Mountain Road

Sophie Reese

The further we traveled into the mountains the thicker the dark became. Up here there was no street lightening to reveal the scenery we were passing through. All we glimpsed from the back passenger seat was what the car headlights shone on... which was miles and miles of empty road. Outside of that was inky impenetrable blackness.

It had been a good hour or so since we had passed a gas station, a house, or even a passing car. It scared me to think of how remote this place was. At one point I tried asking Nico where we were, but he casually brushed off my question by replying,  "We are thirty minutes from the lodge."

I had tried to keep track of which direction we were heading but the car had twisted and turned so many times, I was no longer sure which way we were facing. Although, I guess it didn't matter really. It's not like we could go back to our apartment and resume our old lives again.

I sank down into the leather seat, leaned my head against the glass and listened to the rhythmic sound of the window wipers swishing back and forth. The car slowed and turned down a narrow dirt track that veered right into a steep incline. The car crawled up the mountainside and as it did so the light rain outside transformed into a delicate flurry of snow.

We turned down another dirt track which climbed upwards several hundred yards before leveling out. Nico slowed the car down as two dim amber lights appeared on the horizon.

"Is that the lodge?" I asked.

Nico shook his head, "No, those are the gates."

I peered into the darkness, struggling to see past the drifts of snow that strayed across the path like white ribbons. Shapes and shadows played with the what little light there was up here and I struggled to see the gates Nico was talking about. But as we drew closer and the two amber light became brighter, I made out the shape of a long stone wall that ran across the open ground ahead and disappeared into the tree line. In its center was a pair of imposing wrought iron gates that were painted black and gold.

This wasn't the secluded lodge I expected to find at the end of the dirt track. This was a whole different ballgame.

The car slowed down and stopped short of the gates, next to a metal intercom post. Nico wound down his window letting cold air and snow blast into the cabin. He leaned out the window and pushed the intercom button.

A few seconds of silence passed, then the intercom crackled into life. "Yes," a clipped male voice came out the speaker.

"We are here," Nico said.

"Take them down to the guest lodge by the lake, then come up to the main house when you are done. I want to speak to you about all of this," the man instructed.

Nico paused. "But the plan was for us to come to the main lodge."

"There's been a change of plan, Nico. Drop the ladies off at the guest lodge and get up here. I need to speak to you about this whole goddamn mess."

Nico hesitated and then said, "Fine. Open the gates and I will be with you in ten."

There was a buzz and the gates swung open. The car rolled forward and we continued down the gravel driveway in awkward silence - I guess no one wanted to discuss the frosty welcome we had just encountered. I was a little taken aback. Casper did say that we would be wanted here, but judging by the tone of his brother's voice, I think we were unwanted visitors.

"Nico," I said gently, "I would hate to be an inconvenience anyone and I'm sure Sally feels the same way. Perhaps we should go back to the apartment or maybe check into a motel."

"I do not understand what you are talking about," Nico said stiffly.

"It sounded to me like we may have intruded at a bad time," I put delicately.

"That's not true. Both yourself and Sally are very welcome here," he replied sharply.

Sally laughed cynically and muttered, "You could've fooled me."

Nico said nothing.

We carried on down the long gravel drive for what felt like half a mile until we reached a fork in the road. The main drive swung left up a steep incline while a smaller road curved right, down the mountainside into the forest. We turned down the smaller road and traveled another half a mile. The road was in bad shape and settling snow made it hard for Nico to see the road edge.

"Judging by the state of the road, I'm guessing this lodge is not used very often," Sally commented.

Nico glanced in his mirror and said, "You'll have to excuse the bumpy ride. This is a very large estate to maintain and it appears that this stretch of road has been overlooked."

"More like forgotten."

"I will flag it to the head of staff... although nothing will be done until the spring now that the snow has arrived. I hope it will not be too much of an inconvenience."

"I don't know - how long are you planning on keeping us here for?"

"It shouldn't be too long..."

Sally scowled at his reply and shot me a sideways glance that screamed 'this is bullshit' and I silently agreed. Something was wrong - something was very wrong.

The road run through thick woodland. The car travelled down the beat up road for a mile and then stopped. Nico stopped the car and opened the car door. It looked like we were in the middle of nowhere.

I stepped out into the freezing night air and took a look round. The lake was not visible from where we were standing, but I could hear the sound of waves drifting through the trees - it sounded close.

Nico pulled a torch from the car and flashed on a small overgrown path. "This path takes us straight to the lodge," he explained. "I apologize for the lack of lighting. Normally, only close family members stay at the lodge so outdoor lighting isn't an issue."

"Why wouldn't it be an issue?" I asked curiously.

"Casper's family belongs to an ancient bloodline that possesses many excellent qualities. This includes perfect night vision. It's a common gift but not all vampire bloodlines carry out. For example, I don't believe that your bloodline carries that talent - does it, Sally?"

"I don't know my bloodline well enough to say," Sally replied quietly.

"That's unfortunate. I guess Sophie will have to figure out her talents the hard way," he sighed and then turned off the flashlight. "I have perfect vision in the dark and from here I can see the lake. Sophie, look in front of you - can you see the lake too? Can you see how many boats are on the shoreline?"

I squinted into the blackness and saw nothing. With a sigh, I replied, "I can't even see the lake, let alone the boats."

"Hmm, well, then you don't have that particular gift," he said turning the torch back on.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"It's a limitation - but one you'll never need to worry about... so long as you remain under Casper's protection," he said.

I glanced nervously at Sally. Did he know that we were planning on running?

Sally scoffed, "Protection! Do you even remember what happened yesterday? My girl here, threw Casper into a wall. Literally, in-to-a-goddamn-wall. I think she can handle herself."

"Don't get cocky. Casper was never a real threat. He allowed himself to get hit."

"No, he let himself get hit because he thought Sophie couldn't pack a punch. He underestimated my bloodline and ended up with a broken spine."

"That may be so and I'll admit that Sophie possesses above average strength. However, there are dangers out in the real world that you and Sophie cannot handle. We can only guarantee your safety as long as you stay on the grounds of the estate - remember that."

A chill swept over me. He definitely knew we were planning on running.

Nico shone his torch to the right and I saw my first glimpse of the lake - a shadowy mass of black undulating water that stretched out towards the horizon. He then focused the beam of light forward, following the shoreline until a small wooden jetty came into view.

"The lodge is up ahead,"  he announced.

A set of security lights suddenly switched on and flooded the whole area with light. The brightness dazzled me and I jumped back twenty feet in the space of a second. I screamed nearly falling backward over a tree root but someone appeared in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me forward against them.

At first, I thought it was Nico, but then I heard his voice off in the distance yelling, "Careful, Jacques. She's strong."

"It's okay," my rescuer's voice said smoothly, "We're friends."

I knew that voice, I'd heard somewhere before. I tried stepping away from him, but he held me close to his chest. "Easy," he said holding me still, "Your foot is still caught up in a root."

He bent down and pulled a knife from his pocket and cut my foot free. He then took a step back revealing his face and smiled, "You are free to move."

"You," I breathed recognizing his face - it was the handsome guy from the bus, the one who sat next to me when that drug addict started yelling at me. Was he a vampire too?

He flashed a wide grin at me and shrugged off his leather jacket. "Here," he said wrapping his jacket around me, "Now, are well enough to walk, or do you need me to carry you?"

"Carry me?" I replied in a half daze.

He misread the question and smiled, "I can carry you. No problem."

I gasped as he swept me off my feet in one fluid movement and started walking towards the bright light. I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered, "I didn't mean carry me like that. It was more of a rhetoric question than an actual request."

"Sophie, it's okay. Relax, I'll take care you when Casper is not around."

"It's okay, I can walk."

"Why walk when you can be carried. It's so much more romantic."

"Er - not so much when it's a complete stranger. I don't really know who you are."

"All you need to know is that I am the man who would willingly lay down his life to protect you. The man who would fist fight a wild bear for your honor. The man-"

His sentence was cut dead. I cracked an eye open and saw Nico standing in front of us with a granite face. "Put her down, now."

Jacques thought about it and then gently placed me on the ground. The air was fizzing between these two. I quickly took a step back and calmly said, "I'm feeling much better now. Thanks for carrying me."

Nico moved in front of me and said, "Sophie, go and join Sally in the lodge."

"She can't see in all this bright light," Jacques snapped.

"Sally is going to turn off the security lights in a few seconds and Sophie will be able to make her own way to the lodge," Nico explained.

"She is injured and Casper asked me to look after her in his absence. So why don't you run along to Luc and leave me to help the ladies get settled in."

"That would be like leaving the fox in charge of the henhouse. No, Jacques. You are coming with me. I have security team guarding the lodge so everyone will be safe."

"Yeah but the security team doesn't know the layout of the lodge, or the wifi password, or how the shower controls work..."

"You are not staying here. You are not trustworthy."

"Not trustworthy? You are such an old nanny goat, Nico!"

To my relief, the floodlights cut out and I was able to see - to my left was Nico and Jacques locked in a death stare and to my right was a huge timber framed lodge. My mouth dropped open a little. I thought this place was going to be a pokey little shack - not a luxury alpine chalet.

"Sophie, you should go in and get warmed up," Nico instructed.

"No, Sophie, wait," Jacques spluttered, "I want to go with you."

Nico grabbed Jacques by the scruff of the shirt and snapped, "Absolutely not. You are coming with me."

Jacques tried breaking free but Nico wouldn't allow it. After a few minutes of squabbling, he relented and they both disappeared into the tree line behind the lodge. Gazing up the mountainside, I wondered how far the main lodge was from here. The light seemed to be better now and I could see the forest sweeping up the mountain slope. I scanned the treetops for a chimney or a roof but there was nothing.

The main lodge must be miles away... this estate must be huge.

From the lodge, I heard Sally calling my name. I went to turn my head and stopped. There was a figure standing in the tree line. A young man with silver hair wearing a tuxedo. A tuxedo? In this weather? His pale grey eyes locked onto me and raising a hand he gave me a wave. I lifted my hand and waved back, wondering if he was a member of the security team.

His lips curved upwards into a strange smile and before my eyes, he dissolved into thin air.