So Soulless is coming to it's close and I don't even know if this chapter is right – I can't get it how I want :(
Chapter Twenty – It Ends Tonight
It began to rain. High velocity drops pelted through the gaps in the ceiling and drenched all who were stood in its reach. The hairs on Jonno's neck rose as he looked at Robin and Renfield, crowding round the miniscule book with jars of items that the slayer really didn't want to identify. His dark eyes widened as he heard the thunder and the bright yellow of lightning was reflected in his pupils.
"It's starting." He nodded at the pair mixing ingredients. "We've got to do it now, I have no idea what the hell Vlad is doing but we've got to stop it!"
Renfield even looked concerned as he met the slayer's narrowed eyes. "This is a complicated recipe! We don't even know if it'll work and I need more time!"
Jonno swallowed his hand closing round his crossbow. "Just hurry, we don't have long to spare." With more speed and fervour than previously Robin assisted Renfield in gathering equipment and ingredients while the slayer watched: becoming more and more agitated. Whatever Vlad was doing, he knew it would be catastrophic should it succeed. The vampire had been equipped with so much vision as a soulful hero for the humans, he doubted that the sense of prophecy that Vlad had always held for the future had faded with his soul; whatever was going down, it was big.
Jonno was about to ask Renfield for the fifth time whether it was done when a vampire stumbled into the kitchen. His lips parted and he snarled, preparing to attack but Jonno had already fired. A pile of dust dropped to the floor with a crossbow bolt. The slayer glanced at Robin and Renfield.
"We need Vlad re-ensouled, now." Jonno growled. Robin looked at the ingredients.
"We aren't ready!"
The slayer swallowed. He snatched the pair of stakes resting on the table and pushed them into his waistband. "Fine." He glanced towards the door where clear droplets slithered through gaps in the ceiling and wall down the doorframe. "I'll stall."
He headed towards the door but Robin snatched his arm. "We have no idea how long this will take!" The Branaugh's eyes shone with determination and an undercurrent of fear. "There are tons of vampires here and you can't take them all."
Jonno nodded his head nervously and released his wrist from Robin's bony grip. "I know." His eyes darted to where Renfield was crushing a couple of red leaves. "I know." He repeated moisture forming in his eyes. "Make the time worth it."
He was gone before Robin could even yell.
Jonno didn't charge down the corridors. Each step was careful, definite and defiant. He was not a fool. He knew was walking to his death. He just hoped it would be enough to allow Robin to put Vlad's soul back. A vampire charged round the corner, most likely smelling his tantalising scent and searching for the source. He loosened off a shot of the crossbow and watched as the vampire disintegrated.
It was the right thing to do. It wasn't like he'd had much of a life waiting for him. He tried to rationalise it all as every step took him closer to his premature demise. Most slayers seldom lived long lives and many didn't die fighting for the world – that was a point; if he survived but failed then Vlad would destroy the world.
The corridors were silent and with every step, Jonno's boots seemed to grow louder.
He headed to the hall; he knew that this was where Vlad would be and where it would go down. Two members of the undead guarded the doors. The two vampires rose on the hackles when they saw him but once again, Jonno was faster with the crossbow.
Time seemed to slow down as he marched into the hall, crossbow drawn, face set in a determined scowl. Vlad stood at the far end of the room with a blur of silver clenched in his hand and a smirk curling his lips.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the faces of the room's occupants harshly and the dagger in Vlad's hand shimmered maliciously.
Jonno took aim and fired the crossbow. Vlad swiped it out of the air and it burst into flames. As it disintegrated Vlad shook his hand free of dust and tilted his head at Jonno, sizing him up with a predatorily gaze. "You knew that wouldn't hit me." His tone was blank of all emotion: no glee, no threat and no fear.
Jonno straightened, discarding the now-empty crossbow on the floor. This slayer wouldn't fear death and he would face the Chosen One with bravery. "True." He drew the twin stakes from his waistband, twirling the shaped wood expertly in his fingers. "But these will."
Vlad smiled, his pale teeth flashing yellow with another strike of lightning. Moisture dripped through gaps in the ceiling, soaking the inhabitants of their room. They all ignored it. All any of them could feel was the freezing cold anyway, even if in Jonno's case it was from Vlad's icy stare. "I doubt it. You wouldn't want to kill me in case of a chance you could stuff that insignificant soul back in."
Had Jonno's heart been calm rather than pounding a samba of SOS against his ribcage Vlad would've known his next words were a lie but as it were, Jonno showed no sign lying about intending to kill Vlad. "Looking at you, I wonder if all Vlad ever was is you." His hands tightened around the stakes. "I can't save you. But the least I can do is save everyone else."
Vlad shrugged, a mock sympathetic expression on his face. "Aww… emotional." He wiped away a theatrical tear making an almost imperceptible gesture with his palms to the vampires around him. He sighed. "I had wanted you to live to see the world end but I guess you'll have to die now."
Jonno lowered himself into a defensive stance as Vlad issued an order to his minions. "Kill him."
The vampire slayer gritted his teeth as a group of vampires approached him. "Not good odds but I'll take it," His eyes shone with determination. "I'm not a Van Helsing for nothing."
"We've gotta hurry it up!" Robin pushed yet another empty jar onto a shelf with more force than necessary. Renfield scowled as he heard the glass crack. "Jonno could be dead or dying right now!"
Needless to say, Robin was not calm. Once Jonno had given his goodbye speech and charged off to get killed the servant and Branaugh had worked faster than ever but it felt like even their best wasn't enough.
Robin snatched the spell book. "How aren't we done yet?" He pointed at various items on the table. "We've got the ground platypus feet; we deflowered a Virginian tulip and we stole some shampoo from the Count – how aren't we done?!"
Renfield frowned at the table. "We're missing magnesium chloride." Robin glanced at the servant, flabbergasted that Renfield could even say those words. He didn't think the servant knew how to say his own name correctly.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's in un-icy road stones."
Robin continued to stare. "What the hell is that?"
Renfield looked like he was the dumbest person in the world and Robin stared nonchalantly back. "In the larder on the top shelf."
What Robin found in the larder on the top shelf was a large back of road grit. He tried to work out why the Dracula's would have this.
"Master tripped last winter in the courtyard." Renfield told him and Robin snickered, the image of the Count slipping on ice hilarious despite their dire situation.
Quickly Robin snatched a handful of grit and forced it into the vial they'd been mixing the spell in. "There!" He growled. "Are we done now?"
When the servant nodded Robin snatched the vial, hoping Jonno wasn't dead just yet.
With a wince-inflicting crack, Jonno was sent sprawling; he didn't feel the pain of his broken nose, only the hot red blood pouring out of his nostrils. Six out of the ten vampires were dead. Vlad was doing God knows what with his knife and Robin and the re-souling spell were nowhere to be found.
But Jonno was not okay. Four vampires was certainly better than ten but these four had witnessed Jonno kill their friends with ruthless efficiency – they'd seen his technique at his best and had now subconsciously shifted their attacks to combat him. Jonno knew that if he lived to tomorrow he was not going to want to wake up due to the aches.
He drew his wrist up to block another lightning fast attack switching stake hands and stabbing the vampire in the heart. His first stake lay discarded on the far side of the hall. His enemy dissolved into ash but faster than ever a new one took his place. A particularly ugly looking vampire grabbed him by the leg while another snatched his arms from behind.
He threw his unhanded leg out catching the first vampire in the chest. This didn't prevent the second from dragging him to his feet and grabbing him by the neck. Jonno stamped on his foot. It probably didn't hurt the vampire so much but the shock of it gave the slayer ample time to whirl around stake her.
Another pile of dust appeared at his feet. He spun back around on his heel, expecting to see two rabid vampires stalking towards him like rabid dogs but they were retreating.
A pit formed in Jonno's stomach. Vlad strolled forwards. His dagger was gone at least but Jonno knew that his broken nose was now the least of his troubles. The vampire grinned, revealing sharpened fangs. "Come on Jonno; let's see you save me,"
And with that, Vlad launched himself at Jonno.
The vampire slayer was thrown back into the floor with a crippling force as Vlad leapt on top of him. Jonno swiped out with his free hand haphazardly, expecting his wrist to be broken by a fierce block but it connected. Vlad stumbled back making Jonno wonder if Vlad had never learned to fight properly. He'd seen that they'd had weapons but it seemed the Chosen One was unable to fight a slayer of his calibre. With new confidence he kicked Vlad in chest. The vampire didn't move nearly as much as he'd wanted Vlad to but Jonno was given another chance at attack as Vlad tried to find his balance again.
The vampire hit the floor and Jonno was able to straddle the vampire with a stake raised high above his head. Vlad's expression wasn't the shock at his defeat as Jonno had expected, it was curiosity. The vampire slayer briefly considered staking him but he had faith in Robin who could come with a cure for Vlad's soullessness anytime soon.
Vlad's lips curled into a smirk. "You really can't kill me can you?" He chuckled. "This will make things so much easier." His arms came out of nowhere, grasped the front of Jonno's vest and he head butted the slayer.
As Vlad threw him across the room with little effort, Jonno realised he was really in trouble and that the Chosen One was a brilliant liar.
As the vampire and the slayer fought to the death Robin charged down the corridors. It hadn't occurred to him until it was too late that he had no idea where he was meant to be going. Jonno had at least known the school but Robin had not an inkling of his location or Vlad's and Jonno's. He'd managed find a pile of dust, most likely made by the Van Helsing. He was following the corridor on from that but he feared that his misdirection may just cost Jonno his life.
Until he hit the jackpot. Two grey scattered piles of dust at the entrance of a hall. He sprinted in, skidding slightly on the wet floor but staying upright.
Then he saw Jonno.
The slayer was slumped in Vlad's claw-like hands, neck tilted exposing his jugular and eye lids flickering as he struggled to remain conscious. Robin doubted the slayer knew he was there. The Chosen One's ice eyes flicked to the Branaugh. He winked, his lips pulling into a malign smirk and his eyes glittered crimson. He drew back his lips to bite.
Vlad's voice was the only thing in the world he could hear as the vampire closed a hand around his throat. The thunder and pounding rain were nothing to the Chosen One's harsh words. "I know you don't fear death Jonno." The slayer's hands pulled at Vlad's pale fingers, trying to release the iron grip around his windpipe. "But I know what you do fear."
Suddenly he was released and he crumpled to the floor grey eating at his vision.
Vlad's voice was behind him, sharp teeth clicking as he spoke next to Jonno's ear. His head was tipped sharply to the right. Jonno was unable to stop him. "You fear me." The slayer fought against darkness, hands twitching as he tried to regain control over his limbs. "You fear my bite and what I'll make you into."
A blurry figure came into view and Jonno blinked several times. The figure moved and suddenly cool liquid was dripping down his neck.
The water woke Jonno up and he shifted, finding oxygen once again. He heard Vlad's choked scream and he knew exactly what had just shattered above his head.
He glanced to the figure that he could now identify as Robin, hefting a bottle of holy water above his head, clutching a vial of golden liquid in the other.
He threw it at Vlad and the Chosen One gave a visceral roar hands running along the melted flesh of his cheek.
The slayer got to his feet and moved to stand next to Robin watching Vlad also become upright. Robin handed him a loaded crossbow and he aimed it at Vlad.
Vlad's red burns and peeling skin suddenly began to knit back together.
There was a flash of thunder, lighting the dark hall as Vlad rose, snarling, and blood dripping from his lips skin flawless once more. "You're going to pay for that." He hissed and his hands curled into claw-like shapes. "I'm going to rip you apart." He looked like an animal, covered in dark blood and fangs, unnaturally long even for a vampire, silver in the darkness of the hall.
He moved suddenly, with a speed Jonno had not thought possible.
A hand shot out of the darkness, nails shredding the skin of Jonno's arm and vanishing just as suddenly as he'd appeared.
Then, there was light.
It came from the statue prompting all three occupants of the hall to charge over to it. Vlad grinning as a gold portal expanded to block the statue from view. He stopped, metres away from the portal yet close enough to defend it from Robin and Jonno. He smiled gruesomely, black blood of his own dribbling down his chin from his mouth.
"You're finished." He looked back at the portal behind him. Robin darted several metres to the right. "In a few minutes this portal will expand and pull in the earth." His lips quirked nastily. "This portal leads to hell."
Thnnnnnggg! Vlad glanced down and there was a crossbow bolt sticking out of his lung. He looked at Jonno, fingers playing on the wooden shaft. "This won't stop me here!" He laughed. "Hell, it won't even slow me down."
For the first time since the loss of Vlad's soul, Jonno smiled. "It wasn't meant to stop you." He looked at something behind Vlad. "It was meant to distract you."
Vlad had just enough time to look to the right before Robin pulled his head back with surprising force and poured the contents of his vial down Vlad's oesophagus. Vlad choked and hurled Robin away with a sharp push. The breather hit the wall and was instantly stunned.
The vampire stumbled away choking. He glared up at Jonno, doubled over. "You think you're saving your friend by forcing the soul back in?" He tried to spit the mixture out but all he did was spill blood onto the floor. "I'm better off without it! I hated feeling all the time!" His voice lowered and Jonno flinched at the harsh words. "Do you know how many times I wished I didn't feel?"
Vlad coughed. "It doesn't matter whether there's a soul or not – this is who I am!" He tried to smile but grimaced from pain. "You know why soulful Vlad tried to be good?" All Jonno could do was listen in horror as Vlad tried to tear everything down before his soul was restored. "Because he wants to be bad!"
The room shook and lost his fight with gravity. "And he is bad!" He pressed his hands to his ears and shook his head shouting "I am BAD!" His eyes flashed red. "I'M BAD!" The shouts continued until it faded into mumbles and whispers, almost like a mantra. "I'm bad-I'm bad-I'm bad-I'm bad-I'm…I-I'm…" Then he sat up and looked at Jonno.
The pure horror in his eyes proved that his soul was back. "O-h-oh-" He stumbled as if he couldn't quite remember how to use his tongue. "Oh my God." His eyes filled with tears. "Oh my God…" He looked to where Robin was rising from the floor, rubbing his head. "I'm so sorry."
He tried to stand; it looked like he had to learn how to use his body once more. As he got to his feet he was murmuring much like he had been before but now he was muttering the words "sorry-sorry-I-I'm-so-sorry,"
A shadow shot out of the darkness and into the portal's light.
Ingrid snatched Vlad by the collar and pulled, intending to hurl him into the expanding portal.
"Stop!" Jonno shouted – Vlad was the only one who knew enough about the portal to close it.
Ingrid's eyes shot to him. They were furious red. "He has to die."
Vlad made no attempt to fight back as Ingrid dragged him towards hell and Jonno almost wondered if the vampire felt as if he needed to go there. Jonno raised the crossbow and shot Ingrid where he'd shot Vlad minutes before. Both vampires dropped to the floor.
Jonno sprinted to where Vlad had dropped, yanked him up from the floor and kicked Ingrid in the side for good measure. "Close the portal!" He barked at the vampire. Vlad's eyes met his for a second before darting to some unknown spot on the floor, he scrunched them closed. "NO!" Jonno shook Vlad and the vampire's eyes snapped open. "Vlad, please focus –you're the only one who knows how to close this portal."
He snatched the vampire's shoulders and turned him to face the growing inferno of gold. "Close it!"
Something he said to Vlad seemed to get through. He removed his arms from the vampire and backed away as Vlad raised his palms, blue energy flying from his fingertips smashing the bowl that the portal had originally grown from.
It worked; the portal dissipated and Vlad dropped to his knees, burying his head in his hands.
Jonno tossed Robin the crossbow and picked up a stake. "Let's get her out of here."
The Branaugh obeyed without question, he picked up from the floor, keeping the crossbow aimed at her heart and ushered her out. Jonno followed a few metres behind.
As he passed through the doors he heard a sob from the vampire bowed in front of the statue.
He continued walking.
Anyone who's read my work before should know what follows this chapter: an epilogue and thank you but this ending makes it so tempting not to have an epilogue – opinion?
Tell me what you've thought of this finale chapter – did you find it what you wanted? If not tell me what you think I could to do improve and tell me what you wanted to happen!