Chapter 1
On a warm autumn evening, Lee Teadora knelt quietly beside her father’s headstone. The last rays of sun flooded the evening sky with a wondrous pallet of colors, promising a beautiful tomorrow. Brilliant orange, deep pink and purple paid homage to the day and its life’s blood...sunlight, creating a scene that could never be explained by words, caught on film or even painted by the hand of a grandmaster. And then it was gone, just like so many other things… and people in Lee’s life.
With outstretched wings, a granite sculpture of the Angel Gabriel stood sentry at the gate of WoodlawnCemetery as darkness began to reclaim its world. The shadows of the few crooked trees and countless headstones now cast an ominous scene. Just seconds earlier, Gabriel had welcomed all to the solitude of this bastion of final rest but now his shadow, driven by the setting sun, began to race across the ground like a vulture’s shadow as it swooped down to claim the dead flesh of its prey.But Lee was not frightened by the darkness or the growing shadows. It was her life now. The sun was now her enemy and she had learned to accept it, even enjoy the darkness. It’s the medium in which she lives and she bade it welcome, even though her mother had told her to beware of the creatures of the night.
Creatures of the night, Lee thought. Mother, you were always too dramatic. What would you say now, knowing that I am one of those creatures of the night?
A rustle in the crisp autumn leaves behind her brought her back to the present. In an instant her training in Karate took control. Her muscles tensed and her hands took on the posture of lethal weapons.
Lee stood quickly and spun toward the sound. Nothing. “Oh, God, Mother, now you’ve got me listening for creatures of the night.” She started down the path to her car.
“In a hurry, my dear?” The voice from behind her seemed cold and the question malevolent.
She spun to see a pale excuse of a man, his eyes dark and lifeless, his skin stretched over the boney structure of his face.
“Get lost freak. You don’t want to be messing with me.” The first rule of self defense flashed through her mind, avoid confrontations in isolated areas. She began to back away and when he didn’t follow she turned back towards the safety of her car. She came face to face with another pale creature just inches from her.
Instantly the blade of her forearm was at his larynx, intent on crushing his windpipe. Then her knee rocketed to his crotch and, without a second between motions, she turned to address the first would be attacker but he was already on her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. The startling strength of his grip first hurt her and then the reality of the situation surprised her.
“Oh, shit,” she muttered to herself. She was in a fight for her life and she knew it. She pulled out all stops using everything she had learned and even a few moves she was busy making up on the spot. She drove the heel of her hand into his chin trying to break his hold on her and when that failed she took aim at his larynx. Before she was able launched the fatal blow her arm was restrained.
She looked over her shoulder to find the one she thought she had dropped holding her arm. He flashed her a fiendish smile, his canine teeth long and sharp. “I think we’ve had just about enough of this, don’t you, my dear?”
Lee recoiled in disbelief. Vampires? Impossible! A chill shot up her spine.
“It’s a shame we have to waste this beauty’s blood, but Master wants only her heart,” the one holding her by her wrist said.
“Just a sip? What difference would it make?” the one from behind coaxed.
“Fool! The Master will know we took her sweetness, and will not be pleased. You’ve seen what he does to those who fail him.”
“I have,” he said after a short pause. “Then just take her heart and be done with it. We’ve wasted too much time chasing this one.” He snapped her arm back and grabbed her around the waist.
The attacker in front released her wrist and took a dagger from the sheath at his side. “It’s a shame not to have your blood, but the Master will reward us with many others as young and beautiful as you, my …”
“Not if I can help it, you bastard.” She twisted sideward and sent a lateral kick towards his groin but he instantly stepped out of reach with astonishing speed.
He drew his dagger back. “Nice try, Deary, but let’s stop this playing around. What do you…?” A swooshing sound from behind him cut the last word from his foul mouth. He paused as if listening and then continued. “Like I was saying, my dear, the Master will reward us well. Now this may hurt a lot, but as we say in the business, ‘That’s death’.” His evil smile exposed his razor sharp fangs. They seemed to glow in the pale yellow moonlight.
The dagger began its downward plunge, but in a blur of incredible speed it was caught by the hand of yet another stranger. Lee saw his form for only a second before she was blinded by a blast of dirt thrown in her face. Then she heard an almost inaudible pronouncement, “Free.”
“Not a drop of her blood will fall to this mortal path, but you will blend with this hallowed earth for Gabriel to watch over for an eternity.” She heard the whispered warning cut through the cold night air and suddenly the painful grip around her waist was released. Again she heard the faintest, “Free.”
Realizing she was free, Lee pulled back readying herself for another attack and blinked her eyes to clear them. For a split second she saw a shadow disappear behind a mausoleum at the edge of the cemetery. She spun around, looking for the other assailant, but he was nowhere to be seen. For a moment she relaxed her fighting posture, but her body’s natural reactions took over, and a rush of adrenalin shot through her veins. She sprinted down the path to her car and cell phone. Her heart raced uncontrollably, and anxiety flashed through her, making her mind race as quickly as her heart. A fine film of sweat instantly covered her body.
She desperately searched her pocket for her keys. When she had them in hand, she pressed the buttons until the headlights came on and the horn sounded.
Control yourself, woman. Remember your training. Panic is your worst enemy. Feel your body but maintain control. She threw the door open and hit the lock button when she was safely in the car.
She steadied her trembling fingers to press the tiny numbers of her cell phone.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
“Hello, my name is Lee Teadora and I’ve just been attacked in the WoodlawnCemetery.”
The questions and Lee’s answers rolled out in rapid fire succession.
“Are you injured?”
“NO.”
“Are you safe at this moment?”
“Yes.”
“Are the assailants still at the scene?”
“No. I think they ran off.”
“A patrol car is approaching the cemetery. Where are you?”
“I’m in the parking lot on East Avenue in a white Ford Taurus.”
“Stay in your car until the patrol car arrives. I’ve dispatched them.”
“I hear the sirens...”
“They’re at the entrance.” The 911 dispatched reassured her.
“I see them.” Lee could feel the relief wash across her body.
“They see your car.” The 911 operator said in a well trained, calm voice.
“Okay, thank you.” Lee took a deep breath, trying to stop her body from shaking.
Two officers were at her door and one displayed his badge. “Are you Lee Teadora?” he asked through the glass.
“Yes, Officer. I saw one disappear behind that mausoleum.” Lee pointed back up into the cemetery.
“Okay, Ma’am.” He turned to the other officer and barked out an order. “Ted, check out the mausoleum, and I’ll take her statement.”
Ted immediately took his revolver from its holster. With the gun in one hand and a flash light in the other he headed off towards the mausoleum.
“Ma’am, would you mind stepping out of the car please?”
“Can I see your badge again?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He held his ID close to the window allowing Lee an unobstructed view. She studied the photo ID carefully, then his face and then back again before she spoke.
“All right then,” she said as she slowly opened the door. He stepped back allowing her plenty of space.
“Could I have your full name and see some identification, please?” Lee answered his questions until he covered the basics and then his questions turned to the assault.
“What brought you here this evening?”
“I was visiting my father… well, his grave that is. Just over there.” She pointed in the direction of the gravesite.
“When did you first notice the attackers?”
“Just as I was beginning to leave I heard something, and when I turned around, there they were.”
“Did you get a good look at them?”
“Yes.”
“And what did they look like?”
“Well they… they…” Lee paused.
“Is there a problem? Did you recognize them?”
“Yes…No, I mean… I didn’t know them but… I did recognize them.” He’ll think you’re nuts, Teadora. Be careful.
“Well, which is it? Did you recognize them or not?”
Don’t go there girl, a little voice inside her head screamed, but she finally blurted out, “Yes, kinda…sorta.”
He paused before he spoke, studying her. “Have you been drinking or smoking pot this evening, Ma’am? LSD? Cocaine?”
“No, I have not and I take offense to your questions.” She tried to act insulted but she understood why he had asked. Oh crap, I know I must sound like a funny farm escapee to this guy. She gave him a sheepish smile.
“Okay,” he gave her back a skeptical glance. “So can you give me a description then?”
Lee swallowed hard. “They looked like… like… vampires.” Her voice sank and she avoided any eye contact. With a sigh her shoulders slumped, knowing how ludicrous she must have sounded.
“Vampires? You did say vampires, Ma’am?” His monotone voice cracked when he said vampires the second time.
She caught a little smile creep into his face. “Yes, you heard me, I said vampires. And I don’t see anything funny in this at all.”
“You’re sure you haven’t been drinking, Ma’am? I could test you, you know, and it’s an offense to give a false report.”
“No, I haven’t been drinking.” Her voice raised in real anger this time.
“And no drugs?” He persisted with his line of questioning.
“No! I am not drunk or stoned or anything like that. Now listen, officer. I’m not the guilty party here and I’m telling you that I was attacked by two men who appeared to look like vampires. They had sharp teeth and pale skin. They said they wanted to drink my blood and take my heart. Now what would you call creeps like that?”
“All right, now please, let’s just try to relax. Okay? I know it’s not funny and I believe that you were attacked.” The honesty in his voice helped persuade her that he was being sincere. “May I continue?”
“All right, go on,” she said reluctantly.
“There are an awful lot of freaks in this city and they all seem to come out at night. Some even dress to look like vampires. Right down to the fangs they wear. Believe me because I know. When I walked the beat at night I would run into a lot of the Vampires,” he accentuated the word vampires and continued. “Believe it or not most of them were actually okay and not out to hurt anyone but you’ll find an evil element in everything and every group. That’s life, I guess but let’s just take down the facts as they pertain to. How many were there?”
“Well, at first there were just two. They’re the ones who threatened me but later I think a third one got involved.”
“Was he a vampire too?”
“I couldn’t see his face. As soon as he arrived they threw dirt in my eyes and I couldn’t see anything for a while. Everything happened so quickly it was like a blur.”
“That’s a common feeling expressed by victims. Everything seems to blur together.”
“No, I mean it really was a blur. Their movements around me seemed incredibly fast. And they disappeared so quickly.”
“Were you hurt?”
“No.”
“Not even when they knocked you down?”
“They didn’t knock me down.”
“How did you get so dirty then? They couldn’t have thrown that much dirt in your eyes.”
Lee looked down at her clothing and saw the ‘dirt’ he was talking about. It was all over her, from head to toe, a light covering… a dusting. “Well… Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe it got scuffed up when we were struggling there on the path.” Again she pointed towards her father’s grave and the dirt path leading to it. “I don’t really know. Maybe it’s what they threw at me. All I know is that I saw the knife coming towards me, the third guy showed up, they threw dirt in my face and suddenly I was free. They actually told me I was free twice and when my eyes cleared I saw one disappear past the mausoleum.”
“You should consider yourself lucky then, Miss Teadora.”
“I do, Officer.”
“Nothing there, Jason,” Officer Ted announced when he returned from searching around the mausoleum.
“Do you think you’ll have any luck catching them, Officer?” Lee inquired hopefully.
“Probably not. Not without a good description and if I say vampires, the Captain wouldn’t even send out any detectives in the morning.”
“Vampires?” Officer Ted questioned in an amused tone.
“Just some creepy look-a-likes playing in the cemetery, Ted. Forget it.” To Lee it sounded more like an order than request.
“Got ya, Sarge.” Ted shot him a mock salute and a wink. Jason gave him the evil eye and shook his head, effectively wiping the smirk off Ted’s face. Jason turned his attention back to Lee.
Lee mouthed a ‘Thank you’ to Jason, especially when she saw the way Ted wiped the stupid smile off his face when Jason gave him ‘the look.’
Jason continued. “But without any other leads to go on I doubt that we’ll turn anything up. We’ll let you know if we find anything.”
“Thank you officers and thank you for getting here so quickly.”
“Not a problem, Miss, but may I give you a little advice?”
“Sure, I’d appreciate it.”
“It’s not safe to be walking around alone at night. You should do stuff like this in broad daylight or at least bring a friend.”
“Yep, wish I could.” She muttered.
“Pardon?” Jason asked.
“Oh, nothing. Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. May I go now?”
“Yes Ma’am. We know where to find you if we need to.”
Lee got back into her car and headed home.
Atop a hill in a distant corner of the cemetery, his back against a huge arched headstone that masked him in its shadow, the stranger sat, watching the woman that would be the savior of his kind… his people. They depended on him to protect the lineage until she, the Sacrosanct, was born. For over five hundred years he’s waited and now that she had arrived, his test had finally come.
“Be careful, my Sacrosanct. Heed the warnings of your mother, ‘Beware of the creatures of the night.’ I will not fail you as I did her, my love… no…not my love, my duty.” A slight smile of relief creased his face when Lee drove off. “And you, my Brothers, be free. You are no longer bound to this world by the chains of hell.”