The Marradith Ryder Series Part 12
Justin sighed, and then continued.
“I thought I’d be prepared for the opulence of Leighton’s home, but I wasn’t. I’d never seen a house with marble floors in every room, chandeliers, cathedral ceilings. Darren told me that there were rumors that Leighton’s staff were all forced to sign contracts saying they’d never speak of what they saw inside. Once I saw the inside of the house, I believed it.
“The other players were already there when we arrived, and I saw them all turn their eyes to Darren. One more player meant the pot was that much thinner, and stakes that much higher. Leighton smiled and greeted us warmly. He said something to the effect, the more, the better.
“We sat together in a dimly lit room. There was a veranda, and the doors were open, letting in the warm night breeze. I remember I could see the ocean from where I sat.
Oddly, I thought about missing the ocean. After a bit, Leighton excused himself.
The men talked and laughed. I looked over my hand again, trying to figure if my odds were as good as last time.”
“ ‘Are you kin to the Samires?’ ” I heard a female voice say.
“I had not even heard the girl come in. She was beautiful. My voice caught in my throat for a moment, and I took a sip of my drink. I told her, yes. The Samires were cousins on my Mother’s side of the family. She asked if I would come with her. Her eyes darted around the table, and I know she understood what the other men assumed: that she was entertainment.
But I’d seen the huge diamond winking on her left hand, as well as the fine cotton dress she wore.
This young woman was Leighton’s wife.
She asked me to come with her.
Once in the hallway, she spoke to me in clipped, whispered tones. She gripped my arm, her slender fingers digging uncomfortably into my flesh.
“ ‘I have known the Samires to be very good people. I know Zasha, and I would not let anything happen to her cousin.’”
“I was about to ask her what she was talking about when I heard the screams. Marradith. I knew those men. I knew Darren. When I heard those screams, I knew they were dying.
I turned back.
“The girl was screaming at me, begging me not to go back. She ran behind me. I stopped at the doorway, not believing my eyes. When she reached me, she slammed into my back, and we both fell down. The marble floor was full of their blood. All dead, in only moments.
“The werewolf stood, tossing aside the remnants of the last victim. He was huge, and he trembled with anger. Blood dripped from his snout.
The girl screamed, pounding her fists against the floor. “ ‘Leighton. NO MORE! LEIGHTON, I SAID STOP!’”
“I more felt him than saw him move towards me. I felt the movement of air. The pain shot through my body like fire. I couldn’t breathe. He’d slashed my throat.”
“That’s awful,” Marradith said.
“The rest is somewhat of a blur. I remember laying in a bed. I was still in Leighton’s house, that much I was sure of. His wife came in and out. There were others who came and went, attending to me. She did not really speak to me, but I heard bits and pieces of her words. She was praying for my soul. Her voice gave me something to latch on to, but I was very sure that I was dying. I couldn’t speak. It was hard to even stay awake.
“I don’t know how long I stayed there. It could have been weeks or only a few hours. The next time I woke, I was on the beach. I looked up and saw the girl standing on the veranda. She nodded to me, and then went back inside, and closed the door. I owe her my survival, but to this day, I’ve never known her name.”
“Do you regret it?” Marradith asked. “What happened to you?”
Justin shrugged. “I did then. It took me a long time to accept what happened. I hate Leighton for the way he slaughtered those men, for what he did to me.”
“Bloodlust for a werewolf is sheer desire. It’s not needed for survival. There are other ways to feast, than by taking innocents. Why, when the world is full of killers and rapists, would anyone need to kill good men? If there is any order in this world,” he said. “I believe we’re here to thin the population of those who should have never been a part of it.”
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© 2009 Lori Titus
Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears each Wednesday on Flashes in the Dark. Many of her short stories have appeared on MicroHorror and Shadeworks, and she is currently writing an anthology of short stories with a tentative release date in 2010.
For more information see her at http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark.
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April 22nd, 2009 at 9:38 am
chilling last line.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:21 am
I’m with Jamie. Of course, if the werewolves didn’t do it, who would?
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I’ve always loved the ideas of “monsters” going after human predators worse than they are.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:46 pm
That was one of those weird things that just occurred to me for Justin to say. With that character in particular, he always says something that does not follow my original plan, but seems to work out anyway…
June 16th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Well humans don’t have a natural preditor, so a different one had to fill the gap.