Without a Sound

(Mikey’s P.O.V.)

I looked at the blood that was seeping from Charlotte’s chest for a long time. I guess it wasn’t registering in my head. I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. She couldn’t be dying right in front of my eyes. Because that could be the end of the lift I thought I might have been able to build with her.

She was dying. My vision was blurring, and I stumbled over to her. “No, not you too,” I cried. The vampire I’d just killed had not only killed my daughter and changed me into what would kill my wife, but he’d killed Charlotte. I pulled her head into my lap. The back of her head was bleeding, staining her beautiful blonde hair red. My hands were lathered in blood, so I wiped them on my jacket.

I thought she had to be dead by now, but she started coughing. When the coughing stopped, I thought for sure she was dead. Then she opened her mouth and moved the lips on her tortured face, trying to say something, but the word was lost in the blood in her mouth.

She was still alive. If she was trying to speak to me, she must’ve been able to hear me. “Please don’t die,” I told her weakly. “You can’t die.” She didn’t answer, and she closed her mouth, but somehow I knew she wasn’t dead yet.

“I’m going to save you, Charlotte,” I promised, stroking her fragile cheek gently. “I don’t know how or if it’s even possible. But I have to save you.” I started crying, and I hated myself for it. I was supposed to be strong. But how could I be strong when all hope was lost if she died?

I lifted her. She was indeed heavier than when I first found her, and she would’ve looked human if it weren’t for the blood that coated her. I carried her to the car, leaving a long trail of blood. I kissed her, I touched her cheek to mine, I caressed her face. Not for my sake, but in hopes that she could somehow still feel it.

“I love you, don’t die, please hold on,” I kept murmuring to her. When I finally made it to my car, the streets were deserted and dark, so I drove with her in my lap. I’d been driving for almost thirty years. I could handle it, as long as there was no one else on the road.

I wasn’t headed to my house. I was going to Gerard. Realizing Adam would probably be home, I knew I should call him. After I slowed down my sobs, I pulled over and used the one hand I’d been driving with to take out my phone. I was still rubbing Charlotte’s cheek with my left hand.

“Hey, Mikey,” Gerard said.

“Gerard, I need your help. First get Adam out of the house. If Celia had to go with him that’s not bad, but it would be better if you can find a place or a friend’s house for him to go to or something.”

“Mikey, calm down. I can barely understand what you’re saying. What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked.

I almost screamed in frustration. “I don’t have time to explain!” I yelled. “Just get Adam out of the house. He can’t see this, okay? Have Celia take him away, I don’t care where. But they need to leave soon, before I get there. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Please, you’ve asked me a million times what you can ever do to help me. You need to help me now.”

“Okay. Can’t you just tell –”

“No!” I interrupted. Sobbing, I added, “It’s Charlotte. I’ll tell you when I get there, okay? I have to go!” I hung up before he could ask me any more questions.

Before I continued driving, I closed my eyes, cradled Charlotte’s cheeks in my hands, and kissed her. I wasn’t going to let her die without that. She actually kissed me back, and I wondered why she wasn’t dead yet. The vampire I’d killed – the one that made me boil with rage just thinking about him – had died almost instantly. Most vampires did.

I couldn’t waste another second, so I started speeding down the back roads to get to Gerard’s house. I passed Celia’s car so quickly I knew I was just a blur to her. Adam could not see the blood all over the inside of my car. At least I hoped he couldn’t, but Celia would be able to sense it.

Charlotte wasn’t breathing, and she looked even more horrible than she had when I’d found her. Why was God cruel enough to let me find her, love her, and then take her away?

Gerard was waiting for me outside, his expression extremely concerned. He must’ve sensed how our blood was. Or how we were covered in blood coming from Charlotte. He ran out to the car and flung open the door.

He started, “Mikey, what the hell –”

“Where can we take her?” I demanded over him. “Long story short, we came across the vampire that killed my daughter, killed Charlotte’s family, and locked her up. He’s the same one. I tried to stab him with a stake. He stabbed Charlotte. I killed him. Charlotte hadn’t died yet.”

Gerard’s eyes widened. “Mikey,” he said gently. “If the stake’s in her heart, she’s going to die.”

I felt the tears coming again, and I stroked her cheek and yelled, “Then tell me why she hadn’t freaking died yet!”

He put his hand on my shoulder sympathetically, saying, “Take her to my room. You can be there with her before she dies.”

“She’s not gonna die,” I whimpered, pressing my cheek to hers and getting more blood on my face. “She’s not gonna die.”

“Okay,” Gerard said softly. “Take her to my bed, and we’ll see what we can do. Celia will help when she gets back. We found a place to drop off Adam. I’m glad you thought to get him out of here before he saw this.”

I nodded, got out of the car, and carried her to Gerard and Celia’s bed. I didn’t even care that I was getting blood on their sheets. Probably on their mattress, too. Why did it matter? Those things could be replaced. She was dying.

I set her head in my lap and sobbed, smoothing her bloody hair. Gerard entered the room, looking grim. He held up a small first aid kit and informed me, “This is all I have.”

I didn’t answer for a long time. “I doubt a first aid kit will help her,” I finally said coldly.

Gerard took my nastiness without complaint. “I don’t know what will, but if she isn’t going to die, shouldn’t you clean her up so she doesn’t get infected?”

I kissed Charlotte again before I said, “Yes.” If he was surprised at the kiss, he didn’t say anything.

He set the first aid kit on the bed next to me and Charlotte and offered, “I can go get more and leave you two alone.”

I nodded, not even looking at him. I was shivering, but I wasn’t cold. It was almost as if I was the one losing blood.

“I’m sorry. We’ll do everything we can, I promise,” he said before he left us there.

I held Charlotte close to me for a long time. I kissed her over and over, not knowing where to start cleaning her. There was blood everywhere. Finally I tore off her bloody shirt. I wasn’t as if I hadn’t ever seen her naked before.