Midnight After Midnight - Nanowrimo 2022

Chapter 16 - Blood-Soaked Crowns

While the sun was faintly shining, Jeremy slowly made his way through the thick pine woods near the Vega palace, the weight of the stake in a pocket of his black overcoat reminding him of the task he had to do. The war between vampires and humans was dawning, which he'd spent many years preparing for. He often observed the behaviours of his overlords, focused on remembering every little detail he could use against them, trying his best to make it seem like his frequent hanging out with them was borne out of genuine camaraderie, and as far as he knew, it had worked so far. Now he only had to be careful not to blow his cover too soon.

In the earliest of mornings, the king and queen sometimes walked for an hour or so, waiting for the sun to fully rise, leaving before it could sap them of their powers too much. It was understandable, for the forest was a sight to remember during that time. It was quite beautiful to observe the rays of sunlight gently descending upon the humbled trees through the overpowering layers of grey clouds, their branches lovingly illuminated from beyond, songbirds guilelessly flying through the area with the utmost grace, innocently releasing their music for all to hear, much like a painting that was of no small cost.

The queen cluelessly knelt towards the large blackberry bushes, somehow not noticing that Jeremy was hiding among them. He supposed that his standing still as a statue and biting his tongue with much force so that he wouldn't breathe too loud helped a lot. She proceeded to merrily tell her husband how big and luscious the fruits had grown, further serving their purpose as a lovely decoration. She stared at those fruits like she was studying them through a microscope, Jeremy being afraid that she might see his curious eyes right in front of her. However, her fascination with the bushes wasn't that great, thus after only a couple of minutes, she began to stand up and leave, Jeremy knowing that this was the best opportunity to initiate his plan.

Without thinking, he took the stake out of his pocket, stabbing her in the chest with vigour he didn't even know he had in himself when she was just about to return to her former position. Clutching her heart, she let out a bloodcurdling scream of anguish, digging her high heels into the grass so that she'd restrain herself from falling. Tears appeared in the king's eyes instantly, for he was well aware that nothing could be done to help her now. At first, they were merely a few, gradually turning into a waterfall of them as he sobbed uncontrollably. Embracing her tightly as her eyes became blank, her soul readily answering the call of death, he began his speech:

"I love you, Flora, I love you more than anything in the world. You're my joy and my life, even after countless years. We may have had some arguments here and there, but our undying love solved them all in the blink of an eye. I thought that we'd both live forever, united in ruling the Earth with utter mirth, all our desires fulfilled under the wing of Lucifer, never to be torn apart, but I guess I was wrong. Fate is unpredictable and harsh, and thus, it has now taken you away from me so suddenly, giving me no time to prepare for this terrible event. 

To whoever may have done this most heinous deed, I know that you're hiding somewhere around here, and I dare you to step out of the shadows and face me! Face me, for Satan's sake! Or are you too much of a coward to do so? Killing a person and then not having the dignity to face the consequences? I'll show you what's what, you jerk, I'll show you what it feels like to have all your hopes and dreams turned to ash and your soul torn into pieces!"

"I love you too, my dear," Flora said weakly, dropping on the ground like a fly, Vincent kneeling right beside her corpse and crying helplessly over it.

With the utmost determination, not wanting to wait for one more moment, Jeremy jumped out of the bushes. He was glaring at Vincent with utter hatred, his right hand reddening from the intensity he held the bloody stake with, covered in blood from head to toe, which he didn't much care about. Swiftly standing up, the other man glared back, trying really hard not to show any emotion but cold-blooded anger.