Vacant Darkness

Liana opened her eyes, unsure at first of what had disturbed her sleep. She soon found out; the strong smell of smoke and bright orange flames surging towards her from the doorway woke her up completely. The fire seemed to be everywhere. In a panic, calling for help was her first thought, but her throat was so dry. She could barely even manage a faint scratchy whisper.

Liana quickly got up from her bed, moving as far away from the flames as she could. The heat intensified, as the fire spread throughout the room, destroying everything it touched. She forced herself to calm down and consider how she might be able to escape.

After glancing around for a brief moment, she saw the open window to her right. There weren’t’ any other options available, so she simply took a chance and ran, jumping straight through the gap. She landed on her feet with only a slight twinge to her ankle. Her eyesight was fuzzy, and she was also coughing her guts up, but at least she had made it to safety. A curious crowd had begun to gather at the scene.

From the back of an ambulance, Liana watched her home burning as if she were in a daze. The paramedic next to her, whose name tag read Jill, gave her an oxygen mask, but she pushed it away. "I don’t need that.” Jill shrugged. “You know, you’re damn lucky you got out of the house unscathed; flame burns are no joke.”

The firemen did their jobs well and within the hour had reduced the blazing fire down to smoldering ashes. Liana shivered in the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, knowing that whoever had just attempted to kill her, had no qualms about trying again. In the morning, she would draw enough money out of her bank to create another identity for herself.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this before; the child of a forbidden relationship, who would never be accepted on either side of the family tree, always needed a plan B, when things started to go wrong. Somehow, the enemy had discovered her current whereabouts. She need to get out of Summerville, ASAP.

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With her youthful looks, Liana could pass for any age between eighteen and just over twenty-five. Thanks to a good friend of her mother’s, she would have all that she required for her new life. Making people disappear was Roy’s specialty. He was loyal to the people he worked for, and he did not hesitate to lend a hand, when Liana told him she wanted his help with figuring out her next steps.

He still lived in the same house, off the beaten track, so to speak. She had already decided to change her name to Renee Parks. While Roy prepared the necessary documents at a discount charge, and sorted out some essential travel items, she headed for the bathroom.

First, she cut her long blond hair to just past her shoulders, trying to make the lengths as neat as possible; not a perfect job, but it would do. She then dyed it a medium brown. She let her natural green eyes show, instead of the blue contact lenses. She wiped off the heavy makeup and applied something a bit lighter.

Her leather jacket and torn jeans, band t-shirt and chunky boots were gone. Instead, she now wore a denim cardigan, with a maxi dress and sandals. She took out the skull piercings and slipped a simple pair of gold hoops in. A new concealer out on the market, designed specifically to cover up tattoos, worked perfectly; the transformation was complete.

Renee stayed with Roy for a few days. They shared a final meal together, telling stories about her parents Freya and James Holland. He hoped that they wouldn’t see each other again for a good long while. Roy packed her bags for her and even said yes when she asked to use one of his cars. He promised to get rid of anything that she chose not to carry with her.

When it came time to say goodbye, they hugged warmly. “Good luck kid. I don’t normally say this but call me if you get into trouble and I’ll come running.” “Sure thing.” Renee was crying as she drove away, but not once did she ever look back.

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Ravenswood was a small town, slowly getting bigger. New houses were popping up all over, as more people moved into the area. There was talk of another shopping mall and revamp of the local library. Two new parks plus additional school buildings had been put up since Renee had started living here.

She’d driven into Ravenswood on a Saturday afternoon in February. The weather was warm and sunny, with barely a cloud in the sky. She stopped at a convenience store for snacks and to ask about where she could rent a room. The lady standing behind her in the queue at the counter, was clearly eavesdropping. “Hello dear. My name is Amanda Caldwell. My husband and I have a space you could use.”

She turned around the face the friendly woman, with a smile on her face. “Thank you for that, I really appreciate the offer. I’m Renee. Are you sure?” Amanda smiled back. She looked to be in her early fifties, with a rounded figure, salt and pepper hair and bright blue eyes. “Of course. Our daughter Heather doesn’t live with us anymore. Her bedroom is now a study, but her old studio in the back garden should be suitable enough for a lodger. We keep it clean and tidy. Are you planning to stick around?”

“We’ll see how I go. What will it cost?” “Oh, I think $100 a week. We don’t actually need the money, but we’d never turn down a young person who wanted a place to stay, if only for a short amount of time.” Renee wound up getting along really well with Amanda and her husband Graham. He spent a lot of hours in his workshop, making hand carved wooden pieces.

Amanda ran a cooking class at the local community center. Renee found work in Delicacy Fashion, a store that sold handmade clothing, crafts and accessories. As the weeks went by, Renee prayed every morning when she awoke, that she had finally evaded her enemies for good. However, she knew that in the end, if she were found, it would come down to a fight to the death.

Well, she certainly wasn’t going to make it easy for them. In private, Renee did all that she could to prepare, thankful that Amanda and Graham were not the kind of people who poked their noses into someone else’s business. Her parents would never have dreamt of leaving their daughter behind, helpless and unable to defend herself; before erasing every trace of their own existence as best as they were able, Freya and James had taught her everything they thought she should know.

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Amanda’s birthday was coming up. She would be hitting the sixty milestone. She and Renee talked about it over breakfast. “I’m surprised, I really thought you were much younger than that.” Amanda chuckled. “Very kind of you to say, but I’m aware of the truth whenever I get up to start the day. Still, I am alive and healthy as a horse so I shouldn’t complain. There are those who aren’t even lucky enough to reach my age.” “True. Hey, have you noticed that Graham hasn’t been himself lately? I mean, you know him far better than I do. Is something wrong?”

A hint of sadness crept into Amanda’s voice when she replied. “I think he might have a touch of Alzheimer’s. It runs in his family. I’ve tried convincing him to make a doctor’s appointment, but he can be so stubborn. He insists that he is fine.” Renee tried to cheer her friend up, by reminding Amanda of the birthday party being held at her favorite restaurant.

The Caldwell couple knew a lot of people; even some of their relatives whom they hadn’t seen for ages, had agreed to make the trip and show up for the special occasion. Her face lit up when she talked about her daughter. “I’d like you to meet my Heather. She called me the other day, to let me know she was coming to the party.”

“You told me she was studying to become an interior designer?”

“Yes. She should have her official degree at the end of the year. She has sent me photos of some of her assignments and not to be a bragging mother or anything, but she’s got genuine talent, which I hope can land her a job within the industry.” “Cool.” “Speaking of artistic flair, I caught a glimpse of the sketchbook you left at the dining table. I believe you too have some promising skills, but I wasn’t going to look without your permission.”

Renee shook her head, a little embarrassed; she usually kept her drawings to herself, but since it was Amanda, she didn’t mind so much. “It’s fine. Feel free to look through it. I haven’t drawn or painted, not since my parents died. I used to really love it and only recently felt the urge to pick up my art tools again. It’s taken me so long to fill up that sketchbook, but now I only have one page left.” Amanda finished her coffee and stood up to put their empty cups into the sink. “I know someone who might be interested in your work.” Nothing was going to come of it; however, Renee acknowledged the well-meant gesture. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

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Friday, September the 30^th. Delgado’s Italian Cuisine was very busy that evening, but the owner himself still found the time to welcome the Caldwells and their young friend. “Happy Birthday, my dear Amanda. Nice to see you again Graham and it’s lovely to meet you, Renee. I’m Arthur. Please, let us go this way to the back, where we have everything set up in a private dining area.”

The inside of the restaurant was a mix of old and new styles, bright colors and a warm atmosphere. The food smelled great too. Renee was glad she hadn’t had too much breakfast or a big lunch earlier. All of a sudden, she stopped walking, sure that someone potentially dangerous was staring at her. Yet she couldn’t seem to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

Renee felt for the reassurance of a sharp blade, hidden in her jacket. She surveyed the room carefully, for anything that didn’t seem right. The creepy watched feeling faded. She hurried to catch up to her friends, still very uneasy, almost like she had missed something just out of reach. It continued to bother her, although she tried to hide it while she was being introduced to a group of strangers.

Renee never failed to be attentive or polite to any person she happened to speak with. They in turn, were quite charmed by the young lady whom they had heard so much about. She and Heather hit it off from the moment they shook hands. “Mum has a knack for reading people and she really likes you, so that’s a tick of approval from me as well.” “She’s an incredible woman.” “Yep.”

They found seats next to each other and kept on talking. Under different circumstances, she and Heather may have become very good friends. But her enemies were not all that picky about what they thought of as collateral damage. Losing someone who got too close to her, would hurt like hell. It just wasn’t worth the risk. So, Renee remained alone, observing the kind of life that she’d probably never get to live.

She listened to the other guests’ chatter, while dinner was being served. Occasionally she also responded to questions, with answers which weren’t true at all, but nobody else needed to know that. The food did taste absolutely delicious, and she ate enough for two people. However, her instincts had kept warning her on and off all night, that trouble was close at hand. She couldn’t just ignore it.

The lights grew dim as a huge three-tiered chocolate cake was wheeled in front of Amanda. She lifted a glass of champagne. “Thank you everyone for being here to celebrate my birthday. Here’s hoping there will be many more. I love you, have a great evening!” Renee clapped along with everyone else, catching a swift movement out of the corner of her eye.

Someone or something had followed a teenager out back, where she was most likely going to have a cigarette; Delgado’s had a no smoking policy. Renee walked calmly towards the exit. She did not want to cause a panic, besides maybe it wasn’t what she thought. Taking a deep breath, she threw the door open quick as a flash.

The man had the girl pinned to the wall and his mouth was inches from her neck. “Hey! Get off of her!” He snarled with his fangs on full display, unwilling to let his prey escape. “Why don’t you make me?” Renee stood tall, weapon in hand, a menacing glint in her glowing amber eyes. “I know it’s me that you have been ordered to kill, so leave her be.”

He shoved the girl aside and turned to face Renee. The teenager scrambled away from them and huddled in a corner, crying. He stared at the half breed female he had been stealthily tracking for the past couple of weeks. She was either very brave or extremely foolish; there was no way she would beat him. Although, he couldn’t fault her for attempting to save her own life, it was only natural.

“Do you really think someone like you can go up against a hunter?” Renee smirked, her shorter but no less lethal fangs coming out with the thought of fighting and killing a vampire for real. “Bring it on, bloodsucker!” He drew a sword from his belt. She braced herself for his attack. He tried to use his speed to blindside her, but she was easily able to block a fatal jab to her chest.

From that moment onward, there was no holding back. Their blades clashed back and forth continuously, yet it seemed that every strike made by one, was countered by the other, as if they had rehearsed this battle beforehand. They spun away from each other, then came in again, fast as anything, with more or less the same result.

It was undeniable; the two of them were evenly matched. A flicker of respect began to show in the vampire’s dark red gaze, as he realized that she might actually be a challenge to take down. Renee refused to allow her guard to slip even for a minute; one mistake and it was all over…

TO BE CONTINUED…