The Damascus Chronicles (21 page)

“I’m sorry love, the last few days have been hectic due to all the adoption paperwork and watching the kid,” said Michael.

“You’re not telling me the whole truth; I sense that you were in trouble a little while ago,” Serena accused.

“I was shot at a night ago, but I took care of the animal who tried to harm Sally and I.”

“What!” Serena exclaimed.

“We’re all right,” Michael assured her.

“Please come home to me baby, I miss you so much,” Serena pleaded.

“I’ll come home tomorrow night. It’ll be just the two of us at the pad, I promise,” said Michael. “You mean it?” asked Serena.

“Come on Serena, you know I mean it.” Michael blew her a kiss over the phone.

“Love you.”

“I love you too,” said Michael as he hung up the phone. He didn’t know it, but Isabelle had been eavesdropping on his conversation from the stairway. She was overcome with envy. She felt it was unfair that Michael had left her because of his sister’s death only to go and give his heart to a woman he had known for only a few weeks. She came downstairs to talk to Michael. “So you and the little lady have problems?”

“Isabelle, I know where you’re taking this. Don’t bring past emotions into this.”

“Why shouldn’t I? You abandon me for some Russian bimbo you hardly know, when I’ve known you since we were little kids.”

“Shut up Isabelle!”

“Oh bullshit! You let your sister’s death ruin us. What did I ever do to you to lose what we had!”

“It just wasn’t meant to be. Besides, cheating on me did not help,” Michael accused.

“It was a mistake!” protested Isabelle.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” repeated Michael.

“Oh yeah, I’ll show you not meant to be!” Isabelle boldly grabbed Michael by the waist and kissed him deeply. Michael was so enraged that he pushed her away.

“You bastard,” retorted Isabelle, slapping him across the face for being rejected, her eyes full of tears. Michael was filled with anger, and yet he stopped himself from exploding. He looked at her with pity and walked out of the club, heading home to see Serena.

Michael was the type of man who kept a commitment once he’d made it. He truly did love Serena, and she was the only one now who could understand him for who he really was and accept him.

Isabelle looked out the window as she saw Michael take off in his car, and began to cry, whispering in guilt, “I didn’t mean it.” She always found it hard to let go of Michael and of the many other men that she had been with in her life.

Back at Michael’s apartment, Serena heard a knock on the door. She threw open the door and jumped up on top of Michael, kissing him, so happy to see that he had safely returned home. The two talked for a long time and then retired as the sun came up.

The next evening Michael received a call from Danny Fredricks, who was keeping tabs on both the police and the criminal underworld. “Yeah it’s me,” Danny said over a pay phone.

“What’s going down?” asked Michael.

“New crime syndicate cartel has moved into town. They made a deal with Franco Scarfo’s guys.”

“Well, who are they?”

“Chinese Triads and the Russian mafia.”

“What are they moving? Guns? Drugs?”

“Rumors are nuclear arms devices, but those are just rumors I’ve heard,” Danny cautioned.

“Sounds like you’re being not fully up front,” said Michael.

“Oh, there’s more bad news. The Feds came down hard on the mayor, who has created a new task force that’s assigned to arrest any mobster or known affiliate on sight. I think the government is in on this; they’re losing profits in arms smuggling. I’ve heard from others.”

“Continue to keep me posted, and thanks,” said Michael as he hung up his phone.

About a half-hour later, Michael got a call from Don Felice. “It’s me, Felice. Gather your crew, we’re having a meeting at the tower. Come now and call the others.”

“Understood,” Michael replied as he hung up. After Michael finished making calls to the others he met Serena and the two vampires teleported to the Terrace Tower to meet with the Don. The others were already in the Don’s office when Michael and Serena entered.

“Gentlemen and the one lady present, Paulie and I have found a way to rid us of Franco Scarfo for good. Instead of just killing the bastard we’ll expose him; let the media eat him up for breakfast,” started Don Felice.

“How?” Jackie asked.

“We’ll steal and deliver to the media Franco Scarfo’s shady criminal records from his district record office,” said Paulie.

“Good plan, but that place is guarded like Fort Knox,” said Sal.

“I can get in there,” said Serena.

“She’s right, and I can too,” said Michael. “Then both of you are useful in stealth, which none of us have military training in. Very well, you two will go and do it then,” agreed Don Felice. They all nodded.

Jackie’s cell phone rang and he went into the hallway to take the call. “Who is this?”

“Someone who wants you to know that you have a rat among you,” said the man on the other line. “What, who the hell is this!” said Jackie in anger.

“It’s Salvatore Santerini. He’s the one who set you up and stole the money you all made on the drop. You’ll find the cash in a briefcase at his bookie joint, in marked bills,” said Phillips as he hung up the phone with a rotten grin.

“Steal from us Sal, and now it’s your time to take a fall,” said Phillips.

“Who the hell?” said Jackie.

As the others left, Jackie went alone to give this news to the Don. It was a cardinal sin to kill a made man without the approval of the Don. “Don Felice, I just got a tip from some guy that Salvatore was the one who stole our money. It’s apparently being held at his bookie joint in a safe.”

“That is preposterous!” said Don Felice in disgust. However, in the back of his mind he felt that Jackie was telling the truth. “Go and collect the money and when I see it before my eyes, you have my blessing to go and whack the thieving prick,” said Don Felice.

A little while later Michael heard Marianna communicate with him telepathically. “Michael San, it is Marianna, your first trial now begins. Spy on the Chinese triads and see what they are up to; they’re onto something,” Marianna ordered.

“I will,” replied Michael in his thoughts back to Marianna. His first trial had begun.

Michael jacked a motor bike on the street. As he sped off to Chinatown in the eastern part of the flower district, he flew up to the top of a pagoda rooftop and surveyed the street for triads. His vampiric sight was sharp as an eagle’s eye in the dark. Looking down at the lantern-covered streets of Chinatown he spotted two triad members taking a group of European men into a large Chinese restaurant. He followed his quarry by teleporting onto the roof of the building the men had gone into, opening a small window, then snuck in and blended into the shadows where no one could see him. He listened to the conversation. He also saw that they were speaking to a man in black robe with an ensign medallion of some kind. “It’s time that we comrades and members of the Orient crush the Italians and bring this city to its knees,” said a haughty Russian man with a red beard and dark glasses, slamming his fist against the table. This man also wore a pin with the same ensign medallion as the man in the cloak.

“I agree, the Italians have ruined profits for our people with their quarreling. Let’s join together in eliminating them,” said one of the triad men.

The man in the black cloak began to wickedly mock them. “You fools; you wish to defeat your enemies with toys. I can show you true power and more, if you wish.”

“How so?” asked a triad leader. The man in the cloak slid the triad leader on the table a file folder. The triad leader reviewed the documents inside, nodding and showing it to the Russian mobsters.

“You see, gentlemen, the weapons we can supply to you are vast, beyond what you are using now, even more advanced than the new weapon shipments Franco Scarfo is moving through this city,” said the man in the black cloak.

“What guarantee do you have for our organizations?” asked one of the Russian gang leaders.

The man in the black cloak threw out a pendant of the symbol of the organization that he worked for.

“So the legend is true,” said one of the triad leaders. The man in the black cloak removed his hood. He was a young man with a scar down the right side of his face, with blonde hair and green eyes; he looked both handsome and evil.

“Alazar Desbode,” said the men in great surprise.

“The legends are indeed true, my friends. The Dark Society does exist, and the wicked man does prosper. Do not be frightened. I have come to give you power beyond your wildest dreams, and with your contacts you will become a great advantage to our organization. The documents that you have seen here are the latest reports from our research team in bio arms defense, and are deadlier than the black plague and the Ebola virus combined, with enough force to kill millions instantly. Imagine gentlemen, such power beyond your wildest imaginings, firepower that you’ll each receive by joining us.”

They men were all shocked. “In return, all we ask for is your loyalty and your souls.” Alazar Desbode laughed wickedly as he pulled an orb from his pocket. It was glowing with red fire and blood.

“He is insane,” one of them muttered.

“No! You will live forever and more,” said Alazar Desbode. They all nodded. “Touch the orb and the pact will be made. Once made it can’t be broken.”

They all touched the orb at once and it erupted with red, hot light that moved into them and pulled out their souls, trapping their souls for all eternity within the orb. They men screamed in pain, then fell to the ground and slowly rose. Part of the agreement was that they would still live but not be fully human.

Michael teleported to Lord Julius Zoratus’s chambers to report on what he had seen. He had never witnessed anything so terrifying in all his life, even though he himself was no longer mortal. “So you say that this man, this Alazar Desbode, took the souls of those men?” asked Lord Zoratus. “Julius, I saw it with my own eyes. You have to tell me what is going on; what is this Dark Society?” demanded Michael.

“In time,” said Zoratus looking out the window at the stars. “For now Michael, you have proven yourself worthy in passing the first trial.”

“I hate it that you’re hiding something from me,” said Michael.

“Young vampire, it is not time; you’re not yet ready.”

“What is the next trial then?” asked Michael. “To find the location of these biological weapons and steal us a sample of the technology. My great grand-daughter will help you on this one.” “When do I begin?”

“Tomorrow night after sunset. Now leave me,” said Lord Zoratus firmly.

After Michael left, Lord Zoratus called the members of the Coven into his office. They all sat as they heard their lord speak. “It’s as we have suspected. Reynard Desbode’s son is here and is moving in with the different criminal rings in the city. I do not doubt that the Dark Society has grown and that they have been developing new weapons,” said Lord Zoratus.

“My lord, how can we fight our enemy against such power? Our technology is constantly competing with theirs,” said Scarlet.

“My daughter, you and your sister Marianna must have faith in the gifts and wisdom that God has given us.”

“But father, with due respect.” Marianna agreed with her younger sister.

“Hush daughter; is it not God who has helped keep us alive all these centuries, and was it not God who gave us the spiritual insight and divine secrets to see into the hearts of this enemy? We must all keep our faith in God, despite what we are. The promise that was made to us will come to pass.”

“But how?” Marianna asked.

“When our ancient enemy’s evil empire is destroyed, then and only then we will be granted back our humanity and mortality,” said Lord Zoratus.

“Until then we must be patient and wait,” said Marko, who agreed with his brother.

Michael got a call from Phillips; “Yes,” said Michael over his cell.

“Michael! Thank God! It’s Rodney. I need your help! They’ve taken me hostage,” said Phillips in a panic.

“Who!” Michael exclaimed.

“The terrorists we caught; one of their cells captured me and they’re holding me in the warehouse district but…MMMMMM!” muffled Phillips. Michael heard a struggle occurring in the background and the phone went dead. He turned his car around, racing to rescue his old partner in the warehouse district. Michael was able to trace the call from to an abandoned fireworks warehouse. Hopping out of the car he headed to the back of the building. Armed with a 357 magnum pistol, he kicked open the door and looked around the room. The place was dark. Michael felt uneasy. As he crept into the warehouse a dark figure bashed him over the head with a bat, knocking him out.