Chapter 12: Kill to Survive
Gumball had spent most of the day out and about in Elmore. He arrived home at around six o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was hanging in the sky partially like it was being dangled in the sky by a fishing rod. He acted annoyed while walking upstairs to his room, his backpack being a heavy weight for him. He arrived to his bedroom, rested the bag by his bed and lay down on his back, sighing, just trying to relax while staring at the ceiling. "I can't believe I'm going to do this…" he muttered to himself, still unable to believe that he was going to try and kill his own cousin. Such a task made him feel majorly guilty, but knew it was either his future family's bloodline or his cousin's life to pick from to end.
Gumball heard a light tap and saw his mother standing at the door. "Hey mom…" he greeted his mother tiredly like he hadn't gotten a single second of rest at all today. He heard the door close and lock. He knew that usually indicated a personal talk that never went well. "Hey, honey. Listen, I just wanted to see how you're doing," Nicole chimed while approaching him. She noticed the backpack that was slightly open, and something shiny was showing. "Bad…" Gumball muttered with his face on his pillow, clearly lost in thoughts mixed with his depression. His mother willingly opened his backpack. The shining item inside of it was odd to her, but when she opened it, her eyes widened slightly. A hammer and a Flathead screwdriver along with garlic and a knife stolen from their kitchen were nestled in that bag.
"Gumball, why are these in your bag?" Nicole asked. She heard her son let out a sigh. "I couldn't change the deal. So I'm gonna end it…" Gumball simply answered. His ears were low and his tail was just dangling soullessly off the side of the bed. Nicole just sat down beside him and rubbed his back. "Good luck, honey. You'll do fine. If your great grandpa can survive a war, I'm sure you can handle one vampire," she tried to reassure him. She stood up from the bed and walked away, exiting the room. Gumball looked to the window to see the sun lowering down. It was going to be dark soon, so he forced himself out of bed, digging through the bag and pulling out the knife. The knife shimmered, Gumball staring at his reflection within it for a brief moment. He just put it on the side of his belt and hid it under his shirt. He zipped up the backpack and put it on his back before beginning to make his way outside, heading for Alaura's home.
Two hours later, Gumball made it outside of Elmore and to the dark forest that seemed even creepier now. He just kept taking deep breaths in and out, fearfully hoping for this to go off without a single problem. He saw the old damaged house coming into view. He crouched down and began to silently approach. The old porch creaked slightly from him. He just stepped onto it gently, and he slowly opened the door, hoping that Alaura wasn't awake yet. The house was somehow darker than before. His eyes had adjusted at this point from all the late nights he had spent up late with his cousin.
Gumball crept upstairs and carefully looked around until he saw Alaura asleep on her bed, having been resting up for the night she had planned with Gumball to get much more blood. He slowly approached her bed. He dug around in his back, pulling out the flathead screwdriver and the hammer. His vampiric cousin was lying on her back, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. He put the flathead against her chest and gripped it hard, taking the hammer and raising it upwards, his hand retracting as well. Alaura's eyes suddenly opened. Gumball didn't hesitate to swing the hammer and plunge the screwdriver into her chest. Her eyes widened before they slowly closed again.
Gumball just sighed, throwing the hammer on the floor. "Sorry cousin. You were fun, but… it was too dangerous," he apologized to her, turning around and beginning to leave. "You do know that my hearts on the OTHER side of my body, right?" her voice rang out. The terrified feline gulped, his tail wrapping around his leg. Her eyes were red and the blood was just running down her chest. Alaura grinned, with no care for the wound whatsoever. "So I guess you're giving up your life for the contract," Alaura said with a laugh, lunging at him. Gumball let out a shriek of fear, getting tackled down the steps. He wound up slamming flat on his back. She was on top of him, trying to dig her fangs into his neck, but he was holding her off. He quickly reached for the side of his belt, pulling out the kitchen knife and stabbing her in the side.
Alaura cringed, grabbing the knife in pain. Gumball kicked her off of him before running away, but the living room door was closed out of an ounce of very cruel bad luck. He resorted to hiding behind the couch. "Come on out, Gummy. I'll change the deal, with your blood," Alaura's voice hummed in a creepy echo. She was wandering around with the knife in her hand, strangely not acting mad from the knife injury. Gumball knew that their voices echoed in the old home, so it gave him an idea. "W-wait… I might have an idea that's good enough that you could end the deal!" Gumball called out, his voice echoed, seeing her look in a nearby closet. "This should be good to hear," she giggled, continuing to search.
"W-what if you had another vampire to help you," Gumball said while pulling out the handful of garlic he had brought. "Another vampire? Is this some kind of joke? There are no other vampires left. I'm the last one!" Alaura shouted out at him, enraged by this while she got closer to Gumball. He came out of hiding and threw the garlic in her face. She jumped back, hissing at it in anger. "W-what if I got you someone to turn into a half one?!" Gumball continued before beginning to run down a nearby hallway while she chased after him with the knife, finding it somewhat fun. "That'd be great, if there was a vassal with a strong enough will to survive the change!" she said. Gumball stopped, suddenly seeing a broken stairwell that led to a basement.
Gumball turned around. Alaura, with the knife still in hand, was walking closer and closer to him. "Yeah… I think I will find them while I'm getting blood. And to you, Gumball… consider your family's debt to the contract… finished!" she hissed, throwing the knife at him. Gumball barely ducked under it. He was unable to stand up for one second as Alaura tackled him into the basement, pinning him down on the floor. Gumball let out a loud cry of fear, trying to get out from under her, but she leaned in closer and closer, her fangs digging into his neck. Gumball's screech of agony echoed from the damaged house as she had her fangs digging into his neck. He didn't feel right. It was like she was enjoying biting him first instead of drinking his blood, like she was saving it for last. Alaura took her teeth off his neck, retracted her head a little and grinned. "Bye-bye, cousin," she said before she bit hard into the other side of his throat, the equivalent to her torturing him. The night sky was filled with the sound of his screams of agony.
End of Chapter 12
