Frailty: The Darkshine (2 page)

An hour later, she stood in front of the same boulder she had passed four times already. She dropped her bags on the leaf-covered ground and sat down, feeling defeated. The only sound she could hear was the beating of her own frantic heart. It was as if the earth had opened up and swallowed everything that was living.

She leaned her head against the hard, cold stone and closed her eyes. She felt like screaming to the heavens. She opened her eyes again and stared at what was right in front of her. Nestled in the base of the mountain was their “secret closet.” Bushes and a sapling covered the opening, concealing it to where it was almost invisible. Helina felt a smile break across her face despite everything that had happened. She grabbed her bags and headed to her new home.

She dropped her bags as she pushed the bushes and sapling to the side and eyed the opening. It looked much smaller than she remembered, and she doubted if she could squeeze through. She dropped to her hands and knees and started to move herself into the small space. Her shoulders scraped across the jagged opening and she winced in pain. Finally, after her shoulders burned and her hands and knees were embedded with pebbles, she stood up. It was definitely smaller than she remembered, but it felt secure and safe and that was what she needed.

Walking through another opening and down the slanted earth, Helina smiled at what revealed itself. In front of her was the same bubbling natural spring that had been there so many years ago. The crystal clear water bubbled in its pureness and smelled fresh. She sat down on the naturally smooth rocks, took her shoes off, and dangled her feet in the warm water. It wasn’t the wisest thing for her to do at the time; for all she knew that monster could be waiting for her right outside the entrance. She moved her feet around in slow circles as she thought about a particular memory of Lizelle.

Lizelle had been fifteen, and she had been twelve. It was another weekend of camping and they had just snuck off to their special place. They never got into the water—were actually too afraid their parents would find out. Their mother had been so overprotective of Lizzie that it had been sickening. Now that Helina was an adult she could relate to her mother and why she felt the need to be so protective of her sick firstborn. Of course at the time that was the thing Helina hated most about her.

Helina had tried to talk Lizelle out of it because she knew how mad their mother would be if she ever found out. She remembered clear as day: Lizelle turning toward her with her big hazel eyes, the ever-present dark circles around them.

“Lina, please don’t tell mom. What if I never get the chance to feel this water? What if I die tomorrow without letting its pureness wash the dirt away?”

Helina knew Lizelle hadn’t been talking about the dirt literally, and she hated how negative her sister had become. Lizzie had stripped down to her bra and underwear as she sat on the smooth rocks and watched the churning water. She had stayed in that water for so long that when she came out her fingers and toes had looked like prunes. Even though Helina had tried to talk her out of it, she was glad her sister hadn’t listened. Lizzie had the most beautiful smile on her face, and a glow that surrounded her entire being. That had been the last time they had come to their secret spot, the last time they had gone camping.

That, of course, had been ten years ago and was now only a memory. Helina got up, put her shoes on and grabbed her things from the entrance. After making several trips to her car, she now sat on her blanket which covered the hard, cold dirt ground. The sun was starting to sink beneath the horizon and her whole body ached. She grabbed a blanket and covered her body as she lay down. Her eyelids felt heavy, and before she knew it she was asleep.

Helina woke the next morning feeling dirty and gross. She knew her hair was matted together on one side, and her mouth tasted stale. She stood and stretched, grabbing some of the toiletries she’d managed to snag in her escape and walked over to the spring. She undressed and sank into the water’s bubbly warmth, sighing in contentment and closing her eyes. Resting her back against the edge, she soaped herself clean and washed her hair. She hadn’t managed to think of shampoo or conditioner, so soap was the only thing she could use. She hated the way it made her hair feel, but she was glad she had at least remembered that much. That was, after all, the least of her worries.

After drying off and getting dressed in a clean set of clothes, she sat on her homemade pallet and debated whether or not she should even attempt to go outside. She sorted through what food she had thought of bringing, and could have screamed when the majority were canned goods.

Canned goods were perfect for her particular situation, but the fact that she hadn’t thought about bringing a can opener left her in a very difficult situation. After trying tirelessly to open a can of mixed fruit with a jagged rock, she ended up throwing the can against the wall, which only ended up making a huge dent in the steel. She sat back down, cross-legged, and grabbed a Twinkie. She was going to have to think of something, because Twinkies were just not going to cut it.

They sat high
above all others, their thrones encrusted with rare jewels that glistened under the lighting. They were the rulers of their kind, the superiors of all others. Many humans had been extinguished, but the majority of them had been captured. Some humans they chose to keep—their pets to play with and feed from. They were stronger, faster and smarter than the humans, and because of that, their reign would run long and strong. They were the DarkShine, the creatures of the night, the blood drinkers known as vampires.

Gaijryc paced his quarters as his mother and father spoke with the council below. Their kind had taken over the world, the royal family residing in America. Even though their species was pleased and celebrating the fact, Gaijryc couldn’t help but feel remorse for the race that had once thrived here. His kept his feelings to himself, for if his kind ever realized that he, the high-ranking prince of the DarkShine had remorse, he was as good as dead.

The DarkShine were known for their ability to show no fear, for their strength and agility, and for their cunning ability to defeat the enemy. They were an ageless species—one that had been around for centuries.

He stepped up to the thick slice of glass that covered his bedroom window and stared out at the bright sun-kissed ground below. There were many myths about his kind; many lies that only helped them blend in better with the beings around them.

He closed his eyes as he heard his father summon him, his strong voice weaving itself through his mind. Gaijryc made his way down the spiraling staircase that wrapped itself around the upper loft of the mansion. His mother had loved the house when she had seen it, so the previous owners now made food for the others. His stomach churned at the idea of all those innocent humans that had become nothing more than cattle for his family, for his kind.

His outer appearance was that of a strong, virile and ruthless prince—one of the strongest males of his kind that killed without remorse, and whose sexual lust could not be rivalled. He did what he had to do to be what his kind needed, but inside, Gaijryc was a male that needed something more, needed to feel something inside that touched his very soul. Until he found that, he would be what he needed to be, do what he must. Coward as that might be, Gaijryc was the high-ranking prince, the one to take over his father’s place should that time ever come.

He stepped off the marble inlaid steps and walked through the wide double oak doors that led into the grand ballroom. Sitting high above everyone else, his parents’ thrones were like their own beacons of light. His father, King Kristoff, and mother, Queen Castalia, held themselves like the royalty they were. Standing on each side of his parents were his younger twin brothers, Aires and Adais. Their bodies were stiff, their short, pale blond hair and bright blue eyes making them seem innocent and pure, but in reality they were quite the opposite.

By nature they were ruthless and cruel, the epitome of what a DarkShine soldier should be. They couldn’t help it, though; it had been bred into them when they were first born. Gaijryc had been trained the same as them, harder since he was the first born, but the twins lacked any kind of emotion, any kind of feeling. Male and female DarkShine stood before the royal family, and as he walked closer, they parted for him like a hand split them in half.

“You called for me, Father?”

“Ah, Gaijryc, my son, please come up here with your family.”

Gaijryc loved his mother and father, but over the years, he had grown to resent their ways, the way they cared only for themselves, and very little for their kind that they ruled over. He walked up the red carpeted steps and stood between his parents. He looked down at the sea of bodies, the elite society of his kind. The females were in their jewel inlaid gowns, the males in suits ranging from different time periods. Gaijryc watched the faces in front of him, each one of them beautiful in their own exotic and deadly way.

“My son, I have been speaking with the council and it was discussed about you mating a female and producing an heir. Your mother and I would like to step down from the throne soon, and since you are the high-ranking prince, your time to rule is nearing.”

He looked down at his father and grimaced inside. The king spoke the words as if he didn’t remind him about mating a female and producing an heir every day. The fact that he’d spoken with the council about the matter proved that he was growing impatient with Gaijryc, and his failure to produce a grandchild for them.

“We will be having a ball in a months’ time, and any available high ranking DarkShine female will be presented to you for your choosing.”

“Father, I really don’t think that is necessary.”

“Silence! Your mother and I have waited long enough for you to find a female. It is clear you need some assistance in the matter and are well past the age of maturity. You should have mated and have had many offspring by now. This is a gift to you from your mother and I before we retire from the throne.”

He didn’t speak, knowing that his father was furious. He had shown his anger in front of the council and that was proof enough that he was livid over the matter. Gaijryc feared he would have to take a female which he had no feelings for just to appease his father’s wishes. His mother patted his hand and threw a small smile toward him. She might look sweet and innocent, but under that façade was a far more dangerous being. Gaijryc looked down at his polished dress shoes and waited for the meeting to end.

Alone

T
wo weeks had
already passed since Helina had moved into the mountain. She’d figured out how to open the cans without an opener—a jagged rock being the blade while she hammered it into the lid. She had gotten a nasty cut on her hand the first time she tried, and was starting to get worried when it didn’t heal right away. While cleaning it every day helped, the wound had become a nasty shade of red and refused to close.

Nightmares assaulted her of her hand getting gangrene and eventually falling off. If that could actually happen, she didn’t know, but the images in her head had her constantly tending to the wound, and eventually it healed.

Every day she sat at the opening of her mountain cave, the bushes covering her appearance from any eyes. The sun was still able to pierce the thick branches and she enjoyed its warmth for a short time before her paranoia got the best of her and she moved back into her dwelling. Food was becoming scarce and she decided that it was imperative that she venture out to find something to eat. Helina had been surviving on a can of fruit and a few Twinkies a day, but that alone was making her feel sick and malnourished.

For those first two weeks she listened to the small battery-operated radio she had been smart enough to bring. Mainly there was static, but every once in awhile she would picked up a pirated site, people screaming and ranting about how creatures of the night had taken over the world and how every human would soon be their meal. Helina listened with fear at how these monsters were described like vampires: sharp fangs, bloodlust and inhuman strength and power pouring through them. The images made her shake uncontrollably and she feared she would be found and be the vampires’ next meal.