Charlotte After Dark

Chapter 54: What Did You Do?

I was surrounded by darkness accompanied only by the low sound of faraway groans and sorrowful cries somewhere around me. There was something oddly familiar about this place, but I couldn't place myself. The ground I stood on was wet, covered in something I was sure I didn't want to know. I turned around, trying to find some light, but I was only met with more darkness.

I held my hand out, trying to find a wall in this dark abyss, shuffling my feet for fear of finding myself falling off of an unforeseen cliff or other danger. I heard a stifled cry grow louder as I pushed myself through the darkness. Suddenly, the cries and groan stopped, enveloping me in silence.

A small girl, not more than five, stood in front of me. She looked at me with a pair of silvery gray eyes, her face framed by sleek hair the color of glossy ink. There was an unexpected agelessness in her face, like she was neither old nor young—she simply was. Her face looked at me expressionless.

"He's coming," she said.

"Who are you?" I called out.

"I am the Harbinger. Heed my word, Charlotte Alderleisten: you will be responsible for great suffering in this world if you do not stop him," she replied.

"Stop who?" I responded.

"The Wanderer, the betrayed father. He will come to collect his children and lead his followers to finish what was begun," she stated.

"I don't understand," I said.

The girl didn't bother to explain. "We will choose our Messenger."

"Messenger? I don't know what you're talking about!" I called out again, trying to take a few steps closer to her. No matter how many steps I seemed to make, she seemed to move further and further away. I found myself sprinting from the girl but she remained just far enough away from me. What was this place?

I stopped in my tracks. "What is this place?"

"This place has many names. It is both a prison and a sanctuary."

"That's not ambiguous at all," I scoffed. Typical.

"Await our Messenger, Charlotte Alderliesten," the girl announced.

"I'll get right on that," I sighed.

The girl disappeared. In her place remained only darkness. I spun around, desperate to find her again but was met with only more darkness until I found myself face to face with a towering man with green eyes. His dark hair stuck to his face as he reach out to me, grasping me tightly around the throat. He spoke no words to me, only wrapped one of his powerful hands around my throat, yanking my head to one side. I pushed against his chest but his hold persisted, growing tighter the more and more I resisted.

From the corner of eye, I saw two fangs descend from his mouth.

"By the blood of a Resurgent, I will be released," he growled.

He sank his fangs into me, the familiar searing pain overtaking me. The words were trapped in my throat as I tried in desperation to scream. I pushed against his stone-hard chest to no avail. He didn't budge. He only continued to partake in my blood. The sensation of lightness came over me, and I knew I would soon pass out from the amount he was taking. He was clearly intending to drain me completely.