Dhampir

by J. H. Hutchins

  “You’re attractin’ the Toll to Gatsby,” said Vicky. “The Human World already has enough problems without you and your friends runnin’ around.”

  “Hold on — how do you know all this?”

  “We work with The Enterprise.”

  “But, you said—”

  “I know what I said. Regardless, we have a Minotaur on the loose killin’ our allies and takin’ innocent humans with him. It may not even be him. It could be one of your friends, of course. Nobody knows nothin’ ‘cause the witnesses are either missin’ or dead.”

  “I doubt it,” Mallory countered. “Bernardo and my friends aren’t quiet enough to hunt like that.”

  “We don’t care. Just leave. If you go, they’ll go.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  “Well, we’ll give it a try.”

  “No.”

  Vicky sneered.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not leaving until I have some fun.” After dealing with Jayce, Mallory had become tired of lying about her intentions. “I want to help Bernardo and win my friends back. And — find someone to make a Dhampir.” Sudden gasps struck the night. “I think I have someone in mind.” Mallory blushed and began swaying side to side. Vicky was furious.

  “Have it your way,” the ringleader growled. “But you’re sleepin’ in the doghouse tonight.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “You know,” Vicky began, pulling on the noose to make sure it was tight, “The Enterprise said we could do ‘whatever it takes,’ to change your opinion. The only rules we have to work around is no cuts, and nothing sexual. They’re being nice to honor the Realm. So are we.”

  “I understand that and I thank you very much — but I’m not going home just yet. I have many things I’d like to accomplish. If you’d like, we could all have fun together.”

  “Take her to bed,” Vicky ordered.

  Bali scooped Mallory up and walked through the darkness. The sound of howling wolves and chattering spectators followed the princess.

  “I’m sorry she keeps making you do this,” she said to Bali. She leaned in to whisper, “I’ll try and make her stop if you can get me that house.”

  Persuading Bali was like rolling a ball up a steep hill. When they reached the fence, he thrust her over and smelled his hands. Mallory didn’t even notice she fell into something squishy — she was too busy trying to find the doghouse in the pitch dark before the dogs did more than smell her. When she arrived, a deep growl sent her flying backward and onto her bum. Out came a snarling gray wolf. It was bigger than the other canines and clearly stronger, as the others backed away from it.

  Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me.

  Mallory planned to survive the night and gain respect from these Enterprise sympathizers, but this was getting too real. She looked around the area and noticed a few people holding torches in every direction. They were watching her.

  The wolf pulled Mallory by the back of her shirt and into the doghouse. The wolf shared it with two other dogs — a Great Dane and a Rottweiler — who poked their heads up before falling asleep. Even in this massive doghouse, Mallory barely had room to sit in the corner. She smelled terrible — a symptom of being thrown into dog poo by Bali, and then having to walk her way across the dirty yard and into the doghouse.

  The princess clutched her knees to her chin and waited for the sun to set. Sleep would be impossible.

  Mallory jumped awake at the sound of growls and hollering. She wished she hadn’t, but she had accidentally fallen asleep!

  “Up!” came a series of yells from the yard. “Up! Up!”

  Two men reached inside to grab Mallory’s arms and pull her out.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” she asked groggily.

  “You’re dirty,” she heard Trent say. “You need a shower.”

  Mallory agreed and let the massive crowd take her out of the yard and toward the largest house on the premises. She pulled her feet up when they crunched through the sharp rocks with their boots. There, they asked for her to climb a ladder.

  “I don’t like heights.”

  “Come on,” Trent laughed.

  “Why are we going up there anyway?”

  “Don’t you want to get clean? Come on, everyone. Clean! Clean! Clean!”

  The peer pressure was strong. Mallory sighed and climbed the ladder. She found herself atop the house, with at least ten others up there and fifty watching from below. Trent walked her to the edge. Directly below them was the deep end of their pool. Trent walked behind her and massaged her shoulders.

  “Vicky told me you like to swim,” he snickered.

  “No, she’s mistaken. I said—”

  Mallory didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence. Trent had taken a couple steps back and kicked her with the full force of his camo boots. The kick was so hard that it knocked the breath out of her. This could explain why nobody could recall her screaming. The Vampire princess splashed into the pool of water below.

  Mallory tried her best not to drown but she struggled to do anything in the deep water. She had always felt like the world was against her, but this was certainly a reality check.

  As the princess began to drown, some of the crowd jumped in the pool. They formed a circle around her and began chanting “Drown! Drown! Drown! Drown!” She tried to summon Despy by calling his name, but the taste of chlorine and death suffocated her words. When her legs finally gave in to the pressure, she found herself sinking. To make it worse, a few heartless idiots went underwater just to mock her lifeless body.

  Goodbye, cruel world. It was fun.

  Suddenly, she felt a strong pull. Somebody had pulled her from the water by her hair. She could barely make out who it was — she was too busy gasping for her life back.

  “Hand-fishing now, are we, Bali?” Trent laughed. Bali ignored Trent, set Mallory’s body over the pool, and grabbed her by the neck.

  “You leave tomorrow.”

  “I won’t be—”

  Dunk!

  Bali shoved Mallory’s head into the water for a few seconds before pulling it out.

  “Give her a week, at least,” Trent chuckled. “She needs to round up her buddies and that Bull.”

  “You have a week,” Bali corrected himself.

  “I refuse to—”

  Dunk.

  He pulled her up.

  “A week.”

  “I can’t—”

  Dunk.

  Mallory didn’t even have a chance to change her story the fourth time.

  “Please, you were so nice before—”

  Dunk!

  Bali gritted his teeth as he held Mallory’s head down longer than expected.

  “Bali, come on, bro,” Trent sneered. “You’re gonna kill her.”

  “Good.”

  “Bali—”

  Trent tried to help Mallory up but Bali nearly bit his hand off. Trent and the

  others backed up, but thankfully, Bali was finished. He pulled the princess up, allowing her to roll around, gasping for breath. Bali waited patiently for her to come to her senses.

  “A week?” he asked her. The princess spit in his face.

  “I’ll be here for the next century, you dirty—”

  Bali grabbed her by the throat and thrust her over his shoulder. As she

  kicked and screamed, the others chanted, “Noose! Noose! Noose! Noose!”

  Mallory tried everything — pounding, calling “Despy,” deep scratching, and then even biting — but Bali was a warrior. He shouted gibberish at the top of his lungs to handle the pain. A Vampiric bite was known to be highly lethal to most beings. Only Werewolves and Shapeshifters had grown accustomed to feeling that sort of pain.

  When they reached the barn, Bali, Trent, and the gorgeous woman from earlier set the noose around Mallory’s neck — with a bucket beneath her toes to keep her from dying. Bali threatened to kick the bucket.

  “Leavi
ng?”

  “Are you deaf? I’m not going anywhere until the sun burns me alive!”

  Bali stormed over to grab a few pitchforks. He tossed one to Trent, and then one to the gorgeous woman.

  “What the hell are we doing with these?” asked Trent.

  Slap!

  A stinging pain at her side made the princess shout. Bali had slapped her with the flat end of his pitchfork.

  “What about now?”

  “May you hear me out?” Mallory pleaded. “I’ve dreamt of escaping that wretched Dome for years. You must understand!”

  “You’re not welcome here.”

  Slap!

  Another slap from Bali nearly had her toes slip from the bucket.

  Slap!

  Trent saved Mallory’s life. The bucket fell over. He dropped his pitchfork to hold her legs, fumbling with his boots to put the bucket back. The slap came from the gorgeous woman. She twirled the pitchfork and laughed, hoping to get another slap in.

  “We’re done,” Trent announced. “If we keep doing this we’ll draw blood — or worse!”

  “Timberwolves never falter,” said Bali. “Either she accepts, or she dies.”

  “But, The Enterprise—”

  “Fuck The Enterprise.”

  Bali’s words caused gasps throughout the crowd. Mallory’s heart sunk. She was hoping to take advantage of the fact that they couldn’t kill her.

  “Whatever, Bali,” said Trent, storming off. “I’m getting Vicky.”

  After Trent left, Mallory was in for it. Her body was already beginning to heat up with all the torches around. Though the barn had light, everything else was a wilderness. Bali shifted his pitchfork. The sharp end was nearly touching her stomach.

  “Leaving?”

  Mallory risked her life trying to wrap her legs around Bali’s neck. When she was successful and extremely close to a lethal twist, she felt a startling sting at her back.

  Poke!

  The gorgeous woman had stabbed Mallory’s back, piercing her skin. Angelic blood trickled from the wound as the princess cried for mercy. The crowd gathered around to see the blood as if every drop was worth a million bucks.

  “Don’t touch her!” the gorgeous woman snickered. “We’re not finished yet!”

  Poke!

  After another poke from the woman, Bali sensed an issue arising. The crowd around them was getting rowdy. Too rowdy. Many of the thirsty beings began twitching and whimpering as if it pained them not to pounce on the princess and eat her alive. Bali cut the rope, causing the princess to fall. He picked her up and walked her outside.

  “Run as fast as you can through that forest. Don’t stop until your dead.” Bali shoved the princess, giving her a decent head start.

  “Come on! Release ‘em!”

  Mallory didn’t care that she was bleeding from her soles from running through the rocks. She didn’t feel anything, frankly. She saw figures running toward the dogs. The sound of the fence opening, numerous howls, chains, and grunts marked her for death.

  However, the deadly situation had a weird effect on Mallory. She had never felt this alive in her life. Maybe it was a diversion tactic to get her mind off the torture, but the adrenaline rush made her grin from ear to ear.

  “Try and catch me, you mutts!” she yelled over her shoulder.

  The thing one may not notice about Gothic Vampires is that they are speedy for how fragile they look. They were forced to outrun the Werewolves on a daily basis before the Godmother built the Dome as their only source of protection from the outside world. Consider the comparison to be similar to a gazelle outrunning a cheetah.

  But the woods got the best of her. Without light, it had become hard to jump over fallen branches, traverse over an unexpected ravine, and not lose speed running from her enemies. The princess smacked right into an old-growth tree. Bali and the others arrived to surround her with torches and leashed dogs as the princess gasped for air. It felt like the white pine tree stole her soul when they reached impact. The dogs were ready to pounce at the drop of their leash, but nobody touched Mallory. A long howl marked the end of the chase. Everybody — including the dogs — sat and watched as two torches approached Mallory.

  “Princess!” came the voice of Vicky. Trent was breathing heavily beside her. “You give up yet?”

  The princess held her head in misery.

  “Yes!” she admitted. “Dear heavens, yes!”

  “Yes, what?”

  “I’ll leave!”

  Upon hearing her words, the Timberwolves began cheering. They must’ve woken up the entire forest with how loud they were.

  “No hard feelings, hon. Sperns like Malik, Jett, and Lincoln just aren’t our cup of tea.”

  “Yeah,” Mallory grimaced, “because they’d kick your ass.”

  The princess heard gasps and threats of what the Timberwolves would do should they ever catch one of the three — and it wasn’t to flee.

  “True,” Vicky admitted. “Rumors travel quickly for the famous. We’ve heard all about them. We’re Weres if you hadn’t noticed.”

  “I guessed as much!” yelled Mallory. “Now are you going to finally let me go or not?”

  “Sure — after you explain this.”

  Mallory shaded her eyes to look at the torch closest to her. Vicky was holding up a rather large grimoire.

  “The Book of Souls!” she exclaimed. She got to her feet and dusted herself off. “Give it to me. That, and all my belongings.”

  “I want a proper explanation first.”

  “It’s just some random book my mother gave me,” Mallory lied. She knew it was important, despite how useless it was in her hands.

  “It’s full of blank pages. Are you practicing to become a witch, Miss Mallory?”

  “No — it’s illegal.”

  “Oh — we know it’s illegal. The Enterprise told us to keep it in case Lincoln struck them again.”

  “He’s been fighting . . . The Enterprise?”

  “On your behalf,” said Vicky. “And because he’s chasing The Bull. We just talked to our first witness a couple hours ago. She says she’s been following the pair for the longest, and Lincoln has lost every fight he’s tried to put up against that corrupted monster. Can you believe it? The strongest vampire ever born under the Dome getting his ass kicked by the Human World.”

  “Bernardo’s with me,” Mallory shot back. “He’s Gothic. And corrupted. It’s not a fair fight. But you and your allies are getting blasted if you ask me.”

  “He just wants his investment back,” Vicky laughed. “Trading the last Golden Egg in the Realm for a princess like you? Not worth it, in my opinion. The trade should’ve been for that hermaphrodite brother of yours. Now that would make things fun.”

  “How dare you!? You don’t know anything about my life!”

  “Timberwolves hear everything, hon. Besides, it’s common knowledge.”

  “It’s an invasion of privacy. And how dare you call my sister that!?”

  “Is it a prince or princess?”

  Mallory stepped on a branch on her way to Vicky. She was so furious she didn’t feel a thing. They stood so close to each other that Mallory could smell her stinky breath.

  “Don’t get yourself killed,” Vicky warned. “You started it by sayin’ my fallen friends got ‘blasted.’”

  “I’ve lost a couple friends dealing with your nonsense, too! If you all just left me alone my friends and I wouldn’t have made a peep. And we’d all be alive. So, pardon me, when I say the following: Your friends are dead. Get over it.”

  “You smell delicious,” said Vicky, ignoring the hurtful comment. “Even when you’re angry.”

  “And you smell like a bitch. Even when you’re joking. Now give me my grimoire.”

  Vicky scowled for a few seconds before grinning. She slammed the book into Mallory’s chest and drove her back to a tree. The Vampire princess was so stunned it was that easy to get what she wanted that she was never expected what came next.
Well, she would’ve if she cared to listen to the chanting around her. Anyway, Vicky kissed her! Mallory began wiping her tongue with her palm.

  “Have you gone mad!?”

  “Take it.”

  “I will — but I don’t want your tongue with it!”

  Vicky backed away from the princess.

  “I’ve had enough of you. Beat her ass.”

  “Wait — you’re not allowed to—”

  Mallory was interrupted by Vicky’s swift jab to her jaw. She slid down the white pine tree, numb to the bark scratching against her back. She dropped her grimoire in the process of recovering from the punch and preparing herself for more. Vicky picked it up.

  “Twelve . . .” Vicky began to countdown. Punches, kicks, and light scratches were thrown at the princess from everybody around. The princess curled into a ball to avoid the madness. The laughs and cheers were replaced by grunts and grit in the twelve-second madness. They even tried to stretch her to make sure they were getting clear shots. Every now and again, she would feel tongues trying to lick the sweet, Angelic blood that began to part from her body.

  After it was over, Vicky had Mallory picked up by her wrists and ankles.

  “Bye, Mallory.”

  The princess spat a gunk of blood at Vicky’s leg.

  “Bye, bitch,” Mallory countered with a devilish grin. The princess laughed in madness as she was taken back to the doghouse. Vicky stood in place clenching her fists.

  “You licking that?” Trent asked Vicky. Vicky looked down at her leg. Mallory’s Angelic spit had trailed from the side of her knee to the dirt beneath her. The ringleader rose her leg.

  “It’s yours.”

  Trent immediately dropped to the forest’s floor and licked the entire bottom half of her leg like a chicken bone. When others came, he was very reluctant to share, donning his fangs and growling with a fierceness he hadn’t shown yet. Vicky sat her back against the white pine and rose her leg for the others to have their share. She found more blood around the tree. She spread every droplet she could find over her body.

  What a strange girl, Vicky thought of Mallory.

  The princess confidently hissed her way into having the doghouse to herself. Each and every one of the canines circled the structure, hoping for a chance to taste Angel blood. Even when they threatened to invade the structure, none of them went through with it. The torture had sent Mallory into a brave state. She wouldn’t back down anymore. Instead, she’d hiss and move closer to the pack of canines! They whimpered and barked at each other — hoping someone would sacrifice themselves for the team. But nobody wanted to feel the bite of an angry Vampire princess. It was too lethal.