Redeeming The Cursed Vampire King

End Of Me

VENNIE CULLEN

“Your meaty ass and sweet blood will be mine after the hunting report.”

The nightwalker that captured me earlier whispered into my ears. He dragged my plum body effortlessly. He and others had nearly the same features as he began to walk up the hills.

They didn't blindfold any of the victims.

The ear-piercing screams of other victims should be heard back in Hope valley. It was funny how that place was called Hope Valley, but the people living there had lost hope of ever achieving freedom from the nightwalkers.

Although I was being dragged to the lair which I had learned was located at the top of the hills that were opposite the same mountains that my father had wanted to take me to. From this point, I could see the dark mountains from here and something in me knew that I would choose the hills over the dark mountains.

“Must you always kill us! We are not some animal, you know!”

A teary brunette with bloodshot eyes screamed at the nightwalkers. My heart went out to her despite being one of those that will be killed. That particular girl caught my attention and I felt the instinct to protect her… help her maybe…

Whereas, I couldn't help myself.

Shelly was right about me. I was useless and a disgrace to the Cullen family. I was even a bigger disgrace to the Advani family that had gone extinct… I existed but who I was couldn't be worthy of that family name.

I was useless.

Yet, excited as we nightwalkers drew closer to the top of the hill. They were fast but not as fast as they were on flat ground.

“Let me go, P-pl-please…”

The brunette whimpered. She was closer to me than the others, but I couldn't see her features clearly. Knowing her hair color just happened. I couldn't explain how I was able to see that one feature in the dark.

My eyes furrowed when I remembered that I also was able to see some of the vampire's features. Like the fading color of their hair. Their fine facial features.

I was the only victim that wasn't begging to be released. Was this so because of my naive nature or was there something else?

“Listen clearly. Everyone!”

The voice that reached my ears was that of the man that was called Lord Kaden. I couldn't see him and I was sure many of the victims wouldn't be able to see him due to the position we were in.

Our backs were to the top of the hill and our faces were directed towards Hope Valley… it was s if they wanted us to feel nostalgic as we neared death.

“I won't beg you to be quiet. All I will say is the King doesn't like noise and we have just arrived at the border of our worlds. Take my words and use them as you please.”

Lord Kaden hissed and the dragging continued. My butt and back had never experienced such barbaric harshness before. I guess freedom has a price and I was paying mine by getting dragged to death.

Rather than keep quiet, the other victims began to wail loudly. Why wouldn't they? We have all heard about the cold-blooded King of the nightwalkers. I have been told tales about how cruel he was.

Sadie always made sure she told her grandchildren these tales. He wasn't to be looked in the eyes. He was to be avoided like a plague because his heart was filled with a draining amount of eternal darkness.

And now, we were all being dragged to meet that dangerous, lethal, and venomous King.

“Kill me here, please!”

“Don't take me to him!”

“Drop me down the hill instead!”

“I will willingly give you my blood, but please don't take me to him!”

Those statements and many more could be heard. Many began to trash against the hold of the sack that had been tied around our wrists and had been used to drag us up to this point. They trashed hoping that they would fall to death and would be saved from seeing the brutal King.

“I would rather take my life than see that King of yours.”

Another voice screeched and I heard gagging sounds the next second. As they all cried, the vampires said nothing. It was as if the fears and agony of the victim were pleasuring and satisfying them.

“Stay focused, Vennie Cullen. We can do this.” I thought to myself. “This is an adventure. Let’s find out if the knowledge you got from being home-schooled would be useful.”

This was my chance to find out if the nightwalkers lived in extreme darkness as stated in many books.

I was the crazy one. So calm it scared me to some point. Did Sadie do something to me before I left?

My thoughts were cut short when I felt a sudden strong flow of energy. It started from my fingertips and moved downward as I got dragged further. It felt similar to the barrier Sadie took down for me, but this one was extremely cold and an eerie feeling settled in the core of my being.

“Home at last!”

The vampire dragging me declared happily, making me understand what I felt was the barrier between the nightwalkers world and Hope Valley. Why would they need a barrier though?

The humans they see as prey should be the ones protected by magical barriers, not them.

Again, I was distracted when the darkness around me suddenly vanished, pierced through by bright shining lighting. My eyes flexed to find the source of the light and I found them high up…. On a pole.

The vampires weren't living in darkness like my favorite books mentioned. They had street lights. Very bright street lights, to be precise. I soon discovered that their village and its streets were full of life compared to those of Hope Valley.

“The hunters are back!” … “finally. We will be having a refill.” … “Welcome home…”

My ears picked those words up before I saw the speakers. They were all happy and that scared me and the other victims. There were many of them. Their happiness filled me with disgust.

How could they be happy when many lives would be lost? How dare they?

But what could I do to change the circumstances? Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

They were all looking down on us as we were dragged on our backs before them. But that ended within minutes. Lord Kaden announced that all humans should rise to their feet. I was one of the few that obeyed that command. I hated being there on the floor and having to look up to see the vampires' dark eyes staring into my soul…

They hissed at me countless times and Lord Kaden had to warn them against taking steps towards any of the “catch”. That was his word… not mine.

Others that didn't obey the command were forced to their feet violently. I felt like I should do something… anything at all, but there was nothing a useless sorcerer could do.

“You might be humans, but we will not tolerate any disrespect to our King. Make sure you respect him or else, I will make you understand that there are occurrences worse than death.”

Lord Kaden barked after we walked along the long street… the moment he finished talking, my eyes found the dark building at the top of yet again, another hill. The darkest of them all.

It was straight ahead and looked pretty far.

“That must be the lair of the evil King of the bloodthirsty Nightwalkers… vampires.”

I said to myself and somehow, fear began to slip into me… slowly but strongly. My knees felt like they would give up on me. I was the same person that had walked through what could be called the valley of vampires without fear.

I looked them all in the eyes without shivering, but I was doing more than shivering at that moment... Other victims had given up at this point. They were no longer screaming but my throat cleared and screams threatened to force their way out.

Something wasn't right with me.

It was as if whatever Sadie had done to me had faded, leaving the ordinary Vennie.

The pathetic Vennie was back at the wrong time.

Despite how far the dark palace was, we arrived at the entrance sooner than I thought. My breaths were harsh and shallow.

I was panicking yet dragged into the dark palace like a sack of potatoes.

The inside of the place wasn't as dark as it appeared from the bottom of the hill, but the more I moved, the more fear sank into me. I closed my eyes and tried to shake off the sickening feeling.

“Good to be in your presence, My King.”

Lord Kaden’s voice resounded through the walls. The echo vibrated. I could feel the vibrations under my feet. However, that was nothing compared to the voice that responded to Lord Kaden.

“Welcome back, Kaden. Welcome back, Vampires…”

The whole ground shook under my feet and my legs almost gave out. My eyes were still closed and now that the thick baritone hit my eardrums and injected more fear into me, I believed I should keep them closed.

He was the King. He was the source of my fear.

His voice was deep, compelling, strong, and archaic… he sounded archaic yet dominant.

“Greet the King, Humans.”

Lord Kaden commanded. All my life, I have been subjected to my father’s commands. I thought I was free, but this was just another slavery until they drained my blood.

“Now!”

He barked and I felt one of them kick my legs, stealing my balance. I fell to the cold ground on all fours. My eyes opened slowly when I heard the groans and cries of the other victims.

But the moment I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the blood-stained throne in the middle of a wide space. On that throne was him. His legs were covered with a dark robe.

The smell of blood made me sick as my eyes traced his legs. Other legs came into sight as my head was raised slowly… I was still scared, but I needed to see what would kill me. Would the pictures do justice to him? I needed to know.

My fear was too heavy to swallow.

Around the throne were females. Naked and bloody females.

They were worshiping the one whose eyes I had been avoiding. But for how long?

“Something smells intoxicating.”

His compelling voice resonated again and my eyes met his devilish eyes at that point. Red orbs. The white part of his eyes was just as red. I gasped, inhaling too quickly and choking on my breath.

The books didn't do justice to him. Nothing on earth could have done justice to this unpropitious being.

I shouldn't have crossed that boundary, neither should I have left home… I realized that when it was already too late…. When the evil Vampire King inhaled all of me like I was roasted chicken...

“This will be the end of Vennie Cullen.”

Obviously… the end of me.

“Bring her to me.”

He hissed and hands grabbed me, pushing me towards his throne and I knew deep down that I would soon be joining the pile of lifeless bodies on the base of his throne…

My long overdue adventure had gone wrong...