Dead Souls

Disclaimer: And here is my sequel to Darklight! The title, as probably suspected, was inspired by Nine Inch Nails "Dead Souls". I heard the song and somehow, the inspiration for this fic sprang into my head. Well, like most of my fics, I have a certain...free speech within this one.

"And I knew my vision of the garden of savage beauty had been a true vision. There was meaning in the world, yes, and laws, and inevitability, but they had only to do with the aesthetic and in this Savage Garden, these innocent ones belonged in the vampire's arms. A thousand other things can be said about the world, but only aesthetic principles can be verified, and these things alone remain the same."

-Anne Rice

"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows."

-Pope Paul VI

By: VampireQueenAkasha

"You have to ask...? Really...? Well, It's...It's because I am your friend..."

-Abel Nightroad

Chapter Nine: The Truth

Earth

Rome, Italy

Nyssa and Carmilla faced each other across the throne room.

"I have been sleeping for so long, my child," Carmilla crooned. She took small steps closer to her daughter. "And all I have heard that you have done ... " With pursed lips, she drew a hand back and slapped Nyssa across the face.

The sound echoed off of the walls of the lavished room. Nyssa winced and kept her gaze from her mother. Bits of blood had dropped from two small cuts on her face due to her mother's long claw - like nails.

"Mamma, please - " Nyssa was cut off as a fist struck her across the head.

"You did it!" Carmilla shrieked, "You killed him, you filthy child!"

Nyssa tried to ward off the blows with her arms. She winced slightly. If it stopped her tears, I took the torment day after day. I never wanted to see her sad again ...

"Carmilla, stop!"

The blows stopped and Carmilla looked up with a scowl. Abel and Maxwell stood in the doorway. Abel had his pistol trained on the Countess. She smirked coldly.

"Do you think your pathetic idols can stop me?" she sneered. "I hold more power within me than you consider, Priest!"

Nyssa winced and rose to her feet. "Mamma, please don't hurt him!" she begged.

Carmilla's eyes narrowed. "Ahh, so you must love the priest ... " she hissed, cruelly. "Interesting. Perhaps an eye - for - an - eye is reasonable payment for Wulf's death." And with that, she shifted into a massive red wolf and dove for Abel with a hideous snarl.

I can't feel my senses
I just feel the cold
All colours seem to fade away
I can't reach my soul

Suddenly, an equally larger, white wolf suddenly shot passed Abel and met the red one with a hiss. The red wolf-Carmilla's reddish gaze went wide. The white wolf was Maxwell, jaws locked on her front paws. The two communicated in their own minds.

"You would defy me for a priest?" Carmilla shrieked.

The white wolf's - Maxwell scowled, teeth flashing. "The priest means something to Nyssa. He is her world. And I will do what I can to protect her world."

Carmilla's eyes widened in fury. "Little traitor!" she raged, opening her jaws.

Suddenly, a slightly smaller black wolf dove and seized Carmilla's ankle. Dark red blood sprayed out of the gushing wound and Carmilla howled in agony. She snarled and spun around, teeth bared and seizing the black wolf's scruff.

Abel recognized the creature instantly. "Nyssa!" he shouted.

I would stop running
If I knew there was a chance
It tears me apart to sacrifice it all
But I'm forced to let go

The black wolf - Nyssa moaned a near human moan and was tossed through the air. Maxwell dove into the fray and jumped onto Carmilla's back, teeth slicing into the fur there. Carmilla snarled and tossed the white creature from her body. Maxwell's body struck a stone statue with a wolf - like yelp and before Carmilla knew it, Nyssa had regained her footing and black shadowy demons came shooting out of the darkness, toward her.

Carmilla chuckled darkly and each snap of her jaws dissipated the demonic forms. A dry laugh echoed out of her and she dove for Nyssa.

The two wolves connected, teeth slashing each others' fur and faces. "Abel, see to Maxwell!" Nyssa shouted, through their mind connection.

Abel looked worried for her at first, but finally, he nodded and rushed to Maxwell, who was lying face down. The Elder groaned as Abel helped him rise. His arm was smeared and dripping with blood and the limb trembled.

Nyssa met Carmilla's gaze. "Mamma, please, I don't want to fight you!"

Carmilla's wolf - like gaze narrowed. "You brought this on yourself."

Tell me I'm frozen
But what can I do?
Can't tell the reasons
I did it for you

That was enough to falter Nyssa slightly. Carmilla's teeth ripped down her chest and she shrieked in pain. The bright red wolf turned her darkened gaze toward Abel and flashed her fangs. "Now, for you, priest!"

Just as she galloped toward Abel, Maxwell dove for Carmilla with a roar, arms wrapping around her thick ruff. The red wolf howled her fury and shifted back into human form. With a snarl, Carmilla sank her own fangs into Maxwell's arm and he shouted out just as she flipped him from her.

"You little fool!" she spat, "You would challenge me? So you will die!"

When lies turn into truth
I sacrifice for you
You say that I am frozen
But what can I do?

Maxwell winced in pain. "Carmilla, listen to your daughter!" he begged, "She is not the enemy here!" He looked down with a gasp of pain. A shattered stone piece had punctured his leg. "It has aged me as fast as a human ... Please, listen to her!"

Meanwhile, William and the others struggled to fend off the bats.

"Dammit!" Leon cried, angrily, "Are you kidding me? This is insane!"

Tres glanced down at the bodies of the drained humans and his robotic eyes narrowed. He scanned each one and noticed that they ...

"Father Wordsworth, scans indicate the victims contain - "

And before he could finish, the corpses rose, moaning incoherently. Their eyes remained a darkened red and drool dangled from their lips. Leon smiled weakly in terror. "Ahh ... " he muttered, "How great. It can't get worse."

William glanced up at the castle, squinting. "I hope they're having more luck than we are." he said, wearily.

O

Nyssa was lying still in a puddle of her own blood. She clenched her teeth in pain. "M - Mamma ... "

Abel rose and faced the Countess in fury. "Countess, listen to her!" he begged, "She has suffered only to see you happy!" He scowled. "And she faced that monster of a father of hers countless times!"

Carmilla's eyes glowed red. "You have no idea what a monster is, priest!" she spat.

Suddenly, her back arched and snapped, making sick slurping sounds. Large, deadly wing digits slipped out of her back in a spurt of blood and gore. Shrieking, Carmilla raised the spiked digits and sent them for Abel.

Nyssa's eyes snapped wide and she moved, quick as lightning. And the spikes contacted flesh and bone.

Abel's eyes widened in horror and needless to say, so did Carmilla's. Nyssa had been horribly impaled on the spikes, standing protectively in front of her lover. Maxwell gasped in shock, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Nyssa!" he cried.

Nyssa shuddered and jerked, blood gushing from her mouth. "Ahh ... "

Carmilla's lips parted slightly in surprise. "Fool." she said, more shocked than angry, "You would do this for the sake of a human?"

Nyssa winced and reached out, grasping the spikes in blood soaked hands. "He's more than that, mamma ... " she gasped. "And you have to know the truth ... He - he saved me ... "

Carmilla shook her head, faltering only the slightest. "N - No."

Nyssa winced and forced herself deeper into the spikes, a sick crunching sound causing Abel to flinch in horror. She was tugging herself closer and closer to her mother. "Then ... then if you won't see into my mind ... I'll just ... have to show you!" And with that, she slapped her hands onto Carmilla's face.

Carmilla gasped as her brain was fried by memories. She saw Nyssa's world, flowing with heat and pain. She literally felt the agony of Nyssa's memories as they struck her home.

"No, daddy ... don't!" Nyssa shouted, from some dark corner of her mind.

Carmilla gagged and wrenched from side to side, but the memory of what had happened remained.

"Be a good little girl, Nyssa." Wulf purred, "Be my good girl."

Another.

"Daddy, don't ... it feels bad."

Another.

"Mamma, don't cry anymore. I won't tell. I'll be quiet. I won't tell ... "

Another.

A set of snarling, demonic teeth and flashing red eyes blended with icy long fingers and shadows. Blood swirled with death and hatred. Nyssa, much older, screaming in the dark, covered in blood. Clutched in her had was a large pot, covered in gore and mush.

Carmilla screamed and wrenched from Nyssa, unsheathing the spikes from her daughter's body. Nyssa collapsed in a heap at her mother's side and Abel bent down to her.

"Nyssa, my God!" he cried, desperately. "Hold on!"

Carmilla's eyes were haunted. "N ... no ... " she whispered, rising on her hands and knees. Nyssa smiled sadly at her, mixed with a facade of pain. "All ... all this time ... it ... " Carmilla stared down in horror and tears filled her eyes. Tears of blood. "What ... what ... " A sorrowful laugh. "What have I become?"

Nyssa reached out with a weak, shaking hand and Carmilla seized it gently. "It's ... okay ... "

Carmilla bent down to her. "Nyssa, you've ... all this time you ... you suffered ... " She cried softly. "I ignored you!"

Nyssa blinked slowly. "M - Mamma ... " Blood gushed from her mouth.

When Abel bent to her, Carmilla brushed him aside. "Stay back, priest!" she snapped, raising a wrist to her own throat and slashing her own throat. Blood trickled down the fresh opening and she leaned forward.

"Nyssa, drink before your body fails!" she begged.

Nyssa looked at her throat a haze of pain. She shakily reached up, but her bloody fingers slipped and Carmilla had to lift her daughter up and help her toward her gushing throat. She hissed and stiffened as teeth latched onto her neck and Nyssa began to gulp down the blood.

Abel watched Nyssa in surprise as she latched desperately at her mother. Carmilla latched back, overcome with the feelings of being this close to her daughter again. It was so very similar to a human mother and infant breast feeding, however far more intense.

And she never wanted to be far from her again.

O

Note-This sad song is "Frozen" by Within Temptation. Watch the video sometime and you'll see why I thought it had fit.