Trials of the Heart

Chapter 8

 

 

Carrie screamed and ducked as a fire bat flew overhead. Reinhardt’s whip snapped and, with a screech, the beast tumbled into the churning lava pit below. Trembling, she peered over the edge of the walkway to see it sizzling in the thick, orange substance.

She turned back to Reinhardt, slowly getting to her feet. The taller vampire hunter was already climbing a platform to reach the next level.

"Hey, wait for me!" Carrie cried. She ran after him and started to climb as well. "You’re not just going to abandon me here, are you? That wouldn’t be very nice. I don’t know how to handle these creatures."

"I thought you were a vampire hunter?" grunted Reinhardt. "If you can’t face meager creatures such as these, then how are you to defeat Dracula? He is bigger, and his teeth inflict more harm than these bats ever could."

He took her arms and pulled her up onto the walkway. She murmured a quick thanks, and, upon looking around, found that they were standing before a large metal grate. She reached out and tried to open it, but it was locked with a rusting iron padlock. She glanced up and gave Reinhardt a questioning look.

"How are we to go any further?" she questioned. "I don’t think I’m strong enough to break this thing down, and neither are you, no matter how much your muscles bulge."

"That is why I have this," said Reinhardt. From his pocket he produced a large, heavy iron key. "A skeleton you killed dropped it. You should be more observant, Carrie. You almost knocked it into the fire pit."

She blushed, feeling rather incompetent. Reinhardt smiled and placed the key in the lock. It opened with a click, and he pushed the grate open. Stairs led upward into darkness.

Carrie swallowed hard and followed her companion. With each step she took, her heart felt more like a weight within her chest. With each step she took, the closer she was to killing Malus – a job she dreaded with every particle of her being. She very much wished that she had not appointed herself for the task. Her heart ached with the knowledge that her husband would die by her hand – and she felt that the ache would be there until the day she died.

Reinhardt stopped at the top of the stairs. Carrie immediately recognized her surroundings. The tick of many clocks was enough to drive one insane, and she desperately wanted to leave the room. She hurried to the door across the way.

"Hurry, Reinhardt," she urged. "The ticking will drive me mad."

"I find this room calming," he answered. "It is almost quiet, unlike the rest of this forsaken place. You seem very anxious to kill your husband. Perhaps we should rest here for a moment."

"Reinhardt…" Carrie said softly. "We have to go."

"If you insist," shrugged the vampire hunter. "You can lead the way."

Carrie nodded. The two started down a short hallway that led to a red elevator. They glanced at each other before getting on. It rose slowly, bringing them to the tower roof.

Carrie stepped off. Standing on the opposite extremity of the roof were Dracula and the woman she had seen near the woods when she had first set off on her journey. Her red dress contrasted greatly with her pale skin.

Reinhardt started forward when he saw her.

"Rosa!" he cried. " 

"That’s Rosa?" Carrie murmured.

Reinhardt nodded. "Yes. Have you met her before?"

"She told me not to go to the castle," Carrie told him. "Back when I was heading into the forest of silence. Perhaps I should have heeded her advice after all…"

"This is no time for discussion, my friends," Dracula said loudly. "Carrie, you should not have come here. I tried my hardest to keep you away from this place. It is unfortunate, but your stubborn nature will be your downfall."

"I did not come here to listen to your speeches," Carrie said firmly. "Where is Malus? Where have you hidden him?"

"Hidden him?" Dracula repeated. "He does not hide. He is standing right in front of you. Can you not see him?"

Carrie frowned. "I see nothing but a foul creature reeking of death and murder. I want to see my husband! If you do not give him to me, I will be forced to kill you."

"If you kill me, you will also destroy the boy you love," Dracula said tauntingly. "If indeed you ever loved him at all."

"Do not speak of my love that way!" Carrie said wildly. "How can you possibly understand how I feel? You are not human, and cannot feel human emotions. You do not deserve to be loved!"

"And yet you said you loved me…" Dracula murmured.

"I said no such thing!" Carrie screamed. "I hold nothing for you in my heart but hate! I will not ask again! I want to see my husband, or I will kill you."

Then kill me!" Dracula roared. "Miserable, worldly creature! If you have the strength to fight, then destroy me! See if you can! For I am the one who knows the truth!"

He leaped forward, claws outstretched. Carrie heard Reinhardt call her name; she rolled out of Dracula’s way and looked up to find that Rosa’s rusty blade was embedded in the vampire hunter’s side. He was staring up at the vampire in disbelief, betrayal flaming in his eyes as he held his side. Blood seeped from between his fingers and dribbled to the ground.

"Rosa… why…" he breathed.

"You will not interfere with my lord," Rosa said gently. She stroked his hair, a disturbingly tender action, as she lay him on the ground. "Sleep now, sweet love… the world is a place of harsh truths and suffering… but I will love you in death, as I have always loved you. I have not forgotten you. Take this kiss to Hell with you, so they will know that we belong to each other."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. His eyes had closed by then, and Carrie feared that all life was gone from his body. Her brow furrowed in anger. She pulled out her rings and pointed at Rosa.

"How can you say you haven’t forgotten him?" she demanded. "How can you say you loved him? You just killed him! If you think he would want you after doing such a thing, you are wrong! Perhaps you think you will meet him in Hell, but he won’t be there. While you’re burning in the flames of eternity, he’ll be sitting up with the angels, where he belongs!"

"Don’t speak such nonsense," Rosa said condescendingly. She looked over Carrie’s shoulder at Dracula. "My lord, if you’re going to kill her, then by all mean, please do. I am afraid I cannot stand anymore pathetic assaults at my mind."

"No, Rosa," Dracula said slowly. "Carrie wants to fight you. Do not tell me you’re afraid of her."

Rosa turned paler, if even it was possible. "W – Well, my lord, you see-"

Carrie screamed and rushed forward. Her blades flashed in the red moonlight, and Rosa’s head fell to the floor, cleanly cut from her body. It rolled to a stop at Dracula’s feet. He grunted in disdain and kicked it from the roof. Carrie sobbed and fell to her knees next to Reinhardt’s body.

"Where’s Malus?" she cried. "I want to see him. I want to see him so badly. That is all I want! Just to lay eyes on him once more! So please… just grant me that one wish, and I will gladly die. If death is what it takes to be re-united with him, then I will gladly accept it."

From behind her came Dracula’s heavy footsteps. She felt his clothes brush against her back, and his breath was suddenly on her neck. She shivered and closed her eyes. His hand ran lovingly through her short hair. His face pressed against her throat. Her heart started to pound fearfully from the intimate contact, but she arched her neck all the same.

"Carrie…" he whispered. His lips brushed against her neck. "Don’t say such foolish things…"

"Are you going to bite me?" Carrie asked weakly.

His hand touched her chin and tilted her head back to look at him. His black eyes burned with some restrained desire. Carrie quaked under his gaze, unsure of what he was thinking or planning. She was almost certain he was going to bite her, but her mind was changed when he crushed her to him, his mouth pressing down upon hers.

Almost against her will, her palms went to his strong, cold chest. His hands were entwined in her hair, holding her tightly as his mouth explored hers in wonderful and horrifying ways. She knew she should not be doing such things with her mortal enemy, but her body told her otherwise. And she did not really care. He tasted suspiciously like Malus.

Dracula’s fingers ran down her face in a light, feathery manner until his hand was at her neck. It stayed there for a moment before he forced her back roughly, his grip on her neck tightening. When he stood, Carrie’s feet were raised off the floor. She started to choke, wishing she could speak, but unable to due to the lack of air.

"I," Dracula started, breathing heavily. "I am Malus, you fool. How did you not see it before? When I, as Malus, bit you? You thought Malus was just a mere vampire? And in the maze, you thought I spared your life for no reason? Of course not! They were Malus’ feelings of love for you that remained. That was why you were spared.

"I have given you more chances than you deserve. And I will give you this last chance to live, if only a half life. Become my Queen. If you refuse, then I shall crush your neck and drink the blood that flows from your dead body. Then it will be too late to become a vampire."

Carrie struggled to speak, but the tears in her eyes and the hand on her throat prevented any words from leaving her mouth. And what could she say? The love of her life was trying to kill her… no words could describe the way she felt, or what she wanted to say to him.

She managed to choke out his name. A shadow moved behind his head, and Renon stepped into the light of the moon.

"My, but this is a heart-warming spectacle," he said, tipping his hat. "Goodness, Carrie, you do seem to get yourself into the worst of predicaments. Unfortunately, I am not here to save you this time. I am afraid that you, together with Mr Schneider, have spent more than your budget allowed on my goods. " He glanced at Reinhardt’s body. "But it would seem that Mr Schneider has met some untimely death. Therefore, I must kill you, Carrie. If you would excuse me, sir."

He tipped his hat at the lord of vampires. Dracula growled and, much to her relief, lowered Carrie to the ground. She scuttled back and massaged her neck, peering warily at the two men.

"You will not touch her," said Dracula. "She’s mine!"

"Do you wish to fight me?" said Renon in a calm voice. "I do not think it wise. The girl hates you, and would much like to see you dead. You have tainted her love, destroyed her dreams… You are a plague upon this earth. If you should choose to challenge me, you will die."

Dracula roared and struck out at the demon with his claws, tearing open the skin of his throat. Renon stumbled back, blood spurting from the open wound. He reached up his hand to touch it; his fingers came away crimson with plasma.

"Curse you…!" he hissed. "We will settle this in Hell…"

Dracula lashed out at him again, slicing open his cheek. Renon roared in pain and suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Both Carrie and Dracula were silent. He turned to her; she looked at him in fear.

He took a step forward. Carrie gasped and slid backwards. When he knelt in front of her, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, exposing her throat. She waited for him to bite, but nothing came.

Instead, she felt something leathery being pressed into her palm. Cold hands covered hers. She opened her eyes and found that Dracula had placed a dagger in her palm. He knelt there, holding her fist tightly, his eyes closed.

"Malus… what?" she questioned.

"You must kill me, Carrie," he said. His voice was tight, but he did not tremble. "You must do what neither Schneider nor Renon managed to accomplish… you must kill me. You must."

"But… Malus, I…"

"Malus loves you," he said firmly. "The Malus in me loves you. And I can’t kill you. It would be a sin against him to do such a thing. If I live, I will kill you. So take this dagger, and run it through my heart. You must."

He took her hand and led the dagger to his heart. The point pressed into his skin, piercing the flesh and drawing blood. Tears welled in Carrie’s eyes. She leaned forward and kissed the vampire softly, savouring the taste of him for the last time.

When she looked up at him, he did a strange thing: he smiled at her, a grim, sad smile. Then he drove the dagger through his flesh, penetrating the vital organ within. He started to melt into dust; a gentle wind came up, blowing the particles away into the moon. Carrie cried out and tried to catch them but they slipped through her fingers like water through a sieve.

A single tear slipped down her cheek. He was gone.

 

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

 

 

Carrie shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. Snow blasted her in the face, making her eyes water from the cold. Her nose, hands and feet were numb; she didn't have enough money to afford warm shoes and gloves.

It was Sunday, and most of the village was at church. But Carrie no longer went to church. 

She did many strange things. She hardly ever went outside, except on rare occasions to visit a grave. She hardly ate. She was never hungry. Food could not fill the emptiness inside of her.

She stood before the small wooden cross in the ground, near the edge of the cemetery. In her hand she held a dagger. She knelt and, kissing the blade, placed it on the grave. No body lay in the ground there; his spirit was free with the wind, free to revel in her love.

For she loved him; and love needed no body.

 

 

~Fin~

 

Author’s Notes: PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME FOR KILLING MALUS! I had to kill him. There was no way I could have ended this happily. Thank you for reading, and please don’t flame me. Constructive criticism, however, is welcome.

As a second note, I’m sad that this is over.