Nightmare City

I reached down, till my fingers touched the pile of ash. It clung to the tips, my trembling stirring particles into the air. A drop of water fell, sending up a puff of ash. It nestled in the pile, a single bead of moisture. Another tear fell and I turned my head away.

Desyre looked out the broken wall at the nighttime skyline, completely oblivious to my emotion. She looked at the pile of ash on the floor, then back outside. “I don’t get it, where are the bones?”

I sniffed loudly. “Bones?”

She knelt down across the pile from me, raking her fingers through the ash. She rubbed it between her fingers. “There’s not enough here.”

“Is that Gabriel or not?” Chris asked from the other side of the room. He was going through some of the furniture there.

“Not all of him.” Desyre crossed her arms over her chest.

“Not all of him? What does that even mean?” He tossed a broken wooden chair to the side.

She looked up at the ceiling. “He was hung up here, see part of the chain hanging up there?” She frowned. “Someone cut the body down afterward.”

“Th-there...” I paused, swallowing. “There’s n-no way he could have done it himself, is there?”

She shook her head, closing her eyes. “You say he went missing four days ago?”

“Yeah, I was in the hospital for three days.”

“Well, the body was only cut down a few hours ago. I can smell the hunter, but it’s faded. There is a new smell, two people that have the same smell, actually. That’s much more recent.” She turned her eyes to me. “That means he had three days hanging in the sun. My Angel is powerful, maybe he could have lasted one day, but no vampire is strong enough to last three.”

My outstretched hand closed into a fist. I stood up, my shoulders shaking. “We were attacked without warning, Gabriel didn’t deserve it.” Both my hands clenched. “He made a promise to me, that he would not kill while I was alive. He kept that promise, even when defending himself. These hunters, they had no reason to go after us.”

“Evie...” Chris walked towards me slowly, his voice cautious.

“I’ll kill him.” I said, my voice hard as steel. “That old hunter, I’ll kill him myself. Gabriel didn’t kill him at the car garage, and that led to his death. So I’ll kill that hunter for him.”

“Evie, no.” Chris put his hands on my shoulders and whirled me around. “Killing is not easy.” His voice was stern. “It’s heavy, it’s the heaviest weight there is. Even one life is enough to break a person.”

“But it’s not fair!”

“No, it’s not fair. It hurts so much you feel like you’re going to explode. Don’t stoke that flame, it’ll temper you into something you’re not meant to be!”

I pushed him away roughly. “What do you expect me to do then? Go back home and forget all about Gabriel? Like he never existed? He’s not allowed to have justice?”

Chris shook his head. “Of course I wouldn’t ask you to forget him, but killing isn’t the answer. Killing the hunter will just send more after you.”

“Then I’ll kill them, too!” I screamed, tears burning down my cheeks. I pointed my finger at the floor as my emotions overflowed. “I’ll kill every damn hunter in this city if I have to!”

Chris closed his mouth and just looked at me, his blue eyes filled with so much sympathy. His shoulders slumped and his arms hung from them lifelessly.

I wrapped my arms around myself as the fire of rage faded, leaving me cold and empty. There was nothing to hold back the hurt as it threatened to break through my ribcage. “He’s so stupid, getting killed like this.” I gasped between sobs. “He’s so stupid. He’s always telling me what to do, and criticizing the way I dress.” I took a deep, shaky breath. “He was sarcastic and... and annoying... and always had to have his way. He tried to kill me a week after I met him, he kidnapped me from my apartment, and... and... I got dragged all the way to Paris for a stupid blood feud.”

My tears were making my head throb and ache. I pressed the heels of my hands to the sides of my eyes, trying to hold the pain back. My voice lowered to a whimper. “He was smart, and funny, and tidy. He always took me seriously when I needed him to. And the last thing he said to me... was that I was the only person he could be himself around. And... I miss him.” I squeezed my eyes closed. “I don’t want him to be dead.”

Arms wrapped around me, pulling me tightly to a warm chest. They weren’t Chris’, but I didn’t care. I wrapped my arms around Desyre and sobbed into her shirt. “There there, sweetie.” she cooed softly in my ear. “I miss him, too. I’ve missed him for a long time.”

She started humming then, soft and sweet. It was a pure, golden sound, that flowed into my ears and down, warming the icy shards growing in my chest. It was more than just her beautiful voice, more than her warmth. There was a beauty beneath it that healed, easing hurts and smoothing over scars.

She opened her mouth and sang wordlessly, a haunting aria that spoke of pain and loss. It evoked a deep and tireless loneliness, of never grasping the unreachable, of losing the unwinnable.

My heart bled in my chest, pulsing hurt that was warm with memory, dispelling the jagged ice of loss. When she stopped singing, she said to me: “We’ll carry on, that’s all we can do.”

I pulled away from her and rubbed my nose on my shirt sleeve, sniffing loudly. “Thank you.” I said weakly. “Sorry about your shirt.”

“I never wear the same ones twice anyway.” she smiled, her voice still kind.

“What was Gabriel to you?” I asked. “Why did he mean so much that you tracked him down to his front door?”

“I think I’ll share that with you, a short answer, because right now our feelings are so similar.” She put one hand over her heart. “I wouldn’t be here without my Angel. He is the most important person to me in the whole world, because he literally made me who I am.”

Understanding peeked it’s head around a corner of my mind. “You mean, he...?”

She nodded. “Your Gabriel, my Angel, was the one who turned me into a vampire.”

********

February 1648

I was going to die, there were no two ways about it. Tonight was my last night in this world.

I strained against the chains binding my arms and legs, they groaned in protest, but did not snap. I had wanted them strong, hadn’t I?

Right now the memory of my arrangements leading to this predicament was a faded blur in the face of overwhelming terror. The boat tipped again, sending the icy ocean water crashing against the hull. I screamed, renewing my struggles.

It was no use, I wasn’t getting free, not until we docked anyway. What had possessed me to take this trip? Was I that desperately bored of England? There were still towns and villages I hadn’t been through, right? Surely there was still some viable quarry left?

Maybe I could go back, we were only out a day at sea so far. How far could that be?

My insides shriveled a little at the thought of how much seawater was between myself and the shore.

“I’m going to die.” I moaned aloud.

“With the way yer thrashin’, you’ll wear yer heart right out.” a small voice said.

I turned my head to the sound. Across the cargo area was a ladder that led up to the deck. A slim finger stood next to the ladder.

“What are you doing down here?” I demanded. “I specifically ordered that I not be disturbed until we reach port.”

“The Cap’n sent me down, sir. He said I was ta feed ya.” She stepped closer, a covered wooden tray in her hands.

“He sent you down with a tray, did he?” Even in the state I was, I could appreciate the humor in that.

“No, sir. I fetched it from the Galley myself.” Looking at her, I could tell immediately she was a slave girl. Her dark skin and hair, her thin, starved limbs, and of course the manacles binding her ankles together so she didn’t run away. Or, in this case, swim.

I looked back up to the ceiling. “I’m not hungry right now.”

She set the tray down on the floor. “Can I ask ya a question?”

“By all means.”

“Why in blazes have ya chained yerself ta the bottom of the ship?”

“Because I’m recklessly foolish.” I answered honestly.

“Lost a wager?” she asked sympathetically.

“I am not a gambler... most of the time.”

“Then what are ya?”

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “You would not believe me if I told you.”

“As long as it’s the truth, I’ll believe it.”

“Fine then. I am a monster. I paid the fine captain of this vessel a large sum of money to chain me to the bottom of this ship so that I do not tear it apart board by board out of sheer terror.” I wasn’t sure exactly why, but talking to this girl was helping me to forget my fear of the water. It was still very much present in my mind, but I was able to push it to the side and have a somewhat normal conversation.

She was quiet for a long while. “Are you still there?” I asked.

“Still here. Just wonderin’ how much seawater ya drank.”

I laughed, a strained laugh, but still a laugh. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Well, how could I? Rippin’ apart the whole ship, indeed.”

“I could do it.” I assured her.

“That would be sumthin’ to see. I’d give anythin’ for it ta happen, too.” she said with vigour. “I’m not lookin’ forward to reachin’ land so much, ya see.”

“If it’s any consolation, you won’t reach it.”

“What’s that supposed ta mean?”

“The captain sent you down here to feed me. He didn’t mean for you to bring down food. You’re the meal.”

“Ya can’t be serious.” she scoffed. “What kind of folks ARE Englishmen, anyways?”

“I told you already, I’m a monster.”

“If ya are, then why are ya scared? If ya could tear the whole ship apart, what could scare you?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m scared of the water.”

She stared at me a long time. “Ya really are daft, ya know that, right?” Instead of retreating away from me, she drew closer. She looked down at my face with sympathy in her dark brown eyes. “Yer white as a sheet, yer so scared.”

“Actually, this is how I normally look.” The boat lurched to the side and my whole body tensed.

She placed a hand on my forehead and shushed gently. “Poor thing.” she said softly. She began to hum softly, a beautiful sound that grew from her chest. My body slowly relaxed as she started to sing.

It was a song in a language I did not recognize, most likely originating from the home country the slavers had ripped her out of. It was deep and earthy, and when I closed my eyes I could almost feel firm ground under my feet. The rocking of the boat faded into periphery and with it, my fear drained away.

When she stopped I opened my eyes again, feeling almost calm. “Are ya ready for food yet?” she asked.

With my terror banished, I could feel the familiar desire for blood returning, but it was still dim. “I think I’ll wait a bit more.”

“I’ll wait here with ya, wouldn’t want ya ta starve.”

“I won’t starve with you around.” I smiled faintly.

********

I drifted back to consciousness. What had all that been? A dream? A memory?

“Anais! Anais! Look, look!” The boy’s voice ripped through my thoughts. “His arms are growing back!” Ciel sounded unbearably excited.

I picked up the sound of light running, then Anais’ voice. “Let me see.”

“Look, right here.” I felt my shoulder lift up off the bed. “See the bone jutting out there? I measured it, it’s an inch longer than it was yesterday. He’s growing his arms back!” The boy’s voice was practically giddy.

“His face is looking a little better, too.” She commented. “Have you checked to see if his eyes were growing back?”

“Not yet. I want to wait a week, just to make sure he has eyelids, in case I damage them. This is completely fascinating. Can you believe how much we’ve learned while taking care of him? I wonder how we can repay him for teaching us so much.”

“Wasn’t saving his life repayment enough? You’ve been getting awfully excited, Ciel. I hope for your sake that he’s everything you imagine him to be.”

“What do you mean? I’m not THAT excited.”

“You can’t lie to me, I know everything about you. You’re expecting someone worth having saved, someone worth having to go through all this trouble, but, not everyone is like us. Farm life has made us soft, we are not as vicious as most of our brethren.”

“Only the young ones are like that, Anais. He’s at least as old as we are. The doctor said so.”

“Age does not always bring wisdom, Ciel.” Anais said softly.