Memento mori

- Hello, girls! Well, it seems we're all here! Yes, come on in, that's not a mistake, the party is in full swing. So here we are. Go ahead! Make yourselves comfortable! We finally have to get to know each other, right? I'm Teodor, and that pineapple lounging in the sheets is Viver. Viver, if you please, step up to the role of host! Am I supposed to serve your guests myself?

My ward and I took our seats on a wide sofa, already thickly covered with wallpaper from other guests. The room was rather standard, Austrian-style. Plenty of space, whitewashed walls decorated with several Alpine landscapes, a sprawling double bed, and an irrational number of wardrobes, dressers, and drawers. The current owners clearly didn't know what to do with this last detail. Half-unpacked bags were strewn across the floor, a board without an owner lay across the aisle, threatening to cripple anyone, and a Gillette razor had strayed among the glasses.

Looking at our hosts, it was hard to be surprised. Theodore, for example, who must have been at least thirty, was trying his hardest to behave inappropriately for his age. He was a very fair-haired man with a pleasant face, dressed in gray trousers and an ashen shirt. He could have passed for a gentleman if he hadn't been making silly faces and winking at each and every one of us.

Viver, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much. He lay sprawled on the bed in the pose of an Indian rajah, his hands behind his head, surveying everyone through half-closed eyes. A soft, lazy, terribly irritating smile played across his lips. Black, mid-length hair and a neatly trimmed beard, fair European skin, jeans, and a black T-shirt with the Red Hot Chili Peppers logo. All he lacked was a business card: "Cool Guy with a Pedigree."

"Don't worry about that boor, girls," Teodor advised, distributing glasses and tumblers. "His rheumatism flares up with the climate change, so he can't overexert himself. Poor thing.

" "I heard you," Viver muttered. "One more word, buddy, and you'll be sleeping on the sofa.

" "Just try, and tomorrow you'll be sweeping snow off the slopes with your own ass. Unless those beautiful ladies are generous enough to chip in and buy you an apple." Teodor winked at Karolina, my fifteen-year-old charge. She snorted into her glass, and I glared at her. "Lady, what are you drinking?" Thanks to my friend's kindness, we have a wide selection of cocktails: beer, beer with water, beer without water, light beer, dark beer...

"I..." she began.

"She only wants water." I interrupted the discussion. "The girl is underage."

"Auntie, this isn't funny!" the girl exclaimed. Her pale face flushed with indignation. I smiled tenderly: she rarely got angry. Karolina was a very small, quiet child, and from what I knew—and I didn't know her well, as I only saw her at work with her mother, Elżbieta—not very sociable. She preferred being with older people to her peers. Despite this, there was something about her that made me love her.

"You can have a Coke," I told her graciously. Her eyes flashed with righteous indignation and a promise not to speak to me for the entire session. Teodor chuckled as I held the glass under his nose. "A light beer, no water, please."

The man patted Karolina's hand and, leaning into her ear, whispered, "Don't worry, old men aren't always watching," before scurrying off to the other guests, casting me a single terrified glance over my shoulder.

I muttered a few obscenities under my breath and glanced around the room in a vain search for support. Viver was still lying motionless on the bed, and it was hard to tell if he was asleep or lost in thought. Suddenly, as if sensing my gaze, his eyelids fluttered and opened, revealing a pair of black eyes, full of golden sparks of good humor. His smile widened and became more sincere. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and, with a fluid, almost dancing gait, moved toward us. At that moment, I felt Karolina stiffen strangely beside me. This alarmed me; Elizabeth had, after all, warned me about her daughter's fits of tantrums. But before I could ask my charge if she wanted to return to her room, the man was already there, offering me his hand.

A silver band on the ring finger of his right hand. Married. What a shame.

"Nice to meet you, ladies. I'm Viver, or simply Sergiusz, which my friend forgot to tell me. He often forgets things, so please don't worry. I must admit, I was intrigued by the presence of women at a ski camp in the Italian Alps. Especially since most of our guests are students." His hand swept in a wide arc towards where Teodor was entertaining a group of young girls with anecdotes straight from the Polytechnic.

"Agnieszka. My name," I explained when he raised a surprised eyebrow. "It was quite a surprise for us too. A last-minute offer, so to speak. Suggested by my cousin, who has direct contact with Almatur. I thought, why not? After all, we both need some fresh air. Especially Karolina; she's been looking increasingly frail lately..."

"Really?" The man's voice held genuine concern as he turned his black eyes on my charge, who, judging by her expression, was trying to blend into the sofa. Her face had lost all color, and her dark eyes were slightly wide... Fear? An alarm went off in my head. Something about this whole situation was VERY wrong...

"Hello." Sergius extended his hand toward Karolina, and she sank even deeper into the armrest. Only my sharp gaze made her slowly and reluctantly return the greeting. Her fingertips brushed the palm of his hand and were about to flee, startled, when Viver's right hand suddenly gripped them tightly.

It was so sudden it was terrifying. The girl's entire body jerked violently, as if she had been electrocuted. Her upper incisors bit her lip. For a moment, the time it takes a person to catch their breath, they stared into each other's eyes. And I sat right next to them, petrified, defenseless, unsure of what to do. And I cursed myself for not being able to decipher the meaning of their stares.

Finally, just as I was about to open my mouth and ask hoarsely what the hell was going on between them, eye contact was broken. Viver smiled apologetically.

"You have a very nice relative. Well, have fun. I have to ask Theodore about one of the many things he's forgotten."

He nodded and disappeared into the crowd. I glanced at Karolina, who at that moment resembled a fish out of water. Her pale lips were mumbling something that might have been a prayer. I grabbed her arm and shook her vigorously.

"Wake up, girl! What happened to you? Did that man do something to you? Do you want to go back to your room? Answer me!"

The slightly hysterical tones must have struck a chord in the girl's limp body. Suddenly, she turned her head towards me. I felt as if her dark eyes were burning my brain, and I recoiled sharply. A mocking grimace spread across Karolina's face.

" I'm dead. That's what I'm saying," she hissed.

Her words forced all the air from my lungs. Suddenly, I felt a freezing cold chill creep up my spine. The room darkened rapidly.

" What are you talking about? " My voice seemed to echo off the bare walls. Where had all the guests gone?

" Don't you understand, aunt? The wedding ring on his hand. Silver. He's not married at all; such people rarely start families... It was a trap. And now he knows. He knows, and he'll find me, even to the ends of the earth... No, why bother? I bet she keeps it in this room. He couldn't part with his sword, his black sword, which had taken the lives of so many before me... I can't escape him, I have no chance. Not with HIM.

" " You're talking nonsense!" CAROLINA??

I looked around in panic, still unable to spot any of the guests. A quiet laugh.

" Don't worry, Auntie. They won't hear us. It's telepathy. One of the many abilities I inherited from my mother. And from my grandmother. My grandmother also died from that black sword... The Black Death, that's what they call it... " My voice became quick, clipped. " I was so stupid... But my mother described it to me so precisely... So stupid... Beware of the Black Death, my daughter... Beware of Sergius Wolvein, the last descendant of Van Helsing... And now he's found me... He's found me and he'll kill me... Just like he did my grandmother... My grandmother was such a sweet, kind woman... She loved reading me fairy tales and called me her Green Peas... And then he came, with that black sword of his... My uncle swore revenge. But how can an uncle kill Death?

Stunned by this rhetorical question, I didn't notice for a long moment that the noise around me had returned to its normal level, and colors had regained their usual brightness. Karolina's pale face was streaked with tears. She clung to my arm, her body racked with silent sobs. Almost instinctively, I reached out and stroked her head.

"Shh... You're safe as long as you're with me..." I whispered. Karolina hiccupped and looked at me in disbelief.

"Another person who wants to wrestle with death?" she asked in a mocking voice. "No way, Auntie. You can't. Raise your head now and look at him. Yes, now. He's watching us. Look into his eyes. The friendly sparks have vanished, see? His pupils are like two dark tunnels leading to the depths of hell. He could kill with a look, if only he learned...

Indeed, Viver was leaning against the nightstand, clutching a glass of cognac. He watched Karolina the entire time, as she began to tremble slightly. When he met my gaze, he raised the glass to his lips, smiling slightly. My shock was slowly turning into irritation. Seriously, either this man is a serial killer, or I'm as dense as Polsilver after his third shave and don't understand any of this.

"Can you just explain to me why he's going to kill you?" I drawled. "Because otherwise I'll consider this a case of unhealthy paranoia and send you to bed early."

Karolina shook her head, looking at me as if I were a chocolate-covered little boy.

"Auntie, think about it for a moment. Silver.

" "Silver? Are you allergic to silver jewelry?" I said, getting irritated. "For God's sake, girl, don't talk in riddles!

" "You want it straight?" Okay, just don't scream and don't search your pockets for garlic. I'm a vampire.

- WHAT?

"I told you not to scream. Yes, a vampire. Just like my mom, dad, grandma, and uncle. Strange, isn't it? You see, vampires are people too, contrary to most superstitions and what people like him think of us." A hostile look in Viver's direction, who only smiled wider in response.

"You mean... You mean he wants to kill you because you're a vampire?" I asked. I must have felt faint, because the entire room was spinning strangely. "I... I... Come with me, we'll clear up this idiotic misunderstanding right now!"

My sudden urge to act, my despotic desire to return everything to normal, must have stunned Karolina, because at first she limply followed me. Only in the middle of the room did she brake abruptly. Her face was tense and anxious, like a caged animal.

"I won't go there. You can't force me to talk to him.

" "Of course I will." I tugged her wrist and practically dragged her across the carpet to where Viver was still. She stood beside me, stiffened, and looked at me with reproachful eyes.

"Hello again." Viver's voice was warm and betrayed no murderous intent. "Perhaps some cognac to seal our friendship? Help yourselves without fear, it's Teodora.

" "No, thank you." The refusal was short and cold. "So as not to take up too much of your time... My ward has certain, in my opinion unfounded, concerns about you, and I'd like to allay them.

" "I'm listening carefully.

" "Karolina told me you wanted to kill her and called you... the Black Death. I apologize for the impertinence...

" "But why all this fuss!" Viver scratched his nose with the index finger of his right hand, hiding a soft, feline smile behind the glass. A strange light flashed briefly in his black eyes. "I'm just an ordinary vampire hunter, though I won't deny that I'm a very effective one." I felt the ground slip from under my feet. At that same moment, the man's hand shot forward and grabbed my arm. "Please don't faint! How about some cognac? Too much excitement for one evening is unhealthy..."

Right next to me, Karolina hissed strangely, and Viver's hand released me, only to clamp down on her chin. She whimpered as, with a sudden movement, almost a jerk, he lifted her head. His thumb pressed against the girl's lower lip, revealing a row of milky white teeth.

"Pure," the man announced, releasing Karolina. In one leap, she hid behind me and pressed herself against my back. "You know, I'm not a murderer. I don't kill innocent children.

" "But you do kill," I blurted out. A quiet, incredulous snort answered me.

"There are those who call it a preventative measure. Yes, the horror stories speak the truth. Vampires kill too. They can't be resocialized; the need to kill is stronger than them. Don't look at me like that, I might save your life someday.

" "And her?" I whispered, pointing at Karolina. "Will you destroy her too?

" "If she doesn't kill anyone, she doesn't have to fear me." That same charming smile again. "Although she should know she's being watched. Now and always. But, but. We're on vacation, aren't we? We need a break from our hard, boring professional lives. Can I persuade you to have that cognac?

" "Viver! Aren't you drinking MY alcohol?"

Theodore's furious shout distracted the black-haired man and allowed us to discreetly retreat from the room. I needed sleep and plenty of alcohol. A lot of it. Even if I'm sliding crookedly down the slope tomorrow.

Just before leaving, I overheard a fragment of a conversation that would remain etched in my memory for a very long time...

"You're a sentimental fool, Viver. You know perfectly well that she'll kill someday and one of us will have to face her. Why are you spouting such nonsense?

" "Because, Teo, sometimes you have to believe in people...

"

Destiny was fulfilled one overcast November day. Then Elizabeth, who had been sad and despondent for some time, threw her arms around me, bursting into tears.

"It's over!" she sobbed into my cashmere sweater, ignoring the surprised looks of her coworkers. "I got a black letter, and HE'S coming! I really tried, I fought it for a hell of a long time... I don't know how long... But it grew stronger... It consumed me... Until finally I couldn't..."

She pulled back at arms' length and fixed me with the mad gaze of her dark eyes. As dark as her daughter's.

"Did you kill me?" "I'm sorry," I whispered, though I knew the answer. She nodded.

"It's over." Her voice suddenly became flat and inaudible. "I sent Karolina to Germany, to her uncle. I don't want her to see this... "

A moment of silence.

"Will you come to my funeral?

" "Run." My voice sounded alien to my own ears. "Leave everything and run. To America. To Alaska. To the end of the world."

She smiled bitterly.

"And what good will that do me? He is death. The Black Death. It always comes. Sooner or later.

That was the last time I saw Elizabeth alive.

THE END