Darkness Falls

I shook my head. "I don't know why I have them. I don't want to do this to you anymore. I think it's time I broke it off and went home. I meant to break it off after we visited the graveyard, but that obviously never happened." I told her in a whisper.

Annabelle shook her head. "The doctor said you need to be supervised. You need to stay." Annabelle replied.

I turned around to look at her, starting to become agitated. "What is it with you and always pushing me to be here? You have been saying I need to be either with or around Heather for the entirety that I have known of her existence. When mom mentioned her, you pushed me to meet and go out with her, and even sleep with her to keep up the appearance of a relationship! Now you're telling me to stay when I clearly have feelings for her, and she is trying to seduce me. What is going on? Why have you been acting like this?" I asked in a critical tone, keeping my voice at whisper level.

Annabelle looked conflicted and she struggled to get the words out. "The truth is I feel guilty for trapping you in this relationship with me. I am thankful for the freedom that you have brought me, but it was at the cost of your own. I see things in your subconscious that you don't see. I see you looking at families and I know you desire that, even if you tell yourself that you don't. I have a unique perspective that no other woman has- I can see your every thought. I see your selfless and passionate love for me, but I also see your feelings for Heather." Annabelle explained.

I groaned softly in frustration. "What are you trying to say? Where are you going with this?" I asked.

Heather pursed her lips. "What I'm trying to say is, I don't feel like you need to choose between us. I love you, and I know you love me. That is enough for me." Annabelle told me.

I was shocked at her sudden change of heart.

Annabelle shook her head. "This is not a change of heart. Why do you think I heavily suggested it to you in the first place when your mom suggested you go out with her?" Annabelle asked.

I remembered back to our conversations that we had and realized she was telling the truth. Still, her answer rocked me to my core. "Are you saying that you want me to go out with her too?" I asked.

Annabelle nodded. "Yes. I don't want to rob you of something that you could never have with me. I want you to have the ability to start a family, to have a real life with someone. We have all of eternity together. I have been giving this a lot of thought since your mother- since your mother died. Her last wish was to see you happy. Heather can do that in ways I can't." She responded.

I didn't know how to respond. I loved Annabelle, but the feelings I was developing for Heather were undeniable.

Annabelle kissed me on the lips. "Don't worry love, I will always be here. Go make Heather happy." She told me, then dematerialized.

I felt conflicted, like I was being torn in two. On one hand Annabelle had given me her blessing, but on the other hand I felt like I was cheating on both of them. I took a deep breath, then exited the bathroom. I went back to the couch,and sat down.

Heather rested her head on my shoulder, and wrapped her arm around me.

I used my free left hand, and ran my fingers up her arm and then grazed the side of her right cheek.

Heather sat up and looked at me.

I closed my eyes, and breathed deep, breaking down the final barriers between us. "Thank you for being here for me. I don't know what I would do without you being here for me." I told her, opening my eyes again.

Heather nodded, smiling. "I couldn't leave you after what happened." She replied.

I used my hand to brush a hair out of her face, and leaned in to kiss her. A feeling of electricity sparked between us. As our lips touched for the third time together, this time was different. I felt the flames of passion ignite, and the kiss became more animalistic.

Heather suddenly broke the kiss off and sighed in disappointment.

I was confused by her sudden rejection. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Heather looked up at me with pained eyes. "We can't be doing this right now. I'm taking advantage of you emotionally. You're vulnerable right now, and I would feel terrible if things went any further and you ended up regretting it." Heather told me.

I shook my head. "I don't think I will." I replied reassuringly.

Heather looked like she wanted to argue but didn't know how to say it. "Colton, the last time we had seen each other you said you wanted to get to know me first before we did anything physical. Your mother has just passed away, and you aren't in the right state of mind to be making a decision you might not like later on. Don't get me wrong, I want this too but let's wait until you are in a better place before committing physically." Heather told me firmly.

I sighed and then nodded. I had been trying to distance myself from the pain, something that I knew was unhealthy. I was subconsciously suppressing the emotions and using Heather as well as Annabelle as distractions. I took a deep, shaky breath and nodded. "You're right." I responded.

Heather smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek. "We'll get there eventually. But, right now is not the time." She told me. Heather then yawned, looking at the clock. "It's almost six in the morning! I'm getting kind of tired. Perhaps we should go to bed." Heather told me.

I nodded, doubting I'd get any sleep. "I think you're right. Where do you want me to sleep?" I asked. I was surprisingly tired as well. You'd think that after a coma I'd be sleepless.

Heather raised an eyebrow. "Well, you could sleep on any of the beds in the guest rooms or the couch. Either that, or with me." Heather informed me.

Annabelle stopped me before I answered. "Just go sleep with her." Annabelle whispered in my head.

"I imagine it'll get cold in the winter here. I think I'll join you." I replied.

Heather beamed. "Let's go then!" She told me. She stood up, and beckoned for me to follow her.

I obeyed, stood up and followed her. She led me into her bedroom and motioned to the bed. I complied, and climbed in and underneath the covers.

Heather joined me, and snuggled up close to me. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

I turned around, and the memories came flooding back as I silently cried over the death of my mother, then fell asleep.

~~~

I awoke in a pool of sweat, and my heart was racing as the nightmares came back to me. I suddenly felt a hand touch my cheek- it was Annabelle.

"I'm so sorry you're having these terrible dreams. It's okay now, I'm here for you." Annabelle told me.

I calmed myself by forcing myself to take deep, steady breaths then sat up. I looked at the clock on Heather's nightstand and saw it was 3 in the afternoon. Heather was also nowhere in sight, so I got up and left the room. Heather was strangely not in the kitchen or living room. As a matter of fact, I didn't even think she was home.

"She left a while ago. I obviously couldn't ask where she was going, so I have no idea where she went." Annabelle informed me.

I nodded. "Thank you for telling me." I replied.

I returned to the room, sat on the edge of the bed and cupped my head in my hands. As I sat there alone with nobody but Annabelle, my mind started to wander back to the accident. I remembered my mother's scream, right before the car impacted us. My hands gripped my hair tightly as I remembered how helpless I had felt in that split second that left her dead.

Annabelle sat beside me. "You need to stop beating yourself up over what happened. You couldn't have known what was going to happen." She told me.

I shook my head, feeling emotionally drained despite just waking up. "She shouldn't have died. I sure as hell shouldn't have survived. Maggie had told me that I have immortality through agelessness. The only explanation I can think of is being a half vampire. I have no clue how, unless Maggie turned me without telling me. It's not like I know the process, after all." I told Annabelle.

Annabelle remained silent, and let me vent.

I took a breath, then continued. "She had also told me that the universe demands balance. A life for a life. What if by saving you or becoming a half vampire I doomed my mother?" I said, looking into Annabelle's eyes.

Annabelle laid her hand on my shoulder. "You didn't cause your mother's death! Don't ever talk like that. It was a drunk driver, not some curse." Annabelle responded.

I shook my head. "I feel responsible for what happened. After all, my father was killed the same way! How in the hell could that be coincidence?" I replied.

"Colton, please don't tell me that you are blaming yourself for what happened!" Heather replied suddenly, startling me.

I looked up at her, my eyes wide with surprise. "Jesus, you scared me!" I told her.

Heather sat down right where Annabelle had, which made Annabelle dematerialize. "I'm sorry that I scared you. What were you thinking about? It didn't seem to be very positive." She responded.

I avoided eye contact. "It was nothing." I responded.

Heather did not believe a word I said. "Colton, I know there are things you don't want to talk about but sooner or later you will have to. You can't keep everything bottled up, it will eat you alive." Heather responded.

I nodded, still looking at the floor. "You're right." I told her.

Heather rubbed my back. "Tell me what's going on then." She responded softly.

I wasn't going to tell her the whole truth, but I was going to tell her about the truth about my house- just not the supernatural elements.

I took a deep breath. "It started when I moved into my place. I was suspicious as to why the house I bought was so cheap. Nobody ever stayed in it very long, despite the price being so low. So, I did some digging. I discovered that my home was the scene of a brutal murder in the nineteen twenties. A young woman was brutally raped and murdered in my house while her parents were away." I told her, truthfully.

Heather had a look of shock on her face. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She responded.

I nodded. "Thank you. Anyways, whoever killed the poor girl was never caught, and her parents moved out of the house. I went to the graveyard, and located her gravestone. It was in an area, long forgotten and overgrown. Her parents weren't even laid to rest there." I told her.

Heather was still trying to recover from the bombshell I dropped. She was listening intently, and waited for me to finish my story.

I looked at Heather. "She had been forgotten about, and justice was never done. I felt- I felt like I had a duty to bring her peace. I felt like someone needed to remember her, to continue her story. I visited her grave every month and just talked to her. I ended up telling my mom about it and taking her there, but on the way back-" I told her, getting choked up.

Heather looked like she was about to cry herself. "I'm so sorry for everything that has happened to you, your mom and that poor girl. You mustn't blame yourself for what happened." Heather responded.

I breathed deep, then nodded. "Thank you for everything. For helping me, for being here and just listening to me." I told her.

Heather smiled, and placed her hand on mine. "You're welcome." She replied.

I looked at our hands, and turned my palm upwards and intertwined our fingers. "You know, when my mom told me about you, I could tell that she really liked you." I told her, looking into her eyes.

Heather smiled and flicked her hair. "She certainly seemed quite eager to get my number to you." Header responded.

I chuckled softly. "I really like you too, in case it wasn't obvious." I told her. I leaned in to kiss her, and this time she made no effort to stop me.

"I will always love you, no matter what you decide to do. Remember that." Annabelle whispered in my head.

I pulled back at the voice in my head, and looked at Heather. "I know you think I'm vulnerable right now, but I need you. My mind has never been more clear." I told her, exploring her body.

Heather closed her eyes at the feeling of my touch, and her breathing grew heavy. She then nodded, and kissed me once more.

I stopped momentarily, to admire Heather's beauty.

Heather looked confused. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

I shook my head no. "Just the opposite. Everything is fine." I replied, and then resumed kissing her.

Heather grabbed my face, and pulled me on top of her on the bed. She ripped my shirt off, and kissed my chest.

As we tore our clothes off and became lost in the throes of passion, I felt something else burning underneath my skin- the lust for blood instead of flesh. I only hoped that I was strong enough to resist the urges.

CHAPTER FOUR - BLAKE

There were times when I was absolutely disgusted by what I have become. I woke up at night on a regular basis, unable to sleep because of the beast that refused to be caged, and gave me terrible nightmares. Every night I had nightmares of slaughtering innocent people, of feasting on their broken bodies and worst of all, tearing Sarah limb from limb. I never told her anything, because I never wanted her to worry. If she truly knew how twisted my mind was, she wouldn't want anything to do with me.

There were also times that I enjoyed giving into the beast. The raw and primal powers that came with it, and the feeling of total freedom as I roamed the land at night were unmatched. I have turned my curse into a gift, and used it to protect the innocent. Last night it was a drunk woman on her way home from the bar. Tonight, I struggled to find anybody.

I had been roaming the city for hours while Sarah slept, and had not come across even a single assault. This was unusual, especially at bars after closing time. Normally there were some drunk idiots who got into fights. Now, it was like a ghost town. My human side was happy, but the beast snarled to be let out.

I was just about to give up when I heard a man scream. I closed my eyes, listening for the direction. It was coming from behind a closed convenience store. I zipped behind it, to find a man on the ground clutching his stomach with blood seeping out. He was crawling towards the road, leaving a blood trail behind him. My inhuman sense of smell picked up on it, and went nuts trying to get out.

I saw a man running away, still clutching the knife in his hand. I longed to spill his intestines with his own knife, but right now was not the time. The man on the ground needed help. I tore off my shirt and approached the man.

"Don't move. Relax, calm your breathing and heartbeat or you will bleed out faster." I told him. I gently turned the man on his back, and pressed the shirt against his knife wound.

The man looked up at me with frightened eyes, and clutched my hand with bloody hands of his own. His cheeks were sunken in and he was severely underweight. He was an addict of some kind. He presumably got involved in a bad drug deal.

I pulled out my phone and called Sheriff Mallory. He answered after a couple of rings.

"What do you want?" He asked, in an annoyed voice.

"I'm on the corner of second and Vine Street. I found a man who has just been stabbed. He's losing blood fast, and I need you to help him. His assailant got away but I can probably track him down with his scent." I told him.

There was an audible pause and sigh. "I'll be right there. Don't let his assailant get away." Mallory replied.

I ended the call and turned my attention to the wounded man. "Help is on the way. Stay awake, and stay with me. I need you to remember this- You never saw me, and I was never here. You need to seriously think about your life choices. I may have saved you this time, but you may not be so lucky next time. Do you understand me?" I asked the man.

He looked at me with still terrified eyes and nodded. "Thank you!" The man replied. He laid still, trying not to move.

I shook my head. "Don't thank me yet. Help is on the way. I need you to tell me something- does your attacker know anything personal about you? Does he know anything that he can use to find you?" I asked.

The man nodded his head. "Y-yes he does." He replied.

I sighed in disappointment. "I'm going to convince him to forget it. Whatever you were trying to get on or obtain, quit it. It's not worth losing your life over." I told him.

The man nodded. "I won't touch the shit anymore!" He responded.

I heard sirens approaching the corner, then the brakes slam.

Mallory stepped out of the car and approached me. "I parked away from the direction of you, and didn't turn on my body camera. You're safe to go. I'll call it in, go get the son of a bitch who did this!" He told me.

I nodded, then took off my outer clothes, threw them in my backpack and slung it over my shoulders. I looked at the man lying on the ground. "This is why you're going to forget you ever saw me." I told him, then released my rage. I felt my skin vibrate and my bones break, reforming into the terrifying beast. The familiar pain was excruciating, but bearable. Long thick hair forced its way out of my pores, completing the transformation. I looked at the man, and gave him an intimidating growl, before galloping off.

I was able to hear cars coming long before I saw them, and was able to hide. I detected every smell around me for a several block radius, including the smell of the victim's blood. I followed it with ease, and right up to a nearby house. I closed my eyes, and calmed myself. Soon enough, my body transformed back into human form. I quickly put my clothes back on, and walked up to the door. I kicked the door in half, sending long splinters into the house.

There were two people to the right in a kitchen that were surprised at the suddenness of the entrance, and reached for guns on the table. They screamed profanities at me, and tried to pull the guns up to shoot me. They were too slow.

I zipped up to them incredibly fast, and knocked the guns out of their hands, breaking their wrists. They fell to the ground screaming.

I psyched myself up, trying to appear more terrifying. "It would be in your best interest to cooperate with me." I told them in an intimidating voice.

One of them tried to crawl away on his stomach, but I broke his left leg with one swift stomp, making a sickening crack and causing his bone to stick out through his pants. He screamed and clutched his leg. The other guy reached for a bloodsoaked knife with his one good hand.

I smiled, knowing I had located the attacker. I picked him up by his neck and held him against the kitchen wall. I pointed to his friend who was on the ground. "Do you see your friend over there?" I asked.

The man spat in my face and struggled against me. "Fuck you freak!" He spat angrily. He weakly punched me with his good hand.

I punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "I said, do you see your friend over there?" I repeated.

The man struggled again, but looked over at him. He looked back at me and nodded.

I grinned in an intimidating manner. "Good. Take a long hard look at what I did to him. I can do so much worse than that. I can rip you limb from limb with two fingers and not even break a sweat. Do you understand me?" I asked him.

He looked at me with wide eyes and nodded again.

"Good. Here's what's going to happen. You and your buddy are going to turn yourselves in willingly to the police, or I am going to kill both of you in the slowest and most brutal way possible, until you are begging me to end your suffering. You are going to tell the police that you stabbed the guy over a bad drug deal, and you fought your friend afterwards and you both sustained the injuries you received that way. Do you understand?" I asked, tightening my grip on his throat.

The guy nodded, having a hard time breathing.