by K. A. Poe
I laughed, “Don't forget you're talking to the offspring of a vampire hunter.”
Salem just smiled. I admired his expression for far too long, I lowered my gaze and blushed. “Can I ask one more question?”
“Anything.”
“What happened to this Raziel guy?”
“He still exists somewhere, as far as I know. For the first five years of my ‘new life’, as he called it, he treated me as a slave. Although, he referred to me as his “apprentice”, I felt like nothing more than a servant. He taught me the ways of being a vampire, but it sickened me. I refused to indulge in human blood, knowing I had once been one – my family were humans, my friends. I would never have done that to them, why would I even consider doing that to anyone?” he flinched at the idea. “He would have me bring him...food...every night.” The pained look on his face was almost unbearable.”
“People?” I gasped, knowing the answer.
He grimaced. “I wouldn't have felt quite as miserable had it been criminals or terminally ill beings...but these were innocent people.”
“How could you put up with that for so long?”
“I had no other options, or so I thought,” he grumbled. “You weren't the only one who fell for the lore of vampires. Raziel tried to convince me the stories were accurate, that if I went out in the daytime I would roast,” his eyes darkened, “one specific night, he made me do something intolerable. I couldn't bear to exist after that...He requested I bring him ‘young blood’, as he called it. In other words, the blood of a child – Raziel said it was the tastiest, most refreshing blood imaginable. I had no choice but to obey him, at least that's what I thought at the time.
“She couldn't have been much older than Hannah had been. I snuck through her nursery window, plucked her from her crib and presented her to Raziel. I immediately regretted what I had done. The next morning, I decided to end myself. It came down to either spending eternity doing his bidding or risking my existence by stepping out into the sunlight. I braced myself for death as I stepped out into the morning light, anticipating the inevitable – but it never came.” I noticed how he never referred to it as his 'life'. “I stood out in the sun for at least fifteen minutes, and nothing happened,” he stopped abruptly and changed the subject, “you should call Janet, before it gets too late.”
I blinked, deep in thought as I tried to imagine what he had been through. “Yeah, you're right...”
I grabbed the cordless phone, sat cross-legged on the sofa and dialed the familiar number. I waited through two rings this time, before her familiar voice answered.
“Hey mom,” I said into the receiver. Would I ever be able to stop calling her that? “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“I'm getting there,” she sounded better, happier than our last conversation at the least. “How was your birthday?”
“It wasn't as bad as I thought it’d be,” I laughed, “Karen threw me a surprise party, which went okay. Jason got me a laptop!”
“That's great, sweetie!” I heard the muffled voice in the backward. “I have to go, my dinner is getting cold. Go enjoy the rest of your night.”
“Okay, keep me posted.”
“I will. Don't worry too much.”
“I'll try. Bye, mom,” It might be impossible to call her anything but that.
“Bye, sweetie.”
Salem delicately took the phone from my grasp and sat it on the coffee table. “You have more questions,” he said knowingly.
“Just a couple,” I replied shyly. “What happened to the burns?”
“Becoming a vampire could be seen as a type of cleansing, I suppose. Any illness, wound, scar, or deformity you might have had as a human is healed upon turning.”
“Then, in a sense, isn't it better to become a vampire?”
“No!” he shouted, causing me to look away in slight regret for asking. “Nothing is worth this sort of existence.”
“Okay,” I croaked, “There is more...” I braced myself for anger, but instead received a smile.
“Ask away,” he said gingerly.
“It's more of a fact than a question,” I twiddled my thumbs nervously, “your eyes – they change color when you're ‘materializing’ things...”
He blinked. “You noticed that?”
“Yes...”
“I am impressed,” he smirked. “You must be very observant.”
“Not usually,” I confessed. “What else can you tell me about vampires? I want to know everything.” I was surprised by my own question, but I had grown genuinely interested in the topic.
“While some of what you have heard or read or seen are definite myths, there are some attributes we definitely do obtain - such as speed. We can run quicker than any human, and drinking the blood of humans makes us exceptionally strong,” he looked disgusted for a mere moment, “powerful vampires can possess the ability to share visions, memories, with others by the mere touch of their hand. I spent many years experimenting with what I could and could not do after I left Raziel. It truly was amazing to me that daylight did not kill me, and I wondered what else I could possibly do.
I knew that sleeping was no longer necessary, but I attempted to sleep nevertheless – simply because Raziel claimed it was impossible, and I was stubborn enough to put it to the test. Unfortunately, he had been correct. I cannot even imagine what dreaming is like anymore,” he sighed and looked at me, “that's enough vampire talk for now though, I think.”
The room fell silent for a moment, and then Salem glanced up at the clock. It was nearing 10pm. “Do you need to go somewhere?” I asked.
“No,” he replied, “I was just noticing your birthday is coming to an end.”
“I don't mind,” I laughed.
“There was one last gift I wanted to give you, but I wasn't sure how you would react,” he looked uneasy.
“What is it?” I asked anxiously.
“It would be easier for me to show you, than to tell you.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “Are you going to summon something out of thin air again or something?”
“No, not exactly,” he chuckled. “Alexis, I know it is hard for you to fathom right now, but you do mean a lot to me.”
“Yeah, you keep saying that. Are you every going to explain what you mean?”
“In due time,” he smiled lightly. “Close your eyes.”
I hesitated a moment before letting my eyelids fall shut. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest as I waited intently for whatever was coming. My eyes almost flew open as I felt Salem's cool breath against the side of my face. Tenderly, he brushed his cold lips against my cheek.
“Happy birthday, Alexis,” he whispered into my ear.
I was speechless, breathless...breathless. “Salem...” I became more focused, “you can breathe?”
“Not quite as literally as you can,” he replied, obviously stunned by my unexpected response to his action.
“Oh,” My expression was blank momentarily, and then I grinned at him. “I was wrong earlier when I thought to myself nothing could compare to the laptop Jason gave me.”
His lips twisted into a magnificent smile before he stood up. I was uncertain what he was doing at first, until he pried me off of the sofa and effortlessly cradled me in his arms as he made his way up the stairs. I grasped his arms tightly, afraid with every step that he would drop me. Somewhere deep inside I also still feared for my blood. What if he had lied about the animals or couldn’t control his hunger around me?
We approached my bedroom door, which was wide open and inviting. He laid me gracefully across my soft mattress and pulled the covers up over me. I nearly objected before he put a cold finger to my lips.
“It's late, and you have had a long, tiresome day,” he whispered. “Get some sleep.”
“But I haven’t even got to enjoy my presents yet!” I playfully whined.
“Not even the last one?” he asked with an innocent grin.
“Well, when you p
ut it that way...I enjoyed one of my gifts,” I yawned. I was more tired than I had realized.
“Goodnight,” he whispered sweetly and I drifted away into a deep slumber.
9. DESTINY
My dreams were filled with horrific images. A raven hovered over a burning house. Shrill screams of an infant. Salem, covered head to toe in flames, wobbling helplessly out of the smoldering building. A dark, cloaked figure whisking him up from the gray cobblestone alleyway. I heard him screaming, saw him writhing in agony.
“Alex!” Salem's voice yelled my name as the figure pressed his lips against the base of his neck. The world started to quiver and shake, and I heard him call my name again.
My eyes flew open. Salem was shaking me, yelling my name. “You were screaming in your sleep...are you okay?” he asked as he saw my eyes were open.
“I-I think so,” I clung onto his cold, thin body. “It was horrible.” I sobbed into his shoulder.
“It was only a dream,” he said reassuringly.
“It was a nightmare, about you...” I muttered. “The burning house, Hannah, Raziel...and then I heard your voice calling for me.”
“That part wasn't a dream,” he smiled.
“There was a bird, too,” I remembered suddenly. “It was flying above the burning building…a raven.”
Salem flinched. “Raziel claimed that some hunters could transform into ravens.”
“Are...are Waldron's the only vampire hunters?”
“Most likely not, the world is a vast place, but the Waldron's are the only ones I have ever directly encountered,” he stared at me inquisitively. “Maybe you should speak to Paul again. Ask him if he knows anything about that ability.”
“How would he know?”
“He knows a lot about vampire and hunter history alike. But don't tell him I sent you...he can't know that I am with you. In fact, it's best that no one knows.”
I grudgingly agreed to see Paul that morning after breakfast. I looked through the phone book Janet kept in the drawer of the end table beside the sofa then tossed it aside when I had an idea. I ran back to my room, plugged up my laptop, connected to the first password-less Wi-Fi I could find and searched online for ‘Paul's Auto Shop, Willowshire, Colorado’. Fortunately it popped up right away.
I had the cordless phone with me ready for when I found the digits. I dialed the number and Kate answered saying that Paul took the day off. She did, however, give me his home number to call. I nervously input the number and waited for his answer.
“Hello?” It was definitely Paul's voice.
It took me a moment, but finally I choked out a greeting. “Hey, Paul...”
“Alexis!” I could hear the joy he got from hearing my voice. “Is everything okay?”
I glanced at Salem, “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to see you again...and to say I’m sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I’ve done some thinking, and I want to talk about…things…again.”
“Vampires, you mean?”
I cringed at the word. “Yes, those.”
“Okay. Do you want me to drop by your place?”
“No!” I spoke too harshly; hopefully I hadn't arisen any suspicion about Salem being here. “I'll come to you. I’ve been cooped up in this place by myself for way too long.”
“You know, you are more than welcome to stay with me if you ever need to or want to,” he sounded a little too eager.
“Thanks, I'll think about it. Where can I meet you at?” I scrawled the address down hastily and hung up. Salem watched me from the edge of my bed, anticipating what Paul and I discussed.
“I'm driving over there after breakfast, do you want anything?” I about slapped myself on the forehead. “Never mind...”
Salem laughed. “I'll find something to satisfy my hunger while you are away.”
I wasn't sure how to respond, still uncomfortable with the idea of how he fed himself. I shuddered at the thought and clambered down the stairs. I grabbed two slices of bread, popped them in the toaster and waited impatiently, and hungrily, while they cooked. Moments later, the bread jumped out of the appliance. I smeared some jam across both slices before sitting down at the dining table and eating them quickly. Salem sat across from me, watching intently. It made me feel self-conscious.
“I'll be back before long, hopefully,” I said after I finished eating, grabbed my car keys and ran outside.
I followed the directions Paul had given me. They led me into a quaint trailer park nestled between a park and an elementary school. I imagined it got quite noisy around here. I scanned through the lot, looking for trailer 16. I found it toward the very end. The trailer looked okay from the outside – peach paneled walls, four worn steps leading up to a tiny porch. The door was flimsy, I was almost afraid that knocking on it would cause it to fall over, but I rapped my fist against it anyway.
Paul opened the door slowly, and then pulled it open completely. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he said sarcastically.
“It's not so bad,” I said. The entrance was cramped; to the immediate left was the living room, which could scarcely hold more than a ragged brown loveseat, a TV stand and a small TV. To the right was a square dining table pressed up into the corner with only two chairs. The kitchen contained two counters, a small fridge and a microwave. I felt bad for him as I scanned the place.
“Do you want to sit down?” he asked, distracting me.
“Oh, sure,” I agreed and sat on the loveseat. It was surprisingly comfortable, despite the fact that I sank into the cushion.
“How are you?” he said, making an attempt at small talk.
“I'm all right...how have you been?”
“Not bad,” he smiled. “Work has been tiring, but I do enjoy it.”
“Work as in as a mechanic, or...other work?” I didn't look at him as I spoke.
“Mechanic. I haven't had much 'other work' in a few months.”
“That's good,” I sighed, feeling uncomfortable. “I wanted to ask you something...”
“What is it?” he sat down beside me, offering me a soda.
I popped the can open, flashing him a smile in thanks before I took a sip. It was warm, but I drank it anyway. “I had a weird dream last night, and I was wondering if you could help me figure it out.” I wracked my brain trying to figure out how I was supposed to ask Paul about this without mentioning Salem.
“Well I ain’t much of a psychiatrist or anything,” he chuckled, “but I’ll do my best.”
I described the dream exactly as it had happened, without naming names. Paul just stared at me intently as each word escaped my mouth. “Do you have any idea what it means?”
“Not exactly, no.”
“Someone told me that your – our last name,” I corrected myself, “means ‘raven’. Is there any meaning behind that?”
His eyes scrutinized me carefully, “Who told you that?”
“That's not important.”
“It better not be who I think it is,” he replied coldly, narrowing his eyes. “But, there might be some meaning to it. Our bloodline has been around for a long, long time and every Waldron ancestor has been involved in vampire slaying. History claims that some of them have been able to turn themselves into ravens, but it's probably just all stories and tall tales.”
“Do you believe it really is just all made up?”
“Of course. I know that might sound odd coming from someone who kills the undead, but really – transforming into birds?” he shook his head. “That's ridiculous.”
“I guess you’re right,” I looked down. “There was another thing that was bothering me.”
“Is it about Janet?” he frowned. I guess he must have seen the news, too.
“No. But, I am a little concerned about her too. I think Mark...might have had something to do with it.”
His eyes grew suspicious, “Do you think he is a vampire?”
“I might know that he is,” I whispered, worrying what Salem might think – was I betraying him by
telling Paul this?
“If he is...” he gritted his teeth, “he'll regret having laid a hand on her.”
“Calm down, Paul. It's not for certain. It may have just been a bear attack like the news said.”
“Have you spoken to her?”
I told him about the conversations I had shared with Janet and about how skeptical I was of her story.
“Sounds awfully suspicious to me. I might need to be makin’ a trip to Denver.”
I gulped. “Back to that other question...” I wanted to sway him away from that conversation altogether before he did anything irrational. “What can you tell me about my mother...my real mother?”
Paul's face displayed an expression of anguish, and I knew I wasn't going to like the story. “Her name was Destiny,” he smiled faintly as he spoke her name, “we met in high school, fell in love, and got married when I was 24, she was 22. I hadn't told her my secret, I was afraid she would freak out. Of course, once I did tell her, she did freak out. She was very uncertain about whom I was – what I was – but I insisted, time after time, that I wasn't crazy, and that vampires do exist.
Eventually, she had her proof. I took her hunting with me. She was terrified at first, but thrilled all the same. About a year later, you were born. She adored you, Alex...” he sighed, looking at me briefly, “you look so much like her.”
“I do?” I whispered, wondering just what my mother looked like.
“Yes, so much so it is hard to believe you are not her. You definitely have her eyes; the shape of your face is the same, too,” he laughed lightly. “During my next hunting trip, she insisted she went along again. I tried to convince her to stay home with you, but she insisted you would be safe with a baby-sitter. She hadn’t been able to go along with me in a long time due to the pregnancy and recovering and all. Well, she eventually convinced me, and I regret it more and more each day that I let her come.
It was late in January; we were scouting through the woods – a common feeding ground – when one approached us. He was stronger than I had been prepared for...I told Destiny to hide, but it was no use. I knew he could smell her, I knew he could hear her...” he paused; I could see the grief in his eyes. “He took her from me...from us...I vowed that day that I would kill every last one of those bastards I could find until the day I that I die!