The Immortal Design (15 page)

   “So you somehow broke the psychic connection between the two of you?” My father asked.

    “I think so. I haven’t heard him in three days now. By the way do you have anything to eat? I’m starving.” He was staring at my neck as he said it.

   “Willa what can he have? Do you know anything about this sort of stuff?” I asked. Willa looked shocked.

   “No. I have never heard of a connection being broken without the master releasing it or killing the master. I suppose we could try real food. One thing’s for sure, he needs to stay away from human blood or its game over for him.”

   We arrived back home and we all filled out of the rented limo. My father tipped the driver and he sped off quickly. Once inside the house Willa took Pete to the kitchen and tied him to one of the chairs. I took out some left over roast beef and put it in front of him. He ate it like it was his last super. Then soon the whole thing was coming back up. Regular food wasn’t going to cut it.

   “Pete my friend we’re going to have to get you some sort of animal blood. Do you have a preference?” Pete looked horrified at the thought of drinking animal blood.

   “You mean to tell me this whole time Mihial hasn’t been feeding you, how would you survive?” My father asked.

   Pete looked exhausted but he told my father what he wanted to know “I’m not sure sir. All I knew was hunger and pain, and I had no control over my mind or body. It was as if he was living in my own skin.” Pete shivered at the thought.

   Willa marched outside and was gone for a few minutes. When she returned she held in her hand a raven. It squawked wildly in her hands, desperately trying to escape her crushing grip. “You need to eat something. Take it.” She thrust the bird into Pete’s hands. He looked at the bird, terrified at the thought of needing to kill it to eat. Then the hunger took over and he sank his teeth into the bird and the bird went limp in his hands. It was over quickly. He finished with the bird and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

   “That was disgusting, but I’m feeling better now.”

   “Willa can you tell if he truly is free from your brother?” I asked her. She walked over to Pete and cradled his head in her hands looking deeply into his eyes. An eternity seemed to have passed between them. She released him and stepped back.

   “He isn’t fully gone yet no. So we’ll need to talk in private, but Pete needs to be confined somewhere Mihial can’t get to him.”

   “I have the perfect place.” My father spoke up. “I’m sure Kelly would like the company.”

Pete perked up at the mention of Kelly’s name.

21.

   My father and Willa took Pete to the secret hiding place where they had Kelly stashed. They kept them in separate cages however. Kelly was full vampire and Pete was not. Kelly would kill him if she got the chance.

   Once they returned we all went back to our original plan. We had learned from Pete that Mihial was actively seek members of the Order. That was working to our advantage.  Mihial was under the impression that he could build an army of vampire’s right here in Castle Rock.

   Pete and Kelly were safely out of harm’s way as well, now all we had to do is wait for him to make his move. A week had passed and there had been no sign of Willa’s brother. I visited with Pete daily, the animal blood they had been providing him in large quantities seemed to be making him healthy. I made sure I avoided those times of the day when it was feeding time. I checked in on Kelly as well. She was being fed from blood bags. She had refused the animal blood and had almost starved herself to death until my father ordered that she be given human blood. He felt a responsibility to her now that her father had been murdered by her master. The news had almost no effect on her.

   New Year’s Eve had come quickly in that week. I hadn’t been prepared for it. In my house we normally held a giant party for the celebration, but this year there would be no celebrating. It was just going to be a quiet evening in with Willa, and my father watching movies and eating popcorn.  Willa had picked out some good scary movies and I had picked out some comedies. The night just didn’t feel right without my mom here, or Pete sitting next to me making remarks about hot older women.

   “A dollar for your thoughts.” Willa had said as I stared at the blank screen. We had just finished watching one of the movies I had picked out and I was reminiscing about past parties and my mother.

   “I was just thinking how empty the house feels without her here. I suppose it will just take time to adjust to it.” I sighed. No sooner than I finished telling Willa what was on my mind, a body came crashing through the large bay window. Glass flew in all directions, I covered my head and face. Willa was on her feet instantly. My father came running into the room with his gun.

   He looked around at the broken glass, then to the body on the floor that lay motionless. Willa was the first to approach the body, my father moved with her, he was determined to protect her as he would me. It was one of the guards that he been posted outside. His throat had been ripped out and he had been drained dry.

   Another loud crash came from the side of the house. Together we ran to the side of the house the noise had come from. Another dead guard lay crumpled on the floor. The lights went out. The power to the house had been cut off.

   “It’s him. He’s not playing with us anymore.” Willa spoke as she moved through the house looking through the windows. She was able to see in the dark, thanks to her vampire abilities.

   “Willa, come out now and come home with me and I promise to leave the Stokes in peace. I grow weary of their games. It is time you learned you do not belong here, you belong at home with your own kind. This is my final warning. I will give you two minutes to decide, then I will not hesitate to come in and kill you all.” Mihial had made his final challenge.

   I had went to the kitchen and found a flashlight. In the dark I found Willa and my father. I looked at Willa in silence, waiting for her reply to his demands. She shook her head no. Then she walked to the front door and walked out to meet with her brother. He stood on the steps waiting for her.

   I ran after her, I wasn’t about to let her go. Not like this. I was prepared to fight for her. I didn’t care who or what he was. She deserved a happy life, not one bound to him. “Willa STOP” I shouted. My father caught hold of my arms and held me back. Willa turned to face me.

   “It is the only way Johnathan. I will not lose you, and he will kill you both if I do not go with him. I am sorry.” She paused briefly, looked me in the eyes and winked “I love you Johnathan” and with that she turned on her brother and lashed out at him. The attack took him by surprise.

   He struck her across the face knocking her to the ground. She rebounded on him and now the truly scary Willa had emerged. Willa’s hands had turned to wicked claws and her teeth had sprouted fangs. She looked like a wild animal. Mihial circled her, each of them measuring each other up and trying to find a weak spot. Mihial struck out, Willa turned and his blow missed her by inches. In his swing and as she turned Willa threw a swing of her own, she managed to take a pound of flesh from his upper thigh. He howled in pain. He turned back on her going straight in at her throat, she jumped incredibly high and went up over him on her way down he caught her and threw her into a nearby light post. The post bent in half on impact.  I couldn’t sit here and watch my girlfriend get beat by her brother. I bolted into the house. I went to my room and found the bow and arrows. I raced back down to where the two were still fighting. My father had gone in and retrieved his gun as well.

   “Mihial stop now or this arrow hits its mark!” Mihial looked up to see me with the arrow aimed straight at him. He laughed. My father aimed the gun and shot. Mihial moved as a blur. It was going to be almost impossible to hit a target that could move that fast.

   Willa attacked from behind as my father and I attacked from the front. We had to take our shots when we got them, we didn’t want to accidently hit Willa. Then it happened. I had fired an arrow, Willa saw it coming and she moved into its path, Mihial moved with her.

   Willa turned at the last moment and threw Mihial into the arrow. It struck his arm. It was what Willa needed. She wrestled him into the snowy bank and held him there. I rushed to her side my father following behind. Willa took one of the remaining arrows and rammed it through his other arm piercing him to the ground. My father stood over him with his gun trained right on target for the kill.

   Mihial laughed wildly. “What are you waiting for vampire slayer? You and your order have chased me for thousands of years, only one other time I have been caught. That was your ancestor. He lacked conviction as well. What about you little one? Will you do what your ancestors could not? Will you take my immortal life?” Mihial laughed as I hesitated.

   I looked at Willa, I saw it in her eyes. She didn’t have to say the words I knew what they were. Mihial was right I couldn’t do it, but not for his sake or mine. It was for her. Although the thing that lay pinned to the ground was a monster, he was much more than that. He was Willa’s only living relative, her only connection to the world of immortality. A brother yes, but more of a father, and I could not take that away from her, even if she had promised that she would do it herself.

   “No. But I will make you an offer, like my Great-Great-Great Grandfather once did. You leave here and never return, you leave Willa free to choose her own path, she is part human after all, and you break the ties you have on Pete and Kelly and any others you have made while here. As soon as we confirm that you have done this, I will free you. You may go where ever you like, but you will not come back here for Willa. Do we have an agreement or does my father put a silver bullet through your chest and then take your head?” Willa looked at me in surprise.

   My father waited for the reply. Mihial lay there helpless, he could either take my offer or die on the spot. He glared up at me with the ocean’s fury in his eyes “I accept.”

   “Break the ties on your prisoners now, and we will let you leave. Just know that if you try anything I won’t hesitate to kill next time.” Mihial closed his eyes and briefly went silent. When he looked up at me again he spoke to me “I have done as you have commanded. Now release me.”

   “Willa can you do that thing you do and check if he has done as we have asked?” Willa nodded, and took his head in her hands and leaned forward. After a very long time, she lifted her gaze to mine and smiled. He has done what you have asked.

  “Willa remove the arrows and move away from him.” I kept the arrows ready and my father was close enough to hit his mark if he needed to. Willa quickly yanked the arrows free from his arms and before I could blink she was standing by my side. Mihial was on his feet.

  “Little Mina, I will see you again someday, for they are but mere mortals and you are immortal, and when the day comes that he his six feet under foot, I will be back for you. As for you young Stoker, excuse me Stokes, I owe nothing now. A favor for a favor a life for a life as you say. Actually you owe me a couple of lives.” With that he disappeared into the night.

   The church bells rang through the still night air ringing in the New Year. I looked down at Willa and smiled “Happy New Year Willa.”

   “Happy New Year Johnathan.” That night was the first time I had gotten a New Year’s kiss.

“Come on you two let’s get inside, close up those windows, and start up the generator. It’s freezing out here.”

  “Hey dad wait! Since Mihial broke the psychic bond on Pete does that mean we can release him? I mean Willa can train him to only feed from animals. He does still have his human soul after all. He’s just sort of like Willa now.” I asked. My father stood on the top steps thought it over for a minute and smiled.

   “I don’t see why not. Willa you up to the challenge?” he laughed.

   “I think I can manage handling Pete. He’ll be no threat to me or anyone else. The Order can keep an eye on him as well.”

   “I like the way you think Willa. Hot coco for everyone, my treat.” My father went into the house and before long the lights were back up and running. I looked up at the night sky and watched as a shooting star whizzed past.

   “What did you wish for?” Willa asked.

   I looked down at her snow white skin, rose pink lips and her deep ocean blues eyes. I ran my fingers through her dark hair and pulled her into me “I wished for a kiss.” Willa put her arms around my neck pulled me down to her and gave me my wish.