In a flash of Fangs

The Awakening

A few days had gone by with more questions than answers. I was trying to figure out how to convince Vlad that I should be with him until the very end of time itself, but everything came back to the Master Vampire. What plan does he have? Am I the key to killing him and saving Vlad or do I end up killing Vlad instead? It was heartbreaking having these thoughts race through my mind every second that I was awake. It seemed like nothing could quiet the devil inside of me. I had locked myself in my room keeping the only two people in my life on the other side of my misery. I couldn't have them seeing me like this, and I still wanted to understand why and how I even got the vision and met the Master Vampire in the first place.

Night had turned to day and back to night in the blink of an eye and I was still locked up in my tower of torment. I had blacked out the windows with heavy curtains I found lying around and made the room as dark as I could manage with my human eyesight. I would pace from the foot of the bed to the window and back and almost knew every inch of the darkened room by the time the third day came around. I had just decided to rest my eyes and sat on the edge of my bed when I felt it. It was an itch only causing slight irritation but it was enough to break my concentration. I couldn't satisfy the itch and began raking my body with my nails in hopes to get it to go away but the itch became so intense that it turned into a burning pain. It felt as though my limbs were being pulled apart and that I was being burned alive at the same time, the pain was so intense that I had no idea that tears were streaming from my eyes and that I was screaming. I could no longer feel the bed underneath me as my body slipped into oblivion, my vision was blinded by an intense white light that burned the inside of my eyes, the pain in my body was no longer my main concern. I felt weightless and free from the world I knew and nothing could hold me back as I slid further into the white expanse of the unknown. It might have been a millisecond before I felt my body land on a hard surface waking me from the luminous glow about me.

It was dark with a draft of stale wind blowing over my exposed skin as I laid on the cold earth. The depth unknown but I could tell I wasn't near any form of an exit. Rocks beneath me began to press harder into my pale flesh as I pushed myself up to gain a better advantage of the unknown around me. I couldn't see anything and had to rely on my other senses to guide me towards what I thought would lead me to my safety. I couldn't hear much of anything and expecting the worst I began exploring the area around me. Feeling blindly in front of me and stumbling I made my way to a hardened surface, running my hand up and down and to the sides, I finally decided it was a wall of stone or other mineral and was likely in a cave. The smell of wet dirt gave me another clue that it had to be a natural occurrence and not a man-made structure. Still blindly walking I kept my hand against the wall and began again making sure to keep the wall to my right as I moved forward. I would tip my head in hopes that I could hear something, anything to symbolize that I wasn't alone or give me an idea of where I was, but nothing, even my breathing was hard to hear. It was as if everything was being coated and dampened by a soundless force, creating the still and muted awareness of the retreating world around me. Fear began to work its way through my mind and into my body causing me to lose grip on reality. I began to shake uncontrollably and my breathing came in quick and shallow bursts, I knew I was hyperventilating but there was nothing to help me regain control, son goosebumps spread over my body as I stood still lost in the shadows of the cave's depths.

A deep chuckle vibrated the walls causing my body to twist and collapse in fear at the sudden new sound. In a heap amongst the rocks and dirt, I cowered covering my head at the intense and somehow painful sound. Every vibration from that disembodied voice caused my body to recoil in pain as if it was piercing into my soul with every fluctuation in pitch. A wave of tears spilled out of my eyes and I hid under the cover of my arms in the darkness, just waiting for death's kiss to lead me to the final gate. My heart ached for the love I never knew and wondered if I would ever get to feel the kindness and gentle touch of him again. The wetness of my face reminded me just how much I missed him and what the rest of life had to offer me, I felt too much and yet not enough in my short span. Life as I knew it was leaving me behind, and I had never felt so lost, utterly and completely void of the memories my body once held so dear. Again, I heard that chuckle and it vibrated through my entire being, sparking a rage I'd never known...

I fought against the pain, the sadness, those once useless thoughts and memories I had were now the fuel that ignited my soul. It pushed through a tiny crack in my armor creating the most glorious and intricate cocoon around myself, protection from the muted and dampened cavern with its sinister chuckle. I was free from the painful vibration and its unknown source, my only thought was how familiar and unnerving that sound was and I failed to recognize it as I raced through the maze of tunnels. Finally, a source of light could be seen and I pushed myself harder than I'd ever done before making sure that I would feel its rich warmth upon my flesh comforting and basking me in its brilliance. Gasping as I collapsed against the earth I could feel every living particle buzzing within my entire being.

I was out, sprawled on the grass in some unknown area but that didn't matter now for I was safe from the sinister being that resided within those cavernous walls. The dew on the grass soaked my clothes and I welcomed its coldness upon my skin with a smile. This... This is what I couldn't pass up and there was nothing that could stop me. Everyday simplicities that most took for granted would now be something that I couldn't help but smile and ogle at, in a brief instant my life could have been extinguished and yet here I am and I felt like a newborn seeing life for the first time. Everything had this filter of wonder around it, seeing, feeling and even tasting my environment was a blessing. I wondered if life wasn't really about the living of it all but the beauty that is seen in it and how I could possibly still be this alive even if I became a Vampire, would I still get to see the beauty around me with this awestruck haze or would everything become monotonous and I'd stop seeing what was right in front of me? Thousands of thoughts ran through my mind and the one that needed my undivided attention was how the hell I was going to get back home. I was in the woods but that was all I knew and honestly, it was cold and the sun was setting so everything would soon be cloaked in the darkness where I had, even more of a chance of running back into the cave on accident. Patting my side pockets in my jeans hoping I was at least smart enough to have stashed my phone in a pocket before slipping into the oblivion but didn't feel anything. Frowning I sat down on a large rock and leaned against a tree hoping that I could find my way out of this mess when I heard a ding ding of an alert for a text message and scrambled to my feet searching the area around me. Still came up empty and felt like I was going insane and that I had only heard the noise but it happened again so I grabbed my jacket and flung out the pockets, only lint and so I turned out the pockets in my jeans and found my phone in the back pocket. With a shout of glee and a small dance of pride at finding the phone, I proceeded to unlock it and saw that Konstantin had messaged me a few times asking if I was ok. I had never texted so much and so fast in my life as I poured out how scared I was with no clue as to my location and that he should probably ask Vlad for help and hit send on the message. I sat back down on the rock and stared into the darkening woods around me hoping to spot anything that I might have remembered but nothing. A few seconds later I received another text from my brother saying Vlad was already searching around their house but I knew I wasn't close to home. I pressed speed dial on the screen and waited till I heard Kosti's voice answer and with a sense of urgency since I didn't know how long I would be able to hold the connection I spoke.

"Kosti, I don't think I'm near home... I think I'm near a place called Broken tooth but I'm not sure how I even know that... Can you please just get Vlad so I can talk to him. Please hurry since I don't know how long it will be until the phone dies or we lose connection ok." I tried hard to remain calm knowing that this might be my only salvation at getting out of these woods.

"Stela?"

"Vlad! Please tell me you have heard of Broken Tooth Mountain, I don't know how I know but I think I'm at the base of it."

"Yes... I know that mountain all too well, I will find you just stay put and whatever you do... Don't enter that mountain Stela. I cannot lose you to that beast, just stay where you are, please. I am on my way now." I hung up the phone and relaxed knowing Vlad knew the area and was now on his way to get me. 

***OMG i am so sorry it's taken me this long to do an update and a short one at that, i will be updating more regularly in all of my stories execpt the book since that one is my baby it gets special care put into it. I hope none of you left due to the lack of a post :/.