THE MOONSTONE

PROLOGUE

Year 1875

"Mary! What is going on?", I asked urgently as the loud banging noise increased with every second, accelerating my heart beat to the point that taking in a breath became painful. There were sounds of screams and gun shots, amplified by the eerie silence of the night.

"Listen to me, brother ", my elder sister held my face with one of her hands and said, " This shouldn't have happened. But don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

I could hear the sounds of feet shuffling in the house. The sound of things being pushed haphazardly out of the way and the unmistakable sound of the screams of our mother. The screams were followed by a gun shot, then another, and a guttural laugh.

Mary was visibly trembling now. She was sobbing uncontrollably. I could see her brown eyes filled with fear and terror but I could also see her, feel her trying to pull herself together for my sake. She took out a glass vial from her dress and handed it to me.

"Listen to me, brother", Mary said and put the vial in my hand, "Drink it. It shall be enough for one person. I'd rather it be you"

I looked at the vial and found that it was filled with red liquid. I was about to ask her what it was when we heard a shout from downstairs.

"Where are the little rats? I shall finish this story once and for all", the intruder shouted.

"Drink it, brother", Mary pushed the vial to my mouth and tipped the contents in. It was blood. It had the faint metallic taste like blood but the familiarity ended there. Although it was barely two gulps but it seemed to be going on for eternity. It tasted like all my nightmares coming to life. I tried to spit it out but my sister forced me to swallow it. I thought I was going to throw up but as soon as I swallowed it, everything felt better. I couldn't remember why we were so frightened in the first place. Why someone was walking so loudly on the stairs on this beautiful starry night. Why my sister was sobbing like everything was coming to an end when I felt like I was bursting with joy.

"There you are, you spawns of a traitor", the man said as he pointed the gun at me. I don't think I was even terrified. Mary had jumped in front of me.

"Walk aside, silly girl. You are valuable. You can come with me. I can feel the spirit in you. I can smell the purity. I'll take you to Pneuma", he said. I had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn't bring myself to care about it.

"I love my brother and I'll die before I let anything happen to him", she said with a fierce voice.

"It is a loss then, to have lost you", he said and shot her. He pulled her limp body aside and shot me once, twice, and thrice.

I vaguely remember that there was not even a single sign of remorse on his face. He looked emotionless. Just a hard, stony face that I tore off, right after I woke up with my canines tearing down my jaw and with an unquenchable thrist for blood.

My sister couldn't keep me alive and so she made me Undead instead.