Too Human

Goodbye

We were inside a barn off an old farmhouse. It’s dangerous, usually, to be inside human buildings but we were far out in the countryside near no farms. I was still sceptical, but every time it passed my mind all I saw was the swarms of plague scrambling faster with every second, looking for us, getting deadly close when- I cut Hector off.

"I get it!" I whip round to where he was looking through me from. He just sat there, looking like stone. He rarely speaks to me, but he made his point clear. The closer to humans, the further from them. Warren’s still out there. I was showing him the thoughts of Warren getting spotted by farmers or cyclists, even stopping, him having to run. That same moment Warren reassured that he was within sight of the barn, walking back in case of spotting food. Looking out the empty window frame I see him venturing back, slowly, with a deer. From his view, I thought the barn was small but he looked even smaller than us. I smiled at the idea of humans living here for centuries, oblivious to the ‘vampires’ living in the woods, watching them. An image passed my mind of someone doing exactly that. This shocked me a little. It was quite quiet tonight being that of an early sunset and not many had shared anything. This also made it cold so humans wanted to be inside but not so cold that we had to be. That’s one reason why we retreated, but I thi-I know Hector doesn’t feel as safe without Meridith beside him. He'd do anything to be by her side. The way she hunts, her strength and courage. Luckily for us, his loyalty to his friend was just as strong.

Coming out of the thought I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I stopped to admire what’s around me. The orange and red blend of the sky drags downwards towards what was left of the yellow sun ducking down behind the golden-brown spread of trees, shadowing a wavy line over the green field below. It was beautiful. I realized that Warren was looking at me from a far as he saw something else I hadn’t done in... almost forever. I smiled. Your smile glows brighter than the sunset. He said this not in a lovingly way, more of a fatherly one. This was not normal for him; the cold weather got to all of us, slowing down everything from reflexes to realisation. Shameful, I looked away from him and went back to where I had sat by the wall and I thought of times when he could hardly look at me. Times when I was ‘an unworthy death to the grass on which I walked upon’. But now, he became my role model. Being my blood, he was always my role model but now he’s happy to be. It’s the closest I’d ever have to family in my 20 decades left. I didn’t know what I’d do without him.

It was silent around us but movement was in the distance. Something was horribly wrong; Warren was screaming to us internally. Is it humans? Hector was desperately trying to figure out if it was safe; if it was humans we'd have to leave him in case of exposure to the rest of us. Anything else and we'd be out there as fast as lightning. But we had to be sure. Those few silent seconds were the agonisingly longest seconds of my life. All we could do was wait. I was useless. Suddenly, Warren dropped the deer. He started to run, he wasn't fast enough in this weather and then... then came the scream.

Screeching, breaking through the air, so strong it terrified me. That very second it became enough just to know that when I went for him I'd die with him. I leaped onto my feet and ran faster than my legs would go.

Running. In front of me was the man lying on the floor screaming that gut wrenching scream that was so new to me I was scared for him. Light rain pattered down my face, my long hair sweeping across, sticking to it. My head hurt from the cold; my feet from the hard, frosty ground; my eyes from the sight before me. As I got closer to him my fears became real as the small black creatures swarmed around him. I had to stop and think; no more of my thoughtless actions could help me now. They never did. I couldn't believe it had taken until now to realise so. No wonder he had been so sick of me; I had no instinct, no sense and no future here. I only wanted to make him proud and now I realise that he could never be. No time. I had to get the plague away from him. I ripped my sleeve off my arm and scratched at my metal bracelet, sparks flying, setting the fabric alight. I threw it violently out towards them, forcing them to scarper and scramble back to the wood in the distance. I could finally see his face. He didn't get up; he couldn't.

"Warren!" I fell to his side. He was in the pain that followed a bite from plague. Not wasting a moment, I grabbed his arm and held the side of his head so he was facing me. 'It's ok, I'm here.' I started to take his pain from him. Immediately a shot of agony surged through my body, forcing me to drop his arm. I tried again, this time not letting him go. It was a horrible feeling to have, but even worse was to know that Warren had it ten times worse. He was trying to tell me something inside but I blocked his thoughts, getting him to find strength, even if only enough to speak.

"I should always have been proud of you," it was strange hearing him say this, almost surreal.

"That's not true"

"It is. You had what none of us had; feeling, emotions, understanding of humans. I see that now."

"You're delusional."

"No, I'm not. I was." He was sending me thoughts I didn't want to hear... I couldn't admit to be true.

"We're gonna get you out of here. I'll get you back to the barn and I'll take care of you. I'll be ok I prom-"

"Mercy" I just looked at him lying there, helpless, looking up at me and telling me something I already new he would. Leave me. They're coming. You can't nurse me forever, Mercy. That's not my name, I'm not that girl anymore. She was human, more human than I'll ever be. You should be that girl.

"I won't leave you here."

"You have to. There's only just enough time for you to get back to the barn," Distant rumblings confirmed this, as I realised demons were headed in our direction, guided by the smell of the blood from the bite on Warren's arm. Also that, because of our lack of smell, we couldn't get rid of it. And not enough time with me. I could feel the presence of a thousand eyes watching him through me. The world would witness the death of Warren Rowe.

"I can't. You've been like a father to me. I can't let you die."

"You will," and as he said this Hector grabbed me from behind and, against my will, started to carry me back to the barn. I struggled in his grip, ran in the opposite direction, cursed my lack of strength. He was trying to calm me when I broke free and foolishly ran straight towards a demon. I fought it, blinded by the re-occurring screams ahead of me. Hector helped me, the demon ran to help the other but it was too late. I had been bitten.

I collapsed in a heap, weak, faint and out of breath. The next thing I knew was that Hector had carried me back and we were in the barn. He lay me on the floor, counting the seconds since it happened. 7, 8, 9, 10. My vision blurred as Hector left my range. He was after cure. No. I sent it too him, hoping for once he would listen. 19, 20, 21, 22. In a few seconds I would be dead, where I belonged. He reappeared in front of me with a small glass bottle. Inside could be drop or it could be half full but it didn't matter; I wasn't taking it. He tried to pour some into my mouth but I held it shut tight. My throat closed up and I could hardly breathe. 25, 26. Your not dying too, I won't let you. So just take some and stop wasting it! Some went in my mouth as I went for air and immediately my throat cleared as my vision did. I turned over onto my hands and gasped for air. I was alive.

I got up, my legs almost giving way beneath me, and stumbled over to the window frame. He was still out there, dying. Tears welled up in my eyes as he took his last breath, his eyes closed and his energy leaving him, flowing into me, giving me his last ounce of strength. The shouting stopped and the demons fled the way they came, carrying him with them. Hector placed the little bottle on the ledge. We didn't need to see through it to know it was empty. The sun had set, plunging us into a darkness that we could easily see in. I picked up on all of these things only because time itself had slowed. But none of it mattered. My throat was dry. Tears escaped over the lid of my eyes as I closed them. And Hector found the words I wanted to say but never could.

"He's gone."