Normally my instincts would wake me up, but I had willed them not to. I could feel them in the back of my mind going ‘wake up Zoe, wake up’, but I paid them no mind. This was not a dream that I wanted to be zapped away from.
It was just me and Hiram lying in a beautiful field that seemed to be painted by a master himself. We weren’t doing anything really, just talking about something. I really have no idea what he said, but it was wonderful.
I was woken up by a throbbing pain in my side. Thinking that somehow my stupid instincts had awakened me, I started mumbling something about how I didn’t want to wake up. Then I opened my eyes.
Surrounding me were eleven vampires who looked ready to kill, but I only had eyes for one.
Hiram was gagged, bound, and pinned down by two of the ten ravenous vampire. His eyes though were burning with hatred, that fact alone made me place him with the others that wanted to kill, except all of the others wanted to kill him and me. I cursed myself for not listening to my instincts.
I had to get us out of this.
I looked around to find the leader that I should speak to. It should have been obvious, for one of them was in the front, with everyone else behind him, he even wore clothes that were much better suited for a leader than a follower, but something was just wrong. He didn’t have the air of a leader; he looked like he would succumb to the will of anyone who was better than he was at just being courageous.
I located the real leader. He wore what everyone else wore, and stood like everyone else, but his stare at me was so much more evil than the others. Also all of the others seemed wary of him, and I knew then that he was the one to address, for his rule goes. I turned to them.
“Hello,” I said, being as polite as ever, but aiming my word to the leader in the back. He along with all of the others, including Hiram, looked perplexed. “Yes,” I nodded, “I know that you are the real leader, so why don’t you come up here and talk to me yourself and not through a puppet.”
He smiled, but he walked to where the leader should stand, gave one stern look at the puppet, and the puppet cowered under his gaze, and walked back to the now vacant place. I imagined the puppet as a dog, tucking his tail between his legs and cowering under his master, because he knew that he had done something wrong.
“You are smarter than you look,” he observed. I wasn’t sure how to respond to this, so I said nothing. “You might know why we are here, and I am guessing that you do.”
“I know why,” I said with a sigh.
“We would like to know if you would be willing to let us change your sister into one of us. For we all know that this is the life everyone wants.”
I glared at him for all I was worth.
“Never.”
I spat in his face. He nodded wiping the spit of his cheek.
“Samuel said that you were a stubborn one.” He approached me and grabbed my chin in his hard grasp. “But I just love to be the one to break naughty, young, uncooperative girls.” With that he pulled something out of his pocket, a slender, black, evil looking thing…a whip.
Two enormous vampires snuck up behind me and grabbed my arms, pulling them behind my back. They backed me up to a tree, while I was struggling like no other. But it was in vain for in no time they had me tied against a tree. They ripped the back of my shirt open, showing my scarred back to everyone there. I heard some of them gasp, but the leader didn’t care. I glanced back to see Hiram struggling like this would be the death of him, not me. One of the vampires holding him kicked his face to make him stop. He hardly even noticed, but I saw the thin stream of golden blood trickle down his chin.
I heard the whip before I felt it. The pain was indescribable. I screamed in agony as more whips landed sharply on my back cutting open the scarred skin. Tears flowed uncontrollably down my face. Ten more and I felt the pain stay the same instead of increasing. I guessed that he had stopped. I felt warm liquid run down my back, and was sickened to know that it was my blood. I saw the leader approach me.
“Will you let us have her?”
“I will die before you get her,” I managed to gasp. The leader turned to his men.
“For some reason, I believe her.” They all laughed, but Hiram still fought with the vampires who were holding him down. “But we’re not allowed to kill her.” He said thoughtfully. His gaze fell upon the struggling Hiram, and a smile played upon his lips.
“Let her go…but bring him forward,” he commanded. I realized what he was saying, and as soon as they let me go, and I regained my voice, I started shouting.
“No, no please not him, please not him.”
“Ah,” he said turning toward me, “the brave one has a weakness.” He put on a sinister smile. “I will have to make you choose between the two…him,” he said, gesturing toward Hiram, “or your sister.” I started crying for I couldn’t, and wouldn’t choose. “If you can’t choose I can always take you to my mistress instead.” I shuttered at the thought of her, but a glimmer of hope sparked inside of me. Putting myself in more danger was better than putting my two favorite people on Earth in an equally dangerous position.
“Take me to her,” I whispered.
“No!” shouted Hiram; his gag had fallen off. “No, I won’t let you!” I turned to him tears in my eyes, but my voice had grown in confidence and was now harsh.
“That is not your decision to make, it is mine, and I say that they will have to take me to her. I will not have Kit changed, and I will not have you dying for me!”
Hurt burned in his beautiful eyes, but he stopped arguing. I turned to the leader and nodded. His shook his head in disbelief, but she nodded to the vampires holding me, and they started to drag me away.
“No!” Hiram shrieked, “Please no!” They ignored his request. His face was distorted in some unseen pain. I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but a heavy boot found my head, and blackness started creeping into my vision. I staggered and my head rolled back.
“No!” The cry was the last call of a helpless person.