The Descending Darkness

by Michael Chulsky

  Leon glared. “How dare you besmirch this holy sanctuary with your foul tongue, wench? You’ll have respect, or else.”

  “Or else what?” Shadow asked, taking another step forward. “And you call this place a holy sanctuary? You could have fooled me. No God would call for the torture of an innocent child.”

  “You speak from a tainted mind,” Leon said. “It is not for your kind to understand what we do here and why we do it.”

  “What’s that supposed to me? I’m tainted?”

  Leon scoffed and looked at him with revulsion. “Oh yes, you’re tainted. The dark goddess gives me grand insight. I can smell the evil on you…vampire. How dare you defile our sacred ground with your impurity? You have no right.”

  “I have no right,” Shadow repeated, shaking his head. “No, you have no right to do what you’re doing here. You’ve inflicted…such damage on that kid.”

  Clara slammed her hands down onto the altar. “It is not for you to decide how we should deal with our child! We will do what needs to be done in order to cleanse him!”

  Ellie rolled her eyes and walked up onto the platform. “Sorry, but it ends here. We’re not going to let you keep hurting him.”

  “Really, now?” Leon replied, grabbing an athame from the nearby table. “And what are you going to do about it?”

  “I believe I already said it, but allow me to repeat myself: I’m going to kick your asses up and down this aisle.”

  Clara laughed. “Is that so?”

  Shadow nodded. He unsheathed his blade. “We’re taking the kid. If you get in our way, I will kill you and feel no remorse."

  “In that case,” Clara began, a crazed look filling her eye, “I guess we’ll have to speed up the ceremony, then!” She emptied the entire bottle of liquid onto Cameryn’s legs. The places where the liquid hit melted away more of his flesh, and a loud scream escaped his lips.

  Ellie let out a shriek of pure frustration. She brought her hand forward, and an icicle formed in her open palm. She launched it toward Clara, who moved back at the last moment, causing it to shatter against the far wall. “Don't you dare touch him again!”

  Shadow watched as the kid’s body went limp and his head rolled to the side. “God, no…please…no.” He couldn’t lose another person – not like this.

  “Is he…?” Ellie asked, her voice cracking. She took a step forward and tears filled her eyes – fear of the worst possible outcome filled her face.

  Clara calmly strolled over to Cameryn and placed her fingers at the pulse spot on his neck. She kept them there for a few seconds and then sighed, moving her hand away. “The child lives.”

  “Midnight approaches,” Leon said. “We only have a few moments. I’ll have to take care of these two while you finish the cleansing.”

  “You’re making a huge assumption there,” Shadow said, strolling forward to stand between Leon and the altar. “You’re assuming that you’ll both still be breathing by midnight. And if I’m gonna be honest, given your actions in the last few moments…that’s looking very unlikely.”

  “You smug little brat!” Clara shouted, her face flushed. “That boy is our son, what right do you have to interfere in how we raise him?”

  Shadow’s face hardened. “I didn’t realize that torture and…” he paused taking a better look at the young boy “…starvation qualified as raising a child. My mistake.”

  Clara spat on the ground in his direction. “You foul creature, how dare you talk down to me?” she said, eyes wild. “You have no idea what I’ve done, the pain and suffering I have endured. We were the leaders of these people because of how devoted we were to our goddess. Our devotion was the most pure. And then one day I became pregnant and shortly after had a child. We were overjoyed. It wasn’t until he became a teenager…that his true disgusting nature came out.”

  “What do you mean?” Ellie asked.

  Clara shook her head. “He started acting differently. He was reclusive. He wouldn’t talk to us or any of his friends. We had set him up with a local girl and he scared her off. We later found out why…it was because he was a freak. He wasn’t normal. He had powers and was tainted by evil.”

  Shadow frowned, but he didn’t respond. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that people like them actually existed, people who would hate their child just for being different.

  Ellie was shaking. “Parents are supposed to love their kids no matter what…” she said, tears rolling down her face. “How can you two live with yourselves? He’s your son!”

  “Are you a parent?” Clara asked.

  “No….”

  “Then don’t you preach to me about parenting. You have no idea what it’s like, trying to raise an impure child. Having to hide his sickness from the rest of the village. We told him many times that if he would try to stop using his powers…we could love him again. But he swore he couldn’t control it, that it was a part of him. He just didn’t want to change.”

  “It’s not a choice. He can’t control it!” Shadow retorted indignantly. “You can’t choose who you are or what powers you have if you have them.”

  “Know what is a choice?” Ellie asked, wiping her tears away. “Being ignorant!”

  “Enough!” Leon shouted. He waved the athame at them threateningly. “We’ve heard enough from both of you. This is your last chance: leave now, or be sacrificed like our son.”

  “Sorry, but I’m a gambling man,” Shadow said, with a shrug. He stepped forward and readied his blade. “I’d tell you this is your last chance…but you’ve exhausted that option.”

  Leon shook his head. He reached into his robes and produced a glass vial filled with a dark green liquid swirling inside. He popped the top of the vial off with his thumb and then poured the contents into his mouth.

  “You're going to get it now,” Clara said. “That potion is a gift from the dark goddess. It is imbued with her power. You both are going to die.”

  “I don’t think we are,” Ellie said, moving forward. She rolled up her sleeves. “But I’m happy. This is the part I’ve been waiting for.”

  “And what part is that, little girl?”

  Ellie smiled, unpleasantly sweet. “The part where I get to smash your face in.”

  “Big words…but it’s too late, the potion is kicking in!”

  Leon’s entire body shuddered and he half-collapsed onto the table. When he came up, his eyes were pools of red and his skin had become yellowish and glassy. “The goddess has granted me her blessing and infused me with her strength.” His voice had deepened and become gravelly. “Before I kill the both of you…indulge me. Why risk your lives for this boy? He is but a stranger to you.”

  “Sometimes there are things worth fighting for, people worth fighting for, things worth dying for,” Shadow said, pointing his sword at Leon. “That boy’s life is worth it to me.”

  Clara scoffed. “How sweet. But tell me, who will take care of your lady friend after my husband has killed you?”

  “Lady, are you serious?” Ellie asked with a laugh. “Sorry to break it to you, but this isn’t some fairy tale, and I am not a damsel in distress. I can handle myself just fine.”

  “That’s my girl,” Shadow thought to himself, and smiled in spite of the situation.

  “Shadow, you take him – I got Mother Theresa over here.”

  “Right,” Shadow said. He looked at Ellie, and their gaze met across the platform. They nodded in understanding and then charged at their respective targets.

  Clara grabbed a knife off the nearby table and flung it toward Ellie.

  Ellie flicked her hand forward, and it became encased in ice like a glove. She brought it up in front of her and knocked the knife out of the air before it could pierce her. Continuing forward, she closed the gap between her and Clara; she used her hand like a blade to slice the woman’s arm.

  Clara jumped back to avoid Ellie’s attack, but couldn’t prevent her arm from being grazed. Blood soaked through the sleeve of her robe. She
frowned, holding her hand against the wound. “You’re good, little girl, but not good enough.” She grabbed another knife from the table and thrust it forward to sink into Ellie’s chest.

  Ellie grabbed Clara’s hand as it came down, stopping the attack. She twisted the woman’s wrist until she dropped the knife, then threw a punch at the woman’s face.

  Clara moved her head to the side and avoided Ellie’s fist. She thrust her leg into Ellie’s stomach, and then slapped her hard enough in the face to send her spiraling onto the floor.

  Ellie pulled herself off the ground and wiped away a thin line of blood at the corner of her mouth. “Not bad. But I’m still going to kick your ass.” She surrounded her hands with ice and charged at her opponent once more.

  Shadow was unable to keep an eye on Ellie because he was engaged in his own battle on the other side of the platform. He was dipping back and forth to avoid the torrent of slashing attacks by Leon – the man wielded the athame in his hand as though he was experienced.

  Shadow patiently waited for his opening, and when he saw it, he brought his sword up to block the athame, and then immediately followed it with a spin and slash attack, catching Leon across the chest. With his first strike landing, he used the lull in attack to his advantage. It was his turn to unleash a series of slash attacks, leaving shallow cuts all along his opponent’s arms. He jumped high into the air and sent his leg soaring toward the man’s head.

  Leon was forced to take several steps backward with every attack. As Shadow’s leg came at his face, he caught it with both hands and flipped him backward.

  Shadow landed on the ground a few feet away. He held his hand in front of himself and sent a dark blast of energy, which struck Leon’s arm. The shadows ate right through the limb, and the arm fell to the floor.

  “Impressive,” Leon said, holding a hand to the bloody stump. He closed his eyes and the deep gash wounds on his chest slowly began to close and heal. His severed arm twitched on the ground for a second or two before jumping up and reattaching itself to the stump. The skin smoothed out like clay and was untarnished. “But, unfortunately for you…not impressive enough.”

  Shadow looked uncertain for the first time since entering the cathedral. He cursed under his breath. “So he’s completely immune to my attacks. Great.”

  “Are you finally realizing the folly of your actions? You don’t hold a candle to the power bestowed upon me by the great one!”

  Shadow shook his head. “You really love to hear yourself talk, don’t you?” He darted forward and had to duck suddenly to avoid a fist coming toward his head. He took the opportunity to smash his elbow into Leon’s chest, winding him. Finally, he put all of his supernatural strength into one powerful uppercut. He hit Leon so hard that the man’s body was lifted into the air and he soared a few feet before falling onto the ground.

  Leon got up slowly, as if he were in pain. He brought his hand to his jaw and winced. “If I had not taken that potion…you would have just shattered my jaw, and possibly broken my neck.”

  “How unfortunate. I guess I’ll just have to try harder.”

  Leon picked up another knife. “And while all your attention is on me, you leave your little girlfriend at the mercy of my wife.”

  Shadow gave a mocking tilt of his head. “I’m not worried about my girl. But you should be worried about yours.”

  Leon turned to look at the fight and let out a roar of triumph as his wife jumped out of the way of an ice ball, then lunged forward and slapped Ellie across her face. “You see? It’ll be over soon!”

  “Oh, I’m betting it will be.”

  Ellie’s head was knocked slightly to the side due to the force of impact. A red handprint slowly appeared on her face. She growled in spite of the pain. She made her way over to Clara and feigned an attack with her right hand, before throwing a punch with her left – she connected and her fist smashed into the side of the woman’s face.

  While her opponent was stunned, Ellie spun around and delivered a powerful kick into Clara’s chest, sending her flying across the room – her body flew over the altar and was impaled onto a candle bracket on the wall.

  “Clara!” Leon screamed. He ran to her and grabbed her hand. “What did that evil little wench do to you?! Speak to me!” He trembled with fury as his wife gasped for air, spit up blood, and went still. “You killed my wife...you heathens!”

  “She tried to kill me first,” Ellie pointed out.

  Shadow tried to mask his smile by pretending to yawn and putting his hand over his mouth. He caught Leon’s gaze and shrugged. “What can I say? I warned you.”

  “You’re dead!” Leon yelled. He rushed at Shadow and slammed his body into the young man, knocking him down. Then he switched his attention to Ellie. He dashed to her in a burst of speed, threw a kick into her stomach and when she bent over, grabbed her by the throat.

  “Let me go, you freak!” Ellie gasped.

  “You killed my wife, and now I’m going to kill you!”

  “I don’t know what’s worse,” Shadow said, lifting himself off the ground. “Being a vampire, or hearing your voice.” His eyes faded to pools of black and he raised a hand toward Leon. The man’s hand was surrounded in shadows, and smoke started coming off of it.

  Leon was forced to relinquish his grasp, and he grasped his hand, which looked charred. “How did you…where did you get that power?!”

  Shadow just stared at him. “It’s my power. I just spend most of my time suppressing my inhumanity. Unfortunately for you when I’m pissed off, I lose control.” He went over to Ellie and offered her a hand. “You all right?”

  Ellie looked at his hand and hesitated for a slight moment, catching a glance of the look in his eyes, but she grabbed it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “I’m fine…are you?”

  “No, but I will be…once I take care of this.”

  “Shadow–”

  Shadow didn’t respond. He moved toward Leon slowly – the candles on the wall dimmed with every step he took. The shadows in the room seemed to come alive and whisper promises of death. “It’s time to pay for everything you’ve done…with your life.”

  Leon paled for a second but shook his head. “You don’t have the power to kill me, heathen. The light will always triumph in the face of darkness!”

  “We have different views of what constitutes light.”

  “Enough talk! We finish this now!”

  Shadow rushed Leon with his sword raised. He dodged to the left, in order to avoid a downward slash from Leon’s dagger. He brought his blade up again to block another.

  Leon took his chance and made another slashing motion with the dagger, but his strike was parried by Shadow, who aimed a slice at his legs. Leon jumped backwards away from him and then charged in once more. He waited until he was a just a few feet away, before sending his dagger flying forward in a spiral to catch Shadow off-guard.

  Shadow dropped his blade and caught the dagger in mid-flight right before it could hit him. He used his speed to throw the dagger back at Leon, who was unable to fully dodge it due to the close proximity – it grazed his arm.

  Leon glanced down at his arm and frowned, seeing blood blossom across a small gash. “Blood!?...how is this possible? I am immortal! You shouldn’t be able to hurt me – the dark goddess promised me I’d be impervious!”

  “So he isn’t fully immortal and can actually be hurt,” Shadow thought. “But how do I replicate what I just did?”

  Ellie looked from Shadow to Leon, and her eyes widened as realization dawned upon her. “Shadow, the dagger – his dagger! He can only be hurt by his own weapons, blessed in honor of their goddess!” She picked up the dagger that Clara had dropped earlier and tossed it over to Shadow.

  Shadow caught the dagger by the hilt and waved it at Leon. “Let’s say a prayer.”

  “You won't make a fool of me!” Leon growled, and then blindly charged at Shadow.

  Shadow stepped gracefully out of the way and, without hesi
tation, sank the dagger into Leon’s chest. The blade sunk in up to the hilt and he angled it up, piercing the man’s heart. He wrenched the dagger out of Leon, and the body fell to the floor and remained motionless.

  “Is he dead?” Ellie asked after a few seconds had passed.

  Shadow bent over and checked for a pulse. “Yeah, he is. And I can only hope he suffered half as much as he made his son suffer.” He sighed and threw the dagger onto the ground. Although he was glad they both survived and he was able to remove a horrible person from the world, he didn’t enjoy the feeling of taking a life. Or rather, he didn’t like how, deep down, in the back of his mind, he enjoyed it. Even though he was only half-vampire, he still had their bloodlust and the thrill of hunting and killing prey. And no amount of pretending could make that go away. Still, as long as he suppressed the urge and did what was right – like protecting people and being a good person, he’d be alright.

  “Shadow, are you okay?” Ellie asked.

  Shadow blinked back into reality. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Good…because you got scary there for a second.”

  “I promise everything is alright. I just got upset that he hurt you, that’s all. But it’s over now. Let’s go check on the boy.”

  Ellie opened her mouth to respond but closed it. She followed him over to the altar. “Are you sure he’s still….”

  “Yes,” Shadow said. “I can hear his heart beating and smell the blood still flowing beneath his skin.”

  “Ahh,” Ellie replied. She bent over and placed her hand gingerly on the boy’s face. Her hand was on his face for but a second before his eyes suddenly opened, and she jerked back in shock.

  The boy stared at her in confusion. “What’s going on? Who are you?!”

  Ellie made a motion to move forward, but seemed to think better of it. “It’s alright, don’t worry…Cameryn. We’re here to save you.”

  Cameryn just stared at her and shook his head. “No…you’re lying. This is a trick!” He went to get up, but the movement stretched his body too much. He let out a cry of pain and fell back to a lying-down position. The wounds on his chest had reopened, and blood was slowly trickling out of them.