Vengeance
JEM
Chapter 1: Darkness
It was dark. All she could feel was the hard cold floor against her back and the dull ache in her head.
Cold, she was so cold.
Was she dead?
"Ok Alex don't panic", she thought. She wiggled her fingers and toes; all still working. Nothing seemed to be broken.
Slowly she started to sit up. She was so stiff. Her mouth felt like she has swallowed sand. Her head was spinning by the time she was sitting upright.
Letting her eyes adjust she tried to peer through the darkness, to see something, anything familiar.
The last thing she could remember was falling. She figured that's why she had the aching bump on her head. Nothing a few Advil wouldn't clear up.
She was always being clumsy and catching colds so Alex had a fully stocked medicine cabinet and first aid kit. If only she had them both now, that… and a damn flashlight.
She tried to feel around. She brushed against something with her fingertips; it was so cold it almost hurt.
Ok, she was definitely not on her bedroom floor; where she ended up most of the time after she was having one of her famous Johnny Depp dreams.
"If you wanted to know if I was still here, you need only ask."
She was so startled by the seductive boom of his voice that she couldn't move. Alex was stuck to the ground; to the cold that was now blanketing her body.
She shivered.
"You are cold. I will set a fire."
"I, um…"
She tried to stutter some means of how she got here and where the hell "here" was. What was she doing in the floor next to a guy!?
She didn't even know who he was. Not that that stopped her from waking up to strange men before.
Alex wrapped her arms around her body as she heard him shuffling beside her. He had moved in front of her; so close she could reach out and touch him but she restrained herself.
A match struck. A small dim glow emerged in front of her.
She could see the outline of a man hunching over what looked like a fireplace. She heard him fumbling with wood sticks and then another match struck. She noticed flames starting to lick around his feet.
Later she would remember that if it were her who was that close to the flames she would have burned herself.
Alex looked around. It looked like she was in a concrete basement. The fire place was in front of her, off to the side there was a small mattress with blankets on the ground. That must be the bed she thought. Other than the bed there was one side table and a book case full of books, but that was it. No fridge, stove or kitchen table with chairs. No windows either. Why did this room not have any windows?
She should say something. Anything, to break the awkward silence, but she only stared at this man who so gracefully moved in front of her.
As the flames burned brighter and higher she could make out more of what was around her. He was turned away from her; kneeling in front of the now quickly growing fire. His shoulders were well defined and the muscles on his back bunched as he tended the flames.
She noticed a small tattoo on his right shoulder but could only make out that it was round in shape. Alex vaguely though that she has seen the same tattoo before, but the thought was quickly chased away as her eyes moved lower. Thank god he was wearing pants, not that they took away from his shapely rear end.
Who was this guy? Why was he sleeping next to her? Why would he want anything to do with her? He looked too perfect to ever be interested in her.
No way. Not Alex Turner; a plain girl, with plain clothes, and plain brown hair, from a small town in the middle of the damn cold rocky mountains. Where there were about two hundred people in a miserable little town they call Kings Valley.
Alex never got why the town was named that. It didn't look royal at all; it looked more dead than alive, especially in the winter. The only thing that was great about the town was its people. Everyone knew everyone and in the summer there would always be celebrations at the town pub, even if there wasn't anything to celebrate.
Alex knew every nook and cranny of the town. She knew perfect places to sit and read and let the cool mountain air tangle her hair.
It had been home to her for all of her twenty four years. Even after her mother died a year ago and Alex moved out of that house to get away from the memories; only to end up living beside a cemetery. How ironic, but the rent was cheap and she had her peace and quiet.
Alex's mind started to wander when he started to turn towards her.
His eyes pierced hers; she couldn't move, couldn't speak. He was magnificent. His face was like white marble, but his eyes, like the ocean after a storm. Though Alex had only seen the ocean once, those eyes took her back to that one day when she was a child and felt the warm water against her skin.
She heard him speaking but was lost in her own thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what?" she croaked.
God her mouth was dry.
"Have you warmed yourself?" he repeated.
"Y…yes" she answered.
She absently felt her skin begin to warm and the color return back to her arms and legs.
"Good" he said with a grin.
What if this guy kidnapped her? What if he was going to kill her? Alex was way too young for that.
Alright here is your opening Alex, she thought, try and be smooth.
"Um, who are you?" she asked in hushed tone.
Alex mentally scolded herself, she had never been good at being smooth.
"My name is Victor. I found you beside the barn after you had fallen and hit your head. I brought you to my home."
Dumbfounded she asked…
"I was outside?"
He nodded.
What the hell was she doing outside at night? Wasn't there a blizzard last night?
"I remember the power going out... I must have slipped on my way to start the generator."
Alex blushed then looked away when she caught Victor staring at her. Man he was cute. No, cute wasn't the right word. He was so devastatingly handsome. If Alex could, she would have swooned at the sight of him.
She mentally shook herself.
Come on Alex. Stop fantasizing about someone you don't even know. Plus this guy saved your life and you haven't even thanked him. Her mother had defiantly taught her better than that.
"Thanks for saving me" she gushed. Alex thought for a moment and asked, "what were you doing out in a blizzard anyways?
His just stared at her with those eyes.
"I would have frozen to death out there if you hadn't found me"
His face instantly took on a serious look.
"I would never let any harm come to you.". Alex could feel the vow in his voice as she stared into his intense eyes.
Without thinking she reached for his hand that was sitting on his lap. It was so cold to the touch. Such a sensation to feel on her now nice and warm hands. It was like two completely different worlds that were colliding.
This was not like Alex to be so forward. A warning was going off in her head but at that moment, Alex chose to ignore it and go with her gut. She leaned forward toward his perfectly shaped lips.
In a lightning fast motion he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her so close she was inches away from his face. Victor's eyes were full of lust and confusion.
"I want very much to kiss you right now Alex, but I must tell you sometime first. Please try not be frightened" he said.
Crap.
He's serial killer and she was just about to kiss him! Alex held her breath and tried to calm her thoughts.
"I am a Vampire."
Double Crap.
That's when the room went dark.