Training (Victoria/Michael)

I hear a loud crack; the sound of a snapping neck. I turn to Victoria and hold a finger to my lips. The sound is at least twenty feet away. I take out my stake-pistol from my belt and hold it in my right hand. I hold a dagger in my left. I step quietly forward. ]Michael, darling. I was beginning to think you'd never catch up. I take a deep breath and step around the tree to face him. You know how slow I can be. I step closer as he drops his victim to the ground. I see you've brought a friend, mate. Who might this be? I'm hoping Victoria won't say anything stupid in response.

I look at the vampire standing in front of us and don't say anything. It is mostly because I am concentrated not to do anything wrong. I want to kill this beast, without getting killed by myself.

Ed feigns a look of hurt. Come on, Eddy, stop messing around. He moves closer. Messing around? I'm not doing anything of the sort. He steps closer. I raise my pistol and aim at his heart. Ed. I'm serious. Don't do something you'll regret. He shakes his head. Oh come on Van Helsing. Do it. Make my day. I narrow my eyes. He smirks and shakes his head. Always knew you were a coward, Mikey. Always knew it. He turns to walk away but in a split second he blurs back around and launches himself at me. We tumble to the ground as we fight for the upper hand. He pins me down and shakes his head. His knee digs into my forearm as he keeps both of his hands on my head ready to snap my head to the side and break my neck. Come on, Mic. I don't want to do this. You're my brother, mate. I don't want to do this. My eyes flare with anger. I knee him in the stomach and use his upward momentum to free my arm and jab him in the stomach with my dagger. He tumbles to the side and clutches his stomach. I stand over him and shake my head. I take my stake-rifle and aim it at his heart. I don't want to this, Ed. I just want to go home. We can be a family again, come on, please. He looks up at me with pure fury and hatred in his eyes. We're not brothers. We stopped being brothers the moment I was turned into this. He spits blood on the ground and starts to stagger to his feet. I don't want to do this, Ed. He spits at my feet. I will never back down. He launches himself at me and I pull the trigger. The stake cuts straight through his heart. He falls to the ground and turns ashen. I take a deep breath. I suppose I don't look much different than Ed does right now.

I can't believe my eyes. This monster is his brother?? I can't move. I can't say anything. My mouth is wide open and I look at the dead vampire, then to Mike. He didn't even need me to come with him. "Mike, are you okay?" I say slowly, looking at him. Stupid question, I say to myself. Of course he is not "okay" He killed his brother. I put the cross bow down and sigh.
"I'm sorry" I say automatically.

I swallow hard. I kneel down and pick up my brother's body. I can't tear my eyes from his face. I clear my throat. Victoria, why don't you go on home. I'll um-I shake my head. I'm gonna go on home and take care of this. I shake my head and start to walk back in the general direction of my home.

"I will come with you, Mike. You're like an older brother to me and you saved my life. I will help you with your brother now. You shouldn't be alone right now." I take my belongings and follow him to his flat. He looks very sad, although he knows that it was the right thing.

I say nothing as she follows me. I always liked my flat since it backed into the woods. It makes it easier for hunting-and for cleaning the messes up. I set my brother down on the porch. I set all of my weapons down. I run inside and grab an axe. I walk up to the nearest pine tree and chop at its trunk until it swings down. I cut the trunk into pieces and make a pile with them. I set the axe down and pick my brother up. I set him down on the pile and walk back inside. I grab a match and take it outside. I strike the match off of the bottom of my boot and toss it onto the pile. My brothers body starts burning from the bottom up. I walk clasp my hands behind my back and stare into the fire.

I go slowly towards him not knowing how he will react and put my hand on his shoulder. I know how it feels to loose someone that is in your family but I was never in a situation where I had to kill a family member. I couldn't tell hi he must felt while he did it. I swallow. "Michael. I'm sorry for your loss. I don't know what kind of relationship you had and Ben though it seemed not very nice, it must be hard for you."

I shake my head. In the attack on my family, my brother and sister were both turned into vampires. Ed and Sarah went in separate directions. Ed became volatile and angry. Sarah became gentle and kind. I tracked Ed for years trying to help bring him back to his humanity. I never dreamed that I'd be the one to kill him. I set my jaw. Hazard of the job. I guess.

That must be the hardest choice he ever made. As brother and hunter. I decide not to say anything at all now, I just look into the flames and listen to the sound the fire makes. It is such a depressing atmosphere. But hey, nobody said it would be easy to be a hunter! "Will it always e that hard?" I whisper and hope that is wasn't that loud.

I shake my head. No, not unless you have a secret vampire sibling that I don't know about. It's depressing, really. I wrap a protective, brotherly arm around her shoulders and lead her back inside. Come on, there's no need to stare at my brother's burning body. It sounds depressing, but frankly it is. I'm numb and I'm not hiding it. My brother's dead by my own hand. Monster or not, he's still my brother.

I can feel how sad Mike is, I mean it was his brother whatever he was or whatever he did. And to loose someone you know for almost whole your life and then to see them falling apart by making wrong decisions and to end like Ed did... It is the worst. "I think we should take a break with all that hunting. I mean just or a little while. We could find out more about the things my fryer was researching for and maybe we would have a clue then who murdered him as well. But of course not now. Now it's time for... Relaxing and not thinking about all those things."

I raise my eyebrows. Relax? How do you suggest I do that other than drink myself into oblivion? I smirk. Victoria, honestly don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I just need a few days to get over myself, and then I'll move on. I shake my head. I don't dwell on the past. It hurts too much to do that.

Okay I don't want to make him do something that he doesn't want to do. He should do it his way and I will just assist him with that. Well. Sort of.
"I think drinking in this case wouldn't be productive and in my case drinking is never productive. So, what do you suggest. What should we do now? Any specific ideas?"

I shake my head. Victoria, really. Don't worry about it, alright? I'll be fine. I survive. I always do. I grab a bottle of bourbon from my fridge and take my hunting rifle off the wall. I open the front door. I'll be back soon enough. You're welcome to stay here, go home, eat, drink, sleep. It makes no difference to me. I shake my head and start to walk outside.

I have no interest to just sit around in his flat and do nothing. So I decide to follow him outside, but not to go with him, I go the other way to the apartment I will be leaving in a few days.I have to smile when I think about it. Before I leave the place I look back to the fire and glance to the rest of Mike's brother. My smile suddenly disappears. I turn around and go slowly back to my apartment.