Chapter 6- The Truth is Out There
I looked at my little sister with pain etching my features. The color of her skin was no longer pink, but instead it held a gray hue, like death... even more pale than I currently was and her eyes were an inky black whereas mine... well, I couldn't say for sure. I grazed my index finger across the top of her arm and observed that it wasn't hardened like mine, hers was a little rough but still held the softness of a woman, of a human — her skin also emanated cold like the freezing winter snow.
It wasn't long after that she finally came to, sat up, and looked at me in confusion. Then, like a moth to a flame, I saw everything click into place. Her eyes went wide and before she could speak, I saw every mental picture she currently had soaring through her mind. I saw her running away from the village with our mother, and I saw from her eyes (as if I were her) as she looked behind her to her brother as he tore through villager after villager. I was the cause of the entire village being nothing but a place of death. I leapt on their bodies like a panther leapt on its prey. I drained them dry and tossed them aside like garbage.
I watched in horror as I took down both my mother and sister, and ultimately, I saw through my sisters eyes as I leapt onto Annette attacking her like cattle. The fear in each of their eyes was so clear, it was so undeniably strong. After I had drained every last person that lived in my village, I watched myself through my sisters closing eyes as I walked back to our home where I assumed I laid down and went to sleep because that's exactly where I woke up. I was a murderer, and not just any murderer, I was a mass murderer. I killed over one hundred people including my own mother.
How could I have done such a thing? How could I do such a thing with no memory of it? How will I ever be able to live with myself after knowing what I have done to all those poor souls?
I didn't know, and the more I thought about it the more I came to the realization that I couldn't live knowing I killed all those families. Mothers and wives, husbands and fathers... even... I swallowed and shuddered at my next thought.
Children.
I looked at my sister and it was like she could hear what I was thinking, in fact, I could hear every word that she was thinking.
"Don't be foolish, brother. There is nothing you can do now."
"I killed all of those people! You cannot sit there and try to imagine what I am battling inside of me right now because you have not killed one single person — nor do you want to! It's the most painful, gut wrenching feeling I've ever felt in my life. So don't try to make everything feel better by saying "there is nothing I can do now."
"You're right. I cannot imagine the pain you're suffering right now, but I do know it will get better. I know you didn't know what you were doing, Caen, I could see your eyes were not your own, it was like you were possessed by something."
That momentarily caught my attention. "What do you mean my eyes were not my own? What did they look like?"
"They were a bright green until you drank blood on top of blood on top of blood, then they were the color of rubies and your irises were rimmed with a thin line of green." She was quiet a minute before she continued, "What has happened to you — to us, Caen?"
"We are no longer human, Calley."
I heard her soft gasp and I knew then that she had no idea what she had just went through other than her dying by my hands. She has no clue I brought her back to life, but not as a human, as an immortal. I stood to my feet and went to the cupboard and grabbed a silver cup, one that I knew would show a reflection and went back to her and crouched down to her level. I raised the silver cup in front of her face and carefully watched her as she took it into her palms with a confused expression.
"Look at reflection in the cup, Calley. Tell me what you see." I asked grimly.
"Wh-what-what's wrong with my.... my eyes? My skin? Why am I so pale? Why are my eyes black?"
The questions just kept rolling out of her mouth, more questions than I could follow, but I tried to comfort her while answering as many of her questions as I possibly could without adding fuel to the fire.
"Firstly, Calley, you're no longer human which is why your skin is so pale and why your eyes have changed in color. Secondly, I made you this way with my blood and I'm now really regretting it. I should have never listened to him. I've changed you and your fair human beauty."
"Listen to who?" Calley implored rather quickly.
"It's a long story, Calley, and right now, I think we need to get a move on before the nearby villages stop by and see we are the only two survivors left. They might think we had something to do with the bodies that are piled up outside. They may even falsely accuse us of being dark practitioners."
"You did do that, Caen." Calley said in a whisper. And I didn't misinterpret her meaning neither. She meant that only I was responsible for the blood on my hands... she was right, I am responsible.
"I know I did. One day I will fix the mistakes I have made, but that day is not today. Today we pack as much as we can cloth wise and food wise and leave before other villages unexpectedly show up to ask about all the commotion from the previous night."
"Will you at least tell me the story while we pack?" Calley asked softly, the sixteen year old child surfacing.
"Sure, sister."
As we packed, I told her of how I had gotten lost and mistakenly taken a path that I did not know of. I told her of the parasites and the voice and what I was told I was going to do. Calley asked about the prophecy and of what I was going to do and after a few minutes of silence I told her what the voice told me; change history. I told her of how the voice helped me save her and how it guides me at times. She was weary of the voice as was I, but I knew of no one else that could help us. This sort of thing has never happened before in our history's history.
We packed our things in complete silence after that and set out on a journey to find a more suitable place for us to stay. We were no longer human and with both of us still trying to take control over the call of blood, I knew we needed somewhere close to population — but somewhere not too close. It was a long walk to our new place, the sun was getting ready to come up and just as it was raising the voice spoke once again.
"You must get her to a dark place quickly! The sun will kill her!" It hissed urgently.
I picked her up, cradled her to my chest and ran as fast as I could to a real dense spot in the woods just as the sun was peaking over the trees. Her hand got caught in the sunlight and within seconds, a crackling sound reached my ears and the smell of burnt flesh tickled my nose. Her high pitched screams filled the morning air, I could feel her pain and suffering almost as if I had been burned by the sun as well. I sat her down under the trees and examined her hand. It was blistered and swollen almost like a snake bite victim, or a poisonous spider bite would look.
Within a matter of minutes her hand was completely healed, almost like it never happened to begin with. I stared at her hand in awe as the voice whispered inside my mind.
"Your blood has a regenerative gene attached to your DNA now, not only regenerative, but so many more things you can do that no other will ever be able to do at one time. Every human that is turned will get the speed, strength, agility and heightened senses, and one special piece of yourself. It's hard to say what they will receive, only time will be able to tell. Your sister for instance, she can read minds as well as you, a gift she got through the transition of immortality."
It made sense... But it didn't. She could read minds, I could read minds, and it all started with me but how is mind reading even possible? How is regenerating tissue possible for that matter? I became immortal but what makes me so different than my sister? I wanted to test out my logical theory of sunlight and started to proceed to the dirt road I steered off of minutes ago.
"Stop, Caen! Tis, suicide! If it burnt me the way it has what makes you think it will not burn you?"Calley tried to reassure me of the mistake I was making but she didn't understand what I was feeling, all the questions that bubbled inside of me bursting to get out and find the truth.
"I must know how this immortality affects myself. If I do not know my limitations, then how do I know how far I can push myself?" I spoke firmly. I had made up my mind. I knew I needed to find out the truth about how far one can go and I was going to test it out personally.
I stepped out of the dense woods and into the burning sun. I heard my sister speak into my mind at that moment.
"Say something so I know you're okay!" She hissed out in concern.
"Nothing, Nothing is happening... Maybe-"
The voice whom I have grown accustomed to pretty quickly spoke the answers I sought after.
"You will not burn. You will not die, cannot die, Caen. You are Truly Immortal."
"What of my sister? Isn't she immortal too?" I thought silently to the voice.
"Yes and no. She will live a very long life if she avoids sharp objects to the heart, sunlight, holy ground such as church, and blessed crosses. She is immortal but only as long as she avoids what I have named."
I headed back into the dense woods and we waited until dusk settled in to leave again. Hours later, we arrived at a new village but we would not be staying in this village, it was too close to our home. We couldn't have the others finding out I was the cause of the burial ground in the village. As we were walking through, a tall gruff looking man stopped myself and Calley.
"I've not seen you around here before. What brings you two to our village?" The man inquired suspiciously.
"We are just passing through, sir." I kindly replied to the gentleman.
"What's wrong with that youngins eyes?" He said an octave too high for his voice.
He was looking directly at Calley. She hadn't fed off of a human yet and her eyes were still inky black. I wasn't sure if they would go back to normal after she fed or not but I was hoping for the best. I looked at Calley and she was sizing him up. All too soon did I realize that I could see the hunger lurking in her eyes. If she let it control her right now we would end up killing the entire village and I would not do that again.
"She has a rare blood disease, called..."
"Vampirism." the voice swiftly spoke up saving me from having to come up with some lie for an answer. I was never really the type to lie.
"Vampirism." I finished.
"I've not heard of it, lad, is it contagious?" The man asked worried.
"I'm not too sure, sir, which is why we are passing through as late as we are."
He nodded and let us go on our way. We continued through the village passing a few women who were drawing water from a well and a few men who were chopping wood with their sharpened axes. Almost at the end of the village Calley stopped dead in her tracks.
"What is it Calley?"
"I'm thirsty, brother. I can no longer hold back, I must drink now!" She roared.
She grabbed the person closest to her and began to drain them of their blood. The woman screamed so loud and pained that it alerted the others of what was happening. Next thing I know we have a mob of men and women heading straight for us with torches and weapons. I spoke to Calley's mind and warned her what would happen if she stayed.
"Leave! Now! I cannot die, but you can! I promise you I will find you as fast and as soon as I can, okay?"
"I'm sorry, Caen, I couldn't stop myself, the hunger, it was overpowering. I love you, brother!"
"I love you too Calley, now go quickly."
She left just as quickly as I thought she would and I was left holding the dead body of her victim with a mob of angry villagers surrounding me. Here comes trouble.
AN: Four chapters in one night??? Is it Christmas already? God, I hope not. I can't afford Christmas right now. Lol. Anywho, I hope you've enjoyed the rewrite so far and do remember to vote, share, and comment if you liked it. Ciao! Xoxo The-Dark-One