did find something interesting.”
“What?” I asked, glancing at Danny.
“Its den,” he answered, motioning behind me. “Turn around.”
In the back of the alley was a large hole in the brickwork of one of the buildings. It was large enough that an animal could crawl into.
I took a look inside.
It was littered with old newspapers and smelled like a wet dog had been marking his spot if you know what I mean...
“We’ve compromised its hiding place, forcing it out into the open. It will be looking for a new den now,” I said, both disappointed and elated.
Maybe it would find another place to stalk—another town perhaps. Yet, I really didn’t think it would be that easy to get rid of the beast. I found out when I had awakened from my daylight slumber that there had been two attacks last night. This thing had to be stopped.
Without telling anyone, I went out again on my own for another steak-out. Danny did not agree with my decision, but he didn’t have a say. This was something I had to do.
I carried a backpack filled with more devices of destruction. Tucking the dagger into a sheath attached to my jeans, I walked towards the graveyard. The cemetery was located near Sangre Woods which was vast and held an eerie aura about it. I walked along the sidewalk with the woods to my right. I noticed that every step I took the shrubbery seemed to move with me. There was no wind to move it. The night was as still as a corpse.
Feeling as if I were being stalked, I sprinted as fast as I could towards the cemetery. When I reached the gates, I turned around, wanting to confront my stalker. But there was nothing to be seen.
“I don’t like this,” Danny said, suddenly at my side.
I shushed him and quickly pushed the gates, entering into the cemetery grounds.
“What are you doing here?” a male voice asked.
I was taken aback. With a gasp, I turned to see the groundskeeper that I bumped into the night Danny was murdered. My ears had not detected him before he spoke.
“What are you doing here?” he repeated, stepping forward menacingly.
I didn’t say a word. As he moved forward, I took a cautious step back. “What does it look like to you?” I challenged, feeling brave.
“Trespassing,” he growled.
Then I heard a sound off in the distance.
I gasped as I thought I heard what sounded like a young girl, calling out for help.
He threw his head back and laughed in an exaggerated gesture.
Turning away from the groundskeeper, I ran in the direction of the whimpering voice. Stumbling over a few low grave makers, I found a young girl tied to an erect gravestone. The girl couldn’t have been more than eight. Her blond hair hung in tangled clumps. Her cheeks were stained with a mixture of dirt and tears.
“Don’t worry,” I told her as I began to untie her, setting my bag down beside me. “You’re going to be alright.”
“Hurry, Alexis. I have a bad feeling about messing with the lycan’s dessert,” Danny warned nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to another.
“An animal took me from my house,” the girl cried. “It took me from my backyard and dragged me through the woods. All I want is my mommy! Can you take me home?”
I looked her over. Her knees were bloody and her arms were bruised. She was not in good shape. “Of course I will,” I answered. “You will be back home with your mom as soon as I can untie this knot.”
After fighting with the knot for what seemed like an eternity, I untangled the rope, setting the girl free. I watched as she glanced over my shoulder. I saw her whole body shuddered and she belted out an earth shattering scream.
Immediately, Danny and I turned around to focus on what she had seen.
I felt my heart pound in my chest and my muscles grew taut. My teeth descended. My eyes tried to focus until they grazed the outline of something big.
It was the werewolf!
Standing at six feet tall and with a muscular build, I noticed it was covered in black fur that blended with the shadows. Its mussel contorted in a hideous smile, displaying large, jagged teeth.
“Run!” I yelled to the girl and she ran as fast as her beaten body could carry her.
Before I could climb to my feet, the beast leaped on me. The weight of its body pulled my skinny frame down. The breath had been knocked out of me. I was stunned for a minute. I could hear Danny screaming, but I blocked it out. Locked into survival mode, I was on pure adrenaline now.
It climbed on top of me with its jaws snapping towards my face.
I grabbed its neck with one hand, forcing its head up.
Its eyes glowed red and its mouth was foaming with the anticipation of a meal.
Trying to break its neck, I quickly realized I didn’t have the strength. Its neck would not give in to my supernatural strength. I was stronger than any ordinary human, but the wolf was a challenge. It was huge and composed mainly of muscle. With all my might, I held its throat as far away as I could, keeping its snout at bay.
Using my other hand to feel the ground around me, I located my bag. It was just out of reach. I wasn’t choosy about my weapon. Any one of them would do just fine under these circumstances.
My hold on the ferocious animal was starting to wane, but I stretched my arm beyond its limit, grabbing hold of something within my bag.
I pulled out a… pocketknife!
My elation had turned into dismay, but I used the small tool as best I could. I swung it up between us, piercing the chest cavity with it.
The massive wolf let out howl of pain as I punctured its lung.
In retaliation, it swung its paw at my face, slashing my cheek. The pain was vivid and intense. I felt as if my entire face had been ripped away. Blood seeped into my eye, blinding me slightly.
In a moment of rage, I grabbed its paw with my free hand and bent it backwards until I heard a sickening crack.
Again, it wailed in agony.
Holding onto its neck, I remembered the dagger I attached to the waistband of my pants. It tried to wiggle free of my grasp, jerking wildly. With one hand I held the beast and with the other I unsheathed the blade.
Before I had time to think, I stuck the blade into its chin with all of the strength left in my body. The blade traveled into its mouth through its hard palette, puncturing its brain.
Its body slumped instantly.
Relived, I knew it was dead and let out a sigh of exhaustion.
It couldn't hurt anyone else. I had avenged all the recent murders of Sangre Falls and prevented new ones from occurring.
As the shock of what I had accomplished wore off, I rolled its body off of me, watching change into human form with some interest. When the change was over, I recognized the body of the groundskeeper. Feeling a strange sense of euphoria, I turned my head and locked eyes with Danny.
Breaking the silence, he said, “You look like crap.”
“Thanks,” I responded just happy to be alive. “You always know just what to say to a lady.”
He smiled.
“I guess the cemetery is going to need a new groundskeeper.”
He nodded and said, “You just saved the towns’ people from being next on the werewolf’s menu. How do you feel?”
“Great! I’m going to Disney Land,” I responded with mock happiness. “So, where is the white light?”
“It’s coming. Daybreak is soon. It will be coming for us both now.”
I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
He held his hand out for me. “Take it,” he ordered, his eyes aglow.
I reached out for Danny’s hand, expecting to feel nothing but air. Instead, I felt the warmth of his grasp. “How could this be?” I asked as he lifted me to my feet.
“When the werewolf slashed you, it punctured an artery,” he answered regretfully. “You managed to kill it before you bled to death.”
I looked down at my body. It was mangled, but I should have been able to survive the attack. ?
??I thought when vampires die they went straight to the underworld.”
“You risked your life for people you didn’t even know. I think that earns you a ticket into heaven,” he told me, smiling grimly.
I looked down at my body and watched as it changed color, from porcelain to ashen. Then, it collapsed onto itself, becoming dust. My ashes scattered in the breeze. There wasn’t a piece me left that the wind had not carried away.
I was at peace with my death. It seemed almost natural to have a beginning and an end. I was an immortal, but even the immortal can die.
“Look!” Danny said, pointing off into the distance.
My eyes drifted to the skyline. Silently, we watched as the sun began to rise in the horizon. It was the first time I had witnessed a sunrise in a hundred years. I smiled at Danny and he returned it, wrapping his arms around me. Somehow he knew that I would enjoy this part of the morning and I did. I took it all in with a deep breath. I felt oddly serene by his side and I believe he felt likewise, knowing that he didn’t have to leave this earth alone.
When the white light appeared a few moments later, we walked into it, hand-in-hand.
THE END
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