Captivated (An Affliction Novel) (27 page)

ears ago, after I found my parents dead, a large man approached me offering me something I didn’t care to understand. I just accepted it if it meant revenge.

“I am Waldron. Consider me somewhat of a mentor; I was your fathers for many years.” Waldron stood a few feet away from me. He began rolling his sleeves up over his massive forearms. The skin lying under was like a bronzed copper. A combination I didn’t know existed. From the details of his face, I thought he might have been African American, but his skin was different.

When Waldron mentioned my father, I glared up at him. “Who did this? Why?” I froze, the strange man that grinned at me down the street passed through my head. I remembered the blood splatter on his arm and I realized, he was the one who murdered them. Rage burned through my eyes because I had been face to face with him after it happened. “He was there, in front of me.” I clenched my teeth together and squeezed my fists so hard they were losing circulation, “And I did nothing!”

“Calm yourself. I need you to relax.” All of a sudden, Waldron’s eyes were glowing blue. He was focusing right on my face, my head…my brain. His body was stiff. I looked down at his hands, they were also glowing. Then, blue flame like figures appeared, dancing in his palms. The glow on his eyes grew brighter.

“What the hell are you doing?” I jumped to my feet.

“SIT DOWN.” Waldron’s voice commanded. I did what I was told, only because I didn’t know what else to do.

Waldron raised his hands from his side and stuck them out in front of him. He approached me with his hands leveled with my head and clasped them to my temple.

“This is going to sting,” Waldron warned.

The glowing flames on his hands formed around my head, but they did not burn. Waldron gripped my head tightly and closed his eyes. The flames spread out away from my head, then quickly formed back together and slammed against it. I felt the flames trying to get in through my skin. The pain was immense. It was as if the flames were tearing my skin, slicing through it frantically like a crazed cat. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t run away because of Waldron’s strong grip on my head. He was holding me down without a single movement. This large man had become a flaming statue.

The flames sliced through my skin and started drilling at my skull. There wasn’t a spot on my skull where I didn’t feel the agonizing pain.  I tried to rip away the hands that were clasped to my head like a vise, but they wouldn’t move an inch. The flames were trying to get into my head; the ones that hadn’t passed the skin were still slicing through it.

I couldn’t breathe; the pain was so immense that my body was only trying to survive the torture. The flames got through my skull, immediately stabbing at my brain and the bolts of flames were tearing through it. With all the strength I had left, I picked my body up by grabbing onto his outstretched arms and lifted my feet up aiming for Waldron’s torso. I reeled back my legs then lunged my feet at him with no success. Then I aimed for his thighs, but it was as if I were kicking a statue. My legs got weak and dropped back to the ground. I swore my skin was being peeled of slowly, making sure that I felt as much pain as a person could possibly withstand. Even the drilling through my skull slowed down. The stabbing at my brain was the worst, it was being brutally torn apart. Once the flames got to the center of my brain, they swirled around and shot down the muscles along my spine. The flames spread out into every muscle they came across digging their way and sinking in. The agonizing torture that was being bestowed on me was sure to be killing me, but I wouldn’t die.

The flames slowly disappeared and the blue hue that was surrounding Waldron was leaving him. It crept up his legs, up his torso, and through his hands. It surrounded my head and slowly crept into the openings of my skin and through the holes in my skull. This glow didn’t hurt me, it was just cold. It went into the tears of my brain and spread out through every muscle of my body. Even though this glow was cold, it didn’t take away any of the pain. The cold just past through leaving the agony behind and sunk into my muscles from head to toe. It was finally over.

Waldron released his grip on my head and my near lifeless body dropped to the floor. I laid on my back and couldn’t move any part of my body. The shock to my brain and body left them throbbing like a migraine. My eyes were closing. I couldn’t keep them open because I didn’t have the strength to.

Waldron stood still for a moment. He was stiff with his arms to the side. His stone body turned back to normal and his light blue eyes turned back to their dark brown color. He slowly walked up to me lying still on the floor. My eyes were halfway open staring up into nothing and my skin was pale.   

“Isolation is the key to your survival. You must never get close to anyone. You must not let anyone get close to you. Your enemy will know who you are so always keep guard,” Waldron warned. I closed my eyes during Waldron’s warnings, I still heard him talking until I was completely out.

I never saw him again after that night. Waldron had given me the power to have my revenge. That was all I wanted and needed. I shut everyone out of my life. Even my Lina. Ever since then, I had loved her. I should have kept my distance. I should have kept her safe. Now she was at the hands of this soulless killer. I would not allow her to die at his hands.
SHE WILL NOT DIE!!

Venom spurred throughout my body. It was charging me with the rage of a thousand crazed bulls. I found it hard to keep my composure. I had to charge at him. I had to give him everything I had before my fury destroyed me. I scanned around the dim downstairs. From what I could see, only three vampires were at the bottom of the stairs. Darcel was now out of sight. The thing next to me was trembling. He sensed my rage. Just as animals sensed fear. Now was the time. Take it or leave it. I pulled out two darts. Quickly, I shot at the two demons below me. When they dropped, I had to strike quickly. Because when their bodies crashed to the floor, all the vampires would hear. Then it began.

They dropped side by side. Their eyes were staring in horror at the site of me. Paralyzed in every part of their bodies, all they could do was stare at the monster flying down the stairs at them. I pulled out two knifes from my vest and leaped landing in between them. In one clean motion, I slashed their necks at the same time. The flying flames scattered in the air. What was left of the vampires floated down to the ground. Straight ahead, I saw a huge vampire coming at me. He came charging at me and bashed me against the wall. He pushed against me and the wall, crushing me. Any longer and my bones would start to crack. I still had a knife in each hand. I stabbed at his sides repeatedly, ignoring the fact that I was getting the air pushed out of me. The vampire rhino stumbled back, just enough for me to slip out from under his reach. The crimson blood was spewing out of his sides running down his legs. The one knife I was able to yank back out of him was dripping with blood. I gripped onto it tighter so it wouldn’t slip out of my hand. The vampire was trying to take out one of the knives I left in his stomach. Before he could pull it out I ran up to him and stabbed him in the thigh. I felt a light one jump on my back and dig its claws into my face. A familiar feeling. The one with the black hair did the same to me the night of the attack. I tried to shake her off. Where was the demon helper anyway? I grabbed a handful of her long hair and tossed her at the stumbling rhino. They both fell to the ground. That’s when the demon helper grabbed her and tried to pull her away.

“What? No! I can’t leave!” The black haired one shouted.

“Come on.” The demon helper wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up. She kicked, but it wasn’t to hurt him.

Then the witch did something that made me regret not killing her. She screamed. A high pitched scream that rang in my ears. I felt like she had dug her hands in my ears and stabbed my eardrums with her long nails. I dropped to the ground and crawled to her. She was aiming the scream at me even though it still affected everyone else around that could hear. I tried getting back up so I could charge at her and end this, but I couldn’t pick up my head. Every time I tried, some force would pull it down and give it a higher jolt of pain in the process. The demon helper cried out in pain and his hand made way to her mouth, covering the scream. Then she accepted to leave with him. As he was pulling her away with him, she turned to me on the floor. A satisfied smile made its way on her doll face. That smile bothered me.

     Ears still ringing, I jumped to my feet and charged at the injured vampire on the floor. He was holding one of his ears and the other hand was on the bloody leg. I pulled the knife out of his thigh and stabbed his neck, leaving the knife in it. I wasn’t able to slice his huge neck with this little knife. This would have to do for now. Another one came from behind me and bear hugged me. I couldn’t move my arms. I felt the daggers strapped to my chest begin to pierce my skin. Another vampire came up to me waving a bat. I threw my legs up and kicked him in the gut. He stumbled back, I took advantage and threw my head back bashing the bear hugger’s nose over and over again until he let go. Blood was spouting from his nose and the vampire cupped his hand on the bloody mess crying out.

I spun around to the other vampire only to see a knife coming at me. It was too late to dodge this one. My own knife pierced my stomach. I swung at the vampire, punching him repeatedly in the face. With every swing I threw, my muscles around the knife clenched. That was when the shooting pain attacked my muscles. I managed to pull the knife out of me and stabbed the vampire in the shoulder. It was getting crowded. Already there was another vampire headed my way, plus the one with the bloody nose. I lost count of how many I had left to kill. It might have all been a lie. There might have been more then I could handle. The bear hugger got me again. Only this time, it was a tighter grip around my arms and chest. The air was again being squeezed out of me. I found myself wheezing. The vampire I had stabbed in the shoulder punched me in the gut, right were my wound was. A shrill of pain escaped me. Then the vampire took the knife out of his shoulder and held it up against my neck.

The bear hugger chuckled. “Time to die slayer.”

m here!” Yelled out an excited voice. It was familiar. Way too familiar. No!

Markus leaped off the bottom step of the stairway. All heads turned his way, including the vampires holding me. Markus ran in our direction and leaped over the injured vampire. On contact with the ground, he attempted a roll a professional would do right before they were going to shoot. This was an embarrassment. He looked like an old man tripping and struggling to get up. The whole move was like we were watching the display in slow motion. Markus finally got to his feet and ripped open his pre-cut shirt. He had on the smaller vest, I used to use. I smiled in amusement, even though Markus and I were about to die.

That’s when a couple of vampires were running down the stairs. Markus smiled proudly, not knowing the two vampires had him in their line of target. A strong emotion came over me. It wasn’t the pain in my stomach. Not the fear of dying. Not even all the vampires outnumbering me. It was the fear of this boy getting hurt. Usually, I didn’t want humans to get hurt by a vampire because it was my duty to protect them. There was never an emotional attachment. This time, I thought it was because I cared for him. I couldn’t let this happen. I was determined to get Markus away from these demons.

The attention was on me again. Any sudden movements and the knife against my throat would penetrate, then, I would fail. But the knife pulled away from me. It was time for that sudden movement I was thinking about. I threw my head back and hit the bear hugger in the nose again. He gasped in pain, but he didn’t lose his grip like last time. The vampire with the knife dropped to the ground in front of me. When I looked back up, Markus was searching his vest, trying to get another dart ready. The vampires behind him were already reaching for him. The adrenaline shot through me and I bent forward picking up the bear hugger and charged at the nearest wall. The impact of his head with it caused his head to break through the wall leaving a hole. He released me and dropped to the ground. I sprinted to Markus and shoved him out of the way. I cringed when I heard the thud of him landing against something. I hoped the boy didn’t get hurt.

One of the vamps jumped on my back. It felt as light as the other females. Then, her teeth pierced my neck.

“No!” A shout came from the other vampire that was pulling her away from me. In the process, she tore a chunk of my skin as she tumbled with the other vampire to the floor.

She began to convulse on the floor as if something inside her was attacking her. I’d never been bitten by a vampire before. I didn’t feel any different. I reached up to feel the wound on my neck. It was wet with my blood. I pulled my hand down to examine the blood and saw something completely different. It was white foam mixed with crimson. The vampire that yelled at her didn’t seem like he cared too much about her state. He brushed the situation off and came at me with his fist in the air. I quickly turned to check on Markus. He was slowly getting up from the ground. Good. He was okay. And what do you know…my sword was attached to a strap on his back. Good boy. I ran to him, pulled my sword out, turned around and sliced the vampire in half right when he was in arms reach of me. His body landed on the floor in front of me. It wasn’t dead yet. In a swift move, I cut its head off. Another came charging, I did the same. I finished them all off, the paralyzed, the injured, and the bear hugger. If there were any left, they had run off already. I walked up to the female that had bitten me. She was grabbing her neck and choking on something. Then her skin started to bubble. The surface looked like boiling water. She tried crying out, but could only make out a gargling noise. My blood was smeared on her lips and chin where it had also been bubbling. Then, her skin exploded into dancing flames that scattered in the air.

The room was silent. I stared at the ashy floor before me. I’d never seen that happen to a vampire. Their skin never bubbled from drinking blood. It was supposed to give them more power, not kill them.

“Did we get them all?” Asked Markus while dusting himself off. With a triumphant smile, he approached me. He stood next to me and looked down with a puzzled look. “Why are you looking at that spot?” Markus asked.

“This vampire. It bit me and died.” I said.

“Cool!” Markus reached for my thigh and pulled a dart out of my skin. It had a bright orange sticker on it. “So this worked…sort of.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, still confused.

“This orange dart was holy water mixed with my homemade garlic extract. I thought it would make an interesting combination. I wanted to see if it would work on a vamp.” He glanced at me and hesitated. “I uh-was aiming for the vampire that had a knife to your neck, but I accidently shot you with it instead.”

“Garlic doesn’t hurt vampires. I’ve tried it.” I informed Markus.

He rubbed his head and thought for a few seconds. “I guess it’s kind of like gasoline. We can touch it and it won’t hurt us, but if we drink or it’s injected in our system. It could be dangerous.” He continued, “When I shot the dart at you,” Markus held his hands up in surrender. “By accident! It went into your system and she drank it when she bit you. This is awesome! This means my experiment worked.” He placed the dart back into a slot on his vest and patted it.

For some reason, I still wasn’t convinced. The vampire that was with her shouted ‘no’ to her. As if he knew she wasn’t supposed to bite me. I shook the thought away. There was no time for this. It was time to get Lina.

I swiveled around and studied the long hallway. There was a room at the end of it. The door was wide open, but there was no sound. Lina was no longer screaming. As I stared at the opening, someone stepped in the doorway.

“I don’t know if this is important-” Markus said in the distance of my mind.

He kept talking, but I wasn’t tuned in completely. The figure standing in the doorway had his arms crossed over his chest. It was too dim to make out what this person looked like. It was a man definitely. His feet were spread apart and his gaze didn’t leave me.

“The scream hurt my ears dude. Then after that-”

The motionless figure was waiting for me. Daring me to come closer.

“Then the car took off.” Markus didn’t finish. He paused and focused his attention where mine was. The room was so quiet after he finished speaking that I could clearly hear Markus gulp. His breathing quickened. He must have sensed the same thing I did. That this vampire wasn’t going to be easy. What Markus didn’t know was that this vampire was Darcel.

“It’s time for you to leave.” I jerked my head at Markus. “Now.”

Markus blankly nodded his head in agreement.

“Get into the sunlight. You’ll be safe there.” I ordered.

In that instant, Markus headed for the stairs and disappeared from my sight. Darcel slowly made his way towards me and dropped his hands to his side. I braced myself and tightened my grip on the sword to make sure it was still there. My heart quickened, but it wasn’t from fear. I was anxious. For years I’d waited to be in front of Darcel once more so I could have my vengeance. And here we were.

A deep thunderous chuckle came from him as he stepped into the room with me. He was only ten feet away now. He looked confident.

“Slayer.” Another chuckle. “Let me guess…you’re here to have your revenge? How many times have I heard that from one of you?”

“I want the girl.” I commanded.

“What girl?” Darcel asked in an attempt to piss me off. Job well done.

Darcel gave me the same grin as he did years ago. I glared at his arm. Even though it was clean, I still saw my father’s blood stained on his pale skin. The speckled red dots trailed from his hand, up to his elbow. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see it. So I wouldn’t hurt. But it hit me in spite of my attempt. That night, my father and I were playing catch in the front yard before my mother called us in to eat. We were having tacos that night and she needed lemons. I shouldn’t have gone to the back yard to grab some. I shouldn’t have chased the stupid dog down the neighborhood when he escaped from the yard after. I shouldn’t have left them.

I opened my eyes. They ignited at the sight of Darcel. The flames were coursing through my veins and spewing into the rest of my body. What burned the most were my hands. They were aching and tense. I needed to let all this rage out before it destroyed me. I envisioned myself slicing his head off and scattering his ashes in the sunlight to destroy him forever. Just as I had to with the other two leaders I had killed. The thought alone didn’t satisfy me. I knew that even acting it out wouldn’t do the trick. I knew what I had to do. My body was aching for it. My hands were demanding it. I needed it.

I looked into his eyes long enough to let him know what I was thinking. His hypnotic gaze was beginning to pull me in when I easily tore my eyes away. Vampires had compulsion. I knew how to avoid it. Darcel’s grin got wider. He knew what I had in mind. He rotated his shoulders and popped his knuckles to prepare himself.

I unstrapped my vest from the shoulders and from around my chest. It dropped to the ground and I kicked it far from me. The darts and daggers skid along the floor with the vest until it crashed against the wall. The fury inside me was pounding against my skin, trying to burst out. I raised my sword and took a goodbye glance at it before throwing it to the side along with my vest. The pain in my hands worsened. They automatically bunched into tight fists. They were begging me to hit Darcel. And I was willing to satisfy their command.

Darcel sprinted at me with an incredible speed. He didn’t give me time to react. In a matter of seconds, I was thrown to the stairway. My back hit against the railing, breaking it on contact. The sting wasn’t as bad as when vampires throw me against trees in the forest. If I could handle that, then this was nothing. I brought myself back up to my feet only to find him charging at me again. Again, he was too fast for me to react. He had me pinned against the wall, staring me down with the same damn grin.

“You having fun yet slayer?” Darcel chuckled, then slammed his fist in my gut.

The wound in my stomach hurt before, but when he punched me there, it was as if I was being stabbed with ten knives at the same time. Darcel released me and I dropped to the ground grabbing my stomach, in an attempt to condense the intense pain. He was much stronger than regular vampires. I should have guessed.

“Now what does this remind me of?” Darcel paced as I lay on the floor. “Ah yes…” He crouched down so I could hear him clearly. “This is just how your father was before I killed him. Lying helpless in a puddle of his own blood. You’re not bleeding that much yet, but we can arrange that.”

Darcel raised his hand in the air and his nails extended into what looked like bear claws. They were black and probably as sharp as his fangs. His hand came down quick, but I managed to jerk my head out of the way and got enough momentum to kick Darcel in the back of the head. I ignored the shot of pain that attacked my stomach. I was too enraged for pain. I stumbled to my feet and stood up straight.

Darcel stood up and examined his claws. “Your mother tasted good. Especially when she was screaming.” The fire came back to my hands. I needed to attack him. I needed to shut him up. “I’m sure Mindy will-”

I leaped from across the room and punched him in the mouth before he could finish. I was so fast in my action that
he
even looked surprised the split second before my fist made contact. His head flung back and I took a swing at his neck. Darcel stumbled back grabbing his neck. I’d never been hit there before; it looked like it hurt him. That was when I unleashed my fury on him. I did a number of jabs to his ribs, cracking a few with my punches. He clawed my chest. The blood ran down my chest connecting with the blood from my stomach wound.