All Things Random discussion
Writing Contests!
>
Short Stories From Contest
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Ice and Darkness - Conversion
I darted beneath straggly branches, the snow peppering me in icy blasts.
God. I couldn't see further than 5 feet in front of me. I let out a strangled sob. There wasn't even any light. The moon was shrouded behind a colossal infestation of dark, angry clouds.
“CAL!!!!!!” I shouted, but the sound was almost lost in the storm.
Why did Cal go outside? He knew, we both knew that the storm was just on the horizon. But he went out there anyway, knowing the dangers, knowing what happened to mum and dad, and the neighbours. If I was thinking rationally, I wouldn't even have followed him out. That was the advice the government formally issued over the cable every day. When the storms hit, don't go out. Don't look through your windows, lest THEY tempt you out. Stay concealed. Stay hidden. THEY can't go into your home. And never take a step out your door. If you do, don't expect anyone to help you. If you do, you're on your own.
But he was all I had left. I couldn't leave him, even if we both died tonight.
“Cal!!!” I shouted. “CAL!!!!!!!!”
The wind howled overhead, rattling the bare branches into a frenzy of chaotic screeches. The snow swirled past, coating my eyelashes with white powder.
Keeping my eyes squinted, I half jogged, half trudged through the trees, circling frosty creepers and trying to spot my older brother's light blue vest. At least it wasn't dark or it would be practically impossible to spot, even if he were in that 5 feet viewing proximity.
I shivered in my thick wool coat. It was so cold. I should have grabbed a second scarf. Teeth chattering, I stumbled into the second copse of silver birch trees surrounding the house.
This was hopeless. How could I have possibly hoped to find him out here?
On the night before my 11th birthday, my parents had gone out to do some last minute food shopping to replenish the pantry. I was sitting in the living room, wrapped in a blanket in front of the wood heater, sipping a steaming cup of coco when the storm hit.
It was so sudden, so terrifying that a storm could hit without warning, they gave it it's own name. It was called Clement V. Silly, I know.
I remember Cal, who was 15 then, thundered down the staircase behind me and threw the curtains closed. I was screaming for mum, but Cal just wrapped his arm around my tiny shoulders and stayed silent. And so we had sat curled up in the blankets all night. Cal's sturdy frame shook with tiny tremors, but otherwise he seemed calm, whereas I flinched and cried at every noise until I finally fell asleep. The next morning we were parentless. The police found our car on the side of the road, and I was told their bodies weren't discovered.
We moved in with our aunt in the city, but 2 years ago when Cal turned 18 we moved back to our old house. It was as close as we could get to our parents.
It wasn't until I was 13 that I overheard Cal and Aunt Lisa talking about mum and dad; that their bodies were actually found drained and impaled on spiky tree branches covered in ice and snow, and that that night, they weren't food shopping, they were picking up my birthday present.
Cal didn't blame me for our parents being out that night, but Aunt Lisa did, – she tried not to show it, but from then on I recognised the looks she'd send when she thought no one was watching – and so did I.
SNAP
I whipped around wildly, ripping away from my thoughts as I stared into the darkness all around.
“C–cal?” I stuttered uncertainly. My breath billowed in front of me in cloudy swathes, and I shivered. It felt colder than it had 5 seconds ago, if that was even possible. The hairs on my neck prickled, and I glanced slowly over my shoulder, but all I could see was white and more white.
My breathing quickened. This was a mistake. Gulping, I spun and started back the way I came. There was nothing I could do for Cal, right?
Clenching my jaw, I manoeuvred through the thin silvery trunks, guilt gnawing at my insides.
I wanted to help him, I did. I just couldn't find him. There was nothing else to do.
I quickened my pace. I had to get back to the house.
Suddenly there was a low keening sound. My mouth went dry, and I whirled around, eyes darting everywhere. It sounded again on my other side, and then there was a rustle at my back and I was running and stumbling blindly through the grove, feet slapping and flailing over the snow covered ground.
No no no no no! I wouldn't end up my mum and dad. I wouldn't.
The sounds faded as the wind bit into my face, tinging my ears pink. I felt my face flush, and my ginger red hair flew behind me, my clothes snapping in breeze. The snow and wind battered me, threatening to pull me off my feet.
I paused. I swore I'd seen that same tree a while back. My spine went rigid, but my heart sped up, beating a drumming rhythm in my chest. I looked all around. The trees looked almost identical. My teeth chattered as I absorbed the truth. I was lost, lost in the woods, lost in the woods during a storm, lost in a storm while THEY were at large. The Queens and Kings of snowstorms.
A shudder rolled my whole body, and despair clung to my skin. What could I do now? I was doomed.
There was a crack of a twig directly behind me, and I only had enough time to spin around before I was flung into the air like a rag doll. My startled scream cut off as I landed on my back, my breath expelling from my lungs in a violent exhale. My head swam as it cracked against the icy dirt.
I lay still for a moment, gasping in air and clutching my bruised ribs gingerly as wet cold seeped through my coat into my skin.
THUD
I floundered to right myself, struggling to get to my feet.
THUD
I cried out as I slipped on my now slick coat, falling to sit on the ground. My heart threatened to burst through my chest.
THUD
I sucked in a shaky breath and lifted my eyes, watching the fog slink along the ground to curl around me in wispy murmurs.
THUD
My heart leaped into my throat as a shadow emerged through the storm still raging around us. It looked like a person, with solid shoulders and a slim but muscular torso.
THUD
I jumped; my hands shook where they rested limply against the snow, my black gloves stark against the white.
THUD
I recognised the light blue of the vest first, and then the dark brown hair and the green eyes we both inherited from our mother.
“Cal!” I gasped.
THUD
He paused.
Other shadows drifted around us, but none of them came fully into view. Cal glanced behind him, glaring at something or someone I couldn't see, but I saw his resolution; he grimaced as if he'd swallowed something sharp, clenching his jaw as he spun back to face me. I stared wide eyed, my stomach like a rock in my gut as Cal's face twisted in agony. “I'm sorry, Alls,” he said softly, hardly heard over the gusts buffeting into my side; but I heard him clear enough.
“W-what?” I whispered. Fear clogged my throat and clawed at my insides, turning my muscles to mush. Then I realised his tan skin was pale, too pale. His dark green eyes sharp against his pallid skin. I gasped in shock and horror, my mind refusing to fully process what I saw. He stalked toward me and I scrabbled backwards on all fours, falling over frozen logs in mid-decay. My fingers freezed as my gloves soaked through with icy water but I hardly noticed. The freezing air sawed through my lungs, burning coldly, and I moved sluggishly though my body thrummed with adrenaline.
Cal caught me easily, like he did when we played tag as kids, except this wasn't a game. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me to my feet. I cringed away, tears stinging my eyes, and he looked momentarily hurt before grim determination steeled his eyes. “I'm sorry.” He repeated, and I whimpered as he bared ivory fangs and lunged at my throat. Then darkness.
—
My eyes flew open. What? Where? I blinked at the stars as they glittered above me like little diamonds. The moon hung unobstructed, bathing the unfamiliar clearing in it's cool gaze and reflecting off the powdery snow. I frowned. What happened?
Then I remembered; Cal disappearing, the woods, getting lost, and then, Cal. Oh God. Did that really happen?
“You're awake.” It was Cal's voice.
I sprung to my feet surprisingly lithely, twisting to face him. Cal sat quietly on a rock a little way aways, glancing at me almost shyly. I took a step back, trembling.
“Wha–I don't understand. Where are we? What happened?” I stuttered, glancing around fearfully.
He sighed sadly. “We're somewhere where it's always cold and snowy.”
I shook my head in confusion, opening my mouth, but nothing came out. I was still breathing rapidly, but I no longer felt cold, even though I knew my coat was torn and soaked. The light filtered softly through the trees, and I heard an owl hoot somewhere in the distance. A dull ache gnawed at my stomach, but I ignored it.
“What did you do to me Cal?” I breathed. Please no.
“You're one of us now,” he said.
I shook my head slowly, “No. NO. I'm not one of THEM!”
“No,” he said, “You're one of US.”
“What?” I let out a strangled cry.
“I'll start at the beginning. Y......you were upstairs when I heard a cry outside; it was a little girl screaming for her mum. I knew the storm was about to hit, I knew the dangers, but she was so young; she reminded me of you, Alls, and I knew, I just knew I had to get her safe. I rushed out there, calmed her down, and we were almost back, but then the storm........”
Cal broke off, clearing his throat. “The storm hit and it was over. THEY drained her, but THEY converted me, who knows why. And then you came out, and THEY would have drained you too, but I.........I converted you instead. I couldn't let you die Alls.” He glanced at me, looking more vulnerable than I'd seen him for a long time.
I swallowed, giving a stiff nod. None of this had really sunk in yet. Suddenly the ache in my stomach rocketed, and I jerked to my knees, gasping. Cal shot forward, carrying me to where he had been sitting on the rock, it's edges smooth and worn.
“What's wrong with me?” I whimpered. It felt like my stomach was cramped up.
“It's the Hunger,” he explained grimly. “And it can only be satisfied by Human blood. But we can only get to Humans during the storms; the storms give us strength, and we need the snow and cold to survive. But we can go a long time without blood. I've been told the time between the Hunts are a bit like hibernating periods. It's a time of wait.”
I let out a slow breath, still slightly shaky. “So what now?” I lifted my head, locking eyes with Cal, my brother, my friend, the only person that mattered to me in the world.
“We wait.”
Mod
While working on my homework, I cried out in pain as the paper slowly slid against the soft skin of my finger tip, causing it to gush out dark, red blood. I watched the blood leak out of my finger, dripping down my hand toward my arm. I called out to my brother, Jack, to get the band-aids from the medicine cabinet. He grabbed the package and slammed it on the table when suddenly he cried out in pain. "What's wrong?" I asked then he showed me his finger, which was bleeding uncontrollably. I quickly jumped from my seat to get a rag from the counter but when I returned it to him it was soaked in blood. I looked at my hands to see the skin completely ripped from my finger tips. I lifted my head to look at Jack, who had a horrified look on his face. We ran downstairs to get the phone when suddenly, the books fell from the shelves and crashed down upon us. I could feel the paper roughly rubbing against my skin, causing tears to burn my cheeks as they gently fell. I tried to dig my way out of the avalanche of books and finally succeeded. I looked around to see Jack lying on the floor, covered in blood. I gasped as I bent down to him. "Are you okay?! Please, answer me." I cried out as I slowly raised my hand to his face. "Please, brother, don't leave me." I felt tears burn my cheeks as I realized he wasn't breathing. I suddenly noticed that I was going to bleed to death but I truly didn't care. How could I go on without my brother? My brother whom was there all my life. I lifted my trembling hand to his face to shut his eyes. I want him to sleep peacefully now, forever, sleeping peacefully.
They Both Died That Night, Though their Bodies Were Never Found. The Books Were Set Back Up By Family And Friends. But Whenever They Entered That Room, They Never Returned.
Mod
Bark!" Growled a rusty looking dog. "Keep your mouth shut if ya know whats good for ya!" Bill snapped back. "Don't hurt him Bill!" "Don't tell me what to do!" He said as he walked into the bar. A rather pale young lady followed him in. "What can I get for 'y'all today?" Asked the waiter. "One large beer for me, and make it snappy!" "Speaking of snappy…" Nancey mumbled. "What did you say?" "Nothing." "Keep that mouth shut if ya know whats good for ya!"
To be continued...
The Originals (TVD spin-off series): Always and Forever
Summary: Set in S1E1 “Always and Forever.” What if Caroline had come to New Orleans pregnant with Klaus' child, instead of Hayley? How would Klaus react? Read to find out what happens.
Pairings:
Klaroline
It was a dark night, as Elijah led his younger brother, Niklaus Mikaelson, towards the New Orleans cemetery to show him something.
A few minutes later, they walked inside an old cave-like thing where a few witches were at.
“What is this?” Klaus questioned.
“We need you to help us take down Marcel,” one witch, Sophie, answered him.
“Why would I help you?”
“Because we have something you might be interested in. She and the child will die if you don't help us.”
A moment later, Caroline Forbes stepped out of the darkness.
Klaus and Elijah looked at her.
“Klaus,” she greeted, one hand on her stomach.
“Caroline,” he greeted back.
“She's pregnant with your child,” Elijah informed him.
“Impossible. Vampires can't have children,” Klaus answered, looking at his elder brother.
“But werewolves can,” Sophie reminded him.
“Listen, Klaus,” Elijah urged him.
With vampire hearing, Klaus listened and heard a little heart from within her stomach.
“You were born a werewolf first,” Sophie said, implying that his werewolf side had made her pregnant.
“Very well, then. I'll help you,” he said, looking at the witches, not wanting Caroline to die.
“For a precaution, we've linked her to me. If anything happens to me, the same thing will happen to her,” Sophie informed him.
“There was no need. You've got what you want,” Klaus replied, before he looked at the vampire he so dearly loved. “Come. Let us get out of here.”
Caroline walked out of the place without any hesitation or question. She wasn't too fond of these kind of witches, and would rather be at Klaus' place. After all, she knew he would never let anything happen to her. She also knew, even though she didn't want to feel that way towards him, that she was falling for him.
They were silent, as they walked towards where Klaus and Elijah were staying at, neither of them knowing what to say just yet.
Once home and after Elijah walked inside, Klaus opened the door for her, before closing it behind himself. He then walked into the living room as did Caroline, and headed for his drinking table.
As he poured himself a shot glass of Bourbon, he asked her, “Care for a drink?”
“Let me guess. You're new at this. I'm not allowed to drink, me being pregnant and all.”
He turned around and took a sip, before looking at her and suggesting, “Why don't you relax, luv?”
“Relax!? A witch just threatened to kill me!”
“Well, it's all over now. No one, not even a witch, will harm you as long as I am here to stop it. I care about you, Caroline.”
“And I don't care. I don't want to hear it. I thought I had gotten rid of you already. Why do you keep showing up? Get out of my life already!”
“I assure you, I didn't know any of this would happen. Though, I do admit that I haven't stopped thinking about you since I left. May I ask you what you were doing in New Orleans in the first place?”
“I was going on vacation from Mystic Falls and everything tied to it after Tyler broke up with me. Happy now? You got what you wanted all along.”
“I'm sorry to hear about that. I didn't say I wanted you two to break up when I left. All I want is for you to be happy. If that means being with Tyler Lockwood, then so be it. I'll wait forever if it takes that long. Be careful here, though. There's a war coming between the witches, Marcel, and I. This was my home once and I plan on making it my home again. If you don't want to be involved in it, that's your decision. If you want to stand by me, that's fine with me, too.”
“I understand your dilemma, but I can't even look at you right now,” she replied, before heading for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To wrap my head around this. Don't follow me.”
He watched, as she closed the door behind herself.
An hour later, she was confronted face to face with a couple guys in the middle of the French quarter.
“Who the hell are you?” she questioned them.
“One of Marcel's friends. You're connected to Klaus as much as we've figured out. We can use you,” the first one said.
“Marcel doesn't scare me.”
“Very well then,” the second one said.
Suddenly, she realized that these two were werewolves, which meant that she was in danger. If they bit her and she didn't get cured with Klaus' blood in time, she would most certainly die.
A moment later, they attacked her, which resulted in her having to fight them off.
At the end of the fight, they walked off back to Marcel's quarters, leaving Caroline on her back in pain from the werewolf bites they had given her to get on Klaus' nerves.
A few hours later, Klaus left the house to go find Caroline, worried that she might be in trouble, since he hadn't heard from her yet.
When he arrived in the middle of the French quarter and saw her on her back, he was instantly on his knees at her side. And as soon as he looked down at her, he saw that she had been bitten more than once or twice and was very close to no longer being in existence.
“Hang on, sweetheart. Stay with me,” he pleaded, before gently pulling her into his arms. He then bit his wrist and put it to her lips, making his blood go down her throat to heal her. And as he did, he looked down upon her, his mind racing with plans of what he would do to whoever it was that did this to her.
A few minutes later, he took his wrist away and it instantly healed. He then got to his feet with her in his arms and headed for home.
Once he had her layed down in a bedroom upstairs, he headed into the living room where he poured himself a shot glass of Bourbon.
As he began to drink the shot glass of Bourbon, he vowed to himself that he would find who did this to her and they would go down. She would be okay now, but whoever did this had most likely known that she was connected with him one way or another. He knew this, because if he were them, he would do something to her to get to his enemy, too. He would not stand for this, though. He would put his enemy down, because no matter what happened, and no matter if Sweet Caroline wanted to hear it or not, he loved her and would do anything for her. That is why he had not killed Tyler when he had had the chance to. He had done it all for Caroline. And now he was going to take the enemy down for her and for himself. He would get revenge on whoever had put Sweet Caroline's life in danger.
In the end, Klaus took out those two werewolves with vengeance. So, everyone lived as happily ever after as they could. After all, Klaus still had to get his kingdom back.