CHAPTER 1: THE ESCAPE

“Are we there yet?” I asked.

“No.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

That was Gustav’s answer for the past few hours we’ve spent driving through the foggy road. If I were human I would have frozen my hands off by now. We hardly had the time to be picky when we hijacked this sorry excuse of a car. The heater was busted and the radio picked up only one frequency. It would have been impossible getting through toll gates without drawing attention to our blood-soaked clothes. At times like these, Gustav’s glamour comes in real handy.

We drove on for thirty miles before stopping for clean clothes. By the time we crossed the state line my thirst was unbearable. I still feel sorry for that poor homeless guy, but nobody would miss him anyway so I kept thinking we did him a favor.

“Are you okay?” Gustav’s features were stern but his voice said otherwise.

I almost died and he had just witnessed his closest friend’s sacrifice. Lionel was the next thing Gustav had for a brother. They’d been together long before I came along. France was their hunting ground and that’s where Gustav found me. They parted when Gustav sired me. I think Lionel got jealous. They haven’t spoken in a century and yesterday was supposed to be their reunion.

I closed my eyes trying in vain to shut out the images from the last twenty-four hours. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard my maker humming a soothing tune.

“I’m good.” I replied.

Gustav was less than convinced but kept humming. “Don’t worry we’re almost there, cherie.”

I looked out the window, trying to figure out where ‘there’ was but all I could see was white. It had snowed overnight. A thick blanket covered the road and our car groaned in difficulty but Gustav pushed on. A little later I spotted the outline of houses in the distance and the smell of freshly baked bread. Gustav was smiling to himself; as if he was glad to be here, like he was saying, “Home sweet home.”

“Welcome to Austinford.”

“I don’t see how those trackers won’t follow us here.” I turned in my seat, taking in our surroundings. It was a small, quaint town. People were hardly up and a few of the early birds stared after our car.

“Trust me we’re practically invisible in this town.”

“Ya’ sure about that? We stand out like Santa Claus in Halloween.”

My maker ignored me and parked in front of a rickety cottage. The engine muted and Gustav started to get out. I took hold of his arm before he could open the car door.

“Where are you going? Please don’t tell me this is where we are staying.” I pleaded.

Gustav laughed heartily and ruffled my hair. “No we are not staying here. This is the house of one of my trusted friends. I’m simply paying him a visit.”

 

“What? This is hardly the time –” my protest hung unfinished as I gawked at the empty space beside me. “Gustav! At least hide your claws!”

My fiery mane whipped around my face as I stared at the old man greeting Gustav. He was bald except for the scarce patches of white hair on either side of his head. He looked as ancient as his house. I inhaled deeply, tasting the scents, sorting them out and concentrating on the old man.

“Human.” I concluded.

He was an unlikely ally. Humans aren’t supposed to know about our true nature – or maybe Gustav left that part out. I prayed he did. They were heading towards me. I raised an eyebrow and my maker smiled.

“Lewis, this is my daughter Sanguine.” He started. “Sanguine, this is Lewis Avery. He’s the caretaker of the villa.”

“Villa?”

Mr. Avery extended his right hand and offered me a warm smile. I accepted his gnarly extremity and flashed my teeth. Hopefully, my canines remained retracted regardless of my uneasiness.

“I’m purty glad tah fin’ly meet ‘cha, Miss. Yer dad’s been talkin’ ‘bout ‘cha fer a long time. I never thought he’d drive yah down in this weather.”

“Neither did I.”

“Speaking of which, we best be going now, old boy. We’ve had a rough night.”

We all piled into the car as Gustav revved the engine to life and we rolled down the road.

Some stores were already opened and more townsfolk appeared on the sidewalk. But none of them stared anymore; a few automobiles joined us on the narrow street. It was getting lighter but the sun still remained hidden behind the clouds. Just like our former home, I thought sadly.

“Is this it?”

Both men nodded proudly. I couldn’t take it against them, the house was great. The lawn was naturally covered with snow but what surprised me was that there was a lot of lawn probably twenty feet. There were flowerbeds on either side of the driveway. The house was gothic in a sense and there were huge trees all around. We herded to the front door. Mr. Avery took out a ring of keys from his pocket and began fumbling with them. We gave him the honors of opening the door and I guess Mr. Avery must have been one heck of a caretaker.

 The interior was in tip top shape. It was my first time inside this marvelous house but I could tell that nothing was altered since Gustav‘s last visit. My maker patted Mr. Avery lightly on the back before approaching a majestic staircase. He ran a finger on the railing and stood still for what seemed like an eternity until he spoke.

“Thank you, old friend for keeping an eye on the house.”

“It’s what yah pay me for, Mr. Lacroix.”

Gustav showed me my room and left me to clean up. I was exhausted but not sleepy like most people after a long drive. In fact, we never sleep. Once you’ve been turned, everything that was a necessity when we were human isn’t necessary anymore. We don’t eat or even breathe any longer. It saves a whole lot of money.

 I stripped my clothes and entered the bathroom. The hot water relaxed my muscles but it couldn’t calm my mind. No matter how many centuries pass the trauma of what I’ve just been through was impossible to get over.

I curled onto my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin after my bath and stared at the ceiling. I could still hear the screams and still see the blood splattered on the floor and walls of the coven’s hideout. The sinister pair of blood red eyes mocked me from the darkness of my memories.

“Come, child.” The attacker had said.

I was drawn to him. His glamour was extremely strong and I couldn’t resist. I didn’t even think of resisting. His scent was intoxicating, so delicious I wanted to taste it and he wanted to taste me too. He had his arm around my waist and my neck hyperextended. His breathe was warm on my ice cold skin. His tongue darted out of his mouth and traced a straight line along my jugular. I knew he was going to bite me. I ran my hands through his hair and pulled him even closer. I felt his fangs rake my skin, teasing. And then I heard Lionel’s voice. It broke the spell.

“Sanguine, don’t let him bite you!”

I pushed the attacker away, scratching his chest in the process. He hissed and tried to reach for me but Lionel was already on him. I sat on the floor stupefied. Gustav found us and tried to help Lionel but he refused and insisted that we escape.

“Get Sanguine out of here! Gustav, go!”

Those were his last words. Gustav tried to shield my eyes but I witnessed the whole horrifying scene of Lionel’s demise, every ripping and tearing of muscle, every crunching and snapping of bone. Lionel’s gurgling scream echoed on the walls until it was reduced to nothing. His head lolled back and his glassy eyes fixed on me. Gustav carried me, crushing me to his chest. I felt moisture on my cheek and I looked up to find my indestructible maker crying. A sight I never thought I would witness. It was more terrifying than watching Lionel being mutilated. He was my pillar of strength and if he was threatened by this foe, I wondered, what would become of me?

Chapter 2