Author's note: Here's another chapter... hopefully you all like... make sure you R&R!!
Everything hurt. Her head, her arms, even her fingers throbbed. Shea didn't want to open her eyes. Where was she? Maybe if she just kept her eyes closed and slept it would all go away.
No…no. She had to think. Don't give in. First things first. Open the eyes.
Shea's eyes fluttered open, but all she saw was black. Blinking a few times, Shea turned her head to the side. She was laying on a dark crimson sofa, which had been pushed up against a wall. Across from her was another crimson chair, sitting in front of a large, stone fireplace, with a small fire dancing within it. All the walls were black, as was the ceiling, although the carpet was the red color of the chairs. Being no windows, the only source of light was from the fire, although there were unlit torches in brackets placed along the walls.
Slowly moving herself into a sitting position, Shea winced, but the throbbing was lessening now. She pushed herself off the sofa and onto her feet, which were still a bit wobbly. Unsteadily, Shea made her way slowly over to the wooden door that was set into the wall. She leaned against it, hoping to hear something, anything from the other side. But there was no sound and when she tried the door handle, it was locked.
She tried pushing on the door, then leaning back and throwing her weight at it, but it was not use. The door still stood, a solid barrier between her and the outside.
There was nothing for it. Shea would just have to wait until someone came in and opened the door. There was no way out. She sunk into the chair and stared into the fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames. They seemed so free, yet, like her, they were trapped; not able to leave the confines of the hearth.
A soft click from the door behind her made Shea jump, breaking her concentration. She turned around to see someone standing in the now open doorway.
'It's nice to see that you're finally awake. I was beginning to worry; you'd be no use if you had died.'
Jason walked away from the door, which he had closed again, but didn't lock. He went to the sofa and sat down, relaxing back into the cushions. He studied her, his brown eyes searching her face.
'I'm sure you want to know why you are here.' He looked over at Shea, his eyebrows raised. When she showed no response, he started again. 'Let's start by talking a little bit about your sister; Meg, isn't it? Yes, I thought so…'
Shea had jumped when Jason mentioned her sister's name. Fear flooded through her, turning her palms sweaty. She glanced at the still unlocked door. If she could make it to the door before him, she might be able to shut and lock it, keeping him from chasing her. If only she weren't still feeling so weak, she might have a better chance, but who knew how long it would be before she got another shot? Glancing back at him, Shea realized Jason was talking again, his eyes closed, reclining with his arms behind his head.
'There's a lot you don't know about your sister Shea. Where is she when she's gone all those nights, huh? Working or staying over with friends? I'm sure that's what she tells you, but I know differently. She likes the wild life, your sister. Most nights she's at the clubs, but sometimes, when she meets someone she fancies…well lets just say those are the nights she doesn't come home.'
Shea froze, anger building in her. How could this man talk about her sister that way? He had no right!
'Three nights ago, she got into a little trouble with one of the men at the bar. One of my friends helped by beating the guy up, but your sister didn't see fit to repay him for his trouble.'
Shea shifted in her chair, watching him for any signs of movement. She was trying to block out what he was saying, but she couldn't entirely. Those things weren't true. They can't be… she thought.
'So your sister ran… Seth let her go, but he still wants rewarded for his trouble…'
She couldn't take it any more. She leapt out of her chair and scrambled for the door. She wrenched it open, flinging it wide, starting to run…
A fist caught her in the side of the face. He was there, in front of her, shoving her backwards, back into the room. She struggled, trying to get past him, but a hard shove pushed her to the floor, onto the carpet. She scrambled back to her feet. He was advancing on her, his face distorted with rage, fists clenched by his side. Shea backed into the wall. No where to go… she was trapped… No…No…
She made one last feeble attempt to run around him, but she was weak, the attempt had exhausted her. He grabbed her, shoving her against the wall, pinning her there.
'You thought you'd get through did you?' He hissed. His eyes were black again, just like she had seen them in the car. 'Your no match for me. The only way you're going to live through this is if you're not dumb. That was dumb.'
Jason's mouth turned upward into a grin, drawing Shea's attention back to his face. His incisors were abnormally large, fangs…
'Her blood, Shea, he wants her blood.'
