Crimson
I snapped to consciousness with a gasp.
I took in my surroundings—a white satin-sheeted bed against the wall of what appeared to be some sort of dungeon. There were no windows here, and the cement floor was covered in dust and dirt, and God knows what else. The only door looked heavy and ancient, the same material as the walls and the floor. A solitary old, oil-burning lamp sat on the floor in the center of the room.
I took a breath, and the room smelled stale and foul. I had never smelt this smell before. At first, I thought it might have been from a dead animal, but it was too rusty for that.
What is this place?
I thought back to everything that had happened last night. The fight in the parking lot, the chase, the huge war at the intersection, and then Nicholae’s and Benny’s faces both fixed on me with wide eyes just before I was taken away. I remembered struggling against those granite arms, even if it meant falling. And I had tried to stretch myself around so I could see the face of my abductor, but that was no good either. The very last thing I remembered was hearing a lucid voice inside my head. It said, “Sleep.” And after that, there was nothing, not even dream.
But I don’t understand. Why am I here? Why am I not dead? Whoever took me had ample time to just kill me already. Instead, they put me in this dusty old place.
I got out of the bed and walked across the room to the door. There was no handle. Well, so much for picking the lock. There were no hinges on this side, either, which meant that it opened the other way. Perhaps I could try to push it open, run right into it and try to shove it open. I put my hand on the door to get a good feel for it. No, there was no way someone my size could push open this door. Hell, not even someone Arnold Schwarzenegger’s size could push open this door.
I looked around the room for any other possible means of escape, a vent or a drain or even a mouse hole. But there was nothing. The entire room was completely sealed by this mud-like cement. That explains the stench, at least. There was no fresh air coming into this room. Maybe that was it, then. They were trying to kill me through asphyxiation. What a truly awful and anticlimactic way to go.
“Hello?” I called out loudly against the door. “Why are you keeping me here? What do want with me?” There was no sign that anyone was listening. I banged on the door. It was rough on the side of my fists, but I didn’t care. I just kept smacking on the door as hard as I could. “Come on! Will you just do whatever you’re going to do already! Get it over with!”
I did this for a few more minutes until my throat dried, then gave up and went back to the bed. I rubbed my sore hand onto the soft, silky satin. Wait, satin? I looked at the bed, really looked at it. Why put such a nice bed in a place like this? And with satin sheets? This bed was purposely set up to be comfortable. It was so dramatically out of place that it was almost funny.
Getting annoyed and frustrated, I crossed my arms. My elbow bumped into the familiar bulge in my pocket, and I realized with extreme relief that I still had my cell phone!
With more excitement than I ever remembered feeling in my whole life, I seized it, flipped it open and dialed Nicholae’s number. But to my severe disappointment, I didn’t get any signal in here. Damn, I should have known that nothing could get through these thick walls.
More annoyed than I was before, I stared at my useless phone. The time read 10:53 AM. It wouldn’t have mattered, even if I could get a signal, because Nicholae wouldn’t be awake right now anyway.
Oh my God, what happened to them after I was taken away? What was the outcome of the fight? Was Nicholae hurt? Were the others okay?
I screamed at the top of my lungs and rushed at the door again.
“Let me out, let me out, let me out!” I screeched as I pounded on the door with more force and less caution. “Nicholae!”
I knew that no one would hear me. If it were daylight out, any soul within my vicinity would be dead asleep. But that didn’t keep me from throwing a tantrum against the door. It was the only thing I could do, and I just couldn’t do nothing.
Oh, my poor beloved Nicholae. I’m so sorry I ever got you into this! I wish I had some clue or some hope that he was alright, that he was safe. Oh, what am I going to do!? I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to lose my mind in here worrying about him, and whoever took me away from him will be responsible for picking up the pieces, if there are any left worth saving.
I finally slumped against the wall next to the door, wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my face in them, hopeless and miserable.
Hours passed just like this, uneventful. I paced around the room and tried to dial out on my phone again, but still had no signal.
At the very least, I would have called my friends. What did they think when I just disappeared last night? Had they thought I just abandoned them, or were they worried something worse had happened to me?
And what about Mom? Oh, I knew what she must be feeling right now. I hadn’t come home last night, and I hadn’t called or anything to give some excuse for doing so. If I knew her as well I thought I did, she probably had the entire Tucson police force scouring the city for me. My stomach twisted into knots over worry for my mother’s sanity. I couldn’t bear to think about it anymore, and there was nothing I could do about it from in here.
At around four o’clock I noticed how hungry I was. I tried not to think about it because I knew I couldn’t satisfy my hunger. Who knew how long I was going to be stuck in here? I might not eat for a very long time, or never again. As far as I could tell from the horrible smell, I wasn’t the first living thing that was kept prisoner in here, and I might share their same fate. Suffocation, starvation, what’s next? I guess I can be at least grateful that I don’t have to use the bathroom yet.
A few hours later, when I was in mid-pace to the opposite end of the room, the thick, heavy door slowly slid open. I froze and stared at it, expecting someone or something to come out and attack me.
When a few minutes passed and nothing at all happened, I hesitantly crept to the doorway. I stopped right under the door frame and peaked out. A narrow, dark hallway led to a stairway that appeared to be winding because it disappeared around a bend. The only light that illuminated it was from the lamp inside the room behind me.
Much too big of a chicken to venture into the darkness unaided, I ran back into the room, grabbed the oil lamp, and proceeded cautiously out of the room and down the hallway.
What if this was a trap? Why would the door just open like that? Perhaps I was safer in that smelly, dank room. No, that’s stupid. The only way to chase any hope of seeing Nicholae or my friends and family again is to keep going forward, no matter what the risks might be.
I swallowed my fear and went up the stairs. At the top was a simple and elegant wooden door. I stood in front of it for a long moment, preparing myself and debating over what to do. I had no way of knowing what was on the other side of that door. Should I burst through it and make a run for it to the first exit I see? No, haste is never a good option for me. I need to stay calm and steady and keep my eye out for all options.
I breathed in deep, reached out for the knob and turned it slowly, then pushed the door gradually open inch by inch. It opened to a short little hallway, which opened to a very large and wonderfully decorated living room.
Intricate dark blue wallpaper covered the walls, and black carpet with a recurring pattern of flowery, leaf-like scrolls snaked around the floor. A cute little lamp encased in blackened wrought iron sprouted from the wall at the midpoint of the little hallway, with more evenly placed further along the wall. A wrought iron mezzanine hung above my head.
Circumspect, I crept down the hallway and looked around the room. So lovely, with dark, gothic couches and armchairs. But there was no one here. For all I could see, and hear, this house was completely empty. It reminded me of that old Christmas poem, “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”
I didn’t buy that assumption, so I had to be quick. I scanned the room for all exits. A wide window on the wall to my left looked the best option. If I had to, I could sneak out of it, or I could even break it open and jump out as fast as I could. But I would much rather just use a door. One had to be around here somewhere, and if there was no one here at the moment to stop me, I could find it and get far away from here before they were any the wiser.
I moved down the hallway in front of me.
“Ah, there she is,” said a powerful masculine voice.
I startled and followed the sound up to its source. Standing on the ledge with his elbows on the black wooden rail was a male vampire looking down at me with a generous smile. His hair, black and shiny as crow feathers, parted in the middle and hung past his ears in sinusoidal waves. The light from the lamps caught in his eyes and made them glint red beneath the dark ale brown. His well-shaped body was fitted in attractive black cotton, with a pointed collar around his neck. He was undeniably handsome, and dangerously alluring, but I suppose they all are. Judging by his facial features and height, I would guess he was in his early thirties when made a vampire.
“I do apologize for the very poor accommodations,” he said. “But we were so pressed for time, and we had to be sure that you wouldn’t be able to escape.”
Suddenly he disappeared from the ledge, then simultaneously reappeared a few inches in front of me, taking a few steps closer.
“But everything is fine now, and you will never have to go into that grimy old dungeon again,” he said. “My name is Caeler, and this is my coven.”
His words were so friendly and inviting, and I was confused and even more anxious.
“Wh-why haven’t you just killed me already?” I stuttered, taking a nervous step backward. “Why…”
“My dear,” he said sweetly, taking another step toward me. “I’m not going to kill you. You’re safe now. I have rescued you from your hunters, and they will never be able to hurt you again.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand. If you’re not going to kill me, what do you want with me?”
“What I want…is to make you my bride,” he said, now very close to me.
My heart pounded violently at that.
“A few nights ago,” he began, “I finally captured the lowlife vampire Benny who stole my most prized ancient Greek vase. When I asked him where it was, he said he pawned it for quite a small fortune. I was very angry, but I am a reasonable man, so I told him that if he could give me something more valuable than that vase, I wouldn’t kill him.
“That was when he confessed the secret he was hiding. The infamous Nicholae Albaric had been lucky enough to find himself an Amarant human girl, and he planned to make her his fledgling. More than satisfied with this information, I let Benny go and went to investigate this girl.
“After seeing that this imminent Amarant was also a great beauty with a clever mind, I absolutely had to have you for myself! But I was not the only vampire who knew about you. Word spread all over the world about the prodigal Amarant girl. They were going to snuff out that flame, put an end to the threat they had thought long dead. I decided to wait until they made their attack, wait until your watchful, vigilant Nicholae was distracted, and then snatch you away. It worked so perfectly, I can hardly believe it myself.”
So that was why Benny came over last night, why he was acting so weird. The little rat had snitched on me! He sold me out! And he knew that, because of what he did, this vampire Caeler would try and take me.
“Yes, he did,” Caeler said. “But he had no idea that so many countless others were about to strike. If he had, my plan might not have worked. But that doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that you’re with me, and all this,” he spread his arms out meaningfully to the room, “will be yours.”
There were more vampires now whom I hadn’t seen enter. Beautiful women and daringly handsome men dressed in black velvet, blue silk, and red brocade watched us from the ledges and doorways.
“If you stay with me, you will be completely safe from all harm,” he promised. “We are very well prepared to handle any who oppose us. Your every whim will be satisfied, and every single one of my fledglings will be at your beck and call. You will be their queen. So…what do you say?”
I took another step backward, this time backing into a bookshelf.
“What about Nicholae?” I asked, my voice small and ineffective.
“Ah, my sweet girl,” he sighed. “You don’t need him. He can’t protect you. He couldn’t offer you the kind of tutelage and guidance that we can. He is very likely dead anyway.”
White hot panic flushed my face. “No…I love him,” I whispered, trembling.
Caeler laughed, and all the other vampires began to laugh with him.
“She’s adorable, isn’t she?” he said to them. “Crimson, my beauty, forget about him. I can offer you infinitely more. With your powers and my cunning, we can take over the world. Think about it! No vampire will be strong enough to defeat you. We can rise above them, above all mankind and become rulers, and no one will be able to stop us.
“I know how you think, Crimson. I know your secret desires. You want to change the world. You see how flawed and corrupt the legal systems are. You see the errors in world governments. Wouldn’t you like to change all of it? You can have your utopian world. You can assure that no criminal will ever go unpunished, and that no innocent person is ever wrongly accused. You can put an end to hunger and poverty and all manner of suffering. Be my queen, Crimson. Rule with me.”
I paused, weighing my thoughts and actions carefully as he stood before me. I considered his words for a moment. When I had first learned about Lolita and the service she was doing, I was inflamed by the thought. To punish the wicked like that. But this, this was mad. I agreed that the world was extremely flawed, but I was certainly not the person to fix it. I was no queen, and I wanted no part in creating the world he was talking about.
Then again, what other choice did I have? If I denied him, Caeler might kill me.
“Why didn’t you turn me last night when you brought me here?” I asked.
“For one, there was simply no time,” Caeler explained. “The transformation process takes time, more time than we had left to us before dawn, and I didn’t want you to wake up in suffering and confusion. Also, it is not the gentlemanly way to treat a lady such as yourself. We needed to give you a proper introduction, and I want to have your trust before I turn you.”
“And if I say no?” I asked, finding my courage.
“Well, then we will simply keep you here, for safekeeping, until such a time as you are ready to become one us,” he said. “But, understand, you are at war. Soon, the world will know you are with us, and they will come for you. You will have a better chance of survival if you choose quickly.”
So, I was to be a prisoner here until I gave in to them. Maybe I should just let him turn me. I had decided to become a vampire, why not just become one now? Then I’d be strong enough to defend myself, and maybe my attackers would just stop once they learn of my transformation. Then I could go out and find Nicholae.
But I didn’t want to rush into this. As silly as it was, I wanted Nicholae to turn me himself. It would bind us by blood, make us closer than ever. It would be a form of vampire marriage, and I wanted that more than anything. I didn’t want to do this without him.
“Crimson,” Caeler interrupted my mental ping-pong. “Nicholae may be the dreamy celebrity of the vampire world, but he’s a stubborn and arrogant fool, and you don’t know him as well as you think you do. You are better off with me.”
Then he swiftly swooped in and locked his lips to mine, forcing his tongue into my mouth and gripping my hips to crush me against him. Angry at what he said about Nicholae and enraged that he would invade my privacy in such a way, I did what I should have done with my father, and what I had started to do with Stephen—I fought back. I rammed my knee into his groin as hard as I could.
He stepped back, barely affected by my blow as if it was nothing more than a love tap.
But I felt it. I buckled to the floor and curled into a ball.
“Ahhh!” I yelled, the pain immediately crippling my leg and bringing stinging tears to my eyes. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I hadn’t even thought about his ethereal, granite flesh. I was only thinking about asserting myself. Stupid!
I could hear the vampires around the room snickering. What the hell was so funny!? My knee was broken, and they’re laughing!
“Aw, now why did you have to go and do that?” Caeler patronized.
I shot a venomous glare at him from the floor.
“Don’t be sore, my sweet,” he crooned. “A problem easily rectified, I assure you.”
“Easily rectified?” I mocked through gritted teeth. “It’s broken! Ahh! If your stupid body wasn’t so hard!”
“All the harder for the sweetness of your kiss,” he said, his tone displaying uninvited intimacy.
I blushed furiously at his insinuation. He put his hand gently on my shoulder, and I jerked it away, trying to hide my tear-streaked face from my audience.
“All you have to do is say yes,” he said. “That leg could be healed in minutes, and such a thing would never again be a problem for you.”
I panted through the pain, trying to fight away the tears so I wouldn’t appear so pathetic.
“I do apologize,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that. You have my word that I will never touch you without invitation again.”
“You bet your ass you won’t!” said a voice I had never been so happy to hear.