Angels Gift And Other Stories

Directive Mark Kumm, of the state police department, sat at his desk studying the crime scene photos of the "Vampire Killer's" latest victim. The serial killing duo had earned that nickname from the press, because of their penchant for leaving multiple bite marks on their victims. He was looking at pictures of the ninth victim and it was as gory as all the others. It was clear the poor woman, like all the other victims, had been tortured before being strangled to death.

Kumm felt the familiar feeling of frustration, that had been his companion for the last three months, rising again. A pair of sadistic serial killers were on the loose and he was no closer to catching them. Apart from the fact that they were two men in their thirties, and drove a black Audi, he knew nothing else about the duo. The prints recovered at the crime scenes hadn't matched anyone in the database. People were on the edge and scared not knowing when the killers would strike again.

He again looked at the photos. All the victims were physically similar he noted, petit, dark-haired, and pretty. He was still studying the picture when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said

A police officer entered, "Sir, I have a young lady here who says she has information on the Vampire Killers."

"Did she say what kind of information?"

"She says she escaped from an attempted abduction."

Kumm rose quickly, "Let me see her."

The day before, June Lill had just finished her shift at the hospital and was on her way home. The evening was chilly, rain clouds covered the sky, making the evening darker than normal. She shivered under her jacket and tried to contain her frustration. She was of average height, with raven black hair cut short, her attractive face was lined with worry. Not an empty taxi in sight. The impending rain had caused a rush of commuters anxious to get home on time. Normally, she would have used an Uber, but she'd forgotten her phone at home.

"Of all days to forget my phone," she muttered angrily.

She would have to walk home. It was some distance and the thought of the walk in the cold dismayed her. But she had no choice, so she began walking, hoping to spot an empty taxi or, even better, one of her colleagues would drive by and offer her a lift. But no such luck. The evening got colder and darker, the streets quieter, and the whole atmosphere made her uneasy. She wished her sister, Grace, were alive. She would have been waiting in her little Volvo, to drive her home when she got off work. She had hated the idea of June walking home at night. She always said that; evil thrives best in darkness. She missed Grace very much and started to realize tomorrow would be the first anniversary of her death. Lost in the sad thought she didn't notice a black Audi pull-up beside her until the driver stuck his head out of the window and called out.

"Hey! You need a lift?" he asked

She started but composed herself.

"Thanks. I'm okay," she answered instinctively, she didn't trust strangers.

" Ok? In this weather? I doubt it. Where are you going?"

"I'm on my way home," She gave him the address.

"It's on my way. Hop in, and I'll give you a lift."

She looked closely at the driver. He was in his thirties, with a thin olive complexioned face and close-cropped dark hair. He seemed harmless, but still, she hesitated.

"Come on," he urged, "the weather is getting windier it's going to rain soon."

She acquiesced and got in beside him.

"I'm Mo."

"June. Nice to meet you."

"Why didn't you call a cab or get an Uber?" he asked.

"I left my phone at home and there's no empty cab in sight."

"You are a nurse I see," he said, giving her a sidelong glance.

"Yes. Just getting off duty."

"I like nurses," he said smiling cryptically, "they make excellent toys."

She looked at him, a puzzled frown on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Nurses are feisty and difficult to subdue, which we find exciting, right Kass?"

"Yep," a voice answered from the backseat.

She jumped, realizing there was someone else in the car.

"Who is back there?" she asked, looking around.

"My good friend Kass," Mo answered laughing.

Kass, who had been stretched out on the back seat, sat up.

"We're in for a treat," he said and they both burst out laughing.

She couldn't see Kass's face, but his cold, sinister, voice frightened her; she couldn't wait for the ride to be over.

He leaned forward and sniffed the back of her neck, disconcerting her.

"Smells tasty," he declared and both he and Mo burst into lunatic laughter.

June felt her heart contract with fear she wanted the ride over immediately.

"You can stop here, please, I can find my way home," she said, trying to sound casual.

"Who said anything about going home?" Mo asked his voice like steel. "You, Kass, and I are going to a party."

"A party for three," Kass added

"I can't," June tried to control the sea of panic flowing through her. "I have to go to work tomorrow morning, a party will exhaust me. Maybe some other time."

"We insist you come you are the guest of honor," Mo said

"But I -"

"You don't have much of a choice." Kass cut in menacingly.

"Relax." Mo assured, "You'll love the party. All our other guests loved it. One was a nurse like you. She had a great time more than all the others, I should think, perhaps you may have heard of her, Lucy Lon was her name."

June stiffened. She had heard of her. She was the "Vampire Killers'" third victim; it was in the papers her murder had been brutal.

Were these the "Vampire killers"? the deadly duo that had been terrorizing the city for weeks. She remembered the description the police had put out to the public. Two men in their thirties driving an Audi. A description like these two in the car with her. She felt so sick she thought she would pass out. She was in a car at night with a pair of serial killers been driven to an unknown destination. She tried to pull herself together. Maybe if she didn't show fear they would let her go. People like these were like animals. They sensed fear, and it excited them.

" Please I'm too tired to party, you can let me out here, I'll find my way home thanks."

"No can do," Mo said. "We've already made plans you see, all our playthings are already set up. "

"Hope she has a high-pitched voice," Kass added, "it'll make the screaming sound better."

They both burst into maniacal laughter.

June surreptitiously tried to open the door, deciding to jump out of the car and run. But it was locked. She knew screaming was no good; they would silence her immediately and anyway, who would hear her? What could she do? She regretted ever accepting the lift, if she had known there were two of them in the car she would never have got in. She had no doubt these were the "Vampire Killers"

"I'm sure you've read of the Vampire Killers," Kass said as if reading her mind.

"No," she lied, "Don't do much reading no time for that."

"Well," he continued, "We will introduce you to them."

The laughter that followed scared her blood still. She began to shake uncontrollably, her breath labored.

She had no idea where they were going. But it seemed they were heading to the outskirts of town, as the street was almost deserted. She was being driven to a certain tortuous death and there was no way to escape. Tears welled up in her eyes. She remembered her sister, who before succumbing to the injuries sustained in a car accident, had promised to be her guardian angel. She began a mental prayer to her for help. She needed an angel right now.

"Hey, what do we have here?" Mo said.

The beam of his headlights caught a woman standing in the middle of the road waving her arms.

"Hmm, this is going to be a fun evening," Mo said, slowing down and waiting for her to walk up to the driver's window.

Kass leaned forward and June felt something sharp on the side of her neck.

"No drama," Kass warned her in a low menacing voice.

Mo wound down the window. And the lady stuck her head in.

"Hey, sorry to be a bother," she apologized. "I was on my way to a party but my car ran out of gas. Could you spare some? Or give me a lift to the petrol station up ahead?"

She was pointing to the side of the road where a car was parked.

"Sure," Mo said pleasantly. "Hop in we are going to a party ourselves, perhaps you could join us. I'm sure we'll all have fun."

"I'll be glad to."

Mo unlocked the back door for her and she slid in next to Kass. The dome light lit up and everyone took in her beautiful heart-shaped face, long dark hair, and well-sculptured figure, dressed in a black tube top and mini skirt. Even June, despite her predicament, was impressed. She hoped the presence of this beautiful stranger would make the duo abort their evil plan. But her hopes were dashed when Kass, who had by now leaned back in his chair said,

"Now we have two guests of honor it's going to be a real scream."

He and Mo burst into a lunatic cackle.

"I'm Mo, these are my friends Kass and June."

"My name is Sonda. Nice to meet you all. What are you doing out at night June? Have you forgotten evil thrives best in darkness?"

June stiffened. The only person who had ever told her that was Grace. She turned to look at Sonda but couldn't make out her expression in the dark.

"You two know each other?" Kass asked slightly uneasy.

"Yes," Sonda replied and continued, "Mo stop the car June needs to get out she can call a taxi from the gas station."

"She's fine," Mo said "We are almost at the party venue."

"I said stop the car and let her out."

" No one is getting out, "Kass barked, brandishing the knife he'd held to June's neck. "You belong to us. Now shut up bitch before I gut you."

"Please do what they say," June begged Sonda.

Sonda laughed easily." Indeed," she said

What followed was so quick and unbelievable that even hours later when she told the police her story, she still wasn't sure what had happened. It was dark and they were sitting behind her, but she heard something like a stick break. Kass started screaming in agony. It was a piercing scream that told of great pain then, he collapsed on the seat. The knife he had held was now in Sonda's hand being held against Mo's throat.

"Stop now and open the door!" she ordered her voice deadly.

"Ok, ok, ok." Mo panicked and stopped immediately, then unlocked the doors. They could see the lights of the gas station up ahead, all around was quiet.

" Go to the gas station and call a taxi, June," Sonda told her gently.

Without hesitating she opened the door and flew out of the car then turned back.

"What about you?" she asked Sonda.

"I'll be fine," Sonda said smiling. "Close the door, my new friends and I have a party to attend."

Still in shock, June did as she was told, then turned and ran for the gas station.

"Drive," Sonda ordered Mo.

"Who are you?" he panicked. "What do you want? What did you do to my friend?"

"Broke his wrist," she said casually.

"Now drive!"

June burst into the gas station. The terrified look on her face frightened the attendant.

"Please call the police," she begged.

Detective Kumm stared at June sitting across his desk, unsure of what to make of her story. He was well aware that trauma could confuse but still, her story was bizarre, to say the least.

"Let me get this straight, you're saying the men who tried to kidnap you told you they were the "Vampire Killers", and a ghost rescued you, and drove away with them."

June sighed. "I know it sounds far-fetched, but it's true. The ghost is my sister to be exact."

He gave up. "OK, Ms. Lill perhaps you could please sit down with a sketch artist and describe the two men and the ghost."

Jill gave him a look but nodded.

Kumm asked an officer to lead her to the artist. He was happy somebody had escaped the deadly duo and was able to give more information about them, but her story wasn't adding up. Hours later he was still trying to make sense of it when he received a call. The "Vampire Killers" had been found!

Kumm stood looking down at the bodies of the two men, known as the "Vampire Killers". They had been identified as Mo Rashid and Kassim Hakimi. They lay on the medical examiner's table. They had been found in their locked Audi, the words vampire killers written in blood on their rear windshield, that was what had attracted a security guard who'd called the police. The M.E. was listing all the injuries the duo had suffered.

"From what I can see, their killer took a page out of their own gruesome book. All their injuries were a replica of what they'd inflicted on their victims. The torture, bites, and their cause of death, like their victims, was strangulation." He added, "But there are a few things that baffle me. Take this for instance," he held up Kass's arm.

His wrist hung loosely from the arm. Kumm came closer.

"As you can see," the M.E went on, "his wrist has been broken but it's the way it's been broken that baffles me. It was snapped clean in half like a twig, which, unless the assailant has superhuman strength, is impossible to do, also the bite marks, I don't mean to sound ridiculous but they weren't made by a human or any animal I know. The whole thing is baffling."

The M.E. wasn't the only one baffled. The whole case was baffling, from June's ghost rescue claim, to where the car had been found; the shopping mall parking lot where they'd abducted their first victim. Kumm doubted it was a coincidence. And who was this mysterious Sonda? Was she another victim? , a vigilante? Or like June had said, a ghost? A ghostly vigilante delivering justice for the victims? No, that was nonsense. He was going to get to the bottom of this. But if what June had said were true, he knew he never would.

June stopped at the cemetery that afternoon on her way from work. It had been weeks since her frightening ordeal and she'd had time to process all that had happened to her. The conclusion she'd drawn had brought her here. She walked toward her sister's grave, holding the bouquet she'd bought from a florist earlier. They were pink roses, the flowers of appreciation, and she was here to show appreciation to her sister for saving her life.

Detective Kumm hadn't believed her story but she didn't care she was sure her sister had sent Sonda. She approached her grave and knelt beside it.

"Thanks, Gracie." She whispered laying the flowers on her grave. "Thanks for saving my life."

She stayed there for hours enjoying all the warm memories of her and Grace. Then as dusk settled, she rose and left the cemetery.