When Darkness Falls

Chapter 40

Dan, I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry.  I love you and I'll see you soon.  Please just don't give up on me.

My eyes shoot open just as I do, beads of sweat flying from my head onto the bed underneath me.  The sheets are crumpled up into my fists as my breathing slowly goes back to normal.  I shake my head and rub my hands across my face.

I've been having nightmares like this for days now.  They're always the same.  Phil keeps repeating that he loves me and he says sorry.  I don't have the slightest clue what he's sorry about, and I absolutely don't know what he means by saying don't give up on me.  Maybe my dreams are telling me something.  Maybe they're saying that even after he dies I should stay strong and not give up hope.

He'll see me soon.  Maybe that's when we both die.

That's when I notice it.  I look beside me and instantly start panicking when I notice he isn't amongst the sea of pillows along with me.  "Phil."  And just like that, my heartbeat is accelerating once more.  That is, until I see a small piece of paper with his writing on it sitting on top of the bedside table.

I roll my eyes and grab the paper, closely examining the words.

Chris decided he didn't trust us enough for us to be together all day today too, so he made me go with him...  Please don't freak out Dan. 
It's going to be okay.  Just remember that I love you.
I'll always love you.  Only you.  Forever..

xo
Phil

I sigh, reading the underlined words over and over again.  I'll have to store this note somewhere considering its the last thing he left for me.  Well, note wise.

A knock on the front door breaks my train of thought before it can become as depressing as it was going to be. 

In a flash, i slip on a pair of joggers and run to the front door, only to see that Chris invited himself in.  To my surprise he has a pity filled expression on his face with a cup of coffee resting in his hand.  "Daniel, I need to ask one more thing of you today."

"What more could you possibly want from me, Chris."  My voice is dull; empty.  I hope he feels horrible for what he's doing to me.  To Phil.. To us.  I hope he feels that guilt every day once he gets his damn powers, and I hope that nobody ever shows him any kind of love. 

He rolls his eyes slightly and hands me a large glass vile.  "I need some of your blood before the ritual.  Something about combining everyone's blood and me drinking it beforehand or whatever." 

I take the vile hesitantly and give him a cautious look.  "I don't remember you saying anything about that when you were telling us about it." 

"Well, shit Dan I make mistakes too.  Sorry if I forgot one tiny detail in the damn instruction manual for sacrificial ceremonies." 

He's quite grumpy for someone whose about to get something he's quite literally waited his whole vampire life, however long that may be, to obtain.  Maybe the guilt is getting to him.  I doubt he'll call it off at this point, but the fact that he looks as though he just killed a puppy brings the tiniest prickle of satisfaction to my seemingly endless sense of dread.

I stride into the kitchen and pick up one of the steak knives from the counter.  "Where is Phil?"  I mumble curiously as I make my laceration, watching as the thick maroon liquid flows into the vile until it's filled to the top.  I slip the top on the tiny tube before handing it to Chris and wiping the dried blood off of my palm, the cut now nowhere to be seen.

"He's somewhere safe, just to be sure you don't try to pull any funny business."  Chris gives a stern look as he puts the vile into this coat pocket.  "Do you know how everything is supposed to go tonight, Dan?"