Chapter 18: Temple of Secrets

Viv's eyes snapped open. Her neck burned where the vampire had bitten her, but she wasn't dead. She wasn't even a vampire.

She sat up quickly and looked around. She was still in the temple, but the Master vampire was gone. So were Principal Morgan and his fans. Only Sarah and Damien remained, both asleep on the cold stone floor.

"Damien! Sarah! Wake up!" Viv shook them softly.

Damien groaned and opened his eyes. "Viv? You're alive!" He touched her neck where the bite marks should be. "But how? He bit you!"

Viv felt her neck. The skin was smooth. No bite marks. No pain.

"I don't know," she said. "One minute his fangs were in my neck, and then... nothing. I passed out."

Sarah stirred and sat up, holding her head. "What happened? Where did they go?"

"They're gone," Viv said. "But they might come back. We need to move."

She helped Sarah to her feet. The temple was quiet except for the soft crackle of the blue flames.

"Wait," Damien said, pointing to the broken chair. "Look!"

Behind where the throne had stood was a secret door, now slightly open.

"It must have opened when the vampire left," Sarah whispered.

Viv felt drawn to the door. The same strange feeling she'd had earlier pulled her toward it. "We should check it out."

"Are you crazy?" Damien grabbed her arm. "That thing almost killed you!"

"But it didn't," Viv said. "Don't you want to know why? And what about the other missing people? We still need to find them."

Damien sighed. He knew she was right. "Fine. But at the first sign of danger, we run."

They approached the hidden door carefully. It led to a narrow hallway lit by more of the blue flames. The walls were covered with writings and figures.

"I can read these," Viv said, shocked. The weird symbols somehow made sense to her now.

"What?" Sarah looked at her in shock. "How?"

"I don't know. It's like... it's like I've always known how." Viv ran her fingers over the symbols. "They tell a story. About a vampire lord named Erebus."

"That must be the Master," Damien said.

Viv nodded. "It says he's ancient. Thousands of years old. And he's been searching for... for someone with special blood."

A cold feeling settled in her stomach as she read on. "Blood that can make him walk in daylight."

"Your blood," Sarah breathed.

They continued down the hallway, which opened into a smaller room. This one looked more like a laboratory than a chapel. Strange glass cases lined the walls. Books and scrolls were spread on stone tables.

Viv picked up one of the books. It was written in the same language as the wall symbols, but she could read it perfectly.

"It's a journal," she said, flipping through the pages. "Lord Erebus has been searching for centuries for someone with Blood of the Dawn."

"Blood of the Dawn?" Damien asked.

"That's what he calls it. Blood that carries both vampire power and human life." Viv's hands trembled as she read more. "He believes this blood can give vampires the ability to walk in sunlight without burning."

Sarah pointed to a map on one of the tables. "Look! It's our city. They've marked places all over it."

The map had red circles around schools, parks, and homes.

"Hunting grounds," Damien said sadly. "For people to kidnap."

"And testing sites," Viv added, reading more from the journal. "They've been testing people's blood, looking for signs of vampire ancestry." She looked up at her friends, her face pale. "Looking for me."

"But why didn't he just turn you when he had the chance?" Sarah asked.

Viv turned the page and gasped. "Because he needs me human for the ritual. A ritual happening... tonight."

"What ritual?" Damien moved closer to read over her shoulder.

"The Ascension of Erebus. If he drinks the Blood of the Dawn during the dark of the moon, he'll gain the power to walk in daylight forever." Viv closed the book. "And he'll be unstoppable."

"We have to get out of here," Sarah said. "We have to warn someone."

"Warn who?" Damien asked. "The police? 'Hey, there's a vampire planning to take over the world tonight?' They'll think we're crazy."

Viv was about to answer when she noticed a small door at the back of the room. It was different from the others – made of metal and locked with chains.

"What's in there?" she wondered aloud.

Before Damien or Sarah could stop her, Viv approached the door. As she got closer, she heard faint sounds from behind it – voices, crying.

"There's someone in there!" Viv pulled at the chains, but they were too strong.

"We need a key," Sarah said, looking around the room.

Damien grabbed a big metal tool from one of the tables. "Or we need this."

He smashed the lock hard. Again and again. On the fifth hit, the lock broke.

Viv pulled the chains away and opened the door. The room inside was dark, but she could see people crowded against the walls – at least ten of them, thin and scared.

"It's the missing people!" Sarah cried out.

A young woman stood up shakily. "Who are you? Are you with them?"

"No," Viv said quickly. "We're here to help. I'm Viv, this is Damien and Sarah."

"Sarah?" The woman looked closer. "You escaped! We thought you were dead."

"I got away," Sarah said. "And now we're getting all of you out too."

"Can you walk?" Damien asked the group.

Most nodded, though they looked weak. They had been prisoners for days or weeks.

"We need to hurry," Viv said. "Before they come back."

Just as the words left her mouth, a cold voice spoke from the opening behind them.

"Too late for that."

They spun around. Five figures in black clothes stood there. But these weren't human like Principal Morgan and his followers. Their skin was too pale, their eyes glowing red in the darkness.

"Vampire guards," Damien whispered.

"Lord Erebus sent us to collect his prize," one of the vampires said, staring at Viv. "The girl with the Blood of the Dawn."

Viv stepped in front of the others. "You can't have these people. And you can't have me."

The vampire laughed. "Brave words for a half blood child. But you have no idea what powers sleep inside you."

"Run!" Viv shouted to the others. "Get them out of here!"

Damien paused. "Not without you!"

"I'll be right behind you!" Viv grabbed another tool from the table – a long metal stick that felt heavy in her hand.

The vampires moved forward, faster than regular humans. Viv swung the rod, hitting one across the face. It hissed in pain but didn't fall.

Behind her, Damien and Sarah were bringing the rescued prisoners toward another door at the back of the cell.

"This way!" Sarah called. "There's another tunnel!"

Viv backed up slowly, keeping the vampires at bay with her homemade weapon. But they were playing with her, she realized. They could have taken her already if they wanted to.

One of the vampires reached out suddenly, taking the rod and bending it like it was made of rubber.

"Enough games," it snarled.

Viv turned to run, but the vampire caught her arm in a hard grip. Its nails dug into her skin, drawing blood.

Something strange happened then. Where her blood touched the vampire's hand, its skin started to smoke.

The vampire screamed and let go. "She burns! Her blood burns!"

Viv didn't wait to see more. She ran toward the cave where the others had disappeared.

As she reached the entry, a hand caught her ankle. She fell hard, scraping her palms on the stone floor.

"You're coming with us," a vampire hissed, pulling her backward.

"Let me go!" Viv kicked and fought, but the thing was too strong.

Suddenly, Damien was there, swinging what looked like a broken piece of wood.

"Let her go!" he yelled, slamming the sharp end of the wood into the vampire's back.

The vampire shrieked and freed Viv. Black blood oozed from its wound.

"Come on!" Damien pulled Viv to her feet, and they ran into the tunnel.

They caught up with Sarah and the others, who were moving as fast as they could through the tight passage.

"They're right behind us!" Viv gasped.

The tube sloped upward. They had to be getting close to the top. Hope surged through Viv.

They turned a corner and stopped suddenly. Principal Morgan stood there, blocking their way.

"Going somewhere?" he smiled, showing teeth that looked sharper than before.

"He's turning," Sarah whispered. "Lord Erebus is making him a vampire too."

Viv stepped forward. "Let us pass."

Morgan laughed. "Why would I do that? Lord Erebus has promised me eternal life if I deliver you for the ritual."

"Then you'll have to catch me." Viv darted forward suddenly, ducking under Morgan's arm.

He wasn't expecting it and tripped. The others rushed past him while he was off balance.

They ran, the sounds of angry shouts behind them getting louder. The tunnel grew lighter. They were nearing an exit!

Just as Viv could see sunshine ahead, something hit her from behind. She fell forward, rolling onto her back to see what had hit her.

A small dart stuck out from her shoulder. Her vision immediately began to blur.

"Viv!" Damien's voice sounded far away.

She tried to stand but couldn't. Her limbs felt heavy.

The last thing she saw before darkness took her was Lord Erebus himself, stepping out of the shadows, his red eyes glowing with victory.

"Take her to the altar," he ordered. "The ritual begins at sunset."