The Death of Arthur Dewhurst

Arthur Dewhurst, a 26 year-old vampire who has had his blackened heart broken yet again, sat in a pool of blood. Not his own, though, a young man's. The corpse hanging from the ceiling by it's feet and dripping with it's own blood from bites and lacerations could only be identified as the nearby gang's leader, the one feared by almost everybody. After his recent break-up, he had decided that enough was enough and that he was going to put himself out of this misery which he faced. His usually slicked-back, platinum-blonde hair was speckled with crimson blood and hanging over his forehead as he stood slowly, running a hand through it to re-adjust it. Standing at his full height of 6'3'', he smooths down his semi-formal suit, too, not that it would matter with blood splashed up the front like he was in a paint-ball fight. It looked like the leader got on the wrong side of the vampire at the wrong time.

The low hum of traffic greeted the vampire as he emerged from the warehouse, the moon hanging eerily over his head. As he made his way home, back to his shared apartment, he couldn't help but think that it was a little too quiet for a summer's night, not that many people walked that way, anyway, for fear of getting mugged or murdered. The vampire shrugged it off casually before reaching the large building, nodding a greeting at the ginger-haired, blue-eyed bellhop who waved enthusiastically. As he stepped in the elevator, he smiled weakly to himself. "Poor boy... He thinks of me as a friend but, as I was told to when my teacher passed on, he will have to forget about me..." He trailed off softly, his english accent adding a little more emotion than he would have liked but it was there, hazel eyes looking down at his boots.

A ding sounded as those cold, metallic doors opened for him. He would miss this place, though, at the same time, he would be glad to leave it. Slowly, silently, he made his way to the door which led to his home. No doubt that Allister would be asleep by now and would want answers in the morning, the morning which would never come for the pale-skinned vampire. As he shut the door behind him and locked it, a coughing sound echo'd though the apartment, obviously fake, stemming from the lounge. Curious, the taller man walked though, eyes wide at the site before him. His friend was sitting in the dark, chocolate eyes glaring at the vampire. "And just where have you been? You said that you'd be home for dinner."

Allister questioned, standing up and walking over, his head barely reaching the vampire's shoulder but still quite intimidating, the way his dyed-white hair fell partially over his eyes scared most people. "I was... Out..." The slightly confused vampire stated, already know that the smaller male wouldn't buy it. "Don't you lie to me, Iggy." He stated sharply, crossing his arms over his chest like a mother would. "Listen to me, Allister... I have had a rough day... I just want to go to bed..." The vampire smiled reassuringly before going to his room, leaving a fuming boy with his fists shaking in rage in the hall. "I want answers in the morning." Allister called behind the taller male before the door shut. As it did, tears stung at the blonde's eyes, threatening to spill over as he grabbed the knife in his bottom drawer, the one he always kept just in case somebody broke in.

Taking out a piece of paper, he wrote his feelings out, addressed to his room-mate.
'Allister, I am sorry to do this to you but... I could not take it any longer. Do not blame yourself and know that it was entirely my decision. Life has dragged on far too much for my tastes and I have suffered enough for nearly double my life-expectancy. I know that you will call me a wimp and a chicken for taking the easy way out but I could not endure it. I have watched loved ones grow old and die or be killed at the hands of those who fear that which they do not understand. I will not scar you by leaving my body here, it will be in our favourite place, just because I want to see it once more. I am sorry. I hope to see you soon. Signed, Arthur.'

With that, he walked around to his friends room, glossy-eyed, knowing how fast the younger male could fall into his usual deep sleeps. The vampire was correct, his friend was sound asleep. Kneeling at the boy's bedside, he blinked back his tears and took his friend's hands into his own. "I will see you soon, okay?" He muttered, voice shaking. "Goodnight, my dearest friend, and goodbye, I will see you in the afterlife, if you somehow end up going to Hell with me." A few tears slipped from hazel eyes and onto those almost as pale hands as the vampire lowered his head, kissing the back of one gently. Tucking Allister in, he stood again, head hung, tears flowing freely now in the darkness, where nobody could see.

Walking back to his room, he picked up the knife and lay the note on his pillow before slipping out of the window, hanging onto the white-painted window-ledge as he shut it again before dropping into the trees and landing on the ground, safely, with nothing but a dull throbbing in his ankles and knees. The blonde vampire tightened his grip on the handle of the blade, wiping his tears away with his jacket sleve. His mind was set, nothing could change that now. Hazel eyes darted up to the moon, it's pale light shining down though the canopy, almost highlighting the path for him. Boot-clad feet moved at their own accord, leading him to the lake, the one where he and Allister would sit for hours on end, just talking and looking up at the clouds or stars.

The vampire sat at the edge of the water, knees to his chest, head down as trembling hands fumbled with the sharp blade. Straightening his legs out, Arthur slowly took off his tie and coat, leaving them folded to one side before opening up his shirt and folding that up, too, he did not want the clothes that he was likely to be buried in getting bloodied. Taking the knife is shaking hands, he slowly drew a heart shape on his pale side, the pain slightly calming him, the feel of the blood dripping down making his heart long for the same knife to be plunged into the beating thing in his chest.

Taking a deep breath, the vampire smiled weakly to himself before ramming the blade slicing straight through his ribcage and straight into his broken, blackened heart. His eyes grew wide and distant, almost seeming to loose their colour as he pulled the knife from his chest, lying back as he dropped the object to his side, arms lazily trailing to his sides. Dark crimson blood dripped out from the large, open, wound, not spraying like he thought it would at first. Tears streamed down his face pale, moos-light lit face as he gave in, not wanting to fight death, heart-rate becoming progressively slower, signalling it's gradual stopping. Slowly, the vampire's world got darker, starting from around the edges of the eyes, progressively taking up more space. The pain in his chest numbed then disappeared altogether as he let the darkness consume him, eyes flickering shut as he gave his last, shaky, breath, smiling peacefully. He had finally put himself at ease, that was all that he cared about. No more heart-break, no more people that he had to impress, no more anything, just what awaited him in the after-life and he was fine with that as he knew that, someday, he would re-unite with his friends, even if they went to another place, he would be able to see them again. For once since he had turned into a supposed 'immortal creature of the night', he was happy.

~Fin.