read it more out of courtesy than curiosity.
"Oh, that's just fucking great." He threw his hands in the air, exasperated. It was his own grave.
Cpt. Z. Degaud
4th Louisiana Inf.
Feb 16th 1842
Apr 6th 1865
Beloved son and brother
They'd buried their son in an empty grave. Of course they had. Sam's grave would be around here as well, just as empty. But, this was their curse, wasn't it? To live on while everyone aged and died?
He lay on top of his grave, the top of his head resting against the headstone, hands on his stomach and feet crossed at the ankles. Millions of tiny little stars twinkled above him through the trees and he wondered if this was what it was like being in a grave. What was he, stupid? He wouldn't know , he'd be dead .
The last time he looked up at the night sky as a human, he had been dying. For most vampires, their human lives began to fade after a hundred years or so, but Zac was sure he'd never forget his. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander.
And there he was, lying on that mound of corpses again, his own life choking him to death as it pooled in the back of his throat. He willed himself to die, but nothing happened. His heart still beat in his chest, his lungs still drew in air. He was dead, but his body seemed to refuse the notion. Food did nothing, it was blood that kept him alive now. Ironically, it had been his own blood that was going to kill him first, not the gunshot wound. He would have choked on the one thing that now kept him going.
His whole life was one long joke.
When the sound of something rustling in the undergrowth caught his attention, he sat up sharply. He hissed when he made out Gabby walking through the cemetery, picking her way through the headstones to where he sat. She was wearing a black jacket that made her blend into the darkness, but he saw her clear as day.
"Gabby," he sighed, rolling his eyes. What the hell was she doing out here in the middle of the night?
"Hey," she said quietly, hovering by his grave. She peered at it for a moment, reading the inscription and frowned.
"Never sneak up on a vampire," he snapped. "Especially one with a death wish."
"I knew this was how you would react," she shook her head, sitting beside him. She wasn't worried in the slightest and Zac knew that she could probably bring him to his knees and make him beg for the life he didn't want if she even felt the tiniest bit threatened by him.
"You spoke with her?" Despite himself, his heart skipped a beat.
"Right before she came to see you, it seems."
"Whatever." He wished he still had some scotch left.
"I told her it would be a bad idea."
"Obviously." He didn't want to know what she said to her. It would only serve to infuriate him further. "What do you want?"
"To see if you're okay."
"Well, I'm not. So, why do you care all of a sudden? It's not like we're besties, Tabitha."
She let out a laugh. "It's nice to hear you call me that again. It's been a while."
"It's also been a while since I was an ass, but things change."
"That they do," she shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm more a fan of Glinda. I always liked the Wizard of OZ better than Bewitched ."
Zac snorted. "Then what are you doing out here, Glinda ?" The good witch reference didn't pass unnoticed.
"I was trying to get back into the swing of things. You know it's better at night with the stars and all. Especially for me."
"Fuck the stars," Zac hissed, falling back onto the grave again, flinging an arm across his eyes. He didn't want to look at her or the sky.
He felt the air shift as she lay back beside him. "You're all right, you know that?"
"Are you feeling okay?" He knew she had probably been watching him from the moment he stumbled into the cemetery.
"Yes," she laughed, before letting out a long sigh. "Who do you want to be? That's what it's about, isn't it? What it's always been about?"
"Gabby, don't," he said, a note of warning in his voice.
"You have to ask yourself the question eventually."
"I
"Oh, that's just fucking great." He threw his hands in the air, exasperated. It was his own grave.
Cpt. Z. Degaud
4th Louisiana Inf.
Feb 16th 1842
Apr 6th 1865
Beloved son and brother
They'd buried their son in an empty grave. Of course they had. Sam's grave would be around here as well, just as empty. But, this was their curse, wasn't it? To live on while everyone aged and died?
He lay on top of his grave, the top of his head resting against the headstone, hands on his stomach and feet crossed at the ankles. Millions of tiny little stars twinkled above him through the trees and he wondered if this was what it was like being in a grave. What was he, stupid? He wouldn't know , he'd be dead .
The last time he looked up at the night sky as a human, he had been dying. For most vampires, their human lives began to fade after a hundred years or so, but Zac was sure he'd never forget his. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander.
And there he was, lying on that mound of corpses again, his own life choking him to death as it pooled in the back of his throat. He willed himself to die, but nothing happened. His heart still beat in his chest, his lungs still drew in air. He was dead, but his body seemed to refuse the notion. Food did nothing, it was blood that kept him alive now. Ironically, it had been his own blood that was going to kill him first, not the gunshot wound. He would have choked on the one thing that now kept him going.
His whole life was one long joke.
When the sound of something rustling in the undergrowth caught his attention, he sat up sharply. He hissed when he made out Gabby walking through the cemetery, picking her way through the headstones to where he sat. She was wearing a black jacket that made her blend into the darkness, but he saw her clear as day.
"Gabby," he sighed, rolling his eyes. What the hell was she doing out here in the middle of the night?
"Hey," she said quietly, hovering by his grave. She peered at it for a moment, reading the inscription and frowned.
"Never sneak up on a vampire," he snapped. "Especially one with a death wish."
"I knew this was how you would react," she shook her head, sitting beside him. She wasn't worried in the slightest and Zac knew that she could probably bring him to his knees and make him beg for the life he didn't want if she even felt the tiniest bit threatened by him.
"You spoke with her?" Despite himself, his heart skipped a beat.
"Right before she came to see you, it seems."
"Whatever." He wished he still had some scotch left.
"I told her it would be a bad idea."
"Obviously." He didn't want to know what she said to her. It would only serve to infuriate him further. "What do you want?"
"To see if you're okay."
"Well, I'm not. So, why do you care all of a sudden? It's not like we're besties, Tabitha."
She let out a laugh. "It's nice to hear you call me that again. It's been a while."
"It's also been a while since I was an ass, but things change."
"That they do," she shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm more a fan of Glinda. I always liked the Wizard of OZ better than Bewitched ."
Zac snorted. "Then what are you doing out here, Glinda ?" The good witch reference didn't pass unnoticed.
"I was trying to get back into the swing of things. You know it's better at night with the stars and all. Especially for me."
"Fuck the stars," Zac hissed, falling back onto the grave again, flinging an arm across his eyes. He didn't want to look at her or the sky.
He felt the air shift as she lay back beside him. "You're all right, you know that?"
"Are you feeling okay?" He knew she had probably been watching him from the moment he stumbled into the cemetery.
"Yes," she laughed, before letting out a long sigh. "Who do you want to be? That's what it's about, isn't it? What it's always been about?"
"Gabby, don't," he said, a note of warning in his voice.
"You have to ask yourself the question eventually."
"I
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