14: Wrong Turn Pt. 1

“I know you’re out here somewhere; just where is the question.” Victoria scolded herself as she again looked at the map trying to find her way to her family’s cabin. It had been ages since she had been out to Cedar Grove, twenty years in fact. The last time she’d seen the old place was right before the family moved to Chesterfield. She was ten years old at the time and remembered thinking she’d never get to play on the log swing near the lake again. “Stupid phone. So much for Global positioning! Where are you when I need you?”

Night was quickly looming just over the horizon; a storm was brewing. And the last thing she wanted was to be stuck in her truck on a dark road in the middle of nowhere. Hopping out of her truck, Victoria ran toward a road sign partially hidden behind overgrown shrubbery and moved it out of the way. Although it didn’t seem to make a difference, a large part of the sign had been chipped away and she couldn’t make out the name of the path she was travelling on. “Well, that’s fucking great!” she growled and jumped back behind the wheel of her jeep.

Happy that this off-road vehicle was her main form of transportation, she noticed it really came in handy on the rough and sometimes absent roads within this small wooded community. Many people preferred going it by foot; one of the many pains she remembers from childhood. She’d always ask her mom why they couldn’t just drive to the corner market instead of trekking the mountain and huffing it through the woods that always seemed particularly creepier on the return trip home.

Turning on her headlights, Victoria slowly drove along the narrow dirt path toward what she hoped was her family’s cabin. The map had taken her in a completely new direction than she remembered traveling with her parents and she again cursed herself for not paying better attention. Sounds of nightlife were creeping into her windows from the animals that lived out in the thicket and the idea of being eaten alive did not appeal to her one bit.

On top of that she thought she was seeing things beyond the hedge line. A dark figure appeared to be running alongside her jeep and stopping when her eyes moved to the area and adjusted to the darkness. Shrugging it off as paranoia, she continued forward until finally reaching a familiar landmark. “Yes!” she hissed in satisfaction. But the marker was merely an indication of how much further she had to travel.

“At least I know I’m heading the right way!” Guiding her vehicle around the large carved totem, Victoria started down a new trail hoping very soon she’d find the large well; the second landmark. Again, a dark figure appeared near her driver’s side door and vanished just as her head turned but this time, she caught sight enough to notice the glowing yellow feature. “Ok now I KNOW I’m not imagining that!”

In a slight state of panic, her foot rested down harder on the gas and she floored it forward to gain distance from whatever animal was out there. Victoria hit her brakes as a small glimmer of light sparkled in front of her truck. “What the fuck?” It seemed to dance around the front bumper for a moment, fly up toward the windshield then slowly fade away.

Moments later more glowing lights flickered in the distance. They each twinkled once before exploding into a brighter radiance lighting Victoria’s path toward the cabin in the woods. Deciding very quickly to follow the lights in hopes they were leading her someplace safe, Victoria put a little gas to the engine again and soon found herself outside the small two-story cabin in the woods. 

Parking her jeep, she got out of the driver’s side door and moved toward her trunk to grab her belongings. Giggling in the rustling trees drew her attention toward a patch of roses near the stoop and she stopped to listen. “Hello? Is there somebody there?”

The giggling grew louder and slowly faded into the forest as she walked closer toward the door. “Maybe this is why we stopped coming here! The place is haunted it would seem.” She entered the living room and tried the light switch. After a few moments, the overhead lights hummed and illuminated the tiny space. “At last!”

Dropping her bags near the door, Victoria did a once over of the place checking to make sure there were no creepy, crawly surprises waiting for her. Once done she stocked the fridge with her groceries, made the bed with the fresh linen she brought with her and continued her exploration of the house. Starting toward the stairs, the third floorboard near the railing squeaked beneath her foot and she smiled. Nothing had changed from last she remembered.

It still held that feeling of ‘secret’ she thought was so fun as a child. It was as if she could hide anywhere within the wooden walls of the place and never worry about being found. It was her favorite spot to play hide and seek ever and most times she fell asleep in either the attic or the basement waiting on her siblings to find her.

As she finally finished reminiscing, Victoria started to head downstairs but something was pulling her toward the end of the hall. The door on the left side was one her mother always kept locked and told them to never, ever enter. She and her siblings had always thought it was a game and did their best to open the door but it would never budge. “I wonder?” she spoke quietly to herself and moved ahead.

She gripped the handle firmly and gave it a tug. Another firm push and the door still didn’t budge. It didn’t even make a sound as if it was tipped out of its position. With a sigh of defeat, she was about to give up but thought to try once more. Whatever invisible force kept her upstairs seemed to be powering her actions as she again tried the handle on the door, nothing. “Fine! Be that way!”

After getting unpacked, Victoria poured herself a glass of wine and started out toward the back porch. The sun had already lowered enough from the sky and was casting a fiery orange glow just beyond the trees behind the tiny wood cabin and she watched the sun drift aimlessly into the night. Sitting down into one of the swings, she propped her leg up, sipped from her glass and opened the book she’d carried with her. “Vampires,” she sighed and ran her fingers along the leather-bound journal. “This is crazy.”

Opening to the first page, she began to read up on the mythology of Derrick’s kind unaware of the danger looming nearby. “Historically vampires are known as soulless, blood-sucking demons that prowl the night preying on unsuspecting victims to satisfy a never-ending ache of hunger. They are known as beasts sating a need for bloodlust and savagery; pillaging towns and creating chaos wherever they roam.” 

“Most of these facts have become Hollywood claptrap used to glamorize the creatures that tormented towns to sell movie tickets. But what is real about vampires is their ungodly desire to defile the innocent and ravage their victims. A vampire feeds on the life essence of their victims; their blood. There are various reasons the vampire needs blood for survival. Some cultures believe that the vampire requires the blood of others to flow through their veins in order for their bodies to remain animated and decrease the damage of decay. While others believe the creatures feed as a vicious ritual to wreak havoc and fear…great!”

“Vampires are not particular about the source of the blood they consume. They will drink from both animals as well as humans. Only a vampire can create another vampire; meaning that the existence of vampires started with an original vampire who created all that followed.”

The trees rustled nearby and Victoria lifted her eyes to peer into the pitch darkness near the barbecue pit. Noting nothing out of the ordinary she again turned her attention to the book in front of her. “Hmm, afflictions and tell-tale signs you’ve encountered a vampire. Most myths concerning vampirism describe the beings as having fangs, red eyes and a reluctance to enter a house without invitation. Yeah, found that out.”

“These creatures can shapeshift into bats or other large, predatory birds. They have heightened levels of stamina, speed and strength and are considered immortal but have known weaknesses. Despite most lore concerning death by sunlight, vampires have an aversion to most bright lights; not just sunlight. They are night creatures and the view of sunlight or any type of ultraviolet ray turns them to dust, or sometimes stone.” Victoria thought for a moment about how much truth there was in the statement considering she’s met with Derrick often during the day. He never seemed repelled by it at all. “In cases of an enshrined vampire, the touch of fresh human blood can cause reanimation.” Victoria stretched and took another sip of her wine as she skimmed the next few pages concerning vampire history and images depicting witness statements of what the creatures looked like.

Many of them were sharp fanged monsters with wings and claws like eagles. “At least Derrick is cuter,” she smiled to herself realizing what she’d just confessed and slowly lowered the book to her lap as she thought about him. He was an annoying, smart-assed card shark, but she couldn’t deny he wasn’t without charm. Visions of whether or not he looked similar to the pictures in the book rolled through her mind and made her shudder with fear.

Be careful, a voice whispered as the wind howled around her. “What?” Victoria gasped and looked up at a swirling patch of fallen leaves near the stoop. “Look, I’m a cop. If someone is playing games with me, I suggest you stop right now or I will arrest you for harassment!” she yelled in a convincing tone.

He’s coming! The lights on the pier flickered and popped until the area faded to black. Loud banging sounds echoed against the tree trunks near her and the flowers in the garden appeared to bend beneath invisible footfall. “Funny! I’m just waiting to see what you’ll do for an encore.” A tender ache in her wrist brought her hand to the bracelet wrapped tight against her bone. Rubbing it gently Victoria contemplated entering the yard near the back trail to find the source of the whispers.

Harder and harder the trees shook from the force of the wind gusts and she found herself fighting to hold the book in her lap. The breeze slowly died down but it quickly turned into powerful sounds of stomping through the forest. Someone or something was barreling toward the cabin at an incredible speed but she couldn’t see what it was.

GET INSIDE!  She again heard a warning cry but this one sounded afraid. Standing from the porch swing, she moved a strand of hair back behind her ear as the cool breeze blew her curly locks wildly across her head. She had no idea what she was hearing but the messages continued growing more and more urgent until she backed herself up into the safe confines of the living room.

But the noises didn’t end there. Seconds after she had her back to the kitchen counter, she was confronted by the sound of someone coming up the front steps. Victoria rushed for her sidearm as the knob on her front door slowly began to turn. Removing the safety and ensuring a round was in the chamber, she readied herself to shoot. Whoever was standing on the other side of that door didn’t stand a chance.

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