4

Nightmare

Rail tugged on Roses arm, urging her through the dark forest. Rose was gasping for breath as if they had been running forever. Rail's leather black jacket was nothing but cloth held by seams, due to the trees, while Rose's dress faired no better.

"I don't know how much farther I can go." Rose said. Rail turned to face her; both expressions held sorrow, exhaustion, and worst of all…fear.

"Just a little farther, then we will be out of this stupid forest and into a life where no one will find us, and we can live happily. No more running, no more hiding." They were off to a small jog again. However, both of them stopped dead in their tracks as a singsong voice rang through out the cascading area of trees.

"Run, run, run, as fast as you can. You can't escape me; I'm the blood sucking man!"

The words sounded even worse, as it continued on and on, as if the very darkness that surrounded them, bounced it right back into their hearts. The wind picked up the words and whispered the words of malice into their ears.

Vlad was hiding, waiting for the right time to make his move. Rail, the dark haired, honey colored eyed man, grabbed Rose and pulled her closer to him as he lit a small match to light up their surroundings. Rose, who was emerald eyed, and had chocolate hair, looked small and frail in his arms. She was a trembling leaf in the cold October night.

As the small match was lit, Vlad summoned Shadow, his own dark copy with his blood into its very existence. Shadow was the exact thing he was named after, a shadow of his master. No face, mouth, nose, or eyes was featured on the creatures face. It was just a smooth black pit. "Grab Rose, while I kill the spare." He turned to Shadow. "If I find that there is one wound on her, you will experience a pure torture that will make hell sound of heaven!" Vlad bellowed, but not so loud as to alert the two of his whereabouts. The creature may not have a face, but it clearly understood the threat coming from his master. It knew of the many torturing ways that the vampire could do to a person. It would bring the strongest person, in Romania or even the world, to their knees. Thus is why the creature would follow those orders. It was that, or die. The creature nodded and faded, his entire body wearing away as if he was slowly being erased.

Rail and Rose had now started running, the fear of being caught overcoming their tiredness. It seemed as if the trees and everything else in the forest was under the influence of the pursuing vampire. Trees lashed out at them, wolves howled in the distance, and event he darkness was on his side. Trying to lead them right to the man whom they wished to escape.

All of a sudden a silent screamed etched across Rose's face as she was slowly being engulfed by a black creature. It took the form of a man, and yet had no face. Nothing.

Rail tried to come to her aid, but a sickening crack came from his body as he collided with a tree from the sheer force of a hit. Vlad stood smirking where once nobody was standing. Shadow had drawn back, in fear of disobeying his master's orders, although Rose was putting up a good fight, trying to go to her friend's aid.

"Rail run!" Her voice had so much pleading inside of it, that it only made Rail's anger towards Vlad even more fired up.

Before either of them, Rail and Rose, ever worked for Vlad, they were once performers in their village. It was a small village, it lay on the outskirts of the castle, and because of its small size, money was hard to make. So they grew up together and became fire-eaters. They could do anything with fire. Rail had to skill to shape the fire into animals, people, and objects. Sometimes, he would order the fire to engulf him. It licked up his arms, like a tamed animal, not harming him in the least. Rose would actually dance with the fire. It was her partner. Her moves and his fire would often attract a lot of attention.

Unfortunately, it attracted the prince, the prince of Romania. The prince ordered his men that both performers would be taken and sent to his castle. They would act for him and him alone. Like the prodigal son, Rail was made into one of the most favored men in Vlad's home. Rose, she became the catch of the prince's eye. She soon became his very obsession.

Rail too cared for Rose, became jealous. Night and day they planned their escape. When the time came for them to run, they had no hesitation and ran through the dark doors of Vlad's castle. That's what led to them to where they were now. Rose in Shadows hold, and Rail facing the very man that took away their old lives of happiness. The only way that they were going to get out of the woods alive, was if they killed Vlad.

Vlad's piercing blue eyes gleamed at Rails with a look of triumph and hate.

"How nice to see you, Master." Rail said, the sarcasm dripping from his mouth with pure hatred.

"Even as you face your death Rail, you still have time for theatrics and jokes. Go ahead, amuse me. Just remember, it will be the last show you will ever perform. I'm sure Rose's last memory of you will be a funny one." Vlad said with slight amusement. He then turned to the very creature that held what he desired. "Keep her here and let her watch as I kill her friend." Rose cried, begging Rail to run so that he could live. But the fire-eater would have none of that.

Now, the prince was circling Rail, like a wolf would circle its prey. Both men's eyes glimmering in the moonlight that somehow reached them from between the trees. All of a sudden, Vlad struck at Rail. He hit with such force into the tree behind him, that it looked as though it was going to break under pressure.

While he was still trying to come back to his senses from the hit, Vlad stuck at him again and again, pure malice was put into every hit. Then Rail took a near tree branch and struck at the back of the vampires head. Rose could see blood coming down from his head. Vlad, now somewhat distracted that someone had actually hit him, did not notice Rails foot come and strike him right into his stomach. The man bent down, his unneeded air whipped out of him. But before Rail could pull his leg away, Vlad grabbed him and swung him towards the ground with such force, that Rose was expecting Rail's body to be broken into a million pieces. But somehow, when Rail was just about to hit the ground again, he reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out a match.

Rose knew what Rail was going to do next; she had seen it done many times while performing with him. He struck a match and yelled, "ENGULF!"

The fire claimed Vlad with such blazing heat and quickness, that Vlad soon looked as though he were the very fire that consumed him.

The next thing the prince knew was that a searing pain erupted from his dead heart. Rail had grabbed his only knife, and used it as a stake, then drove the thing through Vlad.

The prince of Romania blew away in ashes as well as his clone Shadow.

Rose ran into Rails arms, hugging him as if she feared she would never see him again. The only word that Rail could muster was, "Let's get out of the woods once and for all and go back to living the way we used to."

All throughout the journey of escaping the woods, the bright, beautiful, big moon guided them to safety, as if a beacon of hope.