Bound By Blood - 15. Chapter Fifteen

Only ten minutes have passed after I received and listened to that voice message, but it already felt lodged and seared into my memory. Every detail of the demonic-sounding voice would forever haunt me if I didn’t start acting now. However, what choice do I make? I didn’t like either option this kidnapper gave to me, making me have to decide whether I would save Will at the expense of Alexandra being taken away, or have Will burn. I just didn’t know what to do as I stood by the sidelines as people passed me, completely unaware what I was currently facing.

“Damien…it’s starting to rain.”

I looked at Alexandra who was pointing at the night sky, and sure enough I felt droplets of rain land on my face.

“Dad, are you okay? You look scared,” Isabel said as she held my hand again.

“Yeah, you look like you just received some really bad news, Chief,” Anthony noted.

“I’m fine… Really, I am,” I lied.

Everyone furrowed their eyebrows, and I knew that my lie wasn’t at all convincing. But was I supposed to tell them? Especially to the girls? That Will got kidnapped and the only way I can get him back unharmed is to trade away your aunt you’ve just met? However, I needed to tell Isabel and Joanna something that would comfort them, even if was another lie.

“Is this about Will?” Alexandra whispered close to my ear.

I sighed, and I looked at Alexandra right in the eyes without saying anything and somehow that was enough for her to know my answer to her question.

Nodding, Alexandra then turned to the girls and said, “Do you girls like to have ice cream?”

The girls looked confused, but then they both nodded.

“Well, how about Anthony takes you two to a place called Halo-Halo Angel where they serve the most delicious Filipino desserts. Just tell the waitress who works there that Alexandra from the museum sent you, and she’ll give you all the halo-halo you want in the house.”

I restrained myself from stopping Alexandra from offering the girls too much sugar, especially when it’s close to their bedtime. But whatever got them distracted from my mental breakdown was good for now.

“Your father and I just need to talk for a while. Anthony, do you mind if you—”

“No, of course not. I’ll just take Austin to meet his friend at the diner and then drive the girls to the Filipino restaurant.”

“Do you need directions?”

“Nah, that’s what GPS is for?” Anthony said casually. “All right, girls. Let’s go and wait for your brother at the school. Then we’ll all head out. Come on before it starts raining harder.”

I quietly thanked Anthony as he took off his coat and covered both girls before they walked away. I could see Isabel looking back at me, and I gave her a smile I hoped was reassuring before turning to Alexandra who was looking critically at me.

“So, what’s up?” Alexandra asked with crossed arms.

“What’s up?” I covered my hands over my face and said, “I’ll tell you. Fifteen minutes have passed since I got a message stating that Will has been kidnapped and that I now only have forty-five minutes until he gets burned to death. That’s what’s up!”

I leaned my hands on the wire fence and tried to collect my thoughts, but I knew that time was ticking fast.

Alexandra moved to stand beside me, and after a moment, she turned to me and said, “So…what are you going to do?”

I squeezed my eyes closed and said, “I don’t know. The message said that the only way I can save Will is to…is to trade you for him… And if I decide to call the police or intervene in any way, He will get exposed to enough ultraviolet light to kill him instantly… I don’t know what to do, Alexandra.”

“Do you know where Will is being held for ransom?”

“I do, and it’s an almost a thirty-minute drive to the location, and that doesn’t include the nightmare of getting out of the parking lot. God!”

“Relax, Damien. We’ll find a way to get Will back,” Alexandra assured me.

“I can’t relax, and I can’t get Will back without losing you in return! Time’s running out, but I’m on the verge of having a panic attack!” Bowing my head down, I then said, “I can’t do this by myself.”

“Then I want to help,” Alexandra said and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. She then looked up at the night sky that was congested with clouds and said, “If we’re dealing with lycans like last time at the museum, then we can use the moon to our benefit.”

“And how so?” I asked, suddenly feeling more assured but confused at the same time.

“The moon is basically a planet-sized mirror, the light reflecting from the moon’s surface can exposed a lycan’s true form.”

“Okay, I get you’re trying to help me, Alexandra, but the sky is completely covered with clouds right now, and even they weren’t, why would we want the lycans to expose their true form. Wouldn’t that make the situation much, much worse?”

“No, actually it doesn’t. It’s true that when moonlight exposes a lycan’s true form, they do become stronger and more dangerous, but they also become very irrational. They start to attack anything that moves, and they lose all their human intelligence as long as their exposed to the moon. We can use this to our advantage since they won’t be able to operate anything technical like lights, giving you an opening to fight the lycans… I saw you fight off more than a dozen lycans with only a dinner knife. I can only imagine what your true power is with a sword in your possession.”

With the mention of my sword, I reached into my pocket and pulled the handle of my sword out. “Well, we’re in luck. I decided to bring it with me. After the museum incident, I thought it would only make sense to carry it with me.” Looking up at the sky, I then said, “So, we’ll use the moon to our advantage, but how are we going to clear the clouds in time to expose the lycans to the moon?”

“We don’t. We’ll just have to hope that the location that we’re going to isn’t as cloudy. And it’s not a full moon yet, but I have a solution for that.”

“And what’s the solution?”

“Give me your sword, and I’ll see what I can do. It’s going to take a while, though.”

"Fine,” I said, handing the sword to Alexandra. “But you have to do it in the car. We need to leave now if we’re going to have enough time to reach Will.”

Alexandra nodded, and we jogged to the parking lot which was packed with cars all trying to leave the area in the same time. Thankfully, my family and I arrived at the game early and were able to get a parking space close to the exit.

When we got into my car, I quickly backed out of the parking space, almost backing into another car with the driver blaring his car horn in response. I didn’t care though as I started driving forward onto the opposite lane, causing more drivers who were stuck on the other lane to blare their horns as well.

No police officers were at the area, thank God, and I was able to squeeze through the intersection despite the stoplight being red. I asked Alexandra to place the coordinates into the GPS device on the console, which she did, and an artificial, female voice started offering directions.

I was driving at least fifteen miles above the speed limit, passing at least a couple of red lights, which caused Alexandra to curse before focusing her attention back onto my sword. Unfortunately, another red light appeared, and I had to slam the brakes before I collided with another vehicle stopping in front of me.

“Jesus. Let’s get there alive, okay?” Alexandra said.

“Sorry... So, what are you doing to my sword?” I asked.

“Just giving it a slight fix… I can’t believe what I’m seeing. If my analysis is correct, your sword, specifically the handle which doubles as the scabbard, is made by the wood that was part of the cross that crucified Jesus Christ.”

“How do you know that?”

“The wood grains on the handle’s surface are like words of a book which are telling me that part of the cross was used to make this sword… And this aperture here must be used to draw blood from its user in order to activate its true powers. This sword is similar to the one wielded by King Arthur which drew his blood to confirm that he was the rightful sovereignty of Britain… How did you come possess this powerful relic?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just did. It was passed down to me from my father which was passed down from my grandfather and so on. Could it be related to the belief that I’m a descendent of Paul the Apostle?”

“Well, it’s possible that the apostles, after Jesus was crucified, took apart the cross that was infused with Christ’s blood. They could’ve repurposed the pieces into objects that they then used to help them spread the word of God. Unfortunately, all of them were killed, most of them being crucified themselves. However, Paul was supposedly beheaded in Rome, and would it be too farfetched to believe that the weapon that was used to cut off his head is the sword that you currently possess?”

I just shrugged again and started driving when the stoplight turned green.

“Well, anyways, I doubt you wanted a history lesson… Okay, I fixed the aperture. The sword can now draw your blood quicker and more effectively.”

“Great… Now how will that help me with the moon?”

“Simple. Just aim your sword towards the moon, and its energy will then cause the moon to become full, causing the lycans to change into their true form and allowing you to stop them with your sword.”

“I didn’t know my sword had that ability?”

“Well, your sword and relics similar to it contain the life force of that of many souls, and souls emit light, so it only makes sense that this weapon can produce light… Just be careful to aim it only at the moon.”

“Got it… So, now that we got that covered, what’s the rest of the plan?” I asked as I started speeding again.

“I don’t think it has to be elaborate. Just hand me to the kidnappers, and I’ll provide some distraction by pretending to struggle. You then can aim your sword at the moon and the rest of the plan will unfold after that… Does that work for you?”

Looking up through the sunroof of my car that revealed an almost full moon, I then nodded and said, “Let’s do this shit.”

I increased my speed even further as I whizzed through other cars and passed other red stoplights. A drive that would’ve taken thirty minutes actually only took ten minutes less, thanks to my fast driving, which I used a couple times when chasing after bounties.

I parked the car at what looked like an abandoned strip mall where the only other vehicle was a black van. That must be where Will and kidnapper where hiding in as I exited the car along with Alexandra. I pocketed my sword, and we both began approaching the ominous vehicle.

Halfway to our approach, the back doors of the van opened, and several men came out, along with a person who had his hands tied behind his back and a blindfold over his eyes. Despite the blindfold, I could tell the person was Will. I wanted to immediately run to him as well as kill the people surrounding him for his face and the suit being covered with blood. I restrained myself though and just stood as casually as I could as the men cautiously approached us.

One man in front, possibly the leader and mastermind of the kidnapping, said, “I’m glad you’re here. This is Alexandra, I’m assuming.”

Through gritted teeth, I said, “Yes, this is her. You don’t even know who the person you want to take looks like?”

Alexandra placed a hand on my shoulder, warning me not to tempt these men.

“Be careful what you say, sir, because all I have to do is press a button and the headlights of the van will emit enough ultraviolet light to instantly burn your friend into ash.” The man smiled and continued by saying, “Now, as a precaution, I need you both to take off your jackets and pull out whatever is in your pockets before tossing them towards me. I don’t need the annoyance of you two fighting back with whatever weapons you two have at your disposal.”

I looked at Alexandra who had a worried expression on her face.

“Well? Are you two going to do what I say, or should I just—?”

“No, no… We’ll do it,” I said as I took my jacket off that tossed it away from me.

Alexandra did the same as I pulled out all the contents from my pockets that included my car keys, wallet, phone, and unfortunately my sword as well. I tossed all the items to the ground near our jackets, and after rotating our bodies, the man picked up our belongings and holding them in his arms.

The man then motioned his head to two of his goons who proceeded to walk slowly towards us with Will. I did the same with Alexandra, and during that moment, I was wondering what the hell I was supposed to do right then. My sword was now in the possession of one of the kidnappers, and if I didn’t think of an alternate plan quickly, Alexandra was going to be taken and most likely tortured by these monsters to get her to confess the Holy Grail’s location.

“Goddammit! Get this blindfold off me!” Will shouted out as he stumbled on his feet. “I can’t walk properly if I can’t see!”

The leader of the operation sighed and said, “Take the fucker’s blindfold off. And cut off his restrains as well. It’s not like he can do any real damage after what we did to him.”

I snarled at the man who just smirked at me as one of the men removed Will’s blindfold and restraints and what I saw surprised me. I was close enough to see that Will’s pupils weren’t only dilated but were completely white as well. However, his eyes quickly returned to normal and that was when a ringing sound was heard, and the leader pulled out his phone.

“Shouldn’t you answer that?” Will said as the two men continued to hold his arms behind his back.

The leader growled at Will, but he proceeded to place his phone to his ear and said, “Hello—?”

The phone suddenly exploded near the leader’s face, causing him to shout out in pain. I watched as Will pushed away from the two other men and picked up my sword that the leader dropped onto the ground. He then tossed it to me, which I caught in the air.

Looking up at the sky where the moon was completely visible, I then aimed it towards the celestial object. I feel a slight pain on my palm before the blade retracted and a beam of light was sent towards the sky. Not even two seconds have passed before the moon became full, and I watched as all the lycans began howling out in pain as well before transforming into their true forms. And what Alexandra said was true; the lycans began swinging their arms and were becoming more irrational and unintelligent as the moonlight shined down upon them.

I was ready to attack them all with my sword, but then I noticed that Will wasn’t in my sights anymore, and neither was Alexandra. I didn’t know where they went, but I knew I couldn’t just stop and look for them as the lycans began to charge towards me. I bared my teeth and ran towards them as well. As I made the first slash with my sword, I wondered if I would have a normal outing ever again.