by Skyla Madi
I waved as she drove off. Little did she know she had actually driven me to my death. I walked up to the door and turned the handle, it was unlocked. The bright sun guaranteed my safety until nightfall. I hope. I entered the house. It was dead quiet. I checked every room, but there was no one there.
My room was exactly how I left it, except the window was boarded up. I sat on my bed and stroked the necklace Camilla got me for my birthday. I couldn't help but spare a few tears. I wished I hadn't stayed here after the incident with my mother; maybe that could have prevented this from happening. Better yet, I wished my mother and Mr Aleksandrov didn't put stupid charms on me and that had Hank killed me. I wished a lot of things, but that didn't matter now. What happened, happened, and what is about to happen will happen.
I thought about the odds of Tay and Eli coming to save me. How long would it take them to figure out I had come back to Bridgewater? I sat in my room for hours. I ate the pizza and drank all my water, but that was okay; there was water and food in the fridge here.
The sun was receding rapidly, I estimated I had only an hour of sunlight left and every inch the sun decreased, my fear increased. I didn't actually know what I was going to do when the time came. I was hopeless with magic and I didn't think punching Raina in the face makes me a full blown fighter. I didn't care what happened to me, my main goal was to get Camilla out of there safely.
I used my bathroom to prepare myself for night. I changed into a pair of sweat pants and a singlet. I needed to be able to move around and these were the loosest clothes I owned.
“I knew it,” growled a voice as I exited the bathroom.
I looked up, it was Darren. Talk about deja vù.
“Darren?”
He dropped to a fighting stance and we started circling each other. “I knew you would come back.”
“I'm not a vampire anymore.”
“So? You’re still something ungodly.”
“Ungodly? I'm a goddess, god is in the name.”
“Do not speak His name, evil creature,” he snapped.
I didn't have time to fight his religious beliefs. “Darren, you need to get out of here. Vampires are coming, and it’s not safe.”
“No, I'm not going anywhere. I’m going to take you and your blood-sucking buddies, down.”
He lunged at me with a small blade but I dodged it. I didn’t have time to congratulate myself; adrenaline was controlling my body now. I couldn't fight and control my emotions all at once so there was no doubt Eli was aware of what I was going through.
Darren lunged at me again, and like before, I dodged it. As I eluded his attack, I swung my elbow and clipped him in the eyebrow. Pain shot up my elbow but I ignored it. Darren turned around, blood streaming down his face. Ouch, I got him right on the bone and split his eyebrow.
“You are going to die, Rubes.” He smiled.
Once again he jumped at me. I wasn't so lucky this time and his knife cut my forearm.
“You’re a pretty sloppy vampire slayer,” I said through gritted teeth. My comment made him angrier. “Don't get knocked out this time.” I laughed.
Deep down, I was praying for my life. He jumped at me and we both fell to the floor. We rolled around, wrestling; I managed to get the knife out of his hand. I broke free of his grip and climbed to my feet. I ran out of the bedroom and made it as far as the lounge room before being tackled from behind. I screamed in pain as I was knocked to the floor, Darren landing on top of me. He had my chest pinned.
“Where are you going now, huh?” he gloated.
I turned abruptly, caught him off guard and threw him off my back. I tried to climb to my feet but he caught my ankle.
“Get off!” I yelled.
I was no longer scared of Darren, I was angry. He was foiling my plan to save Camilla. Not only that, but he was forcing me to waste my energy fighting him.
I thrust my ankle and hit Darren in the nose. That was the break I needed. I jumped to my feet and headed for the door. He let go and grabbed his nose, yelling swear words as he struggled to his feet. I tore open the front door and I ran straight into a tall figure. It was Tay.
Angel Agendas
“Oh, Tay. Thank god. I need your help,” I cried out.
Darren thundered after me and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Tay. “Good. Now I can kill both of you.”
Tay let out a loud laugh. “Please, just because your father hunts vampires, it doesn't make you a vampire slayer.”
“I’m better than my father. I'll show you.” He dove at Tay, who dodged, causing Darren to fall on his face. Tay kicked him in the head and Darren was down for the count. He then rolled his body out of the way and stepped inside.
“Thank you, T—”
Tay grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall. “Shut up.”
I kicked and gasped for air as my hands were clutching at my throat. “W-what are you doing!” I choked.
“Following orders.” A callous emotionless voice answered.
I froze. Only one person had a voice that frightening… Hank. My gaze went right through him as I searched for any sign of Camilla. “Where is she?” I managed to squeeze out.
Hank laughed; I cringed as it sent shivers down my spine. “I never had her. In fact, your aunt and cousin are on holiday.”
Relief flooded my mind but soon after, it turned to regret. Not telling Eli about the notes was a horrible idea and my punishment for that mistake was death. A fate I could have avoided all together. My mind was on the verge of giving up. There was no way I was going to cheat death once again and get out of this one. Either way, I wasn’t going down without a fight. If I could hold them off killing me for a little while longer, maybe Eli and the other angels would save me just in the nick of time.
I gained enough strength in my legs to kick Tay in the genitals. He dropped me, but Hank, with his super speed, caught me mid fall — again, by the throat. I could feel my eyes widen with fear as small ragged gasps escaped my throat. The pressure of his grasp was too much for me to handle. It reminded me of the cabin when he had grabbed my mother and I by our throats. Like before, his hands were freezing, I thought my throat was going to ice up. Tay unsteadily rose to his feet and raised his hand to backhand my face.
“Don't,” Hank said. “I don't want her damaged just yet.”
He stroked my cheek once, quickly, with the back of his index finger. I wanted to scream but the pressure on my throat was too immense. I couldn't even flinch away from his long, cold finger.
“Kill her before the guardian angels get here; there’s no doubt they’re looking for her. She and Eli have a tattoo bond,” Tay coughed.
Hank walked me over to an arm chair and sat me down.
“Tay, What are you doing?” I cried. My tears tasted salty on my lips.
“Hank promised me immortality.”
“Don't do this,” I begged. "Please!"
“Enough!” Hank boomed and he leant right in my face. “I'm not going kill you.” Tay stepped forward to protest but Hank silenced him with his hand. "No, that would be too easy for you. I'm going to do something much worse.
The quick end I had hoped for burnt out and was replaced by a sick feeling that grew heavier in my stomach. No, no, no, Anything but that, I repeated over and over in my head.
“I'm going to turn you into a vampire, no interferences this time, and you will live under my rule alongside Tay.”
“I am nothing to you, I can't possibly hurt you. I'm weak, I’m pathetic, just let me go. Please,” I screamed, tears flooding my eyes.
“Dear stepdaughter, you are everything to me. How can I earn a reputation as a ruthless ruler if I had, in fact, let a teenage girl go free? Not just any teenage girl, Ruby Moore, a goddess, and the daughter of my human love; a teenage girl who disrespected me by throwing away such a precious gift. That doesn't look good for me now, does it?”
I tried hard to stop myself from crying and slowly the tears stopped.
Hank
and Tay paced the lounge room. They were obviously waiting for someone else. “Keep an eye on her,” Hank said as he left the room, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket.
“Why are you doing this?” I sobbed, when Hank was out of sight.
“I already told you wh— ”
“No, why did you decide to do this? You hate vampires. You hated me.”
“You were just a pawn in my plan. Mr Aleksandrov needed you under the protection of the school. Apparently, there is something ‘special’ about you.” He spat on the floor in disgust. “My plan was almost ruined when Aleksandrov made Eli your guardian angel instead of me, but I managed to work around that. Once that was finished, I made a deal with Hank. He has tasted your blood; he’s convinced there’s something different about you, something he can use. So If I gave him you, he would make me immortal—”
My mind reeled over all the past events.
“You convinced Eli that the cabin wasn't safe and you agreed to play far guard so the vampires could take down Eli, but when I intervened, you had to kill them all to avoid suspicion. And then finally the notes, you did that, didn’t you?” I said, fitting all the pieces of the puzzle together.
“No not finally, in-between all that I also convinced Mr Aleksandrov to take no action concerning the cabin attack by playing it down; increasing the school’s protection would foil my plan. Oh, and I killed Cloud,” He gloated.
“You killed Cloud?” I gasped, mostly because he said it so casually. “It was ruled an accident.”
“Well, if it looked like a murder, the school would be in a lock down for days. If I made it look like an accident, then once the investigation was over I could slip into your dorm as everyone was mourning the loss.”
I couldn't believe it. Since the beginning I was all a part of Tay's selfish plan to become immortal. I was upset I didn't pick up on it sooner. A shiver shook my spine as Hank strolled back into the room.
“Everyone else is meeting us at the dairy. We need to move her now; the angels will be here soon. They must have figured out where she is by now.”
I closed my eyes and thought of Eli. He was merely a picture in my head; there was no scent or emotions that usually came with our bond. Every second that passed was a second closer to my death.
Tay escorted me out the front door, my hands pinned behind my back. We piled into a black sedan. Hank drove and Tay sat in the back seat with me. I made note of every telegraph pole and house we passed. I hadn't lived here long, but in the short span of time I did, I walked these streets a lot. It didn't take long for me to realize we were indeed heading for the abandoned dairy farm. Aunt Jen's house was already on the outskirts of Bridgewater; any further and you hit farmland. The dairy farm was the only building nearby that was vacant. I didn't think Tay and Hank wanted to risk being out in the open.
We rolled to an abrupt stop and I was yanked out of the car. The energy that I had before my encounter with Darren was gone. I searched deep inside for a second wind, praying and hoping it was there.
At Death’s Door
Soon the dairy barn filled with vampires. I counted at least twelve. It was strange seeing vampires in such large groups. They were generally solo creatures; they lived alone, hunted alone and fought a lot when in groups of more than three. They all eyed me like I was a delicious meal. Each and every one of them stared at the cloth tied around my arm. A vampire can smell human blood through anything. Hank knew he had to get them outside in their positions before a fight broke out and I was treated like an apple pull apart.
“Positions. Now!” Hank growled.
Soon, I was alone in the dairy, and there were no sounds; not even the chirping of a cricket or the squeak of a mouse. Eli erupted into my mind; I could smell him and feel him as if he was next to me. My morale was boosted; Eli would destroy all of these vampires one by one. I didn't know exactly how far away he was, but he was definitely coming.
I waited in anticipation; if my hands were free I would have bitten my nails down to the skin. I had no way of telling him there were over a dozen vampires waiting for them. The silence that accompanied the next few minutes was agonizing, but nothing compared to the stress of hearing cars pull up. It was the guardian angels, Eli had brought back up. I strained my ears, listening for any movement, any sounds; I heard nothing. Minutes passed and still no noise. I was starting to think maybe I was alone at the old abandoned dairy farm until a loud shout echoed through the building. Soon all I could hear was fighting, the grunts and shouts surrounded me from all angles. My courage was faltering with every second I sat tied up, defenseless and pathetic. How cliché, although every good story needs a damsel in distress.
I pulled hard on the rope. It might be slightly rotted, but it was still strong. I nearly leapt out of my skin as someone was thrown against the tin wall. The entire building rattled and wavered, it was too old. I didn't know how much it could take before crumbling down on top of me. I pulled on the rope again, nothing. My chest grew tight and my breathing deepened, heat burning at my core. Oh great, this was not a good time to have a panic attack. Again, I tried to break free from the rope — nothing. My eyesight started narrowing. I felt like the walls were closing in around me. I needed to get outside. My movements became frantic as I wriggled and pulled and shook the rope. I managed to stretch and pull my hands free. I didn’t have time to nurse the rope burn; I just jumped to my feet and ran.
I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I needed to get outside. Almost immediately I found an exit. I wanted to run through it but I couldn't move my legs. Right in front of my eyes, guardian angels were fighting vampires. My vision started growing darker as I took in deep gulps of air in an attempt to shake the panic attack. I dove through the rusted doorway and dodged and weaved, trying to find Eli. Then, I found him. The world went slomo as he, ever so swiftly, staked a vampire taller than him. When I saw that Eli had come for me, my ribcage no longer squeezed my lungs. I could breathe better and think more clearly.
“Eli!” I screamed. His gaze shot over to me and we ran toward each other. He grabbed me by the shoulders.
“Ruby, Thank god! Are you okay?” he asked, searching my neck for vampire bites.
I couldn't bring myself to speak, I was too afraid. All I could do was nod.
“Get in the car and lock the doors.”
We knew it didn't matter; anyone can smash glass and a vampire is strong enough to rip the door off a SUV. Nonetheless, I ran to the closest car and climbed into the backseat. I locked the doors. As I hid down low, my heart hammered against my ribcage.
Despite my surroundings I felt safe; I knew Eli and the other guardians wouldn't let anything happen to me. Their whole existence was based around protecting our kind — gods and goddesses especially.
Smash!
Glass shattered across my face. I winced as a piece of glass sliced my forehead. A pair of hands reached into the car and grabbed me by the hair, pulling me out of the window. I screamed in pain as jagged teeth of glass still attached to the window dug into my thigh. As he pulled, the glass slid through my flesh. He threw me on the ground and leant close, the stench of his bloody breath blew icily on my face. If it wasn't for the searing pain in my leg or the burning fear in my stomach, I would have vomited.
It was one of Hank’s pals — Boothy, he was called when he was human, James Booth. Hank must have turned him soon after he got turned. Hank was cruel and selfish; Boothy had a beautiful wife and they had just had a baby together — Brea, if I recalled correctly. It was upsetting seeing his once friendly face be contorted by ugly veins and deathly pale skin.
“Not so fast—” He stopped and stared at my leg. “That smell… What are you?”
I felt the warmth of my blood pour out. He flicked his fangs out and turned to my lower body. He positioned one hand above my knee and one on my hip. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the scalding fire that came with being bitten. I didn't try to fight him or run, I had given up. I didn't want to, every inch of
my body told me to fight, but my brain didn't process the orders. My brain had accepted defeat. The bite never came. Before I was mauled to death, Hank kicked Boothy, sending him tumbling over me meters down the field. Like a cat, James found his footing and growled. Hank roared back at him, fangs bearing and venom spraying everywhere. Like the weaker lion usually does on the Discovery Channel, James Booth backed down.
“Go help the others!” Hank barked.
He grabbed my arm and stood me up. My thigh throbbed as the sticky blood ran down my calf and into my shoe. I winced and sobbed in pain.
“You ain't going anywhere.” New lines carved through his face as he fought the temptation of tasting my blood again.
“Let her go.” It was Eli.
A wry smile spread across Hank's face. “Mr De Luca.” Hank let me go and I dropped to the ground. Pulsating blackness filled my eyes and then my vision would come back momentarily before disappearing beneath the darkness.
My vision returned; Hank and Eli were locked in battle. I glanced around; vampire dust and angel bodies were strewn all over the ground. I assumed we were winning; it was no longer one on one. Three guardians stood off against one vampire, and others were two on one. I watched as two guardian angels tore the head off Boothy. Although he was a vampire and tried to eat me, I couldn't help but feel a little tender-hearted. He used to be a good hearted, honest man, and Hank destroyed that. Hank took him from his family so he could help grow his numbers in order to rule the vampire underworld.
Next to me laid a blood-stained stake. I grabbed it and struggled to my feet. I hobbled towards Eli and Hank. Eli spotted me and knew what I wanted to do. Hank, stupidly on his part, wasn't paying attention. He knew if he took his eye off Eli for a second, he was dead. Eli had no mercy for vampires and even less for Hank. I got within a meter of Hank and waited. Anger rose in my chest.
This is for my mother, me, James, and whoever else you have hurt. You will never hurt another living soul! I screamed in my head.
