Page 65 of Monster in Disguise

"Stay here, both of you." I slowly make my way in front of Vlad and snap my fingers in front of him.

"Vlad! Snap out of it!"

He raises his gaze to regard me, narrowing his eyes. He twirls his finger in the air, little specks of blood still on its surface.

"More..." He whispers, and I let out a groan. He won't snap out of it, will he?

Knowing what might happen if he lets himself go, I prepare myself to act. I need to knock him out before he becomes too dangerous. Keeping my eyes on his face, I fold the sleeve on my right hand, already dreading the idea of skin contact.

"Marcello, what are you...?" Assisi takes a step forward and I turn sharply to stop her. Catalina's hand also shoots out to deter Assisi, but she brushes it off.

Fuck!

"Assisi, stay back!" I yell, and I am momentarily distracted by Assisi's movements. In a split second, Vlad leaves my side.

Shit!

His hand is around Assisi's throat, pushing her body into the wall and lifting her off the ground.

"Sisi!" Catalina whimpers, and I'm suddenly afraid.

"Lina, stay back," I tell her, putting myself in front of her.

"But..." She starts.

"No sudden movements. We need to snap him out of it!" I tell her.

"Assisi, are you okay?" I ask her, and I notice that she doesn't seem afraid.

"I'm okay... he's not hurting me," she replies, and I have to frown. He has her up in the air by the throat and he's not hurting her?

"Vlad, I need you to focus, all right? You're hurting my sister right now." I speak each word with determination, trying to break through the hazy fog clouding Vlad's mind. His head tilts to the side, as if he's hearing me but not fully comprehending.

"That's my sister you're holding," I emphasize, knowing that simple language is necessary when dealing with him in this state. It's like he regresses to a non-verbal state.

He pauses for a moment.

"Sister?" He murmurs with a guttural sound.

Yes, he's starting to grasp it.

"Yes, she is my sister. And you are hurting her right now."

His head moves once more, his eyes focusing on Assisi.

"Sister?" He says again, the word coming out breathy and confused. "Sister..."

And then, finally, he releases Assisi from his grip and both Catalina and I breathe a sigh of relief.

But instead of moving away, Vlad collapses to his knees and wraps his arms around Assisi's middle.

He's...hugging her?

"Sister," he repeats, almost in awe.

Assisi looks at me questioningly, but I shake my head, signaling for her to stay put.

Vlad's hold tightens around her as he continues to repeat the same word over and over again.

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