CHAPTER 14

Author's Note- Hey guys, thanks so much for all your reviews and support with this story, it means a lot. Thanks again. X

Mary Louise shook her head.

"No. I can't do it, I won't."

Tamra patted her on the back and spoke in a low tone.

"If you refuse, they'll kill you anyway."

Again, the blonde shook her head.

"I don't care. I won't kill him."

Tamra tried a different approach. She shrugged.

"Well they could kill you but either way, you have to fight."

Mary Louise closed her eyes and thought of Nora. She then locked gazes with Tamra.

"If I fight or show any form of violence, I will have broken my silent promise to Nora."

Tamra frowned.

"Look, I don't know anything about this Nora but I should imagine that if she loved you, she'd want to you fight to stay alive."

Mary Louise considered this but still, her promise meant more to her than anything, and what were the odds of her getting out of here anyway? If she died, at least she would have been faithful to Nora and she could die happy with that knowledge.

Tamra licked her lips.

"Alright, you're up against Neo. He's a werewolf and I promise you Mare, he'll rip you limb from limb. I've seen him fight before. He doesn't hold back. If you do, he'll kill you. He's the only werewolf they have. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him but I didn't think they send you up against him this soon. "

Mary Louise shook her head.

"I don't care. I won't be killing anyone tonight."

Tamra shook her head and walked away from the blonde.

There was no changing her mind and Tamra prayed that Mary Louise saw sense before Neo got his claws into her, literally.

...

Hugh sat in his flashy sports car as he waited for Nora. She'd told him to meet her here rather than where she was currently living.

He checked his reflection in the interior mirror and smiled, showing bright white teeth. He loved himself, that much was clear but something about Nora intrigued him. It could have been because of the telekinesis or just her appearence in general; she was a beautiful girl and Hugh believed that beautiful girls shouldn't be hidden away in underground pubs with the rest of the supernatural trash. They should be shown off, taken to exclusive parties and when he was in a foul mood, used to make his friends envious of his charm and lifestyle.

It didn't take her long to show and she gave him a small smile.

If he thought she looked stunning before, that was nothing compared to how she looked now.

She wore a simple tight black dress with knee high boots and left her hair long. Her make up was subtle but she was prefect and Hugh didn't like anything that wasn't perfect.

He gave her a charming smile as she slid into the passenger seat, that dress of her's riding up her legs that she had to discreetly pull it down. Hugh's mind started racing as it started thinking of all things he and Nora could do after their date.

"So, where are we going?" She asked with a small smile.

Hugh gave her a wink.

"You'll see and may I say first of all that you look absolutely stunning."

Nora smiled shyly.

"Thank you."

They pulled away from the kerb, the wheels of the sports car spinning as Hugh seemed to think that the laws of the road didn't apply to him.

They drove for a long time and Nora was getting a little nervous.

They barely talked and when they did, Hugh was always looking where he shouldn't be.

Nora felt a pang of longing for home, for somewhere where she knew she was safe, and as much as she'd tried to deny it, she missed Mary Lou.

Finally, they pulled up outside what looked like an abandoned factory but there were lights on inside and Nora could hear a lot of people talking, glasses clinking and subtle music playing in the background.

Hugh killed the engine, climbed out, opened her door and helped her out as well, then tossed the keys to a valet.

Nora looked up at the building.

"What is this place?"

"You'll see." He said, again with that wink of his.

He took her hand and lead her inside.

She had been right, inside, hundreds of people stood, talking and laughing, clinking glasses and drinking as much free champagne as they could.

Nora knew this crowd; the privileged, the weathly, the more cash than actual brains sort of crowd.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Of course someone like Hugh would know a place like this.

He smiled back at her and she hid her feelings of revulsion remarkably well.

In front of them was a huge hexagonal cage and behind that, two big sliding doors. Surrounding the cage was an electric fench that went all the way up to the ceiling. Black curtains hung on either side, they were probably closed when the cage wasn't in use. But what was the cage for?

Nora frowned with confusion. Don't be dog fighting, don't be dog fighting. She silently chanted in her head.

Hugh stopped when they stood at the front and gestured to the cage.

"Can you guess what this is used for?" He asked.

Nora shook her head, offering a nervous smile.

He grinned.

"I know because of your...abilities, that you think of yourself as a freak but Nora, the things behind those doors, they are the real freaks. You are a beautiful human being, never forget that."

Nora looked at the sliding doors that had first caught her attention.

"What...what are behind those doors."

A woman took the stage and Hugh grinned again.

"You're about to find out."

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming to the fight cage. Are you ready for some bloodshed?!"

A huge cheer errupted from the crowd and Nora looked around as Hugh joined in.

"Fight cage?" Nora echoed.

Hugh nodded.

"You must have heard of vampires, right?"

Nora nodded, keeping up the pretence that she wasn't one.

"Well, we have hunters for them, only they don't kill them, they bring them here to fight."

Nora felt her anger rise and fought to keep it under control.

"You make them fight? Until what?"

"Until one kills the other." Hugh said with a shrug.

"And this is entertaining for you?" Nora asked, unable to keep the judgement from her voice.

He frowned slightly.

"Yes. Oh come on, Nora! They're not dogs! Just vile pieces of trash that have no business being on this planet. You should see how much money something like this generates."

Nora blinked at the hurtful words. Money. That's all that ever mattered to some people and usually, those that cared about money more than anything were the lowest of the low. People who would use someone's suffering for their own gain or to use someone's humiliation to garner interest, again to further their own prospects, now they were the real monsters.

Nora kept silent as she watched the first fight.

A vampire with black hair and piercing blue eyes stepped forward.

The woman commentator introduced her as Tamra and she had never lost a fight. She was up against some scrawny little vampire who looked like a junkie.

His name was Jet. Sadly, no one would probably even remember Jet.

It was over too fast. Tamra snapped his neck a few seconds after the bell had rang.

Nora closed her eyes as they dragged the smaller vampire's body from the cage and sent Tamra back behind those sliding doors.

Nora turned to walk away.

Hugh grabbed her arm.

"Hey, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

Nora forced a hesitant smile.

"I feel a little dizzy, I'm just going out to get some air."

Hugh pulled her into him, pushing a glass of champagne into her hand.

"Drink this, you'll feel better. Besides, you don't want to miss this. We've got a new fighter about to step up."

Nora shook her head and took a long gulp of the champagne, hoping it would numb her, make her not feel sick at the sight of seeing her own kind used in this deplorable way.

"Ok, well Tamra made short work of that one! Up next, new blood!"

The cheer was so loud and Nora wished that she could run out of this place and never look back but if she ran, they would think two things; the first being that she condoned vampires in general and the second being that she was one, and that was not something she could risk.

So she stood and watched as Hugh looped an arm around her shoulders.

"New blood will be facing the werewolf Neo! We all know how vicious Neo is, don't we ladies and gents? Lets' see how new blood measure's up!"

The doors slid back and Neo walked out, snarling at the humans that looked in at him, and behind him-Nora's heart stopped and her lips parted, the champagne glass slipping from her hand and smashing to pieces on the floor.

Hugh looked at her.

"Nora, are you alright?"

Nora nodded mutely.

Mary Lou...

The bell rang and Neo ran at Mary Louise, slamming his fist into her stomach.

She was thrown back across the cage and hit the metal hard before falling to the floor.

Nora stood there and watched, helpless.

Neo came back at the blonde and hit the side of her face, cutting her cheek open and making blood drip onto the floor.

Mary Louise struggled to get to her feet and spat the blood out, glaring at the werewolf.

Neo snarled at her.

The commentator grinned.

"Oh, looks like new blood isn't much of a fighter! Maybe she needs some motivation and guess what folks? It's a full moon tonight."

The woman raised a remote to the ceiling and it opened directly above the cage to reveal a full moon.

Neo grinned and Nora panicked.

Even Tamra was looking worried.

Mary Louise stared at Neo as he laughed at her.

"Now you're in trouble." He growled.

Nora's eyes widened.

"Stop this." She whispered.

Hugh frowned upon hearing her.

"What?"

"I said stop this! He's going to change and he's going to kill her!" She cried, grabbing hold of Hugh's jacket collar and shaking him.

He glared at her.

"That's the point. She's only new blood. It'll be over soon."

"You can't let this happen!"

"Why? She's just vampire scum."

Nora was getting more and more desperate. It was now or never.

She just hoped that Hugh would be too scared of having a real vampire infront of him, that he'd do what she wanted.

"I know her!" She shouted.

Hugh looked shocked.

"What?"

"I said I know her! Now stop this before she gets killed and I kill everyone in this entire room!"

Hugh grinned. He didn't seem scared. Not at all.

"No. If you're a vampire lover, you should learn that they have no place among us."

He really was dense, wasn't he? She'd just threatened to kill a roomful of people and he still didn't see that she was admitting that she was a vampire!

Nora turned her attention back to the cage as Neo transformed into a fully grown werewolf. He'd doubled in size, teeth gleamed when he opened his mouth and his claws were as sharp as razors.

Nora ran forward but stopped just before the electric fence.

"Mare!"

The blonde looked and her eyes widened at seeing Nora standing there.

"Nora, why are you here?"

"Mare, you have to fight back!"

Neo circled Mary Louise before running into her and sending her flying.

She hit the floor with a sickening thud.

Nora crouched down, wanting desperately to touch Mary Lou, to pull her into her arms and out of harm's way.

"Mare, you have to fight him." Nora said, trying to keep from crying uncontrollably.

The blonde, who looked battered and tired, shook her head slowly.

"I can't...I made a promise the day I left to find you, no more violence. If I die tonight, then I'll have kept my promise."

Tears spilled down Nora's cheeks.

"And if you die, I will have lost the love of my life."

Mary Louise looked into Nora's eyes, well aware that Neo was playing with her, waiting for her to get up, only so he could knock her down again.

"You left me, Nora...you broke my heart. I came here to get you back but there was always that doubt in my mind if you would ever come back with me. What is the point in fighting him, if I have to go back to Mystic Falls alone?"

"You won't. I swear, Mary Lou. You won't be going home on your own. I love you and I want everything that we had before. Please, just kill him and we can go home."

The blonde glanced at Neo who was circling closer.

"It's not that simple."

Nora disagreed.

"Kill the werewolf and leave the rest to me."

Mary Lou frowned in confusion.

Nora gave her a small smile.

"Please, just trust me."

The blonde then nodded and Nora stood, watching as Mary Louise stood and faced Neo. She couldn't do what Nora asked.

Hugh came up beside Nora and watched with glee in his eyes.

Nora glared up at him but Hugh was too busy watching the fight to notice Nora's hateful expression.

This would be the last fight that Hugh would ever see. Nora silently promised.

Mary Louise clenched her fists and stared at Neo.

"You want to get out of here?" She asked, keeping her voice imperceptibly low.

The werewolf seemed to hear her and stopped snarling.

"I have a plan...but I need your help."

He growled again and Mary Louise wasn't sure if he was listening or not.

"If you help us-" She said, glancing at Nora, and Neo followed her line of sight-" then we can kill them all. You want that, don't you?"

She looked into the werewolf's eyes and hoped that he would follow through.

She moved in closer to him and told him her plan, hoping against all hope that he was listening; he stood just as much to gain from this as she did after all.

Mary Lou threw the first punch and Neo came back at her, slamming her into the cage. It made her head spin but at least he wasn't killing her. Yet.

She turned and just as she did, he slammed into her, claws raking across her chest...and right where her heart was.

Nora screamed as she saw the blood and Mary Louise go down.

No...that couldn't be it.

The woman pressed the remote, and the ceiling came back into place as Neo reverted to his human form.

"And the winner, Neo!"

The cage opened and someone came in to remove Mary Lou's body.

Nora's eyes watered and she watched with anger as one of the humans touched her girlfriend's body.

Mary Louise's arm shot up and grabbed the human's neck, snapping it violently.

"Now!"

Neo opened the sliding doors and all the vampires came forward.

Hugh grinned at their act of trying to get to freedom.

"Very nice display there but what now? You have one big electric fence stopping you."

Nora was suddenly behind Hugh, her hand gripping his neck, her other hand inflicting pain into his head. He started screaming in pain.

"Release them or this little headache of your's will eventually lead to your head exploding. We're talking little pieces of your brain scattered all over this place." Nora threatened, her voice almost like a growl.

His hand gripped her arm and he clenched his teeth.

"You're one of them."

"Oh how astute you are. Now do as I say."

Hugh looked at them.

"And then what? They'll kill everyone in here and you'll probably end up killing me anyway."

Nora tightened her grip on his neck.

"I'll cut you a deal; let them go and I'll let you go. The rest will die but you'll live."

He frowned.

"You'll kill everyone in here?"

"Oh please, don't pretend to care about them. We all know you value your own life more than anyone else's. Now, do we have a deal?"

Hugh looked at the people and then at the vampires plus the werewolf.

Finally, he nodded.

"Ok, deal. Let me go and I'll let them go."

Nora nodded but held onto him as he looked at the woman and she pressed the button on the remote to disable the electric fence.

A door that was hidden within the fence was opened and they all came pouring out, killing any human that was close to them.

Nora waited until Mary Lou was clear of the fence and then released Hugh.

He ran as fast as he could, stepping on fallen people and not caring about who he left behind.

Nora ran to Mary Louise and held her close.

The blonde closed her eyes as she held onto Nora, tears pushing against her lashes.

"I knew I'd find you." Mary Louise whispered.

Nora stroked her blonde head.

"Always."

They both looked up as Hugh ran for the exit.

The vampires were tearing into people, making them all pay for their ill treatment. Blood soaked floors made footing a little tricky but the two vampires made it outside.

Hugh was running over to his car, looking for the valet who had his keys.

Nora and Mary Louise watched the human panic.

The blonde turned to her girlfriend.

"May I?"

Nora grinned and gave her a light kiss.

"He's all your's, darling."

Mary Louise then proceeded to hunt Hugh down as Nora watched.

But Mary Lou wasn't just going to kill him and Nora knew her girlfriend better than anyone.

No, to kill Hugh would be merciful and neither of them were in that kind of mood.