Night Realm (37 page)

“Come in, Ryan,” she invited and stepped aside. “I knew you were here.”

Feeling like there wasn’t much choice, Ryan stepped into the kitchen, the chainsaw still on idle. He continued on into the lounge room and sat down. Selena joined him and perched herself on the arm of a lounge.

“You can turn that off,” she said, nodding at the saw. “I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your friends?”

Ryan briefly summed up what had just taken place down on her driveway.

“They’re both dead,” he said. “The detectives, I mean.”

“And Paul and Kelly?”

“Them too.”

Selena looked strangely satisfied with that news. “They are no loss to me.”

“Where’s my sister?” Ryan said, raising his voice a few decibels. “Where’s Chelsea?”

Selena sighed and looked kind of tired, if that were possible for a vampire. “She’s not here and neither is Travis. Michael took them out hunting. I tried to stop him, but I’m not match for him, unfortunately.”

Ryan held up a hand. “Back up a bit. What do you mean hunting?”

Selena sighed again. “Chelsea’s been turned.” She then went on to relate the events of the past few days, about how her little brother was in love with his sister and she’d demanded he turn her so they could be together.

Ryan rubbed a hand over his face and tried to digest the knowledge that his seventeen year old sister was now a vampire, out on the hunt for human blood.

“You can’t be serious,” was all he could think of to say.

“I’m sorry, Ryan,” Selena offered. “And I was never going to harm your sister. That was just an empty threat last night. I just really needed to make sure you would get me the vaccine.” She looked at the bag he carried. “I see you’ve done that.”

Ryan held the bag close to him. “I’m not giving it to you, Selena. I might need it.”

He expected her to fire up and demand he hand it over, but her response surprised him.

“It’s all irrelevant now, anyway.” She shook her head, her expression rather sad. Ryan almost felt sorry for her. “Everything’s a mess. Michael’s actions have destroyed all of my plans. He’s drawn way too much heat on us. Now I have two dead detective’s lying in my driveway.” She shook her head again.

“Selena?” Ryan said softly. “I need to find my sister. Can you help me find her?”

She looked at him, her eyes dark and moist. “I’ll help you. It’s the least I can do.”

Michael had one arm wrapped tightly around his younger brother, while his other arm held Chelsea. He swooped to the left and came down for a gentle landing on a lonely stretch of country road. He let the two go and stood there with his hands on hips looking all around.

“It’s a beautiful night for hunting,” he said happily, a smile splitting his face, his blue eyes bright even in the darkness.

Chelsea didn’t share his jovial nature. She was scared to death; of him and of what he wanted her to do tonight. She knew Travis was just as repulsed by Michael’s plan as well.

“I can’t do it,” Travis protested.

“Sure you can. You’re a vampire. It comes naturally. Surely you don’t want to spend the rest of your life feeding on kangaroos and pigs. There’s nothing better than human blood, little brother. As you are about to find out.” He grinned again. “And you know what the best part is?” He glanced at Travis and Chelsea in turn. Chelsea meekly shook her head. “Feeding on the fear of the one you are about to kill. That is truly exhilarating. Trust me.”

Travis shook his head adamantly. “It’s just not me, Michael.”

Michael turned his attention to Chelsea. “And what about you, delectable one? Aren’t you salivating at the mouth in anticipation of sampling the real stuff?”

“Not really,” she replied, her voice quietly spoken for a change.

The smile finally slipped from Michael’s face. “What’s the matter with all you people? We’re vampires. We kill people and suck their blood. I should have left you two wimps at home and come out hunting with Paul and Kelly. At least they know how to party. You two disgust me.” He eyed them with contempt. “And so does Selena.”

“You’re different to us, Michael,” Travis said, his voice edgy with nerves. “You’ve always embraced the lifestyle. Selena and I haven’t.”

“Selena used to.”

“But not like you. She’s always been on the fence. Me? I’m way over the other side.”

“That’s because you’re a pussy,” Michael spat contemptuously. “Too busy chasing love and romance instead of accepting what you really are.”

“I’m just not like you,” Travis reiterated.

“Well, tonight you two have no choice. Either you join me in the hunt, or I kill you both. Up to you.”

He turned his gaze away from them and looked off into the forest. Both Chelsea and Travis eyed each other nervously. They were both afraid of Michael and knew he meant what he’d just said. He would kill them in an instant if they didn’t do as he asked. If they didn’t comply, Michael would just get rid of them and turn some new people to have control over and indulge his sadistic nature.

Michael looked back at them and said, “Follow me.”

And they did as they were told.

*  *  *

Ryan sat in the driver’s seat and started the motor. Selena was behind the Ford and pushed as he gently applied pressure to the accelerator. The car lurched forward with a jolt, the tyres found some grip and Ryan edged onto the bitumen. Selena climbed into the passenger seat and together they drove down to the main road.

“How are we going to find them?” Ryan wanted to know, suddenly having a craving for a cigarette.

“I’ll find them,” Selena sounded confident. “And forget the cigarettes. They’ll kill you.”

Ryan wasn’t really surprised that she knew what he’d
just been thinking. He turned right on the main road and headed southwest, following Selena’s directions. As they traveled Selena would get him to stop every now and then. She would then get out of the car and just stand on the side of the road with her eyes closed as if meditating. Ryan didn’t ask her what she was doing. He  just figured she must be tuning into some telepathic signal that he was unable to detect. One of the vampire gifts.

After the third time of doing this, Selena got back in the car and announced, “We’re getting close.” They drove on for a few more minutes. “Turn right just up ahead.” Ryan did, easing the car along a narrow, seldom-used stretch of road. “Stop here,” Selena said.

Ryan brought the car to a halt and Selena got out. When he joined her she held up a hand, signaling him to keep silent. Ryan took a deep breath and held it. He closed his eyes and listened intently. All he heard was a lizard scurrying across the leafy ground behind him and an owl hooting somewhere up in the tree tops.

Selena nodded toward the forest
. “This way.”

Ryan retrieved the vials and chainsaw from the back seat of the car and followed the woman into the woods. Once amidst the canopy of trees he couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch black. Selena hooked an arm through his and guided him. No doubt she could see quite well with her superior eyesight.

“Do you think Michael will hurt Chelsea?” Ryan asked, keeping his voice low.

“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s possible. I wouldn’t put it past him hurting his own brother, either.”

Ryan gripped the chainsaw tightly. Regardless of the fact that he was Selena’s brother, he was determined to put an end to Michael if he somehow could. He knew that was going to be a close-to-impossible task.

Still Ryan couldn’t really see anything but the occasional dark shape that loomed before him. If it wasn’t for Selena’s guidance he would have walked straight into twenty or thirty tree trunks by now, not to mention obstacles on the ground that she helped him avoid.

The entire time they walked through the woods he ran every possible scenario through his head. Generally they ended up with him dead. In the end he decided his brain wasn’t going to be able to figure this one out on its own. He’d have to rely on his instincts. He knew from experience that his instincts wouldn’t let him down and they were dependable.

One thing he did have a strong feeling about was Selena. It was gnawing at him majorly. He knew that if she faced off with Michael tonight she was likely going to die. He didn’t really think she deserved that. It was Michael who deserved death. Tonight two innocent detectives had been killed in the line of duty, indirectly a result of Michael’s actions. Ryan also felt responsible for that.

By the time they reached the edge of a farm, he’d come to a decision. He was going to take a gamble because it felt right.

Selena let go of his arm as they paused, remaining in the shadows of the trees. Before them was a paddock where several cows grazed way off to the right. Ryan could just make out a farm house in the distance, partly obscured by palm trees growing all around it. To the left, nestled into the edge of the forest, was a huge barn. He could see dim yellow light seeping through the gaps around its large entrance doors, and another smaller door on the left hand wall.

“They’re in that barn,” Selena told him.

Ryan looked at her in the darkness. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

Remaining just inside the tree line, the pair
stealthily made their way left and followed the curve of the trees until they were directly behind the barn. Ryan listened, but couldn’t hear any sounds coming from within. Selena had her eyes closed. After a moment she nodded.

“All three of them are inside,” she
reported. “Michael, Travis and your sister. I also sense another presence, maybe two.”

While she was tuning into whatever it was that she tuned into, Ryan had quietly removed one of the injector guns from the bag. It was already pre-loaded with APHV. In a rapid motion he put it to the bare skin of her upper arm and pulled the trigger. There was a sharp click.

“Ouch!” Selena’s eyes snapped open. “What did you just do?” she demanded.

And then her eyes glazed over. She dropped to her knees and would have fallen flat on her face had Ryan not been ready to catch her. He placed her cold body gently on the ground. She was unconscious, but still breathing steadily.

The next part of his plan he wasn’t so certain about. He replaced the used vial with a fresh one and made certain the other gun was loaded. After removing his jacket, Ryan placed the tip of the gun against his arm and hesitated. Marks’ words from earlier echoed in his head. It could be lethal. Also, he wasn’t sure what response he would have to the serum even if it
was
safe to inject. He figured it would have a different affect on him than it had Selena, as she was a vampire and he wasn’t. Hopefully it didn’t knock him out too. He needed to be awake, not in a coma.

Ryan pulled the trigger, felt a short, sharp burst of pain, then experienced the sensation of the fluid being injected into his arm. Now he waited, half expecting to feel suddenly drowsy and to pass out. A minute went by and nothing happened. He expelled the used vial and placed a fresh one in the chamber. It was as he did this that he noticed a change in him.

He could see quite clearly in the darkness and the forest was now alive with sounds he couldn’t detect before. Insects buzzing and little critters crawling along the ground. He took a deep breath, checked on sleeping Selena again, then stood up. His head felt so clear and his mind was extremely alert. Ryan flexed his muscles and felt strength surge through him like he’d never possessed before. He looked at the small drop of blood that had formed on his arm. It was the vaccine that had heightened all his senses and made him feel invincible. He wondered if it was a temporary side effect, or permanent. Then another thought dawned on him. If the serum could turn a vampire back into a human, then possibly it could turn a human into a vampire?

No. He was sure that hadn’t happened. He’d gone through no turn of any kind and his body was still putting out warmth. He was definitely still human and not a creature of eternal night.

With the chainsaw in his left hand, the gun in his right and the bag of vials slung over his shoulder, Ryan glanced down at Selena one last time before leaving the cover of the bushes and creeping up the side of the barn, where he paused outside the closed side door. Inside he could hear the sounds of feet shuffling. Ryan temporarily stuffed the gun back into his waistband and nudged the door open a few inches.

The first thing he saw were bales of hay stacked up to the left just inside the door. A bare light bulb hung down from the ceiling on a long cord. The floor was made of wood, carpeted with loose straw. Standing in the centre of the barn were Travis and Chelsea. Ryan’s heart stuttered when he saw his sister. Even from his position just outside the door he could see she looked different. Her eyes shone a weird shade of amber mixed with their natural blue, and the skin of her face looked extra pale. She was holding Travis’ hand and the pair looked
very nervous.

Ryan got down low and edged his way inside the door, hoping like hell it didn’t creak and give him away before he was ready to announce his arrival. Adrenalin was pumping through his veins and he could still feel the effects of Becker’s serum. That was good. He’d need all the help he could get.