The Soul Collector

By: Jim Fuller
September 10, 2008

A cold draft lingered in the empty halls of an old abandoned medical supply warehouse where in one of the cracked and busted out windows the tall and slender silhouette of a woman stood, the small orange flame of a wooden match burning between her fingers. On the outskirts of the nearby woods, beneath the tall yellow smokestacks on the horizon, James Kasun walked with his head hung low and his hands buried in his jean pockets.

Suddenly, he stopped, sensing someone watching him from the shadows. A soft indecipherable whisper echoed in his ears as he quickly turned his head, shifting his small green eyes back and forth. From the corner of his eye he saw two large white fangs shimmering in the moonlight’s soft glow. A sharp burning pain in his neck, he cracked a devious grin as the creature bit deep into his flesh.

It is a hunger so great that there is no future in the empty world it sees. Blind to even its presence, most do not know its true nature, what lies beyond the mythology and folklore, except for the few who are cursed. Nearly a century had passed since it had been allowed to thrive, infecting the blood and minds men. Vampirism had moved from the mainstream into the underground when the one known as Mary the Bloodless, the eldest living vampire that still walked the earth, had followed Asredous into the underground, uniting all who were inflicted with the disease.

Protected and controlled by the secret society, suffering imprisonment within various human hosts, the hunger had eventually grown tired, falling into a deep slumber. However, it appeared that something had awoken the sleeping beast.

A strange sadness emanated from beneath the tar and asphalt forming a light frost that clung to the road’s rough and cracked surface. The busy and bustling highways had become silent in recent months, the once bright neon lights of the local businesses dim and faded. The majority of the city's inhabitants feared to venture outside their homes after sunset because somewhere, deep beneath the black veil of night, lurked a silent killer unlike any they had known before.

Twenty-three year old Rose Winters stood inside her small kitchen boiling tea. Carefully, she lifted the kettle off the glowing red coils, pouring a small amount into a white porcelain cup decorated with light pink flowers. Walking over to the window, she began gazing out into the night, hypnotized by the falling snow as she sipped her hot beverage.

Closing her eyes, she found herself walking down the snow covered sidewalk, clouds of steam rolling from her breath and dissolving into the cold night air. Seeing a tall man with short brown hair standing in the distance she ran to him, embracing him in her arms. Opening her mouth to kiss him, dark red blood spilled out from between her lips, splashing against the snow covered concrete and coating the toes of her wet fabric boots.

Suddenly, she snapped back into reality to find herself still standing in front of the window which was quickly becoming foggy from the steam that rose from her tea. Accidentally tipping the cup slightly forward, a few small drops splattered off the hard linoleum floor, scalding her bare feet as she grimaced in pain.

At that same moment a small shadowy figure draped in a long red robe stood in front of large wood framed window, the reflection in the glass from the moon’s yellow light revealing his wrinkled, hardened, and leathery face. His hair hanging in dirty white strings, he held in his hands a large glass box containing a glowing white orb. Although transparent, the box was decorated with an intricate flower pattern that had been etched into its side. In the background, two men dressed in all black silently looked on.

"Leave me." he said loudly, lowering the box and gazing out the window.

"Yes Mr. Armas." the men replied, exiting the room.

“You will bring him to me.” he whispered, caressing the glass with his curly brown fingernails.

It was not out of fearlessness that Rose walked the empty streets alone that night, one hand buried in her long brown overcoat and the other twisting her long blond hair into knots, for it had been fearlessness that had cost her the one she loved.

The police investigation had failed to give her any answers. It seemed her fiancé had died a very mysterious death like so many others. The news reports speculated that it was plague or some form of bio terrorism. However, she knew differently.

It was beneath the swirling blue and gray sky she had been attacked while on an evening stroll with her former husband to be, Travis Schuler. Everything had happened so fast, she didn’t remember anything except seeing a brilliant flash of white light. Not knowing how or why she had survived, she now walked the lonely streets in desperation, her only comfort being the thick brown wool jacket that clung to her as almost as tightly as she clung to it.

In the distance she heard the loud sound of snow crunching. Swallowing with a hard gulp, she wrapped her arms around herself, her large blue eyes becoming narrow and focused. Seeing no signs of life she nervously continued on, turning down a long and darkened street.

All of the street lights above had been busted out except for one lone bulb burning a dull orange color and wrapped in a faded yellow halo. Fear slowly began to consume her, choking her like an invisible noose around her neck. Stopping about a quarter of a way down the road, she felt compelled to head back to her apartment.

Turning back around the corner, she was ambushed by a shadowy figure wearing a white t-shirt and dirty blue jeans that reeked of liquor and urine. Caught off guard, she hit the ground with a forceful impact, the back of her skull bashing off of the unforgiving pavement.

Seeing only a flash of blinding white light, she felt the painful sensation of sharp teeth piercing her skin. It felt as though there was something alive crawling around deep beneath her flesh, probing and exploring her. Just then, letting out a high pitched scream, she could feel it slowly withdrawing from her.

Fading in and out of consciousness, her bright red face becoming numb from frostbite, she could hear a struggle in taking place in the background. Gathering all her strength, she raised her head to see a tall slender female wrestling with the haggard looking man. The man fought back, strange lights emanating from the middle of his torso like tentacles reaching up towards the sky. Then, conjuring a brilliant blue glowing sphere out of the air, the female cast it upon the man, paralyzing him.

He awoke to discover, although handcuffed and chained around the ankles, his life had been spared. Finding himself beside a mildewed and blood stained mattress, he slowly sat up, looking around. The room smelled strongly of the peppery odor of perfume and was softly lit with orange candle light, its barren gray walls appearing as though they had suffered years of damage from the cold, heat, and rain. A steady trail of water fell from the rusty exposed pipes in the ceiling onto a pile of books and papers that had been stacked on the floor beneath it. Beside the stack of wet and moldy papers ran a small stream of water along the edge of the wall, a fistful of cigarette butts collecting in the corner and forming a small dam.

Entering the room, his female captor began demanding answers.

"Tell me who you are before I kill you where you sit." she said.

"First, why don't you try telling me who you are and why you have me tied up." he said, squirming in his shackles.

“Fine, my name is Erin Arms - I’m a hunter.” she said, clicking the nails on her thumb and middle finger together in a nervous manor.

“A hunter of what?” he asked.

“Look, I answered the question, now it’s your turn.” she said.

“Hello, my name is James and I’m a thief.” he said, in a sarcastic tone.

“Is that what you want it to say on your headstone, because I’m running out of patience.” she said, placing a cigarette between her pursed lips and striking a match.

“Hey, I answered your question. Now you have to answer mine.” he said.

“I don’t HAVE to do anything.” she growled.

“Yes you do, those are the rules.” he said.

“If you want to know that badly, fine.” she said, holding the flame to her cigarette.

Hesitantly, she explained that she sought the one who had murdered her family. She had been tracking him for years now and felt there was some connection in her past with the recent murders.

"Now it’s your turn, tell me what you were doing with the girl.” she said, tossing the smoldering match on the floor.

“The girl?” he asked.

“The one you killed back there… and I want the truth.” she said, smoke escaping through her flared nostrils.

“The girl was still alive.” he said.

“She knew too much. Now start talking or you’ll be joining her.” she said.

"You wouldn't believe me." he said.

"Try me." she snapped back.

Revealing that he was a vampire and must feed to survive, he claimed that he had no connection to the one she wanted. It was Mary the Bloodless who after learning of her first pregnancy had desired a normal life in a normal society, to end all of the death and destruction the only way possible by containing of the infection. Therefore, a vow was set forth to stop all feeding upon humans.

Though not easily done, the curse can be controlled as long as it is not allowed to feed, for each soul fed upon will only increase its power and its hunger. However, without feeding upon the souls of men, the vampire will live and die just as a human, forced to sacrifice of their immortality

James had been a member of this bloodless society, but it had been far from a utopia and in the end nothing more than a twisted plot by Asredous.

“I wasn’t a real member of the family, just a recruit.” he said.

The year was 1916. James was only twenty-seven years old when he was first touched by it and inflicted with the curse after his encounter with Daphne.

"She showed me things, emotions and feelings I had never known before. It’s as though you have reached enlightenment, every touch, every taste, and every smell becoming so surreal. Suddenly, you're awake to the world, seeing it as never before. The experiences of everyone, their thoughts and dreams, they all become yours." he said.

Daphne had also revealed a startling prophecy to him, that they would have a child together who would bring destruction to their family, killing Asredous as she had seen vividly in a vision.

However, James had fallen in love with Daphne’s younger sister Danielle, carrying on a secret relationship with remaining submissive to his sire. Unexpectedly, Danielle became pregnant with his child and, after learning of this, Daphne ran off, leaving the family and declaring her separation in a note written in her own blood.

Filled with regret, James went after her. Although vampires share a small psychic connection with each other, being all connected to the consciousness that is the curse and having the ability to send and receive visual imprints, it felt as though Daphne was somehow blocking him out. However, he knew she was not dead, that she was out there somewhere.

It was after a long fruitless search that he finally returned back to the brood’s subterranean lair. Opening the heavy wooden door and entering the small sitting area, he discovered Mary lying motionless on the floor next to the large stone fireplace, a trickle of light red blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.

Running his hands over Mary’s face to close her hollow eyes, he saw a dreamlike vision of Danielle, her face distorted and crying out in pain. Just then, she entered the doorway to find him doubled over her mother's body.

Assuming it was he who had murdered her family, she ran from the house, fleeing to the edge of the nearby river. He gave chase and had almost caught up with her, but seeing Asredous in the distance she ran to him for protection.

He and James locked in a desperate struggle, each trying to suck the soul from the other. However, James was quickly overpowered and, fearing for his life, he broke free and began to run.

Returning to Danielle he found her soul had been drained, her lifeless body lying in the tall green weeds. Asredous had claimed his separation from the family by consuming their souls, the very souls he had vowed to protect. James knew he was not afraid to the true powers of the curse, the insanity or the schizophrenic-madness. Asredous prided himself on his god-like control over others souls. The entire establishment of the family, the uniting of all remaining vampires, it had all been a horrible charade. These were the events that had haunted him for over a hundred years.

The craving of spirits is an unavoidable occurrence, the natural instincts of the vampire, but to draw the essence of a human from their body, to taste of it, only makes the hunger grow. It wants so much more than only a taste, it wants to possess and devour all that it touches, to suck the very soul from other beings and hold them prisoner within a slab of tortured flesh.

“To possess another’s soul inside your own is to have two conscious planes of existence at once. But there is also power in absorbing the entire essence. Taking the soul from a human increases the vampire’s strength. And it is said to have too many souls inside of your own will provide a new definition the word insanity. The mixed memories, feelings, and emotions, they all become intertwined, leaving the vampire in a state of dementia beyond comprehension.” James said.

But some like Asredous see it differently. The true power is being able to control the soul of another. They believe it to be the next step in evolution, the unity of all life into one all powerful being. Some have said this is the way to becoming god.

"His establishment of a dynasty consisting of the eldest souls the earth had ever known, and then his reckless consumption of their power was merely a stepping stone. Being the most powerful vampire wouldn't even be good enough for such a monster. He wants godhood." he said.

"If a vampire stops feeding, it loses its immortality, yet you claim to have been infected during the earlier part of the nineteenth century. Danielle had reason to think you were the killer, didn't she?" Erin asked as a puff of gray smoke rolled from between her pink lips.

"I would have never hurt her or any one she cared about-"

"-The only thing I don't understand is why. Why is it you claim to hate this thing so much while continuing to feed it to stay alive?" she asked.

"It's realizing that if I die he will be the only one left. That if I die it’s over, he has won." he said, dropping his head between his shoulders.

“Deep down, you still think that you can save her don’t you - Redeem yourself in her eyes?” she said.

James wasn't a killer by nature. He was only a wretched and loathsome beast, a coward too afraid to face his true mortality. Erin could feel him lusting after her. Something about her reminded him of Danielle. Maybe it was her perfume, the way she carried herself, her eyes, her body language, or the sound of her voice, any of the things which had driven him to the acts of stalking, rape and torture he had committed on other women out of self hatred.

"Tell me about your family; tell me what happened to them." he said.

"There are lots of details from that night I still can't remember. But I remember what it did to them. Whatever it was that killed them, it wasn't human. It had these white vectors of light which extended out from its body." she said.

"It was definitely a vampire, most likely a member of the new family." he said.

"Help me put an end to this once and for all, tell me where to find this Asredous." she said.

"I don’t know… I can’t help you, I’m sorry.” he said, looking down.

“You mean you don’t want you, you’re afraid.” she said, stepping towards him.

“He’s way too powerful, it’s not a fight we can win.” he said.

“What you said early, about trying to find the vampire who ran away, how you’re all connected – You could use it to look for him.” she said.

"It's not finding him; it's getting close enough to him. He's created a new family, a group of individuals he has let taste of his power, and it has made them hungry. They believe themselves to be immortal, however, they will be the ones eventually consumed.”

"I don't care how powerful he is." she said, extinguishing her cigarette beneath her foot.

"We can't just go after him, we at least need a plan first." he said.

Reluctantly, she unchained him, her oily brown hair caressing his neck gently as she unlocked the handcuffs around his wrists, setting him free. Slowly he stood, the smoky and musty stench of her hair still lingering in his nostrils. Frozen, he began staring directly into her small hazel eyes. Hidden behind the shadows of her short curly hair, cut to embrace the contours of her thin face, there was a mysterious darkness about her. Unable to control himself, he took her in his arms and began kissing her neck.

Scratching his chest in a downwards motion with her sharp nails, she stripped him of his shirt as he shoved her down on the mattress, pinning her arms against it and kissing her lips passionately. She pretended to resist him, lightly struggling to get away, not wanting to be seen as weak or vulnerable, being ruled by her emotions. Using all the strength in her upper body she pushed him off of her, rolling on top of him and pinning his legs down to the floor with hers.

Slipping his fingers under her shirt and running them down her back, he could feel hardened and calloused scars all over her body. Carefully, he lifted up the back of her shirt, exposing her ghostly white flesh. Peering down her back, he could see the strange symbols and markings that had been carved into her skin. Although he could not recall where, he felt as though he had seen the symbols before.

Looking around her small dimly-lit room, he found a strange series of books containing symbols similar to the ones carved on Erin's body.

"What are these?" he asked, as she passed through the doorway.

"Syndali, it's an ancient form of magic spoken only through symbolism." she said.

"You practice it?" he asked, flipping through the book.

"It's a kind of a hobby of mine.” She said, lacing up her long black boots.

"Is this how you're going to kill him when you find him, the one who murdered your family, with these symbols?" he asked.

"Something like that." she replied, slipping into her leather jacket.

"How do they work?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I don't think we really have time for an introductory course right now." she said, snatching the book from him and closing it.

"You know if we do find him it’s not like we can't just walk in there. You especially, they'll know you're not one of them." he said, glancing back at her.

James carefully stepped out through the open door into the main room. It was empty except for an old metal shelf with clumps of green paint still clinging to it, which sat in the right corner with a wooden crutch leaning against it. The white walls were cracked and falling apart, concrete debris littering the floor.

“This place should be condemned.” he said.

Proceeding out onto the fire escape, he gazed out into the night as the platform beneath him grinded, bearing the weight of his heavy black boots. Observing that they were in a large abandoned warehouse of some kind he wondered how long she had been living in this place.

Standing several stories up and overlooking the city, he took in the icy night air, the snow laced arboreal backdrop appearing even darker and more uninviting than usual. The surroundings were very familiar, he regularly used the trails in the woods as a passage through town, their branches snagging his clothing and scratching his pale white skin as he battled his way through the native brush.

An eerie feeling slowly crept over him as the fine blonde hairs on his arms stood on end. The sound of cricket’s chirping in the distance becoming louder, a vision flashed before his eyes. Just then, a chill ran down his spine as Erin appeared behind him.

"Something big is happening tonight, I can sense it.” he said, closing his eyes.

“What, what is it?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m afraid that whatever it is, we’re too late.” he said.

“We have to try.” she said, zipping up her jacket.

"No, we're walking into a trap if we go after him, that's what I'm trying to tell you.” he said.

James tried to shut out the overwhelming sensations as well as the sound of Erin’s voice.

“Whatever it is, you are connected to it.” she said.

“No…” he muttered.

“Tell me what you see.” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“I sense her. I can taste her perfume on my tongue; feel her touch all over me. And I see his face… Asredous. I see visions of pain and suffering, the hunger being unleashed, hundreds of souls devoured all at once.” he said.

“What else do you see?” she asked.

“-Nothing…”

His body becoming numb and his vision clouded, he saw a ghostly apparition of Danielle. Although he knew she was gone, having watched Asredous kill her with his own eyes, in the back of his mind he wondered if it could be true, if Danielle could somehow be out there trying to call out to him.

“I know where he is.” he said, wiping his eyes with his forearm

“Then let’s go.” she said.

“No, we can’t!” he shouted.

“You need to trust me.” she said in a stern tone.

“He saw me.” James said, still staring out into the night.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Asredous, he saw me, he knows that I’m here.”

“We’re wasting time.” she said, turning and walking back into the building.

Following Erin back into the loft, they continued to argue.

“I still say this is suicide.” he said loudly.

“That’s a chance we’ll have to take.” she said, pulling a razor from her coat pocket.

Suddenly, Erin grabbed him by the arm and began cutting into his flesh with the small razor blade.

"What are you doing?" he cried, trying to pull away.

"It's a protection symbol." she said, his blood painting her fingertips a deep red.

James continued to put up a false resistance to going after Asredous, but deep down inside he had to know, he had to find out if the visions of Danielle he had seen were real or not.

Arriving at the location he had seen in his vision, it was close to midnight as they emerged from the shadows of the brush in the distance. Suddenly, Erin stopped dead in her tracks, noticing they were on a small hill which provided a clear overhead view of the surrounding area.

It was in the distance James spotted a large mansion tucked along the outskirts of a heavily wooded area to the west. Just then, he saw a faint yellow light flickering in one of the windows.

Inside the mansion, two men wearing long black cloth robes sat around a large wooden table, its centerpiece a silver chalice covered with salty fingerprints and beads of perspiration. The third man who sat at the head of the table wore a contrasting red robe and hood. Carefully he wrapped his long pale fingers around the chalice, slowly lifting it to his lips.

Outside, standing in the shadows snow blanketed trees; James developed a sudden headache as another vision flooded his eyes, a vivid image of the dark cherry blood on the cold blue lips of the man in the red cloak.

Rising from the table, the man in red placed the chalice back at its center as the other two individuals slowly stood, bowing before him. Dropping his hood, James saw that the man was Asredous. Suddenly, a faint apparition of Danielle appeared in the background.

"It's time to go... We'll split up." she said.

"What’s the plan?" he asked, the frosty wind tearing through his long blonde hair.

"We're just going to blend in," she told him.

"That's insane, you're going to get us both killed." he said, grabbing the arm of her jacket.

"Trust me." she assured.

He then grabbed her by the waist and turned her towards him, trying to kiss her. However, she pulled away from him.

"In case we don't make it back." he said.

"What happened between us was a mistake.” she told him, dashing off into the darkness.

"Wait!” he called out.

As James crept through the shadowy exterior of the mansion searching for a way in, two large men baring their sharp fangs stood watching him. Feeling their eyes upon him, he slowly turned to them.

“Hi there, beautiful night out isn’t it?” James asked, looking up to the heavens.

Baiting the men into looking up as well, he suddenly released a dozen hungry souls upon them as he bit into the larger man’s neck, bright red blood painting the black sky. Taking the man’s black robes, James slipped them on over his clothes, pulling the long hood over his head to hide his face.

Entering the mansion, he quietly closed the door behind him. Trying to navigate his way through the large dark room, he heard the echo of footsteps approaching. Quickly, he ducked down, squatting beneath a large oil painting of a full figured lady in a blue dress wearing large white pearl earrings, the woman’s round egg shell white face baring a slight resemblance to Asredous.

"He’s in there." a heavy voice whispered.

James knew things had just taken a turn for the worse. The soul vectors of the humans trapped within him emerging from his torso, he sprung forth and latched on to the other vampires, beginning to feed frantically.

It was in a long marble hallway decorated with large stone busts and Renaissance era paintings that Erin found a bruised and blood soaked James. However, he noticed something was different about her. Expensive stones dangling from her ears, fingers, and toes, the short transparent green gown that clung to the curves and contours of her body revealed the strange markings and symbols she was covered with.

"Danielle – She’s here, I have to find her.” he muttered.

"I didn't really expect you to make it this far." she said.

"Okay, I've apparently missed something, care to fill me in?" he asked, catching his breath.

Slowly, she pulled a long silver needle from behind her back, stabbing him through the heart with it and pumping his dry, hardened veins full of poison.

"Aah!" he cried out in pain.

"For someone who believes they are so enlightened, you are just as blind as the rest." she said.

"You hide your true self well. Your taste, your touch, your smell... You’re too human to be one of us." he said, dropping to his knees.

"It's another one of my magic tricks." she said.

"So, you are the same as him, the same as me?" he asked, now lying at her feet

"Asredous –You’re his daughter!" he asserted, trying to remain conscious.

"No, my parent's were killed, I told you the truth." she said.

“Whatever he’s told you, you can’t trust-“

“Asredous will soon be dead and all his power mine.” she said, feeling his cold breath on her toes.

“You’re not powerful enough, he will destroy you.” he said, reaching out and grabbing ankle loosely.

"Ah!" James screamed as the symbol began to glow on his arm.

"The protection spell was for me." she sneered.

"Everything is working out perfectly. I must go to him now. Join me; together we can over power him." she said.

"-Wait!" He called out with the last bit of energy he had.

“Come, find me, and we will share in his power.”

“Danielle…” he whispered.

"Not even she can help you now. Plus, she is a coward. All of the pain, all the suffering, she sees it but yet she does nothing." she said, turning and walking away.

Erin then stopped, looking back to see James crawling on his belly towards her.

"The effects of the poison will wear off soon, I just needed to slow you down a little." she said.

It was within a large stone room that she found Asredous, or better known now to his followers as Armas, a younger persona based on one of the victims he had consumed. Now wearing a pair of navy blue suit pants and a matching sports coat over his white collared shirt, complimented by a gaudy red tie, he stood facing the darkness, appearing to be in deep thought. Erin entered quietly, her footsteps not even overshadowing the sound of the two burning torches that were mounted on the walls to his left and right.

Although the entire world seemed to be within his grasp, Erin believed everything was actually happening according to her plan. With most of the other elders having been killed by James, his resources had been nearly cut off.

“You were supposed to bring him to me, what have you done?" he asked, still facing away.

"He will be arriving in good time. But first, it is time to let evolution take its natural course." she said, stepping into the light.

“You do not truly think you can win.” he said.

“You underestimate me as usual.” she scoffed.

Suddenly, Erin dropped her dress to the floor as the symbols carved all over her began to glow with an intense blue light. She then gathered it into a huge wave of energy, casting it at Armas. However, he began to feed off the energy, extending his arms out and absorbing it into his body.

Releasing a horde of angry spirits upon her, she was unable to stop him or withdrawal from his soul vectors. Seconds from capturing her essence, Armas stopped, looking upon her with disappointment.

"That was pathetic." he said.

His sharp words still ringing in her ears, he suddenly sucked the soul from her body.

Too late to save Erin, James entered the small brick room to find Armas sitting alone at a long oak desk drinking red wine from a short stemmed glass as he thumbed through a stack of documents, the box containing the glowing white orb resting on a small wooden mantel in behind him .

"You're too late to save your whore of a daughter, again." Armas said, taking a hard drink of wine.

“What are you talking about?” James asked

Sitting his glass on the desk and standing up, Armas suddenly turned into Erin. She began to cry as she reached out to James, the symbol she had carved into his wrist glowing a fiery red, causing him to fall to his knees in immense pain.

"Don't worry, she didn't know either. It was more fun that way." Asredous said, showing James his true face.

“You were a fool to come here. I should have killed you that night, when I had the chace.” he laughed.

“So why didn’t you?” James asked.

“Because you were irrelevant, I only cared about the child. You know I couldn’t risk the prophecy being true. But, alas, her soul is belongs to me now.” Asredous said.

“Then, how about I kill you instead?” James asked.

“You can’t stop evolution." Asredous said.

“It’s not evolution - It’s a cure, a disease, a sickness!” James yelled.

Although he savored the immortality it had given him, he saw being a vampire as the thing that took away everything he ever cared for, bestowing two lifetimes of suffering upon him.

“You, you do not understand its true power – But you will.” Asredous said.

Taking the glass box from the mantel, he began rubbing it gently, holding it close to his face.

“This is one of my favorite pieces from my collection. Oh, that’s right, you two never got to say goodbye, did you?”

“Danielle!” James screamed.

“Sorry to cut your heart warming reunion so short.” Asredous said, opening the Box.

Holding Danielle’s soul in the palm of his hand, he then crushed it as a ghostly shrill rang out, almost brining a drop of blood to James’ ear.

“You will pay!” James yelled.

Lifting his hand high above his head, Asredous closed his eyes as the ground started to tremble and shake and the ceiling spit in half. Giving way, the room came crashing down around them.

The hot rubble and stone crushing James, he closed his eyes, seeing a dreamlike vision of Danielle. She was exactly as he had remembered her, standing under the dark canopy of night, the orange glow of the candlestick she held flickering in the wind as she looked upon him lovingly, her cheeks puffing up as she cracked a childlike grin.

"He's too strong." he said.

“You must go now, before it’s too late.” She said, reaching out to caress his face.

Opening his eyes, he began clawing his way out from beneath the rubble. Breaking through the surface of the rock he saw Asredous looming over him. Not even concerned with his soul or the power of James' one hundred year old soul, he longed to show off his newest power, destroying James just as he had Danielle’s.

Laughing loudly, he began crushing his head with a soul vector. Spitting blood from his mouth and nose James cried out in agony, feeling as though someone had reached their hand into his head and was squeezing his brain.

"Erin, please." he muttered.

Unable to withstand anymore, he closed his eyes tightly. Just then, Asredous stopped, withdrawing the hungry legion of souls back into his body.

Clearing away the debris, James crawled out from beneath the jagged pieces of broken stone to see Asredous struggling to maintain control over his imprisoned souls. Screaming loudly, he began to take on many different appearances. For a brief moment James saw the face of Erin who looked upon him with a cold stare.

"Do it!" she commanded.

Extending all the soul vectors from his body, he began to suck the life from her, the look on his face a mixture of agony and ecstasy as the symbol on his wrist melted down his arm, burning away all the surrounding skin and leaving only the seared bone.

Asredous took his true form again as James stared into his small gray sunken eyes, hundreds of tortured souls pouring out onto the floor in front of him. Then, with a thousand haunted voices crying out at once, it was over.

Dropping to his knees, a deep sadness fell over him. Slowly, he picked up Erin’s leather jacket from the ground, rubbing his thumb against its hard leather exterior. Looking upon the jacket, he began to wonder if she had been telling him the truth when she said to trust her. Perhaps she had known that she couldn’t defeat Asredous, but at the same time he could never control her. Unable to ever know the truth, he chose to believe everything had been according to her plan, that it was not power she truly sought, only peace.

Carefully, he picked himself up, throwing her jacket over his shoulder and limping away, disappearing into a thick gray haze.