Three Nights of the Vampire- The Complete Trilogy Page 8

  I waited, barely even daring to breathe.

  After a few seconds, I heard footsteps in the distance.

  “Chloe?” Matthias shouted, sounding reassuringly far away. “Chloe, where are you? Are you okay?”

  I waited as he made his way closer, but after a moment I realized his footsteps were heading away again.

  “Chloe?” he called out. “Don't be stubborn! I need to talk to you!”

  Leaning back, I felt my cracked ribs grinding against one another. I flinched slightly, but I managed to keep from crying out.

  “Chloe!” Matthias shouted, sounding much further away now. “This isn't the time to run!”

  Figuring that this was, in fact, the perfect time to run, I got to my feet and stumbled away. In the distance, a chain-link fence ran along the perimeter of the industrial estate, and I figured I should be able to find a gate. Gasping, I finally reached the fence and paused for a moment, before stumbling along as I desperately searched for a way out. The pain in my chest was getting worse, to the extent that I felt I might pass out at any moment, but finally I reached a metal gate. When I pulled on the bar, however, I found that it was locked.

  “Chloe!” Matthias shouted, clearly further away than ever. “Where are you?”

  I fumbled with the lock on the gate for a moment, before realizing that I need to find another way out. Matthias was clearly an absolute maniac, probably some kind of insane serial killer, and I knew I needed to get away from the industrial estate and call the police. They'd know what to do, I told myself, and they'd be able to sweep Matthias away so that he'd be unable to bother me. The man had clearly escaped from some kind of asylum. As for the rest of the madness, I'd find a way to figure that out later.

  “Chloe!” Matthias yelled in the distance. “Don't be a fool! We don't have time for this!”

  Figuring that he was far enough away, I hurried along the fence until I reached the next gate, which to my relief turned out to be unlocked. Despite the pain in my chest, I slipped through and found myself on some kind of dimly-lit dirt-track road. There were a couple of signs nearby, but they were in French so I had no idea what they meant. There were lights in the distance, though, so I made my way through the shadows, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible. By the time I got to the fence's far end, I could see several dark warehouses looming, with bright lights and the sound of machinery a little further off. A moment later, I spotted something moving against the sky, and I realized I could see a tall crane turning slowly.

  Hearing a rumbling sound nearby, I looked over my shoulder just in time to see a freight train slowly making its way along a set of tracks. I ran forward, waving at the front carriage, but I was too far away and the train began to drive past. I stopped, worried about being out in the open, and then I ducked back over to the fence, where the shadows provided better protection. I had no idea which way Matthias had gone, but the last thing I wanted was to let him find me. The light from the train lit up the path I'd already taken, and I could see no sign of anyone, but I still waited until the train had passed, at which point the scene was plunged back into darkness.

  I waited, not daring to move, until finally realizing that if I continued to hide, he'd find me eventually.

  Keeping low, despite the increasing pain in my ribs, I began to make my way toward the nearest building. As soon as I got there and ducked back down into the shadows, I looked over my shoulder but saw no sign that I was being followed, so I began to hurry along the side of the building. In the distance, the lights were blinding, and I could hear heavy machinery. I was clearly at some kind of port or depot, but evidently Matthias had taken me a long way out of the city. I didn't even want to think about what he'd intended to do to me in such a remote location, but I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder every few seconds in case -

  Suddenly I bumped straight into someone. Turning, I stepped back, before seeing a middle-aged, paunchy man staring at me from behind a large, frazzled beard. To my relief, I saw he was wearing some kind of safety jacket, as if he was a worker at the depot.

  “Help me!” I stammered, stepping toward him. “Please, someone's chasing me!”

  He frowned.

  “Do you speak English?” I asked, trying not to panic. “My name is Chloe and someone kidnapped me and brought me out here!” Grabbing his arm, I stepped behind him and looked back into the darkness. “Can you call the police?”

  The man turned to me. For a moment, he seemed genuinely confused.

  “Okay,” he said finally, with a thick French accent. “Come inside, I'll call someone for you.”

  As he led me to a door in the side of the building, I glanced over my shoulder, still half expecting to see Matthias coming through the darkness. To my relief, however, I saw no-one, although for a moment I thought I caught a hint of movement above, as if something large had slipped across the sky. I looked up and heard the faintest thump from the roof of the warehouse, but then I heard a clicking sound nearby and I turned just in time to find that the man had unlocked a door, which he was holding open for me.

  “Come inside,” he said, not particularly urgently as he took a drag on a cigarette. “I have a phone.”

  Stepping into the room, I was momentarily blinded by the bright lights of a small office. The far wall was covered in paperwork that had been pinned to an old piece of cork-board, and an ancient-looking computer was sitting on a desk.

  “You sit here,” the man continued, moving some binders from an old swivel chair. “Please. I will go and make a call for you.”

  “Tell the police I was kidnapped,” I replied, as I realized my whole body was starting to shiver. “My mother was right!”

  Slowly I took a seat, but I felt a wave of shock rising through my body.

  “He was probably going to...”

  For a few seconds, all I could think about was that likelihood that Matthias had intended to kill me, probably after doing all sorts of horrific things first. Or maybe he'd just been planning to do those things to my corpse. After a moment, I looked at the man and saw he was watching me with a frown, and I realized that the small room was starting to fill with smoke from his cigarette.

  “Call the police,” I stammered, with tears in my eyes. “Please...”

  “Wait here,” he replied, a little dismissively, before heading to another door that led deeper into the building. “You're safe. I'll call.”

  “Thank you,” I gasped, feeling as if my entire body was about to break into a series of convulsive fits. As the man left the room, I leaned forward in the chair and tried to get my thoughts together, but I couldn't stop thinking about Matthias and all the plans he must have had for me. He'd seemed friendly enough when I'd first met him, but I was starting to realize that I'd inadvertently stumbled into the clutches of a monster. I'd always assumed I was a good judge of character and Matthias had seemed so friendly, but now I was starting to realize that he was some kind of monster.

  And Belinda.

  How did Belinda fit into it all?

  Sitting up straight, I thought back to the events in my apartment. Somehow they didn't quite fit into the rest of the narrative. Had Belinda really come back, or had Matthias somehow drugged me? I wanted to believe she was somehow okay, but at the same time I knew people didn't come back to life after being declared dead by the police, so I figured Matthias must have somehow slipped something into my food or drink, and I'd ended up experiencing some kind of vivid hallucination.

  Suddenly hearing a bumping sound from above, I looked up, my whole body instantly feeling tense again.

  I waited, and a moment later I heard another bump, from a different part of the roof this time. I told myself there was no way Matthias could have found me, and that he certainly wouldn't be on the roof, but at the same time...

  Looking over at the door, I realized that the man seemed to be taking a while on the phone. I got to my feet and headed over, at which point I was just about able to hear him talking in the distance. I f
igured I'd be safer if I went to him, so I made my way along the next corridor until I reached the door at the far end, at which point I hesitated for a moment.

  “So I'm supposed to just sit here and babysit her?” he was saying, in broken English. “Yes, of course I'm sure it's her. She even told me her name.”

  I froze, realizing that it didn't sound as if he was talking to the police.

  “I don't know,” he continued, “but he must be close.”

  I waited, trying to ignore the slow sense of fear that was rising through my chest. Finally, I began to take a step back.

  “Okay, but hurry,” the man said, “and I want payment upfront. I'm not a -”

  Suddenly I bumped against the wall.

  “Hang on,” the man added. A moment later, before I could react, he stepped out into the corridor and saw me. “Are you okay?” he asked cautiously. “I'm on the phone to the police. They're coming right now to help you. Just sit down and try to relax.”

  I paused, before nodding.

  “Wait,” he continued, stepping back into the room. “I have to go,” I heard him telling the person on the other end of the line. “I told her you are coming. Now get a move on.”

  I heard the click of the phone being put down, and then the man wandered back out to me, still smoking his cigarette.

  “Everything is going to be perfect,” he continued, forcing a smile. “The police will come, they will take you away, and the bad man, the Matthias man, will not be able to hurt you. Does that sound good?”

  I opened my mouth to reply, before realizing that at no point since I'd met him had I mentioned the name Matthias.

  “Do you like coffee?” he asked, stepping past me. “Or tea? Come, I will -”

  Before he could finish, there was a loud creaking sound from somewhere high above in the building. We both looked up, and when I turned to the man I saw a hint of fear in his eyes.

  “That's probably nothing,” he said cautiously. “Probably the wind or -”

  The sound returned, louder and closer this time, almost as if the warehouse's metal walls were being torn open.

  “This way,” he continued, grabbing my arm and pulling me back toward the small office room. Now he seemed really worried.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  Without answering, he led me into the office and then hurried to a locker at the far end. He was muttering something under his breath, and he quickly opened the locker and reached in. A moment later, I was shocked to see him taking out a rifle.

  I instinctively stepped back.

  “You sit,” he said to me, checking the rifle was loaded before heading back to the doorway and looking along the corridor. “Everything will be okay,” he added, although this time he didn't quite sound so sure. “The police will be here soon to help you. Don't panic.”

  From somewhere else in the building, there was a loud bumping sound.

  “Is that the wind?” I asked, feeling increasingly sure that something was coming for us.

  “Sure,” the guy said cautiously. “The wind.”

  “Why don't we go to where the lights are?” I asked, stepping toward the door that led back outside. “There should be more people there, and it'll be -”

  Suddenly the guy turned and aimed the rifle at me.

  “Please,” he said firmly, with the cigarette still in his mouth, “sit down. Don't make me tell you again.”

  I paused, before realizing he wasn't asking me. He was telling me.

  “The police are coming, aren't they?” I asked, unable to stop staring at the barrel of the gun. “That's who you were on the phone to, isn't it? The police?”

  Another bump rang out above, and I could see that the man was concerned.

  “Okay, move,” he said after a moment, with the gun still aimed at me. “Down that corridor. I'm not being paid enough to sit here and wait for that thing to find us.”

  “What are you -”

  “Move!” he shouted, grabbing my arm and shoving me toward the other door.

  Wincing as I felt another burst of pain in my chest, I stopped and turned to him.

  “But -”

  Before I could get another word out, he cracked the gun's handle against my face, sending me sprawling back and crashing to the floor. Letting out a gasp, I felt a throbbing sensation in my left cheek, as if the bone had been broken.

  “Get on your feet,” the man said firmly, with the gun still aimed at my face, “and move!”

  From somewhere high above in the building, there was a loud banging sound. Whatever was up there, it was getting closer.

  “Move!” the man yelled, stepping toward me.

  Flinching, I pulled away and scrambled to my feet, before starting to make my way along the corridor. After a moment I felt the barrel of the gun pressing against the small of my back, and I quickened my pace despite the pain that was now throbbing not only in my chest but also in the left side of my face.

  “Please don't hurt me,” I stammered, holding my hands up in surrender. “Please just -”

  “Shut up,” the man hissed, using the gun's barrel to shove me forward. “Less whining, more walking.”

  The bumping sounds were becoming more regular now, and it was clear something was tearing through the upper levels of the building, peeling back the metal walls as if they were made of paper.

  Suddenly the man grabbed my shoulder to hold me back.

  “Wait!” he hissed.

  For a moment, we stood in silence. Finally I realized I could hear a shuffling sound in the distance, although whatever it was, it was clearly getting closer.

  “What's up there?” I asked. “Why are -”

  Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound, and we both turned as we heard something slamming into one of the nearby rooms. Whatever was in the building with us, it had reached the ground floor.

  “Move!” the man hissed, shoving me back the way we'd just come. He muttered something under his breath as he kept the rifle's barrel pressed against my back, and finally he pushed me back into the small office. “If you make a noise,” he continued, shutting the door and turning a key in the lock, “I will kill you, do you understand?” Turning to me, he aimed the gun at my face. “Not one sound. Keep your mouth shut!”

  I froze, listening to the sound of something smashing through another part of the building. Whatever was out there, it sounded like a whirlwind of fury, and I wasn't so sure that a simple locked door was going to hold it back.

  “Where are they?” the man muttered, glancing past me and looking toward the door that led back outside. “I told them to get here.”

  “You mean the -”

  He shoved the barrel against the side of my face, immediately shutting me up. I could see fear in his eyes now, and he flinched when we both heard more crashing sounds from nearby.

  “Screw this,” he said finally, shoving me down to the floor. “There's not enough money in the world to make me -”

  Before he could get another word out, the door crashed open behind him. He turned and fired the rifle, and I caught sight of a large, dark shape rushing into the room as debris fell all around me. Shielding my eyes, I heard another shot from the rifle, accompanied by the sound of something slamming into the nearby wall. I began to crawl away, as clouds of dust filled the air, but a moment later I froze as I heard an agonized scream over my shoulder. Reaching the other door, I reached up and tried to get it open, only to find that it was locked.

  Turning, I saw that there was no sign of the man. The door had been torn from its hinges and there was debris all over the floor, and after a moment I spotted the rifle nearby. Reaching out and grabbing it, I held it up and aimed at the broken door. In the distance, the man was screaming, although his cries were suddenly cut short. I froze, hearing a couple of thumps from out in the corridor, and then I realized I could see a blood hand-print on the floor, along with thick red smears as if something had been dragged out of the room.

  I backed away, unti
l I bumped against the wall. To my surprise, I felt the entire wall falling away behind me, and I turned to see that the wall was now wedged in the corridor.

  Finally, footsteps came closer and I saw a figure emerging from the cloud of dust that had been kicked up by all the destruction. I aimed the gun, just as the figure stepped through and I saw Matthias staring down at me.

  “Chloe,” he said firmly, “listen to me, we -”

  Without giving him another chance, I pulled the trigger.

  The gun let out an impotent click.

  “Okay,” Matthias continued with a frown, “I won't take that the wrong way. Now Chloe, will you please listen to me? As I told you earlier, I know somewhere we'll be safe, but we have to move fast.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Matthias

  He's getting stronger and more daring. I have to get Chloe to safety fast.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chloe

  “Where are we?” I asked a short while later, as Matthias led me through the darkness next to the river.

  “Just a little further,” he replied, keeping pace behind me. “We're a few miles beyond the outskirts of the city. There are people who can patch you up.”

  The 'outskirts of the city' part was certainly true enough. There were no lights nearby, save for a distant glow on the horizon, which seemed to be coming from some kind of large dock or port area. I could see occasional ripples of light nearby, accompanied by the sound of water lapping at the shore, and I wasn't quite sure how Matthias was able to keep to the path. Sure, he seemed crazy, but perhaps he wasn't dangerous after all. I figured my best bet was just to follow him, at least for now.

  “I want to go to the police,” I stammered. “I want to see a doctor.”