Chapter Twenty-Seven-
'We Could Be Heroes...'
They had been sat there for an hour, just trying to recall how happy any of them had even been before. They were finally together again- though Isaac was still dead and they were still in what they only knew as hell -and they were happy. They just started talking, not so much about what had happened or how they wanted to go home so desperately it was painful, but about stupid things. Songs they hadn't finished writing, TV programmes they wanted to watch; just the things they would talk about if they were trying to forget everything else that had happened. All the hell and pain had ended finally and they wanted to leave it at that. They didn't even mention anything about home directly, nobody said it but they all knew there was a chance of never seeing it again. So they remained on lighter conversations until one of them would dare to say it.
Tay dared. "Ike, are we going home?"
Isaac looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Yeah, we are. We'll just wait until sunrise so they can't fight and then we'll leave."
Taylor nodded happily. Still they didn't keep their hopes up, it was too much to ask that they would stay happy for more than a couple of hours. It was enough shock for them that Isaac was back to his normal self, to think that they would see their family, friends and real life again was too much for them to handle. They had to stay calm until it was real.
"So, we just wait?" Zac asked.
"Yeah, I guess." Taylor said.
"But... We have to get everybody else out. All the other slaves can't stay here." Zac suddenly remembered.
"We'll round them up before sunrise, like in the compound or something, about an hour before they normally have to get up. Then we can slowly make our way down so nobody sees us." Taylor said.
"What if it doesn't work though?" Zac asked sadly.
"It will. What other hope have we got?" Isaac asked. There was no answer. It was settled, they would escape as soon as they could. They would all rather die trying than in that pit. All of them wanted to go home more than anything but most of all just be in a place that didn't scream death. They wanted it for themselves and for all those other prisoners before they all died.
"Somebody's coming." Isaac said suddenly.
They didn't ask how he knew and immediately played dead or at least unconscious if the vampire was trying to listen for heartbeats. Isaac didn't know how he was supposed to fool them that he was still evil but awaited for whoever was coming.
The door slammed open and a young vampire, only a few months dead, saw Isaac. "The hunters are coming!"
"What?" Isaac asked.
"They're at the gates! Get out of here, before they break down the door!" And with that the vampire left.
Taylor was the first to speak. "This may help."
"For us, maybe. Ike's still dead." Zac said.
"And all the other vampires will be escaping. They could take all the cars before we get all the prisoners." Isaac added.
"Then we'll go now. Ike, there'll only be one guard at this time and you could take him." Zac got up, Taylor noticed the pained expression as he walked for the door.
"Zac, you're still injured."
"I'll be Okay, but we have to go now."
Suddenly it was as if Zac was in charge. Isaac and Taylor got up after him and they waited for Isaac to tell them there was nobody in the corridor.
"Now." Isaac said and they ran out, their years of army games and paint balling seeming to be paying off, this time to save their lives and the lives of others.
Taylor looked around and pointed them towards the stairs that led down into the prisoners' cells. Zac was being helped by Isaac and once they could stop Isaac would heal him but for now he could only assist him when moving about.
Taylor came to a halt as a vampire was standing between him and the cell block. Isaac saw who it was and what he was doing and pulled Taylor behind him before approaching the vampire.
"Might as well feast if the hunters are coming." Spite laughed, grabbing one of the prisoners from their cell.
"Spite." Isaac said angrily.
"Hey man, you want one?" Spite turned to see Isaac before he dropped the prisoner in shock. "Holy shit." He began to run.
Isaac grabbed Spite quickly and slammed him against the wall. "Don't even try it." He growled.
"Hey Ike, buddy, how are you? Much better, I see." Spite stuttered. "Uh, say, you're not mad at me for that whole turning you in a monster thing, are you? Okay, I didn't do it, I just had to lead you out of that party for the master, you understand, don't ya?"
"If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd kill you." Isaac said angrily. "You're going to help me. I need all the prisoners taken to the garages before the other vampires get there."
"Ike, that'll be a little tricky, I mean..."
"Spite, you owe me a lot for what you've done to me. Do this or I'll lead the hunters straight to you."
Spite stared at him before he sighed. "You know I'm not evil like them too, don't you?"
"I can tell." Isaac said softly, letting Spite go.
"They promised me I could go home if I did this. I think I can trust you more than them anyway. Ike, you'd better get out soon, I'll get the prisoners out, you just take your brothers and run."
"Okay. Thankyou." Isaac said.
Isaac turned to Taylor who had just lead the last prisoner in the direction of the compound and was now talking to Zac quietly about something. Isaac knew something was wrong immediately.
Taylor looked up. "He can't walk dude." He said glumly.
"I'll be Okay, it's just a couple cracked ribs, I think." Zac said, obviously in a lot more pain than he would tell them. Isaac kneeled down next to Zac and touched his arm lightly.
"Yeah, you're right. Just relax and I'll heal you."
Zac nodded and waited patiently for Isaac to work his magic.
"Hunters!" There was a cry from the floor above them and, like a cue, a loud explosion was heard, obvious that the hunters had made their entrance. All three of them fell to the ground from the impact and they were suddenly in darkness, a blanket of dust following, pushing all three of them to the ground for a few minutes.
Not even sure that it was a dream or not, Taylor got up slightly and tried to stop the ringing in his ears. He coughed loudly before calling out for his brothers to answer. There was no sound except for the crumbling above his head. Taylor tried to feel around for something to cover him before another loud bang was heard from the roof above caving in suddenly. Thanking God it didn't hit him, Taylor could see very slightly as his eyes adjusted to the dim lights. He saw the stairs in front of him and knew that was where Zac was supposed to be.
"Zac! Ike!" Taylor yelled.
"Tay!" Isaac called back from somewhere behind Taylor.
"What the hell was that? Buffy?" Taylor said, trying to find humour in the situation they were in.
"More like some very pissed off vampire hunters!" Zac yelled, crawling to the side of Taylor, also aiming for the stairs.
Taylor coughed loudly. "Same thing then!"
"You Okay guys?" Isaac asked.
There was a mumbled reply of yes and no and Isaac took it that it was Zac who wasn't fine. Isaac looked around and could see Taylor and Zac nearly perfectly, despite the thick cloud of fine debris that filled the air. Isaac wondered if Taylor and Zac could even breathe before he saw a figure on the stairs. Isaac was about to ignore him before he saw Zac disappear from his sight. Zac didn't even have a chance to call for help as he was taken upstairs by a man Isaac knew he would see soon enough. Taylor barely noticed until Zac didn't answer him back.
"Where the hell is Zac?" Taylor yelled at Isaac.
Isaac got up and started running up the stairs. "Stay here in case there are vampires upstairs!"
"Ike, where are you going?" Taylor screamed at him and knew he would have to follow, despite his orders.
Isaac turned a corner where he knew Zac had passed only a few seconds before him and carried along, pushing past panicking vampires as the hunters continued to storm the place, not letting any of the undead escape. Isaac knew he was running straight to where the hunters were but he had to save Zac. He had to save him from a man, no, monster, who wouldn't think twice about changing him too into a vampire.
Zac was leant up against a wall that was half missing from another bomb, crying quietly from yet another attack. Isaac ran to his side to see he had been bitten on the shoulder, but it didn't look as if the demon intentionally meant to miss his neck. It was as if he wanted to be kept alive for something. Isaac could only guess what.
"Zac, Zac, can you hear me?" Isaac asked him quietly.
Zac nodded slowly, not looking up. "Ike, get away, before he comes..."
The demon had already arrived. Zac was picked up roughly and Isaac backed up slowly, feeling a great fear from seeing him again. The very person that started his whole nightmare almost a year ago. Isaac felt absolute anger but absolute fear, both telling him to take action against the monsters that wanted to destroy his brother.
"Such a shame when they don't fight back." The demon laughed, holding Zac up by his neck, as if he were a rag doll; just a play thing that was easy to dispose of.
"Let him go." Isaac said angrily.
"I don't think so Isaac. Our agreement was for you to stay here unless you wished for your family to die. You seem to want to leave all of a sudden so I guess the deal is off." He laughed.
Isaac clenched his fists tightly. "And I suppose kidnapping my brothers so I'll destroy them is a part of the deal?"
"Isaac, never trust a vampire." The man laughed and started choking Zac. "How about I make your little brother pay for your mistake?"
"Let him go right now!" Taylor suddenly yelled as he arrived at the scene. He was about to run for the master and his captive but Isaac held him back.
"You can't fight him!" Isaac wanted to fight the man, he wanted to stop him but he couldn't. There was that absolute fear again that stopped him. "What do you want from me?"
The master ignored his question. Instead he paid his attention to who he was killing slowly. "Zac, would you like to live again?"
Zac was gasping for air. Zac stared at Isaac, pleading for him to help him.
"Zac, don't answer him!" Isaac yelled and grabbed what would seem sufficient to help save his brother.
He couldn't answer if he tried. "I could make you strong again," the vampire continued, "healthier than you've ever been. You could match up with your brother's powers that I know you are jealous of."
Zac pulled at the demon's grip but was getting weaker. He shook his head rapidly as he knew know what penalty for answering yes meant. He learnt from Isaac a long time ago and was not going to allow himself to make the same mistake.
"Isaac, don't you want to save your brother?" The demon laughed.
"Ike, please, stop him!" Taylor begged his brother.
Isaac tried to move but was rooted on the spot. He tried to use the weapon he held in his hand but knew there was one question left unanswered throughout his whole experience. The master knew what it was and so knew what his weakness was. "Afraid killing me could mean the end of you?" He laughed.
Taylor finally gave in to instinct and ran for the master. The master grabbed Taylor so suddenly that he couldn't get away. Taylor was slammed up against the wall as Zac was thrown to the floor. Taylor looked at Zac for a second before he was staring at the very monster that had caused all of their suffering. The very monster that made Melissa and Isaac feed off of the human race they used to be a part of. Taylor felt absolute hate for him as he stared into his eyes and as the master did the same to him again.
"Isaac can't touch me if he wanted to. You can't turn on your creator, the very reason for being kept alive." The master laughed. Taylor felt more rage boil up.
Isaac knew this too and stared at Zac lying still on the ground, then to Taylor who was about to become one of them, another slave to that monster. He wanted to destroy him more than anything but nothing came to him. He had not idea how to destroy such a wicked soul.
Isaac sat Zac up and shook him awake. "Zac, please, Zac, don't die on me... Please don't..." Isaac knew that monster would win, there was no point to even try to stop him if he could. Isaac was powerless and would once and for all fail his brothers.
"You've already been bitten tonight. Just one drop of blood and you'll become a vampire, Taylor. How does that sound?" The man asked Taylor slowly.
"I'd rather die." Taylor whispered harshly.
The man laughed and pulled him around so he was facing Isaac trying to heal Zac. "Did you hear that Isaac? If only I had chosen your brother that night and not you!" The man bit his own finger so that blood spilled and waved his finger near Taylor's mouth. "He'll make a great piece to my collection."
Isaac didn't care if it was true of not anymore. He grabbed the stake and aimed straight for the master's heart. The master cried out and dropped Taylor to the ground but did not burn to ashes. Taylor scrambled to his feet and stood behind Isaac though still nothing happened.
The master stopped shouting and smiled at the three of them. "You think that this can defeat me? This pathetic excuse for a weapon?" He pulled out the stake and miraculously his body healed within seconds. "I can crush you all without touching you."
Taylor grabbed Isaac by the arm suddenly and the vampire froze them from any movement. He laughed as he aimed the stake straight at Isaac's heart. Ready to throw, Isaac knew it was all over and once again he had failed to save the lives of the ones he loved...
There was a flash of light as something travelled so fast towards the master it penetrated straight through his heart. He cried out and the brothers saw a face they hadn't seen for months and wished they could have seen it so much sooner.
Melissa walked down the corridor calmly toward the master who had fallen to the ground. All three brothers could move but did not want to. They were so amazed at seeing her and that she had just saved their lives that they let her continue with whatever plan she had been cooking up for all those three months. She pulled out the sword and cleaned the blood from it with her cloak. She kneeled down next the master.
"Witchcraft." The master whispered angrily.
"Yep." She said with very little emotion.
"But you cannot kill me." He laughed, despite coughing up a lot of blood.
"No, I can't." She said sadly. She raised the sword and struck it in his heart once again. The master yelled out in total agony and she looked straight up to the ceiling, as if yelling at somebody watching over them all. "Oracles power, drawn from the purest blood of the wisest soul, I seek true wisdom! Is this demon worthy to the fires of hell?"
"No!" The master yelled out but Melissa had already been answered.
A thousand tiny lights sank onto the master's body, and as they enclosed any sight of him, he sank into the ground. A great fire arose from the body and Melissa took a step back. All four of them were mesmerised at the sight until it ended. All that remained were the ashes of a once all powerful demon that had been alive since the curse of the vampires had began. Because of Melissa, one of the very last original vampires had been destroyed.
Melissa picked up her sword slowly, its shine and powers gone, leaving her with a mere humans' weapon for battles once fought centuries ago. She placed it back in her belt and looked up to see three pairs of eyes staring at her as if she were an angel. Ignoring the remains, she walked over to them who all seemed to have forgotten how to move.
"Guys? It's me, Melissa?" She dared not check for heartbeats. The thought that now Zac and Taylor had been destroyed too was too much to discover for now. Slowly Isaac walked up to her, as if checking it was really her. Melissa smiled warmly and Isaac enveloped her tightly, his body shaking with cries. Melissa tried not to but couldn't stop herself as she also started crying, never so glad to see another vampire in her life. She felt an enormous weight lift and just let herself cry for the moment she had been waiting for for so long. It was all over. She felt more pressure as Taylor and Zac hugged her too. She had come to save them, just like she had promised. She was the first sign they had seen of a world outside of hell and they never wanted to let her go.
With them all reunited, the world seemed almost perfect for those few minutes they had to realise that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance they would get out of that hell alive.
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