The Hauntings

Chapter 32

"What's happening, I-" Elizabeth is abruptly cut off. "Ahhhhh Oh my God! Oh My God! No!" Elizabeth screams in despair as she runs onto the driveway, breaking into a hysterical screams. She practically throws herself onto Francis bursting into uncontrollable sobs.

Scarlett crawls over to Elizabeth and gently moves her into her arms, giving her comfort. Elizabeth's figure shakes in spasms in Scarlett's embrace. Perhaps Elizabeth's feeling for Francis had really changed at some point as she had suspicious off, that's why she is reacting to this. 

"No! What happened...you can save him right? He's going to be OK right?" she persists as her green eyes gloss over, trying to escape Scarlett's shielding embrace. 

Scarlett answers for Cameron. "No, he can't Liz. He's got supernatural in him and it...it doesn't work on supernatural." 

Elizabeth stiffens and her  writhing ceases for a second before breaking out in further lamentations. Scarlett cradles Elizabeth, very much like how Cameron had done to her when her grandmother passed away. The scalding pain is softened a little when the abused and broken body is not in the first line of vision. 

"It's all going to be fine Liz." She cooes, looking over her head to the heart-broken Cameron who is staring intently at the body, probably unable to register what just occurred.  

"But it's not! Why are you saying that?! It's not true OK. He's...he's gone!" Scarlett wails again thrashing her friend's arms away. "I don't understand how did this happen! How could you let this happen?" She accuses.  

Scarlett has no words for this. It's not going to be fine. He's dead. The only thing they can do is move on and give him a proper burial.

"He's going blond." Cameron whispers. "Why is he going blond?"

"It's all over now, the supernatural world can't bother us anymore. I'm here Liz." Scarlett reassures Elizabeth trying to find a different perspective of this tragedy.

"Stop saying that!" Elizabeth shouts.

"Shut up! Something is happening." Cameron voices with alarm. 

Scarlett freezes and peers at the body.

"Look." Cameron points to Francis's hair.

Elizabeth struggles out of Scarlett's tightened grip.

The black strands of hair are beginning to tinge blond at the roots. The lighter colour beginning to flow downwards slowly, but surely.  

Everyone sits back and watches at this very strange alteration. 

"Cameron what do we do?" Scarlett probes.

"I don't know. It's never happened before. Why's it happening now?" Cameron then speaks aloud again, as if he is unaware that he is voicing his confused, rambling thoughts out loud. 

His deep golden colour is wearing away into a much paler complexion, often seen in the standard vampire. Almost translucent. 

"Is he changing to another creature?" Elizabeth asks edging closer to get a closer look in morbid fascination but then suddenly remembering the horror that comes with the 'other creatures' of the supernatural, gives her the terrifying thought that Francis is transforming into a darker nightmare. 

Oh gosh he's turning into a vampire. 

Cameron shrugs his shoulder. "I don't know." 

This time the alterations happen more abruptly, that the girls and the Guard jump back slightly in surprise. His bone structure shifts on his face, the zygomatic bones forming the cheek bones alter slightly. The cracks sharp in the silence of the night. The body proportions changing slightly, the 6 foot 7 is reduced to an average 6 foot. The large muscle bulk is shaved off slightly to a more slimmer healthier figure. The whole process is disturbing but everyone can't seem to detach their eyes from the crude display. 

"What's happening to him?" Scarlett wonders, her voice at a higher octave than usual in her panic, that Francis very much maybe becoming a  worse monster than he was before. 

"If he is changing, why's he not healing as well?" Elizabeth asks accusingly, her hormones already hitched up in all of this trauma.

"I don't know." Once again Cameron replies back, hypnotized by the modification. 

"You're the bloody supernatural being here! Why the bloody hell don't you know? Find out what you've done!" Elizabeth screams, her hysteria utterly consuming her.

Scarlett shoots her a sharp look. 

"I haven't done anything! I'm not the one who decided to kill him dressed up like you!" he snaps back angrily, for the first time removing his eyes from the body to address Elizabeth's blasphemous judgments. 

"Someone looked like me and killed him!" Elizabeth squeals. 

"He has a pulse." Scarlett slices through their accusing match, leaving them in baffled silence. "It's faint but I think it's getting stronger." She continues, her hands lightly rested on his carotid artery. 

Cameron quickly scoops up Francis's wrist to feel this so called pulse. 

"But why isn't he healing?" Scarlett glares at the organs and blood spurting out of the mangled body. "Supernatural creatures can heal themselves right? He's part." 

"Right that's it! I'm calling help! I'm calling the ambulance!" Elizabeth yelps as she jumps to her feet her words causing dragon smoke. 

"Wait! He'll heal but slowly. Just wait," Cameron prevents Elizabeth leaving by grabbing her arm.

"I don't have time. It could be too late!. Get off me!" Elizabeth struggles in Cameron's unyielding hold.

"What are you going to tell the humans? Huh? They're going to see all these injuries, don't you think they'll ask how he got them?" He demands, swollen eyes scowling at her.

"I don't know. Let me go! I'll figure it." Elizabeth squirms

"You can't tell the truth, you'll just end up in that mental rehabilitation place you enjoy visiting." 

"Let me go. I will tell them the truth, that some psychopath tried to kill him." Elizabeth coldly replies, practically hissing at him and retching her arm out of his vice-like grip.

Elizabeth stumbles back from the freeing of her arm before she sprints to the door for the telephone in the warm brightly lit mansion.

"Cam, I think he's turning human." Scarlett murmurs inspecting Francis,  completely blocking Elizabeth's hissing fit.

Cameron is rendered speechless. Shaking his head in defiance that it can't be possible.

"Look at him, he's not healing but has a faint pulse, he has blond hair like me, he looks like his 'human self" but a few minor changes. He's looking like my brother." Scarlett persists as she lists all the reasons she becomes more confident. "Don't you see?" She asks with wide blue eyes.

After a few seconds he nods numbly not knowing what to think never mind how to act. She catches his forced response. They sit there under the flood light of the driveway beside the body of Francis, not knowing quite what to say or do.

After a few more moments Cameron hears the distant cries of sirens. He quietly flashes out giving one last squeeze of his best friend's hand, not saying a single word to Scarlett of where he is going nor informing her if he will check up on them later.