Blood By Candle-Light

Chapter Five: Dreams Intertwined

Florencia Tremadia – Bunker/Thrimina’s Dream

Night

It had been four nights, three hours, twenty-seven minutes, nine seconds, and counting since the attack. The hybrids remained hysterical as they feared the culprit remained within the palace above. The bunker was running out of supplies. No one was to blame, there was only enough for ten to last a few days. There were forty-five of them crushed in the small space.

Neilda attempted to ration the water supply, but some of the women greedily consumed whole pouches, leaving the older ones to suffer, and babes malnourished.

Days turned to weeks, as Thrimina marked the walls with tallies to keep track of time. But she was hungry, and what was once a full figure, began shriveling to a skeletal being. She smacked her lips together, craving something to eat and drink, but her mother told her to stay strong. 

After four weeks trapped in the bunker, Nielda sent two women out strong enough to venture, advising them to knock three times on the trap door for them to return. Four knocks if it was safe for the rest to leave.

After a few minutes, they heard blood-curdling screams and limbs being torn apart. It went quiet after an hour, but they knew the man lurked about in the Tea Room. Waiting…

***

Thrimina Feilde’s POV

I lay my head against the cold concrete slap that makes up one of the four walls of our temporary bunker. I keep thinking about my friends… Why didn’t I help them? They would do anything to protect me. I abandoned them. Tears swell in the corners of my eyes as I drift off from reality, into a bittersweet dream…

My feet plant into the warm grass, staring at my reflection in the glassy lake. The koi fish dance in circular patterns under the water, forcing me to lean in close as they lock me in trance. 

From the center of the lake, a black figure emerges. It advances toward me, eventually towering over my small frame. It’s a man, though his features aren’t distinct by a longshot. As it continuously arches over me, I lean back, falling into the grass.

The figure’s now on top, stroking his fingers through my hair. It smiles, showing off its perfect, white teeth. I blush as his head dips closer to mine. A strange sensation between my legs erupts, so I squeeze my thighs together so that his pelvis doesn’t sink into mine. 

His lips interlock mine as his body overpowers me. I feel his tongue force its way inside, lapping around, forcefully swapping our saliva. One of his knees separates my thighs, spreading them apart. Then his other leg slips between, and I detect something hard pressing against me, sending waves of ecstasy over me. 

As I try prying myself from underneath him before I lose control of my body, he pins my arms above my head, rubbing his pelvis up and down until my dress tears away, revealing my untouched v****a. 

My cheeks tint to a deeper shade of red as I force myself to fight this giant figure. Just when I think I’ve knocked him back enough to get away, I’m pulled by my leg into the lake. Something slimy spirals around my leg as I try to pull myself out. I moan and yelp like a lost puppy, I feel a tongue licking me down there. 

I turn back and suddenly I’m on all fours on a silk bed, the figure's face almost melting between my legs. His tongue enters me with much force, and now I can’t control this sweet sensation any longer. 

“Please… stop!” I cry, but he paces instead. “Oh, God! No, you can’t. Please, I can’t take much more of this!”

He stops abruptly, and a part of me wishes he didn’t. All of a sudden a thick rod rams into me, and I jolt myself awake, screaming.

Mother comes to my side, thinking I had a nightmare. She pulls me tightly, rocking me back and forth, brushing her fingers through my hair.

“It’s okay,” she tells me. “I’m here. Mother’s here.”

***

Augustus Shetherport’s POV

So many deaths. So many souls of women who will never see another sunrise. All of my guilt welters in my chest. I know there’s more hidden in this decorated room. I turn and look at a molding birthday cake, then shake my head.

“I’m so sorry.” I lean into the cake, singing heavily. I stare at a single window in the back of the room, realizing it’s night. I figure the most decent thing to do is bury my victims over by the lake. 

I room the crystal fortress in search of a shovel. There are so many doors, I may never find what I need. It reminds me of home, in a way. Even after all that time living in the manor, I still couldn’t find my own room. 

There’s a black door at the end of the hallway with an inverted crescent dangling above the archway. I wonder what’s in here? I clench my fists around the doorknob. Upon entering, it’s quite large. A king-sized bed sits in the center against the wall opposite of me. To the right, a vanity set, with gold trim, and two additional doors on the wall to the left of me. 

The bed is what catches my eyes. Its onyx silk and velvet bedspreads look so comfortable, I plop myself on the bed, and fall into a deep slumber…

I emerge from a lake much like the one in front of the fortress and see the hybrid woman from earlier staring back at me. Step after step, I pace forward until we’re nearly touching. She blushes, and I can’t help but smile at her innocent-looking face. I trip over, accidentally falling on top of her. I want to take her. Give her a pleasurable experience. I know she’s waiting for me to enter. 

Her lips are plump and appealing. I go in for the kiss, savoring the last of her flesh and mouth. My member grows thicker by the second, and I wish to rub against her opening. I force her legs apart so that I may press my hips between hers. A burning sensation comes over me, and I feel the layers of her dress lessen as something wet soaks against my trousers. 

She pushes me down, however, and tries to flee from me. I look back for a second, my lips twisting into a maniacal grin. I grasp her by the ankle and drag her down to the lake. 

Understanding this is a dream, I coil algae around her thighs to keep her legs spread apart. I then wrap my arms around and over her legs and begin licking her slit. Her body vibrates and squirms, and I enjoy every bit of it. I think of the bed I’m lying on, imagining her naked and on all fours as I plunge my tongue into her. Her moans and whimpers send my rod springing forth from my trousers. I line my hard member to her opening and sink my member into her as I’m woken suddenly to a scream. 

I pant for a moment to gain my composure. The dream was surreal, as though I could feel every inch of the woman. The taste of her, too. 

***

Thrimina Feilde’s POV

Today marks two months, three days, twenty-one hours, fifty-six minutes, thirty-seven seconds and counting since the initial attack, with major losses with our pack surfacing from the bunker. I’m weak, though Mother insists I feed on the deceased so the smell doesn’t permeate further. It’s too late for that. 

There’s only a handful of us left, and though partaking in the flesh of the dead has helped keep meat on my bones, my stomach churns as I consume them. I stopped eating for nearly the entire two months. Channeling energy through my body has kept my sanity intact.

Even the dreams I’ve had during this time are more than enough to keep my head held high. I welcome sleep every moment I can to escape reality. 

My eyes flutter shut as I lean against the wall, picturing the floral swing set I used to sit on as a child. Before the lake, we had a maze of flowers, in the center was an orchid archway, with blossoms, snapdragons, and cornflowers. The swing’s attached to a sturdy magnolia tree, the petals falling into my curled hair.

I look over to the same man I’ve seen in my dreams every night leaning against the trunk. His brilliant smile draws my attention, and I blush. 

“What do I call you?” I ask him. 

He glances around, his eyes finally stopping at mine. “Augustus.”

“Is there a last name?”

“Shetherport.”

I gleam, then begin kicking my legs forward, thinking about his name. “Augustus Shetherport,” rolls off my tongue. I love how it sounds.

“And what about you?” he asks me. 

I stop kicking, letting my feet drag through the grass. “Thrimina.”

“Do I have to ask for the rest?”

I shake my head. “My entire name is Thrimina Elaine Feilde.”

He steps forward, gliding his leather boots over the wildflowers. My heart beats extremely fast, waiting for something to happen between us. Augustus leans forward, our lips only inches apart.

“Wait a lovely name,” he says. Then he presses lips against mine. His gloved fingers tangle through my hair. “When will I ever see you in real life?”

I never thought about it, honestly. To physically be with someone I’ve only ever seen in my dreams. This is just a dream, I tell myself. He’s not real.

I wrap my arms around his neck and keep a firm gaze on him. “It’s too soon to tell." 

“That’s too bad,” he responds softly into my ear. “I really want to know how you taste.” My cheeks flush, pulling away from him so that I may kiss him once more.

Dreams only last so long before you wake. I look around, hearing the prayers of the women left. And I look over at my mother, who looks as though all hope is lost for us. I pray, Xerna, that we make it out alive. 

***