Welcome To Fright Night

Chapter 25

Even though they didn't see anyone they could feel the intense, hungry, gazes on the vampires being directed at them. Natsu carefully held his finger over the trigger of his weapon, knowing full well that what they were going to face was going just jump out.

They heard footsteps and saw something walking out from the darkness. It was Lucy who looked more dark and terrifying than ever before. Natsu never thought that he would ever been scared of Lucy but right now he was beyond afraid of her.

"Keep in mind that she's not the woman you used to know." Sam whispered to him.

"Don't shoot her. Please just hold off a little longer." Natsu pleaded in a whisper before turning his attention back to Lucy. "Lucy."

She looked at him in a confused manner. As if she didn't know who he was or why he was addressing her that way.

"Lucy." He said.

"Are you referring to me mortal?" She said.

"Yes. Lucy it's me. Natsu."

"I do not know who this Lucy is and I do not know you."

"How could you not know me?"

"His control over her mind is complete." Sam said. "She knows nothing except what he wants her to know."

"Gray wasn't like that."

"Gray hasn't been under his control as long as she has. I don't think there's any hope for her now."

"I have to try to reach her."

With great caution, Natsu approached the dark woman.

"Lucy you have to listen to me. This is not you."

She responded by grabbing him by his throat and hurling him across the area, he crashed against solid concrete and drop to the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy gasped in horror. "Lucy how could you?!"

"Foolish creature." Thanatos chuckled as he stepped out of the shadows. "The woman you knew before is gone. Lost to you. She now belongs to me."

"She doesn't belong to you!" Natsu snapped bitterly. 

"She chose to be mine!"

"I don't believe that! Not for one second! You did something to her! You messed with her mind or something!"

"Enough! Destroy them my beloved! Starting with this buffoon!" He said pointing toward Natsu.

"As you command my husband." Lucy replied.

"Husband?" Natsu squeaked. Before he realized it, Lucy had pounced on to his body with an incredible amount of strength. Sam moved to attack by he was held back by other vampires. Lucy bared her fangs and hissed at the dragon slayer.

"Lucy don't!" Natsu begged.

"Now bite him!" Thanatos commanded. "And we shall be together for all eternity!"

She brought her fangs toward Natsu's neck.

"Natsu you have to kill her now!" Sam shouted.

At first Natsu was only thinking of how scared he was for his life so he searched his pockets for a wooden stake. But then he remembered that this wasn't just some mindless, blood sucking monster. This was Lucy. One of his best friends in the whole world and the woman he loved. He couldn't kill her. Not even to save his own life.

"Hurry! Stab her!" Sam called.

"I can't!" Natsu declared.

"If you don't she'll kill you!"

"I don't care! I can't do it! I won't do it! I love her too much to hurt her!"

"I love her too much to hurt her!"

"Love?" Lucy said upon hearing what he said.

His words hit Lucy like a ton of bricks. It made her stop what she was doing and become stiff. Looking at Natsu in an unsure way.

"Did you say love?" She asked him.

Her eyes had become so much more softer. They were becoming the sparkling and kind eyes that Natsu knew so well.

"Yes! I did say love!" Natsu said. "I love you!"

Her mind started to mind started to become clear and she recognized the man she had pinned down. This was Natsu and...And what was she doing to him? What was going on? Everything seemed to be so blurry.

"Why have you stopped?!" Thanatos shouted. "Bite him!"

Her head hurt and she didn't know what to do. She got off of Natsu and found herself collapsing to her knees while clutching her head in agony.

"You cannot defy me!" Thanatos roared lunging for her. "You are mine!"

Natsu quickly pulled out his wooden stake and tried to take a stab at him, he missed but his actions distracted the other vampires long enough for Sam to splash them with a bottle of holy water.

"You!" Thanatos snarled at Sam. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long! It's time to end this!"

"Then let's end it!" Sam said.

He threw himself and the vampire hunter, sending them both down a dark pit that was below them.

"Sam!" Natsu called out in horror. He looked over the edge to see if any one of them were still alive but it was too dark for him to see anything. "They're gone! They're both gone!"

"Natsu." He turned his attention back to Lucy who was coughing rapidly and writhing on the floor.

"Lucy." Natsu and Happy immediately went to her side. "Lucy are you alright?"

"Where am I?!" She screamed. "What's happening?!"

She looked so terribly frightened.

"Oh thank God you're back." He said in relief.

"Not quite pal. She still has fangs." Happy said.

"But at least she's back to her senses."

"What's wrong with me?! I feel like I'm dying!" Lucy cried.

"Don't worry Lucy we're going to get you fixed up I promise." He then turned to Happy. "I'm going to go help Sam, you think you can take care of her while I'm gone?"

"Aye sir!" Happy said cheerfully.

"Natsu don't leave me!" Lucy said as she clinged to his arm desperately.

"You won't be able to get better unless I do this." He told her gently. "I'll be back. So you stay here with Happy and don't leave. No matter what voices you hear in your head, don't leave from this spot okay?"

"Okay. But I don't understand any of this and I'm so afraid."

"Just trust me."

She did trust him. She trusted him more than anyone in her life. So she reluctantly let go of his arm and allowed him to go down into the dark abyss below. Hoping that he would come back to her in one piece.