FicWad

In A Darkened Room
By Mishi

Chapter 4
Asylum Garden


The Stack Shack was positioned between the Golden Dragon all night Chinese take-out and Mitsy’s Thrift Shop on Lynnly Avenue. Maire had been lucky, since this was just about nine blocks from her apartment building, and the bus ran a strait shot from work to home. The outside the store looked friendly and bright. The brick façade was painted bright yellow, with a soft orange trim. There were posters advertising specific book releases in the windows, and sale announcements written in colorful washable marker all around them.

The inside of the store was simple and organized to fit as much into a small space as possible. Bookshelves were lined parallel to the longest walls with isles set up in the middle and back of the store. Bookshelves also lined the walls. Each section had a large placard perched above the bookcase to identify itself. Changes in sections, or alphabetical order were recognizable by a piece of note card, which had been taped on the appropriate shelf.

There was a small office in the rear of the store, which housed one desk, two chairs, computer, printer/fax/copier combo and a filing cabinet. It was in this office that Lu spent most of his time, working on bills and payroll. There was also an employee only restroom in the back of the building, which was always kept locked.

It was turning out to be a slow day at the Shack, with over two hour passing since the last customer had entered the store. Lu was in the back fiddling with the bills like usual, while his wife, Peggy, was busy putting out the new arrivals. Typically, at times like these, Maire would take her time at making herself familiar with the new arrivals, and then read a book between customers. However, today she had made it a point to hurry through the new arrivals and hit the stacks in search of vampire lore. She had managed to find a few books in the Occult section, and she did not like what she was reading.

Vampires of folklore were evil and deadly, and it made her wonder how they had come to be so romanticized in today’s pop culture? The books she had found talked about how they would steal children for the purity of their blood, and how you were to kill them by cutting off the head and driving a wooden stake through the heart. Even that wasn’t enough to get rid of their evil; you would kill any animal you see near the vampire as it was being killed, because it might be the vampire trying to escape!

The Counter, which was were Maire was standing, was positioned about five feet from the right wall. This gave plenty of room for bags and supplies to be stored behind it. Behind her was a stool that she would normally be seated on, but at the present, she was bent over the counter with her nose in a book; she did not notice when Lu had came up behind her for a peek at what she was reading.

“Not your usual taste in entertainment, huh, Maire?” Lu said, peeking over Maire’s shoulder.

Maire jumped with and tiny, “Eep,” escaping her lips.

Lu laughed, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Lu, with his black curly short hair and brown eyes, was a big teddy bear of a man with broad shoulders and a large frame; and there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. Yet, despite his size, everything about Lu screamed, “daddy.” He was the type of person you just knew was meant to be a father. He had the presence of authority and the air of safety that just made you feel at home when he was around. His presence was in such sharp contrast to her own father’s place in her life.

“Sorry, Lu, I was just wondering what all the fascination with vampires was, and decided to look them up. You caught me in the middle of a really gruesome explanation of how to kill them,” she smiled and pushed the book way, “I think I’ve had enough of that today.”

“You mean you read all those romance novels and you don’t know what the fascination is?” He said in surprise.

“What does that have to do with it?”

“People are bored with reality, and the bad guy is the forbidden fruit for most females,” He stated matter-of-factly.

“That’s it? It’s that simple?” Maire put her hands on her hips and looked up at him.

“Yep!” Lu confirmed and made for the stacks to find Peggy, which was his original plan for coming out of the office.

Maire looked at the angle of the shadows outside the door, which told her that the sun was setting. There was a real vampire out there and she had given it her name. Worse yet, she had invited it to come looking for her. This was her mission from God? What if she wasn’t strong enough and got herself or someone else killed? “God has such a messed up sense of humor,” she murmured to herself and gathered up the books to put them away.

Peggy, a chubby woman of medium height with straight reddish-brown hair, had heard the conversation between her fellow workers, and new exactly what Maire needed to read.

“Here, try this one,” Peggy said as she emerged from the row of shelves behind Maire, “It’s the third book of the series, but she explains how her version of vampires were made in this one. I’m sure you will get some of the vampire thing if you read this series.”

Maire took the hardback from Peggy’s waiting hand. It was Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned. “You’re sure I’ll like this?”

“I love the series. Religion seems to be a running theme in her books, so I’m sure you will pick that out. After reading this, go ahead and read Interview with the Vampire.”

“Ok, since you’re so sure I’ll like it.” Peggy had always been right when it had come to romance novels, so Maire was willing to trust her on the vampire book; she just wasn’t sure if vampires could be made to look good after what she had just read.

****

As Touya waited for the sun to finish setting, he busied himself with a bit of research on his mystery lady, one Miss Maire Shannon O’Fergus. He knew where to go online to find just what he wanted. You could easily find address and phone numbers online. If you were willing to spend the money, you could get just about any amount of information on anyone you chose. Being that he wasn’t in a city with a large Irish immigrant population, Maire was a very unusual name, which stood out like a sore thumb. It had also helped that she had already told him where she worked, and were she would be this Tuesday at 10 p.m. He had an address, phone number, place of employment, her church, and choice of hospital. He was pretty certain that he had the name and address of her nearest living relative too, so if he wanted to, he could find her at just about any time of the day or night. He was not so much pleased with his work, as he was satisfied that he had all the bases covered.

Holding on to the top sheet of paper, he tossed the small notepad aside, and decided it was time to get dressed. He may not have been looking forward to what he had to do next, but he would at least get it done quickly. Knowing what he would be facing, he was careful to pick out a shirt that wasn’t one of his favorites. He chose a black cotton button down shirt that would be good for concealing stains. It was also a loose shirt, which didn’t do much for his body and made him look a bit sloppy. He picked a sturdy pair of black leather pants and a black belt to go with it. The shirt would hang loose instead of being tucked into the pants. He put on this favorite boots and his black leather coat and he was ready to head out the door.

Touya exited his apartment and walked down the narrow hallway, which lead to the stairs that would take him to the only entrance to the upper section of the building on the street; unless you wanted to count the rusting fire escape as an entrance. You could get to the storeroom that was across from his apartment via a small staircase inside the store, but Touya had never seen it. The building itself was red brick. Painted on the brick was a large caricature of the owner holding a fish in one hand and some carrots in another, and the name Tanoos’ Market written above him(this just happened to mirror the sign on the front of the building).

Stopping to get a feel for the night’s weather, he paused a moment on the gray concrete slab that lay just outside the door. The night was cool and clouding over, and he could tell there would be rain before the sun returned. With that he made up his mind to take the car. This was not a night to hunt anyway, so he wouldn’t need to track anyone on foot. His task for the evening would be a round trip for the most part, so, yes, the car would be in order.

Stepping way from the door, he walked over to a shinny new vehicle which was parked only a few feet way at the curb. The car he had fallen in love with this year was a black Mustang GT convertible. The Mustang had every conceivable extra right down to leather seats and air extractor on the hood.

He never bothered to buckle himself in, because the short sword in his coat was a problem when he did. Once in the Mustang he could put the top down and just relax, which is what he had every intention in doing. Making his way around the car, he caressed the hood lovingly with his left hand all the way from headlight to door handle. Sinking into the seat, he let himself take comfort from the smell of the fine leather and shut the door to the outside world. After a moment, he put the key in the ignition, started the car and put the top down. The CD had started instantly, and in the middle of a song, when the engine started, and he punched a button to start the song over as he put the windows down.

The song was more than appropriate for the night and how he felt. It was dark and melodious as he started on his way, winding through the city streets. He though about the blood he had taken the night before and the young woman who had been so sure of her mission as the song penetrated his ears and danced through his mind. ‘Become the devil and intoxicate the lamb. Holding your wings over your head, unfold the darkness,’ the song went on. Hadn’t he proven them all right? Hadn’t he been the devil and the demon they had mistaken him for? “Continue doing it forever, while I struggle. Don’t look back, don’t be seized with the meaning.” It had always been this way, and it would always be this way and he couldn’t stand it. This is what it would mean to accept the Nature that he so hated, to continue on in his own version of hell. He had to fight.

It had not taken long for him to reach his destination. At the corner of 89th and Hulman, he had parked the Mustang and started to head up the long driveway, which had cars lined up on both sides of its winding path to the house’s main garage. The three story House, white with black shutters and a green roof, was set back on a hill and there were lights placed here and there along the path of the driveway. There were a few lights scattered on the property as well, and people could be seen with cups in there hands as they stood talking. From this side, it looked like every light in the house was on. He wasn’t surprised at all to find all the people standing around, because they were always here. This was one house of many were vamps would gather for one reason or another. The humans here knew about their host and hostess’ dietary needs, and were quite happy to lend themselves in aid to those needs. It was how it was in this type of place.

The house opened with a decent sized foyer. Off to the left was the living room and to the right was a dinning room, and then a kitchen on the other side of it. You could hardly tell there was furniture in the home, because there were so many people standing. Just to the left of the door stood a large male vampire with dark hair and a lot of muscle. He was wearing a red and white muscle shirt and red spandex shorts. He took one look at Touya and snorted.

“Where are Lydia and Andrew, Marco?” Touya asked.

“Why, is the White Knight here to bare his sins again?” Marco laughed.

“Just take me to them.”

Marco forced a path for them to the stairs and started moving upward. There wasn’t as many people up stairs, but the hall was still crowded and the bedrooms were being used. On the top floor, there were four bedrooms and a large bathroom. Marco took Touya to the bedroom farthest to the right. Marco opened the door to a candle lit room. There was a large canopy bed in the middle of the room with several chairs and ottomans circling the bed. From the doorway, Touya could make out five figures on the bed and two more in two of the chairs. The majority of the mass on the bed seemed to be female, with the exception of one male, who he recognized as Andrew. A second glance told him that Lydia was also on the bed, but the rest of the participants he was willing to bet were human.

It was Lydia who came to the door first. “Marco, you brought me someone to play with,” she said, petting him on the arm as if he had been a dog returning a stick. “Hello, Touya.” Lydia was a beautiful woman with long golden curls that trailed down her back and a tiny waist with large breasts. The effect was tall and curvy. And like the rest of the females on the bed, she was dressed in lingerie. In her case it was a long shear pink robe with pink lace bustier and lace panties with garter and thigh high stockings.

“Hello Lydia. I need to speak with you, as well as Andrew. I’m here to turn myself in for a crime which took place last night.”

An exasperated sigh came from the direction of the bed. “Come in, Touya.”

Lydia stepped back and gave a nod to Marco, who then turned to head back down stairs. Lydia’s blue eyes sparkled as she took Touya’s hand and drew him into the room. Andrew raised himself from the bed, releasing a young blond. He was wearing dark blue silk pajama bottoms that looked black in the candlelight. Like Lydia, Andrew was also a blond, but where her hair was golden his was white and cut short and close to his head; almost like some Greek statue. He was handsome in a very manly sort of way with very square jaw and sharp facial features. His body was not overly muscular, but tight and well defined. He motioned to one of the vampires who had been waiting in the chair next to him on the right of the bed, “Take her, then take her somewhere to recover.” Then he motioned to the vampire on the left of the bed, “Take from the brunette, but the redhead stays for later.”

“Come to confess again, Touya. You know, I’m not a priest, so you really shouldn’t make this a habit.” Andrew chided.

“I broke the rules last night, so I’m here to pay the penalty and have it over with. It’s a question of honor, nothing more.” Touya responded confidently.

Andrew sat down on an ottoman in front of Touya. “Which rules should I be concerned about?”

“I fed from three men almost to the point of death and left them beaten and bloodied for a team of paramedics.”

Lydia’s eyes were wild for a moment, then she asked, “Did you cover the bite marks?”

“Yes.”

“Did you take care of their memories?” Andrew inquired.

“I did leave them with a memory, but I didn’t attempt to explain the reason they were there. I left them with fear and the knowledge that it could happen again.”

Lydia was smiling at Andrew, who had a cautious look on his face. “You tortured them?” Andrew whispered. Touya was silent. Andrew looked as if this revelation had pleased him in some way, a dark smile spreading across his lips and a wild light shining in his eyes. “Perhaps you are starting to understand that not all the humans are worth saving, yes?” When Touya did not respond, Andrew stood and took a place directly before him. Calling to one of the vampire’s in the hall, whom Touya had not noticed standing outside of the doorway, Andrew gave an order to look for news of the three men in the media.

The vampire was stopped before he turned to do his task. “I’ve already done that,” Touya admitted. “Today’s paper had an article on the men. They claim to have been attacked by a devil, and there is no accounting for their strange blood loss. All of the men had to receive transfusions for the amounts they lost.”

“No mentions of vampires then?” Lydia asked, caressing Touya’s chest as she wrapped herself around his arm.

“No,” he confirmed looking up at her.

Andrew returned to his seat on the ottoman, “Then the penalty will be a small one. You will be this evening’s entertainment.”

“What if he were to agree to be our personal entertainment for the week? I think that would be more than enough.” Lydia suggested with a smile, running her finger across Touya’s perfect lips.

Touya looked at Lydia as he took hold of her wrist. He knew what she had in mind. The couple was notorious for their sick bedroom habits. He had been lucky to walk in tonight and found things so innocent. After a moment he looked to Andrew. “She has a soft spot for you,” was all Andrew had to say about the matter.

“Thank you for your offer, but I want this over with tonight.” Touya said, trying to keep the distaste out of his words.

Just then the vampire who had been feeding from the blond on the bed had finished his meal and began making his exit with the girl in arms. The vampire had recognized Touya and stopped to show his amusement at Touya’s situation. He made sure to leave the blond exposed as much as possible so that Touya could get a good look at her drained and tired body. She would live, but it would take her days to get her strength back from the amount of blood lost. This vampire hadn’t even had the decency to cover up his bite marks. She was wearing only a thin see-through white teddy and lace panties, and he would be taking her out into the hall and then up to the third floor this way. Touya didn’t try to hide his distaste at this, and the vampire beamed as he finally took his leave of the room.

“You worry far too much for them,” Lydia assured him. “She knew what it would be like when she entered this house. It was always her choice to be here.”

“Donavan,” Andrew called out to the vamp waiting outside the doorway. The vampire entered and waited for orders. “Get Touya ready for tonight’s festivities.”

Donavan had sandy brown hair that hung down his back in a long pony tail. He wore jeans and a Slayer tee shirt. Lydia stepped back as the vamp took Touya’s arm and led him from the room. Another vamp had already been at the door to take Donavan’s place as they made their way down the hall and to the stairs. The dinning room was their destination, where Donavan would enlist the help of one other vamp, who would rally the troops while he would stand guard with Touya. When at least three other very strong vamps were gathered they made their way to the living room to clear things out of the main event.

As they waited, Touya looked around at the people, the white walls, the beige carpet, it all seemed so hopeless and dirty to him. Vampires came here to pick up what they called Pros and Groupies. Pros were a special breed of prostitute who catered to the vampire and their diet. Sex was an option, but rarely a requirement for the job. A Groupie was a human who was willing to do damn near anything to have a relationship with a vampire. The poor blond upstairs was a Groupie, who was willing to get all used up by a group of individuals who cared nothing about her.

The room was packed to full capacity, and there were those who hovered in the doorway and hallway to see what would be taking place. When Andrew and Lydia entered the room, Touya was made to strip from the waist up; his own silver short sword in Donavan’s hand. Donavan handed the sword to Andrew and pushed Touya to the floor. There was a vampire on each of Touya’s arms and both of his legs holding him down.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Andrew began, “I give you Touya. Some of you may be familiar with this young vampire and his past crimes. Tonight he is being punished for the crime of leaving inappropriate memories in his victims. Memories that could expose us to the public and end our comfortable way of life. Let this be a lesson to all of you, the rules are sacred and will be enforced to the letter!” Drawing attention to the sword, he continued, “This weapon is made of silver.”

Silver will burn and irritate the skin of a vampire if they are exposed to it, and just as with a demon, a silver cut will boil and refuse to heal. With this knowledge Andrew used the sword to make tiny, slow cuts into Touya’s back. The pain was unbearable. Touya stared at his captors with ice blue eyes and fangs bared, but he fought himself to keep his body as still as possible.

When Touya’s back was nothing but a bloodied mess, Andrew kicked him and laughed, “Next time, run; at least give me the pleasure of hunting you.” To a dark headed female vampire, who had been standing near by, he said, “Take him up stair and clean him up. I want him out of hear as soon as possible.”

The female was carrying a white towel with her, which she put on his back to catch the blood. She pat the towel against him, and then gathered his thing as he tried to climb to his feet. People cleared the way for them as they left the room and took to the stairs. Touya was clinging to the railing as they worked their way upward.

The upstairs bathroom was huge. Decorated in Blue and white, there was marble and dark wood everywhere. There was a large tube with a duel shower head, one at each end of the tub. The sink and counters ran the length of the opposite wall with the toilet in the middle at the far end; leaving a lot of floor space.

The female set Touya on the commode and his clothes on the counter, and then turned to close and lock the door.

“Thank you, Jacqueline.” Touya said his voice low and ragged.

“I’ll do what I can for you.” She replied, opening a cabinet that stood between the wall closest to the door and the tub. Taking out a fluffy blue wash cloth, she turned on the sink and got the water nice and warm. “Let me take this off and look at your back.” Taking the towel off was a sticky mess, but it looked like the bleeding had slowed. “You’re healing already! That’s so strange. Have you done some strange thing that you want to share with the rest of us?” She questioned with curious eyes.

“I just ate too much last night, that’s all.” Touya answered looking at the floor. He was sure that the power that had healed him the night before was still at work somehow.

“Okay, I’ll take your word for that.” Jacqueline started washing the blood from his back as carefully as she could. The silence was thick in the room and too much for Jacqueline to deal with. “Would you like to talk to me about last night? I know you normally take great care with your victims, so something must be troubling you.”

“It was a bad night and I was angry. I lost control.” He explained through clinched teeth. “Damn, that hurts like hell!”

She smiled, “Sorry, I’ll try to be gentler.”

He shook his head, “I’m sure it’s not you. It’s my own fault for having silver so fucking handy.”

“You know, you could just stop hunting. You really are one of the few who still bothers. You could just use one of the Pros or Groupies.”

“I don’t feel the need to pay for my food, and Groupies are not worth the trouble. Both parties are a lot of upkeep and trouble. Hunting is easier.”

“Could it be that you just don’t like the relationship part of it?”

He sat up a little straighter, “I don’t have anything against relationships; I just don’t see the point in leeching off people until there’s nothing left of them. There’s no good to come of it, because it only hurts the human involved.”

“Well, your back is as good as I can get it.” Jacqueline announced, tossing the wash cloth into the sink.

“Thank you.” He looked up at her.

Jacqueline placed herself on her knees in front of him. “You would heal quicker if you had my blood.” Touya studied her for a moment and tried to refuse. “You will be in pain for days, why be so stubborn when all you have to do is take what I am willing to give you? Don’t you like me, Touya?”

Jacqueline had black hair that hung just beneath her earlobes with short fringe in front. She had a small nose and pouty lips, with long lashes and green eyes. She was the same height as Touya, with a slender form. Her black spaghetti strap shirt drew his attention to her breasts, which were just the right size for her frame. “You’re very attractive, Jacqueline, and you don’t need me to tell you that.” He said in a deadly serious voice.

Without a word she took her shirt off and tossed it aside. Lifting herself to his lips, she kissed him. He stared at her, his face showing nothing. “Take what I’m offering you. I’m not trying to trap you, or fool you in any way; I just want the feel of your body on mine, is that so wrong?”

She kissed him again, and he hesitated for a moment before closing his eyes and giving into her. Wrapping one arm around her back, he lowered her to the floor and kissed her with greater passion. She opened her legs to him, and he settled there between them. Her hands tangled in his hair, while she fought the urge to run them over his back. Then he kissed along her neck before sinking his fangs into her soft skin. As they sunk into her flesh, Jacqueline let out a sigh of pleasure. She was enjoying it immensely as he sucked and rocked against her body.

Jacqueline’s hand slid down Touya’s body and began working with his belt. Not wanting to go that far, Touya grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head. He sucked even harder and Jacqueline moaned beneath him. The harder he sucked, the more she moaned. On and on his body rocked against hers until she shuttered and cried out.

He kissed her gently, and reached for her top. “Now you’ll have to find something more to eat.” Touya smiled, noticing that he had taken quite a bit of blood.

“I don’t mind. I’m sure I’ll find a groupie, who will be willing to help me out. It was so worth it.” She smiled back.

He put on his shirt with a wince from the pain, but most of the cuts were closed now. They would all be closed by tomorrow, for sure.

“If you ever want to give into some good old fashioned lust, just let me know,” she told him still smiling. She ran her hands over his now clothed chest.

He took her hands and kissed her wrists, “I’ll keep that in mind.” He left as she stayed to clean the room.