Chapter Twenty-Nine: Eyes Wide Awake
A/N: Yup yup yup. It's been too long. Hope everyone's staying safe and healthy during these times :)
Now let's see where this story goes!
Enjoy!
Perspective: Katherine
-x-x-x-
"The worst nightmares are experienced with eyes wide awake."
-Midara
A frozen ceiling.
The biting crisp of the cold vented air.
Your breath. In puffs.
It's cold. So cold.
You feel, with heightened intensity, the way your surroundings shift as your eyes blur and your heart slows.
Even the warmth of your own blood is gone as it freezes between your fingers.
Robero's eyes. They're the same dull eyes that you'd seen the last time your gaze had drifted onto him.
But as lifeless as they are, they penetrate your soul.
You shut your own.
-x-x-x-
A dark figure appears.
It hovers over you.
And that fear that's been holding you?
It swallows you whole.
-x-x-x-
There's a high ringing.
A pitch.
A buzz.
Your lashes flutter but your eyes don't stay open.
Flickering. Fluttering.
Your chest heaves quick and short breaths that hurt. That burn.
A bright light is covered by the shadows.
And the pain.
Oh god.
When you move, you feel it.
The hands on you. Strong and firm.
There're voices but you can't hear.
You don't understand.
You twist and turn but you barely move.
The pain is pulsating, spreading over your torso throughout your entire body like fire.
It hurts.
Make it stop.
Please.
-x-x-x-
"Salvatore. Damon Salvatore."
His voice reverberates in your ear.
You died.
You were sure of it.
Thing is, why was this ass the first person you saw?
You were sure—sure—that your mother would've been the first to meet you.
In hindsight, that should've been a clue.
Damon isn't dead. Your mother is.
You shake your head.
-x-x-x-
There's a fog.
There wasn't a fog that night, but you still know where you are and what you're doing here.
If only you could turn back.
You shiver, feeling tears on your face as you look down.
A deep cut has your right hand shaking and you glare at the person in front of you.
"What've you done?"
Your cousin kisses his teeth in a reprimanding way, shaking a finger and showing you. "His blood. Your hands."
Below where you kneel, Jeremy's lifeless body begins to rot, his flesh seeping into the soil and leaves only his bones.
Despite this, his skull turns to you.
His voice.
It's haunting.
"Liar!"
-x-x-x-
Your face scrunches up even before you fully wake up.
You blink, focusing as you grit your teeth at the sharp waves of pain in your side. There's a pounding in your temples and your entire body aches and slowly, that sharp pain turns even sharper. Your hand travels over your stomach, holding your wound for a moment before realizing the material underneath your fingers.
Bandages?
When did you get these—?
You look down, feeling with your hand and seeing that your whole torso is wrapped with it.
Your left hand comes up as well but stops short.
A handcuff?
You pull at it weakly before giving up, knowing full well it won't come off with just force.
Your teeth chatter as you shiver, running a hand over your face.
Why is it so cold?
And where the hell are you?
You blink through blurry eyes and realize you've been here before… Right?
It looks familiar.
You attempt to get up only to fail.
With a cry, you end up staring at the ceiling.
A frozen ceiling.
That thought makes you shiver more as you recall. You'd been in a freezer.
With Robero's dead body.
My god.
Robero's dead.
And Markos—Markos had thrown you in there on Tobias command. And Amelia…
Your free hand covers your mouth.
You were dead… are dead?
You'd survived somehow… or is this not real? Are you alive? You doubt you'd feel this much pain in heaven, but then again, who says you aren't in hell? No. You shake your head. Someone had helped you… or Tobias came back, bluffing on his threat. Neither makes you feel good.
You need to find a way out of here.
There's a cellphone on the table by the bed.
You reach for it but stop when your cuffed wrist pulls you back and your side protests at the stretch.
Fuck.
You wait for a moment for the pain to subside before trying again, pausing only when you hear something outside the door.
Voices.
Fuck. You repeat, unable to reach the phone before the door bursts open.
You pull your hand back, and watch as a man strides in, followed by another who moves in front of him.
"Stop. Don't do this."
"This is insane, Damon. She's dangerous."
"She isn't."
"She bombed a fucking motel in Maryland. Twelve people died. She's a terrorist. You need to turn her in."
"No, I don't. Give me the key, Zach."
Zach Salvatore sees that you're awake. Your eyes meet and you can feel his disdain even from here.
"The police aren't the only ones looking for her. The FBI is. The whole damn country is!"
"I know."
"If you don't tell your father where she is, I will."
"Go ahead. Good luck with your phone. Now give me the key or—"
"Or what? You'll hurt me?"
"Don't tempt me."
"Damon?" you cut in, only getting the gist of their conversation and unsure. How did you get here?
You almost don't say anything, knowing that if Zach is going to contact the authorities, keeping the older Salvatore silent would be the only logical move here.
Damon turns to you and then looks back at his uncle with a shake of his head. "Look, Zach. That video footage. She has what we need to finally avenge Stefan. Give me two hours."
"Two hours? And then what?"
"We can call Giuseppe. Please."
You shift a little.
Zach scrutinizes his nephew, shooting you a glare but then taking his leave.
"One hour," he decides, "and then I'm coming back with your father."
Damon huffs, annoyed. "He took the key."
You rub your head and shut your eyes for a moment. When you open them, he's at your side.
"So, you do live here," you conclude, confirming your suspicions. You eye the door Zach left from for a moment. "You'd think a liar wouldn't actually bring you to their house."
"If I had more than one house maybe I'd have had more options."
You don't feel well at all, but that doesn't stop you from rolling your eyes.
"I'm not giving you jack in an hour," you say simply.
"I know," Damon nods. "But he doesn't know that. We'll be gone before he comes back."
"Why am I tied up…?"
"Zach barged in here before, saw you and threatened to call the police. Hold still." He holds your arm, rubbing alcohol with a cotton ball. You shirk at his cold hands.
"What is that?" you ask as the needle pierces your skin.
"Morphine. How are you feeling?"
"Crap," you say honestly, taking him in for a moment. The last time you'd seen him, you'd abruptly left him at a meeting room in Port Hill.
A beat.
You mind catches up. This is real, right? You doubt the afterlife would consist of you trying to recover from Tobias' insanity.
"How did you find—ugh, fuck," you moan at the sudden rush of pain before the drugs kick in, reminding you—as if you'd forget—that you'd been stabbed months ago and still it persists. Sage.
"Hey." Damon strokes your hair back, comforting.
You shiver at his touch. "You're freezing."
"No. You have a fever," he explains, pulling your blanket up to your chin. "You need to take some medi—"
You blink at the way his voice drowns out. You feel so weary.
Wait.
This isn't the time. You still have so many questions.
Not yet.
Your body doesn't hear you, shutting down instead.
-x-x-x-
When you wake again, your left hand is being tugged at and you can hear the tiny clinking of metal.
Damon is picking the cuff's lock.
You breathe, blinking at the ceiling. You're shivering. But… as cold as you feel, you're glad you're no longer in a box with below freezing temperature.
You flinch, biting your lip at the terrifying thought.
Attempting to get your mind off that, your eyes wander to your unsuspecting companion. He looks up when you move your hand.
"You're awake. Good." He comments, "Maybe you can help me with these. Zach took the keys."
It hasn't been an hour yet. Not if Zach Salvatore has yet to come back with that FBI escort he promised.
"I heard," you say with a raspy voice, moving to sit up.
"Whoa," he stands and holds a hand to your shoulder. "My lockpicking skills might be a little rusty but I don't actually need your help with this."
You don't resist his hand, doubting you'd actually be able to get up anyhow.
He offers you some water before going back to picking the lock.
For a moment, you lay there, eyes searching the ceiling as your mind races. Safe? From Tobias? Your safe here. Yes. You must be. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be here. In a bed. Nauseous but… but safe.
Right?
"How did you find me?" you ask before you could dwell too much on that terrible feeling of fear.
Tobias had taken you to a remote location, hadn't he? Unless he hadn't. You wouldn't be surprised if you'd been in the city and in plain sight, paraded in front of millions of people. At this point, what's stopping you from believing Tobias Pierce can get away with anything?
"Your text," Damon answers. "Luckily, I was already at the hotel."
"You were?" you ask, astonished.
He nods, "No matter what happened, I told you I was looking for Robero, didn't I?"
Irritation creeps up at the pointed way he brought up his last words. He'd promised that that was what he'd do, but the last time you had spoken to him in person, you hadn't taken him seriously, too mad at his deception. Or at least… you were—you are mad you'd fallen for it not once, but twice.
You wince when he twists the cuffs a little too far, "Ow."
"Shit, sorry," he apologizes, pausing for a second. "I spoke to the old man, actually. That's why I was there, and I was just about to go home when I got your message."
"Robero… he's…"
"Dead, yes. I checked."
You knew this but you had to make sure.
Unsure of how to feel, you look away. For uncertain reasons, the old man had sold you out. Why should you feel bad that he's dead? He might as well have signed his death when he promised you his testimony against Tobias and then refused to deliver. He knew exactly what he was doing when he began working for the Pierces long before you were even born.
You want to feel apathetic. Or better yet, disappointed that he can't help you now that he's dead, but neither of those things are what you feel when you think about the old man.
The gun shots in that kitchen.
The sickening thud as he dropped.
His haunting lifeless stare now forever associated with the burning cold sensation in your lungs.
The way he and Graciella literally raised you from childhood after Amelia… left.
Your heart is beating too fast to even pretend.
"Hey."
You only look to Damon when he touches your face.
"We'll get him," he asserts. His expression is steeled, and his jaw is clenched, and you know his determination isn't just for you.
Damon has his own reasons for hating Tobias and a part of you wishes he had just told you from the beginning.
Your eyes roll at the fleeting thought.
"Robero gave me something."
Your ears perk up.
"A letter. A confession of Tobias coercing him to lie about your whereabouts that night."
"What?"
"In his handwriting," he confirms, and then solemnly adds, "He also asked me to apologize to you."
"Apologize…?" you murmur to yourself as Damon unlocks the cuff. He rubs your wrist, and you try not to think about how much an apology from a dead man is making you think. "Where's this letter?"
"Safe."
Your eyes narrow. "You want to trade it for the video at the dock?"
"As tempting as that sounds, no. We already agreed to something for that video, and I intend to keep my end of the bargain. Besides, it's not safe on either of us."
His "end of the bargain" is to help clear your name. And if you go to the police now with Robero's letter and the diner video of you and Jeremy on the night of Viktor's murder, you know that that's enough to do just that.
At least for Viktor's death, that is. For you and even Damon, that isn't enough.
Tobias had gotten his brother, Stefan, killed. And the public still thinks you bombed a Maryland motel and Tobias needs to pay for framing you once again—for killing Robero and for almost killing you—and that isn't going to happen if you don't have any undeniable evidence that he deserves worse than just being behind bars for the rest of his life.
Shivering, you cross your arms under the blanket. You feel the bandages across your torso as the fatigue of holding conversation catches up with you.
"Why is it so cold?"
"Fever, remember?" Damon answers from afar, fetching something from his dresser. "Oh no, you don't."
Your attention jolts at his hand shaking your arm.
"You still need to take some medicine for your fever. Don't go passing out again."
"I'm not," you deny.
"Could've fooled me," you hear him as your exhaustion overwhelms you once more.
-x-x-x-
"Hello, Katherine."
That voice.
Tobias.
Fear pierces your chest making you gasp.
You want to run away but you're stuck, sitting on a metal seat in a metal room. A kitchen.
"Last I checked, we weren't finished with our conversation."
He stoops low as your terror rises, and you blink at the distortion. Your surroundings aren't as clear as you remember. A dream. This has to be a dream.
Cold hands grip you by your chin and you look to Tobias, "You could only wish this was a dream."
His laugh is maniacal, and, in an instant, you aren't on a chair anymore.
Strong arms hold you from behind.
"Don't fight the inevitable, Katherine," this time Markos hisses this in your ear, "You'll only make it worse."
"No!"
Tobias brandishes a sword, holding it to your face before plunging it into your heart.
You jolt and the hands around you tighten their grip.
You scream, fighting with all the might you didn't have the first time and the pair of hands loosen but not enough to let you go.
"No!"
"Katherine. Katherine!" It sounds like a shout, but it can't be any more than a loud whisper as you realize how close the voice is to your ear.
"It's me."
Damon.
"It's Damon. You're safe."
Your chest rises and falls with each shallow breath and you can hear blood rushing through your veins, but you stop, still shaking from the memory. Your teeth chatter from the cold and you bite your lip in an attempt to stop it from quivering.
"You're okay," Damon reassures, rubbing your arm, and you try not to cry.
You shut your eyes and open them a moment later to blink at the dark.
There's a muffled echo of loud music and… people in the distance. A large crowd.
The world sways, creaking and jumping on bumps on the road. Your jaw clenches at a particularly rougher pothole.
Damon steadies you repeating the reassurance.
When light doesn't replace the darkness, you have to ask, "Where are we?"
"On the way out of the city in the back of a moving truck."
Even though it's too dark to see, your other senses tell you that you're in a big space.
"A friend of mine is transporting us out of the city."
"You can trust them?"
"Of course. He's discreet. Won't say a word."
His response doesn't quell your doubt. (Your paranoia?) "Sounds suspicious…"
Damon chuckles a little, but you're serious. If the last year has taught you anything, it's that everyone you thought you knew has already betrayed you in some way.
"I won't dispute that, but he's trustworthy. He's got my back."
The perfect place to stab the unexpecting, you think, pessimistic. Robero, Markos… your mother… you— "Elena!" you startle.
How could you forget? After getting rid of you, Tobias had made it abundantly clear that his next target was—no, is Elena.
"Zach mentioned your twin. Where is she?"
"Tobias. He…"
"Was she there?" Damon questions, alarmed at the possibility of missing someone at the freezer.
You shake your head.
Damon makes a noise like he understands, "What do you need?"
"A—a phone."
He shuffles a little, taking out his phone and turning it on facing out so it doesn't blind either of you. You squint, just barely seeing your surroundings. The back of a truck is filled with boxes and skids all around. You suspect they're nailed down because nothing moves from its spot.
Damon places the phone in your hand.
The brightness of the screen is blinding. It hurts your head, and you stop dialing when focusing on it makes you feel dizzy.
"What's her number?" he asks, taking the phone back.
You tell him the number of Elena's burner and you hear the ringing over the loud noise just outside the truck.
You'd left Elena at the cabin. She had run away after finding out about your connection to Jeremy and how you'd deliberately kept that from her. Your heart sinks at the thought of having left her with Trevor.
You trusted him to hide you, but you shouldn't put it past him to hand Elena over to your uncle. After all, given your recent track record with anyone Pierce-related, it seems you'd underestimated the loyalty everyone had to Tobias. Everyone you thought you could trust. You're an idiot.
When you hear the dial tone, Damon decides to try again.
Your heart sinks further when she doesn't pick up again.
"Katherine, she's not answering… Let me try again."
"No. Don't." Dammit. "How—how long since…?"
"I found you?" he finishes. "Almost a day now. The sun just set."
Assuming she's not at the cabin anymore, you know of one other place she would go. Back home. You can't decide if that's any better than staying with a potentially disloyal Trevor.
You wonder if you can call him without alerting Tobias.
The crowd outside sounds closer. Not right-at-the-door closer but closer than before. The music is loud, and the celebration is a stark contrast to how your mind races.
"What are you doing?" you ask Damon when you hear the phone ringing again.
"I've been trying to call our friend since I found you actually."
Our friend? "Kol?"
He hums his confirmation.
You find that odd. Especially if the whole day has gone by and he hasn't called back. Kol isn't the type to leave you hanging, even if to just satisfy his curiosity.
"Tobias intended to kill you. You need to stay under the radar." And the Mikaelsons can help with that. If they want to. "We can't have him finding out you're not dead."
The thought forms a lump in your throat, and you clench your jaw, shifting a bit.
"Hey. I told you you're safe. He won't get to you."
"I…" you lick your lips. You want to say that you know that, but you can't lie to yourself.
You've been scared of Tobias before but this feeling? It's straight up terror. His stare, his breath on your face. His fingers tearing through your side like paper. You shiver.
Damon doesn't say anything, hanging up his phone when Kol doesn't answer again.
"Damon," you say after a long moment. Long enough that you no longer hear the crowd in the city. "Thank you."
A deep breath leaves his lips, "Of course."
"No, I mean," you grip his arm as you blink away the tears in your eyes. "You saved my life, Damon. Thank you."
He nods, as solemn as you for a moment. "Safe to assume I'm forgiven then?"
You shake your head, refusing to wipe any stray tears and half hoping he doesn't hear the vulnerability that had been in your voice. "I don't think so."
He chuckles, but the slightly tighter grip confirms his perception. You sit in another silence, this one more comfortable than the last.
Damon's hand moves up to your forehead.
"How are you feeling? You're still really warm."
"Chilly."
"That's because you haven't had any medicine yet. Remind me to give you some when we make a stop."
"Where are we going?" you ask, not clear if he's answered already.
"We're staying in-state, if that's what you're asking," he dodges. "State borders are being monitored right now. Especially with your other friends running around causing chaos."
You must be really fatigued because it takes a moment to understand. Sage, Jules, Keri, Hannah, and Bonnie. The only other "escapees" that the public knows about. The one from the news but weren't even on the bus.
"They're not my friends… Pretty confident they're still in Port Hill."
"You escaped by yourself?"
"No…" you turn your head towards him but it's still too dark to see. "You of all people should know. You can't believe everything you see on the news."
He hums his agreement.
You close your eyes for a moment and when the truck sways to another lane, you feel like you just woke up.
"Hey. You okay?"
You nod, frustrated as you realize that you have just woken up. "How long…"
"Huh?"
"I keep passing out…"
"Just a few minutes. You need the rest."
"No. I need to find Elena."
"I've been trying her number. And Kol. Sometimes he ignores me, but I've got a bad feeling about this."
Kol getting in trouble? Likely. But you have the same odd feeling as Damon.
And if Elena isn't calling back after all these attempts, that must mean something's already happened to her.
You can probably call Trevor, but if he isn't on your side, you can't have him informing Tobias. Damon saved your life, but if you're going to find Elena, you know you need more help than he can offer. But Kol isn't answering his phone either.
You hesitate a little. You need to fight fire with fire, but… 'No. No "buts." Just do it.'
Feeling for the phone, you dial a familiar number.
"Who are you calling?"
"Mikaelsons... Other Mikaelsons," you say as the person on the other end picks up.
"Kol?" Freya asks, alarmingly urgent.
"Freya."
The next words from the Mikaelson actually scare you, "Oh thank god, Elena."
Your dread sinks deeper.
"Frey, please tell me you know where she is."
There's a beat.
The loudest silence blares into your ears.
Your rapid heart beat.
Damon's breath.
The roar of the truck.
"Oh my god, Katherine?"
'Yes,' you mean to reply but you freeze. Freya assumed Kol was with Elena, but she was relieved? What had happened? How had she ended up with the Mikaelsons? And according to Freya's tone she was concerned about Elena and Kol's whereabouts…
"No. My name is Damon Salvatore," Damon introduces himself, taking over from your pause. He has the call on speaker.
Elena left Trevor's cabin and somehow ended up with Kol? And now, they're missing?
It's Tobias. He's already found her.
You would never put it past him to get to her so quickly, but you'd hoped that he wasn't so lucky.
"If you want to see Katherine again, you'll bring that and meet me at coordinates I'll send you."
Your brows furrow at Damon's tone. He hangs up.
"What are you doing?"
"Kol has something he's been refusing to hand over. I need it, and Freya will find it for me."
"You're trading me," you state, more surprised at his gall. Or is it wit?
Much as you love them, the Mikaelsons are the type to help you find what you need and then chuck it into the ocean because you pissed them off. Even Freya, occasionally. The Pierces may have taught you to survive but the Mikaelsons made sure you learned to always have the upper hand. Thinking two steps ahead, Damon must know that they'd likely kill him the second he drops you off, saving your life be damned.
"I wouldn't say trade. That makes you sound like a commodity, and you're anything but."
"Damn right," you mutter, and he chuckles. You would've done the same thing, except dealing with Freya was one thing; making a threat though, that made this "trade" a whole family affair. "You should've let me talk to her."
"Hey. I won't let anything happen to you."
"I know," you say, closing your eyes in the dark. 'But Freya doesn't.'
"Elena was with Kol, who Freya said she lost contact with about an hour or so ago."
Your eyes shoot open. "That recent?"
"She said they went to the city looking for you."
Logically, you wouldn't even know where to start but still you say, "We need to go back. We need to—"
"Don't. The Mikaelsons are looking for them. There's nothing that you can do that they can't."
You grovel because it's true. You hate that he's right.
"You're worried. I get it."
You shake your head, groveling deeper at the fact that, any way you frame it, if anything happens to Elena, it'll be because of you.
"Ask them about it when you meet up. There's no use worrying about it right now."
Right. But that doesn't mean you have to like it.
A jerk has the truck hopping over a sudden pothole, and you clench your teeth; whimpering at the pain and waiting for it to subside.
Damon shifts a little. "You probably want to know how I found you," he breaks the silence, using this as a distraction.
"You already said," you breathe.
He'd been in the area. Had even spoken to Robero.
"I know, but you keep passing out on me. Listen," he shakes you lightly. "I tried looking for you when I got your message."
God, you're tired. Consciously, you take a deep breath, your mind jumping to the ambush at the elevator.
"I went back to Robero's room, but he was gone."
"So, he was there…" Living there in hiding, you mean to say. Tobias hadn't placed the old man at the Marriott just to lure you; Robero had actually been hiding out there like Freya had found.
"Yeah, but you weren't. I thought I'd just missed you, but then I saw one of Tobias' men. I followed them to an unfinished building across the city. It was a while, but I got a few dozen pictures of them coming in and out before I went in myself and found you two."
The thought makes your heart race. You rub your face, drowning the phantom whirring of the freezer fan with the roaring of the truck you now sit in. You try to ignore your mind telling you that this current box might as well be the same as the other.
You focus on Damon's voice.
"I'm no doctor but you were in there long enough to maybe get frostbite. Can you feel your fingers?"
You look at your hand… or you try to look at your hand in the pitch dark before rubbing the tips of your fingers. You're shaking but you haven't lost feeling.
You nod, "Yes."
"Perfect."
He pauses again letting the engine sound drown you and the rumble of the truck reverberate.
It's freezing, but you have a feeling if you weren't sitting in Damon's arms, you'd be even colder. You find yourself nuzzling into his warmth despite wanting to move away.
You hear a resigned sigh.
You feel so tired. So tired that you don't care for the conversational distraction anymore. You just want… to close your eyes.
You fall asleep.
