Something of the Night (3 page)

Chapter Four

Jacob Cain stretched out on his open cot. He closed
his eyes and waited for his own private darkness to fall. He lay still for a
long time but was unable to slip into the safe confinements of sleep. Opening
his eyes, he turned his head towards the table at his side. A weary sigh
escaped him as he bent forwards to take an old shoebox from the table. He sat
up before placing the battered box on his lap.

With dirty fingers that
hadn’t seen soap or hot water in a long while, he slid the box lid upwards to
reveal a collection of faded photographs, letters that had yellowed over time,
and a few odd trinkets. He took out one of the photos and raised it. Tilted it
slightly towards the light above. To reveal a picture of a young woman smiling
with open happiness.

The woman in the picture was
in her mid-to-late twenties. She had long auburn hair, which fell in large
fiery curls to her slender shoulders, a face that would probably have been at
home on the cover of a woman’s magazine, and bright blue eyes, with slivers of
emerald, which sparkled with fun and mischief. Behind her was a vast field of
grass, which filled the photo with a lush green.

Jacob raised the photo to his
lips and gently kissed its creased surface. “My dear Hannah,” he breathed. A
single heart-wrenching sob escaped from his lungs.

He replaced the photo inside
the box, and then slid the lid over and covered up his collection of private
treasures. He returned the box to the table at his side. His eyes closed for a
minute or two as he pushed his grief into the deeper recesses of his soul.
Then, he stood and collected an assortment of odd weapons from the foot of his
bed. He headed towards the open doorway.

Moving into the dark
corridor, he decided that tonight he needed to see the light - had to see the
light, must see the light, or his soul would surely die.

Jacob reached a tight bend in
the corridor. A sudden presence pushed at his back. He spun around to find that
a darker shadow had blocked the narrow corridor. The scrape of a boot forced
him to spin back, and there, he observed another silhouette filling the
passageway in front, blocking his escape. He reached for the weapon at his
side.

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

“What is this?” Jacob demanded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

“Okay, let’s go,” Jacob said.

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

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

In the distance, the campfire
began to grow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Five

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

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

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

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

“You lie,” he said.

One of the closest vampires
moved to strike.

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

Everybody froze.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Really?” Thomas quizzed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The laughter ceased.

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

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

Thomas frowned. “What ..?”

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

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

Within a heartbeat the camp
erupted in violence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thomas was gone.

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

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

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

“Shit!” Elliot spat.

“What?”

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

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

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

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

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

She screamed, “
GET
AWAY FROM
ME!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re too late …”

He turned towards the girl
and saw that her bottom lip was clamped tightly between her teeth. Her eyes had
filled with tears. Sparkling liquid ran down both sides of her face, clearing
two paths of grime as they fell.

“What is it?” Jacob asked.

She struggled to find her
voice. Then a huge sob escaped from her constricted throat. “MY MOTHER’S
DEAD..!”