Friday, 19 September 2014

In The Dark - Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing!  Zip, nada.  I don't think I even own the thoughts in my head.  The Lost Boys belong to WB, no matter how much I may wish otherwise.  I am making NO profit from this story whatsoever, unless you count the happiness I get every time someone reads it.
I also do not own the song As Heaven Is Wide that features in this chapter. That honour belongs to the ever wonderful Garbage.


All Hell Breaks Loose



Star drifted in and out of consciousness. She was huddled next to Laddie on what she assumed was Michael’s bed. Michael, who had passed out on the floor, had woken up fully about an hour after they had arrived. His little brother, Sam and his weird friends had been in and out of the house all afternoon, bringing back deterrents to make the house vampire-proof, and effectively trapping her inside. Star tried to stay well out of their way.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
Michael watched over her and Laddie, shooing the strange boys every time they'd pop up asking about any unknown weaknesses vampires had.

Like I’d tell them… She thought to herself.

Sometimes, it was just to make sure she was cooperating. Star felt like she was a prisoner, being guarded at all times. Every few minutes, Michael would ask if she was okay and she would try to reply as vaguely as possible. At this point, she didn't care how real David wanted her to play damsel-in-distress, she was not helping them to kill her family. Michael had gone downstairs to help the others secure the house. Star curled up on the bed and drifted into a light sleep, safe in the knowledge that a few locked doors and windows weren't going to stop the boys from getting in. Gypsies knew that the legend surrounding the invite-only curse was a myth. Vampires could enter as many times as they wished, but it was only when a genuine invite was given, were they immune from vampire wards. It was Holy ground, where they needed an invite to gain access, which she highly doubted this house was built on.
As the sun began to set, a calmness surrounded her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she as reassured herself that the boys would be coming for her and Laddie.
“They'll be coming for Laddie and me, won't they?” Star hadn't realised that Michael was standing at the window, keeping an eye out for any sign of the boys. As she gathered that he'd heard what she had said, she froze.
“They'll be coming for all of us.” He replied absently, leaving the room quietly. Relieved that he thought she was just scared, she turned around to wake Laddie up. It was time for them to go home.
“Huh?” He answered sleepily.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. They’ll come, I know they will. You know I won’t let anything happen to you, right?”
“I know.” He whispered gently. The claw marks on his chest had disappeared, yet he was still worried about what would happen if she lost control again.
The sun dipped gently below the horizon, leaving a golden glow behind it. The nightlife on the Boardwalk was just waking up, as were the vampires of Santa Carla. Miles away, Star heard David scream in anger.
He was coming for them.

oOo

The cave felt eerily empty, considering how active it had been only a few hours earlier. David was already awake, however he was waiting for his full strength to return before he actually got down. Somewhere in the main cavern he heard one of Marko’s pigeons fluttering about.

Marko.

He hadn’t deserved that. How cowardly could you be to stake someone in their sleep? Why the hell hadn’t Star stopped them?
Unless…
Had they killed her too?
He tried reaching out for her, however he couldn’t feel her presence. That didn’t necessarily mean she was dead, so he concentrated on other reasons he might not be able to sense her. Beside him, Paul and Dwayne shifted. They were also trying to gain as much strength as possible, so that as soon as they were able, they could avenge their fallen brother. David felt the last rays of the sun, dipping below the horizon. He opened his eyes, came face-to-face with Marko’s remains and let out a cry of anguish. Each of them released their grip on the bar they hung from and flew off into the night in search of Star, Laddie and revenge.

Nothing that you say will release you
Nothing that you pray will forgive you
Nothing's what your words mean to me
Something that you did will destroy me
Something that you said will stay with me
Long after you're dead and gone
If flesh could crawl my skin would fall
From off my bones and run away from here
As far from God
As heaven is wide
As far from God
As angels can fly
As Heaven Is Wide - Garbage 

oOo

Max was finally getting to enjoy a nice dinner with Lucy. There were no boys - neither his, nor hers - to interrupt them. Thorn lay quietly by Max’s side, occasionally looking up at him, hoping for some scraps. The sound of wings flying overhead, drew Thorn’s attention and he barked to let Max know. Lucy jumped and screamed, and Thorn was once again told off for doing his job. Max had heard them too, still he didn’t want anything to ruin tonight.
“What’s the matter, Lucy?”
“Oh, just old memories coming back, I—”
“—No seriously, why are you so jumpy tonight.” He’d picked up on it as soon as he’d greeted her at the door and had hoped it was just residual from Thorn’s attack. However as the night wore on, she still couldn’t seem to relax, despite Thorn being on his best behaviour, and Max began to wonder what was destined to spoil their evening this time.
“Well, it’s something Sam said…”

Hmm, not the son he thought she would mention.

“…he came into the store, and it’s just a kid’s imagination I’m sure, but…he seemed so sincere. It’s insane.”
“Tell me, I promise not to laugh. Honest.”
“Well, he seems to think Santa Carla is crawling with vampires. I know it’s silly but…”
So those Frog brats he’d been hanging around with, had been at it again. Maybe he should have concentrated on initiating Sam first, rather than Michael. Still, it didn’t really matter now. The urgency with which those wings had flown past earlier, told him that David and his boys had just learnt a very important lesson, which meant his plan was in full swing. By the end of tonight, the Lost Boys would be no more, and he would start over with a brand new family.

As night fell, Star was trying to subtly make Michael see, that it wouldn't be so bad to have a family that cared for him, people he could just be himself around. But therein lay the original problem with this whole stupid plan; Michael already had all of that and no amount of her being dangled in front of his eyes would make him forget.
Star began to wonder, as she had so many times since David first told her his plan, what his ulterior motive was for wanting Michael in particular to join. Complete honesty and openness wasn't one of David's virtues and although you could always tell when there was an underlying sub-plot going on beneath the surface of those cruel blue eyes, you would never know until he was ready to tell you.
Barking and yelling from downstairs brought her back to the present situation. They headed out to the balcony just in time to see Sam running outside to save his dog. Michael ran off after him as the sound of wings filled the air. She didn't know why they were bothering, they wouldn't have hurt the dog. It wasn't what they were interested in.
As Michael dashed outside and Star could see and hear the Boys approaching, she began to panic. Surprisingly, David hadn't covered what to do when Michael rescued/kidnapped her and Laddie, took them to his house and turned it into a vampire-proof fortress. All the while, it appearing that David and the boys were coming to kill them all, when they were actually coming to retrieve Star and Laddie, and tell Michael to toughen up and invest in some sunblock.
She decided the best thing to do was to continue her act a little longer until she knew what the rest of David's plan for Michael was. As the the boys drew closer, she and Laddie screamed in terror with the rest of them.
“Michael, hurry!” She caught a glimpse of David in the sky, and got so lost in her role, that she wasn’t sure if she was actually happy to see him or not. His eyes were burning with anger, and it didn’t seem to be all directed at Michael.
“Michael, they’re coming!”
Michael and Sam finally made it back to the house and slammed the door shut behind them.
“Take them upstairs!” Michael yelled to Edgar and Alan, who were toting their stakes like guns. Edgar shoved her towards the stairs and Alan grabbed Laddie just as something exploded from the fireplace. After reaching Michael’s bedroom, Edgar and Alan took out their stakes and pointed them at Star and Laddie.
“I say we terminate them right now.”
She wriggled out of Edgar’s grasp, pushing Laddie into the adjoining bathroom that led to Sam’s room.
“LADDIE RUN!”
Edgar and Alan chased after them and Star slammed the bathroom door behind her to slow them down. As they reached Sam’s room, she dove with Laddie under the bed. The two young hunters burst into the room, however the things they were chasing were nowhere in sight. The door to Sam’s bedroom was open, and the boys jumped back in terror when Paul appeared from behind it.
“You’re mine!” Paul snarled at them, dispatching their weapons easily and throwing them to the floor.
“You killed, Marko!” His words froze Star to her core.
Marko was dead? When, how?
She fought to control the river of tears, turned and whispered to Laddie.
“Sweetheart, I need you to stay here and be really quiet. Can you do that for me?” He nodded.
“I don't want you to move from this spot until me or one of the boys come back for you, okay?” He nodded once more and squeezed her hand tightly. Star rolled out from under the bed as quietly as she could. Alan and Edgar were too busy with Paul to notice her. If she could slip out of this room unnoticed, then she could return to Michael’s room and corner the boys in the bathroom with Paul. She opened the door only to be confronted by Sam’s dog. Smelling her true nature, he growled at her viciously. Star backed up slowly into the room, the dog following her every move and she shut herself inside the closet.
Great! Now what was she going to do?
She could hear a struggle happening in the bathroom and was mentally willing herself to get out of the closet, and help Paul. She’d always been terrified of dogs though, even when she’d been human, and now it was like her worst fear had come to life. Trapped in a closet, with a vicious dog growling at her from the other side. Her fear paralysed her and she stood shaking in the dark. Dogs, like vampires, could smell fear, and the scent that she was giving off was making things worse.
Suddenly, her face felt like it was on fire. Her vision became blurred until she couldn’t see, although she could hear Paul screaming and she struggled to remain calm. The dog was still growling at her from behind the closet door, but as long as he was after her, he wasn’t after Laddie. More screams followed, however these ones seemed to be coming from the two young boys. Star felt the dog’s presence leave and was about to exit the closet when the searing pain on her face quickly multiplied across the rest of her body. The burning escalated until her muscles went into spasm. All thoughts, apart from how to stop the pain, ceased.
The last time Star had felt anything close to this kind of agony, was the night she’d met Michael and she’d attacked David. Although this wasn’t a hunger pang. She felt no hunger, she didn’t feel anything except her own physical suffering. Every time she tried to shift into a more comfortable position to die in, the pain would steadily get worse. Eventually it became too much and she screamed out for release. However her screams became lost in the cacophony of Paul, Alan and Edgar, and she gave in to the darkness.

When Star came to, she whimpered with the residual pain.
What the hell had happened? Was this the next stage of her hunger pangs?
It hadn’t just been her skin, it had been down her throat and in her lungs, choking her from the inside out. She had felt every part of her - skin, flesh, organs, even bone - just disintegrate, and yet she was still here. Her eyes stung fiercely, and she still couldn’t open them properly. She lay there in darkness, trying to recover, rejoicing in the bliss of the agony finally leaving her body.
All too soon, it returned. This time transforming into a combination of the sharp pain in her chest that she had experienced earlier, and the recent searing agony. The question of whether vampires prayed was answered, as she pleaded for anyone or anything that would listen, to just stop it hurting. Her pleas were ignored, and pain continued surging throughout her like electricity.

Laddie could hear Star screaming. He didn’t know what to do. She’d told him to stay under the bed until she came back for him, but now she was in trouble. He watched curiously as Sam entered his room and was ambushed by Edgar and Alan. He boasted about how he had nailed one of them downstairs. Laddie felt the bed dip as all three sat on it. Edgar and Alan told Sam how they had killed Paul, or Twisted Sister as they referred to him, and Laddie felt an anger he had never felt before. They’d killed Paul and one of the others and now they were killing Star!
He felt his features change as his blood-lust grew, and he lay there panting under the bed. David didn’t want him becoming like them just yet, however right now he didn’t care what David wanted. They were killing his family, when all they’d wanted was for them to join with them.
“…death to all vampires.”
“Maximum body count.”
“We’re awesome monster-bashers.”
“The meanest.”
“The baddest!”

Star came to again, just as Laddie exploded from under the bed in full fang. His screaming brought her out of her narcosis and she struggled to get to her feet. They couldn’t hurt, Laddie, he was just a little boy. He didn’t have anything to do with this. She burst forth from the closet, shielding him from the boys.
“Stop! Get away from him, you just stay away from him. He’s just a little boy.” She sobbed, holding back a snarling Laddie, who was still trying to attack the boys who had killed the only real family he’d ever had.

David was stalking Michael from the shadows. He’d already prevented him from escaping upstairs with his brother and now Michael was trying to seek him out. It was almost kind of funny watching him pretend to act tough, when David could see he was shaking with fear.
“You afraid to face me, David? Huh?”
“I tried to make you immortal.”
“You tried to make me a killer!”
David kicked him to the floor again and laughed. This was too easy. Michael turned to show that he had vamped out and David laughed again.
“You are a killer.” He informed him, as Michael caught the blood that was dripping from his nose, on his tongue. They lunged at each other through the air and the final battle began.

Edgar and Alan were tying Star and Laddie up. They’d decided they couldn’t kill either of them just yet, especially not without Nanook around to help. So the only thing to do was to tie them up until they figured out what to do with them.
As Laddie explained to Star about what had happened to him, and about Paul’s demise, she suddenly understood what the pain she had been experiencing was. She counted in her head.
Paul had already said that Marko had been killed, so that must have been the heart attack in the car outside the cave. The searing agony would have been Paul, being pushed into the bathtub of Holy Water. So that left either Dwayne or David still alive. She concentrated on her link to David, feeling only slight relief when she discovered it was still there. It didn’t bring back the others, and she felt tears threatening to fall.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She just wanted to go home. Nobody was supposed to die.
Suddenly Star’s chest was punctured by yet another sharp pain. Knowing it could only be David, she freed herself from her restraints, pushed past the boys and ran downstairs. She had stop Michael, before it was too late.

Take it back, I dare you, take it back
No you can't, you should have thought of that
What's inside a man that goes so wrong?
Choke on guilt that's far too good for you
Say one word, I'll laugh and bury you
Leave you in the place where you left me
If flesh could crawl my skin would fall
From off my bones and run away from here

As far from God
As heaven is wide
As far from God
As angels can fly
I wish I could fly
As angels can fly
I wish...
As Heaven Is Wide - Garbage

Star ran downstairs screaming Michael's name. It no longer mattered to her if she blew her cover, she had to stop him from killing David. The scene as she reached the bottom of the stairs however, turned her blood to ice and stole all the air, that she didn’t need, from the room. David was impaled on a pair of antlers. Everything stopped.

This isn’t real…

The room was suddenly too bright and the footfalls of Sam, Edgar and Alan chasing down the stairs after her, sounded like someone banging on a very large drum. Star could have stood there forever, just staring at his body, however Michael pulled her aside.
“Don't let them see me like this!” he whispered. Sam, Edgar and Alan approached and Michael growled at them to get away from him.
“What's the big deal? You destroyed the Head Vampire! It’s all over.” exclaimed Edgar.
“Nothing's changed.”
“He's right, I don't feel any different.” Star confirmed. She wouldn't have either way as she was a full vampire, but what she really meant, was that she could still feel the pull on her bond with Laddie, who was only half.
“Then there's still one more.”
Star couldn't take any more of this. Her Lost Boys were dead, why was she still pretending that she was a victim? The answer came to her almost immediately - if she showed her true self, they might think she was the Head Vampire. A voice outside called out to Sam and Michael and the boys balked as they realised that their Mom had come home early. Edgar and Alan followed Sam to attempt some damage control.
It was all so ridiculous. Was the legend surrounding the Head Vampire false also? Maybe David wasn't really dead. She needed to go and look at him. But before she could, someone else entered the room. Star recognised him as the owner of the video store past the Boardwalk.
Max, was it? What was he doing here?
He headed straight for David's body and her undead breath caught. She pressed Michael further into the shadows as she observed Max’s actions. He reached his hand out and turned David's face to the light. He no longer looked vampiric or cruel as he sometimes could. He looked as he did when he slept beside her. Peaceful, innocent.
Star felt her heart break and another flood of tears threatened to fall. Her brow furrowed in comprehension, as she watched Max's face seemingly mirror her own emotions. Suddenly the horrible truth of what David had been trying to keep from her all this time, revealed itself. Anger bubbled up inside her as she realised Max was to blame for all of this.
As he left the room, Star tried to find solace in the warm body next to hers, until she remembered it was Michael. She was trapped. She just wanted to grab Laddie and return to the cave. But she couldn't leave her boys here with them. How was she going to get them out of the house without anybody noticing? Had the boys known about Max? They must have. Star’s mind jumped and skipped from one trail of thought to another as she tried to figure out what she was going to do next.
In the background she could hear Michael's mother arguing with Sam and the Frog brothers. Star watched quietly from the shadows as Max approached her sheepishly.
“I'm sorry, Lucy. This is all my fault.”
Yes, it certainly was. She listened carefully to him trying to explain himself, but every word made her angrier.
“David and my boys misbehaved. But I told you, boys need a mother.”
So that was the big secret plan that cost her family their lives? Max has trouble getting a girlfriend, so his whole fucked up idea of a family has to pitch in? He didn’t even seem sorry that they were dead.
“I knew it! You're the Head Vampire!” exclaimed Sam.
Michael's brother had already figured it out? Maybe they'd been luring the wrong son. But now was no time for ifs and maybes, Star couldn't control her anger any longer. She stepped out from the shadows, while Michael still tried to hold her back.
“Star, don't!” He whispered, harshly. She shook out of his grip and advanced upon Max.
“You're the secret that David was protecting!” She all but spat out, however all she got was a simple nod in return. Alan and Edgar walked in, arguing about some vampire test that Max had passed, which had been rendered useless once Michael had invited him into the house.
She now understood the parts each of them had to play, and why it was so pivotal that she be the one to lure Michael. Why it be so important that she appeared unhappy with the boys. Star had to be attainable, which meant no ties to David.

It was always going to be flawed! 

She wanted to scream at him. As she'd told David countless times before; what would happen after Michael was initiated? How long would this pretence have to keep going?
“It was you I was after all along, Lucy. I knew that if I could get Sam and Michael into the family...there was no way you could say no. It was all going to be so perfect, Lucy. Just like one big happy family…”
Max was too preoccupied with his fantasy to feel Star probing his mind for the truth she desperately sought. However, the truth was more painful than she could ever imagine…

Max had been thinking for a while that the boys were getting too out of control. David turning Star, and poisoning his precious bloodline with filthy Gypsy blood, had been the last straw. Max saw Lucy and her boys as a chance to start over, but first he had to get rid of his previous family. It began the night he had first come over to Lucy’s. After meeting Michael at the door, he tried to implant his plan in Michael’s mind, only to discover that David had beaten him to it. Nevertheless, being a Master, David’s leash on his mind was easy to break. He planted it in Michael's head to kidnap Star, thus turning David against her.

It explained why David had looked so angry with her when he had come for Michael.

Max had hoped that the Emersons would all be turned by now, and together they would rid Santa Carla of the Lost Boys. However, those Frog brats had intervened and saved him the hassle. Now all he had to do was turn Lucy, and she would have fresh blood waiting for her to make the transition complete.

Star jumped back in horror as she was released from Max’s mind and he vamped out. Michael stepped out of the shadows, still in full fang and launched himself at Max.
“Michael, no!” She screamed at him. She wanted the pleasure of his extermination all for herself. David - and possibly the others too - had died believing she was a traitor, all because of him. Michael was thrown onto the balcony, as if he were a ragdoll. Star let her hunger and anger fill her like never before, and attacked, only to be swatted out of the way like a butterfly being mauled by a tiger.
She was roused the same time as Michael, by the sound of La Cucaracha blaring from a horn outside, and a truck came smashing through the doors. Sam and Lucy dived out of the way, as Michael jumped down to push Max into the path of the stakes which had been lying in the truck’s bed. The force sent Max’s body flying over to the fireplace, which exploded into flames and created a fireball that engulfed the room. It disappeared up the chimney, and sent down a plume of soot, covering them all. As Star released herself from Michael’s embrace, she cried hysterically.
“It’s over!”
Michael held her close, thinking she was relieved, however Star didn’t know what to feel. She was glad that Max was dead after all the suffering he had caused. But her boys, her family was dead. Murdered right in front of her, and she hadn’t been able to do a thing about it. She sobbed as she realised that she still couldn’t reveal who she really was to Michael, and that David’s plan had trapped her with his killers.
“STAR, STAR!” Laddie cried, running down the stairs as fast as he could.
“Laddie!”
He was alive!
At least Star still had him, and she intended to hold on tight to him until she could figure a way out of this mess. She raced over to him and picked him up, not caring that Sam’s dog was still barking at her. He circled round her, trying to alert the Emersons to the danger that she posed. However, they were all too busy celebrating to notice. While they followed the old man who had saved them into the kitchen, Star took Laddie over to David’s body, so she could mourn him properly.
“What are we going to do, Star? I’m not a vampire anymore, are you?”
“Yeah, I still am. I’ve killed, remember? I don’t know what we’re going to do, Laddie. We’ve got to get out of here, but I don’t want to leave the boys here with these monsters.” She sniffed back tears as she held David’s cold hand in hers. Suddenly something occurred to her.
“Maybe he's not dead.”
“What?” asked Laddie.
“Well it wasn't wood, and I-I don't think it pierced his heart...” She rambled until Laddie put his hand on her shoulder.
“Star...”
“We need to help him.” She said, scrambling to try and lift him off the antlers.
“Star, he's gone.” Laddie confirmed, sadly.
“No! He's not gone, he wouldn't leave me.”
“Star, it's okay—”
“—No it's not okay. I'm sorry, David, I'm so sorry...I didn’t betray you, I swear. I wish you’d told me about Max, maybe I could have helped you. But he’s gone now, you don’t have to worry about him anymore. Just please, come back to me.” She sobbed and kissed him lightly on the forehead, as he had done to her so many times before.
“Isn’t this touching…”
Star turned to face the owner of the voice, and was promptly knocked unconscious.

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