SuperWhoLock: When the Shadows Rage

Episode 5: Consultation with a Vampire part 3

"Welcome to our home, Mr. Holmes," a voice said from the gloom of the barn.

John looked up, squinting. As his eyes adjusted, he began to make out the shapes in the interior of the barn.

A couple of couches and chairs sat in the middle of the open building. One man lounged on the couch facing the door, his feet propped up on a bloodstained coffee table.

John eyed him. The man seemed to be of average height, somewhere in his late thirties. He stood and stepped over to the coffee table, coming to just out of arm's reach, his face set in a carefully detached expression that eerily mirrored the detective's own.

"So you were expecting us," Sherlock said. "I wondered. The barn looked much too maintained for the house, though I admire your effort to make it look abandoned."

"Can't fool you, can we?"

"Everyone who has ever tried it is dead, so no, I can't imagine it would be healthy."

The man burst out laughing, making John jump.

"Desmond," he said.

Their captor stepped around them, circling with his gun still trained on John's chest as he stepped up beside the blond.

The blond smacked Desmond's gun hand. "They're guests, Des. No need for that. You're not going to leave, are you, Mr. Holmes?"

Sherlock arched an eyebrow, then deliberately stepped past the two and seated himself on one of the armchairs, lounging back in it as casually as if he was in his own chair at the flat.

"Sherlock!" John hissed, glancing over his shoulder at the open door. What was he doing? Of all the idiotic things...

"Come, Mr. Watson." The blond gestured to the armchair beside Sherlock's. "Don't be rude."

Clenching his hands, John sat down.

"Everyone!" Desmond shouted. "Come on out and meet our guests!"

Something rustled overhead, and John looked up, hunching his shoulders. Eyes gleamed in the darkness of the rafters, then a shape dropped down, landing in a near-silent crouch.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four more followed the first, landing all around them in a circle. John swallowed hard, glanced over at Sherlock. For a brief second, something flickered in the detective's eyes.

Then it was gone.

The five newcomers stood in a circle around them. They all looked human, just like Desmond and the blond man, but their preternatural stillness, plus the agility they'd displayed in dropping down from the rafters, sent a chill up John's spine.

"Very cute," Sherlock commented as the blond took a seat on the couch.

"Yes, well, just to remind you of what you're dealing with. My name's Ray, by the way." The blond nodded to the woman standing close to him. "This is Lila, my wife."

Early thirties, brown hair, nice figure. Must spend a lot of time in the gym, John thought. Then, Really? These people live in an abandoned barn! They're not ordinary people like my neighbors and fellow shoppers!

"James." Ray gestured to one of the other men. "Why don't you find our guests a drink. What do we have in stock?"

"No, thank you," Sherlock interrupted. "I think we'd both prefer to get to business."

Ray tilted his head to the side, then nodded. "All right. To business." He glanced over at Lila, then patted the seat beside him. As she came to sit down, Ray leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands clasped in front of him. "What do you wish to know?"