Author Note: BOOM BABY! I'm back! So in case you guys didn't know I'm in college(last leg, man, yeah-hoo!) and fall semester I was taking 18 credit hours- so 5 classes of nothing but art. , twas nuts! And I had to drop everything that wasn't school related. So sorry to leave you all with such a cliff hanger! TT^TT forgive me! Any whosits, I'm only taking 2 classes now so that means I'll hopefully be on the move with this! Also, I see that some of you guys don't like all the attention I've given to Moxie, I'm sorta with you- did get a little heavy on the OC there but she's now a part of the plan, man, and she simply can't leave now- but that does mean I'll ease up on her.
Pay Dearly
Oh can't you see
See your soul's ripe for reaping
You picked a fight, but you got a war
Like a fire needs a flood
I want you to pay dearly
For what you stole from me
-Johnnyswim
Ch. 10
A single piercing scream filled the otherwise silent room. The girl on the bed whimpered, had she really just witnessed a murder. Her friend was dead...and it wall all Moxie's fault. The screen went black, her friend's lifeless body now gone, the woman's voice could be heard once more, "Klaus, I need you to come to this location," an address flashed in white letters on the screen. She continued, "I feel as though we're not on the same playing field. I'll level it out some for you. We are known simply as Moros. Moros is the best laboratory in the Northern Hemisphere. We pride ourselves in being the top lab of the Supernatural Researching Field. So I need not tell you the severity that goes into missing this appointment. But just so it is perfectly clear, I will tell you...miss this, and she takes your place as our newest 'volunteer specimen'. You have a week." The screen darkened further, the address faded, and the recording stopped.
Gone. That was it. She was gone and they needed to call the cops. It had to be past midnight now. As if in a trance, Moxie searched for her phone while wiping her cheeks, the tears coming down fast. "We-we-we have to-" her breathing came in short little spurts in between her sobs, "cal-ca-call. The police. Evidence." Her hands finally found her phone under her pillow, but her fingers weren't working. She was so caught up in everything that she didn't realize what the woman had said.
Stefan's hand reached out and grabbed hers still holding the phone, then he took it away. He didn't say anything, just placed the phone on the stand next to her bed. Thinking it odd, Moxie finally looked around the room. The unnamed brother of Klaus looked tense and grim. Damon, oddly enough, had the same look. Elena was clearly frightened by the whole scene but nothing as close to Moxie. And Stefan remained in a distant trance.
And then there was Klaus. She could see that his world had just been ripped out from under him, and the thought made her heart ache in sympathy. He was lost. His eyes still watched the screen. The intensity of his gaze was enough to physically make Moxie move just a few inches away from him, though she was a good 6 feet away from him.
And just like that he snapped. His hands were shaking and finally he looked away from the screen and down at the floor. The closest thing to him was a desk. It would do...for now. In one fluid motion, tense with rage he grabbed the desk and flung it towards the door. It crashed into the wall next to the door, splitting in half and then crumpling to the floor. A large gaping whole was left in the wall. He was seething, it wasn't as satisfying as twisting a neck or breaking some poor saps femur. He was very aware of his breathing, true he didn't need it, but it seemed he couldn't help it. His breath was coming in and out at a fast pace. And for a second he felt human. He didn't like that. He didn't like being forced to feel vulnerable. His emotions being so forcibly revealed to those weaker than him.
He seethed again and grabbed the chair that had been with the desk. Picked it up over his head and smashed it onto the ground. As if it sent a jolting shock to his brain he remembered something. He straightened up and looked back at the group.
Before he could say anything his brother spoke up, "Would anyone care to let us know what direction the address is in? Since we do not know this area well and we don't know for how long they'll be there."
"Are you kidding me?! Did you all see what I saw?! Jesus, fuck, she was killed on screen! We have to do something about that!" Moxie's voice rang out.
"Stefan?" Elijah's said with an inflection implying him to 'take care of it'.
Stefan gave a small nod, and turning to Moxie with a compullsioned stare, he said, "You are going to forget everything from tonight and go to sleep, feeling well rested and excited for the day to come."
Moxie stared at him. "Fuck you! The fuck is wrong with everyone here?!" Her head turned to each person. Either she was losing her mind or everyone else is. And she was inclined to think everyone else was.
Stefan's face was puzzled, she must've had vervain recently, that was the only thing that made sense. He looked back at Elijah briefly. He turned to Moxie once more, "Moxie we need you to calm down okay, Caroline isn't dead. Why would they kill her if their main target is Klaus? Right?" Her eyes still head a look of wary concern and fear. "Do you trust me? I'll tell you all about what's happening here tomorrow, okay? I promise no one's getting hurt or killed okay?"
"We don't have time for this!" Klaus was still livid, more than that. They were going to pay, dearly, for what they did. Of all his enemies that he faced, these were going to be the most enjoyable kills he would ever make.
Elijah nodded, "I agree, so will someone please answer my previous questions?"
His eyes looked at each person in the room. Until they were seized by Moxie as she finally controlled herself long enough to voice a simple sentence. "I-I know where it is. I can take you there. I-It's the place I saw Caroline, it's an abandoned building." She rubbed at her face.
"Well then what the hell are we waiting for," Klaus said in an annoyed manner.
A tiny knock came from the door. Everyone's eyes darted over to the sound's origin. Klaus quickly sped to the door reaching it in a second. He opened the door and what appeared to be another student stood on the other side. Their eyes were glazed over. They held out an envelope, an exact clone of the other envelope. His name was scrawled on the front in the exact same way. His stomach fell. He grabbed it from the them. As soon as he did the student started to walk away. Klaus' hand quickly stopped him, "Who gave this to you?! Where did you get this from?" But the student remained silent. He let them go, they were clearly compelled. He closed the door and turned around, all while looking at the envelope in his hands. He opened it and pulled out yet another blank looking disc. "When did you receive the other one?" His voice was grim and steely, like cold lead.
Elena shook her head and looked at Moxie. The later of the two had her hands over her mouth. Her head was slowly shaking back and forth. "I-I-I don't remember exactly. It must have been a week ago-" She gasped, that was how long they had to get Caroline back. "Oh my god," she whispered, "we're too late."
