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NocturnalBy KC LewisBalboa PressCopyright © 2017 KC LewisAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-5043-7532-0CHAPTER 1Two months to the day of her husband's death, Casey decided she needed to get out of the house. She had been alienated long enough, not just from her friends, but from people in general. While driving around, she passed by the bar that she and Markus, her husband of seven years, had frequented during their marriage. She didn't know why, but there was something that was pulling her towards the bar, and she steered into the parking lot.It had been at least a year since she had been to the bar but Casey knew she would still run into some of their friends, and would have to explain what happened to Markus.However, what she didn't know was, what else the night had in store for her.Casey pulled up in front of the bar that was newly renamed Nocturnal. There was nothing around but cars; other businesses were at least five miles away. It was one of the few areas that hadn't been built up over the years. She sat in her car trying to get herself in the mental perspective to go inside and see her friends, when this nervous sensation came over her. It wasn't a scared emotion, but a sense of something was going to happen, a mixed emotion of good and bad. In the last two months she had learned to listen to these feelings.She pondered whether she was going in at all when she started reminiscing about Markus and the times they had together at the bar. She thought about beating him in pool, having small arguments about who was paying the bill or who was driving home, and the romantic times when they had slow danced on the dance floor or by the pool table. When she came back to reality, she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped the tear away, started her car, and was shutting the door to leave when a voice came from the shadows. "Hey stranger, you going to stay in your car all night, or are you going to come and give me hug?"Casey looked up and saw a short, older looking man strolling towards her car. When she cleared her vision again, she realized it was Charlie.Charlie was dressed in black jeans and a white, buttoned down shirt with a black leather jacket. This was his normal bar attire for the four years that she had known him. There was something different about him now; however, she couldn't put her finger on it. Charlie was five foot six inches and in his early fifties. His hair was black with a little gray above his ears. He had watched over Casey a few times that Markus hadn't come to the bar, on Markus's request.He didn't give Casey anytime to answer his first question and jokingly asked, "Where's your better half?" Casey knew she was going to have to deal with this sooner or later, but now she wished it was later and she had stayed home. She took a deep breath and said. "There's no easy way to say this." She paused for a second and then closed her eyes and said, "Markus passed away last November in a car accident."Charlie just stood there, stunned, looking at her.She opened her eyes and continued, "He was on his way home from work when he lost control of his car. They said he died instantly."Charlie gracefully pulled her out of the car into his arms and gave her a hug, which did nothing but make her cry harder. When she was done having her mini breakdown she pulled away and noticed that Charlie had a handkerchief, which older men always seem to carry, she gave a little chuckle, as he reached up and wiped her tears.Casey was five foot four inches but always wore a pair of black platform boots. These zipped all the way to her knees and made her at least five foot ten, if not more. Tonight, she wore a pair of flared jeans, a plain, dark blue shirt that showed a little of her stomach, and a leather jacket that came to her waist. She had fixed her hair down tonight instead of up like normal, just trying for a change. Her hair was a shoulder-length, fiery red with some waves, not too straight but yet not too curly. Her blue-green eyes, tonight were more grayish blue, were brought out by the dark shirt that made her skin look even more pale than normal. She was average build for her height but was nicely blessed in the chest area.Casey was always amazed at how many guys would talk to her, or look at her, because she had never thought of herself as pretty.Charlie had always been a father figure to Casey, and now he was definitely playing the part. She was a strong person, but she didn't mind him taking care of her at this moment. Her parents didn't care too much for Markus, and they saw the accident as a blessing in disguise. There was no consoling from the parental units on this subject. Casey looked down at Charlie and said, "Thank you."Charlie felt the same way that her parents did, but had never shared his true feelings to Casey. He just shrugged his shoulders and with a smirk said, "No problem, little lady."Once Casey got her wits about her, and with some persuading from Charlie, which meant the drinks were on him and he wouldn't leave her side, she turned off the car, and they both walked arm and arm together towards the entrance.CHAPTER 2Casey and Charlie maneuvered their way through the sea of cars and were about twenty feet from the door, when Casey stopped with this look of awe on her face. The name of the bar, Nocturnal, was done in capital letters in blood red florescent lights, set in the middle of a full moon, with white and blue clouds around the outer part, also done in florescent bulbs.She looked at Charlie. "That is, umm ... that's positively spooky.""A lot of things have changed since you have been ... away. Some things are going to be hard to explain or even believe. How long has it been since you've been here? At least a year, right?"Casey nodded and cautiously asked, "Why do you have that look on your face? What could have happened in a year?"When he didn't answer, she sighed and started walking to the door while saying, "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."Before she could get too far, though, Charlie grabbed her arm and flung her around to face him. "I need to tell you something before we go in.""Why are you being weird right now? If you know something just tell me."With the facial expression of scorn on his face, like you would have with a child who was pushing your buttons, Charlie took her to the side of a huge, white, jacked up four by four to have privacy."When I told you a lot of things have changed, I mean a lot, and it started just after the new owners took over this place."Casey started to say something, but Charlie cut her off. "Joe had to sell the bar because of problems with the law. The only people, and I use that term loosely, that were interested in buying the bar was a couple from North Carolina. They seemed nice at first, but then unexplainable things started to happen. There are a select few that think this couple scared off other potential buyers."Casey looked at him confused and then giggled. "Charlie, are you trying to say the mob took over the bar?"Charlie laughed and then a seriousness went over him as he said, "You are truly naive about what has been going on this last year with the world. To answer your question, no, the mob hasn't taken over the bar; however, who has, is odder."Casey was starting to get a little impatient. She said sternly, "Charlie you're beating around the bush. Just tell me what you have to say so we can go inside. It's getting a little cold out here."Charlie shrugged. "Fine. What I'm going to say isn't easy, and you're not going to believe me at first. That's why I'm going to also let you see for yourself."Casey waved her arms in a hurry up motion."Ok, here goes. Do you still like reading about eerie stuff like vampires and witchcraft?""What does that have to do with anything?""Shut up, I'm trying to tell you. Do you still like those sorts of things?""Yes, I do. Why?""Because that's what you're walking into. This bar is now owned by vampires."Casey looked amused. She couldn't think of anything to say because she thought it was a joke. After a couple of minutes, she opened her mouth to speak but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a person walk out of the bar, look around, and then float into the sky and into the woods. Casey looked around, but nobody else saw this but them. She knew now why the vampires would pick this bar because it was in the middle of nowhere. Charlie was not joking around.When Casey turned back around to look at Charlie, he smiled, took his finger, and closed her mouth shut. "If you leave that open you are going to catch a fly." They both laughed.Casey got just a bit excited; she had always wished for that sort of world to exist. Now that it was true, she didn't know how to react or what to make of it.After Charlie got Casey calmed down, he finished explaining a couple things. "This is very serious, Casey, and you can't go in there all excited. They'll be aware that you aren't one of them. There are mostly humans in the bar, and only a few of them know about the owners being vampires and they want to keep it that way. I know you'll be able to tell a vampire from human because of the special ability you have."Casey gave him a surprised look, but he continued, "However, some vampires will be able to perceive this special ability and that you're different from that of a normal human, just as I have sensed. They will be attracted to that power. If you stay with me, you'll be fine."Casey gave Charlie a serious look. "I thought there was something different about you, but I couldn't put my finger on it. When did they change you?" "About seven months ago, a couple months after they took over the bar. I'm ok with this Casey, I wanted too. These vampires are different, they won't change you unless you give them permission."Casey laughed. "In that case, do I need a sign on my back that says no means no."Charlie chuckled. "No. As long as you come in with me, and let me introduce you to some important people you will be fine."As they were walking to the door Casey asked, "If they want to keep themselves on the down low. What is with the bright ass sign?"Charlie chuckled. "Well, that's where your special ability comes in. Only supernatural people can see it that way."Casey had a big grin on her face as they made their way to the door.CHAPTER 3As the bar door opened a wave of loud music hit Charlie and Casey. She followed him inside and at first only saw two females dancing in cages, one on each side of the door.Charlie stopped, turned around, looked at Casey, and asked, "What do you think?"Casey came out of what looked like a cage that surrounded the door, and looked to the left. She saw a DJ booth and as she spanned to the right a door, that she guessed still went outside to the patio. A large dance floor was to the right of the door, which, covered the whole side of the bar. There was a wooden rail around the sides, minus some spaces to walk through. Stools lined the rail, for people to sit and watch the other patrons on the dance floor, and a mirror on the wall that went the length of the bar. She kept spanning to the right towards the middle of the bar, where she saw booths with both sides open, for eating or just sitting and watching the band that was on stage. The stage was at the back of the dance floor and was the same width of the floor and the booth area. Beside the stage was a hallway to the bathrooms, which also led to the basement and the back door. By the hallway was the office and in the back corner was the kitchen. In the middle of the room was a boxed shaped bar, so you could access it from all sides. There were three bartenders on duty, but probably should have been at least two more for as busy as they were. To the right of the bar, there were booths positioned just like the other side, with six pool tables and six dart boards beside them. Tall tables were aligned by the walls for people to sit while they played their games.Casey turned and looked at Charlie. "This is amazing. I don't remember it being this big."Charlie laughed and replied, "The owners, thought the place was too small to begin with, so they did some redecorating and adding on."They started walking to the right of the bar by the pool tables. When they finally made their way through the numerous amount of people, at the last pool table someone caught Casey's eye.There was a guy playing pool that had stopped, and was staring at her while she walked by, and no matter how much eye contact she made he wouldn't look away. He was just down right gorgeous and he knew it.He looked like he was about five foot eleven, with dark brown hair, and a mustache that met with his goatee on the sides. He had broad shoulders that led down to a slim waist. He was dressed in a black Harley Davidson short sleeve shirt and blue jeans. His belt buckle was a confederate flag plated on a silver backing and wore black boots. His hat was turned around backwards, which brought out his beautiful blue eyes. He was very sure of himself in an arrogant way.Charlie stopped, turned around and saw Casey wasn't there and walked back to her. "Do you need my hanky to wipe the drool off your lip?"Casey turned, looked at Charlie and smiled, then lightly punched him on his shoulder."No really, I have a camera if you want to take a picture. It would last longer."Casey made a fist and shook it at Charlie, but before he could pull her towards the office she turned around to get one more look, but the guy wasn't there. She turned back around to face Charlie and before she could even ask he said, "Michael, his name is Michael."And with that she was lightly pulled into the office to meet the new vampire owners of the bar.The office was a pretty decent size. There were a few pictures along the walls and the ABC license. On another wall sat a black leather couch and a desk, but other than that it was plain. The white walls made the room feel very bright and that seemed odd, considering who the owners were.Charlie and Casey sat down on the black leather couch across from a door. Before she could ask where it led, the door opened and a man and a woman came out.Charlie got up and said, "Marissa and Jeremy, this is Casey. She was one of the regulars that I told you about."Casey got up, shook Jeremy's hand, and had a feeling that she had seen them from somewhere before. She shrugged it off for the moment, but wouldn't forget completely.Jeremy was six foot four and had light brown hair. His eyes were a piercing pale blue and went well with his skin color. He wasn't too pale for a vampire; in fact he had somewhat of a tan. He was wearing a black suit with a burgundy shirt. He seemed to be very simply dressed against Marissa.Marissa was about five foot four give an inch or two because she was in heels. She had blonde hair and the blue eyes to match. Her pants outfit was black with a lot of colorful sequins on it.She seemed very nice but when Casey tried to pull away from her handshake, she pulled her closer and said, "There's something about you ... some sort of power, but I can't read you for some reason."Casey pulled her hand out of Marissa's grasp and stumbled back to the couch beside Charlie.Marissa shrugged her shoulders and walked to the desk to sit down.Charlie started the conversation off by saying, "Casey knows what we are and our secret is safe with her."Jeremy replied, "We told you, we trust who you trust Charlie, because of our history whether it be short or not, just remember our rule that any human that tells our secret, will be dealt with.Charlie just looked at him and nodded.Marissa piped up and said, "That's not the only reason you wanted to meet with us. What else is there?""I would like your word that nothing supernatural will happen to her unless she wants it too and to introduce her to some of the others."Marissa was getting ready to say something and Jeremy put his hand on hers and said, "You have our word. You may introduce her to the others, however, Bernie's the only one here tonight.""Thank you, it would really mean a lot to us."Casey looked at Charlie and mouthed the word "us".Charlie smiled, got up and Casey followed suit. Casey turned around and said, "It was nice to meet you two."Jeremy and Marissa smiled and nodded.As Casey went to close the door she heard Jeremy say, "I didn't want you to burn bridges my dear. Remember, the oracle said she is going to be a great asset in the near future."Casey ignored it, she really didn't want to get into a deep conversation with the owners, much less vampires tonight, but again she would not forget what she heard. The way Casey sees it, ignorance is bliss. (Continues...)Excerpted from Nocturnal by KC Lewis. Copyright © 2017 KC Lewis. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
