Cross 1

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐀---𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝖚𝖓𝖘𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕾𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖕𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕹𝖚𝖓

✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟✟

If the music doesn't play you can listen to this music while reading: https://youtu.be/Flgx7sT8m-U

It took about 3 days for our heavenly Father to make the beauty of this earth. Only 3 days, for him to bring forth life-giving waters from the depths of the dry uninhabitable pits of the earth. Only 3 to slice the dirt and harden the soil to create a place for humans to begin their origins. Give us a sun and moon to forever light our way, even in the darkest of times. To split night into day, to sprout every plant, tree, and animal to provide us with food, shelter, and comfort.

In just 3 days.

In that brief span, we had a home to settle our roots, explore frontiers, and above all to live within his divine will.

Ask any of us of the Holy Order, and we'll tell you, it's by his mercy that we live. We breathe because he breathes. We live because he lives. We are subjects in his grace, and anything he wills, we will. Anything he sees with contempt, we contempt.

And, his enemies? You better bet they are our enemies.

Demons, devil spawns…vampires. Whatever name they hold, they're beasts from hell and children of the root of all evil.

They're parasites, and abominations of my God's will.

They are the enemy.

"Let go of her now, or I blow your head off, bloodsucking trash," I emphasize, steadying my rifle.

A good distance away from me, is a creature standing with a small girl thrown over his shoulder.

I had been trailing him for a little while now. The flatland desert terrain spreads out around us as the sun cooks the scenery, and me.

I swallow, a bead of sweat winding down my forehead as I cautiously watch as the vampire turns around to face me.

The scorching heat of the sun beams down on us. Even the blazing sands of the dusty ground was scorched of water, hefty cracks in the surface forming. Pockets of shriveled spiky grey bushes, small cacti, and charcoal black nearly dying, misshapen trees, dot the burning landscape; salmon-colored canyons the sizes of mountains, menacingly impose above us.

My eyes flicker around the desolate scenery.

I know full well, why he chose this place. Not an eye in sight could see him here or stop him. Like a predator laying his groups and zoning his victim's downfall, he choose a place where not a soul could hear the screams this far out in the desert.

Beasts, these creatures are.

My grip on my rifle tightens as I step forward towards him.

The moment he left town, I knew he was the one we were looking for. He had fit all the descriptions; a tall lanky man with blonde hair, green eyes, and dressed in strange attire.

Sure enough, it was spot on. The vampire that stands across from me is unnaturally long-limbed, sand blonde, dressed in dirty rags and most distinctively, his green eyes now glow red.

"I said, let go of her," I repeat, locking my sight.

Red eyes, crimson thick and as bright as fire, hold on to mines. "You?" The vampire trash, speaks.

I can hear the mockery in his tone. His disbelief. His disdain. His stupidity.

"I know you savages can't comprehend anything beyond blood, but I will say it again and I will only say it once. Let go of her. Now," I stress, rigidly aiming my rifle.

"Aha!" It lets out a dry chuckle, fangs noticeably bared. "Those are bold words, human." He licks his lips, blood coiling down his chin. With another chuckle, he adjusts the passed-out girl in his arms. Protectively, he holds her closer, caressing her bloodied and bitten neck.

My teeth clamp down hard, and my trigger finger itches.

The vampire trash nearly chomped her neck off. Deep bites from her ear to her collarbone marred her skin. What was left of her neck was a jagged mess of blood and flesh.

"I could let this one go, but…?" He drags out his unsightly voice, creating a broad smile. "I don't like to leave a meal unfinished." He snuggled his nose into her, inhaling deeply. "Especially when they taste this good." His tongue shot out, running along her bare skin, his twisted smile shinning in all of its unholy 'glory'.

I dig my nails into the metal of my rifle. "Get your filthy hands off her, vampire!" Anger flares through my nostrils and my heart rams hard against my chest. I can feel the anger pulsating and coursing through me.

"I'll tell you what." He cackles with the pitch of hell, his tongue snaking around her face. "I'll finish this one." He grabbed a fistful of her hair, swinging her around like a rag doll. "And then," he sang, staring me directly in the eyes. "I'll have a taste of you next." Another disgusting banshee like laugh escapes from him.

I swallow a boulder of dry crisp air, and a sharp swift breeze presses against my veil. The sweltering heat pounds in my cheeks and boils the hatred boiling in my bloodstream.

By my God's will, no longer and no less than a millisecond ago, I would have already shot this insecticide mosquito filth right dead in the eyes. I would have watched his head splatter into an assortment of guts and bits. Rained down judgment with kicks and punches on his blood gorged corpse. I would have already put a bullet everywhere that mattered to return the pain he gave his victims. For every person whom this bloodrat sent to their early grave, I would return the favor.

I revel in the images of squashing this blood rotten corpse like the filth it is.

I revel.

But, by the virtues and sanctity of my sisterhood, the general rule of thumb is to lead our lord's lambs out the way first.

The girl he hangs around like a doll? She only a little girl. No older than 10.

I wouldn't dare send a bullet a child's way.

And, by my Lord's mercy, if I could just get one shot, it would be one kill.

One.

Shot.

I narrow my eyes, wrapping my finger even tighter around the trigger. "You have 2 seconds, vampire, to put that child down."

"2 seconds?" He cackles again. "Or exactly, what?" Bright red orbs examine me. "Little miss, Nun is going to shoot me?" His smile carves even deeper into his contorted, warped features. "One bullet won't hurt me. But, in about one minute---," he coons with twisted glee, digging his razor-sharp elongated nails into the girl's skin. "---Before you can even blink, I'll do more than hurt you, and I'll know the delightful sound of your lovely screams." His other hand yanks around the girl by the taut roots of her hair.

"Put her down!" I can feel my demand border a booming shock wave shout that could have torn my vocal cords. Even from my short distance, I can see the blood trickling from her hairline, gunky chunks of her skin and blood coat her hair.

Filth. Vampire, filth.

I curl up against my rifle, nestling it firm between my shoulder blade and chin. The neck of the rifle is like ice against my skin, but the trigger is like sizzling and simmering fire at my fingertips. It calls for me to pull it and shoot him.

I would only need one shot. Only one.

The vampire proudly widens his mouth. He's salivating like a dog would steak as he brings the girl's neck close. "Don't worry, Nun, I won't leave you waiting." He chortles, drawing his long tongue to slowly lick on the girl's cheek up to her sealed eyes. "You can watch what I'll do to you next." His grin sprawls over his face as he lowers his fangs, eyes glued to me.

One.

Shot.

BANG!

In a crescendo of bloodcurdling screams and splattering blood, the bullet pierces directly into his eyeball, leaving behind a bloodied gaping hole lodged with metal. In a writhing cry, he releases the girl to clutch his hemorrhaging eye socket.

"AH! What the hell was that!" He growls, seething in agony as he tries to dislodge the silver from his eyes. His fingers scratch and claw at the bullet as steam sizzles the soft tissue of his eyes. "AHHH!" His snarls grow desperate and urgent. "What type of bullet, is this!"

BANG!

I send another bullet his way, equalizing out both eyes.

"AHH!" He screeches louder, kicking and clawing in unbearable pain.

BANG!

And now, I only need a few more shots. Or maybe a couple hundred more.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

I unleash a storm of volatile projectiles into his body, letting the music of his screeches fill the air.

"You bitc----!"

BANG! BANG!

He shrieks, flailing his arms around in unavoidable attempts to avoid the shots from slicing his body into bloodied bits.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!---Click.

Time to reload.

I reach into my dress pockets, pulling out a box of holy bullets. In swift sessions, I crack my rifle open, sliding the sliver in.

The vampire slowly collapses to the ground, groaning and littered with oozing gaping red gashes and holes.

He looks just about right, beaten and battered, hacking in a pool of his own blood.

Still loading my rifle, I close the distance, gradually approaching him.

Crimson blood trickles down his chin as more ferocious coughs erupt from his wheezing chest. His already undead pale skin is nearly translucent as his body fights to contain the rapidly leaking blood. His red eyes eclipse and are a much dimmer shade of rogue that glimmer with the sheen of death.

And the best part?

His large protruding fangs, coated in dry blood, are now chipped and soaked in his blood.

I cock my rifle. "By the grace and light of our divine Father, may peace and salvation forever be upon this earth, and any who seek to topple the balance of heavenly creation, shall be cut at the root and weeded out from the soil of this land."

He violently coughs up more blood, wearily turning to glare at me. There's a look brewing behind his darkening red orbs.

I know that look.

It's more than disgust or contempt. It's just pure unadulterated, visceral, soul binding hate.

I point the barrel of my rifle directly to the center of his forehead. "If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. And, the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death, and a monster that preys upon man, shall it be so, all will do well to be obliterated. May the unrighteous meet their fate, and the righteous seek their right."

BANG!

I shoot him right dead between the eyes.

His head explodes in a carnage of sliced flesh, mangled organs, and splattered brains, while his blood seeps into the sandy ground.

I like the color, and, I'm about to like the result.

Snuggling my rifle between my arm, I slightly raise my gown to pull a stake out from my inner leg holster.

Gathering my strength, I ram the stake hard into his chest and use of the hilt of my rifle to jam it even further down into his heart. The second it crams into his ribcage and pierces his heart, he cries, shrieking for the last time in his cursed existence.

Now, that's how vampire filth is supposed to look: Dead.

"Filth." I hiss, turning away from him to attend to the little girl.

She's left in just as bad of a state as the vampire was. A whole chunk of her neck has nearly ripped off. Both and deep and shallow scratches are all over her from head to toe. Some strands of her long brown hair sticks to the dried blood on her cheeks. Her clothes are tattered and ripped, and she lays in a puddle of blood. Judging from the state she's in, he must've been feeding on her for a few days now; Repeatedly, and savagely.

My hands coil into fists, and I clench my jaw so tight it feels bolted shut.

I should have moved faster. I could have prevented this.

I settle to my knees and set my rifle to the side.

She's nearly dead, but I know she can make it. She can. She has to.

My hands dive to the fabric of my black gown, and I tear the fabric off in quick succession.

"You're going to make it, kid." Softly, I whisper to her, gently placing my hand against the back of her head to slowly lift her. Ever so lightly, I wrap the fabric around her neck to stop the bleeding.

"I promise you're going to be alright." Easing her into my arms, I stand slowly. "I won't let this happen again."' I bring her closer.

I will never let it happen again. Never.

"No, you won't let it happen again." A familiar deep baritone bristly voice booms from behind me.

Immediately, I clutch the girl tighter and fumble to reach for my rifle.

"Because you'll be dead, sweet Nun!" The vampire sings.

I rotate around to meet my eyes with a pair of scorching red eyes. But, before I can even register it, the girl is pulled from my grasp and I'm being flung into 3 feet into the air.

THUD!

My body slams into the ground as I skid across the dirt. Jagged rocks and stone dig into my face. Blood throbs hard through my weary limbs. I can taste crystals of hard soil mixing with the blood swirling in my mouth. Quickly, I press the palm of my hands into the ground, forcing my aching bones to stand.

"Ah-ah-ah." Something rigid presses onto my back, driving me into the ground. "Where are we going?" His voice exudes happiness.

I sink my teeth into my tongue, refusing the wince. I can feel the weight of his foot pressing into the core of my spine, causing a wave of pain to radiate through me.

"You can't go anywhere." He pushed down his foot even harder. "Not when the fun is just beginning!"

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖞𝖊𝖙 𝖚𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖚𝖘.....

✟