Our journey came to an end when we stopped in front of a bleak mansion. This was exactly the kind of place I had in mind when I entered Felix’s clean apartment in the city center. Although the whole building with its old and creaky elevator made sense, this place right here suited him even more. The place looked like it had been around for many years, which was probably the case. It also looked haunted. It was in a residential area that was surrounded by modern homes and clean front yards. This place was the complete opposite. The grass hadn’t been watered in forever—they probably counted on the rain for that—and the tree up front was blackened like it had been on fire once and just…carbonized. “This is it,” Felix answered before crossing the front yard. We stopped when we reached the front door. There was no doorbell, I noticed. Felix raised his fist and knocked. I strained my ears to hear some movement from inside the house but it was as silent as a grave. It was startling when
I carefully slid out of bed, not wanting to make a sound. I didn’t hear the scream again but I was sure that I hadn’t dreamt it. Someone was screaming somewhere in this manor and I was alarmed. I wanted to know what it was. I had to know if I was safe. I quickly neared the door. I couldn’t remember whether it creaked or not when he opened it but I would have to take a chance. I turned the knob tentatively and sure enough, the door didn’t make a sound. I stepped out into the hallway. I wasn’t wearing my boots so I wouldn’t make a sound but I was tempted to go back and get them, just in case I would have to run. They’d be something unnecessary to carry, though, so I ignored it and kept going. I tiptoed all the way to the stairs. It was easy even though the whole area was dark. Before I reached it, I lowered myself to the floor and peered through the balusters. I could clearly see the dining area. To my absolute horror, I saw what the source of all the noise was. There was a woman s
I woke up hours later. It was disorienting that the room was still dark. It felt like the night would never end. I sat up and stretched my hands over my head. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. They felt a little heavy from all the crying I did but I wasn’t too concerned about it. I contemplated getting out of bed and venturing downstairs. I trusted that it was around daytime because it wasn’t all that probable that I slept through the day. Konstantin would be sleeping and Felix, too. I sighed before lifting the covers from my body. The manor was silent, as expected. As I tiptoed down the hallway, I suddenly remembered the woman that was strapped to the dining table. Would she still be there? If so, I’d turn right back. I didn’t have the stomach to see that first thing in the morning. Or afternoon or whatever the time of day was. When I stopped to peer through the balusters, I saw that the table was empty. Not only was it empty, it also had platters of fruits and cheese right on top.
I was unwell for the better part of the night. I couldn’t get that horrible scene out of my head. Her screams for help were still with me, echoing in my mind. I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t do a damned thing to save her. And on top of that, I couldn’t show judgment because then, they’d get offended. That was absolute bullshit. What they were doing was wrong and I didn’t care what they said about it. The death of a human was always something saddening. They treated us like prey but we weren’t that. We would never be that. We had families and friends, and that girl would be missed. Everyone was remembered by at least one person. I cried for her. My heart ached for what he had done to her. She was young and innocent, and he had no right to make her a meal. I was willing to die on this hill if necessary, but I wasn’t going to agree with them. I didn’t eat the rest of the basket. I felt like I would never again eat anything in all my life because of how full I felt. Full with grief a
Konstantin and I remained seated at the table.He appeared to be focusing on the wall behind me. I felt unsettled because his expression didn’t change and his face was almost scrunched. I didn’t hear a sound but I guessed that he did. I didn’t ask him what the matter was. I waited. He would tell me eventually if it was something bad and I would follow his instructions. Until then, all I could do was sit next to him and wait for whatever this was to pass. The pupils of his eyes were larger than before. It was a somewhat scary sight. I had never seen pupils so large before. I didn’t dare to move. I felt like I would distract him in some way. I strained my ears in hopes to hear something but so far, nothing. I hadn’t heard what he did. I didn’t sense a threat. “Hide, guest,” he said in a voice a little above a whisper. He didn’t sound at all bothered and I didn’t know whether he was being serious or not. “Things are about to get complicated.”Konstantin stood up slowly. Majestically.
I looked up and was both shocked and amazed at what I saw. He was flying above us for a few seconds before he landed on the ground and became the Konstantin I knew. His wings transformed into the robe, and his hair fell all over his face, giving him a menacing appearance. He was a…bat. An extremely large bag with mostly human features, but an animal nonetheless, which explained the look on his face I saw earlier. It wasn’t human whatsoever and now I understood why. This was pure insanity. The werewolves stepped between him and I. One was still a man and the other still a wolf. Konstantin’s eyes were red and the sneer on his face was wider than before. He looked truly terrifying and looking at him now made me wonder how I managed to sit beside him and have a somewhat decent conversation with him. He was a monster. I was sure of that now. It reminded me of when Felix said that he might be the original vampire. He sure fit the roll perfectly. Vampires were bats in some stories, so
When I woke up, it was still dark but there was some light coming in from some of the places he hadn't covered with cloth completely. He was still fast asleep. He didn't make a sound as he slept. It almost sounded like he wasn't even breathing. I recalled the coffins I saw in the room on the right wing. Didn't he sleep in a coffin too? It was just a thought. I didn't really care. I assumed it was early morning. I didn't sleep that well and I felt a little cranky. He was sleeping all relaxed on the bed and I was here, hearing every joint in my body crack. An old movie was playing when I turned the TV on and I let it play. I watched it disinterestedly at first before I started getting entertained. I didn't switch positions, though, nor did I make a sound. The volume was low so I couldn't disturb Felix so I couldn't hear it well, but for the most part, I understood it. I was bored again by the time the second movie started playing. My mouth was dry. My belly grumbling. I was hungry a
As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, I saw Felix hovering above me. I gasped and sat up, inching away from him. I shouldn’t have moved too quickly because I was a little too stiff from sleeping on the couch. His expression was stern and the paleness was still there, but he looked a lot better. My eyes darted to his abdomen but I didn’t see any blood. He had changed his shirt and it didn’t look like the area was bandaged or anything. Did he get it stitched up?“Your smell is starting to fade,” he said. “Soon enough, they won’t be able to track you anymore.”“Does that mean that they won’t be able to find me anymore?”Felix eyed me for the longest time without saying a word. His weird silences were really starting to get on my nerves. I couldn’t understand why he never just gave me a straight answer. “Does it?”“We’ll see.”It seemed those were his two favorite words. I gave up and didn’t ask anymore questions. My back was killing me and I decided that I’d sleep on the bed fo