Nightmare Visions

Nightmare Visions
Blood spilled across the walls. A woman screamed.

Viv ran through a dark hallway, her heart beating in her chest. Behind her, something moved in the dark. Something with bright red eyes.

"Mom!" Viv cried out. "Where are you?"

She burst into a room and froze. A tall figure stood over her mother, who lay on the floor. Blood pooled around her body.

The person turned. Its face was hidden in darkness, but Viv could see sharp fangs shining in the moonlight.

"Your mother knew too much," the figure said in a voice like ice. "Just like you."

The figure moved toward Viv with terrible speed. She tried to run, but her feet wouldn't move. Cold hands grabbed her shoulders.

"Your blood belongs to us," the person whispered. "It always has."

Viv screamed as the figure's fangs cut her neck.

She shot up in bed, still screaming. Her body was drenched in sweat, her heart beating so fast she thought it might burst. The bedroom was dark except for the moonlight coming through the window.

"Vivienne."

Viv nearly jumped out of her skin. Damien sat in a chair beside her bed, his face pale in the moonlight.

"What are you doing in here?" she gasped, pulling the blankets up to her chin.

"You were screaming," Damien said. "I felt your fear. I thought someone was attacking you."

Viv pressed a hand to her racing heart. "It was just a nightmare."

"No," Damien said quietly. "It wasn't just a nightmare."

Something in his voice made Viv look up. "What do you mean?"

Damien leaned forward, his blue eyes troubled. "I saw it too. I saw the figure killing your mother. I heard what it said to you."

A chill ran down Viv's spine. "That's impossible."

"It should be," Damien agreed. "Blood bonds allow for some emotional connection, but sharing dreams..." He shook his head. "That's unheard of."

Viv pushed her knotted hair away from her face. "It felt so real."

"Because it was real," Damien said. "Or at least, based on something real. That was a memory, Vivienne. Your memory."

"No." Viv shook her head hard. "My mother died in a car crash when I was ten. I wasn't there. I didn't see it happen."

"Are you sure?" Damien's voice was soft.

"Of course I'm sure!" Viv snapped. "I think I'd remember seeing my mother murdered by a vampire!"

But even as she said it, doubt crept in. There had always been gaps in her memory from that time. Her grandma had blamed it on trauma.

"The mind protects itself," Damien said, as if reading her thoughts. "Especially a child's mind."

Viv got out of bed, suddenly needing to move. "So you're saying what? That my mother was really killed by a vampire? That everything I remember is a lie?"

"I don't know," Damien revealed. "But I do know that was no ordinary dream."

Viv paced the room, her mind racing. "The figure in the dream... did you recognize it?"

Damien paused. "I couldn't see its face clearly."

"You're lying," Viv said. She could feel it through their link. "You know who it was."

Damien stood up. "We should talk about this later. The gathering is tonight, and you need rest."

"No!" Viv grabbed his arm. "Tell me now. Who killed my mother?"

Damien looked down at her hand on his arm. "I'm not certain," he said finally. "But I have suspicions."

"Tell me."

"There are things about your past that don't make sense, Vivienne. Your blood, your resistance to the binding sickness, the way you've adapted to our world so quickly." Damien's eyes met hers. "I think your mother knew about vampires. I think she may have been connected to us somehow."

"That's crazy," Viv said. "She was normal. Just a regular mom who told me stories and—" Viv stopped suddenly, a memory hitting her.

"What is it?" Damien asked.

"The stories she told me," Viv whispered. "They were about monsters who looked like people. Who came out at night to drink blood." She looked up at Damien. "I always thought they were just scary stories."

"They were warnings," Damien said softly.

A sharp knock on the door made them both turn.

"Sunrise in thirty minutes," Lilith called from the other side. "Damien, you should be resting."

"I'll be there shortly," Damien called back.

When they heard Lilith's footsteps fade away, Viv turned to Damien. "I need to know who killed my mother."

"And you will," Damien promised. "But not tonight. Tonight, we need to survive the gathering." He touched her cheek gently. "Get some rest. I'll see you at sunset."

After Damien left, Viv tried to sleep again but couldn't. The nightmare felt too real, too close. Instead, she got up and went to the window, looking out at the disappearing stars.

Who was the person in her dream? And why did it feel like Damien knew more than he was telling her?

When sunset came, Viv was ready. She wore the dress Lilith had picked out for her—a deep red gown that reminded her too much of blood. The color made her face look even paler than usual.

"You look like one of us already," Lilith said when she came to check on Viv. "The dress suits you."

"Thanks," Viv said dryly. "Just what every girl wants to hear."

Lilith circled her, looking for flaws. "Remember what I taught you. Keep your eyes down when meeting an elder. Don't speak unless spoken to. And stay by Damien's side at all times."

"I remember."

"Good. Because one mistake tonight could get you both killed." Lilith headed for the door. "The cars will be ready in an hour."

When Lilith left, Viv sat at the dressing table, staring at her image. She looked different somehow. Her eyes seemed brighter, her skin almost glowing.

The door opened behind her. Viv expected to see Damien, but the mirror showed an empty doorway.

She spun around. "Who's there?"

No one answered, but Viv felt a cold chill in the room. She stood up slowly.

"Damien? Lilith?"

A whisper came from the darkness in the corner of the room. "He's lying to you."

Viv backed toward the door. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"He knows who killed your mother," the voice whispered. "He's known all along."

"Who are you?" Viv asked, her voice shaking.

The shadows seemed to move, making a tall figure. "A friend. Someone who wants to help you learn the truth."

"I don't believe you."

The figure stepped forward just enough for Viv to see bright red eyes. "You shouldn't believe Damien either. Ask him about the Crimson Guardians. Ask him about your father."

"My father?" Viv felt like the floor was tilting beneath her. "My father died before I was born."

The figure laughed softly. "Another lie. Your father is very much alive, Vivienne. And he's been looking for you for a very long time."

Before Viv could ask more, the door burst open. Damien stood there, his face twisted with anger.

"Get away from her!" he growled at the shadowy figure.

The figure moved back into the darkness. "Too late, Blackthorn. She's already beginning to remember."

Then it was gone, leaving only a cold breeze.

Damien rushed to Viv's side. "Are you hurt? Did it touch you?"

"No." Viv pulled away from him. "What was that thing? And what did it mean about my father?"

Damien's face closed off. "It was trying to confuse you. To turn you against me before the gathering."

"By telling me my father is alive? By saying you've been lying to me?" Viv felt anger rising. "Are you lying to me, Damien?"

"We don't have time for this," Damien said. "The cars are waiting."

"Make time," Viv snapped. "Who are the Crimson Guardians?"

Damien went very still. "Where did you hear that name?"

"From whatever was just in my room." Viv crossed her arms. "Tell me."

"They're vampire hunters," Damien said finally. "The oldest order of hunters in existence. They're dangerous fanatics who believe all vampires should be destroyed."

"And my father? Is he alive? Is he one of them?"

Damien looked away. "We need to go, Vivienne. The gathering cannot wait."

"Damien—"

"I will tell you everything after the gathering," Damien promised. "But right now, we need to focus on surviving the night."

Viv wanted to fight, but she could feel his fear through their bond. Not fear for himself, but for her.

"Fine," she said. "But after the gathering, I want the truth. All of it."

"You will have it," Damien said. "I promise."

As they walked downstairs to the waiting cars, Viv couldn't shake the thought that she was walking into something much worse than a vampire party.

The shadowy figure's words repeated in her mind: "Your father is very much alive, Vivienne. And he's been looking for you for a very long time."

Why would her father be looking for her? And why did that thought fill her with such dread?