Disclaimer: I do not own anything the Vampire Diaries…sadly.
"When I wake up I'm afraid, somebody else might take my place [x3]
When I wake up I'm afraid, somebody else might end up being me"
~Afraid- The Neighbourhood
Chapter 14- When Nightmares Clash with Reality
He was surrounded by darkness. A strange feeling he never experienced before surged throughout his body. It was a tingling sensation that he could also feel somehow toying with his adrenaline.
He heard a shrill scream to his right. A scream that was all too familiar.
"Elena!" He called out to her, but was only greeted by silence and he felt a panic rising through him.
He tried his best to navigate through the darkness, but there was no lights, no windows, only…fear. It was pitch black and his only aid was the wall his palm was against, guiding him.
"Elena!" He yelled again, more desperation in his voice. This time she responded, and he could hear her faintly calling out to him. His heart was beating so fast in his chest he could feel the blood pumping in his head.
He turned left down what he assumed was another hallway. He called her name again. This time when she said his name, he could locate her voice. He followed the sound into a room.
"Elena." He whispered softly, in case her captor was still near. Bright lights suddenly flooded into the dank room, blinding him. As his eyes attempted to adjust all he could begin to make out were colors.
Then when his vision finally focused, there stood Elena. He smiled, relief washing over him. Then a familiar face appeared, wrapping his arm around her throat, causing his face to drop.
"Let her go, Kol." He demanded, furrowing his eyebrows when he realized a switchblade lay in the Original's other hand.
His switchblade.
"Kol you don't have to do this." Elena tried to convince the Original through strangled breathing, slowly pulling the switchblade out of the Original's hand. The Mikaelson smirked before disappearing into nothingness.
"Jeremy," Elena cried, pulling him into an embrace. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Elena." He breathed, returning the embrace.
"Jeremy," She started pulling away. "You've got to stop looking for me it's not safe."
"Elena don't give up, we're going to find you. Okay? I'll never stop looking for you." He tried to convince her, determination setting on his facial features.
Elena's face suddenly grew dark, causing him to become confused. "That's unfortunate." She snarled bringing the switchblade she previously confiscated from her captor to his throat, slicing it in an instant.
Jeremy to his knees, grasping at his throat, struggling to breathe, as he choked on his own blood. Kol reappeared in the room as if he materialized from midair, putting his arm around Elena's shoulders.
"I told you it would work." She smiled up at the Original.
"I didn't doubt you for a second." He replied returning her smile, and to Jeremy's surprise and disbelief, capturing her lips with his.
He attempted to yell 'no', but all that came out was a blood filled gurgle. The pair broke away from each other and Kol's eyes settled on Jeremy.
He crouched down, tightening a fistful of the dying Gilbert's hair, and whispered, "It's time to die Jeremy." A cruel smile appeared on Kol's face.
Jeremy moved his eyes back to Elena's direction, and she laughed maniacally, and then began to repeat in a robotic-like manner, "It's time to die, Jeremy."
The Salvatore brothers mysteriously appeared in the room, an entrance similar to Kol's, and joined in on the chant. Next came Matt, then Caroline, and lastly Tyler. All repeating the same mantra, "It's time to die, Jeremy."
Bonnie to his astonishment came a few seconds later, and before joining in with the rest of the group, she sneered, her voice full of malice, "I warned you. I told you not to do it, but you never listen. You deserve this. Time to die, Jeremy."
They surrounded him, repeatedly chanting, and everything was fading. The group around him became a blur until…darkness.
Jeremy Gilbert woke up with a start, breathing in a humongous breath of air. His hand shot to his throat, and he sighed in relief when he found nothing there. "It was only a dream." He thought to himself.
"More like a nightmare," He whispered, slightly chuckling to himself.
That's when he felt drops of wetness, on the back of his hand with was still in the space near his throat. He assumed the liquid was sweat, but the moonlight revealed it to be a shade of red he knew all too well.
He ripped his covers back, and made a beeline for the bathroom. He fumbled for the lightswitch and found himself face to face with his reflection, a long line of blood trailing from his nostril down his face.
Elena stretched with a yawn and was greeted by the sun shining intently down on her face. She blinked back the weariness and scanned the hotel room. Her eyes registering her red suitcase in the corner.
She glanced at this small couch that Kol had previously occupied to find it empty. A strange disappointment settled in her stomach. She got up slowly in case her body decided to disagree with her.
When she stood, she found that she felt immensely better then she had the previous day. Her temperature had returned to normal and she found that her head only dully ached.
She took a deep breath and made her way to the sliding door across the room. She raised her hand to knock, when a thought occurred to her. "Maybe he was asleep."
She hesitated and finally decided on knocking loudly on the door. When there was no answer she cautiously slid it open and was relieved and confused when she was greeted by a seemingly untouched part of the hotel room.
She felt her heart sink slightly, as she sighed, closing the sliding door behind her as she made her way back to the suitcase. Things were back to normal. She was his captive again, and she was his captor. In fact, he was probably out and about searching for another witch to reinstate the cloaking spell.
Her eyes settled on the door. This was her moment, another chance for freedom. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to leave. She took her clothes she pulled from the suitcase and headed to the bathroom.
She needed a shower, but most of all, she needed to talk to Klaus.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! Hope you guys enjoy. Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite!