A Dark Night (Book One of The Grandor Descendant series)

by Bell Stoires

  Almost as soon as she had cried out, someone slapped her hard across the face. She stared back at the boy in horror; thoughts were screaming at her, warning her of what would be coming next, and she jerked and fought with all her strength, until hands began grabbing and pinning her wildly thrashing arms and legs. Suddenly she was jolted backwards and felt herself being dragged off the footpath and into the surrounding bamboo forest. Staring up at the night’s sky, Ari felt her eyes well with tears.

  “Looks like we got ourselves a fighter,” said one of the boys, and all around her there were jeers and cat calls. “I told you we would give you what you needed.”

  Ari looked across at the boy who clasped her ankles, and kicked out against him in vain. He was tall, with a strong jaw and black hooded jumper that read ‘UB Sports’. All she could do was whimper when he leant down and tore her shirt open.

  Still laughing, the black hooded boy tried to kiss her, but before he could, she clenched her jaw shut, grinding her teeth together.

  “Get her to open her mouth,” he said to one of the other boys.

  Two fingers jabbed at her cheeks, just as a sharp pain shot through her jaw. Ari jerked violently but the pain was unbearable, and soon her mouth was forced open. The moment her lips parted, the boy in front of her kissed her roughly, and she sobbed hard at the feeling of his slimy tongue in her mouth. The taste of him made her sick and she fought against the bile that was threatening to surge upwards, as she tried to bite down and end the unwelcome kiss.

  The moment he released her, Ari slumped backwards and instantly felt someone behind her cup their hands over her mouth, silencing her again. At the same time, the two boys holding her arms pushed her up, so that she was kneeling.

  “Hmm,” said the boy with the black hoody, as he began unbuckling his belt, “pull her head back.”

  Ari’s hair was pulled tight, forcing her head all the way back so that she was staring at the boy directly behind her. He was the largest of the four and wore the same black jumper. His dark beady eyes were staring transfixed at Ari, as a crooked ruthless smile spread across his face.

  “I’m first,” the boy in front of her said. “I’m sure Tom won’t mind.”

  Ari felt the grip around her wrists tighten in anticipation. Her eyes shut instantly, forcing the last of her tears out as she held her breath. Then three things happened all at once; Ari flew forwards; the boys that were holding her relinquished their grip; and a long scream ripped through the forest. Ari looked up wildly, hearing one of the boys crying out in terror, as blood streamed from his broken nose.

  Ari spun around, unable to make sense of what had happened and then she saw someone, someone who hadn’t been there before: a stranger shrouded by shadows. Instantly she thought of asking him for help but before she could voice this, he had moved to another of her attackers, placed his hand on either side of the boy’s head and twisted. A sudden snapping noise sounded and the boy fell to the ground, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw fast movement; one of the boys was trying to flee. The stranger had seen him also, his head cocked to one side as if in contemplation. But the boy with that terribly crooked smiled didn’t get away; the stranger had raced after him, moving through the forest so fast that he became a blur. Ari gaped at his speed.

  A few moments later and the stranger returned alone, taking his time as he advanced on the last boy who was cowering near Ari, praying or whispering something that she couldn’t hear.

  “Pathetic,” said the stranger, his voice cold.

  The night was so dark that Ari had not been able to see anything of the stranger who had rescued her, just a tall, dark frame.

  “Please no,” the boy mumbled.

  The stranger looked across at the last boy, though still the night was too dark for Ari to make out his face. Then a long ray of moonlight broke through the canopy of the bamboo forest, shinning down to reveal the stranger smiling. Still in shock, Ari heard a low growl and looked around wildly. When she had looked back at the stranger, she saw two white fangs protruding past his lips, so as to stick out of the edge of his mouth. A silent scream filled Ari’s head but she was paralysed, completely frozen by fear, as was the boy next to her.

  The boy never screamed, not even after the stranger dragged him to his feet and then glared at him with such furious hatred. Ari watched in horror as the boy’s head was forced to one side, exposing his neck. He dangled in mid-air but then the stranger struck at him, and the large white fangs smashed into the boy’s flesh with horrific force. Still holding onto his prey, the stranger did not release him right away but continued to tear at his throat viciously, almost hungrily. Then, after a few moments, the stranger let the body of the last boy drop to the ground.

  Ari looked across at the boy’s frozen face; his eyes were still wide open, although his pupils were fixed and dilated, as if his last thoughts in life had been those of utter disbelief and sheer dread, which Ari didn’t doubt for an instant.

  It took a few moments for reality to catch up with Ari. As it did, she stared at the bodies scattered around her. Mirroring Ari, the stranger also surveyed the scene. He seemed to search the area with all his senses, making Ari think that he was checking to make sure they were alone.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, not turning to face her.

  There was something about that question, something about the tone of the voice that spoke, it was almost familiar to Ari, but she still cowered away from the stranger.

  “Please don’t hurt me?” she said, her mind scrambled as she avoided looking up at him.

  “Hurt you? Why would I … why would I hurt you?” he said, “I just saved you.”

  When Ari didn’t answer right away, the stranger turned to face her. Ari was breathing very fast, panting as she sat frozen on the wet grass. Slowly two feet appeared in front of her, and the man who had rescued her knelt down on one knee. Ari blinked up at him, and devastatingly green eyes stared down at her.

  “Yo… you,” she said.

  Her head began to spin and despite desperately trying to hold onto something, anything that would bring some semblance of normality to this bizarre reality, everything became too much and Ari fainted.

  Chapter 2- Green Eyed Monster

  It was several hours before Ari awoke. At first she stirred, as if waking from a bad dream, but then sat bolt upright, the blood rushing to her head. At the same time images flashed in her memory, fragmented, like still shots from an old black and white movie; pictures of a dark lonely path, boys leering at her, bright green eyes, hands reaching out to her, explosions in her head of pain and fear, followed by visions that she didn’t understand; visions of death, destruction, bodies and most vivid of all- blood.

  A slow shiver ran down Ari’s spine and as she went to rub her shoulders, she realised that she was wearing a large charcoal coat that was at least four sizes too big. She was in a circular room, around fifteen feet in diameter. The stone bench she slept on was covered with an enormous quilt and two fluffy white pillows which still bore the impression her head had left. On a tiny wooden table sat a basket and she reached for it.

  “What the?” she asked, picking up a large tub of expensive looking moisturiser.

  Placing the glass jar back onto the table, she thumbed through the rest of the basket’s contents, which were just as bizarre. There was a toothbrush but no toothpaste, a box of bandaids, several brands of antiseptics, a bag full of apples, a large cup of sweet tea that was still warm, and few muesli bars- the exact same brand that Ari would normally have bought from the vending machine at the library. Next her eyes fell on a bundle of clothes. What the hell was going on?

  “Hello,” she called out, and the soft echo of her call bounced back off the thick stone walls of the room she was in.

  At first there was no reply; she was just about to call again when suddenly there was a loud clicking noise, followed by the squeaking sound of a rusty door swinging open. The room flo
oded with light and then a voice spoke, one she was certain she recognised.

  “You are awake. I am sorry that I had to leave you alone; I had to organise some things.”

  Ari saw the outline of the man who had spoken walking towards her. There was a candle in his hands which lit the small brick room with a warm orange glow, though the little warmth it offered was by no means enough to outweigh the damp, dank feeling pressing down on her. Moss growing in the crevices of the stonework gave the place a sense of decay, mingled with the overwhelming feeling of loss. But this feeling was lost when the light from the candle highlighted the man’s features.

  The fiery gold flickered in the dark and seemed to play with the green of his eyes, leaving Ari feeling lost in their intensity. She stared up at the gorgeous stranger, except he wasn’t a stranger. She had seen him many times before. But what the hell was going on? Where was she? And why was she here with him? She couldn’t read the expression on his face at all; it was completely blank and gave away nothing.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, and Ari saw again the same hint of concern crease his eyes.

  “Where am I?” she asked in a rasping voice. The stranger moved to answer her, but Ari had interrupted him before he could begin. “Who… who are you? I’ve seen you before- in the library at the university. You’re always sitting on the couch near the steps, and… and,” but her voice trailed off.

  Immediately the stranger looked down at the ground, apparently surprised that Ari knew so much about him.

  “What happened to my bag… my phone… my shoes?” she stammered, realising that all of her possessions were missing.

  “You dropped them,” he replied, glancing around the room nervously. “How much do you remember?”

  Ari thought this an odd question. She was just about to reply ‘everything’ when her face became rigid. What did happen last night? She traced her steps in her mind; she had been studying at the library, she had banged into her mystery man, this man she thought, at the stairs; then what?

  “Those guys…” she said, her voice trailing off as she remembered the boys who had tried to rape her.

  At her words the stranger let his gaze drop back to the ground. His hands were suddenly bawled into fists and his eyes narrowed darkly.

  “It’s ok. They won’t be able to hurt you,” he said, moving further into the room. “They won’t be able to hurt anyone else, ever again.”

  What did that mean? This close, Ari could make out the stubble that lined her rescuer’s face. No longer was he wearing a beanie, as he often did at the library, but now his dark hair was free and it reached down past his ears.

  “But… but why did they attack me?” she asked.

  Perhaps if she had of been in a normal frame of mind, then she would have known that he could not know the answer to this question, but she was not thinking logically.

  “They were monsters,” he said, a dark look in his eyes.

  Ari watched his lips as he spoke and let out a little hysterical laugh.

  “What is it?” he asked, inching closer. “What else do you remember?”

  She tried to push her thoughts away from her and shook her head. When she stopped her brain felt scrambled, but still the same terrifying image remained.

  “It’s just… I thought I saw-” she began to say, recalling how the man before had rescued her. How he had moved faster than any man could. How he had broken bones as if they were twigs from a branch. How there had been fangs where there should have been teeth. How he had reached down to the boy who had almost raped her and bit him; how he had drunk his blood.

  “What did you think you saw?” he asked, still moving closer.

  Ari felt the distance between them narrow and she was suddenly fearful.

  “I think I’m losing my mind,” she said, backing away. “I thought you killed those guys and…”

  “- and what?” he asked.

  Slowly Ari shook her head again, but this time a small tear forced it way down her cheek. A deep low sigh escaped her rescuer and he moved away from her, so as to sit on the floor near the door, putting as much space as possible between them. Ari watched him, struck by how wretched he looked.

  Desperate to cling onto anything that made sense, Ari forced herself to remember something true, anything that was factual; her first time driving a car; the moment she realised she had been accepted into vet; her first kiss; the moment she had seen his green eyes staring at her from behind the book she had taken. All of these thoughts rang through her head, as if she were watching her life flash before her on fast forward. Escaping from this onslaught, one thought rose to the surface, bringing even more confusion: her favourite book, Dracula. The story about vampires, but that was impossible- it was just a story.

  Without having any parents, Ari had learnt early on that things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were just make believe. But she had seen this, seen his fangs. Perhaps they were fake; prosthetics? But no, it wasn’t just that! He had moved too fast, been too strong; he had drunk blood.

  The only thing that made sense bought another wave of shivers over Ari and an odd smile appeared on her lips, giving her the appearance of a deranged person.

  “I thought I saw fangs,” she whispered, not quite believing the word that she spoke. “I thought I saw you drink blood.”

  The stranger, who was still looking intently at Ari nodded once, saying, “I am sorry.”

  “But you saved me!” yelled Ari, trying to make sense of his apology. “You can’t be… I must be… what the hell is happening to me?” As she spoke Ari pulled at her hair, giving her a deranged appearance. “But I can’t have… and you can’t be…” She had begun rocking back and forth and then slowly sat down on the floor as she said, “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with you,” he said defensively.

  “But… but,” said Air, still swaying gently. “Oh god; I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

  “It’s ok,” said the stranger, his eyes livid as he watched Ari begin to cry. “You’re not going crazy.”

  “But then how did you-” she began to say, her knees drawn up to her chin.

  Her words were cut off when the man stood quickly and in a blur, was next to her. Her hair blew across her face at his approach, while her eyes bulged in disbelief. He was glaring down at her, an inch away from her face, and then he showed her his fangs. A whimper escaped Ari’s throat and she closed her eyes, until a hand grasped her elbow.

  “You see what I am,” he yelled, breathing heavily as he shook her slightly. “You aren’t going mad.”

  Still Ari kept her eyes closed, too afraid to believe what she had seen. This was the boy she had day dreamed about, the boy who had made her heart flutter in her chest every time she saw him.

  “Look at me,” he said, and Ari forced her eyes open, revealing one green and one blue eye that stared back in horror at him.

  “Please,” she mumbled, uncertain of what to say. “Please… just let me go.”

  “I can’t. You know what I am,” he replied, releasing his grip on her and slowly backing away.

  “I won’t tell anyone…” Ari began to say, moving cautiously away from him again.

  Now that Ari had realised that her mind was not playing tricks on her, all thoughts became focused on escape. If this man really was, whatever the hell he was, then she needed to get out of here.

  “Have you not seen what I am?” he said, moving again to her so quickly that she cried out in fear. “I didn’t want it to be like this. I never wanted you to-”

  At his words Ari steadied her breathing and stared up at him; she thought she had seen the same concern look in his face, but in a flash it was gone, replaced with anger.

  “Others will find you and they will kill you for knowing. Being a vampire is a lonely path but it is kept this way so that mortals do not know of us.”

  Vampire? Ari heard the word and knew what it meant, but she was still confused. How could
this boy, the boy she had watched since her first class at the University of Brisbane, be a vampire? It didn’t make sense. None of this made sense. She needed to get away, to go back to reality where she was cramming for her exam. Vampires didn’t exist.

  “I can’t stay here!” said Ari.

  Looking down, the stranger moved away from Ari and back towards the door, shaking his head as he did so. When he turned back to look at her, his face was emotionless again.

  “I can’t risk her finding-” he began to say, but stopped himself quickly, looking away as if angry. Pausing for a moment, he looked once more at Ari, then just before locking the door behind himself said, “My name is Ragon Young and I am sorry.”

  Chapter 3- A Place To Call Home

  Ari wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she had woken in the stone room; though she thought it couldn’t be more than a day and maybe less. During that time she had been locked in the cold room, with no contact from her rescuer turned captor or anyone else. She had raided the basket provisions that Ragon had left for her, relishing in the delicious snacks that he had chosen. Periodically she had tried calling out to him, even screaming but it had made no difference; he never answered.

  Several times she had tried to escape from her prison but quickly realised that it was impossible. The door to her cell was bolted from the outside and the thick stone walls provided not only the perfect fortress from attack, but a simple yet effective prison. With no company bar her memories, the vision of her rescuer flashed in her mind cruelly. She could picture him clearly sitting on the couch at the university library, his emerald eyes glued to the pages of whatever book he was reading. But then her vision of him warped, and two fangs protruded from the lips she had never seen smile, dripping with blood. In these moments, Ari thought she was going mad. How was this possible? How could the gorgeous mystery man she had day dreamed about be a monster? And it wasn’t just that he was quite possible the most handsome man she had ever seen; there was more to it than that. Over the years she had come to think of him as an unobtainable companion. It was stupid, but sometimes when she had been studying late at night, she could have sworn that he was looking at her. And then there was also there first run in, all those years ago, and the way he had spoken to her.