WARNING: The beginning of this chapter contains graphic descriptions of torture. Although I found it quite difficult to torture a vampire. It's not as easy as it might sound. They're resilient little wotsits...
Please do not read on if you think you will be offended. Hell, it made me feel sick writing it!
Nightmares
The blade sliced agonisingly slow across the flesh on the underside of her lower arms, tearing open scars that had barely had time to heal and sending an electric current up her spine. Star couldn't work out which pain was worse - the pinching tingle of her skin and veins as they parted open around the blade, the bubbling of her skin every time it came into contact with the Holy Water which the blade had been dipped in, or the constant need to scratch open all of her wounds to relieve her of their incessant itching. It felt like thousands of fire ants beneath her skin, all burning and scurrying, desperate to get out of the place that confined them.
Just as she was becoming familiar with the pain of the blade, they would switch to something new, so that her body was unable to rest or process the pain it was in. They'd hold her head back and force her to swallow small, silver crosses that had been blessed and were attached to a long chain. They burned down her oesophagus like she was drinking liquid fire. The chain was then wrenched out, causing her to gag and vomit acidic blood all over herself.
Sometimes the anticipation of knowing that pain would be imminent, and knowing that she was unable to do anything to lessen or stop it, became worse than the torture itself. Upon guessing that she'd reached that level of cognisance, they began to use it to their advantage. Now the sound of sharpening knives, or the splashing of Holy Water, was enough to leave her shaking with terror as to what was going to come next. Now, her fear welded her to the chair more than the restraints did.
Star made the mistake of looking down at the freshly opened wound on her arm, just as they applied the contents of one of their syringes. She watched as the slugs of congealed blood within her, dissolved along with muscles, tendons and fatty tissue, sparking a panic in the pit of her stomach. The pain was unbearable, however she no longer had the energy to scream or cry out.
The clamps that parted her flesh wide open, were removed and the folds of body tissue hung languorously, incapable of healing themselves. Her limb fell uselessly off the arm of the chair and dangled midair from the restraints. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to picture when she had been happy. Tried to imagine lying next to David, or partying with the boys or even Laddie's happy smile whenever he was with her. However these memories only served to hurt her. A torture worse than what was being done to her right now.
The sound of a motor whirring, invaded her thoughts and through bleary eyes she could make out one of her captors holding a drill. Their faces had blurred into one and she could no longer tell who was who. The monster before her knelt down and suddenly she felt a pressure boring into her bare right foot.
"Please…stop…" She tried to say, although it came out as a garbled stream of whimpers and wheezes.
The drill continued, the serrated screw, eating it's way through her flesh and bone, embedding itself in the floor below. Star tried to clench her fist, however her eroded tendons made it impossible and she writhed and bucked in the chair, trying to find a way to make the pain stop. The drill was now working on the other foot, while she was being injected with the vile serum that liquefied her insides and denied her body the chance to heal.
Slowly she began to feel herself drift into the bliss of unconsciousness, yet before she could get there, she was suddenly doused with Holy Water. Her skin blistered and bubbled and the pain overwhelmed her. A scream was torn from her throat as the acidity of it mingled with her previous injuries. As it dripped down her body, it seeped into the deep lacerations made upon her back and chest. Another bucket was thrown at her feet and she instinctively wrenched them upwards, temporarily forgetting about the screws embedded within them and she screamed once more…
"Star? Star…Star!"
She opened her eyes and came face to face with Marko's concerned expression. She panted, eyes darting around the room, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Once she had determined that there was no immediate danger, she buried her face in Marko's jacket and sobbed. After what had transpired earlier, Marko was unsure what to make of this action, nevertheless, he held her tight and tried to soothe her.
"Shh, it's okay…you're okay."
"God! I can still feel them! Like bugs under my skin…down my throat. They're inside me, Marko. I've got to get them out!" He felt her fidgeting and looked down in time to see her violently tearing at her skin. He fought to restrain her.
"Star, don't! You'll hurt yourself." Eventually she stopped and Marko released her. Star shifted into a sitting position and stared vacantly at the scars on her arms, which were only now beginning to heal.
"What are you doing up?" She asked tiredly, yawning halfway through.
"I was taking a walk, heard you screaming."
"A walk?" Star frowned and looked past the curtain into the main cavern. Shafts of sunlight blared down, reflecting ripples upon the rubble where they met with pools of water. "It's the middle of the day."
"Yeah, well, I don't sleep as soundly since…well, you know." Star nodded and reached out for him.
"I'm sorry." Marko looked down at the hand that held his arm and his eyes became drawn once again to the track marks, scars and bruising. He placed his hand on top of hers and sighed.
"Me too." Star jerked her hand out of his grasp.
"Don't…"
"What?"
"Don't forgive me…please…don't."
"Star, what are you talking about? You couldn't help it, you didn't have a choice."
"I could have fought harder. I should have. Maybe if I had, Laddie would still be alive. I shouldn't have been such a coward." Marko frowned and lifted one of her arms.
"Hey! Every mark, every bruise, says otherwise. They show how strong you've had to be."
"I don't think David sees it that way."
"Yeah, well maybe if David had been stronger, it wouldn't have come to this."
"Marko! How can you say that?"
"I don't know, I just…see what's happened to us, to you. I can't help but wonder if there was something else we could have done. Maybe got through to Max somehow, made him see sense."
"You couldn't. I saw his thoughts, he'd convinced himself that this was the only way. If the Frog brothers hadn't got there first, he would have killed you, all of you - in a way that you don't come back."
"Yeah, I know. Besides, we've got bigger problems now."
"Yeah, like angry vampire packs…thanks to me."
"I meant the Frogs. If what you said is true, every thing in Santa Carla is in danger. I don't know, maybe, I can persuade David to contact these vampires that you pissed off and settle some kind of truce."
"That's sweet, Marko, but you and I both know he's never going to go for it. Even if he did believe me, they're a rival pack. You know how territorial he is."
"Star, this is different. The Frogs are a threat to every supernatural being and if we don't do something right away, then things are going to get ugly."
"Maybe you're right…I just…don't see how we're going to convince him."
"Leave it to me. I'm sure I got some powers of persuasion lying around here somewhere." Star smiled and Marko allowed a brief flash of his Cheshire Cat grin. Her eyes drifted to the empty bed next to hers and the smile instantly vanished from her lips. That was Laddie's bed. She shut her eyes tight as she felt the tears welling up and Marko, aware that his sister was in pain, put his hand, comfortingly on her shoulder.
"We'll make them pay, Star. We'll make them pay for what they did to him."
"I just…can't believe he's gone. It was my fault, he didn't do anything to deserve…" Marko sat down next to her on the bed and she leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder, while he ran his fingers through her tangled hair.
"I'm sorry…if I…hurt you earlier…" She murmured as she closed her eyes.
"It's fine." He whispered, lying down and resting his head amongst the many cushions. Star curled up next to him, wrapping herself in the safety of his arms as she lay her head on his chest. Soon, both of them fell into a dead sleep, the likes of which neither had been able to experience since before this whole mess had started.
oOo
"She's not lying, David and we need to do something about this now." Star sighed as she realised Marko must have been trying and failing to convince David to speak with the other vampire packs.
"I am not going to stick my neck out for her, just so she can chop it off."
"David, don't be ridiculous."
"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"
"No, unfortunately I haven't. I know you still care about her."
"I'm warning you, Marko…"
"You're warning me? For fuck's sake, David, I saw your face light up last night when she said she hadn't given up on you. And you know what? She still hasn't, so just stop being so fucking stub—" Marko was cut off as David punched him and losing his balance, he fell to the ground. He curled up defensively as David began kicking him and Star, wide eyed, went running out to stop him.
"David, no! Leave him alone, what's wrong with you?" She knelt down next to Marko and tried to help him sit up.
"Are you okay?" She asked. Marko grimaced and nodded as he clutched his ribs. "I'll get you a bottle." She raced over the the cabinet where the blood bottles were kept, but not before giving David a look of pure disgust. As she came back, she could just make out his last words to Marko before he stormed off into the night.
"You want her, Marko? Fine. You're welcome to her…"
"What was all that about?" Star asked, completely dumbfounded over David's behaviour. Outside, came the roar of a motorcycle engine coming to life and the screech of tyres as it sped off. Marko exhaled sharply, and picked himself up off the floor.
"He found us sleeping together, and two plus two equals five-hundred, apparently." Star scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, for fuck's sake. And that makes it okay for him to kick the crap out of you?" Marko shrugged.
"I am never going to understand that man." She muttered. "Where are Paul and Dwayne?"
"Still asleep. My recovery gives me insomnia, theirs give them narcolepsy, go figure."
"Oh…"
"Don't worry, they'll be up in a little while, so don't waste that on me." He said, gesturing to the bottle in her hands. "Paul especially, needs a swig before he can go out. He won't admit it, but he's really vulnerable right now and still in a lot of pain. Smoking twice as much lately, just to deal with it all. He's become hypersensitive to any sort of light, sometimes even the street lights'll freak him out."
"What about Dwayne? How's he coping?"
"The way Dwayne does best - silently. He won't talk to us, so we don't really know how he's been affected, other than needing extra sleep." Star nodded and Marko smiled sadly at her. "It's not your fault…"
"So you keep saying. Doesn't make me feel any less guilty."
"We'll wait for them to get up and then we'll go look for David."
"Maybe kick some sense into him?"
David rode as fast as his bike would allow, until the streets, buildings and people surrounding him became an infinite blur that stretched into the horizon. Every now and then, he'd weave vigorously between imaginary obstacles, trying to erase the image of Star and Marko together from his mind.
Stupid.
He thought to himself. He was so fucking stupid. He had actually considered lowering his defences and maybe allowing her back in. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He had to remain hard, be strong, for his pack. They needed him and he couldn't indulge himself in silly fantasies or become distracted. Max wasn't here to bail them out anymore. He chuckled in disbelief that Max had been right all along. Gypsy blood had weakened him.
Somehow he found himself in the industrial part of downtown, where the warehouses - on the verge of - and already abandoned factories could be seen. He doubted he'd find a gourmet meal around here, although maybe there would be a few homeless he could snack on. He just needed something to clear his head. Parking his bike, he decided to take a look around.
After wandering around aimlessly for a while, David became frustrated. His thoughts wouldn't leave him the fuck alone and he was no closer to finding something or someone to vent those frustrations upon. He came across an abandoned office building which annexed a warehouse. Finding a steel door, he proceeding to beat at it with his fists until his knuckles bruised and swelled and the blood vessels in his hands burst. He stopped momentarily to look down at his bleeding hands and cursed.
"Your hand is bleeding…" Said Star's voice, and he spun around to face her, however she wasn't there. Nobody was there. He clenched his fists tight and scowled.
"Great! Now I'm fucking hearing things…" He muttered to himself, not noticing the steel door behind him slowly opening.
"Hey, buddy, you lost?" Said the guy behind the door.
"No, why?"
"Then how's about you go get lost. This here's private property." The man scowled, with a familiar glint in his eye. David became a little worried that he'd found himself on a rival gang's territory. Especially since he didn't have the boys and he wasn't up to full strength. Still, he wasn't going to back down or show any weakness. Apart from trespassing, he hadn't done anything wrong.
"I'm just walking. I'm not here to start any trouble. I'll be on my way." The man at the door growled a parting caution until someone whispered something in his ear.
"Hey!" He called out to David, who stopped, but didn't turn around. "Someone wants to talk to you."
"I told you, I'm leaving." The doorman appeared at his side and took hold of his arm.
"Not no more you ain't. Now get inside." David didn't like the idea of being manhandled by this lanky bastard into the unknown. However, as he could see another pair of eyes watching him from behind the opened door, and God knows how many more in the shadows, he decided it was best to play along for now.
The guy shoved him in through the door and David cursed himself when he discovered that the eyes watching him from the shadows belonged to a frail-looking girl with bright blue hair. She couldn't have been any older than seventeen, whenever she had been turned and she looked at him curiously with big blue eyes and her head on one side. After a few moments, she gave up, shrugged and asked him to follow her in an irritating, syrupy voice.
The girl with the blue hair skipped, actually skipped, ahead of them, while the doorman continued shoving David from behind. They eventually came to a door, upon which the girl knocked in a childish way and entered. David turned around and glared at the doorman, daring him to push him inside the room. The doorman just smirked and mockingly bowed before him, inviting him with a gesture to enter the room ahead. David curled his lip in disgust before heading into the room.
"My goodness!" Said a voice from inside the opulently decorated room, which was highly out of place in the rest of the building's dingy surroundings. "It really is you, David, as I…don't, live and breathe. How wonderful it is to see you again."
David couldn't stop his mouth from dropping wide open as his eyes settled upon a very familiar face.
"Ellie?"
oOo
"No, he just took off like a child having a tantrum." Star explained, earning her a snicker from Paul.
"He actually thought you and Marko were—"
"—Well that's obviously the only explanation, seeing as we were in the same bed with all our clothes on!"
"Hey, calm down, girl."
"I'm just angry that he stormed out like that without even listening to what me or Marko had to say. How am I supposed to make him see that I'm not a traitor if he…if he won't even talk to me."
"We'll find him." Dwayne assured her.
"He's in the industrial district." Marko announced.
"How do you know that?" Asked Paul.
"He just sent out a distress call."
"I didn't hear anything."
"Try and focus, your injuries could be messing up your abilities." Marko offered, as Paul shut his eyes and tried to concentrate on David's call.
"Why the fuck would he be in the industrial district? That's not even our territory." Said Dwayne.
"You, don't think he went to see that vampire pack on his own, do you?" Star asked Marko, who shook his head.
"No way. Not in his condition, it'd be suicide."
"Still, I think we'd better find him."
"Where now?" Star asked, as they landed.
"There." Marko pointed to a building to their right and Star shuddered.
"What's wrong?" Dwayne asked.
"I don't know, I just get the feeling that I've been here before."
They approached the door and froze when they noticed blood upon it. Dwayne sniffed the air and confirmed it was David's. Star, without waiting for the others, wrenched the door open and dashed inside.
"David!"
"Star, slow down, it could be a trap."
"I don't care, I'm not losing him again!" She dashed up the staircase, with the boys right behind her. As she got to the landing, she screamed as she almost ran into a very angry looking wolf with a dark blue-grey coat. It snarled at her baring it's sharp teeth and pink gums, with hatred glowering from its round blue eyes. She felt the paralysis of fear consume her and she backed up to the safety of her boys. Dwayne stepped in front of her and bared his fangs at the wolf, who growled louder in response and flattened it's ears against it's head.
"Bluebell!" A womans voice from the room the wolf was protecting, admonished and the wolf's ears pricked up. Still, it wouldn't take its eyes from the intruders. "Stop being rude to our guests and show them in."
The wolf barked and re-entered the room from which it came. Dwayne cautiously followed it, with Paul closely behind him. Marko was trying to coax a shaking Star into letting go of the balcony. He slowly led her into the room, where the wolf was sitting obediently next to a large desk. Behind that was an elegantly dressed woman, with dark wavy hair that finished at her shoulder blades. She appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties, however it was obvious that she hadn't been anywhere near that age range in quite some time. Her pale green eyes studied each of them in turn before finally resting upon Star and she smiled.
"I see you're getting better at infiltrating my lair. You almost made it to my office all by yourself, this time. No hunters with you this time? I do so enjoy their company." Star stood motionless, unsure of what to say. It certainly didn't help that the wolf kept staring at her, like it was getting ready to attack.
"I say, Bluebell, would you be a dear and change? I think you're making our guests a tad uncomfortable." The wolf began to morph before their eyes into a young girl with bright blue hair.
"Better?" She asked, gesturing to her naked form and Paul grinned.
"Much!" Which earned him an elbow in the ribs from Star. "What? I can look can't I?"
"Bluebell, stop being so coarse and go and put some clothes on." The girl pouted at the woman, before sliding between Paul and Dwayne as she silently exited the room.
"Now then," said the woman behind the desk, drawing their attention back to her. "How can I help you?"
With the wolf gone, Star felt her confidence returning and she stared the woman down.
"What have you done with David?" The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Nothing."
To their right came the sound of someone clearing their throat and Star breathed a sigh of relief as she saw David sitting on a gold, brocade draped sofa, lined with small black and gold scatter cushions. He was still in shock that the simpering girl who had led him to Ellie had turned into such a ferocious looking wolf. He could tell straight away that she was a supernatural being, still, that wolf had been something else.
"You okay, man?" Dwayne asked him and he shrugged.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You sent a distress call, we were worried. Why didn't you tell us you were planning on meeting with the vampire pack I attacked. You should have waited for us to come with you."
"What? That's not what…this is whose pack is after you?"
"Yes."
The woman watched the exchange between Star and David with bemused interest. David exhaled sharply and stood next to Ellie.
"Boys, Star, this is Eleanor Johnson. My sire."
Next Chapter
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