Indulgence

by Liz Crowe

  I used all of my will power to pull in my senses, to gain some self control. Pretty quickly all of the minute details faded into complete pictures and the ruckus in my ears was replaced with the breeze and crickets, and another noise. Heavy footsteps were clunking down my staircase at a slow pace. I stuck my nose in the air and caught a whiff of a pungent, earthy smell. It was the same scent I had picked up right before I slipped into meditation.

  “Well, well, well,” a raspy voice rang from the stairs, one heavy footstep following another. “Look who I found.”

  The figure emerged from the foyer, his black, glass-like eyes leading the way.

  “Lucious,” I hissed. His menacing figure stood at the edge of the foyer, his bitter scent filled my nostrils. His long black hair cascaded over his shoulders which were cloaked in a long black coat. He stepped forward and a glimmer of the rising sun illuminated his silhouette. His build was strong and muscular and tall, an ominous combination considering the feral expression his face wore. His eyes were a frightening shade of black, like coal. It was like looking into the depths of nothingness.

  “You know who I am?” Lucious asked sarcastically.

  I stood up, fireplace bricks crumbling around me. The scrapes on my arms from my fall down the ravine were gone except for a few pink scars which were rapidly disappearing. Venom from my fresh cuts from my trip into the fireplace, courtesy of my uninvited guest, was stinging in their place. But I felt better than I had before; I had some of my strength back, so I must have gotten just enough rest. But looking at Lucious, I wasn’t sure if I would have enough stamina to outrun him or the strength to take him on in a fight.

  This visit couldn’t be good news for me after the promise he and his mate, Delilah, announced at the Halloween party. He was here for me. He was going to kill me.

  “I would ask what you want,” I boldly stated, trying to give the impression I wasn’t afraid, “but I already know.”

  Lucious chuckled. He stepped down into the living room and walked towards the kitchen. “I am surprised to find you here alone, Allison. That is your name, right?” He threw his head over his shoulder when he said my name and then looked away like he wasn’t the least bit interested in me.

  I turned my body as Lucious walked into the kitchen but didn’t respond to his question.

  “You have my sincerest regret that we were not formally introduced before, well,” he turned to face me across the kitchen counter, “before all this.” Lucious pointed at the fireplace.

  I said nothing, not knowing where Lucious was going with this conversation. Instead, my mind clicked ahead, assessing my situation. How was I going to fight Lucious? He was so much bigger than me. And not only that, I hadn’t been in a fight since becoming a vampire. Heck I was never in a fight as a mortal, how was I going to know what to do?

  Lucious walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. As he walked in front of me, the couch the only separation between us, he stuck his nose in the air and took a long sniff.

  “You smell even sweeter since he changed you.” Lucious walked next to me and grabbed my chin. “Tell me Allison, why did Vincent transform you?”

  I stared down at the ground, wishing my body would go into attack mode so my armored skin would protect me.

  “Answer the question!” Lucious yelled, his voice thundering through my tiny house.

  I jerked my head up. “I don’t know,” I said with a surprising amount of calmness.

  Lucious stepped closer and pressed his face next to mine. “I’ll tell you why,” he snarled. He grabbed my throat with his left hand and slowly, effortlessly, hoisted me in the air. My body clenched in fear and all I could think was that I was going to die in this moment. I grabbed his one hand with both of mine hoping for some relief.

  “Because he knew you had no chance against me as a mortal,” Lucious snarled. I grabbed at his leather cloaked arm, hitting it, hoping it would release me. Lucious chuckled, maybe at my feeble effort or maybe at the thoughts running through his head. “And by changing you, he thought you might have a chance to fight me off!” Lucious exclaimed as he threw me across the room into the wall. His laughter filled the house.

  I landed on the ground and gasped for air. I grabbed my neck, rubbing it for relief. I scanned the room looking for a way out of the house. I had to get Lucious out in the open if I wanted any chance at winning this battle. But with my last trip across the room, I was further away from the door, my only escape.

  Lucious bent lower, his head even with mine though he was still across the room. “Where is your dear boyfriend Vincent?” he growled.

  “He isn’t my boyfriend,” I choked out.

  “Oh, I see. Trouble in paradise?” Lucious walked slowly towards me, kicking a framed picture of me and Vincent that I had thrown earlier.

  “Something like that,” I said. Springing to my feet, I grabbed the fireplace poker that was lying on the ground and charged Lucious. I drew my right hand back, holding the poker like a spear, and aimed for my enemy’s throat. I leapt in the air and as I did, Lucious let out an evil laugh. He caught the spear with me still holding on to it and tossed me into the kitchen.

  “Is that all you have?” he cackled through his laughter. “Allison, you are going to have to try harder than that.”

  Lucious continued laughing as I darted out the broken door. The cool morning air was not welcome against my icy flesh. The sun was starting to rise in the east so I headed west, where it was still a bit darker. I leapt over the shrubs that bordered the woods, ran a few paces and came upon a huge tree. I scaled it and perched myself on a branch. I couldn’t see Lucious but I could still smell him. I stooped there in silence for what seemed like an eternity until his harsh voice broke through the morning air.

  “Come out, come out where ever you are,” Lucious sang in a slow, wicked tone.

  I closed my eyes to allow my ears to concentrate on the sounds in the woods. I heard a branch snap to my left and turned to look. I strained my eyes but couldn’t see anything. I closed my eyes again hoping to concentrate like Max had taught me on our hunting trip. I let my ears concentrate on my surroundings. I could hear his footsteps in the distance. There was no mistaking it was Lucious; no one else lived remotely close to my house. I kept my eyes closed and could hear each slow and methodical step he took looking for his prey; looking for me. Then he stopped. I kept my eyes closed. He wasn’t moving but I could hear his breathing. He must be trying to trick me, to make me believe he left the woods so I would come out. I slowly opened my eyes, each diminutive detail of my surroundings presented in front of me. It was the visual equivalent of the thousands of radios I had heard when Lucious woke me from my mediation. I let my sense of smell guide my eyes to my target. There he was off in the distance. Lucious was casually leaning against a tree picking at his nails. He either wasn’t taking this seriously or was overly confident that his ploy was going to work.

  I pushed myself to the edge of the branch, my eyes never leaving my attacker. I gingerly pushed myself from the branch, and landed on another branch on the tree in front of me. Lucious didn’t move. I did it again, quietly moving to a tree closer to my target and again, he didn’t hear me. I repeated this a few times until I was closer to Lucious, yet still too far away for my normal vision to see him. I quietly scaled down the tree. I was going to have to do something here. I couldn’t run because Lucious would hear that and besides, he could pick up my scent and follow me. There was no escape; I had to face my enemy head on.

  I felt the pit in my stomach flare up and the back of my throat burn with desire for another meal. Nothing seemingly wanted to go my way. Not only did I have to escape Lucious and his planned demise for my existence, but I also had the need for another hunt. Nice timing.

  I paused at the base of the tree, readying myself for the attack and then his voice cut through the morning air.

  “You smell just like him, you know,” Lucious stated.

  I froze. Lucious stood by th
e tree playing with his nails like he was uninterested in the situation. “Just like Cain and the rest of his family. Did your new friends tell you about your long lost ancestors?” He looked up and appeared to look straight at me though I had no way of knowing if he could actually see me. “But your scent is stronger. Why is that, Allison?”

  A chill went down my spine as my enemy spoke my name.

  “It’s a shame really,” he continued, standing straight up, “that you are one of his. It’s such a shame to have to rid this world of such a beautiful vampire.” A half hearted smile spread across his lips and he leapt out of view. My eyes scanned the woods for him but I couldn’t find him. I could smell him, so I knew he was still near.

  “You don’t have to kill me, Lucious,” I yelled, hoping for a reply so I could determine the direction he had gone. “I have no issue with you.” Part of me was really hoping that Lucious would just take me up on that and leave me alone, but I knew better.

  His wicked laughter rang through the forest. “You may not have issue with me,” his voice sounded like it was coming from all directions, “but I have issue with your great ancestor that left me for dead…twice,” he sneered. “And for that, all of his descendants must pay the ultimate price.”

  Two feet landed with a heavy thud several yards behind me. I whirled around. Lucious stood there, his jacket gone. He wore a high necked, skin tight white t-shirt over tight black denim pants. His arms were covered in tattoos which caught my attention but I didn’t have time to analyze them. I instinctively crouched, a low growl grumbling in my stomach. Lucious assumed the same stance; his upper lip curled back revealing his teeth which glistened with venom. I dug deep for some energy and pushed off the ground and ran towards Lucious. He ran towards me as well. The growl in my belly bubbled up my through my throat and out of my mouth which coincided with a giant leap off the ground. Lucious leapt in the air as well. Mid-jump, I felt my skin harden into my protective armor.

  I collided with Lucious in mid-air. It sounded like two cars crashing into each other, metal on metal. The clanking rang throughout the forest and the valley below us. I wrapped my hands around his neck as we fell to the ground and quickly realized this was no ordinary t-shirt that Lucious was wearing. The high necked collar was made of metal, a protective covering for his Achilles heel.

  We rolled over the forest floor. Lucious rolled on top of me and straddled my chest. He easily pulled my hands from around his neck and pinned my arms to my side. He laughed a sinister laugh as he read the expression on my face at my realization of what was around his neck. He slowly wrapped his left hand around my neck and sneered, “You really didn’t think it would be that easy, now did you?”

  I gasped for air as I flailed my legs trying any way to get Lucious off of me. He threw his head back in laughter, the sound clattering through the valley. He calmed down and dropped his head to look at me. Something in his eyes had changed. They weren’t coal black. His eyes had a red tint to them and gleamed like gems. It took me a moment but I realized I had seen these eyes before. They were the same as those of the serpent in the garden. The black turned into red, a harrowing sight against Lucious’s ghastly expression and stark black hair. He drew his lips back and the long fangs slowly protruded. I could now understand how my prey felt before an attack.

  Lucious threw his head back and lunged for my neck and in doing so loosened his stance. I shook my arms free, grabbed his arms and kicked him over my head. He landed against a thick tree with a thunderous sound and slid down the trunk, bark falling around him. I sprang to my feet and assumed my fighting stance.

  “Oh,” he purred. “You do have a little fight in you.”

  “Come on,” I hissed, curling the fingers on both of my hands, inviting him forward. “Let’s get on with this.”

  We both let out growls as we charged each other. This time I lifted Lucious overhead and heaved him into a boulder. Another deafening sound echoed through the air. My strength surprised me and apparently surprised Lucious too.

  “You are much stronger than I expected,” he said as he lifted a hand to touch his bloody lip. “Especially for an infant.”

  I charged at him and lunged in the air, one leg extended at my target. But before I could deliver the kick to his chest, Lucious grabbed my leg. It was as if I had frozen in midair for the briefest of moments, and then fell crashing to the forest floor on my back. The fallen leaves didn’t provide much of a cushion.

  Lucious pounced on top of me and we rolled around in the dirt and leaves. He again pinned me on my back, his red eyes blazing with hatred and the venom flowing through his veins. He shoved his hand towards my neck so I shifted my head to cover the only vulnerable part on my body. I used my left hand to push on Lucious’s neck. I clawed at the metal collar, barely able to discern it from Lucious’ armored skin. I knew that I had to remove this contraption if I had any hope of seeing nightfall.

  Lucious grabbed both of my hands, stood up and whipped me across the forest. I somersaulted through the air and landed flat footed on the ground. It seemed I was getting more coordinated as this fight progressed. Lucious looked perplexed as I stared through the trees at him. I ran towards him, leapt towards a branch, flipped myself around it and planted a kick square in his chest. I amazed myself with my power after seeing how far I had kicked him. I ran towards him again and sat on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Lucious hissed and writhed beneath me as I tried removing the metal brace, the only thing between me and my existence.

  “You’ll never get that off,” Lucious uttered through labored breath. “You aren’t strong enough for that.”

  “Never say never,” I replied and winked at him as I pulled a chunk of the metal loose.

  Lucious looked shocked that I had the strength to break through what he thought was an impenetrable collar. I shoved my hand towards his neck to take another piece, my confidence growing at the realization that I could defeat him, and as I did, he let out a deep growl and shoved me off of him. I went sailing through the air and as I landed on the ground, Lucious landed on top of me. He threw his head back letting out another snarl and I responded with a deep rumble of my own. Our roars echoed through the ridge like clapping thunder. Lucious turned his head to look at me, his lips curled back, his fangs protruding from his mouth. I held his chin with my left hand as I used my right to claw at the band around his neck. I pulled off another chunk and tauntingly waved it in his face. Another growl bellowed from deep within him; his eyes more piercing than before.

  I kicked Lucious off me and he landed in a clearing where the rising sun covered half of the forest floor. I walked over to him and planted a foot into his jaw which sent blood and venom flying. His venom hit the dry leaves, instantly igniting a smoldering fire. I grabbed Lucious by what was left of his protective collar and dragged him to the part of the clearing where the sun was shining. I knew the sun wouldn’t kill him, but it would inflict some serious pain, maybe even give me the upper hand in this fight.

  I sat on his chest and slowly pushed his upper body into the sun’s rays. Lucious rolled his eyes back to look at what was coming and panic washed over his face.

  “Nooooooooooo,” he yelled. He knew what was about to happen and it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

  The sun slowly washed over his ashen face and as it did, pain became apparent. Lucious’ body shook violently. He tried to buck me off of him but I held steadfast. I grabbed the collar and yanked on it. A growl billowed from my stomach as I exerted my energy in attempting to free the collar from his neck. Lucious thrashed with pain as the sun boiled the venom in his blood. His body jerked violently and he was cursing me in a language I didn’t understand. But I focused all of my attention on the collar wondering if it would ever come free. The sun burned my hands as well; I felt the venom beginning to simmer underneath my icy skin. I eased my grip for the slightest of moments trying to muster more strength and then tugged on it again.

  A loud snap rang through the air. As the colla
r gave, I tumbled backwards from the amount of power I had used to break the protective shield. Lucious rolled out of the sunlight and gasped for breath, trying to recover from his boiling blood. I sprang to my feet. I had Lucious where I wanted him.

  I lunged at him, flying effortlessly through the air. As I was about to land on him, he pulled his knees to his chest and threw a kick with both legs that hit me in the chest, reeling me back from where I had just come. I crashed into a fallen tree but immediately popped back up ready to fight. Lucious was crouched across the clearing from me.

  “Let’s go little girl,” Lucious summoned.

  “You’re all mine old man,” I hissed in return.

  We ran towards each other, clashing in the air again like two metal boulders colliding. Our hands interlocked and we twisted each other’s hands outwards like we were playing a game of mercy. Both of our arms shook as we tried to overpower the other but I was gaining the upper hand. I was overpowering Lucious.

  Lucious fell to his knees as I twisted harder. He wrinkled his nose in pain as he continued to quiver. I briefly turned his wrists up, providing momentary relief for him, and then sharply twisted them back, snapping both. Lucious let out an agonizing howl. I pulled him to his feet and towards me and head butted him, sending him into a tree. Lucious was dazed. I could see in his eyes the reflection of the fire burning behind me. It was like looking into the fiery depths of hell. I marched up to him and grabbed him by the neck, as he had done earlier to me. I hoisted him high above me.

  “Good riddance,” I snarled and dug my nails into his neck. His venomous blood spilled over my hand and stung my skin. The pain was too much to bear so I dropped his limp body to the ground; he struggled for breath as he choked on his own blood. I hovered over him and finished the job. I sunk my teeth into his neck and took a bite, ripping his life line from his body. Venom spilled over onto the ground, singeing the fall leaves.