Demonic Savior
Katherine Rochholz
Copyright 2012 Katherine Rochholz
Published By E.A.R. Publishing Company
Waterloo, IA
Publisher’s Note
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means, mechanical, electronic, or otherwise, without first obtaining the permission of the copyright holder.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons living or dead (unless explicitly noted) is merely coincidental.
Cover by J.V.K.
God Our Savior…
wants men to be saved and
to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4
This is for my Great-Grandmother:
Bridget Agnes Campbell
You were taken home before I got to have my memories but sometimes when the time is just so or a smell hits my nose…
I can sense you…
I think of you.
Prologue
“We are gathered here to celebrate the life of Daniella Alexandra Cosette…” The priest spoke with a deep sadness.
He stood at the back and watched as the family grieved for the lost life. He had walked up and looked upon the face of the girl that was to save the world. He was skeptical. She looked too young. Too perfect. Then again she was no ordinary former mortal. He wondered if he could convince her; as was his task.
He just stood and watched as people, who were about to thrown into hell itself, grieved for the person that might save them… or destroy them…
He turned and left the scene behind. His time would come… He just hoped he could save her…
Chapter One: Death
Dani had taken her sixteen year old pain in the ass sister shopping. And was regretting it. But thankfully she was dropping Rebecca off at home now. She had a five hour drive back to her college campus and was not really looking forward to it in the dark. It was well after midnight once she pulled into her family’s driveway. “Malika, you have everything for school now?”
“Yep, thanks Dani! I am glad I got to spend the day with you. I hate that you go to college so far away.”
“Well, it is my last year there.” Dani told her, as she put the car into park.
“Really? I thought you were going to for your doctorate?”
“I have been in college since I was eleven, Malika. I need a break.” I told her.
“You are just turned nineteen! You have all the time in the world for a break.”
“Maybe, but I have been out of place my whole life. I want to travel a bit. I have saved up a bit of money and am going to go abroad and take a few writing classes. Have a holiday fling. Something normal.” She told her sister. She knew Malika would run in and tell their mom and dad. And she would spend hours fighting with them when they called.
“But your dream of becoming President!”
“Is being delayed by a year. I have to be normal once. I have a law degree; I have a Master’s degree. How many nineteen year olds can say they have a J.D. and a master’s? Not many! I am smart yes, but I have to live too, I can’t just be a walking encyclopedia.”
“Whatever. You have a safe drive I have to call my boyfriend.” Malika said as she opened the car door.
Dani didn’t know why but she felt like she must get out as well. “Malika…” The words died on her lips as she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She barely had time to run around the car before the group of people descended upon Malika as they tried to take her. “GET OFF HER!” Dani screamed. She tried pulled them off Malika.
For a brief moment she was successful, Malika was able to get out of their grip. “Run, Malika! Inside! Now!” Dani yelled as the group grabbed her and pulled her towards the center.
Malika hesitated for just a moment, but then ran to get their parents. “MOM! DAD!” But she was too late. “MOM! DAD! HELP!”
Dani watched as her parents ran out the door. Dani could not speak she had made it to the center. There was a man above her, his eyes red as blood. “Please…” Dani begged. “Please let me go. I have everything to live for.
“No you have everything to die for, young one. Life begins with death. Well, true life, true freedom begins with death.”
“Please…” Dani begged. “Don’t…”
“Sorry, a life for a life. But don’t worry; I think you shall be reborn.” The being said as he flashed his fangs.
“Who are you?”
“I am your new master.” He stated as he bit down upon her neck.
The brief moment of pain caused her to scream. She could see her parents as they tried to get through the crowd. But they couldn’t get through, as the man with the blood red eyes drained her of her life. She started to become cold. She felt her heart beat as it slowed down, and then the man pressed something lukewarm to her lips. It had a metallic smell. Blood! He was forcing blood down her throat.
“Drink it my dear.” The being stated to her. “Drink it and you shall be forever mine.
Dani tried to struggle, but it was no use as the blood flowed down her throat and her heart stopped beating. It was as if time stood still with the last beat of her heart. She could see everything as it was, the world was dark and cold. The beings ran and the being that had killed her dropped her lifeless body to the ground. With her last breath she fell to the ground and the last thing she saw was her family screaming as they turned her over; tears ran down their cheeks and fell upon her lifeless corpse.
Chapter Two: Reborn
“We are gathered here to celebrate the life of Daniella Alexandra Cosette…” The priest spoke with a deep sadness.
Dani could hear the words spoken over her. She didn’t know how; after all she was dead. She couldn’t move. It was like she was stuck. She wanted to scream. She wanted to let them know she was alive. Or at least her brain was; after all she couldn’t feel her heart beat. Her heart wasn’t beating. She was dead. But her brain was stuck. It was like she was asleep but she could hear everything. But she could not see them. She heard her family crying. Her few friends whispered their grief amongst themselves. Why couldn’t she wake up? She wanted to wake up. She wanted to be with them. Their pain had hurt her more than she was scared about being buried while her mind was alive.
She wanted to scream. She heard them as they started to lower her coffin into the vault. Oh God… She was buried alive… Why couldn’t she scream? How did she hear them… she heard them! She heard the cries… She heard the vault being sealed and she heard the dirt as it filled her grave. Then she heard nothing but the settling of the dirt and the bugs as they moved around the vault.
She tried to will herself to move. But she could not get her body to move. She laid there and listened to the deafening silence of the death. She didn’t know how long she laid there. But soon a different feeling came over her. A feeling of extreme thirst. She tried again to move, this time she was able to move about! She knew she had to escape. She pounded on the coffin and soon the wood gave. And she sat in a pile of broken wood and inside a porcelain vault. She had to think for a moment about how she was would be able to escape from the sealed vault.
She thought for a moment, there was little air in here and soon she would run out. She knew she would have to try to push the vault door… to slide it off then hope she could dig through the dirt before it killed her. She pushed on the vault door… she tried to slide it. But it did not work. She started to panic. She pushed against the vault door like a crazy woman… it gave! Just a bit, but she was able to move her fingers to the top of the vault and push. She made a space wide enough for her to dig herself out as the dirt quickly filled the hole she created.
She dug through and finally, after what seemed like hours she broke through and gasped for breath. She didn’t notice the man that stood above her until she spoke.
“Dani, are you fine?” The man asked.
"Of course I am not fine! I just dug myself out of a grave! Who are you?" Dani asked the man that stood above the grave... stood above her grave.
"I am the darkness, which has invaded your soul." The being responded, with a twinkle in his eye. She knew he had spoken a lie.
Dani was confused. "What is your name? And who are you really?"
"Zen. Who I am will be answered shortly."
"You are not the one that killed me."
"No, I am the one assigned to find you, to train you."
"Why?"
"That is what the King wants."
Dani looked at Zen. He was handsome, young, maybe twenty, his dark hair seemed to pop against the pale youth of his face, but what caught her attention most was his eyes; his eyes, the bluest things she had ever seen. They seemed to shine with life. “What am I?” Dani knew she was no longer human. Her heart laid lifeless in her chest.
“A vampire.”
“Are you?”
“No, far from it.”
“Is your king the one that killed me?”
“No. My King is the one that wants to save you.”
“Why?”
“Because you shall save the children of angels.”
“Why?”
“Your sister is one.”
“Malika?”
“Yes, she was given to your mother and father, adopted. She is the child of one of the seven virtues and an archangel.”
“And me? How do I figure into this? Besides being a monster.” Dani hated what she was already, vampires are demons, or they were in the stories, she always thought they were just stories. Now she knew they were real. She is living proof… well, undead proof. She did not want eternal life.
“You are the daughter of Lucifer himself. However you have a choice. You can choose to be on God’s side or Lucifer’s. That is why the child of Chastity was given to you, to be your sister. Malika, daughter of Michael, was given to you to help you with your choice, to sway you towards your true destiny.”
“What if I don’t want to choose? What if I don’t want this life?”
“You don’t have a choice. You must choose. I will be your trainer if you choose to side with God.”
“Zen, I should have known.” A dark gravelly voice came from the shadows. “Her highness always chooses his favorite.”
“Zeith.” Zen said in a way of greeting. “Zeith shall be your trainer if you choose to side with Lucifer.” There was a deep sadness in his voice when he said Zieth’s name.
“Brother don’t sound so hurt about it.”
“Zeith we both choose a side. I chose our creator. You chose The Morning Star.”
“We have prophesized her. She will drain the mutts of angels and shall become Lucifer’s right hand, leading the vampires, leading the world into darkness…” Zeith lowered his voice. “For eternity…”
Dani sat on the ground shocked. She had just dug herself out of her grave. She was a vampire and she had to choose between good and evil… Oh and to make things more messed up, her sister was the daughter of angels. Life could not get much worse… Then she realized… she had no life… she was dead. A dead being that just dug herself from her grave. She looked at Zen, and where he was light, Zeith was dark, except for his hair. Zieth studied her as she studied him; he had blonde hair and black eyes with red pupils. His skin was deeply tanned. “What are you?”
“I am a demon of course. A damned angel. And Zen here is my twin brother. He is the ‘oh so perfect’ twin.” Zeith responded.
“An angel…?” Oh God, this could not be true. She passed out studying her mythology notes. She tried to pinch herself, but before she could, the coldness of her skin shocked her.
“Yes, I am an Angel, an Earth Angel. I am bound to the Earth.”
“Why?”
“For you. Our Creator, Dani, is a fair and loving King. She created us to be happy. However, your father, The Morning Star, has other ideas.”
“Do not listen to him. You are designed to drain the mutts... The children of Angels… You were born to leave a trail of blood in your wake... You, Daniella, are the queen of death!” Zeith proclaimed.
“I do not want that! I am dead!”
“You will get over it.” Zeith said.
“Death is not something you can get over... Ever... Some people think you can... You can't... Death is forever... Even if you do come back from the grave...” Zen said to Zeith, he noticed the pain in Dani’s eyes. Death was final… but she was cursed to be one of the undead.
“I want to find the man who destroyed my life and watch the blood red of his eyes cloud over with the white veil of death.” Dani said without thought.
“Be careful what you wish for Dani.” Zen stated.
“I can help you with that. You know you want to be dark. Darkness is the path to revenge. Darkness is in you blood, Daughter of The Morning Star, darkness is yours to reap and sow!”
“Revenge is the path to eternal damnation!” Zen yelled back.
“Oh and the lighted path you travel is so fantastic? You walk on Earth until the end of time. Just because you feel guilt over not being have to ‘save’ me.” Zeith rolled his eyes and even did air quotes around the word save.
“You are my twin. My brother! I should have been able to save you from the punishment you were dealt! I should have been able to convince you to side with God over her so called perfect being, Lucifer!” Zen was upset. Zeith knew how to push his buttons.
“Hell isn’t so bad. I get to come up here a lot and corrupt innocent young mortals and gain their souls.” Zeith responded. “Like young Dani here… At least the souls I gain get to have a bit of fun before they burn in hell.”
“I will not burn in hell.” Dani pulled herself the rest of the way out of her grave. “I did nothing wrong. I did not, I repeat did not, ask for this. I will gain my revenge but the only being I am going to destroy is the monster that did this to me. Then after that I…” Dani didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have any answers about her life anymore. And there was a dark thirst that burned her throat. “I am thirsty.”
“The mortals and mutts is what you are thirsting for, you want their life. Their souls! You want to drain that life from them and enjoy it. Embrace your destiny.” Zeith said.
“We will get you something to drink Dani once you have made your choice.”
“I will not kill my sister. I will not kill any being except the one that destroyed me.” Dani said with a determination. She tried to steady herself, but she was still disoriented.
Zen grabbed a hold of her to steady her. “She has made her choice Zeith. You should leave.”
Zeith left. Dani had made her choice. “I will be back. You may feel that way now. But you are a princess in hell. The daughter of Lucifer.” Zeith disappeared and left Zen and Dani, as they stood over her grave.
Dani took a moment before she spoke. “What did Zeith mean I am born from Lucifer? My dad is the devil? He isn’t my biological father is he?” Dani looked at Zen, he seemed to sweating more than Satan in a confessional; of course part of her can't believe she just asked him that question either but it was not out in the open. She couldn't take the question back and wouldn't take it back. She needed to know the truth about her family.
“Your parents made a deal with a being, a demon, for a child. Lucifer knew that he would never have his child raised by the mother that gave birth to you; after all she was easily corruptible. He allowed the demon to make the deal, placing you in your parent’s hands.”
“What did they give Lucifer?”
“They agreed to give him their natural born children if they should have any. They never did. We wanted to make sure that we could give you a chance at redemption, all souls deserve a chance, even if they are born from Lucifer himself.”
“So they sent my sister?” Dani was confused.
“Yes they sent you the mortal child of angels to give you your chance. They also placed a curse upon you. You can drain the children of the angels that are on Earth for you to protect and thus giving the Earth up to your biological father. Or you can save them.”
“How?”
“Well that is where I come in. I shall train you to battle the demons that wish to kill the children.” Zen grabbed Dani’s and lead her from the cemetery. “But there is time for more information. We have a long road ahead of us young Dani.”
“I am thirsty.” Dani couldn’t focus. There was a deep burning thirst that threatened to consume her.
“I will get you something Dani. Trust me.” Zen said with a twinkle.
Dani didn’t know why but she did trust him. Maybe it was the knowledge that he was an angel, but something within her soul told her that he could be trusted. “Okay.”
“Come.” Zen said and placed her in the car that waited outside the gates. “We have much to do. But first we have to go hunting.”
Dani was confused but didn’t question it as she settled into the leather seat of the car. And watched as Zen drove out of town, from the only home she had ever known. From the place that held onto her life. After all she was now a member of the undead…
Chapter Three: Revelation
“Dani, you have to eat.” Zen said as he threw the deer on the ground.
“No.”
“You said the thirst is burning your throat. It has been three days! You have to eat. I am not going to continue hunting if you don’t eat. You will waste way the demons will win.”
“It is all about demons this and demons that. I don’t even understand how I am standing here, let alone that I am supposed to save the bloody children of the angels! Can’t they save them themselves? They are angels after all! That is the only reason you are keeping an eye on me! All you want me to do is save the poor weak children of the angels.” Dani was mad, they had spent about 2 and half days traveling, during the day she spent time in the back under a blanket as the sun did truly burn her, and it is not let she hadn’t tried to drink the blood, but she just couldn’t drink it. It made her physically sick, she just hadn’t told Zen about that yet.
“Dani…” Zen changed his tone of voice. He came and took her hand and sat down with her on the glider. “You have to eat. I worry for you. You will not die, you will waste away, and someone can easily kill you. That wouldn’t be good for many reasons, least of all the fact it would mean you are truly gone from this Earth.”
“And the children of angels would die, and you will have failed and you will have to punish yourself some more. What if I don’t care?” Dani pushed him away from her. But he was correct she was weak.
“You care for your sister. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for her… for me…” Zen grabbed her hand again and turned her to face him. “It isn’t just about them, it isn’t just about me; it is all about you. You are special rather or not you know it Daniella Alexandra Cosette.” Zen said, as he pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
“Zen… I can’t eat…” Dani confessed.
“But you must!”
“No you don’t get it I can’t. I have tried when you aren’t looking. It makes me so sick, I throw it all up.”
“Your body is rejecting the blood?”
“Yes.”
“Okay…” Zen allowed the worry to flash in his eyes, but before Dani could comment it was gone. “We will just have to find you other food.” Zen stood up.
“Where are you going? You haven’t eaten yet. And you promised me answers today.” Dani said and stood up with him.
“There are more important things than food for myself right now.” Zen said, concern showed in his eyes.
“You will not get out of explaining to me how I have come to be. I wan to know why I am a vampire. Why I am talking, breathing, walking, why I seem like myself, but my heart doesn’t beat. I burn in the sun, my skin has a bluish tint, and I have fangs…” Dani stated as she stood her ground.
“I will tell you, but let me try to find you something you can eat. You are weak. You should be able to move faster than you are, you should be able to put me under your thrall but you can’t, because you haven’t fed. You need to feed.”
“Fine, you have until an hour before dawn. Then I am coming to find you. And I will get my answers.” Dani stated and moved inside the cabin, and left Zen to his precious mission.
Zen didn’t know what to think. He knew that Dani needed blood, but her body was rejecting animal blood. He had no choice… He had to find human blood. There was a hospital about three hours away; hopefully they had what he needed.
Dani sat at the kitchen table. They were in the middle of nowhere. She looked at the clock it was two in the morning and Zen had been gone for only an hour. Dani was bored. She had cooked, cleaned and read all the books in the house. She was about to try the deer blood again when she heard a noise. It was a swishing sound. Then she heard first steps on the porch. She froze and waited.
Dani could hear the being outside the door. She knew it wasn’t mortal. There was no heartbeat, like her, it breathed slowly in and out, out of habit. She waited, and though a moment ago she was scared to death… now she had a faint calm come over her. She knew however was on the other side would be the one that would not be walking out of here. She stopped her breathing.
The being on the other side knew his prey was in there, but the master wanted her alive. Pity, it would be so much easier to kill her. The breathing inside stopped. The being could not make out where the baby vampire was at no longer. But it didn’t matter soon the master would have her by his side. And his bid for power will reach the end. The being lifted their foot and kicked in the door. The door flew across the room and crashed through the wall on the other side.
Dani knew the moment before they made their move. She didn’t stop to think about the show of strength the being just showed. Not if she wanted to live. She moved quickly around and brought the cast iron skillet down on their head the moment he broke through the door. They fell to the floor with a thud. The blood seeped from their head was a bluish and Dani’s thirst flared to life. She was unaware of what she was doing until after it was over.
Dani stood and looked at the body, what once had been a handsome male, of some sort of being, as it withered away to nothing but ash. She had drained it. And the thirst that had been burning in her throat since her death was now calm. Still there in the back, but not as insistent as it once had been; but she craved more of the sweet blood that she had just consumed. But she had just killed a being and what disturbed her the most, was how easy it was to do it. The man went from being an animate creature to dust because of her actions. This had to be a nightmare. She wasn’t really a monster. This had to be just a nightmare she thought and crawled into bed, she didn’t even bother to clean up the dust or fix the house. She had to sleep. She knew that everything would be better when she work up. She wouldn’t be a monster, and everything would be clearer in the fresh light of a new dawn.
