It had been a week since their first meeting, and despite his mistrust Artemis had taken to chatting amicably to Benny, the vampire was, after all a scientific marvel. “Do vampires cease to age when turned or do they merely age slower?” Artemis said.
“As far as I can tell, we don’t age, can’t get sick. Hell, the only way for one of us to croak is if we get our selves decapitated or poisoned,” said Benny
“Do you actually have to feed on blood, can you eat normal food?”
“We could eat normal food but it just kind of goes straight through, if you know what I mean.” Benny said
Artemis winced “I do.”
Benny looked at him, amused “Too much explanation? If I remember correctly humans are quite squeamish about those things.”
“And you’re not?” Artemis asked
“Good point” Benny conceded
“How does one become a vampire anyway?” asked Artemis
Benny frowned, “Swallowing vampire blood will do it, injection of blood should work too. other than that, I’m not sure.” Benny’s face was contorted into what Artemis liked to call his ‘brooding face’ which cropped up every time Artemis asked him anything approaching personal. Artemis guessed that his transformation was a sore subject.
Artemis wasn’t an expert on social interactions, but he knew when a swift subject change was called for, “How close are we to the portal”
Benny thought for a moment, “We’re about an hour’s walk from the small lake so we should be about a quarter of the way there”
Artemis frowned, “How do you know?” he stopped for a second, “I don’t even know how you navigate this place; how do you know where the portal is?”
Benny shrugged, “A bit of trial and error.”
“Trial and error.” Artemis ground out “Please tell me we are relying on more than trial and error”
The corner of Benny’s lip quirked up, “The whole place is almost exactly the same apart from the water. there are fixed landmarks, streams, rivers, lakes. they are almost the only way to navigate.”
Artemis looked at Benny incredulously, panic rising “We haven’t seen any water... are... are we lost.”
Benny snorted, “Calm yourself chief. I keep forgetting how limited humans are. I can smell the sand, the rock, and the minerals in and around the water. Lakes and rivers have a much more distinct scent then the rest of this place”
Artemis’ relaxed, “I cannot believe I didn’t think of that sooner. It’s this place, its throwing me off.”
“Purgatory will do that to you.” Benny said, amused by the boy’s antics
Artemis glared, “Do you think this is funny?”
“I think it’s hilarious”
“I hate you.” Artemis grumbled. Artemis spoke in a character of Benny’s accent “I forgot how limited humans are. Do you know how ridiculous you sound sometimes?”
Once the conversation had juddered to a slow and comfortable stop, Artemis’ thoughts returned to their usual musings. What if his condition deteriorated further in this place? What if he took control again? Artemis knew the answer, he would surely perish here.
The only solution to this conundrum was (as always) to tell Benny. But he couldn’t do that, he had barely known Benny a week and the man himself had told Artemis not to trust anyone here.
And so, (as always) Artemis was left in a limbo of uncertainty stuck between trusting a man who had killed all his companions on a whim and well... the alternative, risking... it happening again with no one to ground him. The anxiety that arose as a result of this line of thinking caused him to tap his breast pocket five times and then his blade five times and then it was hard to stop, everything five times
He was so focused on these thoughts, that revolved in circles like a merry go round, that he didn’t notice the concerned looks Benny was throwing at him.
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After arriving at the lake, Artemis realised that Benny was more on edge than usual and upon enquiry Benny had informed Artemis that, “The lake is easier to locate than the woods, it’s a landmark. If something finds us here, all of purgatory could descend on us.”
Artemis rolled his eyes, “I feel safer already.”
They walked along the edge of the lake while Benny looked for landmarks to point them in the right direction. The area around the water was rocky and devoid of trees.
Benny tensed then looked around.
An almighty flapping filled the sky followed by a roar. Artemis looked up just in time to see the two dragons clash. They screeched and grappled in the sky.
Artemis stopped. Was this just another delusion? He wasn’t sure.
The smaller of the two dragons swooped down to escape the larger one.
“Get down!”, Benny yelled and suddenly the air was filled with fire and the air was unbearably hot and dry.
Artemis felt a white-hot pain move up his leg. Fire, his leg must be on fire.
His leg was not on fire. However, the super-heated air was burning his leg.
He looked around him to see the lake and he jumped. He saw the water rise to meet and braced himself just as he plunged into the icy waters. The pain in his leg ceased. He froze for a moment, The shock taking him as he sank further down.
He snapped out of reverie and clawed at the water desperately. His lungs burnt as he tried to stop himself from taking a breath. He broke the surface of the water, gasping. He swam to the edge of the water and saw an outstretched hand. Artemis looked up to see Benny and grabbed his hand. Benny pulled him out of the water, and he lay face down on the ground, gasping.
“You alright cher?” Benny said, sounding entirely too calm, but concerned.
Artemis rolled himself onto his back with much effort and rasped, “What was that?”
“Dragons. They’ve moved on.” said Benny, who was kneeling down next to him and examining the burn.
Artemis groaned, “You know, once the shock wears off, burns really hurt.” he said, his voice becoming slightly high pitched. He then promptly fainted.
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Artemis woke to a crackling fire and a night-sky dotted with glittering stars. He was wrapped black coat a next to the fire. The coat, he recognised, was Benny’s and was so large it reached his ankles. his clothes were slung over large rocks and his shoes were warming by the fire and a quilt ferns were tucked under him, creating a barrier between the coat and the ground.
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Benny was tucked next him, sheltering from the wind and allowing warmth to radiate through the coat. Benny was peering down at him, “How you doing, cher?”
“Leg hurts. Cold.” Artemis groaned.
“I figured” Benny said.
Artemis frowned, his mind foggy, “wh-uh. what happened to fire attracts monsters?”
Benny looked at him raising an eyebrow, “It does. But being soaked through on a cold day will make you catch your death.”
Artemis seemed confused but nodded dumbly. He started to tap his leg in fives and felt some of his anxiety leave him.
“For future reference, kid, jumping into a lake with serious burns is not a good idea, you could get an infection.”
“I’ll just keep that in mind for the next time I see a dragon then”, Artemis said, flatly.
“Seriously, that is the worst thing you could have done in that situation. I’m actually struggling to think of anything worse.”
Artemis raised his arms in surrender, “Fine, No jumping into lakes with burns, I’ve got it.”
“Anyways the likelihood is you probably won’t be in that situation again, dragons aren’t usually that dangerous, most of em’ are too busy to deal with the likes of us. They’re vegetarian, so the only time they fight is in self defence or to ward of a rival. Barely happens though. Mind you, they don’t need to try to be violent to be danger, like today,” said Benny.
Artemis frowned “Of course they were” Artemis did his best to mimic Benny’s accent, ‘trying to be violent’ they were attempting to kill each other.”
Benny snorted, “Cher that weren’t a fight, that was a mating ritual.”
“...” Artemis frowned, tilted his head then his face melded into a mask of baffled amusement “I suppose it is no more odd than some human mating rituals.” Artemis sat, groaning. He gazed at his leg which had been wrapped in cloth from Benny’s shirt.
Benny saw him looking, “It was the best I could do with what we have here. I had to wrap the leg up to stop it getting infected, but it isn’t that bad. If we’re lucky it’ll heal in two weeks.”
“Two weeks is too long.” He fell back, his head hitting the ground with a ‘thump’.
“We’ll manage. you’ll be standing in a day or two.” Benny said, his voice light.
“How are you so obnoxiously cheerful all the time?” Artemis asked
Benny snorted, “I’m not, you’re just a grumpy bastard.”
They fell silent for a long moment and all that was audible was the crackling of the fire, and the whisper of the wind through the trees.
“Can I ask you something?” asked Benny
“You may certainly ask.” said Artemis, although his voice sounded thin, and his eyes were distant.
“Why do you do that?” said Benny, curiously.
Artemis looked up, confused “What?”
“The tapping. At first, I thought it was just a habit, but you count them. It’s always in fives. I think you count other things too. sometimes I hear you counting before sleep.”
Artemis glanced at him tentatively as if weighing up options in his head, then after a long pause he spoke “I have a.... condition” At this moment he was very aware that the last time Benny had been on earth was fifty years ago. Artemis couldn’t meet Benny’s eyes, his compulsion screaming at him to shut up. “Obsessive compulsive disorder. I constantly feel the urge to sort, organise, and count everything around me.”
Benny tilted his head, “Why?”
Artemis took a breath. This was a risk; he was not yet sure if Benny could be trusted, but if his symptoms worsened it would be advantageous to have someone to ground him to reality. “I can’t... I don’t... I hate to feel out of control of my situation. Some of my life events were particularly... stressful so it was easier to believe that arbitrary things caused these traumatic events. That way, I could prevent things that were out of my control easily. It’s a self defence mechanism to prevent me from feeling so helpless. My mind began to find patterns everywhere and I began to experience delusions and paranoia.”
“You say that like it’s over and you seem perfectly sane to me, what happened?”
The corner of Artemis’ mouth quirked upwards, “My friends noticed I had changed, they know something was wrong, they helped me get treatment for it. I saw a doctor and I underwent several months of therapy. The symptoms were completely gone till I arrived here. The stress must have triggered some of the symptoms.”
Benny nodded slowly. “Aren’t you scared?”
“Of what?”
“How do you know what’s real? How do you know if you actually have to be concerned or if you’re just being paranoid?” he seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, it looked painful, “How are you not paranoid by that?”
Artemis sighed, “You know I hadn’t considered that for the precious few hours I had been unconscious, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Benny said jovially.
Artemis considered the question, “Since I’ve been here, my symptoms have been getting worse. I don’t think I’m paranoid or deluded right now but... If I was, how would I know? It is quite disconcerting, I have to say.”
The silence followed was more uncomfortable than usual, in Artemis’ opinion at least.
“I could... let you know if... you are going a bit” Benny made a winding gesture beside his ear, “funny in the head.”
“Thank you... I think.” said Artemis, slowly slipping into sleep, comforted by the awkward declaration.
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When he awoke the fire was smoking and Benny was sitting, sharping his knife made of wood and bone. Carcasses of fallen various assorted creatures were strewn in all directions around the camp.
Benny didn’t look up from his knife, “Morning kid. Don’t mind the bodies, just some trouble during the night.”
Artemis sat, wincing “Huh. You have been busy.” he frowned at the knife and asked something he had wondered for a while, “Did you make that weapon? Or did you bring it with you?”
Benny remained focused on sharpening his blade, “Had to make it out of dead werewolf bones. I didn’t have a weapon on me when I died.” Benny’s usual sunny disposition seemed to have evaporated like water on a hot day.
"How did you manage to wake up on the wrong side of the bed without a bed? Honestly, it’s baffling.” said Artemis groggily. Artemis’ voice took on a serious tone, “Are you okay?”
Benny sighed, “Yeah, I’m fine cher. I just... didn’t sleep. In this place you’re usually runnin’ or sleepin’. I haven’t had time to think for a while.”
“What about?” Artemis asked.
“My death. My life. A lot of things.” said Benny morosely.
“Tell me about your life, what did you do?” Artemis asked.
“It’s not a nice story cher.”
“Well, we have nothing else to do. I can’t stand on this leg, and you can’t carry me and protect yourself.” Artemis paused expectantly “So? You can’t sit there brooding forever. I will annoy you till you tell me something.”
“Alright, alright.” said Benny, defeated “I lived in Louisiana. I didn’t do much with my human life to be frank, I married when I was expected to, had kids when I was expected to, I earned enough money to support them. I barely knew my wife; I didn’t love her, it wasn’t her fault, she was just some girl. I did love my children though.” Benny smiled fondly, “Helene, Marie and Louis. Louis was the youngest child, it’s a shame- I would have wanted to see him grow up. Helene and Marie grew up to be intelligent young women, I was so proud of them.” his expression darkened “Anyway, I was turned when Louis was ten. I never saw them again.” he said sounding final.
Artemis was not one for platitudes but now he said the only thing that came to mind, “I’m sorry.”
Artemis knew when to drop a subject, but the thought still nagged at him, why didn’t Benny see his family again? Surely, he could have just visited them. Benny stood and Artemis felt the chill in his bones return.
“It is what it is. The fire’s gone out, I better collect some wood” said Benny, sniffing, his eyes suspiciously glassy.
Artemis allowed him the excuse; he could not begin to understand what it was to lose a child, but he thought that it would be something akin to never seeing his brothers, Miles and Becket again. A trickle of icy fear spread out from his chest to his veins, raising hairs on the back of his arms when he realised that may well become a reality for him.
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Benny returned with a bundle of firewood under his arm and restored the fire to a roaring blaze.
handing him a bundle of clothes Benny said, “I dried your clothes last night, they should be fine now.”
Artemis tilted his head, “How?”
Benny went back to sharpening, “I heated a rock in the fire for a few hours then took the rock out with a stick so I could put the clothes on the rock.”
“Creative. Thank you” Artemis had been saying that a lot lately and didn’t want to make a habit of it. He would just have to make sure he didn’t have a reason to thank anyone. Oh well... there wasn’t much hope of that now.
Benny gestured in his general direction, “Will you need help with getting changed
Artemis felt a jolt of embarrassment, “No! I mean, no, I’ll be fine.”
Benny snorted, “kids never change. Anyway, I’ll be over there looking at something else, yell when you’re done.” and with that Benny walked off.
After ten minutes of awkward and slightly painful manoeuvring Artemis was dressed in his usual attire and looking extremely bedraggled due to the fact that this suit was dry clean only. “You can come back now” he called to Benny who came wandering out of the tree line.
“Here” Artemis offered holding up Benny’s coat to him.
“Cher I’ll be fine. You on the other hand, need to keep warm considering that stupid stunt you pulled yesterday.”
Artemis slipped the coat on, feeling slightly ridiculous in an Armani suit and a moth-eaten coat that was made for someone much bigger than he was, “Forgive me for not knowing what the protocol is for dragons.”
Mirth glinted in Benny’s eyes, “Well, neither do I, but it ain’t that.” Benny sat next him, “You’re taking all of this awfully well, have you run into this type of thing before?”
“I’d encountered fairies and time travel before, so this didn’t seem like a massive leap.” said Artemis.
“Fairies?” Benny asked, “As in tiny creatures glowing with little wings, those fairies?”
“Only some fairies have wings, and they aren’t as small as you would think.”
“You can’t be serious-” Benny’s head swivelled around to the trees and he held up a fist to signal to Artemis that he should stay put and quiet. Benny walked out into the forest warily.
They were (as Butler would say) sitting ducks here. It would be a long week.