A Shocking Revelation

Continued from A Grave Encounter
 

A Shocking Revelation

by Lisa McCourt Hollar

After leaving the cemetery, I wasn’t in the mood for company.  Martha’s face kept appearing in my mind, her eyes charred and burned, then the memories of what she’d kept from me all those years about my only daughter. Tomas’ words also echoed in my head, how he had come to Fairview in search of the vampire that had killed his wife and that vampire was Raul.

Raul was a bit of a mystery to me. Of course I had seen him in town, in my human days, but I didn’t know too much about him. He was known to be employed as an orderly at Blackstone Manor and, like all the other employees of the manor, rarely ventured into town.

Raul was quiet, often seeming thoughtful, which caused the women that frequented the drinking holes to be very curious about him.  More than once, one was seen leaving with him. None however had ever disappeared in his company and more often than not, would be back the next few nights looking for their paramour, leaving disappointed when he either didn’t show or was in the company of another.

That Raul was a foreigner didn’t mean anything in Fairview. We were off the beaten path, but we were used to strangers turning up. Now that I have a different view of the world I realize that a lot of this had to do with Lucas and the coven. It is amazing how easy it is to influence the human mind, and a gentleman setting out from Galesburg and heading for Brunsborough will suddenly find themselves confused and traveling in the wrong direction, finding themselves in Fairview and locked in the mental hospital.

When I think about it I realize that there were often stray women that would appear in the town, meet up with Raul and never be seen again, but since they were never supposed to be in Fairview, no one ever seemed to notice.

Entering the manor, I turned to the right as soon as I crossed the threshold, instead of turning left and returning to the catacombs. Lucas’ insistence that we live our lives, such as they were, in the catacombs was becoming irksome. I knew that he spent his days in the manor, instead of sleeping in the coffin as he insisted the rest of the coven do. The manor was heavily curtained as such, so as not to allow any light in.  I was curious as to what could keep him entertained.

“Master, what are you doing walking about the manor?”  The voice came from Teresa, one of the human servants.  She was filthy, but eager to please, responding to a kind word from her keepers.  In the few instances I’d had to speak with her, she always smiled at my kindness, nearly kissing the ground to try and please me.  It was uncomfortable.

“Just exploring the place,” I said.

“I’m not sure he would like that,” Teresa said, stepping in my way and trying to get me to turn around.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t,” I said, “which is why I am going to.”  I stepped around the woman and continued on my way.

“Please sir, you don’t want to see what to be up during the day.  You should go below with everyone else.”

“Why,” I asked, stopping to look her in the eyes. “Why do we spend our days sleeping whilst Lucas roams about?  What does he want to hide from us?”

“I really couldn’t say,” Teresa said, averting her eyes from mine. But I had seen the room she was trying to steer me from in her eyes.

Finding my way down the hall and up a series of stairs I found myself outside a door. Inside I could sense Lucas and someone else. Quietly opening the door I looked through the crack. Lucas was in there with Linda and someone I couldn’t see at first.  They were talking to her, for it was a female, I could tell that, in soothing voices, telling her how beautiful she was. Then to my horror I saw Linda unfasten her dress and drop it to her ankles.  I was about to open the door and storm in, when I felt a hand on my arm, cautioning me to stay where I was.  Turning I saw that Teresa had followed me.

“Come away sir,” she whispered, her eyes pleading with me to leave. Shaking my head, I turned back to the room and felt the floor drop from beneath me. The other woman in the room was Francine, the mayor’s wife.  She was on her knees in front of Linda, kissing her belly, her fingers digging into Linda’s rear while Lucas stood behind, guiding her head even lower.  Linda had her eyes closed, and then suddenly she opened them and turned to look at the door, a smile on her face.  She knew I was there and yet she continued allowing this woman to kiss her in her most intimate spot.

I felt Teresa’s arm stop pulling on mine as she gave up her struggle to get me to leave.  Turning her gaze away from the door, Linda looked back at Francine, lifting her face and bending to give her a kiss.  With Lucas’ assistance, the woman stood and followed the two of them to the bed. Disrobing, she lay on the sheets and opened her arms, taking both Lucas and Linda into her embrace. I could see from her eyes she was in a trance. 

The two began to feed from Francine, biting into her flesh in the most intimate places, while the woman writhed on the bed in obvious ecstasy.  I stood there transfixed, caught in the spell.  I felt Teresa’s hands move from my arm to my belt buckle, her fingers working to undo my belt and loosen my pants. It was her hand brushing against me that broke me from the trance.

“Teresa, no,” I said, pushing her away.

“You so kind to me,” she said, “let me make give you pleasure.”

“Teresa, I can’t let you do this, please stop,” I said, pushing her away again.

“You can drink from me.” Eager to please, Teresa pulled her meager rags away from her throat, ripping it in the process and exposing her breasts.  I could see fresh bite marks on them and wondered which one of the other vampires had been using her as a human buffet. 

Seeing the pity in my eyes, Teresa covered up again, hanging her head in shame. “I submit to them because I have no choice,” she said.  “I was born to this life. I will die in it, either to become one of you or to be food for others.” I knew she meant the other humans.  “But I give myself willingly to you,” Teresa said, “because you have a kindness in you the others do not.”

“It is because of that kindness, I can’t accept what you offer,” I said, taking her arm and helping her up. 

Turning her back on me, Teresa walked away, slowly at first and then running, ashamed of what had just transpired.  I turned back to the door and closed it quietly, though there was no need, they knew I was there.  Turning I followed the same path that Teresa had taken.

I heard a commotion ahead. Quickening my steps, I rounded another corner and found Teresa lying on the ground, dead.  Her throat had been ripped out and Raul stood over her, blood dripping from his lips.

Stepping aside, he motioned to her body with his head and I saw the scavengers come out of the woodworks to feast upon her corpse.

“Why,” I asked, my voice choking.

“I didn’t want her anymore, not after she had offered herself to you.”  Then he turned and walked away, heading towards the catacombs.  I stood there a moment, horrified by the carnage in front of me. Then, I too left for the catacombs.  Not to sleep though, but to find Veronica.

Copyright© 2011 Lisa McCourt Hollar. All rights reserved