Secret Of The Crest

by Demetra Gerontakis

  Gregor had moved deep into the woods and was finally closing in on the creature. It seemed familiar to him. The ghoul had left a trail of blood behind it. “Where had it been injured, though?” he thought to himself.

  Gregor stopped running abruptly. ‘Come out,’ he shouted, ‘I will find you wherever you go and when I do; you will wish you had never come into our territory.’

  After a long period of silence he turned to leave but walking only a few steps he heard a crackling sound making him look up. Before he knew it, Gregor was on the ground and the ghoul who had jumped onto him struggled with his fury in a pile of leaves. Gregor tore his claws through him, ripping the skin off his back. He had now gotten the upper hand and turning over was dumbstruck at what he finally came face to face with. It was his own employee, Fani. He stopped immediately.

  ‘What? Fani? What are you doing you are one of us!’

  ‘That’s absurd!’ he yelled. ‘I am not one of you! I am one of them, a ghoul, an eater, a flesh ripper!’ He screeched, drooling all over. ‘You, on the other hand, are nothing like us, like your original kind! You’re a mockery, a disgrace to our kind! You sicken me and I should kill you!’ he continued to shout.

  ‘You worked for me, you ate at my table and you slept under my roof and you dare to speak to me like that, you ungrateful feen!’ Gregor’s eyes had become blood red, his teeth ripped through his own lips.

  ‘Not only was I under your roof but I watched all of you during your naps. Had I had the chance I would have sucked the life out of all of your puny tenants, every last ounce of them! Oh, and I especially fancied Cassandra. I’ve watched her night after night since she has been here and when I see her again, I’ll make her mine!’

  Gregor had lost his temper at the sound of his sister’s name. That she had been watched and now targeted by Fani was too much.

  ‘You should know better than to speak your mind with such sickening thoughts, you two faced traitor! Threatening someone I care for was your second mistake and what is coming; you brought down on your self!’

  Gregor bit deep into Fani’s throat slowly, severing his carotid from his neck until he finally ripped it out, squirting blood all over his face. Fani gasped for air but blood had flowed into his lungs causing him to choke in his own blood.

  Gregor unsatisfied by his first move, plunged his claws deep into Fani’s chest and with only a single pull removed his still beating heart from its place. Blood dripped from the hole in his chest, forming a puddle at their feet as Fani’s lifeless body fell to the ground. Gregor let out a sigh of relief.

  He then loaded the beast on his shoulders and lit the body on fire at the bank, letting it burn away. He had no regrets about having killed him. This time, he knew for sure that what he had done was the right thing. Gregor didn’t believe in killing ghouls. Not until now anyway. Today’s rage against Fani wiped away all his second thoughts. When the body was burnt enough, he dragged it into a ditch and covered it with large boulders so animals would not expose it. He knelt at the river washing his face and hands which were now in their original form. Gregor started back.

  He saw the beams of light coming from the others’ flashlights as they had begun to search for him. He heard Cassandra call out his name.

  ‘Stay where you are, I am coming to you!’ he said. Soon they were together again.

  ‘What took you so long?’ asked Nicko.

  ‘Chasing shadows into dead ends unfortunately! It disappeared into the woods. I wasn’t fast enough.’

  ‘So now what?’

  ‘Now we go to the caves. It’s the best place for them to hide.’

  ‘You don’t mean the caves we were at the other day, do you?’ Cassandra asked.

  ‘No, those are in the opposite direction. These caves are not far from here and are very deep with many crevices and steep holes within them. I have a hunch that the creatures that we’re looking for might be hiding out there or even using the caves as a shelter.’

  ‘Lead the way then, we’re right behind you!’ Nicko said.

  The breeze blew strong now, twirling around the looser branches of the trees. It seemed as if there was a storm heading in again. The sound of the wind and leaves rustling was enough noise to keep them from hearing each other much more a ghoul. They walked silently the whole way until finally they came to the caves. Gregor and Nicko entered the caves first making sure that there were no unpleasant surprises. After examining the caves, they called to Cassandra and Mano to come inside.

  ‘We must light our lanterns for better illumination in here. Flashlights are too dim a light to guide us’ said Gregor.

  ‘Look out!’ Mano shouted pulling Cassandra out of a bat’s way. In a moment, it was back again swooping over their heads repeatedly.

  Mano covered Cassandra’s head and shoulders with his own body. Nicko took out his gun.

  ‘No!’ shouted Gregor. ‘We can’t afford to let them hear us if they are in here!’

  Nicko put it back in its holster abiding to Gregor’s wish. He trusted him. They went a long way back. Gregor lit a torch he made in seconds and waved it into the air until the bats were gone. Gregor knew they wouldn’t find any ghouls, Fani was the attacker and he had been taken care of but he could not reveal this to anyone. Especially now that he had killed him the way he did. Were they to see Fani’s body, they would suspect Gregor for what he was. Cassandra knew but his friend Nicko would be devastated and torn between doing what’s right and pretending he didn’t know.

  Nicko was a loyal man. Backed up everything he believed in with his deeds. How could Gregor disappoint him? Besides, he knew that if it came to Nicko finding out, he would have to kill his best friend instantly and live with it the rest of his life.

  “Why would I put him through that? No, he must never find out!” he thought to himself.

  The charade would go on for a few more hours and then Gregor would lead them back to the hostel again. Nicko and Gregor had worked together before and he knew Gregor could get the job done no matter how hard. What he didn’t know was how he did it. They had become friends when Gregor saved his life after he had been attacked by a ghoul. Ever since, Nicko trusted Gregor with his life. Gregor knew better than to think he could ever reveal his true nature. His feelings toyed with him.

  ‘This way. No one should stop without saying so, we should stay as close to one another as possible.’

  They all walked down into the narrow tunnels of the cold damp cave searching in every dark passage and corner that was revealed to them. There were no ghouls here, not even a bit of evidence that they had passed through here. Gregor had played the part well, keeping everyone safe in a cave he knew the ghouls would never enter because of the plethora of bats that had made it their home. He played the game out although with some guilt for playing Cassandra. He would explain it to her later.

  After almost two hours of searching Nicko said, ‘Gregor, I’m afraid whoever it was that attacked was a passerby. We haven’t found any clues to show otherwise and we should get back!’

  Gregor nodded affirmatively and the others agreed. They were hungry and exhausted and more than happy to get back and get some sleep. The four of them took the trail back to the hostel. Upon arriving there, Gregor told Nicko he would have a bed prepared for him as it was much to late for him to go home.

  ‘Make yourself comfortable in my room,’ Gregor said handing Nicko some clean sheets.

  ‘I’ll see you in the morning!’

  ‘Thanks, you too!’

  Mano and Cassandra had already dispersed to their rooms. Gregor had lost his sleep now, with everything that happened. He went into Marina’s room and woke her.

  ‘What is it, Gregor?’

  ‘Grandmother, the attacker. It was Fani.’

  ‘Our Fani?’

  ‘Fani!’ he said in a sharp strict voice. ‘I killed him tonight, far from the others’ sight and burnt his body. They don’t know it’s over.’

  Marina took his hands in hers and sai
d, ‘but is it, Gregor, is it?’

  Chapter Eight

  The rain tapped on the window pane waking Rebecca, she opened her eyes smiling as she had been dreaming of Gregor.

  ‘For goodness sake, I have been sleeping too long!’ she spoke aloud looking at her watch.

  ‘Cassie!’ she poked her head into the room. ‘Cassie, you’re still sleeping silly, wake up! Time for breakfast, love!’

  Cassandra was taken by Morpheus into the depths of the sleep and heard nothing that came from the real world.

  ‘Aw, you poor baby, it looks like you need the sleep. I’ll call on you later then.’ Again not even a twitch by Cassandra.

  Rebecca prettied up and decided to pay Gregor an early visit. As she raised her hand to knock on his door she heard his voice from behind.

  ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you, you might be surprised at who will open the door!’

  Rebecca turned and fell right into his arms. ‘Good morning, lover! What are you doing out of your room so early?’

  Gregor greeted her with a kiss. ‘I could ask you the same? My excuse is that I have given my room to Nicko. The other rooms weren’t prepared yet.’

  ‘Your poor grandmother; she has so much to do around here. How does she do everything? Couldn’t your employee that… ah… Fani guy prepare the rooms?’

  ‘Not really, he left us. Said we weren’t paying him enough. That ungrateful bastard!’

  ‘What a shame. Well I would be more than happy to help with anything that needs to be done.’

  ‘I knew the moment I saw you that God had sent an angel from heaven!’

  ‘Come on, you charmer, let’s get some breakfast!’ Arriving downstairs they found the diner closed still.

  ‘I’ll put a pot on and get prepare some toast’ Gregor said.

  ‘Alright, love, and I will set our plates and pour some juice. Remember, I’ll have the tea not the coffee! I can boil up some eggs as well; I usually can find my way in the kitchen!’ They worked together in the kitchen preparing their breakfast as Marina came into the room.

  ‘Mrs. Marina, good morning! May I get a cup of coffee for you today?’

  ‘No, thank you child. I don’t have my coffee until much later. Gregor, later, after you have had your breakfast come to the storage room. I would like to talk to you about something.’

  ‘Yes, grandmother, I will be there in a bit.’

  After the couple had breakfast Gregor asked, ‘Where would you like to go today? Have you any plans or shall I take you to the city later and buy you something pretty?’

  ‘Even if I had plans, love, I would definitely change them to spend the day with you! It’s a date!’

  ‘I will call on you at half past ten.’

  ‘I’ll be ready and waiting. Now go see what your grandmother needs and if I can help let me know.’

  ‘I will’ he said letting her hand go as he left her at the table.

  This, he would usually consider rude. To leave a lady at the table unescorted but he had seen her friends coming in and let them take his place.

  ‘Good morning newlies!’ said Sarah. Gregor said good morning and excused himself.

  ‘Good morning, Sam, Sarah. There isn’t much help today so breakfast might be a little late.’

  The friends did their daily routine. Gregor saw Marina just sitting there and that shook him up a bit. It was not like her to sit around when so much needed to be done, something was very wrong.

  ‘Grandmother, what is it? What is bothering you?’

  ‘Brace yourself, my son. The chief… your friend Nicko has been attacked. He is no longer alive, I am very sorry, he was a good man.’

  ‘No! That can’t be possible. Here? In the hostel?’

  ‘I went to your room to bring him fresh towels this morning but when he didn’t answer the door I stepped in to lay them on the chair. Poor, poor Nicko, it is a horrid sight. Gregor ran up the stairs to see for himself. Marina followed.

  Upon entering the room again his eyes fell on a gruesome sight. The slaughter was horrid. The man’s eyes had been ripped out of their sockets and his heart, like Mikhail’s, was torn out it seems while it was still beating and thrown to the floor. There was blood everywhere. Gregor had lost a friend this time and still had no clue what was going on.

  ‘I thought you said it was Fani’ Marina said.

  ‘Obviously there is someone else attacking. I need to find out who.’

  ‘We are not safe, Gregor, no one is.’

  ‘Do not lead anyone to panic, grandmother. I will take care of it, I swear I will!’ Gregor was upset to extremes. He had lost so many loved ones to the ghouls and the rest of his family and his friends were now at threat as well. He had to find who was doing this and put and end to it.

  Cassandra had overheard their conversation and sat in the lounge waiting to console her brother when he came back down. To her surprise though, Gregor seemed more raged than devastated at the loss of his friend and as he came to the bottom of the stairs, he took a jacket and went for the door not noticing Cassandra sitting there.

  ‘Gregor, I’m coming with you!’

  ‘It’s too dangerous, I can’t take that risk.’

  ‘I am the one who is taking the risk. If I am a true Dracopoulos I will have it in me to be strong enough to handle any situation.’ Cassandra was always very insistent. She didn’t take well to taking no for an answer.

  ‘Alright, then. Let’s go.’

  They stormed off and quickly went through the trails. This trail was one that Cassandra had never been on before.

  ‘Do you have a clue as to who is responsible?

  ‘No, but we will get some answers today. Prepare to meet your parents!’

  Cassandra felt a knot in her stomach. She waited for this moment but she wasn’t fully prepared to meet them, to accept them. How would she react? How would they react? Could they begin their family relationship? Those thoughts passed through her mind in seconds as they practically ran along the path. Finally they came to a small cave. Large branches camouflaged the entrance. Gregor walked straight up to the right side of it and pulled a branch revealing a passage. Only a few steps had they made inside the cave when they heard a voice.

  ‘Why are you here, Gregor?’

  Cassandra looked toward the point the sound was coming from but could see nothing in the absolute dark. Slowly two glowing red eyes appeared in the distance. Cassandra’s heart raced. The pounding she felt took place outside her chest. Only a moment passed as a second set of eyes appeared. Now she stepped back and took hold of Gregor’s arm.

  ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he told her, ‘They will not harm you.’ He then turned to them. ‘The reasons are two. I want to speak with you and I have also brought someone you should meet. Show yourselves.’ Gregor had already begun lighting a torch.

  Two shadowy like figures came out of the dark into a safe distance.

  ‘Who is that with you, Gregor?’ asked the other voice, now a man’s.

  ‘Come out and meet Cassandra, your daughter.’

  ‘No!’ cried the woman. ‘Why would you want her to see us like this?’

  ‘The day your paths crossed was the day she found out that you were her real parents. She wants to know you. You both owe it to her to come out.’ The woman moved slowly forward to a distance about ten feet from where Cassandra stood.

  ‘Cassandra, you have become even more beautiful than I have ever imagined.’

  The man came to stand beside his wife. Cassandra looked at both of them realizing that they weren’t all that frightening. She was in a state as if in a dream, overwhelmed by feelings of all kinds. She felt love, compassion, anger. What was she to say?

  ‘We have no rights as parents; we sent you away to be free of this madness and now here you are’ said the man.

  ‘Yes, why did you separate me from my brother? I may have become like you but at least we would have been together, a family in whichever circumstances. Why did you take away my choices,
my life?’

  ‘We only wanted you to be safe. At the time we did not know what was to happen if we would survive. We knew ghouls in the area meant complete death. We wanted you to live. You were only an infant and you deserved a normal full life. Your brother wasn’t as fortunate as you but he coped’ the woman answered.

  ‘Yes, he did! And I would have too had you only given me the chance. I forgive both of you for what happened in the past but you must change your thoughts and let me live my life the way I see fit. That is for all of you to be part of it! I was going to leave this place and never come back but then I realized that I belong here with all of you, with my family. I have decided to stay.’

  Gregor was shocked at her decision. He was sure that she wouldn’t want to be in the very place that she had been refused so many things. He felt relieved that she had made her choice to stay though. Cassandra took a few steps until she came face to face with both her parents.

  ‘I don’t care if you were turned into ghouls; I want you both to be part of my life. Nothing can change the fact that you gave me life.’

  Her mother was crying of joy and her father consoled her. Cassandra hugged both of them.

  ‘Let me hold you in my arms again’ her mother said and squeezed her tightly.

  ‘Cassandra, we are sorry we caused you so much pain. Forgive us’ her father said.

  ‘I have forgiven you already and now we can finally be a family again, starting today. We will cope with each problem together as it comes. All four of us.’ She turned to Gregor and pulled him into the huddle.

  ‘I hate to interrupt this reunion so quickly but there was another reason we came here. We need your help in the woods.’

  Their father, Vasili, looked at him as if he knew what Gregor was about to say.

  ‘What is it? Is it happening again?’