Death's Doors
an excerpt

Chapter 1: Devils of the Night

Her mouth was so very dry. Her throat felt as if it were on fire. Her stomach, however, had stopped hurting so long ago, but she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she was incredibly hungry. Why, why had the guards forgotten to feed her again today? That made it three days in a row. Was this it? Were they really, finally, just going to forget about her and let her die?

The silence was so complete - so oppressive. She strained her ears, trying to hear even the slightest hint of a sound. Nothing. Nothing. Wait, what was that? Was that a sound she had just heard? No, no way, but it had… for just a second… sounded like a footfall. With baited breathe, she waited for what seemed to be an eternity, but she didn’t hear another such sound nor see another person in that icky blackness. Though, if she strained her eyes just enough, shapes would appear and disappear in the night. Hallucination after hallucination. Just like the sound she thought she had heard, they weren’t there, either.

Curling up into the fetal position, the chains that bound her hands and feet rattled ever so slightly. The sound was almost incredibly deafening. If she had more energy, she swear she probably would have put it into rattling the chains some more if only to continue to defy that horrible silence. But, right now, all she could think of was sleep. Yes, sleep. And if her mind drifted out far enough, perhaps, for a moment, she could even forget her amazing thirst.

Laying there, on the verge of a sleep she wished would last forever, she did hear a sound. The small, barely audible sound of a door slowly creaking open. Lieing perfectly still, she wondered if she were simply imagining the sound. She had heard it so many times. But why… would she be hearing it now? There was no one else but her. Or… was it here for her this time.

Without looking up or even opening her eyes, she suddenly felt an ominous presence in the room with her. A presence that, even now, was slowly extending an almost skeletal hand towards her cold body.

****

Slowly, slowly, it was extending a slender, white hand towards her. Slowly, soon it would rest on her neck and then everything would be over. Rest… rest… that’s what those golden, hypnotic eyes told her.

With a fantastic push of her will, Talitha lashed out, almost screaming as she smacked the hand away from her throat. The human-like creature stared back at her in dumbfounded surprise. Not hesitating, Talitha took this as a golden opportunity, and ducked out of the creature’s way and ran back down the alley.

What the heck was that thing, her mind screamed. Staring back over her shoulder, her breathe caught in her throat - it had disappeared. But, that alley had been a dead end. No! Don’t think about it. Just escape.

That creature had looked so human when she had approached it. So human except for its golden eyes and the long sharp fingernails that were almost like claws. And… its teeth. Its teeth that had been sunk deep into the white flesh of that other human. She couldn’t fathom at first what that creature was doing to the body of that young girl. Why it had had its head so close to the neck making sucking sounds. It… it had been drinking that child’s blood.

She had only crawled out of her bedroom window to investigate. She could have sworn she heard a scream in the night. A chill had run through her and she just felt the urge to run to investigate despite every nerve in her body yelling at her to stay inside.

Rounding a corner into the main street, she stopped dead in her tracks. Standing there, in the middle of the street was the creature. Its unbuttoned shirt flapped in the wind and his long blond hair brushed his cheeks and hid one of his demonic eyes from view. For a moment or two, they both stood there staring at each other. Talitha’s mind raced, every muscle in her body tensed and ready to spring. In her apron pocket she could feel the dead weight of the knife that she had stolen from Leia’s kitchen.

What was she thinking? She was no fighter. There was no way in hell she would be able to defeat this creature on her own. Run! She had to run! Yet, she had run from the alley, leaving him behind, and now, here he was, standing before her. Running was futile.

“Talitha!” a young boy’s voiced wrenched through the night. Looking over to the voice, her eyes fell on a boy her own age, running up to them with a sword in his hand. Placing himself in between her and the vampire, the boy yelled at her over his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing here? Get away, dammit! Run, I’ll hold him off. Go on!”

Wild eyed and confused, Talitha obeyed.

Picking a random direction, she ran back the same way that Faolan had come from. Half way to the alley way between the buildings, however, she felt a sharp pain in her back. Screaming, she fell to the ground and rolled over to stare up at the full night sky. The vampire stood over her, blood dripping from his claws.

“Talitha! Get up, now!” Faolan yelled.

Pain seared through her back. She watched, completely frozen, as the creature began to reach down to seize her. But before its hand reached her throat, a figure appeared behind it, silhouetted in the moonlight, and brought down a piece of a leather pipe down on its back hard as if it were a club. With a loud, inhuman scream, the vampire lashed out, spinning around, and seized the creature that had hit it by its throat.

Talitha forced herself to sit up and watched the two creatures struggling with each other. The moonlight fell on the new arrivals face and her breathe caught in her throat. “Leia!” Dressed in the same brown dress and white apron as Talitha wore, Leia kicked out at the creature, her wind pipe completely collapsed under the pressure of the vampire’s fingers. Strings of hair fell out of the bun and for just a moment, despite her helpless position, Leia almost looked as demonic as the creature that held her.

Dropping the pipe, Leia reached up for the vampire’s arms as if to attempt to pull the creature’s arm away with her mere strength alone. A small, gurgled chuckle escaped the vampire’s mouth and it licked its lips as it anticipated the kill. Suddenly, the chuckle turned into screaming. Talitha’s eyes fell on the spot where Leia’s hands were touching. The once white, pale skin had suddenly turned into a charred black - and from her hands it was extending outward. Screaming, the vampire released Leia, shaking her off as if she were a rabid cat mauling on his arm. Still screaming, the creature stumbled back, clutching at its full arm that was now completely charred. With another puff of wind, the arm began blowing away as if it were nothing more than mere dust.

Leia, who had fallen hard on her back, was quickly over at Talitha’s side. Grabbing her arm, she begged her to get up. “Talitha, come!” she ordered shortly. “Get out of here.”

Climbing to her feet, Talitha allowed herself to be pulled away from the demon by the maid. Awed, she looked down at where Leia’s hand grasped her arm. No, her arm was not turning black any time soon, but that had not been the first time she had seen Leia’s touch do something like that. Back then, and now too, she was so sure she had heard the simultaneous opening of two doors nearby.

Finally she came to her senses. The awe and the terror seeped away and was replaced by cold logic. “Wait! Faolan. What about Faolan.”

“He can take care of himself. We have to get you out of here. You should never have come out there.”

However, despite how far they had ran, the sound of the vampire’s screaming never lessoned. And then, she became aware that something was running beside them. Looking over she found Faolan beside them.

“What happened, Faolan?” Leia demanded.

“Forget it. He’s had blood. I could stab him a thousand times right now and it wouldn’t make any fucking difference.”

“Any plans?”

“None, but it’s totally pissed off right now. I don’t know what to do.”

“Normally they do not go after hard prey. Do you think he will stop?”

“Not now. He’s had a taste of Talitha’s blood on his hands. Girl!”

At first Talitha did not catch on that he was addressing her. Why couldn’t she make her head stop spinning so fast. “What?”

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”

Almost immediately Talitha felt her face go flush. “Wh-what the hell? And how is that any of your business?” she all but shrieked at him.

“Answer the goddamn question. If you’re a virgin, there’s no way in hell he’s going to let you escape since he’s tasted your blood. If you aren’t, we might have a chance.”

“Y… yes I am!” She wanted to die right there.

“Damn you!” he growled, picking up his step.

“W- what the hell does that mean?!”

“Let it go, Talitha,” Leia yelled at her over her shoulder.

“Leia!” Talitha shrieked. “Look out!”

Too late, turning to face forward, Leia ran headlong into the vampire, blood gushing out of its chest. Grabbing Leia up, it tossed her to the side to be dumped on top of Leia. With almost inhuman speed it reached out and caught Talitha by the throat and pressed her back up against the wall. Struggling for breathe, she felt the vampire’s grip get even tighter around her wind pipe. Looking over, she watched as Faolan struggled under the limp form of Leia. He’s never make it in time.

Still trying to pry apart the vampire’s vice like grip with her one hand, Talitha reached around the wall, searching for something. Come on! Where was it? It had to be there. There was one everywhere - if only she could find the handle. On the verge of blacking out, her hand fell on what she was so desperately searching for. Almost triumphantly she pressed downward on the invisible object. Swinging open, what was once a solid wall was completely replaced with the frame of a door - now open where her back had once been pressed up against the back. Almost immediately she felt herself falling backwards and inside the door frame. The vampire’s triumphant face was replaced with one of horror as its body was taken in with her by its own force of pressing her into the wall.

Inside, Talitha’s back hit hard against another wall - the pressure on her neck gone almost instantaneously. With a loud slam, the door closed shut in front of her.

Looking around, images of the past flooded her memories. Haze… an impossible haze filled the air that made it seem almost impossible to breathe. The halls were carpeted in blood red. The walls, that almost seemed to pulse with a life of their own, were an almost pale white. Everything seemed to be illuminated by its own light. There was not a torch in sight. But - doors. Everywhere - doors. The color of mahogany with a peculiar emblem on them, the handles stood out, begging to be pulled. Gold - gold handles. They, too, pulsated with a life of their own. Open us… open us…

Falling to her knees, Talitha doubled over and released all the contents of her stomach. Almost immediately, the spew disappeared as if it never were. The pain in her back had vanished, and her throat that should have been sore felt completely rejuvenated. Struggling with herself, she fought with her human impulse of breathe. Breathe or you’ll die! But the haze was too thick and there was no air. After a few moments, her mind slowly adjusted. It was impossible and unnecessary to take a breathe here. Opening her mouth, she struggled for a few moments. She had to overcome this human thought. World were possible if only she were not relying on the act of air passing through vocal cords.

“At least this time, I did not have to bother and pretend to gather up the soul of your corpse.”

The voice was not hers. However, she refused to look up. Not yet. Not just yet. Opening her mouth again, she continued to struggle.

“You need to learn to get use to this.” She could feel its gaze on her. Its gaze that felt as if it could see… no - it could - it could see her soul. “As often as you have started to wander in here, you need to learn to be able to easily cast off your human desires.”

Again she lost the contents of her stomach. The black foot that had been there just at the edge of her vision, took a single step back, disappearing under the folds of black robes which silently swished with the movement. “Do you want me to ease your pain?” it asked.

“I… I won’t let you have me so easily, Death. What… what are you doing here? I wasn’t dead. Not yet.”

“No, and I didn’t think you would from that. Too bad. That would have permanently put you out of a body had it crushed your wind pipe. I am here - because I am interested in this soul.”

Looking up, finally, she looked over to where the black-gloved hand was pointing. A white, ethereal image of the vampire hovered motionless in the hall, almost threatening to disappear in the haze of the hall. She looked up into the hidden, hooded face of the creature called Death and the Grim Reaper. “What about him?”

“I’ve wanted him dead since the moment he broke the laws and achieved immortality. I’ve waited far too long for this particular one.”

“What business is it of yours?”

“All deaths are a business of mine, the same with those who defy that death. It just makes more trouble for me than you could ever believe.”

Talitha sneered. “Whatever! People’s lives are trouble for you? Mothers, fathers, children - you treat them as if they are nothing more than a part of your job. When was the last time you ever considered them as humans would?”

“Trying to pick a fight, girl?” Almost casually, he brought his scythe closer towards her.

Snickering, Talitha pushed the blade aside. “It must piss you off that you can’t that thing to work on me while I’m here. We’ve been through this already. Now get that thing out of my face. While I’m in this house I am as immortal as you are.”

“So I’d be careful if you are out there again.”

Unable to respond, she glared up at the reaper who somberly turned towards the soul. Raising his hand up towards it, he pointed in the direction of a long chain where a long line of other souls were already chained up, shackled by their feet and wrists.

“You seem to be looking healthier. Found a more preferable place to live?”

Still enraged deep inside, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. “I think so. I’m a servant now for some sort of knight. I even have a name - Talitha.”

“Pity,” the reaper answered shortly, his voice barely revealing any emotion. “Then I’ll just have to wait that much longer until you make a wrong move and my scythe tells me to come looking for you.”

“I bet you’ll just enjoy that, won’t you?”

“You’ll the first one in my chain,” he answered with almost the hint of some satisfaction.

Sickened, she watched as the robed creature turned down the hall, leading the chain of souls away.

Standing up, she braced herself as she approached the door she had thrown herself into only moments before. Laying a hand on the ornate handle, she noted how cold that metal was. She really was the only life in this dreaded place.

“Talitha.” Startled, she turned back around and found Death watching her. “Be careful of the doors you chose and make sure your decision is not based on something you are taking for granted.” And with that, he turned back around and started back down the hall.

Frowning, she wondered what that was about. Was he actually helping her? And if so, what did his words mean. Looking back down at her hand she considered this. Was she taking something for granted.

She lurched back, almost instantly, pulling her hand away from the door as if it were now on fire. She swore. This door… it would lead back to the place she had left from - yes that was certain. But more importantly, it would also lead back to the same time that she had left from. The door she had stepped through, she had opened when her back was against the wall and she was being killed. She doubted that a paradox would be allowed to happen - the vampire could not fall back in through the door another time. No, if she stepped through that door, she would find herself back in that previous situation and the door would no doubt seal itself as it had done before when she had tried to escape her mother so long ago and carelessly stepped back through. She could only go through a door once if she returned back through that same door.

Sighing she walked down the long hallway, passing doors on either side. Coming to a huge open corridor that branched off into more hallways, she turned to the staircase that faced stretched upwards just to the left of the hallway she had come through. Looking up the staircase it almost seemed to extend to eternity - the endless staircase. Stepping onto it, however, she concentrated on the floor - and the time - she needed. Five minutes past the time she was attacked would be fine. Taking a few steps, she allowed herself to be lead up the stairs. While there was no way the staircase was proportional to the time limit she had declared - it was much, much longer than that - she finally came off onto another floor that was exactly like the one she had just left.

Feeling slightly miffed, she went down the hall and let her instincts find the door she needed. No, not instincts, really, as much as it seemed as if the door handles themselves were telling her where they lead. She just knew somehow. Adjusting her mind set to think that it was only five minutes after when she fell through the door, she opened this new, yet similar door, and stepped back through and into the alley.