Prelude To Insanity

by Timothy P. Carnahan

  “Ha. I beat you again.” Donovan mused mocking his older brother elatedly before they heard a frantic knock at the front door. “You want to play again?” Donovan asked but Cole was focused on the voice he heard coming from outside talking to their mother. “Cole,” Don started in again but Cole stopped him with a shushing gesture as he heard Matt clearly say,

  “It’s urgent. I…I need to speak with Cole. Is…Is he here?” he said with an out of breath nervous stutter. Dana came into Cole’s room a moment later.

  “Someone’s here to see you and he’s acting really strange.” She noted before turning to leave as quickly as she came in.

  “Are you leaving Cole?” Donovan asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

  Cole shook his head thinking that maybe Matt had come to his senses and had just come over to apologize for the note however he walked to the front door where Matt was panting heavily. “What’s up?” Cole asked wondering why Matt looked so haggard but, he figured the strange kid always seemed anxious about something and now was just another one of those moments.

  Matt glared angrily at Cole before starting in, “didn’t I tell you to stay away? Didn’t I tell you to keep your girlfriend away too?” he asked and Cole was immediately thrown on the defensive.

  “You’re at my house man. I have stayed away from your house and as far as I know so has Laila.” He replied not liking the fact that he was being scolded in his own home.

  “Do you know where she is? She’s at my house with Marissa right now! You need to come get her before it’s too late.” Matt said frantically. His ire was replaced by confused frustration.

  Cole immediately realized why she had been so distant with him earlier that day. “Whoa calm down Matt.” Cole retorted but Matt quickly latched his hands on Cole’s shoulders causing him to tense. “Get your hands off me man. I’ll come but, don’t get so pissed over this ok.” He added and Matt recoiled like an abused pet.

  “Please Cole you have to get her out of there,” he said looking towards the sun.

  Cole could see that he was genuinely scared. “Alright let’s go,” Cole said and Matt wheeled on his feet almost sprinting as Cole struggled to catch up with him. “Why are you in such a hurry Matt?” Cole asked keeping stride with him. Matt’s apprehension at answering the question was apparent as he clenched his jaw so tightly that Cole was certain that his teeth would begin to break off inside his mouth. After a long moment of Matt continuing his angry stride with no reply, Cole began to grow frustrated with the strange kid. “No. That’s not going to work for me. I want some answers and I want them now!” Cole said forcing his point.

  “We don’t have time for this!” Matt replied forcefully keeping his pace.

  Cole honestly wondered if he should continue with his inquiries but, with so much fear evident in Matt’s eyes he felt he had to know. “We’re running for your house to get my girlfriend who’s going to be ten kinds of pissed off at me because of you! I want to know what the hell is going on.” Cole prompted not hiding his discontent in the slightest.

  Matt stopped suddenly to shoot him the most malevolent look he had ever seen. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Matt retorted angrily.

  “Try me! If I’m going to get in trouble for this then I’d at least like to know why.” Cole said keeping his tone direct but, Matt’s demeanor changed so fast from angry to sad that Cole felt terrible for being so harsh to him.

  “Fine! You want to know?” Matt asked almost whimpering as he spoke.

  Cole felt he should stop his questioning before the other boy broke out into tears yet, it was Laila he was worried about. “Matt, I told you that you were my friend and I meant it but, I need some answers from you and I need them before we get to your house,” Cole replied keeping his tone steady and even.

  Matt looked to the sun one more time before turning to Cole. “I’ll tell you but we have to hurry before Corin wakes up,” Matt said eyeing him closely. “While we walk.” He added taking up his strenuous pace once more.

  “Ok. I’ll keep up but tell me why.” Cole replied honestly confused by Matt’s apparent fear of ‘Corin.’

  Matt had to steel himself against the truth that he was about to relinquish to Cole before he began. “Normally I would tell you Corin is my brother but, that’s not the case.” He said pausing as Cole interrupted him.

  “So who is he?” he asked frustrated by Matt’s cryptic preface.

  “Don’t speak. Just listen. Marissa isn’t really my sister. It’s a lie I’ve had to reiterate for ten years now. I bring people to them and they let me live but, Corin is dangerous, unpredictable, and sees us humans as nothing more than livestock.” He breathed hard not slowing in the slightest, his explanation only adding further to his exhaustion.

  Although Cole couldn’t even begin to believe the other boy’s story, his sincerity seemed unwavering. He patiently waited for him to continue.

  After a few short moments of catching his breath, Matt continued with his explanation. “Marissa is a little easier to reason with and she is the only reason I’m still alive but, I can’t have a life of my own because I am their familiar. I have lived among them for ten years and I still hide when Corin awakes. Cole, they took me when I was young. Corin slaughtered my family so long ago that I’m not sure if I even truly remember them as they were. In my nightmares, I relive those images. I remember their throats torn from their necks, the sheer terror still locked in their expressions, and I remember that I was all alone when I found them, or so I thought. He was still there, watching me and waiting for me. He kept me as a prize for Marissa so that she could drink from me but, even as a kid I was resourceful and able to convince her that I could help take care of both her and her brother if I was given the chance. I proved to be invaluable to Corin and Marissa as I was able to convince people that I was home alone late at night. Their sympathy and concern would bring them into our house completely unprepared for the fate that awaited them.” He paused momentarily considering how he should continue.

  “You’re telling me their vampires?” Cole stammered. The gruesome details of Matt’s family had him on edge but, he found himself growing frustrated with the fantasy he was being led through.

  “I never said anything about vampires Cole!” Matt interjected angrily. “They’re something else. Look, I’ve been moved all around the world in the past ten years. Every time someone gets too close to finding them we leave. The last time, we moved because the hunters had become aware of our presence and had been dispatched to destroy them but, they were a couple of days late thanks to me. I protect them”

  Cole huffed audibly. “This is crazy Matt…. How do you expect….?” He began but he was cut short again.

  “I have led so many people to their death and I was supposed to do the same with you but, I couldn’t follow through with it. They’re demons or something, and I am their protector, however, if that sun goes down then Laila will be at Corin’s mercy and I fear that even Marissa won’t be able to protect her.” He finished his story sighing heavily before looking at Cole with such sincerity that it sent shivers up his spine.

  “Wow, that’s quite a story, Matt. I hope you’re not offended if I tell you that I don’t really believe it.” Cole half laughed but, the certainty in Matt’s eyes told him that whether he believed it or not didn’t matter. In Matt’s mind, it was true.

  “Cole, I don’t expect you to believe me but, how do you think I knew about Laila’s father? Corin was hunting that night and I know what happened because I saw it. I didn’t want to but I did.”

  Cole couldn’t find a suitable retort for what Matt had just said and he began to wonder if the stranger cloaked in shadow that had followed him not so long ago was the same person Matt seemed so afraid of. “We have to get there now!” Cole shouted breaking into a full sprint making his way for the house with Matt trailing closely behind.

  * * * * *

  Marissa looked at Laila as if she were the most beautiful
woman in the world watching her with such enthusiasm that it made the older girl somewhat uncomfortable. “Can I do your hair again?” Marissa asked sweetly.

  Images from her previous dream in this very room surfaced and Laila decided that she didn’t want to end up in such a vulnerable state without Cole around. “Not this time sweetheart but, maybe we can do it again next time.” She reassured the young girl hoping that it would keep her happy without having to fulfill the obligation until a time when she was comfortable. Laila was sitting in the chair she had been in during her first visit with Marissa but, instead of allowing herself to relax she sat rigidly and taught and she kept her conversation with the younger girl lighthearted and irrelevant. Marissa, on the other hand, lay on her stomach across her canopied bed with her feet in the air as she continued to assess Laila.

  “Something’s bothering you. What’s on your mind?” Marissa asked.

  Laila couldn’t help but turn from the young girl. The intensity in her pale blue eyes seemed to bore into Laila’s soul and she didn’t like it. “It’s nothing really. I just wondered why your brother wants to keep Cole and me away from here so bad.” She said hoping that maybe Marissa would inadvertently relinquish some information about her brother’s knowledge of Laila’s father. Marissa frowned at the statement seemingly hurt or angry, Laila couldn’t tell, but Marissa’s reply shocked her.

  “He doesn’t want you to become my sister. You’re nicer than him and I like you a lot more but, I think that bothers him.” She seemed to mull over the last part of her statement as she pulled herself to sit on the edge of the bed in quiet contemplation.

  “Why do you think that bothers him?” Laila asked feeling trifled by the look of emptiness that crossed Marissa’s face.

  “Because I can make you like me and my older brother but I won’t do it for him.” She said grinning wide. A second set of sharp teeth tore through her gums and she grimaced ever so slightly as she licked the blood away. “I want you to want to be with me. Do you want to be with me?” she asked inching herself forward to look into Laila’s eyes with the black orbs that replaced the iridescent blue. Her innocence had been replaced with a pleading malevolence that was arguably not childlike.

  “What’s going on?” Laila asked standing as she backed her way towards the door.

  “I want you to be part of my family,” Marissa said as she stood. She slowly moved to follow Laila. “The sun’s almost down. Drink my blood before my brother wakes up or he’ll kill you.” She explained before biting deeply into her own wrist.

  Laila writhed in fear. Marissa’s words were the tip of the iceberg and Laila nearly toppled when the young girl began chewing on the chunk she had taken out of her own arm. “Look, I have to go.” She pleaded grabbing the door handle behind her trying to turn it but, it remained firmly fastened in place.

  “I locked it when we came in,” Marissa said matter-of-factly producing a key from a chain around her neck. “You really don’t have a choice now. My brother will be out hunting and he’d surely catch up to you even if you tried to run.” She told Laila without a hint of doubt in her voice but, as if to accentuate her point, a guttural growl resonated from somewhere outside of the room. “He’s awake and he knows you’re here,” Marissa said looking up at the ceiling.

  “Oh god, somebody helps me!” Laila screamed as Marissa closed the distance between them. Laila noticed the door handle move slightly just before a loud ‘slam’ echoed from the other side.

  “Get away from the door Laila,” Cole called to her and she was never more thankful in her life that he had found out about her lie. She stepped back keeping her eye on Marissa who had stopped midway across the room watching the attempted escape with little interest.

  “He’s going to die.” She stated flatly. ‘Crash’ the door snapped open rebounding off the wall with a loud thud and Cole grabbed Laila by the hand so quickly that she was sure she would lose her footing from how fast he yanked her out of the room.

  “Where’s Matt!?” Laila asked looking around nervously and Cole shook his head uncertain where the strange kid had gone off to. Before he had departed Matt had told Cole that it was entirely up to him to save Laila making note that the sun was creeping behind the mountains and he didn’t intend to be around when Corin woke up.

  “We need to get the hell out of here. I’ll explain everything to you when we’re far away from this place.” Cole explained as he sprinted with her down the hallway towards the front door but, before they had cleared the hallway the ceiling caved in ahead of them causing them to stop and shield their eyes. When the drywall and dust settled a man stood amidst the debris. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties and he stood between them and the exit. Handsome with dark hair cut close and angular features, here was a man at least six feet tall dressed in dark black slacks and a black collared shirt that was now powdered white and he regarded the two as intruders as his eyes flashed fiercely red.

  “I know your blood.” He growled at Laila with more than a passing interest and his canines extended to reach a little below the bottom of his lower lip.

  Cole was frozen, the same paralyzing feeling that had incapacitated him on the night the dark stranger had stalked him. Again the hypnotic trance washed over him so powerfully that he staggered from it but he fought with everything he had to keep himself upright. “Shit we have to find another way,” Cole said, grabbing Laila’s hand turning towards the other end of the hallway but, Marissa stood blocking any escape in that direction.

  “I can protect you, Laila. Come to me and leave that waste behind.” She looked at Cole threateningly before returning her attention to the older girl. “We can be sisters forever.” She promised but, Laila shook her head and shrank closer to Cole.

  Cole and Laila were trapped and there would be no escape. What happened to one would happen to the other and they would face it together so as if sensing that this was their last moment together, they linked hands.

  “You son of a bitch!” they heard Matt scream defiantly and they turned towards Corin who grimaced in pain as a long dagger protruded from his chest gleaming black-red with fresh blood that dropped to the wooden floor in tiny little splats.

  “You little vermin, I let you live and this is how you repay me?” Corin said turning away from the two lovers with hatred towards his ‘unwanted’ familiar.

  Matt looked past the creature and into Cole’s eyes seemingly aware that it was over for him. He smiled ever so slightly. “Go.” He mouthed.

  Almost as if passing through the shadows themselves, Corin was on top of Matt ripping into his neck with such ferocity that the sounds of the flesh being chewed away sounded like a shirt being torn in half amidst his painful screams. Cole didn’t need any more encouragement than what Matt had offered and he gripped Laila’s hand tighter signaling there second desperate attempt at escaping. Together they managed to maneuver around the debris that littered the floor from Corin’s recent entry. They slid precariously on loose drywall and wood as they made their way along the short hallway. With Corin preoccupied and Marissa unmoving, they ran for the front door eagerly trying to escape the same fate Matt was now suffering.

  Cole was thankful that he and Matt had left the door open when they had entered only a short time earlier yet the darkness outside seemed to offer its own opinion of their folly.

  “What the hell is going on?” Laila shouted as she struggled to keep up with Cole who tugged on her hand when she began to slow down. Several times Cole had to pull her up at the last instant whenever he felt her trip knowing that even if they could keep up their already strenuous pace they would have little chance of escaping the horrific monster.

  “Just keep running!” He yelled back at her as they sprinted down the tree-lined driveway. With Calkins Road directly ahead, Cole felt a small sense of relief wash over him. He was thankful that they were at least away from the house but he knew that they were far from safe.

  “You can’t escape me!” the determined voice
of Corin growled from a distance behind them causing Laila to turn for only a brief instant. She wanted to cry out and warn Cole that they weren’t going to make it. She wanted to beg him to just give up and make it easier on the both of them but she could tell that Cole’s immediate resolve was determined to see both of them safely away from the nightmarish house and those inside.

  A shriek above them brought Laila’s attention skyward momentarily. She hoped she hadn’t seen what she saw, that maybe it was a trick of her eyes but, it appeared Corin had manifested a pair of wings and had taken to the air. He appeared to be a devil flying with inhuman speed high above them. She knew it was only a matter of seconds before he was on top of them. “God, please help us.” She whispered vainly and Cole’s hand gripped even tighter around hers as if he could sense her desperation.

  Cole knew that there was little chance that he and Laila would escape and as he felt Laila’s hand loosen in his, he too felt his resolve begin to ebb away. ‘It’s night time and we have two of them to deal with,’ he thought his frustration and fear increasing with every step. He forced himself to run faster keeping Laila’s hand tight in his own so that she wouldn’t fall behind.

  “Cole I can’t run any further….I…Leave me.” Laila gasped through burning lungs. Her legs ached horribly and remorse washed over her as she thought about Cole being killed for his attempt to rescue her.