George Johnson's eyes snapped wide open. He listened for a moment. Silence. He sat up in his bed and listened again. Since George hated all the rush of city life, he lived out in the country. When he wasn't working, he would spend his time watching TV or reading a book in his recliner. He didn't have any children or a wife for that matter, so he knew he was the only one in the house. However, he was expecting his parents to come visit tomorrow. But why would they be here so early? It had to be someone else.

Then he heard a loud, destructive footstep.

He listened again.

The footsteps were definitely coming from outside.

George grabbed his shotgun from the bed stand and checked to make sure it was loaded. It wasn't. Immediately, he went to his dresser and searched for some shells. He found some and loaded his gun, putting the extra ones away.

Listening again, George stood still, but he didn't hear anything this time. He went to his bedroom door and opened it slowly, aiming his shotgun. There was nothing in the hallway except for his paintings that hung on the wall and a small table supporting a flower vase containing a single black rose. He slowly walked out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him and continued down the steps into the living room.

The living room wasn't the most fashionable place, but it was a nice and cozy room with a couch, a big screen television set, bookshelves, and a fireplace. The favorite of his paintings hung above the fireplace. He cherished that painting very much and would even kill someone if it were stolen.

George stepped slowly into the living room, his senses alert. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move away from the window. Terrified, he hastily fired once at the window. Slowly, he walked to the broken window and peered out into the darkness.

There was nothing.

George's nerves were shaking. George knew he saw something, but tried to convince himself that nothing was outside. After a moment of listening to nothingness, he walked to the dining room. In the dining room there was a table that seated four people however, he rarely used the table so it was a little dusty. The grandfather clock stroked midnight. The sound of the clock made his heart hurdle a few beats, but he soon realized that it was just the clock.

The sound that came next would have made anyone's heart jump or stop. It was a violent sound, very unmistakable, and came from behind George. The wall had been destroyed. It resembled a wall that had been knocked down by a massive battery ram. Pieces of the wall were sprinkled all over the dining room, like snowflakes, with a few parts on the table. The room filled with dust as a figure wearing a brown, belted raincoat, military style - with straps on the shoulders and deep pockets - walked toward George. This figure was at least two times bigger than George was, but that didn't matter to George as he fired his gun at the mysterious figure.

The figure jerked back a little bit, but the shot didn't harm or slow the figure down.

George fired two more times with the shells, still having no effect on the approaching creature. George pulled the trigger again. Nothing happened. He had used all four of his shots. George didn't close his eyes as the creature's hand grabbed his shotgun and demolished it as if it were a twig. The expression on George's face was that of pure terror as the creature reached upward and twisted George's head off. Before the dust settled, the monster departed from the house.

---

Click, went a camera at the crime scene. The police photographer backed away from the body and took a few more pictures. The body was drenched with blood. The detective on the case was Christina Dunagan. A young and smart woman, she stood almost six feet, had short blond hair, and was thin. She was good at her job, seriously good. She had one kid, Catherine, who was a very nice girl. The detective had a history of cases investigating bomb-related incidents; she seemed obsessed because one killed her husband. However, the case she was working on now was the strangest thing she had ever seen in her life. She stood only inches away from a man whose head had been ripped off. From the information she'd been given, this man's name was George Johnson.

Evane Anderson was a reporter for the local newspaper, and she had never seen anything like this before either. She had short, wild black hair and was a very attractive woman. She and Christina grew up together and they would often exchange information to help one another. This was one of those instances where Evane was given permission to come in and check things out.

There was supposed to be one other police agent on the scene, besides Christina and the photographer, but he hadn't arrived yet. The photographer took another picture and then Officer Giles entered the room. Officer Giles was your typical, stereotyped TV officer - an over weight male, with balding gray hair. However, Giles wasn't the kind of cop that people would insult. He was a serious man, yet he had a soft side. With Giles, people couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, which made him unique. Another thing that made him unique was that he had no last name, just the first name, Giles. His name was British, even though he didn't have a British accent. When he arrested his own parents for drug dealing, he had his last name legally removed because he felt no honor in it.

"Sorry, I'm late," Officer Giles apologized. "I had to confiscate a pipe bomb from a kid."

Everyone in the room acknowledged Giles presence, but they were too busy to say anything. Giles walked over the body and noticed its dismembered remains.

"Man, this is beyond messed up," Officer Giles said in shock.

Everyone in the room felt the same way.

"So, do we have any information, detective?" Evane Anderson asked, ready to write anything and everything the detective knew.

Christina shook her head. "The only clue we have is that George Johnson was decapitated."

"From what I was told, his parents came to visit today and found him dead," Giles added, kneeing down by the body for a closer look. He couldn't quite grasp the fact that something like this happened. "It appears that he's been dead for less than twenty-four hours."

Evane quickly wrote the information down on paper.

"Also, nothing appears to have been stolen," Christina continued. "Nothing else was damaged besides the wall and a window in the front room."

Evane wrote that down too. She looked up at the body again and then turned her head away. She couldn't stand the sight of the body. It was sickened her to the bone. She looked at her watch. It was 7:50 p.m. Before she came here, she planned on eating diner after checking out the crime scene, but seeing this scared off her appetite. However, she still wanted to leave.

"I'd better get going," Evane told everyone. "It's getting late and I haven't eaten yet. It was nice seeing you all again. Bye now."

Everyone there said goodbye to Evane as she went toward the front door. For a moment, Evane stopped and looked at the painting hanging above the fireplace. The painting was of a young man dressed in black clothing and it had sharp, vampire teeth. The man - or vampire - was in some sort of laboratory with empty cages, test tubes, beakers, and other scientific equipment. The title plate beneath the painting read: "A Vampire's Secret." After a moment, Evane left the house.

---

"Please, oh God save me!" a man shouted over the phone. "There's something chasing me!"

"Calm down, sir," the 911 operator said. "Now, where are you?"

"I'm...I'm at Washington High School," the man said. "I know it's a Sunday, but I'm the custodian. Now please send someone over here immediately!"

"What's going on?"

"I'm being chased."

"Chased by who?"

"I...I don't know."

"I'm sending help right away."

"That's not good enough! I need someone here now!"

"Sir, just calm down."

The operator could hear the man breathing deeply over the phone. Then the operator heard the man scream and shouted, "Dear, God, no! It's here! It's right here! Help me!"

The operator heard his scream accompanied by some slashing noises. Soon there was absolute quietness. Then she heard a pounding sound. The phone line went dead. She looked at the number from the tracer report. The call did come from the high school.

---

Evane arrived to her apartment, which was part of the Azalea apartment complex. She lived alone, which had its ups and downs. Rent was one of the downs, while freedom was one of the ups. She set her notepad and pencil down on the table and went to the sink. She grabbed a small glass from the cabinet. She got herself some water and drank it. Soon afterward she set her glass down on the kitchen counter and went into the front room.

Evane sat down on the couch and turned the television on to the local news. Not long after she became comfortable, the phone rang. She jumped a bit at the sound, but wouldn't admit she did. She picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hey, Evane," detective Dunagan said on the other line through her cell phone. "Got a hot story for you." Evane sat up in her couch. "I'm on my way to Washington High School where someone just called 9-1-1 for help."

"Why did they call?" Evane asked. Who would call from the school on a Saturday night anyway?

"The custodian called in saying he was being chased by someone. The operator said it sounded like someone attacked him before she could get any more information."

"Okay, I'm on my way."

Evane and Christina hung up their phones. Evane turned off the television, got up, grabbed her stuff, and departed from her apartment.

---

At approximately the same time, Christina, Giles, and Evane arrived at Washington High School. Christina had gotten out of her car first and was waiting for Giles and Evane out in the school's parking lot. The detective noticed the custodian's car parked over by the north end. It wasn't very dark outside, but the streetlights were on anyway. A crow called out in the distance as Giles, and Evane walked towards Christina from their vehicle. They all greeted each other and walked toward the school's main doors that would lead to the cafeteria.

To their surprise, the doors were broken, glass all over the floor.

"I don't like the looks of this already," Christina said.

The others nodded in agreement and entered the school. Giles and Christina kept their guns armed and ready as they walked to the cafeteria, the broken shards of glass breaking beneath their feet. Giles was familiar with the high school since he worked there as a security guard, every-now-and-then. He led the way.

In the cafeteria the chairs were placed on top of the tables, six chairs per a table. A few of the lights were on, but not all of them, giving an eerie glow to the cafeteria. They walked over to the door to the main office and looked inside through the glass walls. They didn't see anything inside, but Giles opened the door anyway.

"Stay here," Giles said to Christina and Evane. "I'm going to check to see if anyone is by the phones."

Giles went inside and walked cautiously to an area behind the counter, by the office desks. There were pictures of the senior classes from over the years hanging on the walls in perfect condition. Papers were still neatly in their folders on the desks. The phone was still on the base. Everything was fine - no signs of any kind of a fight. However, Giles knew there were way more phones in the building. He walked back to Christina and Evane.

"Nothing in there," Giles told them. "Let's investigate the actual cafeteria."

Giles led the way to the area where the cooks would prepare the school's food. Giles knew the joke students' would make of the school food, but he thought it was good food. They made their way to the cooking area, walking slowly and ready for almost anything. Step by step they were alert, but they heard nothing. As soon as they got there, Giles went inside the cooking area. Evane and Christina followed.

Then they saw the custodian's body on the floor, his head a few feet from his body and a damaged phone. His shirt was soaked in blood and had been decapitated just like George Johnson. Officer Giles knew the man as Carlos, only because he had met him at the school before.

"Okay, we found the body," Christina said. "Now all we need to do is secure the premises and --"

Crashing sounds of chairs and tables came from the cafeteria.

Someone's still here, Evane thought. This is not good.

Christina and Giles immediately went out to the main cafeteria, aiming their guns. A figure twice the size of Officer Giles stood before them, next to a pile of smashed tables and chairs. The figure wore a brown trench coat and had a deformed head. Its head was black and gray - doubtlessly not human. The figure walked slowly with power, like a coldhearted soldier, toward them.

"Don't move or we'll shot!" Christina ordered.

The figured kept moving.

Officer Giles was the first one to shot at it. Then Christina joined in. The bullets didn't damage it.

"What's up with this guy?" Officer Giles said. "Those were clean hits."

No one knew why the bullets didn't hurt the figure and by the looks of things would probably never find out.

"Who are you?" Christina shouted.

"Nexus," the figured moaned with its loud and deep voice.

Frightened at the sound of his voice, Christina fired two more shots at the figure as if it were a habit. Nexus was still far away from them, but they could feel the vibration he made with each step.

"Let's get out of here!" Giles shouted. "NOW!"


Christina, Giles, and Evane ran towards the hallway up north, away from the school's entrance. They weren't sure if they could run past Nexus, so they had decided to run the other way. With each step they took, pain and fear shot through them as they forced their legs to run. They ran past lockers, dozens of them, and turned to the left at the end of the hallway. None of them even dared to look back. They stopped for a moment to think.

"What...in the hell...was that?" Christina said, trying to catch her breath.

"Well, it was either a monster or the school's mystery meat mutated," Giles said. They didn't even crack a smile at Giles' failed attempt at humor. "Okay, so I have no idea, but I think the real question is how do we kill it?"

Loud roaring echoed throughout the school. Nexus was getting closer.

"Don't you have some sort of explosives in your car, Giles?" Evane asked.

"Yes," Giles said. "I still have that pipe bomb I confiscated today."

"Don't you think that's a little erratic?" Christina asked Giles.

"Well, do you want him to rip your head off?"

"You've got a point," Christina said. "Lets get the heck out of here."

Christina, Giles, and Evane continued their way west through the hallway to the glass doors. Sounds of footsteps came from the roof, but none of them noticed the sound. Christina was the first one to get to a door. It was locked. Giles tried another one. It was also locked. Evane went north to the school's main gym and tried to open another door. It opened.

"Over here!" Evane shouted. "Hurry!"

Giles and Christina went to Evane and ran outside to Giles' police car. Nexus was nowhere in the parking lot, yet. The instant Giles got to his car, Nexus shattered the school door they first tried to escape from, and entered the parking lot. Giles snatched his keys out from his pockets, while Christina and Evane kept an eye out for Nexus. Giles then unlocked the door and opened it. Nexus was getting closer. Giles opened the glove compartment and took out the pipe bomb. It was a pretty wicked bomb with blasting caps on each end.

They could all see Nexus walking towards them.

"He's getting closer," Evane told Giles. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Giles walked toward Nexus so he could aim better. He threw the pipe bomb at Nexus and hid behind his car with Evane and Christina. The pipe bomb landed in front of Nexus. It didn't detonate. Nexus stopped in front of the bomb and picked it up. Nexus never saw anything like it before, so he put it in his mouth, and chewed on it.

Then the bomb exploded, blowing Nexus' entire body into billions of flaming pieces. The battle with Nexus was over. They all cheered for victory.

"So what are we going to tell everyone about what happened?" Giles asked.

"We'll do what everyone does in these unexplained situations," Evane said. "Just say gangsters did it."

They all agreed to never utter a word of this again.

From the school's rooftop a man watched, with his soulless red eyes, Giles, Christina, and Evane leave the parking lot. The man was dressed in entirely black clothing to hide in the shadows. A devilish grin crept across his face.

"Nexus has served his duty," the man said to himself. "Carlos and George knew way to much information about my organization." The man jumped effortlessly from the roof onto the hard ground - not getting hurt from the fall. "If these other people interfere with anything else, I'll take care of them."

Today, a vampire's secret has been protected for this man was the person from George's favorite painting.


The End
Story (C) 2001 by Dennis Spielman
More Short Stories