Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Obsolete Garden ❯ Vlad ( Chapter 4 )

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Obsolete Garden

Chapter 4: Vlad

By: Revamp

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Lafayette's corpse laid in the soft grass, bathed in the illumination of the lights she'd hung for the party. Her visage was peaceful as she rested, motionless and she was surrounded by those who were at the event when she was killed. Sounds of grieving, crying and screaming as well as muffled conversations. At the front of the crowd, Samala stood. She frowned as her uncovered, saddened red eye looked at the corpse at her feet.

The sound of footsteps echoed through her ears as she turned to see the others walk up to her, with Iliya standing at the front of the group. The crow turned hopeful. Maybe their return was the mark of good news. She could only pray that would be the case.

“You're back. Did you see the one who did this?” Samala walked up to her friends and inquired.

“Yes,” Lestat nodded.

“Where are they?” Samala was a little confused. If they were able to apprehend the one who killed Lafayette, then why couldn't they apprehend them? Or did they already? Did they manage to kill the killer? She could only hope that was the case.

“They got away,” Cambria was regretful to inform her of that.

“What? They're going to kill again,” panic ran through the crow's heart. What were they going to do now? There was a killer on the loose and who knew who they would kill this time around? Weren't the others scared or worried at all?

“They…are more of a problem than previously thought. We can't really kill them.” It was hard for Venetia to admit, but this was a problem that was far beyond her scope of expertise. She didn't have a choice but to let Thanatos escape. She knew that she couldn't defeat anyone who had a devil on their side.

“Then, what are you going to do?” Samala knew that they couldn't just let him get away with slaughtering this many people. They had to stop him somehow.

“We aren't sure,” Venetia closed her uncovered eye and frowned. She didn't like delivering this kind of news. In fact, she felt useless when she had to tell someone that she couldn't pull through with the task she was assigned.

“Iliya went off to talk to them,” Lestat tried to comfort her with that fact, but at the same time he knew that might not be the best of scenarios either.

“Are you sure you should leave him unattended like this?” Ophir was a little worried. Why would they send Iliya off alone with someone as dangerous as the killer? Shouldn't they have gone with him at the very least?

“He's under my protection. I'm watching over him as he talks to the killer. If anything should happen, I'll intervene,” Cambria did her best to assure her friends that Iliya would be safe. She was a god, after all and she could protect her creations even from far away. Hopefully, nothing would happen between the moth and the scorpion.

Rosario held his bottle of liquor as he sat under a nearby tree. Many liquor bottles were littered around him, and he was obviously drunk. “Oh, so this world isn't completely peaceful. Things are looking up,” he said joyfully.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ophir didn't see how he could be making lightly of such a situation. It was really offensive that he didn't even seem to care that people in Natsuhama were literally dying around him.

“Wow, rude Ophir,” Rosario pouted, “I'm just enjoying the fun.” He didn't see anything wrong with that. Parties were for getting drunk and enjoying yourself, and that's just what he was doing.

“This isn't even fun!” Ophir lost his composure for a few minutes as he yelled at the drunken god.

“To you,” Rosario knew that fun was subjective, “mortals simply wouldn't understand.” The caliber of fun that gods and mortals felt was on entirely different scales. He didn't expect the cricket to even begin to fathom the concept.

“You're a disturbing god,” Ophir gritted his teeth. Anyone that could be merry and drink while bloodshed happened around them no doubt had problems.

“Now, now cockroach-“ Rosario waved in dismissal before he was cut off.

“Cricket! I'm a cricket you drunk…Ugh!” Ophir was so angry that he thought his head was going to explode. For the entire party, this drunken idiot did nothing but refer to him by the wrong species of insect and it was really grinding on his nerves, not to mention the entire party Rosario wasn't taking anything seriously that he was supposed to. It was like the god was making a mockery of the situation. `Be respectful. He's a god. Don't look like a fool in front of Miss Cambria…' The brown-clad man tried to calm his anger. He didn't want to make things worse. If he did that, then he would have been no better than the Rose God.

“Sooo…Who did it? Who did it? I wanna know!” Rosario sounded more like an excited child than a serious inquirer.

“It was Thanatos,” Lestat informed everyone.

“Scorpion man,” Rosario replied as he took a drink from his bottle. “So, how are you going to take him down?”

“We're not certain we can at this rate,” Venetia gave him the bad news. She didn't feel right about admitted defeat, but she trusted Cambria's decision on the matter.

“Oh man, so he's just going to kill everyone, huh?” Rosario asked with a smile before he cheered and threw his alcohol bottle into the air. “Armageddon time! Kaboom!” The bottle landed beside of him on the ground as he threw up his arms.

“Sir, please, you're a god. Have some self-respect,” Samala felt embarrassed just looking at this man. He was acting like a child while a corpse laid a few feet from him. There were better ways of conducting yourself during times like this.

“Do you think he's capable of that?” Ophir didn't think so. That god was so stupidly drunk that he had lost all sense of that word. It wasn't that he had any self-respect to begin with, considering he slept with everyone under the sun.

“Ophir!” Samala scolded him for his disrespect.

“My apologies,” the cricket closed his eyes and frowned. He probably deserved that. What was he thinking to insult someone of higher power like that? He really needed to keep his composure better.

“Hey, hey! You said you had problems with murders lately, yeah?” Rosario got up and stumbled over to the group of people.

“Yes, but now that we've found the source, we don't need to investigate further,” Venetia could consider this case over. She didn't have much of a choice, all things considering.

“He's got to have a reason, right?” The Rose God was going to push the subject. He wanted this murder mystery to keep going. In fact, it was a shame that they were giving up so soon. He really wanted to see someone get apprehended. Now, that would be a memorable party!

“What are you getting at?” Ophir arched an eyebrow.

“I heard you guys talking about making pacts with devils. You really shouldn't trust that. You shouldn't. Devils are sneaky. Can't trust them. Can't at all,” Rosario shook his head. He didn't believe that they should treat this situation so lightly. If it took place on Flora, he would have done more than cracked down on it.

“I don't know,” Cambria countered his statement, “I like Zion quite a bit.” Her devil was peaceful, and he never seemed to want anything malicious from anyone. He was like a friend to her, and a silent protector.

“Should we really listen to him regardless?” Venetia didn't take Rosario seriously most of the time, much less over something like this.

“Don't you hate your devil?” Lestat pointed out the issue he had with the Rose God. It was only one of many. Of course he didn't trust his devil. It was too convenient that he disliked devils as a whole.

“Hate is such a nasty word,” Rosario looked offended that he would use such terminology around him, “more like dislike with extreme prejudice.” That was a better description of just how he felt about devils and their concept.

“You banished him into exile,” the white-haired man continued to prod at him, to get the god to expose his true feelings about devils. He wanted to know why he did it, to know why exactly he hated his devil. Lestat sought out answers, and if he couldn't go to Flora he was going to attempt to pull them out of the Rose God when he possibly could. It's not as if Rosario didn't put himself in the position to have them asked anyway.

“So what? Guilty, guilty, GUILTY!” The Rose God's voice only became more irritated with each passing word. There was no other subject that made him as angry as bringing up that Thorn Devil. “It had to be done. Surely, it was for the best,” his words softened as he closed his eyes and a small smile crept to his face.

“Whose best I wonder?” Lestat questioned him further. Rosario was just trying to give his actions some form of pathetic justification.

“Hmmm…” Rosario looked as if he were in deep though for a moment before he shrugged and threw his hands out with a toothy grin. “Guess it really doesn't matter now, does it?” His words were sly and condescending. If that little brat thought he was going to get any information out of him, he could think again.

“Why don't you like your devil, Lord Rosario?” Cambria was genuinely confused by this. Granted, she didn't know much about Vicus, but she found it odd that a devil and god could be at such odds. The only devils she truly knew were her fly father and Zion, but they seemed like kind people.

“Sometimes, it's good not to be too curious, you know?” That was Rosario's warning sentence. How many times did he have to say that he didn't want to discuss these matters? He was really tired of people prolonging this topic.

“Are you insulting my goddess' intelligence?” Venetia hated when people treated Cambria like she didn't know anything. Just because her goddess was kind, didn't mean that she was some doormat to be walked on.

“Old news, old news,” Rosario waved her opinions away. He still wasn't going to talk about the issue, and that was simply that.

Venetia's maroon eyes narrowed at the Rose God. His little charade and blatant disrespect was beginning to irritate her.

“Maybe we shouldn't be too nosey,” Cambria decided to ease the atmosphere. “I don't want to cause bad feelings.”

“I don't care if it does or not,” Lestat argued.

“Lestat!” Cambria whined. She was trying to make everyone get along and he wasn't helping at all.

“Mmm…” The white-haired man closed his eyes and crossed his arms beneath his long, black cape. He sank back into the shadows of a nearby tree and remained silent, like a looming shadow.

“You heard what she said. No asking,” Rosario agreed with her. Thank the powers to be that someone finally agreed with him. Now he could get out of this argument and he wasn't going to be forced to explain anything.

Lestat said nothing and glared at him from his position. He should have known that stupid Rose Demon would rub it in his face. How childish.

Venetia turned away from the group and took a couple of steps in the opposite direction. “If things are settled here, I must be going.” She had nearly forgotten an appointment that she had made to see someone special. She was probably keeping them late.

“Where are you off to?” Cambria asked and turned to her.

“I have to pay someone a visit,” the goat demon glanced over her shoulder to her inquisitive goddess.

“To who?”

“Vlad.”

“Give him my regards,” Rosario beamed from behind her.

“I'm a little concerned,” she closed her eyes and turned her head away, a visible look of worry was apparent on her features. Venetia could say that this visit was only partially a happy one. It was more bittersweet than anything.

“Why? Is there something wrong with him?” Cambria had only heard about Vlad, but she had to wonder if he might be ill. The way Venetia talked about him concerned her and if she could help him, she definitely wanted to.

“Ever since the spree of murders has been going on, Vlad has been very odd.” It was something that unnerved her, especially considering the type of person that Vlad was. He was someone fascinated with death and someone that exhibited homicidal tendencies before. The fact that he was in the state that he was worried her. She didn't want him to hurt anyone, or himself.

“Isn't Vlad always odd?” Samala commented with a look of concern. If she remembered correctly, Vlad was mentally ill.

“Vlad has…some problems, but this isn't like normal,” Venetia knew that he was far from perfect. There was no way that she could deny that, and because of it she had to keep an eye on him and make sure that he never ended up crossing paths with any unsavory people. It was something that she feared already happened to him.

She recalled the last time that they talked how unstable he was. How the words tumbled from his mouth and how much closer he was to insanity. Vlad often suffered from psychosis, because of his illness. That day, he teetered on the edge of sanity. The look in his eyes was something that shook her to the core.

“You know, I've never felt the same as you. People claim the unknown is so dreadful. I only see comfort,” Vlad looked at his trembling hand, fingers curled up towards the heavens. Maroon eyes stared through overly-large, round glasses with thick panes of glass. “Why? Why am I so different? Can you tell me?” He turned to his sister, his voice rapidly switching between curiosity and sorrow before turning to sorrow once more. “I can't find an answer. Ah, I can't do this…but you see, sweet Venetia, I can't kill myself. I'm still here. Have you seen them? Those who ask what the meaning of life is? Do you know that I have the answer? Don't you want to know?”

His pitch grew excited as he leaned in with a large, toothy smile plastered on his white face. He wanted her answer. He really, truly did.

“What are you babbling on about? You sound unwell,” Venetia knew that Vlad went on these types of tangents, but she never knew what to do about it when he did. The subjects that he went on about were oddly philosophical, but someone in his state of mind shouldn't really be dabbling in such topics.

“There isn't one, we all just DIE!” Vlad shouted the last word, his voice took on a sinister edge as it slithered from between his lips. The way he said it sounded so certain that it gave his sister the chills.

“Vlad, that's not the only answer,” Venetia attempted to talk some sense into him, but she knew that he would have something to counter her words. She really wished that she could make him see that she was right, however. She worried for his safety.

“Not ready to die?” Her brother seemed amused with her feeble attempt to fight back. “Is it that you want more? Eternal life with your god? Of course you do. All of you want the same thing, you see? I have a better job. Yes, much better. Do you think I'm crazy?”

It was a question that he always asked her. It was one that she dreaded him asking, because she never knew how to answer it or how Vlad would react to her answer. He was a very unpredictable person and she didn't want to make matters worse.

“You sound like it, I think you need help,” Venetia knew that probably wasn't the right answer at all, but she wanted her brother to see that he needed to realize the state of deterioration that he was in. He couldn't keep living like this, and that he would only get worse.

“It's not crazy to think this way. Even in this peaceful world, people still kill. Look at what's going on now,” Vlad laughed a little. “People are dying. Do you know why that is? People have made survival easy to achieve. In an integrated society, we've lost our instinct to kill. Do you know what I think?”

“I'm afraid to ask.” At this point, his sister expected the worst kind of answer from him.

“I know why the killer kills,” and she had gotten one of the more sinister ones. That was a reveal that she had not seen coming, and the first time that Vlad had said something of that nature.

“What?” Venetia's body tensed upon hearing it. Hell, she could hardly believe the words came from her brother. Something was definitely wrong here. Did he know about the killings? If so, what did he know?

“He kills because he can play god. He can decide who lives and who dies. Even peaceful gods must kill. Don't tell me you don't know? You're right hand woman to one,” Vlad refused to believe that his sister wasn't aware of these things. She had killed to keep her goddess safe, even if she had not done it of her free will; if Cambria wanted to live then she would have ordered her to herself.

“How do you know his motive? You act like you have insight on this,” Venetia's teeth gritted together as she stared down the insane man before her. Vlad acted like he knew something and she wanted to know what.

“The dark is beautiful, and sorrow is much more frightening than the aftermath of fear. Trust me. I know. Even if he let them scream, no one would come. They had different plans, yeah? I'm sure the killer will seize reality. Death doesn't care if people have other plans, and neither does the killer. I think it's a saving grace to be murdered. It's better than growing old and watching others die. Life should fade into all it once was - NOTHING.” The words burned into her skin. It wasn't just some cruel joke, or Vlad screwing around. She knew that he meant every word of it. He always thought about things like this, and even more importantly- he had tried violent things in the past.

That made her worry far more than anything.

“Is he really that bad?” Cambria's words cut through her mental fog, clearing her mind of the intense thoughts and vivid imagery of the past as she turned to her goddess.

“He's always been unwell since…Well, that incident, but he's gotten worse lately. Vlad has been oddly fascinated with the killings, and he seems like he knows a lot about the killer and his motives…or maybe he's talking out of his ass, but I'm not sure.” Just thinking about it stressed her out. Venetia knew that Vlad had a lot of hallucinations. He often saw and believed things that weren't there. Maybe he was just imagining that he knew about the killer? Maybe he believed he saw the killer and he didn't? Venetia couldn't tell at this rate, but she still wanted to know, even if it was nothing but delusion.

“You sound like you're not so sure that Thanatos is causing all of the murders. Do you think someone else is helping him?” Cambria couldn't help but think this murder mystery wasn't over. Venetia was very smart, and if she thought something else was up then Cambria trusted her intuition.

“Helping? I think there is more than one killer, and they are both acting alone,” Venetia knew that was a big claim to make, and she couldn't provide any evidence other than the words of a mentally ill person but she had a feeling he was right.

“Do you think whoever is killing everyone is worse than Thanatos?” Cambria was getting really worried now. If there was someone out there worse than a man contracted with a devil, then things were going to get serious.

“I think they have a worse modus operendi,” Venetia's voice took on a serious tone. “Vlad said that the killer operated the way they did because they could play god by killing.” If she were to take her brother's words into consideration, then that meant the killer could still possibly target Cambria. It was cause for concern.

“What?” The butterfly-winged goddess was a little shocked to hear such a claim. She knew more than anyone that godhood couldn't be obtained in such a manner.

“That means that whoever it is wants to cause detrimental damage to Natsuhama,” Venetia wasn't going to stand by and continue to let them kill. If her train of logic was correct, this person wanted to kill as many people as possible and they might even target the actual god of Natsuhama. That made them dangerous.

“Who could do such a thing?” Many of the denizens of Natsuhama were peaceful and content with life. Cambria didn't know what would make someone want to kill people, or what would even make them think that by killing people they could become a god.

“I'm not sure, but I feel like Vlad may know. Maybe he's caught up in the killer's sinister ways,” Venetia was also worried about that happening. Vlad knew some shady people. If he actually was talking to the killer, the she definitely needed to do something about it before he got into any more trouble than he already did.

“We must help him,” Cambria put her hands together and worry coursed through her being. She didn't know Vlad very well, but she wanted him to be safe and happy. The goddess hoped that nothing too bad was happening, and that he would be alright.

“I'd rather help you,” the goat-demon's job first and foremost was to serve her goddess.

“But-“ Cambria tried to protest, but she was cut off.

“If whoever it is wants to play god, they may come after you. I can't risk your life or position,” Venetia would protect her the most. More than ever, Cambria was in danger right now.

“What about Vlad? I know you care about him a lot,” Cambria was worried for him as well. Venetia spoke so fondly of him, and she seemed to love him a lot. She didn't know what way Venetia loved him, but she knew that she did.

“Your life is more important,” Venetia cracked a small smile. “Above everything, I must protect the god of my world,” the goat demon reached out and tipped the smaller girl's chin up. “You're the most precious thing to our world, and if someone is threatening you then I will lay down my very life.”

She meant those words more than anything. The goat demon had pledged her life on those very words, and not only that but she had deeply cared for the god of her world. No harm would come to her as long as she had her faithful bodyguard to protect her. It was because of people like Cambria that she decided to take up her profession and it was because of people like Cambria that made her strive to be the strongest woman in Natsuhama.

“Venetia…” Cambria was truly touched by her words. She felt the velvet touch of the demon's hand as it left her chin and took her hand. Soft lips touched the back of her hand, kissing it gently.

“My precious goddess,” Venetia spoke against the girl's porcelain flesh, “I will get down to the bottom of this. You stay here and take charge of the cleanup. I'll go see Vlad.” She arose and stared down at the horned girl's form.

Cambria was still worried. “At least take someone with you,” she grabbed the taller woman's wrist as she turned to go, stopping her in her tracks. “I don't want you to go alone.”

Venetia turned and looked into the golden eyes of her deity. She could tell that Cambria was scared for her, and she didn't want to make her worry more than she already was. She decided to chide her worried with a little confidence boost, “I can handle myself.”

“Please! I worry about you, Venetia,” Cambria wasn't going to let this go. It wasn't as if she didn't trust her, or even that she couldn't. Oh no! That was the farthest thing from the truth, but she just wanted the goat demon to have extra backup in case something happened.

“Fine, I'll take Iliya, since he's just now coming back,” Venetia spied the moth walking up one of the paths that led to the party area. He had nice timing, and he was the first one to draw her attention. He was also part of the royal court and had impeccable skill. Surely Cambria would find sanctity in her choice.

“Iliya!” The goddess smiled happily. She was glad that he came back unscathed.

The moth's antennae perked up upon hearing his name. He walked over to the girls and stopped a couple of feet from them. Sighing, he frowned a little. The information he had for them wasn't the best. “My talk with Thanatos was unsuccessful. I'm sorry.”

Cambria shook her head and smiled warmly at him. “Don't be. I didn't think that it would.”

If Thanatos wasn't going to tell them back then what his plans are and who he was contracted with, she didn't think that he'd tell Iliya just because there were less people. She knew how strong of a sense of justice that the moth had, but this was a time that he really had to just let things be.

“We have bigger fish to fry,” Venetia decided to bring up the other issue they were having.

“Like what?” Iliya arched a fuzzy eyebrow. He wasn't sure that he wanted to know.

“I don't think all of these murders are committed by the same person as we were led to believe,” Venetia turned to face him.

“How do you know that?” Iliya was a little confused. What exactly happened while he was gone?

“There's something up with Vlad,” Venetia told him her only clue as to why she had thought the way that she did.

“When is there not? Vlad is a mental patient.” Really? That's what was worrying her? Iliya wasn't sure why that would stick out so much. Vlad was mentally ill and even he knew that the goat demon's words could be taken with a grain of salt.

“He's worse than usual, and he seems to know the killer's motive,” Venetia wanted to get her point across. She didn't think Iliya should just dismiss it so easily.

“How do you know his words hold up? Doesn't he live in delusion most of the time?” Iliya still didn't know if he could trust any of that. For all he knew, Vlad could be lying and from what he did know nothing that crazy man said made sense most of the time.

“I don't think you understand,” the goat demon pressed, “Vlad's words might seem crazy, but there is always a sense of truth to them. I know Vlad, he's unstable but he doesn't lie.”

That was why it was hard to combat him most of the time when they argued. No matter how askewed the male goat demon's views were, he wasn't wrong on a lot of them and his views made sense. They weren't just ramblings of a crazy person to her.

After all, Vlad was an inventor. Despite being crazy, he had an insanely high IQ level and he was considered a genius.

“Are you really taking his word for it?” Iliya could hardly believe what she was saying to him.

“I am,” Venetia nodded.

“You should go with Venetia,” Cambria suggested. “If you do then maybe you can get validation. It's always nice to have a second opinion, right?” If for nothing else, he could go to see her views and maybe even understand Vlad a little better. Cambria didn't want either of them being alone when they went to see him, so it was perfect that they team up.

“It couldn't hurt, I suppose,” Iliya wasn't really sure about going off to see some crazy guy, but if that was what Lady Cambria wanted, then who was he to say no?

“Come,” Venetia ordered as she turned to head off in the direction of Vlad's house. Iliya followed behind her.

Lestat watched as the two retreated off into the line of trees and turned to Cambria from his position in the shadows. “Do you think you did the right thing?”

“I feel like they will deal with the issue the best,” Cambria smiled. She was certain that she picked the right people for the job. Iliya and Venetia were very strong and very smart, more than capable of handling someone highly unstable.

“Do you think there is more than one person behind this?” Lestat wanted to know her opinion on all of this.

“You know I can't tell you that,” she did know, but she was forbidden from speaking it. God couldn't tell her subjects everything unless she had to be involved.

“Right, sorry,” Lestat closed his eyes and frowned. How negligent of him to ask such things.

“Venetia…” Cambria sighed and looked to the skies, now turning a brilliant orange with the blazing afternoon sun. She hoped that her dear goat demon would be alright and silently prayed for her safe return.

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It was dark, and the floor was hard and damp. The abrasive surface was cold against her exposed skin. The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. Her vision was blurry and her body felt as if it were made of concrete with metal ball joints. Why was she so lethargic?

The air smelled musty and the faint dripping of fall off stalagmites sounded in her ears. It was cold and dark. She sat up and rubbed her head. Whatever happened to her caused her to have some kind of head injury. It throbbed in her ears and the dull pains shot through her body.

She faintly heard singing from a male voice.

Come little one, come with me.

I'll take you to paradise you'll see.

So far away you will be.

Together forever with me.

It was sickeningly sweet, and to the tune of `Hush Little Baby'. The twisted lyrics brought panic to her. Whoever it was, they had brought her here. She didn't know why or who, but she had heard the talk of there being some kind of killer in the area.

Was this him?

“Where? Where is that? Who's there?” She jerked her head around, not daring to get up or even move from her place. Who knew where he was, and if he would grab her from the shadows as soon as she decided to make a move.

Oh my sweet don't you dare cry.

I couldn't hurt you, even if I try.

I just want you to stay.

Stay here forever and be my PREY.

“What the hell? Who's saying that?” Paranoia crept up on her as her green eyes glanced around the cave. She couldn't hear any footsteps, just that creepy as fuck voice that continued to grow closer and closer.

A wave of lethargy passed through her again and her eyes fell heavy, but she rapidly blinked in order to try and keep herself awake. She couldn't be falling asleep when she was about to be killed. The girl felt as if she had been drugged. Knowing her luck, she probably wasn't far off from the truth. “Why do I feel so tired?” She held her head and tried to concentrate as the rock she was staring at began to blur and distort.

Oh my precious don't you fight.

Soon you will feel oh so right.

My precious one I'll soothe your soul.

Like a warm fire, burning hot coal.

“I feel sleepy…” She almost felt her eyes slam shut before jerking her head up and snapping awake. She nearly caused herself to have a headache as she did so. Violently shaking her head, the female demon was determined to stay awake. If she fell asleep, then she would become more of a victim, and she wouldn't allow herself to give in to whatever sick man was lurking around. “But, I can't! I can't fall asleep.”

Oh little victim your family will grieve.

Oh little victim, you cannot leave.

You and me in this sweet fantasy.

Your screams and my pleasure mixed into cacophony.

She felt her blood run cold, and her heart slammed against her chest so hard she felt like it was going to burst through her sternum and land on the floor in front of her. The girl's breathing escalated and she felt an overwhelming sense of panic. The air began to thicken and she felt like it was harder to breathe.

Wild, green eyes darted around in any attempt to find the disgusting figure lurking in the darkness, but still she heard no footsteps. Where was he? Where? WHERE?

He had to be around there somewhere? He had to be!

But where?

Please my victim don't you cry.

Soon those tears will run dry.

Oh my dear you were never so clever.

Now you'll stay with me forever.

The voice was closer than it had ever been before. Her body tensed up at just how loud it was. It was as if he had been sickly singing it right in her ear. She stayed in place, not wanting to make a move. Her eyes stopped searching around the cave and her body was frozen in place. The girl felt ill, as if she wanted to throw up and she was petrified to turn around.

Slowly, she moved her head to look over her shoulder. She prayed he wouldn't be there. She hoped that it was only a trick of echoes that caused him to seem closer than he actually was. However, her hopes were dashed as she saw the silhouette of a crazed man with a long lab coat and large, curled horns. What little light there was reflected off of his abnormally large, round glasses and the weapon that he held in his hand - a blood-splattered bone saw.

She let out an ear piercing scream as he bent down with the weapon, promising the sweet kiss of death.

XxXxXxXxXx

Iliya stopped and turned his head as echoes of a far-off scream flooded his senses. That must have been the mark of one of the killers…either that or it was Thanatos slaughtering people again. “Did you hear that?” He looked to Venetia to make sure he wasn't just hearing voices.

“That's not good,” Venetia's expression was dire, “and Thanatos broke my weapon so I can't fight with it.”

“We'll worry about it later. We have to get to the crime scene. I just hope that we're not too late,” Iliya still had his rapier and they both had magical powers. That should be enough to at least put a few bruises on whoever it was that was causing all of this carnage.

Soon, the two of them came to a quaint little house on the edge of a small village that resided near the party. It was in beautiful shape and whoever lived there really loved to garden. Beautiful red roses lined the white brick walls. No one appeared to be home at all and all of the lights were off inside.

This house belonged to Vlad.

Venetia grabbed the door knob and tried to enter the house, but the door wouldn't budge. She pushed on it, but it still wouldn't open in the slightest. She banged on it, calling out for the other goat demon, but she got no answer. Iliya looked in a few of the windows, only to find nothing but darkness inside. No one appeared to even be home.

Despite this, Venetia brought her foot up and kicked the wooden door a hard as she could. It took a couple of kicks, but she finally busted it open. It made a loud bang as it nearly came off of its hinges and bounced off of the wall. Both she and Iliya glanced around to see if anyone was there.

The house was dead silent and there were no signs of life inside. Everything was neat and tidy. It looked more like a model home than a home that anyone lived inside of. The only signs that someone had been inside was the faint smell of cinnamon, a few half-burned candles, and a technical manual that laid on one of the tables in the living room.

Venetia called out Vlad's name, but she received no answer. Iliya wondered where he was if he wasn't in his house. The skies were gray and the clouds threatened rain. Iliya wondered who would be walking around when a storm was about to pour down.

“Something is wrong. I don't like this at all,” Venetia knew that there was only one other place that he could be. She really hoped that the other goat demon was in his lab.

“Where is he?” Iliya asked.

“He's probably in his lab,” Venetia turned to the moth and darted out of his door. “Let's go!”

XxXxXxXx

Vlad's lab wasn't far away from his house. The two walked down an isolated path that led through a few trees, and past that was a large industrial building. It was unlike any of the small shops or tiny stores in Natsuhama. A four story, cold, industrial building that belonged more in a metropolis than in a place with few houses and large gardens of wild flowers.

A few rain drops were spat from the sky, landing around them as the approaching storm was upon them. The sound of distant thunder sounded as the two gazed up at the black walls and tinted windows of the menacing building. It looked more like a team of scientists worked in a place, not a single person. However, Venetia knew that wasn't true.

The two ventured inside with great ease. The doors were unlocked and led them to the ground floor. Walking inside of the laboratory was almost like going inside of another world for them. The once happy flowers that waved in the gentle winds were replaced by the cold steel of industrialized walls and gray, ceramic tile.

Strange contraptions, beakers, test tubes, and many counters, tables and computers littered the laboratory, and everything was silent. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of Iliya's boots and her heels, walking across the room to a set of doors. The room was dimly lit, and occasionally a far off light flickered on and off.

Light tapping began as the rain from the storm outside poured down, providing another sound to the once quiet room.

“Vlad! You'd better speak up!” Venetia demanded as she scanned the room to make sure the other demon wasn't hiding anywhere around them, waiting to pop out.

“Can you feel it?” She heard his familiar voice speak, which caused her to look around wildly.

“Where are you? Stop screwing around!” Iliya demanded and pulled out his rapier. Whatever was going to happen, he was prepared.

“What happens when you lose all sense of right and wrong? Good and bad? Safe and danger? This world is spinning…spinning…swirling…” The last word was drawn out and sounded almost drunken and whimsical.

Venetia continued to look around the lab, but she couldn't find Vlad anywhere. He had to be around the lab somewhere. Maybe he was using an intercom system to communicate with them. “Where the hell are you? This isn't funny, Vlad.”

“It haunts me…” Vlad's voice became more troubled as he continued to speak. “I always wake up to the screams…the screams I hate…Everyone screams in my dreams. They never stop, Never stop.”

“What?” Venetia asked as the room was flooded with the sound of unstable laughter.

“Awful. They were all so awful. I was betrayed. No one tried to help me. They weren't sorry. Not sorry. They did nothing to help me. Nothing,” he whispered the last word.

“Vlad, what are you talking about?” Venetia didn't understand why he was saying such things? Did he not think that she was going to visit him today? Was he angry or upset that she was a little late? What was going on?

“Screaming into my head. Why are they torturing me?” Vlad's voice seemed troubled as he spoke, remaining to be unseen.

“Vlad, you sound like you really need help,” Iliya knew he was obviously unwell. Venetia was right, this didn't seem normal even for him.

“Help! Help!” Vlad screamed in desperation before it returned to one of sorrow, “but nothing works…It makes the man kill. It's the thrill I hate.”

“Vlad, you're unwell,” Venetia still tried to talk some sense into him. If only she could see where he was, then she could try and help him.

“It eats me out from the inside. A virus,” his voice trembled before he yelled. “Make it stop!” The words were accompanied by a loud crash that sounded like someone knocking a lot of glass off of a table.

“I can't find him in the dark.” Even with his nocturnal senses, Vlad couldn't be seen. Iliya was beginning to think that he just wasn't on the bottom level of the lab. Everything was open and there were no other rooms. The only thing that separated the other areas was large, stone pillars.

“I'm not even sure he's in here,” Venetia was certain that Vlad was more than likely in another part of the lab and just communicating with them through an intercom system.

“Turn on the lights,” Iliya instructed. He wondered why she hadn't done so before.

“I can't, the power is off,” Venetia's tone was defeated. She had already tried to turn the lights on, but none of them worked besides the ones that dimly lit the laboratory and even then they didn't provide enough light for them to see anything. They also weren't removable so they couldn't take them with them.

Vlad had done that on purpose.

What the hell was he planning?

Just then, they both heard Vlad, but his cryptic sentences soon turned to something much darker. The man appeared to be talking to himself, arguing about his morality.

“It's going to kill me soon, unless I can conquer it,” he spoke in a dire tone before rapidly changing to a more frightened one. “Help me, help…” Then it changed to a sinister tone, “going to kill them all soon.” He continued to speak to himself, struggling with his inner demons. “But why must I kill? I love them so much. I love them. Because I said so, if you question me I'll kill you too.”

“Is he…talking to himself?” Iliya paused a little with a bewildered expression. That was the first time that he'd ever witnessed someone act quite like that. It really caught him off guard.

“Vlad…” Venetia closed her eyes, sympathy riddled her voice. She felt bad for him when he was like this. The inventor was so unstable, and more than anything she just wanted to be there for him. He needed her and she needed him as well.

“I'll kill them in a blur,” Vlad continued his conversation with himself. “Go to hell! Stop! I have to destroy you. Kill you…I'll kill you. No, you won't. I'll fucking kill you! Stop! No! What are you doing?” There was another violent crash that sounded like a bunch of metal clattering to a hard surface.

“This is bad,” Venetia knew that once he was like this, there was no turning back. Whatever they walked into, Vlad was going off of the deep end.

“Has he ever done this before?” Iliya questioned. He didn't know Vlad like she did, so he wasn't sure if the goat demon often talked to himself. He knew that Vlad was mentally ill, but nothing like this. Was this just him having a bad day or had he always been this off?

“No, it's almost like he's possessed. Who knows how long he's been like this. We have to help him before he hurts himself…or worse,” she closed her eyes, not wanting to think of the consequences. “I can't lose Vlad. He…means a great deal to me.” Her voice lowered into a sympathetic tone laced with something else. She truly loved and cared about this man.

“Is he your boyfriend? You two seem very close…Like you love each other, and you're both goat demons, right?” Iliya was starting to put the clues together. It seemed like Venetia and Vlad definitely had something going on. Maybe they were lovers of sorts. It made sense to him.

“No, I do love Vlad very much. More than anyone, but we're not dating,” the fact that Iliya would bring something like that up unnerved her more than she would have liked to let him know.

“Then, do you mind me asking what he is to you?” Iliya knew that the two of them must have had some kind of special connections. It wasn't very often that Venetia expressed those kind of feelings for someone.

“Vlad is my brother,” her words stunned the mother a little.

“What?” Iliya could hardly comprehend what she had just said. He didn't know that she had any kind of family at all. Why did she never tell him this?

Venetia's visage morphed into one of determination. “That's why I must save him, even if it's from himself. I promised that I would always protect him.” She intended on keeping that promise. Ever since they were small, Vlad had always been sickly and she was the one who took care of him.

“He's…your brother? Is that why you always visit him?” Iliya began to piece things together in a different way. It made sense that she would care about him that much in this sense as well. It was still so strange to think of the two of them as family. They were as different as night and day.

“He hurts so much…” The goat demon placed a hand over her heart and her face twisted in sorrow. “If something were to happen to him, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.”

Her words were cut short as she let out a grunt of pain. She felt a sharp object dig into her shoulder blade the cruel weapon tore through her flesh, sending waves of pain through her muscles as blood leaked out and stained her long, brown coat that was lined with black fur.

The goat demon heard Iliya call out her name as they both turned to see a shadowed figure standing in the dark. The only things that were apparent in the dimly lit room were the glint of a blood-covered butcher knife and the glint from round-framed glasses. Vlad smiled wickedly and held up the knife with its blade pointed skyward. His sister's blood ran down onto the white fur of his hand.

Venetia held the front of her shoulder. Luckily, the blade hadn't gone all the way through but that didn't mean that the pain was any less. It seared and burned, but she had a feeling that would be the least of her problems. She closed one eye and gritted her teeth as she stared down her brother.

“My sweet sister's love shines brighter than the sun. How I love it and her blood is so very bright, almost garish in this dark room. So beautiful, oh so beautiful. I want you to stay here with me forever, sweet sister. I do love you so very much, and…I want you to see. To see my lovely collection.” It was so good to see her again. Vlad just couldn't help himself. He had to be the first, the first to draw her blood. Oh, how he cherished the slick feeling of the sanguine substance against his furry hand. Oh, how he loved the expression of pain she had. The fact that he could make her experience such an exhilarating emotion made him all the more giddy. She was so beautiful when she was in pain.

“Vlad, what the hell are you-“ Venetia began to asked, trying to mask her pain the best she could.

“Surprise, surprise, SURPRISE!” Vlad held up his knife as his voice took on a giddy tone. He was so excited to see them here! “Now, now, let me show you my great harvest.”

“I don't even want o know what you mean,” Iliya took his rapier out and pointed it at the unstable man, who simply laughed as if it didn't exist.

“It's a wonderful, scarlet harvest,” Vlad's accentuation of the words was all the moth needed to know exactly what kind of harvest he was talking about.

“Did you kill someone?” The moth knew that the question was stupid, but he wanted admission.

“I killed many,” his voice shifted tone slightly, “and so have I. I love it. I can't stop. But I hate it. I can't stop it. It's disgusting. It's so lovely. Please help me. I can't stop myself.”

“How many people did you kill?” Iliya ignored whatever conversation that the goat demon was having with himself and pressed for answers.

“Many. Can't count. Come see. I want to show you. Show you my work.” Did they think that they were going to find out any other way? Vlad thought they were funny if they thought that was the case.

Iliya turned to Venetia. “We don't have a choice, do we?”

“Let's do what he asks. I don't want to hurt him,” Venetia didn't have the heart to, especially not right now. Vlad was obviously not in his right mind. She also wanted answers to what he was proposing. Did Vlad really kill as many people as he said he did? If so, then why? She knew that she could get the answers out of him if she wanted.

“He tried to kill you,” Iliya really didn't think this was a good idea. What if Vlad was leading them somewhere just to kill them and add them to his little harvest? Iliya really wasn't fond of becoming a part of this sick man's fantasies.

“Listen to me,” Venetia stared him down with an ice cold expression, “I don't want to kill him, okay? I…please understand. Play along.”

“Is this really right?” The knight was still conflicted. He didn't want to put his trust in the criminally insane, and by trusting Venetia, he was doing just that. Vlad was her brother, but he was a killer. Venetia loved him and didn't want anything bad to befall him, even after he stabbed her. He couldn't understand that type of love. He didn't want to put his faith in them, but he felt as if he had no other choice.

There was something very wrong with all of this. He hated it.

“I'm not sure, but for him, I'll risk being wrong,” Venetia would risk her life for her brother. She would risk everything just so he'd be safe, as she had before. No matter what, no matter who he killed, Venetia could never plunge a knife into him; she could never end his life.

She loved him, more than he could ever know.

…To Be Continued