Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:03:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nate House <extreamlucky14@yahoo.com>
Subject: Abandoned Blood 18

Hello there. For those of you who have followed this story since day one,
welcome back. For those of you who just joined us, welcome to the family.
We've got a pretty close-knit group of readers here, almost a fan club of
sorts. LOLZ!! People have written in to me with their comments, concerns,
and questions, and in the next two chapters I hope to answer them all.


"Suffering? You haven't seen anything yet."

					-- Jigsaw


Though inspired by true events, the following and previous chapters are
completely fictitious. Any actual event, either past or present, is
depicted. All characters are borne of my own imagination. Any resemblance
to anyone living or dead, real or imaginary, is entirely coincidental. This
story contains graphic imagery of violence to the body and mind, as well as
graphic sexual scenes between two female characters (among others). If you
are not of legal age, or if this sort of thing offends your delicate
sensibilities, then leave now. The author does not assume any responsibly
for any damages brought against the reader for any and all punishments for
viewing this material. This chapter, and those preceding, is the property
of the author. If you would like to download it for your own enjoyment, or
for that of your partner's, or both, all the reader must do is ask. To put
it another way: it's mine, don't steal it.


Once again, I believe some acknowledgements are in order. Ellen, Jamie,
Memrie, Frank, Karenza, Korina, Sam, Peter, Kaylin, Ana, Jake, Anna, Sher,
Jerry, thank you for your support through all of this.


Now sit back, curl up with your favorite person, and enjoy chapter 18 of
Abandoned Blood.


*********************


Chapter 18


I hated waiting. Other than hospitals, waiting was what I hated most. One
would think if a man invites a lady out to a God-forsaken place like this
then he'd have the goddamn common courtesy to show up on time. The misty
wind not only bit at my skin, but it smelled like shit. Literally. I could
have sworn I was standing over an open sewage trench.


The air wasn't the only thing giving me chills. This whole situation had me
on edge. From the dingy, shit-house buildings to the smell to the person I
was here to meet--nothing about this was good. Adriel always had a knack
for showing up in the most unexpected ways, and with the most unexpected
company. It made me wonder who was gonna be dripping from his mouth this
time.


I heard footsteps down the street. I didn't recognize the cadence, but it
was still enough to make me tighten my heavy denim jacket around myself. My
vision changed over just in time to see whoever it was pass by. I let out a
subconscious sigh of relief. The less people in the area the better.


The sound of someone breathing heavily caught my ear. I willed my heart to
slow down, the last thing I needed to was to give away just how nervous I
really was. What came next made my blood turn to ice and my stomach roll:
the sound of flesh being ripped from the bone. The stench added to the
already putrid air. "Greetings little one. Did you come for a game of fun?"
That raspy, growling voice is something that I will never get used to. Or
his insufferable need to speak in rhymes.


"No, Adriel," I said, tilting my head up towards the direction of his
voice. I still couldn't see him, but at least he was busy with whoever he
was eating this time. I could have sworn I heard his lips smack. "I came
out here because I need to talk to you."


He emitted a taunting laugh, building up to a maniac hysteric. "She wants
to talk after such a long walk. Why must you go and seek the one with whom
you wish to speak?"


I felt the bile building in my gut. I covered my nose and mouth with the
hem of my collar. "I've come across something that you might find
interesting." The master vampire landed directly behind me with enough
force to crack the sidewalk. I squealed and covered my chest. I spun around
to watch him stand upright. He was dressed in his usual street-bum outfit,
but his posture was completely different. He rose slowly and
deliberately. His arms hung loose at his sides; when his back was fully
straight, he stood a good head taller than Father Darien. Weird that this
is the first time I've ever seen him in a full upright position.


Our eyes locked onto each others. He smiled that same crimson smile he's so
famous for, but now it took on a whole new meaning. "So then, little
morsel, what do you have to tell?" Shit, there's only one person who calls
me that. "My dinner is waiting, and you're hesitating," he warned, pulling
one side of his mouth further into a lunatic's grin.


"I'm trying to think of where to start," I stammered. The guy was scary as
hell, especially since I've never seen him act this... normal. "I just
found out that I'm related to Father Darien."


He stepped into the amber glow of the street light. His steps were that of
a pride long forgotten, smooth and graceful, powerful and with purpose. I
think my heart stopped for a second when I saw him in the extra light. "Is
that so?" he asked slowly, looking me up and down. I couldn't help but
notice the slight high class accent. In that one question his entire
vagrant veneer vanished. "And people say I'm insane."


Caught off guard by the lack of rhyme, I did the only thing I knew to do. I
challenged him. "Aren't you?"


"Absolutely. No sane man ever born of this world could have done the things
I've done and live to tell about them. But if you're asking me whether I'm
crazy or not, then my answer is most definitely no. There is a difference,
young morsel, between insane and crazy."


I don't know which scared me more: the way he was acting, or the fact that
he said that with the practiced grace of royalty. My brain went stupid
trying to process it all. The only thing I could think to ask was, "So the
whole petty-street-bum-thing was all bullshit?"


He laughed a little. Great, the self-proclaimed insane vampire found ME
amusing. "No. It's a lifestyle befitting me for the sins I've committed."


"And the whole speaking-in-rhyme-thing was all part of the gag?"


"Pretty cleaver, yes?" He stepped out of the light. Before I knew what
happened, he was in my face, his breath smelling of death and decay. The
madman scooped me up in his arms and jumped to the roof of the nearest
apartment building. Yeah, it all happened that fast. When he looked down at
my now-pale face, I got a glimpse of his true eye color. I stifled a
gasp. "My apologies. I didn't need some renegade listening in on our
conversation."


He set me down and stepped back. As he slumped into his usual posture, I
expanded my aura and senses, and, sure enough, someone turned the corner
twenty feet behind where I was standing. At least up here the air wasn't as
foul. "Um, thank you?" He only nodded in response. "Adriel, would you
please fill me in with all of this? I don't have a clue what to say right
now."


"I will do nothing of the kind." I tossed my hands up and turned
around. "Is it your wish to take down Father Darien's coven?"


I paused. Sighing I said, "No. I don't want to take down the coven, just
the man in charge of it."


"What are you hoping to accomplish with this?"


I turned back towards him. "I'm going to kill the man responsible for
ruining my life and the lives of my friends. The man is a fucking sadist."
He nodded in agreement. "He told me himself that the Order has sent in
people to kill him, but have given up because everyone of them failed."


Adriel fell back against the stairwell door and laughed even harder. "Those
people were trained professionals. What chance do you think you have
against a man like that?"


"I know how to use his pride against him." That only made him laugh
harder. "What's so goddamn funny?"


"You are, Charlene. You are attempting to bring down who is arguably the
most hated vampire in the entire world, and your only weapon is his pride?
You half-breeds crack me up."


That took me by surprise. "What's that supposed to mean?"


"You're not the only dhampir to try to take him down, you know. During my
time in this world I've counted six who have tried and everyone of them
ended up much like Harold." I swallowed back that image. "Yes, you should
be afraid, little morsel. Nadia was the one who killed the last one. That's
why she failed to see you as one of us. After she killed him, she thought
the genetic defect that causes only half the virus to manifest was
extinct. We all did. That's why Father Darien was overjoyed to find
you. Having a vampire on the crust of emerging into a master class vampire
is exciting enough, but to find that her Watcher is one of the last
surviving dhampirs was too much."


He started laughing again. Now he was insulting me. I didn't doubt it for a
second that Nadia would have defended that bastard like that, but to imply
that she and I wouldn't get along was pissing me off. "So," he continued,
"none of us knew what to do with you. Nadia least of all. We all know she's
gay, so when she confessed her love for you to Father Darien wasn't of
itself surprising; what surprised us was the fact it was you. Personally, I
think it's sweet, but Father Darien was less than amused."


"Yeah, I gathered that much." There was a moment of silence between us. I
took in the sounds of the city for a moment. The cold air flowing around us
like the shroud of winter; the people in the building below arguing over
the most stupid things, gun shots being fired for some stupid reason. A
moment of clarity came to me when I looked back at him. "What's your role
in all of this?"


"I am an outcast myself," he said evenly, making a gesture. "I'm not a
member of the coven, but I'm not a renegade either. But I needed a way to
gain the respect of my fellow vampires, so that's when I created the Adriel
that people know today."


"You mean so people would fear you," I corrected.


"Call it what you will. I call it surviving." I've never lived on the
streets so that kind of thinking was beyond me, but based on what I've seen
in my short tenure in this world I had to believe it. Sometimes killing is
the only method of survival. "Are you afraid of me?"


"I'm not sure exactly," I answered, taken aback by the bluntness of the
question. "The only time you've ever threatened me was when you chased me
down Nadia's hallway with a knife in your hand."


A nostalgic smile spread over his lips. "The first time we met," he mumbled
to himself. "Why were you so afraid of me?"


I shot him one of my 'duh' looks. "You were chasing me down a hallway with
a kitchen knife. Is there a reason to not be afraid?"


"You knew I was a vampire by that point. If I wanted to kill you, I promise
I wouldn't need a knife." As true as that was, it still didn't make me feel
any better. "I picked up the knife, in case you're wondering, as a show
that I meant you no harm. I thought that if I swung it at you and missed
deliberately then you would know that you had nothing to be afraid of."


Now it was my turn to laugh a little. "You've got a pretty fucked up way of
thinking, old man."


He chuckled, "Yes I do. To think like a madman, it's best to become a
madman." I just stared at him. I didn't like the implication of that and he
knew it. "You really have no idea why Father Darien wants you dead, do
you?"


I made an ugly face. "The very fact that you asked me that question proves
that I don't. I thought he wanted to kill me because he had nothing better
to do."


He laughed again. When did I become so goddamn funny? "That may be true, in
and of itself, but the heart of the matter escapes you even now. Do you
even know what relation you have with the man?"


"I'm his daughter." Those were the nastiest three words I've even
spoken. They didn't have the effect on Adriel that I hoped they would.


"And you think you can just go into his coven, armed with only that bit of
information and hope to kill him? For a woman you've got a pair of huge
brass balls." His foreign accent sounded so weird saying that phrase. "But
just know that it won't save your friends."


"What?"


"Nadia did him a favor by killing your parents--it spared him the
trouble. But Tiffany, Travis, Henry, Sven, Sylvia, Amber, Marianna, Marcus,
and Ben are nothing but playthings to him. He will use them to get what he
wants. We can agree that he's a sadist, and that's his biggest
weakness. Not his pride."


"Whoa, whoa, dude. What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Adriel stood up
and took two firm steps towards me. He shrank down into his usual crouched
position and smiled his usual maniacal smile.


"One cannot see what lies ahead when sun has failed and moon is dead."
Great, now he's back to playing the part of 'Adriel'. My pulse hammered, my
frustration burned. I cursed under my breath. "It's best to be filled with
dread lest you find your friends already dead."


I ran my hand over my forehead. "Fuck off, Adriel." And just like that, he
was gone. "Why can't these people ever just give a straight fucking
answer?"


********************


No one bothered me on my way back to Nadia's house. Not even the random
renegades roaming the streets tonight. The looks they gave me were a mixed
bag of emotions--curious, lusting, anger, hatred, loathing--but they all
had one thing in common: fear. They were afraid to come near me. Funny, I
thought Nadia said that they'd tear me apart despite her warnings. Not that
I was complaining.


The front door was unlocked when I got there. That wasn't too unusual
considering that we get at least one break-in a week in this
neighborhood. Leaving the door unlocked was Nadia's way of saying, "Enter
here and you die," a statement that she took very seriously. And so did the
humans of this street. The last few people, or should I say renegades, that
came here uninvited are scattered across the backyard with their individual
parts ripped open for the world to see.


"Nadia, I'm home," I called out as I shut the door. I stepped through the
living room and into the kitchen/dining room. The house was pitch dark and
deathly silent. "Nadia?" I put my purse on the table and headed for the
back bedroom. "Nadia, are you home?" I asked the stark nothingness of the
house.


I changed my vision over. The azure haze allowed me to see my way through
the hallway though I didn't actually need it. I knew the exact number of
steps it took to get me from there to here. Adrenaline coursed through me
when I didn't get an answer. My pulse hammered in my head and
chest. "Hello? Henry! Travis! Sven!" A scent caught my attention. It was an
odor that made me want to throw up, something that hit a little too close
to home: Nadia's blood, and sex.


I looked into the bedroom. The walls were dented and scratched, the bed was
a mess. One of the posts was broken in half. Blood stained the sheets and
comforter. My heart stopped. I'm not sure if I cried out or not--my brain
just went numb. Tears streamed down my face as I stepped further into the
room. I touched the broken bedpost. Scant images of what happened in here
flashed through my mind's eye. I tasted the bile in my mouth. I saw Nadia's
pained face pressed into the mattress with a bloody hand pinning her
down. The sound of blood-ecstasy came from whoever was behind her. I turned
and ran for the bathroom.


I puked up what I had and then some. My ribs were on fire by the time I was
finished. I doubled over and started crying. My fist kept hitting something
solid, but I didn't stop pounding it. My knuckles cracked and bled. My
throat was hurting from my screaming. I don't know how long I laid on the
floor, but I felt something hit at the edge of my awareness. "GO AWAY!"


"Damn it, Charlie, I'm not gonna hurt you." The voice was soft and
masculine. I opened my eyes and looked up. Henry's beaten face was looking
down at me. In his hands was the other half of the bedpost. The oakwood was
stained red. After what I just saw, that made me feel better. He didn't go
gentle into the night.


"What happened here?" I managed to get out. I used the toilet bowl as a
crutch to pull myself up. Henry beat me to the lever.


Taking a seat in front of me, he said, "Father Darien showed up with some
of his cronies. We fought them off as best as we could, but we were no
match for them. I managed to beat one into submission before someone
smashed my face in. They were looking for you." His hair was matted with
dried blood, and I couldn't help but notice that he walked with a limp. He
winced and grabbed his right side as he sat down.


I started crying again out of guilt. "Why?"


"Why do you think?" he snapped. "They all told you this would happen,
Charlie. You weren't here, so they took it out on the rest of us. He said
something like 'I won't be taken down that easily,' or something to that
effect." My blond troll moved to take a seat beside me. I felt his arm on
my shoulder a moment later, followed by his cut lips in my hair. "I'm not
blaming you, Charlie. This is a fucked up world full of fucked up people."


Had that come from anyone else I don't know what I would have done, but
coming from Henry meant that he spoke for everyone. He was the only one who
could tell me things like that and make it stick. "Where is everyone? Do
you remember anything else?" I asked after sobering up a bit.


"Not really. Like I said, I took a pretty good beating to the head. Travis,
Sven, Marcus, and Ben were nearly killed immediately. I don't think they
bit anyone, but I haven't seen any one of them since I woke up. All I
remember after smashing in that bastard's face was the sound of the girls
screaming. Nadia, Amber, Sylvia... all of them were screaming."


I looked him in the eye, his eyes that were barely open. "Did anyone bite
you?" He shook his head no. I had to fight with my better self to reach out
and touch the blood-stained club. But when I did, I saw whose face it was
that he shattered. It was the same guy that Nadia beat the shit out of when
I first met Father Darien. Echos of the fight bounced in my head. Demonic
growls, helpless screaming... cries for help that would never come.


I saw Sylvia get smacked around like a rag doll. Her legs slammed against
the closet door, most likely breaking one of them. Her attacker started
molesting her semi-conscious body as if she were his favorite blow-up
doll. Amber clawed out the eyes of her attacker, but was overcome by the
pheromones of doing so. She was soon begging the higher class vampire to
have his way with her--she beat him to his belt buckle. I had to swallow
back the dry heave from watching her pull his dick out of his pants and
start sucking it.


Nadia entered the picture, grappling with the only person in this town that
could overpower her. She hissed, growled, and sunk her teeth into his
neck. And that was her undoing. The pheromones and blood changed everything
about her from enemy to lover. His blood seeped past her lips. Her
tormentor reached between her legs and started massaging her through the
denim of her jeans.  In a flash, I watched him rip her pants and panties
from her body as if they were paper. That demon backhanded her onto the
bed, just on this side of blacking out. He grabbed and pulled her ankles
apart. The look on her face was a mixture of both pain and ecstasy. I
watched him enter her. I watched him force his vileness into my vampire. I
watched him rape the one I love. And that rat bastard was laughing the
whole time.


I don't know what happened. Everything inside of me changed by looking at
her face. I felt something in my head snap. I finally understood what it
was that she has been saying to me this whole time. How she would never
truly be free from him and his lot, how easily it would be for her to slip
back into his fold. Henry felt my shift in mood and inched away from me,
but not before the the ball atop the broken post cracked under my grip.


"Charlie, whatever you're thinking, do not do it." He was now standing at
the door, ready to hit me if he felt the need. "This is what he wants."


"Get out of my way, Henry," I hissed. I stood up and pushed at him with my
aura. It hit him with the force of Mac truck. His back made an indentation
in the wall. I didn't know where that kind of power came from, but at least
that was one down. I stepped closer to him with the grace of a
predator. "Don't follow me," I ordered, kneeling beside his unconscious
body. "Stay here and get the place cleaned up for our return. That fucking
son of a bitch wants me, he's gonna get me."


I went down stairs and changed into something more appropriate. I picked
out Nadia's favorite outfit and threw it on. I couldn't stop the smile that
formed over my mouth when I looked at the mirror wall. I looked so much
like her. I ran out of the room and was up the stairs with three
steps. Henry was still lying on the floor. Good, it's all for the
better. Nadia's favorite coat was hanging on the wall by the garage door. I
grabbed it and headed out into the night. My watch dinged to tell me that
it just struck midnight. "This is gonna be a fun Halloween."


********************
To be continued...


Next time on "Abandoned Blood":

Charlie meets up with Father Darien, but the night is full of surprises. At
long last, she gets the answer to the one question she's been wanting this
whole time: "Why me?" And that answer will come at a price.

Credits: Adriel's line, "One cannot see what lies ahead when sun has failed
and moon is dead," is a direct quote from Gollum in The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers.