Fall of the Mortals (Book 1) (28 page)

“The people of the town showed up with their torches, pitchforks, and garlic and white roses threatening to kill them if they didn’t leave,” answered Kristof with disdain in his voice. “They chose to stay.”

“And so began the conflict,” said Shaun.

“Precisely,” stated Lucian.

“The people broke into their castles during the day, murdering their servants until they found them where they were resting,” said Kristof. “Their coffins were opened and they were stabbed in the heart with stakes. The castles were set on fire.”

“How many people did your ancestors murder in the town?” asked Shaun.

Kristof and his brothers glared at Shaun as if he had just spoken blasphemy.

“Our ancestors were innocent,” blared Kristof. “They killed none!”

“Why were the people so cruel?” asked Shaun.

“Because they were rich and they were different,” answered Seth. “They had capabilities the others didn’t understand and were only known to be seen at night.”

“Kristof, tell him the story of Dumitru Arcos,” said Adrian.

“Who was that?” asked Shaun.

“A boy with four brothers who lived in Romania in the seventeenth century,” answered Lucian.

“Very well,” stated Kristof. “When Dumitru Arcos was eighteen years old, he befriended a young girl in the town of Brasov. Her name was Crina Balanescu. Dumitru attended the nightly youth dances that were held at the school,” said Kristof taking a bottle of wine out of a cabinet at the end of the hallway.

“What year was that?” asked Shaun.

“Sixteen fourteen,” Seth answered.

“As Dumitru danced with Crina, they grew fond of each other but another boy named Ion Barbu became jealous. He was the son of the town’s mayor. In Ion’s attempt to bully Crina’s new love, Dumitru, Dumitru threw him across the dance floor, destroying the refreshment table and party beverages,” Kristof continued, getting five wine glasses out of another cupboard.

“Why didn’t the conflict end there?” asked Shaun.

“Ion told his father and the townspeople that Dumitru and his family were witches,” answered Kristof.

“He said that just for being pushed down?” asked Shaun.

“More like thrown forty feet across a dance hall,” stated Lucian with a prideful smirk.

“So what happened next?” asked Shaun.

“Crina fled to the Dumitrus castle refusing to return to the town,” answered Kristof. “Dumitru took her to wife and she was never seen again. She was made into Dumitru’s immortal queen. Her family, along with the townspeople being enraged at her disappearance, accused Dumitru and his family of murdering her.”

“Why didn’t she just show herself to her family and the people to appease them?” asked Shaun.

“She was in already in vampire form. A seeker of blood,” answered Kristof. “The people would have accused him of turning her into a monster and sought his life anyway.”

“So what did he do?” asked Shaun.

“He injured a few of them and locked himself in his castle,” said Kristof. “Just as the townspeople were about to set his castle on fire, Dumitru’s family from the countryside flew in and attacked the townspeople to defend his estate. It was the first time the townspeople saw flying vampires.”

“So they slaughtered the townspeople?” asked Shaun.

“As I said before, they killed no one,” answered Kristof in a sharp tone. “They maimed a few of them, broke some bones to defend Dumitru and his property, but no one was killed.”

“The upsetting thing is that Mayor Barbu even made a truce between the Arcos family, after witnessing their capabilities, and exonerated them of all charges,” said Adrian.

“Why did the quarrel continue then?” asked Shaun.

“It was a double-cross,” answered Kristof. “The truce was only granted to get the Arcos family to let their guards down. So, on the night of October fifteenth, sixteen fourteen, the Barbu and the Balanescu families, along with the rest of the townspeople, had conspired and planned a final lethal strike against the Arcos family. Mayor Barbu conspired with the other town mayors to locate each member of the Arcos family. Governor Ianesca, the leader of our country, had even granted the extinguishing of the Arcos family ruling them as witches and murderers.”

“So the entire Arcos family was wiped out that night?” asked Shaun.

“Not quite,” answered Lucian.

“Dumitru and Crina escaped their castle as it was set on fire by the mob. Their servants were slaughtered,” stated Kristof. “He and his four brothers gathered at their father’s castle in Transylvania where they fled to the underground levels beneath a trap door and hid in coffins.”

“What was their father’s name?” asked Shaun.

“Count Dracul Arcos,” answered Kristof.

“Did the father survive?” asked Shaun.

“The mob showed up at his castle accusing him of being a member of the Arcos family and harboring Dumitru and his four brothers,” Kristof responded. “He denied the accusation and insisted his surname was Parasca and that his eldest son’s name was Kristof Parasca. He also insisted his son’s wife’s name was Miranda and not Crina.”

 “Wait a minute, that’s your name,” said Shaun, in awe and becoming more intrigued by the second.

“Dumitru and I are one in the same,” stated Kristof. “We are the remains of the Arcos family legacy but my Crina is lost. She was killed by the mortals in the tower while disguising herself. Another reason they will pay the price of her death,” he added in a furious glare.

Shaun felt horrible anxiety come over him. A terrible image of killing Miranda at the tower flashed in his mind. He buried his emotions and fears and continued to be intrigued by their immortality.

“You’re four hundred years old?” asked Shaun still in awe.

“Four hundred and forty-five to be exact,” answered Kristof. “I just had a birthday,” he added with a warm smile.

“Did they believe him?” asked Shaun.

“No,” Kristof answered, handing Shaun and his brothers each a wine glass. “He was overtaken, stabbed in the heart and his castle set on fire like the rest of his family.”

“What of the four brothers?” asked Shaun.

“After Dumitru watched his father murdered through the cracks in the floor by the mortals, he swore in his wrath he would avenge the deaths of his father and relatives by rising again and conquering the world of the mortals,” said Kristof.

“Well, I have to say the vampires have done an excellent job at conquering the humans,” said Shaun raising his wine glass with a cheery grin.

“Not yet we haven’t,” Seth responded in a hard tone.

“That’s where you come in, Shaun,” said Kristof, pouring dark red wine into each of their glasses.

“Me?” asked Shaun.

“You are the key to eliminating the last of the mortal race,” said Kristof. “Until we drink the blood of those peasants in the tower and the president of this country, the true reign of vampires cannot begin.”

“The president lives?” asked Shaun, acting surprised.

“He hides in the depths of his White House like a caged rat with his weak priests,” stated Lucian as if the human resistance was a joke.

“Who else is left on the east coast?” asked Shaun, very interested.

“My brothers and I joined forces with the vampires in the city of New York and demolished the remains of the president’s navy and his air force in one stroke,” said Kristof, chuckling in their victory.

“They have no one to either sail their ships of war or fly their planes for them,” said Seth with a sinister smile. “Not that they had a strong effect against us.”

“So what happened to the four brothers that hid in their father’s castle?” asked Shaun.

“They slept for four hundred years until the remains of the castle were dug up from its foundation,” answered Kristof. “Six coffins were found deep in the earth but they were sealed and could not be opened.”

“The coffins were shipped to America and placed in the basement of a museum in this city called Los Angeles,” stated Adrian.

“Which museum?” asked Shaun.

“I don’t recall but it sits in the hills to the north,” answered Kristof.

“The Morelli Museum,” Shaun mumbled.

“The humans are nearly fallen. It is the era of the vampires. The time for us,” said Kristof, raising his glass of red wine. 

Shaun felt horrible. Matters were much worse than he thought. He was just told the human race was hanging by a thread. The thought of being up against the apparent odds were stifling. He thought of Terry holding the tower family hostage and realized that there could be no mistake on the night they attack the tower. He looked down at his glass of wine and stared at the dark red liquid it held. He looked up and noticed Kristof and his brothers were staring at him waiting for him to raise his glass for a toast.

“What is this?” asked Shaun.

“Wine,” answered Seth glancing at Shaun, wondering why he would even ask.

“Just red wine?” asked Shaun, hesitant about it but trying not to look nervous.

“Mortal wine. It’s recent and sweet,” answered Seth.

“You mean blood?” asked Shaun.

“Of course its blood, you fool,” Kristof mumbled in a jocular tone. “The delicious remains of the one they called
Trent
in the tower. “I’ll have to share with you the story of his death sometime,” he added, chuckling.

“Now raise your glass so we can toast,” said Lucian.

Shaun raised his glass, trying to be strong. The thought of having to drink Trent’s blood horrified him but he couldn’t look fake for one second.

“What shall we toast to?” Shaun asked, burying his mortal fears and apprehension.

“To the fall of the mortals,” Kristof responded, raising his glass with the others.

“The fall of the mortals!” they chanted in unison, clinking their wine glasses together.

Shaun watched them put their glasses to their lips and drink the blood. Shaun held his breath and took his drink expecting to be disgusted utterly. The blood reached his taste buds. A light came on inside of him. He closed his eyes and staggered back a few steps, losing his balance. He nearly dropped his wine glass because of the powerful sweet bliss that poured over him. In his mind, he flew at a super speed through clouds then down to the surface over a distant city at the same speed whizzing over cars, traffic signals, bridges and through aisles of skyscrapers. He landed on top of a high skyscraper, clenching his fists in a state of euphoria as knowledge of sciences, theology, math, history, multiple languages and technology flowed into him as if another portion of his brain was being opened to receive a tidal wave of information.

Adrian shook Shaun’s shoulder, waking him up. He was still in a daze and looked disoriented. Kristof and his brothers laughed.

“Your first drink of mortal blood?” asked Kristof.

Shaun didn’t answer but stood in a daze staring forward.

“Wake up,” said Kristof snapping his fingers in front of his Shaun’s face.

Shaun blinked repeatedly for a moment. His eyes returned to normal and he looked around in amazement.

“What the hell is in this?” Shaun asked.

“It’s simply human blood,” answered Seth.

“All this knowledge poured into me. I had understanding of things I never imagined were possible,” said Shaun still amazed. “But it’s gone now.”

“The consumption of mortal blood makes us more perfect,” said Adrian. “Now you can understand why the vampires crave it more than life itself. It’s not only the feeling of dreamful bliss but the ability to become more powerful. God like.”

“The desire for the power is all too consuming,” said Seth. “There has not been one that has denied the hunger for more.”

“It’s another reason why the human world is beneath us. It is nothing more than a gateway, or a passage to something greater, far beyond what the human brain could possibly imagine,” said Kristof.

“You liked what you tasted?” asked Lucian.

“Very much,” answered Shaun, baffled that a few sips of mortal blood could have such an effect on him.

“What are you waiting for?” asked Kristof raising his glass with a smile.

Shaun guzzled down the rest of the blood in his glass as if he’d been dying of thirst for several days in a hot desert. Shaun returned to the feelings of bliss. He caressed the glass against his face licking every last drop around the edges. Kristof laughed louder and louder in the background.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PROFESSOR HAMMOND

Shaun flew over the city towards the north hills. He looked down at the skyscrapers, streets, abandoned cars on the freeways and refineries, which sat lifeless beneath him. The lifeless city still reflected the end of the human world. It looked like an enormous tomb beneath him. He felt the human world was behind him. A thing that had passed away. There was no place for him in it nor did he want to be part of it. He had seen and done things he never thought were imaginable and it was all that mattered. He thought about the tower family. He began to feel torn about them. Harold and the others were just people, completely oblivious to what’s out there.
Wouldn’t I be doing Harold and the others a favor by turning them into vampires? Who am I to hold them back from facing a greater destiny by becoming immortal and more perfect? What’s the point in trying to save them? Kristof even said only a few of them are left. If I save them, the others would run them down and slaughter them for their blood. The humans have run their course. It’s time for a new era. The vampire era
, he thought.

Another feeling came over Shaun.
No! It’s not right. Who am I to take that choice from them? Perhaps they would prefer to die as mortals, to be everlasting enemies to us. Why should all they have sacrificed and suffered through be in vain? Maybe there is a paradise or a place of rest for the mortal souls who have done well with their lives. Even if that’s not the case, I can’t be the one to take that from them,
he thought.

Shaun flew over the Morelli Museum, a large structure made up of several contemporary buildings, paved walk ways and fountains. He was curious about the coffins Kristof had mentioned but, more importantly, he smelled something. It was the same, powerful sweet aroma of Trent’s blood. He remembered the sweet taste in his mouth, the bliss and the influx of massive knowledge. Something was in the museum and he had to have it.

He flew down, crashing through a ceiling window. The sound of shattering glass was loud. The broken pieces of all sizes fell far down to the floor and broke into smaller pieces. Shaun flew lower, looking around trying to follow the scent of blood. He flew over the marble lobby floors sniffing trying desperately to locate the origin of the scent.

Shaun floated ten feet above the floor sniffing constantly. A feeling of heated impatience came over him.

“I know you’re in here!” Shaun hollered, still sniffing.

Inside a locked closet, a man in his fifties trembled in fear, frightened of the vampire that was just outside the door. The man quivered with shaky breaths, hoping the creature didn’t find him.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash against the closet door. The man screamed. There was another crash, and another. Shaun punched through the door and ripped the entire thing off its hinges. He threw the door all the way across the lobby. The closet door struck against the wall on the opposite side of the lobby making a loud noise before it fell to the floor. Shaun gnashed his teeth at the man hiding in the closet who was now on the floor scared as hell. To Shaun he looked like nothing more than fresh blood. Another key to access the highway to vampire glory. It was another opportunity to experience the powerful bliss of knowledge retention.

“Please don’t!” yelled the man. “Please don’t hurt me!”

Shaun grabbed the man and threw him one-handed out of the closet. The man flew fifteen feet and hit the lobby floor. Shaun stood over him watching him squirm for his life on the floor. His ability to feel compassion and empathy for a human was gone. All that mattered was feeling the power once again. Somehow Shaun was able to stand over him without attacking him just yet.

“Are there any more here with you?” asked Shaun, looking down at him, licking his top lip ready to taste his blood.

“No, I’m it. I … uh … am the last one here,” the man stammered.

“What’s your name?” asked Shaun.

“My n-name? H-Hammond. S-Steve Hammond,” he answered, still nervous and scared to death.

“How long have you been here?” Shaun asked.

“About nine months,” Hammond answered, hoping the vicious vampire wouldn’t attack him. He still breathed heavily.

“You remind me of someone, Steve,” said Shaun, closing his eyes as if he was trying to remember something.

“Wh-what do I remind you of, sir?” asked Hammond, trying to be very polite.

“Myself,” answered Shaun. “I think I used to hide somewhere too,” he added, blinking his eyes and seeing flashes of Harold, Betty and Thai in his mind. Then the memories were gone.

“Well, I uh … am sorry to hear that,” said Hammond. “Please do let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. And, right now, I think I should be leaving. Good luck with the memory thing,” he added before running as fast as he could across the lobby.

Shaun vanished then appeared right in front of Hammond, blocking his path. Hammond tried to run the other way but Shaun appeared in front of him again. Hammond was stunned, fearing the vampire was toying with him before attacking him. Shaun’s memory returned. He remembered who he was. It scared him that the old him was deteriorating and he was becoming a vampire more as time went on. He knew he didn’t have much time to get Harold and the others out of the tower. 

“Do you want to live?” Shaun asked Hammond in a sinister voice.

“Yes,” answered Hammond, panting.

“I’m looking for six coffins,” said Shaun. “They’re somewhere in this museum. Show me to them and I’ll spare your life.”

“Coffins?” asked Hammond. “Did you say coffins?”

“Yes.”

“You must mean
the
six coffins from Romania,” stated Hammond with a sigh. 

“Where are they?” asked Shaun, glaring at the man.

“This way. I’ll take you to them,” answered Hammond beginning to feel less scared.

***

In the lower levels of the museum, Hammond led Shaun into a large storage room. There were shelves along the walls with boxes, filing cabinets and rolled up poster boards. The room was well lit. There were six open coffins that lay on counters in the room. Hammond and Shaun walked over to them. Shaun looked them over and ran his hand along the edge of one of them. Hammond watched him closely.

“Why are you so interested, if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Hammond.

“These coffins are legendary,” Shaun responded, admiring them. “Kristof slept in this thing for four hundred years. Incredible.”

Hammond glanced at him, very nervous still.

“How did you know they were here?” Shaun asked.

“It was I who opened them,” Hammond responded in a sad tone, looking down. “I’m the one who opened Pandora’s box and released it on the world.”

“How did they get here from Romania?” asked Shaun.

“An excavation company we hired did some digging for us below a castle that had burned down in the seventeenth century,” answered Hammond. “There were six coffins found deep below the main level of the once magnificent home of Count—”

“—Dracul Arcos,” stated Shaun. “Just as Kristof described.”

“Excuse me?” said Hammond, still trying to be extra polite.

“Nothing. Continue what you were saying,” said Shaun.

“Anyway, after the coffins were found, the foreman notified me immediately of the finding,” Hammond continued. “I had them shipped here at once being intrigued that the coffins were sealed and impossible to open. I was so excited when I got the news, I almost flew myself there. I used to be a pilot.”

“You can fly planes?” asked Shaun.

“Yes. Fifteen years in the Air F—”

“—Can you fly a commercial airliner?” asked Shaun, sounding more interested.

“Sure,” Hammond answered.

Shaun floated around the room for a moment.

“How did you manage to open the coffins by yourself?” Shaun asked, floating directly over the coffins and inspecting them.

“It actually took the help of six museum workers with crow bars. We managed to loosen the top lid but we needed a break,” answered Hammond. “I stepped away for a moment. I heard a loud crashing noise and ran back to the work area to see all six workers were dead on the floor. Blood was pooling on the floor beneath them at their necks. A tall vampire wearing a black hooded robe was floating over the coffins, extending his hand to them. The lid of each coffin blasted open one after another. Four other vampires along with a female rose out of the coffins,” stated Hammond. 

“And so Kristof, Miranda and his brothers awakened,” mumbled Shaun.

“Yes,” answered Hammond then silenced himself, still afraid of Shaun.

Shaun glared at him with an evil stare and floated towards him.

“Are you g-going to k-kill me?” Hammond stammered nervously, beginning to shrink.

“No,” answered Shaun, releasing his scary looks. “I need your help.”

“What do you need me to do?” asked Hammond.

“We’re going to the airport,” answered Shaun, grabbing Hammond by the shirt one-handed and flying through the roof with him.

Hammond yelled.

***

Los Angeles International airport was quiet. There were no vampires flying in the air, sitting on top of any of the structures or walking near the parked planes. A few seven forty-seven planes had crashed and broken apart in the short distance on the runways. The tails and wings were detached from the bodies. The roofs had broken off the bodies, too, exposing the rows of passenger seats in the cabins. Parts of the planes were burned from exploding after they fell from the sky.

It appeared the pilots crashed from the swarms of flying vampires crowding the windshields and breaking into the cabins to get to the people who were so desperately trying to get away.

Shaun landed near a commercial plane with Hammond. They both looked around the sides for an open door. No good.

“It’s a seven twenty-seven,” stated Hammond.

“Could you fly it?” asked Shaun.

“If we got in,” Hammond responded.

Shaun flew over to more parked planes and looked them over. He noticed all the side doors were shut on them except one. He flew back to Hammond, picked him up and flew to a parked seven forty-seven that had a side door open slightly.  Shaun forced the side door open and entered the cabin with Hammond.

“Well?” asked Shaun.

“A seven forty-seven?” Hammond asked in disbelief.

“Can you fly it?” asked Shaun in a stern tone.

Hammond went to the cockpit and sat in the pilot’s seat. He looked over the control panel laden with buttons, switches and knobs.

“I’ll need a co-pilot,” Hammond answered, setting his hand on the central throttle in between the pilot and co-pilot seat. “Where is it we’re going?”

“The White House,” Shaun responded.

“D.C.?” Hammond asked. “Why there?”

“The president is still alive,” Shaun answered. “He’ll take them in. It will be the only safe place around here for a while. A long while.”

“Who are these people that you want to save?” asked Hammond.

“Last of the mortals,” Shaun answered. “My family. I made them a promise. I intend to keep it.”

“Do they know you’ve changed over?” asked Hammond, trying to sound sincere.

Shaun glared at him with his orange eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” Hammond added, clearly intimidated.

“We’ll need to keep you safe until the departure,” said Shaun.

“What about the place where these friends of yours are?” asked Hammond.

“It’s too dangerous,” Shaun answered. “They’re being held hostage.”

“By other people?” asked Hammond. “Even at a time like this?”

“Trust me, these
people
who are holding them have got it coming,” said Shaun with a smirk. “Because I’m personally going to throw them a going away party,” he added, gnashing his teeth.

“I still have supplies at the museum,” said Hammond. “I suppose I can stay

there till we’re ready. That is if you can keep any vampires away from me?”

“I’ll keep you safe,” Shaun responded. “Just don’t do anything stupid and get caught.”

“Got it,” answered Hammond. “Do any vampires know you’re

doing all this?”

“No. It would be certain death for both of us if they did,” Shaun responded.

“Right,” Hammond answered quietly.

***

Shaun floated down through the ceiling and landed on the museum lobby floor gently with Hammond. The lobby was dimly lit. There was stillness yet something hid in the shadows of the room.

“Thank you,” said Hammond. “I guess I’ll go back t—”

“—Shh, wait,” said Shaun, grabbing hold of the back of Hammond’s shirt, his eyes darting around the dark areas sensing something else was there. “We’re not alone.”

“Oh good hell,” said Hammond in a cowardly whisper, beginning to breathe heavily.