Vampire Shift

Locking the station door behind me, I went back around the front desk to the office. Going to the grate that Luke told me led beneath ground, I stood and looked at it. I could see that the hatch had been fastened with a rusty-looking padlock. Was there really another world on the other side of it? A world thousands of years old where these Vampyrus lived in the utter darkness of caves and caverns?

Stepping away, I saw something glint on the floor just beside the hatch. Bending down, I picked up something small and silver. Half expecting to find another small crucifix, the hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end as I looked at the tiny silver pair of metal wings in my hand. My skin flushed cold as I realised where I'd seen that little parachute regiment tiepin before. It had belonged to the old man that I'd met in the street the day before - the old man that now lay dead and mutilated beyond recognition in the field.

But how had it ended up in the police station, just outside the hatch that I had been told led to The Hollows? It was then that I realised what it had been that had been missing when I'd examined the body - the tiepin. But how then had it ended up here? Who had brought it to the station and why? Knowing that the four creatures who'd butchered that poor man had all been Vampyrus - my list of suspects wasn't very long.

Then almost stumbling up the corridor, my heart racing in my chest and my stomach clenching, the final missing pictures of that crime scene fitted into place. Not only had the old man's tiepin been missing, so had his walking cane, the one I'd seen him carrying the day before. But why would anyone what to take that? They would've only taken the walking stick if they had needed it to help them...walk!

"The footprints! How could you not have seen it, Kiera?" I shouted at myself. That's what was so odd about them. The right footprint of the fourth person present was different because he had been limping!

Then hitting me like a flashback, I remembered all those times I'd seen Sergeant Murphy walking about the office with his right hip sloped down as if he were limping. Feeling as if I were going to collapse, I gripped the wall. I felt panicked - scared. Would Murphy suspect that I knew - and what would he do to me if he did? The same as he'd done to the other cops who had been posted here.

Spinning round as if almost dazed, I knew that I had to get as far away as possible from the station - from The Ragged Cove. But how was I to escape and where was I to go? I had no car, the roads were blocked. The phones didn't work so I couldn't even make contact with the outside world and let them know what was happening. The only place I could go was back to the Inn - and lock all the windows and doors - as Potter had said.

But what about him? Had he taken part in the killings? Then my mind turned to Luke - locked beneath that hatch. Was he like them too - just a killer? My head wasn't sure but my heart told me no. He had saved me. He'd had plenty of opportunities to kill me if he'd really wanted to - but he hadn't. And I didn't care what Potter had insinuated about him, I knew that Luke had feelings for me. Admittedly last night had been weird - but it had been magical, too. I'd never felt before like I had with Luke, wrapped inside his wings, my head rested against his chest. The touch of his lips against mine and the way he had looked into my eyes - as if he were looking into my soul.

But Luke wasn't going to save me now. I would have to do that myself. Without a way out of The Ragged Cove, I would have to stay and fight. But to do that, I would need as much information as possible about the vampires that had infested the town and the Vampyrus that worked the vampire shift.

Hurrying around the station - not knowing how long I had before Murphy and Potter returned, I pulled open desk drawers and filing cabinets. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but my instincts told me I would know when I found it. I didn't have to wait long; pulling open a set of drawers beneath Sergeant Murphy's desk, I found a bunch of brown cardboard files. Taking them out and placing them on the desk, I thumbed through them. The first had the name 'Police Constable Cooper' typed across the front. Opening it, I found a small picture of a police officer stapled to the paperwork inside. There were some reports and notes written about his service history, but at the back I discovered another sheet of paper that had 'MISSING' stamped across it in blood-red letters.

Opening another, I found the same written about an officer named 'Police Constable Munro.' Again he had been reported missing. Another folder entitled 'Police Constable Ford' contained a picture, and looking at it, I thought I recognised him - but from where? Then, dropping the file as if it had stung me, I realised I had been looking at the human face of the vampire that had attacked me last night, the one in the tattered police uniform.

Gathering the files together, I was just about to put them back where I'd found them, when I saw a folder with 'Police Constable Reeves' written across the front. Picking it up, I opened the folder expecting to find a picture, reports and service record. But to my surprise, the file was empty. I placed the folders back in Murphy's drawer, exactly as I'd found them.

Turning around, I crossed the office to a set of beat-up looking filling cabinets. Opening them, I found another set of folders, but these were red in colour. Taking out the first, I opened it to find a series of disturbing photos of a woman whose throat had been shredded. She lay sprawled in a ditch, her hair splayed across her face, eyes open and staring up into the camera lens as if posing for some grotesque picture. In the file, I found some brief detail about her, like her name, address, and date of birth. Also recorded was the date and location of her death. The next file contained photos of another murdered victim. This one male, thirty-four-years-old. Again I noted the date and the location of the murder. There were twenty-three files in all, too many for me to read thoroughly. So taking a piece of note paper from a nearby desk, I scribbled down the date of death for each victim and the location their body had been discovered. Placing the folders back into the filing cabinet, I folded the piece of paper, along with the map, and placed them both into my coat pocket.

Heading back down the corridor, I went to the female locker room. It was more of a cupboard really as it only had the one locker and the rest of the space was filled with old bikes and other bits of lost property. Reaching into my locker to make sure I'd left nothing behind, as I had no intention of coming back here, I checked each shelf. Then as I stretched my fingers into the furthest corners, I felt something. Pulling it out, I could see that it was a hairbrush. Knowing that it didn't belong to me, I tossed it back onto the shelf, guessing that it had been left behind by a previous female officer based at the station.

Turning away, I suddenly stopped. Taking hold of the hairbrush again, I held it up into the light and inspected it. The brush had several blonde hairs snagged around its bristles. Using my fingernails like a set of tweezers, I removed one of the hairs. Looking at it closely, I could see that just like the hair I'd found in the hand of Henry Blake, the hair had been dyed peroxide blonde and there was about half an inch of black hair leading from the root.

There was a noise. My heart leapt into my throat and I froze. Fearing that Murphy and Potter had returned, I put the hairbrush back where I'd found it, and tiptoed towards the locker room door. Closing it over, leaving just a gap for me to spy through, I looked back down the corridor.

The noise came again, but it wasn't coming from the office - it was closer than that. Pressing my ear to the gap, I listened. The noise sounded like metal clicking, similar to a lock being unpicked. Staring back through the gap again, I could see that it was the padlock on the hatch where the noise was coming from. Then it jiggled back and forth, making a clunking noise, as if it was being picked open from the other side. Then with a clink it fell away from the hatch.

Spying from my hiding place, I watched the hatch swing up and open. There was a sound like a rush of air, as Chief Inspector Rom climbed out and into the corridor. He was naked to the waist, and from his back protruded a set of prehistoric looking wings. A see-through looking membrane hung from beneath them. His silver hair was swept back from his forehead and he looked up and down the corridor - as if checking to see if the coast was clear. Once he was content that he was alone, he looked back into the hole and said, "C'mon, climb up."

Then looking in my direction, he held his hand up to whoever was about to appear from the hole, and said, "Wait a minute." Taking several powerful strides, Rom came towards the female locker room. Had he seen me? Sensed me? I didn't know, but I had to hide. Glancing around the locker room, I spied the open door of my empty locker and ran towards it. Diving inside, I pulled the door shut as Rom strode into the locker room.

With my heart racing so loud and fast I thought he would hear it, I held my breath. From the other side of the locker door, I could hear the sound of footsteps crossing the room. Then he stopped, and I didn't know why. Wishing that I was someplace else, I closed my eyes, and willed him to go away.

Please! I screamed inside my head. Please don't look inside the locker!

Then the sound of his footsteps coming closer.

Please no! I begged.

Closer still. My heart was thumping as I held my breath. The door rattled as he took hold of the handle on the other side.

"Rom!" I heard another say, the voice sounding distant. "Rom!"

"I told you to wait below," Rom said, his voice sounding angry on the other side of the locker door. Then I heard the sound of his footsteps heading back across the room.

Covering my mouth with my hands, and closing my eyes, I dropped my head in relief. But I was still in trouble. I had to get out of the police station before Murphy and Potter came back and joined them. Hearing the locker room door close, I waited just to make sure that Rom had gone. When I was sure I couldn't hear him, I eased my way from the locker, being careful not to make any noise.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I crept over to the door. Placing the side of my face against it, I listened. The sound of muffled voices came from the other side. Scraping my long black hair behind my ear, I tried to make out what it was they were saying.

"Bishop has complicated matters," Rom said. "But he will be dealt with?" the other asked, pressing my ear flat against the door, hoping that I might recognise the voice. "Yes, it is in hand," Rom almost seemed to growl at the other. There was a pause, then the unknown voice said, "If she were to discover the truth - what then?" "She already knows about us," Rom said. "Not that," hissed the other. "I'm talking about if she really knew what had happened."   I've already figured it out, wise guy, I thought to myself. I know it's you who killed the boy and the old man. But then Rom said something that almost made me drop to the floor in shock.

"This Kiera can't ever find out what happened to her mother," he said.

"Leave that to me," said the other, his voice fading as they walked away down the corridor to the custody block.

Sliding to the floor and pulling my knees up beneath my chin, I sat in numb shock at what I'd just heard. It was as if I'd just woken from a deep sleep - dazed and confused. What did my mother have to do with what was taking place in The Ragged Cove? She had disappeared three years ago on her way to buy me a birthday cake, she had nothing to do with this, I told myself. Perhaps I'd misheard what had been said. But in my heart I knew that I hadn't. Why had she come to The Ragged Cove? Who had brought her here, and why? But the one thought that ate away at me more than any of the others, was: What had happened to her?

Pulling myself to my feet, I felt sick and frightened. Not for me, but for her. Where was my mother? I felt more determined than ever to uncover what was happening in The Ragged Cove - however dangerous that might be. But I knew I had little time left before the Vampyrus, the vampires, or both came for me.

Listening against the door to make sure Rom and his companion were not on the other side, I slowly turned the handle. Opening it just a fraction, I put my eye to the crack and peered out. The corridor was empty and the hatch was closed, fastened again with the rusty padlock. In the distance, I could hear the sound of voices. Opening the door another inch, I listened. It was the sound of them talking. Their voices hollow and coming from the custody block.

Sneaking from behind the door, I stepped into the corridor. With their voices fading behind me, I glanced down again at the hatch. Through its metal grating, I could see only darkness as it spiralled away into hell. Reaching the main office, I crept around the front counter, unlocked the door, and left the police station.

It had started to snow again, and with no other option but to return to the Crescent Moon Inn, I set off towards it. I just prayed that I reached it before either the vampires or Vampyrus took me.