Chapter 38

Nate stared down at Amelia’s corpse. As her heartbeat slowed and eventually stopped beating, Nate felt his heartbeat speeding up. Adrenaline coursed through his whole system. Hot tears clouded his vision as a pit formed in his stomach.

He felt the demon within him begin its whisperings that were muted when Amelia broke through to him. Now that she was gone it was back and stronger than ever. It promised to take away the hurt and pain he felt in his heart and deliver it back onto those who hurt him.

The whispers grew louder and louder until it consumed Nate’s thoughts. He wanted to give in to it, needed to give into it. But he didn’t want to leave Amelia’s side.

A motion from the corner of his eye catches his attention. Looking up he sees Anza fleeing in the distance. Nate feels his grasp on his emotions slipping as the demon rose. Instead of fighting it he lets it rise to the surface, and accepts it as a part of him. Nate belonged to it, and it belonged to Nate.

His whole body began to change. He felt his eyesight improve, his muscles grow stronger, power coursing through him. He felt his skin harden and something grow out of his temples. But all Nate could think about was the hurt. The person he loved was gone, killed by his own hands, and the person responsible was getting away.

“STRIKE!!!” Nate raged, commanding the spear to go after Anza.

The spear disappeared from sight as it rocketed towards Anza at a speed it’s never gone before. Anza couldn’t even see the spear because of how fast it was moving. On instinct she threw herself to the side.

She felt something connect with her left elbow. The spear had pierced through her elbow and embedded itself into the tree, pinning Anza there. She turned back in horror and saw Nate glaring at her, Amelia’s corpse still enveloped in his arms.

When she saw him putting the corpse down, she didn’t hesitate. She clawed at her left arm, severing it, and ran away. The left arm hung there pinned to the tree dripping blood.

“ANZA!!!” Nate’s warbled voice cut through the rain and thunder.

Anza felt her heart palpitate. The aura she felt from that voice was like a demonic King. It almost made Anza stumble to her knees. All her animalistic instincts were telling her to bow and submit herself to it.

“Open the gates!” She roared as she neared the walls of the wilderness. The doors opened just as she approached, she ran through the gates and headed towards her estate. The wards there would protect her for some time, she just had to make it to the wards.

…

Luke scooped out a shovel full of dirt and tossed it up the ten-foot grave before reaching down for another scoop.

Clang!

The shovel struck a wooden casket. Luke sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead. As soon as the shovel connected with the casket he heard a voice.

“Anza? Please let me out! Please! I can’t take it anymore!”

Luke felt his heart being torn to pieces as he heard the fear in his son’s voice. “Don’t worry son, I’ll get you out.” He shouted.

“Please hurry, I can’t take it anymore!”

Luke cleared the top of the casket then lifted the lock, slipped the key inside, and turned it. With a click the lock opened. He removed the lock from its place and the casket was flung open.

A wave of putrid sweat, feces, and excrement assaulted Luke’s nose. He ignored all that and looked down at his son’s shriveled corpse.

“Don’t move son.” He said before turning his head up, “Send it down!”

They heard a man yelling from up above as he was brought closer to the hole. With a shove the man was sent down the grave. As soon as the man was in arms distance, Charlie snatched him up and began feeding on the man.

“No!” The man screamed but it was useless. Soon his eyes glazed over as he faded from the world.

Charlie continued to suck until the man’s corpse shriveled up like a raisin. Charlie’s body was back to its regular elasticity, plump as a newborn baby. He sighed, satisfied with his first drink in what felt like years.

Charlie glanced at Luke and Luke looked down in shame. Charlie reached up and put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Luke nodded his head and nothing more was said. The moment passed and the two climbed up the grave.

“What happened to Anza?” Charlie asked.

“Doesn’t matter let’s—“ Luke paused when a loud thunder ripped through the sky, “Get you out of here.” He continued when it was over.

Charlie nodded. Ten minutes later he was cleaned up and in fresh clothes. His magic sword hanging at his side. He was prepared to leave with his father, and ten other vampires that were loyal, when suddenly the front door burst open.

A pang of fear shot through Charlie’s heart when he saw Anza, but that fear suddenly turned to joy when he saw the state she was in. Anza’s whole body was covered in cuts, bruises, and blood. She was pale like a corpse and missing her left arm.

Anza looked at the group of vampires before her. Her eyes stopped on Charlie. She turned to Luke as a look of hurt and betrayal crossed her face. “Amelia I expected, but you?”

“I regret nothing.” Luke sneered at Anza.

“I have no time for this!” Anza darted past the group of vampires but Charlie blocked her path, his whole body covered in dark shadows.

“I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to me!” He shouted as he dashed forward.

Anza blocked the incoming sword with her right hand, but the blow had thrown her off balance. She tried to catch herself but with her arm missing it was useless, she crashed to the ground.

Charlie rushed at her and stabbed down at her, piercing her stomach. He lifted the sword and tried to pierce again but Anza rolled out and kicked at him, missing.

Charlie cut the leg she tried to kick him with, then cut her other leg, then her right arm. In a span of ten seconds he covered her with shallow cuts, his face enjoying the slow torture he brought upon her.

“BASTARD!” Anza shouted. She rushed forward with the last of her strength.

Charlie dodged out of the way and tripped her. With her missing arm she couldn’t regain balance and crashed into the wall. “Pathetic.” Charlie spat.

Anza felt like a fool as she glanced up at Charlie who approached her with sword in hand. First Amelia had betrayed her for a man she loved for less than a few months. Amelia’s betrayal had hurt her because she’d known Amelia for almost a century. How could someone throw away a century long friendship for a man she’d know for a few months.

Now Luke had betrayed her as well. A man who served her family far longer than Amelia.

Anza grew up without the love of her family, everything was duty. Her father reminded her of that plenty of times as he beat it into her. She grew up thinking everyone valued duty as much as she did, but now that both her closest friends had betrayed her for love, she knew better. Her whole foundation of believing in duty before was a joke. If she had another chance she’d turn away from the Founding and live for herself.

The wall beside her exploded covering her body in rocks and rubble. As darkness began to claim her she caught a glimpse of what was coming through the hole. She smiled. If I’m going to die, at least that son of a bitch is coming with me. She laughed.

Charlie was blown back as the wall exploded. He scrambled to his feet confused. He looked up and saw Anza was gone, covered in a pile of rubble. Near where she fell was a golden spear jutting out from the wall.

“What the hell?” He muttered as he heard the vampires around him approach. Charlie walked over and glanced through the hole to the outside world.

What he saw made his knees go weak. Running through the forest towards the mansion was a furious demon. This demon’s whole body was covered in violet-colored scales. Out of its temples grew ebony colored horns that grew upward then curled downward like the horns of a ram. Though the most frightening thing about this demon were the eyes. Its eyes were so red it looked as if they were on fire.

“Nate?” Charlie gasped, his heart palpitating as a knot grew in his stomach.

“Beautiful, isn’t he?” He heard a voice say beside him.

Looking over he saw the demon looking at Nate with a complicated expression. Love? Awe? Pride? Why is she looking at Nate like that? He wondered.

“You’re crazy.” Charlie muttered.

The demon giggled. “I’m just so excited. So many resources went into this.” The demon sighed in pleasure. “It’s satisfying, reaping the rewards of my labor.”

“It’s too bad I’m going to kill him.” Charlie said with false bravado.

The demon snorted. “Kill him? Oh honey, Nate would tear you to shreds. Fortunately for you I’m not going to let that happen.”

The demon turned back to Nate and the two made eye-contact. The demon smiled. Nate roared in fury.

“Letting Nate kill you would only satiate his hunger. We need his anger to fester, for his hunger to burst past its seems. We need him to rouse the wrath of the heavens.”

The demon’s speech was punctuated by a burst of purple lightning flashing in the sky.

“W-what?” Charlie gasped.

The demon didn’t respond. As Nate was almost upon them she began to swirl in black shadows. The black shadows covered him and the other vampires. Soon Charlie’s vision of Nate was replaced with a bird’s eye view of Black Watch Asylum. They were atop the tallest building.

Charlie couldn’t register what his eyes were seeing. The Asylum looked as if it were the apocalypse. Buildings on fire, people running and screaming everywhere. Werewolves and vampires fighting in an empty parking lot, killing each other. Two other girls Charlie’s never seen before fought in an alley causing destruction on a super-human scale.

It was utter chaos. And the skies above seemed to match the dour mood of the Asylum. Violet angry clouds swirled overhead battering the Asylum with fat drops of water. The clouds would flash with purple lightning, a color he’d never seen before. Thunder rumbled so loud it shook the soul of anyone who heard it.

“Mmm! MMM!!!” He heard the muffled shouting of someone behind him.

Charlie turned around and saw Amelia lying on the floor bound and gagged. “Amelia?” Charlie said taking a step forward.

“Don’t bother, those binds are enchanted.” The demon said off-handedly.

Charlie looked at the demon confused. “What is going on?”

“That’s above your pay grade Charlie, why don’t you keep your head on simpler things, hmm?”

In the distance the group of people on the roof saw the mansion. They saw Nate run out of the mansion yelling at the sky in fury. The sky responded with a flash of purple lightning that raced through the clouds before disappearing.

The golden spear in his hand was hurled at the large gates of Black Watch Asylum.

Boom!

The sound was like thunder. The large metal gates shook as the golden spear remained lodged inside. The fighting and madness seemed to pause for one second. It was as if the whole world was focused on that spear protruding out of the gates. Many of the humans running for their lives turned in that direction as hope welled up from within. Zombies following behind in their trail.

Charlie saw Nate approach the large metal gates. He saw on the other side of the gates a mass of humans all focused upon the golden spear like they were. He turned to the demon who wore a stupid grin on her face. The world is going to hell. Charlie couldn’t help but think that as it seemed like the world was ending.