Chapter 10- To Die For
Caen
I watched the sun peak as it began to rise in the purple morning sky, all thoughts of Calley and the deaths of the villagers momentarily forgotten. No torment to haunt my every waking thought, just utter awe. The sunrise is one of my more favorable times, as was the rising of the moon and the brilliant stars that glittered mysteries. As I sat there listening to the birds chirp their calls in the trees, the squirrels running and jumping from branch to branch, it seemingly looked as if they were trying to climb to the tip top of the trees to watch the pink and orange sunrise; I thought of my mother and the mornings she used to wake me just before the crack of dawn to watch the rising of the sun. In our homeland, the sun had more of a reddish tint then a pink one as the Americas have. All the same, nature in all its beauty is something to be admired and protected.
I couldn't resist the smile that played on my lips, peaceful bliss embraced me with it's loving touch. This is what I now lived for now. I lived to see the next sunrise and the moon and stars in the night sky. I live to seek out the answers that Annette questioned and sought after. The answers to the majestic stars and how they came about. What secrets did they hold? All these questions she sought after I vowed to find answers for — including my own answers I so diligently seek.
I laid on the grassy field for another two hours just staring up at the morning sky. All of the pink painted clouds that floated in the sky had an animal shape about each one of them. I smiled at that and continued to soak in the rays of the sun as they grew warmer. All day I sat there in a relaxed state, deep in thought —content for the moment to watch the world pass me by. Daylight was coming to an end all too soon, and darkness was getting ready to take its place. With the darkness swallowing the sky, night animals came out of their dwellings. Hoot owls hooted into the night, screech owls pierced my skull with their eerie call and deer were roaming about unaware of the dangers that could lurk in the shadows.
I stood up with a sigh and dusted myself off. I took the day to enjoy what the Gods have given me, all thoughts of death and blood — of losing my only sibling to an ancient evil, washed away for the time being as I soaked nature up like a sponge. Time was of the essence... no more distractions. It's time to end this once and for all. I just hope I'm not too late.
***
Calley
I watched as the birds flew away to their little nests in the trees, and the squirrels as they skittered off into the tree trunks carrying acorns in their mouth. These animals have no clue what sort of danger could be lurking about in the night searching for its next meal to consume. Here I was, deadly silent as I crept in the shadows just like a wolf stalks its prey. My expression was set hard as I solely focused on one thing; the man that was unknowingly standing in front of me.
I crouched low to the ground and observed every move the man made. I carefully examined what he looked like, and estimated what sort of strengths he could have... and how beneficial to me he could be. Once I assessed whether or not he was worthy to fight for me, to help guard me and the secret that held me bound, I would take him. I sized him up and down, my inky black eyes taking in what cloth he was wearing. He dressed in particles of cloth--two to be exact, and that led me to believe he had a great deal of Blood Diamonds. Isn't that what they call their currency here in this dimension?
A man dressed such as he was must surely own an entire village along with cattle and other animals of bargain. His face is youthful looking, he has a sharp jawline, an angled nose that looked almost sculpted. The man's hair is a rusty-red color that flowed down to his shoulder blades. His shoulders and biceps were well defined. Anyone could clearly see the man worked his body hard, especially his biceps and his torso, which held six clearly defined muscles that protruded through his thin garment.
The man was quite a perfect looking specimen. For days, I watched him move about working on different little things such as gathering grass for the cattle, gathering feed for the other livestock that he held in a little building, and sharpening his knives and pitchforks. I watched him gather oil out of a certain type of plant called a frait. I knew it was oil that we all used for torches back in our homeland but the lengths he went through to get that oil dumbfounded me so.
I watched him as he battled icy winds that felt as though they could cut right through the skin and straight down into the bone. He made his way to a much warmer climate after almost a week of walking, climbed over fallen trees, up mountain tops, and fought humongous man eating plants that he called a Venus Fly Trap. The oil he brought back would suffice for about another week before he would have to go in search of more. Little cuts and bruises decorated his body from the journey, and yet, I heard not one such complaint from the man.
My lips curled up into a grin; I knew he would be a perfect candidate, a loyal subject by the looks of it — and as an added bonus — one that wouldn't complain about a single thing. The man had a wife but no children. They lived inside of the woods not far from the oil that he collected just hours earlier (but still it was quite the distance.) He had plenty of blood diamonds — but I heard him call them dollars. What a weird name for currency. His home was nice, a two-story logged home. How did they build a home on top of the other like that? What materials they must have to be able to do such a thing... they must be quite advanced here. He is a fascinating man. He is the one.
I watched Drazen — whose name I heard his wife call him — as he came out of his cozy looking home and walked about five hundred feet in front of him to the little building (he called a Barn?) that held the livestock. I followed curiously behind him in the shadows trying to figure out what he was doing. I watched him as he fed the little calves and the lambs, the swine, and when he arrived at the front of his home, he fed the horses he let roam in a little clearing with a wooden fence around them as a means to keep them from running off. So what on earth would he need to go back to fetch more oil for?
It wouldn't matter anyway. It gave me the perfect opportunity to silently snatch him and take him far away from the prying eyes of his wife. I smirked widely knowing that this would be the last thing Caen would envision me doing. He would never approve of it neither and that made this all the more tastier. I flicked my eyes behind me just to be sure that Drazen was not by his unstable wife and proceeded to step inside of the building.
Long story short, the days that I have watched Drazen and his wife, Elise, I noticed something strange concerning Elise. She could be so quiet some days, almost too quiet, and then other days she would just burst out with hate and spew angry words at Drazen and he didn't even do anything to deserve it. Her face would distort and twist into a ugly snarl right before she lashed out at him verbally and sometimes, psychically as well.
Her voice was not her own and neither were her eyes. Her voice was deep and unnatural, while her eyes were like molten lava red. I would hear her throwing fragile items across the room where it shattered into a million pieces and what Drazen did piqued my curiosity. He began speaking firmly, holding up a holy cross and yelled godly words at her. Soon after, I realized that the oil was not only used for torches, it was also used for religious reasons as well such as casting out demons.
That is what Drazen had called it, the entity that had temporarily taken over Elise's mind and body. Each time it surfaced he would repeat the religious ritual then he would throw the oil (that he had previously blessed) at it and once it touched her skin, I would hear the sizzle of burning flesh followed by her distorted screams. After battling with the demon, Drazen carried an exhausted Elise back to her cot and then stepped outside to return to the barn.
I slipped in behind him as he walked through then I watched him slide down the wall, pulling his knees to his chest and began to openly weep. His soul laid bare in front of me, showing me what he had truly in his heart. He wanted an escape, he was tired of fighting the demon day in and day out, he was tired of the same routine. I only knew of this because I could hear him whisper it inside of his mind almost trying to convince himself that things would get better but I knew better, I could hear the doubt in his mind. He knew it would never get better.
Drazen wanted a way out and I was going to give it to him. I stepped out of the dark corner of the room and into the center of the barn staring directly at Drazen. He jumped up startled as he realized he wasn't alone. I was standing in front of him now. Thick fear rushed through his body in tidal waves that crashed into my body so heavily it almost knocked me backward. His blood was pumping fast, his heart was beating hard into his chest cavity. Drazen was terrified and he should be. I wasn't there to console him, I was there to offer him something more than an escape could possibly give him.
I walked over tauntingly slow, taking each precise step, one foot in front of the other until I was standing directly in front of his crouched form. I smiled sweetly at him, after all I didn't want to frighten the young man to death... quite literally. I bent down eye level with him.
"Hello, Drazen." I cooed.
"What is it you want? If it's money your after then here take it!" He stuck his hands in his pants I believe he called them and when he pulled his hand back out he shoved a handful of coins and paper blood diamonds into my hands. "Take it and leave, please." He pleaded, his voice shaky.
"Well, Drazen, although I am fond of currency, at the moment that's not what I'm after. What if I offered you a deal? Something I know you couldn't refuse. What would you say to that?" I questioned.
"I have never spoke of my name, miss, and what ever it is that you're offering I'm sure I don't want it. Please, go." He spoke with more firmness to his words. He was finding his confidence again. Good for him... but very foolish.
"It is of no matter how I know your name, just know that I know quite a lot about you and your lovely wife. I can give you what you want and more, Drazen. So, before you refuse me, very rudely I might add, listen to what I can give you. I can offer you an escape from the battles you fight everyday. I can offer you stability — I can offer you immortality." I spoke just as confident as he had moments earlier. My words held a power to them that I knew caught his interest because his brow raised as if he was considering my offer.
"I--I could not leave my wife like that. I am not that kind of man." He hesitated.
"How much longer can you..." I leaned down closer to his face, my breath fanned his mouth and nose before I leaned over to whisper in his ear, "fight the demons that plague yours and your wife's existence? Hmm? I can take that all away, I can make it so you will never have to deal with this kind of life ever again. What do you say, Drazen? Take a chance with me, or stay here in your pathetic so called "life" you have here doing the same thing you do every day?"
I breathed silently into his ear. A shiver crept down his entire body from my proximity, it was like he could tell I wasn't human, like he could sense that I was evil. I watched his breaths come out uneven and almost panting, his heart beat was erratic and the adrenalin shot through his veins in hot waves.
"What is immortality?" He questioned me with a confused expression.
I whispered seductively into his ear, "Something to die for."
Drazen inhaled softly as he debated. His head dropped for a moment before lifting back up to meet my eyes, nodding in agreement. I licked over my lower lip and left no time to waste. I felt my eyes dilate and my teeth lengthen. I bit down hard into his neck grinning when Drazen let out a strained whimper. If he knew how much his life was about to change he would've chosen to stay human.