The Battle
We were at a standstill. The reaper Gabriel held little Angela in his cold arms. The child was crying desperately, while he growled and threatened to shoot, pressing the gun against her head.Nick and I stood facing each other. Gabriel urged us to fight to the death in exchange for the little girl's life. I didn't know what to do. I could see that Nick was also paralyzed before that atrocious choice: attack me or risk his little sister's life. I loved him so much that I would never... I would never be able to turn on him.
In a flash, his eyes filled with kindness. I watched him take a deep breath, as if he had just made a solemn decision—one that allowed no argument.
In a voice barely above a whisper, he asked me, “Do you remember what I told you that time at the park?”
My mind rushed back to that day. Nick was holding my hands, and slowly, he began to speak.
— “You know, until a few months ago, there were only two people in the world I would give everything for... but now, well... now there are three.”
— “Who are you talking about?” — I had shot back, curious and suspicious.
— “I’m talking about my little sister Angela and my mother. My brother Darren died without me being able to do anything, and it’s a torment I still carry with me today. But now, there’s another person too...”
— “Who?” — I asked, even more annoyed.
— “You."
For a second, it felt like my heart stopped. A trail of tears painted my face.
Nick had continued with a serene but firm tone, “If we ever find ourselves against each other, you are the one who has to survive. I will never touch your skin with a blade again.”
That last sentence made me flinch. I broke down crying on his shoulder. When the dawn came a few hours later and we were back in my bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Was this true love? Putting someone you love above yourself.
The flashback lasted only a few moments. It was abruptly cut short when I saw Nick rushing toward me. He feigned an attack, but he was deliberately leaving his guard wide open.
That agonizing dance went on for a few minutes. I couldn’t find the strength to drive the blade into his chest despite his persistence. Gabriel watched us with a malicious smirk. Then, suddenly, I felt Nick’s warm blood on me. He had intentionally run straight into my blade. He slid to the ground, his eyes locked onto mine.
With a thread of a voice, I heard him whisper, “Take care of them.”
In that exact instant, everything became a blur. He lay on the ground and I was on my knees over him, crying, my hands completely covered in his blood.
Filled with rage and pain, I clenched my fists. My eyes turned a blinding red. I sprinted at full speed toward Gabriel, who was still laughing. Before I could strike him, though, he shot me a second time.
The wounds were dripping. I saw Nick—gravely injured and unable to move, but still alive—trying to hand me something. It was Loki’s dagger!
Despite the fresh wounds, my vampire body was healing fast enough to allow me to grab the weapon. I attacked the reaper, who kept looking at me with an ironic smirk. My first slash missed, but the second struck him straight in the heart.
With a howl of pain, Gabriel began to stagger violently. Clearly, he didn’t know that a weapon capable of mortally wounding him even existed.
— “CURSED! Cursed abomination!
What have you done?!” — he roared. He had the terrified look of someone watching his destiny unfold.
In a split second, his expression went blank, and then his body turned to ash before my eyes.
As my wounds finished healing, I took the few steps that separated me from Nick. By then, he had lost consciousness. I noticed with astonishment that my tears, falling on his chest, had cauterized and stabilized the fatal wound. Despite this, Nick lay motionless.
I felt a very faint heartbeat, barely a whisper, coming from his chest. Full of hope, I scooped him up in my arms to carry him home to safety, along with his mother and little sister, both deeply shaken but alive.
I watched over him for as long as I could. The battle, however, had drained all my energy. I was in desperate need of blood and rest. I decided it would be wise to find a donor to feed and recover. In that state, I couldn’t be of use to anyone, least of all Nick.
I found a brown-haired guy near my club. For a generous reward, he allowed me to feed on what I needed to survive. With the formalities out of the way, I rushed back home, where my friend Lillian and Amir were anxiously waiting for me. They were in a state of deep agitation.— "How are you? What happened?!" — Lillian asked, visibly in shock.I didn't know what to answer. I was clearly devastated. I couldn't understand why, even though I had seen my tears heal that deep wound, Nick was still unconscious.Amir examined him carefully, then spoke with a cryptic expression, "He is in a sort of self-induced coma. I don't know when he will regain consciousness."In that moment, I felt the world crumble around me for the second time. As the sun slowly rose on the horizon, I closed my eyes, falling asleep exhausted on his chest.
