Chapter 27

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

I finally emerge from yet another twisted alley, my lungs burning and my heart hammering. Ahead of me, I see Paulie's car parked under the dim streetlights, his outline behind the steering wheel eerily still. I sprint toward it, my footsteps echoing off the narrow, ancient walls. "Paulie?" I shout, banging on the driver's side window, but he doesn't move. He sits slumped, staring blankly ahead, and a sick feeling churns in my stomach. I pound on the window harder, desperation clawing at me. Still, nothing.

My breath catches in my throat as I reach for the door handle, dread tightening around my heart. Paulie survived being shot in the neck; he's tougher than most. I send up a silent, frantic prayer: Please, let him be alive. Please .

I pull the door open, my hands trembling. "Paulie?" I whisper, but my voice cracks, barely audible. My mouth has gone dry, and my chest compresses as though all the air has been sucked out of the world. I touch his shoulder gently, but he doesn't respond. I nudge him harder, and to my horror, his head lolls forward, then rolls off completely, landing with a sickening thud in the passenger side footwell.

A silent scream tears at my throat, but no sound comes out. My vision blurs as I stumble back, my body slamming into the cold stone wall behind me. I can't process what I'm seeing. Paulie's headless body slumped against the seat, blood pooling beneath him—it's unreal, impossible, a nightmare that I can't wake from. I want to look away, but my eyes are locked on the grotesque sight.

The sudden crack of gunfire shatters the silence, followed by a scream that rips through the air. It jolts me out of my shock, and I turn toward the Duomo. The hope I've clung to this entire time—hope that somehow, someway, I could stop this—is dashed. There's no question now: Luigi knows Renzo and his brothers are vampires, and he's brought someone here to kill them.

I race up the steps to the Duomo, shoving the heavy wooden doors open. Chaos erupts around me as I burst inside. The echo of gunshots, the clash of metal, and the shouts of battle fill the ancient cathedral, reverberating off the frescoed walls. My eyes dart around wildly, searching for Renzo. Nico and Leonardo are fighting a swarm of men, no—vampires—slashing and dodging as they move. Nico swings a sword with lethal precision, beheading his opponent in one fluid motion. Leonardo charges toward the altar, bullets ricocheting off his body like he's made of steel, undeterred.

And then I see him. Renzo. He's lying on the floor by the altar, sprawled out, his arms and legs splayed as though he's been thrown. My heart lurches with relief—he's alive. But then, as I take a step forward, a bullet whizzes past my head, forcing me to dive to the side, my back pressed against the cold, ancient stone of the church. I have to get to him. I stay low, hugging the wall as I make my way forward, the occasional bullet cracking the plaster above me and sending shards of debris raining down.

I spot Luca lying motionless nearby. My heart sinks, but I force myself to look closer—his head is still attached. He's not dead, not yet. Leonardo crouches over him, doing something to his chest, and Luca's body convulses violently, his back arching as if in agony. A strangled sound escapes his lips, raw and tortured.

I inch closer, creeping through the shadows, using the pews as cover. As I near the altar, I see Renzo again. He's still on the ground, and for a split second, hope flares in my chest. But then his torso jerks upward, contorting in an unnatural arch, his face twisted in pain. It's like he's being pulled by some invisible force, a puppet on unseen strings. He collapses back to the floor, lifeless and limp, and my heart shatters.

I move to step out from behind the side wall when I spot him—a large, bald vampire, his presence commanding and menacing. He strides toward the altar with deadly intent. Nico is still locked in combat with two other vampires at the back of the church, his fangs bared as he fights, but he's too far away to help.

Luca's body jerks again, mirroring Renzo's tortured movements, before slumping back down. And then Renzo sits up and blinks hard before staggering to his knees, shaking his head slowly as if to clear his mind. He's alive and my heart rejoices. Renzo lumbers to his feet, his arm extended toward Luca.

But movement near the altar draws my attention. I stare, horrified and helpless, as a bald vampire reaches the altar. He leaps up onto the stone surface, towering over Renzo's weakened form. In one fluid motion, he pulls out a gleaming sword, its blade catching the dim light, reflecting the scenes of saints and demons painted on the walls.

Terror floods my veins as I realize what's about to happen. I'm too far away, too slow, too late. And all I can do is watch as the nightmare unfolds.