In a lifetime

Chapter 47: Joseph Flores

I texted everyone to go to Natalie's house. I don't know why Laurel wants Natalie but it can't be anything good, it never is. 

Me and Nessa meet up with Daniel and Eli while running to Natalie's house. I stop in front of the house seeing the door wide open. 

We walk in cautiously, nothing seems damaged which is concerning.

Eli spots Veronica on the ground knocked out. We run over to check on her, "it looks like her neck was snapped, probably by Laurel" I say and Eli stares at her in fear.

Daniel kneels next to him to reassure him, "she's a vampire, she'll be fine we just have to give her time to heal" he helps Eli up and we wait around for Veronica to wake up.

I try to think of many possibilities as to why Laurel would come here but none make sense or maybe I just don't want them to be true.

A few more minutes go by until we hear Veronica gasp for air.

She starts freaking out and Eli tries to get her to calm down. She starts taking deep breaths and says, "I don't know what happened, one moment I was awake and then the next I was blacked out" Eli helps her up and I analyze the living room again. 

"Veronica just try and remember what you can, up to when you blacked out," Nessa says and Veronica looks around taking in her space. 

She starts off in the kitchen where she received a message from me and moves to the living room where she has me and Eli stand in the placement where Laurel and Natalie were.

"And then I attacked but it didn't affect her and...she killed me," she says with a shaken voice and Nessa helps her to the couch.

Something isn't right, we're missing something.

"In her mind she already wanted Natalie and then she had you knocked out and could've easily killed you for good but why didn't she?" I say pacing back and forth.

I notice Veronica staring at me in fear and say, "Joseph I am so sorry, I know you said to protect her but I couldn't" I look at her confused, and walk over to her.

"This isn't your fault, you did what you could I don't blame you for anything," I say squeezing her hand and smiling for reassurance. I really don't blame her at all and I feel bad that she thought I would.

I gesture for Nessa to join me in the center of the room to repeat the recall spell on Laurel again. "Wait what about your candles and stuff," Eli says and I express that we don't have time.

Closing our eyes, I try to locate Laurel once again. Everyone is on edge which makes it a bit harder but I know I can do it.

After a few seconds of struggling, I finally found her but her location is just bits and pieces of a place.

"She's somewhere dark and it looks like a long passageway along with an altar table?" I say opening my eyes.

Nessa looks troubled as she says, "the chamber has underground passageways and there's an altar table in the center of it all, they might be there but I don't know which one will lead us to them" we all agree to go, and make our way to the chamber once again.

We follow Nessa to the underground passages. There are four different ways to go, "we have to split up, I know my horror movie rule but we don't have time," I say and I take the passage on the far left.

It's a bunch of left and right turns and I'm pretty sure I cut myself on some of the stones but my adrenaline is too high to notice but at least they're some torches around.

I'm running as fast as I can until finally, I make it to the center.

I stand at my entrance as I see Laurel hold up a knife to Natalie's chest who is restrained on the altar table. "Laurel please don't do this," I say with my voice shaking.

I take small steps towards them until Laurel stops me, "I'm only trying to help you" she says and I look at Natalie, "Joseph please get me out of here, I don't want to die" she says while tears fall down her face.

I don't know what to do, fuck.

"Laurel please I'm begging you, don't do this," I say and I can see in her eyes that she isn't going to stop.

I watch in horror as she says, "soon you'll see" and drives the knife into Natalie.

I run up to Natalie as she catches her last breath, "you think I'll go to heaven?" She says and I try to smile while nodding but I don't think my tears are fooling her.

"I'm sorry," I say and she tries to shake her head, "Don't, just make sure my parents know that I loved them," she says before releasing her last breath. 

I close her eyes and hold her close for the last time. Starting to cry heavily, I yell out for help from the others and I can feel a surge of magic leave my body but it doesn't feel like the good kind.

I look at her lifeless body before turning to Laurel who tries to escape.

Laying Natalie down I chase after her. Filled with complete rage I continue to run after her until we make it to the exit that leads outside.

She stops to catch her breath but I don't. It's easy to push her down with magic, maybe it'll be easy to kill her.

"You can feel it can't you, the dark magic manifesting in you, you're welcome," she says laughing and I back off before I prove her right. 

She killed my best friend just so then I can use dark magic, I can't use it, it'll corrupt me as it does with her but I can't let her walk away, not after this.

"You think I'll thank you, you made a big mistake and the next time I see you I will not hesitate to kill you," I say walking back to the passageway but she catches my attention.

"So what, you couldn't save your best friend but maybe you can save your boyfriend," she says and I turn to face her and she's just smiling and Eli runs out who was looking for me.

"Joseph, Daniel disappeared, one moment he was with us and the next he's gone, everyone's with Natalie," he says out of breath and I turn back to face Laurel but she's gone.

I know where she took him. I tell him to tell the others to meet me at my house tomorrow, I can't deal with this anymore.

He runs back and I start running back to my house. While running to the house I start to think of what Laurel was saying, why would she want me to use dark magic.

I start running faster and make it to my house and when I run in I see Daniel restrained by a dark magic aura.

I yell "no!" And command them away with my hand.

When he's released he runs up and hugs me. If he had died I don't think I would've been able to do this anymore.

I tell him about what happened to Natalie and we spend the entire night in each other's arms.

I don't care what Laurel said, I'm going to kill her for what she did, I'll use the dark magic for myself and make sure she pays.

We head upstairs and I get a message from Veronica who says that they brought Natalie to the funeral home and her funeral is tomorrow.

I turn off my phone and go to the bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror and watch as I accept the dark magic in, allowing myself to use it.