New York City, September 1988
Kali sees him across the room through the flashing lights and the smoke and the darkness of Club Totentanz. He has been coming here at least once a week for two months, his dark hair slicked back and tied behind his head. His gray suit is immaculate, pressed as if he is going to a wedding, a long coat wrapping his tall frame. A half-finished bourbon is settled into a hand on his knee.
He stares out at the crowd of seemingly mad dancers.
He appears perfect. Kali decides he will do.
As she approaches, slinking between dancing fools, his eyes turn on her, his drink pausing halfway to his lips. He takes in the indigo dress that barely covers her, the short black hair waving atop her skull and the silvered ankh jewelry dangling from her ears.
“Allow me a guess,” he says. “You are a vampire.”
She slides into the chair next to him and stretches forth one of her long, pale legs, slowly resting it atop his knees.
He tosses back the rest of his drink and sets the glass on the bar. Kali hides it well, but she is surprised at his control. Many a man would be frightened by her image, let alone her boldness.
“Vampires do not exist,” he says.
Kali grimaces, then allows a sharp smile. “Do you believe in anything?”
His eyes bore into her. “God?”
“Among other things.”
His gaze of ice returns to the dance floor, but they remain steady as if not following the gyrations and the lights. “Vampires do not exist,” he repeats.
“Perhaps I should introduce you to one.”
He glares at her. “You are… goth?”
She nods.
He smirks. “Yet another young fool who believes they do not fear death.”
“Perhaps some of us don’t fear death.”
“Then you’ve never faced it.”
“What would you know about death?”
“I know a bunch of children trying to show their individuality by dressing in black, just like the other ten million of you, don’t know a damn thing about death. If you did, you’d scrub that dark off your faces and scurry back to your mothers.”
Kali grabs him by the chin and twists his head so she can look into his eyes. “I know more about death than you would believe.”
“Doubtful, Alicia.”
Her hand drops into her lap. “What did you call me?”
“Alicia,” he says. “That is your name. Alicia Westerpool.”
“No one knows that name!” She kicks her leg off his lap and pushes away from the bar.
“There is no need to flee,” he says.
Kali’s eyes flare, but she knows she can’t do anything here, now.
She turns and struts out of the club.
***
Several hours later the night has almost come and gone. The parking lot of Club Totentanz is nearly empty except for the beat-up cars of the employees and one black Lincoln Continental with tinted windows. The rain hammers down as if awaiting Noah’s return.
The man with the dark hair and dark suit limps his way toward the Lincoln. He looks like easy prey.
Drenched, Kali appears from a shadow next to his black car, a silvered knife in her left hand.
At the sound of her steps, he turns towards her, his keys jingling in his hands.
It’s then, right up on him, that she notices he is not wet. He has walked the distance from the club to the automobile, is standing in the rain, but his hair is not plastered to his head and his coat appears as dry as if it had just come from a closet.
Her moment of hesitation gone, she stabs.
Then stabs again.
The knife enters his stomach the first time, then sticks in his chest. Blood begins to ooze from the wounds.
The man drops his keys.
Kali backs away, leaving her blade inside him.
He starts laughing, then reaches up and withdraws the weapon, scarlet shining on the blade beneath the street lights.
He extends the knife. “Care to try again?”
She does not move.
“I told you there were no such things as vampires,” he says. “I should know after two thousand years.”
She lashes out with her nails, but his hands are quick. He grips her wrists, his fingers strong.
“Being a killer does not make you a vampire, Alicia,” he says, his face only inches from hers.
“What would you know?”
“I know you’ve killed four other men, dressed expensively like myself. I know you’ve kept it hidden, moving from one club to another.”
“You don’t know everything!”
“You’re right,” he says. “I don’t know why you did it. With women, it’s usually something to do with power or revenge.”
She tries to twist her arms free, but it is no use. Having no other outlet to attack, she spits in his face.
He chuckles again as her spittle slides from his jaw, like the rain leaving no trace. “I suppose a reason isn’t necessary.”
“Money,” she says.
“What was that?”
Her eyes turn to the pavement. “I did it for money. I’d rob them, then… one slice of the throat got them out of my way.”
His chuckle returns. “How very droll! How insignificant!”
“What now?” she asks. “You going to turn me over to the cops?”
“Oh no,” he says. “I answer to a higher authority.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“God has placed me in your path. It is time for judgment.”
For the first time, Kali fears. Her hands shake in his iron grasp and her knees wobble.
“Don’t faint on me,” he says, shaking her. “I want you awake for this.”
“What are you?” she asks.
“A sorceror,” he replies. “And Alicia?”
“Y-y-yes?”
“Since I am no creature of the night, your pain will not end when the sun finds us.”
He glances east as the morning’s first rays blossom over the city.
Ty Johnston has been writing speculative fiction for almost 20 years. Most recently he has been working on a fantasy trilogy. Find out more at tyjohnston.blogspot.com.
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28 Comments »
« ONE DARK NIGHT • by Michael D. Turner | Home | IF TAKERS, REBOOT–ELSE, CLOSE. • by Avis Hickman-Gibb »
Loved this one but Kali is getting a bit passé as a name, isn’t it?
I think the name worked for this character: a poser with a hackneyed “edgy” name.
What a great story for a frosty spring morning!
Well done, Ty.
Nicely done.
I liked this, the first reference to vampires taking me by surprise, and since I don’t read much vampire stuff, or fantasy, I wonder, is this gentleman a new creature? I mean, beyond the devil? It would be great to have a new species wandering the earth.
Very entertaining, Ty.
I thought Kali a fitting name for this character, given its dark mythological connotations. I guess I didn’t know it was ever a very popular name in the first place, so I was unaware it fell out of fashion. Was it passe in New York City in September of 1988?
Darn it, Ty, I’m currently working on a story about angels battling vampires and it looks like this is much better than what I’ve tried to do.
Well done.
Nice twist.
An Anti-vampire!! Very, very good.
I enjoyed it Ty, especially enjoyed the mysterious gentleman.
While it was good, I would have suggested two minor alterations. 1) Making Kali’s reaction to the revelation that he is not dampened by the rain and cannot be killed by a knife to the chest a bit less petty (trying to scratch him, spitting at him). This stunning discovery might have shaken her to her very core, rendering her near-paralyzed with awe. 2) I would have maintained the gentleman’s mystery by not having him characterize himself as “a sorcer.”
But these are minor quibbles, and do not undermine the story as a whole.
“a sorcerer,” not “a sorcer.” Sorry, I let a typo slip through, and I don’t think one can edit one’s posts on this thread.
Ty,
Not a genre I normally read, but I enjoyed your story very much. I agree with Nicholas, the fact that he wasn’t dampened by the rain should have sent Kali running for the hills. In any case, I think this mysterious gentleman would have found her no matter where she went. Very nice.
Thanks
Loved the story - but thought it (the story) was too big for a flash. We have a SS or a novella in the making here. I’d love to read it. Nice writing, and imagery, good dialogue.
I enjoyed the comparisons drawn between this character’s fabricated “cliché” identity and her actual persona with the story’s progression. Nice tale.
Ty, dude - I’ve loved this title since you announced it, just been waiting to read the story that came with it. And up to the transition I loved the story, too. So much is perfect, not only for this tale but for Mr. X as well, it really is an awesome start. Now perhaps this is because I’m in on the protagonist’s real identity and have some knowledge of his circumstances, but I’d say that only contributes to how good the first half is.
That said, the second half takes a couple of turns that just ring a little off key. I got my first chalkboard-shiver with Alicia’s hesitation before the first stab. Just a tremor, mind you, but it was there, and it grew more pronounced at Mr. X’s weak “Care to try again?” From that point on, well, the story is written differently than all that came before it. Character emotions, reactions, revelations - all too little or too much or not at all. I’m sorry, but the ending left me disappointed in what could have been.
Everyone, thanks for all your comments. They are much appreciated.
Jason, I understand what you’re saying. I think part of my difficulty with this story, as Avis pointed out, is I was trying to squeeze in too much into a flash piece. This story probably would have been better served as a short of at least a few thousand words.
Ty,
Its a fine story, I liked it, not squished all that much.
Mike
Not my usual genre either, but I was glad to read a piece of yours… and was pleasantly surprised to find it was this title. The setting and the mood were great, and Mr X is a character I would be interested to read more about. I thought Kali was mysterious at first, but then she seemed petty. And I agree with a few others that her reaction after the stabbing just didn’t seem quite “big” enough. I liked the ending and her judgement left unspoken (but obviously painful) and eternal. Good job and great title!!
Fantastic. Loved every creepy word.
Jennifer
Nice job, Ty. I like the terse prose, very fitting with a story of this sort. And I’m sure there will be more stories featuring this protagonist …
I don’t read vampire stories usually, but was intrigued by this. I did guess that he would be something unnatural/supernatural himself when he says her name, so the end was not a surprise, but I liked the detail of the rain not wetting him.
Wow, some eerie writing - bordering on the scary, which, as others have mentioned, might be better served in a longer short story. Still, kept me engaged till the end. Didn’t picture the protag as a sorcerer however. To me the characters knew each other in a ‘previous’ life - or at least the man knew the woman - so someone’s not coming clean about their identity. That left me a little confused, but if this is an installment in a series of stories, then it will make quite good reading! Congrats.
The mysterious man in this story will appear in “The Infinity Swords,” an anthology I’m co-editing with fellow authors Gere McClellan and TW Williams. The story Tyrone sent us is … awesome. One of the better endings I’ve read in a long while.
So, if you want more of this guy, we’ll have some for you later this year. More details when I have them!
Awesome! I can’t wait to find out more about this guy. I’m definitely going to pick up “The Infinity Swords”.
One of the reasons I had this guy call himself a sorceror is because I wanted it clear he was NOT a vampire. I was afraid if I didn’t say anything about him then folks would come away believing he was a vampire, which he isn’t. As for being a sorceror … well, it’s as close in the English language as one could come to explaining what he is, though he’s actually a bit more.
And Steve, thanks for the shout out about The Infinity Swords story, “Beneath a Persian Sun.” I’m thinking it might be the best piece of fiction I’ve ever written, and definitely the strongest ending to a story I’ve written.
Ty man loved the story. Looking forward to the books. You have been working on then for some time and if Steve Gere and Jason have good things to say about them then I cant wait.
greg
Greg!
Dude, welcome. Glad you liked the story. I hope there will be plenty more to come.
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