The Mistletoe

While still sick, I took advantage, through Laura, of leaving notes to her father about Carmilla. In these notes, I described her sleep patterns, possible powers and/or problems that could be faced, the letters between her and the man called “The Dragon,” the types of potions and brews she had made to bypass my defenses. Also, the changes she underwent after drinking my blood, and finally, I had to make them aware of my supernatural condition, without exactly knowing where my abilities came from.

Basically, what she and the “Dragon” discussed was that my condition was not dark but divine, in their words, a “demigod.” The vampire’s blood, being naturally of dark origin, interacts with my blood, canceling each other out and partially altering my physical properties. The good news was that I discovered Carmilla was incapable of turning someone into a vampire, either through her blood or her bite. There was some additional procedure of which I had no idea, and apparently, she didn’t either. So, my situation seemed to be temporary, but it would last a good while before I could return to normal—maybe days, months, or even years.

On the other hand, Carmilla’s father already knew about her lineage, thanks to General Spieldorf, and also her abode, in the ancient Karnstein castle, I believe. That was where her resting place was located. Her deep sleep pattern was for four hours, from six in the morning until around ten in the morning. The problem was that she slept in the mansion, next to me. So, we either had to get her out of the mansion or risk ambushing her inside her room.

Crosses wouldn’t work, nor would garlic (it would be a tremendous joke if it did), and the sun didn’t bother her (well done, Miguel, thanks for messing that up, applause). All her vampiric attributes seemed to be heightened. If a common vampire was difficult to subdue, she was going to be even more so.

My health seemed to deteriorate more and more. The cocktail of viruses and bacteria I had was advancing faster than my expulsion of vampire blood was doing. My immune system was going crazy, and my fever was already giving me hallucinations. Carmilla wouldn’t stop watching me and supervising absolutely everything. It was like the character of Gollum, and I was like his ring (yes, I am referencing to The Lord of the Rings). During the nights, I could hear her sobs, and she seemed to want to pray, but was unable to do so.

Her attitude was volatile, and she only left Laura in charge of my care. Laura managed to convince her after a fierce argument, and the crow was still there, flapping its wings more and more desperately.

Finally, during a stormy night, as Carmilla entered her state of deep sleep, shock overcame everyone. Laura’s father went out with a group of servants armed with rifles and sabers. The beast had decimated a contingent, and the rest barricaded themselves near the village, waiting for reinforcements.

I had to go out. If I didn’t do something, the entire village would be plunged into chaos. So, without knowing what awaited me, I descended the stairs slowly during the late night and went out, trying to control the cough and wiping the blood away, towards the storm.

“Ok.. Okey...!” I shouted at the crow while it cawed. Both of us plunged into the damp forest, me dressed in a mix of Pijamas and normal clothes. I was crawling. I wiped away the sweat as the crow flew ahead of me. My body was heavy, and the pain in my chest was unbearable.

Midway, I vomited blood and started to lose consciousness. “No, Miguel, don’t do it. You must go on. You’ve come too far to look back now.” I took a deep breath, and my vision began to blur, trying to clear my eyes. I looked at a rock in the distance like a comfortable bed. “No, I must go on. I must go on. Come on, step by step.”

Finally, using a stick I found as a makeshift cane, I reached some kind of clearing. I saw something shiny in the distance and used all my strength to get there. Was it medicine? Some magical potion? Water? “Water.” I realized I was very thirsty, I had sweated too much, and the shivers were really annoying.

I kept moving slowly. “Patience,” my father says, “slow but steady.” The bright light began to take shape, first like a diamond, and then, closer, I could see what it really was.

“A sword... surrounded by mistletoe.” The sword was embedded in a rock. “Seriously? Am I going to fight like this? Surely, if I take it, I’ll magically come back to life... no idea... come on...” I used all my strength to lift and remove it from the rock.

“Come on, damn it... mmm...” I held it with both hands and pressed my foot on the rock.

“Ahh!! Damn it...” I couldn’t pull it out, started coughing, vomited more blood, got dizzy, and lost consciousness, falling straight to the ground.

I could see the stars in the sky, felt a kind of peace. There was no pain, no desire, just... peace.

They say that when you’re about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. It wasn’t an exaggeration. I stopped feeling my legs, then my arms, and I could see myself, from the moment of my first cut, up to coming here.

I saw the faces of my father, my grandparents, my cousins, Carmilla, yes, don’t judge me, her too... Laura, and finally, my mother.

“Mom?”

She looked like an angel, descending from the sky, spreading her wings and surrounding me with them, dropping a couple of white feathers. Her face was truly beautiful, her golden hair. She wore an elegant golden battle armor and a spear.

“How big you’ve become, my little rascal. Listen to me.”

Her voice was melodious, and I felt her warm and soft hands caressing my face. “Will she take me with her? Will you finally take me, Mom? Can I be with you? I missed you, you old hag!” I thought.

“It’s not your time yet, my baby boy, listen to me. You must get up. It’s not the time yet.”

She put her face in front of mine, and I could feel a tear falling from her face onto mine, and I heard a faint murmur of her voice, “Forgive me for leaving you, but I must go back. Your grandmother is coming to your aid.”

Then I heard another voice, another sob, more desperate, and it got louder. I woke up with my mouth full of blood and could see Laura holding what looked like a tiny golden apple.

“Take it, you must eat this. Eat it, please.”

I furrowed my brow, thinking that the fever was making me hallucinate.

“Miguel! Take it, you must eat it! Your grandmother gave it to me! It’s your medicine.”

I opened my mouth, and she placed the apple in it, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and hugged me with all her strength. As I chewed and swallowed the peculiar fruit, she recited:

“With the moonlight and the whisper of the wind, let love blossom in the heart, woven with threads of passion and magic, an eternal bond that defies time.”

Then I heard her reciting some phrases in a language that seemed familiar to me, but I didn’t understand... it was the language... of my mother.

Upon swallowing the apple, I felt a burning fire that started in my heart and spread through my chest, almost scorching me. I thought I would die of a heart attack. The pain surged through my entire body, as if it were burning my veins, and I felt nauseous. Laura stepped away from me, hands over her mouth, watching as I writhed in pain.

I finally saw a viscous and black smoke coming out of my mouth and nose, as if undergoing some kind of exorcism, and slowly the pain disappeared.

I heard the drums vibrating strongly and felt an energy I had never felt before. I managed to stand up at last. I looked at my hands and smelled the air, feeling the wind. I was back; I had returned.

“What did you do, Laura?” I asked, unable to believe it.

“Your grandmother... a beautiful red-haired lady. She said she was your grandmother and pointed me to where you had gone. She gave me that apple and told me it was medicine... then she touched my heart... with some kind of magic, and I followed my intuition here.”

“My grandmother?” I said, confused; I had never seen my maternal grandmother.

“There’s no time, Miguel!! The beast is in the village! There are gunshots, and soldiers are dying!”

I saw the sword again, removed the remaining mistletoe, and held it once more. For a moment, I had a violent flashback of a man slaying a great dragon, and it frightened me.

“Miguel! It’s like Excalibur! Come on, you can do it!”

I took another breath, exhaled, and began to pull the sword with all my strength. The sword finally gave way.

I felt a kind of unique energy and moved it; it was mesmerizing.

“Let’s go! There’s no time!”

“Alright, alright! Come, hold onto my back.”

Laura held on, hugged me tightly, and teased, “Where are we going, my dear Don Quixote?”

“To battle, my dear Dulcinea,” I replied, and with a smile, I began to march.

“Woooo!! I’m back!” I thought as I leaped over the hills and dodged through the forests. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through Laura’s veins; she had probably never moved at such speed before.

It was such a different sensation to feel Laura close to me. If Carmilla drained me, Laura seemed to fill me with vitality.

“Ooohh! You’re going too fast!” she said while holding on tighter, squishing her cheeks against mine.

With a leap, we reached the village, and I could see the beast. Laura let go, positioning herself to the side. I lunged straight at the beast; I wouldn’t fail this time, not this time.

The beast ran towards me, and the impact felt like a shockwave vibrating through the air. We both were sent flying, especially me; yes, the beast had indeed become much stronger.

It leaped and swiped at me, landing a hit, crashing me into a stable. I jumped back and threw a barrel at it, breaking it with another swipe. I hit it with another barrel, and it tore my clothes with its claws. I noticed that my invulnerability had returned, and I hit it with a shovel, breaking it.

It bit me and threw me towards a window, and that’s when I thought, “You’re such an idiot. Use the sword, imbecile!”

I unsheathed the sword and gave it a slash. It began its typical moaning between groans and laughs. I blocked its swipes with the sword and tried to go for another bite. I cut its eye; the beast didn’t seem to heal as quickly as before. This sword was really working.

The beast jumped on top, and I hit it in the leg. We struggled, and the sword fell to the side. It bit my shoulder and started shaking me while I tried to hit it. It was slowly penetrating my skin, and I began to bleed.

“Miguel, catch!” Laura shouted.

I caught the sword in the air as the monster lifted me, and I stabbed it directly in the heart. The beast screamed and managed to let go. I use the chance and buried the sword directly, then released it, letting it bleed out. The creature gave a final cry, covering me entirely in its blood, and finally fell defeated from the stab in the heart.

People begin to emerge from their homes slowly, and the soldiers rise as the smoke disperses. I wipe the disgusting blood from my face, and as I put my foot on the creature, I give Laura a thumbs-up.

“Thanks, partner!”

Laura looks at her hands, confused but happy, and mimics the same gesture as me, smiling radiantly, while the creature’s body vanishes like dust in the wind.

The Beast of Gevaudan had finally been defeated. But someone remained... Carmilla…