Title: The Darkness
Rating: T
Reasons for rating: nothing too major
Ships: None
Summary: What happens when you wake up and all there is, is darkness surrounding you? How do you survive? AU

Word Count: 3592
Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars or any of the Characters.

Author's Note: This is set before Wallace shows up. Back before her mother left. She still has the long locks, and she's still innocent. Not the spunky Veronica we know now.

XOXOXOXOXO

Veronica's eyes snapped open, as she jerked awake. She laid there for a minute so her eyes could adjust to the dark. She moved her legs and tried to curl up on her right side, but a stabbing pain in her left hand made her stop. She laid straight on her back, and then tried to move her left hand again. And like last time, there was only more stabbing pain. Her hand was stuck to the bed. She tried moving her right hand, and again, all there was, was pain. Veronica was suddenly wide awake, and realizing she wasn't laying in bed. She realized she was laying on the ground somewhere in total darkness. She lifted her head, but it made no difference. She still couldn't see anything. Trying not to cry out and make any noises, she laid her head back down, and took a deep breath. Using all her strength, she lifted up her right hand as hard as she can. With a cry or pain, her hand came free.

She laid there and tried to control her breathing. When the pain became bearable again, she rolled over onto her left side, and used her right hand to help lift her left hand. With another cry of pain, that hand became free as well. She felt her palms, and realized something was still sticking out of the both of them. She pulled them out, and realized they were nails. Someone had nailed her to the floor.

She got onto her hands and knees, and slowly crawled until she hit the wall. She put her back to it and curled up into a ball. She tried to think about what happened, and not panic about the darkness. She didn't know if anyone was still out there or not.

Finally calming down enough to think, she stood up and slowly using her hands, felt along the wall. She was looking for a light switch, or a door. After walking in circles, she found no light switches, but she did find a door. Fearing what could be behind that door, she searched herself for any kind of light or weapon. Surprisingly, her cell phone was in her back pocket. She turned it on, and with relief, saw it was fully charged.

She immediately hit send twice, and redialed whoever she talked to last.

"What the hell are you calling me for? What could you possibly want?"

She let out a cry of relief. "Oh, Logan!"

There was a pause. "Veronica? Are you crying?"

She held in her sob, and tried to control her breathing "I need you to go to my dad. He can track my cell phone."

"Why should I do that? What's in it for me?"

"Logan, please? Do you need me to beg you? I need help."

"Fine. Just tell me what's going on. Where are you?" Logan couldn't help the concern creeping into his voice as he realized something bad was happening.

"Hang on. I need the light from the cell phone to open the door. Let me put you on speaker phone. But don't talk to loud, I don't know if anyone else is here."

Veronica lifted the phone, and used it to light the outside of the door. When she opened it slowly, and the light only revealed more darkness, she let out the air she didn't know she was holding in. She opened the door wider, and stepped outside, when a scream ripped out of her and she fell to the ground.

"Veronica? Veronica what happened? You ok? Veronica?" Could be heard coming from her phone. Veronica never heard it because she was too busy trying not to keep screaming. She picked up the phone she must have dropped, and set the light on her left foot. From what she could see through her tears, It looked like a metal trap of some sort. It was too dark to know for sure.

She put down the phone, and used her free foot and hand to open up the trap. It finally opened up wide enough to slide her foot through. She kicked it away from her, and picked the phone back up. Logan's yells could still be heard, and it was finally making sense what he was saying.

"I'm ok now." Veronica said into the phone.

"Like hell you are! What happened? Are you hurt?"

"I'm ok." She said as her breathing started to return to normal. Well as normal as can get trapped in a black room as she bled.

She finally got her strength, and stood up. She needed to find a way out. And fast. Limping, she walked through the door, and kept to the walls. Searching for anything that would help her or give her a clue as to where she was. After going around twice, she still didn't find anything, but that one door. Taking a chance, she moved to the center of the room. Keeping the light on the ground and on the ceiling.

Finally in the middle of the room, she saw a cord coming down from the ceiling. Reaching up, she couldn't reach it. So making sure to keep her weight on her right leg, she jumped up, and caught the cord. She must not have been strong enough, cuz she just hung from the cord. Using her weight, she lifted herself up and down, and wiggled. Finally, the cord came down. She landed on her good leg. She took the ladder that was attached, and pulled it down.

Panting from all the effort, she lifted herself onto the first step. She put the phone between her shoulder and chin so she could climb. As she made her way to the top, she moved her left hand onto the floor, and screamed out in excruciating pain again. She nearly dropped the phone, but held on. She brought her right hand up to her left, and felt around. Shre realized it was another metal trap. She took the phone, who she could still hear voices screaming out of, and rested it on the ground. Then using the corner of the floor and her good hand, she managed to get the trap off, and it fell to the floor below her. She picked her phone back up, and used the light to scan what she could in front of her. Not seeing anything else, she climbed the rest of the way up the stairs.

When she was on her feet, she froze. She could hear a low rumble coming from all directions of the room. All she could hear was her heavy breathing, and the rising of the growl. It was a sound she knew well. The sound Backup would make when threatened. Or protecting her. Oh god, there must be a dog in the room. and an angry on at that.

The sound of an angry bark snapped her out of it, and before she knew it, she turned around and fled from the room. She didn't even feel the pain from her foot as she ran blindly. She was thankful she didn't run into anything. She could still hear the dog chasing her. She looked over her shoulder, but she still couldn't see anything. And when she turned back around, she didn't see the wall closing in on her, until she smacked into it. She fell to the ground with a surprised, "Oh" as she fell on her behind. She scrambled to her knees and crawled into the corner, trying not to pant to loud. She could still hear the dog somewhere. She put the phone in between her legs which she lifted up to her stomach for protection. She hoped that the dog wouldn't be able to see the light, therefore not seeing her.

It didn't work. The dog stopped in front of her. She only knew this because of the nails tapping the floor, and the breath she could feel on her. She held her breath, and squeezed her legs tighter between her arms, and rested her head against the wall, and closed her eyes.

"Veronica?" Was muffled through the phone, and the dog lunged. He grabbed onto her right forearm and chomped down. The dog swung it's head from side to side, and Veronica started kicking out, and punching. It was no use. The dog's jaw was locked.

Somewhere in all the commotion, Veronica missed the whistle. The dog didn't. It let go, and backed away. Veronica didn't waste anytime. She got up and ran, right into someone. She would have fell, but the person grabbed her. Before she could get her breath, she felt the arms move up, and grab her around the neck. The person squeezed until there was no air going into her lungs. Both of her hands went up to the hands around her neck, and she tried to loosen the grip. Then realizing the phone was still in her hand, she lifted it up to see who the person was.

The light illuminated a part of his face, and she stopped struggling. Recognition dawned on her. She stopped struggling. She couldn't believe this person was doing this to her.

"Y..o..u.." Was all she could get out. Something must of happened, because the grip loosened, and she fell to the floor.

She struggled to gain her breathing as a bunch of arms started grabbing at her. Panicking, she tried to fight back. But it was no use. She was too weak.

"Veronica stop! It's me! It's dad. I'm here to help you! It's ok your safe!"

XOXOXOXOXO

Veronica spent the next couple days in the hospital. Her left leg was in a cast and a boot. Her left wrist and palm were in a cast, and her right palm and her right forearm were bandaged. Her forearm needed almost 100 stitches.

The first day and night she spent unconscious. The following days and nights, she spent waking up with night terrors. She wouldn't allow her room to get dark at all. She made sure all of the lights were on. Good thing no one else was sharing a room with her.

Her father kept her informed as much as he could. They weren't able to find out who did this to her, or how the person did it in the first place.

The first time Logan visited her while she was awake, she cried. Thankful that he was able to help her. He didn't really know how to react. The last time he'd seen Veronica, he was making her life a living hell in school for turning her back on him and his friends.

They weren't exactly friends anymore. More like enemies. And the fact that she called him, well he wasn't sure why.

XOXOXOXOXO

The first night Veronica was back home, she made sure to sleep with all the lights on. That face was haunting her every waking moment. She would never in a million years expect that face to haunt her. Maybe for different reasons, but never for locking her up in a dark house and trying to kill her. She found out the reason why it had been so dark there. It was because the house was out in the middle of the desert, and there was no light around. Unless you included the moon. And when she woke up, she had been in the basement with no windows. Then she climbed up on the main floor. The cops were able to search the house in the daylight, but all they could find was her blood, and the traps. There was only her finger prints and shoe prints throughout the house.

XOXOXOXOXO

Veronica's first day back to school, and she fought it. She didn't want to face the rest of her classmates. They just had more reason's to hate her. And to make fun of her, and make her life a living hell all over again. It's not like she had any friends. There was no one there who would talk to her. Well maybe except for Meg Manning. She seemed to be the only one who was nice to her anymore.

Today was no different as Veronica limped her way into the school. She hadn't slept in almost a week, and she was jumpy. Thinking everyone was out to get her, and that in any dark corner, her worst nightmare lay before her. It didn't help that everywhere she turned she could feel eyes on her, and that the whispering never stopped. But what unnerved her the most, was that every time she turned around, Logan was always staring at her. She didn't know if she should be relieved, or creeped out. She knew in her head that he wasn't the one who did this to her, but knowing who did do it to her, well that freaked her out even more.

XOXOXOXOXO

She doesn't know how she did it, but she did. She made it to her last class, Journalism. One more class, and the day would finally be over. She would be able to go home and curl up into a ball. All day, she made sure she was the first one into her class, and the first one out. She didn't want to have to deal with anyone. Though It didn't help when he walked into the room. She tried not to react, but it was hard not to.

All throughout the classroom, she could feel his eyes burning wholes into the back of her head. She tried not to let it get to her, but there was no way around it. It was all she could think about.

When the bell did finally ring, Veronica didn't move. She wanted to be the last person to leave. She wanted to stay there after class, and have some time to herself before she had to put on a brave face for her parent's who would probably not let her out of there sight, until they knew she was ok.

She didn't hear the door close. She kept her gaze focused on the computer screen. So when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped a mile in the air, and screamed out loud. She whirled around, and saw that it was him. She tried not to let the panic and fear take over. After all, it was him. He was the one who locked her in that house, and tortured her. He was the reason she didn't look anyone at school in the eye, and the reason she ran from classroom to classroom. She knew that she would have to run into him sooner or later. But it didn't stop the terror that over took her.

She swallowed, and tried to say something, but her voice failed her.

"Well if it isn't Veronica Mars. Fancy I'd run into you. How are you feeling?" He tried to go for being casual, but it didn't fool her. Not for one second. It only proved to her how crazy he is.

His grip on her shoulder tightened. "I asked you a question." Anger twisted his handsome face, and he screamed at her, "Answer me!"

She jumped once again, and still words failed her. Except a tearful, "Why?"

"Why what Veronica? Why did I attack you? Or why did I kill Lilly?" He wanted to know.

Veronica sat dumfounded. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again. "Lilly?" The tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Her best friend was murdered, and he was saying he did it?

"It's your fault I killed Lilly!" He screamed at her. "If it wasn't for you, she would still be alive!"

"Me?" Came squeaking out of her mouth. "Why me?"

"Well you and your slut mother! I went to your house that day to have it out with you. I knew your mother was having an affair with my father, and that you might have been there bastard daughter! But when I saw you laying there in your Pep Squad outfit lounging out on the lounge chair, I just lost it. I walked up to you and picked up the nearest object. When you turned around, I swung as hard as I could. That's when I realized it wasn't you I hit, but my sister. I panicked and ran."

Veronica had been with her father when the call came in. Her father was the town Sheriff, and the call came in about a disturbance at the Mars' Home. He father drove straight home, and told her to stay in the car. But not seeing her mother, she ran out of the car and into the house. Her mother wasn't there, so she followed all of the uniforms into the back yard. That's when she saw the body. Her best friend Lilly was laying on her patio lifeless. Needless to say, after that, Duncan Kane made her life hell. Thankfully her father still had his job. But they couldn't stand living in that house anymore, so they had moved to another part of the neighborhood. Everyone in school from that day on made Veronica's life a living nightmare. Teasing and taunting.

Now, here he was standing in front of her. Admitting he killed his sister, and her best friend.

He continued talking as if it was a normal thing to talk about. "I blamed you. My mother told me about your mother and my father's affair. That you were my sister. I mean I loved you, but I was dating my sister! You don't get more messed up than that. Your mother ruined my life! And my families life! My father was unfaithful, and I wanted to make your mother pay for what she's done. And I thought by doing that, I had to get rid of the problem. And the problem, was you, Veronica. You were the bastard child. So I needed to get rid of you. But no, instead I killed my sister! Now I really did have to get you. So I thought of the perfect scenario. Yet you still got away! How did you do it Veronica? How did your father show up? Huh? Tell me!" He grabbed her other shoulder and started shaking her.

"Duncan, stop it! Your hurting me!" He dragged her to her feet, and finally let go.

"Well? Answer me!"

"Your crazy!" Was all she could say before he back handed her.

No one had heard the door open, and Logan sneak in. He had heard the whole confession. About how he killed Lilly, and how he went after Veronica. Logan wouldn't have believed any of it, if it wasn't for what he was seeing right before his eyes. He couldn't believe he followed his best friend and cut Veronica out of his life. It killed him the way he treated her, and the heart broken look on her face every time he said something horrible to her.

He came up behind Duncan, and signaled Veronica not to react. She didn't have to worry about that, because she was too busy wiping the blood from her mouth. Logan lunged, and wrapped his arms around his best friend. Duncan, surprised, didn't react right away.

Logan tackled him to the floor, and they wrestled around. Veronica took out her cell phone and called her father. Luckily he was nearby, and was able to make it there quicker.

Logan and Duncan were rolling around on the ground and trading powerful blows. Logan seemed to have the upper hand, but Duncan was bigger. He outweighed Logan by quite a lot. Duncan delivered a blow to Logan's head, and that knocked him out. He got to his feet, and breathing heavily, narrowed his sight on Veronica.

She took that as her cue, and ran for it. She got just outside of the door, before she ran into someone, and they both went sprawling on the floor. Duncan grabbed her by the hair, and puller her up onto her feet. He ignored the person she fell on, and started dragging her back into the Journalism room. She screamed out and kicked with her booted foot, but it was no use. She was just about through the door, when she felt another arm on her tugging her in the opposite direction. Duncan let go of her hair, and they both looked at who was helping her. They were surprised to find out it was Weevil, head of the Biker Gang. Duncan actually froze, and let Veronica go. Veronica fell back, and Weevil stepped in front of her. He grabbed Duncan, and threw him to the ground, and proceed to kick him. He then put him in a head lock.

Logan finally started to stir, and her father and crew burst through the door. It was chaos, as her father got Weevil off of Duncan, assuming he was the culprit. Veronica shocked them all as she told them it was Duncan. She told them the story of what happened, and Logan backed her up.

Her father arrested Duncan, and Logan pulled Veronica aside. They had a lot they had to talk about. He apologized for the way he treated her, and that he couldn't believe that he trusted Duncan.

Surprisingly, Veronica was able to believe Logan. After all that she's been through this past week, she was able to understand better now why she was shunned in the first place.

And she didn't pull back when he wrapped his arms around her. She went to kiss him on his cheek, but he turned his head at the last second, and she caught the corner of his mouth. They both seemed surprised, but that quickly disappeared, and lust took over. Logan wrapped his arms tighter around her, and drew her in for a heart stopping, mind blowing, kiss.