Strength Of The World

I paced back and forth in my bedroom, not taking my eyes off the small vial that now sat on my dresser. What if they were lying? What if I drank it and it killed me? I had no reason to trust them. But what if they weren’t lying and I could meet this…vampire…who had the answers to everything. It seemed too good to be true. I didn’t even understand why they targeted me. Why did this man want to meet me so bad? I was nothing but an average girl who was turned into this God forsaken thing. There was nothing special about me before I died and nothing special about me after.

Grabbing the vial, I sat on my bed, twisting off the top that held the liquid in place. I stared down at it once more, then over at the picture of my parents. I hesitantly held the small container to my lips, closing my eyes tightly as I let my head fall back, letting the liquid flow into my mouth. A burning sensation consumed me, taking over every inch of my body. Horrific screams escaped as I pushed myself onto the floor, sitting on my knees. I placed two hands over my ears, closing my eyes tighter, dropping my head to the floor. A final scream escaped and the pain ceased.

I could feel a cold breeze colliding against my skin. I slowly opened my eyes, looking up to find myself in my room. Flustered, I stood, looking around. Everything was the same, had it not worked? I reached for the empty vial on my bed. As my fingers touched it, it turned to ash. A loud cracking arose from behind me and I turned to see everything I owned, turning to a grey ash, falling to the ground, everything around me darkening.

Hastily I grabbed for my parents picture before it became nothing like the rest. Taking a step forward I now found myself on the edge of a cliff, quickly taking a step back before I could fall. Everything had changed, the sky was red, almost black. I had a narrow walkway made of sand, both sides of me dropped off for miles. I could hear faint screams, coming from within the pits. A glow of fire shone from the pits that managed to light my path enough to see only a few feet ahead of myself. I was in Sheol.

Just as Matt had told me, the place reminded you of Hell and it’s exactly what I imagined it to be like.

I looked from side to side, wondering which direction would be the right one. I took small steps as I walked along the sandy ground, searching for whoever it was that wanted me. It felt as if I’d been walking miles and the scenery was still the same. I continued to walk, reaching an area that turned into ground on both sides of me. Fires began to light around me and the scene frightened me. A staircase could be found only feet away, two demonic vampires on each side, staring past me, still as statues.

A figure at the top of the stairway caught my interest and small fires began to light up on each side of the stairway until I could see a man sitting in a beautiful golden chair, that had been dazzled with diamonds. He smiled down at me, standing, making his way down the stairs. He had straight black hair on both sides of his head, but the top was spiked. Tattoos covered his arms and neck like the other men that had brought me here, and a small stud in the center of his lower lip.

“Please, do not be frightened child” his voice soothed and I was suddenly more relaxed than before.

He stopped, standing inches away, looking down at me, a small smile playing at the side of his lips. He ran his fingers along my cheek and jaw line, walking behind me. I felt his fingers trail down along my neck and to the spot that once held the wounds of a bite.

“You have turned out so beautifully Angel” he spoke softly and I closed my eyes at his touch.

I felt his hand disappear and I reopened my eyes to find him standing in front of me once more.

“I take it Matt explained everything to you?” he questioned, using his thumb to tilt my head up so our eyes met. He had crystal blue eyes that could pierce into anyones soul.

“He did explain some, but told me you would tell more” my voice shook as I spoke.

“I suppose I should begin explaining things” he smiled, turning to walk back up the stairs “My name is Jimmy” he stated as he turned to face me, throwing his arms out to the side “This is my home, Sheol.”

As he dropped his arms back to his sides, he sat, his eyes not moving away from my own.

“So, Angel, why are you searching for your killer? Aren’t you pleased with your new life?”

I cleared my throat “I don’t care about the person who turned me, God knows I’ve made this world a better place…”

“God?” he interrupted me, laughing hysterically “I’m sorry, how rude of me, please, continue.”

“As I was saying…” I began “I just want revenge on the person who killed my parents, I’d also like to know why they spared my life but not theirs. Although I’d like to think they accidentally left me…alive, I guess you could say. I would’ve rather died that night along with them. It kills me living with the pain of what happened to them, knowing I couldn’t of even saved them. My life was going so perfect, the direction I wanted, and it was all taken from me, everything” I explained.

Jimmy nodded, lacing his fingers together, laying them in his lap “This is why I needed you Angel. I already knew your story, what you needed, what you wanted” he sat up straight “I have a task, one that only you will be able to complete, and not only will you be helping me, but you will be receiving your revenge.”

A wicked grin overcame his lips. He stood, swiftly moving so he could be before me within seconds.

“I want you to see what happened…for yourself” he took hold of my shoulders, staring deeply into my eyes.

I found myself standing in my kitchen, my mom washing the dishes and my dad drying them. “Mom?!” I placed my hand on her shoulder, only for it to fall through. As if she were a ghost. They couldn’t hear, see, or feel me. A light knock came from the front door. I trailed behind my dad as he answered, letting out a loud gasp when I saw who was on the other side.

Matt wrapped his hand roughly over my fathers mouth, sinking his fangs deep into his flesh. He pulled back, picking up my father who was barely clinging to his life, and carried him into the kitchen, where Zacky was draining my mother of her own life. Brian finished off my father and Johnny, my mother. The lights cut out and I heard myself from upstairs, calling for my mom. I ran upstairs, standing beside myself “Angel don’t go down there!” I begged, trying to pull myself back, but just as my parents, the vision of me was like a ghost.

I watched as Brian drug me into the kitchen, forcing his fangs into my skin, watching as I struggled to escape. Matt tapped his shoulder and Brian released me before my body was fully drained.

Jimmy released my shoulders, making his way back up the stairs and to his chair. I placed a hand over my mouth, tears filling my eyes. It couldn’t be true, why…how would these men even have the nerve to face me? I was hurt and angry. I wanted nothing more than to rip out their hearts and watch as their lives faded. I dropped my hand, balling it into tight fist.

“This is what I need you to do for me, Angel,” Jimmy broke me of my thought, “I need you to kill them. Matt has become a sort of leader of his brothers and I’m afraid he’ll try to take over Sheol soon. Kill him last. If you kill him first, then you will be faced with his followers and I wouldn’t want that for you. I don’t want you harmed Angel. After what they did to you and what you’ve done for the…humans” a sound of disgust could be heard as he spoke the word “You hold too much value.”

He repositioned himself in his chair, sighing deeply “If you can complete this task for me, Angel, I will give you the gift of your mortal life. I can’t bring back your parents, but I will take this curse away from you.”

A look of disbelief filled me as my eyes met his “How? How is that possible?”

Jimmy chuckled slightly “I am the Lord of all vampires, I can make anything in which I desire happen. That is, of course, if you want it. If not, I’m sure we could arrange something. Would you like the curse of damnation lifted Angel?”

I thought, being a vampire wasn’t much different from being human, except I didn’t age, and could get away with ridding the world of the filth it created. But Jimmy was also right, if I died as a vampire, this is where I would end up when I died. My soul was damned for all eternity and nothing I did would stop that curse, being a vampire. If I became human again, I’d age, and my soul would no longer belong to all things evil.

“I’ll do it. I want my life back” I looked up at him, to now see a malicious grin placed upon his lips.

He snapped his fingers and I fell to the ground, a fire from inside once again consuming my body. I closed my eyes, curling into a ball. As the pain faded, I opened my eyes, to find myself placed back in my room. I slowly stood, picking up the vial from my bed, tossing it aside as I made my way out the small apartment.