Untitled - Chapter 4

Adam was a vampire. Scratch that. Adam was the vampire in Boston, despite being barely a quarter of the age and power of most in the city. He had taken his position at the top of the food chain through sheer cunning, rather than through brutality.

Despite what the books and movies might say, most vampires I've come across aren't prancing around the city in frilly period clothes and they sure as fuck don't sparkle. They are cunning, god awful ugly predators. They are to humans, what a Great White shark is to a Seal. Merciless, unrelenting, and driven by a simple instinct to feed. Now take that same Great White and give them an intellect honed over decades or even centuries. That's a real vampire.

Adam had been little more than a child when he was turned at the end of World War II. I had never heard the full story, from the horse's mouth, but some say he had spent some time in one of the camps before he got the bite.

He shuffled towards me, his long fingers twitching nervously. I knew better than to let the size fool me. Adam was dangerous. Very dangerous.

"Mr Draughn. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, the slightest tint of a german accent coloring his words.

He paced slowly, circling the two of us. His reflective eyes darted back and forth, hungrily between Eddie and myself. Once again, my mind started summoning up the shark metaphor and something instinctual in me recoiled, encouraging me to run.

Eddie, gun in hand, stood motionless. His eyes followed Adam, a slight tremble drawing at his features. Anxiously, his hand readjusted it's grip on the pistol.

"Now...tell me Jack," There was no flash of motion, no rustling of clothes, Adam moved so fast that he simply appeared less than an inch away, staring up at me from the shadowy confines of a hooded sweatshirt roughly five sizes too big. "What praytell brings you into my dominion, with a guest no less. Was I throwing a party that I was unaware of?"

Eddie looked between the two of us, and started to slowly bring the gun to bear.

"Edward, I would not do that if I were you. You are a strong witch yes, but we both know that is of little consequence if it came to a confrontation between myself and you." Adam said calmly.

He was right, as much as it pained me to say it. Eddie wouldn't stand a chance if Adam decided he wanted to drop him. I'd be hard pressed against him myself if push came to shove.

"We're looking for a missing girl." I said quietly, fighting to keep the slight tremble of fear out of my voice.

"Ah, the missing children. Yes, yes, a shame that." He took a slow step backwards, watching me. I could see the slightest glint of oversize fangs in the shadows bathing his face, speckled in what looked like rust. Adam once more opened and closed his multi knuckled fingers, and took another step back, his tiny body looking almost frail.

"You know anything about it?" I asked.

"Perhaps."

Eddie cut a quick nervous glance between me and Adam again, once more readjusting his grip on the gun.

"Perhaps? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Eddie said finally.

"It means perhaps I do, Edward, and perhaps I don't." Adam said, calmly not taking his eyes off me.

"And are you gonna tell us or what man?" Eddie asked, some of his nervousness dissipating into frustration.

Adam simply smiled.

"God damn it." Eddie muttered.

Adam laughed, a sound like hollow bones rattling against each other.

"I will tell you that these aren't the first." Adam finally said, and I could almost picture the smug look on his mishapen face beneath the hood. Everything was a power game to him, even conversation. He knew, we didn't. He had the power, and he knew it. More than that, he loved it.

"Is she alive?" I asked.

"Yes."

Adam narrowed his eyes, peering at me.

"You plan to find her don't you?"

I nodded, and in the instant I took my eyes off Adam, he was gone. Nothing stirred in the empty building, save for the rattling of the roof in a constant wind.

"I fucking hate that guy." Eddie said finally, sliding the gun into his holster.

I muttered something under my breath and turned, walking towards the door.

"Well we know she's alive." Eddie said, "Which is a start I guess."

"A small one."

Outside, the clouds had rolled in once more, leaving the moon to fight for passage through the cover. The wind was beginning to pick up, casting fine mists of snow in their wake. I slid into the the Caddy, started the engine and sat for a moment listening to it's gentle hum. Eddie slid in beside me and shook his head, dreadlocks flying.

"So what now?" Eddie asked.

"Now, we go home and get sleep."

Eddie quirked a brow.

"It's late. I'm tired. We'll pick it up tomorrow."

"You know, that girl could be dead between now and then." Eddie state, matter of fact.

"And?"

Eddie shook his head, anger touching the corners of his eyes.

"Look man, you don't do people. I get it. It's been that way since we were in the pen. Why bother to help em if you can't stand them?"

I said nothing for a moment, putting the car in drive and edging it into the snow covered street. Eddie glared, using a hand to push a few stray locks back from his face.

Well?" He asked finally.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"You know the answer." I said finally.

"You gotta get past that man." Eddie said, anger giving way to defeat.

"No. I don't."

We rode the rest of the way in silence, snow and sleet pelting the windshield. The drive to Eddie's apartment, normally, would have taken five minutes tops. Instead it took almost a half an hour of skidding and sliding to make it to the simple brick building that housed Eddie's home. He got out of the car without saying a word.
-
I drove the Boston streets in silence, my mind wandering. A girl taken, supposed murders, and nothing at the scene. What the hell was going on? What did Adam know? Better yet why the hell was he even there? He claimed dominion over Chinatown, not Southie.

I sighed, fumbling for a cigarette from the pack in my jeans. I grumbled, lighting it and took a long drag after managing to wrestled it free. Settling back in the seat, I turned the radio on, letting some classic rock station provided the soundtrack to my thoughts. It didn't add up, none of it did. It was all too...sparse on the details. Something should have shown up somewhere, a trace of blood, anything.

“Check it tomorrow, in the daylight.” I said to the empty car.