Your friendly writer here just wanting to let you know most chapters from here out I'll tell you a song that goes along with it if you want something to listen to while reading it. This chapters song is The Killing Moon by Echo And The Bunnymen. Review and let me know what you think!
The snow was up to my lower calf and I pushed onward trying to be as discreet as possible. I knew Dimitri would be pissed no matter what that I didn't listen to him but I wanted to delay the punishment as long as possible. The Vodka was wearing off but no headache took its place thanks to the Advil working its way through my system. As I rounded the side of the house I noticed something shining from in the snow and bent down. My fingers clasped around the hilt of a stake and I wasn't sure what to think. Who would just leave this here? Stakes are so valuable to us so this made no sense at all. Continuing forward I reached the back door and saw a patio door smashed. Glass was everywhere and the inside of the house was dark and quiet. Did I really want to go into this? I looked brazenly around just barely putting my head in the now empty door frame. There was no Dimitri in sight but a thick sick smell crept in towards me and I pushed my body forward inside. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I immediately regretted my decision to come inside. A woman was sitting in a chair in the room but she wasn't moving and I knew the smell was coming from over there. Creeping closer I realized her throat was ripped wide open for display. The muscles under her skin were sliced like ribbons and her eyes shone like glass against a small glare of light that reached inside. My stomach turned into a flip and I thought I was about to throw up those chips when I felt someone grab my arm. If he hadn't had such a tight grip on my arm I'm sure I would have jumped a foot high in fear.
"Rose I told you to stay in the car, if they were still here you would be dead."
Dimitri growled into my ear but my eyes never left the woman's corpse. I felt Dimitri slowly pry the stake out of my hand and say something but I couldn't hear his words. Just then I realized she wasn't the only corpse in the room. Looking further over there were several bodies in different spots, all massacred and left out. Then I saw the form of a Dhampir man against a wall further down towards the hall.
"Schoenberg. How? How did they kill him he's a legend! Oh god. How will we ever stop them if they can take down someone like him?"
Panic shot up inside of me and I tried my hardest not to fall to my knees. Dimitri was now on his phone calling someone but I couldn't hear the words as I stayed glued to all the bodies. As if I didn't already have enough nightmare fuel in my life, this gave me a one way ticket to sleeping hell. In what only felt like minutes an entire Dhampir SWAT team descended upon the house and began working their way through everything and looking for evidence.
The world settled around me in a haze as I stood in the back of the house pressed against the farthest wall. Vaguely I heard words being said between the guardians about humans breaking the wards on the house with the stake I'd found. Why would humans work with the Strigoi? I tried to focus on everything around me but I felt my sanity faltering as I stared down the corpses now surrounded by guardians. I faintly noticed them all moving to a room in the back and I closed my eyes. I didn't need to go with them to remember what was back there. Another Moroi had been slaughtered while in the shower. Their perfect porcelain tile shower paled in violent comparison to the blood splatter that had dried on the tile. Their bodies had lain here undiscovered for at least a couple days but not long enough for them to fully start to decay. Eyes still closed I mentally roamed over all the carnage I'd seen knowing I'd be seeing it for months after this in my dreams. I wasn't going to escape any of my problems any time soon. I felt warm hands slide around my cheeks and faintly heard a voice saying my name.
"Rose? Rose…we should leave they've got everything taken care of now."
Opening my eyes I found myself staring straight into his kind deep brown eyes and felt his concern radiate over me. I can only imagine how awful I look, it's a miracle he hasn't called me on it. There's no way to keep my guard up with him after taking this blow.
"Okay, let's go Comrade."
My voice was soft and cracked in the slightest. He took me by the hand and lead me back out front to the car from the back and I felt myself blush in the slightest feeling his fingers intertwined with mine. Was it wrong to cherish something this small while being surrounded by death? I needed this small moment to badly I almost didn't even realize it until it happened. My entire body ached for Dimitri and every fiber of my being sang when he touched me. I winced when our hands parted as he went to the drivers' seat and I settled back into the passengers' seat. I glanced at the clock on the car stereo and realized it was already one pm meaning we'd make it back to the Academy around six in the afternoon. I'd still have plenty of time before anyone back there would be up and about. I didn't know what Dimitri would expect though, knowing him he could still want to do a training session since I didn't accomplish anything in this trip except finding a crime scene.
We settled back into a comfortable silence on the drive back and it didn't take me too long to fall asleep in my seat. The dream world was dark and full of shadows and bright moonlight parting them. I found myself walking across the courtyard in the Academy and looked down to see myself wrapped in a dark blue velvet dress that fell to my bare feet. With no sleeves I was open to the breeze that ripped through the air. Everything was dead silent and I could see no one around me as I padded sluggishly across the concrete. My body felt languid and heavy like I'd drank too much but my eyes could still see crystal clear as I looked desperately for someone or something. Peace like this doesn't last long in my dreams and I knew something was going to happen at any moment. With a small cry escaping my throat I wished frantically I was back in my body and awake in the car. I don't want to be here. I never want to be here. I wish I didn't need to sleep it would make everything so much easier. I wouldn't have to fight my own body so hard if that was possible.
A scream erupted from across the courtyard and I felt my feet freeze in panic. What the fuck was that? Loud thudding echoed along with it and I began to notice bodies piled up on the edges of the building. Should I run would that be enough to get me out this time? Throwing myself around, I found my legs painfully running backwards as I heard a menacing laugh growing behind me. With a backwards glance I saw a strigoi coming towards me. He was well over six feet tall with stringy shoulder length black hair and his face was the shade of a white that portrayed true death. If he was close enough I would bet his eyes would be the worst thing I've ever seen but I didn't want to let him get that close and I hurtled myself into the nearest door and came stumbling into the school and kept running, running, running. I faintly felt rocks dug deeply into the soles of my feet but I couldn't stop. The lights in the building flickered and I felt the strigoi getting closer, I just knew it. Looking back once more I stopped for a moment against my brains screaming and looked around for the monster frantically. My hands were trembling and my head was twirling in fear. I don't want to wait for this I know I don't, so I take off back straight ahead. My body doesn't go forward though. My airway is closing and my eyes are bugging out of my head. Looking down I realize the strigoi is in front of me with a death grip on my neck. Feet dangling above the ground I kick about trying to break free but I'm trapped, he's got me like a rat in a trap. Gasping out I feel him drop me and crash to the floor surround by a soft blue ocean. Just as I look up to see his horrible face his hands descend upon me again and both grab my head and I hear a horrifying crack as my vision goes black with him snapping my neck.
My body flies forward as I let out a scream so loud the windows in the car could almost shake.
"ROZA! ROZA CALM DOWN!"
I hear his worried voice envelope me and feel arms reaching out to grab me but I'm pressed back against the car door, eyes wide open in fear desperately looking around me for the monster. There is no monster no matter how hard I look though, just Dimitri looking at me in fear. I can feel my arms shaking with no plans to stop and force myself to relax a bit reaching out to grab his hand that's still thrust out towards me. Not even he can stop the shaking but I feel safe knowing he has me and the nightmare is over. Looking around outside the car I realize we're back at the academy sitting in the parking lot but thankfully no one is around to see my breakdown besides Dimitri. His free hand pets my hair softly as he stares down at me and I feel guilty wrap around me knowing how concerned he is for me. My body comes to a slow and the shaking stops. Seeing me settle Dimitri lets me go and gets out of the car and I stop for a moment wondering if I should get out and follow him. I don't have the time to even make a move to get out because he's opening my door and picking me up into his arms. I don't say anything but instead relax into his chest and look past his arms at the sky as he carries me into the building.
