Chapter Twenty-Six-
'I Can't Remember Anything,
Can't Tell If This Is True Or A Dream...'
"Well hello you old bitch."
Melissa stared up at the towering castle, surrounded by a dark mist that covered even the light of the stars. She stared at it with both hatred and determination. She was going to succeed, she was going to win back her man and be happy again. She placed her sword under her long coat and walked through the shadows to get inside. It was about to begin.
Isaac looked at Zac, who was crying quietly now, still tied to the foot of the bed. He tried to think what had happened but nothing would come to him. All he remembered was leaving Melissa and being taken back to where it all began for him. That was all he could remember and yet he knew there was more to it. He knew he was missing a part in his life and only had to look at Zac to clarify it.
Isaac kneeled down next to Zac and shook him gently. "Zac don't cry..."
Zac looked up at Isaac for a second before he turned away from him in fear. Isaac touched Zac again and he flinched in pain. Isaac discovered what was wrong with him with that. Zac was badly hurt, after three months of beatings, lack of sleep and food and was going to die soon if he wasn't helped, probably from one too many punches. Still Isaac couldn't understand why he was afraid of him.
"Zac, it's Okay, it's all right now, it's over buddy."
"No, no..." Zac mumbled weakly back. "Leave me alone, please just kill me or leave me alone..."
"I'm not going to hurt you, why do you think...?"
In a split second three months flashed before his eyes, three months where he had been taken over by the evil that lived inside of him. Where the evil had won and he could only watch as he tortured his brothers and lived a life he never wanted. Where the life he lived was to save his brothers but he hadn't. He had only hurt them even more than what could have happened if Isaac had never left.
Isaac stared in horror at Zac for a second before he knew it was him who did that. He was the one who had scared his brother into thinking everybody was going to kill him. It was him who had hurt Zac and who had...
"Tay." Isaac said suddenly. Zac looked up at him for a second before Isaac ran to see his brother.
Isaac felt like throwing up as he saw his brother dead. Isaac felt tears well up in his eyes as he knew who had done it. Who had caused it to happen. Isaac felt himself break down as it was his fault. He was caused Taylor to die and it was too late to save him. He had sworn to look after them and to never hurt them and yet they laid Taylor, after trying to reason with his brother to stop, having had his life ended by a monster.
Zac stared at Isaac who was crying loudly, trying to think why he would care. Why he would even shed a tear for him, until a realisation filled his head. Zac tried to think if it could happen, if it was possible or just another trick. It couldn't be real, there was no possibility of it ever happening. He had told himself over and over it would never happen, that Zac would never see his brother again. That Isaac wouldn't rescue them and take them home. The truth dawned on him slowly before Zac cried out for his brother.
"Ike, Ike, is that you?" Zac asked, his throat still hurting badly. "Isaac, please, help him..."
"Zac?" Isaac looked at him. "Zac, I killed him..."
Zac felt his stomach tighten and tears ran down his cheeks suddenly. "Ike, you've gotta save Tay, please, if that is you, save him."
Isaac looked at Taylor again before he began to cry again. "I can't..."
"Ike, please! Please help him!" Zac began to sob. "Please, Ike, don't let him die..."
He's already dead. Isaac told himself sadly. "What do I do?"
"Use you're powers, before it's too late." Zac said.
"I can't!" Isaac yelled loudly. "Zac, I don't know what happened! Why you're so ill, why Tay is dead, why we're even here at all, just tell me what happened!"
"Ike, I'll tell you later, just save him before it's too late!" Zac yelled.
Isaac stood up and looked at Taylor again. He touched Taylor's arm gently, almost hoping it would wake him up, that it wasn't true. Isaac hoped but there was no pulse, he had killed him out of anger, not even hunger. Taylor was dead and Isaac was alive though Isaac knew he deserved to die. Isaac began to wish Taylor was alive, that it was Isaac who was laying there after being brutally killed by monsters, just as it should have been to start with. What he should have asked for when first taken to that evil place. In no way did Taylor deserve to die, like that or at all, but he was. It was all Isaac's fault.
Suddenly a vibration ran through Taylor and then through Isaac. Something impossible had just happened. Isaac stared in amazement as it happened again. Then again. He couldn't believe it was happening, but he was making it happen. He had forgotten about the good he had in him and was slowly bringing Taylor back to life, restoring the blood he had lost and repairing the damage in his body. Isaac began to wish harder that Taylor would live and it gained speed. The heartbeat grew stronger and Isaac felt absolute joy fill him. He couldn't believe it.
Taylor gasped loudly for a breath and then started to cough, as if he had never breathed before in his life. He choked out fast breaths before they slowed down and he was healthy again. Isaac let go of him and Taylor opened his eyes slowly, looking around and trying to figure out just what had happened.
"Zac?" Taylor asked suddenly. "Zac, where are you?"
"Tay?" Zac yelled. "Tay, you're alive!"
Taylor pulled himself up in a sitting position, feeling woozy and disorientated. He stared at the floor below him and placed his feet on the ground. Standing up, he swayed and fell back down. His strength and memories of even walking were slowly coming back to him. He walked over to Zac who was struggling to get free. He didn't understand what had happened. It all felt so different, as if he had been asleep for a long time.
Taylor untied his brother, his hands slipping clumsily over the knots as his fingers felt numb and unused in centuries. He kept his mind on helping Zac though, who was crying loudly and wrapped his arms around Taylor as he was freed. Taylor hugged Zac tightly, trying to think why Zac was so upset before remembering.
He had died, he knew he had, he had felt himself die slowly and painfully but he was alive. He felt so confused but for now could only look after Zac. Taylor shushed his brother's crying and slowly rocked him back and forth. He could only wait for answers as his brain was entirely cluttered with questions.
But who saved me? Taylor suddenly asked himself. He didn't want to ask Zac at that time, he had to be thankful at the moment that he was actually alive.
"It's all Okay now, Tay, everything, I mean..." Zac cried. He was happy, Taylor realised, he was so happy he was crying. Taylor didn't understand what had happened. How long had he been dead? What had happened before he had awoken again? Taylor wanted to know who saved him and, in a place like that hell, why.
Zac wiped his eyes and looked at Taylor's confused face. "Tay, it was Ike, he saved you."
Taylor stared at Zac, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Ike, he's better now, he's..."
Taylor saw behind Zac was Isaac. Taylor jumped up and pushed Zac behind him. "Get away from us!"
"No, Tay, he..." Zac tried to say.
"Don't you dare touch my brother!" Taylor yelled. "Why do you have to torture us? You killed our brother and now you have to kill us to?"
"Taylor, it's all right, it's me, Isaac." Isaac said slowly, knowing that Taylor would probably hate him. It was inevitable.
"Don't you dare touch us!" Taylor yelled again.
"Tay, stop! It really is Ike!" Zac yelled back at him.
Taylor felt hot tears fill his eyes. He didn't understand it at all. It couldn't be possible. "No, it's another trick, it has to be. Ike is dead..."
Zac grabbed Taylor's arm. "Look at Ike, that's our brother, that's not a monster. It's really him."
"No, no it can't be..." Taylor cried. "There's no way..."
"Tay, it is me. Look at me." Isaac said quietly.
Taylor shook his head. "It can't be, Ike died, he died three months ago, he can't just come back..."
"Taylor, it's all right now, he's not evil any more. Tay, he didn't leave us, he's come back."
Taylor stared long and hard at Isaac and slowly walked up to him. "Why should we believe you?"
"You just have to Tay," Zac said, "it is him."
"Tay, please, believe me." Isaac pleaded.
Taylor burst into tears and hugged his brother, his promise to cry if his fondest wish since entering that hell was coming true before him. It was a reality. He was finally reunited with his brother.
"Tay, I'm so sorry..." Isaac started to say.
"No, It's Okay. Isaac, everything's Okay..." Taylor had never felt so good in his life. He had never felt so good being with his brother and never in his life had he been so glad to be alive.
Melissa looked up at the window and jumped up. She grabbed onto the edge and pulled herself up. She climbed into the window and looked around for vampires. The room seemed empty yet somewhat disturbing. It was filled with the possessions of the humans they had captured. Anything of value they had kept as if they needed more money than they already had. Melissa climbed over one or two boxes to a shelve of children's toys. Some looked very new, almost never played with while some looked older and much tattier. The porcelain dolls could be over two hundred years old and that angered Melissa even more. The centuries of pain they had caused was unbelievable. She would stop them finally, she knew she had to finally stop the heartache for good, before they destroyed more people than they already had. Before more people like Isaac were taken in and changed for the worse into monsters, their lives taken and replaced with the eternity of being a demon. She would stop them finally and she would be happy again.
There was a sound from out the window, sounding far away. Melissa looked out and saw an army of what looked like humans but she knew were hunters and coming towards the castle. Melissa had no time to spare, she would have to find Isaac fast and hope that her spell had worked. If not she would have to save his brothers and kill him. She never thought she would ever turn on another good vampire but her quest was set. It was no time to let her love for her boyfriend get in her way. She had prepared herself for the worst and was willing to slay her true love.
Melissa drew her sword and slowly opened the door, awaiting anything and anybody in her way.
< ^ >