Chapter Ten
Abby stopped dead in her tracks. The pictures in her mind were clear and strong.
Joshua, pinned to the couch, inches away from being staked.
Alison, struggling across the room, inches away from being bitten. Her screams muffled by the hand covering her mouth.
"Let her go." Rafe pleading, dropping the stake to the floor. "Just let her go."
Livvie turned from her place on the steps and looked back at Abby. That girl was so weird, she thought. How the hell would she even know where Rafe is? I shouldn't have asked her to help me. And why on earth were they here? She already knew this place. This was their place, hers and Caleb's.
The mere thought of Caleb brought it fresh in her mind again. How could he be dead? How could he leave her so alone? She could still feel him. She closed her eyes and could almost hear him calling for her. She fought against collapsing right there are the steps, full of longing for him.
If she could just find Rafe, she could be with Caleb again. Only he could put her out of her misery. She was sure Rafe would be all too happy to kill her after all she'd done to him and his precious Alison.
Livvie looked over impatiently at Abby and finally decided to try to get her out of whatever trance was that she was in. Abby continued to stare into space - her eyes clouded over behind those serious looking glasses.
"Hey! Hello? Abby?" Livvie waved her hand in front of Abby's face.
Abby acted like she couldn't even hear Livvie's voice. The fact was, she really couldn't. It was because her mind was still caught up in the visions, and the pictures were changing - quickly. Now she saw Caleb, still locked in his cell. He was trying everything he could do to escape. He called out again and again...
"Olivia."
There was more, she could see it. In the end they would all be held in cells. Rafe with Livvie, Alison with Caleb. It all would happen here. In this place. And soon.
"Livvie." Abby spoke finally, turning to her.
"Where the hell did you go? You were like a zombie or something for a minute there."
"He's here." Abby said softly.
"Who's here? Rafe?"
"No, Caleb."
"I don't believe you."
"It's true."
"Shut your lying mouth! Caleb's dead." Livvie turned to her, her eyes full of tears of rage.
"Livvie, he's not dead. He's here, being held prisoner."
"If you are lying to me - I swear, I swear, I will kill you." Livvie's eyes grew angrier still, and began to glow a ghoulish yellow.
"No, I wouldn't lie to you. He's downstairs. Underneath. Go to the bottom of the stairs and turn to the left. He's there. Locked in a cell. You'll be able to hear him. He's calling for you." Although she looked straight at her, Abby didn't seem to see Livvie at all.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Be careful, there's a guard down there. Just outside the door. In a few minutes, Joshua will call him away, then you'll have your chance" Abby continued, not paying attention at all to what Livvie was saying.
Livvie thought for a minute, but figured she had nothing to lose at the moment. She ran past Abby without a so much as a second glance and headed into the villa.
Her mind clear at last, Abby just stood there, at a loss as to what to do next.
God. How in the world could she stop this?
Well, until she could figure it out, she guessed she should at least get out of sight. Abby searched and decided she should go to the top of the stairs. She raced up, nearly taking two steps at a time. Ducking behind a pillar, she fought to catch her breath.
A few seconds later, she saw Rafe run past, almost a blur.
Be careful, Abby pleaded to him silently, just be careful.
Maybe I should go in after him, she thought. Though really, at this point, I'd just distract them all and put them in more danger. No one but Livvie knows I even exist.
She thought again about what she had just seen. She knew for a fact that Livvie would be happier if she was with Caleb - even if they were locked in separate cells. She knew also, since she had seen them all locked down there together that it would all be okay.
This time.
She could hear their struggle before she saw them, the man holding Alison, dragging her, kicking and screaming, up the stairs. The sound of her cries were heart wrenching.
It's going to be OK - Abby tried with all her might to make Alison hear her thoughts. Rafe's already there.
Abby looked again at the door, still debating as to what she should do.
She knew in her heart what would be best.
"I need to wait." she said to herself. " It isn't time yet".
***********
Ian ran through the open door into Lucy's house, knowing that something was horribly wrong.
Moments later, he found her, lying on the ground near the couch, incredibly, frighteningly still.
He knelt next to her and searched for a pulse, and thanked God when he felt it beating strongly.
Ian cradled her in his arms, pleading with her to wake up and talk to him, so that he would know she was truly OK.
Her eyes fluttered open and looked at him sadly. "Alison."
"Shhh, Lucy. It's alright."
"No! No! It's not alright. He took her. My God, Ian! He took Alison."
"There, shh, just relax now. There's my girl. What are you talking about?"
"No stop, Ian. It's Frank. He's been turned. He came here and took her. He has her. He has Alison."
Ian smoothed her hair away from her face "OK, Lucy wait, calm down a bit. Maybe you're wrong. Maybe - "
Lucy pushed at Ian's hands and sat up a bit too quickly, fighting the dizziness once again. It passed, finally, and she turned her head around and saw them, lying on the carpet.
Alison's cell phone. And a small piece of paper.
Her heart filled with dread, she reached out and grabbed the note. The tears in her eyes spilled over and ran down her face. She didn't think it was possible, but after reading the words Rafe had scribbled to Alison so quickly, she felt even worse than she had before.
"Angel -
I wanted to stay and watch you sleep, but knew if I did, I'd never be able to leave.
I'll be fine, and so will you. Please -- don't worry. Lucy will keep you safe until I can bring you home.
I love you more than you could ever dream of."
"Oh my God, I couldn't stop him, Ian. I let him just walk in and take her. If something should happen to Alison - Rafe will never - he'll never, ever forgive me. He trusted me to take care of her and I didn't. I didn't. I just let him take her." She held Rafe's note out to Ian and looked at him blindly, her body shaking with sobs.
He took the note from her hand and put it aside as he pulled her back into his arms.
"Shh, Lucy. C'mon.let's get you to the hospital. I want to make sure you're OK."
"Ian - NO! Listen to me. Frank, he took Alison. He's a vampire. We have to find Rafe. We have to tell him."
Ian's arms held her tighter as she tried to fight him.
"OK, and we will. I just need to check you out first."
"Ian.please" she continued to plead with him. "We can't let this happen!"
"We won't. It'll be fine. After I'm sure you're well, we'll get to Rafe. Don't you worry, we'll find him. And we'll find Alison."
Lucy wished with all her heart that she could believe him.
Abby stopped dead in her tracks. The pictures in her mind were clear and strong.
Joshua, pinned to the couch, inches away from being staked.
Alison, struggling across the room, inches away from being bitten. Her screams muffled by the hand covering her mouth.
"Let her go." Rafe pleading, dropping the stake to the floor. "Just let her go."
Livvie turned from her place on the steps and looked back at Abby. That girl was so weird, she thought. How the hell would she even know where Rafe is? I shouldn't have asked her to help me. And why on earth were they here? She already knew this place. This was their place, hers and Caleb's.
The mere thought of Caleb brought it fresh in her mind again. How could he be dead? How could he leave her so alone? She could still feel him. She closed her eyes and could almost hear him calling for her. She fought against collapsing right there are the steps, full of longing for him.
If she could just find Rafe, she could be with Caleb again. Only he could put her out of her misery. She was sure Rafe would be all too happy to kill her after all she'd done to him and his precious Alison.
Livvie looked over impatiently at Abby and finally decided to try to get her out of whatever trance was that she was in. Abby continued to stare into space - her eyes clouded over behind those serious looking glasses.
"Hey! Hello? Abby?" Livvie waved her hand in front of Abby's face.
Abby acted like she couldn't even hear Livvie's voice. The fact was, she really couldn't. It was because her mind was still caught up in the visions, and the pictures were changing - quickly. Now she saw Caleb, still locked in his cell. He was trying everything he could do to escape. He called out again and again...
"Olivia."
There was more, she could see it. In the end they would all be held in cells. Rafe with Livvie, Alison with Caleb. It all would happen here. In this place. And soon.
"Livvie." Abby spoke finally, turning to her.
"Where the hell did you go? You were like a zombie or something for a minute there."
"He's here." Abby said softly.
"Who's here? Rafe?"
"No, Caleb."
"I don't believe you."
"It's true."
"Shut your lying mouth! Caleb's dead." Livvie turned to her, her eyes full of tears of rage.
"Livvie, he's not dead. He's here, being held prisoner."
"If you are lying to me - I swear, I swear, I will kill you." Livvie's eyes grew angrier still, and began to glow a ghoulish yellow.
"No, I wouldn't lie to you. He's downstairs. Underneath. Go to the bottom of the stairs and turn to the left. He's there. Locked in a cell. You'll be able to hear him. He's calling for you." Although she looked straight at her, Abby didn't seem to see Livvie at all.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Be careful, there's a guard down there. Just outside the door. In a few minutes, Joshua will call him away, then you'll have your chance" Abby continued, not paying attention at all to what Livvie was saying.
Livvie thought for a minute, but figured she had nothing to lose at the moment. She ran past Abby without a so much as a second glance and headed into the villa.
Her mind clear at last, Abby just stood there, at a loss as to what to do next.
God. How in the world could she stop this?
Well, until she could figure it out, she guessed she should at least get out of sight. Abby searched and decided she should go to the top of the stairs. She raced up, nearly taking two steps at a time. Ducking behind a pillar, she fought to catch her breath.
A few seconds later, she saw Rafe run past, almost a blur.
Be careful, Abby pleaded to him silently, just be careful.
Maybe I should go in after him, she thought. Though really, at this point, I'd just distract them all and put them in more danger. No one but Livvie knows I even exist.
She thought again about what she had just seen. She knew for a fact that Livvie would be happier if she was with Caleb - even if they were locked in separate cells. She knew also, since she had seen them all locked down there together that it would all be okay.
This time.
She could hear their struggle before she saw them, the man holding Alison, dragging her, kicking and screaming, up the stairs. The sound of her cries were heart wrenching.
It's going to be OK - Abby tried with all her might to make Alison hear her thoughts. Rafe's already there.
Abby looked again at the door, still debating as to what she should do.
She knew in her heart what would be best.
"I need to wait." she said to herself. " It isn't time yet".
***********
Ian ran through the open door into Lucy's house, knowing that something was horribly wrong.
Moments later, he found her, lying on the ground near the couch, incredibly, frighteningly still.
He knelt next to her and searched for a pulse, and thanked God when he felt it beating strongly.
Ian cradled her in his arms, pleading with her to wake up and talk to him, so that he would know she was truly OK.
Her eyes fluttered open and looked at him sadly. "Alison."
"Shhh, Lucy. It's alright."
"No! No! It's not alright. He took her. My God, Ian! He took Alison."
"There, shh, just relax now. There's my girl. What are you talking about?"
"No stop, Ian. It's Frank. He's been turned. He came here and took her. He has her. He has Alison."
Ian smoothed her hair away from her face "OK, Lucy wait, calm down a bit. Maybe you're wrong. Maybe - "
Lucy pushed at Ian's hands and sat up a bit too quickly, fighting the dizziness once again. It passed, finally, and she turned her head around and saw them, lying on the carpet.
Alison's cell phone. And a small piece of paper.
Her heart filled with dread, she reached out and grabbed the note. The tears in her eyes spilled over and ran down her face. She didn't think it was possible, but after reading the words Rafe had scribbled to Alison so quickly, she felt even worse than she had before.
"Angel -
I wanted to stay and watch you sleep, but knew if I did, I'd never be able to leave.
I'll be fine, and so will you. Please -- don't worry. Lucy will keep you safe until I can bring you home.
I love you more than you could ever dream of."
"Oh my God, I couldn't stop him, Ian. I let him just walk in and take her. If something should happen to Alison - Rafe will never - he'll never, ever forgive me. He trusted me to take care of her and I didn't. I didn't. I just let him take her." She held Rafe's note out to Ian and looked at him blindly, her body shaking with sobs.
He took the note from her hand and put it aside as he pulled her back into his arms.
"Shh, Lucy. C'mon.let's get you to the hospital. I want to make sure you're OK."
"Ian - NO! Listen to me. Frank, he took Alison. He's a vampire. We have to find Rafe. We have to tell him."
Ian's arms held her tighter as she tried to fight him.
"OK, and we will. I just need to check you out first."
"Ian.please" she continued to plead with him. "We can't let this happen!"
"We won't. It'll be fine. After I'm sure you're well, we'll get to Rafe. Don't you worry, we'll find him. And we'll find Alison."
Lucy wished with all her heart that she could believe him.