The Celestial Imperial
1813 Words
Chapter 9 The Celestial Imperial
THE CELESTIAL IMPERIAL
In an unconscious state, Kiara felt gentle swaying motion, almost as if being on a boat, where the waves lifted and eased at the whimsy of the wind, peaceful and comforting. And she might have been comforted by the motion, were it not for the fiery hot throbbing pain in her neck. Her breathe sputtered in irregular patterns, short, sharp and incomplete.
Kiara was burning inside for terrifying moments but soon everything faded in her mind again.
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Kiara could hear hushed voices from a far distance and it felt like she was dreaming.
"Hey…I think she is awake now…her eyelashes are fluttering.”
“No…I think she is still asleep."
"Her wound has healed completely."
"Let us wake her up before those cruel guards comes around to pour water on her."
Cruel guards? What's happening? Wait! Did she die and didn’t make it to heaven but hell? Oh no! Was she in hell or what? Kiara bantered within herself.
"Hey…wake up! Wake up! You have to wake up!” An unfamiliar voice murmured from the darkness and tapped on her upper arm gently.
Kiara forced her eyelids to open, her vision was blurry for a few seconds and when it became so clear, she was surprised to see the people who surrounded her. His eyes scanned the unfamiliar people and the environment. They helped her to sit up gently with relief flashing through their expressions. Kiara looked around again only to realize that she was in a cell with a hard and dirty floor full of hay.
Where am I? She thought within.
Kiara shut her eyes tightly, trying to remember how she ended up in this sort of place and memories filled mind's eye. Ok. She went to the club with Lila, Daniel and his friends. It was fun until she needed to get away from Mateo. She had a fight with Liam who reminded her of Carlos Osvaldo, she left the club, trekked, boarded a taxi, voices in the alley and the men coming after her...then he bit her.
Immediately Kiara touched her neck when it clicked but to her surprise there was no open wound from the bite. How did she survive the bite of a vampire? Wait...is she a Vampire too?! What?! Her eyes widened in shock as she examined her body to see changes but she looked quite normal to herself.
Kiara has heard that people appearances changes after transformation! To humans, vampires was a myth but oh no it was true! Vampires truly exists! And she has met them and she also got bitten by one but didn't die. Kiara has witnessed something she never thought she would see in a million years.
The pairs of eyes on her continued to stare as they all waited for her to settle in. Kiara closed her eyes, hugely thankful to God that she was alive and that the pain in her neck was gone. She breathed in tentatively.
"Are you okay?" A voice asked.
Kiara reopened her eyes to look at the pairs of eyes fixated on her. There were four women in the cell. Two were about her age, one was an old lady with a tattered look while the last one was younger than her…way too young.
"Yes…I look fine...I am fine.” Kiara stammered. “But where is this place?" She asked. Her eyes did a crawl around the small sized cell filled with cobwebs on the walls and ceiling.
"This is the Celestial Imperial." The old lady answered.
“The Celestial Imperial?” She repeated with a confused look on her face. “What’s does it mean? Perhaps is this heaven…or hell?” She questioned frantically.
They all exchanged glances, wondering if their new inmate was in her right senses to think this place was heaven…maybe it was hell on earth.
“This is a supernatural society that harbors all kinds of special creatures like witches, wizards, werewolves and vampires.” The youngest of them explained.
Kiara’s eyes widened in shock. "What?! A supernatural society? How did I get here?! What's going on?!" She demanded in a raised tone.
One of them cautioned her to tune down her voice. "You were brought in here three days ago."
Kiara’s jaw dropped completely. "You mean…I have been here and out for three days?" She asked.
They all nodded in unison. No! This can't be happening! Kiara stood up immediately and went to the metal gate. She saw several women in other cells. They all looked shabby, dirty, bloody, horrible and all of them were dressed in rags.
Kiara looked down at herself once again and sighed in relief that she still had the crimson gown from the club on her body. Although, she started to feel uncomfortable in it already cause it was too revealing and inappropriate for a place like this one.
"Why are there so many women in here?" She inquired.
"They need us." One of them replied.
Kiara turned to look at them. "Are you all vampires or werewolves too?" She asked in horror.
"No, we are humans like you. They would never keep their kinds in a place like this!" A lady of about her age spat angrily.
"This is crazy!" Kiara blurted out.
This must be a dream! Kiara grabbed onto the gate and did the only thing that occurred to her mind.
"Hello! Is anybody out there?! Let me out of here or else I will call the cops on you all!" She screamed and shook the gate aggressively.
"Hey newbie! Will you stay quiet and don’t get us all into trouble!” Someone from another cell rebuked her.
“Help! Somebody call the cops! I have an attorney that would sue you all for keeping me here against my will!”
“There are no cops here!"
“Attorneys don’t operate here and such laws don’t exist in this world!” Another woman scoffed.
“Is anybody out there?! Lila!” Kiara screamed.
"That's a waste of time cause your screams won't change anything."
"It's better you stay quiet or else they will drain you out before your time!”
Those were the handful of comments from the frustrated women in other cells. Maybe there was no way out of here but she will never let them hold her against her own will. Those bloodsucking animals deserves to die! And the one who brought her in here should have his balls crushed too!
When no one responded to her call, Kiara went back to the women in her cell. "Is there really no way out of here?!" She demanded. They shook their heads in unison.
"We are all stuck in here till God knows when…and maybe till eternity.” The old lady added.
"And since there is no way out of here, I suggest we get to know each other as inmates." Kiara heaved a sigh of frustration.
"What's your name?" The young girl asked her.
“Kiara Jaden but you can call me Kiara.” She answered.
"Felicity." The old lady said.
"Call me Olivia.”
"Sonya.”
"And you are..." Kiara waited for the young girl to fill in her name.
"I am Zendaya.” She muttered in a sad tone.
Kiara felt pity for the young girl especially. She looked weak and pale. Her lips were full of sore and wounds that must have been inflicted by whips. "How did you end up here?" She directed her question to Zendaya. She seemed too young to be kept in a place like this while she should be in school studying.
Tears leaked from her eyes. "My dad borrowed a huge sum of money from a man named General Darius to save his company and with a promise to pay back in three months time. But thieves robbed our home the same night dad got the money. Darius showed up about four months after but my dad couldn't repay back the money he had borrowed. So he killed my parents, took me as replacement for the money my dad borrowed and brought me here." Zendaya narrated in tears.
"Who is General Darius?" Kiara asked.
"General Darius is a notable man in this Imperial but he runs illegal businesses in the human world too. He is more like a loan shark.” Felicity answered.
Human world and Imperial? Aren't they all in the same world? She wondered. "Aren't we in America?" Kiara asked. It sounded like they were in an entirely different planet.
"Yes…we are in America but somewhere far to where humans resides. No one knows the road map or how to escape this place." Olivia answered.
That's explained the feeling when she was unconscious. Kiara felt like she was on a boat. The man who bit her transported her from human world to this Imperial! She listened to the other women explain how they ended up in this bloodsucking world.
Sonya was deceived by a vampire who she met at the club. They dated for just two weeks until the day she found out he was a vampire. He was newly turned and haven’t learnt to control his thirst for blood during s*x. She had been scared to death that she ordered him to stay away from her. Unfortunately he got mad, drugged her and brought her to this place and sold her off.
Olivia was brought in here by a she wolf who wanted to get rid of her so she could have Olivia's boyfriend that she had newly turned into a vampire intentionally so they could be together.
Felicity, the old lady has been here for so long. A young man had offered to help her move into her new home only for him to transform and turn her into a blood bank for days before bringing her here too.
It was crazy how they abduct women from their comfort zones and then bring them into this confined place.
"How did they find you?" Felicity asked.
“I caught them torturing a man and the man named Darius sucked on the innocent man for not lying his debts. Out of horror I screamed.” Kiara explained how five men killed a man in an alley and chased her home only to find herself here after she thought she was going to die.
"The same man who killed my parents brought you here." Zendaya said.
"Darius right?" She nodded Yes. Then Kiara recalled how scary he had looked that night when he threatened the innocent man in the alley with his men.
"But why exactly do they need us?" Kiara asked trying to clear up her curiosity.
"We don't know too much but the most important fact is that the vampires needs us to stay alive." Sonya answered.
"What do you mean?" Kiara requested in a shushed tone.
- Writer
