They were both leaning over his body, waiting to see what would happen next.
One plump little man held a small lantern with a white candle. His fingernails were caked in layers of dirt, and the wide collar of his dusty coat was flipped up around his neck. The other man was much older. He had tufts of white hair poking out from beneath the brim of his black hat. The filthy gloves he wore were crafted from some unknown animal hide, which would have mildly piqued the interest of the prone man, had he been alive.
“Well, Tom?” The plump one asked. “Is he most definitely dead?”
“Don’t really know, Carl,” he shrugged. “I’ve never seen one like this before.”
“These are dark times, friend,” Tom whispered. The moon was hovering over his shoulder like an inquisitive neighbor. There was the crisp snap of dry twigs behind him. From the dense forest beyond the graveyard, a pack of wolves slowly gathered in the darkness.
“We’re not alone,” Carl said.
Tom twitched nervously, and reached into the coffin. He touched the wooden stake that had been driven into the monster’s heart.
“You think he felt any pain?” He asked.
Carl rubbed at his own chest and winced.
The wolves began to howl. Bats fell from the trees like dead leaves. A twelve-foot, black snake slithered over Tom’s left boot. “Foul creatures,” he shivered.
“I hear you’re supposed to cut the head off, just to be sure,” Carl said.
“Yes,” Tom agreed. “And stuff the mouth with garlic, although you can use fresh-cut roses.”
“Roses?” Carl asked.
“My mother always said it was to ward off the demons.”
“Ah.”
There was a sudden moaning from the ground, near the shovels.
“Is the girl alright?” Tom asked.
“Her face is terribly bruised, but she hasn’t lost much blood.”
“We got to her just in time, eh?”
“As always, you are the hero.”
Tom looked away embarrassed. He then passed his gloved hand over the dead man’s mouth. A cold, black tongue darted out unexpectedly and licked at the crusted blood staining its surface. He jerked his hand back.
“It appears we have a job to complete, Carl. You ready?”
Carl shook his head and set the lantern down on the uneven earth. His hand passed over a collection of knives, a wooden hammer, and a frayed length of rope. The girl who was bound and gagged began to whimper. He pulled her up from the ground by her blond curls.
“It’s time to wake the Master, my darling,” Carl said. He opened his mouth, and his sharp, white fangs were like the fine, brilliant points of a distant star.
Tom grinned and displayed a matching set.
“Bring her up for a closer look,” he commanded.
Carl lifted the young girl effortlessly into the air and pushed her face-down into the open casket.
Tom calmly took hold of the stake.
—
© 2009 Angel Zapata
Angel Zapata was born in NYC, but currently resides just outside of Augusta, Georgia. Some of his flash fiction and poetry has appeared or is forthcoming on Powder Burn Flash, Doorknobs & Bodypaint, Every Day Fiction, Every Day Poets, Membra Disjecta, Flashes in the Dark, and The Drabbler. He is husband to his blond goddess and father of four boys obsessed with all things ninja. He occasionally blogs at: http://www.myspace.com/angeldzapata
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Tags: Angel Zapata
April 25th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Excellent….:)
April 25th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Nice story! It’s all good, as they say, but I especially enjoy the way you write dialogue.
April 25th, 2009 at 8:14 am
nicely twisted.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
That was a great story, Angel! Loved the flow of the dialogue and the descriptions of the 2 men. You really had me fooled…thinking they were there to save the girl…
April 25th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, kind people! I tried to do something somewhat fresh with vampires. Although vampires are far from fresh, as they are dead and everything. Okay, undead. Anyway, I’ll stop now.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 am
Hi Angel, I found you away from 6S. This is a scary story. So let me lock the door and read some more.
June 8th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
[...] THINGS ARE LOOKING UP By Angel Zapata Posted by root 15 minutes ago (http://flashesinthedark.com) A cold black tongue darted out unexpectedly and licked at the thanks for reading and taking the time to comment kind people flashes in the dark is proudly powered by wordpress and theme designed by lavinya Discuss | Bury | News | THINGS ARE LOOKING UP By Angel Zapata [...]