Chapter 87: Aftermath

The clearing was deathly quiet now, the oppressive hum of the altar's energy gone. Smoke rose faintly from the shattered remains of the structure, the jagged branches and stones lying in a smoldering heap. The vampires' bodies littered the ground, their twisted forms dissolving into ash as the last remnants of their unnatural life ebbed away.

George leaned heavily on his blade, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. The heat from the battle still clung to the air, mingling with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid smoke of burning flesh.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked, his voice rough from exertion.

Lucy, standing nearby, wiped her dagger on the hem of her jacket before sheathing it. "Bruised and exhausted, but alive," she said, her green eyes scanning the group. "How about you?"

George managed a faint smile. "I'll live."