One

Jasmine fights an evil creature of disguise who threatens her very life. She's was confident that she can finish the guy, but she has no choice to call upon Darius for help.

ONE

Four Years Later

 

            “S**t!” Cursing under her breath, Jasmine fell to her knees, holding the gash in her arm. The opponent was a ghoul; a creature stronger than what she was used to, but nothing that she couldn’t handle. On most occasions, a ghoul isn’t too much of a challenge, but every once in a while, they would surprise her. This was one of those moments.

            Jasmine stood strong, raising her blade to the beast in its humanoid form. He had chosen a tall handsome male to fool humans, however, the longer she fought him, the weaker his façade became. His skin began to grey and tighten around his skull and muscles. He grinned, “How is it that a lowly human girl could prove to be such a worthy adversary?” He lowered the bloody tip of his blade.

            Jasmine took note of his stature; relaxed…but she knew it was all a façade. He was feigning defenselessness in hopes she would take the bait. She didn’t. Instead, she decided to play his game and swung her own sword over her shoulder and ran her fingers through her dark hair, letting the waves fall around her face and rested a hand on her hip. She took a few much needed breaths. “You can ask my mentor when he arrives.”

            The creatures deep red eyes lit up. “You have exceptional fighting skills, my dear. Who is your mentor? Perhaps not a human? Or are you a mere puppet?”

            “I’m not anyone’s puppet you slimy son-of-a-“

            “My, my, my, you have quite the vocabulary. It surprises me that your mentor would condone such language of a young lady.”

            Jasmine sucked her teeth, feeling fed up with this guy’s antagonism. He was right though, her mentor hated her foul language. She wasn’t so concerned about being lady-like. Her entire life she wanted nothing to do with being a lady, running from men…that wasn’t going to change for her anytime soon. “I don’t like being referred to as someone’s play toy.” She snorted. “I kill your kind on my own free will. Your slimy species don’t deserve life, killing anyone you wish, feeding off the weak.”

            He chuckled.

            Jasmine snapped, “What’s so damn funny?”

            “Do you honestly think that your mentor is not the same as me?” His voice was slow, evil to the core. “He has killed for the pleasure, for food no doubt.”

            Jasmine scoffed, “Of course he’s not the same! He’s-“

            “-a good, honest man who saved your wretched like and those of many others?” The slightest shift in his footing had not gone unnoticed by Jasmine.

            He was trying to play her, make her resolve weaken. But she had never let her guard down and noticed every body movement, every fluctuation of his voice preparing to catch her off guard and strike her down. She was always good at playing victim and flipping the script. Her body slumped slightly and she let her arms fall, loosening her grip in her sword. With a strained voice, she said, “That’s not true…” He bought it. In his mind, she could see his plan start to form. He could play nice, try to comfort her and get close to her, and then kill her.

            He began walking toward her, slowly. She took a half-step back, a false mask of fear and heartbreak. He stopped a few feet from her and his eyes softened. He sheathes his sword, but remains on guard. She could feel him building a barrier. “My dear,” he starts, his voice as smooth and soft as butter. “All of us supernatural creatures are evil in our own way. Some of us, like myself, have a light. You and I, we don’t have to fight. Come to me, child. Your mentor, your master, will no longer be able to use you.”

            Jasmine felt a presence in her mind…Darius. Hold him, Jasmine. I’m coming. Jasmine stared out into the setting sun, concentrating on a barrier of her own. An ability she had learned after she had met Darius in that basement years ago. Since then, he had taught her many things to fight off creatures such as this ghoul. Just recently, he felt confident enough in her to go out before he would awaken at sunset to stall a creature, perhaps even kill it if it were weak enough.

            Her voice shook. “He…he isn’t like that.”

            “He is.” The ghoul whispered in a way that she almost believed him. No doubt a trick he uses on his human victims. “And so are you, for being controlled by him. He has tainted you with darkness.”

            She squeezed her eyes shut and shifted her head until her long curly rusted- brown hair shielded her face. She feigned innocence. A trick she had learned on her own to drive her enemies to be distracted by desire. There was a shift in his aura. Along with the pleasure of seeing her so confused and…he took the bait. His thoughts reflected a new plan; to use her to fight his own battles with her looks, as he accused Darius of doing.

            The ghoul kneeled before her and tilted her chin so they were eye to eye. His eyes lit like fire, betraying his own words. “He has lied to you, sweet child. He made you think you were good for killing us.” His knuckles brushed her cheek. “What kind of monster…” His eyes traveled over her face, her soft features, down her neck, admiring her smooth brown flesh. They stopped there and narrowed at the bite mark. “A vampire?” He traced the healing wound. “Does he force you to feed him?” He gave her no time to answer. His voice thickens more with enthrallment. “I would never do such a thing to you. I would treat you with dignity and respect. In fact, you could live in my mansion just over-“ He pointed out toward the distance. Looking up, he stiffened, pointing straight at Darius, just feet from the evil creature.

            Darius glared at the monster, his stoic gaze, fierce and perilous. With his jet black hair tied at the nape of his neck, it was easy to mark his as a dangerous man.

            “D-Darius!” The ghoul stammered, straightened back out and took a step back. “You are her mentor?”

            Darius was cool and demanding. “What is your name, evil one?”

            The ghoul smiles then, and the thin outer shell of human skin began to tear and shed, making a wet sloppy noise as the pieces fall to the ground. The beast in its true form was tall, almost at eight feet. Its muscles bulges from every angle of its body. Its wings, once folded tight against its body and hidden by human flesh, began to stretch out. They unfolded revealing a massive wingspan. The ghoul raised its head and roared out into the sky, scattering birds from the trees. Its knees bent slightly and suddenly a cool rush of air nearly blows me over. It flew away.

            “Where is he,” Jasmine asked. She searched the sky, but saw nothing. She tensed up and lifted her weapon, preparing for a surprise attack. She and Darius locked glances for a split second before she was grabbed from behind, being pulled back. She lost her breath and her blade. Within seconds, a bulky arm wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air supply.

            The ghoul chuckled, resting the tip of its sword upward against her back. She felt it tear through her clothes and slice her flesh. The blood dripping down her back was cool against her adrenaline-heated skin. “Are we not both evil, Darius? Are we not condemned to live this wretched existence; to bend to the will of darkness?”

            Jasmine felt Darius search through her mind. What is his name? She entered the beasts mind under cover as a shadow already there and found his name.

            Calm, as always, Darius staled toward them. “You are wrong, Markus.” The creature hissed at the sound of his name from Darius’s mouth. “You gave yourself up to evil willingly. You chose your master, and I chose mine. Do not confuse me with your kind.”

            Markus growled, pushing the sword firmer against Jasmine’s back. She tried pulling at her attackers arm, but the gash on her own burned like fire. He leaned down and slid his long slimy tongue across her cheek. “You fooled me, princess. You knew what you were doing all along, didn’t you?”

            She curled her lip in disgust. “No s**t, you sadistic b*****d,” she managed to hoarse out. “Figure that out on your own?”

            He tightened his grip, cutting off her esophagus completely. She felt her throat crushing beneath the bulk. He removes his sword from her back, placing it just behind her ear, drawing a shallow line of blood. Her face began to burn and turn a bright red as she struggled for breath. She cursed Darius for taking his sweet time in killing this beast. Her eyes squeezed shut, but she doubted she’d be able to see if they were open. She began to panic. The ghoul was going to take her blood and bind her to him and she was helpless to stop it.

            “Are you ready to fight for me, princess? Fight your once mentor? If you live, I may even decide to keep you as my pet.” He laughed at the idea.

            Inside her mind, she felt Darius, cool and collected; calming her. Reassuring her. Whispering soothing words of his people. And Markus stiffened behind her, fear evident in his aura. Controlled by Darius, Markus’s grim around her neck reluctantly loosened until Jasmine fell to the ground, choking and gasping, grabbing her throat as if to pull away the feeling of her loss of breath. Before she could catch it, Darius grabbed onto her good arm and swung her behind him.

She crawled even further away, leaning back on a wooden crate. Her head was pounding as the blood rushed back to her brain and she knew she wouldn’t be conscious much longer. She felt disappointment in herself, having thought that she had trained harder and believed she was stronger. She was zoning in and out of consciousness. Her only reason for coming back was to see Darius destroy Markus.

Markus remained out of control of his own body. Darius willed the beasts resisting arm to press the sword it was holding through his thick neck. Blood spurting at the entrance point. Markus’s screams came out as choked gurgles. He unwillingly pushed the blade through to the hilt.

Darius released his control on Markus and the ghoul fell to his knees, staring up at Darius in horror. Darius swiftly pulled the sword from Markus and chopped his head clean off. Markus’s eyes frozen in time as the head slipped from the body. The body itself fell to the cold ground. Blood pooled around Darius’s feet and he shoved the sword back into the head.

Jasmine watched, nearly unconscious as Darius rose his hand to the sky to summon forth dark clouds and heavy rain. Lightening streaked across the sky in a frenzy before coming down, one after another, striking the sword over and over, incinerating the head and body and blade. The rain washed away all evidence of a fight.

 

 

Author's Note

ignore grammar and spelling problems