Bunika
A Gothic Novel
Content Warning: Mature Themes
Chapter XV
Séverin’s eyes were watering, wide open. Staring upwards, all he could see in the light of the passage was the creature’s countenance inches from his own as her red hair fell around his face, touching his cheeks and neck. It felt soft, brushlike, and smelled of almond and honey. If this truly was a vampire, he began to think the books - particularly the religious ones - had painted a damning picture of them to keep devout men away from such searing temptation.
The Neochotný put her elbows either side of his head, framing his view perfectly and restricting his vision so that all he could see was her eyes and the glint of the candles on her lips and teeth. He was completely at her mercy, his heart beating like a war drum with such ferocity that he swore he could almost hear it.
She brought her mouth barely an inch from his, and as she spoke, he could feel her breath on his face, her lips missing his only by a hair’s width as she talked.
“You know me, do you not,” she said faintly. The words came curling out of her mouth as soft as silk, washing over him like a sweet zephyr.
Séverin was still completely unable to talk, and managed a shaken nod. As he did so he could see the girl smile, exposing two straight rows of perfect white teeth, with short, sharp canines on the far sides. She spoke three syllables gently and slowly to him.
“Mah. Reek. Ah!”
Chapter III
“Who are ‘they’? And where did this happen?” Ružena was also sat on the floor opposite Marika, but unlike her counterpart, her legs were brought to the side and underneath her, her positioning a little more graceful.
“Just north of Modra," Marika returned. "I was pulled from my bed mid-morning and then thrown into a carriage. We rode for hours yesterday until the late afternoon. They bound me and then tried me on the edge of a forest in the middle of the gods-only-know where.”
She found herself breaking down again as she continued.
“I do not know why this happened. I did nothing. I do not know these people. Who they were, why they pulled me out of my home and tortured me. For what? What have I done? I woke up this morning, my hands bound and in a lake, and by some astonishing fortune I was able to make it to the surface. It is like some incredibly vivid nightmare that I now must live with.”
Doubting any current definition of reality, she stared at Ružena. Marika was bedraggled, her face awash with tears and rainwater as the black-haired girl looked back at her with a slight smile of what appeared to be sympathy.
Ružena stood and moved to the other side of the room slyly like a shadow, and with such agility it was as if she was classical walking in some kind of a ballet. As she followed her with her eyes, Marika noticed a golden log fire blazing in a deep-sunk hearth to her right.
“I think it a good idea if we gave you a drink, don’t you," Ružena commented. "It can’t be just a coincidence that you ended up immediately in the dining area after discovering this castle! Your guardian angel, whomever they may be, is watching and caring for you with alacrity, I see.”
Chapter IX
“I consider it of great import to locate this sect," said Marika, "I am sure I will learn something prominent about both them and myself in the process.”
Ružena jumped up with a start. “But, miláčika, would you consider travelling all the way to Banská Štiavnica yourself? That is quite some way away from Modra. It would be about seven or eight days’ travel for you on foot.”
For the first time Marika was feeling that her patience was being tested somewhat, though she continued with composure. “I could go back to Prešporok and warn others of this, but I feel I have been given special privilege of this information and it must be acted upon.”
“And what if this sect is well-organised, and dangerous?”
“I work alone and always have done, and anyway,” said her partner assertively, “I did not say I was going to take them on, I merely intend to deduce more information, directly or indirectly.”
Ružena was pacing around the room. She had her brandy glass in her hand, but was not taking any sips from it. It had been untouched for some minutes at this point, and had become little more than a prop to hold as comfort, like some kind of a worry stone.
“I think this could be hazardous for you. I take it that, since you work alone, you would not consider company on such a journey?”
“You are correct indeed,” Marika returned. “I feel that though I can look after myself, that may not extend to others. It could be very dangerous for both of us, but I shall return immediately after I have finished my investigations.”
Chapter XII
The punters downstairs had stopped speaking. Through the thin ceiling, a line of blood had dripped through the boards and fallen cleanly onto one of the tables. The bar staff stopped in horror: one bolted out the front door, while another - Ivan - ran up the stairs with a woodcutter's axe. As he reached the upper landing he was greeted with the sight of Marika’s eyes shining brightly like lanterns straight at him, dark blood coating her shoulders and neck like a cape as his mouth fell open in terror.
He staggered backwards, barely able to breathe, his cry caught in his throat as Marika threw his colleague to the side. The body slid across the floor, a drained, heavy, useless hunk as Ivan could now make out the entirety of Marika’s form. He could see the curve of her shoulders, the bend of her waist and hips, the slim shape of her legs, her wet hair falling over her shoulders and blood smeared over her mouth, stomach and parts of her thighs.
She ran towards him, her arms darting out like bayonets. Leaping onto his waist, she locked her legs and arms around his body, her mouth fixing onto his neck. Like a parasite she wrapped herself around his torso as he fell backwards down the stairs. He hit the floor winded, his breath leaving his entire body as she held his head by the temples, snapping his head backwards like flicking the cap from a bottle, and then thrust her head into the gash at the front of his throat while his blood sprayed up like wine from a burst barrel. The remaining drinkers in the tavern, who had gathered briefly at the foot of the stairs, screamed in awe and alarm as she glared up at them with her mouth open. All ran from the sight, deserting the tavern, spilling ale tankards, food and candlesticks onto the floor.
All audio by H4nnah