by Jacey Ward
Chase glanced down at her shoulder as he caressed her smooth, soft skin. Brushing her soft mane of red hair away from her neck, he noticed a tiny little raised area of skin just below her hairline. Curiously, he ran the tip of his fingers across it, causing Ava to shudder slightly, from his touch.
“What is that?” he asked her in a soft, gentle voice.
“It’s just a birthmark. I’ve had it since I was a baby,” she replied.
Chase raised his head up from the pillow and craned his neck to get a better look at it.
“It’s beautiful,” he whispered. “You know, it almost looks like a-”
“…number six.” Ava joined in, knowing what he was going to say. Since she couldn’t see the birthmark herself, she rarely thought of it, but her friend in kindergarten had often made fun of the way the mark looked like a number six.
A wave of realization washed over Chase, like a tsunami, tearing apart his world. He stiffened and pulled back from her, trying to get a better look at the birthmark.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, pulling the covers up around her exposed breasts and sitting up next to Chase. She looked at him questioningly.
“We have to go, now!” he said sternly, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and reaching for his pants.
“What is it, Chase? What’s going on?” Ava persisted, starting to get anxious now.
Chase picked her dress up off the floor and placed it on the bed beside her before snatching his shirt up and hurriedly pulling it over his head.
“We’ll go to my place,” he continued. “We’ll be safer there.”
“Safe from what, Chase? Tell me what’s going on!” She pulled her thin, yellow dress over head and then got up off of the bed.
“Ava, I think it’s you. I think you’re the Sacred Sixth—the one the Necromorus demon needs to complete the portal ritual! And if I’m right, it’s gonna come for you after it claims its fifth and final virgin!”
The stricken look on his face was unnerving to Ava. A feeling of dread began to build inside of her and she started trembling. Chase noticed her fear and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.
“Don’t panic, Ava. I won’t let anything happen to you – I promise,” he assured her, kissing her tenderly on the forehead.
**
They had just finished dressing and were heading outside to Chase’s car when a low, rumbling snarl filled the quiet air around them.
Ava froze in her tracks, suddenly overcome with fear. She started shaking and the bag she was carrying dropped out of her hand and onto the cement walkway.
All of a sudden, a huge, looming figure in a long, dark hooded cloak leapt out from behind the row of bushes beside Ava’s house. Chase reacted quickly. His vampire senses kicked in and he immediately jumped in between Ava and the creature.
“Ava, get to the car, now!” Chase shouted as he grabbed hold of the cloaked figure.
Ava’s brain was telling her legs to run, but her limbs just weren’t reacting. She could hardly believe what she was witnessing and her heart felt like it was about leap out of her throat.
“Ava, GO!” Chase and the cloaked creature fell to the ground, each trying to get the upper hand as they wrestled for top spot.
Finally, Ava’s legs began to respond. She made a dash for Chase’s car, running as fast as her legs would go. Finally making it to the car, she climbed into the passenger seat and quickly slammed the door. She looked back out through the rear window and saw Chase and the creature rolling around on the ground, still fighting.
The demon was at least a foot-and-a-half taller than Chase, who was over six feet tall himself. Though Chase’s supernatural vampire strength was more potent than any mortal male’s, it was no match for that of the Necromorus. Chase rolled over on top of the creature and landed a forceful blow to its scaly, greenish face. The creature grinned evilly, revealing its thick, long yellow fangs and then swiftly rolled on top of Chase and gouged his face with its large clawed hands. Chase yelled out in pain and the creature laughed in his face.
Chase knew he had to get to his car and get Ava to the safety of his house. With all of his might, he threw the demon off of him, flinging it into the wide tree trunk near the edge of the yard. Seeing his chance to flee, he raced over to the car.
He climbed in the driver’s seat and Ava grabbed him, hugging him tightly as tears of panic streamed down her face.
I’ve got to get her out of here, he thought to himself.
He started the car up and but just before he could drive off, the Necromorus jumped up on the hood of the car. Ava screamed in terror. Chase hit the gas and pulled off into the street. The demon held onto the hood of the vehicle and began to beat on the windshield, trying to break through it and grab Ava.
“You motherfucker!” Chase shouted angrily as he turned the steering wheel sharply in an attempt to knock the creature off the hood.
Screams of horror were coming out of Ava’s mouth as she stared into the bulbous, blood red eyes of the demon. The hood had flown off its hairless head during the struggle, and the greenish, rutted skin of its face was in full view. Two bulky, solid yellow horns protruded from either side of the demon’s roundish head and it stared at her with an evil-looking, malevolent grin, running its forked green tongue across the windshield.
Ava felt like she was in a real-life horror movie. She wanted to close her eyes and turn away from the horrid sight in front of her, but she was frozen.
“Hold on, Ava!” Chase shouted out as he did another swerving maneuver, rounding a corner sharply. The demon was persistent, however, and though its grip slipped for a split second, it quickly steadied itself on the hood.
Ava’s body was thrown into the passenger door and she reached out to grab hold of the dashboard. Chase slammed his foot on the gas pedal and began rapidly picking up speed, heading toward Lexus.
The creature started pounding on the windshield with superhuman force and the glass began to crack. Noticing this, Ava’s screams became even more frantic.
“Shit!” Chased cursed, trying again to maneuver the vehicle in a way that would cause the demon to fall off the hood. His efforts were futile, however, and the creature’s powerful blows broke through the plated glass of the windshield, shattering it into millions of pieces. In a supernatural display of extraordinary speed, the creature reached into the vehicle and snagged Ava, disappearing with her instantly.
“No!” Chase yelled out with desperation, slamming on the brakes. “Ava!!”
Chapter Twelve: The Ritual
Ava awakened to a sulfuric odor filling her nostrils. She opened her eyes and realized that she was tied completely naked to some kind of strange metal contraption. The only light in the room came from a blazing fire in a stone fireplace in the far corner, and a solitary candle that was sitting on a table on the opposite side of the room. Her heart was racing and her entire body was shaking uncontrollably.
She whimpered in fear as she looked around the room and gasped in shock when she saw the lifeless, blood-drained body of a young girl. Ava knew her name was Bridgette Mansfield because she used to babysit her back when they were younger. Beginning to cry, with tears streaming down her face in thin salty streams, Ava knew that this was the end.
“I see you’ve finally awakened, Sacred Sixth,” a female voice said from behind Ava. “Ava Hartzman, born on 6/6 at exactly 6:00 a.m.”
A tall, slender woman with long locks of thick dark hair came out from behind the metal contraption and walked up to Ava. She was dressed in a long, silky, form-fitting black dress that accentuated her slim feminine figure and hung all the way down to the floor, covering her feet, almost like a black wedding dress.
Ava didn’t recognize the woman, but she noticed how elegant and beautiful she was, even in the dim light of the room. She appeared to be middle-aged, perhaps in her mid- to late forties. Ava wondered who the woman was and how she knew she was the Sacred Sixth.
The woman walked over to the
table where the candle was and slowly lit five more long, red candles in a strange-looking six-part candelabrum, brightening up the large room. Gracefully, and with perfect poise, she sauntered over to Ava and stood directly in front of her.
The contraption that Ava was tied to held her fully exposed body in an upright position. Her arms were tied down on either side of her body and her feet were tied together at the bottom. The woman had a malicious-looking smile on her flawless, pale face and when she stretched her thin, darkly-glossed lips wider, two white fangs began to protrude from the sides of her mouth.
Ava’s eyes widened in shock as she immediately realized that the woman was vampire. Still, she had no clue who the strange vamp was. “Wh…who…are you?” Ava managed to stutter.
“Oh, how rude of me! I haven’t even introduced myself,” the woman stated sarcastically. “I am Katheryn Bradenton, mother of Azalea Bradenton, the future mate of Chase Veldassare.”
Ava gasped as her eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing! Chase Veldassare, the man she had grown so close to in the past week, was promised to another woman? It couldn’t possibly be true, could it?
Ava began to feel dizzy, as if the entire room had started spinning around her.
“Necromorus, come forth!” Katheryn commanded, motioning to a dark corner of the room.
Ava noticed that the woman was wearing a dark-colored amulet on a chain around her neck, and when she beckoned the demon, the amulet began to glow with a fiery red light.
That must be the Necrostone! Ava thought silently, but how did this strange woman get her hands on it?
Noticing where Ava’s stare was locked, Katheryn smirked evilly.
A towering dark-cloaked figure emerged from the shadowy corner and joined Katheryn at her side. The creature turned to face the naked, traumatized Ava and growled low at her, showing his yellow fangs. Ava cringed and whimpered.
“Oh, don’t be frightened, young one! He is but a mere pet of mine. He won’t harm you - unless I tell him to,” Katheryn stated proudly. “Quite talented, this one is. He can pick up the scent of untainted blood from miles away. And you, well your scent is undeniable. It’s almost as if your birthmark itself secretes a supernatural pheromone. You couldn’t hide anywhere in the world from my pet.”
“You see, you have become quite a thorn in my side, Sacred One. It is my daughter’s destiny to become the first lady of the Veldassare vampire clan; it always has been. I spent nearly an entire century training, prepping and molding her into the perfect specimen for a future leader of this clan. She is destined to lead the next generation into a new era—one where you vile human scum will finally serve at the feet our kind again!”
Ava could hardly believe what she was hearing! Who was this crazy vampire bitch and why did she seem to have such a deep-seated hatred for human beings?
“You see, when Necromorus here drains the very last drop of Sacred blood from your body and offers it to the Keeper of the Portal, the portal to the Underworld will be opened and we, the superior supernatural beings will rule this world once again for the next thousand years!” her voice rose with intensity and excitement as she spoke. “Oh, what a glorious new world it will be!”
Ava shook her head vigorously as she groaned and struggled, trying to loosen the ties that held her captive.
“Your resistance is useless, young one! You may as well accept your fate with some dignity!” Katheryn sneered as her eyes began to glow with the same red color as the Necrostone. “Necromorus! Let us begin!”
Ava watched in horror as the demon began to approach her, its bulging, globular eyes burning red like blazing coals. She struggled frantically, in unadulterated panic, her hysterical sobs escaping but having no effect on her captors.
The creature reached inside of its cloak and pulled out an odd-looking device. It looked almost like a very long ceremonial scalpel of some kind and just the sight of it made Ava start thrashing about, hysterically. She was certain that the Demon intended to cut slice her neck and let her blood drain out. Funny how she remembered that detail now. The one where the blood of the Sacred Sixth was to be collected and given to some freaking demon portal keeper!
The demon approached her and Ava could smell the stench of rotted flesh and hot brimstone. The creature spread its scaly, crusted lips into a wicked grin and pressed a button on the top of the metal contraption that she was tied to, and the device started rotating in a clockwise motion, slowly turning her nude body into an upside down position. Ava glanced down and saw that there was a large black urn on the floor directly beneath her. It had ceremonial markings on the inside and seemed to glow with a dim red light embedded right into the metal that the bowl was forged from. The realization of what was about to happen hit Ava hard, and her panic ratcheted up another ten degrees.
Katheryn stood back and watched with a smug smile on her face.
Just as the demon was about to pierce the side of her neck with the long, weird looking knife, Ava suddenly heard a thunderous BOOM.
Distracted, the demon and Katheryn both turned their attention to the door on the far side of the large room.
“Katheryn! You TRAITOR!”
Ava recognized the sound of the voice immediately. It was Chase! He had found her and had come to her rescue! She sagged against her bonds, her relief leaving her muscles boneless. He was holding some kind of large metal sword in his hand and he immediately made a break directly for Katheryn—eyeing the glowing amulet that she was wearing around her neck.
“How DARE you, Katheryn?” he shouted angrily, as he moved with remarkable speed toward her. “You’re a fucking monster!”
“I’ll show you a fucking monster!” Kathryn shouted. “Necromorus! Get him!”
She pointed her finger toward Chase and the demon threw its head back and roared loudly, as it changed course from Ava to attack Chase instead.
Chase made a swift dash for the creature, wielding his sword-like weapon and as the demon leapt into the air preparing to pounce on top of him, he quickly swung the sword upward, and the creature fell from the air onto the ground. It had been sliced deeply from its shoulder to its midsection by Chase’s weapon and thick, black gunk was drizzling from its wound.
Katheryn was making her way over to where Ava was still hanging upside down on the ritual contraption. She had retrieved the long metallic knife that the demon had been holding when Chase had first burst into the basement. Immediately realizing what she was planning to do, he maneuvered around the injured demon and rushed over to stop Katheryn.
“Katheryn, you crazy bitch! I can’t believe you made a deal with demons!” Chase hissed. He reached out and grabbed her from behind, throwing her across the room, and away from the woman he loved. Katheryn lay sprawled on the hard stone floor, but still managed to smile evilly as she turned her face slowly back up toward his.
“These humans don’t deserve to be equals to us! We are superior! They are but bags of blood and bones, meant to serve beings like us! Why can’t you see that?” Katheryn insisted. “Necromorus!” she screamed. “Finish him before he ruins everything!”
The demon perked its lizard-like head up at the sound of its commander’s voice. The injury it had sustained from Chase’s blow was already beginning to heal. With a loud roar, it lunged forward and scooped Chase up with one long, strong arm, throwing him into the cement wall of the room with such vehement force that Chase was almost knocked out cold, falling facedown onto the cold floor.
Seeing him flung like a rag doll, Ava cringed and cried out to him. She felt relieved seeing that he was still conscious and watched helplessly as he struggled his way back up to his feet.
The momentary diversion had given Katheryn just enough time to reach out and grab the twelve-inch long, scalpel-like knife that had fallen to the floor when Chase had shoved her. She rose to her feet and while the demon stalked forward to finish off Chase, Katheryn moved intently towards Ava.
It’s time to finish this, she thought im
patiently.
“Necromorus, KILL him!” she shouted angrily.
The demon lunged toward Chase and knocked him down onto his back. It drew its humongous-clawed hand back and was just about to rip Chase’s face to shreds when it suddenly stopped in mid-air. Chase turned his head to see what had caused the demon to stop in mid-attack.
His jaw dropped open when he saw that Azalea had snuck up behind her mother and had ripped the glowing Necrostone from around her neck. Instinctively, Katheryn immediately shoved the long, sharp end of the knife backward and into the chest of the individual who had crept up behind her and yanked the stone from her neck, thus halting the demon’s fatal strike on Chase.
Gurgling sounds erupted from Azalea’s throat as she dropped the amulet from her hand and grabbed onto the object that was deeply rooted in her chest.
“Azalea!” Chase called out, rolling out from out under the demon.
It was almost as if time slowed down.
When Katheryn heard Chase shout out her daughter’s name, her proud smirk instantly transformed into an expression of extreme confusion, and then almost instantly, overpowering anguish.
Her mouth opened in pure shock and she gasped loudly, completely flabbergasted. Her hands came up, as if she could stop the past event from happening. But seeing her only daughter, her pride and joy, impaled in the heart by her own hands caused her to shatter.
Azalea dropped down onto the floor, with her hand still gripping the long knife. Katheryn let out an ear-splitting cry of excruciating agony as she dropped to her knees and wrapped her dying daughter in her arms.
“No! NOOO! AZALEA!! NOOOO!” she screamed, over and over again. “NOOO! My baby!”
“I-I couldn’t let you kill him, Mom,” Azalea stammered, as the last breaths of life escaped from her lips. “I-I love him.” Dark red blood poured from her mouth as she choked out her last words before taking her final breath.
