Fallen Angel

The thorns pierced into my feet as I ran, instantly drawing blood. I stumbled and groaned as I felt a sharp pain shooting up my legs, but I didn’t dare stop. The needle-like spines dug into my feet, penetrating my flesh even more. I cursed under my breath. Roses, why did it always have to be roses?

The bundle in my arms began to squirm. “Seriously, now you choose to wake up?” I muttered. A muffled cry reached my ears and I sighed. I turned around, and once I was sure that I had lost the hunters, I lowered the flailing bundle onto a patch of dry grass and hastily unwrapped the blanket until a little girl emerged from the wrappings.

Immediately, I clamped my hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. “Keep it down, unless you want them to find us,” I whispered harshly, slowly lowering my hand.

“The bad guys?” asked the little girl, her violet eyes filled with fear.

My expression softened a little. “Yes Myra, the bad guys,” I murmured softly.

The twigs snapped in a distance and suppressed voices echoed through the woods. I flinched hearing the sudden noise. I picked up the four year old. “Come on,” I said. “We have to keep moving”.

We staggered through the dry thicket searching for the opening.

“I want mommy,” Myra complained, fidgeting with her blanket. I choked on hearing this, but I stifled down my sobs. I had to be brave for my little sister, but my mind travelled back to the events of the morning. The screams, the blood, it was all too vivid. Looking back, I wish the sun had not risen so soon. I wish our mother had never found that barn and insisted on spending the day there, that the hunters hadn’t found us asleep and the brutal murder had never happened.

But on the bright side, at least Myra had slept through the whole thing. She was too young, and I was glad she hadn’t witnessed the incident. It would have scarred her for life.

“Where’s Mommy?” Myra asked, tugging at my hair. I chose to ignore the question and continued trudging through the heaps of leaves and grass.

“Aggie, I want Mommy. Where is she?” Myra repeated, panic creeping into her voice. Once again, I ignored the question. I softly hummed a lullaby as I slashed the outgrown bushes out of my way with a sickle. I heard the footsteps getting closer. At this rate, I would have to take the other route, the more dangerous route.

“Myra, stay close to me,” I whispered as I began to lower her to the ground. I would need both my hands to cut through the interwoven hanging roots. But when I least expected it, Myra shrieked so shrilly, my heart skipped a few beats.

I stood there, stunned, as she weakly punched and kicked against my body. “Where’s Mommy?” She screamed, with a frenzied look in her eyes.

“She’s dead, all right? She’s gone!” I snapped furiously. There was a moment of silence between us.

Myra softly asked, “She – she’s coming back?” I held her close to my chest.

“Not this time,” I whispered, tears tracing down my cheek. “Now stay silent, unless you want to join her”.

I scrambled forward and cut off the last obstacle that kept us from our freedom. I stepped forward and looked up. There it was – Sunlight.

I remained in the shadows of the trees, unsure what to do next. The footsteps were very close now. I could hear the leaves crunch under the boots. I could not let the hunters get us, but our only other option was to make a run for it, under the direct sun. I wasn’t sure how true the old rumours were, but I’m pretty sure Vampires not being able to face the sun was originally a myth, until people started believing in the ludicrous hearsay. However, when people believe, even myth sometimes turns into reality.

I wondered if the heat would burn my skin. Mom had told me stories about the Sun, how it glowed bright and nurtured every living thing on earth. But it could be harsh too, causing strokes and cancer. And for my kind, it was pretty much lethal. Or so I was told.

Maybe it was all just a lie, but I was still nervous. A part of me wanted to retreat and accept whatever brutalities the hunters would inflict on us, but from where I stood, I could see the docked ferry boat that was meant to take my kind away to a safer place. A Better Place.

To say the truth, I was tired of running. I wanted a peaceful life. If not for me, then at least for Myra.

I glanced down at my clothes and realised that my blackened cloak had been torn to shreds by the thorns. They could no longer effectively protect me from the sun. I took off the withered cloth and wrapped it over Myra’s blanket, just to be more cautious. I stared at the distant pier.

“Are we gonna run?” Myra asked, looking up at me.

“Yeah...” I replied.

“Won’t the sun kill you?”

“Maybe... but it’s worth a shot,” I said, protectively wrapping my arms around her. I made sure she was properly covered, and then took a deep breath before sprinting off towards the horizon.

----~~~~----~~~~----~~~~----

It wasn’t a lie. I screamed as red blisters appeared all over my body. A paroxysm of pain swept through me, beginning from my singed hair and travelling all the way down to the soles of my feet, my blood sizzling every time it dripped onto the mud. The affliction was so overwhelming, my head clouded over. I felt my vision getting hazy and suddenly, I was back at my ancestral home, where I lived a year ago. I looked around to see any changes, but everything was exactly the same. The bookshelf overflowed with ripped up newspapers and the sweet scent of apple pie wafted through the air. What caught my attention was the television, which was broadcasting the latest news. A few feet away sat my mother and 15- year-old-me, who was staring at the news, horrified.

I remembered that day very well. It was the day the mortals became aware of our subsistence and convinced us to come out of hiding. They promised to do us no harm, and we gullible fools listened. Everything changed that day. Thereafter, it was always bloodlust. The humans forced us to flee our homes. We had only two options. Either give ourselves up or run and eventually get killed.

My family chose to run. My father gave up his life to help us escape a few months back, and a few hours earlier, so did my mother.

I could not fail now. A few yards away waited the ferryboat that would take us to a safe haven, away from the mortals. I shook my head vigorously until my vision cleared.

I clutched Myra as close as I could and ran straight ahead towards the pier. Just a few more steps, I muttered, kicking the mud beneath my feet.

Finally, my feet touched the rotting wood. The planks creaked under me and threatened to giveaway but I did not stop. Not when I was so close. I leaped up, determined to get onto the boat, but at the last moment, a giant black figure obstructed my path and pushed me back onto the dock.

----~~~~----~~~~----~~~~----

I groaned from the impact and sat up, disoriented. I turned to check on Myra, but she wasn’t there. I hastily got up and looked around, until my eyes set on the gigantic cloaked figure in front of me, and in his arms was Myra.

“Give me back my sister,” I snarled, anger coursing through my veins. I studied the man. Given his cloak and fangs, I understood him to be a vampire. I watched him slowly lower Myra down onto the dock. He then spoke, “Identify yourself.” His voice was raspy and authoritative, like he was used to being in charge. I figured I could trust him.

“I am Agana Reyes, and this is my sister Myra Reyes. We seek a safe passage -”

“Let me stop you right there,” interrupted the man. “I suppose you’ve come a long way just to get till here. Appreciate the effort, but you’ve wasted your time.”

I stood there puzzled for a moment. “What do you mean by that?” I asked furiously.

“Look kid, we’ll be leaving any moment now, and to take you along, we’d have to interrogate you. Besides, we can’t spare any more space. Not to mention your condition. It was brave of you to run all the way here under the sun, but you’re half dead. You won’t last much longer. I’m sorry.” Saying this, he started to walk back to the boat.

“You’re just going to leave us here to die, then?” I screamed after him.

He turned back and smiled. “Pretty much. But if you survive long enough, we’ll be back. And this time we’ll be ready. The mortals started this war. We’ll be the ones to –“ he suddenly stopped talking and stared at something behind me.

I turned to see what it was, and I froze in horror. The humans had found their way out of the forest. They hadn’t spotted us yet, but I knew it was just a matter of time.

“Look what you did!” the man wailed. “You led them right to us!”

I let out a whimper. He was right. I did this. I was going to be responsible for all of their deaths. Unless...

“I’ll make you a deal,” I announced. “You take my sister along with you and I’ll distract the humans while you all escape”.

“Why should I trust a word you say?”

“Because, it’s your only option,” I pleaded. “Listen to me.”

The man considered this for a moment and then nodded. I picked up Myra and embraced her as tight as I could.

“What are you gonna do?” she asked innocently. I kissed her forehead.

“I’m gonna go and see mommy and daddy,” I whispered.

I handed her over to the man and after one last hug, I turned and ran towards the humans.

----~~~~----~~~~----

I didn’t mind the Sun anymore. My body was covered with so many blisters and burns, I grew almost numb to the pain. It seemed a crime that something so pretty could inflict so much agony.

I slowly approached the mortals from their left, using the woods as a camouflage. Once I was close enough, I picked up a twig and snapped it. Immediately, they peered in my direction, readying their weapons.

This was it.

I took a deep breath and then slashed my sickle, cutting the branches that concealed me from their view. For a moment, there was absolute silence. They then raised their guns, and I smirked and fled.

I knew I wouldn’t make it far, but I had to stall as long as I could. I could partially see the distant water. The ferry boat still hadn’t started. I cursed and continued to run until-

BAM ...!!!

My leg became limp. I screamed and fell forward. Luckily, the dry leaves broke my fall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the hunters approach.

“You just won’t quit, will you?” one of them said, scowling.

I laughed, “I was kinda thinking the same thing”.

They formed a closed rank around me. I watched them drag their guns across the mud.

Something happened that moment. I don’t know why, but I felt this stirring hatred rise inside me. I wanted to see these people suffer. My father, my mother and all those vampires who had been killed hadn’t used their fangs in centuries, but they were still slaughtered out of spite. I wanted their deaths to be avenged.

I saw the nearest hunter shift closer. “Any last words demon?” he scoffed, raising his gun straight towards my heart.

I glanced at my left, towards the water. The sun beamed down at the ferryboat that was drifting further away by the second.

I thought about what the cloaked man had said. About us being the ones to end the war. I quite liked that idea.

“Yes,” I answered smugly, looking straight into the hunter’s eye.

I leaped forward with all the strength that remained in me and slashed his neck with the sickle.

“Have a nice time in hell.” I sneered.

I heard a bullet being fired, and I succumbed to the darkness.