Chapter 11
Independence
The body was human, of course. Vampires crumbled to ash when they died, the older the vampire, the more quickly the process was accomplished. He had been dumped at the end of the driveway, a young human man, his throat torn out, a metal tube stuffed in his mouth. Inside that tube was the Declaration of Independence written by Lauren and signed by over 100 others.
"Aw, fuck," Victoria said when she read the missive.
The Queen went into emergency mode, calling all Volturi and Council members to meet in New York City.
"Why new York?" Bella asked no one in particular, watching as everyone around her scrambled to pack and deploy to the rendezvous point.
Jane was the one who answered. "Because that's the Queen's American base of operations. She has an estate about 35 miles from Manhattan."
It turned out that the Queen had her own plane. Emmett sadly said goodbye to his slightly-crumpled Stingray, making arrangements for it to be shipped to New York after them. As soon as the sun set, a caravan of cars headed for the airport, all stuffed full of luggage and vampires. Poor Jane ended up wedged in the wheel-well in the back of an SUV, luggage surrounding her to the point that all you could see was the top of her little head of brown hair bobbing as they drove along. "Yeah, it's okay," Jane said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's not like I need to breathe or anything."
"Oh, good," Victoria had said, and heaped her makeup case and carry-on bag in Jane's lap.
They arrived at Columbus International Airport about half an hour later. A sleek black plane stood on the tarmac and people immediately sprang into action, unloading the cars and SUVs, scurrying back and forth. Well, one good thing about flying a private plane was that they didn't have to go through TSA security. Emmett took Bella's hand and they walked up the metal stairs into the plane. Emmett had to stoop and turn to squeeze through the hatch, making Bella giggle.
She hadn't laughed much in the past few days. Emmett decided to ham it up, waving his arms and pretending to strain. "Oh, shit, I'm stuck. Jane, go get some lard and a crow bar!"
Bella laughed and grabbed his hands to pull him through. Emmett grunted and pretended to stumble forward, grabbing Bella and "falling" onto a set of seats. Emmett kissed her laughing lips. She should always have this glitter of mirth in her eyes. He promised himself when this was over, he would dedicate his entire life to keeping it there. The light died away reality reasserted itself.
Bella had never flown before and honestly, she was about an inch from breaking down completely. Her stress and anxiety levels were in the red zone. Too many people. Too much commotion. Too much moving. To little control of her surroundings. Too many germs everywhere.
The cabin of the plane was decorated like a living room with plush, soft seats in beige leather grouped around little tables and burgundy carpet on the floor. There was even a bar, its bottles and glasses held in place by brass racks. The seats filled up as the vampires came through the hatch one by one. Edward chose a seat as far away from the cuddling couple as possible.
Bella sat on Emmett's lap, clinging to him like a baby koala and flatly refused to buckle into her own seat for takeoff. This was it. She was going to go nuts. She buried her face in his neck and let out a little whimper as she felt the plane's nose leave the ground. She tightened her grip on him. "Bella, sweetheart, breathe," Emmett said, rubbing her back in the way that always soothed her. It wasn't working this time.
"Bella?" It was Edward and he was holding a plastic cup out to her. "Drink this."
Bella looked at the cup dubiously.
"I just took it out of the wrapper," Edward promised. "Drink."
She obeyed because he had the intractable look of someone who wouldn't move until she did. It was orange juice, and not very good juice at that, having a bitter aftertaste that-
Bella went limp, dropping the cup to the floor, her head falling forward to rest on Emmett's chest.
"Do you carry knock-out drugs with you wherever you go, Edward?" Jane asked, watching the scene with interest.
"Fuck you, shorty," Edward replied. He directed his attention to Emmett. "She'll wake up in about four hours." Edward retreated to his own seat on the other side of the plane. He put on a pair of headphones and Emmett could hear faint strains of Beethoven.
The Queen's New York residence was an elegant Georgian mansion with a stone facade. It boasted seventy acres and adjoined a nature preserve that meant there was nearly a hundred acres of woods around the house. The house itself was over 20,000 feet and included a library, basketball court, indoor pool and a two-story library filled with books.
Emmett carried a still-sleeping Bella up to their room. The room was oval-shaped and bed was in the center of the floor, its four posts covered with panels of a canopy suspended from the ceiling. She mumbled something when he lay her down, indicating that consciousness was slowly returning. He lay beside her, playing with a lock of her hair. He needed to tell her how proud he was of her, he decided. This last few days had to be absolute hell for her, but she hadn't complained, had maintained her polite and pleasant demeanor even when she must have felt like screaming.
"... sum wa-er" Bella mumbled.
"What? Emmett asked. "Water? Do you want some water?"
Bella nodded. He took one of the glasses that was on the little mini bar and washed it thoroughly and filled it from one of the bottles of water stored in the little refrigerator. Bella was trying to sit up, but having a difficult time. "Stupid gravity," she mumbled.
Emmett steadied her and helped her lift the glass to her mouth. She gulped greedily and sat back with a sigh.
"Are you all right, Bella?" he asked.
"Woozy." She looked around at the bedroom. "We're here?"she asked.
"If you mean 'here' as in New York, yes. This is the Queen's house."
Bella looked around her with a bit more interest. The oval walls were mint green with white wainscoting at the base. The ceiling had a wide ornate molding with a sunken, darker green panel in the center. One wall bore an ornate gilded mirror above a small table with a crystal vase full of fresh, colorful flowers.
She reached over and caressed one of the canopy panels that hung over the bed post. "You can really pull these closed," she noted. "And shut out the whole world."
"Sounds like a plan," said Emmett with some enthusiasm.
A knock at the door canceled any ideas toward that end. "Duty calls," Emmett said, climbing off the bed to answer the door. Jane stood outside. "You're wanted in the War Room," she said. "Go on, I'll stay with Bella."
"What's the War Room?" Bella asked after Emmett kissed her and departed for parts unknown. "Do they have a big board with a map on it?"
"Unfortunately, no. It's just the dining room, but since no one ever eats there, it's been re-purposed." Jane climbed up on the bed and sat on the end, her legs crossed in front of her. Bella admired the ring on Jane's first finger, a pretty little amethyst heart. Jane was very vague as to who had given it to her, so Bella didn't pry.
"Let me braid your hair," Jane offered, and Bella acquiesced. Her old shrink would be tickled to death at the amount of "acclimation" she was doing these days.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Bella asked, hoping she wasn't being insensitive with her curiosity. Jane disturbed her on a visceral level because she'd never grow up. Never have a lover, never be able to live on her own, never be able to have a job in the human world. Hell, never be able to get into an R-rated movie without having an adult-looking escort.
"No," Jane replied. "I'd be sort of in a difficult position if I wanted romance. I could either date boys who are my apparent age and be bored and annoyed, or I could date 'older' men and have people look at them like they're child molesters. Luckily for me, I don't have those sort of urges. I'm quite happy being single."
Bella supposed she was lucky if she didn't want something she could never have. "What made you want to be a guard?"
Jane didn't correct Bella by saying her duties as head of security were a little more complex than that. "I have a ... talent, you might say. And no, before you ask, you do not want me to demonstrate it for you. I have the power to make people feel pain if I concentrate on them."
"Do all vampires have psychic talents? I know Emmett can read minds."
"That comes standard with the package," Jane said, dismissively. "Some of us have additional talents, but not all. the Volturi tries to recruit those with special abilities or at least keep track of them in the VAMPbase. As you can imagine, that wasn't a very popular decision."
"Here's something weird: Edward can't read my mind."
Jane froze, her hands stilling in Bella's hair. "Really?"
"Yeah." Jane still didn't move. Bella shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Emmett can, so it's not like there's nothing going on up there."
"Bella, I need to try something. This could be important. Turn around and look at me."
Bella did.
"I apologize in advance because this will hurt. I can't control the intensity."
Bella braced herself for pain. Nothing happened.
Jane stared at her, an expression of concentration scrunching up her little face.
Bella waited.
"Holy shit," Jane said in tones of awe. "No one has ever been able to fight that off. You've got a talent yourself, Bella."
"But why would Emmett be able to read my mind if I've got some special ability to block vampire talents?" Bella asked.
"I dunno. Maybe you don't put your wall up when you're with him," Jane offered. She went back to braiding Bella's hair.
"Jane, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"If I was changed into a vampire, would I still have my ... issues?"
Jane considered. "I'm not sure. I guess it would depend on if they're caused by something organic in your brain. When a person becomes a vampire, all injuries are healed. Amputees regrow limbs, the blind can see, that sort of thing. If you've got a wire crossed up there, that would heal, but if it's just your personality or something, you're probably stuck with it." Jane tied a ribbon around the bottom of Bella's braid. "There, all done."
Bella went over to the mirror on the wall to examine it. Jane had woven her hair in an intricate pattern, not flat like a regular braid, but rounded like rope. "Jane, that's really pretty!" Bella said.
"Glad you like it. That's about the extent of 'girly-time' that I can stomach, so if you were hoping we'd paint each other's toenails next and talk about Justin Beiber, I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Bella burst into laughter. "How about we play Call of Duty instead?" She had watched the Queen play and wanted to try it herself.
Jane grinned. "I like you, Bella. You're my kind of girl."
The table seated twenty-two and more chairs had been brought and set around the walls. The members of the Volturi were seated first, the eight highest ranking taking position at the foot of the table, the others filling in thee chairs situated around the rest of the room. Eleven of the Council members filed in, next. One seat at the table remained empty and everyone waited patiently.
James stood in his preferred place right behind the Queen's chair. Once upon a time, some of the Council had raised a complaint about his presence since he was neither Volturi nor Council. The queen had been enraged and called the complainers into her office. No one knew what had been said or done inside that office but the men had emerged pale and shaken and said that if the queen wished to have a Mariachi band in the Council chambers, they wouldn't make a had been specially requested by the Queen and as a member of neither Council nor Volturi, took a seat along the wall.
Edward entered and the assembled company rose to their feet and bowed low until he bid them to rise.
"Lord Edward," Aro said respectfully, inclining his head. Aro was the oldest-looking of the bunch, a man who had been changed in his late 50s.
Edward, was, as usual, irritated by the amount of ceremony. "How's it going, Aro?"
Aro was irritated but he didn't let it show. "I am quite well, my lord. Your inquiry is appreciated."
The others remained standing until Edward took his seat. All of the members of the Council of Ancients wore scarlet robes except for Edward, who flat-out refused. He always wore one of his suits and no one challenged him on it. The way he looked at it, they should be glad he came at all. He hated Council duty which was, most of the time, dry policy meetings, ceremony and more ceremony.
The Queen entered at they all rose to their feet until she had taken her seat. Victoria was all business, starting the meeting without further ado. "We're missing quite a few of our number, but we'll have to start without them and fill them in later. Ladies, gentlemen, the shit has hit the proverbial fan. I know we were all expecting something like this sooner or later but I, for one, was hoping we had more time."
"My vote is that we go to Fort Washington in force and hunt down the traitors who put their names to that plagiarized piece of nonsense!" This came from a Council member, Felix. He was very short in stature and had a boyish face, which often led to people mistaking him for a teenager.
"That's an idea, but should we really have all of our eggs in one basket?" Jane said. "Our usual style is to pick off trouble-makers one by one. I don't think we could win if we were faced by an army."
"We've got to stop this thing before it gets to that point," the Queen said. "These are my people, even if they're in rebellion. I don't want bloodshed if it can be avoided."
"All we have to do is kill Lauren Mallory," said Caius. "After that, the rabble will fall apart and this will all be over."
"Perhaps we should consider terminating the queen's rule."
The room was silent for a long moment. Jaws fell.
The one who had spoken, Aro, continued. "You say you want the best for our race, then perhaps we should consider the way which would cause the least bloodshed."
"If you give in to the rebels, you'll never have another day's peace," Edward said. All eyes snapped to him. "Everyone will know that all they have to do is threaten rebellion and the Council will give in to anything they want."
"Lord Edward, you speak as though our race were nothing more than a bunch of petulant children demanding more candy." This from Marcus, the youngest member of the Council of Ancients.
"What they want will result in our race being outed to the humans," Victoria said firmly. "Point one of their Declaration: they want to be able to kill people, or as they put it, 'be restored to our God-given position as supreme predator on Earth' which sounds much nicer. Do you think all vampires would know how to conceal exsanguination as the cause of death from a modern coroner? A lot of them come from a time when police investigation into a death meant standing around the body saying, 'I dunno what killed him. I bet it was witchcraft'. I created that law in the best interest of our race, not that of the humans."
Felix spoke up. "There are those who say that concealment is unnecessary, just a superstition of the Ancients, and we should openly take our place as rulers of this planet."
"Don't be ridiculous," Victoria snapped. "If mortals found out about us, the results would be horrific. We would be exterminated or spend the rest of our days as lab rats for some pharmaceutical company while they tried to figure out how to make an immortality pill for everyone. You think this rebellion is trouble? Wait until the humans fight us for their freedom."
Felix looked abashed, sinking back in his seat.
"We should evacuate to Italy," suggested Demitri, another Ancient. "The Queen would be safer in the fortress."
Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. "And look like I'm running? I want to secure my rule, not make myself look like a coward. No, the fight is here and here I shall remain."
"My lady-"
"No. I've made my decision. Uni-fuckin'-laterally."
"Excuse me." The door had opened and a woman in a maid's uniform stood there, holding a cardboard box. "There's a delivery for the Queen and it's marked 'Urgent'."
"Bring it here," Victoria said. She held out her hand wordlessly and her husband, James, put a knife in it. She used it to cut the tape binding the edges.
Ash. The box was full of ash. The queen upended the box and dumped the ash onto the table. Something within the pile clunked on the table. Victoria combed through the ash with her fingertips until she found it. A signet ring. She wiped the ring clean and held it aloft so everyone could see the markings.
"Oh, no, that's Alec's ring," someone said. Victoria dropped it and buried her face in her hands, smearing her pale face with ash.
"I just spoke to him two days ago," she said in a small voice.
"Oh, Christ. Someone go find Jane." The mood around the room was grim. Jane and Alec were as close as brother and sister. She was going to take this hard.
"Who's the return address on the box?" Caius demanded.
"From 'Publius', postmarked Fort Washington," read Demetri, who had left his seat and leaned over the Queen's shoulder. "I don't know Publius. Anyone recognize the name?
"It's the pen name that was used by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton when they wrote essays we now call the Federalist Papers," Edward said. "Short for Publius Valerius Publicola, a Roman consul called 'The Friend of the People', who helped overthrow the monarchy and establish the Republic. More of their bullshit Revolution references." He gave a small smile. "Someone in their ranks knows their history, but I'm pretty sure it's not Lauren."
They all suddenly stiffened at the sound of a woman's scream of anguish. Jane had been told of Alec's death. "Poor girl," someone said.
The room erupted into a tumult of voices as everyone voiced their opinion and argued with his or her neighbor. Victoria stood, her white face smeared with ash, her eyes full of rage. A hush fell over the room.
"If it's a war they want, then I'l give them a war."
As it turned out, a few of the missing Volturi had been simply delayed but the rest remained unaccounted for and no one as able to contact them. When one of the missing Volturi returned, severely injured, they knew that the hunter had become the hunted. Alec's death had not been a fluke. It was an announcement. It was open season on the Volturi. Reports came in from all over the country of attacks not only on Volturi themselves, but also on their economic support. Businesses firebombed, bank accounts hacked, homes looted and destroyed.
Refugees arrived daily and because of the influx of new guests, Bella and Emmett were moved to an apartment over the garage. The queen apologized profusely, but Bella was delighted. It was like having her own home again. She sang as she cleaned and a little of her sparkle returned.
Edward lingered on the periphery but with so many of the Volturi on site, he felt his presence was no longer needed. On Wednesday evening, he asked some quiet questions and borrowed a car to drive himself into the city.
"You need to see this," Caius said one evening, leading the Queen into the media room and the large flat-screen on the wall. The image of the newscaster was paused. Caius pressed a button and the TiVo began to play.
"And finally tonight, a gruesome discovery in Fort Washington where police say that ten bodies, two of them children, were discovered in a residence on Caldwell Street. Police are not releasing the names or manner of death but sources who spoke on the condition of remaining anonymous say that there were cryptic messages dabbed on the walls in the victims' own blood ..."
Caius turned off the television. "The media is speculating that it's cult-related. I had Marcus hack into the police database. The victims' throats were torn out, their bodies drained. The culprits didn't attempt to conceal what killed them. And on the walls were the words 'Surrender Dorothy'. Do you know what that means?"
The Queen nodded. "It's what the Wicked Witch of the West wrote in the sky above the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. Lauren has a twisted sense of humor and she wants Bella. For God's sake, don't tell Bella about this or she'll want to sacrifice herself in order to prevent more bloodshed."
The Queen rubbed her temples. Vampires weren't supposed to get headaches but she was pretty sure that the conventional wisdom was wrong. "Okay, we need to dispatch a team ASAP to get down there and cover up this shit, change memories, hack and destroy reports and fast, before the media learns certain disturbing details that they would describe in loving detail on the six o'clock news."
Caius considered. "They planned this knowing we would have to perform damage control."
"Yes, it's probably a trap, but what can I do?" The queen tossed her hands helplessly. "This has to be done. Select a team and warn them what they might be walking into."
The phone rang and after a few minutes, Felix popped his head in the door and said that there were refugees at the airport needing a ride. The Queen sighed. "Send Emmett." She'd been relying more and more on him to do the middle-of-the-road duties for which the Queen needed someone strong and trustworthy but not necessarily a Volturi.
It was one of the million small decisions the Queen made every day. It was one she would always regret.
Bella kissed Emmett goodbye at the door. "You won't be long?"
He smiled. "I'll be back before you know it. Just a quick ride to the airport and back."
They kissed again and Emmett closed the door behind him. Bella threw the deadbolt.
Outside, a plan sprang into action. Jane, who was guarding the door, saw Felix approach. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be on switchboard duty tonight."
Felix gave her a wide smile. "The Queen is asking for you up at the main house."
Jane was suspicious. "Why didn't she call me on the radio, then?"
Felix grinned like a Cheshire cat. "All right, if you insist on doing it the hard way." There was a flash of a sword out of the corner of her eye, the last thing Jane saw. She hadn't even had time to draw her weapon, would have never thought she needed a weapon against a Council member.
Her form collapsed into a tiny pile of ash. Felix stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A figure emerged from the trees. Felix motioned him to hide in the shrubbery along the side of the garage. They waited there until the Volturi patrol assigned to this sector of the grounds walked by. He saw the post by the door vacant and fumbled for his radio. It hit the ground at roughly the same time his head did.
Inside, Bella heard a tap at the door. It had only been minutes since Emmett left. Bella threw it open. "Did you forget-" She stopped. There was a strange man standing there, looking mighty pleased with himself. Bella, you dumbass, she thought. When, oh when, will you learn to use the peep hole? Not that it would have done anything to protect her. They were prepared to break it down if she resisted.
"Hello," the man said, with a pleasant smile and punched her.
Bella was knocked off her feet. She fell, the side of her head striking the coffee table. Dazed and in a serious amount of pain, Bella patted the front of her bodice, feeling for the little pendant that Edward had had made for her. Emmett had refilled his vial only an hour ago, and Edward had filled his and left it at the door before he departed for parts unknown.
She caught it in her hand and pressed her thumb through the opening, smashing the two small vials barely feeling it as her thumb sliced open on a piece of the glass.
The man grabbed her by the arm and jerked her upright, sniffing. He shrugged and pressed a foul-smelling cloth over her mouth and nose. Bella went limp and he tossed her over his shoulder, running out the door. Bella maintained a faint grip on consciousness, watching as the man and Felix briefly conferred, Felix returning to the house and the man holding her breaking into a run for the treeline.
They passed two small ash piles, and Bella caught sight of Jane's amethyst ring glittering in the grass. No, not Jane, no ... He ran so fast the ground blurred, taking her toward the forest. Deeper, deeper into the trees they went.
It seemed like hours that she washed the trees flash by. He slowed as they came to a small clearing, a helicopter standing in the center of it. She could hear the motor and the blades were still rotating. The man tossed her into a the passenger seat and fastened her restraints then locked himself into the pilot's chair. He flipped various switches and pressed buttons with lightning speed, and then pulled back on the throttle. The helicopter lifted into the air.
He noticed that Bella was beginning to stir and pressed the malodorous cloth over her face again. Bella lost her tenuous grip in consciousness and slipped into a gray mist.
"Wakey, wakey."
Someone was smacking her cheeks. Bella tried to turn her head away, tried to lift her hands to stop him, but couldn't.
Consciousness came back with a sudden jolt, like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her. Bella looked around, wildly. The man from the door, the asshole who had punched her, was sitting on a hotel room bed in front of her. Bella was tied to a chair and there was a gag in her mouth. She struggled futilely, apparently a source of great amusement to her captor.
"I never knew being a Boy Scout and learning how to tie all those fucking knots would come in handy," he said.
Bella looked around wildly, taking in the dingy hotel room which gave her no clues, no assistance.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Riley Biers." He stuck out his hand and then chuckled. "Guess you can't shake, huh? Sorry. First kidnapping."
"Mmph!" Bella cried.
"Sorry, I can't let you go if that's what you're asking. I'm doing this for Lauren. I've always had it bad for that girl, but she'd never go out with me. Well, a couple of days ago, she told me Lauren told me I could do anything I want to her if I ... you know... took care of you and there's no way I could turn down that offer." He chuckled. "I am gonna wreck that chick."
Bella closed her eyes and two tears slipped down her cheeks.
"You look a little like her, you know." He reached out and touched her cheek. Bella started fighting her bonds again, screaming into her gag.
"Oh! Hey, no, I wasn't going- Don't worry. I'm no rapist."
Bella sagged in relief, gasping against the cloth.
"Lauren must really hate your guts. She told me she wants it long and drawn out, you know."
Bella's eyes widened and she whimpered in sheer terror.
"Oh, hey, no, don't get upset and cry and stuff," Riley said quickly. "I'm not into that torture shit. You won't feel a thing, I promise. I'll just have to cut you up some after you're dead to make it look good. Oh! That reminds me ..." He took out a knife and approached her. Bella bounced in her chair, struggling wildly.
"Hold still," He commanded, taking hold of her hair in one hand and sawing at it with the knife in the other. It hurt and pulled. "Lauren said to bring this back as proof that I did it, but I ain't actually gonna scalp you. That's fuckin' gross. She'll have to be happy with just the hair. There we go." He held up Bella's long, brown hair in one hand and bound it with a rubber band from his pocket. He put the hank of hair into a bag that lay at his feet. "She'll know by the scent that it's yours, and by the way, you smell fuckin' fantastic. You on some kind of medication or something? No? Well anyway, it's delicious."
He clapped his hands together and rubbed them briskly. "I've never drank anyone to death before so I'm kind of excited about it. You want a minute to pray or something?" Riley asked, and god damn him, the bastard sounded sympathetic.
Bella realized with cold, desolate clarity that no one was coming to save her. She was going to die in this dirty motel room. Sobs silently shook her and she stared at Riley, trying to plead with her eyes.
"I really am sorry about this," he said. "I promise, it'll be quick and painless, if that gives you any comfort." He cut her legs free from the chair, unbinding her hands and feet. He removed the gag. "Don't bother screaming. It'll hurt my ears and piss me off and besides, this isn't the kind of neighborhood where someone comes running when they hear a scream."
"Please," Bella said.
"Don't bother begging, either. Begging isn't dignified."
Bella tilted up her chin and gave him a defiant look of hate. If she was going to die, she wasn't going to die crying and pleading.
"Well," he said cheerfully, "Shall we get started?"
Someone had given him the wrong address or the club was more well-hidden than most. Edward had walked up and down the block twice and still couldn't find the fucking place. He was getting antsy. Vampires couldn't physically become addicted to drugs but the psychological addiction could be even more intense for their kind than it was for humans. If he couldn't find the club, he'd just grab a random junkie. God knew there were plenty around.
He finally caught the scent of a vampire, but it was just a single male, not a multitude like he would expect for the entrance to a club and it - Bella? It was Bella's scent as well, a scent he knew as well as his own. What the fuck was Bella's scent doing in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx, one of New York's worst neighborhoods? Emmett would never bring her to this kind of place.
He tracked the scent through the streets and found a helicopter abandoned in a vacant industrial lot. This was not good. Not good at all. He backtracked, catching the trail again, going faster and faster as his dread increased. It led to a run-down motel. Edward's cell phone rang and he looked down to see Emmett's name flashing on the screen. Oh, Jesus, no... There was only one reason why Emmett would be calling him.
He didn't bother to answer, taking the rickety stairs three at a time and running down the landing littered with trash and empty hypodermics, past dirt-smeared room doors, skidding to a halt in front of the door where the trail ended. Blood. He could smell blood. With an inarticulate cry, he lifted his foot and kicked the door open.
A man jumped up off of Bella, his mouth and chin dripping blood. He backed up until he hit the wall, holding his hands out as if to ward Edward off. "Whoa, hey man, don't-"
Edward didn't even stop to think. He ripped the guy's head from his shoulders, dropping it onto the lifeless torso, spinning back to the figure on the bed.
Bella lay on her back, her throat torn and ruined. "Bella!" Their eyes met, hers full of terror.
Her lips moved as if she were trying to say something. She gave one last gurgle.
And died.