Chapter 21: Another View to a Kill

February 1999

I remember waking intermittently to the sound of a dull roar which was loud enough so that I only thought I heard voices, which were either talking at me, or to me. I could not be sure because I kept drifting in and out of the darkness, incapable of any response. There were no dreams, no nightmares and no stimuli of any kind. I could only hear when I began to regain consciousness, and then back to darkness. There was no pain or fear, nor was there panic. It was as if I had been merely unplugged, taken out of the life I had known, and simply put into storage. However, I was able to have a few but brief bits of consciousness from time to time letting me know I was not dead. The darkness overtook me once more as the roaring noise faded away...

I woke to the sound of raindrops hitting the windowpane of the room. There was no lightning or thunder, just the silence of quiet rain and the amber light of a few candles lit. Alone and lying on a bed, I was clothed and unrestrained. I tried to stand but was so groggy that my knees buckled, causing me to hit the carpeted floor. I struggled to get up, eventually pulling myself to a standing position. The doorknob turned and two strange men walked in. The first fellow was a large, somewhat stocky and surly brute, dressed in a pair of coveralls. The second man was a thin and pale fellow, peeking out behind from the other as if he were hiding behind a large oak tree. For a few seconds, it seemed as if there were four of them and not two. My captors had kept me drugged since they took me in the hotel in Bogotá. I had no sense of the time elapsed since my capture. My body was stiff as well as weak. Slumping to the floor while leaning against the bed, thirst and hunger invaded my thoughts. Disorientation reinforced the cobwebs in my brain as well as the inability to focus my eyes. Everything was still dark and blurry as well. I looked up at them helplessly as they placed me in the chair next to the bed. “Do you think he’s awake enough yet?” asked the thin one of the other.

The other man, being the large burly fellow said in an English accent, “I don’t know, but, when he sees what the Queen has in store for him, he’ll be plenty awake, that’s for sure! Get some water for him and splash it onto his face!”

The thin man did as the other man ordered. The icy water brought me closer into consciousness. Here, I was in a strange place, inhabited by strangers, for no reason I could think of! I struggled to speak. “Where am I? Who are you and how did I get here? Why am I here?” My speech was still a bit slurred.

“Oh, this gentleman is just full of questions, now isn’t he, Moon?” asked the thin man. His accent was from the Deep South. The larger man just grunted. I rubbed my face, trying to shake of the grogginess. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked.

“You’ll see ol”chap. You just come with us, now.” The burly man said.

“My name is Leech, and this is Moon. You will get to know us well enough, soon enough I suppose. We are going to an exhibition held in your honor, but you must do exactly as we tell you to or it will be bad for you. Do you understand?”

I nodded my understanding of his instructions though I was so confused. “An exhibition by whom? Who’s doing what? Will somebody answer my questions?” I was pleading for explanations.

The thin man leaned over and whispered into my ear,

“Vampires!”

Now I had heard of vampires, even had studied the folklore, and yes, like most Americans, I had probably seen every movie Hollywood had produced concerning the subject of the undead. After all, it was research. However, Hollywood had not prepared me for this. I could not fathom the idea that such a phenomenon existed. No one had ever seen or obtained any proof. When Moon had leaned over and whispered into my ears about this, he got my attention. I was wondering if this was all a trick. I was wondering if this were only a dream.

They took me by my arms and led me as if I were under arrest down the hall and up the stairs to a large room with a set of glass doors leading out to a balcony. “I want you to stand there,” as Leech pointed to a position behind a potted tree in a corner of the room. “Don’t move from this spot for any reason! Remember, we warned you!”

Another man walked up to the other two who had just put me next to the potted tree. “Good evening. Dread is my name. I oversee security in this mansion. It is my job to ensure that all goes as planned for the Queen. She will be terribly upset if you do not obey our orders. It is my job to carry out her wishes as to what she determines your fate. You should hope that you do exactly as we tell you, so as not to incur her wrath. Or mine!” He walked away. Wow! What strange characters they have around this place!

Therefore, I stood still, and didn’t say a word. At first, I thought I was just being polite, playing along with their little charade of melodrama. However, things were about to change quickly.

I remembered seeing scenes like this in the old classic horror movies. However, this scene was different in that it was real, and I was a living spectator. Unbeknownst to me, I was in a nightmare that was just about to happen. Usually, nightmares are visual. I mean you see something that scares you and that causes you to experience fear, and thus causing the reaction. I knew that this was not a dream because you do not get chills from the extreme cold that I was beginning to feel. Maybe that coldness was how a vampire manifests its presence. Oh yes, I knew something of the vampire legends and myths. I knew a lot about the myths and legends to include the history of the basis of the vampire legends. Many legends have their basis in tales handed down through time, drawn from real life accounts which no doubt become exaggerated or embellished but that was just what they were, legends and myths, right? This was different.

I smelled strange smells that I had never experienced.

I began to hear some of the people in the room from around the corner giving salutations of great magnitude and adulation to someone I could not see. The voices of Moon, Leech and Dread, along with a few others were uttering words like “Mistress,” “Your Highness” and “My Queen.” I wanted to see who it was that deserved the throng of sycophant’s adoration, but I could not see from behind the tree. Before I was to get up the nerve to move out from behind the tree, I saw a woman in a long black dress pass in front of the tree, stop and turn to face me. Though partially hidden by the foliage in the tree, I felt as if she could see me perfectly. I wanted to see her face but before I could move to see, she turned and walked to the balcony doors.

At this time, I was more curious than afraid because I really had not grasped the situation yet. Yet all this was for my benefit in that I would learn the true nature of what I was dealing with and that I would treat it accordingly. I still did not believe that these people were vampires, or that they were really going through with the exhibition that Leech had made mention of. Nevertheless, the warnings had caused the fear to set in. I could feel the presence of fear in the room. If I did not heed the warning, this woman, as well as Dread would be more than upset with me. I guess it is bad enough to have a woman angry with you, particularly if she is very mad and wants to kill you. Most women are extremely resourceful when they set their mind to something. Then again, if she is a vampire, and she has invited you to dinner, I suppose there is no way out. She has all the weapons against which most humans, particularly men, are defenseless.

She had the air of aristocracy and her style was undeniably European. She was beautiful, tall, rich, elegant and very mysterious. The near perfect body enveloped in the black gown would have mesmerized most men. I say “near perfect” because as with most vampires, they have a few features that most mortals fear. She had long nails and I assume large teeth just to mention a few. Her dark, almost black hair covered her shoulders and hid from view any decent profile that one might hope to see. It was difficult to see but even in this light, one could tell she was pale. No, not pale ... maybe pastel was a better word.

Her skin tone was as homogenous as milk. There was absolutely no blemish on that face. With all her beauty and trappings of elegance, coupled with the knowledge of her nature, one could easily surmise that something evil and horrifying was about to take place.