E.V.I.E.: 13 Slayers, 13 Missions

by Lexi C. Foss

  Shifting back into my human form, I step out of the grass and make my way over to the deceased female. I instantly recognize her as one of the daughters of the village elder. A popular girl with a bright future as a matriarch in a culture that protects and reveres its women. My heart breaks for her family as I search for clues as to the reason for her demise.

  I can’t keep fooling myself, though—I already know the reason. In my line of work, I’ve seen many bodies in this state. She’s been drained of all her blood, and I know there’s only one monster who can do this sort of damage. A vampire.

  Having been in leopard form, I don’t have my clothes and tools with me, but fortunately, I keep spares hidden around the village for just such an occasion. I duck into the nearest hut where some are stored and quickly dress and arm myself with a stake and cross.

  When I emerge outside again, the village is still quiet, and as I prowl through it, I find a few more deceased villagers. We’ll burn their bodies later to ensure they don’t rise again. No one has been bold enough to attack our village before. I don’t understand it. Why now? And who would dare? I’m going to bring chaos down upon them.

  As I turn into the main square of the village, my entire world shatters around me when I look across to the water fountain that serves us all. Standing there is my nemesis Adiman—a vampire who’s plagued my life since I finished my training. He’s the King of his kind here in India and has been impossible to catch thus far.

  I emerge from the shadows. He can see me now. His lips turn up into a sadistic smile before he looks down at the man on his knees in front of him, my father.

  “Mishka, run,” My mother screams at me from where she’s being held by another couple of vampires.

  I don’t move, though. I simply glare at the monster I intend to destroy before I die, whenever that may be.

  “This is a bold move, Adiman, even for someone with as few brains as you,” I sneer, spinning my stake in my hand.

  He shakes his head. I may taunt him about being stupid, but he isn’t in the slightest. He’s cold and calculating, and it makes him incredibly dangerous.

  “Not that foolish, it would seem, since you still haven’t managed to kill me.”

  Adiman grabs hold of my father’s hair and lifts his face up to show me where he’s been beaten. The anger within me rises, but I need to make sure I keep it under control. It’s one of the first things we’re taught in training—vampires have no heart. They don’t experience the same emotions we feel for other people, and they will use that against us. Adiman knows by hurting my father, he’s destroying a part of me, and he’ll play on it. I need to be sensible and keep strong. Use all my training.

  “What do you want, Adiman?”

  “Nothing. It’s a Thursday, and I’m bored, so I thought I’d eat out tonight. I wonder what your father tastes like. I bet his blood is powerful. Do you think I’ll get his shifting abilities if I drink all of it?”

  “You know it doesn’t work that way. In fact, I’m sure if you taste him the animal side will leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Let me have him, then you and I can go at it. I’m sure it’s what you really want.”

  Adiman bares his fangs. No one knows how old he is. It’s rumored he’s one of the oldest to survive, having been turned more than six hundred years ago. He was young when it happened, a man of no more than thirty. His accent and appearance is western in origin, but his name is Indian, chosen by him when he adopted my country to terrorize. He has extraordinary power for a vampire, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve never been able to defeat him. That will change now, though. He’s spoiled my relaxing day, and I’m pissed off.

  “Don’t do this,” I reiterate as I take up my fighting stance, ready to pounce if I need to.

  Adiman runs his tongue over his fangs. He leans forward over my father, ready to bite him, but at the last second, he grips my father’s head, and with a quick jerk of his hand, he snaps his neck. I shout loudly when my father falls to the ground, instantly dead. My mother screams and struggles against the vampires holding her.

  “No!” I yell, racing toward Adiman with my stake held out in front of me, ready to send him to Hell.

  But, I don’t get a chance. He and his henchmen disappear into the night sky like demons of the dark. I drop next to my father’s body, and placing my hand over his eyes that are still wide open in shock, I close them.

  Adiman and I have been sidestepping each other for years, but he’s just started a war, and it’ll be one he doesn’t win. I won’t stop chasing after him now until I get my revenge.

  2

  Mishka

  The funeral pyres for the victims bitten by Adiman burn brightly in the night sky behind the grave we dug to bury my father in. Those bitten have to be burned to ensure they don’t rise again, but my father suffered a different fate when his neck was broken. The elders in the village have allowed us to bury him in the traditional way.

  As we all congregate around his resting place, several strong men lower his coffin into the ground. My mother and I stand at the head of the mourners, both of us in simple white dresses. Tears tumble down our cheeks for the man we loved and who is now no longer with us. Something far more powerful bubbles beneath the surface of my emotions, though, anger and a lust for revenge. I will leave my village today, and I will hunt down Adiman. I won’t return here without his head for what he’s done.

  The funeral ends, and everyone walks back to their homes. It’s late, and many need sleep after the horrendous events of the day. I don’t want rest, though. I need to pack and start hunting for the monster who’s taken the person I loved more than anyone else in the world.

  I was always a daddy’s girl, growing up. I followed him around whenever I could. I watched him as he worked the fields, and I helped him prepare food for the tourists who visited the park. I’d go for runs with him at night, even when I’d barely learned to walk as a leopard cub. My mother forbade it, of course, worried I couldn’t keep up with him. Little did she know that half of the time I rode on my father’s back in human form. He was the first one to congratulate me when I was chosen to join E.V.I.E., but it’s my dalliance with the undead that has led to his death. I’ll never forgive myself for not being able to save him.

  I spend the next few hours in a blur as I pack a bag of essentials and collect together some food for my journey north to where Adiman lives. I’ve never been one for cars or modern ways of traveling. I think it comes from living in the village. I prefer the old-fashioned way of life, which means I’ve got a long walk ahead of me.

  “Mishka.” My mother must have heard me moving around, and she startles me with her soft voice behind me. I turn to face her and immediately invite her into the room to sit on my simple, single bed.

  “Mama, you should be sleeping.”

  She shakes her head. “I can’t. Too many bad thoughts.”

  “Should I call for the doctor? See if he has something to help you?” I might not embrace cars, but my cell phone is a lifeline for me. I wouldn’t be without it.

  “No, I’ll be fine. I need to face my grief not bury it with magic potions to numb my feelings.”

  “I’ll do all I can to assuage your grief. I’m the reason Adiman came to this village. I’m the reason my father is dead. I won’t rest until I’ve stopped Adiman, and I come back to you with his head.”

  My mother lets out a wry laugh. “Always headstrong when it comes to your father. He will be proud of you, but there’s much you don’t know.”

  I’m busy packing a few extra stakes into my bag when my mother speaks. I stop instantly and stare at her. “What do you mean?”

  “Adiman hasn’t just terrorized us recently because of you and your allegiance to E.V.I.E. His history with our family goes back a long way. I remember him when I was a child. When he wanted to feed, he would come to our village. The blood of the leopard within us excites him. I’ve seen numerous leopard shifters pounce on him at once and try to rip him apart, but it ca
me to nought. He has a strength about him no other undead can match. I don’t know where it comes from, but he’s not a normal vampire.”

  My mother shifts from my bed. She’s still a bit wobbly on her feet from the shock of the day's events. “Help me to my bedroom, Mishka. There’s something I need to show you.”

  “All right, Mama.”

  I support her with my strength, and we walk to her bedroom that’s decorated simply, containing only a bed, a chest of drawers, and a small cupboard. When we enter, I can see she hasn’t slept at all. The bed's still made with my father’s pajamas laid out all ready for him to sleep…but he’ll never sleep here again.

  I help my mama to sit on the bed, and she points toward the small cupboard beside it.

  “Inside the cupboard is an ancient book. Get it for me, please.”

  I open the cupboard and see a few books on the shelf. There is one that looks a lot older than the others. I pull it out and hand it to my mother.

  “Here, Mama.”

  She holds the book to her chest. “This book has been in our family for generations. It’s special and was given to my great-great-grandmother during the reign of Queen Victoria.” My mother shuts her eyes, and I know she’s losing herself in less painful memories before she continues. “It was a special time back then. I remember my great-grandmother telling me many incredible stories as a child about a wonderful Queen from faraway lands. I’d sit on her lap for hours and listen to them. Just as you sat on your great-great-grandmother’s and listened to her tales of the end of British rule in our country. A real life Queen was magical, even if my great-great-grandmother said she thought she was very sad.”

  “She saw her in person?” I question.

  “No, the Queen never visited India, but her son did, Prince Edward. My great-great-grandmother was invited to court to see him. We were part of the elite back then. We didn’t always prefer the simple, country life.”

  “I can’t imagine that. I much prefer being hidden away here. The British royalty is too much of a circus and not one I’d want to be a part of.”

  “Yes, we’ve become such home bodies. I know your father hated even going into the bigger villages to buy items we couldn’t grow.” My mama’s voice breaks and tears fall from her eyes. “How am I going to live without him?”

  “You will. He may not be here in body, but I’m certain he’s here in spirit.”

  “I know,” she sniffles a few more times, trying to regain her composure.

  I need to distract her back to the memories of her ancestor.

  “Mama, you were telling me about your great-great-grandmother.”

  “Yes.” She wipes away the tears in her eyes onto the sleeve of her nightdress.

  “There was a man who traveled with Prince Edward. He was young looking but had an old soul, according to my great-great-grandmother. He knew of Adiman and his power, and he also knew the vampire couldn’t be killed using ordinary methods. Adiman was different, stronger than normal.”

  “Another clue as to how far Adiman’s reach goes.”

  My mother nods and hands me the book. “The man gave this to my great-great-grandmother. He said one day, someone would be born into our family who’d need it to destroy Adiman. It talks of an eternal flame being the only way to kill him. I haven’t read the full book, because I knew I wasn’t the one it was destined for. I think you are, though. You need to read and understand it all before you leave here on your quest to avenge your father. We all know Adiman’s strengths, and you haven’t been able to best him in past fights. I think the eternal flame may be the only way to kill him.”

  “But I don’t understand how I’m supposed to capture and transport an eternal flame? Does the book tell me?”

  My mother falls silent as she reaches out and takes hold of the cross I wear around my neck.

  “I think there’s another quest you’ll need to complete before you start your search to find Adiman. I believe you’ll need to go to London to seek out the man my great-great-grandmother met. He can give you more answers than either the book or I can.”

  “But he’d have died a long time ago. Surely you mean an ancestor of his?”

  My mother shakes her head and squeezes the cross tighter. “This is where you need to be cautious, my beautiful girl. You must employ all your training and keep your senses attuned because it isn’t an ancestor you seek. It will be the man himself. He’s undead.”

  She pulls me close to her as her words begin to sink in. The man I need to seek has an old head on young shoulders because he’s lived an extraordinarily long life. He’s a vampire too, one of the demons I’m on this earth to kill.

  3

  Howie

  I follow the trajectory of the exploding firework through the sky with my eyes. The bright white light glitters in the darkness before it cascades in a hail of tiny little stars. The children around me scream in delight at the spectacle, but it no longer excites me. I’ve seen it all before. I walked through the flames on the first ever Guy Fawkes night here in the UK when they celebrated the demise of the man who tried to blow up Parliament. I was there at his death. I remember it vividly even if a considerable number of years have passed.

  “It’s time to light up the guy,” the announcer of the annual celebration calls out.

  Everyone rushes forward to where a mountain of wood has been piled up, along with anything else the firework committee wants to burn. On top of it stands a fabric effigy of Guy Fawkes, except this one appears to have a mask of some celebrity’s face attached to it. I’m not up-to-date with popular culture. I prefer to keep myself rooted in the past, so I’m not sure who he is, but if his face is on the dummy, then he must have done something to annoy the British public. It’s become somewhat of a tradition to change the face of the guy that’s burned each year. I can’t help but wonder what Guy Fawkes himself would think of it. He was the one who started this. He should be the one who’s burned and remembered. I’m not sure many of the children running around me even know why they’re celebrating tonight.

  I sometimes wonder if I’m too old to still be walking this world, but I can’t leave it until my job is done.

  A little girl runs up to me—her parents are standing nearby, sipping on warmed brandy and eating hot dogs. “Hello, sir, are you here to watch them start the fire?”

  “I am. It’s exciting isn’t it?”

  The girl’s parents look over at me and wave for her to come back to them, but they don’t follow through on their protective ways. Instead, they return to their brandy, allowing it to run through their veins and cloud their judgement. They’re leaving their child alone with a monster. It may be one that won’t hurt her, but I wouldn’t guarantee I’m the only one here tonight.

  My kind might not celebrate Halloween due to the mundane nature of it with everyone dressing up as caricatures of vampires, but they certainly enjoy coming out in the dark on the fifth of November. It’s the perfect time to feed on humans full of sugared donuts and warm cider. It’s why I’m here tonight, not to feed but to protect the people in this place I currently call home. It’s a small town in Kent, nothing special but full of Tudor houses reminding me of my youth. It’s why I chose to live here now.

  The little girl breaks me out of my reflection when she takes my hand and points to the dummy as the organizers start the fire underneath it.

  “Why is he called a guy?” she questions.

  I take great joy in the interest she’s showing—meanwhile I’m cursing her parents for being yet another couple who don’t care enough about tradition to pass it down to the next generation. In a few decades, I doubt anyone will know the tragic story of Guido Fawkes. The true meaning of Bonfire Night is destined to vanish like so many traditions from the past. I really am too old for this life now.

  “It’s the name of the man who tried to blow up Parliament a long time ago.”

  “What’s a parliament?” the little girl asks as we both stand watching the flames creeping up the
guy’s legs.

  “It’s the name given to the group of people who run this country. A long time ago, a group of men tried to get rid of them. It didn’t work, and the men were punished and killed. The leader was Guido Fawkes, and it’s his story we remember tonight with the bonfire.”

  The little girl stands there for a moment, staring at the fire as it consumes the rest of the guy. “Should have just shot them with a mythical weapon like Daddy does to all the bad people in Fortnite.”

  My heart completely deflates as she lets go of my hand and skips back to her parents, who hand her a gigantic candy cane. I’ll never understand this modern world. I long for the days of old again. Everything was much simpler back then, and you didn’t learn anything unless it came from a book. Knowledge was power, and not everyone had the ability to read. Computers and mobile phones have destroyed the world I once knew.

  I step closer to the fire, wanting to feel the heat of it on my skin. I need to remind myself why I’ve not allowed the evil within me to take over when humanity has become so stupid.

  Making sure I move to where I can’t be spotted, I push my hand into the flames. My skin doesn’t burn. There’s no crackling or blistering, it simply feels warm. The fire can’t touch me. It can’t kill me, and I wonder, not for the first time, if I’ll ever find out the reason why.

  “Well, that’s definitely a sight I don’t see often,” a feminine voice sounds behind me, and I curse myself for not paying attention and allowing someone to see me.

  I turn around, preparing to run, but I don’t. Not when I see the stunning woman standing there in front of me. She’s curved in all the right places, and her dark skin glows in the firelight. Mahogany eyes sparkle with mischief as she pushes a stray curl of dark brown hair behind her ear. In her hand, she holds a sparkler. Flicking a lighter, she ignites it, and we both look down as it explodes into tiny, white lights hissing in the night. The woman holds out her hand containing the firework.