Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 139

"Have you been snacking on him?" I spat the words out, almost choking on my own fury.

Gently, she hoisted the large boa constrictor over her shoulders and laid it on the wooden floor. Now ignoring my question, she replied, "Father misses you. He wants you to come home." She used the fake, friendly voice that got on my nerves.

"How many times did you bite him, Stephanie?" I asked through clenched teeth, attempting to get a straight answer out of her before I lost my cool. From the swelling on Blick's face and upper torso, it was apparent that their bites were venomous, like snake bites. I had no idea how much poison was now coursing through Blick's veins.

She continued to pet her boa constrictor for what seemed like an eternity. Finally she said, "You don't belong here."

The snake coiled itself into a ma.s.sive heap, flashing it forked tongue every few seconds in my direction. Was it agreeing with her comments? It was fifteen feet long if it was a foot. An image of the monstrous snake from my nightmares entered into my brain.

Then the low ringing sound I'd heard earlier returned, and I knew Blick was trying to contact me. He ate through the gag and began struggling in his chains. The twins directed their attention to him, not really sure what to do unless their mother instructed them. They held onto the chains tightly as Blick resisted.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. The possibility of another presence registered with me. I understood what Blick had been hoping to tell me, even though his thoughts were garbled. I prayed he was wrong. As quickly as I could, I sent a message to Michael. "Get Blick out of here now!"

"I'm not leaving you," Michael rapidly returned the thought to me as he glanced down at me.

"Then be ready," I replied telepathically to him.

In the same sappy, sweet voice Stephanie had used with me, I said, "You're right dear sister, I may not belong here. I do have a message for Father actually. Will you relay it to him? Hmmm?"

She scoffed at my pretentious behavior, but I knew I had her attention. She and the snake both looked directly at me. The snake raised up its head, gazing into my direction as if it could understand me. That's when I knew Blick was right. "Tell Father he can go to h.e.l.l," I said.

Seconds after I threw my insult to Stephanie, I relayed a command of engagement to Blick and Michael.

Michael followed my lead and raised his weapon the same time I did. We took aim at Stephanie.

She froze, calculating her next move. A glint of fear registered across her scaly face. Her green eyes darkened with apprehension.

Just as Blick broke his chains, he roared with renewed energy and shifted into his h.e.l.lhound form. He grabbed both twins by the throat, lifting them high into the air. They wiggled about like goth rag dolls in his embrace.

"If you or your snake makes one move..." I didn't finish my threat. Stephanie knew what I meant.

"Don't let him hurt them," she squeaked. She gripped her own throat in horror and I wondered why she did not release the creature she had shown us earlier. She was actually afraid.

As the twins continued to struggle, Blick grew more and more angry. His eyes blazed and he growled mercilessly at them, shaking them as their legs dangled wildly. His size enlarged. His arms, chest, and legs expanded until he looked like he was a ma.s.sive wolf standing some twelve feet tall on his hind legs, pumped up on steroids. The Lycan-Underworld-movie look Blick had had as a h.e.l.lhound was now far more savage, far more terrifying.

All of us stood watching in shock as Blick's transformation continued. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Stephanie's snake. Even it was staring at Blick in disbelief. The snake reared its head higher in defiance, nudging Stephanie with its nose to engage. She let out a helpless moan when Blick's rage mounted and he began slamming the twins into the wooden floor over and over. I thought of an alley cat playing with its mouse, enjoying the frenzy of the moment until the prey stopped responding.

Michael and I took the opportunity to slowly move in between Blick and Stephanie, so we could protect him with gun fire if Stephanie advanced towards him. I was antic.i.p.ating her pulling the snake-in-the-throat trick again. But with seeing the look of sheer terror on her face, I didn't think she would do that. Just the same, I cautiously guarded Blick, knowing I couldn't trust her at all.

Finally I heard a loud thud as the twins were smashed into the gym floor once last time. I had my back to Blick and the lifeless twins when I heard him howl. A stab of fear shot down my spine. Only one word came to mind when I heard the purely primal scream. Werewolf.

My voice broke the silence as Blick resumed to huff and puff calmly behind us. "Take your snake and leave this place, Stephanie."

She screamed at us and ran towards Blick.

Michael and I fired upon her.

Stephanie dodged the bullets and whirled out of our range. "This isn't over," she screeched at me as she raced away, leaving her snake behind. She and the broken bodies of the twins suddenly vanished into a cloud of green smoke. A smell of dead skunk lingered in the air.

Again I sent a plea to Michael. "Please get Blick out of here. I'll take care of the snake. Just get out of here!"

Seeing the boa constrictor as a little threat, Michael asked, "Do you want my sword?"

"No," I answered. "I think my machetes will do the job just fine. I'll catch up with you guys later."

Without saying another word, Michael disappeared with Blick a moment later.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

As a million anxieties flooded my mind, I paced a few times to the bleachers on the wooden floor of the gym. The noise of my footsteps clumping on the wooden floor annoyed me. Visions of my nightmares started flashing before my eyes. My heart slammed in my chest. I tried to swallow down my fear and remain calm. I knew I was in great danger, even though I was acting as nonchalantly as I could for the snake's benefit. Michael had not picked up on my signal, and Blick was likely too far gone for rational thought. Saving Blick was the right choice. Maybe my idea of self-preservation would disagree, but I had to get him to safety.

The voice inside my head said, "This is suicide. Call the angel!"

I ignored the statement.

The snake watched my every move. Its heavy body remained coiled while its head swayed this way and that. I refused to make eye contact with it. While I paced, I reloaded my shot guns with my last bullets. I thought of J's comment about how my powers would come to me naturally and I exhaled slowly. I hope he's right about that.

Finally, I said loudly enough so the snake could hear me, "G.o.d, I hate snakes," and raised both shotguns in its direction. My last bullets from both guns. .h.i.t it in the face and the illusion of the snake evaporated.

Father morphed from the boa constrictor form into his normal demon shape. It reminded me why Stephanie's twins seemed so familiar. His dome-shaped head was bald and resembled the structure of the boys' skull minus the bony Mohawks. He had the same scaly, dingy yellow skin as Stephanie, and thankfully, he was wearing more clothes than she and her offspring were. Father's finely tailored double-breasted suit was made out of soft, black leather with red threading embroidered across the chest and sleeves. A few silver b.u.t.tons shown on the vest.

"Was that your Halloween outfit last year, Father? Or maybe you're going to the rodeo later?" I announced the questions loudly and boldly, keeping my distance from him.

He laughed like he was the most loving father in the world. Casually he walked in my direction. "How did you know it was me, daughter?" he asked.

"Snakes aren't very attentive. They can't understand what someone is saying to them. And you looked like you could understand everything that was going on perfectly." As he slumped across the floor, I realized he had on matching black cowboy boots. I rolled my eyes.

The voice inside my head roared with laughter. "He makes the perfect snake wrangler."

I squinted my eyes and pressed my lips together, so I wouldn't burst out laughing.

As a dramatic gesture of quiet defeat, I laid my empty shot guns on the gymnasium floor. "If I return to h.e.l.l with you, will you leave Blick and the others alone?"

"Of course," he replied, waving his arms about triumphantly. "I only want you to come home."

"Fine," I said, hoping I sounded agreeable.

"Call the angel!" the voice inside my head demanded.

"Whatever," I muttered under my breath. I sent a thought to Michael, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to get to me in time. Michael, save me.

Chapter 16.

Mousetrap When a text messaged chimed on my phone, I jerked. Old habits die hard, and even without being victim to Father's torture anymore, I could still jump for no reason if something startled me. If I were on edge, as I currently was, it was much worst.

"Hold on, Father. Let me take this." I proceeded to walk to the bleachers away from where he stood in the middle of the gym.

"You okay? m"

I stared at the text for a few moments. It was from Blick's phone, but it couldn't be him. Then I noticed the letter 'm' at the end. That had to be from Michael.

"No," I typed and hit the Send b.u.t.ton.

"Your father is there? This is Michael by the way."

I turned my back to my father and smiled at my phone. The image of his attempting to type out a message with those lovely, large fingers sent goose b.u.mps along my arms. The saying was certainly true about a man's generous portion of manhood being complimentary to the size of his hands... I stopped my train of thought and quickly typed "Yes."

"Okay. Hold tight."

"Are you ready?" Father yelled at me from across the gym.

I gripped the phone in my hand until my knuckles turned white. I threw up my other hand. "One minute," I snapped.

The voice inside my head said, "See? Help is on the way!"

Breathing in and out slowly, I tried to calm my nerves. My emotions were all over the place again and my anxieties wanted to have another go at me. I opted to stall Father as long as I could.

Another text message chimed in. This one was from Lynn. I needed to hear a familiar voice and get some help with a research project, so I clicked her number, ignoring Father completely.

She answered the phone laughing as she usually did. "Oh my G.o.d, that was a wonderful pic of Ash. Thank you!"

"I thought you'd like that. It's still a favorite of mine too." I hoped my voice sounded carefree.

"So what's up? You must have a search question if you're calling me, girl."

"Ha, ha," I laughed. "You know me too well. Yes, I do actually."

"Give it to me."

"I have a couple of photos I want to send you. Can you find out more about the product? What places it's being shipped to? I just moved out of my dad's house and I don't have my computer set up with internet yet."

"You moved out? Good for you! Your dad sounds like such a douche bag, no offense," Lynn said. There was a slight tinge of anger in her voice.

"None taken. You're totally right. And thanks by the way for talking with me that night. I needed..." A surge of doubt hit me and I swallowed hard, unable to speak. I tried to compose myself, knowing Father was growing suspicious. I had broken down the other night and had called Lynn. After knowing that Father could be in the House of G, I needed to talk to someone other than Blick or Michael. Consequently, I had shared a few details about my personal life with her. The confession had done me a world of good, so I didn't second guess my actions. So what, I thought. I need to start trusting a few people, and who better to start with than someone I talk with almost every day! Lynn's father was an alcoholic, so she totally understood why I didn't enjoy putting up with his erratic behavior, and was debating moving out. That had been my story, and it wasn't too far from the truth.

"Hey, that's what friends are far," she said in between slurping down her soda. "G.o.d knows, you've heard me whine about my boyfriend. How did I end up with a dad and boyfriend who both drink? I've got to figure out a way to get Steve to cut back on the sauce."

"I hear ya," I said, wanting to voice instead something about her leaving the a.s.s, which is how I mentally referred to her boyfriend, Steve. If I ever visited Earth, I couldn't wait to meet that waste of s.p.a.ce. But since my time was limited, I turned the conversation back to my issue. "Let me know what you find out, okay? And when I get settled, I'm gonna throw a party."

"Sounds good! I'll text ya what the info after I get off work tonight." Then Lynn paused for a moment and there was a moment of silence. "Are you okay?" she asked being very serious.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "I will be."

"I've gotta get back to work. Send me the pics."

I glanced at Father to see he was moving closer to me, ready to strike. I heaved a huge sigh. "Thanks! Gotta go! Bye!" After ending the call, I sent her the two photos of the sports drink bottle. I shoved my phone in my back pocket. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement on my left side. Hoping my vampire agility was still with me, I ducked and yanked up a shotgun from off the floor, smacking Father in the head as he rushed at me.

Reeling from the blow, he stumbled. "You conniving...," he snarled at me. "What are you up to?"

My stomach flip flopped and my hands started to sweat. "How's that wine business of yours going?" I said shaking the gun at him. "You branching out into energy drinks?"

He reached for my feet, trying to knock me down.

I fled to the other side of the bleachers.

"You don't know anything," Father replied as he made himself comfortable in the center of the gym. He sat down, crossing his legs in a yoga pose and rested his hands, facing upwards, on his knees.

"What is he doing?" the voice inside my head asked.

An image of the monstrous snake from my nightmares surfaced again in my head. Panic gripped my throat and I struggled to swallow.

"Your mutt is dead," he said, keeping his eyes closed like he was mediating. "Why is this not working?" he muttered. He dropped his arms and stood up.

"No, he's not!" I looked down at my hands and realized I was trembling. I had to focus. Michael's advice from earlier floated into my mind. "Rayea, don't let your emotions distract you. It'll cloud your judgment!" "Blick's not dead," I shouted.

Father rolled his neck about, stretching one side and then the other. He glanced over at me as I stood huddled near the bleachers like a coward. "Oh yes, he's dead. Stephanie and the boys have quite a deadly bite. We won't be seeing anymore of him. Now all I have to do is take care of that angel and his leader. Then we can go home and live in peace."

As a wave of nausea hit me, I gritted my teeth. Michael's blood was wearing off. My fangs ached in the top of my mouth. What perfect timing? I thought sarcastically. I'm certainly not drinking Father's blood.

"G's been taken care of. He's been missing for weeks and then he just shows up. That was me. Oh and have you heard from J lately? I don't think so," Father flashed me a smile filled with shark teeth, and then roared with laughter. "They are such fools!"

Tears were forming in my eyes as I evaluated Father's verbal and non-verbal language. I couldn't believe what he was saying to me.

J's words from earlier crossed my mind. "G has been acting odd lately." Could Father have them? Was that possible?

Panic set in and I wrestled inwardly with my emotions, wanting to flee, wanting to scratch and claw my way to freedom. "No, no, it can't be true," I said, trying to understand the ramifications of Father's declaration.

"Here," he said appearing in front of me before I realized he was there. Retrieving an item from his black leather suit jacket, Father shoved a clear plastic bag in my hands. It had been wrapped several times with saran wrap and contained a dark red liquid.

"My blood. It's what you really need, daughter," he said, smirking at me, then lightly he brushed his scaly finger across my cheek.

I froze. My entire body went as rigid as steel against Father's touch. Memories of his 'loving his children' as he called the molestation he subjected me to invaded my brain.

"Don't let him touch you like that, honey!" the voice inside my head screamed. "Not anymore! Do something!"

"My blood's inside you, just like I've been inside you so many times during your training sessions," he chuckled. "You'll always be my favorite daughter." His voice purred at me, hoping to lure me in.

"You're right, Father," I said, taking the bag of blood from him and busting it in my right hand. Quickly, with my b.l.o.o.d.y fist, I pulled him very close to my chest. "There's only one thing we can do here."