Part 14
Pandora scowled, tugging at her chains. Damn. Damn. Damn. She hated being stuck here so much. She was going to love slaughtering Jewel when she got free.
Yet no matter how hard she tugged, even with her vampiric strength. She refused to scream for help. Screaming meant saying you were weak.
And she was *not* weak.
Gritting her teeth she yanked hard on the chains, and was rewarded with an ear-splitting creak as the chain finally gave. The harder she tugged and pulled, slowly, slowly, the chains were loosening. They were coming off at the wall.
She was sweating with the effort by the time she finally got to pulling her ankles free. She was bleeding, and in pain, but didn't care, and all that mattered was getting the hell out of here.
Pulling a hairpin from her hair, she used it to pick the locks and tossed the chains to one side, grinning triumphantly.
She was about to head up the stairs when she heard voices and footsteps. She heard strange sounds, what sounded like the lock of the basement door being picked.
She stood back, frowning. It wasn't Jewel. The door swung open.
"Does anyone else get the impression that this is too easy?" Willow's voice was saying.
Pandora was surprised. Willow, Rose and Richard were coming down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Rescuing you?" Willow said.
"It's nice to know you're appreciated," Richard said sourly.
Pandora glared at him. "This is all your fault," she snapped.
"Oh shut up," he snapped back.
Pandora scowled, not sure what to do. She could have gotten out of this mess herself, and now they'd all shown up playing hero.
Rose was frowning. "You're bleeding, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Pandora said, shoving past her. "And I'm still mad at you."
She didn't care if she seemed ungrateful, this was all their fault. Forget Daybreak. She'd just work for herself. She was all that mattered.
"And where do we think we're going?"
She looked up to see Jewel had appeared at the top of the basement steps. "Oh great," she muttered.
Richard glowered at her. "What do you think you're doing?"
Jewel smiled. "Look around."
They did. Pandora watched their faces as they saw the dynamite.
Jewel continued to smile brightly. "I'm going to blow you all up. But it could all end happily."
"How?" Willow snorted.
Jewel didn't answer her. Instead she turned to Pandora, holding out a semi-automatic. Pandora frowned. "What's this for?" she asked. "Blowing your brains out?"
Jewel chuckled. "No." She gestured over at Rose. "This is all *her* fault really."
"It's not my fault," Rose protested, alarmed.
Pandora took the weapon, studying it. Jewel actually did have a point.
"She betrayed the Night World," Jewel went on. "It was your assignment to kill her, and the only reason we're trying to kill you is because you failed. Kill Rose and everything can go back to normal. And you can also kill Willow too, if you want."
"What did I do?" Willow squeaked.
Richard smiled faintly. "Even I can answer that one. You're a wussy Daybreaker," he said. "And you the most irritating person I have ever met."
Pandora laughed at that. He was of course, absolutely right. And so was Jewel. She had tried life in Daybreak, and just wasn't cut out for it. It wasn't her. She smiled at the weapon in her hands, raised it, pressed it against Willow's forehead and fired. Blood and brains sprayed out the back of Willow's head, covering Rose, who was second to fall.
"Is that sensible?" Richard asked dryly. "Shooting a gun in an area of dynamite?"
Pandora and Jewel exchanged glances. "Let's get out of here," Jewel said.
Pandora had no objections to that. Just because she had completed her assignment didn't mean she and Jewel were going to be friends now. She followed her and Richard out and to Richard's convertible parked outside the house.
"Drive," Jewel ordered, hopping in bypassing the door.
Richard shook his head. "Sensible people use doors, you know." He opened his door and got in the drivers seat. Pandora found herself in the back. Richard revved the engine and shot of down the street.
Ten minutes later, Pandora heard a loud bang. She turned in her seat and watched fire shoot up into the sky. Obviously Jewel had blown up the house and the bodies after all. A second monstrous bang followed, and somewhere else a second plume of fire and smoke shot into the night sky.
"I blew up the safe house as well," Jewel said cheerfully.
Pandora shook her head. "Can you say pyromaniac?" she muttered.
The rest of the drive was silent. Pandora hadn't asked where they were going but had guessed they were probably going back to Night World headquarters. Would the Night World have her back? She had to come up with some sort of excuse for a temporary lapse of sanity.
She tried to ignore the pit of apprehension in her stomach as Richard pulled up at the house. He seemed rather calm and collected. He'd failed his assignment.
In silence, they headed down the dark, twisting hallways, to Flame's office. Flame was sitting in her chair, a stack of paperwork on her desk. She didn't look too pleased to see Pandora.
She glared at Jewel and Richard. "Why isn't she dead yet?" she demanded. "And what the fuck is she doing waltzing in here?"
Pandora smiled faintly. "Assignment complete," she said.
Flame eyed her suspiciously. "What?"
"Rose is dead, and so is Willow, another wussy Daybreaker," she added almost as an afterthought.
Flame looked over from her to Richard and Jewel. "Is she?" she asked.
"Very," Richard said with a snicker.
Flame looked at Pandora. "So this going in to Daybreak was all just part of a plan?" she asked.
Pandora hadn't thought of that herself, but Flame had just given her the perfect excuse. "Yeah. I knew what I had to do all along."
"All ends well for her," Richard said. "But what about me?"
Pandora looked at him, shaking her head. What was the matter with him?
Flame eyed him. "Why didn't you kill Pandora? Or was this all part of her plan?"
Richard grimaced. "We're soulmates," he answered.
Flame shook her head. "I should have guessed. But the next time you plan something like this, Dora, do tell me first."
Pandora eyed Richard. He certainly was gorgeous. And all hers. So why should the poor guy suffer as human.
Before she could even ask her question Flame sighed and said, "If you want to change him, fine, just don't get mushy in here."
"Sounds good to me," Richard said.
Pandora smirked as she and Richard walked out of the mansion into the night. She'd had a little crisis, and she'd conquered it.
The best may fall sometimes, but they get up again.
THE END.
Pandora scowled, tugging at her chains. Damn. Damn. Damn. She hated being stuck here so much. She was going to love slaughtering Jewel when she got free.
Yet no matter how hard she tugged, even with her vampiric strength. She refused to scream for help. Screaming meant saying you were weak.
And she was *not* weak.
Gritting her teeth she yanked hard on the chains, and was rewarded with an ear-splitting creak as the chain finally gave. The harder she tugged and pulled, slowly, slowly, the chains were loosening. They were coming off at the wall.
She was sweating with the effort by the time she finally got to pulling her ankles free. She was bleeding, and in pain, but didn't care, and all that mattered was getting the hell out of here.
Pulling a hairpin from her hair, she used it to pick the locks and tossed the chains to one side, grinning triumphantly.
She was about to head up the stairs when she heard voices and footsteps. She heard strange sounds, what sounded like the lock of the basement door being picked.
She stood back, frowning. It wasn't Jewel. The door swung open.
"Does anyone else get the impression that this is too easy?" Willow's voice was saying.
Pandora was surprised. Willow, Rose and Richard were coming down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Rescuing you?" Willow said.
"It's nice to know you're appreciated," Richard said sourly.
Pandora glared at him. "This is all your fault," she snapped.
"Oh shut up," he snapped back.
Pandora scowled, not sure what to do. She could have gotten out of this mess herself, and now they'd all shown up playing hero.
Rose was frowning. "You're bleeding, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Pandora said, shoving past her. "And I'm still mad at you."
She didn't care if she seemed ungrateful, this was all their fault. Forget Daybreak. She'd just work for herself. She was all that mattered.
"And where do we think we're going?"
She looked up to see Jewel had appeared at the top of the basement steps. "Oh great," she muttered.
Richard glowered at her. "What do you think you're doing?"
Jewel smiled. "Look around."
They did. Pandora watched their faces as they saw the dynamite.
Jewel continued to smile brightly. "I'm going to blow you all up. But it could all end happily."
"How?" Willow snorted.
Jewel didn't answer her. Instead she turned to Pandora, holding out a semi-automatic. Pandora frowned. "What's this for?" she asked. "Blowing your brains out?"
Jewel chuckled. "No." She gestured over at Rose. "This is all *her* fault really."
"It's not my fault," Rose protested, alarmed.
Pandora took the weapon, studying it. Jewel actually did have a point.
"She betrayed the Night World," Jewel went on. "It was your assignment to kill her, and the only reason we're trying to kill you is because you failed. Kill Rose and everything can go back to normal. And you can also kill Willow too, if you want."
"What did I do?" Willow squeaked.
Richard smiled faintly. "Even I can answer that one. You're a wussy Daybreaker," he said. "And you the most irritating person I have ever met."
Pandora laughed at that. He was of course, absolutely right. And so was Jewel. She had tried life in Daybreak, and just wasn't cut out for it. It wasn't her. She smiled at the weapon in her hands, raised it, pressed it against Willow's forehead and fired. Blood and brains sprayed out the back of Willow's head, covering Rose, who was second to fall.
"Is that sensible?" Richard asked dryly. "Shooting a gun in an area of dynamite?"
Pandora and Jewel exchanged glances. "Let's get out of here," Jewel said.
Pandora had no objections to that. Just because she had completed her assignment didn't mean she and Jewel were going to be friends now. She followed her and Richard out and to Richard's convertible parked outside the house.
"Drive," Jewel ordered, hopping in bypassing the door.
Richard shook his head. "Sensible people use doors, you know." He opened his door and got in the drivers seat. Pandora found herself in the back. Richard revved the engine and shot of down the street.
Ten minutes later, Pandora heard a loud bang. She turned in her seat and watched fire shoot up into the sky. Obviously Jewel had blown up the house and the bodies after all. A second monstrous bang followed, and somewhere else a second plume of fire and smoke shot into the night sky.
"I blew up the safe house as well," Jewel said cheerfully.
Pandora shook her head. "Can you say pyromaniac?" she muttered.
The rest of the drive was silent. Pandora hadn't asked where they were going but had guessed they were probably going back to Night World headquarters. Would the Night World have her back? She had to come up with some sort of excuse for a temporary lapse of sanity.
She tried to ignore the pit of apprehension in her stomach as Richard pulled up at the house. He seemed rather calm and collected. He'd failed his assignment.
In silence, they headed down the dark, twisting hallways, to Flame's office. Flame was sitting in her chair, a stack of paperwork on her desk. She didn't look too pleased to see Pandora.
She glared at Jewel and Richard. "Why isn't she dead yet?" she demanded. "And what the fuck is she doing waltzing in here?"
Pandora smiled faintly. "Assignment complete," she said.
Flame eyed her suspiciously. "What?"
"Rose is dead, and so is Willow, another wussy Daybreaker," she added almost as an afterthought.
Flame looked over from her to Richard and Jewel. "Is she?" she asked.
"Very," Richard said with a snicker.
Flame looked at Pandora. "So this going in to Daybreak was all just part of a plan?" she asked.
Pandora hadn't thought of that herself, but Flame had just given her the perfect excuse. "Yeah. I knew what I had to do all along."
"All ends well for her," Richard said. "But what about me?"
Pandora looked at him, shaking her head. What was the matter with him?
Flame eyed him. "Why didn't you kill Pandora? Or was this all part of her plan?"
Richard grimaced. "We're soulmates," he answered.
Flame shook her head. "I should have guessed. But the next time you plan something like this, Dora, do tell me first."
Pandora eyed Richard. He certainly was gorgeous. And all hers. So why should the poor guy suffer as human.
Before she could even ask her question Flame sighed and said, "If you want to change him, fine, just don't get mushy in here."
"Sounds good to me," Richard said.
Pandora smirked as she and Richard walked out of the mansion into the night. She'd had a little crisis, and she'd conquered it.
The best may fall sometimes, but they get up again.
THE END.