Supernaturals

27. He's taken

ROCHU *(minor character)*

They weren't far behind. In fact, it was a miracle that I was still alive.

Ashley was probably deãd. The thought of that alone made me wish I would sink into the ground and just be forgotten forever. But I knew better. If I stopped running, it would be a matter of minutes before Landon and his men meet up with me. And if they do, the sacrifice Ashley made would be in vain, not to mention the terrible fate that would await me.

I kept running. I was thinking. There wasn't much to think about. I didn't know where I was going, neither did I know where I was. Now, this was dangerous because I could very well be heading into the arms of the demons—if this was the case, it was better if I didn't run at all.

“Don't stop running," I said, repeating it over and over again. Why wouldn't I? Those were the last words Ashley said.

Those were the three words Ashley told me to not forget. Repeating the words gave me a sort of motivation, more importantly, it distracted my mind from thinking about Ashley, and, perhaps, the thirteen million things that could go wrong.

As I made a turn in a narrow street, desperately trying to avoid running on the main road, I crashed into a lady.

I was on top speed, so the collision sent her at least five feet away from me.

“I'm sorry,—”

The lady cut in, as she staggered to her feet. “Stay the hell away from me.”

She brought out balls of fire from her hands and was about to fling them at me when I yelled at her.

“Please stop, I'm only thirteen years old.”

I was nervous and scared, still it surprised me that I said those words. Without giving it any thought, I tried to get her to pity me, that was why I sounded the way I did.

I could beat the hell out of her before she would cast one damn spell, but where would that take me? I had no home and nowhere to go. It wasn't unwise to try to be friendly.

“You’re a vampire, vampires can never be thirteen years old.”

She kept mute after saying that, perhaps realising how st*pid she sounded.

“Please help me,” I pleaded.

She quenched the fireballs and seemed a little more relaxed. I explained to her all that happened and why I had to find somewhere safe and that it was urgent.

She listened and I could see that she was feeling sorry for me already. That was a good sign.

“I can't help you, and trust me, it's not because I don't want to help you. The place where I stay harbours only witches, your kind will not be welcomed at all.”

I continued begging her. I wasn't taking no for an answer.

“Fine, come with me,” the lady said. “Just hope I don't get into too much trouble for this.”

She led the way and I hoped the vampires won't find me wherever the lady was taking me to.

ANNA

What have I done? I kept asking myself this question over and over again.

I knew the apocalypse had changed me. I was the Anna Towadise who couldn't hurt a fly. The whole craziness of the life we were all subjected to has taken a toll on us all. This, however, brought me to the premature conclusion that I had become tougher.

How untrue that was.

I wasn't stronger, at least at the moment it didn't feel that way. As I drove the dagger into his chest six times, it showed me how weak I was. There was no way to explain it.

The rage in me was unlike anything I had ever felt. With each thrust, I felt like I had avenged the untimely demise of my friends.

However, when I saw him fall to the ground, I wondered how much better I was than the vampires. Seeing his blood splatter on the ground and watching some of it get on my clothes— didn't make it any easier for me.

“It didn't kill him," Shawn said, pointing to the vampire, who was shaking on the ground continuously.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Dead people don't move.

“This can't be happening, the dagger was made by the ancient witches, it should end him immediately.”

“Perhaps it will still kill him, maybe it needs a little more time," Mike speculated.

Impossible. That wasn't how magic worked. With magic, it was always about extreme ends. Evil or good, powerful or weak, white or black, temporary or permanent. In this case, it would either work—immediately—or it wouldn't.

I cleared my throat and took my mind away from the fact that I had just driven a dagger into the chest of a person's body. “That can't be the case, he's supposed to die immediately.”

Well since he's a vampire, technically, he's not a real person. I said that in my mind over and over again in a futile attempt to rationalise what I had just done.

I continued. “I will take him back with me, I have to find out why it's not working on him.”

After discussing it all for a while, Shawn and I agreed that I take the vampire with me. When I was able to figure it all out, I would come back to him.

“Try to get back in touch with me as soon as possible,” Shawn said.

“Time isn't on our side so expect to hear from me in a few days.”

Mike carried Declan—who was still unconscious and couldn't stop shaking—to where my friends were. I told them all that happened and that we would be taking Declan with us.

Nolan and Tasha thought it was unwise to do so.

“How can you even think about that?” Nolan yelled at me. “Why will you agree to bring a vampire to the only place we call home?”

“I'm doing this for our mission, we have to understand why he's not dead yet.”

Tasha was on Nolan's side today. “There's no way we are bringing this demonic vampire to our home . . .this is insane.”

“What is insane is not seeing that this is necessary. Shawn understood this, why can't you both see that we don't have a choice?”

Nolan still wasn't buying it. “Well, Shawn probably doesn't want a vampire in his territory . . .why don't we leave the vampire here?”

Nika supported me, speaking for the first time. “I'm with Anna on this. We need to understand this all and there's no way we can do that without examining him, in which case, we need Anna's mother.”

Reluctantly, Nolan and Tasha agreed that we take the vampire—who was shivering and wobbling—with us.

We all left the werewolf territory—along with Jude and his sister—not entirely certain if our journey was any good at all.

“Don't you think your mission is way over the top?” Jude asked as we walked.

Ella was feeling sleepy so Jude carried her on his shoulder. It was easy to spot that he was a caring brother.

“What mission?” I inquired, pretending to not know what he meant.

“The vampire . . .the—”

Tasha clearly told him.

I cut in, seeing that he was finding it difficult to say. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I know it's not going to be easy but it's something we have to do if this world is going to be habitable.”

“For us humans, it's not the vampires that are the issue, it's the virus.” He shrugged lazily. “I should be happy I'm alive, it's a miracle that we haven't transformed into zombies yet.”

“Enjoy life now that you still have it,” I said, immediately regretting it. That was so rude and inconsiderate. That the virus couldn't get into me was only because of my nature.

Of course, vampires and demons, witches could get killed by zombies if bitten. But that was nothing compared to what the humans faced. Most of the humans have lost their lives and those who haven't been just walking corpses.

Jude kept quiet and increased his pace, meeting up with Nolan who complained non-stop.

“I can't believe I'm carrying a goddamn vampire, what if he wakes and sinks his fangs into my neck?” Nolan wondered aloud.

“You are barely halfway and you're complaining," Tasha teased him. “You are such p*ssy.”

“You can come help carry him anytime you want," Nolan shot back.

“My mum used to tell me that dead people do not weigh at all,” Tasha said to Nolan.

Nolan threw a glance at her over his shoulder and let out a sigh. “No wonder you turned out this way.”

An awkward silence reigned till we got to Jude's little bungalow. The plan was to go on our way after dropping him and his sister there.

ROCHU *(minor character)*

They weren't far behind. In fact, it was a miracle that I was still alive.

Ashley was probably deãd. The thought of that alone made me wish I would sink into the ground and just be forgotten forever. But I knew better. If I stopped running, it would be a matter of minutes before Landon and his men meet up with me. And if they do, the sacrifice Ashley made would be in vain, not to mention the terrible fate that would await me.

I kept running. I was thinking. There wasn't much to think about. I didn't know where I was going, neither did I know where I was. Now, this was dangerous because I could very well be heading into the arms of the demons—if this was the case, it was better if I didn't run at all.

“Don't stop running," I said, repeating it over and over again. Why wouldn't I? Those were the last words Ashley said.

Those were the three words Ashley told me to not forget. Repeating the words gave me a sort of motivation, more importantly, it distracted my mind from thinking about Ashley, and, perhaps, the thirteen million things that could go wrong.

As I made a turn in a narrow street, desperately trying to avoid running on the main road, I crashed into a lady.

I was on top speed, so the collision sent her at least five feet away from me.

“I'm sorry,—”

The lady cut in, as she staggered to her feet. “Stay the hell away from me.”

She brought out balls of fire from her hands and was about to fling them at me when I yelled at her.

“Please stop, I'm only thirteen years old.”

I was nervous and scared, still it surprised me that I said those words. Without giving it any thought, I tried to get her to pity me, that was why I sounded the way I did.

I could beat the hell out of her before she would cast one damn spell, but where would that take me? I had no home and nowhere to go. It wasn't unwise to try to be friendly.

“You’re a vampire, vampires can never be thirteen years old.”

She kept mute after saying that, perhaps realising how st*pid she sounded.

“Please help me,” I pleaded.

She quenched the fireballs and seemed a little more relaxed. I explained to her all that happened and why I had to find somewhere safe and that it was urgent.

She listened and I could see that she was feeling sorry for me already. That was a good sign.

“I can't help you, and trust me, it's not because I don't want to help you. The place where I stay harbours only witches, your kind will not be welcomed at all.”

I continued begging her. I wasn't taking no for an answer.

“Fine, come with me,” the lady said. “Just hope I don't get into too much trouble for this.”

She led the way and I hoped the vampires won't find me wherever the lady was taking me to.

ANNA

What have I done? I kept asking myself this question over and over again.

I knew the apocalypse had changed me. I was the Anna Towadise who couldn't hurt a fly. The whole craziness of the life we were all subjected to has taken a toll on us all. This, however, brought me to the premature conclusion that I had become tougher.

How untrue that was.

I wasn't stronger, at least at the moment it didn't feel that way. As I drove the dagger into his chest six times, it showed me how weak I was. There was no way to explain it.

The rage in me was unlike anything I had ever felt. With each thrust, I felt like I had avenged the untimely demise of my friends.

However, when I saw him fall to the ground, I wondered how much better I was than the vampires. Seeing his blood splatter on the ground and watching some of it get on my clothes— didn't make it any easier for me.

“It didn't kill him," Shawn said, pointing to the vampire, who was shaking on the ground continuously.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Dead people don't move.

“This can't be happening, the dagger was made by the ancient witches, it should end him immediately.”

“Perhaps it will still kill him, maybe it needs a little more time," Mike speculated.

Impossible. That wasn't how magic worked. With magic, it was always about extreme ends. Evil or good, powerful or weak, white or black, temporary or permanent. In this case, it would either work—immediately—or it wouldn't.

I cleared my throat and took my mind away from the fact that I had just driven a dagger into the chest of a person's body. “That can't be the case, he's supposed to die immediately.”

Well since he's a vampire, technically, he's not a real person. I said that in my mind over and over again in a futile attempt to rationalise what I had just done.

I continued. “I will take him back with me, I have to find out why it's not working on him.”

After discussing it all for a while, Shawn and I agreed that I take the vampire with me. When I was able to figure it all out, I would come back to him.

“Try to get back in touch with me as soon as possible,” Shawn said.

“Time isn't on our side so expect to hear from me in a few days.”

Mike carried Declan—who was still unconscious and couldn't stop shaking—to where my friends were. I told them all that happened and that we would be taking Declan with us.

Nolan and Tasha thought it was unwise to do so.

“How can you even think about that?” Nolan yelled at me. “Why will you agree to bring a vampire to the only place we call home?”

“I'm doing this for our mission, we have to understand why he's not dead yet.”

Tasha was on Nolan's side today. “There's no way we are bringing this demonic vampire to our home . . .this is insane.”

“What is insane is not seeing that this is necessary. Shawn understood this, why can't you both see that we don't have a choice?”

Nolan still wasn't buying it. “Well, Shawn probably doesn't want a vampire in his territory . . .why don't we leave the vampire here?”

Nika supported me, speaking for the first time. “I'm with Anna on this. We need to understand this all and there's no way we can do that without examining him, in which case, we need Anna's mother.”

Reluctantly, Nolan and Tasha agreed that we take the vampire—who was shivering and wobbling—with us.

We all left the werewolf territory—along with Jude and his sister—not entirely certain if our journey was any good at all.

“Don't you think your mission is way over the top?” Jude asked as we walked.

Ella was feeling sleepy so Jude carried her on his shoulder. It was easy to spot that he was a caring brother.

“What mission?” I inquired, pretending to not know what he meant.

“The vampire . . .the—”

Tasha clearly told him.

I cut in, seeing that he was finding it difficult to say. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I know it's not going to be easy but it's something we have to do if this world is going to be habitable.”

“For us humans, it's not the vampires that are the issue, it's the virus.” He shrugged lazily. “I should be happy I'm alive, it's a miracle that we haven't transformed into zombies yet.”

“Enjoy life now that you still have it,” I said, immediately regretting it. That was so rude and inconsiderate. That the virus couldn't get into me was only because of my nature.

Of course, vampires and demons, witches could get killed by zombies if bitten. But that was nothing compared to what the humans faced. Most of the humans have lost their lives and those who haven't been just walking corpses.

Jude kept quiet and increased his pace, meeting up with Nolan who complained non-stop.

“I can't believe I'm carrying a goddamn vampire, what if he wakes and sinks his fangs into my neck?” Nolan wondered aloud.

“You are barely halfway and you're complaining," Tasha teased him. “You are such p*ssy.”

“You can come help carry him anytime you want," Nolan shot back.

“My mum used to tell me that dead people do not weigh at all,” Tasha said to Nolan.

Nolan threw a glance at her over his shoulder and let out a sigh. “No wonder you turned out this way.”

An awkward silence reigned till we got to Jude's little bungalow. The plan was to go on our way after dropping him and his sister there.

But we couldn't after seeing the state it was in. Even worse when we got into the house and saw a dead body on the floor.

What was happening?

But we couldn't after seeing the state it was in. Even worse when we got into the house and saw a dead body on the floor.

What was happening?