Hello, my lovely readers. We're about to see how this nightmare began and it's not what you would expect. Guest staring: Davina Claire. On with the show…
Chapter 12: A Trick?
31 days 'til Halloween:
"This is so lame!" Davina Claire commented adjusting her position on the couch. "Come on. All that blood! The girls running around screaming! The guy with the hockey mask? Oh, please! Been done," she rolled her eyes, reaching for the remote to the DVD player.
Kol Mikaelson lunged forward. "No! This a classic. It all starts with Jamie Lee Curtis and ends with her in Halloween 2000 which we will get to later."
"Freddy Krueger is far creepier," Davina complained. "What says freak show like a guy who likes kids? Give me the remote!"
"No, you'll just make me watch Final Girls again!" Kol shouted back, taking the remote and holding it far from her reach. Davina glowered at him, before flinging her much smaller body on top of his, trying to climb him to get it.
"No! No more chick horror!" Kol groaned as her fingers slid up his arm and she surprised him with a kiss. Momentarily distracted, Kol fell back onto the couch, releasing the remote to the girl's grasp. "Fine. You win. One more time with that insipid film. Then we're back to my picks for the night."
"I could put American Horror Story in instead and we can make out," Davina suggested with a grin.
"You're a lusty thing, Davina Claire," Kol said slowly, pulling her to him. "And this is the part in the film where the knife wielding maniac would come and slice us to ribbons."
Davina let out a giggle. "More like Marcel will come early from his date with Rebekah and slice you to ribbons."
"How do you live under these insufferable circumstances?" Kol inquired, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.
Davina shook her head. "If it weren't for him, I'd have nowhere to go." For a second, their happy pre-Halloween celebration took a somber turn; then Kol thought of how to distract his new girlfriend.
"What would you like to do for Halloween?" Kol asked her.
Davina cocked her head to the side. "Well, I don't know. You're going back home to Mystic Falls next week and I'm stuck here doing nothing with Marcel."
"Then help me plan out how to pull the biggest prank for some time to come on my family and mates this All Hallow's Eve," Kol suggested, kissing her forehead.
The girl looked thoughtful before she grinned evilly. "Well, I was doing some internet research on hypnotism for a class project. And I do need some test subjects…"
"And how will this be frightening?"
"Because we're going to plant in your friends' and family's minds that there's something really awful that's coming for them," Davina explained. "Which won't be too hard since people tend to do creepy and horrible things on Halloween anyway."
"Right. So, I can post some things about and get them all riled up. Elena Gilbert and my big brother, Elijah, will be the most susceptible to this." Rubbing his hands together, Kol's lips spread in a wide, devious smile.
"And we can look up some tips on being able to hypnotize your victims without them even remembering you did it."
"And we can come up with a trigger. A word or a text message. Whatever will trigger the hypnotic state. You will be able to bring us back out, won't you, love?" For the first time, Kol looked a tiny bit worried. What if they were trapped inside their own minds and couldn't get out.
"We'll just think of a safety word," Davina seemed confident that she could do this without any kind of serious repercussions and Kol felt confident in her. They would be perfectly fine in her hands. Or so he hoped.
"This will be the best Halloween to date!" Kol enthused, kissing Davina again and grinning happily. He couldn't wait to see the looks on his friend's and family's faces when they realized that they had been tricked into their scariest Halloween to date.
2:45 p.m. Day before Halloween:
"Shit! How does this thing work again?" Tyler called to Kol who pushed a ladder behind the large oak tree in back of his family's home.
"It works by slipping it around your neck and jumping off the tree limb," Kol called back. He looked up at the tree. Some part of him wondered if the noose really would snap his bloody neck. No, this one worked so it would look like it had chocked the life out of him but did not. According to the company there also happened to be a safety mechanism that he could yank to drop him to the ground. Of course that wouldn't help if he couldn't find it in time. That's why Ty and Jer would be there when he first put it on. Just in case.
This was just part one of Kol's plans to scare the bloody hell out his family for the holiday. Step two were the phone calls. Everyone had received anonymous calls from Davina who had disguised her voice, keeping them on the line just long enough to creep into their minds. Of course, that would never have worked if Kol had not spent precious hours with a wrist watch, lulling them into a tranquil state. The plan might be going too well. Too easy. What if one of them were faking the whole time?
Hypnotizing himself had been the best part and also a little frightening. Kol did not believe himself to be a good candidate for this but he had set up a camera in his bedroom. After, Davina called him and told him to put on his mother's dress and eat a bar of soap, he was convinced. Soon the real fun would begin.
"Earth to Kol, wake up, man," Jeremy cried, rolling his brown eyes. "Where do you want it?" He held up a wicked looking knife, asking Kol where to put it.
"The fake blood bags are here, and here; try not to cut something else. I'm too pretty to die." Kol laughed when his friends groaned. Checking his watch, he sighed. "Let's see. A couple more hours before we can give my family a good fright. Plans, gentleman? Chase some girls about perhaps? I hear that Nik's bird, the lovely Bonnie Bennett and Elena Gilbert are stowed away in the Gilbert home? Shall we crash their celebrations?"
"Nah. I have to deal with my sister enough," Jeremy waved Kol off with a dismissive hand.
"Bekah then. Let's give her and that friend of hers a proper Halloween scare." Before his friends could reply, Kol went inside the house and crept up the stairs. Inside his room, he, Tyler and Jeremy donned a hockey mask, a set of claws with a Kreuger mask plus fedora and one of those masks from the Scream quartet. "Ready?" Kol/Michael Myers asked Tyler/Freddy and Jer/Ghost Face.
"Ready?" Freddy replied.
"Whatever," Michael muttered.
Kol rolled his eyes before pulling the window of his room open. He climbed onto a sturdy branch of the tree outside his bedroom and moved toward Bekah's room. Sliding the window open, soundlessly, he entered, stepping over to the bed and climbing beneath it. Tyler went into the closet while Jeremy moved behind the door which was closed but would hide him from view.
Minutes later the two girls entered, laughing and talking about the party at The Falls that evening. Rebekah dropped something on the bed and then Hayley's ankle came within grabbing distance of Kol's left hand before it moved. Rebekah began to complain about Marcel and wanting to have a fun, uncomplicated night out with a cute guy. Then Hayley's ankle moved back within Kol's reach. He did not hesitate this time.
"Ah!" Hayley screamed when Kol caught her foot in his grasp. "Rebekah, someone has ahold of my ankle!" she yelled, trying to yank free and kick him at the same time when he caught ahold of her other ankle, pulling and then dragging her under the bed with him, laughing as she screamed in terror.
There were more screams as Tyler and Jeremy appeared, going after Rebekah who tried to leave but Jeremey seemed to be blocking the door. "What's your favorite scary movie?" he asked Rebekah while she screamed at him. Then the bed moved and Kol heard Rebekah grunting while Tyler laughed at her.
"Give me a kiss, baby," Tyler cried while Rebekah screamed her bloody head off.
Kol had a hold of Hayley by the waist while she tried to break free and Kol breathed heavily into her ear. "Okay, you pervert, get off of me," Hayley snarled, elbowing him in the ribs.
"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Elijah thundered, flinging the door open. Jeremy yelped in pain and Kol had a feeling his friend just got hit by a door or Elijah's fist.
"Get off of her, Bekah?" their mother cried.
"I will kill you!" Mikael shouted, entering the door.
"Not if I kill them first," Nik joined their parents and older brother in the room while Hayley crawled from beneath the bed.
"Is there another one?" Rebekah demanded, peering beneath the bed. "Come out from there right bloody now! We're going to call the cops. Then you will be quite sorry."
"We already are," Jeremy's voice told them.
Kol climbed from beneath the bed. "Well that could have gone better. But we did give you a good scare, didn't we?" he questioned the girls, pulling off his mask His sister turned to glare at him.
"I should have known this was your stupid idea. God, Kol, if I could return you for a new brother, I would," Rebekah huffed, her cheeks flushing.
"Boys, this was not funny!" Esther Mikaelson placed her hands on her hips while Mikael shook his head.
"Try not to involve your sister next time," Mikael warned them.
"Mikael!" Esther cried, giving her husband a long look.
Mikael smiled. "Dear, it is Halloween. They are young and stupid. Let them have their fun for one night."
Esther shook her head. "Take it outside. I do not want this house damaged."
Leaving the house, Kol clapped his mates on their backs. "That was just the beginning of the entertainment for the night."
Tyler laughed and looked around. "Man, I love Halloween."
5:50 Day before Halloween:
"Here." Kol pointed at the location of the blood bag once more. Jeremy nodded and poked the bag. When Kol did cry out in pain, he slid the tip in until a stain began to erupt on Kol's shirt front. "And here." Jeremy poked the second blood bag and Kol grinned. "Wonderful. Now, for the hard part." He went over to the ladder and began to climb.
Jeremy and Tyler peered up at Kol as he walked along the length of the tree branch. Slipping the noose around his neck, he looked down at his mates. "Okay. Bring the ladder so I can climb down rather than allowing my body weight to snap my bloody neck."
Tyler brought the ladder and Jeremy helped to keep it steady while Kol climbed down and adjusted the noose before feeling comfortable. "Right then. Let's move it away from the ladder a bit and see how I feel. He checked his phone for a time. 5:58. Brilliant. Now he just needed someone in his family to look out the kitchen window and wait for the drama to unfold while he allowed his head to drop to the side. Jeremy and Tyler went off to hide.
Soon enough Elijah was screaming his bloody head off for their parents and the sounds of frantic footsteps came toward him. Kol had to stop himself from laughing. So gullible. Elijah, his mother, father, Nik, Bekah and Hayley were all acting distraught. How wonderful to know they truly cared and only because they thought him dead. He would feel remorse for the horror they would experience later in the day.
"Ha! Had you lot fooled. And, thanks Bex, but I don't want the kind of therapy I'll need if we ever exchange spit," Kol began to laugh. He could hold back his taunts. Watching his father's blood pressure rise just added to Kol's glee.
"I'm going to murder you, Kol!" Mikael roared while Esther placed herself between her son and her enraged husband. Time for a little role-reversal. Mother's turn to play good cop and to pay Father back for his earlier words.
"Mikael, no. It is Halloween. You know that Kol loves this holiday and, yes, he acted rashly but many children are doing so today." Esther turned and gave Kol a wary look which he also found amusing. "Do not frighten us like this again," she warned him. "Or I will not stand between you and your father's fury."
"Yes, Mother," he murmured, bowing his head so she would see the large smile on his face.
"You little wanker!" Rebekah hauled off and smacked Kol on the arm.
"Ouch!" Kol complained, rubbing his arm and then letting out another laugh. "Wait till next year." He could have said "Wait until later tonight. You're in for the ride or your young life" but chose not to. The anticipation was killing him.
"I will kill you myself if you try something like that again," Elijah snapped before turning and walking away. Poor Elijah. Clueless to the horror that he would experience once he became trapped in his own mind. He might very well kill Kol tonight. Who knew?
Left alone by his family plus their tag along, Hayley, Kol turned back to look for Ty and Jer who came out from their hiding places. "Brilliant, yes?" he called to them. They clapped and he bowed for them.
"So, I'm heading home, Lena's talked me into staying in tonight in case the killer strikes," Jeremy said with a fake shiver for them.
"And to flirt with Bonnie Bennett, I suppose," Kol gave Jeremy a mock disappointed look. "Typical. Ditch your mates for a bird." Speaking of birds, his cell chimed. "Sorry. Got to get this," he turned away from his friends to answer Davina's call. "Hello, love."
"Hey. Are you having more fun than I am?" Davina asked him.
"My entire family wants me dead. So, yes, I am having the time of my life, darling, wish you were here with me."
"I wish I were, too," Davina moaned. "But I'm stuck here. Even Josh has got a date tonight while I'm binge watching The Walking Dead."
"Get in a car and come join me for the festivities," Kol told her.
"I wish," Davina sighed. "Marcel would kill me."
"Let him try. You need to help me if things get out-of-hand."
"Sure. Because you can't handle a little chaos." He could see her lovely smile and wanted to kiss her.
"I can. But I would prefer it with you by my side."
"Fine. I'll see what I can do."
Hanging up, Kol returned to Tyler. "Looks like it's just you and me until we get to The Falls."
"Maybe we could get out there early and scare some other girls. Liv's decided to stay in tonight. This is going to kill me. Guess I'll call her later and see if her brothers are out so I can sneak in." His grin made it clear that the idea of being alone with his girlfriend had more appeal that hanging out with Kol. Kol would be insulted but he felt the same way about his own girl.
They took Kol's car to The Falls. Turning on some bloodyminded DJ who warned them about the killer or killers who might be on the loose. Kol smiled to himself, thinking about the flyers he left around town and the website. Yes, people ate it up. Good on them.
He and Tyler got out of the car to find people there already at The Falls five hours prior to midnight. They were drinking, making out, dancing, and yelling. The usual holiday ruckus. The alcohol would make it easier for their subconscious thoughts to become a reality when the time came and Kol could not wait. He just wished he could tape this whole thing when chaos erupted.
The party turned out to be rather lame until his family showed up. So far, Kol had had the pleasure of talking to several drunk girls who wanted to take him home that night but none of them really interested him. And Tyler had had too much to drink. Then Stefan Salvatore came near. The perfect opportunity to tease him about his ill-fated crush on Bekah who would marry Marcel and pop out babies as soon as college commenced. #Boring.
Tyler made it easy by throwing the first barb. "Hey, Stefan! What's up? Trying to get in Rebekah's pants tonight under the full moon?" he howled at the moon and then let out a laugh.
"What's this about?" Kol inquired, coming over and throwing an arm around Tyler's shoulder. "Oh, yes, Bekah's being a strumpet, again, I see. You should be careful. Her new boyfriend could split you in half. He plays football and bench presses men twice your size, mate."
Kol felt gleeful at Stefan's shattered nerves as the comment made impact. Gulping, Stefan forced himself to grin. "What he doesn't know, he can't kill me for," he told the two. Inwardly, Kol chuckled. Yes, indeed. And still, Marcel would beat Stefan senseless if he happened to come looking for Bekah and find her in an embrace with Stefan. Then he and Bekah would have a row before going off to make up.
Choosing to leave Stefan to his ill-advised fate, Kol looked at Tyler and then began to laugh. "Cheers to that!" Kol knocked his empty cup against Stefan's and then stumbled off with Tyler. He made as if he were half as drunk as his mate. But alcohol would just make it harder for him to control his own experience. And where would the fun be in that?
Kol kept checking his phone while Tyler joked with other people and made comments about Liv, his girlfriend, and how lame it was that she couldn't be there. Having had enough, Kol excused himself to call his own girlfriend. "Davina, darling, are you ready?"
Davina laughed. "Yeah. And, hey, I'm on my way. It turns out that Marcel wants to check on Rebekah, make sure she's not having too much fun without him. And I guess they had another argument so he's going all roses and chocolates. This is Halloween. Not Valentine's. Get her a bloody pumpkin and scare the hell out her. That would be much more fun."
"Where is the grumpy one?" Kol inquired.
"In a gas station, paying for the fill-up," Davina groaned. "He's driving like someone's grandmother. By the rate we're going at, we'll be there by 11 p.m. tomorrow."
"Hopefully not. Talk to you again soon. Bye, love." Hanging up, Kol turned back to the partygoers. Soon it would begin. Only five minutes left before chaos descended on the party. His lips curved into a smile and Kol looked at his cell as the witching hour began and his cell, along with everyone else at the party's rang with a text. One word message that could not be confused with anything else: Incipere. In Latin, it simply meant: begin. Then a scream cut through the air.
Kol would have smiled at the sound. Just a little bit of theatrics, if he remembered the plan or anything leading up to the following events, but he didn't, his memory had been wiped clean.
He looked around for Tyler. "Someone's got into the Halloween spirit," he told his mate who nodded in a drunken haze of amusement. Unlike the others, Kol did not feel interested in someone else's sub-par Halloween prank. Instead he figured they could beat the crowd back home and put the fear of God into Jer.
"Let's go," he called to Tyler who followed him back to the parking lot. Kol flipped the radio on and the listened to oldies but goodies like the Monster Mash on the way back. Looking back at his phone, he found he had forgotten to charge the battery. No matter. He'd do it later. It's not exactly like he expected a call. Davina was stuck back in New Orleans. And his siblings or parents could talk to him when he got home.
They parked outside Jer's and Kol got out, rounding the car to find more fake blood bags in the trunk. He slid one beneath his clean, white t-shirt and then grabbed the butcher knife that Jeremy had used on him earlier. He poked at the new blood bags, watching them make a mess of him.
"So you go inside and talk to Jer and then come get me. I'll be waiting outside the door, in agony, mate." Kol grinned at Tyler who nodded before stumbling to the door.
Kol took his time waiting for them before he went to the back door with his life-threating injuries. Taking his fingers, he added a nasty scratch to his face, cursing when he drew blood. "Hope that doesn't leave a scar," he muttered to himself. When he heard voices coming his way, Kol lay down in front of the door.
Liv Parker opened it, her messy curls spilling over her face as she bent down to check on Kol. She dropped the baseball bat she held and said "Shit."
In spite of his drunkenness Tyler played his part. "Kol!"
"Help me!" Kol cried to his friends. They led him to the Gilbert's couch and Liv lifted his shirt and found the blood bags. He couldn't help but laugh as she lifted her wide blue eyes to glare into his brown ones.
"That is not funny," Liv fumed.
"The party was lame. So we thought we'd come here and give you a good scare. Fortunately, it wasn't just Jeremy. And this is going on YouTube," Kol announced as he punched buttons on his phone. He knew this would be a hit.
"You're both a couple of assholes," Liv snarled as she got to her feet. "I'm going back home. I hope you three enjoy it when you're suffering from real stab wounds and no one does anything about it."
Jeremy decided to choose this moment to announce his sister's prank on him. Sure. Ollie Kenner was dead. More like drunk. Kol rolled his eyes. "Yeah, mate. I think your sister was trying to play a prank on you. Hold on. My phone is ringing. Yes? Hello?" he called into the phone. He lifted the phone with a shrug before placing it to his ear again. "Hello? Father? Dad?" Kol's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the others. His father did not reply but someone else did. An unfamiliar someone else.
"Knock. Knock," a voice called and Jeremy felt his stomach drop as Kol pulled the phone away because the person was yelling. "I said knock, knock," the voice yelled and then laughed.
"Who is there?" Tyler answered, playing along although Kol wished he wouldn't but did not know why.
"I killed your daddy and I'm coming for you," the voice sang.
Kol curled his fist. Pranks were his venue and this idiot had no idea who they were bloody well messing with here. "Look, the joke is over. So, you can stop now." His voice was shaking as he spoke.
After a moment the voice replied. "Oh, wait. Not dead. So sad. Want to talk to Kol? Yes? Okay. I think I can honor a last request."
"Kol?" Mikael's voice called through the phone.
"Yes, Dad?" Kol looked like he was going to cry now.
"Kol, I'm sorr-" Kol listened feeling sick because his father never got to finish. The end of his sentence came out as a choked gurgle.
"DAD!" Kol shouted into the phone. What the hell was going on? When had his favorite holiday become a living nightmare?
The voice came back on the line. "Sorry, I cut off daddy's head. Now, it's your turn!"
The line went dead and Kol could only stare at his phone from its place on the floor. Who would be that cruel? To call a son and to make him listen to the death of his own farther. Sure, they did not always see eye-to-eye and Mikael had threatened to kill him but this was his father… Was his father…
When another maniac entered the home, they fled. Kol could not think straight but he did know he wanted to live. If only to avenge his father's death. Liv had pulled out her phone and was trying to call her older brother as they got into his car and he hit the accelerator but his blasted car chose this time to act up.
"Kol, we need to go!" Liv screamed at him. He knew she felt afraid but so did he.
"I'm trying but the car won't start!" Kol screamed back at her. He was trying to get the car to start but it wouldn't move. Bloody auto body shop. Kol would have to learn how to fix a bloody car.
"Okay. Plan B. Who else has a car?" Liv asked them and they all looked at each other.
"Kol was my ride," Tyler reminded them and Kol wanted to smack him. He felt bad enough that his precious baby was failing him tonight, of all nights.
Liv seemed to be of the opinion that beating the living shit out of the blasted woman who wanted them dead and Kol agreed as they got out of the car.
When Liv gave the woman her second beating of the night, Tyler spoke to Kol. "While she's out, you want to try the car again?" He went ahead and got behind the wheel. The engine started up and they sighed in relief. Kol would have kissed the steering wheel but fleeing for their lives seemed like the best option for now. "What do we do with her?" he asked, looking at the girl who had tried to kill them mere minutes ago.
"We can take her to the Sheriff's station," Jeremy suggested.
"Great plan, mate. Load her in the trunk," Kol told them. He would have agreed if Jer had suggested they wrap her chains and dump her into the quarry at The Falls.
They made their way to the Sherriff's station and the minute they lifted the hood of the trunk, the woman slashed Kol's arm. The pain made him snarl and he wished he had Liv's baseball bat. He would teach this one some manners.
Tyler helped him into the backseat and Liv got back into the car, handing Tyler her hoodie so Kol could attempt to staunch the bleeding. Kol's head fell back against the backseat on the way to the hospital. He loved horror movies. He wasn't so sure that he loved living through one.
When they arrived inside the ER, Bonnie Bennett already stood there looking frightened and had blood on her clothes. She looked like she might have had a run-in of her own. A nurse came over and led him to a gurney, asking him to sit down and to remove Liv's hoodie from his wound. "Oh, dear. We've had a lot of odd injuries tonight. But that's Halloween for you."
Hearing Bonnie ask where he was, Kol called to her. "I'm over here, love," he called, lifting his good hand and beckoning her to his side. It would be nice to have a familiar face with him while he was stitched up.
"Kol," she whispered as he slipped an arm around her while a nurse checked his head wound. "You're okay?"
Kol opened his mouth to reply but the nurse beat him to it. "He'll live. As long as he's careful for the next couple of days. He should make a full recovery," the nurse said.
"Perhaps I can get out of a few exams this week," Kol said with a grin, winking at Bonnie who smiled back. "Haven't seen my siblings, have you?" This night drew longer as the hours passed and all he wanted was his family reunited, what was left of them anyway.
"I saw Rebekah," Bonnie told him. He ignored the darkening of her eyes when she spoke his sister's name. Allowing himself to wonder what that look meant would lead to maddening thoughts best not voiced.
"Good. Good. What about the boys? Seen any of them lately?" Kol inquired, hopping off the gurney.
"No," Bonnie said, shaking her head.
Of course his brothers were unaccounted for. It was the males of the species these killers were aiming to get. "Damn. Afraid you might say that. Well, there is no time like the present to go looking for them, is there?" Kol told her.
Bonnie nodded. "I heard there's something crazy going on at the Sherriff's station. Some of them might be there," she suggested.
Bonnie's plan sounded better than sitting around this blasted hospital and being useless while his family faced mortal danger. "Good enough plan for me." They headed out of the hospital and got into Bonnie's car. On the ride to the Sherriff's station Kol felt the increasing urge to sleep. His eyelids grew heavier the longer he sat in the peaceful car 'til Bonnie began to yell at him.
"Kol, wake up!" Sitting bolt upright in the passenger seat, Kol blinked furiously before he focused on the car on the side of the road. His father's. Perhaps he was okay after all. Just hurt. Needing help. If there were a chance…
Opening the door, Kol rounded it, "Father!" he shouted in case Mikael would hear him and know he had come to save him after all. Bonnie called after him but it was too late. He saw the body and bent over as a wave of nausea over took him.
"Oh, God! Oh, no!" Kol moaned. After a long moment, he made his way back to Bonnie's car and called Rebekah. "Bekah, pick up the blasted phone!" he shouted before throwing it on the floor. "Damn it!" he yelled, clutching his head. Rebekah did not pick up and he could no longer contain his fears. They spilled outward while he stared out the windshield. His whole family was dead. He would carry their memories with him and his own lack of ability to save them. The guilt would kill him.
Bonnie mentioned something about going back to the hospital and Kol just sat. He did not care where they went anymore.
When they reached the hospital again, Kol felt his heart leap, relief pouring through him. Nik. Nik was alive. Maybe barely. Still. There was hope once more.
"Kol!" Nik shouted to him. Getting out of the car, he ran toward his older brother, hugging him tightly, hoping he wasn't causing him further injury but needing to feel his solidity, to know for sure that Nik was not a phantom.
"Nik!" Kol got out of the car and hugged his brother before he helped Tyler help Klaus into the back of the car. "What happened to you?"
"Crazy doctor," Klaus told him with a grin before he noted the bandage around Kol's arm. "And you?"
"Crazy home invader. Not our home though. Not as far as I know. Have you been able to call Elijah or Bekah? I've been trying but they're not answering. Or at least not in the last three hours." Kol was saying. Removing his phone, he began to dial a number. "Yes, Rebekah's still going straight to voicemail. And Father is dead," he noted.
Klaus' eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean that Father is dead?"
Bonnie continued the story once Klaus settled inside the back of the car. Kol felt so relieved that at least one of his siblings was by side. Now they just had to find Bekah and 'Lijah.
Kol only focused again when Stefan tried to call Damon and got a nasty surprise. They would have gone in search of Elijah if it weren't for Stefan trying to die on them in the backseat. Kol would have taken Bonnie's car to the bloody Grille to help Elijah but he knew that splitting up would mean certain death. So he stayed with the group.
Re-entering the ER, Kol found Elijah, Rebekah, Elena, a worse-for-wear Caroline Forbes and Matt bloody Donavon. Klaus hurried over to check on Caroline who smiled up at him. "Hi," she said.
Rebekah being Rebekah concerned herself with first Nik and then her two minute fling, Stefan. "Is he dead?"
"Yes," Kol said. He couldn't help it. He just wanted to get a rise out of her.
"Brother," Kol nodded at Elijah with a wide smile. "Nice to see that we Mikaelsons do not seem to have an expiration date."
Elijah offered him an answering smile. But he was not able to speak because everyone else had to keep speaking over each other.
"Let's go find him," Donavon suggested. "Elijah's family is back. They can look out for him."
Rebekah sat down and pulled out her phone which had begun to rung. "No, Marcel. Please, don't come. No, everything is fine. I just…No, I don't want to talk today. Just stay out of Mystic Falls. Just trust me. Bloody fool!" She glared at her phone.
"Problems, sister?" Kol inquired with a grin. For a moment it felt like any other night and teasing his sister felt so natural and comforting.
"Marcel is coming. I told him not to. But you know him, he'll come because I told him not to and then he'll be just another person to worry about," Rebekah sighed unhappily.
"Hayley's not back yet," Elijah said, gaining his family's attention. Kol stifled his "And who bloody well cares?"
"And? The killer wants to kill boys," Rebekah pointed out.
"Maybe they're going to change their M.O. in the 11th hour," Kol argued. It was entirely possible. Why couldn't they see that?
"Shut up," Rebekah snapped at Kol. He could see his words had rattled her and she got to her feet. "I'll just go look for her. Do not come after me. Elijah needs you."
"Oh, goody. Yes, please, do leave all of us boys alone, like sitting ducks," Kol shouted after Rebekah who waved good-bye with her back turned to them. Unbelievable. Choosing her friend over her bloody family.
"I wouldn't worry about it." Klaus looked calm until the doors on the emergency room exploded, glass spewing everywhere as a car rammed through them and Katherine got out.
"Miss me?" the girl who had stabbed Kol asked them, moving toward them with a machete and who knew or cared where she got it from as Kol and Klaus grabbed Elijah between them and ran for their lives.
"Where are we going?" Kol demanded when they entered the stairwell.
"The basement," Klaus snapped, looking irritable.
"And nothing bad ever happens in basements? Night on bloody Elm Street anyone?" Kol demanded of Nik who rolled his eyes. He could be so bloody stubborn sometimes. Caroline followed behind them.
"We should get some adrenaline shots. That's what Hayley was trying to do earlier and I thought she was being so stupid. But she's right, we need a boost. We're all injured and our numbers are dwindling. Who knows how many of our friends are dead at this point?" she inquired.
Nik looked at his girlfriend. "Caroline is right. Kol, take Elijah to the basement. We'll meet you there."
"No, we do not split up. That is how we die!" Kol hissed, hearing a door clang open. They hurried away with Caroline in the lead followed by Kol and Nik with Elijah between them still.
Caroline found the room with the drugs quickly enough and was in and out in less than two minutes. They moved back into the stairwell and Elijah groaned with each step. "Leave me," he moaned.
"No," Kol and Nik said at the same time.
Arriving outside the door to the basement, they slipped inside and lowered Elijah to the floor. Caroline took a needle and injected herself. Kol took the one she offered him and winced. He never liked the bloody things. Nik rolled his eyes, took Kol's needle and shoved it in his arm before pushing the adrenaline. For a moment, nothing happened and then Kol felt the stuff coursing through his veins and making his heart pound in his chest. "Brilliant," he muttered as Nik gave Elijah the last shot.
Soon Elijah got to his feet although he looked horribly pale from blood loss. He needed help and soon.
"Now what?" Nik echoed Kol's thoughts. Then the door slammed open and two more people joined them.
Liv and Damon looked terrified. "She's coming!" Liv warned them. "She killed Tyler!"
"Who killed Tyler?" Caroline asked.
"That crazy doctor!" Liv told them, tears shining in her eyes. "What did he ever do to her? He didn't even know her."
"We need to go," Kol cried. "Come on. Let's go!"
"Caroline, where is Elena?" Damon focused on Caroline, ignoring Kol completely.
Kol gritted his teeth when his phone begun to buzz in his pocket. Pulling it out, Kol looked at the screen: Davina. Since everyone else wanted to wait around to see if they would be killed so Damon could find out where Elena was, he would take this call. "Davina, darling, this is not the best time," he told her.
"Kol, are you okay? I've tried to call you for hours but every time I try to get through, your phone is busy."
"We're in a bit of a spot, Davina. In case I don't make it out, I love you," Kol told her sincerely.
"Kol, do you remember what's going on?" Davina's voice sounded off.
"Darling, I'm sorry, I really must go—" Kol began when Davina cut him off.
"Kol, you're in a hypnotic state. Whatever you think you're experiencing. It's not real. You can control it. Okay? Just be careful because people have died from being scared to death. It's not a joke!"
"Davina, this is not the time for a joke, love. We're being chased by a mad woman."
"But it's in your head. It's not real!" Davina shouted at him and he heard Marcel saying something in the background. "You need to hurry. They need our help! I know! I'm sorry! It seemed funny at the time! I'm sorry!" Davina's voice sounded farther away and she and Marcel argued; then she came back on the line. "Kol, it's a world that you and your friends are making; you can change it."
Kol nodded. "Right. Thanks for that. Okay. I'm hanging up. Give me a ring when you arrive." Hanging up, Kol looked at the door. "Everyone, remember Nightmare. Think of this like the film. We're in our own bloody heads. Now, think together and we'll get through this."
"What in the hell are you going on about?" Damon snapped at Kol.
"Everyone, think of Elena. Right…now!" Kol yelled at them and then Elena came running through the door.
"Oh, thank God!" Damon sighed, grabbing his girlfriend, lifting her off her feet.
"How did I get here?" Elena inquired, looking around her. "I was on the third floor, looking for you," she told Damon. "And then I'm coming through the door to the basement."
"We're all in a hypnotic state," Kol explained. "Don't ask me how right now, just believe me and we'll get through this, together."
"Alright," Elijah said, clapping Kol on the shoulder.
"Home. Imagine we're all at home," Kol said.
"At our homes or at your home?" Caroline asked.
"Mine," Kol told her.
"Right," Klaus rolled his eyes.
"On the count of three," Kol told them. "Close your eyes and—"
"—tap your ruby shoes together," Damon finished while Kol sneered back at him.
"One," Elijah began.
"Two," Nik said.
"Three," Kol finished.
And then they opened their eyes to find themselves in the front yard of the Mikaelson family home. Kol went over to the door and pushed it open. "Mother?" he called and Esther came running. She had some nasty cuts and bruises but she was alive. "Mother!"
"Kol. Niklaus. Elijah! Where is Rebekah? Where is your father?" she asked them, tears running down her cheeks as she hugged each of her sons.
"They're?" Kol began and then thought better of it. "They're on their way. They should be pulling up any second," he told his mother, looking at his family and friends. They all nodded and then a car door slammed. Kol left the house first to be greeted by Rebekah's body slamming into his. "Kol, how am I here? And how is father alive? He was…"
"Just fine," Elijah finished for her as their Father came toward them and hugged each of them.
"I've been looking for you three half the bloody night," Mikael complained. "Esther, what happened to you?"
"There was a woman," Esther now looked confused. "I think there was…"
"They're forgetting," Kol told the others.
"People tend to do that in times of crisis," Damon added.
"What about Tyler?" Liv whimpered. "And Kai?"
"What about Tyler?" Tyler asked, coming across the lawn. "You know, I just had the weirdest dream."
"Tyler!" Liv cried out, running to him and hugging him tightly.
Liv's phone began to beep. "Hey, Bonnie. He is," she said with a laugh. "Kai's awake. He wants to know when the party ended."
"What about Hayley?" Elijah demanded.
"Hey, guys. Look who I found just wandering the streets?" Hayley called to them from the sidewalk. Jackson and Oliver were elbowing each other and arguing about something as Hayley made her way over to Elijah and kissed him. "I love you."
"You said we had to wait until after," Elijah replied.
"It feels like after," Hayley replied.
"Stefan?" Damon looked around and then he let out a sigh when Stefan came out of the house.
"I think I came here and fell asleep. How weird is that?" Stefan asked, yawning and rubbing his head.
"So…where are the killers?" Caroline asked quietly, leaning into Klaus and looking worried.
"I don't know," Kol replied, looking around. He half expected them to appear like the others. "Perhaps our desire for them to not be here is what's keeping them at bay."
"Maybe," Damon did not look so sure as he held Elena close to him. "We should get inside. It looks like there's a storm coming."
Kol looked at the darkening sky. He hated to admit it but it did look rather ominous. Looking around, he followed the others inside the house and locked the doors behind him. He thought he saw a glimpse of a black hood across the street but was not entirely sure. "Who would like to watch the Saw series?"
"No!" everyone else yelled.
We're almost at the end but we've got a few more twists and explanations to go before we're done. Look forward to the last chapter on Halloween Monday.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
Jessica