The Crucivire

Chapter Thirty: In the Face of Adversity

Robert sat on the edge of a bed in his quarters, looking at a photo in his hands despondently. He sat alone for a few moments until someone standing at the door tapped on the wall. Robert looked up to see Jamar.

"Hey," said Jamar. "You okay?"

Robert hesitated to answer, "I'm thinking about dropping out."

Jamar, concerned, walked over to stand by the bed and looked over Robert's shoulder at the photo. It showed a woman and seven children of varying ages.

"Wife and kids?" asked Jamar.

Robert nodded, "It's just...I'm worried that if things go wrong...I won't be there for them."

Jamar nodded, "I can't tell you what to do, Robert. All I know is that we'll need all the help we can get when all of this is done."

Robert looked up.

"That being said," said Jamar hesitantly. "I know exactly how you feel right now."

Jamar clapped Robert on the shoulder and left. Robert watched him go and then looked over at the empty bed across from him. Among the belongings by that bed was another photo. This one was of Harry in a group with other soldiers. No one had come to take away Harry's belongings now that he was dead, but the other side of the room felt empty to Robert, nonetheless.

###

"So, what made you change your mind about werewolves?" asked Hayden.

"We lost," said Marcia. "And badly. Suddenly a giant wolf that can rip apart vampires for you seems like a pretty appealing partner."

Marcia and Hayden sat in a werewolf training room surrounded by Night Hunters on guard. Marcia couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the idea that this woman was a werewolf. She'd seen the footage of these creatures and they were no laughing matter in wolf form. At this point, however, she was willing to try anything.

"Say," said Marcia. "They told me that the last person they tried to partner you with was my previous roommate, Alice Hayes."

Hayden nodded, "Yeah. She was really nice. We talked about our favorite romance movies."

Marcia shrugged, "I'm more into historical dramas myself."

"Oh, cool," said Hayden before she sighed. "I heard that Alice...well...you know." Hayden sighed and looked away. "I hope she's okay."

Yeah, thought Marcia, me too.

###

Alice lay alone on a bed in the mansion, feeling weak from a loss of blood. She had two new puncture marks on her neck from where Victor had bitten her, and she could barely feel the marks tingling as she tried to stay awake. Victor had already left to continue his business, and Alice felt a small morsel of relief that he was gone. She desperately wanted to think of an escape plan, but her head was swimming, and she almost nodded off a few times. She desperately didn't want to fall asleep.

With sleep came dreams.

Around her the room was dark, but as exquisite as when Victor was present. The illusion hadn't faded since he left, and Alice feared what that meant. Despite not wanting to see the illusory room, she wanted to close her eyes even less. No matter how hard Alice tried, however, she just couldn't keep her eyes open, and inevitably slipped into a deep sleep.

In her dream, Alice found herself in the backyard of her old house. It was a hot summer day, and a bright blue sky was broken up only by a burning sun. Alice looked around curiously until she saw two people playing in the backyard. Little Arthur, catching a baseball before throwing it back to their father. The two figures threw the baseball back and forward for a moment or two, and Alice watched, a nostalgic tear running down her cheek. A moment later, Alice noticed someone else in the backyard with them.