Chapter 11

"What in the name…" the words died on my lips. The person, Pam had been staring at, had moved, very quickly, no, actually, in a flash as if he had some kind of super speed leaving behind a lifeless body tied down to an old captain chair. His neck appeared to have been snapped? I gasped, realizing he had just killed a man in front of me and I didn't even see it!

I couldn't tell where he went, I looked around, alarmed, some fucked up shit was happening and I was right in the middle of it. The room was pretty big and matched the staircase. My eyes took a few second to adjust to the lighting but I could now see perfectly around me, noticing the small light fixtures on every wall. It made the place look gloomy and the musty, wet basement smell didn't help either. There was no furniture, instead, boxes upon boxes piled lazily around the room. I tried to focus on the prisoner but I was too nauseated and weak. I pushed Pam, angry at what I had witnessed. He was dead, his head tangling on the side, his eyes opened.

I was so confused by what was going on, I looked over to my right, thinking I had heard something but then to the prisoner again. His face had been bruised to a pulp, full of blood both new and old. Even if I might have seen this man before, his physical state made it impossible to identify him and now with his head leaning awkwardly to the side, I may never know.

I took a step forward, since Pam had let me go?

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, quickly turning in its direction. No one. Now to my left, I played the game and looked, but it was empty. I looked in Pam's direction, she was gone. As soon as I realized it, I tried to run for the staircase but the man was now standing between me and it, and he made it clear I was not going to leave anytime soon.

He hissed taking a step in my direction, the light finally revealing who he was; Longshadow. He smiled, his fangs extending passed his lips. I couldn't possibly process what was going on but my instincts didn't care, I wanted to run away as far as possible. He pushed me backward so hard it caused me to hit a box with one leg and I fell to the ground.

"You stupid little girl", he said to me coming closer. I was having hard time breathing, and with every step he took, I felt fear taking over me. What the fuck do you do when you cannot comprehend what is going on but you know your life is in danger? I felt numb, as if all the energy in the world had left me. Fear, that is what I was experiencing and with every one of hissteps, I held my breath, frozen in time.

Longshadow looked terrifying, his eyes borderline demonic. He was hissing, growling and gnarling all at the same time. He stretched his neck from left to right, cracking with each move.

Everything was happening so fast, but it didn't matter because at the same time it seemed as if he was taking forever to walk over to me. When I finally awoke from my day dream, whether my survival instincts had kicked in or whether I smarten the fuck up, I realized how much I was regretting my decision of coming downstairs. The sense of danger I was experiencing, wasn't something I had before and as if I was now on auto-pilot, I let my body dictate my next steps.

By the time I was standing back up, Longshadow was standing beside me. He grabbed me by the throat and squeezed hard. I instinctively brought my right hand to his hand, my left not responding. Instead, my left arm was dangling on the side of my body and the pain I felt if I tried to move it left me to believe it was broken from my fall. I held his hands as much as I could as if it would help release me but it was all obviously in vain. He stared at me, with a hunger deep in his eyes, he was a hunter and I was his prey.

My vision blurred a bit, I knew I was running out of time and air. He licked his lips, showing me his teeth proudly.

"Little sheep found the big bad wolf." He said while he held me with only one hand.

He slammed my body against his as if I was his little lifeless doll and then sank his teeth into my neck. I wanted to scream, I wanted to say "no, not now, I am not ready to die". I felt life leaving me as if every drop of my being was in the blood he was drinking. I refused to close my eyes even though my vision was almost gone. My eyes were opened but I couldn't see.

My feet touched the ground first but were not strong enough to support me under the impact. I think Longshadow screamed, but I cannot be certain. My arms were the second to crumble, my head being the last. I gasped in horror, unable to understand what was going on. I blinked a couple of times, trying to catch my breath or maybe it was to check whether I was alive or not. I felt weak, but not enough to not move. I used my right arm to lift my upper body up. I was covered in goo, and the smell made me vomit. Once I was done emptying my stomach I dared to look up. Longshadow was gone and Eric was standing still, his head looking down. He was covered in blood which made me looked at my own body.

It wasn't goo, I was swimming in a fucking pool of blood and I panicked thinking it could be mine. I sat quickly and pushed myself against the wall only a couple feet away from me. I was shaking and I couldn't control it, while Eric was a statue. He didn't move at all, not when I screamed and not when Pam approached and took a wooden stake from his hand.

I looked at my hands covered in blood and felt my own tears rolling down my cheeks. I pushed myself up to my feet, finding energy in my adrenaline and my survival instincts, I stumbled to the stairs. If I was going to die tonight, I was going to trying to escape. Bill was in the way, I stared at him trying to reach but my legs were so heavy. Maybe Longshadow had drunk more blood than I thought. My left arms was throbbing under the pain and I tried to hold it but the vibrations of every step just made it worst.

Despite my state, I heard Eric whispering my name but I didn't care, I needed to get out. Bill crossed his arms making it clear I was going to have to fight him before I could see daylight again. I saw his fangs too, but couldn't bring myself to call him, them, for what they were. That creature doesn't exist.

"Sookie" I heard again, this time it was a bit louder but it didn't stop me from stumbling into Bills arms. I held on to him but he didn't hold me back. He was like a statue and I looked desperate and miserable.

I sobbed quietly as I caught myself again and tried to move Bill out of the way but he was not budging. I cried louder, panicked, wanting to forget everything.

"Sookie" I heard again, this time firm, but I didn't look at him. Why was Bill not helping me? He said he loved me, then why was he smiling now, smugly, as if I was this little puppy dog needing help?

He must have played me and I was naïve enough that I actually believe I had any say in it. All this time he just wanted me to be his next fucking meal? I stopped crying, the rage burning deep inside of me. I had been used, all this time, their secret; I was just a puppet and nothing else.

I let go of his torso and stood in front of him. I slapped him and then punch hiss chest as many time as I could yelling to let me go, all with one arm. It might have been in vain but it felt good, it felt like the thing to do.

"SOOKIE" Eric yelled, louder than I could ever and it made me stopped dead in my tracks.

"Stop, please, just stop" he added with his normal voice.

He was now looking at me. He looked terrifying and it was not due to the fact that his face was covered in blood. No, he was standing nonchalantly as if this was something normal to him and nothing was out of the ordinary. He appeared relaxed for the most part, how could he be?

"Leave us", he said and I heard Pam leave right away faster than I could actually see. Bill however was still with us.

"You killed Longshadow for a fucking human?", he said to Eric who growled in response which seemed enough for Bill to no longer argue and exit the premise. I wasn't sure if I wished I was going with him but my body twitched and leaned in the now empty staircase's direction.

There was nothing between me and the stairs, but as soon as I took a step towards it, Eric was there in front of me blocking the way. I tried to control my shaking but I couldn't, it was beyond me as if I was hit with too much stress all at once, my nervous system was breaking down.

He brought his hand up and I looked away automatically, bringing my right arm up in self-defense. The hit never came, he just stood there with his hand extended and I shaking like a leaf.

"I… don't…", the words were simply not coming to me, how do you asked for your life to be spared?

I felt his hand on my cheek and I yelped in fear unable to control the tears ever flowing. He huffed, and fell to his knees. He was so tall and I was so short I was barely taller than him kneeling. His hand was still on my cheek and he looked up bringing my chin up with his other hand.

"Sookie" he whispered, "I would never hurt you." I couldn't look away as I was trying to process what was going on. He dried some of my tears and I felt my knees buckle. As if all the weight of the world was lifted, I let out of breath I didn't know I was holding and I fell into his arms. I had nothing left; I couldn't run away, the only hope I had was to believe in him, to let him take me out of this horrible basement. I couldn't out run him; I couldn't scream my way out. I was powerless and weak.

He embraced me and caressed my head, as I cried with everything I had left. I didn't want to die, but somehow, I knew it wasn't my choice to make. He scooped me off the floor and headed to the back of the basement. I moaned in pain as my arm dangled on the side of my body. There was another staircase but I am not sure where it took us as I lost consciousness right when he took his first step.

-zzz-

I rolled on to my left side and instantly regretted it. The pain I felt was excruciating enough to make me open my eye against my better judgement. I remembered everything, and I wish I didn't. I looked around the room to see where I was but did not recognize anything. I was on a giant bed but I could barely see past it, the room was pure darkness with only a small red light from the alarm clock flashing midnight as if it had lost power not long ago. I was so weak; I must have lost a lot of blood from Longshadow.

His name alone was strong enough to make me puke in my mouth. He was going to kill me; he was going to drain me dry because he was not human. None of them were and I was dumb enough to work for them. I had known something was wrong with Salon Rouge, that Pam, Bill, Longshadow and Eric's silent minds were simply not normal. Why did I refuse to see what had been staring at me right in the face.

Fucking vampires.

I placed two fingers from my right hand to my right temple in an effort to stop the headache that was taking over. My thoughts were going by in my mind faster than I could process them and I felt sick to my stomach.

Where the fuck was I?

I swung my legs to the side of the bed and got up. Well at least until my knees buckled and I ended up on the floor.

I heard a door open but could barely see who came in. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and strong arms bringing me back to the bed.

"Sookie, you need to rest."

Eric. He had lied to me, he had hidden his identity and now I had almost lost my life because of it. He said he would never hurt me and a part of me really wishes he wasn't lying but how could I ever trust a vampire.

I felt the anger take over my body because I was mad at myself, for being so naïve. I had felt for him and who knows what kind of fucking dirty tricks he had played on me.

VAMPIRE!

I didn't know how much was true from the movies but as far as I know, he could hypnotize me into liking him, loving him!

I started shaking uncontrollably again but he brought his hand up to my shoulder as I sat on the bed. I pushed him away violently in disgust.

"Don't touch me" I said with a tone I don't remember ever using.

He sighed heavily but did not say anything.

"Why did you not kill me down there? Where am I? I want to go home.", I said with a lot more questions I simply couldn't formulate.

"You are safe, that is what is important. You cannot go home."

I leaned into him and punch his chest with all the force I could manage with my right arm, my left throbbing from even moving. It hurt so much I screamed under the pain.

"Let me go home!", I yelled as I cried out of anger. "You can't keep me as a prisoner."

He did not answer me and I continued crying realizing my fate. I had no idea why he had kept me alive but monsters loved playing with their prey and I am sure vampires were no different.

"I can heal you Sookie." He whispered. "Quickly, painlessly, let me heal you."

"So you can tricked me into believing I can fucking trust you. So you can hypnotize me and make me care for you? Am I gonna be some kind of fucking free meal now? Keep me alive just enough so you can feed whenever you need to? You fucking make me sick." I said and turned my back on him.

"Very well", he growled and it scared the crap out of me making me instantly regret my words. The bed shifted and I knew he had got up. " I will come back tonight." He paused, I had no idea if he was moving or what since the room was so dark but at that point it did not matter. "Until then asked yourself why I would spare your life against my kind's wishes and beliefs. Why would I save a human and kill a brother? I am on your side Sookie. You can believe me or you can spit on my face, it doesn't change the fact that you are no longer safe. You know too much, my kind will go after you, others too, and if you truly want to live, you will let me explain to you who I am, what we are and why you are alive."

He left the room slamming the door as I closed my eyes under the weight of his words.

Thank you to Kleannhouse for the beta work, as always she rocked it.

Anna