Their Vampire Legacy (Complete)

Chapter 30: Is this Hell?

Fourie's POV:

There are two things in life that we sometimes all misread. There's no way going around it. Life and death are inevitable. We have to face either eventually. Life is beautiful, jovial and glorious while death is dark, unpredictable and treacherous.

We never know when we may fall short and run into the cold hands of death. Death is the con of living. Death makes life itself gloomy to such an intensity that I sometimes wonder if living is even worth it in the end. You never know when your last day will be, when your last second will be or when you'll take your last breath. Death could be waiting for you right around the corner and you wouldn't even know it.

To be blunt, life sucks and death...well it might be the only way to end all the suffering. I wonder though if death is fair when someone else takes another's life. Surely that's not the way death is meant to happen. The world won't cut you slack. If you fall you just have to get back up again or suffer the consequences of refusing to get up. The world and its ways are cruel. There's not much more to it other than that or so Mitch says.

I, however, wonder if there is a brighter side to life other than what Mitch has always brainwashed into my head until I believed it whole heartily. My perspective on life has never been the best. There are times when I see life as a burden. I see death as the only way out. Then you get people like Slate who don't seem to see anything other than the light in life. I admire him for his positive outlook on life.

When I smile or laugh I feel like I'm doing something wrong, like I shouldn't be happy for even a brief moment because I stole the happiness of another. I'm the reason behind the death of one of the closest people to me. I don't deserve to live a life other than one of misery. After all it's only fair. I'm paying for my mistakes of the past.

"Fourie was his captain and close friend. Fourie could you please come up here." a voice brings me out of my own self wallowing. I glance upwards as my team motions me forward to the stand. I suck in a deep breath as I walk to the centre stage to face what I had been fearing. I've never been the best at public speaking nor have I been the best at giving heartfelt messages that touch people's inner souls.

I nod and advance towards the podium to give my memorial statement. "He wasn't just someone I coached, he wasn't just my teammate, he was a close friend. He had my back when it counted most and I could always count on him for anything and everything. He was one of the most genuine and warm hearted I've ever met. With great sadness in my heart I know that the team lost a great player and an even better friend. He won't be forgotten and his legacy will live on in all of us." I try to sum up everything I have to say all in one paragraph because I couldn't handle speaking for much longer on a topic that made me too emotional. "Thank you." I say and exit off the stage and back to my seat.

I look to my left and to my right and notice the tears welled up in the people's eyes, the people he loved. If I had just been there then this would have never happened. 

"You did good." Jaewon says from beside me as he pats my shoulder with empathy.

Jared nods from my right hand side and adds, "He's in a better place now."

"I hope so." I mutter to myself with a voice that I didn't recognize. The voice sounded vulnerable and pained. I had no right to feel that way when it was all my fault in any case. If I had just-

"You seen Slate anywhere?" I glance up to the person standing before me as the church service comes to a close. The people begin to carry the coffin out towards the cars where it will then be transported to the graveyard...that well known place that I've come to hate with such an intense passion. I shake my head, unable to find words. "I'm just worried about him. You know how emotional he can get and seeing as they were close..." she trails off absentmindedly. "Well I just need to find him and make sure he's okay." she says with determination.