World Fail

Chapter 4: Last farewell

(TW: Suicide)
I was right. It took them nearly two days to come looking for me - and who should they send? Mary - of course they would send one of the vampires. They would send a darkling after a creature of the night. A monster to collect the monster. It was early in the morning when the knocking started; I didn't hear it at first. Sitting cross legged on my bed, I was swaying to one of my old playlists. It hurt to listen to - it hurt because it brought back those burning, bittersweet memories. Her empty promises, those tears when she realized. How much of it was real? How much was just a game to her - to see how badly she could twist my heart? I finally heard the knocking during a small pause between tracks and turned towards the door, ripping the earbuds out. I crept over to the door, looking through the small window to identify the person. "Just open the damn door already. I'm not gonna bite you." Snorting, I opened the door just enough so that she could see me.
  "What do you want?" The vampire gave me a cold look, crossing her arms with a sigh. "It's your little friend...something happened while you locked yourself away." My anxiety spiked, but I tried my best to keep a blank expression. "Why should I believe you?" Mary shot me a look, drumming her nails on the door frame. "Why would I bother finding you just to cause trouble?"
"Hm let me think. Oh I don't know - to drain me? Lure me into a trap with your partner?" She gave a cold laugh, one that sent chills across my skin. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have bothered knocking, little pup." A snarl grew in my throat, but I knew she was right. I was so tired right now she could probably just push me over with no effort. Sighing, I tilted my head a little. "Okay I get it. What happened and why did they send you to tell me?" The vampire just grabbed me by the wrist and started dragging me down the hall behind her. I was still half asleep, stumbling along behind her until we reached the hallway where Frida and Skylar slept. Mary let go of my wrist, giving me a push towards the first door. I could hear hushed voices from inside Skylar's room, one hoarse and ragged, the other soft. Something happened- Hesitantly, I turned the handle and pushed the door open - and froze. There was a seemingly uninjured body dangling from a noose made of thick vines. My gaze travelled up, and my heart stopped. Oh no...why her...
     Skylar was hanging lifelessly from the noose, skin as pale as fresh snow. There were no marks on her corpse, save for the heavy bruising on her throat. Something inside me snapped - Connor being murdered was bad enough - and now my little druid had taken her own life. I sliced the vines holding her up, gently setting her body in front of the others. The witch and the fae looked up at me, their eyes red from crying. Ellis had her arms and cloak wrapped around Frida, trying to comfort the distraught fairy. I flinched at the sudden movement, fully expecting them to lash out at me - but nothing happened. I finally took a proper look at their faces, and it broke my fucking heart. We all had our differences, but this was too much. Joining them on the floor, I hesitantly scooted next to Frida on the other side, adding my own cloak to the mix, curling my tail behind them. While the fae's shoulders shook with heavy sobs, Ellis quietly told me what had happened. "Frida went to get her for breakfast, and when she didn't answer, came and got me. We managed to get the door open with Perri's help...but it was too late." Her voice cracked on the last few words, fresh tears threatening to spill over. I hated to be so analytical, but all of my emotions had gone numb. It was how I protected myself from another heartbreak - instead of the heavy waves of sadness most people felt, I just...shut down. I wasn't angry, sad, not even anxious anymore. I was just empty. It's like he always said. "Maybe it's better to be alone. Then no one can hurt you." If I hadn't gotten attached to these three, my heart wouldn't be aching so much. "El...What are we supposed to do? We can't live like this..." I kept my voice soft, glancing at the fairy. They had finally exhausted themselves and were slumped against the witch's shoulder, tear streaks still trailing down their face. She looked at me, trying her hardest to stay strong. "We'll have to burn the body..like we did for Connor. We can use the forge again." I shook my head, swiping at my eyes. "That's not what I meant...we can't live like this. Constantly afraid, to the point that someone else takes a life." We just looked at each other for a few moments, then Ellis got up. "We should get Frida to bed. Post a guard." I helped her pick up the sleeping fae, carrying them bridal-style to their bedroom to gently set them down on their bed. "I'll stay with them. You're better equipped to deal with the vampires." Ellis gave me a curious look, but didn't protest. "Stay safe hon, okay?" As she left the room, I could have sworn I heard her murmur something else. It sounded like, "I can't lose you too.."