Vlad

33

Jord leads Melanie to a beautiful clearing in the woods.

There were flowers, and a small pond with singing toads and fireflies.

"This is the place."Melanie says, stopping.

"You think so?"Jord smiles, taking both her hands.

She nods with a loving smile.

"It's beautiful here. It's perfect."she says.

He cups her cheeks and pulls her into a soft kiss.

"Are you ready, my love?"he asks, looking into her eyes.

"Yes, my love."Melanie responds.

He pulls her close, begining to hum their song.

Melanie joins, humming along as they begin to sway softly in each other's arms.

Jord's skin begins to glow slightly as he hums.

And then, suddenly Jord's body drops, leaving a glowing apparition of Edwin.

Melanie smiles as she sees his face, her skin begining to glow as well.

She sighs softly as Melanie's body slumps to the ground, leaving only the glowing spirit of Rosalie.

Jord sits up, seeing the two of them standing there in each other's arms.

Melanie sits up as well, her hand on her chest as she had just regained consciousness.

She sees Rosalie and Edwin, and she instantly smiles.

....

Melanie,

I gasp as they begin to sway, and dance to the tune they hummed.

Rosalie's spirit turns away, looking at me.

"Thank you. For helping me be with my beloved. Thank you."

She then turns back to Edwin, cupping his cheeks.

"Let's go, my love."

They kiss passionately and I smile, feeling fulfilled.

They both begin to glow and I shield my eyes as the slowly begin to float away, piece by piece up into the sky.

Till they were gone, and I was stuck looking at Jord.

"...i-i think that was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."Jord says quietly.

Suddenly he sniffs the air.

A confused look appears and he looks at me.

"Mel, would you mind getting behind me?"he asks.

"Um, sure?"I say, standing.

"You know people just left our bodies right?"I say as he helps me off the ground.

"I don't think that matters right now. Um, I smell Shiloh for some reason."he says, looking around.

"For some reason?!"I hear her shout.

She emerges from the woods with a sinister chuckle.

"Here I was thinking you missed me, Jordan."she snickers, pulling a book from behind her back and looking at me.

"Miss you? That'd be like missing the feeling of being torn apart by shrapnel."

"Hi there, Mel. Be a doll and bear your throat so I can slice it out."she says.

Jord steps in front of me and I gasp.

"You know I'm not going to let you do that, right?"Jord says.

"Oh, but you have to. Masters orders."she smirks menacingly as she begins to circle around towards me.

"Why are you doing this Shiloh! Vlad is just using you!"I shout.

"You shut your whore mouth you doppelganger freak."Shiloh says.

"He literally bossed you around, abused you, KILLED you, and now he's brought you back to life to start bossing you around and abusing you again."Jord explains.

"My master is my master. And I do what I'm told, unlike you Jord. Running around with the doppelganger."she smirks.

"Shiloh, you don't have to do this. Vlad doesn't control you anymore you know?"Melanie says.

"Can we just get on with it? Vlad is waiting, and he does not like to be kept waiting."Vlad says, her long fingernails growing to sharp points.

"Shiloh don't make me kill you again!"Jord says, guarding me.

"No need."

We all turn, seeing Vlad emerging from the woods.

"I only needed her to find you so that Evan could see."

Shiloh immediately looks down, her fists clenching as I gasp, backing away.

"Melanie. Darling, can you here me?"he asks.

".. Rosalie is gone, Vlad."I say softly, making his face drop.

"...where's she gone then?"he asks.

I shrug.

"To the next place."

Vlad's face saddens and he looks down.

"I wasn't ready for her to leave, yet."he says softly.

"..she was ready, Vlad."I say, stepping closer to him.

He shakes his head and backs away, making me sad.

"...you're not her. Come on Shiloh."Vlad says, turning away.

Shiloh follows behind, her head still down.

But Vlad pauses, looking back a bit.

"Jord. You coming?"

Jord reaches, gripping my hand and causing me to look up at his face.

"No, sir."Jord says.

Vlad nods, looking defeated.

Then he continues to walk out of the woods.

"Is it over?"I ask him quietly.

Jord watches as Vlad walks out of eyesight.

"..I don't know."he responds.

"He looked so defeated."I say softly.

"He lived for Rosalie. Now that she's gone, I don't know what he'll do."Jord says, looking at me.

"We should go."

...

Vlad sits quietly in his office, staring at Rosalie's diary blankly.

He could no longer feel her presence in the book. He sighs, looking towards the window.

"Shiloh."he says.

She immediately walks into the room.

"Yes master?"she says as he leans back in his chair, staring out the window.

"...bring me humans."he says.

"How many, Master?"she asks.

He hesitates before speaking, smiling slightly as he saw his new plan coming into view.

"..an armies worth."

...