Chapter 1
Red verbena flowers grew in the yard of an old seaside mansion. The house was spooky enough to keep outsiders at a distance. Many people thought that is was uninhabited by humans. Yet stories of the place being haunted went around in the village nearby. People didn´t dare to enter in the house for the fear of encountering evil spirits. Therefore, the house was left unattended by any visitors for a long time.
Stories of people entering, but never exiting the house again, were common. Also, mysterious disappearances took place in vicinity of the village and the woods that surrounded it. Behind the woods, stood the mansion on the edge of a cliff. The cliff was more than seventy-five feet high.
The house wasn´t empty. It was the home of a vampire named Lorenzo Ricci. His main plan was to avenge for the sake of his murdered wife and two children. They were killed by witch hunters on one night. The tragic accident took place inside the same old building. It was still Lorenzo´s home.
Though Lorenzo never saw his family again, he sensed their spirits in his heart. He still loved them. His missed his beautiful wife more than anything. Also, the deaths of his son and daughter aroused his anger.
Lorenzo wasn´t going to give up his intentions to slay the witch hunters. They were ordinary men. They also had families. Lorenzo knew their whereabouts. It was only an amazing trick for him to kill them all. He wanted them to suffer painful and agonizing deaths. Therefore, he planned his avenge carefully. He was going to give each one of his enemies their independent doom.
Lorenzo woke up in the bed chamber. The room had once belonged to him and his wife. They slept in the same bed. Now he occupied it alone. Caterina´s side of the bed was empty. Lorenzo´s hand swept over her pillow. He imagined the scent of her hair coming from it. She smelled of flowers and perfume.
He closed his eyes. Then, he breathed in Caterina again. So that she became his thoughts for a while. Her breath felt like a light breeze against his hand. She kissed his hand gently. He opened his eyes. Her side of the bed was still empty.
A tear appeared in the corner of his eye. He knew that it was impossible to have Caterina back. Their two precious children, Alessandra and Romano, were also gone. No, this can´t be true that they are gone. They didn´t deserve to die. Lorenzo cried in his thoughts. His emotions towards his family were still real. Even though he was a vampire. He missed them so much that his heart hurts.
Lorenzo got up. His hunger for blood forced him to act with certainty. He straightened his body with one unnatural move. His skin glowed white as snow. The cool darkness of the room calmed his spirit. He walked closer to the window. He noticed the sunset. His eyes watched it through a slit in between the curtains. The sun fell behind the ocean. Within one hour, it would completely disappear out of the sight.
Lorenzo loved the sunset for its beauty. But he hated the sun. He found only the sunset to inspire him. He enjoyed observing the deep colours that appeared in the sky at dusk. The day turned to its end. Lorenzo´s skin wasn´t in the danger of getting burned. He turned away from the window.
He picked up a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. The clothes lay on a pile on top of a chair. They were the same ones that he wore last night. He was talented not to spill blood on his shirt and trousers yesterday. The clothes still seemed neat. Lorenzo wore them right way.
He dismissed taking a shower. He didn´t consider it to be necessary. Not since his body didn´t sweat like the bodies of mortals. His system was free of such physiological functions. His doll like existence amused him. Lorenzo felt proud to look younger than his own age. He died at the age of thirty-five. His death occurred one hundred and eighty years ago. Still, he looked like a thirty-five-year old man.
The immortal beauty prevailed in most vampires including Lorenzo. He didn´t see his own reflection ever in the mirror. However, Lorenzo knew exactly what he looked like. He knew when his looks were at their best.
He straightened his shirt collars upwards. Then, he attached a special necklace around his neck. Its amulet shone as a black obsidian ellipse in the darkness. The stone was embedded in silver medallion. The metal was carved with elaborate shapes. It was a Victorian sort of necklace. The stone was once carried by his great grandfather.
Lorenzo´s grandfather was a sailor. He used to travel the sea in between Italy and Great Britain.
Although Lorenzo´s grandfather wasn´t a vampire. He had built the mansion for his grandson. Lorenzo inherited the mansion along with his grandfathers´ property. His family was super rich. Ensuring him everything that he needed, in order to survive. Lorenzo got even beyond it.
Lorenzo took a glance at the black obsidian against his chest. He remembered the victory of his great ancestor. His grandfathers had also fought against witch hunters. They were honest fighters like their offspring. Lorenzo saw them in that light of honour and victory.
For a long time in their history, Lorenzo´s family had experienced the threat of their enemies. They knew very well how to beware of the witch hunters. Lorenzo and his brothers and sisters hid from the slayers. They entered inside a hidden, underground vault. Their parents followed them there also. Their parents and grandparents always came there as the last ones. Before it, they made sure that the kids were safe.
Lorenzo was afraid of losing his life on several occasions. The slayers didn´t have mercy for the Ricci family members. Brutally, they murdered kids and adults in the same way. They stabbed the victims with knives until they died. Another one of their common methods was to drive a stake through the victim´s heart.
They managed to kill several vampires in the village. However, the Ricci family was spared for its most parts. Yet two of Lorenzo´s brothers died. They were stabbed to death by three hunters. Lorenzo never forgave their deaths to their assaulters. He swore them his revenge. They didn´t hear his wow of killing them. Lorenzo whispered his plea to the wind.
On the night of his brothers´ death, Lorenzo cursed the witch hunters. He began to act on his plan of killing them. He knew that they were mortals. He was far stronger than all ten hunters were together. On the next night, he managed to kill five of them. After their deaths, he didn´t assume that there were more of them left.
His assumption was incorrect. The king had an entire army of witch hunters. He paid them to remove the vampires from his kingdom. Lorenzo understood the king´s rational thinking, but he disapproved of it. Since he was going to be one of their targets. The thought revolted him. Lorenzo never gave up. He decided to fight until the last witch hunter would be dead.
Chapter 2
Lorenzo woke up on the beach. The hour was at four o´clock in the morning. His head hurt. Yet his vision was clear and sharp. His excellent ability to see was due to the darkness. Not even the moon´s glowing white light disturbed his sight. Lorenzo sat up. His hands curled around his bent knees. He viewed the sea restlessly. Sometimes, other vampires could attack him from the sea. He knew that many of them sailed the empty waters at night.
Now, he was relieved to find out that there was no danger. Lorenzo´s shirt was stained with the blood of his latest victim. He had killed only one human during the night. It was rare. Since he often murdered at least three people.
His craving for blood was immense. It kept him from being satisfied with a smaller catch. The moon created silvery streaks in his otherwise black hair. Lorenzo stared at his both palms. They became channels in between him and the universe. They emitted paranormal blue light waves. Those waves resembled electric shocks that he was giving out.
His eyes looked fiery in their yellow glow. His vampire fangs became exposed. Lorenzo lifted his hands to the sky. He expressed his laughter as a scream. The blue lines of electric energy extended from his palms up to the clouds. It appeared that he was giving out lightning bolts. He felt like a god also. He screamed: “I´m god. I´m god and capable of anything!”
Corinne stood on the same beach behind a sand dune. The bottom half of her body was covered by the edge of sand dune. Her eyes stared at his father. Lorenzo didn´t notice the child with the teddy bear behind him. His attention was still focused on his joy.
Her skin was as white as Lorenzo´s. She looked like a mechanic doll. Despite the tears that she shed. What made the child to cry? The reason of her sorrow was Morticia´s absence. Corinne had come to deliver the sad news to her father. Her father´s joy was opposed by the girl´s grief.
The sight of his laughter made her to grieve even more. Her father was as much divine as she and Morticia were. Now their family was broken. Morticia was discovered and slayed by vampire hunters. They had taken away her corpse also. Corinne had no difficulty of guessing that what they´d do with it. Usually, the hunters burned the corpses of the vampires in sunlight. Or they threw them into a large bonfire.
Corinne cried painfully. When they took away her mother. She hid inside a vault located below the floor boards. She squeezed her teddy bear. When the men went looking around for her in the house. She managed to hide from them. She was afraid that they might return, suddenly. Corinne stayed underground long enough to ensure that they were gone. After it, she came up. Then, she found her mom missing.
Corinne hoped that they would have left Morticia in the house. In that case, she could have healed Morticia´s wounds. Corinne knew how to heal others including herself. Like most vampires, she knew how to hurt and to heal anyone. When the yard was left empty, she went outside. She stood in the garden. She saw the beach. There, her eyes distinguished Lorenzo. He sat alone and gazed at the sea.
Corinne felt urgent need to get to her father. She rushed to the beach via an avenue. It led there from the cliff. After arriving, she was short of breath. She panted. This was unusual for vampires. Her sorrow weakened her emotionless state. Corinne resembled a mortal mourning for her beloved, lost relative.
Lorenzo wouldn´t have seen the girl. Not, if it wasn´t for the stick, which her heel cracked. Accidentally, she stepped on it. So, its breaking noise made her father to turn his head. From her expression, he read her upset feelings. He stood up. He approached her.
“Honey, what´s wrong? Why you look so sad?” Lorenzo asked.
“I´m sad, because they took mom. The witch hunters took Morticia away after killing her in our house.” She cried.
The poor little girl sobbed while talking. He had a difficulty to digest the news also. He threw his arms around her tiny shoulders. He shut her in his embrace for a moment. She didn´t resist her dad´s attempt to comfort her. She kept talking to his ear. “I can´t believe that they took her. They are so evil. We´ve to fight against them. Let´s do to them what they did to us!”
“I agree on that. They shall soon pay for what they did to her. Honey, I promise to you that I will kill the slayers. So that they can´t disturb the rest of our lives. Soon, we will have your mom back.”
He did his best to reassure her. The absence of Morticia was still fresh in their minds. She was gone. It was the harsh truth that they couldn´t bear. She was one of them. Then, he met her gaze with his own eyes. His hands caught her shoulders firmly. He suggested: “Have you eaten tonight? Let´s go to hunt next.”
“I haven´t had any blood yet. I need to get some soon.” She replied shortly after.
Chapter 3
Hand in hand, they exited from the beach. Corinne´s teddy bear rested its head against her shoulder. She carried it sitting on the corner between her arm and elbow. They looked like a couple of zombies. Their eyes glowed yellow in the darkness. They weren´t afraid of anything, but just the opposite.
They were ready to give back to their abusers. Their unusually sharp olfactory sensation and acute vision led them to their targets. Finding their enemies was effortless.
The witch hunters lived in the village nearby Lorenzo´s residence. There were three men guilty of Morticia´s death. The same triplet had lurked in the grounds of the castle many times before killing her. Lorenzo and Corinne saw black smoke of Morticia´s funeral pyre in the backyard. The backyard belonged the house of one witch hunter. The three men had gathered around the bonfire. In the middle of the pyre, Morticia lay sucked by the flames. She didn´t seem to be tormented by the fire.
Morticia was already gone out of her physical body. She travelled in the astral plane. There, she contacted Corinne and Lorenzo. She sent them telepathic messages. She told them that she was thankful to them. She pleaded them to kill the three witch hunters immediately.
Corinne and her father gave their promises to Morticia. They also expressed their sorrow over her absence to her. Morticia listened to them. She joined in their sorrow. Then, she flew out of their reach.
There was no time left for grieving over the lost vampire. Corinne and Lorenzo realized it soon enough. They took action right away. They swung all the three witch hunters into the pyre. But not before they had sucked them dry of their blood.
Killing was art and entertainment for Corinne and Lorenzo. Their immense physical strength enabled them to treat their victims in the ways they chose to do it. All they wanted to get from those three men, was to drink their blood. Finally, after blood feasting, the three men ended up in the fire half dead. They were caught by the flames. Then they still felt the burning of their flesh.
Morticia was already turning into ashes. Only her skeletal remains were visible to Corinne and Lorenzo. Terrified and victorious, they stared into the flames. He took her little hand into his own hand. Then he said: “Those bastards got what they deserved. Your mom is in heaven now. C´mon, let´s leave. “
Corinne was of the same opinion. Her eyes turned black and malicious. She turned away with her father. They left. The pyre behind them burst with flames and the tortuous deaths of the hunters. The couple headed to their home. They entered safely through the iron front gate. Its door was locked shut after them.
Corinne picked up cherries from the trees of the garden. He asked her to bring them into the kitchen. So that they could make a cherry pie. His suggestion amused her.
Corinne used to bake cherry pie with Morticia. Now, she had to prepare it with her father. Corinne knew the recipe by heart. Her mom had taught her many skills. Corinne placed the cherry catch into a straw basket. After it became full, she carried the basket into the kitchen. Her father sat in the kitchen at the table. He smoked a pipe. He winked his one eye, when she returned to him. She began to wash the cherries in a large kettle filled with water.
Corinne sang, as she worked. The song was an ancient lullaby sang to her often by Morticia. Morticia´s memory was present in the girl and her father. The little girl´s voice didn´t sound as eerie as the lyrics of the song. She sang:
“Over the land and over the sea, we come and move on like flying ravens.
On a stormy night, the red moon glows.
It is as red as are the blood cherries in our garden.
With our teeth, we suck the blood of our enemies before we eat their flesh.
Their red blood flows everywhere
and our thirst will be satisfied.
I shall treat you right my dear, with this last supper before the hunters find us.
We aren´t afraid of them, because they are only silly mortals.
They are always much weaker than we are.
Sleep tightly and cosily over the daytime my little angel,
The light of heaven always nests in you,
when you lie inside your coffin still and peaceful.”
Corinne´s sweet voice made her father to feel tranquil. His head rested against his hand. His other hand had just filled a glass with liqueur. The bottle of alcohol stood before him on the table. Its green glass reflected the candle´s light next to it. For a while, he was mesmerized to listen to her. He even forgot to drink the alcohol.
Corinne stopped singing. She removed the water from the kettle. Then, she used a mortar and pestle to crush the cherries.
“Honey your voice sounded so beautiful that I almost fell asleep.” He opened a conversation between them.
“Thanks papa. Mama often sang this song to me, when we were together. She made me to get better sleep also.”
“She surely did, I can well imagine it.”
“After this pie is ready, will you have a piece of it?”
“Surely, I´d like to. Why not?”
They both thought of the same thought. It was only a pity that the cherries didn´t contain blood. Corinne poured the cherry crush on top of a dough. It was already laid inside a basin. Before placing it in the oven, she said: “Hope that this pie will be a crusty one.”
Corinne moved to sit on a chair opposite to her father. A chess board with all the players was in between them. She suggested: “Let´s play a game before we eat.”
“Fine.” He said.
Corinne grabbed the horse, which stood inside one black square. She moved it three steps forward, so it ended up in a white square. Then, she said merrily: “From dark to light we shall enter!”
“You could have said “evolve” instead of enter.” He corrected her politely.
Corinne wasn´t insulted by his remark. He was always clumsy, but she didn´t care. In the way, how he spoke to her. She could be stronger and more dangerous than him. Lorenzo had such an intuition about the little girl. She was far more powerful than she seemed to be physically.
Corinne won the game. Smiling, she ate a piece of the cherry pie afterwards. She rinsed it down her throat with a mug of cow´s blood. The same cow´s headless corpse lay in the backyard. Her father tasted the pie also. He took only a little piece of it for himself. He wasn´t fond of sugar. Only the sweet taste of blood satisfied his tongue more than anything.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by Corinne´s question. She asked: “Papa, do you ever regret becoming a vampire?”
“No, I don´t regret. What sort of question is that?”
“I was just curious to know the answer. I sometimes regret being the monster, who I am. But it´s like we can´t change our fate. Perhaps we were doomed to become vampires many centuries ago.”
“Yes, we were cursed. I think of immortality as a sort of curse. It hurts us the most, when we lose someone dear to us.”
“Like mama.”
His answer brought silence along with it. It took away Corinne´s self-confidence. Her eyes stared at him. He read her pain in them. They looked glazed for the first time in Corinne´s life. The girl was struck with sorrow and grief. Morticia´s absence left an imperishable scar in their hearts.
Chapter 4
On the same night, they went hunting in the forest. The eerie sounds made by animals didn´t scare them. They weren´t afraid of being attacked by beasts. As vampires, they were far stronger than bears. Meaning, in terms of lifting objects and throwing them.
Corinne´s hand didn´t separate from her father´s hand. Not until she noticed her first victim. It was a deer. The animal stood at distance of fifteen feet apart from them.
It took Corinne only two seconds to get to the deer. She seized the poor animal by its neck. She bit the neck quickly and violently. Blood oozed out of the wounds. Then, hungrily, she sucked its veins dry. The deer died within ten seconds. Corinne was satisfied with her master´s way of murdering the deer. Her father stood watching aside, when it happened.
He didn´t participate in her joy of killing. Not as much as she did. He was also thirsty. He yet had to look for his own catch first. Lorenzo turned his head from side to side. It allowed him to gain a better field of his vision. He didn´t distinguish anything particularly delicious at first. Then, his eyes noticed a bear. It stood behind a tree trunk. The bear looked at him. Lorenzo would attack the beast inevitably. It was his instinct, which made him to decide so.
Lorenzo took a few careful steps towards the beer. It didn´t understand his intention yet. The beer was thinking the same as him. Their eyes met during one passing instant. Then, the bear saw the yellow glare in Lorenzo´s eyes. It backed up. The bear got the message that it was going to be attacked by the strange man.
Lorenzo didn´t hesitate. He jumped on the bear´s back. He flung himself over the bear´s head and shoulders. Lorenzo forced his fangs into the bear´s flesh. Then, he sucked the bear´s blood. He kept drinking until the beast died. It fell on its nose on the earth below its paws. Lorenzo ended up landing on top of the bear´s back.
He laughed, when they both came crashing down. He lifted himself from top of the bear. Then, he picked up the bear´s hairs from his shirt. He laughed again. Corinne viewed him seriously. She wasn´t in the mood for joking. He could have gotten killed in the fight. That was a joke. They both understood it. Only Lorenzo laughed about it.
He considered himself to be a clever clown. Corinne was also a clown in his opinion. She rarely displayed humorous character. Yet, he found her serious expressions to be quite amusing. After a while, he asked: “So are we ready to go back now?”
“Yes, if you´ve had enough blood to drink on this evening.” She replied.
He liked her confident tone of voice. When, she didn´t back up, she was excellent. He thought of her in this way. He fancied women´s bravery. Corinne was still a little girl. She was his angel and she knew it only too well. She also used his empathy as a weapon to get what she wanted. In that she´d succeeded very well.
Then, he lifted her up on his back. Her thin arms curled around his shoulders. She avoided strangling him. He appreciated her considerateness. He carried her home. Corinne´s teddy bear hung on the side. She was careful enough not to drop it on the ground. Corinne almost fell asleep on the way to the palace.
Chapter 5
They arrived before dawn. It was a lucky coincidence that they didn´t stay longer in the forest. If Lorenzo´s battle with the bear had been more violent, it would have lengthened their stay. Lorenzo carried Corinne all the way to her bedroom. There, he lay her down in her own little coffin. Her coffin was painted white. It looked like an ordinary Christian coffin. The one, which was often seen in church funerals.
Corinne had stolen her bed from a nearby church yard. She had dug open the grave of one poor child. After doing so, she took the child´s coffin along with her. Her unforgivable deed never burdened her guilt. She felt about it in just the opposite way. Corinne was proud of her ability to help herself.
Lorenzo stared into her eyes. She closed her eyes. She pretended to be sleeping. Through her eye lids, she felt the penetration of his powerful gaze. It prevented her from falling asleep. She felt like he kept her awake on purpose. She read his secret telepathic warning. He informed her to stay awake and beware of intruders.
Their enemies could be other vampires or witch hunters. Corinne thanked him for his warning. Then, she asked him to get his permission to sleep. She didn´t state it aloud. However, her silent reply caused him to leave. He exited from the bedroom. Corinne heard sound of the door closing. She thanked him for his kindness. She knew that papa loved her more than anyone else.
Lorenzo decided to check the garden. He did it on the way to his own coffin. He moved past a long corridor. It included many windows. He stepped in front of one of them. He looked through its glass. The garden seemed to be empty. The tree tops reflected nicely the silvery light of the full moon. He considered the beauty of the landscape to be secondary. Lorenzo´s thoughts were occupied by the intruders. Furiously, his head turned from side to side. He checked the sight through every window. While he ran across the corridor.
He didn´t catch a glimpse of anyone in the area below. He sighed relieved. Alright, I can go to bed now. I did everything that I could to protect this house from our enemies. Lorenzo left. He entered his bed chamber shortly afterwards. The air inside his brown mahogany coffin felt cool and fresh for some reason. He thanked himself for the service of ventilating it. He did it. Before he went out to hunt with Corinne.
Lorenzo lay down on the mattress and pillow inside his coffin. His coffin was taller than him and wider also. Its big size allowed him room. So that he could move and turn in his sleep. Lorenzo closed the lid after going to bed. Soon after it, he fell asleep.
Chapter 6
They both rose simultaneously. It occurred in the middle of the following night. Their sleep was interrupted by loud banging of the front door. Lorenzo and Corinne became alarmed. They both jumped out from their coffins. They ran towards the front door. They encountered each other at the top of the staircase.
They descended the stairs. The steps led them to the main entrance.
Fear shone from their eyes. They were weak. Because of not having blood for twelve hours. Lorenzo tried to recollect his thoughts. He had to be ready to fight. This was what his heart told him. However, his muscles felt exhausted. They behaved in the same way as if he lacked sodium in his body.
He noticed Corinne looking weary beside him. Her eyes didn´t include the same joyful excitement that they used. Their staring was dull and painful. She looked extinguished.
Corinne suffered of the lack of blood. She needed it more than him. She behaved like an anaemia patient. She was on the verge of collapsing. He saw it early enough. He prevented her fall.
He brought his hands under her waist. He caught her right before she fell backwards. She ended up in his arms. Corinne´s eyes remained shut for a while. Their lids looked too tired to open.
He pitied her. He was going to help her to get blood soon. He carried her back to her coffin. Then, he went hunting alone. Corinne was sure that she´d die of starvation before his arrival. Fortunately, she was wrong. He returned after five minutes. He had fetched a couple of small birds, a squirrel and a dozen of cats for her. He held the cats by their tails in his grip. The cats fought furiously for their lives.
He helped Corinne by stuffing a bird´s neck in her mouth. She tasted the dribbling blood that oozed from its cardiac artery. Taste of new blood brought Corinne back to life. Immediately, she began to suck the bird´s neck. After finishing the first tiny creature, she was given another bird. It was followed by the squirrel and the cats.
He never took anything from the animals that he´d brought. He gave them all to Corinne. Her renewal was his goal. He managed to cure her. However, his own thirst forced him to leave. He exited the room through an open window. He was able to fly in the sky.
The aerial view was easy for his eyes to follow. He explored the land below. Until he saw humans appearing. They evoke his thirst. Instantly, he felt urgent need to seize them. To kill them. To kill was his purpose in life. It was also the principal meaning of his life. It was how he manifested as a living god in the universe.
Then, laughing he shoot himself downward. I will never fall. He thought with self-confidence. He made it to the village. He knew it to be full of humans. He smelled their odour from a distance. It got him excited to hunt soon. Humans were weak. He thought. It was easy to fight them. Until they´d be in his control.
Lorenzo never regarded there to be dangers in hunting. He wasn´t concerned about meeting witch hunters. He believed himself to be able to handle them also. He was stronger than any mortal being. No one had dared to drive a stake through his heart yet. It had been avoided for five hundred years. Lorenzo was surprised that he had managed to survive for such a long time.
Not all vampires did. Many of them died in between the age of two hundred and three hundred years. Those, who lived past those ages, rarely died later. It was only a trend in vampires´ existence. Lorenzo had discovered it during his life. He had witnessed death all throughout his existence.
When flying he thought of Morticia and Corinne. They were his most lovely relatives. They were his family, which was destroyed unjustly. He couldn´t forgive the vampire slayers for their cruelty. They had committed a sinful crime in Lorenzo´s opinion. He didn´t have mercy on them for their stupidity. He would give them as much suffering as they had inflicted on his bride.
Gladly, Morticia didn´t suffer any longer. She was out of the realm of physical sensation and was unable to feel anything. This thought relieved Lorenzo. At least he trusted that she´d be fine. Morticia would return to avenge. Lorenzo had no doubt about it.
Morticia always came back many times stronger and scarier than anyone assumed. She broke the expectations of those, who were weaker than herself.
He noticed movement below on the ground. There was a man. He was walking through the forest. Lorenzo imagined that he was moving to his home. However, the man knew nothing about the vampire above his head. He assumed the forest to be empty.
He had been fishing in the sea in the evening. Now, he was returning from the beach. He decided to take the forest route. Because it was the shortest way to his house. He knew his wife and son to be sleeping inside the house.
Lorenzo saw his opportunity to kill having arrived. He flew downwards towards his victim. Lorenzo´s body resembled a space shuttle. He was going to break the man´s neck in their collision. Lorenzo´s blow succeeded. The man ended up dead on the ground. His neck was twisted in unnatural position.
Lorenzo drank quickly from him. He didn´t have time to wait. His prey´s blood would decay soon after his death. After finishing, Lorenzo wiped his mouth to his bare wrist. Then he laughed. He had won the game again. He was used to it. Winning for him was as easy as playing chess.
Corinne was the only one, who had beaten Lorenzo in chess. Lorenzo couldn´t praise the child for her talent. He wanted to be just as good. Or he had to be. Lorenzo was sometimes afraid of Corinne´s arrogance. All of a sudden, the girl could be violent.
Corinne´s unpredictable character was like poison to Lorenzo. He feared her. Like he feared fire. Corinne could even kill him if she wanted. He had thought of it earlier. Once she had shown her rage to him openly. Once before, Corinne had attacked him so that he nearly died. He forgave her for her tantrum. Its reason was simple. Lorenzo had turned her into a vampire against her will.
Corinne learned to love her new self after the transformation. However, Lorenzo had a second thought. The more often he saw Corinne acting wildly, the less he rejoiced about her immortality. He even regretted that he had made her into a vampire. He should have known better than to mess up with Corinne.
Corinne acted like a robot. She was programmed to protect herself and Morticia against outside influences. Instantly, she became a savage. When something threatened them.
After devouring the man´s blood, Lorenzo was ready to leave. He decided to bring a gift to Corinne. He wanted to please her with an alive human being. It was the best present that he could offer.
Therefore, he waited in the forest for someone to appear. When there was no sign of anyone, he made it to the village.
He arrived in the village within ten minutes. He had wiped the blood marks from his mouth and fingers. He´d found a river in the forest. He soaked his hands and face in the water. It removed the stains almost instantly. Then, Lorenzo went to the village. He used his sense of smell to detect any prey. It took him only two seconds to locate a house full of humans. He imagined there to be children as well.
Lorenzo didn´t hesitate. He entered the house without fear. He pushed the candles on table tops over. The house got on fire. The ten people, who were inside, ran outside. None of them died in the fire. However, Lorenzo got a hold of a woman´s arm. She was a thirty-year old red-haired beauty. He caught her firmly in his embrace. She thought that he was an angel. They rose above the ground and up to the level of clouds.
Up in the air, he reassured her. He told her that she´d be treated nicely, where they were heading. She believed him. She rested her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes. The woman was easily seduced by Lorenzo.
He knew that she had been bullied by her dozens of boyfriends. She was a prostitute. Her dad and brother had kicked her out of their home. She had been left alone on the streets to beg for food and shelter.
The house, where Lorenzo found her, wasn´t her home. She was working there, when he came. The girl´s name was Loretta Piccoli. She wore a red dress with an explosive neckline. Her long hair was loose. It covered her shoulders entirely. The hair reached down to her waist. Lorenzo picked up her hairs from his mouth. He spat them out. He hurried toward the mansion.
Corinne waited in the living room. She sat on a couch. A glass bowl of cherries was in front of her. She wondered, where her father was. He didn´t tell her that where he went. Two hours had passed from since his departure. Corinne was desperate to know his whereabouts.
Her eyes contained the look of an offended child. Anger towards Lorenzo boiled inside her. There was no fear in her eyes at all. She dared to be violent if she had to. Her mouth was painted red. Its colour was due to the cherries that she´d eaten. Her dress was wine-coloured. Her costume and red mouth made her to appear ten years older. Than she was.
Suddenly, she grabbed the glass bowl of cherries. She threw it against the opposite wall. The bowl shattered. Pieces of glass lay gathered on the floor. Most of the cherries were smashed also. Their mash looked like a pool of blood. Corinne didn´t know that what went inside her head. Her fury caused her to snap. He should have been here earlier. She thought.
Perhaps she was jealous of her father. Lorenzo´s affection for Morticia didn´t bother the girl, however. She was comfortable with it. Since she loved her both parents. A thought of her father finding a new woman, disgusted Corinne. No one could ever replace Morticia. She thought.
The look in her eyes remained decisive and aggressive. It wasn´t possible for anyone to injure her now. She could handle other vampires, like they were air to her. Corinne heard steps from the front door. Someone was coming home. She turned her head to look towards the doorway.
She identified Lorenzo carrying a woman in his arms. Corinne saw their contours distinguished in the dark room.
The room was illuminated by only one candle. It stood on the table, in front of the couch. Lorenzo had already begun to suck Loretta. Next, he handed the gift for his daughter to finish. Loretta was nearly unconscious. She breathed and tried to talk. Her voice resembled baby´s whimpering. Lorenzo lay her on the couch next to Corinne.
Then, he said: “Sorry I´m late. I brought you a gift from the village. She is not your new mother. So, you can drink from her until she dies.”
“How can I trust you papa? That you aren´t lying to me.” Corinne replied sharply.
“I drank from this woman honey. She is okay. So, you can finish her now before it´s too late.”
Corinne nodded her pretty head. Her brown curls bounced, when she did so. Her hair looked unnaturally shiny and thick. She looked stunning and irresistible in Lorenzo´s opinion. His intention was not to kill Corinne. Corinne was badly mistaken in saying so. Her mistrust hurt him.
She smelled Loretta´s neck a couple of times. After finding her edible, she drank from her thirstily. She killed her within five minutes. Corinne didn´t hurry with her victims. She enjoyed them for as long as she liked. After drinking, she told her father that she could have more blood.
Lorenzo laughed. He pretended her joke to be a good one. She believed him. Corinne took his flattery as a compliment. Corinne was dissatisfied, because she couldn´t have more blood. She was fed up. She expressed her bored emotions by exposing her tongue to her father. He laughed along with her afterwards. Then, he fixed himself an alcoholic drink.
Corinne walked to her bedroom. She didn´t inform him about it. He didn´t care. He wished her “good night” aloud, before she left the living room. He didn´t get a reply from her. He continued drinking wine downstairs.
The corpse of the pretty young woman sat next to her. Blood dribbled from the bite marks in her neck. It fell over her bosom. It spoiled her dress. Corinne had done her quickly. He thought terrified.
He wasn´t pleased with Corinne´s speed of killing the lady. Corinne could kill anyone just as quickly. He reckoned. She hadn´t yet killed another vampire. Not that he knew. He was going to educate her in that skill also. She needed to get more experience in dealing with her enemies. Surely, she had them. All vampires had enemies.
Chapter 7
In the next morning, they slept in their coffins peacefully. Their sleep lasted long until late afternoon. It had begun at six in the morning. Corinne snored in her sleep. She watched dreams of Morticia all night. In her dream, she was in the garden of the palace with Morticia. They were picking up cherries. Then, Lorenzo appeared.
When, he saw the couple, his jaw dropped. He looked fearful and insane. He promised to them that he wouldn´t come any closer. Corinne gave him a warning. She told him to go away, because she wanted to be with her mom.
Lorenzo saw the same dream inside his own coffin. In his dream, Corinne accused him of murdering Morticia. Corinne threatened to kill him also. He tried to escape, but she caught him. Corinne´s small hands strangled him to death. He was unable to fight her back.
Lorenzo woke up sweating. His shirt was soaked in his own fluid. He needed to get blood and water to replenish his supply. He was glad that he´d seen only a nightmare. It could have been real though. Cold chills went up and down his spine. He could have been killed by the mischievous child.
Corinne knew nothing about her father´s nightmare. She woke up feeling great. She didn´t wish to see Lorenzo. She felt bored in his company. His father used to tell jokes all the time. Nowadays, Lorenzo was serious and silent. His demeanour disturbed Corinne. He acted strangely lately. It insulted her feelings. Was he afraid of her?
They both acknowledged that someone had to get rid of the corpse downstairs. They headed there on the same time. Corinne and Lorenzo met at the top of the staircase again. They greeted each other distantly. They agreed to carry Loretta´s remains outside. They were going to throw her into the sea.
Knowing that no one would ever find her, they thrashed her down the cliff. When Loretta´s head hit the rocks, they stared silently. Then, she became swallowed by the waves. The vampires felt that they did the right thing to her. Loretta belonged to the ocean.
They returned to the mansion. It was at eight o´clock in the evening. They ate supper together. Lorenzo discovered meat inside the fridge. He cooked it in the oven. He spiced it with peppercorns and rosemary. During the dinner, he emptied many glasses of red wine. After he was done, he wiped his mouth to the corner of a cotton napkin.
He wasn´t finished with anything else, but the meal. He hadn´t yet murdered the witch hunters. Those men took away Morticia. The bastards deserved to die. Corinne read his mind. She asked kindly: “Papa, can I come with you tonight to kill our enemies?”
“Surely you can join me. It could be dangerous.” He said to her just as kindly.
“I´ll come with you over there anyway. I´m not afraid.”
“Honey, I admire your courage.”
She gave him a smile. He told her that it was time to go. They didn´t have much time. The two of them got up. They went to the hallway. Their shoes and overcoats were there. They got dressed before they left. He opened the main door. There, they confronted an awful sight.
The yard was full of witch hunters. All ten of them and their friends stood facing Corinne and Lorenzo. The vampires didn´t back up. They became ready to fight their battle for freedom.
One of the witch hunters shouted: “Look at those monsters! Think of how many innocent people they have killed for fun!”
Another hunter added: “We shall strike Satan down with these torches!”
His words struck power inside the hearts of his friends. They formed a row. Their row neared the two vampires. The vampires stood on the porch. They eyed the men fiercely with their demonic irises. The hunters remained in control of their own fear. They were going to finish the two vampires without excuses.
Corinne whispered to Lorenzo: “Father, let´s jump on them before they attack us. Their torches could burn us.”
“You are right. Now let´s seize them. I´ll take the five on the left of their center. You will need to handle the remaining five.” He said.
She expressed that she was alright with his plan. They crashed against the witch hunters. The men got into panic. The iron gates of the palace were locked. The witch hunters couldn´t get out of the yard.
Lorenzo and his daughter laughed outrageously to the misery of their opponents. The vampires finished all of them easily within half an hour. After the last corpse fell at his feet, Lorenzo looked at Corinne. Her head was also turned in his direction.
He said: “Now, I think that there is no need for us to go hunting tonight.”
“Papa you said it. I´m too tired to go hunting any more. After killing five men and drinking their blood, I feel full.” She insisted.
“So, do I.”
They felt tired, but joyful. The two heroes lay on the couches of the living room. After the hard day´s work, they were ready to relax. Now, there was no more danger. Their ten opponents were killed. They had to get rid of the bodies. But they let it wait, until the next morning.
Suddenly, Corinne stood up. She exited through glass doors of the living room. There was a connection to the garden from the living room. Corinne saw the red verbena flowers, as they appeared in moon light. She caressed their buds and stems with her fingers. She looked at the moon. Its huge sphere was like a silvery mirror in her opinion. She didn´t see her own face on its surface. Instead, she saw Morticia´s face. Her dear mother watched her from the skies.
Lorenzo observed her daughter´s back from behind. He considered her to have matured. Or was it the dress, which made her to appear so much older? Corinne was of the size of a twelve-year old. However, her feminine neckline aroused her father a little bit. She could have been a maiko, a little geisha pupil, in Lorenzo´s opinion.
He was fond of Japanese culture. He had been to Asia many times before. He had seen the rise and fall of different empires. He should have brought Corinne along with him. She could select dresses for herself out of the marvellous clothes stores in Japan. He had a dream of travelling with Corinne to faraway lands. That he was going to present to her. As soon as she´d return from the balcony.
She came back. Looking at her, he asked: “I´ve got an idea. I think that we could travel.”
“I´d love to go with you. I haven´t been to distant lands in ages.” She said.
Corinne yawned like a cat. He was pleased with her joyful mood and calmness. Fortunately, she had discovered her inner tranquillity. He thought. Then, he came closer to her. He kissed her cheek. It was a light kiss. It didn´t include sexual desire. She didn´t reject him.
Corinne said that she´d go to pack for the trip. She didn´t ask him the name of the country, where they were heading. She moved to her own room. He remained sitting in the arm chair. He watched the moon. The moment charmed him.
