A Shade of Halloween

by Robin Todd

  “I... um... don’t... understand.” I mumbled. “Ryan?”

  He cut me off before I could ask any more questions.

  “What’s so difficult to understand?” He snapped. “How does it feel to be made an idiot by someone you believed you could trust?”

  A combination of confusion and fear hit me like a wave crashing unto a sandy shore. What was he trying to say? I knew it was Halloween’s day and people tried to prank others but he didn’t sound like he was kidding.

  “Ryan?” I croaked again, hoping he would just stop with the acting because he was really beginning to scare me.

  “It’s Ros!” He snapped.

  My eyes widened and my legs seemed to buckle under my weight. The walls of the cathedral immediately felt like they were closing in on me. I didn’t understand the combination of feelings I was experiencing but I knew what the mixture produced - FEAR.

  I took a step back as a confused frown plastered itself on my face. My only instinct was to run back outside and I tried to do so. He was right in front of me before I could complete the movement. His hand wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air supply. It was in that moment I knew for sure that he wasn’t kidding.

  This was Ros Soille... and I had been fooled.

  I couldn’t believe it. I told him I loved him. I gave him my body. My virginity. My special prize for the love of my life. Tears flooded my eyes but not only because he was squeezing my windpipe. I was hurt, emotionally shattered and completely confused. My mouth opened but no words came out. All I could do was gag and kick at him.

  “How could I not have known?”

  I thought about all the times I had dreamt of Ryan – the real Ryan telling me I was with Ros, begging me to let him in and I didn’t. I felt myself being lifted off the ground as he continued to squeeze my neck. Once my body was suspended in the air, I felt the quick movement. I had been thrown through the air and my body slammed into the wall in the corner opposite the door. My head hit the wall with so much force, I was shocked I didn’t pass out immediately.

  “I told you I made arrangements for this place. I actually did. Just not the type you were expecting.” He sneered.

  I didn’t need to ask what he meant because cold air slammed me from every side and in less than thirty seconds, I was shivering.

  “You know something, Selena? I’m very disappointed in you. Really. Is this the best you can do? I expected you to at least put up a fight. You did in every other lifetime.” He taunted.

  I would have put up a fight if I was in any condition to do so. My head felt like it was expanding and contracting repeatedly and every movement was extremely painful. I thought if I could just focus my mind, maybe the real Ryan would be able to reach me. I didn’t even know what I was going to tell him if he did. The only thing I could think of was HELP.

  With the cold around me and the ringing pain in my head, focusing on anything was impossible. I couldn’t get my mind blank. It was completely filled with pain and horror.

  “You know, I’m even more disappointed in my brother. I expected him to at least show up and try to stop me. It doesn’t matter if he’s going to end up watching me drain the life out of his pathetic little human slut. Don’t you think he should have been man enough to show up? But guess what? He’s not here. He failed to find you -  in yet another lifetime. I really don’t know why you picked him over me. Is he good at anything other than ravishing you?”

  I was still very confused. Perhaps if the cathedral wasn’t so cold, I would have been able to think of something... anything to help me get away.

  “Shall we?” He asked, walking up to me with a satisfied grin.

  I didn’t need to ask what he wanted. He picked me up and held my right hand out in front of me. Then he pushed my pinky all the way back until I heard a snap. A ringing pain overwhelmed me and I screamed out loud. I tried to pull my hand out of his grip but he was too strong. I didn’t know which was worse. The pain from my finger or the biting cold my entire body was exposed to.

  “How did I describe it in the book again? Can you remind me?” He asked. “Oh. I know. I’m going to break every little cheating bone in your worthless body and I hope my brother still finds you desirable after that.” He gave me a wicked grin.

  “Come on, don’t act so surprised. Who did you think wrote the Selena Ryder book? Someone who cared enough to try and save you from me? Please!” He taunted.

  I couldn’t believe it. He wrote the Selena Ryder book? That revelation was the least of my worries. I needed to find a way out of there. I couldn’t give up and let him break any other bone in my body. I could barely handle the pain from the first one, along with the bitter, numbing cold.

  “I don’t think this place is cold enough.” He said, picking me up and throwing me against another wall.

  This time, it was my back that impacted the stone structure. I let out a cry of pain as my body slumped unto the pile of scattered wood around me. That was when I thought of it. Wood! If there was anything I knew about vampires, it was the fact that a wooden stake through their hearts would kill them. It was the best chance I had of saving myself from the despicable death that awaited me. I looked around for any piece that had a pointed end and while he was distracted with decreasing the temperature in the cathedral, I picked one up and hid it in my dress. I knew he was much faster than me, so my best option was to wait for him to come to me. Perhaps if he picked me up again to throw me against a wall, I would drive the wood into his heart with all my might. It was the only plan I could think of at the time and I believed it was a good plan. Ros turned around and smirked once he made the cathedral even colder.

  “Who’s the idiot now?” He asked, moving towards me with unnatural speed.

  He grabbed me by the neck again and when I was in the air, I brought out the stake hidden by my side and aimed straight for his heart. He caught my arm easily and laughed.

  “Was this your grand plan? Your heroic escape?” He taunted me in a cold, sarcastic voice. “What were you thinking? That I’ll be distracted enough not to hear you drag your clumsy body on the ground to pick this stupid stick up? What even makes you feel a stupid stick will do anything to hurt me?”

  All the blood drained from my face along with any trace of hope I had at the possibility of my survival.

  “I asked you a question. Who’s the idiot now?” He yelled, smacking me across the face and throwing my body against another wall.

  This time, he flung me with a lot more force than all the other times. When my body bounced off the wall, I fell at an uncomfortable angle and twisted my ankle. The pain that rang through my body was numbing. I had no idea why I still felt the pain. I should have passed out by now. Why on earth was I still awake in the freezing cold, while my body was getting tossed into walls like a ball?

  Ros moved towards me with his enhanced speed and I closed my eyes while waiting for his impact. I could no longer cry or scream. The cold was too numbing for me to move. Even breathing had become a chore and I felt like I was having frostbite on my fingers.

  I heard a crashing sound and then a thud – but it wasn’t my body hitting anything. I could hear the whoosh sound of objects moving very fast. When I managed to drag my eyelids open, all I saw was a blur. I couldn’t make anything out but it looked like Ros was being fought off by someone just as fast as him. That was when I realized why all I could see was the blur. Ros was indeed being fought off but it was happening way too fast for my eyes to capture the images. The biting cold was beginning to reduce, like someone turned off whatever cooling system Ros was using to freeze me in the cathedral. The next thing I heard was a whisper – Someone was whispering my name. At first, I thought I imagined it but the person was persistent. With each whisper, the blur of fighting vampires moved closer to me and somehow moved further away again. I could hear loud punching sounds and angry screams but it was happening too fast for me to see.

  “Selena...”

  I heard it one more time and t
urned my eyes in the direction of the sound. I could make out the facial outline of the person calling my name - but the image was too blurred for me to actually recognize who it was.

  Whoever it was ran to me and began pulling me away from the fighting blur.

  “You’re going to be okay.” I heard the person say, as they continued to pull me towards an exit. I was completely overwhelmed. In my heart I was thankful to whoever it was but I couldn’t even speak to thank them. I held on to my consciousness by a thin thread, as we neared an exit that was different from the one Ros brought me in through. I was half way through the exit when I heard the guttural scream of pain from the person who was pulling me out. I barely saw the person falling but I heard the thud. The whoosh and whirling sound of fast moving wind surrounded me right after that. I tried so hard to figure out what was going on but I couldn’t. The communication between my mind and body had been severed. I laid helplessly on the ground in a barely conscious pile, just as darkness enveloped me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Omniscient POV

  “Trina?” Ryan whispered, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.

  Trina stretched and yawned, shifting into a more comfortable position as her body stirred awake.

  “Hey, buddy.” Ryan said, giving her a sad smile.

  “Good morning.” She whispered, smiling back at him. “What’s with the half smile?”

  “My trip down Selena’s memory didn’t go too well.” He replied.

  Trina immediately sat up on the bed as realization set in.

  “Holy crap! It’s Halloween’s day.” She exclaimed. “How bad was it?”

  “Well, it was pretty good in the beginning, but then I felt Ros trying to get in her head. He must have sensed me there too and snapped her out of it because she shut me out right after.” He replied.

  “He’s with her. What the hell is he doing in her head?” Trina let out a frustrated sigh.

  “I don’t know... but I know Ros. He’ll most likely be enraged to sense me in her head, which means he might have set out with his plans already.” Ryan replied.

  “What?” Trina yelled. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

  “It just happened. I didn’t get the chance to ask Selena where Ros plans to take her and I’m still trying to figure it out.”

  Ryan paused and rubbed his palms on his face.

  “Please tell me it’s the morning of Halloween, the day when your evil twin brother plans to kill my friend and the love of your life as you claim, and you have no idea where to find them.” Trina threw her hands into the air dramatically and gave Ryan a shocked look.

  “It’s the morning of Halloween, the day when...”

  “Ryan!” Trina cut him off. “Now’s not the time for...”

  “Hey. Relax, tiger. I can’t think when you’re nagging.” He interjected. “There are three possible places he can take her. I just need to go with my gut on the exact one he’ll choose in this lifetime - but my gut isn’t telling me anything.”

  “What are the three options?” She asked.

  “The original Soille mansion where the affair happened, the cathedral where Selena and I exchanged our vows, and Sophia’s temple where the reincarnation spell was cast to send Selena off in 1889.” He replied. “Ros picks one at random every lifetime.”

  “...and these three places are in this city?” Trina asked, bewildered.

  “Yeah, more like at the three ends of the city. Ros alternates between these places to kill her because he knows they’re special to me. He does it to throw me off. It’s like his own little real life chess game. I have to guess which one he plans on taking her, and show up at the time he brings her there. If I miss, she dies. If I don’t, I get to save her.” Ryan closed his eyes and squeezed his temples.

  “Um... just out of curiosity, how many lifetimes have you figured out the right one?” Trina asked.

  “Zero.” Ryan replied, casting his gaze to the floor like a dejected puppy.

  “That’s encouraging!” Trina said sarcastically. “We might as well pick out our funeral clothes.”

  “Damn it. I was so close this time. Why didn’t I just find her first?” Ryan punched the wall in frustration.

  “What if we check all three?” Trina asked, causing him to stop and look at her.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, like actually check all three. You can move faster than my car so we can start from Sophia’s temple. If she’s not there, then we go to the cathedral and finally the Soille mansion. If we’re lucky, we might find her in Sophia’s temple and not have to go to the other two.” Trina replied.

  “...and if we’re not, we’ll find her dead when we finally arrive. Besides, using my enhanced speed takes a toll on me. If I go to Sophia’s temple and she’s not there, by the time I get to the cathedral, I’ll be too weak to beat Ros. He’ll end up killing her and I’ll be forced to watch. No thanks. It’s too painful.” Ryan looked away.

  “Is it less painful to do nothing and wait for her to die?” Trina asked.

  “I’m not going to do nothing. I’ll just try to figure out the right one.”

  “How? You know what? Never mind. How fast do you get energy after feeding?” She asked him.

  “I don’t know exactly but it pretty fast. Blood is like a hyper active energy drink. Why?”

  “You can feed once we locate her. You’ll get the energy you need and then you can fight Ros.” She replied.

  “These three places are abandoned now, Trina. I know it’s Halloween’s day, but it’s still too early for people to be roaming the streets in their costumes. Chances are, there won’t be anyone around to feed on.” Ryan stated.

  “There will. You’ll be feeding on me.” Trina looked straight at him.

  “Hell no!” Ryan frowned. “I’m not going to feed on you.”

  “Ryan, I know how much you care about Selena and I know you won’t be able to live with yourself if she dies in yet another lifetime - especially since you know my suggestion can save her. We don’t have a better plan right now so why not use this one?”

  “Feeding hurts. I’m actually going to bite you and drain you...”

  “I know how it works. It’s for a good cause.” Trina encouraged him. “It’ll be just like donating blood to an injured patient in a hospital.”

  “Let’s just hope we find her in the temple.” Ryan replied, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of feeding on her. “Get dressed as fast as you can.”

  Trina and Ryan arrived at Sophia’s temple, only to find it empty. There was no trace of anyone being there, at least not in recent times.

  “Do you sense anyone around?” Trina asked.

  “Nope.” He replied.

  “Okay, wrong pick. I’m sorry. Let’s go to the cathedral.” Trina said.

  Ryan picked Trina up and ran as fast as he could. By the time he got to the cathedral, he had begun to pant.

  “I see tire marks.” Trina said. “It looks like they’re here.”

  Ryan activated his enhanced hearing to pick the sounds coming from inside the cathedral.

  “I can hear Ros. He’s hurting her!”

  Ryan made to rush inside the building when Trina pulled him back.

  “You need to feed. I can see you panting. You can’t face Ros when you’re weak. He’ll beat you and hurt Selena. You don’t want that so please, just feed first. Trust me, it’s okay.” She said.

  Ryan held her hand and looked deep into her eyes.

  “Thank you.” He said.

  “It’s fine.” She smiled at him.

  “Don’t remember the pain.” He looked into her eyes again but this time, he compelled her.

  Ryan lowered his head to her neck and sank his fangs in. Trina shuddered and held on to him as tight as she could, suppressing the tears that were threatening to make their way out of her eyes. She knew she was doing this for Selena. She couldn’t stand back and do nothing when there was something she could do to save her friend’s life. She
also knew Selena was not her only reason for doing this. She was doing it for Ryan too. Whether or not she admitted it, the past two days she had spent with him were memorable and in that time, she had managed to develop certain feelings for him. While she still couldn’t place what those feelings were exactly, she knew she cared for him deeply. She understood and respected his feelings for Selena but that didn’t take away the flutters in her heart every time he smiled. Ryan eventually raised his head and gasped, releasing his grip on her shoulders. His eyes momentarily turned blood shot red before clearing out to their normal color again.

  “I’m going in.” He said. “I’ll try to keep Ros occupied. Get Selena out of there as fast as you can… and please, be careful.”

  Trina nodded and ran towards the side of the building. Cathedrals always had multiple entrances and if Ryan was taking the main entrance, Ros was most likely going to engage him there. She knew her best chance of getting Selena out would be through a different entrance. As she ran, she hoped above all things that their plan would work. By the time Trina peered in through the side entrance, Ryan and Ros were engaged in a face-off. She couldn’t really see what was going on clearly because they were moving way too fast for her eyes to capture. She turned her focus from them and tried to locate Selena. Once she did, she called out to her in a whisper. Selena did not respond. Trina noticed the blood dripping out the side of Selena’s head and could tell she was badly injured. The only way to get her out of there was to go inside and pull her out - and that was exactly what she did. Trina succeeded in pulling Selena away from the brawling brothers and had almost made it out of the cathedral when she felt someone pull her from behind. Before she could register the movement, she felt the searing pain of fangs sinking into her neck with a clearly different intent than the one Ryan had used when he fed on her moments earlier. Ros had gotten to her somehow, and buried his fangs deep inside her flesh. She let out a blood curdling scream as her legs gave way beneath her, causing her body to fall to the ground with a thud. Everything around her suddenly became blurry, disappearing from her vision one detail after another. She felt her body weakening and her breath getting shallower. She tried to move but realized she had lost control of her body. It no longer responded to her. Instead, it remained on the ground in a motionless pile. Though the sound she heard was faint and sounded like it was coming from afar, Trina could tell it was Ryan. He was screaming... no, he was roaring at Ros. Trina lost consciousness as her eyelids finally slid shut. Everything around her went blank, as with every other thought Ryan had.