Home Sweet Home

John felt the splinter against his palm. He closed his fingers around it.

"And you killed her," Paul said, his voice growing deep. John could see Paul's teeth behind his lips. They were growing and becoming sharp.

Paul squeezed John's head and pulled him to him, opening his mouth wide and cocking his head sideways to get better a better angle on John's throat.

John quickly pulled the splinter from Lorna's body and stuck it into Paul's chest just before the boy could close his jaws around his neck. Paul stiffened and pulled back from John. His eyes rolled back and he skin on his face quickly turned an ashy grey. John felt Paul's body falling forward, so he turned and let the boy fall on top of Lorna.

John stared at the boy, momentarily forgetting about Gail, until he heard her scream from behind him. John pulled the splinter from Paul's chest and turned around. Gail was in the air, flying towards him. John held the splinter straight out and watched as the tip of the splinter pierced her throat. Her head shot forward, as did her legs, as her momentum was suddenly halted.

Gail's feet connecting with his chest, and the suddenly added weight at the end of his extended arm threw him backwards on top of Lorna's dead body. She lay on top of him, trying to bite at him.

John used all the strength he had left to hold her back. Blood from the splinter in her throat ran down his arm. He knew he had to pull the splinter from her throat and stab her in the heart, but she wouldn't let up, and he was quickly tiring. This night was too much for him to take, with finding out that he had killed his family and all.

Finally, John reached up with his left hand and grabbed Gail's jaws to push her head back. Gail bit down into the skin between his thumb and index finger. John screamed through clenched teeth as he pushed her head back and pulled the splinter from her throat.

Gail released John's hand as she screamed. John quickly struck at her again, burying the splinter deep into Gail's chest. As with Paul, Gail's mouth and eyes opened wide and her skin grew tight around her face and turned ashy grey. She only held onto to life half a second longer, then went limp.

John pushed her aside and stood. He turned around and looked at the bodies on the floor. He felt a lump rise in his throat at the thought that he had just killed two children. Then he reminded himself that Paul and Gail had stopped being children a long time ago and they were now monsters. It worked for a moment, then he went back to thinking of them as children.

And Lorna. She had loved him, and he couldn't help but think that maybe he had feelings for her too. Sure she was good in bed, but there was the glimmer of thought that it was more then that between him.

Unable to take it any more, John fell to his knees and wept.

When John finally cried all the tears he could, he took one more look around the room. He had no idea what he was suppose to do know. But then again, he knew exactly what he had to do. Paul had shown him. If it was intentional, he didn't know.

Paul had shown him the master host of the virus, if VLADXVI was right. John knew he had to find that dark rider if he was to break this curse of immortality.

John crawled over to Gail and pulled the splinter from her chest. He would need a better stake, but for now this would work. He then crawled to Lorna and kissed her on the lips for the last time.

John stood and turned to the shattered door. He had forever, and wasn't going to rest until he found the Dark Rider and put an end to vampires forever.