The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal (26 page)

Alain thought I was a saint.

“
What do you suggest?” I
asked, before my silence went on too long.

“
We should see how many
have become full demons,” he answered without hesitation. “Those
who cannot be saved should be killed. Those who can should be
spared.”

Spared for what? I didn’t ask aloud, but the
reality of my position came through clearly. If I let them live,
they could and probably would do their best to kill me. They would
help to spread the vampiric plague throughout the world, until, in
my time, it threatened to wipe out humanity for good.

But if I killed them, did that make me any
better than they were? I’d spent too long wondering about the
safety of my soul to take the risk. And how could I kill Alain? He
didn’t register as a vampire any more, but he also wasn’t human.
And he was helping me, willingly. He’d done something I didn’t know
was possible – he’d overcome the vampiric bloodlust, overcome the
demon, to fight against his maker and his clan, to kill them. For
me.

I looked again at the thralls. They were
men, women and children, no different from any we’d seen in this
time. No different from people in my time. No different from my
family. Only they still lived, at least in a sense.

A girl around Violet’s age stood nearby. I
went to her and touched her hair, waiting for attack. There was
none, she just stood there.

“
Can thralls ever…act like
people do?”

“
If the master allows it,
my saint, I believe they can. Would you like me to
test?”

“
Not yet. Have them come
with me.” I turned and went into the Abbey.

Alain and the thralls followed me. I led
them into the chapel. Alain sighed. “It has been so long since I
have been allowed in this place, my saint.” He looked peaceful and
filled with joy. “I thank you for saving my soul, and for giving me
this moment.”

Most of the thralls looked the same as
Alain, though some seemed uncomfortable.

“
We’ll come back in here
later.” If any of us, them or me, had a later. I’d made my
decision.

I led them all to the Abbey’s interior yard.
“We wait for sunrise. If any are truly not vampires, or demons,
they won’t be harmed by the sun’s light.”

The vastness of my mission spread before me
and, for the first time since David had died, I had hope. I looked
at Alain. For the first time since Marcus had died I no longer felt
lonely. “You should stay in the Abbey, though.”

Alain shook his head. “You are with me now,
my saint. The sun’s light will no longer harm me.”

“
You can’t know
that.”

“
I do know it. The others
were willing to follow the demon, but once I tasted his blood I
knew I had committed a terrible crime against God. Every day I
prayed for the strength to break away. Every night I prayed someone
would come to help me, even if it was to kill me before I took the
life of an innocent in the way the demon wanted.”

“
How long?”

“
Time is different now.
Months, certainly. I had almost given up hope.” He took my hand.
“And then you arrived, my saint. I knew from your scent, your
dress, your weapons, that you were not a regular person, but that
you were also not a demon. I saw you slay one of my brother monks
and knew God had sent you to save our souls.”

“
We killed them
all.”

“
We did. And if you had
killed me, my saint, that would have been a just decision. But you
did not, and God gave me the strength to help you, to destroy the
demon. I know God sent you to me, just as I know I no longer need
fear the sun’s light.”

Alain knelt on one knee, still holding my
hand. “I am a monk no longer – I am your disciple. I pledge my life
to your service, my saint. Where you go, I will go. Your enemies
are mine, your mission is mine, and I will protect your life with
my own now and forever.”

“
I’ve been alone so long.”
I didn’t mean to speak the words aloud.

Alain smiled. “No longer, my saint. No
longer.”

He rose and led me to a bench. We sat and he
told the thralls to sit as well. Then we told each other about our
lives before we’d met while we waited for the sun to rise.

Dawn came, and with it the proof that
Alain’s belief in God was justified.

He stood as sunlight filled the yard, his
head turned to the sky, a look of rapture on his face. “Too long,
my saint. For far too long I have not felt the touch of the
sun.”

I did my best to hide my relief as I checked
on the thralls. To my surprise, most were reacting as Alain was –
they were smiling and looking at the sky.

Some, however, were not so lucky. The cries
of pain started as their flesh began to burn. But they didn’t try
to run – all the thralls smoldering in the sun stayed where they
were.

I took a Nightstick and went to the thrall
burning nearest to me – the girl who was Violet’s age. I didn’t rip
her head off or club her with my weapon.

“
Ashes to ashes, dust to
dust, go with God, your sins are forgiven,” I said as I made the
sign of the cross and then touched her gently with the Nightstick.
“I’ll see you in Heaven, if nowhere else.”

She looked at me. “Thank you,” she said, as
she disintegrated.

One by one, I went to each burning thrall
and did the same. They all thanked me. And after it was over, Alain
held me and dried my tears.