Fanghunters Read Online Free Page A

they were icy. He moved to the head of the steps leading down to that
basement and peered into the darkness below. He took a look around. The coast
was clear. Just a rain-swept, dirty street. He set off down the steps, his feet
scratching across the cement, the sound echoing all around him. The darkness
swallowed him once he reached the foot of the steps. He stood amongst the wet
trash, the sound of falling rain hammering all around him while he stared at
the door leading to the basement. He reached out a trembling hand for the
handle, hoping it wasn’t locked. It wasn’t. The door came open, releasing more
darkness from beyond. He became still, his heart stopping dead.
    Once you go through this door, there’s
no turning back.
    He closed his eyes, the venom cravings
fizzing behind his eyelids.
    He nodded. I know. I know...
    Time to say goodbye to the world...
    He threw his eyes open, then the door; it
swung away with a loud creak. He stood in the doorway, his chest puffed out,
his arms outstretched, the rain pounding down around him. His wide eyes took in
the whole scene, with the expectation of falling upon the Father and the other
fanghead, who’d welcome him home.
    They searched the whole room. It was empty.
    Dom’s jaw dropped. No...
    He stepped drunkenly  into the basement,
his head rolling in its socket. “Father?” he said in a loud voice. He was
answered by silence.
    A familiar musk hit his nostrils and his
head began swimming. “Father!” he repeated, but his voice was wavering.
    He threw out a hand, finding the light
switch. He flicked it on. The hollow chamber lit up in an instant. His pupils
adjusted. A horrible anti-climax set in, just like back in Bachman Road. He
looked around; the floor was smothered with the usual litter: hamburger cartons,
soda cups, torn remnants of old clothes. His eyes fell upon the old septic
tank. The Father’s crypt. He darted over to it, with an involuntary gasp. He
gripped its edges and looked into it, hope rising inside his chest. It all came
crashing down once he saw that it was empty. Crestfallen, he turned away and
faced the litter-strewn floor. He surveyed it with apathetic eyes. They were
gone. And so was his last chance...
    Something by his feet caught his attention.
He frowned. He craned his neck in closer, then bent down on his haunches. He
stared down at the pieces of torn photo strewn over the ground. With a
trembling finger, he picked a piece up and held it to the light. Caught in the
section of torn photo was Dad; Dad’s smiling face in the sunshine. Something
then displaced the gnawing anxiety in Dom’s heart. Love. Love for Dad. His lips
trembled alongside his hand as he wiped a tear from his eye. Was he really
alone in this world? Where was Dad? Where was Eddie? He rummaged around,
finding more torn photo. He found pieces of Eddie. While he stared at his
smiling brother, his fingers fell upon the dog tag hanging around his neck.
Somewhere, somewhere out there Eddie had a similar tag around his neck.
Brothers.
    Where are you, little guy? Where are
you?
    He suddenly gripped the dog tag tight, just
as more tears squeezed from between his eyelids. 
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
     
     
     
    He got back to his apartment once more,
weariness and dejection usurping the venom cravings. He opened the door to find
a letter lying on the doormat. Dom picked it up and checked the front. Written
on it in hard block capitals was: ‘MR DOMINIC DEMPSEY’. Dom opened it up and
removed the letter. He knew straight away it was something angry. ‘NOTICE OF
EVICTION’ it read.
    And it didn’t get any better.
    ‘ To Mr. Dominic Dempsey. Notice is
hereby given that you are in default in payment of rent. You are hereby required
to pay the amount of rent due, or to leave the premises within seven (7) days
after the service of this notice.
    Failure to pay the full amount of rent
in arrears will result in an eviction detainer lawsuit filed with the County
Court.
    Yours sincerely,