Darkness Haunts

Darkness Haunts - By Susan Illene

Chapter One

A true friend will always be there for you when you need them, but they’ll also be the first to drag you into a pit of vipers. If snakes hung out in this place, I doubted I’d get out of here in the same shape I went in.

“The Mouse Trap” was the newest and hottest club in Monterey, California. At first glance, nothing about it appeared out of the norm. No windows broke the smooth-faced façade out front, and the loud music spilling through the open door was the same as any other establishment of its kind. But it hid a darker element.

The patrons who stood in line had no idea they shuffled impatiently to enter a place owned by supernaturals, or “sups” as I preferred to call them. Hell, they didn’t even know such things really existed. They’d dressed up in their tight-fitting clothes, chains, and leather, believing they were going to have a good time. Little did they know—nothing is ever as it seems.

My nails dug into my palms as the line inched forward.

Lisette, one of my two closest friends, stood next to me. She’d picked our destination for the night, and true to form, she chose one with a mixed species element. Whenever you dealt with sups, anything could happen. I had to hope for the best and continue to play my ignorant human role with her. She didn’t know that I knew.

Blinking red neon lights from the club’s sign illuminated the excitement on her pale face. She hopped up and down, trying to see over the taller humans in front of her. I couldn’t figure out how she kept her balance on the high heels she wore. Then again, she only came up to my chin—maybe being closer to the ground helped. Pixies tended to be on the short side.

“Ten more people in front of us.”

She stopped hopping—to my relief. “Thanks. I hope they hurry and let us in soon.”

I scowled, but didn’t reply. My temples were throbbing. The result of being too close to a large number of sups. They’d hit my senses like a storm of fire, ice, and jagged glass as soon as we’d neared the place. I rubbed my forehead in an effort to get rid of the pain. It would pass, given enough time. My movement drew Lisette’s attention.

"What’s wrong, Melena?” she asked, frowning. “It’s not going to be that bad. Besides, with Aniya up in Alaska, there’s no one else who can come with me.”

“Aniya is a stay at home and drink red wine kind of girl. You know she wouldn’t come to a place like this.” I paused. “Speaking of which, have you heard from her? She hasn’t been answering my calls.”

“No, I haven’t.” Lisette rolled her eyes. “But don’t try changing the subject. Unless something is seriously wrong, you’re going in here if I have to drag you by your hair.” She reached out, as if to do just that.

I jerked the vulnerable locks over one shoulder—the farthest one from Lisette—and edged a few inches away. I’d have to let the topic of Aniya go for now.

My teeth ground together as the line inched forward—five more people in front of us.

I had to hope this place wasn’t as bad as my paranoia made it out to be. Most supernatural clubs maintained strict rules involving their treatment of humans. It was just good business, but until I went in, I wouldn’t know if this one did. A risk for someone like me. It could be said my kind, sensors, were the paranormal equivalent of most wanted criminals. The main thing that kept us safe was that we appeared human.

In fact, we were, except a bit more enhanced. The few differences we had included the ability to sense supernaturals nearby, immunity to magic, and some empathic traits. For having those gifts, the sups had hunted us for centuries. Lisette had known me for eleven years, since our sophomore year in high school, and even she didn’t know my secret. It was safer that way.

My heart skipped a beat—only three people left.

A brawny werewolf bouncer stood as the gate guard to the dark abyss beyond. His alert brown eyes checked the IDs handed to him, but he did little more than skim their details. Subtle sniffs flared his nostrils as he came into contact with each human. You could fake an ID, but you couldn’t fake your natural smell, not even with perfume. A werewolf could detect your age down to a year with little more than a whiff or two.

He pulled a young brunette out of the line who wore a tiny red dress. It didn’t cover up much and left plenty of curves to show. She stood off to the side with her hands on her hips.

“I’m twenty-one. You have to let me in.”

He flung her ID at her. “This is fake. Get outta here.”

She squealed in outrage, grabbed her ID off the ground, and stomped off. I envied her. She had an excuse to leave. Sups rarely messed with underage humans. Even they had lines they avoided crossing.

As I took my next steps toward the entrance, my feet itched to make an all-out run the other way. Even the military hadn’t made me strong enough to deal with this kind of crap. One would think if I could survive being shot at and nearly blown up, a nightclub wouldn’t be that bad.

It was my past experiences with them that were the problem. They’d killed Wanda, another sensor I knew, eight years ago. The memory of her murder at a sup’s hands flashed in my mind often and served as a constant reminder of what could happen to me. I’d known Lisette since before the incident, making her the only supernatural I could tolerate.

We stepped up to the bouncer and handed over our IDs. I pretended not to feel the claws raking against my psyche from being so close to him. Lack of regular exposure to sups made them more difficult to be around. Slow, deep breaths brought some relief.

The werewolf did the same cursory check as he had with the others while sniffing us out. He gave my friend a subtle nod. It must have been some kind of supernatural acknowledgment. His eyes didn’t even linger on me before he waved us inside.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness of the lengthy hallway. Black walls enclosed me tightly. Only the solitary words “Mouse Trap” written in dripping blood-red letters decorated one side. I suppressed a shiver and tried not to think of their implied meaning. No wonder I was paranoid.

Several humans crowded the corridor, already caught in the supernatural snare. They had the glazed eyes of those who had imbibed one too many drinks, or maybe more, since one fell down. I stepped over him and kept going.

Once we moved into the main room, we found ourselves sucked into a huge crush of dancers. The capacity had to be close to the max, despite it being almost the size of a basketball court. Did they want us packed in like sardines?

Lisette split off from me with a small wave. I fought my way to the bar and ordered a drink. The vampire attending it had shaggy brown hair and dark eyes. An ice-cold feeling came from him, shocking my senses with its frigidity. Deep subtle breaths pushed the feeling down. If I stopped avoiding his kind so much, this sort of thing wouldn’t happen.

The vampire produced my grenadine-laced Long Island Iced Tea with a flourish moments later. His smile, though fangless, showed more than a little interest. I gave him some cash and hurried away to find a semi-quiet corner as far from any non-humans as possible. That turned out to be about fifteen feet, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

Lisette had already joined the throng of dancers. She fit right in while gyrating with a guy sporting tri-colored hair and multiple piercings. Her bob of freshly colored pink didn't stand out much in this place. Our styles differed as much as our personalities. I preferred to keep my dark auburn hair long and natural. She changed hers the way others did their clothes.

The level of my drink continued to go down as I leaned against the wall. A nearby vampire waitress with long blonde tresses moved about the room. She sashayed through the congested dancers with fluid grace while keeping her serving tray steady. I kept hoping she'd drop it when someone bumped into her, but to my annoyance, she didn’t.

Well-placed cameras scanned the scene from above. I didn’t see a single spot they didn’t cover. Keeping my gaze fixed on the scene before me, my hand slid along the waistband of my black club pants. The pocket knife I’d clipped there earlier remained tucked inside. Keeping it on me for safety reasons had become natural over the years. I didn’t feel secure without it.

As the minutes ticked by, nothing disturbing occurred. The pain in my head subsided to a dull ache, and my muscles started to unwind. I knew I needed to get a grip and stop being so sure the monsters would come to get me. Lisette changed partners a few times before my drink ran out. When I set it down, thinking to order another, she came over and tugged on my arm.

"You’re not standing there all night,” she yelled into my ear. “I’m going to make sure you have a good time if it kills you!”

"It just might,” I said.

She didn't hear me, which didn't matter anyway. I let her drag me along until we found a minuscule opening on the dance floor. People pressed in close, making it impossible to move without bumping into someone. I normally liked dancing, even in a crowd like this, but having bloodsuckers and wolves at my back tended to make me edgy. Lisette didn't show any concern for the predators lurking all around. She had to have known they were there—sups had ways of recognizing each other.

We stayed together for a while until my dancing loosened up. Satisfied with my progress, Lisette moved away to rejoin tri-color hair guy. I kept her within visual range to be on the safe side. By the fifth song, the place didn’t seem that bad anymore. They played my kind of music and the men who danced with me weren’t the clumsy or groping types.

My enjoyment didn't last. I sensed the change in the environment before it even reached me. Swirls of magic entered the room. It curled out of the vents and surged across the crowd—impossible to see or smell, but there nonetheless. Goosebumps ran across my skin as it touched me, feeling oily and foul, but otherwise having no effect. Normal humans weren't so lucky.

As people breathed it in, the mood changed. Everyone began dancing in crude ways better suited for a strip club. Sweat poured down their bodies as they peeled their clothes off and flung them away without a care. I had to duck when a bra went flying by, cherry blossom pink not being my color.

Magic pervaded the crowd. The kind that came from a powerful witch who concocted just the right spell for humans alone. None of the sups inside the place were affected and couldn’t sense it like I could. Lisette was immune as well, but she had joined in the craze by rubbing her body all over her partner. She’d always enjoyed a good scene. It didn’t even occur to her that something wasn’t right. That trait about her was something I both loved and hated.

I moved toward her, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the club staff figured out one human stood untouched by their magical cocktail, particularly with those cameras in place. We needed to leave, now.

"I'm getting out of here, Lisette. Are you coming?" I shouted.

Lisette had eyes only for the guy holding her close. They moved against each other sensuously with no regard for those around them. She didn’t even glance my way and several stubborn people wouldn’t move so I could get closer.

Dancers everywhere had either stripped off all their clothes or were well on their way to it. Their empty eyes stared at nothing, but their bodies managed lewd acts with impressive skill. The heat and passion pulsing through the room grew at an alarming rate, assailing my already overwhelmed senses. It wouldn’t be long before it turned into an all-out orgy.

I kept trying to elbow my way through the crowd, but the already dim room suddenly switched to strobe lights, bringing me to a blinding halt.

It took a moment to adjust to the change, but when my vision cleared the macabre scene before me appeared something akin to a horror movie, or really wicked porn. A few of the vamps joined in to take advantage of the changed atmosphere with their own special brand of “fun”. I thought I caught sight of a set of fangs flashing, but couldn’t be sure.

With a final hard shove, I reached Lisette. “Hey,” I yelled in her ear, “we gotta go.”

Lisette frowned and opened her mouth to argue. She still didn’t get it and time was running out. I grabbed her face and turned it toward the crowd. “This is not normal. We have to go now!”

She stopped dancing and took a serious look around. A flicker of realization crossed her eyes. Ignoring her partner, who’d begun to do unseemly things with his tongue to her bare legs, she shuffled closer to me. “Mel, listen. I’m going to stay, but you should definitely go. Maybe we can catch up later or something?”

“You’re not coming?”

“No way.” She shook her head. “This is even better than I expected, but I wouldn’t have brought you if I’d known. I’m sorry.”

“You’re really going to stay for this?” I asked. I’d known she had a kinky side, but didn’t think it went this far.

“Yes. Now go!” She shoved me in the direction of the entrance. “If I have to haul you out, it’s not going to be pretty.”

“Fine, but be careful,” I warned.

“Always,” she said with a naughty grin. There would be no changing her mind, but she could take care of herself. I had to believe that as I began working my way back toward the entrance.

Getting through the mass of people made the army obstacle courses I’d done years before look easy. Almost every inch of the floor had human bodies twisting and bending in ways that defied logic. I tripped right before reaching the entrance hall when a pair of bare legs shot out in front of me.

My chin almost smacked the floor, but I managed to stop myself a bare inch before impact. While trying to untangle myself from the loose limbs, I felt a strong presence draw close. His aura filled me with coldness and dread. I peered up through my hair, which had swept in front of my face, to see a dark-skinned vampire standing at the edge of the crowd.

"You’re wanted upstairs.”

I gulped. “Now?”

A flash of fangs and darkening eyes gave me the only answer I needed. My senses told me he hadn't been undead for more than ten years, but he would still be far too strong. I wouldn’t win in a fight against him, but my need for escape kept me searching for a way out. I made a quick sweep of the room. There had to be another exit.

The vamp didn’t wait for me to find one. He grabbed my arm in a firm grip and pulled me out of the twisted mess of limbs. Everything moved in a blur as he propelled me toward a set of stairs not far from where we’d been moments before. I almost lost a shoe in the process, but managed to retain it with the grip of my toes.

We reached the top and went straight for a door at the end of the hall. My senses alerted me to who waited on the other side—the same witch who had concocted the magic spell. The vampire shoved me through and entered behind me before shutting the door. With him blocking my escape, I was forced to face the coldly beautiful woman standing across the room in front of an ornate mahogany desk. Only the tiny crinkles around her eyes gave away her age as being somewhere in her forties.

Waves of powerful black magic emanated from her and I could smell the putrid remnants of a recent animal sacrifice. The odor made my nose wrinkle. A quick search revealed it to be in the corner, but I didn’t linger on the mess that had to have once been a bird. Brown feathers were the only thing that gave it away now. The poor creature must have been part of the ingredients needed for the spell downstairs. PETA would have a field day with this woman.

"Here she is, Madam Noreen,” the vampire behind me announced. I figured him for one of her minions. All the powerful sups had an entourage of “lessers” to do their bidding.

Noreen wore a designer pantsuit, minus the jacket. The white silk shirt she had on was sleeveless and low-cut, hugging her slim curves in a flattering way, and her highlighted hair had been swept up into a fancy twist. She stood with confident authority. I set my face in a neutral expression, not wanting to give away any signs of fear. Nothing could be done about my rapidly-beating heart, though.

Her lips curled up. "Are you enjoying my club, little one?"

"Of course, but I just remembered I left my stove on.” She didn’t need to know I couldn’t cook a hot dog without blowing it up into chunks. “It runs on gas, so I really should get home and shut it off.”

I swiveled on my heels to leave, but didn’t make it more than two steps. The vampire by the door shoved me back in the direction of the witch, making me stumble before catching myself. I turned around to find Noreen had moved in closer. When she spoke next, her tone might have come off as pleasant, but a hint of malice laced its edges.

"This shouldn’t take long, don’t worry."

Right, I felt really reassured.

"Good to know,” I said instead, glancing back at the door, “but it would really suck if my apartment caught on fire. I really do have to get going.” Maybe if I said it enough times, she’d believe me.

The witch ignored my protest and hit a button on a small remote in her hand. What had been a wall in front of me slid open on silent tracks. Tinted glass appeared behind it, along with the dance floor below. The lights continued to blink in rapid succession over the contorted bodies moving with the beat. I wasn’t the prudish type, but some things went beyond even my limits. It took all my self-control not to shudder in revulsion.

Two pairs of suspicious eyes bored into me, making it difficult to keep up my stoicism. I was reaching the point where I wanted them to know how I really felt. Anyone with a scrap of decency would have had a tough time pretending any of this was okay.

"Why are you not participating in the fun?”

"Fun?” I raised my brows. “They’re down there licking each other’s asses, among other things. Not exactly my style.”

Noreen’s gaze didn’t leave me as she spoke to the vampire. "Give us a moment, Hector."

"Of course, Madam."

Damn, should have kept my mouth shut. Playing innocent and stupid had gotten me out of a few messes in the past, but my anger ran too high this time to keep it in check. I resisted the urge to look back when the door clicked shut. My senses told me the minion moved down the hall, but he didn’t go far.

Noreen frowned. "How is it that a human could be immune to my magic?"

I cocked my head to the side. "Excuse me?"

Best to try the innocent act again.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't play games with me, young lady."

She flicked her delicate hand out and mumbled a few incomprehensible words. Magic swept over my body before fizzling out. Noreen had cast a strong freezing spell—one that should have prevented me from moving. Any human, or weaker sup, would have been susceptible to it. I stood still. Better to let her believe the spell worked for now. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t buying my act of innocence.

Noreen studied me close for signs of resistance before nodding in satisfaction at her "forced compliance". I chanted a mantra in my head, telling myself not to move yet, as she stepped up to the window. Her back faced me while she watched the dancers below.

"Here is the problem, dear. You should be down there, participating with the others, and yet that isn't the case. This tells me you’re not what you seem."

My hand slid up to reach the hidden knife. It folded open in a smooth motion, thanks to countless hours of practice, and fit in the palm of my hand. I pressed it close to my side to keep it concealed.

Whatever happened, I had to make a choice. Killing her could get me in trouble with the authorities, if the sups chose to go that route. It would be difficult to prove self defense with all her employees vouching for her, and the police couldn’t be told the truth. That’d be a sure death sentence in the supernatural community and not something I wanted to contemplate. If they decided to resolve things on their own, it wouldn’t be much better. They might get over me wounding her, but they’d never let me get away with killing her.

Noreen’s voice carried over to me as my mind raced. "You appear to be human, yet this cannot be true. What are you?”

If she pondered the subject too long, she might come to the correct answer. Various methods of escape ran through my head. The only idea that came to mind wouldn’t be foolproof, but it was the best I could come up with under the circumstances. I remained motionless, waiting for my chance, as every instinct in me screamed to act.

“Of course, you can't answer that. Can you, little one?” She smoothed her pant legs and lifted her chin. "You should know I’m the most powerful witch in central California. The entire area around here is mine now and every supernatural creature in it will obey me. Whatever you are, you’re not human. Do not doubt I will discover the truth, one way or another."

I had to suppress a flinch at the idea I wasn’t human. Maybe enhanced, but still very much mortal. I refused to lump myself in with a bunch of unnatural beings. They were the enemy and pure evil. Sups preyed on humans and sensors protected them, or at least we used to.

Noreen circled my still form, studying me. The hand concealing my knife twitched, wanting to take action against her cold, slithery presence. Not all witches were bad, but this one had gone down the dark path.

She stopped moving when she came around to my front again. Her hand rose to touch my face in a light caress. I wanted to shove it away. Pressure pushed at the edges of my mind as she tried to force her way in. Noreen would discover nothing by this method, but that in itself would reveal too much. When her eyes lit up, I knew I was in trouble.

“Hmmm, there is an associate of mine who would find you very interesting. How would you like to take a trip up north?”

I gave up the act of being frozen, and jerked her close.

“Not very much at all,” I said, looking into her widened eyes.

In a swift move made easy from practice during my army days, I thrust the knife into the region of her stomach where her left kidney should be and twisted hard. It wasn’t a death blow, since it could be healed quickly by her minions, but it would be enough to weaken her until I got away. The witch screamed out in pain and rage, forcing me to cover her mouth and drive her body to the floor. I shoved a knee into her chest for good measure. Her struggles weakened, but didn’t stop.

Her kind had the same physical limitations as all other humans had—unless they put temporary spells in place ahead of time. Those wouldn’t work on me, even if she had used them, but my real advantage came from being stronger. I went to the gym regularly to keep my muscles toned. A part of me always knew something like this might happen.

I couldn’t hold her like this for long, so I searched for something nearby to use as a weapon. A fancy bronze sculpture of entwined lovers sitting on the nearest shelf caught my eye. I grabbed it and slugged her over the head with it. She slumped onto the plush, beige carpet without making another sound. A trickle of blood ran down her head, but the rise and fall of her chest let me know she still lived.

Seeing her lying still caused a twinge of guilt, but not enough to make me feel all that bad about it. She deserved a whole hell of a lot more, considering everything she’d done. It annoyed me to know she’d live to hurt more humans, but I didn’t have the power to stop her. Keeping myself alive was a full time job.

I set the statue back on the table and yanked my knife out of her abdomen, cleaning the blade off on her mint green designer pants before putting it away. She wouldn’t be happy about the mess, but that wasn’t my problem. I had to get out of here.

My senses told me Hector still stood at the other end of the hall. Noreen must have had the room soundproofed. It didn’t surprise me since having creatures around with excellent hearing would have made privacy rather difficult.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open a few inches and peeked out. He was talking on the phone with his back facing my direction. No one else stood out there, leaving me a clear path. The loud music coming from below would help cover any sounds I made, but to be safe I slipped off my heels and held them in one hand.

Staying on my toes, I raced to the stairs. He didn’t turn around during my passing. His murmuring voice faded as I moved farther away from him.

My flight down went almost as fast as the one going up. I slipped my shoes back on at the bottom, wanting both hands free. The main room appeared before me. I turned left toward the entrance. A small group of newcomers walked past, but their eyes were already glazed over from the heady magic still clouding the air.

I wanted to save them and the other humans but had no way of doing it alone. A sensor I might be, but superwoman I was not. It would be impossible to go against all the sups in the place and I was nothing if not realistic. Five were in the main dance floor area and two behind the bar. Not to mention the ones I’d left upstairs and the werewolf standing at the front door.

I hesitated for a moment over leaving Lisette, but didn't think she would be in any real danger. She’d made it clear she wanted to stay. They wouldn’t dare to harm a pixie anyway with so many of her kind in the area. Pixies were one of the more peaceful races among the fae until one of their own was threatened. Then things got ugly.

Reaching the entrance, I saw the werewolf who’d been standing there before. He was busy checking over humans waiting in line. I debated for a moment on how to get past him, but realized he wasn't blocking the door, only standing by it. Rushing past him in the same way I had the vampire upstairs seemed like the best idea.

It would have worked too, if he hadn’t grabbed my arm right before I slipped out.

"Where do you think you're going?” he growled out. His breath stank of things I didn’t want to contemplate.

A smart reply didn’t come to me. I stood frozen in his vise-like grip in that way that happens when you’re sure you won’t get caught and then you do. He used his free hand to reach for the radio on his belt. My near escape couldn't end so close to getting away. I had to do something.

Without thinking further, my knee shot out and slammed into his groin. A grunt escaped him as he doubled over, moving both his hands to cover his crotch. I took advantage by wrapping my arm around his neck and locking him into a choke hold, using his own weight against him. Within seconds, the blood supply to his head cut off and he slumped unconscious. I dropped him, letting his body fall to the ground in front of me with a loud thump. Countless hours of training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu had just paid off.

Those waiting nearest in line looked at me with rounded eyes and dropped jaws. Not every day a one hundred and thirty pound girl knocked out a guy twice her size.

"Get out of here,” I yelled at them, waving my arms in a shooing manner. “This place isn’t safe!”

Confused gazes stared back at me. Why couldn't people heed a simple warning without needing an explanation first? I didn't have time for this—escape first, worry about them later. I took off down the street and around the next corner, dashing out of sight.