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 Eight: The Bathory Family
Earth
Rome, Italy
Nyssa could see the castle as it loomed high in the distance from her window. She sighed heavily and turned back to Abel with sadness.
"What do I do, Abel?" she murmured, "I just don't know ... "
Abel rose and smiled. "What your heart is telling you." he replied, gently.
Nyssa paused for a moment. She raised her brows. "My heart ain't sayin' shit 'cause it's dead!" she joked. She smirked playfully at him and drew close, speaking in a deep voice. "It's an unholy curse from the beast we call the Desolate One."
Abel cringed slightly and backed up. "I don't really want to hear this, Nyssa." he said, pretending to read a book while she continued.
Nyssa advanced, eyes wide and speaking very dramatically. "The First of the Fallen. The Spoiler of Virgins, the Master of Abortions!" she hissed.
Abel stared at her sheepishly. "You know I don't like to talk about dark forces, Nyssa." he protested.
Nyssa grinned and rose her hands as if she were conjuring up something. "ALMIGHTY SATAN, LEND ME YOUR POWER!" she thundered.
Suddenly, Maxwell appeared in a puff of smoke and Abel screamed like an idiot, falling backwards off the chair and flat onto his back. Nyssa stared at her own hands in surprise, and then up at Maxwell. He looked down skeptically at the priest, and then to Nyssa.
"I was in the neighborhood." he replied.
Nyssa flashed a grin down at a terrified Abel. "Wow, nice spill." she joked. She looked at Maxwell. "So ... what's the news?"
Maxwell sighed heavily. "The Countess draws ever near." he told her. "She has been driven to madness. All she desires now is the slaughter of humankind. If she knows her only daughter sides with humans ... "
Nyssa tittered mockingly, helping Abel stand. "I live with 'em because I fit in so damn well." she muttered, "You know that."
Maxwell shook his head. "Nyssa, you have to speak with your mother, or the world itself with perish." he begged, "Please ... "
Nyssa looked uneasy. "But ... I'm ... "
Abel put a hand on her shoulder and smiled, a comforting gesture. "I'll go with you, Nyssa," he told her, "Anywhere you go, I will."
Maxwell narrowed his eyes to slits. "That is not a good idea, human."
Nyssa smirked at him and put an arm around Abel's shoulders. She shrugged her own and spoke, resolute. "Well, if Abel don't go, I don't." she told him. They smiled at each other and Maxwell heaved a sigh.
"Very well ... " he replied.
Bathory Castle
A pool of bright, crimson blood reflected Carmilla's features. She sighed with contentment and leaned into the pool of blood at her feet. Above her, a human female of young age had been gutted and strung up by powerful chains.
"Nyssa ... my child ... " Carmilla sang, finger swirling through the pool of blood. "You must be punished ... I will punish you ... " Carmilla rose from her spot and turned toward the doorway. She slowly walked out and onto a balcony. She took a deep breath and arched her back. Her fingers snapped and popped, forming into deadly, shining claws. Thick, blood-red fur smoothed its way from her hair all through her body. Her arms and legs popped back, shaping into wings and talons. Tilting her head upwards, Carmilla screeched a horrid, inhuman scream and her human eyes dimmed into bat - like eyes.
Finally, the transformed Carmilla took to the skies, a massive, human-like bat. One that flew as high as it could, calling out to its animal brothers and sisters. A cloud of screeching bats, under Carmilla's influence swooped in to join her.
"Take them ... take them all, my children ... " Carmilla commanded.
The normal bats suddenly possessed glowing red eyes and they screeched once more before diving down and swarming over any human they could. Screams filled the air as bats sank their tiny fangs into human flesh. They screamed and tried to thrash the bats from them. But each time a bat was dislodged, two more took its place.
O
Nyssa, Abel and Maxwell were just pulling around the corner in Nyssa's jeep when they saw the scene before them.
"What the fuck?" Nyssa cried, shocked.
A massive shadow passed overhead and the trio looked up in shock. The red bat creature shrieked and dove down, snatching Nyssa up by the arms and carrying her up into the sky. Abel and Maxwell jumped up.
"Nyssa!" they cried.
"Damn, we have to save her!" Abel groaned, seizing a small walkie - talkie from his belt. "William, get the others here now!"
Maxwell scowled at him. "You cannot save Nyssa!" he snapped, "The church does nothing but interfere! It would be best if you just let me handle this."
Abel scowled right back and drew out his pistol, filled with silver. Maxwell could sense it because he faltered somewhat, but not enough to let Abel catch it. "Look, just because you have problems with the church doesn't mean it will stop me!" he insisted, "I love Nyssa. I love her and will not let anything happen to her!"
Maxwell narrowed his eyes at Abel. "You love her?" he sneered, "Her father loved her. What kind of love do you have for her?"
Abel looked horrified by the response. So ... he was not the only one to know of Wulf's sick perversions. He watched Maxwell morph into a bat and take to the skies toward Carmilla's drifting castle. All he could do was watch in shock.
Nyssa winced in agony as she was tossed into the floor of the throne room. The red bat creature shifted back into Carmilla and Nyssa gasped with horror.
"M - Mamma?"
Carmilla just smiled, a dark smile. "Allanyssa, my sweet little girl ... " she crooned. "My, my, my, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you." She paused, noticing Nyssa shift uncomfortably. "What's wrong? You look as though you've seen a ghost ... "
Nyssa trembled in fear. Next to her father, her mother was a figure to fear and love at once. She bit her lip.
Meanwhile, Abel and Maxwell were moving cautiously through the castle. Abel had managed to get there with the use of William's flying car. He glanced at the Elder with a hint of concern in his voice and features.
"So ... you knew?" he said, softly.
Maxwell nodded his head. "Yes. For a while, I knew..." He stared at Abel sadly. "And it hurt because no one dared to listen to me..."
A younger Maxwell watched Nyssa rush through the fields of flowers. He was laughing happily and clapping. "Allanyssa, come inside!" he called, "You have studies!"
"Aww, just one more time, Peppi!"
"She used to call me Peppi when she was a little girl." Maxwell replied, "Every bit of her was innocent, so much as it was against our laws of what we were in the eyes of humankind. I was so much like a friend to her. I watched her grow from the day she was born to that ... fateful day."
Nyssa picked up a small frog and laughed, rushing up to Wulf, who was shielded in shadow. "Daddy! Look what I caught!"
Wulf was smiling and bent down to grasp the frog tightly. He scowled slightly. "Nyssa, why do you touch such filthy things?" he hissed, darkly. His clawed hand crushed the creature tightly in a small splatter of blood.
Nyssa stared at him in protest, sniffling a bit and simply walked away. Wulf watched her go, still scowling.
"I began to notice a change in Nyssa's behavior during one of our lessons." Wulf continued, "She started to behave a little ... indifferent around me as time progressed. See, at that time, I was living outside of the castle walls with the other Elders in another tower. So ... I did not know of what was occurring ... "
Nyssa and Maxwell sat at a piano and Nyssa began playing something very depressing. Maxwell watched her carefully. He smiled, impressed.
"Ahh, excellent job, Allanyssa!" he said, "We can present that at the Vampire Ball tomorrow!" He paused for a moment, noticing how quiet she got. "Allanyssa?"
Nyssa was rubbing her wrists slightly and Maxwell glanced down, the concerned look replaced by one with horror. There were small slender bruises around her wrists. Not very noticeable, but something you'd see if you were to second glance it.
Maxwell crouched low in the shadows with Abel at his side. "It was such a terrible thing," he said, sadly, "That poor child. I tried everything to catch her father and even expose him."
"Well, what happened then?" Abel asked.
Maxwell walked through the Vampire Ball, holding Nyssa's hand. Nyssa clutched to him tightly, her small eyes cast down from him. Maxwell didn't like the sight of her when they approached her parents on their thrones. Her small hand had squeezed his own as Wulf smiled at her. He reached out and patted his own leg.
"Come sit with daddy, Nyssa." he purred.
When Nyssa did not budge, Wulf's smile faded and was replaced with a more irritated one. Maxwell smiled and bent down to Nyssa. "Why don't you go and find the blood table?" he suggested, "I'll be with you in a minute."
Nyssa seemed relieved and she darted off. Maxwell matched gazes with Wulf and Wulf glowered back.
"May I speak to you in private, Herr Wulf?" he purred, in an almost mocking tone.
Wulf glanced at Carmilla and she nodded, indicating he should go. The Count rose and brushed coldly passed Maxwell. The two walked outside and Maxwell sent a horrid punch to Wulf's face. The COunt went down with a grunt and Maxwell's face contorted in fury.
"YOU WOULD DARE!" he bellowed, "YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?"
Wulf snickered dryly and went to get back up, but his smile died down when Maxwell's eyes flashed red in his fury. He was arrogant and cold, but he knew Maxwell was so much more powerful than he was. He knew that. He faltered somewhat.
"You'll pay for this, Maxwell." Wulf snarled.
"It was then I realize I had just made things worse for Nyssa." Maxwell said, in despair, "I caused her far more pain." He looked at an intent Abel. "Carmilla had forbade me to see Nyssa because of my actions. I was not allowed to be her teacher anymore and could not enter the castle. I was doomed to listen to that poor child's cries every night!"
Abel flinched slightly. "It wasn't your fault." he said, gently, "You tried to help her, she knew that."
Maxwell climbed to his feet. "Well, I watched her become a numb, cold creature because of my actions. And I will not see that happen again."
Abel watched Maxwell walk down the halls and sighed deeply.
O
Note-Took too long to update this story. I did exactly what I never should do: And that's forget my old fics and do new ones.