Fleur-de-lis

Revenge

John's p.o.v.

I turn over, trying to get comfortable again on this shitty mattress but furrow my brow in confusion. Something didn't feel right. I feel around and notice a significant amount of extra space on the bed.

'Huh?'

I suddenly jump fully awake when I realize that Vanitas wasn't laying next to me like he should. My eyes scan the room but there were no traces of him in the apartment. I put on pants and go to the door. I open it and poke my head out to see if Van might be wandering around perhaps but I see nothing.

"What the fuck?" I whisper to myself.

I turn on the lights to see if I was overlooking anything but don't see anything worth while...just that Van's kicks were missing...and...the bat from that one night. Why would Vanitas take that? For protection or-

A feeling of deep anxiety kicks in as soon as I realize what Van was likely out doing. In a panic I grab my keys and shoes, struggling to put them on as I scramble out the door. I shiver ever so slightly at the cool night air, having neglected to make time to put on a shirt but I really couldn't be concerned when Van's well-being was at stake. I hop into my car and type in the address for the Manning community church in my gps as quickly as I'm able. As soon as the address loads I peel out of the parking lot and down the road.

I take deep breaths to try and calm down, refraining from speeding down the late night roads but my heart was racing so fast. The inside of my car is briefly illuminated before being shrouded in darkness repeatedly as I pass under street lights. My eyes dart left and right for any sign of Vanitas. Maybe he hadn't gotten far yet? Maybe I could stop him before it was too late.

After several minutes of driving, I arrive at the church but keep a safe distance as to not alert anyone of my presence just yet. I can see light in the church windows, implying that someone was inside. After a watching and waiting for several minutes, the lights shut off and the doors open. Out steps James into the night air as he starts to stroll towards his car. He looked unharmed so I question if Van had even come here. Just as the thought crosses my mind, James walks under a street light and emerging from the darkness behind him was Vanitas, silently stalking him with the bat. James walks from under the light and becomes silhouetted once more but Van dissolves into the darkness completely.

James pauses momentarily and looks behind himself as if he'd felt Van's presence just behind him. But the only thing there now is darkness. Brushing it off, James just continues to his car passing under another streetlight. Van appears in the light once again but this time his head is turned and he's staring directly at me...not just at my car but directly into my eyes even at such a ridiculous distance, even through tinted windows...right into my soul. His eyes told me to back off.

Van vanishes into the darkness once more. He wasn't just following James, he was hunting him...like an animal playing with it's food.

He's probably going to be angry with me but I'm not going to let Van fuck up his life over some douche. I hop out of the car and start to run towards James as fast as I can. The sound of my loud foot falls startles him and he stops just in front of his car beneath another streetlight before turning around. He freezes in a momentary panic, seeing some stranger darting towards him but little did he know that I wasn't the threat.

Suddenly Vanitas emerges from the darkness behind him and I stop dead in my tracks. Van throws the bat over James' head and yanks him onto the ground by his neck. Before James could even process what was going on, Van raised the bat high to strike him.

"Van! Van Van Van, Don't!" I call out in a panic.

"Why did you come out here John?" Van replies without taking his eyes off of James. "You should've just stayed out of my way."