Burning

Chapter 21

"Henry, where's Abe?" Abigail asked as Cerberus let them down and raced back down the tunnel.

"He stayed to find Valdis." He replied quietly. "I tried to convince him not to."

Ingeras ignored the fact that his sister was missing, still not trusting her sanity any longer, and asked a more important question. "Is Valac dead?"

"Yes." Henry replied. "He went over the edge and burned."

"Good." Slayer growled.

"Not exactly." Adam spoke up as he continued to watch the tunnel. "Vetis is there now."

"Surprised you're alive."

"He's helping to find her."

Slayer turned a bit pale. "He's going to kill us, I would bet anything he is just lulling us into a false sense of security."

Ingeras took out a sword. "But if he's pretending to help, he'll have to come out here... where we can kill him."

"Wonderful." Slayer grinned and took out his duel swords.

Abigail turned her head away from the tunnel and back to Henry with a sad look. "You must go."

Henry glanced at the now slightly smaller portal. "Come with me."

"Henry, that is not my time. It was nice to be with you again while I could but now the portal is closing and I do not wish to put you through the pain of losing me again when I grow old." She murmured while embracing him lovingly.

"Abigail please..." Henry held her closer, not paying attention to the sound of heavy paw steps coming from the tunnel. "...What if I went with you?"

She pulled away. "Henry don't you dare give up your life to stay with me! Look at all the good you've done, pulling murderers away, what would Jo or Lucas do without you?"

"Lucas is perfectly capable-"

Vetis' voice interrupted him. "Henry, I could use some help!"

Henry turned away from Abigail and saw Vetis leaning Abe gently against the wall. "What did you do?"

Vetis looked unfazed by Henry's furious tone. "Nothing, he collapsed. Your son needs medical attention now or he will die."

Henry kneeled by Abe and started applying pressure to the wound in his adopted son's side, but it was growing increasingly obvious he couldn't do anything to save him. "Abe... I'm sorry."

He waited for a response, a faint nod, a quiet word of reassurance, but nothing came and Henry knew his son was gone. Abigail put a hand on his shoulder in comfort while he forced himself to keep his composer, though his eyes were still a bit watery. As he stood up and saw Adam give him a quick glance of pity before his steely gaze returned and he walked over to where Slayer was and spoke something into the man's ear. Henry didn't bother to try figuring out what they were saying and instead drifted over to where Cerberus was placing Valdis on the ground, her form was bloodied and broken. The worst part was he could still hear her fighting to breathe, or at least he thought it was the worst until he saw the mangled form of a small child beneath the other mush of what was left of her organs. He was confused at first, she hadn't shown signs, but then he realized that after being starved and tortured, not to mention being part vampire, she might not show it as much.

"Valdis, stay with us." Henry stubbornly said, refusing to admit she would die, as he kneeled down beside her. "Don't leave me completely alone."

"Y-you... h-have... Jo... a-and L-Lucas." She rasped while keeping her eyes closed, the talking causing blood to well up faster around her heart.

"They don't live forever."

She was silent for a few seconds before opening her eyes just enough to see him as she spoke again, this time her tone pleading. "...Kill... m-me..."

Henry stared at her in shock. "I save people. I don't kill them."

"P-please." Blood was running out of her mouth and he could feel the puddle of it soaking into his pants where his knees touched the ground.

"Adam." Henry called and stood up as the other immortal approached. "She wants to be killed."

Adam glanced down at her before looking back at him. "Then do it. At this point it would be putting her out of her misery."

Henry shook his head defiantly at Adam's attempt to make him kill another person. "No. I'll leave murder to you."

"It isn't murder if the person is telling you to kill them." Adam told him as Henry walked away. He crouched down beside Valdis before taking out her dagger. "I guess this time you won't be healing and showing up to fight another day."

To his slight surprise she let out a gargled laugh before answering. "Game... over."

"Yes... it its." Adam took the dagger she'd given him and slid it through her skull. "Goodbye... my angle of death."

He didn't get a response, not that he expected one, and glanced around to make sure no one was watching before placing his hand on her deathly cold one. Adam let go as Grimm finally spoke up.

"The portal is closing, you must leave now."

Adam saw Ingeras go through the portal along with Abigail as he made his way to the small portal only to be stopped as Vetis got in the way. "You mortals aren't going anywhere."

"We didn't do anything to you." Henry spoke calmly but Adam saw fear in his gaze. "Killing us would gain nothing."

"It would give me a nice meal." Vetis grinned, revealing bloodstained teeth. "Valac's corpse was a great snack but did have a burnt taste to it."

"Let them pass." Cerberus growled and stepped forward.

Vetis looked up at him. "Why do you defend them? Your master is dead! You could eat them too, just like in the old days."

"Mortals are too small for a proper meal and these have not provoked me... but you have." Cerberus lunged forward, his middle head threw Vetis into the center of the chamber where Grimm's two heads took hold of bold the monster's arms. Cerberus took hold of his legs and head before the two ripped Vetis apart. "Go! We shall make him perish."

With that Adam and Henry took one last glance at their dead friends and family along with the giant wolf like creatures shredding their enemy before running through the portal as it closed and balanced was restored between the living world and the afterlife.