Blood and Love

Chapter 10

**************

Sean's Story VI -- Halloween

********************************

"I am a vampire!"

I growled at the mirror and started laughing. The costume looked perfect. I had spiked my jet black hair, paled my complexion and darkened my eye lashes and brows. Fake blood was dripping from the corners of my mouth while the fangs added authenticity to my outfit.

"Someone's looking wild." The familiar voice with a hint of seduction made me turn and smile at my lover standing at the door. Evan stood there smiling charismatically and looking handsome as ever. I realized he was not wearing a costume,

"You ain't wearing a Halloween costume?" I questioned.

"Nah. I didn't feel like it. Anyway, you look hot." As he spoke he came up to me, put his hands around my waist and pushed me against his chest.

"Won't you drink my blood, sexy vampire?" He looked into my eyes and asked playfully.

I laughed and kissed him on the lips. "Well, this vampire is gonna drink a lot from you. Just wait till I have you all cuffed tonight." I winked at him and licked his ear with my tongue.

He wriggled and laughed. "Ah! Forget the party. Let's do it."

With that he pushed me onto the bed. He started kissing me passionately. Our tongues met and we lost control. His hands were all over me, caressing me firmly, yet delicately. I pulled him closer and started planting kisses on his face and neck. As things got hotter, I started unbuttoning his black shirt. I was half-way through, the awesome pecks were visible now which were turning me on, when I heard a slight cough.

Immediately, I pushed Evan from top of me. He fell on the floor. His shirt half unbuttoned while I lay in bed looking at the door. Amanda stood there giving a mocking smile.

"Well, I am sorry to break up this cozy session but Stefan has called thrice now. You guys are getting late." Amanda informed us.

"Yeah. We'll be down shortly." I quickly gave a reply signaling a closure of the awkward conversation.

Sensing the hint, she smiled and turned to leave. As she left, her voice floated in. "Don't forget to pull up your pants, Sean."

I freaked and finally noticed that during the make out session Evan had pulled my pants half-way down and my wood was sneaking from the top of my briefs.

"I've got fast fingers." Evan commented and started laughing heartily.

I blushed and threw a pillow at him. Why does Amanda have to walk in every time?

*****

The loud and eerie music was echoing in the vicinity of school when Evan pulled his car into the parking lot. He got out and swiftly opened the door for me.

"Someone's trying to be the gentleman." I winked and stepped out.

He laughed and held my hand as we walked through the grounds towards the hall. It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear with the numerous twinkling stars dotting it. It was a full moon night, and the beautiful silvery orb cast an exotic silvery radiance on the earth. We were walking on the lush green lawns which spread for acres before merging with the dark, forbidden woods beyond which the snow-capped hills stood in all their glory. The fir and pine trees were in all their bloom and stood high majestically. Other people were also walking towards the hall where the music was booming. Occasionally, a sound of laughter would emanate from couples around us. The excitement in me was paramount now as we entered the hall and the loud music hit me. The hall was packed with students dressed in the scariest and most eccentric costumes they could find. My eyes searched through the crowd of monsters and traced Tyler at the DJ console. The unbelievable amount of hair all over him coupled with some really weird make up explicitly suggested he had turned up as a werewolf.

I felt two arms around me and Stefan gave me a hug by lifting me off my feet. This guy has great strength; he had to, not many had the ripped muscled physique that he had. He was dressed again as a werewolf, only the attire was more "Jacob in shorts" from the Twilight movies. He looked hot and I think my face betrayed because Evan whispered in my ear. "Can't get your eyes off him?"

I reddened at the remark but was saved from the embarrassment by Rebecca who turned up dressed as a witch. Black robes with a sole pendant, black hat and a broomstick; Rebecca was a perfect reminder of the famous Salem witches. She smiled and gave me thumbs up at my costume. Rachael came to us and looked in a perfect mood. I guessed she had finally moved over Evan. She said she was dressed as a Veela from Harry Potter. Veela or not she looked stunning.

"Come on, guys. Let's dance!" Stefan's voice boomed over us and we headed to the dance floor. Chris and Rose were already dancing and waved to us. Both had dressed as mummies. Tyler was doing an awesome job as the DJ and the music playing kept us on the floor. The cheers, the high adrenaline rush and the smell of excitement in the air were intoxicating. Evan and I danced a lot. Occasionally, we swapped partners, with Stefan dancing with me and Evan with Rachael or Rebecca.

"So things are going great between Evan and you?" Stefan asked me as we danced.

"Yeah, we're having a great time." I replied and put my arms around his neck.

"That's great." He smiled but I saw a fleeting disappointment on his face before with a swift motion, he held me by the waist and took a 360 degree turn that made my head spin. He laughed as I hit him on the shoulder.

Next, Evan took my hand and we danced. My face was red with all the exertion and Evan laughed at his comment of how "delicious" I looked. Stefan was dancing with Rachael but would wink and beam at me quite often. Apparently, this didn't go unnoticed by Evan.

"Is it just me or has Stefan been showing great interest in you lately?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I knew Stefan had been acting more intimate but then hadn't he always been this way.

"Nah, we're best friends, Evan. You're just jealous." I teased.

"What? Noooooooo! I ain't jealous of him." He stressed his statement with fervent shaking of the head.

"Yes, you are. Now that I think, Stefan is quite hot." I played further.

At this Evan 'accidentally' stepped on my foot and I winced in pain. I was about to retaliate when I saw Daniel coming into the hall. With a swift glance across the room, he traced us and came straight to us.

"We need to talk right now." His tone suggested urgency and as he looked at me he added. "In private."

Evan gave him a brief searching look. "Yeah, sure. Sean, I'll be right back."

I nodded as he and Daniel made their way outside the hall. I was puzzled and a bit worried. What was wrong? Why did Daniel seem so worked up?

Rachael broke into my thoughts. "Wanna grab a drink?"

"What? Oh, yeah, my throat's dry." We headed towards the bar to get some drinks.

"Great party, isn't it?" Rebecca commented.

"Yeah, Tyler's done an awesome job." I agreed without thinking. My thoughts were still hung on Evan. My cell rang and I saw a text from some number. I checked it out and froze.

"Want to know the truth about Evan and Daniel Damien. At the Mysticus woods in ten minutes. Near the old cemetery."

My mind was racing as I took in the meaning of the words. Who was this person? What did he know? What was the truth? Without another thought I drained the glass and headed towards the exit.

*****

The night had grown and the wind had turned chilly. Traces of mist produced the mirage of flying ghosts as I struggled walking on the ascending land which led to the cemetery in the woods. The woods stood against the dark night. Foreboding, dangerous, mysterious and uninviting. I gulped and tethered at the edge before deciding to enter the cavern of trees.

It was dark and I couldn't see much except the area where the moon light had penetrated the dense canopy of trees. There was dead silence pervading the woods and the occasional breaking of twigs or the rustling of dried leaves under my shoe did nothing to ease my nerves. I felt like an intruder disturbing the layers of dead calm so pervasive in the woods. I switched on the faint light of my cell which helped me to find my way without tripping on creepers on the forest floor. After what seemed an hour, I saw the desolate cemetery taking shape in the distance. I was seized by a sudden impulse to run back to safety, but the desire to know the truth was too strong. I gathered my courage and stepped into the cemetery and stood amidst the graves.

I felt I was in the worst Halloween nightmare possible. The air was freezing and sent shivers down my spine. I felt as if someone was watching me. Why had I been so stupid? This could be a trap. As the thought passed my fear-stricken brain, I freaked out. But, another voice inside me tried to pacify me. As I regained courage, I uttered a low cry.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

I jumped when my supposedly low cry echoed through the cemetery disturbing the layers of silence. I was expecting decaying hands to be thrusting out of the ground any moment and grabbing my feet. That was enough. There was no one here and I had to leave. As I turned to execute my decision, someone spoke in my ear.

"Happy Halloween, Sean Gellar."

I turned violently and in the process lost my balance, landing hard on the ground. My head hit the stony grave's side and I felt a stream of hot liquid slowly making its way from my temple to the chin. My hands got bruised in the attempt to ease my landing. After the sharp pain lessened, I tried taking in what had happened. The sudden appearance of someone behind me when no one had been in sight had scared me shitless. I looked up and saw the idiot smiling viciously amused. He seemed in his early twenties, blonde hair, very pale complexion and cruel blue eyes. He extended his hand to help. With a moment's hesitation, I grabbed it and recoiled. His hand was ice cold. He saw me recoil and smiled menacingly. He held my hand in a hurting grasp and with great ease lifted me and landed me on my feet. I was shocked at his supreme strength.

"What do you know? Why did you call me here? Why do you wanna tell me? I fired questions at him. He raised an eyebrow and spoke.

"Hold your horses, boy. Where are your manners? Anyway, my name is Ruth Morris." He extended his hand.

I shrugged it away. His cheeky and cold tone was pissing me off. He had called me to this god forsaken place in the dead of the night to talk crap! I was definitely not interested. He shook his head and put his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

"You're brave but stupid, kiddo." He shot at me.

"Can we skip the crap and come to the point. What do you want to tell me about the Damiens?" I was on the edge now. The sooner this meeting ended the better.

It happened in a flash. His right hand grabbed my throat and he lifted me from the ground. I gasped for air and struggled in vain. He began in a threatening voice.

"Do not dare to snap at me! You filthy human I can break your neck like a twig. Behave!"

With this he released me and I fell hard on the ground. I sat gasping as air filled my lungs again and my breathing relaxed. I felt angry but knew better than to lash out. He was very strong and could finish me without much effort. I had to be subtle and submissive.

"I'm sorry. I...I didn't intend to be offensive." I apologized and stood up. A sharp pain in the ankle told me my foot needed care.

"That's better." He mocked. "You are a handsome teenager. It's a pity I have been sent to kill you."

My eyes widened as his words reached my ears. I was numb with fear.

"What? You....you're going to kill me? B...but what have I done to you? Who has sent you?"

He simply smiled and started taking short steps towards me.

"You should have known better than to meddle in affairs that don't concern your kind. Evan and Daniel shouldn't have come in contact with you. Your death will be their responsibility."

I was paralyzed in fear and couldn't move an inch while Ruth came near me. I couldn't believe what I saw next. I thought my fear was making me hallucinate. In the silvery moon light I saw his eyes turn red while his canines became longer and sharper. His eyes were emitting a red aura while his hands that now had long sharp nails pushed me and held me against a tree. He growled and bared his fangs, forced my head aside to bare my neck. My heart was racing and fear gushed through me. What was this creature? His cold, sharp fangs touched the skin of my exposed neck and I felt a shiver run though me. I knew my end was near. He lifted his head, his devilish eyes met my scared ones, and he struck.

I felt a sharp pain in my neck and screamed as blood gushed out of the wound. He was sucking like an animal and I felt the life force leaving me. Suddenly, he growled and leapt back from me. I grabbed the tree trunk to remain standing while trying to cover the bleeding wound with my hand. I was shocked to see Aaron standing there, his face white in fear. I looked at Ruth who was writhing in pain. I saw a wooden stake buried in his back which he was trying hard to remove. Aaron ran up to me. He was in frenzy and quickly grabbed my hand.

"Come on, I think I've missed his heart. We need to get out of here before he heals."

I was too shocked to reply or understand what he meant. We ran for our lives. The dark woods did nothing to help us. We struggled through the numerous ferns and creepers on the floor. We broke through them with all strength. Frustration seized us as valuable time was lost in overcoming the hurdles. We had no idea whether Ruth was following us but we needed to put as many miles as possible between him and us. As we ran we saw the woods thinning and the clearing approaching. I could hear the faint sounds of music playing in the campus still at a considerable distance. Desperation was paramount as Aaron and I saw the outskirts of the wood appearing. Aaron reached first and as I ran my foot got entangled with something and I fell hard on the ground. Aaron screamed and pointed behind me. I swiftly turned and saw Ruth standing there, growling and baring his fangs. He was death personified and his devilish look was magnified against the backdrop of the silver moon light. Aaron charged towards him but Ruth slapped him and Aaron crashed into a tree few feet away. Ruth then proceeded to me. He grabbed my hair and I winced in pain. With a last look into his red deadly eyes I saw him lunging to bite my neck.

It happened in a flash. Something or someone flew out of the darkness and crashed Ruth into a tree. Whatever had attacked him had been a black blur. I struggled to my feet and looked where Ruth had fallen. The ground beneath my feet gave way as I backed and stopped against a tree. The sight in front of me had shaken every nerve in my body. The absurdity crashed around me as my dreams fell apart. No! This couldn't be. This was some bad nightmare. I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming. The sight before me was not real. It couldn't be real.

Evan Damien stood facing Ruth. His face was contorted with rage. But, was it his face. His eyes were red and his pupils in slits. He had white fangs as he growled at Ruth. They were growling at each other waiting to strike. Ruth lunged at Evan who punched him in the chest. As Ruth fell back, Daniel emerged from nowhere, brandishing a wooden stake. Ruth fell on the stake and let out a scream that made my insides quiver. His scream echoed through the forest, reverberating across the clearing. He writhed in pain and agony. Slowly, his skin began to decay and crumble. Dark black 'blood' gushed from his mouth and wound as he decayed. Within a minute, all that remained was a skeleton with the stake through it.

Evan and Daniel nodded at each other. Evan had returned to his normal form and started coming to me. I saw Aaron getting up with Daniel helping him. I looked at Evan again and started retreating. He frowned and stopped.

"What happened Sean? Please listen to me."

I looked at him with wide eyes. Tears found their way out as fear, repulsion and betrayal flooded my soul. As every emotion reached its zenith, I could not control any longer. I screamed at him venting every bit of frustration.

"What the hell just happened? Who was that man? What.....what is all this? WHO ARE YOU?"

I bellowed and stopped to breathe. He looked at me with tearful eyes as he spoke in a low voice.

"I am a Vampire."