A/N: Holy damn guys, thank you for all the reviews and the love! I never thought so many of you would still be interested in reading this old little fic of mine... Every one of your messages put a smile on my face and words into my fingers, so please, keep them coming! XD
Hold on to your knickers while reading the new chapter though, cause this one is a rollercoaster ;P
As usual, let me know what you think, and more importantly, stay home, stay safe! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes, but the original characters and original storylines.
I tugged at the chain again, praying that this time would be the one destroying the plaster keeping that damn radiator in place. The nooses around my wrists had stopped bruising, tearing into the flesh instead. I was sweating, hurting. I was exhausted. The chain around my chest was biting into my ribs with each pull, but I couldn't care less. I needed to get the hell out of here before my kidnapper came back. I didn't know if he had lost touch with reality in his genuine intent to recreate a family or if he was some kind of downright fanatic, but if he dragged me to Mexico, there was a good chance my friends would never find me again. I needed to escape no matter the cost. The glimpse of what that psychopath was obviously planning for my future terrified me.
Pulling again on my restraint, I bit back a cry. My fight against the gigantic monster tied to my body felt futile, but losing hope now would do me no good. I closed my eyes and pushed the pain at the back of my mind to focus on channeling all the strength I could muster. Tensing every of my muscles, I tugged again forcefully. I felt the radiator bend over, just a little bit. Finally. Joy and hope rushed through my veins, renewing my willpower.
When my eyes suddenly started to prickle, I sighed in relief, thankful that for once, my abilities were showing themselves when I actually needed them. Folding a leg to gain leverage, I tried again and threw myself toward the opposite wall with all my being. The increase in my strength ripped the radiator from the wall in a shrill clank, followed by a cloud of dust. What I hadn't foreseen was that the heavy piece of metal would keep its course forward. It fell over me, its weight crushing my chest and leg against the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs. I heard the sound of my own bones cracking, water invading my vision before everything went black.
I blinked.
Face to the ground and confused, I blinked again, trying to focus on my surroundings. An involuntary scream passed my lips as I became aware of my body again, feeling every bit of the pain that was radiating through it. I needed to crawl from under the radiator heavily pinning my back and leg to the ground, and the sooner the better. Creeping my arms from underneath the heating piece, I gripped the floor and pulled. A sudden nausea hit me, black spots filling my vision again, my breath becoming short and erratic. The hurt in my shoulder was unbearable. I gritted my teeth; I couldn't pass out again. I had no idea how long I was unconscious but I couldn't waste any more time.
Changing tactics, I tried to move my trapped leg instead. A sharp edge cut my skin as I did, but I managed to get it out from underneath the radiator. As I tried to gain leverage, something felt wrong around my ankle. Really wrong. I peered over my shoulder to assess the damage, but the radiator was blocking the view. Carefully, I attempted to move my foot but it refused to obey. Fear boiled inside my chest as it dawned on me that maybe, I wasn't in good enough shape to escape.
I shut my eyes tightly and growled. I could do this. I had to do this.
I put my weight on my other leg and pushed upward with all my strength, until I could finally worm out my valid arm and use it to topple the metallic monster over. As soon as my body was freed from the weight, a howl of pain ripped through my throat, my chest feeling like it was being burned alive. The world started spinning again around me.
I focused on my hand spread flat on the floor and repeated to myself, over and over again, to get up.
When I finally staggered up to my feet, my ankle gave out, making me fall back down on my knees. From its weird angle, I could tell it was most likely broken. Determined not to give up, I crawled my way to the door and sprawled my body up against it, only to find it locked. Earlier, I had been confident in taking it down, but with my injuries, I wasn't sure I would still be able to do it. Not to mention that I wasn't looking forward to inflict myself any more pain.
I leaned my forehead on the hard wood and took deep breaths. I could do this.
I hopped backwards and braced myself. Smashing the door open at my first try wasn't an option anymore; it was my only chance. My body wouldn't be able to take much more.
Bending all my muscles, I threw myself against the hard wood. The door cracked under my weight and collapsed on the floor, dragging me in its fall. The impact further crushed my broken ribs.
Panic settled when I struggled to take a single breath, but I forced myself to focus on the new room to calm myself down. I noticed a window, and this one didn't have bars. I pushed myself up with difficulty and cried, the entirety of my body feeling like it had been hit by a blazing truck. The injury my arm had sustained was particularly painful, and when I tried to press my forearm against my chest to immobilize it, the intensity of the pain that stabbed my side made it obvious that my shoulder was dislocated.
Making a quick decision, I undid a few of my shirt buttons and cautiously tucked the hand of my injured arm under the opposite strap of my bra to immobilize it. I had no idea how long I would have to walk to get out of here with a broken ankle, I couldn't afford passing out because of my shoulder.
Leaning on the nearest wall to stand up, I hopped toward the window. After a few unsuccessful tries, it finally slid up. I slumped myself against the windowsill and straddled it clumsily to sneak out. When I found myself on the other side of the window, I paused, taking in the fresh air and the thick forest surrounding the abandoned house. I was free, finally, but reminded myself that I still needed to be smart and careful. I was hurt and had no idea where, when or if I would find help.
Walking was my best bet to get out of here; I needed to secure my ankle with a good enough mock cast. The belt holding my shorts up would do. Removing it from my waist, I did my best to wrap it around my ankle and tighten it up with my valid hand. Testing my footing nervously, I found that I could now tolerate a small weight on it. Wasting no time, I limped toward the opposite direction of the road, deciding that the woods would make it harder for my kidnapper to find me again. Risky, but my best option.
Suddenly, I heard a car engine running from afar.
No. It couldn't be him. Not now. Not already.
I increased my pace, every step feeling as if broken bones were puncturing my calf further, every bounce causing the pain in my shoulder to radiate throughout my entire chest. When I heard the slam of a car door and footsteps rushing in my direction, my heart jumped in my throat.
No, no, no.
I tried to run. The pain was excruciating, so much so that my body felt on the verge of shutting down, my vision blurred with tears of agony. I gathered all the strength that I had left, all the courage I could muster, to keep moving forward -to do everything I could to fight for my life. The sound of the footsteps behind me became louder and closer, resonating like a death sentence.
No, no, no, no, no. It wasn't fair. I had escaped.
Suddenly, I felt an heavy weight tackling me, crushing my body as I hit the ground. A scream of intense pain ripped through my throat, deafening myself with a voice I didn't even recognize. I couldn't see anymore but I desperately held onto consciousness despite the repeated waves of nausea invading my insides. I wrestled, fear laced with rage, trying to wiggle away from him, but the hurt every of my moves caused made the world spin dangerously around me.
All of a sudden, the weight pressing me down disappeared as if it had been sucked into thin air, and I slipped into darkness.
DAMON'S POV
"Maya!"
I grabbed her shoulders but paused, afraid of what I would find when I turned her over.
As much as it pained me to admit it, Katherine's plan turned out to be perfect. The guy had led us right to his lair after meeting up with Lucy. When his car had taken a turn down a dirt road going deeper into the forest, we decided to abandon ours to avoid arousing his suspicion. We stayed hidden, watching carefully from afar to see if he was indeed the one who dared kidnap Maya.
As soon as it became clear that he was, Katherine and I dashed to stop him and protect her.
Thanks to her age, she beat me to it. The bastard got thrown into the air half a mile away from Maya's body, and from the sounds I could still hear behind me, she was beating the crap out of him. But what if we had been too late?
I could smell the all too recognizable metallic scent everywhere on Maya. She wasn't moving, and I was having a hard time finding a pulse. I clenched my jaw and turned her over gently to lay her head on my lap. Anger and fear tightened my throat when I took in her appearance. No wonder all I could smell was blood. Her torn jeans and white top were covered with it. So was her tumid face.
"Maya," I called out again. "Hey, wake up sweetie. Wake up..."
Her eyes moved under her eyelids until she finally lifted them with difficulty.
"Damon?"
Her voice made me wince. It sounded like sand paper, but more frighteningly, it sounded defeated. I forced a smile on my lips.
"Yes... Hi."
She tried to straighten herself up but her eyes immediately rolled to the back of her head.
"Hey, hey, stay with me. Maya, stay with me!"
She blinked a few times, her glassy eyes focusing on me again.
"Damon..." she murmured before looking at her shoulder and back up at me. "You have to...please..."
I frowned, knowing exactly what she was asking me. It didn't escape me that her shoulder was dislocated, and I knew the most efficient way to ease the pain was to put it back in place. But the whole process was incredibly painful for the patient, and adding to her agony was the last thing I wanted. I hesitated, but her pleading eyes eventually convinced me to focus on the relief she would feel once her shoulder would be back in place. I quickly grabbed the hem of my t-shirt, ripping off a piece of it, and crumpled up the fabric before placing it in front of her lips.
"Bite it when I..." I gestured toward her shoulder, unable to finish my sentence. She opened her mouth without wavering.
I removed her arm from her chest as a muffled scream rushed through her lips. Trying my hardest to ignore it, I lined up her injured arm with her shoulder and delicately put my other hand on her dislocated bone. I glanced up at her watery eyes.
"Ready? On the count of three..."
Her head didn't even move when she tried to nod but her gaze was enough of an answer. I swallowed hard and started counting.
"One...two."
I pulled on her arm with force and braced myself for a chilling scream, but nothing came, except for the thud of her bone falling back in place. She was passed out from pain. I was about to be thankful for it when she jolted in my arms. I hastily removed the fabric from her mouth.
"Damon?" she croaked, confused.
I frowned in worry. Her body was apparently in a deep enough state of shock to not remember she had already talked to me.
"Yes. It's okay, sweetie. We're here...you're going to be fine."
She glanced around before grabbing the collar of my jacket and looking up at me.
"We?"
I nodded in response.
"Katherine's here with me."
She seemed to have difficulty processing the information, but tried to straighten herself up again.
"Hey there, easy...let me do that for you."
I slid my arm behind her back and carefully raised her to rest against my chest. She peered over my shoulder and I followed her gaze. Katherine was in a big bad vampiric mood. The arms of Maya's kidnapper were dangling broken along his sides, one of his kneecaps not faring any better, and his flesh had been repeatedly slashed by her fangs. She was clearly aiming for torture.
"Damn... she's really lashing out. The poor guy is a goner," I chuckled.
When Katherine thrust her hand into his chest, Maya tightened her hold on my jacket and tried to straighten herself even more, despite the shaking the effort was causing in her hands.
"Kat...Katherine," she called out in a raspy murmur. She took a deep breath, making her breathing wheeze, and tried again louder. "Katherine, please. Stop!"
"If you think she's going to listen to-" I swallowed the rest of my sentence when her hand stilled just before ripping the bastard's heart out.
"Let him go...please." Maya was talking to her as if the entire world had disappeared except for the two of them, her eyes locked on the hand holding his heart. The intensity of her voice made it clear that she was hoping she could make the vampire used to do as she pleased change her mind.
"You're going to regret it," Katherine growled. She didn't even bother looking at Maya, too busy burning holes into her prey's skull.
"I'm with her on this one," I said to the trembling form in my arms before turning back to look at Katherine again. "Rip that asshole's heart to see if he still thinks it's a good idea to take what's not yours to begin with."
"No!" Maya's sudden outburst caused her body to jerk in pain, her breathing coming out short and ragged. She rested her head on my collarbone for a second before gathering the little strength she had left. "I'm not...going to regret it because he knows now that there's nothing for him here. He's never going to come back...isn't that right?"
She gave her kidnapper a pointed, yet hopeful stare. I couldn't even begin to understand why she was defending the guy's life. I was pretty damn sure you couldn't develop the Stockholm syndrome over one freaking day.
"I won't," the bastard croaked glumly, looking like a broken puppet dangling from Katherine's arm. He sounded sincere, but I would never take the chance of him coming back and hurting Maya again.
"Kill him, Katherine."
"Please...don't." Her plea was only a painful whisper, and I hoped that Katherine wouldn't be able to hear it. But from the conflict I could read on her face, she unfortunately had. With a dangerous groan, she flashed her fangs into the guy's face and squeezed his heart tightly.
"If you ever set a foot within a hundred miles of Mystic Falls again, I'll hunt you down and tear your every limb apart so slowly you'll beg me to end you. Is that clear enough for you?"
"Yes," he gurgled, blood coming out of his mouth. "I won't come back."
She abruptly pulled her hand out of his chest and let him fall to the ground, his body a heap of broken bones. He crawled away from his torturer and managed to stand up, staggering his way to the woods without looking back.
Katherine's eyes were fixated on his wobbly figure, her constant change of heart about letting the asshole go visible on her face, while Maya's eyes were tracking him to make sure he walked away alive. She kept watching closely as if her gaze could keep him safe, even as her eyes kept trying to roll at the back of her head, her body unable to suffer being in a sit up position any longer.
"Hey sweetie, you're draining yourself." I wrapped a hand around her skull and stroked her hair gently. "It's okay, he's gone. Your body is failing you...let me lay you down so you can rest."
I was talking to a wall. Even though her heartbeat was erratic and weak, she kept fighting the darkness threatening to swallow her to double-check that Katherine wasn't going to dash and snap his neck after all.
As soon as the guy passed the edge of the clearing, the hand holding my jacket fell and her whole body went limp. I caught her head before it hit the ground and held her cautiously in my arms. Before I could do anything else, I felt a blow of air and saw Katherine appearing in front of me, on her knees. Her wide eyes became angry as she took in Maya's injuries. Her head snapped up toward where her prey had disappeared, and from her pursed lips and the murderous hint in her eyes, I could tell that she was regretting her decision to let him go.
I was certain she was going to run after him and slaughter his sorry ass, until her gaze drifted toward Maya again. To my surprise, her expression softened, showing traces of repressed worry. Her hand reached out but hesitated, looking for a place on her body that wasn't bruised or covered in blood.
"Maya, hey...wake up." She put a few fingers along her jaw and stroke it delicately. "Come on, open your eyes."
After a moment, Maya finally lifted her eyelids. The light made her squint, and she blinked a few times before she could focus on the face in front of her.
"Kat-" Pain cut her breathing and made her wince before she could even say her name.
"Stop talking. I'm trying to assess the damages here. How bad are you feeling?"
Katherine roamed her eyes over her entire body before settling her gaze on Maya's again.
Instead of answering her question, Maya stared at her and gave her a small smile. "Thank you."
The words had barely passed her lips that her body slumped heavily in my arms. She had lost consciousness again. Katherine froze, taken aback by the gratitude.
My throat clearing shook her out of it.
"It's pointless to want to wake her up," I said while she reached for Maya's neck to check for a pulse. "She keeps fainting because of the pain and exhaustion. She's too unstable...what she needs is-"
Before I could say blood, Katherine had bitten her wrist. I blinked at the gesture, completely stunned. She was not one to care, let alone to rescue. The only time I had witnessed her giving blood to someone else was when she had planned to turn me and Stefan into her boy toys for eternity. I frowned, disgust making my stomach clench as the thought crossed my mind. Was it what she had planned for Maya?
Katherine grabbed her still chin with two fingers to open her mouth and pressed her wrist down against her lips.
"Come on...drink up." She patted the only place on her cheek that was blood-free to get a reaction out of Maya's unresponsive form. "You need it, come on."
When the swallowing reflex finally caused her throat to contract, I sighed in relief and I could have sworn that Katherine did the same.
"Good girl," she said, replacing any trace of emotion with a lop-sided smile.
I narrowed my eyes at her but decided to let her be for the time being to focus on Maya, looking for any sign that would confirm that the healing process had begun. I brushed a matted strand of hair off her face and was about to cradle her when I felt an arm sneaking behind her knees. I glanced at Katherine sideways, about to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing but before I could, she had slid her other arm delicately behind Maya's shoulders. She picked her up effortlessly and leaned her limp body carefully against her chest.
"What?" she asked in a harsh tone, realizing that I was staring at her warily.
I kept my mouth shut but raised an eyebrow.
"I'm faster and stronger than you. It'll be quicker if I'm the one carrying her," she stated before glancing around. "And the sooner, the better...this place gives me the creeps."
I restrained a smirk just before she could see it. The place was giving her the creeps, my ass. As she had just pointed it out to me, she was a five hundred years old vampire; very few things were still able to scare her. But apparently, all those years of experience hadn't taught her how to come up with better excuses.
I stood up from the ground and raised both of my hands in defense. "Sure... Whatever you say."
She glared at me before tightening her hold and speeding in the direction of the car. When I reached it myself, she was laying Maya down on the back seat. Sliding herself gracefully at the end of it next, she lifted Maya's head to place it in her lap.
Apparently, I was driving.
The ride back home was silent and heavy.
I had texted Stefan that we had found Maya, and was now and then glancing in the rear-view mirror to keep an eye on the diabolical vampire watching over Maya. Her gaze seemed to never leave the face lying on her knees. When I surprised her stroking Maya's forehead, I did a double take, unable to tear my eyes away from the scene. The movement was so subtle that I had almost missed it but when she met my gaze in the mirror, I knew I hadn't dreamed it. She had that offended yet vulnerable look she always had when she was caught feeling an emotion.
"I believe the driver must keep his prying eyes on the road," she gritted out lowly.
Maintaining eye contact, I smirked and pointed toward myself.
"Vampire, remember?"
Her doe eyes turned icy cold at my taunting.
"I realize my lap has been taken over but it won't last forever. I kicked your ass already today, I can do it again. And I'll make sure to make the last time look like a picnic..."
My smile dropped and I diligently paid attention to the road. The ride became quiet again for a while, the mileage counter indicating that we were still an hour away from Mystic Falls.
"Damon?"
I broke out of my musing and glanced in the rear-view mirror. The hint in her eyes made me instantly wary. "What?"
"You might want to floor the gas pedal."
" Why?"
"She's not healing."
"What? What do you mean, she's not healing?" I instantly turned around in my seat to take a close look at Maya.
While keeping the steering wheel steady with one hand, I reached over to test the open wound on her eyebrow. It should have disappeared by now.
"I mean she's not healing," Katherine repeated in a strained voice.
We looked at each other, a worried frown on both of our faces.
We barely got the chance to step a foot inside the Mansion before Elena and Caroline were crowding us. Katherine stopped and steadied herself when they rushed toward their unconscious friend in her arms.
"Oh my god, is she okay?" Elena cried, mimicking her doppelganger without knowing it as she looked frantically over Maya's body to find a safe place she could lay a hand on.
"What the hell happened to her?" Caroline asked in a high, horrified pitch.
I was expecting Katherine to snap and claim her personal space back by condescendingly commenting on the girls' dramatic display, but to my surprise, she remained still and quiet. Like she was tolerating Barbie and Goody-two-shoes' assault because of their worry for Maya. Definitely unlike her.
"Not sure. But she's alive."
At least, for now, I thought to myself but didn't let fear appear on my face.
"She needs medical care!" Elena said in an urgent tone, trying to assess the damages that had been done to her best friend's body.
"Why is she the one carrying her?" Caroline spat, glaring at Katherine.
"Really? That's your concern right now?" I arched an eyebrow at her.
"Are you done with the whining and the bitchy questions?" Katherine shot bluntly, piercing holes into both of their skulls.
After a heavy moment of silence, she stepped forward and Elena moved out of her way unconsciously. A whooshing sound came shortly after and I could hear heels clicking on the hard wood of the second floor.
"We found Maya thanks to her plan, Blondie, so maybe tune the boo campaign down for a sec... You can go back to hate her first thing in the morning."
Caroline frowned at my words and pouted, but eventually nodded. She fetched her phone out of her back pocket.
"I'm going to call Stefan and Bonnie to tell them you're here."
"Where are they, anyway?"
"At Maya's house. We thought it'd be a good idea to clean up the blood on her floor before she comes home," Elena said uncomfortably.
"Okay. I'll meet you all upstairs." Without further ado, I sped to the guest room Katherine had decided to put Maya in.
When I opened the door, a pile of bloody clothes was balled up on the floor next to the bed and she was examining the now naked chest of my friend very closely. I was about to tell her to fuck off when I realized she was actually checking the wounds. When the door clicked shut behind me, she whipped her head around and shot a glare over her shoulder. She quickly covered Maya with sheets, obviously disliking the idea of me getting a glimpse of her body.
"Has she healed?" I asked dreadfully, pretending like I hadn't seen her little gesture.
"Partially, yes."
I couldn't help the relief I felt at her answer but worry crept back up quickly.
"You can't partially heal from vampire blood. It doesn't make any sense."
Katherine stared at the bruised face in front of her as if it was going to give her answers until she eventually came back to reality.
"If I had to guess, I'd say she's healing on her own..."
Before I could ask her what she meant by that, the bedroom door opened on a concerned Caroline, followed closely by Elena holding folded clothes in her hands.
"How is she?"
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, considering...everything that happened because of it," Elena stammered, side-glancing gingerly at Caroline, "but shouldn't one of you give her some vampire blood?"
"What do you think?" I articulated haughtily, annoyed by her mere suggestion that I wouldn't have thought of doing it, and a lot sooner. "Katherine already gave her some!"
"What?" Elena was so shocked by the news that her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.
"Well, it's official..." Caroline sneered. "Hell has definitely frozen over."
"I killed you once, Goldilocks. What makes you think I won't do it again?" Katherine said in such a calm voice that it made the threat even more efficient. The deadly look that came with it caused Caroline to squirm uncomfortably.
The mind game between the two ended when Katherine reluctantly rose from the bed and placed herself in front of the window, arms tightly crossed over her chest.
None of the girls seemed to notice that she had stood up just to cover the fact that she would rather be alone with Maya, but I did.
"Then why hasn't she healed yet?" Elena asked in confusion, getting back on track.
Katherine and I exchanged a quick look.
"No idea," I answered pathetically.
"Does it have something to do with the fact that her blood smells weird?" Caroline blurted out.
"Wait, what?" Elena looked at the three vampires in the room, one by one, with wide open eyes. "What does she mean by her blood smells weird?"