Curse of the Asuune

by Jr Steven Sterup

  “What?! Why?!” Agnus thought she knew some of what was going on but needed Mark to say it so she could be sure.

  “She thinks she is the mistake. God is punishing her for all those people she killed by making her love a partner that she can’t have. I think I pushed her over the edge by reminding her of Jen’s death. She feel’s guilty that she couldn’t stop it. She is going to her father to have him kill her. I love her, I don’t care if she has a partner set out for her. I can’t just let her kill herself. And I don’t care if you tell her and she never talks to me again, I can live with that. I couldn’t live with myself if she dies because of something I said.” Mark fidgeted hoping that Agnus would move now but she looked more furious than before.

  “You, fucking idiot!” Agnus yelled. Mark couldn’t believe what was coming out of Agnus’s mouth. “You absolutely have to be the most clueless person I have ever met! IT’S YOU!”

  “What?” Mark’s urgency fell away.

  “She loves you!” Agnus yelled as she walked closer to Mark. “She’s known it was you since she showed up at your wedding rehearsal. She has tortured herself beside you every day for the last twenty years because she thought she deserved it for her sins. And you fucking let her think you didn’t love her?! She left because she decided that you would never love her!”

  Mark stood there unsure of what to say. This was wonderful and horrible at the same time. Sarah did love him but she would be dead soon. Mark took a chance, he sprinted at the door and tried to side step Agnus but she took him down like he was a kindergartener. With one quick movement she had him by the chest and against the wall.

  “I’m not about to let you go blindly chasing after her only to get you and her both killed!” Agnus turned and then threw Mark across the room. Thankfully he landed in the middle of the floor and didn’t damage a single chair, table or even upset a book. Mark was certain Agnus had planned it that way. She wouldn’t dare destroy any of these priceless texts and he wouldn’t be forgiven if he had damaged any of them. They were probably more important to her than his life, only Charles could overshadow her passion for these books.

  “Here is what you are going to do.” Agnus said sternly as she again walked closer to him. “You are going to translate these books like Sarah’s life depends on it and you are going to find a loophole or some kind of holy SOMETHING that can be used against vampires!” Agnus wasn’t speaking with the clarity she usually had. She was very upset with Mark and the anger clouded her judgment as well as her ability to speak. “You ARE going to find something to get my sister out of there. Father won’t kill her, not right away, he will torture her. So you think about THAT while you try to find a way to save her. She is in there, being tortured, because you weren’t smart enough to figure out that she was talking about you!” Agnus clenched her fists and shook them at Mark. She could barely contain her anger. “GET BUSY!” She yelled then walked out and slammed the door behind her.

  Charles turned to Mark, he was clearly upset, but not as much as Agnus.

  “You better fix this or no one will be able to save you from her. I’ve never seen her this angry. If Sarah dies, you better run.” Charles then followed his wife.

  Mark sat there for a second going over everything. He was Sarah’s chosen, her partner, her one. How was this possible? How had he been so blind that he didn’t see it? She was being tortured and probably going to die because of him. He needed to work fast. He couldn’t sit around wallowing in self-pity. Sarah needed him to find a way to fight the vampires.

  Chapter 13

  Sarah slowly walked up to the large office building. She looked up at it as she stood at the doorway. Her father sat up there somewhere on the higher floors. Every Asuune knew where to find Samael. Her father didn’t hide like Sariel, he had no reason to hide. He was an Archangel, or at least he had been before he betrayed God. It would take another Archangel to kill him and even if they tried, Samael had been known as the angel of death. He was a formidable warrior. Only three of his brothers, Michael, Lucifer or Gabriel could ever hope to defeat him.

  Sarah took a deep breath as she opened the doors. This was what she deserved. God had given her a chance to repent for what she had done and she thought it had worked. Only now did she realize that she needed to do more. She needed to come for judgment and who better than her father, the angel of death, to release her soul for judgement. He would kill her and then God would decide if she belonged in heaven or hell. She just hoped that she had done enough to repent for her vast sins that God could somehow find a way to forgive her.

  She made her way up the first few flights of stairs before she encountered any vampires. The humans at the front desk and the ones guarding the stairs to her father’s office had no idea who she really was, they only knew that she was Samael’s daughter. The vampires on the other hand hissed at her and one even swung his sword at her throat, stopping just as it touched her skin.

  “I’m here for judgement,” Sarah said as she raised her chin. It didn’t matter who killed her. Her real fate would be decided by God not by them nor her father.

  Hearing this the vampires all stepped back. They were not about to be the one to explain to Samael how they had killed his unarmed daughter.

  At the top of the stairs Sarah readied herself as she opened the door. This wasn’t going to be pleasant. Her father hated all his disobedient children. Samael wasn’t in league with The Beast as some of his fallen brothers were, but he detested humans. He thought them weak willed and Godless creatures who didn’t deserve his father’s love and he was going to prove it to his father.

  Sarah walked across what looked like it had once been a board room. Now it had a blood red carpet that led to a large throne. Sitting on the throne was her father in a business suit. He was a large man, not as large as Charles but at least six foot two. Samael’s human form, the one he had been banished to, did him justice. He looked like a warrior even in human form. His face was hard and leathery, his eyes were silver, cold and uncaring. His hair was long, down the middle of his back, straight and black.

  Sarah fell to her knees with her head bowed as she reached the throne.

  “Father, I’m here for judgement. My sins are many. I ask that you make it swift so that I might know God’s decision.” Sarah said not raising her eyes even once. She was afraid, very afraid of her father but the fear she felt for God’s decision outweighed this. She didn’t want to go to hell but she was ready to do whatever God wanted. She had given up.

  “Ceralin, I never expected to see you again,” Samael spat at her.

  “I’m ready for judgement,” Sarah pleaded again.

  “Now why would I give you that release? You have killed many humans. Thousands, I would guess. What makes you think you are worthy to even speak to my father, let alone be judged by him. You were given this curse to show you how unworthy you truly are.”

  “But father, surely God wishes for us to try and do better. I have done bad things but I have also done good. I just hope that he will see that my sins are outweighed by the work I have done in his name.” Sarah still did not lift her eyes from the floor.

  “My duty is to punish pathetic creatures who decide their will is more important than God’s. You may get your judgement eventually but for now you will pay the price for your arrogance.” Samael motioned to one of the guards at a side door in the office. “Take her to a cell.” Samael turned back to his prostrated daughter. “You will remain there until father begins judgement day. Only then will you know your judgement, daughter.”

  “NO! Father please!” Sarah begged. “Kill me!” Samael just turned his face away from her, disgusted by her weakness.

  “What shall we do to her, Samael?” one of the guards asked.

  “Teach her the price for her sins,” Samael ordered.

  Tears fell from Sarah’s eyes, she didn’t struggle and she didn’t try to escape. She deserved this and much worse for disappointing God.

  Chapter 14

 
After a few days of trying to escape Mark finally gave up. No matter where he went either Agnus or Charles was watching him. There was no way he could leave. With some thought and some, not so kind, words from Agnus Mark finally accepted that what he was trying to do would only end in Sarah’s death. They had no way to fight the vampires. They were forbidden from killing.

  Two weeks after Sarah had left, Mark was no closer to finding a solution. He began to hate himself for what he had done but how was he supposed to know that Sarah was talking about him? These thoughts plagued him and he often found it hard to concentrate. He spent every waking hour either researching old texts about vampires or training with Charles. Eventually Mark started training with Agnus. After a long discussion about how it wouldn’t help Sarah, Mark rebutted with the fact that he may need to fight the vampires to get Sarah out so Agnus relented. She taught Mark every fighting style she could think of and Mark got pretty good at all of them. If it came down to skill and speed Mark could hold his own with Agnus, if somehow Agnus forced him to fight with pure strength, she could still take him.

  After one of these training sessions Mark headed back to the library. It was nearly dark but Mark had taken to staying at the library until one or two in the morning, then rising at dawn to start it all over again. He couldn’t take time to sleep more than was necessary and he had no time for social interaction. Sarah was being tortured because of him.

  Mark grew frustrated and tossed the book across the room. This book had looked promising but ended up being a parable about a vampire who died in God’s light. It had no factual basis to back it up and God’s light was not something he could take to Samael’s office. Mark had spent a great deal of time looking over the blueprints for Samael’s office. Samael was on the twelfth floor and Sarah, most likely, was on the same floor. It looked like the perfect spot for a prison and Agnus assured Mark that Sarah would be kept in some kind of prison that specialized in torture.

  “Another wasted day!” Mark shouted at himself. He had been certain that this book was the one with the answers he needed but he was sadly disappointed. Then Mark had a thought. God didn’t speak to humans anymore but maybe God could give him a sign. God still did that right? He pondered how to ask for a sign then gave up when he decided that God wouldn’t give a sign to an Asuune, he was only partially human. Maybe he just needed time to think.

  Mark reached over and turned on the radio. It was on Katie’s favorite station still and Mark thought maybe the quiet conversation about God might help him relax. Sometimes he had his best inspiration when he wasn’t actively thinking about the task at hand.

  The radio host was in the middle of taking calls from listeners. The woman who had just finished had a question about forgiving her husband who had cheated on her forty years ago. The host gave the woman some advice that seemed to placate the woman and she thanked him before hanging up. The next man had a more serious religious question and it caught Mark’s attention.

  “This is Anthony, your host. What’s your name and how can I help you today?” Anthony said in a calm, fatherly voice.

  “My name is Burt and I have a question about the Ten Commandments.” Burt said in an apprehensive voice.

  “What’s your question Burt?” Anthony asked kindly.

  “Recently I was home with my wife and ten month old son. We were having a nice dinner when a man came to the door. He said he was there to fix my dishwasher which was on the fritz. I thought it was strange because, even though we had called a repair man, it was seven o’clock at night.” Burt began.

  “I’m with you so far Burt, keep going.” Anthony really was a good listener, he knew exactly what to say and how to phrase it to keep information coming in.

  “Well the man pulled a gun and held it to my wife’s head. He told me to get all the money I had and he would let us live.” Burt continued.

  “I’m so sorry Burt, that must have been horrible,” Anthony chimed in.

  “Yes, it was. As soon as I gave him all the cash and whatever my wife had in her purse he started to act strange. I could see from the look on his face that he was going to kill us. I told him that I would give him my pin number to my credit card and he could take out nearly five thousand dollars if he just left now but he started sweating and shaking. He told us he couldn’t let us live, we had seen his face. He pointed the gun at me and I reacted. My wife got knocked to the floor and I ended up on top of the man. We struggled for the gun and it went off. It hit him in the head and he died immediately. People have praised my quick thinking and bravery for attacking the man before he could kill us but my question is. Why do I feel so guilty? How does God feel about breaking this commandment? Am I going to hell?” Burt trailed off but Anthony was quick to respond.

  “Give me a second here Burt, there is a passage in the bible that I think can answer your question. But first let me say that it is natural to feel this way. You took a man’s life. You can never give that back. This doesn’t mean that you made the wrong choice. It is never a good idea to let bad things happen. Think of the parable Jesus told about the Good Samaritan. All those people, good, holy people passed that poor man by. It was the least likely of people that helped the poor man and Jesus admired him for it. This doesn’t exactly address your issue but there are many more instances of God telling us that doing nothing is the same a sin.” Anthony paused for a moment then returned. “Yes, my assistant has found the verse that more closely addresses your situation. Let me read it to you.”

  “Exodus 22:2-3 2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. Now this to me means that it’s acceptable to defend yourself and your family but seeking retribution afterward is a sin. Now listen carefully the sixth commandment says thou shalt not murder and murder is defined as the premeditated act of taking another person’s life. This means that it’s ok to defend yourself with deadly force if necessary and God will forgive you but by no means take this death lightly. Every life is precious. This is Anthony…”

  Mark’s concentration dwindled and he started thinking about what the host had said. Mark jumped from his chair and nearly knocked it over. He sprinted to Agnus’s house. Nearly out of breath he knocked on the door. It took a few minutes for Agnus to come to the door

  “What is it Mark?” Agnus asked sleepily from the doorway as she opened it. Mark hadn’t realized it but it was nearly eleven at night.

  “I found it! I know how we can fight back!” Mark shouted. Charles could be heard upstairs, his large frame walking across the floor and down the steps.

  “What?” Agnus asked, confused.

  “In the original text of the first bible. What does the sixth commandment say exactly?” Mark asked excited.

  “The sixth? Um…thou shalt not murder,” Agnus replied.

  “EXACTLY! Thou shalt not murder,” Mark said sure of himself.

  “So?” Agnus asked. Charles had made his way down the steps now.

  “What’s up, Mark?” Charles asked sleepy-eyed.

  “We can’t kill the vampires but we can defend ourselves, with deadly force if necessary,” Mark said to Charles.

  Agnus stood there deep in thought. Mark had a point. The newer translations of the bible say ‘Thou shalt not kill’ but the older original texts say ‘Thou shalt not murder”.

  “But if you go there intending to kill them is that murder?” Agnus asked.

  “I’m not going there to kill them. I’m going there to free Sarah. I will give them a chance. I won’t be the first to draw my blade but if they attack me I will defend myself. It’s their choice in the end.” Mark could barely contain himself.

  “Ok, Mark, in the morning we will get some supplies and the three of us will head to Samael’s office. If they don’t attack us we’ll leave them alone and walk out of there with Sarah.” Agnus rubbed her eyes as she spoke.

  “Good work, man,” Charles added.

/>   “Night,” Mark said as he tried to walk calmly to his house. As soon as the door to Agnus’s house was shut Mark took off in a sprint again. He rushed into his house and shoved a few days clothing and some food into a back pack and then headed out. This was his mess, he wasn’t going to risk Agnus and Charles to clean up his mess.

  Mark’s sprinting turned to jogging after a while then walking as he got far away from town. He wasn’t a super hero, he did get tired, he just needed to hit the next town and catch a bus or something before anyone realized he was missing. As Mark walked along the road, the next town’s lights shining ahead of him, he looked up at the sky.

  “Thank you, I hoped you were listening,” Mark said with reverence.

  Chapter 15

  Mark spent two days switching buses and waiting at bus stops before he finally arrived at the city where Samael’s office was. This city was twice the size of the one Mark used to call home, but finding Samael’s office was easy. Samael was in the tallest building in the city, it could be seen for miles, Stallion Entertainment. This company specialized in streaming movies. Mark wondered as he walked along the busy streets leading to the office, did Samael use this company to further his goals? Samael wanted to prove to his father that humans were worthless creatures. Did he somehow use his powerful media company to this end? What a perfect way for an angel to show his father how easily corruptible humans are.

  When Mark finally got close enough to the building he saw the giant logo out front. The Stallion Entertainment logo was of a beige horse with a flowing white mane. The thing must have been thirty feet high and the doors to the entrance were right below it. Mark wasn’t sure how he was going to handle this. He needed to confront Samael. He could beat him. It was for Sarah, he had to at least try.

  Mark walked under the large pale horse and into the lobby. There were many people milling around, security guards, executives and other people. None of them were vampires, they all smelled human, quite a few of them very dirty, but very human. Mark made his way to the front desk and a nice younger woman, who didn’t smell half as bad as the rest of them, asked if she could help him.