Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 99

Jack dumped the bag on the edge of the bed. He retrieved two daggers from it and handed one to Silver. He remembered how Silver had told him to kill them: a silver blade through the heart. "You get this one," he said. "I'll go across the hallway."

Silver moved closer to the pitiful creature. She held the dagger in both hands, but she didn't raise it. Her wide eyes flickered over to him. "Can I talk to you for a second? Over here?" She pulled him to the far off corner and shook her head. "I can't do it. No way. I can't. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about? You're a hunter. You were trained to do this kind of stuff."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I suck souls out. It's easy and humane. I've never stabbed anything before, and I just can't do it."

Jack set his dagger aside and cupped her face between his hands. His fingers buried themselves in her hair, and he stroked her scalp with a soothing motion. "This was your idea."

"I know." Her eyes calmed down a bit, and they silently pleaded for his understanding. "I'm sorry. I can't do it."

"Look at her." He put an arm around Silver and gently led her back to the bed. "She's in pain. Believe me, she wants you to do this. Look into her eyes. She's begging us to release her."

Silver got closer to the wraith. She rested a hand on the thing's arm and looked into its eyes. Her lower lip quivered. "You're right. I'll do it."

She was trying hard to be brave, and it made Jack feel horrible for pushing her. He shook his head slowly and said, "You don't have to. If you really don't want to, I can do it."

"We don't know how many of them there are, and we don't know how long it will take to get out of here. If Jersey can somehow feel their loss, he could race home to get us." She forced a smile. "It's okay. I'm fine now. Go. Do your wraith and then move onto the next."

Jack crossed to his dagger, grabbed it, and went to the room across the hall. Without giving himself time to think about it, he went straight to the wraith and lifted the dagger high above its chest. He didn't want to meet its eyes just in case this one didn't want to die. Holding his breath, he plunged the dagger through its heart.

Blood pooled around the blade. There wasn't that much, a lot less than he'd expected. A blue light shot out of the body. He jumped backwards, fearing the wraith had escaped and would kill him. The light went through the ceiling and disappeared.

For a moment Jack stood over the decaying body, stunned by what he'd seen. He heard Silver go into the next room. The sound spurred him to hurry to his second wraith. He had no idea how many wraiths Jersey actually had. Killing them all could take a while.

As it turned out there were at least a dozen. Jack lost count. By the time they were done, they looked and felt like they'd been living in a war-zone. Jack took the b.l.o.o.d.y dagger from Silver's limp fingers and returned it to the duffel bag.

"Now we just need to find our way out of here," he said.

Silver tried to smile. It didn't reach her eyes. Jack wanted to kick himself for making her kill the wraiths. He should have done it himself even if it took an entire day. He slid an arm around her and pulled her close. They searched for the exit while he held her tight.

It took nearly an hour for them to find the main hallway with the stairs leading out. Jack had started to think they wouldn't be able to escape before Jersey returned home. He swept an arm toward the stairs. "Ladies first."

"You two aren't going anywhere."

Jack and Silver stiffened. They slowly revolved. It was Jersey's a.s.sistant Pagan, and she had the biggest sword that Jack had ever seen. Legs spread wide in a fighting stance, she wielded the sword like an expert. This obviously wasn't the first time she'd used it.

Jack spoke out the side of his mouth to Silver. "Get up the stairs as fast as you can. I'll take care of her. Run. Now!"

Pagan came at him. She lunged to the right with her sword before swinging to the left with all her might. Jack ducked. He shoved her, hands flat against her back. She flew in the opposite direction. It gave Jack time to grab a weapon. Going to his knees, he jerked the zipper on the duffel bag open and pulled out a b.l.o.o.d.y dagger.

Pagan returned. She tried a different tactic this time. She stabbed at him with the end of the sword. He easily deflected it with the short blade in his hand. Metal clanged against metal as they fought. She tried to drive him backwards, trapping him in the corner, but he wouldn't allow it.

Jack pressed forward.

Pagan lifted her sword higher. She brought it down hard, trying to split his head open. Jack dove sideways. His head hit the wall instead, rattling his teeth. He went down hard. For a moment he couldn't think straight, and he almost blacked out.

It would take a few seconds to recover. He suspected Pagan wouldn't give him the time. Any second he expected to feel the sword cutting through his flesh. He hoped Silver got away. At least she would be safe... but Silver hadn't left.

She was there in a flash, stepping between him and the sword, the second dagger in her hand. She jumped into the fight without hesitation. Her feet moved like a professional fencer. No doubt she'd been professionally trained. It was too bad she was half the size of her opponent.

Jack cringed every time Pagan's sword got close to its target. He reminded himself that Silver was a trained fighter, but that didn't make him feel any better. He tried to catch his breath so he could get up and help Silver. He liked the odds of two against one better than Silver working alone.

There was a horrible screech from above, the sound of a wraith returning. It distracted Silver. Her eyes went to the ceiling for a second. Had they missed one?

Pagan drove the sword through Silver's body with a hard, smooth motion. The long blade exited her back, covered in blood. Red drops dripped on the floor near Jack's leg. He watched in disbelief as Silver's body slid off the sword and crumpled on the ground. It couldn't be real. His mind screamed in vain; it wasn't real. Silver couldn't die. She couldn't leave him. He wouldn't let her.

Pagan held the blood-stained sword in her hands and flashed a vicious grin at Jack. She moved in his direction, ready to kill him too, and he was going to let her. As much as he wanted to see her lifeless body laid out next to Silver, he didn't want to face the world without the most important person in his life.

The sword flew out of Pagan's hands. It hovered in the air, held by an invisible person. Blue smoke appeared, shaped like a woman, only it wasn't a wraith, at least not anymore. This woman had a beautiful face, flowing hair, and an angelic smile.

Pagan cried out in protest, recognizing the wraith. She had probably helped Jersey hold it captive downstairs. Her legs moved to run, but she didn't get far. The wraith flattened her against the wall like a useless bug. It took the sword, twirling it in the air. The sword moved fast, drilling a hole through Pagan's gut.

Jack crawled over to Silver. He smoothed the hair back from her face and leaned forward until his damp cheek touched hers. She took his hand and held it as tight as she could. He felt the life draining from her body. There wasn't anything he could do. He was helpless.

"You're going to be okay," he said, lying to give her comfort. "It's not that bad of a wound. I've seen worse."

She tried to speak and couldn't. Blood filled her mouth, coloring her teeth. She was drowning in it. Her hand tightened painfully on his. She gasped for air. Her eyes began to glaze over.

Jack shook his head, and his vision blurred with tears. There was nothing he could do except hold her hand. He closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle.

Her hand began to burn in his.

Jack opened his eyes to find Silver's body bathed in light. The wraith (angel?) stood over her, hands stretched out. He watched in fascination as Silver's eyes focused again. A smile tilted her lips.

He moved her sweater aside and searched for the wound. The skin was smooth and blemish free. She had been healed. He pulled her to her feet and examined her closer. He wanted to thank the wraith, but he couldn't tear his eyes off Silver. She looked more beautiful to him than a thousand sunrises.

Silver turned to the wraith, awe in her voice. "You saved me."

A musical voice replied, "You saved me."

It was the wraith, the first one Silver had killed, the one she hadn't wanted to put down. Jack's arm went around Silver's waist as they watched the lady of smoke drift up through the ceiling. It was over. His nightmare had turned into a beautiful dream.

He grabbed Silver by the shoulders. "Why don't you ever listen to me? I told you to go. You almost got yourself killed trying to save me. Don't ever do that again."

She nodded, speechless. He pulled her into his arms, held her tight. He didn't want to ever let her go, which could be a problem once they got home to her father.

Glancing at her watch, she said, "You still have time to get to school in time for English."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Maybe Jersey won't suspect we let the wraiths go if you're in his cla.s.s today. Just do it, okay? And act normal."

Act normal? Moments ago she'd been dying in his arms. Now she wanted to go to school and play normal student. He wasn't sure he could do it. He wasn't that good of an actor.

On the other hand he did want to have a talk with Jersey Clifford. He hoped the man had some good answers, because Jack was deciding on whether to kill him or not. Almost losing Silver had tipped the scales in her favor. Jersey better have a great argument for sparing his life.

Chapter Twenty:.

BITE ME.

For the first time since Jack had joined the Jefferson Memorial student body, English cla.s.s dragged by at snail speed. He sat in the back row, twirling his pencil and tapping his foot beneath the desk. He wanted to explode out of his seat and demand some answers. His eyes drifted over the other students. Until they were gone he couldn't say a thing to Jersey Clifford about the wraiths.

Jersey was in rare form today. He led a fascinating discussion on their next a.s.signed book, but Jack only heard half of it. Jersey was wearing the same outfit he'd worn on Jack's first day: black trousers and turtleneck with red sneakers. His eyes rested on Jack a few times during cla.s.s. It was obvious he noticed Jack's distracted state. Maybe that was why he didn't call on Jack to answer any questions. Good thing since Jack couldn't string a coherent thought together to save his life.

The bell rang, and the students scattered. Jersey dealt with the couple who wanted to speak with him after cla.s.s. He rushed them on their way while Jack remained in his seat. Jersey closed the door and slowly revolved to face Jack, his expression wary.

"Something on your mind?" Jersey perched on the corner of his desk.

Jack took a deep breath and forged ahead, knowing Silver was going to freak out when he told her later what he'd said to the werewolf slash teacher. "You have wraiths. Why?"

An untrained eye wouldn't have noticed the change in Jersey's expression. His face froze, but Jack saw him swallow. He saw how Jersey tried hard to maintain a blank stare. There was a sliver of fear deep in his eyes. Then Jersey's mouth slightly lifted at the ends. "You've been to my house again?"

"I found your real home this time. A house beneath a house. Clever. That junky place you claim to live in was a disappointment. I was almost glad to see you have a mansion underneath it."

"It suits me, don't you think? Originally I'd wanted to build a castle, but I decided gray stone walls would be too ostentatious."

Jack got up, leaving his notebook and pencil on the desk. Instead of the detailed notes he usually took in cla.s.s, the top of the page was covered in doodles. He moved closer to Jersey even though his well-honed survival instinct told him to keep several desks between them.

"Let's talk about the wraiths," Jack said. "They used to be women. Now they writhe around in pain all day, and they're slaves at night. How do you justify what you did to them? Can you?"

Jersey had the audacity to laugh. If that wasn't bad enough, he spoke to Jack like he was talking to a five-year-old. "I am a werewolf, son. What did you expect to find in my home? Tea and cookies?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "Oh, Jack, you have to understand my position here. I have an important destiny to fulfill."

"You actually want to build an army and start a war. Don't you?"

"Look around you. The earth is a mess. Humans are worse than animals. They run around grabbing greedily at everything they can get their hands on and crawling over each other to get ahead. They kill and maim without reason or thought, all the while believing they are at the top of the food-chain. It's time for someone to show them the light."

There was a touch of insanity in Jersey's eyes, and Jack wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Jack said, "Humans aren't perfect. Some of them might be greedy and psychotic, but others are compa.s.sionate and loving and gentle and-."

Jersey made a rude noise, interrupting Jack's list.

Jack added, "I won't let you start a war."

"Of course not. It's your destiny to try to stop me, but you will fail." Jersey went to the chalkboard and began to erase it. "You cannot stop me because I am not of this world."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Haven't you guessed? I'm not your typical werewolf." Jersey turned and posed, reminding Jack of some ancient Greek statue. "I was originally an angel."

Jack blinked. "I read Lovely's diary. She created you, cursed you so she wouldn't have to choose between you and the other guy. You admitted that yourself."

"I was never from this world, Jack. It took me a while to figure it out. Lovely cursed me, changed me, but I am an angel sent to Earth to destroy the human race."

He really was insane. Certifiable didn't cover it. Jack felt a strong headache coming on, starting at the back of his brain and working its way forward. He decided to try to reason with Jersey. If that didn't work, he would try humoring him. "Why would you want to wipe out humans? And what makes you think you're an angel?"

"Of course I'm an angel. I realized it after I killed my wife. I threw myself off a cliff, smashed my body on the rocks below, but I didn't die. I realized then that I was immortal." Jersey dropped the eraser and jumped up on the desk with a great leap. He stood, arms out, like a surfer riding a gnarly wave. "Humans are evil. They are frail and useless. I am perfect, strong, and good."

Jersey pinned Jack with a hard stare. "That is why they must die. All of them."

"You aren't an angel. You're a werewolf."

"It is your lot in life to disbelieve." Jersey climbed off the desk, a sober expression on his face. "That's okay. I cannot prove I'm an angel because my wings were taken. Once I complete my mission, destroy the humans and take the world, I will soar above the clouds again. Have patience, and I might allow you to live long enough to see it."

"I was a vampire," Jack said. "If there are vampires, there are werewolves. How do you reconcile your angel story with that? Am I an angel? Do you think the crazy janitor is an angel?"

"Don't be childish about this, Jack. I am the only angel on this planet. Vampires and werewolves are simply monsters. They have been cursed because of their many sins. It's another sign of the end." He smiled at Jack's shocked expression. "I guess I shouldn't have told you the truth. I thought you would understand, but it is too much for you to handle. Forget I said anything."

Right. Jack slowly backed away from the teacher. Poor Jersey had gone crazy after killing his wife and discovering he was a monster. He had tried to commit suicide but found he was immortal. The only way he could live with the curse was to come up with this incredible angel story to give himself a purpose.

There was no longer any question as to what Jack would do with the rock. He desperately wanted to kill the werewolf janitor. He wanted to kill the monster for his mom and dad, in their memory, but he didn't have a choice. If Jersey was allowed to live, he was going to wreak havoc on the world. The war would be beyond tragic, beyond frightening. No one could reason with his insanity.

Cowboy always said the only good werewolf is a dead werewolf, but he hadn't told Jack about the worst sort of werewolf. The worst werewolf was a crazy werewolf.

Jersey Clifford had to die.

Jack went to bed early that night.

He skipped dinner, preferring to be alone. On the ride home from school Silver had announced she was going to tell her parents about killing the wraiths. They weren't going to like it. She didn't have their permission to kill anything without them standing right there. At least she had the good sense to leave out the part about being run through with a sword. She was just giving them the bare facts. It would be enough to p.i.s.s them off and start a long argument.

Jack wanted no part of it. After the day he'd had, he wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head. He wanted to block the world out entirely. As usual, what he wanted and what he got were two different things.

When the knock came, he was lying on top of the covers, fully dressed, and playing with the magic rock. He should have turned his light off. Too late now. He glared at the door. "Come in."

Silver entered. She shut the door behind her and climbed onto the bed next to him. Once again they reclined shoulder to shoulder, her arm tucked under her head. He closed his hand around the rock and lowered it to the mattress. For a long time they stared at the ceiling in silence.

"How did English go?" she asked.

"It was okay."

"I can't stop thinking about him going home to find his a.s.sistant dead, not to mention the wraiths." She was quiet for a few seconds. "Did we do the right thing? I mean, what if he goes nuts because of what we did and takes it out on someone else? For all we know he's on a killing spree right now, or he could step up his plan to change the whole town into werewolves."

"What did your mom and dad think about it?"

Silver drummed her fingers against her sweater-covered belly. "They were not pleased. I think their reaction had more to do with me being their little girl and putting my life in danger than it had to do with possible consequences."

"You didn't tell them about Pagan and the sword, did you?"