Suffering

The rain pelted us as we ran. The footsteps behind us slowly started to fade the closer we got to the city. We were almost to the city when Thackery stopped. He and Tine glanced franticly in all directions. I could feel calm wash over me. Mell took Thackery’s hand and made him look at her.

“There’s no other way,” she whispered. Thackery’s fangs started to drop.

“What’s going on?” Tiffany ask. As if in response, hooded figures appeared from every direction. I never even heard them approach. I could feel my fangs extend. Everyone had fangs exposed except Mell. She had never looked up from Thackery’s eyes.

I glanced at the figures around us. No less than sixty. Possibly seventy. They hadn’t attacked yet. I couldn’t figure out why. Then I felt another wave of calm wash over me. So that was the reason. Mell kept them calm. They felt no need to attack. Not yet anyway. I looked back at Mell and Thackery. Thackery’s fangs had retracted. He closed his eyes and kissed Mell passionately on the lips. Then he pulled a small dagger out of his pocket and handed it to her. They both stepped back and sat down in the center of the small circle that we had formed. Tine looked at them incredulously. They crossed their legs and closed their eyes. The way they sat with their hands together reminded me of monks praying.

A flash of crimson lightning streaked across the black sky followed by a great clap of thunder. The figures looked up at the sound then back at the two in the center. A strong wave of calm washed over the gathering. Electricity seemed to charge the air. That’s when I realized that the pair had started to glow. They had an electric blue aura around them. The charge seemed to be emitting from this mysterious light. The wind suddenly picked up, whipping our hair around and causing cloaks to swish spastically. The entities started to advance, despite Mell’s calming ability.

I tore my eyes away from the two to check Tine’s reaction. She stared at them, just as lost as the rest of us. When I looked back, Mell had placed her hand in Thackery’s and held the dagger over them. Thackery moved his hand and started to make strange hand signs while he muttered quietly. The wind and rain started to roar ferociously. Lightning flashed while thunder crashed. The strange energy radiating from the couple was almost tangible.

Several things happened simultaneously. The creatures all lunged as a crimson streak of lightning struck the two in the center when their eyes opened. Things seemed to move in extra slow motion. Thackery and Mell’s eyes were solid blue and sparks flew from them. The dagger in Mell’s hand plunged into her outstretched palm. A single drop of blood dropped to the ground. As soon as it made contact, the ground seemed to evaporate from underneath my feet.

The air deserted my lungs as I was sucked through a void. The wind roared in my ears. The ground suddenly reasserted itself under my feet, but instead of the soft grass there was the familiar solidity of concrete. I was aware of people breathing heavily. I opened my eyes and found that we were in a basement. The walls were lined with wood crates and boxes. Two sets of stairs exited the basement on opposite walls. The room was well lit. Everyone stood in exactly the same spot that they had in the forest, each with a bemused expression. Mell pulled the blade out of her hand without so much as a wince. She cleaned off the blood and gave it back to Thackery. He slid it into his pocket once again and then tended to Mell’s hand. It had already started to heal. When he finished cleaning the blood off her hand he kissed the spot where there had once been a hole.

The rest of us stood in silence as they worked. Tine was the first to find her voice.

“Would either of you like to explain what just happened?” she ask in a horse whisper. Before either could answer, footsteps came down the stairs. I turned and saw a huge man approach us. He was about six foot five and all muscle. This guy was massive. He had pale skin and blue eyes. His black Tap Out shirt seemed to strain to keep from shredding. He wore baggy jeans and black combat boots. His unkempt brown hair was almost touching his shoulders. He moved with confidence, almost daring anyone to try something. He looked at our small gathering and smiled.

“Took ya long enough,” he said in a deep booming voice. He had a thick southern accent. Thackery laughed and they grasp each others forearms.

“It’s good to see you again, old friend.” Thackery looked at us. “This is Chris; he’s a friend of mine. He knows weapons.”

“Everything ‘bout anything. Knives, swords, guns, bows, you name it. I’m the weapons expert. Ain’t no one better,” he said proudly. “I even got a few spells, but that’s for special customers only.”

“You remember my wife, Mell. That is my sister Tine and her friend Tiffany,” Thackery introduced, pointing out each. He looked at me and smiled. “This is Jacob. He’s new to the vampire world.”

Chris walked over and I grasped forearms with him. “Nice of you to join our little family,” he said politely. He had a very strong grip. He turned back to Thackery. “So I take it the spell works?”

“Yes. It’s a good thing too, or else we all would be dead now. Sixty-six Legion Hunters. Just one of them could take out no less than thirty well trained Blood Vampires,” Thackery informed.

Chris blew out a low whistle. “So many? For just five? Even with you and Mell, that’s overkill. ‘T’s a really good thing ya’ll came by ‘fore headin’ over there.”

“Thank you again Chris,” Mell thanked.

He dipped his head. “No problem ma’am. I’m jus’ glad it worked. I’d hate to lose such a lovely friend as yourself.”

More footsteps came down the stairs. A woman with long curly blackish-brown hair came in and stopped on the bottom step. “Hun, we have a lot of people up there. You’re needed,” she spoke in a soft voice, almost a whisper.

“Ok, I’ll be there in a minute. First I want you to meet some friends of mine. This is Thackery and his wife Mell. That’s Tine, Thackery’s sister, her friend Tiffany, and Jacob. Everyone this is my wife Natalie,” he said beaming. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I got a store to run. Thackery, you know your way around. You’re welcome to the guest rooms upstairs. I’ll talk with ya’ll later.” He turned and followed Natalie out of the door.

Tine looked at Thackery. “So when were you planning on telling us any of this?”

“When the time was needed, which was then,” he replied simply. “Well, come on, let’s get settled in.” He took Mell’s hand and headed up the steps across from the ones Chris had just went through. Tine shook her head and followed. Tiffany and I glanced at each other then followed.

Thackery led us into a small beige hallway. Lamps lined the walls and gave the place an eerie glow. We ascended a staircase and entered the second floor of the building. Thackery opened a door and let us enter first. We stood in a small living room. A midnight blue couch sat against a navy blue wall while four midnight blue recliners circled a glass coffee table in front of the couch. A fire crackled in the brick fireplace on the opposite wall. A small bar separated the living room from the kitchen. Another hallway led off to the rooms.

“Well, have a seat,” Thackery said as he walked over to one of the recliners and sat down. Mell followed and sat in his lap. Tine had a half angry expression. I guessed it was because her brother had kept this from her. She sat on the couch and glared at him. Tiffany sat on the other side of the couch, so I sat in one of the recliners. I didn’t want to sit between the two girls, especially not with Tine like she was.

“Mell?” I ask.

She looked over at me and smiled. “Yes?”

“How can you take so much pain without flinching?” It wasn’t the question I had meant to ask, but it was something that I was curious about.

She laughed and smiled politely. “You are new to this, aren’t you? Most vampires can take an immense amount of pain. Although I can take a lot more than most others. It’s all due to my upbringing. I went through a lot of suffering. Well since you brought it up, I might as well tell you my story.

“I was born in 1772, in Augusta, Georgia. My parents were very strict. If I did something wrong, I was punished. Severely. Usually I was beaten. As I got older the beatings got worse. What they didn’t foresee was the fact that I was becoming numb to their punishments. I would defy them, I would get beaten, I wouldn’t shed a tear. The more they beat me, the more I resented them. When I was fourteen I ran away. I met a man named Herald. He took me in and taught me how to fight and defend myself. I could take on three to four muggers and win.

“When I was about eighteen, a group of drunk idiots saw me walking down the street. They decided that I would be a good toy. There were nine of them. Even drunk, they were strong. I managed to take down six of them before one managed to strike me in the back of the head with a weapon of some kind. When I awoke, I knew they hadn’t used me the way they had intended. They decided to just beat my unconscious body till they passed out. A few ribs were broken and my left arm. I was bruised and bloody. Barely able to stand, I stumbled my way to Heralds place. It took almost a full year for my wounds to heal. Herald died a year after the incident. Poison. I had been searching for his murderers for a whole year.

“I was walking through the forest one night when I came across a man assaulting a woman. He had her pressed against a tree and was biting her neck. Blood ran down from his mouth. I immediately stepped in. He snapped the girls neck before I could stop him. He was tall and blond. His violet eyes stood out against his black clothes. He was very fast, but he didn’t know the slightest thing about fighting. I held my own against him for a while, but I was starting to get tired. He got bored of his game and decided to end it. He moved faster than I could see. The next thing I knew, my legs were snapped and I crumpled to the ground. Exhausted and injured, he thought I would be an easy meal. He didn’t know that I had a blade in my boot. With the odd angle that my leg was in, it was easy to get it without him noticing. He had leaned in to bite me but I shoved the knife into his heart. Outraged, he withdrew the knife and cut my throat. He ended up turning to ash before he could finish me. I was sure I was going to die, but Thackery found me.”

“One look into her mind and I fell in love. I saw everything that had happened. She was beautiful, even broken and bleeding. I knew I had to make a choice fast. She was losing so much blood. I took her in my arms and changed her myself. I could only hope that she wouldn’t choose to leave me,” Thackery explained.

“Of course, how could I leave the perfect guy? After the pain finally stopped, I realized that all my wounds were healed. It took almost all night. I was still exhausted, so Thackery carried me to a small cabin and let me rest. I knew I was safe with him. I refused to leave his arms the entire time. So he held me while I slept. The next night he explained what he was, what I now was, and he gave me the option of going on my own.” Mell smiled and kissed Thackery. “I couldn’t imagine leaving his side,” she whispered passionately.

“So now you know,” she said, looking back at me. “Does that answer your question?”

Just then Chris and Natalie walked in. Chris smiled sat in one of the other recliners. Natalie sat in his lap like Mell and Thackery.

“Everyone relaxin‘?” Chris ask.

“Yes, thank you,” Thackery answered. “It’s nice to be able to relax and not worry about demons attacking.”

“It’s a nice place you have here,” Tiffany complemented.

Chris laughed. “’T’s not much, but its home.”

“Ok everyone, rest up. We have a long road ahead of us,” Thackery informed.

“One last question,” I said. “Where exactly are we?”

Chris laughed. “You're in Carbon Hill, Alabama.”