The Guardian

The wind blew cold upon Ana's face as she bolted the door behind her. She knew that she would have to leave her home again that night to feed.

"They will not make me do this again," she whispered to herself as she snuck through the hushed darkness. Her eyes adjusted to the moonlight walk before her, there was not a soul in sight. The darkness made the villagers anxious; they kept to their rooms once the sun sank into the hills, remembering the shadowy tales of their elders.

Though not all the living were frightened of her kind, some would lean out their window's to offer her their dreams, as if she would spare them the mark of the dead, spare them the fate in which she had been given. A killer now- the thief of breath and blood.

The night awaited her, and she would have to leave here if she wanted to stop killing them.

The gleam of the moon, and the darkness made Ana's senses sharp, so sharp that she could sense footsteps that were following her from beyond the river of sorrows. She heard the hushed cracking of the fallen branches, and the breath of a living man following her in a panicked stride.

"Do not follow me unless you care to die, Breather." Ana roared, leaving the wind to carry her message. He would hear her, the wind and the trees always relayed the messages of the dead. Ana sighed, she did not want to kill him, but her patience was wearing thin.

"I know you," was his reply. His words hung high above her, turning the shapeless wind into tiny ice crystals. "Please let me see you, I need to tell you what they do not want you to know..." The man's voice trailed off, the wind grew still, and then, the shrieking began.

They were not alone.

Ana could smell the scent of death, and she knew that they would kill them if they found him.

"Hide Breather," Ana's voice quickened, as the shrieks grew nearer.

What did he know that he needed to risk dying, to tell her?

"Do you hear me Breather, meet me at the Old Oak Tree, follow the path and be quick! They hear your heart beating, with each breath, their shadows grow nearer! They can sense you...Hurry!"

Ana ran like a wild animal, ducking and leaping over anything that got in her way. The wind sliced through her as she charged through the great forest. The howl grew deafening, Ana strained to hear the soft whisper of the man who followed.

He arrived with a quickness that alarmed Ana.

"I am here Ana, please hurry!" She now was the follower.

She reached the Oak far in the middle of the forest, but the man was not there. Had she misunderstood him? Ana was confused, she felt him close, smelled him, the scent of his blood traveled to her. She was so hungry.

Ana stood silent; the wind died, as if to show her what was to come.

"Breather, where are you?" Ana felt fear slither up inside her throat, something was not right here. Her face burned from the hunger that lurked deep inside of her, she was scared now. Would she kill him when he appeared here, before her?

"Breather?" Ana called cautiously again, pondering the thought of leaving this man and his secrets to the fate of them, to those who hunted him.

"I am here," the reply was so shallow that Ana though it was the tree's sighing, and not the man who stood behind her, shadowed in the moonlight.

Ana spun around, startled, as she heard the man's heavy breathing behind her, he was not there a moment ago, but suddenly appeared with his secrets to share.

"What do you want Breather?"

"I have come to tell you something, I know you..." The man's eyes gleamed in the moonlight, but Ana could smell no fear on him. This was not right, he should be frightened by those who hunted him... by her. Ana suddenly grew weak, too dizzy with hunger to understand what the man would say next.

"I was sent here.... to deliver you to Him," he said.

He stood silently, his visage, now marked with the sign of the enemy. It was his eyes that truly gave him away. In the moonlight, Ana saw that his eyes were inhuman. These eyes were not of man, he may have been sent by her own kind, Ana did not know. They were not after him, but following her instead. They knew she could never, truly, be one of them.

Ana studied his eyes, huge black pupils lined with gold and blue stared back at her with unworldly uncertainty. He was disguised as a Breather; Ana smiled at their cleverness. Even dead, they had a sense of humor that made them likeable, even among the Breather's; this was their allure...their death grip on the living.

"Then why do you falter Dark One?" Ana's voice did not shudder, she remained calm. They were coming, she could feel them. So close now.

The Dark One looked at her intently. His strange eyes shone bright, like two blazing orbs of truth held before her. She could not see past those eyes, the truth that lay beyond them, cold in secret, colder than even death.

"I have secrets to tell you Ana. There are many things that you do not know- things you fear, but you do not need to fear, Ana." The Dark One spoke to her, still in his whispering voice- the voice of the trees.

Ana felt betrayed; this forest was her home, these trees spoke to her, in her language. His presence tainted their song, and their whispers became foreign to Ana.

The shrieks grew closer as the whispers of the trees merged with the whispers of the Dark One.

"Secrets Ana...so many secrets..."

The cries pierced Ana's ears, cries of death and pain enveloped her empty heart, while she fell even further into darkness.

Her hunger now made its way past her throat; the metallic taste rose up from deep within her, making its way into her eyes and mouth. He was just a man. He looked like a Breather, and probably died like one too.

The Dark One, moved closer to her, quicker than a Breather would move. Suddenly his hand was on her ice cold arm, burning her skin as he spoke...

"Come with me, or you will die."

"Tell me your secrets and I will go with you," Ana said. Her eyes scanned the dark trees beyond, how could she escape? Surely, The Dark One would kill her, and if he didn't, then they would. Her time was precious.

"We haven't time, Ana. Come with me, I will lead you to safety. It is your soul they crave. They are angry. Let me save you."

She beheld his gaze, a moment shifted and time was forgotten; Ana lunged at him with unbelievable force, her hunger, so powerful now. She could no longer control it, it was the vampire gift, the scent of blood, mixed with her fear, which strangely excited her.

Ana's teeth sank deep into his veins, The Dark One screamed, his blood soaked his shirt and chest as he struggled to escape.

"Nooooooooo!" The Dark One whispered sorrowfully, as he looked Ana deep in the eyes. "Now... we die!"

The deep red liquid stained her chin as she watched him fall to the ground. Her hunger was deeply satisfied, but fear soon seized her body, as she realized her mistake. If he was sent to betray her, why hadn't he done so when he had the chance?

Then Ana knew....he was her Savior, her only hope of escaping them.

He lay on the ground before her, soaked in blood. He appeared dead, Ana knelt before him, confused. He was not a man, nor a vampire....what was this thing before her? He did not breath, but still, a deep thump mimicked the sound of his beating heart.

Ana touched his back... then everything changed.

Thump... Thump.....

The tree's swayed, the wind grew violent, the silence... deafening. She did not hear them as they stood before her, so quiet now.

Thump...Thump....

The man's back twisted in spasms as his blood soaked shirt tore open. The thumping grew more violent as his body seizured back and forth, keeping time with the sway of the trees.

"Dark One?" Ana touched the man gently. The man's skin was so hot, it singed her skin to touch him. Beneath her fingers the thumping started again, like a caged bird trying to free itself. Then, a miracle... thousands of white doves emerged from his blood stained back, flapping wildly before her. Ana's eyes grew wide as she witnessed what could not be explained. The doves hovered ten or more feet above the dead man's back, flapping wildly, taking the shape of what looked like, huge birdlike wings.

The darkness forced itself into Ana's thoughts, evading her senses; she did not feel them peering at her...into her. Ana's eyes focused, instead, on the strange whiteness hovering above the man, ghostly white doves caught in moonlight and blood.

A dark voice snickered from beyond the clearing of the Oak Tree. Startled, Ana sank back into reality. How could she have forgotten that they were so close?

"Look closer child..." sneered the dark whispered voice.

Ana sat panicked, knowing that she could not outrun them now...her fate ended here in this clearing. What was to come....would. Maybe they just wanted to frighten her, treat her as their prey, or toy with her.

"Look..." it said with a sickening sneer. "Look at the creature that lies before you, Vampire!"

Ana looked at the dead man/beast beside her; his blood still stained her lips as she focused in on his human face, how beautiful he looked, even in death. The doves that flew above the man's body had stopped flapping wildly now, but somehow remained airborne, as if they were hovering there above him....waiting.

Ana knew now, these were not doves, couldn't be. Nothing on this earth could have taken the shape of what Ana thoughts now perceived.

The moonlight broke through the wind shaken trees, revealing huge white feathered wings, hovering in the air above the dead man. Ana's eyes grew wide as she studied what she could not comprehend. Nothing made sense now.

"Hmmmm...hehehehehe..." the thing cackled into the air. "You killed your protector, Vampire. You were one of the Chosen One's; you were not forgotten by, Him..." The thing in the shadows pointed up to the sky as he whispered his horrible tale to Ana.

Him....Him....Him....

"Who are you speaking of?" Ana screamed back at her stalker.

"Oh....you know..." her stalker replied in a hushed tone, slurring as he spoke. The silence that followed made the darkness intolerable, even to Ana.

Ana did not know, Him. She had been forgotten her whole life; in her mortal and in her dead life, she had been alone. There was no Him, there never had been.

Tears ran down Ana's cheeks as she touched the burning flesh of her Savior. He had been sent here to save her. She was chosen...by....Him.

"This is a matter of great importance, Lost One. You have created the most heinous of sins..." the thing stepped out from beyond the shadows to reveal itself. Ana's eyes rested on the beast's face and the shadows disappeared, revealing what was not a vampire. As the beast emerged, so did the other's, marking the same black face as their predecessor. He was their leader, Leader of the Dark Army.

"What have I done?" Ana whispered into the air, confessing her sins to whomever would hear them.

"I am damned, I am nothing to God!"

The beast stood before Ana now, smiling, revealing his razor like teeth. "God knows you....you were Chosen by him. He sent you his Angel to tell you so. I do not feel pity for you. You are what you are. A killer."

Ana saw them now in hundreds before her, there would be no escape. She had chosen her fate, out of weakness.

"Jesus loves me...." Ana sang the prayer she remembered from her childhood. That familiar song, chimed in her mind..." this I know...for the bible tells me so..."

The demon shrieked and drew back at Ana's song.

"little ones to Him belong...." Ana sank into the void.

"they are weak...but he is strong...."

The demons howled in anger or pain, and Ana's voice grew stronger.

"Killer," screamed the demon in anguish. "You killed him, your guardian, the only one who loved you... YOU BELONG TO US NOW!"

Ana opened her eyes to the darkness; only, there was no darkness to see. Before her, stood the man, the winged man, her guardian and Savior.

"I am here Ana..." the guardian spoke with love as he held out his hand to her. "Come with me, and you will be safe."

Ana cried as she took his hand, warmth invaded her soul, carrying with it, acceptance.

"I am forgotten," Ana sobbed as she gazed into the Angel's eyes. "Why do you come?"

The Angel looked at Ana and smiled, "I have come to show you the way."

-----

In the darkness, Ana's song remained. The wind howled to keep the trees company, carrying with it, the song of repentance.

This made the taste of Ana's blood bitter to the demons, as they feasted on her, they cried for their loss.

The End.