Clara's POV
Jakob goes to remove the chair from under the doorknob. After, he turns back to face me, extending his hand for me to take, all while smirking handsomely. I eye his hand, smiling behind closed lips when I recall the memory of our last night together before he disappeared. He did this. Before we left our bedroom, this is how I remember him. I look up at him and then move towards him fast. I take his hand, squeezing it strongly.
"The last time I took your hand, you disappeared after. Don't you dare disappear on me again, Jakob Gustafson or Charlie will not be the only monster you know to come after your soul," I warn him. Jakob smirks, wraps an arm around my back and then pulls me close, holding me against him. He gazes into my eyes, his smirk turning into a bright smile.
"I should fear your wrath yet here I am, finding you and your threat to be so hot," he claims.
"I mean it, Jakob. You're not disappearing on me again," I tell him. Jakob lifts our hands and brings them up between our faces. With eyes still pinned on mine, he kisses the top of my hand and then lowers ours.
"I would be the biggest fool to ever let you slip from my hand again," he speaks, and I bite my bottom lip to hide a happy cry.
"Are you ready to do this?" he asks. I nod my head.
"Let's just do what we got to do, so that we can end this and go home," I tell him.
"Home... I want that more than anything," he says, and I want that more than anything for him too. His home is with me. It's with Edvin. It's with the both of us and soon, he will know it. I grab his shoulder, step up on my toes and lean in to kiss him. My lips press against his for a long moment before I pull back to stare into his eyes.
"Alright. I'm ready now," I say with a little smile. Jakob smiles, kisses my forehead, and then turns, switching hands so that he can still hold mine but reach out to open the door with the other. We make our way down the long hall, descend the huge staircase, and move throughout this massive castle. It's quiet and I don't like it. I don't like anything about this. It's creepy and has my anxiety is growing rampant. Jakob kisses my temple, after feeling me squeeze his hand extra tight.
"I got you," he whispers into my ear. I nod, and swallow back a large gulp before I take in a deep breath, only to release it in one long exhale. We come upon two large wooden doors ahead, one of them slightly ajar. Jakob pushes the door back, revealing Gustaf across the warm, fire-lit room. He stands in front of a large lit fireplace and smelling and hearing the crackling of burning logs instantly reminds me of Edvin. I miss my Edvin. His head turns and he smiles when he sees us enter. He observes our hands and then looks up, gazing at the both of us.
"I see you two have welcomed each other back graciously. How delightful," he adds. He turns, now facing us.
"Do not just stand there. Come on in. Take a seat. Make yourselves comfortable," he suggests. I look to Jakob, and he gives me a subtle nod. We move towards Gustaf who still stands where he is and then we take a seat on the leather sofa, facing away from him. Gustaf walks towards us, taking the single seat across from us. He sits back in his chair, relaxing with a bright smile.
"Well," he says. "What brings you two to grace my presence?" he wonders.
"Answers," I say. "We want answers," I add. Gustaf repositions himself, scooting to the edge of his seat, He rests on his arms, leaning closer towards us.
"And what answers might you seek, Clara?" he asks.
"Well, for starters. What do you have planned for us? Why are we all still alive? What do you want with us?" I ask. A rising smirk lifts at the corner of Gustaf's lips before he speaks.
"And what kind of villain would I be if I gave up my ultimate plan before I saw it through?" he questions.
"What makes you so confident that your plan will go through?" Jakob speaks beneath a pained but angry tone.
He is now the one that squeezes my hand strongly. He clenches his jaw, glaring his father down, yet by the way he holds my hand, I know that the innocent, defenseless boy within, is just as frightened of the monster before him, then he was as a child. I don't know if it's early motherly instincts or just my profound love for him, but all I want to do is be there for him. For him and the tortured boy within. I give his hand a few, distracting squeezes, just how Edvin had taught me. His grip weakens and I witness a little relaxing sigh escape past his lips. A small smile peeks at the corner of my lips when I see that it worked. Thank you Edvin, for teaching me your little trick. Now we'll just have to teach your brother.
"Because it's already going precisely as I want it too," Gustaf responds back to Jakob.
"What do you mean?" I look to him and wonder.
"Everything is falling into place. You being here, Clara, well your presence is just another piece of a long, time-consuming puzzle that I am determined to put together," he says.
"Then why not kidnap me sooner?" I wonder. "Why keep Jakob and Danny alive for this long? Why did you leave Edvin behind but take me?" I question.
"So many burning questions," he says, smirking. "How about this. I'll answer one of those questions, but you will have to choose which one. So, which one will it be? Go on now," he says. I look to Jakob.
"You ask," I mouth to him. He swallows back a hard gulp and then turns to face his father.
"Why have you kept Danny and I alive and imprisoned for all this time?" he asks him. Gustaf releases a long sigh, clearly annoyed by this question.
"Fine. I did agree to answer one question and I am a man of my word. So, here is why. Bait," he says.
"Bait?" I repeat.
"Yes. Bait... for the Draugr," he adds. Jakob's eyes go wide. He sits up in his seat, inching towards the edge to go after his father, until I pull him back by the hand, making him stay put.
"You wanted me here, knowing that the Draugr would come looking for me," Jakob states.
"Precisely," Gustaf responds, smirking as he always does.
"I'm confused," I say. "So, you've been waiting all this time for the Draugr to come and find Jakob. If you wanted the Draugr, couldn't you just like call or summon him?" I wonder.
"You act as though the Draugr can be easily found and reached," he says, and my God... He has no idea... Oh my God. He really has no idea that the Draugr is Charlie.
"Tell me why you want to lure the Draugr here and I will share something with you that I think you might be interested to know," I say to him. Jakob looks to me, staring yet I don't break eye contact with the one who sits in front of me, grinning.
"Oooh. I like this," he states. "Okay. I'll play. The Draugr promised me a second wish. A wish that I never received, and I want it. I want what was promised to me long ago," he states.
"So, you're using your own son as bait to lure a monster here so that you can what? Bribe him with Jakob's soul? And what are you going to do, Gustaf? Force him to give you that wish? Immortal or not, how are you going to be capable of forcing an ancient monster like the Draugr to give you what you want?" I ask.
"Easy," he says. He then stands, walks towards the wall behind him and then stops in front of a large, old painting. I look to Jakob, yet his eyes are pinned on his father. Gustaf lifts the painting, sets it down against the wall and then proceeds to open a safe. The safe opens and Gustaf reaches his hand in to grab something inside.
"With these," he turns around and says. I jump to my feet, my heart pounding when I witness what I think it is I see.
"The weapons made to kill an immortal," I mutter.
"But what about Danny?" I question. "What's Danny got to do with all of this?"
"Oh him? Well, he will be the one my son kills," he says. "An unfortunate but required sacrifice. The Draugr will be pleased, as he is always hungry for as many souls as he can acquire."
"What?" Jakob mutters. "No. No! I will not kill him," he strongly states.
"Well, it's either him or her," Gustaf responds, now looking up at me beneath arched brows and one evil smirk.
"Fuck you!" Jakob roars. He attempts to charge at his father, but I yank him back by his arm, holding it strongly so that he stays put.
"No," I calmly reply. "I will do it," I tell him.
"Clara," Jakob turns to me and gasps. "You can't kill your own brother," he says. With eyes still locked on Gustaf's, I go on to speak.
"I'm not going to kill my brother. I'm going to kill the Draugr. I'm going to kill Charlie," I reveal.
"Charlie?" Gustaf confusedly questions. "You mean to tell me that private investigator and the Draugr are the same? But that— No. That's not poss—" I cut him off right there.
"Oh, it's possible and it just so happens that he is quite angry with you for taking the very last soul that he needs to finish his revenge. You pissed off the Draugr and if he is not already coming for you, he will and you should be worried, Gustaf. You should be very worried because like he told your other son and I, nothing will stop him from getting what he wants, not even you," I end.
"But you can," Gustaf admits. "He will not expect you to come after him. I mean how could you? You're human," he adds, and I should take offense, but he is right. I am human but the thing about humans is, we can become quite the monsters ourselves if we choose to be and right now... well, I'll be the monster. I'll become whatever I must in order to save the ones I love.
"I am human," I say. "A human willing to kill in order to ultimately save the ones I love," I tell him. I move away from the couch and Jakob jumps to his feet, reaching out for my wrist. I look back at him, giving him a subtle smirk and wink. He swallows back a nervous gulp but then relaxes when he chooses to trust me. He releases my hand and then I turn around, walking towards Gustaf. He watches me approach him until I stop, standing right before him. I reach my hand out, palm facing upwards.
"No one has to die but him, Gustaf. You once told me that deep down, you are still a human capable of knowing that what you do is wrong, but also acknowledging that what you can do is right. Do the right thing, Gustaf. You don't have to allow him to control you anymore. You are free, Gustaf. You are free of him," I tell him, repeating the words I had once spoken to Edvin when I gave him full control over me and my body.
"The Draugr does not control me," he seethes.
"I wasn't talking about the Draugr. I was talking about your own father," I say. Gustaf's head lifts and his jaw clenches. Fear. Pain. Torment. I see it quickly wash over his face at the mention of the word father. His entire stance tenses and he swallows back a hard gulp, now breathing deeply.
"Well, he is dead. I killed him to become what I am," he states.
"You killed him so that you could become stronger. You killed him so that he nor anyone else could ever hurt you again," I state, now putting all the pieces together. Deep within, Gustaf is just another innocent little boy, tortured and manipulated by his own monster father to become the monster that he is, just like all father's had down to their children before. It was a never-ending cycle, but that cycle stops now. My men will not become their father. They will not become the soulless monster that beats their children like all did before. No. My men's souls will remain pure, just as their hearts will be filled with an endless amount of love, from me, from each other and from our many happy, beloved, and protected children.
"Then why did you hurt us?" Jakob comes up from behind me to ask. He stands at my side and takes one small step closer towards his father, his face just a mere foot away from Gustaf's. "If you remembered what it was like to be hurt by your own father, then why hurt us?" he asks, his voice breaking at the end.
"I wanted to make my boys stronger," he quietly speaks.
"No," Jakob says. "What you did... you broke us. You made us hate you. We were just kids and you nearly killed us. You weren't making us stronger. You were killing us. If it wasn't for the Draugr sneaking in to care for us, then we would be dead," Jakob states.
"He did that for you?" Gustaf asks, seeming surprised.
"Yes," Jakob answers.
"He never did that for me," he states, and I can see the hurt in his eyes. I'm sure he's wondering why no one was ever there to protect him and I can't help but feel my heart break for him. He was just a little boy too at one time. A little boy that had no one there to protect him.
"Why would he care to help you and your brother and not I?" he wonders. I answer this question.
"Because they are the last two living souls within your bloodline, and Charlie needed them both alive to better his chances in taking one of their souls. He only needs one soul from your bloodline to finish his revenge. All this time, the Draugr pretended to be our friend but in the end, he was only looking out for us for his own selfish reasons. He wants his family reincarnated and reborn and I want mine to live and not lose their souls. Only one of us is going to walk away from this with what we want, and I promise you, Gustaf, it's going to be me," I tell him.
"From the moment I first saw you. I knew that there was something about you," Gustaf says. "I did not know what, but now I do. You have what I had wished for long ago. Strength. Only one as strong as you can defeat one as vile as the Draugr. I believe in you, Clara. I do not believe in much, but I believe in you," Gustaf says, handing me the white blade, gun, and bullets. I take them, gazing upon, internally smiling. I guess Charlie isn't the sneakiest monster in town anymore. I did it. I tricked Gustaf and I should feel happy about that, but all I feel is guilt.
"You're a beacon for broken things," Jakob had just spoken to me and it's true. It's one of the reasons I became a doctor, because deep down, all my life, I just wanted to help heal children and what do you know? Here I am, caught in between three cases that I never thought I would be attending to. I have three scared, defenseless, little boys all terrified of the big, bad monster that hides among the shadows and follows them wherever they go but no more. No. I'm slaying that fucking monster and then I'm going to burn his bones, so that he may never resurrect. I release a long breath and then stare up at Gustaf.
"And now we wait to kill the monster that started it all," I say.
"And now we wait," Gustaf repeats.
Edvin's POV
Caleb and I move around towards the west side of my old home, while Charlie vanished within. We wait behind the wall, right outside the door, guns loaded and ready to fire. It's dark out and the snow falls heavily, making visibility nearly impossible for surveillance to capture us on camera. Caleb stands beside me, ready to enter first. He releases a long exhale, steam blowing thickly out of his mouth. He begins to laugh quietly, shaking his head while looking down.
"What?" I wonder. His head lifts and he looks to me, smiling.
"It just never ends. Does it?" he asks, but before I can answer, he goes on. "Fuck good and evil, because no matter what, both sides always lose something worth fighting for," he says, and I just stare, not sure what to say.
"After we get my babies back, I'm done, Edvin. I'm done," he states, and I shiver, not from the cold but from his dark statement.
"Done how—" I begin to ask before the door opens beside him. Charlie sticks his head out, smiling big.
"Did my two handsome men miss me?" he asks, yet neither Caleb nor I respond. Caleb walks in, right past Charlie and I follow behind while Charlie lingers at the door.
"Well, alrighty then," Charlie responds. Caleb and I enter through the dark, ill lit stone hall, observing the many dead corpses and carnage left behind by the Draugr's wake.
"I thought you only took their souls," Caleb mentions.
"A means to an end. Beggars can't be choosers. You want my help or not?" Charlie questions, and I shake my head. I don't even know what side I'm on anymore...
"How many more are there?" I ask, as we walk past and between the bodies scattered on each side of us.
"I'm guessing what you see here is most of them. Some could be hiding so watch your backs, my pretty boys," he taunts. We all walk on, turning a corner up ahead that leads us down another long hall. I move past Caleb, now taking the lead when I recognize this part of my old home.
"We're getting close," I tell them.
"Edvin," Caleb calls from behind. I do not look back but keep walking when I answer.
"What?" I dryly ask.
"Your father deserves many reasons to die, but more than anything, he deserves to die for what he did to you and your brother," he tells me. I ignore his comment, not having it in me to respond back to it and instead, change the subject.
"The door up ahead. That door will lead to the basement," I inform him.
"And that's where we'll find Daniel?" Caleb asks.
"We sure will," Charlie comes up to stand beside me and responds. I now stand before the door, staring at the many locks and chains, remembering the haunting sound of them rattling every time father would enter and leave my little brother and I behind to suffer.
"Edvin?" Caleb softly calls. A hand touches my left shoulder and I flinch, jumping and turning quickly out of reaction. Caleb's hands lift, showing that he means no harm.
"Hey. It's okay, Edvin. You're okay," he calmly assures. I nod my head, close my eyes and try to relax by taking a deep breath.
"Edvin," Caleb calls. I open my eyes, exhaling a broken breath.
"You're okay now son. You're okay. He won't touch you again. I promise you that," he vows, and I break. A heavy dark part of me within shatters and as it does, I can't help but feel a wave of relief wash over me after hearing him say that. After hearing a real father say that. I quickly wipe the stray tears from my cheeks and take in a deep breath. I exhale and then nod, biting down hard on my quivering bottom lip.
"Thank you," I tell him. He pats my shoulder, giving me a little warm smile.
"Would you like to do the honors?" he asks, pointing his hand to the locks.
"Yes," I say, now turning to face these locks that had kept my brother and I trapped down here nearly our whole lives.
Caleb and Charlie back away just as I raise my gun. I fire three shots, hitting each lock. The chains fall, clanking loudly as they fall onto the ground. I push the pile of metal away with my foot and then open the door. The wooden door creaks open, and my senses are hit hard. Cold, clammy and the pungent odor of mildew and stagnant water trigger everything I had worked so hard to forget. Caleb looks to me, patting my chest and then turns, entering first. I follow after, catching Charlie's unnerving smirk as I do.
"After you, my handsome Viking," he tells me and I nod, turning to descend the many stone steps. Caleb reaches the bottom, me just a few steps behind. I just happen to look up, noticing a figure move within the darkness. I react fast, clearing the remaining steps with one leap.
"Look out!" I warn Caleb. Someone jumps out from around the dark corner and I react by shoving Caleb aside, just as the guard fires a shot.
"NOOO!" Caleb shouts. I wait for the pain. I wait for the blood to drain and soak my clothing, yet none of that happens. None of it happens because the bullet stopped. It stopped, now frozen barely a foot in front of my chest. I turn my head back, witnessing Charlie's emotionless expression and darkened eyes. He descends the steps, pushing me gently aside to walk past me and as he passes, he looks to me with those haunting black eyes that I have seen far too many times before.
"You will live," his deep voice speaks. He looks away, pushes the bullet out of my line of fire, and then allows it to fall, clanking against the ground.
"Hur gjorde du det där?" the nervous guard asks Charlie, yet Charlie does not answer how he stopped the bullet. Instead, he quickly extends his hand out before him, flicking his wrist. The gun that the guard holds goes flying across the room, landing on the ground somewhere in the distance. Charlie's hand then comes back and by an invisible force, he sends the guard flying back. He hits the metal bars of a cell behind him, groaning in pain. Charlie descends the rest of the steps, passes Caleb, and stalks slowly towards the terrified guard, stopping to stand close and in front of him.
"You two go save Danny while I enjoy this Swedish delight," his malicious voice speaks. Caleb grabs my upper arm and pulls me.
"Come on, Edvin," he tells me, yet I can't move. Not when I witness Charlie shapeshift into the Draugr.
"AHHHHHH!" the guard screams in terror. The Draugr's mouth opens wide, showcasing his many razor-sharp teeth. Caleb continues tugging on my arm, yet I can't look away. I can't move. The Draugr lets out a monstrous, loud squeal and then chomps down on the guards' entire upper half, working to swallow him whole.
"Fucking Christ!" Caleb shouts. "Edvin!" Caleb shouts. "Let's go!" he orders. The Draugr's head then turns, glaring at me.
"Edvin!" I hear Caleb shout again. I somehow manage to break free from my trance and back away, allowing Caleb to pull me along. The Draugr then lets out an ear-piercing roar that I can feel vibrate against my entire body. His haunting roar echoes down the dark stone hall of this cold prison, sending shivers down my spine. I finally turn my back and follow behind Caleb. We sprint down the hall, looking into every empty cell we pass.
"Danny!" Caleb shouts for his son. "Danny! Where are you?" he anxiously wonders.
"Dad..." I hear a faint voice speak, off in the near distance.
"Danny!" Caleb shouts when he too hears his long, lost son's voice.
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A COLD WINTER NIGHT
Copyright © 2021 Tristin Clark