by Volley, Rue
“You knew our ways, we did not know then as we do now that suicide is a damnation, I was only following Rome and her traditions, it was not for me, not for pride.”
She stepped up to him and spoke softly.
“If you do this, you will die, we will all die and your pride will be the ruin of the world. You have to accept help from those you may have otherwise considered your enemy. There is no need to carry any more weight for me. I have told you the truth and that story ends today. You have to write this next part as only you can. You are a gifted man, a strategist, a leader, a born King. Act like it. Take us into battle to win and not to be defeated.”
He watched her as she walked back to the foliage and touched it once again, brown leaves crumbling under her fingertips and to the atriums floor.
“Maybe after that, some life can be restored in this house and not mere shadows of what we could have been.”
****
Dorin stood very still as the elevator doors remained open. No one had come to retrieve him and he was not frightened to step out as much as he did not want to step into a trap. He finally took an unneeded breath, an old habit vampires who were turned seem to have of breathing. Some habits are harder to break than others. He finally stepped out into the hallway of Hell and then looked up to see that it looked like the long hallway in the old castle he lived in with Vlad. He swallowed hard as his throat burned with thirst, but his strength increased with each passing moment. He walked along as he heard moaning. It was not uncommon to hear it in the castle on any given day. Vlad had a thirst for blood, all blood and he lured as many unsuspecting humans into the castle as he possibly could to feed on. Some he kept as slaves for years until their bodies wore out, but they were never aware of anything but the love and pleasure that he brought to them. A vampire is a demon, the most seductive demonic creature that has ever been or ever will be and perhaps that is why Lucifer loves them as if they were his own. He tends to take them in as often as they want to come to him. A surrogate of some sort, be it as perverted as it seems to be, but a vampire is a weapon he adores to have at his side.
Dorin stopped as a door lay open to his right and he peered in to see a bathhouse. Humans lying around being fed on by vampires, vampires that Vlad had created to serve him. The orgy was intoxicating to Dorin’s senses as he heard the moaning, smelled the sex and blood mingling on the stone floor and into the large pool of water in the center of the room. It ran red with the blood of many but the humans who were being fed upon did not mind at all. Their pleasure outweighed the dangers of being bled dry.
“Come,” Lucifer said as he walked toward Dorin dressed in his black suit and tie. Dorin stood his ground until Lucifer reached him and took his hand into his. Their cold flesh matching the temperature of each other’s and Lucifer smiled as he ran his fingers along the top of Dorin’s hand. Dorin allowed it as he scanned the room very quickly and then settled his eyes back onto Lucifer.
“She is not here. But I assure you she is fine, healthy, happy and completely unharmed.”
Dorin pulled his hand away from him and rubbed it with his free hand as he looked him over.
“I doubt any of that to be true.”
Lucifer smiled and looked around the room. “And here I went through all the trouble of making you feel at home. Why do I continuously do this to myself? I mean you are extremely attractive, but worth the effort? I am not so sure.” Lucifer looked him over and then sucked on his teeth, quickly stopping and continuing to enjoy the sound of his own voice. “Then you come in and ignore it all, instead, accusing me of hurting Halo. I am almost offended.”
“What am I to think Lucifer? She had your son!”
Lucifer looked back at him and then snapped his fingers. Everyone got up and started to leave the room. Some paused and rubbed their hand on Dorin’s face and back, leaving small traces of blood behind. He closed his eyes as the smell of it inflamed his senses, but he controlled it, beating back the temptation. Lucifer started to clap as it echoed in the room and Dorin opened his ever darkening eyes as his hunger for blood grew.
“I have to say,” Lucifer pointed to him and smiled. “You are an exceptional vampire, and I have known many.”
“I am sure that you have.”
Lucifer placed a finger to his own lip and tapped it a few times and then lowered his hand, inspecting his fingernails.
“So tell me, how long have you been Gunners bitch, or would you prefer lapdog? I mean I can call you whatever you wish so that I do not offend you.”
Dorin remained as calm as he could and then spoke as if he was not irritated.
“Gunner is my friend. Friends help each other and understand loyalty. Without loyalty you have nothing.”
“Oh you want to speak of loyalty? I can do that. I mean trust me. I know some assholes who have no idea what that even means, one being my fucking brother,” Lucifer said as he tried to appear normal to Dorin. Dorin crossed his arms on his chest and then looked up at the ceiling of the room. He grinned as the traditional picture of “God reaching out to man” was replaced with that of Lucifer and he was laughing in the painting. Lucifer looked up and grinned.
“I get sick of all the shit they do to honor him. If they only knew him as I do, they would stop all that nonsense.”
Dorin looked at him and tilted his head.
“He does not eat souls.”
Lucifer laughed so hard he bent over and then coughed at the end, hitting his own chest and standing up, looking exasperated.
“You are fucking kidding me, right?” he said and Dorin got a look of confusion on his face.
“Let me tell you the truth about my brother “God” as they call him.”
“I did not come here for a history lesson.”
Lucifer was suddenly in his face and the hot wind crept up behind him as Dorin felt the uneasiness settle in his chest. Lucifer may be a demon as he was, but his power was great and Dorin could die easily if he provoked him enough.
“I guess I would love to hear about it,” Dorin whispered.
Lucifer’s terrible expression immediately changed to one of delight and he snapped his fingers as the room changed from that of a bath house to a nice wooded area. Dorin looked around and then back to him.
“Welcome to the Garden of Eden,” Lucifer said as Dorin stared up at a large tree, that of the mythical one in all legends, the Tree of creation.
Chapter Five
Eat the Fucking Apple
Gunner stood in the middle of a Mall and sighed as Ari and Finna stepped up beside him. He looked around as all of the shoppers remained frozen in time. It was not that they were actually frozen, not in the “frozen in time” sense of the word, but to explain it completely I guess I can just say this: a Hellhound and any creature, other than a human, works on a different time table, as in between seconds, the moments that humans do not see all around them. So as we battle, we fight in the moments of time they are not even aware of. If we stay long enough we see eyelids starting to move ever so slowly to blink, small changes in expression. But like I said, we move faster than they can see.
Tercia stepped out of a store and shook her head as Gunner scanned the upper deck of the mall and then they all heard it. One long howl. They bolted towards the escalator and ran up it, weaving in between people as they rode it unsuspecting of their presence. Once at the top, Gunner sniffed the air and looked to his right as he saw a flash of something and knew immediately what it was. He ran as he pulled his blades and slid across the slick floor as two shadows jumped over him from both sides. Ari raised a hand and stopped Finna as she started to rush towards him and Tercia stood her ground too as Gunner rose up and pivoted on one foot, swords extended. She crossed her arms on her chest as she watched him, knowing that she always enjoyed watching him battle. Gunner lowered his goggles and he could now see the beasts as they were, black wolves darting from here to there almost as quickly as the vampire.
Suddenly a shadow flashed up into his face and he sl
iced the air so quickly with his sword that it looked like a blur. The shadow would dart into his face and out, over and over again until finally he dropped the swords and simply snatched a shadow from the air and the girl cried out as everyone but Gunner covered his ears. He turned her and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the terrible noise. Ari lowered his fingers and saw blood on them as it made his ears bleed. The girl looked all of 90 pounds and probably 17 perhaps 16 years of age. Gunner leaned into her ear.
“If you stop, I will let you go.”
She hissed and then bit his hand so he dropped her. But Tercia ran towards them and dropped to the ground, sliding on her side and then grabbing the girl’s foot and causing her to fall. She held on until Gunner could reach her and he jerked the girl to her feet and grinned as she spit at him.
“You are seriously feisty,” Gunner said as she tried to kick him and Finna knocked her on her ass and placed a large axe to her throat as she bit into an apple and tossed it.
“Listen up. We are not here to battle you. Something much bigger is coming and we need to speak to your pack leader.”
She then started to howl and Finna blinked as all of the glass rattled in the malls dome above them and a small crack ran up the lens in the man’s glasses standing closest to them. Gunner looked over at him and sighed.
“Tell them we mean no harm or you will be dead before any one of them get here.”
She narrowed her eyes and howled again. This time it did not sound desperate at all. Gunner nodded to her and Finna pulled her axe away from her throat. Gunner reached down and offered a hand to the girl and she took it, still looking a bit irritated. He pulled her up and she looked him over.
“What is it you want dog?”
“Moxy, mind your manners,” a voice said from behind all of them.
They all turned to see a man standing there in jeans and a black button down shirt. He also wore black military style boots, his hair was black and shaggy, framing his face and hanging in his eyes unless he moved it aside, which he did as he looked at all of them one by one. He was very attractive, almost chiseled in his features. His jaw was not too square, but definitely defined. His lips were full, but not feminine, his eyes brown, so brown they almost looked black. His skin had a nice olive tint to it, so he did not appear inhuman, although he definitely was.
“Jack, they attacked me,” she said as her voice went up an octave.
He smiled and waved her over to him and she complied as she had no choice. Jack was obviously pack leader and she had to obey. He spoke quietly to her as she crossed her arms on her chest and then looked back at Gunner and the rest of them. She rolled her eyes and was gone in a flash, appearing like a blurred black shadow. Jack then turned to face Gunner and looked him over.
“I guess this cannot be good news if you are seeking my help, Hellhound.”
“You would think that we would have more in common, Wolf,” Gunner said as Jack grinned and rubbed his chin.
“It is true we must be related somewhere down the line, but I have yet to figure that out, seeing that you have killed some of my kind.”
Finna stepped forward. “We have only killed those who tried to kill us.”
“Like Moxy?” he asked as his eyes went to her and Gunner interrupted.
“We would have never harmed her. We simply needed to get your attention and it seems the youngest ones in the pack like this nonsense,” Gunner said as he pointed around him at the Mall.
“I would have to agree. I hate the Mall.”
Gunner smiled. “Well then we do have something in common.”
“Okay, speak,” Jack said.
****
Gunner, Finna, Tercia and Ari all stood at the front of a warehouse and looked up.
“This is not good,” Ari whispered as they continued to look up and heard a howling from the rooftop.
“We need to make alliances and the only way we can is to reach out in peace.”
Ari laughed. “This coming from Marcus Brutus, himself.”
They all laughed and Gunner shook his head.
“I am not here for war, I am here for help.”
“Like it was your idea.” Finna said as Gunner shot her a look. She shrugged her shoulders.
They all stepped back as they heard lock after lock being undone and then the doors opened up as a smell of dog rolled out of the building.
“Oh.” Finna said as she covered her nose.
“Come on.” Gunner said as he walked in and looked at Moxy, she held the door with a look of disgust on her face. She obviously hated them and he could not blame her. As the count would go they had slain at least 1100 wolves over time, many more vampires had fallen, but they had killed her kind just the same. It was not without provocation, wolves that go rogue have no pack and no pack leader. They kill without mercy and have no loyalty to anything, but the hunt and kill. Although the hunt, kill and survive mantra could be appreciated, it still did not take away from the fact that they killed humans, and that was not allowed.
“Welcome.” Jack said as they all stopped and looked up to see him on the second level, this place looked like an old abandoned theatre with a huge red curtain still hanging over a stage and rows of seating that sloped upward. Jack was in the balcony overlooking everything and Gunner turned to Tercia.
“If by chance this goes south, kill everything that moves and get Finna and Ari out of here. Do not worry about me.”
“Like you could.” Moxy said as she laughed behind them and Gunner sighed and turned to her.
“It is rude to eavesdrop.”
“It is even ruder to talk about fucking murdering my family.”
“Now no one is going to murder anyone.” Jack said as he appeared in a flash in front of all of them. Gunner sighed and looked at him.
“I do not blame you for being protective. I am very protective of my people too, so on this we agree,” Jack said.
Gunner nodded as Jack started to walk away and they all followed him.
****
Dorin stepped up to the tree and stared at the plump fruit on the branches. It housed apples of plenty, each one even tempting to him. He smelled their sweetness and then looked back at Lucifer.
“Fucking eat the apple already.”
Dorin shook his head and turned back to him.
“So what is this about?” he asked him and Lucifer smiled and walked up to the tree. He placed his hand to its side and then leaned in, pressing his ear against it and could hear the heart beating inside of it.
“Oh that is a glorious sound. The sound of life.”
“Many have come to this tree seeking its power and yet here we are, with no one around. Do you find that odd?” Lucifer asked and Dorin stared at him.
“The legend is that this is the tree that allowed humans free will.”
Lucifer laughed and tapped the tree a couple of times, looking up and studying it.
“It is a trick.”
“In what way?” Dorin asked him.
“This was placed on earth by my brother. It was a bet between us.”
“I don’t follow.”
Lucifer turned and leaned on it with his shoulder. “It was a bet between me and my brother to see what his kind would do.”
“You mean humans.”
“That I do. I mean we could have come in and just did what we had done before, take over and shit, but we decided to switch it up and this tree ended up being the Trojan horse for all of us.”
“So what? You placed the tree on earth and humans ate from it? What did you expect?”
“We expected compliance and we got defiance. They ate and we lost control.”
Dorin laughed and then quickly stopped as Lucifer stared at him without changing his expression. “I am sorry. I mean am I supposed to feel bad that a little joke between you and God backfired on you?”
Lucifer was in his face quickly and with it the hot wind. Dorin’s hair blew back and he blinked as Lucifer calmed down and looked him over. “
If it had not been for this fucking tree, it would have been fine and we would not be trapped here like fucking animals.”
“Trapped? You mean you cannot leave?”
Lucifer looked down and regretted saying anything so he walked back to the tree and looked upward. “I do not know why you care for them at all.”
Dorin sighed and stared up at the tree too. “I was once human. I was not born vampire.”
“That is a shame, for what a beautiful creature you are in this light,” Lucifer said.
Dorin watched him very closely as he walked around the back of the tree and disappeared. He had no choice but to follow and when he reached the other side he saw Halo sitting there in the grass about to bite into the apple and he ran to her and knocked it from her hand. She looked up at him with an expression of true compassion and he was confused as she rose up and let her hand touch his chest and then the other gently caressed his cheek. He stood his ground, but when her lips met his he was surprised to find that he wanted it, more than he could have ever imagined. He closed his eyes and her tongue slid into his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her affection. She took her lips from his and he reached up and touched her face just as she morphed into Lucifer and he stepped back and spit onto the ground.
“Fuck you,” he muttered as Lucifer wiped his lip.
“Well, isn’t that interesting.”
Dorin sighed and then realized that his intentions for coming to hell may be more than he had ever bargained for.
Chapter Six
Hair of the Dog
I held my hand out to Jet, but he stood his ground as he seemed to enjoy being that close to my father and his demise. If I had hatred, as I once had, I would be enjoying it too, but to see him standing there and not fazed by something so gruesome was disturbing. My Mom then called out to him and he walked to her. I rubbed my arms as the birds continued to circle overhead. I looked up at my father as his skin began to mend itself and he returned to what he had been when we first saw him. He started to move and moan and I watched the birds over head as they began to organize once again.
