"Alex was killed by a vampire... the same one you had seen in the woods the day that car crashed into the cafeteria."
Jacob coughed and laughed as he slowly leaned against the tree, using it as a support to lift himself up. At first, he struggled to even move his hands, let alone his body. He looked like a broken doll; his back bent, his head facing the ground and his hands dangling like chains.
"I knew you had changed, Morgan," he said, flashing his razor-sharp canines. "But I didn't know you had it in you."
Ashley charged at him again.
Jacob smirked and delivered one blow in Ashley's stomach. Ashley felt her insides turn and she found herself flying and landing a few meters away from him.
Her entire body shook as she stood up. With her hand still on her abdomen, Ashley saw Jacob disappear... no... he was...
She never saw the attack coming. It felt like a rock had hit the side of her face. Jacob connected punch after punch until Ashley's face felt watery, covered in blood... her own blood. She could see it on Jacob's fist and feel it streaming from her nose and mouth.
Jacob then held her in the air by her neck and she felt her entire weight pulling on her.
"Why?" Ashley asked in a choked voice.
Jacob raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?" he said. "Why?"
Jacob's grip on Ashley's neck tightened.
Her ears were ringing, her vision was blurring and her head was throbbing.
Jacob let Ashley go.
Ashley landed on her feet but her legs gave out and she found herself lying on the ground. She leaned her back against a tree and just sat there, staring at the guy wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans and black boots. His hair was as shaggy as it was the last time she saw him.
"Luke's dad," Ashley said. "That was you, wasn't it?"
Jacob smirked.
"Deputy Sheriff Anderson," he said with a sigh. "He was the one you know... the one who was so hell-bent on putting my sister away. He did finally get his wish though and now... I hope after everything, he is the one who ends up in the loony bin."
"So all this... is about getting revenge for Stacy?" Ashley asked. Her wounds had already healed but she waited for the right moment to attack.
"Revenge... No Morgan... This is far much more than that. You know, I never once believed my little sister's words. She warned us... warned the entire town about you. Of all people, I should have been there for her but believing in the supernatural isn't something that happens overnight... well... in my case it was."
Jacob picked up a small hard stone. He looked at Ashley and without warning he threw it at her, aiming for her head. Ashley simply moved her head to her right and the stone shot through the tree she leaned against. She looked at the hole in the tree. The stone had gone through it like a bullet fired from a gun.
"Vampire," Jacob said as if making a grand declaration. "Do you know how one becomes a vampire Ashley? You have to die with vampire blood in your body. When Stacy killed me that night everything went dark. Then, I found myself on a bed and next to me was someone I least expected... Our dear friend Coley or should I call her by her real name... Claudia."
A chill ran down Ashley's spine.
"Coley is a..."
"She's a ten-thousand-year-old vampire that nearly sucked dry half of Europe in the late 1600s. And let's be on the same page, her name is Claudia. It turns out that the night before I was hit by a car... I would have died if it wasn't for Claudia. She fed me her blood and healed me completely. She did, however, erase my memory of the incident. Yes, Ashley, compulsion is real. But when I died, all the memories came flooding back. Claudia fed me human blood to complete the transition and for almost a month, I lived in the shadows under her constant care."
"What happened?" Ashley asked. "How did you become this... a killer..."
"Grand stroke of reality I guess," Jacob replied and he sat on a rock. "You know, before my sister escaped from the hospital that night, I visited her and do you know what she told me... She said that I would soon become that which I feared the most. Growing up, vampires always scared the hell out of me..."
"I remember..." Ashley interrupted, a small smile involuntarily forming on her face. "Every Halloween, Stacy always wore a vampire consume just for the fun of scaring you."
"Yeah... but you see, being a vampire isn't something I feared the most...."
Jacob's face fell, looking almost remorseful. For a moment, Ashley saw the same sweet guy she once knew.
"Anyway, it turns out my sister's prediction or vision was right... And then I thought of all the things she said you would bring to this world."
"If that's the case then why not just kill me," Ashley retorted. "Why Alex?"
"Oh... remember how I told you that I was hit by a car the night before I died... guess who was behind the wheel that day."
It took a while for the word to come out of Ashley's mouth.
"Alex..." she said, almost whispering.
"Bingo Morgan! She did try to save me though but when Claudia stepped in, she compelled Alex to forget as well... but you see, if it wasn't for Alex, I wouldn't have had vampire blood in my body and I would have died just like any normal person should. So yeah... you could say I kind of blame her..."
"But to kill her..."
"An eye for an eye Morgan," Jacob said.
"So it really was you..."
Both Ashley and Jacob turned to where the voice came from. It was Coley... no, Claudia. Her eyes were blood-red, her fangs extended and sharp. Jacob just sat there as if the vampire that had just arrived was not a threat to him.
"Get up Ashley," Claudia ordered.
Ashley stood up.
Another person appeared.
"You okay..."
"I am fine Richard," Ashley replied, smiling.
Finally, it was Sara who arrived. This time her face wasn't concealed and she had a wooden stake in her hand. Ashley wondered where she had been keeping it all this time.
Jacob rose to his feet with a smirk across his face.
"So the band's all here," he said.
"Give it up Jacob," Claudia said. "Even you know can't escape or win."
"Oh I know," Jacob replied. "Which is why..."
"Ashy..."
No one saw where she came from. It was Leah. The small girl in a black dress walked until she stood in-between Ashley and Jacob. Leah was holding a small knife in her hand and Ashley froze when Leah raised the knife and pointed it towards her neck.
"No! Jacob stop!" Ashley shouted. Ashley recognized the knife. It was the one Stacy used when she tried to kill her and it was the one Stacy had used to kill Jacob.
Claudia and Richard tried to intervene.
"I wonder if any of you are fast enough to get her," Jacob said.
Ashley didn't know what to do. Her lips were shaking and so was her body. Tears kept falling from her eyes and all she did was hope Richard could do something.
"Ashy... everything will be okay," Leah said.
"Leah..."
Ashley felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Richard's. She had never seen him like this. His eyes were cold and scary, glowing orange and fixed on Jacob.
"Your arrogance and pride will be your downfall," Richard angrily said. "Using a child like this..."
"And how many have you slaughtered throughout your existence demon," Jacob replied.
"Demon... yes... which is why you shouldn't have underestimated my power..."
Everything happened so fast that Ashley's eyes couldn't follow. With incredible speed, Richard had already grabbed the knife from Leah and plunged it into Jacob's neck. Jacob managed to land a quick blow at Richard and he escaped, disappearing into the woods. Richard would have followed him but he chose to stay.
Ashley let out a gasp and ran towards her sister. Everyone gathered around Leah. She had fainted and was sleeping peacefully on the small dead leaves. The worst was over.
"I can make her forget," Claudia offered.
"No," Ashley said, forcing a small smile on her face. "Not her Claudia..."
"You can still call me Coley you know," Claudia said, her brown eyes gleaming with relief.
"Claudia sounds way cooler," Ashley said, still sobbing.
"And what about you Hunter," Claudia said, looking in the direction of Sara.
Sara gave her a reassuring smile. Claudia was on their side and Sara knew it. Apparently, it was a taboo for a Hunter to ever associate themselves with supernatural but Sara was willing to do whatever it took to protect her friends.
"Richard," Ashley said in a low voice. "I'm not going to ask about your past..." She then stared at Claudia. "I am not going to ask about any of your pasts. I don't know exactly what it is I have found myself caught up in but I know I need to become stronger. You guys... all of you guys are clearly strong and experienced and..."
"Done," Richard said. He looked at Claudia and Sara and they all nodded in agreement.
Thunder rumbled in the sky, shaking the ground a bit.
"Here," Richard said, handing Ashley a silver ring with a small dark blue crystal on it.
"What is it?" Ashley asked, bewilderment flooding her voice.
"A Suppression Ring... It's been a long time since I saw one of those," Claudia said.
"Suppression Ring?" Ashley asked.
Richard placed the ring in Ashley's hand and said, "When you come for training tomorrow I will tell you what it is."
He slowly began to walk away.
"Wait... I don't know where you live," Ashley shouted.
"Consider finding that out your first test," Richard said and he vanished from their sight.
Ashley looked at her little sister. She was still asleep.
I will become strong, She thought, gently stroking her sister's hair. I will protect you no matter what.