Chapter 17: Cat & Mouse Game

The curtains fluttered wildly as Klaus strode into the room. His eyes first fixated onto the window which was now flung open, inviting a sharp gust of cold air. He steered aghast at this, his expression a mixture of sinister joy and rage. His arms were stretched rigidly at his sides, tense, and his veins were raging with blood. Hayley snapped out of her trance and lurched forward from behind him, her heart pattering crazily, desperate to see inside.

She grit her teeth forcing herself to find her composure for she knew he could hear each and every pump her precious muscle powered. Hayley finally got a view of the room, she saw the open window and calmed only slightly.

"He's gone." She half sighed with relief inside, though her heart refused to be calmed and continued to beat with stubbornness. Her eyes surveyed the bed from over Klaus' shoulder, searching for more reassurance. It was empty. Hayley regained her confidence. It was okay, they were okay.

"I must have forgotten to lock it." Hayley spoke, knowing her silence would only do harm. She strode past Klaus, without looking at him at all, to the window and pulled it shut, fastening the lock and drawing the curtains slightly. Her thumbs fumbled a little but she remained as cool as she could.

Finally, she turned around to face Klaus.

He glared at her as if she was prey.

Hayley found the desire to leave forefront in her mind. Despite her staged stability, her mind shook with fear wanting desperately to be away from the man before her. She needed Elijah, she needed to see him. His disappearance wasn't enough. She wouldn't feel at ease unless she saw him. It didn't make sense but that was how it was.

Hayley took a step forward, trying to find the courage to walk back past Klaus and escape in any form she could. The floorboard creaked with her nervous pace. Klaus's eyes had not left her. He continued to stare malignantly. The uncertainty of his behaviour was what made her afraid. However as always, she succumbed to a challenge and mustering all her pride strode past him as if nothing had happened at all.

She reached the door frame and her eyes closed in respite. She had made it.

Yet the next moment proved otherwise.

The instant her foot raised to pass through the door onto the landing she was harshly jerked backwards in a motion she could never have anticipated.

Hayley cried out, more in fear than in pain as she fell and slid across the floor to the other side of the room. She struggled to lift herself off the floor and her hand clutched her stomach instinctively. Her effort came to a sudden halt as she froze, her heart feeling a similar effect. Klaus was crouched beside her, his eyes yellow and mad.

They snapped back to their usual colour and his hand rose…

"Sorry love." He spoke softly and she knew he was completely insane. His hand fiddled with her hair lightly brushing it aside to reveal her face reddened with alarm. She cast him a look of disgust and he smiled at her bravery.

Hayley instinctively attempted to move.

"Now now little wolf, I'll have none of that." He spoke patronisingly lifting up her chin. Hayley turned away her cheek growing angrier by the minute.

Klaus moved away and stood up, leaving Hayley to turn back with slight surprise. "What does he want?" she thought watching his every move.

He walked over to the dresser unscrewing the cap off the bourbon bottle and pouring its contents into a glass. "Why the need?" thought Hayley completely repulsed. He'd been drinking from the bottle before...

Then she realised...

He was waiting. The question was what for.

Hayley decided she had no intention of finding out.

"You're rather attentive." Klaus spoke while sipping his drink and diverting her attention to him. Hayley saw that his back was turned away from her.

She eyed the door.

"I hope you're not hurt." he now spoke turning to her and she looked at him with complete defiance. She wasn't hurt but she was angry.

Her teeth were clenched and her face grew even more sour, she wasn't going to take this any longer.

Klaus raised the glass to his lips.

And Hayley took the moment.

After a few timed seconds she wrenched herself off the ground and quickly got to her feet, her eyes immediately latching onto the door of escape. She bolted forwards concentrating on nothing else but her freedom, hoping the delay in Klaus putting down his glass had provided her with the few extra seconds she needed.

She was so close...

...but not close enough.

On reaching the door she heard it slam shut.

The next second her back was against the wooden frame and Klaus's hands gripped her shoulders.

He stared at her angrily and almost growled.

"Don't make this more difficult for yourself." He almost spat but then his anger drooped and his smirk returned.

"Always were a stubborn little thing weren't you now." he teased.

"Let me go." Hayley spoke firmly; the last thing she wanted was him messing with her mind.

"What happened to your fascination with control?" he breathed. The smell of alcohol grew.

Hayley's eyes fluttered with irritation. Her hands reached behind her trying to reach the door handle.

"You're insane!" she spat while her fingers fiddled.

"Aren't we all?" Klaus teased however his eyes darted to the door handle.

"You really don't give up, do you?" He exclaimed with somewhat a fake annoyance.

"Would he actually hurt me?" Hayley thought starting at the rage in his eyes.

He pushed her aside...however shockingly opened the door.

"Go." He spoke and Hayley blinked.

He gestured down the landing.

"Go on, run along Hayley." He encouraged her.

Hayley thought for a second. He wouldn't let her go. What was this? Her mind grew confused. She looked down the landing and decided she wasn't going to let him ask twice. Maybe he'd finally got bored of this little game and plus the sight of escape was too much to deny and hence she ran.

She sprinted across the landing reaching the stairs, while making decisions in her head.

"Thank god Elijah had left." She thought.

She ran down the stairs aiming for the entrance and wondered where Rebekah was.

She moved towards the door but found herself bumping harshly into an obstruction.

Klaus smirked in front of her.

"Now did you think it'd be that easy?" he laughed.

Hayley took a step back but Klaus neared her.

"I was hoping my dear brother Elijah would turn up you see. You know with one of his explanations for everything. Maybe he could explain the way in which you cried out his name..." His hand grasped her wrist seizing her forward.

The boldness upon Hayley's face disappeared for a second. She had thought Elijah was out of this, he had left.

"Please let me know what's going on in that mind of yours." He sneered.

Hayley grabbed her wrist back.

She needed to come up with something now.

He couldn't find out now. Not like this.

Actually, Hayley struggled to think of any way he could find out, ever, especially after today.

"Are we going to have to do this the difficult way?" Klaus threatened her.

"This is ridiculous." Hayley yelled back at him.

"Elijah was kind to me, I've told you before, I'm telling you again!"

Klaus paused on hearing her raised voice.

"Don't come near me." She continued angrily.

"Don't you dare ever touch me." She spat, the anger fuelling her.

Klaus remained silent.

Hayley took a breath feeling the physical strain linked to her emotion.

Klaus's eyes flashed gold and his mouth mutated into a snarl.

Hayley backed away, finding it difficult to hide the fear in her eyes...

Suddenly however,

All attention was diverted...

"Niklaus!" bellowed a voice powered with its own stormy rage.