by Night, H. T.
I looked over at Atticai and said, “The Carni, the werewolf. It is part of the prophecy coming to fruition. Now what? What will we do, Atticai? How will we choose our path that will affect the Mani and the Carni and even the Tandra—until some asteroid comes to destroy the earth and end it in disgust, for what we are, and for what we could have been had we simply made a thoughtful choice for the long run, instead of the short run.”
“Are you trying to save Tommy? What are you asking me for? He’s your pet,” Atticai said.
“I’m not referring to Tommy. I’m talking about you and me. I am talking about all of this, the big picture.” Tears sprang to my eyes. He didn’t see! Not at all!
“There isn’t a you and me,” Atticai said, plainly.
“That’s too bad, Atticai. Because if you’re not with me, you’re against me!”
“Trust me, Josiah. I will always be against you. I am my own Mani. I call my own shots.”
“Then you will be doing it from the sidelines,” I said.
“Oh, I will. I am going to sit back and watch you and Krull kill each other and when all is said and done, I will take my rightful place at the top. You think I don’t see the big picture about the rule of three foes? Let two of the foes destroy each other and the third easily gets the keys to the kingdom.” He paused. “All I have to really do is duck and watch you two duke it out over Lena, but it isn’t really even about her anymore, is it?”
That stung. I shook my head and was sadly disappointed with Atticai’s answer. A part of me had thought there was a chance we could team up. “Goshi would have understood this.”
“I am not Goshi. I am free of that blue body and of that mentorship. I am Atticai, and I will have a stake in your neck and take your place, the law of survival of the fittest, my only agenda.”
“No!” I shouted. “It’s wrong, Atticai! Turn from it! Goshi would have!”
“I am not Goshi. I was humbled in that small blue body, with my utter contempt for it, and for your unconditional trust. You are the one who is weaker.”
Atticai then looked at Tommy. “And for you, you mangy dog, you are lucky I’m feeling generous tonight, I should end your pathetic existence right now, but I’m going to let your ignorance slide and just chalk it up to your low Carni IQ.”
“I’m lucky?” Tommy laughed. “You’re lucky Josiah stopped me.”
“Oh, that is where you’re wrong,” Atticai stated. “The only life that was saved tonight was yours.”
I looked at Atticai and Tommy and if they wanted to kill each other, that was on them. I was done with this whole fucked-up night, and this whole mindset that we perpetuated the concept of like kills different. It was a mind-fuck of the highest order. And, I swear, it was the Triat who was trying to mind fuck me. All of us.
I said, “You two can do whatever the hell you want. You want to kill each other, go right ahead. I’m leaving. I’m not going to be part of a three person stand-down.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glimmer of a tear, Lena’s tear. I looked over at Lena and said, “Let’s go.”
Lena walked halfway toward me and stopped. She was now directly in the middle of the three of us in the center of the triangle. She looked over at me, and didn’t move.
Atticai was once again amused, this time it was over Lena’s hesitancy. “Oh, look! Josiah no longer has the loyalty of his precious Lena! She, too, sees the weakness in his new no-kill mentality. Maybe we should just put you in charge of an animal shelter, Chosen One. We’ll round up all of the unwanted werewolves and put you in charge of re-homing their pathetic existences.”
“Lena,” I said. “Let’s go. We don’t need to be a part of this.”
Lena just stared at me with zero expression on her face.
“Seriously,” I continued. “After last night, please don’t do this. Let’s get out of here. We don’t need to be a part of this.”
Lena’s eyes softened as she looked at me. I didn’t know why she wasn’t moving. What could she possibly be considering?
Atticai saw an opening and decided to take it. “Lena,” he said. “You know deep down who your soul mate will always be. You and I have something that is eternal. He might have been inside of your body, but all this time, I was in your head.”
What the fuck? Atticai was seriously making a play for Lena?
I looked at Lena with a look that said, ‘There is no way you’re considering leaving with that animal!’
Then the situation got even more weird.
“Lena,” Tommy now said. “You don’t want to be part of any of this. Neither do I. I know you care for me. In my heart, I know that you love me. Let’s leave all of this behind us. You and I can go somewhere far from here and share a life together.”
Lena looked over at Tommy, and I could see she was having hard time with this decision. She was surrounded by three guys, each of whom had an emotional investment in her. But I didn’t have an evil agenda and neither did Tommy. Atticai did. Oh yes, he did!
Like the showdown shootout with Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, in the scene in the Mexican cemetery where he either had to kill Angel Eyes or Tuco, this was Lena’s three-way stand-off. She looked at us three males, from one to the other, then swiveled her head back and forth between Tommy and I and then between Atticai and me. Lena’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. She was utterly stumped.
What the hell was going on? How could she even consider either one of these two other guys?
Again, Atticai made his case, “Lena, you know deep in your heart…I am your first and only true love.”
I looked at Lena and she looked at me. She was clearly confused. You have got to be kidding me. “Lena,” I said. “After last night…”
Lena looked at me and then completely turned around and looked at each of us.
What the hell was she doing?
She stopped and looked at Tommy, and then she turned and looked at Atticai.
What in the world could she be considering?
She looked at me and I could see the love in her eyes.
“Lena, there is no decision here,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Lena closed her eyes and then she opened them. She exhaled and walked in the direction of…”
To be continued in:
Vampires vs. Werewolves
Return to the Table of Contents
VAMPIRES VS. WEREWOLVES
Vampire Love Story #4
Published by H.T. Night at Smashwords.com
Copyright © 2011 by H.T. Night
All rights reserved.
(Author’s note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.)
Vampires vs. Werewolves
Chapter One
“Lena,” I said. “Let’s go. We don’t need to be a part of this.”
Lena just stared at me with zero expression on her face.
“Seriously,” I continued. “After last night, please don’t do this. Let’s get out of here. We don’t need to be a part of this.”
Lena’s eyes softened as she looked at me. I didn’t know why she wasn’t moving. What could she possibly be considering?
Atticai saw an opening and decided to take it. “Lena,” he said. “You know, deep down, who your soul mate will always be. You and I have something that is eternal. He might have been inside of your body, but all this time, I was in your head.”
What the fuck? Atticai was seriously making a play for Lena?
I looked at Lena with a look that said, ‘There is no way you’re considering leaving with that animal!’
Then the situation got even more weird.
“Lena,” Tommy said. “You don’t want to be part of any of this. Neither do I. I know you care for me. In my heart, I know that you love me. Let’s leave all of this behind us. You and I can go somewhere far from here and share a life together.”
Lena looked over at Tommy, and I could see she was having a hard time with this decision.
She was surrounded by three guys, each of whom had an emotional investment in her. But I didn’t have an evil agenda and really, neither did Tommy. Atticai did. Oh yes, he did!
Like the showdown shootout with Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. This was Lena’s three-way stand-off. She looked at us three males, from one to the other, then swiveled her head back and forth between Tommy and I and then between Atticai and me. Lena’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. She was utterly stumped.
What the hell was going on? How could she possibly even consider either one of these two other guys?
Again, Atticai made his case, “Lena, you know deep in your heart that I am your first and only true love.”
I looked at Lena and she looked at me. She was clearly confused. You have got to be kidding me. “Lena,” I said. “After last night…”
Lena looked at me and then completely turned around and looked at each of us.
What the hell was she doing?
She stopped and looked at Tommy, and then she turned and looked at Atticai.
What in the world could she be considering?
She looked at me and I could see the love in her eyes.
“Lena, there is no decision here,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Lena closed her eyes and then she opened them. She exhaled and walked in the direction of Tommy.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Lena walked in the direction of my best friend and not me. Tommy seemed as shocked as I was. Atticai could have cared less. All of this was just a game to him. He was very amused that she didn’t choose me. He was almost giddy with malicious glee. Tommy looked down at Lena, smiled and asked, “Are you sure?”
Lena was quiet. So, Tommy repeated his question. Finally Lena said, “I don’t know if I’m sure, Tommy. What I do know is, I’m standing in front of you.”
Tommy nodded. “We don’t need any of this,” he said, trying to soothe her.
“I know,” she said. “But I need to need know something, Tommy. Do you love me? Or is this something you’re clinging to because you’ve run out of options?”
Tommy was quiet. His face showed a large amount of empathy and compassion for Lena. I knew Tommy. I knew Tommy better than he knew himself. At this very moment in time, he wasn’t sure what he was doing. He was impulsive and competitive and this was the kind of thing that was right up his alley. It spilled over with drama and intrigue and Tommy lived for that shit.
One thing I did know for sure…Tommy was as confused about Lena’s behavior as the rest of us. He looked into Lena’s eyes and then looked over her shoulder at me. I looked on as if I was witnessing a car accident where I was the victim of a hit and run. Unable to hide my devastation, my face must have showed my bewilderment and despair and I couldn’t stomach much more of this. I felt numb, yet tears burned my eyes and I couldn’t have held them back for pride, ego, or anything. I gave Tommy a look as if to say, ‘Why? Why would you do this to me?’
He looked me in the eye and said something under his breath. It was hard to hear him but I read his lips. He said, “I have nothing. You have everything.” Then he turned to Lena and did something that surprised even me. It was a selfless act from a person who, over the past month, had only demonstrated large displays of selfishness.
“You should stay,” he said, to Lena. “These are your people and this is where you should be.”
Lena looked confused, but most of all, she seemed very overwhelmed by everything around her. She put it all out on the line for him. Her reputation and her friendships, but most of all, she risked me. She sighed with a small amount of relief. She knew this was a decision she might never be able to live down. And, perhaps, she wouldn’t be able to.
Tommy stared deep into her eyes and said, “Make no mistake about the fact that I love you. I might not be your destiny, but I love you.” Tommy kissed Lena’s forehead and then turned to me and the crowd behind me. With indignation and froth in his voice he said in a large, grand manner, “I could never be one of you. But I was willing to fight for you. I would have laid down my life for any of you. Tonight, you all rejected me, not because of my character, but because of what I am. That is unforgivable to me.”
Tommy paused and then looked over at Atticai who seemed to be enjoying the three-ring circus that he had started. “Most of you would defend this piece of crap over me in two seconds just because he drinks blood for the same reason you do. But, the reality is, he would never lift a hand to help you even if you were dying in the street. I was a fool to think that any of you, especially my dearest friend, would have my back. I was a damn fool! In the end, your loyalty is with your own, even when he’s a piece of shit like this man.”
Tommy, in an act of pure defiance, walked toward the mob. A mob that was ready to kill him without remorse. Tommy approached them anyway because he could care less. Tommy then spit in Atticai’s direction. “Atticai lied and deceived everyone…” Tommy turned and faced me, “especially you, Josiah. Yet you defend him. Why? Because he’s a vampire? A fucking vampire? Something that you didn’t even know existed a year ago.” Tommy spit again at the ground, and this time it was in my direction. I was stung.
“Tommy!—” I shouted.
“No, Josiah! Loyalty means nothing to you, so why should it mean anything to me?” Tommy stared through me with disgust and intolerance. “Good bye, brother.” Then he spit a third time for good measure. I think that one was for anyone who wanted it. He then transitioned into the great gray werewolf and ran off of Flatlands in a blaze of glory.
A couple of vampires transitioned quickly into ravens and started to go after him. I yelled, “LET HIM BE! OUR FIGHT IS NOT WITH HIM!” The transitioned Mani turned back and stood down. It was good to know they still listened to me. After all, I was their Chosen One.
Lena stepped out and watched as Tommy ran off the grounds in one last display of absolute disloyalty to me. I was embarrassed and humiliated by the entire night, but most of all, my heart had been broken to the point of numbness.
I looked at Atticai and he began to clap in my direction. First a slow clap, and then he clapped with ferocious applause. “Excellent job, Josiah! You managed to lose your best friend and your girl in the same moment.”
I have had enough of this cruel piece of crap. “Why shouldn’t I kill you, right here and now?” I said, as viciously as I have ever spoken to a person in my life. But this wasn’t a person. This was a very bitter and evil man who was delighting in my pain.
“You’re welcome to try to kill me, Josiah. But I don’t see what good that will do. You have a 50 percent chance of succeeding and it still won’t erase the fact that the love of your life would rather lie with a dog than with you.”
“Atticai,” I said. “At the end of the day, nothing you say or think matters. You don’t matter to anyone. You never mattered to the Triat and, especially, you don’t matter to the cause I’m fighting for. Twice the Triat used you to just get me further in my training as The Chosen One. So, if that is something you want to hang your hat on, by all means, go right ahead. You did a damn good job as Goshi, but that task is complete. Now, if you choose to take your place in our society, you will serve the good of the cause, not your own interests. You’re a fine fighter. You could always be the Robin to my Batman.”
That definitely got under Atticai’s skin. Atticai wanted to attack me, but he also knew it wasn’t a smart decision. His body language was resigned, acquiescing, which showed me that he was standing down.
“I see that inside of you is a man who is not willing to serve the Mani for the greater good. We can be changed from man to Mani, but we cannot change our core sense of who we are. You believe you were born to be a leader and you do not follow well, even when you know it is the right thing to do.”
I saw a glimmer of acknowledgment in Atticai’s eyes. He agreed, though he would not admit it aloud. To do so, he would have had to collapse his entire value system and crush his own monstrous ego. I knew that he never would.
<
br /> I smiled at the man who used to be my friend, Goshi, and I knew that deep inside that incredibly twisted head was a good person trying to find his way back.
So I said, “I’m going to let you live, Atticai. But, mark my words, there is no you and I after tonight. This was once your cause, but it is not any longer.”
I then turned to the crowd. “If any of you want to change your allegiance and stand with Atticai, who will try to overthrow the destiny and prophecy of me, The Chosen One, this is the time to do so, but know this...if you follow Atticai against me, it begins a civil war which will divide us and weaken us as a species, as a race, and as a supernatural community. If you choose to follow me, then you will have no part with this man. He is no longer a friend to the cause.” I looked out onto the crowd, and to be completely honest, I fully expected everyone to walk over and join Atticai. Loyalty didn’t mean much of anything at this very moment in time.
“Don’t be shy,” I said. “This cause is bigger than our own lives. And know this; I will not come after you if you decide to leave with Atticai, the traitor and now, the pariah. All who join him will be outcasts, following the cause of a man who pretended to be The Chosen One, even though he knew all along that he was not.” I waited and watched as twenty vampires left the mob and stood with Atticai, one of them being Rubidoux, and I wasn’t too surprised.
“You’re a good man, Josiah,” Rubidoux said, as he walked by me. “But I can’t stand behind a man who associates with Carni. I just can’t do it.”
“No hard feelings, Ruby. You’ve got to do what you feel.” Over a hundred Mani stayed on my side. We outnumbered Atticai’s group at least six to one.
