"Aww, come on Sammy, lighten up, it's nothin' personal, ya kno' tha'," placates Cooper.
"What is this? Why are we doing this, why are *you* encouraging this?" I direct the conversation at Cooper, picking my words carefully as I know Derek is listening.
"Encouraging what 'xactly?" he's playing dumb, and it only irritates me.
"Oh, I don't know Cooper, I never realized you were... into this sort of thing," I huff.
I can sense Derek's impatience with us as I throw vague accusations Cooper's way. Coop and I stare at each other, his demeanor is calm but it's as if he's trying to explain silently with his eyes. I want to understand but I'm not going to get 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 gives me a familiar look of sincerity that calms me a bit. I see him think deliberately on a response, "Sam, don' worry. It til-"
Cooper cuts his sentence short as our heads snap to attention. The victim tries to make a break for it, attempting to kick Derek smack in the family jewels. Of course Derek saw it coming a mile away, avoiding her kick with a simple maneuver.
"You're not as smart as I thought," his words vile to the core.
'Wonderful, perfect...' I think to myself, knowing exactly where this is headed. I attempt to brace myself for what his action will provoke in me.
He throws her tiny frame harshly on the ground. She makes a small, involuntary squeak when she hits her head first, wincing as her body follows, crashing into packed dirt.
I feel my teeth shift slightly as bloodthirsty thoughts cloud my better judgment. I lock myself in place and shut my eyes tight 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 as I see her form it on her 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 so fast, it's pulling me in...
"No, STOP!"
The woman's cry plucks me from my 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 her pinning one wrist down.
She's failing her free arm like a maniac, throwing it around wildly. She lets out a panicked wail as she puts all her force into her struggle, scratching, hitting and smacking. Unfortunately for her, it'll do nothing but waste energy. Or worse, rile up Derek even more.
He backhands her with a lot more force than he should have exercised. He's being extremely rough, letting that inner beast get the best of him. I can't help but be affected by this violence. He needs to stop, I'm getting wound up and really pissed off!
I glare at the two of them while a ferocity engulfs me. I can't go over there, I might rip his head off then take the girl's head too! My eyes start to burn and my teeth click as I clamp down on them.
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 to his clutch, trying to pry it off. Derek's unhinged, I see a fire building in his eyes as he's swept away by those inner demons.
He slaps her again, this time the scent of blood immediately 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, there's no need for that," Cooper tries unsuccessfully to reason with him.
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 with us?" Cooper tries again.
'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 seems to dim slightly. Cooper may have actually appealed to him.
He swipes his hand from her face with a stiff movement. 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.' says something in my brain, shadowed in possessive, primitive thoughts.
'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, I don't want to take in the scent of her blood more than I already have. Derek doesn't make any more violent passes at the woman but he still wears that maddened expression.
Out of nowhere, the girl spits directly in Derek's face. Continuing to test him... that was ballsy and very stupid. I can't believe how feisty this one is.
I watch Derek like a hawk, he will certainly act on the invitation to invoke more bloodshed.
Time seems to slow as he becomes critically unstable. I watch him slip away like sand through fingers, until he's nearly unrecognizable. I 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 lips.
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.
I tense again, immediately locking on movement behind Derek, it's Cooper. He reaches out trying to bring him back to earth, putting a hand on his shoulder. Cooper barely places it before it's aggressively knocked it away. Derek's gone.
I watch his soulless eyes descend before tearing the front of that poor woman's shirt clean off. Her ample bust and flat stomach exposed for us 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 it surprises me a bit.
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, the "line" is, apparently, nonexistent for this shell of my brother.
But then a sense of familiarity signals me. Did I get through to him?
He indirectly glares, boiling and agitated. I'm irritating him, am I? I'm way past the point of caring.
"I never thought your impulsiveness would have you sink this low!" my grievances rush out unfiltered.
My honesty does nothing to pacify my temper, it only fuels my indignation. Derek wastes no time to retort, turning his body and locking his furious eyes with mine.
"You've got to be kidding me, Sam! You have no right to be so self righteous!" his eyes are a blaze as he spits venom.
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?
My scowl makes deeper creases in my face as he turns back to the small girl.
She can't seem to dig her own grave fast enough, she takes a swing at Derek's face with some strange glass ball in her hand, her necklace.
Derek doesn't even attempt to avoid it. We watch blankly as it makes contact, that'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 instantly, 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 girl get her hands on something like that? I catch the small woman making a break for the bushes.
I'm enveloped by a stronger smell of blood making me forget the deadly acid scattered about. I hear every drop of that overpowering red 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 this woman and ripping her to shreds.
'Not a chance, I'm not giving in yet!' I fight myself to stay put once more as I agonize that fact I'm letting that delicious girl escape.
She clumsily stumbles over to the Reaper's ground as I lament my decision.
Her blood is so loud in my ears, swishing through her body as if it were my own. I'm considering snatching her up anyway and taking my chances with the Reaper.
I quickly skim the forbidden grounds, trying to listen or even get a hint of dangerous energy lurking back there. All I can hear are those damn fluids flowing to the rapid thumping of a pulse.
My canines make a drastic shift as the incredible hunger wreaks havoc on my crumbling resolve. She continues to crawl a good distance away until she falls over faint and exhausted.
I observe Cooper from the corner of my eye who is now at the edge of the Juniper plants. With vigilance, he scans over the trees. His stony expression looks completely foreign to his typically cheerful demeanor.
I stare back at the woman now holding her broken necklace at Cooper like a dagger, might as well be threatening him with a spoon.
The blood on her hand is memorizing like a gentle stream, I can almost taste it. The cut on her lip has slowed but I could fix that quite easily with one bite. 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.
She looks back in Cooper's direction and all the color leaves her face. She cowers doing a crab walk backwards. 'Oh, it's Derek.' I had forgotten about him for a moment. That girl really did a number on his face. It'll heal, but it will take some time.
I recognize that look he wears, tunnel vision. He strides forward to his target. I push aside all my issues with Derek, I need to do what I should have done at the start of this night, stop him.
Cooper makes the first move before I can even say a word, simply putting his hand out to block him without taking his eyes off the death zone.
"Let me pass," the combative tone is barely marked as Derek's as the words pass through his teeth. He is teetering over the edge again.
"Ya can't go in 'dere Derek, ya know tha'," Cooper insists.
"Let me pass, Cooper," Derek growls. It sounds demonic, not even a shred of the old Derek remains.
The girl scurries away as Derek attempts to lunge at her, Cooper holds him back. I struggle not to do the same thing as she limps away at a dreadfully slow pace. The further she goes the more I long for her.
Though her fading aroma does my head good, that sweet fragrance will forever be burned in my memory with painful clarity. It makes my throat ache and stomach twist.
Cooper struggles with Derek's attempts to throw him off as he urges, "The Reap'r took ou' three jus' this year, Derek! Not count'n the usual. I knew one of 'em, 'e was much older than I. It's suicide, don't be foolish!"
I'd never seen Cooper so distressed, it's quite heart-rending to see him wear that expression. How did this night spiral so terribly out of control? Derek gnashes his teeth at Cooper, eyes glowing, ready to actually attack. Cooper reluctantly releases him, desperately trying to reach him with more words instead.
"Whatevas in 'dere is very powerful like one o' the Thorn. Ya don't mess with likes of um. Ya go in 'dere, ya won't come back!" Cooper pleads.
"I'm leaving Cooper, I won't let the Reaper take her from me. She's mine," there is no changing his mind, it's set. He turns to pursue the young girl.
"Derek!" I relent. I can't let him go, no matter how angry I am with him.
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 cold anger. It's Derek, he's not frenzied or out of his mind, he knows exactly what he's doing.
In my head I rush through everything I should say to stop him, 'Why are you throwing your life away?' 'Are you an idiot?' 'The girl isn't worth your life!' 'You're selfish, leaving me like this!' 'I can't save you a second time...' 'I won't forgive you!' 'I won't forgive myself!' 'Why did you have to do this?' 'How could you lose yourself this way?'... but as I read his eyes, while he does mine, I know nothing I can say will convince him to not go after her.
He stares at me, remaining silent, not even a one word response. Then he breaks contact and turns away.
"Derek!" I shout. He doesn't turn back to me this time, already passing a few trees in the Reaper's land.
I start to take off after him but Cooper grabs me.
"Get off of me, Cooper!" I demand, batting him off, "I'm not just going to let him run off to his death!"
"Did ya not listen to anythin' I said?" Cooper looks at me dead in the eyes, "Don' be daft! Goin' in 'dere an gettin' yerself killed is not goin' ta save Derek!"
"What! Am I just supposed to just stand here and let him get killed? You're a coward! Don't you even care, Cooper? Damnit, 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 spew unfair accusations in a blunder.
I can't let this be the last time I ever see my brother, the last conversation. Angry and hating each other? I will never be able to forgive myself for ending our friendship like this! What kind of family would I be if I don't at least try to help him?
Cooper's eyes are thoughtful but intense as they stare me down, "Be reasonable, Sam. Derek made 'is choice. Ya can't control 'em, ya can't save 'em," he speaks plainly making sure every word really sinkings in, "Don' throw away yer life, cause it won't bring 'em back 'n it won't undo what's done."
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 very ominous. No doubt, there is something awful lurking back there tonight.
Fighting a thing like that in it's 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 event to come to an end a lot sooner. Maybe then Derek would still be here. She'd still be dead, but it would have been so much more painless.
The thought of her dead bothers me more than it should. What a disastrous night.
I stare into the black screen before crumpling it like a piece of paper with one hand. Crushing it into an unrecognizable material lump and metal 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.
I turn away and back to Cooper who's still staring at me intently, worry is written all over his face. I can't do to Cooper 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, so helpless to do anything, but the situation is out of my control.
It's a bitter pill to swallow.