Vampires and Angels_Prologue

*Ariek: I was sure to make it a little longer since it took a while to write*

Sophie returned to us after a few hours bearing clothes for Adela.

She gladly slid into a pair of jeans and a generic t-shirt and tennis shoes.

“It should be easy for you to escape. I know Michael is clever and can be a ghost.”

“What will you do when Amelia finds out we’re gone?” Ada asked concerned. I couldn’t believe how she could care for her murderess. Her kindness made her all the more beautiful.

“My fate is not important.”

“You’re going to kill yourself…really kill yourself this time,” I whispered.

Sophie’s eyes were cold. “That is the most appealing option. I know Drake is still looking for me…”

“He sold you,” I reminded her.

“Yes…but deep down I know he loves me. He could be having the worst day of his life – probably lose a lot in gambling – but when I’d get to him, he’d be whistling around the bar. He was…hard and sometimes more cruel than he meant to be, but he was earnest. I think he knows what he’s lost.”

“He will offer to turn you into a vampiress again.”

“He can’t…I’ve been cleansed by…by your wife’s blood – by His blood. And even if I could, eternity would mean nothing to me. I’ve had my fill of adventure. I think it would be nice to grow old and die.”

I nodded. “Don’t kill yourself, Sophie. God’s plan is far greater.”

“And what would He have me do?”

“Cleanse Drake and together live without evil.”

“How can I reverse what has been done to Drake?”

Adela stepped forward and held out a small bottle of crimson liquid. “Have him drink this. It’s my blood. Tell him it’s a sort of…crimson cocktail.”

She nodded and concealed the drink in her trench coat.

“Godspeed,” was the last thing she said to me.

Adela and I rushed out of the catacombs, dodging torch light and guards. Surprisingly the staff was rather small. Amelia was either cheap or over confidant that I wouldn’t escape. Perhaps it was both.

* * *

“So what are we going to do now?” Ada asked. We had made it out of the woods and had traveled nearly all night. We rested against a tree on the side of a back road. She rested her head on my chest and played with my fingers while we talked.

“I’m not sure.”

“I think you should just face your enemies.”

“That could mean death.”

“You can’t run from your problems forever. And you can’t run from evil; it’s everywhere and must be faced and brought down.”

“What about you? They would try to kill you…again.”

“Michael, I’m fine. I don’t fear death. And you shouldn’t either. How many near-death encounters does it take for you to finally have faith that God isn’t going to let you die? He’s using you, love.”

She was right. I suddenly felt so small and humbled. I wasn’t as great as I had thought. “Well, how should we face them?”

“Let them find us. Stop running. Either that or seek them out.”

“Waiting would cause too much anxiety and paranoia.”

“Then let’s chase them.”

I nodded.

She closed her eyes and held onto me. “I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I missed you so much.”

“Well, well,” a voice laughed behind us. “Seems like I’ve missed quite a bit.”

I jumped to my feet, holding Ada defensively.

“Calm down, mate. It’s just me,” Devin laughed.

I let out a breath but still didn’t know whether or not to trust him.

“Where were you when we needed you?” I asked sharply.

“I was out getting a snack. When I got back no one was there. I tracked you guys to the woods and knew something was wrong. I sensed a power greater than me so I backed off.”

“Amelia? She isn’t that powerful. The two of us could have taken her down easily – still can.”

“No. I knew Amelia and Sophie were working together. If it had been Amelia verses Sophie, I would have found Soph’s dead carcass at the edge of the woods. She’s resilient and wouldn’t have known when to stop. There was something else in there.”

I felt a chill run up my spine.

Ada caressed my shoulder.

“And you, missy,” Devin laughed. “A bloody phoenix? That’s amazing!”

“You’re the one who told me I was a blood temptress,” she said.

“True, but I didn’t know all of the mythology. And I most certainly didn’t know you could be resurrected.”

“Sophie knew…” I said softly.

“I assume she would. She was constantly trying to find out as much as possible about everything. Where is Sophie?”

I was silent a moment. “She was taken under with Ada. She’s human now.”

His face showed no emotion. “And her path?”

“She’s looking for Drake now.”

He nodded. “Stupid girl and her romance,” he spat. “Drake is nothing good – can never be good!”

“He can change…” Ada stepped forward.

“No,” Devin growled. “A back stabbing, womanizing, penny pinching-”

“Grace!” Ada shouted. “God showed you grace. As I recall you weren’t the greatest guy in the world. None of us were.”

He was silent.

“Sophie will find Drake and he will change and she will give him the antidote I sent with her. They’ll get away from all this evil and will live happily.”

He turned away, his hand to his face. “Will I ever see her again?”

Adela sighed. “Probably not. She wants to live a normal human life. She will avoid creatures like us…but it doesn’t mean she will forget you. I know she’ll always love you. You’re her brother.”

“I’m going to miss her.”

“I missed her from the moment she was a vampire,” I whispered. She was never truly my little Sophie again. She was older than her body. She was aged with experience, mistakes, and wisdom. She would never be the same.

Ada comforted him only briefly. He set aside his grief over his sister and asked what our next course of action would be.

“We’re going to look for the Ancients.”

“What?!? Why?”

“We have to face them eventually. And I assume that Drake is no longer an issue. I’m sure Sophie will tame him and his fury.”

“But facing the Ancients will be suicide!”

I saw Ada roll her eyes.

“We’re not going to die, Devin.”

He still wasn’t pleased.

“I assume they will have tracked us to the motel we were at. We might as well go back there first.”

“What about Amelia?” he asked.

“Amelia won’t be a problem. If she gets in the way, she dies. I think she’s too bitter to change now.”

“Michael,” Adela said softly, “we already went through that conversation. Who are you to say who can and can’t change? That’s up to God.”

I nodded, appreciating her gentle reminder of my place. Just because I was supposedly an angel it didn’t mean I was God.

“Well, then,” Devin spoke up, “Let’s go.”

* * *

As we approached the Motel, it held almost an eerie aura about it. The majority of the lights were out, but I suppose that is to be expected of humans at three in the morning.

Devin stopped just short of the parking lot. “Do you hear it?” he asked barely audible.

I was silent. Ada stopped breathing.

“Nothing,” I spoke back in the near silence of the vampire tongue. Vampires can be less than a whisper, a breath, when they wish. Though I was becoming more and more the proverbial “angel” I still had traits of their kind.

“Nothing,” Devin echoed. “Don’t you remember the trick I taught you?”

I looked at Ada for help, but she was in a stupor, unable to catch anything we spoke.

I shook my head.

“Do you hear animals? Is the wind even blowing?”

There was truly nothing. No animal dared twitch or make the slightest sound. There was no wind whatsoever, causing the stale air to become suffocating.

It was the presence of evil. There were vampires abroad.

He nodded, seeing my understanding.

“What should I do about Ada?” I asked worriedly.

“She comes.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Michael, she’s not your dainty little 16 year old anymore. She’s a grown woman and a bloody phoenix. She can handle herself.”

“She has no adept power except rising from the dead if they drain her. What if they don’t? What if they kill her a different way?”

“Michael, would you calm down! She does have a power.”

“And what is that?”

“Think real hard, Mikey. She’s a phoenix…”

“She hasn’t shown any sign of being able to control fire.”

“Fire? What? No! You’ve been listening to too much folk lore. She is birth. Yes, in a symbolic way she wipes out as fire does, but then from the ashes she brings new life. They are terrified of her kind and her kind is rare. As we speak, the only other phoenixes there could be is one, at most. That is how powerful they are. The universe can only handle two of them.”

I began to rack my brain for some idea of how this discovery could possibly relate to my prophecy. Was Adela intertwined with my fate and purpose?

I had no time to develop any answers.

Devin nodded at us to make our way up.

I stopped him. “Don’t we need a plan?”

“A plan?” he laughed. “You and you’re wife are powerful, and together…you could wipe out…an entire race…” he mumbled the last part, realizing that the prophecy went much deeper than just me. “Let’s go.”

We simply walked up to the door.

I suppose if this were a movie, this would be when the camera goes into slow motion and hard core music begins to play in the background. A sudden wind would begin to whip past us, lifting the tail of Devin’s trench coat as he led us forward. And I suppose in the movies, we would pull out two guns from behind our backs to begin a mass shooting, but this isn’t a movie and we had no guns, only our hands and whatever else we were blessed with.

Devin kicked open the door. There were no screams. The receptionist was slumped over, the smell of blood permeating the air. She had been sucked dry by the vampires.

“Well, well, well…if it isn’t Devin. You owe me quite a deal, mate.”

We turned and saw Drake leaning against the wall nonchalantly. One hand was tucked behind his back and the other was hanging off his belt loop. Behind him were not only his henchmen, but the queen of the Ancients.

“And you brought your friends. Delightful,” he smiled wickedly.

I reached a protective arm around Adela, moving in front off her.

“I can take care of myself, love,” she whispered behind me.

She gently shoved me out of her way and stopped just feet away from our old nemesis.

“Drake,” she said softly. “Quit this nonsense and go find Sophie. You love her and she still loves you.”

“She dead,” he laughed.

Ada’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“No worries. I’m just a little disappointed someone beat me to the punch. She ran off with a great deal of my money. She double crossed me for the last time.”

I wondered who else could have had a vendetta with her. Who else would kill her?

And then it was clear.

Who else had she double crossed: Amelia. Amelia knew what happened. She probably figured out what Ada was when the body was missing, as was I. And she probably figured out even faster who it was that helped us. That meant that Amelia was still very angry…and still out to get us.

“Now,” Drake smiled, “it’s time for me to get rid of the great neo-vampire,” he mocked, pulling out his gun from behind his back and pointing it at me.

“I see you’re still dumb as a rock,” Devin laughed.

Drake growled and pounced on him. They scuffled a bit, Devin coming out on the bottom. Drake was older than he was, meaning he was more powerful. Drake shoved our comrade against the wall and demanded what he meant.

Devin’s black eye and busted lip began to slowly heal as he spoke, “You think you’re clever enough to catch us?”

The queen of the Ancients’ eyes widened with insult.

“You think we’re dumb enough to walk into this obvious trap? You walked into ours.”

I assumed that was the signal.

I shot after the queen while Ada went for the henchmen.

She, the queen, fought me. She was strong but the fight was laughable. She was dead nearly as soon as she struck me. I had smashed her head in a doorway and ripped off the leg of a chair and shoved it through her heart.

I turned and saw Ada was not so fortunate; she was outnumbered three to one.

She battled one from the front and kicked another in the face from the side, but that third one grabbed her and held her against the wall.

“Michael!” Devin shouted. “Don’t let them drain her! We don’t have the time!”

He obviously meant we didn’t have the time to wait for her resurrection.

I leaned down and twisted the chair leg out of the queen and promptly found it a new home, shoving it through one of the henchmen and clear through the other behind him. I was, I must admit, rather proud of myself.

Ada had the last one on his knees, his arm twisted behind him and begging for mercy after hearing his comrades’ screams.

“Do you fear the life hereafter?” she spoke as smooth as honey. Her voice was tantalizing and sensual. I was jealous that he should be so blessed as to hear it.

He shook his head, crying bloody vampire tears.

“Do you think your soul lost?”

He nodded again, whimpering this time.

“I will tell you a secret. Would you like that? Can you keep a secret?”

He was shaking and red tainted dew was forming on his forehead.

“The after life is beautiful and beyond your most illustrious dreams. If you think vampire sight is enthralling, you’ve seen nothing yet. The trees sing and the wind is their music to keep time with. The sun is so golden and so bright yet the moon dances with it in the sky. The grass beneath your feet is softer than the finest silk in China and the flowers more vibrant than the cleverest patterns in India. It is a happy place. Would you like to go there instead off your nightmare of Hell?”

“Yes,” he nearly screamed.

“Then forget this. Forget this world and what you’ve done and who you’ve wronged. Ask for forgiveness for these things and then enter. Do you give up this foul life you’ve made for yourself?”

“Oh yes ma’am. If God is real, then let Him have the mercy to forgive this wretched soul and it’s doings.”

“Oh, He is real. “

“God, forgive me!” he shrieked to the ceiling.

I watched, baffled and dazed, as she placed her hand on his chest. A golden light began to shine, lighting the dark room. He was weeping. She smiled as he went limp and fell to the floor. His vampire body shriveled up into ashes, ashes which Ada scooped up and scattered outside in the wind.

She came back in, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.

I simply stared at her. I couldn’t comprehend her. Had she really seen Heaven? She was so different now. So full of…something else. I suppose she was full of God. She was beautiful. She was radiant and gentle.

And she slapped me?

“Michael Everest! You and your violence!”

I stuttered out something incoherent, stunned. My cheek stung.

“You needn’t run around pretending you’re Rambo! Poor souls…”

I looked down at her. She was looking at the shriveled carcasses of the vampires I had just slain.

“What would you have me do then? Have a cup of tea with them, discussing Bible verses and philosophy?”

That was the wrong thing to say. She glared at me and rolled her eyes. “I…I don’t know. Hold them still until I can get to them.”

“Because that’s possible. Send them one at a time to be saved?”

She let out a huff. “You’re more sarcastic than you used to be.”

“Well, try dealing with them as long as I have, babe. You’ll go crazy. A little sarcasm keeps me from going on a rampage.”

“Like we’re so horrible,” Drake spat.

“You know what?”

“What? Tell me oh perfect Michael. Tell me how you were so gracious as to live among us. You used Boris’ compassion and generosity and broke two women’s hearts because you’re such a bloody flirt! Not to mention one of them was my girlfriend!”

“You SOLD her!” I shouted. “You sold her to some creep you knew would rape her every night for the rest of her existence in that godforsaken house! And the money you got for her, you gambled away in one night! AND you’ve been chasing after her to kill her. Why? Because of MONEY? Don’t even try to make me look bad.”

He snarled and clenched his fist.

“Why don’t you just give up? Why do you keep chasing me? I’m tired of it. I could kill you here and now if you want it so bad. Go home, Drake. Go find the life that you gave up. Go be happy and live in daylight again.”

He didn’t look away. I saw his muscles flinching. He was debating on whether or not to pounce on me.

I turned around and pinched the bridge of my nose. “You are as much drama as she was.” I referred to Sophie. They both caused nothing but drama in my life.

A heavy hand was dropped on my shoulder. I thought it was Devin. Either that or Drake was about to turn me around and strike a blow to my face.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” he mumbled. “You’re supposed to destroy me, destroy the vampire race. We’re supposed to fight to the death.”

I didn’t say it, but I was thinking: you really want me to kill you now?

“What do you want from me, Drake? My wife just yelled at me for killing,” I chuckled.

He smiled. “How…how can I escape the fate of my kind?”

Ada pulled her lush hair from the softness flesh of her neck.

“No,” I whimpered, reaching for her. It felt like someone had shot me in the chest.

“I don’t understand,” Drake asked confused.

“She’s a phoenix. What you know as a blood temptress.”

He was silent.

Ada looked at me. I was so jealous. I didn’t want him to touch her…much less drink from her. That ecstasy, the pleasure of the kill, is as intimate as making love, and I didn’t want Drake to have her.

“It is too much to ask,” he said. “And…my life is lost, both human and vampire. I have no home to go back to. The emptiness is consuming. I don’t even have Sophie anymore. I did love her. She was the only good thing I had.” He paused. “Will you take me as you took the other? He looked so peaceful and happy,” he asked Ada.

She nodded and asked him to kneel, also asking him the same questions she had asked his henchman. When the ashes stilled, she let hem fly outside as well.

She came back in softly and quietly.

I pulled her in my arms, driven by jealousy, relief that I was one enemy down, and relief that he had changed his ways at the end.

“Michael…” she whispered in my ear.

I stroked her silky hair. “Yes, my love.”

“We need to talk about your jealousy.”

“Isn’t our God a jealous god? Why should I be any different?”

“Because He, unlike you my darling, is God.”

I chuckled. She had a point.

“Like I said,” she kissed the nape of my neck. “We’ll talk about it, but later.” She pulled away and looked out the window. “I hear sirens.”

I had long heard them before her.

“We should leave.”

“There is too much evidence of supernatural beings in here,” Devin panicked.

“Torch it,” I replied coolly.