Part Eight

1

        “You’re not this monster that you think you are!” He forced out, it was hard to speak with her hand on his throat pinning him against the wall.

          She smiled at him, her fangs shining out giving off a deadly luminous glow. The vampire leaned closer, her lips to his ears.

           “And who are you to know what I am and what I think?” She whispered.

          “Stella…you’re not like this…”

          “I’ve been like this all along,” she smiled sinking her fangs into his skin. The smell was intoxicating but she never imagined what real blood would taste like.

          The struggle was short and then nothing. Louis Briggs Junior was no more.

          She dropped the useless husk on the ground, its green eyes forever closed. The vampire turned around smiling a cruel, inhuman grin when another of its kind lurked out of the shadows of the jail cell. The two creatures of the night embraced one another and began engaging in some sort of animal like kiss that was so wrong that it would give even Satan a chill down his spine.

 

2

          “JESUS NO!” I screamed jolting from the floor. I could feel cold sweat all over me but my mind was spinning and reeling to what I just dreamed. Why was I even dreaming it? Damian was gone. He was in jail and taken care of before I had to deal with him.

          So why was my bloody mind having dreams about him?               

          Especially what happened to Louie….

          “What happened!?” Louie jolted to his feet. His face was still groggy and half asleep. He turned around staring me down with those emerald eyes of his.

          At least they weren’t stone placid…like…I didn’t want to rethink about it.

          “Stell, you alright?” he asked. “You’re shaking.”

          “Yeah…I’m good,” I lied, hugging myself in a pathetic attempt to stop my body from vibrating. “Did Piper come by yet?”

          He shifted his head towards the cell doors. “No, there’s no usual gruel or anything like that. You think they’d feed prisoners better, especially for vampires. If we’re meant to be dinner doesn’t it make sense to fatten the food up?”

          I smiled feebly. Through this whole week he didn’t seem scared. He should have, but he didn’t. He was supposed to die and yet here he was, making jokes. I didn’t know if it was his way with coping with things, but it did take your mind off the upcoming doom…even if it was just for a second. “We drink blood, not fat, Louie.”

          “The fatter you are the more blood you sustain,” he smirked.

          “I heard fat people actually don’t taste that great,” I said lying down again. My body ached but I could ignore it. If I could just ignore the aroma coming from his body then I’d be good. I’d rather have pain then feel myself slowly snapping into insanity. I was like a broken tree little kids were jumping on. My branches were close to the breaking point. “You get too much of the grease and arteries instead of the blood taste.”

          “You sure you’re alright?”

          “I’m fine, honest.”

          He was silent for a moment. I wondered what expression was on his face, but I stayed down, it was already hard to move and I wasn’t about to make it worse than it already was.

          Gray silvery mist began filling the room. I got a whiff of it through my nostrils and smelled cotton candy.

          Piper.

          “Hey! You guys look extra peppy today!” Piper’s voice rang like a cheerleader’s through the room. “Well…you actually look like zombies, but much better than yesterday!”

          Before I could get a good look at her she yanked me up on my feet. “Come on, Stell, babe! You need to start sucking up that pride and take a drink! There was a carnival two towns over. AMAAAZING! I snagged some pizza for your little bloke and look!” She held out a bucket of blood. “I got you something too!”

          I could feel my fangs sharpen but I bit them into my lip. I shook my head. Poor fellow…

          “You didn’t kill him!” Piper insisted waving the bucket into my face. “You really think I like seeing you like this? A moving piece of husk?”

          Her hand patted my back before it gripped onto the shirt on my back to force me to stand up straight. Louie just watched with his box of pizza on his lap. I guess he was more than happy to have edible food instead of that muck, whatever it was, that Luna was dishing out just to make sure that he was alive when I did unfortunately need to feed.

          “Get it away from me, please,” I hissed. My claws were already out and I could feel my body jerking forwards towards it. I dug my hand into my arm gouging my talons in and ripping them out like I did before. My body shook violently as I feebly licked my own blood off my fingers.

          “Stella, I’m just trying to be reasonable here,” Piper frowned. “There’s no way you’re getting out of this jam alright? Especially through self mutilation!” She snapped taking her hand off my shirt and slapping my cheek. I lost feeling in my legs and crashed on my knees.

          Damn blood in a bucket. Damn it all!

          “If you just taste it then Luna’s going to be ok. And I don’t think you want to tear your human chum to shreds.”

          “What do you suggest I do then?” I snapped. “I’m not doing anything I don’t believe in Piper. You know that! You saw the last time she tried testing me!”

          “Well…she still has you’re real eye…it’s not like she destroyed it…”

          “Wait…that eye’s fake?” Louie asked, a piece of his food fell out of his mouth as he gaped it open, his eyes filled with that curious look I knew all too well. “Does your sister keep the real in a jar like some evil witch in some book or something?”

          Piper laughed. “She does! It’s in her bedroom just staring at people. You know some of us believe it’s still functional and glares at us! Gary swears to Satan that it blinked at him once!”

          “Piper…just shut up and get rid of the bucket.” I groaned.

          Piper just ignored me completely and when on. “That big blue eye of hers is glass, see,” She let her index finger become a huge talonish claw. Piper bent down on her knees, the bucket still in one of her hands. She used her free one to poke my eye as I glared at her bitterly. The bucket’s smell was breaching into my pores so I stayed where I was instead of punching her in the face. Sadly, I was just too tired to really fight back.

          “Leave me and my eyes alone, Piper, alright?” I barked. “What’s done is done and there’s nothing more to say about it. If you came here just to ask me to drink then you might as well leave.”

          “Why are you asking for a death wish, Stella?”

          “It’s not right!”

          “You don’t even have to suck blood. Just prick someone! If you prick your little buddy then he turns and Luna can’t kill him if you don’t!”

          “All you have to do is prick?”

          “Louie shut up!” I snarled. “I’m not pricking you.”

          “All it takes is a nibble and then you’re one of us, kid,” Piper chimed. “You’d make such a cute vampire too. I mean, you already have the good looks! When you become on of us you just get better looking. We’ve had ugly hags look like models! Imagine what you’d turn out Even Stella changed! She wasn’t always a silver gold eyed vampire. When she was actually you’re age she was-”

          “Shut up Piper!” I yelled. “I’m not doing it! Don’t give him ideas!”

          “Ideas smears,” she laughed. “You know it makes sense, babe!”

          I just crossed my arms. “No, Piper. I can handle this on my own. I’ll figure a way out of this.

          Piper sighed placing the bucket on the ground next to Louie. She grabbed a hold of my shoulders pulling me up to my feet once more. “There is no way out! And you know it! Stella Do yourself a favor, and for once, forget about your damn morals!”

          “No!”

          “Alright, I’ll humor you,” she sighed. I noticed Louie was just staring at us the whole time. I guess he remembered what happened the last time he interrupted Piper’s spiels and didn’t want to relive that moment again. “Say you do figure a way out of this and you don’t kill your chum. Luna’s going to want you dead. She’ll kill you and she’ll kill him. You’re going to go through hell either way. Why not take the easier road.”

          “Because it’s not right!” I shouted. “I am not going to make someone live through my hell. NO ONE IS GOING TO LIVE FOREVER IN HELL UNDER MY WATCH!”

          Piper recoiled and so did Louie. I could feel heat rising out of my cheeks as the smell of blood infiltrated my nostrils. I was just glad I was too pissed to have my instincts react to it.

          “Stella…”
          “NO! And if your just going to be an a*s about it, leave now! Luna will want you back anyways,” I spat.

          She sighed. “I’m just trying to look out for you, Stella…someone has too.”

          The room filled with grayish silver mist and Piper was gone.

          And thankfully that damn bucket was gone too.

          Louie just stared at me, his box of food just laying there on the ground.

          “What are you looking at?” I growled turning away. “Just…eat or something. I’m going to figure something out.”

          “St-”

          “No Stella me! I’m going to figure things out! I WILL!” I yelled, frustrated as I fell face forward to the ground. I felt defeated, and powerless…there was really no way out of this mess hole.

3

          I hadn’t spoken for a good five hours. My mind was reeling on Luna and what Piper had said. The sad thing, and horrible thing, was that she made sense. My options were these: Fight the urge to feed on Louie then rip him to shreds when I lost all control, find a way out and make it without killing him, but Luna would do the job anyways, or I could just nip him and everyone would win.

          I wouldn’t though. I guess I was always going to lose. But if the world was a game I guess they had the born winners and the born losers. Too bad I had to be the loser.

          Louie had stared at me the whole time waiting for me to speak. The past week together, or maybe it was more than a week now, he learned to wait until I was ready. I guess, since I was his only company, he learned to like me more than he did when he tried killing me. I wasn’t sure if this was good or bad anymore. On one hand I didn’t have to worry about him staking me, even though at this point I’d appreciate the job to be done. On the other, being friends with a vampire never ended well.

          I learned that the hard way a long time ago.

          He sat there, his arms crossed casually as he leaned up against the wall. You’d think a week in the cell would let his hair get greasy and gross, but it was still that messy perfection that it was when I first met him. Those wonderful green eyes of his weren’t hateful but waiting.

          The only horrible thing now was the smell of his blood. It was stronger now than it was in the barn. And I barely fought it then. Maybe I was lucky, just goddamn lucky, I hadn’t snapped yet.

          “I need to talk…” I said, my voice low and more defeated than I intended it to sound.

          He nodded. He knew what that meant. Especially on the day Mimi’s blood had run out and I pinned him. “Mind if you tell me about your eyes then?”

          I sighed. “I…well…this is the second time Luna’s tried to get me to drink blood. Is that good enough for you?”               

          “It’s the only question I’m going to ask you.”

          “You know why I need to talk…why do you want to know this!” I groaned. “You can see the outcome already…one glass eye and one real one.”

          “I still want to know,” He said, his voice had some sort of rhythmic sympathy to it.

          The smell was getting to me again, or maybe it was his eyes. I couldn’t remember for the life of me, but whatever it was, it made me give in. “A long time ago, Luna and I planned to get rid of Dactylius. I think I already told you how we did kill him, so I don’t need to get into that again.”

          “You staked and burned him,” he nodded in agreement.

          “The deal was that Luna and I would have split control of the clan. Of course Luna didn’t want that, and eventually she took things into her own actions…  

4

          For once in her life, things had been good. Well, as good as a vampire can enjoy life. Luna’s idea about taking over the clan actually wasn’t bad. Half the clan became veggies and less and less people were dying.

          But that was until she found herself locked in a jail cell. Stella didn’t understand it, any of it. One day she was on top of the world finally making this hell better, and Luna had ripped that away from her. Her mind tormented on the reasons why her sister would do such a thing, but no real answer would come to her. Just the ever-tormenting thought that she was family…the only family she had left.

          “We got a new comer!” Yelled on of the cronies, or stupid vampires that would never amount to anything.

          The jail cell creaked open and a young man, about early twenties was tossed in. He had this lustful appeal right away and Stella realized that he was just like her.

          He scowled pacing about muttering words she didn’t care to pick up. It lasted about twenty minutes until he cocked his head in her direction. He eyed her looking confused, finally realizing he wasn’t the only one here.

          “What did you do?” he asked walking over and taking a seat directly across.

          She smiled faintly. “It’s what I didn’t do that is the better question.”

          “Alright then,” he smiled. He had a smile that could probably dazzle any girl but Stella didn’t seem affected. “What didn’t you do then?”

          “Drink blood when told too,” was her answer. “You can go ahead and laugh, but I just don’t drink human blood.”

          “Never?”

          “No.”

          “Well I’m here because I was recently turned,” he casually changed the subject. “I sniffed this place out and thought I’d be welcomed but I guess I was wrong.”

          “You can thank my sister for that,” smiled. She then held out her hand. “Stella”

          “Damian,” he grinned taking it.

          “Alright, b***h, queen wants you.” One of the cronies chimed. The cell door swung open with Cronies One, Two, and Five. Three and Four had accidents that is worth nothing towards this point.

          “Queen had orders for everyone to see this so you’re coming along too,” Two piped up.

          “She aint no queen, Henry and you know it!” Stella snapped but Crony Two and Five had already grabbed a good hold of her. “You used to listen to what I had to say! What happened?”

          Crony One twitched almost recoiling when he looked at those gold eyes. There was something about her features that gave a holy appearance and it burned to look upon it. The other cronies flinched when grabbing a hold of her but they managed keeping their heads down low to prevent getting hurt.

          But that was silly; no vampire could hurt another just by a certain essence.

          “What’s going on?” Damian asked. He looked dumbfounded and surprised when no crony went to grab him.

          “The Queen wants to let the clan see something,” Crony One answered.

          “Stop calling her that!” Stella yelled. “She’s my sister not some prissy queen! Lenny!” She turned facing Crony Two but he flinched ducking his head lower. “Steve! Come on! Why are you letting her get away with this? You’re acting like dogs! What happened to the men I knew?”

          All cronies could no longer look at anything but the floor. Crony One, recovering faster than the other two, returned his gaze back at the prisoner. “Shut her up and let’s go,” He snapped, turning around. His shoes clicked on the ground as he headed out.

          She bashed her elbows into her holders. They grunted looking at each other doubtfully then back at her.

          “I can walk on my own,” she said. “I’m not some baby. If I’m going to see my sister I’m not being dragged like some animal.”

          The two once again made eye contact with each other and then with their leader.

          “Just let her do it,” he sighed not looking back. Maybe he was afraid to look back.

          Other cronies let loose prisoners as they trekked behind Damian and Stella. Vampires began to gape and turn, muttering and whispering to one another as she strode by. They began to point and confirm rumors. Stella didn’t turn back, keeping her direction straight to a center stage where her sister sat on some throne. If she was going to do this, whatever it was, she was going to have some pride in it. If her sister went mad with power, there was no way she was going to give Luna the satisfaction she was seeking here.

          It felt like the witch trials! That was a horrible period to watch happen, but oh god, it felt like the witch trials!

          Crony One stepped onto the center scaffold bowing down as Luna sat contemptly on the stage. Besides her big throne there was an old man tied up in shackles like some caged gorilla.

          The two cronies, in an attempt to not look terrified, kicked Stella up on the stage. She skidded on her knees appearing to kneel before her sister. She glared at her, getting up and wiping the dust off her legs.

          “What sort of game is this, Luna?” she asked.

          Luna almost recoiled the same way the cronies did when she looked her sister in the eye. But instead her hand just tensed on the armrest. “No game. I just want you to drink and be happy. We already have a feast for you,” the smile on her face looked like it was plastered on. She casually rolled her hand to the old man.

          He was thin, raggedy and balding at the top of his scalp. The poor guy was shaking and trembling like a leaf.

          “No,” she crossed her arms, never relenting her gaze.

          “Why not?” She asked, hiding her agitation. “The whole clan’s here to watch you. You think you’re better than all of us? Is that it? You’re too high and mighty and up with God that you can’t act the same way as the rest of us!” She rose from her throne digging her claws into her sister’s hair. She yanked her face to gaze upon the other prisoner’s. “Eat it!”

          “No, I won’t,” She said firmly.

          She jerked her sister’s head back. “You have no choice, Stella. Now drink from him!”

          Her sister violently pushed her, letting her claws retract to normal nails.

          Stella caught her footing, but her face hit his. The old man was on the verge of tears. Stella frowned lightly kissing the poor man’s forehead. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” she whispered.

          He just continued to shake. Stella dug in her pocket and pulled out a wooden cross. She flinched for a moment hiding the sudden jolt of pain, but in that same instant her face appeared calm once again. “Don’t let go of it. They won’t be able to touch you and they’ll have no choice but to let you go.”

          “STELLA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” Luna screamed outraged, but it was too late.

          The old man snatched hold like it was a lifeline or the gift to immortality. He embraced her, tears flowing down his face, as he still continued to shake.

          “T-thank you…” was all he could muster up.

          She opened her mouth about to say something but was suddenly grabbed by two sets of arms. She was forced down upon her knees as Crony Two and Five held her tightly.

          “You know not to do that!” Luna snarled walking over. She slammed her metal boot into Stella’s gut hard and there was cracking sounds of ribs. “We’ll just starve him to death if we can’t touch him!”

          “You know the cross can break the shackles we have,” Stella laughed hoarsely blood spraying from her mouth and it was hard to talk.

          Luna smashed her foot into her again. “Hold her down! NOW!”

          “But…we are…” Crony Two muttered.

          “Make sure she can’t get away you retards,” She growled. “I’m going to teach you not to disobey me, Stella. It pains me, but I’m going to have to do this.”

          The arms clenched on her tighter. Luna’s talons sharpened and she reached for Stella’s face. She stopped for a moment looking at the crowd. “LET THIS BE A LESSON TO ALL OF YOU!” her voice boomed and the vampires shuddered. “DEFY ME AND WORSE WILL HAPPEN TO YOU THAN WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO WITNESS NOW!”

          “Luna what are you doing!” Stella squeaked, finally sounding a little panicked. She tried shifting but the two cronies just slammed her down harder into the ground.

          “I’m sorry Stella, but you left me no choice,” Luna tried to sound sincere but it came out in a laughing tone. She reached down digging her claws right into Stella’s gold eye.

          She screamed, no longer holding in any bit of pride. She screamed until her lungs burned like hell’s fire. That scream plagued vampires everywhere as they witnessed what happened.

          No vampire had ever attempted to resist Luna since.

5

          “She wasn’t just going for the eye…if that was it she would have stopped when it was ripped out. My sister tried to use that hole she created to make me brain dead, so I no longer could pose a threat to her,” I sighed staring down at the prison floor. “She failed of course or I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”

          Louie just stared at me. His green eyes wide and they seemed to be swimming with thought.

          “What?”

          “When did this happen?”

          “About 100 years ago I think,” I answered looking at him startled. “What’s the big deal? You weren’t even born then.”

          “…nothing…” He said never taking his eyes off me. He opened his mouth again but kept it silent.

          “Come on! I just shared you one of my hardest stories!” I snapped. “Least you can do is tell me! What is it?”

          His face tightened. “My great great grandpa survived from a vampire ambush. He said it was because some vampire gave him a cross. My great grandpa then became a hunter and it ran in the family. We have the cross back home…” His face paled for just a moment. “I think…I think it might be yours.”

          My eyes widened. “You’re kidding right? What is it with your family and this clan?”

          “…Ellie and I are here…because some vampire was willing to have her eye gouged out instead of killing my family…”He muttered. Louie looked like he was completely lost in thought.

          “If I knew I was creating a Briggs legacy,” I said. “I might have changed my mind then.” But he and I both knew I wouldn’t. I was too rapped up in my morals to let one eye get in the way.

          I had a glass one now, thanks to Piper…and Damian. I hated to admit it now, but he did help me. The two hunted around for one after they witnessed what happened. Damian wasn’t half bad when he was new, it was just when he became part of the clan when I began to see his changes and start hating him.

          He never answered me. He looked like he left planet earth. I sighed, “I’m going to sleep Louie, just make sure you’re careful just in case…”

          No answer.

          I just shook my head closing my eyes once again slipping into Nightmare Land.

 

 

To be continued…

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[Danny J.H.]

this is the most amazing piece of yours by far