Chapter 8

~ Morgan Vales~

We all mounted on horses, heading towards the mountain we believed the Imoogi vampire could be hiding. I led the way at the front, with the soldiers and my wife, along with my son, following on different horses. The journey was fraught with anticipation and the heavy burden of our intertwined destinies.

As we approached my former village, a hushed tension enveloped the air. Villagers were gathered around something, and murmurs of our arrival rippled through the crowd. "The soldiers are here," someone whispered among them. Curious, we halted to see what was unfolding.

One of my soldiers voiced concern, "Goodness, what is going on?" The villagers muttered anxiously, expressing their uncertainty about our unexpected presence. I instructed one of my soldiers to investigate. He dismounted and walked closer to the villagers.

A man from the crowd, Josh, seemed to recognize me. He was the one who had protested my execution in the past. Beside him stood another man, a familiar figure from that tumultuous day. Among the villagers, a boy was tied down, drawing my attention. I inquired, "Why is that boy tied up?"

No one offered a satisfactory answer, and I signaled for my soldier to approach the restrained boy. The villagers tried to obstruct him, but he pushed through. Josh explained, "He is not from here. We caught him trying to steal our food. We had to tie him up; he seemed like a violent barbarian. You saw him, right?" The other villagers nodded in agreement.

I questioned my soldier who had checked on the boy, "What did the boy say?" He revealed, "They captured him while he was passing by. They were going to offer him to a monster." Fury surged within me as I grasped the gravity of the situation. "So you were going to make a human sacrifice to a monster?" I exclaimed.

Josh defended their actions, claiming, "If we do not offer human sacrifices, the Imoogi vampire will be enraged, and it will kill all of us." The villagers echoed their belief in this dark tradition.

My anger simmered as I realized the depth of fear and superstition that gripped my former home. I declared, "This madness ends now. We will not sacrifice an innocent life to appease any tyrant monster." The villagers protested, arguing that it was necessary for their survival.

Josh stepped forward, asserting, "We have to do it for the Imoogi vampire. If not, it will come after us." The mention of the Imoogi vampire enraged me, and I retorted, "So it's true that you kill people for the Imoogi vampire and worship that monster!"

The man beside Josh defended their actions, explaining, "No one helped us because we are splash and burning farmers living in hiding. We were trying to save ourselves. Please just go on your way." Josh, fueled by desperation, yelled, "Go!" The others joined in, shouting for us to leave. They attempted to attack us, shouting, "Go!" My wife held Louis tightly in her arms, and my soldiers, drawing their swords, deterred the villagers from advancing.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from afar, and we saw the shaman. She declared, "It is him. He will bring the Imoogi vampire here." Panic gripped the villagers as the Shaman continued, "Imoogi will kill everyone here. Blood, flesh, and organs will be spread all over the ground. That man will bring Imoogi vampire here and get all of us killed!"

I spoke out defiantly, "I am here to kill the Imoogi vampire. Anyone who stands in my way will be beheaded immediately. Who dares to stand?" Josh exclaimed in disbelief, "Oh no, this is not happening!" But no one voiced opposition, and I declared, "Good. We will hunt for it in the mountain."

The villagers exchanged terrified glances and muttered, "No, no, he cannot." The Shaman questioned me, "Who told you to do that?" A villager responded, "You cannot do that," but I turned my horse, stating, "I am here to end the curse, not to heed your superstitions."

My soldiers followed suit, prompting desperate cries from the villagers. Josh and others pleaded, "Stop them! No! We will all die! You will get us killed!" But we continued our journey, ignoring their fearful protests. The villagers mumbled amongst themselves, expressing doubt about surviving an encounter with the Imoogi vampire.

The Shaman's voice pierced through the chaos, proclaiming, "He should have never been born. He should have died then." The weight of their superstitions and fear clung to the air as we rode away. The villagers remained behind, haunted by the looming threat of the Imoogi vampire.

When we arrived at the mountain, we dismounted and began traversing on foot, cautiously exploring the surroundings. Suddenly, My father's right-hand man called out, "Commander." I turned to him, and he questioned, "Are you sure that monster is here?"

I affirmed, "Yes," and he said, "it is only a rumor that those peasants believe. Imoogi vampire never exit..." Cutting off any doubt before he could express it further. He hesitated, and I added, "It's not just a rumor; I used to be one of those peasants. Imoogi vampire is real, and it is here." The right-hand man fell silent, absorbing the weight of my conviction.

As we strolled, stepping over a stream, an arrow pierced the air and struck one of my soldiers. Instantly, we were on high alert, scanning the surroundings for the assailant. The villagers emerged from the bushes, ambushing us. A soldier yelled, "Ambush!" and chaos ensued as we engaged in a sudden skirmish.

The right-hand man sought to stab one of the villagers, warning, "If you anger Imoogi vampire, all of us will die." I intervened, preventing the attack, and urged, "Don't kill him. He's just a villager." The right-hand man argued, "They're armed and refuse to follow orders."

I gestured towards the ongoing fight and reasoned, "Look over there; you can't stop them now." I hurried towards the struggling combatants, pulling them apart without causing harm. As I separated the clashing parties, my eyes caught something in the distance – the woman who had helped me on the day Josh attempted to stab me. Shock gripped me because I had thought she perished that day.

Recalling the gruesome scene, I remembered Josh's attack, the spilling blood, and her apparent demise. Yet, here she stood, alive and well. I stared at her in disbelief, momentarily frozen in the chaos of the skirmish.

She gazed back at me, her eyes holding a mix of recognition and something deeper. It was a surreal moment, a reunion with someone I believed to be lost forever. The villagers and soldiers continued their clashes, unaware of the emotional turmoil within me.

Immediately, she locked eyes with me, and without hesitation, she started running away. I pursued her through the rugged terrain of the mountain, determined to catch up. At some point, I lost sight of her, but then, she reappeared, standing at a distance, observing me.

As I approached her, her golden-colored eyes met mine in surprise, which seems supernatural. Unable to contain my realization, I uttered, "You did not die that day. You did not age either. You are... you are Imoogi vampire!" She remained silent, her enigmatic gaze fixed on me.

Suddenly, arrows pierced through the air, striking her. One after another, she staggered and fell into my arms. Instinctively, I turned to see my soldiers, led by the right-hand man, holding arrows, ready to fire another. Without a second thought, I positioned myself to shield her from harm, remembering how she had once saved me from a potential fatal attack.

"Halt!" I commanded, but the right-hand man signaled the others to advance. Confusion and concern marked their faces as they approached. The lady, however, had vanished.

When they reached me, the right-hand man inquired, "Are you all right? You suddenly stood in the way. Who was that?" I looked at them and stated firmly, "We are descending the mountain immediately."

Surprise and disbelief painted their expressions. After all, it was I who had initially urged them to come to the mountain in search of the Imoogi vampire. We began our descent, leaving the mysterious encounter behind, heading back to our camp as dawn approached.

Once at the camp, exhaustion weighed heavily on me. I lay on my bed, succumbing to the embrace of sleep. In my dreams, images of a cave from my past and the lady standing by a burning fire haunted me. In the dream, she angrily stabbed my hand, jolting me awake.

I shook off the remnants of the dream, opened my eyes, and noticed my birthmark, resembling a stab wound. The vividness of the dream lingered in my thoughts as I got out of bed.

As I walked around, I overheard my wife, Sarah, and my son, Louis, engaged in a conversation. They were in their room, unaware of my presence. Sarah reassured Louis, saying, "It's alright, it's fine." I moved closer, standing outside their room, attempting to eavesdrop on their dialogue.

Louis expressed remorse, "I'm sorry about my eyes." My heart sank upon hearing his words. Sarah tried to comfort him, urging, "Stop saying that." However, Louis persisted, questioning his place in my affections, "Mother, father doesn't like me because of my eyes, right? He hates me, he never gets close to me or stays by my side."

I listened helplessly, my heart breaking as Louis continued, "He hates me. I have never held father's hand, and I have never touched his face. I don't know how he looks when I can picture your face so well." Gently, Louis touched Sarah's face, seeking solace in her presence. Sarah held his hand, her own struggle obvious.

"It's because of my eyes?" Louis queried. Sarah, fighting back tears, responded, "No, it's not your fault." The weight of these revelations hit me like a tidal wave, leaving me paralyzed with a mixture of guilt, sadness, and determination.

As their conversation unfolded, the resolve within me resurfaced. I picked up a lit fire wood torch and began heading towards the mountain, driven by the promise I made to my wife – to free Louis from the curse that haunted our family. Sarah's words echoed in my mind, reminding me that my avoidance of Louis stemmed from fear and hatred, not his innocent eyes.

Determined to break the curse of the Imoogi vampire, I ventured into the forest, my thoughts consumed by the desire to be the father Louis deserved. Sarah's words reverberated, "You don't deserve to be his father." The weight of my failures weighed heavily on my conscience as I forged ahead.

In the depths of the forest, I entered the cave where I once sought refuge after being cast away by the villagers. I believed that the Imoogi vampire would come there, and it was in that darkness that I hoped to confront the source of the curse.

The cave's eerie silence enveloped me as I pressed on, torch in hand. The memories of my past, the rejection, and the looming threat of the Imoogi vampire fueled my determination.