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wamphyrichildIn his dream, Chris sat again in his grandmother's kitchen, listening to her stories. As always, he had a fresh roll and some milk, though neither one interested him. The smell of the bread would have turned his stomach, even, had he not been far more interested in what his grandmother was doing.
She was talking to him, and though in life he'd had a hard time understanding her rapid fire Romanian, he understood every word. Her knife chopped rhythmically against her cutting board. Chris couldn't see what it was she was chopping. Every time he tried to bring it into focus, she'd wave that knife in his direction and raise her voice a moment to get his attention again.
"He should have known he couldn't exorcise the evil Thing out of the ground that easily! Take it into the future, bah! And what happened to its body, I ask you?" Chop. Chop. Chop. It sounded oddly wet, and Chris again tried to get what she was chopping into focus. It smelled divine, whatever it was, but she didn't let his gaze linger. "STILL THERE!" A wave of the knife. "Oh yes, burned all the way down to some grease and dust, but still there! Oh, Harry should have known better! You have to destroy every piece of them!"
"Grandma, I don't understand." Chris shook his head, trying to clear it.
"Christopher, listen to me. Harry took his mind to a place away from us. To a place between worlds. But what was left of him remained in the ground, and without that ancient Thing directing it, it waited." Chop. Chop. Squelch. She sent whatever it was she was chopping aside and reached for something else. She still wouldn't let him try to focus on it for more than a second. "The construction! They were going to destroy what was left of it! A vampire is nothing if not tenacious, Christopher, remember that!"
"Grandma, what...?"
She shook her head and for the first time, Christopher realized that her eyes were hollow, her skin stretched tight over her mummified frame. "My poor dear, you still don't realize, do you?" Christopher looked down at the body she'd been chopping...his body, but grotesque, huge, muscled, with a face like a nightmare!
Chris woke himself screaming.
She was talking to him, and though in life he'd had a hard time understanding her rapid fire Romanian, he understood every word. Her knife chopped rhythmically against her cutting board. Chris couldn't see what it was she was chopping. Every time he tried to bring it into focus, she'd wave that knife in his direction and raise her voice a moment to get his attention again.
"He should have known he couldn't exorcise the evil Thing out of the ground that easily! Take it into the future, bah! And what happened to its body, I ask you?" Chop. Chop. Chop. It sounded oddly wet, and Chris again tried to get what she was chopping into focus. It smelled divine, whatever it was, but she didn't let his gaze linger. "STILL THERE!" A wave of the knife. "Oh yes, burned all the way down to some grease and dust, but still there! Oh, Harry should have known better! You have to destroy every piece of them!"
"Grandma, I don't understand." Chris shook his head, trying to clear it.
"Christopher, listen to me. Harry took his mind to a place away from us. To a place between worlds. But what was left of him remained in the ground, and without that ancient Thing directing it, it waited." Chop. Chop. Squelch. She sent whatever it was she was chopping aside and reached for something else. She still wouldn't let him try to focus on it for more than a second. "The construction! They were going to destroy what was left of it! A vampire is nothing if not tenacious, Christopher, remember that!"
"Grandma, what...?"
She shook her head and for the first time, Christopher realized that her eyes were hollow, her skin stretched tight over her mummified frame. "My poor dear, you still don't realize, do you?" Christopher looked down at the body she'd been chopping...his body, but grotesque, huge, muscled, with a face like a nightmare!
Chris woke himself screaming.
