Chapter 12 Between Roses and Death

The cold of the night was abnormally intense, however, Albert was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he put his head on the pillow, just like Victor.

While Diane and Jack were playing cards, one of the advantages, or disadvantages depending on how you saw it, of being a vampire, is never sleeping. However, it was the perfect moment for the two of them to talk calmly, since Cris's death, things had become somewhat tense between the two of them, Jack steeled himself and finally decided to bring it up.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time," Jack said as he took a card, and noticed that he had a straight flush in his hand.

"What is it about?" Diane bit her lip slightly and placed her letters on the table while she said, "I'm standing."

-Cris, my name is the promised prince, what does that mean? - Jack revealed his hand

- how the hell? you made straight flush! I thought that with a full house she would win this time- Diane looked really devastated as she rubbed her eyes with her fingers- you win again. how the hell do you do it? – He looked through the window and for a moment he remembered his best friend and guardian, Cristopher Roxacruz. She sighed and looked at Jack again, who with a literal poker face simply looked at her.

-Don't evade the question- Jack told him - I won and as you promised you must answer any question that I ask you

- I know. I just don't understand how you're so good at this game. About your question. He is called a promised prince, the one who drinks the blood of a virgin vampire princess, that in other words means that I chose you as my husband.

- wait to? Jack raised his voice so loud that he woke up Albert who threw a pillow at him with such force that he knocked him off the seat.

- they want to shut up! -The huge man stood up half naked, his body was full of scars everywhere. As expected of a warrior like his, he put on his pants and shirt – thanks to his damn scandal I won't be able to sleep anymore.

Annoyingly, he took a bottle of liquor from the nightstand and left the room, slamming the door that woke up Victor. He decided to take a walk through the town, hopefully the tavern would be open. The early morning cold really liked it, even if it was as intense as that night. Albert loved the mist and the rain, the best memory of him was drinking a huge cup of hot chocolate while he watched the rain fall next to his wife, the day he found out he was going to be a father.

on his way to the door drinking excessively from the bottle, he wanted to kill that memory before he started crying like a baby. The silence was sepulchral, but Albert didn't care, he calmly opened the door thinking that it was a town of lazy people. Something finally caught his attention, not even a dog was barking or a cat was fighting on the roof. Suddenly the smell of flowers invaded his nose. he still didn't let go of the hotel door when he realized it, that was very strange and if he wasn't so drunk he would have noticed it much sooner.

Opening the door slowly revealed a macabre scene. Every single one of the town's inhabitants, even the animals, lay dead on a garden of hundreds of flowers.

- beautiful, don't you think? An elegant man with a sharp face and noble features, he smelled a rose from his macabre garden as he smiled at Albert.

- You...- Albert took an awkward step back, drinking in such a disproportionate way was taking its toll on him.

-From your expression it seems that you don't enjoy seeing me- the man calmly stood up, and then taking a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit he covered his nose- you stink more than the last time.

Alberto looked for his weapon, but he realized that he had left them in the hotel room.

- are you afraid? -the man looked at him with a pair of red eyes- did I give you such a bad impression last time?

Albert's urge to run grew more and more, however, doing something rash in front of that damn vampire was suicidal. That guy was a monster, but, because he hadn't killed them as well as the whole town- what do you want? - Albert finally asked.

- the statuette of course. – replied the vampire – I have come for the statuette that is in this area.

- and you had to kill them all?

- I haven't, but it's fun. - He opened his arms and turned on his own axis showing the whole place, a garden with hundreds of types of flowers, which sprouted from the corpses of each living being that only a few moments ago inhabited the place- Don't you think it's a beautiful artwork?

-It is not beautiful, nor is it art. - Albert's eyes were no longer afraid, they burned with anger- you're sick.

The vampire throned his fingers

- rosho homo fabule

The corpses stood erratically, like puppets slowly coming into motion, but their lifeless faces made it clear that none of them were alive anymore. As if they were an army of zombies they attacked Albert, who ran towards the room where Diane in a towel was preparing to take a shower, however, Albert took her by the hand and threw her over Jack and Víctor who were talking about some very serious topic .

- Victor my weapons! Albert roared and almost instantly his pistols were in his hands, he pointed both at the door as he roared again, "Alert brats!"

Victor imitated the drunk with another pair of pistols pointed at the door as Jack took off his shirt and handed it to Diane, standing in front of her protectively, although Jack's skinny, scrawny, shaky back wasn't very reliable, she couldn't help but feel flattered by that courageous gesture. The girl wasted no time dressed in Jack's clothes and prepared to fight. Luckily for her, she was smaller than the boy, her shirt reaching almost to her knees.

In just a few seconds everyone was on guard and expectation, they waited in silence for something to move, or some sign of hostility to manifest. But nothing. The smell of flowers was getting stronger, the cold was getting more intense every second, the atmosphere was just chilling, but there was not a sound.

Unexpectedly a rose bloomed inside the room.