Ch 2 - The hunt continues

Becoming the hunter

Chapter two

The rays of the sun started to shine through a thick patch of grey clouds.
Oskar glanced back at the park, pretty sure the sun would destroy the remains of the vampire he killed a little under an hour ago.

His only hope was that nobody would discover the headless corpse before this happens. Oskar felt in his pocket, where he rubbed a golden necklace with a heart pendant that he gave Eli on their one year anniversary.

It fell from her neck as she was dragged of by the vampire.
Oskar found this when he recovered and had it in his pocket ever since.
He looked around on the street, it was quiet, and most houses still had their curtains closed.

It had rained very hard last night and everywhere he looked he could see large deep puddles of water covering the street.
So much even that the cars that came by were driving rather slowly.

Oskar felt the first rays of the sun reaching his face.
He closed his eyes, letting the warmth embrace him.
It reminded him of Eli’s touch.
Whenever she touched him he felt a happiness that he never had known in his entire life.

“Close your eyes.”
“Oskar…wha…?”
“No peeking Eli, I got a surprise for you.” He led Eli up the stairs of the apartment complex. Holding her hands and guiding her up the steps to their front door.

“Keep ‘em closed.” Eli had a puzzled look on her face, but couldn’t hide her smile.
What was Oskar up to?
He led her inside the apartment and guided her to the couch.

“Can I look now?”
“Just a second.”

Eli could hear Oskar moving about in the apartment, and then she could hear the cracking of a needle on a record.

Keep on lovin’ you by REO Speedwagon started to play.
Oskar walked over to Eli, who was now slowly rocking back and fort with the tunes of the song with a wide smile on her face, and took her hands in his.

“Open you eyes sweetie.”
When she opened her eyes Oskar was kneeling before her smiling widely.
He softly kissed her on her lips, which she returned all too happily.

The room was illuminated by several candles; the flames cast dancing shadows on the walls.
He then moved aside and revealed the surprise that stood behind him.

On the floor lay rose pedals, shaped in a heart, with in the center a gift wrapped box.
Oskar gently pulled Eli up from the couch and hugged her close to him.

“I have a present for you.” Eli looked up from their embrace with a smile.
He held her hand as they walked to the heart shaped rose pedals. Oskar took the box and handed it to her.
“Happy anniversary sweetie.” She directed a happy, but confused look.

“It’s been one year since the night you came to my bedroom and spend the night.
You told me that night you would be my girlfriend.” Eli’s eyes welled up with tears.
Nobody ever gave her anything.
The last person ever to give her a present was her mother, and that was a very long time ago.

Oskar smiled at her warmly and softly stroked the tears away from her face.
“I love you Eli, with all my heart.” He then started to sing along to the lyrics of the song.
This made Eli laugh, though she had to admit that Oskar actually had a more then decent singing voice.

“Open your present.” Eli started to unwrap the ribbon and the paper from the box.
Inside was a large stuffed polar bear that held a red heart with the lines “I’ll always be yours” on it.

This warmed Eli’s heart; she tried to hold back the tears and hugged Oskar tightly kissing him several times on his lips.
“Look around the bear’s neck.” When she looked at the bear again her eyes opened widely. She saw that there was a golden necklace around it with a heart pendant at the end.

“Oh wow, Oskar it’s beautiful, I…thank you so much.” She hugged and kissed him again.
“Here.” Oskar hung the necklace around her neck and closed the lock.
“This heart is mine, and it belongs to you Eli, always. I will always be with you.” Eli buried her face on Oskar’s chest, trying hard not to let him know that she was crying.
Not from grief, but from happiness.

“But, I haven’t got a present for you.” She suddenly realized. Oskar just waved his hand.
"You gave me the best gift anyone could ask for, your love. Something you give me every day. What more i could i ever wish for."
As she stood firmly pressed up against him it just occurred to her, a year ago they where about the same height. But now Oskar was almost a full head taller then she was.

The record stopped and Oskar walked over to the record player and placed the needle back in the beginning. The song started over again.
He extended his hand towards her, motioning for her to come closer.

“May I have this dance?”
“Always my dear Oskar.”
They danced the entire night in the heart shaped symbol on the floor.

Oskar opened his eyes, the sun stinging his eyes a little.
Bohus Fortress was not far from here.

He walked towards the center of town where most busses stopped.
He got on the bus that stopped in Kunglav.
Staring outside the window he couldn’t help to think how the vampire lord could stay hidden during the summer, as Bohus fortress was open from may till august for summer tours.

There where many events there as well.
So he presumed that they would be somewhere in the dungeons.
Or maybe there are catacombs of some kind.

Or did they move every time? Oskar hoped the vampire he killed didn’t lie to him. He was getting nervous. Kunglav was only five miles further. He was ready, the vampire will die.

********

A yell of anger sounded from upstairs followed by a loud crash of what Eli thought to be the large wooden table that stood in the dining room.
She could hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

The thick wooden cell door flew open.
In the doorway stood her master dressed in his red robes with mouth patterns and weird symbols.

Eli hung shackled with her arms spread in a dark damp old cell.
The only thing she was wearing was a torn brown shirt, which hung a few inches above her thighs. Her bare feet stood on the cold cobblestone floor.
She was covered with smears of dust and dirt.

The vampire lord approached her and roughly placed his clawed hand under her chin, lifting her head up. Rage was clearly visible in his eyes.

“Konrad is death. I sensed his demise by sunrise.”
Eli tried to show no emotion, but in truth she was glad, whenever she wasn’t a slave to the lord, she was passed to Konrad, for his entertainment.

“I bet you’re not upset about that are you Elias!” His hand slapped hard across her cheek. She hadn’t spoken in over a year, ever since the vampire lord lied to her and told her that Oskar died.

He had hoped this would diminish the feelings she had for the mortal boy. But it had a reverse effect. In stead of bringing Eli closer to him, she wasted away slowly, crying every minute of the day.

She refused to feed and in the end the lord had to ram blood down her throat just to keep her alive.
He then brought her to the dungeon where he kept her locked up.
He still came to her every once and a while for entertainment.

In the meantime the summer had come and passed again, so the quiet returned to the fortress. The lord hated the summer because he had to reside in the tunnels and catacombs beneath the area.

His rage settled again, he saw the trickle of blood running down Eli’s cheek.
The lord wiped it clean and sighed.
He started gently caressing her cheek with one finger.
Staring at the shell that once was Eli.

Her hair was thick and sticky, it clinged to the side of her face. Her once blue eyes were now almost black orbs and lay deep in their sockets.

Her lips were all cracked and dried. Blue veins ran across her pale face.
“Eli, you need blood, or you’ll perish, is that really what you want? Ever since that stupid mortal boy died you seem to have decayed as well.”

Eli, for the first time in a year, lifted her head and clenched her jaws.
She opened her mouth and a shrill tone escaped her lips.

“Don’t ever mention him again.”
“Or what!?” The lord placed both hands on her face and kissed her. Eli turned her head away from him.

“You are mine Eli, you always were. You will come to realize this in time. Until you do, you can rot here.” The lord turned around and walked out slamming the door behind him.

Eli was once again alone in her damp cell. Several tears ran over her pale face making even bigger smears of dirt on her face
.
“Oskar. I miss you so much, I will soon follow you in death my love, I hope we will be together once again” She softly whispered and her head fell limb again, all the emotions she had bottled up broke and she burst into tears.

********

Oskar walked over to a man sitting behind the counter of the info stand.

“Excuse me sir, but could you tell me how to get to the Bohus Fortress?”
“I’m sorry sir, but it’s closed to the public now. Bohus Fortress is only made public during the summer, you just missed it by a week.”

“Can’t I just go and look at the landscape?”
“Yes, that’s no problem, but the Fortress itself is locked up. It’s within walking distance; just take the first street around the corner and follow it for about ten minutes and you will see a large cobblestone road on your right. It will take you directly to the fortress entrance.”

Oskar smiled and nodded.
“Thank you.”

He walked outside and followed the man’s directions.
There was a lot of traffic.
It was surprisingly warm today, the clouds had disappeared and sun was shining clearly against the blue sky.

Oskar thought about his tactics as he walked.
Vampires sleep during the day, but that doesn’t mean they won’t wake up.

He had seen what happened to Lacke when he tried to kill Eli.
His warning cry had woken Eli up. And this vampire was older and probably a lot more powerful then the one he killed a few hours ago.

He stopped as he reached the road leading to the fortress.
He walked down the cobblestone path behind a large parking area, with to his left and right many high trees.

The road sloped upwards and he saw a large round tower.
Next to it where several stone walls all linked together and build in layers.
Behind it ran a large river were a boat passed by.

The place appeared deserted, but Oskar knew better, he could feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Eli.”

He pulled the hunting knife out of his belt from behind his shirt and grabbed it tightly.
This place was huge.
Yet for some reason he seemed to know exactly where he was going.

He walked up a flight of stone stairs leading to the first layer of the wall.
It led to a closed thick wooden door.
Oskar grabbed the handle, and just as he feared, it was locked.

To his right was another flight of stairs turning around the bend leading upwards toward the tower.
The tower was massive; it had a double door in its center. The beams of the door were reinforced by metal bolts and hinges.

There where many cavities in the tower that used to be shooting holes. Now they were renovated and the larger ones had windows in them.

Oskar walked up a slope covered with grass that ran next to the tower behind it was a steep cliff leading down to the river.
He looked up again and to his delight he found a way to climb up the tower.

He placed his hands in the cracks of the tower and started his climb. Looking down made his heart skip a beat. If he stepped wrong he would fall to his death.

Luckily he could keep a good footing till he reached the first window.
He hung on to the ledge and pulled himself up. There was some space to sit, so he steadied himself and knocked in the window with his elbow. There was a loud noise of shattering glass, but he ignored it and entered the fortress.

The interior was quite neat and tidy. Old wooden benches stood against the stone wall and a red carpet lay in the hallway.
Oskar figured this was placed here for the tourists, because it was kind off out of place.

It was rather bright inside due to the sunlight.
Something that was to his advantage.
“Where are you, you bastard?”

He walked the fortress for more then half an hour and the place was like a maze.
Corridor upon corridor that led from building to building.

He walked inside of the walls, the many rooms and the top of the tower.
Oskar walked down to the lowest level he could reach, his knife still held firmly in his hand.

His Black T-shirt covered with dust and his jeans had pieces of spider cobs upon it.
This is how he knew that he was venturing to places that weren’t for the public.
It was very damp and even a bit cold down here.

The sun didn’t reach down this far and so it was rather dark.
There was a familiar smell coming from beyond a thick door.
A decaying stench.

Oskar had to place his arm in front of his nose as he came closer to the door. It almost made his eyes water.
Then he remembered, when Eli hadn’t fed in a while she would get an odor of decay around her. But this was so much worse.

He pulled the handle, and again it was locked.
Oskar took a few steps back and ran towards the door.
Just before hitting he jumped up and did a spinning back kick, which on impact crashed the entire door to the ground inside the room.

He stood in a large room that was rather well decorated.
Several paintings hung against the walls.
All seemed to be about this fortress throughout several centuries.

There was purple carpet on the floor with a golden trim at the edges. A large bookcase stood against the left wall.
The only thing out of place here was a big wooden table that lay in pieces against the right wall. Several papers and candles lay scattered across the floor and underneath the debris of the table.

Oskar bent down and rummaged through the papers. Almost all of them were letters, but one thing stood out to Oskar. His eyes widened and his lower lip started to tremble.
It was a drawing of Eli, shackled by her wrists standing in the middle of a dark room in a puddle of blood. Her head hung limb, as if she was dead. The room seemed to be some sort of a jail cell without a window.

Oskar felt a rage build inside of him. He let out a yell of anger and kicked hard against the shelves of the bookcase. The books and wooden boards came tumbling down with a loud crash.

“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch! Come here and face me”

********

Eli heard the noises coming from the room above her again.
But this time it was different.
That voice, so familiar but older, it sounded less gentle, could it be, no, impossible.

All this flashed through Eli’s mind. What was all that noise? Had Oskar come here to find her? Did he ran into the lord and is the lord killing Oskar?

“No! Oskar!”

*********

Oskar full in rage trashed the entire room, breaking everything that wasn’t nailed down.
He then fell to his knees and started crying.

That drawing, it was Eli. Was she dead? Was he too late, it was his fault.
He didn’t reach Eli in time; she’s dead all because he couldn’t save her.

Or maybe she still lives, yes, why would he kill her, he wanted her back. She’s still alive; he had to hold on to that idea.
“I will tear down every wall in this goddamned fortress until I find you, I promise.”
He got up and then, just as he started to walk back outside he heard something.

He could swear it was his name, did he hear his name?

“I’m losing my mind.”

There it was again. Very soft and muffled, coming from…Underneath him.
“Eli! There could be no doubt anymore, it was her. Sweetie hang on I’m coming!”

Oskar kicked the carpet away and saw a thick wooden latch that was locked with a large padlock and chain.

“Damn it.” Oskar searched the room, there was nothing he could use to force the lock or break the chain.
But he was determent; he didn’t spend all these years searching for her just to let a stupid piece of metal stand in his way.

“Eli I’m coming!

***************

“Oskar! I’m down here!” The shouting hurt Eli’s throat, but she gave everything she had. Oskar was alive, and right here to save her.
How she wanted to hold him, to kiss him.

***************

Oskar started to stomp the latch. All his anger focused on the wooden barrier.
It started to creak; he kept on kicking and kicking, sweat dripping from his forehead.

A large crack followed as the wood came falling down.

“Eli.”
“Oskar!”
“I’m coming down.”

Oskar looked in the black hole that seemed to go on for miles.
He grabbed some candles from out of the room, lit one with his lighter and shone inside the hole.

He couldn’t make out the bottom so he looked around for something he could use as a rope. He started to cut the carpet into long strings and tied them together.
Oskar tied one end to frame of the door he kicked in and lowered himself into the hole.

Halfway his descend he felt the knots loosen. He just made it down before the self made rope came down behind him.
It was dark in here so he took a candle from his pocket and lit it.

He was in a corridor with another door several feet in front of him. He ran and his jump kick again broke down the door.

Oskar froze, he saw his beloved Eli hanging with her arms spread in a torn shirt.
She looked so vulnerable and weak but still the most beautiful thing he ever had seen.

Eli looked at Oskar, who no longer resembled the young innocent boy.
He looked more like a young man.

His face hardened, purple lines under his eyes from the lack of sleep.
Oskar’s body was athletically built and he was now more then a full head bigger then her.

His clothes more resembling a biker then the warm fuzzy clothes he used to wear.
The coldness in his eyes was even a bit frightening.

Oskar’s eyes filled up with tears and so did Eli’s.

“I’m…so…sorry. I…I… couldn’t…save you.” Oskar sobbed as he ran up to Eli to hug her.
He kissed her cracked lips and stroked the hair away from her face.

“God I’ve missed you, so much, I love you so much.”
“Oh Oskar, I love you too, It’s not your fault I thought you were dead.” Both of them were sobbing heavy, and kissing each other during every word they spoke.

He looked at the chains that shackled Eli. Oskar placed both his hands on Eli’s face and forced himself a little smile to comfort her.

“I’ll get you out of here. Where are the keys to the shackles?”

“I have them.” Came the vampire lord’s voice from behind Oskar.
Oskar turned around, hatred in his stale blue eyes that would sent most people running.
His knife flashed out again.