Maxim Darko: The Greatest Gift of Evil. A Vampire Chronicle

CHAPTER SIX THE ESCAPE

Maxim Samar, Ziga, and Jaka were breathing heavily in a deeply wooded area southwest of the village. In a futile attempt to ward off the cold, they wrapped their thin arms tightly around their chests, and huddled together. Collectively, they leaned on a large pine tree, and gulped in deep breaths of air. Fighting the daylight while running, was rapidly draining their energy. They had been running non-stop since escaping their stable prison in the village. On the verge of collapse from exhaustion, they had stopped to catch their breath. Their plan was to put as much distance between themselves, and the village as possible. They had no idea that they had such a large head-start. Ciril, the Cardinal, and Father Zlata's men were not scheduled to begin their search for the child beasts until the next morning.

Samar was the first to catch his breath. He came from a family of hunters and was a very fit boy. After scanning the forest, he said, "I know this forest well." He pointed towards a slight depression on the side of a hill, that was barely visible through the thick trees. "This way. I know of a bear den where we will be safe." Samar began moving towards the depression, breaking a trail in the deep snow.

Without hesitation, Maxim and Ziga started to follow him. Looking as if he was stuck in the knee-deep snow, Jaka stood frozen in place. Samar waved to him to follow and said in a hushed voice. "Come. We must hurry," He lied to spur Jaka into action. "I hear dogs."

Jaka looked up with tears in his eyes. "I'm scared." He put his head in his hands, and sobbed, "I'm only thirteen. I want my family." He became panicked, and started to babble, "Where are we going? How will we survive?"

Maxim strode up to Jaka, and roughly slapped him on the side of his head. Jaka's head flew sideways from the force of the blow. "Shut up! Pull it together if you want to live." Before Jaka could reply, Maxim dragged him by the collar to join the group.

After a few steps, Jaka stood up straight, and started walking on his own accord. With childlike pride, he said, "OK. I'm fine. Let me go."

Maxim released his grip on Jaka's collar, and quickly caught up to Ziga and Samar. Jaka reluctantly followed the group. Ziga stopped and waited for Jaka. Jaka stopped a few paces from Ziga and cowered in fear. "Do not fear me cousin. Come to me." Reluctantly, Jaka took a few steps until he stood before Ziga. Unexpectedly, Ziga hugged him. After a moment, Ziga lowered his arms, and gently took Jaka's face in his hands. "We are now family. The only family you will ever know from now on. Do you understand?"

With red puffy eyes, Jaka slowly nodded yes. At that moment, he accepted the rough fate that life had dealt him.

Their tender moment was broken when thunder shook the sky. A heavy snow started falling. Maxim looked back at the way they had come. He saw the snow beginning to bury their tracks. Looking up to the sky with a smile, he said, "Thank you, Dark Mother."

After fifteen-minutes of trudging through the knee-deep snow, a small breathing hole in the side of a hill came into view. Samar smiled and pointed. "There. See how the edges are melted from the warmth of the bear?"

Ziga nervously asked, "What about the bear?"

"She is around five years old, and very large. My father and the other hunters have a pact to keep her alive."

"Why is that?" asked Ziga.

"She is a good breeder. Every year the hunters check her den. For the last four years, she has birthed at least two cubs. The hunters try to let the bear cubs grow for at least two years, before killing them."

"Ah. I understand. She delivers a good supply of future bears to hunt."

Samar nodded, "The mother bear is hibernating. If she doesn't wake, her body will provide us with heat."