A Moonlit Night - The Complete Saga Read online

  The ghouls screeched in approve, raising their hands with Simeon.

  Simeon extended his fangs, and with the curl of his lip, he said, “Tonight, we dine on her blood!

  Chapter Five

  “Are you sure you’re going to be fine?” asked Julia, heading towards the door. “I’m just going to the store; I’ll be back in ten minutes, I promise.”

  “I’ll be fine,” said Emily, now sitting up on the couch. “Besides, I’ve got Tyler and Steven here with me.”

  Julia nodded, as she headed out of the house. Emily watched from the window, as Julia got into her car, and headed down the long stone driveway.

  “Are you feeling any better?” asked Steven, sitting down beside her. “You seem to be doing better.”

  “I do feel better,” Emily said. “You’ve all been so good to me—.”

  “Hey guys, I’m going to go have a smoke while Julia isn’t here,” said Tyler, motioning to the door. “Don’t tell Jules, okay?”

  “You smoke?” Steven asked. “Since when have you smoked?”

  “For years now,” said Tyler, with a smile. “And I would like to keep it that way, so please don’t tell Julia.”

  “Fine,” said Steven, as Tyler exited the house. “I guess that just leaves us.”

  “It’s been awhile since the two of us have spent time together, hasn’t it?” Emily asked. “Other than the last couple days, we haven’t had much time for one another.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Steven replied. “I never thought about it, but we have drifted apart over the years. I’d like that to change.”

  “So would I,” said Emily, looking up at her brother. “You’ve been so good to me. I want you to know how much I appreciate having you in my life.”

  “You always were the brains of our operation,” Steven grinned, giving his little sister a hug. “Even when we were kids, I know you were going to be the one taking care of me someday. Consider this a down payment.”

  “Everyone always asks me why I never left this town,” Steven continued. “The truth is that I don’t think I’d ever make it outside this town. Not you, you’re a survivor. You’re going to leave for Charleston, and make something of yourself. I’ve never been so proud of my little sister.”

  Emily was starting to tear up. Steven never was one for emotional speeches, so the few times he did, Emily knew it would be a special moment.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes, and looking up at her brother, she said, “You’ve been a pretty great older brother yourself—.”

  “Guys, you have to get out here…now!” interrupted Tyler, swinging the door wide open.

  The door smashed against the wall, sending both Steven and Emily to their feet as they rushed out the front door.

  “Oh my…god,” said Steven, at a loss of words. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and failed to find anything suitable to say. “…Fuck me.”

  At the edge of the property, hundreds of sickly men and women circled the area. Even under the night sky, Emily could see their bright red eyes, staring the three of them down. Like rabid wolves, they hunted their prey.

  Tyler looked back at the two of them, and said, “Does anyone want to tell me what the hell we are looking at?”

  Chapter Six

  “You might want to come out of the house now!” roared Simeon, as the ghouls surrounded the house.

  Remembering her mistake the last time she met Simeon, Emily ordered the group back into the house.

  “They’ve cut the phone lines,” said Steven, attempting to dial the phone. “I don’t understand. Who are these people?”

  “They are the men that attacked me,” said Emily, emotionless and in shock. “They’ve come to finish what they’ve started—.”

  “I swear to everything that is good and holy,” Simeon shouted from outside. “I will burn this house to the ground if you will not come outside!”

  “What the hell did you see, Emily?” Tyler asked, slamming his fist down on the kitchen counter. “Damn it, Emily; Jules is still out there somewhere!”

  “This isn’t her fault, Tyler!” said Steven, rising in defense of his sister. “She never asked for any of this!”

  “You can’t possibly still be ignoring me?” asked Simeon, getting louder. “I didn’t want to have to do this!”

  The three of them waited for any signs of attack, unsure if surrender was even an option.

  The doorbell rang, sending shivers down their spines. Simeon was at the door.

  “I think you should come out,” said Simeon, as he rang the doorbell again. “Julia thinks you should come out, too.”

  Emily and Steven looked at one another in shock, but Tyler was already out of his chair and rushing to the door.

  “No!” Emily screamed. “Tyler, please don’t go!”

  It was too late, as Tyler had opened the door. He stared down the large vampire, afraid to move any further.

  Simeon had a hand firmly around the throat of Julia. Leering at Emily, he said, “If you had of come outside when I had asked, this would not be happening to your friend!”

  Simeon bared his fangs, and sunk his teeth deep into the neck of Julia. She screamed up in pain as the blood poured down her neck.

  Withering in agony, Emily could only stand by, as she watched her friend collapse to the ground.

  “You animal!” screamed Tyler, as she charged Simeon. “I’ll kill you—!”

  “Please come back, Tyler!” Emily screamed.

  Tyler couldn’t hear Emily’s pleas for him to stop. All he could think about was the woman he loved, being attacked in front of him. He leaped at Simeon, hoping to throw him to the ground.

  “Not today,” said Simeon, lifting his head from Julia’s neck and catching Tyler with his free hand.

  Tyler looked on in shock, as Simeon hurtled him back into the house. He smashed against a table, dropping to the floor.

  Tyler lay conscious on the floor, while Simeon finished his meal.

  Simeon raised his head, and withdrew his fangs. Licking the blood off his lips, he looked back at Emily, as said, “Refuse me again…and I will burn this house to the ground.”

  Chapter Seven

  Emily and Steven stood out on the porch, brother and sister against an army.

  The ghouls howled in the night, as they stared intently at their prey. They had waited a lifetime for this moment, and wished to savor every moment.

  “What do you want from me?” asked Emily, clenching her fists. “What did I ever do to you?”

  The ghouls cackled in unison, and the ground beneath them trembled from their ferocity.

  “My dear, I see that Xander told you nothing,” smirked Simeon, slowly walking up the steps of the porch. “I can’t say that I blame him.”

  “You called me a summoner, before,” Emily said. “What were you talking about?”

  “That is a very long story,” said Simeon, now feet away from Emily. “In short…your race was once considered gods among men. You walked the world, sharing your powers with the people of the land, and they worshipped you for it.”

  Steven tried to stand in between the two, but a touch on the shoulder from Emily brought him back. They looked at each other, their somber expressions saying more than words ever could.

  “They were gods that give back to their worshippers; could there be anything more preposterous?” Simeon asked. “That simply would not work for us, so we replaced you as the true gods!”

  Emily listened, in horror, as Simeon recounted the details on how the vampires systematically destroyed every summoner in existence, except Emily.

  “You monster!” screamed Emily, desperately trying to call forth the energy from a few nights ago. “Did you kill my mother, too?”

  “Why don’t you ask your boyfriend, Xander?” Simeon inquired. “After all, he was there.”

  “Lies!” Emily yelled. “You only deal in deceit and lies; my mother was right about you!”

  “What a good lesson to learn,” Sime
on grinned. “Too bad it will be your last—.”

  “Attack!” yelled a voice from the trees. “Kill them all!”

  Dozens of men emerged from the trees, rapidly advancing on the small junkie army. They were skillful, and well trained, as the cut down the addicts with ease.

  Emily and Steven watched on in amazement, as the battle raged less than twenty feet away. It was dark out, but the red eyes of both parties could be seen a mile away, like hundreds of firefly’s dancing in the night sky.

  “Emily, get back!” shouted Steven, as a ghoul jumped up to the porch, and charged them.

  Steven pushed Emily aside, and took the brunt force of the attack. The ghoul threw him to the ground, clawing at him from above.

  “Steven!” screamed Emily, as she tried to pull the ghoul off. “Get off him, you vile monster—!”

  “Watch out, Emily!” bellowed Tyler, running out of the house brandishing a pitching wedge. “Take this, you monster!”

  Tyler struck the ghoul in the back, and when it didn’t back off, he struck again.

  The ghoul cried in anguish, as he crumbled to the floor. Coughing up blood, it looked up towards his master, who wasn’t moving to save him.

  Steven crawled out from underneath the ghoul, and Tyler helped him to his feet. He grabbed the club from Tyler, and took a swing for himself.

  The ghoul wailed in pain as it rolled off the deck onto the battlefield. By now, their numbers had dropped drastically, as the small group of well-trained opponents sliced through them quickly and efficiently.

  Simeon smiled, as the carnage ensued all around the simple cottage home. He should have been furious, but the thought of this insurrection coming so close to victory amused him. After all, he thought, they were only junkies and newly-trained ghouls.

  He raised his fist towards the three of them, ready to make his strike. He stared Emily down, and said, “I’ve been thinking about this moment for a very long time—.”

  “I warned you, I would be back,” said Xander, grabbing Simeon’s arm. “Tonight, my maker, this ends!”

  Simeon winched in pain as Xander’s gloves torn into his flesh. He tried to force him off, but the silver-lined gloves drastically lowered his strength.

  “I will have your head for this!” screamed Simeon, gathering enough strength to send Xander back a few feet. “You and everyone you’ve ever cared about will burn!”

  “Get back in the house!” growled Xander, as Emily ushered her friends back into the house. “This is between Simeon and me. We must do this alone.”

  “I have prepared for this moment for a long time,” said Xander, clenching his fists. “I may not be as powerful as you, but I am a hell of a lot smarter.”

  “Prepare all you want,” Simeon snarled. “I’m going to rip off your arms and beat you with those damned gloves!”

  Chapter Eight

  Simeon charged forward, without concern for his own wellbeing. The silver burned through his skin as he manhandled Xander to the floor. His fury shook the very floor beneath them as they battled on the porch.

  “You knew that I wouldn’t let this insurrection go unpunished!” shouted Simeon as he thrashed at the kneeling Xander. “After I kill you, the rest of your clan will suffer, as traitors to our kind! I can assure you…the Council of Elders will have them endure decades of torture, until they finally die…alone and afraid.”

  Xander screamed in agony, his thunderous voice rattling the windows of the old country home. He raised himself, and wrapped his arms around the waist of Simeon. Thrusting with all his might, he took the much older vampire down to the floor.

  “You will never get away with this!” yelled Xander, as he lashed out at Simeon. “The balance must be kept!”

  Xander grabbed the head of Simeon, and began to squeeze. The silver set Simeon’s retinas ablaze as he dug his nails deeper into the once-mighty vampire’s eye sockets.

  Writhing in agony, Simeon kicked and screamed as the pain overwhelmed him. He flailed his arms around, eventually finding the forearms of his target.

  Simeon ripped Xander’s hands away, and with a swift knee to the sternum, sent Xander crashing to the ground.

  Xander picked himself up quickly, but looking back he noticed Simeon had done the same.

  The flames still raged in Simeon’s eyes, as he stared Xander down. He was too proud to show any signs of weakness, and laughed maniacally, saying, “You remember that little whore, in Toronto?”

  “Of course I do,” stated Xander, trying to remain calm. “You made me watch, as you killed the only woman I ever loved in the afterlife.”

  Xander wasn’t going to let Simeon control him; he wasn’t going to let his emotions conquer him. A clear mind is what he needed, and he remained focused on the task at hand.

  “Ah…yes, and what was her name?” asked Simeon, as the flames slowly burnt out.

  “Cynthia,” said Xander, beginning to feel his mind go cloudy, and his feelings overwhelm him. “Her name was Cynthia.”

  “That’s right!” Simeon smirked, his eyes now healing rapidly. “She was a lovely woman, so full of life and energy. Until you entered her life, that is.”

  “Are you done?” Xander inquired. “You haven’t controlled me for 100 years; and I’m not going let you start again.”

  “The Council of Elders controls all vampires!” Simeon yelled. “You think you can escape our wrath? We allowed you to live your life, as long as you never interfered with our plans. Now that you have, we will finally be able to put you down, like the dog that you are. You may have talent, but you lack the heart of a true warrior!”

  Simeon charged, tearing through the porch as he rapidly advanced on Xander. The two collided in mid air, as they were launched off the porch. They crashed against the ground in a thunderous boom, rolling around the battlefield as they clawed at each other.

  On the ground beside them, ghouls still fought one another for control. Xander’s well-trained men seemed to be gaining the upper hand, as they sliced through their opponents.

  “You’re losing the battle,” Xander grinned as they rolled around on the grass. “That’s what you get for turning your ghouls into addicts. You will never learn. For as strong as you may be, that is your biggest weakness. You are destined to repeat the same mistakes; I want you to know that I pity you.”

  “Your ghouls mean nothing to me!” Simeon screamed. “I could kill a hundred before I break a sweat!”

  Simeon mounted Xander, pinning him to the ground, and began stripping the flesh from Xander’s face with his powerful hands.

  “You will never get away with this!” yelled Xander, as the nails tore through his skin. “Someone will eventually find you, and finish what I’ve started.”

  “500 years, and you’re still just as thick as ever,” said Simeon, his hands wrapping around Xander’s throat. “After tonight, there will be no one around to stop us.”

  Simeon picked himself up, and with his hand still clutching Xander’s throat, dragged him back up the porch.

  Xander was battered and broken as he dropped to the porch floor. The blood poured down him, staining the bright blue porch underneath him. He could barely see, as Simeon knelt down beside him.

  “And now, you will watch her die,” Simeon said. “You are too weak to save the one you care for…just like Cynthia.”

  Xander struggled, desperately trying to escape Simeon’s grip. However, as he tried to fight back, he could feel the energy drain from his body. Everything was starting to go dark.

  Chapter Nine

  “Cynthia!” shouted Xander, walking through the front door. “I’m home!”

  Xander hung up his coat, took off his hat, and closed the door behind him. He was living in a townhouse that the two of them rented, in downtown Toronto.

  The year was 1965, and the two of them found themselves without a care in the world.

  “Honey, are you home?” asked Xander, checking in the kitchen. “…Honey?”

  She had to be home
, he thought, as the door had been unlocked. Nothing seemed to be disturbed, or missing, so he quickly ruled out the possibility of a burglary.

  Xander walked up the stairs, hoping to find Cynthia in the bedroom.