11. Osiris

11

OSIRIS

F ear. Pure fear.

Osiris knew that look better than anyone. The wide eyes, the gaping mouth, their bodies frozen in place as if they were waiting for him to attack.

Shrinking back, his shoulders sagged as Eleanor fell to the floor, still unable to speak.

Osiris lifted his hands in a placating manner, trying to convey to her that he meant no harm, but what good has that ever done? Humans believe what they want to believe, he reminded himself.

“Eleanor, please,” he whispered.

“Horseman,” she finally choked out. “You’re the Headless Horseman. Please, I am sorry. Please let me leave. I promise I will not tell anyone,” her voice shook as her eyes began to water.

Osiris sighed. Of course. Why did he think she would be any different? His light dimmed as he backed up, feeling behind him for the handle. Opening the door, he left slowly, pausing just before he closed it.

“Do not leave this cottage. And before you panic, you are not a prisoner. It is for your own safety.”

When she didn’t say anything, he left, closing the door fully.

Osiris rested his head against the door and sighed. His own truth becoming harder to believe. Still, he repeated it to himself again and again, fearing that if he stopped, he would forget who he was.

I am not a monster.

He knew it wasn’t her fault. She did not do anything wrong. She did not mean to hurt him. This was a truth he also needed to remind himself of.

After his many years, he had eventually stopped counting how many screams of terror he heard. In time, the screams began to meld together until they all eventually sounded the same. Eleanor had not screamed but her fear was palpable, and it stung more than any other time a human or being had turned away from him.

He enjoyed speaking with her. When she did not know what he was, her kindness and ease with which she spoke was overflowing.

Osiris stood up and backed away from his door to sit under a tree, watching the entry intently. He would not blame her if she tried to run. Still, he could only hope she would listen.

Her safety, and the safety of the other beings, would be out of his control if she escaped.

Osiris waited and waited, but even his senses could not pick up any noise from within his home. He did not like it, he decided.

Even though he had warned her to stay put, he was curious as to why she obeyed. She did not seem like the kind to listen when given instructions. Given her wedding dress, he also presumed that she had run away from her wedding.

“A wayward bride, perhaps,” he mumbled to himself.

If she were willing to run away from such an event, on Hallows Eve of all nights, Osiris got the sense that she was not one to easily be controlled.

He did like that about her, of course.

Their meeting reminded him a bit of when he had met Eddy for the first time. Though, Eddy was the first and, perhaps would be, the only human to not shy away in terror from Osiris.

He knew that. He did. But why did Eleanor doing what everyone else had always done, seem to hurt so much more?

“ Give them a chance ,” he muttered, imitating Eddy’s voice.

He had been so lost in his own mind that he did not hear the approaching footsteps until a voice spoke from the edge of his property. “Give who a chance?”

Osiris startled, looking across his garden to Elias, a young vampire who only came to the enclave a few summers ago. His brown skin was marked with smaller scars which were mainly focused on his hands. His tousled white hair ended just above his eyebrows, a contrast to his dark red button-down shirt. Elias was also, as it would seem, growing exceedingly nosy at the least opportune times.

Standing to his feet, Osiris quickly made his way over, forcing himself not to glance back at his home where a human was hiding.

As he approached Elias, without any hint from Osiris himself, the vampire’s eyes wandered to the cottage.

Elias’ brows furrowed as his gaze lingered on the home longer than Osiris was comfortable with.

Can he smell her?

“Elias,” Osiris started, calling the vampires attention back to him, “is there something you need? Does your carriage need a new wheel again?”

Elias’ eyes met Osiris’, his expression relaxing slightly. “No, I was just coming to see if everything was okay.”

He knows. He can smell her. Or did he hear her earlier?

His heart pounded in his chest. “Of course, all is well. Why do you ask?” He nervously ran his thumbs over the fingertips of his gloved hands, desperately waiting for the vampire to answer.

Elias shrugged his shoulders. “I saw you out last night. It is not like you to partake in the festivities.”

Osiris’ eyes widened as he nodded his head. “Yes, well, I had a harvest that needed to be disposed of, and well, with the humans locked away it was easy enough,” he began to ramble off.

Elias narrowed his eyes for a moment before he shrugged it off, smiling warmly. “I still don’t know why you bother toiling away with your garden if you are only going to get rid of it. It is not like you can eat, given…” his eyes looked at where Osiris’ neck was, Osiris lifted his hand to his head instinctively to make sure he was wearing it, “your situation.”

Osiris smiled back, as much as he could. “Another time you should let me teach you. It calms my mind and busies my hands, oft, it can make it seem like nothing else matters.”

“Is that so?”

“It is,” he responded, nodding his head.

The sound of movement from within his house forced him to look in the direction of his door. It was only for a moment, but he could have sworn something moved.

What if she escapes?

Osiris looked back at the vampire and clasped his hands together in front of him. “I do apologize, however, I have to be getting inside. I found a book on my venture and it is almost reading hour,” he began to say, backing away from Elias. It was the truth, in a way. After all, he did have a book as he returned from his trip to the orphanage. Osiris was only omitting the part about it being abandoned in a heaping pile of mud somewhere on the forest floor.

“Reading hour?” Elias asked, his brows furrowed, watching Osiris intently.

“Yes, and well, I would hate to miss it.”

“Right…” the vampires voice trailed off momentarily, “well, I guess I will see you around then?”

Osiris nodded his head as Elias turned and left, gripping the handle firmly as he waited for the vampire to have left his property line.

Opening the door, he rushed in.

His shadows reacted before he did when he felt the cold prick of metal against his neck. He grabbed the arm that held a weapon to him and pinned it against the wall with his shadows as he turned to face… her?

“Eleanor,” he rasped, staring at his shaking human woman.