Alright so. Lots happening. Luckily this is why I had chapters written beforehand as a backup. Either way you guys will get your story on time this week. And most likely next week to as long as I don't forget to post. Thanks for all the support I've been getting from so many of you guys, it's really inspiring to know how many people actually enjoy your stories. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter just as much. I for one am actually pretty proud of this chapter, I really focused on how someone might feel when waking up after something like that, and what they focused on. Enjoy.


It was cold. I could feel my body shivering. It shook with enough force that the soft surface underneath me was rocking against something. But I didn't feel cold. I couldn't feel anything except the silky smoothness that was under me.

I could hear things. But they were blurry. Unfocused.

I couldn't see anything. It was dark, and blank. But if I tried hard enough, I could barely see a soft red glow, surrounding my field of vision.

I felt my chest rise and fall, it was steady in its rhythm. Focusing on that almost lulled me back into the oblivion that I had emerged from. How long ago had that been? I didn't know, and I didn't care to think about it either. I was content with how I was.

There was movement. Something along my chest, and another along my arm. It was soothing, warm, and gentle. So I let it continue without worry.

Then I felt my body shift. My weight was moved from my back to my chest. There was a moment where I almost felt the pain, but it was gone quickly. I was now on my chest, and the gentle movement from before was on my back.

I stayed on my chest longer than I had on my back. My weight pushing my further into the soft fabric all around me. For I while I was content to lay like this. But sooner or later it became uncomfortable. I felt my body twitch as I tried to shift.

I didn't want to be in this position anymore. When I did though, I heard something. It was loud and trilled on and on. The noise scared me. I tried to move again, this time trying to move away from the sound.

It wasn't the only sound, but the others had been there since the beginning, they were soft, and I had gotten used to them long ago. Suddenly the sound stopped, and the movement from before returned on my back.

I recognized it this time though. It was a hand. My memories flashed. Screams, and hands threatening me above my body. I flinched back as the memory returned, but relaxed when I focused on the new hands.

They were big, cauloused, but somehow soft. They moved over my back gently, and soothed my fear. The discomfort returned, and once again I tried to shift. I was more successful in moving than the first time, but far from actually achieving my goal.

The hands paused before they left. I almost whimpered at the lost contact. I liked the comfort they had brought me and missed it immediately when they were gone.

But soon they were back. Ever so gently they lifted me. It wasn't a pleasant sensation and I twitched again trying to make the let go. But they didn't.

Instead I felt the hand shift me around. Turning my body so that my back was underneath me. They lowered me down again. The pressure at first made my back ache. I flinched at the feeling, but settled after a moment. It wasn't unbearable.

I missed the hands. When they did not return after setting me down I wondered where they had went. Would they come back?

I listened to my surroundings, trying to discern if they were still around. I heard the soft beep of a machine. It was quiet and consistent. The hum of a machine even more so. I listened harder and the sound became clearer. I had not even noticed that they were fuzzy before.

I heard a mumble. A shuffle of feet far away. The longer I listened the more clear the sounds became. The red glow from before became brighter as well, until I saw nothing but red. My thoughts became sharper, and my concerns grew.

'Where was I? Why did my body ache? What was the scratchy thing wrapped around my back and chest?...Who was the owner of the hands?' My thoughts silenced as I heard another shuffle, much closer, and then a click of the opening, and closing softly.

I tried to open my, but the crust around them held them closed tightly. I felt a hand at the back of my head. The contact frightened me at first, but again I slowly relaxed as them ran through my hair soothingly. I sighed at the feeling.

The hand soon stopped the movement and lifted my head slightly. I felt my eyebrows furrow in wonder. 'Why where they lifting my head?' The answer came even before the thought had finished processing. A cold glass had been pressed against my lips, and was now trying to coax my mouth open.

Slowly I obliged, moaning when the crisp liquid flowed past my tongue. I drank greedily. Stopping to take breaths only when the hands moved the glass away from my lips every few seconds. When the liquid was gone, the hand holding my head in place gently lowered it back down. The hand ran through my hair again making me sigh in content.

I heard a voice. I was low and musical. I couldn't hear what it said though. I tried focusing but it was gone before the words became clear. I heard the footsteps as they walked away, and the opening and closing of a door.

I was alone. Now that my thoughts were mostly clear, I decided to think back. It was a bad idea. I almost cried out at what I found. My parents, my friends. I felt more alone in that moment then I had in my entire life. I felt the pain. My body was numb, but the memory was still fresh and cruel. Their ghost ran along each scar, each wound. It felt like they were being reopened one by one.

I ground my teeth and focused on the present. I had gotten away from them. I was no longer in danger of being hurt by them again. But that led me to wonder again, 'where was I?'

I started as I heard the door open. I was to concentrated on my own thoughts to hear the footsteps approaching the door. It closed a moment later, and heavy scent perfumed the hair. My stomach growled loudly and my eyes almost shot open at the presence of food. I moaned in anticipation. My mouth was now watering to the point that I had almost drooled.

"Now now Daniel." I heard the voice from before say. It took a moment to process the words, they were still slightly fuzzy, but understandable. "I'm not going to hand feed you again. If you want to eat you're going to have to open your eyes." I groaned again attempting to pry my eyes open. I knew that voice.

I connected the voice to a feeling of overwhelming defeat, and hopelessness. But it didn't sound malicious. In fact it was the opposite. It sounded gentle and patient. Why would I feel hopeless when I heard this voice?

I tried to pry my eyes open one last time, the confusion of my conflicting emotions motivating my need to quell the curiosity. Finally, I succeeded, only to slam them back down as soon as the light touched my eyes. It was so bright. I groaned lifting my hands to cover my face.

I rubbed away the crust around my eyes as I rolled my head to the side, away from the blaring light. I blinked a few times trying to let my eyes adjust. My hands fell back down to my sides as they finally did and I looked around.

'A hospital room?' I wondered when I saw all the strange looking machinery, and the IV connected to my arm. Panic shot through me for a moment. 'I can't be here.' But after a moment I wondered why I cared. I had nothing left to fight for. Nothing left to lose. Might as well let the people in charge run their tests.

"Daniel." I heard the voice say, getting my attention. I looked towards it. And for a second I didn't know who he was. But recognition soon dawned and I jerked into a sitting position hissing at the protest my body seemed to scream. Vlad raised an eyebrow at me a smirk ghosting across his lips. "Calm yourself Daniel. No harm will come to you here."

My first thought was to sneer back and try to get away, but then the same mentality from before returned. 'What's the point.' I slumped back down, cringing for my back, and stared at Vlad. The questions flew by one after the other. 'Why was he here? Where was here? Why wasn't he attacking? Why is there food in his hand?' I didn't care to ask any of them, but my eyes zeroed in on the food.

I heard my stomach give a loud, dry growl once again. The movement was almost painful and I gripped my stomach to quiet it.

Then the food was in front of me. My eyes widened and I looked up at Vlad. 'Was he teasing me?' I glanced back down at the plate but didn't dare make a move towards it. Vlad sighed.

"Well Daniel? I will not stand here all day waiting. Take it." He said. My hands reached up to it at his words, but paused. I looked back at Vlad. He was watching me patiently. He nodded down to the food again, and I took it. Vlad stepped away from the bed once it was securely in my lap.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye, but my main focus was on the plate in front of me. More questions shot through my mind but I ignored them. I hesitate only for a moment, before taking the fork and shoveling food into my mouth faster than I ever had before.

The thought that it might had been poisoned or spiked somehow had been one of the first that entered my mind when Vlad had offered me the plate. But I didn't care. Let him poison me, let him have the last laugh. I wouldn't fight.

I could practically feel Vlad's surprise.

"No witty comment today Daniel? No 'trying to find out my evil plan?'" He asked. I glanced at him, but just continued eating till the plate was clean. Once there was nothing left I sat there quietly, keeping my eyes and head down towards the plate. My thoughts kept drifting back to my family, and I knew that if I looked up Vlad would see the tears in my eyes. They might not have fallen yet, but they were there.

I felt a hand grip my shoulder. The plate was slowly pulled off my lap, and set on a counter nearby. I watched it go.

"Daniel." Vlad said, crouching down beside me. He waited for a moment, obviously wanting me to look at him. "You need to talk to me Daniel." he prodded when I showed no sign of doing so. White hot rage filled me for a moment.

"Why?" I said whipping my head up. My eyes met his. I saw a flash of red before they turned back to their regular aqua color. I flinched back when I saw it.

"Because you came to me, Daniel." He replied. "And because if you wish to stay here, then I must know what I'm protecting you from." My rage grew slightly and I almost growled. "If you think, that you could just show up on my doorstep, half dead no less, and be allowed to stay, you are sorely mistaken. No matter how much the thought of you being here pleases me." Just like that my anger evaporated.

A lump formed in my throat as I slumped against the wall behind me. He was right. I came to him. I was under his roof now. He had done nothing except oblige to my wimpy pleas. I felt him take a seat at the foot of the bed. Why was he doing this? I was his enemy. Nothing but a thorn in his side.

"Is staying here what you wish, Daniel?" Vlad asked. "Or have I assumed wrong and whatever it is that drove you here willingly, does not have to do with your friends and family who you would have gladly gone to first?"

The lump in my throat grew bigger. Why does he always have to be right? He was right that my family wouldn't accept me and he was right that my friends would betray me. Why did he have to be right.

"I- m-my…" I bit my lip trying to form the words. Saying it out loud would just make it all the more real, but I owed Vlad now, and he wanted to know. I took a shaky breath and tried again. "My parents found out." I said finally, my voice week. He paused for a moment, thinking over my words.

"And how did that lead to you at my doorstep, half conscious, and asking ME for help?" Vlad asked with a hard voice. I flinched as the memories rushed around in my mind. More tears went streaming down my face.

"Th- They…" I closed my eyes tightly, trying to dispel the image of my mother and father's faces above as they inflicted more and more pain.

"They did this to you?" Vlad sounded furious at the revelation.

"N-not all of it." I replied.

"Who else?" Vlad asked. It sounded more like a demand. I shrank away when I saw his eyes had turned red and glowed. Making the air around us flare with a dark feeling. I shrank away, pulling my knees to his chest.

"Skulker." I whispered.

"WHAT!" Vlad yelled. I cowered against the wall. The overwhelming power that was now flowing off of Vlad was terrifying. I had to fight of my overwhelming fight or flight instinct that surged forth. Was he holding back when we fought? He never felt this strong. Or is it because of how weak I was now? "That MORON!"

I watched as Vlad got up and with a last glance at me, stormed out of the room. To where I had no clue.


Did you guys like it? Let me know your thoughts. And don't forget to follow if you want to see when I update next. See you in the next one.

~Dragon~