Disclaimer: I do not own the SVM books, but I want to thank CH for creating them, and for allowing me to play with them.
A/N- This is my first fan fic, so please be gentle. It is a work in progress and I appreciate constructive feedback. A big thank you goes out to Ysar all the beta-reading expertise. You're awesome! Okay, here it goes (ducking)…
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The night of
I sat in my car, shut off the radio, and wondered to myself. Was I really going to do this? The answer was simple. Yes. It had to be done. It needed to be done.
I got out of my car and looked around the lot. There were a few cars and service vans there already, but soon there would be more. I wanted to get this over with as few people around as possible.
The lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow onto the pavement, and I glanced around, making sure I was alone. Something didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't place my finger on it. It didn't matter anyway. I ignored the feeling and concentrated on my task at hand. I was anxious and excited all at the same time.
I should be angry with him. He didn't even have the courtesy to call me or see me these past two months, not since I rescued him both him and the new King of Louisiana, Felipe DeCastro, by running over Siegbert. Then yesterday, I got a call… no, two calls, and from Pam no less.
I had so much to say to him. I had no idea what I was going to say or how I was even going to say it. I did know one thing, and that was how I felt about him. The words he had spoken to me the last time we were together were still buzzing in my head. I hadn't responded to him then, but I was ready to now. I finally found my voice and the words to tell him that much.
I walked over to the steps and took a deep breath. It was now or never. I girded my loins and prepared to knock on the employee entrance to Fangtasia. I never got to knock.
I felt an arm wrap around my neck from behind, pulling me backwards, and before I could let out a scream, another hand covered my mouth. I was shocked by the action, but only for a moment, and then began to struggle against the person behind me. I saw another presence flash in front of my eyes, and two ape-like hands grasped mine and tied something tight around my wrists.
I was still thrashing my head, trying to break free, when I heard a husky voice behind me, "Come on… get her feet!" Before anyone could grab them, I started kicking wildly, hoping I would hit something or someone.
My foot connected with something hard and the guy who tied my hands stumbled backwards.
I heard him yell. "Shit!"
Good! I hope I nailed his ass with my heel.
"Dammit, we're running outta time. Just do it and let's go. I don't want to be here any longer than we have to!"
I heard the guy behind me speak again, "Go start the van and open up the back."
With that, he placed some kind of cloth over my mouth and nose, and a foul odor began permeating my nostrils. Then everything went black.
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I can't tell you how long I had been out, or even where I was. All I knew was that my head hurt and there was a terrible taste in my uncomfortably dry mouth. I can only guess that I had been chloroformed and taken somewhere by my two attackers.
I inhaled deeply and wrinkled my nose. Wherever I was, the air around me had a piercing chemical smell to it, like that overly astringent smell you find at a hospital. I had not opened my eyes yet, hoping that this was all a bad dream. Why did it smell like this? Who was it that took me, and what did they want with me? Crap, why did this keep happening to me?
I thought about the bond Eric and I shared and wondered if he could sense that I was in trouble? I didn't fully understand how it worked, but if I could feel him at times, maybe he could feel my right now.
So many questions were running through my head but it was still hurting so bad. I tried lifting my right arm to rub it, but something stopped me. I yanked my arm again, and again it stopped short of my face. Something was attached to my wrist and it wasn't letting me get very far.
I slowly opened my eyelids and had to blink a few times to adjust to my surroundings. There was very low lighting in the room, but it was enough to see what was attached to my wrist. It looked like some kind of metal cuff with a chain that was linked to the side of whatever I was laying on. I tried raising my left arm, only to discover that the same had been done to that one. Okay, this definitely wasn't good. Well duh!
I tried moving my legs. Good! At least they weren't tied down. Then I noticed my clothes… or lack thereof. It seemed my outfit had been removed by someone, and I was wearing some sort of tattered blue cotton hospital gown.
I turned my head left and right to try to get a better sense of where I was, but the lighting was too low to see much beyond what was closely surrounding me. I could tell the room wasn't that big though. From what I could see the walls were plain and there was a single window casting moonlight onto the floor, illuminating what looked like medical equipment. There were machines and monitors all around the room, some big, some small, and metal trays on stands with wheels. I didn't recognize most of the equipment. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn I was in some sort of makeshift emergency room.
I felt around beneath me, and whatever I was laying on wasn't soft. It was metal, and it felt cold against my skin. I could also see that the door to the room was made of solid wood and had a single deadbolt locking me in.
I didn't know where I was or if anyone would even hear me, but it was worth a shot. I screamed toward the door, "Is anybody out there? Please, someone help me!"
Suddenly there was a shifting in the corner near the door. Someone was there, in the room with me. I couldn't make out who it was, only a shadow, but it looked as though they were leaning against some kind of cabinet.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I cried out to the shadow.
I got no response.
"Please. What do you want with me? Why am I here?" I asked again.
"We want to help you Sookie," the shadowy figure said in a hushed tone. It was soft spoken, but loud enough for me to discern it to be female. My head must have been hurting too much because I could have sworn it sounded familiar.
"What do you mean you want to help me? How can kidnapping me and chaining me to a table help me? Who the hell are you?" I was scared and desperate.
"We need to help you free yourself from these monsters you've associated yourself with," she said. "You've corrupted soul and now your body with that evil filth."
I let the words run over my mind. Monsters? Corrupted body and soul? Evil filth? Oh God!
Suddenly I was angry… very angry! "You'll never get away with this! I'll be found! I'll be found and you'll be sorry!"
The woman threw back her head and laughed, "Oh Sookie, no one knows where you are. I'm gonna save you, whether you want it or not. I can't stand by and watch you dig yourself deeper any more."
My head was throbbing from being drugged unconscious, so I wasn't sure how well my ability would work, but I had to try. I closed my eyes and tried to stretch out my mind to see if I could pick up any thoughts from the woman in the shadows.
I managed to pick up a few fragments. "Have to save her… for the best…she'll understand in time…"
She could tell what I was doing, "Sookie, stop that! You know I hate when you do that."
My eyes flew open as she stepped from the shadows into the dim light. It didn't take me but a couple of seconds to realize who it was, and all I could think to say was, "Oh my God!"
