A Moonlit Night - The Complete Saga (7 page)

Simeon was standing with Cynthia at the foot
of the bed. She looked unharmed, Xander noted, although the
emotional damage could have run deep.

Cynthia was an immigrant of Greek descent;
having only arrived in Toronto a few years back. She was a
beautiful woman in her late twenties, with long black hair that
curled down her lightly bronzed skin.

“What, no hello?” Simeon inquired, grinning
devilishly. “You haven’t seen me in almost twenty years, and I
don’t even get common courtesy? Is this how you treat your
maker?”

“She hasn’t done anything to you,” said
Xander, stepping forward. “Leave her alone.”

“Or what?” asked Simeon, barring his fangs.
“You’re going to do something about it?”

Simeon turned towards Cynthia, looking her
deep in the eyes. He stared directly into her soul, and said,
“Cynthia…sit down.”

Expressionless and devoid of any emotion,
Cynthia did as she was ordered. She was charmed, and lacked any
freewill of her own.

“That’s a good girl,” said Simeon, sitting
down beside her. “You won’t mind if the boys had a little
discussion, would you?”

“…No,” Cynthia said, blankly.

“Good,” said Simeon, turning his gaze towards
Xander. “Now we can speak.”

“What do you want?” growled Xander, taking
another step closer. “Speak and then get the hell out. It’s been a
long time since we ran together.”

“That it has,” Simeon said. “I have come to
set things right between us.”

“And you do that by holding the woman I love
hostage?” Xander asked.

“This human will matter little when I tell
you what I’ve found,” Simeon grinned. “The last summoner, I have
found her!”

Simeon jumped up from the bed, and grabbed
Xander by the shoulders. With a eyes wide open, he said, “I want us
to find her together!”

“The last summoner?” asked Xander, smirking.
“You’ve truly gone mad this time. You know that is just a myth,
right?”

“It’s not a myth!” said Simeon, eyes wide
open. “She lives somewhere in the United States, the witches assure
me that they have finally found her. She has escaped us for over
two thousand years, but we have found her! It is only a short while
before the last of their kind dies…and we will be paragons amongst
our kind!”

“The last summoner died thousands of years
ago,” said Xander, beginning to grow impatient. “All I see is a
desperate old man, searching for something that was never there. I
pity you.”

Simeon turned away from Xander, and took a
seat beside Cynthia. She sniffed around her neck, as he ran his
hands through her hair. Looking back at Xander, he said, “Well,
that’s a shame—.”

“No!” yelled Xander, as Simeon sunk his fangs
into the neck of Cynthia.

Cynthia sat there, unable to move; unable to
scream. All she could do was watch while the blood drained from her
body.

Xander charged towards the much older
vampire, knowing full well that he would not survive the
encounter.

Simeon pulled himself away from Cynthia as
Xander closed in. Growling, he stared down his old apprentice; his
lip curling as his snarl shook the foundation of the house.

Xander stopped in his tracks, unable to bring
his body to move. For the first time in his second life, he was
afraid.

“Is there something you want?” asked Simeon,
the blood dripping down his mouth. “Or do you want to join in,
too?”

“I—I will kill you for this,” stuttered
Xander, frozen in fear. “I don’t know when, and I don’t know how,
but one day you will pay for this.”

“Well, I look forward to the attempt,”
smirked Simeon, turning back to the helpless Cynthia, lying on the
bed.

Xander watched on, in horror, as Simeon
devoured Cynthia’s very essence. A tear streamed down his face, as
Xander lost the woman he loved.

Chapter Ten

“No!” screamed Emily, as she watched Xander
lay defeated on the porch. “Get away from him!”

“And what are you going to do about it?”
asked Simeon, still grasping onto the back of Xander’s neck. “You
may have killed those two lowlifes the other night, but I think we
both know you got lucky. You simply don’t have it in you to control
your power at will.”

He was right, Emily thought. She didn’t
understand her powers; much less know how to use them. All she
could do was watch, as her world became to unravel.

“You can still save him,” said Simeon,
dropping Xander. “The choice is yours.”

Xander collapsed to the floor, unconscious
and defeated. He had tried his best, but the formidable opponent
was simply too much for him.

Simeon placed his boot on the chest of
Xander, pressing down with all his otherworldly might.

Emily screamed in terror, as she watched her
protector crumble under the pressure of Simeon’s boot.

“If you’re going to save him, you’re running
out of time!” shouted Simeon, his boots digging through the flesh
of Xander.

“Fine, I will come outside!” yelled Emily,
now standing at the door. “You have won—.”

“You can’t do this Emily,” pleaded Steven,
standing beside her. “You’re all I have left; I can’t lose
you.”

Emily calmly looked towards her brother, and
said, “My dear brother, if I don’t do this, we will lose
everything.”

Steven dropped to his knees, sobbing in
dismay as he pleaded for her to stop. It was the first time he had
cried since the loss of their parents, and couldn’t handle the
thought of losing the last family member he had left.

Emily placed her hand on his head and smiled,
as if to tell him everything would be okay. Hesitantly, she walked
outside, into the brisk night air.

“If you let everyone go, I will give myself
over to you,” said Emily, inching towards Simeon. “But you have to
promise me that you will let my friends walk away.”

Simeon stared down Emily, as she made her way
across the porch. He grinned fiendishly, and said, “Didn’t anyone
tell you? Never trust a vampire.”

Simeon dashed towards Emily, speeding towards
her in the blink of an eye. He grabbed hold of her flailing arms,
wrapping them around her back, as he held her from behind.

Growling, Simeon bared his fangs, as he sunk
his teeth deep into the neck of Emily. The blood poured down her
neck, as the pain overwhelmed her.

Emily could feel the life drain from her
body, as Simeon continued to consume her.

“I have waited for this moment for a long
time,” said Simeon, as he raised himself from Emily’s neck. “I’m
going to enjoy this—.”

Emily jerked back violently, as Simeon
dropped her to the floor.

“I told you that I would have my revenge one
day!” shouted Xander, wrapping a silver chain around the neck of
Simeon.

Simeon gagged, choking on his own spit and
blood. The silver burned through his skin, as Xander threw him to
the floor. He thrashed around frantically on the porch, as Xander
continued to pull the chains tighter.

With the sound of bone snapping, Simeon was
engulfed in a smoldering flame. Not a single fiber of Simeon
remained, as his body rapidly turned into ash and blew away in the
breeze.

Xander collapsed to the floor in exhaustion,
breathing heavily as his battered body slowly healed. A single tear
streamed down his face, as he remembered the woman he had lost,
thankful that he been strong enough this time.

Chapter Eleven

“Are you okay?” asked Steven, running
outside. “Emily, say something to me.”

“—Steven?” inquired Emily, slowly lifting her
head. “Is that you?”

Emily’s vision was blurred as she tried to
pick herself up. She grabbed hold of her neck, trying to apply
pressure to her wound.

Steven grabbed hold of her, helping Emily
back up to her feet.

“Is there anything I can do?” asked Xander,
offering his support.

“I think you’ve done enough,” said Tyler,
exiting the house with a bat in hand. He waved the bat in the air,
trying his best to look as intimidating as possible.

“None of this was my intention,” Xander said.
“I never meant for any of this—.”

“Master!” shouted Horace, running up the
steps. “The battle is over. I regret to inform you that we have
sustained heavy causalities.

Horace was battle worn and covered in blood,
but beamed with confidence. His men were well trained, and had
carried about their business with deadly speed and accuracy.
Simeon’s junkies never had a chance.

“Unfortunately, that was inevitable,” replied
Xander, patting the ghoul on the shoulder. “You have performed
admirably. The threat has been eliminated, but more may be lurking
in the shadows. We will remain in the town, and hunt for any
survivors.”

“Retire for the night,” Xander continued. “I
shall join you shortly.”

Horace signaled for the remaining survivors,
and they quickly disappeared into the night.

“Emily,” said Xander, stepping towards her.
“I just want you to know—.”

“Stop,” interrupted Emily, holding up her
hand. “I only want to know one thing.”

“Anything,” Xander replied.

Emily steadied herself, and slowly walked
towards Xander. She wobbled a little, but as Xander moved to
stabilize her, Emily motioned for him to remain where he was.

“Were you there…when my parents died?” Emily
asked.

Unsure how to answer, Xander began to choke
on his words, and said, “I—I was, but my reasons for—.”

“I have heard enough,” said Emily, with a
look of sadness and regret. “I can’t believe I was beginning to
care for you. I would like you to leave.”

“Emily, it’s not like that,” explained
Xander, taking another step towards Emily. “You are not safe
here—.”

“I said, leave!” shouted Emily, pushing him
back. “I should never have trusted you. My mother was right about
you!”

Xander cringed in pain, her harsh words
cutting him deeper than any blade could.

“I will spend the rest of my life making it
up to you,” said Xander, backing away. “I promise you.”

And so, Xander disappeared into the night,
vowing to keep a vigilant watch over her.

Emily may have asked him to leave, but she
couldn’t possibly imagine the threat that still remained; but she
soon would.

The End

The Vampire
Hunter

Chapter One

He rushed through the dense forest, his heart
racing as he unsheathed his sword. He could hear the monster to his
left, and then to his right; it was circling him. The hunter had
become the hunted; or at least that’s what he wanted the creature
to think.

His long brown hair blew in the night wind,
and his tan duster thrashed against the damp forest ground. He
watched, in the corner of his eye, as a shadowy figure stalked him,
circling around him like a hawk hunting his prey.

“This is what you’ve trained for,” the man
whispered to himself, trudging through a shallow river. “There’s no
turning back now.”

He came to a complete stop, and listened, as
the sounds of the forest spoke to him. It told him exactly what he
needed to know.

“Die, ghoul!” said the man, slicing his sword
in downwards arc as a ghoul came lunging at him from the trees.

The blade cut deep, running along the ghoul’s
side. Blood splattered against the man’s face, as the ghoul
collapsed to the ground.

The ghoul shrieked in pain, writhing in agony
on the ground. The blood gushed from his body, spewing all over the
foliage around him. Attempting to crawl away, he cried out for his
master.

“Your master will not be coming for you,” the
man said. “No one will be coming for you.”

The ghoul grasped at the nearest oak tree,
pulling himself along, as he left behind a trail of blood and guts.
The vampire blood would sustain him for awhile, but unless he
received a fresh dose of blood, he wouldn’t last long.

“I want your master to know who did this,”
said the man, taking off his Stetson as he knelt down beside the
ghoul. “My name is Samuel Anderson, and I’m coming for him.”

Chapter Two

“You’re wake, finally,” said Emily, walking
out of the kitchen. “…Another rough night?”

Emily handed Tyler a glass of water, as he
lay on the couch, dripping with sweat. His eyes were bloodshot from
lack of sleep, and his hands, shaky, as he brought the drink up to
his lips.

“It’s been a week now, and I still keep
having these nightmares,” said Tyler, sitting up. “I don’t know
what’s wrong with me, Emily, I really don’t.”

Tyler brought his hands to his head, and
began sobbing. His hands trembled as the tears dribbled down his
face.

Emily sat down beside him, and held him
gently. She looked him deeply in the eyes, and said, “We all feel
that way, Tyler. Julia meant the world to
all
of us.”

“Why her, though?” Tyler asked. “What did she
ever do to anyone?”

“…Because of me,” answered Emily, looking
down to the floor in sadness. “Julia died, because I was too scared
to stand up for myself.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Emily,” said Tyler,
bringing his hands down from his face. “Julia wouldn’t have wanted
that.”

“There’s something I’ve been too afraid to
ask you,” said Tyler, rising to his feet. “What are you? What
is
a summoner exactly?”

“I wish I knew the answer to that,” said
Emily, with her hands caressing her brow. “All I know is that
everyone wants me dead.”

“Why don’t you just pack up and leave?” Tyler
asked, picking up a bat beside the couch, which hadn’t left his
side since the initial attack.

“Where would I go? Should I go to college,
and hope they don’t take down a hundred students on their way to
me?” asked Emily, trembling violently. “I have nowhere to run! All
I can do is wait until they come looking for me again! What kind of
life is that?”

This time it was Tyler who came to aid of the
sobbing Emily. He put the bat down, and tried to comfort her,
resting her head on his brawny shoulder. He rubbed her back
comfortingly, and said, “C’mon now, Emily, don’t cry. Everything’s
going to be fine. Didn’t you just finish telling me that?”