by Shook, J. E.
"Yes," he said in between deep breaths. He glanced up at the ceiling, then back towards the window, seeing her for just a split moment before she was out of vision. "I'm fine, my dear wife."
She looked uncertain. "If this is too much for you, we can take this slower."
He forced himself to look her in the eyes. "No, I am fine," he said again. He took a step forward with a new sense of determination. He kissed her. As they were kissing, he felt her begin to unbutton his shirt. Before she was done, they heard the horses neighing loudly from the stables. They exchanged worried glances.
"We might should blow out the candles," she said, glancing towards the window.
Reginald nodded, still feeling the adrenaline flowing through him. As she began to blow them out one by one, he stepped over to the window and peered out. "I do not see any light or movement out there," he said. "To be safe, I will make sure there is nothing lurking outside."
"That's not necessary," she said, holding up one last candle and shielding the light with her hand. "Let us just make sure the house is secure. There may be Indians or Frenchmen around. The battle is to the north, but we cannot be too careful."
Reginald shrugged as he stepped to the dresser. "If that is the case, locked doors and shutters will only delay for moments. It would do even less for fire." He reached behind it and pulled out a musket. He took a pouch from the drawers and quickly loaded his musket. He placed the remaining ammunition and powder into his pocket. "I can move quietly and swiftly. I should manage to handle one or two."
"Be careful, dear," she said, handing him his coat.
"Thanks," he said, looking longingly at her. "We shall continue when I return. Have no fear, Regina. I am certain there is nothing to worry about."After putting on his coat, he slung the musket over his shoulder by the strap. "Thank you," he said, taking a lantern that Regina had just lit with her lone candle. He carefully adjusted the wick to where the lantern barely put out any light. With a last look at his wife, he turned and walked from the bedroom.
He eased his way down the stairs until he reached the front door to the house. Shielding the lantern, he looked out from the window beside the door. In the starlight, he could hardly see any familiar shapes. As his eyes adjusted, he slowly began to make out the details from his yard. 'Something feels off,' he thought, feeling the confidence from earlier begin to wane. He wiped his clammy hand on his shirt and stepped out of the door into the night.
He shivered as the cool breeze washed over him. The sweat made it feel as if the dead of winter had arrived, despite being cool November. He slowly walked out into his yard, keeping his eyes moving in all directions. He looked back towards the cozy two-story house that his father had built for them. Forcing a confident smile, Reginald waved to a window on the second story. He was certain that he saw a figure inside wave back, restoring a small bit of his bravery.
He walked over towards the stables to see if anything was out of place. Nothing looked strange simply from peering inside the window. Holding out the lantern he slowly moved it from one side to the other, trying to examine every corner of the stables, but saw nothing but their two horses. "Are you well, Ellie?" he asked one of the horses. The horse blinked and snorted. "I suppose that is a yes. I will let you get back to sleep."
Reginald walked on to the edge of his property and examined the woods that surrounded them. He saw nothing out of place as he checked the perimeter. As he reached the corner and was about to turn around to go back inside, he saw a light shining from a distance through the trees. "Now what is that?"
Despite his timid nature, Reginald left the relative safety of his property and walked into the trees. He walked slowly, avoiding the fallen branches and tangled vines that covered the forest floor. He patted the musket to help remind himself of its presence in case he would need it. He smiled as he kept walking forward in absolute silence. Though he was a horrible shot, his father often complemented him on his ability to quietly track game. He usually was able to get within twenty feet of a deer or boar without it noticing him. "If only you could hit the broad side of a barn, you would be the best hunter in the whole town," his father always chided him.
Soon Reginald was close enough to the light to make out a flickering campfire in the middle of a small clearing. He was shocked to see a couple sitting around the fire staring up at the sky. The man wore light pants and a thin shirt that hung open despite the chilly weather. A strange hat with a tilted brim shielded much of his face, especially in the firelight. The man had a stern expression on his clean shaven face. He seemed larger than anyone that Reginald had ever met.
The woman was another sight to behold. He wasn't sure if it was the events from before, but Reginald could hardly look away from her. She had long black hair that hung down to her waist. Some of the hair hung down over her shoulders and framed her ample bosom, half of which was already displayed from her low cut dress. She had an amused smile on her face as she stared upwards with her dark brown eyes. Both of them had a skin tone that made placing their origin difficult, but Reginald was certain neither were British nor French.
Reginald stood and watched them for several minutes. Finally the woman said, "Stranger, if you are tired of standing in the darkness, come foreward.." He felt his heart skip a beat as she looked straight at him in the shadows of the trees. He almost decided not to move, just in case she had been talking with her companion, but from her tone, he knew she was speaking to him.
Reginald walked the last several feet until he was standing on the edge of the clearing. "Hello," he said, failing to find any more words than that to say.
The woman simply raised an eyebrow. "Hello," she echoed.
"I-I'm sorry for interrupting you," Reginald stammered. "I noticed the light and decided to see what it was."
She nodded. "That makes sense."
He was hoping she would say something else, but struggled not to fidget as an uncomfortable silence fell. "Are you doing well tonight?" he blurted out.
"We are. Are you well?"
He laughed uncomfortably. "Yes ma'am," he said, trying to sound more comfortable than he was.
She smiled, easing his anxiety somewhat. "That is good indeed.," she said, leaning back more comfortably. "What would a man be doing wandering the woods this late, if I may ask?"
"Ah, my animals started acting scared, so I thought there might be wild animals nearby."
The woman smiled, flashing her white teeth. "That is something that is rather likely. The nights are full of the wild."
"Umm, yes."
"So you live nearby," she said, breathing in deeply. "Pretty close."
Reginald felt uncomfortable giving any more details to a couple of strangers, so he asked, "Hoping not to be rude, but from where do you two hail? Are you here for the war?"
The woman laughed. "Wars mean little to us. We live for ourselves and no other. Men and women die no matter who they are, so we've little interest on who dies for what or where."
Reginald let a long silence hang in the air for a while. 'What kind of answer was that?' he thought to himself, trying to look interested in the stars. "Well," he said, not truly sure how to respond. "That is interesting. Why are you the two of you be out in the woods on such a chilly night? Surely you can afford a room in town."
"We are stargazing, my friend," the woman said, pointing at the sky. "At least that is what we are doing now. We were originally hunting."
"What exactly were you hunting?" Reginald asked. "I would ask you to only kill what you require. The town nearby is still growing and will require meat to survive the upcoming winter."
The man finally broke his silence. "We take only what we must."
Reginald studied him closely. "That is good, that is good, my friend."
"We do hunt a specific type of game," the woman said, smiling again.
"Really?" Reginald asked. "Again, what kind? If it is deer, you will not be disappointed."
The woman gracefully stood and took a couple step
s forward, causing Reginald to subconsciously step backwards. "No our game is somewhat more exotic."
Reginald looked confused. "Do you mean gators?"
It was the woman's turn to look confused. "No, our game is rather intelligent at times."
Reginald scratched his head. "Umm, I'm not really sure what you are talking about."
"Perhaps I was wrong, my dimwitted friend," she said, shaking her head,
"There is no reason to call me dimwitted," Reginald said, taking a step backwards towards the trees. "If this is the way this discussion will continue, then I will take my leave. It is far too late for these absurd games." He hoisted the musket back onto his shoulder. "Good night, strangers." He turned and started to step back into the forest. Before his foot could reach the ground again, he felt a powerful force grab the back of his shirt and jerk him backwards. He hit the ground with a heavy thud, letting the musket tumble several feet away.
Reginald grabbed his gut as he tried to breathe in. The world seemed to spin as he struggled to focus on his surroundings. He saw a blurry shadow crouch down in front of him. As his eyesight slowly became clearer, he realized the shadow was from the woman, or at least some sort of beast that closely resembled her. Her face came closer to his, causing a wave of nausea to crash over him. The woman's face no longer appeared as welcoming as before. Now it was twisted into an angry, almost inhuman scowl. He blinked as he saw fangs protruding over her lower lip.
"What are you?" Reginald asked, barely able to speak above a whisper.
"We are creatures of the darkness, and we require blood," she said, her voice now almost a growl.
"Oh," Reginald said. Then a thought dawned on him. "You did mean me earlier."
Despite the fangs, the woman's expression softened slightly. "Yes, we did mean you."
"This should not be real," Reginald said, trying to stay in control.
"Oh, this is absolutely real," she said. She bent down further and smelled of Reginald's neck. "Your blood smells rich." A cold smile formed on her mouth. "And that of your mate. I can tell from her scent that she will be delicious."
Reginald almost forgot that he was scared. "Stay away from her!"
"Or what?" the woman asked.
"I will stop you," he said, not realizing the absurdity of his words.
The woman laughed. Reginald saw something move from the corner of his eye. When he saw the man standing directly beside him, he wondered if somehow he had missed him and he had been there the whole time.
"You will stop us?" the man asked in his stern voice. Reginald noticed that the man had fangs protruding from his lips as well.
"Yes," Reginald said, the stillness of the night finally letting him realize the meaning of his words. "I would try."
The man folded his hands together calmly. "Try does not mean stop."
"I would try," Reginald found himself saying again.
They looked each other in the eyes for a moment before the man said, "Then try, human." As Reginald opened his mouth to respond, he found himself hitting a large tree several feet away with his back. He dropped down onto his knees and struggled to get his bearings. "Try," he heard the man say from beside him. Before he could move another muscle, he found himself flung facedown on the ground.
He forced himself quickly to his feet, but felt himself falling backwards as the blood rushed to his brain. A hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him mid-fall. "Is this trying? Try harder."
Reginald reached back and managed a weak punch on the man's abdomen. "This is failure," the man said simply. He held up his free hand and made a fist. "Your attempt is over." Reginald never saw the fist move, but he felt the massive explosion in his gut as it made contact. He found himself flying through the air towards the forest. As he crashed into the leafy ground several feet away, he felt the contents of his stomach empty out. His eyes began to lose focus as everything began to go dark.
"He is yours," the man said, beginning to walk away. "I will not feed on his weak blood. His mate will have to sate me."
The woman hesitated before saying, "Alright, feast well."
As the man was about to enter the shadowy trees, Reginald screamed. The silence hung heavy in the night as if every living thing waited for what might happen next.
The man turned and saw Reginald pushing himself from the ground. One arms hung to the side, dislocated and broken from the impact before. Blood and vomit dripped down the front of Reginald's face onto his shirt and the ground below. His breaths came in ragged gasps with each sounding like it might be his last. He would have looked dead except for his eyes. In the darkness, his angry gaze seemed to shine brighter than the campfire. "I still won't let you touch her!" he screamed.
The man simply shook his head. "You will not stop me," he said simply. In a flash he was standing before Reginald again. His arm darted out and grabbed him by the throat. "Why do you intend to prolong your suffering?"
"I would prolong it for eternity, to keep you away," Reginald said, gathering all of his strength. He reached forward with all his energy and landed a punch directly on the man's chin with a loud crunch. The man's head was pushed back by just a fraction from the impact. The pain from Reginald's broken hand brought forth a rage that he had kept hidden his entire life. He punched the man again even harder, feeling more bones break. With each attack, he felt more pain, which made each attack even harder. Reginald screamed into the night as his fist kept grinding against the man's face, until he was barely hanging onto his life.
"Are you done?" the man asked as Reginald's arm had fallen back to his side. He reached up and wiped a small speck of blood from his chin. Licking the blood up, he said, "You are not as weak as I had believed, but you are now about to die."
Reginald felt tears begin run from his eyes. "This isn't fair."
"Who said that this world is fair, weakling human," the man said. "You were put here to die, and that is what your purpose shall be. Now fulfill it."
'This is how it ends,' Reginald thought. 'Somehow I do not feel as surprised as I should be.'
As he felt the man's hand flinch to crush his throat, he saw the woman appear beside them and grab the man's arm. Despite his stern demeanor, the man seemed genuinely surprised. "What is it, Madeline?"
"Perhaps we should approach this one differently," she said.
"How so?"
"Do you remember us speaking of bringing in another soul?"
The man's face twitched. "I remember you speaking of it. I listened to each word."
The woman frowned. "You seemed as if you agreed. You were acting?"
"I did the duty of your mate, to ensure your happiness."
"Saying you agree was supposed to ensure my happiness?"
"Yes."
The woman's face became stern. From Reginald's blurred eyesight, she appeared more frightening than the man holding his throat. "For being insincere, there will be consequences."
"Yes, my dear mate."
"If you wish to lessen those consequences, there is one thing you can do."
The man's eyes twitched disapprovingly towards Reginald, but he simply said, "Yes, dear."
Madeline took Reginald's chin and raised his head so she could stare into his eyes. "He reminds me of my dear brother who gave his life trying to save me so long ago. I've wondered many times how things would have changed if he somehow succeeded." Smiling she let go. "I do not regret anything, but let us let this man save the woman that he loves. He will pay a heavy price in her stead."
The man sighed. "Let it be so."
Reginald smiled weakly. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Madeline. Thanks."
The woman's smile deepened. "That is such a formal way to address me. Please, just call me Mother."
Reginald coughed weakly. "What?"
A silence hung between the three for a moment. As Reginald opened his mouth to ask for clarity, the two vampires bit into either side of his neck. He felt his scream die in his throat as his life slowly melted away.
He felt a hand soothingly rub his shoulder. "You seemed to be dreaming quite fitfully," a calm, feminine voice said.
"Oh, Mother, I had the worst dream," he said, reaching and grabbing hold of the hand. "I dreamed I was in the woods and these strangers attacked and killed me."
"That is a harsh dream," she said. Reginald felt his face being dabbed by a cold, wet cloth. "That dream is over and you're safe now in the city."
"Thanks, Mother," he said, smiling as he began to lay back down on the soft mattress. Before his head made contact with the pillow, his eyes darted back open. "Wait, what?"
A light came on and he saw the woman from his dream sitting on the mattress beside him. Without thinking, he tried to get up, but got tangled up in the sheets that were covering him. He saw everything go black again as his head crashed into the concrete.
Chapter 5
Reginald opened his eyes again and looked around. Though the room was dimly lit, he could recognize the contents of the storage shed that he had rented. He had never liked throwing away anything that might be useful later, forcing him to rent out one of the larger storage units available in the city. His apartment could easily fit inside with room left over. Sometimes the room felt more like home than his apartment did. He had spent days there reading his old books, and reliving the memories that the various items held for him. Many were happier memories, but others were bitter and brought up emotions he rarely exposed anywhere else.
He stood and walked over to an antique desk nearby. He reached down and opened the top drawer, revealing its single item. He carefully took out an old lantern and placed it on the desk. 'I can still smell her,' he thought, smiling sadly.
"Do you still miss her?" a feminine voice asked.
Reginald glanced over towards the other side of the room to where his mother was sitting on an old-fashioned sofa. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed his mouth after a moment. He nodded instead and put the lantern back in the drawer.
