Author's Note: Thanks for the support! Here is another chapter. A step closer to the ending!
The dark-haired man pulled out from Tori's grasp and started to walk towards the ballroom. As he started to walk a couple of steps to make sure he was out of her vicinity, Vincent turned around to speak to her. "I'm sorry but I cannot return your feelings for now. I have to go back. I have to find somebody." With that, he turned around once more and walked.
As Vincent started to walk back, he didn't notice that Tori bent down to pull a small vial out from a secret compartment in one of her high heels. "I'm sorry Vincent that it had to come to this."
It all happened in a flash.
As soon as Vincent turned his back, Tori got out a vial of red-colored liquid from a secret compartment in her shoe. She then got a small syringe from inside the upper part of her bodice. The redhead quickly filled the syringe with the red liquid. When she was finished, Tori ran as fast as she could behind Vincent. She then plunged the syringe into the back of Vincent's right shoulder. The contents were immediately released into his body.
"Ow, what was that for?" Vincent yelped in pain, turning his head to face the woman. Tori saw that anger was etched throughout his features. He was displeased at what she did,
"I'm sorry that it came to this. If you could ever love me, it could've been different."
Despair and sadness were suffused in each word as she pulled the syringe out from his body. She then threw it on the ground without a care. She didn't want this. The redhead hoped for a different reality. Yet, this was the outcome: the one that could affect the memories of her. In truth, she plunged the red liquid concoction into him in hopes that he would forget Cat. That was what her father said when he gave her the vial. However, he did warn her that it could make him forget to her as well. Although she didn't want that outcome, it was a chance that she was willing to make.
That chance never came. Something was wrong with Vincent. He was clutching his head in agony. The short-haired man was crotched to the ground as his breathing became labored. Pain spread across his veins like wildfire, becoming more and more unbearable with each passing second.
"Vincent, what's wrong?" Tori spoke in a worried tone, cautiously approaching Vincent's crotching position. But when she came closer to him, the redhead noticed a subtle change in his appearance. His fingernails grew longer to take shape as claws. His skin became discolored and tense. Although he kept breathing heavily, he began to growl like an animal.
Oh no, concoction didn't work! Tori thought while watching the guy in front of him struggling in pain. Then it hit her. He wasn't struggling with something inside, he was transforming. Tori froze at this thought: should she try to help him or should she try to run from him? She didn't know how dangerous he could be. She didn't want him to become trouble, especially with crowds of people in a nearby room. After all, he was her responsibility.
The redhead quickly decided her fate as she stood in front of Vincent. Tori placed her delicate hands on his tense shoulders, bending to a level where she could look into his eyes.
"Vincent, are you okay? Talk to me!" Tori's tone was filled with a mixture of fear and worry as she shook him to get his attention.
Wrong move!
In an instant, his eyes snapped open. Golden hues stared into her green ones as it dawned on the heiress that the human side of Vincent was no more. The beast in him surfaced and was now in full control. With that realization, Tori couldn't run away from him so easily. A sharp pain flared up in her abdomen all a sudden. The woman looked down and saw blood pouring out for her stomach. Shock filled every sense as Tori looked back at Vincent's monstrous form. She could see that red blood stained her newly formed claws. Her blood.
At that thought, she collapsed to the floor with blood swiftly pooling around her body. Scratches must have been really deep, the redhead mused before falling into unconsciousness.
Vincent snarled at the unconscious woman. He didn't care about this woman was strewn across the floor next to him. It seemed that his beast side stripped all his humanity, voiding any emotion or care inside. Instead, he prowled towards the direction of the grand ballroom. Once the creature reached the wooden double doors, he opened them with brute strength. He almost ripped them off from their hinges. He snarled at the guest when he stepped forward into the grand room. Everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing to stare at this creature. Ignoring the stares and the gaps from the crowd, the beast started to attack anybody who was in his path. Gasps turned into screams as people ran away from the blood-thirsty creature.
Except for two individuals who were watching the incident unfold in front of them. They then turned to each other with worried looks on their faces.
"Cat, I was worried about you. Tell me what is wrong. You can trust me. I won't hurt you."
But, as Cat opened her mouth slightly, preparing to speak when a series of loud high pitched screams erupted from the floor below them.
Cat stopped in her tracks as soon she heard the screams. Worried crept into her beautiful features. "What was that?"
"I don't know," Gabe replied, "It sounded like it came from the ballroom."
"Do you think…."
"...it might be Vincent?"
"Oh god, no!"
Cat ran as fast as she could towards the ballroom. She didn't think twice about what to do. The young detective didn't want to believe that something terrible happened to Vincent. Or perhaps, by Vincent. No, no no! I hope nothing terrible is happening…
The petite woman sped down the staircase and through the foyer in record speed. Her heart was pouring pounding a mile a minute. It was beating so hard that she couldn't hear the screams surrounding her. Her vision was blurred by her worried thoughts that she didn't notice the scores of people fleeing from the ballroom. She wasn't going to follow them. She instead went in the opposite direction, reaching the grand ballroom at a brisk pace. Cat couldn't believe the scene before her when she arrived. Blood was spilled all over. Lifeless bodies laid on top of deep crimson pools of blood in scattered locations.
"No!" Cat gasped as she entered. The brunette couldn't let this bloodshed to continue. She had to do something. She had to stop whoever or whatever was causing this, even if it was her beloved. The detective couldn't stand around and watch Vincent possibly kill many more.
With that thought, Cat began to search for Vincent. She spotted him in the middle of the room, ready to attack his next victim. "Vincent, stop! This isn't you!"
The beast didn't respond to the women's pleas. He continued his attack on a young blonde woman who was cowering in front of him. But, his nonresponse didn't deter Cat. She walked at a slow pace towards the monster in the middle. She had to save him. It was now or never.
"Cat, what are you doing? You have to get out of here," a voice cried out from one of the sides. The petite brunette whipped her head to see who was trying to stop her.
"Tess, I have to save him. You know that it's not him."
"This monster isn't Vincent anymore. That person is gone now. You can even sense it; his humanity has been stripped and replaced by some wild animal. It is too dangerous!"
"That is where you are wrong Tess," Cat refuted as she looked back at Vincent, " I know that he is there. I can feel it."
As she came close to Vincent, she slowly lifted a hand to touch his cheek. She wanted to prove to her best friend that he wasn't dangerous, despite the blood and bodies surrounding them. But, her intent was quashed when a clawed hand violently slapped her petite hand away. Vincent growled louder in response. The beast flexed his claws, starting his attack on the woman in front of him. However, this attack never succeeded as Cat was suddenly pushed out from his path. She hit the floor with a soft thud.
"Cat, Are you all right?" a soft voice asked with concern. Cat looked up to see who saved her. It was him! It was her savior, rescuing her from a crisis yet again.
"Gabe, I'm all right. We have to get out of here. You can't transform into a beast anymore. You might get injured or even killed by Vincent. I don't want you to take that chance anymore. Please leave for your safety!"
"I could say the same thing for you. What were you thinking? Do you think you could come over and save Vincent in his current state? How would you save him?"
"I don't know how I will save him. All I know is that I have to save him. Vincent is still here. I can sense it! I believe that the human side of Vincent is still there, waiting to be saved!"
"Vincent isn't there anymore! This creature is too dangerous for you. You have to run to safety! Let me take care of this," Gabe commanded as he drew out his gun. He aimed at the beast, hoping to put this bloodthirsty monster out before he hurt any more people. He slowly drew his fingers to the trigger, ready to fire.
Seeing what Gabe was planning to do, Cat gasped as she quickly slapped the gun out of the olive-haired man's hand. "No Gabe, I can't let you do this!" Gabe's eyes followed his gun as the item flew onto the floor a few inches from the pair. He turned his eyes back at Cat, anger trenched in his voice once he spoke, "Cat, what the fuck are you doing?"
"I can't let you do this! I can't let you kill Vincent because you believe that he is a monster. And the only solution you think will work is to kill him! There has to be a better way than killing him." Hope brimmed inside of Cat as she spoke. She wanted this to have a happy ending. No, she needed it.
"Look at him, Cat! Just look at him! What more proof do you need? He is gone! I can see it! I can feel it! I know that Vincent is gone and replaced by this wild animal. This beast needs to be killed before he hurts any more innocent people. Before he hurts you."
Worried etched throughout Gabe's features as made his point clear once again. "Just. Look. At. Him!"
The ADA wanted to show Cat what kind of vicious monster that Vincent transformed into. As he turned around to prove his point, the unspeakable happened.
"Gabe, no!"