SOULBOUND ‡ waif
By Wes
Leigh
This is a work of fiction (or
is it?) intended solely for the entertainment of my readers. It includes
references to historical people and places, in particular, the London borough
of Whitechapel and its streets. I also wish to make a special acknowledgement
of Bram Stoker's ground-breaking novel Dracula, which spawned a new genre of
literature, the Gothic horror tale, and led to countless movies and novels that
inspired and horrified generations of fans. This story includes several (not so
subtle) references to Mr. Stoker and his novel, by which I intend no
disrespect, but rather acknowledge his inspiration of my foray into the realm
of vampires.
This story is the property of
the author and is protected by copyright laws. The author retains all rights.
No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent.
If you enjoy this story,
please support the Nifty archives today with a thoughtful donation by visiting https://donate.nifty.org/. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged to
contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.
We surmise that the vampire is most formidable in battle,
owing primarily to three things: his great strength, his quick reflexes, and
his ability to move quickly, seemingly moving from one place to another in the
blink of an eye. Not surprisingly, this combination of dark powers makes a
vampire difficult—nay, almost impossible—to defeat.
-- From Conclusions on the Nature of Creatures of the
Night by Fr. Ignatius Benedictus
There is a reason why all things are as they are.
-- From Dracula by Bram Stoker
"Mum."
"What is it, Reg?"
"I think Jacko caught Zavy's
chill."
Mum looked up from the cereal she was stirring over the
cooking range. Reggie was leaning over the other two boys as they slept, Zavy
resting comfortably, Jack shivering and shaking.
Mum shook her head and sighed. She'd been worried that might
happen, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Cover him up good with
extra blankets. We haven't the coal to burn for heating the room, so you two
will have to keep him as comfortable as you can. Doesn't look like they hurt
Zavy none. He got over `em just fine, so Jack should
as well. How are you feeling, Reggie? Any chills?"
Reggie shook his head. He felt fine. He'd slept well all
night, falling asleep quickly after being sucked by Jack, not waking up once,
even though the other two were buggering each other right next to him. Reggie
had fallen asleep thinking about the pale lady and wishing it hadn't been
necessary to kill her, but what else could you do when a vampire was living in
your neighborhood?
"No chills for me, Mum, so I suppose I ought to look for
work this morning."
Mum shook her head. "It's still raining and I might need you
here to help me with your sick brothers while I care for the others."
"Crawley won't like it."
"Crawley can bugger himself," Mum said, taking the cereal
off the range to cool.
Reggie giggled. "When'd you start talking like that, Mum?"
Mum turned her head slightly and grinned. "I ain't always
been a dainty lady, me lad. I had a rough and tumble childhood like you boys,
so I know a thing or two about buggering and what have you."
Reggie blushed but decided not to reply. Obviously, Mum knew
more than she let on, but she'd never said a word before and had always been
the best mum the boys could ever have wanted. He tucked the blankets around
Jack and Zavy, which caused Zavy to stir and open his eyes.
"What? Where?" Zavy mumbled.
Reggie shushed his cousin. "Jack's
caught your chills. Mum wants us to keep him as warm as we can."
Zavy blinked his eyes, then turned to stare at Jack, who was
shivering slightly next to him. Zavy moaned as his memory of the night before
came rushing into his mind. He carefully pulled the blanket down and saw the
puncture wounds in Jack's neck.
Reggie saw the holes too and gasped. "What the bloody hell?"
he hissed. Then he lowered his voice so Mum wouldn't hear and asked, "A vampire
bite him too?"
Zavy could only nod his head, anguished at what he'd done.
"When did that happen?" Reggie whispered.
"Last night," Zavy replied.
"But ... how? Did he go out and find another vampire roaming
the streets?"
Zavy felt tears pooling in his eyes. He turned to his cousin
and sniffed. "Not on the streets, Reg."
"Then where?"
Zavy gulped. "Right here. In our bed."
Reggie frowned, confused. "You ain't making sense, Zavy."
Zavy sighed and opened his mouth. Without trying, his fangs
extended. He concentrated for a moment and felt the room turning red around him,
bringing a crimson glow to his eyes.
"Oh, damn it all, Zavy," Reggie whispered. "What the hell
have you gone and done?"
͠ ͠ ͠
Jack's chills lasted only a few hours. He awoke with a
slight ache all over his body and a deep hunger, but otherwise felt absolutely
fine. He felt well enough, in fact, to suggest that all three of them get
dressed and head out for some fresh air that afternoon when the weather cleared
slightly.
Crawley glared at them as they headed out the door.
Zavy rolled his eyes and said, "We'll look for a bit of work
while we're out. It's late in the day, so there's likely nothing needing doing,
but we'll look."
Crawley grunted, looking down, refusing to meet Zavy's eyes.
When the three of them reached the streets, the sun had
indeed broken through the clouds, making it a rare sunny day in Whitechapel.
Zavy shielded his eyes from the intense glare. "It's bloody
bright out, ain't it?"
Jack was also blinking rapidly and covering his eyes. "Too
right, Zavy!"
Reggie studied the other two, confused. "It's no brighter
than normal."
Jack frowned. "How can you say that, Reg? I can barely see! The
bloody sun is glaring off the wet cobblestones."
Reggie snorted. "Maybe that's why the pale lady wore those
eyeshades."
Jack shook his head, but chuckled. "You're probably right. Maybe
the sun is too bright for a vampire's eyes."
Zavy blushed. "You seem to be accepting that awfully quick, chuckaboo."
Jack shrugged. "What's the point of moaning about it, Zavy? It
happened. We're both vampires now, whatever that means."
Reggie began laughing.
"What's so funny, cousin?" Zavy asked.
Reggie looked at Jack, laughed again, and bit his lip.
Jack grabbed the taller boy by the shoulders and shook him. "Tell
us what you're going on about, Reggie."
Reggie choked on his next laugh, then said, "Guess you lads
are the ones with the bad blood now. Better keep an eye on your pegos. They might fall off!"
Jack looked around, and seeing no one watching them, reached
down and grabbed Reggie's cock and balls through his pants. Squeezing gently,
Jack made Reggie jump and pull away. "If me pego
falls off," Jack said with a glare, "I'm biting yours off the next time I suck
it."
"Then maybe I'll only let Zavy blow me bagpipe from now on,"
Reggie said with a laugh, walking backward down the street. "Come on lads. Days
a'wasting. Let's see what mischief we can find."
With the rains finally ended, the streets were crowded with
folks wandering about, children laughing and playing, and street vendors
hawking their wares. To avoid the press of people, the three boys cut through
the nearest alley, walking slowly through the narrow, dark lane between
buildings and houses.
They slowed and stopped outside the back gate that led to
the house where the pale lady had lived. Peeking inside the garden, they saw
nothing unusual. All was quiet. Zavy urged them to hurry past, uncomfortable
with the gnawing ache he was beginning to feel in his gut.
They exited the alley at High Street and headed south for
Wentworth, keeping an eye out for Worthies who might be lurking about. Seeing
none of their rivals, they walked down to McCoy's stables and found him hard at
work, cleaning out stalls.
He looked up from his work and shouted, "Oy, me lads. Where
have ya' been?"
"Shut in by the rain," Zavy replied.
McCoy leaned on the pitchfork and wiped sweat from his brow.
"Could've used the lot of you. Work's been stacking up. A few lads helped out
one day, but they were bloody useless and I sent them on their way. You lads
want to help out this afternoon?"
In answer, the three ran forward and grabbed pitchforks and
brooms, helping McCoy to muck the stalls that had yet to be done.
͠ ͠ ͠
With four pence apiece in their pockets, they thanked McCoy
and promised to be back bright and early the next day.
"Rain or shine," he said with a laugh.
"Wouldn't mind a bit less shine," Zavy said, shielding his
eyes. For some reason, the sun made him feel more drained than the hard work in
the stables.
McCoy gave him a puzzled look, then nodded. "I'll see you
lads in the morning."
"We need to get you boys some of them tinted eyeglasses,"
Reggie said.
Jack nodded. "We got to do something. I'm getting a bloody
headache from all this sun."
Reggie threw his arms around the other two and said, "Close
your eyes and I'll lead the both of ya' home, where
you can hide under the blankets until the nasty sun goes down."
Zavy chuckled and said, "Let's stop at the Dancing Fool and
pick up some pork pies for supper. Mum will like that."
Jack wasn't laughing. Instead, he was looking behind them
nervously. "Lads, we have company."
The other two turned and looked. Three Worthies were walking
slowly down the street a few yards behind them. They were making no effort to
catch up to the three Hanbury boys, simply keeping pace and following them.
"What do we do now?" Reggie asked.
Zavy took a deep breath. "We stay on the main streets. Stay
out of the alleys. They won't try anything with all the people out today." Zavy
pulled the other two forward and began walking toward the next corner. As they
turned onto High Street, they saw Flanders and two other Worthies waiting for
them.
They stopped and waited. Flanders didn't move, but he smiled
evilly.
"Now what, Zavy?" Jack asked.
Zavy looked back. The three Worthies were still there,
waiting. In front of them, cutting off their route, was Flanders with two more.
The only way to avoid a fight was the alley behind Halifax. "Follow my lead,
lads. And run like your life depends on it."
Zavy suddenly dashed for the alley, with Reggie and Jack
hard on his heels. Halfway down the alley, Zavy skidded to a stop, causing
Reggie and Jack to collide with his back.
"Oy, mate. Why'd you stop?" Jack complained, rubbing his
nose where he'd crashed into Zavy's shoulder.
"Somethings wrong," Zavy whispered, squinting and looking
around the dark alley ahead. His eyes began to glow red as he struggled to see
into the shady corners.
Reggie looked back and saw Flanders with the other Worthies
walking up slowly behind them. They seemed to be in no hurry, as if ...
"It's a trap," Reggie whispered.
Zavy nodded. Somehow, he could sense the presence of other
lads just ahead. Confirming what his heightened senses had been telling him,
four more Worthies came out of their hiding places and blocked the alley ahead.
Jack spat on the ground and yelled, "You're a bunch of
fucking cowards, you Worthies. Ten lads on three. Can't take us one on one? Fucking
cowards!"
Flanders' lips curled into a vicious snarl. He motioned with
his hands for Jack to come forward. "You can have me. One on one. If that's
what you want, you bloody quim."
Jack started to move forward, but Zavy pulled him back and
stepped in front of the smaller boy. Flanders was still bigger and stronger
than Zavy, but it was a closer match.
Flanders laughed. "Hell. I'll take ya'
both on at the same time. All three of ya'. Skinny
little quims. Think ya' can wander onto our street
whenever you bloody well please."
Zavy didn't reply but crouched down slightly and began
moving toward Flanders.
Flanders grinned maliciously. "I'll tear your bloody head
off and stuff it up your own arse," Flanders said as he took a step toward
Zavy.
Zavy curled his hands into fists and waited silently.
"What?" Flanders said, snorting. "Nothing to say. Sucking cock
must make you hoarse!"
The other Worthies laughed, but Zavy didn't say a word,
moving another step closer.
Flanders caught the eye of the Worthies standing behind
Reggie and Jack and nodded his head curtly. They immediately jumped forward to
grab Reggie and Jack.
Turning his head, Zavy saw his brothers were going to get
jumped. One moment he was crouched in front of Flanders, the next he was
between his brothers and the Worthies.
He didn't know how he'd gotten there so fast, but he didn't waste any
time thinking about it. He swung his
fist into the face of one, into the stomach of another. Both went down, the
first knocked cold with a badly broken jaw, the second retching and spewing all
over the ground, gasping for breath. Zavy spun and kicked the last Worthie in
the groin. The force of the kick sent the lad crashing back into a wall,
mercifully unconscious and unable to react to his crushed balls.
Flanders stared, momentarily stunned. Zavy had seemed to
disappear from in front of him and then reappear instantly on the far side of
the alley. And now Zavy was moving quickly
and taking out his gang. But they still had the numbers, so he waved at his
other mates to join him and charged forward.
Jack saw one of the bigger lads rushing forward, his arms
stretched out before him. Jack gritted his teeth and swung his fist. The taller
youth held up an arm to block Jack's swing, but Jack's fist crashed into his forearm,
snapping it with a sharp crack and continuing unabated to strike the youth on
the cheek, spinning his head so hard the vertebrae in his spine popped and he
fell to the ground like a discarded rag.
Flanders grabbed Jack from behind, attempting to wrap the
boy up and hold him. Jack snarled and his eyes glowed red. He grabbed Flanders'
arms where they were wrapped around his chest and pulled with all his might,
launching Flanders over his back and sending him flying through the air into a
nearby wall, where he fell with a heavy thud, knocked out cold.
A shape hurtled past Jack on the other side. It was one of
the bigger Worthie lads, flying through the air to crash into three others and
send them all tumbling backward in a heap.
Reggie stood with his fists clinched, looking for an
opponent to slug. But there was no one. In the blink of an eye, Jack and Zavy
had destroyed ten lads, all much bigger and stronger. Every Worthie lay on the
ground, rolling and groaning, except for the first lad who'd attacked Jack, who
could only blink his eyes in amazement at a body that no longer responded to
his commands.
"Bloody hell," Reggie mumbled.
Zavy grabbed Reggie's arm and tugged on it. "Come on lads. We'd
best get out of here."
Jack leaned over Flanders and spit in his face. "That's for
me arm and ankle." He kicked Flanders in the side. "And that's for me brother's
eye." He pulled his foot back to kick the unresponsive Flanders one more time,
but Zavy and Reggie pulled him away.
"Leave it, Jack," Zavy hissed. "He's done. We gotta get out of here, before the constables show up. Come
on."
They ran stumbling down the alley, laughing and shaking
their fists in the air.
"Hanbury!" Reggie shouted.
͠ ͠ ͠
Walking into their apartment with pork pies, a quart of
beer, and a bottle of wine, the three boys triumphantly set their purchases on
the table. Mum glanced at them and noticed Jack's shirt had a fresh tear, but
the boys didn't have bloody noses or blackened eyes, so she decided to let it
go.
Crawley slunk out of the bedroom, saw what the boys had
brought in, and nodded at Mum. "I'll eat in here." He turned and went back into
the bedroom, expecting Mum to bring him his food and beer before she served the
rest of the family.
Mum smiled and said, "Fix food for the little ones and get
them eating while I take care of Crawley." She began filling a plate with pork
pie, waving at all the family to come to the table. Then she carried the bucket
of beer and the plate of food into the bedroom.
Reggie watched her go and leaned over to whisper in Zavy's ear. "He's timid as a mouse round you now, Zavy."
Jack chortled. "You should make him get a job his own bloody
self! Use your powers on him."
"You think you could, Zavy?" Reggie asked.
"Damfino," Zavy replied. "Only had
these powers for a few days."
"Well, if you don't want to try, you should bite me next,"
Reggie said with a grin. "I'll make Crawley strip naked and dance in the
streets! Then I'll go pick a fight with the Worthies. That was bloody amazing!"
Zavy shook his head. "Don't even joke about that, Reg. I
didn't mean to bite Jack, and I feel like shit for doing it."
Reggie stopped Zavy, pulling him around by the arm to face
him. "Don't ya' be feeling bad about that now, Zavy.
You saved me life and got bit yourself. I'm the one
who feels like shit for bringing this on you lads. I'm the one who should be a
vampire right now. Not you. Not Jack."
"I don't think she was gonna make
you a vampire," Jack mumbled. "She looked like she was just gonna
suck your blood and leave you dead on the ground." Jack reached up and put his
hands on each side of Zavy's face, staring intently
into Zavy's eyes. "I don't give a bloody fuck that
I'm a vampire now too. And it did come in handy, facing those Worthies this
afternoon. I think it's a bloody good idea to make Reggie one too. We're
brothers, Zavy. We do everything together."
Zavy sighed. "But this? Me lads ..."
"Even this," Jack replied, nodding his head. Jack turned to
Reggie, seeking his support.
Reggie wrapped his arms around the other two and hugged
them. "Yes, Zavy. Even this. Especially this. I want you to bite me tonight. Make
me a vampire."
Zavy snorted. "I don't know what to do, Reg. I didn't know
what I was doing when I bit Jacko."
Reggie smiled wickedly. "I know what you were doing at the
time, so we'll just have to do all the same stuff."
Zavy finally grinned. "You're gonna
let me bugger you?"
Reggie shrugged. "Twas gonna happen sooner or later. Couldn't let you lads have
all the fun."
͠ ͠ ͠
The police constable watched as two men loaded the Wentworth
youth's limp body onto a stretcher. The lad was weeping now, unable to feel
anything below his neck, realizing how grave his situation was.
Shaking his head, the constable grunted and said, "Maybe now
things will settle down around here."
A bearded man wearing a black overcoat and dark eyeshades
turned to look at the constable. He tilted his head sideways and asked, "You
aren't going to look for the attackers?"
The constable shook his head. "Wasn't anything more than a
street brawl gone bad. Stupid lads think they can bust each other up and come
back again the next day and do it some more. Constantly causing trouble. Disrupting
the peace. Well, this time, one of `em learned the
hard way. Maybe now the rest will listen."
The bearded man leaned over and carefully examined the
weeping boy's neck before he could be carried away on the stretcher. There were
no puncture wounds, fresh or well healed. "Where are the others?" he asked.
The constable nodded at the alley exit, where several lads
sat, leaning against the wall, clutching themselves and groaning.
The man approached the other lads and looked them over
carefully. They were also free of bite marks, but in sorry shape otherwise.
He approached one and asked, "What happened back there?"
The teen looked up and snarled, "We got our bloody arses handed to us, didn't we?"
"How?" the man asked.
The lad snapped, "None of your fucking concern."
The man nodded and removed his eyeshades. His eyes began to
glow red. "How did it happen?"
The young man blinked and his eyes lost focus. "Them Hanbury
quims. Somehow, they did it. Moving bloody fast and knocking us about like we
was little girls."
The man's eyes stopped glowing. He replaced his eyeshades,
turned, and walked quickly away.
The end of SOULBOUND ‡ WAIF, Chapter Seven