Chapter 36: And With a Smile That Judas in Hell Might Be Proud Of, Part 5

Death had cornered her, and now it would take her to a world without fear or pain. But also without anything else. The innocent dreamed, but those who lived on the hidden side of society knew for certain that there was no life after death, only this valley of tears. If only she knew she would reunite with Daniela, she would close her eyes and let herself go. But all that awaited her on the other side was eternal darkness and silence. Nothing forever. Dying was no different than never having been born. It was the end of all things.

Even if it was just to keep remembering and honoring her memory, Alex had to fight. She tightened her grip on the sword in her trembling hands. Darkness was closing in on her. The cold embrace of death. There was no one left to help her. She was alone. And as definitive as the outcome seemed, as obvious, she was still alive. As long as she was alive, she could still change things. She had to believe it, as she always had.

They hadn’t joined the hunters thinking their fight would never change anything, that it meant nothing. They had been full of dreams and hopes, with the determination to make a difference burning in their hearts. So why couldn't she keep that flame burning a little longer? What would it cost her? She could still do it. Death was nothing more than Dracula’s lackey, not the darkness that was silencing all her senses, robbing her of everything she had. It wasn’t an unchangeable law of the universe. It was just another monster. And she made a living killing monsters.

"It would be much easier for everyone if you stopped fighting," Death said. Its scythe whistled through the growing darkness. "If you closed your eyes and let yourself be carried away forever. You're so eager to shut yourself off from this world. From fear and pain. From the sorrow of loss. From a life that isn’t really life. You have no friends or family. No man to love. Just an empty house and the voices of your regrets. Exactly why do you think you're fighting? Isn’t it better to give up? Isn't it better to quit, while you're still intact? Do you think you'll be rewarded? You never have been. You're not the kind of person who deserves to be rewarded."

Death had taken on the tone and words of the dark voice that had always been whispering in her skull, trying to make her give up, trying to turn her into someone she wasn’t and never wanted to be. That made the words incredibly persuasive.

After killing Dracula, if she succeeded, all that awaited her was the ultimate crisis. The innocent reacting to the revelation of the supernatural world. They had spent millions of years killing each other with mere weapons. If they discovered that world, if they learned about the creatures that lurked in the shadows, the world would crumble without Dracula’s help in humans’ foolish attempt to save it. And monsters would rule over the ruins, whether they were supernatural beings or humans powerful enough to survive at the expense of others. It didn’t matter. There wouldn’t be much difference. That was the kind of future he expected.

So yes. Good question. Why the hell was she fighting?

She didn’t want to see all that. She didn’t want to know that she and Daniela had dedicated their lives to protecting the world, only for the world to rush to its own destruction with a smile on its face. She didn’t want to know that people didn’t deserve the blood, sweat, and tears it took to protect them. She didn’t want to see that. She didn’t want to know that Daniela had died in vain. So, slowly, she closed her eyes.

I’m scared. I’m so scared.

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A hand pierced the velvet darkness, reaching toward her. A human hand. It couldn’t be possible. How had she even seen it in the first place? Because she had opened her eyes in a rush, because she had felt something. Yes, something that wasn’t possible, but she didn’t care. She took that hand, and it pulled her from the darkness, from the corner where she had almost sunk. Because the hand didn’t just tear through the darkness; it also shredded Death’s tattered cloak.

There were strange sounds, like bones creaking. A neck, which was only bones, turning. She knew.

"Impossible. You should be… Ah, I see."

And then the tattered cloak fell to the ground and disintegrated, as if the being that had worn it no longer existed. All that remained was a crumpled cloak on the floor, discarded.

The person who had taken her hand, the person who had done that to Death, was Daniela.

Though it was impossible, that’s what her eyes were seeing. Alex staggered toward her. The weakness that had threatened to consume everything she had made her tremble. Unsteady steps, like those of a newborn, carried her to her. She touched a shoulder, though what she longed for was to embrace her.

"How is this possible? I don’t understand. I don’t understand."

Daniela looked back at her, her eyes filled with infinite sadness.

"I can’t explain it now. It’s not the time. But you will understand. Very soon, you’ll understand. Okay?"

Alex swallowed hard. She didn’t like how that sounded. It didn’t sound like she could celebrate this reunion, like she could consider it a miracle.

They turned their attention back to Dracula, who seemed upset by Death’s defeat. Dracula lunged at them. They could dodge that massive body, of course. All his attacks were telegraphed from miles away due to his size.

In a way, he had been a much harder opponent to deal with in his natural size. However, the attack had never been aimed at them in the first place. Dracula's massive body shattered what remained of the throne room, splintering it along with the spell that had kept it afloat.

Suddenly, they found themselves in free fall, thousands of feet in the air. Alex couldn’t stifle a scream. She didn’t like heights; she had always avoided flying whenever possible. Until now, she hadn’t allowed herself to notice how high up she was, distracted by the adrenaline of the battle and the nearness of death, both literal and figurative. But now all she could do was scream, as horrible images filled her mind: what would happen to her body if it reached the ground. Falling faster and faster.

Realistically, there would be little left of her but a giant red stain.

But Daniela remained calm. She propelled herself and dragged Alex toward the dragon’s body. They landed on the monster, clinging to its scales and fur, because it had fur. They drove their weapons into the body, though they barely penetrated, just to secure their grip.

Of course, Dracula had moved quickly to try to avoid it, but his body was simply too large. So, they had fallen on him, almost at the end of his tail, but still on him.

Daniela and Alex exchanged another glance, then began their journey toward the dragon’s head. It was the natural target. A blow to the head, piercing the skull and reaching the brain. Or perhaps two strikes to the eyes, with the same goal. In any case, along with the chest, it was theoretically the most vulnerable part of any body.

They had never fought a dragon, let alone a vampire-dragon hybrid, or whatever this was.

Until today. They had always believed dragons didn’t exist, that they were one of humanity’s few myths that were nothing more than that, a myth. Well, that and Bigfoot. And aliens.

In any case, they made their way forward, battling the lack of oxygen and the biting wind that seemed to slice through them as it split the clouds. A terrible pressure enveloped their bodies. They moved slowly, with great effort, as Dracula shook, flapped, circled in the air. In short, he did everything he could to throw them off.

They advanced carefully, but eventually reached the head. They raised their weapons.

"Let’s hit the same eye," Daniela said.

Alex had her doubts about whether it would be better to split their attacks, but she didn’t protest at all. This wasn’t the time or place to speak unnecessarily.

They both struck the left eye, piercing it. They didn’t burst the eye, but they did draw some blood.

Well, that made sense. Their weapons were like tiny needles, considering the size of the beast. Tiny, more like minuscule.

And With a Smile That Judas in Hell Might Be Proud Of, Part 5: END