The A to Z Challenge! C is for Capture

C is for Capture!
More specifically, a scene from NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH where Roland gets captured!


Chapter Twenty-Five: Wild Blood Man

He woke in chains.  If he could see the position of the moon he’d know how long he’d been unconscious, but he sat inside a closed up traveling box.  Although it was completely black inside, his nocturnal eyes had no trouble seeing everything it contained. 

Thick wood paneling stood up on all four sides and the top, blocking out the sunlight.  He would’ve thought he might be inside a small building except he could feel it moving down the road. 

He pulled at the silver chains but they wouldn’t budge.  The metal felt too hot to touch.  Despite his overwhelming exhaustion, Roland forced himself to try to turn into a bat.  If he was small enough to slip out he might be able to fly to safety.  Nothing happened.  He tried to calm his frightened thoughts and focus again, but it still didn’t work.

Wildes Blut-Tier was sprawled against a corner of the room.  His blazing red eyes watched Roland silently. 

Looking away from those eerie eyes, Roland started to take in his surroundings.  There were strange traps hanging all over the walls.  Some looked like bear and rabbit traps, but others appeared more fiendish.  He then noticed the piles of animal fur.  Many of them were from animals like foxes, wolves, and bears.  Other furs seemed to come from animals he’d never seen before. 

A sasquatch skin caught his eye.  He wondered if Fenroth had a hard time killing it. 

Roland noticed something even more peculiar.  What looked like human sized insect limbs swung from the ceiling, swaying back and forth with the movement of the carriage.  Mysteriously large fish scales rested in a corner, glinting with an emerald hue.

Roland spotted the werewolves, Set and Hades, deep asleep in their cages.  For a moment he felt pity on them.  He shuddered at the thought of being trapped as a wolf forever. 

Wildes wasn’t the only one watching him.  A single crow eyed him sadly from its cage by the door.  He thought such a harmless bird didn’t belong in this place of horrors.  An empty bunk covered in fur and surrounded by strange weapons and traps rested in the back of the wagon.  That’s where Fenroth must sleep.

Henry rested against the wall beside him.  Relief briefly washed away fear when Roland saw his friend’s chest move slowly and heard Henry’s heartbeat.

He gently nudged him with his leg and whispered as quietly as possible, “Henry, wake up.”

“Whu...?”

“Don’t scream.  Fenroth will stop the carriage.  Are you all right?”

Henry pulled on his chains but of course they didn’t budge.  Roland had no success so he knew a regular human wouldn’t have any luck.

“Roland, I’m glad you’re here.  Charlie got me while I was sleeping.  He knocked me out with a shovel.  My head still hurts.”  His face white with fear, he kept trying to pull free.

“It’s useless.  How did you wind up here?”

“Charlie must have carried me into the woods, but I woke up and kicked him.  He dropped me, so I started to run but I heard Polly calling for help.  It startled me enough for Charlie to knock me out again.  I woke up here.  Can’t you change into a bat and escape?”

“Nope, but I’ll keep trying.”

He felt the carriage bump and realized it must’ve driven off the main dirt road.  Suddenly it came to a grinding halt.  He heard the sound of people climbing down the side of the wagon and then walking around.  The door opened, and Roland caught a peek outside.  A faint pink glow briefly illuminated the black interior, causing Wildes to squint and whimper.  It was almost dawn. 

An Indian girl entered, followed by Fenroth.  He closed the door and gave Roland a self-satisfied smirk.  “Better get some sleep.  We’ve got a long journey to the Master’s secret lair.” 

“Dominic told his servants we were off limits.  You’d better let us go.” 

Fenroth let out a big, deep laugh.  “The Master warned you to remain behind the barrier.”  He casually walked to his bed.  The girl sat on a small pile of skins.  She appeared roughly sixteen years old. 

Fenroth gave a toothy smile.  “He said if you left, you’d be fair game.”

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Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Charlie

CHARLIE

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.

Physical characteristics:
Charlie has sandy blond hair which is always a mess. He's scrawny and always has a wicked grin unless he's in trouble by his brothers or caught by members of the Order of the Righteous Vampires.

Personality:
He followed the lead of his brothers Beufus and Cletus while they were alive or undead. They get into mischief. Scared of his older brother because of the many beatings inflicted upon him by Beufus. Often makes mistakes or says things that annoy Beufus. Always tries to be his brother Beufus' favorite when the brothers were alive or undead. After their deaths, Charlie would do the same for Dominic. He spies on others and tattles as a way of earning favoritism. He has an awkward laugh and always gives off a creepy vibe. He is stuck as a teenager for a few hundred years. If he can survive vampire hunters and pissed off vampires, he could advance to adulthood eventually. Knowing Charlie's tendency to annoy others, that would be an incredible feat.

Abilities:
Charlie has the basic vampiric abilities; strength, speed, stamina, sharp nails that are used like claws, enhanced senses and the ability to heal from most small injuries. Like all vampires, he can't handle sunlight, wooden stakes to the heart or beheading. Each of these turn him to ash. Like all evil vampires, religious artifacts harm him as well. He has not learned how to transform or fly. He can maneuver perfectly. He has learned to dodge and escape others clutches, missing danger by inches. He learned that skill as a means to stay alive. He can hide extremely well and perfected his spying technique.

Known History:
Charlie and his brothers lived in Jorgantown all their lives. They were satisfied with scratching out a small living doing dock work and hiring themselves out for farm work or cabin building. Their evenings were spent drinking at the pub and occasionally causing a ruckus in the town.

The night they finally met Eliza Pratchet, the supposed town witch, was their last night alive. They teased her, only to have the recently arrived Foresight family try to defend her. Something in Eliza's eyes made the brothers forget what they were doing and instead they found a quiet spot to sleep off their drink.

The vampire Fenroth happened across them and seeing the stocky built of Charlie's older brothers, Beufus and Cletus, turned the two of them. He ignored Charlie because the boy was too scrawny and beneath his notice. Once a human has been bitten three times he or she begins to change. The transformation to vampirizim isn't always over night. The older the human, the longer it can take.

After the white warlock Dagda set up a magical barrier around Jorgantown and the surrounding woods as a means to protect Eliza and the vampire younglings Annabelle and Roland Foresight.  The barrier would prevent any dark creatures from entering. The vampire lord Dominic Pratchet  knew he would need inside agents to enact his revenge on his estranged wife, Eliza Pratchet, and the two children Eliza betrayed Dominic for. Realizing Fenroth's newest subjects were still in the incubation stage and therefore not dark creatures yet, Dominic commanded Fenroth to leave almost vampires Beufus and Cletus and their non-vampire brother Charlie where he found them, within the town. The barrier passed them by and once the full transformation was in effect, Dominic had three agents, (two vampire and one human) to use.

At first the men thought it was Dominic who turned them, since he was the vampire who summoned them once they woke up in their new lives. He sent them to retrieve Annabelle and Roland. They were to kill Eliza on sight. They failed and Cletus was killed by Eliza. Later Beufus was killed by Dominic, leaving Charlie alone.

Despite the deaths of his brothers, Charlie continued to spy for Dominic and successfully kidnapped the Foresight's friend, Henry. Charlie served his dark masters well and was awarded by becoming a vampire. He continued to serve Dominic for years. His fate is unknown at this time.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Beufus

BEUFUS

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.


Physical characteristics:
Beufus has dirty brown hair and dull eyes. He's large and stocky, bigger than his brothers Cletus and Charlie. He only had two yellow teeth when he was alive and gained a set of vampire fangs after he was turned.

Personality:
Bossy, always wants to lead his brothers in mischief because he's bored with life and hates everything and everybody. Rules over his brothers by threatening violence. Dull and dim witted almost as dense as his brother Cletus. Does most of the talking for his brothers.

Abilities:
Beufus has the basic vampiric abilities; strength, speed, stamina, sharp nails that are used like claws, enhanced senses and the ability to heal from most small injuries. Like all vampires, he can't handle sunlight, wooden stakes to the heart or beheading. Each of these turn him to ash. Like all evil vampires, religious artifacts harm him as well. He has not learned how to transform or fly. While Beufus is extra strong, he can't maneuver very well. This means smaller vampires with more developed speed could easily avoid his massive hands.

Known History:
Beufus and his brothers lived in Jorgantown all their lives. They were satisfied with scratching out a small living doing dock work and hiring themselves out for farm work or cabin building. Their evenings were spent drinking at the pub and occasionally causing a ruckus in the town.

The night they finally met Eliza Pratchet, the supposed town witch, was their last night alive. They teased her, only to have the recently arrived Foresight family try to defend her. Something in Eliza's eyes made the brothers forget what they were doing and instead they found a quiet spot to sleep off their drink.

The vampire Fenroth happened across them and seeing the stocky built of both Beufus and Cletus, turned the two of them. Once a human has been bitten three times he or she begins to change. The transformation to vampirizim isn't always over night. The older the human, the longer it can take.

After the white warlock Dagda warded off the vampire lord Dominic Pratchet from his property and began to set up a magical barrier to prevent any dark creatures from entering it, Dominic knew he would need inside agents to enact his revenge on his estranged wife, Eliza Pratchet, and the two children Eliza betrayed Dominic for. Realizing Fenroth's newest subjects were still in the incubation stage and therefore not dark creatures yet, Dominic commanded Fenroth to leave almost vampires Beufus and Cletus and their non-vampire brother Charlie where he found them, within the town. The barrier passed them by and once the full transformation was in effect, Dominic had three agents, (two vampire and one human) to use.

At first the men thought it was Dominic who turned them, since he was the vampire who summoned them once they woke up in their new lives. He sent them to retrieve Annabelle and Roland (the children Eliza rescued). They were to kill Eliza on sight. They failed and Cletus was killed by Eliza. Beufus escaped through the barrier which burned his hair off and permanently sizzled his flesh.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Isi

ISI

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.

Name origin:
Native American Choctaw unisex name meaning "deer."

Physical characteristics:
Isi has black hair and dark brown eyes. She is thin and short, allowing her to fit in most tight spots. She is very beautiful and extremely exotic.

Personality:
Closed off. She is very guarded, mysterious and only opens up to the vampire who turned her, Fenroth.

Abilities:
Isi has the basic vampiric abilities; strength, speed, stamina, sharp nails that are used like claws, enhanced senses and the ability to heal from most small injuries. Like all vampires, she can't handle sunlight, wooden stakes to the heart or beheading. Each of these turn her to ash. Like all evil vampires, religious artifacts harm her as well. She has not learned how to transform or fly. She can

mimic voices perfectly.  She is an excellent fighter, trained by Fenroth to hunt, fight and kill any opponent. She prefers to ambush them, striking before they know what's hit them.

Known History:
Not a lot has been revealed about Isi. Fenroth found her in North America the late 1600s. A Choctaw , Fenroth found her at age sixteen, influenced her and turned her. She is constantly at his side, eager to kill for him.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Wildes Blut Teir

WILDES BLUT TEIR

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.

Other names: Wildes, slobber-puss, Wild Man, Blood Man, Wild Blood Man, Wild Blood Beast.
Wildes Blut Teir means "Wild Blood Beast" in German. When he met Roland Foresight for the first time, Fenroth mis-translated the name as "Wild Blood Man" due to his faulty German.

Physical characteristics:
Dressed in rags, smelly from his lack of hygiene, Wildes is unmistakable.  He has a small iron cage around his head with a small trap door to allow his mouth to stick out and bite his victims.  Most time the door is closed and only opened when his master allows it. There is an iron chain that drags from the back of the cage which allows Fenroth to restrain Wildes. He has crazy long hair that goes every which way.

Personality:
Insane. He is absolutely crazy. This vampire has more in common with a wild animal than a human. He eats, walks and behaves in every way like a savage. While on the hunt he lets out a primal scream/laugh which strikes terror in the souls of his intended victims.

Abilities:

He has the standard vampire abilities. This means he’s faster and stronger than humans, his senses are extremely acute as are his reflexes. However he can not fly or transform. He cannot mesmerize others either. He cannot communicate with animals.

His tracking skills are stronger than most vampires and werewolves. His senses are stronger and more acute, allowing him to sense other vampires, creatures, humans and animals for miles around. He is second to his master, Fenroth. He can jump higher than most vampires and his brute savageness allows him to constantly hone his strength and agility. He is more agile than most vampires, including his master, Fenroth.

Known History:

No one knows how old Wildes is or when he was turned into a vampire. The master tracker vampire known as Fenroth heard reports of a wild man that feasted on blood in the Black Forest of Germany. The locals called him Wildes Blut Teir  for wild blood beast. Fenroth successfully captured Wildes after a vicious battle. Fenroth earned Wildes' respect when he lasted through the battle. Wildes Blut Teir would follow Fenroth anywhere because he knows it means a constant hunt followed by a tasty meal.

Where Wildes  is currently, that is if he's still around, remains to be seen.