Dark Hearts

Disclaimer: Same as before…

Cobra ejected a spent clip from his Glock. Two decapitated zombies were staggering around blindly and a third's spine had been snapped. Melanie, meanwhile, had been trying to pry the door open with the torch.

"It's barred from the outside!" Melanie shouted.

"Tell me something I don't know." Cobra said, reloading his last magazine and firing shots at the advancing zombies.

"They're coming closer." Melanie said, whilst whacking one of the creatures with the torch.

Alex frantically reached for the door handle when four Search Ghosts appeared in front of him. He back pedaled, he was unarmed and they…Wait, there was that little gun that Cobra had given him.

Alex jerked the little pistol up and opened fire, shooting once, twice, and three times. The first Search Ghost fell dead to the ground and he kept shooting, grazing the second one and completely missing the third. He ran past the other two Search Ghosts and flung the door open as the creatures flung him to the earth.

Alex closed his eyes expecting the worst when he heard gunshots and saw one of the Search Ghosts fall dead before him. The other Search Ghost turned only to catch two 9mm rounds to the chest and one to the head. Cobra and Melanie appeared, the latter holding a key.

"Tom, we have the key. Now let's see what little miss gypsy wants…" Cobra began.

"The key unlocks a trunk that holds the truth." Madam Leota said.

"No strange ghosts?" Katrina asked.

"No." Madam Leota said.

"The Glen Heartless is still tramping around up in the attic." Tom replied, "We have to lure it away."

"I'll take care of it." Zoe spoke up.

"Absolutely not." Tom replied, with a good bit more worry than he wanted to let on. With the power of Second Sight his eyes gave off an eerie white glow.

"Tom, don't be ridiculous." Zoe replied.

"That thing could kill you." Tom replied, "You saw how erratic it was acting."

Zoe stiffened; she felt tears coming and forced them down. "It's a risk we'll have to take, Tom." Zoe began, "Tom, part of it is still Glen, the man I love, I can get through to him, get him to help us."

"What if it wants to cause you a good deal of bodily harm?" Tom replied, noticing Zoe's facial expression whenever he addressed the Glen-Heartless as an 'it'.

"It's a risk we'll have to take." Zoe began.

"She'll be fine as long as I'm there to back her up." Cobra said.

Tom clearly didn't like the idea but he knew that it could work, "Right. Cobra if anything seems amiss, get Zoe out of there."

"Tom we have another problem." Mia began, "When Ramsley tied us up he took the Swan Necklace…"

Tom unlocked the trunk and opened it. He couldn't read as well with Second Sight as he could with his normal vision but if he concentrated enough he could read it.

"So Elizabeth didn't kill herself." Tom said, "She wanted to run off with Gracey but never had the chance to do so."

"Bastard." Katrina began, "Ramsley's responsible for this whole mess."

"Right, now we have to get Gracey to read this somehow." Tom began, "Katrina, since you're closely related to this matter, you'd best be off."

Telepathically Tom asked Elizabeth, Why don't you reveal yourself to Edward now that the truth is known?

It's not that simple. The truth must be revealed to my love? You seem worried. Elizabeth replied. Through their psychic link, she could sense Tom's great worry underneath his façade of resolve and focus.

It's Zoe. Tom admitted. I'm worried about her.

She can take care of herself. I am touched by your devotion for her. Elizabeth replied.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Mia said.

"No more than two feet from me." Tom replied.

Cobra added, "And you're still not entirely 100 precent, stay no further two feet from me."

"Glen?" Zoe said. She could here the sounds of weeping coming from a room, it was soul tearing agony that reflected from the walls.

The creature stared up at her, all too human tears flowing down its cheek. "Why did you go with Tom?"

Zoe felt like the worst liar imaginable, after all this man was the man she loved and she was about to lie to him in the worst way possible. She was doing what she was trained to do, turn an asset, but this 'asset' was her fiancé.

"I went to tell him it was over." Zoe said smiling, "Now I'm back."

"Glen, we can be free." Zoe said, "Leave this place with me, I'll find a doctor for you, and we can have a life together."

"No, Ramsley said that I must remain here." Glen said.

Now for the coup de grace. Zoe thought, "Ramsley won't let you leave. But you don't have to obey him. I found a doctor for you…"

"A fine piece of fiction, Ms. Reynolds." Came the cold voice of the English butler behind her, "But entirely unconvincing."

Ramsley said, "I should have known that she would return to you…"

Ramsley grabbed Zoe and twisted her right arm behind her. She barely stifled a cry of pain, she wasn't giving Ramsley the satisfaction of seeing her hurt that easily.

Hidden in a nearby air vent, Alex got on the radio, "Tom, Zoe's in trouble…"

Through the earpiece, he could hear, "I'll be right there."

"Uncle Edward…" Katrina said as she entered the library.

"Who are you, child?" Edward Gracey asked.

"I am Katrina Gracey, niece of Joan Gracey…" Katrina began.

Just then, Ramsley entered with Zoe and the Glen-Heartless. The creature walked behind Ramsley, subdued and almost entirely enslaved to his will.

"Pay no attention to this liar, sir." Ramsley replied, "Because she is working for this enemy of your house."

"What are you holding in your hand?" Edward said, ignoring Ramsley.

"It's a letter from your true love, Elizabeth." Katrina began.

"Wh-Where did you get it?" Edward asked.

"The man you blinded," Katrina said, walking closer, "Tom, he found it. The truth."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ramsley began.

"Do you know what happened to Elizabeth?" Zoe challenged, Ramsley twisted harder and this time Zoe couldn't keep out the cry of pain.

"She was murdered, Edward." Came the shout from the library entrance. Tom came running in with Cobra Bubbles behind him.

"And that young lady has the truth in her hands." Cobra continued.

Katrina handed Edward the letter and the dawning comprehension appeared on his face. "Why?" Edward asked his trusted servant.

"Are you really going to believe the words of this girl?" Ramsley said.

"It is in her hand. It is much too true to be a forgery. Why?" Edward said.

"Your union with that girl was unacceptable." Ramsley replied, "I did not serve your father and you for so many years to see you be ruined by her."

"But I loved her!" Edward said.

"I sacrificed too much for you, Edward." Ramsley continued on, "The best years of my life I gave in the service of your family. But what would you know about sacrifice or duty, you're a Gracey. Well damn you! Damn all of you to Hell!"

As he spoke, his eyes took on an unnatural glare, as though shining with the fires of Hell. He extracted a tiny Derringer pistol from his waistcoat as he shoved Zoe to the ground. He aimed it at Katrina.

Zoe felt the sharp pain and heard the crack of a bone being broken. The pain was so intense that she passed out.

"You traitorous bitch!" Ramsley thundered.

A roar answered Ramsley's shout. The Glen Heartless drew back its head shouting, "Don't you hurt my fiancée!"

The creature jumped onto Ramsley and the tiny pistol went off with a sharp pop into the Glen-Heartless' midsection. The Glen-Heartless barely felt the jarring impact that would have killed it in life. The bullet wound would be fatal, just not now. The Glen-Heartless, endowed with the abilities of its darker half, could injure Ramsley and it did. Ramsley's eyes still blazed and the Search Ghosts he summoned converged onto Glen who was fighting six of the creatures with a mortal gunshot wound.

Katrina snuck behind Ramsley and pulled the Swan Necklace from his pocket saying, "I think this is mine."

Just then the small fireplace and the floor near it sank as though a sinkhole had suddenly formed. From the hole came a serpent composed entirely of fire and it snaked around Ramsley and dragged him towards the hole. As it did, he grabbed Katrina's ankles and pulled her towards it.

Zoe had since regained consciousness when she saw the peril Katrina faced. Ramsley was dragging Katrina towards a fiery end. With a strength she never knew she had Zoe ran and grabbed Katrina's hands, pulling, digging her heels. Ramsley's right hand slipped off of Katrina's ankle, she had made progress. But she didn't realize Ramsley had let go intentionally to deliver a last act of vengeance. He pulled the Derringer free again, it had one of it's two shots left and squeezed the trigger sending a round into Zoe, just below her chest.

Seeing this sight, the beleaguered Glen Heartless roared with rage and charged for the hole. It jumped onto Ramsley's back, forcing it's grip to let go of Katrina's other hand. Before Zoe felt herself black out she saw Glen dive onto Ramsley and both of them falling backwards into the depths of Hell itself.

"No…Glen…" Zoe said, weeping unashamedly.

"Requiem Im Pace," Cobra said, as he saw Ramsley and Glen fall into the flaming abyss.

For his part, Tom would never forget what he was to witness as he saw when his eyesight returned. He saw the ruins of the fireplace, Edward Gracey standing behind the desk, Katrina being nowhere to be found, Alex and Melanie behind him staring with horror at the centerpiece. Zoe lay at the edge of the hole, her hands clutching a bloody wound.

"Oh God! Zoe!" Tom shouted as he ran over to her side, tearing his undershirt apart and wadding it up, putting it underneath the wound, keeping pressure on it. Zoe put her blood stained hands atop Tom's hands.

"I called an ambulance, they'll be here soon." Cobra said.

Just then a glowing blue ball appeared and before their eyes the apparition turned into Elizabeth. "I can help her stay alive until your doctor gets here."

She walked to Zoe's side, dropped to one knee and put a hand on Zoe's forehead, closing her eyes and before the eyes of the spectators began to age rapidly, for the remains of her energy was being sent into Zoe to attempt to keep her alive.

Edward Gracey could see the great pain in Tom's eyes and felt like a fool. If he hadn't blinded that man, much of this would not have transpired. Now Tom was in danger of losing the woman he loved because of his own selfishness.

"I was a fool." Edward began, "Can you ever forgive me?"

Tom looked at him and practically spat venom, "If you can somehow keep her living until the paramedics get here, I could well appreciate it."

Edward Gracey joined Elizabeth, and funneled what remained of his life energy into Zoe. This entire thing was inexplicable by any laws of science. Zoe should have been dead a long time ago. Just then they could hear the sound of screeching tires outside of the mansion.

Edward and Elizabeth rose to their feet, holding hands they once more resembled the young couple they had died as. Tom's eyes said what he later said in words, "Thank you."

"I can't allow you to suffer what loss I did." Edward said. The two ghosts rose in a slow pirouette towards heaven above.

The paramedics rushed in and began to prepare Zoe for transport, practically shoving Tom away from her. Mia lost control just then, and sobbed uncontrollably into Tom's chest.

"Will she be alright?" Mia asked.

Tears appeared in Tom's own eyes and he made no attempts to make them disappear, "I don't know Mia, I don't know."

They boarded the ambulance, with Tom at Zoe's side, holding her right hand in both of his own the entire way. Her skin had begun to take on an ashen tone, her eyes closed, and an oxygen mask on her face.

God, please don't take her away from me. Tom thought as the gurney was wheeled away to the Emergency Room.

Four hours later: A doctor, a woman slightly older than Tom, poked her nose into the relative's room of the ER. Her face told of a great effort expended in attempting to save a life.

"I'm Doctor Gediman, ER. Zoe's lost a lot of blood, the bulled broke one of her ribs and punctured one of her lungs. I've managed to suture and replace the lung, but she needs a blood transfusion. Which of you is O Positive?"

"I am." Tom replied.

"Right this way sir." Gediman said.

Tom was lead into a changing room where he removed his clothes and put on a surgical gown. He lay down on a gurney next to Zoe and barely felt the needle enter his left arm as the IV transferred much needed blood to Zoe's body. He could smell the copper scent of blood mixed with the cleaning solvents of a hospital.

After the transfusion, Tom was back in the waiting room with the others. "Get some rest, Tom, we've moved Zoe to intensive care. It's all up to her now whether she wakes up from the coma."

"I'd like to stay here." Tom replied, a pleading look in his eyes.

Dr. Gediman led Tom to a small area near the ICUs and gave him some blankets and a pillow. "I'd like some too." Mia said, "I don't want to leave my aunt…"

"I'd best stay too." Cobra replied. Alex and Melanie had returned to their home and were coming later to check on Zoe.

Mia saw Tom standing there, helpless to help Zoe any more than he already had. She could see he was heartbroken at her condition. He just stood there watching. Watching the rise and fall of Zoe's chest as the machines were keeping her alive.

TBC