Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. I do not know the BSB nor do I know their orientation. All under 18 are advised not to continue reading as this contains content of an adult nature!!!!
For one half the day, we did nothing but struggle to follow him. I had scars all over my body from the tree branches searing my skin. I'm pretty sure that Kevin, Aj and Howie weren't doing that much better.
The soil beneath us began to feel hotter, less stable. Even the trees had started becoming scarce. The only organisms in the ground were actually strange looking insects, probably adapting to this dead land after thousands of years of evolution.
Nick didn't slow down, though. At first, I thought it was because he was angry, but after a few hours, another idea struck me. He seemed almost desperate, as if he really wanted to get past the Murien Mountains soon. Something about the way he moved, about the contradictions in his actions, had made him seem far less threatening than before.
I mean, on the one hand, he had this look of exasperation on his face, as if the sight of us caused pain to his eyes. But he would every once in a while, gather enough water and blood to feed us properly while all of us just lay on the ground, defenseless like little chicks waiting for our mother. These brief moments of affection from Nick were beginning to mar my judgment.
Once the afternoon settled in though, he looked tired while the rest of us seemed more well-rested. It was almost as if he were struggling really hard to keep up his energy level. He started to slip on the rocks beneath him more often. Yet he barged through the land like a bulldozer. I started to notice that the soles of his feet were bleeding, but he paid no attention to these minor details. He himself didn't eat at all. Nor did he drink any water. His soul was yearning for something, but what?
Just when I thought that he would faint from exertion, he gathered a newfound source of energy and barged on. It wasn't until late in the evening that we approached a brook in the middle of the Murien Mountains. This definitely brought a smile to AJ, who was ready to jump into the water . . . had it not been for Nick.
Nick sent a magnetic field, dragging AJ back onto the land before he completed his dive. AJ cussed under his breath while Nick stepped forward and stared into the waters suspiciously with one hand tightly clamped around Aj's arm, making Aj squirm in pain.
"Dude, Nick. There's plenty of water for all of us!" Aj tried to lighten the mood and wincing in pain at the same time. Howie walked up cautiously to the water and his eyes narrowed.
"This water has a tint of red in it," Howie commented quietly.
"The Stream of Doom," Kevin whispered, mesmerized.
Nick nodded slowly, finally letting go of Aj's arm. Aj massaged his arm bitterly, but did not speak. I slowly sidled up to Kevin and asked, "Why is it called that?"
Kevin looked at me in a fatherly way. "Anyone who drinks these waters will be bound to the course of this stream. And they will continue walking until they disappear into the mist. No one who had followed this path had ever returned, and the only remnants that they had existed is their blood that mixes with these waters."
I widened my eyes, absorbing this haunting story into my mind. Aj only stiffened, now feeling shamelessly grateful for Nick's interception.
I turned to gaze at Nick, and to my shock, he was looking at the waters as if he wanted to taste them real badly. However, he held back and stared at the rest of us. "I had followed this path once before," he said all too softly. "It leads to an abandoned swamp full of degraded, rotten bodies. There was poison in the waters, rather like acid, that sears your skin until it falls off. The air wreaked of such a foul smell that your lungs burn from contact. It is rather depressing to witness."
"How . . . how did you escape?" Kevin asked, confused.
Nick looked at Kevin, his eyes full of humility. "Someone had held my hand and led me out of the swamp. I don't remember his face. I don't know his name. I only know that he was very angry. But I don't know what had angered him."
"So you have been here before?" Aj asked, his mind starting to register Nick's story.
Nick looked at the far edges of the stream. He nodded complacently. "A long time ago. It should have ended then."
Howie raised his head to meet Nick's eyes. "What should have ended?"
Nick ignored Howie's question and stepped into the stream, making all of us jump from anxiety. Finally, Nick stopped in the middle of the stream and turned to us expectantly. "Don't step into the waters. Try to jump onto me and then I'll throw you to the other side."
I felt my body shake. Why was he doing this? Why was he trying to protect us while at the same time, he was not even paying attention to his own body?
Kevin slightly rolled his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Don't you think, Nick, that we could have just used our vampire powers to glide over there without any problems?"
Nick just gazed at Kevin with amusement. "All right, go ahead."
Kevin nodded confidently and started to jump, calling forth his vampire skills to aid him. He gracefully lifted his feet off the ground and flew to the other side of the stream. But just when he was about to make it, a big wave appeared out of nowhere and twisted into the form of a hand, ready to grip Kevin's feet and drag him back. I felt my heart race and was about to jump out and help Kevin when Howie held me back tightly. I gazed in awe as Nick ran towards the hand and jumped into it's clutches in place of Kevin, allowing Kevin to land on the other side without a single drop of water on him. On the other hand, Nick's body was soaked from head to toe as he struggled to stand still. Slowly, the waters calmed down again and me, Aj and Howie remained frozen in our spots, amazed at the entire event.
Kevin stood on the other side, speechless. He looked at Nick's form. Besides being a little wet, Nick appeared to be okay. Nick breathed a little harder and turned to me. "Wait until I'm dry. Then you go next." Nick's voice was a little wet, but he looked okay to me. So what's such a big deal about this Stream of Doom besides that awesome show of power?
Nick closed his eyes tight and willed the waters of the Stream of Doom to glide off his body. Finally, Nick opened his eyes and looked at me expectantly. He opened his arms wide, motioning for me to jump. I closed my eyes and willed all my powers to help give me a boost. The stream was actually quite wide. Quickly, I lifted my feet and aimed for Nick. As I had feared, I was about to miss Nick by a whole five feet. I braced myself to fly head first into the waters when I felt Nick's strong arms softening my land and preventing me from even touching the waters.
I was actually relieved and let out a breath, but I felt myself tighten when I realized how cold his body was. "Are you okay?" I whispered to Nick, which he ignored. By now, I think he was just impatient with all our questioning because he didn't reply. I wish he had. Right now, I feel like I don't matter to him, which hurt . . . a lot. I know I felt a little childish, but I wanted him to comfort me, to at least let me know how he felt. Not to leave me guessing like a dork. I mean, I know his demeanor towards us showed that he still cared for us, but he didn't have to hide it with such a cold facade.
Once again, as if reading my thoughts, he gazed into my eyes. "Never been better." Then he threw me to the other side. This time, no gigantic hand popping out of the waters to pull me back. One by one, Nick tossed Aj and then Howie to the other side of the stream before he himself crossed it.
And just as he stepped out of the water, I noticed that his calves were trickling with blood. Sensing my eyes on his lower body, Nick answered, "Don't worry, it's not my blood. It belongs to those men who had died in this Stream." I tried to feel more comforted, but couldn't. The bleeding didn't stop.
Kevin, who until this time had remained quiet, began to speak. "The blood . . . their blood seeps into your body, doesn't it? And with their blood, their souls . . . their agony also become absorbed into your own blood."
Nick smiled softly at Kevin. "I'm glad you recognize that. Because trust me, it's not the greatest, most elated feeling."
"The blood drives people to insanity . . . " Howie said in awe, as if finally realizing what the waters in this Stream did to people.
Nick only smiled again. "I guess I'm already to that point, huh?" With that last remark thrown into the air, he slowly walked away from the stream and led us forth.
That night, we finally rested in a place that had scarcely two leafless trees and a few rocks that settled in the dust. The sky was a sullen gray and the air full of silence. There were no winds, just a disturbing stillness to the entire landscape. All of us were so hungry and worn out that we dropped to the ground, desperate to regain our strength. Nick looked at us, disappointed by our weakness.
Knowingly, he walked over to me and held out his hand to my mouth, offering me his blood. I looked at him, bewildered. He gazed at me with this analytical look before saying, "Don't worry, I had cleansed myself of that blood earlier. Nothing impure in it now."
I dumbly nodded and reached for his wrist shakily. I slowly dug my fangs into his soft skin, all the while looking straight into his eyes, and I drank that rich and filling blood that I had almost forgotten existed. I must have been very hungry because I kept on drinking and drinking until Nick finally pulled his arm away. "Leave some for the others," he said sternly before turning around and walking over to Aj.
Aj just stared at him as if Nick had lost his mind, but instantly pulled Nick's wrist to his mouth as well, drinking nervously. He had a little more self-control than me and stopped after about a minute.
By now, I felt refreshed and ready to continue our trek. It was an amazing feeling. I didn't think I even needed any sleep. I watched as Nick walked over to Howie. Howie gratefully and gently held Nick's arm and dug his fangs into Nick's wrist. He closed his eyes, as if relishing the moment and he sucked slowly, tentatively.
At last, it was Kevin's turn. I looked on in worry as Nick approached Kevin, who had looked away, refusing the blood. Nick then whispered something to him, which I could not decipher. Kevin continued to stare away stubbornly, until after a few more moments and a few more convincing words, Kevin grudgingly gripped Nick's arm and sucked for about half a minute.
We all felt rejuvenated. All of us . . . except Nick. I could tell that he was looking paler every minute. It had seemed to me that we were more of a burden than anything else. And once again, I was afraid that he would leave us behind.
Nick walked over to the fire we had made and lay down next to it. "Tomorrow, we shall have reached the edge of the Murien Mountains. Our trek will be at an end after all. You guys should rest. It will be a big day. Not like today."
After having expunged that from his system, he quickly closed his eyes and dozed off while the rest of us just sat around the fire. His blood was like a boost of sugar. We all were too awake, too energized to sleep. But we had realized that it was not the case for him. Nick looked, if anything, too tired to continue that night. Kevin, Aj, and Howie sat close to Nick, cautiously looking around for anything dangerous that could suddenly appear out of nowhere. I, however, watched Nick's face as he slipped into his deep sleep.
To my sadness, I saw only melancholy and worry in it. He looked unsettled. His features seemed to ache for relief, as if he had traveled too far, had outlived his welcome. I felt sorry for him then. My thoughts wandered off to the prophecy and I suddenly felt the unfairness of it all. I wondered about the nonsensical nature of this entire ordeal. Nature has worked wonders in my opinion. Then why couldn't it work it's magic on Nick, change his entire outlook on life.
Because the world didn't work that way. Because destruction was always the easier, more instinctive route. Just as splitting an atom released energy, so did destroying life. In order to create it, energy had to be absorbed. And goodness knows there was not enough power on this Earth to sustain Nick's life.
I traced a wrinkled line on Nick's forehead. It was the first time I had noticed that his skin was starting to look less fair, his hair less bright and more disheveled. He no longer looked immortal, but very vulnerable.
He started shaking in his sleep, and to my amazement, all four of us--me, Aj, Kevin and Howie had each tried to remove our shirts to cover him up. Strange how despite all our suspicions, we still felt this inherent desire to protect him. Kevin had gotten to Nick first so the rest of us simply stood there awkwardly, deciding whether to put our shirts back on.
And that was how we pretty much remained until the crack of dawn, when there was a slight hint of sunlight signalling for us to start what was the end of our trek.
I felt a warm hand gently shaking my body. I opened my eyes, disappointed to find that the hand belonged to Howie. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to get ready."
I sat up, expecting to see Nick's disheveled figure. Oddly but surprisingly, he looked refreshed. His skin fairer than ever, his eyes a really rich lavender now. Even his hair looked softer than before. There was a gleam in his eyes that radiated with hope. His eyes would ever so often widen as if a lost child seeing his mother. He didn't wait for us as he started off West.
Aj, Kevin, me and Howie all four took off after him, already accustomed to this habit of his. We knew not to talk so as to conserve our energy to keep up with him.
Nick was not kidding when he said that today was worse than yesterday, because I was constantly dodging obstacles right and left. Nick spent less time mothering us today as he devoted all his energy to plunging forward. The soil kept on rearranging itself so that one wrong move would lead us into an abyss or send us sprawling on the ground, bruised and bleeding.
The soil was now replaced by a strange rock that resembled obsidian, but was far more slippery. The air burnt like acid, forcing me to squint. I felt the gravitational field weigh heavily on my body and soul, making each step more difficult. The soles of my feet were burning like mad, but they dared not stop in fear that they would just burst into flames. We ascended and ascended until I could not take it anymore. And then, we started descending and I sighed in relief, because we simply just slid down the slope. However, I encountered so many sharp pieces of rock jutting out of nowhere that I nearly lost a limb on the downward slope had Nick not pulled me out of the way.
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally saw the ground level off. All of us rolled down towards the stretch of flat land and I stopped with a thud as I crashed into Aj.
"Dude, aim!" Aj snorted.
"Sorry that your butt is in the way," I replied sarcastically.
I got up, disoriented. But it didn't take long to see the tip of the volcano not far in the distance. I traced the slope of the volcano to where we were and realized that we were in the path if and when the lava were to spill from the volcano. I gulped, fearsome for all of us.
"Uh, Nick? That volcano looks like it's going to erupt any minute," Kevin stuttered.
Aj looked at Kevin exasperated. "No kidding, Einstein."
Howie gasped from the extrenuous exercise it took to get this far. "Guys, if we continue West, we should have enough time to leave this volcano far behind. Until now, Nick had remained silent.
I looked to Nick a little disturbed by his quietness, surprised to see the awe in his face. That was when I recognized that look of yearning in his face again. He stood rooted in the ground, mesmerized by the looming volcano that was spitting so much fire.
I felt my feelings unsettled by Nick's lack of fear at the entire situation. I walked up to him, sensing the change in his demeanor. I placed my hand around his arm. "Nick?" I asked timidly. "We should get going before we don't have the chance to." I nudged his arm pleadingly, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as my thoughts started to clear. My heart was getting heavy as I suddenly started to realize that Nick perhaps had already reached his destination.
I shook my head obstinately. No! I'm going crazy from all the energy expenditure during this trip. My mind was being clouded by stupid, senseless thoughts. Nick was heading to the West to escape. This isn't his destination. It couldn't be. Once we left this volcano, we would all be safe.
Nick swiftly turned his head in our direction and there was a sense of inner peace in him. His eyes look content as the lavender was replaced by a midnight blue. He nodded to the West. His voice was unnervingly gentle. "Like Howie said, if you keep on going West, the trees will become more abundant. The soil will become less deadly, the air less acrid. Until you encounter a stream that looks very fresh and clear. Don't drink from it. Just cross over it in the shallow areas. Once you cross it, you'll be safe."
I didn't fail to notice that he used 'you' instead of 'we'. I felt myself shaking from the sudden realization. MY stomach was twisted into quite a few knots as I began to despair. Never in the past few weeks did I imagine this type of ending to our trip. This was not how I had intended it to be. Everything was happening too fast, and Nick's words were biting me mercilessly. I shook my head desperately, the tears burning my eyes. I felt my jaw quivering, but only silence escaped my lips.
This was not happening. Nick was not saying those words. I was hallucinating all of this. Nick took a few steps backwards, towards the volcano. "I've reached the end of my trip." He looked at us and laughed a bitter laugh.
Kevin looked as shocked as I did, not trusting the words that were coming out of Nick's mouth. Aj gazed incredulously at Nick and verbalized what I had so wanted to say. "You are not f---ing serious!" And he trembled from desperation. He cared! He had cared for Nick all along! Despite all our talk about destroying Nick, we never once envisioned that his death would materialize in front of us.
I object to all of this. Like Nick had said a few days earlier, if we continue past the volcano and escape the hot lava, he would be free. He would escape . . . and we could live there happily.
Only Howie remained frighteningly calm, eyeing Nick skeptically. Damn it! Why was he being so rational now! Say something damn it.
My voice wavered, but it spoke forcefully. "Nick . . . you don't know what you're saying. You're delusional. That's a freaking volcano. Hot lava is not good!"
Nick shook his head, his eyes tracing my features. "Eyes of lavender shall mark our fate; behind sheer beauty lies evil's gaze; no friends, no love, no peace, no home; there is no child worse than Darkness' own . . . "
My lips shook violently, but now Nick continued reciting what appeared to be the second half of the poem. His voice was calm, just like the rest of his features. "He whose body evil has claimed; can be Weakened by fire, burnt by flames; and the Heir to the Darkness shall end His reign; beyond the mountains of Murien."
Nick's eyes moistened. "Is this not how it ends?" He took another few steps backwards as me, Aj and Kevin advanced. "If you don't start heading West now, you won't make it," Nick said, his voice now starting to waver.
"Why did you bring us with you then?" I felt my anger rise exponentially by the second. "How can you be so selfish? Just because you wanted some company so that you could make it here and then just desert us like that!" I was bitter to no end. My tears were falling freely now, and I didn't care if I hurt Nick because he hurt me so bad.
Nick looked at me sadly. "Do you regret now?"
I was stung by his statement. Leave it to him to remind me of our little conversation back in that cave.
Kevin had to grab me, to prevent me from collapsing right there. Aj was also wet with tears by now. Only Howie . . . only Howie was the only one who did not say a single word.
Nick was by now quite far from where we stood. "I can't control it anymore . . . this bad feeling inside me. I feel like it's feeding on me every second that I exist. I feel so cold inside. I can't control it anymore. It feels so strong. It feels so comforting to succumb to it. If I didn't have your presence to remind me of those things that I cherish most, I would give in in a heartbeat."
Nick took a few large steps back, his eyes apologetic. Then without another word, he turned around and started running towards the volcano, his steps desperate, his body shaking. My feet suddenly found the strength to support my body, but Kevin and Aj held me firmly in place, both shaking with despair, but both taken by Nick's bold and honest confession. I screamed at the top of my lungs for Nick to stop.
We were so involved with our own desperation that we failed to notice Howie slipping past us, his hand holding onto some golden object that I did not recognize. He chased after Nick with a look of determination on his face, and suddenly, he didn't look like the Howie we knew. His face was filled with a malevolence neither I, Kevin nor Aj had seen before. He moved swiftly as he slowly, but surely closed the gap between Nick and him. I think Nick had sensed it as well because for one fleeting moment, he turned his head to look.
Then Nick's eyes widened in some sort of recognition as he stared into Howie's face. He ran faster, confounding me, Kevin and Aj even more. I was completely clueless as to what the hell was going on . . . that was until Howie morphed into . . . Vincent!!!!
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Hope it wasn't too confusing for you! I tried my best ;)