D-DAY
It was past midnight when Suzanne finally opened her eyes. She quickly sat up only to see Tom lying next to her, snoring softly. Lightning flashed, followed by the deafening sound of thunder. The protective seal she had weaved earlier was gone.
Something’s out there, her eyes narrowed as she tried to adjust to seeing in the dark. She gripped her wand, Tom had not removed it from her grasp during her sleep. Good old Tom. She patted his head softly.
She crossed her living room and went towards her front door. But before she could reach for the doorknob, the door started to rattle. The black mist started to seep in from underneath the door. It had finally come for Suzanne.
What in the heavens? Suzanne had never seen nor felt such evil before.
She quickly pointed the wand at the door and recited an ancient chant. The wand ext
The mist had finally won. It had entered the body of the strongest host. There was no stopping it now. The mist began to take over Suzanne’s body. First the body. It immobilized Suzanne. The mist could feel Suzanne struggling, willing herself to move, her every nerve demanding that her muscles react. Then the consciousness. The mist began to enter Suzanne’s consciousness as Suzanne lost hers. It went into Suzanne’s consciousness and saw flashes of Suzanne’s memories.There was Tom, his mouth grazing the base of Suzanne’s neck as his hand squeezed her breasts provocatively through her satin robe. Suzanne had moaned as Tom pulled back the edge of the robe to expose one side of her breast. Suzanne had gyrated her thigh against Tom, wishing for him to take her there and then. Such pleasure. Such ecstasy.Another memory appeared. This was of Suzanne and her grandmother at the nursing home. Suzanne was peeling a
Suzanne was at Tom’s apartment, going through her luggage bag for the umpteenth time. They were set to fly to the Maldives first thing in the morning and Suzanne was sleeping over at Tom’s place for the night. His apartment was closer to the airport. Plus she liked frolicking in Tom’s bed.That evening, Suzanne sat at the edge of Tom’s king-sized bed, wearing only Tom’s sweatshirt her little black underwear and a pair of orange socks. With one knee tucked under her chin, she went through the items in her luggage bag one last time. She had OCD when it came to packing for a trip. One time she spent a whole day just to pack a little tote bag for a trip down to Kentucky.The bedroom door was slightly ajar and she could see Tom watching the news in his dimly lit, but cosy living room. Suzanne never did like watching the ne
Suzanne stepped into the brightly lit lobby of the nursing home. The white LED downlights from the ceiling bounced off the cream painted walls of the lobby, giving the place a cheery feel, contrary to what Suzanne was feeling at the moment. Behind her, the automatic glass door gently slid to a close as a mistletoe above her head swayed gently. Her arrival startled the nurse who quickly stood up from her desk at the reception to greet Suzanne. She had been knitting a sweater for her child. “Ms Summers! I wasn’t expecting you tonight. You know that visiting hours are over. Your grandma’s probably getting ready for bed too,” the nurse stood up, confused to find Suzanne here so late at night. Suzanne usually called before coming over, and sh
4 hours earlierHendricks slammed the dark mahogany door shut and frantically locked the door. His hands shook as he fumbled with the cords to pull his pale blue blinds shut. Outside, the wind began to pick up. Hendricks slumped onto the floor and scratched his balding head furiously with both his hands. His mouth twitched nervously as he eyed his apartment. “Harry? Harry, come here,” he called out in a whisper, afraid to be heard from outside the apartment walls.
At the Alma Mater Home for the Aged, two figures emerged from the shadows as Suzanne left her grandmother’s unit. With their faces obscured by their hoods, they watched Suzanne sprint down the corridor into the lobby in silence. Then suddenly, just as she was about to enter into the lobby, she stopped and turned around, as if sensing their presence. Suzanne strained to see in the dark, but all she could see was the spirit of Mr Firash on his rocking chair.She was about to walk back to her grandmother's wing when the nurse called out to her. Suzanne turned back to the lobby and did not return.
The Delta had just taken off. It would be another 15 more hours before they would touch down in Seoul. Suzanne was drained, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just hours ago, she had lost someone dear to her; Hendricks. He had been like the grandfather she never knew. She had grown up under his tutelage and was a patron of his potions and talismans. The man was a genius talisman maker. As a child, she would spend hours playing with his ‘son’ while her grandmother and Hendricks discussed ways to better their craft. Suzanne couldn’t believe that he was gone. We didn’t even get to say goodbye. I’m so sorry Hendricks.
“Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking. I'd like to thank everyone for choosing Delta Airlines. This is Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 2:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side, we are expecting to land in Seoul approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in Seoul is cold and cloudy, with a temperature of 5 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes to offer you a light snack and beverage. I'll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enj
Tom stepped up, instinctively shielding Suzanne with his body, covering her petite body behind his towering frame. Suddenly, he believed every horror story he had read as a child, that they were all true; the undead walking amongst the living and feeding off them. At that very moment, he wanted to run away, more than anything. But he stood firm, he would protect Suzanne with his life if need be.The vampire found this amusing, “How sweet.”
In a flash of blinding light, the bloodied circle from which Suzanne had pulled the dark figure into, exploded, sending a gigantic shock wave throughout the hill on which the mansion stood. It lifted everyone up in the air and for a moment, Tom felt as if he could fly. But he did not land gracefully. He landed on something hard and felt an agonizing pain shoot up his body. For all he knew, he could have broken his hip. Then everything faded to black.He had no idea how long he stayed unconscious but when he opened his eyes next, a smoky wind was blowing in his direction. The mansion was on fire. It had gone up in flames.With great difficulty, he sat up, only to fall back on his back. He looked down and to his horror, he saw that his stomach was bleeding. He had in fact been lying in his own pool of blood.“Stay still,” a female voice said. He looked up, it was the blonde woman. Her skin had miraculously healed. She pricked her finger and allowed her blood to dr
The dark figure was cunning. Yes, even in its weakened state, it knew that Suzanne and her friends were no match for it. It had been plunged with the ancient dagger; but alas, the dagger was not as powerful as the one Vlad had yielded.It rose from the ground once more, looming over them as the remaining strands of mist swirled voraciously around it, much to Suzanne’s horror.Through its veil of darkness, it could see Suzanne’s eyes widen in disbelief, as confusion glided across her face.From behind the being, the golden-haired woman crept up, ready to strike. Her reflexes were tremendous and her moves instantaneous but without the dagger, she was no match for it.It raised its hands and with an invisible force, it dragged the woman across the marbled floor towards it before she could even counter herself. She was savagely pulled into the enemy’s grasp and it crushed her by the shoulder before flinging her across the foyer and crashing
The voices were calling out to Suzanne. She couldn’t be sure if they originated from the abyss or from the hooded figure hovering at the door. But there was nothing soothing about the voices. Every sound that they made sickened her, making her feel as if maggots were crawling over the top of her skull and into her ears. She shook her head furiously but the sensation refused to go away.Focus damnit….“Suzanne….” the voice called out again. It was the same voice that had called out to her from the garden. And the airport. And in her nightmares.The voices were awful. She couldn’t comprehend what they were saying save for the calling of her name but she was pretty sure they were some kind of distorted incantation. All of a sudden, she had an avalanche of dark and alien thoughts. She did not like them, not one bit.She looked over to Tom who stood slightly hunched over, ready to pounce on the figure if need be.
Misty snakes slithered from the remaining figure’s cloak even as it screamed bloody murder. And the swarm of snakes began to crawl toward Vlad.He could have fled then, he could have abandoned Suzanne and her friends for the sake of his own life. But he was brave, even as the recognition of impending doom stared at him in the face.One of the misty snakes slithered up to Vlad and drove its fangs deep into his ankle. Immediately his skin seethed with pain as the venom began to travel to his heart. He tried to fight it off, but the dagger had gone up in flames and he had no tricks left to pull on this particular demon of the dark.Then another snake came forward, and still another, until soon Vlad could no longer stand. He crumpled to the ground, his body failing as a numb wave of a million daggers pierced his body and his head. With every breath he took, he heaved and coughed up blood.He never stood a chance. The vampire from the ancient of times began to die
As Thomas took his first step out from the safe haven of the golden threads, his short young life suddenly flashed before his eyes.He saw himself as a child, chasing after the autumn leaves on the streets. The other children had not wanted to play with him. Then he saw himself at his graduation with freckles and braces complete with cracked glasses, standing alone and smiling awkwardly at the camera while the rest of his classmates stood in the arms of their parents. He had been lonely then. The image was soon replaced by his first-day job as a library assistant at the Birmingham Library. He had felt at home there and was accepted by all the book-loving children who would share with him their candies and sandwiches.A smile appeared on his lips just then, and his vigour renewed as he stepped further out to face the rage of the black mist. With each step he took, a surge of determination began to flow through him, growing stronger and stronger, until it became an unsto
D-DAY-2 = DOOMSDAYVlad opened his eyes, his black iris now replaced by blood red ones. He was in killer mode and his senses were especially heightened now.“It’s here.”All around him, the clairvoyants spread out, forming a circle, each with a wand in their hands. The only people missing were Suzanne and Tom.“Where are Suzanne and Tom?” Thomas asked nervously. He was trying hard not to tremble but was failing miserably. And even though it was cold, he was perspiring heavily. He gripped his wand so tightly his knuckles turned white, wishing he had an ounce of the twins’ bravery.“They are coming down now,” the vampire said simply, both his eyes and ears alert. In all his years of existence, he had never met his match, and he intended for it to stay that way.***Moments before…Tom could finally look at Suzanne. In place of her black eyes were now her old
All around the world, the black mist retreated, slithering back into the shadows, putting an end to the overwhelming thunderstorms and blizzards that terrified everyone. The skies were clear once more, much to the joy of the people and soon, many came out of hiding, snapping pictures of the cloudless skies and taking selfies, posting them on social media to proclaim the good news.Everyone around the world was celebrating, except for the people of Seoul, Korea. For up in their skies, the black mist appeared, looming over the city, sending every last person who dared to venture out earlier scampering for shelter.A young man and his sister peeked out from their apartment window and snapped a photo of the mist as it headed for the Gangnam. In a matter of minutes, the photo went viral, sending a tremor of terror down the spines of all who saw it, for, within the mist, a shadowy face could be seen.It was the face of the devil himself.***The banging
Vlad the vampire had come.Suzanne immediately tensed up, “What are you doing here?” There was no welcome in her voice.Hans and Marcelino immediately whipped out their wands, surprising Tom. He was still not used to the idea that the metallic sticks could act as a weapon for clairvoyants.The snow crunched softly under Vlad’s feet as he strode across the lawn, his face in mocked sadness, “You hurt my feelings, Suzanne. I merely came to offer you my service, but I can see that I am not welcomed at your wedding.”Suzanne frowned, “What do you mean?” Her heart was thumping.A forever pause. Vlad had always loved a good audience.“I’m here to join you for the fight.”Tom blinked, “Excuse me?”From the side, Thomas whispered to the twins, “Is THAT the vampire Suzanne told us about?”One of the twins gushed, “He’s sooooo handsome!&
D-Day-3There would be no grand wedding. But it was fine with Suzanne and Tom. They had in fact opposed to having one. It did not seem right for them to celebrate when countless lives were lost by the minute.But the twins and Thomas were adamant about having a celebration.“Everything’s so bleak now, we can at least look forward to a joyous occasion with your wedding!” Thomas had pleaded, blinking at them like a little doe through his glasses.So Suzanne and Tom relented. The twins and Thomas spent one whole day yesterday just to create the perfect wedding arch out of dried flowers and twigs. They roped in everyone for a scavenger hunt around Hans’ mansion, looking for everything and anything that could be put to good use and to Suzanne’s delight, they all ended up having a snowball fight like little children.Thomas was right, the wedding did bring forth smiles on their faces.The twins fashioned a simple bouq