Chapter 49: Ashes To Ashes Part Two

~Alice POV~

10th June, 3.42am

I come out of the vision facing the gray door.

Well, I certainly can't go that way.

I lean against the wall for a second. Seeing my own death has shaken me, to say the least. I shake myself. I don't have time for this. My family are in trouble.

Jasper told me to go through the gray door, but theres no way I can do that. There must be some other way to get to the loading bays.

I carry on down the corridor, past the gray door. I try and use my visions but they aren't showing me anything now. I guess seeing yourself die has a bit of an impact on your future-seeing abilities.

When I reach the end of the hallway there are two possible doors I can take, and with my sight playing up it's sheer luck which one I choose. I choose the left door, because - why not?

Opening it a crack, I stay there for over a minute just waiting in silence. Finally satisfied that I can't hear any movement or sense any vampires, I slip through the door and quietly close it behind me.

I find myself in what looks like a dormitory. It's dark, but I can just make out rows of beds along the sides of the room. Each of the beds sits next to a small desk, a mirror, and some hooks where clothes hang. Judging by the clothes, it's girls who sleep here. Maria's newborns, I presume.

I frown. They must sleep here.

It's the middle of the night, A voice in my head says. So?!

What do people do in the middle of the night? The voice asked. I frown. Then I realise. What do people do in the middle of the night?

They sleep.

I freeze as I finally see the shapes that lie on each of the beds. There must be twenty of them, easily. Twenty vampires with super-sensative hearing who may want to kill me are sleeping just feet away from me.

I can't move, rooted to the spot. If I make too much noise, they'll wake up. I don't know if they know who I am, or if Maria's given them orders to kill me, but I doubt they'll be happy about a strange vampire standing in their room watching them sleep.

I can't stand here forever, either. They're going to wake up sooner or later.

I can see a door at the end of the room. If I can make it to that door without waking them up, it will be okay.

I take one tentative step forward. The floor is made of concrete so it doesn't creak, but I feel like every rustle of the fabric of my clothes sounds like an earthquake. I don't dare breath.

The silence in this room is eery. No one snores, no one fidgets in there sleep, no one breaths. Vampires, perfectly frozen in time. Dead, practically...except alive. Undead.

I take another step forwards, then another. None of the vampires move.

I keep my eyes on the door. Don't look, forget they're there. Just walk. That's all you have to do Alice. Just walk forward in a straight line.

My shoe scuffs on the floor and I freeze. I count...one...two...three...four...five...no one has stirred. I take my next step carefully, making sure my feet don't skid along the floor again.

I'm halfway there. I just have to keep moving forward, one step at a time. One. Just think about Jasper. Two. Your family, they need you. Three. You are not a coward. Four. Do it for them. Five. For Jasper. Six. Emmett. Seven. Esme. Eight. Carlisle. Nine. Edward. Ten. Do it for yourself, Alice. Do it for all of them, but do it for you, too.

Eleven.

I've reached the door. I glance behind me, half expecting twenty vampires to be silently looming over me, fangs beared. They're all still asleep.

I reach for the door handle, gently turning it. It clicks, but it's soft and everyone remains silent.

All I want to do is run through the door and get out of this room, but I can't. I have to make sure I'm not walking into even more danger. I wait impatiently, listening for any signs of life behind the door. Nothing.

Then again, I thought that about this room, too.

I creep through the door and shut it behind me. I turn around to find I'm in a room identicle to the last.

Here we go again.

~Jasper POV~

10th June, 4.00am

I walk through the familiar maze of corridors of the warehouse, tapping the walls with my fingers.

Maria is playing a game with me, I know it. That girl must have told her by now that I was here. Maria was waiting, trying to psych me out.

I whistle an old tune as I walk further towards Maria's office.

No one enters Maria's office unless you have explicit permission.

No one enters Maria's office without knocking.

I open the door and walk straight through.

I half expect her to be sat at her desk, looking through her latest files for potential soldiers. She'd look up at me, "What took you so long, Jasper?" She'd purr.

She wasn't there. I shut the door and look around the room.

"Come out, Maria." I said to the empty space, "I'm getting impatient."

No response.

I stop and focus on the emotions in the room.

Nothing.

She isn't here.

And if she isn't here, where is she?

Alice...

~Alice POV~

10th June, 4.03am

There are less people sleeping in here, at least half the beds empty. This somehow makes me even more nervous as I creep through the room. Where are the vampires that usually inhabit those beds?

I'm heading towards another door at the end of this room, praying that it doesn't let to yet another dormitory. I'm not sure my heart could take it, unbeating or not.

I make it to the end of the room without waking anyone and open the door. Hearing nothing but silence, I go through it and to my relief find myself in an empty corridor instead of another room full of blood-sucking murders.

Steady, Alice. You're a vampire too, remember?

Not like them. I insist. They're evil, as far as I'm concerned. Killing machines who care about nothing but blood and death and pain.

Something shoots out and pins me to the wall. I hold back a scream as a vampire pins my arms to the wall and snarls at me. She's going to kill me, I know she is. This is it. Forget Maria. Forget Jasper the hero. This is how I'm going to die.

I focus on the face inches from mine and I gasp because I know her. I know her.

"Jessica." I whisper.

Her eyes flicker to mine, something changing in them. Then it's gone.

"Jessica Stanley." I say, staring at her, "It's me...it's Alice Cullen. Do you remember me?"

The look she gives me makes me think she's trying to. It's always hard to remember your human life, especially insignificant things. We hardly knew each other.

"We went to High School together, we were both Juniors." I say, "Jessica, look at me. Do you remember?" She doesn't move or respond, "The cullens. Alice, Emmett, and Edward." Something sparks in her then. Of course, she had a massive crush on Edward since the day we arrived in this small town. "Edward Cullen - you remember him, right? I'm his sister, Alice."

"Alice Cullen?" Jessica asks tentatively, like she's unsure. She's trying out the name.

"That's right." I said. She looks scared, and I want to be gentle with her, but I don't have time, "Maria changed you into a vampire, didn't she?"

Jessica shook her head, "Not Maria. The boy."

"Jasper?" I ask in dismay.

"No. Not Jasper." Jessica said. Relief floods through me but I don't know why. He still did it. But not to her. Not to Jessica.

"Uh..." I try and think of the name of the other boy who worked with Jasper. The one who attacked me, "Uh...R...Rex! Was it Rex?" Jessica nodded, "I'm sorry that happened, Jessica. You shouldn't have become one of them."

Jessica loosened her hold a little, but she's still got me trapped, "You're one too...a vampire."

I nod, "But not like them. Not all vampires are like this, it's just what Maria's made you think. I only drink animal blood, not humans. We live in peace with humans - you should know, I was in the same school as you every day." She doesn't know whether to trust me, I can tell. "When you only drink from animals, your eyes are golden, not red - see?" I blink at her a few times. My voice softens, "You don't have to live like she tells you. You can live a happy, peaceful life if you want to."

"Please, Jessica, let me go." I said, "She has my family. I...I have to save them."

Jessica steps back, letting me go. I turn about to leave when she catches my wrist. Her eyes look terrified, "She won't let me go, Alice. She won't let me."

My own eyes harden. I hate her even more. It's not only my life she's ruined. Not only my family's. Not only Jasper's. It's every single one of these soldiers.

"It'll be over soon, Jessica." I tell her, "You won't have to see her ever again. You'll be free to make your own choices."

Her eyes widen in recognition, "You're not...you can't. Alice, you have no idea how powerful she is."

I shake my head and laugh, "Maybe not, but she had no idea how powerful I am."

Jessica lets me go and I head off in search of my family or Maria, whichever hits me first. Right now, with this anger bubbling inside of me, I can do anything I want.

I want her dead.

~END OF PART TWO~


Hey! Sorry its been a while after i left you on that cliffhanger ;););) i havent been getting many reviews so i wasnt sure if people still wanted the story...anyway, hope you like the update :):)