Glow Read online

CHAPTER 2

   

   

                                                       

   

  They sat in the shadows on the side street next to the club. His black muscle car idling. The wipers were on even though the rain was turning to just a mist.  The front of the club was well lit and had lots of people milling about, impatient dudes waiting in  line, girls with too much make up and not enough clothing, were whining to the bouncer that they were indeed on the list, he needed to check it again. Then there were the rich, and or beautiful types who the velvet ropes were parted for before their feet even hit the sidewalk.

   

  "I don't know if I really feel like doing the whole club thing again tonight" he said.

  "Oh come on dude, you act like such an old fart every time we come here." the guy in the passenger seat complained.

  "That's because every time we come here, I leave hungry."

  "Well that's your own fault. You’re the one who doesn't wanna use "The Eye" on anyone, hell knows why." he puzzled.

  "Because it's bad enough that I'm taking someone's life force Rob, I don't wanna have to lie to do it." he said

  "Why do you think we were given "The Eye" in the first damn place? To make our survival that much easier. So we aren't walking half dead, like you are more often than not." he said.

  "Besides, it's like all the girls in this place know enough to stay away from me, its weird." he said

  "Well, Rob conceded, let's just go in for a while, and if nothing's happening, you can go find a vagrant or something, that always seems to lift your spirits."

  "It does nothing for my spirits, it's my hunger that it helps." He spat.

  They sat in silence for a moment more, then stepped out onto the damp street.

   

   

   

  The music vibrated through her body as Amelia made her way through the dimly lit club.

  Slow, steady beats filled the air, as bodies mingled together spilled from the dance floor to almost every available space in the club. The DJ was on, and the crowd was loving it, cheering and reaching their hands up in the air to the beat of the music. With only neon lighting the way, she made her way to a table in back, which is where she found J.

  "There she is! ”Muah, muah, they air kissed. "So glad you made it Mel, you need to cut loose girl!"

   It’s been nine months, and you need to get your party on."

  "Agreed. I'm ready for a night of fun with my bestie." She confirmed

  "That's my girl! Lots of man candy here tonight too." J teased

  "I said nothing about man candy, although I do plan on having a few drinks." she corrected.

  "Mel, meet the lovely ladies who are joining us at the table this fine evening, this is Vikki, Sammi and Deana." J presented

  "Hi ladies, thanks for sharing a table, it's nice to meet you all." she smiled

  "Our pleasure, Vikki, the redhead beamed, first round's on us."

  "Cool, thanks" she said as the waitress stopped to take their orders.

  "Five shots of tequila and two pitchers of light beer please." Sammi asked

  "Oh my god, Amelia said, shots to start? It is going to be a long night.

  "It's going to be a great night!" J exclaimed

   

  Several shot and pitchers later, the group were on the dance floor, letting loose and feeling the music. Amelia hadn't had such a great time in ages. After breaking up with her boyfriend almost nine months ago, she hadn't been out anywhere besides the library, one of her favorite places of course. Even still, that wasn't the same as having a few cold ones and letting the music carry her away. The beat, the melody, the lyrics, she felt it all so deeply. She loved it and it made her happy, especially tonight. She'd missed it so much.

   

  "This DJ is amazing! J screamed over the music

  "I know, right? I'm loving this! Amelia screamed back.

  As J grabbed her and spun her around the dance floor, she shrieked with delight, they had danced together hundreds of times over the years, every time was fantastic.

   

  Gabriel and Rob made their way to the back of the club, scoping out a spot to watch the action from, when from somewhere in the crowd he heard a girl's infectious laughter. He turned to see where it came from. That's when he saw her. Long auburn hair, streaked with pink, fell down below her shoulders, her eyes looked almost golden in the neon light. Her mouth open wide as laughter and happiness spilled from her.  Looking at her stirred something within him. He felt weakness invading his body, as though he had been in battle for days straight. That’s something he had never felt. Weakness was practically unknown to him. An intensity came over him, stealing the air from his lungs, tightening his chest.  The pounding of the music faded away and was replaced by his own heartbeat, screaming in his ears. It was as if he a realization of sorts. Had he seen her before? Surely he would remember seeing a girl like this. She was, beautiful, stunning, and full of light. The guy who held her close looked just as happy. Gabriel’s gut lurched. How he wished he could know that feeling, how he wished he could be holding someone like that, someone like her.

  "Okay, let's hit the bar dude." Rob said

  "You go ahead, I’m gonna chill right here for a minute." Gabriel said "Grab me a draft will ya?"

  "No problemo, back in a flash." Rob said

  He wanted to stay exactly where he was. Where he could watch the girl. She was beautiful, she was happy, she was having fun. Something he can never have. He wondered what it would feel like if he were the one twirling her around the dance floor, if he were the one she was smiling at, laughing with. But of course, he must push these thoughts aside. Those things are not in the cards for him.

  What he exudes, is what he is, fear. He hasn’t come across a woman in a hundred and fifty years who didn't practically cower from him. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would never have anyone but Rob, who was with a new girl every week, who also threw "The Eye" on any female he desired, for food, pleasure, or both. He and Rob had been friends almost since the beginning.

  They were both turned around the same time, by the same man, and lived with his crew for a few decades. They were practically pirates. They would rape, murder, steal, and worse. None of these things came easily, or naturally to Gabriel even though he was now something other than the human man he had been. He was something more, something primal, something dark, and something he still could not even grasp. Even still, he had no desire to do any of the things the crew were involved in. It seemed as though the only thing they had in common was the need for sustenance. After a while, that just wasn't enough to keep him there, forced to turn a blind eye, to their horrible misdeeds, for fear of execution. They both decided living as savages wasn't for them, and they left the crew, setting out on their own. That was over four hundred years ago. They had drifted apart from time to time, for a decade or a few, traveling to distant places, trying to find a place to fit in, but they always found each other eventually.

   

  Rob returned with their drinks, seeing him preoccupied, he follows Gabriel’s gaze across the room

  "Okay, so what's so interesting over there?" Rob questioned

  "Just people watching" Gabriel answered

  "Dude, you have that look in your eye."

  "What look would that be Rob?" he asked irritated at his friend's presumption

  "The look that says "I'm in a mood and I might disappear for a decade or so." That look."

  "No, Gabriel corrected, just reminding myself of some truths, that's all."

  "Which truths are those Gabriel?  Ones that say you'll never be as strong, or as fast or as healthy as you should be because of your refusal to use "The Eye?" The truth that you're hungry as hell, and refuse to get out there and scoop up a delicious little co ed for the evening, those truths Gabriel?"

  "No, the truth that I am destined to sp
end eternity watching you gorge yourself on said co eds, and never have any companionship, save yours."

  “You wound me Gabriel.” Rob teased

  “You know what I mean.” Gabriel said

  "Oh my god Gabriel, it's been over four hundred and fifty years, are you still belly aching about Caroline?"

  "Absolutely not. She was bat shit crazy. The only thing is, she was a good companion, for a time. You'll never know what it feels like to be on the outside looking in, especially for all these years."

  "Dude, Rob pleaded, you bring this misery upon yourself, you choose to be without female companionship, as they say, man cannot live on bread alone." Rob waggled his eyebrows

  "Just don't go getting all depressed and disappear again bro. I have much more fun when you're around" Rob smiled

  "I'm not going anywhere” Gabriel said, “Just thinking about things is all"

  "Know what, Gabe? I know what you need, something fresh to eat. Not some old, homeless, sick dude, or some unconscionable criminal type. Something healthy, and vibrant. It'll make all the difference." Rob said

  "I don't know how the hell you think I’m gonna do that" Gabriel questioned, I don't use "The Eye", women seem to steer clear of me, the ones with half a brain anyway, and I really don't feel like chasing my lunch."

  "Have you thought about prepackaged?" Rob asked

  "You know I don't have the connections for that" he answered

  Rob grinned, "Well let's see what we can do about that, shall we?'

   

  Amelia had always loved dancing with J, it made her forget everything, except the music taking her away to a place where all the terrible things she had been through didn't even seem real anymore.

  A place where the pain of losing her family didn't threaten to rip her heart out with every passing moment. When she felt happy like this, it didn't matter that the first person she dared to get close to after everything that happened, used her as a punching bag.  In moments like this, she was free.

  The song ended and she gave J a hug and thanked him for dancing with her. Catching her breath, she glanced around at all the people jammed into the club. It was busy in here tonight that was for sure. She looked over to the area of their shared table and saw him.

  He was standing right in front of their table, and he was looking right at her.

  She felt a pang of familiarity instantly. Sure that she had never seen him before, she wondered why she felt as if she had.

  The tables were set up higher than the dance floor, so she got a good look at him, from head to toe.

  He was probably about six foot two, one hand in his pocket and a drink in the other. His long dark hair threatened to fall into his face, which had high cheekbones and a strong jaw. He wore a fitted black tee, dark jeans and black biker boots.

  She couldn't see the color of his eyes from where she was, but she could feel him looking right into her. He was looking at her as if he knew her, if that even makes sense. She felt herself flush with warmth, her breathing grew more ragged than it already was, and it wasn’t just from dancing. She felt herself get a bit light headed, but it passed quickly. She absent mindedly fingered her necklace as she looked back at him. She felt the necklace warm beneath her fingers, when she looked down at it she could see the rainbows swirling perfectly, even in the dim light of the club. She looked up again and he was gone.

   

   They made their way through the crowd back towards their table, when they got there, Vikki, Sammi and Deana were in hysterics over something one of them had just said. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she asks the girls, "Hey, did any of you see that guy that was standing here a minute ago?"

  "Which one?" they giggled in unison

  "He was standing right in front of our table, big, biker type dude, long dark hair, tight jeans, and tight tee?

  "No sweetie, sorry we didn't notice, sounds like a hottie though, better go track that man down." Sammi advised.

  "Oh no big deal, I was just wondering" she blew it off. “Thought he looked familiar, that’s all.”

  But in the back of her mind, she was wondering who he was, why he seemed so familiar, and where he had gone.

   

  It was time to call it a night, Amelia had danced her ass off as planned, and she had a few drinks, also as planned. So she handed J her keys. "Sir, would you be so kind as to drive me home?'

  "That's what I'm here for bestie" J said as he threw his arm around her neck

  "Ladies,” J addressed the girls at the table, "It has been a pleasure sharing space with you this evening, but I need to get my girl here home to some aspirin and  bed, maybe we'll see you next time"

  They all blew kisses and said their goodbyes as they exited the club.

   

  "Thank you J, I had a great time tonight, it was just what I needed"

  "I'm glad you made it, girl, I had a blast too, and did you see the men in there tonight? Lawd!”  But for now, let's get you home.” J said

   

  As they made their way through the parking lot, Amelia noticed a beautiful classic car parked on the side of the building. She had always liked old school cars, there was always one in her Dad's garage growing up. She had spent many hours handing him tools, getting her hands dirty, chatting about everything under the sun. She felt a pang of sadness as she recalled the memory.

   

  Gabriel was sitting in his car, waiting for Rob to drag himself away from his catch of the evening,

  when he saw her, the girl from the dance floor. She was leaving with the guy she had been dancing with. He could see by watching her that she was strong and capable, but he was leading her, she stumbled a bit. She must have had too much of a good time. He watched them get in the SUV and pull away.

  Rob was taking forever, as usual, so Gabriel decided to get out of the car and walk across to the parking lot. He was curious to see if he would be able to smell her, still lingering in the air. His boots crunched the wet gravel beneath them as he walked the twenty or so yards to where the girl had been parked.

  As he got closer, he caught a scent in the air, one, female, the other, also female. He inhaled deeply, and let the scent wash over him. Must not be her he thought, she was with just that one guy. The damp air often washed out and blurred different scents, so it was a long shot anyway. One of the scents, smelled like warm amber, comfort and sunshine. He imagined that's what she might smell like. The other was a scent of spring rain and freshly laundered sheets.

  From the corner of his eye, something on the ground glittered, he turned to see what it was.

  He knelt down to the damp pavement and saw what he hadn't seen in over three hundred years.

  His mother's moonstone necklace.

   

   

  He picked the necklace up off the ground and examined it. It was definitely his mother's. MDXL was barely visible, but was engraved on the back. He lost this necklace three hundred years ago. How in the hell did it end up here? And around that girl's neck? She had to be the one who dropped it. There were no other cars parked near hers. He slipped it into the front pocket of his jeans for safe keeping.

   

  He made his way back to his car just as Rob emerged from the shadows with a blonde whose waist his arm was wrapped around.

  "Oh come on man," Gabriel complained

  "Just drop us off at her place." Rob instructed

  "Will you be leaving left overs for the next guy?" Gabriel asked

  "I promise I will leave this little morsel in perfect condition." he said

  The blonde just looked at them both blankly, obviously under influence of "The Eye"

  "Fine. Get in." He commanded

  The big block motor roared to life, Gabriel dropped it into gear and they sped off into the night.

   

   

   

  Gabriel’s throat started to burn, he was starting to feel depleted, tired. He had waited too long, as usual.
He knew he had to take a ride.

   

  He pulled his car into the crowded downtown lot, killed the engine and sat and looked around for a few minutes. The bars were letting out, and there were lots of college kids milling about, couples, groups of kids, lots who were obviously drunk. That’s what always got his attention.

  He got out of the car, and started to stroll through the parking lot. It was huge, probably half the size of a football field. He was just meandering, blending in with the partiers.

  That’s when he heard it, a woman’s muffled scream. No one else seemed to notice, probably due to his superior hearing. He started to walk in the direction of the scream. He could hear scuffling, there was obviously an altercation happening that someone was trying to keep quiet.

  He made his way to the back of The Shark Bar and that’s where he found them.

  The man was about six feet tall, and the woman whose neck he had hold of, was about five foot nothing, and looked terrified.

   “John, I swear, I don’t know who that guy was, he bumped into me, and excused himself, that’s all.” she pleaded

  “You’re nothing but a slut, he said, “I should have never even bothered to take you out tonight.  You can’t keep your hands to yourself, is he the guy you’re screwing around on me with?” he yelled

  “I don’t even know him” she cried.  He slapped her across the face. Hard

  “You lying tramp, don’t think you can lie to me” he yelled as he shoved her up against the brick of the building.

  She was bleeding from her lip, and her eye was swollen shut.

   

  “Well here’s the asshole of the evening.” Gabriel said

  The man turned to look at him.

  “Mind your own business friend, keep walking.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely not your friend, and I’m all done with my walk.” Gabriel said

  He man turned his attention away from the girl, and looked at him.

  “You got a problem buddy?” he yelled.

  Gabriel looked at the girl “Get out of here.” he said sternly

  The girl looked at him blankly

  “I said, go. Go home. Now.” he told her

  The girl started to move, and the man grabbed her arm

  “I’m not done with you yet, slut.” he said to her

  “Oh, you’re done alright “Gabriel said

  Gabriel grabbed the man by his neck and lifted him a good two feet off the ground.

  He turned back to the girl, “I said, go home.”

  She ran like her life depended on it.

  It was just Gabriel and the man now.

  “So, you like hitting women do you?” he asked

  “That was none of your business.” the man said, he reeked of alcohol

  “Well, I made it my business” Gabriel said

  The man swung at Gabriel, trying to punch him in the face, but he ducked, holding the man, still off the ground with one hand, and punched him in the gut with the other.

  He let go and the man fell to the ground, gasping.

  “You assholes are all the same, you get drunk, and think everyone is against you, that’s when the real you comes out. You smack your girl around just because of your own insecurities.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about buddy.” the man said as he got to his feet and swung at Gabriel again.

  “Oh I know exactly what I’m talking about, and you’re not going to do that again. To her, or anyone else.” he said

  The man lunged for him, that’s when he wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and pulled him to the ground. He could hear the man’s heart pounding, it made his throat burn, and his gums ache. No more playing. He held the man in a headlock and as he gasped for air, Gabriel placed one huge hand on the side of his head and the other on his shoulder. His fangs protruded from his gums in agony, as he sunk them into the man’s neck. He gulped, as the hot fluid came into his mouth in waves, quickly at first, then slowing, as the man’s heartbeat slowed. It was ultimate satisfaction. It calmed every urge in his body, it soothed the burn in his throat. It quieted the beast.

  He dragged the man over to the dumpster in the rear of the lot, hoisted him up, and tossed him in.

  “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” he said