him down, strangling him. He spoke, yet his voice sounded strained and unnatural like someone was speaking through him. He didn’t recognize it.
“What would you have me do to remedy that, my…queen.” Carroll said.
Miranda laughed and squished his face between her hands, puckering his lips. Carroll might have squirmed if he could have, hating being belittled like this. But he couldn’t do anything about it, couldn’t…what was happening to him?
“Oh, you’re so cute, I could eat you up!” Miranda said and wickedly grinned. “In fact, I might.”
Miranda opened her mouth, revealing a row of vampire fangs, and bit Carroll’s neck. Carroll screamed at the piercing agony filling him and gagged as Miranda sucked the blood sputtering from his neck.
Then, filled with revulsion and pain, yet driven by a deep, unsettling hunger and thirst that he needed to quench, Carroll turned his head round and bit Miranda in the neck in turn. He sucked her blood as she sucked his and the light faded from his eyes as he began to faint, falling away.
Tarn and Beck were running through the forest, as if expecting the Vampiric to be chasing after them. However, after about an hour of this with no sign of pursuit, Tarn was tired of running and stopped and turned around.
He gripped his musket tightly, prepared to fight off if necessary any Vampiric that could be after them. However, there was nothing coming after them, nothing tried to attack him. Beck slowed down and stopped, realizing Tarn was not following after him.
“Come on, Tarn! We have to keep moving!”
“There’s no Vampiric coming after us anymore! I think we’re safe.”
Tarn lowered his musket, satisfied for now as he walked back over to Beck. Beck strained his head, looking around for any sign of pursuit.
“You sure?”
“I think they stopped chasing after us when we left those gold coins behind.” Tarn said.
Beck shook his head, disappointed in himself. “I never should have gone to that graveyard to dig up those coins.”
Tarn nudged Beck. “Hey, there was still a Vampiric hanging around out there, searching for the coins and eating the bodies.”
Beck looked up at Tarn, somewhat shocked at how casual he was about the whole ordeal as Tarn shrugged. “If you hadn’t shown up, I might have wound up dead like Ralph as well without a clue as to why. That would have been disappointing.”
Tarn looked down, a little mournful about what had happened to Ralph and disturbed as well to think that could have been his fate. Beck had saved his life in a way, even if digging up those coins and the Vampiric attack might have drawn Carroll’s attention, too.
Beck pondered it. “I suppose you’re right. So what do we do now--walk back to Silvo, or are we closer to Dosile?”
Tarn looked around, hesitant as he tried to figure out where they were along the route. “Not sure. I think we’re closer to Silvo. But then again, the coach did get pretty far. It will take at least a day or more to get back to Silvo. I don’t know where the Vampiric have gone, but hopefully we can avoid them on the way back.”
Beck sighed, dejected. “Right, Silvo it is, then. Back home.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” Tarn asked.
Beck hesitated, then shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just that--I had really wanted to leave Silvo behind. That’s why I had gone into the graveyard, to get the money to leave.”
Tarn studied Beck, pondering the situation. “Would you rather go on to Dosile then? It’s going to take longer to get there. Several days at this rate, through rough terrain. We might avoid the road in case the Vampiric are still there. But we might even have to face more monsters or creatures out there in the forest. Not just the Vampiric.”
Frightened, Beck shook his head and retreated from Tarn. “Forget it, then. I don’t want to risk getting into any more trouble and danger than we already have.”
Tarn shrugged and walked away. “All
“What would you have me do to remedy that, my…queen.” Carroll said.
Miranda laughed and squished his face between her hands, puckering his lips. Carroll might have squirmed if he could have, hating being belittled like this. But he couldn’t do anything about it, couldn’t…what was happening to him?
“Oh, you’re so cute, I could eat you up!” Miranda said and wickedly grinned. “In fact, I might.”
Miranda opened her mouth, revealing a row of vampire fangs, and bit Carroll’s neck. Carroll screamed at the piercing agony filling him and gagged as Miranda sucked the blood sputtering from his neck.
Then, filled with revulsion and pain, yet driven by a deep, unsettling hunger and thirst that he needed to quench, Carroll turned his head round and bit Miranda in the neck in turn. He sucked her blood as she sucked his and the light faded from his eyes as he began to faint, falling away.
Tarn and Beck were running through the forest, as if expecting the Vampiric to be chasing after them. However, after about an hour of this with no sign of pursuit, Tarn was tired of running and stopped and turned around.
He gripped his musket tightly, prepared to fight off if necessary any Vampiric that could be after them. However, there was nothing coming after them, nothing tried to attack him. Beck slowed down and stopped, realizing Tarn was not following after him.
“Come on, Tarn! We have to keep moving!”
“There’s no Vampiric coming after us anymore! I think we’re safe.”
Tarn lowered his musket, satisfied for now as he walked back over to Beck. Beck strained his head, looking around for any sign of pursuit.
“You sure?”
“I think they stopped chasing after us when we left those gold coins behind.” Tarn said.
Beck shook his head, disappointed in himself. “I never should have gone to that graveyard to dig up those coins.”
Tarn nudged Beck. “Hey, there was still a Vampiric hanging around out there, searching for the coins and eating the bodies.”
Beck looked up at Tarn, somewhat shocked at how casual he was about the whole ordeal as Tarn shrugged. “If you hadn’t shown up, I might have wound up dead like Ralph as well without a clue as to why. That would have been disappointing.”
Tarn looked down, a little mournful about what had happened to Ralph and disturbed as well to think that could have been his fate. Beck had saved his life in a way, even if digging up those coins and the Vampiric attack might have drawn Carroll’s attention, too.
Beck pondered it. “I suppose you’re right. So what do we do now--walk back to Silvo, or are we closer to Dosile?”
Tarn looked around, hesitant as he tried to figure out where they were along the route. “Not sure. I think we’re closer to Silvo. But then again, the coach did get pretty far. It will take at least a day or more to get back to Silvo. I don’t know where the Vampiric have gone, but hopefully we can avoid them on the way back.”
Beck sighed, dejected. “Right, Silvo it is, then. Back home.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” Tarn asked.
Beck hesitated, then shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just that--I had really wanted to leave Silvo behind. That’s why I had gone into the graveyard, to get the money to leave.”
Tarn studied Beck, pondering the situation. “Would you rather go on to Dosile then? It’s going to take longer to get there. Several days at this rate, through rough terrain. We might avoid the road in case the Vampiric are still there. But we might even have to face more monsters or creatures out there in the forest. Not just the Vampiric.”
Frightened, Beck shook his head and retreated from Tarn. “Forget it, then. I don’t want to risk getting into any more trouble and danger than we already have.”
Tarn shrugged and walked away. “All
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