Eternity is Only A Lifetime Away

Afterlife and Rebirth

The streets of Bristol were littered with bodies. Some decapitated, some still lying in pools of blood, others torn apart; their insides hanging over the parked cars like sadistic streamers. The city was a bloodbath and the battle raged on, desperation for victory increasing as the velvety black sky began to lighten in the distance.

Everyone knew that this battle couldn’t go on in the morning. No, in the morning the corpses had to be swept away by the authorities, the police and the medical teams racing to try and solve the mystery behind this massacre. Some of the bodies would vanish the moment the sunlight hit them, but the human remains that were scattered along street after street would become another tragedy of mankind. The slaughter would be another mystery to puzzle historians in the decades that would follow, another reason for the nations to pull together to help restore the balance in the world and it would forever remain unsolved. The believers would know the truth, they’d see it in the injuries, the murders, but they’d be rejected by society for their insensitivity of the massacre and slowly, their numbers would dwindle, whether it was because they were sectioned, arrested or murdered by their own kind. Yes, the battle was supernatural, controlled by the immortals, but in the end, it would be the innocent humans who would suffer for years to come.

Lilia, whilst protecting herself and those around her from vicious attacks with her own magical powers, tried to save as many lives as possible. She was a healer, along with many of the other witches and few fairies who were part of the rebellion. Together, they raced through the crowds playing the mystical doctors who healed the wounded and revived those still warm before sending them to a safe point; a tall office building that was being defended by werewolves. Some humans had their noses pressed to the glass windows, watching the madness unfold on the ground below, whilst others cowered in fear, still unsure of what was happening in their homes.

Kaleb has transformed into the polar opposite of his usual self. The younger vampire had quite the advantage of still being subject to his fledgling days. Occasionally, he would give into the brutal strength and anger that consumed most people after the transformation. In recent years, Tristan had taught him how to channel that power into something useful, rather than allowing it to make him the monster when his blood lust became too overwhelming. Now was when he put it all to practice.

He tore through the crowds, ripping the throats out of Sullivan’s army as they feasted upon their prey. He tossed them into walls, cars and trampled on those which had fallen. His methods were not as elegant or as graceful as Lilia’s, but they worked. His face was smeared with rotting blood, his fangs stretched out and hissing at anyone who got in his way before claiming their undead life as his own victory.

Numbers from both sides were rapidly falling and the clock was ticking before the sun ended this messy affair. So far, it was still anyone’s battle and with no news from their kingdom to inform them of Sullivan and Aleka, the sides simply had to keep pushing the other as hard as they could. Perfectly positioned and keenly armed, the enemies were matched almost identically to the other, which meant the gruelling fight was far from over, unless something extraordinary happened.

Locked in the safety of the attic was Georgie. Aleka had warned her before allowing her to return to Bristol, that should anyone or anything come to the house, the attic was guarded best. Tristan had customised a few defensive boards over the opening and the lack of windows and excessive insulation up there would help hide her location for as long as was possible, until help arrived.

She had crawled into the small, dark space the minute the first scream had erupted. Tucked away, she prayed for Aleka to arrive soon, but the sound of alarms, screams, roars and smashes just scared her even more. She was convinced that tonight was the night she would die. No one would save her, no one would stop them from doing to her what they had done to everyone else out there.