Vampire Manifesto (2 page)

My name is Madison Amber Rose. This is the story of how I died.

Chapter 2

I can’t keep up this pace for much longer. Sweat was pouring down the side of my face, trickling into my eyes, blinding my vision somewhat, but not to the point of me having to slow down. If I slowed down, I was dead. I stumbled, yet caught hold of my stride before slamming into the underbrush. I wouldn’t let you beat me that easily.

I didn’t want to die this night. I pushed myself harder, fighting through the maddening brushwood around me. The forest was claustrophobic. Suffocating me with its leaves and branches as I ran as fast as my legs could permit.

He dropped to the ground directly in front of me, his burnt sienna Vampire eyes incandescent in the wooden cove. He was wild, blood crazed and I could tell far beyond reason. Instinctively I slowed to a stop, scanning my surroundings, searching desperately for an option, for a Plan B. But there was no Plan B. Not this night anyway.

“
Going somewhere?” The Vampire asked.

I hid one hand behind me then began to chant. Reciting words I had only just learned maybe an hour or less before. Thunder shook the sky; so loud it was as if an airplane had crashed just a mile away.

“
You made me run.” The Vampire exclaimed in disgust. “And into the woods no less.”

I continued the chant, oblivious to the words the Vampire spoke, my eyes slightly averted from his gaze. To stare into a Vampires eyes is to lose yourself, to become a slave to his will. I could not let that happen!

It was starting to rain, my torn white dress sticking to my flesh with every raindrop. I just needed a little bit more time. I continued the chant as softly and quickly as I could, still taking slow steps backwards, the forest floor cutting into my already bare feet.

“
I really hate this place you know.” The Vampire continued abstractly, more to himself then to me. He knew there was nowhere left for me to go. The hunt was over. The prey was within his grasp.

“
I burned it all down once.” He motioned with his hands in this overtly grand gesture to the landscape around us. “All of this. Three hundred years ago. It was sacred then. The Native Americans said their Spirit God dwelt here within the leaves, the bushes, the animals, in every singular blade of grass.”

The Vampire laughed sadistically. “So I reduced this place to ash. To a smoldering cinder, just to prove a point.” Guess what point I’m going to prove tonight?”

That’s right. Keep him talking just a little bit longer.

I was almost done, the finale verse of my chant only moments away. I took another tentative step backwards and found to my dismay that I was unable to move any further. My back pressed up against the monolithic Redwood Oak tree behind me.

“
What is that you’re mumbling, Witch?” The Vampire stopped short. “Is that Latin?”

“
Actually…” I answered, a smile slowing etching its way across my parched lips. “It’s Sumerian.” The evening sky thundered with such force that the ground actually shook, the clouds swirling in opaque fury just above my head.

A lightning bolt flung itself from the sky, striking the tree I was up against, burrowing through the ancient Oak like so much paper mâché, slamming into the Vampires chest, enveloping his body in crackling electricity.

The Vampire was propelled backwards, the force so intense that when he struck one of the massive Oaks, the tree shattered on impact.

I wanted to run, to continue my plight, but that option was gone now. The spell had taken too much out of me. Blood began trickling from my nose and ears. I’d never cast a spell before and this one in particular wasn’t exactly supposed to be recited by a novice, let alone by me.

Yet as much as I wanted to collapse to the ground beneath me, I pressed forward, each step a systematically calculated thought, pressing myself to move despite the pain that wracked my body. It wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

The Vampires body lay crumpled and lifeless, a smoldering rag doll of a thing, yet I knew better than that. I knew better then falling into that trap, thinking these things could die so easily. But maybe, just maybe…

The body twitched, fingers flexing then retracting into a fist. I tried to move faster, to make my limbs move just that much quicker, yet no matter how much I struggled, it wasn’t going to be enough.

The Vampire was on me by then, his bony fingers at my throat, hoisting me up in the air with one hand, my bloodied feet dangling helpless. I could see his charred body healing before my eyes, the flesh regenerating itself, weaving together in such a fashion that it made Vampires extremely difficult to kill.

“
Now. That. Wasn’t. Very. Nice.” The Vampire sneered, the burnt flesh around his mouth literally reforming his lips as he spoke. “No, not very nice at all.”

He drew me closer to him, so that we were almost face to face, his putrid breath hot against my skin. “Remember that thing I was rambling on about? You know, before you so rudely drove a fucking lightning bolt through my chest?”

He hadn’t seen it, too busy with bravado. All paper tigers and wolf tickets to me. He hadn’t been told about it either; otherwise, this whole situation would have gone down a lot different. He would have killed me be now. His mistake, my gain.

“
You talk too much.” I whispered, driving the Blade of Osiris, which was hidden behind my back, into his chest. The Vampires eyes went dull, then hazed over, becoming pools of pitch-black emptiness.

The Vampire stumbled back, releasing his grip on my throat as I dropped to the ground, the Blade of Osiris still clutched in my hand, the ebony dagger dripping with black blood. The reason they called it Osiris was that it was rumored to have the ability to kill anything.

ANYTHING.

The Vampire fell backwards to the ground. He did not get back up. There was a howling behind me and I spun around, the balls of my feet dug deep in the damp earth. The rain was coming down hard, maddeningly so, to the point it was almost difficult to see.

However, I could see them. Vampires. Nine in total, yet I knew more were on their way; it was only a matter of time. The ones closest, they semi circled around me, death in their eyes.

“
Well what are you waiting for?” I yelled out in challenge. “It’s not like I got all fucking night!”

The alarm went off, a slow buzzing sound from something straight out of the 1950’s. It was the same stupid dream. Every night for a month, it’s always been the same. Me, some weird knife and a bunch of cocky Vampires, till I go all Buffy on their ass.

The clock read 8:00 am. Ugh…I so did not want to get out of bed right now. My covers were all toasty warm from body heat, not to mention it was freezing in this house. Like, idk, Antarctic cold. It’s been like this ever since we moved to Florida last year after the car accident. Air conditioner on full blast, all day, every day. I exhaled sharply and could swear I saw a white puff. “Oh come on!” I moaned.

It was Monday. I hate Mondays. I forced myself to crawl out of bed, grabbing my pink, Hello Kitty bathrobe Grandma sent me for Christmas last year, the one with the chocolate ice cream stains on it from last night.

Mmmm…chocolate.

My room was a mess. Clothes thrown haphazard across the floor. I was meaning to clean it last night, but got distracted. Jersey Shore and Ben and Jerry’s. When it comes to cleaning, it doesn’t take much for me to get distracted. Eh, I’ll do it after school today. Not like this mess was going anywhere.

I shuffled out my bedroom, stifling a yawn, stopping at the room next to me, banging on the door. “Aiden it’s me.” I announced before cracking the door softly, peering inside. “It’s time to get up bro.”

Aiden came awake with a start, drool crusted up on the side of his face. “Huh, what?” He stuttered. “Oh, uh, hey sis.”

“
You’re gonna be late for school again, Aiden. You know it takes you like, seven light years just to take a shower.” The covers beside him started to move, a small blonde mass of hair peeked her head up from underneath them.

“
Morning Madison.” She exclaimed sleepily, drooping one around across my brothers bare chest.

“
And hello to you to Abigail.” I rolled my eyes. Why is she even here? Mom is gonna have a freaking aneurysm if she finds the two of them together. “You know Aiden; I’m not covering for the two of you this time. I got grounded for a month the last time Mom almost found the two of you hooking up.”

“
Please!” Aiden countered. “I said distract Ma for a sec. One second. Not go and open the front door and let her prize, stupid little dog run out the house and almost get run over.”

“
I’m just saying.” I responded.

“
Okay, okay.” Aiden conceded. “Point taken. Besides everything’s cool. Mom, Pop, they bounced out last night around two in the a.m., gonna be gone a couple of days.”

“
What? What for?” I asked.

“
I don’t know, something about Cousin Frankie. I think he’s sick or something. But yeah, they aren’t gonna be back till next Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.”

“
Is he gonna be okay?” Abigail asked, propping her arm up on Aiden's shoulder. I liked Abby. She was cool peeps. My best friend honestly, well, my best friend in Florida, at least. I’m not sure I’m at all comfortable with her sleeping with my lil brother however.

“
Yeah, is he gonna be okay?” I asked.

“
I dunno know.” Aiden replied. “They got a phone call, freaked out and bounced.”

“
Oh, that’s sad. I’ve met Frankie before, he was nice. Bought me a pack of Newports once.” Abigail added.

“
Yup, that’s Frankie alright. Always there to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.” I said. “What were you doing up at two in the morning for anyway?”

Aiden shrugged. “Playing Little Big Planet.”

Abigail giggled. “Omg, you are such a dork.”

“
Whatever, you love it. Pops left me in charge by the way.”

I looked at him skeptically. “I doubt it.”

“
No, for real. I’m running this till they get back.”

“
Whatever. You’re gonna be late for school Mister President.” Like I would EVER do anything Aiden told me to do.

“
I’m not going to school today.” He said.

“
We’re not going to school today.” Interjected Abigail.

“
Correction. We’re not going to school today.”

These two can be unexplainably difficult at times.

“
You? You’re skipping school? Mister Captain America, don’t do drugs, only got a B+ and cries about it, isn’t going to class? You hear that?”

“
Hear what fool?” Asked Aiden.

“
That noise.” I continued. “Must be the sound the last trumpet blowing.”

“
If your opinion meant anything it would be published.” Was his reply.

“
She does do a blog.” Abigail corrected.

“
I do do a blog.” I repeated

“
Haha, you said dodo!”

Sigh…my brother can be such a juvenile.

Abby mushed him in the side of his head with her hand. “Don’t be gross, Aiden.”

“
Smell my morning breath!” Was his counter, breathing harshly in Abigail’s face without warning. “Smell it!”

Abigail scrunched up her expression, pinching her nose. “Eww, H1N1!”

“
Right. Whatever. I’m getting ready for school.” I went to close the door.

“
No, wait Madison.” Abigail called out. “Come with us.”

“
Yeah, she’s right; Pops gave me the keys to the car. We’re rolling out in T-minus not sure and counting, but it’ll be soon.”

“
Dad? Dad gave you the keys to the
Rolling Stone
?” That’s what he always called the cherry red ’76 Mustang that he’s had since, well, like…1976 I think. It was his baby. More important than football. More important than Presidential elections. “You’re joking right? He wouldn’t give you the keys to escape the Zombie Apocalypse.”