Author Note: Okay guys! It's been waaaay too long! Luckily I've already started on the next chapter so hopefully it'll be up soon too. :D Thanks for reading!
~ Running to the Sea
I could hear them howling from afar
I saw them rushing to your car
In a moment all went screaming wild
Until the darkness killed the light
-Röyksopp
Ch 7
"I cannot believe you're going to New Orleans!" Moxie gushed over her friend's sudden plans as they rode through the night. It was the friday before spring break and the campus had been deserted since noon. Elena had left that morning to go back to Mystic Falls leaving Caroline and Moxie to find some amusement till it was their turn to leave.
It was Moxie's idea to go to another rave, "I still owe you like 2 more covers and probably 5 more drinks or something...so you can't really say no." The girl winked at the blonde and suddenly they found themselves whisked away into the night, Moxie's flashy mustang as their chariot. Seriously, the girl was an oddity if Caroline ever saw one. But when Caroline prodded the girl for information, like where she lived of what it was her family did, she was met with a lame answer and an immediate turn of conversation.
The car raced down the dark road. Walls of forest on both sides of the road blurred by their windows. Caroline shook her head at her roommate, "Yeah, me either." A small smile escaped her.
"You still haven't told me much about it. I thought you were too busy. How'd you afford a first class ticket anyways?" Moxie drove smoothly on.
"It was a gift, I guess. And I'm not that busy, I'm ahead in all of my classes."
"You guess? The hell does that mean? Like someone just dropped it off and you were like 'Oh cool. Yeah, New Orleans sounds nice this time of year might just pop in for a few days' Or like did you get it from your grandma- once my grandma gave me an engagement ring 'cause she thought it was pretty- bless her heart she had no idea what it was she was buying it came in a black box and everything, I think I cried for hours just laughing at the whole thing."
Caroline laughed loudly, she was caught off guard by the whole scenario, "A real ring? Did the guy selling it to her tell her that?"
"Yeah, when I went by to see about swapping it for something not so serious looking he told me the whole story. She apparently came in, pointed it out, said she wanted to buy it, and he tried to explain to her that it was for getting engaged and she said- and I shit you not this is verbatim- 'Well she's been engaged with art for a while now so if that means she should have a ring to show for it then I'll get it for her'." The two girls laughed for a solid minute before they surfaced for air.
"Did she not have an engagement ring when she was married? How does she not know what an engagement ring is?"
"My grandmother never married. My grandfather and her lived together for 65 years. They didn't believe in marriage, that's the best way I can put it. They thought that if you loved someone you shouldn't put too much thought into it. Just love them- as they are- simple as that. So when we moved to America she had to get accustomed to a lot of things. Jewelry hasn't been on her top list of what to understand in America."
"Wow." Caroline admired Moxie's grandparents. "Wait, where are you from?"
"Ireland. And I know you're going to ask me why I don't have an accent-"
"I actually wasn't going to-"
"-it's because I moved when I was a baby. My mother found a job over here and decided to move everyone with her. But she died a couple years later, so I guess that didn't pan out too well in the long run." Moxie said it with such nonchalance that Caroline had to do a double take.
"She died? And you're okay with that? You made it sound like you were talking about what you had for lunch the other day!"
"Woah, calm down, I was like 2. Besides I had a wonderful family. They support me and love me enough to fill the void of several people, not just one person." Moxie took a second to glance at Caroline, giving her a quick look that said 'I'm about to unleash some real life truths on you so sit down and shut up'. "Just because my mom died, didn't mean that I had to live my life wondering what it was to have one who had lived. My father taught me to accept the bad things from your past, look at them- understand them- and then put it back down because you can't take the past with you if you want a free future. Before you know it you're carrying too much baggage from the past and you'll limit your future. Also, if I don't accept it then I don't talk about it- too many people whisper departed loved ones' names like if they speak it out loud then they'll disturb them or something stupid like that. I want to remember them, they were here once in life, because they're gone now means I have to also forget them? Never speak of them again? Fuck that!" The car was silent. And they drove like that for a minute. "Okay sorry, end rant. I know you're different then most people. You've got this vibrant life force in you. You'd take my burdens from me if you could make it better- that's what you do. Don't know where that train of conversation was supposed to take me but just know that I'm not mad or angry at you- just felt like getting that out there." She shrugged, "So who gave you the ticket?"
Caroline felt whiplash from everything that had happened. She actually took great value from what Moxie was saying. It was true, how many times did her friends and she talk about the people that had died? Hardly ever. Caroline let the informations she just received sink itself into her brain.
With a sigh she supposed that she'd tell Moxie the truth. Looking out her window she muttered, "Klaus."
The car lurched forward as Moxie had started to brake. The road was deserted, a small two lane 'highway' going through the woods at midnight. The car finally stopped and Moxie turned half her body to look at Caroline, "I'm sorry hun, I'm hard of hearing. Could you say that again?"
Caroline blushed, did she have to stop the car? "K-Klaus."
A large cheshire grin slowly formed on Moxie's face, "I KNEW IT!" Her voice came out almost like a yell. "I knew it was a good idea to sell him my painting! Does he live in New Orleans? Or does he have a house there? Is this some romantic rendezvous? Oh my God, I ship it!" Moxie bounced in her seat clapping hyperactively.
Caroline sat back watching the scene unfold with mild confusion and a growing headache. "Would you calm down? Holy crap! My ears can't take much more of this! Would you mind driving again?"
"Okay, okay, okay!" The car started moving again, accelerating to its' previous speed.
"Okay, first off, I still don't approve that you sold it to him. He could've been someone else entirely- a stranger with a weird fetish, a stalker, I don't know. Second, what does 'ship' mean?"
"I can't explain why I sold it- don't actually remember doing that- but in the end does it matter? I might have just gotten you laid, okay? Doesn't that count for something?" Moxie laughed at the look of fire Caroline just shot her, "I know, I know, that's not funny or right, and was very reckless." Moxie rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "And as for 'ship', it's sort of short for a romantic relationship that you're rooting for." Caroline placed her right hand on her face and shook it, mumbling incoherent words. She removed her hand after a few seconds and resolved herself to look out the window at the dark forest that surrounded them.
After several minutes riding in silence Moxie was the first to speak, "Hey look, we're here!" Caroline looked up to see an old shipping factory. It looked like it hadn't been closed for a long time which she was thankful for. They parked and got out of the car. There were a number of cars in the small parking lot directly in front of the building. The usual thumping and vibrations could be heard coming from the small building.
Once inside Caroline let herself forget about classes, work, clubs, and even Klaus. She didn't want to over think things. She wanted to fall into a state of freedom. And when she went to run down places like this and danced like she was someone else, it certainly felt freeing. The loud repetitive music hypnotized her. Her mind blanked as if by command and she let herself go.
Moxie handed a colorful drink to Caroline, yelling over the music, she told her to take it. Caroline accepted and sipped it. It tasted like a sour apple at first but then the flavored transformed to a much sweeter one. As she sipped she watched the people around her. Most of the people were dancing to the music, some appeared quite drunk and then there were the few that she could tell were on drugs. She never understood the appeal of drugs. The people on them looked ridiculous and why would you take something that you didn't know exactly what would do to you? She shook her head.
Caroline was lost in her thoughts when she felt something odd. It was like the air changed, shifted to something...off. The atmosphere felt stranger, claustrophobic. It was such a slight change that she almost didn't notice it. However, she was never one to let things just slip by her as a coincidence. Something was off. The air was stifling, her chest was tight with a sort of fear she couldn't place. She had to get outside. Without so much as a forewarning to her roommate she set her drink down and headed towards the exit. The air outside was refreshing and liberating. She suddenly felt better, her head was clearer and she couldn't sense anymore danger. God, was that it? Had she felt in danger? She didn't want to think it was that, but inside she figured that must have been it.
"You okay, Caroline?" Moxie's voice surprised the blonde vampire. She quickly turned to see her friend exiting the building.
"Yeah, just sort of got...claustrophobic in there." She lied, something she didn't really enjoy doing. But how could she say she felt threatened? Moxie was a normal human who didn't sense things like a vampire could. Caroline shook her head, "I needed air, felt like I was going to pass out." She shrugged.
There it was again, that sinking feeling and the tightening in her chest. And that's when she heard it. The howling. It was so far away she almost missed it. Her head swiveled in the direction it came from. Her stomach dropped when she realized it was closer. Much closer. It was too fast to be a normal werewolf. Caroline scanned the forest. She looked up at the waning moon in the sky. If it wasn't a werewolf, then what was it? For fleeting moment she hoped that it was Tyler or Klaus. Maybe she was imagining her feelings of dread.
While Caroline fought to figure out what was in the forest, Moxie had started to notice the sounds too. She crept closer to Caroline. "What is that, a wolf?" Her voice was a soft whisper near Caroline's ear.
Caroline stood motionless. The howls were almost upon them and there was no time to get Moxie out of the immediate area. "Moxie go inside. I'll be right behind." No one moved. The two girls were cemented to the ground. Caroline turned to compel the pink haired girl. She stopped dead when the form of a man stepped from the shadow of trees 20 feet away. Her body was ice cold. Her first thought was to get Moxie to safety.
"There's a man behind you." Moxie's voice was calm. Like she had run-ins like this every Thursday afternoon. It sent a chill down Caroline's spine.
"Just one?"
"Now three."
As her roommate spoke two more revealed themselves, one on each side of the original man. They were large, muscled men. The ice in her veins froze over once more, something she didn't think was possible. Sure she knew in normal circumstances she could probably take them but this was so far from normal. Caroline breathed in slowly. She whispered back to Moxie, "Three behind you too."
"Hardly seems a fair fight." The girl let out a sarcastic breath, almost a chuckle but not quite. "I don't think anyone's gonna hear us either." Caroline shook her head. "Take out one or two before they really get us, okay? I want someone to get beat, and I don't want to be the only one that does." Moxie was a true fighter. Stubborn till the end, but her words sent a dagger into Caroline's chest. The talk of a brave man going to a war he knew he wouldn't come back home to. Blinding fear was all Caroline felt. Not just for her but for Moxie. She was so lively, she didn't deserve to die. She had such life in her veins.
Caroline was going to protect that, even if it killed her in the process. She looked Moxie in the eyes and compelled her, "When the night is over you're going to forget everything that happened here."
Without warning Caroline grabbed the girl. Their car was only 3 car lengths, and an aisle over, away. She found the keys and managed to shove the girl, keys and all into the car, all in less than a second. She found herself thrown backwards as soon as she heard the doors to the car locking. Her back collided with the parked car next to theirs. It's high pitched alarm screeching into her ears causing her a brief moment of disorientation. A large hand grabbed her throat, picking her up a foot off the ground, and then slammed her into the parked car's hood. The metal crunched, as if made out of paper, under her. Her breath was taken out of her lungs and was replaced with a searing pain in her ribs and back. Caroline kicked out, making contact with the man's sternum that was attacking her. She heard the familiar sound of bones cracking. Her attacker slumped to the ground.
Another large hand found her neck, this time forcing her backwards and into the ground. The attacker's second hand came down to join the first in choking her. More pain rushed in to her body. Fight them Caroline, you can do it. Her hand shot out in front of her in a fast right hook that knocked the man unconscious on top of her. A distant yelling filled her ears and she realized with a start that they must've gotten to Moxie too. Fueled by her need to protect her friend she used all of her body weight to push the man off of her. Two of the men had managed to pull Moxie out of the car. She didn't waste time and sped over to them, snapping the neck of one. She quickly took the other's arm, twisting it behind his back. In one fluid motion she kicked his leg hard enough to break it and then slammed his head to the ground. Four down.
As if on cue a hand shot out from her right to wrap its way around her shoulders. It took the man a split second to have her in a choke hold. A sharp pin-like pain hit her in the base of her neck. The ice cold fear returned with a vengeance. It raced up her spine and settled in her chest. All she felt was a blinding fear, for her and especially for Moxie.
A loud bang froze her to the spot. It was so loud in the quiet of the night, so sudden, that she almost forgot what was happening. She looked up to check on her friend. Moxie's arm was outstretched in front of her, pointing at Caroline. A smoking gun in her hand. A heavy weight pressed down on Caroline, threatening to pull her to the ground. With a start she realized that Moxie had just shot the man that was holding her. The woman in front of her looked strong, like a rock that couldn't be moved. The sight suddenly gave her courage. She knew they needed to get out of there, and fast. She looked at the girl, "Moxie, we have to get out of here."
The girl suddenly slumped to the ground, the last man had been behind her. How had she not seen that? A syringe was in his hand. With a sickening realization she quickly looked down. The dead man at her feet had a syringe in his hand as well, and it was empty. She looked back up at the last man standing. He was already picking her roommate up from the ground, slinging her over his shoulder effortlessly. She had to do something, move, find help, fight, something! But her feet wouldn't move. Something was terribly wrong. Her body was somehow frozen in place. The world seemed to slow down, as if she had to see everything unfold in slow motion. The man appeared to be talking into a phone, informing the person on the other side that he'd accomplished his mission. Caroline fought her body. Willed it to move, but something was wrong with her. She wasn't moving, couldn't really. Whatever was in that syringe was making it impossible to do anything about the situation at hand. Move Caroline!
The man placed Moxie on top of her car's hood. Her mind spun with thoughts and ideas, anything to get them out of there. She had been in plenty of sticky situations before, and she was going to get out of this one too. Caroline looked around her surroundings spotting the gun that Moxie used. She had no idea the girl even owned one but was so thankful that it was there. If she could just move to it, she might be able to save them. The man was preoccupied with searching Moxie for any more weapons and then checking the car for them as well. Like her limbs were moving through mud, she slowly moved towards the gun on the ground. An agonizingly long time passed while she made her way to the gun. He was coming out of the car. Her hand grasped the gun shakily, her grip wasn't strong. Without any hesitation she pointed the gun at him. He turned toward her. The gun went off.
Caroline dropped the weapon, she hadn't hesitated to kill him. Moxie and her were in danger, she wasn't going to give up so easily. But the way she just let loose without a second thought, not even knowing whether or not she had killed the men attacking her- worse, not caring if she did. It scared her. She didn't want to be a killer. She had more control than that, but knowing that it wasn't just her in danger kicked her moral compass to the curb.
She pushed through the haze that clouded her mind and the invisible cement encasing her limbs to make her way to her friend. The girl was out cold. A chill raced up her spine, the hairs on her neck stood on edge. A distant howl crept its way into her ear. And then another. There were more coming. And she knew they'd be here and she wasn't going to be able to fight them. Whatever was coursing through her body was rapidly immobilizing her. With an extreme effort she forced her arms and body to pick the pink haired girl up and place her on the floor of the back seat. Her strength was failing her. Caroline checked to see if the keys were still in the car before she locked it and left her roommate inside the car. She needed to find a place to hide. There was no way she'd be able to take her and Moxie out of there.
The howls were louder now. And this time she could tell they came from all sides. Caroline headed towards the road that they had arrived from. Everything was slowing down, her movements were agonizingly slow. But she pushed through the fog and somehow found one last burst of energy. She ran into the woods. It was risky. But if they were heading to the rave they'd be preoccupied by their fallen friends, at least that was what she had hope for. She ran as fast as she could, unfortunately that meant she ran like a normal human being. Her vision was hazing in and out and causing her to partially collide into a tree once or twice. A howl ripped through the night air, surprising her to the point of almost tripping over a tree's root. She still had a mile between her and them, if she could just make it out of the woods and find a building or a house she could get help. As if an answer to her silent prayers she spotted a clearing a half mile ahead of her. She willed herself to go faster, to just make it to the clearing and she'd be safe. Her body broke through the line of trees and into the clearing. Her heart fell. Before her was a cliff that looked out onto a sea of trees. The cliff must have been 85 feet from the forest floor below. She was trapped. She thought about the possibilities of leaping off of it. She'd die of course but maybe it would get her away from the howling men that were chasing her. But there was no guarantee that she wouldn't take a tree limb to the heart. She didn't have time to decide what was best, she was just going to have to jump and pray that she wouldn't get staked on the way down.
Her feet weren't moving. The sheer terror she felt was new and demanding. Her body had finally stopped, giving in to the foreign drug in her system. Her knees buckled under her weight, connecting with the ground. She lost. Caroline Forbes was forced to give up, no fighting, just the white flag of surrender. Her vision was going in and out now. She heard footsteps behind her. She couldn't move her head to look. Like a statue, she was frozen to the spot. This was it, this is the end. Everything she didn't get to do in life was catching up to her. She wasn't done. She wanted so much more from her life. She deserved it. A flash of a familiar face surfaced to the front of her mind. His eyes were set on hers and his smile had the trademark smugness to it. And just as suddenly as Klaus popped into her head, her world shattered. A sharp pain to her head, then everything went black.
