Benny and Carly stood there with darkness behind their eyes. The light within them was buried deep within the inky blackness of the vampires within them. They looked toward the others with a sadistic murderous glint in their eyes.
"Benny and Carly, can you get these two girls off me?" Jesse ordered as their possessed figures turned to look at Sarah and Erica.
"Of course, we'd love to." They said at the exact same moment.
The two appeared in front of Sarah and Erica. Benny had Erica and Carly had Sarah. They gave each other a glance and then using their strength punched each of the girls in the chest, causing them to go flying straight through the wall of a building across the street.
"Stop this." Ethan pleaded, standing up straight.
"If Rory hadn't threatened me none of this would've ever happened." Jesse said as Carly and Benny went by his side. "Get rid of them."
Both of them stepped forward and smiled. Sarah and Erica removed themselves from the wall and returned to the others. They pleaded for the two to stop, but nothing was going to get through. Benny smiled as he shot a fireball out of his hands and hit Ethan straight in the chest. Ethan went flying backwards and hit the side of a car.
"Run!" Benny's grandma yelled as everyone got in their hiding spots. They ran behind cars that were parked on the side of the road as Benny kept shooting fireballs and Carly was throwing bricks. Sarah helped Ethan behind the car he was thrown into.
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, examining him as another fireball flew above their heads.
"I'm a little banged up, but I'll be fine." Ethan said, grabbing Sarah's hand.
"I was so worried about you. Me almost killing you was bad enough but then you got kidnapped, were made to kill someone and almost killed all of us. I don't know what I would've done if…" Sarah began as Ethan's lips touched hers. Then he lifted his face leaving one hand on Sarah's face while looking into her eyes.
"What was that for?" Sarah asked with a dopey smile.
"I just wanted you to calm down." Ethan said as he kissed her again.
"How about you guys get out of your love trance and help us come up with a plan." Rory yelled as Ethan and Sarah grouped together with Benny's grandma, Erica, and Rory behind a dumpster.
"I think I have an idea." Benny's grandma sighed. "Benny dropped the Cubile Animus when he got possessed, I can see it from here, but I won't make it if fireballs are being thrown at me…"
"So you want us to distract Benny, Carly, and Jesse?" Sarah questioned
Benny's grandma nodded. "Yeah and then I can get the box."
"I call dealing with Carly!" Rory announced
"I guess I'll deal with Jesse." Sarah sighed
"And I'm dealing with Benny." Erica said
Ethan raised a brow just as he raised his hands. "What about me?"
"You can rest and heal up." Said Benny's grandma, "Ready?"
"Let's do this." Rory said as everyone split up.
Rory snuck from behind the car and tried to get Carly's attention. "Carly, come and get me."
Her head shot to look at Rory with a sadistic smile plastered on her face. She placed her brick down and cracked the bones in her fingers. With a step forward she was ready.
"Ah!" Carly screamed as she rushed Rory. She tried to tackle him but he got a hold of her and slammed her back against the nearest wall, blocking her movement.
"You really suck at this." Rory pointed out as she clawed at his wrist.
Meanwhile Erica was trying to deal with Benny. She moved in front of him and Benny cocked his head to the side. With a clenched fist he continued to throw fireballs in her direction.
"Benny listen…" Erica said as she dodged a fireball. "We're your friends, not your enemies."
"Benny, can't hear you." Benny giggled, shooting Erica into a minivan, leaving a body sized dent.
"You are quite annoying, you gaseous freak." Erica spat, baring her fangs at Benny.
She launched herself at him with all the strength she had. She got close when she realized she was suddenly floating. Erica glanced down at Benny and noticed he was doing something that kinda looked like the force from Star Wars.
"You want to know something?" Benny asked in a sing-songy voice.
"I'm not going anywhere, so tell me." Erica said, trying to get back to the ground.
"Benny's jealous."
"Of who?"
"All of you. He knows you are all going to stay the same age while he grows up. You'll get stronger while he gets weaker. Benny doesn't want to die alone." Benny admitted as he slammed Erica back into the cement, leaving an even bigger hole.
"That witch better hurry up." Erica muttered, launching herself at Benny once again.
While that was going on, Sarah had to deal with Jesse. She had to defeat him because if she didn't everything could go down the gutter. Sarah appeared beside Jesse with a look of determination.
"Hello again." Sarah said, throwing a punch at Jesse, which he sadly caught.
"Miss me?" Jesse questioned, catching Sarah's arm and pinning her against the wall.
"Not really, no." Sarah muttered
"Maybe I should just kill you..." Jesse threatened, putting a stake to Sarah's throat. "Then I won't have to deal with your annoyance any longer."
"Not so fast." Benny's grandma said, appearing near Ethan with the Cubile Animus in her hands. While everyone was distracted she had run over and collected the box.
"Why do you always have to get in my way, MaryJane?" Jesse asked, turning to glare at her.
"Almost killing me all those years ago might have something to do with it. I loved you and you in turn broke my heart" Benny's grandma admitted
"You dated Jesse?!" Sarah, Erica, Rory and Ethan exclaimed all at the same time.
"It was a long time ago and not important. What is important is getting rid of the vampires." MaryJane said, opening the box.
"MaryJane don't." Jesse warned
"Nothing you say is going to stop me from doing this, especially because my only grandson is possessed." She said, whispering the spell.
Jesse's henchmen all started seizuring. Then Carly started shaking as Rory let go of her neck, backing away. Benny was the last to seizure, the vampire in him was a strong one, but even the strongest couldn't fight this.
"No!" Jesse yelled as Sarah and Erica ran from their positions and grabbed a hold of him once again.
"They're no help to you now." MaryJane said as smoke bellowed from the possessed and into the Cubile Animus.
"You son of a…" Jesse muttered, struggling in the girl's grasp.
"It's time for you to listen to me." Rory said, interrupting Jesse as Ethan grabbed his hand.
"Let me do the honors, please." Ethan asked
"Of course." Rory said, handing the knife over to Ethan.
Jesse looked at Ethan with annoyance. "You don't have the guts."
"Oh I do." Ethan said, shoving the knife into Jesse's stomach while he twisted it. "That is for you making me a monster, for your mind control, and for you hurting my friends."
Ethan twisted it a little more so Jesse felt some more pain as he yanked it out and handed it back to Rory, "Jesse you are not allowed to return to town or you will die. If you even take a step inside the borders, you will collapse in pain."
"Rory…" Jesse warned
"Leave or die!" Rory yelled
Jesse gasped in agony, collapsing onto one knee. He tried to attack Rory, but another bout of pain shot through him. He gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. As one last act of evil he used his speed to pick Benny up by the collar. Benny was half awake, but awake enough to see Jesse's expression, and it was frightening.
"Even if you kill me, you're still going to lose." Benny whispered
"I might lose, but at least I can take you with me." Jesse threatened as he sunk his fangs into Benny's neck.
"No!" Erica yelled as the whole group stepped forward, stopping at Jesse's raised finger.
"Ahhh…" Benny gasped as he tried to push Jesse off but he didn't have the strength to even make Jesse budge.
"Shoot a spell at him or something." Ethan pleaded, looking at Benny's grandma.
"I can't they're too close to one another. If I shoot anything at Jesse it will hit Benny." Benny's grandma said, watching in horror.
"Mhm mhm mhm just as delicious as I remember." Jesse moaned, wiping his lips. He dropped Benny on his back and there was no movement, no movement at all.
"Benny!" Erica yelled, running to his side as Jesse backed up, smiling.
"He's gonna die." Jesse warned as Erica looked up at him with tears, "I took too much, Benny's not gonna make it. So are you gonna let him die or make the decision he made for you, Ethan?"
Jesse began to talk as he winced in pain, "Well this goodbye. I'll be seeing you all very soon."
"You can't return to town, Jesse." Rory pointed out
"I might not be able to return right now, but eventually one of you will screw up. And when you do, I will kill all of you." Jesse spat, vanishing as his laugh echoed through the streets.
"Ethan can heal the wound up, right?" Erica pleaded with tears in her eyes. She was more heartbroken then Ethan and Sarah thought she would be. Erica would never admit it, but she truly cared for Benny.
"I can try, but I've only done it once and Carly had enough blood where she could function. I don't know how much Benny has. I know it heals the outside cuts, but I'm not sure if it would return the blood he's lost." Ethan explained
Erica's eyes met his with pleading. "Save him."
"Alright here goes nothing."
Ethan put both hands above Benny's heart, one on top the other. He focused and felt a sizzle, like electricity, come from his palms and travel into Benny. As Ethan kept his eyes closed and focused everyone else watched in amazement as the wound stitched itself back up.
Skin pulled and stretched and after a few seconds everything looked good as new, all that was left was some dried blood on the surface. Ethan then lifted his hands and opened his eyes, hoping to see Benny alive and well, but there was nothing. His wound was gone, but his body still laid there, cold.
"Did it work?" Benny's grandma asked
Ethan shook his head. "I don't know."
"Benny, you have to wake up, please." Erica begged as tear fell and hit Benny's cheek. "I need you. Please, don't leave me."
"I wou...ld nev...er leave you, any of you." Benny whispered as his eyes fluttered open.
"I knew you'd be okay." Erica cried, giving him a hug as he looked up at Ethan.
"Thank you, buddie." Benny said with a weak smile.
"That's what best friends are for." Ethan said as he squeezed Benny's hand.
"Benny." Benny's grandma said with a tearful smile.
"Grandma, you're okay." Benny cheered, leaning forward and giving his grandma a well needed hug.
"Everyone's okay." Sarah said
"Well everyone except Carly who is still unconscious over there." Rory said, pointing to her.
"What do we do now?" Erica asked the group as she helped Benny up to his feet.
"We take Carly home and then we get some sleep." Benny's grandma suggested
"I'll take her home, you guys get going." Rory offered, walking over and picking Carly up bridal style.
He didn't really know where she lived so he tried to wake her, but did not succeed. So he wandered about until he caught her scent at a house across from where he was standing. He walked up to the front door and set her next to the door. As he turned to leave, she grabbed his wrist.
"Will I see you again? Any of you?" Carly asked in a quiet voice.
"I thought you'd never want to see us again after everything that has happened tonight." Rory replied
"You guys are different. I might've almost died and got possessed by a evil gas vampire, but I'm not afraid of any of you." Carly whispered
"Now that you have seen what goes bump in the night, you probably have many questions." Rory said as Carly nodded, "You can come hang with us whenever you want, as long you tell no one our secret."
"I would never." Carly whispered
"I know you wouldn't. We'll see you soon, goodbye Carly." Rory said, ringing the doorbell as he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. Rory vanished and hid behind a bush as her father and mother came outside. When they saw Carly her father carried her inside as her mother gave one more look into the yard before closing the door quickly.
*A Few Hours Later*
Ethan made up an excuse as to why his parents passed out at the same time and everything else. Rory went home to rest, Benny fell asleep in his room with Erica by his side, Benny's grandma made sure the Cubile Animus and the sword were hidden where no vampire could find it and Sarah waited for Ethan as he walked out his front door.
"So what'd you say happened?" Sarah asked as Ethan walked up to her.
"Just that carbon monoxide had leaked into the house enough to knock them out without any health concerns. Jane didn't really believe me, but I tried." Ethan explained
"I was really worried about you." Sarah worried, giving Ethan a hug while hiding her face in his shoulder.
"I know. But everything is okay now. I'm back, and everyone is safe." Ethan reassured
"But Ethan you're a vampire now with all these new abilities and you killed someone, you can't be okay." Sarah said, breaking away from their hug to look him in the eyes.
Ethan shook his head "I'm not, I'm really not. I killed someone and I'm gonna have to live with that for the rest of my immortal life. But if you're by my side I can get through it."
"I love you, Ethan."
"I love you, too." Ethan said as he leaned down and gave Sarah a kiss.
Meanwhile in Benny's room, Erica and Benny were sitting on the bed together. Neither of them said a word as they reflected on the week they just had. Everything was crazy and violent and just awful.
Erica spoke first, tilting her head to look at Benny. "Why did our lives have to get so complicated?"
"If they weren't complicated, we'd get bored." Benny retorted
"True." Erica said as they both began to laugh.
The silence returned as a question plagued Erica's mind. "Hey Benny, do you remember anything you said when you were possessed?"
"Yeah, I remember." Benny said, getting off the bed. "All of you are going to live until the end of time or until you get bored. I'm gonna grow old and die from some dumb disease while you are partying every night."
"Being a vampire ain't what it's cracked up to be, Benny. Yes we don't age, we're faster and stronger, but it has its downsides. There are hunters, the blood lust, dealing with all your family dying and other difficulties. Ethan was turned against his will and he is having a hard time, you should be there with him." Erica explained, getting off the bed after him.
"There might be difficulties, but I'd rather live forever with my best friends then grow up alone. When Ethan was human with me at least I had my best friend and you guys being vampires didn't bother me. But now that I am the only one, it's weird." Benny admitted
"Benny look at me." Erica said, grabbing his face in her hands, "You are a warlock. You can throw fireballs and use the force, you want to give all that up to be a monster? To be someone who hides in the shadows and kills people when they get too hungry. Do you really want that?"
"If I got to be with my friends forever then I would." Benny sighed, his eyes meeting Erica's. "I want you to turn me into a vampire."
"There's no going back." Erica explained
"I know." Benny nodded
"I love you, Benny." Erica said as her fangs extended.
"I love you too."
Erica's fangs sunk into Benny's neck. From then on Benny, Ethan, Erica, Rory and Sarah would live forever and protect one another. Always waiting for Jesse's return.