When Midnight Struck

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, then it probably doesn't belong to me

12 hours. 12 hours midnight struck. 12 hours I would be dead and so would he.

Dimitri had been taken, he was my soul mate, I knew what he was thinking and he knew me. We met working together in a group called 'The Guardians'. We take it upon ourselves to kill what is considered the 'evil creatures of the night', most would called them vampires if someone happened to believe that they are real. We called them 'strigoi'.

We raided a warehouse. It was a solid plan, groups of 10 at each entrance, kill as many as we could to save their souls from the evil state of being, then leave. Simple. Easy. Almost.

Immediately we went straight into battle easily taking down the first few that were nearby. It was easy, stake the heart, pull stake out and move on, stake the heart, pull out, move on . . . The first strigoi weren't expecting us. It was too easy.

Then reality set in. Little did we know the next group were older, stronger and faster. They were too fast for our reflexes; they took my group down like they were flies, not even blinking.

Lee and I were the only ones from my group that survived, another team came up behind them and they didn't have time to react before they too were dead. I absent mindedly searched the group, no Dimitri, I stuck with them, there were 7 of them. Going out alone was dangerous.

Only now did I get a good look inside. The ware-house seemed to be built as a maze, there were random rooms placed haphazardly everywhere. You could see one room, then a small hallway between another one, then a huge space where our battle just took place. We followed, split into two groups one of 3 and one of 4. The group of 4 headed inwards seeking out more strigoi. I was included in that group. The others looked for injured or more survivors, to protect.

I headed inwards with the group and began to get a feel of how huge the warehouse really was. We had gone almost 100m in and I only just got the feeling we were in the center.

And that's when it happened. It all just became a blur, fighting left and right, but we weren't strong enough, these strigoi had to have been alive since the 1500's. Guardians were falling everywhere and I heard someone call "Retreat!", and we obeyed just as I began turning back I got a glimpse of Dimitri. A strigoi had grabbed him and I could see he couldn't move, he caught my eye and the look me gave me all but screamed "Run!" but I couldn't leave him. I began run for the strigoi trying to eliminate him before someone grabbed me: Mia. I fought her off. She was trying to get me to run but I couldn't leave him. I looked back and he was gone. Just like that . . . gone. . .

I was now sitting at our headquarters, there were only 20 or so of us left. We needed more back up. We killed almost all the strigoi, but there were a lot left. We usually waited about a week before heading out again, but I couldn't stand the thought of Dimitri gone, let alone dead, or turned into one of those things. I had to go, clear my head. I went outside feeling the cold breeze on my face was soothing. That's when I heard him.

"Roza," Dimitri said.

I just stared at him I couldn't believe it he was here, and then I looked at his eyes they were red, he was strigoi. I hesitated, I had my stake but could I really kill the man I loved.

"You forgot my first lesson, 'Don't hesitate.'" He said and then everything was black.

My head was pounding, and all I could smell was blood. Gently I touch my head and saw the blood, I looked around and saw he was there across the room from me, staring. I tried feeling my pockets for my stake without him noticing, but he did.

"I check for your stake. You don't have it,"

I thought back, I didn't just have my stake on me. I had his, he must have assumed I had only one, I didn't remember getting it but I knew after the raid some went back to clean up and found it and gave it to me.

He turned his back to get some water for me and I took the opening, I sprinted up behind him and stabbed his heart, his body went slack and fell on me. I carefully laid him down, and I saw his eyes. They were the familiar brown. I gently kissed him on the forehead before heading for the window. I assumed the door was either locked or more strigoi were waiting behind it. Thankfully we were on the first level and I could easily climb out. I ran and ran, hoping any others wouldn't notice me, I was wrong. I reached a bridge when, my stake was knocked from my hand and I was pinned with my arms by my side.

"Sorry, Rose." I heard the voice say. It was Lee, one of the Guardians. He had been turned I guessed. He bit my neck and slowly drained me of my blood. And soon everything was black and I knew I was dead, but so was Dimitri. I knew no matter what happened to my soul next, it was fine, so long as he was by my side.