The sky had opened up without warning, rain pouring down in relentless sheets, each drop pounding against the windows with a fury that mirrored the intensity inside the room. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, and lightning slashed through the darkness, illuminating the scene in brief, eerie flashes. With each burst of light, Joseph's eyes, now glowing with the crimson hue of his vampiric transformation, seemed to burn even brighter.
The air was thick with tension, almost suffocating, as Joseph stood in his transformed state. His presence was overwhelming, a powerful manifestation of the bloodline that traced back to the legendary Vampire Lord William II. The demon, though fearsome, could feel the oppressive force of Joseph's bloodlust. Panic surged through the creature as it realized the true extent of the danger it was in. In a desperate, reckless move, the demon's claws dug deeper into Miss López's neck, drawing more blood.
A faint cry of pain escaped Miss López's lips, a sound so soft yet filled with such anguish that it sliced through the storm's noise, reaching Joseph's ears. The moment he heard her, something snapped within him. The world around him seemed to slow, the chaos fading into a muted blur. There was only one thought in his mind: he had to act.
In an instant, Joseph moved. His speed was so incredible that to the naked eye, he was little more than a blur. His hand shot out, slicing clean through the demon's arms, severing them in one fluid motion. The severed hands, still clutching Miss López, were flung into the air, trailing black, viscous blood. Before they even hit the ground, Joseph had already driven his hand into the demon's chest, tearing out its heart in a brutal display of raw power.
Miss López didn't have time to react. One moment, she was held captive by a monstrous being, and the next, she was free, but the shock of the ordeal left her weak. Her knees buckled, and she crumpled to the floor, her hands clutching her neck where the demon's claws had been. She could barely process what had just happened; the world around her was spinning.
As the demon collapsed to the ground, black blood oozed from its wounds, staining the floor. The room was filled with the sickly-sweet stench of death, the air heavy with the aftermath of violence. The demon, though fatally wounded, managed to speak, its voice a rasping whisper as it stared up at Joseph with malevolent glee.
"Joseph… so this is the name of his descendant," the demon croaked, a twisted smile spreading across its face even as it lay dying. "You can't always save your people… You can't stop us this time… you will lose everything again, like you lost HER."
The words hit Joseph like a sledgehammer. In an instant, the demon's taunts pulled him back to a time he had tried so hard to forget. Images from his past flooded his mind—painful, agonizing memories of a childhood marked by loss and regret. The voice in his head grew louder, a relentless litany of accusations and self-recrimination.
"Why weren't you strong enough?"
"You could have saved her."
"She is dead because of you."
"Why didn't you save HER?"
The memories overwhelmed him, drowning him in a sea of guilt and sorrow. Joseph's hands flew to his head, clutching it as if trying to keep the voices at bay. But they only grew louder, the word "HER" echoing in his mind, reverberating with a pain so intense it brought him to his knees.
"Gyaaaahhhhhh…!" Joseph screamed, the sound a raw, primal expression of his inner torment.
David, who had been watching the demon to ensure it was truly dead, rushed to Joseph's side the moment he heard his friend's anguished cry. The sight of Joseph, a man he had always known as strong and composed, now brought low by his own memories, filled David with a deep sense of dread.
"Joseph, are you okay?" David asked urgently, though he knew the answer. The guilt was consuming Joseph, dragging him into the depths of his own despair. David could see it in his eyes, in the way Joseph trembled as if he were reliving that terrible moment from his past.
Thinking quickly, David tried to reach him, shouting above the storm, "Don't let HER death be in vain!"
The words were a lifeline, a desperate attempt to pull Joseph back from the brink. Slowly, they began to have an effect. Joseph's frantic movements stilled; his breathing started to even out as the dark fog of his memories began to lift. He opened his eyes, seeing David's concerned face hovering over him, a look of deep worry etched into his features.
But the strain of the transformation and the emotional toll of reliving such a painful memory had drained Joseph. The moment he began to regain his senses, his body gave out, and he collapsed, unconscious, into David's waiting arms.
David caught him, his heart heavy with concern. Holding his friend close, he whispered softly, "Stop blaming yourself, my friend. You were too young to do anything. It was never your fault, for which you are punishing yourself."
His words were meant to comfort, but they also held a note of sorrow, for David knew all too well that such guilt was not easily banished.
Miss López, still trembling from her own ordeal, managed to steady herself enough to rise from the floor. The shock of what she had witnessed was still fresh, and her mind struggled to make sense of the supernatural horror she had just been a part of.
David turned to her, his expression softening. "Miss López, I know this must be shocking for you, but can you please— you know what happen here— "
"I… I… know," she interrupted, her voice shaky but determined. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "I am not… foolish," she continued, her words faltering as she attempted to articulate her thoughts.
She swallowed hard, then spoke again, her voice firmer this time. "But I think I deserve an explanation… for what I saw today."
David nodded, acknowledging her right to know the truth. "You do," he said simply. "But first, we need to get Joseph somewhere else. We can talk after that."
With Miss López's help, they managed to carry Joseph out into the rain, which continued to pour down with unrelenting force. The world outside was a blur of water and sound, the storm a perfect reflection of the chaos they had just escaped.
Together, they carefully placed Joseph in the back seat of Miss López's car. David directed her to drive to Joseph's house, knowing it would be the safest place for him to recover—and for them to have the conversation that would undoubtedly change everything.
As the car pulled away, the rain beat down on the roof like a thousand tiny hammers, the sound a constant reminder of the storm that had yet to pass.
To be Continued...