FULL NOVELXO Chapter 9-Reformation
Will
The humans are not wrong to be more afraid of the vampires right now than they are of us. This morning, I can’t say I was surprised to see the cars outside my home burning. I texted Valerie this morning asking if she saw the cops circle her block yet, but she hasn’t gotten back to me.
We are simply at war and now we are left to fend for ourselves since the high council of supernatural affairs flew back up north. They couldn’t find anything on Patty from either our coven or the police. They didn’t take me seriously when I told them a snake ate her either. So now, they think we lied about the entire legend and the old headmistress’s sudden revival just so our town could get some publicity. Of course, they aren’t here now to witness the result of their departure.
“Hey!” I shout when someone throws a brick through my window.
I jump out of the way just in time and land on my new beanbag chair in the game room of my newly bought home. Marcella uses her magic quickly putting the glass shards into a neat pile while my sister runs for cover underneath the pool table. Worried about Valerie, I call her number, but it goes straight to voicemail.
Having enough of them, I run out of my house facing the onslaught of gone-mad cops as they take turns destroying town property. More specifically, they target things owned by our people -- such as the new age herbal remedy shop across from my townhouse.
They throw a bunch of liquor bottles with what looks like napkins inside of them. When the bottles smash against the brick building fire explodes from them eating away the already crumbling stone wall of the shop. I watch in horror as the owners, John and Eliza Berdie, run out to face the murderous police.
“Enough of this!” Marcella yells from next to me, but none of them listen.
We use our magic and do our best alongside other witches and warlocks to lift up the vamps and send them flying against buildings. It won’t be enough to kill them, but enough to buy us time to find our way through the crowd to our members. We can only handle one officer at a time and it’s hard to even do that with them catching us now. There’s too many of them.
Marcella is doing much better than me to avoid the vampires’ wrath as she roundhouse kicks one in the face and then uses her magic to lift each officer up and out of her way. We’ve only made it halfway across the street. Two gunshots go off and I hear an awful scream just as an officer turns away from me to fend off another warlock who tries wacking him with a baseball bat.
Eliza leans over her husband who is very much dead now having been shot by some cop among the hundreds out here. She lays over him as if to shield his lifeless body. She’s in shock while the police have fun beating her with their police batons.
I barrel into the three hitting away at her and yell for her to save herself. She runs back with a group of other injured witches and humans into the post office near her store that has yet to be set on fire. I told Crystal to stay in the house just like I told Val to last night. I don’t have time to run back and see if Crystal listened, I can only hope. She’s too young to be caught up in this riot.
A smoke grenade goes off and I look around disorientated. Something clocks me on the back of the head and I peel over in pain getting kicked onto my back. When I hit the ground, a black steel-toed boot kicks me in the gut. A baton gets swung at me like a golf club over and over again until I lose the strength to keep healing myself. Blood dribbles down my swelling jaw as the endless brutal beatings continue.
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Will
Something digs into my wrists and I blink hard, “Ugh...”
My head pounds with excruciating pain and it feels like I’ve taken a stab wound to my left shoulder. I cough violently and look around the small dark room lit by an industrial light. A steel metal table separates me from the unoccupied metal chair on the other side. I look to my right seeing a one-way mirror. The cops must have dragged me in here.
“Oh, I’m going to kill you all for this!” I holler while imagining the cockroaches on the other side snickering at my misery and their daunting defeat of my people.
My restraints, however, are composed of state government-issued anti-magic handcuffs. No matter how hard I tried to convince them the high council refused to confiscate these type of restraints from the police.
I’m sure they will manage to cover it all up and their new rule of our town will go unnoticed until the last human gets drained and they need a new town to wreak havoc for food.
The door opens suddenly and I lean back in my chair while clutching the armrests. The lying snake himself enters acting all high and mighty with his newly ironed out bloodstain-free police uniform. He sits down across from me folding his hands on the table. A newly tattooed symbol resides on both the back of his hands. The very same satanic marking was on the red and black flags they were carrying around outside and hitting my people with. An upside down pentagram -- the mark of the devil.
I’m sure they’ve got it flying outside the police department right now.
For once, he looks like he’s radiating with energy and I’m actually more surprised to see him no longer concealing his aura. That’s probably because there’s nothing left for him to hide. How many more of my coven did they kill since I woke up in here? Something else has been nagging my mind though since I woke up this morning.
“William, you caused quite a fuss this morning. Your people were told not to interfere with our arrests. A shame you had to be caught in the crossfire.” Nicholas remarks while leaning his head against a closed fist and shaking his head with pretend sympathy.
Every fiber of my being has loathed him since he stepped foot into town. No matter how hard I tried to tell Valerie about his intentions she turned a blind eye to the devil in front of me hiding behind the mask of a “man”. Vampires...they’re all nothing, but subhuman filth meant to stick to their own.
I look up at him with my head inclined forward in misery. I have to know if nothing else, “Where’s Valerie?” I grit out.
“Now, let’s not be hasty. You must atone for your behavior this morning. Just like I had to work to show my allegiance to your people it’s your turn to show your allegiance to me...and your goddess,” He stands up looking probably at the officer behind me digging the barrel of their gun into my head injury, “Hol ihn auf!”
My restraints are undone at the satanic nazi’s screamed command that sounded more like a feral throaty growl than actual language. I rub my raw wrists while I’m pulled by the neck to my feet like an animal. I’m dragged out wheezing for air by the infamous Heinrich who barks in laughter while I claw at his hand in too much of a weak state to begin healing myself.
In the center of the buzzing large workroom hangs one of their giant black and red flags. I’m a little curious as to where we’re going since we’ve passed his office. We stop in the lobby. It feels like the floor drops out from under me and I know I’m being transported.
I can’t do much to catch my breath when we arrive in the big old church his father preached in since I’m still being choked. It looks like it’s been converted to suit the needs of his fetished fantasy. A stained glass mural of him and Valerie hangs behind the altar. It reaches the ceiling.
His father’s mural on the ceiling above us has been scuffed and scraped off. Now, their giant red and black star replaces it.
“Sit.” The brute growls in my ear with his fangs extended.
I comply and look at the full pews filled with the last of my people. What are they planning? Slaughtering us all in here like sheep? By the number of heads in front of me, I’d say this is pretty much everyone in our coven. I look above me at the balconies overlooking us to find dozens, maybe even hundreds, of vampires watching us.
Two vampires guard the doors to the church. The witches to my left are weeping into their hands. More vampires line the isles between the two rows of pews I’m guessing in case any of us try to make a run for it seeing as we can’t use our magic in here. I don’t see Crystal anywhere, but the headmistress I finally see. She’s brought up the central aisle by two vampires. They force her to her knees when she makes it all the way to the altar.
The vile supremacist himself appears in the center of the altar. Everyone in here is too weak and injured to even think about using magic. We need to heal, it’s like sitting among the living dead and everyone looks too freaked out. They should be concentrating on healing themselves like me and not be worrying about vampires right now.
“I am your god now. If anyone is in disagreement stand now.” Nicholas announces and I inwardly laugh at the delusional pig.
I shout in protest though seeing three of our members stand up in the front rows stand up. Three rounds of shots go off and screams fill the room after Nicholas reholsters his gun. The vampires jump on the dead bodies of our fallen members eating them up right in front of us.
“You’re behavior is despicable. To earn your place here you must earn our forgiveness. Now, if this is something you find yourself willing to do stand up...” Nicholas says and everyone jumps up.
So do the vampires sitting high above us though and they flicker out of sight. No one is going to be forgiven tonight. We all knew that the moment we stepped foot in here. Flesh and blood around me gets torn open as the vampire policemen reappear around my friends and family eating them alive instead of shooting them and putting them out of their misery. The throaty screams make me immobile as I take in the slaughter of my people. The devil on the stage has his hands clasped behind his back. He is faced away while the animals eat my people. I think he’s looking up at the mural.
The children among us are here too. How can he let them kill such innocent people? They don’t even have the capacity to understand their torment and horrendous treatment.
“Bastards!” I yell with a raw throat wondering why I’m not being eaten too.
The brute holds my arms as the last victim’s corpse lands on the ground and disappears underneath the bodies of vampires who tackle it. Organs and shredded up flesh and bone lay strewn across the pews. The blood is everywhere and my eyes are tempted to roll into the back of my head at the sight.
Everyone is dead.
“No this can’t be happening,” I mumble in disbelief and then louder in outrage I yell, “No!”
When I look up from the gruesome aftermath of bloodshed, I find the satanic officer himself standing right in front of me. My arms are released and I lunge at him squeezing his throat with all the energy I can muster. His cold eyes are placid as he observes me. From this close, I can see the dark purple circles under his eyes. Underneath his police hat his hair is in disarray hanging just above his eyes.
One of his tattooed hands runs through his hair combing it straight back as the other lifts his hat. Then he chuckles. The same chuckle I heard after witnessing Patty’s death. It was him. His neck is like steel and a smirk grows on his face as he sees me back off and stumble onto the ground.
Red light streams down from the stained glass mural. It shines down around the hybrid making him appear possessed by something
other.
“Colin was right about y-you!” I shout hysterically. I knew it. All along I knew it. Now our people are gone just like they want. The vamps somehow grew in number and overwhelmed us. I don’t know where so many of the new vampires came from. There weren’t this many in our community that we were even aware of.
Nicholas smirks speaking in a low tone, “He was a little hard on my digestive system, but I eventually got him down just like Patricia. Although, the witch put up more than a fight than him. I’m sure you remember. You were there.” He barks in laughter and the sound echos around the church walls.
I puke on the ground at his words while watching him pick up a dark fleshy looking object and flinging it over his shoulder for one of his inbreds to eat. One of them manages to catch it in their mouth and puts their arms up like they just made a touchdown.
My collar is grabbed and I’m forced to my feet by the devil himself. “I still need you to look after the humans for me, Will. Do you think you can manage that?”
I nod my head rapidly, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything he wants. “Y-yes, but there’s something you should know about Valerie. I know you’re protecting her, but please let her go. I made her...I made her take an interest in you. I told her it was the best way we could keep an eye on your department. Did she ever tell you about her engagement?”
His smile falls and I think I’ve got him.
“After all our intimate moments and her birthing of my child, I doubt she would keep such a thing from me. She does not lie to me.”
What does he mean Valerie’s birthing of his child? He hasn’t even been in town long enough for that to happen, has he? He’s lying.
“Have you asked her about the human she’s been seeing? Oh that’s right. You ignored her for months while building up your little empire here.” I say knowingly.
I know I’ve struck a nerve now. His jaw twitches as he turns away without giving me an answer.
They could be dragging me off to my death right now for all I care, but at least I’ve lived to put a dent in his ego. I can only hope he truly is protecting Valerie and if the legend is right she should be out of harm’s way in the other realm. Somehow, I’ll find her and bring her back. I don’t know how, but I’ll do it.
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Yansmen
Noctus managed to expel the demons on his own before they got down into the town this morning. We’ll need the help of goddess to get most of the remaining ones out of here though. This morning was like a dream come true for all of us and everyone left the sermon with a full stomach. I don’t mind being stuck on clean-up duty, but I don’t think anyone likes being in here alone anymore after the devil came to give us his blessing.
I finish finally mopping up most of the floor and wheel my mop bucket up to the altar. The boss suddenly walks out from behind the row of our flags in the back of the altar and over to me. He looks happier than usual.
“Forgive me if I’m being rude, savior,” I begin while looking up at Valerie’s glass portrait in front of us. He leans against the marble slate table. I try not to sound nervous, “But what if William is right? What if goddess doesn’t see you in the light we want her to? What if she doesn’t want to leave when we pick her up?”
The way he stares at that mural makes it seem like he’s waiting for her to come to life and give herself to him. He looks aroused and it makes me wonder what he was doing back in that room behind our flags. He already got goddess to give him a child. Isn’t that enough? What more could he want with her? If he keeps wanting more and more from Valerie he may just scare her away from us.
The boss starts walking back behind the altar, “You need to have more faith, David. Come with me. I want to show you something.”
My ears ring as I follow him behind the back of the altar. I know he heard my thoughts and when we enter the empty room dread fills me when the door shuts behind me. There’s nothing in here, but a small black table in the center of the room with a black picture frame on top of it. Noctus picks up the picture frame and a moving picture comes to life inside it.
Valerie appears in it sleeping in a cot by herself. Her witch friend sits in the corner of the room with her head lulled forward. Colin’s even in the tiny room with them holding onto my god’s newborn child. I look up at Noctus, but he doesn’t seem bothered by Colin holding the baby.
I think he’s just happy she’s safe and things are going as planned. Either that or he just gets turned on by watching her sleep which could still be plausible. He sets the picture frame down then takes his hat off and puts it down on the small table with a strange look. He shuffles his feet and puts his hands in his jacket pocket while looking down his nose at me.
“I’m sorry Yansmen, but you remembered what Viktor said. We can only take back as many as we send. I would feel comfortable having another set of eyes watching over goddess. I’m afraid today is the last day to send anyone over.”
“But the portal has already been closed, savior.”
Then I slowly start to piece things together. Today wasn’t the first time he caught me thinking poorly of him. He purposefully chose me to clean up alone so no one would witness this. He even locked the door too. I’m sure this is just so he can make sure if he dies he’ll go where he thinks he’ll go, being part witch like me.
Noctus straightens his jacket and brushes off invisible lint from his sleeves, “You’re right, but I’m fairly certain my prediction is correct. You will end up in Hegley Hallow. If you do not, arrangements can be made now because of our new...business associate. Besides your wandering mind, you have never disappointed me otherwise. Think of this as a vacation.” His voice finishes in a hiss and I gulp wishing I had the chance to change my travel plans.
My mind races as I remember how awful it was just listening to Colin go through this. “C-can’t you just shoot me and be done with it? P-please...” I spew out while jumping back when his giant black scaly body hits the ground with a heavy thud.
He’s been eating too many people and now he’s so big he can barely even fit in a normal sized room like this. I trip over a portion of his tail and fall down shaking in terror as his head moves in my direction.
His voice sounds almost as low and guttural as our father’s, “No can do. I’m hungry.”
I don’t think I’d be too far off to say the devil’s poisoned some amount of his brain and turned it into something far more rotten than I’m capable of understanding. Heinrich told me he likes to play with his food. I smell pee and I know it’s from me, but I don’t know what my god’s planning. All I know is I’m at his complete mercy. Well, he admitted I never really wronged him in the past.
“Noctus,” My voice cracks and I know I normally don’t call him by his real name, but I only do it out of hope he’ll take me seriously.
“Don’t worry, David. I understand.”
“Y-you do?” I stutter while cowering on top of his tail in the corner of the room as far away from him as I can get. There’s no avoiding not stepping on him. I’m just surprised he hasn’t knocked over the picture frame on the table yet. Well, he is my god...
“I won’t make you suffer.”
I go slack and my back slides down the corner of the wall with relief, “Really? Thank you! Thank you!”
However, his head starts inching toward me and I begin to panic again. I wonder if Colin cried? Well, I am! I don’t even care anymore no one’s in here to witness it. His tail moves underneath me and I fall right on the ground as the head of his serpent body hovers over mine. I look up at him feeling like a baby in size comparison as I hug my legs in a fetal position. I’m not going to try running and making things more painful. I’m pretty sure that’s what Colin tried doing and it didn’t end up so well for him by the sound of things.
“Savior p-please! You said you wouldn’t make me s-suffer!” I protest pathetically with a whimper.
“That’s why I’m going to swallow you whole.” he hisses down to me and I go rigid at his revelation. Would that be a quicker death or would I be stuck somewhere in his gut getting burned up with smelly acid juice? I hope he answers my thoughts so I can at least mentally prepare myself. “Although, I think I may just bite your head off. We only have five minutes until midnight and it usually takes me at least ten minutes to fully digest an entire body.”
The way he talks about it so shamelessly makes my fate appear even more despicable. The very tip of his tail glides over to him and raises up off the ground to touch the bottom of his snake snout as if he were to be rubbing his chin in deep thought.
“If you swallow me whole, and I don’t struggle, will I die immediately?”
“You should,” Noctus chuckles darkly and it makes my skin crawl. “But I’ve never had prey be so still before. Do you think you can manage? I don’t mind biting your head off -- that’s the truest and quickest way you’ll die.”
If I knew he was going to bite my head off I know I would be tempted to fight back or run. Oh, what the hell? Either way, does it really make a difference?
I groan in misery seeing his snake head angle down toward me, “I don’t even know.”
“I don’t expect you to, but I think I’ll try swallowing you whole, Yansmen. I’m rather cramped up in here as you can see my movements are limited to this space. You won’t be here to clean up the mess anyway.” He finishes with a sinister laugh and I whisper a quick prayer to both my god and goddess. Well, I’m pretty sure my god will ignore it seeing the position he’s in right now, but my goddess wouldn’t ignore my worries.
I know I shouldn’t look up, but I do just in time to see his jaw open and unhinge revealing razor-sharp fangs as big as my face. A second later that jaw darts down toward me faster than my eyes can follow. For a fraction of a second, the walls of his throat greet me when he bites down on me hard enough to crush my body between his jaws in one go -- swallowing me whole!