It's the cold that started it, strong enough to wake him up. Slowly, Derick Herbert opened his eyes and stared. He felt like lying somewhere in a place he did not know exactly where. He stood up and turned around. Both eyes wide opened.
What is this place?
The place looked unbelievably bad. It was cold, silent and the worse, it was pitch-dark. He was haunted by the fear that this place might went nowhere in it.
Why he's here? He had no idea at all. Something terrible must have happened. What was it then?
Images of the blood flashed through his mind.
Yes, that's it! He remembered now.
Bloodshed.
Blood everywhere, in a small fishing village by the riverbanks, nearby the forest. Everyone were killed, everyone in it. All murdered in cold blood. Bloodied bodies lying everywhere, butchered, partially eaten up and some were even drained dried. All died in horrific ways, men and woman, children and everything in it, none survived. All those poor souls, all those innocent faces, all died and leave no witnesses behind. Whoever or whatever smote them off leaved no trace behind either.
Derick was late. He was late to save any of them. He was supposed to protect them but he was late. They trusted him with their lives and he had let them down.
Then came the people, those who lived far from the village. They came to him, surrounded him and leave him no escape.
Derick knew it, they had known all about him. They had known his identity.
A Vampire.
Someone must have leaked him out. Someone that's close to him, someone that he trusted most and who could that be? He hated to find it out.
The bloody death was blamed on him. It was a mistake a terrible mistake, but he's not the killer. He's a vampire but not as what as they thought of him, a cold-blooded killer. He's not the monster that destroyed all lives in that village. But the people completely see no differences between the good and the evil of his kind. They didn't trust him definitely not from a vampire, it was an unholy and danger alliance.
Derick remembered of been taken captive. Tied up, upside-down to a tree in the middle of the forest. All people gathered around, all eyes turned on him. Seemed to be under a spell, they showed him no mercy. He was beaten and stoned. It was the worse execution of torture and he suffered horrendous injuries.
There, just right there, he saw her. Watching him with a smile on her face. Derick knew it, she had indeed betrayed him but why?
He remembered of seeing someone approached him. Someone he thought he knew. Priest Luke, who lived across the river and the only one that trusted him. He thought of help that had finally came but only to find out he was wrong. There'll be no help for him.
It was that bastard who came to him. He's an imposter, not a priest and not a human. Demon from the curse Generation, Katara and Derick should have killed him in the first place if wasn't for her.
Holding in that bastard's hand was a venomous viper. The venom of the viper was injected into his body. Slowly it paralyzed and poisoned him from within. His heart was pounding fast and he was gasping hard for air to breath. It was an unforgotten excruciating torture.
Derick was not an eyewitness of what happened after this and here he was, ended up into this mysterious place.
How wide was this place? He wondered.
With his superior power, he was supposed to be able to sense everything or anything in here. But now he modelled himself more like a lost mole than a superior vampire, trapped in a deep black hole. While a mole could probably sensed night from the day, he was completely blind in here. There's no way he could get himself out of here. It needs more than just a miracle to get out of here.
Derick took a small step forward.
Stopped. That is it! His legs won't carry another step further. It's impossible to walk without any guide.
He turned back.
Oh boy, either back or front, it makes no differences.
The whole place was completely dark.
What should he do? Will he end up here forever?
Derick closed his eyes. A feeling of sheer panic struck him from nowhere.
He shook his head.
This cannot be happening.
He won't ended up here won't he? This place, this whole place, it won't be his final journey won't it? Or, could it be his new journey into a whole new world, perhaps a whole new life? A life after dead? For an undead like him?
Can you hear me?
Derick jumped.
Holy shit! A voice?
The voice was not clear, but he was sure he heard of it.
He turned around.
Nothing. There's nothing there to be see. Nothing at all.
The whole place was shit dark. He won't be dreaming, won't he? Dreaming of hearing a voice when there's no such a thing.
Can you hear me? If you can hear me then, please listen to me. Please keep walking and you'll see a light. When you see it, follow it. And it will lead you out.
There, Derick heard of it…again. It was bloody real, and it was bloody clear. The voice echoed all over the place. He looked every way. Trying hard not to miss any single glimpse of whoever spoke to him.
Don't look away, keep walking. You'll see a light right in front of you.
Derick was sure about this voice.
It was a human voice. A feminine voice. Soft and gentle, full of hope and courage.
Should he trust her? Should he trust human, again? And will she betray him? He doubted.
Please trust me. Please keep on walking. You will see a light. Follow it and you will be out of here.
Derick stepped back, astonished. Had she heard his thoughts? But how? That's impossible. No way she could read his mind. She's a human and he's a vampire. Two different worlds. And how on earth can she read his?
Please, you have to trust me. I want to help you. You don't have much time now. If you don't listen to me, you'll be stuck in there forever.
Why asking him to trust her? Why desperately wanted to save him? Aren't human hate vampire? Aren't they wish to terminate them all?
I'm not like them. I'm not one of them that put you into this. Please trust me. Don't be afraid, I won't lie to you, I won't betray you. I won't do anything to hurt you. I really want to help you. You don't have much time now. Please keep walking.
Holy cow, she could really read his thought.
Derick knew he had to give it a try, no matter what the cost. He had to trust her. It's not like he had others choice to choose. He had no other than this one. Either he choose to stay here for the rest of his life or choose to listen to her. Her voice was the only way out. He had to get himself out of this place. She won't betrayed him, won't she? She better not, he had enough of this, enough with the human thing.
How long will he have to walk till he saw what she called it "light"?
What kind of light was that anyway?
Derick took a small step. Then another step, then another…and another.
A light came streaming in through the darkness.
Good heaven, he saw it. It's real!
Just a few feet away from him.
She's not lying. Not lying at all. She had been telling the truth. She really wanted to save him… that much. But why?
Well, there's no time to break the puzzle. Not yet.
Derick knew he had to walk to it…
The light, it was as bright as a new shilling, as beautiful as the sunset.