HOME | DD

Description
The Alley
It wasn’t a dark and stormy night.

It was certainly night-time, but the sky was clear, aside from a few faint clouds that drifted over the crimson moon. That was the only eerie thing about the night – that moon. It was almost the colour of blood, and cast orange shadows on the deserted streets of the town.

Jack walked home quickly. He hated the night. It wasn’t so much the night itself as what tended to linger around at this time. He had enough of his own problems to worry about than to willing add to them – finding a place to sleep for one.

Jack couldn’t sleep in the same place twice, in case they found him. “They” were the things that lived in the night… in his dreams. It was a driving force inside him that made him want to sleep in a different place each night. He knew they would find him… they always did… but he refused to make it easy for them.

Hoping to find a sheltered doorway away from the main street, Jack turned into a broad alleyway between a small retail outlet and a take-away restaurant. The only illumination in the alley came from the moon as it shone down. A couple of clouds passed across its surface as Jack walked further into the alley, and the area became a little darker. A sense of unease crept over him and he wondered for a moment if this plan had been a mistake. As he passed a junction in the alley he noticed a car parked in one of the side passages. There were no lights, and he thought to himself that maybe it belonged to the restaurant owner, and was parked there until they were ready to head home for the night. He walked on towards the back of the alley and was startled when the headlights of the car came on suddenly. A man stepped out of the vehicle. Jack couldn’t make out a face or any other features as the lights dazzled his eyes. The man reached inside the car, pulled out what looked to be a crude baseball bat, and then moved in front of the headlights, slowly approaching Jack.

“Wrong place, wrong time, boy,” the man grumbled as he walked forwards. Jack took a few slow steps backwards, maintaining the distance between them as the man approached. He felt a sudden movement in the air beside him. He heard nothing, but barely had time to turn to look before he felt an arm move behind his neck and a forearm rested on his right shoulder. The arm bore several tattoos of birds and the hand at the end of the arm wore a black leather glove. But it didn’t wrap around his neck or lay any pressure on him at all, but instead just rested gently on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at the owner of the arm. A taller man with dark spikey hair and a feather tattoo on his neck stood beside him, but instead of looking at him he looked directly at the man with the baseball bat in the alleyway. His lips were parted, one side curled in a kind of snarl. Jack saw the man’s teeth, slightly yellowed and the canines were longer, pointed and sharp.

The man with the baseball bat halted his approach at the appearance of this newcomer. Meanwhile, Jack barely had time to think before another movement on his other side drew his attention. A second man had dropped to the ground from above. As he straightened up, Jack saw that he was dressed identically to the first – black leather pants and motorcycle boots covered his lower half while a black sleeveless vest covered his chest. This second man’s arms were much more heavily tattooed, and his hair draped down his head and face almost like that of a man who had just emerged from a pool or river. It had a glistening sheen that gave the impression of almost being wet. This man also stared at the bat-wielding man in the alleyway with a snarl, and his teeth were bared, with long sharp canines.

“This is hardly fair now, is it?” the first new arrival with the spikey hair said, almost casually. He spoke with an Irish accent, and glanced briefly at the other.

“Hardly fair at all, brother,” the second replied, also speaking with an Irish accent.

“I mean, it’s like a young fellow can’t even walk the streets in peace,” the first added. His arm tensed ever so slightly in an almost reassuring gesture.

The armed man dropped the bat he was holding to the ground, reached back, and pulled a knife from somewhere behind him. He brought it up in front of him and crouched slightly with his knees.

“Oh now that’s new,” the second arrival spoke with a sarcastic tone. “Like we’ve never seen that before. What’s the old saying, Bradan? About bringing a knife to a gunfight?”

“That’s pretty much the saying, Aedan,” the man called Bradan replied with a nod.

Aedan turned to face Bradan and shrugged. “I mean… are all the thugs in this town thick, or what?” he asked.

“What my brother means,” Bradan explained as he turned his head to face Jack, turning his snarl into a smile that actually passed for being quite friendly, “is that you don’t come to a fight unprepared.”

“Oh I’m prepared,” the thug sneered, thinking that the comment was aimed at him. He lifted a hand to his mouth, pressed two fingers inside and whistled loudly. Two car doors opened and two more figures emerged from the vehicle. They moved forward into the headlights and stepped to either side of the man. Both carried knives and lowered themselves into fighting stances.

The two men on either side of Jack regarded the situation briefly before speaking.

“Nope,” Bradan said, shaking his head, his arm still over Jack’s shoulder. “It’s still bringing knives to a gunfight.”

“You ain’t got no guns,” one of the men retorted.

“He just doesn’t get it, does he, bro?” Aedan said.

“Why don’t you tell him, bro?” Bradan suggested. “Talk slowly. It might help.” Aedan turned to face the three men, flashed his pointed teeth and smiled.

“We. ARE. The. Guns!”

“What?” the man laughed. “You think you can take us on, the three of you?”

“Oh fuck no!” Bradan laughed back. He looked again at Jack who was bemused by what was happening. Bradan gave him a friendly wink and continued. “I did the last one. I’m sitting this one out with my new pal here.” His arm hugged Jack gently. “This one’s all Aedan’s.”

“This ponce thinks he’s a comedi…” the first man started. He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence because Aedan had already moved. In the crimson and orange moonlight it was hard to keep track of his movements. It seemed as though he was standing in one place one moment, and beside the man, leaning over and delivering a hard booted kick to his jaw the next. A smooth turn delivered an upper cut with his gloved fist to the man beside him who spun on his heels. Aedan grabbed at the man’s wrist and twisted sharply. An audible crack was followed by a wail of pain as the man dropped the knife and Aedan deftly caught it with his other hand, turned and threw it at the third man. It caught him in the arm that was holding his own knife, forcing him to drop it as he grasped at the wound. He looked up, but Aedan had already moved again.

Bradan, meanwhile had stepped back, guiding Jack gently away from the fight.

“You okay, pal?” he asked. Jack stared at him for a moment and then turned his head towards the fight. Bradan lifted a hand and gently touched Jack's cheek, turning his head back towards him. “No, don’t look over there, mate. It ain’t a pretty sight. Just look at me. Are you okay?”

Again, Jack just stared at him, his eyes focused on the man’s mouth.

“What is it?” Bradan asked. “Is it the teeth?”

Jack nodded, but Bradan smiled. “Ah, don’t worry about those, pal. We’re vegetarians, not neck-feeders.” Jack heard something happening a little distance from them and almost turned to look. “No, lad, just keep your eyes on me. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

Jack shook his head.

“Too scared to talk to your old pal Bradan?” Bradan asked. Jack hesitated, and then shook his head again.

“Can you talk, at all?” Bradan asked. Again, Jack shook his head. “Ah, okay, so.” Bradan nodded in understanding. “Do you sign?” he asked, moving his hands to ask the same question in sign language. Jack nodded emphatically.

“Okay then,” Bradan grinned. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So, what’s your name?”

Jack, jack signed.

“Pleased to meet you, Jack,” Bradan smiled, and extended his hand. Jack took it tentatively, and Bradan held Jacks hand gently as they shook.

Meanwhile, in one swift movement Aedan had sprung into the air, landed on his hands on the hood of the car and cartwheeled over to the other side. He kicked the knife that had fallen to the ground out of the reach of the men, grasped the arm of the man who had the knife embedded into it, and pulled the blade free. His other hand shifted to the position of the wound and pressed against it, causing the man to scream out in pain while Aedan held the knife to his throat.

“Now,” Aedan said calmly, without even panting from the exertion, “Why don’t you and your two friends get back in your car and get out of here before I get bored and start painting the walls with body fluids?” He called across the alley to Bradan. “Good idea, Bro?”

“Good idea,” Bradan called back, keeping Jack’s attention on him. “Go on, boys! Off you fuck!”

With Aedan’s ‘assistance’, the three men were unceremoniously escorted back to their vehicle, ‘helped’ inside with the occasional twist and thrust on a vital part and, to push the point home, Aedan pushed against the hood of the car and forced the vehicle backwards away from the alley with a feat of strength that defied humanity. The engine of the vehicle kicked in as one of the men quickly switched on the ignition, threw the car into reverse, and sped out of the alleyway and onto the road beyond. A screech of tyres on the road was followed by the sound of the car speeding away.

“Sounds like it’s over,” Bradan said to Jack as Aedan approached.

“Is the kid okay?” Aedan asked.

“Seems like,” Bradan nodded. “We were just getting to know each other. This is Jack.” Bradan turned to Jack. “Jack, this is my brother Aedan.”

Aedan held out a gloved hand and then quickly snatched it back, pulled the glove off quickly and wiped his hand on his pants before extending his hand again with a smile. Jack took it and they shook.

“Jack can’t talk,” Bradan explained. “I think he’s mute. He signs, though.”

“Good to know one of us can understand him, Bro,” Aedan nodded. “What were you doing down here this late, lad?”

Jack made several hand gestures, and Bradan interpreted.

“He says he was looking for somewhere to sleep.”

“Down here?” Aedan asked. “You sleep rough?” Jack nodded.

“Not tonight,” Bradan said firmly. “How about you come with us?” Jack hesitated.

“You told him we’re vegetarians, didn’t you, Bro?” Aedan asked.

“Of course I did,” Bradan said. “What kind of vampire do you take me for?”

“The kind that can’t be arsed giving me a hand with three thugs, ya bollocks!”

“I did the last lot, Brother!” Bradan protested.

“The last ‘lot’ was one guy snatching a woman’s hand bag, and all you did was kick him in the nut-sack!”

“That’s bollocks,” Bradan said to Jack. “I kicked him in the balls so hard they got stuck in his fucking nostrils, and well my bollocks of a brother knows it!”

Jack broke into a smile at the comedic exchange between the brothers, and both Aedan and Bradan smiled with him.

Jack began to sign again, and Aedan looked to Bradan for interpretation.

“He’s asking if we’re superheroes.”

“You like superheroes?” Aedan asked. Jack nodded.

“Well if you decide to come with us…”

“…and we’re not gonna force you, it’s your choice…”

“…I’ve got a great collection of D.C. comic books you can have a read of.” Jack’s eyes lit up. “Bradan’s more a Marvel fan, but he’s got a collection too.”

That statement seemed to make Jack’s mind up for him, and he nodded emphatically, and signed quickly.

“He wants to know where we’re going.” Bradan interpreted.

“The carnival,” Aedan answered. “We’re carnies. We perform there. We’re the acrobats.”

“You ever been to the carnival, Jack?” Bradan asked. Jack shook his head.

“Well then, you’re in for one hell of a treat, lad!” Aedan smiled.

“Not to mention a comfy bed!” Bradan added.

Description
The Alley
It wasn’t a dark and stormy night.

It was certainly night-time, but the sky was clear, aside from a few faint clouds that drifted over the crimson moon. That was the only eerie thing about the night – that moon. It was almost the colour of blood, and cast orange shadows on the deserted streets of the town.

Jack walked home quickly. He hated the night. It wasn’t so much the night itself as what tended to linger around at this time. He had enough of his own problems to worry about than to willing add to them – finding a place to sleep for one.

Jack couldn’t sleep in the same place twice, in case they found him. “They” were the things that lived in the night… in his dreams. It was a driving force inside him that made him want to sleep in a different place each night. He knew they would find him… they always did… but he refused to make it easy for them.

Hoping to find a sheltered doorway away from the main street, Jack turned into a broad alleyway between a small retail outlet and a take-away restaurant. The only illumination in the alley came from the moon as it shone down. A couple of clouds passed across its surface as Jack walked further into the alley, and the area became a little darker. A sense of unease crept over him and he wondered for a moment if this plan had been a mistake. As he passed a junction in the alley he noticed a car parked in one of the side passages. There were no lights, and he thought to himself that maybe it belonged to the restaurant owner, and was parked there until they were ready to head home for the night. He walked on towards the back of the alley and was startled when the headlights of the car came on suddenly. A man stepped out of the vehicle. Jack couldn’t make out a face or any other features as the lights dazzled his eyes. The man reached inside the car, pulled out what looked to be a crude baseball bat, and then moved in front of the headlights, slowly approaching Jack.

“Wrong place, wrong time, boy,” the man grumbled as he walked forwards. Jack took a few slow steps backwards, maintaining the distance between them as the man approached. He felt a sudden movement in the air beside him. He heard nothing, but barely had time to turn to look before he felt an arm move behind his neck and a forearm rested on his right shoulder. The arm bore several tattoos of birds and the hand at the end of the arm wore a black leather glove. But it didn’t wrap around his neck or lay any pressure on him at all, but instead just rested gently on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at the owner of the arm. A taller man with dark spikey hair and a feather tattoo on his neck stood beside him, but instead of looking at him he looked directly at the man with the baseball bat in the alleyway. His lips were parted, one side curled in a kind of snarl. Jack saw the man’s teeth, slightly yellowed and the canines were longer, pointed and sharp.

The man with the baseball bat halted his approach at the appearance of this newcomer. Meanwhile, Jack barely had time to think before another movement on his other side drew his attention. A second man had dropped to the ground from above. As he straightened up, Jack saw that he was dressed identically to the first – black leather pants and motorcycle boots covered his lower half while a black sleeveless vest covered his chest. This second man’s arms were much more heavily tattooed, and his hair draped down his head and face almost like that of a man who had just emerged from a pool or river. It had a glistening sheen that gave the impression of almost being wet. This man also stared at the bat-wielding man in the alleyway with a snarl, and his teeth were bared, with long sharp canines.

“This is hardly fair now, is it?” the first new arrival with the spikey hair said, almost casually. He spoke with an Irish accent, and glanced briefly at the other.

“Hardly fair at all, brother,” the second replied, also speaking with an Irish accent.

“I mean, it’s like a young fellow can’t even walk the streets in peace,” the first added. His arm tensed ever so slightly in an almost reassuring gesture.

The armed man dropped the bat he was holding to the ground, reached back, and pulled a knife from somewhere behind him. He brought it up in front of him and crouched slightly with his knees.

“Oh now that’s new,” the second arrival spoke with a sarcastic tone. “Like we’ve never seen that before. What’s the old saying, Bradan? About bringing a knife to a gunfight?”

“That’s pretty much the saying, Aedan,” the man called Bradan replied with a nod.

Aedan turned to face Bradan and shrugged. “I mean… are all the thugs in this town thick, or what?” he asked.

“What my brother means,” Bradan explained as he turned his head to face Jack, turning his snarl into a smile that actually passed for being quite friendly, “is that you don’t come to a fight unprepared.”

“Oh I’m prepared,” the thug sneered, thinking that the comment was aimed at him. He lifted a hand to his mouth, pressed two fingers inside and whistled loudly. Two car doors opened and two more figures emerged from the vehicle. They moved forward into the headlights and stepped to either side of the man. Both carried knives and lowered themselves into fighting stances.

The two men on either side of Jack regarded the situation briefly before speaking.

“Nope,” Bradan said, shaking his head, his arm still over Jack’s shoulder. “It’s still bringing knives to a gunfight.”

“You ain’t got no guns,” one of the men retorted.

“He just doesn’t get it, does he, bro?” Aedan said.

“Why don’t you tell him, bro?” Bradan suggested. “Talk slowly. It might help.” Aedan turned to face the three men, flashed his pointed teeth and smiled.

“We. ARE. The. Guns!”

“What?” the man laughed. “You think you can take us on, the three of you?”

“Oh fuck no!” Bradan laughed back. He looked again at Jack who was bemused by what was happening. Bradan gave him a friendly wink and continued. “I did the last one. I’m sitting this one out with my new pal here.” His arm hugged Jack gently. “This one’s all Aedan’s.”

“This ponce thinks he’s a comedi…” the first man started. He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence because Aedan had already moved. In the crimson and orange moonlight it was hard to keep track of his movements. It seemed as though he was standing in one place one moment, and beside the man, leaning over and delivering a hard booted kick to his jaw the next. A smooth turn delivered an upper cut with his gloved fist to the man beside him who spun on his heels. Aedan grabbed at the man’s wrist and twisted sharply. An audible crack was followed by a wail of pain as the man dropped the knife and Aedan deftly caught it with his other hand, turned and threw it at the third man. It caught him in the arm that was holding his own knife, forcing him to drop it as he grasped at the wound. He looked up, but Aedan had already moved again.

Bradan, meanwhile had stepped back, guiding Jack gently away from the fight.

“You okay, pal?” he asked. Jack stared at him for a moment and then turned his head towards the fight. Bradan lifted a hand and gently touched Jack's cheek, turning his head back towards him. “No, don’t look over there, mate. It ain’t a pretty sight. Just look at me. Are you okay?”

Again, Jack just stared at him, his eyes focused on the man’s mouth.

“What is it?” Bradan asked. “Is it the teeth?”

Jack nodded, but Bradan smiled. “Ah, don’t worry about those, pal. We’re vegetarians, not neck-feeders.” Jack heard something happening a little distance from them and almost turned to look. “No, lad, just keep your eyes on me. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

Jack shook his head.

“Too scared to talk to your old pal Bradan?” Bradan asked. Jack hesitated, and then shook his head again.

“Can you talk, at all?” Bradan asked. Again, Jack shook his head. “Ah, okay, so.” Bradan nodded in understanding. “Do you sign?” he asked, moving his hands to ask the same question in sign language. Jack nodded emphatically.

“Okay then,” Bradan grinned. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So, what’s your name?”

Jack, jack signed.

“Pleased to meet you, Jack,” Bradan smiled, and extended his hand. Jack took it tentatively, and Bradan held Jacks hand gently as they shook.

Meanwhile, in one swift movement Aedan had sprung into the air, landed on his hands on the hood of the car and cartwheeled over to the other side. He kicked the knife that had fallen to the ground out of the reach of the men, grasped the arm of the man who had the knife embedded into it, and pulled the blade free. His other hand shifted to the position of the wound and pressed against it, causing the man to scream out in pain while Aedan held the knife to his throat.

“Now,” Aedan said calmly, without even panting from the exertion, “Why don’t you and your two friends get back in your car and get out of here before I get bored and start painting the walls with body fluids?” He called across the alley to Bradan. “Good idea, Bro?”

“Good idea,” Bradan called back, keeping Jack’s attention on him. “Go on, boys! Off you fuck!”

With Aedan’s ‘assistance’, the three men were unceremoniously escorted back to their vehicle, ‘helped’ inside with the occasional twist and thrust on a vital part and, to push the point home, Aedan pushed against the hood of the car and forced the vehicle backwards away from the alley with a feat of strength that defied humanity. The engine of the vehicle kicked in as one of the men quickly switched on the ignition, threw the car into reverse, and sped out of the alleyway and onto the road beyond. A screech of tyres on the road was followed by the sound of the car speeding away.

“Sounds like it’s over,” Bradan said to Jack as Aedan approached.

“Is the kid okay?” Aedan asked.

“Seems like,” Bradan nodded. “We were just getting to know each other. This is Jack.” Bradan turned to Jack. “Jack, this is my brother Aedan.”

Aedan held out a gloved hand and then quickly snatched it back, pulled the glove off quickly and wiped his hand on his pants before extending his hand again with a smile. Jack took it and they shook.

“Jack can’t talk,” Bradan explained. “I think he’s mute. He signs, though.”

“Good to know one of us can understand him, Bro,” Aedan nodded. “What were you doing down here this late, lad?”

Jack made several hand gestures, and Bradan interpreted.

“He says he was looking for somewhere to sleep.”

“Down here?” Aedan asked. “You sleep rough?” Jack nodded.

“Not tonight,” Bradan said firmly. “How about you come with us?” Jack hesitated.

“You told him we’re vegetarians, didn’t you, Bro?” Aedan asked.

“Of course I did,” Bradan said. “What kind of vampire do you take me for?”

“The kind that can’t be arsed giving me a hand with three thugs, ya bollocks!”

“I did the last lot, Brother!” Bradan protested.

“The last ‘lot’ was one guy snatching a woman’s hand bag, and all you did was kick him in the nut-sack!”

“That’s bollocks,” Bradan said to Jack. “I kicked him in the balls so hard they got stuck in his fucking nostrils, and well my bollocks of a brother knows it!”

Jack broke into a smile at the comedic exchange between the brothers, and both Aedan and Bradan smiled with him.

Jack began to sign again, and Aedan looked to Bradan for interpretation.

“He’s asking if we’re superheroes.”

“You like superheroes?” Aedan asked. Jack nodded.

“Well if you decide to come with us…”

“…and we’re not gonna force you, it’s your choice…”

“…I’ve got a great collection of D.C. comic books you can have a read of.” Jack’s eyes lit up. “Bradan’s more a Marvel fan, but he’s got a collection too.”

That statement seemed to make Jack’s mind up for him, and he nodded emphatically, and signed quickly.

“He wants to know where we’re going.” Bradan interpreted.

“The carnival,” Aedan answered. “We’re carnies. We perform there. We’re the acrobats.”

“You ever been to the carnival, Jack?” Bradan asked. Jack shook his head.

“Well then, you’re in for one hell of a treat, lad!” Aedan smiled.

“Not to mention a comfy bed!” Bradan added.