Forever Alone... Or Not

Chapter 32

P.O.V. Michael

Why the fuck is it so dark? I can't see shit. Not even my hand I'm waving in front of my face. Or am I? Where the fuck is my hand?

Is that pain? No. Yes. Maybe?

It's light. Like a tug, or an ache. Certainly nothing I'm not used to. Though it has been a while since my dad has kicked my ass, maybe my tolerance has weakened. Oh, wait! I can't forget about Nicc'os family. Fucking assholes.

I must be cursed. Cursed by whatever god who hates my guts. For no fucking reason! Well, I was told I would burn in hell for being gay. Maybe it's my time. Satan's probably hot anyway. Not as hot as Nicco, but hot.

Nicco?

Where is that stupid son of a bitch. We were finally free. The vampire council let him go- let us go. So what the fuck is going on?! It's just one thing after another, really.

"Come on, Michael. Wake up!"

Oh my god! Is that Sariha? Please be Sariha. I can't see. I don't know where I am. I don't know what's going on. Sariha! Help!

"Michael!" Bethany's there too. Wherever there is.

What about Nicco? Where's my Nicco? My...blood bond.

"N-"

"Yes! Come on, Michael! We're here." This time Sariha's voice was much clearer. Intense too. Like it echoed around my skull. Ow. The pain was building.

"Nic-co?" God my throat. It's drier than the fucking Sahara. I'm so fucking thirsty.

My body began to buzz. Almost like pins and needles, but softer. Like the buzz of a bee. I must have been asleep for a while. When did I fall asleep?

"Can you open your eyes Michael?" Open my eyes? They are open! "No they're not, open them."

Bethany. Fucking mind reader.

"Nicco." The full word actually came out this time. I was able to open my eyes too. Partially. The light made me close them tight. The flinch that came with sent a wave of nausea and ache throughout my body. "Fuck."

As I drifted into full consciousness, the pain got worse and the world got louder. There were crashes and audible, heavy, cracks of...rock? Sariha was muttering to herself. I could feel her hand on mine now. I could hear a thump that matched the pulse I felt from her hand. There was another rhythm of beats to my other side. Bethany? Glass shattered somewhere nearby.

Then, someone screamed.

"Nicco!" Despite my body being a stick of straight tension, I sprouted from my supine position.

My eyes burned, drawing tears as the light assaulted me. My hands were shaky as they held my upper body. The ground was deep, inside a pool of fuzz. No, sand? I glanced down. Dust.

"Michael! Thank god!" Sariha shouted. God, she's so fucking loud. At least she was smiling. Though she was also crying. Happy tears?

"Please stop, my head is about to explode." I tried to alleviate the pain by closing my eyes again and pressing my fingers to my temples. "What the hell is going on?" It felt stronger. Like the coils of a snake continuing to tighten around my throat. Like my insides were shriveled, dead dry. Like I wanted to drink a fucking ocean. Looking at Sariha's hand in mine, the blue trails along her knuckles and up her wrist caught my attention. Maybe It's not water I'm thirsty for.

My throat instantly became drier.

"Estelle...did she...?" I panted. My heart, if I still had a working one, felt like it was beating out of my chest. My lungs refused to inflate. As I sucked in what little air I could I was forced to exhale, shrinking my lungs even more.

"Look at me Michael," I did. "You need to breathe, okay. Breathe." Sariha grasped my arms in hers. Almost like collecting me physically would collect me mentally. Well, it didn't not help. "She didn't turn you!"

"She didn't?" I could breathe for a second, so I looked up at her. Not her eyes though. Her neck. A rich pulse alluded me. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in the front of my mouth. I flinched back, away from Sariha.

"What the fuck!" There was a tiny stream of blood from my lip. But it wasn't the blood that alerted me, it was what caused it. "I have fangs! Sariha! Estelle, she must have-!"

"It was me, Michael. It was me. I turned you." She what.

There was a pregnant pause.

"You what!?" Tears were streaming down her shame-ridden face, replacing the now-dried streaks.

"I had to! I couldn't let you die!" My hands began to shake again. Violently. "Michael, you have to understand. Nicco, he wouldn't so I had to." I backed away from her. Stumbling as I did so. The ground was uneven. With the mass amounts of rubble and dust, I couldn't even see the ground. Combined, it makes one hell of a liability.

"I...I need-" Again, it was hard to breathe. Maybe if I get some space away from her, I would be able to.

"Michael you can't, it isn't safe." She tried to grab my arm as I ran from her and Bethany. Bethany, who had yet to say anything.

"Bethany," I called to her.

"I'm sorry Michael. We didn't want to, we had-"

"I need Nicco. Where's Nicco."

"Well, Nicco is...he's..." Why the hell won't she answer. I'm fucking done. So done. I gotta find Nicco. Although I could see parts of the castle were completely destroyed, the courtyard looked relatively preserved. Like whatever was going on avoided the whole area. The door we had come out of before the end of the world looked intact. Hopefully, I can find Nicco before Estelle and Domingo finish the job. A.K.A. killing me. Though I guess that'll be harder now. Fuck me.

Sariha and Bethany chased after me. They caught up quickly, accustomed to their vampire speed. They ran in front of me instead of trying to grab me, obvious of my disdain. Their voices overlapped as they attempted to convince me to forgive them, follow their wishes, and calm down.

I couldn't. Just as was done with Nicco, my consent- my bodily autonomy was stolen from me. Ironic that Sariha has vented for hours on pro-life people and laws and how they're taking the rights of choice and privacy. Fucking hypocrite. Everyone's just a fucking hypocrite. I'm a fucking hypocrite. How I treated Nicco. I have to fix it. Fix us, and the rift I caused. I pushed against her, only a couple steps away from entering the castle.

Sariha snapped I guess because she finally reached for me. Her arm shot out to grab at my arm. In a split second I stepped back. It seemed like I was too late. But, I got away from her. It was almost like her hand passed right through me. Her eyes were wide. I didn't think much of it.

She must really want to keep me from finding Nicco. She sure is putting up a hell of a resistance to me leaving. If I have to, I will fight her. I might be outnumbered with Bethany here, but I don't care. All I care about right now is finding Nicco and making sure he's okay before we go home.

"Sariha, tell me where Nicco is," My voice carried across the now dingy courtyard. They continued to stutter. Their lips moved yet nothing but clips of consonants sounded out. "Now, Sariha! Tell me now!"

3rd Person

There was a silent standstill. Michael and Sariha face off with electric gazes. They have had little disputes and setbacks within their friendship, but nothing like this. Sariha had turned him. After everything that had happened too. And now she was standing between him and his blood bond.

"He's-"

Sariha was interrupted by a thunderous roar. The sky was clear yet the tumbling building rumbled around them. The growl was long and strenuous. Drawn out in wrath and broken in grief. Michael had to cover his ears again, his headache worsening. Along with the echoing pound in his skull, there was an intense thumping in his chest. Goosebumps ran along his arms, hair now standing on edge.

"What the fuck was that?" Michael asked when it finally ended. Sariah took a moment to collect herself but there was still a gleam of horror across her eyes.

"It's-that... Nicco. That was Nicco" 

June 15th, 2024

1,405 Words

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