dialogue – thoughts
"dialogue" – speaking
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Chapter 10
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"Why the hell did you have to be so heavy…?" Meryl strained voice shot through the hefty downpour, and she slipped on the wet stones paving her path back to her home.
Her face was pale, her mouth drawn and her eyes red, but she continued resiliently through the streets, even with a heavy load such as a fully-grown man. An unconscious man, may I add. Or, an unconscious, fully-grown man who just happened to be half-vampire and was bleeding all over the streets.
But he didn't seem to be running out of the red stuff any time soon.
That, at least, was a good sign. Meryl still had another four blocks to go, and having the man die on her there would be such a waste.
She had dragged the man halfway across London by now, for goodness sakes!
Meryl paused slightly, letting the blonde's tall form lean on her slightly. It was strange, you know. He was indeed unconscious—and bleeding—but she had managed to make him half-walk (with her help) the whole way so far.
Did half dead men still walk?
Or maybe this one was just an exception…
The petite woman was panting heavily, her breath coming out in white puffs that were quickly swept away with the rain. She felt as though she herself was near death, and the way her face was rapidly losing its normal colour, she looked it too. And now, in her half delirious state, her mind was wandering lazily, and she found herself thinking the strangest things.
Yeah, like how someone so scrawny could weigh so much! Meryl spat mentally, resenting her cumbersome load, It must have something to do with being a vampire…
And she still couldn't believe it herself. Her, Meryl Stryfe, vampire hunter extraordinaire saving a bloodsucker's life and bringing him into her own house! What was the world coming to?
It's coming to the point where vampires brutally take over the world and send everyone to bloody and painful deaths before claiming everything as their own, but not until they realized they had cut off their only food source… Meryl found herself trailing off as her knees began to give out from underneath her, and she straightened up before shaking her head to clear the rain.
Pulling Vash's limp arm securely around her neck, Meryl once again to a firm hold on his coat and spat out some rainwater before continuing on her way.
She suddenly realized she was soaked in blood…
Blood was everywhere, blood attracted things that lived on it, and things that fed upon blood were most usually called vampires around here. The only thing Meryl needed right now was another encounter with a bloodthirsty vampire.
Snorting slightly, Meryl spat more grimy water from her mouth, At least this half-demon isn't going to sink his fangs in my throat any time soon! she thought grudgingly to herself.
In admittance, the hunter felt as though she was about to collapse any moment, and she wasn't sure she would make it the five minutes to her house and manage to get inside without falling over unconscious.
That's what happens when you go hunting alone and with a cold, Meryl berated herself angrily, and let forth another choked cough. Unfortunately, water immediately filled her open mouth, which made her situation even worse, you get a feeling as though you're about to die and an already half-dead vampire to drag home!
She caught herself drifting off as the half-blood began slipping from her grasp before grudgingly continuing on her way, determined and all the while wondering why, exactly, she had decided to go out alone. At least with Milly along she would have had some help carrying Vash.
"Damn half-blooded demon bloodsucker!" Meryl cursed again, "You're heavier than you look."
But with no response from the unconscious man but his head lolling drunkenly to one side, she narrowed her eyes. She didn't even know why she was doing this anymore! What it even worth it to risk her life to save this creep?
Well, yes, it was. She used to think that, at least, but right now, she had her doubts.
But with that said, Meryl found herself scowling before she carelessly tripped, causing her feet to stumble weakly and the blonde's prone form to slip from her and land with a splash in the middle of a muddy puddle adorning the slimy cobblestone streets.
The rain persisted, pelting the lone forms mercilessly without plight. Meryl snorted, wobbling slightly on her legs, and bent down to roll the half-blood's body over, his face now thoroughly grimy from the water. And once again, she hauled him up and began dragging him down the street, all the while gasping and wheezing with increasingly short breath.
Yep, she felt as half-dead as person could be without being completely dead. Her legs were moving more mechanically than anything else, having lost the feeling in them long ago, and her neck was cramped from the arm draped carelessly around it. Her hands were almost useless, stiff and frozen, her left having an unfeeling death grip on Vash's arm and the other grasping his coat with deadened fingers.
She could feel her clothes sticking to her small body and weighing her down, although the sensation was rapidly disappearing with much of her conscious thought. The only thing on her mind now was that she only had six houses to go until she could collapse on her front doorstep and search for her house key.
Only six more houses.
The petite woman could have sighed with contentment if she had had the feeling to, and she didn't really see a reason to quite yet anyway.
Instead, she settled for counting the houses as she passed them, Vash's limp body in tow.
At one house, Meryl sighed, her breath a white wisp, and focused her eyes through the downpour to her front door. Only ten more steps until…
Wait…
Who was that sitting on her front steps?
With an umbrella?
Meryl blinked the rain from her eyes, ignoring the sting and took another step, but her legs suddenly hitched up, and the half-blood's arm slipped from her shoulder and his body fell to the street. A pool of blood quickly began to grow beneath him, but the petite woman didn't take notice.
What the hell…?
Meryl watched as the person stood up, flicking what looked to be a cigarette out into the rain. He approached with the umbrella and Meryl stumbled forward slightly.
What was Nick doing here…?
Her legs lost all feeling and the petite woman felt her body fall to the ground. She hit the street without any conscious pain and waited, the silence of the rain surrounding her and pounding her flaccid body.
Wolfwood approached, his umbrella shielding him from the onslaught of water. He stopped at Meryl's side and nudged her side with his boot.
The woman groaned slightly, and Nick grinned slightly.
She wasn't dead, then.
"I hope none of that blood is yours, short girl." He said almost indifferently, the rain pounding his shelter muffling his voice.
She shifted slightly, her breath hoarse, and managed to choke out, "No…that stupid half-blood got himself shot."
And with that said, Meryl felt herself drift into oblivion, the comforting darkness surrounding her mind in a haze and the sounds of rain slowly fading.
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Meryl was aware of the warmth surrounding her, it was something she hadn't experienced since she was a child, something so nice it was quite hard to forget.
It had been slipping her mind lately.
But she felt it now, comfort in the stillness around her. Her mind was heavy, content to drift aimlessly with no worries. A warm haze in her mind, in her body, covering her like a blanket.
She was slowly waking up, her thoughts becoming affected by the conscious world engulfing her sleeping body.
That was the way she liked it, slow and undemanding, not of late.
Briefly, Meryl wondered the time, but pushed the thought away as the sound of her name being called reached her ears.
Meryl…The haze surrounding her dispersed slightly, and Meryl was left feeling slightly cold.
Meryl…I know you're awake.
Her warmth was fading, and everything was darkening. Her flame was flickering.
I'm displeased, Meryl…Darkness was filling her mind, and her warm flame sputtered feebly.
Spiders have no place in this world…especially spiders like you…
She wanted to feel the heat again, but he darkness was cooling, suppressing her.
You'll die eventually, spider, even if I don't do it first…Shadows filled her mind, and she had the sudden urge to wake up, to stop the dream.
You're marked, spider. I've decided to start by wiping out all of you disgusting hunters beforehand…Meryl struggled with the darkness, forcing it away.
You're going to die, Meryl, face it. You don't have a chance…
The voice began to fade slightly.
Die, spider. Die with the rest of your breed.It faded, whispering of death the whole way. She unconsciously shivered.
Die!Meryl's eyes shot open abruptly and she shot up, her face twisted in horror and her limbs tangled, preventing movement. The petite woman struggled feebly, her restraints pulling and tangling further.
It took her a total of fifty-four seconds to realize she was merely wrapped up in a number up blankets and halfway off her bed, in her room, in her house. She was not cold, but in fact sweating quite heavily, and a fire crackling merrily in her hearth sent a warm glow throughout the room, banishing any shadows that might be lurking.
What had she been so freaked out about, again…?
But by then, it was too late, and the petite woman was sent crashing to the floor with a hollow thud, blankets and all.
Again, she was sent into another fighting match with the bedspread, wrestling her way out of them until the sound of her door swinging open alerted her to anther presence.
Apparently, someone had heard her from downstairs.
Meryl immediately stopped struggling before pulling back the coverings and poking her head almost meekly from under them.
A flustered Milly met her gaze, tall but looking anything but imposing. She recognized fear on her friend's face, and winced slightly when the taller woman let forth a flurry of words probably meaning to express concern, but only succeeded in confusing the smaller woman.
"Oh, sempai! You're finally up! I've been waiting so long, Mr. Priest said to leave you to sleep! You didn't seem to want to wake up, though, and I was so worried, sempai!! I thought you were going to sleep forever, and you looked to pale when Mr. Priest brought me over! I've been here ever since, sempai, caring for Mr. Vash and yourself." She took a step toward Meryl but did not cease her words, "Mr. Vash was in such bad shape, sempai, but he's healing quickly and told me what happened when he found you—well at least what he knew. I can't believe you dragged him all the way here, and with a cold, too! When Mr. Priest told me you were unconscious, I thought for sure you were going to die, sempai. Imagine going outside with a cold, and without me, too! Sempai!! I promised I would go with you, all you had to do was ask! Oh Meryl," Milly looked ready to burst into tears, "you don't know how worried you had us all, even Mr. Vash! You had a fever, Meryl, and your skin was so grey! You looked like death had come and gone already!"
The petite woman blinked, her eyes focusing in from a daze when her partner suddenly halted her flurry of words and a look akin to firmness took over the one of concern.
"Sempai!?" Milly hollered, quite alarmed, "What are you doing out of bed??"
Sighing slightly, Meryl pulled an arm from out of the blankets, "Milly," her voice was slightly rasped, "how long have I been asleep?"
Milly's face softened, and she replied with a smile, "Four whole days, sempai! So promise me you'll never go out with a cold again!"
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--Cayenne Pepper Powder