The Immortal Design (13 page)

    “Yes. Yes I do Johnathan. I love you deeply. When your father begged me to turn you into a creature that was damnation itself, to save your life. I wished for the first time in my long life that I was a monster. I wanted to save you, but I could not. I visited you every day in the hospital, at first your father would not allow it, so I would sneak in at night to see you. There was nothing that would keep me from you. Finally when your father caught me at it, he listened to my story and decided I could stay with you.”

   The flame that had been slowly burning beneath my chest burst into a full-fledged fire. I stood up walked across the room to where she sat. I took her by the hands and lifted her to her feet. I looked deeply in to her eyes, brushing away the tears and kissed her. She reciprocated the kiss. Although she was cool to the touch the fire that we shared warmed her flesh. I broke away long enough to tell her “I love you, I’ve loved you from the first time I saw you. I’m so sorry for thinking you were anything but who you really are, my first and only true love.” We went back to kissing, I held her tightly to my body and I felt more alive than I had my entire life.

   “Oh, um I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you two.” My father had come to check in on us. We broke apart and looked at him. We both laughed at his embarrassment. My father joined us in the laughter and came over and hugged Willa and then me. “I’ve order a pizza if anyone’s hungry.”

   “Sure, I’m starving. In case you missed it dad, I was asleep for three months. Hey, how did they feed me if I was asleep?” I asked curiously. Both Willa and my father glanced at each other.

   “Very large tubes son. Big ones that went down your throat through your nose….”

   “Okay, that’s enough, I really don’t need to know anything else I don’t want to lose my appetite.” We all gathered in the kitchen. My mom was busy getting the drinks ready, she was just about to set a soda down in front of Willa but then hesitated.

   “Oh, yes, I do eat and drink regular food like you Mrs. Stokes. I just need the transfusions to keep my organs healthy.” My mother smiled and put the soda down in front of her. We all had a great time while we chatted and dug into the extra-large supreme pizza my father had ordered. My mother and Willa seemed to have hit it off pretty well. I was glad that my parents were accepting of the first girl I had brought home, especially since she wasn’t your typical girl and it was in my family’s blood to off her kind. Oh my god that sounds terrible.

   In the midst of the party the phone rang. My mother got up and answered it. “John, it’s for you.” I wasn’t surprised. Even though I had kept my cell phone off, the phones kept ringing, but this time I decided to take the call.

   “Hello?” I answered.

   “Hello John. I heard you were out of the hospital. You miss me? I stopped by your room a little while ago and left you a welcome home present. I hope you like it. I went through a lot of trouble to get it for you.” Pete had started laughing before he hung up. I dropped the phone. My father and Willa looked over at me in surprise.

    “John who was it?”

   “It was Pete. He’s been in the house. He said he left me a welcome home present in my room.” Willa, my father and I all ran to the upstairs bedrooms. My father had grabbed a gun loaded with silver bullets. Together all three of us went from one room to the next to make sure no one else was still in the house. Finally we made it my bedroom. My door was shut. My father stood to the right of the door and Willa took the left. I stood in the front of the door and slowly turned the handle. The door creaked open. It was too dark to tell if anyone was in the room. I slid my hand through the opening and flipped the switch on. The room light up quickly. Peering through the cracks I couldn’t see any movement from within the room. I looked to both Willa and my father we all nodded together and I flung the door wide open. I stepped back and my father entered first with his gun pointing in every direction ready to shoot any intruders. Willa followed close behind, she had her strength and extra senses to rely on. I was the last to enter the room.

  I was also the first to see the gruesome sight that was my welcome home present from my best friend. There in the middle of the room laid out on the four poster king sized bed were the heads of three men. One was Drake, the other was Stephen, both men had been members of the Order, as well as my own personal combat trainers. The third was Kelly VonHolten’s father. Willa gasped in horror at the site of the severed heads. I held her as she turned from the site.

   My father approached the bed and examined the disgusting display. “How could he have gotten to VonHolten? He was looked up in the jail awaiting trial. This is very troubling.” My father turned to Willa and me. “If Pete took a human life he…” My father had begun to say, but Willa cut him off.

   “This was not the work of Pete. He wouldn’t have the strength to do this, not yet anyway. This is Mihial’s doing. He used Pete to get to John. He’s setting us up. He wants us to think there is no hope in saving Pete.”

   “You’re absolutely sure of this Willa?” My father asked.

   “Yes. One hundred percent sure Mr. Stokes. When a human first turns to a full vampire, they are weak, the older they become the stronger they are. That is why Mihial is so strong. He is a master at manipulation as well. Be on your guard. He has officially declared war on the Order.” Willa turned and left the room. My father and I covered the heads with the bloody blankets from my bed and removed them from my room. I was certain I wouldn’t be sleeping in here tonight.

  I came back to the kitchen to find my mother huddling in the corner and Willa desperately trying to console her. “She’s not taking the news very well John, what do we do for her?”

  I looked down at my mother. It had never occurred to me that she had known about my father’s dealings and that there were real monsters living amongst us. “I’ll get her pills. She has severe anxiety, they will help her. Could you take her to the living room and make her comfortable? I think we should all sleep down here tonight. I don’t like how they can come in here as they please. It leaves us open to an attack at any moment.”

   With very little effort Willa picked my mother up off of the kitchen floor and cradled her in her arms. She laid her gently on the large plush couch and waited with her while I went up to her room to get her anxiety pills.  I searched through her bathroom cabinet and couldn’t find what I was looking for. I tried her bedside stand. There I found her pills along with a note. “My dearest John, please be careful of The Order. They pretend to be do gooders fighting for a just cause, but in reality they are ruthless killers. Your father is the head of The Order. They have groomed you to be his successor. I know your heart, you are not meant to be one of them. Please take this one piece of advice from your mother, do not follow his path. Find your own. I love you no matter what you do.

Love mom.”

   I tucked the note into my pants pocket and took the little bottle of pills down to my mother. I opened the bottle and took one pill out and handed it to my mother along with a glass of water. Her hands shook so much that Willa had helped her hold the glass. Willa covered her with a blanket and tucked her in. “Willa, I’m glad that you found us. I’m happy that you and John have each other. In this world we live in, with the horrors we all face daily, it is good to know that he has you looking out for him and he can be there for you as well. You were both born to be mortal enemies” she paused and looked up at the ceiling contemplating for a moment before she continued “But the Immortal Design had other plans for the two of you. I truly believe in fate…” my mother had fallen asleep as she was about to finish her thoughts.

  I looked to Willa. Willa looked back to me and smiled. She climbed up into my lap in the oversized chair and snuggled against my chest. “I like your mother, she is very sweet.” Willa whispered.

   “Yes she is, but she makes terrible casseroles.” Willa laughed and lightly slapped my chest in a playful gesture. I leaned down to meet her lips with mine and kissed her gently. “I love you Willa Alucard.” I stared at her for a few moments more “I just got it!” I said laughing.

  “You just got what John?” Willa asked

   “Your last name. It’s Dracula spelled backwards!”

We laughed together for a short time over how I hadn’t caught on to her last name from the get go, until my father entered the room.

19.

My father wore a grim expression on his face as he entered the living room and took the chair next to the one that Willa and I shared. He glanced over at my mother and shook his head. “She never could handle the affairs of the Order. She has been medicating herself for years now just trying to cope with what my business is. I never meant for her to be involved in any of this. It is unfair to her.” He turned his attention to Willa and me. “I have made calls to other member’s to warn them that we are now being hunted. They are all on extra duties. One of which is to watch the house. So if you see anyone out there, just know it is The Order patrolling. I think first thing in the morning we will all gather and form a plan of action. Willa I will need you in on this specifically seeing as you know your brother better than we do.”

   “Of course. I have already agreed to do whatever is need to be done to help you. I stand by my word.” Willa spoke with conviction, but I could feel her body tense up as she spoke. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to be a part of this. I for one didn’t even want to be a part of it.

   “I thought we should all sleep in here tonight dad. Safety in numbers and all.”

   “I agree. One of us should take watch though. Pete slipped in and out of here undetected.” He said as an afterthought.

   “I will take first watch. I do not require much sleep anyway and I am used to being awake all night.” Willa spoke up first. My father nodded in agreement. Willa stood up and took a position by the large bay window at the front of the house. My father went to his study and left me alone with my mother in the living room. I watched her sleep for some time before I nodded off myself.

   Willa woke me a few hours later. “I need to get some rest do you want to take the next watch or would you prefer your father to take it?” She asked quietly.

   “No. I will take it. He needs his rest. He’s been under a lot of stress for past few months.” I got up so that Willa could take my spot in the chair. I needed to use the facilities and get something drink. I started to walk out of the room, as I passed the couch in the dark room I checked on my mother who appeared to be sound asleep still. Something wasn’t right though. She was too still.

   I knelt down and checked her more closely. She wasn’t breathing. “Willa! Come quick, somethings wrong, turn the lights on now!” Willa was by my side in the blink of an eye and the lights had turned on so fast I was momentarily blinded. I checked my mother one more time for any sign of breathing. Nothing. “Willa get my dad then call 911 she’s not breathing!” I pulled her from the couch and started performing CPR on my mother’s lifeless body. When her body hit the floor I noticed the pill bottle. It was empty. Oh God NO, I wept as I tried my hardest to get my mother to breath. I rhythmically thrust down on her chest then blew into her mouth crying and praying that she would wake up. Nothing I did was helping. My father came in and bent down beside me, “let me take over” he demanded. I couldn’t stop, I had to save my mother. Willa took hold of me by the shoulders and pulled me away. I watched in horror as my father desperately tried to save her. A pounding on the front door came, Willa answered it. The paramedics came rushing in and took over for my father. I grabbed the small bottle that lay by my mother’s cold hand.

   Hours passed before the coroner had showed up to take my mom away. I was lost in a cold numbness. My mother had taken her own life.  I watched as they gently placed her in a black body bag and carried her away. The sheriff had come personally to take the report. I made sure he had the empty bottle of pills that she had taken.

   The coroner was speaking with my father as I approached “She went peacefully in her sleep.” I couldn’t take it anymore. Another hole in the wall appeared as I punched through my anger. Willa came to my side and guided me back to the kitchen. I sat on the bar stool looking down at the counter. The counter where my mother would serve her casseroles that I disliked so much. Willa found a paper towel and wetted in the sink, then started to clean the fresh cut on the back of my hand.

   I laid my head down and cried. I wanted her back. I wanted the one person who could make everything seem alright even when everything was so wrong back, but I knew it was not going to happen. Willa stayed by my side the rest of the night. She seemed to understand that no words would console my grief, so she remained silent.

   I hated that she felt she needed to do this to escape from a world that she didn’t want to belong in. The Order, the monsters, the deaths that came with whole business. I wanted to blame my father. A small part of me did.

   I excused myself and went to the restroom. While fastening up my jeans I felt the crumpled up paper in my pocket. I had forgot my mother had left me a message. I pulled it out and read it again. I knew now that she had planned to take her own life. It was why she had left the note warning me about my father and the Order, and how she explained that there was an Immortal Design.

   I was getting really tired of being clueless. I had been clueless about everything before I had been shot and laid in a comma for three months and I had been clueless about my mother deciding she no longer wanted to be a part of a word that had monsters in it. I decided right then and there, I was no longer going to be the idiot everyone took me for. It may have been my grief or it may have been my mother’s final warning, but I had a plan to make things right and I was about to set that plan in motion.