The new Mustang smelt heavy of peaches and tropical fruit. The gray leather interior was almost like new and barely had any wear in it. The volume of the radio was low and comfortable as slow jazz themed music played from the car's hard drive.
Richard slowly drove behind the van that he once ran away from. His hand would every so often shift the manual gear and his foot would slowly press on the gas to move forward.
Martha removed the last bit of tape from the back of her head as she whimpered from the pain of having hair pulled out from the sticky surface of the industrial tape. She adjusted her pony tail and stared forward at the back side of the van. "Perhaps he is another lab project like Selena or ... You." Martha said.
Richard shook his head while he kept his wide eyes on the bumper of the van. "I ... I don't believe so. We have seen all sorts of creations from the organization, but not like him." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Do you remember that movie you took me to when I was six? The Coffin of Dracula?"
Martha nodded quickly before she stopped and slowly turned her squinted eyes to Richard. "You think ... You think he is a vampire of some sort?"
Richard shrugged and glanced to Martha for a second before turning his attention to the back end of the van that he followed. "He is very strong and very fast. Not accounting for the sharp teeth and pale skin ... Or those red eyes of his."
Martha scoffed. "Ridiculous! A vampire? There is no such thing."
Richard slowly slumped his shoulders. "People would say the same thing about a telepath or ... Something like Bugsy and I."
Martha shook her head. "Don't mention his name anymore! You speak like Bugsy is a real person."
Richard nodded sheepishly. "I know ... I am sorry."
Martha pointed to the van. "And a vampire?! I'm sorry, but I am not going to belief that!" She let out a hysterical laugh. "You might as well say that Frankenstein is real ... Or that the Wolf-Man is out there somewhere ..." She folded her arms over her chest. "The last time I checked, vampires do not protect humans, they hunt them."
"What are your thoughts then?" Richard asked in a child manner.
Martha shook her head. "I do not have enough information about it all just yet to make a conclusion, Richard."
Richard nodded. "Either way ... I am scared of him, but at the same time ... I find him very comforting."
Martha scoffed and looked out her window. "Yeah? Well, I'll be sure to make a crucifix and find some garlic before the night ends."
*******************************************************************
The city of Bridgewood began to fade as Richard and Martha continued to follow the van into the country just outside of the middle sized Texan city limits. The sun was gone and the twilight had disappeared; the night was now upon them and the only light in the sky was a large round red and yellow moon that danced slowly passed the dark gray clouds. Tall and thick trees waved at them in the heavy wind as though the night brought them all to life.
The left turn signal on the backside of the van began to blink and turned onto a private road. As Richard turned the corner, the headlight to the rental car beamed on the green street sign which read out: "Red St."
Martha began to lose her sarcastic and angry glare as she studied the woods just outside the car. A dark forest loomed over them with tall pine trees that seemed to rise up and form a tunnel above the road. In between the trees was a thick wire that was stapled into the bark of the trees almost half way up. At certain times, Martha could see little yellow signs tied to the fence warning that it was an electrical type of fence. The white gravel road just beneath the car, popped every so often as the four tires drove on the loose rocks.
The road was not very long and at the end of the tree like tunnel, an iron fence lined out in front of the vehicles. The black iron bars of the fence were as thick as the largest flag pole and stood as tall as ten feet in the air followed by tall, sharp spikes. In the middle of the opening of the forest trail, there was a tall iron gate that was made of the same material. The gate was square designed and had sharp spikes on the top of it. In the center of the gate was a circle design with the letters "Z" and "T" interlaced in the middle of each other.
The van stopped for only a moment. Richard stopped the car and Martha shut off the radio. Both sat in silence and even though they did not look at each other, the same look of fear and confusion crossed their faces.
The fence opened slowly and the circle with the letters split in half, which caused the letters to split into their own. The black van continued through the gates. Richard gulped hard and placed the car into gear. Martha leaned forward as they continued.
Beyond the gates was a clean cut land that was very large and very long. The green grass covered in frost glistened from the mild rays of the red moon hovering above them. The road continued to wind and curve just slightly to a large black top parking lot filled with all sorts of cars. The parking lot sat a few feet away from the front porch of a massive manor.
The manor was designed like the Cathedral of Notre Dame, yet was missing all the gothic architecture. There were no gargoyles and no steeple to be seen, but there was a holy presence to the building that Richard felt he could hear an organ playing inside of it. The light tanned bricked walls ran up to a gray tiled roof and long tall windows sat around the house looking at them as though they were strangers. There was no clear idea for the two to know how big the manor was, but it seemed the large home went on and on for miles both in width, height and length.
Instead of parking onto the lot, Zachary parked the black van on the perfectly cut grass, almost right next to the front doors of the manor. Richard decided to park next to the left of the van. He placed the gear into park and shut off the car. He turned slowly to Martha with wide eyes and breathed heavily. Martha just kept her attention on the manor with her mouth half way open. Before the two could say anything, Martha's door opened slowly.
Martha jumped from her dazed moment in shock and leaned away from the door. Her fear slowly fell away as she saw Zachary at the open door with a grin. His red eyes glowed with a passion as he bowed and held out his right hand. "Welcome."
Martha was reluctant, but she grabbed Zachary's hand. Her eyes wandered as she stepped out into the cold air and tried to keep her distance from Zachary. Once outside, Martha quickly removed her hand and walked away from Zachary. "Thank ... You." She said in a whisper.
Zachary watched her and smiled as he closed the door gently.
Richard opened his car door and stepped out. His eyes darted up to the roof of the museum like home. He walked around with a stumble as he studied the home and passed Martha.
In front of the red wood double doors of the home, which sunk into the house slightly, was a large porch made of white marble and steps made of the same material. Two porch lamps sat in the walls right beside the doors and were made of some sort of faded glass; the lamps were designed to look like two giant rose flowers. Right above the doors, in the center of the wall, sat a human head sized lion's head made of white marble. The face of the lion was calm and looked to be filled with pride.
Richard sighed. "It is beautiful."
Zachary folded his arms behind his back and slowly walked up in between the two dazed guests. "Some have called it Taylor Manor, others have called it the House of Red." He chuckled with a boyish charm. "I call it home." Zachary walked up the marble stairs, his boots tapped on the well-polished rock as he did. He stopped on the third step and turned around to Martha and Richard. "Please, do come in."
Martha slowly walked over to Richard and grabbed his arm. Her eyes narrowed on Zachary, but still had a look of shock in them. "What ... What do you plan on doing with us?"
Zachary smiled and shook his head as he turned around to face his guests and shoved his pale hands into the pockets of his battle torn jacket. "To get you warm and save, dear Martha. I plan on getting you a warm bath, some new clothes and food. Hopefully, you will have some time to sleep before we talk of your situation." His red glowing eyes began to lower and seemed to become like regular eyes with a red tint to them. "I would think both would love that plan."
Richard lowered his gaze from the lion's head over Zachary and blinked at the host. "We ... We have been through a lot, Zachary. There have been many who have lied to us and ... We just want to be careful."
Zachary frowned and nodded. His face was filled with remorse as removed one hand from his coat pocket and placed it over his chest. "I am glad you do have some trust in me. After all, you wouldn't follow a stranger all the way out into the country side of east Texas. I give you my word and my word is my bond. I just want to offer my services."
Martha looked to the house, back to Zachary and then back to the house very quickly before she shook her head. "No, I am not going in there."
"But Martha..." Richard tried to call out.
"No! Can't you see what he is going to do? He is going to turn us in for profit, just like everyone else we have met! Either that or he is going to do much worse. You saw what he did to Selena and Billy!" Martha exclaimed as she tugged on Richard's arm.
Zachary held out his right hand as though he were begging. "Please, do not feel that way. To be fairly honest, you two have not shot at me, which does not call for a fight." He turned to the doors and then back to Richard and Martha with a sad look. "Alright, what if I told the both of you that you can leave. I will give you the keys to the van and off you will go. I will never chase you and I will never appear in your lives again." Like embers in a dying fire, the red eyes in Zachary's skull began to glow red. "Or you can go inside to warmth and comfort, knowing that you will not be harmed and that you will never be hunted again."
Martha darted her eyes at Zachary with anger. "I'm sorry, but in my experience, no one just helps out a total stranger without a selfish agenda."
Zachary smiled. "I have seen this as well in my own experience. Yet, you and I both know ..." With in a flash, Zachary appeared right in front of both Martha and Richard!
Richard leaned back with shock. Martha widened her eyes as Zachary leaned in closer to Martha with a gentle hand in front of her chest, ready to take her’s. His eyes looked into her's with charm in his smile.
"... I am not like most people."
Martha looked at Zachary in shock for a long moment. "Fine ... Fine we will go with you, but I am not touching you." Her voice tried to sound demanding, but it cracked and her face was filled with shock.
Zachary gave her a gentle grin before he disappeared from their faces to appear on the fourth and final step of the marble porch. "Very well, please follow me." He kept his slow stride onto the porch.
Richard turned to Martha who still held onto his arm as if he offered her protection. The two started up the stairs a foot behind Zachary. There was look of childlike fear crossing their faces and at the same time a moment of wonder.
Zachary opened the right side door and held it open for his guests. When he saw the guests were in no hurry to have him follow them, Zachary shrugged without saying a word and stepped into the manor.
Richard looked to his cousin and she did the same before entering the home.
The first room inside the manor was a large hallway; half way up the walls were layers of wood, red oak wood just like the doors outside. Vines and flowers were carved into the wood with a perfection. Above the wood was deep red wall paper with the same design of vines and flowers, only they were not carved but painted a solid gold. Four shelves sat on both sides of the walls, made of the same type of wood. On these shelves were candle holders, layered in gold and had four arms that held four bright red candle sticks that stood tall. Red wax dripped onto small black platforms just under the candle holders. In the center of the hallway, just a few feet away from the front doors, was a long black coffin designed to look old like from an old vampire movie. The lid to this coffin was removed and a soft looking silk cloth lined the entire inside. Piles and piles of red colored glow sticks sat inside the coffin, already lit up.
Right beside the doors, two stair cases on the right of the room and the left of the room curved up just slightly to a small balcony made of red oak wood and in the center of the balcony was another white marble lion head, only this one was snarling at whomever stood in the doorway of the manor. The balcony seemed to hide another set of double doors that sat in the walls on the upper floor.
Richard looked down the hallway and saw that the room was cut off by another set of double doors, only these were painted a deep red. In the center of the red doors was a symbol cut of out a thick dark metal, designed to be handles for the doors and seemed to split in half if both doors were to be opened at the same time. The symbol was round and had a crude cut "V" shaped mouth with two long fangs. Two eyes were cut as strange triangles and two thin eyebrows were cut into the face, one right above the right eye and the other one curved higher over the left one. As Richard stared at the fanged smiley face handles, he could hear the sounds of loud club music beating against the walls.
Zachary walked over to the right stair case, the one closest to him, and started up the stairs. "Please, follow me." His boyish voice chuckled.
Their shoes tapped on the wooden stair case as Richard and Martha followed the man up the stairs. Richard glanced over the stair case only once to stare at the strange coffin filled with glow sticks and listened to the deep beat of the club music against the walls.
Zachary, Richard and Martha walked onto the balcony. Without a word expressed between the three, Zachary opened the two doors and started into the next room.
The next room was almost like another hallway, but it was a large barren room with a black marble floor which was very well polished. Richard glanced down to the floor and could see his reflection in it very well.
To each side of the room were white pillars that rounded into cylinders and had white statues made from the pillar; each statue was of a woman or man hugging the pillar and looking at the strangers as they passed by. Martha almost felt a chill as she studied their eyes watching them as though they were strange creatures.
In the center of the right wall was a black door covered in silver vine designs and swirls. A metal sign over the door said: "Office."
The sound of the club music echoed throughout the barren room as they passed through it. At the end of the room was an open end that spanned the width of the room and Richard and Martha could see into the next room.
Three large steps led down into a red carpeted room. To the right side of the room was a lush red leather couch that was very large and thick; the couch rounded into an almost complete circle, leaving room for an opening pointed directly at them. In the center of the couch was a round glass table that was held up by four red metal legs. On the left side of the room was a baby grand piano, also painted red and a red oak stool sat just underneath the keys. Beside the piano was a gas powered fire place lined with red oak wood which had the same vine carvings. Over the fire place was the fanged smiley face symbol that Richard saw on the red double doors downstairs, only it was painted red and made of thick wood. In the backside of the room, just a little to the left, was a small bar made of red oak and was lit up with strands of LED lights that gave off a red glow. Across from the bar was a pool table that had a red top rather than a green one. A few billiard balls sat scattered on the table alone with two cue sticks painted black with red lining.
A large open doorway in the back wall of the red sitting room led the way to a long red carpeted stair case that went down into a large room that was painted a dim gray and held all sorts of old paintings in the same golden frame. The paintings were unlike anything that Richard or Martha had seen before. Some depicted wars, others were of men and women posing, there were even some of the modern era and more abstract than the others. In between the paintings were four doors on each side of the room, painted black. Hanging on the entire wall at the backside of this room was a fountain formed out of black marble and had red lights glowing from under the water; the water ran down the wall of the fountain and in the center of the water fall was the red fanged smiley face. To each side of the bottom of the stair case sat hallways that led into other areas. Those hallways were left as a mystery to both guests as Zachary stopped in the middle of the art room.
Zachary pointed to the door on his right while he faced both Richard and Martha. "These are our guests’ rooms." He walked over to the door and opened it. "I am sorry for not giving you a tour, but if you decide to stay for a little longer, I would be happy to give one to you."
Richard and Martha followed close behind Zachary into the guest room he choose for them.
The room was massive! It was far larger than any guest room that Richard or Martha had seen before. The walls ran up high and were painted a soft white. Strange abstract paintings sat in plan black frames around the room. In the center of the room was a large king sized bed dressed in white sheets and pillow cases. The bed frame was made of black painted wood. At the end of the bed was a long couch wrapped in white leather. In front of the couch was a small white coffee table which had a black marble center. Across from the couch and bed was another gas powered fire place, but it was not lit. A black painted wood lined the fire place and just above the fire place was a wide panel flat screen television hanging off the wall. Black metal chandlers sat down into the room from the ceiling in pairs of two.
On the back wall of the room, on the other side of the bed, was a tall wardrobe painted white and had black vine designs covering only the doors. Beside the wardrobe was a long make up dresser with a round oval mirror sitting in a black frame. In between the wardrobe and the makeup dresser were two tall windows that were covered with thick white curtains lined at the bottom with black silk. Just a few inches away from the makeup dresser was a tall mini refrigerator painted white and a small black microwave sitting on top.
Zachary stopped by the fire place and clapped his hands. Immediately, the fire place lit up with a strong fire. With a sigh, Zachary walked across the room, just a foot away from the wall that held the mini refrigerator and opened a white door in the wall that held the television. He turned on a light and turned his attention back to both Martha and Richard. "This is your bathroom." He slowly walked to the center of the room, just in front of the couch and looked around the room. "Normally, I would ask if you wanted two separated rooms, but I feel that it would make you feel more comfortable to stay in one, correct?"
Richard looked at Zachary as though he were sleep walking with wide eyes. All he could do was nod. Martha, on the other hand, glanced around the room in amazement.
"This is incredible, Zachary." Martha said as she looked up at the chandlers, which she noticed had lights designed like white candles.
Zachary chuckled. "I agree." He turned to point at the wardrobe. "You will find bath robes for both woman and man along with slippers. Normally, our guests bring clothing, but I am certain I can arrange you to have some new clothes by the end of the hour." He turned back to Martha and Richard to walk closer to them. "Unfortunately, the refrigerator does not have any food in it, but I will arrange you a meal." He paused and glanced only for a few seconds to the television. "We have satellite out here. We also have wireless internet. Are you in need of a computer? Do you also need to make phone calls, because I can arrange for all of that."
Martha shook her head. "Not that I can think of at the moment."
Zachary nodded and walked past the two to the door. Before he reached the door, he turned around very quickly with a concerned look in his eyes. "I will have to tell you, the windows are barred and made of bullet proof glass, for reasons I will explain later. I will have to lock this door behind me, not only keep you here but to keep you safe."
Martha began to show signs of anger in her face. "I see."
Zachary held out both his hands and smiled with assurance. "It is only during this time of confusion. Once we get to know each other, I am sure that door will remain open."
Richard stepped forward out of his daze. "What of Billy and Selena?"
Zachary nodded and lowered his hands. "Please, do not worry about them. I will see to it that they get a fair trial."
Martha folded her arms over her chest. "As usual, the police will be informed."
Zachary studied Martha for a moment and shook his head. "On the contrary, I do not feel comfortable informing my friends at the police station about a maniac with a gun and telepath willing to kill anyone in their way." He smiled. "Please, clean yourselves and rest. I will find some food and clothing for the both of you."
The young host turned and left through the door. The last sound Martha and Richard heard was a key locking the door to their comfortable prison.
Richard slowly drove behind the van that he once ran away from. His hand would every so often shift the manual gear and his foot would slowly press on the gas to move forward.
Martha removed the last bit of tape from the back of her head as she whimpered from the pain of having hair pulled out from the sticky surface of the industrial tape. She adjusted her pony tail and stared forward at the back side of the van. "Perhaps he is another lab project like Selena or ... You." Martha said.
Richard shook his head while he kept his wide eyes on the bumper of the van. "I ... I don't believe so. We have seen all sorts of creations from the organization, but not like him." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Do you remember that movie you took me to when I was six? The Coffin of Dracula?"
Martha nodded quickly before she stopped and slowly turned her squinted eyes to Richard. "You think ... You think he is a vampire of some sort?"
Richard shrugged and glanced to Martha for a second before turning his attention to the back end of the van that he followed. "He is very strong and very fast. Not accounting for the sharp teeth and pale skin ... Or those red eyes of his."
Martha scoffed. "Ridiculous! A vampire? There is no such thing."
Richard slowly slumped his shoulders. "People would say the same thing about a telepath or ... Something like Bugsy and I."
Martha shook her head. "Don't mention his name anymore! You speak like Bugsy is a real person."
Richard nodded sheepishly. "I know ... I am sorry."
Martha pointed to the van. "And a vampire?! I'm sorry, but I am not going to belief that!" She let out a hysterical laugh. "You might as well say that Frankenstein is real ... Or that the Wolf-Man is out there somewhere ..." She folded her arms over her chest. "The last time I checked, vampires do not protect humans, they hunt them."
"What are your thoughts then?" Richard asked in a child manner.
Martha shook her head. "I do not have enough information about it all just yet to make a conclusion, Richard."
Richard nodded. "Either way ... I am scared of him, but at the same time ... I find him very comforting."
Martha scoffed and looked out her window. "Yeah? Well, I'll be sure to make a crucifix and find some garlic before the night ends."
*******************************************************************
The city of Bridgewood began to fade as Richard and Martha continued to follow the van into the country just outside of the middle sized Texan city limits. The sun was gone and the twilight had disappeared; the night was now upon them and the only light in the sky was a large round red and yellow moon that danced slowly passed the dark gray clouds. Tall and thick trees waved at them in the heavy wind as though the night brought them all to life.
The left turn signal on the backside of the van began to blink and turned onto a private road. As Richard turned the corner, the headlight to the rental car beamed on the green street sign which read out: "Red St."
Martha began to lose her sarcastic and angry glare as she studied the woods just outside the car. A dark forest loomed over them with tall pine trees that seemed to rise up and form a tunnel above the road. In between the trees was a thick wire that was stapled into the bark of the trees almost half way up. At certain times, Martha could see little yellow signs tied to the fence warning that it was an electrical type of fence. The white gravel road just beneath the car, popped every so often as the four tires drove on the loose rocks.
The road was not very long and at the end of the tree like tunnel, an iron fence lined out in front of the vehicles. The black iron bars of the fence were as thick as the largest flag pole and stood as tall as ten feet in the air followed by tall, sharp spikes. In the middle of the opening of the forest trail, there was a tall iron gate that was made of the same material. The gate was square designed and had sharp spikes on the top of it. In the center of the gate was a circle design with the letters "Z" and "T" interlaced in the middle of each other.
The van stopped for only a moment. Richard stopped the car and Martha shut off the radio. Both sat in silence and even though they did not look at each other, the same look of fear and confusion crossed their faces.
The fence opened slowly and the circle with the letters split in half, which caused the letters to split into their own. The black van continued through the gates. Richard gulped hard and placed the car into gear. Martha leaned forward as they continued.
Beyond the gates was a clean cut land that was very large and very long. The green grass covered in frost glistened from the mild rays of the red moon hovering above them. The road continued to wind and curve just slightly to a large black top parking lot filled with all sorts of cars. The parking lot sat a few feet away from the front porch of a massive manor.
The manor was designed like the Cathedral of Notre Dame, yet was missing all the gothic architecture. There were no gargoyles and no steeple to be seen, but there was a holy presence to the building that Richard felt he could hear an organ playing inside of it. The light tanned bricked walls ran up to a gray tiled roof and long tall windows sat around the house looking at them as though they were strangers. There was no clear idea for the two to know how big the manor was, but it seemed the large home went on and on for miles both in width, height and length.
Instead of parking onto the lot, Zachary parked the black van on the perfectly cut grass, almost right next to the front doors of the manor. Richard decided to park next to the left of the van. He placed the gear into park and shut off the car. He turned slowly to Martha with wide eyes and breathed heavily. Martha just kept her attention on the manor with her mouth half way open. Before the two could say anything, Martha's door opened slowly.
Martha jumped from her dazed moment in shock and leaned away from the door. Her fear slowly fell away as she saw Zachary at the open door with a grin. His red eyes glowed with a passion as he bowed and held out his right hand. "Welcome."
Martha was reluctant, but she grabbed Zachary's hand. Her eyes wandered as she stepped out into the cold air and tried to keep her distance from Zachary. Once outside, Martha quickly removed her hand and walked away from Zachary. "Thank ... You." She said in a whisper.
Zachary watched her and smiled as he closed the door gently.
Richard opened his car door and stepped out. His eyes darted up to the roof of the museum like home. He walked around with a stumble as he studied the home and passed Martha.
In front of the red wood double doors of the home, which sunk into the house slightly, was a large porch made of white marble and steps made of the same material. Two porch lamps sat in the walls right beside the doors and were made of some sort of faded glass; the lamps were designed to look like two giant rose flowers. Right above the doors, in the center of the wall, sat a human head sized lion's head made of white marble. The face of the lion was calm and looked to be filled with pride.
Richard sighed. "It is beautiful."
Zachary folded his arms behind his back and slowly walked up in between the two dazed guests. "Some have called it Taylor Manor, others have called it the House of Red." He chuckled with a boyish charm. "I call it home." Zachary walked up the marble stairs, his boots tapped on the well-polished rock as he did. He stopped on the third step and turned around to Martha and Richard. "Please, do come in."
Martha slowly walked over to Richard and grabbed his arm. Her eyes narrowed on Zachary, but still had a look of shock in them. "What ... What do you plan on doing with us?"
Zachary smiled and shook his head as he turned around to face his guests and shoved his pale hands into the pockets of his battle torn jacket. "To get you warm and save, dear Martha. I plan on getting you a warm bath, some new clothes and food. Hopefully, you will have some time to sleep before we talk of your situation." His red glowing eyes began to lower and seemed to become like regular eyes with a red tint to them. "I would think both would love that plan."
Richard lowered his gaze from the lion's head over Zachary and blinked at the host. "We ... We have been through a lot, Zachary. There have been many who have lied to us and ... We just want to be careful."
Zachary frowned and nodded. His face was filled with remorse as removed one hand from his coat pocket and placed it over his chest. "I am glad you do have some trust in me. After all, you wouldn't follow a stranger all the way out into the country side of east Texas. I give you my word and my word is my bond. I just want to offer my services."
Martha looked to the house, back to Zachary and then back to the house very quickly before she shook her head. "No, I am not going in there."
"But Martha..." Richard tried to call out.
"No! Can't you see what he is going to do? He is going to turn us in for profit, just like everyone else we have met! Either that or he is going to do much worse. You saw what he did to Selena and Billy!" Martha exclaimed as she tugged on Richard's arm.
Zachary held out his right hand as though he were begging. "Please, do not feel that way. To be fairly honest, you two have not shot at me, which does not call for a fight." He turned to the doors and then back to Richard and Martha with a sad look. "Alright, what if I told the both of you that you can leave. I will give you the keys to the van and off you will go. I will never chase you and I will never appear in your lives again." Like embers in a dying fire, the red eyes in Zachary's skull began to glow red. "Or you can go inside to warmth and comfort, knowing that you will not be harmed and that you will never be hunted again."
Martha darted her eyes at Zachary with anger. "I'm sorry, but in my experience, no one just helps out a total stranger without a selfish agenda."
Zachary smiled. "I have seen this as well in my own experience. Yet, you and I both know ..." With in a flash, Zachary appeared right in front of both Martha and Richard!
Richard leaned back with shock. Martha widened her eyes as Zachary leaned in closer to Martha with a gentle hand in front of her chest, ready to take her’s. His eyes looked into her's with charm in his smile.
"... I am not like most people."
Martha looked at Zachary in shock for a long moment. "Fine ... Fine we will go with you, but I am not touching you." Her voice tried to sound demanding, but it cracked and her face was filled with shock.
Zachary gave her a gentle grin before he disappeared from their faces to appear on the fourth and final step of the marble porch. "Very well, please follow me." He kept his slow stride onto the porch.
Richard turned to Martha who still held onto his arm as if he offered her protection. The two started up the stairs a foot behind Zachary. There was look of childlike fear crossing their faces and at the same time a moment of wonder.
Zachary opened the right side door and held it open for his guests. When he saw the guests were in no hurry to have him follow them, Zachary shrugged without saying a word and stepped into the manor.
Richard looked to his cousin and she did the same before entering the home.
The first room inside the manor was a large hallway; half way up the walls were layers of wood, red oak wood just like the doors outside. Vines and flowers were carved into the wood with a perfection. Above the wood was deep red wall paper with the same design of vines and flowers, only they were not carved but painted a solid gold. Four shelves sat on both sides of the walls, made of the same type of wood. On these shelves were candle holders, layered in gold and had four arms that held four bright red candle sticks that stood tall. Red wax dripped onto small black platforms just under the candle holders. In the center of the hallway, just a few feet away from the front doors, was a long black coffin designed to look old like from an old vampire movie. The lid to this coffin was removed and a soft looking silk cloth lined the entire inside. Piles and piles of red colored glow sticks sat inside the coffin, already lit up.
Right beside the doors, two stair cases on the right of the room and the left of the room curved up just slightly to a small balcony made of red oak wood and in the center of the balcony was another white marble lion head, only this one was snarling at whomever stood in the doorway of the manor. The balcony seemed to hide another set of double doors that sat in the walls on the upper floor.
Richard looked down the hallway and saw that the room was cut off by another set of double doors, only these were painted a deep red. In the center of the red doors was a symbol cut of out a thick dark metal, designed to be handles for the doors and seemed to split in half if both doors were to be opened at the same time. The symbol was round and had a crude cut "V" shaped mouth with two long fangs. Two eyes were cut as strange triangles and two thin eyebrows were cut into the face, one right above the right eye and the other one curved higher over the left one. As Richard stared at the fanged smiley face handles, he could hear the sounds of loud club music beating against the walls.
Zachary walked over to the right stair case, the one closest to him, and started up the stairs. "Please, follow me." His boyish voice chuckled.
Their shoes tapped on the wooden stair case as Richard and Martha followed the man up the stairs. Richard glanced over the stair case only once to stare at the strange coffin filled with glow sticks and listened to the deep beat of the club music against the walls.
Zachary, Richard and Martha walked onto the balcony. Without a word expressed between the three, Zachary opened the two doors and started into the next room.
The next room was almost like another hallway, but it was a large barren room with a black marble floor which was very well polished. Richard glanced down to the floor and could see his reflection in it very well.
To each side of the room were white pillars that rounded into cylinders and had white statues made from the pillar; each statue was of a woman or man hugging the pillar and looking at the strangers as they passed by. Martha almost felt a chill as she studied their eyes watching them as though they were strange creatures.
In the center of the right wall was a black door covered in silver vine designs and swirls. A metal sign over the door said: "Office."
The sound of the club music echoed throughout the barren room as they passed through it. At the end of the room was an open end that spanned the width of the room and Richard and Martha could see into the next room.
Three large steps led down into a red carpeted room. To the right side of the room was a lush red leather couch that was very large and thick; the couch rounded into an almost complete circle, leaving room for an opening pointed directly at them. In the center of the couch was a round glass table that was held up by four red metal legs. On the left side of the room was a baby grand piano, also painted red and a red oak stool sat just underneath the keys. Beside the piano was a gas powered fire place lined with red oak wood which had the same vine carvings. Over the fire place was the fanged smiley face symbol that Richard saw on the red double doors downstairs, only it was painted red and made of thick wood. In the backside of the room, just a little to the left, was a small bar made of red oak and was lit up with strands of LED lights that gave off a red glow. Across from the bar was a pool table that had a red top rather than a green one. A few billiard balls sat scattered on the table alone with two cue sticks painted black with red lining.
A large open doorway in the back wall of the red sitting room led the way to a long red carpeted stair case that went down into a large room that was painted a dim gray and held all sorts of old paintings in the same golden frame. The paintings were unlike anything that Richard or Martha had seen before. Some depicted wars, others were of men and women posing, there were even some of the modern era and more abstract than the others. In between the paintings were four doors on each side of the room, painted black. Hanging on the entire wall at the backside of this room was a fountain formed out of black marble and had red lights glowing from under the water; the water ran down the wall of the fountain and in the center of the water fall was the red fanged smiley face. To each side of the bottom of the stair case sat hallways that led into other areas. Those hallways were left as a mystery to both guests as Zachary stopped in the middle of the art room.
Zachary pointed to the door on his right while he faced both Richard and Martha. "These are our guests’ rooms." He walked over to the door and opened it. "I am sorry for not giving you a tour, but if you decide to stay for a little longer, I would be happy to give one to you."
Richard and Martha followed close behind Zachary into the guest room he choose for them.
The room was massive! It was far larger than any guest room that Richard or Martha had seen before. The walls ran up high and were painted a soft white. Strange abstract paintings sat in plan black frames around the room. In the center of the room was a large king sized bed dressed in white sheets and pillow cases. The bed frame was made of black painted wood. At the end of the bed was a long couch wrapped in white leather. In front of the couch was a small white coffee table which had a black marble center. Across from the couch and bed was another gas powered fire place, but it was not lit. A black painted wood lined the fire place and just above the fire place was a wide panel flat screen television hanging off the wall. Black metal chandlers sat down into the room from the ceiling in pairs of two.
On the back wall of the room, on the other side of the bed, was a tall wardrobe painted white and had black vine designs covering only the doors. Beside the wardrobe was a long make up dresser with a round oval mirror sitting in a black frame. In between the wardrobe and the makeup dresser were two tall windows that were covered with thick white curtains lined at the bottom with black silk. Just a few inches away from the makeup dresser was a tall mini refrigerator painted white and a small black microwave sitting on top.
Zachary stopped by the fire place and clapped his hands. Immediately, the fire place lit up with a strong fire. With a sigh, Zachary walked across the room, just a foot away from the wall that held the mini refrigerator and opened a white door in the wall that held the television. He turned on a light and turned his attention back to both Martha and Richard. "This is your bathroom." He slowly walked to the center of the room, just in front of the couch and looked around the room. "Normally, I would ask if you wanted two separated rooms, but I feel that it would make you feel more comfortable to stay in one, correct?"
Richard looked at Zachary as though he were sleep walking with wide eyes. All he could do was nod. Martha, on the other hand, glanced around the room in amazement.
"This is incredible, Zachary." Martha said as she looked up at the chandlers, which she noticed had lights designed like white candles.
Zachary chuckled. "I agree." He turned to point at the wardrobe. "You will find bath robes for both woman and man along with slippers. Normally, our guests bring clothing, but I am certain I can arrange you to have some new clothes by the end of the hour." He turned back to Martha and Richard to walk closer to them. "Unfortunately, the refrigerator does not have any food in it, but I will arrange you a meal." He paused and glanced only for a few seconds to the television. "We have satellite out here. We also have wireless internet. Are you in need of a computer? Do you also need to make phone calls, because I can arrange for all of that."
Martha shook her head. "Not that I can think of at the moment."
Zachary nodded and walked past the two to the door. Before he reached the door, he turned around very quickly with a concerned look in his eyes. "I will have to tell you, the windows are barred and made of bullet proof glass, for reasons I will explain later. I will have to lock this door behind me, not only keep you here but to keep you safe."
Martha began to show signs of anger in her face. "I see."
Zachary held out both his hands and smiled with assurance. "It is only during this time of confusion. Once we get to know each other, I am sure that door will remain open."
Richard stepped forward out of his daze. "What of Billy and Selena?"
Zachary nodded and lowered his hands. "Please, do not worry about them. I will see to it that they get a fair trial."
Martha folded her arms over her chest. "As usual, the police will be informed."
Zachary studied Martha for a moment and shook his head. "On the contrary, I do not feel comfortable informing my friends at the police station about a maniac with a gun and telepath willing to kill anyone in their way." He smiled. "Please, clean yourselves and rest. I will find some food and clothing for the both of you."
The young host turned and left through the door. The last sound Martha and Richard heard was a key locking the door to their comfortable prison.
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