Isaac groaned as he slowly woke up, the light from his window stabbing into his skull like a thousand tiny needles. His head throbbed, and his stomach was in knots. The effects of last night’s party were still very much present. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table, squinting at the screen to see who was calling.

It was Caroline.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice rough from sleep and still feeling the aftereffects of the night before.

"Isaac," Caroline’s voice was soft, and he immediately knew something was wrong. "Bonnie’s grandma… she passed away last night."

Isaac’s stomach dropped. “What? No...”

His mind raced. Bonnie's grandmother was like a second mother to her.

“I know, I know,” Caroline continued, sounding sympathetic. “Bonnie’s taking it hard. You should really go to her. She needs you right now.”

Isaac’s heart clenched, and he rubbed his eyes, trying to push back the dizziness. “Of course, I’ll go to her.”

He quickly hung up and sat up on the edge of the bed, head spinning. He’d been so caught up in his own confusion and the mess with Bonnie that he hadn’t even considered what she might be dealing with. Grief wasn’t something she’d shown much of before—she was so strong—but this... this was different.

He didn’t waste any more time. He grabbed his jacket, ignoring the thumping in his head, and bolted out the door.

When he arrived at Bonnie's house, her mom let him in, her face drawn and tired. The house felt quieter than usual, almost too still. Bonnie wasn’t in the living room when he walked in, but he could hear her soft sobs from down the hall. Isaac’s heart broke at the sound.

He made his way to her bedroom, knocking gently on the door before entering. Bonnie was sitting on her bed, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. The sight made Isaac’s chest ache.

“Bonnie…” he said softly, walking toward her.

She looked up, her eyes red and puffy. She wiped her face quickly, trying to put on a brave face, but it didn’t fool him.

“I’m so sorry,” Isaac said, sitting down beside her. He reached for her hand, wanting to comfort her but unsure how. "I’m here."

Bonnie sniffled, shaking her head as she wiped her eyes. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Isaac pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “You don’t have to say anything. I’m here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Bonnie leaned into him, letting herself finally break down. Isaac held her, not knowing what to say, just offering his presence, the comfort of knowing that she wasn’t alone.

As the minutes passed, Isaac stayed by her side, not speaking, just there with her. He hadn’t realized how much he’d taken her strength for granted. Today, he was the one who had to be strong for her.

And he would be.

---

Isaac sat quietly by Bonnie’s side, watching her sleep peacefully for the first time all day. Her eyes were closed, her face softer now that the tears had stopped. The weight of the grief she was carrying hadn’t disappeared, but the storm inside her had calmed, even if only for a moment.

He hadn't said much all day, mostly just staying close. There wasn’t much he could say, but he knew that just being there for her was enough. The silence felt comforting, and he let the peaceful atmosphere settle in as he gently held her hand. His thoughts drifted back to the night before—how caught up in their own little world he’d been. He had been so focused on his own confusion, his insecurities about their relationship, and what was going on between them. But none of that mattered now. Bonnie mattered.

The day had been long. After Bonnie had cried herself to sleep, he had stayed with her in the room, not daring to leave her side.

He looked at her now, her chest rising and falling steadily with each breath. The exhaustion of the day weighed on him too, but he didn’t dare move. She needed someone, and for now, that was him.

Her hand twitched in his, and he squeezed it gently, a soft smile tugging at his lips. She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open, and she blinked slowly as she adjusted to the light.

“Hey,” Isaac said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “How are you feeling?”

Bonnie’s eyes were still cloudy with sleep, but she managed a small, tired smile. “Better,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

Isaac shook his head. “No need to apologize. I’m just glad I could be here for you.”

Bonnie sat up slowly, her head resting on his shoulder as she yawned. “You didn’t have to stay. I didn’t expect you to.”

“I know. But I wanted to. You don’t have to go through this alone,” Isaac said, his voice soft but certain. He brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “I’m here.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude and something deeper—something he couldn’t quite place. She didn’t need to say anything. It was in the way she held his gaze, the way she rested against him, trusting him more than anyone else. In that moment, she didn’t have to be strong for him, and that made all the difference.

“Thank you,” Bonnie whispered.

Isaac smiled gently. “You don’t have to thank me, Bonnie. I’m just glad I’m the one you’re with.”

---

Isaac sat in Meredith's living room, the weight of the past few weeks pressing down on him. Bonnie had left to stay with her aunt, needing space to grieve and process everything after her grandmother’s death. Isaac knew it was the right decision, but it didn’t make the silence any easier to bear.

Meredith was in the kitchen, preparing something light for dinner, though Isaac wasn’t really hungry. He was still in a daze, trying to figure out where he stood with everything. It had been an emotional rollercoaster—the confusion, the frustration, the worries about Bonnie, and now her being away for a while.

Isaac rubbed his forehead, feeling the remnants of the headache that had started the night he’d gotten drunk at the party. That headache had been a metaphor for the mess he was in.

Meredith walked into the room, noticing the distant look in his eyes. “You’re quiet,” she remarked, setting a bowl down in front of him. “You’ve been here for a while. Still thinking about Bonnie?”

Isaac nodded, his eyes focusing on the bowl in front of him, though he didn’t feel like eating. “Yeah. I just… I miss her. And I feel guilty for not being enough for her when she needed me the most.”

Meredith raised an eyebrow, sitting down beside him. “What do you mean by that?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s been through so much lately, and I was so wrapped up in my own mess with my dad, my confusion about what was going on with uncle logan, everything. I didn’t even see how much pain she was in. And now she’s gone, staying with her aunt to get some space. I don’t blame her, but I feel like I failed her somehow.”

Meredith reached over, placing a hand on his arm. “Isaac, you didn’t fail her. You’re here now. You’ve been here for her, even when she needed time to heal. That’s more than a lot of people would do.”

Isaac let out a bitter laugh, leaning back against the couch. “I guess I just wish I’d done more. You know? I wish I could have been there for her differently.”

Meredith studied him for a moment before speaking softly, “You’re still figuring things out. Relationships aren’t always perfect, and neither are we. The important thing is that you care for her. You’re trying to be there for her, even when it’s hard. That counts.”

Isaac nodded, though the knot in his chest didn’t ease. “Yeah. I guess.”

Meredith leaned back, her tone lightening. “You’ll figure it out. Just don’t overthink it. And hey, if you need a distraction, there’s always more drama with the rest of the group. It’s like high school soap opera central around here.”

Isaac chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re right. I just… I don’t know how to handle all of this. I thought things would be simpler.”

“They rarely are.” Meredith gave him a small smile before standing up. “But we handle them the best we can. Right?”

Isaac smiled back, the smallest sense of relief flooding through him. “Yeah. Right.”

He watched as Meredith moved back to the kitchen, the quiet house settling around him. He missed Bonnie, but he knew she needed space. And all he could do now was respect that and be ready when she came back.

---

Isaac stepped through the front door, feeling the familiar weight of tension in the air. The house was quiet, almost too quiet, and it felt like everything had shifted since the night with the vampire. He hadn’t expected to be back here so soon, but after everything with Bonnie, and now her being gone for a while, he wasn’t sure where else to go.

As he walked into the living room, he found his father, Liam, pulling on his hunting gear. The smell of leather and wood lingered in the air. Isaac froze, his heart sinking.

Liam didn’t look up from his task, his voice deep and steady. “Get ready, Isaac. We’re going hunting.”

Isaac’s stomach twisted. The last time they’d gone hunting, his world had shifted in ways he didn’t understand. And he wasn’t sure he was ready to dive back into that world of darkness and violence. He thought he might have a chance at a normal life for a minute, but his father was pulling him back into the mess again.

Isaac hesitated at the door, leaning against the frame. “Do we have to do this?”

Liam’s back stiffened, and he turned, meeting Isaac’s eyes for the first time. There was no warmth in them, only a cold, steely resolve. “This isn’t a choice. We do what we have to do to protect this family. You’re old enough to understand that by now.”

Isaac shook his head, a bitter taste forming in the back of his throat. He didn’t understand any of it. Vampires, hunters, family secrets—none of it made sense to him. But what made even less sense was how his dad was so casual about it all, how it was just another night for him. Another hunt, another life. Isaac had already been forced to kill once. He didn’t know if he could do it again. He didn’t want to.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” Isaac muttered, his voice quieter than he intended.

Liam’s face hardened, and he took a step toward Isaac. “You don’t have to be sure. You just have to follow through. This is who we are, Isaac. You can’t escape it.”

Isaac clenched his fists, the words stinging more than he’d expected. He couldn’t escape it. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how badly he wanted to walk away, he was tied to this world. He didn’t know who he was anymore. All he knew was that he didn’t want to become the person his father had become.

“I don’t want to be like you,” Isaac muttered, more to himself than his father.

Liam’s face darkened, but he said nothing in response. He didn’t need to. The silence spoke volumes. Isaac knew what was coming next, and he hated it.

Isaac grabbed his jacket off the chair, still unsure if he was ready for whatever nightmare his father had planned for the night. He didn’t have a choice now. He was already in too deep.

---

The woods were dense, the trees towering above them like silent sentinels. The only sound was the crunch of leaves beneath their boots and the occasional rustle in the distance, the wind whispering through the branches. Isaac’s heart beat faster with every step they took further into the woods, the weight of what was about to happen hanging heavily in the air.

His father, Liam, walked ahead, his movements precise and calculated. The sharp glint of silver in his hand caught the faint moonlight. Isaac could smell the metal, the anticipation of a hunt. It was in the air, thick and heavy, like a storm was about to break.

Isaac wanted to say something, to ask questions, but he had learned long ago that his father didn’t have the answers he was looking for. The silence was more than just an absence of words—it was a reminder that Isaac didn’t truly belong here. He was just a part of the ritual, an instrument in his father’s never-ending war.

They reached a clearing, the trees opening up into a wide space where moonlight bathed the ground in an eerie glow. Liam stopped, signaling Isaac to do the same.

“This is where it begins,” Liam said, his voice low and steady.

Isaac’s stomach churned. His palms were sweaty, his nerves fraying at the edges. “I’m not sure I can do this again, Dad.”

Liam didn’t look at him, but his posture stiffened. “You don’t have a choice. It’s not about what you want. This is what we’ve always done.”

Isaac glanced around, his eyes darting in search of any sign of the creature they were after. The woods were quiet now, too quiet. There was something lurking just out of sight, waiting.

“I just don’t get it,” Isaac said, his voice cracking slightly. “Why do we have to kill them? Why can't we just leave them alone? We don’t even know what they really are.”

Liam turned to him then, his gaze sharp. “You don’t understand because you’re still too young, Isaac. You think it’s all black and white. But it’s not. The world’s darker than you realize. We kill them because they’re dangerous. They’re predators. And if we don’t stop them, they’ll kill us.”

Isaac’s mind raced. It didn’t feel right, none of it did. He’d seen what vampires could do, the destruction they caused, but something about this—about being made to kill them, to hunt them like animals—made his skin crawl. He didn’t know what was worse: the idea of being a part of this world, or the fear that maybe he wasn’t strong enough to walk away.

A sudden movement broke through his thoughts. Isaac’s breath caught in his throat as a figure emerged from the shadows at the edge of the clearing.

It wasn’t a man, not fully. Its eyes gleamed with an unnatural red glow, and the way it moved—fluid, predatory—made Isaac’s heart race. It was a vampire.

Isaac felt his legs freeze. His father didn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, Liam lunged forward, raising his stake and aiming for the vampire’s heart.

But the vampire was faster. It sidestepped Liam’s strike and moved with terrifying speed, coming toward Isaac. For a split second, Isaac was frozen, unsure of what to do. His father had told him everything, but nothing could’ve prepared him for this moment.

Isaac’s heart pounded in his chest as the vampire bared its fangs, its eyes fixed on him like a predator sizing up its prey. Isaac reached for the stake in his pocket, his hands trembling. He had to do this. He had to protect himself.

In a blur of movement, Isaac swung the stake at the vampire, his aim shaky. The vampire dodged, but Isaac didn’t stop. He swung again, this time with more force, his mind fighting the panic that surged through him. Finally, his strike found its mark—he shoved the stake deep into the vampire’s chest.

For a moment, everything went still. The vampire’s eyes widened in shock, then dimmed. It collapsed to the ground in a heap, turning to dust before Isaac’s eyes.

Isaac stood frozen, breathing heavily, the stake still gripped tightly in his hand. The rush of adrenaline was overwhelming, but there was no satisfaction in the kill. It felt empty, hollow.

Liam approached, his expression unreadable. He clapped Isaac on the shoulder, hard enough to shake him out of his daze.

“You did well,” he said. His voice was cold, businesslike. Isaac didn’t know if it was praise or just a passing remark.

Isaac didn’t reply. He couldn’t. The reality of what he had just done was sinking in, and it felt like a weight pressing down on him. He had just killed a vampire. He’d taken a life. And for what?

He couldn’t help but wonder if this was the kind of person he was going to become, the kind of person his father had made him.

---