Till Death Do Us Part - A Morira Novel

Chapter 1

The pouring rain was cold in the dark night. I shivered and huddled closer to the white wall. I couldn't believe what had happened; my life was over. Closing my eyes, my tears mixed with the rain as a shudder rocked through me. I was sobbing, my whole body shaking, my fingers clenched in my drained shirt. Pictures flashed before my eyes as lightning struck somewhere.

Mom was standing in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. Her laughter was sweet and happy as my father kissed her cheek – they had no idea what was about to happen.

"Gabi, why don't you come help your mother and I clean up?" he called, his blue eyes brilliant in the kitchen light. My mother, Marilyn, shook her head.

"Uriel, there's no need. She needs to do her homework; leave her be."

I had been gnawing on my pen, deciding whether or not I could ignore my homework and join them, when the front door had been blown off its hinges. Several men entered, but I didn't know any of them.Mom stiffened only for a second, horror etched into her face, before she drew a kitchen knife, slicing the throat of the first man. I screamed as he crumbled, but mom didn't even look faced as she picked up another knife. God, she was fast, wielding the knife as a though she knew just how to... kill. I stood frozen, didn't know what to do as more entered; my hands shook, my breathing had all but stopped.

Bright white light blinded me and dad... he was shining! White chords of power rushed down his arms and went straight through one of the men. Three were lying on the kitchen floor, black blood pooling around them and as I looked closer, I knew, no matter how impossible it seemed... they were vampires.

Shock made me stumble away from the chair and suddenly one of them turned to me, ran for me and I screamed. But then mom was in front of me, knifes in both her hands, blood running down her arms as she hissed a very non-human sound.

"Don't you dare touch my daughter! Get out of my house – you have nothing to do here." The man smiled coldly.

"Morira, did you think you could turn your back on this life?" She hissed again, shocking me as I backed away.

"I am a human now – I have nothing to do with your world anymore. Leave! Or by God I swear I'll kill you all." He laughed a bone chilling laugh.

"You've gone against nature, Morira. You can never go back from being a vampire... and now you've created something quite interesting. I can smell her from here." Mom stiffened.

"GET OUT!" She yelled as she flew at him, but he was too fast. He hit her with something and she fell, blood pooling around her. I screamed as my father yelled for her, but mom couldn't get up. She looked at me then, her eyes paling as did her cheeks.

"Go to the church, Gabi! Go to the church..." She wasn't breathing. I screamed.

"MOM! Oh God, mom wake up!" I started running toward her, but the monster jumped at me, flinging me to the floor. I couldn't breathe as he leaned over me, dark eyes burning into mine as his hand delved in my hair.

"You smell just wonderful, Morira's daughter..." I started shaking as he grabbed my arm, suddenly biting into my wrist. My eyes widened as a pain I'd never believed possible rushed through me, as though every cell in my body burned. My back arched clear of the floor as I screamed and trashed under him, kicking and hitting him. Suddenly he was off me and I curled into a ball, shaking and crying as I held my bleeding arm. Light enveloped the room and I blinked, looking up. The vampire that had bit me was gone, as in he was completely gone. Dad crouched over me, bloodied and shining.

"Gabrielle, get to the damn church now! Don't look back, hon – don't come back." He lifted me to my feet and pushed me away from him, just as three of those creatures attacked him. I didn't look back. Panic burned in me as I ran from the house, through the garden and unto the road. Holding my wrist to my chest I ran like I'd never run before, my bare feet scraping off the asphalt. Tears blinded me as I ran; it was so dark and I couldn't see anything, but I knew where the church was. I had a couple of miles to run.