Under a Ghostly Moon (Jerry Moon Supernatural Thrillers Book 1) (20 page)

"
Ugh!" said Sonia, pulling a face and snuggling closer to Moon.  "I'm liking this bugger Rurik less and less."

"
Yes, Rurik was far from ‘nice’ when he was a human - but as a vampire he was a fiend from hell.  Anyway, as I was saying, this is where my chance came in.  Normally, there would be two of us to take Rurik's nightly victim to his chamber but on this night his

'
meal' was such a tiny young thing that the warrior who would normally have accompanied me suggested that I should take her up on my own, while he finished a game of chance he was playing with some of his cronies.  He thought that he was bullying me and knocking me down in the pecking order but I leapt at the chance, hoping that I might at last have an opportunity to end my thralldom.  Trembling with anticipation, I escorted the girl to Rurik's room in the main tower of the keep on my own.  Similar opportunities had occurred in the past but I had hesitated at the last minute because taking on Rurik one on one wasn't an easy prospect. I needed to somehow catch him by surprise, which was unlikely as the arsehole didn't fully trust me.

T
his night, however, I had a stroke of luck.  When I brought the girl through the door and she got her first sight of Rurik she panicked and went into a screaming frenzy.  Her struggles were so violent that she broke free of me and bolted towards the great open window that Rurik had installed as an exit for his nocturnal flights, which was the only other exit from the room.  With his transformation Rurik had developed instincts like a cat so he couldn't help but pounce after the girl and snatching her up in his mighty talons.  This was all the opportunity I needed - my sword was already in my hand, as I had carried it drawn while escorting the girl, so I moved in swiftly for a two-handed side blow and struck his ugly head from his shoulders in one swipe.  The shock of being suddenly released from the bondage of his power stunned me for several seconds. When I came round I could hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside.  I wasn’t sure whether my brethren would want to thank me or kill me for what I'd done so I barred the door from the inside.  I then quickly checked on Rurik and the girl, who were both dead; Rurik by my sword and the girl with her neck broken by the ferocity of Rurik's attack.  Thinking quickly, I sheathed my sword and wrapped Rurik’s head in a makeshift sack made from my cloak.  I then levitated as fast as my foul burden would let me, out through the window into the night.  I flew that way for several hours, heading westward towards Poland and travelled well outside of the boundaries Korj had set for us.

“
A couple of hours before dawn, I found a small cave high up in a rock face where I could hide myself throughout the day.  When I settled onto the shallow rock shelf at the front of the cave, I was alarmed to feel movement within my cloak.  When I opened it I was horrified to see that Rurik's head was still partly alive, glaring at me with utter hatred and spitting and mouthing obscenities.  I was afraid that if his head was reunited with his body all my night's good work would have been in vain so I risked detection by taking the foul thing down to the base of the cliff and burning it.  When the flesh had completely burned away I smashed up the skull with the hilt of my sword and scattered it and the ashes over an area of several kilometres.  As far as I knew that was the end of Rurik until you phoned me last night with his name on your lips, my friend."

"
So what happened to the other vampires?" asked Sonia.

"
I never returned to that area but I suppose they spread out through that part of the continent. Some of them probably established their own little princedoms, while others fell to various fates.  I'm sure that most of the vampire legends from those parts can be traced back to them… but somewhere along the way people found out how to destroy us and I suspect most of them were either despatched by the people that they had victimized for so long or fell at the mercy of the Inquisition.  I know I haven't heard too many rumours of vampires from that area in the last couple of centuries.  I suppose a few may still survive in isolation but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that my ladies and I are the last of our kind."

"
Have you any idea what Rurik's up to?" asked Moon.  "There must be some kind of plan behind his attacks on the ghosts and the way he's been manipulating people into acts of violence but none of it seems to make a lot of sense as far as I can tell."

"
I would think that he's probably building up a store of energy.  You know I was telling you about the psychic energy the girls and I receive from the audience when we perform?" Moon nodded.  "Yes, well enjoyment isn’t the only form of spiritual energy that humans produce.  Fear and violence are just as effective as a source of sustenance.  By making these unstable individuals attack people Rurik may be creating an environment in which he is able to thrive."

"
I hadn't thought of that," pondered Moon.  "But I was wondering about another possibility.  I spoke with Anna, the little ghost you met on the stairs at my place.  She told me that she didn't feel the people who died last night pass over to the other side."

Uri
's eyes widened.  "You don't mean?"

"
Yes, I think that Rurik may have consumed all their energy at the point of death.  Anna was telling me that humans work on a higher energy level than ghosts..."

"
So if he drains them as they're about to pass over he taps into a lot more power? That makes sense."

"
That's awful!" exclaimed Sonia.  "Doesn't that mean they won’t be able to move on to wherever they're meant to go?"

"
I should think so," replied Uri unhappily.  "There wouldn't be anything left of them but little ghost globes, like the ones that follow Moon around like lost sheep." He fixed his desperate eyes on Moon.  "Even if we’re not entirely clear what the bastard's up to we have to do what we can to stop him as quickly as possible.  The list of casualties is already far too high."

"
There goes our evening!" muttered Sonia ruefully.  "I suppose you want us to come back to your place and get down to this spiritual warfare training straight away."

"
Actually, no," replied Uri after a moment’s thought.  "I think we'll be safe from further assaults tonight.  This storm isn't forecast to clear up until two or three o'clock in the morning so most people won't be outside for any longer than they can help it.  It'll be better if you both get some rest after your week's work.  Then you can start the training refreshed in body, mind and spirit tomorrow night.  How about if you two come over to our place at about seven in the evening.  You can have tea with us.  It's Charli's turn to cook and she's an excellent chef.  Then we can get right down to training after tea."

Sonia sighed with relief as Moon agreed
.  "Okay, let's do it that way."

"
Fine," replied Uri rising a little unsteadily from his chair.  "Now you guys enjoy what's left of your evening and I'll wrack my memories for anything that could prove useful against Rurik."

They said their farewells and as they watched Uri make his
way unsteadily to the door.  Sonia frowned, "Is he a bit tipsy or what?"

"
Well, he
has
just sunk at least three hundred-proof double vodkas in less than an hour so I guess he could be heading that way," replied Moon.  "This Rurik business must be upsetting him more than he's willing to let on."

"
A drunken vampire… whatever next?" Sonia giggled.

"
Well hopefully, if you're ready to blow this joint..." hinted Moon, with a suggestive arch of the eyebrow.

"
Oh, yes.  Yes indeed!" replied Sonia enthusiastically, finishing her drink.  They quickly gathered their belongings and left.  A short taxi ride and a frantic race up the staircase later found them happily naked in Sonia's bed.

Moon woke at about nine the next day to the sound of two chaffinches squabbling outside the window.  The storm had spent itself during the night and it looked like a lovely morning outside.  Sonia was still asleep and he pulled himself up on his pillows so he could watch her as she snored gently. Tangled half in and half out of the bedclothes, she looked like a teenager, with her face softened by sleep and the touch of gentle sunlight muted by the red of her curtains.

It had been quite a night, he remembered
.  They had made love several times, having both removed their piercings for safety's sake, and everything had been beautiful.  As he lay there he felt a hand creep in and fondle a certain part of his anatomy.  "Sonia!" he said with mock firmness.

Sonia
's face transformed from feigned sleep to a sly grin.  "Well, if you're not interested..."

"
Who said I'm not interested?" replied Moon, faking prudishness.  "It's just that I think these things should be handled with the correct level of decorum."

"
Oh, very well," replied Sonia in a mock Victorian upper class accent.  "One would be terribly obliged if you would fuck one, Sir."

Moon
twiddled an imaginary handlebar moustache.  "Indeed, Madam, one would be only too glad to oblige."

Twenty minutes of wild sex followed, which was sadly abbreviated just short of climax when Avril banged on Sonia
's door and yelled: "Do you two perverts mind keeping the noise down in there, I've got a pounding migraine!"

"
Sorry, Avril," replied Sonia, who had been responsible for most of the noise, swiping Moon round the head for sniggering.  They finished off more quietly, Sonia obviously straining to contain her normal shrieks of ecstasy to a few muted moans and whimpers.

As they lay basking in the afterglow Moon asked: "So what do you want to do today?"

"
Don't you remember? We were going to look at Goth stuff in the market, if you're still up for it."

Moon
hit his forehead with the palm of his hand.  "Of course! I'd forgotten about that with all that's been happening.  I haven't done much writing for my article over the last couple of days either."

"
Well, this is your chance to do a bit more research for the article
and
you can help me replace that stud you ruined at the same time."

They
showered, dressed and went downstairs.  Breakfast was spoiled slightly by Avril, who sat gloomily over her cornflakes, wearing dark glasses and holding her head. 

“
Why don't you just go to bed, love?" suggested Sonia sympathetically.

"
Because it's my sodding day off and I don't intend to lose it all to a bloody headache!"

Moon regarded her with concern
.  "Have you taken any painkillers yet?" he asked.

"
No, I hate taking pills," she replied with a grimace.

"
Yeah, but they help a lot when you're feeling like crap.  What have you got in the house?"

"
Just some paracetamols."

"
Well, that's a start.  But why don't you try some ibuprofen as well." He pulled an antique enamelled pill box, which had belonged to his maternal grandmother, from his pocket.  I've a couple of four hundred mils here.  If you take one now it should kick in over the next twenty minutes then in about two hours take a couple of paracetamols.  If you feel you need it you can take the other ibuprofen two hours after that and another couple of paracetamols two hours later.  Okay?"

Avril nodded
.  "Thanks, Nursie."

"
Good.  Pills are fine as long as you keep to the rules so keep the paracetamol four hours apart and the same for the ibuprofen.  Oh, and try to have something to eat when you take the ibuprofen - it can be a bit harsh on an empty stomach."

"
God, Moon, you don't half get bossy when you've got your nurse hat on." Avril grimaced, taking one of the little pink pills and washing it down with tea.

"
Comes with the job," replied Moon with a grin.  "I'd try to grab at least an hour in a darkened room before you go out if I were you.  It should help you to get over the migraine more quickly."

"
I guess I can spare an hour out of my day off," Avril smiled wanly behind her glasses.  "No more shenanigans while I'm trying to get some rest, okay."

Sonia blushed a little
.  "Well, actually, we're off out to the market.  We’re going to pop into Dusk 'til Dawn and a few other stalls."

"
Great! It's about time Moon got some duds to go with yours.  People were beginning to call you the 'odd couple' behind your backs."

"
Ah, I wasn't thinking of buying anything," replied Moon, "just having a look for my article."

Sonia smiled knowingly at Avril as she steered Moon out of the door,
"We'll see what I can talk him into," she whispered over her shoulder.

"
What?" said Moon, who had half heard Sonia’s comment.

"
Nothing darling," replied Sonia, smiling sweetly.

The St Nicholas Market in the old Bristol Corn exchange contained a quirky variety of stalls, ranging from common bric- a-brac to specialist dealers in such things as model making and memorabilia.  There were also a number of stalls that sold an interesting selection of clothing and jewellery.  It being Saturday, the place was a-bustle with both the living and the dead and Moon was experiencing his usual difficulty with sorting out the one from the other.  Many of the stalls seemed to have at least two proprietors because their previous tenants were reluctant to relinquish the job they had loved in life, while long dead merchants in a variety of different historical garbs roamed through the crowd.

Sonia first took Moon to
look at some of the jewellery stalls, which were situated in the main hall of the Corn Exchange itself.  Moon was fascinated by the variety of novelty rings, earrings and pendants on sale and, with a bit of gentle persuasion from Sonia, he bought a silver ring with a lifelike wolf's face on it.  Moon was fond of wolves, probably because for him they represented a link with the wilderness and untamed Nature.  As a boy he had spent a couple of summers staying with one of his aunts and his cousins, who lived in a remote part of the Lake District, and he had developed a deep fondness for roaming the forests and mountains in that area.  Something about wolves reminded him of the feeling of freedom those times had given him.  Sonia broke his reverie, as he regarded the ring on his left middle finger.  "Well, that's a start.  We need to get you three or four more for you to pass for a Goth."

"
Yeah, I'd noticed that they seem to wear a lot of rings and other jewellery for some reason..."

"
Yeah, we do, don't we?" replied Sonia with a grin.  "I guess it's just another way to create an impression, like the clothes.  Plus jewellery's a very personal thing, isn't it?"

"
So it's a way of stating your individuality among a group of people who dress alike?"

"
I suppose so but less of the 'alike' thank you.  I'd have thought you'd have realised by now that most of us go out of our way to try to look different while sticking to the general Goth theme."

"
Okay, I guess you do, especially for concerts and going out, but you have to admit there's plenty of similarity as well.  A lot of you seem to go in for black or purple hair, black leather trench coats, silver jewellery, crosses and pentacles and all that kind of thing."

"
Yeah, but you could say the same about any other identifiable modern subculture from the Mormons to the Mothers' Union.  Compared to people like that I'd say we're much more distinctive and creative in the way we vary the 'uniform' to fit our individual character."

"
I think you've got me there," replied Moon.  "
And
it's a valid point to put in my article.  I'd say that from what I've seen there is a lot more individual creativity among Goths than is evident in the more conformist subcultures."

"
Glad to be of help."

"
Right," said Moon, "have you seen anything here that might replace that tiny skull of yours?"

"
What do you mean; I've got a tiny skull?" Sonia deliberately misinterpreted Moon's question.

"
You know what I mean.  That item of jewellery that got broken a week ago."

"
Oh, you mean my clit ring?" replied Sonia out loud, enjoying the obvious embarrassment her frankness caused Moon.  "Did you know the tips of your ears go red when you're embarrassed? It's sort of cute." She grinned mischievously then shook her head.  "No, I want something special to replace that.  I'm hoping I’ll see something that I like at
Dusk 'til Dawn
."

Dusk
'til Dawn Fashions was situated in the covered market behind the main Exchange building and it supplied the kind of clothing Moon had com to associate with 'on duty' Goths.  The wares displayed in the store's tiny windows were heavy on the use of velvet, satin, lace and leather, mainly in shades of black, dark purple and blood red.  There were also some interesting accessories in black latex.  "God!" said Moon.  "It looks like Lilly Munster, Morticia Addams and Elvira got together and opened a charity shop!"

"
Yeah, except for the prices," replied Sonia, pointing to a three figure price tag.  Most people only splash out occasionally for the odd item from here and make up the rest of their wardrobe through buying stuff off the high street, from real charity shops and off the web.  There's even a bit of a cross over with the high street sex shops because they do the odd nice line in corsetry.  And, of course, some people make their own costumes.  Avril's a dab hand with a sewing machine, which is great because I can't sew a button on without getting it crooked."

Moon had slipped a small notepad out of his pocket and scribbled a few notes
.  "That's something else for the article," he said appreciatively.

"
Looks like I'm writing it for you - do I get a cut?"

"
Only if you'll take it in kind," replied Moon with a wolfish grin.

"
Down boy! We can come to some arrangement about
that
later." Sonia glanced at the small items of jewellery that were arranged on red satin at the bottom of the window but nothing seemed to meet her fancy.  "They've got a bigger jewellery display inside, let's have a look."

The inside of the shop was dark and cramped
.  Most of the permanent stalls in the covered market were quite small but this one was tiny, presumably to reduce the overheads.  There were two more customers in the shop, both of whom Moon recognised from the band festival at the
Hangman's Rest
.  With the addition of Sonia and Moon and the girl behind the counter the place was crowded.  While Sonia browsed the jewellery in a glass topped display, Moon took the opportunity to talk to the assistant.  "Hi, I'm doing an article on the local Goth culture for Venue, do you mind answering a few questions?"

"
Of course not, if it means free advertising," replied the girl, who was wearing a pleasant ensemble of her own wares.  Moon found the plunging neckline of her corseted dress most alluring.

Closer examination suggested that the epithet
'girl' was a bit inappropriate; she must be at least in her late thirties.  "Are you the owner?" asked Moon.

"
Yes, along with Graham, my partner.  We take it in turns to work the counter."

"
And do you get a good level of trade here?"

"
Well, it's enough to make ends meet and with the Internet sales we do quite well."

"
So you have an online store as well?"

"
Yes.  It's quite a competitive business but we have the advantage that we make a lot of our own stuff so we have something different to offer."

"
Really?"

"
Yes, Graham makes a lot of the jewellery and I make the dresses.  We do buy in some stuff like the leather gear but not having to rely on external suppliers helps to bring the costs down.  Some of the stuff here might seem quite pricey but it's quite reasonable compared to other places.  And, of course, it’s hand made."

"
I suppose that high prices come with being part of a minority customer base," observed Moon.

"
Yes, but most of our customers wouldn't think of it that way; appearance is a big part of being a Goth."

"
Jerry, what about this one?" asked Sonia, pointing to a small silver bat-shaped stud.

"
Don't you think it's a bit spiky? Anyway, with your lower topiary I'd have thought you'd want go for something with a bit of green in it to complement the ginger."