Music Recommendation: Dr. Ford- Ramin Djawadi

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  The bloodstain that was on Piper's shirt continued to spread until most of her shirt drenched itself with dark blood. The smile on her face stayed intact until the pain in her body started to crawl in her body, like the blood on her shirt, and the smile finally faltered.

  Before Piper could fall on the forest ground, Roman quickly caught hold of her body. He supported her body weight. His eyes widened, and he called her name alarmed, "Piper!"

  "She's losing a lot of blood," stated Maximus, who was in shock, as none of them had expected for it to happen.

  "Bring the car here!" shouted Roman, and Maximus quickly ran towards the edge of the forest.

  "I thought we got all the hunters in here, how did this little weasel escape?" questioned Luciano with a deep frown on his forehead while he looked around the place where they stood.

  "The coward must have been hiding and waiting to take us out," responded Castiel. He and the rest made their way to where Roman was. Roman didn't wait for the vehicle, and he could tell the bullet had probably grazed close to Piper's heart, which was why she was coughing blood.

  Roman picked up Piper in both his arms before he could head towards where the vehicles, Mr. Borrell said,

  "I don't think she has much time left. It would be better to keep her here, until she's ready."

  Roman's eyes filled itself in anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "She's not a hunter or a rogue vampire that I am going to leave here to die. Isolde will know how to treat her and see if anything can be done."

  Piper coughed out more blood, and her facial features looked like it was morphing from a human's appearance to the vampire's characteristics.

  "The bullet has hit too close to her heart and with the amount of blood that she's throwing up, she won't be able to survive this one," Luciano's words were blunt, while his eyes looked at the vampiress convulse.

  Roman ignored the Elder vampire's opinion because he was going to save her. He was going to keep her alive and make sure that she would always be around. Everything had been fine, but in less than one second, the hunter had found to shoot her.

  "Are you not going to tell him anything?" Castiel turned to look at Donovan in question, and the Elder vampire held a serious look on his face. Donovan didn't utter a word, and Castiel said, "Let us get this place cleaned up before we have more hunters showing up here."

  Roman reached the edge of the forest, and he heard Piper speak, "Rome."

  Her hands tried to grip on the front of his shirt, but her hands were weak.

  Roman ran in haste while making sure they didn't lose even a second. The expression on his face was serious, and he said, "You are going to live. I am going to make damn sure about it."

  Piper used all her strength to hold on to Roman's shirt, getting his attention. She said, "W-wait. Stop."

  Hearing her words, Roman's eyebrows furrowed. He said, "The car is right here. We'll reach Veteris in a couple of minutes."

  But the truth was that they had travelled for more than forty minutes, and Piper didn't have that amount of time. "I am taking you to Veteris and we are going to make sure that you will get better," assured Roman before placing her in the back seat of the car.

  "I am coming with you," declared Maximus, not wanting Roman to deal with this alone by himself, because somewhere he already knew what the outcome was going to be.

  The driver of the car, who had driven the car earlier, looked in the direction of the forest where the Elders had earlier disappeared into. The driver asked, "Are the others not coming?"

  "Not now. You will need to come back after dropping us. Now get the car moving!" ordered Maximus, and the driver quickly obliged his words.

  In the backseat, Roman called out the vampiress' name to keep her conscious, "Piper, don't fall asleep! Damn it, Piper!" his words sounded frustrated when she didn't reply to him right away.

  "It must… probably be the first time I have seen you this angry," murmured Piper, and Roman gritted his teeth. "I am glad… I was able to protect you in the end. My promise to Tristan was fulfilled."

  Though Maximus had decided to accompany them in the car, his heart ached at the sight of seeing Piper in pain. Maximus had been one of the regulars in the detention room, and he had been well acquainted with her. Roman said to her, "You are an idiot, do you know that?"

  A weak smile appeared on Piper's lips, her eyes were closed, opened to look at him. Black blood had smeared on the corner of her mouth, and some had fallen on her shirt and a little on the seat of the car.

  "Where does it hurt? Tell me so that I can take a look at it," Roman stared into her eyes to check if the size of her pupil had changed. Piper shook her head.

  "I am fine," her words came out as a whisper. "I am… Stop looking at me like that."

  Roman closed his eyes, trying to control his temper that was surfacing quickly, and he wanted to punch and tear the human who had shot at Piper's back. But he couldn't get the satisfaction of doing it, as Donovan had already stepped forward and had killed the hunter. His hands clenched into fists before he opened his eyes.

  "I am going to remove the bullet," announced Roman, and he said, "Max, help me turn her around in the seat."

  Maximus did what Roman had asked from him, helping Piper turn as slowly as possible, laying her on her front. The vehicle continued to move, but that didn't deter Roman, as his hands were steady, and his vision was clear to see things.

  He tore open Piper's shirt from the back, noticing the blood that had oozed out was now slowly drying on her skin. Pulling the rings like a pendant that hung around his neck, he turned it into a sharp metal blade. Turning the light on the ceiling of the car, he looked for the bullet. He used his lighter to heat the metal before using it on her skin.

  But at the same time, Piper coughed out more blood, unable to hold in the pain as she felt as if her insides were being ripped apart. Her body trembled as if it was going to have fits. In a vampire, this only happened when the body was undergoing corruption.

  Roman finally found the bullet, and he changed the metal to thin tongs. Piper winced in pain, feeling the bullet press on her unbeating heart, and she gritted her teeth.

  "We are almost there," Roman tried to encourage Piper, pulling out the silver bullet. But as the bullet had been stuck there for a long time while grazing near her heart, it was rapidly deteriorating Piper's condition.

  Maximus looked up at Roman, noticing how he was trying to keep Piper alive. Roman bit into his wrist and poured his own blood into the wound of the vampiress' back.

  "Is that going to work?" questioned Maximus because until now, he had never seen any vampire pouring their own blood into an existing vampire's body.

  Right now, Roman was ready to sacrifice a human to keep Piper alive, and he hoped his actions would work. Pulling his shirt, he tore it before tying it around her body so that she wouldn't lose any more blood than what she already had.

  They carefully placed Piper to turn and rest on her back, where her eyebrows had furrowed. She continued to throw up black blood that didn't seem to pause even for a moment. Roman said, "Drink this," he brought his wrist towards her lips.

  But as much as Piper tried to drink the blood from him, she threw up the same amount of blood from her mouth. As if her body wasn't able to digest the blood anymore.

  Roman gritted his teeth, turning his head to look in the direction of the road, and he demanded, "Drive faster!" But the driver was already driving as fast as he could, where for a vampire, the speed felt like it was nothing.

  Piper pushed Roman's hand away from her, "I-I cannot." It took a moment for him to realise that his blood had silver in it.

  "Max, your blood," stated Roman, and Maximus was quick to give his blood to Piper, wanting the woman to live as much as Roman wanted, but even his blood didn't make any difference.

  "No more blood," Piper pushed Maximus' hand away from her while she tried to catch up with her breath, which seemed to be losing quickly. "Fucker sure found the right time to shoot," she cursed the hunter and Roman's eyebrows deeply furrowed. She had started to sweat now, her chest heaving for air as it moved up and down. "H-how long until we reach Veteris?"

  "Probably five minutes," lied Roman, without blinking his eyes, and Piper smiled.

  "Y-you know… there have been m-many times," Piper seemed exhausted just to get those words out, and in the process, she coughed some more blood as if her body was going to push out all the blood from her. "I always… wondered how I would die, by the hands of the……humans. How it would be."

  "Shut up, Piper," Roman didn't want her to lose her energy until they reached the infirmary of Veteris. "Please."

  The smile that Piper tried to bring on her face failed, and she said, "I apologise, Rome. W-would it be alright to ask you to hold my h-hand?"

  Roman picked up Piper's hand resting on the car seat, using his other hand, he enclosed it completely and felt it turn colder. The vampiress spoke, "I thought it would be by someone trying to stab me with a wooden stake, but this seems quick and not so bad."

  He didn't stop her from speaking. As much as Roman wanted Piper to live, the odds were against them, and time was scarce. Piper stared at the car's ceiling, trying to not move her body, which was hard to do as the car sped up towards Veteris.

  "Rome," whispered Piper.

  "Yes."

  "Don't let my death break you," she said to him, and Roman tried hard not to clench his hands as it held Piper's hand. "Your life… now that you have someone who cares for you, someone who loves you, don't let it break you. I was hoping I could live until both of you were married, but it seems like… I didn't take this into consideration. Being shot."

  "You will still be able to attend it. You haven't died yet and you still have a chance," stated Roman, his voice turned hard and emotionless with every passing second.

  "Mm," hummed Piper, a cough erupting through her chest, and she threw up more blood. Roman pulled out the tissue paper in the car and wiped her lips.

  "You will be fine," said Roman, and a soft smile appeared on her lips. "It wasn't just you, who was supposed to protect me. It was me, who had the responsibility of keeping you safe."

  "Rubbish," wheezed Piper, her face scrunching in pain, and she closed her eyes for a second before taking deep breaths through her mouth. "I am the older one. Children need to sit tight and listen."

  The rest of the ride, Roman made sure Piper was still alive and holding on to the little life that was still there in her. When the vehicle entered the university's gates, Piper's lips had turned paler, and it looked like her body was drying up.

  Piper moved her pale lips, saying something that Roman understood. His lips set themselves in a thin line. He said to the driver, "Pull over at the side."

  Getting out of the car, Roman carried Piper in his arms. He started to walk into the forest, and Maximus followed him from behind. Maximus wasn't sure if it was because of Roman's blood that was poured into the vampiress' back earlier in the car that had extended a little more of her life.

  Roman continued to carry the feeble vampiress in his arms. The more corruption Piper's body went through, the weight of her body turned lighter. They walked through the forest, crossing the edge of the unrestricted area where the human students were free to walk before they stepped into the restricted side of the forest.

  As it was late in the night, the curfew had already taken effect on the grounds of the Veteris for the students to stop them from roaming around.

  Soon they entered the cemetery. Roman walked past the quiet and deserted place until he came to stand in front of the coffin that was building to Piper, which was right next to Tristan's coffin. He placed her down, letting her back rest against the headstone.

  Roman had brought Piper to Veteris, hoping she could be cured, but her condition had worsened. It was obvious by just looking at her that nothing could be done. And right now, all they had left was to count the seconds or minutes they had with her.

  He sat down on his heels in front of Piper, "Is there something you would like?" he asked, pushing the woman's matted hair to the side because of the sweat on her skin.

  Piper's eyes met Roman's, and she shook her head, "Everything I wanted, has already happened. I don't think there is anything left," a heavy sigh escaped from her lips. "Mm, maybe… my mother and I… we had gone to Lady Getrude's shop and had gotten my wedding gown prepared beforehand."

  "Did your mother know about you and Tristan?" asked Roman, as this was the first time he was hearing about it.

  A soft yet painful chuckle escaped from Piper's lips, and she started to cough one more time, this time, she threw up more blood. She took a deep breath, and with her eyes half-opened, she said, "No, she didn't. She was going to get me married to this other man, but I went along with it. Just so I could use the gown later…… I didn't get to speak much to Julie, but if she will… I would like to hand my wedding gown to her. I think she would look lovely in it."

  Roman nodded his head, unable to keep a straight face anymore as the heaviness in his chest grew, and his lips twisted. He looked at the headstone that was next to where they sat, which belonged to his brother.

  "I wish you were stronger than this," remarked Roman, his words bitter because of the death that was approaching Piper.

  "You have done everything you could, Rome. And you have already done far better than most of us expected. Tristan, your mother, your friends, you have come a long way," said Piper with a soft smile on her lips. "W-we vampires, like the humans, have our time, and…… I have spent it well. Is there something you would like to pass to your brother or your parents?"

  Roman's jaw clenched, and he stared at Piper, whose eyes were turning hollower.

  "I-It's okay. I will… let them know," said Piper, as she knew how Roman wasn't someone who openly spoke about his feelings to others.

  A second later, Piper's body started to convulse, falling on the ground as if she was being possessed by something.

  Her body started to shrivel, and every second that passed with Roman witnessing Piper inching closer to her death, the sight was not just painful, but it slowly started to increase his rage for the hunters, who were responsible for her death.

  Even though in recent times, when most of the vampires who followed the protocols didn't purposely harm the humans, those vampires were usually the ones to die first. Piper had always been like his big sister to him, covering for him when he got into trouble, having his back after his brother had passed away. And now, the very light in front of him started to dim.

  He wanted to help Piper, but he felt powerless, because corruption couldn't be fought. It was the vampire's disease. His eyes moistened with unshed tears in them.

  Darkness started to inch in closer to his heart, along with the dissolved silver bullet that coursed through his veins.

  Maximus, who stood behind, watched Piper's life leave her body, and while that happened, he heard an increase in Roman's heart rate and his eyebrows subtly furrowed. Piper's body finally went still, her eyes opened, with her neck slightly twisted and her body turned pale as a corpse.

  The tower card of progress that Roman had made all these years tried to shake his mind and body.

  "Do you know where the shovel is?" questioned Roman.

  "It's at the backside of the fences," replied Maximus, watching Roman stand up and make his way near the fences, before he picked up the equipment and returned.

  He pushed the lid of the casket grave and placed Piper in there. Staring at her, and Maximus, who had plucked a nearby flower, placed it in her hands. The lid of the casket was pushed back to close the grave, and Roman finally stood straight, not moving from his place.

  Maximus decided to give Roman the time he needed to mourn Piper's death, and he said, "I will tell Moses to come and clean this place."

  Roman continued to stare at the graves of his family members. What happened, slowly started to sink in his mind how Piper would never be returning, and the darkness continued to wrap itself around him. And as if one of the cards in the tower had been flicked out, his eyes turned redder and something flipped inside of him.

  When Maximus was about to leave, Roman stopped him, "That won't be needed." He turned around to meet Maximus' gaze, where the other vampire clenched his jaw. Roman said, "They are just graves with dead bodies inside it…… It would be pointless."