Fall of the Mortals (Book 1) (18 page)

“Your wife and daughter are dead, you idiot. But you can call me Miranda,” she said with big eyes, turning back into her true self.

Shaun screamed. Miranda opened her mouth ferociously and went for the left side of his neck. Shaun pulled out the crucifix.  Her fangs scraped against the skin of his neck just as Shaun plunged the sharp end of the crucifix into her heart. Shaun grabbed his neck. His blood spilled through fingers gripping his neck tightly.

Miranda screamed. Her eyes went large. Her jaw dropped, opened in fear. She floated back, trying to pull out the wooden crucifix that was lodged in her chest. Her hand sizzled and steamed from being burned by the holy cross. She opened her hand and screamed again at the burn mark on her palm. She flew wildly, out of control around the room, slamming into the walls, the ceiling and to the floor, kicking her legs struggling to pull it out of her chest. It was no use. She just kept burning her hands trying to remove it.

Miranda floated back to the ceiling, glaring down at Shaun and gnashing her teeth, still trying to pull it from her chest. Both her hands caught fire. Shaun stood wide eyed, cringing at the horrifying sight. She flew at him at full speed and picked him up off the floor and carried him across the room. She rammed him against the wall violently. A picture fell to the floor and shattered. She scratched him across his chest. He hollered but she scratched him again across the neck. He fell to the floor and looked up at her in horror. Sharon drifted upward towards the ceiling, screaming. She tried to pull the crucifix from her chest again but it was still no use.

After she reached the ceiling, her entire body caught fire and she exploded. Her burned, ashy flesh went everywhere; on the walls, the ceiling, the floor and all over Shaun. It was over.

He lay on the floor panting. His eyes were large and he was frightened with disbelief at what just occurred.  He looked around the ash covered floor and couldn’t believe Mark was dead. He couldn’t believe he had been taken for such a fool. He rushed over to Mark.

“Mark? Wake up. Please wake up,” said Shaun, his voice panting in terror.

He stood up knowing Mark’s death was irreversible. He rushed to the bathroom. He washed his hands frantically and stared at himself in the mirror. The foul smell of Miranda’s burned flesh seeped up his nostrils. He took his shirt off and looked at the scratches across his chest and his neck. He ran his finger across four scratches on his chest knowing they couldn’t be seen by anyone.

Shaun thought on what he could do about Mark’s body. He couldn’t tell everybody he let a vampire in and she killed him. He had nothing to go on. He was done unless he came up with a good story. He went back out to the room and stared at the window where he’d conversed with Miranda. He glanced at Mark’s corpse that lay on the floor. A dark thought entered his mind. He knew exactly what to do with his body.

CHAPTER NINE
Shaun’s Mysterious Changes

The next morning came. Shaun and the others ate a quiet breakfast at the

table. There wasn’t much to say. Harold sat next to Betty, holding her hand on the table. He gave her a warm smile knowing she was going through a hard time. Her tower family was torn apart. Betty was grieving over the horrific evening that occurred the night before.
Although Jones was a crazy old man and violent at times, he didn’t deserve to die like that
, she thought. Mercedes and Tommy ate pancakes quietly. They were two children who had experienced way too much drama for their age. They looked at the others at the table with nothing to say.

“How are the bikers?” asked Yuri. “Are they not having breakfast?”

“I haven’t seen them,” Harold responded in a quiet tone.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept a low profile for a couple of days,” said

Thai.

Shaun didn’t say anything. He felt too guilty. He knew Terry and the others

hadn’t seen the last of their grief. If Mark wasn’t found to be missing yet, he soon would be. Shaun sat there pondering over what he did with Mark’s body after he cleaned up all of Miranda’s burned ashes and Mark’s blood on the floor. He asked himself if there was another way he could have
taken care of it
. He repeatedly reminded himself there wasn’t another way.
It was for the greater good,
he thought with a hearty portion of awful guilt. Shaun was apprehensive about Terry. He knew Terry and the bikers would stumble upon Mark’s body soon enough and all hell would break loose again.

“You okay, Shaun?” asked Harold.

“Huh?” Shaun responded, breaking out of a trance.

“You were just sitting there spacing out,” said Harold. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good,” Shaun answered.

Harold got up from the table slowly, threw his paper plate away and stood

behind Shaun. He put his hands on Shaun’s shoulders in a brotherly manner.

“I never got a chance to thank you, Shaun,” he said.

“Thank me? For what?”

“For just being there and helping when things needed to be done,” said

Harold like a kind father, his voice sounding depressed. “Last night was, well, unbearable.”

“No problem, Harold,” Shaun answered.

“Thank you for being there, trying to help,” said Harold. “Thanks to all of you, actually,” he added, looking at the rest of them at the table.

Shaun didn’t respond. He sat in his chair mulling over what he did to Mark’s

body. He knew there was a side to him that wasn’t honest but dark and could not be revealed to the others. Harold stepped over to Betty and put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. A tear ran down her cheek.

“I just want to say it’s not over for us,” said Harold. “They got in last night

and hurt us. They hurt our family and took two of our family members away.”

Everyone at the table felt and appreciated Harold’s warmth and sense of

compassion. He was their father and he filled those shoes well. He continued to speak.

“May Trent and Jones rest in peace. But we won’t –”

Wailing was heard coming from the living room. Harold and the others

turned their heads to the doorway of the dining area. They could hear the sounds of a grown man crying and several people walking towards the kitchen. Terry was weeping coming through the doorway. Curtis’ eyes were red from tears. The other bikers were sad. Billy and Shane wiped some tears from their eyes. Brody stood and looked down not saying a word.

Shaun looked away out of guilt. He knew exactly what they were upset

about. They’d found Mark’s body and were there to make the announcement. He promised himself to his dying breath he wouldn’t tell anybody what happened to Mark.

“Terry? Good heavens. What’s wrong?” asked Harold.

“Did anybody see Mark last night?” asked Terry, weeping and wiping tears

from his eyes.

Everyone at the table looked at each other shrugging their shoulders with a

vacant expression. They didn’t know anything about Mark. They were dying to know what happened.

“Why? What happened?” asked Shaun, pretending to be unaware and

implying his innocence.

“It looks like Mark killed himself,” answered Curtis holding back his tears.

Terry wept some more. The loss of Trent and now Mark was too much to

bear.

“Not another one,” said Betty, burying her face in her palms, beginning to

sob.

“Oh, good gracious,” said Harold putting his arms around Betty. “Tommy?

Mercedes? Please leave the room for a minute.”

After the children left, Terry and Curtis sat down at the table. Curtis put his

hand on Terry’s shoulder. He seemed to be handling it well but Terry was taking it the hardest. Shaun stayed quiet.

“What on Earth happened?” asked Harold.

“He jumped out of a window on level sixty-eight,” said Curtis. “He’d been

having a hard time sleeping and would go on a walk at night.”

“Where is he now?” asked Harold.

“Down on the pavement,” answered Curtis. “We got a sheet over him. It

looks like he left a note.”

Shaun glanced at Curtis hoping he wouldn’t expound on anything

suspicious about the suicide note since he was the one that wrote it.
It had to be this way.
There was no way I could tell everybody about my meetings with the vampire, how I let her in the tower or why I am responsible for Mark’s death
, he thought.

“That is just awful,” said Harold. “I am very sorry to hear this, Curtis. What

can we do to help?”

“We’re kind of hoping maybe you guys could give us a hand with driving

Mark out to a field where we could bury him?” asked Curtis wiping a tear from his cheek and sniffing up some runny snot.

“Absolutely,” said Harold. “Absolutely. Shaun?”

“We’ll take care of it,” answered Shaun in a sincere tone, relieved that no one suspected anything. 

***

Terry led Shaun, Harold, Thai and the bikers to the pavement behind the

tower. Mark’s body lay under a sheet.

“Damn it, Mark. Look at you, man. What were you thinking, brother?” said

Terry kneeling at his side, still whimpering.

Shaun felt uncomfortable knowing that it was he who’d broken the window

on level sixty-eight and dropped Mark’s dead body to the pavement.

“Where’s the note he left?” he asked in a somber tone, trying to 

sound sad.

“I have it right here,” said Curtis pulling it out of his pocket. He opened it to read it.

“What does it say?” asked Yuri.

“Sorry guys. I can’t live like this anymore. I’m a horrible person and watching

Trent die was too much. Sorry I was a disappointment. Mark,”
Curtis read the letter sadly before folding it up. He wiped another tear from his cheek.

Shaun glanced at them, hoping no suspicion would be found with the note. He was also glad that no one picked up on Miranda’s bite marks on his neck which may have caused one of them to say
foul play
.  He was glad the bikers were simple folk. They weren’t crime scene investigators. They see a broken window, a man dead on the pavement, they figure
he jumped,
end of story. Part of Shaun felt guilty for being dishonest and having to use such extreme deception. Another side of him thought,
We’re better off now Mark is gone. He was a threat to Kim and it’s one less biker I have to worry about
.

 “Well fellas. If you don’t mind bringing the car around, we’ll load him up?”

asked Curtis sadly, still holding back his tears.

“Sure thing,” answered Shaun noticing the sunlight beginning to shine

down on them. He began to feel different. His body temperature began to rise. He began to feel hot for an unknown reason. He turned and looked at the California sun which began to peek over the downtown skyscrapers. The sight of it began to feel tortuous. It stung his eyes; his nostrils burned. He looked down at his hands. Thin vapors of steam were beginning to come off his palms and fingers. He started to feel sick and filled with terror stepping offline from the others. 

Curtis and Terry noticed Shaun staggering and walking away from them

towards the tower.

“Shaun? You alright?” asked Thai, seeing that he obliviously wasn’t himself.

Shaun didn’t answer. He felt too faint to speak all of a sudden. His body

temperature continued to rise. More steam came off his palms and fingers. He hid his hands in his hoodie pockets so that Thai and the others wouldn’t notice.

“Shaun? Talk to me. What’s up, man?” asked Thai, stepping away from the

group, concerned about him. Terry and the others watched him wondering what was wrong with him.

“I’m sorry, fellas. I’m just not feeling good,” Shaun hollered, sounding as if

he was about to vomit.

Shaun staggered around the corner of the building, barely making it.

“What the hell is up with him?” asked Terry. “Is he upset over Mark?”

“I guess he’s sick,” answered Thai. “I’ll bring the car around, okay?” he added, bringing the focus back to Mark.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks,” answered Terry.

“We appreciate it, dude,” said Curtis.

***

Around the corner, Shaun struggled to make it to the entrance doors. He

Gasped, reaching for the door handle. Steam came off his face, hands and fingers. He sweated profusely down his face. The changes he felt inside of him were unlike anything he felt before. It was as if he was becoming something else. His stomach churned. His mind was polluted with dark thoughts that pervasively took him over. He saw flashes of people being attacked by vampires and carried up in the sky. There were huge fires with vampires dancing and singing in the flames. Their eyes shined as they chanted in the fire.

Shaun collapsed to the floor inside the entrance doors. He looked up and

saw a restroom in the lobby across the wide lobby floor of what seemed like a football field in length. The lights were off in the restroom. He knew it was his only hope, before burning up on the floor. He crawled with all his might across the lobby trying to reach the dark room to get out of the sunlight. Vapors of steam were still ascending from his head, back, legs and feet. He was almost there. He gritted his teeth struggling to make it to the other side of the lobby. It was like crawling through a field of hot burning coals. 

He made it to the bathroom and turned over on his back, panting as if he

just climbed a mountain on fire.
What’s happening to me? I can’t be turning into one of them
, he dreaded. The memories of Miranda fighting with him and scraping his neck with her fangs zapped in his mind like a lightning bolt.

“No. It can’t be,” he mumbled in fear, trying to catch his breath. “It can’t

be,” he said again before he passed out.

The old Shaun was departing. He was changing into something else.

***

In a field, miles away from downtown, Terry and the bikers mounded up a

grave for Mark. Terry knelt down and stared at the headstone they made out of rocks collected from the area. He took off one of his rings, laid it on the headstone and sighed. Curtis stood behind him and put his hand on his shoulder.

“There’s no way two of us died in one day, Curtis,” said Terry firmly. “There’s no way that happened.”

“Trent and Mark won’t be forgotten, brother,” Curtis answered. “They’ll

always be right here,” he added, pointing to his heart.

“I swear to you, I’m going to hunt down that son-of-a-bitch Kristof and rip

his heart out,” Terry declared standing up, keeping his eyes on Mark’s grave. “Any vamp within my reach will die.”

Thai and Yuri stood in the background having total sympathy for Terry and

the bikers.

***

Several hours later, Shaun woke up lying on the floor of the bathroom. It

was almost dark outside. He sat up quickly looking around in the dark. He felt great, completely rejuvenated. He stood up, turned on the light and looked in the mirror. He was relieved he looked fine while he washed his face. He chuckled at the thought that he actually believed he was turning into one of
them
.

Shaun walked out of the restroom and looked at the elevators which were across the wide lobby. The thought of having to make the short trip bothered him somewhat. He wished the elevators were in front of him.