by Milo Spires
Mietioc paused as the old boy in the cell began to shake, and the red anger dissipated as he turned deathly pale. Smiling cruelly, Mietioc then continued.
He told him that she had come to them and begged them to find another woman for the role, because she loathed Raffious in every way. The sheer ordeal of pretending she loved him had made her vomit on several occasions.
He added that Rex, Hoidrious, Captain Ognian, Vius and himself had all slept with her and to prove it he then said that she also had a tattoo of a red rose, high up into her private area, at the top of her leg. He told him that it was her greed for more money that had got her killed—and after Christ had been crucified, she had demanded more money than had been previously agreed for her role. She had laughed at the four gold coins offered, and then when she had threatened to tell everyone of the deed, and that they were all under orders from the prince of darkness himself, to keep her mouth firmly shut, orders were given by Satan for her to be gang-raped and violently killed.
Raffious was in tears hearing this, and although he tried desperately to hold on to the good memories he had of her, and vehemently told himself that she did love him and that it was all lies, his mind and the fact Mietioc knew about the tattoo, told him what he was hearing, might actually be true.
Mietioc finished his good news by saying that after she was raped, they had each taken out their blades and then stabbed her, and left her to die in the dirt outside her home in Jerusalem. And that, in the last few agonizing moments before she had passed away, Rex had then cut off her lips and using a roasting-hot poker, he had burnt her out eyes too.
Hoidrious started laughing and stamping his foot. He walked up to Mietioc and, feeling complacent that he was now out of harm’s way, then patted the warrior on the back and told him, ‘Well done! That was a great story, and such a nice ending too.’
Blame it on the pat on the back, or maybe it was just that Mietioc’s mind had finally accessed the data it had been searching for, but something had jerked Mietioc’s memory. Now the whole story that Angus had told him before his death, plus the Scot’s verification proving that it had been undeniably true, all came flashing back to him, and he was furious.
Chapter 35 – The End is Near.
Regina and Becky had just started crawling along inside an old air vent, with Bruce and Solomon hot on their trail, whilst Jenny who was having a panic attack, had to decline the forlorn passageway from hell, and go with Kaine instead.
Kaine being far too big to fit inside the tunnel himself, and had devised another way out for him and Jenny, only his way was fraught with danger. It involved going upstairs fast and leaving through their top exit, which was just past their traps room—a place full of old Alaskan bear traps.
Leaving that way was extremely dicey though, considering that there were over seventy vampires outside who now had an even bigger grudge against him after loosing their Captain Ognian. Once outside the view down to where the Elite warriors were digging, was only about one hundred feet or so and Kaine was hoping they were all inside and wouldn’t see them leave. Only he knew there was every chance the leader and a few stragglers could be outside having cheeky a cigarette break. If they were, then it changed things in a big way, because all Jenny would have to do was tread on a twig or cough, and then his extremely cunning plan of escape, would be grossly compromised to say the least.
If that part of the plan worked, then they would fly the half a mile down to the beach and after leaving Jenny somewhere safe, he was going to double back along the base of the hill to link up with his wife and Becky. The part he wasn’t looking forward too, was having to clamber through dense blackthorn bushes surreptitiously. He actually doubted the words, clamber, blackthorn and surreptitiously even went together, as he imagined the pain he was going to experience as he pulled himself through them.
‘We need to leave fast. Jump on my back Jenny, and put your arms around my neck. Be sure to hold on tight though,’ Kaine said to her in a gentle but assertive voice.
Jenny did exactly that, although she didn’t understand why because she could run quite fast herself, but as she leapt on and locked her legs around his waist, he educated her on his meaning fast.
Going through the rooms was like what a werewolf might see when it was on the prowl, or as it was darting through the bushes, chasing down those campers who were never going home again, or not with the same amount of limbs they came with anyway.
Kaine spun round the corridors in his house with lightening speed, and didn’t once crash into anything. The journey only took 4 seconds, but the memory of it would be with her for a lifetime. She thought she was auditioning for the next superwoman movie, and was utterly blown away. Her hair was all over the place and she was completely lost for words when he stopped. It was faster than her day out in a sports car around brands hatch race track, and the G forces were breathtaking, so much so in fact that if he hadn’t slid his hand behind her, she doubted if she wouldn’t have just been flung off at the first corner. 5 stars to that one she had said as she hopped off.
For a moment, she felt quite jealous of the abilities vampires had, and appreciated just how lucky her best mate was to now be one of them. Not having to work, no landlords to moan at you for late rent payments and living forever with the ability to fly. It seemed almost too surreal a lifestyle to comprehend. She thought.
Kaine turned and smiled at her. ‘So you enjoyed that ride, I see.’
She grinned back at him and nodded. He then turned around and reached forwards to open the massively thick, solid stone door that was in front of him. Again she was witness to another example of the strength that vampires had over humans, as she realized just how thick the door was.
‘Jenny, I have to leave you inside and close the door behind you, but I won’t be long. If I don't return, walk left, keeping your back to the walls. When you reach that sign over there, walk ten paces forwards and turn towards the stairs. The handle for the door is on the right-hand side behind the first brick jutting out, okay? You won’t need it though, because I will be back in a second.’ He paused to look at her before he added, ‘Do you understand the directions, darling? If you make one mistake, the traps could kill you.’
Jenny hugged herself tightly, feeling herself starting to tremble again. ‘I do—but is it not pitch black in there when you close the door? How will I see the sign?’ she asked, her voice betraying her fear. It wasn’t just the dark; she was thinking about being left all alone too.
‘Sorry,’ Kaine said, suddenly remembering that she couldn’t see in the dark. ‘I forgot, even though Regina reminded me earlier when she had said she was going to make torches for you. We have no time; sorry, just wait inside against the wall and don’t move. I won’t be long, I promise.’
‘Where are you going?’ she asked but he said nothing just smiled. Then she took a deep breath and crept a few steps tentatively into the darkness before turning back to look at him, but he never replied. Instead, she watched as the stone door closed upon her and pitch darkness became her new evil friend. Within seconds, as the door shut, she found that she had forgotten everything he had said.
Had he said to crawl left, or was it right?
Suddenly she began to feel more scared than she had ever been in her life. Looking down, she realized that she couldn’t even see her own hands in the inky blackness. There was also a terrible smell, one that was seriously disgusting. It smells like rotting corpses, she thought to herself but then smiled briefly as it dawned on her that she hadn’t ever smelt a rotting corpse before, so how would she know. The thought made her giggle, which only got worse as she mentally elaborated on it. She was close to laughing hysterically, and hoped that Kaine would be back soon.
Kaine had gone to get his iPad, and thought he had left it in the dining room after his old friend Raffious had become his number-one enemy at dinner.
‘Damn!’ he said to himself as he charged into the dining room, desperately trying to remember where his iPad
was. ‘Think!’ he told himself. ‘Jenny had been crying and ran downstairs, then Regina had raced after her and I was furious with Raffious for not warning me of the atta....’
‘Yes!’ he cried as it suddenly came to him—it was on the side by the door!
But it wasn’t there. Someone had moved it. Then, milliseconds later, he saw it lying face down on their sofa. Running over, he grabbed it and quickly logged in to their eyes in the sky drone, which was outside—he was hoping to arm it. As he entered the passcode and flicked through a couple of screens, he was startled by the sound of heavy feet moving around on the floor beneath him.
Just as he was going to leave, a thought crossed his mind. These fools came to my house, and I have to run? I am the fool here, aren’t I! Well screw them.
Suddenly everything that had happened and all the immense pressures over the past few days, finally got to him.
‘Okay, so they want a fight? Let’s give them one!’ he shouted as his anger then metastasized into an unbelievable, absolutely wild, furious rage.
He charged to the top of the stairs and stood with his hand poised over the door handle in front of him, planning to surprise them as they came up. He knew that fighting hoards of them would be extremely tiring, and perhaps he would die trying, but he was furious at their threatening his family. The rage again exploded within him and his ivory colored, predatory fangs then thrust down so far that they almost matched the fangs of his Paleolithic ancestors.
Suddenly Regina messaged him.
‘The tunnel has got smaller and smaller darling, and now we are trapped in here. We can see the fields but can’t dig through because we can’t move and the earth is full of flint rock. We are stuck, darling. Please hurry—we can’t get out,’ she messaged. Then she abruptly ended the connection, knowing that it might not be safe to distract him.
‘Damn!’ he screamed. He was about to retrace his steps, but suddenly the door in front of him burst open and he had no choice but to start the fight there and then. Desperate to help his wife out of her terrible situation as quickly as he could, he smashed hard into his attackers, screaming Fucking have it you bastards as he piled into them. Killing two before they could even get off the top of the narrow stairs, he then spun around and threw their lifeless bodies down the stairs, with such force that the others coming up were knocked backwards like bowling skittles.
Seeing and opportunity arise, he then took it.
He spun around and ran. Behind him he could hear their struggles to clear the dead so they could get up the stairs, and as he turned the next corner, the sound behind him suggested that some of them had done just that.
Arriving back at the door to the traps room, he stopped for the mere second it took to slide the bolt back, before he ripped it open and dived inside. As he turned around fast with the intention of sliding across the slam bolt, he found that he was too late. Two vampires were rushing towards him, and as they were almost upon him, all he could do was to move out of their way, side-stepping their headlong charge as they ran straight past and into into the center of the room behind him.
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Meanwhile Becky and Regina, back inside the tunnel were finding it almost like hell being inside the exceptionally tiny air vent.
It was so tight that the only way Regina could move forward’s was to reluctantly shuffle herself along using her elbows. Her hands had no space to be anywhere except close and tight either side of her face, and she was unable to bring her knees up underneath herself, due to her back pressing hard up against the ceiling.
Not long after her journey began, she had realized that something was touching her from behind. She smiled as she realized what that something was—There was a dog’s wet nose gently prodding her bum, and she could feel warm breath on her legs. It made her happy for a moment, knowing that her babies Bruce and Solomon were with her. Sadly though, she was unable to turn her head to look back at them, as she tried to catch up with Becky who was now some distance ahead.
Desperately trying to remain focused and keeping her foreboding thoughts subdued for the time being, she made up ground as fast as she could, with the dogs following closely behind. As she reached Becky, she could see that she was having difficulties of her own.
‘Becky, wait for me!’ she whispered sternly hoping that she hadn’t been heard by anyone else. She knew that Kaine would have left through the traps room by now, but she didn’t know if the evil vampires had gotten into their house—if they had, she didn’t want to let them know where she was.
‘How are you doing?’ she asked Becky, lowering that stern whisper to a softer version.
‘Alright I suppose. Only the tunnel is getting narrower and I don't know if we will be able to get much further. My shoulders are touching both sides, and it’s not just earth anymore, there are bloody rocks too. If we can’t get through, how the hell are we going to be able to get back with the dogs behind us?’ she asked, sounding quite worried.
‘You can feel that breeze coming from up ahead, right? So try staying focused and hope to God we can get through. If we can’t, well, Bruce and Solomon know how to crawl backwards, so I wouldn’t worry,’ Regina said, hoping that her words of encouragement made Becky feel better.
‘Can you message Kaine and Jenny and see how they are doing, please? I am worried about them,’ Becky requested.
‘Sorry darling. I am worried about them too, but I can’t. If he’s fighting and I message him, it could risk his life. Now if he messages us, then I will let you know, but I can’t message him.’
Regina winced suddenly at a sharp pain in her right elbow. Looking down, she could see it had a deep cut, and realized that she had just stupidly pushed up against one of the rocks Becky had warned her about.
‘Shit! That’s all I bloody needed,’ she muttered.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Oh nothing. A flint stone just sliced my elbow, and it’s bleeding quite badly. But don't worry, it will stop in a few minutes,’ she said.
Changing the subject, she said, ‘Hey on a brighter note, I think you might be able to understand my telepathic thoughts now. Wanna try?’ She hoped to keep their minds busy so that they wouldn’t dwell on their current situation.
‘Sure, but how? When you and Kaine messaged each other before, I felt nothing. Do you think I really can? It’s not too early, I mean, is it?’
‘Don’t know,’ she said, wondering about that herself.
Regina tried to remember back to when Kaine had saved her life all those years before. The memories were faded, but she could remember a few things.
After some time together, they had both figured out that they could communicate together by using their thoughts alone. The first time she had ever received anything telepathically was when they were making love and he was inside her. She had remembered hearing his soft seductive voice saying that he loved her, but realized his lips were not moving as she heard it. On various occasions, over the ensuing weeks, she had heard other sentences from him, and had been starting to question her own sanity. Then one day she had told him about it, deeply worried that he would just laugh and say that she had lost her mind or something. To her surprise though he hadn’t; quite the opposite, really. He had said that he was thinking he was going crazy himself, because the exact same thing was happening to him too.
She wondered how she would go about trying to get Becky to hear her thoughts though, knowing it would have to be by a different method than the one she had used with Kaine. Laughing inwardly, she thought, I’m sure as hell not going to be making love to her.
Regina considered the idea that it might be something lovers could have but no one else could, some kind of strange bonding between their minds or something. Thinking about it that way, she highly doubted whether Becky would be ever able to hear her thoughts. Then she suddenly remembered Arquin, that lying bastard that Kaine had killed for telepathically reading their minds. If he could do it, then she must be able to also.