The Afterlight

Chapter 6

I couldn't move, I couldn't see. Pain swept through my body in one easy gesture as I tried to move my weak limbs but the movement only left me unsatisfied, for it felt as if there were no limbs to move. I panicked, I opened my eyes to the darkness. It was as if light had never really existed and all shadows of the night were thrust upon me, blanketing my very will to live.

I searched for the answers to where I was. The only image my mind could produce was that of the fight between vampire and werewolf, Alice's gaze slowly turning rigid as her body stiffened and shifted uneasily into a solid, immovable posture. "Alice?", I questioned the darkness with a hopeful voice, but there was no answer.

I concentrated on myself for a moment. There was obviously something wrong with me. I felt strange, unsteady, confused and disoriented. I had to ask myself questions, take the situation one step at a time. "Relax", I told myself, "just think.", and then it hit me, I was moving..

I did not want to panic further. I began contemplating my surroundings. The area I was in was small, secluded. I could barely breathe. My hands were bound by thick plastic, mostly likely a large zip-tie around my wrists. My feet were also bound, by something bulkier, rope, I presumed.

Suddenly my body shook, or was it the room that shook? My head hit the top of the tiny room as this happened and finally, realization was knocked into me. I could hear the sounds of the road on all sides of me, the heavy down-pour of rain continuing on. Was this a sign that I was still in Forks? The trunk of the car was small, there wasn't enough room to move my legs, had I been able to anyway.

The blood loss was overwhelming, the stench of my own inner cruor hanging morosely in what little air there was in the back of the vehicle. I could feel the car begin to steady as it slowed down and came to an abrupt halt. I heard the slam of the car door as it abruptly opened and closed. The door to the trunk was opened next and I took in a long breath through my nostrils as the air from the vehicle was released and mixed in with the atmosphere outside. The air was thick, heavy, humid. I felt the raindrops on the exposed parts of the skin on my face.

"Grab her", I heard a female voice say, it was Victoria's, her eerie, untouchable articulation still familiar to my ears. But the order was just a statement, my body was obviously weak and I was unable to move. I was out of the trunk then, cradled in cold arms almost as if Edward was holding me. But this vampire's smell was different, and his stature was uninviting. I began struggling in his grasp out of instinct, though I knew there would be no chance of escaping from such an iron grip to my body. It was a sad attempt at movement as well, my hands and feet only flared around as a worm struggles to free itself from the beak of a bird as it's carried off for breakfast. I was only held tighter to the beasts body, his hold threatening my very breath.

Suddenly I could feel someone's presence just beyond my face. "If you move again, I will kill you.", again Victoria's voice was indescribably condescending and an inescapable fear came over me. I was frozen still. I was carried a few feet away to metal platform that gave slightly to my weight; the back of a pick up truck quite possibly. I was set down carelessly and nearly thrown backwards by the force but a hand caught me somehow as my blindfold was ripped away from my face.

I could finally see my surroundings, the dirt road had lead us further into the woods along the outskirts of town. It was dusk again and the rain was lightening up to a mist, though there was no saying when it would finally stop, it mostly just felt like humid air. The climate was surprising peaceful as I stared around with tired eyes. I was reminded of the meadow, where Edward had first described to me his secret and I wanted nothing more than to be with him, to curl up into his solid arms, and never have to face the horrid creature standing in front of me.

I was torn away from my silent memory as the duct tape was torn from my lips. I could finally breathe again. I discretely took in a large breath, filling my lungs with the air they'd been deprived of. I winced, however, as my ribs caught the last of my uncertain breath and I hunched for a small moment as I tried to regain my stability on the trucked.

"Sit up, human!", it was the vampire who had carried me there. I did as I was told, trying to ignore the pain in my ribcage. He took out a pair of wire cutters from his back pocket and moved his arm swiftly to my hand, I pulled back out of fear. "Hold still" He grabbed my hands again and slid the wire cutters underneath the zip-tie in one smooth movement and my hands were free. "Don't even think about going anywhere", the man said glaring at me.

He shoved a pad of paper into my left hand and a pen into my right. I finally looked up at him. He was gorgeously handsome but everything about him told me to stay away. His eyes were bright red, the color they get from drinking human blood, his curly hair was ruffled and messy hanging down over his face. He was tall, about six' two" and had a strong muscular build, larger than Emmett's by far. His face was like stone, his jaw line tense as if he was constantly angry at the world. He had evil written all over him.

"Write exactly as I tell you", he said glaring at me once more. I hesitated at first thinking about the possibilities of the situation. I finally had to speak up, "Who is this for?", I asked quietly. "It's for Edward, address it to him. I trembled as I wrote the words down onto the paper, hoping that in some miracle, I would not have to say goodbye.

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A/N: I know that this was short, but oh how I love to leave you in worry. I honestly will be away from a computer for the next couple of days and wanted to put this chapter out there so that you would have something to read while I'm gone. But I've already got the very next chapters planned out. Apologies to those who were hoping to read more, you will soon enough.