The Vampire Priest Archeaus

In a small town, no bigger than four hundred people, a church stands, with its bricks that look older then time itself. It had giant doors made of heavy stone. This town is called Cassaro in Italy. Inside this church we find a man that preaches to a room full of people. His name is Archeaus.

Archeaus says to the crowd, “There is no creature like us, none that resemble god, such as we do.”

We look to him and say “Why?” When we should be saying thanks.

“He gave us life and free will. None to make the world as we see fit such as him. God said I will drown the wicked and make the world new. I will save the righteous and cast out the wicked. God loves us so much that he gave his only son to us to die for our sins.” Archeaus replies.

A woman stand up in the crowd and scream “Praise god!”

“Amen!” Says Archeaus.  “Walk with god and the world shall be yours. God gives many chances. Think of Kain, how many chances did god give Kain? How long did he have to repent? To say I was sorry? God did not smite him down with all his might. God punished him to teach him a lesson. But Kain still walked away from god. So I tell you don’t walk away from god, instead walk towards him with love tell him of the things you do wrong, because we make mistakes and that is why we are human and god knows this. Even a monster can say I am sorry and still have god love him for he had been made by god and god loves all of his creations.” Archeaus steps up to the alter grabbing the wine and bread. Giving it to the alter men. The men start passing out the wine and bread. Earlier Archeaus had made sure there was only a drop of blood in each cup so that each one with health problems started to get better slowly. Don’t need any miracles around here with TV cameras showing up, he thought to himself as they passed it out. Archeaus begins talking again and says “Physically taking the bread and wine makes the love of Christ for us, and indeed all the things concerning our salvation, come so real once again.” He looks in to the faces of god’s children seeing that there is someone new. But then he goes on, “So take this bread and take this wine for we are all god’s children. And we love him and he loves us. I will end us in a prayer tonight.”  He pauses for effect. “Dear god we are here and we love you. We ask you to protect us in the nights to come and be with the sick here so they may worship you my lord, Amen.”

As the people Leave Archeaus a young woman walks up to him, she’s short about four six in height, skinny a hundred and twenty pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She had a small little nose. She looks up at him Archeaus being six foot tall. “Archeaus will pray for me or with me? I have cancer the doctor says I have less than six months to live.”

“Do you like red wine?” Asks Archeaus.

The girl says “Yes, thank you.”

“Wait here.” He says as he walks in to the back. He grabs two glasses and over one glass he cuts his wrist filling it half way and then pours red wine in both of them filling them up. He thinks to himself, she paler then me but this should do, she will heal.

He walks out to her holding her glass out to her and says “Drink and you shall be showered in the lord’s light and we shall pray.” They drink the wine. When she is almost half way through he can already see the colour returning to her face. She starts to stand straight up. Aww she doesn’t look sick at all now does she, he thinks. If only she knew the price of death, meaning if she were to die somehow in the next two days she would come back a vampire but what are the chances of that happening in this small town? He prays, “Lord fill this girl with your light and let her live and be happy give her good and smile upon her as I have.”

He looks up at the girl, “How do you feel?”

She says, “He had answered us! I think I feel better than I have in the last year. Thank you, Archeaus!”

Archeaus stares down at her, smiling. “Do not thank me, child, thank god it his will.” The girl smiles back turning to leave.

Still day light outside, he walks out to feel the sun on his face but as great as his sight is as night he can’t see in the sun. Everything’s a blur. With glasses on he can at least see what’s in front of him as he walks but he’s almost blind as he walks in the day. Tonight he will go to the big city where the worst of men are. To stop crime and feed. It’s now eight, the sun is down. He doesn’t need his glasses anymore and he is off to Catania. It only takes him a minute where he is at the tallest building, listening. Listing for the sound of murder.

It doesn’t take long before he hears a woman scream. He can smell the blood in the air. Crime makes him hungry, he had to stop himself from ripping the life out of them because death is not a punishment it’s an escape. He’s miles away but he can still see them and hear them. The man yells “Give me your money and you won’t get hurt.”

His soul his dark, been wanted for murder. The woman is on the ground bleeding. The man is walking towards her. Archeaus jumps off the building and in flash he is there. Before the man can bend down to do anything he grabs the man by the neck and holds him up. The woman gets up screaming as she is running out of the ally. Archeaus drinks until the man passes out. He cuffs him then carries him to the police station to throw the man through the door. Before the cops can see who it was, he is gone moving faster than they are able to see. He heads back to Cassaro. It’s about midnight there not a soul on the street.

As he walks to his house next to the church, he walks past a blond woman and normally he doesn’t feed in this town but the hunger confuses him and before he can stop she is almost drained. She laid there on the ground barely living with her blond hair. He panics confused and gives her his blood but it is too late she dies but is soon to awake. An hour later she wakes in the house of Archeaus. “

What is your name?” He asks.

She responds, “Coral. What happened?”

Archeaus looks at her and says, “I drained you and you died. Now you begin your new life.”

Confused Coral asks “New life?”

“Yes new life.” Archeaus says, “Your new life as a vampire.  Everyone you knew before you can no longer know. You must start a new life.”

“Well that’s fine with me.” Coral says, “I didn’t like them any ways. So what if I go in the sun I am going to burn in the sun?”

Archeaus laughs “This is not the movies. We don’t burn in the sun. It’s just our eyes that can’t handle the light. The older you get the less it will hurt but and the more you will see but you are new and it will hurt and all you will see it white.”

“How old are you?” Coral asks.

“I am over nine hundred years old. I use my life to heal the sick but you can do what you want. I will not make you do what I do but don’t go back to your old life.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I hated everyone in that life. Now I have the power to make my life new,” Coral said.

“Just remember a sin still a sin except you have to live with it forever,” said Archeaus.

“Well I don’t believe in this god of yours, thanks but no thanks. I think that I will be leaving.”

“No, you can’t leave, not until I till I teach you what you need to know to survive. Yes it is true you will live forever but you can die. If your head is cut off, then you are dead, fire then you are dead. If you do not drink blood then after a while you will go in to a coma.  You won’t die but you won’t live either. As you go you will find that you have certain power, it is different with each of us. But you will find yourself.”

“I do not know what to make of this. But what is it that you have to teach me? I can learn on my own,” said Coral.

“Child, my child, I am nine hundred years old. There are things I can teach you about life. I am a book to you,” said Archeaus.

Coral sitting on his old desk, smiling. “I only need two things. Money and a new life. The new life I can do by myself. I just need money. That’s all I need,” said Coral.

“Well I have money but you will have to find it, I left the money behind when I found god. I didn’t need anymore. You can find it in old castle. This castle is in Scotland. You will find it next to kaze village on the hill. The gold is in my crypt. It is hidden, but you can find it.” said Archeaus.

“Okay, that sounds like a plan!” said Coral laughing loudly.

Archeaus stands up and looks at the clock. “One last thing to do tonight, we must feed but we will go to a bigger city where no one will notice.” So they leave running faster than the eye can see. Leaping from the building tops almost flying. Coral is so amused, she had never ran so fast in her life.  They run until they get to the big city. Jumping to the highest building.

“What are we doing here?” asks Coral.

“We are here to hear everything in the city, I only take the evil doers. But even then I do not kill them I only take what I need and drop them at the police.”

They listen to the sounds of screams to pick and choose, where to feed. Suddenly Coral smells blood, she’s gone in a flash. Racing to the gun shots in the ally, two men having shoot out, ones bleeding bad. She grabs the one with long hair that looks like he is straight out of a Highlander movie. Before Archeaus can get her to stop, his head comes off. He’s dead, it is too late. He thinks to himself what the odds of this is. A Vampire for less than four hours and she manages to find another type of immortal. Lighting starts shooting through the air and the wind starts to whistle as Coral is lifted in the air, lighting is striking her left and right. Archeaus is struck by the lighting and is out cold.

Coral screams in pain. As the energy enters her body. Final she falls down, the lighting had stopped. Weakened she gets up, she looks down at the ground, there is a sword laying on the ground. She walks over its shine and is very long and sharp. It looks older then Archeaus does she thinks to herself. She bends down and picks it up. This sword is either very light or she had got very strong. Walking away she realizes that there was a second guy.  She turns she can almost feel him although he is so far away. The man rises his sword, looking confident. But Coral, even in her weak form, is still too fast and strong for him. In a blink of an eye Coral holds out her sword, slash! His head comes off. She rises in the air again lighting everywhere absorbing the energy. She hits the ground, more hungry then she had ever been. Still new to her blood lust she starts to bath in his blood that is coming out of his neck. After she makes her leave, starting to get to her senses. She heads off to Scotland.

When Archeaus wakes Coral is nowhere to be found and there is two headless bodies drained of all blood laying on the ground. What had happened here? What she had done? I did not know this was even possible. He realizes the time the sun is about to come up it is almost 7 and will be weekend he must get back to safety. He runs as fast as he can climbing up the tall building, leaping from building to build as fast as he can till he reach his house. The sun is rising behind him. He hits the porch, hard letting a loud yell out and making it to the door. “Coral, Coral.” he says. “You left me for dead, your maker. But I forgive you, because such is the way of god. I turn the other cheek, Coral.” On his knees he slowly crawls to his bed the rest he so needs. Licking his wounds like an injured cat.

He sleeps till the night where his service will begin. He took off the bloody robes. He cleans himself off. He thinks nothing like being hit by lighting. He must cover this hole in his chest. It will heal by tomorrow but it may not be good if some one saw it. He wraps himself up concealing the hole. It hurts but it will be alright. He starts to walk to the church.

Everyone is here like normal. Staring out to the crowd. Everything is quiet. Slowly he starts to speak. “Today, today. I talk to you about turning the other cheek. Because today we are in the sight of god. Where ever you are, whatever you do he is watching. Don’t forget he is punishing the wicked. And if you are wicked you will get yours. It is not for me or you to judge. That his job. Not ours. Even though we may sin every day.  People even murder their brothers and sisters. But we are in god’s hands and he gives us what we need. Every day is our test to the gates of heaven until the day that we die.  I end this time with saying do what you do but make sure you do it with god. Walk with god and you will not have any problems. Walk with god and the evil shall suffer. Walk with god and you shall be at peace. Till next time.”

Everyone leaves. He is alone with his monster again. The monster that he is. “But god will save me,” he says. “I will prove that I am worthy of his kingdom. I bid the night fair well and say hello to the day I sleep.” He sit at his be saying his prayers. Laying down he begins to sleep, with the sun rising and everyone else waking in the world. He dreamed about where Coral was and what she was doing. On the road headed towards Scotland. He dreamed about what she would do and who she would kill. He had been thinking about how she was so young but so powerful already, she would do a lot, whether it was good or evil she would do and she would do it big. Yes she would take the world by storm.

There is a loud knock at the door, he ignores it. Again a racking at the door, still he ignores it. Suddenly it’s a banging at the door; finally he gets up and makes his way to his front door.  He opens the door, it is two cops. They were showing a picture of Coral asking if he had seen her. Calmly he said he had not seen her before but he was sure such a beautiful woman could not have done these things. Apparently the American government was looking for her and thought she might have come this way. They had continued to say that she was a very dangerous woman and if he does see her that he should not make contact. If this happened he was to call them right away. He was thinking to himself at the time yes she was dangerous and crazy and he had just made that crazy woman a god among men. But what did it matter if they went up against her they would die and besides what was he supposed to say “I am a vampire and so is she and she went to kaze, Scotland if they wanted to catch her?” Like they would even believe him. But he couldn’t prevent them from following her to Scotland because they would eventually figure out where she was going. They would end up dead. He felt so sorry for them and told them god be with them and gave them a blessing. He had told they goodbye and to have a good day.

He shut the door and started to head back to bed. Lying down in his bed, he was feeling lonely. He wished that he had someone to spend the time with. He wished he had someone to love and maybe god would send him someone to hold while he slept. Nine hundred years was a long time to be alone and he had many more to go. Forever was getting restless and he need something new in his life? He thought that may have been Coral but even she didn’t want to stay with him. He thought maybe he would find some who was dying, someone who wanted to be with him forever. He would start looking soon and it was time, time that she stopped being alone. It was time for him to love again. Besides is there anything after nine hundred years of living could surprise him? Maybe when he woke, he would head down to the hospital and meet someone. Maybe it was time. Yes he thought to himself it is time.

When he woke it was 17:30, he went to the closet and grabbed a long sleeve slick blue button up shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He had brushed his hair and put his boots on he was now ready for a night out on the town. Talking to himself he had realized that he had to go to the big city or maybe even further away where nobody would realize the person he choose was gone. But where would he go he said to himself. He sat down in his thinking chair and pulled a cigarette out of his pack and then he lit it. Sitting was there smoking like he always did when he was thinking. He thought about going to Germany or even America to find a mate. But what about the church he thought? I cannot be gone too long. So he had decided that he had to be somewhere he could reach within an hour.  He had decided that he would go to the big city not only could he feed but also he could go to the hospital. He wants to give a gift to who ever wanted it. They could die now or live forever it would be their choice.

He was out the door running as fast as he could, he started to jump from building from building. He always loved jumping from high building; it was always such a rush. He went to the worst a part of town just like he always did when he was feeding. He looked for the worst of the worst. He came across a young man robbing an old woman. That would be his dinner, evil always tastes good. He had jumped down from the building grabbing the young man by the neck of his feet. He was looking at the woman telling her to go. He sank his teeth in the young man. The blood was sweet like the juice of a peach. The rush was amazing, he could feel it everywhere. The blood came to him like it was being pumped out, he would drain this evil man of all of his blood and he would never hurt anyone ever again. He thought as the man was almost dead that it was not his spot to judge and he could not take this life. So he did as he always did and spared this man’s life. But he did as he always did and left him for the cops to find. Now that he was feeling good and had just feed he would be on his way to the hospital. The closer he got he could smell the sweet smell of death, it was all too normal to him as he had been around it for a long time. He had entered the hospital. The hospital was cold but he didn’t mind. He followed the smell of death; it was like it was a part of him. He would follow it till he found the one he was supposed to be with forever.

He walked to the elevator and pressed the button, the doors opened. He took the elevator all the way up the 16^th floor. This was the critical wing where people only had a couple of days left to live. “Ding” the elevator had stopped.  As he walked out the door he could feel her, he could feel her dying. Death was coming quick if he did not get to her soon she would not last. Next to him was a man in a black hood, the man looked paler then him. A woman walked up to him asking if she could help, she didn’t even see the man in the hood. It was because he was death only he could see him because he was so old. He told the woman no thank you and the he looked at death.  She is mine he said, you will not take her. Death responded with why I would listen to you, you do not tell me what to do. She is mine and that’s all. Archeaus ran as fast as he could to the room, where lay, it was the girl with cancer, blue eyes brown hair and 4’6. But death was already there. He broke the bar off the TV and he stabbed death as hard as he could. But death grabbed him and threw him a crossed the room. He came back again shoving death out the windows. Death was gone for now but he would be back soon. “We have to do this before he gets back,” Archeaus said.

She opened her eyes slowly and said, “What do we have to do?”

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Emily.” She replied.

“Well Emily I am going to give you a choice, you can die and go with death or you can live forever and be with me,” he said.

“I don’t think I am going anywhere. I have cancer and I don’t have long to live.” she said.

“I have lived nine hundred years and I will never die but it comes with a price I drink blood. I am a vampire. So I am going to give you a choice again before death gets back you must choose, Emily. I love you please say yes.”

“I think you are crazy but if you can save me go for it.”

Suddenly there was a scraping on the walls all noise stop except foots steps coming down the hallway. “We must hurry he said death is back.” He sank his teeth in her draining her of all blood. She fell back like she was on some kind of drug, her eyes rolling in the back of her head.

“Don’t leave me, my love.” Reaching down and picking up a broken glass he cut his wrist opening her mouth and letting his blood drip in her mouth. Her eyes opened and she grabbed on to his wrist sucking the blood out like a leech. She was alive and it was like a rush of ecstasy. She pulled him down and whispered in his ear. “I love you too.” She kissed his neck.

He stood up and looked at the door death was back. “You can’t take her. She is like me now, you’re too late. There is nothing you can do now.”

She stood up grabbing is hand. Death steps in the door and said “You get one and only one.” Death suddenly comes toward them passing straight through them. His voices still echoing, “Remember one.”

Archeaus looked at Emily and said “I only need one.” Grabbing her hand he said lets go. They walked out together and headed home to start their new lives together.

When at home he starts to tell her of their new life, how they would only hunt the evil and only the evil but even then they would not kill them. He went on to tell her that it’s hard to control the bloodlust but with time she would even notice it. He said he would have to be teaching her to drink without killing. It was so easy to kill with humans being so fragile. It was like they were steel hit a glass coffee cup, if they weren’t careful the cup would break. He began to tell her about how they didn’t have to be monster just because they had the ability to be monster doesn’t been they should be. Him going on and on about monsters and life she had decided that there was much better ways to spend their time. Walking over to him she began to give him the blood kiss on his neck. She had suddenly, shoved him against the wall. They would make passionate love. When they were done the house was in need of repairs.

Later they would go hunting; He would show her how to kill. They had found a murder, that like the kill. They would share him the way to lovers share a chocolate milk shake with 2 straws.  They were madly in love. It was only a few short months that they had been together. So far she loved her after life, it was so much better than the pain filled life she had why she was live but the question remained was she dead or alive no really had the answers she was looking for. She and he had a bond like nothing she had ever felt before and even though she had only known him for a few months she felt as if they had a life time together. The strangest thing to her was that even though she had never met Coral she could feel her and she wondered if Coral could feel her too.  Every kill Coral made she could feel. When Coral drank she could taste it, it seemed that Coral had given up everything mortal. But indeed it did seem that she did enjoy the pleasures of fast food now and again. She had asked Archeaus about Coral who she was and why she could feel her. He had explained that in his weakness he had made another, she could feel her because she was family. He had explained how she did not want to follow his teachings. So he had given her a choice follow him or live her own life away. He continued on about how Corals dark gift was to seek out power and absorbed it and she had become more powerful than him. She had done this by absorbing the 2 immortal’s powers after she had cut off their heads. Emily said so she can absorb the powers of other vampires?  He had told her that they were not the only immortals in this world but he thinks that her power may have grown to absorbing vampires powers to. But what other powers she may have he does not know. He said she has the tasted power and now she seeks more. Right now she is on her way to Scotland