Descend into Darkness (BOOK 1)

| 11 | Survival Training

   Marquis deftly loaded the silver bullets into the magazine and inserted it into the gun. His movements were fluid, as though he had done this countless times before. He pulled back the slide with a swift motion, letting it snap back into place with a resounding click. With one eye closed, he aimed the weapon at an unseen adversary.

   A familiar realization struck me: the man before me had lived through numerous lifetimes. Yet, I struggled to fully comprehend the nature of our relationship. Was he a knight to a king? Or was I a sheep to his shepherd?

   My gaze traced the contours of the sleek black gun. It appeared almost otherworldly, and upon closer inspection, I noticed small symbols etched in red along the grip. The intricate markings seemed to hold a deeper meaning, leaving me further intrigued by the mysteries surrounding Marquis and our entwined fates.

   "Malrunar," he said, tracing the etchings with his fingertip. "Nordic runes to enhance your aim. As long as you point it reasonably well, the bullets will guide themselves to the target's nearest vital points."

   "That's... hard to believe that a few symbols can do that."

   "Give me your hand." He gently placed a silver bullet in my palm. "If you shoot a vampire in the heart, it'll kill them instantly."

   I furrowed my brow. "I doubt Carden would let me do that. He'd kill me before I could even raise the gun."

   Marquis sighed. "No amount of firepower will be enough to kill that guy. He's on an entirely different level."

   "Then what's the point of giving me a gun?"

   "As a last resort. It'll buy you time when you need it most, and if you manage to damage his head or heart enough, it'll take him a while to recover."

"I'm not sure you can call that reassuring."

   My chest tightened at the thought. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

   "All of this is to survive until my birthday, right? What then?"

   "Only time will tell. I know that isn't much right now, but it's all we've got."

   He offered me a smile. For some reason, it made me feel better, if only slightly.

   "Why don't you go get some more rest? Your dad left some food. I'll bring that up later."

   I sank back onto the bed, rolling onto my side and burying myself in the blanket. As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but think about the night Carden fought Agnes. The memory still haunted me. 

   His heavy, bloodlust-filled presence, the violent thrust of his blade piercing her heart, and the chilling indifference on his face as he did it. It could be me on the receiving end of that.

   There was a knock on the door, and I woke immediately from my rest. Just as I turned to Marquis at my desk, he vanished along with the weapon. I turned to look at the window to realise hours have passed. Dad must be home for his break from work.

   "Hey Kels, I need to talk to you about something."

   "Dad?"

    "You wanna tell me what happened in the basement?"

   I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "What do you mean?"

   "Come with me."

   Fear welled up in my body as we descended the stairs. I didn't know what to think. Had he finally found out?

   My fingers plucked at the tattered edges of my sleeve, a habit I had had since I was a kid. As he pulled open the basement door, I was reminded of the time when I was younger when I had kicked a ball too close to the house and smashed a window.