Chapter 4: Chapter 4 – Broken Staircase

Raphael tossed and turned all night long.

The castle loomed over him, taunting him.

He was so close to encountering the Vampire Queen. The thought gnawed at his sanity, blooming into an ugly obsession.

The moon was still high up in the sky.

Sighing, he finally sat up. There was no point in trying to sleep when his mind was alert.

'One more time.' Raphael stared at the building, its door wide opened, and the shadows stretched into a mocking grin. 'I'll search one more time, then give up.'

Deep down, he knew it was a fruitless effort. But he couldn't leave without seeing with his own eyes that the Queen truly left her base.

"Captain?"

Paul sat by the dying fire and prodded with his sword. Finally, he threw a handful of twigs, feeding the fire until a small fire ignited.

"I'm going to check out the castle one last time." Raphael blurted out.

Paul's lips pulled into a grimace. "Captain..."

"I know." Raphael sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know." He repeated the second time; his voice lost its initial energy.

"Don't spend the whole night searching an empty building, Captain," Paul said. Then, he went back to watching the small fire.

Raphael rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, before..."

Paul shook his head. "It's alright. I know I'm grasping at straws here. I know you don't care to learn about these monsters." Paul looked up, setting a determined look. "But you need to know your enemy to defeat them."

Raphael knew Paul was right. They were taught everything about  vampires, dissecting their lifestyle, preferences, and anything to give humanity the upper hand to defeat the monster that ruled the night.

The more Raphael learned about them, the more his heart filled with scorn and rage. Perhaps, it was because some vampires acted 'too human-like,' and it disturbed him to insanity.

"But I think I was reaching when I pointed out the pig." Paul sighed. "You're right, and maybe these vampires enjoy mutilating whatever living being they could get their hands on. They are known for their cruelty after all."

Raphael remained silent, unsure where Paul was going with this.

Paul smiled. Rather, his lips smiled, but his eyes lost all their glimmer. "I know you don't want to know more about the vampires." He stood up and stretched his back. "So, let me handle the research, and I'll let you handle killing them all."

Paul pulled out his hand, extending an olive branch. "Deal?"

Raphael stared at Paul's hand. He snorted at Paul's antic of telling Raphael it was water under the bridge. Raphael clasped his hand with Paul's. "Deal."

Paul gripped Raphael's hand. "It's not your fault. So don't carry this burden by yourself, Raph."

"I'm not," Raphael said. He pulled his hand back.

"Really?"

"Really."

Like Sam, Paul did not believe Raphael's words. But by this point, Sam and Paul should know how stubborn Raphael could be.

Paul sighed. "Just try to get some sleep tonight. You don't want to be a zombie the next day."

Raphael cocked a brow. "You know I can go without sleep for multiple days if I have to."

Paul pulled out a look of disdain. "Seriously, you're impossible." Then, shaking his head, he said, "Yes, yes, we are all aware of how crazy you are."

In response, Raphael rolled his eyes. "Your envy is showing."

With a deadpanned voice, Paul said, "Yes, look how envious I am."

They both broke out into small chuckles.

With slightly lighter steps, Raphael entered the Queen's abandoned lair.

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The foyer looked different during the night. The moon cast a beam through the cracked window and decorated the room with pillars of light.

Raphael looked left then right.

This may take longer than a few hours to check the whole place.

He started from the west wing since he had already checked the east wing.

He walked up the grand staircase, and one of the steps collapsed as soon as he stepped on it.

"Shit." He cursed as he stumbled back.

He inspected the new hole he had made.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

"What the?" Raphael got on his knees and pressed his ears against the hole.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

It sounded like metal chains rattling together. His eyes widened. Could it be? Could it be possible that this castle had a hidden room that could only be accessed under special circumstances? It wouldn't be too farfetched. Nobles are known to build secret rooms. They probably had too much money and didn't know what to do with it.

He pulled out the plank, and the wood creaked until it fully snapped off. Then, as if that single piece held the whole staircase together, the entire staircase collapsed.

"Crap!" Raphael felt his body go weightless as he dropped down to the unknown room along with pieces of the broken staircase.

"Oof!" He broke his fall with his left shoulder. He heard a sickening crack. Wheezing, he muttered, "That definitely left a mark."

Groaning, he rolled onto his back and stared at the man-made entrance.

He fell several feet below. His shoulder paid the price for this discovery.

Clink, clink, clink.

"Who's there?" Raphael called out. He almost wanted to smack himself, as if someone would answer if a man just fell from the ceiling.

"U-uhm, I'm... h-h-here." A soft feminine voice called out.

Bewildered, Raphael forced his body to sit up. Instead, his body protested with a sharp pain across his shoulder, neck and upper back. "Ugh." He grimaced and hovered his good hand over his injured shoulder.

"A-are you okay, sir?"

Through squinting eyes, he searched for the source of the voice.

His pain was momentarily forgotten.

A woman with long black silken hair was shackled to the wall by her wrists, ankles and neck. The room was small and surrounded them with jagged rocks. It looked underdeveloped, almost as if they were in a cave. Was this an incomplete dungeon, perhaps?

It was dark save for the lone oil lamp burning in the corner. But the fire in the light was flickering, almost nearing its last breath.

His eyes trailed up from her bare legs to her bare thighs. He felt heat suffuse his cheeks and quickly turned away.

His brain was warring between the image of a scantily clad woman and his professional side telling him to smarten up.

Clink, clink, clink.

The chain rattled, and the woman crawled closer to Raphael. They were just barely an arm's length away. "Sir, are you alright?" She asked.

Raphael gulped down a lump forming in his throat. He needed to stay professional. But unfortunately, the pain was not helping with his focus.

After taking a deep breath, he forced his head up and only focused on her face.

The moment their eyes met, his breath stopped.

This woman was a vampire.

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