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The morning sun broke the horizon on Collette's last
day. She stirred, stretched her arms and sat up, the bed rocking
slightly under her weight. She looked down at me and, wide awake, I
smiled to her. I promise, I thought to her with a gentle nodding of
my head. I know you were about to ask me again.
Yes.
I know you and I know that this is what you
want. I would not dream of disobeying. I shall do as you ask.
She said nothing. She climbed from the bed and
for the first time in a long time she donned some clothes. I looked
at her quizzically. We are going to town and a naked body is
distracting. I can not risk an innocent person dying because they
were looking at us instead of actively watching to avoid the melee.
Get dressed.
The only clothes I had were the ones I had arrived
in so long ago. They were hanging neatly and I quickly donned
then. It felt odd to be dressed, having gone so long without
clothing adorning my body. The clothes seemed to scratch my body
lightly and I rubbed my arms to sate the growing itch. Weird, I thought
to her and as she read my mind she thought, yes.
What are we
going to do with Brian? I asked her.
He will come with us. I want him to try and protect
any of the townsfolk from the chaos that will ensue. I am not
looking forward to this. She exhaled heavily. She knew that
she had to fight Friar Essex; she could not leave this world with that
monster free to corrupt or destroy any that crossed his past. He was
heartless and power-hungry and he would not hesitate to kill anybody that
got in his way.
Come, she thought to me, it is time to feed before
battle. I head her in my mind, Brian, go to the dining room
please.
And from across the vast expanse of the castle I
heard the, "yes, mistress," in reply.
The two of us
left the bedroom and I wondered briefly if it was the last time Collette would
see that room; was it the last time she would sleep in her own bed?
I knew she could read my mind, but was uncertain if she was. She led
us into the dining room and smiled at Brian, "we need to feed."
Brian swallowed and tilted his head to bare his
throat, "of course."
Collette and I pulled heavily Brian's blood, using the
thick, coppery fluid to fuel our strength and give rise to a feeling of potency
in the upcoming battle. With our bodies sated on Brian's blood Collette
gave him his commands for the fight. He listened intently and nodded in
understanding, "of course, mistress."
Collette looked
around the room in longing; as if she realized that it would be the last
time she would ever be in the dining room. "Brian," she
said, "we will be leaving in twenty minutes. Get to town, start
getting the people into their homes. I want to minimize the deaths
that may occur."
"Yes, mistress," Brian said with a nod and
hastily departed.
Collette and I waited in silence for the twenty minutes
to pass. Soon, she thought to me. This will be over soon.
I agreed, you still do not know how this will end?
She shook her head, no, I can't read the
outcome. She smiled at me, her face looking worn, it will be
okay.
I took solace in
her words if not the tone. She took my hand and slowly led me from
the dining room. It is time, she thought, to engage our
history. Shall we?
It was not a question that I needed to answer and so
I did not. Together, hand in hand, we left the castle. We will
be back here, she thought to me. This is where I will die; amidst
comfortable surroundings. Besides, she giggled in her mind, I will
want to go out with an orgasm or two.
Or even more, I thought to her.
She smiled at me and gripped my hand harder, yes,
maybe even more.
And together, as one, we walked slowly towards the
town.
* * *
* *
Who is this? Friar Essex asked himself
as he watched Brian walk into town. Tell me, what secrets do you
have for me. He reached out and climbed into Brian's thoughts.
He read Brian's mind. So, he thought to himself, you are here to prevent
bloodshed. How special.
Friar Essex shook his head in delight.
She was coming to him and bringing that little whelp of hers with
her. Good, very, very good. It saved him the trouble of
storming the walls of her castle. He smiled at the delightful turn
of events. He wondered if this fight would be easier than he had originally
anticipated. If she was so careless to leave the relative sanctuary
of her castle, then she must not have the calculating mind that he possessed.
He reveled in the knowledge.
He began to hum under his breath as he
left the church. So, Brian, he thought, you are here to prevent
bloodshed. Does that include your own?
He ran across town and stopped outside
a small house just as Brian emerged.
"Hello,
Brian," Friar Essex sneered, "so nice of you to visit. A
little goody-two-shoes coming to help prevent the deaths of the innocent
towns people. Isn't that sweet. Do you think it will do any
good? Once I dispose of that bitch then the people in this town will
suffer the consequences of letting her live. Don't you see that your
efforts will not be successful?"
Brian could only stare at the vampire
that stood before him and talked with any icy tone. His voice
sounded of the cold ground, grating, with hatred spilling from the
words. He wondered if he could sprint away to safety and realized
that the powers that Collette possessed this monster laid claim to as well;
fleeing was not an option.
With a bravado he did not feel Brian
said slowly, "you will lose."
"Will I?" Friar Essex
looked at the small house that Brian had just departed and pointing to it
he said, "burn."
The house
immediately burst into flames. Fire licked at the roof and finding
the taste to its liking it consumed the roof whole. The door opened
and as a young couple emerged Friar Essex said, "freeze."
The two stopped in their tracks, trapped in the doorway of their home that
was slowly being eaten by the flames.
Brian felt the heat from the fire and
sweat broke out across his brow. He spun to pull the trapped couple
to safety, their own volition stolen from them. "No,
Brian," Friar Essex hissed, "that will not do. You need to
watch them. Watch them burn."
Brian felt a manacle envelope his
wrists and his hands were pulled skyward. Two more invisible steel
bands wrapped around his ankles and he found his body unable to move more
than a few impotent twists of fury. He tried pulling his hands free
of the steel and only succeeded in increasing his sense of frustrated helplessness.
"No!" he screamed as the fires leaped from within the house and
consumed the couple.
The
couple remained still as their clothes burst into flame. They screamed,
a sound of abject pain that sounded like the tortured souls of Hell.
They could not move as the fires ignited their hair and when their
blackened bodies revealed their charred bones Friar Essex released their
bodies to fall lifeless to the hard earth.
Brian vomited as the smell of the dead
couple reached his nose. It was the scent of death mixed with a slight
tinge of urine and feces as their bodies released all control upon their
death. His breath came in rough bursts and he felt tears stream from
his eyes, crying over his impotence to help the couple. He fell to
his knees, landing in his own vomit and cried.
He cried in desolation and useless
rage. He did not have the power to stop anything that Friar Essex
wanted to do and he knew it. He had been sent to stop the needless
deaths of the members of the town and had instead hastened it. He
was the catalyst that had caused the fire. He had not started the
fire physically but he knew he was responsible none the less.
And for their deaths he cried.
"Your
tears will do no good, Brian," Friar Essex taunted. "And
as you see, you can do no good. Instead, you shall serve as a
warning for Collette when she arrives. Freeze, Brian."
Brian became unable to move, his hands
buried in his face. He sobbed silently, his voice as well as his
ability to move stolen from him. "Now, rise, Brian," Friar
Essex commanded.
Brian slowly began to ascend into the
early morning sky. The sun was low on the horizon and looking into
it blinded Brian briefly. He continued to rise higher in the sky until he
was hovering above the town nearly a half mile in the air. He could
not move; he could not rub his arms to fight of the morning chill or shift
his body in any way. He was the puppet of Friar Essex and he could only
await whatever it was that Friar Essex had plColletted for him.
Brian heard in his mind, "you will
be quite the surprise, Brian. I promise you." And then he heard
laughter, malevolent and cold as a grave. The laughter faded and
Brian could only wait.
* * * * *
The town appeared on the horizon as we
slowly ascended the rise of a small hill. The sun was just barely
above the crystal surface of the ocean and the glare was brilliant.
It was a beautiful morning with the air cool and a faint breeze blowing in
off of the water. The smell of the ocean was strong and the gentle
wind tussled our hair. Save for the impending fight, the day was
perfect.
Does he know we're coming? I asked.
A faint nod, yes.
So he is prepared.
It was not a question, but she answered
none the less, yes.
Collette exhaled heavily and ran her
fingers through her long, brown hair. This is not going to be easy,
she admitted. She smiled weakly and thought to me, but we will
win.
Who are you reassuring?
She
didn't reply. She led us towards the town and slowly the homes grew
larger. Long shadows ran across the town as the sun slowly rose and
from our vantage point the town seemed eerily peaceful. We slowly
walked towards the town, keeping our eyes open for any sign of Brian or
Friar Essex.
How is Brian doing? I thought to Collette.
I don't know, she replied, he has not
answered me.
My brow furrowed, do you think that
Friar Essex has discovered him?
She stopped and looked at me,
probably. It sounded as if she regretted sending Brian into town;
unhappy that she had put him at risk. Keep an eye out for him, okay?
Of course.
Friar Essex watched our approach and as
we crossed into town he looked skyward at the hovering form of Brian and
whispered, fall.
Immediately
Brian could move. His arms began to pinwheel as he fell towards the hard
earth. He screamed as he fell, alerting Collette and I to his
presence. We looked up at Brian as he rocketed towards the
ground. His arms were flailing impotently as he continued to race
closer to the hard earth. His voice was a flurry of prayers that
melted into a cacophony of curses.
Collette took two steps and leapt into the
air. She flew with the speed of an eagle and reached Brian before he
hit the ground. She caught him in her soft hands and slowly the two
of them sank towards the ground.
"Hello, whelp," Friar Essex
said, materializing behind me.
I spun and felt his hand across my head
as the world went black.
Collette
looked around and could not find me. "Shit," she
cursed. She reached out with her mind and I vaguely felt her presence.
Where are you? I heard her ask.
I don't know, I admitted. It is
dark where I am at. Shutting my eyes I reached out and finally
replied, I am in the church. I struggled to move and found that my
mobility was robbed from me.
I'm on my way, she told me. She
spun around and faced Brian. "Go back to the castle," she
said, "you will be safe there."
Brian nodded and said, "yes,
mistress." And he took off running.
Collette walked to the church and stood on
the front step. She exhaled heavily and called out loudly,
"Friar Essex! May I enter your home?"
The door opened and Friar Essex said,
"yes."
The rules
were the same as when I approached Collette's home; a vampire needed
permission to enter someone's home. As the church was Friar Essex's
home, his permission was needed for Collette to willingly cross the
threshold. Slowly Collette climbed the stairs and with shut eyes I
watched her progress. I'm with you, I informed her.
I knew, she replied.
I felt her warm smile. I was a
comfort to her even if I was not physically present to help her. I
am in a room behind the main hall, I informed her. I can not move;
it feels like there are steel bands encircling my ankles and wrists.
I can't seem to break free.
I'll be there shortly, she thought to
me.
"No," Friar Essex said as he
fell from the rafters to stand before Collette. "You won't."
Collette stepped
forward and Friar Essex did not step away. "You don't scare me,
Friar!" Collette sneered. Her face was a contemptuous mask of
hatred, her eyes locked on his. "I am here to destroy you as I
should have done centuries ago. Your reign of terror amongst the mortal
realm ends today!" Her voice echoed like a sermon in the
hallowed chamber of the church and from my position it sounded like a
thunderclap.
Friar Essex spoke calmly, "welcome
to my home, Collette." His words were calm but hatred dripped from
them. In his tone there was the anger of the depths of Hell,
"you will not leave here until I have had my vengeance."
Collette exhaled and hissed, "you will
die and I will leave here and you will be forgotten."
Friar Essex whispered, "you can
not move."
Collette laughed, "come now,
Friar. It will take much more than that to control me."
Friar Essex
sneered and lunged at Collette. His body passed through hers and I heard
her voice echo in the room, "try again?" She turned around
and looked at his prone body. She motioned him towards her in a
taunting gesture. Collette shook her head as she felt Friar Essex
attempt to climb into her thoughts.
Friar Essex sneer melted into an
enthusiastic smile, "I understand now," he
said. With that a loud explosion echoed in the
town. The sound came from the edge of the city and after a brief
pause another explosion followed. Collette became a mist and floated
outside and rematerialized on the roof of the church.
She looked and watched as a third house
exploded outward in a fury, sending smoke and fire skyward as the wooden
sides burst forth like a bomb blanketing the earth in a falling rain of
debris. The house flew apart and Collette heard the muted screams of the
dying townspeople in her ears, echoing like an incessant infants
cry. The smoke from the three buildings billowed skyward in an
undulating cloud that resembled a mushroom.
No! Collette thought defiantly as she
dropped through the roof of the church to once again confront Friar Essex.
"Submit
to me or it will happen again," Friar Essex taunted.
Collette lunged at him, flying towards him
with her legs extended. She hit him in the chest with her legs and
bounced backwards. She tucked into a ball and rolled backwards only
to leap to her feet. Friar Essex stumbled backwards against a pew,
sending the wooden chair backwards into the next one. He climbed to
his feet and sneered, "okay."
Outside another explosion ripped
through the town. "That's four," he sneered, "I will
kill them all! Now, submit to me!" He shouted the last,
his voice strained and thick with irritation. He sounded angry, his
voice echoing off the high ceiling and audible in my dark
prison.
I struggled against the bands that held
me, trying to pull the steel gripping my wrist apart. I brought my
hands to my face, hoping to see the material I struggled against.
Why was it so dark? I asked myself. I lifted my eyes in
understanding, it was dark because there was nothing on my body, it was a
mental prison I found myself trapped in. Armed with the knowledge I
concentrated on freeing my mind from his prison.
It
was dark and I knew I could free myself. I concentrated and felt the
bonds that trapped my body melt away into nothing. I stood and felt
around the room until my hand hit a doorknob. I was not surprised to
find the door locked. I shut my eyes and became a mist, passing
underneath the door as a gentle breeze. I rematerialized outside of
the room and announced into Collette's mind, I am free.
Collette was looking at the rage that
burned in Friar Essex's eyes. He hated Collette and could not hide his
contempt and hatred. "Submit to me, dammit!" he
shouted.
Collette stood with her hands on her hips,
"I will not." Her voice was calm and it infuriated him.
"Fuck you!" He screamed and
another explosion ripped through the town. I heard Collette's voice in
my mind, he does not know you are free, his anger is blinding him from his
surroundings. Get the people to leave the town. We may lose
some more homes, but we don't need to lose any more lives.
Understood?
Yes, I replied. I will be back to help
you.
I know.
I
jumped out a window and began running through the town, knocking on every
door I passed. Nobody answered my rapping inquiries and I wondered
if the I was being ignored as a safety issue knowing that the fight was
underway. I shifted into a mist and broke into the first
house. It angered me to find the occupants huddled together in
safety, totally ignoring the rapping noise.
I materialized into myself and the
couple hugging on the floor inched away from me. I was angry at
Friar Essex driving this fear into the them. They were intertwined,
offering each other gentle solace from the raging fight. "It's
okay," I said tenderly. "I am here to help."
The two people tightened their grip on
one another.
"The fight is being contained in
the church right now," I explained, "but I can not protect the
building. Leave the town. Go to the castle you find to the
east. Inside Brian will attend you. I want you to give these
instructions to one other resident. If we do this right we can save everybody
quickly. Understood?"
They looked at me in terror.
I shut my eyes and entered the mind of
the man hugging his wife. Listen, I said to him. I explained
my plan and he recognized me as a friend and whimpered his
understanding. He pulled his wife to her feet and together the two
of them left their home. "Hurry," I prodded.
"Be safe."
I
left the building with the couple and watched as the separated to warn
others. The plan to empty the town was underway and satisfied that
the townspeople would be safe I raced back to the church. I am on my
way, I informed Collette, planting the thought in her head.
I listened for a reply and received
none. Are you okay? I queried growing worried.
The churched grew larger and as I burst
through the doors a faint, stay away, greeted me.
Too late.
I
burst into the church, my chest heaving from the exertion of my sprint
across the small town to return to the church. The door banged
loudly against its stop as I rushed blindly into the church. I felt
a cold chill rush over my skin and my body erupted with Goose pimples.
The room was as cold as a grave, Friar Essex's own dead breath blowing
towards me.
"Welcome, whelp," he sneered,
looking triumphantly at me.
"Where is she?" I hissed,
anger and hatred spilling like bile from my throat.
Friar Essex pointed at the wall of the
church directly underneath the statue of Christ. I could see nothing
until the smallest movement caught my eyes. Collette was trapped in the
walls of the church as Friar Essex had been. A small bit of her
finger was all that remained visible of her trapped form.
I stepped forward threateningly,
"release her!"
"Never," he said, baring his fangs. "It is
the perfect punishment for her, suffering for an eternity trapped within
the oppressive walls of a church and being forced to listen to sermon
after sermon spilling lies and falsehoods. She will suffer as I had
suffered, only more so. I will feed on her, sucking her blood
through her finger to ensure she stays too weak to break free."
I stepped forward, threatening Friar
Essex with a look of defiance, "than I shall free her!"
"No, whelp. You shall
not. And she shall watch you die." He nodded confidently
and stepped towards me.
I'll free you, I thought to Collette as I
took another step towards Friar Essex.
I
heard
a faint reply, "stall him."
She was trying to free herself and I
wondered briefly if she could. If Friar Essex could not release
himself from the heavy walls of the cathedral he had been trapped in, was
it not possible that Collette could not free herself as well? Could it
be that if I was defeated by Friar Essex that Collette could be trapped for an
eternity? Friar Essex was young when Collette imprisoned him, how much
worse would it be when you were already ready to relinquish your immortal
life? And to have your slowly replenishing blood supply stolen from
you daily to minimize your strength and maximize your suffering, how much
could one stand?
Friar Essex spun and became
raven. He cawed loudly and flew to the rafters. I looked up at
him as he once again took his human form. He jumped at me, using
gravity to add power to his attack. I bolted away with inhuman
speed, barely escaping his lunging form. His feet hit the ground
hard and he grunted in pain. He flipped over onto his stomach and
pushed himself to his feet. It looked as if he glided to a vertical
position and he applauded slowly as he stepped towards me again,
"very good, whelp. You have learned well your powers."
I said nothing. I merely watched
his slow approach, only trying to avoid any attack to maximize the time
Collette needed to free herself. If she can free herself, my unconscious
mind taunted me. If Friar Essex couldn't what makes you think she
will be able to. I pushed the thought away and took a step away from
Friar Essex.
I heard a whisper in my mind, come to
me my little friend.
I ignored it and stared blankly at
Friar Essex. He must not know that Collette was attempting
something. I was confident her secret was safe with me as I did not
know what she was attempting. Still, I asked, me?
Keep stalling was my reply.
I
stepped backwards and darted across the room. Friar Essex tried to
block my path, moving just as quickly. We were lines of light as we
ran faster than a mortal could see, using our superhuman speed. I
flipped backwards and ran out the door of the church to stand on the hard
earth, feeling small rocks under my feet.
Friar Essex emerged from the church and
stepped into the courtyard. The sun was higher in the sky and a
faint fog had blanketed the ground as the morning dew was slowly burned
off. It was eerily quiet, as if an odd calm had descended on the
town and had settled to stay. I watched as Friar Essex stepped away
from the church and smiled, "very good, whelp," he
said.
Again I said nothing.
"Listen to me," he said,
staring at my cautious form, "return to the church or I shall destroy
it." He looked to his left and immediately another house
exploded outward in a furious burst of heat and flame. The fires
roared loudly in my ears and the smoke rose into the morning air, mixing
with the black clouds formed by the other burning homes. "Go
inside." He spoke calmly, knowing I would comply.
I
knew that he was not bluffing and I reasoned that if he did destroy the
church while Collette was bound within the oppressive walls that she would be
destroyed as well. I would not be the reason she perished, I chided
myself. I kept my eyes locked on Friar Essex as I backed my
way into the church.
Friar Essex followed me.
"You two are so similar," he said. "It was so simple
getting her to agree to meld with the wall. All I had to do was
threaten to destroy the building you were so valiantly saving the people
in. Yes, hero," he said, his voice coming in angry tones,
"I have been watching you. I have to say I was impressed that
you were able to free yourself from the nonexistent bonds."
"Release her," I said calmly
as I indicated the wall of the church where her small finger remained
visible.
He shook his head, "I will not relinquish
my prized possession."
"She is not your possession!"
I screamed. I moved my hands in a parody of shoving, quickly
pressing my palms towards Friar Essex. The force of my shoving
pushed him backwards and he flew through the air to crash against the
farthest set of pews. The wooden benches rattled loudly as they
collided and slid across the floor.
Friar
Essex climbed slowly to his feet. His face was contorted in rage,
"you will die slowly, whelp," he hissed at me.
He ran towards me with inhuman speed
and before I could dart away his hand gripped my throat, choking me.
He lifted me off of the floor, my feet flailing impotently as my hands
gripped his wrist, trying to free my neck from his hands. I felt my
breath escape me and quickly I transformed into a mist. I dropped to
the ground and reformed myself into my human form. "You will
have to try better than that," I said. And when I added,
"whelp," he hissed at me.
I was no longer trying to stall Friar
Essex until Collette freed herself. I was trying to win. It had
been nearly five minutes since Collette had asked me to stall him and with
each passing second I grew more and more uncertain that she could free
herself alone. If she needed help I did not want to have to worry
about an attack from Friar Essex. As such, he needed to die.
I jumped into the air and flew towards
Friar Essex. He sidestepped my attack and I landed loudly on my
feet, stumbling slightly as I struggled to maintain my balance. I
spun around to face an empty church. Was he in the room with me or
had he left? I was certain he was there, having only rendered
himself invisible. "Show yourself coward," I taunted.
I
knew he was not a coward, that his invisibility was just the prelude to an
attack. I braced myself and shut my eyes. Knowing he was
merely invisible I envisioned myself being able to see items hidden from
view. Immediately I could see Friar Essex sneaking along the left
hand side of the church, trying to come behind me.
I let him think I could not see him and
called out, "where are you?" I continued to watch his
stealthy approach and when he leapt at me I side-stepped him and pounced
on his back as he fell face first towards the hard-wood floor. I
dropped onto his prone body and gripped his hair. I pulled sharply
and began pounding his head against the hard floor.
"Die, die, die," I hissed.
His head hit the ground solidly and he
exhaled sharply as his forehead opened up. Blood poured from the wound,
spilling onto the floor. The blood, hitting the floor of the sacred
room bubbled as it quickly boiled away. It was another reminded that
Friar Essex was a creature of hatred and evil and did not belong in the
church. I dropped his head onto the ground and hissed again,
"die."
He
evaporated and rematerialized behind me. His eyes were glowing red
with hatred and he hissed at me, his teeth bared and his eyes wide.
"You little fuck," he said his voice gravely and low. He
sounded primal as if his animalistic instincts were surfacing to take
control of his body, "how dare you. You will pay for your
insolence. Do you really think you can defeat me?"
He ran towards me and embraced me in
his arms. I struggled to pull away but his grip was too strong. I
attempted to turn into a mist and found that with Friar Essex holding me I
could not; whatever power he possessed prevented me from changing and
escaping. I twisted impotently and gasped in pain as I felt Friar
Essex's fangs slip into my throat.
I heard him in my mind, you will die
now, whelp.
My head fell backwards and the room
slowly dimmed. The church slowly appeared to be backing down a
tunnel, growing smaller and dimmer as my blood slowly left my body.
I felt my strength fade as the room darkened and as my body went limp I
could only stand there, supported by Friar Essex's arms, and feel my body
fail me.
* * * * *
The ladybug continued its trek down the
wall. The eyes of the Christ statue seemed to watch its slow
process, almost as if it was cheering the small bug towards a
destiny that only the statue knew existed. The lady bug walked
slowly, guided by Collette's soft thoughts. Come to me, little one, she
thought.
The ladybug stopped next to Collette's
extended finger. Climb aboard, Collette thought. The ladybug
obeyed. It climbed onto Collette's finger. Immediately the wall of the
church released Collette's body and sucked in the small form of the
insect. Collette and the ladybug swapped places and immediately the
weight of the church crushed the bug.
Thank you, my friend, Collette said to the
trapped remains of the now dead ladybug. Thank you. She paused
only briefly. She turned and watched as Friar Essex continued to
suck the blood from my throat. Standing proudly she spoke, her voice
echoing powerfully in the sacred room, "release him!"
Friar Essex
jumped and his fangs pulled from my throat. I fell heavily to the floor,
too weak to move; only able to look on with limp limbs as Collette bared her
teeth and hissed, "now you die."
His face was a mask of pure hatred as
he hissed his denial, "no, it's not possible. How did you free
yourself? How?" He shook his head as if he was throwing away
the last vestiges of a dream. It had to be a mirage, I heard his
mind scream to him. He stepped forward and when Collette's hand lashed
out at him, sending him sprawling across the room, he knew she was real.
"No!" he screamed as he
climbed to his feet.
Collette was on him in a moment. She
kicked him in the face, sending his head backwards. Blood dripped
from the wound just below his left eye and as he braced himself for the
next assault Collette leapt. She flew through the air and landed on
Friar Essex's body. They landed hard, the ground driving Friar
Essex's breath from him, his body breaking her fall. He hissed
painfully and as quickly as she had landed on him, she twisted her hand
into a point and drove it through his chest.
He flailed under her body, pinned by
her hand. She felt his heart slow and stop and as the raging fires
of the town's homes dwindled to a smoldering pile of lumber, Friar Essex
died. Collette stood up, pulling her hand from his chest. She
looked at him as he lay there lifeless and with a contemptuous snarl she
spit on his dead body. "Burn in Hell," she said, turning
from him.
She
crossed the church and knelt by my side. Slowly she lifted my head
onto her lap and slid the hair away from my eyes, are you okay? she asked.
I looked at her, unable to move more
than a finger and even that agonizingly slow. I will be okay, I told her,
sure that my strength would return. How did he trap you in the wall?
I asked.
She smiled at me and thought simply, I
let him. I knew that I had a means to escape. She paused and I
could hear the sadness in her mind over the loss of the small ladybug's
life. It had to happen, a sacrifice for the greater good. Collette
felt remorse over the loss of the insect and that fact reminded me again
at the depths of her compassion. She was more human now, as a
vampire, than she had ever been as a human, those centuries
ago.
Continuing she thought, he showed me
you helping the frightened young couple escape the town and threatened to
destroy the building with you unknowingly standing helpless inside if I
did not allow him to bind me within the wall. Knowing a way to free
myself, by having the ladybug take my place willingly, I allowed it to
happen. It allowed me to chose when to attack and fortunately it
made Friar Essex drop his guard. The attack was unexpected.
She stroked my forehead and shut her
eyes.
Together we rested.
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