Chapter 6 – The Plan

Shane's POV

I lay beside Claire for a long time. I didn't know how long because, first, there was no clock and, second, I couldn't be bothered counting the seconds as they passed, turning into minutes, into hours, and maybe into days. Our current situation was, in no way, a good one. Amelie and Myrnin were possessed, Oliver was being... well, Oliver (the cold and annoying one at that). Eve was crying, and I was surprised that she hadn't yet flooded the cave with her tears. And Michael obviously sat by her side, comforting her in a way that I envied.

Because I couldn't give Claire the comfort and love that she needed, she was out cold – once again – and it was unlikely that she was going to wake up any time soon, if ever.

"No!" I yelled, making my chest ache – it was worth it though.

One thing I hadn't realised about the current situation was that I was also crying, and for some reason that didn't scare me (or surprise me). Claire had made me into something that was worth something, and she was lying on the floor with blood outlining the space that her head had been before.

I was making things worse for myself, I knew that, but in the deafening silence that encircled every one of us, my thoughts travelled to the next thing that could possibly happen to Claire, or anyone of us in the next five minutes, or ten, or twenty. As time continued, the possibilities got bloody, really bloody.

"Oliver," I pointed, but I wasn't actually pointing... "You need blood, so drink."

Oliver looked at me as if he had never seen me before, as if I was a completely different species. Which I was; he was a vampire, I was human. It was general knowledge that vampires were higher up the food chain.

"You're bound to be thirsty. Take the donations from a willing volunteer."

"Why would you offer me your blood? You always hated giving your tax fee, and that was done medically."

"Claire would have offered, okay?" I replied. "And what I find odd is that you would drink her blood without a second thought, but my blood isn't good enough for you – well, thanks. Anyway, Claire would have normally offered you hers, but she's not really in the best... position to be offering you her blood."

After staring at me for a minute longer, he shuffled over and took hold of my arm. The bite was slightly painful, but after it just felt numb – like I'd been given an anaesthetic. Once Oliver was finished, he shuffled back over to where he had been before and sat silently, but I saw the nod of gratitude that he directed toward me.

Eve and Michael had sat through the entire occurrence in silence, but now Eve was up, and she was annoyed. "We shouldn't be here!" She shouted. "It shouldn't be like this! All we wanted was to get a freaking journal and now we're locked in a tomb thing and we can't find a way out! So, Sam ButtHeadBasket! If you can hear me now, open the stupid door and let us go!" The last five words were a crescendo, and as she got louder the words got higher, and when she screamed the 'go' it was practically a high pitched squeal.

However, it seemed to have the wanted effect.

"What's the racket about?" Myrnin asked when he was down in the crypt with me and the others.

Oliver was up in an instant and standing face-to-face with Myrnin.

"That is quite a lot of energy for someone that has been starved for three days," Myrnin stated, and then his voice held a spark of understanding. "Ah, one of you has been allowing him to feed on you. That's sweet, but incredibly disgusting. Come now, Sam wants to see you."

"You're not Myrnin, are you?" I asked, but I already knew the answer – as did the others.

"Of course not! But this is just temporary; I will be back to my old self again shortly." He gave a little giggle, but stopped when he saw the annoyed expressions of the faces in front of him. "Do you not get it?" he said, 'I will be back to my old self again short–"

"We know what you said!" Oliver interrupted. "And the reason that we are not laughing is because it was not amusing, not because we didn't get it."

"Look, if Amelie..." Eve coughed and gave a dramatic sigh. "If Sam wants to see us, then he can come down himself."

We all continued to sit on the ground and glare at the person wearing Myrnin's body.

"You are building my frustration, and that is not something you would wish to do, did you know me."

"See, that's the problem. We don't know you; we don't even know your name. And it shouldn't be your frustration that's growing since you aren't the one that has been locked in here for three days," Eve lectured.

"Don't you dare! You just stated the fact that you don't know me, and that shows with every word that you speak. Yes, you may have been locked in here for three days – but me and my people? – we were locked in here for several centuries! So, don't you complain. We never did." Myrnin started shaking, and let go of a heavy sigh. "I was not supposed to tell you that."

Eve walked over to him and watched him curiously, and I could see Claire doing that (if she had been conscious, that is). It was strange, because while she was knocked out cold, we all had to make her be here in some way.

"What's your name?"

Myrnin looked at Eve with eyes filled with sadness that could only be put there after thousands of years of living a hellish life.

"Morley."

"As in..."

"No," Oliver told me, "This is not our Morley, just as Sam is not our Sam."

"No, you're right Oliver," Michael started, "This isn't our Morley, this is our Myrnin. And that isn't our Sam that is our Amelie. And just like Claire would have said – were she with us at this particular moment – we are going to save them, and we are going to do so as quickly as possible." The determination in his eyes was contagious, and just looking at him, I could feel hope rising.

Claire would not die. We would get Amelie and Myrnin back. And we would get Morganville back to how it was supposed to be... Happy.

"Well, Morley," I said, "Would you be kind enough as to get Sam to come here because one of our people is certainly not well enough to make the journey."

Morley looked down at where Claire lay with a puddle of blood surrounding around her. Concern filled his eyes, and he whispered, "Claire" in a very Myrnin way.

"Myrnin?" I asked.

He looked at me and opened his mouth to say something but his eyes closed, and when he opened them it was Morley once again.

"Sorry about that," he apologised, "I will go and fetch Sam." And with that he whizzed away.

"Did you see that?" I asked everyone.

Michael replied, "It was Myrnin."

"But how?" Oliver asked.

Eve said, "Okay, Claire head on. Myrnin must still be in there. He must see everything just how Morley sees it, and when he saw Claire like that," she looked over at her but quickly looked away, "The emotion flooded him so much that he managed to regain control of his body, not for long, but he still did it; which means that it's the same for Amelie. When Morley comes back with Amelie, we need to do something that will get a reaction out of her."

And suddenly, everybody looked at Oliver.

"I volunteer to threaten to kill him," I said cheerfully, and Oliver glared at me. I smiled back.