by Amy Cross
At that moment, from elsewhere in the house, there's a scream. It sounds like a woman.
"He's going to kill us!" Gwendoline says, pulling away from me. I hold on tight to her hand, but she squirms as she tries to get loose. "Let go of me!" she shouts.
"It's okay," I say, my heart racing as I try to work out what's happening. "Just wait -" Seeing movement nearby, I turn to find Diana stumbling through from the next room, clutching a gaping wound in her neck. She moves her hand aside, to reveal two small puncture wounds.
"I gave him my life," she says, grabbing hold of the stair-rail to support herself, "so that he could live a little longer". She reaches out toward me. "You need him". A moment later, she falls to the floor. I stare down at her pale, dead body for a moment, before looking up and seeing Patrick in the doorway. There's blood around his mouth.
"You killed her," Gwendoline says, kneeling by Diana's body.
"Why did you do that?" I ask, staring at our father.
He walks slowly toward us, as Gwendoline rolls Diana over and examines the wound. "Now I've got no-one," she says, looking up at me, tears rolling down her face. "Diana cared for me," she says.
"That wasn't right," I say, turning to Patrick. "You didn't have to do that". Suddenly I feel movement behind my back, and Gwendoline grabs my arm, pulling me against her body.
"Shall I kill something you love?" she shouts at Patrick, wrapping her arm around my neck.
"Let go of me," I say. I know I could easily get free at any moment, but I don't want to hurt my sister. "Gwendoline, don't do this. Just let go and we can talk".
Patrick steps toward us.
"If you come any closer," Gwendoline shouts, "I'll snap her neck like a twig".
"You'll just make him angry," I tell her as Patrick comes closer. "Don't do this, Gwendoline. You can't kill me!"
"It's not you I'm trying to kill," she whispers, before leaning closer and whispering in my ear. "Goodbye, sister". With that, she twists my neck. I feel the bones snap, and moments later I fall to the floor. The pain is intense, but I can already tell that my body is healing itself. I pause for a moment, before turning to see Patrick grab Gwendoline. He lifts her up and holds her in place, and she stares back down at him with a delirious smile on her face.
"Stop!" I shout. "She only hurt me so you'd -"
Suddenly Patrick throws Gwendoline across the room with such force that she smashes into the wall and parts of her putrid, decomposing body burst. She slides to the floor. Patrick walks across, looks down at her for a moment and then pushes the heel of his boot straight through her face, crushing her skull. Eventually, he turns back to look at me.
"Why did you do that?" I ask, getting to my feet.
He stares at me, as if the question makes no sense to him, as if I should just accept his barbarity.
"Are you going to kill me too?" I say, trying not to look scared.
He pauses, before shaking his head.
"Why not?" I ask. "Why am I so special? What's different about me?"
He doesn't respond. He just stands there, looking straight at me.
"If you'd shown her one moment of kindness in her life," I say, gulping back tears, "she might have been okay. Instead, you..." I look down as he lifts his boot; pieces of Gwendoline's face and brain are smeared across the floor. "You never showed her any love," I continue, looking away from my half-sister's body. Although I desperately want to hold back the tears, I feel my eyes watering. "You treated her like she was something to be discarded. You treat her like shit. Everything she became, was because of you. Everyone..." I pause as I finally realize the truth about my father. "Everyone dies around you, don't they? You killed my mother. You killed my half-sister. You killed Diana. You're even killing yourself. It's just a series of deaths and it never ends. Everyone dies".
I feel him getting closer, and finally he reaches out his hand, as if he expects me to join him... as if somehow, after all of this, he thinks I'm going to blindly follow him.
"I can't be like you," I say, refusing to look him in the eye and refusing to take his hand. "I can't use people to get what I want, and kill them when they disappoint me. Benjamin was right about you. You're incapable of love. You're just a monster. I don't know how much longer you've got left to live, but I don't want to see you again". Finally, I turn to face him. Tears are streaming down my face, but I don't care if he sees me crying. "Go back out there," I say. "Go back out there and die. I should never have brought you back inside. I should have left you out there. You'd be gone by now. You'd be dead, and the world would be a better place".
I turn and walk away. I have to get out of here, but there's only one person who might be able to help me. I check every room, determined to find Wormwood, and finally I spot him in the study, sitting with a book. I have no idea who he is, where he came from or why he's here, but right now I need him.
"Oh dear," he says, looking up at me. "Bad night? I hope you don't mind me saying that you -"
"Can you take me home?" I ask, almost shaking with anger. I don't dare to look back, in case Patrick is following me. I don't want to see his face.
"Home?" Wormwood pauses. "Well, yes, I suppose so -"
"Take me now," I say. "Please. Get me out of here. Get me away from him".
Wormwood stares at me for a moment, before closing the book and slowly standing up. He straightens his jacket before reaching out a hand. "Come on," he says. "Let's go. This is no place for a girl like you. Never was, really. Look up".
Turning to look at the ceiling, I see a large crack has appeared. Moments later, the whole building starts to shake. "What's happening?" I ask.
"Gothos is finally falling apart," he replies. "It's happened before, to some extent, but this time it'll be permanent. Such a wonderful pity. Don't worry, though, we'll be long gone before the masonry crumbles. I'll be your white rabbit tonight". He turns to lead me away, before pausing. "But what about your sister? Isn't Gwendoline coming with us?"
"No," I say with a heavy heart. "She's not".
Patrick
Once Abigail and Wormwood have left, I walk from room to room and take one final look at Gothos. Vampires are not known for their sentimentality, but I'm struck by the thought that this place is crumbling to dust and soon will be no more. Its destruction is a final sign that the end of the vampires has arrived; once I'm dead, there will be no more of us. Abigail will live on, and she is in some ways part of the vampire race, but she is also so much more. Gothos and all that went with it will cease to exist, and vampire society will become nothing more than dust blown on the wind. This is a good thing. Old vampires have no place in the modern world.
When she gave me her blood, Diana told me I must use my final days to set Abigail on the right path. She told me that I had failed as a father, and that I have only a short period of time in which to put things right. I resisted her attempts to revive me, but finally Diana tilted my head closer to her bare neck, opened my mouth and slipped her skin against my fangs. I had no energy to stop her, but I felt her blood entering my body, filling me with a new vitality. By the time I was strong enough to push her away, it was too late and she was dying. The blood she gave me has allowed me a temporary respite, but my death is still certain. There can be no further reprieves. I have a day, maybe two, at most, and then all will be darkness.
Walking through to the hallway, I stand by Gwendoline's body. In the end, I was minded to let her live, but to do so would have been to doom Abigail to a burdened life. I knew that the only way to push Abigail away and make her run from me was to kill Gwendoline, to show my true nature. Killing is part of me; it's who I am and it's the reason I exist. Whereas previously Abigail had been told about my true nature, she has now seen it with her own eyes. She knows what I am, and she knows that she must strive to be better. This understanding will help her live a strong and good life, even if the cost is her estimation of me. She believes me to be incapable of love, but it is because I love her that I will let her continue to
believe this. Whereas once I wanted her to be like me, now I see that she must avoid this fate at all costs. By rejecting me, she has begun to take this journey.
All that is left for me to do is go back to the real world, put my final affairs in order, and wait to die. I came so close tonight to slipping away, but I'm glad I am to have these extra few days. I need to ensure that Abigail is safe, and doing that will require some deception. The Watchers will be after her; they'll have a hard time tracking her down, but there's still a chance that they could capture her. That butcher Benjamin would cut her up at the first opportunity, and he needs to be distracted. If I am to spend my final days being hunted by fools, then so be it. Abigail will get further and further away. She will thrive and live, even if she will hate me and never understand why I did what I did. It's that hatred that will push her to be stronger and better than I have ever been. Against all the odds, she has surprised me and now I have absolute faith in her.
A huge crashing sound signals the final break-up of Gothos. I look up and see a crack rending the ceiling apart. Hundreds of years of history, turning to dust. It'll only be a matter of minutes before the walls collapse. It's time for me to leave this place for the last time and go back to the human world. In order to keep Abigail safe, I have one final little game to play with the Watchers.
Epilogue
Dedston.
"What now?" I ask, standing in the doorway. It's been a week since Patrick and Abby disappeared, and there's still no sign of them. Benjamin and Todd won't give up, of course, but I feel as if it's time to end the wild goose chase. They're not coming back.
"We wait," Todd says, not looking up from his laptop.
I walk into the room. The facility is, as ever, a hive of activity. Technicians are working on various pieces of equipment, and Todd is staring at the same screen he's been working on for days. "You've been waiting for so long," I say. "Isn't it time to admit that you need to stop? Are you expecting Patrick and Abby to just roll up some time? They've finally got away from the Watchers. I'm sure they're in no hurry to return".
"They can't stay at Gothos forever," Todd replies. "Benjamin's convinced that Gothos is unstable. Eventually, they'll have to come back to our world, and we'll be able to track them down again".
I take a deep breath. "Whatever," I say eventually. "Do what you want to do, but I'm getting out of here. I'm not gonna waste my life sitting around, waiting for a miracle".
Todd doesn't reply; he just keeps staring at the screen.
"No big goodbye?" I ask, surprised by his non-reaction. Todd and I aren't exactly best friends, but I'd like to think that we've become closer over the past couple of weeks. Despite the age gap between us, I feel we've got a pretty good rapport going. "Bye, then," I say, turning to walk away.
"Is there anything I can do to persuade you to stay?" Todd asks.
I smile. "No," I say, glancing back at him.
"For Abby's sake," he continues. "I'm worried about what Benjamin might do to her. I might need you". He looks around, to make sure no-one can overhear us. "What if I told you that I'm starting to think Benjamin is dangerous? What if I told you that I don't think he should get his hands on Abby? I don't want to see her being tortured and imprisoned. He did that to Patrick, and I can't let him do it to Abby".
"Then come with me," I say. "Let's go".
"If I leave," he continues, "Benjamin will just promote someone else to take my place. Besides, no-one leaves the Watchers. It's better if I stay and try to stop all of this from within. I'll help him look for Patrick, but I'm not going to let him get hold of Abby. I'll sabotage anything he tries with her".
"You don't need me for that," I reply.
"I might".
"Tough," I say. "None of this is my business any more. Abby's not a scared little girl. She's a dangerous monster. She's like Patrick. Maybe it'd be better if Benjamin captures her. At least that way, she wouldn't end up killing anyone else".
"You can't seriously mean that," Todd replies. "There's no way you can believe that Abby deserves to be held prisoner by Benjamin".
"Maybe I do," I say. "Either way, I'm out of here".
At that moment, Todd's laptop screen changes. Turning to look, Todd seems transfixed by the screen. "He's back," he says incredulously, looking over at me. "One of the remote sensors has detected Patrick. He's less than a hundred miles away, just appeared out of nowhere!"
"What about Abby?" I ask.
"No idea," he says. "We don't have a tracker on her!" He reaches over to grab his phone, but I put my hand on his wrist and stop him.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm letting Benjamin know".
"After everything you just said about him?"
"Patrick killed my sister," he says. "I have no problem with helping Benjamin to track the bastard down. If Abby's there, I'll make sure she escapes. You have to come with us. Abby might need you".
"No way," I say, shaking my head. "This doesn't change anything".
Todd stares at the screen for a moment. "He's moving so fast," he says. "Faster than he's moved in months. It's as if he's deliberately trying to get our attention, but that doesn't make any sense. There's no reason he'd do that".
"Unless he wants to distract you," I point out.
"I'm going to wake Benjamin," Todd says, heading to the door.
"I'm leaving!" I call after him. "I'm out of this. Don't even let me know how it goes, because I don't want to know".
"Shelley!" he says, looking back at me. "Please, for Abby's sake, stay a little longer. At least until we know what's happened to her". With that, he hurries out of the room, leaving me to look down at the laptop. A bright red dot is moving across a map. Is that really Patrick?
After a moment, I turn and head through to the corridor. I can hear a commotion in some of the other rooms, as Benjamin's team gets ready to go and get Patrick. Walking straight to the main exit, I pause for a moment. Whatever happens with Patrick and Abby, I don't want to be involved. As far as I'm concerned, they're both monsters and they deserve each other. I hope Abby is able to keep away from Benjamin, because I still believe she has some humanity hidden deep in her soul. As for Patrick, however, I hope he gets caught by the Watchers and brought back here to be tortured as he dies. Some things are inexcusable, and I can never forgive him for killing my best friend. If I could choose what happens, I'd let Abby run free and I'd have Patrick locked up forever. Whatever happens, though, I don't want to be a part of it any more.
As I reach the door, I take a deep breath. I'm going back to New York, and I'm going to make damn sure that I never again get involved in Abby's life. I wish her well, but I'm done. Stepping out into the cold morning air of Dedston, I feel a sudden chill wind, and for a moment it occurs to me that perhaps it's a message from Sophie, urging me to go back inside and help her daughter. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that it's no such thing. Before anyone can come and try to change my mind, I hurry away and I don't look back.
Book 6:
By the River Dark
Prologue
Dedston - Sixteen years ago.
"Is Sophie going to come home tomorrow?" I ask, standing in the doorway. It's way past my bedtime, but I've spent the past few hours lying awake in bed and worrying about my sister. It's been weeks since I last saw her, and I can't stop thinking about all the bad things that might have happened. "Mom?" I say. "Do you know if Sophie's going to come home tomorrow?"
My mother shrugs, barely even looking over at me. She's engrossed in the late-night quiz show on the TV. It's as if she hasn't noticed Sophie's absence, or maybe she just doesn't care.
"Do you know where she is?" I ask.
She shrugs again. "She never tells me anything".
"Have you tried calling her?"
"She hasn't got a phone".
I pause for a moment. I want to trust my mother, but I've learned over the years that she's far from perfect. "How do you know she's okay?" I ask eventually.
&nbs
p; "She'll be fine," my mother replies. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself". She turns to me. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now? It's nearly midnight". She sniffs. "While you're up, fetch me some more potato chips from the kitchen".
"I'm worried about Sophie," I tell her. "Aren't you?"
"No," she says, "I'm worried about running out of potato chips". She stares at me for a moment. "Look, if she doesn't want to tell me where she's going, I don't see why I should get myself all worked up. She's too old to be living at home anyway. Maybe she's out finding a job and an apartment". She laughs. "Fat chance. Are you getting those potato chips or not?"
I stare at her, realizing that there's no point asking any more questions. Even if my mother did know something, she'd probably keep it to herself out of spite. "Good night," I say, turning and walking along the corridor. I listen out in case my mother says anything, but I only hear one sound: the roar of the crowd on the game show. I figure my mother can get her own potato chips.
Once I'm in my room, I kneel by the bed and put my hands into a praying position. "Dear God," I say, "please bring Sophie home soon. Even if it's only for a few hours, can you bring her back? Please? And then..." I pause, before continuing with a lowered voice in case my mother overhears. "If Sophie has to go away again," I say, "please make it so she takes me with her. Amen". Climbing quickly into bed, I switch off my bedside lamp and get ready to go to sleep. Every night, I hope that Sophie will come home the next day, and every morning I'm disappointed. Still, she has to turn up some time. She can't just go away forever.
