Artemis the Chosen - M. Jade Glock (i can read with my eyes shut txt) 📗

looked on the floor, feeling around for any indication for a cover or binding. She breathed a sigh of relief when she ground what she was looking for. Taking the book she headed to her bed, turning on the lamp that rested atop her end table. The whole room was illuminated, revealing the chaotic mess caused by Erica's recent encounter. She ignored the mess as she seated herself in the middle of the mattress, completely enraptured about the piece of literature she held within her hands.

“Let us see why you're causing so much trouble.”

She opened the cover and saw the message scrawled upon the first page. It was a lot to take in all at once.

“Chosen? How could that man possibly think that I am the Chosen?”

After reading the part about vampyres being monsters she fingered the two puncture wounds on her neck.

“At least they got on thing right.”

Erica was suddenly hit with a wave of depression as she turned the next page. She was reminded more vividly of what she was and how much she loathed it. Upon reading the next page she was shocked and was almost in disbelief at what she saw. The journal read:

History of the vampyre began close to 2000 years ago in Ancient Greece. There have been many legends of creatures that suck the life blood of humans, but this one is by far the most accurate. At this time, the gods moved along the earth. The goddess, Artemis, encountered a man that seemed to be captivated and infatuated with her. She was in love with him, falling for his charismatic words and promises. She did not waste any gifts upon him. She blessed him with wealth and power beyond any mans dream, and he continued to woo her until his riches were innumerable. Then, one night, he betrayed Artemis and took a mortal woman as his wife. Rage filled Artemis and she sought out revenge. She felt that killing him was much too quick and not satisfactory to satiate her thirst for vengeance. She though of the most cruel thing to do to him, and so she cursed him. She bestowed upon him the curse of immortality and a craving for consuming blood. This is what we know as vampyres, today. All vampyre descendants have come from this cursed man. He got to see his wife grow old and die. He walked the earth with the children that were unfortunate enough to have inherited his vampyre gene.

 

Erica stopped reading at this point.

"Alright. What the heck is going on?"

She was astonished and mesmerized, but full of knowledge and fear at the same time.

"I'm just the product of a 2000 year old curse," she said to herself.

She raised her hand to the front of her face, twisting it to the front and the back several times, willing herself to understand. She looked back down at the book that say in her lap, and continued to read.

The vampyres are a corrupt race, because of their immorality they see themselves as an invincible force that can escape any situation.

 

Erica stopped again to scoff at the words she just read.

"That's for sure," she commented. She was referring to the corpse that was lying just a few feet away from her. She turned to the journal again.

All of them have no desire to benefit the world, they have decided to use their immortality to feed their own greed and lust for power. Except for you.

 

Erica raised her eyebrows at those last few words.

"Except me?" She was perplexed about these words.

You have the rare gene of vampyre and slayer. You detest what you are and desire to be a human. This is the mark of the Chosen. You are the one who will eliminate the threat of the vampyre race. You and you alone are the key.

 

"The key? What am I suppose to do? Go out in the middle of the street and say that I'm a vampyre slayer? A lot of good that will do."

"You are to have a mentoring by me."

Erica jumped. She instinctively grabbed her pistol, and turned to see the strange man from the alleyway.

"Is everyone going to break into my apartment tonight?" Erica was frustrated and tired, she was in no mood to have to deal with this guy. She made sure her pistol was aimed at his chest.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"Is that any way to treat a guest?" He smirked as if this was all a big game. He entered the apartment and made himself comfortable as if he lived there himself. All the while Erica followed him with the barrel of her gun.

"If you were an invited guest," she said coldly. "Now why are you here and what do you want?" Her eyebrows narrowed.

"So inhospitable," he said snobbishly.

"Well aren't you much more chatty than you were yesterday." Erica was growing annoyed at his pervasiveness.

Ignoring Erica's comment, he went on to explain himself.

"I'm Artemis," he said proudly.

"The goddess herself? But you're a man!" She exclaimed, surprise written in her eyes.

The man winced and seemed to hesitate on his next words.

"More like the son of Artemis."

Chapter III

"Wait. You're the son of Artemis?" Erica was astonished.

He just stared at her, his air of importance got on her nerves.

"Fine, if you're Artemis, what do you want with me?"

He looked at her with interest and question.

"Didn't you finish reading the book?"

"Oh yeah, I worked all night, got attacked by a vampyre and a god shows up in my apartment. I managed to fit time to read this stupid book in between all of that," she said in a sarcastic tone.

Artemis sighed and walked over to the bed, picked up the book and flipped to a page. He read the words aloud so that Erica could hear.

"I will come to you as a guide and equip you with the tool you will need to finish your mission."

He stopped reading and looked at her.

"Honestly, didn't you read when I gave it to you?"

"Because I just read random books from creepy strangers, yeah that's smart."

Artemis sighed again.

"We don't have much time, take a seat."

He sat down, and so did she, feeling safe enough now to withdraw her weapon but keep it very close to her person.

"You have to save the world before December 31st, otherwise the human race will die out."

Erica opened her mouth to ask a question but Artemis continued before she could get a word out.

"The reason being because the first vampyre, your ancestor, plans to gather all of the vampyres together and control the world."

Artemis' expression fell.

"My mother was so blinded by her anger that she didn't think of the consequences of her curse on the man she used to love. Now he's in search of power beyond any mortals capabilities."

Artemis looked off into the distance, contemplating the past.

"That man is my father," Artemis admitted, his tone rueful.

Erica felt for the man before her.

"Do you have the vampyre DNA like I do?" She asked him, hoping that it wouldn't be too painful.

He shook his head. "I don't. My mother was carrying me before she cursed him. It wasn't until the day after she afflicted him that she found out that she was with child."

Erica nodded in understanding. A moment of silence dominated the atmosphere.

"What do I need to take this man out?"

Erica was determined now, not only to become human, but to also avenge Artemis and herself. Artemis snapped out of his melancholy and regarded Erica with an expression of professionalism, leaving no trace of his previous emotion.

"Besides the equipment that I will give you, you are going to have to completely eliminate every vampyre on this earth, including the father of your race. You will need to target his top informants first."

This information overwhelmed Erica but she nodded her understanding. Artemis rose from his seat and held out bot of his hands. What appeared were two guns of a .45 caliber. They both were attached to chains, the other end connected to holsters. In his other hand he held a belt that all the equipment could he hooked to.

"These are your most important possessions now, guard them with your life." Artemis stared at her intensely, hoping that she would realize the seriousness of the situation.

"I understand," she said with finality.

She grabbed the items and strapped them onto herself. She looked up at Artemis once she was finished and saw that his mouth had dropped. She looked at him quizzically.

"What's the matter?" He was making her nervous.

"When did you get that?" He pointed at her person.

"Get what? I-"

"That bite mark! The one on your neck!" Artemis was shouting and it made Erica recoil from him.

She touched the two puncture wounds on her neck. It didn't seem like a big deal to her. They didn't even hurt all that much, hardly a cause for any alarm. As Erica was touching her wounds with one hand she pointed to the former vampyre with the other. Artemis looked in the direction of her pointing and didn't like what he saw, he didn't like it one bit.

"When did this happen?" He asked, impatient for the answer.

"Just a little while before you arrive. You aren't an observant one are you?"

She couldn't understand how someone could walk into her home and not notice the complete chaos that it was in, not to mention the dead body that was just lying in the room, fully seen.

"This is bad, this is really bad." Artemis began to pace back and forth, running his fingers through his hair.

"What's bad? Artemis, you're scaring me, tell me what's going on?" Her voice shook with almost every word.

He looked her in the eyes. He went to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, I hoped that I would have found you first." He looked at the dead woman across the room.
"That over there is an informant, though they must not have been around that long to have been killed so easily." Artemis said this in a grave tone.

Erica was filled with understanding. She didn't know how but somehow they knew she was the Chosen.

"I must have been too late in finding you. How they managed to find you before me is extraordinary."

Artemis was partially astonished and partly anxious.

"It's not safe here anymore, we have to leave this place, now."

Artemis didn't wait for her reply. He grabbed the book in one hand and then her hand with the other. He practically dragged her to his car. Once they were outside he quickly opened her door, then his.

"Get in," he commanded. She obeyed without