Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 8

"That creepy voice is starting to get on my nerve," I say as the voice disappears once again.

"I couldn't agree with you more. I didn't think it would be this difficult to get in. I mean, shouldn't it be open for all vampires to seek answers?" Alarcos says.

Seymour doesn't say anything.

He is still shaken up by what happened, and I can't blame him. Having to face one's worst fears is something that even the strongest of us find challenging.

It is a bit easier for me because I face my worst fear every day.

Every time I look in the mirror, I see the darkness that resides in me, but I fight it. Every day, every second, I struggle not to revert to the monster I had been in those early days.

I don't mind the killing. Killing is part of being a vampire, it was part of being a huntress when I was alive, and I know that it's a necessity.

What bothers me about my blood lust is the lack of control.

Once I am overwhelmed by the power blood holds over me, I lose myself in it.

There is no control, no thought.

There is no me left. Pure instinct is all there is left, and I hate that feeling.

I can't imagine the world without me in it, and yet for those few fleeting moments, it feels as if I am not truly there. I can feel the nothingness.

That is one of the main reasons I no longer kill humans. If I take that much blood, I am bound to lose myself in it.

These days it might also have to do with Tobias' strong beliefs and wish to preserve humans.

I am not a strong believer in the human right to be alive, but I try to be, for Tobias and Cecilia, because I am pretty sure that they see something in humanity that I am unable to see.

Maybe once we learn the truth about healers I might begin to understand their perspective of the world, but for now, I am just angry at everyone and everything.

Shouldn't the afterlife be easier than this?

"What's next?" I ask in a vain attempt to run away from my thoughts.

"Who knows?" Seymour finally speaks out.

"Things have changed completely since I was here the last time. Something must have happened. Someone must have broken the sanctity of Cemetery of the Ancients." Seymour says.

"How would they do that?" I ask.

"By feeding there or attacking each other. Any of the things that are strictly against the rules. That's the only explanation for these extremely difficult tasks." Seymour says.

I can see it in his eyes that he is trying to justify himself, to show us that he isn't truly weak but that the tests were too hard and we let him.

The truth is the tests might or might not be too difficult, but both Alarcos and I want Seymour to feel better, so we say nothing.

It is so odd that I, who have been nothing but cold towards him, the one who attacked him just hours ago, would feel that amount of sympathy for the guy. I guess all the revelations have melted away some of the coldness that surrounded my heart.

Suddenly, I can feel that something is off, that something is different.

I think it's another test and I hope that this is the last one because it's becoming too much.

What should have been an easy retrieval of information turned into quite an ordeal, and I can't wait for it to end.

As I focus my attention on our surroundings, I can feel them. What seems like thousands of eyes, watching us, stalking us.

Being a vampire, I am not used to being the prey, the hunted, I am usually the one who does all the hunting, so this turn of events is very unsettling for me.

Seymour and Alarcos perceive the danger as well and it prompts all three of us to close our ranks and stand in tight circle guarding each other's backs against the imminent danger. We don't say anything. We don't need to since we know the best way to protect each other is to stay close.

Even a naive little hatchling would realize that we are under attack.

It doesn't matter if this is a part of the test or the real deal, the danger feels real, and we react accordingly.

Soon enough, we can see a dozen shadowy figures approaching us.

At first, it's difficult to say anything more about them, but as the sound of their low growls reaches our ears, we realize that they are vampires. Vampires who are ready to attack in search of blood, any blood.

"Can we talk about this? Maybe we can help each other out." Seymour says.

Honestly, it's odd to hear him say that since back in the day when the two of us were together, he was more than eager to join any fight. It was as if blood and carnage were keeping him alive. Now, he seems hesitant.

I am not sure what to think.

Is he afraid? Has he changed so much that he hesitates to spill blood? He didn't seem to have a problem helping us kill his whole clan to free Cecilia, and yet he is not ready to fight now?

It's very odd.

I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Alarcos is not surprised by this development, and it makes me realize that perhaps Seymour has changed over the decades that we spent apart.

Be as it may, the vampires hounding us don't pay any heed to Seymour's words and keep stalking towards us.

Then, in a blink of an eye, they attack with full force, and it's all we can do to defend ourselves.

Being as old as we are, we have learned to fight fairly well, but there are so many of them and just the three of us. I don't like our chances.

As I am swiping at the nearest vampire, biting another one as he tries to get a hold of me, I catch a glimpse of a sudden movement to my left, to where Alarcos is, a movement that he cannot see being otherwise occupied.

Without thinking about it too much, I put my hand in front of Alarcos' neck, and the attacking vampire bites into it with all his might. However, I don't let that distract me as I use my other hand to pull him off of my hand and throw him to the ground.

Once he hits the ground, I can feel Alarcos realize what had happened, and then we finish off the vampire together.

We don't have the time to dwell on it as we keep turning and spinning, fighting off vampires from all directions.

At one point, I slip on the pool of blood that permeates the land before me, and as I fall, I think that I am done for.

As a hunter, the first thing you learn is never to go down, if you do, you might be a goner.

However, I can see strong hands grasping the vampire who was about to finish me off, and soon enough I see Seymour pulling the vampire's head off, as a fountain of blood spurts out of the neck.

He helps me get up, and as we continue fighting, something strange starts happening.

The vampires, dead and alive alike, start disappearing like they were never there, and I can't help but wonder if it was all just a vivid hallucination.

"Well done. You have completed your final test. You have proven that your teamwork is very good and that you have a healthy respect for each other's lives. Now, you may enter Cemetery of the Ancients." The booming voice says as a gateway appears before us.

"Well, here goes nothing," I say.

Then, we step through it.