Marty caught Merrill before she hit the ground. "Merrill? Merrill?"
Marty gently shoke her. "Merrill?"
Karl came down the stairs and ran towards Marty and Merrill.
"Marty, man! What the hell did you do?"
"Nothing. We were practicing something for class and she just looked really weak and then she fell." Marty couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened so he kept Merrill's secret.
"Go get Murdoch and Essie, Karl. Quickly."
Karl left running. "Drew?" Merrill uttered.
"Two timing bastard," Marty replied.
Dr. Murdoch came running in the room. "Marty, what happened?"
"We were working on something for class. Merrill wanted me to throw her powers to see if it would work, so I did and when it worked, she got all weak and fainted."
Dr. Murdoch looked over Merrill's body. He did not have to check her pulse as she did not have one, but the strange markings on her left hand were getting steadily darker.
"Will she be okay?"
"I have no way of knowing, Marty. Help me get her in Essie's coffin."
Marty picked Merrill up and laid her on the red satin.
Merrill's v-neck shirt revealed the same strange markings on her skin around her heart.
Dr. Murdoch looked at the wounds and knew exactly what was wrong.
Essie came in the room with Karl at her side.
"Oh my God. Merrill!" Essie took Merrill's hand into her own and noticed the bruises. She looked at Merrill's chest. Her panicked eyes looked at Dr. Murdoch's and he nodded. Essie shed a bloody tear.
"What is it, Dr. Murdoch?" asked Karl.
"I had better go find Drew. Essie you explain it to them," said Dr. Murdoch. He quickly left the room.
Essie looked down at Merrill and began to cry, "Poor girl."
"Essie, what is it?" asked Karl, growing impatient.
Essie released Merrill's hand and wiped the tears away from her face. "Merrill is suffering from a broken heart. When your One loves another, you suffer greatly. The wounds around her heart are proof. And on her left hand, where the wedding ring normally goes, that's the vein that leads to the heart, there are bruises there too."
Karl and Marty looked at Merrill's frail body.
"Oh shit."
"And the worst part is, a broken heart is like a death sentence. Very few cases in vampire history state a vampire living after having their heart broken," said Essie. She looked over her shoulder at her friend and began to sob. She had lost so many friends that way.
Karl held Essie as she cried.
Marty was stunned. How could he have agreed to do that? "This is all my fault," he thought
Drew clumped down the stairs.
Essie looked over Karl's shoulder and stopped crying. She immediately vamped and threw Karl to the wall. She grabbed Drew's throat and held him up in the air.
"Whoa, Essie!" said Karl as he got up.
"No!" yelled Marty. "Let the bastard pay for what he did."
Karl spun around and looked at Marty.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Okay, so I lied. Merrill came to me for help. She wanted to read Drew's thoughts cause she thought he was acting weird. I threw her powers to Drew. And she found out that he had been doing a little mind traveling too. All the way to Sherry's room. Where he whispers I love you to the mortal bitch." Marty had heard and seen everything as he witnessed what Merrill had witnessed.
Drew looked confused as well as panicked.
Essie tightened her grip. "You fucking bastard. You will burn in hell once I stake you."
"Essie let him go!"
Dr. Murdoch was back in the room.
Essie lowered Drew slowly back down to the cement ground. He moved his neck as if he were uncomfortable. "Now please tell me what in hell is going on that Essie would go insane?" He looked in the eyes of all his "friends". Their eyes were as cold as the stone behind them.
"Drew, I think you should come with me," said Dr. Murdoch. He led Drew to the coffin were Merrill lay. Her bruises were blood red.
"Merrill!" said Drew alarmed at the sight. He reached out to touch her, but Dr. Murdoch stopped him.
"Don't touch her Drew, it will only make things worse."
Essie came over to Merrill and touched her forehead with a cool hand. "Dr. Murdoch, she's burning up."
"Why does Essie get to touch her?" asked Drew, looking at Merrill's pale face.
"Because you are the one who started this," replied Dr. Murdoch.
Drew looked at Dr. Murdoch in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."
"Unfortunately Drew, I'm not."
Drew looked at the others in the room. They looked away except for Marty who stared right at Drew with a look of disgust.
"You did this to her, man. You broke her heart. She came to me asking for help. To let her see what was wrong with you. She knew something was up. So I did her a favor. I ended up killing her." Marty looked away, with bloody eyes. Although he and Merrill never really got along, he knew that she was the only one who accepted him for what he was.
Karl looked at Drew. "We have a lot to tell you, man."
"Let's all step into my office then and discuss this," suggested Dr. Murdoch.
"What about Merrill?" said Marty.
"She'll be fine," said Dr. Murdoch. And they all went into his office. As they talked and explained to Drew what happened, Merrill's pupils began to move madly.
"Sherry, Drew, kiss, love, pain, death, run".
Merrill's eyes shot open. She was weak but she knew she couldn't stay at Mansbridge with Drew there. Stumbling around for a few minutes, she found the secret exit. Behind the wine barrels was an opening small enough to only fit her. She threw the barrels away and crawled through the shaft. She could smell the dew on the grass and knew soon she would be home free. Merrill found the opening on the side of the school and wiggled out. She took one final look at Mansbridge, the one place that she felt safe and ran. The trees were a blur as she swiftly cascaded past.
Karl came down the stairs and ran towards Marty and Merrill.
"Marty, man! What the hell did you do?"
"Nothing. We were practicing something for class and she just looked really weak and then she fell." Marty couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened so he kept Merrill's secret.
"Go get Murdoch and Essie, Karl. Quickly."
Karl left running. "Drew?" Merrill uttered.
"Two timing bastard," Marty replied.
Dr. Murdoch came running in the room. "Marty, what happened?"
"We were working on something for class. Merrill wanted me to throw her powers to see if it would work, so I did and when it worked, she got all weak and fainted."
Dr. Murdoch looked over Merrill's body. He did not have to check her pulse as she did not have one, but the strange markings on her left hand were getting steadily darker.
"Will she be okay?"
"I have no way of knowing, Marty. Help me get her in Essie's coffin."
Marty picked Merrill up and laid her on the red satin.
Merrill's v-neck shirt revealed the same strange markings on her skin around her heart.
Dr. Murdoch looked at the wounds and knew exactly what was wrong.
Essie came in the room with Karl at her side.
"Oh my God. Merrill!" Essie took Merrill's hand into her own and noticed the bruises. She looked at Merrill's chest. Her panicked eyes looked at Dr. Murdoch's and he nodded. Essie shed a bloody tear.
"What is it, Dr. Murdoch?" asked Karl.
"I had better go find Drew. Essie you explain it to them," said Dr. Murdoch. He quickly left the room.
Essie looked down at Merrill and began to cry, "Poor girl."
"Essie, what is it?" asked Karl, growing impatient.
Essie released Merrill's hand and wiped the tears away from her face. "Merrill is suffering from a broken heart. When your One loves another, you suffer greatly. The wounds around her heart are proof. And on her left hand, where the wedding ring normally goes, that's the vein that leads to the heart, there are bruises there too."
Karl and Marty looked at Merrill's frail body.
"Oh shit."
"And the worst part is, a broken heart is like a death sentence. Very few cases in vampire history state a vampire living after having their heart broken," said Essie. She looked over her shoulder at her friend and began to sob. She had lost so many friends that way.
Karl held Essie as she cried.
Marty was stunned. How could he have agreed to do that? "This is all my fault," he thought
Drew clumped down the stairs.
Essie looked over Karl's shoulder and stopped crying. She immediately vamped and threw Karl to the wall. She grabbed Drew's throat and held him up in the air.
"Whoa, Essie!" said Karl as he got up.
"No!" yelled Marty. "Let the bastard pay for what he did."
Karl spun around and looked at Marty.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Okay, so I lied. Merrill came to me for help. She wanted to read Drew's thoughts cause she thought he was acting weird. I threw her powers to Drew. And she found out that he had been doing a little mind traveling too. All the way to Sherry's room. Where he whispers I love you to the mortal bitch." Marty had heard and seen everything as he witnessed what Merrill had witnessed.
Drew looked confused as well as panicked.
Essie tightened her grip. "You fucking bastard. You will burn in hell once I stake you."
"Essie let him go!"
Dr. Murdoch was back in the room.
Essie lowered Drew slowly back down to the cement ground. He moved his neck as if he were uncomfortable. "Now please tell me what in hell is going on that Essie would go insane?" He looked in the eyes of all his "friends". Their eyes were as cold as the stone behind them.
"Drew, I think you should come with me," said Dr. Murdoch. He led Drew to the coffin were Merrill lay. Her bruises were blood red.
"Merrill!" said Drew alarmed at the sight. He reached out to touch her, but Dr. Murdoch stopped him.
"Don't touch her Drew, it will only make things worse."
Essie came over to Merrill and touched her forehead with a cool hand. "Dr. Murdoch, she's burning up."
"Why does Essie get to touch her?" asked Drew, looking at Merrill's pale face.
"Because you are the one who started this," replied Dr. Murdoch.
Drew looked at Dr. Murdoch in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."
"Unfortunately Drew, I'm not."
Drew looked at the others in the room. They looked away except for Marty who stared right at Drew with a look of disgust.
"You did this to her, man. You broke her heart. She came to me asking for help. To let her see what was wrong with you. She knew something was up. So I did her a favor. I ended up killing her." Marty looked away, with bloody eyes. Although he and Merrill never really got along, he knew that she was the only one who accepted him for what he was.
Karl looked at Drew. "We have a lot to tell you, man."
"Let's all step into my office then and discuss this," suggested Dr. Murdoch.
"What about Merrill?" said Marty.
"She'll be fine," said Dr. Murdoch. And they all went into his office. As they talked and explained to Drew what happened, Merrill's pupils began to move madly.
"Sherry, Drew, kiss, love, pain, death, run".
Merrill's eyes shot open. She was weak but she knew she couldn't stay at Mansbridge with Drew there. Stumbling around for a few minutes, she found the secret exit. Behind the wine barrels was an opening small enough to only fit her. She threw the barrels away and crawled through the shaft. She could smell the dew on the grass and knew soon she would be home free. Merrill found the opening on the side of the school and wiggled out. She took one final look at Mansbridge, the one place that she felt safe and ran. The trees were a blur as she swiftly cascaded past.
