Chapter Eighteen

VILLE

Ghost and I manage to track Oli down. He was no longer at the warehouse obviously having done a runner once he set mind controlled Ricky on Rose. He was a chicken for running; he couldn't escape all of us. I'd been around for a very long time and had dealt with necromancers before, they were tricky sons of bitches. If vampires were unnatural with our whole being dead but not dead, necromancers thought they were so high and mighty being able to manipulate and in some cases control and raise the dead who should stay dead.

I could see in Ghosts eyes he was eager to hunt down and kill Oli. His enthusiasm was cute for a young vampire, but we couldn't afford any stupid mistakes or we could lose a vampire or two tonight. I wanted nothing more than to be at the house caring for Lauri, but my rage towards the one who caused all this trouble spurred me on to fight.

"Remember to shield your mind as best as you can Ghost. Oli will try and get inside your head if you let him."

Ghost stops in his tracks just outside the park gates and sighs loudly before turning to face me.

"Understood Ville. I'm just pissed off that he chose such a big park."

I agreed with Ghost, but thanks to Rose having one of Oli's jumpers we had his scent and he was hiding somewhere in this park just waiting to strike. He knew we were here to fight to the death, as was he. He wanted a battle well we were going to bring him a two-person war on all fronts.

CHRIS

Josh and I follow Ricky and Rose's scent further and deeper down in this warehouse which looked like it could come down on us at any moment. Rose's scent was strong with fear, and I couldn't have anything bad happen to her because she meant a lot to me. Ricky's scent, on the other hand, held excitement at the prospect of a hunt.

"Chris in here."

Josh who had gone just ahead of me stops at one of the many open doors and motions inside the room. I rush to his side and gasp at the sight in front of us. It looked like we'd just found the four missing students, tied up beaten and bloodied and very much alive unlike the other four.

They all look scared out of their minds seeing Josh and I lurking in the doorway staring down at them being all vamped out. I motion for Josh to stay outside the room while I step inside to wipe their memories of everything that had happened to them. As far as they were aware the four of them had been on an impromptu camping trip out of town and had hurt themselves while camping.

"Are you sure you want to just let them go, Chris?"

I usher the students out of the room after getting them out of their restraints, all the while Josh not being happy with my plan on just letting them go.

"We're not going to kill innocents, Josh. I compelled them, and I don't think Oli put up any blockers obviously thinking he was going to have Ricky kill them and then dump the bodies."

Josh sighs and folds his arm over his chest watching the four students ascend the stairs back up to the surface. Just then a girl screams up from the staircase just behind Josh, it was a painful scream that made even me flinch. It had to be Rose.

We follow the source of the scream until we hit a corridor where the screaming and shouting gets louder. Josh and I check each room down the corridor one at a time but come up empty until the very last door on the right.

I look through the rounded glass window on the door and curse under my breath.

"What do you see Chris? Is it Rose and Ricky?"

I nod, I could see a much bloodied Rose trying her best to talk down and then fight Ricky whenever he lunged at her. She didn't look like she could stand much longer, humans weren't meant to win fights against vampires.

"Josh gets the door, we have to get her out of there."

I step back and Josh approaches the door and tries his best to open it, but it had been locked or blocked from the other side. There was no way for either of us to get into the room to help, we could only watch the scene of horror in front of us unfold.

GHOST

Ville and I split up to cover more ground. This park was massive, but a few seconds ago I picked up Oli's scent and it was very strong meaning he was close by. He was on foot and hadn't climbed any of the trees. Crouching down I try my best to stealth and duck around the trees looking and hearing for anything out of place.

Oli's scent hits my nostrils just as someone throws themselves on my back knocking me to the ground. Growling, I turn over so that I was on my back and look up into the eyes of the one person we'd come here to kill. Oli was poised over me holding a wooden stake.

"Say goodnight little vampire."

"Go to hell Sykes."

Oli plunges the stake forwards towards my chest, but I manage to use all the strength I could muster and push him off me. I get up in a fighting position, ready to fight this necromancer to the death. He needed to die to free Ricky in order to save Rose.

RICKY

I was screaming inside my own head trying to tell my body to stop hurting the girl I loved, but Oli's power over me was strong as long he was concentrated. Rose was putting up a good fight for a human, but my vampire side was just too strong and fast for her. I claw at her skin before shoving her with a great force against the stone wall behind her. Her body hits the wall with a thump cracking some of the stone in the process before crumbling on the floor below.

Pounding to my left alerted me to the fact Rose and I was no longer alone. Chris and Josh watch horrified from the window having been locked out of the room. Josh was Rose's best friend and Chris saw her as his own daughter, and now they were helpless to only be able to watch me cut Rose's life short.

Rose does her best to try and right herself but her wrists give out and she hits the floor again. I take a step towards her hearing Oli's voice in my head telling me to kill her, to finish her off. But as soon as Oli's voice appears it fades and when I look down at my body I'm somehow back in control.

Chris yells, "Ricky if you can hear us you need to feed her your blood then unlock the door."

I turn to face Chris and Josh, hope in their eyes seeing that their voices had gotten through to me.

"I'm confused, Chris."

"Just help Rose first, and then we can talk."

I nod and speed to Rose's side. I fall to my knees in front of her and pull her near lifeless body up so that she was half on my lap. Her eyelids flutter open and she smiles up at me weakly, blood trickling from the corner of her lip.

"I forgive you, Ricky. I love you and only you."

Even after everything she was too good for me. she should hate me, but she said she loved me and only me. I stroke her hair trying my best to stay away from any cuts or wounds, once she drank my blood they would heal.

"I need you to drink my blood, Rose. Can you do that?"

She nods. I bring my fangs down to my wrist and rip the flesh open allowing my blood to pool out of the fresh wound. I bring it down to her mouth and coax her into drinking it, blood had a metallic taste and it would take her a few seconds to adjust to before she starts to drink the blood more freely.

When I think I've given her enough I pull my wrist away and the wound closes. I lay her head back down to the floor trying to make her comfortable. I now needed to unlock the door to let Chris and Josh in.

Standing up again I brush dirt and dust off my jeans. I walk towards the door and go to remove the bar which was keeping the other two vampires out when a sudden wave of darkness hits me, sending me stumbling backwards a few paces.

"RICKY! DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! DON'T LET HIM CONTROL YOU!"

Chris and Josh start to pound on the glass again. I hear Oli's voice swim through my mind 'snap her neck' and I dare a glance over my shoulder to where Rose was starting to get herself up using the wall as aid, my blood already taking some hold on her. Letting the darkness overcome me I dash to her side, grab her around the waist, and bring my hands up to her neck before snapping it in one clean and swift motion. The sound resonates through the room and I release her now dead body.

"NO!" Chris and Josh scream in unison.

VILLE

I approach Ghost and Oli going at each other, neither one having the advantage on the other. I step out from behind the trees and into the opening. Ghost sees me and stops fighting. Oli glances over at me and smirks.

"Too late old man Rose is dead, I had Ricky snap her neck."

He was being truthful. Rose couldn't be dead, she was innocent in all of this even if she did have death sense. A violent rage overtakes me and I close the gap between Oli and myself using my inhuman speed and rip his still-beating heart out of his chest, holding it up in front of him as his smirk disappears turning to fear before his body crumbles dead on the ground.

Ghost stares at me with wide eyes that hold admiration as I bring Oli's heart up in front of my face and use my inhuman strength to crush the heart.

CHRIS

The second the life leaves Rose's eyes and she crumbles to the floor I growl and with a strength unknown to me manage to slam on the door enough to force it open. Ricky steps away from Rose the darkness leaving his eyes as he comes to the realisation at what he'd just done to the girl he loved.

I push Ricky to the side who had started to cry and drop to my knees in front of Rose. Out of a sign of respect, I use my fingers to close her eyes and send a silent prayer up to whoever was listening to bring her back to me. She was the closest thing I had to a daughter and a family again and I couldn't lose her.

"I killed her Josh. I didn't want to..." Ricky sobs, while Josh holds him trying his best to comfort the distressed vampire.

"Rose knew that it wasn't you hurting her Ricky, she knew you were being controlled and forgave you. You fed her your blood, so there's a chance she'll come back a vampire right Chris?"

Josh locks eyes with me, hoping I'd give him the answers him and Ricky wanted. Josh loved Rose like a little sister. Yes, Ricky had fed Rose his blood, but mere minutes later he snapped her neck so there was no telling if the blood had been in her system long enough to take effect in case she died and begun the transition into a vampire.

"I don't know Josh, we'll have to wait and see."

I cradle Rose in my arms, her body freezing to the touch even for a vampire like myself. I let a few tears roll down my cheeks. This was a very sad day for all of us.