The Chronicles of Terra Mortis

As your Lord said 'I am what I am.' So am I. I am not human though I am made of human flesh, I have no soul, no values, no morality, I am heartless. I cannot begin to make you fathom what I am or why I do what I do. I just am for I have no choice. I am neither living nor dead. Neither dying nor life. I am timeless, indestructible, and god-like. I was created for a reason, not out of love or want. I cannot feel the way humans do. I am almost beast like because I do what I do by instinct, never pause to think twice and I never regret. How that feels? I do not know. Like I said, I am what I am."

          Emily scanned the darkened alley below her. Her brother claimed that one of the rebels planned to perform an unsanctioned embrace tonight and they were not about to let that happen. The rebellion mystified those at Terra Mortis, their dwellings still remained undisclosed. Unlike their hideaways, they always stupidly planned their strategies within an earshot. There was always at least one Abaddonian listening in. So far they were able to control the growth of the rebels. Tonight was her night, as one of The Furies, to patrol the city that never slept, the perfect place for them to hunt, New York.

            Then she heard it, a deep guttural yell of surprise and that familiar catlike hiss. One of her majestic traits was her ability to see in the dark, much like those of her kind. She watched as the thin gangly being crept on his prey backing him up against the trash bin. The scene would have been funny if a normal human was watching from her vantage point, because the prey was three times the size of his predator and he was a thuggish bald man with tattoos from the top of his perfectly round bald head to the end of his torso that disappeared into his pants. Had the predator been mortal he would think twice before dealing with the man. Emily decided that the predator was probably a lot more confident due to his beast like appearance.

            Without a moments hesitation she jumped into the air. It was like she did not weigh a thing and was a graceful and catlike as she appeared to be. Without a sound she landed in between the two men of opposite stature.

            “What the fuck in hell!” the bald man cursed in a tone that suggested he was trying to mask the fear that reverberated through his body. Emily could sense his fear. She turned to face the bald man, who stared in awe at her unrealistic features, strikingly beautiful and dangerously surreal.

            “Run” she commanded, sounding like a child in a game of tag with a mix of a hero in one of those movies she and her sisters watched. When the man did not move she flashed him a warning with her eyes. Sure enough the sudden change of her irises made him jump and dash for his life. Then she turned to the rebel who still stood there, his body hunched over, his hands claw like and open, his mouth open in a scowl, hissing.

            ‘You ruined my meal.” He yelled at her.

            “Your meal?” she guffawed, “Don’t humor me!” She kept her eyes on him while she pulled out the dagger from the inside of her boot. She flipped it and in the blink of an eye caught it in her other hand, licking the blade she smiled serenely at him, “You know how it is.” Moving towards him she licked her lips and smiled mercilessly.

            He hissed at her as he slowly backed away. Then turning his gaze to the knife in her hand, sudden realization dawned on his dead features. He gasped and stopped right where he stood.

            “The Immortal Blade.” He said fear resonating in his voice, then he became all too human, “Please have mercy.” He begged.

            She chuckled carelessly, “You either die by my hand, swiftly” she whispered, “or face the brethren.” Knowing that would scare him she advanced again. Shaking with fear he went on his knees and stretched his arms out.

            “Please have mercy!” he begged again. She shrugged and threw the knife at him. Before he could react the knife lodged right at the base of his throat. “Bitch!” he croaked his eyes widened and all trace of life and immortality left his face. He fell onto the cement with a sickening thud. Emily walked towards the lifeless body and pulled the knife out. As always it was bloodless and glimmered in the dim lit alley. The body writhed and crackled as if it were a log on fire and then burst into a pile of ashes.

            Tucking the knife back into her boot she looked at the ashes, “I’m not that human.” She heard movement behind her, half turning she stood in a catlike stance as if about to pounce. Her right palm flat on the ground and her left arm up at shoulder length level. A tall broad shouldered, slim waist boy about the age of 19 or 20 stood staring at her in shock.

Daniel Hadley walked the city streets as he always did after class. As a psychology major he somehow felt these midnight strolls allowed him to think clearly. Even at night the city was still boisterous with life. Its citizens clad in their party going outfits roaming from bar to bar, restaurant to restaurant etcetera. Daniel envied their outgoingness and their zest for life, going on about as if nothing but the moment they were in was important. He on the other hand always had tomorrow on his mind. What he needed to get, what things needed to be done, all these responsibilities were always clouding his vision of the “now”. It was always the reason his father was proud of him and his mother fearing for him. His brothers claimed that he never enjoyed anything and his sister said that though she admired him for that trait she wished he’d stop fretting for a minute and try to be reckless at least once in his life.

            Across the street he saw a bald tattooed man run out of an alleyway. After a few minutes of thinking he decided to go with the phrase “Carpe Diem” and seize whatever there was to seize in that alley. Crossing the street he tried to coax himself into being brave or at least spontaneous. Convinced that there must be at least a helpless girl left in the alleyway battered, bruised and terribly frightened, he gathered his guts and walked towards the opening of the alley. He heard voices alright and it sounded like someone pleading, he quickened his pace and was about to rescue the girl when he saw that it was not the girl that needed rescuing at all.

            He stared at the scene unfolding before him. The frail man on his knees, with a knife jutting out of his throat and his arms hanging limply at his sides, looked dead. The girl standing in front of the man, in a stance, that convinced Dan that she was the killer. She stood about five foot six inches tall; she was thin, sexy maybe Dan thought. She wore a black hoodie and fitted black jeans, for easy movement he supposed and concealment. On her feet calf length boots with pointy heels, a good weapon if ever needed he added to his observation. As he concluded his thoughts silently, the girl stiffened in place then in a split second turned to face him.

            Her stance reminded him of an episode of one of the TV shows. With her crouched like that he thought ‘Well, she’s going for the full blown, action warrior girl attitude. I give her a plus for dramatic effort’. The she slowly stood up staring right at him her bright green eyes visible, glowing in the dark. Then right before his eyes she changed, her stance seemed somewhat more serious and her eye shocked him to his very core. The whole of her eyeballs turned black. He was about to back away when he got a good look at her face. She stared back at him and blinked, as she did so, her eyes went back to its startling bright green. She did not look at all like a killer. She had the face of an angel, soft and smooth at the jaw, protruding cheekbones, big wide eyes, and a soft button nose and full red lips. He stared at her lips that parted in awe and gasped; her teeth were human enough except in place of her cuspids (canines) were razor sharp fangs barely visible but he was a given a very good view of it. She pursed her lips as if she sensed his curiosity and in a flash went back to her killer like state. Dropping down to her stance she pushed against the ground with her palm and flew up into the air, as if she were suddenly snatched by two invisible hands, and disappeared into the night sky.

            Dan stared at the now empty alley way, a sense of dread washed over him. Somehow he knew that would not be the last time he saw her. In the dead of the alleyway he could have sworn he heard a voice whisper, as if it was echoing in his head, “You did not see anything.”

            Terra Mortis, an underground city home to the Tribe of Abaddon, was full of activity that night. Emily pulled her jacket off and tossed it onto one of the couches that sat in the foyer. The torch lit hallway seemed quiet as she stormed through it, steel colored eyes watching her nervously. She rounded the corner and walked towards the two huge metal doors, behind it held the conference room of the brethren. Nobody could stop Emily at that moment, she was fuming. She stormed down the hall and kicked the doors open with the bottom side of her boot. The room was filled with the Elders who turned to stare at her. 10 pairs of eyes looked at her as she slammed the doors shut behind her.

            “Their collecting!” she yelled as she walked towards her father who sat at the head of the table, “It is not some reckless induction! This is planned! The rebel I killed had a huge target. Bulging biceps and all.” She huffed energy building up inside of her. The brethren was keeping something from the legion, she just knew it. She put her palms face down on the long metal table and stared at her father, Ludovic, right into his piercing blue eyes. He chuckled carelessly and patted her hand.

            “Well obviously we know that now. You aren’t the one only one to report that tonight.” He chuckled indicating her two older sisters who stood behind him their arms folded across their chests, “Apparently Victoria and Catherine managed to stop two from converting an entire group of, what did you call them?”

“Bikers father.” Victoria said tossing her dark brown hair over her shoulder. She eyed Emily cautiously and then returned her gaze to her father.

‘Ah yes, biker dudes. As you called them.” He chuckled again.

“So?” Emily pried on. She wanted to know what was happening and why they were regrouping and why they were creating fledglings.

“So. Nothing.” Her father said with a hint of finality. Catherine, the eldest and tallest grunted her annoyance, “Now, now, don’t be too hasty Catherine. You know why we can’t assume. Until we have word from the other Elders of the other tribes then we can figure out what to do. But for now we try to maintain the growth and do what we do every night.”

Emily slammed her fist on the table to show her disapproval. Her father neither jumped nor flinched. She huffed with exasperation and walked out of the room her sisters close behind. Once they were far from their father’s listening mind Emily turned to face them. “What? What is it?” she asked.

“So who is he?” Victoria asked batting her feline like eyes, “Come on. Just as we walked out of the room his face kept sliding through your memory.”

“Why didn’t you kill him Em?” Catherine asked, “You know mortals aren’t supposed to know about us.”

“Oh sod off Caty!” Victoria growled, obviously wanting to know more about their sisters midnight escapee. She pulled excitedly on Emily’s arm leading her to their common room which of course was in the middle of their rooms including their older brother, Michel. She shoved Emily onto the seat half heartedly knowing that even just the slightest of strength or effort might send her flying across the room. Emily bounced onto the huge round daybed and crossed her legs into a sitting position.

“I really don’t know what your talking about.” She said pulling out the knife from her boots and began to tug off her boots, “Argh! Fine, no point in lying, some random college guy, he just waltzed in right after I disintegrated the rebel. He just stared at me, like he was examining me. And well of course I was in form and tried to scare him off but he didn’t he just continued to stare at me. Like I was real or something.” She said shrugging.

“Well…” Victoria started. Then Catherine cut her off.

“No! Shut up Viki!” she hissed warningly, “You know she can’t. She’s not like us remember.”

“Caty.” Emily started then she giggled, “Yeah, I don’t have feelings, I know that. So why bother protecting me from what Viki was about to say. Besides how can I feel something I know nothing about.” She stretched cat like on the sofa and grinned, her fangs gleaming in the dungeon like room.

“Oh god! Don’t tell me you’re going to visit him.” Caty muttered, “When will this human-mortal curiosity stage stop? If father finds out, who knows what he’ll do.”

“What the brethren don’t know won’t bother them. Besides you are one to warn when you pulled that stupid Romeo and Juliet stunt ages ago.” Emily smirked reminding her older sister about the time she went through before Emily was born. Caty smiled at the memory of William when he was still human and the trials that they went through because of her stubbornness.

“Just remember, you slip up I won’t have your back.” Caty said slyly, “You know how I love human meat.” She said jokingly and smacked her lips for a dramatic effect.

            Emily threw a pillow at her and silently watched as her sisters went to their rooms. William was waiting for Caty and Viki had her books. Emily was alone, with no feelings, no memories, and no emotions. It was for that reason, that she was emotionally empty, that mortals intrigued her. The passions that they felt, the trials that they had endured, her sisters were mortals once and they all had those blood memories to cling to and they drank human blood, which kept the mortal side of them alive. Emily she was different, she was an entire being without the capacity to feel. It didn’t bother her, because how could she be bothered? She did not feel anything remotely human or mortal at all. That was why she was forbidden to take mortal victims and completely relied on beasts and rodent blood. She felt what these beasts felt, but the human emotions were what she wanted the most.  

            If she couldn’t feed on it then perhaps she could talk to one who didn’t seem to fear her at all. Yes, she was going to pay him a visit and make him a deal of all deals.

            “Yes, I shall pay him a visit.” She whispered smiling to herself as she lay down on the couch looking up at the stone ceiling, “Tomorrow night.” She said relishing the idea as his face stared at her through her memory.

            Dan’s room was quiet as he lay down and thought about the girl he saw the night before. Was she even real or just a dream, a vision he’d created in his mind. While he psychoanalyzed himself he heard his flat mate in the other room noisily arguing with one of his many girlfriends.

            Dan closed his eyes and began to dream, or so he thought. He saw her face vivid in his mind’s eye. She stared at him sitting there in the darkness. On her lips a smile and her eyes twinkled back at him. She looked so real, as if she was really there with him in a room within his mind.

            “Hello.” She whispered but her lips never moved, “I’m Emily.” She introduced herself.

            “Dan.” He answered, his mind was reeling with thoughts that confused him making him wonder if this was really happening or if he thought about her too much that he created her in his mind.

            “Stop, you’re confusing yourself” she said as if she knew what he was thinking, “I’m real. Well at least I’m here. Where you are.” She said laughing, her laugh sounded like tiny bells and clapping. It made his skin crawl and with that he jumped up and rubbed his eyes and slapped himself awake. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of his room and he realized he was dreaming.

            “Damn it!” he cursed looking at his bedside watch; it read 3:00 am, “Fuck classes! I’ll never get there on time later, too tired, too tired. Stupid dream.” He muttered to himself. He was about to lie down when someone walked out of the shadows and into the moonlight that shone from the window.

            “Hey Dan.” She whispered. “It’s Emily. And you aren’t dreaming.” He opened his mouth to scream and before he could belt out, she was sitting on him her hand over his mouth and her face within inches of his.

A/N: All characters are mine. Terra Mortis is mine. The Elders and brethren are my creation. But some of the ideas and character creations are from different vampire novels and histories. :) Hope you all like this first chapter, second one will be up in no time. :) Read and review. If you have any questions fell free to ask.

P.S. Sorry if I have grammar errors. :) feel free to correct me. I’m in need of a BETA heheh and sketches will be up soon for characters and character information still figuring out how to post it though :)