In Memoriam

A Learning Experience

The large man was driving the beautiful limousine down the dark unlit road, fog rolling over the hood of the car, as he and the woman drove toward the Decebal mansion. A banging was heard from the trunk of the car. "Pull over." she told the man driving and stepped out of the limo. She walked to the back and unlocked the trunk, shining a light inside. "Ah that's bright." Rickey said, trying to shield his face with his arms, which had been tied at the wrists. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him to the back of the limo, opening the door and shoving him in, before climbing in herself. "Move on." she told the driver, as she glared at Rickey, who was looking around the interior of the limo. She looked at his side pants pocket and saw the outline of what looked like a wallet, reaching forward quickly and reaching her hand in his packet. "Woah!' he exclaimed. "What are you-" he said in surprise, then his expression fell flat when he saw his wallet in her hand. "You're a thief now." he said. She ignored him and rummaged through his wallet, finding an identification card. She looked at the card, up at him, then back to the card. "Is this your real name?" she asked, quirking. He rolled his eyes, having dealt with this situation before. "It was my name before it was his name." he said, reaching out and snatching his wallet and card from her hands. She sat back, feeling amused. "I'm Moira Decebal." she said. He shrugged, "And, I'm not giving a shit." he said, still looking around. "That woman who bit you was a member of my family. My father just wants to meet you." Moira said. "Why? Am I her betrothed, now?" he asked sarcastically. She shook her head. "You're infected. We just want to see what the infection does to your kind." she said. "You're going to put me on display as I die. Is this a normal family gathering or am I meant for a special occasion?" he asked, his sarcastic tone intensifying. The limo pulled up the vast mansion and Rickey looked out of the window over Moira's shoulder. She leaned forward close to his ear. "You're about to find out." she whispered.

The limo door opened and Moira stepped out. The large driver grabbed Rickey roughly and threw him from the limo, causing him to land hard on the ground at someone's feet. He looked up to see a well-dressed man standing over him, a beautiful middle-aged woman with her arm linked in his. "Father. Mother. I present Father Ricardo Aquila Ramirez of Valencia." Moira told the couple standing over Rickey. The couple looked at each other. Rickey sighed and began to stand up, "Wrong killer. I actually have morals." he said. Moira's mother stuck out her hand joyfully toward Rickey. "Hello, Ricardo, I'm Lily". she said. Rickey awkwardly shook her hand, nodding toward the ties around his wrists. "I prefer to be called Rickey." he said. Lily unbound his wrists and smiled at him. "I can see why. Please, come inside, it's cold out here and we have a lot to talk about. Rickey followed the family inside, confused about Lily's concern for him being in the cold. Once inside, he looked around at the high ceilings painted with murals of angels and demons, the center staircase leading to several upper floors, the marble stone flooring with dark golden inlay, Victorian era paintings along the marble walls and found humor in the modern electricity that lit up every room. Moira's parents walked in front of him, with Moira walking behind him. He saw other people of various ages watching him from the upper floors. Lily slowed down until she matched pace with Rickey and put her arm around him, lightly squeezing his arm his her other hand, "It's alright." she said. Rickey quirked at her but said nothing. Moira's father reached behind him, roughly grabbing Rickey's shoulder and jerking him forward. "Is the boy nervous?" he asked his wife. Lily walked up and linked her arm with Rickey's, as Moira's father kept a quick pace, moving Rickey forward by his shoulder. Rickey glanced back at Moira, who was clearly amused by everything that was happening, as they entered what appeared to be the living area. Moira's father sat Rickey down on a blood red velvet sofa. Moira's parents sat in chairs of a similar design across from them. He felt a hand on either shoulder weighing him down and glanced back to see Moira holding him in place. "Don't be nervous. We just need to keep an eye on you for a while." Lily said in a calming voice. "To watch me die?" Rickey asked. Lily looked down, her kind eyes glazing over. Moira's father tapped a cane on the floor that had been near his armchair. "You don't remember much, do you?" Moira's father asked. "What am I supposed to remember?" Rickey asked. A terrible sound of gasping and gagging was heard near the entrance of the living area. Everyone looked toward the sound to see a tall, beautiful man with long black hair flowing wildly around him standing near a smaller and older man, his hand pressed against the smaller man's chest. A skull-like shape of fog was dissipating from in front of the taller man's face, as silver eyes shone fiercely through the fog. The family watched in surprise as the smaller man's frame became much thinner, until nothing but skin sagging over bones was left and the now deceased man crumpled to the floor. "Raven!" Rickey exclaimed. Raven walked forward and Moira's father opened his cane to reveal a long blade inside, which he pointed at Raven. Moira tightened her grip on Rickey's shoulder.

Lily stood up from her chair and clasped her hands together. "I've heard of you." she said to Raven. "Anyone who has heard of famine has heard of me." Raven said, unmoved by her kind voice. Lily sighed softly and tilted her head slightly. "It doesn't have to come to this. Please, sit with us." Lily said. Raven nodded at Moira still holding Rickey down. "Let him go." Raven said. "You must be another one of his brothers." Moira said, squeezing Rickey's shoulders hard enough to draw a painful reaction from him. Raven began to walk toward her, "I'm his twin, not just one of his brothers." he said. Lily stepped between them, close to Raven's face, and looked up at him with her vivid green eyes shining. "What was that fog?" she asked innocently, moving beside him and linking her arm in his, as she walked with him toward Rickey and Moira. Raven blinked his eyes quickly, as if shaking off a dream, and looked down at her. "Fog?" he asked. "Yes, there was a fog that looked like a skull over your face when you killed our gardener." Lily said. Raven looked back toward the body on the floor, then back to Lily. She stepped away from Raven slightly, as she gently held onto his arm, leading him to sit next to Rickey. Rickey looked up at Lily, then to Raven. "That went well. Thanks for the rescue." Rickey said. "I have no idea what just happened..." Raven said, lowering his head and placing his hand over his eyes. Lily gently placed her hands on Raven's shoulders and kneeled down in front of him, "Look at me. Nothing bad will happen to you here." she said. Raven looked up into Lily's eyes. He felt weak, as the silver in his eyes faded to black, and he looked down to see a green crystal necklace swinging slowly from her neck. Rickey reached out and tore the necklace from Lily's neck, crushing it in his hand quickly. Raven's eyes rolled back and he fell on the sofa unconscious. Lily reached out and grabbed Rickey's wrist. Moira wrapped her arm around his neck tightly and held him still. Rickey kept his eyes on his brother next to him. "There was no point to that, it was just a simple necklace." Lily said. "What did you do to him?" Rickey asked. "He's dangerous like you, I just needed to calm him down. He'll be fine." Lily said, standing up and returning to her chair. Moira loosened her arm from around his neck and stood up straight, placing her hands on his shoulders again. They watched as Rickey grabbed Raven's hand that was close to him and held onto it. Raven looked as if he was sleeping peacefully, his long hair covering part of his face. "You see, he's fine. No harm done." Lily said. Moira's father sat quietly, keeping his eyes on Rickey. "So, that's what you and your kind can do." Moira said. "Not our kind. Just us." Rickey said. "How many of you are there?" Lily asked. "Six. Four of us live together." Rickey said. Moira's father nodded as he listened. "Like the four horsemen?" Moira asked, lifting an eyebrow. "No, not LIKE the four horsemen. Weren't you paying attention?" Rickey snapped at her. Moira tightened her grip on his shoulders again, causing him to jerk forward in her grasp and letting go of his brother's hand. Moira pulled him back and held him in place again. They watched as he struggled to reach out and hold onto Raven again, somewhat frantically. Lily looked at her husband, who nodded back at her. "That's enough for now." Lily said, as she stood and motioned for Moira to follow her out of the room. The moment Moira let his shoulders go, Rickey moved to cover Raven protectively, as he glared at the Decebal family. Moira's father stood and tapped his cane on the floor, "Don't try to leave, there's no way out. We'll give you and your brother some time, so that we might reason with you." he said. He walked out of the room, leaving the brothers alone in the living area.