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 Two: Confession to Hunger
Earth
Rome, Italy
Abel did not go to Sunday mass.
He wanted to, but he just found he could not. Not since he had seen Nyssa in such a state. William found him sitting in his room, staring solemnly out the window. Several children played happily out in the church yards.
"Father Nightroad, you've been in here for too long." William said, gently, "You should get out a little bit."
Abel was not in the mood. He couldn't find the happiness really in anything right now. Seeing Nyssa like that last night had made his depression far worse than anything. He looked up at William with despair in his icy blue eyes.
"William, what can I do?" he said, "We can't let her kill more people, but I can't let her become persecuted because I ... " He trailed off and stared down, hesitant.
William smiled, getting the idea. "I know. I know how much you love her." he said, gently. "But she is obviously turning back toward the path to darkness and we cannot allow that to continue. I'm sorry, Father."
The words chilled Abel's blood, but nonetheless, he got up and walked out of his room. Maybe he did need a breather. Maybe.
O
Walking around town certainly helped clear his head a little. He stopped and got an ice cream cone and sat by the docks to think a little. He wanted to find a way to help Nyssa, but he just was not sure what to do. Deciding maybe it was time to head back - because the sun had begun to set-Abel took a shortcut back toward the church.
"I know what you want ... "
The rasping voice came from a tattered hut and Abel paused hesitantly. A woman in rags sat within the hut, smiling a disturbing smile. She was aged, Abel could tell. She wore quite a good bit of jewelry and amulets. Her hut was filled with them.
"Come inside ... Priest." the woman beckoned with one bony finger.
Abel hesitated once more before he dipped his head and walked into the hut. There were many candles lit and books piled all over the place. Abel was not very comfortable in a place like this. It was filled with many symbols of occult. Things normally he would not condone. The air smelled of scents and dust.
"Um ... who are you?" Abel asked, as politely as he could.
"That matters not, priest." the strange woman murmured, taking a book from a pile. "What matters obviously is your desires ... "
The words were spoken so softly and oily that it sent little shivers through the priest. Abel looked up at her with a hint of pain. He did not like the idea she knew his desires. How, he really did not want to know, but she knew.
"You DO want Nyssa back ... don't you?" the woman purred.
Abel sat down in front of her and nodded. "Yes! Yes, I do."
"Well ... she has fallen into a dark void ... " the woman murmured, opening the book and revealing an old medieval vampiric design and text. "Her mind lies buried within the blood ... Your blood." She held up a hand. "Give me your hand, priest."
Abel frowned and reluctantly obeyed. The old woman took his hand in hers, touching the palm and smiling. "Ahh ... yes ... her mind lies within your blood indeed." she purred. She closed her palm around Abel's and looked him in the eye. "Go find Nyssa."
Abel wasn't sure if he could trust her or not. But she seemed to understand.
O
The orphanage children prepared to go down for sleep. Anxious as they were, several nuns gathered them together.
"I think I'm still growing! Measure me again!" a boy cried, lining himself up against the wall. Several lines were drawn up to measure the children's growth.
A nun chuckled and walked over. "All right, Jimmy. Stand still and let's see." she said.
One of the girls, merely an 8 year old folded her arms. "Sister Rice, you and I both know that it's impossible for him to have grown in the last five minutes." she replied. She paused. "Isn't it?"
The nun smiled pleasantly and chuckled at the anxious boy. "Look how much you've grown." she gushed.
The girl gasped. "What?" she cried. She shoved Jimmy aside. "Jimmy, get out of the way. It's my turn again. Measure me."
A loud thumping sound filled the air and Sister Rice looked up in surprise. All of the children gasped and shifted uneasily in their seats. Sister Rice held out two hands to them. "Alright children, settle down." she said. "I'm sure it's nothing. A cat probably got into the basement again. Sit tight and I'll be back."
The children sat quietly in their beds while Sister Rice walked into the halls carrying a lantern. She frowned slightly and squinted down the hall and noticed the basement door flapping slightly. A chilling wind was passing into the hall. Sister Rice felt an unknown sense of fear and clutched her rosary tightly in one hand.
Suddenly, she had felt afraid. Why? For no reason. For a reason she could not explain.
The basement was chilling and cold. Sister Rice frowned curiously and noticed the open screen door. She walked over and gazed outside. Nothing. A cat passed on by and she chuckled softly down at the animal.
"Aww, it's just you!" she sighed, relieved.
The cat suddenly arched its back and gave a terrifying, and equally frightened hiss. Sister Rice suddenly paled and could feel breathing at the back of her neck. She spun around and her eyes grew wide in horror.
Nyssa stood in the dark, red eyes glowing like twin candles. Her hands were dripping with blood. She eyed the nun with a hungry grin.
Is what you want, is what you need
And what you want is what you need
And what you need is really what you want
What you want is what you need
And what you need is really really what you want
"V - Vampire ... " Sister Rice babbled, backing up with terror. All horrible thoughts ran wild; images of the church folk who had died.
Nyssa's grin widened and she licked her lips. "I ... I smell your blood ... " she hissed, staggering closer. "It smells so ... so ... fucking ... good ... "
Is what you want, is what you need
And what you need is what you really really want
Sister Rice backed up in horror and the cat fled with a yowl of terror. "Please!" she begged, "Please don't hurt me!" With a cry, she tripped and fell backwards, flat on her back. Nyssa loomed over her and chuckled wickedly.
Nyssa tilted her head. "Hurt? I won't hurt you." she purred. "I'll just slit your throat and slurp your sweet life away ... "
"NO!" Sister Rice wailed. "Please!"
Nyssa's chuckle deepened as her face started to change. It shifted form, taking more of a lupine shape. Her head shifted into a complete version of her wolf form and roared loudly, eyes flaring red, diving and ...
Sister Rice's scream died as quickly as it came.
The children remained in their beds, terrified from hearing the scream. They looked at each other in the dark, mumbling with fear.
"Someone should check it out ... " a boy whispered.
After a moment's pause, one of the boys got up first and walked to the door. The other children reluctantly followed behind him. They opened the door and peered out into the hallway. No sign of Nyssa at all. They walked out into the hall and started to cautiously make pace.
Suddenly, they looked up and screamed.
Nyssa was perched on the ceiling, blood smeared all over her hands and mouth, drips of it in her hair. She grinned and landed with ease, observing the frightened children with a wicked laugh.
"Ahh, young - lings ... " she sighed, "So tender." The children held each other and trembled with terror. Nyssa's smirk widened. "So ... who's first?"
Among the children was Catherine, the very child who had received the doll from Nyssa. Her eyes went wide in horror as memory began to come back to her. She backed up a few paces and Nyssa snarled at her.
"Auntie ... Nyssa?" she stammered.
Nyssa hissed coldly in response, obviously not in memory of the child at all.
"Auntie Nyssa ... why ... ?" Catherine gasped, tears in her small eyes. She clutched the doll tighter to her chest. Nyssa stared at her for a few moments and the wicked grin slowly melted from her face. It was replaced with one of confusion and anger.
"Wha ... " Nyssa began. Her eyes grew wide and little flickers ran rampant through her mind. She raised a hand to her head and grunted sharply. Her jaw dropped in pain and confusion and she bolted from the children, howling like a wounded beast.
The children watched her go, confused, terrified and filled with despair.
Abel heard the sound from a distance and rushed toward its source. He found Nyssa, rushing through the night and he gasped. She spotted him and snarled, mouth flying open. With a shriek, she latched tightly onto his palm.
Abel screamed in pain and toppled flat onto his back, the vampire falling right on top of him. Nyssa snarled and tried to get up, but he rolled on top of her, pinning her with his arms and legs.
"Nyssa!" he cried.
Nyssa tasted his blood, tasted all of it. She gasped and suddenly released her grip on his hand. Bits of blood dripped from the wound. Her head flickered back and forth, eyes wide and gasps escaping her mouth.
"Nyssa, it's me!" Abel begged, in a plaintive tone. "Nyssa!"
Nyssa's heart began to pound like mad in her chest, odd considering she was a dead thing. She wailed and thrashed beneath him, claws tearing into his robes and throat. Abel flinched slightly from the inflictions and looked down at her.
"Nyssa, look at me!"
The frantic vampire met his gaze with her wild ones, moaning and crying out. "N - No, not the priest! Fa - Father! Nah - no!" she babbled, speaking in nonsense, "He's - ahh! No, not! A - be ... "
Abel smiled with tears in his eyes. It was hurting, but the old woman was right.
Nyssa was coming back.
"Yes! It's me! Nyssa, what is my name?" he cried.
Nyssa whined softly, gasping with massive heaving sounds. She looked up at Abel and there it was. The old look. That look he knew. Being her lover, he knew exactly what he would be looking for. It was Nyssa.
"Nyssa, oh God, I love you!" Abel moaned, "Lord have mercy, I confess, I love you!" He threw his arms around her and she returned the embrace, weary and still panting. Her eyes still looked as if they were faded with animalistic carnage, but there was that glint.
"Ab ... el ... ?" she mumbled.
O
Note-Grim, huh? Well, Nyssa's gonna be back to her old self soon! Oh, and here's the song "The Waste" by Sepultra w/ Mike Patton. Great song! You should check it out sometime!