Bloody Memories

It was my wedding day. I had heard that this day was supposed to be the most nerve-wracking, the most tense experience a young woman would ever have. It was also supposed to be the happiest, save for when she bore her children.

I wasn't nervous or tense. I had seen too much in my short time on this earth for something as sedate as my own wedding day to unravel me. This would be a walk in the park compared to every other day before this one.

As for happiness... I would just have to see to that down the road. Charles was a good man; predictable and hard working. My heart did not burn for him, but I liked him.

The scene at the church was absolutely serene. The walls were pale gray stone with large, high windows. Sunlight poured in, making the interior glow. White roses decorated the black pews. Large white banners hung from the rafters.

Charles' family's side of the church was packed, ever pew was full. Mothers, fathers, sisters, cousins, brothers. All were talking amongst themselves. Some where happy, some apprehensive. Charles' mother was especially worried. What was her baby boy getting into, marrying a woman like that?

My family's side was empty. I had family, quite a large one, but I had told no one of my marriage. I had cut off all ties to my family years ago. It was safer for them that way.

My dress was beautiful, pure white and flowing all around me. The train was long, dragging on the floor a foot behind me. Tiny white rosebuds were pinned to the skirt. I held a bouquet of large white blooms in my hands.

I stood just inside the entrance, waiting for my cue. I had no bridesmaids. I would walk down the long aisle alone.

The music started and I got ready. When it was my cue I stepped out into the main hall. Charles waited for me at the end of the aisle. He smiled that warm smile I liked so much. I smiled back at him.

There were gasps all through the gathered guests. They whispered to themselves, amazed by how beautiful I looked. I was not wearing a veil, and my long red hair was loose, trailing down my back, glowing like fire against the white of my dress. I held myself straight and tall as I made my way slowly down the aisle.

When I was halfway down the aisle, the sunlight in the church began to darken rapidly. I paused, turning my head to look out the windows. Dark clouds were gathering swiftly overhead, rumbling with thunder.

There were new gasps and whispers, worried this time. A bad omen, they said.

I turned back to Charles, setting my jaw firmly, holding my head high. I continued my long march.

Lightning flashed, rather close. It illuminated the inside of the church to a ghastly starkness in the brief second it was there. It was followed immediately by a loud crack of thunder.

Lightning and thunder, but no rain. Perhaps this really was a bad omen. I banished the negative thoughts from my mind. I was almost there.

I was less than ten feet away from my soon-to-be husband when he arrived.

He came down from the rafters, landing lightly on the floor between me and Charles. He faced me, grinning widely. Lightning flashed again, highlighting his dark eyes and sharp fangs. “Katrina, I'm hurt.” He said in that unbearably smooth voice of his. “You forgot to invite me.”

I stood where I was. Any move I made would endanger the people here. My gold eyes narrowed.

He continued to speak, ignoring everyone else in the church, his eyes on me alone. “I was going to wait until the 'if anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed' part to interrupt. But, I thought it was rather cliched.”

“How brave of you, coming in the daytime.” I said, my voice low and tight. I looked around the church. The guests were unmoving in their seats. Confused and afraid, like so many mindless sheep when under a vampire's influence. Charles cowered behind him, looking at the both of us fearfully. The priest could only stare in astonishment.

The demon's eyes danced in triumph. “You really should have expected me, Katrina. I would never miss such an opportunity as this. Not even sunlight could keep me away.”

“Not much sunlight, anymore.” Thunder rumbled again, echoing through the church, making the guests flinch. “The storm. It's your doing, isn't it?” I asked.

He thrust his hands in his pockets. It was a habit of his when he was particularly full of himself. “Oh, I can't take credit for that.” He said, still grinning. “Nora has become quite adept at manipulating the clouds, hasn't she? It's really very useful.”

I arched one red brow. “Nora is here as well? Two demon spawn, I feel honored.”

The vampire chuckled softly. “Jealous?”

I shook my head. “Not in a million years.”

My insult didn't even faze him. It would take a lot to bruise an ego that size. He continued to bare his fangs at me. “You knew it would happen eventually, didn't you? One day I would surprise you, finally catch you off guard.” His voice lowered to a caress. “Helpless.”

“One thing you never seen to learn, vampire.” I spat. “I am never helpless.” I flung my bouquet aside and hurled the silver clasp that had held it together at him.

He dodged it of course, but I had time to retrieve my revolver from the voluminous folds of my dress. He jumped high in the air once he saw it, perching back on the rafters.

I fired up at him. One, two, three, in quick succession. The first one hit the rafter he stood on, but the other two hit him. One in the leg, the other in the arm. He hissed in pain, but his mobility was undiminished. He jumped from rafter to rafter lightly.

I gritted my teeth. “No matter how many bullets I put in you, you just never die.”

“Not without you, my dear.” The vampire smiled down at me sweetly. He ducked down and a fourth bullet whipped through the airspace his head had been occupying.

He clucked his tongue. “You're a lousy shot when you're rattled.”

“You could gouge out my eyes and I would still hit you.” I said through gritted teeth. My last shots missed except for the very last one, which got him in the chest. He made a sound somewhere between a hiss and a gurgle and lost his balance. He plummeted down into the empty pews in the back rows. Upon impact the old wood burst apart. A cloud of dust rose into the air.

“You're so slow, you might as well be standing still.” I walked up the aisle, emptying my revolver. The empty casings rang like tiny bells on the stone floor. I knelt down next an empty pew in the third row, retrieving a bag I had stashed there. Call me paranoid, but I could never be too far from my gear. Then again, paranoia has it's payoffs.

I walked up the aisle, toward the fallen vampire, reloading my gun as I walked. His spell over the crowd was dispersed. Charles' family was stirring. There were frightened gasps and small screams. “Call the police!” Charles' mother ordered one of her other sons. He got to his feet and ran for the door.

“Don't move!” I ordered, keeping my eyes on the fallen vampire. “His friend is still around here somewhere. Hiding. She could kill a single man in an instant, but she's not strong enough to take you all on. If you want to live, stay in a group.”

Charles' brother, Peter I think his name was, turned and looked at me fearfully. He quickly returned to his mother's side. She clasped his hand and pulled him down into the pew next to her.

I stood over the vampire, aiming my gun at his head. He didn't move, he just stared up at the ceiling, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. I realized then that I hadn't hit him in the chest at all, but the throat. The wound sizzled, raw and angry. The bullet must had penetrated all the way to his spine. He was paralyzed. I had really gotten a lucky shot.

“Finally.” I said. “Time to finish this.” I knelt down, pressing the barrel of my revolver to his forehead. I wasn't trusting this shot to anything other than point blank range. The silver burned his forehead and he flinched, but could not turn away.

I paused for the barest second, savoring the moment. Most of my life I had been hunting this monster. He had ruined so many things for me, killed my friends, family, lovers. So many times my life could have been normal, peaceful, if not for him. And now it was finally over.

“Goodbye, my enemy.” I whispered. It sounded almost loving, I reflected as I pulled the trigger.

I didn't notice as she came up on my left, leaping over the crowd. She hissed angrily as she tackled me. The shot rang out, but it missed the vampire by a hair.

I had other things to worry about than the fact that I had missed. My gun had been knocked from my hands, lost in the wooden rubble. Nora was on top of me, trying her damnedest to claw out my eyes. Her fangs were exposed as she shrieked in rage and pain.

Nora wasn't as strong as her brethren. Not physically, at least. She was an exceptional weather manipulator, but she was no fighter. I, on the other hand, had been training to fight vampires for years. I grabbed her wrists and held her at bay.

I braced one cream colored high heel in her stomach and kicked her off of me. She recovered quickly and sprang again. She may have lacked brute strength, but even the life of a sloth wouldn't hamper a vampire's natural speed.

I wasn't slow either, by any measure. As Nora attacked again, I was ready for her. I had retrieved my gun from the rubble. When Nora tackled me, I buried the barrel of my revolver in the middle of her chest and pulled the trigger.

She screamed horribly, the sound reverberating harshly in my ears. She threw herself away from me, smoke rising from her chest.

A huge crack of thunder sounded overhead, followed by an explosion in the rafters. It came again, on the other side of the church. The wedding guests screamed in new horror as pieces of the rafters began raining down, some were on fire.

The vampire bitch had struck the church with lightning. Twice. I gritted my teeth, watching as she hurried over to my fallen nemesis. I turned away from the pair, to the crowd. “Get out, now!” I ordered.

They headed for the doors in a herd. I ran over to the group, trying my best to make sure they didn't trample one another to death.

More flaming debris rained down, crashing into the pews, setting the tapestries and carpeting ablaze. I managed to get everyone out relatively unharmed.

Once I had made sure everyone was outside and safe, I turned back to the church. It was really blazing now. The heat from the fire causing several stained glass windows to explode. I climbed up the stairs, but was stopped by a hand on my arm.

I turned to look at Charles. His face showed exactly how frightened he was. He was sweating from heat and terror, and he was shaking, but he held my arm tightly. “You don't have to go back in there.” He said. “Those... whatever they are, surely they're dead.”

“I have to make sure.” I said, softly but firmly. “ He'll never leave me alone unless I finish him. I told you about him.”

Charles' expression was pleading. “Yes, you told me.” He shook his head. “But-”

My expression was cold. “You didn't believe me.” I said.

“I know you would not lie.” Charles said quickly. “I thought you were merely exaggerating.”

I pulled my arm out of his grasp. “I wasn't.” I turned away from him, heading up the steps. I could feel his eyes on me, watching helplessly as I walked back into that inferno.

********

The doorbell rang just then.

I jumped, looking up from the journal. The lawyer, he was here.

Reluctantly, I closed the journal and slid it under my pillow. I had been so absorbed in the story of Great Aunt Katrina's aborted wedding that I felt out of sorts for a second.

David Lucien was here. I checked the clock on the wall as I walked to the door. Almost midnight.

He came bearing gifts. He handed me a small cardboard box as soon as I opened the door. The box was surprisingly heavy. I hefted it with both hands. “What is this? A brick?” I asked.

“Open it after I leave.” He answered in a low voice. “I don't want to be seen giving that to you. You'll need it soon.”

I nodded, glancing at the stairs. I opened the closet in the vestibule and put the box on the high shelf, pushing it to the back.

When I had closed the door and turned back around, David was looking at me sternly. “Where is your silver glove?”

“In my room.” I answered. “I don't bring it with me when I answer the door.”

“You should.” David told me. “You never know who might be on the other side.”

I suppressed a shiver. “You mean I am going to have to worry about vampires from outside too?”

David nodded. “If he continues to act so recklessly, then yes.” He jerked his head in the direction of the stairs.

I thought of Nora, the weather manipulator who had no trouble burning churches to cinders, and shivered. “I always carry the gun.” I said defensively.

The lawyer looked me over, then sighed sadly. “I had hoped that there would be more time to prepare you before he escaped. There's so much you need to know in order to do your job.” He shook his head. “How did he manage to get out of the tomb?”

I cringed inwardly. “That was my fault.” I admitted. “I unlocked the tomb. I had no idea what was inside.” I assured him. “If I had, I would never have agreed to live here.”

David was confused. “How did you unlock it? There's no key.”

I shook my head. “No, I had a key.” I pulled out my keyring. “You have to combine these three keys here.”

David snatched the keys out of my hand with such speed that I didn't see his hand move, one second I had my keys, the next he did. He stared at the keys in disbelief. “I searched this house top to bottom...” He whispered to himself.

“Great Aunt Katrina never told you about the keys.” I guessed.

“No, she trusted me with everything else, but not that.”

“She probably thought you would release him.” David looked at me strangely. “Well, you're both vampires, who knows what you guys are really thinking.”

David turned and walked into the kitchen, lost in thought. I contemplated asking for my keys back, but decided against it.

The vampire was leaning on the other side of the counter. Of course, I hadn't heard him arrive, nor seen any movement. “Lucien.” He greeted David calmly. David gave him a small nod in return.

David turned to me. “If you will excuse us.” He said politely.

I walked over to the white couch and plopped down, laying back on the cushions. “I'm staying right here with you two.” I told them firmly. “Whatever things you two have to discuss I want to be there for. I still feel way in the dark and if I am supposed to do a job here, I want as much information as possible.”

David glanced over at the vampire. The vampire gave me a stony glare. “Little girls should be in bed at this hour. The grown ups are talking.”

“You need me. David said so.”

The vampire scoffed. “You are the very last thing that I need. You wouldn't even make a good midnight snack.”

I didn't even blink. “I can see why Nora wants you six feet under. What I can't understand is why she ever liked you in the first place.”

The vampire's eyes narrowed. “You don't know what you are talking about.” He said dangerously.

“I've done some reading.” I replied matter-of-factly. “Did you know that Great Aunt Katrina kept a diary? I know all about how you crashed her wedding. If it hadn't been for Nora saving your ass, Great Aunt Katrina would have probably nailed you to the church roof.”

“Stop talking.” The vampire's eyes changed, glowing red. His voice took on a deep, feral quality. I sat up in alarm.

David grabbed his shoulder, holding him back as the vampire made to step towards me. The vampire bared his fangs and hissed, not taking his eyes off of me.

I pulled out the silver gun, pointing it at the vampire. This angered him more. “I will tear your tongue right out of your mouth.” He growled.

“Calm down!” David ordered sternly. “Before she puts a bullet in you.”

“That gun is empty.” The vampire snarled. My eyes widened. How long had he known that?

The vampire grabbed David's arm and threw him aside. David landed on the coffee table. All four legs snapped under the force of the throw.

Then the vampire was on top of me, pinning my body to the couch. I did the only thing I could do and smacked him with the butt of the gun.

His skin sizzled where the silver contacted his cheek. He roared in pain and knocked the gun away with the back of his hand.

Everything was happening too fast for fear to set in. Instinct kicked in and I fought, adrenaline pumping through my veins. He was sitting on my legs, but I still kicked and squirmed desperately.

He grabbed the hair at the back of my head with one hand, pulling my head back, exposing my neck.

I dug my nails into his injured cheek, drawing blood. My forearm was braced against his throat, trying vainly to hold him at bay.

Before he could sink his fangs into my neck, David grabbed him around the waist, then threw him into the window. The tough glass didn't break and the vampire landed on the carpet.

“Everyone just calm down!” David shouted. He was breathing heavily as he straightened his suit jacket.

Suddenly the lights overhead glowed red, turning the white carpet and furniture crimson. “Oh what now?” The vampire asked irritably as he regained his feet.

“That's the security alarm.” David answered.

I spotted something on the other side of the window behind him and stared. I lifted my hand and pointed. “What is it?” The vampire asked, turning to the glass.

He saw what it was immediately. Three figures stood out clearly in the gravel yard. I knew immediately that they were vampires. Each one was smiling at the vampire in the house. I could see their fangs.

Next to me, David swore.