A Moonlit Night Saga: Episodes 1 - 4 (5 page)

Suddenly, Emily brought her hands to her
hand, in visible pain. The throbbing headaches had returned once
more.

“Another headache?” asked Steven, touching
Emily on the shoulder. “Are you sure it’s not serious?”

Emily’s eyes were beginning to burn now, and
soon they were swallowed up by a blinding white light; the same
radiant light that had called forth such destructive force no less
than a day ago.

At that moment, she had instantly become
aware of everyone that had been staring at her. However, it was
more than just the two people she had noticed. There must have been
a dozen strangers staring at her, for reasons unknown. She could
feel their hearts beat, as their eyes fixated on every move she
made.

“Steven, we have to get out of here,” said
Emily, bringing her hands away from her face as the white light
subsided.

“What are you talking about?” Steven asked.
“We just got here.”

“We have to get out of here,” restated Emily,
grabbing her purse. “We have to leave, right now.”

Chapter Three

A hooded man trotted through the murky
forest, his dirty boots splashing in the shallow stream as he ran
towards the waterfall. They had been searching all day now, and had
finally found what they had been looking for. All he needed was to
tell his master.

The man approached the small waterfall, and
plowed through the rushing water. He entered a large cavern behind
the water, hidden away from the world.

He flipped back his hood, revealing his long
brown hair. A good-looking man, he was powerfully built and had the
blood red eyes of a ghoul. However, this man was clearly not a
junkie like the others.

“Master!” the man shouted to the shadows. “We
have found what you required!”

“Tell me what you know, Horace,” said a voice
from the shadows.

“We have found the summoner and her friends,”
Horace replied. “They have entered the city.”

The voice growled from the darkness, letting
his aggravation be well known. It was a weekend, and the downtown
city streets would be packed full of people. They could ill afford
a bloodbath.

“Under the circumstances, you have done well,
Horace,” the voice replied. “I need our men to be ready to move the
moment night falls.”

“Yes, master,” said Horace, nodding his head.
“May I ask what we are to do about the woman’s friends?”

“I would prefer as little bloodshed as
possible,” the voice said. “But if the mission demands it, they are
expendable.”

“I understand,” Horace said. “It shall be
done.”

Horace turned from the shadow, and began to
exit through the waterfall. After a moment, he paused, and turned
back around towards the shadows.

“Is there something else?” asked the voice,
getting louder.

“What shall be done about the vampire?”
Horace asked.

“The vampire shall not be harmed by you,”
said the voice emerging from the shadows. “I will kill Simeon,
myself.”

Xander’s face began to smolder, as he left
the darkness. He stared down the ghoul with his burning retinas,
and said, “We have waited far too long for this moment, and she is
too important to lose.”

Chapter Four

“Hurry, get her inside!” shouted Julia, as
she opened the door to Emily’s home. “Careful.”

Steven and Tyler carried Emily inside, as she
was too weak to move herself. She could barely lift her head up, as
she was lowered onto the couch.

“What’s wrong with her?” Julia asked. “I’ve
never seen her like this before.”

“I agree,” said Steven, shaking his head. “I
wonder if she caught something when those men attacked her.”

“Has she been acting weird?” inquired Julia,
entering the kitchen.

“Not any more than usual,” Steven grinned.
“Although she did say that she saw our mother last night. I just
assumed she was dreaming.”

“But you’re parents are dead,” Tyler
stated.

“No shit, Tyler,” Julia grinned, reentering
the living room with a glass of water. “I think that’s a little
obvious.”

Julia put the glass of water on the table
beside Emily, and sat down in the chair across from her.

“I bet it’s got something to do with that
mysterious guy from last night,” Tyler said.

“I forgot about him,” Julia said. “You know,
you’re probably right. Maybe it’s an STD”

“Knock it off, Julia, why would she get
involved with a guy like that?” Steven asked, pacing the room. “She
picked an awful time to fall for the
bad boy
.”

Coming to her senses, Emily slowly opened her
eyes and said, “You know guys, I’m right here, you can speak
directly to me; and I promise that Xander was nothing but a
gentleman. He would never harm me…or anyone of you for that matter.
I’m sure of it.”

“I hope you’re right, Emily,” said Steven,
handing her the glass of water. “Cause if I find out his intentions
are less than pure, I’ll kill him myself.”

Meanwhile, in an abandoned refinery at the
edge of town, Simeon was gathering his troops for the coming
battle. The refinery was run down and destroyed, a perfect place to
conceal as small army.

“We are about to make history!” shouted
Simeon, raising his fists in anger to the surrounding ghouls.

They were numerous in number, easily a few
hundred strong. Like the refinery, they were worn down, battered,
and beaten. They had been scouring the city all day, keeping close
watch on the summoner.

“The summoner will not escape us,” Simeon
said. “Our kind thought that we rid ourselves of them thousands of
years ago, but one of them slipped through our grip. That will not
happen again. This time, our kind will be victorious!”

The ghouls screeched in approve, raising
their hands with Simeon.

Simeon extended his fangs, and with the curl
of his lip, he said, “Tonight, we dine on her blood!

Chapter Five

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine?” asked
Julia, heading towards the door. “I’m just going to the store; I’ll
be back in ten minutes, I promise.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Emily, now sitting up on
the couch. “Besides, I’ve got Tyler and Steven here with me.”

Julia nodded, as she headed out of the house.
Emily watched from the window, as Julia got into her car, and
headed down the long stone driveway.

“Are you feeling any better?” asked Steven,
sitting down beside her. “You seem to be doing better.”

“I do feel better,” Emily said. “You’ve all
been so good to me—.”

“Hey guys, I’m going to go have a smoke while
Julia isn’t here,” said Tyler, motioning to the door. “Don’t tell
Jules, okay?”

“You smoke?” Steven asked. “Since when have
you smoked?”

“For years now,” said Tyler, with a smile.
“And I would like to keep it that way, so please don’t tell
Julia.”

“Fine,” said Steven, as Tyler exited the
house. “I guess that just leaves us.”

“It’s been awhile since the two of us have
spent time together, hasn’t it?” Emily asked. “Other than the last
couple days, we haven’t had much time for one another.”

“I guess you’re right,” Steven replied. “I
never thought about it, but we have drifted apart over the years.
I’d like that to change.”

“So would I,” said Emily, looking up at her
brother. “You’ve been so good to me. I want you to know how much I
appreciate having you in my life.”

“You always were the brains of our
operation,” Steven grinned, giving his little sister a hug. “Even
when we were kids, I know you were going to be the one taking care
of me someday. Consider this a down payment.”

“Everyone always asks me why I never left
this town,” Steven continued. “The truth is that I don’t think I’d
ever make it outside this town. Not you, you’re a survivor. You’re
going to leave for Charleston, and make something of yourself. I’ve
never been so proud of my little sister.”

Emily was starting to tear up. Steven never
was one for emotional speeches, so the few times he did, Emily knew
it would be a special moment.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, and
looking up at her brother, she said, “You’ve been a pretty great
older brother yourself—.”

“Guys, you have to get out here…now!”
interrupted Tyler, swinging the door wide open.

The door smashed against the wall, sending
both Steven and Emily to their feet as they rushed out the front
door.

“Oh my…god,” said Steven, at a loss of words.
He couldn’t believe his eyes, and failed to find anything suitable
to say. “…Fuck me.”

At the edge of the property, hundreds of
sickly men and women circled the area. Even under the night sky,
Emily could see their bright red eyes, staring the three of them
down. Like rabid wolves, they hunted their prey.

Tyler looked back at the two of them, and
said, “Does anyone want to tell me what the hell we are looking
at?”

Chapter Six

“You might want to come out of the house
now!” roared Simeon, as the ghouls surrounded the house.

Remembering her mistake the last time she met
Simeon, Emily ordered the group back into the house.

“They’ve cut the phone lines,” said Steven,
attempting to dial the phone. “I don’t understand. Who are these
people?”

“They are the men that attacked me,” said
Emily, emotionless and in shock. “They’ve come to finish what
they’ve started—.”

“I swear to everything that is good and
holy,” Simeon shouted from outside. “I will burn this house to the
ground if you will not come outside!”

“What the hell did you see, Emily?” Tyler
asked, slamming his fist down on the kitchen counter. “Damn it,
Emily; Jules is still out there somewhere!”

“This isn’t her fault, Tyler!” said Steven,
rising in defense of his sister. “She never asked for any of
this!”

“You can’t possibly
still
be ignoring
me?” asked Simeon, getting louder. “I didn’t want to have to do
this!”

The three of them waited for any signs of
attack, unsure if surrender was even an option.

The doorbell rang, sending shivers down their
spines. Simeon was at the door.

“I think you should come out,” said Simeon,
as he rang the doorbell again. “Julia thinks you should come out,
too.”

Emily and Steven looked at one another in
shock, but Tyler was already out of his chair and rushing to the
door.

“No!” Emily screamed. “Tyler, please don’t
go!”

It was too late, as Tyler had opened the
door. He stared down the large vampire, afraid to move any
further.

Simeon had a hand firmly around the throat of
Julia. Leering at Emily, he said, “If you had of come outside when
I had asked, this would not be happening to your friend!”

Simeon bared his fangs, and sunk his teeth
deep into the neck of Julia. She screamed up in pain as the blood
poured down her neck.

Withering in agony, Emily could only stand
by, as she watched her friend collapse to the ground.

“You animal!” screamed Tyler, as she charged
Simeon. “I’ll kill you—!”

“Please come back, Tyler!” Emily
screamed.

Tyler couldn’t hear Emily’s pleas for him to
stop. All he could think about was the woman he loved, being
attacked in front of him. He leaped at Simeon, hoping to throw him
to the ground.

“Not today,” said Simeon, lifting his head
from Julia’s neck and catching Tyler with his free hand.

Tyler looked on in shock, as Simeon hurtled
him back into the house. He smashed against a table, dropping to
the floor.

Tyler lay conscious on the floor, while
Simeon finished his meal.

Simeon raised his head, and withdrew his
fangs. Licking the blood off his lips, he looked back at Emily, as
said, “Refuse me again…and I
will
burn this house to the
ground.”

Chapter Seven

Emily and Steven stood out on the porch,
brother and sister against an army.

The ghouls howled in the night, as they
stared intently at their prey. They had waited a lifetime for this
moment, and wished to savor every moment.

“What do you want from me?” asked Emily,
clenching her fists. “What did I ever do to you?”

The ghouls cackled in unison, and the ground
beneath them trembled from their ferocity.

“My dear, I see that Xander told you
nothing,” smirked Simeon, slowly walking up the steps of the porch.
“I can’t say that I blame him.”

“You called me a summoner, before,” Emily
said. “What were you talking about?”

“That is a very long story,” said Simeon, now
feet away from Emily. “In short…your race was once considered gods
among men. You walked the world, sharing your powers with the
people of the land, and they worshipped you for it.”

Steven tried to stand in between the two, but
a touch on the shoulder from Emily brought him back. They looked at
each other, their somber expressions saying more than words ever
could.

“They were gods that give back to their
worshippers; could there be anything more preposterous?” Simeon
asked. “That simply would not work for us, so we replaced you as
the true gods!”

Emily listened, in horror, as Simeon
recounted the details on how the vampires systematically destroyed
every summoner in existence, except Emily.

“You monster!” screamed Emily, desperately
trying to call forth the energy from a few nights ago. “Did you
kill my mother, too?”

“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend, Xander?”
Simeon inquired. “After all, he was there.”

“Lies!” Emily yelled. “You only deal in
deceit and lies; my mother was right about you!”

“What a good lesson to learn,” Simeon
grinned. “Too bad it will be your last—.”

“Attack!” yelled a voice from the trees.
“Kill them all!”

Dozens of men emerged from the trees, rapidly
advancing on the small junkie army. They were skillful, and well
trained, as the cut down the addicts with ease.