Fate's Design Reserved

2,000 years ago doing all the great wars of man, one warrior was involved to conquer the evil people who would fight against the god of the Catholic Church. However when he witnessed the harshness of the church when people who were poor tried to seek refuge, he changed. The church was killing anyone who did not look like them. The warrior walked into the church just as the monks had finished slaughtering the 100 people he had been trying to save. The blood of the guilty he could handle but blood of the innocent was too much.

He killed the monks and buried the people they killed. The high council found out what he did and decided to punish him worse than death. They performed an ancient ritual that turned him into the ultimate sin. The undead. Then they chained him up and made him watch as they burnt his wife at the stake, Talia under the rues of her being a witch. The high priest says to the warrior, “Now you are alone to suffer for all time.” Consumed by grief and anger, the warrior lashed out breaking the chains that bound him and he tore everyone there open with his teeth. For years he was hunted before finally being confined in his coffin in Naperville in 1761.

Now

Ariel Mustang wakes up with a start. She says to herself, “I keep having that dream.” She gets up in a hurry and gets dress before rushing off to the park. She was supposed to have a late night date with her boyfriend and she was going to be late. Over the news there have been countless reports off grave robbing at night these past few weeks. She did not mind it being dangerous. She was fast. However as she ran, she bumped into a man she had never seen before walking out of the cemetery. This was the town of Naperville. No one new has come here for fifty years so he was odd. She says, “I’m sorry are you okay sir?” She did not want to be rude. But she did keep her distance in case he was a grave robber.

Then -
Naperville had always been a small town, though stepped in quite a number of centuries worth of history.  It had once been famous for it was rumoured an infamous vampire was buried there in the 18th century.  The stone was unnamed, but there were many theories as to whom exactly it was.  Some said Dracula, others, Lestat, while some claimed the vampire was not a vampire at all, but a mistaken mortal caught up in the great blood plague of that century.  No-one really knew just who was buried there, but over the years, the myths were left as that and the legends faded with the new generations.  One thing however, never left either myth nor legend.  The burial was not Christian.  In fact, such burials were often done for heretics and witches to prevent their souls entering Heaven.  This grave was laid out just the same.  There were other burials in Naperville that were similar but not quite exactly the same.  Whoever was beneath the earth not only didn't deserve eternal damnation in Hell, they deserved the torment of seeing their death come.

During the 60's, archaeological societies had decided to investigate the witch graves for clues about how they had been treated.  When they came to the unnamed grave, they couldn't open the stone coffin.  Thinking it best to leave it sealed, they scanned it instead with X-rays.  They found a single occupant with their hands and feet bound with iron shackles and an iron mask over their lower face.  Further investigation showed it had been bolted onto the occupants skull and jaw.  Iron crosses covered every inch of the stone coffin and one had been placed between the occupant's hands and feet, bound in with the shackles.  This unfortunate soul had been tortured with the iron and then buried alive.  It caused a huge scandal at the time and the church was forced to release a statement explaining what could have warranted such a cruel and lasting punishment.  Only the ultimate weapon of the Devil himself would gain such a punishment.

Well, once that had been made public, Naperville became famous all over again.  People flocked from all over the world to stand at the grave of the unnamed.  No longer was it just a rumour of Dracula, it was real.  After that, the cemetery had to be closed off to the public.  From visitors, came robbers.  Every grave that wasn't Christian was targeted and all manner of artefacts and relics were stolen.  Even the unnamed stone was damaged as people fought to have a piece of it for themselves.  After fifty years, all that remained was a small stump of granite.  However, the robbers lingered.

Now -
The sun had been down for about an hour when the raiding party of ten men entered the old cemetery and they knew they would not be disturbed.  They were after only one thing in the ground, the one thing left that would make them rich.  The unnamed stone coffin.  In all the years it had been studied, it had never been removed.  Nothing of the time could lift it out of the ground and nothing had been able to penetrate the seal, and since then, once the money and rumour had dried up, it had simply been left alone.  The team already had a buyer lined up and the offer of more than a fifty million dollars was more than enough for this team to attempt what no other had.

The grave was excavated quickly and a small crane was driven in to try and lift the coffin out.  It was done, but one of the men got more greedy than the others.  He managed to break the seal and open the lid.  What greeted the team was nothing short of disturbing.  The body was not bare bones as was believed.  The body, though shrivelled and distorted, was intact!  They figured it had been the seal around the stone, but it still left many of them wondering just what they had got caught up in.  Thinking it was the iron relics that the buyer wanted more than the body, they began to remove the metal, but as one prised off the mask, he cut his thumb with the chisel.  That was all it took.  Within minutes, every last man was cut down and drained.

With his body once again coming to life and filling out as it had once been, Judas Iscariot removed the men of their clothing that would fit his large frame and began making his way from the cemetery.  He knew many years had passed, though he wasn't sure just what would be waiting for him.  But what he had waiting for the descendants of those that had interred him was far worse.  Leaving the oldest part of the cemetery, he began looking around for the way out.  This place had grown considerably since his internment.  One thing he didn't see though, was a young girl that ran straight into him.

Turning sharply, he narrowed his pale eyes at the girl, then stepped back in near terror as she spoke to him.  He knew her face.  "Talia."  He breathed, then looked around as he heard someone coming.  His grave would soon be discovered and with it, he would be discovered.  Backing up quickly, Judas turned from the girl and the noise and disappeared into the night.

Shortly after, Ariel's boyfriend, David, appeared.  "Hey!"  He said, "You're late!  Guess what I found!"  And he grabbed her hand, pulling her with him......

Arial saw the man was frightened for some reason. She says, "Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" She did not miss what he called her but she didn't know how to respond. Only one person been called that name. It was forbidden to say that name here. Some say that it was the name of a woman who was convicted of making a pact with the devil and being a witch.

When David came into sight she turned back to the stranger and he was gone. She couldn't help but think that the man was not from here yet something inside her felt like she knew him. Who the heck was he? She turned her attention back to David and kissed his cheek when he pulled her close. She says to him, "It must be something important. You never call me for a night date."

David grinned and began leading Ariel deeper into the old part of the cemetery.  He'd found another tomb, buried deep in the far corner of the grounds.  He and some of his friends had set up a mock altar with a cat's skull on it.  The grave was that of a once treasured pet, but they had dug it up to make their fake satanic ritual.  He wanted to show her how real it looked.

Heading for the centre of town, Judas couldn't quite get the image of the girl in the cemetery out of his mind.  Talia had died childless, so this girl was no direct relation.  His wife had been one of many daughters, so perhaps a relation of one of them?  It seemed unlikely, though possible.  He made it to the town hall, but with it being so late, he knew there was nobody here.  He scouted the building briefly and then jumped up to the roof to find another way in.  He found it and slipped inside.

It didn't take long to find the records archive and he quickly began searching for the names he needed.  Those that had imprisoned him so long ago had become the town elders and that made his fury burn deeper than ever.  The families had been made rich by his demise and had taken over the entire town.  "Van Derguard,"  He said icy, "Beaumont, Mustang, Van Buren.  Now I have you."  The families still lived in Naperville.  "Easier than I thought."  He mused, tearing out the pages of the archive to keep.

His planned revenge against the families was detailed and brutal.  He'd had two centuries to perfect it.  He would hold them hostage, one family at a time and make the head of each family choose which of his children would die first, but not before he openly raped and murdered their wives.  Talin had suffered that before he'd been made to watch her burn.  And when only the head of the family was left, he would slowly relieve them of their limbs and then bolt their jaws shut the same way they had done to him.  The house, he would not touch, leaving them as a warning to the rest of Naperville and the world beyond of what happened to the God fearing should they come across the original vampire.....

Ariel tensed up at the look of the Satanic ritual fake sight. She says, "You wanted me to meet you here for this? If any of the law enforcement find out about this, you could go to jail big time. You know that this place is very religious. No one would have mercy on you." She clearly was upset by this. A flash of fire surrounded her for a moment before she snapped back to reality. "I'm going home David. Don't call me for something this stupid again." She has enough money to buy a car but she preferred to walk everywhere. She was heir to the Mustang fortune. She could have anything or anyone she wanted. All she would have to do is speak up and it would be hers. But not for long as she can remember, she has had images of a woman dying by fire tied to a stake. She have a deep fear of fire and she didn't even know why. Something always told her to run whenever there was a flame nearby.

She walks by the City Hall on the way home to her father's place. She thought that David was going to propose to her. Their parents had always wanted them to be together. But she had always thought there would be something more for her.

With everything he needed, Judas made his exit the same way he came in and sat on the roof for a moment to consider which family he would visit first.  The Van Derguards were the closest and it was the head of that family that had proposed the idea.  Yes, he would visit them first.  Then the Van Burens.  He would save the Mustangs until last.  It was that family head that had made and bolted the mask to his face before the coffin was sealed.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw someone walking past he town hall and looked down over the wall to see who it was.  It was her again and he backed up slightly in case she looked up.  He didn't want to be seen again, but he did want to know who this girl was rather desperately.  Being discrete, he began to follow her some, moving along the rooftops in such a way that he could keep track of her, but she could not possibly see him.  She reminded him so much of his lost Talia, even her walk was the same.  Talia had a way about her that made anyone look twice and admire.  This girl had that same trait.....

Ariel finally made it to her father's estate. She says to herself, "That was such a let down. David is such a child." As soon as the porch light turned on automatically as soon as she came through the gate, the butler had the door open. He says to her as she walks up, "Welcome home Ms. Mustang. What was so urgent that Mr David needed?" She says, "Something that could get him in serious trouble." Her purple hair blew some as the door shut with her inside. Her blood's scent traveling through the air like a river. Blood type O. Virginal. Extra sweet and valued by the undead.

Judas followed her for as long as he dared, but soon enough, the road opened out to houses and he could no longer follow unseen.  He stopped and watched her head for a wide avenue in the rich end of the town and narrowed his eyes.  Her scent caught on the wind and he felt a sudden rush of hunger and lust hit him.  He hadn't smelled blood that sweet for centuries.  He had already fed for that night, but the rush of her scent meant he would not sleep peacefully until he fed again.

Back in the main town, he found his next meal and quickly helped the young prostitute into the next life.  Her blood wasn't pure by a long chalk, telling him that she had partaken regularly of opiates.  Oh yes, he knew about them, well, the original versions of them anyway.  After killing the woman, he raided her purse for her wallet.  She had a home of sorts and went there.  She wouldn't be needing it anymore.  He took her body with him so it wouldn't be found for a while, giving him time to finish his work and move on.

The apartment was sparse and filthy, but it would do.  he cleaned up somewhat and then dismembered the woman's corpse.  She had a myriad of gadgets that would liquefy much of her flesh.  All that was washed down the drains, leaving only her bare bones.  He snapped them into small pieces and bagged them up.  He noticed that much waste was put into large metal cans outside and so quickly disposed of the bones that way.  He now had a base he could work from and went about setting the place up how he needed.  The dawn would come soon and he needed to rest......

The next morning Ariel was doing everything she could to move. She was never going to do a night date again. Her father comes in her room and says, " I have a meeting with the council tonight. So I won't be home until very late. I want you to stay home today. I already arranged your homework to be brought home by David. Since you are on the same classes at the college, I did not think it would be a big deal. The counsel think there's trouble coming."

She could not argue with her father. He was the most powerful man in town and whatever he said goes. She knew that her father belong to a secret organization. She knew that they prevented things but she didn't know what exactly they prevented. She was too afraid to ask and was also too afraid to tell her father about her dreams. Visions of another person being burnt alive at the stake. He would either have her committed or probably burned at the stake just like the girl in her vision.

Judas settled down to sleep for the day, making sure every window in that room was blacked out.  The bed was comfortable enough, though nothing like what he had been used to before his internment.  It seemed much had moved on since then.  Before, it had been down stuffed pillows and mattresses, layers of sheets and rough blankets and a heavy eiderdown on the top.  Now, it seemed as only a few layers were needed.  The eiderdown was strange, thicker, but a lot lighter and only two sheets on the bed.  The mattress was also very different.  No down there, but springs instead.  There would be much to get used to.  Judas closed his eyes and settled down under the strange eiderdown, pulling it over his head.

The day came and went and soon enough, early evening rolled around.  The council convened around five, so it was still daylight.  When Mustang arrived, Van Buren, Van Derguard and Beaumont were already there waiting for him.  "The news is worse than we thought."  Beaumont said quickly, "we don't know yet how they managed it, but someone opened the coffin.  The devil inside drank every last one of them, ten men in all.".....

Ariel's father looked at them he was head the Council. "This is not good my friends but it is not like we have not made preparations for this day. I will summon the hunters. But until they arrive, you should prepare yourselves so that he may not enter your homes. Holy water on every crossing of a door and window. Make sure your children wear crosses on their necks. Make sure that everyone in your household is eating the herb Nightshade. If a vampire ingests the herb, they will be paralyzed long enough for you to drive a stake through its heart."

By night Ariel had gotten restless. She goes outside the home to get some air. But without realizing it, she went back to the cemetery. Something was drawing her there. She found herself in front of an open grave. Little traces of blood everywhere. She says with a voice that is not her own, "You are finally free Judas. Avenge me. But do not lose yourself to your blood lust. We have unfinished business of our own." Talia's soul had woken up from a long sleep. She could not rest in peace until she saw what her husband has become for herself.

Beaumont and Van Buren nodded in agreement, but Van Derguard wasn't entirely convinced, "But Nightshade only works on his creations."  He said, "Not him.  And blessing our homes won't keep him out for very long.  And when honestly was the last time a crucifix actually worked in warding off a vampire?  Our only grace is daylight, Mustang.  We're talking about Judas Iscariot, here.  The original vampire.  From the old texts, it took four score and ten to put him in that coffin.  Even with every hunter on the eastern seaboard, we won't have enough to do it again.  He's had more than two centuries to gather his wits and strength.  We cannot defeat him in Naperville."
"Then what would you suggest?"  Beaumont asked quickly.
"We drive him south."  Van Buren offered, "The days are getting longer down there and we could involve the other chapters."
"And our families?"  Van Derguard asked, "What of them?  You know they won't escape his evil and we can't very well drag our entire bloodlines down south without causing far too many questions."  All three then looked to Mustang.

The day came and went and Judas slept more peacefully than he had done in centuries.  Only, not long after dark and he began to stir somewhat, he felt something prick his mind deep and hard.  His eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, "Talia!"  He breathed.  He could hear her voice in his head, stabbing at his mind like a thousand blades and it hurt.  He shut his eyes again tight and gripped his temples.  Avenge me.  She had said.  We have unfinished business.  She had said.  Each word scoured across his brain and he fell out of the bed with a loud thump as he battled to stop it becoming too painful to bear.  She had been woken again, in spirit.  "That girl."  He said quietly, "It's her.  Talia is in that mortal."  He got up quickly and fled the apartment to try and find her.....

Ariel’s father looks at him and says, “He does have a weakness for pretty women, especially when they resemble Talia. It is no secret that somehow my daughter resembles her almost identically to her. The original families wiped out her entire family line but Ariel is the spitting image of her. He will go wherever she goes.” Her father was a cold and heartless man. He would do anything to stay in power.

Talia stayed in control of Ariel’s body. She says knowing Judas could hear her in his head, “Be calm my husband. I am waiting for you in the cemetery. It is the only place the council does not go. I have been waiting for you to awaken.” She went to her family tomb deep in the cemetery. She opened the door and went inside. “I can only control this girl during the night.”

Judas followed his ears and the stinging in his head straight to the cemetery.  As he entered, he looked around and blinked a few times, "Could it really be this simple?"  He asked no-one in particular and then made his way to the family tomb.  Once there, he discovered the door slightly ajar and a small candle lighting the sanctum.  "Talia?"  He entered cautiously.  The council would know by now that he had escaped, but his need to meet the gaze of his lost wife once more was too much to resist.

Beaumont and Van Buren stared in utter shock at Mustang and how cold he had just been about his own child.  "You would use your only daughter to get to him?"  Beaumont asked, "You would sacrifice her?  She is your only child, Mustang.  Sure, she looks the mirror image of the dead witch, but...."....

Talia walked to him and stroked his face. “You have no changed a day my love.” She kisses his lips softly. “I have been waiting so long to see you again. My soul has not been able to leave this earth since I died. Forced to watch you unable to touch you. Now that have gotten to see you myself, I think I can rest now and let you move on from me.” She strokes his cheek. “This girl has been seeing our past in her sleep since she was a child. This girl is special. You must protect her. The council already knows you are awake and they will most likely use her to get to you.” She looks in his eyes. “Don’t become a monster like them. Get revenge by being smatter than them.”

Her father looks at them a moment with a huff. “I can always adopt. And you know damn well Talia was no witch. Our family burned her alive to punish Judas.” He smiles. “He can’t resist her. We all know that vampires can’t resist virgin blood. Hers is the strongest in the town. Even his creatures will flock to her.”

Judas was utterly blown away by the presence of his lost wife and when she kissed him, he fell back against the wall slightly.  After the initial shock wore off, he moved forward again and shook his head vehemently, "I can never let you go."  He told her, "I have searched for you for so long.  This girl you have taken, she is not you, my love.  She may look like you, but until I can restore your soul, she will be pale by comparison."

Beaumont shook his head, "You're mad, Mustang."  He said quietly, "And when he finds out just who she is, he will simply kill her.  Iscariot has no heart left for us to exploit.  He may lust after her blood, but that makes little difference to his ability to defeat us."......

Talia looks at him sadly. “Judas that is not fair to this child. She was not born to have me take her over. I just wanted to see you one last time. the long I stay in this world much longer I will cease to exist all together.” She strokes his cheek and says, “She is equal to me Judas. She can make you happy if you let her.” She places his hand on her heart, “She is here living and loving.” Meanwhile her father shrugged, “Never underestimate the powers of a woman.”

Judas shook his head again, "But I have searched for you."  He told her, "And I have waited.  For centuries, my love.  How can I let you go now when you are so close to me?"  He motioned over the body of the girl he yet didn't know.  "This girl is nothing, my love.  You are my everything, you always were and you always will be.  Make her your vessel my love and come back to me."

Beaumont shook his head again and went back to his seat, "I would never dare."  he said, "But this is madness, Mustang.  She is your only living heir.  Adoption will only go so far.  What of your legacy and the council?"....

Talia looks at him and kisses his neck gently. “I can’t do that to her, Judas. I don’t have the power anymore. This is the last night I have.” She looks in his eyes. “This is good-bye.” Talia left Ariel’s body a white light leaving her body before disappearing and Ariel looks at him dizzy. She says, “You are the man I jumped into the other night. Are you okay?”

Her father thinks a moment. “We could lure him down south using her.”

Judas felt his heart begin to ache and he started shaking his head as Talia told him she was leaving.  "No!"  He demanded, "I won't let you leave me again!"  But it was too late.  He watched her spirit leave the girl and float up to the roof of the sanctum.  It then disappeared and he was left with a question from the girl that he couldn't never possibly know.

The softness and love left him in that instant and he grabbed the girl firmly by her throat, "A mistake you won't repeat very soon."  He told her and shoved her back from him, "Now go home, little girl.  There be monsters in this place after dark."  And he turned for the door quickly....

Ariel looks at him a moment confused but no fear in her eyes. “I know you…I am sorry she had to go…” She stands against the wall not moving from her spot. “You are not a monster.” She extends her hand some, “My name is Ariel Mustang. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Her blue eyes look at him calmly. She wraps her arms around herself trying to warm herself.

Judas stopped at the door when the girl gave him her full name.  He felt his heart leap into his throat, then fall back into the pit of his stomach.  He turned around slowly, his eyes growing cold and evil.  "You are the daughter of Mustang."  He said icily, "The one that condemned me to eternity in a stone coffin."  He moved up close to her again and stared down at her as one hand went slowly about her throat once again.  He squeezed, but not too much.

"To your family."  Judas said quietly, dangerously, "I am the biggest monster of all and I have waited two centuries for my vengeance.  Your family and all those of the council he leads will be destroyed.  I will take from them all they have taken from me.  Starting with you."  He slowly tightened his grip on her throat and lifted her off her feet.  He opened his mouth wide and bore his fangs at Ariel......

Ariel looks at him knowing she was about to die but even so she could not fear him. Yes he was a monster to most people. However something inside her told her not to give into him. “You have every right to vengeance. I won’t argue with you there. I have seen watch they did to you and your wife. Hell I have lived your wife’s death, since I was two years old. You and your wife did not deserve to die for doing the right thing. Everyone in this town deserves to die ten times over. However you are not a monster. You are just getting the justice you deserve.” With that, she closed her eyes and waited for him to kill her.

Judas growled in his throat as she showed him no fear and simply closed her eyes to wait for the bite.  Her words stung at his mind and he felt his suspicions rise ever further.  He stared at his hand about her throat and squeezed just that little bit more, hoping to get some of that fear, but it didn't happen.  In a flash, he sank his fang into her throat and drank deeply......

Everyone knows when a vampire drinks human blood, they absorb all the memories of the person they drink. So the moment her blood touched his lips, flashes of her life her memories went into his mind. Playing like a movie. He sees her as a two year old girl. Waking up from the flashes of Talia being burned alive. Tears coming down her face as she cries out for them to stop. He sees her drawing pictures of him and Talia then saying prayers for them. Each time the memories of their lives growing stronger in her dreams. He sees her struggling to understand why she had the dreams in the first place. He sees her growing up with a deep fear of fire. He sees her offering prayers every year to the both of them. Prayers for forgiveness and to end their suffering. Never prayers for herself never prayers for her father never prayers for the council. He sees her slowly growing up pulling away from the people she should care about. As though she knew he was going to return and that she was going die.