The Mistletoe

Chapter XXI

While still sick, I took advantage, through Laura, of leaving notes to her father about Carmilla. In these notes, I described her sleep patterns, possible powers and/or problems that could be faced, the letters between her and the man called "The Dragon," the types of potions and brews she had made to bypass my defenses. Also, the changes she underwent after drinking my blood, and finally, I had to make them aware of my supernatural condition, without exactly knowing where my abilities came from.

Basically, what she and the "Dragon" discussed was that my condition was not dark but divine, in their words, a "demigod." The vampire's blood, being naturally of dark origin, interacts with my blood, canceling each other out and partially altering my physical properties. The good news was that I discovered Carmilla was incapable of turning someone into a vampire, either through her blood or her bite. There was some additional procedure of which I had no idea, and apparently, she didn't either. So, my situation seemed to be temporary, but it would last a good while before I could return to normal—maybe days, months, or even years.

On the other hand, Carmilla's father already knew about her lineage, thanks to General Spieldorf, and also her abode, in the ancient Karnstein castle, I believe. That was where her resting place was located. Her deep sleep pattern was for four hours, from six in the morning until around ten in the morning. The problem was that she slept in the mansion, next to me. So, we either had to get her out of the mansion or risk ambushing her inside her room.

Crosses wouldn't work, nor would garlic (it would be a tremendous joke if it did), and the sun didn't bother her (well done, Miguel, thanks for messing that up, applause). All her vampiric attributes seemed to be heightened. If a common vampire was difficult to subdue, she was going to be even more so.

My health seemed to deteriorate more and more. The cocktail of viruses and bacteria I had was advancing faster than my expulsion of vampire blood was doing. My immune system was going crazy, and my fever was already giving me hallucinations. Carmilla wouldn't stop watching me and supervising absolutely everything. It was like the character of Gollum, and I was like his ring (yes, I am referencing to The Lord of the Rings). During the nights, I could hear her sobs, and she seemed to want to pray, but was unable to do so.

Her attitude was volatile, and she only left Laura in charge of my care. Laura managed to convince her after a fierce argument, and the crow was still there, flapping its wings more and more desperately.

Finally, during a stormy night, as Carmilla entered her state of deep sleep, shock overcame everyone. Laura's father went out with a group of servants armed with rifles and sabers. The beast had decimated a contingent, and the rest barricaded themselves near the village, waiting for reinforcements.

I had to go out. If I didn't do something, the entire village would be plunged into chaos. So, without knowing what awaited me, I descended the stairs slowly during the late night and went out, trying to control the cough and wiping the blood away, towards the storm.

"Ok.. Okey...!" I shouted at the crow while it cawed. Both of us plunged into the damp forest, me dressed in a mix of Pijamas and normal clothes. I was crawling. I wiped away the sweat as the crow flew ahead of me. My body was heavy, and the pain in my chest was unbearable.

Midway, I vomited blood and started to lose consciousness. "No, Miguel, don't do it. You must go on. You've come too far to look back now." I took a deep breath, and my vision began to blur, trying to clear my eyes. I looked at a rock in the distance like a comfortable bed. "No, I must go on. I must go on. Come on, step by step."

Finally, using a stick I found as a makeshift cane, I reached some kind of clearing. I saw something shiny in the distance and used all my strength to get there. Was it medicine? Some magical potion? Water? "Water." I realized I was very thirsty, I had sweated too much, and the shivers were really annoying.