by Milo Spires
A second passed if that and then as the dark shadows from outside the houses and the passageways came alive with sinister shapes, the harrowing thought that he might be surrounded, and that there was no way to escape suddenly crossed his mind. The demons from hell had heard the demonic calling and were instantly appearing from the rapidly lengthening shadows, taking three-dimensional shape as they’d floated across the ice and snow towards him. Then from the distance and through the chill of the night air, he’d heard the feint sound of a horse as it had neighed, and also screams coming from inside the building that was in front of him.
Still running and now definitely giving up the idea that had come to him upon entering the village to find a hiding place in one of the outhouses somewhere, he’d darted down a side alley instead. Only not more than a few meters in he’d heard the same deafening roar from Satan that he’d heard up the mountainside; the prince of darkness had found him again. The streets everywhere and in response suddenly took to flame, and the darkness all around him burst vehemently into savage streaks of fireballs.
The alley that he’d just entered was about forty feet in length and led out into a field, and from the end of it he could see as the moon washed its eerie glow across the horizon, the silhouettes of a group of horses that were staring back at him. Dracus with his bow clanging against his back from behind, then charged straight out the passageway across the grass towards them, and communicated with one of the steeds telepathically, and as it had agreed to help him, he’d prepared himself for the ride.
Raising its front feet off the ground with the sparkle from the moon reflecting off its beautiful white coat, there before him stood a horse that was seventeen hands tall with a long flowing tail and a gorgeous mane. The horse neighed in response, and then prepared itself for the cross-country gallop that ensued.
Leaping as he’d reached it, and then as his legs had slid fast along its back, he’d found a fistful of its flowing mane, and then driven his heels down firmly against its sides to tell it to go.
The horse bucked once and then not needing to be told twice suddenly it launched itself forwards, and then with lumps of mud coming up from its hooves, it booted as fast as it could across the field, leaving five or six other horses neighing and unsettled in its wake.
Dracus turned around in mid gallop though and was horrified to see that the village that he’d just run through, was now completely in flames. The forty or so buildings that were home to the villagers, and had probably been home to their ancestors were ablaze, roaring skywards hundreds of feet. The flames again looked like serpents as they’d spiraled up sending thick black smoke into the air. The moonlit horizon vanished, replaced and shielded with a veil of darkness that threatened heinously to swallow up the sky, as ash formed and then floated to the ground like dirty great lumps of blackened snow.
The demons as his horse had leapt the flint wall and landed firmly in the next field still in full charge, that were gathering from hell and blackening the field in a huge and deeply ominous dark mass, suddenly swarmed after him. Their demonic sound was so loud that it even masked out the howling wind, and the stallion’s thunderous feet, against the snow covered ground beneath him.
Inside the tavern just moments before Dracus had entered the only street in Fagaras, the locals of the village had been considering what they should do. They’d counted the numbers and satisfied that they were all in there, they’d then bolted the door and were lighting as many torches as possible in the desperate hope that the more light they should have, might ward off any evil from entering there.
Then also those that had thought that Yohan’s murderer might have been nothing more than a wild dog or a savage bear, suddenly found themselves scrabbling to pick up bibles and reading out the lords prayer.
Everyone inside the tavern was suffering the extreme effects of wild fear. They’d known their ancestry, and the stories that had come from their forefathers concerning the dark mountain. They’d also known the ways to keep evil at bay, but this night they’d felt that the evil coming for them was so evil, that it might not even care.
They’d truly never read anything in the old books of the village that had suggested the mountain above them had ever burst into flame. The light that they could see from up above through the cracks in the window boarding, had caught their eye. When they’d peeped through and then witnessed the devastation, and coupled with the fear of hearing Satan’s roar, they’d doubted if crosses and prayers would be enough.
Satan had appeared like a cowboy standing at the end of the street, and as he’d raised his arms about himself, the whole village, the tavern and its occupants had suddenly burst into flame. Only again as he was going to give chase and after dropping to his knees, he’d seen that strange blue light, only this time the damn thing was encircling him and turning him insane. He’d tried a bolt of flame, but it had passed straight through and roared out the other side. Then like a meteorite on fire, after the fireball had past through the ozone layer, it just kept going and going.
Then and after Dracus had escaped again, a second later the glorious blue light vanished once more, leaving Satan even more wild with rage. The prince of darkness hadn’t realized that he’d allowed himself to become mesmerized by it again.
Meanwhile Dracus was leaning forwards and together with his steed, they were galloping at intense speed from field to field. Then as the screams from behind had seemed to be getting closer and his new friend had to slow to prepare its footing for another jump, suddenly in the glimmer of an eye he’d spun around and fired a split arrow that exploded in the center of their pitifully dark mass. Then in response and after seeing something blue out of the corner of his eye, the demons screamed an even higher pitch of scream and backed off.
Dracus hadn’t time to properly see it as he’d spun around with the horse readying itself to clear the six feet tall flint rock wall; only his cursed arrows had very little effect on them. They would have continued chasing him only they’d seen a strange blue light that had suddenly appeared. It had flown down through the snow and mist, straight towards them. Inside Dracus as the blue light had appeared though, he’d felt the magic within growing in its intensity.
Meanwhile though Dracus who was still in a forwards position over the steeds neck and galloping at intense speed; in his mind he was fully aware that the darkness of the night was not his friend, and that the shadows all about him were nothing more than windows to Hell. The Bowman knew that the only way he would have any chance to escape them until Laouse arrived, or the sun came up, was for him to keep moving, but would his horse last?
Dracus was from Eldor, a land in the Valstrath realm, a place five thousand light passes from the Earth. He could walk around freely in the suns murderously oppressive rays, unlike Satan’s vampires who’d simply burn. Those hours were the safest for him to travel because the demons were banished back to hell daily by the golden globe in the sky, and without the shadows around for Satan and his children to see him through, the bowman knew was safe. Only he’d also known that over the next few days as he’d hunted for any signs of Kaine and Regina, that he’d be spending the nights awake, cautiously monitoring the shadows. He also knew that this very nights encounter with the swirling black mass wouldn’t be the last, and that Satan would appear again soon whenever he’d used his portal. The bowman’s only regret was that when the ugly horned fucker did show his evil face again, that he wasn’t going to be leading the bastard back to his home world of Eldor. That part of his plans and seeing Janus again after having to wait so long out of her loving arms, and able to gaze down lovingly into her cat like green eyes had to wait, but not long, because soon he’d be there.
Galloping on for another mile or so with huge clefts of frozen earth thrown back in the wake of his stallions charge, and after reaching a dark forest and wading through the dense underbrush at walking pace still though very much on his steeds back, Dracus decided to let his new friend have a breather. Then as soon as he’d seen
another field ahead of himself and pulled back slightly on the horse’s mane, the thunderous feet beneath him came to a stop. The horse was panting heavily and dripping with sweat that reflected the moons light from above, making its white coat look almost pale blue in the moons eerie candy floss glow. Its nostrils that were snorting almost rhythmically every time it exhaled, blasted downwards sending out mini rockets of steam into the arctic breeze.
Then after dismounting and walking alongside the grand beast for a short while, and as he’d telepathically messaged Laouse for a second time, suddenly by pure coincidence and from above, he’d heard something. Then as the cold night air amplified the unmistakable screaming sound of the demons entering the forest behind him, suddenly the silhouette of a chopper like an angel appeared in the shallow distance, swooping down through the moonlit sky. The massive shiny silver and blue bird with its deafening roar, was banking around the side of the demons on full tilt, and heading fast in his direction.
In response and as the horse suddenly tensed, Dracus slid out his dagger and then reflected the moon off its blade. The choppers cab lit up with its wash and Laouse instantly prepared for what was a very quick landing.
Laouse knew the mountain range that Dracus had come to from skiing holidays, and when he’d heard that Satan was there from Dracus’ earlier message, he’d presumed that locating the exact place wouldn’t be too difficult, considering the prince of darkness would be tearing up the hillside, and bursting everything into flame. Then with the directions that Kaine had left with the priest, the Austrian vampire knew he’d find him.
Laouse hadn’t been wrong either, because as he’d approached the area, and from inside the soundproofed cockpit, Laouse, Claudius and the priest who was doing crosses on his forehead, praying for forgiveness, had all seen the sky that looked Turneresque with its brilliant colors in front of them. Then as they’d looked into the distance and seen a black cloud darker than the night itself heading across the land, and the mountain to their right was roaring in flame, they’d all known that they were close. Laouse had followed the dark cloud and then banked around it so tight that the priest had nearly dropped his bible, as they’d almost gone upside down. Then as they’d come in low across the forest and when he’d seen Dracus’ glistening blade reflecting up at him, they’d known that they’d arrived. Then as the chopper’s skids had crunched down into the snow, he’d kept the rotors at their deafening roar until the bowman was aboard for a quick take off. The priest who’d given up trying to hold the pages from his bible steady enough to read the prayers from, was suddenly stuck like glue to the window as he’d stared out into the forest, screaming that the demons would get them.
Moments before and as the chopper was touching down, Dracus had slipped his arms around the neck of the white horse to say farewell. Then as its warmth had surged back at him and tickled his soul, he’d thanked it for saving him and the horse neighed its farewell too.
Then as he was climbing into the chopper Laouse now fearing that the priest might have a valid point regarding the demons, suddenly gave it full power. The bird roared up into the air and as then Dracus had swung himself into the seat, the bowman pulled the door into close behind him. A second later Laouse tipped the nose of the chopper forwards and then roared across the field at about sixty feet above the snow until they’d gained enough speed to escape. The Austrian must have thought that he was in a stunt movie flying Airwolf or something, as he’d aggressively pulled back on the sticks sending them thundering up into the heavens.
Dracus glanced out of the window and smiled as he’d seen the horse galloping off into the distance but also had deep curiosity within, because below him as his magic powers circled his insides, he could see a blue light faint down in the distance that looked as if it were challenging the demons and somehow slowing them in their pursuit.
The higher the chopper climbed with its four occupants aboard and then as they’d banked in a massive arc away from the flaming horizon, and with the demons still very much beneath them, Dracus sighed and apologized under his breath to all those who’d lost there lives in the village back there. Then as the boy prince from Eldor had closed his eyes, summoning the mist in his mind again; from it he’d seen that the chopper he’d fired the arrow into earlier had now landed in Hungary, surrounded by soldiers and tanks. Then in response he’d leant forwards and gave directions to the Austrian pilot and they flew off fast into the moonlit, snow covered horizon.
Satan who was standing in the village of flames that were so hot that the mud in the cobbled streets had turned to fine powder, and the stones were exploding like popcorn in the microwave all around him, suddenly cursed seeing them leaving. Then as he’d remembered Regina hiding from him in hell he’d sniggered to himself, and vanished to continue the hunt for her.
The next day the smoke from the smoldering carcass of the village as it’d had plumed up high into the sky, was discovered by the same farmer who’d shot Sorchek the year before. Then as he’d seen the taverns ruins at the end of the street, and entered its charred and glowing embers only to recognize the deathly and grim remains of the villagers corpses surrounded by melted crosses and scorched bibles, he’d turned and run.
It wasn’t just a run back to his house, or a stealthily get fit sprint, it was more than that, he’d burst into his little cottage one over from Yohan’s, and then with his heart beating wildly threatening to explode from the terror within, he’d grabbed his family and frantically pocketed his handful of savings, before fleeing Romania never to return.
Chapter 24 – Searching the Wreckage
When Sorchek had opened his eyes on the dangerous and treacherous slope thousands of feet up the mountainside, they were instantly filled to the brim with snowflakes. The visibility was horrendous, and also the roaring wind that felt like icy daggers was too.
The temperature was well in the minus, and the vampire felt numb throughout. He was past cold and really not far away from becoming a permanent ice statue, having to wait until spring when he might thaw out.
Then as he’d tried to move and found that his left leg wasn’t responding, he’d cupped his hands in front of his eyes to shield out the snow and then looked down at it. Only as he did and then saw it severely twisted and almost in the complete reverse direction to the way that he was laying, it had made him freak out. Instantly he’d slid his hands down and using the other leg like a paddle, he’d forced himself along, managing to twist it back around to face forwards again. The pain he’d received for doing so bore through the numb nerves in his frozen body, and then exploded in his brain. It was so bad that he’d almost had to stop half way through, accepting a reversed leg for the rest of his eternity.
Looking around him he saw only a few feet away from him there was a length of something solid, that apart from it being almost covered in snow, it looked like it might have been part of the chopper that had tried to kill him earlier. Then sliding his hands across the slope with the pain from his leg threatening to make him pass out, he took hold of the frozen object and dragged it towards him. The steel was so cold that his bare skin had stuck to it immediately, and made it extremely difficult to let go of too.
Then laying it against his leg, he’d ripped off his shirt by literally tearing it out from underneath his jacket, and bound the steel that was over a meter in length to his leg. It looked like it had been part of the mechanism that was slung underneath the bird, to hold the cage with the vampires in it. Aware that his first aid skills were rubbish but satisfied that it would be all right or at least until his ultra fast healing repaired the snapped kneecap, he’d pushed himself up with both hands. Only as he did suddenly the harsh winds had him over again and this time he didn’t stop. The boulder that he’d smashed into before he’d past out had simply sailed past him, as the vampire roared off backwards down the slope. Then to save himself from the unknown, he’d desperately flung his arms out with his razor sharp fingernails trying to dig them into the ice, only because of the speed t
hat he was rolling, it was impossible to get any grip. Then within seconds the slope that would be classed as a black run even for the hardiest of extreme snowboarders, and definitely well off-piste, had him rolling hundreds of meters down it until suddenly ‘WACK’, and then everything in his dizzy mind went black.
An hour later the vampire woke up again but this time his face was covered in ice and his whole body was rigid from the arctic conditions.
Groaning with immense pain as it racked itself through his brain, and realizing that the splint he’d made earlier had vanished but not before tearing a huge gash out of his shin, Sorchek screamed. Only as his scream came out of his mouth, instantly it was swallowed up by the intense sound of the howling wind. Then as a moment past his mind flicked back to the soldiers who’d raided his shack, and he was furious.