By Mom
The elegant ghost dressed in a gold embroidered doublet and tights, grinned to himself. Vampires, he chortled, How quaint. How perfect. Just what I needed to add to my collection of dolls. His lips stretched in a jolly wisp of a smile.
He had been a well-proportioned man in life, and still was in death. His long, full black hair tumbled about his broad shoulders. He had a heavy beard fashionable to the twelfth century that he had lived in. He twirled the ends of his moustache, feeling very amused at having uninvited guests.
Should I tear out their eyes, torture them until they go insane? Tear out their tongues? He giggled to himself.
He slid his invisible phantom body through the body of the dark haired green-eyed one. Now, he'd look attractive on a rack, All stretched out, screaming in agony, as I whip his flesh to shreds, those fine, slender bones peeking out. Or perhaps? The ghost studied the face carefully.
He mused, and reconsidered Louis' future fate. Then he drifted past Armand, David, Daniel, and Lestat till he finally went through the heavy wood of the castle door.
The wind howled and pitched wildly about as if the evil was tormenting it. And if the Devil wasn't tormenting the frigid wind, the wind was certainly doing a good job of torturing a shivering Louis.
"I definitely have a bad feeling about this," Louis shivered, his teeth chattering from the cold of the October evening. "I feel like someone or something is watching us from the shadows," Louis peered into the shadows with his supernatural vision. He sighed, nothing there.
"Hush, Louis," Lestat said applying more of his strength to the door. "Everything gives you a bad feeling," Lestat turned to David, "For heaven's sake man, it was your idea for us all to document a haunting. The least you can do is help me with the door."
"Hey man, like I can help, too," Daniel said, a ghetto blaster perched on his shoulder.
"You can help by turning down that infernal machine, You know I hate rap music, damn you, Daniel," Armand cursed, "That Puff Daddy noise gives me a headache."
Louis observed the company he was in. Armand with his beautiful mop of auburn curly hair, looking like a haughty altar boy of seventeen. Louis knew Armand better than to ever think of him as being an innocent altar boy.
Armand gave Louis a kind smile, his amber eyes blinking at Louis. "We'll be inside soon, Louis, soon as we are, we'll light a fire," Armand promised.
"Good," chattered Louis. He wished his blood were a strong as the others. The icy blasts of wind, totally left his friends unaffected,
His eyes fell on Daniel's loopy, grin aimed at him. You could tell Louis though ruefully to himself, the condition Daniel was in when Armand made him. Daniel's face was craggy, and had a drunken aspect about it, even when he was perfectly sober like now,
He's smarter than he looks Louis though to himself. But he enjoys playing the fool for Armand's to keep Armand entertained.
"Come here Louis." Daniel put down his ghetto blaster; "I'll give you a big hug. That will keep you warm."
"The hell with that suggestion," Lestat growled, possessively, "Louis, instead of dreaming, why not help me with the damn door?"
"Of course," Louis said, blushing, He tried to apply his strength to the door along with David and Lestat. His stomach gave a pleasant flip-flop as it always did when he looked into Lestat's gorgeous, gray eyes. He wanted to run his hands into the straight sunshine of Lestat's hair. Really it swayed about his face like it was sunrays.
Lestat grinned at Louis, and mouthed the word, later, at him.
Louis' tummy fluttered even more, anticipating what Lestat meant by the word.
"Really Louis," David scolded, "You should have brought a heavier overcoat," David shook his head at his imbecile of an older brother.
David's slicked back, dark, brown hair, whipped about his head. His deep, brown eyes regarded Louis with a superior air.
"Sorry," Louis said breathlessly. He gave up on trying to open the castle door. Secretly hoping that it wouldn't open, and that they could all go back home.
The castle hewn of rock and stone loomed its shadow over the five. Its long Gothic arches were in deadly decay; Its huge towers and tiers seemed to be on the brink of crumbling. Crushing them before they even dared enter, An orange of a full moon hung in the cloudy sky. Forks of lightening illuminated the night, and thunder rumbled in the horizon. A flock of bats flew out of windows of the towers. The castle had the appearance of containing damned souls.
"Ump," David moaned, straining along with Lestat. Finally with a creak the door gave in.
Lestat and David hurried in. Louis hung back, peering inside. "Does a fiend live here?" he asked. The room was filled with various instruments of torture, An open Iron Maiden held in her spikes a long decayed skeleton. The rack was empty at least, though Louis. The furnishings were centuries old, riddled with wormholes. The heavy carved wooden chairs were ornamented with carvings of rape and orgy. Small little dolls only a hand's length long littered the room. The dolls were posed in various acts of being tortured by burning tongs, whips, and other weapons of torture. Louis shivered harder, the dolls seemed to be alive and in pain. He could easily imagine one grouping of dolls depicting a woman having her skin peeled away by a hooded man, as being on the verge of screaming out loud.
Armand and Daniel pushed past Louis, "Amazing," said Armand, his perfect, straight nose in the air. Would Marius have made him, if he hadn't been perfect? Armand sneered at the furnishings. "Surely Louis," Armand sniffed at the furniture, "Surely you recognise all this as being props from my theatre?"
"Could it be?" Louis said, gingerly, following them inside, "All of that was destroyed," Louis said softly, remembering the sad memories of Claudia. He then smiled shyly. "I haven't a recollection of your having a doll collection, Armand."
"None the less," Armand said, plopping himself in one of the chairs, "I do feel at home."
"And you say my lava lamp and macrame hangings are horrific," Daniel said. He whistled at the various swords on the wall, He grabbed one and threw it at Armand, taking one for himself, "En guard," he grinned at Armand. "Want to play swashbucklers?"
Armand jumped out of his chair, and boyishly cried, "En guard, you blackguard," He thrust the sword at a laughing Daniel.
"Quit it, you kids," Lestat griped. He tried to use his powers to set a fire in the mouldy, damp fireplace. Not even the heat of his power could cause the cold rot of the wood to burn.
"Oh well, cher," Lestat sighed, going to Louis, "I'll keep you warm. Before he could even approach Louis, flames magically erupted from the cold wood.
"Yes," cheered Daniel, heading for it. "Someone likes us."
"That someone," grinned David, "Is our ghost, I simple paranormal creature. A nonmalignant poltergeist, Boys, we are going to study it, and categorise it, Just like I used to with you four when I was the Superior General of the Order of Psychic Detectives of Talamasca.
David busied himself setting up ultra red cameras. He whistled cheerfully.
Louis touched one of the many wall hangings on he mouldy, stalk walls. The threadbare hangings unravelled in his hand. Suddenly smoke filled the room. "Is there a fire?" Louis asked frightened.
"No, Louis," David said patiently, as if he was talking to a not too bright child. "It's ectoplasm. Our ghost is alive and well!"
"Ohh, hey this is fun. Like dry ice," Daniel whooped, running through the ectoplasm.
"Calm down," Daniel," Armand demanded, "how do we go about investigating this ghost?"
"How do you know he isn't investigating us," Louis said, looking nervously around.
"Honestly, Louis, you're such a 'fraidy cat," Lestat joked, taking Louis' long, slender hand in his large one. "Do you want me to protect you?' Lestat grinned,
"Always," Louis smiled back, ducking his head shyly,
"Enough of that," David said briskly, "Louis there is nothing to be afraid of. Out ghost, when he was mortal, was a harmless eccentric. He enjoyed collecting torture instruments, but according to my sources, he never used them on anyone not even skinny, dark haired vampires."
"If you say so," Louis blushed, feeling rather foolish,
"All right then," David said, "I will master the cameras. You four will break up in groups of two, Here," he handed them notebooks and pencils, "Observe and record. Anything unusual," David winked at them.
"Before we go investigating for ghost, perhaps we should eat first," Louis said, the pans of his hunger starting to work on him. Of course, cher," Lestat said, gallantly, He quickly reached for a grey shadow, hiding under the rack. He pulled out two struggling, hairy, nasty, fat rats. "Good enough?" he asked Louis, smiling at him, handing him a rat.
"Thank you, Lestat," Louis said gratefully. He demurely bit into the rat, sucking its blood politely with good manners.
"David?" Lestat said, offering him the other rat,
David graciously took the rat from Lestat, savouring the rush of its blood,
Lestat quickly caught two more rats. "Catch Daniel," Lestat said, throwing them to Daniel.
Daniel caught them with ease, tossing them about forehand to hand like they were juggler's balls. He bit into one draining it quickly. He dangled the other rat out to Armand, holding it by its tail. "Here you go, Armand," Daniel said, lovingly,
Armand smiled at the squeaking, struggling, beady-eyed rat held in Daniel's hand. "No thank you, Daniel, I already ate," Armand lied.
"More for me," Daniel crowed, biting hungrily into the rat's neck.
"Are you full now, Daniel?" Armand said, patting Daniel on the back.
"As full as a tick," Daniel grinned happily at Armand's attention towards him.
"Great." Armand sank his fangs into Daniel's neck, making him into his bloody meal. "Thanks, Daniel," Armand said, smacking his lips.
"Lestat," Daniel whined, "Can you catch some more rats?" Daniel felt hungry after Armand's drain of him.
"Sure, Daniel," Lestat said agreeably, catching two more rats. He tossed them to Daniel, who downed them faster than the shots of whisky he used to drink when he was mortal. "Thanks, Lestat," he said gratefully, keeping his eye on Armand, just in case Armand was still hungry.
Armand grinned at him, making Daniel jump back, when he smacked his lips.
"Come on Armand, we'll go down this hallway. I have a good feeling we'll find our ghost right about," Daniel yelled, "This way!"
Armand followed Daniel down the narrow snake of the hall. It twisted through the castle, spiders and cockroaches scuttled into the chinks of the wall, escaping the possible crunch of their boots.
Daniel opened the door to an enormous bedroom. Armand tried to follow him, but the door slammed after Daniel entered the room locking Armand out.
"Phew, Daniel swore, the room smelled like hot, rotting corpses. He ran to the window to try to open it to let in air. The window wouldn't budge. He looked over his shoulder. A mirror seemed to be summoning him. He felt like he was wading through water, each step becoming more difficult. He looked into the mirror, giving his reflection a nervous smile,
Then he screamed, his reflection's throat was being cut before his eyes, blood squirting out of the corner of his mouth. He tried to back away,
"I can't move," he screamed, His feet cemented to the floor. "This is only a bad trip, Like when I used to do acid. This will all go away, if I just wait it out," Daniel prayed. Then he wailed, "Armand!"
Rough hands forced him to the floor, "Armand!" he screamed, as a hooded figure hammered something between his ribs into his heart.
"Daniel, Daniel," Armand screamed back, banging his body against the door. The door flung open on its own accord, sending Armand sprawling to the floor. He scrambled on his knees to Daniel. "Daniel," he wept, taking Daniel's limp hand into his.
"What happened? What happened?" Lestat cried, rushing into the room, Louis closely behind him.
"Something drove a stake through Daniel's heart," Armand wept. "Lestat quickly, take out the stake, and use your blood to heal him. Now!"
"What's that smell?" Louis said. He was disgusted and disturbed by the obscenity and hate fullness of Daniel's attack. It was a direct insult to his race.
"Garlic," Armand cursed, "Something thinks this is all a joke."
Lestat opened the vein in his wrist, and bled his most power blood of all the vampires into Daniel's wound as he pulled out the stake.
"It's not working," Lestat cursed. Daniel's blood was still bubbling out.
David ran into the room. "Will you all please shut up, You're disturbing the ghost. Goodness, what happened to Daniel?"
Armand sprung himself at David's throat, lifting him off of the floor, and shaking him, "Harmless ghost. You stupid idiot. Look what your harmless ghost did to Daniel."
" Stop it," Louis implored Armand, grabbing Armand by the arm, "This isn't going to help Daniel. Stop it!"
"Yes." Lestat said slowly getting to his feet. "Stop it Armand," Lestat snapped at Armand. "I'll fly Daniel out of here." Lestat picked up Daniel in his arms; he flew out a suddenly open window. His body smashed against the air outside of the window as if the air was a brick wall. The very air stopped his flight from leaving with Daniel. He fell backwards hard against the floor.
Louis quickly took off his sweater, staunching Daniel's wound. "Quick," he ordered, "Grab the blanket off of the bed, wrap him in it. Before he goes into shock."
"Louis," David swore at him, "Vampires don't go into shock."
"Do it," Louis ordered. Armand quickly grabbed the blanket, wrapping a shivering Daniel.
"Don't you understand David?" Lestat said sadly, "Our powers are diminished."
"What's this," Louis said, picking up something from the floor. It was a doll. A miniature Daniel doll lying in a coffin with a stake through its heart.
On it was a note: One down and four to go.
"We have to stay together," David demanded, "That's our only protection."
"Our only protection," Armand sarcastically spat out. "Lestat!" Armand screamed as the floor gave out from under him.
Lestat scrambled to Armand grasping him by the wrists. "Lestat," begged Armand, his feet flaying, and kicking trying to hook themselves to the ledge. "Don't let me go!" Armand wailed. Before the others could help Lestat pull Armand up; Armand slipped out of Lestat's grip, falling through a narrow tunnel.
"Oomph," he gasped, the air being forced out of him, as he slammed into the floor. He quickly got up to his knees, dusting himself off, and nervously slapping and pulling cockroaches from his clothes and hair.
"Armand," a musical voice crooned at him.
"Www... What," Armand gasped, he quickly shut his eyes. "No," he moaned. He reopened them. He was surround by monks from the Monastery of The Caves. Armand's eyes widened with alarm.
"Armand," the ghost scolded him. "You disappointed these poor fellows." The ghost too was dressed as a monk. His long, black hair tied back. His beard all glossy and heavy didn't hide the evil of his smile. "Were you not supposed to be buried alive?"
The monks pulled back their hoods. Luminous skulls glowed like candles in the dark. The skulls are grinned at Armand. They opened the boniness of their jaws and chanted, "You're one of ours. One of ours."
"No," whispered Armand, "No!" he screamed as the flooring gave out from under him, closing around his neck. Only his head was left unburied.
The ghost laughed at Armand, his ruggedly handsome face merry, "Looks like," the Ghost lifted an axe, "I'm a head by a head."
The Ghost swung the axe straight for Armand's head.
"Lestat!" Armand screamed
The ax went right through Armand leaving him unharmed, but not undamaged in his mind.
Tears coursed down his cheeks. The ghost tickled Armand under his chin. "I'll kill you later, Armand," the Ghost laughed. Then he and the monks faded away.
David and Lestat ran into the dungeon that Armand was trapped in.
"Quickly," Lestat said, "Dig him out." Lestat and David tried to dig Armand out with their bare hands. To their astonishment their strength was so diminished they were unable to dig Armand's body out.
David hurried about the room, looking for something, anything in the darkness to dig with. "Lestat, look out," he screamed, the floor bubbled and liquefied under them. All three found themselves swimming in a lake of blood. David grabbed Armand who wasn't trying to save himself. David held Armand tightly, kicking his legs to stay a float. The lake suddenly turned into a tidal wave, spinning Armand, David, and Lestat helplessly around and about like they were made of cork. The tidal wave sucked them down to the bottom of the floor, then seeped and leaked into cracks until the lake was gone. On the floor was a little doll of Armand with its head cut off.
"Lestat," David screamed, "Where are you!"
David grabbed Armand, and carried him to the room where Louis and Daniel were waiting.
Lestat's eyes watched the slow sway of the razor sharp blade of the pendulum hovering twelve inches from his body. He struggled hard against the manacles fixing him to the rack. The pendulum was lowering inch by inch, closer to his flesh.
"Ah, the brat Prince," the Ghost smirked at Lestat, "Tell me brat, having a good time?"
"I've had better," Lestat said nonchalantly, "I see you have the pleasure of my name. May I ask who I am addressing?"
"Sir Henry Standford. And I'm afraid knave, I am not at your service."
Lestat glared at him. "I was under the impression that you did not employ these instruments on humans."
"You were misinformed. Then again, "Sir Henry said, grinning at Lestat, "You, Marquis are not human."
The blade slid into Lestat's flesh, ripping a tear in his shirt. Blood sweat ran down Lestat's grinning face. He grit his teeth for the next swing of the pendulum. "I'm not impressed," he whispered.
"Will you be impressed tomorrow, and tomorrow?" the Ghost laughed. "Every night I will kill you. Tonight, the pendulum, tomorrow, beheading, next night drowning, till what is left of your life," the Ghost snapped his fingers in Lestat's face, "fades away. Poor, little, insignificant you. What a lovely doll your soul will be put in once you are dead. I'll add you to the rest of my collection of souls. I already made a doll to place your surrendered soul in. Just like I made dolls for your friends' souls. Oh, your friends are not dead yet of course. Daniel is hanging by a thread. They will die more sooner than later. As soon as they are dead, Lestat, their souls will be mine to claim and imprison."
The blade swung, swiping at Lestat's flesh. "Ahhh," Lestat moaned.
"Did that hurt? Little vampire?" The Ghost simpered at Lestat, "Why don't you scream! The others did."
"The hell with you," Lestat raged. "Louis!" he howled in pain as the blade hit him again, tearing away more flesh.
The ghost heard running footsteps approaching them.
"Why brat. I do believe we're about to have company," the Ghost chuckled.
Louis ran into the room. "No," Louis screamed, he grabbed the stem of the pendulum. The pendulum dragged and skidded his body against the rack Lestat was imprisoned in. Louis strained, using all his strength to keep the pendulum from striking Lestat again.
"Cher," Lestat cried, "Save yourself. Get out of here. He'll kill you."
"Never, Lestat," Louis felt his hands start to give, the pendulum swung from his hands straight towards Lestat's body.
"No," Louis shirked, throwing himself in front of Lestat's body. The pendulum swung harmlessly right through them.
Louis' chest heaved, his legs gave out from under him causing him to fall to the floor.
"Louis, this is no time for you to have a panic attack," Lestat demanded. "Get me out of the manacles."
The words were barely out of Lestat's mouth when the rack disappeared, sending Lestat falling and crashing to the stone floor.
"Are you all right, Lestat," Louis said, slapping Lestat's cheeks to try to wake him up.
Lestat's eyes slowly opened. "Is he gone?" Lestat said, looking around.
"Is who gone?" Louis said frantically, "What's going on here. Who put you in that machine of torture? Who's doing this to us? Lestat please if you can tell me."
"Never mind Louis," Lestat said calmly, not wanting to frighten Louis any more than he already was,"You tried to save my life. Thank you, Cher." He pulled Louis' pale face to his pressing his lips hungrily against Louis'. He slipped his tongue into Louis' worried mouth.
"Give him a kiss for me," a voice whispered inside Lestat's head.
"No," Lestat screamed, thrusting Louis away from him.
"Lestat, what's the matter?" Louis implored, his eyes wide with concern.
"Look at that juicy little slut of yours, my, my, my, Lestat," the voice purred inside Lestat's head.
"How I would like to strip him of his trousers. What's under those trousers, Lestat? Is he wellendowed? How sweet are those thighs? I'm going to find out. Is he tight when you stick your cock in him, Lestat? He looks tight enough."
"No, leave Louis alone. I'll kill you if you hurt him," Lestat threatened.
"Hurt who?" Louis said worried and confused, "I'm next aren't I? I'm next to be tortured. Who is going to hurt me?"
"Shut up, Louis," Lestat angrily said, "No one is going to touch you."
Lestat leaped to his feet. He went over to a wall hanging and tore off a long strip of it. He went over to Louis and tied one end of it to Louis' wrist, and the other end of it to his own.
"Lestat," Louis protested, "Is this necessary?"
"Yes, Cher," Lestat said sadly, pulling Louis to him and holding him tight. "You're in great danger, Louis. You can't leave my side, do you understand that?"
Louis nodded his head, becoming more afraid than ever. "Lestat," Louis said, "Daniel. He needs help. Follow me up to the stairs to the main room. David's with him right now. There's nothing we can do for Daniel. Armand's in shook. He just sits there in a chair, rocking back and forth, muttering about monks. Talking to himself."
"Or talking to someone you can't see or hear, Louis," Lestat said glumly.
Louis' eyes widened. He laid his head against Lestat's chest, and softly said, "Come on Lestat. Lets give your blood another try for Daniel. Maybe if he drank directly from you."
"Lestat," screamed Louis, feeling himself being pulled away from Lestat's protective hold of him by an icy wind. Louis crashed to the floor. The strip of cloth tying the two together ripped itself apart. Louis could feel an invisible, clammy breeze slip into his jeans. His balls and cock were being roughly fondled. Cold invisible hands opened his overcoat and played with his naked chest. "Stop," Louis screamed, as a chilly invisible mouth lightly bit his nipple.
"Damn you," Lestat roared throwing himself on Louis' body. "Leave him alone, leave him alone," he demanded.
Laughing, the ghost whispered in Lestat's mind, "I can't fuck him as a spirit. I can only touch against the surface of his body. But, I will fuck him, Lestat, soon. It will be my pleasure. Our pleasure. He's mine!"
Louis breath came out in quick hard gasps, under Lestat's weight on him. He managed to say bravely, "We can beat this Lestat. This won't destroy us. It can't." He tried unconvincingly to comfort Lestat. Lestat wept in frustration. He knew he could not protect Louis from his eventual fate.