Chapter Nineteen: And Then There Were None

The air was cold, wrapping around Hayley like icy fingers. Her breath came out in hot puffs, before disippating into nothing. Her muscles ached as she ran through the dark forest, another chill going down her spine as she felt a towering shadow chase her.

She didn't dare look over her shoulder, her fear keeping her from taking her eyes off the path in front of her.

Fear also clawed down her throat, making her choke on any screams that were building in her chest. Sweat streamed down her face, dripping into her eyes and mouth.

There was a fork in the road in front of her, the path to the left leading somewhere sunny, and to the right more darkness waited for her.

Hayley's gaze strayed towards the left, feeling the distant warm of the sun. But her mind brought her to the right path, wondering if she had a better chance of losing the impending danger in the pitch blackness.

She drew in another breath, ignoring the stitch in her side, then plunged into total darkness.

With a gasp, Hayley lurched up from bed, her eyes flying open.

A pair of warm, strong hands gently grasped her shoulders and she could vaguely hear someone calling her name, despite the ringing in her ears.

"Hayley!"

Hayley flinched, then her green eyes met a pair of blue ones. Klaus was in front of her, looking down at her with slightly wide eyes and concern etched into his features.

Gulping down another breath, she gasped. "Klaus?"

"Hello there, little wolf. That must have been quite a nightmare," he said, moving to sit down next to her.

Hayley looked around. "When did you…?"

"I heard your screams from down the hall, love. I think you've spooked some of the guests."

With a trembling hand, Hayley rubbed her eyes. "I was screaming?"

"Quite loudly," Klaus said, eyeing her. "I half expected to burst in to see you being tortured-," The moment the words left his mouth, his expression gave way to stone. "I apologize. That was in poor taste."

Hayley shook her head. She focused on her breathing, and after a few moments, her heart stopped racing.

"Do you want to-?"

Hayley cut him off. "No." When she saw his eyes flicker, she exhaled slowly. "Not right now."

"Very well." He hesitated for a moment. "Shall I go?"

Hayley looked out the window, and saw it was still dark out. Her green eyes shifted towards his, still dark and dilated. "Can you sit with me?"

He nodded, then positioned himself beside her on the bed. It seemed like a habit now, something he didn't even think of, despite his previous rule of not sharing a bed with another.

Then again, his other bedfellows hadn't made him feel quite like this.

Hayley didn't climb back under the covers. Instead, she drew her knees up to her chest, then rested her chin on them.

"It's raining," she said after a moment. She tilted her head, as if to listen more closely.

"A storm is brewing," Klaus told her.

Hayley fought another tremor as a chill slid down her spine, an icy finger that made her tense. "Talk to me," she said suddenly.

"About what?"

"Anything. Tell me a story."

Klaus thought for a minute, then began speaking. "One time, I was hiking in the Andes…"

Hayley closed her eyes, letting his voice wash over her, finding it soothing.

Ooo0ooO

Many found the rain to be something soothing, or refreshing, as though the sound could wash away any trouble.

But in the midst of the storm, the rain was harsh and cold. It changed the world into a blanket of gray color, obscuring any sights and smells.

And for some, they used that as cover.

Patrolling the camp, Mason could not see or smell the impending danger which hid itself only twenty yards from where he was. He was drenched, and shivering, unaware of the shifting shapes the rain cloaked.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced the side of his neck. He yelped, his hand reaching up, and brushed across a small silver dart. The viscous yellow liquid within the dart emptied into his system, having directly hit a main artery.

Mason stumbled, but couldn't cry out in warning. His vision blurred and the poison licked through his veins like fire.

Wolfsbane, he thought before collapsing on the ground, lying in the mud.

A pair of black boots appeared in front of him, and he tried to look up. The face was covered, and his world went black as he lost consciousness.

One more body hit the ground yards away from Mason. Eve's blonde hair turned brown and gold in the wet mud, and her eyes fluttered close as another dart was taken out of her arm.

"Take them," a cold voice ordered.

Ooo0ooO

Hayley walked downstairs, trailing after Klaus. It had been a few hours since she had jerked awake from her nightmare, and her stomach had given a dangerous growl that made Klaus burst out laughing before suggesting they go down into the kitchens.

The entire place seemed very quiet, apart from the sound of the rain coming down outside.

"Where is everyone?" Hayley asked, lifting a brow.

Klaus shrugged. "Holed up somewhere enjoying themselves with the locals, probably."

"So enjoying themselves is code for…?"

Klaus flashed her a grin. "Many things, especially if you're my family."

Hayley made a face before pulling out some food from the fridge. She tucked into her lunch while Klaus enjoyed a glass of warmed blood, even though the scent had Hayley's nose twitching.

It wasn't long before Elijah walked in, wearing that same distracted expression that seemed permanently fixed. When he saw them, he paused at the doorway. "Oh. Hello."

"Brother," Klaus greeted while Hayley gave the other Mikaelson a nod.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Not hardly. Kol, on the other hand, did his share the other day-," Klaus was cut off when Hayley smacked his chest, her eyes wide.

"Shut up," she growled.

Klaus gave her a devious smirk in response.

Elijah seemed to shuffle his feet. Taking pity on the man who managed to look so small despite being so tall, Hayley sighed and grabbed another glass.

"Drink?" she offered.

"Well… I did want some...ah…"

"Blood?" Hayley guessed, before snatching another bag and pouring. "The smell isn't pleasant, if you ask me, but hey you need to… um, eat, right?"

Elijah took the glass from her. "Thank you. I'll just…" He walked out before finishing his sentence.

"He has a habit of doing that," Hayley remarked.

Klaus glanced at her. "What?"

"Leaving without saying good bye."

"My brother's manners are impeccable, however socializing has never been his strong point."

"He's got someone on the brain," Hayley murmured.

"How do you know?"

"He's got the look," Hayley stated simply. "Plus, he sighs all the time. Lost eyes and lots of sighing equals…" She trailed off, gesturing towards where Elijah had disappeared.

Ooo0ooO

It didn't take much to break into the Abattoir. Of course the King wasn't lax in his security, but with the storm, everyone was tucked away, unassuming to the danger picking the locks.

It also was fairly easy to find the residences of the home, all of whom were in their respective rooms, keeping themselves busy.

Rebekah had been brushing her hair, humming to herself when she heard a creak. She turned, but it was too late.

A small, silver stake, fine like a blade, pierced into her chest, incapacitating her.

Three doors down, Kol was woken from a drug induced nap by the same piercing sensation.

Last was Elijah, who had been enjoying his blood in the sun room over a book. He sensed a shadow over his shoulder, then stood in a flash, baring his fangs at the intruder.

The stake flew through the air, hitting its target before he could avoid the blow. He fell to his knees, then blacked out before he hit the floor.

But by the time Hayley and Klaus heard the simultaneous thumps of bodies hitting the floor, they were already gone, with nothing but a familiar scent left behind.

"Hunters," they growled at the same time.

Ooo0ooO

Klaus stormed down the hallways of the house, Marcel and Hayley flanking him on either side.

"How did they get in?" Klaus snarled. "How did they manage to take down not one but three Original vampires?"

"They are stealthy," Hayley said grimly. "They were created to do this, to hunt. They've had time to figure out a plan, and decades of training your execute any plan perfectly."

"That's not helpful," Marcel muttered.

Hayley gave him a scathing glare. "I'm saying what we know. We don't know how they got in or why the patrols we're doing their jobs. Isn't that something you keep an eye on?"

Klaus whirled on them both. "Enough! We don't have time for you two to bicker like two old women. We know they have my brothers and sister, and Hayley's wolf boy-,"

"His name is Jackson."

"-Told us that they have her Beta and the old wolf too," Klaus finished, ignoring her.

"Why would they take them?" Marcel asked. "One hostage is a lot, considering. But five?"

"They're removing people from the board."

Klaus and Marcel shot Hayley looks with raised brows.

"Think about it," she snapped. "The less people we have, the weaker we are. They took your siblings because they're a threat, same as Mason and Eve. They're isolating us."

"But why?"

"To scare us?" Hayley jerked her shoulder. "The less we have on our side, the less we seem like a threat."

"You seem to know how they think very well," Marcel said, his dark eyes watching her suspiciously.

"This isn't the first time I've run into them," Hayley said coldly. "So yeah, I know how they work. Plus, their leader promised me something would happen. This is that something."

"When did you speak to their leader?" Klaus asked sharply.

"The night of the Masquerade dance," Hayley said. "After I made you go inside. He was there to collect… the body."

Klaus stared at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now," she stated firmly. "What we need to focus on is what to do next." Her gaze shifted towards the vampire. "You might be targeted next. Your Klaus' first born, so to speak. They know your his closest ally."

"Let them come," Marcel said, grinning widely, showing all of his teeth.

"They took down three Original vampires and two werewolves. Do you really think you stand a chance if they do?"

"I guess we'll have to see."

Hayley then realized something. She breathed a single word before disappearing in a blur of movement.

"Tyler."

Ooo0ooO

The sound of feet scraping along the floor woke up Mason from a drugged sleep. He blinked a few times, his vision still blurred.

He saw the outline of a tall man, dressed in all black, dragging someone across the floor before dumping the body next to him.

He got a whiff of their scent. "Tyler," he groaned.

"Oh boy, wolf boy is awake," a cool, sarcastic voice said over Mason. "Does the doggy need his meds?"

"Enough, Damon. Give him another dose. We have our orders."

"Sir, yes sir," the one called Damon muttered before crouching in front of Mason.

The werewolf tried to snarl, but he couldn't move as another needle bit into his neck. Blackness crept into his vision again.

"Sweet dreams, doggy.".

Ooo0ooO

Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals.

Author's Note: A shorter bonus chapter because why not?

Please review!