Risen (The Vampire Legends 6)

With his other, he reached out for her.

“Rachel, help me!” he said.

Rachel dropped to her knees and reached out, and grabbed his hand. She held him there, pulling him with all her might, her arms trembling.

“I can’t!” she said. “You’re too heavy!”

“You can,” he said. “Think of your love. Your love for me. Rachel, don’t you remember? Don’t you remember how much I love you?”

Rachel looked into Benji’s eyes, deep into his eyes, and suddenly, it all came flooding back to her.

Rachel was suddenly filled with memories. She saw Benji and her together, flying, traveling around the world. She saw them on a Ferris wheel, a motorcycle. She saw him risking his life for her. She remembered all the love she had for him, and all that he had for her. She remembered all the sacrifices he had made for her. She remembered that she had never loved anyone in the world as much as him. She remembered that she wanted to be with him forever.

Most of all, she remembered who she was.

It all came rushing back to her, and her heart flooded with love.

“Benji!” she cried out. “I remember now. I remember everything. I love you.”

Benji dangled there, and suddenly, his hand slipped through hers.

Suddenly, Benji was screaming, hurling into the blackness, deep into the bottomless hole in the earth

“Rachel!” he screamed, his voice echoing as it faded.

He disappeared into the blackness, as he fell and deeper and deeper, screaming and screaming, out of sight.

Rachel watched in horror.

Rachel felt her heart breaking. Just when she had him back, now he was gone to her forever.

Suddenly, Rachel heard all the vampires, rushing down the staircase, feet away, coming to kill her.

She could not let Benji die like that. No matter what it took, she could not let him go. She would do anything for him. Sacrifice anything. Anything.

“Benji!” she screamed.

Without hesitating, Rachel suddenly leaned over and dove down, head-first, into the blackness.

Rachel screamed as she felt herself hurtling down, head-first, deeper and deeper into the blackness. She felt sure that she was going to die—but she no longer cared. All that she cared about was Benji. She had to try to save him—wherever it took her.

Rachel screamed and screamed as she plummeted down, deeper and deeper into the earth, her body getting colder, feeling herself engulfed, completely engulfed in blackness. He final thought, before her body turned numb, was:

Benji. I remember you. And I love you.