by David Paul
No longer could I walk blinded by ignorance and remain in denial. God only knows what else is out there in the dark unknown. I had made myself a pact that if I got out of this castle alive, then I would spend my time ridding the world of such filth. I had found a new singular purpose to my existence. I dedicated myself to the calling of a vigilante. I wanted to put an end to this godforsaken evil. Not one soul should have to endure this torture. All I had to do was get the hell out of this damned castle alive.
Painstakingly, I pulled myself off of the bed to inspect my surroundings. All of the injuries that I sustained were still very agonizing, but my maneuverability was slightly better. I needed to look around. The door of my chambers was a sturdy oak with metallic bracing and hinges. It was locked from the outside. Realistically, I was held captive in a comfortable plush prison. My captures gave the outward illusion of me being a guest of the castle, yet in reality, I was really completely trapped.
A small rectangular window was cut out of the door most likely for the dispensing food and drinks. This allowed me to look freely into the corridor from my chambers. I noticed other chambers within this corridor with similar doors. When I was first led out of my chamber for dinner on the previous night, I had neglected to see all of these other doors. Being disoriented, I had missed all of this somehow, and it was right before my eyes.
The corridor floor showed signs of heavy usage on the velvet floor covering. A slightly ragged path had been worn into it. Candles lit the way of the corridor, and no natural light seemed to illuminate the castle at all, and this seemed befitting of a vampire’s dwelling. The small window in my door was framed in the same metallic material, and the door allowed me to see quite a bit of the corridor. This gave me some comfort.
Another set of eyes stared at me from one of the rooms across the way. I couldn’t make out much of a face, but the partial view of the face did resemble that of an attractive woman. Her eyes showed a frightened sadness that words couldn’t describe. I tried to whisper to her, but she gave me no retort. She just looked at me blankly with the sad eyes of a rescued Holocaust victim. After several attempts to communicate with the only human that I had seen, I realized it was futile. She was gone… far-gone and most likely never coming back to this reality.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think that I would ever get any information from her, let alone a conversation. My first night awake in this castle was a vile invasion of my body, and I could only imagine what other horrors awaited me. I tried to imagine what torments and horrific intrusions this woman had already experienced. Rape and torture are the first two thoughts that came to mind based on my experience from the previous evening. My virginity was actually protecting me from at least being forced to have intercourse with one of the vampires, but I still didn’t know what creative ways that they would think of to torture me. A deviant pervert would have been in sheer heaven at this castle.
Every female in this damn place was more stunning than the next. It was as if I were at a Maxim magazine’s most beautiful contest. Apparently, Regina was real picky about who she surrounded herself with. I hadn’t seen any men in the castle beside myself, but I figured Regina to be bisexual. If Regina was anything like Zurelda, then who knew what she really preferred?
The only human contact in this castle so far cannot speak. This angered and saddened me at the same time, and I dwelled on it for a while. Unexpectedly, my silent neighbor made me realize something. In each of these rooms is a prisoner that is being used for vampire blood and kinky entertainment. The sex stuff was more for kicks, but most importantly, we provided them with food.
The vampires most likely do not even ever have to leave the castle because of the steady food source. That is why they fed us so well. The vampires wanted us to be healthy producers of blood for them, and that would also explain the hearty meals, complete with fruit. Maybe the fruit somehow affected the taste of our blood. I felt like I might have been reaching a little with that hypothesis, but anything could have been possible at that point.
If anyone ever told me that I’d be a prisoner in a vampire’s castle, I would have thought that they were the village idiot. My blood just happened to be rarer than the rest, and that’s why I’m in this castle. I had a feeling that there are many more prisoners in this castle. With my lack of time spent here, I hadn’t seen much of the castle, but it seemed huge. The doorway leading to the outside world was still unknown, and what was past that threshold was also unknown. As I kept looking through the window in my door, I noticed the servants making their rounds at each chamber. They appeared to be bringing food and drinks to the prisoners.
With stealth in mind, I spied on the servants as they worked the corridor. My goal was to establish patterns and get information about the castle, the prisoners, and anything else that I could use to help my situation. The truth is that I didn’t want to find out what else they had in store for me. The servants were closer to my door, and I got back to bed as quickly as I could before anyone could realize that I was up and about.
I heard the heavy lock and bolt release, and I acted as if I was just waking up. Svetlana walked in with another servant that I hadn’t seen before who she introduced as Chloe. Chloe fit the same formula as the rest in the sultry looks department. She was gorgeous in every way physically, with healthy bosoms and stunning features. Her dark brown hair was wild and healthy. She had a sparkle in her eye. The twinkle in her eye didn’t reveal whether she was good or bad, but it was simply captivating. It intrigued me. By her accent, she appeared to be French.
“How are we feeling this morning, Davide?” Svetlana asked. Her sarcastic tone sounded like she was almost laughing at me on the inside.
“I heard you had quite a night.”
“Actually, I had a good time,” I said. My reply was casual to sound un-phased by what had happened. I didn’t want to give any of these evil bitches the satisfaction. “I can’t recall the last time I had three exotically, beautiful women naked in my chambers.”
Besides, I was still naked as the day I was born trying to have a conversation with these two women. Normally, I would have been embarrassed, but after last night’s escapades, I really wasn’t. This was actually tame by far. After decapitating a witch and witnessing the aftermath of an entire congregation slaughtered inside of a chapel, this was very tame. A lot of my shyness and innocence was stripped from me almost overnight. Even though my virginity remained intact, there was very little of the boy leftover inside of this newly made man.
“I listened outside your door last night,” she said. Svetlana continued to mock me. “And you sounded like a frightened little boy.” I couldn’t believe the irony of Svetlana’s statement. The same thought ran though my mind before she said it. Strangely, Chloe didn’t seem to be enjoying Svetlana’s dark humor, which made me very curious as to why.
“Well at least I remained excited for the whole time with Regina,” I jabbed at Svetlana. “I can’t say the same for you last night in the bath.”
I noticed the slightest smile on Chloe’s face as I threw the little zinger at Svetlana.
Svetlana’s face lit up with tension and became filled with obvious anger. It was easy to see that Svetlana was wound up pretty tight, and the slightest nudges could undo her composure. I winked at Chloe as if she was in on my taunting and looked away from Svetlana. After turning my attention on Chloe, I realized that she didn’t have that same over-intense look in her eyes as the rest. Maybe she wasn’t one of them. My keen observation was interrupted.
“You are the one who isn’t even close to being man enough to engage in lovemaking,” Svetlana said. Svetlana gave me a stinging dirty look. “And maybe that is why you have remained a virgin.”
“I thought being a virgin was a noble thing.”
“That’s funny, Davide. I really thought it was because you are queer. Maybe if I were a man, you might have enjoyed yourself a great deal more.” She stormed from my chambers. Chloe tried not to laugh at the situation, but I could
tell that she wanted to. She didn’t seem too fond of Svetlana.
“I will feed you breakfast, Davide,” Chloe said in a heavy French accent. I could tell that she was struggling to hold back a smile. “Before you eat, you need to drink this.” She produced a metallic bottle. “It will help you heal.”
In a copper bottle was a frothy liquid that could have passed for a vanilla milkshake. Chloe put it up to my lips and began to make me drink the strange concoction. Reluctantly, I drank it down fearing ill effects. The drink had an awful taste, and none of the flavors were recognizable with the exception of some goat’s milk. She wiped my mouth of any excess and began to feed me a breakfast plate.
“What is this place?” I asked. She fed me. I chewed on a piece of bread softly.
“This is Ravenwood Castle,” she answered, “in the southern Germany.”
“I mean, really, what is this place?” I tried to get some real information out of her.
“Seriously, this is your worse nightmare, Davide. Almost everyone here is a vampire.” Her eyes were deeply sad. “Anyone who isn’t a vampire is a servant or a source of blood for the vampires.”
“Why are you here?”
“I am forced to be here. Regina took me from my village about five or six years ago. They’ve all had their way with me,” she said. Chloe seemed embarrassed of herself. “I’m another decoration for the castle. None of the vampires really fancied my blood. They called it peasant’s blood. Instead of killing me, they have me work. Regina threatened to kill me and my entire family if I didn’t comply with her wishes.”
Chloe had a grave look upon her face.
“Sounds like we are both stuck in a similar predicament.” I tried to offer her some comfort with my words and gestures. Chloe seemed to be unloading information on me.
“I can’t stand Svetlana. She absolutely despises me because Regina fancies me more.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Svetlana is a vampire, but not from a noble bloodline,” she explained. “In Regina’s eyes, Svetlana is of a lower stature than her. Regina uses Svetlana like a cheap whore, but won’t recognize her as an equal. Regina fancies me greatly, more than that of Svetlana, but I am not a vampire, and this makes Svetlana jealous.”
“Why would that make her jealous?”
“She is insulted that Regina would prefer a mortal over an immortal,” she said. I didn’t understand the psyche of the vampire. “If Svetlana were of pure noble blood, then she wouldn’t be a servant in this castle. She’d be one of Regina’s inner-circle. Svetlana craves attention from everyone and tries to act more important than she is, but she can never change her pedigree.” Chloe disclosed more about this odd place of treachery.
Somehow, I had connected with her, and I had a good premonition that Chloe would help me. It sounded like Chloe needed someone to vent to because she was unhappy with her arrangement. I thought that I had found the weak link in Regina’s chain. Any information that Chloe could provide would be extremely helpful to me. A glimmer of hope had flickered where there was none.
In the middle of our conversation, whatever I had drunk started to take its effect. Noticeably, a general feeling of wellness began to circulate throughout my system. All of my aches seemed to wash away like I had taken a handful of Vicodin. Even my hand and wrist didn’t hurt anymore. In shock, I watched my wounds literally close up without leaving a scar or a fraction of a mark. My shattered ribs were no longer tender at all. I felt the swelling on my face just disappear. The cuts on my lips vanished.
“What did you give me earlier?” I asked. The tenseness in my muscles had disappeared. “I’m feeling so much better.”
“You drank a potion that healed all of your wounds,” she informed me matter-of-factually. Not only was the pain gone, but I could actually move my hands without discomfort or any lost range of motion. That was an amazing potion that she gave me. “You’ll be completely healed soon.” I nodded in amazement.
Once again, I was exposed to a new and unfamiliar world of magic. If I had only known about the powers of magic at an earlier age, I probably could have saved my father. That was a fine example of wishful thinking. Realistically, that was the past, and I was just grateful that my body was no longer suffering from my injuries. I offered my friendship to Chloe.
“Maybe, we can be friends to help pass the time a little.”
“I really could use a true friend in this place,” she said. Her weary smile was warm, but hopeless.
“I am really worried about what the future holds in store for me.”
“Davide, you should be worried. I’ve seen things in this castle that haunt my dreams.”
“Well at least I made a friend.”
“You do have a friend,” she said with sincerity.
I honestly felt somewhat relieved because loneliness was one of my biggest fears in life. Something about Chloe made me trust her. Maybe it was the fact that she was a human and not some twisted monster like the rest. Maybe, I just needed to believe in something that wasn’t an illusion or harsh reality. Nothing seemed pure anymore, and I longed for a pure moment untainted by this evil world.
Recalling my early childhood, I remembered feeling like God watched over me and all would be well. Somehow, later in life, I felt abandoned by that same God. Maybe that was just called growing up or becoming wise to the ways of the world. On the other hand, maybe children experience life with blinders on with their innocence shielding them from the harsh truths of our world. Children couldn’t handle knowing the raw truth about what lurks in the night. Even as an adult, I am struggling with those realities. I started to feed myself once the potion had taken its full affect on me, but Chloe stayed in my chambers, and we talked for sometime more.
Eventually, she asked me of my story, and I told her the truth of what happened down to every last detail. She seemed like the only normal being in the castle, and I had nothing to lose. My new friend listened to my sad tale, and it affected her. Chloe was horrified to hear what had happened to my Katerina. Chloe had a strange look on her face that I was unable to decipher. I couldn’t tell whether it was horror, or shock, but it looked like some kind of a light bulb went off in her head.
“What is wrong?” I asked her. I sensed something very wrong written on her face.
“I’m not sure,” she said. She shrugged her shoulders. “It just cannot be.” She was rambling in an almost incoherent fashion.
“What are you talking about, Chloe?”
Loud footsteps appeared to get closer to my chamber. Svetlana poked her head inside the doorway and screamed at Chloe angrily. “We must go, Chloe! Leave the queer alone.”
“I have to go now,” she said. Chloe looked panicked. “Davide, we will talk soon.”
Chloe raced from the room with an odd look on her face. She had spent several hours in my chambers. The heavy door made a booming thud as Svetlana slammed it shut, and I heard the keys jingle and the locks click closed. Off in the distance, I could hear Svetlana mocking me and laughing loudly. None of that even mattered to me as I wondered what Chloe wanted to tell me before the loudmouth interrupted her.
Unsure of when I would see Chloe again, time seemed to stand still. It was not evident what she was going to tell me, and my mind was scattered thinking about it. For the first time in my brief stay, my chambers truly felt like a prison. I wanted to seek out Chloe for some answers, but I was trapped in this room. I had to wait for her. This tested my patience. I realized that obsessing over what Chloe said was going to drive me insane. After the realization of this, the restless feeling resided. All I had to occupy my time was my surroundings.
Out of boredom, I took a look around the room and found several archaic books on a mahogany shelf. In so many words, it looked like primitive vampire pornography. There were inked illustrations of vampires in various sexual positions and performing lewd acts. The books actually were rather comical in a sick way. All of the vampires were drawn with exaggerated teeth and foolish facial expre
ssions that looked as if a fourth grader may have drawn the artwork.
I couldn’t make out any of the dialogue because it was of a foreign tongue unlike anything that I had ever come across, but the pictographs told a perverse tale. Suspecting it was in an ancient vampire language, I was fascinated by the strange words and symbols. Vampires having their own language never really dawned on me until this moment. Deciding to kill time, I continued to read through some of these amusing books for a while.
One book in particular was called Anhkaru and this book wasn’t exactly like the rest. The text of the book appeared to be inked in what I thought was blood. Was it human or animal? I wasn’t completely sure of what it was, but it must have taken an ungodly amount of blood to ink this large manuscript. The brownish hue of the ink resembled that of dried blood, and this book was written in Latin, which I understood. As I thumbed through the first pages, I became lost in the text. The illustrations were of much higher quality than the other books.
In startling fashion, it seemed to be animated. Quickly, I pulled my eyes away from the book, just to gauge if I was hallucinating. As I looked back at the pages, they told a tale with all of the pictures moving on the pages, and the words spoke to me as if narrated by an unknown force. The book was reading itself to me, and the blood-filled pages turned by themselves. I felt precious pieces of my sanity slip away as the book continued to tell the story. It was the history of vampires and their role throughout the universe and mankind in an autobiographical form. The chilling book had the same effect of passing by a car crash on the highway. No one ever wants to look, but they can’t help themselves but to look. My eyes were glued to the pages as each page uncovered more mysteries of the vampire occult. After the book was finished, I was feeling exhausted as if I had run a marathon. Somehow, I had absorbed almost nine hundred pages of this devious work of ancient vampire art.