Night before the end

The sun has set. You heard police sirens and screams from afar. Despite your efforts, Owl city was plunged into chaos, one that exceeded your imagination.

You and Melissa sat on the floor in the basement, not knowing what you should do next. You're trapped in here, waiting for Olivia to come back and finish her work, or any hungry vampire to come by and make you their meal. Sometimes you looked at the gun and thought that it might be an easier way out.

"I'm sorry that I dragged you and your girlfriend in this." Melissa sighed as she stared at the blank wall.

"Fran is... not my girlfriend..." You paused for a moment to collect your strength, "She's a part of me that I can't let go. Losing her is like... like I'm half dead already."

"I'm sorry..." Melissa leaned her head on your shoulder. You never saw her showed her weak side in front of you, or anybody.

You replied by holding her shoulder gently. You didn't know what you were getting into, and the price to get out alive was too high for you to pay. You both fell silent again and the only sounds in the basement were your breathing and the distant echoes of the chaos outside. You wondered how much time you had left before Olivia returned.

Suddenly, you heard footsteps above you, slow but purposeful. Your heart raced as you grabbed the gun. You're not gonna submit without a fight. Melissa agreed with you as she held her pistol tightly in her hand, too. The footsteps paused for a moment, and they continued towards the basement trapdoor at a faster pace.

"Sergeant? Ma'am? Are you down there?" It was a familiar female voice.

"Leona! We're trapped in the basement!" Melissa yelled in delight. You didn't expect this, but it's a timely help.

"Ma'am! You're alive! Just hang in there!" Leona replied happily.

Seconds later you heard the fridge being pulled away from the trapdoor. You frowned with confusion. The fridge should be too heavy to be pulled away by a young girl like Leona, even though she was a police officer. Is there someone else helping her? Who would that be? You wondered.

At last, the trapdoor was opened and you saw the moonlight, which was weirdly giving you the hope to live. You climbed the wooden ladder and, with Leona's help, successfully escaped the basement that could be your grave. Leona's hand was cold, a strange thought ran through your mind as you helped Melissa up. You looked around and you're sure that Leona was alone.

"Thank you, Leona!" Melissa was happy to see the rookie who just saved her life, "How's the bar? Where are the others?"

"Ma'am... I... I did the right thing, right?" Leona asked in a shaking tone.

"Leona?" Melissa was confused and she stepped towards the rookie.

The redhead officer suddenly hissed at you with a pair of fangs bared. You instinctively shielded Melissa and tried to reach your gun. But Leona quickly covered her mouth with her hands, and backed down with tears rolling down her red eyes. Melissa was too shocked to react as you could feel her shaking behind you.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." She cried painfully, fighting the urge to rip you apart, "We failed! There were too many of them and they ambushed us! The bar's owner got me... And then I made Peter... I **** him to..."

"Leona! Listen to me... It's not your fault, okay?" Melissa tried her best to calm both herself and the rookie down, "You're strong. You can still fight it!"

"I can't..." Leona's hands were shaking and you noticed that she was trying to step forward, "I turned two more civilians on my way here... I wanted to take you for myself... Then, suddenly my mind was clearer. I think something must've happened to Mistress... to Olivia... But, I'm still thirsty..."

You were trying to put yourself between them, but Melissa just gently pushed you away and stepped towards Leona. The redhead officer collapsed in Melissa's arms and panted heavily. Her instinct was conflicting with her own will. She hissed from time to time, and she was **** to **** her mouth shut.

"I don't want to live like this... I don't want to hurt other people..." Leona cried aloud as she was failing in controlling herself. She grabbed Melissa's shoulder and slowly approached her neck.

"It's okay... It's okay..." Melissa patted her red hair and whispered softly, "You did the right thing..."

"Thank-"

Melissa drove a stake through Leona's heart. The redhead officer let out a muffled moan. She held the sergeant she admired the most tightly and gradually turned to dust in Melissa's arms. The stake dropped on the floor, and so did Melissa. She screamed in pain and you really wanted to just let her.

"Melissa..." You patted her shoulder gently and she slowly calmed down, "I'm sorry but... we shouldn't stay much longer..."

"What have I done?" she whispered, "I thought I was prepared when I shot Jessica... when I chopped Ernest's head off and put Penny to rest... when I decided to come back for my parents... I thought..."

"It's okay." You knelt down beside her, held her close from behind and softly reassured her, "You did what you had to do, what she hoped you to do."

Melissa nodded quietly. The two of you sat in silence for a moment, but the screams in the street and all kinds of alarms in the distance were bringing you back to the reality. You knew that the night was far from over. You glanced over at the spot where Leona had once stood. All that remained was a pile of dust and the stake that had ended her suffering. You sighed helplessly.

Minutes later, Melissa recovered from the trauma enough to leave the house with you. She got you in the police car and drove back to her place, an apartment in the south of the city.

You barricaded the front door and closed all the windows before you both went inside the bedroom. The vampire contagion hasn't spread to this area yet, but occasionally you heard gunshots from afar. The world you lived in was much different now, one where the lines between humanity and monstrosity were blurred, and you had to fight for your and your loved one's life.

But you still had something to hold onto, someone. You had each other as you and Melissa climbed on the only bed in the bedroom. You stared at the door when you felt Melissa shaking in your arms. You looked at her and gently kissed her on the forehead.

She turned around and looked at you curiously for a few seconds before she slowly returned a kiss on your lips. You were a little bit surprised. Your heart beat faster as the kiss deepened, and you almost forgot the horrors outside for a brief moment. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the warmth of Melissa's lips and the comfort of her embrace. You could feel her trembling subside, replaced by a sense of calm and connection.

When the kiss finally broke, you both looked into each other's eyes carefully, as if you were looking for something. You found the rare vulnerability in Melissa's gaze that you normally couldn't see.

"Thank you, for being here, with me." She whispered and lay back on the bed.

"We'll get through this together, Melissa." You leaned your back down. You wrapped your arm around her waist from behind, and you felt the warmth from her hand which was holding yours.

In the darkness, you could almost pretend that the world outside didn't exist, that you were just two broken souls healing each other in a safe place. The apartment was silent except for the occasional echoes of footsteps or distant screams. You knew that this night was just the beginning of the end, but for now, you cherished this fragile moment of peace and companionship. You held onto it as tightly as you held onto Melissa.

The sun will rise again and a new day will come. It always will, you sighed and closed your eyes.