Demons - Choices and Endings

Demons – Choices and Endings
By Tyjord


“Look, Galvin, I’m sorry I wanted to kill you, all right?” Luke Rutherford sat at the large oak table, nervously tapping the fingers of his right hand on its top.

“You damn well better be,” the older man replied, his gruff, American accent grating on Luke’s nerves a bit more than usual. Just the way Rupert Galvin liked it. “I mean c’mon, here I am, handing you your destiny, and what thanks do I get?”

“I said…”

“Shut up. I’ll tell you what I get, a pulse gun aimed right at my face by my own goddamned godson. Talk about lack of gratitude.”

Luke stopped tapping his fingers and lowered his head like a hurt puppy. “I’m sorry Galvin, I really am.”

“You know something, the fact that I believe that you are sorry doesn’t make up for it. You’re the last of the Van Helsing line. You have a responsibility to think things through, not jump off on some half-cocked scheme because a two-bit carnival fortuneteller says ‘oooh, daddy wants you to do something for him’. What the hell were you thinking?” Rupert slammed his hand down on the table, inches from Luke’s.

“That’s it, I’m leaving.” Luke stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.
“Let’s go Ruby.”

Luke looked towards his long time friend who, along with Mina Harker had moved off to the side of the large room as the two men started to argue.

“Luke, maybe you should just calm down a bit and settle things,” Ruby said, her eyes pleading with the young man before her.

“Settle things,” Luke yelled at her, causing the girl he had known since childhood to take a step back. “What’s there to settle? I made a mistake and he,” Luke pointed an accusing finger at the older man still seated at the table, “won’t let it go!”

“Let it go?” Galvin responded, now standing up and approaching the boy. “You take the word of some sniveling half-life over mine and I’m supposed to just let it go?”

Mina Harker moved quickly in-between the two combative males, gently placing her hands on Galvin’s shoulders and pushing him backwards.

“Calm down Rupert. We all know what happened. It was a difficult situation. Luke is young and inexperienced, something like this was bound to happen.”
“Yeah,” Luke added, a hint of triumph in his voice, “it was bound to happen, especially since you didn’t bother to tell me the truth about what happened to my father.”

Galvin’s eyes lit up in rage as Mina increased the pressure holding him back, even as Ruby ran over to Luke and grabbed him by his jacket’s sleeve.

“Okay people, let’s just leave this up in the air until everyone’s calmed down. Luke, you wanted to go? I’m ready. Let’s go. Right now!” She pulled harder at his jacket, causing the boy she loved to turn about and head for the door.

“This isn’t over!” Galvin yelled after the pair as they left the Stacks, shutting the large door behind them.

“What,” Galvin asked disgustedly to the beautiful girl staring sightlessly up at him.

“Sometimes, Rupert, it’s very difficult to tell which of you is the adolescent.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he responded with a dismissive gesture. “I need a drink.”


“So, what,” Luke said, stopping and turning to face Ruby, “you think this is my fault now? I thought you were on my side!”

“Luke, please, of course I’m on your side, but I don’t think this is the proper way to handle it.”

“So what should I do? Just let him say whatever he wants? I already apologized to him, over and over. What more can I do?”

Ruby thrust her arm inside his and started them walking down the street again. “I don’t know, but I will tell you this, you sure looked sexy when you were feeling guilty.”

“Very funny Ruby,” the boy said, kicking some rubbish out of his path.

Ruby sighed inwardly. “C’mon, let’s just get you home.”

“I don’t know if this is the correct course of action, Rupert,” Mina said quietly.

“I don’t see any other choice. He’s too uncontrollable. Just forget for a minute the whole he could die thing, and tell me, what would happen if he fell into the hands of another half-life who could manipulate him?”

“Bad things,” she whispered.

Rupert looked at the blind vampire, his expression unreadable as he pulled out his phone.


The vibrating phone jolted Luke awake as it clattered noisily against hard wood. He sat upright in his dark bedroom and felt around the nightstand for his mobile. “Hullo,” he said, still not quite awake.

“Luke, listen to me. We don’t have much time.” Mina’s voice came through the earpiece.

“Wha, Mina? What’s going…?”

“I said listen to me Luke. Don’t talk. Tibbs has your mother and Ruby. He’s trying to get to Rupert through you.”

“What?” Luke bolted out of bed and ran through the house. He flung open the door to his mother’s room, only to find it empty, the bed never slept in. “Mina I…”

“Listen to me Luke, I’m almost at your house. Meet me downstairs, right now!”

Luke slammed the phone shut as he ran back to his room. He dropped it as he picked up a pair of track pants and hopped into them. Reaching for his trainers, he heard a horn blowing fiercely from outside. Dropping everything, he ran from his room barefoot and left his flat, the door slamming shut behind him.

Mina was standing by the open door of her car, beckoning him inside.

The distraught boy dived into the car, followed by Mina Harker. She closed the door as the car sped off into the night.


“Don’t worry, Rupert has a plan.”

“How can I not worry, Mina? This is my mum and best friend in the hands of that…rat!”

“I know how you feel Luke, but you have to calm down. I’m going to let you hear the message, but you have to promise me you’ll go along with everything.”

“Fine, let’s just get on with it then.”

Mina pushed a button on her mobile and handed it to the boy. She couldn’t see his reaction, but was instantly aware of his increased heart rate and blood pressure. She sat back, pushing herself deeper into the soft leather car seat, trying to ignore the sound of his blood pumping through his veins.

“It was Ruby.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t hear my mum. How do I know she’s okay?”

“You’ll just have to trust Ruby’s word. It’s all we have right now Luke.”

“I know this is a trap,” Luke said as he shut the phone and put it back in Mina’s hand. “Are you sure Galvin wants us to go along with it?”

“Yes Luke. Look, I know you two aren’t seeing eye-to-eye right now, but he does have your best interests at heart, and he certainly doesn’t want anything to happen to your mother.”

“I know,” Luke said, feelings of guilt building within him.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Luke tried to reach for it, but his hand was smacked away by Mina’s.

“Remember what Ruby said about having to talk only to me.”

“Right,” Luke said, slapping his hands down uselessly against his thighs as Mina answered the phone. Straining to hear, Luke could just barely make out the sound of Ruby’s voice coming from the phone.

Mina’s expression remained stoic as she simply nodded a few times and said, “I understand,” before closing the phone.

“What now?” Luke asked her expectantly.

Now we do as we’re told. More importantly, you do as your told. Can you do that for me Luke?” Mina placed her hand on the boy’s knee, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah, I guess I have to. I wish I knew what Galvin’s plan was though. Where is he, anyway?

“He’s visiting some of his less co-operative sources, trying to get a fix on where Tibbs is keeping your mother and Ruby.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry about him. We just need to play our parts. Trust me, it’ll all come together just fine.”

Luke looked at her. He stared into her white, sightless eyes. He suddenly found it hard to trust this woman, herself a half-life. Suddenly, she smiled, a big, warm smile that washed away all of Luke’s doubts.
“Okay, the first step is to blindfold you.” She reached into a bag next to her and pulled out a thick, black scarf.

“What? Why? I can’t let…”

“Enough Luke!” Mina said loudly, her voice taking on a commanding air that made the young man cease all resistance. “We follow the directions I’ve been given. No more objections, no more disobedience.”

Luke looked at her sullenly as he watched the scarf approach his face. He sat totally still as the cloth was wound repeatedly around his eyes. His head jerked slightly as he felt the ends getting knotted tightly behind his head.

“Now you sit still while I give my driver the directions. Do not try to remove the blindfold or, even though it wasn’t part of the instructions, I’ll be forced to restrain you further. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Luke replied, his willpower seemingly gone, just like any control he may have had over the situation.

“Good boy,” Mina said as the car came to a stop and she got out.


It seemed to the now sightless boy, that they had been driving for hours. After Mina had gotten out, presumably to give private instructions to the driver, she had returned to the back of the vehicle, and they had continued on their way. Luke was getting restless. His fear for the safety of his mother and Ruby was intensified by his own feelings of helplessness. His thoughts had strayed to Galvin and their recent fight, just as the vehicle came to a stop.

He felt Mina’s hand grab his arm and guide him out of the car. He heard the door shut behind him as Mina increased her pull on his arm, leading him away from the vehicle. He stumbled slightly, pain exploding through his foot as he stubbed his toe on the cold, hard pavement. Mina paused momentarily to allow him to adjust to the rough surface, but shortly began to lead him onwards again.

The blind leading the blind, Luke thought ironically as the pair continued their journey in silence. They had left the street and entered some sort of building through what had sounded to him like a very solid, very heavy, metal door. The sound of it slamming behind him had made Luke even edgier than he already was. They walked for a bit through the musty smelling interior, before beginning a long walk down several flights of frighteningly narrow wooden steps. As they descended further, look could feel the chill increasing. After a while, the wooden stairs led to a dirt-floored path that culminated at another steep flight of stairs, this time of stone. Luke marveled at his ability to be led through this maze by a blind woman. He knew that he would have fallen repeatedly had it not been for her strong, steadying grip. How she navigated the labyrinthine passages was obviously the result of her vampiric senses.

The pair came to a stop at the bottom of the stone steps. Luke was surprised to feel Mina’s hand as it pulled at the knotted material behind his head.

“I think we can take this off now,” she said as she unwound the cloth.

Luke blinked as his eyes opened. For a moment, he thought he was still blindfolded. Only when he saw the faint outline of the woman next to him did he realize that they were surrounded by an almost absolute darkness.

“Has it been this dark the whole time,” he asked absentmindedly as he cautiously moved about, failing to locate the bottom of the steps with his foot.

“I assume so,” mina answered, not offended by his comment. “Feel around the wall to your right. There should be a lever or switch. Pull it down.”

Luke felt around the cold stone wall. He was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic when his hand made contact with what felt like a rusted over metal lever. He yanked it downwards and recoiled as a shaft of light burst through the small barred opening of a solid looking metal and wood door in front of them. Luke blinked against what he now realized was only the dimmest of light, his eyes not used to any illumination after their time behind Mina’s improvised blindfold. He watched mina walk to the door and pull back two very rusty bolts. He heard the seemingly ancient metal groan in protest as the supernaturally strong woman coaxed them from their fastenings. Luke shuddered as he realized that, as strong as he was, he was nowhere near as strong as Mina, and he would never have been able to move those bolts on his own.

With a hard yank, Mina pulled the bolts free and opened the door. It creaked loudly as it swung inwards, revealing a long, narrow corridor lined on both sides with heavily barred cells. “Follow me,” Mina said as she began striding down the corridor.

Luke looked back as he walked through the door, noticing with some trepidation, that the door had no handles on the inside. He paused to make sure the door would stay open, then shuffled quickly to catch up to the woman in front of him. The corridor was just wide enough to allow the two to walk side by side, but even so, Luke’s arm brushed up against the cell doors on his right. He tried to peer into the darkness of the chambers as he passed each one, but the faint light, radiating from some hidden source behind a curved outcropping of the low ceiling, did not penetrate deeply enough inside the cells to allow him any views.

The pair continued on in silence, passing ten cells on each side of them. At the end of the corridor, they could see another door, this one much like the cell doors except that its bars were heavier. A large keyhole could be seen on the only solid part of the gate, near where it attached to one side of the wall. They stopped in front of the gate and Luke felt another chill as he watched Mina bend down and pick up a large key from the floor directly in front of her.

“Mina,” Luke said anxiously, “this doesn’t feel right. We should go.”

“Luke, you already said you knew it was a trap. Of course it doesn’t feel right. Unfortunately, you have to follow through if you are going to save the people most important to you, right?”

The boy glanced around nervously, trying to peer into the shadows that surrounded them. “Right,” he said finally.

“Good, now take off your clothes,” Mina said as she put the key in place, turned it, then slid the iron barred door open, its length receding into a space between the walls.

“What? What do you mean ‘take off my clothes’?”

“I’m sorry Luke, but it was a condition Tibbs insisted upon. He wants to ensure you don’t have any weapons.”

He looked down, not really able to argue that point. “C’mon,” he said suddenly, “it’s not like I’m wearing that much anyway. I didn’t even have time to put my trainers on. He’ll be able to see I’m not carrying any weapons.”

“Sorry Luke, but I don’t think your modesty is worth the lives of your mother and Ruby. Do you?”

“No.”

“Good. If it makes you feel better, I am blind, you know. It’s not like I’ll be able to see you stripped down.”

Luke sighed heavily, pulled off his t-shirt and dropped it to the floor. He put down his track pants and stepped out of them quickly. Goosebumps appeared on his legs and arms as the damp chill permeating the area washed over him.

“Those too,” Mina said, her sightless eyes fixed on his tight, black boxer briefs.

He hesitated, thumbs poised in the waistband, then, with a quick movement, dropped them to the floor and kicked them to the side even as his hands moved to obscure his private parts.


“There, that was easy, no?”

“It’s cold down here,” he said, choosing to ignore her question.
“That’s probably a good thing,” Mina said, her eyes focused on his hands. “Now, let’s go.” Mina placed her hand on his bare back and gently pushed him past the door.

It was even darker in this part of the corridor, and Luke found himself having to squint just to make out the details of the imposing stone walls on either side of him as they moved forward. He glanced back at the heavy iron gate in fear, feelings of claustrophobia welling up inside him and tightening his chest in a vice-like grip.

“Stop here,” Mina said, turning towards a very solid looking metal door set into the side wall of the corridor.

Luke looked around nervously, his eyes beginning to adjust ever so slightly to the darkness surrounding him. The door they stood in front of was the only one in sight. The corridor came to a halt several yards ahead of their position, but Luke could make out no other doorways or exits. He gave up trying to cover himself, and his hands, trembling slightly, dropped to his sides as he watched Mina insert the same key she had used to open the previous gate, into the lock on the one before them. There was a loud click that echoed through the stone chamber as a large locking mechanism was disengaged.

“Now,” Mina said, placing her hand reassuringly on the boy’s bare shoulder, “be a dear and help me with the bars.”

Luke studied the door for a moment, until he made out the four protrusions sticking out from the door, above and below a solid iron ring set just to the right of its center. He looked up at the vampire, and barely made out a sad looking smile play across her features. He stood up on his toes and reached the top most handgrip. Mina nodded in approval.

“Go ahead, slide it back across the door. It hasn’t been opened in a while, so it may take some effort.”

Luke tugged on it cautiously, and when it didn’t budge, he set his feet as firmly as possible, and put his back into it. A loud grinding screech issued from within the door as though metal were scraping against metal. He stopped immediately as he saw Mina back up, covering her ears with her hands.

“No, I’m fine, keep going,” she said, lowering her hands and regaining her composure.

Uncertain, and more than a bit nervous, Luke again reached out and grasped the handhold. With a mighty effort, he managed to drag the metal latch all the way across the door. Without being told, he proceeded to the next one and repeated the process. By the time Luke had opened all four latches, he was out of breath and covered in sheen of perspiration. The chill of the dank underground chamber made him shiver as he stepped back from the door.

Mina reached out and pushed at the heavy door. She shoved at it uselessly, unable to make it move. After motioning for Luke to join in the attempt, the pair finally got the impossibly heavy door to creak inwards. Mina stepped back as the boy continued to push at the door, allowing Luke to peer into the darkness within. He squinted, stopping just before stepping across the threshold, as his eyes adapted to the darkness.

“It’s a cell,” he said, backing away from the doorway.

“Yes.” Mina said quietly, the word almost drowned out by the sound of dripping water emanating from within the cavern like room.

“It’s for me, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“I really don’t like this, Mina. Something’s very wrong. I don’t see how this will help my mum and Ruby.”

The woman looked down at him, her useless eyes peering right through him in the dim light. “You have to trust us, trust Rupert. He’s best suited to handle this. He always has a plan Luke, you know that.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he replied hesitantly.

“Now, I’m afraid there’s a bit more to this than just putting you in the cell.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tibbs wants to be sure you’re not a threat. After all, you are genetically superior to a normal human. He’s a very thorough rodent.”

Mina gently nudged the boy forward, guiding him into the cell. He didn’t resist her touch, resigned to the fact that this was his only option for saving the two people he cared the most about. Stepping through the doorway, Luke peered around the half opened door and noticed that the inside surface, like the last one at the entrance to this underground dungeon, had no handles. He shuddered, realizing that even if left unlocked, which seemed doubtful at the moment, there would be no way to open the door from the inside.

Luke looked around the small chamber. It was still hard to see, but, as Mina pointed out, his eyes, like the rest of him, were better than normal for a human being. The room was vaguely rectangular in shape, ten feet long from door to wall, and about seven feet wide. The source of the dripping became apparent as he stared closely at the damp stones making up the rear wall. Water was dripping steadily downward along the wall, from the ten foot high ceiling, collecting in a downward angled, narrow, rusty metal basin at its bottom, and flowing into a thickly grated hole set into the floor in the rear corner. He looked back at Mina, his fear and panic evident even in the dark.

“He tried to drown Galvin and me last time, we can’t stay here!”

“Last time, Luke,” Mina Harker said calmly, “he was trying to kill Galvin. I doubt that’s the plan now. Besides, I don’t think enough water could flow in to fill the room before seeping out the drain.”

Luke did not seem overly reassured, but turned back to surveying his surroundings. A pipe, also rusted through, descended two feet from the ceiling, and was positioned at the center of the trough-like basin below. Luke quickly realized that anything falling from the pipe, would land in the trough, and then flow with the water towards the drain. Of course, anything larger than a golf ball, would not fit through the grating, and would collect on top of it, potentially clogging it. Another shudder traveled through him as he turned away from the back of the cell and focused on the wall to his left.

Two thick Iron chains embedded deep in the stone wall, held up the ends of a dense wooden platform extending out from the wall about four feet up from the ground. The chains connected to metal bands encircling its edges and attached with large rivets. Two more chains were connected to the wall at various points above the platform, while one was connected underneath, and each were lying coiled upon it. Luke stared at the mound of chains, tracing each one to the hard, cold iron cuffs sitting open at their ends.

“No way.” He turned to Mina. Overcome by nervous energy, the boy had completely forgotten his nakedness, but quickly moved his hands to his groin as he stood facing her. “There’s just no way…”

“Stop being a petulant child,” Mina said, her voice taking on a commanding tone Luke had never heard before. “I am growing weary of saying the same thing over and over to you. From here forward, you will do exactly as I say.”

Luke recoiled as if having been struck. The force of Mina Harker’s words hammered into him.

“To think that you are the heir to the Van Helsing legacy and yet here you stand, unwilling to do whatever is necessary. You shame me, yourself, and your ancestors with your behavior.”

‘I…I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I’m just really scared.”

“For those you love, or for yourself?” her words were met only with silence as the boy stood before her trembling.

“I see. Perhaps you are unworthy of your destiny. Perhaps Galvin was right.”

“No!” Luke shouted suddenly. “Fine, I’ll do whatever I have to. Galvin was not right. I didn’t ask for this, but I won’t fail my mum and Ruby. I won’t!”

“Then you had better get started,” Mina said, gesturing at the pile of chains, her voice returning to its normal, softer tone.

Luke picked up the first set of cuffs, the ones connected to the wall under the bench. This pair was the larger of the two, and each cuff was connected to the other by a mere twelve inches of chain. He tested the metal bands, opening and closing them each several times.

“Do not close them fully until they are in place,” Mina said in warning.

Luke glanced at her and sighed. Setting his resolve, he turned and hopped up on the platform, its rough wood uncomfortable beneath his bare backside. He leaned over and placed one of the cuffs around his left ankle. It was a tight fit, and he could feel the hard metal scraping against his skin as he started to close it. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the cuff closed. A fatal sounding click reverberated through the chamber as the manacle locked in place. He grabbed the mate and placed it around his right ankle. He hesitated and looked at Mina, but saw no sign of emotion on her face. Involuntarily, he shut his eyes as he snapped the second cuff closed. A chill ran through him and the click of the manacle seemed to reverberate through his very bones.

“Are there keys?” he asked almost to himself, not really expecting a response and not surprised when one did not come.

“Put the collar on next.”

Luke looked down and found the large collar sitting next to him. He lifted it up, feeling its weight and the weight of the chain attaching it to the wall. The collar was connected at the highest level of the three chains, and the boy knew that holding that much weight would prove tiring after a while. Gritting his teeth, he placed it around his neck. He wasn’t surprised that it was a tight fit as well, he wouldn’t have expected anything else by now. He did not hesitate, realizing that since his feet were already locked up, he had already gone past the point of no return. He closed the collar in place, trying this time to ignore the heavy click of the lock.

“Now,” Mina said, her voice flat and unemotional, “lock only one of the remaining manacles in place on your wrist, and do so with the connecting links on top of your hand, not on the palm side.”

Luke obeyed quietly, a strange sense of calm washing over him despite his physical discomfort. Perhaps it was the realization, he thought to himself as he snapped the cuff closed around his left wrist. These, smaller manacles were connected by only five inches of chain, and the second cuff clanked noisily against its mate.

“Now, place your hands behind your back palms away from each other, and close the second manacle.”

Luke took a deep breath and did as he was told. He tested his bonds after the expected click, and realized that he was truly helpless. He slid from the bench and stood up, the chains falling around him like a heavy burden he would be unable to shed. He shuffled his feet, trying to take a step, but misjudged the length of chain and almost fell. Catching himself, he stood still, moving only his neck in the heavy collar. He felt his shoulders began to twinge from the position of his arms, but chose to ignore the discomfort as he turned to face the vampire woman who had led him down this path.

“So,” Luke said matter of factly, keenly aware that he could no longer protect his modesty, “how long does Galvin plan on keeping me down here?”

Mina stepped back towards the doorway. “I’m sorry Luke,” she said as she grasped the ring on the outside of the door to the cell. “While I do not agree with his methods, I do agree with Rupert that we can’t let you fall into the hands of the half-life community. You could be a powerful weapon for them, just as your father almost was, assuming they didn’t just kill you.”

“My mother and Ruby are safe,” he said more than asked.

“Yes.”

“What are you going to tell them?”

“Rupert has something made up for your mother. Ruby already knows.”

“What?” Luke yelled, yanking at the chains holding him to the wall.

“Rupert convinced her to help us. She loves you, you know. Once she realized you were not going to accept your destiny, it was fairly simple to convince her of the danger you would be in…or could become.”

Luke fell back onto the bench. “I can’t believe it. The message, acting like she was in danger, all a lie.”

“She did it for you Luke. As did I.”

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically.

“I have to go now. I really do feel terrible about this Luke.” Mina started pulling the door shut in front of her, obviously strong enough now to move it by herself. “Your chains are long enough to allow you to get water and food, which will fall from the pipe. They are also just long enough to allow you to position yourself, with some stretching, over the drain to take care of your other needs. However, they are not long enough to reach the door, so do not hurt yourself trying.”

“I won’t be able to use my hands.”
“No.”

Luke stared at her, a ghostly silhouette in the receding light from the corridor. “What am I supposed to do,” he asked, his voice cracking and tears welling up in his eyes as Mina Harker pulled the door shut, enveloping him in complete darkness. He heard the sounds of the latches as they were slid back into place, sealing the door shut, followed by the familiar sound of the locking mechanism being reengaged. A moment of silence was followed by another loud click as a small metal panel in the door slid open. Mina’s face appeared, along with a dim shaft of light, through the bars on the interior of the door.

“Think,” she responded, just before she slid the panel closed, locking it, and again sealing the boy into total darkness.