by R. M. Garcia
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t think. Nothing makes sense. This letter, I don’t understand,” Donnie said as he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. It was her suicide note. He opened it and read it out loud.
Mom and Dad, I’m sorry but the pressure at school is too much. I dropped out. I can’t face you knowing how much you would be disappointed in me. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. Please tell Donnie he didn’t do anything wrong and that I am sorry. I love you all so much.
Abbie
“You lied to me. You promised me on the beach that you wouldn’t leave me,” Donnie said erupting into tears. He had held them pent up all day. “A heartbeat away, do you remember?” Donnie asked. “What am I supposed to do now? I don’t have the heart to go on, because I gave it to you.” Donnie continued to sob uncontrollably. The strain of the day had finally caught up to him, and he collapsed. He fell forward and landed on top of the fresh dirt mound covering Abbie’s grave. This was too much for Abbie to bear; she lost her composure and called out to him from within her casket, “Donnie!”
“Abbie . . .” Donnie replied to her call and lost consciousness. She covered up her mouth and sobbed. Misha and Cecilia got to him and carried him away. After they had gone, she wailed and thrashed about inside the casket in anger. The strain of the last few days had left her broken, both mentally and physically. At least she had achieved her immediate task, and everyone she cared for would be safe.
After recovering from the shock of Donnie’s words, she began to think. Stefan had told her to run and that they would be coming for her and Hulderich, but she didn’t know exactly why. She was safe down here for the moment, but she was already feeling a little peckish, so she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay down in the grave long. She decided to wait until nightfall and then dig herself out. The casket tore apart easily enough under her newfound strength, and she was able to emerge from the earth easily. She looked around and felt a small jolt of hunger. It was like a predatory switch. Whenever she became hungry, her senses would sharpen to help her track down blood. She got a whiff of something in the air; the caretaker was nearby.
She moved across the cemetery in a blur of motion. She had sight of him now and began to close. She was less than one hundred feet away when she hit what felt like a wall. For some reason, she could not enter that part of the cemetery. She ran along the invisible barrier, but no matter where she tried, she couldn’t pass. Then she remembered something. The manual warned about entering sanctified ground like cemeteries and churches. She would be forced to abandon this prey and look elsewhere. She ran to a local park and looked around. There were a lot of people here. She searched around for a possible victim, and then she got a hold of herself.
What am I doing? There are children here, she thought and sat down by a tree. She sat there, trying to control the hunger for several hours, but it was getting harder. Her nose caught a scent. She looked down right next to her. A fat tabby cat stared up at her and meowed. The pudgy cat was obviously a house pet as made apparent by its collar. “Boots” made for a quick yet satisfying snack.
After draining the cat of every last drop of blood, Abbie tore off its head and threw the remains into a nearby bush. She could finally think straight, and she began to think about the manual again. Stefan was right. It was an invaluable tool, and she remembered that she had left it at her house. She needed to retrieve it. If her parents found it, they would be in trouble once again. She moved at once. She arrived at her house and found that there were mourners there, but the upstairs was dark. She snuck around to the side of the house and climbed up to her window and entered her room. She packed a bag of clothes and retrieved the manual. She needed to be quiet and quick; any mistakes could expose her and subsequently expose her family to further danger. When she was ready, she plotted her next course of action. She needed to run, but run where? She decided to find a secluded place and wait for her executioners to find her. She knew the perfect spot to meet her end. After making a morsel out of a neighbor’s poodle, she began her long run.
Abbie had been at the spot for a few nights. She was now starving. The occasional fish or snake that she caught and drained was not giving her enough nourishment. She had hoped to catch a seal or a dolphin, but there had been none around. While swimming and looking for prey, she heard a tremendous ruckus. She looked back to the beach house and saw headlights hanging over the edge of the cliff. She looked closer and recognized the car. It was Donnie’s car. She ran as fast as she could in her weakened condition to him. When she spotted him lying in the sand, she cried out to him, “Donnie!” To her horror, she found him, battered and broken on the beach below. He had hundreds of small cuts all over his body and was surrounded by glass. Her hunting instinct kicked in, but she forced it back. She knelt beside him and worried about his condition.
“Abbie, are you an angel?” Donnie asked weakly.
“No, Donnie. Please hang on! Please!” she screamed. She looked him over and could hear the irregular beats of his heart. He was gravely injured.
“It’s OK,” he said. “You’re alive. So I must be trading my life for yours.”
“Donnie, you’re not making any sense! Just hang on, don’t leave me,” Abbie cried out. He must have been delusional now. She had no clue what he was talking about.
“Spirits . . . trade . . . your life . . . I love . . . you,” Donnie said struggling to breathe with every word.
“You’re not going to die, just hang on!” Abbie urged. He was growing weaker with every breath, and Abbie had no idea what to do. He closed his eyes and went limp.
“Donnie! Donnie! Donnie!” Abbie screamed and shook him. Donnie woke momentary and violently coughed up blood. It landed on Abbie’s face.
“Check . . . pocket,” he said. The blood ran down her face, dripped into her mouth, and it assailed her nostrils. She went blood crazed and violently sunk her fangs into Donnie’s neck. The taste of his blood was warm and intoxicating like the sweetest of chocolates. Gradually, she felt his heart slow and finally stopped beating. She continued to drink and drink, until there was no blood left in him. The last few seconds of life, his body convulsed and then surrendered. When she finally stopped drinking, Donnie was dead.
Abbie gasped and recoiled from the body. She was mortified at what she had just done. She was now gorged, and Donnie was dead by her hand. She began to shake uncontrollably and wept. No tears came down her face as the last remnants of them had been used up days ago. She knew she would never shed another tear ever again. She went back over to him and clutched him close to her. She placed his head gently in her lap and stroked his brow. He was so cold now. She began to weep once again. This was the place where they truly fell in love, and now it was the place where she had killed that same love. She could only rock him back and forth now.
She looked down at his hand. She saw that he was still grasping something inside his pants pocket. He said something about pocket before she had fed on him. Abbie reached inside and pulled out an engraved blue handkerchief. It was folded over and had something inside. She began to unfold the piece of cloth. She could see that it had tribal markings on it. As she opened it, something shiny fell out and landed on Donnie’s chest. She had seen the ring before. It had belonged to his mother, but it was the cloth that overwhelmed her. Engraved within it in gold, it simply read.
I LOVE YOU
I want to spend my life with you
Will you MARRY ME?
Did I mention I LOVE YOU?
The engraving tore her to her very core. She wanted to die. Why had the executioners taken so long to find her? She felt sick and began to dry heave, but a vampire’s body reluctantly gives up any blood, and nothing came up. She fell over and balled. She screamed into the night air as loud as she could, but nothing helped her ease the pain she was now feeling. When the sun came up, she picked up his body and took him inside the house. She decided that she would bury him in the sand tomorrow night. She would watch over him and
pay him the same respect he had showed her. This was one of his favorite spots after all. The daysleep was coming upon her, and she was getting sleepy. Every vampire went into a comatose state right near dawn. The manual failed to explain why; it just simply said that it happened. She laid him in the bed and lay next to him. She had covered the windows to stop any sunlight entering. Before she fell asleep, she put on the ring, which had been fitted to her size and spoke to him.
“Yes, Donnie, I would have gladly married you,” she said, embracing him as she fell asleep. When Abbie woke the next evening, Donnie was gone. She got up and looked around the small cottage, but he was not inside. The door was ajar, and she was sure that she had closed it the morning prior. She walked out and found him. He was sitting in a circle he had drawn in the sand. She could hear him chanting.
“Donnie?” Abbie said. Donnie turned in a flash and smiled. He ran to her and picked her up and spun her around as he laughed and cried.
“It worked. I don’t know how or for how long, but it worked,” Donnie said.
“Donnie, what are you talking about, and how are you alive?” Abbie asked.
“The spirits, they answered my prayers and brought you back to me!” Donnie said, finally putting Abbie down.
“Donnie, I think you are confused, and I am too. The spirits didn’t do anything. I don’t think.”
“They brought me here to you. They asked me if I would be willing to trade my life for yours, and I said yes,” Donnie explained excitedly.
“They brought you here?” Abbie was confused.
“Yes, my spirit guide, Punu.” Donnie looked up into the sky and yelled, “Thank you, Punu! He brought me here. I think I died.” Then Donnie said in one long utterance, “Then I woke up, and you were next to me, but you were dead, so I wasn’t sure what I did wrong, so I started praying again, and you came back to life.”
“Oh, Donnie, I have to tell you what happened.” Abbie looked into his eyes and began to explain.
“Abbie, your eyes,” he said as he looked deeply into them.
“What about them?”
“They are blue now, a crystal clear blue.”
“Yes, well, I can explain that . . .” but Donnie stopped her by planting a passionate kiss on her. He held her tightly as if he was about to lose her again.
“I don’t care. I have you in my arms again. I am not letting you go ever again.” Abbie tightened her grip around him and placed her head on her favorite spot on his chest. His heart was no longer beating, “Forever.”
“You and me,” he said.
“So touching, but I am afraid that I must disagree,” a voice said from behind them. They both whirled around to find a tall man standing a few feet from them.
“You again? What do you want with me?” Donnie asked.
“I could care less about you, boy,” Hulderich replied. “I am here for my bloodchild.”
“Donnie, this is Hulderich,” she informed. “He’s my creator, for lack of a better word.”
“Well, whoever he is, what does he want with you?” Donnie asked.
“I explained Stefan’s treachery to the Führer, but he has also received a false account from that ungrateful cur. The only chance I have to save myself is to turn you over to the Führer,” Hulderich said. “If you collaborate my side of the story and tell him that we were tricked, he may allow me to live.”
“What about me?” Abbie asked.
“Your life is already forfeit. You might as well help me get revenge on Stefan,” Hulderich said. “The Führer would never allow your blood to corrupt our noble line.”
“Abbie, what is going on?” Donnie was utterly befuddled.
“Boy! What Bloodline do you come from?” Hulderich asked.
“I’m not sure what you mean by that,” he replied.
“A Foundling? Stay out of my affair, or I will destroy you,” Hulderich threatened.
“No, he is from our Bloodline. I think I made him,” Abbie said defensively.
“Impossible! He can’t be a Reich Foundling. It’s not possible. Stop lying, Abigail, as it will only make me angrier,” Hulderich warned. He wondered if she was telling the truth, but the boy’s appearance had remained the same.
“Well, I am not going anywhere with you. You can go to hell!” Abbie yelled . “If you aren’t going to try to help me too, you can share my fate.”
“Abbie, I don’t understand any of this,” Donnie said.
“Just stand back, Donnie,” Abbie said, pushing him behind her.
“So you intend to fight me. So brave, you would have made a formidable prodigy,” Hulderich said proudly. “I can drag you back to Florida, willing or not.” Hulderich lunged forward. Abbie matched his movements and sprung forward.
CHAPTER 20
The Storm
DONNIE’S TENSION LEVEL rose significantly as the situation escalated. Abbie was in front of him and was guarding him against the old tall bum. He was not sure what was going on, but Abbie and the old man, who he now knew as Hulderich, were getting ready to square off for some unknown reason. To make things worse, a storm front rapidly enveloped the area. The winds picked up and so did the moisture in the air. Abbie leaped forward and attacked Hulderich, and he was still not sure what he was witnessing. Abbie delivered three swift punches to Hulderich’s abdomen; each blow drove him back several feet. He countered with a sweeping back hand that sent Abbie flying back into an exterior wall of the cottage. Wood splintered under the force of her impact. Donnie moved forward to help Abbie, but she looked to him, and he froze in his place at what he saw next. “Stay back, Donnie!” she yelled to him with her fangs bared. Donnie stared in disbelief as she bounded forward yet again. Hulderich was ready for her this time and caught her in mid-leap by her throat. He bared his fangs at Abbie as she struggled against him.
“Foolish girl, you have no chance against me, yield!” Hulderich ordered.
“No! I will not! I . . .” Abbie said as she struggled. Hulderich slammed her in into the sand repeatedly, and then pinned her in place, and then delivered several blows to her chest with his free hand. With each blow, Donnie could hear Abbie wince in pain as her bones shattered. The action was fast, almost too fast for normal eyes to follow, but Donnie found that he was able to see everything clearly. He began to move to help her.
“No, Donnie, stay back!” she cried out from the sand.
“That’s good advice, boy,” Hulderich said as he stood up. Abbie began to get to her feet, but Hulderich delivered a vicious kick to her head. The force of his boot drove her through the cottage wall, and she ended up in the kitchen. Donnie moved to the hole and spotted Abbie; she was trying to get up but collapsed onto the floor. Donnie had enough!
Donnie began moving toward Hulderich, “Hey, asshole, how about picking on someone your own size?!” There was a flash of lightning overhead. For a brief moment, it was as bright as any day. Hulderich was eerily standing in the sand, and his smile reminded him of pure evil. The skies opened up, and an immense downpour began. The winds raged and howled with angry tones. The rain seemed to be coming from every direction as the wind violently pushed it around.
“Very well, I don’t need you alive,” Hulderich said and charged at Donnie.
“Bring it!” he yelled back and moved forward. Hulderich took several swings, and Donnie evaded them easily. He performed flips and rolls that kept him away from Hulderich’s strikes. He realized that he was much faster now. Hulderich’s swings seemed to be coming at him in slow motion, and even the rain seemed to be falling slower. He took a few swings of his own on Hulderich. The old man was obviously an experienced pugilist and blocked the attacks easily. He continued to trade swings with Hulderich, and neither had yet to land a blow.
“You are quite good, boy. Your speed is impressive, but your skill is lacking,” Hulderich complimented and could see why Stefan had not been able to catch him. His agility as a human had been extraordinary, but now it was like trying to catch lightning itself. Donnie said
nothing in response and continued to swing. It had been years since he tried to hit anyone. He had a few boxing lessons with his father but nothing to hurt anyone intentionally. “Easily countered,” Hulderich said as he grabbed one of Donnie’s arms after a missed swing. Hulderich turned and performed a judo throw and hurled Donnie like a missile into the rock face wall. The cliff had been softened from a solid structure to a muddy pasty wall by the steady steam of water. He hit the earth with his back, and he was embedded in the mud wall and was instantly held fast. He started pulling himself free, but Hulderich was moving quickly toward him. The shock wave the throw created had also been enough to dislodge the Karmann Ghia high above, and it began to fall. Donnie looked up and could see his car cherry-red convertible falling toward him. He flinched at the last moment, expecting the weight of the car to strike him, but the car never hit the ground. When Donnie opened his eyes, he saw that Hulderich had caught it and was holding it aloft. He could not believe Hulderich was holding up the car so effortlessly, much less that he caught it as if it had been nothing more than a football.
“Such a shame to destroy a fine piece of German engineering, but you are interfering, and I cannot permit this any further.” Hulderich hoisted the car high and began to slam down the car on Donnie’s immobilized body. He pulled his arms back, readying himself to deliver the final blow, when he himself was struck. He was hurled several hundred feet down the beach after being struck by a refrigerator that had been hurled at him with incredible force. The car fell to the sand below, and Donnie could now see Abbie standing in the gaping hole in the side of the cottage.