Chapter 4: Ashes to Ashes (Part II)
"Aww, come on Sammy, lighten up, it's nothin' personal, ya kno' tha'," Cooper placates, so I direct my indignation at him.
"What is this? Why are we doing this, why are *you* encouraging it?"
"Encouragin' wha' 'xactly?".
"Oh, I don't know Cooper," I huff, annoyed by his playing dumb, "I never realized you were... *into* this sort of thing."
I sense Derek's impatience with us as I throw out vague accusations. Coop and I stare at each other. His calm could be interpreted as apathy if I didn't know him better. He attempts a silent explanation with his eyes but I'm not getting it. It's clear I'm not going to get plain answers or get my way this time.
"You two are going to do what you're going to do," I resign bitterly, "so just make it quick."
Cooper's focused look turns sympathetic.
"Sam, don' worry. It til-"
Our heads snap to attention to abrupt movement. The girl tries to make a break for it, leg swings out to kick where it hurts. Of course, Derek sees it coming like the rest of us. All she did was give him an excuse for aggression.
"You're not as smart as I thought."
'Wonderful, perfect…' I sigh, knowing exactly where this is headed and brace myself.
He throws her tiny frame harshly on the ground. She makes an involuntary squeak when she hits her head first, wincing as her body follows into packed earth.
My teeth shift slightly, bloodthirsty thoughts clouding my better judgment. I lock myself in place, shutting my eyes in attempts to steady my senses.
It doesn't help much, I envision her in my head. Liquidity wide doe eyes and a quivering mouth. Vulnerable, weak, the perfect prey.
"Wait," I hear the faint word, see it form on her bowed lips inside my head.
She's begging me, all I want to do is dig my teeth into her throat. Slice into that prominent artery, let that sweet nectar flow. The pulse of her neck is beating like hummingbird wings, it's pulling me in…
"No, STOP!"
Her cry plucks me from the deranged daydream. I've unknowingly crept a little closer to the two of them. My eyes force open and focus right on her. Derek is on top of the girl, pinning one wrist down.
She's wailing at him, failing her free arm like a maniac. Unfortunately for her, fighting is a waste of energy. Or worse, it'll rile Derek further.
He backhands her with a lot more force than necessary. He's letting it get the better of him and I can't help but be affected by the violence. He needs to stop.
I glare at the two of them, engulfed by ferocity. Breaking them up is out of the question, I might rip his head off then take her's off too. My eyes start to burn, teeth click as I clamp down.
He has her face in his hand, there's no gentleness in his embrace when he pulls her to look at him again. She's dazed but reacts automatically, trying to pry him off. Derek's unhinged, I see the fire building in his eyes as he's swept away by his demons.
He slaps her again, this time the scent of blood spreads through the air. I clench my fists, tightening my posture, willing myself to stay put. I'm going to lose it.
"Now, now Derek, dere's no need fer tha'," Cooper tries to reason with him, unsuccessfully.
I can't take my eyes off the young woman's battered face, the blood pooling in the crease of her spit lip. Derek is barely here anymore, he's emanating insanity. I wonder if he's fighting himself like I am right now.
'You've really done it this time Derek…'
"Ey, Ya still wiff us?"
'What a dumb question, of course he's not with us. I'm barely here as it is.'
But to my surprise Derek's psychotic aura dims. Cooper may have actually helped pacify him.
He's noticeably stiff as he swipes his hand from the young woman's face. We hold our positions, not moving at all as it may be the tipping point for us both. I'm a thread away from attacking him and dragging that girl away to drain her.
'Mine.'
It's growled in my mind, foreign yet known. More than a word, more than a desire. The internal vibrating essence of demonic hunger.
'No, that's not right.' I shake my head through the haze of primal urges, taking one step back. The air is heavy like it wants to push me closer to her.
I hold my breath, not wanting to take in the scent of her blood more than I already have. Derek doesn't make any more brutish passes but he still wears that maddened expression.
Out of nowhere, the girl spits directly in his face. I can't believe how feisty this one is. That was ballsy and very stupid.
I watch Derek like a hawk, waiting for his certain retaliation.
Time seems to slow as he becomes critically unstable. I watch him slip away like sand through fingers until he's nearly unrecognizable. feel the strain in my eyes as I fight my own feral half. The suspense has me ready for violence, my muscles tighten in response. I'm hyper aware, feeling the rage flowing, smelling the chaos in the air.
He thrusts out a hand, locking his fingers around her slender neck. I cut a snarl short that escapes my curled lip.
I see myself jump on top of Derek, smashing my fist into his face for touching what's mine. I stop the action before it starts making it feel as though I've jumped out of my skin.
'What's Mine, attacking Derek? I'm going berserk.'
I panic at my loss of sensibilities. It begins to dawn on me that I don't need to worry about Derek, I'm the one who's out of control.
Tensing again, I immediately lock on movement behind Derek, it's Cooper. He reaches out for his shoulder trying to be a grounding force to bring him back to earth. He barely places it before it's aggressively knocked away. Derek's gone.
I watch his soulless eyes descend before he tears the front of that poor woman's shirt clean off. Her ample bust and flat stomach exposed with ragged remains of her top barely clinging to her shoulders.
The action hits me hard, snapping me back to reality. My anger flares hotter though I regain a small amount of much needed control.
"That's enough, Derek!" my tone is so aggressive, I don't recognize it straight away.
This is my line, I didn't make an effort to retain my humanity only to be hurled down deeper into Hell. Provoking him isn't a concern anymore, and the 'line' is, apparently, nonexistent for this shell of my brother.
But then I sense a change. Did I actually get through to him?
He indirectly glares, boiling and agitated. I'm past the point of caring. With one grievance said, the rest seems to pour out.
"I never thought your impulsiveness would have you sink this low!"
My honesty does nothing to pacify my temper, it only fuels it. Derek wastes no time to retort, rotating to lock a furious gaze with mine.
"You've got to be kidding me, Sam! You have no right to be so self righteous!"
A look of hatred drills into me. 'Of course he'd say that.' I'd feel remorse if I weren't so damn livid. He's not wrong, my hands are not clean. Is that his excuse to dirty his own? I can feel the deeping scowl creasing my face.
And this girl can't seem to dig her own grave fast enough. She takes a swing as he turns back, there's a glass ball cupped in her hand.
Derek doesn't even attempt to avoid it. We all watch blankly as it makes contact, it's the last thing this girl will ever do. Maybe it's for the best, let's end this.
An abrupt howl of pain fractures the brief silence and it's not coming from the girl, it's coming from Derek. What the hell happened!
Cooper lunges back, eyes wide, glued to the horrendous display. I instinctively flinch back with him.
Derek is screaming, rolling on the ground as the side of his face turns to putty. How did that woman get her hands on something like that? I catch her making a break for the bushes.
The smell of her blood envelopes me. It's stronger, making me forget the acid scattered about. I hear every drop of that overpowering fluid crash to the earth, dripping from her hand as she scampers away. My inner demon I temporarily beat back roars to life, enthralled with the idea of nabbing and ripping her to shreds.
'This isn't the way. Do not give in!'
I fight myself to stay put once more, agonizing over the fact I'm letting that delicious girl escape. She clumsily stumbles over to the Reaper's ground as I lament my decision.
Her pulse is deafening, carried through her body as if it were my own. I'm considering snatching her up anyway and taking my chances with the Reaper.
I skim the forbidden grounds, listening for a lurker, searching for a hint of lethal energy. All I can hear is that damn blood flowing to the rapid thumping of a heart.
My canines make a drastic shift as the incredible hunger wreaks havoc on my crumbling resolve. She continues to crawl until she falls over faint and exhausted.
I observe Cooper from the corner of my eye, stopped at edge of the Juniper bushes to scan beyond. The stony vigilance is exotic to his routine cheer.
I stare back at the woman now holding her broken necklace at Cooper like a dagger. She might as well be threatening him with a spoon.
The wound in her hand is memorizing as the mouth of a gentle stream. I can almost taste it, hear it darkening the soil with a soft 'plat, plat, plat'. The cut on her lip has slowed but I could fix that with a nic of a fang. She takes a deep breath which encapsulates me in her perfume all the more. My fingertips curl into my palms so hard they nearly break skin.
She jumps when her eyes meet mine. Damn it, everything this woman is doing is wearing down my will power. I grind my teeth in dismay. I just want one taste, but I know better. In my state, I'd lick up every last drop of her.
Her wide doe eyes stare at me, just like my recent daydream, and that strange feeling of pity spreads through me again. If I resist taking her life, the Reaper will finish the job.
Her eyes flick back to Cooper and all the color leaves her face. She cowers, crab walking backwards.
She's fusing over Derek, I'd forgotten about him for a moment. That girl really did a number on his face. That kind of damage takes time to heal.
I watch him stalk forward and the concern comes flooding back. I recognize that look– tunnel vision. At this moment I need to put aside all issues with my brother and do what I should have done from the start, stop him.
Cooper makes the first move before I can utter one word, simply putting his hand out to block.
"Let me pass," he says, it's combative and barely recognizable. He is teetering over the edge again.
"Ya can't go in 'dere Derek, ya know tha'."
"Let me pass, Cooper."
The girl scurries away as Derek lunges at her, held back by Cooper alone. I struggle not to do the same thing as she limps away at a dreadfully pathetic pace. Though her fading aroma does my head good, that sweet fragrance will forever be etched into my memory with painful clarity. It makes my throat ache and my stomach twist.
Cooper struggles with the attempts to throw him off as I long for what I can't have.
"The Reap'r took ou' three jus' this year, Derek! Not count'n tha usual. I knew one of 'em, 'e was much older than I. It's suicide, don' be foolish!"
Cooper releases when Derek snaps his teeth at him, eyes illuminated red and ready to actually attack.
"Whatevas in 'dere is veray powerful like one o' tha Thorn," he urges, still attempting to talk him down, "Ya don't mess wiff tha likes of um. Ya go in 'dere, ya won't come back!"
"I'm leaving Cooper, I won't let the Reaper take her from me. She's mine."
As he pivots to pursue, I relent. I can't let him go, no matter how angry I am with him.
"Derek!"
I'm partly relieved when he turns to face me, but quickly become aware that my endeavors to sway him will not pay off. I can see it in his cool anger. It's Derek, he's not frenzied or out of his mind, he knows exactly what he's doing.
'Why are you throwing your life away? Are you an idiot? The girl isn't worth your life! You're selfish, I can't save you a second time… I won't forgive you. I won't forgive myself. You're better than this, better than me…' I rush through it all, every possible thing I could say. But as I read his eyes, while he does mine, I know nothing I say will convince him to not go after her.
He stares at me, silent, not a one word response. Then he breaks contact to seek his runaway.
"Derek!" I shout again. He doesn't turn back to me this time, already passing a few trees in the Reaper's land.
Cooper jerks me back as I take off after him.
"Get off of me, Cooper!" I yell, batting him away, "I'm not just going to let him run off to his death!"
"Did ya naw listen ta anythin' I says?" he urges, swiveling me to look him dead in the eyes, "Don' be daft. Goin' in 'dere an gettin' yerself killed is naw gonna save 'im."
"What! Am I just supposed to just stand here? You're a coward. Don't you even care, Cooper? Dammit, you encouraged this! You could have stopped him back when he first laid eyes on that damned girl. Why didn't you stop him?"
I can't let this be the last time, the last conversation. Angry and hating each other? I will never be able to forgive myself if it ends here, if he gets himself killed. What kind of family lets that happen?
"Wha' are ya gonna do tha' ya haven' tried alreaday? Derek made 'is choice. Ya can't control 'em, ya can't save 'em."
His eyes are intense as they stare me down.
"Don' throw away yer life," he says, words slowing so they can truly sink in, "cause it won't bring 'em back 'n it won't undo wha's dun."
He's right, but it doesn't make me feel any better.
I feel ill catching a glimpse of energy in the forbidden part of the wood, it's ominous. No doubt, there's something awful lurking back there tonight. Fighting a thing like that in its own domain, I don't stand a chance.
I spot a cell phone on the ground, it must have belonged to the girl. I stoop over to pick it up. No battery.
That's unfortunate, a working phone could have forced this to end sooner. Maybe then Derek would still be here. She'd still be dead, but it would have been significantly painless. The thought of her dead bothers me more than it should.
How did this night spiral so terribly out of control?
I stare into the black screen before crumpling it like a piece of paper with one hand. Crushing it into an unrecognizable lump of metal and dust.
I gaze hopelessly into the woods where I last saw Derek. I make a futile wish for him to come to his senses, to head back to us through the trees before it's too late.
Cooper hasn't taken his eyes off me, I've never seen him so distressed. I can't do to him what Derek just did to us, even if the thought of abandoning Derek goes against the little virtue I stand for. I hate feeling like a coward, helpless to do anything.
Useless, like I always seem to be.
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