Death's Muse

Chapter Seventeen;

Mikey didn't know how much longer it was before his eyes pulled open. The way he woke up was something that reminded him of being pulled out of deep, dark water after nearly drowning. His brain felt like it was full of water and weeds, weighing him to the floor. That was the first thing he was aware of.

The very next thing was the warm pool around his head. He noticed, as he stared disoriented as the ceiling, that it was thicker and warmer than water. Only a second later, it clicked to him that the liquid was blood. He was not scared, however. He only lay there, confused and disoriented as he sat up.

And then, it all came spiraling back to him.

There were two dead bodies laying on the floor, lifeless and bloated, but there was no blood, a fact that which only seemed to make Mikey feel more sick. Two dead bodies of the only people that had ever loved Mikey unconditionally in his entire life. Mikey could feel his mouth instantly go dry and numb as he stared, his whole body shaking, but he couldn't say or do anything. Two tiny tears ran down his face, and he wiped them away, eyes on what were once his two best friends.

Then, a cold presence enveloped the room, and Mikey became aware of something that made his heart sink. Something that caused his blood to run cold and shivers to sink down his spine. Somebody was watching him, and there was only one person that it could possibly be. Mikey barely lifted his eyes to see Frank, regal and clean, standing at the end of the stairs, hand on the banister. Mikey's body filled with terror.

A deadly smirk crossed Frank's lips menacingly, and he tilted his head. His lips curled back and Mikey could see that Frank had not yet cleaned his teeth. Blood and bits of muscle fiber clung to his fangs, dragged in different directions as one's teeth may appear after eating a bloody steak. Frank cackled lowly, "Welcome to the afterlife."

Mikey's stomach suddenly dropped.

"N-No," He barely whispered, his trembling. That couldn't be right. He still felt normal, like Mikey. He couldn't be gone. Not yet.

Frank's smirk grew as he approached, "The change is nearly finished."

Mikey began to panic and stood up shakily. "No!" He yelled with strength he did not have. His stomach twisted and nausea overwhelmed him. The painter's stance swayed, and he fell onto one knee, heart pounding, "No."

Frank's laugh grew even more menacing as he stood over Mikey, half pacing around his kneeling stance. "Oh yes," He said, almost amused, "I reacted the same way, my love. I was scared, just as you are." The memory seemed to be nostalgic. Mikey watched as his shoes stopped in front of himself and then dropped to one knee just as Mikey was. Frank tipped his hand under Mikey's chin, forcing their eyes to meet, "I didn't want to be a monster."

"What changed?" Mikey whispered through gritted teeth.

A laugh shook Frank's body, and he met Mikey's eyes. "You don't understand, love," Frank whispered, his voice barely a hiss. The red irises pierced into Mikey's. The man could almost feel the vampire inside of him, stealing his life away. "But you will," He whispered.

Mikey jerked his head away roughly, fighting back sobs. "So ungrateful," Frank barely hissed as he stood up, turning away and moving back towards the two corpses. Mikey could feel tears running down his face as he clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. Perhaps it was only his mind, but Mikey began to believe he could feel the venom in his veins, infecting every cell like a dirty bomb, a disease bent on destroying his brain.

He had to get out, but only one way came to his mind. There was only one thing he could do to save himself, only one way to save his life.

Mikey had to kill himself.