The Afterlight

Chapter 3

My eyes remained closed as I was laid carefully down into the back seat of Emmett's jeep. I could hear the familiar voices of the Cullen siblings as each of them entered the car gracefully and I was placed onto Edward's lap next to Alice. Jasper got into the car behind Alice and slammed the door swiftly.

"Drive", Edward said sternly to Emmett as he hit the gas pedal and screeched off towards the road. "Watch the branch there." It was Rosalie's voice I had heard. She was in the passenger seat next to Emmett. I hadn't expected her to come to such an event as searching for me during a storm in the middle of the woods. I didn't think that I would ever fully understand her.

As Emmett swerved with Rosalie's warning to avoid the branch on the forest floor, the swift movement of the car sent more pains throughout my body. Edward noticed the movements and cursed at himself for not holding me closer. Alice grabbed onto my legs as we met the ditch that led to the road and sped off towards the outskirts of town. Her cold touch sent slight resistance of the pains in my body. But it was little defense however, for the amount of pain that was overtaking me.

I tried to find my voice and said weakly, "Where are we going?" Edward answered me quickly, "Home, to my house, we have to get you to Carlisle, he'll know what to do." "How did you find me?", I asked again in a daze. "Alice", was all Edward said. It made perfect sense to me then and that was all the sense I needed before I could close my eyes. Despite the pain, I was incredibly at ease to be with Edward, to be safe and away from those horrible creatures from the woods.

I was shaken about faintly as I was taken from the jeep and up the stairs into Edward's room and onto the large couch in the middle of the room. Esme was by my side in an instant. "Oh, god, Bella, what happened?" She sounded so anxious and worried but Carlisle pushed her aside gently to examine me.

"Bella, can you hear me?" I ever so slightly nodded my head yes to the question. There was a certain sense of worriedness in his voice as well. I could tell that he was scared for me, yet so utterly in control of himself.

Jasper left the room with Emmett and Rosalie, the smell of my blood was becoming too much for them. Alice was directly by Edward's side as they kneeled in close to comfort me.

"Oh god, Bella, I'm so, so sorry...", there was a defined sense of sincerity in his voice that left me so aware of his true love for me. "I should have never gone so far from you.-" Carlisle cut him off, "Edward," He looked at him suddenly and Edward starred back, he knew what he was going to say. He had dreaded that this day would come and so hoped that he would never have to make such a decision as this.

I watched them both in desolation as their conversation quickly became an argument and their voices violently took over the room. A tear ran down my cheek, slowly blending into the mood of the room as the two of them continued on in a rage.

Edward leaned in close to rest his face against my chest and speak softly to me. "Bella, you know I can't do this to you, I could never condemn you to such a life." More tears ran down my face lightly. "Bella," There was a slight pause in his words. "I cannot curse you as I am.-"

He was again interrupted by his father. "If we don't do this she'll die, Edward" He was calm and considerate regardless of his blunt choice of words.

Alice placed a reassuring hand on Edward's shoulder and he sat up but never let his hand drift away from mine. I could see fear in Edward's beautiful eyes. He too knew what would happen if they didn't take action quickly.

Alice abruptly looked up at Carlisle and spoke to him, "We have to go, right now."

Suddenly the door flew open. It was Rosalie. "We're being attacked!", she shouted into the room. "How many", was all Carlisle said as he stood up. Edward stood as well, clearly panicked. "Who, who's here Edward?" It was getting slightly harder to keep my eyes focused on the figures around the room and my speech, as well, was becoming impaired. I wasn't thinking strait.

"It's Victoria", Alice said, "She has twenty other vampires with her. They want Bella." "They can smell her blood from just outside", Edward finished, quickly reading their thoughts. "Twenty", he said to himself. There were only seven Cullens.

Just then a there was a loud crash and two large vampires entered into the room from the now broken window next to us. They were about the same size as Emmett, and identical to each other, twins. They immediately spotted me on the couch and Edward stood in front of me in defense, barring his teeth and growling loudly. His face showed no other emotion except pure hatred and determination for my life.

Emmett was in the room in seconds followed by Jasper and the atmosphere became suddenly tense and the nine vampires crouched down, preparing to fight. Within another moment, the rest of the large group of vampires came into the room, followed by Victoria.

I felt so helpless and vulnerable, and so immensely terrified at the thought that the Cullens were outnumbered seven to twenty-one. I wanted to help them, but I knew with the circumstances I was in, I could only make the situation worse. Again, a shear of pain from my wounds over took me. I was getting dizzy.

"Back away and we won't kill you", Victoria said, her red eyes beaming at me as her small army took stances of attack. And then it happened. Edward flung himself at her wildly, sending her to the ground hard and there was a loud crack as two female vampires collided with Edward, throwing him back across the room.

The next moments flew by very quickly. The room was in complete chaos. "Edward!", I screamed in fear of his life as three vampires held him up against the wall in front of me. The rest of the Cullens were soon over taken as well. Jasper, Rosalie, even Emmett was struggling to get away from the grasps and holds from the other vampires and were soon overtaken and held back in tight head locks against the wall with Edward. They were just too outnumbered. Esme and Carlisle were held back as well.

From the corner of my eye I saw Alice swiftly leave the room. She had probably sensed that this next step was coming and tried to flee before they took her as well. I stupidly let my eyes wander after her only to see that a few more of the vampires had been watching my gaze and raced after her. I could hear her slight screams as they captured her as well and brought her back into the room as she struggled to get free. Again, too many of them.

Alice was brought into the room and held there. She glanced over to me in fear. I didn't know what to do. I tried desperately to move. As I attempted my movements, a vampire came from behind me, lifted me carelessly and threw me down to the floor at Edward's feet. I winced and screamed slightly as I hit the floor, my body falling limp in front of Edward. "Bella!", he cried out.

Victoria chuckled loudly. Her elegant face beaming with life and so much anger that it was almost hard to look at. I began trying to crawl away from the vampire that was again closing in on me but my effort was useless, there was no way out of this.

I was dragged away from Edward again and pushed on the floor over to Victoria by the vampire. I stopped in front of her starring up at her in absolute terror. "Thank you, Martin", she told the vampire. She placed one of her feet on my neck and pushed down considerably hard, cutting off the air. The shock of it disabled me to move.

"Stop this", I heard Edward's voice from across the room, I gasped for air as Victoria lightened her hold on my throat. "Oh, but I'm having so much fun killing your sweet human girlfriend.", answered Victoria from above me. "She's nothing to you, let her go.", Edward continued, pleading for my life. "Actually, Edward, she is much more than nothing to me. She is the revenge on your family which I have been so longing to take ever since you took James from me. Did you know that he was my husband?"

I was amazed at her words. I hadn't known they were married, apparently no one did. "There are other ways to settle this, you don't have to kill her.", Edward shouted to her.

"Your right, there are other ways to settle this", Victoria said. Just then, I heard cries from Alice as she too was thrown to the floor. I heard the pine tree snapping sound her leg made as it was broken effortlessly by one of the twins. She screamed out in pain as her leg lay limp in front of her and she grabbed onto it pulling it tightly to her body, and was kicked again. Jasper was widely struggling to free himself. He couldn't watch them hurt Alice. Her cries remained in the room as Edward screamed over them, "Stop this Victoria", he began sobbing tearless cries, "Stop this!"

Alice cried out again and was picked up off the floor and held in position, her leg hanging crookedly below her as she was held a small distance from the floor. Her screams still continued as I too was taken from the floor and held in an inescapable grasp from the vampire behind me.

"I'm taking one of them with me, Edward. It's your choice, make it now.", Victoria continued on, "Now, Edward, I'm not waiting here all night." Edward gasped for air, his anger was overtaking him now, he tried with tremendous effort to break free from the vampires holding him back.

Edward's eyes darted back and forth from me and Alice. Alice's leg, to my wounds, her eyes, my tears, and back again. "You've wasted too much of my time Edward, I'm taking them both." As she said this, Edward and the rest of his family were thrown to the floor and were chained with iron cuffs around their ankles and wrists behind their backs.

Alice was lifted by two vampires and me by one. The last thing I saw before being carried away were Edward's eyes, hopelessly starring back at me. He silently mouthed the words, "I love you" as he was thrown back simultaneously with the rest of the Cullens to the far wall and Alice and I disappeared over the edge of the window and into the back of a black van, Alice's screams still loud in my ears.