Bad Blood

Chapter 44

We walked into the compound,
Uncle Nik said" Our home. Once the pride of our family, now a flophouse."
Uncle Lijah said" Indeed, the mighty have fallen."
Hayley said" Where's Vincent?"
Vincent said" Right here. Kept my word. Now the only question is whether or not you guys are gonna keep yours. As soon as I'm finished healing your kid, you got to leave the city."
Uncle Nik said" Well, we're not gonna stay, are we? Your city has lost its charm."
Hayley said" What he means to say is that we're very grateful, just... help her and we'll leave." I stood by Hope, rubbing her hair,
Uncle Lijah said" Just give us what we need, and we will do so, happily."
I said" Vincent, please."
Vincent said" Excuse me. Okay..." He crouched down next to Hope, rubbing his hands," Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer..." He touched Hope's temples," Oh..."
Hope said" Mom."
" That's it. Your little girl's purified." Hayley held Hope,
Uncle Nik said" Thank you."
" Now look, the only gratitude I need from any of you is seeing you leave the city."
Hayley said" Go see your daddy." Hope walked towards Uncle Nik, then crows started dropping around her, I sped to Hope. Hayley was next to me, Getting Hope to look at her.
Uncle Nik said" What is this?"
Vincent said" I don't know." My arms wrapped around Hope,
She said" Mom? Can you hear that?"
Hayley and I said" It's..."
" Whispers. Saying a name. Over and over. Kre Nah Han..." I heard it too, I tilted my head, I looked at Vincent, gulping," Kre Nah Han."
" Vincent, what... what is that?"
Vincent said" It's a nearly forgotten dialect. It's Creole. It means the Hollow. The Hollow is coming."
——
I was sitting with Hope as Hayley went to get Uncle Nik,
I said" Sure you're not in any pain, Hop?"
She said" I'm sure, Pet." I rubbed her hair, she was burning up, I looked at the door. Hayley was leaving to go speak with Marcel,
" Hey, I've gotta go but your dad is walking up right now, I'll be back, okay?"
" Okay." I kissed her head then sped off,
I blocked Hayley at the door,
I said" Team, remember?"
She said" Come on, number one not to be killed instantly."
——
We found Marcel, we leaned against the hall, Marcel was trying to talk to a group of witches, get them to answer a question about the graffiti.
Hayley said" You don't trust him. I get it. But one of those kids is my daughter. She's seven. She likes to pain, catch fireflies, make up stories. All I know is that she's sick. Right now, I don't care about the past. I'm just a mom asking you to help me."
The woman said" There's a girl named Lara. I saw her draw the same symbol on her window in blood."
" Where do I find this witch?"
" She's not a witch. She's one of your kind. A wolf. She ran off to the bayou." Hayley and I walked off, Marcel followed us.

Hayley was on the phone with Uncle Nik,
She said" How is she? Marcel and I have a lead. A wolf who got caught up with the Hollow. Crazy, I know. I want to ask her a few questions. I'll handle it." We got to her, Hayley hung up, turning to me and Marcel." She's not gonna want to talk to a vampire. I'll go."
Marcel said" The thing is, the last time I came across one of the hollow's goons, the guy tried to kill me, so... fair warning." Hayley nodded, walking towards Lara?
" Lara? My name's Hayley. I don't know if..."
Lara said" I know who you are. Hayley Marshall. I know why you're here." I saw a knife in her hand," You're here because of the children, I'm sorry. I am. They're as good as dead." My fist clenched,
" We're not here to hurt you."
" You can't hurt me any more than I've already hurt myself. I didn't know this was gonna happen. I didn't know they were gonna bring children into it."
" It's okay. Just tell us who they are."
" Those that serve the hollow. Followers of the blue light. I thought we were doing something good. Trying to take back our city."
" Back from what?"
" From him." She pointed the knife to Marcel," From the vampires. For five years we kept quiet. Watching you lord over this city like it was yours."
Marcel sad" Hey, I spent the last five years keeping the peace..."
" It is not your city to rule! New Orleans belongs to all of us. And the hollow offered us the power we needed. So long as we pledged our allegiance."
Hayley said" But Lara, you're a Crescent. You have the pack, you don't need this cult."
" You were gone. You chose the Original family over your own kind. Don't you see? Our pack means nothing. You mean nothing!"
" You're right. I wasn't there. But I have a daughter now. And, Lara, she's one of the kids. She's one of the kids that's in danger. So, please, help us help them." Lara laughed,
" You can't help them. The hollow wants power. The kind that only comes from sacrifice. Those kids will die so it can get stronger. And it will feed. And it will rise. And we will all bow before it. The great beast. Even you. My only mercy is I won't be here to see it." She stabbed herself in the neck, Hayley grabbed her.
——
We met up with Uncle Nik, Lijah and Vincent,
Marcel said" And the sooner you all can be on your way."
Hayley said" Clearly we're skipping all the hugs and hellos. Vincent?"
Vincent said" Trail leads off this way, so, I guess we, uh, follow the breadcrumbs."
Uncle Nik said" Tactless savages holding a ghost-raising rave. Best make short work of them. I say we..."
Marcel said" We split up. Klaus, you're with me, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Anybody got a problem with that... I don't give a damn."

Uncle Lijah said" So you knew this crescent girl?"
Hayley said" I did. But whatever that was today, that wasn't her. She said something about blue light."
Vincent said" Yeah, that's the Fifolet. New Orleans legend says that a spirit might present itself in a bright blue ball of light."
Uncle Lijah said" Wonderful. How do we kill it?"
" We'll find out soon enough."

It was dark now, we got to the sacrifice place,
A guy said" You may join us as we claim our power. Our rightful place. And lay waste to all who would deny our master. Are you prepared to prove your loyalty to the hollow?"
Kinney said" I know what I have to do. I'm not afraid."
" We should begin." Then a spike was thrown at the guy talking, Hayley gasped, Uncle Lijah, Uncle Nik and Marcel attacked.
Vincent said" Hey, we got to get the kids. Get the kids!" I sped to the table, lifting a kid up, I followed Hayley, I put the kid down. Kinney grabbed Marcel, Uncle Nik killed Kinney. Then Marcel and him fell to their knees, Vincent yelled," No!" Uncle Lijah tried to get past the barrier, Vincent walked to him. Hayley and I started uncovering kid's heads...

Vincent said" Okay, they're alive. These kids are linked to that ritual. We can't free Marcel and Klaus unless we break the spell."
Uncle Lijah said" How do we stop this?"
" I don't know! It's a sacrificial ritual. I can't break it unless I kill one of the kids."
Hayley said" No, no. There has to be another way."
" Yeah, um... so these kids are powering that ritual. But there might be a loophole, if I link it to you."
Uncle Lijah said" Are you suggesting we take my life?"
" I'm suggesting we stake you with wood. You die, temporarily, and that might be enough to break the spell." I looked at Uncle Lijah and Hayley, I sighed,
I said" What if I do it? I'm a witch with Original blood, a hybrid all on my own. I die, I come back. I'm stronger than an Original, right Vincent?" Vincent looked at Hayley and Uncle Lijah, nodding his head,
Hayley said" Pete, you sure?"
" I'm positive. I've died before, came back in a few, I'll be fine. A stake to the heart ain't nothing."
" Okay."
Vincent held one of the kid's hand, and held out his hand for me, I grabbed his hand.
He said" Mare. Mare leurs. Mare leurs esprits. Mare leurs esprits! Mare leurs esprits! Mare leurs esprits!" I started shaking." Hayley, do it now!" Hayley stabbed me, I fell, Uncle Lijah caught me, everything went black.

I woke up, breathing heavily, major headache, I was being carried by Uncle Lijah.
I said" Say it worked?"
Hayley said" It worked, hated seeing you dead, but it worked."
" Not the first time or the last time you'll see me dead." Uncle Lijah put me down,
He said" That was reckless, but brave of you."
" Not the first time I've died for Hope, it was easy." He looked at me then to Hayley,
She said" That was not a good day for an idiotic 10 year old."
" Not at all."

We got to the compound, I walked up to the room Hope was in, I laid down, falling asleep instantly. It always weakens me when I die and come back. Ten year old me learned that the hard way,
I was staking some vampires attacking me and Hayley, I hissed at them and one grabbed me. I kicked backwards, trying to get loose, I saw Hayley, she looked at me, the vamp snapped my neck.
I woke up in the car,
Hayley said" Oh, thank god!" She hugged me, tightly,
I said" What happened?"
" Some asshole vamp snapped your neck, I thought you were dead dead."
" Are we okay?"
" Yes, we are okay, but you gave me a heart attack!"
" Sorry, Hayley."
" It's okay, just don't ever scare me like that again."
" Okay, Hayley."