love you Corrine, you are everything to me, please don’t go, don’t leave me here alone without you.”
“Will, you did all you could, we tried to get her back. You did all you could for her,” Roth said.
I knew Roth was trying to comfort Will but he was inconsolable. I felt the rain drops mingle with Will’s tears now. He sat in the clearing on his knees. I was lying in his arms, like a rag doll, lifeless. He quit speaking, and it worried me deeply. I knew something was wrong.
“Do you have the other vial?” Will asked Roth, it had been quiet for so long, if I were capable of jumping I would have.
“What? Uh… yeah, but why? That Kyle dude took off. Todd hasn’t moved in twenty minutes, he’s dead I’m sure.” Roth sounded confused about Will asking about the vial.
“I just want to be sure he’s dead, let me hang onto the other one, just in case.” I could hear a strange edge in Will’s voice, an under lying urgency to get that vial.
“No, I have it don’t worry about it man.” I could hear Roth move back closer to me. I then felt him take my wrist once again. I marveled at how warm his fingers felt, I longed to feel that warm again.
“Did you check her over good, she might be in shock or something, and you know she may not really be….” He paused trying hard not to say the D word (dead).
“Gone… we have to be sure.” Gone, well I was so not gone if only I could just get up, yell at them both, and tell them.
“I did check. I found a weak pulse, and that’s when she was still able to speak to me, right after that freak bit her. I can’t believe he did that, why….. It’s just sick to hate somebody like that!” Will sighed.
“I want to be sure, Corrine’s system is pretty jacked up, so she could be having some insane reaction to the venom.” Roth was gentle as he placed two fingers against the un bitten side of my neck trying to feel for a pulse.
I could hear him sigh as he found nothing. Then he pulled back Will’s coat that covered me to listen to my chest, for any heartbeat. I felt him place his ear carefully on my chest, as he waited. I hoped he heard something. He quickly covered me back up with Will’s coat.
“Damn it! I didn’t hear anything, this is so screwed up I swear!” Will was silent, and that concerned me. “I will call Doc and Pratt, again. I know they will know what to do for her Will you know that too don’t you?” He asked cautiously.
“Do I?” Will’s voice was low and unsteady. I was really scared.
“No really, Pratt’s a genius he will know how to get Corrine back, I know he will.” Roth was trying to be convincing, but a slight waver in his voice told me Will’s behavior was worrying him too.
“Tell me cousin of mine, how does one bring back a human from death? I was not aware Dr. Pratt was God himself. God would have to be the one to give Corrine back to me now. Death is final Roth, of all the creatures that roam this earth; vampires are the authorities on that subject, especially full bloods wouldn’t you say?” Will sounded disgusted.
“Yes, death is the end all, unless you are a vampire, than it becomes part of you for eternity.” I was shaken by his words and disturbed by the silence from Roth. I knew he was too.
“Will, come on now, she’s not fully human. Pratt will know what to do and if he doesn’t I know Corrine wouldn’t want you to be talking like this.”
“Like what?” Will questioned.
“Like it’s over, everything you know. Corrine loved you….” He groaned at his past tense referral of me. “She loves you, ok? If she is gone… or whatever, she would never want you to do something stupid to yourself. You understand me?” Roth was getting short tempered now.
“Stupid? Really? That has a lot of definitions doesn’t it?”
“Will come on quit that, be real here, and listen to me!”
“I am and I know what Corrine wanted better than you.” He snapped.
“Really is that so?” Roth fired back.
“Yes!” He yelled.
“I know she didn’t want you to die, not by Todd’s hand or your own. That’s what I know William Darcy!”