Out of the Night (9 page)

She quickened her steps, her wandering now taking on purpose and direction. She wanted to see the cage where she and Mac had found the chupacabra. Dirk Adams had reported that the creature was gone, but she felt compelled to take a look for herself.

When she rounded the corner to the backyard, she caught the outline of something lying inside the cage.

Nerves suddenly wound tight, she slowed her speed, watchful for the least sign of movement. Her mind raced back to the events from the night before. Had she really killed the creature? If so, perhaps even in death, it turned to stone during the daylight hours. That would explain why Dirk's men hadn't found the "wild animal"—they hadn't known what to look for.

She was close enough to the cage now to see that the form was, in fact, the stone gargoyle. She had to suppress the shudder that ran through her and resist the temptation to run away. Quickly glancing at the sky, she judged that she had several minutes before the sun set and darkness descended around her. If the creature had somehow survived, she did not want to be caught unawares.

Creeping forward, she split her attention between the statue and the cage door, wondering if, in her haste the night before, she had securely closed and locked it. A few steps closer and she saw that she had.

She heard Davis's footsteps coming up behind her, his gun held ready in his arms and his eyes scanning the area for a danger he couldn't see. She practically heard the thoughts racing through his head as he glanced at her.

Turning her back on him, she moved up to the cage bars so she could see the chupacabra. It didn't look nearly as frightening in the light of day as she remembered it. Of course, right now, it wasn't snarling and trying to rip out her throat.

Small, round indentations along the statue's surface caught her eye. Peering closer, she realized they were bullet holes. They looked shallow and faint, causing Lanie to wonder if the creature might still be alive and, in its hibernating state, healing itself. If that was the case, then…

"Ma'am, it'll be dark soon. We should go back inside." Davis's voice was polite but firm. She ignored him. Now that she knew what to expect, she wasn't going to miss out on it. As the minutes ticked by, her anticipation and excitement built. Maybe there was more of her father in her than she realized.

Feeling safe enough with the thick steel bars of the cage separating her from the creature, Lanie waited as the shadows around her grew larger and the sun slipped below the horizon.

The transformation was as sudden this time as it had been the night before. One minute Lanie was staring at a statue lying on the ground and the next, a living creature was struggling to its feet. Unlike the night before, it did not leap to attack her, and she wondered if the bullets had left it so wounded that it was dying; its ultimate death postponed when the sun came up, only to resume now that night had arrived.

She felt a small measure of sympathy for it. Animals rarely acted maliciously—reacting merely to their circumstances. She and Mac had been in the wrong place at the wrong time last night, and she felt bad for injuring it when perhaps it had been as frightened as she and Mac had been. She didn't make the mistake of feeling too sorry, however. After all, it had killed her father and Burton—and almost killed Mac.

"What the hell…"

She'd almost forgotten about Davis. "That's the creature that attacked us last night. No, wait!" She put up a hand to stop Davis from shooting it. "Don't kill it."

"What is it?"

"El Chupacabra," she replied, returning her gaze to the creature. She wished Mac were there with her. It would be hard for him to argue against cold, hard fact. "Lieutenant Davis? Would you please radio someone inside the facility and ask them to send Mac out here?"

Davis didn't reply.

A
thunk
, followed by a soft ruffling of leaves, was her only indication that something was wrong. She turned and spotted Davis, crumpled at the base of a nearby tree.

Beside his body stood her father and Burton.

"Dad?"

Lanie couldn't believe her eyes. Was it really him? Her heart leaped with sudden joy.

Both men stood at the forest's edge, peering at her from the shadowy depths beneath the canopy of tree limbs, their eyes glowing reddish in the dark. At the sound of her voice, her father took a step closer and she saw that he looked wan and pale; his skin almost translucent where errant beams of moonlight touched it. Yet a happy smile touched his lips as he gazed at her.

"Lanie, my child, I never thought I'd see you again—and here you are."

"They said you were dead." Her voice cracked with the strain of her emotions. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but hesitated as images from the security recording flashed through her mind.

"No, don't come closer." His voice caught and he paused to collect himself. "I fed earlier, but still, the temptation is hard to resist."

"What?" She felt confused, and her eyes darted from his face to Burton's, which looked predatory. She didn't think her father would harm her, but she wasn't so sure about this man.

She shook her head. "I don't understand. What happened?"

"I died." Instead of sounding sorrowful, Lanie caught a hint of excitement in his voice. "It's incredible, isn't it? Two myths put to rest. Of course, no one must ever know."

"So, you really are—?"

Burton took a step closer and Lanie stopped talking, distracted by the sensation of his eyes traveling over her. Sheer willpower kept her standing in place, but fear swamped her senses. Burton's lips curled in a mockery of a grin, and she saw fangs where the canine teeth once had been. She couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her as an unnatural silence fell.

As if playing with her, Burton crossed one arm in front of him and rested the elbow of his other arm against it so he could stroke his chin in thoughtful repose. The image was made more surreal by the talon-sharp nails that now tipped each finger.

Across the way, she heard Davis stir and gasp.

"Don't move," she warned him.

"Who are they?"

Burton chuckled. "The
who
is not as important as the
what
, I'm afraid."

"Our worst nightmare?" Lanie suggested.

Burton's laugh was more genuine this time. "I suppose that was a bit cliche. Such wit. So, Weber, this is your daughter? Maybe we should take her with us. What do you think?"

"Leave her alone," her father growled. "Or I won't help you."

Burton walked up to her, stopping inches away. He ran one sharpened nail lightly down the side of her cheek, and the light in his eyes turned to molten lava. "I wonder if her blood tastes as sweet as the smell of her fear?"

"You can't do this without my help, Lance, and I promise you, if you harm my daughter—"

Burton held up a hand to silence her father, his expression turning cold and hard. With a last long look at Lanie, he walked to the cage door. Lanie's heart lurched when she realized what he was about to do.

"No—don't!"

Displaying incredible strength, he grabbed the door and pulled it open. The metal in the lock groaned under the stress, finally submitting to the greater strength. It opened and Burton walked inside.

Amazingly enough, the adult chupacabra rose to its feet, but did not attack. For several seconds, Burton and the creature studied each other intensely. Then the chupa dipped its head and followed Burton quietly out of the cage, making no move to attack anyone. In fact, it walked straight over to her father.

A movement at her father's neck caught Lanie's attention, and she noticed a small animal clinging to his back. He smiled when he saw the direction of her gaze and turned so the moonlight fell on the small chupacabra. It was the size of a large puppy, and Lanie assumed this was the younger creature mentioned in his journal.

Amazed, Lanie watched as the adult chupa lowered its head to nuzzle the baby in an almost maternal way.

"Burton!"

Mac's sudden shout drew everyone's attention as he raced toward them, his gun drawn. Perhaps sensing his opportunity, Davis lunged to his feet, but Burton was faster and Davis's weapon went flying through the air even as Burton yanked the man in front of him like a shield.

Almost on top of them, Mac drew up short, his gun leveled, his eyes focused on the situation. Lanie understood his dilemma. If he fired at Burton, he might hit Davis by mistake. On the other hand, if he didn't fire, Burton would surely escape—most likely taking Davis with him as a hostage, in which case the young man was dead anyway.

"I should have known you'd be here, Knight."

"Release Davis and give yourself up, Burton." Mac's voice sounded like cold steel, hard and unyielding.

"And why would I do that?"

"I saw the tape. I know what you did."

"I doubt you know everything," Burton said with disdain.

'"Two nights ago, you killed nine men—don't even try to deny it."

"Actually, I don't know if I deny it or not. That whole night is a little fuzzy to me. It's not every day that one gets to rise from the dead."

"Cut the crap," Mac growled. "I'm not going to let you get away with faking your own death. Come quietly now, and I'll be sure to tell the authorities that you cooperated."

"Right. You just don't get it, do you?" Burton gave a half laugh that held no humor. "That's okay. Two days ago, I wouldn't have believed it either. But now things are different. There's a whole new world of opportunity for me, and I'm not about to give it up."

"And what do you think you're going to do? That whole facility is filled with soldiers."

"Do? Why, I think I'll do whatever I damn well want to, and you'd be wise to remember that." Burton drew Davis closer to his chest and though the young man struggled, Burton held him as easily as one would a doll.

Keeping his eyes locked on Mac's face, Burton lowered his head until his mouth was inches above Davis's neck. "Leave, Professor." Burton's teeth sank into the side of his prisoner's neck, and Davis's body went suddenly rigid. From where she was standing, Lanie saw a trickle of blood escape the seam that Burton's mouth made against Davis's throat. It blazed a dark, thin trail in the moonlight. Then Davis's eyes closed, and his entire body began a spasmodic twitching.

Lanie stood as if frozen.

"I love you." The whispered words floated to her, and distracted by them, she turned away from the scene before her just as an explosion rent the air, hurting her ears. The sound of Mac's gun reverberated around the forest, and she felt the repercussions of the weapon's discharge hit her.

Almost in slow motion, she saw Mac pull the trigger again, and saw Burton's left shoulder jerk back. Burton didn't fall, though, and he didn't let go of Davis. Instead, he seemed to push off the ground with his legs and leap high into the air, up through the tree branches where he became lost from sight. Time stood still as Lanie and Mac stared above them, ready for whatever might happen. When the body came falling toward them, they almost didn't move aside in time.

Davis's body hit the ground with a resounding thud and lay there, broken—and dead. Everything suddenly started moving in real time once more.