CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE:
CAROLINE P.O.V.
The ropes dug into my wrists and the bark of the tree scraped into my back as I tried to pull myself into a more comfortable position.
I was tied to one of the large trees near the shack, my hands tied around one of the branches, my feet barely able to touch the ground. I could feel the pull against my arms as my toes brushed the dirt beneath me.
Sucking in a sharp breath, pain shot through my body. Andre stood in front of me, holding the knife he had been using on me. I tried not to focus on the fact that it was dripping with my blood.
My mind raced over all of the other times I had been in this position and survived. If I held on a little bit longer I knew that Klaus would come and get me. If I could withstand torture from revenge crazed werewolves, if I could live through my father trying to condition me, then I could make it out of this alive.
"I wonder if Klaus is sitting back having a nice laugh. Imagining you're pretty face when you realise that he's never going to come for you." Andre was saying, spinning the knife in his hands. "Has it sunk in that he was just using you? Have you realised that you were just another one of his useless conquests? Another human he could fuck and then dispose of?"
I didn't reply. I hadn't spoken since Hayley had run from the shack. Tyler had been quick to subdue me, then Andre had taken me by my now short hair and hung me here. He had then proceeded to use the knife to slash thin cuts across my stomach, chest, and face.
He seemed to have enough of not getting a rise out of me, turning to the male witch and nodding his head. The next second my whole body burst into a prickling sensation…then came the pain.
Closing my eyes, I forced myself not to scream. Even though my whole body was pushing me to make a noise, I kept it in, trying to make it seem like I wasn't affected as much as I was. My brain shot to every moment I shared with Klaus, trying to forget the pain and remember the good. It didn't work.
When the pain stopped, I opened my eyes to see Andre kneeling directly in front of. He looked me up and down, his head tilted to the side.
"What I can't understand in all this mess, is that you're human but you still managed to take down three fully grown men. Two of which have supernatural strength." He smiled as he reached forward with the knife, brushing a short lock of hair out of my face. "And I know you're human. You haven't healed one bit. None of the bruises and none of the cuts have healed."
I kept my mouth shut, staring at him with wide eyes. My arms throbbed and were half-asleep as I tried to make my feet stay on the ground.
Andre growled and motioned for the witch to go again. This time the pain was twice as bad as the first time, sending shockwaves through my whole body and making me feel as though I would vomit and pass out at the same time. I tried my hardest to hold it in. I tried to act as if everything was okay. But the pain was too much.
My mouth fell open and I let out a primal scream.
Then the pain stopped. I kept my eyes closed, anticipating another stab, another wave of pain, but nothing came. Everything in the field had gone quiet. Deadly silent.
I opened my eyes and my face lit up. Standing at the other end of the clearing that we were in stood Klaus and about 20 other vampires, werewolves, and witches. Andre was facing Klaus, so I couldn't see his face, but I hoped that it was scared.
Klaus' eyes met mine and I could see the anger bubbling beneath the surface. Then something behind the trees grabbed my attention.
From in the woods more people emerged, except going from Klaus and everyone else's body language, they weren't on our side. Some of them vampires, and others were witches. I tried to stay calm as I looked at the people around me. Andre had more people, but Klaus definitely had the leverage. Half of his people couldn't be killed.
"Give it up, Andre. You're not making it out of here alive." Klaus said, seemingly perfectly calm, but I could see the panic in his eyes.
Andre growled, edging forward. "I'm done sitting back and watching you parade around like your some sort of king. You were once human, you're no better than anyone else. And that doesn't give you the right to kill whoever you want."
"You didn't seem to mind for the past 500 years when you tagged along."
Andre held up the blood covered knife, pointing it in Klaus' direction. "I was just biding my time. Waiting for you to turn weak. And it turns out, I showed up just in time for you to be at your weakest."
Klaus growled, and Andre stepped back closer to me, using the knife to cut my arms loose. Relief shot through my arms, sending a calm throb through my shoulders and wrists. The relief didn't last long as he reached forward and gripped my short hair and held me up by it. I hissed in pain, trying to think about how I could get out of this, but not coming out with anything.
Andre started to drag me back, away from the crowd of people gathered in the clearing. He thought that he could make a run for it. As soon as he managed to walk a couple of metres back, all hell broke loose and everyone on his side lunged in the direction of my saviours. Taking this in their stride they fought back with just as much force, with Klaus dodging his way through the field towards Andre and I.
#
KLAUS P.O.V.
Making my way through the throngs of people, I ducked and dodged my way past the people fighting. I didn't care about any of that, I just wanted to get to Caroline.
Looking at Andre now, I could see the pure hate he had for me, and how that hate had completely taken over his life. As long as I got Caroline out of here safe, I didn't care what happened to me.
As I made my way around the people, being stopped several times by people on Andre's side, I saw Tyler backing away behind one the run-down shacks. He knew what I would do if I got my hands on him again, I wouldn't show him anymore mercy.
"Andre, you're not getting away from here. No matter how much you think you can outsmart me. No matter what weaknesses you think that I have. You. Will. Not. Get. Away. From. Me."
Andre stopped, still holding Caroline by her hair. I could see the pain behind her eyes as she watched me, and I could hear her heart racing rapidly in her chest.
"Like Elizabeth didn't get away?" Andre snapped, pointing his knife in my direction again. I tried not to focus on the blood that dripped from the blade. "You killed her in cold blood, and I've had to live 500 years with that pain. And you deserve the same."
"Elizabeth knew what she was getting into when I acquired her. She knew that any betrayal would cause a retaliation. She went against me anyway."
"That doesn't make it okay for you to kill her. That doesn't make it okay for you to kill anyone."
"If I'm so horrible, then you're just as bad." I said, stepping even closer, causing Andre further back. "You were there right by my side throughout the centuries, killing people right by my side. You're just as bad as I am."
"Elizabeth didn't deserve to die! You could have waited another 500 years for a doppleganger to reappear. You'd already spent years cursed, what was another 500. But, instead you killed her."
"If it had been any of the other witches, would you be this upset?" I asked, stopping two metres in front of him. "If I had of killed any of the other witches, would you still feel the same way? Elizabeth knew what I would do to her. In her final letter to you, the one she didn't get to send, she knew I would kill her. She expected it from me. But, she told Katherine what would happen anyway."
Andre's jaw clenched and he gripped Caroline tighter. I watched her, trying to figure out how I could possible get her out of his way. If I lunged, would I be able to knock him out of the way without her getting hurt? If I moved closer, would he snap before I could get her away?
Dropping my voice, changing from anger to something of understanding. "If I could go back and change things in my life that I've done, I would. Every day I have to live with the lives I've taken, and the people that that's affected. It's not something that I can take back. It's not something that I have the power to change. But, what I have learnt, is that revenge gets you nowhere."
He stared at me, his face blank as he took in my words. His hard demeanour seemed to waver, and I could see Caroline looking at me with relief. I waited for him to let her go, letting him process things clearly before I pushed him further. I hoped that my honesty would get him to think more clearly.
"You regret everything that you've done?" He asked, his jaw locked and his eyes soft.
I nodded my head.
Within a heartbeat, everything changed. His face hardened further, and he moved before I could stop him. He dropped Caroline, making her fall towards the ground, then turned and grabbed her face in his hands. Then he snapped.
The noise filled my ears, the sickening crack as her head spun to the side. Then her whole body fell limp to the floor.
A/N: So…I'm sorry?