the clearing alone. The voices got louder. It sounded like a group chanting or shouting. The man started to shake, his hands quivering ever so slightly at his sides. He rolled his neck, and in the sun I could see that that too was covered in scars, pink like the one on his face.
Finally the voices reached a crescendo and the men broke through into the clearing. There were too many to count, but they were all behind one. He was a monster of a man, with hulking arms and a neck thicker than his head. His eyes were hard and his fists were clenched at his sides. His underlings looked like goblins following a giant.
“Where is it?” he said. His voice was deep and resounded around the clearing like a drumbeat.
“I don’t have it,” the man said.
“Give it to me,” the giant said. “Now.” He took a step forward and the men behind him started to giggle and clap, and look on with hunger on their faces.
The man flinched and shook, but didn’t take a step back. “No.”
The big man smiled. “No?” He turned to his group and raised his voice. “We don’t like that word, do we boys?”
The group agreed with their boss, jumping up and down and squealing. Some fell to the ground in their excitement, rolling around in fits of giggles. Others looked on sternly, only allowing a small smile to reach their lips. Most were somewhere in between, bouncing on the spot or licking their lips like hungry animals.
“You gonna change your answer?”
The man was shaking lots now, and his expression was one of total fear. His pink scar creased as he wrinkled his face and spat on the floor. He shook his head. “No.”
“Look,” the big man said, and this time he sounded a little kinder, albeit not much. “This is important. We must defeat the humans, and to do that we need the key. Now where is it? There’s no point fighting it. The old Order has been replaced. I rule the Order of the Undead now, and I say that we kill them. Why would you protect them? You are a good, strong vampire. Why risk your life to protect animals as primitive as humans?”
This is insane, I thought. Where was this coming from? I’d never had dreams like this before. This was so vivid, so real. It was as if I was there. I could smell the sap in the trees, the sweat coming from the men. I could hear the birds tweeting and see them flapping their wings in the sun-kissed sky. And vampires? Where in my subconscious had this vampire-dream come from? I didn’t know, and I didn’t understand what the big man was talking about. The Order of the Undead? Kill the humans? What did any of it mean?
“Tell me something,” the big man said. “This isn’t all about protecting that little pet of yours, is it?”
At that the smaller man stopped shaking and his scar straightened out. It looked more threatening when it wasn’t all creased up, just a long, pink gouge running down his face. He looked at the other man. “Call her that again and I’ll kill you.” He said the words plainly. I got the sense that it wasn’t an idle threat. He really would do it.
The bigger man bristled, but some of the power seemed to drain from his body, and his shoulders slumped. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” he said, and he sounded almost scared now.
“Don’t speak about her in that way, then.”
The crowd behind the big man looked confused and one spoke. “Boss, just finish him.”
“Yes, boss,” the scarred man said, stretching his arms and smiling. “Finish me.”
The big man looked at the group. Each man stared up at him sternly. I got the sense that he had to do it, that he had to impress his men, but that he didn’t really want to. “Have you got the key?” he said, turning back to the man.
“Nope,” the man said.
“Then this is the way it has to be.”
Without saying anything else he lurched forward. I was shocked at his speed. One second he was standing a few
Finally the voices reached a crescendo and the men broke through into the clearing. There were too many to count, but they were all behind one. He was a monster of a man, with hulking arms and a neck thicker than his head. His eyes were hard and his fists were clenched at his sides. His underlings looked like goblins following a giant.
“Where is it?” he said. His voice was deep and resounded around the clearing like a drumbeat.
“I don’t have it,” the man said.
“Give it to me,” the giant said. “Now.” He took a step forward and the men behind him started to giggle and clap, and look on with hunger on their faces.
The man flinched and shook, but didn’t take a step back. “No.”
The big man smiled. “No?” He turned to his group and raised his voice. “We don’t like that word, do we boys?”
The group agreed with their boss, jumping up and down and squealing. Some fell to the ground in their excitement, rolling around in fits of giggles. Others looked on sternly, only allowing a small smile to reach their lips. Most were somewhere in between, bouncing on the spot or licking their lips like hungry animals.
“You gonna change your answer?”
The man was shaking lots now, and his expression was one of total fear. His pink scar creased as he wrinkled his face and spat on the floor. He shook his head. “No.”
“Look,” the big man said, and this time he sounded a little kinder, albeit not much. “This is important. We must defeat the humans, and to do that we need the key. Now where is it? There’s no point fighting it. The old Order has been replaced. I rule the Order of the Undead now, and I say that we kill them. Why would you protect them? You are a good, strong vampire. Why risk your life to protect animals as primitive as humans?”
This is insane, I thought. Where was this coming from? I’d never had dreams like this before. This was so vivid, so real. It was as if I was there. I could smell the sap in the trees, the sweat coming from the men. I could hear the birds tweeting and see them flapping their wings in the sun-kissed sky. And vampires? Where in my subconscious had this vampire-dream come from? I didn’t know, and I didn’t understand what the big man was talking about. The Order of the Undead? Kill the humans? What did any of it mean?
“Tell me something,” the big man said. “This isn’t all about protecting that little pet of yours, is it?”
At that the smaller man stopped shaking and his scar straightened out. It looked more threatening when it wasn’t all creased up, just a long, pink gouge running down his face. He looked at the other man. “Call her that again and I’ll kill you.” He said the words plainly. I got the sense that it wasn’t an idle threat. He really would do it.
The bigger man bristled, but some of the power seemed to drain from his body, and his shoulders slumped. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” he said, and he sounded almost scared now.
“Don’t speak about her in that way, then.”
The crowd behind the big man looked confused and one spoke. “Boss, just finish him.”
“Yes, boss,” the scarred man said, stretching his arms and smiling. “Finish me.”
The big man looked at the group. Each man stared up at him sternly. I got the sense that he had to do it, that he had to impress his men, but that he didn’t really want to. “Have you got the key?” he said, turning back to the man.
“Nope,” the man said.
“Then this is the way it has to be.”
Without saying anything else he lurched forward. I was shocked at his speed. One second he was standing a few
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