THE KEEPERS

I

t was close to midnight, she could tell, she could feel it in her soul.  She looked up to the sky and watched the soon full moon. Four more days to the full moon, the moon fever burned through her body, it was controllable for now but soon the moon fever would consume her and rule her life, driving her towards the moon dance that went on beneath the city of Bridgetown. Connie sighed heavily as she made her way to another crime scene, where her partner Daniel already stood analyzing the body. She tugged up the zipper on her blazer to ward off the chill coming off the sea.  She stopped for a moment and looked around her; this one was on the east coast, on the Cattle Wash beach, something was wrong here she could feel it, as an empath she could feel the emotions of everyone and everything around her. Connie shields were usually strong enough to block the wave of emotions now bombarding her mind, but this one, this one was different, the emotions coming from it were threatening to drive her crazy. She could taste and feel the residue from the murder, the fear, the passion of the kill was overriding her senses, she quickly erected more blocks which would allow her to work.

                Daniel looked up to where his partner stood with her eyes closed. He had smelled her from the moment she stepped out of her car, her rich vanilla and chocolate aroma drove his senses in to frenzy, he loved to smell her. His vampire sight allowed him to see the lines of strain on her face, they said that she was having a hard time blocking out the emotions emanating from this murder, the brutality of it was staggering and overwhelming to any senses. He made his way over to where she stood, “You okay?” Connie opened her eyes and looked up at Michael; he was a good foot over her five feet three inches. “I don’t think so, this one is worse than the last scene, it is harder to push out all the emotions at once.” He nodded, he knew that her being a damphire; half vampire and half werewolf, made her empathic skills greatly heighted, more so than an ordinary vamp. “This one has much more violence than the previous ones,” each murder was gruesome and held a level of horror to them, but with each one the killer seemed to be getting bolder, they; the Paranormal Enforcers Circle, formaly known as The Keepers, had been called in to the case after the first two killings, since then four more women were killed and the brutality and force of each murder led the Barbados police force to believe that they were not dealing with an ordinary killer, ordinary meaning human.

                Two years ago the discovery of the underworld and its once well kept secrets of different life forms, was discovered by an innocent little girl; who saw something suck the life force from her father. Since then questions were asked, and reports came in of more and more bizarre deaths occurring around the island. The once quiet island of Barbados had become the breeding ground and heaven for the creatures of the underworld, and they had no way of defending themselves against the evils of this world full of things only heard or seen in books and movies. Fae, werewolves and vampires were among the few creatures to have been recorded in action in the last two years, but they were other things, other evils lurking in the dark, and it was just a matter of time before they too would be discovered and it was the PEC’s responsibility to ensure that didn’t happen.

                Daniel; a two thousand old vampire and Connie; an emotive and damphire, were recruited to form a force in Barbados by the request of the Prime Minister to the special branch of Paranormal Observation in Canada.  They had made up the force of the PEC, but within the first year, due to the increase of unexplainable incidents the task force had grown to the number of forty persons. Daniel and Connie were the best in the field and were partners for over two years.

                “Tell me what you feel?”Daniel asked her. Connie closed her eyes and slowly let her blocks down; she reached out with her senses using, testing and tasting the emotions of every living creature around her. All was to be expected, the emotions of fear, excitement, and death lingered at the scene, she was about to give up her search when a faint distant emotion touched and tingle the edge of her senses, she instantly went still, Michael watched her closely, “What is it?” “I don’t know but something feels dark- evil…” “Where is it?” “About a few feet away to our right in the alley by that blue house,” Daniel made a move towards the alley; Connie reached out her hand and placed it on Daniel’s arm to stop him. “No” “Why not?” “This is not our usual perp, I can’t make out the species but I know it is old, very old, older than you, it is also hungry and angry we have to be careful” Older than him, Daniel was two thousand years old, there weren’t a lot of vampires or other species of the dark that could rival his age. “What are you saying?” “I’m, saying that this thing feeds on death, it thrives on it, and if we go in there unprepared we will be dead. Until we know what we are dealing with I suggest we keep clear for now” Daniel looked at her, he always respected her judgment, and in the past her skills and gift had saved them more than once, he just didn’t think that he could go with it now, these women deserve justice, and if it meant risking his life to do that he had no problem of being the bait. Daniel made another move towards the alley, “Daniel” Connie warned. “I’ll be fine, just give me a minute okay stay here.” “I don’t think that that is a good idea” “Connie, trust me.” Daniel looked into her eyes, they were not many persons he would trust with his life but Connie was one of them, he saw fear in her eyes, real fear unlike what he had seen in her eyes before, whatever this thing was it had rattle her good. “Just in case keep your laser ready okay” he told her, she nodded.

                Daniel inched closer to the alley, he stopped for a moment smelling the air using his vampire senses to feel what lurked in the alley, but he felt nothing which was odd, his sense had over two thousand years to reach a level of heighten perfection, yet he could not feel or sense anything coming from the ally. As he moved closer he turned his laser on, a slight hum broke the silence allowing him to know that he had power in his hands, the laser continued to hum in his hands sending pulsating bursts of warmth into his cold hands as he continued forward to the alley. A foot away he heard a screeching hiss, “Daniel, be careful,” Connie said to him, he turned and nodded. Then it attacked. It was a heavy mist suddenly clouding his sight, and his sight was excellent, he struck out but his hand struck nothing but air. What is this thing, he thought, a sent hit him full on, it smelled of death and decaying flesh. “Daniel, move to your right now!” Connie shouted, a white beam rent the air and hit the wall of the house, another hiss penetrated the air this time it was closer to him. “Daniel, Watch out!” Connie shouted, something foul lashed out at him, then a searing pain shout up his side, he grunted as he rolled to his left to deflect the impact of the hit. Then all went silent, Connie stood still, testing the air with her wolf senses there was nothing, she ran over to Daniel’s side, “Daniel” she touched him but there was no response, “Daniel” she called his name again, there was a soft grunt, then Daniel opened his eyes and looked up at her, she sighed with relief and smiled at him, then anger over took her and she hit him across his head, “Ow, what was that for?” “You idiot I told you not to go in you could have been killed” she argued, “Would you have missed me?” Daniel asked her, a glint of mischief twinkle in his eyes. Connie looked at him intently for awhile, “You know I would.” He smiled at her answer, he reached up with his hand and touched her cheek, “Thanks that’s twice now you saved my life” “Please don’t let there be a third” he laughed, “I promise, here help me up please” he reached out his hand and she took hold of it and pulled him up, “Lift up your shirt let me see.” She ordered him, he did as he was told, Connie looked at the three scratch marks on his right side, “They are already healing but you should still have them cleaned we have no idea what that thing was, or what disease it might be carrying” Daniel nodded in agreement.

                “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” a scream rent the air, “What was that?” “Look over there” someone screamed, “In the sky over the sea” everyone turned their attention to the sea, “What is it?” Connie asked Daniel “I don’t know, it looks alive but I’m not picking up any heat signature from it, you? Connie used her infrared to scan the object floating over the sea, “I’m not getting anything either.” “What about your empath?” “I’m trying now.”’ Connie reached out with her emotions and hit nothing but a sense of dread and death, “I don’t know what that thing is but it is full of evil and death, like the thing from the alley.” “Maybe they are related” Daniel suggested, Connie nodded, “They taste the same.” The creature then just disappeared, Connie and Daniel looked at each other worriedly, “We need to know what that thing is and fast.”