Chapter 5

It is so agonizing, this pain, so all-consuming. My insides feel like their being burned alive; my heart feels like it is scorched by the heat of the sun. Every nerve ending my body feels likes it's being electrified and charred to ash. I writhe in agony and try desperately not to scream from the pain. Nothing in my past years of being a soldier can compare to this living hell. Just when I think the pain subsides, it reignites in a new part of my body. it is constant torture of cool and boiling.

As one part of my body feels like it's becoming like ice, my heart is now feeling it is being plunged through by a sword heated with molten lava. I endure this torment, feeling like I am bathing in hellfire and cooled down by ice. Wishing for death, a part of me knows that it will not come. I am turning into a damned soulless creature like her.

At that moment I feel like I am being lifted and carried off into oblivion. Nothingness surrounds me, my eyes strain to see a bright light shining towards me. As I lay there, I see life flash before me. Eliza stares at me from the Heavens, a child in her arms. I reach for her, only for a great chasm to erupt between us. "ELIZA!!" I scream, "come back to me please, my beloved". I can do nothing but watch as the wall continues to build, separating me from what I want most in life. "God! What did I do to deserve this curse!" I cry out reaching for heaven.

"Hunter, I cannot. Our love, and life has been destroyed by dark powers we were unaware of". I drop to my knees cradling myself into a ball of anguish. I fall to my knees "I know darling, I know. I did nothing to warrant this". Dear God, I did nothing to merit this, why has this happened?

"Hunter, I am not blaming you. You were the greatest husband I could have ever wished for". I stare at her in this dreamscape. "What should I do? I will never let myself belong to her. This she-demon who destroyed us". She stares back at me with love and longing in her blue eyes. I commit her lovely face to memory, knowing this will be the last time I see her again.

"Remember me, my love. Do not forget me. Lean onto Garrett, he will be important to you now, God has willed him in our lives for this reason". I reach for her sobbing but, knowing I will never touch her. "Hunter, my prince. Please do me one more favor, something I would never normally ask of you". "What is it?" desperate to do anything for her, desperate to hear her voice one more time.

"Avenge me, avenge our son". I cannot believe she could ask this of me, I know her detest for violence but, I cannot ignore her now. I had already planned to kill that she-devil. Her last words call out to me before she is gone. "Let time heal you, do not stay lonely, I will always be with you, you have eternity, find love again".

My heart does not accept her words at this moment, I am not sure I will accept it in time for my heart hurts too much. "I will in time show you the way, I will send my heart back to you".

"Eliza! Don't go!" everything fades into nothingness as I drift back to reality, all I can feel in this moment is nothingness. Love, life, happiness...all gone. What is left over is only the seething hate I feel. If I have learned one thing through this darkest night, it is this, life can be a cruel bitch. My love I will hold you in my heart and face this world with wrath. I am reborn a vampire with a thirst for blood and vengeance, gone is the sweet man who led a private life. They have awoken the beast within me, and now the world will know my wrath. 

Three Days later. I awoke to a new feeling in my body, my body had been reborn. I felt very light and freed in many ways it was a new sensation that was difficult to describe. There was a new energy, it is as if I had been foggy my entire life, and now was cleared of a thousand different distractions. This immortality, I knew was from the underworld, with never-ending night, and horrors that follow. My throat burned like it had been lit on fire, and dry as the Sahara Desert. Everything felt so heightened. I could smell everything, see everything as I had never had sight before. there was a smell of cinnamon mixed with vanilla and earthy grains, it must be from the baker's shop. As I was adjusting, I heard a male's voice as if it were trying to speak to me, immediately my heightened body let out a snarl on defense, jumped to my feet, and pressed him against the wall. I opened my eyes to see the room in new clarity, as they noticed I look up to see Garrett, I released my hold on him feel ashamed and confused.

"Easy my friend, you need to relax, I know it's disorienting but, everything is alright, I rescued you last night". I was still out of sort to how quickly and aggressively my body was reacting. I just attacked my lifelong friend. "If I'd known that she moved next to you, I would've ended her years ago". Garrett sigh in defeat. "I am amazed that she stayed away as long as she did". Honestly, learning the truth now, so was I. It was a game for her but, why did she wait so long to strike now? Was there something that I was missing?

Everything felt like a blur, I tried my best to remember everything that happened. I still could not believe how in one night my life could change so drastically. I never would have imagined that Vampires could exist, and apparently, I was now one because of one psychotic woman.

"Garrett, please help me. What shall I do?" He looked at me and sighed. "Well right now, you need to hunt. I will help train you. We are going to have to leave London. You cannot just go hunting in the city like she did and be noticed. It is not acceptable, neither is leaving a victim of this form of the attack alive and when she is caught, she will pay the price". I looked towards him in surprise. "Yes, to change someone, we have to have their consent, not a blatant attack like this, she had no right to initiate this situation". I closed my eyes. yes, she would pay, and I would be the judge and executioner. Garrett could see the fury on my face. "Hunter, I understand you want to kill her, I am all for it, but, first you need to learn everything there is to know". "I was just thinking, what about my company? What am I going to do?" I lie with ease. "I would suggest for right now, leaving the company with me" I stared at him in shock and disapproval.

"Hunter, you cannot manage to be around people right now, maybe within time, I don't want you slaughtering all of your loyal customers". I hung my head in defeat knowing he was right. I did not know the first thing about being a vampire, I did trust him, and his experience. There were days that he'd be gone for a week, I now understood that he was off hunting away from the London populace so he wouldn't be discovered. "I will take care of everything. I will sell your house and hand you the money, you are going to need it". I sagged against him, nodding in agreement while trying to sob my heart out.

"You will live, you will never forget her but, trust me my friend in time, you will find love again". "No, I will never love again! I am sorry my friend but, right now the pain of what happened is too close to my unbeaten heart". I opened my mouth to protest more, and he cut me off "I know what you're experiencing, I lived through it too". I noticed the fierce look on his face, my eyes full of questions, that I will never ask. I could tell that the ending of his humanity was similar to my own, it was painful. I dare not ask, I do not need to add his pain to mine. 

I stood there not knowing what to say or think. thinking about Eliza being pregnant, My rage returned, and Garrett could tell what was happening. "Hunter, you need to hunt, not only that you need time. I know Bathilda, I hate her as well. She is plain psychotic, as you have learned but very lethal". I struggle to accept his words "You are going to need time, training, and strength to face her again". I heard what he said, I did not like it but, I had to trust his experience. He was right, she was psychotic and lethal. Eliza and I died, we never saw her coming, never noticed the monster living right next door. "Take me out hunting, show me what I need to do!"