EXORCISM OF A VAMPIRE (by Noznag Devil Scratch)

 

EXORCISM OF A VAMPIRE (by Noznag Devil Scratch)
The mist was slowly creeping in as I walked the dark dirt road. I may be a man of the cloth, yet I feel a dull pain, the kind of pain that comes with fear.

It is close to midnight, as I walk into the dark church yard. Going past the huge wrought iron gates, I walk the long path past the tombstones within the grounds going towards the abandoned church, once known as St. Bartholomew's. As I walk on, I remember.

"Krystufek!” my young sister yells to me,” I am so glad to see you are home."

"Anastazie! It’s so good to be back!" I greet her. An image of a beautiful teenaged girl with long, dark flowing hair came racing towards me.

"You are even more beautiful since the day I left mladsi sestra,” as I say this she blushes a beautiful rose that colours her smooth white cheeks.

"Ah you are teasing me belky bratr, come on inside, I have made some gulas, it is very hearty." She proudly says, "Just like matka used to make."

We live in a coal mining town Ostrava, just north east of Czechoslavakia, near the Opava river. It was a peaceful town, everybody knew everybody, our parents were well known. My father was an excellent blacksmith and my mother a baker.

As we were eating the gulas Anastazie prepared, I proceeded to apologise to her for missing our dear mother's funeral.

"You must understand mladsi sestra, the Vatican would not let me come home until I have been ordained into the priesthood." I told her with tears welling up into my eyes, “I’ve so wanted to come home and see matka one last time."

"Do not weep dear Krytufek, matka died peacefully and was so proud of you, she would always talk about how her son was going to be a priest." she told me. "Matka understands, so there is no need to apologise."

After the meal, we went to where my mother was buried. It was in the cemetery of the new church, built a few years back. After saying a few prayers, I raised my head and look beyond the hills to see our old church, still there and looking very much abandoned.

"Anastazie?" I began, "What has become of the old St. Bartholomew's church?" as I stared at the foreboding structure.

"Oh that, well it’s no longer used, which is just as well since it is quite a walk from here to there." She said nonchalantly. "Besides, we have this new church." She pointed to the new church with its modern yet simple structures.

"Come belky bratr, I will introduce you to Father Ofek"

We walked towards the back of the church.

"Edita! Edita" Anastazie calls into a red door at the rear of the church.

"Ano?" Says an elderly woman, and she gasps as she saw me.

"Krystufek is that you? Is it truly you?" Edita says as she rushes to engulf me in a hug, as she did when I was young.

"Oh you must pardon me, Father Krystufek!" She proudly says.

"Come, come both of you, I have made tea and some valnikove rohlicky," she says whilst whisking us into the kitchen.

Inside sat a young man, with brooding looks and dark eyes.

"Father Ofek, this is my dear friend Azbeta's son, who is also a priest, Father Krystufek this is Father Ofek."

We shook hands, and we proceeded to enjoy the afternoon tea.

"My condolences to you Father Krystufek regarding your mother. I was the one who initiated her last rites." Father Ofek told me. "I know how strict the Vatican can be."

"Yes, well it really was quite difficult for me, yet I knew my mother understood"

"Azbeta did mention you a few times to me. She was lucky to have Anastazie take care of her." Having said this, he looks at my sister with a look of intensity which left me with an uncomfortable feeling.

"Yes, I'm glad my sister was there to care for our matka"

Anastazie suddenly stood up and announced that we must be going.

"So soon? But you just got here." Edita says.

"We need to go by the market and buy what is needed to make our supper Edita." Anastazie explains.

Then she curtly says goodbye to the priest, and hastily kisses Edita on the cheek as she walks out the door.

Later that evening, after dinner, we heard a storm coming in and are sitting in front of a fire.

"Anastazie?"

"Yes belky bratr?"

"What was the cause of your attitude against Father Ofek earlier?" I asked.

She hesitated and then she slowly looked at me.

"I know it is wrong to judge a person, most especially a priest Krystufek, yet I do not like him especially the way he looks at me. It is as if it’s filled with lust." She slowly says.

I pause for a moment to think. Then I tell her that I too was not comfortable.

Anastazie's eyes became big. Then she comes near me.

"Krystufek, can I tell you something in secrecy?"

"Of course mladsi sestra, you can tell me anything"

"Ever since he has arrived, there have been mysterious deaths here. Young women and men. There has even been a new born missing. Now I know it’s farfetched yet, nothing like that has ever happened, even as we were growing up. What is strange, is that the victims had holes in the neck and was drained of blood."

I stare at her with utter bewilderment. Am I hearing this correctly? Why have I not heard anything since I got here?

"The townfolk do not want to talk about it belky bratr, it seems they want to forget about it."

"Could this be the doing of an upir?" (vampire in Czech) I ask her.

"I suppose so, since all evidence points to such"

"But that is folklore, it cannot be possible!"

"Krystufek, you are a priest, you have been taught of teachings of Jesus and the works of God. But I do know you have been also taught of the works of the Devil and his demons. Is not an upir a demon of the Devil?"

That night, I could not sleep thinking about what Anastazie said. Then I heard the piercing scream coming from my sister's room. I rushed to her room, then I saw her pale face, her hands clutching at the side of her smooth neck as blood seeped through her fingers.

"Belky bratr it is him! It is him! Olfek is the upir!!!" She gasped out and then she fainted.

Morning comes, and Anastazie is too weak to get out of bed, she is burning up with fever. I know she is dying. I ask the doctor to come anyhow, knowing that there is nothing he can do.

The village women come to pay a visit bringing food for us and to look at Anastazie. They too know this was the doing of an upir, yet say nothing.

Later that day Anastazie calls me to her room

"Belky bratr, I know I will become an upir, when that time comes, you must do what you need to do, save my soul, promise me."

"What you're asking of me is difficult Anastzie, we've just lost matka, I cannot lose you too!" I said my voice breaking.

"You must belky bratr, there is no other way. I do not want to live as a monster. If the myths are true about the upir, then I too will become one of them. If I must die I want to have peace. You must not worry for I will be with matka and otec."

I grabbed her, I could feel the intensity of her fever rising. I cried out in anguish at the very thought that it is I who will put an end to her life. No! I don't have the heart to do so. I know this to be foolish. I will find a way to save her, but first I will seek the monster who has done this to her. But how? How do you kill a monster? A demon that is a spawn of the very Devil himself.

That night, as Anastazie was turning for the worse, we had a visitor. The oldest of all the villagers, a woman. Our vestec (seer) Anzika.

"Krystufek, Přišel jsem se podívat na Anastazii." she said to me, her eyes piercing into me as if she was reading my very soul (I have come to see Anastazie.)

"Dobrý večer! Vestec Anzika. Předpokládám, že ji chcete vidět pro sebe." I solemnly told her. (Good evening! Seer Anzika. I suppose you want to see her for yourself.)

We went inside Anastzie's room, The seer took one look at her.

"Upír! Upír to udělal, drahá Anastazie!" she exclaimed. (Vampire! A vampire has done this to dear Anastazie!) "Musíte zabít upíra, který to udělal" (You must kill the vampire who did this.)

"But how Anzika? How can I kill this monster? I am a priest, yes but I have no knowledge to kill this beast!"

"Směšný! Krystufek you do not need to be a man of the cloth to kill such being! Any man can kill the upir! You must have faith and confidence in yourself! First, we must look for the monster!"

"That is easy Anzika it is Ofek the priest, Anastazie told me after she was bitten."

"Věděl jsem to! Věděl jsem to ve svých kostech. Od té doby vstoupil tento kněz do tohoto města. Všechny smrti! Krystufeku, musíte ho zabít!" (I knew it! I knew it in my bones. Ever since that priest stepped into this town. All the deaths! Krystufek you must kill him!)

Anzika made a promise to me, that she would help me.

Anstazie died in the early hours of the morning. I could not bring myself to kill her. Such a foolish thing, I know. A decision that I know will bring extreme regret to me. No funeral was to be made for her. I chose to have her locked in the old Saint Bartholomew's church, to the protest of Anzika.

"Krystufek! musíte projít kůlu jejím srdcem. Prosím vás, abyste to udělali! “ (Krystufek! you must drive a stake through her heart. I implore you to do this!)

"No! I cannot do it! There must another way!" I yelled in anguish to Anzika.

"There is another way Krystufek, it is an exorcism. However if you keep Anastazie in the church, she may kill someone!"

"I know, but I cannot desecrate her body like that."

"Zabijme nejprve upíra, potom vás naučím, jak zachránit Anastzieho duši"
(I will teach you how to save Anastzie's soul.)

We decided to go to the church, whilst walking we came upon a commotion in the market place.

"Left in the middle of the night!"

"Who will service mass then?"

"There is something strange about that priest!"

"Krystufek is here, he is a priest and we have known him since he was a child."

I approached the group, and asked them, "What's going on here, what's all this fuss?"

"Edita said Father Ofek left, she saw all his things were gone. Why would he leave us like that?" Said one of the villagers

My face grew dark, "I know why he left, because he is the upir who killed my mladsi sestra!"

The group gasped with a mix of bewilderment and disbelief.

"That can't be true yet I find myself believing this!" Exclaimed a woman.

"Look you have known our family for so long, would we lie? In fact when Anastazie was bitten she saw his face and told me who it was. She admitted to me that ever since Ofek stepped into town there have been so many deaths." I reasoned.

"IT WAS HIM THAT STOLE MY BABY!" A woman named Illona screamed out. "MY BABY!" She kept yelling out. The other women went over to her to comfort her.

"We need to find Ofek!"

"But how? He left!"

"Where is he from?"

"He mentioned he was from somewhere near Budapest."

The villagers talked amongst themselves.

"Well he didn't get far, I can tell you that." Branislav, one of the village woodsmen said. “I saw his horse in the middle of the woods."

"If he is an upir, how come he can walk during the day?" Someone yelled out.

Anzika then stepped forward, "Because he is a day walker!"

Everyone stared at Anzika in silence, waiting for her to continue.

"Long ago before, my ancestors lived in a town outside of Romania called Transylvania. The count and countess of the Dracul clan was so loved yet at the same time feared by their people. The count was a crusader in the name of God. One day the count was on one of his crusades when the countess received word that the count was killed in battle. Because the countess was so distraught, she flung herself from one of the towers of her castle and killed herself. But the count did not die in battle and returned, only to find his beloved countess dead. Because he was in so much pain that he denounced God and became extremely violent. It is said that he made a pact with the Devil himself so that he becomes immortal. In return for his immortality, he must drink the blood of man and hide in the shadows of the night. But because he didn’t want to hide in the dark, he called upon a strong witch to create a pendant for him, so that he may walk in the day time. I believe that Ofek is the count whom they call Dracula."

Everyone was still in silence, after what Anzika told them.

Anzika continued on, "The only way to kill Dracula is drive a stake through his heart and cut off his head. But that would take a bit of skill since he can shape shift into any form he chooses. By now he may be in his castle."

"So how can we kill him?" I asked.

"For now, that would be impossible. You must travel to Transylvania. And you must search for the man named Abraham Van Helsing" Anzika told me.

"But if he comes back?" One of the villagers yelled. Everyone started talking all at the same time again.

"Then we will be prepared." Anzika said confidently. "But first Krystufek , I must speak with you before you seek out Van Helsing and kill Dracula."

We went to Anzika's home.

"Můžete zachránit svou sestru, aniž byste její tělo znesvětili."
(You can save your sister without desecrating her body.) She told me.

"Tato kniha je od mé babičky. Tam je modlitba, kterou musíte zpívat, abyste mohli zachránit Anastazieho duši"
(This book is from my grandmother. In there is the prayer you must chant so that you may save Anastazie's soul.)

And now here I am on the grounds of the old church. After removing the chains from the large doors I push it open. Darkness engulfs me except for the light of the moon that shines upon an open casket. My sister lying there so peacefully, as if she were asleep. But I knew what she has become. Before she could claim any victim I knew this was the only way to prevent any more deaths.

I approach her body, I take a mirror and put it to her mouth to make sure she is not breathing, there is no reflection.

Then I light the candles one at a time. I see the old wooden pulpit and stand it upright. I make sure that I have the book and crucifix Anzika gave me.

Thus, I begin my prayer.

"Země, Sing Bohu, zpívat Cernunnos, království země, zpívali Dee Sing Arad. Bůh nebe a země, pokory majestati slávy modlit, aby ze všech pekelné lihovin, pasti a klamu, podvodu, lži, vysvoboď nás dominuje."

As I am chanting I feel the fires of the candles grow even brighter as they form a barrier around me. A blazing ring rises. Then in my sister's coffin there is a movement, slowly I see Anastazie begin to rise, her ebony hair flowing along with her white dress as she slowly floats up into the air.

"Rota, vita, mara, vena
Mare, dracul, morte, vita

Rota, vita, mara, vena
Mare, dracul, morte, vita

Rota, vita, mara, vena
Mare, dracul, morte, vita

Rota, vita, mara, vena
Mare, dracul, morte...

Rota, vita, mara, vena
Mare, dracul, morte, vita," She kept on saying in a voice not of her own.

Then Anastazie came down and walked towards the glowing ring.

"Belky bratr, join me! It is so peaceful here, join me." She says in a very mesmerising tone. "Krystufek I do not want to be alone here, join me!"

I do not listen to her I try to concentrate on my chanting.

"Země, Sing Bohu, zpívat Cernunnos, království země, zpívali Dee Sing Arad. Bůh nebe a země, "

"NO!" Anastazies screeches, as she waves her hand, the book falls out of my hands. She starts to approach me. I no longer see the face of my beautiful sister, but the face of a horrible monster. She reaches out to grab me, but then I take out the crucifix and fervently pray.

"Země, Sing Bohu, zpívat Cernunnos, království země, zpívali Dee Sing Arad. Bůh nebe a země, pokory majestati slávy modlit, aby ze všech pekelné lihovin, pasti a klamu, podvodu, lži, vysvoboď nás dominuje."

Then I heard the sound of rumbling, in my hand the crucifix glows with such light. I could hear Anastazie scream in pain. The stained - glass window shatters and sunlight fills the church. Anastazie is flying around the church, yet her dress is now on fire. She slowly burns until she is no more. Her ashes slowly fall to the ground. I kneel down weeping for the woman she could have been, weeping for her soul that has been saved.

I walk out of the church and I see Anzika and group of the village women walking into the church grounds. Anzika is carrying a bag for me.

"Krystufek you must go now and seek Van Helsing, last that I know he is in Germany" She says as she hands me a piece of paper with where I can find this Van Helsing. I look back at the church once more.

"I will avenge your death dear Anastazie, I will end this Dracula."

That is a story I wrote 3 years ago. After you read that story go to youtube and search for Night of The Wolf by Nox Arcana. That is the song that inspired this story. Sorry this is how weird I am. Noznag Devil Scratch