Darkness Comes

by A C Warneke

  He laughed coldly, “We were safe in the New World for a very long time and while it was sometimes very difficult, it was almost peaceful. Your grandfather and I were farmers, of all things. Much like you and Toby, we had a knack for growing things and found a measure of contentment even as we moved further and further west.

  “But when the Aradians started arriving in the eighteen hundreds, my father became paranoid, telling me that it was imperative that I never have children, that it wouldn’t be fair to them should they ever be caught. He made me promise that no matter what happened to him I was to never have children and for several years after he left I kept my promise.

  “But then I met your mother and fell in love,” Gus exhaled slowly, a sad smile playing on his lips as he looked at Malorie, the tension leaving his face for a brief moment. “Your birth was the happiest day of my long, long life.”

  Closing her eyes, afraid of the answer, she asked, “What happened to my mother?”

  “It’s hard for me to talk about her….” He straightened his spine and clenched his jaw. She knew it was a touchy subject and she never questioned him, even when she was desperate for a mother’s advice, but now….

  “You don’t talk about her at all,” she interrupted, forcing him to look at her.

  “I know,” he nodded and pain filled his eyes. Then the fight simply went out of him as his shoulders slumped and he covered his face with his hands. With his face twisted with anguish and remembrance, he said painfully, “I loved her very much, Malorie, and I think, I mean I know, she loved me but she didn’t understand; she never understood.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, her head still filled with fluff.

  “She knew only a little about me, about my fight against vampires,” he answered softly after a long pause. “Somehow she discovered that I had lived a long, long time and she… decided that she wanted to live forever as well, to be with me forever, and she found a vamp to convert her.”

  “Oh, dear Lord.” Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest at her father’s confession; no wonder why he didn’t talk about the woman, why he was so protective.

  “You were still so young, only a few weeks old,” her father continued, almost as if once he started talking about it, he couldn’t stop. “When she returned to the house, I knew what she was but I couldn’t kill her; I loved her. I couldn’t kill her.”

  After a long, grief-filled silence, he continued, “We managed to escape but I didn’t know anything about raising a baby, I only knew I had to keep you safe, from her and Aradians.”

  “What about you and Toby?” Her eyes were drifting close again. Despite the earth shattering story her father had just told her, her head was already full up; she didn’t know how much more she could learn and not scream. “Aren’t you in danger as well?”

  “Perhaps, but you are a female,” His voice was fiercely protective. “The most sought after, the most desirable, commodity to the Aradians; I don’t know what would happen to you if they capture you.”

  Softly, not sure if she wanted to know the answer, if she knew which answer she most wanted to hear, she asked, “Can they die?”

  Gus was silent a long moment and Malorie cracked open an eye to look at him. She hadn’t even realized her eyes had closed until she saw the grim expression on her father’s face. “I don’t know, Malorie; I just don’t know.”

  “You should have told me this sooner,” her words slurred slightly and she yawned. She couldn’t stop the feelings of… betrayal that her father had kept so much from her for so long. Had the Aradian not bitten her, would he have ever told her? Would he have kept her blissfully in the dark, unprepared for the danger? Perhaps he wasn’t even fully aware of the danger himself, having been kept from the Aradians as well.

  “I know.” he ruffled her hair, just like he used to do when she was a child, bringing a sad smile to her lips. “I wish things could have been different; I wish…” he trailed off as he swallowed the rest of his regrets. As he reached her door, he paused, “Get some sleep.”

  And then he was gone, leaving Malorie to go back to sleep. Reaching out, she turned off the lamp and plunged the room into darkness, trying to absorb and understand all that her father had told her as her brain shut down for the night.

  *****

  A scraggly, fifteen year old Malorie, wearing clothes that were too big for her and carrying a well-used sword, systematically made her way through the latest vampire massacre. The small town had been decimated by the vampire hordes and it was her job to go through all of the houses and see if there were any survivors. In her life, she had seen plenty of carnage but nothing could compare to the… pointlessness of this latest attack. It was almost as if the vampires were just toying with the Blade Soldiers, taunting them with the knowledge that there was nothing they could do to stop the destruction.

  Anger burned in Malorie’s chest because she knew that the monsters were right; there were so few willing and able to take on a single vampire, let alone an entire pack of them. But she kept fighting because that was what she was trained to do; what was the alternative? Death? Not bloody likely; not while she still had breath in her body.

  There was an eerie silence hovering over the gutted town as she made her way through the empty houses, ignoring the bodies that were abandoned, those both drained and those just killed. She wondered how many people had actually lived in the town; the sign said “Population: 102,” now it was zero. Poor bastards. Kicking a limb out of her way, she trudged through the broken door frame of the last house on the short street.

  A light flickered overhead as she made her way through the entry way. She ducked her head to avoid hitting it on the collapsed ceiling, looking around cautiously in case there were any vampires lingering. There had been one hell of a battle in this place; the furniture had been trashed and there were holes in the walls. As she passed beneath the hole in the ceiling, she looked up and could see the night sky; it must have been one hell of an explosion; burn marks scorched the edges and she gave an appreciative smile. Hopefully, that had taken out a couple vamps.

  Coming around a corner, she froze as she saw him, a boy on the cusp of manhood standing over the dusty remains of two vamps, the sword still in his hands. His eyes were wild and grief stricken and a little crazed as he looked up and saw her standing there gaping at him. With a guttural cry, he rushed towards her, raising the sword in his hands, ready to take her out, too.

  With natural grace and years of training, she spun out of his path, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to slam him against the wall behind her. Plaster drifted down from the crumbling ceiling as she pressed her body against his back and hissed in his ear, “I’m not a vampire, you fucking moron.”

  A sob escaped his throat as he loosened his grip on the sword and let the metal clang to the ground. The fight simply left him then and he slid down to the floor, taking Malorie with him. Before she could figure out what he was going to do, his arms were around her and he was holding onto like she was his life line. His salvation.

  Unused to such physical contact, she awkwardly patted him on his back, waiting uneasily for her father to show up and decide what to do with the poor boy. There was no question that they would take the boy with them; he had taken out two vamps, perhaps more; she just wasn’t sure how she felt about having someone around who was so close to her age, someone who was of the opposite sex and… attractive.

  Color stained her cheeks as she admitted to herself that she found him attractive but she was fifteen now and a female. Running her hand through her shorn locks, she grimaced; it had seemed like a good idea to keep her hair short, like her father. But suddenly, she realized that it made her look like a boy and since her boobs had just barely started coming in.... Not that she had cared about that before seeing the boy…. “What’s your name?”

  “Jack,” he managed to choke out, still clinging to her as if he never meant to let her go. His hand moved slightly and he stiffened. Pushing back f
rom her, he looked her over carefully, starting at the top of her head and exploring every inch of her face, “My God; you’re a girl.”

  Malorie smacked the back of his head and stood up, angry for another reason. As she swept the dirt from her filthy pants, she glared down at the boy, “Of course I am.”

  Turning on her heel, she stomped back through the house, calling over her shoulder, “Well, don’t just sit there; come with me.”

  Throwing an arm over her head, Malorie smiled at the bittersweet memory. Almost from the first, Jack had been devoted to her, at once protective and in awe of her. He had been only a few years older than her; it seemed only natural that they would become lovers, become husband and wife…. She could remember standing at the altar, shaking with nerves and morning sickness. She could remember the last time she saw him, only a few months later.

  “I finally staked the vamp that got away, men!” Jack called out, raising his sword up and pumping his fist. Malorie looked at Jack and smiled as he entered the crumbling hotel they were currently staying. Her stomach was considerably rounder and she loved feeling the baby move inside of her, beneath her hand. The men cheered, but she didn’t know what Jack was talking about. His eyes blazed with blood lust as he turned his head and grinned at her. She knew that look; as soon as they were alone, he would have her naked and beneath him. His voice softened as he said, “I got him, Mal.”

  Her breath caught in her throat as she saw another man standing behind her young husband, the green-eyed demon from the mall. He glared briefly at Jack before he turned his burning eyes on her. She could feel the despair and rage and hunger emanating from the Aradian as he looked at her. “It’s been me you have wanted; all of these years it has been me you dreamt of, me you hungered for. Why are you still dreaming of this boy?”

  She held her breath as the world around her faded away, as Jack simply disappeared and the Aradian stepped towards her, his hand reaching out to caress her. “When he touched you, it was my hand you imagined; when he kissed you, it was my lips you tasted. When he moved between your thighs, it was my body you desired. He’s no longer here to shield you, to protect you from your darkest, most decadent, desires.”

  “Jack!” she sobbed, but he was already gone and all that was left was… the Aradian. His long, elegant fingers moved over her lips, along her throat, as he held her gaze. Helpless to look away, she felt herself drowning in a sea of green fire, his life burning around him, around her. Her chest rose and fell with each carnal breath she took, breathing in his dark, masculine essence. He was so much bigger than her, surrounding her with his muscled body, his powerful aura, his overwhelming presence.

  “Did you think I would so easily let you go after I have searched these many years to find you?” his voice wrapped itself around her, drugging her and pulling her under. The pads of his fingers moved over the tip of her left breast, making her nipple tighten into a hard bud, shooting sensation throughout her responsive body. His hand drifted further down, splaying across her stomach, jolting her once more to wakefulness.

  Lying in her bed, she stared up at the ceiling, tears leaking out of her eyes; her mind was betraying her for suffering an attraction for a monster. It’s not like she meant to find rapture in the creature’s embrace, it simply happened. The thought still made her sick; that she so easily capitulated, especially after everything that she had been through in fighting the vamps.

  Her memories were being consumed by the awareness of the green-eyed Aradian and it was starting to take too much out of her to fight. A shudder ran through Malorie’s body and she rolled over onto her side, bringing her knees up to her chest and wanting to return to the oblivion of sleep. She didn’t want to think, to remember. Exhaustion was creeping in on her and she didn’t understand why; after her father had said good night, she had felt ready to take on the world. Now, she could barely fathom the idea of getting out of bed and spending Christmas with her son.

  She felt the bed shift a little and when she opened her eyes she smiled. She was greeted by the most beautiful sight in the world: her little boy’s big, brown eyes and sweet, sweet face. Letting her eyes drift shut, she murmured, “Hey, baby; Merry Christmas.”

  “Mommy,” Toby spoke softly as he crawled under the covers next to her. She put an arm around him, needing to touch him. “Grandpa said you were sick and I shouldn’t come in here. Are you sick?”

  She forced her eyes open so she could look at him and she saw the concern in his eyes. Her heart lurched painfully in her chest; she almost gave this up. Forcing the dark thought away, she lifted the corners of her mouth, “No, sweetie, I’m just tired.” She tickled his ribs a bit making him giggle before pulling him closer. “And grandpa was wrong; I want you in here.”

  He made a little murmur, snuggling into her. His little fingers moved over her face, touching her closed eyes, her cheek. Her neck. “What happened?”

  “I was stupid and I got bit,” she explained, prying her eyes open again, not realizing they had closed. He was so beautiful, her little boy, and she loved him so much. How could she ever, ever want to let it end and give him up? Forcing a smile, she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “Grandpa said last night’s open feed was a surprise Christmas present for the vamps.”

  His little nose scrunched up as he considered that, “I didn’t know vampires celebrated Christmas.”

  Widening her eyes in mock surprise, she murmured, “I didn’t know, either, though I suppose anything is possible.”

  “I know,” he nodded sagely, touching his fingers to the bandage on her throat. “You got bit.”

  She bit back a smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I love you, Toby.”

  “I love you, too, mommy,” he said, his eyes never leaving the bandage. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at her with those big, brown eyes and too-serious expression. Chewing his lower lip, he finally asked in a hushed whisper, “Can I see it?”

  Her hand slowly made its way to her neck; God, it felt like she was moving through gelatin! Toby’s fingers were already picking at the edges of the bandage as she murmured, “I don’t think the teeth marks will still be there; they say vamp bites heal really fast….”

  “Because of the vamp spit,” he said. It was actually an enzyme in the vamp spit that healed the wounds quickly but he understood well enough. She felt the bed shift again as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

  Sliding the tips of her fingers beneath one of the edges, she got a firm grip on the bandage. Taking a breath, she pulled it off quickly, wincing only slightly at the sting. “Well?”

  “Cool,” he breathed, reverently running his fingers over the artery that was bit.

  Laughing, letting her fingers tangle with his as she felt for the wounds, she asked, “Are the bite marks still there?”

  “No.” Shaking his head, she felt his fingers move in what felt almost like an elaborate pattern. Of course, she was just imagining things…. “You have a tattoo.”

  “What?” she cried out, flying out of the bed while ignoring her body’s rather loud protest. Her head was screaming and all of her joints ached but she didn’t care, she had to see the mark for herself, not willing to believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. Stumbling over to the dresser, she crumbled onto the chair. Tilting her head to the side, she ran her fingers over the unusual markings, peripherally aware of Toby standing next to her. It was elaborate and beautiful and strangely, the mark seemed to glimmer; she’d never seen a mark glimmer before.

  She sucked in a breath, “Damn!”

  “Mommy,” he breathed in a hushed voice. “You swore.”

  “I’m sorry,” she struggled to keep her voice even, to not give in to the rising panic welling up in her chest. The room was starting to wobble around her and if it weren’t a matter of grave importance, she would just go back to sleep. It wasn’t possible; the mark hadn’t been there last night; she should have been all right. But seeing the mark with her own eyes, she knew the reasons why s
he was so drained and she was determined to fight it. She also knew that she wouldn’t be able to do it on her own. “Father! Come quick! Father!!”

  Propping her forehead up with her palm, resting her elbow on the dresser, she fought against the seductive urge to just let her eyes close, to fall asleep. Toby sidled up next to her, his little body pressing against her arm, “Mommy, are you okay?”

  “No, baby,” she said softly, running her fingers over the mark, examining the elegant design in the mirror. She had never seen a vamp mark that was so beautiful or took so long to appear; how powerful were Aradians? Smiling down at Toby in reassurance, “But I will be.”

  Gustav’s footsteps pounded down the short hall as he came running. As her bedroom door swung open, he stood there in a state of dishevelment. His face was partially covered in shaving cream and he was still wearing his pajamas. If it weren’t so serious, she would have laughed. Instead, she met his eyes in the mirror, pointing to her neck, “Look.”

  Crossing the room to her dresser, he grabbed her chin and tilted her head to the side to get a better look at what she was freaking out about. His expression darkened and his lips pressed together in a firm line. “Damn it.”

  “Grandpa!” Toby’s hushed voice scolded.

  “Sorry, moppet,” Gus said, absently ruffling Toby’s hair, never taking his eyes off his daughter’s marked throat. Using his sleeve of his pajama top, he wiped the foam from his face and ground out, “We have to leave.”

  “But, the nursery,” Mal protested feebly, her eye lids so heavy as she struggled to remain semi-upright in the chair. “I have so many events coming up.”

  “Liese will have to deal with it on her own.” He said firmly as he gathered Toby up in his arms, hugging him. “She knew when you started that you would probably have to leave at a moment’s notice; she….”