Posted by The Black Knight on July 06, 2000 at 09:18:10:
Chapter 5
Greg Peterson walked toward an apartment building just outside of the city surrounding Walton State. He looked around when he heard a gust of wind from behind him.
"The wind's blowing in my face. Why would I hear wind behind me?" Greg asked himself as he turned around.
There was nothing there, but a dark parking lot and his own car.
"I must be imagining things." Greg said as he walked to the door of the building.
Twenty minutes later Greg came back out holding a red headed little girl by the arm. The girl struggled against him as he literally had to drag her toward his car.
"Come on Anna. We're going home." Greg said as he picked her up.
Anna twisted out of his arms and back down to the ground. She pulled her arm free and ran toward the car.
"Anna come back here, now." Greg shouted.
Anna stopped and turned around.
"I don't want to go with you. I want to stay here with Angie." Anna whined.
Greg lashed out without warning and slapped Anna's cheek. She cried as she fell on the hard asphalt.
"Is that anyway to treat a six year old child?" Angela asked as she stepped out of the darkness.
"She's my kid and I'll treat her anyway I like." Greg said as he raised his hand to slap Angela.
He winced as Madeline's hand clamped down on his wrist like a vice.
"Now, I can take a lot of things. Murderers, thieves, and an occasional politician or two, but there is one thing that I can't stand and that's a man who beats up little children to make himself feel good." Madeline said as she twisted his arm behind his back.
A young woman came out of the apartment building. She was the vampire that had been one of Donald's friends, Gabby.
"I'm sorry Angie. He came in and said he had a court order to take custody of Anna." Gabby said.
"I know of no such order. Would you mind taking Anna back inside, it's just about her bed time." Angela said.
Gabby put her hand on Anna's shoulder and they walked back toward the apartment building.
"You won't get away with this you know. It's a matter of public record that I got that court order. What happens when I come back with the police in the morning?" Greg asked.
Angela looked toward her building as the door closed behind Gabby and Anna. She smiled and looked up at Greg.
"Mister Peterson, what gave you the idea that you were going to live to see tomorrow morning?" Angela asked.
"You're crazy. I don't care if you're in Social Services or not, you still can't get away with murder." Greg said.
"Murder? What murder? I'm afraid that you drove your car off a bridge this afternoon on your way to deliver that court order. I'm sure that Professor Drake will be happy to testify that he never saw
you." a man's voice said from the shadows.
"Who's there." Greg said, with panic very evident in his voice.
A thin man dressed in all black stepped into the sparse light. He wore a black suit, with a black shirt, and a black cape. He had short black hair and a neatly trimmed black beard with gray scattered
through it. The minute Greg saw his dark hollow eyes he jerked back.
"Why do you still wear that thing? Cape's have been out of style for nearly a century." Madeline said.
"I like it my dear. Now, Mister Peterson, do you feel better or worse that you have seen me?" the man said.
"I'm debating that. What makes you think that you can get away with murder. Besides that even Dean Raymond saw me at the University. He is a far more credible witness than Professor Drake." Greg said.
"I'm afraid that by tomorrow morning Dean Raymond won't even remember what you look like." the man in black said.
"This is real cute Miss Sexton, but don't you think you've gone far enough. I mean trying to scare me is one thing, but getting these two side show freaks to rough me up. Don't you think that's a little
ridiculous?" Greg said.
"If you think that's ridiculous, then you're going to love this." Angela said as she stepped toward Greg.
Her thin upper lip pulled up a little. Greg jerked back as Angela's incisors lengthened to about twice their normal size and her crystal blue eyes turned brilliant red.
"Oh no, this can't be happening." Greg gasped as he pushed back against Madeline.
Madeline let out a hiss as she opened her mouth, showing her fangs.
"Can't we make a deal? I could leave the country and never bother Anna again." Greg said as Angela lay her hand on his head and tilted it.
"I've had to put up with the likes of you for eight hundred years. I've never met a man like you that didn't turn my stomach, so why would I want to make a deal with you?" Angela asked.
Greg screamed as Angela's fangs dug into his jugular vein. Luke dropped down just behind Angela.
"Stop!" Luke shouted.
"You're too late." Angela said turning around.
She paused to wipe some blood off her cheek. She smiled as she licked it off her finger.
"He's already dead." Angela said.
"How will you feel about yourself in the morning, Angie?" Luke asked.
"Does it really matter to you, son?" the man in black asked.
"Yes it does matter. I know how much she hates killing." Luke said.
"You should have thought about that before you made her a vampire. Now all we have to do is load his body into his car and find a convenient bridge to drive it off." the man in black said.
"Don't you think you've caused enough turmoil this century? We would all be better off it you hop back in your little plane and fly back to Transylvania and leave us alone." Luke said.
"But I would miss meddling in my children's lives. You do know just how much I enjoy turning yours upside down." the man in black said.
"Excuse me, but am I missing something here?" Angela asked.
"I'm sorry Angie. I forgot that you two have never met. This my father Vlad Dracula, Crown Prince of Walachia and Transylvania among other things." Luke said.
"For all practical purposes, here I am Doctor John Tepesch. In fact I have a new job teaching medieval history at Walton State University." Dracula said.
"I want you to know Matty, I blame this entire thing on you." Luke said.
"Good." Madeline said with a cute smile.
"Don't call your sister Matty, you know she hates that. I named her Mathilda for a reason." Dracula said.
"Now, I would advise you to go back inside and take care of that little girl. They will probably here tomorrow to take her to an orphanage once they find her father's body." Luke said.
Angela nodded and walked back toward her apartment.
"Now, I will let you two worry about disposing of the body." Luke said.
He flew up into the night sky leaving only Dracula and Madeline with Greg Peterson's body.
Luke walked back into his office nearly an five hours later. Charli stood at a file cabinet putting papers in a file.
"Are you still here?" Luke asked.
"Yes why?"
"Shouldn't you be home sleeping at this time of night?" Luke said.
Charli looked at her watch and smiled a little.
"It's only three o'clock. I don't have to be at work until six tomorrow night." Charli said.
"You won't do me any good asleep on the job and you have a paper due tomorrow, remember. Now go home and get some sleep. I'm not about to give you time on the job to write your paper."
"Are you sure you never spent time as a slave driver?" Charli asked.
"No, but I did spend four years fighting in the Civil War. Death and destruction have always been a good cover for us."
"Who's side were you on?" Charli asked.
"Mine." Luke said as he handed Charli her jacket.
"It's the middle of June, I hardly think I need this."
"Get out of here." Luke said.
Charli smiled as she walked toward the door.
"Charlotte, there is one more thing." Luke said.
"Charli, I like to be called Charli." Charli said.
He pulled a small jewelry box out of the inside pocket of his jacket.
"What's this?"
"I had this made for you yesterday. I stopped and picked up on my way back from Angela's apartment." Luke said.
He opened the box and Charli's eyes widened a little.
"I just met you, I can't accept any gifts."
"This is a little more important, than just a gift." Luke said as he pulled a pendant out of the box.
"That symbol on there, what did that guy call it? The crest of the House of Dracula." Charli said.
"Yes, this will protect you when I cannot." Luke said.
"That's really sweet, but I think I can take care of myself."
"Really, you didn't look like it two nights ago when I pulled Donald off of you." Luke said.
Luke pushed her long hair back and fastened clasp behind her neck. The pendant barely reached her collar.
"The chain's a little short isn't it?" Charli asked.
"Where does a vampire attack?"
"Good point." Charli laughed.
"Now go home and get some sleep before I force you to."
"What do you mean force me to. You couldn't force me to do anything." Charli said.
"You're a trusting innocent young lady with very little will power. I could make you jump out a window if I wanted to."
Charli let out a low grunt as she walked out the door. She walked down the hall and to the door.
"Make me jump out a window, hah." Charli said to herself as she pulled her car keys out of her purse.
She walked down the parking lot to her cherry red sedan. She turned around as she heard running feet behind her. A hooded man pushed her back against the side of her car. He lay a knife against her throat
and pulled her purse away from her.
"Take it. Just leave me alone." Charli said nonchalantly.
"You don't sound very scared missy." the man in the hood said.
"Should I be? All you want is my money."
"And your jewelry." he said pointing at the pendant on her collar.
"No. Take anything you want, just leave this alone." Charli said laying her hand over the pendant.
"If it's that valuable maybe I should take it." the mugger said.
He wrapped his hand around the pendant, then jerked his hand back with a cry of pain. He looked down at the crest burned into his palm. Charli smiled wickedly as he backed away.
"I don't know how you did that, but that hurt." he said.
"Guess you'll be careful what line of work you pick next time, huh?" Charli asked.
"You're a little too smug to suit me." he said.
"Well I don't exactly like being robbed, it tends to make me a little cranky."
"What does this do for you?" he asked.
Charli closed her eyes tightly and bent as he drove his knife into her stomach. Her eyes widened as he pulled the blade out and raised it to stab her again. She slid down to the asphalt, holding her hands up to
block his attack. The mugger stepped back and put his knife down. Charli lay her hand on her stomach and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Now where do you think that will get you little lady?" the mugger asked.
"A little farther than you think, my friend." Luke said as he stepped around the end of the car.
"I don't know who you are, but all you get for butting in is the same as her." the mugger said.
Luke didn't even bother to look at him, but walked toward Charli instead. The mugger pushed his knife toward Luke. Luke moved back out of the way and wrapped his arm around the mugger's throat. Charli
winced as Luke turned the muggers head until his neck snapped. Luke threw him across the parking lot and knelt beside Charli.
"How bad is it?" Charli asked.
"Pretty bad. It looks like he hit an artery."
"I was wondering why I was so dizzy." Charli said.
Luke pulled her hand back off of the wound and lay his own hand over it.
"It's really sweet, but there's nothing even you can do now." Charli said.
"I'm not going to let you die yet Charli."
His eyes turned bright red as he lay both hands over the wound in her stomach. Charli closed her eyes tightly, tilted her head back, and screamed as her stomach began to burn around the wound. She lay back
and relaxed when the pain subsided.
"What just happened?" Charli asked.
She lay her hand on her stomach and gasped when she felt no wound.
"That's something that even Van Helsing doesn't know about, Charli. You lost a lot of blood, but you should be alright if we can get you to a hospital." Luke said.
"How do you plan to do that?"
"Do you trust me?" Luke asked.
"Implicitly." Charli said with a smile.
She passed out as he picked her up off the ground. Luke nodded back toward the building then flew up into the night sky, carrying Charli with him.