Corruptor: Reign of Darkness Volume II: Reign of Darkness, #2

By Jeff Brown

Six months following the conclusion of "Nemesis: Reign of Darkness Volume I" a new vampire power rises from ancient history and takes control of the vampire leadership, pushing forward and changing the agenda previously begun. The DSA task force continues their struggle to oppose the vampires and end the threat of their takeover of both the United States and the world. As the Nemesis, Alex Chance, grows stronger and more capable, he finds more allies and a contingent of survivors, feline lycanthropes, and others to assist in their efforts. They see an end in sight, but the ending is anything but what they envisioned.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Brown
• Release date: Jan 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224430703

Jeff Brown

Born in New York City, Jeff Brown was a story editor and assistant film producer in Hollywood. He worked on the editorial staffs of The New Yorker and the Saturday Evening Post, and his stories appeared in these magazines and many others. 'Flat Stanley' is a much loved character by many.

Book preview

PART ONE

Revival

Chapter One

Intrusion

The sun began to set on the town of Diablo, Texas, the beginning of a warm night after a blisteringly hot day near the end of April. The last rays of the sun were fading in the distance, creating an aura of gold and red across western sky and gleaming on the tops of the mountains several miles to the west of the town. The two buildings rising more than a single story, an old hotel and an office building, cast long shadows along the main street running east to west at the center of the town, broken only by the intersection with the state highway that connected Diablo to the remainder of the state. A few cars, old and decayed with rust, with rotted tires leaving the metal rims beginning to dig into the asphalt sat along the side of the street as dust blew in on a hot wind from the west.

The dust and sand swirled through the town like a series of tiny twisters to scatter against an outcropping of rock rising more than a hundred feet from the desert beyond the eastern border of the town, the grit scraping the wooden sides of the small building nestled against the ragged rock and ate away at the red-painted lettering on the wooden sign in front of the building that advertised it as the Diablo Public Library.

Two figures moved carefully through the shadows between buildings doing their best to avoid the last of the day’s direct sunlight and paused behind another old building, the former office of the town’s veterinarian, abandoned years before, and waited until the last bit of light faded from the sky, leaving the town illuminated only by a pair of streetlights dangling above the single intersection with a few rays of additional light coming from the dust-covered windows of a few buildings along the street and an abundance of starlight shining brightly in a clear sky.

The smaller of the two, a lean woman a few inches over five feet tall with a thick mass of loose curls framing her narrow face, led the way with the tall, muscular man following a few steps behind. They were both dressed in black to blend in with the shadows rather than the amber sand and dust permeating the town. Walking slowly, her dark eyes remained focused on the door of the library as her hands hung at her sides, fingers spread almost greedily. The man stalked forward with his hands clenched tightly into fists and his own dark eyes remained narrowed as he looked around for any sign of someone in the area. As they’d both expected, there was nothing there, the town having effectively rolled up the proverbial sidewalks for the night.

Raya Kaufman was intent on entering the library, but not the public one that was so easily accessible. She knew about the secret library, the one curated by the Morte Society and their member librarian, Rod Jurgens. It contained what she wanted and needed to alter the course of vampire history. Behind her, Midian Jetter, served her as only a true progeny could. She had been the one to turn him, drawing a bit of his blood for three consecutive nights, until his human existence ended and he became a vampire. She trusted him as only a mother could trust a child and knew he would never betray her or turn against her. He was effectively her slave and would remain so until one of them was destroyed or if her plan came to fruition. She had no fear of the people in the town or even the librarian with his knowledge of vampire lore. She knew nothing would happen to either of them before they reached their objective.

A small point of light was visible inside the main room of the strangely large library. For a town of less than five hundred people with most of them working either in agriculture or in other locations, it was odd for a library to be large enough that it could easily serve nearly ten times that many people. Raya knew it was a cover, a front for the true library, but it did provide a bit of a distraction for the locals.

The truth waited beyond the confines of the old wooden building. There was an entrance to an old copper mine somewhere in the building, hidden to keep people out, particularly people like her. The librarian knew where the hidden entrance was and most likely exactly where to find what she was looking for.

She stopped a few feet in front of the door and drew in a slow, deep breath, smelling her surroundings carefully and sensing the heat of a human body. Within seconds, she’d located the source of heat, the body of the librarian and a sharp scent reeking of fear and anxiety. She didn’t think he knew of her presence in the town and was undoubtedly preparing for something else.

Setting her jaw, she shot forward, crossing her forearms in front of her face, and smashed through the wooden door and the pane of glass set in its upper half. The old wood splintered with a loud crack, sending slivers no wider than that of pencil lead a dozen feet into the room as the glass shattered and spread over the same area. Raya slid to a stop on the slick wooden floor a couple of feet into the large main room as the wood and glass fell over the large tables stretching across the width of the room ending at a quartet of small bookcases on the left and the large checkout counter against the wall to her right.

Behind the counter, cowering against the wall behind it at the sudden intrusion, was Rod Jurgens in his dark gray shirt and black pants. His short brown hair showed numerous spots of gray scattered throughout. His soft brown eyes were open wide and his jaw had dropped, leaving his mouth agape. His hands were raised with his arms bent to protect his face from the shrapnel.

Raya turned toward him and started forward, almost snarling as she said, Librarian, you will show me the entrance to the true library.

He stood up straight, his posture becoming almost defiant, and he said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Yes, you do, she replied, nodding. You are the librarian of the Morte Society and the library is hidden in the old mine. You alone know where the entrance is located and I will have it if I have to spend all night tearing this place apart. Then, once I’ve found it, I will begin the process of turning you. I will make you my slave and you will reveal all of your secrets.

He shook his head slowly, I don’t know anything.

She growled and leaped forward, easily vaulting over the counter. She landed in front of him and wrapped her slim fingers around his throat, reaching between his raised arms. With minimal effort, she lifted him off the floor and looked him in the eye.

You are getting old, librarian, she said, her voice low and raspy. I will give you the strength of youth, a strength you have never before known if you give me the information I need right now. If not, I will turn you and make you my servant. Then, you will tell me everything.

He thought about it for a couple of seconds, long enough to realize that he was unable to breathe properly, and he knew there was nothing for her to find in the library, nothing more than a history she undoubtedly already knew.

Fine, he said. Release me and I’ll tell you.

She released him and he dropped the few inches to the floor and staggered just a bit as he lifted his left hand to his throat, rubbing it slightly.

Now tell me, librarian.

He cleared his throat and pointed to his right, fully extending his right arm, That way. At the center of the back wall. It’s behind the local history section.

Good, Raya said and walked away toward the open end of the counter near the back wall then glanced over her shoulder. Midian, take care of him.

Right, Midian said and stalked toward the librarian.

As Raya vanished behind the high shelves near the back wall and Midian approached the counter, Rod knew he had to do something and defending the library was not a viable option. His best bet was to try and get out of there.

He’d seen them approach once the sun had gone down, but he hadn’t exactly expected them to be vampires. Now that they were there and had convinced him to reveal the entrance to the main library, he wasn’t ready to be killed or turned. He had to escape before they could do anything to him, if for no other reason than to get word to the Society of their actions.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been prepared, had thought it was just the end of another boring day in the Diablo Library, and didn’t have anything at hand that would help him much in getting away from the vampire menacing him. He had weapons all over the building, but he was a little shaken up by the arrival of the vampires and their threats. He’d never needed them before and he was so started that he couldn’t remember where any of those defensive items were located. He’d placed them when he’d first taken over the library, supposedly in strategic places and had never touched them again. Now that he needed them, he couldn’t recall what he’d done with a single one of them. It was frustrating and he tried to quell his fear enough for his mind to locate those details.

He was too frazzled to think clearly and didn’t want to alert the approaching vampire to his potential plan. He cut his eyes back and forth quickly, trying to focus his memory. Then, just before the vampire reached the counter, he finally spotted something that would save his life.

The device was resting on the desk to his right, serving as a rather boring paperweight, and was within easy reach. He almost shook his head at the way the anxiety had affected his mind, but he took a deep breath and went into action without any further thought.

It wasn’t something that would destroy a vampire, not even close, but it would cause him a bit of pain for a few moments, hopefully enough to allow Rod to get out of the building. He picked up what looked like a lump of gray clay and, in one fluid motion, he triggered the device with his thumb as he threw it toward the vampire like a pitcher throwing the last pitch of the game trying to strike out the final batter. The device whistled lightly as it flew across the small distance between Rod and Midian, moving too quickly for the vampire to react in time. It struck him on the upper chest, a few inches below his chin, and the small charge inside blew the lump into a cloud of gray dust, a combination of silver shavings and a chemical compound Rod knew would interfere with a vampire’s senses. He didn’t know exactly what the compound consisted of, but it worked effectively.

Midian stopped and waved his arms in front of him as the cloud practically clung to his head. He leaned forward, coughing harshly, and was effectively immobilized for a moment. It was enough time for Rod to make good his escape.

He dove over the counter, sliding across the smooth wooden surface to drop head-first onto the floor beyond it. Without stopping, he scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. He made the turn, almost skidding in the shattered glass and splintered wood littering the floor, and shot outside into the darkness of the night.

He didn’t slow down until he was almost at the hotel where he’d been living since his arrival in Diablo. Breathing hard, he stopped at the door and looked back to the library nearly two hundred yards away. He watched it for a few seconds as he caught his breath then pulled his cell phone from the back pocket of his pants to call in what had happened.

As he called up the number he needed, he kept his eyes on the library, waiting for one or both of the vampires to emerge and pursue him.

Once he initiated the call, he held the phone to his ear and waited until the call was answered.

This is Rod Jurgens, he said. I’m at the library in Diablo. It’s been invaded. Two vampires and they have access.

The unfamiliar voice on the other end said, Wait until daylight. Go back in and secure it the best you can. Report anything taken or destroyed. Then contact Patrick Brewer. There’s a lot more brewing and he’s in the middle of it.

Rod nodded, Got it. Thanks.

Just be prepared for an audit when this is all over, the voice said and the call was disconnected.

Frowning, he remained there for a few moments longer then entered the hotel and made his way to the second floor and his room.

CHAPTER TWO

Research

The narrow tunnel beyond the bookcase at the back of the library building was dimly lit, only a few widely spaced bare bulbs dangled from the rough-hewn ceiling a few feet above her head giving off just enough light to show the equally rough stone walls, just enough light to prevent Raya’s enhanced vision from working properly as she made her way slowly along the winding passageway. She’d heard Midian making strange sounds a few minutes after she’d entered the old mine, but the sounds had been distorted by the rock and she assumed he was taking care of the librarian, killing him rather than turning him. But she wasn’t concerned with that. She was focused on the task ahead of her.

She followed the lighted shaft as it angled slightly downward, assuming it was the path the librarian had taken each time he’d visited the real library. She encountered several side passages as she followed the downward angle of the path, but a quick look at the floors told her those tunnels hadn’t been used in a very long time. Each of them was covered with a thick layer of dust and debris. She continued forward slowly, thinking that the librarian or one of his predecessors had created some sort of obstacle to make it difficult for vampires to reach the library itself. She looked around carefully at each curve in the tunnel, but nothing looked out of the ordinary for an abandoned mine, until she rounded the final curve of the tunnel.

She saw the device before she reached the opening to the large area, a perfectly excavated room, that held the shelves upon shelves of documents making up the Morte Society library. The opening was framed with a metal arch attached to the stone and the arch was lined with what looked like curved fluorescent lighting fixtures. They had a dark blue tint to them and Raya knew it was the final deterrent, the device that would keep vampires from entering the library while humans could pass through the opening with ease. At the top of the arch was a scanner, a simple device that registered movement and wasn’t attuned to either human or vampire presence. She stopped well out of range and looked it over carefully to figure out what she could do about it.

The lighting fixtures appeared to project ultraviolet light, a manmade source that would duplicate the radiation of the sun that would destroy a vampire quickly. Raya was a scholar and knew the physiology of the vampire and how the sun affected them. Unlike a number of movies and books, sunlight didn’t immediately cause a vampire to burst into flames. It began by causing the flow of the fluid in a vampire’s body that served as blood to cease and effectively paralyze the vampire. Without assistance, the vampire would be unable to get out of the sun. It would then negate the effects of the blood the vampire had ingested most recently. Only a small amount of blood each day, sometimes longer, would allow the vampire to remain active and at full strength during that period, even appearing almost human for most of that time. Sunlight would cancel the effectiveness of the ingested blood and weaken the vampire. Eventually, the vampire would become dehydrated as the fluid in its veins dried up and its body would desiccate, drying up to become the corpse it would’ve been without the animation of the vampire influence.

Raya wasn’t ready to cross the barrier separating the tunnel from the library. It would only take a fraction of a second, but even that brief exposure to ultraviolet light would render her paralyzed for a while, long enough for any guards or protectors stationed in the library to attack and destroy her. The scanner was going to be the difficult part. With it disabled, it would take little effort to remove the fixtures in the frame. She studied it for a few moments then came up with a plan.

She moved to the left side of the tunnel and pressed her back against the rough stone, hoping the scanner didn’t have the range to cover the entire width of the passageway. She moved forward slowly, keeping her eyes on the scanner, and eased up to the point where another step would take her through the passageway and would undoubtedly be visible to the scanner. After a second of preparation, she flexed her legs and leaped upward, reaching toward the scanner with both hands. With her innate strength, she grabbed the scanner and pulled it down as she dropped to the floor of the tunnel again. As she landed, she dropped the crumpled casing of the scanner with a single electrical cable trailing from its back and looked sharply toward the opening. The lighting fixtures surrounding the rough doorway remained dark and Raya relaxed a bit. Still not trusting the librarian to not have installed a backup system. She waited a couple of seconds then moved closer and ripped the fixtures from the frame and tossed them behind her.

With a bit of relief flowing through her, she crossed the threshold and entered the main library.

She paused a couple of feet inside and looked around, taking in the aroma of history, the history of her people, filling the spacious chamber. The walls were lined with mismatched bookcases reaching to the high ceiling of smooth rock more than a dozen feet overhead. Seven standing cases were spaced around the room, reaching only to a height of six feet. The center of the room was occupied by two massive wooden tables, each at least eight feet long and four feet wide with highly polished surfaces and a pair of small lamps on each one. Three chairs were placed beneath each table, all facing the entrance, and matched the tables.

As she stood there, just looking around and taking it all in before beginning her search, Midian arrived behind her and entered the room slowly, looking around with a confused frown on his face.

Raya looked over her shoulder and frowned as she saw the remains of gray powder on his face. She turned around and faced him as she asked, What happened?

The librarian, Midian growled and shook his head. He had a weapon and he escaped.

No matter, Raya replied evenly and turned to the library again. He is insignificant to our purpose. We’re here and that’s the important thing.

What are we doing here? he asked and stepped up to stand on her right. I know we’re looking for a book, but I don’t understand why.

Raya looked at him and said, The book is the Journal of Rituals. It holds the secrets of the ancient Masters and the precise resting place of one who was forced into true living death. She is the one we must find and restore. She will remove the one pretending to be the Master and advance the vampire race to its proper status in this world.

Midian nodded and said, Then let’s find it and get out of this stupid little town.

Raya nodded, turned back to the shelves, and said, Stand guard in the building in case the librarian decides to do something stupid. This will not take long.

With only a nod, Midian turned around and shot into the tunnel, moving so fast that his image became a dark blur that vanished in an instant. Raya then moved slowly forward, frowning as she tried to decide where her search should begin. With her vampiric speed, she could go through all the volumes in the library in a matter of moments, but she didn’t want to take the chance she might overlook the proper book and fail at her task.

She didn’t have long, though. With night having fallen a short while earlier, the schedule she’d drafted for the plan meant she had less than half an hour to find the book and get out of the library. Once she had the book, she and Midian would leave the tiny town of Diablo and travel east as quickly as they could, using a great deal of their energy reserves to reach the Gulf Coast more than two hundred miles away. A boat was waiting for them, the fastest they’d been able to find, and it would take them across the Gulf to Florida, arriving shortly before daybreak. If there was a delay, they would be trapped by the sun and would either remain hidden on the boat or be destroyed.

Shaking her head, she moved to the right and started scanning the rows and rows of books on the shelves. She estimated less than an hour remained until the time they would need to leave Diablo to reach the coast in time to make the journey across the Gulf and the knowledge brought with it a sense of anxiety she hadn’t felt since before her human life had ended, nearly two hundred years earlier. With the anxiety and the pressure of the schedule she’d created, she did move a little faster than she’d wanted, but she couldn’t help it. First, she looked for some sort of catalog or chart listing at least the titles of the books and the order in which they were stored, but she found nothing and assumed the librarian either had an incredible memory or he had the information stored in another location or possibly on a computer.

A majority of the volumes on the shelves had no title listed on the spine or cover, making her task more difficult and more frustrating. It added to her anxiety, but she kept moving. She checked every book that looked large enough to contain the information she needed and, with her background in nearly every written vampire language, she quickly scanned the first few pages of each tome that looked appropriate and discovered quite a number of books that she thought would be beneficial, but she had no way to transport so many of them easily, considering the next phase of her plan.

After more than twenty minutes of searching, opening then reshelving more books than she cared to count, she found the one she was looking for. It was bonded in faded leather with a cracked spine that made it look inconsequential compared to the others around it. The position of the book and the ones around it told her that the librarian thought it was a meaningless book, but it brought a wicked smile to her face.

Still, she had to make sure it contained the information she needed. Holding it carefully in both hands, Raya moved to the nearest chair and sat facing the library’s entrance as he gently placed the book on the table. Her hands shaking a bit with nervousness and excitement, she slowly opened the book from the back. The information she needed was most likely at the end of the document. She turned the pages slowly, scanning each one quickly, and turned several before she stopped and a smile stretched her lips wide. On the left-hand side was a detailed map and on the right was the detailed ritual that needed to be performed. She read over it quickly, making sure she would be able to handle everything quickly and perfectly. Only one thing was missing from her list, a sacrifice, but she would find one easily once she reached the shore of Florida.

Satisfied with the information, Raya closed the book and lifted it from the table as she stood up. Then, with the book tucked carefully under her left arm, she kicked the chair back and made her way out of the library and into the tunnel that would take her back to the surface.

CHAPTER THREE

Crossing

Raya and Midian were both near the point of exhaustion, their energy reserves almost completely depleted, as they drew near to the coast and the waiting boat, the sharp tang of salt air alerting them to the Gulf’s proximity well before either saw it. Running at full speed more than two hundred miles without stopping or slowing sapped the renewing energy they’d received from their most recent feeding, which had been just prior to emerging from their hiding place just outside the town of Diablo in an old abandoned shack. With sunrise coming in short order, they needed to reach the boat and begin the journey across the Gulf of Mexico, hidden from the damaging rays of the sun, before daylight reached them. Raya continued running as fast as she could, pushing herself to the limits of her energy, and they reached the small dock with not much time to spare. The sky ahead of them was beginning to lighten and the harmful rays would soon appear over the horizon within minutes.

She stopped as abruptly as she’d started, a dark blur that became a solid shape, and stood a