Day 7 (Late Night): Spokane, WA | Early Saturday Afternoon FH-Time
There's nothing worse than waiting and not knowing what'll happen to you. But at least that interminable waiting and wondering took up the part of Rose's brain that wasn't racking itself with guilt for this turn of events. The five of them had their arms flex-tied behind the back of the most uncomfortable wooden chairs ever in a basement of some bland suburban home. Rose, Mason, and Eddie were on one side of the room facing Mia and Christian. Their jailers or guards or whatever the humans were stood watch, making sure that none of them talked.
The humans had done a good job securing Rose, and between the chair and the plastic ties, she could barely move. Instead she found herself eyeing the gun held by one of their guards and wondering what a bullet would feel like. Really fucking painful, yeah, but where would they shoot her? Heart or head, and it'd be done quickly, but in the stomach would take longer as she bled out. The thought of all that blood made Rose shudder and think of the Badicas' house again. Maybe the guards had knives too. The five of them would cover the room in nearly as much blood as had been in that living room. Only would anyone find them in a random basement here? She swallowed hard, trying to focus again, focus on how she was going to get Christian and Mia out of there and why they were being held in the first place.
Rose'd lost track of time when footsteps sounded in the hall, and she jolted out of her imaginings as the door opened. Finally. It was the person behind their kidnapping, and Rose shouted, pulling at her bindings. "Let us go! Let us out of here, you so-" but her throat closed with terror as a man and woman stepped into the room. Her heart stopped as fear pounded through her.
They were Strigoi. Strigoi actively working with humans. Everything had changed, and none of them were safe anymore. Dimitri's intelligence had been correct after all, and these must be the ones who'd attacked two Moroi families with human help. It was hard to force her brain to concentrate on the current situation. Not that it was much brighter.
The woman who came in first seemed oddly uncomfortable in her powers. She'd been human before she'd been changed, and it took a moment before Rose realised what the discomfort was. She was a newer Strigoi, still getting used to the changes. The man, however, he was the face of death. There was nothing in his face that suggested any sort of warmth or gentleness - just cold, calculating, and a sort of malicious amusement.
He circled the five of them, speaking to his companion in a silky, low voice as he apparently continued an argument they'd been having. "I'm not going to pass up my opportunity to enjoy myself with two Moroi and -" Rose shuddered as he moved her hair out of the way to breathe on the back of her neck. Then the Strigoi moved on to check Mason and Eddie's neck. "-three unblooded dhampirs." He'd been checking their necks for the tattoos guardians got upon graduation Rose finally realised.
Chills ran down her spine as she watched the male Strigoi - Isaiah was the name she caught - threaten Christian and use his parents against him. She even admired Christian a little for speaking up as much as he did. Isaiah terrified her. He terrified her more as she watched him easily throw the woman across the room for arguing with him. Elena (and Rose had winced at hearing that name) looked like a rag doll in Isaiah's hands, and it made Rose realise just how old the Strigoi had to be. Strigoi powers increased with age, and this guy had to be ancient.
Finally Isaiah turned back to Rose and her fellow novices. "I'm afraid you three are going to die. I'd say I'm sorry for it, but I don't seem to be. You do have a choice in how you die, and that will be dictated by your behaviour." His eyes landed on Rose, and she flinched away. Why was she always singled out as the trouble-maker? "Some will die more painfully than others."
He spun around to face Mia and Christian, and Rose could almost relax. "You two, luckily, have options. Only one need die, and the other will be awakened into glorious immortality. I shall even be so kind as to take you under my wing. Such is my charity.
Rose couldn't help it as she started to laugh. It wasn't that it was funny exactly, just completely absurd. Isaiah turned again to stare at her, and fear overcome her again. Rose could feel tears pricking at her eyes, and she was shamed by it. She wanted to be brave like Dimitri - like her mother even. And here she was terrified by a man's - no, by a Strigoi's look.
Eventually he turned back to the Moroi. "As I was saying. One of you will be awakened, and the other will die. But you will not be awakened by me. One will choose it willingly." He paused at Christian's snarky response but continued. "All you have to do to live forever is to kill one of these three dhampirs over here. It's not so bad. In fact, after a few days without blood, it'll be easy."
She couldn't deny him the point. Dhampirs were pretty hardy, and Moroi could go without food and water for weeks as long as they were getting blood. Take away the blood though and Moroi endurance dropped through the floor. It wouldn't be long at all before both Mia and Christian were weak and starving. One more problem to deal with. If Rose could ever focus on dealing with problems again instead of focusing on the utter terror in front of her.
"No way," Christian said insistently. "No way am I killing one of my friends. I don't care what you do. You can't make me do that."
"Easy to be brave when you're not hungry," Isaiah dismissed his objection. "It's easy when you're not starving. But dhampir are good. Let me prove it." He walked back to the dhampirs' side of the room.
Rose realised what he was about to do and spoke without thinking. "Use me. Drink for me."
"You're volunteering?" Isaiah's smug look faltered for a moment.
"I've done it before," Rose said quickly. "Let Moroi feed off of me, I mean. I like it."
"Rose!" Mason protested, but it was Isaiah her attention was on, and he shook his head. "Not yet." Instead the Strigoi moved towards Eddie. Rose took a breath, ready to keep protesting until Isaiah warned her that he'd be happy to make sure Eddie hurt if she couldn't remain silent. Her fists clenched as she tried futilely again, to break the flexicuffs binding her wrists. She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't let him hurt her friend, except there wasn't any way to stop it. Isaiah used compulsion almost as easily as breathing, and soon there was the soft sound of him drinking Eddie's blood and Eddie's whimpers of pleasure.
Blood was dripping from Isaiah's lips when Rose looked back up. Mia and Christian were wide-eyed with hunger or maybe fascination, and Eddie slid into a drugged haze of endorphins.
"You see?" Isaiah asked, licking the blood off his lips as he moved towards the door. "It's just that easy."
[ Day 1 A B | Day 2 A B | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 A B | Day 7 A B C | Day 8 | Day 9 A B | Day 10 ]
The humans had done a good job securing Rose, and between the chair and the plastic ties, she could barely move. Instead she found herself eyeing the gun held by one of their guards and wondering what a bullet would feel like. Really fucking painful, yeah, but where would they shoot her? Heart or head, and it'd be done quickly, but in the stomach would take longer as she bled out. The thought of all that blood made Rose shudder and think of the Badicas' house again. Maybe the guards had knives too. The five of them would cover the room in nearly as much blood as had been in that living room. Only would anyone find them in a random basement here? She swallowed hard, trying to focus again, focus on how she was going to get Christian and Mia out of there and why they were being held in the first place.
Rose'd lost track of time when footsteps sounded in the hall, and she jolted out of her imaginings as the door opened. Finally. It was the person behind their kidnapping, and Rose shouted, pulling at her bindings. "Let us go! Let us out of here, you so-" but her throat closed with terror as a man and woman stepped into the room. Her heart stopped as fear pounded through her.
They were Strigoi. Strigoi actively working with humans. Everything had changed, and none of them were safe anymore. Dimitri's intelligence had been correct after all, and these must be the ones who'd attacked two Moroi families with human help. It was hard to force her brain to concentrate on the current situation. Not that it was much brighter.
The woman who came in first seemed oddly uncomfortable in her powers. She'd been human before she'd been changed, and it took a moment before Rose realised what the discomfort was. She was a newer Strigoi, still getting used to the changes. The man, however, he was the face of death. There was nothing in his face that suggested any sort of warmth or gentleness - just cold, calculating, and a sort of malicious amusement.
He circled the five of them, speaking to his companion in a silky, low voice as he apparently continued an argument they'd been having. "I'm not going to pass up my opportunity to enjoy myself with two Moroi and -" Rose shuddered as he moved her hair out of the way to breathe on the back of her neck. Then the Strigoi moved on to check Mason and Eddie's neck. "-three unblooded dhampirs." He'd been checking their necks for the tattoos guardians got upon graduation Rose finally realised.
Chills ran down her spine as she watched the male Strigoi - Isaiah was the name she caught - threaten Christian and use his parents against him. She even admired Christian a little for speaking up as much as he did. Isaiah terrified her. He terrified her more as she watched him easily throw the woman across the room for arguing with him. Elena (and Rose had winced at hearing that name) looked like a rag doll in Isaiah's hands, and it made Rose realise just how old the Strigoi had to be. Strigoi powers increased with age, and this guy had to be ancient.
Finally Isaiah turned back to Rose and her fellow novices. "I'm afraid you three are going to die. I'd say I'm sorry for it, but I don't seem to be. You do have a choice in how you die, and that will be dictated by your behaviour." His eyes landed on Rose, and she flinched away. Why was she always singled out as the trouble-maker? "Some will die more painfully than others."
He spun around to face Mia and Christian, and Rose could almost relax. "You two, luckily, have options. Only one need die, and the other will be awakened into glorious immortality. I shall even be so kind as to take you under my wing. Such is my charity.
Rose couldn't help it as she started to laugh. It wasn't that it was funny exactly, just completely absurd. Isaiah turned again to stare at her, and fear overcome her again. Rose could feel tears pricking at her eyes, and she was shamed by it. She wanted to be brave like Dimitri - like her mother even. And here she was terrified by a man's - no, by a Strigoi's look.
Eventually he turned back to the Moroi. "As I was saying. One of you will be awakened, and the other will die. But you will not be awakened by me. One will choose it willingly." He paused at Christian's snarky response but continued. "All you have to do to live forever is to kill one of these three dhampirs over here. It's not so bad. In fact, after a few days without blood, it'll be easy."
She couldn't deny him the point. Dhampirs were pretty hardy, and Moroi could go without food and water for weeks as long as they were getting blood. Take away the blood though and Moroi endurance dropped through the floor. It wouldn't be long at all before both Mia and Christian were weak and starving. One more problem to deal with. If Rose could ever focus on dealing with problems again instead of focusing on the utter terror in front of her.
"No way," Christian said insistently. "No way am I killing one of my friends. I don't care what you do. You can't make me do that."
"Easy to be brave when you're not hungry," Isaiah dismissed his objection. "It's easy when you're not starving. But dhampir are good. Let me prove it." He walked back to the dhampirs' side of the room.
Rose realised what he was about to do and spoke without thinking. "Use me. Drink for me."
"You're volunteering?" Isaiah's smug look faltered for a moment.
"I've done it before," Rose said quickly. "Let Moroi feed off of me, I mean. I like it."
"Rose!" Mason protested, but it was Isaiah her attention was on, and he shook his head. "Not yet." Instead the Strigoi moved towards Eddie. Rose took a breath, ready to keep protesting until Isaiah warned her that he'd be happy to make sure Eddie hurt if she couldn't remain silent. Her fists clenched as she tried futilely again, to break the flexicuffs binding her wrists. She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't let him hurt her friend, except there wasn't any way to stop it. Isaiah used compulsion almost as easily as breathing, and soon there was the soft sound of him drinking Eddie's blood and Eddie's whimpers of pleasure.
Blood was dripping from Isaiah's lips when Rose looked back up. Mia and Christian were wide-eyed with hunger or maybe fascination, and Eddie slid into a drugged haze of endorphins.
"You see?" Isaiah asked, licking the blood off his lips as he moved towards the door. "It's just that easy."
[ Day 1 A B | Day 2 A B | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 A B | Day 7 A B C | Day 8 | Day 9 A B | Day 10 ]