Night Feast Read Online Free

Anchova could see his house in the distance and felt slightly relieved.  He quickened his steps, almost breaking into a run.  His wife would be surprised, because this had been the first time in twenty years that her husband had returned home without being falling down drunk.  As he got closer to his front door he could see a figure standing outside.  He could not see who it was at first, it was definitely a tall male figure and he thought that it may be one of his teenage sons, who was there to try and stop him from causing the usual havoc that was habitual, when he returned from the inn.  For a moment he squared his shoulders, as the master of the house who could do whatever he liked.  And then he saw that it wasn’t his son at all.
    Valentin Malenkov stood at his front door.  His mouth was open, revealing a sharp set of pointed teeth.  He had a ferocious expression on his face as he watched Yakov visibly become pale with terror.  Yakov turned to run but Valentin pounced on him, flying swiftly through the air in anticipation of the feed that he was about to have.  He tore at Yakov’s throat without mercy and drank the blood from his overweight body.  The vampire kept him alive while he continued his torture.  Yakov called out to his wife and his sons for help, as he felt the sharp teeth rip into his skin, his veins, his soul.  He tried to struggle, but his undead opponent was unbelievable strong, and determined to make him suffer as much as possible.  He lived for an hour under these conditions, before Valentin removed his remains, and buried them where they could never be found.
    Yakov’s wife and children always dreaded his return from the inn.  He was a cruel and spiteful man and much worse when he was drunk.  Night after night they had had to endure his unpleasantness and they had prayed that one day that it would stop.  This was to be the first of many nights that the Anchova family would get a good night’s sleep.
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    Marybeth McCann was paying no attention to her client’s idle chatter as she washed her hair.  She was thinking about her husband, Eddy.  He was a different man now, and it was all due to the discovery of the Hudson girl’s body.  Amberlee Robinson was her last client for the day at the hair dressing salon.  When she had finished she would go home and cook meatloaf, it was Eddy’s favourite.
    “Hey, I know you, you’re married to the old guy who found Elena Hudson’s body aren’t you?”
    Marybeth bristled visibly.  Eddy was not an ‘old guy’, he was in his early sixties, still in his prime, or at least he was until recent events.  He had aged overnight, he looked ten years older.  Amberlee Robinson didn’t wait for a response but carried on talking.
    “I knew her you know, we were at the same college.  She was okay I guess, but I don’t believe this ‘killed by an wolf like animal’ thing.  I think that she was having an affair with some older married guy, you know someone around thirty, and she wanted him to leave his wife, so he killed her and made it look like she’d been bitten by something.  What did your husband say about aargh!”
    Marybeth had purposely sprayed hot water in Amberlee’s eyes.
    “Oops, sorry, my hand slipped.”
    “What are you trying to do drown me?” said Amberlee dramatically.  Marybeth thought the idea of that was very appealing.  She wrapped a towel around Amberlee’s long brown hair and led her to the dryer.  The teenage girl did not try to question her any further, and sulkily buried her face in a fashion magazine.
    It was bright but cold outside.  Marybeth shivered as she hurried to her car, it had been a long eight hours and she wanted to get home and put her feet up for at least ten minutes before cooking dinner.
    “Marybeth, how are you?”
    Cora Patterson was standing a few feet away from her, loaded down with shopping bags.
    “I’m fine Cora, how are you?” said Marybeth