Empire of Eternals (Book 1 of The Eternal Series) ✔️

Chapter 19 | Pain, Despair, Guilt; The Big 3

Eemnes, The Netherlands, 20 minutes out from Anderson Manor

***Hermione Garcia POV***

The main door swung open from my touch, the door hinges creaking loudly as I stepped into the darkness of the hallway, the living room on my left lit up along with the kitchen right at the end of the hallway.

I looked around, putting my keys in the key bowl as I noticed Jenna's were still there, smiling a little to myself as I would finally see my girlfriend. Yet, it was unusually quiet for Jenna to go to sleep so early, especially with her medical condition.

"Jenna?"

My voice echoed down the empty house, the sound of my bag hitting the wooden floor as my shoes thudded against it. I halted at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the top I saw an eerie darkness surrounding the area, the low humming of the fridge providing a comfort

"Jenna?"

I raised my voice louder this time, my grip on the railing tightening as the coldness of the house began seeping in, my spine curling as I felt goosebumps rising up my body, making my hair stand. Without thinking twice, I opened the cabinet door behind me, taking out one of the sharp-pointed metal daggers as I gripped it in my hand.

Jenna was going to be home today. She messaged me before I arrived at Adriana's house for dinner. We hadn't seen each other for days, and she was so excited for me to come home. But the empty house gave me a different answer, an answer I didn't like.

"Jenna!"

The fear inched its way up my throat as I pulled out my phone, dialling Jenna as I cautiously stood with my back pressed against the door, the blue light illuminating from my phone as I put it to my ear.

I closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath as I calmed myself down, the ringing of the phone continuing. It wasn't as if Jenna was confined to this house. Maybe we had run out of milk, and she ran to the store to get some? Or she was at our neighbours?

"I'm in here."

My eyes widened, the palm of my hands began to sweat as the voice called out to me, a voice that didn't belong to Jenna. It was harsh, emotionless, dry. Someone else was in the house, a human, maybe.

I stepped forward, throwing my phone onto the ground as my hands gripped the dagger by themselves. I couldn't ignore the fear rising with every step I took, my body going stiff as I slowly stepped into the clearing of the living room.

"Oh my god."

I gasped, my mouth hanging open as I took in the state of the room. Everything was turned upside down. The well-kept, clean couches were broken and laying on their sides as the tables were shattered and the glass spread across the floor. The mounted TV was lying on the ground, broken, the white curtains ripped as blood smudged on the polished floor a couple of steps in front of me.

My eyes scanned the wreckage of the room, eventually landing on a figure sitting in the corner of the room, its darkness enveloping them like a second skin as their black clothes blended in well, their waist belt the only thing I could make out of them.

"Hi, Hermione." Their monotonous called out to me, hypnotising me as I felt drawn to her

"Josephine." I greeted, muttering lowly, surprised at her sudden appearance

Josephine Karlsten, Karlsten's youngest kid and the sister of Eleanor and Alex; a vampire. She most likely did all this - thrash the place upside down - hoping it would insinuate a fear in me, in which she failed miserably. I had seen things far worse than this.