Immortal Consequences

by Steven Sterup

  “Do it!” Ra shouted indignantly. “Mom will have no choice but to believe me now.”

  “Mom is dead,” Kal said with confusion. His grip lessened on his brother.

  Kal could see the sadness on Ra’s face. This could not be faked. Ra hadn’t known about their mother’s death.

  “You killed mom?” Ra asked and his voice sounded weak. “You were her baby. She was always on your side. She didn’t even believe me when I told her you killed dad. She couldn’t imagine it. Why would you kill her?”

  Kal released his grip.

  “You spoke to mom?” Kal asked. Something was very wrong with all of this. Suddenly Kal believed his brother. “You really didn’t kill dad?”

  “No! I didn’t kill dad!” Ra shouted indignantly while he rubbed his neck.

  “You didn’t kill mom?” Kal asked.

  “Why would I kill either of them? I loved them!” Ra shouted. Kal could see the tears in Ra’s eyes. He was telling the truth.

  “But El said you and dad hated each other,” Kal stated. None of this made any sense.

  “That’s your problem right there,” Ra said. “Since the moment you could speak you’ve been eating out of her hand.”

  “El has always had my back. She even helped me explain all this to Bree,” Kal said while he opened his arms widely.

  “The only one El cares about is El,” Ra said with anger.

  “You don’t think she…?” Kal started to ask.

  “Now that I’ve had a chance to finally talk to you it’s pretty clear that you didn’t kill dad. That only leaves her,” Ra said without a second thought. Then a look of understanding spread over Ra. “Why didn’t I see this before? She played us. Made you think I killed dad, made me think you killed dad. It’s just like her.”

  “And mom?” Kal asked.

  “El hated mom. To mom’s face she was sweet and innocent but every chance she got she undermined mom.” The look on Ra’s was pure disgust. Kal wasn’t sure what to believe. “Am I the only one who can see what El really is?”

  “What is she?” Kal asked.

  “She’s psychotic!” Ra exclaimed.

  “She was so happy that Bree was pregnant,” Kal stated. He was grasping at straws now and he knew it but it was his big sister they were talking about. She had always been there for him.

  “Of course she was. She probably had some plan to use Bree or your baby against you. That’s what she does. Wake up Kal,” Ra said and he saw the fear on Kal’s face. “What is it?”

  “Someone has been trying to kill Bree,” Kal said. “They threw a tree through our window tonight.”

  “Oh shit!” Ra shouted then took off sprinting toward the inn.

  Kal took off after him. Ra was incredibly fast for someone with a broken leg. It was probably already healing but Kal couldn’t keep up. In minutes Ra was at the inn and up in Bree’s room. A minute later Kal raced in, winded. Ra sat on the bed and stared at the floor, which was covered in bark and branches. He had his head in his hands and after a moment Kal realized what Ra was staring at.

  On top of the pile of bark and branches was a note written in blood.

  I assumed you two would figure this out centuries ago. Just goes to show you. I gave you too much credit. I have Bree and, when I’m ready, I’ll make my demands. Have a happy reunion in the meantime.

  Love,

  Elyssa

  P.S. Yes, this is Bree’s blood. Tastes like shit but it does make good ink.

  Kal couldn’t stop his transformation if he had wanted to. He slammed his gargoyle fist through the wall. When he pulled it back half the wall fell around him.

  Ra stood up and slowly walked toward Kal. He looked peaceful and calm. He put his arm on Kal’s shoulder and spoke softly.

  “Do you really want to get Bree’s sister killed?” Ra asked. He raised his eyebrows and stared at his little brother. “Because that’s what’s going to happen. She is going to run in here to see what made that noise, see you, then the council will have her executed.”

  Kal looked at Ra with guilt. He transformed back and seconds later Leanne came flying into the room.

  “What the hell is going on?! It looks like a bomb went off in here!” Leanne shouted. “First Bree takes off with your sister and doesn’t even bother to explain. Then…” Kal cut her off. He grabbed her shoulders and shouted at her.

  “Did she say anything?! Did my sister say anything?!” Kal was losing his mind. There had to be some clue. He couldn’t just sit around and wait for Elyssa to make a move.

  Ra walked up to them and put one hand on Kal’s shoulder then one hand on Leanne’s.

  “You’ll have to excuse my brother,” Kal said. He wanted to sound calm but firm. Kal’s level of urgency was not helping. Kal removed his hands then put them on his head and paced over the mess on the floor. “Bree has been abducted. What did you hear them say?”

  “That woman?” Leanne gasped and put her hands to her mouth.

  “That woman is our sister. That’s true but she’s unstable,” Ra explained.

  “Will she hurt Bree?” Leanne asked, full of fright.

  “Maybe. That’s why we need to find her as quickly as possible,” Ra stated.

  “Oh shit! Oh shit! What did they say?” Leanne asked herself while she crossed her arms, deep in thought.

  “Take your time. El is unstable but she won’t hurt Bree right away. We need to do this correctly.” Ra shot a scornful look at Kal. “No rushing into anything.”

  Kal waved Ra’s suggestion away to show that he was paying attention but continued to pace nervously.

  “Bree told me…umm…she said she was heading home to grab some things,” Leanne said proudly.

  “Let’s go!” Kal said and headed toward the door. Ra put out his arm and stopped him.

  “Let’s hear everything first,” Ra said to his brother who went back to pacing. “Anything else? Did Elyssa say anything?”

  “Oh Wait! Yes! She said something under her breath to Bree as they were leaving!” Leanne looked so proud of herself so Ra gave her a comforting smile. “It was a little strange. Maybe I didn’t hear it correctly.”

  “Just tell us what you remember,” Ra urged her.

  “She said ‘You will bring Kal to his knees. Something no one has ever done before.’” Leanne shifted uncomfortably. “I thought they were joking around. I didn’t think…”

  “And why would you?” Ra asked and brushed his hand across her hair. “It’s ok Leanne. Our sister is certifiable. It’s not your fault.”

  “Please bring her back,” Leanne said then looked at Kal. “I’m so sorry Kal. I can’t even imagine.”

  “It’s not your fault Leanne,” Kal said, though he struggled to control himself. Despite his anger, it really wasn’t Leanne’s fault. It was El’s!

  Ra escorted Leanne out of the room, his arm across her shoulders.

  “Just board up the door. Kal and I will worry about how to pay for it,” Ra comforted.

  “I don’t really care about the room,” Leanne said. “We’ll worry about that later. You need to find Bree.”

  Kal walked out of the room and handed Leanne a check.

  “This should cover most of it. If you need more, just let me know,” Kal said then headed down the stairs, deep in thought.

  Leanne looked at the check and her eyes grew huge.

  “Fifty thousand dollars?! There’s no way it will cost that much! I can’t take this!” Leanne shouted after Kal but he wasn’t listening.

  “Use what you need. You can always return the rest. Apparently my brother has done well for himself,” Ra said with a grin then followed Kal.

  When Ra caught up to his brother Kal was getting into his car.

  “You really going to drive in this?” Ra asked as he held his hands up. The snow was coming down faster. There was nearly six inches on the ground and there was no sign of it letting up.

  “What’s the worst that will happen? I get in a car wreck?” Kal aske
d then got in and slammed the door. Kal tried to turn over the engine but it was now below zero. His car wasn’t used to this weather and neither was his battery.

  Ra knocked on the window so Kal opened his door.

  “Wait until the snow plows come. We’ll find our way to the airport and beat her to Salvon. You’re not helping anyone if you have to walk.” Ra could see that he wasn’t getting through to Kal so he changed tactics. “She can’t risk taking Bree on a plane. She can’t risk her being seen by anyone. But…” he paused and smiled. “She will not risk harming Bree. Not until she has a way to stop you. I can’t even beat you. She’s crazy not stupid.”

  “What are you saying?” Kal asked and popped the hood. He got out, made his way to the front then opened the hood. Ra could tell by the way Kal stared at the engine that Kal had no idea what he was looking for.

  “The battery is dead because it’s cold. It has to be twenty below out here. You just can’t feel it,” Ra explained.

  Kal turned and looked at his brother full of desperation.

  “Bree is out in this. What if…” Kal started.

  “El isn’t stupid. If Bree dies. You’ll tear her apart. She has a plan. A plan that ensures Bree is completely safe until she can trap you somehow.” Ra’s confidence was contagious. Kal loosened up a little.

  “What if El didn’t plan on the snow? What if they are stuck in a car somewhere? Bree isn’t like us. She’ll freeze to death.” Kal was adamant but so was Ra.

  “You can hate me if you like. I don’t blame you but I will not be a part of getting Bree killed. She has done nothing to deserve this besides love you. And don’t get me started about my nephew or niece. I can’t stop El on my own, she’s nearly the same age as I am and much sneakier. So I will not be a part of you running off with a head full of steam and half a stupid plan.” Ra looked at Kal and could tell that his little brother was still ready to race off into a snowstorm blindly. “Fine! You want to go running off on your own?! Which way did they go? Did they go north or south? Did El drive a truck or a car? Did El stop at a hotel because it’s too cold for Bree? Did El try to trip us up by heading east to a town and wait us out? Did she head west to end up in a different state before she headed to Salvon?” His questions finally make Kal see reason. They had absolutely no idea where El was. Walking around blindly in a snowstorm, which was nearly a blizzard, would only waste time.

  “Fine,” Kal relented.

  Ra put his arm over Kal’s shoulders and ushered him back inside. At the doorway Ra stopped and grinned.

  “El is right about one thing,” Ra said.

  “What’s that?” Kal asked.

  “That hundred and ten pound woman is the first person who has ever been able to bring you to your knees. Someday I hope I find that,” Ra said and continued inside.

  Chapter 14

  Elyssa drove slowly behind the snowplow. The car she had stolen wasn’t a newer car like Kal’s but it also wasn’t equipped for weather like this. In fact, she wasn’t sure the heater was working correctly. Bree looked like she was freezing but she couldn’t pass the snow plow because her tires couldn’t handle the slick roads. Following it was her only hope of making it to a hotel or even someone’s house. Bree wouldn’t last long in this freezing weather and that would seal Elyssa’s fate.

  The heater was going full blast but Bree was still shivering. Although Elyssa couldn’t feel the cold, one look at Bree told her that there was very little heat coming from it. Every few seconds Elyssa looked over at her passenger nervously.

  “Stay awake Bree,” Elyssa urged her.

  “Why are you doing this?” Bree asked but it was clear she was freezing.

  “Let me tell you a story,” Elyssa said. “Just don’t fall asleep.”

  “I’ll try,” Bree said and squeezed her thin jacket around herself while she shivered.

  “I was once a princess. My mother and father were king and queen of the world. They took their power and I loved every minute of it. Our family was a force to be reckoned with. No one dared defy us. But then my parents decided a monarchy was archaic.” The way she said parents enforced her hatred for them. “They gave away their power. My father, one of the most feared men in the entire world, just gave up.”

  “So you’re going to kill me because you have daddy issues?” Bree asked with a laugh. She pulled her jacket tighter and shivered again.

  “No, you idiot! Just listen!” Elyssa chastised. “Eventually my father was voted president but it was just a title. Leader of a large council. It had power but nothing compared to what we used to have. I was a damn princess!”

  Elyssa reached over and slapped Bree on the face.

  “Stay awake damn it!” Elyssa shouted but the fear in her voice was evident. “Now pay attention. Not only, was my father now the leader of an ineffective group of elderly vampires, I was nothing. No one cowered at the mention of my name. People smiled and waved at me. Me. Elyssa! They fucking waved at me!”

  “So?” Bree asked as her eyes drooped and her body shivered.

  “That was just the beginning. All this indignity then HE was born!” Elyssa said with disgust. “That little brat. The baby. Kal.”

  “So it’s not daddy issues it’s abandonment issues,” Bree said, her eyes could barely remain open.

  “No! You’re not understanding! He took everything that belonged to me. People feared him from the moment he was born. But that’s not all. Even though they feared him they respected him. Kal brought this man to justice. Kal killed this rogue vampire. Kal the terrible. Kal the beloved. Kal. Everything was Kal!” Elyssa ranted while Bree sunk deeper into unconsciousness.

  Elyssa saw that Bree wasn’t going to make it much longer then she saw the lights in the distance.

  “Hold on Bree. Don’t you die on me,” Elyssa said and floored it. She slid precariously by the snow plow and headed straight for the lights. She didn’t care if it was a gas station. It had heat. Heat Bree desperately needed.

  In minutes Elyssa slide her car into the parking lot of a hotel and side swiped a car but she didn’t care. She threw her door open, grabbed Bree and busted through the door of one of the rooms. She quickly deposited Bree, fully clothed, into the tub then started the water running. The water felt warm to Elyssa’s hand but she couldn’t be sure. Vampires didn’t feel temperature like humans did. Maybe it was too hot.

  A man came rushing to the broken door with a shotgun. He pointed at Elyssa and she smiled back at him. Soon her smile turned deadly as her fangs descended.

  “Just what I was looking for. A thermometer,” she said and lunged at the man. He managed to get one shot off, which hit Elyssa in the stomach, but it didn’t stop her. She grabbed the poor man and ripped his coat sleeve off. When she had him in the bathroom she thrust his arm under the running water.

  “Is this too hot?” she asked.

  “What?!” the man screamed in terror.

  “IS THE WATER TOO HOT?!” she shouted at him and he cowered.

  “It’s cold,” he said fearfully.

  “Fix it!” she said loudly.

  The man adjusted the nobs until the water was sufficiently warm. He shook from fear but he had no choice. He had just shot this monster and it didn’t even phase her.

  “Will that warm her up?” Elyssa asked the cowering man and he nodded fearfully.

  “I thinks so,” he stuttered. “Who is she?”

  “More important than you are,” Elyssa said angrily.

  Elyssa paced just outside of the bathroom while the man watched over Bree for several minutes. He desperately wanted to run but there was nowhere to go.

  “How did this happen?” the man was finally brave enough to ask.

  “I don’t know,” Elyssa said. “Humans are fragile.”

  “She seems to be ok now. Should I get her out?” the man asked. He reached for Bree.

  “Don’t you fucking touch her!” Elyssa shouted and in a flash she had her hands on the man’s throat.

 
“I was just going to wrap her in blankets and get her dry. Her lips aren’t blue anymore. That’s a good sign,” he groveled.

  Elyssa released his throat and thought for a second then an evil grin spread.

  “Where do you live?” she asked.

  “I’m the manager. I live in the house over there,” he said and pointed out the door. Elyssa could see a small house at the edge of the string of hotel rooms.

  “Keys,” Elyssa demanded.

  “What?” the man asked.

  “KEYS!” Elyssa shouted. After the cowering man handed her the keys Elyssa smiled. “Are you hard of hearing or something?”

  “No,” the man admitted.

  “Do you have blankets and a heater in your house?” Elyssa asked calmly.

  “Yes. I can make sure she is well cared for,” he offered.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Elyssa said then picked him up by his throat and sunk her teeth into his artery.

  She could feel the gunshot in her stomach healing as she drained the man’s blood. He tried to struggle but it was useless. In less than a minute the only evidence she had been shot was her bloody clothing. She tossed the dead man, his lifeless body hit the wall then slumped in the corner.

  Elyssa drained the water then grabbed blankets from the beds in the room and wrapped Bree up. As quickly as she could, she rushed to the dead man’s house and up the stairs to his bedroom. Then Elyssa removed all of Bree’s soaking wet clothes and placed her gently in the man’s bed then piled blankets on top of her.

  While Bree lay on the bed sleeping Elyssa watched over her like a hawk. She was exhausted but she couldn’t sleep. Not until she was sure Bree was safe. This fragile creature was the only thing stopping her little brother from tearing her limbs off. And now that her plan was underway, she was certain he would do just that, if he got the chance.

  Chapter 15

  When Bree woke it was morning. She was naked and in a strange place. Then the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. She pulled the covers up to her chin and peered around the room. Was this situation to keep her from running? No sane person would run out into the middle of a blizzard while completely naked. As her eyes adjusted to the light in the room she noticed Elyssa slumped in a chair, partially covered in shadows. She was covered in blood and there was a hole in her shirt the size of a softball.