Subj: The Revenge of Nicholas Blair Part 20
Date: 8/27/00 7:21:05 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Shadowalker
Barnabas looked at the crumpled body of Willie.
He needed and depended on him in so many ways. He had become a close friend, and confidant.
Thinkng, "but now, but now"........he quickly looked away from Willie, he was at once overcome wth the old and familiar feelings that disgusted and revolted him.
He did inflict hurt again on Willie and knowing this, that he had done this to him wracked him with renewed pain and guilt over yet another person in his life.
But Willie was not dead, simply unconscious. Barnabas knew that and only took enough ourishment to help him for now.
He wanted to take Willie to the Old House, but felt still too weak to carry him. It was all he could do for the moment to even stand on his own two feet.
He had to rest for awhile to build his strength up for the battle he would be encountering with Nicholas and Lestat.
He had never experienced anything like this that would try every bit of power that he had. The power only the creatures and demons of hell could use.
His anger and hatred for Nicholas and Lestat, and his deep love and concern for his wife and child, were his motivating factors.
No, it was not the fear of survival himself this time.
He slowly bent his head down, "damn it", he thought, "why must it take so long to regain my strength this time?"
A very reluctant but ironic smile came to him as he thought, "because I was aging in a natural process finally. I finally got what I had wanted and desired for so long, yet to have it taken by the one I love".
He sat back against the wall next to Willie and closed his eyes, to concentrate all his will and energy into renewing and regenerating his body.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lestat drug Ann into the house, she almost tripped coming up the steps from his forceful pulling on her.
Nicholas heard them and quickly went up the stairs. This was the first time that Nicholas had ever seen her.
Now he understood why Lestat was so taken by her. But to the vampyre, she was only a coup to be torn from his enemy, nothing more...yet.
Her beauty was breath-catching, her black hair becoming luminescent from the light in the hall and contrasting to the white ness of her skin.
She glanced at Nicholas, her dark eyes beheld her fiery temper behind them. Nicholas found himself curiously aroused from her, but there was pressing business to tend to first, before anymore illicit thoughts.
"Its ready. Now, bring her down", commanded Nicholas. "Very well, Nicholas, but keep in mind, this is the last order I will take from you," hissed Lestat.
Roughly, he grabbed her arm again and pulled her down the steps, she fought with him, pounded on his arm, screaming again the name of Barnabas. Her frustration and tears not effecting the two captors.
At the bottom, she finally tripped and fell. As she scrambled up, Anns eyes flew to a machine that had all the horrors of Hell comprised to make it work.
There were ominous sounds, almost like the buzzing of millions of hornets and a transparent dome over what seemed to be the bed, that glowed a sickly green.
It pulsed and throbbed as though it had a life of its own. There were tubes of different shapes and sizes hooked up to yet another smaller but matching machine.
She knew that this was the monster that would seperate her from her baby.
Twisting around, she spat at Nicholas, "rot in hell!"
Nicholas, was becoming angry, he could and would not waste anymore time. He went over to the machine passed his hand between a sensor beam causing the dome to vanish.
Then walking back to Ann, he picked her up in his arms carried her kicking and screaming as she beat upon his body and face, to the table.
Nicholas lay her on the bed as she struggled from his vise-like grip, but she was unable to free herself. Ann already knew it was fruitless.
Lestat came forwards to assist Nicholas with her. As Lestat held down her arms, Nicholas spread his long tapered fingers over her ankles and giant leather straps appeared entrapping her legs. "Oh my God, NO!!" cried Ann.
She thought that this cannot be happening! "OH GOD! BARNABAS!! HELP!!" screaming with every fiber of her body. Then once more, Nicholas spread his fingers over her wrists and they were bound with the same straps at her sides.
Nicholas bent down to her, and with the care of a venomous snake said, "Now you must relax Ann, this will be over soon".
She looked at him with wild eyes that were now turning the red-gold of fear and anger.
Nicholas backed away and he once again passed his hand through the beam. The glowing green dome reappeared over Ann's body.
She heard the steady hum from the machine, growing ever so much louder, drowning her thoughts from her head, droning on, and gaining in intensity, causing her to become numb.
She was losing the battle and there was no help, all was lost. Her eyelids became too heavy to remain open from the hypnotic trance the machine was enfolding her in.
Her last thoughts were of her dear sweet baby and of Barnabas, as a single tear slipped down her cheek.........