Blood and Nights Out - Part 7

Lisa comes running back again, glowing so brightly I’m temporarily blinded.
"What the hell is going on in this mad house?" she shrieks, then stops dead. All eyes turn to Diablo’s writhing form. Blood and red steam rises from the wound where the stake has been thrust through. Diablo’s face is contorted in agony; his body twitching. I notice he shape shifts into a demonic form now and again, and in and out of his clothes. This doesn’t really help the situation.
"Who did this?" Lisa gasps, hopping from one foot to the other in panic.
"It wasn’t me!" I say immediately. I point at Alice. "You! Why did you do that?"
"He was about to rape you," she replies coldly, folding her arms. A horrible smile lights up her face. "Aren’t you happy? He’s dying. Let’s burn him quick then forget about him."

"Don’t be so stupid!" squeaks Lisa, and diving forward she wrenches the stake from Diablo’s chest. It makes an awful sucking noise as it slides out of his heart. After she tosses it to the carpet, Diablo grows very still. He is shirtless, but has a pair of black jeans on for decency. His eyelids are very dark. His whole face looks dead. We all crowd round, holding our breaths. I feel so weird. Part of me is hoping he’s dead so we can forget this night forever, but another part of me wants him to be alive. I don’t want my best friend to be a killer. But the massive gory hole in Diablo’s chest looks grim. I think he is dead after all.
"Alice," I stammer. "I think you’re a murderer."
"Don’t be so sure," Lisa warns me. She feels for a pulse, puts a hand over his mouth to see if she can feel any breath, but she shakes her head. Nothing.
"Are you quite sure?" I ask, trembling. I look at the glow around her skin. "You can do something for him, can’t you? Something… er… special?"

"No. If he’s dead, there’s nothing I can do, vampire or not," she says dully. Alice doesn’t seem at all worried. She stretches and yawns happily, pleased with herself. However, I’m kinder than she is. I lean over his face, the duvet wrapped around me, and inspect him closely. He is unnaturally still. Maybe Lisa’s right. He can’t possibly be alive any more. Even so, I touch the cold skin of his cheek. Diablo’s eyes suddenly flick open, making me jump violently. He starts breathing again, with crackly wheezing inhalations. My heart soars, but my stomach flops to the floor. Oh my god.
"Where… is… SHE?" he chokes out, with a lot of effort. I cup his face in my hands, digging in my nails.
"Which she would that be?" I say sarcastically. "There are three she’s to see here. Choose one, at least. Me, or Lisa, or your would-be murderer…"
"Alice," he snarls, grinding his teeth in pain as he drags himself up on one elbow. Alice’s face pales. She stares wildly at the door, but as if in a trance, Lisa guards it. She whirls round to face Diablo, making a cross with her fingers. She’s even more superstitious than me, and that’s saying something.

"What do you want?" she demands, sounding angry but looking petrified. She wriggles under Diablo’s hating glare, turning ash grey with fear.
"You tried… to kill me," Diablo spits, blood still pouring steadily from his stake wound. "And failed. Stupid… foolish… child. Four will come… for you. In revenge."
"What?" Alice’s hands go to her mouth. "Four who?"
Lisa’s blank, dreamy face snaps back to attention.
"Diablo, stop controlling me for a second!" she calls out in a singsong voice. Diablo nods at her, and she droops a little. "The four vampire leaders. The Quiet One, The Righteous One, The Violent One and The… The one nobody has seen for several years. Nobody knows his title."
"You mean there are more vampires?" I gasp. It’s never really occurred to me before.
"Of course. Billions of them. Led by five leaders… he’s one of them, actually."

Lisa grabs Alice by the scruff off the neck and whispers into her ear. I catch most of what she says.
"That was a stupid and dangerous thing you did to Diablo. Go and sit in your room, it isn’t safe to stay in maiming range of this demon. Quickly girl!"
Alice tosses me a wild glance over her shoulder before she scurries away, slamming the door behind her. Diablo grins nastily.
"They will find… her eventually," he croaks. I grimace behind his back. It would be better if he were dead after all.
"Alright, Master," Lisa says, ducking her head. She acts as if Diablo is an all-powerful leader or something. "How do I heal you from here?"
Diablo reels off a lot of instructions so quickly I don’t follow them, but Lisa does. She places her hands over the wound and works mechanically, murmuring spells swiftly. Her eyes are completely blank. Diablo is controlling her utterly.
"How long have you been doing that for?" I wonder aloud.
"From the moment she came… in the second time."
"But she can’t close up that hole, can she?"
"I don’t need much… of her gift to heal myself. Look, Raven."

Diablo’s right. The wound is slowly healing itself, until finally there’s only a tiny imperfection left marking the skin. I gawp at it and rub the area where the stake had impaled him. It’s smooth as before Alice’s murder attempt. I notice Diablo shivering at my touch, his dark eyes rolling back in his head. He sits up carefully, and pulls me onto his lap. Lisa wakes from her hypnotic state and looks with horror at us both. Her mouth hardens.
"Leave Raven alone," she says coldly. "You sick, dirty creature. I know who and what you are now and I won’t have the like manhandling my sister. I don’t want her corrupted in the head. That’s all you’re doing to her- making her go mad."
Diablo wearily tugs Lisa to the bed and speaks to her directly.
"Lisa, I have just been staked by a little girl. I’m weak. I’m thirsty. There isn’t a lot I can do to harm Raven. All I need is blood, and I wouldn’t touch the blood of a filthy witch like you in a thousand years. And that little murderess cowering in her room is not worthy. So that leaves Raven. She won’t object."
I look pleadingly at Lisa.
"Let him do it to me," I beg. "Please. Let him have what he wants as long as he leaves me alone afterwards. I promise I won’t die on you."
Lisa looks as if she wants to curse Diablo’s head off his shoulders, but she doesn’t. She crumples to the floor and covers her face with her hands.
"Go on then. And much good may it do you, you horrible creature."

Diablo gently bites my throat, as he’s obviously not fully recovered from being staked, and then drinks my blood. I feel myself growing limp in his grasp. I’m so tired. All I want is to sleep. But something is stopping me. I glare around the room blearily, until my eyes fall on the mirror. I stare at it in disbelief. Diablo and I are reflected in it, but there’s a major difference. Somebody is next to me, holding my hand. Somebody very familiar.

It’s somebody who most definitely is not sat on the bed with us.