…Anastasia…

I watch as horror consumes Sebastian's face; I have seen him terrified, but this is terrified beyond compare. What could have him so spooked, just a few hours he had left to attend a Council meeting, and now has returned looking as if death is staring him in the face?

I take him by the hand away from Lilith that is sitting with Stefan.

"Sebastian, what is the matter?"

"We need to find Edward at once."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"I shall discuss it with you in the car."

With that, we excuse ourselves from the room and head out into the freeze of the night. It takes a few moments for him to compose himself to tell me what has us speeding down towards the alley where Edward goes to feed.

"There has been a series of deaths; there seems to be a group of humans that are infecting Vampires with poison. A poison so strong that it eats you up from the inside."

"Oh god, Sebastian, do you think that Edward shall meet the same fate."

"That is why we need to find him before he feeds. We, unfortunately, have no idea what poison it is that they are infecting their victims with."

I can see that this is killing Sebastian; I have never seen him with so much fear that is building inside of him. I know he shall not be able to live with himself if something has to happen to Edward. Edward has been like a brother, a friend, and some would say a son to him. He has been the longest with him through all of his Vampire years.

And as we come to the alley, we do not find Edward. The panic overwhelms Sebastian, and I can see him visibly shaken. I hear his voice hitch as he curses underneath his breath. But what grabs me the most is see the tears of fear building in the corners of his eyes. I softly lay my hand down on his arm and try to reassure him that we shall find Edward.

"Sebastian, we shall find him, and he shall be fine."

But I know that I cannot guarantee this; from what Sebastian says, you shall not know that the human has been infected. He also does not know how long the poison takes to react, but once it does, it takes you at a rapid pace.

I truly hope that I can believe my own words when I say that Edward shall be safe.

…Sebastian…

I should have phoned Edward to advise them not to go out to feed; I should have let them know that it was not safe. I cannot believe that I did not think of it the moment I heard, and even more importantly, seeing it with my own eyes. Every part of my being is punishing me for being so forgetful. If something should have happened to him, there is no way that I shall be able to live with myself. I will be shocked into the terror of hell if I should watch him perish like that in front of my eyes.

So as we do not find Edward in the alley where he usually goes to feed, a dagger is driven through my heart at an agonizingly slow rate. Have I just doomed a brother and friend to his death? How could it have taken so long for Victor to inform me of the situation? I am aware that I was occupied with stopping a bunch of Ancients from taking over the city. I never thought there would be a greater terror to fear that are roaming the streets.

And as I look over to my beloved, I can see the same panic holding her body hostage. She has grown just as close to him; he is the brother that she never did have. He has been there to help her out of every bad situation that she found herself in. Even in our great battle, he still sees the soft and elegant woman that she is.

Now, as we speed to the next location where we could possible find him, I squeeze her hand that she is softly laying on my arm.

"My beloved, I do believe with the biggest part of my heart that the words you speak are true. I have seen what this does to a man, and it is not anguish I wish on anybody."

"If by what you have told me, I sound like someone with a deep hatred for Vampires have gone to enormous lengths to attempt and make our kind extinct."

"Hearing that word sends chills up my spine. We should not think this way; we need to have faith that things shall be fine with Edward and that we shall stop any other one of our kind to perish from it."

"But Sebastian, should our bodies not be able to fight and heal ourselves against it?

"Yes, it should, my beloved, which makes me believe that someone has gone to great lengths to created that a poison as this."

"Which also means that they had to have had a Vampire to test this on?"

"I am afraid to say that it is indeed what has happened."

"So can we not track down any Vampires that has recently gone missing and follow his last steps."

"I must say that you are not just a pretty face; we shall do this once we have found Edward."

There is a small yet brief calmness that sets over our shoulders, but only short-lived as we find the next alley. And as I feared, Edward is not here either.

…Edward…

The excitement of the past few days has left me somewhat drained. So it is without hesitation that I find myself walking down to the alley that ordinarily frequent. The air seems somewhat ominous on this dark overcast evening. This makes me wonder if I should rather stay clear and find another alley further down, closer to the city. I have always trusted my sense when I fear that something is out of place. And I do get a very clear impression that there is something lurking in the city that spells trouble for both human and immortal.

With that, I finally reach my destination, and as suspected, this is not the ideal place to feed as there is a low possibility of traffic coming through here often. But I am not about to give up; I leave this alley behind and try the next one. This one, too, seems to be deserted, but I decide to wait for a while and see what it will offer. It is oddly strange not to find humans strolling the dark streets this time of the evening. It feels like one is being drawn to one location. Have the alleys become such a terror that humans do not wish to enter them?

But I am not left to ponder for much longer, as there is a woman approaching me from the front. What does strike me as odd is she is already scared beyond fear; it is as if she knows what is waiting for her. This does not make me think that maybe I should just abandon tonight and come back when I feel less unsettled. Though that thought only sits for a short while.

So as the young girl passes me, I wait for several moments and then sneak up from behind her. As I grab her by the shoulders to steady her in my grip, it is as if she is giving in freely. She seems to know what is about to happen to her and does not give up a struggle. And as before, I do again not listen to that voice in my head that says, rather not do this, for tonight is not the night for feeding.

It is with ease that I slide my sharp fangs into her soft skin, and in a fraction of a second, I am taking what I have craved for this evening. But there is something different; her blood tastes somewhat bitter on the tongue. I immediately stop, I snap her neck and toss her body behind a nearby dumpster.

Now when this does happen on the odd occasion, it would go and seek another human victim. But this one has indeed left a bitter taste in my mouth. I doubt that feeding again will somehow take this away. I shall wait for this to pass through my body and will come to feed tomorrow night again.

And with that in mind, I make my way back home.

…Sebastian…

We have not been able to find Edward; we have gone from alley to alley. But just as soon as we are about to give up, we find a girl tossed behind a dumpster. She has been the victim of a Vampire, but what does strike me as odd is that she has not been drunk dry; her neck has been snapped instead. Now this will only happen for two reasons, the victim is either drunk or has a great deal of drugs in their system.

This does make me fear that perhaps this girl has been infected with the poison. So much to my utter disgust, do I throw her in the back of the car. If Joelle is going to take forever to get to the source, then I shall get to it myself. Many Vampires have practiced medicine for more than humanly possible. This is against how we normally manage things, but this calls for a special circumstance as our kind is dying. A human shall not take this as seriously as we would.

So it is only about several minutes later that we find ourselves walking through the front door. There is the familiar voice of the man that we have just been searching for. For a moment, there is utter relief that flows over me, but then my mind is taken back to the big question. And as I call him to the side, I am hoping to hear the words that will set my mind at ease.

"Edward, have you fed tonight?"

"Yes, I did, but there was something rather off with her blood."

"What do you mean off?

"It had a very bitter taste to it."

"Please tell me you just snapped her neck and did not take anything from her?"

"I did take. Why is it that you ask?"

I hesitate, for I do not know if it is wise to tell him what I have seen tonight and about the dangers lurking the streets. But he shall need to know for when he does feel something odd with his body; he should make me aware.

"There have been Vampires that have been infected with poison."

"My god, I do hope that they are doing well?"

Then I reconsider my position, should I continue to tell him the entire story? I cannot play with his life like this. So much to my sadness, I continue to tell him what will send the sensations of terror through his body.

"Edward, I am afraid to say that none of these Vampires have lived through the experience."

"Do you wish to tell me that there is something out there that can kill our kind?"

"I am afraid my answer is yes. Now please tell me, how are you feeling?"

I study his face for a few moments while he analysis the state of his body. Now Edward is not one that shows clear emotion on his face. There is no way to tell what he is feeling. And do I even dare to read his mind? So I patiently wait for his answer.

Then he looks at me with eyes that are stuck with sadness but consumed by horror. I do fear what his next few words to me shall be; I know what I wish it should, but if that is would be an entirely different case.

"My skin feels as if it is on fire."