The Heart of Everything

I started to grow worried when I heard Katy was arguing with someone else downstairs. It was very rare for her to raise her voice, unless she was very angry. She was usually the calm and collected one, not the hot-headed one, unlike her brother Max.

A loud clash was all it needed for me to dash to where Katy was. It sounded like some wooden furniture was destroyed by force. I stood frozen by the stairs, shocked to see someone had punched his fist through the door. It wasn’t just an ordinary door; this door was enchanted with magic spells for protection. The unwelcomed guest had not only demonstrated his super strength, and his highly skilled magic abilities.

‘Katy? What…’

‘Not now, Sophie,’ she glared at me while her back was facing me. ‘Run. As fast as you can.’
‘You’re not making sense, Katy,’ I tried to reason with her. ‘I can help you. We can take him down.’ I was the princess of vampires. With my trainings for the centuries, I was sure I was competent. I was able to take on the intruder.

‘He’s not like the others,’ she hissed as she leaped into the air, evading an incoming kick, but not quick enough to dodge the dagger, piercing her left waist. Blood tainted her dress crimson instantly. She lost her balance, falling to the right; the dagger was still attached to her.

I caught Katy before she reached the floor. Sweats formed on her forehead, dripping down quickly. She coughed, spraying droplets of blood on my hand. I hugged her close to me, turning around as another blade came down, slashing across my back. I screamed from the burning pain caused by the cold metal.

‘Sophie!’ Katy yelled. ‘Dammit, you’re not supposed to block it for me. Max left me in charge of you, and I'll take care of you, not the other way around!’

She pushed me aside roughly, at the same time the sword smashed the floor where I lied on a second before. I blocked the shattered pieces of wood with my hands, but barely. Strength left me suddenly, leaving me fatigued and defenseless.

‘Shield!’ Katy shouted. A light blue sphere evolved me, protecting me from any harm. I touched the edge of the bubble, knocking it weakly with my fists. I couldn’t let her do this. She would die! I cried, ashamed that I could do nothing except for watching Katy and Max’s parents, who entered from the kitchen, fought against the mysterious enemy.

‘Father, mother…it’s from…him.’ They shared a glance, and attacked the invader
simultaneously.

To him (I guessed that was he from his bulky body shape), it was child’s play. They were no match to him. I watched helplessly as he murdered them mercilessly. I shut my eyes, I didn’t want to watch, yet I could feel the warm blood sliding on the bubble shield. I felt like a child again, curled up in a fatal position, waiting for someone to lead me away from the nightmare.

‘This is not happening…’I muttered to myself repeatedly, but I clearly knew it was indeed happening in front of me, right before my eyes.

The shield disappeared abruptly, blood splashed on me. I widened my eyes, feeling the crimson liquid trickling down. I raised my hands shakily to my cheeks, touching the bloody face. I tried to pinch myself, and hoped it did not hurt.

It did.

Sitting on the ground, I stared at the man by the doorway. He grinned at me, showing his razor-sharp canines. A werewolf. He lifted his golden curved sword, licking the life fluid on top of it. There wasn’t any reaction I could give him. I was too scared to respond.
He pulled his hand backward, the corpses of the trio were pulled up too, as if they were the puppets, and the strings were attached to his fingers.. The corpses stood still, standing in between me and the door.

‘Dad?’

His head was twisted in an angle that no one could live through.

‘Mom?’

A hole was evident on her neck. I could see the wall behind her with ease. She was missing an arm.

‘…Katy?’

The wound on her waist was there, she didn’t heal it. The extra, and the fatal one, was in the middle of her chest. Like mom’s, it was a through-and-through hole.

‘No…’ I walked forward, shaking like an autumn leaf. ‘K-Katy…’I choked through the sobbing. I caressed her face gently; afraid that I might crush her if I was too strong. ‘Why?’

Their eyes snapped opened, but the orbs were white, no spirit was inside. They were just empty shells, nothing inside. No minds, nothing. I stepped back in alarm, recognizing what was going on. It was necromancy.

‘You bastard!’ How dare he use necromancy on them! The dead needed to be respected, not raised and be fooled around with.

I threw a punch at him, but I stopped it mid-way when Katy stood in front of him. I couldn’t hit her, I’d never. I stole a glance, angered that the son-of-a-gun smirked in amusement.

‘Step away, Katy,’ I growled, though I knew it was useless. Her eyes were emotionless, rid of any thoughts. ‘Coward! Fight me!’

‘Why should I?’

I readied to kick him, and stopped myself as mom moved in the way. I’d attempted to hurt him, yet they’d be there every time, shielding the man from my attacks. Left, right, up, down. I sped up, reaching the speed of lightning. One, two, three, four. Yet none had landed on him.
I jumped, kicking the walls, and leaped on to him as he left an opening. Victory was at hand. I won.

‘You lose,’ the man mumbled.

‘What?’

I found out his meaning immediately.

Dad appeared out of nowhere, catching my punch with his hand. A sickening crack rang in the room. I dared not to move, staring at dad with terror written all over my face.

‘Dad!’

The hand fell off.

I never figured out what had happened. All I saw was blurs, and blood. The limbs fell, as well as some intestines. I felt like I was assisting him in massacring Max’s family. He’d kill them, and I helped gutting their bodies. The foul stench filled the house, drowning it in the smell of decaying corpses.

I panted, taking in as much air as possible. I was tired beyond comprehensive. They were falling apart, literally. It was like I had killed them brutally, no, slaughtered them. Killing them was not enough, and tearing them apart…Yet they stood tall, as a barricade for him.

‘It seems that my time is up, princess. We’ll meet again, princess,’ the man said in his deep voice. ‘If you survived, that is.’

He vanished in the air. The corpses fell on the ground as he disappeared from my view.
‘Sophie?’

I crouched on the ground, a snarl on my face, preparing to attack whatever was behind me. My eyes gleamed red, a dangerous sign for my kind. Pure predator mode.

‘Who goes there?!’

I halted when I saw the person.

Max.

‘Max…’ I calmed down. ‘Oh, Max…’

Max looked at me, terrified by what laid before him. There was blood, and more blood. The walls, the floor, the furniture…everything was painted with fresh blood.

‘What have you done, Sophie?’ Max whispered, horror-struck.

‘It wasn’t me, Max.’ I rose reluctantly, seeing his expression. I wanted to hug him, but I paused when he stepped back from me.

‘What have you done?’ He said it again slowly, solemnly.

‘I didn’t do it. I swear I didn’t kill them.’

‘I believed in you…We believed in you, Sophie,’ he rumbled, shivering.

‘I didn’t do-’

‘I smell their blood on you, and I can see the wounds you’ve given them!’

The damage I’d dealt when I lost control…I couldn’t believe he thought I would do such thing. What about our love? Why didn’t he pause to ask me? Why…? How could you be so blind? Were my brethren correct when they told me the werewolves had hearts of stones, no empathy inside? It was misunderstood. I was framed!

‘He was right after all. The vampires cannot be trusted,’ Max stated in monotone. ‘Die, Sophia.’

I ran.

What about the times we’d spent together? All those times…hadn’t we learned? In the end, what had we gained? Was it really a waste of time?

It was insane, running away from my beloved. Yet, I couldn’t let him kill me, not like this. I would either die happily, or satisfied. It was impossible for me to get my happily ever after, so only the later choice was available.

Revenge. I had to avenge Katy and her parents.

I heard growls behind me, getting closer. The trees were clawing at my already ruined dress, ripping it further. The silver moon shone upon the forest, lighting my path. I wasn’t sure where I was going, for I could not focus on escaping from Max, but on how Katy and the rest died, and how I’d gutted them. My feet worked on themselves, running on the familiar road, a road that I knew yet unable to remember.

The castle.
I was framed…It was planned, but how did anyone know of our escape? And Katy…they shouldn’t die. If only they had not sheltered me…The misery, the pain, but I should be blamed, not them. I should’ve rejected the idea of resting in their place, I shouldn’t allow it.
Eventually, our love was nothing of matter. Max and I…I knew hatred would grow. It was inevitable. Vampires and werewolves were never meant to be. The gap between us would only widen. Somehow, somewhere in time. Past didn’t matter, only the future would tell. But would we remember all of the suffering? We must find ways to close it, because if we failed, all would be in vain.

Like Max and I. Was it what we deserved?

From the chains of never-ending agony.