Night Stalker: Randy-The End and Beginning

Twenty Years Later…

Randy watched the old apartment building, taking the measure of all who entered. He liked what he saw so far. Some of them he liked very well indeed, like the sexy blonde in the tight skirt. He even liked her name…Rissa. He’d heard one of the others call out to her earlier in the day and thought the name very fitting. He decided it rolled off the tongue quite nicely.

If there were more like her at this particular establishment, Randy thought it would be a good place to settle down for a while. He was tired of running. He didn’t want to admit it, but he still missed the family feeling of the old clan. All but Father Thomas that is, which Randy hoped had quit looking for him a long time ago.

“May I help you?” a voice behind Randy inquired, startling him.

Turning, Randy noted the soulful brown eyes first, eyes that looked to have seen it all, despite the young age of their owner. He then took in the rest of the young man. So weary for one so young, he mused, mindful of the slumped shoulders and bone-tired expression.

“I was told to come see Nathaniel,” Randy informed the stranger. “That he might have a place for me.”

“I’m Nathaniel,” the young man replied, sticking his hand out.

Randy shook his hand, liking the firm shake. For Nathaniel’s part, he wasn’t sure about the scruffy character in front of him, but he knew if someone had pointed the man his way, then he was in need of shelter and they had saw some redeeming quality in him, and, besides, Nathaniel hardly ever turned anyone away.

“You are welcome here as long as you are willing to follow a few simple rules.”

Randy grimaced, rules being high on his list of things to avoid. “What kind of rules?” he asked, already making plans to move on.

“Nothing too complex,” Nathaniel replied, smiling at the man’s discomfort. “They won’t hurt a bit.”

“Easy for you to say,” Randy quipped.

Nathaniel laughed outright and patted Randy on the shoulder. “I think you’ll fit in just fine around here.” Opening the door, he ushered Randy inside, adding, “Come on, I’ll explain the rules and introduce you to the others.”

Randy followed, wondering if what he’d been told about the man was true. “Nah,” he chuckled under his breath, figuring the name was just a coincidence.

THE END

Night Stalker: Randy-Some Will Fall

Randy moved to the right and jabbed the pitchfork at Thomas’s stomach, wincing at the pain upon contact. Thomas stopped, looked at the offending object and smiled, blood seeping down his chin. He then grasped the handle firmly and pulled the pitchfork free of his body, throwing it aside.

Standing up straight, despite the pain, Thomas spit blood on Randy’s boot, and said, “Is that the best you can do?” before hitting Randy in the stomach.

Randy doubled over in pain, trying to decide how to get out of this mess. He had no intention of dying but wasn’t sure how to stop it from happening. He knew he couldn’t overpower Thomas. All Stalkers were strong, but none matched the original, Thomas.

Shrugging off the pain, Randy stared Thomas in the eye and replied, “No, I have this,” and charged, knocking Thomas against the wall. While he had the man pinned, Randy sank his fangs deeply into Thomas’s exposed neck.

Thomas thrashed against Randy, a solid punch connecting with Randy’s jaw, sending him reeling away. Emily ran at Thomas, wielding the earlier discarded pitchfork. Randy yelled for her to stop to no avail. He watched as Thomas ducked aside and grabbed the pitchfork, pulling it free of Emily’s hand, roughly pushing the woman forward into the oaken door.

Randy heard a sickening crack and watched Emily crumpled to the ground as he jumped on Thomas’s back, and sank his fangs once again into the man. Thomas flailed but Randy held fast, rage at Emily’s death empowering him. Thomas stumbled and fell, weakening. Randy’s arms were killing him, and his jaw was aching from holding the bite so long, but he knew letting up would mean the end.

His grip was loosening when he saw Sophie come through the door. Sophie ran to Emily’s fallen body and checked for life. Noting the sightless eyes, she turned toward the two men.

Randy screamed, “help me!” as Thomas thrust his arms upward and broke free. Thomas roared, banging his head against Randy’s, knocking him back. Randy tried to grab him again, but Thomas struggled free. He was almost to his feet when Sophie pounced.

Shaking his head to clear it, Randy latched onto the other side of Thomas’s neck, and he and Sophie drank, draining the fallen man. Thomas was weakening, no longer putting up any fight. Randy thought an end to the terror was near, when, suddenly, Sophie fell forward, blood gushing from her skull.

Two Stalkers jerked Randy off Thomas, throwing him across the room. Three others were devouring Sophie. Randy was thankful the blow to the head had rendered her unconscious before the attack. He couldn’t bear to think of her suffering.

While the two stalkers were helping Thomas up, Randy snuck toward the door. He stopped for a second when a small whimper sounded from behind a bale of hay but knew he would have no chance with a baby in tow. Pushing guilt aside, Randy fled into the forest, never looking back.

Night Stalker: Randy-Confrontation

“Shit!” Randy fumed. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Circling around the castle, he made his way underneath Emily’s room. Throwing a small pebble against her window, he waited. When Emily peered out, he whispered her name. Smiling, Emily told him to wait there that she’d get Nathaniel and be right down.

Shuffling nervously from one foot to the other, Randy waited what seemed like hours for the woman to appear. When she came around the corner carrying Nathaniel in one arm and a valise in the other, he snapped, “It took you long enough!”

“I had to get a few things together for Nathaniel,” Emily replied, composed and calmer than Randy expected.

Shaking off the suspicion that something was wrong, Randy took the valise from her and headed toward the stables. They were half way there when Stalkers started running and yelling. Turning to see what was wrong; Randy saw smoke billowing out of the window he was recently standing under.

Grabbing Emily and pulling her as quickly as possible to the stable, he yelled, “What the hell did you do?”

“Just a little going away present for Thomas.”

“You crazy bitch! We could have gotten away without anyone the wiser! Now the whole damn place is awake!”

Emily just shrugged and opened the stable door. “We can still get away if you quit gawking and move.”

“Emily!” Thomas roared across the yard, looking directly at them.

Randy rushed into the stable and closed the door, barring it with a heavy oak beam. Looking around, he spied a pitchfork. Knowing it would do little good, he picked it up anyway. “Stay back!” he ordered as the door came crashing in.

Emily screamed and hid behind a bale of hay, covering Nathaniel’s body with her own. Randy braced for the fight of his life, scared despite himself at the hatred emanating from Thomas who stood in the opening, fangs bared.

“We don’t have to do this,” Randy tried to reason with Thomas.

“You think you can just take my son and leave?” Thomas demanded, stepping closer.

“His mother was taking him,” Randy replied. “I was just tagging along.”

“Nobody is taking my son,” Thomas stated. Looking at Emily, he added, “and anybody that tries is going to die,” before lunging at Randy.

Night Stalker: Randy-Quandary

Randy stared, dumbfounded. He had thought Emily was resigned to her and Nathaniel’s fate, but evidently not. One thing he did know for certain was that he wasn’t crazy enough to take Thomas’s son from him. The man had many faults, but Randy knew he truly loved the boy and would go to any lengths to find him should he disappear.

“Sorry, but I can’t help you,” he told Emily.

“What?” she gasped. “Don’t you want out of here? I can help you!”

“Oh, I want to leave this God-forsaken place, but alone, not with the two things Thomas covets most in the world in tow.”

“But you have to help me, help us, Randy!” Emily pleaded. “Nobody else will.”

“Oh, I believe that. Nobody is that stupid.”

“You know he wants to make Nathaniel just like him. Heartless, unyielding, a thoughtless killer.”

“It’s not my problem,” Randy replied, unable to look the woman in the eye.

Emily sighed and turned to leave. “I’m leaving the door open. If you can leave here, and leave us behind to face whatever Thomas has in store for us, with a clear conscience, then go ahead.”

Randy watched the woman go; silently cursing the Fates and everything else he could think of.

Night Stalker: Randy-Surprises

Randy sat contemplating his escape. He didn’t have much else to do while in the dungeon and he knew the first chance he had to leave he better take. If he managed to get away, he did not believe Thomas would pursue him. After all, everyone knew what he’d been doing now so there was no point.

Randy thought the best course of action for everyone involved was to separate himself from Thomas. Now that other Stalkers knew Thomas was invading people’s minds, they might not blindly follow his orders for killing Randy and Sophie. It seemed to Randy that none of them liked the idea of Thomas playing around in their thoughts anymore than he did. Thomas had to have seen the same thing.

Randy knew he could no longer stay around the man or one or the other of them would end up dead. He was smart enough to know it would most likely be him because Thomas had more friends. Randy smirked, thinking of all the times he’d declined invitations to hunt with others or play cards, realizing now that it was important to have friends, or at least make people think they mattered like Thomas did. Randy had no delusions that the man really cared about anyone, with the exception of Emily and Nathaniel, and he had his doubts about how deeply the feelings went for Emily.

As if thinking about her conjured her up, Emily stepped into the darkness of the dungeon. Surprised to see her, Randy just gawked.

When she pushed the board securing the door closed, Randy smiled. “So you set me free and then Thomas has reason to kill me. Is that it?”

“No,” Emily stated, opening the door. “I let you go and you take me and Nathaniel with you.”

Night Stalker: Randy-Dreams Invaded

“What the hell did you do to us?” Randy demanded, pushing Thomas against the side of the castle, the man’s head smacking solidly against rock.

“Get your hands off me!” Thomas roared, shoving Randy away and bearing his fangs.

Randy stood his ground, leaving the men chest to chest. “Come on, asshole, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he goaded, snarling in Thomas’s face.

Thomas smiled when a group of Stalkers surrounded them. Stepping back, he brushed himself off and ordered, “Take him to the dungeon.”

“What?” Sophie, who had been quiet until then, demanded. “You can’t be serious, Thomas.”

“Oh, I am very serious,” Thomas replied, evil emanating from every pore of his being. “Randy needs to learn who is in charge around here.”

“But, Thomas, he just wanted to know what you did to us. How did you invade our dreams?”

At her question, the Stalkers dragging Randy away stopped and faced Thomas. “That’s right, boys,” Randy quipped, “pretty soon, you’ll really be puppets on a string when Thomas is controlling your every thought…awake and asleep.”

“I didn’t control your thoughts,” Thomas scoffed.

“But you were in their dreams?” one of the Stalkers asked, clearly disturbed by the revelation.

Thomas sensed the mood shifting and decided he better put an end to the speculation quickly. He knew he should have gotten rid of Sophie and Randy long ago, but sentiment held him off. He vowed to remedy the problem soon.

“Yes,” he answered the man, “I connected with Sophie and Randy during their dreams last night. I’ve been connecting with others as well. I told all of you we were all connected. That I know what is going on with every Stalker, no matter where they are.”

Randy could tell by the disbelief on the faces of those in the yard that nobody had believed Thomas’s claims. He had to admit that he hadn’t fully believed them himself until last night. Now he knew the man was even crazier than he thought. He also knew something else. He had to get the hell out of town and fast, and if he wasn’t mistaken, Sophie had better go with him because Thomas didn’t look any too happy to have his actions revealed.

Night Stalker: Randy-Dreams

“What the hell!” Randy gasped, sitting bolt upright in bed. He knew it had only been a few hours since he lay down, not nearly enough time for sundown to have arrived. “Now I have to deal with Thomas in my dreams too? That shit’s not right!” he spat, falling back into bed and hoping to resume sleep.

After tossing and turning for the rest of the day, Randy rose at sundown and went in search of Sophie. He wanted to tell her about the strange dream because she had been in it also. He was rounding the corner into the dining room when Sophie ran headlong into him.

“Whoa! Hold your horses,” he teased, steadying her.

“I’ve been looking for you,” she informed him, pulling him outside. “I had a bizarre dream today.”

“What did you say?” Randy asked, coming to a stop beside the fountain, stunned.

“I had a dream about you and Thomas today,” she started. “You were peeping through Julia’s window and Thomas startled you. I came upon the two of you just in time…”

“To stop the fight,” Randy finished, sinking to the edge of the fountain in shock.

“How did you know that?” Sophie demanded, sitting beside him.

“Because I had the same dream.”

“How is that possible?” Sophie asked, worry clouding her eyes.

“I have no idea,” Randy replied, standing, “but I bet I know someone who does,” he added, striding purposefully away.