner

I’ve ever had,” she replied softly as she stared out the front window of the Hummer.

“I like you too, partner. I will miss you as well, but we will be back before you know it. Say, how

long is our vacation time anyway?” Chris asked as the Hummer parked next to her vehicle in the park.

“One month from the day that you start it,” she informed him as she opened the door and

climbed out of the Hummer.

“Okay,” he replied as he watched her retrieve her things from the back seat.

Camille retrieved her car keys from her pocket and opened the driver’s door on her SUV and set

her things down in the passenger seat. She was about to climb in when felt a presence behind her. She

turned around to find Chris standing there.

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“Oh my, you startled me,” she said as regained her composure.

“I just want a quick hug before we depart from each other’s company,” he said softly to her.

Camille nodded her head and practically jumped into Chris’s waiting arms. The two people

hugged for a few moments before Camille cleared her throat, indicating that she had enough and that

she was ready to leave now.

“Have a nice trip to Hawaii,” Chris told her as they separated from each other.

“I will, and you have a safe trip to Washington State, partner,” she told him as she climbed into

the driver’s seat.

Chris nodded his head and walked back to his Hummer. Camille closed her door and started the

SUV’s engine; she backed out of her spot slowly and left the park. Chris got back into his Hummer, put

the vehicle into reverse, and followed her down the road.

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CHAPTER 23

Chris drove back to his house, feeling pleased with how the exchange had gone down earlier

that night. As he pulled into his driveway, he felt an old familiar presence. This presence was one that he

knew would be coming for him eventually. He parked the Hummer in his garage, gathered up his things,

and secured the building for the night. As he walked up towards the front of the house, he came face to

face with the presence for the first time in centuries.

“Hello, Matthias,” Chris greeted his creator.

“Hello, Christophe. You know what brings me here tonight, so I’ll make this short and sweet.

Stop what you’re doing before the Elders come for you. If you don’t stop, then I suggest you leave

immediately. Your very existence is in jeopardy,” Matthias told his offspring in a serious tone of voice.

“Ah, those are ultimatums, aren’t they? Well I have some news for you that might make you feel

better: I’m leaving here as soon as I can,” Chris informed Matthias as the two of them stared at each

other in a power struggle.

“Oh? So where will you go from here; back to Europe, perhaps?” Matthias questioned his son.

“Where I am going shouldn’t be any concern of yours. Just take comfort in the fact that I am

leaving New York, and leave things alone,” Chris told Matthias very sternly.

Matthias didn’t reply for several minutes because he was trying to read Chris’ mind. Whatever

had happened to his son made it nearly impossible to read anything that he was thinking. After several

futile attempts, Matthias gave up and responded to what his son had said a few minutes ago.

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“Very well then, Christophe; I will not insist on pressing the issue with you any further. I hope

that you have learned your lesson from your time here in New York. I’d hate for you to have a repeat

somewhere else.”

“Relax, I know what I’m doing,” Chris told his creator with a confidant tone of voice.

“I hope so,” Matthias said right before he took off into the night sky.

Chris let out a huge sigh of relief that he had been holding. The worst part was over now- at

least he hoped it was. Now he could concentrate of getting out of New York, but first he had to re-pack

and make a quick stop somewhere before he left. Chris finished walking the short distance to his front

door. He opened the front door and entered his house, walked upstairs, and re-packed his clothes that

he thought he would need for his trip to Washington and obtained some money from one of his secret

stashes. When he was through, he carried his bag down the stairs and exited the house. He turned

around to lock up his house before he took off to his next stop. Satisfied that everything was secure, he

flew towards his next destination.

**********************************************************************************

Anne sat at her desk in the dorm room, twirling her hair between her fingers and staring in the

mirror at the bags she had underneath her eyes. She hadn’t gotten much sleep lately between finals and

thinking about Chris. Finals were over now, and most of the students had already left the dorms for the

summer to go back home with their families. She felt left out because her family consisted of a

grandmother in a nursing home and a sick grandfather who was on his deathbed, dying from testicular

cancer. Her parents had lives of their own in the military and had no room for her anymore. She had

planned on staying behind at the dorm rooms so that she could find a full or part-time job for the

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summer. Of course that was before she had met Chris. Now the outlook for the summer had changed,

and that bothered her because she didn’t know what it was changing to.

Just then a gentle, knocking came from her door. She got up to answer it and was excited to find

Chris standing on the other side with a duffel bag stuffed with what appeared to be clothes. Chris set the

duffel bag down and opened his arms for her to hug him. She immediately responded, and they hugged

one another in her doorway.

“I’m so glad you came back. I missed you, and I was worried that something terrible had

happened to you during your case,” she whispered into his left ear.

“Aww…I missed you, too. The case went smoothly and no one got hurt. I’m here now, that’s all

that matters. I’ve got something to ask you, it’s really important,” Chris Noir said soothingly to her.

“What is it?” she asked curiously.

“I’m leaving to go on vacation to Washington State tonight. I’ll be gone for a month, and I want

you to come with me. If you can’t, I’ll understand,” Chris replied as he gently kissed her forehead when

he was through talking.

Anne didn’t even stop to consider her answer; she pulled back from the hug and quickly blurted

out, “I’m coming with you! Do I have time to pack?”

Chris chuckled and replied, “Yes, you have time to pack.”

“Yippee! Wait here, I’ll be right back.” She said quickly as she scurried around her dorm room

grabbing clothes and items to take with her.

Chris watched from the doorway as Anne stuffed clothes, personal hygiene items, and other

items into a small travel suitcase. She picked up her purse and met Chris at the doorway.

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“All set! Let’s go!” she said enthusiastically.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked her seriously.

“Of course I am! Why do you ask?” Anne replied, slightly upset by the question.

“Because I have no idea where we’ll end up when we get there. I must tell you that I’ll be flying

you there in my arms; we’re not taking a plane or the Hummer to get there,” he honestly told her.

“Oh! Well, that makes no difference to me. As long as we get there together, that’s all that

matters to me,” she said wholeheartedly.

“Great, let’s go then,” he said smiling as he stepped aside so that she could shut the door behind

her and lock it.

Anne exited her dorm room and turned around to lock her door. When that was done, Chris and

Anne headed down the hallway to exit the building. Once outside, Chris handed her his duffel bag and

told her to carry it on her stomach along with her small bag and purse. She nodded her head in

understanding and held all three bags in her arms while he scooped her up into his arms. Once she was

settled comfortably in his arms, she looked at him and smiled. He returned the smile and then nodded

his head, indicating that he was ready to leave. Anne took a deep breath and exhaled as Chris took off

from the ground and ascended into the night sky.

At first Anne felt like she was floating, then her senses adjusted and she looked around in

amazement. The sky above them was going by in slow motion while the ground below them was zipping

by as if they were riding in a train. She looked up at Chris and saw that he was smiling down at her as

they flew west. Anne returned the smile and nestled her head into the crook of his neck. She didn’t feel

sleepy in the least. However, within moments she drifted off to sleep, content in the arms of the one

she loved.

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CHAPTER 24

Chris kept flying until the sunrise was beginning to wink on the horizon. He knew he had to find

shelter quickly, so he floated closer to the ground until he saw an old abandoned farmhouse just across

the Kansas border. He touched down gently, so as not to disturb the woman sleeping in his arms. He

approached the farmhouse with all of his senses on high alert for any possible danger that might be

lurking around. Having not sensed any danger, Chris entered the farmhouse through the back door,

which was wide open. The two-story farmhouse had all of its windows boarded up and appeared to

have been vacant for a long time.

When Chris entered through the doorway, he noticed that he was standing inside a barren

kitchen. Chris decided to explore the rest of the house while it was still dark inside. He made his way

through the kitchen and located a set of stairs going up to the second floor. He took the stairs in a slow,

fluid motion and soon was in a hallway on the second floor. All of the bedroom doors were ajar, so he

decided to look in each one to see if he could find a mattress on which to lay down Anne. The first two

bedrooms were bare of any furniture; however the third bedroom still had an old wrought iron bed in

the farthest corner of the room. He smiled and walked over to it and gently laid Anne down on the

mattress. He quietly opened his duffel bag and withdrew a sheet of paper and a pen and wrote Anne a

quick note; which he put in the palm of her hand. Anne didn’t stir, so he turned around and spotted a

closet on the opposite side of the bedroom. He approached the closet and decided that was where he

was going to sleep, so he entered it and closed the door behind him.

Anne awoke at seven in the morning to find that she was lying down on a mattress in some

strange room. At first she started to panic, but when she realized there was something in her hand she

hesitated. She looked down at her hand and saw a folded piece of paper with writing on the inside. She

opened the piece of paper and discovered that it was a note from Chris that said,

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My darling,

Please don’t panic, everything is okay; I just had to stop for the day because of the sun. We are in

an old abandoned farmhouse in Kansas. I’m going to look for a closet inside the house and sleep the day

away. Please be careful while I sleep. I will see you again after sunset.

Love,

Chris

Anne read the note twice before folding it back up and stuffing it into one of the front pockets

of her jeans. She looked around the room and spotted the closet door which was shut and figured that

Chris was on the other side of that door sleeping. Anne decided to stay close by Chris and not wander

around exploring because she didn’t trust the structure of the farmhouse. She decided to stay on the

bed and organize her small travel bag. She unzipped the bag and pulled out the clothing that she had

haphazardly stuffed in it the night before. She spread the clothes out on the mattress and slowly folded

each item so that it would fit better in the bag. Next, she organized each item in the travel bag so that it

left more room for her personal hygiene things. When she was done, she realized that there was enough

room left in the travel bag that she could easily fit her purse into it, so she set it inside as well and then

zipped up the bag.

Anne realized that she still had plenty of time left to do something, so she decided to do some

thinking. Her mind went over the last twelve hours in slow motion. She knew deep down that she didn’t

care where she went as long as she was with Chris. She didn’t want him to leave her sight except to

hunt, and even that was driving her crazy with worry. She knew that the risk for him getting caught

meant death for him and that weighed on her mind a lot these days. Anne wasn’t exactly sure how he

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could die; she just knew that there was a possibility that he could. She would have to get up the nerve to

ask him one day how a creature like him could die. She was afraid of the answer, but being afraid of not

knowing was worse.

Next, Anne’s mind centered on what the future would hold for the two of them. Until a few

weeks ago, she never imagined that there were vampires, much less good ones. Could they marry and

have a family like mortals? Would she be turned into a vampire if he accidently bit her? She wasn’t even

sure if that was how one became a vampire in the first place. The young college student was thinking

that idea based on some movies that she had seen years ago. Was there any truth to movies? She

wasn’t so sure of that answer anymore. Until recently she had thought vampires were something out of

horror movies and made up stories by authors looking to make money. She snorted as that thought

crossed her mind; If only they could see her now. She smiled to herself as images crossed her mind of

movie producers fainting and screaming and acting ballistic because Chris was turning into a hunter

before their eyes.

Anne suddenly realized that all this thinking was making her hungry. Her stomach started to

growl and she was thirsty, too. Then she realized that there was nothing she could do about it until

sunset later on, so she rolled over on the mattress and closed her eyes to take a short nap.

Anne awoke just as the last signs of daylight were disappearing on the horizon. She blinked to

let her eyes adjust to the room’s dim interior before she climbed off of the mattress. She tiptoed across

the room to the closet door and slowly opened it. She couldn’t see inside the closet, but she knew deep

down that Chris was inside there somewhere.

“Chris,” she whispered softly.

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She heard a familiar growl and snarl from inside the closet, so she took a step back to give him

some room to come out. Chris appeared in front of her and smiled.

“Did you sleep well?” she politely asked him.

“I slept fine, how about yourself?” he responded as he slowly walked around the room.

“I don’t really know, I was asleep the whole time,” she said with a little sarcasm in her voice.

Chris chuckled and replied,

“That answer is fair enough. Shall we go now and get you something to eat? I’m sure there’s

bound to be a restaurant around here somewhere.”

“Oh, I hope you’re right. I’m famished and I’m thirsty as well. What about you though?” she said

with concern in her voice.

“I’ll leave you with some money when we find a restaurant, then I will go hunting,” he told her

as he crossed the room and opened his arms for her to receive a hug.

She nodded her head in understanding and joined him in the hug. They embraced for a few

minutes before he released her and said,

“Grab our stuff and follow me outside. I somewhat know my way around this old house,”

“Okay,” she replied as she gathered up his duffel bag and her small travel bag.

Together, the two of them exited the bedroom, and Chris retraced his steps down the hallway

and through the kitchen to the back door with Anne close at his heels. When they were outside, Chris

scooped Anne up into his arms and flew into the night; keeping low so that he could look for a

restaurant. They flew for an hour before they came across a small town called Hutchinson and Chris

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suggested that they land to see what they could find. Anne agreed with his suggestion, so Chris landed

on the outskirts of the town on the edge of a wheat field. The two of them walked out of the field and

headed to what appeared to both of them to be downtown Hutchinson.

“This is odd; for once I feel no evil around me. I may end up going without tonight,“ Chris

remarked as they walked along on the sidewalk towards town.

“Oh my goodness! Will you be okay?” she asked him with a worried tone of voice.

“I’ll be fine for a while; I may have better luck in another town,” he assured his sweetheart.

“Okay,” she replied, feeling somewhat better.

They walked a few more blocks when the smell of human food reached their nostrils. They

turned a corner to find a McDonald’s fast food restaurant at the opposite end of the corner that they

were standing on.

“I’ll settle for McDonald’s,” Anne told her partner.

“Are you certain that will be okay with you?” he politely asked her.

“I’m sure,” she confirmed.

Chris reached into his pocket, withdrew forty dollars, and gave it to Anne.

“Will this be enough?” he asked her after she accepted the money.

“This is more than enough. Now you go and find you some food to eat. I’ll wait here for you until

you get back.” She told him as she shooed him away with her hands.

“Okay, I shouldn’t be gone long,” he replied as he turned around and walked over to a nearby

alley.

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Anne watched him as he turned around and left her on the sidewalk. Moments later she heard a

low swoosh and knew that he was airborne. The young college student turned around, entered the

restaurant,, and walked up to the counter. After a few minutes of looking at the menu, she ordered

what she wanted and when the clerk handed her an empty cup she went and filled it at the soda

fountain. Within a few minutes her order was ready; she picked up her food, carried it to a nearby

booth, and sat down and commenced eating.

Chris circled the town of Hutchinson twice before moving on to another town. He decided to

head towards Topeka since that was a major city; he figured that he’d have better luck there. When he

reached the outskirts of the city he felt evil and the presence of other vampires in the city. He didn’t

want to intrude on another vampire’s territory, but he needed to feed as soon as possible. He thought

that he could slip in and out undetected within an hour, so he landed on the roof of a parking garage

and surveyed the area. Below him were several businesses that had alleys and underground garages

that weren’t illuminated by city lights. Chris figured that if he remained where he was and listened he

wasn’t doing any harm, so he knelt down on the edge of the roof and staked out the area.

He watched as a two women walked by on their way to what he guessed was somewhere fancy

because he could tell by the way they were dressed. They both had on formal dresses, high heels, and

their hair was beautifully done. He took his eyes off of them when he saw movement out the corner of

his eye and watched as the movement closely followed the two women. Chris smelled evil emanating

out of every pore of the dark-skinned man that was trailing the two women. The dark-skinned man

quickened his pace, which caused Chris to think that he was going to attack the women momentarily.

The man was a car length behind the women when Chris felt the strong presence of two vampires within

the immediate area. Chris quickly looked around and didn’t see anyone, but the feeling was getting

more pronounced. He quickly turned his attention back to the three people on the sidewalk. The man

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had managed to get himself within reach of the two women and Chris could see that he was brandishing

a sharp kitchen knife.

The two women stopped at an intersection, and that’s when the dark-skinned man decided to

pounce. Just as soon as the man lunged for the women, Chris was airborne and immediately grabbed

the man by his outstretched arm. The man hollered in frustration when he realized that he was the one

being attacked. Chris broke the man’s arm at the elbow and flung him against the wall of a nearby

building. The two women screamed as they turned around and the man’s body cascaded and bounced

down the wall. The women’s screams suddenly went silent and Chris felt the presence of the two

vampires behind him. He quickly turned around and saw that two vampires, a male and a female, were

draining the life out of the two women in a frenzied display of aggression and hunger. The male vampire

looked up and snarled and hissed at Chris, who in turn bared his fangs and looked away.

The dark-skinned man was getting to his feet and trying to stagger away, but Chris stopped him

by grabbing the man by the back of his neck. The man screamed in pain as Chris’ hand squeezed his neck

and jerked him off his feet. Chris snapped the man’s body up to his chest and then the vampire sank his

teeth into the man’s throat and hungrily drank his prey’s blood from its evil shell. Within moments, the

body slumped to the ground completely drained, and Chris licked his lips clean.

Chris turned around and saw that the male and female vampires were through feeding

and that they were watching him in complete shock. Chris retracted his fangs and slowly approached

the two vampires. The male vampire growled deep in his throat as Chris approached them and the

female hissed between her exposed teeth. Chris stopped a couple of yards away and held his hands up

in complete surrender.

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The male stopped growling and gruffly demanded, “Who are you and why are hunting in my

territory?”

“My name is Chris, and I am just a traveler passing through. I only hunt evil humans to satisfy my

hunger. Your meals weren’t in any danger from me because I was blessed by a druid priestess to have an

innocent soul. I apologize for hunting in your territory; I didn’t know that this area was claimed,” the old

vampire told the young vampire couple.

“If what you say is true, then go now that you’ve had your fill. I do not want to see you again in

this city,” the male vampire said between clenched teeth.

“I understand,” Chris told them before he took off into the air.

Chris flew back to the alley next to McDonald’s and found Anne waiting for him at the

entranceway.

“I think it’s in our best interest to leave now,” he solemnly told her.

“Okay,” she replied; slightly confused by what he had just said to her.

Chris scooped her up into his arms and carried her back into the alley. Once he was far enough,

he took off and they flew westward.

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CHAPTER 25

Elmer City, Washington came into view along the horizon an hour before sunrise. Chris circled

the town a couple of times to see the layout of the city before he landed in a clearing in a heavily

wooded area. He gently set Anne down on the ground, and together the two of them walked through

the woods towards the main road that led into the city. Chris had seen some cabins located in the area

when he had circled the second time, and he decided that would be the ideal place for them to spend

their vacation.

They didn’t have to walk far before they came to the road. Across the road from where they

emerged was a driveway that had a large sign tacked to a tree that read “THE CABIN OFFICE IS STRAIGHT

AHEAD”.

Anne read that sign, and suddenly it all made sense why they had landed in a clearing in the

middle of the woods.

“Chris, are you serious? We’re spending a month in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere?” she

asked him as they crossed the road and made their way over to the driveway.

Chris chuckled and replied, “Yes, to both questions. I saw this whole area as we flew overhead,

and being that sunrise is forty-five minutes away, I thought it would be a perfect romantic getaway for

the two of us,”

“Oh, I couldn’t agree with you more! We had better hurry though before you burst into flames,”

she replied with a lot of enthusiasm.

The two of them picked up the pace down the driveway until they reached a double-wide trailer

that was nestled in the center of a beautiful garden. Chris walked up the concrete steps and rang the

doorbell that was outside the trailer’s front door.

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“Coming,” a sweet female voice called out to them from the other side of the door.

The front door opened momentarily, and an old woman in her robe and nightgown answered

the door.

“Can I help you?” she asked the two people on her front porch.

“If you have any left, we’d like to rent one of your cabins for a month,” Chris told the senior

citizen as she stepped aside and ushered them into her living room.

“Of course, I have several to choose from. Vacationers haven’t arrived yet. It just so happens

that you two are the first ones here. You get to pick from the best locations that I have to offer. Here is a

layout of the area. Select your cabin from any one of them that are on the map. While you are doing

that, I’ll get your registration packet together. It contains everything that you’ll need while you stay

here. The cost will be three hundred dollars for one month; I take all forms of payment. I do ask that you

please fill out the application in the packet and return it to me within seventy-two hours,” the woman

explained quickly as she lay open a map of the area that had circles drawn on it where the cabins were

located.

After the map was completely open, she left them in the living room while shuffled over to

another room to retrieve the registration packet. Chris and Anne stared at the map and discussed which

cabin they wanted. They selected a cabin that was nestled up against a mountain with a stream running

directly behind the building. When the old lady returned, they told her which cabin they wanted and her

face lit up with pride.

“That cabin is the best one that I have. I am so happy that you chose that cabin because that

one was our first home. My husband, Luther, God rests his soul, built that with his own hands. It’s

usually the first cabin that gets selected every year. You might want to get extra lamps for it, though. It’s

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always the darkest cabin during the day compared to the other ones,” the widow explained as she sat

down in a Lay-Z-Boy chair that was across from where they were sitting.

“We will take special care of it for you, Ma’am,” Chris assured the old woman.

“Please, call me Margaret, or Maggie for short; everyone else does,” the widow said as she

leaned forward and handed Anne the registration packet.

Anne retrieved the packet, which was a bulky manila envelope, and set it down next to their

things. In the meantime, Chris was retrieving some money from his pocket and counting out what he

needed to pay Maggie.

“Maggie, how far away is town from here?” Anne asked the widow.

“Oh, it’s about a mile down the road; it’s a real pretty walk by the way. Have no fear, sir, it’s

plenty safe for you to walk it, there’s not much traffic. Shoot, most people that pass by on this road will

happily give you a lift if you ask them to,” Maggie explained as she retrieved the money that Chris

handed her.

Maggie counted out the money and excused herself to go write them a receipt. She returned a

minute later and gave the computer printout to Chris. Chris thanked her and folded the receipt and

handed it to Anne so that she could put it in the manila envelope.

“Thank you so much, Maggie. We appreciate you getting up so early to help us. Now we must go

and get settled in at the cabin,” Chris said as he stood up to leave.

“I understand. You kids go and have fun. Oh, miss, I’ll be going into town later this afternoon if

you want a lift to get some things,” Maggie offered Anne.

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“Okay, I accept your offer, Maggie. I have to compile a list of what we need first, but I’ll have it

ready before noon,” Anne said as she stood up and followed Chris to the front door.

Maggie nodded her head and waved goodbye to her first guests of the summer. Chris and Anne

exited the double-wide trailer, and Chris suggested that they hurry. Anne agreed, and they rushed down

the driveway, across the road and back into the woods.

“I better carry you to the cabin. We can make it there faster if I run,” Chris told Anne as he

scooped her up into his arms.

“Run?” she asked him with a curious tone of voice.

Chris laughed and said, “Don’t look now, but I’m running with you in my arms as we speak.”

Anne turned her head and saw that the scenery around them was a going by them in a blur as

Chris bounded effortlessly through the woods. She let out a gasp when a pair of trees blocked their

path, but Chris just grinned and swiftly jumped over them as if they weren’t even there. Within minutes,

they reached the cabin that was nestled against the mountain. Trees and thick underbrush completely

surrounded the cabin in such a way that the cabin itself appeared hidden against the edge of the

mountain. A small stream slowly trickled by behind the cabin and headed downhill into the forest. Chris

came to stop at the cabin’s front door, where he used one of his hands to open it. As the cabin door

swung inward, he lightly turned his body and carried Anne across the threshold. He gently set her down

in the center of the small living room. Anne set the two bags down on the wood floor and removed her

purse from her small travel bag. Chris waited patiently until she was through before he closed the door

behind them. After the door closed it made the interior of the cabin become shrouded in darkness,

causing Anne to let out a small gasp.

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“Don’t be afraid, my love. I have perfect vision at night,” Chris told her in the dark as his eye

color changed to accommodate the pitch black interior.

The vampire looked around the room and spotted an oil lantern hanging on the wall behind

them. He walked over to it and picked it up, and, using the long matches that were on the windowsill, he

lit the lantern and the room filled with an eerie glow.

“That’s much better; I can see now, thank you,” Anne said as she walked over to Chris and

hugged him out of gratitude.

“Let’s have a look around before I settle down for the day,” Chris suggested as he held the

lantern high above his head.

The living the room that they were standing in was small but adequate for the two of them. It

contained a couch with a matching recliner that was worn out but still served its purpose. To the right of

the living room was a small apartment-sized kitchenette with a table for two located against the

opposite wall. Behind the kitchen was an archway that led into the bathroom and directly behind the

living room was another opening that contained the only bedroom in the small cabin. All of the cabin’s

shutters were latched closed from the inside so that elements outside wouldn’t damage anything inside

the building.

“Quaint, isn’t it?” Chris asked Anne as he walked towards the bedroom.

“Yes it is,” she agreed as she followed him.

Chris entered the bedroom and noticed that the bedroom had no windows, so the room was

void of any sunlight. There was an old armoire, a small dresser, and a full-sized bed had white sheets,

pillows and a red checkered quilt folded neatly at the foot of the mattress.

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“The sun is up now and I must rest; I want you to take this money and go into town with Maggie

and get supplies. Stock up on some food for you, six lanterns and enough oil for them. I’m not sure what

else you will need, so get what you can this trip and if you miss anything we can get it later,” Chris told

Anne as he handed her the lantern and a wad of money that he retrieved from his pants pocket.

“I’ll search the cabin, and make a list before I leave,” Anne said as she accepted the items from

Chris.

Chris nodded his head and made his way over to the bed. When he reached the edge of the bed,

he bent down, removed his shoes, and climbed on top of the covers. He lay down, crossed his arms on

his chest and closed his eyes. Anne stuffed the money into her purse and left at that point to wander

over to the bathroom. She made a mental note of what she would need in there before she made her

way into the kitchen. Anne thought of what things she needed to get for that room, and then she

headed outside to look around. She hung the lantern on the peg that was next to the front door on her

way out of the cabin. As she walked around the right side of the cabin, she noticed that there was a

generator that was connected to a slab of concrete, and she figured that it was for the refrigerator,

stove, hot water tank, and the microwave oven. The generator ran on propane tanks, so she made a

mental note that she would have to get some of those as well.

To the left side of the cabin was a large parking slab for vehicles and a driveway that cut through

the woods. Anne figured that was how Maggie would come later that afternoon to pick her up. As Anne

walked back to the front of the cabin, she stopped and admired the sunrise. She couldn’t imagine how it

would feel not to see another sunrise. She guessed it would just be something that a person could adapt

to living without. She slowly breathed in and let it out slowly. She smelled the dew on the grass, the

flowers casting off their sweet pollen, and the cool crisp air that filled her lungs. She turned around and

headed back inside the cabin to wait for Maggie to pick her up.

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CHAPTER 26

Anne heard the sound of a vehicle coming up the rugged driveway shortly after one o’clock in

the afternoon. She stood up from the recliner, grabbed her purse, and walked over to the lantern to put

it out. She turned down the oil on the lantern until the light disappeared completely and exited the

cabin. When she reached the side of the cabin where the carport was, she squinted her eyes against the

bright sun and saw a Jeep Wrangler heading towards her with Maggie at the wheel. Maggie waved to

her and steered the vehicle up onto the carport where she parked it so that Anne could climb inside.

“Good afternoon, Miss,” Maggie said, greeting her passenger with a smile.

“Anne, please, and how are you this afternoon, Maggie?” the young college student asked the

widow.

“I’m fine, Anne, thank you for asking,” Maggie replied as she put the Jeep into reverse and

backed the vehicle off the carport.

Maggie turned the wheel so that the Jeep turned around to face the driveway. The old widow

put the vehicle into drive and headed back down the rugged road that ran through the woods.

“Anne, I noticed that you two didn’t arrive in a vehicle, so I figured that you two must have

walked here from wherever you came from. Am I right?” the old widow asked politely as she drove

through the rugged terrain.

“Um…that’s right, we cut through the woods from the next town over,” Anne lied to the widow

feeling guilty as soon as the words left her mouth.

“Oh, I understand, you hiked through the woods to get here. I bet that was a nice, pleasant trip.

Which town did you come from?” she questioned the young women sitting next to her.

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“Koontzville, “she blurted out.

Anne remembered seeing a water tower with that name printed on it last night as she and Chris

had circled around.

“Ah, yes. That’s quite a little hike. You must be exhausted after al l that walking. I’ll drop you off

at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in town while I take care of my business at the Post Office, “ Maggie said as

the main road came into sight up ahead.

“Yes, I am exhausted, but I must get these things for the cabin. I shouldn’t take too long in the

store, Maggie. I know what I need to get. I’m the type to go in and get it and get out. Who knows, I

might get done before you,” Anne said as the Jeep Wrangler bounced up onto the main road; WA-155.

Maggie chuckled and then fell silent. The two of them traveled in silence the rest of the way into

Elmer City. When they reached the exit that would take them to North Williams Street, Maggie guided

the jeep off of WA-155 and coasted down the exit ramp. She made a few turns on the busy cross street

that led them to the area where Wal-Mart was located. Anne saw the old familiar sign up ahead as

Maggie drove the Jeep Wrangler along North Williams Street. Finally they reached the main entrance in

front of the big store, and Maggie made the turn into the supercenter’s parking lot.

The old widow pulled up to one of the door entrances and stopped the Jeep so that Anne could

get out.

“I’ll meet you here in an hour,” Maggie told Anne as the young woman climbed out of the jeep.

“Okay,” Anne replied as she waved goodbye to the old woman.

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Maggie returned the wave and drove off. As soon as she left, Anne turned around and entered

the Wal-Mart store. She immediately grabbed a shopping basket and headed to the areas that she

needed to go.

Anne finished her shopping forty-five minutes later and stood outside Wal-Mart with both of

her shopping carts full. One cart had the food that she needed, and the other had the household items

that would sustain them for the rest of the month. Maggie pulled up in front of the store ten minutes

later and parked the jeep so that she could help Anne load the stuff into the back of the vehicle. Maggie

got out of the jeep and began transferring the groceries into the jeep while Anne unloaded the other

shopping cart. Ten minutes later, the two women had the jeep packed full of everything that Anne had

purchased.

While Anne was climbing into the front seat of the jeep, Maggie was busy putting the top up so

that the groceries wouldn’t get lost on their journey back to cabin. When the widow was through, she

climbed into the driver’s seat and put the vehicle into gear. The Jeep Wrangler grunted and groaned as

the old woman put it into drive. The vehicle pulled away from the curb slowly and left the parking lot a

few minutes later. Maggie drove the jeep back the way they had come earlier, and soon the two of them

were on WA-155. The ride back was pleasant, as Maggie chatted a little bit about her late husband while

Anne politely listened.

The two of them arrived at the turnoff that would take them down the rugged road and back to

Anne’s cabin. The jeep bounced and jostled the women around as Maggie steered the vehicle on the

rough terrain. Minutes later, the jeep pulled up onto the carport, and Anne climbed out to help Maggie

remove the top on the vehicle.

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“Do you need help carrying those into the cabin?” Maggie asked the young woman after the top

was off and set aside.

“No, thank you. I can handle it,” Anne replied as she started to grab some of the bags that were

in the back of the jeep.

“At least let me help you get the generator going. You might have some trouble getting it

started,” Maggie said as she picked up the two propane tanks and set them on the ground next to the

jeep.

“Okay, that would be great. I really would appreciate that,” Anne replied happily as she hoisted

the bags out of the jeep and started to carry them inside the cabin.

Maggie smiled, retrieved the propane tanks, and headed around the cabin to the generator. It

took her no time at all to get everything set up and start the generator. It sputtered to life within a few

minutes, and while Anne was inside she heard all the electrical appliances come to life. Meanwhile,

Anne was down to her last two trips of retrieving her things from the jeep when Maggie asked,

“Where’s your man?”

“He was exhausted from the hiking, so he went bed early this morning. After I get these things

into the cabin, I’m going to put them away and join him,” Anne said while fighting back a yawn.

“Okay, Anne, I understand,” Maggie replied as she climbed in the driver’s seat of the jeep.

Anne retrieved the last two bags and thanked Maggie for her help. Maggie nodded her head and

drove off the carport so that she could go back to her double-wide trailer. Anne walked into the cabin

and set the bags down with the others in the center of the living room. She quickly relit the lantern,

closed the front door, and using the light from the lantern, she put everything away in its appropriate

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place. When she was through with that task, she set her purse down on the recliner and retrieved the

lantern so that she could find her way to the bedroom. Anne silently made her way there and set the

lantern down on the dresser while she removed her shoes. She turned the light down low so that it

wouldn’t disturb Chris before she climbed into bed next to him. Anne rolled over onto her side, rested

her head down on the soft pillow, and closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.

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CHAPTER 27

At sunset, Chris awoke and looked over to see Anne sound asleep next to him. He grinned as her

sweet angelic face smiled in her sleep. At least she’s having good dreams, he thought to himself. She

stirred and rolled away from him and began to snore softly in her new position. Chris debated whether

to awaken her or just let her sleep. Anne’s snoring ceased, and she started to mumble instead. Chris’

exceptional hearing picked up on everything she said. He listened in fascination as she talked about

previous conversation’s with people he didn’t know. Then her conversation changed; she began to talk

about her deepest thoughts and feelings about him.

Chris was flabbergasted to learn how she felt. He had no idea that anyone could feel so strongly

about him. What really surprised him was that he felt the same way about her. Chris wondered now

what he could do with this information. Should he make the first move by openly showing her or just

tell her how he felt and see how she would react? He was locked in this battle with himself for several

minutes before he made a decision. The vampire rolled over onto his right side and slowly eased his left

arm over her waist. He eased his body closer to hers and snuggled up behind her. Chris could feel her

warmth against his cold skin, and this enthralled him like never before. He leaned his head in towards

her neck and gingerly kissed her. She stirred in her sleep and snuggled backwards to him so that their

bodies were tight against each another. Chris smelled her womanly human fragrance, and it made him

want her even more.

As they lay there snuggled up to one another, Anne’s body subconsciously began to react to the

vampire’s touch. Her body shivered in pleasure, she began to moan softly, and her breathing became

labored. Chris took these reactions very seriously, and he responded to them accordingly. He pulled his

left arm back from across her waist and carefully slid it under the back of her shirt. His hand found the

back of her brazier, and using his fingertips he unhooked the garment. Chris knew that what he was

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going to do next would take every ounce of control that he could muster. His strength was something

he had to control whenever he touched her, but under these conditions it was going to be much more

difficult to concentrate. The vampire slid his hand around to the young woman’s chest and gently

caressed her breasts.

Anne’s breathing became more labored, and her moans became more pronounced as Chris

fondled and caressed her breasts. The vampire knew that she was as ready as he was for what they

both wanted, but that would have to wait until he was sure on how to proceed. The more aroused he

became, the more he couldn’t concentrate on controlling his strength, and the last thing he wanted to

do was hurt Anne. Chris stopped what he was doing and withdrew his hand from under her shirt. He

placed that same hand on her left shoulder and gently rolled her onto her back. She was still asleep and

her breathing was slowly returning to normal. Chris hoisted himself up onto his right elbow and leaned

over and gingerly kissed her on the lips. She slowly responded back, and soon they were locked into a

deep, passionate kiss.

When Anne began to struggle for air, Chris withdrew from the kiss and looked down at her as

her eyes fluttered open and a smile lit up her face.

“Wow…I’ve never been woken up that way before. Thank you,” she sweetly whispered to him.

“There’s no need to thank me; it was my pleasure,” he replied softly, still feeling aroused by the

kiss they had just shared.

Just then, Anne’s stomach growled its displeasure of being empty. Chris grinned and moved

away from Anne so that she could get out of the bed when she was ready. Anne sat up and swung her

legs over the edge of the bed. As she stood up, she felt the strangest feeling under her shirt; her brazier

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was unhooked and hanging off her shoulders. She turned around and blushed at Chris who immediately

noticed her reaction.

“Did you…really do to me what I think you did?” she asked him, feeling somewhat embarrassed

by the entire situation.

“Yes, I did,” he honestly replied as he stood up out of bed and walked around to stand in front of

her.

“Oh my!” she stated in surprise.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern in his voice.

“I’m fine, really I am. It’s just I thought I dreamed the whole thing. To find out that it really

happened kind of blew my mind because I don’t know if I pleased you or not,” she admitted feeling

slightly awkward about the whole situation.

“You were perfect, don’t worry about it. I think now would be a good time for you get

something to eat,” he told her as he watched fix her brazier.

“I agree,” she concurred.

Chris turned around and picked up the oil lamp as he walked by it. He adjusted the flame so that

it lit up the room and they could better see their way out. Anne walked around the bed and joined Chris

at the archway leading into living room.

“Where are the other oil lamps?” he asked her as they walked out of the bedroom.

“I set them on the kitchen counter along with the oil,” Anne said as they made their way over to

the living room.

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“I’m going to set those up and place them throughout the cabin, so that we don’t have to keep

toting this one around,” he explained his intentions when they reached the kitchen.

“Okay,” she said as she nodded her head in understanding.

Chris set the oil lantern on the kitchen counter and began setting the new ones up so that they

could use them. Anne busied herself in the kitchen by cooking something to eat. She started by cooking

some hamburger meat that she had left in the fridge earlier that day. While that was cooking in the

skillet, she reached up into cabinet and withdrew a Hamburger Helper from the shelf. She stirred the

meat in the skillet with a spatula and went over to another cabinet to get a cup so that she could pour

herself a drink. After selecting her cup, she reached into the fridge and selected a jug of ice tea to drink.

She poured the tea into the cup and then set it on the small kitchen table. She turned her attention back

to the skillet and finished making her meal. She got a large serving spoon and served her meal onto a

plate so that it would cool off faster.

Anne was sitting down at the table and eating her meal by the time Chris had finished with the

lamps. The vampire retrieved the matches and lit each one and strategically placed them throughout the

cabin. When he was through, he joined Anne at the kitchen table and sat down across from her.

“So, what have you planned for us to do while we are here?” Anne asked him in between

mouthfuls.

“Well I do know that I have to hunt, and it wouldn’t be fair to you if I left you behind every

night. So I was thinking of taking you with me to do a little sightseeing around the area,” Chris said as

she finished her meal.

“Is it really safe for me to be with you while hunt?” she asked him as she stood up from the

table to put the dishes into the sink.

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“Of course it is safe. I planned to drop you off somewhere fun before I left to hunt and then join

you afterwards. There are plenty of places to visit around here,” he informed her.

“Okay, then where are we going tonight?” she asked him curiously.

“To Spokane,” he replied quickly.

“Wow,” she replied then let out a slow whistle.

“I figured that since that was a big city, there would be plenty to do at night,” he said seriously.

“Let’s go then,” she gently urged him.

“I’ll meet you outside,” he responded very excitedly.

“I’ll be right there,” she said, turning around and seeing that his seat was already empty.

She smiled and left the kitchen to use the bathroom and grab her purse before heading outside.

It was raining as they flew to Spokane, and by the time they reached the city, they were both

wet. Chris gently landed on top of a tall apartment building that had a fire escape going down to the

street below. He took the fire escape first to make sure that it was safe enough for Anne to use. When

he reached the street below he whistled up to her to get her attention. She leaned over the edge and

peered down at him on the street below. He motioned for her to come down, and she waved back to

him that she understood.

As Anne came down the fire escape, the rain stopped and the clouds overhead moved on to the

next town. Chris was at the bottom, and he helped her climb down the ladder at the end of the fire

escape. When she was safely on the ground, they exited the alley and turned right on the sidewalk to

head into town.

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“How do you feel about going to a twenty-four hour spa? You could get dry and get pampered

at the same time.” he suggested to Anne as they walked along the sidewalk.

“Hmm…that sounds great! Do you know where one is?” she replied as she started to get excited

about the idea.

“I see a billboard up ahead that is advertising one,” he explained what he was looking at as they

came to an intersection.

“Really, where?” she asked him as she craned her neck up to see the billboard.

Chris chuckled and said, “My dear, your eyes can’t see that far ahead. It’s a mile down the road

on this side of the street,”

“Oh,” she replied, feeling inadequate.

“Oh my, I’ve upset you. It will okay; I have plans that will change your life as you know it,” he

told her as nicely as he could.

“Oh really? What kind of plans?” she questioned the vampire as the light changed at the

intersection and they continued forward.

“I must ask you an important question first before I answer you,” he told her in a serious tone

that she had not heard him use before with her.

“Okay,” she replied meekly.

The vampire hesitated a moment before he struggled to ask her the question. Finally, after a

few minutes, the vampire lowered his voice his so low that she could barely hear him, “Do you want to

become a vampire?”

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“Um…I don’t know for sure. Would I be like you, or would I be a regular vampire?” she asked

hesitantly after doing some serious thinking about the question.

“I don’t know. I’d have to ask the one that changed me,” he honestly said after some

consideration.

“Oh,” she said softly as they approached a section on the sidewalk that was congested with

people.

“We will discuss this later when we are alone,” he told her above the noise of the crowd.

“Okay,” she said louder than she intended.

The two of them walked in silence until they reached the outside entrance to their destination.

Chris opened the spa’s wooden front door, and Anne entered first, followed closely by Chris. Once inside

they saw that there was a reception desk with a woman in her mid-forties waiting for them to approach.

“Here’s some money that should cover you for the next hour while you are here. Have fun, and

I’ll be back before you know it,” Chris told Anne as he handed her several one-hundred dollar bills and

kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you,” she said as she returned the kiss onto his lips.

Chris then turned around and exited the spa and headed up the sidewalk to find a dark alley

that he could safely disappear into. Meanwhile, Anne approached the receptionist and listened to what

treatments their business had to offer. When the woman behind the counter was through, Anne told

the woman what she wanted, and the woman escorted Anne to the back so that the young college

student could begin getting pampered.

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CHAPTER 28

Chris only had to walk a couple of blocks to find the alley that he was looking for. He stepped

into the alley and walked towards the back of it so that he could take off in flight above the city. He felt

evil all around him; the only thing he had to do was pick the one he wanted. Chris hesitated for a couple

of minutes before taking to the air. He concentrated his search over the oldest sections of Spokane

because he felt the power of evil strongest in that area. As he circled the area, he scanned his eyes over

the dark areas that weren’t illuminated by street lights.

His keen eyesight spotted a street fight that lay ahead, so he decided to head in that direction.

He landed on top of a gabled roof to observe and perhaps stalk his next meal, depending on the

outcome of the fight. As it turned out, the street fight was actually an initiation into a local street gang;

all the members in the gang had to beat a new recruit until they felt like stopping. It was harsh and

cruel, but that was the way they induct their new members into the gang. The men were lucky because

they were only beaten, whereas the women were raped by every male member in the gang. Currently

the members in the gang were throwing punches and kicking the pledge, who was lying on the ground

absorbing the blows like a sponge. Suddenly, the mood changed, and the leader of the gang decided to

take things up a notch. He left the group and returned with a wooden baseball bat. The other gang

members quickly backed away from the pledge as the leader swung the baseball bat around in the air

above his head.

“Three strikes and you’re in, Devon! Can you handle it? Let’s find out!” the gang leader shouted

to the pledge on the ground as he assumed a striking position above the inductee.

Chris watched as the leader swung the bat and it struck the pledge between the right shoulder

and the collar bone. The pledge let out a horrific scream of pain as his collar bone broke in two places.

The leader returned the bat into a striking position and swung, striking the pledge across his stomach.

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The inductee howled in pain and tried to get away, but he was in too much pain to get very far. The

leader assumed the striking pose once again and was in the process of striking when police sirens could

be heard coming down the road in their direction. Due to the distraction, the leader misjudged his aim

and the bat struck the pledge in the head instead of across the groin area. The pledge’s head busted

wide open and what was inside was now spilling out into the street. It was at that moment that the gang

split up and ran in different directions, leaving the leader to fend for his own neck. The leader decided to

throw the bat into a drain culvert and ran into an abandoned apartment building behind him. Chris

watched as the pledge took his last breath and died on the street, alone. Chris immediately picked up on

the leader’s location and flew to where he was hiding.

The exterior of the top floor on the abandoned apartment building was in shambles, which

made it easy for Chris to fly in and land in one of the rooms. He could hear the leader’s heartbeat hiding

in a closet in one of the nearby adjacent bedrooms. Chris’ demeanor changed into the hunter ready to

kill his intended pray. As the vampire silently stalked his prey, the sirens on the street below him

stopped as the police pulled up on the scene. Chris honed in on a closet in the second bedroom because

the heartbeat and breathing were loudest from that location. The vampire silently approached the

closet door and in one fluid motion ripped the door off the hinges, grabbed the gang leader by his

throat, and sank his teeth into his prey. The leader screamed at first, but the vampire silenced him by

sinking his teeth into his jugular and breaking it into two separate pieces.

The vampire drank greedily from his kill as his victim’s blood spewed forth so freely. The surge

that Chris received from his kill was satisfying his thirst and hunger and filling the vampire with renewed

energy and strength. The body went limp in Chris’ hand so he threw the carcass across the room and

licked his lips clean before he took off in flight to head back to the spa. He glanced back at the scene

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below to make sure that he had not been spotted taking off. He sighed when he realized that he was

safe, and he continued on his original path back to the spa.

Anne stepped out of the sauna feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She got dressed, exited the

changing room, and headed toward the front doors of the spa. She saw Chris standing there at the

receptionist desk waiting patiently for her. He apparently heard her coming because he looked up and

smiled at her before she was close enough to say anything. He appeared to have found a meal because

his face was colorful and his eyes were bright and alert.

“How was your spa treatment?” he asked her when she reached his side.

“Oh, it was wonderful, thank you so much,” she said as she gave him a hug.

“How about a movie?” he suggested when she let go of him.

“That sounds great! Let’s go,” she said, very excited about the prospect of going somewhere

with him.

He smiled at her and held out his hand for her to hold. Anne accepted the gesture, and the two

of them exited the spa holding hands. They made a left outside on the sidewalk and headed downtown.

The movie theater was three blocks down on the same side of the street as the spa. When they

approached the theater they saw what movie was playing and at what time on a large neon sign above

the entrance. They selected a romantic comedy and paid for their tickets at the booth before going

inside. Chris guided Anne over to the snack stand so that she could select something to eat and drink

while she watched the movie.

Anne selected a large bowl of popcorn and a large Coke. After paying for the items, Chris

suggested that they enter the theater and wait for the movie to start. Anne agreed, and they walked

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around until they found the theater which was playing their movie. They entered and selected two seats

in the middle of the auditorium. As they waited, more and more people came into the auditorium and

sat down. Finally, the lights dimmed and the curtain opened and the opening advertisements started to

play on the big screen.

A third of the way through the movie a man sat down behind them and began to kick the back

of Anne’s seat. At first Anne ignored it, but after fifteen minutes of it she turned around in her seat and

politely asked the man to stop. The man let out an evil laugh and continued kicking her seat anyway.

Anne leaned over and asked Chris if he could get the man to stop. Chris whispered back that he would

and turned around to find that Matthias was the one sitting behind Anne.

“Hello, Christophe,” whispered Matthias when he stopped kicking Anne’s seat.

Chris responded by growling deep in his throat.

“Now is that any way to greet your father?” Matthias teased softly.

“How did you find me?” Chris asked between clenched teeth.

“That was easy; I followed the trail of bodies that you left behind,” the older vampire hissed

back.

“What do you want?” Chris grumbled back.

“Ah, I see that you have found a lovely lady to accompany you. It would be a shame if something

happened to her, now wouldn’t it?” Matthias whispered softly.

“Don’t you dare harm her!” the younger vampire hissed between clenched teeth.

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“I won’t, yet. However, if you insist on being obstinate I may have to teach you a lesson the hard

way,” Matthias said crisply under his breath.

“Chris, you’re missing the movie,” Anne said, interrupting their conversation.

“I’m sorry darling, but I think it is time to leave now. The man behind us is…my father, and he’s

threatening to harm you if I don’t quit leaving my kills around for the Elders to clean up afterwards. We

can watch this movie another time,” Chris whispered to Anne in her left ear.

“Oh, please don’t leave on my accord. I’ll be happy to leave and let you enjoy the rest of your

vacation in peace,” Matthias told the couple in front of him as he stood up to leave.

Chris turned around to say something to Matthias, but the old vampire was already gone. Chris

turned his attention back to the movie, but he couldn’t concentrate on it because of the things Matthias

had said to him. Anne felt Chris’ discomfort and reached out and took hold of his cold hand, giving it a

gentle squeeze. The movie ended and they stood up to leave the auditorium. They patiently waited

behind in the line that had formed at the exits. Eventually they made it outside, and walked up the

sidewalk towards a nearby park.

“Chris, talk to me, please,” Anne pleaded with her companion.

“What I told you in the movie theater doesn’t bother you?” he asked, shocked by her lack of

reaction to the situation that had just occurred.

“I figured out a long time ago that there would be a risk or two being with you. Whether it is

from humans or others like Matthias, the risk is still there. I knew it would be inevitable that I would

meet other vampires, and I accepted that because I accepted you. So what Matthias is threatening to do

is something I expected because I am with you. I also know that you’ll do everything in your power to

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insure that nothing happens to me,” she told him as they entered the park and walked along a path that

would lead them on a trail deep in the woods.

“Wow, you’re handling this better than I thought you would. Did you hear our entire

conversation?” he said as he stopped and on the trail and looked into her eyes.

Anne stopped as well and met his gaze just as strongly.

“I heard enough to know that you’re in great danger if you don’t watch yourself. I want to help

you with that in some way, if you’ll let me,” she answered him in a strong, determined tone of voice.

“Let’s go back to the cabin and discuss this further. We can even finish talking about what we

were discussing earlier this evening in private,” he suggested to her.

“Okay,” she agreed wholeheartedly.

Chris scooped her up into his arms and took off from the ground. He took the long way back to

the cabin; just in case he was being followed. When they arrived back at the cabin, Chris carried her

inside and gently set her down on the living room floor. Chris gestured for Anne to sit on the couch, and

she complied. Chris sat down next to her, and two of them began to talk openly and honestly about

their future.

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“I suppose I should start with my past before we discuss our future. In other words, I’m going to

tell you how I became a vampire in the first place,” Chris said solemnly as he turned on the couch to face

Anne.

Anne nodded her head and remained silent.

“The year was seventeen-ten and I had just turned twenty-one. My father and my older

brothers were out in the woods hunting, leaving me at home to protect my mother and two younger

sisters. We had just finished dinner when there was a knock at the front door. I got up to answer the

door and when I did the door was kicked in on top of me. I was trapped underneath the door by a very

strong person standing on top of the door. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get free. My mother

and my sisters were screaming as three vampires entered our home and chased them around the house.

Then their screams stopped, and the vampires turned their attention on me. The one that was on top of

the door weighing me down jumped off, grabbed me by hair, and drug me out from underneath the

door.

“It was Matthias who had me pinned up against the wall. The other vampires hovered around

waiting impatiently for Matthias to finish me off, but he didn’t. Something inside of him told him not to.

So, instead he bit his wrist and told me drink or he would kill me. I hesitated for only a split second, and

that was enough to anger him; he leaned over and bit me and drained me to the point that I was nearly

dead. He told me drink from him or else he would let the others have their way with me. I accepted his

offer and drank his blood. Afterwards, I fainted and when I awoke in his lair three days later, I was a

vampire.

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“Matthias taught me everything I needed to know to survive in my new life. He told his story

and now I will tell you what he told me. Matthias was created in nine-eighty-five B.C by a vampire of the

night in a village just outside of Cairo, Egypt. Matthias had contracted a disease that there wasn’t a cure

for back in those days, and he was on his deathbed when his creator came to see him. His creator

vanished into the night just as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Matthias to struggle with his inner

demons alone. Matthias told me that when his creator made him drink from his wrist, that it was the

only nourishment that he could remember having since he had gotten sick. I must make this clear:

Matthias is old, but he is not an Elder because he has learned that there are others older than him out

there and they have special powers that he does not possess.

“The Elders are six vampires that possess life beyond this realm as we know it. Some vampires

consider them Gods because they are old and they have special powers that we do not. The Elders are

three males, two females and one child that is neither male nor female. From what Matthias told me

they are older than his creator by several hundred years. I’m afraid that is all that I know about them.

“Anyway, I stayed with Matthias for several hundred years until I decided to venture out on my

own. I traveled to many places by myself and did quite well on my own. It was during my absence that

Matthias created Celina, my sister. Celina came from a family of aristocrats that lived in Paris. I’m not

sure of the date that she was created, or how it happened that Matthias selected her. I only know that

she is impartial to the way Matthias treats me. She won’t interfere or stand up for either one of us

because when Matthias and I fought many years ago, it nearly killed both of us. We fought over me

wanting to get a soul because I had grown tired of killing innocent humans.

“There was a legend that if a vampire found a druid priestess then he could ask her for one wish.

Many vampires don’t believe in those kinds of legends, but I did. I went searching all over Ireland and in

the highlands in Scotland to find one. I had about given up hope when one approached on the side of a

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cliff I was scaling to reach a druid lair that had been abandoned a long time ago. She knew what I

desired and granted it to me, thus making me what I am today. I do not know how I would go about

making another vampire; I’ve tried before but never succeeded. Now that I have a soul, I don’t know

what will happen to a human if I tried to change one. I’d have to go back to Scotland and try to find that

druid priestess again and ask her some serious questions. So until I do that, I can not change you into a

vampire. All I can do is keep you safe so that the wrong kind of vampire doesn’t change you into a

monster.

“You wonder what my plans for you are. Let me start off by saying that my gut tells me to keep

you forever. My heart says to marry you as a vampire bride, and my head’s telling to make you my

human bride. I’m not exactly sure which one to listen to. I want you come live with me, forever. I know

that’s asking a lot of you to drop everything to move in with me, but I know of no other way in which to

keep you safe. We’ve come a long way since I rescued you, and the last thing I want to do is lose you to

a regular vampire. I know what I have just told you is a lot to absorb, and I’m sure you have a lot of

questions for me, so I’ll shut up now and let you talk,” Chris explained to Anne as the two sat on the

couch staring at one another.

Anne leaned back on the couch and let out a long, deep sigh that she had been holding the

entire time Chris had talked. She sat there thinking about everything that he had just told her, and her

mind was coming up empty on questions to ask him. She was sure that they were there, but she

honestly felt like he had already answered them all.

“Honestly, I don’t have any questions for you at this time. I think you’ve answered them every

one of them already; thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me that you told me

everything,” she said to Chris after several minutes of silence had passed between them.

“Anne, will you move in with me?” he asked her.

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“I have to think about that, okay? Can you give me some time to mull it over, please?” she

replied back to him with a hint of desperation in her voice.

“Sure, take all the time that you need, my love,” Chris told Anne as he stood up from the couch.

“Where are you going?” the young college student asked Chris.

“It’s almost sunrise; it’s time we call it a night,” he explained as he held out his hand for her.

Anne accepted his outstretched hand and stood up. Chris led her into the bedroom, where they

both slipped out of their shoes and climbed into bed. Chris lay on top of the covers, while Anne crawled

in between the sheets. When she was situated, Anne scooted over and curled up against Chris’ chest

and closed her eyes. Chris put one arm protectively around Anne’s shoulders and rested the other arm

across his chest. The two of them drifted off to sleep a short time later.

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Anne awoke just before sunset, feeling rested and reenergized. She was still curled up next to

Chris, with her head on his chest and his one arm draped across her shoulders. She lay there

contemplating how she would get free without disturbing him when suddenly, his arm moved and

repositioned itself across his chest. She silently climbed out of bed and exited the bedroom to go use the

bathroom. She finished in the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen to cook herself something to

eat. Anne decided to cook herself some eggs, bacon, and toast, and wash it all down with a glass of

orange juice.

As she cooked her meal, she began to hum her favorite song. By the time her food was done,

she was starving, so she sat down at the small kitchen table and ate her meal with fervor. Just as she

finished her breakfast, there was a knock at the cabin door. She got up from the table and approached

the door feeling very nervous about who it could be on the other side at this time of night. When she

reached the door she asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s your neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Peabody,” said a male voice from the other side of door.

Anne was just about to reach for the door to unbolt it when Chris’ right hand reached out from

behind her and stopped her in midstride.

“Don’t! They aren’t human. They’re…a different kind of creature, that you don’t want to meet. I

do believe that humans call them werewolves.” Chris whispered into her right ear as he withdrew his

hand from hers.

Anne gasped. So it was true after all, she thought to herself.

“Tell them that the cabin is a mess and that you don’t feel like having company right now,” Chris

whispered from behind her.

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Anne nodded her head, indicating that she understood and quickly repeated what he had told

her to say.

“Aww, that’s a shame. We will try again later when you are ready to be more sociable,” a

woman’s voice said from the other side of the cabin’s door.

Anne heard footsteps walking away and turned around to look at Chris to ask him a million

questions, but when he reached out and covered her mouth with his right hand. Chris held his left index

finger to his lips and shook his head. Anne’s eyes grew large as fear began to creep in, causing her to

tremble. Chris held this position for several minutes before he released his hand from her mouth.

“They’re gone now; it’s safe to talk,” Chris said in a calm voice.

“Werewolves? When were you going to tell me that they existed, too? Why are you afraid of

werewolves?” Anne’s thoughts spilled out into questions and she couldn’t control them.

Chris sighed and motioned for Anne to sit down on the couch. Anne obliged and did what he

asked her to do.

“Werewolves exist because vampires created them centuries ago to protect them while they

slept. Later, their usefulness wasn’t necessary anymore, and vampires set the majority of them free.

Some of them live productive lives in your society, while others are paid to do vampires’ dirty work, like

tracking, terrorizing, and even killing whomever the vampire chooses.

“I was going to tell you about them, just not this soon. Apparently, someone has paid these

werewolves to track us here. I don’t know why, maybe they are just trying to find us and report back to

whomever paid them, or they could be here to kill us. Until I know the answer to that, I’m very afraid of

werewolves right now. In case you’re wondering, a werewolf can tear vampires apart by taking pieces

from us a little bit at a time, thus killing us. If you survive an attack from one, you will turn into one

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yourself. You can tell a werewolf by their distinct body odor in either human form or werewolf form;

they smell like rotten eggs. As far as I know, there isn’t a deodorant out there strong enough to mask

that smell.

I think it’s best if we stay here tonight. I will go outside later and do some re-con on the

surrounding cabins to see what I can find out,” Chris explained to Anne as her face changed expressions

as he talked.

“Okay, wow. I’ve learned more in the last twenty-four hours than I’ve learned in a lifetime. Are

there any other creatures that I should know about?” Anne asked sarcastically.

“No, none that I’m aware of in my lifetime,” Chris honestly replied.

“Good,” she stated as she stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to wash her

dishes in the sink.

At three o’clock in the morning, Chris decided to leave the cabin and go explore the other

cabins. He instructed Anne to lock the door behind him and not to open it for anyone except him. He

also told her that he would be back before sunrise, and that no matter what happened, for her to

remain here at all costs. Anne agreed and watched as Chris cautiously unbolted the door and stepped

outside. Anne immediately bolted the door shut and listened through the door for any unusual sounds.

She heard Chris take flight into the night sky, crickets, and other insects chirping outside, but nothing

else. She breathed a sigh of relief and decided to sit down and read one of the books that she had

purchased at Wal-Mart.

Chris flew over the area and looked over every cabin. He saw that two of cabins nearest to theirs

were definitely occupied and the others were still vacant. He decided to land on the roof of one of the

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occupied cabins. He landed on the roof to the left of their cabin and squatted down so that he could he

blend in better. He could hear everything that the couple inside said to their children.

“It’s time for bed, Alyssa. Trevor, put down the PSP and get ready for bed,” a female voice inside

the cabin demanded.

“Aww, Mom! Do we have to?” a little boy replied.

“Your mother said to, so do as your told!” a male voice barked back.

“Okay,” a little girls voice replied.

Chris decided that this wasn’t the cabin that he was looking for, so he took off and flew to the

other occupied cabin. He landed on the roof and once again squatted down to listen.

“Charlotte, I still don’t feel right about this entire situation. I know we’ve been paid to observe

their every move and report back to the Elders what we find, but somehow I don’t feel comfortable

spying on someone that is trying to do the right thing,” said a male voice from inside the cabin.

“Jack, the Elders just want verification that he’s intentionally killing bad humans and not just

going out and killing randomly. They’ve heard so many reports that they can’t distinguish what’s true

and what isn’t. If we find that he is killing randomly and intentionally leaving the bodies behind, then

they will deal with him how they see fit. If he is killing bad humans then he needs to stop leaving the

bodies around for the humans to discover. We’re here to convince him to dispose of the bodies just like

the Polishers are doing behind the other vampires,” Charlotte explained as simply as she could to her

mate.

“Why aren’t the Polishers disposing the bodies that he leaves behind?” Jack asked the female

werewolf.

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“I was told the Polishers aren’t sure that he’s a vampire anymore because he has a soul now.

They think that he’s a copy-cat vampire. At least that’s what one of the vampires said the morning

before we left,” Charlotte replied back to her mate.

“What about the human female that’s with him?” the male werewolf asked his mate.

“The Elders said to leave her alone unless we suspect that he’s going to change her into one like

him, and then if that’s the case, we should destroy them both,” the female werewolf quickly replied.

“Okay, so what’s our next move?” Jack asked Charlotte.

“Well, I figured that he knows that we are here and he’ll probably stay home tonight, but

tomorrow he will have to feed if he’s a true vampire. So we will wait until he leaves and then follow him

and observe what he does,” calculated Charlotte.

“Okay,” her mate replied.

Chris listened with intense fascination to the entire conversation. When the two werewolves

went silent, Chris took off from the roof and headed back to his cabin. He realized on the way back that

he had neglected to explain to Anne about the Polishers. He figured that he would tell her about that

when he filled her in on what he had learned tonight. He arrived back at his cabin and tapped on the

door like he had done on Anne’s dorm door.

“Is that you?” Anne’s voice whispered from the other side of the closed door.

“Yes it me, my love and by the way, what kind of dog deserves the name Jekyll?” Chris replied

jokingly.

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Anne unlocked the door and opened it for Chris to enter. Once he was inside, she quickly closed

the door and relocked it. She turned around and looked at Chris’ face and saw a look that she could not

decipher.

“Well? How did it go?” she asked after several minutes of silence had passed between them.

Chris then told her everything that he had heard. Anne listened very intently and when Chris

was through she asked, “I take it the Polishers are ones that hide the bodies and clean up after the

vampires who kill innocents?”

“Basically that’s their job; I couldn’t have stated it more clearly,” he confirmed her question.

Anne chuckled and said, “Wow, this vacation is sure turning into a three-ringed circus. So far we

got two of the rings set up; Matthias showing up and werewolves. What’s going to be the third ring to

make this vacation even merrier?”

“We can leave if you want to and go somewhere else,” Chris told her calmly.

“Leave? Why? So they can follow us to our new location? No! We’re staying here for the

duration of our vacation. Matthias and werewolves be damned!” she emphatically replied.

“Come here,” he said soothingly.

Anne walked over to him and Chris leaned over and kissed her passionately on the lips. Anne’s

entire body melted under that kiss and soon she was feeling frisky. She began to unbutton his long

sleeve shirt while he slid his hands under her shirt and unhooked her brazier. Chris then wrapped his

arms around her and hoisted her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist. The vampire then toted

her into the bedroom and gently lay her down on the bed. He pulled away from her and whispered, “Are

you ready for this?”

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“Yes,” she whispered back.

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Chris leaned over and kissed her passionately on the lips for several minutes, and then he

moved on to kiss her gently on the side of her neck. The vampire slowly moved his kisses down to her

throat and the hollows of her collarbone. When he couldn’t go any further due to her clothes being in

the way, he used his hands to slowly remove her shirt. He gathered up the material and lifted it until her

stomach area was exposed. He brought his head down to her flat stomach and gently kissed her above

her navel. He then proceeded to give her gentle kisses as he inched her shirt higher and higher until he

was at the area between her breasts. He gathered the unhooked brazier along with the shirt and slowly

helped her wiggle free of the constricting articles of clothing,. Once they were removed, he gently

tossed the items off to the side.

Chris gave Anne another passionate kiss before he made his way down to her breasts. He gently

suckled the right one before moving on the left one. Anne moaned in pleasure as Chris used his tongue

to caress and tease each one of her nipples. When the vampire was through, he reached down with his

right hand and unbuckled her belt, unbuttoned her shorts, and slid down her zipper with ease. Chris

stood up and removed his shirt, shoes, and pants before he helped Anne out of the remainder of her

clothes. Chris stared at her with awe, because he never imagined that a woman could have such a

voluptuous body. Anne had all of her curves in all the right places, muscles were evenly toned, and her

skin was soft as silk to his touch.

Anne quickly opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of Chris’ nude body. His skin was ebony

white all over his body, his muscles rippled and quivered under his skin. What surprised her most was

how perfect his body was contoured. Everything was proportioned evenly on both sides of his body; he

was very symmetrical. She couldn’t find any flaws on him and this surprised her, too. She quickly closed

her eyes when she looked up at his face and saw that he was grinning down at her.

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Chris carefully lay on top Anne and kissed her passionately on the lips. Chris had no problem

concentrating on how best to control his strength; he merely didn’t think about it. What he was doing

came from his heart, and it felt right, so he went with it. As Chris and Anne made love, that night they

both reached their pinnacle at the same. They continued with their love making throughout the night

until an hour before sunrise. Completely drained and exhausted, the two of them tenderly held each

other until they both fell asleep.

Exactly one hour before sunset, Jack and his mate transformed in the woods next to Chris’ cabin.

Jacks’ coat, which was solid black, blended in with the underbrush, but Charlottes’ coat was a dark

brown, and she camouflaged in with the forest floor. The two werewolves laid low in a thicket of thorns

and waited for the vampire to leave his lair. While they waited, they paid close attention to their

surroundings. Jack saw a forest rabbit get within striking distance of teeth, but Charlotte reached over

and nipped him in his left ear to get his attention.

“Keep you mind focused on the cabin, think about your stomach later,” she said to him via her

thoughts.

“Okay, but when we are through with tonight’s little mission, I’m going to eat!” he snapped back

at her.

Unbeknownst to vampires, werewolves had the ability to communicate to each other when they

transformed. This type of ESP was the ability to use their thoughts to talk amongst each another. It was

an ability they inherited once they were turned into a werewolf and stayed with them until they died.

However, the ability was lost when while they were in human form. Many werewolves used this talent

to outsmart the vampires that they were tracking, while others used it for hunting big game in the

woods.

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Jack watched as the rabbit bounded off into a nearby thicket and disappeared from sight. He

turned his attention back to watching the cabin.

Chris awoke the next night to find Anne still fast asleep next to him in the bed. He gracefully slid

out of bed and selected clean clothes to wear before leaving her a handwritten note on his pillow. Chris

quietly got dressed and exited the bedroom. He made his way over to the space between the bathroom

and bedroom and carefully opened the shutters to the window. He could smell the werewolves as soon

as the window was open and almost decided not to go out to look for his next meal. However, he knew

that the energy that he used last night would need to be replaced as soon as it was feasible.

He listened with his keen hearing and heard the two werewolves panting in the woods off to the

left side of the cabin. Chris slithered through the window undetected and took off in flight towards

Spokane.

“There he goes, Jack, come on!” Charlotte quickly called out to her mate as she took off through

the woods.

Werewolves were a well- designed creature because they could run just as fast as a vampire

could fly and they could see a vampire in slow motion no matter how fast the bloodsucker could move.

“I’m right behind you!” Jack hollered to his mate.

The two werewolves followed Chris all the way to Spokane. When they reached the city’s inner

boundaries, they transformed back into their human form. They watched as Chris landed in an alley and

walked around the poorest section of town. The vampire then spotted some commotion taking place in

a house that was on one of the side roads and he turned in that direction. As Charlotte and Jack

observed from a safe distance, they saw a man forcing a woman’s face into the side of car window.

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Charlotte looked at her mate and shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t have a clue as to why the vampire

was so interested in these people.

The man had the woman by her hair and was pushing the woman face into a sedan’s windshield

and yelling profanity at the woman. When he decided that didn’t work, the man pulled the woman back

from the vehicle and threw her through the front window of the house that was behind them. He

reached in through the broken window and grabbed her by the belt and yanked her back outside. When

she landed against the hood of the car, she let out a small cry and tried to get back onto her feet. The

man didn’t give her an opportunity; he reached over and placed both of his hands around her throat.

The woman tried to pry his hands from her throat, but that made the man angrier. He roughly kneed her

in the stomach and squeezed her neck even harder. When the woman began to to struggle less, the man

finished her off by jerking his hands around, breaking her neck.

As soon as the woman’s body fell limply to ground, Chris moved in and knocked the man off of

his feet. As the man lay on the ground trying to figure how he got there, Chris quickly snatched him by

his hair and threw him head first into the sedan’s windshield. The man hollered as shards of glass cut his

face and neck. The vampire then yanked the man back out and forcibly shook him by his waist. The

murderer screamed out for help, but Chris silenced him when he sank his teeth into the man’s neck and

drained the life from him.

To the werewolves’ surprise, Chris took off with the body and disappeared from sight. Charlotte

and Jack ran to catch up with the vampire. They quickly discovered him on the roof of an old crematory

that been abandoned for quite some time. Chris entered the crematory through a door in the smoke

stack and the werewolves watched through a window as Chris threw the body into the furnace. The

vampire then produced a long match and turned on the gas valves to full. Chris struck the match on a

nearby wall and threw it into the furnace. There was a loud ka-boom when the match met the gas that

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was still in the lines and the werewolves watched as the man’s body incinerated before their eyes. Chris

turned around and smiled in the werewolves’ direction before he took off through an open door.

Charlotte and Jack watched as the body disappeared in the furnace to a pile of ashes.

“I’ve seen enough; let’s go report back to the Elders and get something to eat,” Jack told his

mate as he withdrew back away from the window.

“I agree,” Charlotte replied as the two of them transformed back into their canine form.

They took off towards a wooded lot and disappeared from sight.

Chris watched from his vantage point on top of an old Catholic church as he saw the two

werewolves vacate the area. He smiled to himself because he thought that he did a good job. He felt

that he had handled that quite well, and that perhaps now he and Anne could safely move around

without being spied on. Chris took off from his perch and began the flight that would take him back to

the cabin.

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Anne awoke forty-five minutes after Chris left through the window. She rolled over and found

the note that was top of his pillow. She opened the note and read,

Good morning my darling,

I hope that you slept well. I’m sorry that I won’t be there to see you awaken, but I have

something I need to take care of. I will be back shortly. Why don’t you get dressed and fix yourself

something to eat.

With all my heart and soul,

Chris

Anne kissed the note and refolded it back the way that it was originally. She crawled out of bed

and walked to the bathroom. On her way, she felt a draft and realized that the shutter was wide open.

She figured that Chris left that way so she had better leave it alone for now. She entered the bathroom

and started the shower. When the water was just right for her, she got in and showered. When she was

through she turned off the water, exited the shower stall, and dried herself off with a towel. Completely

dry now, Anne wrapped the towel around herself, and exited the bathroom. When she walked by the

shutter she notice that it was latched shut. A grin lit up on her face as she entered the bedroom and

selected a clean outfit to wear.

After she was dressed, she exited the bedroom and walked towards the living room. She

discovered Chris sitting on the couch with a gigantic grin on his face and his color was rosy. Anne walked

over to him, bent down, and gave him a kiss followed by a hug. When she was through she stood back

and asked,“Did you have a successful hunt?”

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“Yes, I did; I even made the werewolves disappear,” Chris responded with great pride.

“Oh? How did you accomplish that?” Anne asked apprehensively.

“I made sure that they saw me dispose of the body in an abandoned crematory. They were

satisfied to the point that they went back to the Elders to report what I wanted them to see. We

shouldn’t be having anymore trouble from their kind,” Chris explained nonchalantly.

“Oh my goodness, how can you be so calm about all this?” Anne asked him, amazed by his lack

of emotion.

“I had it all planned out in my head, and I just kept my fingers crossed in hopes that it would

work,” He explained to her casually.

“Well, since you’ve already eaten, I suppose I better do the same,” Anne replied; changing the

subject.

“Would you like to eat out tonight?” the vampire asked her as he stood up from the couch.

“Hmm…that sounds divine. What did you have in mind?” she asked him curiously.

“Do you feel like going to Longhorn’s Steakhouse?” Chris question Anne.

“Yummy!” she exclaimed with glee.

“I take it that’s a yes?” the vampire asked Anne who was smiling from ear to ear.

“Yes, yes, and yes!” she said bursting out into little bouts of giggles.

“Allright then, grab your purse and let’s go,” he said to Anne with a smile on his face.

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Anne walked over to where she had left her purse, picked it up, and followed Chris outside. The

young college student made sure to close the door to the cabin behind her before she allowed Chris to

scoop her up into his arms. For the second time that night, Chris made his way to Spokane. The night

was clear and pleasant as they flew towards their destination.

Chris spotted the restaurant as soon as they reached the city perimeter. He flew slightly lower to

the ground to take a closer look at possible landing areas so that they could safely touch down without

being seen. He noticed some dumpsters behind a shopping center that were one block away from the

restaurant, so he headed in that direction. It was dark behind the dumpster, and he detected no one

around the area, so he landed. He carefully set Anne down feet first on the grass knoll behind the

dumpsters.

“I’m sorry about the smell; it’s the best location that I could find,” Chris apologized to Anne

when he looked up and saw her crinkle her nose.

“Oh, don’t worry about it; let’s just get out of here,” she said as she used her index finger and

thumb to pinch her nose shut.

“Follow me, my love,” the vampire urged her as he started to walk away.

Anne gladly trotted up next to Chris and withdrew her fingers from her nose when they were

upwind from the dumpsters. Chris led them between the buildings until they were walking on the

sidewalk. Anne could smell the cooking from the restaurant long before she saw it.

“Mmm…that sure does smell delicious,” Anne commented as they walked up to the restaurant.

The restaurant was busy that night with customers entering and leaving the establishment.

When the couple reached the front doors, there was already a line of people waiting to sit down and

eat.

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“We can try to go someplace else if you don’t want to wait,” Chris told her casually.

“No, we’ll wait,” Anne replied as her stomach began to growl.

Eventually, the line the moved forward as tables were made empty. Soon, Chris and Anne were

up next to be seated at a table. By this time Anne was so famished that she thought she could eat a cow

by herself.

“A table for two just opened next to the bar; are you ready?” a petite young waitress asked

Chris when she approached the podium.

“Yes, we are ready,” Chris replied with a courteous smile.

“Follow me, please,” the waitress instructed the couple.

Chris and Anne followed the waitress through the aisles between other occupied tables and led

them to a small table on the right hand side of the bar. The waitress handed them menus and

introduced herself.

“My name is Amanda, and I’ll be serving you tonight. What would you like to drink this

evening?”

“I’ll have a Cherry Coke, please,” Anne informed their waitress.

Chris shook his head and said,

“Nothing for me, thank you. I’m fine for now,”

The waitress gave Chris and Anne a quick nod of her head and darted off to get the young

college student her drink. Anne opened her menu and looked over it with scrutiny.

“It all looks so good I can’t decide what I want,” she stated disdainfully.

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The waitress returned and carried with her some bread and butter in a basket and Anne’s

Cherry Coke. She set both of these down on the table and waited to take their orders.

Anne finally made her decision and relayed it to the server. “I’ll have a t-bone steak with

mashed potatoes and gravy and corn,”

The waitress wrote it down on a pad of paper that she had retrieved from her apron and then

asked Chris, “What are you having to tonight, sir?”

“Nothing for me, thank you. I ate before we got here. This is my lady’s night to be wined and

dined,” he said politely as the waitress smiled, retrieved the menus, and then left their table.

Chris had his back to the bar while Anne was across from him. He could hear everything around

him, especially the two drunk men that were making comments about Anne. As Anne used her butter

knife to spread her buttor on a slice of bread, one of the drunken men was making lewd and malicious

comments. Chris kept his temper under control the best that he could. When Anne raised the bread up

to her lips, she spotted the motions that the two drunken men were making, and it disgusted her.

“How rude, Chris, turn around and see what those two men are doing! They’re being perverted

towards me,” Anne said behind the slice of bread.

“I don’t have to turn around, sweetheart. They’ve said worse things than what their bodies are

doing right now,” he told her between clenched teeth.

“They’ve said things about me? Like what?” Anne asked, her eyes going narrower as she glared

at the drunken men.

“They said things that aren’t worth repeating, at least not to a lady,” Chris mumbled so low that

no one could hear except for Anne.

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Just then, the waitress returned with Anne’s dinner.

“Here you go, Miss,” Amanda said as she set the food down in front of Anne.

“Thank you. Could you do me a favor, please,” Anne asked the waitress in a whisper.

“Sure, Miss, whatever you need. Just ask,” Amanda said politely.

“Look over there, straight ahead of me at the bar. Do you see those two men? They’re making

lewd gestures at me and saying malicious comments. Can you have them removed?” Anne whispered to

the waitress.

Amanda looked over and caught a glimpse of the two men that Anne was talking about. She

frowned and said that she would go and get her manager and see what could be done about the

situation.

“Thank you,” Anne replied gratefully.

Amanda left and was gone for several minutes. When she returned she had a smile on her face.

“My manager has called the men a cab. He will personally escort them out of the restaurant,”

the petite blonde-haired waitress told the couple.

“Oh that’s wonderful!” Anne replied very happily.

Just then the Manager came from somewhere in the back and spoke to the two drunk men. A

few minutes later the two men paid for their spirits and were escorted out the front door. Anne finished

her meal in peace and indicated that she was full and couldn’t eat another bite, so Chris paid the

waitress and the two of them left through the front door. As they rounded the corner, Anne felt

someone smack her on the rear end, and she let out a startled cry.

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Chris turned around and saw the two drunken men laughing directly behind them. Chris’ temper

began to flare.

“Which one of you did that?” he asked vehemently.

Both of the men pointed to the one standing next to the other. This just angered Chris even

more.

“Aww…c’mon Mister, she looks like the type that likes to be spanked. Hell, she would really

enjoy it if I did it!” the drunk man on the left said to Chris.

Anne watched in disbelief as Chris’ eyes changed color and his fangs grew. The vampire let out a

snarl that caused both men to freeze right where they stood.

“Oh my God, he’s a monster! Help!” the man on the right screamed while his partner stood

there and trembled.

Chris lunged at the men snarling and growling. The two men turned around and ran screaming

towards the other end of the sidewalk. Chris stood where he was and watched as the two men

disappeared around a corner.

Chris’ face returned back to normal and he turned around to face Anne with smile.

“I do believe I’ve taught those men a lesson. Next time they see a woman, they’ll think twice

before acting like an asses. Come my love, let’s get back to the cabin and relax,” Chris said as he walked

back to her and took her hand into his.

“I can’t believe you’ve exposed yourself like that,” Anne said in absolute disbelief.

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“They’re drunk; who’s going to believe them anyway? In the morning they’ll think they had a

bad dream, and the whole thing will be forgotten about,” Chris said trying to assure Anne.

“I hope so, for your sake,” Anne honestly told the vampire.

Chris nodded his head, and the two of them walked the block that would take them back to the

dumpsters. Before he scooped her into his arms, he gently kissed her on the lips.

“You’ll see that everything is going to be alright,” he said after he withdrew from the kiss.

Anne nodded her head and assumed the position for him to pick her up into his arms. Chris bent

over and very gently hoisted Anne up into the crook of his arms and took off into the night. Anne smiled

at the thought that he had risked exposure on her behalf. She figured that vampires mated for life, and

she was ready to spend the rest of eternity with him.

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CHAPTER 33

After the two drunken men ran around the corner, they stopped within a block of the police

station to regain their composure before going inside the building.

“I do believe we had the murderer right there in front of us, Detective Pritchard,” the drunken

man on the left said as they casually strolled down the sidewalk.

“Murderer, don’t you mean monster? That thing wasn’t human like us, Detective Seagram,” the

other drunk man stated matter of factually.

“Okay, maybe we’re both right. What I can’t understand is why a pretty young thing like that

would want to be with a creature like that,” Detective Seagram replied in amazement.

“Perhaps that thing has the ability to control her somehow?” Detective Pritchard said

skeptically.

“I think the first thing we need to do is get on the internet and snoop around to see what we can

find out,” his partner said as they reached the police station and entered through the bullet-proof glass

door.

“I agree with you on that idea,” Detective Pritchard concurred as they walked over to the

elevators.

The two detectives waited patiently for one of the elevator doors to open so that they could go

upstairs to their office. Minutes later, the elevator door on the right-hand side opened, and the two

drunken detectives entered it. Detective Seagram pressed a button on the control panel, and soon the

doors closed. A couple of minutes later, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and the doors re-

opened. The two detectives stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway that led to the

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Homicide Department. When the two men reached the wooden door that led into their department,

they stopped and straightened out their clothes before they continued any further. When they were

through, they looked each other over before Detective Pritchard opened the door. They walked in and

went straight to their desks ,where they simultaneously sat down and turned on their computers.

“I’m Googling for fangs, red eyes, and bloodless bodies,“ Detective Pritchard told his partner.

“Okay, then I’ll try searching for other areas that have had similar bodies like the ones we have

here,” Detective Seagram stated as he searched on Interpol.

For several minutes the two men concentrated on what they were searching for on the internet.

Suddenly, Detective Pritchard let out gasp, which caused his partner to get of his chair and come around

the corner of the desks.

“What did you find?” Detective Seagram asked with some excitement in his voice.

“I’ve been clicking and checking out various search results, and when I clicked on this one, it’s

the creature that we saw tonight!” his partner exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh my God, you’re right that is what he looked like earlier. So what is it?” Detective Seagram

asked curiously.

“It says here under the picture, hold on and I’ll scroll the page down,” Detective Pritchard said as

he maneuvered the mouse so that the other detective could read what he had seen.

“A Vampire!?” Detective Seagram said very astonished as he read the word in the caption over

and over again.

“There’s no such thing, right?” Detective Pritchard asked skeptically.

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“I always thought that was the case, until tonight. Now I’m not so sure. Let’s do some more

research before we present this to the captain,” Detective Seagram replied as he walked back to his

desk.

“Okay, but I’m going to print this out and hold on to it in the meantime,” Detective Pritchard

stated as he maneuvered the mouse so that he could click the printer options tab at the top of the

screen.

“I’ll be damned! New York City has unsolved murders with the same ammo!” exclaimed

Detective Seagram as he practically leapt out of his chair.

“What? You’re kidding me, right?” his partner questioned him from across the desk.

“Nope, I’m not kidding. Come over here and check this out,” Detective Seagram told his partner.

The other detective got up from his desk and walked around to stand behind Detective

Seagram. As the detective that was sitting down scrolled through the forensics pictures, Detective

Pritchard let out a low whistle.

“Wow, you’ve really discovered the jackpot, Dante,” Detective Pritchard told his partner.

“I believe you’re right, Manny,” Detective Dante Seagram concurred.

“Look there, there’s a contact list of names if you want to consult with them over there,”

Detective Manny Pritchard said; pointing to a list of people on the computer screen.

“I most definitely do want to consult with them. Hang tight, I’ll put them on speaker phone,”

Dante said as he picked up the phone and dialed one of the numbers.

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The phone rang three times before Dante got connected to an answering machine. The

detective left a message and hung up the phone.

“I guess we sit and wait for them to call us back,” Manny said very disappointed by the outcome

of the phone call.

“Let’s go home. Its sunrise already, and I’m exhausted,” Dante told his partner as he saved the

information on the computer before logging off of it and turning off the machine.

“Allright,” Manny said as he let out a small yawn.

The detectives tidied up their desks and left before the next shift came in. They didn’t bother

telling the captain what they had discovered until they could be sure that the cases were linked

together. Besides, the two detectives reeked of alcohol, and they didn’t want the captain to see them in

their current state.

Detective Grant Hall and his partner, Detective Stacey Greer entered their office in New York

City feeling frustrated about how their case had gone cold for them these last few nights. At first, the

detectives had a pattern going, then it just stopped rather abruptly. Detective Hall was convinced that

the killer had been passing through, while his partner thought the culprit might be laying low for a little

while.

Detective Hall sat down at his desk and checked his phone for any messages.

“Hey, Stacey, check this out. We have a message on the phone from a detective in Spokane,

Washington,” he informed his partner.

Stacey reached for phone and listened to the message. When she was through she handed the

phone back to her partner.

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“Hmm…I’m beginning to wonder if we need to catch a flight,” Detective Hall stated as he put the

phone back on the receiver.

“Call them back and tell them to sit tight, we’re on our way,” Detective Greer said as she stood

up and headed towards the back to go see the captain.

Detective Hall picked up the phone and dialed the detective in Spokane. He let the phone ring

three times before the answering machine picked up. He left a detailed but brief message and hung up

the phone. Stacey returned with the captain at her side.

“Is it true? Has the killer taken residency in Spokane?” Captain Percival Harbor asked Stacey’s

partner.

“According to a detective out there, he has. Do we have your permission to go to Spokane?”

Detective Hall said as he waited patiently for the chief to reply.

“How fast can you pack for the trip?” the captain asked him as he raised an eyebrow and looked

at Grant with an inquisitive stare.

“I’m already packed, captain. I always keep a suitcase ready and keep it in the trunk of my car,”

Detective Grant Hall informed his senior officer.

“Okay, what about you, Stacey?” the captain asked the tall brunette standing next to him.

“Captain, I have a suitcase packed as well, and I leave it in the closet by the front door. All we

need to do is stop by my place and picked it up,” Detective Greer said as she answered the captain’s

question with a smile.

“I’ll make the arrangements as soon as you two are out of my sight,” the captain informed them

with a gigantic teasing grin.

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The two detectives simultaneously sprang into action; Stacey raced to the office door while her

partner leapt out of his chair, thanked the captain, and hurried to catch up to his partner. The captain

watched as his two best detectives practically tried to go through the door at the same time until

chivalry kicked in and Stacey took the lead position out of the office. The captain turned around and

went into his office to make the necessary arrangements for his detectives.

Stacey rode with Grant to her place so that she could retrieve her suitcase. Afterwards, they

drove to the airport, retrieved their suitcases and walked to the counter where they found two

roundtrip tickets to Spokane waiting for them. They retrieved the tickets and waited until their flight

was called. Twenty minutes later, their flight was called and the two detectives from New York boarded

the plane that would take them to Spokane, Washington.

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CHAPTER 34

Matthias slammed his fist into the brick wall; leaving a rugged hole in the structure.

“Damn him!” he shouted.

The old vampire had just been informed about the two detectives leaving New York City and

heading towards Spokane, Washington. His informant told him that they would be arriving at the airport

late tomorrow night and they were going to meet with two other detectives to discuss the mysterious

murders that shrouded both their cities.

“That does it! I’m going to confront Christophe and get this taken care of tonight!” Matthias

hollered out loud before he took flight into the night sky.

The old vampire knew where Christophe was and set course for the cabin in the woods. It was

storming that night, and the rain pelted his cold skin like a thousand needles poking him all at once. He

didn’t care if he got hit by lightening on the way; he was going to stop Christophe by any means

possible. He reached the cabin and landed at the front door. He raised his hand to beat on the door

when suddenly, the door opened and Chris stepped outside.

“Matthias, what brings you here?” Chris demanded to know.

“I’m here to warn you, Christophe. Two detectives from New York City are on their way to

Spokane to meet with two other detectives. Leave now or suffer the consequences; it’s your choice,”

Matthias said angrily.

“We’re leaving here in two weeks,” Chris told his creator.

“You fool!” roared Matthias angrily, “Leave now before she gets hurt!”

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“Are you threatening her again? I’m getting sick of it!” roared Chris as he transformed into a full-

fledged vampire.

“You want to fight me over a human? Christophe, you’re a damned fool! If you lose, she’s all

mine!” Matthias shouted at his son as he showed his fangs and snarled.

While the rain pelted them outside, the two vampires squared off. Chris lunged at Matthias and

sliced him on the right cheek with his fingernails. Matthias howled and reacted by pushing Chris down in

the mud.

“If I win, you leave us alone!” Chris shouted above the thunder and rain.

The old vampire responded with a snarl then he leapt up into the air and came down on Chris,

but Chris scampered away before Matthias had a chance to reach him. Matthias roared in disgust and

whipped around so that his back wasn’t facing his opponent. Chris flew forward, and the two vampires

locked together with claws and teeth flying in every direction. Chris bit Matthias in the jugular and

ended up ripping half of his opponents’ throat out, while Matthias deeply dug his claws into Chris’ chest.

The two vampires fought tooth and nail for several seconds, each one taking the other apart piece by

piece. Just as quickly as they wounded each other, they each healed their injuries, because a vampire

has natural healing in their blood.

The two vampires fought for hours until finally Matthias decided to fight dirty. The old vampire

picked up a stick and using his right foot broke the stick in such a way the tip was a pointed sharp stake.

Matthias flew toward Chris and aimed the stake at Chris heart. Chris saw this move coming and stepped

to the side, grasping the stake as it went by him. Matthias apparently wasn’t expecting that to happen

because when he turned around he went looking for the stake. Chris used this opportunity and threw

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the stake Matthias’ chest; hitting directly in the center, inches away from his black heart. Matthias fell

down onto his knees and howled in pain as the stake stuck out on both sides of his body.

“I have won, Matthias. Go now and heal your wounds and never come back again,” Chris

seriously told his father.

Matthias nodded his head and weakly stood up on his own recognizance. He wearily ambled

away in the woods, and Chris watched him leave then take flight into the night sky. Chris turned

around, walked over to the cabin door, and opened it. Anne was waiting for him on the couch in the

living room and when she saw him standing in the doorway, she ran over to him.

“Oh my God, you’re bleeding! Where are you hurt? Please, tell me!” Anne fretted as she looked

at Chris’ torn and shredded clothing.

“Relax, my love. I am fine. We vampires heal naturally on our own. I was victorious in my fight

with Matthias. He still is alive but he is badly wounded. He won’t be bothering us anymore,” Chris calmly

told Anne as she listened intently with wide eyes.

“Why did he come here in the first place? What did he want?” Anne inquired.

“Sit down on the couch and I’ll tell you everything, my love,” Chris instructed the woman that he

held dear to his heart.

Anne did as she was told and waited patiently for Chris to explain. Chris knelt down on the floor

in front of her and told her everything that had transpired outside. Anne silently listened to what Chris

was saying and when he was through, she asked him, “Are you sure that you want to stay here two

more weeks? What about the detectives?”

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“I’m going to have to change my hunting grounds. It’s the only answer that I can come up with. I

may have to fly farther away and be gone longer than an hour. Are you okay with that?” he said as he

stood up.

Anne looked up at him and nodded her head in understanding.

“I’m going to shower now and change clothes. Wait here for me,” he told her as he leaned over

and kissed her right cheek.

“Okay,” she said nonchalantly.

Chris left the living room and headed to the bedroom to retrieve a new set of clothes. Once he

selected what he wanted to wear, he crossed over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. The

vampire then stripped out of the shredded clothing and tossed them aside so that they could be burned

later. Chris opened the shower stall door and climbed in to clean the dried blood that was all over his

body. As he showered, he began to think about the next two weeks. He knew that hunting in Spokane

was out of the question, so he had to find another city. He decided to try either Seattle or Tacoma to see

if would have better luck.

When he was thoroughly clean, Christ exited the shower, skipped drying off, and quickly got

dressed. He exited the bathroom and made his way into the living room where he discovered Anne

reading a book.

“What are you reading, my love?” Chris asked her as he sat down next to her on the couch.

“It’s a story about vampires that don’t kill humans, instead they kill animals,” she told him in a

somber tone.

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“Ah…those types of vampires do exist. They are considered the lowest form of vampire that

there is. They are harmless and quite reclusive creatures. Their thirst is different than an ordinary

vampire. They can bring down a bear with as much speed and strength as an ordinary vampire could and

drain that animal dry within minutes. When it comes to humans, those vampires deem them as their

personal friends and confidants, and vice versa. It is said that they became that way because they were

transformed during the first rays of sunrise. Others believe they are the offspring of a vampire and a

human. No one really knows the true answer,” Chris volunteered that information to Anne just in case

she was wondering.

“Oh, so a vampire can father children with a human?” Anne asked out of curiosity.

“Yes, but female vampires can’t conceive offspring by being impregnated by a human male. A

female vampire can only conceive and be impregnated by a male vampire. A human female can become

impregnated by a male vampire and it is said they produce Vaminals; that’s what we call the vampires

that feed on animals.” Chris explained to Anne.

“Oh, so what kind of vampire would we produce?” she asked him slowly; slightly afraid of the

answer.

“I am not sure, my love. I am an unusual vampire; there never has been one like me before.

We’d have to ask the one that changed me into this creature that question,” the vampire honestly

admitted.

“What kind of vampire is created when two vampires reproduce?” Anne questioned him;

intentionally changing the subject.

“They would produce another vampire with more than twice the strength and speed than a

transformed vampire. They are rare as well, but they are out there,” the vampire said as he stood up.

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“What is it?” the young college student asked the vampire.

“It’s nearly sunrise, my love.” he simply told her as he reached out his right hand for her.

Anne closed her book and set it on the couch before she stood up. She placed her hand into his,

and together they walked back to the bedroom to sleep the away the upcoming day that lay ahead.

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CHAPTER 35

Detective Dante Seagram held the sign above his head as the passengers on the plane came off

and headed into the airport lobby. Detective Manny Pritchard craned his neck up to see a mass of heads

bobbing towards them.

“I wish we knew what they looked like,” Detective Pritchard said as the large group of people

came closer.

“Well, I did write both their names on this sign so they would see it and come straight towards

us. That should make it easier,” his partner commented as the crowd of people walked past them.

“Detectives?” a woman’s voice asked with a thick New York accent.

“Yes, we are detectives,” Detective Seagram replied back.

“Over here, detectives,” a male voice said off to the left side from where the two Spokane

detectives were standing.

The two detectives turned their heads and saw an older man with a tall brunette woman

standing in front of an illuminated airport map.

“That must be them,” Detective Seagram surmised.

His partner nodded his head and started to walk towards the two travelers. Detective Seagram

followed close behind his partner and when they reached the other detectives he held out his right hand

and introduced himself.

“Pleased to meet you, Detective Seagram. I’m Detective Hall, and this is my partner Detective

Greer,” the older man said as he accepted the outstretched hand and firmly shook it.

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Introductions and handshakes went all the way around between the four detectives. When that

was through, they headed to the luggage area to retrieve the visiting detectives’ suitcases. Afterwards,

the four detectives made their way out of the airport and climbed into Detective Seagram’s quad-cab

pickup truck. The truck exited the parking lot and headed downtown. On the way there, Detective

Pritchard told their guests that they had made arrangements for them at hotel just two blocks away

from their Police Station.

“Oh that’s wonderful because I really would like to take a shower and put on fresh clothes,”

Detective Greer mentioned as the truck weaved in and out of traffic.

“Alright, we’ll drop you off at the Best Western and meet you both in the lobby of the hotel in

about one hour. Does that sound okay with you?” Detective Pritchard asked their guests.

“That sounds perfect to us, thank you,” Detective Hall politely replied.

Fifteen minutes later, the truck pulled into the Best Western’s parking lot. Detective Seagram

parked the truck, and their guests exited the truck.

“You two are in rooms one-seventeen and one-eighteen. Go to the desk and check in to receive

your key cards,” Detective Seagram informed the two detectives from New York City after he rolled

down his window.

“Okay, and thank you again,” Detective Greer replied as they gathered their suitcases and

started to walk towards the lobby of the hotel.

The detectives from Spokane drove away and left the parking lot. Meanwhile, the detectives

from New York City reached the lobby doors and entered into the establishment. They checked in at the

desk and received their key cards for their rooms. They left the lobby and located their rooms. Each one

entered their room and unpacked an outfit to wear before they got into the shower.

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*************************************************************************************

Twenty minutes later, they were clean, dressed, and waiting in the lobby for the Spokane

detectives to arrive. The two of them chatted with the clerk behind the counter for a few minutes

before they sat down in a couple of chairs that faced the television. The television was located in the

corner of the lobby and it currently was playing the news for that area. The two detectives listened very

closely to the program until the two detectives from Spokane walked into the room.

“Are you ready?” Detective Pritchard asked their guests.

“Yes, we are,” Detective Hall said as he and his partner stood up.

The four detectives exited the lobby and walked outside to Detective Seagram’s truck. They all

climbed into the big F-150 pickup and left the parking lot. Several minutes later, they arrived at the

police station and Detective Seagram parked his vehicle in his designated spot located at the front of the

building. The four detectives exited the truck, and the two detectives from New York City followed the

Spokane Detective inside the police station. No one felt like talking because each one of them was busy

concentrating on the case.

After they reached the Homicide Department, the two detectives from Spokane led their guest

into a conference room so that they could talk privately with them. After they were all seated, Detective

Pritchard said, “We know that the case you are working on and the case that we are working on are

connected. Here are the forensic files on our victims. We have one victim that is unaccounted for

because we don’t have a body. We found the remains of that victim in an old crematory. Feel free to

look through them and tell us what you think.”

Detective Prichard then handed their guests from New York City two large manila folders that

were full of paperwork. Detective Hall opened one, while his partner opened the second one. For

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several minutes, the two detectives read through the contents of their folder. When they were through,

they closed the folders and handed them back to Detective Pritchard.

“Everything is in order and exactly the same as what is in our files back home. Do you have

anything to add that is not in those reports?” Detective asked their hosts.

The two detectives from Spokane looked at each other for several moments before Detective

Seagram finally said, “What we are about to tell you may sound way out in left field, but please, hear us

out. Our Captain thought we were both nuts when we told him, and he threatened to send us to the

department’s shrink if we pursued this direction.”

“At this point in the case, we will gladly take any new information that you may have. So please,

fill us in,” Detective Greer told the Spokane detectives.

Detective Pritchard then told their guests about their encounter outside of Long Horn’s

Steakhouse and the information they had discovered on the internet. He concluded his speech by

saying, “We all know that this creature feeds only on humans that are bad, because all of the deceased

had a criminal past and had done something bad prior to their deaths. So in a sense, it is doing our

society a favor. The public might see that this creature is some sort of vigilante.”

The two detectives from New York City sat there quietly thinking over this new information.

They turned to each other and whispered amongst themselves for several minutes. Finally, Detective

Hall turned around and said, “We believe that you two are nuts, but at the same time we feel that you

are being level with us. What do we do next? Do we wait in some dark alley for this…vampire creature

to strike again?”

“We’ve done some interviews with some Indians at a reservation north of here. They believe in

the creature that drinks blood and only comes out at night. There is a Professor Blackwolf that teaches

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legends and myths at the reservation’s only university. This professor is ready to meet with us whenever

we are ready. It’s quite a drive to get there, but I think it will be worth the trip,” Detective Seagram

informed their guests.

“Well, what are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Detective Hall said; eager to get moving on this

case.

“I’ll call him and leave him a message that we will leave first thing tomorrow morning. We

should get there by eight o’clock that same night,” Detective Pritchard said as he retrieved the folders

and prepared to leave the conference room.

“That sounds very reasonable. I think my partner and I need to get a good night’s rest since

we’ve been on a plane and haven’t gotten very much sleep since we received your phone call. So if you

don’t mind giving us lift back to our hotel, Detective Seagram, we’d really appreciate it,” Detective Greer

said as she stifled a yawn.

“Sure thing,” Detective Dante Seagram said as he followed his partner out of the conference

room.

The two detectives from New York City stood up from their chairs and followed the other

detectives out of the room. On their way out, the Spokane detectives returned the folders back into the

filing cabinet that was next to their desk and relocked it. Once that was done, the four detectives left the

office and headed down the hall towards the elevator. They walked in silence down the hallway until

they were inside the elevator. Once the doors closed, the four of them were silent as they thought

about the case. As soon as the door opened, they casually strolled out of the elevator and headed

outside towards Detective Seagram’s truck.

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They all got into the truck and headed back to the hotel. After dropping off the two detectives

at the hotel, the detectives from Spokane left the parking lot. Detective Seagram dropped his partner off

at his house, and then he drove himself home. As he pulled into his driveway, the detective noticed a

figure standing in the shadows next to his garage. He instinctively placed his hand on his gun and shut

the engine off with his other hand. He slowly put his keys into his front pocket, the he cautiously got out

of the vehicle. He walked around the front of the truck, and as he did so he removed his gun from its

holster. He held the gun down at an angle as he slowly approached the figure. When he was within a

safe distance he stopped and said, “Whoever you are, step out of there so I can see you. Come out with

your hands up in the air.”

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CHAPTER 36

“Put your gun away detective; it won’t do you any good,” a female voice instructed.

“I’m not putting my gun away until I know who you are,” Detective Seagram stated matter-of-

factly.

“My name is Celina, and I am here to inform you that the one you seek is my brother, and he is

only trying to do the right thing. He is not evil like you think he is. He has a soul and a good conscience.

Please, I am begging you to leave him alone,” the female voice explained to the detective.

“Your brother? Are you a vampire, too? Can you step out of the shadows so that I can see you?”

the detective nervously questioned Celina.

Celina took two steps away from the garage and appeared to the detective. The detective

lowered his gun but did not put it away.

“Yes, I am vampire, but I have no soul or good conscience. I am fighting everything within my

power right now not to attack you and drain you dry. My brother is a unique creature, one of kind, and if

you hunt him down and catch him you will have hell to pay. For there are more of us on this planet than

you realize, and we do not look too kindly on humans that kill our kind. My suggestion to you would be

to leave him alone; he has learned a great lesson, and he will not be repeating the same mistakes

anymore,” Celina seriously told Detective Seagram as she stared into his eyes.

“I understand what you’re saying, and I’m willing to leave him alone, but I don’t know if I can

convince the others to back off,” Detective Seagram honestly admitted to the female vampire.

“I have faith in you, detective. I know you will make the right decision,” Celina casually replied.

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The detective’s jaw dropped open, and he tried to reply but couldn’t. He didn’t know what to

say to this creature. He dared not argue with the likes of her because it might end up sealing his fate.

“Smart choice, detective, if you had decided to argue with me, then I would have gotten angry

and ended up having you for dinner,” Celina said as she took a step backwards.

“So what do I do now?” he curiously asked the vampire.

“Keep up with appearances and let things unfold as they must. Your time on this case is almost

over,” she said as she took another step backwards.

Hey, wait a minute, where are you going?” he asked her as he watched her slowly disappear

back into the shadows.

“I must leave now. I have to go and see my father; he needs me,” she explained as she

completely disappeared in the shadows.

“Wait…” Detective Seagram called out at the same time Celina took flight into the night sky.

The detective heard a swooshing sound, so he ran to the corner of the garage and peered into

the shadows. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness, but when they did, he didn’t see anything there. He

shrugged his shoulders, turned around, and headed inside the house. Ten minutes later, Detective

Dante Seagram got ready for bed. When he was through, he laid his gun on the nightstand and climbed

into to bed. That night, Dante dreamed about swarms of vampires chasing him.

The alarm clock buzzed and crept through Detective Stacey Greer’s dream like a chainsaw

cutting through drywall. She sat straight up in bed and turned off the alarm clock. She felt a sharp

jabbing pain in her neck and reached up to massage it. When she pulled her hand away she noticed that

there was dried blood on her hand.

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“What the hell?” she asked herself as she stumbled out of bed; feeling somewhat lightheaded.

She immediately went to the bathroom and peered into the mirror to look at her neck. There

were two round puncture wounds on the right side of her neck, and they were crusted in dried blood.

“What the hell did that to me, some crazy western insect?” she questioned her reflection in the

mirror.

She picked up a washcloth, turned on the sink, and proceeded to get the washcloth wet. She

wrung the washcloth out to remove the excess water and gently dabbed at the puncture wounds on her

neck to remove the dried blood from around the edges. Stacey looked into the mirror and saw that the

puncture wounds were small and slightly inflamed. She walked over to her suitcase and removed a

bottle of peroxide from one of the inside storage compartments. She returned back to the bathroom,

opened the peroxide bottle, leaned over the sink, and poured the medicine onto the wounds. She let

out a hiss as the medicine burned and bubbled around the two indentions.

A minute later the pain subsided, so Stacey put the cap back on the bottle and dried her neck off

with a hotel towel. When she was satisfied that her neck was dry, she left the bathroom and went to get

dressed.

Detective Grant Hall stretched, rolled over, and turned off his alarm clock. He climbed out of the

bed and went into the bathroom to shave his face before he got dressed. As he leaned over the sink to

turn on the water, he saw two dark crimson streaks running down his chest. He blinked his eyes to get a

better look. Grant saw that the two crimson streaks led up to his neck so he followed the trail and saw

that there were two puncture wounds on the right side near his jugular. He swore out loud and grabbed

a washcloth to clean up the wound. Grant put the washcloth under the running water and proceeded to

wipe the dried blood from his chest and neck.

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When he was through, he picked up his shave cream and applied to his, neck. chin, jaws, and up

both sides of his cheeks. He reached for the razor and began to shave, carefully avoiding the two

wounds on his neck. After ten minutes of shaving he gave his face a final look before rinsing out the

razor and setting it on the counter. He turned off the water, left the bathroom, and proceeded to get

dressed.

Detective Manny Pritchard pulled up to the hotel driving his quad-cab Chevy Silverado and

parked the truck under the carport. His partner was sitting next to him squirming around like he had

something to say.

“Dante, what’s the matter? You’ve been edgy all morning,” Detective Pritchard asked his

partner; concerned by how much he was squirming around in his seat.

“I just have a bad feeling about this, I don’t think we should be going up to the reservation,”

Detective Seagram replied apprehensively.

“When I called the professor last night after I got home, he seemed excited to meet with us. I

sure would hate to back out now because you have a bad feeling,” Manny responded; slightly annoyed

by his partner’s excuse.

Just then the two detectives from New York City arrived and climbed into the truck.

“Nice truck, Detective Pritchard,” Detective Greer commented.

“Thank you. I’m not sure how the terrain will be up north, so I wanted to make sure to have a

vehicle that could handle it, just in case.” the driver explained as he put the truck into gear and pulled

out of the carport.

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“So, what’s the name of the reservation that we are visiting today?” Detective Hall asked from

the backseat.

“Colville Indian Reservation, in Okanogan County,” Detective Pritchard responded as he steered

the truck out of the parking lot.

The four of them rode in silence at that point; each one thinking about what information their

trip would promise them. Detective Pritchard steered the truck on the interstate and turned on the

cruise control. Every two hours they would pull off at a rest area and stretch their legs and walk around

before getting back into the truck and continuing the road trip.

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CHAPTER 37

The Chevy Silverado pulled into the university parking lot at seven forty-five that evening. The

driver drove through the area until he saw a man standing out front of one of the buildings.

“That must be the professor,” Detective Pritchard said as he parked the truck in a space and

turned off the ignition.

The four detectives got out of the truck and walked up to the man standing on the sidewalk.

“Professor Blackwolf?” Detective Pritchard asked the man.

“Yes,” confirmed the professor.

Detective Pritchard introduced himself as well as the rest of the group that had traveled with

him. Each one shook the professor’s hand and said hello.

“Please, follow me into the library. I’ve pulled out several books that should help you with your

situation. If you have any questions as I talk, feel free to ask them,” Professor Blackwolf told the group

of detectives as he turned around and started to walk up the sidewalk.

The group started to follow the professor down the sidewalk to a large, well lit brick building

with a lot of stain glass windows. He stopped in front of a pair of double doors and opened them for the

detectives. He motioned them inside and explained to them to go to a table in the back of the library

that was reserved for them. The detectives did as they were instructed, and soon everyone was walking

single-file to the rear of the library. They spotted the table that the professor had told them about, so

they walked over to it and then each one took a seat and patiently waited for the professor to begin.

“My people believe that the blood drinkers, the ones you call vampires, began centuries ago.

They were created by the night god and the hunter spirit because they needed an animal that could

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successfully hunt at night. This angered the sun god because he couldn’t control these animals. At first

the animal, or the Fangalue as my people called them, could only hunt large game: bears, mountain

lions, elk, and buffalo. Soon, there were too many Fangalue and they ran out of wild game to hunt. This

angered the spirits, so they put a spell on the animals. This spell caused the Fangalue to burst into

flames by the sun god and made them susceptible to be killed by a sharpened hunting spear.

“What the spirits did not know was that this spell had a side affect; it made them thirsty for

human blood. So my people ate and drank garlic because the spirits told them that it would make the

Fangalue weak. The spirits also told my people that the garlic would keep them at bay and to decorate

their house with it. This worked for many years until the Fangalue got discouraged and left my people

alone. Around that time, settlers move to the area and the Fangalue thrived.

“So if what you have is a Fangalue then you must detroy it before it destroys you,” Professor

Blackwolf explained to the detectives.

“Professor Blackwolf, I mean no disrespect, but our vampire is different. It only hunts and kills

humans that are caught in the act of doing something bad to another human. How do you explain that

in your legend?” Detective Pritchard asked the highly educated man.

“Hmm…that sound like your creature has been blessed with a soul and this soul has a catch to it.

Ah, the spirits do have a sense of humor. It is said amongst my people that the night god and the hunter

spirit tried to make a deal with the spirits to fix their mistake. The spirits decided that they wouldn’t

change their mind about fixing the problem, but instead they told the night god and hunter spirit that if

one Fangalue wanted to change his hunting ways that he would be given a soul to keep him from killing

innocent people. The night god and hunter spirit accepted that deal. It seems there was catch to the

deal; the blessed Fangalue could only hunt evil humans,” the professor explained after he thought about

it for a couple of minutes.

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“Oh wow! That’s just great! We have vampire that is on one hell of a goody two shoes streak.

That’s just what we need in New York City, another vigilante nut roaming the streets.” Detective Hall

moaned out loud.

“Relax, Detective Hall. I’ve arranged for you all to meet our local medicine man, White Owl. He

can be very help with things like this. Let me go get him for you; he’s waiting in my office down the hall.

In the meantime, feel free to look through these books that are on the table while you wait for my

return,” Professor Blackwolf said as he motioned to the stack of books in front of him.

The professor left the table and exited the library via a rear door at the back of the building. The

group of detectives each reached for a book and started flipping through the pages. They were each

concentrating so hard that none of them noticed that the professor had returned with a white-haired

old man. The professor cleared his throat to get their attention. Everyone’s head snapped up and looked

at the professor.

“This is White Owl. Ask him anything that you wish to know,” Professor Blackwolf stated as he

stepped aside to allow the old Indian the room that he needed in order to take over the session.

“White Owl, how do we stop a vampire that has a soul?” Detective Greer asked the old man.

The old Indian stared at Stacey long and hard before he said,

“Two of you have been bitten by a Fangalue recently. You must be cleansed before you meet

with the one who has a soul, or you will lose.”

“Who got bitten?” Detective Seagram asked everyone at the table.

“Not me,” Detective Pritchard openly admitted.

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“Well, it sure wasn’t me, which leaves us with our guests,” Detective Seagram said as he stared

at Grant and Stacey.

“You’re telling me that me that my insect bites are really vampire bites?” Stacey said in disbelief.

“Hog wash! I got bitten, but not by no vampire!” scoffed Grant.

“Would you do us the honor of letting us see your bite marks?” Professor Blackwolf asked the

two detectives.

Stacey pulled back her hair, while Grant unbuttoned his shirt and opened the collar wide for

everyone to see.

“I can positively sa,y without a shadow of a doubt, those are vampire bites. Did either one of

you leave your windows open last night?” Professor Blackwell said as he walked over and examined the

marks on both of the detectives.

“I did, but I don’t see how this could have happened. Wouldn’t have I felt it?” Stacey said

doubtfully.

“I did leave my window open a crack. When I woke up it was just as I left it before I went to bed.

I agree with my partner, why didn’t we feel it?” Detective Hall said as he re-buttoned his shirt.

“The Fangalue are very quiet, fast moving creatures. They can bite someone in their sleep

without them waking up. It is said they have a chemical in their mouth that numbs their victim as they

bite,” White Owl explained to everyone at the table.

“Well, I don’t plan on leaving my window open ever again!” Stacey fervently said as he let her

hair down and situated it to cover up the bite marks.

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“White Owl, you said a cleansing of some sort must be performed. What exactly did you mean

by that?” Detective Hall asked the old Indian.

“We must perform a cleansing ritual on the two of you and take you on a spiritual journey into

the spirit world. Only they can clean any impurities out of your blood. Until this is done, you may be

feeling side affects that include sensitivity to sunlight, constant thirst, and you may have the need to

want to eat bloody raw meat,” White Owl explained to the detectives.

“Oh, hell no! Let’s go on this spiritual journey thing. I’ll be damned if I’m going to go through

those side affects!” Detective Hall burst out all at once.

“What did you mean by we will lose to the one who has a soul if we don’t get cleansed?” Stacey

asked the medicine man.

“If you should turn into a Fangalue, then the one who has a soul will defeat you because he has

experience and you won’t,” White Owl explained point blank to Detective Greer.

“How soon can we do this ritual?” Detective Hall asked the professor and the old Indian.

“Well, it is kind of latel; feel free to stay the night at our local village. We can perform the ritual

first thing tomorrow morning before the four of you leave,” Professor Blackwolf offered.

“Okay, that sounds like a plan. Let’s go,” Detective Pritchard wholeheartedly agreed with the

Professor.

“Follow us out of here and we will lead you to the village,” the professor instructed the

detectives.

“The two that have been bitten, I want you to stay with me, in my teepee,” White Owl said as he

stared at Stacey and Grant.

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“Sure, I’d feel safer anyway…hey did you say teepee?” Stacey replied.

“There are many of us in the village that still live like our ancestors. Others live in government

shacks around the reservation,” Professor Blackwolf explained.

“Oh,” Stacey commented as she stood up from her chair.

As if on cue, the rest of the detective stood up from their chairs to follow Professor Blackwolf

out of the library. The professor and the medicine man led the way out via the front door. The

detectives separated from the other two men and headed towards Detective Pritchard’s truck. After

they reached it they got in and Detective Pritchard started the engine. Just then, they heard a car horn

honking, and everyone inside the truck turned their heads to see Professor Blackwolf driving a Dodge

Ram pickup truck. The professor motioned to the detectives that he was ready to leave.

Detective Pritchard pulled out of the parking space and put his truck into drive. The professor

then pulled away with the four detectives following right behind. The drive to the village was ten

minutes away from the University. As they followed the professor, the detectives noticed that they

were heading into rough and rugged country.

“I’m activating the off-road feature in this truck. If the professor pulls off the road then we’ll

have a smoother ride,” Manny told everyone in the truck as he flipped a switch on the dashboard.

Just then, the professor activated his left turn signal and drove his truck off the road and onto a

rugged path that was surrounded by flat prairie land. Manny steered his truck directly behind the

professor, and soon they were heading out into the middle of nowhere.

“My goodness, we’re going into Timbuktu!” Stacey moaned as they drove along.

“Look! I see a hill up ahead,” Detective Seagram said as he pointed beyond the windshield.

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Everyone in the truck leaned forward to see the hill. They saw teepees scattered on top of the

flat hill and as they got closer they could people walking around.

“Oh wow! That’s just like out of western movie!” Stacey exclaimed excitedly.

Professor Blackwolf drove his truck to the top of the hill and parked it next to a teepee.

Detective Pritchard parked his truck next to the professors and turned off the ignition. Everyone got out

of the vehicles and met in front of the teepee.

“This teepee is for our guests who like to come here and live like us. You two will sleep here

tonight,” White Owl explained to the Spokane detectives.

The two men entered the teepee and shut the flap so that they could lie down and get some

sleep. White Owl made a gesture to the New York officers to follow him. The medicine man led them to

a teepee located in the middle of the village.

“Here is where you two will sleep tonight,” White Owl said as he ushered them to go inside.

Detective Hall led the way into the teepee. He selected a stack of furs located on the right-hand

side of the teepee.

“It looks like those over there belong to White Owl,” he said pointing to a stack of furs located

closest to the fire pit.

“I guess that means I sleep on this pile,” Stacey said as she pointed to a mound of furs on the

left–hand side of the teepee.

She walked over to them and made one fur into a pillow before she lay down on top of the

other furs. Her partner mimicked her by taking a fur and rolling it up into a makeshift pillow. Satisfied

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with what he had just made, he lay down on his pile of furs and closed his eyes. Within minutes the

detectives in both teepees were fast asleep.

White Owl talked with the professor for a few minutes before he said goodnight and crawled in

his tent. He made his way over to his pile of furs and settled down for the night. Before the old Indian

fell asleep he mumbled a brief incantation and a prayer to the spirits. The medicine man closed his eyes

when he was through and dreamed about the old days.

Professor Blackwolf got back into his truck and left the village. He wanted to go back to the

library and do some more research before going to bed. As he pulled into the library parking lot, he

yawned and changed his mind. He decided to sleep in his office instead, so he parked in his spot and

turned off the ignition. After he put the keys into his pants pocket, he got out of the truck and closed

the door. The professor walked up the sidewalk that led to his building. As he rounded the corner he

sensed someone was behind him, so he turned around to look. When he did not see anyone there he

continued onward towards his office. He was halfway there when he felt something brush up against

his back, but before he could turn around he felt a cold hand cover his mouth. The next thing he knew,

he was being lifted off the ground and carried into the night sky.

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CHAPTER 38

“Detective, wake up,” White Owl said to Grant as the old Indian shook the middle-aged man’s

right shoulder.

“What? I’m up, White Owl, quit shaking me,” Grant mumbled as he quickly opened his eyes and

glared at the old Indian.

“Don’t be such a cranky old man, Grant,” Stacey Greer said to her partner from across the

teepee.

“Hey, it’s not even sunrise yet! Why are you waking us up so early?” demanded Detective Hall.

“The ritual must be performed before sunrise or it won’t work,” White Owl explained

nonchalantly.

Grant sat up and rapidly blinked his eyes to wake up.

“Come, follow me,” White instructed them after a couple of minutes had passed.

The two detectives clambered off their furs and followed the old medicine man out of the tent.

The three of them walked over to a teepee that was next door to White Owl’s sleeping quarters. There

was a fire already lit inside and they could see the smoke billowing out the top of the teepee.

“It would be wise if you removed your shirts before you enter, or you will pass out from heat

exhaustion,” White Owl mentioned to the two detectives as he removed his own shirt before going

inside.

Grant shrugged his shoulders and quickly unbuttoned his shirt. He opened the flap and entered

the teepee behind White Owl. Stacey hesitated and slowly took off her shirt. Luckily she was wearing a

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tank top underneath or else she wouldn’t have been so willing to participate. She lifted the flap on the

tent and stepped inside the teepee. The fire in the pit was enormous, and inside the teepee was like a

sauna. Incense was lit everywhere and lit scented candles decorated shelves around the inside of the

teepee. White Owl gestured for them to sit across from him on the opposite side of the fire pit.

Grant and Stacey did as they were told and sat down on the bare ground. They couldn’t see

White Owl anymore, but they could hear him.

“Close your eyes and relax. Let the atmosphere flow throughout your body. Empty you mind of

all things and think about nothing,” he instructed them in a soft voice.

The detectives did as he instructed. Soon both of them were meditating and their minds were

clear and empty of all thoughts. White Owl started to chant in his native tongue to the spirits for several

minutes. The medicine man then got up and picked up two wooden bowls that had a mixture of water,

herbs and spices in them. He walked over to the two detectives and instructed them to keep their eyes

closed. Next he asked them to open their mouths and drink everything that was in the bowls.

The New York detectives did and soon the bowls were empty. A short time later the two

detectives were feeling different. They felt like they were in a dream like state and seeing Indian ghosts

dancing and chanting around a great fire. Then one of the ghosts pulled out a hunting knife and walked

over to the detectives. The Indian ghost told them that he was going to cut them to drain the evil blood

from their veins. The detectives nodded their heads; giving the ghost the okay to do what he felt was

necessary. The ghost then cut the two puncture wounds from each detective neck; leaving a larger hole

in its place. Another ghost picked up a piece of burning wood and walked over to the detectives. The

ghost then explained that he was going to burn their wounds with the fire that was on the end of the

stick. Again the detectives nodded their heads. The drink that they had been given, made them numb to

any pain that they might have experienced during this time.

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The Indian ghost cauterized each detective’s wound and threw the stick back into the fire.

Through all of this, the other ghost chanted louder and danced harder around the fire. When they were

through being treated, the detectives were asked to join the ghost around the fire. They accepted the

invitation, and soon they were dancing and jumping in large leaps and bounds around the massive fire

pit. One by one the Indian ghosts left the fire and disappeared forever, leaving only the two detectives

around the fire. They continued to dance until they dropped to ground due to exhaustion. They slept

where they lay until noon that day.

When Grant awoke, he felt like he had the biggest hangover ever imagined. He groaned and sat

up. He saw that they were still in the teepee that they had gone to with White Owl early that morning.

He looked around and saw his partner fast asleep across the fire pit which was no longer glowing with a

tall fire.

“Stacey?” he called out to her with a dry mouth.

“Hmm…” she mumbled.

“Get up, Stacey,” Detective Hall said, feeling like his own voice was going to give him a

headache.

Detective Greer opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

“I had the strangest dream,” she said feeling like she had swallowed a glass of rusty water.

“Yeah, me too,” he replied as he struggled to his feet.

“Grant! Your neck!” she shouted at him.

“What?” he demanded as he reached up and touched his neck.

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Grant felt that the area, where the puncture wounds use to be, were sore to the touch.

“What does it look like?” he demanded to know.

“It looks like you’ve been cut and burned where those bite mark were!” she said in disbelief.

“Holy shit; if it looks like yours then I’ll be wearing a bandage for a long time!” Detective Hall

shouted at his partner.

“What? You’re kidding me, right?” she squealed out loud as she reached up and felt her neck.

She too found that her neck area was tender and sore.

“I wonder if what I dreamed actually happened to me,” Grant moaned out loud.

“I’m wondering the same thing,” Stacey replied disdainfully.

“I want to find a mirror, right now!” Grant said as he staggered over to the teepee flap and

opened it.

Stacey quickly got her feet and followed her partner out of the teepee. They collected their

shirts that were lying on the ground where they had left them and wandered around until they spotted

Manny’s truck. They immediately made their way over to it. Stacey walked up to the passenger side

mirror while her partner looked into the driver’s side mirror. They both saw that the bite marks were

gone and in its place was a larger hole that had been burned and was now starting to heal.

“Hey you two, what are you looking at?” Detective Pritchard asked as he walked over to them.

“Our necks!” the two New York Detectives replied in unison.

“Holy shit, what the hell happened to you two in that teepee?” Detective Seagram asked them

as he joined them from somewhere behind the teepee.

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“Nothing that we can’t handle,” Stacey replied defensively.

“We got this under control, thank you anyway,” Grant remarked as he put on his shirt and

buttoned it up.

Stacey put her shirt on as well and got into the truck. Grant decided it was time to leave as well

so he climbed into the truck and waited for the others to join them.

“I guess it’s time to leave now. I wish I knew where White Owl was. I’d like to thank him for his

hospitality,” Manny said as he opened the driver’s door and climbed inside the truck.

“Me, too,” his partner said as he got into the passenger seat.

“Let’s just go, I’m starving,” Stacey said meekly from behind Dante.

“Yeah, I feel like I could eat an entire four course meal!” Grant agreed.

“Okay, let’s say we find a restaurant then head back to Spokane?” Detective Pritchard

suggested.

“Why haven’t we left yet?” Stacey asked.

“Okay, okay,” Manny said as he started the trucks engine and turned the truck around to head

back down the hill.

The detectives exited the reservation and found the main highway back to Spokane. They

stopped at a Golden Corral, and all four of them ate until they were full. They got back into the truck and

began the long trip back Spokane. Once again they pulled over every two hours to stretch, use the

restroom, and grab a quick snack before heading back to the truck. In the back of the quad-cab,

Detectives Greer and Hall were too afraid to go back to sleep. They feared that they would dream again

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like they had done before and that some other part of their body would be damaged when they awoke.

Finally after several hours their bodies couldn’t hold out any longer, so they slept in the back seats like

newborn babies.

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CHAPTER 39

Professor Blackwolf awoke in a large, luxurious four-poster king-sized bed. As his eyes became

adjusted to the dim interior, he realized that he was in a room that looked like one out of an old castle.

He quickly decided that he needed to get out of there, so he scrambled out of the bed to see if could

find a way out. Just as his feet touched the floor, a door opened at the other end of the room and a tall

figure entered and said,

“Remain calm, Professor Blackwolf, we mean you no harm. We brought you here because we

need your help.”

“Where is here exactly, and who are you?” the professor asked the tall figure.

“You are in our home, and who we are is not important at this moment. If you help us, then we

will take you back home,” the figure replied.

“What is it that you want me to do?” the Indian professor asked.

“We have some scrolls that we cannot decipher because we do not speak the language. We

presume they are about the vampire with a soul, but we can not be certain. Would you be so kind as to

look at them for us and interpret them,” the figure in the doorway asked the professor.

“What makes you think that I can decipher them?” Professor Blackwolf questioned the figure in

the dark doorway.

“They are written in Native American,” the figure simply stated.

“Okay, bring them to me and I will take a look at them. Oh, and can you bring me something to

eat?” the professor requested.

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“Your food is on its way already, and the scrolls will be sent up momentarily,” the figure replied

as it slowly backed out of the doorway and shut the door closed with a soft thud.

Professor Blackwolf ran across the room to the door. Once there he searched for a handle, but

could not find one, so he decided to investigate the room. He noticed that there was a small wooden

table with a single chair in one corner. On the table was a small candle giving off the meek light that

currently illuminated the room. There was a small ceramic pot in one corner of the room and the

professor figured that to be a chamber pot. He walked over to the table and sat down on the hard

wooden chair.

Minutes later, the door slightly opened and there was something being shoved through the

doorway into the room. Then, just as quickly as the door opened, it was closed. Professor Blackwolf got

up from the table and walked over to the door to see what had been left there. He noticed that it was a

plate of food and long cylindrical tube. He picked up these items and returned back to the table so that

he could get a better look. The plate of food consisted of mashed potatoes with gravy, a pork chop, and

some peas. He noticed that there were eating utensils lying on the plate and he picked them up and

commenced eating.

A few minutes later, when he was through eating, the professor decided that it was time to look

at the cylindrical tube. He noticed that the tube was made of wood and the top was tied shut with rope

wrapped around it. He quickly unraveled the rope and popped the top off. He looked inside the tube

and saw three rolled up paper scrolls. He tipped the tube on its side and reached in to pull the scrolls

out. Using his fingers, he carefully withdrew each scroll. As he laid each scroll down on the table he

noticed that were tied with a strand of rawhide. He selected one of the scrolls, untied the rawhide, and

unrolled the parchment.

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As he looked at the scroll he could barely make out the ink drawings that were on it, but he was

able to determine that they were Arapahoe hieroglyphics. As he read them from the bottom to the top

and right to left, he was able to decipher the writings. This scroll was indeed referring to the vampire

that had a soul. As he kept reading he realized that this scroll was the second scroll and that one of the

other two had to be the beginning. So he set the parchment down and quickly untied the other two

scrolls. He glanced through them and soon found the first one and the last one. He put the scrolls in

order and began to read them as if they were telling a story.

Sometime later, between the food and the dim candlelight, Professor Blackwolf began to get

sleepy, so he laid the scrolls down and blew out the candle. He stood up from the table and fumbled

around in the dark for a few minutes trying to find the bed. Eventually, he found it and crawled back into

it. As he pulled the covers up to his head, he heard the door open slightly. He didn’t bother to look

because it was dark and he knew he wouldn’t be able to see who it was entering his room. However, he

could hear plenty. He heard the plate that he had eaten his meal off of being lifted from the table. The

professor also heard the candle being picked up. Moments later he heard shuffling of feet, and the door

closed with a soft thud. Not long after that, the professor fell into a deep sleep.

Anne stuffed the last of her belongings into her small bag. She stared around at the bedroom

and knew that she was going to miss this little cabin. The last few weeks had flown by so quickly and

now it was time to head back to New York City. She was in deep thought when Chris entered the

bedroom.

“Are you ready, my love?” he sweetly asked her as he came up behind her and put his arms

around her waist.

“Hmm…yes I think so,” she replied as he nestled back into his arms.

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“Have you given anymore thought to moving in with me? We still have to put together the

master bedroom with the new furniture, and I was wondering if you would help me that,” he politely

asked her.

“Yes, I will move in with you, and yes, I will help you with our new bedroom furniture,” she said

grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, my love, you’ve made me so happy!” Chris exclaimed as he spun Anne around in his arms

and then quickly kissed her on the mouth.

“The faster we get out of here, the faster we can get back home,” she said when he was

through kissing her.

“I’m all packed, so let’s go and tell Maggie that we’re leaving and head out,” he replied as he

released her and walked over to his pick up his duffle bag.

“Okay,” Anne said as she picked up her small bag and headed out of the bedroom.

The two of them exited the cabin and walked the trail that would take them to Maggie’s house.

After they crossed the road, they walked up her long driveway and reached her front steps within

twenty minutes. When Chris knocked on her door, he heard footsteps approaching. The door opened a

minute later and Maggie ushered them inside.

“What brings you here this late at night?” she curiously asked them.

“We are leaving now, but we wanted to give you the application before we left.We are so sorry

that we didn’t bring it back sooner. We lost track of time,” Chris explained apologetically to the old

widow.

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“Oh yes, I forgot about that, too! You two have been such good tenants. I hate to see you

leave,” Maggie said, suddenly feeling very sad about their departure.

“Who knows, we may be back one day. I won’t forget about you or this place anytime soon,”

Anne said, trying to brighten the woman’s spirit.

“Oh, I’d love to have you two back again! In fact, I’ll give you my number and that way when

you’re heading out this way you can call me ahead time. I’ll even reserve that exact same cabin for you

when you call me,” Maggie said with a smile as she handed Anne her card that contained all her

information on it.

“Here’s the application, we must be leaving now. Thank you for everything, Maggie,” Chris told

the widow as he handed her the application.

“Okay, you two have a safe trip back home,” the widow replied as she accepted the application

from Chris.

“Bye,” Anne said as she turned to leave.

Chris and Anne exited Maggie’s home and walked deep into the woods. Chris led them back to

the clearing where they stopped, and he handed her his duffle bag.

“Ready?” he asked Anne.

“Ready,” Anne replied.

Anne assumed the position that Chris needed her to be in so that he could scoop her up into his

arms. Chris picked her up and took off into the night sky. The night was clear except for some small

clouds here and there. Chris flew with Anne in his arms feeling very lucky and happy with the way things

were going. He was excited to be heading back home so that he could get back to work.

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CHAPTER 40

“Well, since there has been no activity in two weeks, we had better catch the next flight back

home,” Detective Hall said as all four of them were gathered in the conference room at Spokane’s police

station.

“We kind of figured that was the situation a couple of days ago. Our captain said when you two

are ready, he’s got the tickets for your return flight back home,” Detective Pritchard told the two New

York City detectives.

“Okay,” Detective Greer said as she stood up from the table, “I’m all packed and ready to leave,”

“Me, too,” her partner stated as he stood up, too.

“I’ll drive you back to the hotel after you get the tickets, and from there I’ll take you to the

airport,” Detective Seagram said as all four of them headed out of the conference room.

Stacey and Grant went to the captain’s office, retrieved the tickets from him and met the other

two detectives in the hallway. Together they got into the elevator and went down to the main floor.

When they reached the last floor, they stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the police station.

They all walked over to Detective Seagram’s vehicle and got in. After starting the vehicle, Detective

Seagram pulled out of his parking space and headed back to the hotel so their guests could retrieve their

suitcases.

Once that was completed, they were on the road again and heading to the airport. The ride to

airport was quiet because each detective was sad that the case had ended so quickly without them

catching the vampire that had soul. When they arrived at the airport, the detective parked the vehicle

and all four of them got out so that they could say their goodbyes.

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“It’s been a pleasure, Grant and Stacey; you will be sorely missed around the station. Have a

safe flight back to New York City and keep you eyes on the target at all times,” Detective Pritchard said

as he shook each one’s hand.

“Thank you, detective. This has been a trip that we won’t ever forget any time soon,” Detective

Hall said with sincerity.

“Maybe someday we will be together again on this case or perhaps even another case down the

road,” Detective Seagram said with hope in voice.

“I hope that you’re right, my friend.” Detective Greer replied as she shook his hand.

“Goodbye, Detectives,” Manny said with a saddened heart.

“Goodbye,” Detective Hall said as he picked up his suitcase and walked into the airport.

Stacey waved goodbye, picked up her suitcase, and followed her partner inside. After checking

in at the counter, they boarded the plane and sat down next to each other. Twenty minutes later, the

plane taxied to the runway and took off towards the east coast. Detective Hall, who was sitting by the

window, stared out into the night sky. His partner, who was feeling restless, decided to put on the

headphones and listen to the plane’s online movie that was playing. As the two detectives flew the red

eye back to New York City, they both fell asleep two hours into the flight.

Matthias healed up completely after he feasted on the two detectives in their hotel rooms. He

dared not finish them off because he knew that would be disastrous in the end, so he only drank what

he needed in order to heal himself.

Right now, he and his daughter Celina were heading back to New York City. Matthias and his

daughter had lives that were interrupted by Christophe’s actions, and they both wanted to head back to

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sift through the damage. Matthias felt that even though he had a promise to keep, he was still going be

around for his son, just in case. Somehow, Matthias knew that Christophe’s journey was only beginning

and that his son had a lot to learn about this new life of his. The old vampire wanted to be there for his

son, no matter what.

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COMING SOON…

BOOK II

THE ELDERS