by Brian Carmen
He’d tried to follow it but was unable to track it down. Every night En would find the scent only to run into a dead end. On the second day of his search En had been able to figure something about the Soulem. En informed her that the scent they were searching for belonged to a female.
Nia had heard a theory several decades before that stated women were more likely to have a Morte Lumo occur. The theory was never proven to be true however Olivia’s progeny had been female. The books that described the creatures had more females turned into Soulem than men. Somehow they would have use the beast’s gender to their advantage.
The problem was the Soulem was too far gone to be remotely how they once were. Nia knew that she would have to investigate the area with Victor. Victor would have to work with her so that he could learn better control. The Soulem were always in mode three and that made them more vicious.
Their strength made their thirst greater as Nia check one of the newspapers for information. She had been getting them for the last few days but hadn’t read about any murders. It seemed odd that no humans had been killed recently. The Soulem should have a constant blood lust.
The paper was laid down as she stared at the back of it. The newspaper had offered her nothing in the last few days. Thereon seemed to have given her the wrong information since she wasn’t a normal Soulem. They were after something different however she couldn’t guess what it was. Nia wouldn’t have been surprised if it turned out to be a normal Volstir.
It would be more of a relief if it was a regular Volstir. That would make its actions more understandable. The prepaid cell phone Nia had bought began to vibrate. She watched it slowly move across the table before she picked it up. Nia answered knowing already who was calling her.
“Olivia have you found anything?” Nia asked as she heard Olivia’s voice on the other end.
Somehow she was able to confirm that it was a Soulem based off a vision she had. Olivia was also able to provide a basic description to help with their search. Apparently she was Asian with straw blond hair, she would be dirty and covered with blood. There was something else that was on Olivia’s mind. Nia was able to tell by the sound of her voice and was forced to ask about it.
Olivia had received more information but not through the vision she’d received. Nia could feel a tension in Olivia’s voice as she explained. A contact had informed her that none of Solbid’s progenies had been planning on turning a human. Something was suspicious about the entire task however they couldn’t take chances. If they were wrong and ignored the Soulem than they would face death.
“Do you have any idea where she might currently be?” Nia asked as Victor stepped out of the shower and began getting dressed.
Nia watched as Victor stood naked before putting on his boxers. Over the last few days she’d had no sexual thoughts. En had believed that fighting Victor had satisfied any physical desires she might have had. She’d been happy to find a way around the desires. Anytime Victor started to make her funny; all she would have to do was kick his ass. It wasn’t nice but she was tired of feeling out of control of herself.
Victor finished putting his jeans and light green t-shirt on. Nia hung up the phone and looked at him. His muscles were easily visible through the shit. It was almost as if he were still shirtless. He had heard part of the conversation but didn’t ask any questions.
It seemed like an old habit that he hadn’t broken. Nia looked at him while trying to think of the best option. They would need each other in order to beat the Soulem. Stopping the Soulem might be able to help his confidence. Victor was obviously still feeling bad about the carnival.
Nia decided to be as honest as she could be. The truth wouldn’t have to be fully revealed. It would be easy to give him part of the details while keeping other parts secret. She smiled as Victor sat back down on the bed. The bed was not very soft causing Victor to feel uncomfortable.
“I received orders from Olivia. There’s a Soulem in the area and the council wants us to find and destroy it” Nia said simply while Victor took a deep breath.
It was not surprising for Nia t be given a task by Olivia it had occurred in the past. This would be the first find and destroy mission. Victor believed every word that she said; he trusted her completely. His trust made her feel guilty for lying but it was for the best. He wouldn’t be able to understand that this wasn’t his fault.
She could notice that Victor was feeling a bit stressed. It was caused by the thought of having to kill. Nia tried to explain to him that this was different than murder. The Soulem was a monster that would suffer until someone killed it. They had to stop it before the monster went on a rampage.
His emotions were easy for Nia to feel. She could guess what his thoughts might have been. Victor probably thought that they were alike because of his brief rampage. She didn’t say another word because Nia didn’t think that it would help. His conscious would have to be eased in its own time. With luck, he would be able to see the truth about the Soulem before it attacked.
They packed their clothes and walked outside. The night air was pleasant thanks to the rain from earlier. They took an old rickety elevator from the second floor to the ground. Victor seemed nervous when the light in the elevator flickered. Nia didn’t say a word however instead she took his hand. In the dark; she could feel the warmth from inside his soul. Victor didn’t know how much of a good person he was. The lights recovered and the warmth could no longer be felt. Only the normal coldness of Victor’s skin was left.
They were in the middle of another town that they didn’t know. Their only option would be to start looking around. The Soulem would only be able to walk at night. With any luck they might be able to find her before she left the area. Olivia had provided a guess on where she was. Nia looked at En who already had a frown on his face.
“Olivia thinks that she’s been hiding in the sewers” Nia explained to En.
En didn’t answer; instead he walked over to a drain and began sniffing. He confirmed that the scent of the Soulem was stronger in the sewer. He also informed Nia that the stench was overpowering and refused to go down. Nia didn’t have much of a choice as she looked at the opening. She gave En a disapproving look and told him to keep guard. The cat quickly agreed as he began giving himself a bath. The smell alone seemed to have made him feel dirty.
“We’re going in the sewer?” Victor asked apprehensively as Nia looked at him with the same look she’d given En.
“Really? Two men and it’s the girl willing to get down and dirty” Nia snapped as Victor began trying to argue however she ignored him.
If she could’ve had things her way she would’ve just waited. The Soulem would normally surface which meant they could get it then. This one however seemed quite adept at hiding herself. Nia lifted up a manhole cover and hopped down. Victor was quick to follow but the look on his face said it all.
The smelly green and brown water went into both of their shoes. “Well I’m not going to be able to wear these again” Victor remarked with disdain. Nia’s eyes began adjusting to the darkness, she turned and looked at Victor. He was a bit surprised to see her eyes glow. In pitch darkness they were like that of a cat.
“Be good Barbie and I’ll buy you two new outfits. I’ll even throw a purse in to match” Nia said smugly as she ignored the stench and led the way.
Victor was noticeably annoyed by the last comment but didn’t say a word. He followed while trying to keep the smell from his nose. It was a combination of crap, gasoline, and vomit. Nia didn’t say a word but she felt like her nose might burn off. Victor seemed to have some difficulty controlling his stomach. Twice she had thought he was going to be sick. Slowly they moved forward while trying to keep from touching anything.
Nia’s eyes looked towards the ground at the small corpses. The bodies of rats and other small animals including a few cats littered the tunnel. Nia began trying to figure out how the Soulem could survive off animal blood. Polongs could live on animal blood but Volstir neede
d a filter. It was the only way to consume the blood without being sick. The Soulem couldn’t have known that.
“It explains why there hasn’t been any disappearance among the people. Without a blood filter though she shouldn’t be able to survive for very long” Nia whispered to Victor as she began to hear something from deeper inside the tunnel.
She turned towards Victor and noticed that he hadn’t heard the noise. He was also unable to see as well as Nia. For some unknown reason Victor was still in his first mode. She figured that he would need to be told to shift. It felt a little strange to her since she normally just did it. Soon it would be the same for Victor, shifting without thought.
“There’s something up ahead in the dark. Shift into mode three if you want to keep up” Nia ordered. Before Victor could say anything she began moving at a much more rapid pace. She could feel Victor begin to vibrate as he began shifting. He wasn’t as fast as before; she guessed it had something to do with being asleep for a week.
Nia wished that she could wait for Victor but couldn’t risk it. The Soulem could discover her and flee before she was able to catch her. She was sure that Victor would understand. The faster they stopped her the better. Nia wanted to get out of the sewer and into a hot shower.
The noise was closer as an odd feeling began to course through her veins. It was an unbearable sadness and for a moment Nia was paralyzed by it. She shook it off as she tried to force her empath ability down. She couldn’t be taken by the Soulem’s emotions. If Victor were closer than she could have used him as a buffer. Looking back, Nia began willing him to hurry up while she moved ahead.
She’d felt something similar when she’d witnessed her first Soulem. At the time she thought she would go insane by it. There were intense feelings that had come from it and she was caught off guard. Nia moved left down a second tunnel and then right. Both the feeling and the noise were stronger.
She couldn’t tell where she was in the city but as she continued she discovered more animals lying dead. They had been drained of all their blood in very violent ways. Nia could see that their heads were ripped from their bodies. Slowly she picked up the deflated body of a rat and examined it. The head was missing and the bones had been crushed. Someone had tried sucking the blood directly from where the head once was.
Walking along the tunnel, the feeling continued to grow. The Soulem was close and she was in pain. She stopped and saw a small girl barely sixteen huddled against a wall. The tunnel split into two directions on both the right and the left of the girl. Nia looked at her and tried to guess which tunnel she would likely take to escape.
Now it was possible for Nia to hear what the noise had been. The entire time it had been the girl crying. It was more than that as Nia felt her heart sink. Nia looked at the girl and suspected the she was not entirely a Soulem. Somehow the girl at the end of the tunnel was able to speak.
Nia had always heard that the Soulem were no longer human. They were supposed to be nothing more than beasts that suffered. It was impossible to save them and they had to be destroyed. Unlike the Volstir they were brought back to life without the hope of a light. Without it they had lost all of their humanity to death.
For some reason Nia could feel a mixture of emotions coming from the girl. It wasn’t supposed to be possible but a small part of her still existed. This girl was not a Volstir but didn’t seem to be a Soulem either. Nia felt unbelievably cold as she walked closer to the creature.
“What’s your name?” Nia asked as the girl looked up at her. Her voice was high and Nia could tell that she did not naturally speak English since her accent was clearly Chinese.
“Chi…Chi…Kappa?” she said as Nia realized that she seemed to no longer remember her name.
She did have some idea of the Volstir. She was using the name that the people of Asia used. She was referring to herself as a Chinese Volstir. It didn’t make sense to Nia since the girl was supposed to have been lost. She was also supposed to have been turned by Thereon Solbid’s progeny. Thereon only had English progenies so she should’ve referred to herself as a Volstir not a Chi Kappa.
“I’m so sorry, I had to kill. I’m so thirsty, I’m just so hungry” the girl said sadly as she began crying once again.
For a brief moment, Nia didn’t know what to do. They had been able to find the Soulem but it wasn’t right. Nia tried using her ability to sense the girl’s true emotions. All that could be felt however was regret and sadness. Nia had never felt such unbelievable sadness from a living creature. Somehow they needed to help her.
The girl suddenly looked up as Nia began to hear rapid movement. Victor was on his way and would arrive at any moment. Something about Victor was making the girl react. Nia could sense that her mental state was shifting. It seemed like she were trying to become human again. Nia had never seen a creature that was able to go back, once they were turned.
“I want to die now!” the girl screamed loudly as a new wave of emotion hit Nia like a blast of cold air.
She was serious about her desire to die. Nia could see she was in so much pain just by staying alive. There was also something else that deeply troubled Nia. She was filled with a deep and unsettling regret for everything. She regretted ever being born and ever being happy. She regretted having to kill in order to survive and there was something else that Nia could not figure out as Victor appeared.
He was surprised by the appearance of the straw blond Chinese girl. Slowly she got to her feet with tears streaming down her face. She looked at Nia who was unable to move. Nia could feel her own tears as an unsettling desire began to form in her. The girl’s pain was intense and it made Nia want to die as well. It wasn’t real; Nia began fighting the thoughts inside her. It took a brief moment but she was able to remove the suicidal thoughts from her mine.
Nia felt the change almost instantly as something incredible and unexpected happened. The girl’s emotional state changed along with her physical appearance. Her eyes were sharp and intent on murder as she used her ability. Nia had always thought that Soulem were unable to use abilities. This girl however was anything but normal as she moved with extreme speed towards Victor.
Her ability gave her increased speed and strength. It was greater than even a Volstir’s speed. Nia and Victor wouldn’t have stood a chance except Nia’s own empath ability had given her a chance to figure it out before the girl struck. Victor was pushed towards the ground as Nia returned to her feet. The girl looked at her like she was the next meal.
Nia’s only hope was to grab a hold of the girl and begin siphoning off the memories. She would be left as nothing more than an empty shell. It was the only way even though Nia had never taken all of someone’s memories. The girl was fast but the confined space hindered her movement. At the same time Nia grabbed the girl’s arm as she looked into Nia’s face and smiled.
Nia saw the smile on the girl’s face but didn’t react. She moved her hand over the girl’s face. Before the girl could fight back Nia began trying to siphon off her memories. Nia screamed out in agony as her hand caught fire; she had only touched the girl’s skin for a brief moment. That had been enough as she was blasted back through the air. The tunnel’s walls cracked as her body was slammed into it.
The pain from touching the girl was blinding. Everything had become bright and her entire body began to burn. Nia saw that she was being consumed by fire. She tried to struggle desperately towards the sewer water. Nia could hear herself screaming from the incredible pain as she burned.
Nia prayed that Victor would be able to protect her. She felt terrified as she fell into the water unable to move. Nia didn’t care about the smell or that the water would ruin her clothes. It didn’t matter if it turned her skin green or stained her hair. She only wanted to put out the fire and stop the pain.
Her eyes widened in horror as the flames began to burn even hotter. Nia tasted the sewer water as it entered her mouth. The flames were still going despite being in the water. “I’m going to die” was the
last thing she thought as everything began to turn dark.
Chapter Eight: Pain of the Innocent
It was beyond anything Nia had ever experienced. Agonizing pain coursed throughout her body and her mind. She remembered the pain from when she had been turned but this was much worse. It felt as though she were being melted to the bone. That would be alright if it would at least kill her and make the pain stop. Nia could hear herself crying as Victor tried to wake her.
Opening her eyes was difficult as she felt silver tears falling from them. Each one burning her skin as she looked down at her body. Nia expected to be charred to a crisp however as looked at her hand it looked fine. The outside of her body was different from how she felt. Inside her nerves were still reacting to the fire as if she were still burning.
Somehow the fire had gone out despite the continued pain. The Soulem had some type of ability that Nia didn’t know about. She slowly looked at Victor and the terrified look on his face. It must have been confusing to see Nia burning and not have a scratch on her. She was still burning even though the fire was now gone.
“She got away but are you okay?” Victor asked as he tried to help her up.
He barely touched her causing Nia to scream out in agony. It felt as though his fingers were going to catch her on fire again. Nia could feel her muscles and nerves screaming out. Looking at her body; her only relief was that the fire hadn’t restarted. She couldn’t worry about the look on Victor’s face. Her body was still burning with the same intense pain.
“How did you put it out?” Nia cried out as she moved against the wall.
She had to stay away from Victor so that he wouldn’t get hurt. Nia felt that at any moment her entire body was going to burst into flames. She tried to stop crying only to end up crying harder. The pain was piercing her brain along with every other nerve in her body. If Victor stayed too close to her than he might get burned. Nia was sure that she was boiling on the inside.