Vampire Seeker Read Free

me into darkness. I gasped and gripped the bottle of holy water. The lights came back on and
     I peered ahead, searching for the vampire in the empty carriage. I couldn’t see him. With the train rocking from side
     to side, I made my way slowly forward. When I reached the end of the coach, I peered through the glass window in the connecting
     doors. The next carriage looked empty, too. Where was he? Was he on the train? Had he managed to give the cops and me the
     slip, sliding back into the shadows at the end of the platform? Would those cops have even noticed him? They seemed too intent
     on chasing me.
    The train rattled through the tunnels, its lights flickering on and off, leaving me in darkness for moments that seemed to
     last an eternity.
    “Hello?” I called out. Now why did I do that? Did I really think he would suddenly appear with a big smile and
     ask me how I was doing? I did it because I was scared and couldn’t bear the sound of my own heart beating frantically
     with fear inside my chest.
    I reached the last adjoining door. There was only one carriage left. Knowing that if the vampire hadn’t given me the
     slip and was still on the train, he had to be inside this one, I slowly opened the interconnecting door. The train lurched
     left and right as it raced over points in the tunnel. With only minutes to go before we reached Liverpool Street Station,
     I scanned the carriage. Like the others, it was empty. Half of me felt cheated that I had come so close, but there was another
     part of me that sighed with relief. Even so, I had to make sure. So, unscrewing the lid from the bottle of holy water, I made
     my way down the gangway and passed the rows of seats. I glanced back over my shoulder and the other carriages snaked vacantly
     behind me.
    With my heart racing so fast inside my chest I thought it might just go
bang
, I faced front again. Then I jumped as I saw a brief reflection of someone in the window. For just a second, I thought there
     was a pale-faced man inside the tunnel, but my skin turned cold as I realised he was standing right behind me. Before I had
     a chance to react, he had grabbed me. With his arm wrapped about my throat, I struggled, gasping for breath. His coat smelt
     old and musty.
    “Why are you following me?” he breathed in my ear, and his breath felt ice-cold against my cheek.
    With my knees just wanting to buckle beneath me with fear, I said, “I know what you are.”
    “And what is that?” he whispered, my neck breaking out in gooseflesh.
    “You’re a vampire,” I gasped, his arm tightening about my throat. I struggled against him, trying to twist
     my neck to the right so I could see his face. With his free hand, he ran one long, white, bony finger down the length of my
     cheek. His fingernail felt like a blade.
    “Oh, Sammy, you don’t remember,” he said softly in my ear.
    “How do you know my name?” I asked numbly, raising the bottle of holy water.
    “How quickly you have forgotten,” he teased, and his breath smelt as stale and old as his coat.
    The lights flickered out again, and seizing my chance, I jerked my arm backwards, throwing the holy water into his face. I
     heard him chuckle softly, and the lights came back on.
    “Sammy, you really don’t know who I am, do you?” he said. Although I couldn’t see his face, I knew
     he was smiling, and that smile was full of pointed teeth. “Holy water doesn’t work, nor does the garlic I can
     smell in your pocket, or the crucifix which glistens between your breasts.”
    “What have I forgotten?” I wheezed, as his grip became almost suffocating.
    “Let me show you,” he whispered as the train rattled into Liverpool Street Station and the carriage filled with
     bright white light…

Chapter Two
    …The light was intense. I immediately covered my eyes with my hands. It was hot, too – like the hottest summer’s
     day. But there was something else. I was lying down on my back and the ground was hard.