Chapter Text
You gripped the fabric of your father’s clothes tight, the sound of shouts ringing in your ears. They had chosen your baby sister to be the sacrifice to the monster. For nights he had been plaguing the village, your closest neighbouring town had near been wiped off the map by his hunger. There was a dark cloud forming in the distance, the mountains that surrounded your once peaceful home seemed to be closing in on you now. They couldn’t take your sister; you thought with thick tears welling up in your eyes, you saw her stood on the parapet before you. Your already small family became smaller.
By the time it took you to realise fully what was happening, she had been loaded up in a carriage and drawn away to her fate. Your father held you tight, silently weeping with you.
‘She was too young,’ he whispered, holding on tighter like he was afraid you would be ripped from his arms too. The crowds thinned around the two of you, pitiful glances tossed your way as they went back to their lives, like your whole life hadn’t just been stolen from you. As you made the silent walk back to your empty family home a terrifying thought passed through you. What if you could rescue her.
You knew your Father wouldn’t let you out his sight, but as the hours passed and he began to wallow in his despair, you slipped out the house. You hadn’t seen him in such a state since before you moved to the small village after your mothers death, the sight of your once great father reduced to a small mess broke your already shattered heart.
‘I have to rescue her,’ you stammered out, tear tracks staining your face as you pulled your cloak tighter around you. Your fathers horse – Phillip – was tied up in the barn, grimly you knew that if you failed your attempt that your father would have two dead daughters by sunrise; you steadied yourself. Glancing up you could see the faint outline of the castle nestled into the mountainside and took off in a gallop.
As the sun began to drop below the mountain range, the dark clouds rippled out further. All at once the night sky erupted in bright flashes and heavy rain fell harder by the second. The wind whipped up, like a howl into the inky night and the clouds seemed to billow in all directions covering up the faint moonlight that could’ve helped guide you. You knew you were close, road signs became more frantic ordering you to turn back now before you met your doom. You grit your teeth and carried on your journey to hell.
As you dragged yourself closer, the distinct feeling of being watched creeped up on you. No matter how you whipped your head around to look into the trees, you couldn’t place what it was that could make you feel like this. In the dead silence there came a sudden noise.
A twig snapped behind you, making Phillip rear up in the air. Within the same crash you had been thrown backwards to the ground and he took off running the same way you came, ignoring your shouts. It was cold now as you began to hike the rest of the way to the cursed grounds of the strigoi. You just hoped you would get there in time to save her. The darkness creeped along with you, a heavy fog settling in the tree-line, all at once it struck you that other than the sounds of the storm the forest was awfully quiet. Like all life had been sucked out of it, the silence was overbearing, sending shivers up your spine.
You took off at a sprint, finally reaching a clear road to the ancient building. The sight of it nearly made you stop in your tracks, but the thought of your darling baby sister being trapped inside made you continue forwards.
The castle seemed deserted, abandoned for centuries. Cobwebs covered every corner and rats scurried along the halls. It was quiet, aside from the whistle of the wind outside. You hurried through the corridors, hoping to find your sister. Every door you tried was locked, and even though you were out of the storm the cold seemed to seep into your bones as you traveled through the building.
As you turned the corner you heard a faint noise, like a terrified whimper. You hurried in its direction, following the sound of what could only be your sister. Up a set of spiral stairs you found yourself stood in what could only be described as a cell-room.
‘Is anyone here?’ You call out in your native tongue, praying that your sister is the one to answer.
‘Sister?’ The small voice called out from behind the cell door, your baby sisters small hands reaching out between the bars of her enclosure. She was trembling as you finally reached her, her fingers felt like ice on your already frost bitten hands. ‘How did you get here? Where is Father?’
You shushed her, thinking only of preserving her strength. Quickly you started fiddling with the locks for the door, trying to free her. Out of the corner of your eye you notice her freeze suddenly, all colour draining from her face. The atmosphere in the room grew dark.
‘What are you doing here?’ A heavy accented voice rattles out, deeper than the thunder outside.
‘Who’s there? Who are you?’ Your head whipped around the small room, the only light came from a small candle flickering to the side of you. Your blood ran cold when you saw the hulking silhouette of the strigoi by the far side of the room.
The creature took a deep wheezing breath, the sound echoing throughout the damp room, ‘I am… the master of this castle.’
‘I’ve come for my sister, please let her go. Can’t you see she’s an innocent?’ Your trembling voice betrayed your words, as you kept yourself firmly between the monster and your sister. He was still wheezing, forcing the air through his lungs in such an audibly painful way.
‘Then she shouldn’t have trespassed here!’
‘She was sent here to die! Please, I’ll do anything.’ Your desperation to save your sister began to show through, despite her meek protests from behind the cage door.
‘There’s nothing you can do. She is my prisoner.’ The thing stated, seemingly amused by your begging. His shuddering breaths made you cringe, it was making you feel choked by his presence. His whole demeanour felt oppressive, like he was far too close despite being half a room away.
‘There must be some way I can…’ You watch in despair as he turns dramatically away towards the door, thousands of thoughts flashing through your mind before you suddenly understand. You reach out and shout, ‘Wait!’
He slowly turns back to look at you, you can barely see his face. What you can make out is his sunken eyes and a few tufts of hair, the rest of him is shrouded in darkness. It is like the stories from when you were a child, that the strigoi could turn themselves into shadows. You gulp, almost feeling sick from your own words. Deep down, this is what you have to do.
‘Take me instead,’
‘You? You would… take her place?’ He speaks your native language with such a thick accent, you almost don’t understand his words. You hear your sister shout from behind you, reaching out and grabbing your arm through the bars of her cell.
‘Sister no! You don’t know what you’re doing,’ the two of you ignore her cries, you have your eyes locked on the huge man, watching his every move.
‘If I did, would you let her go?’
‘Yes,’ he finally growls out the word, his face being drenched in darkness makes so hard to read him, you suppose it probably wouldn’t help either way. He takes another thunderous inhale, ‘but you must promise to stay here forever.’ You can almost hear the delight in his voice as he says it.
‘Come into the light,’ the words leave your lips before you can even begin to understand what you’ve just demanded of the creature in front of you. There’s a moment of absolute silence, even your young sister stops her whimpering to watch his movement.
To your surprise he actually steps forwards, then you can’t help the gasp that leaves you. The candlelight flickers across his sharp features, even under such warm light you can see his paleness. He looks like a walking corpse, sunken in dark eyes shine into your soul. He has a dark moustache fitting of a nobleman, below which you can see chapped and bloodstained lips. He has a fine hat atop his head and striking bulk to his shoulders. Layers of ornate fabrics cover him, making it hard to determine where the man ends and the shadows start. Most of all he is tall, even while hunched over like he is, near a third taller than you.
Your sister gasps too, a sudden sob wracks its way through her body, ‘no sister! I wont let you do this!’ You turn to look at her in heartache, knowing that after tonight you may never see her again.
Resigned in your choice, you slowly turn to look back at the monster behind you. ‘You have my word.’ Your sister cries out again, but it is too late. The mass of darkness sweeps across the floor towards you, so close you can smell the earth and dust on his skin.
‘Then the deal is done.’ With his final word you find your eyes too heavy to keep open, falling into a restless slumber.