She placed the torch against the wall, pulled her cloak from her back and shoved it into the bag. She pulled the string on the bag to close it again, tied it around her waist and shoved it around so it rested against the small of her back.
Reclaiming the torch, she turned to study the gloomy cave stretching out before her. She knew this cave well, but she couldn’t get her feet to move forward. She turned to take in the shadows behind her. She could go back to town. Maybe someone else would succeed in escaping. Maybe someone else would be able to do something, maybe someone else had already gotten out. There was no guarantee of that though, no way to know for certain, and what if they failed to reach someone, but she could somehow make it?
She continued to stare back the way she’d come, if she continued forward there was a possibility she’d never see her home, her friends, or the children again. If she didn’t go, there was a bigger possibility they would all end up strapped to a pole and set on fire.
That reminder caused her to turn away from her hometown. There was no way to know what would happen when they discovered her missing, but she did know none of them would walk away from this if she stayed here and did nothing. Gathering the waning dregs of her courage and without looking back, she slipped further into the caves.
- CHAPTER 8 -
William couldn’t tear his gaze away from the shining blood colored eyes looking back at him. He’d been in The Barrens; he’d seen what happened to vampires who weren’t able to feed. Seen how ravenous, mindless and monstrous they could become. These creatures fell somewhere between the hairless, almost slug-like creatures, who’d run free in the dry and desolate Barrens, and a normal vampire.
The eyes of the vampires across from him shone like rubies in the light playing over them. Their chapped and colorless lips skimmed back to reveal their fangs. They hissed excitedly when they spotted him standing on the bottom step. Pale hands wrapped around the bars of the cells holding them back; most of those hands had no nails attached to them. The nails on the ones who did still have them made him wince when they scraped against the bars.
Dried blood and torn skin hung from the end of some of the ragged fingers. It took him a minute to realize some of the scraping against the bars wasn’t only from fingernails. It was also due to the bones protruding from the tips of the shredded fingers. Some of them yanked at the bars, others sniffed the air like a dog trying to catch the scent. His scent.
Most of them no longer had eyebrows, and they were all in various stages of hair loss on their heads. Some still had almost all of their hair, others had bald patches showing through, and the rest had glistening, pale scalps.
He’d tried not to think about those creatures in The Barrens since they’d left there, but staring at these things across from him, he now recalled how their skin had been almost strangely translucent. The lack of a blood supply seemed to have drained them of the blood that had once been in their body. He kept expecting to see inside their skulls to their brains.
To the left of the two cells, he spotted another, smaller cage. The gleaming metal of the bars, and the sawdust on the floor let him know this cage had been hastily assembled after the others. He lifted the lantern higher to chase away the shadows lurking in the corners of the basement and obscuring the cage. Everything within him revolted at the sight that greeted him.
A silent scream resonated in his head as he stared at the small, lifeless bodies sprawled across the bottom of the cage. Children, dozens of them.
He didn’t move closer to the bodies; he had no desire to see any more of them, or to learn how they had died. It hadn’t been by natural causes if they’d been locked away in this basement. He assumed their fragile, young bodies hadn’t been able to withstand the starvation, but he had no intention of confirming it.
He almost turned away and walked back upstairs, but his conscience tugged at him. These were not the vampires of The Barrens; they hadn’t been put here because they’d been sentenced for a crime. If they’d been put here as a form of punishment, he couldn’t imagine what would have warranted this type of imprisonment and abandonment. These were men, women, and children who had been locked away for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom.
He couldn’t leave them here like this to suffer and starve. With no food supply, they would become withered, dry husks like the ones the old king had kept in his twisted trophy room. He couldn’t find the keys and set them free; they would attack and drain him if he did. There was no saving them, not anymore.
Walking to the first cell, he pulled the bow and arrows from his back. He set the quiver by his feet and took a steadying, unnecessary breath before tugging an arrow free. He’d felt as cold as ice these past few months, as deadened as The Barrens, but he couldn’t stop the sorrow and regret churning within his chest as he took aim at the heart of the vampire closest to him.
It threw itself more vehemently against the bars as its hands swung viciously at him. The nubby bones sticking out from its fingers swung repeatedly at him, a mindless killing machine that could never again see the light of day.
He released the arrow. The twang of the string resonated in the dank room beneath the prison before it hit the creature with a dull thud. The force of the arrow sent it reeling backward. Silence descended as the vampire hit the ground; its hands clawed at the arrow still protruding from his flesh. The others stared at him for a moment, and then like sharks smelling blood, they pounced upon the body of their fallen cellmate.
He didn’t know why they hadn’t turned on each other to begin with. Perhaps it was some kind of agreement not to destroy their own kind, or perhaps it hadn’t occurred to them in their degenerating state. Now the scent of blood broke any kind of agreement they may have had and aroused their primitive instincts. They tore and clawed at the dead vamp like a pride of lions on a downed antelope.
Sickness twisted in his stomach, but he raised the bow and fired a new arrow at another vampire and then another and another. When he started to run low on arrows, he tugged his crossbow free from his waist. He loaded in the first bolt and fired it at the one standing against the bars.
There were four twisted and starving vamps still standing in the second cell and three in the first when he ran out of arrows and bolts. His arms shook when he lowered the crossbow and tied it to his waist. He didn’t look over the carnage he’d created. He knew what blood and death looked like; he’d dealt with it his entire life. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he tried to block out the slurping, wrenching sounds of the feast going on within those cells as he turned back to the stairs.
With a heavy heart, he climbed the steps. Throwing his bow onto his back again, he began to search through the desks for keys. He discovered them hanging on the wall, behind a jacket draped over a coat stand. Returning to the cellar, the sounds of the feeding frenzy going on washed back over him and caused him to take a step back. The hideous crunch of cartilage and bone, as their fangs and hands tore at the bodies like they were nothing more than a piece of chicken, would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Were they eating the flesh too? He tried not to look closer, but his eyes were drawn to the bone now emerging through the shrinking carcasses. He’d made the right choice in putting these vampires down, he knew, but he couldn’t shake the sickness in his belly. Pulling two stakes from the holsters strapped to his waist, he stepped up to the bars. They didn’t look up from their feast when he unlocked the door and stepped into the cell with the three vamps.
Adjusting his hold on his stakes, he cautiously approached the vampires, not at all fooled into believing they weren’t aware of his presence, or their opportunity at a chance to escape. He didn’t know what had happened in this town, but he couldn’t take the chance of these things spilling into the nearby towns, if those towns still existed.
He was almost to the closest one when it released a hiss and launched at him. William spun out of the way, grabbed hold of the neck of its shirt and yanked it back. The clothing ripped in his grasp, but
he drove the stake into its heart. The creature squealed and stumbled toward the back wall. William spun and threw the next stake underhand, behind him at the next creature rushing him. The stake flew through the air and embedded itself in the creature’s heart.
It howled as it fell over, kicking and flailing violently upon the ground. William’s fangs extended, excitement pulsed through him as the thrill of the kill slid over his body. The man inside him was repulsed; the vampire craved more. This whole situation was hideous, but he couldn’t control the baser, more volatile urges shaking him. His skin tingled, his body felt electrified. For a second it almost felt as if his heart raced in his chest again. Bending down, he jerked the stake from his first victim and spun to take on the third.
This one, apparently content with having feasted on the blood of the dead, scurried toward the open door instead of coming at him. William leapt at it, bringing it down beneath the weight of his body. He drove a fist into the creature’s kidneys, causing a cry to escape from it and its feet to kick forcefully against the dirt floor. Fighting against the explosive urges coursing through him; he forced himself to stop pummeling on the creature and put it out of its misery. He drove the stake deep into its chest and twisted it.
Shoulders heaving, warm blood dripping from his hands, he lifted his head to stare at the four vampires in the other cell. He shuddered at the overwhelming scent of blood filling his nostrils as he fought to keep himself restrained. He’d planned to retrieve his arrows from the dead in order to dispatch the remaining creatures, but his body sought a bigger release.
There was a fine line between being a vampire and a monster; he teetered on that line right now. The fangs hanging over his bottom lip sliced his flesh, causing blood to trickle down his chin. These creatures weren’t his enemies; they were victims of whatever had happened in this town. He realized he was inhaling air he no longer required as he labored to calm the beast within him.
The veins and muscles in his forearms bulged when his hands curled around the stakes in his grasp. It would be so easy to walk into the cell and take out his ire and thirst on those innocent creatures, but that would make him no better than Caleb and Atticus had been. It would make him no better than Kane.
His head bent as useless breath continued to lurch in and out of him. What was he becoming? When this was over would he have to be destroyed himself? Would he become the thing he’d always hated most?
At one time, he would have thought absolutely not. There was no way such a thing could happen to him, but he realized now it could. It would be so unbelievably easy for it to happen, and it may be a possibility before this was all over. He had to get himself together, but first, he had to take care of the remaining vampires in this building.
Lifting his head, he met the ruby colored eyes of the remaining creatures as they ravenously watched him from the other cell. These vampires weren’t feasting; they were prepared for him and had a calculating gleam in their eyes.
If he walked into that cell it would be a bloodbath, and it would mean no turning back for him. He would be one-step closer to becoming a monster. He didn’t think he would lose in a fight, yet it was a possibility, but with the way he felt right now he could take on a dozen vampires. He was walking a line, but he wasn’t ready to fall over it, not yet.
Rising to his feet, he pulled the arrows and bolts from the bodies surrounding him and placed them methodically back in his quiver or returned them to his side. He didn’t realize blood dripped from his hair and beard until he stepped from the cell and a drop of it landed upon the floor at his feet. He stared at the pooling blood before lifting his hand to wipe it away from his face.
He didn’t know what he would become by the time this was all over with Kane, but as of now, he was not a monster. He wouldn’t take his bloodlust out on these pitiful creatures. Lifting his bow, he quickly dispatched the last four vampires before opening the cell door and stepping inside to retrieve his arrows.
He didn’t look at their faces as he pulled the weapons from their bodies but stared at the back wall. It was streaked with blood; chunks had been torn into the rocks lining the wall. It would have taken a while, but eventually these things would have gotten free. They’d shredded their fingers to the bone trying to escape, and in the end they’d been left with nothing but walls.
Walls, he thought with disgust.
Walking from the cell, he hurried up the stairs and outside again. All he wanted to do was get out of this town, but he couldn’t continue his hunt looking the way he did. He returned to Achilles, gathered some supplies from the saddlebag on his back and returned to the first home he’d searched.
The heat of the shower felt amazing against his cramped and aching muscles. He watched the blood running from his auburn hair in pink rivulets swirl down the drain. He lingered beneath the beat of the spray far longer than he should have, but he couldn’t force himself out until the water turned cold.
Toweling off, he dressed and left the house. The sun was beginning to set; it would probably be best if he stayed here for the night, but he had no intention of spending any more time in this town than he had to.
He walked back to the steps of the prison, grabbed hold of the lantern still burning on its hook and lifted it to look around the building. He hated the idea of leaving this place still standing with the horror beneath it, but he didn’t know what else was out there, possibly waiting for him in the snow. He might draw it here, if he lit this place on fire.
Turning away, he strode over to the stable and slid open the door. All of the stalls within were open and empty. Whatever had happened here, they’d either turned the horses loose, or someone had taken them. He stared into each of the empty stalls before arriving at the large feed bins at the back of the stable. Hanging the lantern from the hook hanging over the bin, he threw open the lid to find oats inside.
Grabbing an empty sack from beside the bin, he began to fill it with scoops of oats. He had no idea what lay beyond this town, not anymore. He had to start stocking a lot more supplies and find somewhere safe to stash them. Closing the lid on the bin, he returned to Achilles and tied the sack to his saddle before climbing on. He gathered the reins in his grasp and turned the horse out of town. He had no idea where he was heading when he nudged the stallion in the side and into a brisk trot; he just knew he had to get far from here.
He had no doubt Kane had been here now. What had happened in that town would have been something the twisted vampire would have enjoyed thoroughly. Moving deeper into the mountains seemed like the best idea. Whoever had been behind the destruction here would want to keep their maliciousness unknown and hidden for as long as possible. The mountains were the perfect place for that.
***
Tempest weaved her way in and out of the cave. She climbed higher then lower with the flow of the rock beneath her feet as she made her way to the end. When the exit to the cave was only a hundred feet away, she extinguished the flame by rolling the torch around on the floor. Carefully, she unwrapped the rag from the end; she hissed when her fingers blistered from the lingering heat. With a shake of her wrist, she tossed it on the ground.
She kept hold of the torch; she would need it again, if she wasn’t captured, dragged back, and lit on fire as soon as she exited the cave. Her steps were noiseless and carefully placed as she approached the sliver of moonlight filtering inside the constricted exit of the cave.
Turning sideways, she slid cautiously between the rock walls surrounding her. She froze when there was only three feet left until the exit. Unmoving, she stood and listened for any sign of someone outside the cave. Her hands shook as she forced herself to continue to inch forward. No matter how tempting it was, she simply could not stand in this cave and wait for help to come to her.
At the edge of the exit, she placed her forehead against the cool rock and took a minute to steady herself. She wrapped her hand around the rock wall and poked her head out. Her eyes searched over the pathways and rocks carved into the mo
untains surrounding her. She didn’t see any guards patrolling the mountainside, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there, blending in with their surroundings.
Her gaze slid to the lake situated in the valley below. The sliver of the moon hanging high in the sky reflected in the lake’s clear blue surface. She could almost believe she could walk straight across the pathway the moon had lit across the shimmering water. Almost believe all was right in the world as she gazed down at the beautiful scene beneath her.
Massive boulders surrounded the lake; their jagged formations had been cut from the mountains surrounding it by the water. No one had ever lived on this side of the mountain as there was no land to build on, but she’d spent a fair amount of time swimming in the lake and lying on the boulders, absorbing the sun in the summertime.
Tilting her head back, she examined the sky. The stars were beginning to come to life. Now was the time for her to go.
Releasing the wall, she stepped from the cave and hurried down the rocky ledge lining the mountain. The path was so narrow she could only place one foot on it at a time. One wrong step and she would end up smashed onto the rocks below. The fall most likely wouldn’t kill her, unless it somehow managed to knock her head from her body. However, she couldn’t afford to lie there, for what could be days, while she waited for her broken bones to mend.
After two hundred feet, the path ended abruptly in another rock wall. Stopping at the end of the path, her gaze slid over the top of the mountains again. Everything remained calm and still. She slipped the torch into the rope wrapped around her waist before dipping her foot over the side of the path. She moved it around in search of a rock to use as leverage to climb down. She’d climbed up and down these mountains more times than she could count, but that had always been in the daytime and without the added worry of somebody shouting at her to stop.