She had her back to me. Across the room I saw her take hold if her stomach and glance back at me briefly; a sad smile played on her lips as she fell to her knees. I rushed to her side and was there in a moment; on my knees as well, I took hold of her and looked down to her stomach in alarm and dismay.
A wooden stake was protruding from her abdomen. Blood was seeping around the edges turning her shirt red and staining the floor as it dripped to the ground.
"Oh Sandy, oh God what have I done?" The adrenalin from the fight was still coursing through my veins. I was on the ground holding her, so that her face was looking up into mine. I knew she was looking into my eyes trying to catch my glance, but I was too busy examining the stake and coursing my fingers through her hair; trying to prove to myself that she was still here. Unfortunately; if I didn't do something soon she wouldn't be much longer.
"Can I ask you something" she asked her voice heavy as she struggled to breath. "sure" I said only half listening. I couldn't very well pull out the stake for risk of harming her internal organs further, but if I tried to move her back to the house a number of things could happen. We could be ambushed again and with her, I would be in no position to fight. On the other hand just moving her might do more damage to her organs than just pulling the stake out, but if I didn't get her out of here soon she would die of blood loss right here. The only other option would be to…
"Duncan" before I could finish my thought I realize she had been calling my name. ""I'm sorry, go ahead. What's your question?" I was almost afraid to ask. What if she was wondering how bad it was, or how much time she had left? I didn't want to lie to her, but right now that seemed better than the truth.
Her voice was ragged and labored as she asked " If im the one with a stake through her stomach, why are you hyperventilating? I believe that should be my job right about now."
I almost sighed with relief, this was not the right moment for her to making jokes but it was better than the alternative.
"you know when my dad was alive he used to tell the worst jokes" I didn't know where she was going with this, but it made her lips curl up in a smile so I didn't really care.
"I'm serious they were the worst, they were so bad the chicken, the one who usually wants to cross the road? Well my dads jokes made him want to stop in the middle of the street and get hit by a bus."
Apparently she inherited that trait from her father because she really wasn't making any sense now.. Even though her face was lit up in a smile of remembrance, I could tell it also brought back a lot of the sadness too.
"He used to tell this one… oh shoot how did it go? Oh yeah… why did the pirate not take his kid to the movie theatre?" I could see just how sad bringing this up was making her. She might be smiling but under the surface her eyes were brimming with unshed tears and her smile was beginning to fade as I said "I don't know, why?"
She bit her lip before answering "because the movie he wanted to see was rated aaarrrrrrrrrr"I felt myself smile. she bowed her head and broke eye contact with me. Even though She was turned away I could still see a few tears fall from her eyes and onto her shirt.
I put my fingers under her chin and make her look at me. I needed to see her beautiful eyes. "Sandra its bad" I said, it killed me to be this blunt with her but she didn't have much time left and I needed for her to hold it together.
She shook her head away from my fingers, her head was still lowered when she said "I know" she looked up through her eye lashes, guiltily.
"What do you mean you know" I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach
Her cheeks colored just a bit and she raised her head so that she was looking right into my eyes and said "iv known for a few days now. Iv seen it" I shook my head. Hard.
I refused to believe it "no, sandy" she put her hand on my chest to quiet me. "Duncan this is how I'm supposed to die, I have seen it"
"No, the future isn't set in stone. I'm not going to have you give up because you think it's "your time"." I said with condescension and conviction.
"But it is! Don't you see, the future is very delicate you can't just mess with part of it just because you want to. If this were to somehow happen differently, if I don't die today like I'm supposed to it would change everything, and I'm not going to let you do that." Her eyes were determined and she was breathing hard with the effort it took to speak.
"Sandy this is your life we are talking about, you say it like you already made up your mind, well so have I, and I'm not going to just sit here and watch you bleed to death!" I was almost shouting now. It didn't matter no one could hear us.
"Yes Duncan" she said "this is my life we are talking about and I'm not going to let you make these decisions for me. I choose what to do with my life and right now I'm deciding that I don't want to change the future."
I looked at her with surprise why on Gods green earth would she not want the chance to say alive. She continued and said "not only have I foreseen my death I can also see the events that follow. Duncan everything works out. With this future you all fight, you all live and everyone's happy. Everything is the way it's supposed to be." She smiles, but it doesnt quite reach her eyes.
"Your wrong Sandy, you don't get it. Without you I have no future. without you I'm nothing, I need you" I took hold of her hand, but dropped in when she winced in pain.
"And I need you to think about someone other than yourself, think about it Duncan it's not just the future. Look at me" she gestured down to the stake protruding from her body. "Iv already lost a lot of blood. There nothing you could do, even if I wanted you to."
"actually" I said my mind already wurring "NO" she said. I barely heard her "all I have to do is turn you" "NO" she shrieked again. I kept going "if you become a vampire you would be healed you could-"DUNCAN" she interrupted me with a scream that had hers digging her teeth into her bottom lip in pain. "No Duncan" she took a shallow breath. "I wont go through that kind of pain, not again"
"It will work this time though, I know it will". I was trying to show her reason; she only had a maximum of a few minutes left it was now or never.
"Duncan you don't know that" she leaned her head back as if defeated. Tears now streamed down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and then spoke "4 times Duncan. 4 times iv had to go through the Change and I'm still human. I won't have you put me through that kind of pain when I will just end up dying anyway. Just let me go now." She opened her eyes "on my terms." Her words were quiet but strong.
"Sandy.. I could-..you don't know. Please don't do this to me." This was one fight I wasn't going to win, and she knew it but that wasn't going to stop me from trying.
"Sandy I love you" ironic how the first time I put it to words will most likely be my last. "I can't do all of this without you"
She gave me possibly the smallest, saddest smile iv ever seen and said. "with all of those girls following you around I'm sure one of them, will do just fine" I clutched her hand. I didn't want any other girl. No one else knows me as good as her. No girl has ever gotten me so far out of my shell before. And now she was dying.
I tried to say more but before I could she brought her other hand up to my face and whispered, "let me go, please just let me go". I shake my head. Both to disagree, and to stop the tears from coming.
"I won't" I whisper. She said "I love you too Duncan and I always will but please if you truly love me just let me go" her voice was shaking and cracking. She was pleading with him now. Begging him to let her die. Then all of a sudden her face breaks out into a smile "can you believe how cliché I sound? Its like something strait out of a chick flick"
I feel my mouth try to smile, but it doesnt quite make it. I don't want her to suffer any more than she has, but I also can't risk losing her. So In that moment make a quick decision. "Okay" I say my voice almost cracking. Slowly I lean down and kiss her on the forehead. "Thank you" she says "thank you" and then she passes out from blood loss and I sink my fangs into her neck.