by P. L. Kurup
“I had blonde hair once, but you haven’t changed a bit,” she mentioned. “I know you hate what you are. I can feel it.”
“There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t wish I was mortal. There’s nothing romantic about being a vampire.”
“Can’t you reverse it somehow? I’m sure there must be an antidote somewhere.” He chuckled. “Why’s that funny?”
“Finding an antidote is like reversing time. It can’t be done.”
That’s when she realised how trivial her problems were compared to his. They watched the first rays of sunlight kiss the water and embellish the morning sky in a serene hue. Her brow wrinkled thinking about what her husband was going though and would go through forever.
Her shoulders hunched with tiredness and he picked her up and carried her up a short flight of stairs. He arrived at a master bedroom half the size of the five star hotel they stayed in, placed her on one side of the bed, took off her shoes, and draped her with a blanket. He then laid next to her and she fell asleep looking at his face.
xxx
Amelia woke sometime later and saw a note attached to the mirror which read, “I will be back soon.” She assumed he went to feed in the nearby woods, the idea no longer a surprise. Her watch read 4.15pm and she bit her lip realising that she’d slept for nine hours. Scrutinising the semi-darkened room, she saw that a light grey colour covered the bare walls, white drapes hung on the windows, and the decor comprised a bed, mirror and chair. Her brows narrowed on seeing her suitcase sitting on the floor. She tossed the covers off herself and trekked to the luggage not questioning how it got there. She opened the bag and took out clothes, a towel, and toiletries, and glanced about not seeing a bathroom anywhere. She ventured into the corridor and found a single closed door at the end. When she opened it she saw a modest bathroom with lime tiles and a shower cubicle. She opened the taps and waited for the water to turn warm. To her frustration the hottest the water got was a disappointing luke warm. Regardless, she stepped into the cubicle and took a shorter than usual shower. After which she put on fresh clothes, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. She had barely settled when she heard the front door open and shut.
“Samuel.”
All sense of caution escaped her as she raced downstairs and tumbled into the living room. There was no one there and her reckless euphoria was replaced with a sense of trepidation regarding who was inside the house. She peeked out of the bay window and saw that the tiny car was parked in the driveway. Her heart raced and she pondered whether Lucas had injured Samuel. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and held her in a way that eliminated all her fears.
“I brought the car back after refuelling it,” Samuel said. “I thought we could go for a walk in the village.”
“I would love to go for a walk,” she replied.
Chapter 28
Samuel and Amelia walked out of the house hand in hand and while she wore a coat, scarf and gloves he donned a thin jacket that wouldn’t keep the hardiest of people warm. They reached the top of the village and came to the first landmark; a seventeenth century church made up of grey slate walls with a single stained glass archway. She stood inside the courtyard and noticed that he remained beyond the church boundary.
“You can’t come in can you,” she said.
“No, it’s a reminder that I’m evil,” he joked
Amelia stepped back onto the road and said, “I know without a shadow of a doubt that you’re not evil.”
“I have to tell you something important. We won’t be able to have children,” he admitted guiltily.
“Then we’ll adopt.”
Her reply wiped out his shame in one fell swoop. They carried on and observed charming houses and shops that may have been around for centuries. The shopkeepers and home owners came out of their houses to sweep away the smattering of snow that covered their driveways.
“Good afternoon,” one lady said.
“Nice day for a walk,” remarked another.
Amelia and Samuel were so overjoyed at their kind treatment that they beamed from ear to ear. They came to the last house but one, a place with its curtains drawn. The brown painted building gave them a feeling of warmth and well-being not experienced since their wedding. Staring into the courtyard, they saw a middle-aged man and woman standing near the gate with their arms folded across their chests. In contrast to their neighbours, this couple gave Samuel and Amelia a seething stare.
“What’s the matter with them?” Amelia frowned.
“I think they may know what I am,” muttered Samuel.
“You should leave the village. Your filthy kind aren’t welcome here,” screamed the woman.
Amelia tightened her grip on Samuel’s arm and ignored the jibe.
“Your wife is an ugly, contemptible whore,” taunted the man.
Samuel stopped and Amelia shook her head saying, “Let them say what they want. All I care about is enjoying our honeymoon.”
Samuel walked on with gritted teeth and the insulting couple gloated unaware of how lucky they were not to feel a vampire’s wrath. Amelia glanced back and saw that the odd pair had gone.
They turned a corner and Amelia’s face brightened on seeing a small jewellery shop with dozens of trinkets in the window. She went inside first followed by Samuel and looked about a room laden with rings, necklaces, pendants and other trinkets. The items didn’t cater to the superrich; the most attractive item being an 18th century broach. The piece piqued Samuel’s interest and he asked the salesman, an elderly gentleman with a goatee beard if he could see it.
“Of course, sir,” the man said in a heavy Scottish accent.
The man removed the broach from its case and handed it to Samuel who examined it with care.
“What’s the matter?” Amelia asked.
“It’s a French design,” he commented. “I don’t know who wore it, but I’m certain it once belonged to an unfortunate aristocrat who perished under the blade of a guillotine.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“Because I can feel her pain.”
“You have a good eye for antiques, sir. Are you a collector by any chance?” the shopkeeper enquired.
Samuel put the broach down and answered, “When you see similar broaches worn by countless women it becomes imprinted on your mind.”
The shopkeeper looked at Amelia for an explanation and she grinned sweetly.
“Why don’t you take it?” the man told her. “It deserves to be worn by someone young again.”
“You’re very kind, but I don’t want it,” she said.
“Suit yourself,” the shopkeeper replied.
Samuel and Amelia left the shop and ventured deeper into the village passing shops filled with people. Seeing the happy sights relaxed them and he put his arm around her, and anyone watching them would be forgiven for thinking they were like any other couple. It wasn’t long before they came across rows of cars parked on the street. Some mounted on pavements. A metre on, they saw an unassuming detached house with a Scottish flag flying from the window. Music rang out from inside.
“I wonder what’s going on,” Amelia remarked.
“Let’s find out.”
“It might be invitation only,” she said, pulling him back.
“We won’t find out unless we go inside.”
As they approached the house, cheers and laughter spilled out. Amelia and Samuel went indoors and were struck by how warm the place was. Chairs and tables were stacked to one side allowing the crowd to scatter, soft lighting created a cosy ambience, and wines and ales were distributed from a mahogany counter. There were a hundred people mingled together and Amelia and Samuel squeezed between the throng to get by. To her relief those who noticed them offered welcoming smiles and gentle nods.
“I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be,” she said.
“I told you it would be alright,” he uttered smugly.
xxx
Amelia placed her head on
his chest and he wrapped his arms around her while moving to the centre. He heard the thoughts of everyone around him be they good or bad. Amongst the tirade was Amelia’s regret at not becoming a doctor. He held her like a mother comforting a child and heard a grandfather clock chime 3pm. This represented the second of Clara’s death signs. His meeting with Lucas seemed inevitable and he felt relieved that his immortality would soon end. He remained unflustered and held his beloved until the music stopped. Peeling herself from him she said, “I need some fresh air.”
“Of course.”
The couple paraded into the chilly outdoors and he heard her stomach rumble.
“We’ll go somewhere nice for lunch,” he suggested.
“I can eat a chocolate bar,” she replied.
“No, you need a proper meal.”
Taking her hand, he strode on. The thing to do now was to take care of his wife. They came to a teeming French restaurant with outdoor tables and a tricolour flag hanging above the door. Amelia and Samuel took seats in the middle of a crowd comprising of parents, children and couples. Amelia opened the menu and gawped at the array of dishes displayed.
“Order what you want,” he told her.
“I’m so hungry I could eat a whole plate of chips,” she replied.
He ignored her and fixed on a baby and her mother sitting next to them. Hearing blood course through their bodies made him salivate and lick his lips.
“When was the last time you fed?” she asked.
“I never left the house,” he confessed. “The mechanic at the garage refilled the car and brought it to the house.”
His fingers dug into the table carving a two centimetre deep ridge and his face brightened thinking about tasting the delectable red liquid.
“I have to leave,” he said about to stand.
Amelia smacked her hand on his arm. “Leaving means putting another bunch of people in danger. All I want you to do now is keep looking at me.”
Snatching her wineglass from the table, she smashed it against her chair to form a shard of glass. She then grabbed Samuel’s wineglass and placed it at the cusp of the wound. Blood trickled into the glass like water from a tap and soon the goblet was three quarters full. Amelia brought the glass from under the table and Samuel snatched it from her hand and tipped the ooze into his mouth. Afterward, he cleaned the glass with his finger until it became transparent. The longing in his face disappeared and he looked noticeably better.
“I’m alright now.”
“Hi, I’m Jenny. I’ll be your waitress,” said a girl, approaching the table.
“The last sign,” he whispered.
A horrendous scream emerged from the street and restauranteurs turned to see a woman lying on the road.
xxx
Amelia rose from her seat at once and rushed to the woman’s aid. Kneeling beside the lady, she noticed that she wasn’t breathing. Amelia pressed her fingers on the victim’s neck to check for a pulse and saw them bathe in blood. Panting, she turned the corpse’s head to find marks that could only have been made from human teeth.
Samuel pulled her up and dragged her from the scene. They trudged speedily up the street, their faces burdened with concern. Amelia’s heart thumped with fear and not even Samuel’s sturdy presence could pacify her. They retraced their way back to the house, passing shops and houses they’d admired not two hours ago, and arrived on the dwelling’s doorstep. The house was submerged under a dense fog and resembled a haunted building from a novel, the romantic feelings it produced in the new bride gone forever.
“Could he be in there?” she asked feebly.
“I can’t say either way.”
Chapter 29
Samuel shoved the key into the slot and turned it. Instead of going in right away, he perched on the beige-coloured step with his eyes glued on the door. Then turning the doorknob, he thrust open the door with his fingertips and walked inside with his wife. He sniffed the air and studied the scent for a number of seconds, yet he couldn’t detect anything odd. He moved to the bay window and scanned the lake and the woods. A mist hovered over the water and the fading light made the trees look like cardboard shells.
“Is he here?” she asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
He crossed to the kitchen and opened cupboard after cupboard hoping to find the intruder. For all his efforts all he discovered were empty cabinets. He grabbed her hand and zipped upstairs while dragging her behind him. Even though she didn’t complain, her expression suggested she was fed up with his eccentricities.
When they reached the landing he scrutinised the area. The shafts of light which penetrated the hall earlier had faded making the corridor dark and sombre. He crept into the bathroom and examined the shower cubicle and the cupboard under the sink. On both occasions he found no trace of anyone hiding inside. He walked out of the room and entered the bedroom. Amelia was about to turn on the lights...
“No, leave them off.”
She put her hand down and watched him check under and behind the bed. He searched every nook and corner of the room, but found nothing.
“If you think he might be in the house, don’t you think we should leave?” she finally said.
“And travel on a deserted road in a car that doesn’t reach 60 miles per hour? It’s the worst thing we could do.”
His frank reply stopped her from speaking further and she collapsed on the bed. Samuel sat beside her and draped his arm around her quaking body.
“You have nothing to worry about. I will protect you,” he promised.
“I know you will.”
He peeked out the window recalling the look of terror etched on the young woman Lucas murdered near the restaurant. As horrific as it was there was purpose to the slaying; to alert Samuel of their imminent meeting. The signs were no more meaning that before sunrise he and Lucas would meet. He chose not to leave as the rendezvous was inevitable. The only thing that mattered to him was the safety of his wife and for that he would give his life.
Amelia fell asleep, but Samuel steadfastly resisted dozing off. His eyes feasted first on a horizon painted with pinks, purples and golds, then on a blackened sky dotted with stars. The silence was pierced by gusts of wind rattling feeble windows. His tiredness became more acute as time went on and, at 5am, his tenacious eyes closed.
xxx
Samuel woke to see last night’s storm had calmed leaving the lake serene and majestic. Switching to Amelia, he noticed she lay facing away from him. The manner in which she slept was odd in that only half her body was on the bed meaning she was in danger of falling.
“Amelia?”
Turning to him she begged, “Help me.”
Amelia was pulled to the floor and dragged under the bed. Samuel tried to grab her, missing her arm by a millimetre. Before he could jump off the bed, eight ropes hooked around his neck, arms and torso restricting his movements. Lifting his head, he saw Claude tying the ends of the ropes to the bedposts.
“Leave her alone. Kill me,” Samuel yelled.
“That’s exactly what I intend to do,” he heard Lucas say.
Samuel looked to the window and saw Lucas holding Amelia by the throat. The enemies locked eyes, Samuel growling at him. Samuel stared at his young wife and remembered a cruelly similar situation where Lucas held Alexandra hostage. On that occasion he murdered her by feeding from her neck. He moved forward when Lucas pulled her neck to his lips. Samuel halted and Lucas sniggered revealing a line of yellow teeth.
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill her until I’m ravenous which gives you an hour at least,” Lucas teased. “Be careful with this one, Claude. He has a tendency to survive.”
Lucas opened the window and leapt into the courtyard with Amelia. Samuel turned to Claude who moved in front of Samuel and removed a wooden stake from his inside pocket.
“Any last requests?” Claude asked him.
Samuel shook his head and Claude was about to thrust the blade into Samuel’s chest,
when Samuel freed his left arm and punched Claude in the face, forcing him off the bed. Samuel snapped the ropes and picked up the stake when Claude vanished. Samuel jumped off the bed and stood with his back to the room and closed his eyes. On hearing the smallest swish, he spun round and plunged the stake forward. When he opened his eyes, he saw Claude standing in front of him with the stake through his heart.
“You got me,” Claude mumbled.
Soon after, the vampire disintegrated into a cloud of smoke leaving behind nothing. Samuel took off his jacket and leapt out the window just as Lucas had done. He had an inkling that Lucas had fled through the woods rather than the village. This was a big relief as it meant no one would come to harm. He dove into the ice-cold lake and swam across its breadth with staggering speed. Once on the other side, he staggered onto the muddy banks with sodden clothes and ran into the woodland. He spotted both Lucas’s and Amelia’s footprints in the soil and navigated his way through countless shrubs knowing exactly where to go.
Chapter 30
Amelia and Lucas were drenched having just crawled out of the frigid lake. The clothes stuck to her body and her hair froze into brittle strands. The sun bearing down on them did little to warm her up and her body trembled due to the bitter cold. He led her into the woods where skeletal-shaped trees blocked out the sun making the day appear as black as night. Her shoes crunched on broken twigs and the smell of rotting leaves permeated the air. She wondered why he didn’t kill her right away as it seemed more logical than dragging her through meandering woodland. Lucas turned to her with a sinister grin and answered, “Because I intend on murdering you in front of him.”
“I suppose killing me at the house wouldn’t have prolonged his agony enough,” she mocked.
“You look the spitting image of her,” he said, touching her face. “It’s no wonder he cares for you.”
She shoved his hand away and glowered at him for daring to be so bold. He pulled her arm and they marched through the arduous terrain. Lucas gave her no rest and she gulped the damp air with ever increasing frequency. Her feet trampled over ground riddled by uneven bumps and sharp rocks, a lapse in concentration was all it would take to break an ankle or tear a ligament. Outcomes that failed to bother him. Her body racked with tiredness, she found she couldn’t move one more centimetre, and her exhausted body collapsed on the muddy earth.