Eternal Darkness
By
Jessie MacBeth
Dedicated to
My loving husband who has put up with all of my insanity over the last fourteen years and my beautiful children who are growing up way too fast. Oh, how I love you all.
CHAPTER 1
A dark sky, a blue moon. A howl in the night is not your average wolf. Pain is leaping through his body, unable to change back. He began to cry. Tears streak his pelt. Love brought him this pain... It brought him death...
Sally walked through the darkness. She hated the dark, but it was how she lived. She was a vampire. She hated what she was, and who she was. She hunted the deer in the surrounding woods. The mountain was her home. Far from humans, far from temptation. She lived alone for centuries. She had no memory of her sire or her life before her change. Because of this she named herself Sally, and began life away from humans. Now, here she is, waiting in the dark for dinner to walk by. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light and began to scan the shadows. This was her nightly routine. But tonight was different. The air was wrong, and everything was quiet. Too quiet.
Sally wasn't alone, but whatever it was knew what it was doing. It was hunting. Sally was being hunted. She began to crouch when she finally heard him. His breathing was rapid but smooth. She had never heard anything of the sort. And it worried her more that she could not see him. She froze half crouched, ready for attack. She had enough experience with bears and wolves to know not to turn her back on her opponents. She may be able to heal fast but her injuries still hurt like hell. She waited, but her opponent seemed to be doing the same thing. Sally's senses searched the woods, separating smells and shadows. Minutes passed as she looked for him. and finally she found him.
Shock and fear caught her off guard. A werewolf stared her down. Not realizing what she really was. Not until a growl ripped through her. The wolf stood his ground, and answered with a similar sinister growl.
"Who are you?" Sally asked
She didn't expect an answer. Werewolves can rarely master speaking while changed. Sally waited and watched. Finally the wolf stood and approached her. He was the biggest wolf she had ever seen, standing nearly seven feet tall.
"My name is Calib..." His words came out like a growl.
Sally understood him anyway, and she began to relax. A case of mistaken identity. She thought Calib was normal wildlife, while Calib thought the woman was a mere human. This was the closest she had ever been to a werewolf... It worried her.
"Are you passing through or staking out territory?" She asked. Calib tilted his head and gave her a quirky smile.
"What would it matter to you?" He answered
Sally didn't like this answer. This was her hunting grounds, and she didn't want any company. Calib seemed to sense Sally's uneasy demeanor and changed his answer.
"I am hoping to hunt for a few months, then I will be heading north." He finally said, feeling amused by her stubbornness.
"Canada?" She asked
"Alaska, I prefer the cold." Calib replied and Sally smiled.
"I can't tell the difference, but the dead never can..." She remarked
Calib let out a bark of a laugh. He found her funny, or more sarcastic. He seemed to like her.
"I guess you need a place to sleep?" She asked him
"Beats the ground...?" He responded with a smirk.
"Sally, my name is Sally." She finally gave up her name as her uneasiness settled. Maybe having the dog around won't be so bad.
Calib followed Sally to her log cabin a mile up the mountain. Small enough to stay unnoticed,this was Sally's sanctuary. Calib was surprised by its location. He had passed it many times over the past two days, but never noticed it. The cabin was small and made from pine and mountain boulders. Sally opened the front door and led the way in.
"You can have the sofa, I sleep in the loft. If you need clothes there's some in the cabinet." She explained
She turned around to say good night when she noticed Calib was no longer a wolf, but a handsome young man. He wrapped a blanket around his naked body and sat on the couch. He was amazingly beautiful with black hair past his shoulders, blue eyes, and a thin goatee. Sally was taken off guard by his beauty. Shaking her head she went on...
"If you wake during the day do not open the blinds, for obvious reasons, goodnight."
Sally climbed up to her loft and laid back onto her bed. She was still hungry, but dawn was approaching. She closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep, like every night before.
Chapter 2
Night came fast and when Sally woke Calib was already out hunting. Sally brushed her brown curls and to a band to tie them back. It was time to hunt and Sally could smell a buck less than a hundred yards away. She took off outside and found her prey in no time. feeding always made her feel giddy, like she wanted to run to the top of Mount Everest.
Instead she went to find her temporary house guest. Not that he was difficult to find now that she knew his scent. And there he was in all his perfection. He was hunting a wild cat and he had the upper hand. Sally watched from the shadows with a smile on her face. She liked this werewolf, almost more than she was comfortable with. Calib seemed to have noticed Sally's presence and he stood up with a chuckle. Sally stepped out from her shadowy hiding place.
"Bored Sally?" He asked sarcastically.
Sally shrugged, she wanted some action. Calib changed back, not caring that he was naked in human form. If Sally could have she would have blushed. His form was very impressive. Sally's smile faltered just the slightest when Calib stepped closer. Sally had never been intimate before... or that she could remember. For all she knew she was an eternal virgin.
"I haven't..." she tried to say.
Calib just kissed her. The passion she felt was amazing, better than feeding. It was all she could do to keep from biting Calib. Then she came to her senses and pushed Calib away.
"I can't Calib..."
She ran back to the cabin and locked herself in the bathroom. She was startled and scared. She had never felt that way before and she was afraid. Afraid of feeling anything other than her normal loneliness. For centuries she was alone with nothing to feel except pain and self pity. But tonight she felt something she hadn't felt in years... happiness. Sally's fear gripped her for only a moment. Calib on the other hand wasn't going to let her be.
"Sally are you okay?" His voice rang through the door. Sally stood and opened the door, and within seconds she was in Calib's arms.
"I don't think I have ever been happy before..." was all she said.
Sally woke in the loft alone. She wasn't expecting to be alone. She remembered the night before and their passionate kisses. And then nothing. She rolled over and called down to the living room. Sally waited and got no response. She was lonely again, but this time she didn't like it at all. She was no longer used to it. Funny what one night can do to a woman. She longed for Calib and the happiness that came with him. Vampires don't cry, except one.
Sally was crying for happiness. And she cried herself back to sleep. Days passed and it seemed that Calib was gone for good. Sally went back to her old routine, but couldn't seem to forget Calib. She cried every night when she lay down to sleep. She didn't want to be lonely. She wanted Calib to return.
On the fifth night of no Calib Sally just stayed in bed and cried. She listened to the crickets outside and muffled her sobs in her pillow. She sobbed until she noticed that the crickets had stopped. Calib was back. She made it outside in seconds. Sally stood in the dark and waited. The silence was deafening. And then she heard it, Calib's rapid breathing. She rushed forward and stopped about a foot from where he stood.
"It's addictive isn't it? That happiness thing?" he asked with a sarcastic smile.
"More than you know...I missed you..." Sally replied. Calib embraced Sally and held her close.
"One week without me and you think you're going to go insane. You must love strays..." he laughed
After Calib returned he made the cabin his new home, and Sally welcomed him. They began to hunt together. A vampire and a werewolf. Months passed and they grew closer. Sally began to fall in love with Calib and Calib with Sally. The cabin was perfect for the both of them. On their six month anniversary they went to hunt. To look for something fun, a bear. maybe a mountain lion. Their search took them up the mountain to the waterfalls. There they found what they were looking for...bears.
They fed on the bears and swam in the river to wash away the blood on their bodies. Sally and Calib were perfectly in love. They swam around one another playfully until Calib came from behind Sally and wrapped his arms around her.
"I love you Sally..." Calib whispered in her ear.
"And I love you..." Sally smiled and kissed her wolf.
"Shall we go home?" Calib asked.
Sally knew what he meant and was out of the water before he could blink.
"I'll race you..."
And the race home began. Sally could hear Calib's approach and sped up. She was going to win. She watched for Calib, and that is when she saw someone familiar for comfort. Running fifty yards to her right was someone she hadn't seen in five hundred years.
"No..."
She said halting in her tracks. Calib caught up and looked terrified when he saw Sally's expression.
"Sally?" he asked
She knew she looked terrified too, because coming into view was her first love, and with him, her memories.
"Dallion? No..." She whispered
"Who?" Calib seemed confused until he turned and saw Dallion.
"Hello Alina, long time, no see." Dallion greeted her.
"What do you want from me? I've been hiding because of you, I remember that now." Sally replied ready to strike in defense.
Sally remembered everything. Her real name was Alina Thomas, and she met Dallion when she was sixteen. She thought she was in love. Gave up her life to be with Dallion forever. That was until she realized he was an insane murderer. Her family died at his hand and she ran. She hated what she had become, so she forced herself to forget... And now she was being forced to remember as Dallion stood before her.
"My dear, I've searched five hundred years to bring you home..." Dallion's reply was like ice.
"I hate you, so leave me and find another to be your eternal victim!" Sally screamed at him. Calib just watched not knowing what to do.
"Alina darling, I only acted as our kind do." Sally couldn't handle much more.
"My name is Sally! Alina died when you murdered her family and with them her love for you died too!" Dallion's smile faded with these words. Sally could have cared less that she was pissing off her sire.
"I am giving you one month to change your mind Alina, and then I will be back for you." Dallion threatened, and he turned and disappeared into the shadowy night.
Chapter 3
"So that's your sire?" Calib asked calmly.
Sally nodded in reply. She didn't really want to talk about Dallion. But she knew she had to explain more to Calib. So she did.
"I met Dallion when I was sixteen. I was the daughter of a rich plantation owner. I had a mother and a sister. But when Dallion came along I gave them up for eternal life. But I couldn't stay away and Dallion became jealous. He murdered them and told me he would never let me go. When the townspeople had found out what Dallion had done they tried to kill him. It gave me time to run, and I made myself forget all of it. Every painful memory, and emotion, and even my name. I used to be Alina Thomas."
Calib looked down and sighed.
"He's crazy and he won't stop, so we'll stop him."Calib said
He was serious about this. He was going to fight for her no matter what. Calib's idea was to stand and fight. Sally wanted to run again, but she didn't say that to Calib. She was afraid of losing him, like she lost her family. But Calib knew he could handle one vampire and he was determined to kill Dallion for good.
"Calib?" Sally whispered "I'm scared, I don't want to lose you."
Calib sat next to Sally and looked her in the eyes. The girl he fell in love with, she was the one he needed. It tortured him to see her so scared. What he would do to save her was more important than his own life.
"I know Sally, but we are strong and we can fight him. You can use your anger and fear to fight... to make you stronger..." Calib said
She knew Calib meant revenge. He wanted her to avenge her family and to avenge herself. Sally didn't think she could handle it. She didn't want to face her past.
"You can do anything Sally. You're strong and beautiful, and I love you more than the world. We will fight, and we will win."
So they had decided they were going to fight. It was a risk that they were willing to take. Dallion was coming in less than a month, and Sally refused to go back to being Alina. She was finally starting to feel happy again. She didn't want to give that up to live in fear. Sally realized she wasn't evil, but Dallion was. Only evil can strike fear into one of its own kind. Sally rarely slept during the days leading up to Dallion's return. And when she did sleep, nightmares plagued by the thought of going back, of having to remember the pain, made her want to give up and run. But her fate was decided when she met Calib.
Her fate was to never be alone again. One week before the fight Sally and Calib decided it was time to do a big hunt. They needed their strength, and the practice. Sally was fast, but not faster than Dallion. Calib could fight five bears at once, but silver could bring him down easily. Calib was sure Dallion would be prepared. The hunt was a success and Sally was giddy once again. She liked that feeling. Like nothing could stop her. She smiled for the first time in weeks. Calib smiled too, knowing they had temporary happiness in the pending gloom.
"Sally, I love you." Calib said
"And I love you." Sally replied
They savored their moment of happiness and made love on the forest floor.
Chapter 4
Back at the cabin they both slept well. Waiting for the day to pass. Every night was hunting night. Strength was needed. The final night Sally and Calib waited at the cabin for Dallion to arrive. They were going to try and ambush Dallion. Sally was to act as if she had made her decision to leave, and Calib was to attack from behind. It was their only chance. And then he was there. Three sinister taps on the door. Sally stood and opened the door, allowing Dallion to enter.
"Hello Dallion..." Sally said
He did not answer, but walked over to where Calib stood. Calib refused to look at Dallion. Sally became confused...
"You failed me wolf." Dallion finally said
"What is he talking about Calib?" Sally asked
"I may have failed you but I found something more important..." Calib replied to Dallion, ignoring Sally.
Dallion smiled at this point. Sally was scared. Had Calib betrayed her? Had he known all along? She wanted to scream. To make it not real.
"My poor poor puppy, you have no idea what you found. You see, Alina is mine, and no others. You were supposed to bring her back to me... And so you failed..." said Dallion
"What?" Sally said furiously
"Oh, of course you didn't tell Alina the truth. Oh well..." Dallion laughed
It was all true, Calib betrayed her. But she wasn't given any time to be angry with Calib. Dallion had stabbed Calib in the gut with a silver dagger. He fell to the floor and went limp. Sally wanted to scream. No matter what Calib had done, Sally still loved him. Now she was standing there, doomed to be alone. Dallion turned to her and reached out his hand.
"Come home Alina." He said
It was more of a command than a request. Sally refused to look at him. She didn't want to suffer anymore.
"You ruined everything..." she whispered
Dallion didn't like this and his hand dropped back to his side. Sally finally looked up at Dallion, ready to fight. Ready to die. In seconds her closed fist connected with Dallion's face. His jaw shattered on impact, yet he didn't budge. He only took seconds to heal.
"That was a big mistake, my love." He said knocking her unconscious.
Calib woke to flames running through his body. The silver was poisoning him. But as terrible as the pain was, one thing was more important... Sally. He had to save her. So despite his pain he began to drag himself outside. Once outside Calib attempted to change, But the pain sent him to his knees. He was now stuck in the between. Not human nor werewolf. The pain was too much. His body was trying to fight the poison, but Calib wanted to give up. Sally was gone. His heart was broken. His love brought him this brought him what seemed to be an eternal darkness...
Alina, Six Months Later…
It had been months and she knew Calib had died back at the cabin. Sally was once again Alina Thomas. Much to her regret. It was like being forced into the darkness. Damned to eternal agony. She had lost everything. Her family, her love, her life. She was no longer living. She was in purgatory, her own eternal darkness.
Chapter 5
Alina
Once upon a time there was a girl named Alina. This was a very beautiful, but lonely girl. Despite her family being there for her. And then one day she met him. The one who would change everything. His name was Dallion. She thought he was her true love, blind to the monster he truly was. He changed Alina, making her something she never dreamed of being. A creature of the night, of eternal darkness.
She was afraid of what she had become. She wanted to be human again. But Dallion wouldn't have it. He destroyed her last link to the living world. He murdered her family. Alina ran and hid. It was all she could do to escape. And then she was alone. For decades she hid up on the mountain and hated herself. Then one fateful night she met the one she was meant to love. His name was Calib. He was her protector. But their love was short-lived. Dallion had found Alina by using Calib as his pawn. Dallion took Alina back, leaving Calib for dead.
Now Alina stands in a room she does not recognize, with tears running down her pale face. She was alone again, the story of her life. The only difference now, is that she no longer hates herself. She now knew who to blame. She knew who destroyed her life and everyone in it... Dallion. The evil man standing behind her. The man to blame. She knew he was there but chose to ignore him. She kept her eyes on the expanding landscape outside her window. A small false hope kept her watching. A hope that Calib was somehow still alive. But her hope was dashed when Dallion spoke.
"He's not coming for you…" His words had the sound of pity, but Alina knew it was fake.
"If he is not coming for me then you will not have me for long. I will not live for you." Alina replied coldly.
"Then I must be crazy, because I can remember a day when you loved me. I also remember the promise you made to me the night you became mine…" his words were like a bull whip striking her back.
She cringed as she recalled the moment in history. The passion was high and Alina thought she was in love. Dallion proposed his undying love for her. She had said she would die for him, that she wasn't afraid. She promised to never leave him.
"You killed my promise when you killed my family."
"They were going to die anyway, you needed to move on." Dallion replied
This enraged Alina and she swung at Dallion. He was too fast, dodging her fist and pinning her to the wall. His face was inches from hers. Both bared their teeth, ready to tear into one another. She wanted to kill him. But she couldn't, he was too strong. So she screamed instead.
"You took everything from me! You are a selfish bastard and I despise you!they were my family and they didn't deserve to die! I hate you!" her thoughts of rage went black, unconsciousness consumed her.
Calib
Calib's memories of the past six months were shadowed. He remembered the pain mostly. And then other memories came to him in pieces. The wet forest floor... a familiar face of a girl he thought he knew... the warmth of the cabin. The face was someone he hadn't seen in five years. As his thoughts wandered he began to realize he was awake. He was in the cabin.
"Sally?" He called out.
No one answered. He was alone. He felt his stomach. A fine scar was where he had been stabbed. If Sally wasn't there, then he had failed her. She was gone. He shook the thought from his mind and concerned himself with the girl who had saved him. But where was she? And then she answered his unspoken question. His sister walked into the room. He remembered her now. He had not seen her since he had left the pack.
"Amy? What... how did you find me?" He asked in bewilderment. She walked to the kitchen, a bag slung over her shoulder. Calib could smell the copper like scent of fresh meat emanating from the bag.
"Don't worry about that, you need to eat. Then you can tell me about Sally, and why I found you half dead and changed in the forest." her words were final.
Calib didn't want to argue, he felt starved. Then he explained, to his disapproving sister, about Sally and Dallion. Amy was horrified that her brother had fallen in love with a vampire. Even worse, that he made enemies with one. Amy shook her head to Calib's story. She knew he had been in trouble, but this was crazy.
"Is that why you left the pack? To help Dallion then double cross him? Are you insane?" She asked it was Calib's turn to sigh. It hadn't been his plan to fall in love with Sally. It had just happened. And now he wanted to get Sally back. He just needed Amy's help to do it.
"I want her back Amy. I love her, and I don't want to live without her. I need your help... please…" he almost begged.
His sister was pacing by now. Calib almost felt ashamed for wanting her help. For needing this so badly. Amy was always the serious one. The alpha female... In the pack she was second in command and what she says goes. But they weren't in the pack now, and Calib needed her help.
"Either help me or go back to the pack. I am going to get Sally back with or without your help." When Calib said this he left Amy with no choice.
She couldn't let her brother do this alone. He needed help and he was family. She just didn't understand how her brother could fall in love with a vampire. It was forbidden for wolves to mate with humans or vampires. Humans because they were hunted by some wolves, and vampires because they were mortal enemies. With an exasperated sigh she nodded. "Let's do this then."
Chapter 6
Alina
Alina awoke with her head healed but still throbbing. It was finally day and her blinds were shut on the windows. It felt as if she had been asleep for days. But truly she had only been out for a few hours. She hated it when Dallion lost his temper. Alina always ended up with something broken. Like this time, her skull.
Alina sat up and held her head. The pain was more than just physical, it was emotional too. He owned her now. And no matter how hard she fought he would always own her. There was no escaping Dallion. Even then, with him sitting in the shadowed corner, watching her. But she went back to ignoring Dallion. It seemed to be her only defense.
"I'm sorry my love…" Dallion whispered he left Alina without another word.
She was alone for now... she hated to be alone... but she hated his presence more. She was always unhappy with no way out. Standing sent Alina into a state of vertigo. She wasn't completely healed. She sat back down and took an unnecessary breath. Pain was the only thing that made a vampire feel human. No matter how uncomfortable. Alina loved that fact. She loved feeling human. If Dallion knew this, he would take it away as well. The pain almost drowned out the whimper from across the room. Almost wasn't enough. A little girl was waking up... she was for Alina. Dallion was trying to crush her humanity.
The girl seemed confused. As if she had been snatched from her bed. Alina could not bring herself to look at the child. Guilt rocked what was left of her soul when she thought of what the girl was destined for... thankfully Alina was not hungry. She avoided feeding on humans and began a new diet of rats and bats.
"I wanna go home…" The girl cried
Alina wanted to go home too. But she did not speak to the child. She did not want to have her heart broken by the child's tears.
"Please take me home…" The child cried again.
Alina shook her head and spoke only two words to the child as she lay down to sleep.
"I can't…"
Calib
"How do you intend on getting into the mansion, Calib?" Amy asked, her frustrations were showing on the surface.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed. Calib didn't know the mansion as well as he needed. He needed a plan. But all he could think of was to stake out the vampire's mansion.
"We go and we wait for our opportunity. Dallion won't kill Sally, but that doesn't mean she isn't in danger." Calib replied
"I don't understand Calib... What danger is Sally really in? I mean if Dallion won't kill her...?"
It finally dawned on Amy what danger Sally was in. Sally was a danger to herself. Dallion may not kill her, but she may take her own life. Any escape is better than none at all. Amy sat down next to her brother and rapped her arm around his shoulders. Slowly but surely Amy began to feel her brother's pain. She wanted to save Sally for her brother's sake.
"I'm sorry Calib, I'm still having a hard time understanding all of this. Until now all I have known is the pack and it's rules. You have broken the mold, brother." Amy said sweetly and Calib smiled at his sister and nodded.
His worries began to eat away at him. He didn't know if he would make it in time to save Sally. He knew that she wouldn't live for long thinking she had to live with Dallion forever. He had no time to waste.
"We need to leave soon, Amy. If there is a chance we can't waste any time." Calib said to his sister Amy squeezed his shoulders and nodded in reply.
They would begin the three day run the following morning. Amy had her doubts about the fight ahead of them. She had a knot in the pit of her stomach. Her heart seemed to choke her when she would imagine the worst outcome. She couldn't bring herself to think about it long. Fear had her practically frozen. But she shook it off, as usual.
"I'm with you brother. I just hope we make it. And I hope we make it out alive." Amy said with a small pathetic laugh.
The last part was meant to sound like a joke, but Amy's words came out quiet and broken. Calib seemed to notice and smiled at his sister. It was the first time he had seen his sister worried.
"We'll be fine... tomorrow our adventure begins." Calib smiled a wide smile at Amy. Tomorrow was the start of an adventure. But, an adventure that could easily become their worst nightmare.
Chapter 7
Alina
Alina woke to a deafening silence. She remembered falling asleep to the scared girls crying. The guilt brought fresh tears to her eyes when she realized the girl was no longer in the room. She knew the child had met a terrible fate. But there had been nothing she could do to save her.
Everything in Alina's world seemed like a terrible nightmare. Every moment filled with sadness, hate, and terror haunted her. The only happiness is a faint shadow of a past life. Something she thought she would never have again.
The black walls in the Victorian bedroom seemed empty... like her heart. The shadows swallowed any light. And all Alina wanted was to sleep. But this feeling was forced away when Alina looked towards her open window. A new idea came to life and Alina jumped up from her bed. Healing was always an added specialty of her kind, and her escape had been right in front of her.
Four stories below her window was a garden pond. Maybe three feet deep,but the width made for a dilemma. Just a few inches off and she could end up with too many broken bones to make a run for it. It was a chance she was willing to take.
She stepped out onto the ledge and positioned herself just over the pond. Out of instinct her breath caught as she made her leap from the window. Seconds seemed like minutes as she fell to her escape. Her eyes squeezed shut as she broke through the surface of the pond. But sudden pain made her eyes fly open as her foot made contact with the bottom of the pond. Her ankle made a terrible snapping sound when the bones broke.
Alina fought the pain and ignored the healing pops her body was making. Instead she pulled herself from the pond and ran as fast as she could from her personal hell. Alina did not stop despite the pain of her healing ankle. She knew Dallion would waste no time once he realized she was gone. Her destination was the forest seven miles away. In minutes she began to feel safe, but knowing she was soon to be pursued, she did not stop. She was free for now.
Calib
The run began early. Calib wanted to leave before the sun even came close to rising. Amy didn't complain as she followed her brother into the darkness. They did take their time to hunt once they hit the thirty mile mark. The forest had begun to thin and the mountains gave way to treacherous slopes and steep climbs. They needed their energy to make it over the five mountains leading to Dallion's territory.
The hunt was quick and Amy and Calib shared a meal of wild sheep. Once the sheep was nothing but wool and bone they began to run again. The rocks, ice, and snow were tackled easily by their thickly padded paws, but the steep cliffs were a challenge. They had to constantly go around and search for mountain passes. The sun had begun to fall when they finally made it up the second mountain.
"Calib, we aren't going to be able to sleep if we want to make good timing." Amy growled at her brother.
Calib shook out his black pelt and turned to his sister.
"We'll get over this mountain and then we'll find a cave near the valley. After that we can tackle the other mountains." he replied
Amy nodded and followed Calib. It only took about four hours to make it back down the mountain. Once in the valley they made camp in a nearby cave. Calib found it hard to sleep and wandered out as his sister slept. They kept their pelt to fight the cold, something Calib did often. He sat near the mouth of the cave and stared out at the clouded sky. The sight was beautiful... The mountains were black silhouettes against the light gray night.
Calib knew the moon was shining behind those clouds. The moon's light made everything seem beautiful. But nothing was more beautiful than his Sally.
Alina
Alina ran in circles before heading back towards her real home. She knew Dallion was probably tracking her, and that there was even a chance that he would be waiting for her at the cabin... waiting to take her back.
She was hesitant to find what was left at her home. Would Calib's body still be lying there in the living area? Could she handle finding his six month old corpse? The thought made her shudder. But she had to know for sure... she had to know if she was alone forever… The pain of her healing broken ankle was no longer a distraction. The healing had only taken about two hours. Now her running speed was back to normal, and she began to search for something to hunt. The grizzlies were thick in this part of the mountain forest. But so were the elk her favorite.
Her meal was quick, and so was the adrenaline like feeling that always overtook her. The terrain now seemed like a trivial feat, and she took off towards her mountain home. All worries seemed to melt away as she ran. The cold air whipped her hair out behind her. Her eyes wide taking in every small detail around her. The trees were bare except snow and ice. The ground was powdered with white. Curious wildlife scurried around searching for anything edible amongst the winter ice.
She was near the mountains. A task easily tackled. Hope filled her and made her heart feel light as air. A hopeless hope... that maybe... just maybe, Calib was still alive.
Dallion
Dallion entered Alina's room. He wanted to see her, to marvel in her beauty. But when he entered the dark room he found it empty. The window was open, and the shadows were as empty as the room itself.
Anger was the only thing he felt at first. His fist broke through the walls in rage. He fell to his knees and screamed a curse at the sadness threatening him. A sadness knowing that he would never be able to make Alina love him. Not like before. He was a monster and he accepted this now. He didn't want to hurt her any more.
He followed the halls to a room with ivory walls and crimson floors. He hadn't entered this room in a very long time. Only one thing belonged in this room... His tomb. One you may have found in a cemetery. But this one, as old as it may be, had never been used.
Dallion had his tomb built when he was born to the world of eternal darkness. He knew one day he would want to rest amongst the truly dead. To end the never-ending hell he was born into.
And now the time has come. He no longer belonged in the world of the living. A note was all he left for whoever was to find it. He addressed it to Alina, speaking only two words... You're free.
Chapter 8
Calib
Calib and Amy fought over the mountains slowly but surely. They were not going to give up. Calib pushed on while Amy tried to keep up. Her brother was the one keeping her going. Sally was Calib's only thought and concern. His soul would scream at him when his steps would falter. And his heart would weigh him down when he thought of the consequences of being too late. He knew that if he lost Sally he would lose himself. So he kept moving. Even though they never really slept. Or the sun was yet to rise. The nights seemed longer, and the cold bitter.
Every now and then the guilt of putting his sister through this ate away at him. He would glance back at her and she would just smile and nod, her canines in a funny grimace. Calib would smile back and continue on. They began to conquer the final mountain. They were having a better time than they thought. But the sun was beginning to rise. And with the sun came melting snow and risk of avalanche.
"We should rest Amy..." Calib said "At least until sunset."
Amy nodded again. She was agreeing with everything Calib said. Calib wasn't used to such loyalty from a pack member. It was almost unnerving. The new cave was small, but warmer than the snow covered ground outside. Food wasn't necessary at the moment. But sleep was. They needed rest for the fight ahead…
Alina
Alina had barely found shelter before the sun met the horizon. She was in a small cave on the first mountain home. The shadows were perfect shelter from the sun. all she needed was to wait…
So Alina traveled to the back of her new haven and curled up against it's icy wall. She wasn't expecting to sleep. Every time her eyes would begin to shut she would hear something that would make her jump. Or see a shadow that would make her cringe away in fear. All she wanted was to go home. She cursed the sun for slowing her down. For putting her in danger. Her fear of being found was not as strong as her need for sleep. And so her mind drifted and she began to dream.
Dallion was chasing her through a familiar garden. A place she used to love. But something was different. The garden was dead. Alina wanted to scream. But she couldn't find her voice. So she kept running. But her feet weren't moving fast enough... almost as if she were human again. Dallion was moving like a shadow. Faster than any normal man. And in no time he stood in front of her. His teeth bared. He was viciously beautiful, and amazingly terrifying.
"Time to die Alina... to be mine forever." his velvet voice hissed.
A scream escaped Alina waking her. But when a pair of eyes met her in waking her screams became hysterics. At first out of fear and then out of a choking relief. A relief of finally knowing... that her love was alive… Alina was gone and Sally was allowed to return. Tears of happiness flowed freely as Calib held his love close. He explained how he had journeyed to Dallion's mansion and found it empty. Only a note had been left, and it had been addressed to Alina.
"He let you go Sally, you're free." Calib explained with a wide smile.
"But how did you find me?" Sally asked, her tears still falling.
Calib laughed at Sally's question, as if she had been joking. She gave him a look of confusion. Not understanding his amusement.
"I followed your voice. You were screaming in your sleep, you nearly caused an avalanche." he explained.
Sally thought about the dream that had scared her so badly. She shuddered remembering Dallion's words. But now she held a note in her hand, perfect penmanship saying a real goodbye.
Real relief flooded Sally's body and she sank into Calib's chest. All she wanted was this... For him to be alive... She wanted to ask how, but decided not to. And while she was falling apart like the melting snow outside, she failed to realize they weren't alone. A beautiful woman stood nearby watching with an astonished smile. She was very very beautiful, with black hair and blue eyes... like Calib. Calib had noticed Sally's distraction and smiled down at her.
"That's my sister Amy... Amy this is Sally." Amy smiled sweetly and whispered a hello. And as if she had known all along what Amy had done to help she spoke a quiet broken "thank you."
"Any time Sally, you are family now after all." Calib smiled at his sister and then to Sally. He wanted to go home. To be happy and never feel alone again.
EPILOGUE
THE cabin on the mountain was waiting for Calib and Sally, like they had never left. They were back to the routine of hunting together in the mountain falls. Eternal darkness didn't seem so bad all of a sudden... as long as they had their eternal love to keep them together.
THE END
In the darkness of the night
The mortal is his only light
Drink her blood and take her sight
In the darkness of the night
-Lavonna Onyx Darc