Ash Over Seas

Colby’s blood pressure was erratic, and Carlisle worked feverishly to keep her skin warm, but her core temperature refused to rise and he was running out of ways to fix it.

Henry stood to the side, anxiously watching and retrieving any equipment his friend requested. The venom welled in his eyes as he stared down at his only full daughter, his own flesh and blood. He marveled at the way her thin nose was perfectly straight and her chin came to a small rounded point on the heart shaped face that was identical to her mother’s. Everything about her screamed Evelyn Woodbury, except for her hair. Her silky, raven black hair had come straight from him, and now it was splayed across the hospital pillow like arrows shooting forth from a quiver.

He regretted every decision he had made in the past six months.

He hated himself for it. He hated himself for his distant nature; he hated himself for lying to her, for keeping such fierce secrets for the past eighteen years of her life; he hated that on the eve of her eighteenth birthday she was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life.

His eyes shot to the monitors attached to her, spitting out readings of her vital organs. He noticed as one particular line began to go haywire and his heart—had it been beating—would have faltered in his chest.

“Carlisle! Carlisle, what’s happening?” he shouted as Colby’s body began to quake violently on the table. It appeared as if she was having a seizure and the vampire’s frozen veins were flooded with panic. “Carlisle!”

“Her BP is dropping, fast. She’s crashing,” the vampire explained as he darted to one of his drawers and began rummaging violently through the contents. He quickly pulled out a syringe full of epinephrine and injected it into her arm.

He looked to the screen, praying that her vitals would stable out but there was no change, and Colby’s blood pressure continued to drop as her heart began to falter.

A shrill, brief scream ripped from her throat and her muscles contracted so violently that her back arched completely off the table. Both men keeled over, clutching their ears against the sharp, horrid sound of it.

“CARLISLE! DO SOMETHING!” Henry bellowed.

Thinking quickly, Carlisle retreated to the small rack of test tubes, his shaking fingers selecting the small vial of jade liquid as he turned back to his friend. There was a distant sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs, but neither paid it any attention.

“Henry, promise you will not be angry,” Carlisle’s lips moved so fast it was a blur even to Henry’s eyes. “But I have been working on a serum since Colby has been visiting me in private, and I’ve developed a strain that may be able to stop this. I know you didn’t wish for it and I apologize for disrespecting you but—“

“God damnit, Carlisle, who cares about that! She’s dying just put the bloody stuff in!” Henry cried desperately.

Carlisle nodded swiftly, grabbing a syringe off the counter next to him and quickly drawing the entire contents into it. He rushed to Colby’s side, gripping her arm firmly and taking a deep breath.

The monitor continued to beep feverishly as he injected the needle under her skin and pushed the serum into her veins. He placed his hand over the tiny hole to prevent any backward leakage.

He stood back, watching the monitor closely and praying to any higher power that might permit him to save her.

The footsteps got closer as the beating of Colby’s heartbeat became louder.

Bells chimed throughout the house, slow and deep, reverberating off the walls.

Her blood was pumping so fast it seemed impossible, like a hummingbird’s. The speed on the monitor grew.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

And suddenly there was nothing, as if her heart had simply frozen and the only sound was the one shrill, final ring, combining with the bell’s eerie chimes.

Flat line.