Black Rose

9. His Request

I was startled when I heard loud screeches from my left side.

Is it a vampire? Fear filled my whole being.

I opened my eyes.

It WAS indeed a vampire.

I was relieved to see Kellan’s smiling face. He motioned me to open the door for him.  

“Where have you been?,” I asked when he finally settled to his seat.

“I thought those vampires caught up with you and….”

“Killed me?,” he said, cutting me into mid-sentence, then laughed.

“What’s so funny about that?!.”

“ Nothing. Don’t worry, I am more powerful than you think. Only one vampire can even my strength.”

“Who?,” I asked and I could see how his jaws hardened when I mentioned that. “If you don’t want to answer that, it’s okay with me.”

“It’s my brother, Stellan. He’s the leader of the most powerful vampire coven in the world today.”

A moment of silence passed so I decided to change the subject.

“ Well… ahhh.. Where have you been?,” he first looked at me then smiled.

“ I looked for a gasoline station. We run out of gas and you were sound asleep that’s why I decided to go alone. And err.. I went hunting.”

 “Hunting?.”

“Yeah, for .. food.” He said. Horror strucked me.

Food, he means.. BLOOD.

He just killed an innocent person!

There must be something funny about my expression that made him laughing his heart out.

“What’s so funny about that? You just killed an innocent man!.” I exclaimed.

“It’s not what you think it is. I hunted for blood, that’s true. But I never drank human blood. I fed from animals.”  I sighed in relief.

“ Is it really true?  I mean you’re a vampire. How can you manage not to drink blood from humans?.”

“Years of practice. Once I was one of the most vicious vampires that ever existed. But I got tired of killing innocent people. I trained myself to drink animal blood. Less sweet but it'll suffice.”

“Good thing you’re not tempted when you’re near me.”

“As what I’ve said, years of practice will do.” He said and started the ignition.

“ Can I ask you something?.”

“Of course. What is it?.” He asked. Not taking his gaze off the road.

“Why do I feel that it’s not really a coincidence when I’ve been attacked by vampires twice?.”

“Well, it’s not a coincidence after all. They are really AFTER YOU.”

“ME?! But why?.”

“Because you’re special, Kara.” He said. But I was still confused with his answer. He looked at me then back to the road ahead.

“Every 300 years, a child was born with a half-moon birthmark on the nape. That child’s blood according to vampire prophecies, possess a power that could enable any vamire who drinks it, invincibility. They will be immune to whatever vampires fear now.  In short, they will not die.

It’s far better than immortality. That’s why I’m protecting you from them, Kara. If they get to you, your world and the world that I lived in together with other vegetarian vampires will be doomed.”

“Know what it’s quite hard to internalize what you’re saying. Well, I have the birthmark, but how can you be so sure that I’m the one you’re looking for? It’s somehow.. IMPOSSIBLE. I’m just an ordinary girl.”

“Ordinary but you have some great powers in you. Powers that if goes with the wrong hands will be destructive.”

“Okay, let’s just say that my blood can give you, vampires, invincibility. Then why haven’t you drank my blood yet?”

“I already have done that.. to one of the chosen ones.. hundreds of years ago.” He said and I could recognize sadness in his voice.

“Can I ask you a favour , Kara?.”

“Sure. What is it?.”

“If all is well and you’re already back to your family again, I want you to kill me. Thrust my dagger, containing a little amount of your blood, deep into my heart and kill me.”

I was definitely shocked by his request.

“What are you saying? I can’t do that! And besides, you are already INVINCIBLE, how am I supposed to kill you with that dagger?. ”

“Yes, I am already invincible but I learned that the only way to kill vampire who’d drank the blood of Chosen One is by means of the same blood that gave him/her God-like powers.” He said. “Please, this is the only thing I’m asking from you.”

“I can’t, Kellan. For Christ’s sake, I can’t take away your life. That’s absurd!.”

“I’m already a living dead, Kara. My soul was already damned.”

“But you were a good vampire.”

“Living for almost a thousand year and a half will really bore you.” He smiled wryly.

“ I had existed for years, leaving behind the people I once cared about. I don’t want to live like that anymore, Kara. That’s why I’m asking you this.”

“No matter what you say, the answer will be NO. I won’t do that.” I said ending the conversation.

I looked outside my window, to the darkness. I heard Kellan sigh before turning on the radio.

He really wants to die but for what reason? I don’t  believe his reason of being bored. I had a feeling that there’s more to that and I wonder what it is.