Categories > Original > Fantasy > Kupenda
Thoughts of a troubled half-demon.
0 reviewsLeo has a dream, and receives advice from Nas about what he is to do.
0Unrated
Leonidas awoke with a start. He shot up, covered in sweat and breathing as if he had been running from the hell hounds themselves. He had been dreaming again, but as usual it had not been about good things. He had fallen asleep only to find himself back in the same nightmare that had been plaguing him for decades, but no matter how many times to experienced it, he never got over its shock. It always started the same, he would drift off into sleep only to find himself standing outside of a small cottage in the outskirts of London. He would try to resist the urge to go inside, but somehow his feet always ended up moving forward haltingly, as if they knew they were leading him to hell itself but could do nothing to stop it. He would enter the front door, and immediately sense the sleeping bodies on the second floor. Without hesitation he would make his way to the stair case and quickly climb to the top. As his feet hit the landing, he would sense the slumbering child in the room across from him, and would choose the door at the other end of the hallway that held the other members of the house. Once again, he would feel resistance, but somehow his feet would yet again begin to move forward, and there was nothing he could do to stop them no matter how hard he tried. They would move as if they had a mind of there own.
He would reach the crème colored doorway and reluctantly place his hand on the brass doorknob and slowly push it forward. He would let it swing open to its fullest extent, and stare at the sleeping adults before him. For a few moments he would struggle against himself before he would spring onto the bed and begin to devour them. As he ate with nothing but pure addiction in his veins, he would sense a presence. Not a big one, enough of one to let him know that it was not animal, but human. He would stop from his blood-red reverie and look up and into a child’s eyes.
To this day, Leo did not know why that child had made him change his ways, all he knew is that when he made eye contact with the little girl standing nay 5 feet from him, the look of fear and most of all, anguish in the humans eyes is something he never got over. Never had he seen such pain present in one person. The nightmare that he experienced on a regular basis was his conscience bringing him back the night that he reversed his ways. But it was not experienced as a blood thirsty vampire, it was from the view point as one who had recognized his wrong doing, and was seeking redemption by visiting that night over and over seeking some sort of redmption. At least that’s what Nas told him.
“so much for getting to sleep early tonight” thought Leo, “I guess I could go for a walk” but he always knew what a walk meant, it meant standing outside Ayanna’s house waiting for her to come out just so he could have a few moments of reprieve from his tormented consciousness. “This is not fair for me” he said out loud, in the empty concrete chamber, his deep voice echoed off the walls, and sounded much louder than it actually was. He swung his legs off of his small bed, put on his boots and walked out of his small dwelling and into the hallway. He didn’t really know where he was going, but a few moments later he ended up in front of Naslihali’s door. He sighed, resigned, and knocked on the door with three short bursts.
“come in” and musical voice sounded, as Leo opened the door Nas said, “I knew you would be coming to see me tonight. Sometimes I wish I did not have my forsight, then there would still be some surprises in life!” she laughed.
“yes, but then you would never knew when the hunters were coming. Would you have us all killed just so you could guess at when I am to show up at your doorway?” he teased back while lifting an eyebrow. He sighed, “I had the dream again, Nas, what am I to do about this? I can’t sleep for more than a few fitful hours at a time. Lately I have been so tired that I’ve been sending to new recruits to search for edible mushrooms down by the creek!”
“yes, I heard about that Leo, what I don’t understand I that you know that there isn’t anything close to fungi growing near that creek, its far to full of leaves” she played the part of ignorant well, but Leo knew her well enough to be aware that she was jesting.
“I just don’t know what it is my mind is trying to tell me, I cant take it much longer. If I don’t figure it out soon, I will go mad with it.”
“some men never leave there worst moments behind. They can’t let go, only carry that burden with them as a reminder to there past and what they can do in there future to make sure it does not happen again. don’t you think?”
“I suppose.” his shoulders sagged as he took the seat next to her, “have we heard any word from the commune down in the Carolinas yet?” Nas face went from amused, to sad,
“none, I worry the worst has happened. The Hunter’s have been exposing us little by little, picking us off until we are none. I fear that they have all been killed in the Hunter’s quest for blood. But don’t worry yourself with issues that have past, lets concentrate on what’s going on with you”
“what’s going on with me is of little importance compared to the big picture, Nas”
“nonsense, you are second in command of this division, your happiness is needed in order to keep everyone in high spirits!” she paused and then looked straight into his eyes. “ Listen closely to what your heart is telling you Leo, it will lead you to the right answer. Maybe you should at least show yourself to Ayanna, you may be surprised at how much it may help.”
“ha! You think that a strange man appearing from the bushes in the dead of night is going to help my chances with her? I already told you that even if I do introduce myself, I wouldn’t even know how to go about telling her that I’m half demon and have a natural love of killing anything that is living. Or how about telling her that I could easily kill her with one blow of my fist? Or explaining to her that knowing me may put her in danger just for associating with our kind. No, I will not reveal myself to her.”
“child, have you thought that maybe she may not be unawares that something or someone is watching her? Or maybe she is just as lonely as you are. She is a special girl, I can tell if not only because its you that is interested in her. It takes an amazing women to keep your attentions for more than a week!”
“I think that…..I think….I think I need to go for a walk.”
“that’s the spirit! The first step is always a good walk if I do say so myself, now if you’ll excuse me I have some arranging to do with the shipment that’s expected to tomorrow. Goodnight Leo, may you be blessed with a clear head” and with that, Nas shuffled out of the room.
He would reach the crème colored doorway and reluctantly place his hand on the brass doorknob and slowly push it forward. He would let it swing open to its fullest extent, and stare at the sleeping adults before him. For a few moments he would struggle against himself before he would spring onto the bed and begin to devour them. As he ate with nothing but pure addiction in his veins, he would sense a presence. Not a big one, enough of one to let him know that it was not animal, but human. He would stop from his blood-red reverie and look up and into a child’s eyes.
To this day, Leo did not know why that child had made him change his ways, all he knew is that when he made eye contact with the little girl standing nay 5 feet from him, the look of fear and most of all, anguish in the humans eyes is something he never got over. Never had he seen such pain present in one person. The nightmare that he experienced on a regular basis was his conscience bringing him back the night that he reversed his ways. But it was not experienced as a blood thirsty vampire, it was from the view point as one who had recognized his wrong doing, and was seeking redemption by visiting that night over and over seeking some sort of redmption. At least that’s what Nas told him.
“so much for getting to sleep early tonight” thought Leo, “I guess I could go for a walk” but he always knew what a walk meant, it meant standing outside Ayanna’s house waiting for her to come out just so he could have a few moments of reprieve from his tormented consciousness. “This is not fair for me” he said out loud, in the empty concrete chamber, his deep voice echoed off the walls, and sounded much louder than it actually was. He swung his legs off of his small bed, put on his boots and walked out of his small dwelling and into the hallway. He didn’t really know where he was going, but a few moments later he ended up in front of Naslihali’s door. He sighed, resigned, and knocked on the door with three short bursts.
“come in” and musical voice sounded, as Leo opened the door Nas said, “I knew you would be coming to see me tonight. Sometimes I wish I did not have my forsight, then there would still be some surprises in life!” she laughed.
“yes, but then you would never knew when the hunters were coming. Would you have us all killed just so you could guess at when I am to show up at your doorway?” he teased back while lifting an eyebrow. He sighed, “I had the dream again, Nas, what am I to do about this? I can’t sleep for more than a few fitful hours at a time. Lately I have been so tired that I’ve been sending to new recruits to search for edible mushrooms down by the creek!”
“yes, I heard about that Leo, what I don’t understand I that you know that there isn’t anything close to fungi growing near that creek, its far to full of leaves” she played the part of ignorant well, but Leo knew her well enough to be aware that she was jesting.
“I just don’t know what it is my mind is trying to tell me, I cant take it much longer. If I don’t figure it out soon, I will go mad with it.”
“some men never leave there worst moments behind. They can’t let go, only carry that burden with them as a reminder to there past and what they can do in there future to make sure it does not happen again. don’t you think?”
“I suppose.” his shoulders sagged as he took the seat next to her, “have we heard any word from the commune down in the Carolinas yet?” Nas face went from amused, to sad,
“none, I worry the worst has happened. The Hunter’s have been exposing us little by little, picking us off until we are none. I fear that they have all been killed in the Hunter’s quest for blood. But don’t worry yourself with issues that have past, lets concentrate on what’s going on with you”
“what’s going on with me is of little importance compared to the big picture, Nas”
“nonsense, you are second in command of this division, your happiness is needed in order to keep everyone in high spirits!” she paused and then looked straight into his eyes. “ Listen closely to what your heart is telling you Leo, it will lead you to the right answer. Maybe you should at least show yourself to Ayanna, you may be surprised at how much it may help.”
“ha! You think that a strange man appearing from the bushes in the dead of night is going to help my chances with her? I already told you that even if I do introduce myself, I wouldn’t even know how to go about telling her that I’m half demon and have a natural love of killing anything that is living. Or how about telling her that I could easily kill her with one blow of my fist? Or explaining to her that knowing me may put her in danger just for associating with our kind. No, I will not reveal myself to her.”
“child, have you thought that maybe she may not be unawares that something or someone is watching her? Or maybe she is just as lonely as you are. She is a special girl, I can tell if not only because its you that is interested in her. It takes an amazing women to keep your attentions for more than a week!”
“I think that…..I think….I think I need to go for a walk.”
“that’s the spirit! The first step is always a good walk if I do say so myself, now if you’ll excuse me I have some arranging to do with the shipment that’s expected to tomorrow. Goodnight Leo, may you be blessed with a clear head” and with that, Nas shuffled out of the room.
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