Chapter 75 - Blood - Part 2

"BLOOD!!" exclaimed the man, who dashed towards us with a big grin on his face. His eerie laughter echoed through the night, and his eyes dilated with murderous intent. The evidence of blood from his previous victims was still there on his hands, the corner of his mouth, and his whole body even. His initially white shirt had turned red from blood—but he still wanted more.

When I saw the vampire running in full tilt, I felt nothing from him but his thirst for blood. My entire body turned rigid, and I was instantly filled with dread. I froze, completely paralyzed with fear. Never have I met someone with such a great murderous intent, clearly visible to the eyes. 

Before the vampire reached us, Luke pushed my body back, shouting, "Violet, run!" 

The vampire then slammed into Luke, knocking him down to his back. Both of them brawled, with the vampire attempting to dig his fingers into Luke's neck while Luke fought back. I gradually came to my senses after seeing it, no longer paralyzed by my own fear. I clasped my hands together, trying to stop the shaking that was taking place. 

"Violet, do you hear me?!" Luke shouted again, "RUN!!"

He told me to run, but how can I leave him? I was given the very same choice as what I was given back then, back when I was in the forest with my mom. I chose to run to save my life, but I ended up losing her. It was the biggest regret of my life, and I was not ready to make the same choice.

I am not losing him. 

I scanned my surroundings, looking for something I could use against the vampire. A group of stones covered with snow lay underneath the bushes, as if telling me to use them. They were a little small, but it was my best option at the time. I dashed towards the bushes, picking up the stones and tossing them at the vampire.

"Y-you want blood?" I shouted, "Take mine, you ugly bloodsucker!" 

I gasped as I spoke the words, taken aback by my own audacity. Even Luke, who was dealing with the vampire, stared at me with wide eyes as if saying, 'what the hell are you doing?'

My spontaneous bravery had successfully drawn the attention of the vampire, giving Luke a chance to turn the table. Just as he snarled and turned his head towards me, Luke used his strength to push him back and change their positions, putting himself on top of the vampire.

"Where do you think you are looking at?" Luke asked as he threw a punch, "You should always keep your eyes at your opponent... Ross."

His voice was as small as a whisper when he called out the name, and I could see how his eyes trembled a little when he threw another punch at him. The hesitation in his every move granted Ross a chance to escape his grasp, kicking Luke off him. 

Ross's kick threw him backward, causing Luke to fly a few meters away. With that, Ross rose to his feet, attempting for another go at Luke. Even a deranged vampire seemed to be a challenge for Luke, or at least it seemed to be a challenge because of who the vampire was. 

"Ross... I don't want to do this," he pleaded with his eyes, begging for the vampire to wake up from his deranged state, but none of his pleas could be heard by the vampire. Ross was no more, and all that was left was an empty shell blinded by bloodlust. He was gone. 

Luke knew that nothing could ever bring back a turned vampire, but that didn't stop him from hoping for a miracle. If it were someone else, he wouldn't even think twice about killing anyone who poses a danger, but Ross—it was clear that he didn't want to kill him. It was just too obvious.

"I... WANT... BLOOD!!" Ross screamed again, his voice deafening.

Ross was no longer like a normal vampire; his dėsɨrė had finally taken hold of him, and only death could stop him. He didn't say anything in response to Luke's words, and all he wanted was blood on his hands. We only had two options: give blood or take blood.

Once again, he ran towards Luke, wanting to land a blow on him while he was still on the ground. Luke eventually stood his ground when he saw Ross approaching him and braced himself for the worst. Even though he didn't want to kill, he had to. 

Ross had turned deranged, but that didn't make him any more foolish. He knew Luke would be a tough opponent, so he changed his attention to an easier target—me—in the middle of his sprint. He then abruptly changed course, heading straight for me.

"NO!!" 

By the next second, Ross's hand had reached my neck, raising my body into the air. It all happened too quickly—too quickly for me to be able to flee. His fingers stabbed deep into my skin, and his grip on my neck was firm. All I could do was wiggle in his grasp as he squeezed the air out of me with all his strength.

I desperately scratched his hand in an attempt to pry it away from my throat, but it was all in vain. As my energy dwindled, I became lightheaded and out of breath, and my hands finally fell to my sides.

Just as I was about to pass out, Luke came and knocked Ross away from me, causing him to let go of his grip on me. I instantly collapsed to the ground, perilously gasping for air. I rubbed my neck, trying to ease the pain but instead felt a sharp pain from the wounds he had inflicted on me. 

I noticed how Luke's eyes were a lighter shade of red when I looked at him. Fur began to crawl under his skin as his fingers sharpened, a low growl coming from him. He was in the middle of his shift, his knife-like fingers ready to pierce into Ross's ċhėst.

Luke was now certain that there was no way to save Ross, and that death was the only way for him to be freed of his sufferings. With a heavy heart, he pulled Ross by the collar, readying himself to kill the man who he once knew. 

He had no hesitation—no hesitation left to kill the deranged vampire, unlike before. His fingers then pierced into his ċhėst, yanking the heart from inside. Ross, who had been struggling under Luke's grip, was now as still as a stone.

Feeling him lifeless on his hands, Luke slowly lowered Ross's body to the ground, shutting Ross's eyes which were still wide open. He stood there, watching as Ross's whole body began to fade in color. Now, Ross was truly gone—body and soul. 

"Luke..." I called, but he gave no response. 

He stood there in silence while the heart on his hand slowly ceased to beat. Even though he had his back towards me, I just knew that he was hurting inside. He didn't show it, but killing someone you didn't want to kill must have pained him a lot. He was forced to do it by the circumstances. 

So I stayed by his side, waiting for him to finish mourning for his loss. 

What a day it had been—we had gone from getting ready for the ball to our first kiss, skating on a frozen lake, and now this. It would have been great to end our day with our little trip to the lake, but I guess happiness doesn't last forever.

Our day, which had begun with joy, had turned into a day of sorrow.

In the midst of the silence, the sound of someone's footsteps could be heard. This immediately frightened me, and I was terrified to find out if there was another deranged vampire on the loose. It would be disastrous if it turned out that Ross had also turned someone else into a deranged vampire.

Thankfully, my worst fears were unfounded, and it was Kiel, not another deranged vampire, who appeared. Kiel seemed to be taking a walk in the garden, oblivious to the fact that we were here, let alone the mess. We certainly didn't intend to be in this situation either.

"Mind telling me what happens here?" Kiel inquired, his eyes darting across the shambles. When his gaze fell on Ross, his pupils turned dilated.

"Luke," he called, his voice dead serious. Luke, on the other hand, was still in a daze and unable to react appropriately. The death had clearly affected both men, as Kiel soon grew impatient and shouted for explanations, "LUKE!!"

Luke, who had been staring at Ross for a long time, eventually responded to his calls. He swallowed the lump in his throat before meeting Kiel in the eyes, apologizing, "I'm sorry," he said in a soft voice. He then walked towards Kiel, showing him Ross's heart on his hand, "I... I killed him."