Sacrum
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Vampire Killer
We can't conceptualize evil that we ourselves are not capable of.
The words spoken to me by Vinicius a long time ago played in my head on a loop as Edward Graham and I drove back from my hearing. Vinicius had told me-no, he had warned me of this.
It didn't make much sense to me as a child. I had a vivid imagination after all, surely, I could dream up anything, even something I would never envision doing myself.
But the sentiment was perfectly clear to me now because I was certain that no matter how far I stretched my brain, I could have never in a million years conceived someone like Arani Deadnus. I couldn't guess that a vampire as loathsome could possibly walk this earth. Worst of all, now I was months away from essentially becoming that evil's property. I was tasked to do her bidding. Fight against vampires like Vincent. The idea was so morbid that I suddenly felt ill and turned my head away from the quickly moving window view.
"Thank you for defending me," I weakly said to Graham. It felt comforting being in his car, away from the glare of the courtroom lights. My only regret was the fact that I didn't get to speak to Melinda Moretti, who was suddenly gone by the time the hearing was over.
He glanced over at me with apparent concern in his sharp eyes.
"I'll always defend you, Dani. Don't worry."
"What am I going to do?" I asked. He turned his gaze back to the road.
"We'll figure something out. Just give me some time. For now, focus on finishing school." It was easier said than done. The uncertainty of my future hung above me like a dark cloud.
"Why does she think I know anything about rebirth?" Graham winced at the word. He still didn't like me discussing the idea.
"Who knows," he replied.
"She thinks Vinicius wanted me to...become reborn on my own? How, with my gift?" The attorney looked more nervous.
"I don't know Dani, but whatever she's thinking doesn't matter. She's clearly out of her mind."
"What if she's not?" I asked, and he looked at me so fast his neck almost snapped. "What if in this instance she's right?"
"What do you mean?" He asked in a careful tone.
"What if Vinicius did want me to figure it all out and do it?" Graham laughed as if the idea was utterly absurd.
"Dani, you're just a boy. He wouldn't have given you a suicide mission-which is exactly what that would be." I decided to tell him everything. I trusted him, and it's not like I had anything to lose at this point.
"I dreamt about it before I even knew what it was," I started. "I dreamt about Vincent. We were outside of the school, which was on fire, and he told me to pick a side. And he told me that all vampires go to hell. And I said, 'Not if they're reborn.' I didn't know what it meant then. But when Van Sant was killed, and I saw the word again, I knew it was meant as a message for me. I retrieved a note from his pocket. It was a letter from Vinicius with a code in it. The code spelled out the word Rebirth. It can't all be a coincidence," I said, and Graham drove in stunned silence for a while. "I also haven't told the nurse, but I have actually been feeling sick," I confessed, and he immediately pulled the car over. The look on his face was stricken with fear.
"Sick?" He asked.
"I've thrown up multiple times, sometimes I feel really week. I thought maybe it was just to do with my gift, but I'm not so sure anymore."
Graham looked like his brain was working overtime. He rubbed his temples and started to speak fast.
"Okay, okay we can figure this out. I need to have you checked out by a doctor as soon as possible, but it needs to be private. Nobody can know. How will I get you out of school for this, and who can I trust to do the examination?" He seemingly asked himself.
"So you do think that there's something wrong with me?"
"No, of course not. We just have to do it to be sure. Listen Dani, Vinicius would never put you at risk. He would never have gotten you tangled up with anything that had to do with rebirth. He knew how dangerous the idea was. He knew that the mere association would put you in grave danger. He would never..." It seemed as if he was trying to convince himself.
"So, he talked to you about it, about rebirth?" I asked, curious.
"He did. It was...well. Listen, it's a long story. But I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."
"Why can't you just tell me?" I asked, feeling frustrated.
"I will. I'll tell you everything when you turn 18. I promised him I wouldn't tell you certain things until you came of age. It was the one thing he was insistent upon. I have to honor my word." On one hand I was annoyed, on the other I understood Graham's dilemma perfectly. I wouldn't break a promise that I had made to Vinicius either.
When we got back to school Graham went to find Headmistress Trusting and tell her everything that had happened in court. Meanwhile, after I failed to locate Vincent, I went to the library and found Angelo and Laura. I quickly updated them on my latest woes.
"None of it makes any damn sense," Laura stated in frustration, shutting her book with unnecessary force. "Why is she so damn evil? You're supposed to be her greatest weapon, yet she's treating you like her biggest threat."
"Maybe that's it," Angelo chimed in. "Maybe she actually sees you as a threat to her power, Dani."
"Good, she should. I'm done playing nice with her," I replied, suddenly feeling a new wave of fury coming over me. "In court she mentioned Neo 'will' be euthanized. That means he hasn't been yet. I have to go find him. I have to get out of here," I stated, and Laura looked stunned.
"Dani, there's Protection League officers guarding the school from every angle. You won't be able to go anywhere unnoticed. And if you give her a reason, she will transfer you to whatever horrid facility she has in mind." Laura had a point, however I refused to hear it.
"I don't care if all her damn troops are guarding this place. What the hell is my gift for, if I can't use it?" That statement made both Laura and Angelo go quiet. The words out of my mouth shocked even me. It was the first time I had ever contemplated using my gift against others. Suddenly I felt ashamed.
"Dani, you're just going to get yourself into more trouble. Let's try to figure out another way."
"There is no other way. She's going to kill him," I said dejectedly, pushing my blood juice away from me. All my energy and anger suddenly sapped out of me. All I was left with was a deep feeling of despair.
Suddenly I remembered Vincent's words to me. "The gift is yours to use how you choose to see fit." Aligning with him would mean freedom from the State-an organization I wanted nothing to do with anymore. It was the best choice-really, my only choice.
I had made up my mind at last. When I turned 18, I would join Vincent Carandini and fight against the State. I would do the exact opposite of what was expected of me. And I no longer felt bad about it. In fact, I felt nothing.
After a while we all went back to our dorm rooms for the night. I said goodnight to Declan who would spend yet another evening guarding my door. I made a mental note to ask Graham to let my protection officers go. There was no point in them guarding me anymore, I thought. Deadnus was coming for me regardless, I highly doubted that a vampire killer would beat her to the punch.
I was gone as soon as I closed my eyes. My dreams transported me to a familiar warm place-The Valentini Academy.
My Mentor was in his study, a cozy place where I had spent countless days. There was another with him, a face I had seen before. It was Arcadius Nomad, the vampire I had met at the Summit, who was now in charge of the school that Vinicius had left me in his will.
He spoke fast.
"He's gone mad, Vinicius. Someone must put a stop to it." My Mentor looked conflicted as Nomad went on. "His thirst for power and control knows no bounds anymore. Nobody can reason with him. He leaves a trail of death and destruction everywhere he goes! It's madness." The vampire looked at Vinicius as if waiting for him to provide some sort of solution. It seemed that my Mentor had none. Or at least was unwilling to give it.
"I don't have the power to stop him," Vinicius replied, looking Nomad in the eyes.
"Yes, you do, Vinicius. Let's not kid ourselves. If you speak out against him, more will follow. Your word carries great weight. You, singlehandedly, could overthrow him and be the one in charge. We could have a just vampire State - a fair vampire State for the first time in history. Just envision it, my friend."
"Being in charge is not an ambition of mine, Arcadius," Vinicius stated plainly.
"It might not be, but that is precisely why you're the right one for the job," Nomad replied. Vinicius had a pained expression on his face, but his friend continued. "Human lives, Vinicius. Innocent human lives being snuffed out every single day that his power goes unchallenged. If we let him continue, we're all going to live in hell on earth soon."
At the mention of human life Vinicius could not sit idly. Although I could see the pain it caused him, he said, "What would you have me do then, take on Romero and the entire Carandini dynasty?"
"Talk to those you can trust and start spreading the word. The monarchy must die out and be replaced with a Democracy. I already have a soldier who has volunteered to lead the revolt."
"A soldier?"
"Her name is Arani Deadnus, and she's not afraid to take on any Carandini member." Vinicius seemed to register the name.
"Arani's on a personal quest for revenge, you must know that."
"What of it? Her reasons don't matter to me, as long as she'll do the job."
"And what will she do once she gets to Ciprian? You think she's simply going to arrest him?" He asked.
"The world won't suffer a great loss with Ciprian gone, you and I both know that."
"I won't be a part of a Carandini execution squad," Vinicius replied.
"You've always given them too much credit, Vinicius. Even after what they did to Dahlia," Nomad replied. At the mention of her name, my mentor suddenly looked as close to crying as I'd ever seen him. "Haven't they caused enough damage and suffering? The power has corrupted them completely and they are past saving. Let's put an end to it now, my friend. Let's put an end to Romero's cruelty."
Vinicius sat in silence for a long while. But eventually he replied.
"And so we must. Let us help usher in a Democracy and free the vampire state once and for all," he said.
I woke up with a rising sense of panic. Could it be true? Was it really my Mentor and his colleague who gave rise to the plague that now haunted me endlessly-the wicked vampire in charge of the Protection League? My insides crumbled at the thought. Was that who he would want me to support? It seemed unfathomable.
But in the midst of my horrified contemplations, I suddenly became aware of the noises outside my door.
There was a bang, and an object hit the door with brute force. It sounded like a scuffle of some sort was taking place.
I sat up in bed, half awake and half trying to figure out if I was still dreaming.
But then the door flew open, and I knew it was real right away.
There was a masked intruder wearing all black and holding something in his hand. Behind him there was a body on the floor-Declan.
And suddenly a burning sensation spreading through my chest down to my very core. The worst burn I have ever felt. Like being on fire from the inside.
I looked down to see the cause for the painful sensation. There was a small hole in my night shirt. Underneath the hole there was my naked chest-with a silver bullet in it.
A gun. He was holding a gun containing silver bullets.
Shocked, I moved my eyes back to the masked figure in slow motion, only to see another bullet flying right at me, then hitting me square in my shoulder, making me bow down in pain.
Fire. I felt like I was on fire.
So this was it-this was how I would die. Taken out by someone whose face I didn't even have a chance to look at.
A dark unknown entity. A vampire killer-most likely the same one who killed Vinicius and Van Sant.
But instead of thoughts of revenge, I suddenly thought about how I would never kiss Vincent again, never see Edward Graham's pleasant face, never talk to Laura and Angelo, never hug my dog Neo, and never look into the depths of Demetrius' intense brown eyes.
By the time the third bullet hit my ribs, I was already gone.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.