To Aggrivate the Dead

[Iƪƪia]

Dazed, Illia jumped out of her chair and stumbled backwards. She started rubbing her temples as she tried to make sense out of what had just happened. It all seemed so fast. As she replayed these last few seconds, the realization hit her, accompanied by a flicker of rage. That idiot! What the Hell was he thinking?

Still a bit confused, she continued to edge backwards. Unable to speak, she resorted to shouting insults in her mind. Sure, White deserved a good thrashing, but what had gotten into that impulsive moron? Did he really think he stood a chance against him? She continued her silent rant as she stepped ever closer to the front of the building.

[ωΘĿƒ]

He had him! He knew he had him! Right between his fists, right where he could bash his skull in for being such a bastard to Illia! He'd tear him to pieces! He'd set the whole place up with his cheap whiskey and he'd burn some sense into this goddamn vampire!

Z felt the screen of red fade a little, enabling him to see clearly for the first time. What he saw, however, was enough to send him reeling back.

A black, perfectly symmetrical hole, right in the center of a thick rectangle of silvery black metal. In other words, the dangerous end of an old style gun. There was a loud crack of sound, and Z made himself scarce. He was crawling back over the table, all sense of anger lost to him. White was standing up, very easily considering he'd just been mauled by an angry fire dragon. Only the tiniest traces of a frown present on his otherwise expressionless countenance.

"Now that wasn't very smart. If Daniel ever asks, I can just claim self defense..."

Z couldn't stop himself from thinking he'd given White exactly what he wanted - an excuse. He was right. Now, whatever happened was on his head, not White's. Z scrambled completely over the table, somehow managing to keep standing as he backed up towards Illia.

Illia... Was she alright? There had only been one shot fired, right?

Another loud clap of sound, and Z instinctively moved out of the way. That was two. Where was Illia? Was she okay? He didn't want to turn around because he didn't want to take his eyes off White, but then again, he wanted to make sure he hadn't caused something terrible to happen to Illia...

"If... If you're still behind me, can we leave now?" He asked, thinking of nothing better to say.

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[Iƪƪia]

One single shot was enough to shatter whatever thoughts had been spiraling through Illia's mind. She remained frozen where she was, staring at the gun. Everything played perfectly into White's hand. It would have been their fault that they were killed. White had his excuse to kill them... and it didn't look like he had any problem with pulling the trigger.

A second shot and Illia started forward, all the while keeping White in her sights. She grabbed Z by the shoulder, not saying anything, although her hurried breathing more than exposed her fear. All that mattered was getting out and getting out now. Pulling Z along with her she backed up towards the door, not daring to take her eyes off of the vampire.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z more than willingly let Illia pull him wherever she wanted to go. Anywhere was better than here, and it looked like they were headed for the door, so that was a major plus by his count. For some reason, he only thought the clearest while in imminent danger, so now, instead of freezing up, he could only marvel at how stupid he'd been to provoke White in the first place.

God! He was an idiot! Now what were they going to do?!?

They made it to the front of the store without any problems, and after that point Z gladly took the lead and shouldered open the door leading outside. While he did this, he made absolutely sure to keep his eyes on White, no matter what. For the most part he hadn't moved, but once he saw them in the doorway, he just sort of vanished for a second.

That...wasn't good...

He ended up a few inches away from them, with Z halfway out the door and Illia not even in the threshold yet. Z, thinking fast, returned the favor and yanked Illia out the rest of the way. Suddenly, a lot of things made sense to him.

White couldn't come outside. That's why he'd used the gun instead of any of his freaky vampire powers. He needed range, because without range, he couldn't get them. Z had never been so thankful for the glaringly bright day as he was at that moment. He looked back into the cafe, watching White stare at them through the big wooden doors. He actually looked kind of unhappy, like the kind of face someone who'd just lost everything they owned might have. In any case, the drastic change from killer vampire to sad, dejected form in the shadows was enough to inspire just a little sympathy.

That is, until he remembered that White was trying to kill them... Then, he began to look around for a place to hide from his range of fire, until they could inch their way out of town without being gunned down.

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[Iƪƪia]

As soon as they were out in the sunlight, Illia grabbed hold of Z's arm and towed him away from the bar, putting as much distance between them as possible. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a small pathway between two of the houses. Quickly, she pulled Z into the path before she placed her back against the wall; the one thing interrupting White's range of fire. Her breathing still uneven, she began clawing at her hair as she tried to make her mind work again.

Looking up at Z, her annoyance came flooding back to her. What a moron! He almost got both of them killed! Her anger raising, there were a million things that she wanted to shout at him.

"Idiot..!" Was all she managed to say.

She stepped forward and shoved him against the other wall. This was all his fault! He just had to provoke White! Like he really thought he could win, anyway! Turning away, she leaned against the wall, her hand pressed to her forehead as she tried to steady her breathing. She just needed to calm down and get the Hell out of this damn town.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z was beginning to feel a little bit like White had looked. Dejected. Dammit... He knew Illia was mad at him now, and he wasn't sure he could explain why he'd done it!

"Look, I'm sorry. I know that was stupid, but I just wanted-"

He couldn't finish. Argh! Why was it every time he got close to Illia, he felt like he was going crazy?! He couldn't even mouth off like he should be able to! Z had the distinct impression of him slamming his head against the wall behind him. He really felt he needed it after all the crap he'd pulled.

"Well at least he's not following us now! Right? That's a good thing!"

It sounded too whimsical - not nearly serious enough for the situation at hand. He tried to make something a little more important and meaningful come out, but all he could come up with was more excuses.

"I'm sorry. That's all I can say..."

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[Iƪƪia]

Illia was able to even her breathing as she looked back up at Z. Well, it was more like she glared up at him. She wasn't in the mood for excuses and she didn't care to hear his faltering apologies. It didn't matter why he decided to do it, the fact was that he'd done it and he put both of them in danger.

"Whatever!" Illia hissed, in a tone far harsher than the situation demanded.

The chimera turned her gaze toward the sky, thinking about how lucky it had been to come here in the daytime. If they had been here a few hours later... Things probably wouldn't have ended well. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, able to lessen her anger to a mild annoyance. Well, at least they were alive. At least they had that much. Now it just had to stay that way.

"Can we just leave now?"

[ωΘĿƒ]

"Nope."

There was a click, the sound of metal sliding against cool, hard metal. If you listened closely enough, you could hear the soft, whining scrape of it before the loud dull "clack" came and the round chambered, cocked and ready.

It had taken a while, he'd admit that much. It wasn't like he'd just go charging out into sunlight like an idiot. It was a terrifying notion, even to older vampires such as himself. Yes, there was no real harm done after a few long centuries of stockpiling the strength for it, but that small psychological part - that little voice ringing in your head and telling you that "you'll burn up alive" is always going to be there. He was old, but he wasn't that old. He still had to listen to that voice, on the off chance that it may be right, and he may be stepping out into his death.

Intellectually however, he knew there was no danger. The sun no longer bothered something like him. Just spooked him, is all.

"You can't leave. Not until I settle a small score."

Nice and straight, with just a small crook in his arm for the recoil. He was ready now, and he wouldn't miss this time.

Race blood had never been too tasty. He'd be happy with just a couple of deaths.

* * *

Z's jaw dropped disbelievingly. The one thing he knew about vampires had turned out to be wrong...

"That- That isn't fair!" He groaned.

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[Iƪƪia]

Stunned, Illia stumbled backward looking wildly from Z to White to the gun gleaming in his hand. Her breath came in short, hurried gasps as she struggled to keep her hands from trembling. It looked like she'd been wrong. Apparently, they might not be getting out alive after all. What a way to go. Shot dead in broad daylight in the streets of this damned town.

Shaking her head at this realization, she slowly backed up even further. Selfishly, she lined up her body with Z's, now directly in White's line of fire. Well, if he shot Z first, that might give Illia a chance to escape. It was a horrible thought, but what more could she do? Try to wrestle the gun away from the guy? Well, Illia was fast, but she wasn't stupid. Taking another cautious step back, she scanned the streets for another - any other - way out of this.

[ωΘĿƒ]

"Illa?" Z couldn't help but notice her move. At first, he thought she was doing it out of fear, but then... She was moving behind him? Why? White seemed to notice this, and his finger curled that much more around the trigger.

"What are you? Stupid kid?" He asked, sounding just a little shaky. Z wondered if he was losing some of his nerve, but then he noticed White didn't look too good in the sunlight. He guessed he didn't like it after all. He looked a little tense. Not hurt, just tense. White continued, shoving Z's thought aside.

"She's doing the smart thing. She's giving me a nice shot of you in the hopes that she'll get away. You don't see that, do you? All those classes in that big, fancy school, and you don't notice when your own girlfriend feeds you to the wolves." He took a moment to clear the shakiness from his voice, and finished. "Sad."

What? That wasn't true! Illia was just doing what Z would have done himself. He'd protect her! She wouldn't endanger him! She knew they'd get out of this, right? She was just giving him less to worry about by protecting herself!

"You're lying." Z said adamantly. "Why the hell would I listen to you?"

* * *

Oh. Cute. He had an explanation ready. White knew he really shouldn't be prolonging this, but the temptation to point this obvious thing out just wouldn't escape him.

..and the kid had completely disregarded him. He didn't mind. Long term, this wouldn't be much of an issue anyways. He just thought he'd point it out, to help the young lovers in their last few moments.

Listen to him... rambling on like some old movie screenplay... This is the result of going out in the middle of the goddamn day. He gets all sentimental and nice.

"Alright then" White shrugged, brushing the matter aside. "Suit yourself. If you want to die first, I'm not going to be picky."
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[Iƪƪia]

Somehow, the vampire's words cut deep. Perhaps it was the truth that resonated in them. He was absolutely right and he knew it. Illia was more than willing to sacrifice Z's life if it gave her any chance at survival. Yes, she was a horrible person. She was even worse than White. However, none of that mattered. Not now. Perhaps she could make her escape right now...

Although... What Z had just said... It was perhaps even more painful to listen to than the old vampire's words. He was so honest and faithful that he would stick to his own belief even when it was so obvious that White spoke the truth. It was... Touching. However, it wasn't enough to change anything. After all, he seemed more than willing to take a bullet for her, so why stop him? She took another slow step back, looking down the path. She was ready to bolt as soon as that next shot was fired.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z couldn't get that thought out of his mind... White was wrong. He knew White was wrong. So what if Illia was a little selfish sometimes? He was too, wasn't he? So what if she got mad at him? He got mad at things too. That was what got him into this situation. He got mad at White for mouthing off to Illia. Illia and him... they were the same. He wanted them to be the same... She stuck by him, and she stood up for him. Didn't she? And even if they weren't the same, what makes White think that he'd believe a single nasty lying word that came out of his mouth? He was scum, just like Illia said. All he wanted was a little laugh before he shot them. He wasn't even very scary right now! He was shaking!

Well, he was trying not to shake, but he was still shaking. He still didn't like the sun. Z knew that. Yet here he was. He'd marched out here in broad daylight, against every fiber of his being, and for what? To get revenge! What a selfish, cowardly way to think! Illia wasn't the one he should be hating right now. White was. All he did was whine about Crane and taunt everyone like he was better than them, when all he really did was sit in his little town and pretend to be king all day!

There was that red again. That blinding screen that obscured his vision. He hated White. He hated him for trying to make him turn against Illia, and he hated Crane, because he could sit and stomach a lifetime of White's company, and because he was making Illia upset. He hated everything! And he didn't care if he died! Just so long as he could go out with this puny little bloodsucker between his jaws.

Z let loose his human form, bracing his shoulders low to the ground and bellowing out the most fearsome roar he could muster. Cinders floated like froth from his open mouth, and all at once, he remembered.

He was a dragon. He didn't cringe at any tiny little leech with a gun.

"Run Illia!"

* * *

White blinked a few times, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Was that a fire dragon? An adolescent, mostly grown fire dragon? Yep. That it was. Perfect... Serves him right for being preachy. Now where the hell did you shoot fire dragons so that they didn't get back up again? He couldn't decide in time, because the huge monstrosity of a lumbering lizard charged at him again and this time he didn't feel like getting mauled.

White rolled out of the way, grabbing hold of the huge thing as it swept past, and scaling it without much problem. It was still fairly angry, so it was thrashing like mad as he made his way up to the top, but he was sure if he just got somewhere along the base of the skull, he could use the barrel of the gun to nudge aside any protective scales and end this quickly.

Nothing, no matter how big or scaly, survived a bullet to the back of the head.

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[Iƪƪia]

As soon as she heard the words, Illia dissolved her human form and prepared to run. This worked out well, right? A bullet couldn't pierce Z's scales, could it? Of course not! He'd be fine... But then... Why did White still seem so adamant about getting a shot in? Perhaps Z wasn't invulnerable after all.

She stopped short, unable to leave just yet. Could she really leave Z to die?

Well then, what could she do?! She could launch a last-ditch attack on White, but she didn't even have scales to protect her. A bullet would have no problem penetrating her soft fur, and all it would take was one shot.

No, she just couldn't. The risks were too great. White was nowhere near as tame as that troll had been. That gun could end her life so quickly, and besides, she had the perfect opportunity to escape right now! So why not take it?

As fast as possible, she galloped down the path, away from the two of them. She didn't look back even as she made it to the end of the town, but strangely, she was unable to go further. Instead, she waited there, intently listening for that gunshot. For some reason, she had to hear it first.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z could feel the sharp little fingernails as they dug into his scales and up his sides. They didn't hurt, but he could still feel them, and it just made him more angry. Goddamn this whole thing! He wasn't going to let a tiny little thing like White kill him! He'd burn him up!

Z felt his core temperature increase rapidly, the smoke rising from his gaping mouth as he thrashed around the alleyway. He was hitting the walls, and he could feel the cool shade bathes stones hiss as they contacted. He was going to burn White to a little pile of ash! He was going to melt the gun in his hands, and melt his hands after that!

He saw Illia running, and for some reason that only heightened his rage. He didn't know why. He'd told Illia to run... but for some reason he didn't expect her to actually do it!

Something funny was happening with his scales now. He could feel them being pried up, and he didn't like it. He squared all four legs and shook vigorously, trying to get the little funny feeling off his back. There was a muffled sound as he did so, the sound of White's voice angry and impatient.

"Stupid lizard! Sit still!"

Then, something perfectly amazing came to Z's mind. Something so wonderful that he knew it was the right thing to do. He stopped shaking. He stayed perfectly still.

...then he arched his back and rolled over, putting all his weight where he felt the little fingernails gripping.

There was a moment of calm. A moment of quiet where he thought he'd won and there was no more reason to be angry anymore. Then, the sound - clear as it should be - of the gun going off.

Z panicked. He felt a stinging sensation spreading down his neck and through the rest of his body. He was numb. He couldn't feel a thing. But he wanted to get away, and even if he couldn't feel anything, he rolled back over, spread his wings and took off. He didn't think there was any strange feeling on his back, but then again he couldn't feel...

He flew off, not paying any attention to where he was going. There were trees below him, and eventually, though he couldn't feel himself getting tired, he decided to land.

His eyes were closed before he hit the ground, not dreaming, just shutting out everything else. He wasn't asleep. He just wanted to stay there for a while, lying in the grass. He didn't want to open his eyes.
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[Iƪƪia]

Illia waited by the entrance, pacing in a small circle. What was taking so long? Maybe Z managed to get the upper hand over White. She looked up the path leading toward the academy. It was probably best to just leave now.

Then she heard it. The crystal clear sound of a single gunshot. So that was it. She had just sentenced someone to death.

Gasping, she backed up away from the town. She couldn't think, she just wanted to get away. Turning, she thundered down the path, not daring to look back. She just wanted this day to end. This nightmare to be over. However, she hadn't gotten far before something stopped her. A large shadow eclipsing the sun had flown across the path in front of her. Incredulous, she chased after it. She didn't bother to look up as she probably wouldn't have believed it anyway.

She watched as Z landed, eyes closed, in the grass. Without thinking, she ran up to him, desperately trying to compose herself by inhaling several deep breaths. However, it still took a few moments before she was able to say anything.

"You're... Alive..."

She couldn't think of anything better to say. After all, she hadn't expected him to live! Not after that gunshot.... The shot! Was he hurt? He did seem out of it. Maybe the shot had found it's mark after all.

"Are you alright?!" Despite her efforts, she couldn't stop her voice from wavering, "Were you hurt?"