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Sylvia continued, “Option one, you hand it over now, and I’ll let Sam dispatch of you. It’ll be quick, painless. Option two, I’ll rip you apart myself. It’ll be slow and painful. You’ll beg for mercy. I’ll give you none before finally taking off your head.”

“Sam, please don’t do this,” Alice said. “Snap out of it.”

A red flaming sphere of arcane energy appeared in Sam’s hand, and she threw it. Alice dodged out of the way. The sphere smashed against the DJ booth, sending parts of the wood platform flying into the air. Sam produced another flame and continued her barrage.

Alice kept running, zigzagging across the black and white checkerboard dance floor toward the bar. She placed her hands on the railing and leapt over, rolling down to the floor below. More and more red flames slammed into the shelves above. Bottles shattered. Alice turned her back and covered her head to shield herself from the shattered glass and liquid raining down on her. Alice was covered in a cocktail mixture of wine and an assortment of liquor.

“Come on,” Sam taunted. “Let’s play like the old times. You remember the old times, don’t you?”

Alice could hear Sam’s shoes clacking against the dance floor as she approached. “I won’t fight you.”

A reddish glow bathed the area above Alice. Its light emanated in all directions along the shelves behind the bar.

“We could have been something,” Sam said.

One side of the bar led back to the dance floor. She’d be an easy target for Sam. The other end led to a secured room used to store the liquor. There were no windows behind the bar, leaving Alice without a means of escape. Sam was closing in from above. Alice’s heart beat faster, slamming into her chest as her mind went blank.

“An arcane power couple. Me and you. Together,” Sam said.

“How about you stop and we talk it over?” Alice lied.

There was no escape. The light grew brighter, now spilling overthe bar top. The clacking on the dance floor had stopped. Sam was above her. Alice was trapped.

“Goodbye, Alice,” Sam said.

Alice brushed against an aluminum tube dangling behind the bar—the tube of the soda gun. Sam leaned over the bar to throw the flame of arcane energy, but Alice was quicker on the draw. She withdrew the soda gun from the holster and sprayed Sam in the face. She recoiled at the attack. The sticky soda soaking her face broke Sam’s concentration, and the red flame dissipated.

Alice rose to her feet. She dug into her bag and leapt over the bar. Alice retrieved a small, glass vial of bluish liquid. She ran up behind Sam, wrapping her arms around her. Sam whipped Alice back first into the bar railing.

Alice cried out in pain as the wood railing plunged into the middle of her back. She steeled her resolve and didn’t let go. Sam tried again, but Alice was prepared. She kicked her leg back into the bar, preventing Sam from punishing her again.

Alice snapped her fingers, and the cork stopper flew out. “Open wide and drink this.” Alice jammed the vial into Sam’s mouth.

The liquid poured out. Sam choked, but Alice didn’t stop. Not until she drank a good portion of the liquid. Once satisfied, Alice removed the vial.

Sam bent over, her blonde hair covering her face. She coughed and grasped her throat before falling to her knees. Sam let out a guttural gurgle and collapsed to the ground.

Alice’s eyes watered. She wiped away a tear with her sleeve. Her betrayer, her former lover, now lay motionless on the floor.

Alice removed another wooden stake from her bag—the same wooden stake she pierced Hugo with through his back. She returned her attention to the balcony. Sylvia was gone.

Alice’s ribs burst like fire as she was slammed into the bar railing. Alice dropped the wooden stake. Maddening screams echoed throughout the venue. A mixture of Alice’s wails and Sylvia’s bloodthirsty howls. Sylvia reared back and slammed her again.

Alice struggled to breathe as it knocked the wind out of her. She tried to clutch her abdomen, but Sylvia maintained a tight hold this time. Sylvia lifted Alice and plunged her facedown into the ground. What little wind remained in her lungs was now gone. She could only mouth the pain of agony.

Sylvia threw the wooden stake into the storage room. Sylvia kicked Alice in her side, forcing her to roll over on her back. Sylvia stood over Alice.

“Funny, this was the same position he was in,” Sylvia said. Her hair was messy. An expression of subdued rage was on her face.

A purple arcane flame manifested in the palm of Alice’s hand, but Sylvia stepped on it, driving her heel into Alice’s palm. Alice screamed in pain. She rolled over, clutching her wrist, trying to free her hand.

“I think I’ve had enough of you, little witch,” Sylvia said, showing her teeth. Her vampiric fangs elongated. Sylvia lunged for Alice’s throat.

A ball of red arcane energy slammed into Sylvia, sending her backward onto the middle of the dance floor.

“No one messes with my Alice!” Sam shouted. She threw another red arcane flame at the vampire.

Sylvia writhed in pain.