Blood Ties Blood Bond pt. 10.
"Christina" It snarled, barely human the word so filled with hate and anger it shook Henry backwards, the name itself stabbing him with pain.
"Henry!"
Vicky had suffered through the torturously slow drive to Queen's park replaying all the worst possibilities in her mind. Even with Mike driving faster then was legally allowed or probably safe, it seemed to take an eternity. By the time she finally reached the top of the rise and looked down her head was filled with images of Henry wounded, torn and bleeding, or dead.
She could barely make out the ghoul poised to strike out at Henry, her vision clouded and colours muted in the dark. And then Henry staggered as if hurt, and her own heart seemed to stop.
She called his name and was moving before she could even think about it, before Mike could hold her back, the only thought that mattered was to get to Henry.
Vicky's voice wrenched Henry back from the pain of hearing that Christina was responsible for this mans-ghouls- existence, the killings, all the suffering...he looked up to see her coming towards him in the dark, back lit by the light she looked the definition of luminous and for a second all of his long life narrowed so that all that he could remember was her-smiling at him sardonically that first-and only-evening he'd woken up with her, twirling his sword while he tried-unsuccessfully-to keep his mind on his work…
But that second was enough, the ghoul turned away from him and was focused now on Vicky.
She raised her baton and held it out to the side, ready but warning it off. Whatever it was now it had once been a man and Vicky wouldn't kill it unless she had no other option.
It swiped at her with nails now grown to talon length that she just barely managed to duck and under and brought her baton up in a solid block against its forearm. The blow numbed her hand and sent pains shooting up her elbow, but she heard the distinctive crack that was the bones breaking and dodged back sending a second blow to its left knee, breaking the kneecap to knock it off its feet.
But it barely registered the injuries using her second hit to pivot around and catch her in a glancing blow that sent her flat on her back with unnatural green lights mixing with the few stars overhead.
It was looming over her, long clawed hand reaching down and into her field of vision when a series of shots rang out, each one slowly but surely forcing it backwards and away from her.
Her eyes cleared and she looked up to find Mike making his way towards her, gun still trained on the ghoul and steadily firing, giving her enough time to roll away and get to her feet again.
But even Mike's bullets had done little but force it a step or two back and now he was out of ammunition.
It grabbed ahold of Mike's arm that was holding the now useless gun and pulling him close, his hand closing until Mike was forced to drop it. It went to throw Mike into the trees, but Henry suddenly stepped in and catching ahold of it around the throat from behind pulled it back so that Mike landed harmlessly a few feet away by the statue-out cold from the impact but still alive.
Henry forced its head back and Vicky winced but sighed in relief when she heard the crunch of its neck breaking, only to stare incredulous when its arms continued to reach around and leave long gouges in Henry's back and shoulders. He hissed and let go, ducking under an arm and leaving a score of deep furrows along its side in turn.
Nothing seemed to stop it or even make it pause, but determined not to let Henry face it alone, Vicky carefully started to try and get around behind it and close enough to get another hit in, at this point any damage she could do to it would work!
Henry slashed out again, desperate to end it now that Vicky was approaching again and he scored a long deep cut along its arm, bone showing white against the blood that didn't so much bleed as ooze out from the wound. But it cost him, the ghoul had caught him around the chest with its other arm as he'd dodged in and pulled him close, squeezing until Henry could feel his ribs cracking with the force.
Vicky stepped close now, all pretenses of stealth abandoned when it got its hands on Henry, and struck it hard across the back of the neck, in what would normally be a lethal blow. When that didn't even register, she tried the back of the knee's but again, while she heard bones break, it still didn't even seem to notice.
Henry was trying to break free, and avoid the ghouls fangs which were trying to rip his own throat out, but with his hands pinned all he could do was tear at the creatures legs and sides, which seemed to be having as little impact as Vicky's blows were.
As she moved around to the side, Vicky noticed scratches on Henry's neck where the ghoul was darting in with its fangs and had grazed the skin. Enraged she brought the wide end of her baton down on its elbow, crushing the joint which made its arm extend and Henry could slip free. But it had left her vulnerable and as she looked to see that Henry was out of its grasp it turned and swung, with its unnatural strength a blow like that could kill her.
Henry stepped in the way, in between her and the ghoul, and taking the blow straight on it sent him flying backward without any way to brace for it. Vicky heard the impact of its fist against his chest and watched as he landed a few meters away, but slowly fought to get up again, making it to his knee's, blood dripping onto the grass.
Her relief was short lived however, as she realized that once again she was alone facing the ghoul and this time both Mike and Henry weren't close enough to save her.
Its first punch nearly knocked her out and sent her falling backwards to the ground, where she tried to move blindly away while struggling to maintain consciousness. Somehow she'd managed to hold on to her baton and she swung it at the hand that reached down at her, heard the solid impact of metal on flesh briefly before it too was pulled out her hand and she fell back. She looked up dazed and struck out kicking in its kneecap and sending bone protruding through the skin, but it didn't even stop to look. It raised her own baton, sharp end pointed down ready to impale her.
Henry pulled himself to his feet, hand cradling his sternum and what was probably a lot of broken bones and ribs in his chest, only to feel all his other injuries fade into cuts and scrapes by the agonizing pain when he looked back to Vicky. She was lying on the ground, one side of her face already bruising, bleeding, struggling back away from the ghoul that held her night stick pointed above her. He knew that he was too far away, that even with all his strength and powers and abilities he couldn't get there in time to stop it, he could only watch-horrified and denying-while she died.
Vicky watched as it raised the baton-she wasn't ready, there were still so many things unsaid and undone-she looked back at Henry, even in the darkness, even with her bad eyesight she met his eyes once and saw the pain there, the helplessness and despair, the knowledge that he was too late, too far….she looked back at the ghoul, determined to look death straight in the face as it brought down the baton.
Only to have it glance off a foot in the air from her chest, sending sparks and light streaking down in an arc over her. Vicky looked around astonished, tears springing to her eyes-she'd never been so happy to see the muted and faded colours of the night as she was right then!
The ghoul struck again-and again-each time it bounced off the protective….bubble and Vicky was left unharmed. But by now, Henry had overcome his initial shock-the sight of Vicky lying helpless on the ground before that creature would never leave him completely-and he'd rushed forward catching the ghoul from behind while it was still focused on Vicky and hurling it back with his claws leaving long marks.
Henry stood there, above her, just looking down as if he couldn't quite make his head believe his eyes, before he slowly reached down. He wanted-no needed, to touch her, to feel her warm skin against his body and convince himself that she was alive that she was alright.
Vicky could only just stare back at him, she felt a little like sleeping beauty, or Cinderella….that when Henry touched her, when he pulled her up and into his arms like she knew he would, her whole life would be changed and she would wake up- like when sleeping beauty was kissed by the prince, or Cinderella's shoe was slipped onto her foot.
She was actually holding her breath, watching Henry's hand come closer and closer to her…
"Sorry I'm late" a voice cut in from above them and pressed a metal hilt into Henry's hand that was only inches from her face.
"I do hate to interrupt, but walking dead there isn't just going to obligingly crawl into a grave on his own."
Vicky looked up past her head and noticed Jay standing there, leaning casually against a sword pointed against the ground. She looked so calm and confident it automatically set Vicky's teeth on edge, exactly who could look so natural with a sword these days anyways?!
But Jay's arrival did explain the odd phenomenon that had probably just saved her life a few minutes ago…and she was right-damn her- the ghoul was up and trudging back towards them again, hampered only slightly by it's obviously broken leg and knee….and neck.
"You seem to be doing a rather…umm…interesting job of it so far…" Jay looked pointedly around, taking in Henry's injuries and blood soaked clothing, Vicky's bruises and prone position and bringing her attention to Mike and the ghouls victims lying at the base of the statue.
"But would you mind if I gave it a go? See, the goal of the game really is to kill it, and right now, you're loosing. And no, offense, but I really don't like to loose." And with that, she jumped into a roll that brought her to her feet right in front of the ghoul and managed to sever its arm with the first strike.
The ghoul backed up but wasn't deterred and approached again catching her second thrust with an open palm and striking in towards her neck with its teeth. Jay stepped in towards it, making it over shoot and then pushing it away she pulled her sword free of its hand, cutting off a few fingers in the process.
Henry was circling around behind it, the sword she'd pushed in his hand at the ready and while Jay made a downward swipe at its right leg, he drove in through the chest.
It spun around to try and bite at him, the force pulling the sword from his hand and Vicky had to pinch her lips closed on inappropriate laughter at the sight of the ghoul flailing back and forth with a medieval sword of all things protruding through it's chest like a pin in a pincushion…she realized that she was probably quickly sliding into shock and pushed the feeling down, crawling over to where Mike was lying and just beginning to groggily stir. The blonde girl was still out cold though and when Vicky bent her head to listen to her breathing it was shallow.
Henry snarled, fangs and nails displayed menacingly, trying to draw the ghouls' attention back to him so that jay could get another hit in. It turned half way back toward him and she lunged in-striking for its neck. Vicky remembered the comment she's made earlier about almost taking its head and realized that she, in fact, hadn't been speaking metaphorically.
Jay threw herself quickly back and out of reach of the sword point that had almost cut through her arm as the ghoul swung around. Dodging under its arm she got around behind it and pulled the sword out, throwing it to Henry and cutting at one leg as she rolled the other way.
"Less stabbing" Jay advised, feigning to the right then striking back at the still remaining left arm. "More beheading…I guess some instincts aren't inherited" she challenged, plunging her sword through the hip joint and pulling it up to try and sever that leg from the rest of the body.
It would have worked too Vicky though, only the ghoul moved with her turning into the blade and cutting open Jay's side with it's claw-like nails. The red of her blood immediately stained her side, even through her clothing but she didn't let go of the sword and managed to pull it up and through, almost removing the leg.
Henry finished it off from behind and with one leg and one arm gone it was pretty much incapacitated, and he was able to slice off its head with a clean stroke. Vicky had to look away as its body continued to move even missing its head.
"Gather the pieces" Jay instructed, and Vicky swallowed quickly, tasting bile as she noticed that a disarticulated arm was inching its way toward her and Mike. Henry quickly speared it with his sword a look of disgust on his face as he carried it back held out at arms length near the rest of the body.
"What now?" Vicky asked.
"We burn it, unless you'd rather have your friend there take it back to lock-up and explain why it's dead and in pieces but still moving….and then there's what's going to happens in the morning if it gets a cell with an eastern exposure…"
"Believe me" Mike said, sitting up somewhat unsteadily and leaning on Vicky but conscious "I really don't want to be the one explaining that….I don't even know how I could explain that."
Jay turned away from them and towards the still wriggling body of the ghoul, she stood still almost posed, one hand holding her side that was bleeding while the other sketched a symbol in the air and as Vicky watch the symbol went from an indistinct wavering of the night to a burning, twisting red flame. Her brow furrowed with the concentration of holding it still as the red changed to orange then finally a fierce blue white-the hottest of all flame. It was only then that she reached out with both hands and forced it down onto the body. Forced was really the right word, Vicky thought as she watched Jay's hands tremble and sweat bead on her forehead with the effort of making the flame go where she wanted it to; there was so much else that it seemed to want to burn-from the trees and grass to jay and all of them. Finally it was down and the body began to burn-quickly the outer layers turning to ash before her eyes.
Jay slumped down to the grass before the fire, even in it's light she looked gray and exhausted, the only colour on her was her own blood that streaked her face when she wiped away the sweat. It was only then that Vicky thought about what the cost of magic was, what Henry had been trying to warn her about with his derision of dark magic-Jay hadn't used a single spell during the fight, even when she'd been hurt, she'd used it to save Vicky's life and now to set free the ghoul. She watched Jay stare at the pyre with the empty eyes of someone who's seen too much death and too much pain…she seemed exhausted but as if she was waiting for something too.
"Vic" Mike pulled her away "We need to get an ambulance for this girl" he gestured at the young blonde still lying unconscious. "And I've got to call this in…pretty soon this park is going to be full of police…" he paused, "you should take off. I can't explain you being here and"
"And it'll only get you into more trouble, not less, if I stay" Vicky finished for him. "Mike, I'm…I'm sorry that this all turned out so…unexplainable. I really wanted this case to be different for you-find the killer, catch the bad guy, be the hero…"
"Yeah, those were the good old days" he sighed, but he looked around discouraged and Vicky knew why; one body burning a characteristic black circle into the ground, another a short ways away in the trees, a unconscious girl who'd probably have god knows what kind of story to tell when she woke up-if she woke up…and his explanation for even being here was he followed his ex-partner's vampire with a tip from a witch about where they could find a ghoul, who happened to also be their serial killer.
She stood up and staggered dizzy.
"Maybe you should come in that ambulance too" Mike suggested watching her critically.
"Speak for yourself, you're the one who was knocked unconscious" Vicky replied.
Mike put a hand gingerly to his head, testing the rather large bump "Maybe we should both go" he said laughing slightly.
Henry walked away from where Vicky and Mike were talking, Vicky leaning on Mike's arm as he dialed his cell phone. They looked so good together, so real and true. Mike could be everything to Vicky that Henry couldn't, he could share the day with her.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Jay asked.
He remained silent. Not even bothering to turn and look at her or the pyre created with her magic and the fire fueled by it.
She raised her head slightly, and turned back to look at him although her eyes were closed as if the light of the fire hurt.
"Sometimes" she said quietly, "even when we find what we're searching for, it turns out that it's not really what we wanted and we wish that we'd never found it, that we'd died in the searching and never knew."
She wouldn't say that she was sorry for Henry's disillusion with who Christina really was, but in as much as she was able to regret what was necessary, what had to be, she did regret this.
"I don't know where Christina is. I told her to leave and that if she ever came back I would kill her. She threatened Vicky." A warning there.
"I know." This time Jay did meet his eyes "I also know that there are ways that you can find out exactly where she is."