Unhallowed Shadows

by Stefanos Kottas

  “This clown, Travis, he’s always such a pussy. He lets a little girl capture him and then he acts as if he was caught outside in the sun. Pft!” said dismissively one of the guards flanking the superior vampire.

  Erica could feel the bodies of all those around her relax, but not that of their leader. The vampire who had spoken before pressed on:

  “And now, he’s brought us to this dump. God, the stench in here is insufferable!” he exclaimed, waiving his palm before his nose.

  Erica had kept her eyes on the giant before her all the time and at that moment she saw his eyes widen, realizing this was a trap. She opened her fist, revealing a small device with a switch on it, which she flipped without hesitation. Fractions of a second later, explosives hidden along the perimeter of the room went off, engulfing the place in flames, causing at the same time a blast wave which sent boxes and cans flying everywhere. The boxes placed higher on the selves opened and tens of silver nails pierced the air, hitting everything in their path. Those who escaped the flames were peppered by nails. Only Erica was left unscathed, save for a couple of stray nails who had hit her, since the moment she threw the switch she immediately hugged the floor, covering her face with her hands.

  Of the nine vampires, six were instantly killed; their bodies reduced to ashes, scattered on the floor. At once, Erica jumped up and charged the remaining, bypassing the giant, who had dropped to the ground, as one of the explosive charges had detonated right next to him. The young vampire, armed with two silver daggers she had concealed on her body, stabbed one of these on the heart of the vampire closest to her. His body turned to a pile of ashes right before her eyes. With amazing speed, she threw the second one to the other survivor, who had been running towards the door. The dagger hit him on the back, dropping him, but failed to hit his heart. Smoke began rising from the spot where the blade had pierced his body.

  A massive boot landed on the weapon, burying it towards the heart. The stricken vampire turned to dust and Erica, stunned, looked at the giant who had executed his underling, while his body was still healing the wounds caused to it by the explosion.

  “I hate cowards. Nice trick; pity it will be your last”, he announced in a deep, grating voice.

  His body moved so quickly that, to the eyes of a human, it would have looked like it disappeared and the very next instance materialized right before her. He raised his hand and fiercely tried to strike her down, but Erica avoided the attack with ease. Immediately, the giant turned around and tried to hit her with the elbow of his other arm. He struck her hand, but despite his superhuman strength, it felt like he had hit a wall. Attempting another pivot, he threw a kick. Unable to parry or avoid the kick, Erica felt like she was hit by a train and flew back, yet she managed to land on her feet. She straightened up and got ready to receive the next blow. The giant, however, remained in his position, looking at her, curiously.

  “You’re a fresh one, I can sense it, I can smell it, and yet you blocked my strike and survived the next one as if it was nothing…”

  He was talking to himself, rather than addressing her. Carefully, he walked towards her.

  Erica summoned her powers and the shadows engulfed her. Fractions of a second later she materialized on the ashes of the vampire she had killed before and grabbed her dagger from the floor. With lightning speed, she threw it against the giant and run towards him. He dodged the flying blade as if it were the simplest thing in the world and charged her. He struck first, landing a resounding blow to her jaw, but Erica, ignoring the pain, kicked him on the knee. She was amazed when she saw that the giant didn’t even flinch. Before she could strike him with her arm, he had grabbed her and, as if she weighed nothing, threw her against the wall. Erica slammed on it and a couple of bricks loosened, cracking the stucco in several places. Before she had time to regain her strength, she felt the vampire’s hand grab her neck and one of her arms in a vice-like grip. She tried to strike back with her free hand but, despite her strength, the blow hardly seemed to affect her opponent. Her plan had failed, once again, and she could feel her anger boiling up inside her.

  The vampire had her pinned down, observing her calmly, but with intense curiosity. The weight of his body meant that she was unable to move, so Erica stopped struggling. The giant’s eyes focused on the tattoos on her lower arms.

  “The Order of the Silver Sun. I have to admit, I didn’t believe Travis but, then again, this doesn’t explain why you…exist. There’s something odd about you. Tell me, what is it that I’m feeling?”

  He squeezed her neck and Erica tried with all her might to stem the sense of panic threatening to flood her. She tried to speak but only a choking sound came out; the giant then slightly released his grip on her.

  “Lucas, isn’t it? You changed it, originally it was Selucu, right?” she asked and felt his hands squeezing her once more.

  “Correct, and I’m not impressed by your encyclopedic knowledge. I am known to your Order. I hardly think I’d be able to move around in this country without drawing attention, had my name been the same with that of an ancient Babylonian, wouldn’t you say? Now, speak!”

  He pulled her off the wall and immediately slammed her back against it. Her body was begging to lose consciousness. Blood seeped from her mouth, but she paid little attention; the pain was much worse.

  “I killed your creator”, she whispered.

  She waited for the next blow, which never came.

  Lucas was standing there, staring at here. His eyes were scanning her, betraying none of his thoughts. A moment that felt like an eternity passed and all the giant did was shake his head, as if he refused to believe it. Erica did not speak, she kept her eyes right on him, until the giant came into terms with the truth she had revealed to him.

  “How?” whispered Lucas eventually and Erica felt his massive body quiver, not with anger, but with sorrow.

  “He let me do it”, she said quietly and saw the surprise spreading in his expression. “I don’t know why”, she added, “but I’d like you to help me find out”.

  Lucas was left standing, looking at her, stunned, while Erica could see that he was processing the information she had given him. She had taken a crazy risk by coming here, but she was in dire need of allies. She loved history and knew of Selucu, also known as Lucas, who was based in Tower, responsible for keeping the order there, while serving as personal bodyguard to the best hacker available to the vampire camp. Erica had studied his history and knew he came from ancient Babylon, which made him a fairly old vampire, but not one of the Ancients. Having killed and inherited Naram-Sin, some things within her, some information came together and she knew that Selucu had been turned by that particular Ancient.

  Lucas took his hands off her and withdrew a couple of steps.

  “What do you want from me?” he asked, plainly.

  “Join me”, said Erica, taking a step towards him.

  “I cannot. I am ordered to stay here, guard that sad creature you have imprisoned in there”, he answered, pointing at the small room where Travis was.

  Erica said nothing, she just stared at him, surprised. “Who held the power to order about such a giant?” she wondered. As if he could hear her thoughts, Lucas replied:

  “One of the other Ancients captured my sister, some years ago. Naram-Sin had already withdrawn to his lair and refused to help me. I tried to locate her on my own, but failed and ever since I’ve been forced to do the bidding of a creature I’d rather kill. That is the reason I wasn’t there for Naram-Sin, when he needed me…”

  His voice trailed at the end of his sentence, as he was beginning to truly comprehend that his mentor was now gone. Despite the fact that Naram-Sin had declined to help him, Lucas felt nothing but love towards him.

  “I shall find her, and then you’ll help me”, Erica said, announcing her proposed deal. “Your creator had some plans for me and I intend to find out exactly what those plans were”.

  She made to move away, but Lucas stopped her.
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br />   “They won’t believe that you escaped without first defeating me”, he said.

  “Fine”, said Erica, more to herself. “Are there any others who know that you are here?” she asked him and when she got an affirmative answer, raised her arms and focused on her inner powers.

  The fire roared around the room, where flames where still burning from the earlier explosions, leaping and fanning out at once.

  “I wasn’t acting alone, a team of vampires ambushed you here and defeated you”, she told him and before the giant had the time to respond, she focused all her power on the blood in his head.

  She felt the energy within her dissipate entirely, but at the same time the giant’s eyes turned white and a tiny red cloud, like a bloody mist, came out of his nose and the massive body fell to the ground. Erica dropped on her knees; she was feeling completely exhausted, on the brink of collapse. She dragged her body to the study at the back of the church, while the flames were spreading around her. She knew that the building would collapse on them very soon, but she was confident that Lucas would survive. His body would be able to heal its wounds faster than the flames could hurt it. She could feel that he had drank blood recently, unlike her. She managed to reach the study; Travis was already standing at the door, staring at her. Their eyes crossed, but she had neither the strength, nor the will to stop him, should he attempt to escape. However, the hacker had heard them, that much was certain.

  He approached her, decisively, brought his arm under her shoulder and helped her to stand up. He wasn’t particularly strong, but he could help her get out of the church. Erica whispered weakly, thanking him, as they were walking away.

  Chapter 4

  Travis’ apartment was located on the top floor of a building in one of the seediest neighborhoods of Tower. The place was in such disarray that it managed to look even worse than it actually was, but Erica didn’t mind. She dropped on a couch, next to a pile of garbage she’d rather not discover where it had come from, her vision swimming. Travis run to the fridge, grabbed a bag he found in there and offered it to her.

  “Here, take it, it’s not the freshest juice, but it should help you”.

  Erica took a look at the item he was offering to her, a plastic bag filled with blood, probably stolen from some hospital. She mumbled her weak thanks and, without losing any more time, drained the contents in quick, hungry gulps. Immediately, she felt her powers replenishing. Travis shot her an apologetic look.

  “I’ve no more to give you…”

  “Don’t worry about it”, said Erica. “Thank you”.

  She looked him straight in the eye, to show him that she meant it and Travis, somewhat embarrassed, said nothing.

  “I have to ask you, though…why did you help me?” said Erica.

  Travis did not reply at first. He dug up a pen, almost magically, from within that dump of an apartment, and started turning it around his fingers. He clicked the pen several times and eventually, seemingly for lack of a better explanation, extended his arms at the room around him.

  “There’s just this one room, and a tiny bathroom over there, at the corner. There’s a kitchenette, too, where, while I was human, I could boil an egg or two, not that I could afford much more than that… The bathroom, did I mention that? Well, better not go in there… Anyhow, this place turns into an oven in the summer, in the winter it’s freezing in here and I couldn’t even afford to buy myself a decent blanket. When I became a vampire, I thought things would change: I thought I’d get money, power and better looks… the whole package! It turns out that my boss…well, let’s say he gives the word ‘stingy’ a whole new dimension. You, on the other hand, look like someone who should prove a much more generous employer, assuming you survive long enough!”

  Erica laughed, cast a look around and said, in a mocking but light-hearted tone:

  “Well, yes, at the very least you could afford a vacuum cleaner or a decent computer. I’d have expected to see better equipment in a hacker’s den!” she said, pointing at an old laptop, half-buried under a pile of dirty clothes.

  “Ah, no, no, nope, you’re mistaken in this”, answered Travis and jumped up.

  He went to the closet and began scratching at the wood on the bottom. A piece came off from the furniture and a small cache was revealed within. Travis pulled out a laptop which, from its looks alone, seemed to be much better than the one Erica has spotted before. He presented the machine to her with pride, like a child bursting with excitement about his new toy.

  “They have me covered with good equipment, no complaints there. But, in case things turn sour and the cops come bursting in, I keep this baby hidden. Either way, they won’t find anything useful in that bucket over there!”

  “Excellent. What would you say if we tried to make ourselves a bit of money, starting tomorrow?” suggested Erica and immediately saw the glow in Travis’ eyes.

  Their unlikely alliance had just begun. While the sun was rising outside, they went to sleep, each in their own corner, but with a common dream: to turn their luck around.

  On the other side of the planet, in Greece, some men were running down a narrow alley, in the dead of the night, cursing their fortunes.

  “Freeze, you bastard!”

  The shout was accompanied by the sound of a gunshot. The bullet hit the wall next to the man who was being chased, who redoubled his efforts and kept on running, while also shooting blindly with his gun towards his pursuers. The three policemen chasing him hugged the walls to avoid getting hit by some stray bullet, giving their man the chance to put some more distance between them.

  Marcos flew by his colleagues like an arrow, without slowing down. His gun was still nestled within its holster. He shot out of the alley, managed to track his man as he was running across the street and gave chase. He reached yet another alley, filled with garbage and trash cans. The man he was chasing had stopped to catch his breath but the moment he saw him he resumed his running, shooting at him a couple more times. Marcos was unfazed; the adrenaline of the chase had taken over.

  Now, they were fairly close, but the man dared not turn around to use again his gun. Desperate, he run as fast as he could, but could not gain an inch between them. Soon he reached the end of the alley, saw a fence there and tried to scale it. Marcos caught up with him. With a leap and a couple of svelte moves he managed to get over the fence and land on the opposite side at the same time his man was touching the ground. The man he had been chasing realized that it would be pointless to keep on running. He turned his gun towards Marcos, but the latter managed to swat it off his hands with a fast move. In a final, desperate attempt, the man drew a switchblade from his pocket, flipped it open and trained it against Marcos, trying to keep him at bay.

  “Stay back! Stay back!” he shouted, desperately.

  Ignoring his cries, Marcos approached him, determined. The man tried to stab him, but Marcos grabbed him by the arm and twisted it, forcing him to drop the switchblade. Wasting no time, he pulled him forward, making him lose his balance and drop to the ground. At once, with a well-placed kick to the face, he broke his nose.

  “That one’s for the woman you murdered”, he announced, as he proceeded to handcuff the man.

  With the chase over, Marcos leaned with his back on the fence and pulled the radio from his belt. He announced he had apprehended his target and only then did he stop to catch his breath. A sharp pain spread through his side and, looking down, he saw blood slowly staining his shirt.

  “Perfect…” he murmured.

  He sat down and waited for some patrol car to arrive and pick them up.

  She had woken up way before Travis; her body had fully healed much sooner. She could feel the sun outside, still shining bright, but she wanted to see it. She approached one of the drapes in the room, stained and faded, and slightly pulled it aside. The glass behind it was equally dull, but the sunrays easily pierced it. A little sunlight fell on her hand, which started to burn, but Erica ignored it and looked outside. It was
as if the entire world was on fire; the light was blinding her, incinerating any part of her body it fell on. She felt a scorching pain in the pupil of her eyes and immediately drew the curtain back, before she could harm herself any more. It bothered her that she couldn’t go out in the sun and enjoy its warmth, like she used to do while she was human.

  She sat on a chair in the room, waiting for Travis to wake up and, with some effort, managed to push away from her mind any ugly thoughts. Wishing to better concentrate, she attempted to meditate, the way they had taught her back at the Order. She folded her legs beneath her and placed her palms on them. She tried to focus on her breathing and the beating of her heart, but this only made matters worse. Her heart was beating slowly, lethargically, while she didn’t actually need oxygen. Annoyed, she got up and began pacing nervously around the small room. She looked at Travis, thought about waking him up but knew that she was bound to fail. Not knowing what else to do, she took another shot at meditating. This time, she cleared a small spot on the floor and sat there, cross-legged. Instead of focusing on her body, she turned her attention to a pleasant memory. She remembered the house at her father’s village, where she had spent a few summers, when she was a little girl. She allowed herself to become lost in that memory and, as if she was actually living the moment, felt that she was there. She walked down some stone steps, turned around and saw the house, an old, stone mansion. Vines extended along the stone, reaching up to the windows of the first floor. The external stone stair she had just climbed down connected the first floor of the mansion and the ground floor, which served primary as storage. From an open window, in a small room near the rear end of the building, she could hear her grandpa repair a pair of shoes; the rhythmic sound of the hammer he was using to nail down the soles, echoed in that tiny little workshop of his. She could smell the rich aroma coming from the tens of leather shoes her grandfather kept in his collection, hanging from the walls. Erica walked on and turned around the corner, towards the road which extended along the back of the house, leading to the garden they kept there. She crossed a path among the tall corns and reached a large and impressive well, which they used to water the plants. A massive fig tree was right there beside it, its thick branches, heavy with leaves and fruit, blocking the sunlight, creating a cool shadow. Before the well, right on the ground, were some thin and long pieces of wood, the size of a small walking stick. She took one of them and floated it on the water of the well, which reached almost up to the rim. She caught it from its end and moved it about; her imagination transforming it into a huge and powerful ship. Soon she grew tired of it and looked hungrily at the figs hanging temptingly above her. She tried to reach the lower ones but couldn’t make it; the fruit were too high up for her. Undaunted, she stepped on the rim of the well, balancing on the stones, as she attempted once again to reach one of the figs. Still, she couldn’t make it. At that moment, she heard her grandpa’s footsteps, as he was walking towards her, and she smiled. She reached up, standing on her toes, knowing that even if she fell her grandfather would catch her. Her fingertips closed around the fig and with a cry of joy she pulled it down, cutting it from the tree. At the same time she felt the hands of her grandfather closing around her waist, pulling her towards him. She started laughing, happily, and turned to look at him, but instead of the sweet and kindly face she was expecting to see, she saw that of Naram-Sin. His eyes were the blackest of black and his face horribly scarred. “Watch out!” she heard him warn her.