Blood of The Serpent

Chapter 8

In a forest on the outskirts of Ebetsu, Amara walked down a single cement path. Green trees surrounded her on every side and the sun shone brightly above, bathing her in its light. She liked sunny days - after all, how many vampires could enjoy basking in the sun?

Yet, her mind was not on the weather. It was on the conversation she'd just had with Yoru. The words she had spoken weren't entirely lies, but they weren't entirely truths either.

She turned off of the path, entering the forest. She began running at an inhuman speed, weaving between trees, over bushes, and under branches in the blink of an eye. She ran and she ran - not once stopping or taking a break - until she reached a small, open clearing in the woods. A pond sat in the clearing and two rivers ran in and out of it, its waters cascading off of rocks and creating multiple miniature waterfalls.

Amara lifted her shirt off of her head. She took off her pants and the rest of her clothing soon followed. She stood naked in the clearing, save for her necklace.

There was a dark mark covering most of her body below the neck. She reached down and touched her stomach, running her fingers across the black shadow covering her. To the untrained eye it could pass off as a tattoo or perhaps burns or something else.

She knew it was only a matter of time. A few more years, at most.

Leaving her clothes next to a tree, she approached the waters.

Looking down into the pond, she found the violet eyed monster staring back at her through the rippling water. The naive newborn seemed to think she was a good person, but she knew better. She was just as much a monster as the creature looking back at her.

"There is still a way out," a voice said. It seemed to speak directly to her mind. "Take it while you still can."

She didn't know who this voice belonged to, nor did she know where it came from. What she did know was that it always said the same thing.

"Kill yourself, Amara," the voice said, echoing through her mind. "Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself."

She shook her head. 'I can't. I've already tried everything...'

"Come on, don't you want the nightmare to end? You could see your daughter again."

'Stop talking to me,' she thought. 'Just leave me alone...'

"Just what do you think will happen if you allow the curse to fester?" the voice asked. It started laughing, as though it were getting exactly what it wanted. "The curse is just the beginning of your suffering, Amara."

She suddenly felt alone in the woods once again. The only company she had now were the violet eyes looking up at her.

She got to her feet, walking over to the tree where her clothes lied. She picked them up and began putting them on. Once her pants were pulled up, her shirt was in place, and her shoes were back on her feet, she began walking once again.

The walking soon turned into a brisk run and she was flying through the forest once again.

After a while of running she found herself at the outskirts of the city. She slowed her pace and walked out of the woods, emerging onto a sidewalk. A nearby man walking his dog was staring at her, but she shot him a glare and the man scurried off.

After a while of walking, she stopped in front of a house. A modern Japanese house, blue and square with big glass windows. Walking up the cement driveway, she knocked on the door.

A Japanese woman answered. She looked to be forty or fifty years old. "Yes? How may I help you?"

Amara looked into her eyes, locking her gaze. "Are you alone? "

"Yes..." the woman said, staring back blankly. "Yes, I'm all alone."

"I'm coming inside." The woman stepped to the side and Amara entered, finding herself in a cozy little living room. The carpet was a light cream color, almost matching the white walls. A couch sat next to a recliner, situated in front of a television showing the news. Numerous pictures hung on the walls, from large paintings to family portraits.

One of the portraits caught her attention. It was the woman standing before her, only surrounded by other people. A man had his arm draped around her and two girls, almost identical in appearance, stood in front of her..

Amara tore her eyes away from it. 'Whatever,' she told herself. 'I've done this thousands of times before.'

She turned to the woman, looked her in the eyes. Then, she felt her hand changing shape as it began to transform. Her entire body began changing, her skin turning black and scaly and her teeth growing long and sharp. When the transformation was finally over the woman was staring at her, wide eyed in horror.

"Wha... wha... what..." the woman said, staring at the monster before her eyes.

"You will let me drink from you," Amara hissed, her violet eyes gazing into the woman's.

The woman's expression instantly went blank once again and Amara approached. She gripped her by the shoulders, lowering her sharp fangs down to her neck. She drank , then she retracted her fangs.

The woman slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. Amara's body began returning to its human form. Her claws shrank and her skin turned soft, no longer rough and scaly. Her teeth, long and sharp like those of a monster from a horror film, shrank back into their human shape.

Amara turned to leave, but the moment she did a crossbow bolt hit her in the chest, the wound sizzling and letting off smoke. It had hit her directly in the heart. She collapsed to the ground, struggling to get up, but couldn't move.

"You won't be getting back up." A man stepped through the door, his round, silver pendant swaying on his chest. He looked at the vampire lying on the ground, his face one of disgust. "That silver is coated with vampire venom."

"That would kill a normal vampire," Amara said. The poison had already started to spread through her blood stream and she could barely move. "But you know what I am... don't you, Isaiah?"

Isaiah smiled. "Of course. I want you alive... for now."

"You're the only hunter that does."

"I think you already know why." Isaiah walked up to her, crouching down in front of her body. He began running his fingers through her silky brown hair. "Shh, it's okay. I'll protect you from Lucas." Isaiah put on a serious face for a moment, but then broke out into laughter. "Okay, I lied. He's going to torture you."

Amara could barely even move her eyes now, let alone speak. She knew Lucas would kill her if given the chance, but he wasn't going to succeed. There was nothing he could do to her that she hadn't tried already... and that's exactly what she was afraid of.

"Well, we really should be getting out of here." Isaiah picked her up, hoisting her body over his shoulder. He took one last look at the woman lying on the ground before stepping out the door.

Walking down the sidewalk, he opened the back doors to a shiny black car. He tossed her in the back seat and slammed the door. Walking over to the drivers side, he took a place in his seat. Revving up the engine, he pulled out onto the street and took off.