The Monster Inside: The First Vampire Chapter 89

Aegin wasn't entirely sure what happened . One moment he was fighting an ugly battle and rapidly running out of arrows, then the next, something with enormous wings had dropped down into the fray . Then, as the battlefield had stilled, Phillip had gone flying .

Aegin was sure he'd heard the sound of the man's bones breaking .

Then, as if that wasn't enough . The shadows had come to life .

Aegin figured there was only so many times he could be surprised in the space of a few moments, but seeing as Rassa had turned out to be the thing with enormous wings . . .

Rassa . The boy who had been locked away simply for being . He was out, free . And with his freedom he brought death to those who opposed him . With the shadows at his command, it was as if they seemed to swallow those rabid creatures whole . In the dead of night when shadows were abundant, there was nowhere the creatures could run to save themselves from their fate .

Aegin, the guards, the bystanders that had been drawn to the battle, the Ridge Men, all of them watched on in shock as a battle they had fought tirelessly was ended in an instant by this single young man .

And he barely lifted a finger .

As the shadows receded somewhat, Aegin noticed that Rassa had left one . Just one . The one who had injured his father so gravely . As Rassa approached, Aegin noticed exactly who he had left alive, and decided that even if he had the power to, he would not stop Rassa . Not now . Aegin turned and began climbing down to the square .

***

Rassa stopped about five metres from the hunched figure of Doctor Sagen Zaroth . The creature who he'd turned into breathed heavily in its fear, its eyes darting back and forth as it looked for its brethren . It's eyes focused on Rassa, knowing he was a threat . It eyed him, weighing its options . In those still moments, Rassa lifted one of his short swords and cut into his arm .

The creature barely even hesitated, it crossed the distance quickly and its mouth latched onto the wound drinking with vigour as Rassa's blood poured forth .

Despite the intention which Rassa ensured was contained within the blood the crazed Zaroth consumed Rassa watched with disgust . It only took a few mouthfuls before some form of sanity began to return to Zaroth's eyes . The second Rassa knew it was enough, he threw Zaroth back, Zaroth rolled to a stop and got to his feet quickly, only to pause . The hunger that had consumed him seemed to have receded to a dull ache . One that was not so prominent or urgent . Zaroth touched his lips, thinking of the blood he'd just consumed, then looked to Rassa in surprise . There was clearly so much he had not known about the blood of his experiment . He'd barely scratched the surface . Yet in that moment, only one thought came to mind .

"You're out" .

Rassa looked at Zaroth, then, to the surprise of everyone surrounding the square, threw Zaroth one of his swords . It clattered onto the ground at Zaroth's feet, and the Doctor looked down at it, just as taken aback as every else by Rassa's actions . He looked back up at the young man he'd kept prisoner, the question in his eyes .

"What?" asked Rassa, "Is it that even you don't think you deserve a chance?"

Zaroth's gaze hardened, he'd done nothing wrong . He bent to pick up the sword . A brush of air passed by him, and suddenly, the hand that he was using to pick up the sword, was gone . Zaroth screamed, as he fell to his knees, holding his arm as the blood welled and burst forth . He looked over at Rassa who appeared not to have moved, only now he was holding the hand he'd taken .

"Well, you'd be right . You don't deserve a chance" .

Rassa looked at the hand, as if appraising what he'd been told was priceless item, only to find it was a fake, absolute trash .

"This hand cut me, time and again . It waited as I healed, then it cut me deeper," Rassa said . He dropped the hand and it fell to the ground with a wet splat, "It shall cut me no more" .

The Doctor continued to whine at the pain, but Rassa showed no sign of pity . On the contrary, his next words shocked the Doctor .

"Pick it up" .

The Doctor looked down at the sword, then up at Rassa . He wasn't stupid, he knew what would happen if he picked it up, he told Rassa so, "You'll take my other hand" .

"Yes, I will," Rassa replied, then his eyes narrowed, "But you'll pick it up anyway" .

Zaroth knew that look . He knew that what awaited him should he not do as he was told was worse, so much worse . He knew because he'd given that look plenty of times to the young man in front of him .

Zaroth reached for the sword, and lost his other hand .

Zaroth cried out again, nursing the stumps he had left into his chest . Rassa's voice, despite it being far softer and quieter than Zaroth's scream, cut him off with ease .

"This hand, it took my blood away, my muscle, my organs, my limbs, and it took my Life Line," Rassa said, "That, was a mistake . I probably would have broken like any other prisoner if you'd kept it where it was, where it was supposed to be . But alas-"

Rassa dropped the other hand and it smacked down next to its companion .

"-It just couldn't stop taking, could it?"

Rassa took a step forward towards Zaroth, and the Doctor whimpered, falling backwards in his attempt to escape .

"M-M-Mercy!"

Rassa paused in shock, and Zaroth took a quick breath .

"Mercy, please! I'm sorry, I-"

Rassa was before him in an instant, just a breath away from his face .

"Mercy?" asked Rassa, "You're sorry? You certainly didn't sound it when you left me in that cell . When you told me I'd spend my whole life being nothing more than an experiment, than a tool . I told you, I am neither" .

"Rassa" .

Rassa's head snapped to the side to see Aegin kneeling behind Phillip, his eyes grave . Aegin shook his head slowly . That look in Aegin's eyes . He was by no means asking Rassa to stop . He knew that Rassa needed this . No, Aegin was telling him it could wait . Just this once, it could wait .

Rassa hissed in frustration as he turned back to Zaroth, who for the first time since Rassa had met him, looked absolutely terrified . It was a good look .

Rassa called the shadows, and they began to swallow Zaroth until only his head remained exposed . He screamed, then the shadows gagged him .

"Don't worry, you won't die, not yet at least" .

Rassa turned and walked over to his father, who seemed to be barely conscious .

Rassa could tell from the smell, from the sound of the impact earlier . His father would not survive this, and it had only been confirmed by Aegin moments before .

Rassa looked down at his father, and knelt beside him, taking his hand and his expression softening .

"Why are you even here?"

Phillip gave a light laugh, then coughed as more blood came up, it was clearly a struggle for him to talk, but he did it anyway, and Rassa didn't bother telling him to stop, that would be useless . He'd hardly deprive a man of his last words .

"To rescue . . . you," Phillip replied, "Though . . . you appear to . . . have . . . done that your-yourself" .

Rassa nodded, "No more chains" .

Phillip gave a small smile, "You've grown so big" .

Rassa felt a tear fall, and he did not wipe it away, "You got old" .

Phillip gave another short laugh followed by a cough that racked him, "Only just . . . started to notice . . . myself"

Rassa gave a small smile .

"I'm s-sorry," Phillip said, "For-"

"Thankyou" .

Phillip paused as he looked at his son, why on earth would Rassa thank him? He'd practically abandoned the son he loved .

"Thank you for letting me learn from my mistakes . For not standing in front of me like a shield to block out all the faults in the world . For trusting me when no one else would have . For coming after me despite feeling as if it was your fault . I don't think I've ever met anyone braver" .

Phillip felt his eyes well, and tears fell .

"Fear does . . . many . . . many things," Phillip stated, "Many are not . . . not good . But you-"

Phillip clenched the hand that Rassa held .

"-you have learned its . . . its secrets . Wield them well" .

Rassa nodded, then he leaned forward and kissed his father's forehead .

A shuddering breath left Phillip, and with it his life ended .

Chapter end