Redrum: Luna's Paranormals, #2

By Shelly Small

People are dying at an alarming rate. Looks like the Hampton Roads has a serial killer. There is no rhyme or reason to the murders. The only common factor is the puncture wounds on the victim's necks that has the police stumped.

No one knows Supernatural beings exist. For that reason alone, they go to Luna's Private Investigations for help.

The police ask for her help.
The Supernatural want her help.

Will she figure out who the killer is before there is an all-out war?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shelly Small
• Release date: Feb 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9798611011874

Book preview

Prologue

Luke only knew abuse his whole life. People looking in thought he had the idyllic life. Hell, he overheard some saying they wished their parents were more like his. Looks can be deceiving. Yes, they would see the loving parents to a well-behaved child, but he wouldn’t wish his life on his worst enemy, and he had plenty.

That loving father would come home drunk or in a bad mood then take his frustrations out on Luke. As he got older, the worse it got. The mother who was supposed to love and protect you unconditionally, had a tongue like a viper. Nothing Luke did was ever good enough for her. Sometimes her words hurt worse than the punches his father dished out.

He didn’t understand what others saw in his parents that would make them wish they had parents like them. If they really knew what happened behind closed doors, they would cringe.

At school you would assume Luke was the bully to other children, given his home life. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. He was also bullied by his peers as well. Luke didn’t go anywhere that he didn’t get some kind of abuse.

Not having a safe place sucked. One night when his parents were out for the evening, Luke sat at home watching TV. As he flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch, he came across an old movie, Dracula.

Luke was fascinated by the movie. The longer he watched the more his imagination grew about what it would be like to be a vampire. He saw the strength they had, the ability to control others with their powers, the respect they demanded, but the manipulation to get what they want had him hooked. From that night, Luke was obsessed with vampires.

The older he got, the more obsessed he became. By the time Luke was in high school, he had watched all the great vampire movies-Queen of the Damned, Lost Boys, Interview with a Vampire, and of course his favorite, Dracula-at least to him, so much he could recite the movies word for word.

He would even read all the books he could find on vampires, the lore, even the myths. The bullying didn’t go away at school either, if anything it got worse as people found out about his obsession. Life at home wasn’t any better except now he was left alone more, which he didn’t mind because then, he didn’t have to pretend he had a good life or what other’s saw as perfect.

Luke would dream about becoming a vampire and what his life would be like so often. He decided to do some research into how he could change his looks. He figured why not become one. The most common change was to the teeth, and that’s exactly what he wanted. Though finding a dentist to do it proved a little difficult at first, but Luke was determined to make his dreams come true.

Due to the constant bullying, Luke barely made it through high school. Not knowing what he wanted to do with his life besides living like a vampire, his parents made him go to college. Since, school didn’t appeal to Luke, he just took the money they gave him for college and made sure he was gone when they thought he’d be in class.

Things at home never changed. His mother continued to put him down about nothing in particular. One day Luke asked her to say one nice thing about him…she couldn’t. She yelled at him more for trying to make her feel bad about herself. His father would still take his anger and frustration out on him. During this time is when Luke really thought about the power and control vampires had, and fantasized about what he would do if he could harness it.

Luke walked down the boardwalk, instead of being at school, not paying attention to who was around him or where he was going. His mind was still on the thought of how it would feel to have control and power over people. Suddenly, he was pushed into a building.

Watch where you’re going! said a homeless man pushing his cart along the sidewalk.

What did you say to me? Luke asked a little startled he said anything to begin with.

I said watch where you’re going. You almost made my cart tip over. It would take me hours to pick it all back up.

Luke took a breath in, held it, then blew out slowly. While he did, he thought, what would a vampire do? The control over someone beneath him who had not only talked down to him but pushed him. With his mind made up, he looked around noticing an alley a short distance away. He grabbed the homeless man, pulled him into the alley, and started beating on him.

The power he felt while doing it, gave him a high he’d never known. Once done, he told him, You better watch where and who you talk to, Luke said as he walked out of the alley and down the sidewalk before he started to run. He didn’t want to get caught. The high was still with him and he felt like he could do anything he wanted.

As he walked home, the feeling of being in control and having power faded and now he was trying to figure out how to get it back. Unfortunately, his father was already home and furious. He could hear his mother yelling as he walked in the door, as well as his father was primed and ready to go. Somehow, they found out that Luke wasn’t going to school and both were waiting to hear his response as to why.

It all started due to a letter in the mail from the school addressed to him, but there was no privacy when it came to Luke. His mother opened it and saw that he dropped all of his classes. Luckily, he already set aside the money into an account his parents didn’t know about with a post office box he rented. He wanted to get the feeling of power back, so he smarted off to his father, which of course, was a big mistake.

They made him get a job if he wasn’t going to school. They were furious that he was wasting his life doing nothing but watching vampire movies. He got a job working at one of the hotels along the boardwalk. Luke would walk the streets before and after work just to avoid going home.

One day he saw the homeless man, he beat up and realized that was why he had the feeling of power and control over his life. Luke wanted that feeling again and to never let it go. After work one night, as he walked the streets, he saw a kid in the alley. There wasn’t anyone around him and the streets were quiet this late at night. Luke knew what he would have to do to become a vampire fully; and he’d do so demanding respect and power.

From that point, Luke was going around on his spare time to find people he could manipulate and control. Until one day, he went too far and killed someone. The rush that came afterwards was different than he felt before. Sure, beating someone up felt great but taking someone’s life made him feel how he imagined a vampire felt draining their victims dry.

Over the last few years, Luke saved his money from his job and with the money his parents had given him for school, he bought a small shack of a house. He needed a place of his own so he didn’t ever have to let the power he felt as a vampire go. In his mind that’s what he is now.

On his way home from work, he spots a nice girl walking towards him. He’s seen her around before but never alone like this. Winter had set in, so to see her out walking at night, she might live on the streets. If he was correct then it just became his lucky night. Luke had wanted to try something out and he was in need of a guinea pig.

As they crossed paths she said, Hey good looking, where are you off to?

I’m headed home from work. It’s cold out here, what are you doing out so late?

I’m looking to make some money so I can get something warm to drink.

Well, you are more than welcome to come with me to my house for something to drink. That is if you want to. Its not that far from here, Luke said wanting to take her now.

As the wind howled louder, she shook and said, Okay. I’ll make it worth your wile. My name is May.

I’m sure you will sweetheart. Luke. This way.

When they got to his house, May did make it worth his wile. Over the next few days, they didn’t leave his house, one because the weather had gotten worse and two Luke told May to stay with him. Not having a place of her own to stay warm this winter, May figured why not, he seemed nice enough and the place wasn’t bad.

The one thing he saw over and over again in the movies were vampire’s drinking blood. With his teeth just like a vampire’s; he figured why not see how it feels. Luke had everything he needed ready for his experiment, all he had to do was try. These last few days of waiting to test his theory were unnerving, so while they were kissing, Luke started to make his way down her neck. No time like the present. Finding the pulse in her neck, he bit down hard. May pulled away from him.

What the hell are you doing Luke?

Come here May. Let me take a look.

No, get away from me you freak.

May got up from the couch going to where her things were, Luke was behind her. He turned her around looking at her neck. She was struggling to get free from him, but he held on to her as he examined what he had done. His teeth didn’t pierce the skin but he could see a couple red dots on her neck where he tried to bite her.

Luke wondered if he did it correctly or if he needed to go back to the dentist to fix his teeth more. Not wanting to find someone else