Journal

  JOURNAL

  Published by Cat Thomson at Smashwords

  Book cover designed by michelle@ebookcovers.online

  Copyright 2017 Cat Thomson

  Smashwords Edition Licence Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to your favourite retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Part 1: Full Moon

  Part 2: Infiltration

  Part 3: Fusion

  Part 4: Five Years On

  Part 5: Twenty Forty Five

  Part 6: Epilogue

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to the London Transport Museum and Transport for London for their assistance. Thanks also to J.B., Jacqueline, Malgorzata, Martha and Sara.

  Part 1: Full Moon

  Location: London

  Saturday, 4 October 2025

  Sunrise: 07:06

  Sunset: 18:31

  The air was cool, and a light drizzle rained down on the wet leaves that covered the graves. Night was stealthily creeping its way over everything in its path. James's eyes opened. He lay still for a moment, his senses slowly taking everything in as he re-awoke to the world of the living: the scent of the grasses that grew wild and unkempt beyond the confines of the mausoleum where he lay; birdsong slowly dwindling as the birds settled down for the night; the damp air on his face. He smiled, a callous sneer etched momentarily upon his exquisitely beautiful face as he contemplated the newly born night. It was October and the nights were growing longer each day. Although there were no windows where James lay, he instinctively knew when the day had finally fully succumbed to darkness. He sat up, swiftly, military-like. As he did this, the other two began to also rouse themselves. Sarah stretched voluptuously; Daniel also sat up as he re-accustomed himself to his surroundings.

  James slowly eased himself off the cold stone slab into a standing position and dressed for the long night ahead, choosing what to wear from the pile of clothes that lay on the dusty stone floor. When all three were ready, James walked resolutely towards the door, which had taken on a green hue with the passing of time. Sarah and Daniel followed him. James unlocked the door and its hinges creaked as he gently pulled it open. Sarah slipped past him and stepped out, down onto the first of the broad steps leading to the ground. She turned to look at James and Daniel, and they all three smiled. Then she walked down the remaining steps, onto the tarmac path that cut its way between the cemetery's ornate head stones. The others followed, James locking the mausoleum door with its mysterious carvings before doing so.

  All three walked abreast when they reached the main pathway. There was no one else around and it was eerily silent. The drizzle continued to fall and Daniel lifted his face so that he could better feel the sensation of the rain water falling onto his hyper-sensitive skin. They eventually arrived at the entrance gate, which was shut and locked, as was always the case at this time of night. The trio walked over to the high boundary wall and observed through one of its iron-barred openings that the street was empty of pedestrians. They all suddenly climbed over the wall with unearthly speed and ease, and dropped lightly onto the pavement on the other side and began to walk towards where heavy traffic could be heard, in the direction of where they would find crowds of people.

  ***

  They made their way to Old Compton Street, which was overflowing with life and energy. Soho was their favourite haunt and where they liked to come more than any other part of the city. The three of them were stunning and many passersby noticed them. Some in the crowd couldn't avert their gaze, the trio's other-worldly beauty was so intoxicatingly mesmerising. Their pale, unblemished skins were unusual for the times. Their style of dress was unique - voguish, and at the same time not quite in line with the latest fashion trends.

  Sarah was wearing a red dress, her shapely legs on full display. Her eyes were delicately bordered by black eye liner, which highlighted the paleness of her skin. Her lips were painted a seductive red. James and Daniel were both wearing jeans that accentuated the muscular outline of their legs. None of them wore coats, being immune to the cold weather, which was gradually building up each day in anticipation of the long winter ahead.

  Sarah, James and Daniel were self-possessed. This was part of their allure whenever anyone noticed them: their absolute self-control in a world where chaos was so profoundly interwoven into the very fabric of life.

  The light rain still fell from the now black sky and many people held umbrellas, their faces hidden behind them. A constant excited chattering could be heard. People were out to go clubbing, enjoy themselves, maybe meet someone. Daniel, Sarah and James continued walking, observing the crowds as they made their way leisurely down the street. Suddenly, Sarah turned to look at James. Her eyes told him that she had found what they were looking for. James's gaze followed hers back in the direction of her discovery and fell upon a woman. The woman's dark hair cascaded in waves down her bare shoulders. In spite of the cold, she was wearing very little - an exceedingly short black dress and silver stilettos. The woman suddenly sensed the eyes of strangers upon her and she turned to see who was looking at her. James and Sarah acknowledged her simultaneously with a nod. She smiled in return then visibly shuddered as an unexpected frisson coursed through her. She felt uncomfortable and turned to continue talking with her friends.

  James smiled as he said: "Ah, the night is still young, Sarah. Give her time. We will wait."

  By now, Daniel had seen that their entertainment for the night had been decided upon and he walked slowly back and forth in front of Sarah and James, admiring the beautiful young woman that they had chosen. The woman looked across at them, realising that Daniel was now openly admiring her, and again she turned quickly away. The three of them simultaneously both excited her and made her feel ominously uncomfortable. She sensed that all three were interested in her sexually, that they would have their way with her tonight and even if she resisted at first, she sensed that ultimately she would acquiesce to their every desire. All three of the strangers observing her had an unusual stillness to their demeanour. Their intense gaze upon her exuded a powerful mental strength that seemed almost palpable to her.

  "Let's go to the club now," she suggested to her friends.

  "It's too early!" they exclaimed.

  "Let's just go for a drink, then."

  The woman began to walk towards the nearest pub. Her friends followed her and soon they had all disappeared into the pub. James, Sarah and Daniel remained standing where they were for a few moments longer, then made their way to a bar across the street from the pub, where they ordered drinks and waited.

  ***

  Location: London

  Saturday, 15 November 2025

  Sunrise: 07:19

  Sunset: 16:11

  Katie and Sharon hugged before parting. They had been out dancing and were both tired. Sharon turned and began walking down Oxford Street, towards Oxford Street tube station. Katie watched her for a moment before turning to head in the opposite direction. She could feel the chill night air against her skin in spite of the warm coat she wore.

  At that moment a man passed her, his hand brushing accidentally against hers. Katie shuddered. As she walked, she turned to look behind her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man. She gasped when she saw that he had also turned as he continued walking in the opposite direction, and was looking intently at her. There was someth
ing surreal about him. His eyes were almost black and seemed to pierce her own with their intense gaze. She quickly turned away and began to walk faster. As she made her way down Oxford Street, she took her tablet out of her bag and began to scroll through the latest updates on SceneUTwo. Soon the stranger's piercing gaze and the deep, strong emotions he had stirred up inside her were forgotten as Katie became absorbed in the celebrity news and gossip on SceneUTwo.

  ***

  James had followed her. To begin with, he had continued his journey in the opposite direction from Katie, but an indefinable yearning deep within his psyche had soon become too strong to ignore. He had swiftly made his way back to where he had seen Katie. His acutely powerful senses could smell the scent of her perfume, still lingering in the cool air, and he began to follow the trail her scent had left for him, eventually turning left into Southampton Row, then right into another street, and so on. He reached a point where the trail faded and stopped to look around him. A window on the first floor of a red-brick building was bright with light. James focused on that window as he stood on the pavement across the street from it. Suddenly, the woman his hand had touched in Oxford Street appeared at the window; she was pulling the curtains closed. James flickered with a desire he had not felt in many, many years. He wanted to possess this woman, not simply devour her carnivorously, nor to create her in his image either. As the curtains slowly made their way across the window, cancelling out the image of the woman, James observed her thick brunette hair, her shapely breasts beneath her close-fitting top and the exaggerated curve of her hips.

  It was now almost 04:00. Time was running out. He had not yet fed and would have to make his way back to the cemetery soon. At that moment, Katie's slender arm appeared beneath the curtain and felt its way towards the window latch. There was a distinctive click as the window was unlocked. Katie pushed it slightly open. James decided to wait a little longer before venturing off in search of prey. He walked slowly down the street, then back up again. A fox passed in front of him, silent and stealthy as it made its way towards an overflowing rubbish bin. Some ten minutes passed. James ceased pacing and returned to stand in front of the building where Katie lived. Her flat was now dark, the window still open. James checked out his surroundings. He was unobserved as he lithely scaled the wall below the open window.

  He slipped silently into Katie's flat. She was lying in bed, her breathing already deep with slumber. James's eyes locked with those of a cat lying on the bed. The cat hissed before jumping off the bed and making his way to a corner of the room, where he remained, warily observing James in silence. James walked over to Katie. He lent over her and gently lifted her face towards his, before touching his lips to hers and kissing her. Katie's eyes flickered open. The sensation of James's lips against hers left her feeling intoxicated. She tried to focus her eyes on the outline of his face in the darkness in front of her.

  "It's only a dream," James whispered in her ear.

  His vampire-cold lips brushing against her ear thrilled her, and she found herself trembling, not because of their coldness, but with a delicious sensation she had never felt before. But almost as soon as her senses began to fully awaken, James pulled himself away from her. He stood watching her for a moment and then turned and disappeared back out of the window.

  Katie soon fell asleep again, and her cat Leopard eventually returned to her bed. When she awoke late the following day, she was surprised to find that her window was wide open. She had a recollection of a hazy dream, a kiss, but as with most dreams, she could barely recall the details and it wasn't long before the memory of it had been completely erased from her mind.

  ***

  Location: London

  Sunday, 16 November 2025

  Sunrise: 07:21

  Sunset: 16:09

  His unlined face was chiselled perfection, his features youthful. His lips rose in a beguiling smile at the corners and his hair was a mass of long, sleek silver - dyed from its natural blonde by his long-time mate Charlotte. He had had a predilection for dying his hair for many years now. His demeanour was other-worldly, and he liked to dress accordingly. His one facial feature which was obviously unhuman was the colour of his irises - black streaked with fine threads of red - which added to his alluring uniqueness when he wasn't wearing his pale green contact lenses.

  Nikolas flicked his hair away from his face, the gesture simultaneously both feminine and nonchalant. Had he been human, he would have sighed at this moment, the sound of his subconscious lamentations echoing in the solitary quiet of the stone chamber. But he wasn't human and his lungs had been silent and still for five hundred years now. His heart, too, was now nothing more than a useless, granite-like body part that had long since ceased to serve any purpose. Nikolas's human emotions had flat-lined almost as soon as his heart had ceased pumping life through his veins. Although he was gentle and soft-spoken, this being left-over evidence of his human character, the compassion and kindness he had expressed before he was made a vampire had evaporated when he had gone through the death of his human self. As a vampire, Nikolas was emotionally bereft of the kaleidoscope of feelings that a human experiences. His basic vampire emotions were those all vampires experience: a strong, deeply-felt love for his mate; a fierce loyalty towards the inhabitants of his coven; an intense desire for human flesh, and the rare thrill of discovering a beautiful and talented human being worthy of making a vampire. These emotions were the driving force that motivated all vampires. They were, if nothing else, hedonistic, and nothing gave them greater satisfaction than the game of enticing a delectable human into their clutches for sensuous enjoyment followed by the inevitable thrill of the kill. They mourned the loss of their mates with excruciating intensity, but apart from this, a vampire felt no sadness and was devoid of conscience and compassion.

  Nikolas was wearing a black jacket with a high collar and a double row of brass buttons down the front. His manicured nails were long and almost imperceptibly pointed at the ends. Charlotte had applied a coat of transparent lacquer when they had returned home from their feeding spree tonight. She now lay asleep in their sleeping chamber, her face peaceful with vampire unconsciousness. Nikolas had kissed her gently on her smooth forehead before rising from their bed and making his way to the grand chamber, where he now sat on his ancient velvet-backed chair at the head of the long, dark-wood table. He was alone. The other coveners were deep in sleep in their respective sleeping chambers. It was not normal for a vampire to be awake once the sun had risen. But their dug-out hideout was deep below the earth's surface, its musty, cool interior completely devoid of natural light, and Nikolas's mind was exceptionally strong after five hundred years of life as an undead. He was able to draw his body away from its natural, instinctive need for unconsciousness during the hours when the sun reigned over the earth, even if only for a short time, and he did this whenever he felt a need for contemplative solitude.

  Although Nikolas could see perfectly in the chamber's pitch-blackness, he had lit a long, thick candle and placed it on the table in front of him, and he became momentarily intrigued by the wax slowly trickling down its sides, solidifying into beautiful, unusual shapes around its base on the table.

  Nikolas lifted his hands from where they had been resting on the table to admire them, then stood up abruptly and began to pace the stone slabs which made up the chamber floor. He was deeply focused, his eyes staring vacantly at a point directly in front of him. He paced swiftly from one end of the long, narrow chamber to the other, turning around upon reaching one wall and retracing his steps back to the other wall. A long-legged spider scuttled hurriedly across the floor, only just managing to avoid being crushed by Nikolas's glinting polished black boots.

  Eventually, he returned to his seat. The candle had melted almost to its base and Nikolas snuffed out its dimly flickering flame with his thumb and forefinger. The chamber was now in complete darkness, but this was irrelevant to Nikolas. His vampire vision adapted instantaneously to the blackness and e
ven the tiny cracks in the stone walls were sharply perceptible. The spider that had just missed being crushed by his boot was now crawling up the wall, and Nikolas could see the fine detail of its intricately patterned back. As he observed the spider making its way up the wall, he focused his mind on his ambitious plan.

  Nikolas had lived as a vampire for centuries now, a ruthless killer, insensitive and demonic by nature, his heart lifeless and cold, except when warmed by the blood of his prey. He had experienced the same hedonistic way of life night after night and, as with all old vampires, he had grown weary and intensely bored with time. He still craved the blood and physicality of his victims, this desire being the very essence of a vampire, and he desired his mate Charlotte, but when it came to much else, his ability to be stimulated had long since sunk into a state of nothingness.

  ***

  Henry VIII had been king when Nikolas had breathed his last human breath. Ever since he had been made a vampire, he had lived the precarious life that many vampires endure. He had watched, hidden, as the coven he had first belonged to was discovered and destroyed by humans, shortly before the sun had awakened in the dank sky. He had witnessed the humans decapitate his creator, Elizabeth, who had been his first vampire mate. As the sword had made its way through the chill air towards Elizabeth's neck, she had locked her eyes with those of Nikolas, where he was hidden, the intensity of her gaze stabbing his human-defunct heart. Red tears had fallen from his eyes and from that moment onwards, his irises had had a permanent red-black hue, the effect of his mourning imprinted upon them forever.

  Nikolas had spent that hellish day in a barn, sleeping deep beneath straw. He had remained there for several nights, weak and ragingly hungry. Only when the humans believed that there were no vampires left to destroy and had stopped their nightly vigil did Nikolas leave the barn. He had to restrain himself from his insatiable urge to seek out prey in the vicinity, as that would have made the humans realise that there was still a vampire at large, to be hunted down. He had walked for hours, stumbling down deserted, muddy country roads and through dense foliage.