On the previous chapter, Anna found out that Van Helsing's dead after she saw his cut off head. She failed to deliver the antidote to him on time. What will happen to her now that her end has begun?
"We Transylvanians always look on the brighter side of death,"
"There's a brighter side of death?" Gabriel questioned.
"Yes..it's just harder to see." I smiled.
Who ever invented such concept?
There's nothing positive of his death.
I failed my Family; I failed him, too.
This is all my fault, all because I didn't arrive early, and that I failed to give the antidote.
I deserve to die. That's something to be positive of.
From what seemed like eternity, my eyes finally opened. I am breathing properly now; no black smoke or fire. The wind was gushing past my face, drying the tears that passed my cheeks as I wiped off the excess. I found myself somewhere in the night sky, floating through the dark clouds. They way the clouds passed my skin felt like holding thick cold mist. Right now, it felt like I was falling off to the stars. How high was I from the ground? I must be dead now. Is this how it looks like in purgatory?
All I remembered was the flames.
The flames back in the laboratory, where everything was broken.
The haunting face of Gabriel's bloody head.
I placed my hands to my eyes, trying to erase that memory of it. How could I just let Gabriel slip away? Why didn't I arrive in the laboratory a little earlier? Why didn't I arrive too sooner?
I could have saved him.
I could imagine the Count in victory now that his plan has succeeded. His bloody undead offspring must have consumed the population of Transylvania. All the guilt was rushing back to me. But what good is it to regret everything, now that everything's lost? I am dead, after all. My fate now has ended, and it's time to accept it. It won't be a surprise if I end up in hell right now.
Scoping my surroundings, I can see the ground is just high above me, and something's holding my other ankle. I looked at my feet to find a flying demonic bat, with his claw holding it: now that explains why I'm hanging upside down.
Hold on, that's Dracula holding me. I'm still alive? And he's still alive?
HE RESCUED ME?
Shit.
This suddenly dismayed me. "Release me this instant!" I yelled at him as I wiggled my leg from him to free myself, even tried kicking him, only to get his attention instead; his satanic face gazing upon me, "Do not fight me, child, we are near your home," he said with his demonic voice. I tilted my head to see the Valerious Manor. Why was he going to take me to my home? Will he kill me there? I would rather fall to my death than at the hands of this monster!
I checked my belt for some weapons, relieved to find my pistol. I checked it for ammo and saw just one bullet left in the magazine. This is your last chance to escape: aim properly. I aimed for claw that was gripping my ankle, carefully avoiding my own foot. The Count shrieked in pain as the bullet had hit his foot and finally released mine. Everything seemed to be slowing down now that I realized that I'm meeting my end once I hit the ground. I held on to the cross of my necklace, closed my eyes and prayed, as I neared the surface.
This falling felt so different than I imagined. It felt as if my chest was getting tighter with the sound of the wind as the ground was getting closer, while my stomach was contained with so much butterflies due to the speed of the fall, only rapidly. Although my heart was beating too fast, this sensation didn't seem to be frightening. I squinted my eyes then covered them with my arms; the only thing that is frightening in falling is landing on the surface.
The only thing I felt was a pair of arms beneath my knees and my neck, "My, Anna, I see you were a bit in a rush." I opened to see find myself in the arms of the Count. "Did you want to go ahead? We have landed right in front of your gate," he smirked at me.
I pushed him away and drew my pistol at him. "Stay back! Or I'll shoot!"
"Anna we both know you had used the last bullet just a moment ago," Dracula said. I threw the empty weapon to my side and put out my pocket knife instead.
"How could you still be alive?"
He walked towards me while I stepped back, chuckled at the sight of my fear, "Still trying to put up a fight? After I have saved you, in fact, twice?" I was still pointing my knife at him. Why would I trust him? How could I even trust a devil? He still didn't even answer my question.
"I ask you again, Count. Why are you still alive?"
"You wonder how the hunter was killed while I live?" We were circling each other until he suddenly disappeared.
"I killed him before he was able to turn," He whispered behind my left ear while he held both of my shoulders. "No.. Th-that's impossible. H-he was supposed to finish you off; the Clock struck 12-" I jolted and turned around, "-and I could've sworn he already turned to a werewolf! HE SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!" I yelled of dismay; disbelieved of what the Count just said.
"Would you like to see for yourself then?" Before I could reply his eyes turned electric blue and placed his hand upon my forehead, somehow linking his memory to my mind.
From Dracula's point of view, I saw that he was exhausted from the fight. He touched his left cheek to find his own blood from Van Helsing's scratch. He looked up and found the hunter transforming back to his human form. The moon must've been covered from the clouds.
He walked to Gabriel and watched him backed away, "Don't be afraid, Gabriel. Don't be afraid." From the corner of his eye he could tell that the moon will soon expose itself again. "I shall give you back your life," he strategically cornered Van Helsing to the proper area. ".. your memory," Dracula added.
Sensing the moons presence, everything slowed down from Dracula's power with his inhuman speed. He is now able to control time to kill him. "So-me things.." Van Helsing said. Dracula ran behind the human. "a-re be-tter left for-gotten."
Dracula grabbed his head with both of his hands. "Right, you are." he whispered at the hunter before he turned to his demonic form and twisted his head with all his might, causing Gabriel's head separating from his neck.
Blood streaming from the dead hunter, as Dracula roared.
The flashback ended as Dracula removed his hand from my forehead. I blinked my eyes, looked to the Count with pure anger.
"Must I also add that after I had gotten rid of Van Helsing, that was the time that you entered the room. I knew you would see his head after thoroughly searching the burning place, and I waited til you were about to pass out. That is when I rescued you," he said.
"After all, everything was done just the way I planned." he clasped his hands.
"I knew that the Friar would be killed, you would kill Aleera, and deliver the antidote to Van Helsing." he said as he approached me while I backed up to the gate. "That is why I killed him, hoping to get you when you find yourself in the laboratory where the hunter was."
"The monster was a failure, though. He didn't bring back my children to life, so he managed to escape before I could even find him, thanks to Gabriel. I was hoping in the end that it will only be the two of us left alive." he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. His lips nearly touching my cold skin.
"And after all, I did save you before you could get burned from the fire. I deserve a reward for your life. " I felt him hovering my throat with his mouth.
"What is left to take now, is you."