Reborn by Blood Read online

The farmwife bore a number of bruises on her bare arms and face. One eye was swollen shut and dried blood caked the skin beneath her nose and around her mouth. Her thin blouse was torn and the light blue material was long past the point of cleaning. Beth helped her to her feet and she mumbled her thanks.

  “She needs an ambulance.” Beth said with a compassion that shone in her eyes.

  “We need to clean the yard first.” I cautioned, “If an ambulance comes, then so will the police.”

  “What? Why?”

  “My blood is all over pretty much everything out there” I pointed out quietly, “Not to mention what’s in the barn.”

  She paused to consider what I had said before swearing quietly. “Fine then, I’ll drive her to the hospital and you can clean up.”

  “Or we clean up my blood and leave her here. We can call an ambulance before we go.” I said.

  “No. Not a chance. This is one of those times where you have to listen to me. It would be the wrong thing to do.” Beth said firmly, all trace of her usual good humour gone.

  “Right then, I guess I better find a mop.” I said defeated.

  I helped Beth place the woman into the car. She lay on the back seat and had the same blanket covering her that I had used earlier. I watched Beth drive down the dirt track until her car disappeared from view and then glanced around the yard.

  The sun was hidden behind some heavy gray clouds and I hoped that it would rain heavily as that would help obscure the crime scene. The other bonus of the gray clouds was that I wasn’t blinded by the sunlight.

  With nothing else to do while I waited I went back into the house and rummaged beneath the sink for some cleaning materials, then armed with some strong bleach and dishcloths I wiped down every surface in the house I could find that may have had Beth’s or mine fingerprints.

  By the time I had finished it had begun to rain and I wandered around the yard looking for patches of blood and splashing bleach over them in an effort to make them useless as evidence. Once I ran out of bleach I grabbed the broom that Beth has left in the yard and scrubbed at the stains.

  It was by no means perfect but it was all I could really do with the limited materials to hand and I had no real desire to linger overly long at the farmhouse.

  Three hours had passed before Beth returned, her little car chugging up the track and coming to a stop before the house. I waved at her and she climbed from the car to dash through the rain and into the house.

  “Everything go ok at the hospital?” I asked as I joined her.

  “Yeah, they tried to ask some questions but I just said I found her on the road. She was unconscious so couldn’t say anything different and as soon as they weren’t looking I made a run for it.”

  “So what took you so long?” I asked, “It should have taken an hour tops to drive to and from the hospital.”

  “I made a side trip.” She replied with a wide grin, “I’ve been trying out the crystal thingy that Anna gave us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I used it to find out where the package is being kept.” She said proudly.

  “Why did you do it alone? Where is it?” I asked somewhat put out that I had been left behind.

  “Not much you can do to help during the day, you’re hardly at your best are you?” Beth responded waspishly, “Besides all I had to do was drive around and use the crystal for directions. I didn’t go anywhere near the place.”

  “Ok” I said as I gave up on arguing, “Where is it then?”

  “It’s best if I show you” she laughed, “You done here?”

  “Yeah it’s as clean as it’s going to get.” I said with a last look around the yard.

  “Let’s go then,” Beth said as she led the way through the rain to the car.

  I followed along behind, heedless of the rain. It wouldn’t make much difference to my already ruined clothing. I climbed into the passenger side of the car and sat quietly as Beth started the engine.

  She glanced at me expectantly but I ignored her, she wanted me to ask more questions about where we were going so she could refuse to answer. I decided not to play and she looked away petulantly before setting off.

  Her petulance soon faded and she was back to her usual self, singing along to some mind numbing pop tune from a talentless artist chosen for her looks and ability to dance rather than talent. I did my best to ignore it and watched the city as we passed through it.

  The city centre went by in a blur of morning shoppers and people going about their day to day business. The rain hadn’t let up and I could still see fairly well behind my shades. I pulled the tattered blanket from the back seat and wrapped it around myself, conscious of my torn and bloodstained hoodie.

  We passed through the centre of Leeds and out the other side, leaving behind the shops and businesses and moving past the well tended homes of the middle class to drive slowly through the worn down housing estates of the cities poorer populace.

  Beth kept her eyes on the road and sang happily, seemingly unaware of the air of misery that seemed to blanket the whole area. The gardens were almost uniformly unkempt with long grass and weeds poking through the gates and fences of the homes.

  Bin liners full of what I could only hope to be the standard household waste were piled besides the gray bins that stood on the kerb awaiting the arrival of the bin men. Sweet wrappers and the dog waste could be frequently seen on the pavements in between the teenagers pushing prams.

  “We’re here” Beth crowed happily as she turned into a side road and let the car slow to a stop. I stared out the windscreen at the building before us and turned to a ridiculously happy looking Beth.

  “You have got to be bloody kidding.” I said as I glanced back to the abandoned church.

  Chapter 17

  The church was some nineteenth century Gothic nightmare piece straight out of any clichéd horror movie of the last two decades. It was sturdily built of yellow brick though mostly stained dark gray by the soot of a century of city life. It had a tall nave and a semi-circular chancel with north and south transepts.

  Each of the transepts had one large window above three smaller and a steep gray slated roof. Greek crosses and geometric tracery covered the building and steel panels had been bolted over the windows to protect them from vandalism. A single door beneath a stone archway was the only way into the building and the steel panel that lay on the ground beside it indicated that it had once been covered over also.

  “So Sebastian’s mirror is in there.” I said quietly.

  “As far as I know yes.” Beth said cheerfully, “I walked around the outside and from any angle the crystal points to the church.”

  “You are way too happy about it being a church, you know that right?”

  “I do yes, but it’s just perfect.” Beth squealed, “A Vampire having to go into an abandoned church to find the item for his quest.”

  “Well as long as one of us is having fun,” I said with a roll of my eyes which she ignored. “I suppose we should get this over with.”

  “Here, I got you some gloves so you don’t burn your hand again.” Beth said as she reached over to the back seat and picked up a plain white carrier bag that I hadn’t even noticed.

  “Where did you get them from?” I asked as she passed me a pair of brown leather gloves. They were a bit tight but they were better than nothing.

  “Found them in the hospital waiting room” Beth said with a grin, “The woman didn’t seem to notice me borrowing them.”

  I held back the smile that threatened to come as I realised that the young woman beside me, my best friend of many years was a thief, a liar and my defacto conscience since I didn’t have one.

  “It may be best if you stay here” I said softly, “We don’t know who or what is in there and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “Well unless the world has changed overnight, I am the only person who decides what I do mate and I am going in there with you.”

  I glanced across at he
r and saw determination and a refusal to budge. I let the smile come this time and nodded to her before taking the silver knife she passed to me.

  “Let’s finish this together then” I said.

  “Like we started it mate.” Beth agreed as she opened her door and left the safety of the car for the cool rain.

  The grounds that the church sat upon were overgrown though if ever a graveyard had been present, the remains had long since been moved. In the distance a faint rumble of thunder could be heard and the sky briefly flashed with bright white light as lightning struck somewhere nearby.

  If I hadn’t been apprehensive enough already, then I was certainly becoming so. The doorway was empty and open for anyone to wander in. I stepped cautiously beneath the archway and into the church.

  “Well that answers that question.” Beth said quietly from behind me.

  “What question?”

  “Whether or not you would burst into flames when entering a holy place.” Beth replied with a low giggle and I froze in place.

  It had never even occurred to me that a church would be dangerous for me and I frowned back at Beth. “You considered that and didn’t think it worth mentioning?”

  “You wouldn’t have just walked in here if I had told you.” Beth replied with a defiant grin and I shook my head. There was no point in arguing with her, she would never even consider that she was in the wrong. With a low muttered curse I carried on into the church.

  There was one central aisle that ran the length of the building with two narrow ones on either side. On opposite sides of the central aisle were six columns each supporting a Gothic arch. The floor was the same cold stone as the walls, worn with age and the feet of the worshippers that had once attended the church.

  The pews had long since been removed and at the opposite end of the building on a raised platform sat the altar. It looked to be made of marble and in reasonable condition but for the top surface that had been smashed into pieces at some point in the churches past, the shattered remnants lat about the floor.

  Around the altar were three sculptures set into the wall. The two to either side had been defaced and it was no longer possible to tell what they had once depicted, though the centre one was still intact. The angelic being depicted looking down upon the altar as though in contemplation, though considering the sorry state of the church it could be mistaken for sorrow.

  Dirt and stone covered the floor and a faint odour of mold lay everywhere. The only light came through the door behind me and it barely illuminated the interior. I doubted Beth could make out the two figures that stood beside the altar, though I could.

  I led the way down the central aisle, cautiously checking to either side as I walked. Beth followed behind with only the occasional curse as she stubbed her toe on some piece of debris.

  “We were expecting Sebastian.” A velvety female voice came from the figure to the left and raised a squawk of surprise from Beth.

  The woman was almost impossibly beautiful with a light auburn hair hanging straight and loose down her back. Her eyes were dark and set into a narrow face with the kind of cheekbones a model would sell her soul for. She wore an expensively tailored suit of dark material and held Sebastian’s package in one hand and a long and slim silver blade in the other.

  “You were supposed to be dead, precisely because it would force Sebastian to come to us.” The male said in a firm and commanding tone.

  He was as handsome as she was beautiful with the same auburn hair, though his was cut short and styled neatly with no doubt expensive product. He wore the same suit as his companion and it occurred to me that they were twins and the suits were an affectation to emphasise their similarities.

  “Sorry pal, I survived.” I said with as much false bravado as I could muster.

  “That is a shame” the female said, “It seems that we shall have to have words with the Wolf.”

  “Indeed we shall sister” the male agreed, “Though it does occur to me that perhaps this one has knowledge of where Sebastian may be found.”

  Two sets of eyes turned towards me and I admit to wilting slightly beneath their scrutiny and I couldn’t shake the impression that these twins were old and incredibly evil.

  “Why do you want him so badly that you have to go through all this?” I asked.

  “We have an old debt to settle with him and he has proven remarkably difficult to locate.” The male said as he stepped forward over the rubble towards me as I raised my knife towards him.

  He glanced at my silver carving knife and smiled with complete and utter contempt.

  “Back off freak” Beth said loudly and he barely slowed his stride as he turned to look at her.

  “Stay where you are and do not speak.” He commanded and I felt him using his compulsion on her. Beth stood still, mouth slightly open and knife held before her. The male of the pair smiled grimly and advanced towards me once again.

  I slashed the knife before me and he swayed out of its way, his right arm shot out and grabbed my throat and his left hand circled my wrist. He smiled a raptor smile before making a sharp gesture and snapping my wrist. I screamed and dropped the knife.

  “You are the first Vampire that Sebastian has sired in nearly a century.” The male said, “I would have expected so much more from his choice after such a long time.”

  “This one is certainly a far cry from the last one he sired.” The female agreed.

  “I certainly expected more from one who had survived the Wolf’s attack.”

  “It certainly suggests that finding answers to our questions will be easier.” The female said with a rising heat in her voice. “Bring him to the altar and let me play.”

  “No time for that sister.” The male admonished, “Your play time will have to wait.”

  The female Vampire pouted but didn’t seem inclined to argue further. The male still had my throat gripped tightly in one hand and my wrist in the other. The pain from the broken wrist was shooting up my arm.

  “Where is Sebastian?” the male said as he tightened his grip on my wrist and I screamed again.

  “I don’t know” I managed to say as he lessened his grip on my wrist. “I swear, I don’t know.”

  “What do you think sister, do we believe him?” The male asked with a raised eyebrow as he turned to look at his sister.

  Beth lashed out with her silver Cake Knife as soon as he turned away and cut deeply through the male Vampires leg. Blood sputtered from the wound along with small sparks and a wisp of smoke as the silver burned the flesh and it was his turn to scream.

  He released his hold on me as he turned to Beth in shock and I fell to the stone floor to land awkwardly on my broken wrist.

  With tears of pain blurring my vision I reached for the silver carving knife that I had dropped with my left hand as the male Vampire swayed away from another slash of Beths knife.

  He roared with rage as he stepped toward her just as I grasped the handle of the knife. I rose up behind him and stabbed the blade into his back.

  For once luck was on my side and if the blade didn’t hit his heart dead centre, it was close enough to kill the bastard. I had just enough time to hear him scream as flame burst from the wound and the male Vampire collapsed before the female reached me.

  She screamed her outrage as she picked me up and flung me across the church as though I weighed nothing. I felt the stone column as I first hit and then broke through it to land against the church wall with a thud.

  Strong hands gripped me and lifted me effortlessly from the floor. I raised my head and blinked against the stars that were currently filling my vision to find myself staring into the eyes of the female Vampire as she snarled at me.

  Small flecks of spittle flew from her mouth as she let forth a steady stream of almost incoherent curses interspersed with the name Dmitri which I could only assume belonged to her brother.

  Death was coming for me, I knew that. With the last bit of defiance I could muster I laughed at her pain and mis
ery. Her eyes widened in rage and her hands tightened their grip.

  She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out as Beth reached around and sawed the silver Cake Knife deeply into the female Vampires neck.

  Dark blood spurted as the carotid artery was severed and small sparks flared. The female Vampires eyes opened wide as she released me to clasp both her hands to the wound in an effort to staunch the blood flow.

  With a look of pure hatred the female Vampire tried to speak but every time she opened her mouth more blood spurted from the wound.

  Beth slashed the air in front of her with the silver knife and the female Vampire recoiled, she appeared frustrated at her inability to fight as her hands were still firmly pressed to her neck as the wound made by the silver knife refused to heal immediately.

  One final look that seemed to promise vengeance and then she fled and I was left lying on the floor staring up at a startled looking Beth.

  Chapter 18

  “Well that was fun” Beth said.

  “For you maybe.” I muttered.

  “You going to lie there all day?” she asked with a frown as she looked down on me.

  “I think my back is broken.” I said, “Probably happened when I went through that stone pillar.”

  “Yeah that’ll do it.” Beth agreed.

  “I don’t suppose you will lend me a bit of your blood to get me back on my feet will you?” I asked hopefully.

  “Not a chance mate. My blood is mine and mine alone. Wait here and I’ll be back in a minute.” She said and turned to run towards the front entrance before I could say anything.

  The pain from my wrist was dwarfed by that in my back and I was almost glad that I was numb from the waist down just because it left me with less body parts to feel pain from.

  My Vampiric parasite was already working on healing my body. I could feel the damage slowly starting to repair and the beginnings of the unquenchable thirst that indicated the need for more blood.

  Beth returned with the container that was still half full of blood that she had purchased at the abattoir. She crouched before me and pulled the top off before putting it to my lips. I shook my head at her.