Demon in Ruins

Chapter 5

“She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies, and all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes.”-Lord Byron

Chapter 5

-Nathaniel-

She was scared; her whole body trembled in fear and agitation. And did her blood smell good? Oh! It felt as if I was standing so close to the fountain of eternity and was held back by some dark forces. The forces couldn’t hold me for much longer. I could feel the pressure built in me, the hunger growing with each and every second that passed. The smell of blood filled the air, and I wanted to tear on every tissue of the girl. It was overwhelming.

As I stared into her brown eyes I went back into time. The ghosts from past shook me up in my head. Memories started flooding in instantly.

“Victor,” My father said. “You serve us no purpose.”

“Father, I do not mean to defy you but it is Nathan who is of no work.” Victor hissed through his pointed teeth.

“I did not know their plan was to attack us like this,” I said. “They are cowards.”

Victor laughed and father glared at him. Victor, my elder brother hated the attention I was given by our parents.

“We all know who is the real coward here, father.” He said. “If you had let me handle this, I would have proved you who the deserving son is.”

“We are under attack,” I said making my point clear. “I don’t think it is time to fight each other.”

Our father nodded and I could see his fangs coming out of his mouth. He was a fighter. I wished to be like him someday. He feared nothing.

“Nathaniel is right.” He said. “Get the troops ready. We will finish the hunters.”

“You talk of impossibilities, father.” Victor chuckled. “We can make a truce with them.”

“Truce?” Father roared. “You are the one talking about a truce. You created this situation.”

“It is not my fault that you chose Nathan instead of me.” Victor matched his tone.

“I make the right decision, son,” Father said.

“Let me go,” The faint voice said.

The strange girl was falling unconscious. I had to hold onto her while she kept murmuring under her breath. I couldn’t make out the words. Her bleeding hand kept distracting me from saving her life. She needed help. I was still weak. No matter what choice I tried to make, the aroma of her blood brought my real nature back. My teeth ached to sink in her neck and drain her dry.

Dreadfully, I looked around for help. I saw Victor standing there with an unimpressed expression on his face. I didn’t know how much time had passed but I could tell he hadn’t changed a bit. He still had the cold look in his eyes that reminded me of how much he hated me.

I tried lifting up the strange girl.

“I’ll take her to the room, Nathan,” Standing in front of me, Victor spoke with a little smile. “Can’t risk her being eaten by you, buddy,” He tilted his head and raised his hands. “You are still hungry, aren’t you? I can see it. Your resistance is so fragile.”

“What makes you think I’ll risk her life by giving her to a monster like you?” My voice was gruff, foreign to my own ears.

Victor raised one of his eyebrows and chuckled. “Look at you in your glory with hunger and thirst for her sweet blood. The only monster right now, is you, my brother.” He was wearing very odd clothes. Clothes I had never seen him wear. What time is this? My mind was foggy. “Give her to me. I’ll carry her.”

“What about her injured hand?” I asked frowning at him.

“I can take care of that,” He shrugged and pulled the girl away from my arms. I didn’t want to let go. I wanted her blood. No, I needed it. “She just needs a nice ointment and bandage for her rescue.”

Then it struck me. “Where does she live?” I asked.

“Everything has changed, son.” It was only now I noticed mother standing there, looking as beautiful as ever. She was just the same; her eyes compassionate and loving. “She lives here. We had a hard time finding her but everything is going to be alright now.”

“What has changed?” I couldn’t help but ask despite knowing how out of time I was feeling.

“It’s the twenty-first century, Nathan,” Victor answered. “You have been sleeping for more than three hundred years.” He lifted up the girl in his arms with such ease as if she weighed nothing to him.

I stared at him in awe. Three hundred years, and thousands of questions. Was he lying to me?

“Where is father?” I asked.

“You have to take rest.” Mother said. “We’ll talk after some time.” She turned to the girl who stood there with hollowness in her eyes. “Chelsea, escort the prince to his room.”

“I feel guilty of hurting her,” I gestured at the girl in Victor’s arms. He hadn’t left yet. “I can go along with you to her room.” I couldn’t trust him even when I wanted to.

Victor narrowed his eyes at me. “Or maybe you can make an effort to reach into my coat’s pocket and find the gift I brought for your return.” He pointed at the big pocket in his coat. “Don’t be shy.”

I hesitated but I listened to him when mother didn’t object. I reached into the coat’s pocket and pulled out a small bag of…blood!

“Blood banks in this century are so provident,” Victor started walking carefully with the girl in his arms. I followed after him. “Just open the cap and drink from it. You can leave your monstrous ways behind.”

I did what he said. Tasting the blood was satisfactory but not as pleasing as the girl’s blood. What was the difference? “Have you left your monstrous ways?” I asked Victor, who seemed to walk faster than he used to or it was me who was slow.

He glanced over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t call my ways monstrous for the people I drink blood from are willing to share it. This girl, right here, is not.” Guilt washed over me. Then again, Victor was never the one to empathise with anyone. “How do you feel now?”

“Better.” I looked around the mansion. It was just the same. Everything was the same yet different. “Has it really been three hundred years?”

Victor stopped in front of a room and pushed the door open with his one foot. “You are acting like a kid now. Curious and all. It’s getting on my nerves.” He laid down the girl on the soft mattress. “Wait.”

He disappeared and reappeared with the medical requirements.

“She’ll heal quickly,” He muttered while he applied the paste on her wound and started dressing it. “I get it. You’re curious about this world you’ve opened your eyes to. You are a child.” He got up from the bed and looked at me in the eyes. “Don’t hurt her. She’s your responsibility,” he said before leaving.

I was about to go when I saw her face in the moonlight. She was lovely.

I wanted to know about her. So I decided to stay.

With the blood bag in my hand, sipping every drop, I watched her sleep peacefully. I had so many questions for her. I couldn’t wait for her to wake up.

-Karen-

I woke up when sunlight poured through the glass window, directly on my face. My eyes sprung open, and I held back a scream. The night had been a nightmare but it wasn’t over.

Those green eyes were still staring at.

I screamed.

Cold hands came on my mouth to suffocate me. I opened my eyes wide. His hands were cold as ice. I shivered from the contact that was made. Why was he trying to kill me? I had done nothing wrong in my entire life. These people hadn’t sacrificed me (yet) but what in hell was going on here? Who are these people? Were they part of a crazy cult?

The handsome face got some creases on his forehead as he looked at me from close.

“Why do you scream, lady?” He asked in a deep voice. It wasn’t scary anymore. “It really hurts my ears.”

I tried to move away but his ice cold hands were still clasping my mouth.

“If I let my hand drop, will you scream?” He asked.

I shook my head vigorously.

“Do you promise?” He asked innocently.

I nodded and he dropped his hand. My mouth felt frozen. I brought my hands to my mouth only to see my cut bandaged by someone. It wasn’t hurting. Did he do it? I pushed aside the blanket covering me and slowly sat up, distancing myself from this bipolar cult person.

“Are you a vampire?” I asked shaking. That is the only ‘logical explanation’ I could come up with now. Nothing made sense whatsoever; Lady Adeline being alive, Victor’s compulsion, this freak’s waking up and fangs. So let this be the end. He’ll probably kill me for finding out their dirty little secret.

Wow! Karen, you’re so intelligent.

“Yes.” He nodded. “I’m the creature of the night.”

Was he kidding me?

Creature of the night. Now, that’s a pretty nice title for a vampire. I noticed that his eyes were sad now. Last night there was nothing but one thing in them—hunger. He stared at me like I was an alien.

He wasn’t kidding. He was genuinely confused.

“You wear odd clothes.” He remarked. “Where are you from?”

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Had his mom and brother told him nothing?

“I literally fell from above,” I said deadpanned. “It didn’t hurt.”

He gave me another confused look. “What name do you go by, lady?” He asked softly.

From the tone of his voice, I could assume that he was a gentleman rather than a jackass like his brother. I knew he was Victor’s brother. I had heard their conversation in fainting mode; Victor addressing him as his brother several times. How I got here was a blurred moment. I couldn’t remember any detail after I had fainted. I had hoped of waking in my house. My hopes were shattered again. And again. And again.

Where was Jon? Was he still dreaming that this was a dream?

“My name is Karen Michaels,” I replied. “What’s your name?”

He smiled brightly and his terrifying fangs were missing.

“My name is Nathaniel Devries.” He spoke.

Nathaniel Devries. Victor Devries. Lady Adeline. God, my life was a mess.

“The witches made a portal for us into this world to remain safe here.” He explained awkwardly when I didn’t ask anything. “You are in a world filled with supernatural creatures.”

Supernatural stuff sounded excellent in movies and novels but in real life, it was no less than a nightmare.

“Can I leave?” I asked.

“Go where?” He asked back.

Looking stiff, he moved his shoulders and neck. He looked tired. Sunlight made him more attractive, highlighting the sharp features on his face. Wait, sunlight?

“If you are a vampire, I mean creature of the night, how can you sit here in sunlight?” I asked suspiciously. “Isn’t sunlight supposed to burn you into ashes?”

“The sunlight cannot pierce the protection shield created by the witches,” He said as if it made any sense to me. “You can get the sunlight but you cannot feel it. Thus, it cannot burn us.”

I nodded my head understanding nothing. I had to play along if I wanted to get out of here.

“You’re saying this sunlight is unreal?” I asked bluntly.

“No. The sun is real and so is the sunlight,” he said. “But imagine you are diving inside an ocean and there is a shield around you that protects you from getting wet. That is how the shield around the mansion works for the sunlight. I don’t know how much they have extended it now.” He looked out the window. “There was a war going on when I went to sleep.”

Now I got it. A shield was stopping the sunlight from doing the destruction it was supposed to do. Made perfect sense. Really. It did. Like all of this did.

I really need to work on my sarcasm. I’m gonna go mad here.

“You mentioned a war,” I said. “Which war is it? World War?”

Geez, how old is he?

He looked at me with disbelief and took a long breath. Yeah, it was official, vampires could breathe. Curse you, movies and books! I hate you!

“You don’t know about the war?” He asked in an uneven voice. “Yes, how can you. You don’t belong to this place.”

And time.

“The war was between the vampires and the hunters.” He said, “Hundreds of hunters had made their way into the town and were searching for us. We had our troops to fight them.”

I listened to him carefully. The guy looked gorgeous while telling tales. I was mesmerised by his voice and forgot that I had to leave this huge comfortable mansion and go home to continue with my miserable life.

Just kidding. I wanted to go home as soon as possible.

“Victor stated we must talk about a truce.” He continued. “It did not work.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

I got up from the bed and stood afar from him. I was afraid if he would drink my blood again. Blood formed some kind of frenzy in vampires. Come to think of it; I was only food to him.

“I need to go home, Nate,” I said.

“What is Nate?” His eyebrows formed a quick frown.

“You. Your name is Nathaniel.” I said. “It’s a big name. So I’m using a nickname because your real name is time-consuming.”

“We never take half names, Lady Karen.” He shook his head. “It is not decent.”

And keeping hostages, cutting my hand counts as decent. They really need to re-decide the definition of some words. I didn’t want to know what indecent meant for them.

“Please don’t call me Lady Karen. I’m not an old woman in her fifties.” I made a face. Nate didn’t seem like a bad vampire when compared to his mother and brother so I had to give it a try. I gave him my best pleading look. “I have to go home.”

He stared at me with his green eyes and smiled.

“Isn’t this your home?” He asked.

“No way!” I shouted. “I’m a captive here with a friend of mine. We don’t even know how we got here. We can’t stay here. We have to go home. Do you have any idea how much our parents will be freaking out without us? They’ll call cops and they will search the entire town for us.”

Just like they searched for the girl who had disappeared and never came back.

“Sounds terrible.”

“It is terrible.”

“I am so sorry Karen.” He said sadly. “But you cannot leave. Ever.”

I fell back on the bed. Diverse thoughts flooded my mind.

Let this be a nightmare. I prayed to god. I can’t survive here. I need to go home. My parents will be waiting for me. It was my birthday. I’m their only child. I can’t remain a hostage here forever. What if the cops searched the area and found the portal or whatever to this place and got here?

The chances were thin, but here’s to hoping.