THE LEGACY

RETURN TO THE PAST

Nick glanced over his shoulder to make sure on one was around.  He didn’t want to be seen doing this.  His father wouldn’t like it.  But Nick didn’t care what his father liked anymore.  He was way passed that.  He didn’t want to be here anymore after what the Na’en had done to this world.  It wasn’t right.  He had to do something to fix it.  And there was only one way he could do this.  He just didn’t want his father to find out. 

      Nick was sure his father would know what he was about to do eventually.  He just wanted him to find out later.  Much later.  He took his young son’s hand and led the way into the one of the many storage rooms aboard the Mothership orbiting Earth.  But this one was different.  It contained an object that could open a portal.  These portal devices where very compact compared to the ones that could open a portal big enough for a Mothership to pass through.  These ones could only open portals big enough for a few people to pass through at a time.  It was just what he needed.

      As Nick entered the room he glanced around once more just to make sure there were no guards on duty at the time.  He didn’t see anyone.  He walked over to one of the portable devices.  They were much smaller than he remembered.  He picked one up and turned it over in his hand.  Programming it to take him and his three-year-old son away from this time and to a time before all this happened was going to be easy.  Getting it off the Mothership unseen was going to be the hard part.

      Nick put it into his backpack and began to leave the room.  He headed straight to the shuttle bay and entered one of the smaller shuttle.  After strapping Cai into one of the seats he sat down in the pilot’s seat.  Once the shuttle had left the Mothership he engaged the cloaking device and headed for Earth, and to the place where he knew he would be safe for the time being.

Fifteen-year-old Kurn came out from behind the storage cabinet once his older brother and nephew had left the room with a smile on his face.  Nick and done exactly what he had expected him to do.  And he had taken the right portal device that Kurn had already programmed to send his brother and the three-year-old away from here.  No matter what Nick programmed the device to take him it would not over-ride what Kurn had programmed it to do.  Nick would not go to the place he wanted but to somewhere else entirely.  Which left Kurn the next in line.  Just what he wanted.

Nick picked up his backpack, which contained a few things that would be useful where he was going and slung it over his shoulder.  Then took hold of his three-year-old son's hand.

      Outside he could hear the screams from many people in the distance.  There was chaos and destruction happening around them, mostly caused by the Na’en that had decided it was time to try and take control. Which they had planned on doing from the start.  The Legacy Foundation had tried to warn people about what the Na’en had been planning for a long time. However most hadn't listened. Now it was too late. The Na'en had invaded, and Nick didn't want any part of it.

      The Na'en had arrived on Earth twenty years before, claiming peace. However, that had been a rouse.  They wanted this planet for themselves. Nick had no idea what his father, the High Leader of the Na'en, had planned.  As soon as he did, he took his young son and was out of there, going to the Legacy Foundation, which he later learned was created by him sometime in the past. So, that’s what he planned to do. Go back into the passed and make things right before they got to this stage.  It could be done.  He just had to get his hands on one of the time devices stored on the Mothership.  That was one of the reason Nick had come here.

      Greg Pangarron stepped up behind Nick.  “Are you sure you really want to do this?” he asked.

      “You know I have no choice in the matter,” Nick answered.  “I’m the one who started the Legacy Foundation.  If I don’t go back, then – “

      “I know,” Greg interrupted.  “I just wanted to be sure.”

      Nick turned and walked to the far side of the room where the time device was held.  He stood in front of it and stared.  The time device was a simple-looking ring in the centre of the room, which needed some clearance on either side for it to open a portal.  Nick had taken it from the Mothership, which took some doing without being seen.  Then assembled it here, inputting the coordinates to where he wanted to travel.

      The screams outside continued and Nick glanced towards the sound.  He hated what the Na’en had done to this world, just so they could take it from the inhabitants.  They needed somewhere to live and had chosen this place.  He had to find a way to stop them, and this was the only way he could think to do it.  There had to be a way somewhere in the past to stop the Na’en from getting to this point in time.

      “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” he asked.

      “You know I can’t,” Greg answered.  “I can’t go back in time.  I can’t meet my ancestors.  I must try and keep the line going.  And you have to start it.”

      Nick nodded.  He knew that Greg wouldn’t be joining them, but he felt he had to ask anyway.

      Nick turned to his son as the portal opened.  “Time we should be going,” he said.

      “Where we going?” Cai asked, not understanding what was happening.

      “We are going to a place far from here,” Nick tried to explain.  It was hard telling his three-year-old son what was really happening.  He was too young to understand yet.  Nick would tell him the truth one day, when he was a little older and more able to understand.

      “Away from all the screaming?” Cai asked.

Nick nodded.  “Yes, away from all the screaming.”

      “Good.  I don’t like it when they scream.”

      “I don’t either.”  Nick turned back to Greg.  “This will get sorted out, “ he promised.  “I won’t let it come to this.”

      “I hope you will,” Greg answered with a weak smile.

Nick turned back to the portal and activated it.  There was a flash of light and a swirl of wind that filled the room, picking up the dust and dirt from the floor.

      “See ya around,” Nick said, smiling, waving a hand towards Greg.

      “I doubt it,” Greg answered.

Nick picked up his son and began to walk towards the portal.  Within moments he had disappeared.  The portal closed moments later and Greg was left staring at the time device and the wall beyond.

It was dark when Nick left the portal.  He didn’t expect that.  He thought it would be around the same time as when he left.  Nick thought he had programmed the portal to transport them to daytime. But now it was night.  Maybe that was better.  They hadn’t been seen.  But how late was it?  The few shops he could see from the alleyway when he had stepped out of the portal, appeared to be closed.  And there was a fine rain falling.  He had to get to the hotel and get booked in before the weather worsened.  He couldn’t stay out here in the rain with 3-year-old child.  The Premier Inn was just a short walk from where he was.  He had checked its location before he came here.  It was a new building and was only a few months old.  However, if he had got the time wrong, then maybe he had got the date wrong also.  There was only one way to find out.

      Nick began to walk out of the town centre and as he did, he saw the clock on the town hall.  It wasn’t as late as he thought, just 6 pm.  But if it was this dark at this time, then maybe it was a different time of year also.  Nick had programmed the portal for late spring.  It should have been lighter at this time of year, or at least for the time he had programmed the portal for.  Something had gone wrong somewhere.

      As Nick approached the area where the hotel was supposed to be, right next to the local Sainsbury’s, he saw nothing there but an old pub.  This wasn’t the time he had programmed into the time device.  So, if this wasn’t 2023 what year was it?  Nick had wanted to arrive after the pandemic of 2020-21 but it appeared to be before that.  He would have to go out and buy a newspaper in the morning and find out exactly when he was.  At least he was in the right place.  Ripley, Derbyshire.  He had got that bit right.

      Nick looked around him.  He would have to find another hotel to stay at that wasn’t too far away.  Luckily, Nick had done his research beforehand and knew of another hotel close by.  It was attached to a pub, but he had discarded it before because of the bad review.  That’s why he had chosen a different time.  It would have to do for now.

      Nick looked down at his son in his arms.  He was leaning his head on his shoulder and falling asleep.  He had to get out of this rain soon.  They were both getting quite wet.  After a short walk Nick caught sight of the hotel, The Moss Cottage, and began to quicken his pace.

      After checking into the hotel Nick began to relax.  It didn’t look too bad.  A little basic and in need of redecoration but it would do until he found a place to live temporarily.  Nick just hoped that the building that became the Legacy Foundation’s main headquarters was up for sale.  And if it wasn’t just yet?  Nick would have to think about that.

      Nick glanced at his son, who was now sleeping peacefully in his arms.  He lay him gently down on the single bed, hoping not to wake him.  There was a small TV in from of him.  Maybe he could find the date from that.  He glanced at Cai for a moment, wondering if he should put the TV on.  He didn’t want to wake him if he could help it.  Maybe if he kept the sound low it might be alright.  Nick just hoped the TV was easy to operate.  The sets from his time were quite different from this one.  And a lot thinner.  He hadn’t seen one like this in a long time.  And then only in a museum.

      Nick stood and approached the TV, looking at it, trying to work out how to turn it on.  He picked up the remote control and began pressing buttons.  Eventually, the TV came to life.  He stepped back so he could get a better look at the screen.  Once he worked out how to change the channels he began searching until he found a news channel.  This one had a date in the corner of the scream.  Nick stood to take a closer look and stared at the date.  He had arrived seven years too early.

      Nick sat back down on the corner of the bed.  How could this have happened?  Something had gone wrong somewhere.  Now Nick would have to alter his plans.  Some things might not be how they were supposed to be if he had arrived in the time he was supposed to be in.

      Nick took out the tablet from his backpack and turned it on.  It was an old tablet from his time.  But here, in this time, it probably hadn’t been created yet.  He just hoped it worked good enough.  Once Nick had connected it to the internet be began to do his research.  When Nick finally turned the tablet off, he had enough information to set his new plans in motion.

17 YEARS LATER – 2025 – DARKMAN

Cai stood by the door of the pub he had just left and looked around him.  Which direction had he came from again, and where had he parked the car?  Luckily, alcohol didn’t affect him like it did the humans so there was no chance of him drink driving.  Although the alcohol was still in his blood, but he wasn’t drunk and never could be drunk. 

      Cai didn’t know Ripley that well as he didn’t come here too often so he didn’t know his way around that well.  And it looked different at night than it did during the day.  The Angel pub, which he had just stepped out of, had a very impressive figure of an angel perched high up which at one point had been used on the set of a tv series in the 90’s.  The figure had been found at a reclamation yard after the series had finished filming for the last time.  It suited the pub just right.

      Cai had walked a few miles from their home in the past which was an old manor house with plenty of land attached.  The manor house had been completely redeveloped by his father and a few builders and looked completely different inside now but kept its 17th century charm.  Luckily, it hadn’t been listed so extensions had been added to make it quite a large building now.  And was now the home for the Legacy Foundation.

      However, Cai had driven into the small town tonight.   He had needed a change of scene.  So, he thought a night out would do him the world of good.  His girlfriend of two years had just walked out on him, just after announcing she was pregnant, and he didn’t know why.  He thought Ashley had been happy.  But apparently not.

      Cai had asked if Lily, their live-in assistant, and computer nerd, if she had wanted to join him but she had declined.  Lily was not one for going to pubs unless it included a meal.  And there were a few things she had wanted to catch up on.  Like her wood burning for one.  Lily was quite the artist with her pyrography.

      Cai glanced at his smart watch.  It was later than he thought.  He better find the car and get home.  Cai glanced both directions, then finally decided which way he thought the car was and turned left.  If he had made a mistake, then he could always turn round and retrace his steps.  Maybe he should come into Ripley more often at night so he could get used to the place, Cai thought.

      Cai had only walked a few hundred yards when he saw someone lying on the ground with someone else standing over him.  Cai stopped and stared for a moment, trying to decide what to do.  It was probably some drunk person who had passed out and his mate tending to him.  Cai could not see too well because of the dim light around the area.  All Cai could make out was the person leaning over the other person on the ground.  And it appeared like he was wearing cloak or cape with the hood pulled up so Cai could not see his face.

       Cai began to edge closer to see if he could help.  But as he did the dark figure raised his head and saw Cai.  He halted and stared at the man in the cloak.  If it was a man.  Cai was not even sure of that; it was so hard to see.  Even with his enhanced sight.

      Then, Cai caught site of the figure’s eyes.  They were glowing, almost pulsating in fact.  That really freaked him out.  He did not expect that at all. 

      As Cai tried to turn away, he felt something tough his mind, and it chilled him to this soul.  But no matter how hard he tried she could not pull away.  The dark figure continued to approach.  He tried once more to pull away, but nothing worked.  Then, everything went blank.

      When Cai became away once more, he found himself standing over a body, covered in blood.  It was all over him.  He looked around but he was the only one around.  What had happened?  Did he do this?  But how could he not remember seeing what just happened?  Then, something stared to come back to him.  The dark figure in the cloak.  He looked around him but could not see the figure anywhere.  Then Cai suddenly heard a police siren and looked down at himself.  He could not let them see him like this or they might think he had done this.

      Cai turned and was just about to start to run when he was caught in the headlights of the patrol car.  Cai froze for a moment, then turned to run.  But not before he two police officers caught sight of him.

      “Oi, you!” one of them called.

      Cai glanced at him for a moment, then turned and ran.  He was not staying around here long enough for them to arrest him.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Lily slowly walked out of the library, her concentration on the book in her small hands.  It was a good book and she promised herself to look for the sequel very soon.  On Amazon.  Lily always liked to read the first book, or at least a good portion of it before she considered buying the others in the series.  And this one was worth considering.

      Lily turned when she heard footsteps on the wooden stairs and saw Nick descending.

      “Have you seen Cai?” he asked.

      “He’s not back yet?” Lily answered, looking up from her book.

      “What do you mean, not back yet?” Nick asked, stepping closer.

      “Cai went out last night,” Lily explained.  “He asked me to go with him, but I didn’t feel like it.”

      “And he hasn’t come back yet?” Nick asked again, becoming concerned.

      “Haven’t seen him,” Lily answered, returning her attention back to her book.

      “Well, where is he then?”

Before anyone could answer, Cai came running through the door and rushed upstairs, pushing Lily out of the way.  She stumbled slightly, dropping her book.

      “What’s happened to him?” Lily asked when she saw the state of Cai as he disappeared. 

      “I don’t know,” Nick answered.  “But I’m about to go find out.”  Nick rushed upstairs after Cai.  Lily was right behind him.  She wanted to know what was happening with Cai also.  

      “Cai!” Nick called as he followed his son up the stairs.

      Cai just ignored him and ran into his room, slamming the door.

      As Nick opened the door, he saw Cai disappear into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.  Lily was just behind him.

      “What’s going on?” Lily asked, also becoming concerned.  She may not have known Nick and Cai for long, but they were like family to her.  More than her own family felt like.

      “I don’t know,” Nick answered.  “But I’m just about to find out.”

      He tried turning the handle of the bathroom door to find it locked from the other side.

      “Cai open the door,” Nick called again.

      “Nick, is that blood on the floor?” Lily asked, indicating the spots on the wooden floor.

      Nick looked down and saw the spots, becoming more concerned.  He forced the door open and found Cai sitting on the bathroom floor covered in blood.

      “Cai, what happened?” Nick asked.  “Where did all the blood come from?”

      “I don’t know,” Cai finally answered.  He looked up at Nick, fear on his face.  “I don’t remember what happened.”

      “Tell me what you do remember,” Nick said, kneeling in front of his son.

      “Last night,” Cai began, beginning to shake a little.  “There was this body on the ground and some dark figure leaning over him.”

      “A body?” Lily asked.

      “One minute he was there, the next he was gone,” Cai continued.  “I don’t remember much else apart from suddenly finding all this blood over me.  I don’t know how it got there.”

      “Let me read your mind,” Nick said.  “I might be able to find out what happened.”

      Cai thought about it for a moment, then nodded.  It could not hurt to let him in.  It might release the memories locked in his mind.

      Nick sat down in front of Cai and tried to read his mind.  However, something was blocking him.  He could not reach into Cai’s mind.

      “Cai,” Nick began, leaning forward slightly, “drop your block.  You’re not letting me in.”

      Cai nodded and dropped the block for a moment.  Nick began to concentrate once more and reached into Cai’s mind.  As he did so, he felt a presence and suddenly pulled away.  There was something there.  He had never felt anything like that before.

      “What is it?” Lily asked, seeing the look on Nick’s face.  Before Nick could answer Jack Pengarron, the Legacy’s manager, rushed into the room.

      “The police are here,” he said suddenly.  “They’re looking for Cai.”

      “What?” Lily asked, turning to him.  “What for?  It isn’t because of this is it?”  She indicated the state Cai was in.

      “They are saying he was seen last night in Ripley standing over a body and he was spotted coming here.”

      “Oh great” Lily added, running a hand through her long black hair.

      “Get Cai cleaned up,” Jack said.  “I’ll deal with the police.  I did used to be one of them, so I know how to deal with them.”

      Nick nodded and watched Jack leave.  He then turned back to Cai and began to concentrate once more.  Cai looked to be in shock and was unmoving.

      Lily turned back to Nick.  “Nick, what did you see when you…?”  She waved a finger around in front of her.

      “I don’t know,” Nick answered, a little unnerved.  “I have no idea what that thing is but it’s not Cai.  He didn’t do this.  Something called a Darkman did this and now he has possession of Cai.”

      “A Darkman?” Lily asked.  “Are you sure?”

Nick nodded.  “That’s what the voice said when I found him.”

      “What is a Darkman?” Lily asked.  She had been doing some studying of all things supernatural since coming to work at the Legacy Foundation but had not come across a Darkman yet.  But she promised herself that was going to be her next google search.

      “It’s a king of vampire that needs a body to be able to survive,” Nick explained.  “I’ve dealt with one a few years ago.  They are not very nice.  And hard to get rid of.”

      “Get Cai cleaned up,” Lily said.  “I’ll go and see Jack, see if he can find more on this Darkman.”

      “I know enough to know we have a battle on our hands.”  Nick pulled Cai to his feet, dragging him to the shower.

      Lily watched for a moment then left the room to go and find Jack.  When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she heard Jack talking to someone.  The police were still here.  She slowly walked down the last few steps and approached Jack.  The police looked up as Lily approached.

      “Where is Cai?” one of the officers asked as Lily approached.

      “He’s upstairs in his room,” Lily answered.  “Just getting up.”

      “I bet he is,” the second officer said sarcastically.

Jack glanced at her a for a moment.  Lily knew she had to be careful what she said because she did not know what Jack had told them.

      “We need to talk to him,” the first officer asked.

      “He was just about to get in the shower,” Lily added.

      “We can wait.”

      “It would be better if you came back later,” Jack informed them.  “He could be a while.  Cai likes to take long showers.”

      “We need to talk to him about his whereabouts last night.”

      “I already told you,” Jack began.

      “He was with me,” Lily interrupted.  “All night,” she added, hoping what Jack had said did not contradict her.

      “Are you sure about that?”

Lily nodded.  “He was with me.”

      “It’s just that we have someone on CCTV that looks remarkably like Cai.”

      “Then, it must be someone else who looked like Cai.”

      “A Native American in Ripley?”

      “Some Asians can look like Native Americans if you catch them in the right light,” Lily insisted.

      The officers glanced at each other.  They were not sure whether to believe Lily or not.  Without proof they could not say otherwise.

      “Just get him down to the station,” the officer insisted.  “Today.”

      “We’ll get him there,” Jack assured them.

      “You better, or we’ll be back.  You were a good officer, Jack.  Why you’d work here for this kind of work, beats me.”

      “Got to work somewhere,” Jack answered.  They made me a great offer.  Better than anywhere else.”

Jack and Lily watched them both leave, then glanced at each other.

      “I’ll get onto the big boys,” Jack said.  “They’ll sort this out.”

      “I hope so.  If they get a good look at Cai it could take a lot of explaining.”

      “Not gonna happen.”  Jack turned back to Lily.  “How is Cai?”

      “Not sure,” Lily answered.  “Apart from being in shock.  Nick said he searched Cai’s mind and said there’s something called a Darkman inside him.  What’s one of those anyway? I mean, Nick did explain but I’m not sure… I said I’d do some googling to find out more.”

      “A Darkman?” Jack asked, turning to her.  “Are you sure that’s what Nick said?”

      “Yeah, that’s what he said.  Is it really a vampire?”

      “Sort of,” Jack began.  “I’ve never seen one myself.  Before my time.  Just what I read in the records that Nick has complied.  It needs a host to survive.  Comes out to feed.”

      “Really?”

Jack turned and walked up the stairs.  Lily was close behind.  When they got to Cai’s room, he was sitting on the bed with fresh jeans on but had yet to put on a shirt.

      “Are you sure it’s a Darkman?” Jack asked when he saw Nick standing nearby.

      “Yeah, that’s what is said when I touched Cai’s mind.  I’ve only dealt with one before.  Not easy to get it out of the host.”

      “I didn’t even know vampires even existed,” Lily stated.  “Thought they were only made up and in stories.”

      “Oh, they exist alright,” Nick stated.  “There are a few different kinds.  The usual that everyone knows about, daywalkers.  A bit like the usual ones but they can walk around in daylight but look very pale, usually white hair, very pale eyes.  Then there’s the Darkman.  Very nasty and expert at hiding.  Has full control of his host.  Needs a host to survive.  And blood.  They’ve been around for an exceptionally long time.  There’s legends about vampires throughout history.  But it was Bram Stoker that gave them the name.”

      “So, how did this Darkman get into Cai?” Lily asked.

      “Wrong place, wrong time probably,” Nick answered.  “The Darkman needed a new host and Cai just happened to be there at the time.”

      “So, how do we separate them?” Jack asked.

Before Nick could answer Cai suddenly got to his feet and stood very still.  A moment later the Darkman appeared beside him.

      “You will not get rid of me that easy,” he said, his voice quite deep and husky.  “I have possession of this body now until the need comes that I need a new one.  He is mine.”  He stared at them all for a moment longer, then stepped back into Cai.

      “Is he right?” Lily asked, looking from Jack to Nick. “Is there no way we can get rid of him until Cai dies?”

      “There is a way,” Nick began.  “But it’s dangerous.”

      “Will it free Cai,” Jack asked.

Nick thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

      “Then we have to do it,” Lily said.  “It’s got to be better than leaving him like this.”  Lily indicated Cai with a wave of her hand.

      “What’s this ‘we’?” Nick asked.

      “You can’t do it on your own,” Lily insisted.

They all went downstairs, Jack leading the way.  They stopped outside a heavy wooden door that was covered with a lot of strange symbols which Lily had walked past many times but never beyond.  Nick pulled it open with some difficulty and stepped inside.  A light came on automatically as they entered.  The light revealed lots of drawers against three of the stone walls.

      “What is this place?” Lily asked as she looked around, amazed at the sight.

      “It’s the vault,” Nick explained.  “In some of these drawers is where we keep all the case files and the objects that help us accomplish once, and to some of the cases.”

      “All the drawers full of cases?” Lily asked.

      “Only some of the drawers,” Nick explained.  “The others are waiting to be filled.”

      Nick stepped up to one of the drawers and pulled it open, taking out several small cloth bags.  He gave a bag to each of them except Cai.

      “What are these for?” Lily asked, holding the bag up.  She was about to take the object that she could feel inside, out of the bag, but Nick stopped her with a touch of his hand.

      “Don’t take it out yet,” he said.  “They are protection stones.  They are used to surround a person you want to keep contained.  They must remain separate.  That’s why each one is in a separate bag.”

      “Where did they come from?” Jack asked.

      “From the last Darkman I dealt with,” Nick explained.  “When the first Darkman died, he left behind those stones.”

      “Do they really work?” Lily asked.

      “Yes, they work,” Nick answered.  There are many strange things on this planet, and we have many of them here.  I’ve only been in this business for 15 years so I’m still finding things out.  With the help of others high up.  Those stones date back hundreds of years.  Maybe more than a thousand.”

      Nick had them out of the building and towards the lake that sat within the grounds.  He continued to walk around the perimeter of the small like to where there was a stone circle, each stone had a different carving on its face.

      “Cai, go and stand in the centre,” Nick instructed.

      Cai glanced at Nick for a moment, still in a slight daze.  Nick gave him a nod.  Cai did as he was instructed, then faced Nick.

      “Now, take your stones out of the bag and place it on top of one of the stones.”

      They each did as Nick instructed, only just being able to reach the top.  Lily struggled a bit, being a little shorter, but she got there in the end.  As the last stone was placed, they all began to glow, each a different colour.

      “Now, stand between the stones.”

They all took a few steps forward and took their places between the standing stones.

      “Cai,” Nick began.  “You have to now force the Darkman to leave you.”

      “What?” Cai asked, looking quite confused.

      “Make him come out,” Nick repeated.

      “How am I supposed to do that?” Cai asked.

      “I don’t know,” Nick admitted.  He hadn’t had to deal with a Darkman in this way before.  The last time was a few years ago and it had ended quite differently.  This time he was going to get it right.  He had to get it right.  This was his son he was trying to save.  It shouldn’t make a difference.  But it did.  He wasn’t going to mess this up this time.

      “Try telling him,” Nick suggested.  “Use your telepathy and talk to him.”  He continued to star at Cai.  He could see just how much he was concentrating, trying to talk to the Darkman within him.

      “He won’t come out,” Cai finally said after a few minutes trying to communicate with the Darkman within him.

      “You have to try harder,” Nick insisted.

      “He won’t come out while it’s still daylight,” Cai continued.  “It has to be dark.”

      “Damn it!” Jack said.  “Sometimes if it’s dull,” Jack continued.  “Like it is today, from what I read in the files of the Darkman, it’s possible to get them to come out.  Not this one it seems.  This must be old, more experienced.”

      “If he’s that experienced will he come out at all?”  Lily asked, becoming more concerned.  She like Cai and didn’t want to see him die like this.

      “Oh, he’ll come out,” Nick said, quite confident.  “He won’t be able to stay in there forever.  He needs to feed.  We will just have to wait him out.”

      “How long will this take?” Lily asked.

      “A few hours?” Jack guessed, glancing towards Nick, who nodded.

      “He’ll probably appear when it gets dark,” Nick added.

So, they waited.  Sitting on the grass.  There was nothing else they could do until the Darkman decided to make an appearance.  Because they didn’t want to leave the stone circle Jack had some food bought to them.

      “Cai tried several times to get the Darkman to appear, but the vampire refused to make an appearance.

      Just as it was getting dark a steady rain began to fall.  They were all becoming wet, but Nick refused to leave Cai and Lily and Jack felt the same way.  They needed to be there for him.

      Just as it was becoming hard to see in the enveloping darkness Cai suddenly stood and stared ahead, not really looking at anything.  Nick noticed it first and stood also.

      “Cai?” Nick asked.  Cai took no notice and continued to stare ahead.  Then, suddenly the Darkman appeared at Cai’s side and looked round at them all.

      “This body is mine and I’m not giving it up anytime soon,” the Darkman informed them, his white deathly skin seeming to glow in the darkness around them.

      “We’ll see about that,” Nick said and began to walk forward.  The Darkman raised his hand and Nick was tossed off his feet.

      “Nick!” Lily cried and ran to his aid.

      “I’m alright,” Nick assured her, holding up his hand.  He got back to his feet and took a few steps forward once more.  The Darkman began to raise his hand again but Nick got there first and pushed Cai away from the Darkman’s side, making the Darkman lower his arm and turn to Cai.  Nick ran forward and grabbed Cai, dragging him further away from the Darkman and out of the circle.  Cai tried to go back to the Darkman as the vampire attempted to pull him back, but Nick held onto him.  He wasn't going to let him return to the circle under any circumstances. 

      The Darkman tried to leave the stone circle but found the exit blocked by the glowing stones.  There was no way out for him.

      “Get Cai out of here,” Nick said, pushing him away from the stones.

      Jack nodded and tried to drag Cai away.  Cai resisted as the Darkman kept trying to call him back.  Jack was finding it increasingly difficult to hold onto Cai so there was only one thing for it.  Nick stepped over to help by placing his hand on Cai’s shoulder, making a small burst of electricity come through his hand into Cai’s shoulder, which rendered Cai unconscious.  Jack then picked Cai up and carried him back to the manor house.  Nick and Lily followed close behind.  Lily glanced back at the stone circle as she walked and saw the Darkman trying his best to escape the stone circle prison he was in.  But to no avail.  He was trapped for good.  And without Cai as his host body there was no way he could survive for long.  Especially as the sun started to rise.

Nick stood by the window as Cai lay on the bed, still sleeping.  Cai was looking a little pale but otherwise he was doing fine.

      As the sun began to rise over the lake, Nick saw a bright light suddenly appear and knew immediately that it must be the Darkman dying.  It had to be.  The light was coming from the direction of the stone circle, and the Darkman, who detested sunlight.

      Nick turned as he heard Cai stirring.

      “Where am I?” Cai asked suddenly, sitting up.

      “You’re back in your room,” Nick answered.

      “What about the Darkman?” Cai asked.

      “He’s gone,” Nick answered.  “He won’t be troubling you anymore.”

      “Are you sure?”

      “Yes, I’m sure,” Nick answered, with a nod.

      “Good,” Cai said.  He stood and came to stand at the side of his father.  “That’s a great way to start the day.”

      “Sure is,” Nick agreed, patting him on the shoulder.  “It sure is.”