Razed By The Wolves

The Devil's Encore

We landed with a thud, and as we realised we were in the town square of our own hometown, we let out short laughs of triumph and relief. We were home safe in our own reality, and Victoria had been defeated. A sudden pang of guilt hit me. She may have been an insane demi-god who'd tried to brutally murder us, but she was still our sister. She deserved a dignified funeral; even Laurence and the Cardinal had been given that honour despite their crimes.

I scanned the area for what would have been Victoria's remains, but couldn't find even the slightest trace. With her only being half Eternal I wasn't sure if she'd have turned into the pile of dust that Ashley did, or whether she'd be reduced to the mass of blood and gore that ordinary vampires became when they died. I was prepared for either, but found neither. Suddenly a large advertising billboard flickered into life.

"Tired of worrying about your children? Looking for a reliable babysitter at an affordable price? Why not try Fletcher Wainwright? Here's what one of our satisfied customers had to say:" The voice changed, and it became distorted the way Talia's was.

"I left my son with Fletcher, and by the time I came back, he didn't even miss me... Miss me... Miss me..."
Those last two words echoed, getting louder and less distorted until... Victoria's face appeared on the screen, now screaming the words as a question. "MISS ME???" She laughed her trademark cackling laugh and Elizabeth squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"It's okay. I've seen this done before, it's just a pre-recorded message. She's still messing with our heads." The laughter stopped suddenly.

"No, sister dear. This is not a pre-recorded message, not an illusion or deception. I'm very much alive and kicking. Which is sadly more than can be said for poor little Fletcher..." I shot a worried glance at Elizabeth before I called out.

"Fletch?" No answer. "Fletcher?" Still nothing. I turned and ran back to the Palace at full speed, Elizabeth following right behind. We tore through every room, yelling out Fletcher's name to no avail.

This had to be a trick. Victoria had known she'd die in the alternate reality and must have sent one of her followers over here to record that video. We'd get to Christian's nursery, Fletcher and our son would be completely safe, and we'd find Victoria's remains on the floor. Eventually we turned the corner that led to Christian's nursery, and Elizabeth let out a horrified scream.

On the carpet in front of the door were certainly the remains of a dead vampire, but not the one I was hoping for. Because Victoria certainly wouldn't have worn Fletcher's leather waistcoat, and Fletcher's decapitated head sat on top of the mess like a flag on a child's sandcastle. I tore my gaze away from his fear-widened eyes, up to the message daubed on the door. It was written in blood, presumably Fletcher's: "This is what happens when you drag your friends into this crazy little game of ours."

We burst into the nursery knowing full well what we'd find. Sure enough, Christian's bed was empty. Empty except for a note in Victoria's distinct handwriting.

"Hello again, family.
So sorry about the mess, but I'm sure you can afford the cleaning bill. I admit I didn't need to kill poor little Fletcher. But then again, I didn't need him alive either. All I needed was your son, and my favourite big brother. Call it a little psychological experiment. Meet me at St. John's Church at midnight, ALONE.
All my love,
Victoria."

I dropped to my knees, the weight of all the rushing emotions pulling me down. Anger. Grief. Guilt. Fear. All dragging me down like an anchor around my neck. I spoke aloud, barely above a whisper.

"I know you can hear me Victoria, so listen to this. You keep pushing me and pushing me, but you have no idea where the edge is for me. In the space of one day you've killed three very good friends of mine and kidnapped my son; my day can't get much worse. Let's see what I can do about yours."