The Paris Escapade

Montmarte Cemetery was a grand piling of ornate tombs and stone-covered graves. Thin cobblestone paths weaved through the vast maze of the dead. It lay far below street level, encased in what was once a quarry. I stared up at the full moon, feeling the soulless crushing of lifeless bodies all around me, with tiny pinpricks of life interspersed, gems hiding among the decay.

This was it, the perfect place to hunt.

It did not take me long to track down a newborn, cowering in his freshly dug grave, waiting till he was strong enough to bear the moonlight. I ripped him out of his stolen coffin as he shrieked, his skin scorching.

It was while I fed that the curious sensation of being watched crept over me. I dropped the corpse quickly, spinning around.

I could see no one lurking in the shadows or among the gravestones, but I could still feel a presence, somewhere.

“Don’t you feel ashamed, feeding on you’re own kind?” a gentle voice came from above.

My eyes turned upward, my body tensed, anticipating an attack.

She sat up on a mausoleum, perched atop the stone cross. She was small, child-like one might say. She wore only a thin dress of the purest white, it was long and hid her feet completely. Her pale arms were bare and her long hair was loose down her back. The cold night air did not seem to bother her in the slightest. She merely looked down at me curiously, her head tilted to one side.

I drew my lips back over my blood-stained teeth. “Your kind, too.” I said challengingly. “Was he yours?”

She wrinkled her nose in a deliberately cute way. “There is a vast difference between me and that. He was not mine, but he did belong to Father.”

I took a few steps to the side, not taking my eyes off of her. I studied her perch while also making sure we were alone. The cemetery had been closed for years, so there wasn’t much chance of an outsider stumbling upon us.

“Aren’t you a little young to be haunting cemeteries?” I asked. “Shouldn’t your Mother have tucked you in bed by now?” She was small, but I could feel great energy coming from her. She was not a newborn, despite her appearance.

She shrugged simply. “I don’t have a mother to tuck me in, though Father tries to keep me inside.” She looked to the side in disgust. “He says it is too dangerous out here, but I like it. It’s quiet.”

“You should have listened to him. This area is not safe for a little girl like you.” I prowled around the mausoleum until I was standing behind it.

She leaned her head back, looking over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were heavy-lidded with boredom. “Oh? Why is that?”

“Because I am hunting here.” I leaped then, right for the girl. Before I could reach her, there was a flash of light. It felt like I had run into a wall, and I was propelled backwards. My back hit marble and I lay still, stunned, for a few seconds.

I got to my feet, my arms and legs jittering. My hands spasmed and jerked. It was an incredibly strange feeling, like I had been electrocuted.

I looked up in shock as the girl floated down to me like a spectre. Her long brown hair flowed behind her, settling over her shoulders lightly when she stopped before me. “Are you scared?” she asked me, mischievous delight making her eyes gleam. She held out her hand, palm up, fingers loose. Electricity arced briefly between her forefinger and her wrist.

“On the contrary, I’m quite intrigued.” I replied. “Where did you learn a trick like that?”

She held her hands behind her back and shrugged, a playful smile on her lips. “I didn’t learn it. I was born with it already inside of me. Father says I’m special.”

“Again I find myself agreeing with him. Who is your Father? Perhaps I should meet him.”

The girl shrugged, making her hair ripple. “Father is Father. To me, he has no other name.”

“But to others, he does?” I asked. She shrugged again. “You’re quite frustrating, do you know that?”

“Why thank you.” She tilted her head to the side and grinned. She would have looked like the most precocious little girl in the world if not for her tiny, pointed fangs.

I struck again, suddenly grabbing her arm and pulling her to me. I turned her around so that her back was pressed against my chest, one of my arms keeping both of hers pinned. “You’re too over confident in yourself.” I whispered in her ear. “Will you use your trick while I’m touching you?”

She turned her head, till her face was a bare inch from mine. “You’re rather handsome.” she said, surprising me. My eyes widened a little. “But not very intelligent.” She reached up and clasped my wrist with both hands.

Pain lanced through my arm. I cried out as my body shook uncontrollably. Every muscle tightened, till I was holding her in a death grip. After an eternity of blinding pain, she released me.

I slumped to my knees, my shoulders twitching. She stood over me, looking down at my defeated form. When my vision returned, I looked up at her. Her eyes glowed bright white, an unseen wind whipped her hair around her small frame. Still she was not angry, merely amused. “Perhaps you have learned a lesson tonight.”

I took a small breath to speak that nearly tore my chest in two. “Just... who... are you...?” I gasped.

“I am Nora.” She reached out one tiny hand and caressed my cheek. “Dawn is approaching. Till we meet again.”

I could not tell if she faded away, like mist, or if my vision was going again. All I knew was that she was gone, and I was alone and helpless in the dark cemetery.

********

“Montmarte Cemetery?” I asked, looking around the crowded area. “Would a Hatchery really be in such a touristy location?” The two men with me didn’t answer. Gabriel was staring off in space, and Kieran was doing something with his cell phone.

I looked down at the brochure in my hands. It was in French and English, so I was able to get some background info. “Were cemeteries really outlawed in 1786?” I tried broaching conversation again.

Kieran pocketed his phone. “There were four in Paris at the time, they were all closed. Since then, some new ones have been made. Professor Barnes’ book shows three of the original four as past Hatcheries, as well as a few outside of Paris.” He turned and smiled at me. “Shall we go in?”

“I’m still not scared.” I told him. “In fact, I think I will enjoy visiting such a beautiful place.”

He blinked rapidly in surprise. “You find it beautiful?”

“Very much so.” I held up the brochure, showing him some of the pictures of the mausoleums and statues that were inside.

“It’s dark right now. Those same artworks will look different than those pictures.” he warned.

“Let’s go.” Gabriel said suddenly. There was a light in his eyes I had not seen before. He seemed possessed by a deep desire.

We went down, into the cemetery. When we came to a gate Gabriel jumped nimble up and over it. Kieran climbed up with agility that rivaled Gabriel’s.

I stood and stared at them through the gate. They both turned and looked at me. “What about me?” I asked, somewhat plaintively.

“Perhaps you should stand watch outside.” Kieran suggested. “If you cannot even make it over the gate, you might get hurt.”

I frowned sulkily. “Stand watch? I don’t want to just sit here while you two are off investigating old graves.” I had committed myself to helping Katrina’s school before I had even gotten on the plane, and I wasn’t going to let anyone sideline me.

Gabriel sighed and hopped up onto the gate. He perched there, his toes finding perfect balance on such a precarious place. He held his hand down to me.

I grabbed it at once and scrambled up the gate. Gabriel hauled me up, and I could see that it took effort for him to do so. At the top of the gate I was very close to him, and I could see that the white patch in his hair had spread.

I looked down at the ground on the other side of the gate. From up here, it looked further away than it was. “Uh...” I began.

“Just go.” Gabriel put his hand on my back and pushed me off the gate.

I thought for sure I was about to have a painful encounter with the ground, but Kieran caught me around my waist at the last second. I clutched his shoulders, panicked. “All right, I confess having you around isn’t so bad.” He smiled at me.

Heat bloomed in my face. I regained my feet and stepped away from him. I straightened my skirt and blazer, trying not to look at him. “Let’s go.” I said huskily, heading into the cemetery.

“There is a lot of ground to cover.” Kieran looked around. “If we want to be done before sunrise, we should split up.”

“Good idea.” Gabriel said, hopping down from the gate. “I’ll go this way.” He hurried off before we could respond.

Kieran looked at me and I shrugged. “Give me your cell number, and I’ll call you if I find something.”

He hesitated. “Do you know what to look for?”

“Vampires.” Seemed pretty obvious to me.

He sighed. “It’s not that simple. Newborns are very weak, you could kill them merely by exposing them to moonlight. They will be buried in the ground to protect themselves. Keep an eye out for any signs that the ground has been recently dug into, or if a tomb has been opened.” He pulled out his cell phone. “What is your number?”

“Uh, I don’t know. I just got it.” I pulled out my phone and swiped through the menus. I eventually found my own number and recited it to him. A few seconds later, my phone rang. I saved the number. “Thanks.”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a flashlight. “Take this with you, or else you’ll just get lost.”

The flashlight was long and heavy, and made of metal. It weighed down my hands and would probably knock someone cold if I smacked them with it. “Won’t you be needing this?”

“I’ll be fine.” he said cheerfully, though it didn’t show in his eyes. “I will go this way.” He pointed in the opposite direction Gabriel had gone. “Call me if you see anything out of sorts.” He gave me one last, doubtful look, and then he was gone.

“Looks like I’m going straight.” I told myself. I headed down a narrow path in front of me.

I never thought I could feel completely alone in such a large city, but I was far away from the lights and sounds of Paris, and there was certainly no life around me.

I switched on the flashlight, it’s strong beam illuminating the cobbles at my feet. Shapes jumped out at me from the shadows. I was fairly calm though, it wasn’t the dark I was afraid of. Nor was it the ancient bodies sleeping in their tombs. The dead couldn’t hurt you, only the living.

I knelt down and examined a stone covered grave. The large granite slab could not be moved by me alone, a vampire could probably do it though. It looked to be secured tightly, so I moved on.

The mausoleums were locked, but the locks were ancient. I could probably break in with some tools, that would definitely leave a mark. A vampire might be old enough to have a key, though I doubted it would still work after all these years. I kept an eye out for any locks that were damaged.

The path I was on branched off several times. I stayed as straight as I could, but eventually I have to choose a new direction. I waffled back and forth a bit, then decided to take a path in the same direction Gabriel had gone. I recalled the look in his eyes when we had first arrived and wondered what he was up to.

It wasn’t long before I stumbled across him. He stood at the door of one of the largest mausoleums, inspecting the lock carefully.

“What’s up?” I asked him.

“What do you notice about this mausoleum?” he asked me.

I shined my flashlight over the stone structure. “It’s pretty huge.” I answered. “That cross at the top also makes it the tallest one around.”

“What else?” he asked, without look up.

“Uhm...” I pointed the flashlight at the ground. “There’s no cobbles here, directly around it. That’s odd, but no footprints either.”

“And?” he was beginning to sound impatient.

I turned my attention to the door. “The door is made of metal, not stone. That’s pretty strange, though not especially sinister.”

He sighed heavily, stepping back from the door. “What else do you notice about the door?”

I stepped forward and inspected the door carefully. “There’s nothing wrong with it.” I concluded. “It hasn’t been broken into or anything. It seems pretty secure.”

“It’s too secure.” Gabriel stepped next to me. “That lock is new.” he explained.

I quickly brought my flashlight back to the lock. He was right. The door was old and worn, but the lock was clean and shiny. “That’s...”

“...extremely odd.” he finished for me. “Let’s see if we can’t get it open.”

While he went back to work, I investigated the space above the door, looking for a name. “Manigault? Did I say that right?”

“It’s fine.” Gabriel replied. There was a loud clunk and the door swung ajar.

“How did you do that?” I asked, turning the flashlight back on him.

He squinted in the light, holding up one arm protectively. “Never mind, just get that out of my face.” I lowered the light.

Gabriel stepped into the tomb slowly, as if expecting an attack. I decided to stand close behind him, shining the flashlight in front of us.

The beam of light illuminated a cleanly swept stone floor. The tombs were set into the wall smoothly, the only indication of them being a bronze plaque over each one. I stepped to the right, running my hand over the first one. Gabriel looked on the right.

The flashlight revealed only a name and the birth and death years. “Gabriel... This is starting to get a little weird. This one says Nora Manigault 1532 - 1609.” He didn’t answer and I moved to the next plaque. “This one is even earlier. Nora Manigault 1472 - 1530.” I moved down to the next one, then the next. I turned and shown my flashlight on the opposite wall. “They all say Nora Manigault. Each one is only a couple of years apart.” I squinted at another plaque, making sure. “The oldest one is on the back right. They start from the 1300s up to...” I ran the flashlight beam along the wall over to Gabriel.

His back was to me, he was staring at the plaque nearest the door. “This one is the most recent.” he said softly.

I walked over to him, peering at the plaque over his shoulder. His hand was resting on it, his fingertips just under the name. It read: Nora Manigault 1857 - 2009. I drew in a sharp breath. “You don’t think-”

“She’s in here.” Gabriel said, his hand tightened against the plaque. “I can feel it. She was born here.”

“You mean here in Paris, or right here?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer me. I turned my face to his. My eyes widened as a tear ran down his cheek. I took a step back and he slumped to his knees, his shoulders bowed. His hand stayed on the plaque, as if he couldn’t bear to remove it.

“Gabriel...?” I reached one hand out for his shoulder. Before I could touch him, there was a loud grinding noise underneath my feet. The floor moved under me and I lost my balance. I screamed as I suddenly fell into a large, pitch black space that had opened up in the floor.

My flailing arms caught hold of the edge of the floor, my flashlight rolling away in front of me. Gabriel was there, grabbing my arms and hauling me up. “We have to get out of here.” he said grimly.

“Fine by me.” I grabbed the flashlight and we headed for the door.

Gabriel was ahead of me, and much quicker. After he was out, the door slammed closed on it’s own. My flashlight went out at the same time. I collided into the door painfully. My hand scrambled for a latch or a knob, but the door was a smooth expanse of iron. I dropped the flashlight and pounded on the door. “Gabriel!” I shouted, panic rising in my chest. “Get me out of here!”

“I’m trying!” I heard his muffled voice through the door. “It’s not opening. Evangeline! Did you bring your gun? Is it loaded?”

I reached into my blazer, pulling out Great Aunt Katrina’s silver gun. “Yes! Of course!”

“Good, you’re going to need it.”

Panic turned to terror and my breath hitched in my chest. Cold air swirled around my ankles. “You’re not helping!” I shouted, my voice rising to a shriek.

“I’m trying to get you out of there, but the lock’s not working!” he responded heatedly. “Get ready, he’s coming!”

I whirled around, staring blindly in the darkness. I clutched Katrina’s gun in both hands. “I can’t see anything in here! Who do you mean?”

The cold rose up my calves, making me tremble in fear and cold. My breaths were a gasping whine in my chest. “Il parle de moi.” a voice whispered in front of me.

I fired reflexively. The flash of gunpowder briefly illuminated the tall, thin shadow in front of me. Long white hair fell over a gaunt face. Then it was dark once again. Strong hands wrested the gun away from me. “Vous ne devriez pas jouer avec ces jouets dangereux.” he whispered again.

I opened my mouth to scream or shout, I wasn’t sure which. Before I could find out, his hand was covering it tightly, his other hand clamped on both of mine. His long fingers squeezed my jaw hard, making tears of pain spring to my eyes.

“Evangeline!” Gabriel shouted on the other side of the door. He was banging on the door over my shoulder loudly. “Evangeline, answer me!”

My back was pressed firmly against the cold metal. A whimpering sound emanated from my throat. My body shook from sheer terror.

The vampire that held me learned close, his hair tickling my bound hands. “Vous délicieuse odeur.”

He turned my jaw firmly, forcing me to expose my neck to him. I thrashed wildly, kicking at him hard, but he didn’t even notice. I felt his lips brush my neck and my whimper turned to a frightened squeal.

The metal door groaned behind me. It started as a low sound and slowly grew louder as it protested from some great pressure. The spot under my elbow buckled, there was a grating roar, then the door flew open.

I fell backwards, the vampire released me and I hit the ground on my backside. The moonlight dazzled my eyes, and under it I could finally see. I stared, wide-eyed with shock, as Gabriel heaved the huge door to the side. It crashed into several graves, cracking ancient stonework.

His shoulders were slumped with weariness and his arms hung limply. Tearing the door off it’s hinges had taken everything he had. Now he was as helpless as I was.

The vampire in the tomb launched himself out in a blur. He grabbed Gabriel by his shoulders and bore him to the ground. Under the moonlight I could make out his features. He was thin and horrible, wearing tight black clothes. His long white hair was loose and hung lankly about him. His hollow eyes were sunk into his sallow face, they were red and crazed with bloodlust.

He straddled Gabriel’s stomach, and Gabriel made no movement to resist. His strength was gone. The vampire laughed, a high-pitched, insane laugh. He drew back one fist and punched Gabriel in the jaw. Gabriel’s body jerked feebly and the vampire laughed again.

Finally, some sense trickled into my frozen body. I hurriedly crawled back into the tomb, searching by feel for Katrina’s gun. My hands came to the flashlight first. It slid away from me, the metal rolling against the stone floor.

The sound alerted the vampire. He turned to me, leaving Gabriel on the ground. As he got to his feet I acted quickly, doing the only thing I could do at that moment.

I grabbed the flashlight and quickly turned it back on, shining the bright beam right on the vampire.

The vampire shrieked in pain, clawing at his eyes. He wasn’t stopped for long, though. Blindly he reached for me.

A loud crack! rent through the air. Blood exploded from the side of the vampire’s head. He lurched to the side, but didn’t lose his footing. Smoke rose from the wound in his head. He turned to the source of the attack.

Two more gunshots followed the first. One in the head and one in the heart. For a brief second, the vampire hung in the air, then he fell backwards, hitting the cobbles hard.

Cautiously, I peered out of the mausoleum. I couldn’t see anyone in the darkness. There was no way knowing for certain whom was shooting at us. I had a strong hope it was Kieran, but I wasn’t going to take any chances.

I also couldn’t leave Gabriel lying on the ground in plain sight. Not after he had saved my life. I took a deep breath and dived from the protection of the tomb, over to Gabriel. I grabbed him under his arms and tried to drag him, but he was much too heavy for me.

I knelt down next to him, looking all around for any sign of movement. The vampire lying next to us did not move. I was sure he was dead.

“God, you’re so stupid.” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Why did you have to waste all your energy ripping the door off it’s hinges? Couldn’t you just have taken the lock out? Weren’t you thinking?”

“That’s what I was trying to do.” Gabriel answered, surprising me. I looked down at him, his eyes were open.

“Can you get up?” I asked, putting my hands on his shoulders, helping him. Together, we got him to his feet. As quickly as we could, we took shelter in the tomb. “You used all your energy, just to save me.” I said softly. “I thought you hated me.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” Gabriel said, leaning heavily on my shoulders. “You’re a pain in the ass. But...” I looked up into his face. His eyes looked as black as coal. “You’re the only one I have left.”

A wave of feeling washed over me, unidentifiable and overwhelming. “You poor thing.” I said to him. “I feel so sorry for you.”

He managed a weak smile. “Me too.” he said. He stood up straight, tired, but under his own power. “I think I’ll be okay. I just need to rest.”

The sound of footsteps approaching quickly alerted us. I quickly found Katrina’s gun, using the flashlight. “It’s not a vampire.” Gabriel said. “He’s much too loud.”

“Kieran?” I called hopefully.

“Oui!” Kieran’s voice came from the darkness. I shined my flashlight in that direction, illuminating his broad shouldered form.

“Oh, thank god.” I cried, weak with relief. “Were you the one that shot him?” I pointed to the vampire corpse lying on the cobbles.

“It was me.” he affirmed. “I was up there, trying to get a better look of the area.” He pointed behind him at a tower some distance away.

“How did you see us?” I asked incredulously. “How did you make that shot in this darkness?”

“I have a good eye.” Kieran grinned sheepishly.

“That must be a really good eye.” I said. “Your aim was incredible. You really saved us.”

“Merci.” Kieran said humbly. It must have been my imagination, because I could swear he was blushing a little. “Are you unharmed?”

“A little banged up, but still in good shape.” I assured him. I turned to check on Gabriel. He was standing over the dead vampire. I walked over to him. “You should feed.” I told him frankly. “I mean, it’s horrible and I don’t want to be here to see it, but you look awful.”

“I don’t want it.” he answered quietly.

“Why not?”

His lips parted, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he looked up, his eyes widening. “What’s wrong?” I asked in concern.

Gabriel turned to the tomb, his body tensing. A cold wind blew through the warm night air, chilling me to the bone. “He wasn’t the only one.” he answered.