Fright Night 1985

Twist of Fate

Chapter Sixteen

The Nightmare Ends

Part One

by

~GaGa4FrightNight~

~Vendehla~

Yolanda crouched perched atop the peak nearest Jerry's chamber. Her plan was not faring as well as hoped, that young man Charley new more than expected or even thought. She softly whined, her hand gently touched against the holy water burned side of her face. Her lips pouted, none of that was supposed to happen which put a slight damper on her plans, difficulties were laid between her and her destiny. She knew there had to be second party to devotedly assist her in her triumph. Three holy armed individuals were nothing to take lightly.

Her brilliant orange eyes closed. She had studied every ability a vampire possessed. It came to test another ability which would give her the advantage. Her mind focused, gathered the essence of that particular pawn, the king to her queen. Her lips sinisterly grinned, time to awaken her sleeping prince.

Charley, Aiden, and Tayte found their way back to Jerry's chamber. They rushed inside startling poor Thea.

"Oh thank God!" Thea smiled and rushed then swiftly embraced her sister, "I had thought..." she spoke.

"No, I be fine." Tayte said and returned the loving and strong embrace.

Charley quickly rushed to Dandridge. He immediately stepped back, the change about Dandridge was prominent and all to familiar. He looked to the embracing sisters. "Has he shown any signs of waking up?" he asked Thea.

Thea drew back from the embrace and looked to Charley, "No," she replied with a shake of her head, "But he has gotten worse."

"Well, I think it'll happen sooner than we think." Charley stated then stepped up to the trio near the doors, "She's gonna wake him because she knows we have the upper hand, us against her."

"And what might that entail?" Aiden nervously asked.

Charley looked to Aiden and truthfully answered, "Well, means things are gonna get worse way before better." And right then the evidence of it worsening was heard, a gasp that did not belong to neither of them. His head darted and eyes looked to Dandridge. "Oh, shit," he mumbled. He faced Dandridge once before or later or whatever and knew what that monster was capable of and with Yolanda lurking somewhere, their odds had just plummeted. "Out, now!" he shouted then quickly started to usher them out the door.

"No!" Thea protested as Charley continued to usher them.

"Thea, please!" Tayte held onto Thea's arm desperate to stop her from rushing into the room as they were ushered into the hallway, "We cannot do anything right now!"

"No, please!" Thea shouted desperate to pull her arm free. Her wide teary eyes watched Charley swiftly close the doors. "I cannot leave him!" she sobbed, "I promised I would not!"

Charley suddenly snatched Thea by the face and forced her to look at him. "Thea, I'm sorry," he truthfully said, "Right now, the best we can do is get far away as possible. We need to regroup and figure out exactly how we're gonna save him."

"But I promised," Thea again spoke with a sob.

"Thea, believe me when I say you don't want to see what he is." Charley said, saw what Amy had become but saw plenty of what Dandridge had become, "We still have a chance to save him. But right now we need to get the hell outta here before he comes through those doors. Do you understand?"

Thea reluctantly nodded and watched Charley nod as well. Charley stepped away from her and her eyes looked to the doors. She felt Tayte tug her arm and with reluctance she stumbled from the doors, her eyes refused to deviate.

Passed those closed door the birth of the immortal vampire Jerry Dandridge came full circle. With another gasp Jerry effortlessly rose seated. Up off the floor he stood then sharply he spun around. His eyes were wide and consumed by brilliant red rimmed in fiery orange and intensified by the deep black pupils. His full lips formed a slight crooked snarl then his eyes darted to the doors.

Atop that roof peak Yolanda cackled, "That be it, my Love, kill them, kill them all!" She continued to hideously laugh, mocked the upcoming deaths she would give her dark prince the honor of committing. When you are the maker, she wickedly thought, have those beneath you do the dirty work. She again cackled and rose up on her feet. "I be starved." she stated aloud then with one singular step off the peak she vanished into the darkness.

The group, now four, rushed down the corridor. Tayte desperately held onto Thea's arm as Charley and Aiden were before them. They piled forward entering a T-junction in the corridor. Around the corner they rushed.

Thea the last around the corner, before she was jerked with them, she caught glimpse of who she knew was Jerry as he stepped before the window at the end of the corridor. She gasped as Tayte jerked her forward. She looked forward, her eyes wide as they blinked.

They rushed towards another corridor end where it turned to the right.

Near the end of that corridor, Thea looked back prepared to see Jerry step around the corner. Again she gasped then stumbled as Tayte continued to pull her around the corner. No Jerry was seen. She again looked forward, saw the dim glow where the grand staircase was located.

The group headed for the grand landing. Onto the grand landing lined with ceiling high stained glass window they rushed. Then down onto the grand staircase they hurried, Thea being nearly dragged behind them. They reached the bottom of the staircase.

Charley skidded to a stop and panted, "Where do we go?"

"The chapel!" Tayte shouted.

Aiden grimaced, "A chapel?" he looked to Tayte, "There be no chapel."

Tayte eagerly nodded and said with heavy breaths, "Aye, there be a chapel. Had been unused and locked after the first Lady Dandridge passed."

"Well, that might have been useful much ago." Aiden commented, "Why had not you or anyone mentioned this in the beginning, hmm?"

"Dammit, Aiden!" Charley snapped, "Now we know!" he looked to Tayte, "Take us there, right now!"

"This way!" Tayte urged and rushed passed Charley and led the way.

Though they rushed forward, Thea lingered. Her head slowly turned and eyes looked to the top of the grand staircase.

"Thea, come!" Aiden shouted, took notice of Thea's hesitation. He noticed her focus at the top of the staircase. He stepped up to her, heard Tayte shouting for them. "Thea, please," he reached and took hold of her arm, "Dear, come, let us get to safety." His eyes frowned then lifted and scanned up the lengthy of the staircase. He lightly gasped as his eyes widened.

Jerry stood at the top of the grand staircase, his eyes held Thea's. His lips formed a soft smile.

Charley came stomping back into foray. "Guys, what the hell?!" he grumbled then quickly noticed exactly what caused the delay then gasped, "Shit." He rushed forward and snatched hold of Aiden and shouted, "Now is not the damned time to stand and stare!"

Aiden snapped from that fearful daze and started to nod, "Aye, agreed." He tightened his grip of Thea's arm and jerked her from the staircase in hurry to follow Charley.

Thea was broken from her focus of Jerry's eyes. She loudly gasped being jerked by the arm again. She forced herself to look forward as she was pulled out of the foray.

Jerry's lips shifted from softness into a sneer. A high pitched scream echoed from every direction. His eyes shifted upon the scream fading. "Yolanda," he grumbled then his eyes looked to where the three had vanished then spoke with a different tone, "Thea."

Tayte led them through the eastern part of the main floor. Through the grand ballroom all of them rushed with Tayte's lead. Through a large door they scrambled entering a forgotten corridor looming thick with darkness and filled with stale air. Tayte waved them to the left then down the narrow corridor they scurried towards towering arched doors barricaded by two large wooden slats.

Aiden and Charley raced forward passed Tayte, both immediately began to try to pry the slats from the doors. Together they gripped the first slat and combining their strengths they pulled back against the slat which suddenly jerked free, almost caused both to stumble backwards. They dropped the slat and immediately focused on prying free the second.

Thea started to again tremble, the tears again filled her eyes. "I cannot do this." she sobbed which quickly drew her sister's attention.

Tayte stepped before Thea and grabbed her shoulders. "Thea, we have but no choice." she explained with a gentle tone.

Thea looked into her sister's identical eyes. Her head slowly shook through her fierce trembles then she said, "Tayte, I cannot lose him to her, to whatever he be now."

Tayte brought her hands to Thea's tear moistened face, again felt her sister's heart ache. "We shall do everything to return him to whom he was." she promised, hated the miserable state her sister was forced into, "We shall get into the chapel and together we shall find a way."

"But," Thea spoke through constant sobs, "But what if we fail? What if he remains as he be right now as Charley Brewster said he be in times to come?"

Tayte shook her head, heard the final slat be pulled free, then said, "Thea, please, we must have faith and keep hope that we shall succeed."

"Tayte," Thea choked back another sob then whispered, "Let me go to him."

Tayte quickly shook her head in protest then verbally gave it, "No, that shall not happen because he shall kill you."

"No," Thea whispered with another sob, "He shall not. What he has become, I feel that he still loves me."

"Thea, I refuse!" Tayte did not whisper which drew Charley and Aiden's attention, "You shall not, no!"

"Thea, you can't trust him." Charley interrupted as he stepped near the sister, "Believe me, I know what he's become and he can't be trusted."

Thea looked to Charley over her sister's shoulder and shook her head in refusal to believe, "You do not know!" she snapped back at Charley, "You speak of him in centuries ahead! You know not of what he be at this moment!"

"Yeah I do!" Charley snapped back, "I've seen what he is first hand. I saw what he did to my best friend, to my girlfriend! He kills people, innocent people, Thea! He'll do that for centuries until me and Peter defeat his ass in 1985!"

Thea gasped upon Charley's confession then stepped back, "You kill him?"

"Yeah," Charley said more calmly, realized what he just said, "That's how I got here. When he died was when I was sent to this hell. Sent to one god damned hell to stop another from happening but it's not looking very good right now." he felt suddenly frustrated, "I can't figure it out!" he tossed his hands in the air, "We killed him to save Amy but I don't even know if it worked, dammit because I was sent here! And what's got me all damned confused," he pointed at Thea, "You look nothing like Amy or that chick in the painting," he took a step forward with his finger still aimed at Thea, "He went after Amy because of a painting but why when you're supposed to be his one true love or whatever!"

Charley spun around and tightly crossed his arms over his chest then shouted, "This is more fucked up than before!"

"Let us calm down." Aiden spoke up after the outbursts, "Let us go into the chapel," he aimed both hands pointed to the chapel door, "Then perhaps we can sit, breathe for a bit then commence with figuring out," his voiced raised, "What the bloody hell is going on!"

"Emily," Thea breathed.

Tayte looked to Thea with question but knew the name she spoke.

"The painting, that be Emily." Thea stated more, "His wife." There was a sudden drop of her heart. The realization that in four centuries Jerry sought a replacement for his wife not her caused a new flood of sadness.

"I don't know." Charley grumbled, "I just wanna get the hell outta here." he stomped to the chapel doors, "Tired of damned vampires," he continued to grumble, "Ain't watching another damned Peter Vincent movie again when I get back, hell no." he pressed his hands against the left door, "Wasted my life watching stupid vampire movies," he pushed on the door, "Likely if I didn't watch those damned movie I might've never paid no attention to the neighbor." he pushed his body weight against the door and listened to it slowly grind its way open, "Its all a bunch of bullshit." He continued to push the door inward.

Charley put a foot over the chapel threshold. Suddenly he felt as if he was struck head on. He stumbled backwards as something unexpected started to happen. Before his wide eyes developed what looked like a damned movie. He slammed back against thickly dusted wall. He tried closing his eyes but that only intensified what he was being forced to witness.

Memories of what truly happened struck Charley. Visions of the true path that was meant to take place plagued his mind. He was forced to witness, that without his presence, the nightmare would have been swifter. Doctor Aiden McHoolihee would never have been involved without Charley's entrance into the nightmare's beginning. Dandridge would have survived as a vampire passed the first dawn. Yet, what played out was entirely unexpected.

Yolanda's desired control over Dandridge was never achieved, he was defiant and determined, as a vampire, to cling onto his destiny with Thea. It was meant to be Tayte who was determined to prevent her sister from becoming what Dandridge had. The visionary flashes continued to pulse, delivered a defining moment where Tayte attempted to put an end to Dandridge. A confrontation commenced and with Dandridge enraged not just one sister died, both.

Charley loudly gasped upon the forced image of the moment Dandridge lunged forward with a sword in hand aimed for Tayte. But, added to the cruelty of a vampire's existence, Thea stepped before her sister in defense and that sword impaled not only Thea but Tayte as well. The vision intensified, showed that even vampire's were capable of heartbreak and devastation. Thea died in Dandridge's arms surrounded by the mocking laughter of his maker.

That mocking laughter, filled with cruel amusement, echoed in Charley head. He nearly felt Dandridge's rage become fueled by the tragedy of another loss, the loss of true love. With the same sword, Dandridge took his freedom, and with a clean swipe he lopped Yolanda's head off ending her but not ending his damnation. In that moment, Dandridge was defeated by his curse. And came the understanding why Dandridge focused on recreating the deceased wife instead of Thea.

It was Dandridge's final tormenting experience of guilt, Thea's death. The vampire Dandridge drove away into the depths of his blackened and broken heart the memory of Thea who shared the same face with Tayte. Thea's fate was forever the reminder of the moment he was truly defined as a destructive creature of pure darkness. He refused to be reminded of his truly darkest moment and clung to a further distant memory of his wife which between the two memories was far more tolerable. Then came an unexpected glimpse of something that happened in the 20th century.

Dandridge had come face to face with a face identical to those of Tayte and Thea's. Abby and Aggy and it was Aggy who returned that undesired memory of what made him truly what he was. He took both lives, unlike how he had later pursued Amy as replacement for the wife.

Charley slid down the wall, weighed down by the strength of those memories or visions. A path had already been written but upon his arrival it was twisted and distorted. His eyes snapped wide open and looked up at Aiden and Tayte who were wide eyed in shock and concern. "I..." he mumbled, "I saw what was supposed to happen."

"Oh, my," Aiden gasped, "You had a vision?"

Charley nodded then his eyes shifted and saw no Thea. "Where's Thea?" he asked.

Tayte spun on her slippers, her sister had vanished the moment she and Aiden were distracted by Charley's sudden infliction. "Thea!" she shouted down the dark corridor, "Thea!"

(Author)

Oh my! Oh, where is this leading? How will this end? Oh my! HA! Only I know! :) Be prepared!

FRIGHT NIGHT FOREVA!