Free Shining in Crimson: Empire of Blood Book One (A Dystopian Vampire Novel) by Robert S. Wilson Page B

he had that day. He tossed and turned in his sleep and in his dream he held up the cross and the demons kept on coming. He cried out to God to come and save him from them, but God didn't come. They chased him up mountains and through deserts and no matter how fast he would run , they were always right behind him. Then, he tripped over a large rock in the desert and fell on his face. The biggest demon looked down at him with its blood-red face and its black goatee and smiled as it reached out to grab him. He woke up in a cold sweat and made a mild whining sound, the same as he had that day. And just like that day, that was when he heard her screaming.
    He didn't have to listen to recognize his mother's voice. He knew it was coming. He wanted to stay in his room but something pulled at him. Some force he couldn't resist. It pulled him up to his feet. Then, it pulled him to his bedroom door and made him open it. As the door opened, the screams were no longer muffled and began to fill his room. Then, it gave him a push and he started walking out into the living room just outside his bedroom. The sound of growling made him jump. When he landed, just like that day, his feet made a loud thump on the old, hardwood floor. His mother's screams stopped. She pled in a whisper.
    "Please," she said. "Please don't hurt my son," she added, her voice almost breaking out of the whisper.
    "Don't worry baby, I only came for you," a deep voice returned in a mocking whisper.
    "Then please, don't let him find me like this. Please, go away" she begged, barely holding on to a whisper.
    "No," the voice said loudly.
    A rush of loud movement began and Simon heard bed springs creak violently as the man's voice breathed loudly and deeply. Then, the voice moaned. His mother made no noise at all. Then, after a few minutes, Simon thought he heard a faint whimper from her as the bed creaked even louder. The force that pulled him seemed determined to make him relive this nightmare all over again. He could feel it pull him toward the hallway just past the living room leading to his mother's bedroom.
    He knew what he was about to see. He’d seen it hundreds of times throughout his life in his worst nightmares. He never saw all the man's face. Only the teeth behind that vicious smile. And the black eyes as they stared back at him. Everything else about the man, in every nightmare, had been a blur. The real memory long since buried in his brain. The force pulled him to the left and into the hallway. The sound of movement echoed off the narrow, paneled walls as Simon walked barefoot down the hall toward his mother's room.
    He could see the door at the end of the hallway. It was currently ajar. Light spilled out onto the hallway floor from within the room. The floor creaked again as he walked and his mother whispered a prayer, stumbling over her words. The creaking and the man's moaning voice continued as if nothing had changed. Simon felt an anguish fill his body in anticipation of what he was about to see for the second time. He felt like he was crying but when he put his hands to his face, it was completely dry of tears. When he got to the door, his hands reached out against his will and pushed the door forward. He fought with all his will but his hands just kept on pushing, until finally the door went wide open.
    There before him someone he hadn't expected to recognize laid on top of his mother. The monster had messy blonde hair and a vicious smile Simon wouldn't forget this time. Peter. Peter had raped his mother all those years ago. He looked at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. Peter only smiled at him, continuing his assault. But for the second time, Simon felt only hatred for his mother in response to those pleading eyes. How could she let him do such a thing and not fight back? He was sure she enjoyed it and only pretended to be unwilling. It was, in Simon’s eyes, what she deserved. Even as horrible as it was to observe. But even more, he hated this