Nightmare [part2]

 

Chapter II

                                           Nightmare

                    [part2]

 

Lucien was silent; his eyes to the ground feeling even worse than before. Had he known, he wouldn’t have done anything to make her think he would abuse her in anyway. “What happened to Savaric?”

“She’s still alive, isn’t she?” was all Gabriel said.

Lucien felt his heart drop. Yumah’s tormentor was still out there. “Does he know she is alive?”

“Unfortunately, yes. You see, while she was being treated she had cut herself outside playing with the dog Adien had. We did not realize he could find her from that small amount of blood until he showed up in her room one night. We managed to fight him off and we high tailed it out of there. I had heard of a place where ‘living’ vampires could be safe from the ‘dead’ ones. We are living so we could get through the Gateway into the city. Thus, here we are.”

“But what about Adien?”

“He is staying elsewhere, in another city like this. In case something were to happen here, we have a place to go. Vice versa for him.” Gabriel looked to Lucien. “Do you see how much we need you now? It is because of one person’s mistake we all must suffer the eternal damnation. You are the only one who could change all that.”

Lucien was swamped with guilt for not wanting to help these people whom he now belonged. “Who was the one who started it all?”

“Alaric Walker. He was a wicked man, Lucien. A murderer. He loved to torture women just to see blood on their skin. Some say he would drink the blood they shed. I don’t believe it. I think it started after he made a deal with the devil. Walker purposed that if he could suck blood, he would do everything he wished. The devil decided to give Walker the power to suck blood with fangs we now all carry. But in exchange, he would give him the ability to create venom that would change other to the same as he. Walker would have to inject people, those who where venomous would be damned to hell.

‘ Well, Walker didn’t care what the stakes were. So he agreed. So now we all have his venom in our veins. Binding us to his contract. But then God made a prophecy for us. A way to be with him, just like mortals. You. You are an angel, bound to God, but a vampire, bound to the devil himself. You are to do great things like no other, Lucien. You will cause war among the saved and the damned. You will save these cities.”

“And what if Alaric Walker comes after me?  Or I get killed? Then what?” Lucien had begun pacing a while ago, but stopped at this.

“Well if that happens you’ll know before me.” Gabriel turned his head to the house and stared a minute. Then he turned to Lucien, “Victoria tells me she’ll be fine....and she wants to talk to you later.”

“The red-haired woman? That’s her name?”

“Yes, my wife’s name is Victoria. Why?” Gabriel’s eyes became cold.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“Well in that case, let’s go. You have much to learn and we have lost enough time.” Gabriel saw3 Lucien’s face, “Yumah’s not good at holding grudges, unless you’re Savaric, in that case, she’ll kill you. Look just talk to her.  She understands a lot of things.”

Lucien followed Gabriel, “What about my shirt?”

Gabriel laughed, “Looks like you’re stuck without one.”

Gabriel had taken Lucien to the same spot in the woods as last time All Lucien did was think about Yumah, making himself feel worse and worse.

 Gabriel became fed up with it. “Will you stop it. You’re giving me a head ache!  Didn’t I already say she will understand or did I skip that part?”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t get it out of my head.”

 Gabriel smacked Lucien in the back of the head, “How about now?”

“No!”

Gabriel hit him again, “Now?”

“It didn’t help the first time!”

Gabriel swung at him a third time with his left hand, but Lucien dodged, so Gabriel hit him with his right, “Answer wisely me boy.”

“Will you cut it out!”  He began to rub the back of his head.

“I will stop hitting you, once you focus. I can’t help you if you’re of day dreaming about something you’ll fix later! You’re going to learn to hunt to day. It’s vary crucial you know how. It’s the only way you can survive.”

“Alright, what do I do now?”

“I’ll start you off on something easy.” Gabriel pointed to the base of a tree, “See the squirrel?  You must be silent to sneak up and catch it, when you do, bite it immediately or else you’ll get rabies and I’ll have to teach you how to get it out of your system.” He looked to Lucien, “Well go.”

“A squirrel. Are you crazy! You suck its blood!”  He glared at Gabriel.

“Believe me, I have! It’s quite satisfying actually.” He gave him a shove and said, “Go!”

Lucien crouched low to the ground and made his way to the squirrel. He let his predator instincts take over. He was but a couple feet away from his prey. The squirrel jumped onto a tree and started to climb. Lucien sprang from the ground and grabbed the rodent, snapping its neck and sinking in his fang and draining it of blood. He then tossed the corpse aside, feeling like an idiot.

“Are you happy now? I killed the squirrel.”

Gabriel shook his head in approval, “Yes! Nicely done too. Now, if that were, say, a mortal or another vampire, all you would have to do, is the same thing you did to Yumah, memorize  them with you dazzling eyes, and they’re  yours.”

Lucien sighed. Yumah. His chest felt light and tingly just thinking about her. Gabriel saw he face. “Go and make things right with you lover, I’ll just make you work harder tomorrow.”  Gabriel started to vanish once again.

“You have to teach me to do that,” said Lucien and Gabriel’s laugh echoed.

Lucien began to run throughout the woods toward home. His head raced with what his was going to say to her. He knew he would immediately start with ‘I’m sorry’. But then what? Where would he go from there?   Maybe he would let her say something and go from there. That would work.

When he came to the front of the house, the red-haired women, Victoria, stood there waiting. When he caught his breath she walked to him and place her hand on his shoulder. “Be patient with her, she need time.” Then she walk passed him and disappeared, just like Gabriel had.     

He walked the rest of the way to the door and went in. When he shut the door, he heard Yumah’s heartbeat. With it he could find her anywhere in the house. But instead of finding her, he went to his room on the next floor.

He yanked open his closet door and pulled out a shirt. It was red. He carried it over to his desk, and pulled out the scissors from the drawer. He held up the shirt and made slits in the back for his wings. Then he threw it over his head and fitted his wings through the holes. Then left and went down stairs. He followed the sound of her faint, but steady heartbeat. Leading him through hall after hall.

Then he came to a room with no door, but an arch way. And inside, was Yumah.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he walked to an armchair opposite Yumah on the couch, stretching out his wings that were  she from being folded to his back , “ I didn’t know. If I did, I would have-”

She held up a hand to stop him, “Don’t worry, you just moved too fast for me. But thank you for being concerned.” She blushed and looked to the floor, tears formed in her eyes. “I just-”

“Gabriel told me. I should have learned more about you, I just don’t know what came over me. Normally I don’t act on impulse, I couldn’t help it.” Lucien but his head in his hands and swore to himself. They sat there in an awkward silence, just listening to a heartbeat, neither know who’s it was.

Lucien began moving his wings around, they had become restless from no movement. He tilted his head to the side to watch one. The white feathers swaying from the light breeze.

“Can you fly yet?”

Lucien snapped out of his own trance and looked at Yumah confused, then he answered, “No, the only thing I can do is catch a squirrel.”

“He made you catch one too?” she smiled.

A faint jingling sound came from far off and was getting louder. A kitten poked its black head around the corner licking its white mustache. It gave a high pitched meow and ran toward Lucien, sliding along the wood floor as it did. Tt jumped and attached itself to his left wing and started growling.

“Rath! Let go,” shouted Yumah.

Rath didn’t let go, so Lucien bent his wing toward him and plucked him off. Rath continued to growl, squirming as he did so. Lucien cocked his head to the side and stared at the animal. Rath became silent and did the same with his head and began to purr. 

“Yay, now he won’t bother me.” Yumah left the room.

Lucien looked at the kitten in his hands, “Why does she call you Rath?”  He scratched it’s ear. He got up with cat in hand and went for the grand stair case. I thought grand stair cases were in the front of the house, not the center, he thought. He leaned over the rail again. I wonder what’s down there. He dismissed the idea and pressed on.

He found his door and went in, dropping the cat to the floor as he shut the door. Rath ran for the bed and made himself comfy on the pillow. Lucien went to the window and opened it. The sun would rise soon for the sky was a dark pink. He shut it, blocking out any light that sun could produce.

He went to his bed and looked at it. The one side was against a wall, not enough room. He moved the stand to the wall on the other side of the room. Then placed his hands under the frame of the bed and pulled it out to the center of the room. Rath didn’t seem to notice.

Lucien placed his head on the pillow next to Rath. Rath opened an eye to look at him, licked him once, and then snuggled into the pillow again. Purring away his little lungs. Lucien smiled then turned to his stomach, relaxing his wings and resting his head on his arms and sighed. Sleep was shouting at him for obedience, but he didn’t want to sleep, he wanted to do something, but wasn’t sure what. He didn’t feel like fighting so he gave in, clam surrounding him.

  ~   ~         ~

Darkness was every where along with a eerie silence. Then a scream pierced it. The scream was familiar, but distant.  Lost in the dark. Blood. Suddenly covering everything. The floor, the walls with their chains. A broken light flickered.  Then black again. Silence was broken once again by a heartbeat. Beating loud and strong.  The steady rhythm sped up. Faster and faster. Another scream., and still the beats sped up. Black still surrounding everything. Then a girl sprawled out on the floor. She is soaked in blood, her hair and back. She was motionless. Foot steps echoed the room. The girl jerked her head up. Blood streaked her face, smeared from tears. The rhythm got faster still.  A shadowy figure  appeared, knife in hand. Vision went black again.

The heartbeat still continued, cries of pain coming from nowhere. Louder with every pulse. Tile floor smeared in blood flash up from the darkness. Some one said, “God help me.” A door slid shut. The heartbeat slowed. It became distant. Then silence was there again. The girl’s body flashed up for a second. Colored in black, blue, and red. Her eyes held terror, still and wide open. She was dead.

Lucien sat up gasping for air. His heart was beating out of his chest, and he had started a cold sweat. He brought his arm to his face to wipe sweat from his face. He looked to his left. Next to him, was the girl’s body. Her eyes, seeking revenge, staring right at him.

Again, Lucien jerked up from the bed, flying onto the floor. He quickly picked himself up to his feet and looked at the bed. The only thing on it was Rath looking confused. “Damn,” he mumbled, “double dream.”

He returned to the bed and sat down, trying to catch his breath. He pet Rath to relax him to insure nothing was wrong. He looked to the clock, 3:oo p.m. He had 4 or so more hours till he could leave. He sighed and returned his head to the pillow. His wings spread out, tips of some feathers touching the floor.

  Lucien, it was Yumah talking on their mental path, what is wrong? Why are you not sleeping?

I had a dream that scared the living hell out me, nothing to get upset about.

If you say so...

There was silence once more. Rath had stopped purring from falling asleep. He would gladly of joined Rath but was afraid of what his mind might wonder off to. A few moments passed and unfortunately, his mind had gone to the one thing he wanted to avoid. The silence had become irritating.

Yumah, he paused a minute, what happened to them?

Who?

Derk and Kevin.

There was no response.

Yumah! I need to know!

Gabriel took care of them! That’s all you need to know, that and the fact they can’t hurt any one else. There was another long pause. Didn’t you know how they treat women?

If I didn’t, I do now. He looked to the wall, grief hit him. How could he had been so stupid as to not remember anything?

It’s amazing what you can forget when you are under shock. I know from my own experience. But don’t worry about me, I’m fine, Lucien. Now shut up and sleep. She applied force behind it. If you want, I can hold a dream for you sill you sleep, but once your out, I have no control.

          Lucien felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips, but stopped it from appearing on his face. Yumah must have taken this as a yes, for as soon as he shut his eyes, what look like a film flickered across his eyelids.

There was a little girl with brown curly hair in a meadow with a black dog. A tall man, with long blond hair and broad back, picked up the girl and threw her in the air. Then gave her a hug when she landed in his arms again. The dog barked and panted. The man turned and patted the dog on the head, still holding the girl, both having bright green eyes. A woman in a blue flowered dress came and joined the man and girl, laughing as she did so. The man gave the woman a kiss and then handed her the little girl. The girl wrapped her arms around the woman, then turned to the man and said, “I love you daddy!”

The man said, “I love you too, my little Yumah,” and Lucien blacked out.

                                

 

Author's Note

COLOR CHANGE MEANS ITS SOMEONE'S THOUGHT

Reviews

[Roger Ferguson II]

^^ i remember this!