Shattered

Legacy

My fingers hovered over the flame of the candle; still burning bright but slowly dying. My fingertips began to blister; the room began to smell like a burning corpse. That's what I am, aren't I? A corpse. Dead but alive for what reason? what purpose?

I retreat my fingers before the flame burns through to the bone. My eyes stare still fascinated by how fast my body heals itself; sometimes I wish it didn't.

'You've been quiet,' I mention to the creature inside of me. Seconds, no, minutes of silence filled the room.

'I've been healing,' the voice echoed through my mind making my hair stand. Something that never happens. I hated this creature for taking a part of me but she makes me feel human.

'Why me?'

'It's your family legacy, you were born a wolf. But this isn't our destiny, Leila. We have to fight."

'Fight, fight who?'

'The enemy that killed our family. We aren't strong enough, the dark side of you is weakening me.'

I stand from the window seal in frustration. 'I can't stop being dead. I no longer have a heartbeat if you haven't noticed.'

'I can keep you alive.' She paused waiting for my response but the devils know I didn't have one. 'Let us escape now, while they are hunting.'

'They're gone? How do you know for sure?'

'I can smell the blood of the animals and the smell of vampires has drifted north.' She paused once again. 'We don't have a lot of time. I need your permission to take over. Animal blood makes your side weak, mine is charged. I can get us out faster, they'll be on our trail.'

I remember the lustful smells, the emotions I felt but my head was clear of them. I nodded my head, agreeing to myself. For my family. 'I give my permission.'

My body felt like it was losing consciousness. A warm embrace pulled me back into a cloud of nothing. I could see what was going on but I was some sort of paralyzed.

'Don't worry, after you relax and understand how to use your mind, you can move and take control anytime. We can both be one.'

Her voice sounded different, more louder and focused. Our hands grip the bars of the window and in one yank they flew to the other side. She isn't used to her strength I suppose. She pushed the window open and jumped out landing on a nicely mowed grass. For vampires, they keep everything well maintained. She started running south, opposite from the hunt. She was fast, matching the speed of a vampire, it was incredible.

'They're coming. They heard.'

'How'd you-' before my question was said a loud howl echoed through the night sky. I can feel myself shaking from the inside, fighting the urge not to turn around.

'It's Arnold, he's onto us. He's shifting, we need to do the same. If we can't lose him when the sun rises...'

'I'll burn.'

'He'll be the same... do you trust me.'

'No, but I don't want to return, what's your plan?'

'Close your eyes and trust me. Feel yourself being protected by armor.'

'What armor? What non-sense are you splurting?'

'Leila! I need you to be on the urge of death.'

I was surprised but that's what I wanted, wasn't it? To die. Who am I to say no to such a wish.

'How?'

'Close your eyes and drift off wherever you go. I'll heal us. You will come back.'

Trust in something I just met. Sounds like a young girl I once knew. Always, trusting in people's words and mothers' and fathers' knowledge but never getting the truth. Her brother, oh how she missed those rascals.

Did they know about this war? Did they try to protect me? They knew about the wolves and vampires, didn't they?

******

"Darling sister, you shouldn't be up so late, this is when the wolves hunt the vampires," Julian whispers in my ear guiding me back to the house.

"Why can't they live in peace together?" My 13 year old spoke up.

"One day, I imagine. We all aren't so different, humans included."

"Have you ever seen a vampire?" I whispered back

He nodded, "plenty of times, that's why dear sister you need to stay inside where they can't get to you."

"How is one killed?"

I remember that he took his time to carefully figure out what to say next like weighing the pros and cons. "For the one who killed must die, for the one that died must die again, reverse the chain and the dead will live once more." He pulls up the covers and kisses my temple. "Night sister."

****

I gasped for the air that wasn't needed, it was like I was in that pond. Desperate for air but no will to survive.

'You've been out for almost 11 hours. I had to pull you out, the sun has already begun to fall again, Arnold will be ready with an army by that time.

I felt like I've been in a grave for the past 200 years. My body was stiff and my mouth was bone dry. I feel so powerless, I've never felt so weak.

'I'm starving,' I mention to myself.

'As to be expected. We did run in broad sunlight for twenty minutes. I couldn't believe that we had made it here.'

'You what?' I exclaim just able to move my pinky off the cold hard ground.

'You trusted me. I protected you. I'm not sure where you went but I'm glad about it. We can hunt now but we have to be quick, assuming they're only an hour behind.'

Suddenly strength grows within me, not a lot but enough. She inside must be giving me the last of her energy. I look around the barn where we ended up. Abandon and smelt like dead rodents; nothing that interested us. I walk to the big wooden door to slide it open just a nudge to sneak a peak. It was becoming overcast, a rainstorm must be on its way.

'There,' the wolf directed my eyes to a still-standing deer.

Without hesitation, without a moment's notice, we both stride towards this deer. Before it could react, we slam into the back of its body. I didn't waste any time piercing my teeth into its neck as my hands were busy ripping its heart out. The deer gave up instantly, accepting its fate.

We feasted quickly before we both heard a howling echo brush through the trees. The howl was different from last night, seemed more urgent but had a subtle whine to it.

He's coming.