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For the second time in as many days, Lamika awakened to discomfort and disorientation. She groaned.
'Ohhhh… Lucifer, give me strength… and to think that all I wanted was to die… this is getting to be quite ridiculous.'
She sighed to herself while trying to shake out of her confused mental state. The first thing she noticed was the lights. Their brightness, and something else about them that she could not ascertain, caused her to squint almost in pain. The next thing she noticed was that she was restrained.
'What? What is the meaning of this?'
She pulled at her wrist straps, and then at the ankle straps that also had her tied down to the bed. Her rage began to manifest as she began to summon her strength in an attempt to free herself. After a few moments of effort, she realized that she had not budged the restraints even an inch. The lights, plus the fact that she hadn't fed since before she tried to kill herself had left her in a severely weakened condition. She continued to try to free herself nonetheless.
Again, futility.
Looking about, she noticed the details of the room she was in. It was of average size, perhaps twenty feet by eighteen feet with one door and no windows. There was a distinct antiseptic smell to the place. The walls were stark white, and they were bare, save for an odd diagram hung here and there which she could not decipher. The bed she was in was positioned in the corner opposite the door. There were various cabinets secured to the walls and a few free-standing chests containing who knew what. There was also a small stool on wheels parked near a desk that was just to the left of her. On the desk were various file-folders and a few sheets of paper that were laid out in such a way that she couldn't quite read the contents from her position.
Again she squinted at the lights.
They flooded the room with an unnatural glow, similar to the candle that had almost killed her, their intensity bearing down upon her, draining what little strength she could summon to even remain alert.
And it was cold, very cold.
Her mind spun through different scenarios of her predicament as she finally recalled the incident in the castle ruins. She was being held captive for some reason. Why? Well, she could think of many reasons why more than a few of the villagers in her father's province would want her. The first one was easy.
To exact revenge.
Count Lee had been most ruthless in the way he had preyed upon his subjects. Lamika herself had been almost as ruthless in carrying out his orders in order to sustain the atmosphere of fear during his reign of terror. She had fed upon them, the blood of numerous victims sustaining both her and her father. She had always looked upon them as no more than sheep, bred for her family's sustenance.
Now, prey had become predator. And she knew that they wouldn't let her die peacefully. They would… What? It was just then that she realized she was dressed only in a cotton robe. Who was responsible for this insult upon her? Someone had changed her clothing during her period of unconsciousness, removing her tiara, necklace and earrings as well. They… they dared to put their hands upon her royal personage? Her anger rose once again as her pride resurfaced in full force, obliterating her previous train of thought. She kicked and shook and screamed at whoever might be listening.
"Release me this instant! Do you hear? You fools do not realize the consequences of your actions. If you do not…"
The sound of a bolt being turned interrupted her tirade as the heavy door opened with a creak.
In stepped a man dressed in hospital whites, followed by what looked to be two nurses. Behind them was the mayor of the town, along with two of his aides and three members of the constabulary.
"Lamika Lee."
The mayor spoke first, even as the man in white stepped forward to examine her. He reached for her wrist to take her pulse.
"Take your hands off me, you worthless insect!" She spat, baring her fangs.
The doctor paused for a moment as she continued to struggle, and, satisfied that her restraints would not fail, continued with his examination despite her protestation.
"Lamika Lee!"
The mayor spoke once again, this time with more authority. She stopped struggling to glare at him.
"You are hereby placed in this detainment facility until we can ascertain your guilt or innocence with regard to the deaths of at least seven of our villagers."
"What do you mean? How dare you hold me against my will? My father will…"
She stopped short as she realized her mistake.
"Your father is dead. We have nothing to fear from him any longer. However, there is still the small matter of his cache of gold and jewels, which we believe remain in the castle ruins. If you were to somehow aid us in determining their exact location, I'm quite sure that information would go a long way toward reducing what will most certainly be a death sentence for you."
"You think me such a fool? Here I am, bound against my will and subjected to your ultimatums. You think that I would assist you filthy vermin in defiling my father's tomb? Only to be put to death after the fact? No. It is not I but you who are on trial here for daring to step above your place by your actions against me. You have insulted and defiled my person, and for that, your own sentence is death."
Lamika was of small stature, barely five feet and two inches tall, and she was very pale as a result of her weakened condition, and she was still quite disheveled, her once beautiful hair sticking to the beads of sweat dripping from her face as a result of her exertion. Her next words would have been laughable had they come from anyone else in her condition and situation. But they were in fact spoken by her, and they made everyone in the room shiver as their blood ran cold.
"I suggest you take this opportunity to end my life right now while you can, for I most certainly will escape these binds, and when I do, blood will run in the streets as I exact my vengeance upon you all."
Her eyes confirmed her promise even though her body could not, the intensity of her smoldering gaze clearly communicating her intent. One of the mayor's aides, shaken by Lamika's announcement, grabbed him by the sleeve as he whispered pointedly into his ear.
"Sir, we simply cannot take the chance that she won't gain her freedom and act upon her threat. Think of the lives at stake."
The mayor indignantly snatched his arm away from his aide.
"And what would you suggest? That we kill her now? Don't be an idiot. She can do nothing; she is helpless. She is also much too valuable to us alive at this time. We will get the information we need from her, and only then… it will be her blood that runs in the streets, when she is ultimately executed publicly. The village needs this for closure."
He turned back to the captive girl.
'I need this… Greco, you will not be forgotten. This vampire bitch will pay dearly for taking you from me… my only son…'
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A/N: thanks wolfpup25, greatdemonfluffy and cynical chaos!