Back to the Park

Mike sat in Henry's chair giving the couch over to his enemy and Vicki. He started talking, "There was some construction work on the farthest corner of the park. While digging out tree roots some broken crockery was found. Construction was stopped to allow archaeologists a look see. They cleared the area saying the find was nothing of importance. When a few more pieces were found the destruction for construction stopped again. The local tribes examined the broken bits of crockery, said it wasn't theirs so again the site was approved for work. By that time the project lost funding and has been blocked off from the rest of the park."

Vicki held up her hand, "Wait a minute Mike. There was nothing in the news about either the park construction or any so called finds."

"That's because the access to that part of the park was from private property. Every attempt was made to keep what was going on quiet. The trees that died and being removed were the oldest ones known to exist in the area. The park officials didn't want tree huggers anywhere near. The trees were long dead, creating a hazard and keeping that part of the park from being useful."

Henry had been quiet to this point, "Something was unburied that should have remained buried." He pondered what had been said about the tribes and archaeologists, "Okay, nothing of historical or cultural value was found. So what ever it is goes back even farther."

Vicki spoke, "Nomadic tribes?"

Henry shook his head no.

Mike stared, "Biblical times?"

Henry shook his head no again, "Farther yet. Beginning. The time of chaos. Maybe the big bang."

Henry's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He held up a finger and answered. He listened, stood and said in his deepest most respectful voice, "Sir. I thank you for calling." He walked slowly to the bedroom listening to the voice on the other end. Answering yes or no as appropriate. Vicki could her him faintly explain the park and his symptoms. Then all sound ceased as he closed the door for greater privacy.

Mike took Vicki's hands in his, "He looks good. You have been giving him your blood. He's not going to take too much is he?"

Vicki leaned into Mike and kissed his lips saying, "He knows how much to take. Henry and I know how care for one another." She pulled he hands away and said, " The three of us made a good team."

Mike's hair fell into his eyes as he started to speak, "We still do. Come on let's keep bouncing ideas off the wall until he gets back. That's what did best. Coming up with ideas until something worked. I wish Coreen were here. That quirky mind of hers. What happened to her?"

Vicki watched the dark curl and wanted to push it back the way she used to do, but that was not her right any longer. She glanced at the closed bedroom door and felt her vampire grow restless at Henry's continued absence. She said, "I don't know. She wasn't ready to come back to work after the condo incident. I lost contact with her when I moved the office and hired my agents."

"I've been meaning to ask. Why weren't you at your office for months?"

Vicki had not been asked about the time after being shot and turning vampire until now. "I needed time to myself. I went away for awhile. Someday I may tell you more. Now is about Henry and that damn park." She got up, "I'm going to check on him. There's beer in the frig and snacks in the cupboard. Help yourself."

Henry was sitting on the bed with the cell phone held in one hand dangling between his knees and the other hand bracing himself in an upright position. He looked up as the door opened. "That was the oldest living vampire on the phone." Henry gave a short laugh, " He said what was happening to me was an accelerated aging process for vampires. We do age very, very slowly, but we do age. He said I sounded like a 10,000 year old vampire. He himself was about 5,000 years old and had quite a bite left. I told him how you have been caring for me. That the aging stopped and appears to be reversing. He had no answers for that but wanted to know if you would allow him a bite or two?"

Vicki rubbed her cheek on the top of his bowed head, "My vital juices are for you alone. I'm going back out to wait for the phone call from Lana's lead. Coming?"

Henry got up and followed her back to the living room. Mike had a beer and a bag of cheese curls with the remote for the TV in hand. Sprawled out on the couch he looked quite at home. "Henry this is a good set. Yours, I bet. Vicki's TV was crap." He held out the bag of cheese curls offering Vicki some. She sat beside him and took a handful. Munching on one slowly, she ditched the rest of them behind the couch seat. Watching her slight of hand Henry hid a grin while saying, "Is this a work or play session?"

Mike put the game on mute, "Damned if I know, but it feels good. Like old times. What a cheese curl or a beer?" He turned to the game as the home team scored. "We need to check out the park. Vicki and I can go tomorrow morning."

Vicki placed a hand on Mike's knee, "I can't Mike. Daylight hurts my eyes and I won't leave Henry alone."

Mike shrugged. "I'll take Jamus. We did some work together in the past. He's good."

Vicki cleared her throat, "Thanks for sending Jamus my way. He is good. I trust his judgment." She turned to Henry, "What should they look for?"

Henry thought about it, "Anything out of place and time. What doesn't belong. I am beginning to get an idea."

Vicki's work line rang, "Nelson investigations." She listened, "Yes he's with me now. Royce is his name. I'm grateful you helped him. I know. You did what you could. How are you? What do you remember? Pain, loss of control, then aging overnight. I see, yes, pretty much the same for him. What about the others. You said a second time they died and the body was gone. I see. Yes I understand what you are trying to say. Okay. Call if you remember more or I'll call you if I think of anything else." She jotted notes while holding the phone between neck and ear. "Yes, I'll tell him. I have a cop friend and another of my agents investigating along with Lana."

Vicki placed the phone in the cradle. "Henry his aging stopped." Henry walked over to the window. He thought about the loss of his vampire for the last few weeks. What ever else happened in life he was never going to take his vampire gifts for granted again. Like his Vicki, vampire needed to be cherished. "I need to do something for him. He saved my life whether he knows it or not."

"The other part. There were no second attacks. He meant if the attack lasted a second longer you would have been gone. He saw you and remembered his own encounter. You were surrounded by black, there was a sucking sound. It faded as he got near."

Henry noticed Mike's fingers as he reached for the remote, "Mike go wash the orange from your hands before you touch my remote again." Mike stood up, "Yes your lordship." and started laughing as he wandered into the kitchen taking the bag and empty beer bottle with him. He thought, yep Henry's back and he was happy that Vicki was stuck with the pain in the ass and not him. Hands washed and a fresh beer in hand Mike returned asking, "What's your idea Henry?"

"The old one I was talking to remembered stories from even older vampires. We a very ancient race. Leotrist said there was talk of places of power that could drain and age anything. Over time they were buried in the shifting of the earth. The digging and heavy rains may have caused a direct access to that kind of power. Did anyone say how old the trees were?"

Mike's face frowned has he concentrated. "Some slices were taken to the science museum. But there wasn't a big fuss. The trees looked old but the number of rings didn't match up to the ancient appearance. Maybe 200 years more or less."

Henry sat deep in thought looking at his aged hands and trying to remember the blackness. Henry got up and started pacing slowly. He went into the bedroom and looked at the steps, his swollen knees gave him a twinge as he thought about the climb. Out loud he called, "Vicki would you run up stairs and find a book for me? Take Mike with you. He can help look."

Mike followed Vicki into the bedroom and looked around. He could see Vicki's and Henry's things mixed in together. Their being together looked and felt right."What are we looking for and why don't you use the Internet?"

Henry said, "It's not the book, but some notes I made in the margins. Working on story ideas while reading. Your looking for book about ancient myths and biblical references. It's an obscure work. Dr. Sagara and I spent several evenings arguing about its meanings."

Vicki's eyes narrowed as she remembered the name of the doctor and wondered about the relationship Henry had shared with her. Henry caught her changing facial expressions and chose not to say more. Mike went up the steps first and paused looking at the Royal Prince's chambers, "Damn Henry, even in an attic you have style." He saw the easel standing in one corner and walked over to a portrait of Vicki. He looked mesmerized by the beauty and the play of light across her face. He called out, "Henry I have never asked for anything from you, but I want this picture of Vicki."

Henry called up the steps, "You can't have it. On the floor against the wall there is another one. Bring it down with you."

Mike found it and carried it back to the stairwell. While Mike was looking at artwork, Vicki started looking in a box of books. "Fitzroy, you may be organized but you sure accumulate stuff. How many boxes are up here?"

"Not many. I keep only the important things close to me." Vicki thumbed her nose at the picture of Henry VIII. And called down, "Yeah, I'm looking at one now."

Vicki heard Henry's laugh and closed her eyes at the musical tones, "Stop making faces and my father and find the book. It should be in the box under the bed. Mike put the novel down and help her."

Mike mouthed to Vicki, "My mom could do that, know what I was doing two rooms away. Honestly Vicki, he is a pain." He reached under the bed and pulled out another shallow box filled with books. He read the spines and set them aside, shaking his head at Henry's choice of reading material. Vicki reached over Mike's shoulder and snagged a small volume, "Got it Henry. And no we aren't taking the time to put stuff back. Grab your picture Mike, night is wasting."

Henry was sitting on the bed looking tired. He took the offered book from Vicki's hand and glanced at the picture Mike had brought down. "Do you want me to have it framed first? Framing can make or break a portrait." Mike hated to give it up now that he had it and said no. "It's perfect the way it is. You managed to capture all her moods at one time. Depending on the angle, all of Vicki is here."

"I agree. The other one is better, but for my eyes only. Enjoy it Mike. Now let's see my notes." He skimmed through the pages and read the margins. His eyes caught the half sentence, closed the book with a sigh, "It's late. I'm tired and I ache. Get out of here Mike."

Vicki followed Mike to the door. As he was about to leave he held Vicki's hand for a second. "Be careful. Henry figured out something. Mark my words he'll try something night."

Vicki gave Mike's hand a squeeze, "He may, but you stay out of it."

Henry was putting on one of Vicki's old sweatshirts when she came into the room. Being old made him feel the chill in the night air. She sighed, "Where are we going?"

He knew better than to argue with her. "The far side of the park. If I'm right we'll see a sink hole left behind. Where the trees' taproots would have been. The ancient forces that formed our planet left bits and pieces of their power behind. Angels fighting Titans. Wizards fighting Sorcerers. All the myths have one thing in common, the use and misuse of great power. Some of it has worked it's way to the surface. It's almost gone now. It's not gathering power and growing, it's trying to fight off it's own death. We need to bury it again."

"How can you be so sure it won't kill you. The first time you saw the man in the park he said the second attack will kill you, this time his story changed to say a second longer and you would have died. Which statement was right?"

"I don't know for sure. But it's the best we got. There have been no more reported attacks since mine. Vampire changed it somehow. As my vampire grows stronger I remember more, it fought, then fled to protect me. Your vampire is very strong and mine is coming back, Together we can push it back into the earth where in can keep falling."

"Got that smarty, but how do you close the ground behind it?"

"We borrow some explosives from a construction site. There's always something being torn down and built up again around here."

Vicki looked at the time. There were about 6 hours left till dawn. "Mike is right, you are a pain. But if this is the best we got lets get it done. One more question though, why not let it die out on it's own?"

"Sweet revenge. I hate being old." He started swearing under his breath at his hurting knees. "Vicki, I'm going to feed tonight when this is over. You may have to do the biting for me, but I get first swallow."

They were out the door and half way down the street when Mike joined them. "You got an idea and a solution. I'm going along. I know it won't make sense to my cop mind, but I'll do what I'm told."

Vicki hugged Mike for the third time in one night, "B and E, theft, and and a little destruction. If Henry asks you to back off, you listen."

"Mike, glad to have you along. We're going to close up a hole that leads to ancient powers. No magic spells, or blood letting, just a nice big boom. Blame it on a gas leak." Henry took a few more steps, turned and said. "Afterwards go home. I going to look for a bite to eat. Having the same thing for dinner for almost a month his getting boring." Vicki punched him lightly in the arm, "Yeah well providing dinner for you is no picnic for me."

Mike threw his hands in the air as he walked behind.

The plan was quickly and effectively executed. Mike saw the deep dark of Henry's eyes, and said good night. I few nosy people came out of their houses after the explosion. Henry signaled to Vicki and she lured one very vocal woman into the thicket. Henry's eyes darkened even more and small but very sharp fangs appeared. His vampire power held the woman in a trance as the bite penetrated the thin skin on the inside of her wrist. He felt his passion rise and he gave the woman a feeling of being desirable, and loved. Vicki watched protectively over Henry as he fed. Then found a spectator and a quick meal of her own.

As they walked hand in hand back to the apartment, Henry asked, "Why were there cheese curls in the cupboard? I can understand the beer. I'll drink one of those now an then, but I can't figure out the cheese curls."

"There Mike's favorite snack. I was hoping he would come back into our lives. I wanted to be prepared. Does that bother you?"

"No. We are much better people for having had our past lovers. If we can keep them as friends, life is sweeter."

The boom shook that part of town was a hot news item for a few days until the next disaster came along to bump it off the networks . The faint smell of residual methane gas in the area left little reason for further investigation of the explosion. All the tree roots were gone and the newly leveled area made a great soccer field.

I didn't intend to make this story so long. It kept growing on its own. Our favorite vampire is getting stronger with each feeding. But Henry's white hair is another story. Until next time, Real Tears