Something of the Night (39 page)

BOOK: Something of the Night
6.98Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Now alone, Jacob made his way
deeper into the trees. As he lost himself in the wooden labyrinth, he felt
neither fear nor panic, just a strange calm. The first wolf, large and coated
in peppered fur, padded alongside him and the rest followed; liquid silk
flowing between the trees in one solid black sheet. What drove them on? Jacob
wondered, their strange behaviour a mystery to him. Perhaps, he thought, the
dark world had become too much, even for those who had been born with savagery
in their hearts.

With the arrival of the sun
the world had been tipped upside down. A new dawn was breaking, one which
carried hope and understanding. Jacob chanced a look at his four-legged
companion and found its jaws smeared with blood. Jacob’s own blood pumped
quicker, fear finally finding its way. The wolf released a short, reassuring
woof. Jacob’s heart steadied, but his feet began to pick up pace. Eventually,
when he’d almost broken into a run, they entered a small clearing.

He stopped.

Standing in the shadows were
Pet, Elliot and his son! The skinny vampire held the boy in the crook of one
arm, his other wrapped around Elliot in a firm embrace, holding the injured
tracker upright.

“Saved,” Pet said, his face
crooked and pleased.

The boy in his arms grinned –
a small, innocent face bright with spirit. “Saved,” the boy said, and he
clapped his hands with excitement.

Jacob became puzzled. Then he
noticed the large patch of blood on Elliot’s chest. The crimson patch
glistened, the sun’s rays poking through the tangle of branches above.

“Are you okay?” he asked,
worried for his nephew’s safety.

“A little tired, that’s all,”
Elliot replied, although he looked pale and weak.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Jacob
reassured, moving closer, ready to take his boy and help Elliot out of the
shadows.

Before he could do so,
however, Pet stepped unexpectedly forward, pulling all three into the glare of
sunshine.

“No – wait!” Jacob warned.

Pet kept coming, sunlight
playing across the craggy surface of his face. And, as if finally revealing the
solution to an obscure puzzle, the shadows that formed made Pet’s face seem
soft, serene and almost beautiful. The vampire kept coming and the revelation
passed, leaving the vampire’s face blotched and puffy.

“Go back,” Jacob told him.

Pet smiled. It was a look
mixed with intelligence and reasoning. “It’s okay,” he said. “Saved.” He
reached out, offering the young boy to Jacob. The tracker took him and then
wrapped his arms around him, vowing silently never to let go. The vampire
released Elliot, and the younger tracker stepped awkwardly over to Jacob.

Pet took his final breath,
whispered “Saved” one last time, and then the patchwork of rags that he wore
crumpled to the floor, the motor-cycle helmet landing on top, reflecting bright
white light from its polished surface. Jacob squinted against the glare. He
pulled his eyes away from the helmet to find something spectacular before him.

A ball of light hovered
directly in front of him. The sphere spun, slowly, and a quiet humming noise
seemed to reverberate from its core. Jacob took a step back, expecting the
sphere of light to reach for the skies. It hovered there, slowly revolving, the
quiet hum resolute. Unexpectedly then, the young boy reached out and his small
hand disappeared into the centre of the sphere. Without thought Jacob grasped
the boy’s hand, intent on pulling it free.

Elliot watched as they both
stood there, their arms outstretched and a look of bemusement on each of their
faces. Then, surprisingly, both began to laugh nervously, as if in attendance
to something prohibited. The strange laughter continued, until both fell quiet.
Then each of them nodded, one after the other, before pulling their clasped
hands free.

At once the sphere rushed
upwards. It flew towards the sun and within seconds it had become a tiny white
dot, caught on the shimmering orange background. Once it had disappeared
completely, Jacob and the boy turned towards Elliot.

Eager to understand the
strange manifestation, Elliot asked, “What did you see?”

The boy and Jacob first
looked at each other, before fixing their gaze on the young man before them.

“What did you see?” Elliot
asked again.

They spoke as one. “God.”

 

***

 

Joined in union, all three broke through the trees.
Jacob took one final look behind him. The wolves had gone, reclaimed by the
dark woods themselves – perhaps sent by an unknown force to help others who
were in need. He offered them an imaginary salute, grateful for their aid.
Maybe, he thought, they would return, when they were ready to give help. Or,
more likely, when it was most needed.

Two memories bobbed to the
surface of his mind.

I am your saviour.

And,
Let it be.

He knew now whom those voices
had belonged to. The first: his son, a saviour indeed. Innocence overcoming
hatred and misunderstanding, as Ezekiel would agree. The second: someone or
something greater than any living being. God perhaps? Maybe this higher purpose
had wilfully let the world slip towards darkness, only then to see what beauty
still remained. What hope and innocence could rise above. Had Man finally
proven his worth? Perhaps, Jacob thought. He felt that the human race had
proven something of worth. Something that would stay with them forever –
forgiveness, understanding – that would hopefully be carried for generations to
come.

They left the gloom behind,
stepping into clear daylight. A tirade of raised voices met them.

“He’s a friend,”
Alice
was
saying, standing between Ezekiel and a woolly colossus. The huge bear-of-a-man
was having none of it.

“I should break his neck in
two,” Ben growled, clenching his massive hands into fists.

Standing nearby were Tate,
Squirrel and a teenager neither Jacob nor Elliot recognised. They did, however,
notice how close the girl was standing to Squirrel. And as well as the sunburn
on their faces, Jacob understood that Cupid’s arrow was ready to strike fire
into their hearts.

“Listen, you big oaf. He’s
with Jacob,”
Alice
said.

“That’s right, hairball,”
Jacob interjected, catching Ben’s attention.

“Hey, partner, good to see
ya,” Ben said, grinning, the confrontation instantly forgotten.

“Elliot!”
Alice
cried.
She took three long strides and threw her arms around the young tracker.

The group fell into an
animated narrative of explanation, each offering their own story. As they all
chatted happily, Jacob caught his boy looking over at Ezekiel. The dark vampire
offered the boy a slight wave, understating his real wish to hold the boy
himself. Jacob’s eyes met Ezekiel’s. Ezekiel nodded once, both in gratitude and
in resignation to the fact that the boy had finally been returned to his
rightful guardian. Then he turned his attention to the two vampires at his
side.

“Mine,” the boy said gently.

“What?” Jacob asked,
wondering what had drawn the boy away from the vampire’s attention.

“Mine,” the boy repeated.

Jacob turned, tracking the
boy’s gaze. A burst of firelight filled his vision. A woman was racing towards
them, her auburn hair trailing behind her in a long fiery wave. Her face was a
mixture of relief and desperation. It was the face Jacob Cain had seen only in
the privacy of his dreams.

Hannah flung herself into
Jacob’s embrace. The bright world around him paled instantly. Outshone by the
raw beauty of his wife’s face. Teardrops cascaded freely down either side of
her face, turning her eyes into two deep green pools. It was only when he
opened his mouth in an attempt to speak did Jacob realised that he too was
crying heavily. Hannah reached out to brush his tears away. He wrapped his hand
over hers and squeezed tight. Then, finally, Jacob Cain spoke words that he
thought had been lost to him forever.

“I love you, Hannah,” he
said.

“I love you too, Jacob,” she
responded. “Both of you.”

The little boy stayed trapped
between them, as they whispered urgent affections to each other. Eventually, he
managed to break free, wrapping his two short arms around them both. He turned
first to one and then the other. Tears of joy ran freely down his face.

“Mine… ” he said, his
happiness now complete.

 

 

BOOK: Something of the Night
6.98Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
Stage Fright by Pender Mackie
The Boxer by Jurek Becker
Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green
Bad Idea by Erica Yang
Nothing but the Truth by Jarkko Sipila
The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
Snake Charmer by Zenina Masters