Perched at the small window, watching the midnight drama, she heard her grandfather's voice, and her skin pricked.
She heard the tone of finality in his voice, and immediately, the scales fell from her eyes!
'No. . .' she gasped- shaking her little head; 'It can't be. . .'
Like a turbulent storm, understanding suddenly lashed down on her, realization dawned on her, rocking her boat and shaking her out of her ignorant state!
In bits and pieces, the parts all began to come together! In brief flashes, memories began to resurface again- at lightning speed! She now understood! In her tender heart, she felt her innocence shatter into a thousand pieces.
Her vision blurred slightly.
Her breaths seized.
'I've been a fool. . .' her inner voice scolded her; 'I've been such a fool. . .grandfather's the killer?'
Shock sliced through her;
'Sweet old Drac? Why???'
While her heart raced within her, under the arc of the crescent moon, Dracula's arms slowly emerged from the depths of his cloak- stretching forward towards the kneeling aristocrat.
Abby's eyes flared open in shock-
'He's gonna kill him. . .grandpa's gonna kill Lord Reaves?'
That was all it took. Instinct took over and her entire body jerked into action. Blinded by a thick fog of righteous indignation, her slender torso lurched forward- and her right foot struck out with a sharp jut.
Without anyone even noticing, Abby's short body slithered out out in a daze. Pulling away from the window, with her heart beating loudly, and her light feet pattering on the ground she rushed out of the basement of the safe house- while everyone's eyes remained fixed on the execution!
'Grandfather. . .' Abby's heart fluttered- snaking through the dark hallways; 'Please. . .don't do this. . .please. . .'
The coldness of the outside wind blasted onto her rosy face as soon as she burst outside. Without wasting any time, she inhaled a lungful of air, and wailed with the whole of her breath;
"GRANDFATHER!!"
The innocence of her shrill voice shattered through the dead quiet, momentarily disrupting the execution!
"Please! That's enough! Enough of the killing!!!" she sobbed.
Above Dracula's pointed nose, the edges of his eyelids arched up in surprise. Briefly, a shadow of surprise crossed his bearded face.
In the vacuum of darkness and air between them, Abby's voice- like the sound of a wailing violin, cut through his ears- temporarily altering the vengeful mask on his face!
The slant of both his shoulders dropped with a soft thud. At the base of his slender neck, the straining muscles pulsed as he slowly shifted his gaze- leftwards- meeting his grandchild's eyes.
Even from that distance, he saw the disappointment on Abby's face, and the old man felt the sickening cramp in his chest. Time seemed to stop, and they both fought a losing battle to keep their hearts from thudding violently.
Locking out the rest of the world, the alchemist eyes slowly locked on his granddaughter's eyes. And, together, under the silver glare of the western moon, they both lost the capacity to breathe.
Abby, eyes shimmering like a sea of tears, stood behind Reaves with her legs apart. Suspicion, surprise, and disappointment spilled from her puffy eyes, onto the hollow of her cheeks. At her sides, against the creases of her gray dress, her fists were curled into balls- clenching harder and harder.
Daringly, she slid her right foot along the stone paved path, stepping out of the domineering shadow of the looming white building.
Eyelids twitching nervously she cried- stretching out her hand;
"PLEASE-GRANDFATHER–" raw emotion crackled from her voice; "PLEASE-END-THIS-NOW. . ."
The five foot child blinked- forcing out drops from the pool of tears;
"You're not a murderer. . .my grandfather is not a murderer. . ."
Dracula's lips parted- as if to say something. But she sucked in a lungful of air- before screaming out her throat; (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com
"NO ONE DESERVES TO DIE!!!" her tongue rolled out the high pitched vowels; "They're all somebody's child, husband, wife, and–" she choked on the last word; "grandparents! Please, you're gonna make them cry!"
She swallowed, forcing back the rising sob at the back of her throat;
"GRANDPA-PLEASE-I BEG YOU!!" she wailed; "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS-PLEASEEE!!"
Breathless, and bleeding tear drops from her eyes, her lower jaw unhinged once again, and begged;
"Come back to us. . ." her feeble hands shook weakly; ". . .come back grandpa. . ."
For a brief moment, Dracula's hardened eyes seemed to dim.
The dark shadow under his brows receded. In creaking noises, his puffy shoulders dropped by a fraction of an inch. And under his cloak, by his right thigh, evidence of his twitching fingers appeared.
Indeed, the alchemist seemed to be toying with hesitation. But, it only lasted for a moment. Abby saw the corner of his lips tightening, and immediately recognized that look. Fresh tears rolled down on her pink cheeks as she slowly began to succumb to the truth- her grandfather was lost.
Between only them, a silent, wordless, message slipped towards Abby from Dracula's eyes;
It's too late. . .
She gasped- preparing her tongue to wail, at the same time, wishing her stiff body to move forward! But the emptiness of the nighttime, the swirling darkness in front of her, and the disappointment in her frail heart, had partially paralyzed her!
From the windows, dozen of eyes watched as Dracula's cloak shifted backwards.
The gentle breeze revealed parted the robe. And from the dark void, his left arm emerged- gripping a black iron horn. Immediately, Nexus' eyes flared open on the spot- burning in astonishment. His mouth dropped, glaring at the horn- feeling his gut drop!
"Oh shit," he cursed in a breathless sigh; "That's not good! That's not good at all!"
He jerked his head towards Abby, at the same time watching Dracula with the corner of his eyes. The old man's arms were arching upwards, slowly lifting the horn to his mouth. Reaves, probably sensing the mood, closed his eyes, and lowered his head- preparing to meet his end. Somewhere in the background, the persistent cries of Tiffany screams shredded the air.
But it wasn't enough.
Above the wailing daughter's screams, the savage blare from the black horn exploded;
VROOOOOMMM!!!
Nexus' forehead creased into folds. A fresh cold broke over the courtyard- and the shadows of the infected cops began to slither. In every eardrum, the resounding alarm blared- cutting through the soft tissues, and assaulting their bodies with a raw terror.
It was the Horn of Hades.
It was Death's call.
At once, while the horn was still in Dracula's mouth, the muscles on the limbs of the werewolves began to twitch violently. Their drooling jaws dropped, and their massive heads snapped- turning together- towards Reaves!
Still on his knees, feeling the glares of the circling werewolves, he tossed his head backwards- unfolded his tongue and yelled into the cold night;
"TIFFANY!!!" he screamed- spitting into the air; "MY CHILD!!"
A beastly shadow fell over his face;
"I WILL LOVE YOU FORE–"
That was as far as he got.
Below his chin, while his head was still arched upwards, a set of four-fingered claws hurtled towards his neck- and sank all four of them into the flesh of his soft throat. The claws automatically clenched, mincing Reaves' neck like shredded meat.
Perched at the small window, watching the midnight drama, she heard her grandfather's voice, and her skin pricked.
She heard the tone of finality in his voice, and immediately, the scales fell from her eyes!
'No. . .' she gasped- shaking her little head; 'It can't be. . .'
Like a turbulent storm, understanding suddenly lashed down on her, realization dawned on her, rocking her boat and shaking her out of her ignorant state!
In bits and pieces, the parts all began to come together! In brief flashes, memories began to resurface again- at lightning speed! She now understood! In her tender heart, she felt her innocence shatter into a thousand pieces.
Her vision blurred slightly.
Her breaths seized.
'I've been a fool. . .' her inner voice scolded her; 'I've been such a fool. . .grandfather's the killer?'
Shock sliced through her;
'Sweet old Drac? Why???'
While her heart raced within her, under the arc of the crescent moon, Dracula's arms slowly emerged from the depths of his cloak- stretching forward towards the kneeling aristocrat.
Abby's eyes flared open in shock-
'He's gonna kill him. . .grandpa's gonna kill Lord Reaves?'
That was all it took. Instinct took over and her entire body jerked into action. Blinded by a thick fog of righteous indignation, her slender torso lurched forward- and her right foot struck out with a sharp jut.
Without anyone even noticing, Abby's short body slithered out out in a daze. Pulling away from the window, with her heart beating loudly, and her light feet pattering on the ground she rushed out of the basement of the safe house- while everyone's eyes remained fixed on the execution!
'Grandfather. . .' Abby's heart fluttered- snaking through the dark hallways; 'Please. . .don't do this. . .please. . .'
The coldness of the outside wind blasted onto her rosy face as soon as she burst outside. Without wasting any time, she inhaled a lungful of air, and wailed with the whole of her breath;
"GRANDFATHER!!"
The innocence of her shrill voice shattered through the dead quiet, momentarily disrupting the execution!
"Please! That's enough! Enough of the killing!!!" she sobbed.
Above Dracula's pointed nose, the edges of his eyelids arched up in surprise. Briefly, a shadow of surprise crossed his bearded face.
In the vacuum of darkness and air between them, Abby's voice- like the sound of a wailing violin, cut through his ears- temporarily altering the vengeful mask on his face!
The slant of both his shoulders dropped with a soft thud. At the base of his slender neck, the straining muscles pulsed as he slowly shifted his gaze- leftwards- meeting his grandchild's eyes.
Even from that distance, he saw the disappointment on Abby's face, and the old man felt the sickening cramp in his chest. Time seemed to stop, and they both fought a losing battle to keep their hearts from thudding violently.
Locking out the rest of the world, the alchemist eyes slowly locked on his granddaughter's eyes. And, together, under the silver glare of the western moon, they both lost the capacity to breathe.
Abby, eyes shimmering like a sea of tears, stood behind Reaves with her legs apart. Suspicion, surprise, and disappointment spilled from her puffy eyes, onto the hollow of her cheeks. At her sides, against the creases of her gray dress, her fists were curled into balls- clenching harder and harder.
Daringly, she slid her right foot along the stone paved path, stepping out of the domineering shadow of the looming white building.
Eyelids twitching nervously she cried- stretching out her hand;
"PLEASE-GRANDFATHER–" raw emotion crackled from her voice; "PLEASE-END-THIS-NOW. . ."
The five foot child blinked- forcing out drops from the pool of tears;
"You're not a murderer. . .my grandfather is not a murderer. . ."
Dracula's lips parted- as if to say something. But she sucked in a lungful of air- before screaming out her throat; (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com
"NO ONE DESERVES TO DIE!!!" her tongue rolled out the high pitched vowels; "They're all somebody's child, husband, wife, and–" she choked on the last word; "grandparents! Please, you're gonna make them cry!"
She swallowed, forcing back the rising sob at the back of her throat;
"GRANDPA-PLEASE-I BEG YOU!!" she wailed; "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS-PLEASEEE!!"
Breathless, and bleeding tear drops from her eyes, her lower jaw unhinged once again, and begged;
"Come back to us. . ." her feeble hands shook weakly; ". . .come back grandpa. . ."
For a brief moment, Dracula's hardened eyes seemed to dim.
The dark shadow under his brows receded. In creaking noises, his puffy shoulders dropped by a fraction of an inch. And under his cloak, by his right thigh, evidence of his twitching fingers appeared.
Indeed, the alchemist seemed to be toying with hesitation. But, it only lasted for a moment. Abby saw the corner of his lips tightening, and immediately recognized that look. Fresh tears rolled down on her pink cheeks as she slowly began to succumb to the truth- her grandfather was lost.
Between only them, a silent, wordless, message slipped towards Abby from Dracula's eyes;
It's too late. . .
She gasped- preparing her tongue to wail, at the same time, wishing her stiff body to move forward! But the emptiness of the nighttime, the swirling darkness in front of her, and the disappointment in her frail heart, had partially paralyzed her!
From the windows, dozen of eyes watched as Dracula's cloak shifted backwards.
The gentle breeze revealed parted the robe. And from the dark void, his left arm emerged- gripping a black iron horn. Immediately, Nexus' eyes flared open on the spot- burning in astonishment. His mouth dropped, glaring at the horn- feeling his gut drop!
"Oh shit," he cursed in a breathless sigh; "That's not good! That's not good at all!"
He jerked his head towards Abby, at the same time watching Dracula with the corner of his eyes. The old man's arms were arching upwards, slowly lifting the horn to his mouth. Reaves, probably sensing the mood, closed his eyes, and lowered his head- preparing to meet his end. Somewhere in the background, the persistent cries of Tiffany screams shredded the air.
But it wasn't enough.
Above the wailing daughter's screams, the savage blare from the black horn exploded;
VROOOOOMMM!!!
Nexus' forehead creased into folds. A fresh cold broke over the courtyard- and the shadows of the infected cops began to slither. In every eardrum, the resounding alarm blared- cutting through the soft tissues, and assaulting their bodies with a raw terror.
It was the Horn of Hades.
It was Death's call.
At once, while the horn was still in Dracula's mouth, the muscles on the limbs of the werewolves began to twitch violently. Their drooling jaws dropped, and their massive heads snapped- turning together- towards Reaves!
Still on his knees, feeling the glares of the circling werewolves, he tossed his head backwards- unfolded his tongue and yelled into the cold night;
"TIFFANY!!!" he screamed- spitting into the air; "MY CHILD!!"
A beastly shadow fell over his face;
"I WILL LOVE YOU FORE–"
That was as far as he got.
Below his chin, while his head was still arched upwards, a set of four-fingered claws hurtled towards his neck- and sank all four of them into the flesh of his soft throat. The claws automatically clenched, mincing Reaves' neck like shredded meat.
