The Last Moments of my Life

Lucas's POV

It's got to be evening right now or at least the late afternoon. Lord knows how long I've been here. I was at the old theater in Philadelphia…fighting for my life.

I clutched a stake in both my hands. Charity was right in front of me trying to get me to be one of her kind.

"You fight well. You could be one of us," Charity said gently. She focused on me as if she were ready to strike.

"The hell I would," I replied with hatred in my voice.

I then grabbed the nearest thing closest to me, an antique chair, and swung it at her head. It nearly hit her until she dodged it at the last second. The only damage it had left was a new tear on her shirt. When she moved out of the way, she grabbed it quickly and swung it back at me. It came back so quickly that I didn't have time to avoid it. I took the blow hard, which knocked the wind out of me and I fell back against the wall and onto the floor.

My body ached all over. Heck, my body was originally sore to begin with. If I didn't have the powers of a vampire, that could've knocked me out cold.

The vampire walked over to me with a sinister smile on her face. I tried to stand up, but my aching body wouldn't let me.

"So where's you precious Bianca? Did she finally give in and leave you here to die?"

I glared at her. "Bianca's dead," I said coldly, "and I'm not dying yet."

"Really?" Her eyes got wide with surprise. "Well no one told me THAT! I should've just bit her when I had the chance. But those stupid wraiths had to come and ruin it all!" At this point, she was more of talking to herself than me. She looked disappointed at first but then she lightened up.

She looked back at me. "Oh well. Now that she's out of the way, you have nothing left to fight for. You're just as worthless as she is."

I looked up at her when she said that.

"That is, if you join my tribe. Face it; we both don't have anyone anyway. You let the ghosts have her," Charity taunted. "Bianca's body is rotting, her spirit is hostage, and it's all your fault."

"You'll pay for hurting her."

"Do you even believe what you're saying?" She smiled. "You don't want to kill me, boy. You want to die."

I didn't know how to respond to that. But yes, I really did want to kill her, no matter what Balthazar wanted.

Charity laughed. "Don't worry, Lucas. You'll be reunited with Bianca soon enough—in your graves. Besides, I am hungry after all," she said as she revealed her fangs. She began to walk towards me.

I held the stake up to her chest and with that, she stopped in her tracks. Using the wall for support, I got up slowly saying, "No. I will never become one of you. One way or another, Charity, you're gonna die. And I am not dying yet. Not here, not now."

Before Charity grabbed the stake away from me, I plunged it forward into her chest. She moved to the side a bit trying to avoid it. But after it went in, she looked at it, then back at me with daggers in her eyes.

"Silly, silly boy," she sneered.

*Oh shit, I missed. I'm in trouble.*

I quickly wheeled her around with her back towards the wall and kicked her off my stake.

I ran across the hall not knowing where I was going next. Normally, I wouldn't run away from a fight, but this has got to be way out of line. I was now fighting for my life.

*God, how I get myself into this?* I thought of Bianca. If she were still alive right now, we would be fighting together. But she's gone now, and it's partly my fault. If I didn't get her to turn me, she would still be alive. Then again, I would become one of my worst nightmares.

I was halfway down the hall. I turned right to an open doorway and ran up the stairs not knowing where it would take me. I cursed each step I took.

It finally led me into a medium-sized room with an old projector in the middle. The walls were covered with old movie posters and pictures of different actors and actresses. There was a hole on the wall across the room large enough for me to escape. This was a dead end. *Crap!* But I didn't want to escape through the hole. I came here for a reason.

Charity came in with an angry look on her face. I turned around to face her and got into a fighting position ready to strike at her, aiming right this time.

"You missed. Nice try," she hissed.

There's no way you're turning me. I would want to get stuck with you for the rest of my life," I replied. I backed up, not taking my eyes off of her, so that the projector was in between us. But I had my stake ready.

"Why won't you give in? Without Bianca, what do you have that's worth fighting for?" She asked.

My life was nothing without Bianca. I would've giver up my life for hers if I could. But now she's gone and it's too late. It couldn't matter anymore.

As I got ready to plunge the stake into Charity's chest, my eyes moved from hers to what was behind her. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This had to be a dream, even though I knew it wasn't. There, standing in the doorway, was Bianca.

"Bianca?" I said in disbelief.

"Lucas! It's okay, we'll be okay!" My muscles tensed at eh sound of her voice. *No way…*

The next thing I knew, I was kicked in the jaw, not taking my eyes off Bianca. I fell to the floor, hard. Everything after that was all a blur. I was gasping for air.

I then heard Charity pick up something from the floor. After that, I heard what it sounded like a million pieces of little crystals crashing to the floor.

"Iron, I think it was part of the projector. Nothing shuts a wraith down like iron," Charity sneered.

My vision cleared up. I attempted to stand up, but it was too hard on my body and I slid down onto the floor. There was a shadowy blue light flickering upon the floor, which I figured was Bianca.

I tried to speak, but it didn't come out clearly. "Bianca? Can't—can't be—Is it you?"

"I need a family," Charity whispered. "Can you understand that? How lonely I've been? My tribe—they follow me, they help me, but they aren't family."

*You have Balthazar, you retard! Just leave us alone!*

"You have a brother," said Bianca. "You could be with him if—if you would just stop—"

"Stop acting like a vampire," Charity finished. "That's not the answer. To tie Balthazar to me, I have to tie myself to you. That means we'll need something in common." She started to step towards Bianca.

That does it. I can't lose Bianca again.

I quickly got up with all my strength left in me. I felt too weak to fight but I had to try. I charged towards Charity. "Don't hurt her!"

Charity was too fast for me. She quickly dodged the blow. She then grabbed me, jerked my head back, and bit my throat.

It all came so fast. It took me a while to figure out what was happening. A vampire was biting me, and it wasn't Bianca. This time it was different. Whenever Bianca bit me, it only hurt for a second, and it felt like a good kind of pain. This time, it was more painful than before that I wanted to scream out, but I couldn't. It felt like a thousand needles puncturing through me. I struggled against Charity to let loose of me, but she didn't. She just drank, and drank. I struggled till I couldn't anymore. I felt my body getting weaker.

So this was it. This is what it's like to be dying slowly and painfully. I was dying, and nobody could do anything about it. Nobody could save me now. I thought of everyone at Black Cross. Dana, who was my best friend, has always been there for me and saved my life. Mom, I ran away from her and now she has no family left. I could never see her again. I could never see Vic or Ranulf again.

The last thing I heard was a piercing scream. Bianca. There were so many things I wish I could say to her that I never got to say. Now, she was watching my death, as I watched hers from before. If I could I would go and comfort her. I hated it when she was hurting. This was the end now.

*Bianca, I'm so sorry it had to be this way. I'm sorry that I lied to you at the very beginning. I'm sorry about what I after Courtney's death. I'm sorry that I screamed at you and made you cry. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry that I can't be there to comfort you watching me at my death. This is the end. Goodbye, Bianca. I love you.*

With that, I let the darkness overcome me. And then I died.