The Vampires Pet

Chapter 15

The vampire moved its arm weakly, snapping me from my temporary trance of excitement. It wasn't dead yet but it could barely move. I stared at its face, something looked familiar, stepping forward so I was standing at the vampires side I studied its mutated features. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to think where I had seen its face before. Its head rolled to the left, its hollow eyes staring up at the wall while it took weak breaths. 

I followed it's line of sight up to the painting, gasping when my eyes lay on the boy in the painting. It was him. My heart ached as the vampire stared at the painting of its family, he looked like he wanted to reach out to the painting. I grabbed the painting from the wall, kneeling down and holding the painting in front of the vampire so he could see his family better. I wonder if the rest were Berserks now or if they had been killed already, maybe by him. 

He stared at the painting with his hollow eyes that were slipping away slowly, he opened his mouth like he wanted to speak but nothing but red blood mixed with black came out. As I stared into his eyes I swore I saw a glimpse of sanity in his eyes before they closed to never open again. I turned the painting back around to stare at it, the boy in the painting was still in the shell of the Berserk, gripping onto the tiny bit of sanity and life that was left. 

I sighed, placing the painting face down on his chest. "Find the light." I whispered softly, closing my eyes. 

"Are we finished with this funeral?" Nicholas's voice caused my eyes to open. 

I glanced up at him, forgetting he was even there. "Sorry." I mumbled as I stood up. 

"He was still in there." I said. 

"He wasn't Fairy. Once you become a Berserk you're lost forever." He said, stepping over the body and walking down the hall. 

"I saw it." I said, causing Nicholas to stop and turn to me. "I saw it Master, I know I did. He knew who his family was and he knew who he once was." I glanced back down at the vampire and painting. 

Nicholas stared down at the body too, his eyes were still so I couldn't tell what he might've been thinking. "Let's go Fairy." 

I sighed and started to follow him but my footsteps halted when I saw a glint of something gold in the corner of my eye. I turned and stared at the small hole in the floor the vampire created when he fell, there was something golden in there. I quickly stepped forward, crouching and reaching down into the hole until my hand touched something smooth and cold. 

I pulled my hand out, uncovering a golden chained necklace with a golden pedant, a blood red ruby sat center in the golden orb. 

"Fairy!" Nicholas's harsh voice made me jump, dropping the necklace. 

I ran to the door to catch up with him, not wanting to be left alone in this village. The golden necklace was quickly wiped from my mind as the fear of this place consumed me once again. I followed closely behind Nicholas as we continued to venture through the dead village. My fingers twitched as the tips of them tingled suddenly like my arm was dead, I ignored it and focused on not tripping over every single vine this time. 

Nicholas killed two Berserks, so there could be only one more left or four and I was hoping for the former as opposed to the latter. However I had come to realise I wasn't very skilled in the art of luck, especially not when I was around the vampire infront of me who very possibly rose from hell himself. He seemed to be the opposite of a lucky charm, an unlucky one. He blocked the luck and light successfully from my life.

We took a turn down what I presumed was an alley, my eyes had adjusted slightly to the darkness but not enough to know exactly what was surrounding us. I had to blindly follow Nicholas which so far made me almost dinner to two Berserks and I didn't want to be a third. There was a crash ahead of us, making my heartbeat rise and my breathing quick. 

Red eyes came flying out of the darkness, heading straight towards Nicholas. I gasped and stumbled backwards a step or two, hitting a wall. I felt a drop of liquid on my forehead which made my blood run cold. It wasn't a wall. Arms wrapped around me, making me scream. Nicholas hadn't killed the first Berserk yet but his head snapped around so he could see me. 

My body was slammed against the real wall this time, making me groan in pain as the bruises started forming. The vampire came forward, caging me in with it's rotting and discoloured arms. I gasped and tried to push it away so I could attempt to make a run for it but the vampire barely budged. I was screwed, I was going to die. 

I didn't know what else to do so I just closed my eyes, images of my father flashed through my mind. I'd be joining him soon. The vampire screeched an indication I had learned by now that meant it was about to attack. Suddenly a loud bang echoed through the village, a few birds squaked and flee off. My eyes snapped open, staring straight into the black and red empty eyes of the vampire, his movements had stilled. 

Then there was another bang, I felt cold blood splatter over my face and clothes. The vampire took one step backwards before falling on the ground with a loud thud, my eyes stayed on the vampire as adrenaline consumed by body once again. My heart pounded against my chest, my breaths rapid and uneven. I heard a breathless laugh, my eyes snapped to Nicholas but he was not laughing, then I realised it was me. I was laughing and I couldn't stop. That was terrifying but electrifying all the same. 

"Did you hit your head?" Nicholas asked, his eyes studying my somewhat manac self. 

I shook my head, my laughs slowly coming to a stop. "Not that I'm aware of."  

I breathed deeply as an attempt to steady my rapid heart. I leaned back against the wall, pushing my head back and staring up at the sky that was barely visible. I took a few more deep breaths before pushing myself off the wall and staring at the two dead bodies that were leaking black blood. Nicholas's shoes clicked against the concrete as he stepped forward until he was in front of me, his eyes examined me swiftly before he pulled a clean black handkerchief from his pocket. 

He wiped the blood from my face, if it wasn't for my already quick heartbeat and numb body, I would've stepped away but my mind was too muddled to think straight so I just focused on breathing evenly. Nicholas's stepped backwards, throwing the now dirty handkerchief on the ground. 

"Let's go. If there's more vampires they know we are here now." Nicholas said as he stepped over the body and started walking off. 

I followed him remembering what he said earlier about shooting the gun, my eyebrows furrowed slightly. I doubt he cared much if I died, he'd probably just say it would be troublesome to find a new pet or something along those lines. However he shot the vampire, twice, after saying he wouldn't shoot unless he needed to. I don't think he would've gotten to me in time if he hadn't shot them. 

I would've been dinner, or technically lunch, despite the darkness of the village it was still early. 

I shook my head to rid the thoughts, I couldn't let myself be distracted in a place like this. It was too dangerous to allow my mind to wander, not that it hadn't already multiple times today. We continued to search the village, finding one last Berserk before Nicholas deemed the village clear and we returned back to the carriage. I was delighted to be rid of the heavy atmosphere and apparent danger. 

The carriage rocked calmly as the horses pulled us back towards the house, my eyes kept glancing at Nicholas who had his eyes closed and leaned back into the seat. He looked tired. 

"Just spit it out Fairy." He suddenly said, causing me to jerk in fright. 

I fumbled with the fabric of the coat, nervously figuring out how to speak my next words. "I uh.. I.." I stuttered, unable to form a sentence. 

Nicholas's eyes snapped open, putting pressure on my already muddled mind. "You what? Hurry up." 

"That berserk.." I said softly, studying his eyes as I spoke. "Is there a way to bring a berserk back?" 

Nicholas sighed, sitting up and rolling his shoulders. "Do you understand what a berserk is?" He asked. 

I bit my lip. "A manic vampire?" I asked rather than answered. 

"Pretty much. A berserk is a vampire who has lost all sense of reality and sanity, their consciousness is gone." He spoke, eyes meticulously studying me. "All they think of is blood and killing. Berserks are irreversible."  

I could tell the other berserks were completely lost but that boy wasn't. Granted he tried to suck the blood dry from my body but I could see him fighting with himself in his eyes. 

"That boy, he was still there Master. I know he was. He was only partly gone." 

Nicholas didn't speak at first, he allowed silence to consume us as he stared deep into my eyes and I stared back. I could see him pondering something in his mind. 

"He may of been there partly." Nicholas said, my eyebrows raised at his agreement. 

"Really!?" I said, somewhat excitedly. Nicholas raised his eyebrows at me, a small smirk tugging on his lips. 

"Did you notice that berserks have black blood." 

I nodded and quickly spoke before Nicholas could continue. "The boy had red and black blood. That's another sign he was still there." 

Nicholas chuckled at me. "Yes if you had let me speak Fairy." He gave me a pointed look before continuing. "The black blood symbolises the completely obliterated conscious mind. Having red and black blood meant that his mind hadn't been completely eradicated yet but that does not mean he could've regained the parts he had lost." 

I pursed my lips, Nicholas had been doing that work for who knows how many years. There was no doubt he had more knowledge about that kind of thing than me but I still couldn't help but believe the boy could have been helped somehow and brought back from the darkness. 

"You didn't see his eyes Master, I think his family could've brought him back. He clearly loved and mourned for them." 

Nicholas tensed every so slightly, I almost didn't notice it. 

"I did see his eyes Fairy. What I saw was the slimmer of his conscious mind being broken, potentially by guilt. You may of seen signs of life in his eyes but that is simply because you are blind to seeing the rest." His voice was rough, his tone final. 

"Guilt?" I chose to ignore his tone of voice. 

"What do you think happened to his family Fairy?" He asked. 

I gulped at the sudden suffocating atmosphere that swirled in the small space of the carriage. "I think they died."

"And what do you think killed them?" 

"Vampires?" 

I knew what Nicholas was getting at but I was hoping he wouldn't say it. 

"I think he killed them." I winced at the words I didn't want him to speak. "And I think the guilt and pain he carried when he saw the painting of his family is why you saw the small amount of life in his eyes. He couldn't escape the guilt, not even when his mind was being consumed." 

I sighed at the truth behind his words, Nicholas was probably correct, unfortunately be always seems to be right. I had thought he might've killed his family or maybe one of them but I didn't want to believe the cruel thoughts. I didn't utter another word as I sank back into the seat, Nicholas pulled his eyes from mine and stared out the window until the carriage came to a stop. 

I stared outside quickly noticing we weren't at his mansion, I turned to Nicholas with furrowed eyebrows. 

"Stay here." He said before jumping out of the carriage, slamming the door and walking up the steps to the building. 

I could see a few vampires lurking around and the building had two guards stationed in front of the door. They didn't blink as the moved out of the way when Nicholas stormed through the front door, disappearing from my sight and leaving my mind to question where we were and what he was doing. 

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Third Person POV

The guards stationed at the front of the main entry door made swift to stay out of Nicholas's way. They knew better than to stand in the way of the death-dealing vampire. Nicholas had entry to almost every building of importance in the land of Affaraon, he was well known as someone you do not refuse entry to or anything for that matter. The consequences of killing for no reason couldn't reach him, he was too powerful to trifle with and he knew that. 

Nicholas walked through the many doors and rooms until he stood in a dreary room. The lights buzzed and flickered. The man hummed and swayed his body as he took the scalpel with fidelity to his work and cut into the flesh of the deceased body that lay on the dissection table.  

Nicholas cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the aging man. "Lord Nicholas, are you here to feast your eyes on my specimens?" The man spoke with a slightly deranged tone. 

"You are the only one here who is aroused by the dead." Nicholas bit back, making the man chuckle.

"It is because they cannot fight back." The man placed his scalpel on the trolley.

"I like the fight and the look of utter hopelessness when they realise they cannot win." Nicholas said, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. 

"You are worse than me my Lord." 

"I doubt that." Nicholas spoke as he studied the man. "I need you to dissect a berserk." 

The man looked anything but excited at Nicholas's words, despite his love of cutting up the dead. 

"I have dissected hundreds of berserks, they are simply too boring now." 

Nicholas gave the man a hard stare. "This one will be interesting for you." 

"I struggle to find a reason why." He said boredly, staring at Nicholas's towering form. 

He couldn't wait for the day to dissect Nicholas, out of all vampires he was sure he would be most interesting. Nicholas was almost like a different breed, he was something unique many feared and hated and only few loved. 

"The berserk still had a conscious part of his mind." 

Nicholas watched as the vampires eyes twinkled at his words. 

"I'll send people to go get the body now, Lord Nicholas." 

He was too lost in his own sickening happiness at the news of dissecting a partially lost berserk that he didn't notice Nicholas turn towards the door and start to walk away. He was barely able to hear Nicholas speak.

"Good."