Chapter 5

Feb. 14, 1999–

Damien breathed heavily as he could still feel the after-effects of the drugs. His head felt like a weighted pillow filled with boiling water. His eyes were sore as he tried to wash away the pain from the restroom sink. The water, cold as the present night, felt warm on his face. Damien looked himself in the cracked mirror and saw the distortion that plagued him for days. However, the murders were the only thing he could think about.

He left the restroom shortly after and made his way back into the cafe. Luna Park Cafe rested between a set of trees below the West Seattle Bridge. It was a nice little cafe that had a 50’s-style-diner and provided all-day breakfast. Serena, who sat casually in the back booth of the cafe, watched darkly as the ceiling-mounted television presented a late-night news broadcast. Damien sat across from the booth, his eyes drifting to the television as a sophisticated news reporter detailed the recent disappearances in downtown Seattle.

“At least a dozen Seattle-based natives went missing within the last two weeks,” said the reporter. “Local authorities have been baffled by these unexpected disappearances while neighboring residents express even more concern. Reports have been linked to the previous high-level disappearances that occurred during the months of late last year. More notably with a trace of young women between the ages of 18 and 25 vanishing around the city’s entertainment district. The Seattle Police Department’s Chief in Command has also made links to the bizarre disappearances of five university students during the winter of ‘96. Followed by another 14-months ago.”

Serena looked away from the television and found Damien.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as if she didn’t know.

“Nothing,” Damien said.

“Nothing,” Serena mocked. “You keep saying nothing like it’s actually nothing when it’s something.”

“Then why ask me?” Damien said firmly.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Serena said. “Isn’t that what a good girlfriend should do?”

Damien looked away from her as he could hardly tolerate her gaze. She knew what happened the night before was her fault, and she wanted to make sure Damien knew that.

“I’m sorry, Damien,” she said gently. “I should have never taken you out with me that night. I didn’t realize how bad the drugs affected you. I suppose they don’t really have much of an effect on me anyway.”

Damien remained quiet as his eyes were kept on the television screen. Serena waited desperately for him to say something but she knew a simple apology wasn’t enough.

“I know that our relationship has been moving way too fast,” Serena said. “All the sex we had and the drugs we took were amazing, but I should have known better. I thought by us spending all that time together could fix the broken life you tried so hard to escape. I was inconsiderate. I’ll admit that.”

Damien ignored her. He kept his eyes away from her direction and tried to drown out her pathetic apology with the news broadcast. Serena agitated as she felt desolate the longer she waited for him to respond.

“Say something,” she urged him.

Damien glared at her robotically with his mouth slightly open.

“I forgive you,” he said in a woozy voice.

“You don’t sound like you do,” Serena contested.

“Maybe I don’t,” Damien suggested. “It should be that obvious, right?”

Serena leaned into the booth as her face turned ghostly in anger.

“Do you wanna know why I never fed off you,” she began darkly in a low, sharp whisper. “I was afraid that if I did I would completely lose myself. I was afraid of turning into the monster you already think I am. But I’m not, Damien. I’ve seen the real monsters before and I refused to be anything like them.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Damien asked.

“Your blood, Damien,” Serena explained. “It’s corrosive. What makes it so dangerous is a broken heart. That’s why I was attracted to you. It’s how I always knew where to find you. Your type of blood is what gives us power. It’s what makes us unstoppable. And when I had that subtle taste from your lip, I knew I had to have more. But I also knew the consequences. I’m more human than you might think.”

“You’re not,” Damien objected. “You might think you are but you’re just lying to yourself. Because if it was true, none of those people would be dead right now.”

Serena was speechless as there was some truth to what Damien said. However, it hurt her to think that he only saw her as a monster, and not anything else but that. She fell back into the booth as the waitress came with the check.

“Whenever you guys are ready just let me know,” she said kindly as she slid the check on the table.

Serena dug into her leather jacket and threw the tip on the table before storming out of the cafe. Damien sat by quietly as the waitress didn’t know how to react. She kindly left Damien to himself as he sat there for a moment. He then paid the bill and thanked the waitress before leaving. He stood outside the cafe joylessly as he saw Serena waiting inside the Mustang. He then noticed the small cut snowflakes that fell from the black sky and found an odd, unexplainable peace that touched his shattered soul.

As they later drove across the West Seattle Bridge in the late hours of 2 AM, Damien felt the same woozy pinch of the drugs that lingered in his brain. He tried to withstand the uncomfortable strain but felt an even worse discomfort as Serena appeared moody. Her face was ireful and Damien knew she wanted to say everything that was on her mind.

“You’re such a piece of shit,” Serena said a low taunt.

She glanced at him angrily to see if he would react but he didn’t.

“You really think I’m just some fucking monster who doesn’t give a shit about anyone?” Serena added as her voice raised. “I have feelings too, Damien. All the shit we’ve been through together wasn’t just some fucking game. I actually care about you.”

Damien tried to cancel out her voice but the words were like searing melodies that carried a weight he couldn’t ignore.

“But it’s obvious you don’t feel the same way,” Serena added. “You really only care about yourself. I can see why Aaliyah left you.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Damien asked faintly.

“She had every right to,” Serena added. “From all the things you’ve told me about the relationship, I can’t blame her. You have too much of an ego to accept your own mistakes. And then you expect people to feel sorry for you when you can’t even show them the same support. You didn’t deserve her anyway.”

“You really think you know everything, huh?” Damien began furiously. “Just because you can fuck with someone’s mind and trick them into telling you what you want to know doesn’t make you special. It only makes you even more of a monster than you already are.”

“At least I have that privilege,” Serena said with sass.

“Yeah, well, at least I have a soul,” Damien argued.

Serena couldn’t help but laugh.

“If that’s what you think,” she said. “Let’s not forget you killed two people, Damien. You’re just a monster as I am.”

“I’m not,” Damien arrogantly denied.

“But you are,” Serena insisted as she leaned forward in her seat. “You took their lives away that night. You were the one who pulled the trigger.”

“Be quiet,” Damien said as he tried not to remember.

“How does it feel, Damien?” Serena lured him as he pressed harder on the acceleration. “Knowing you took away their future. How they will never get the chance to tell their parents they love them.”

“Shut up, Serena,” Damien threatened.

“How does it feel knowing you might burn in hell with me?” Serena asked.

“Shut up you fucking bitch!” Damien shouted as he could see their faces again.

“Yeah, there it is!” Serena protested sickeningly. “There’s the Damien I know! Look me in the eyes and tell me how much of a bitch I am. Look me in the fucking eyes, Damien!”

Damien quickly flinched as he saw an industrial vehicle trace across their view. Serena had caught the truck with her spontaneous reflexes, but in reaction, Damien swerved the Mustang into the rear of the truck. And because he sped dangerously on a slippery road, the force of the collision caused him to snap his entire body out of the seat and shoot straight through the windshield. As the Mustang flung into the air and twirled out of control, Damien bashed his face onto the frigid road and was dragged several feet away from the crash. A trail of blood smeared across the pavement where Damien had landed, his body motionless as more blood leaked from his split-open face. He did not feel any pain after that as his heart collapsed into a sudden stop.

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Her voice was a smooth whisper that felt angelic. Aaliyah had said his name. Damien. In an almost dream-like state, Aaliyah had represented an angelic force that guided him out of his sleep. And in a quick flash, he opened his eyes, immediately blinded by a white globe that descended down upon him.

Damien gasped as he stretched himself awake. He sat up from a warm, snug cloud. The air was pure as it smelled like fresh roses from an untouched garden. Heaven awaited, he thought. But there were no angels around him. Instead, Damien found himself in a dark room alone with only but a round, single-layered bed above a maroon red carpet. Damien was back in hell.

He slowly emerged from the bed, his feet easing onto the warm carpet. He struggled to stand up as if he was a newborn child. His body felt different, but in a way he couldn’t explain. As he senselessly peered around the dark room, Damien immediately thought of Serena. He clothed himself and left the room in search of her.

The penthouse was quiet. Not a single sound was made. He searched the lounge but didn’t see her. He then searched the corridor of the suite, still unsuccessful in her discovery. But as Damien closed in near the windows, he peered out onto the sky balcony and saw Serena swimming in the pool under a gloomy night sky.

Damien made his way down to the sky balcony and entered the gate. He looked around to see if the security officer stood by on duty, but the only thing he found was a trail of blood that led to the pool. He stood over the neon blue water and noticed as Serena ominously peeked her eyes above the surface. She watched him like a perceptive predator, her eyes black as the night around her. Serena then revealed her face as a shade of blood was visible around her mouth.

“What are you doing out here?” Damien asked.

“You were sleeping,” Serena said casually. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

Damien thought about his brief slumber, as well as what happened before that.

“How long was I out?” he asked anxiously.

“A while,” she answered. “I was scared they wouldn’t be able to save you.”

“What do you mean?” Damien stuttered. “Did I die?”

Serena didn’t answer as it left Damien to confirm his assumption. He trembled at the thought of death, remembering only a glimpse of peace, and a voice that sang his name beautifully back to life. It was then Damien recalled his resurrection, and how it seemed unconventional in the state of Serena’s presence.

“Why did I wake up in that room, Serena?” Damien asked.

“You ask too many questions,” Serena said. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.”

Damien found that hard to believe, though. A part of him still felt like he was dead, and somewhere in a different world that was strangely familiar. He tried to convey some type of words but it was hard. His throat grew sore as he could feel his eyes weary with tears. Serena teleported out of the water and stood in front of Damien in a quick blink. She held his hands and tried looking into his eyes.

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“I’m so sorry, Damien,” she said sadly. “It was all my fault. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Serena felt ashamed for what she caused. A guilt that tortured her in ways Damien couldn’t understand. However, he found some clarity in her voice, and knew she meant every word she said. Although he was afraid to look into her spellbinding eyes, Damien did so anyway. She caressed his face with her icy hands and waited for a kiss, but instead, she hugged him, only to lay her head against his chest, and hear his steady heartbeat. But in that serene moment, Damien realized he was a prisoner of her love, and that the only way to escape that love was to destroy her.

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Feb. 15, 1999–

The morning after Valentine’s Day felt unusual. Dark clouds still loomed over the island, and a heavy fog from the northern mountains stretched across the entire city. The streets were eerie and quiet. Cars roamed cautiously as their dull headlights guided them to their destination. Pedestrians were non-existent as many residents were afraid of the recent disappearances.

Damien was not afraid, however. He wandered through the city alone as he returned back to his apartment. An eviction transcript was taped onto the locked door of the apartment, in which Damien assumed all of his personal belongings were thrown out. As he stood hopelessly in front of the door, Damien turned to his side to see an elderly woman standing at the end of the hall. She stared at him suspiciously, as his presence felt unwelcomed. Damien ignored her leery behavior and left the complex shortly after.

He then decided to stop by his old job. Southgate Plaza remained empty as usual, but the unsettling mood of the chilly fog made it appear like a ghost town. His 1989 Toyota Corolla was no longer parked under the broken light pole as it hadn’t surprised him anyway.

Damien saw Skate Palace from a distance and grew anxious. He drew closer to the building and noticed that not many people were inside. Damien recognized his old coworkers who appeared bored as they supervised an empty skating rink. A remnant of his younger self stood behind the rental booth boredly with his arms resting on the counter. A nice memory, he thought. Although once a simpler time, his life now was complicated. He left the empty plaza with that last bit of happiness, but it wasn’t enough to render him clear of the trauma that haunted him presently.

Damien had to kill her. There was no other option. He knew she was clever, though, and that her supernatural abilities would undoubtedly overwhelm him. At the central public library in downtown Seattle, Damien spent hours researching books, magazines, and cited articles on vampires. He couldn’t find much as most of the information he obtained were from works of fiction. But when asked about where he could find more on the mythology, Damien was referenced to an old novelty shop in Belltown that was owned by a psychic reader named Aurora.

The shop was named after her. It was wedged between other local businesses, smoke shops, and small convenient stores. Damien was uncertain about the place, however. He was insecure about not finding the information he needed, or if the owner herself would waste his time about information he already knew. But the moment he entered the shop, he felt a heavy presence overwhelm him, as if a holy entity inverted his soul.

The shop was dark, sooty and traditional. Shelves were decorated with eastern European trinkets, historic recordings, and rolling accessories of Romani culture. Damien thought it was a small pawn shop by all the miscellaneous items that were presented in the lobby. He hesitated on exploring the rest of the shop as there was no indication regarding supernatural information. But before he could leave, the voice of a modest woman stopped him.

“Come for a reading?” she asked.

“No,” Damien said politely. “I was just looking. Thank you.”

“If what you are looking for is to benefit your endeavors, then you’ve come to the right place,” she said convincingly.

Damien stood by the door sluggishly and watched as Aurora revealed herself from the shadows of the shop. She was as short as Serena, slender with olive skin, and had a self-indulgent feel about her. Her piercing black eyes were demanding and her greasy brown hair was interwoven in Indian locks. She stood close to Damien and searched his eyes. Her charming face was contested by a horrifying perception as she discovered Damien’s soul.

“Oh, but I knew I sensed something dark the moment you entered this place,” she said tensely. “I can already see the destruction that befalls you. A dangerous love that you believe you are trapped in.”

Damien felt uneasy as Aurora sensed his predicament. She saw an evil constructed by an untamed love; fragments of a dark passion created by an ancient monster that was well-stitched into her history.

“I’m sorry,” she said gently. “I don’t think I can help you.”

Aurora turned back into the shop but Damien was quick to stop her.

“No, please,” he begged weakly. “I need your help. I don’t think I can do this on my own.”

Aurora stopped under the hazy light of the gothic candles that surrounded the lobby. Her face glowed darkly as the information she knew would certainly end the terror that resided in the city, but would ultimately be the end of a necessary evil. But as Damien waited for her to respond, his throat seared hot, a nasty cough erupted from his lungs. As he covered his mouth, he could feel the warm sensation of blood in his palm, which incited a fear he was unaware of. Aurora turned back to Damien as her eyes were like translucent marbles.

“You have been poisoned by the vampiric nectar,” Aurora said sadly. “I believe there is no hope for you other than to let the metamorphosis take its place.”

Damien glared at her weakly as he tried to speak.

“What are you talking about?” he asked faintly.

“Your blood runs cold from the venom,” Aurora explained. “I believe it is only a matter of time until the transformation is complete. Only then will your soul perish and evil will take over.”

Damien pondered her words as he thought about his sudden condition. His body felt fragile, like a cracked glass waiting to be shattered. His eyes were dreary while his head thrashed with pain. The fever was setting in, and the only thing Damien could link to his severe situation was Serena. His death from the crash was definite, but his return was surely an application of Serena’s doing. Damien believed she had saved him with her blood, which in turn would change him into the very monster he condemned.

In a moment of fear, anger, and desperation, Damien ignored his condition and reflected back on his urgent predicament.

“I have to kill her,” he said. “By any means, she has to die.”

“I know how difficult it must be to endure the pain she has inflicted upon you,” Aurora began. “But I do not think you have the strength to follow through on that ambition.”

“What do you mean?” Damien asked anxiously.

“You still have a love for her,” Aurora said. “Somewhere, hidden inside all that dark energy that persists your emotions, you still love her. And because you have that lasting affection, you might not want to see her perish from this earth.”

Aurora could feel that lasting affection Damien so helplessly tried to rid from his heart. He stood by without a response, biting his tongue, and trying not to cough. She was right, he thought, but insisted that his love for Serena was nowhere near the hate he solemnly had for her. But as Aurora approached Damien once more, she had another piece of judgment that appeased his apparent hatred.

“Although, you may be right that she has to die,” Aurora said. “But not under your circumstances.”

Damien grew unsteady as Aurora’s statement was unfavorable to his belief. He groaned softly as he could feel the transformation proceeding. His heart was stale as each beat grew slower. He held his cough as his lungs burned like thin paper. Aurora felt remorseful of his condition and knew that there was some hope that lied in his future.

“Wait here,” she said.

Aurora faded back into the shadowy darkness of the shop and returned momentarily with a gift wrapped in an antique parchment.

“I hope this will prove useful,” she said vaguely. “A reward gifted by an old generation that still holds dear to me. I think this may be the answer you need.”

She handed the gift to Damien who cautiously accepted it. He felt the weight of something beneath the parchment as it had an almost rugged feel. As he tore the fine paper from its mantle, he laid eyes upon a polished steel dagger, coated with a fine royal grip, and a gold-studded cross guard with Latin inscription.

“It belonged to a Romanian officer during the First World War,” Aurora explained. “It is said to be blessed by the grace of Saint Michael, but the old historians told of a name that fought an ancient evil that has plagued the world for thousands of years. They called it The Blade of Kraus.”

Damien held the blade close and could feel the holy energy that caused his body to tremor. He began to sweat as the blade glimmered in his grasp, a feeling of grace that threatened his progressive disease.

“She waits for you in that dark room, Damien,” Aurora said unexpectedly. “I think it’s time for you to see her.”

Damien took a deep breath, sheathed the blade, and tucked it into the side of his black denim. He glanced back at Aurora anxiously but her prudent eyes told him that he was ready to face his fears.

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As the hidden sun vanished over the Western mountains, the city ignited in a bright display under the snow-filled clouds. The morning fog remained prominent as a ghostly backdrop, and the streets were dead of any living thing that populated the town. However, Damien made his way through the chilly fog as the infamous high-rise awaited him in the heart of a deserted district.

He entered the complex with a failing effort. The metamorphosis was settling in. Damien was against the clock as he tried to get to Serena before it was too late. He rode the elevator to the last corridor of the penthouse, finding himself standing in the middle of the absent-filled lounge. He could smell a rotting decay of flesh ooze through the floor, and he knew exactly what it was.

Damien took the hidden staircase below the penthouse. In a narrow, warm-lit hall, he found the door that led to the dark room. He eased himself as each step he took towards the door felt long and heavy. As he stood before it anxiously, Damien drew the blade from his waist and hid it behind his right leg. He held the blade with a firm grip and entered the room.

He was surrounded by darkness. In the distance, the smoky ray of light that shot down onto the round, single-layered bed revealed Serena who was hunched over the sheets with a body cradled between her arms. Damien continued into the room but stopped once he reached the light that touched the edge of the red carpet. He watched quietly as Serena feasted on another victim, but her powerful senses alerted her that he was present in the room. She calmly looked over her shoulder, her eyes the only visible attraction that greeted him. They were pitch black as the room around them, which meant she had been feeding for a while.

Damien kept his sluggish stance as he watched Serena rise from the bed. In a quick blink, she teleported the distance between them, standing firm with her long black hair sprawled over her see-through robe. She gently caressed Damien’s face as her sharp, black nails tickled the sides of his cheeks. He didn’t move, however. Her touch was no longer a pleasing sensation.

“You brought something for me,” she said softly.

Damien held the Blade of Kraus to his side, revealing the ancient dagger as the light bounced off the polished steel. Serena gazed at it curiously, only then to feel the same holy energy that suppressed her supernatural presence. Her eyes then moved back to Damien.

“And what do you intend on doing with that?” she asked innocently.

Damien did not say a word. He stood motionless like a statue, only slouched and weak. He held his breath for a moment, tightening his grip on the blade to assure it wouldn’t leave his possession. As he kept his dull eyes trained on Serena, he saw the wretched monster that corrupted his life and mutilated it into a dark existence that was certain to attain immortality.

In a swift thrust, Damien drove the blade towards Serena’s chest, but in an abrupt snap, she caught his wrist and held him paralyzed. She squeezed the blade out of his grip and clutched his neck with her other hand, and with incredible strength, Serena lifted Damien off the ground, slowly crushing his neck as her sharp black nails dug into his skin.

“How dare you,” she said fiercely with her fangs exposed. “I thought you loved me?”

Damien struggled to release her grip, but his weak state made it difficult for him to try. He flailed and thrashed to produce some ounce of oxygen, but he could only feel her tightening grip rupturing his throat. As his body began to surrender, Serena could see the light leaving his eyes, and in a low, muttered voice, Damien had said her name.

“Serena,” he pleaded meekly.

Serena felt his raspy voice touch her heart, and she quickly realized how much she loved him, and didn’t want him to die. She released Damien immediately and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt as his life was nearly taken away. Damien crawled to his knees and coughed uncontrollably to regulate his breathing. Serena gradually took a step back, her face remorseful as she didn’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry, Damien,” she said as her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry.”

Serena gently held her stomach as she felt nauseous. A bundle of tears filled her eyes that drowned out the blackness that colored them. She turned back to the bed and sat against the edge with her head down, crying as she couldn’t believe what she was about to do. Though as Damien settled, he glared across the floor, finding the Blade of Kraus inches from his grasp. He didn’t hesitate to retrieve it, finding the proper grip before getting to his feet. But as he struggled to stand, Damien noticed Serena’s vulnerability and knew now was the opportunity to kill her.

Damien haltingly moved in closer to her, the blade inverted as his knuckles strained with how tight he held it. But as he stood before Serena dangerously, she gazed up at him, her eyes now a butterscotch gloss as the light gave contrast to her teary face. Serena saw the blade in his hand but did nothing.

“Damien,” she whispered in a weary voice.

Damien hesitated as he saw a glimpse of humanity in her vulnerable form. To him, he did not see the monster he tried to destroy, nor the mysterious young woman he laid eyes on at the skating rink. Instead, Damien had seen a timid young woman that was once human and pure before the madness had changed her. But in that realization, Damien had seen a contrast between them: two souls conflicted by heartbreak that inevitably turned them into monsters.

Serena stood from the bed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She stared into Damien’s eyes and saw fear. He was scared, but Serena didn’t want him to be. She touched his hands which were no longer warm. She could hear his heart failing, the smell of his blood unholy.

“Stay with me,” her gentle voice said. “I can’t be alone again.”

A single tear slid down to his cheek. He loosened the grip on the blade as his hands trembled, but Serena was sure to keep them steady. He wanted to tell her the truth about how he felt, but the truth was his enemy. Damien knew Aurora was right about his love for Serena, but it was a love he couldn’t handle anymore.

“You don’t love me, Serena,” Damien said. “You never did.”

“But I do love you, Damien,” she said desperately. “I love you more than you think. I feel like I’m nothing without you, and when I am, I feel more alive than ever. You make me feel human again, and that’s a feeling I can’t afford to lose.”

Damien tried to contest her emotional struggle but felt sorry for her. Serena held him close as she waited hopelessly for him to say something. Although there was a blunt silence between them, Damien found the courage to deny her.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Serena,” Damien said, “but you and I can never be together.”

“But I thought you loved me?” Serena said helplessly as tears ran down her face.

He looked deep into her eyes, finding the same glint that captivated him at first glance, and fought his truth. As his love for her was condemned, he slid his hands from her grasp. Damien was to finally hold himself accountable for his mistakes.

“I thought I did too,” he said in a low, ingenuine voice.

He glanced at the staggering blade that glistened in his hand. A thought of redemption crossed his mind, but he knew there wasn’t much time. Damien dropped the blade and peered back at Serena.

“Goodbye, Serena,” he said in a crumbling voice.

It was a low yet heavy goodbye; one that was certain to break her heart. He turned his back to her and sluggishly walked out of the dark room. He had left Serena in her own world; a world that was created upon a false love. The fear of being alone had found her once again, and in that quiet, unbearable silence, Serena collapsed to the edge of the bed and allowed each blazing tear to trail down her cold, dire face.