London Under Midnight (17 page)

    Then, finally, as the reservoir of lifeblood was exhausted, and the man's eyes sank into their sockets, she moved on to the next of her victims. This was a kid with a wide-open mouth that displayed rotted teeth; his eyes were wide glassy orbs in the darkness; the expression suggested his own death had come as an unexpected surprise and he still couldn't come to terms with it. She giggled; the bellyful of man-blood intoxicated her. It left her with a warm sense of well-being. The world had become a lovely place lit by delicious rose tints. As she worked on his throat to tease out the carotid artery she glanced across at Carter.

    Carter luxuriated in gluttony, too. He'd chewed away the hand of a tattooed street bandit. Now he sucked on the open wrist veins with such bliss on his face, while both of his hands stroked the corpse arm from shoulder to forearm as he coaxed the blood along the veins. April giggled again as she watched him. Carter's milking that arm of blood, she told herself, like he's milking a cow. Maybe she should go along and ask for a taste? Tattoo boy's blood might be meatier than the one she worked on now. But then she gasped with surprise. She hadn't expected this. What an unexpected bonus!

    The kid she was about to liberate of his precious red-stuff was still alive. Ye, gods, this is pleasure beyond imagination… For a second she made kittenish cries of delight as the severed artery spurted blood into her face. The heat of it! Not to mention the sheer force of that jet of crimson hitting her face in a joyous explosion. After licking her lips she pressed her mouth against the wound to feed on that liquid glory. The kid kicked the grass with his heels, gurgled a little, clenched his fists in agony. That's all he could manage.

    Once again the image of her as a teen returned. Of the times she sucked on the thick plastic straw of her shake. Slurping, gurgling; an exquisite experience. Now this. It was as if she'd waited her entire life for this moment. And now it was here she'd savour it for as long as she could.

    

    

    April and Carter walked along the path by the canal. The cloud began to break; a thousand stars shone through. The pair were filled with such happiness that everything appeared wonderful. They pointed out the constellation of Orion reflected in the canal water. An airliner glided overhead, its navigation lights burned brilliantly, causing them to shield their sensitive eyes.

    'Imagine all those people on that plane.' Carter whooped. 'They'll all be asleep like this.' He pantomimed a sleeping man with his head to one side. 'Just imagine all those bare necks with those big,
big
pulses going da-dum, da-dum, da-dum.'

    She laughed as she put her arm around him. They could have been a pair of lovers returning home after a party that left them exhilarated as much as intoxicated. At that moment they were so energized it seemed as if they were flying rather than walking. Nothing required effort. April laughed as she suddenly twirled round, her arms held out by her side.

    Carter leapt on to a wall and crouched there as he made a play of balancing. 'Watch me, momma. I'm gonna surf these bricks all the way to Rio. There the people are so juicy it'll be like eating peaches.' The man was a relentless bundle of energy. He pounded his chest as if he was Tarzan. 'Peaches of the gods!'

    April jumped up and grabbed his hands. 'Carter! We've found it, haven't we?'

    'We've found happiness.'

    'But we've discovered something amazing. This is a miracle.'

    'Come fly with me!'

    They jumped off the wall hand-in-hand. As they walked with that bouncing stride April rushed the words through her lips with that same energy. 'You know why so-called civilized people hate cannibalism?'

    'Tell me, beautiful one.' He beamed those gold-tipped teeth at her.

    'It's because it gives you power. When you drink someone's blood or eat their flesh it makes you so strong you feel as if you could lift a building into the air.'

    'That's cool. I'm gonna go down to Westminster and throw Big Ben over the moon.'

    She laughed as she experienced such rapture she thought she would burst. 'But now we've discovered the truth. We're like Edison, Madam Curie and Oppenheimer rolled into one. Listen, Carter. We'll make the world a better place. Just picture it. If everyone felt like this there'd be no wars. Everybody will be happy. Wait…' She grabbed him by the arm as he tight-roped a narrow band of stone at the canal edge. 'Don't you feel it?'

    'I feel everything's good.'

    'But don't you feel as if you can never die? That you'll live forever?'

    'Hmm.' He rubbed his stomach while laughing out loud. 'I feel it.'

    'This is the happiest day of my life,' she declared. 'You and me, Carter, we've discovered eternal happiness and immortality.'

    'That, my sweetheart, is what I call an achievement.'

    April found herself skipping along the night-time path. The city lights were nothing less than a celebratory firework display, and above them the stars shone with their own happy glow.

    'We can't keep this to ourselves, you know?' She linked arms with him. 'We've got to share it.'

    'Who with?'

    'The world.'

    'How're we going to do that?'

    'I know a guy…'

    'Hmm, feeling a touch of jealousy here.' He laughed as if every syllable she spoke was the wittiest line in the history of comedy.

    'Idiot.' She patted his stomach. 'He's nice though.'

    'You're not going to kiss him behind my back, are you?' He tried to mime outrage but burst into giggles.

    'Once I thought he would kiss me.' She scrunched her shoulders with pleasure. 'I wouldn't have minded. I had a secret
thing
about him.'

    'Oooh, sexy thing?'

    'Shh…' She giggled again. 'Now, where was I?' She took a deep breath. 'This guy. He's called Ben Ashton, and he's a writer.'

    'Wow. Comics? Books? Plays?'

    'Stop distracting me, Carter.' She playfully slapped his stomach. 'Ben works for the magazines. Listen, this is what we'll do…' Her voice dropped to a whisper as if she didn't want to be overheard, even though the wasteland beside the canal was deserted. 'We'll find Ben Ashton and share our secret with him.'

    'You're sure?'

    'Sure, I'm sure.' She gave another tipsy laugh. 'Listen, Carter. We've discovered a secret. We can heal the world. Everyone can feel as strong and as happy as we do.'

    Carter's face clouded. 'But it isn't always like this. Remember how much it hurt on the island?'

    'But that's over. We know how to stop the hunger.'

    'Human beings. Hmm…' He smacked his lips.

    'Ben can write our story for the press.' The thought thrilled her to the bone. 'We'll explain how everyone can live forever.'

    'We'll win the Nobel Prize.'

    'It's inevitable!' She kissed him on the cheek. 'Just look at us.' Her laughter rang out across the water. 'Haven't you noticed?'

    'Noticed what? I'm having such a good time.'

    'We're all covered in blood.'

    This amused them so much it sent them into a renewed bout of giggles. Then as the starlight shone down they strolled away arm-in-arm into the night in search of Ben Ashton. They had the miracle of New-Life to share with the world.

    

    

    With the time past midnight, Ben and Trajan took a taxi down to Embankment, that swathe of valuable real estate reclaimed from the Thames a couple of centuries ago. Where there had once been muddy banks, a major road now ran between the water and some of the capital's most prestigious buildings. The summer night was a warm one, and people were heading home either on foot or by car after visiting the restaurants and theatres. Reflected lights shone on the high tide as a gaudy party boat drifted downstream to the accompaniment of a band playing on its stern deck.

    After paying the taxi driver Ben followed Trajan to the wall that separated the path from the river. Even in the street lights it was easy to make out the rust-coloured smudge on the back of the man's blond head that marked the position of the wound.

    'How are you feeling?' Ben asked.

    'Fine. Are we close to where I first met you?' The man appeared tense now, as if unsure he could handle any memories if they should come rushing back at him.

    'Just along there near the road sign. I was looking at the river when April came up behind me.' Ben gave a faint smile. 'At first I thought someone was going to chuck me in the water.'

    Trajan scanned the roadway. 'It's well lit, and you can see right down toward Cleopatra's Needle. After you left us, did you look back?'

    Ben shook his head. 'By that time I was in a hurry to get home.' He also remembered the profound disappointment at realizing that April Connor was moving in with the blond man who had a well-paid career in shipping. He noticed Trajan was staring down at the stone path as he walked alongside the wall. 'See anything?'

    'Not yet. I'm looking for my blood. If I see where I spilt it from this…' He touched the wound. 'Then I'll know exactly where the attack took place.'

    'There was heavy rain last night, Trajan. I doubt if you'll find anything.'

    'I've got to try, damn it. What else can I do?'

    'You don't remember anything about the attack itself? How you were struck? Or if there was a weapon?'

    'I remember figures on the wall - they were odd for some reason.'

    'Figures? Before you only mentioned one.'

    Trajan blinked. 'Two… I'm sure there were two. But only one attacked us.'

    'There was a weapon?'

    He rubbed his forehead. 'No… I don't remember. I just realized later that I was riding in a taxi with blood soaking my hair. Damn…'

    'No smells? Aftershave? Cooked food? Beer?'

    'No! Give it a rest, Ben.'

    'A big man? Thin? Plump? Tattoos?'

    'Damn it, whatever happened was knocked clean out of my head when he threw me.'

    'Threw you?'

    A flicker of surprise ran across Trajan's face. 'He never hit me. He picked me up and threw me away like I was a piece of crap.'

    'It's coming back, Trajan. You're starting to remember. What did he do to April?'

    'I don't know.'

    'Bit her?'

    'Shut up, Ben. Stop pushing me. Give me a chance to-'

    'Forget again. Come on, you lazy bastard.' Fury surged through Ben. 'Think harder. April's life might depend on it.'

    'I am thinking, you bloody-'

    'Well, think harder. Burst a few brain cells.'

    'Shut up.'

    'You're safe and sound. April isn't.'

    Trajan whirled round and shoved Ben against the river wall. Rage blazed in his eyes, and that aura of violence that hung over London all evening threatened to find its focus right there and then.

    'See, you're no weakling,' Ben panted. 'You've got muscle; so the guy who put you on the ground must have been strong as a bull.' Ben tried to push the man back but Trajan froze as he stared over Ben's shoulder. 'What's wrong?'

    'There's someone in the river.'

    'What?'

    'There, under the pier.'

    'Okay, let go. I want to look.' Ben shrugged himself free then turned his attention to the timber structure that ran out into the water to one of the ferries that had been moored up for the night.

    'Someone in the water?' Ben asked as he stared into the shadows. 'Male or female?'

    Trajan shrugged. 'Forget it. It's just some kid spraying graffiti.'

    Ben moved to his right until the timber bollard that blocked his view was out of the way. There, standing on a beam beneath the pier decking, was the figure of a man. Across the white flank of the ferry boat he was busily painting these words:

    

    
VAMPIRE SHARKZ

    ☺
They're coming to get you
☺

    

    

    Ben hissed, 'Trajan, cut off his retreat from that end of the pier. I'll catch him from this side.'

    The blond man was stunned. 'Catch him? Why do you want to catch some vandal daubing graffiti?'

    'Come on, before he vanishes.'

    Trajan stayed where he was on the embankment walkway. 'We're searching for April, we don't have time to stop someone painting their name on a boat.'

    'Quick, Trajan. As soon as he finishes he'll vanish again.' Ben walked as quietly as he could along the pier as the man, who'd been painting the mysterious slogan 'Vampire Sharkz: They're Coming To Get You', added the twin red spots that served as eyes for the smiley face. As he painted there in the shadows beneath the pier a reddish mist drifted from the aerosol, which he used to create his unlawful art.

    Trajan has good night vision, Ben realized. Not many people would notice the man in his black sweater and jeans at work there. Even with street lights the figure was simply another shadow amid many shadows. From what Ben could make out the man stood on one of the beams that supported the jetty structure. Just below him was the surface of the river. The currents were strong and bore branches, bottles, paper cups and other jetsam at a hell of a rate. Moreover, the direction of the flow was upstream, so this was the mighty tidal surge that swept inland. Even as Ben watched he saw that the level of the water crept up towards the man's feet. No doubt the rising tide was an incentive to finish his Vampire Sharkz message quickly before he escaped back to dry land. After all, he only had to slip.

    As Ben padded along the pier towards the jetty a hand grabbed his forearm.