CHAPTER 14: THE SKY BLEEDS & FALLS RED
She was ordered by Demona to get going. She saw Demona and the Goliath look-a-like named Thailog held hands as they jumped off the window of Demona’s bedroom and into the night sky. She, on the other hand, jumped off alone.
Seeing them together flying side by side in the mid-air towards wherever this Thailog was taking them reminded her of what she and Brooklyn had been doing for the past few nights. She and Brooklyn had spent nights that she would never forget. She began to remember the first day she met Brooklyn—not as a hybrid now, but as a human she once was. She remembered the riot happening when rubble fell from the sky. She remembered ditching her friends and followed closely behind Elisa to go up and find out what was causing the rubble shower. She remembered laying her eyes on the clan for the first time and the first gargoyle she saw standing out from the rest—Brooklyn. All those memories came back to her again one by one, just like the day she began to remember her past after hearing Elisa’s theory on her investigation.
Then she remembered meeting Brooklyn for the first time as a gargoyle hybrid. She remembered how scared she was being surrounded by weird-looking beings she forgotten that she had met before. She remembered how calm she felt when she was under Brooklyn’s care and his wing in her reach. She remembered the nights when she and Brooklyn with the rest of the juvenile gargoyles went out to interesting places she forgot that she had been before. And above all that, she remembered how blissful it felt flying together side by side with Brooklyn, holding his arm and never wanting to let go.
All that has changed now. All that has become another distant memory she will soon forget, just like how easily she forgot her past as a human. Things will never be the same again between her and Brooklyn, not after when she discovered how lethal she was to both the clan and to the people around her and definitely not after she discovered that she actually did what she feared she would do: sucking her love’s blood. The vampiric urge inside her has awakened and was taking over her humanity. She didn’t want any of this to happen but it did. And it cost her greatly.
As they reached their destination, the distant smell of blood swept her musings away and lit the fire of hunger within her.
The night was silent as three figures landed onto the top floor of an abandoned building. Thailog looked around to see if anyone was watching before gesturing Demona and Suki to follow him. They went down a long flight of steps, which had practically seen better days. It was as if one more pressure on those steps and they will find themselves falling through it and towards the hard solid ground below. The walls were deteriorating both in colour and in structure. You could see patches of bricks here and there and there were moss and fungi gathering everywhere. The whole place, too, smelt seriously of fungi. Demona grimaced a little at the sight of it.
“Nice place you got here,” Demona commented sarcastically. “Pretty comfy, don’t you think, vampire?”
“Luxurious life heightened up your sense of taste, hasn’t it?” Thailog grinned. “I’ve did a little research of my own and I have discovered this place fully abandoned and fully unused. The owner of this building had long since lost his business due a certain faulty procedure in his products. He went in and out of courts for many weeks until he was finally declared bankrupt. He finally sold this building and the land with it to Xanatos. What I’ve heard is that Xanatos will be demolishing this building by the end of this month. I’ve heard that this land still serves itself as a profitable asset for Xanatos.”
“Xanatos?” Demona smirked a little. “Anything that concerns with money never fails to escape his eye. I bet my company can outrun him better. But what does this place have to do with your plan in helping me destroy the human population?”
“Remember, back at your home, what I told you about those fanatics?” Thailog said as he shifted his red eyes towards Suki who was following him quietly behind. “Your plan of killing the humans and Suki’s way of doing it has made a great impact on the nation, especially the gothic and dark cult practitioners. They believe that the end is near and that their so-called ‘Devil’ has come in the form of a vampire to rid the earth of its people. So I have gone to them and posed as the so-called ‘Devil’s Messenger’ and told them that I would bring the ‘Devil’ to them. I also told them to bring as much victims as they possibly can so that they can sort of serve their purpose in assisting the ‘Devil’ to world destruction.”
“Now that’s an interesting idea,” Demona said, impressed. “We do not have to hassle about skulking in the dark and worry about finding victims, and we won’t have to worry about bumping into unwanted people. They come straight into our doorstep, served in a silver platter.”
“And we won’t have to promise the cult followers anything,” Thailog grinned maliciously as he stopped in front of a huge door. He pulled it open and showed the females proudly a great parade of humans in a wide warehouse cheering and talking in leveled tones at the sight of Thailog’s arrival and a whole lot more humans locked in a giant-sized cage, crying and screaming and begging for mercy, demanding to be let go. Demona stared at this in awe. Suki eyed at all the people gathered there waiting to be consumed but remained where she was before being given the cue. She wanted to just pounce on each and every one of those humans and suck the life force out of them but she had no choice but to wait for the cue. She was trained to follow Demona’s orders.
“Thailog, I have just found another reason to love you even more,” Demona said as she wrapped her arms around his.
“Where is Brooklyn?”
All the gargoyles looked at each other questioningly. They were all getting ready to go out into the night to search for Demona and Suki to stop them from harming any other humans again, but somehow Brooklyn has slipped past their eyes and had disappeared.
“Oh boy, here we go again,” Broadway sighed and rolled his eyes, getting exasperated with his brother who lately has been running off soundlessly to do things behind their backs.
“He must’ve taken off on his own again,” Lexington said, his gaze shifted towards the outside of the tower. “He’s always doing that. That lovesick guy never gives up.”
“Aye, he is a strong-headed lad. What are we to do with him?” Hudson asked.
“The usual, I suppose,” Goliath sighed tiredly. “Half of us will take patrol to look for Suki and Demona, and half of you will…”
“Hey, guys, am I missing anything?”
The gargoyles turned around and smiled a little to see their favourite human friend Elisa Maza coming up the stairs with her usual work clothes on. Sometimes they suspect that that’s the only work clothes she has for life.
“Brooklyn walked out on us again,” Angela said as Elisa moved towards the clan. “We are just going to split up and search for both Suki and Demona and Brooklyn as usual.”
“Maybe there is some place you might want to try out,” Elisa suggested. “I just got a call from Xanatos and he wishes that Bluestone and I go with him to Millstone Mines ‘coz his purchased land had a security breach.”
“Security breach?” Goliath still couldn’t really get to understand this type of police talk.
“She means someone is trespassing in Xanatos’ land,” Lexington, the ever smart one, translated for him.
“That’s right, and he wants me and Bluestone to come with me,” Elisa said. “Also, he wishes a little help from a certain concerned citizens with wings.”
“Why would Xanatos need our help this time?” Broadway asked suspiciously.
“Well, if Xanatos want help from you guys, I bet that there must be something serious going on over there to ask for such help. Besides maybe you might find your leads over there.”
“Are you saying that either Demona and Suki might be there or Brooklyn would be there?” Broadway and Lexington asked almost simultaneously.
“I’m only making hunches just like we cops always do,” Elisa replied.
“She may be right, Goliath,” Angela said. “We couldn’t find Demona and Suki anywhere near Manhattan City and Brooklyn might have figured out that they might not be in Manhattan City anymore. They could be there.”
“She’s got a point there,” Broadway agreed. “From what I’ve heard, Milestone Mines is a few distant miles away from Manhattan City somewhere in the interiors. I have been suspecting Brooklyn to be venturing into further places to find Suki—there was once I had to search for him down into the suburban airport and believe me, it wasn’t easy coaxing him out of there.”
“Then let us waste no time,” Goliath said as he moved out of the clock tower towards the edge. “If there is any possibility of the three of them to be there, then we shall have to take that chance. Yes, Bronx,” Goliath said when Bronx whined and padded at his feet, “you can come along too.”
“I’d like to fly with you guys too,” Elisa said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been air-borne. Bluestone can take the car.”
So, with Elisa in Goliath’s arms and Lexington carrying Bronx, all the gargoyles jumped off the clock tower and swooped down through the night sky towards the direction of the Milestone Mines.
Brooklyn glided through the night sky towards the place where Xanatos and Owen had talked about. If there were disturbances in that place, Suki and Demona would surely to be there. Who else would be able to cause such trouble at an unlikely place like this abandoned building? Certainly not some mere human crooks who want to steal a bunch of useless metal and wood.
He knew he shouldn’t be doing this alone. He knew he should’ve told his clan first beforehand, but he couldn’t do it. He had no choice. He couldn’t bear letting Goliath know about his suspicions on Suki’s whereabouts and risk the possibility of Goliath killing her. He couldn’t bear it. He just couldn’t bear it. He had to get to Suki first before he and the clan does and get her out of there before it’s too late.
As the abandoned building came in sight, he swooped down onto the top floor and made his way silently down the unearthly stairs towards the warehouse. From there he could hear cheers and loud chanting of some ancient language he had long forgotten since being trapped in stone for a thousand years. He found himself standing in front of the warehouse door and he could hear the cheers and chanting coming from the other side. Curiosity stepped in as he wondered what these people could be celebrating at a time like this and at a god forsaken place like this rundown building. He looked up and saw that there was an air vent up on the ceiling. He climbed the wall and wriggled his way into the air vent and started crawling. Luckily the air vent fit his body size including his wings, or he would’ve gotten stuck in the midway.
As he crawled into the other end of the air vent and peered through the opening, he saw a whole crowd of people wearing black robes and their faces were shielded by their hoods, almost like the clothes of the Ring Wraiths in LOTR. Then he saw that behind those black-robed people was the huge cage of people of all ages and their screams of agony and fear definitely did not fit in the merriment of the black-robed people.
“Children of the Darkness, come and witness the true evil that has awakened unto your cry! Let the blood feast begin!!”
The black-robed people cheered joyously. Brooklyn couldn’t help thinking that the deep rumbling voice he just heard sounded familiar. He wanted to see who the owner of the voice was but he was out of sight. He shifted his gaze and saw Demona standing at one end of the cage holding a struggling woman while Suki was a few feet away from Demona sucking the blood of a middle-aged man. Brooklyn’s heart went a little sour as it reminded him of Suki sucking his blood.
He couldn’t sit still any longer. He had to stop this madness. Without waiting another second, he broke through the opening he was peering through and jumped out of the air vent with a loud roar, landing right in front of Suki who was now sucking the woman Demona was holding just now. Everyone was shocked and gasped at the sight of him.
“Suki, stop it! Stop it right now!” Brooklyn yelled.
“Brooklyn…?” It was only when Suki finished draining the woman off her blood that Brooklyn’s words got into her ears.
“Come back with me! Let’s leave this place! Let’s go!” Brooklyn yelled desperately as he pulled at Suki’s hands. Whether it was because she just finished her meal or too ecstatic with blood, surprisingly she didn’t attempt to fight him.
“No one is going anywhere!”
Before he knew it, Brooklyn was swiped away and was sent skidding across the floor. As he struggled to get up, he suddenly felt the hard weight from Thailog’s foot as the Goliath clone stepped onto his chest, holding him down.
“Go…Goliath…?” Brooklyn strained to see and was shocked to see Thailog in the likeness of Goliath, then narrowed his eyes in contempt, “No…I’ve heard about you…Lexington told me…about Goliath having a clone…”
“My fame has even reached your ears,” Thailog said with a smug. “I’m impressed.”
“Well, don’t get too swell-headed,” Brooklyn growled.
“You’re really brave, Brooklyn, to be coming here,” Demona said, moving towards the weak and blank-looking Suki. “You know that it’s rude to crash someone’s party.”
“Let her go!” Brooklyn snarled, his eyes glowing. “Stop doing this to her! Look what she has become!”
“Oh, she has become something really fascinating and useful indeed, Brooklyn. She has understood the true purpose of a gargoyle and she has been doing her share of righteous work I have for her. And don’t worry, Brooklyn,” Demona said as she led Suki back towards the cage for her next feeding frenzy, “she’s just gone through a phase of optimum she has her fill, she’ll soon get out of this daze.”
With that, Thailog lifted his foot off Brooklyn’s chest and grabbed him by the neck before raising him high above his head and throwing him onto the wall, making a dent. The black-robed people cheered as Brooklyn groaned and slumped into a stupor.
“Bring in the next victims!” Thailog commanded. The black-robed people obeyed, chanting as they did Thailog’s bidding.
“Remember, Suki. Humans are our enemies and betrayer,” Demona said as she led her towards a petrified-looking boy, “and they are just as good as dead!”
“Not if I can help it.”
Demona turned sharply to see Goliath standing in front of the boy with his wings spread, shielding him, and Elisa standing beside him. Their eyes met and instantly glowed, showing their distaste for each other. The rest of the clan flew in, ready for a fight. The black-robed people stood there, looking confused at all these weird creatures around them.
“They are betrayers of the sacred cause!!” Thailog growled. “They are trying to stop us from doing the Devil’s bidding! Seize them!!”
All at once, the black-robed people pounced onto the gargoyles. A huge hectic fight occurred. Face-punching, butt-kicking, tail-swishing and bone-crushing ensured. Gun-firing not excluded. Broadway, Lexington and Bronx helped Brooklyn up and joined Goliath in the fight while Hudson and Angela tried to free the people in the huge cage, battling the black-robed people on the way. Soon a few cars came in and they were none other than Matt Bluestone, Xanatos and his trusty secretary Owen. They were also quite shocked to see such hullabaloo going on inside the abandoned building of the land Xanatos bought. They soon kicked into action too, Matt calling for backup while firing shots at the black-robed people together with Xanatos and Owen as they moved in. in the midst of all this chaos, Brooklyn spotted Suki sitting on the floor not moving an inch. He quickly pulled her out of the way and sat her at one corner.
“Don’t worry, Suki. It’ll be all over soon. You’re going home,” Brooklyn reassured her before leaving off to help the other gargoyles fight.
The fight kept on going and was getting more and more hectic, especially the fight between Demona, Goliath and Thailog. Elisa and Matt made sure that all the victims were out of the building and safe outside the dried mines before helping the other gargoyles apprehend the black-robed people. Xanatos, with his expertise in karate and taekwan-do, took down those who tried to escape and Owen, using the latest technologies, apprehended them and held them down. Seeing that their plans have yet again failed, Demona signaled Thailog and they both retreated up the building towards the top floor. Some of the black-robed people who managed to escape their apprehenders’ grasp followed suite. The gargoyles gave chase, followed by Elisa, Matt and Xanatos. Owen stayed behind to do something.
Under all that chaotic whatnot, they have forgotten Suki who was still sitting in a daze at the corner Brooklyn had hid her, still not out of the blood-sucking trance she was abruptly broken out. As her eyes came slowly into focus and her body finally having the strength to stand, she caught a glimpse of Owen walking around the warehouse calmly and putting in a box-like gadget on each corner. He took out his palm desktop and clicked a few buttons before rushing quickly towards the top floor. Suki’s appetite for blood hasn’t satisfied yet and the sight of Owen and the realization that her meal has been rudely interrupted brought back the bloody hunger pangs within her. In a thrice, she pounced on the unsuspecting Owen and carried him all the way to the top floor and up into the midair. Broadway, who was trying to crush one of the black-robed people’s guns, saw her first.
“Look! It’s Suki! She’s got Owen!” he yelled, alerting the others.
“What?” Xanatos turned to see his secretary struggling to get out of Suki’s grasp.
“Oh no…No! Suki, no!! Stop!! Don’t do it!!” Brooklyn yelled while trying to push the black-robed man who was on him trying to strangle him.
Demona and Thailog noticed and smirked—they knew Owen was one of his most important person in his firm. In the midair, Suki bared her fangs and was ready to embed them into the blonde secretary’s jugular. Lexington was about to get ready to fly up and pounce on her but from the corner of his eye, he saw Xanatos taking out his gun from inside his jacket and was aiming it at Suki.
“Xanatos, what do you think you’re…!?” Lexington didn’t finish his question. He had to stop him. As much as he thought that Suki was trouble, she’s still his sister and a part of the clan.
His yell alerted the other gargoyles and they were shocked too. Everything went into slow motion as one by one Demona, Goliath, Angela, Lexington and Hudson tried to run over to Xanatos and stop him. Brooklyn still couldn’t break from the black-robed man’s grasp but he struggled to get up anyway.
Everyone was coming closer to Xanatos. All trying to stop him from firing. They all had different reasons for Xanatos not to shoot her but they all have one desire.
Don’t let Suki die.
Suki has started to bite Owen’s jugular. Brooklyn could see Xanatos’ finger pulling the trigger. He let out one desperate cry, “Xanatos, don’t kill her~!!!”
Too late.
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