Sagwa kept her eyes on Vlad as Gabe poked yet another needle into his arm.
Vlad growled and lifted his hand up, slamming it down and shattering that table sending the vials of blood crashing to the floor, luckily none of them broke.
Gabe jumped to his feet, "I need more than two!"
Vlad growled and went towards him.
Sagwa jumped between them, holding her hands out to Vlad, "If you hurt any of my friends, you can forget about getting your wife back."
Vlad bared his fangs at her and let out a low growl, "Surrounding yourself with this human scum."
Sagwa growled and let herself turn into the vampire in her, "Come on, Vlad, lets not fight again."
He let out another annoyed growl, his huge fangs showing.
Sagwa shrugged, "Okay then."
He rushed at her, taking them both off the balcony.
Pain radiated through Sagwa's body as her back connected with the tarred road, Vlad's heavy weight on top of her.
Using all here vampire strength, she threw him off her and as he was getting up she pounced on his back, even in her vampire form she was much smaller than he was.
She let out a frustrated scream and dug her claws into his sides.
Vlad leant his arm back and grabbed hold of her hair, pulling her from his back and flinging her across the road.
She landed with such force on a car that it dented under her.
As she sat up, he was already in front of her.
"Why do you have to be so quick?!" She lifted her leg and kicked him square in the chest, sending him staggering back.
She jumped to her feet, standing in front of him.
He lifted his arm and swung, aiming straight for her face.
She ducked and ran at him, knocking him off his feet.
She punched him in the face, "Get," punch, "Over," punch, "Yourself." punch.
He grabbed her around her waist and flung her yet again.
This time, her back hit into a wall and she moaned in pain as she dropped to her knees on the tar.
She looked up at him standing in front of her.
He looked pure evil standing there, looking down on her in disgust.
Sagwa grabbed onto his leg and pulled, dropping him to the ground.
As she scrambled to grab on to him, he leant forward and bit into her, tearing out a huge chunk of her side
She howled in pain and rolled over onto her back.
He stood over her, and she was sure he was going to kill her when suddenly Merena's spirit appeared between them, her hands held out as if to stop him from hurting Sagwa any further.
Vlad stopped dead, transfixed on the spirit of his dead wife, he took a few steps back and Sagwa got to her feet.
Merena gave Vlad a faint smile before disappearing.
Sagwa let out a heavy sigh, wincing at the pain from the torn wound in her side which poured with blood.
"Can we please work together without one of us killing each other?"
He nodded and followed her in and back to the flat.
Gabe raised an eyebrow, "Ah, good to see you didn't kill each other."
"Almost," Said Sagwa as she sat down and pointed to her wound.
Vlad looked at her, "You can heal, you know."
Sagwa frowned, "What?"
"You have my blood which means you are able to heal."
"Focus on the pain,use the pain as a tool to guide the energy and heal yourself"
"Right." She said.
Vlad made it sound so easy but as she tried, she found it extremely hard.
Gabe stepped forward but before he could speak, Vlad gave him a look and he decided better of it.
Suddenly the wound began to stretch closed.
"Its working!" Red exclaimed happily.
She dropped off the couch, her energy completely gone.
Gabe and Red both ran to her.
Gabe glared up at Vlad, anger replacing fear, "What now?!"
"She needs to feed."
Raya frowned, "She sent Kreed away."
"Blood is blood. I'll be back." He said, leaving the door open as he walked out.
Em sighed, "That guy gives me the creeps."
Heavy boots hit the floor and all eyes turned to the door where Kreed stood.
"I heard the whole thing." He went over to the kitchen and brought out a cup and knife.
Gabe stood, "Get out."
Kreed ignored him and made a cut in his wrist, allowing blood to drain into the cup before handing it to Gabe, "Let her drink or she will die."
** *
Sagwa opened her eyes slowly, she was in the bed in Raya's room.
She sat up slowly, her hand going to where the wound had been; she was healed.
She remembered Vlad telling her how to heal herself, she remembered feeling weak and then everything went fuzzy.
Licking her lips, she tasted traces of blood.
Kreed's blood.
Getting out of bed she walked out, Gabe and Raya were at a new table.
Em sat with Red going through a stack of papers.
Vlad was gone.
Kreed was back.
"Did I not tell you to leave?"
He looked up, "I left. I came back. I gave you blood."
Sagwa curled her lip in disgust and Em gasped.
"Sagwa, your fangs are out."
"I know, they're not retracting."
Kreed stood, "Can we talk?"
Sagwa exhaled, but before she could answer, Vlad walked in.
With a body over his shoulder.
Em and Red jumped off the couch, going to stand behind Gabe and Raya.
Sagwa frowned, "What the hell did you do?"
Vlad dropped the young mans body on the floor with a thud, "I got you a blood supply "
Sagwa knelt next to the body, feeling for a pulse, "Vlad. We don't kill innocent people. Oh, he's alive."
"He is Jack's son."
Sagwa's head snapped up, "His son? I didn't even know he had a son "
Kreed stepped forward, "Should I tie him up?"
Sagwa stood, "Yeah, until we figure out what to do with him."
Vlad's eyed landed on Kreed, "The wolf is back?"
Sagwa turned to him, "Vlad, play nice. Please."
He scoffed and walked out onto the balcony.
Red cleared his throat, "I'll tie him up. Sugs, you sort things out with Kreed."
Sagwa nodded reluctantly.
Kreed tilted his head towards the door, "Lets go for a walk?"
Sagwa sighed and followed him out.
They said nothing till they were on the road.
Sagwa looked up at the balcony; Vlad stood like a statue, staring at her.
"I don't trust him."
Kreed shrugged, "We're not here to talk about him."
Sagwa spun, "Really? What are we here to talk about? The fact that you're a werewolf? The fact that you didn't tell me? Or the fact that it was you're blood used to put the werewolf in me?"
"I wanted to tell you.. But, I couldn't find the right time. I was scared you would hate me, that I would lose you." He said, emotional dripping from his voice.
Sagwa shook her head, "Kreed, if you had been honest with me, you wouldn't have lost me."
Kreed frowned, "Have my lies lost you?"
Sagwa sighed, "I don't know. Lets focus on Jack for now."
Kreed nodded, a look of unhappiness on his face.
***
Jack's son had woken a few minutes earlier and the group stood around him.
He looked rather scared.
Sagwa crouched down in front of him, "I'm Sagwa. Do you know who I am?"
He shook his head, eyes on her fangs.
"I am a creation of your fathers."
He frowned, "The Hybrid."
Sagwa nodded, "You are going to help us. If you don't, I'm going to kill you. Slowly and painfully. Understand?"
He nodded.
She stood, "Good boy."
Gabe cleared his throat, "Sagwa, can we talk?"
Sagwa followed him out to the balcony, "What?"
Gabe sighed, sounding defeated, "Sagwa... I... I can't save you."
Sagwa felt her heart drop, "You can't?"
Gabe shook his head, "Its been in you too long. We would have to use a whole body of human blood in its place."
"So we do that."
Gabe seemed surprised, "I didn't think you would agree to this."
Sagwa sighed, "I'm desperate, Gabe."
***
Sagwa sat on the balcony, watching her friends -and Vlad- through the glass windows.
She felt terrible that she would have to kill someone to save herself, she wouldn't be able to do it.
But she and Gabe had come up with another plan; they would use Jack.
She planned on killing him in the first place, this way, killing him would serve a purpose.
She rolled her neck , she was tired and anxious to get the battle with Jack over, patience had never been one of her traits.
Her eyes went to Vlad , he was going to be extremely annoyed when he found out she couldn't really get his dead wife back.
She was slightly worried of what the outcome would bring.
He had almost killed her, for no reason at all, what would he do when he actually had a reason?
Vlad's head slowly turned, his eyes meeting hers, as if he had felt her stating.
She turned away.
What I'm doing to him isn't right.
Sagwa shook her head, hoping to rid herself of her thoughts.
She couldn't afford to start thinking of others right now.
She needed to focus on stopping Jack's army and saving herself.
Closing her eyes she leant back, feeling the exhaustion set in.
When she opened her eyes, it was clear she was in another place.
Merena stood in front of her, as if she stood on a cloud.
Sagwa frowned, "What now?"
"Don't give up. You will get what you need."
Sagwa sighed, "It sure doesn't feel like it."
"Have patience. You will get through this."
Sagwa opened her eyes and screamed.
Vlad's bright orange eyes stared back at her a few inches from hers.
He stood slowly, "Well she's not dead, however is she screams in my face like that again, she will be."
Sagwa scoffed and stood, "Shouldn't you be hanging upside down in a cave somewhere?"
"If I'm in bat form, I fly."
Sagwa rolled her eyes, "Go sleep in a coffin then."
"I don't sleep."
"Wonderful." She said as she pushed passed him and went inside.
The first thing she noticed was that Jack's son was untied.
"We trusting him now?" She asked no one in particular.
"Well, after Vlad scared the shit out of him, I'm pretty sure he won't be stepping out of line." Replied Em.
Vlad grunted.
Sagwa winced at that but said nothing.
At least he would behave.
***
Sagwa sat down on the arm of one of the single chairs where Red sat.
She leant closer to him and lowered her voice, "I'm bored and I need to feel like a human again, like myself."
Red smiled slightly, "Want to go to the movies or something?"
Sagwa nodded, "Okay, let's go," she stood, "Guys, Red and I are going out for a bit, see you later."
Sagwa did not miss the look on Kreed's face as she walked out with Red behind her.
***
Gabe let out a frustrated sigh and turned to walk out.
Vlad had a rather amused look on his face, "Why are all you men in love with that woman?"
Gabe scratched the back if his neck and exchanged a glance with Kreed.
The Vampire turned away, looking rather bored with the situation.
***
Sagwa could not remember the last time she had taken any time to be normal and relax.
She had worked for Jack for so long that it felt like she had never lived a normal life.
And now, seven months after being turned into the Hybrid, she was standing neck deep in the sea, Red sitting with his legs crossed on shore watching her.
They had gone to the cinema and enjoyed a movie before stopping at the beach.
As she stood in the water, feeling the current try to pull her deeper, she realised how similar it was to the Hybrids in her; they continued to try and pull her in, deeper and deeper until they drowned her.
She realised that there was no turning back, she would have to use Jack's blood, or she would die.
Is death not better than this?
She looked around, half expecting to see someone talking to her.
But no one was there, it was only her thoughts.
You were human once, but that was a long time ago. You will never be human again. You're a monster.
Sagwa shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts, when suddenly a memory pulled at her mind, a memory she did not know existed
Sagwa saw herself, she must have been a few months old. She lay in a crib, a man and woman lovingly gazing down at her.
"Oh my God. My... My parents."
She rushed around the city, but suddenly the memory changed, she was around three.
The child Sagwa turned to her, "Daddy isn't dead."
She gasped and took a step back.
"Mommy... she is locked away."
Sagwa knelt in front of the child version of her, "What do you mean?"
The little her smiled, "Mommy knows what Daddy is, she knows he was gonna be bad to you. They said Mommy was crazy and took her away in a white suit."
Sagwa opened her mouth to speak, but before she could the child transformed into a skinless monster, lunging for her.
Suddenly Sagwa was back at the beach.
Her back to the sand, Red leaning over her, his eyes filled with panic.
Sagwa sat up abruptly, "What happened?"
"You... I thought you were going to kill yourself, you just kept walking."
Sagwa jumped to her feet, "I had.. a vision of some sort.. My mother isn't dead, she's in a mental institution! And apparently my father isn't dead either."
Red frowned, "Let's get home and figure out how to track her down."
