Bath of Blood

The bed was empty.

Dylan paused. The sheet was pulled back; the bed looked recently occupied. He could have sworn he'd seen someone in the bed just moments before.

"I was wondering when you'd find me."

Dylan spun around. The old man stood by the window. He had the familiar dark eyes that looked like endless pits of darkness, the narrow brows, the twisted grin. Lukas Balko. Dylan aimed his revolver at him.

"Hello, Dylan," Lukas said.

Dylan's hand trembled at the mention of his name. He wondered how Lukas could have known it. Perhaps his parents had mentioned it years earlier, passing him on the street. Or maybe he read it in the paper, after murdering Dylan's mother.

"You son of a bitch," Dylan said. Lukas grinned. His teeth were gnarled and yellow.

"A son of a bitch," Lukas said, "does not even begin to describe me. But you won't kill me."

Dylan clenched his jaw. He felt tears emerging from the corners of his eyes. He narrowed his gaze on the decrepit old man in front of him, and felt his blood boil.

"The hell I won't. My mother is dead. My father is in a mental hospital!"

Lukas cocked his head.

"A mental hospital? Which one?"

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT???" Dylan screamed. "HOW COULD YOU KILL AN INNOCENT WOMAN??"

Lukas chuckled.

"She showed up on my doorstep, completely nude," Lukas said, shrugging. "And it had been- so long- since I'd fed. So long." Lukas licked his lips.

Dylan shook his head, forcing a laugh.

"Of course. You think you're a vampire, don't you?"

"I'm a lot of things, Dylan," Lukas said wryly.

"And now you're about to be dead."

"Dylan, put the gun down," Lukas said, stepping towards him. "You're not going to kill me."

"I am," Dylan said. "I'm sending you straight to hell."

"I've already been there." Lukas laughed.

Dylan squeezed the trigger, and fired a bullet into Lukas' neck. Lukas' eyes went wide with shock, and Dylan fired again. He shot two bullet's into Lukas' chest, and the frail, 98-year-old man collapsed to the floor.

Screams came from throughout the nursing home. Dylan heard the water shut off in the neighboring room, and he heard the scampering of feet across the floor.

"Call 911! Someone's shooting! Call the police!" a neighboring resident shouted.

Dylan calmly placed the revolver on the bed and turned to face the door. It would only be a matter of time before the police arrived, and when they did, Dylan was ready to surrender to them. He placed his hands on his head and waited.

"I did it, Mom," Dylan said. "It's over."

Dylan felt something grab his side. Before he knew it, he was in the air, looking down at the grinning face of Lukas Balko. Blood continued to drip from Lukas' bullet wounds, and his eyes glowed red. Dylan's jaw dropped.

"Like I said, you can't kill me, Dylan," Lukas said.

It seemed impossible, but Lukas was holding Dylan in the air with one arm. His hand gripped Dylan's rib cage like a vice. Dylan grabbed Lukas' hand, and found he was too weak to pull Lukas' hand free, nor could he breathe. Dylan could not even even gasp for air; he opened his mouth only to find silence come out.

Lukas thrusted Dylan across the room, sending him flying through the curtain and crashing against the wall. Dylan fell to the floor and clutched his ribs painfully. More screams erupted from neighboring rooms. Dylan could hear someone from down the hall approaching in a hurry.

Lukas walked towards him with a speed that seemed otherworldly. Gasping for air, Dylan rolled onto his back and stared up into Lukas' glowing eyes.

The door opened, and the nurse from the front desk stood in the door frame.

"What the hell's going on here?" the nurse demanded.

Lukas grabbed the nurse's neck and squeezed his nails into her throat. Her blood trickled across his fingers and onto the front of her uniform. The nurse gagged, and gasped for air while flailing her arms desperately. Lukas released his grip and she fell to the floor. Her body twitched once and she went still. Lukas turned back to Dylan, who was now squirming away on his belly.

"What a shame. I liked her," Lukas said. He licked the blood from his fingers and his eyes rolled back in pleasure. "Mmm. Five years. I really ought to feed again."

He looked down at Dylan.

"You fucking freak," Dylan gasped. He scrambled towards the restroom as Lukas came ever closer to him. Dylan felt a bony hand grab his ankle and pull him backwards.

"Get back over here," Lukas said. "Come on. Your mother put up more of a fight than this." Lukas grabbed Dylan's jacket and pulled him up so the two were face-to-face.

"Don't you talk about my mother," Dylan snapped.

"Oh, but she was wonderful. Such a tight little asshole. And those breasts! Such a sweet little lay. I wish I could kill her again."

Dylan tried to fight himself free, he tried with all his might, but Lukas was like a statue. His arms would not budge.

"But you know what?" Lukas began. "I did the next best thing. You see, your mother is in Hell now. And every day, she relives the moment I killed her, again and again. Would you like to hear her voice?"

Dylan froze, as Lukas placed his hand upon his forehead. Dylan cringed upon feeling Lukas' cold, blood stained fingers against his face and eyelids. And then he heard her voice.

Let me out! Please, don't let me die here!

Gabby's voice echoed inside Dylan's head.

Please, I have a family!

Dylan could not contain himself. He burst into tears hearing his mother's torment within his own mind.

"And that's what awaits you, Dylan," Lukas said. "I'm sending you to that very same place. First you. And then your sister."

"You mother fucker!" Dylan screamed. Lukas burst into laughter. He sprouted a pair of fangs, and pulled Dylan's head to the side. Dylan thrashed and struggled, but found he was powerless against Lukas's strength. Lukas leaned in to take a bite, when a spark shot from Dylan's necklace.

It was as if he'd touched a hot burner. Immediately Lukas released his grip on Dylan and jumped backwards several feet.

"What are you doing with that?" Lukas hissed. Dylan looked up at Lukas, confused. And then Dylan looked at himself. The cross necklace. It had come out of his shirt when Lukas had thrown him across the room. Now it hung innocuously outside his shirt like a protective shield.

"What, this?" Dylan asked, holding up the cross for Lukas to see. Lukas flinched, and covered his eyes with his forearm. "You don't like this? Is that right?"

"Coward!" Lukas barked. He backed away, his eyes wide in outrage. "Throw that away! I'll fuck your mother's corpse!"

Dylan pulled himself to his feet, and Lukas leaped out the window, shattering it as his nimble body crashed through. Dylan staggered towards the window, and saw Lukas had vanished into the night.

Dylan clutched his side painfully, and noted that the cross had singed his shirt. The cross still felt unnaturally warm against his chest.

He could hear the cries of the elderly residents, and the sound of sirens in the distance. Quickly, Dylan grabbed his revolver and picked up the empty casings. He could not go to jail now. Not while Lukas Balko walked the earth. Dylan hopped out the broken window and quickly sneaked back to his car.

* * * * *

"You did WHAT?" Jaclyn exclaimed.

"I found him, Jackie," Dylan said.

He held a zip lock bag full of ice against his side, groaning every time he took a breath. He hadn't slept a wink the whole night. Jaclyn had come to around ten in the morning and found her brother nursing his injury on the living room couch.

Dylan relayed the events of the night before as best he could remember. Jaclyn listened intently, not saying a word, leaving Dylan wondering just how much of his story she even believed. When he finished, he simply stopped, and waited for Jaclyn to speak. To say anything.

"You're telling me, Lukas Balko... is an actual vampire?" Jaclyn asked.

Dylan hung his head. He didn't want to have this conversation again.

"The guy threw me across the room with one arm and broke one of my ribs. I don't know what this guy's deal is but he's not human. Not like any human I know, anyway."

"But your cross necklace scared him away?" Jaclyn asked.

"Yeah," Dylan said. Jaclyn took a seat across from Dylan and rested her elbows on her knees, and her chin on her fists.

"He's the closest thing to a real-life vampire, and you tried to take him out by yourself?" Jaclyn asked.

Dylan shrugged, annoyed.

"Look, the guy deserved to die for what he did. How was I supposed to know I'd get my ass handed to me by a 98-year-old man?"

"Dylan, you have to stop this! You could have died! You could have been arrested! You could have left me alone!"

Dylan looked up at the ceiling. He knew Jaclyn was right. But she was a grown woman now, and Dylan was not keen on letting Lukas Balko breathe a day longer than he had to.

"So what are you going to do now?" Jaclyn asked.

"I'll-" Dylan coughed, and cringed. "I'll see what else Riley can come up with."

"No!" Jaclyn said. "You need to tell Riley you're done. She's leading you down a dark path Dylan, and if you keep taking help from her you're going to end up getting killed!"

"I might get killed anyway," Dylan said. "Balko knows who I am. And he knows who you are. If we don't find him, he's going to find us."

Jaclyn buried her face in her hands.

"Stop looking for him, Dyl," Jaclyn said, on the verge of crying. "With any luck he'll forget about us, but stop looking for him. I can't lose you."

She looked Dylan in the eye. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Dylan said. "I can't."

* * * * *

"Maybe she's right," Riley said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the business, but, I don't want to see you get yourself killed."

The TV in Riley's office showed the news. A report about a dead nurse and a missing patient at the Bellbrook Senior Care Center flashed on the screen.

"You sure no one saw you there?" Riley asked.

"Just the nurse who died. And Balko, of course," Dylan said. Riley sighed, and switched off the TV.

"For what it's worth, I would have done the same," Riley said.

"Thanks Riley," Dylan said. He pulled one of the hanging metal balls on Riley's desk, causing it to swing back and tap the others, only to send one swinging out and falling back again. He watched intently as the two outer balls alternated tapping the rest.

"And when you do finally kill that bastard, I can put you in touch with a good lawyer," Riley said. "And don't you dare refuse. A boy like you is too pretty for prison." Riley giggled.

Dylan smirked sheepishly. He tried not to stare as Riley lifted her skirt up to her hip and adjusted her stocking.

"Alright, I'd better get going," he said. "I don't want to leave Jaclyn home by herself too long."

Dylan stood up, and Riley did as well. She circled around her desk and wrapped her arms around him.

"You take care, sweetie, 'kay?" Riley said. "I'll send you some stuff in the mail when my guy comes through. You'll find him, I promise."

"I know," Dylan said. He hugged Riley tightly. "Hey you think maybe we could get dinner sometime? When you're done working my case, of course."

Riley smiled.

"I'd like that."

"Great," Dylan said. He turned to the doorway, and tripped over the wastebasket, knocking it over. Embarrassed, he turned the wastebasket upright and moved back towards the door. Riley giggled as Dylan fumbled with the handle before pulling the door open. He shot one last glance at Riley.

"Bye," Dylan said.

"Bye," Riley replied. She returned to her seat and smiled as Dylan left the building.

* * * * *

3. The Naked Victim

Jaclyn stood at the entrance to the funeral home. Dylan stood to her right, her father to her left. They greeted each of the guests who entered, shaking their hands and accepting their words of sympathy.

"I just want this day to be over," Jaclyn said. Dylan squeezed her arm assuringly.

Jaclyn looked up to see Scott enter. She put on a smile and extended her hand.

"Thanks for coming, Scott," Jaclyn said, shedding a tear.

"Yeah, sorry about your mom," Scott said. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Jaclyn shook her head.

"Not here," Jaclyn said. Scott nodded, and made his way into the viewing room to speak to a few of his friends.

To Jaclyn's dismay, several of the guests arriving wore Halloween costumes.

"Now why would they come here dressed like that?" Jaclyn snapped. "They shouldn't be having a Halloween party here!"

Jaclyn turned to Dylan, but he was gone.

"Dylan?" Jaclyn asked. "Where did he go?"

Jaclyn looked around the funeral home, examining the crowd of people that had gathered, but she did not see Dylan anywhere. Immediately she started to panic.

"Have you seen my brother?" Jaclyn asked one of the funeral guests.

"He's right over there," the guest said, pointing towards the crowd. Jaclyn weaved her way through the mass of guests, unable to see him.

"Where is he?" Jaclyn shouted. She found herself surrounded by people, none of whom she recognized.

"He's right behind you, Jaclyn," another guest said. Jaclyn turned around, only to see Dylan lying in the coffin.

"Dylan!" Jaclyn screamed. She rushed to the coffin, and burst into tears upon seeing his lifeless body. "What is he doing here? Where is the funeral director?"

"I'm here."

Jaclyn turned around to see Catherine Balko dressed in a dark suit. She stood by Dylan's coffin and nodded sympathetically.

"What is Dylan doing here? He's at the wrong funeral!" Jaclyn shouted.

"Well, he shouldn't have walked through the gate," Catherine said.

"No!" Jaclyn screamed. "This isn't right! He shouldn't be there!"

The other funeral guests looked at Jaclyn in dismay. Jaclyn looked again at Dylan's lifeless corpse, and gasped as his eyelids parted. Instead of eyes, his eye sockets contained pools of blood. The blood dripped down the side of his face like tears.

Jaclyn screamed.

"I'll have to take him away now," Catherine said, and closed the coffin lid.

"No! Don't do that! Will somebody help him?" Jaclyn shouted. "Somebody do something!"

The funeral guests ignored her. Jaclyn clenched her fists.

"Somebody do SOMETHING!!"

Jaclyn opened her eyes. Her pillow was drenched with sweat. She sat up in her bed, and felt her pulse racing.

The early morning sun shined through the cracks between her shade and the window frame. Jaclyn turned to her nightstand. The near empty bottle of Gatorade, Advil bottle, and crucifix still rested there. Her clock radio read 7:13.

"Dylan," Jaclyn whispered to herself. She stepped out of bed and crept down the hall. Taking a peek into Dylan's room, she saw his bed was empty.

Quickly, Jaclyn continued down the hall. She knew it was just a dream, but she had to see Dylan right away. She had to be sure.

Jaclyn stepped into the kitchen, and found Dylan seated at the table, eating a plate of toaster waffles. He was dressed in his gray button down work shirt and khakis.

"Dylan," Jaclyn said again.

"Hey," Dylan said. "I found my keys. Looks like I dropped them under the driver's seat."

Dylan held up his previously missing keys. Jaclyn felt her pulse slow.

"Oh, that's good," Jaclyn said. "How's your rib?

"Still hurts. But Jake said I could work the phone few days."

"Great," Jaclyn said, and smiled. She gave Dylan a kiss on his cheek.. "Well, have a great day at work."

Dylan gave her a strange look. Not surprising, since Jaclyn didn't normally say things like that to him. Jaclyn didn't normally have visions of her brother's dead body either, but she decided not to share that with him. Reassured that Dylan was still alive for the time being, Jaclyn retreated to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and stepped into the shower.

The warm water soothed her body and spirit. As she relaxed under the comforting warm spray, Jaclyn realized what she needed to do. And now was the perfect time to do it.

Jaclyn waited until Dylan left for work before she got started. She rooted through the hall closet until she found her father's old duffel bag. It was a few years old, but it still looked strong and durable. Jaclyn got dressed, grabbed the empty duffel bag, and got behind the wheel of her car, a light blue Taurus that had also belonged to her father.

Her first stop was the bank.

"Can I help you?" the teller asked.

"Can you tell me how much is in this account?" Jaclyn asked. She handed the teller a slip of paper with an account number on it, along with her driver's license. The teller looked up the information on her computer and replied.

"$56,291.09," the teller said. It was the entirety of Gabby's life insurance money, combined with the inheritance she'd left for Jaclyn.

"I'd like to make a withdrawal," Jaclyn said, tapping her fingers on the counter nervously.

"How much?" the teller asked. Jaclyn took a breath.

"All of it."

The duffel bag didn't weigh as much as she thought. After stuffing her life savings inside, Jaclyn hoisted the bag over her shoulder and dumped in into the passenger seat of her car. She thought long and hard about what she was going to do, and saw no reason to change her mind. Jaclyn started the car and headed over to her next destination: Pierson's Inc.

Riley's car was in the lot, so Jaclyn was fairly certain she'd be able to get an audience with the busy-bodied P.I. She only hoped Riley would consider what she had to say.

Jaclyn grabbed the duffel bag and carried it into the building. The waiting room was empty, as Jaclyn expected.

"Hello? Riley?" Jaclyn greeted.

The building was completely silent. No fax machine humming, no TV playing, not even the sound of Riley's feet scurrying around in the next room.

Jaclyn made her way towards Riley's office, and found the door slightly ajar. Jaclyn pushed the door open, and found the office ransacked.

The desk was flipped on its side. The TV and computer monitor were face down on the floor; their screens shattered. Jaclyn stepped into the room, nearly tripping on the high heels left by the doorway. She stepped around the fashionable shoes, and over several papers scattered across the floor.

"Riley? Are you here?" Jaclyn asked, more to fill the eerie silence than for the expectation of a response.

And then she saw it. A leg, a woman's leg, with a deep cut in the thigh, lay on the floor peeking out from behind the overturned desk. Jaclyn looked behind the desk to find the leg belonged to Riley.

She was naked, lying face down on the floor with her legs spread open. Her throat had been punctured twice, and numerous slashes were visible all over her body.

"Oh my God, Riley!" Jaclyn screamed. She dropped the duffel bag and ran towards the lifeless body. Jaclyn rested her hand on Riley's shoulder, and the cold, clammy feel of her colorless skin send a chill down Jaclyn's spine. Riley's dry, unfocused eyes stared off into nothingness.

Jaclyn looked around for a phone, and found Riley's office phone had been ripped out of the wall. Her body shaking, Jaclyn pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed 911.

* * * * *

Dylan arrived shortly after the police did. He squealed into the parking lot and had a sobbing Jaclyn in his arms before he'd even shut off his engine.

"What the HELL happened?" Dylan demanded.

"It was Balko. He raped her. And he killed her," Jaclyn said. Dylan squeezed her tightly and rocked her gently in his arms.

"Were you alone when you found her?" Dylan asked. Jaclyn nodded. Dylan looked her in the eyes.