#SHES OVER THERE YELLING AND SCREAMING AND BANGING ON THE DOOR AFTER I BARRICADE MYSELF IN THE PARENTS ROOM

[chaos-quote-anon]

I swear to fuck.

I am going to cry, I’m going to die, I’m going to commit patricide.

Or, yknow, the other one.

The one where you murder a sibling or some shit.

[froggywritessometims]

heres a bit (more like a lot actually) of what i wrote tonight for NaNoWriMo.

Tw, mental hospital, restraints, forced sedation, mention of suicide

When she starts asking me about how I plan to kill myself after she makes me rate my suicidality on another scale of 1 to 7, I stand up, “I’m going back to the commons now.” I tell here. Why does she think she gets to know everything about me? she’s some stranger with a degree, what gives her the right to question me like this? “Wait a minute Kai-“ “No thank you I’m leaving.” I say cutting her off halfway through her sentence as I walk to ward the door, but she’s faster and gets up and shoves herself in between me and the door. She stands there trapping me inside saying “How about we talk about your writing? the nurses say you’ve been writing a lot lately.” She’s trapped me in this tiny room and expects me to just talk to her. “Get out of my way.” I tell here trying to hold back all the anger and fear that’s been building up over the past week, but she doesn’t budge instead she opens her ugly mouth again “one moment Kai, that’s just talk first; ok?” what part of this does she not get? “Let me out now.” I tell her again, noticing my hands have formed into fists without me telling them to. “I’m sorry Kia just one moment, ok?” she says again trying to hold me in this tiny room, “No! let me out right now!” I scream at her. She ignores the desperation and fear in my voice and just continues to hold me captive barricading me from the door with her body. I shove her hard to the side where she topples over with a yell, and I swing open the door as fast as I can and run across the commons and start banging on the big double doors as hard as I can trying to escape. I’m going to run home and let everyone out, I’m going to get home, I’m going to escape these people, these doctors.

Before I know what’s happening a nurse has body slammed me into the wall and he’s holding me there with his full strength, I scream and scream but no ones going to help me, my friends have been herded off into their rooms and locked away and everyone else is a nurse or a doctor or a therapist or a security guard here to hold us captive under the guise of saving us from ourselves when all we need saving from is their abuse. The wall is hard, and I am being crushed against it. I can feel my lungs having the air squeezed out of them and then someone pulls down my pant and take off my underwear and I kick and kick and kick trying to defend myself from these people but suddenly I’ve been stabbed in the butt and my strength fades away so fast and I go limp, I can barely keep my eyes open and the suddenly I’m gone.

[angellissy]

tours & surprises

This is based on a request from @babygirlmil , hope it is okay!

Nick Mara x Reader

“And you’re completely sure that he has no idea?” The boy whose face covered my entire phone screen just shook his head so violently that his glasses almost fell off. The black-haired girl sitting beside him let a laugh slip past her pink lips, causing Brandon to give her the most annoyed look he could muster. “B, you better practice your poker face if you and Maggie are the only ones keeping this secret.” His facade slipped at that, and now all three of us were giggling, I don’t know if it was from nerves or from just having bad humor. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem to matter since giggles kept slipping past my lips whenever I tried to say something serious.

“Okay for real, he doesn’t even suspect anything right?” Maggie and Brandon sighed in union and just shook their heads. “Not right now, but if you ask one more time I will go and fucking tell Nick.” I narrowed my eyes at the black-haired girl that somehow had managed to become my best friend. “Sorry, I just really want it to be a good surprise.” Her harsh expression melted a little at my words and she gave me a cheeky grin. “Well it will be, and listen you didn’t hear this from me but he has been pretty annoying talking about you all the time, so you better give him a good fuck.” Both I and Brandon looked at her with our mouths wide open and he leaned back into the sofa they were occupying and just mouthed oh my god. “Well yeah why do you think I am taking a four-hour plane ride to see him?” She snickered at that while Brandon just got up and left, muttering something about now wanting to be a part of our freaky conversations. “However Mags, you shouldn’t be the one talking when your man can’t even handle talking about it.” I stuck my tongue out at the camera, while she just laughed and shook her head. 

After we hung up, I held my phone in a death grip trying to ease the anxiety that rose whenever I glanced at the plane. The fear of flying had plagued me since before I could even form a sentence, but now it was mixed with the nerves that came from not seeing my boyfriend for almost four weeks. Usually, it would be his hand that my fingers were digging into whenever my nerves got the best of me, but today my phone had to suffice. 

The only time my fingers let go of my phone was when I got off the plane and finally could feel some sort of calm enter my body. I survived a four-hour plane ride by myself, surely I would be able to get to their venue without fucking this up? But before I could get going, there was a need to change out of the sweatpants and hoodie that had been on my body for way too long. A couple of minutes later, a pair of light blue jeans and a white shirt adorned my body. It wasn’t much, but it did take away the feeling of being disgusting. 

To Maggie L

I’m taking a uber now to the venue now, care to open the door for me?:)

From Maggie L Duh

After an awkward uber ride and a lot of banging on the door for Maggie to let me in, I felt drained. But the knowledge of being in the same building as the person that held my heart, made energy burst through my veins.Their show was starting soon and I was hiding in the bathroom, waiting for Maggie to tell me that the coast was clear so that we finally could go out. When she had opened the door for me to get in the building, we had to run and hide. Apparently Brandon had forgotten about me and decided that the boys were to take that exact route through the venue. Maggie and I had been sending several curses his way when we finally were able to catch our breaths.

A light knock on the door woke me up from my trance, and I quickly opened the door and walked out. I had barely gotten out of the door before Maggie linked our arms together and started dragging me towards the barricade, where we would be spending our night. “So what’s the plan, are you going to like surprise him after the show?” I turned my face up to look at her and nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan.” She gave me a small smile and then started walking faster as she heard the opening music.

Wait a fucking minute

“Maggie Lindemann! Please don’t tell me what I think you are implying.” I yelled after her and started running after her. She turned around and just gave me a cheeky grin, causing me to put my face in my hands and sigh loudly. “Girl what is your problem, I haven’t said anything.” I gave her an annoyed look as she continued to giggle, but all my thoughts melted away the second that the boys ran out on stage. Fuck he looked so good, I shivered at the thought of lying in his arms tonight. As a child the thought of loving someone so much you that you couldn’t take your eyes off them seemed silly and impossible. But when Nick was dancing and singing his heart out, how was I supposed to look at anything else? So during the first thirty minutes of the show, I watched with tears in my eyes while my mouth hung open in astonishment. In the corner of my eye, I could see Maggie filming me but my mind was elsewhere. “Guys guys, there is actually someone special in the audience today.-” Brandon paused and looked at the other boys with a small grin, three of the boys looked equally happy while the fourth one looked at all of them in confusion. I turned to look at Maggie, my heart beating faster and faster for every second that ticked by. 

“So you’re telling me that your boyfriend forgot that I was coming, but he could fucking remember to drag me up on stage? He knows I have stage fright.” Although what I was saying was indeed true, a big part of me was becoming ecstatic over the fact that I would be able to hug Nick and bury my head in his chest in just a couple of minutes. “Shh, He is talking again.” I shook my head at her but couldn’t help the way my whole face lit up when Brandon said my name. “So y/n, you care to come up here?” The second Brandon said my name, Nick furrowed his brows and looked at all the boys while asking them something that I couldn’t possibly hear over the screams. Maggie’s hands were on my back as she started pushing me towards the little staircase that led up to the stage. Nick was still looking around with a confused expression, he didn’t really seem to know what was going on. He was looking for me in all the wrong places, making Zion turn him around and push him in my direction. 

He stumbled over his feet when his eyes caught mine and I brought my hand up to my mouth if it was to stop myself from laughing or crying, I did not know. People were screaming our names, it felt surreal because I did not even think people knew who I was. But they knew Nick, and that was enough for them. Nick said something, but yet again I couldn’t hear. Therefore I started running towards him because I never wanted to miss another word that came out of his mouth. 

His arms engulfed me in a body crushing hug, and now I couldn’t stop the tears from escaping my eyes. He spun me around and laughed, the other boys were saying something in their microphone but I couldn’t focus on anything but Nick’s laugh.

“I wasn’t supposed to cry, you were.” I laughed when he set me down on the stage and he grabbed my face between his hands, wiping away any tear that had managed to find it’s way down my cheeks. “Fuck, you’re really here mamas.” I smiled at him, mimicking the toothy grin that was lighting his face, and I placed his face between my hands. Before I went in for the kiss I had been longing after for four weeks, my lips brushed past his ear, whispering

I’m really here. 

[ladyoutlier]

A Demon’s Demons

In which Hell reunites Crowley with his Falling pains.

[Read on AO3] | [Read My Other Fics]

Prologue

In the deepest pits of Hell, below the torture cells and the mail room, existed a hallway that had been forgotten for longer than the Earth’s existence. Back when Hell lacked design and it was only a plane of fire and brimstone, this hallway was one of the first structures the Fallen created through their agonizing pain and scorched beings. As their wings burned and their chests collapsed with hollowness from their lack of Grace, the hallway came into existence as a way for them to rid themselves of the pain. They could hardly stand as a threat to Heaven when so horribly crippled from their Fall.

So the hallway became endless and gained many rooms that branched from it—one for each of the Fallen. And in these rooms, each newly born demon ripped themselves apart, tearing their Sins from their being. The Fall became a memory, moving into the past rather than living with them in every second of the present. The pain was gone, and the Fallen could live again.

Their Sins remained in their rooms behind doors with a thousand locks that were boarded up with a hundred planks. Left to the depths of Hell to be forgotten as the place of horror built on top of it for the next six thousand years. However, it was not gone. It merely continued to stir below the floorboards, waiting for someone to return. And after the End of the World was thwarted, someone who had never quite forgotten the hallway did return.

The hallway was dark and dusty but far from silent as Lord Beelzebub, accompanied by their right-hand demon Dagon, walked down it. Even through all the precautions, the doors rattled angrily as the Sins demanded to be freed. There were not a lot of things the Lord of Flies feared. Board meetings with Satan after particularly low months were one. A demon immune to holy water was another. And the Sins of a past better left forgotten were the most feared of all.

Still, one does not rise to Beelzebub’s position without the ability to press on in the face of fear, and so they walked on, footsteps echoing down the hallway barely audible above the smashing and banging of an army of Fallen’s Sins. The way forward and the way back were both consumed by darkness as the light flickered ominously above the two demons as they walked. Unlike the Sins, the dark didn’t trouble them. Those of Hell were all too familiar with it.

Beelzebub stopped before a door and gestured to it. “This izz the one.”

Dagon, Lord of the Files, looked to the door. A glowing signature that rather resembled a cursive letter ‘J’ burned above it. The door shook, and the chains barring it shut rattled. Dust puffed from the door’s seams as the Sins slammed against it from the other side.

“Shall I open it?” Dagon asked. “There’ll be no getting them back in there once it’s opened.”

“We may not be able to destroy Crowley, but that doesn’t mean we have to do him any favorzzz. If he wishes to live on Earth, let Earth have all of him.”

Dagon nodded and produced a crowbar. Board after board began to fall, clattering to the ground in a racket that was still drowned out by the noise of all the Sins. As the barricade weakened, the Sins behind the exiled demon’s door grew increasingly aggressive, pounding harder and more frequently. An eternity of waiting was coming to an end.

As the last board fell, Dagon’s crowbar became a key, and the locks and chains began to clatter to the concrete as well. There were still about ten locks on the door when the Sins busted it open. The dark spirits they embodied soared out from the crypt of a room in a frenzy. 

The hallway, although it was as deep in Hell as it could get, froze over. Screaming far too high pitched to be heard brought a chill to the hallway’s only occupants. Not from the cold, but rather from the distress of the Sins. They were only held together by the knowledge that those particular Sins tearing about were not their own.

As the Sins fully grasped their newfound freedom, they gained direction and skyrocketed down the hall, eager to return to the being they haven’t seen since the Fall. He wouldn’t be hard to find. Long ago, they had been one after all.

Dagon and Beelzebub were left in the hallway alone. Although the Sins of every other demon remained behind all the other doors, this one spot in the hall had become eerily quiet. Yet, without the presence of the Sins, both demons felt more at ease.

“It izzz done,” Beelzebub began. “For his sake, I hope the betrayal waz worth it.”

As the Sins piloted their way through every layer of Hell, the demons occupying them all felt a rather uncomfortable shiver down their spines. As one might imagine, this was hardly a normal occurrence. An uncomfortable demon was as much an oxymoron as a faithless priest. Something quite devious had occurred, and all the Fallen of Hell were glad they weren’t on the receiving end of it.

Only God could make an angel Fall from Heaven. To Fall from Hell, on the other hand, required a whole lot less divine intervention as Crowley was soon to find out.

*

Chapter 1: Sharing Secrets

Meanwhile on Earth, an angel and a demon that had chosen humanity over their respective head offices were taking a nice after-dinner stroll through Green Park to where the demon had left his Bentley. They had many conversations over the years stemming from humanity’s true nature to the brain mass of aquatic animals. On this particular day, they were talking about their favorite decade of human culture.

“‘Course the mid-1800s were your time, angel. You haven’t updated your wardrobe since then.” Crowley eyed Aziraphale’s outfit and smirked. “Me though? Big fan of the 1960s.”

“The youth did become rather rowdy during that time,” Aziraphale replied, tearing off a piece of a leftover dinner roll to throw to a duck crossing their path.

The warm summer air was beginning to cool for the year, and this evening was a prime example of that. Although something else entirely might have been bringing the chill to Green Park on this night. Something that was currently racing down Piccadilly as they spoke. Regardless, it was a beautiful, romantic evening, and many couples could be spotted sharing body heat on the sporadic benches along the walking path. 

Crowley very much wanted to share one of them with Aziraphale, but he shook that thought out of his head. There was one thing about the 1960s not at all related to human culture that he really didn’t like. One specific event in 1967 that keep him from moving too fast on those thoughts.

“Only you would describe the turf war between the mods and rockers with a term as mild as rowdy.” Crowley rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. “Oh, loved the chaos both sides brought about, although never could decide who had the most style.”

“Which side wore the suits? Found that to be a bit more charming than the leather jackets,” Aziraphale asked, wrapping the remainder of the roll in his handkerchief and tucking it into his pocket.

“The same side that rode scooters instead of motorbikes, so they lost any points they gained from attire there. I mean, really? Scooters? Who ever looked at one of those and thought that was the best way to get around?”

“Madame Tracy’s was a bit on the slow side. We would have straight up missed Armageddon had I not taken things into my own hands.”

“Exactly! The things have always been useless.”

“Seems like there were benefits to both sides then.”

“Why I never chose a side myself. Wanted the best of both—”

Crowley was harshly interrupted mid-sentence as a part of himself he abandoned over six thousand years ago finally caught up to him. He came to a complete standstill, and Aziraphale took a few more steps forward before looking back at him.

“Crowley, dear, are you alright?”

The demon stood petrified in place, mouth agape, as if he had just been shot through the neck which, in essence, he had been. He sputtered out a series of syllables which essentially translated into nothing before clutching his chest and falling to his knees.

Needless to say, Aziraphale panicked. His eyes went wide, and he ran up beside the demon and kneeled down to him. He clutched Crowley’s shoulder with one hand and his face with another. “Crowley, Crowley. Look at me! Oh, Heavens above. You have to tell me what’s wrong!”

The demon jittered rather irregularly. His sunglasses fell to the ground, revealing that his eyes were darting about in a similar fashion. Merely two words escaped his lips. “Holy fuck.”

Aziraphale gave up on holding Crowley’s shoulder, deciding instead to use his hands to cup Crowley’s face. “I’ve never seen you in such a state. Please, try to calm down. Take a breath. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on!”

“T—thought we all had forgotten about that.” A smile briefly flashed over Crowley’s face before falling back to distress. “I mean, I did. Until now that is.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate a bit more on that. Forgotten what?”

Crowley took a few breaths, slowly regaining his composure. The pain seemed to be subsiding.  He pulled Aziraphale’s hands off his face. “Not—not here. Let’ssss just get sssomewhere more private.”

A few onlookers began to crowd. One lady, looking to do more than gawk, came up to the two. 

“Is he alright?” she asked Aziraphale.

“Fine. Peachy.” Crowley answered for him. “Mind your own businesssss, lady. C’mon, angel, let’sss go before we attract a crowd.”

Aziraphale did not correct him that is was indeed just him that was gaining attention, and instead helped the demon to his feet. Crowley marched off in the direction he parked, and Aziraphale turned to apologize to the woman. However, neither did Crowley get that far or did Aziraphale get out his apology before the demon let out another garbled yell and fell back to the ground.

“Do you need me to call an ambulance?” The woman asked.

Crowley ignored her. “Aziraphale, just get us out of here.”

“But with all these people watching?”

“Who caresss? They’ll write it off as a group hallucination. I can’t—not here.”

Aziraphale blinked his eyes, coming back to grips with how dire the situation was with Crowley sprawled out in pain on the pavement. Yes, this called for quite the miracle despite how many witnesses were about. “Yes, alright. Very well.” 

He snapped his fingers, and both he and Crowley disappeared from Green Park and appeared back at the familiar Soho bookshop. The demon growled and pounded the floor with his fist. Aziraphale, once again, went to his side to aid him.

“Crowley, please tell me something. You’re worrying me sick!”

“Worrying you? That’s the issue? Want to swap placesss?”

“Gladly. If it would at all help you!”

Crowley was silent. He looked down to the floor, huffing out heavy breaths. Once again, he seemed to be at a pause in the pain. It was almost as if—

“Well, aren’t I lucky?” the demon sneered.

“What do you mean by that? You aren’t answering any of my questions, Crowley.”

“J—just stay here. Don’t go anywhere, okay? I’ll tell you.”

“Of course, dear. I don’t plan on leaving you alone when you’re in such a state.”

“Yeah, well, yeah,” Crowley fumbled. “Listen. To put it briefly, Hell’s reunited me with all my Sins, and it’s rather painful.”

Aziraphale straightened up. “Reunited? I didn’t know it was possible to separate.”

“Demons have been doing it since the beginning. Falling hardly felt like warm, summer days and cool breezes. Left most of us unable to do much of anything. So we lobbed off the part causing the pain and moved on.”

“I see…”

“And Hell just handed me a box full of the things on my desk, and my Sins were right on top.”

“Why are you not then…” Aziraphale gestured with his hand. “...crying out now like you were a moment ago?”

Crowley made a rather strange expression. He cocked his head, curled his upper lip, and squinted his eyes which were still certainly visible due to his sunglasses being left behind in the park. A dozen or so words formed from his mouth before he landed on one. “You.”

“Me? What about me?” Aziraphale became rather flustered. “How could I be influencing this at all.”

“You have an, uh, angelic aura. Whole Falling pains revolving around us, well, y’know, losing that.”

“Oh.” The angel’s eyebrows furrowed, and an introspective look took over his face. “So, quite literally, my presence comforts you.”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it like that.”

“In that case, I won’t leave your side until we get all this sorted.”

Crowley’s eyes widened, and he babbled for a moment before pulling himself back into a neutral, less readable appearance. “This isn’t going to be as easy as you think.”

“Well, I’m involved either way. If I’m going to stay next to you to keep you from being distressed, I might as well provide my assistance in any other way possible as well. We’re in this together. Our own side, remember?”

“Using my own words against me, huh?”

“It’s only what you would do.”

“And since when did you start acting like me?”

“Oh, 1601 after I lost a coin flip with you, I believe,” Aziraphale said with a smug grin which became more serious as he returned to the topic at hand. “What exactly are the difficulties here? You were separate from your, um, Sins before. Can you not separate again?”

“Few issues with that.” Crowley stood up, feeling like himself with Aziraphale near. “Nowhere to box up the Sins once they’re out, and we wouldn’t even get that far. It’s a messy process. Removing them, that is. Highly doubt this body would survive that, and unless Adam’s handing out more, I’d be shit out of luck considering Hell’s not going to be keen on giving me one. You know, since they put me in this situation.”

“I see how that makes this tricky.”

“Tricky. Yeah, just the word I’d use.” Crowley rolled his eyes.

“We’d have to find some sort of get around, or an alternative solution.” Aziraphale gestured for Crowley to follow him and began walking to his backroom. “If you didn’t experience the pain, there would be no reason to go through the separation process. As we’ve discovered, my aura neutralizes it, but if we could find a way to cancel it out without my presence being necessary, you could simply continue on as normal.”

Aziraphale paced about his backroom. In all sense, having this conversation here rather than in the storefront made no difference in terms of privacy. The shop had been most definitely closed while they were out for dinner. Rather, the angel simply had a better time thinking clearly in this room. It had been where Crowley had talked him into thwarting the Apocalypse, and it was where he had studied Agnes Nutter’s book. If an idea were to strike him, it would be here.

“Are you just pondering out loud, or is this leading somewhere?” Crowley asked, taking a seat. “‘Cause I have absolutely no clue how to do what you’re suggesting.”

“Well, you could atone for them.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no. Yeah, uh huh. Sorry, no.”

“It is how humans overcome their own sins.”

“Yeah, but not human, am I? And I’ll tell you, there was plenty of trying that right after the Fall.”

“Perhaps, that was too soon. The meaning wasn’t there yet.”

“Wasn’t there yet? Oh, if you were anyone else, you stupid bastard.”

“Crowley, please calm down. I didn’t mean any offense by it. I’m only trying to find a way to help you.”

“No. I’m not—I’m not having this conversation. About atonement. About the Fall. None of it.”

Crowley stood and made an effort to leave the room. He got about as far as the doorway before the distance became too great, and he found himself gripping the doorframe in agony. Aziraphale took his arm, and despite his best attempts to shake him off, the angel’s persistence won out and he was returned to the couch. They were both silent as Crowley slowly relaxed.

“I know this is beyond personal,” Aziraphale began. “It’s why I haven’t asked once in the six thousand years I’ve known you. I always thought that if you wanted to tell me, you would. But I’m afraid that’s a luxury neither of us can any longer afford due to our current predicament and this information’s relevance to it. I enjoy your company quite a lot, dear. However, I think we would both quickly tire of the companionship if we could never travel further than ten steps from one another. And I’m your friend, Crowley. After all we’ve been through, you can tell me anything. So please tell me, what did you do to Fall?”

Crowley continued to sit hunched over from his place on the couch, showing no signs of having heard anything Aziraphale just said. Of course, he had. He just wasn’t sure how to react yet. If he had ever thought this conversation would be happening, he would’ve straight up avoided Aziraphale that day in Eden and on every day after. But it was too late for that, and now here the angel was asking something of Crowley he had never intended to give. 

He would do anything for Aziraphale and had made a point to show it back in 1941. Crossing consecrated grounds to avert a mere discorporation was crazy, yet he would have done it a million times over. Actions were easy. Aziraphale was the focus. Questions were not. Which was really funny to him in a not at all funny way. 

What Aziraphale wanted was something Crowley had been keeping to himself since, well, forever. It was impossible to give, but impossible hardly mattered when Aziraphale was involved. It was impossible for an angel and a demon to be friends. Yet, Aziraphale had said it himself. They were friends. And perhaps that mattered a bit more than keeping secrets. So Crowley decided to share a conversation only God and him had heard before. 

“Look, angel, I really didn’t mean to Fall.” He broke his statue-like stillness to look to Aziraphale. “Really just found myself in a mess I couldn’t get out of.”

They were only a few words that hardly went into the specifics, but they still revealed quite a bit. More than Crowley had ever let anyone else know. That was for sure. For one, that he really wasn’t all that into the doom and gloom schtick Hell promoted. Of course, Aziraphale had already come to this conclusion many, many years ago. A demon could hardly show as much good as Crowley had over the centuries without coming across as a bit less than thrilled with their current employment. Still, this was delicate territory, and Aziraphale definitely recognized that.

“What kind of mess exactly? Would you be willing to tell me the story? Your version of it that is.”

Crowley looked up to the ceiling and bit the interior of his cheek. They were bad memories, and he’d much rather bury them in the back of his mind than share them to rot in Aziraphale’s instead. He didn’t want the angel’s pity or worse, his disappointment, but he had already decided to commit to this.

“Listen, before I tell you any of this, you have to remember that this was a different time,” he began. “Things like betrayal and hate and evil didn’t really exist yet. Wasn’t obvious like they are now. This is what made those things exist. So there’s good reason I didn’t see any of them coming.”

“I’m not going to judge you, Crowley.”

“You say that now.” The demon let out a sigh. “Really this whole mess of horrible events started with a chat with a soon-to-be Satan.”

[Chapter 2]

[sirbobboiv]

The painting is what started everything. I’m sure of it. That cunt in the frame is what scarred me for life. I knew that the house on the east hill was trouble, everybody claimed the place was haunted, but Asshat Pat just had to bring me up there.

If you’re reading this, get the fuck out of this house. Do anything you can to get out before She wakes up. Once the lady in the painting changes, it’s all over.

So, Pat drives me up there, half hysterical, and pretty much shoved me into the building. At this point, I’m absolutely fuming. After I take a step, the door shuts behind me, like some lame horror film. I rap on the door a few times, but I don’t get an answer. God, who locks doors from the outside?

I take a look around the place, it looks surprisingly clean, which is a pleasant surprise, but something in the back of my mind tells me that that’s not good. The entire place is lit up with some Elizabethan chandeliers, at least the place has some taste. At the center of what I assume is the central hall is Queen Bitch herself.

Her hair is loosely held behind her head, her face emotionless, and her hands laced together. Thankfully, the painting doesn’t look like it’s meeting my gaze. No matter what she looks like, the portrait gives me a serious chill up my spine.

I start walking around, La-dee-da, and then remember, I can just nope the fuck out of here. The door doesn’t budge, but I’m sure that I can break a window, I’ve done it before. I pick up a stool and launch that bitch at the window, ‘cause fuck stools. It bounces off. The windows are tempered. Yay. Looks like I’m going to be here for a while. It’s already getting dark, so I might as well get some sleep. Maybe somebody will notice I’m missing and put in the effort to come get me.

Anyway, stools are heavy and I need sleep.

Day 2:

My skin is crawling. This stupid house makes my skin crawl. And let me tell you, I don’t like it. I do the Harlem shake real quick and that cures my problem. Now, it’s time to explore.

I go up the stairs, which just had to be creaky, and can’t help but look at the painting again. It’s the same lady, same hair, same smile, and her hand was placed over the other like yesterday. At the top of the stairs, my hand brushes against a spider. Being the brave person I am, I screamed and smashed the thing. God, I hate spiders. In the upstairs section, I find an old bedroom, a bathroom, and a wonderfully dark room that I can’t see shit in. I’ll just close that door....

Going up the stairs really works up a piss, so I head on into the bathroom and get my lady business dealt with. The bathroom is poorly lit, so my reflection looks a little off. That’s okay though, I still know I look fabulous.

The bedroom holds a whole lotta dust. The bed is gross, everything is covered in bed bugs, I’d rather sleep on the floor. Now is when I hear a few voices outside. Somebody came to find me! I can’t make out what they are saying, but I definitely hear a man and a woman talking. I sprint downstairs and slam my fists on the door a few times and yell. The voices stop, maybe they heard me. I yell a little more, because honestly, it feels good after being trapped in such a quiet house for a whole day. I hear a single, loud bang in response and I am, once again, left to my thoughts and stools.

Day 3:

I had a dream last night. I was trapped in a coffin, 6 feet under the ground. I could not move, scream, but only breathe, see, and feel. A single spider crawled towards me, dropped onto my face. I try desperately to swat it away from me, to no avail. It slowly crawls towards my ear, and burrows itself into my head. It hurts. The pain is excruciating, as it burrows deeper into my brain. Before long, maggots erupt from my pores, and hundreds of baby spiders crawl out of my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. They eat away at my body, slowly, savoring the flesh.

I wake up in a cold sweat, my eyes immediately transfixed on the lady in the painting. I realize now that I am not alone. She is in here. Watching. Waiting. Slowly driving me insane. As I study her, I realize something is off. Her hands still are placed over each other, her eyes glitter hungrily, her teeth bared in a grotesque smile. Fear ripples through my body and burns in my chest. She was never just a painting.

I get up and move to the side, her eyes stay transfixed on the position of my waking. I leave the room, and reenter. Now, her eyes meet my gaze. I run to the other side of the room, her eyes stay in place. I hide behind a pillar and emerge again. Her eyes meet my gaze. I can’t stand being in her sight anymore.

I climb the stairs and enter the bathroom. I stare at my reflection for a time. It blinks. My reflection blinks. My reflection isn’t me, it is the lady in the painting. She smiles at me, her disgusting teeth now coated red. She cackles and maggots spill from her mouth. She isn’t human.

She continues to laugh as she scratches her skin raw, drawing blood. She does not stop. She keeps scratching until the white of bone is shown. Now, she begins to rip to flesh from her bone, devouring veins and tendons as they appear. I can’t take my eyes away. Before long, she seems to tire from her arms, and her hands migrate to her face, peeling the scalp like an orange peel. An ear-piercing scream escapes from the revolting mix of flesh and blood that is her. She locks eyes with me one last time and the mirror shatters. The sound of her scream bounces around in my mind, trapped, eating away at my sanity. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the images to escape me. It begins to die down, and I open my eyes. She is there, her jaw unhinged. The next thing I know, I black out.

Day 4:

I wake to find myself in the same place I blacked out. The pain in my head is immense, but I forge on. I stand and immediately lurch forward and vomit the remains of the acid inside. The fluid is tinged with black, and clumps of goo spill along with it. Internal bleeding. I’m not going to make it through this.

I stumble out of the bathroom, a static-like noise never leaving me. I trip down the stairs and fall to the second landing. Static. I once again regain my balance and get to the ground floor. Static. I shamble along into the center of the main room, and shift my eyes towards the painting. Not... static. Whispers. My consciousness explodes into hundreds of whispers, all around me, inside me, incoherent, and uncountable. I fall to my knees and clutch my ears, the voices respond my chorusing even louder than before. They ferociously attack my mind, tearing down every barrier I’ve mustered. Eventually, they tear down the last barricade and they all die down. Except one. It says to me, as clearly as if the voice was beside me. No, above me, “She’s behind you.” The painting, it’s empty. I turn around to find a hollow carcass laying on the ground. It trembles, and the knock swivels around to reveal the lady in the painting. Still covered in blood, her underlying flesh exposed, her jaw transfixed in that horrible smile I saw just the day before. Her teeth are once again coated in blood, but maggots aren’t in there anymore. The blood is mine. She has buried her face into my neck, gnawing on everything she can find. I fall to the ground, my chest exposed, and she pounces on me. She kisses me sickeningly, and regurgitates my own flesh and blood into my mouth. She lunches my throat, forcing me to swallow. She cries with glee and finishes my already rotting body.

[mycellarose]

Love in the Dead

Chapter 2: Escape the Dead

The entrance to the roof was barricaded by tables. Rei hugged her legs and Takashi stared absentmindedly at Hisashi's body, thinking back to what happened a few minutes before.

Hisashi smiles sadly at Takashi. " Come on, Takashi, do it for me. I want to stay myself until the last moment." Takashi's grip on the baseball bat tightened while Rei yelled in the background. "Don't do it! He's not turning into one of them. Stop!"

Screaming, he ran towards Hisashi and smashed his head.

Takashi's eyes opened in fright. He didn't even realize he closed his eyes. Rei turned her head towards him. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"I was wondering what the hell is going on." He replied, still looking at his best friend's dead body.

"That's a straightforward answer." she whispered.

"What's the point of lying anyway." He scratched his head.

Rei smiled at him and stood up. "I think I'm going to call my dad." She held out her hand. "Let me use your cell phone."

He stared at his phone for a moment thinking about Maikoni then handed it to her. "I understand that he's a police officer, but we can't even connect 110."

She began to dial the number. "I know this secret number that he told me not to call unless it's an emergency." The phone rang for a few seconds then connected. "I got through. Dad?!"

On the other end Rei's father spoke. "Hello! This number is Takashi's?"

Rei held the phone with both hands. "Dad? Hey, Dad, we're at school and-" He father cut her off. "Takashi? You must have got this number from Rei. Is Rei okay?" The phone slowly began to break up. "Dad, can't you hear my voice?" Her father began to speak. "Listen carefully, the city is in a panic now! You need to get out of there!" Rei kept calling out to her dad but he couldn't hear her. A gunshot sounded in the background which made Rei and Takashi flinch. "You hear me! The city is already in panic mode! You need to evacuate as soon as possible!"

Before she could say anything the phone call was cut. In shock she pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it. "No service. But I just called him. Why? Why?!" Takashi called out to her. She turned her head towards him. He was shocked to see tears streaming down her face. "Takashi... my dad... he didn't know it was me at all."

Maikoni continued to walk down the hallway, dragging her bloody wooden sword. Her eyes glazed over as she thought back to the person she killed. Why did this have to happen? This was supposed to be a normal day. She was going to ask Takashi to go to the bookstore with her and get the new volume of Chrome Shelled Regios. She thought back to her talk with Takashi. When she asked him about the future. When she asked him what would happen if zombies roamed the earth. She didn't think it would really happen but here she is living through it.

The hallway was empty for the most part. Just dead students lying on the floor. Her ears picked up a bunch of groaning. Lifting her head she spotted a dozen of 'them' banging on the door of a classroom. Before she could turn around, to head the other way, she heard someone yelling no. Blue eyes slowly widened as she came to recognize the voice. "TAKAGI!" A few of 'them' turned when she yelled but Maikoni was already in front of them and striking their heads. Blood covered her face but she didn't care. Her main concern was getting to Takagi.

A nail flew past Takagi and into one of the zombies head. Hirano smiled sadistically. "Gotcha!" Takagi looked behind her in shock. "H-Hirano?"

Takashi and Rei grab the water hose. He turned to Rei. "Are you ready?" Rei, while holding the valve nodded. "Yeah!"

He pointed the hose towards the zombies trying to break the barricade. "Now turn it!" She began to turn the valve. The pressure of the water made Takashi slightly loose control. "Damn!" He tilted the hose, spraying the railing.

Shot after shot, each nail being shot was impaled into a head. "You see the drill and nails over there? Will you put them in a bag or something?" Takagi eyebrows twitched. She balled his fists and yelled at him. "What's your deal? You're a nobody to me. What makes you think you can order me around?"

Hirano turns to look at her. His face was the face of a deranged man having fun. She slightly jumped in shock. In a matter of milliseconds his attitude changed into a shy one. "Please?" Takagi looked at him in disbelief then slumped and looked at him in defeat. "Alright."

Maikoni slammed her wooden sword into another zombie's head, unaware of one sneaking behind her. She felt a hand on her arm. Her head turned to see who grabbed her. A pale, grey face was inches from her face. Her heart began to beat faster as her eyes widened. Was this it? Was she going to die here? Takashi appeared in her mind. Then Rei. Why was she here in the first place? She should have just ran and found a group to help her. Maybe if she did then she wouldn't have to fight or worry about surviving. Fight and survive. Use your fear as strength. Her family motto appeared in her head once more. Who was I fighting for? Why did I come here to fight? A certain pinkette appeared in her mind. Takagi. She was going to save Takagi. Her forgotten fire began to bloom inside. Takagi needs my help! As she raised her sword to strike the zombie paused and fell to the ground while releasing her arm. A nail was stuck in the zombie's head.

Her eyes fell onto the body in determination. This zombie no, her classmate's corpse was her resolve. She couldn't keep hesitating and cowering. She needed to protect the people she loved and never forget her family's motto. This moment marked her declaration to herself. Sparing one last glance at the corpse she turned and walked into the classroom. "Takagi?"

Hearing Takashi struggle with the hose, Rei ran out the room. "Takashi?" He managed to get it under control. "I'm okay!" He turned his head towards the zombies. "Having fun with all the groaning, huh? Must be nice to be you. Take this!" He turned the hose towards the barricade and sprayed the zombies, making them fall down the stairs. He laughed in victory.

Takagi looked towards the door once she heard her name. "Maikoni?" The brunette smiled and ran towards the pink haired girl and began to look her over. "Takagi! Are you okay? I heard you scream!"

Folding her arms, Takagi looked away from Maikoni in embarrassment. "Of course I'm okay. I made sure Hirano protected me." She stopped making sure Takagi was okay and turned her head towards said boy. She honestly had no idea who he was but he protected Takagi so he was okay. She walked towards him and bowed. "Thank you for protecting Takagi. I'm Hoshiyama Maikoni from class 2-A. It's nice to meet you."

Hirano stared at Maikoni. He heard of her from his classmates. She excelled in academics and sports. Most of the boys in his class had a crush on her and literally everyone admired her. She was always willing to help people study for a test or to pass the class. A slight blush appeared on his face at the sight of her. He then bowed. "You're welcome. I'm Hirano Kohta from class 2-B. It's nice to meet you as well."

Takagi looked between them then the bag in her hand. "Hey, what are you doing?" She walked towards the pair and handed the bag to Hirano. "Here you hold one too." Hirano looked at the bag then back at Takagi as she began to walk away. Maikoni followed after her. "Um, uh... Um, Takagi, can I ask you something?" Takagi paused at the door, making Maikoni stop as well. "What?" The megane looked towards the ground. "Why are you with me?"

Maikoni looked out the door and checked to see if the hallway was clear. "Why? No particular reason." He sighed. "Oh, I guessed so." He half chuckled then loaded the nail gun and walked out of the classroom, ready to shoot anything in his path. Takagi and Maikoni looked at him. "Hey, you're on the ball all of a sudden. Something click or what?"

A crazed look was back on the megane's face. " I'm not sure, but I guess it did!" Takagi saw 'them' walking their way. "Hirano!" He turned towards 'them' and raised his gun "Yes!" Maikoni walked calmly out of the classroom and patted Takagi's shoulder. She stood next to Hirano with a small smirk. "Hirano, I can trust you to watch my back right?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and nodded. A full smile appeared on her face before she ran towards 'them'. "Thanks!"

Rei and Takashi began to descend down the stairs. "I'm impressed that you thought of using the fire equipment." Rei smiled at him. "Because the water pressure in the hose is very strong, you know. Don't you remember? During the fire drill when we were in junior high, Hisashi and you got.." At the moment of his best friend's name, Takashi flinched. Rei noticed and stopped before looking away in sadness. Takashi looked ahead. "I won't forget it anymore." Rei continued down the steps and stopped next to him." I think it should be okay now."

He looked at her. "What's going on in there is beyond chaos. Are you sure about this?" She looked at him sternly and handed him his bat. He reached for his bat and accidentally bumped her hand. They looked at each other in shock. He reached again and grabbed it from her, then continued forward. "Let's go!" Rei retracted her hand back and looked away with a blush on her face, nodding. Takashi began running towards 'them' with Rei right behind him. He swung his bat at the zombie, hitting the head, then spun around to make room for Rei to counter with a stab in the stomach. The jab knocked the zombie into another one and made them both fall to the ground.

They continued to run down the stairs towards the hallway. "Where do we run to?" asked Rei. Takashi stopped and closed his eyes. He opened and turned towards her with a smile. "To my house. Let's meet up with the survivors. We'll try to get to my house, helping each other on the way. We're basically all from the same city. We should be able to make it there somehow." Rei looked at him and smiled. "Y-you're right! Now that I know my dad is okay..." She stopped herself. "Oh, we should call your house as soon as possible too. And Maikoni is probably scared by herself. We need to find her."

A silence engulfed them. They forgot about Maikoni. When everything happened Takashi only thought about Rei and Rei only thought about her, Takashi, and Hisashi surviving. It only recently dawned upon them that she could be dead. She could be one of 'them'. Unshed tears began to fill Rei's eyes. How could she forget about her? Maikoni was the one who tried to help and cheer her up when she got held back. She was always there for Rei no matter what and Rei wasn't there when she needed her the most.

Takashi thought back to the phone call. He thought back to a few hours when this all happened. It was Rei he thought about when it happened. It was Rei he wanted to protect and make sure was safe. Never once did Maikoni cross his mind. When Hisashi asked about her he didn't care, Rei was who mattered. But the moment he died Takashi decided to listen to Hisashi and call her. The way she answered the phone with no life in her voice was a shock considering her personality. He was concerned for her. Did something happen to her? He heard the panic in her voice when he answered her back. He wanted to comfort her but he couldn't, not when Rei needed him more. Her last line was what made him believe she lost hope. She didn't believe that they would find each other and she said she loved him. He still was unable to say it back. Did he love her? He was trying, he really was, but maybe not enough. He hoped they were able to meet soon.

Trying to not dwell on her, he smiled at Rei. "We can do that when we have time. My dad is out of town for work and my mom isn't home because she teaches at an elementary school. Besides, they can be annoying." Rei let out a small chuckled then covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Hey, don't make me laugh at a time like this." She said and followed down the stairs after him.

Takashi was left to his thoughts once more. The truth is I didn't really mean that. I was honestly a little scared. Look at the condition of my school. And my mom is also working at... a school.

A wet towel hit the back of the zombie's head. The zombie continued to walk as if it didn't feel the towel. Takagi, Hirano, and Maikoni were hiding behind a pillar. Takagi dunked a towel into the water. "Wh..What are you doing." Asked Hirano. Takagi pulled the towel out of the water. "Just be quiet." She threw it at the lockers.

The zombie turned towards the noise and slammed himself into the locker. "You see that. They don't react when something hits their bodies. Their senses are dead. They only respond to sound. Most likely they can't see either. Otherwise, they wouldn't bump into the locker." Hirano looked at her. "What about heat?" He asked.

"I'm sure we'll get plenty of opportunities to find out." She got off the ground and swung the bag over her shoulder. "Let's go."

Hirano followed after her. "So, are we going outside?" She glared at him. "What are you talking about?" He looked away sheepishly. "Well, I hate walking." She turned towards him. "That's why a chubby geek is so... You can say that again when you're old enough to get a driver's license."

Maikoni, who was silently watching their interaction perked up at the sound of groaning. She turned towards the sound and narrowed her eyes at the sight of 'them'. Takagi looked towards Maikoni in confusion then to where she was looking. She flinched at the sight of 'them'. Hirano noticed them both acting out of character and also looked. By that time Maikoni was already smashing their heads. Down the hall from them were two people. One was the school nurse and the other was a third-year. They were talking about going to the faculty room when they heard the sound of shooting. Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka looked in the direction of the noise

Hirano kneeled to the floor and began to shoot at 'them'. Maikoni dodged some of the zombies and smashed the rest of their heads. Takagi stood behind Hirano. "How can we discover their characteristics like this?" The shoulder length haired boy yelled at her. "Please, Takagi, you fight them too!" She looked down at him in shock and anger. "Why do I have to do that?"

"The magazine is almost empty!" She began to yell at him. "So what?! Why don't you just reload it?!" He pointed behind her calmly. "But they're right behind you." She looked at him then turned to look behind her. Her scream resonated throughout the entire building. Saeko, Shizuka-sensei, Rei, and Takashi all stopped and looked in the direction of the scream then ran towards it. Takagi back up. "H-Hirano!" Maikoni looked towards the direction she left Takagi and Hirano and ran. Hirano tried to shoot but nothing came out. "The magazine is.."

Takagi slipped out the bag and fell. She looked up and gasped. "Get away! Get away!" Hirano yelled towards her. "Takagi!" She began to grab the trophies from behind her and throw them. A tall trophy hit the zombie in the face and broke on impact, not fazing him at all. He continued towards her and she looked around for a weapon.

Maikoni didn't realize how far she strayed from the two. Once she saw 'them' her mind went blank and only two things were left inside. Protect Takagi and Hirano. Turn fear into strength. The moment she heard Takagi's scream she ran back towards them. She hoped she wasn't too late to protect them.

Takagi eyes fell upon something inside the bag. She looked at it then at the zombie in fear. Grabbing the drill in the bag she put it in his mouth and started it. "Don't come!" Four people appeared in the door of the hallway. The witnessed Takagi drilling the zombies head. Takagi turned away, crying. "I can't take this anymore! Mom!"

Saeko, Rei and Takagi looked around. "Let me take care of the right." Saeko said. Takashi called out for Rei. She ran past him. "I'll hold the left." She spun and speared the broom handle through their head. Saeko looked at her slightly impressed. "Oh.." Takashi ran past her, jumped, and swung his bat down on the zombie's head. The zombie was knocked back into the wall. Saeko bashed two heads in with lighting speed. She held her wooden sword in a downwards pose with her hair shielding her left eye with a small smile. A zombie appeared behind Hirano. He turned around and tried to shoot it before he remembered he had no bullets. He closed his eyes ready to accept his fate when he felt the wind on his face. He opened his eyes slightly then they widened at the sight of Maikoni. She looked at him with a glazed over stare. Her eyes then turned to Takagi on the floor shaking and looking at the zombie she killed.

The long haired brunette's eyes softly as unshed tears pooled them. "Takagi!" She ran towards the girl wearing pigtails and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Takagi! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you! Are you okay?" Takagi gripped the back of Maikoni's uniform shirt and buried her face in her breasts.

Behind them Hirano looked at Takagi in concern. He raised his arm and muttered her name before Rei ran past. Shizuka-sensei was the next person to run past him, but as she was she hit him with her breast and he fell down. Rei put her hand on Takagi's shoulder. "Are you okay, Takagi?" Takagi looked up at her. "Miyamoto.." Maikoni began to stoke the pinkette's hair.

Takashi walked towards the doors and locked them. Saeko followed after him. "You already know the school doctor Marikawa-sensei, right? I'm Busujima Saeko from class 3-A." He turned around to face her. "I'm Komuro Takashi from Class 2-B."

Rei turned her head to look at Saeko. "Busujima-san, I remember you won the national championship last year. I'm Miyamoto Rei, a member of the spear martial arts club."

Hirano rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I..I'm Hirano Kohta from Class B." She smiled at them. "Nice to meet you." Hirano blushed at her with his mouth open.

Takagi turned her head away, while still in Maikoni's arms. Maikoni looked at her in concern before letting her go. Takagi stood up with her back to everyone. "Why are you guys being all squishy? Why are you being so polite to her, Miyamoto? You just repeated a grade so you guys are the same age." Rei looked at her in shock. "What are you talking about, Takagi?" Takashi asked.

She turned her head to them with an angry look on face. "Don't even try to male a fool out of me! I'm a genius, you know! Once I put my mind to it, I'm invincible! I am.. I am.." Maikoni glazed up at her from the floor. Takagi was becoming mentally unstable. She was afraid, shocked, angry, and confused all at the same time. She knew what that felt like.

Saeko placed her hand on Takagi's shoulder.. "That's enough. It's okay." Takagi looked at herself in the mirror. She had blood on her face and clothes along with unshed tears in her eyes. "Look how dirty it's gotten. I need to ask mom to take it to the cleaners." Takashi appeared behind her and Maikoni placed her hand on Takagi's other shoulder. Takagi turned and hugged Maikoni once more, burying her face in the brunette's chest. They slowly fell to the floor and Maikoni wrapped her arms around her. Takagi's sobs got louder and Maikoni began stroking her hair while pulling her closer. Everyone looked at the pair in sadness as the realization of today began to hit.

[frost-queen]

Save me (Reader x Peter Parker)

You are the daughter of Tony Stark and you have a massive crush on Peter Parker but your father doesn’t approve. One day when you are in danger, Peter comes to the rescue to save the girl he loves.

Part his and your point of view.

Warnings: violents, cursing,…

Word count: 1.827

Your point of view

You were at Star tower because your dad thought it be better for you to be home-schooled, but all you ever wanted was to go to school, Peter’s school to be precise.

Your home teacher just entered the living room when you were looking out of the window daydreaming.

“Are you ready for today miss Stark?” – your teacher said while unpacking her bag.

“huh” you turned around unaware of her entering the room. “Of course,” – you said immediately after that.

You seated yourself in front of her and began to take out your books. “What are we learning today?” – you asked her.

“Physics” – she said with a smile. You sighed.

You and Miss Brown were working hard when suddenly you heard Friday speak.

“Miss Stark an unknown visitor is trying to enter the building.”

You got up and called out to Friday “Show me who it is please”.

Friday showed you a screen so that you could see the visitor, it was a man that was wearing some heavy clothing and you didn’t notice the bomb until it was to late, the man tossed it at the door and it exploded leaving a hole in the room.

You were Iron man’s daughter, so you were trained into a few dangerous situations but none like this one.

Immediately after the bomb exploded the alarm went of and Friday called out “intruder alert” – in her computer voice.

In the minutes that passed by you ordered Miss Brown to hide while you tried to barricade the door.

Friday suddenly called out “Intruder is 500 m away, should I call Mister Stark?”

“Yes” – you shouted at her getting in a slight panic.

Friday dialled your father, but no one answered, “Pick up dad, please” – you thought to yourself.

“Intruder is 200 m away” – Friday announced, and you grabbed the first thing you saw to protect you.

“Great” – you said, “I have to defend myself with a stupid crowbar”.

You heard Friday announce it one more time “Intruder 100 m away”.

Your heart was pounding heavily, and you tried to control your breath and fear.

For a moment it was silent and then you heard the loudest bang, smoke filled the room and it was getting harder to breath and see. You coughed and tried to get visual on the man.

“Stark!” you heard him say in a deep low voice that made you shiver.

Miss Brown was apparently not hiding so well because the man spotted her and dragged her out of her hiding spot.

He held her up at her hair and yelled at her “Where’s Stark?”

Miss Brown just started to cry, and he raised his arm to hit her, but you got up to stop it.

You thought you could be a hero, but you were wrong.

“Leave her alone” – you yelled at him. He looked surprised at you and then he pushed Miss Brown against the wall leaving her unconscious.

“And who might you be?” – he said trying to intimidate you.

You started to back away from him still holding the crowbar.

“Do you now were Stark is?” – he said pointing his gun at you.

You froze the instant he pulled out his gun.

Your heart was pounding like it was going to fall out of your chest, when the man looked around and saw a picture of you and your dad holding each other.

“Shit” – you thought “He knows I’m his daughter now”.

“You’re his daughter, right?” – he said coming closer to you. “Do you know where your daddy is?”

You hit him in the head with the crowbar and got the hell away from there.

He got up and wiped away the blood, he then rushed after you and hit you on the back of your head

Making you fall so quickly, your head was pounding like a bitch now.

You tried to get up and run but he grabbed you by your throat and started to choke you.

Gasping for air you tried to remove his hands from your throat, but he was to strong.

“I’m going to say this one more time, Stark, where is he?” – he said still choking you.

You tried to speak but it was impossible, you could see the anger in his eyes and he then threw you through the window shattering it into a million pieces.

You fell on the outside platform and the glass left small wounds on your body.

His point of view.

You were waiting for the school bus to pick you up, when you were thinking about Y/N, ever since Tony Stark recruited you, you had a crush on his daughter. She’s funny, smart, beautiful, determined,… everything you wanted in a girl.

The school bus stopped in front of you and you got inside, you sat yourself down next to the window and looked outside.

The bus was already driving for like 15 min when you passed by Stark tower, your eyes went automatically towards the building knowing Y/N was there getting home-schooled.

But this time it was different, you could feel your hair on your arm get up. Your spider senses were turned on. You knew when that happened danger would follow shortly after.

You were right, you looked up and saw the window at Stark tower being smashed in by a person.

You gasped and immediately rushed towards the front of the bus to get out.

“I’m not feeling so well” – you said trying to make him stop.

“Sorry kid, I have a schedule” – he said.

Desperate you rushed your hands through your hair. “Please, I’m really not feeling so well”.

The driver just looked at you and sighed, “Fine but I’m not waiting, you should get to school by yourself”

“Thank you, I will” – you said and when the driver stopped and opened the door you jumped off.

When the bus drove away you immediately grabbed your backpack and pulled out your Spiderman suit.

You were dressed in 2 minutes and started to swing towards Stark tower.

Your point of view.

You were still laying on the cold floor when the man pressed his foot on your throat that made you gasp for air.

In your eye corner you could see Miss Brown waking up, you tried to shout run to her, but he saw her and shot her in the shoulder. She immediately fell.

You couldn’t hold back your tears anymore. “If I can’t hurt Stark, I will hurt you then” – he yelled at you.

At that statement you could feel your heart skip a beat, you tried to shove him of you by punching him in his crotch .

He growled, and he removed his foot from you, you saw your moment and rolled over.

He didn’t let you go far because he grabbed your hair and pulled you back to him.

You screamed as loud as you could. “Scream all you want, no one is going to save you”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that” – you heard a familiar voice say but you couldn’t see him.

The man suddenly turned around and pulled you with him, you could catch a glimpse of Peter in his Spiderman suit.

You immediately forgot about everything for a second and called out his name. “Spiderman.”

“Reporting for duty” – he said, even when things were dangerous he kept his humour.

“enough” – the man shouted, “I will finish you later” – he said pointing at Peter, “But first I need to make Stark pay for what he did” – turning again towards you.

He was still holding you down by your hair when you shouted at Peter “Inside miss Brown is hurt, get her to safety first” he nodded and went inside to rescue Miss Brown.

Knowing Peter was here to save you, you got a spark of bravery and bit him in his hand.

He shouted and punched you in the face, you fell again, and he punched you in the head with the back of his gun you shouted and wanted to get pay back so this time you tried to make him fall so you swayed your leg towards his.

The moment your leg hit his, he fell, and you jumped right on him, punching him.

“This one is for Miss Brown” – you said hitting him “This one is for destroying my home” – you kept hitting him “And finally this one is for hurting me, Bitch” – you yelled at him.

Peter got back and called out your name, “Y/N.”

You looked up and the man pushed you off him, trying to grab his weapon but Peter saw it and shot a spider web at him so that his hand was stuck to the floor.

“What the fuck” – he yelled not knowing how this was possible.

Peter got closer to him and punched him in the face “This is for hurting Y/N”.

He tried to escape but Peter would just shoot more webs at him making him get even more stuck than before.

At that moment you heard a familiar voice.

“What the hell happened here?” – you turned around and saw your dad standing in the broken window opening.

“Dad” – you said relieved, trying to run towards him but your body was in pain and you fell back down.

Peter rushed towards you, while Tony walked towards the man.

“You hurt my daughter!” – he said angry and punched him in the face to leave him unconscious.

You were reaching out for Peter when he removed his mask and embraced you.

You let out a soft sigh and buried your head against his chest, he was stroking your hair when your dad came closer.

“You saved her?” – Tony asked.

“Yes, mister Stark” – Peter replied.

“Thank you” – Tony said “Maybe you’re not so bad for Y/N after all.

You and Peter smiled at each other, hearing your father giving you his blessing to date was the greatest gift ever.

“Thank you, mister Stark” – Peter said, “I won’t disappoint you, I mean I’ll look over her.”

You giggled but it only lasted for a second the adrenaline was leaving your body and making room for the pain again.

You pushed yourself even harder against Peter his chest to escape the pain.

“Let’s get her inside” – Your dad said. Peter nodded and before he picked you up he pressed a small kiss on your forehead.

He laid you down on your bed and said, “You were very brave today.”

You cracked a smile and said, “Thank you for saving me.”

“Always” – he said, and he pulled you closer to kiss you, you followed his movement and for a minute you couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

[hopeishappinessff]

Chapter 54

Our trip was winding down and I wasn’t completely thrilled that within the next couple of days, we’d be on a plane back to Richmond. We contemplated how we could end the trip with a bang and the solution we came up with… utilize the beautiful penthouse suite to have our own party! Later in the evening, the girls and I decided to head to the nearest grocery store to pick up a few snacks and drinks for our gathering, while the boys took off to somehow get their hands on some alcohol. By the time we got back to the suite, they’d been back well before us and had already stocked the bar up with a variety of liquor. They had also already started on rounds of shots and I discovered that Chris had already downed an entire bottle of crown on his own. While the music was blasting inside and the boys were engaged in a serious freestyle battle, I stood out on the massive balcony with the girls sipping on mixed drinks and enjoying the stunning view of Orlando. I stood leaned against the railing with Nalay, laughing as a tipsy Destani Flexed to the tune of Rich Homie Quan. "Dez you stupid, I swear! You’re gonna end up dancing your ass right off the side of this balcony." Nalay giggled. Destani stopped abruptly to take a sip of the drink she nursed in her hands as she smacked her lips and rolled her eyes at Nalay "Girl please… I got a buzz, but I can see straight enough not to get my ass close to that rail though!” “This girl is a damn mess.” Nalay said as she shook her head and turned to face me. “Tell me about it.” I laughed as I raised my cup to take a sip. With a sigh, Nalay diverted her gaze out toward the gorgeous grounds of the hotel and the tropical pool below us “Man, I do not wanna go back to Richmond.” “I know… it’s easy to get spoiled here, you know? It’s just perfect and it makes it so hard to go home.” I agreed. “Yep. No drama, no nonsense… it just feels good to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of that city.” I nodded as I listened to her gentle tone, closing my eyes as the warm Florida air whipped through my hair. I had my fair share of drama during the trip, true enough… but I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel like it brought Chris and I closer. I learned that things would never be perfect between us and there was so much growth we had to face together, but I knew that was okay because as long as it was him that I got to take that journey with, I couldn’t ask for anything more. This trip became an opportunity for me to learn so much about the two of us and I understood now more than ever just how much he meant to me. He made a horrible decision while we were here that I prayed he’d never make again, but it was also then that I knew just how territorial I was with him. I professed my love to him on a street corner in the most passionate display of emotions and I was okay with that, because for the first time I no longer wanted to restrain the strength of my feelings for him. I cared about him, I loved him, and I was no longer afraid to let it be known. As my emotions boiled over and I opened my eyes to continue to observe the scenery, I could hear frantic commotion behind me and I turned to see Tameka bustling through the balcony door with a horrified expression on her face. "Meka, what’s wrong with you?" Nalay asked as both she and Destani turned to face her. Tameka shook her head quickly and stepped out on the balcony, immediately reaching out to grasp my arm "Sy... you gotta come stop this nigga!" She really didn’t need to say another word… I bolted from the balcony into the suite before she could get a foot back inside. Racing down the stairs to the lower level of the suite, I slowed down near the last few steps when I spotted Chris standing on one side of the living room with Dontay and BJ on either side of him, holding a tight grip on his arms as he stood there huffing and puffing like a child with asthma. His face was blushing red and he clinched his jaw repeatedly as he glared across the room… right at Rashad who stood several feet away from him with a hand raised to the side of his bleeding face. The girls all stood behind me and we all stared at them all, completely confused as to what happened. There was no real evidence to piece the story together, besides the shattered glass from a blue vodka bottle in the middle of the floor. "Meka, what happened?" I muttered, whipping my head around to glance at her for only a second before locking my eyes right back on Chris. "I don't know... they was in here dancing around and rapping when I came in to get another drink. The next thing I know, Chris hauled off and threw that bottle at Rashad.” She spoke in a hushed tone from her spot behind me. I continued to scope the scene and abruptly turned to Rashad to observe his injuries. As I shifted my attention to him, he simultaneously turned to face me with a charming smirk tugging at his lips… and a lustful glint in his eye... Before I even had a chance to wonder if perhaps I was only seeing things, Chris snatched out of Dontay and BJ’s grasp and lunged across the living room. He knocked Rashad down to the floor and in only a second he was on top of him, slamming his fists into the boys head relentlessly. I was shocked, to say the least, and I couldn’t quite bring myself to react immediately to what was happening, until the girls took off toward the brawl and dragged me along with them. The sound of his fists connecting with the flesh of Rashad was sickening and I really didn’t want to be anywhere near the fight as he continued to beat him to a bloody pulp. As we rounded the corner behind Dontay and BJ, who took off to get one angered friend off the other, I could see that Rashad had at least thrown his hands up defensively. He even threw a few punches here and there, connecting occasionally with the side of Chris’s face, but not nearly enough to get him off. The boys finally managed to get a serious hold on Chris and they yanked him back away from Rashad with great force. "Chris you gotta chill dude… just chill!” Dontay yelled as he wrapped Chris in a headlock on the floor. "Fuck that, get off me... GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Chris screamed, kicking his long legs out in front of him in an effort to connect with Rashad. With Dontay maintaining a near chokehold on him, BJ dragged him back away from his victim who lay sprawled out on the floor wheezing hard to catch his breath. He finally pushed himself up weakly into an upright position with a completely bloodied face. Before the boys could get Chris far enough, he extended his right leg and kicked his foot out as hard as he could, catching Rashad right in the stomach. "Breezy, chill nigga!" BJ shouted, pulling harder on his arms to quickly get him further back. Rashad instantly doubled over and slumped over onto his side then curled into the fetal position and wrapped his arms around his midsection. "Fuck you Rashad! This is my girl, you understand that… my fucking pussy, nigga! If you ever disrespect me or her like that again, I swear on my life I will fucking kill you, you stupid bitch!” Chris roared. I was absolutely confused by what he was saying, but I had no time to dwell on that… Dontay and BJ had managed to get him far enough back from his battle for me to step in and help to pull him up to his feet. He stared past me at Rashad as his chest continued to heave and his eyes… his eyes left chills shooting through my veins. They were dark and cold. He stared at his best friend since childhood with a look that could kill and I knew in that instant that whatever Rashad had done or said, there would be no changing Chris’s mind… that friendship was now dead. BJ and Nalay created a barricade around Chris, as if he couldn’t smash right through it if he wanted to, while Destani and Tameka rushed to aid Rashad who had yet to get up from the floor. With Dontay’s help, I was finally able to get my own personal hulk upstairs to the bedroom and after thanking the girls and Dontay, I shut and locked the door behind us. I stood with my back against the door, carefully watching as he walked back and forth in front of the bed with his hands on his hips and the fabric of his shirt clutched in his fists. His head was hung low as he focused on catching his breath and I could easily see that his cheeks were still a rosy red. I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly clamped it shut when he started to rapidly shake his head and move toward me. "Man Sy, just let me out please." He demanded. "Chris no, calm down... just talk to me. Tell me what happened?" I asked as I mistakenly stepped toward him and away from the door. He jumped on the opportunity to slip past me to get to the unoccupied door, but I reacted swiftly and swung around to grab a handful of his shirt. He reached the handle, but I held onto the back of his shirt like my life depended on it. "Sy'Diyah, let me go." He warned almost too calmly. "No Charlie, you have got to calm down..." "Don’t tell me to fucking calm down, let me go!” He yelled, pounding his fists down on the door like a mad gorilla. I flinched at the loud bang, but held my ground and never released my hold on him. I eased one hand around to his abdomen and after realizing that he wasn’t gonna fight against me, I followed suit with the other. As I began to caress his belly, eventually I could feel his body relaxing against me. "Charlie... it's okay." I spoke quietly, resting the side of my face against the center of his back. He got quiet and after a while his erratic breathing slowed. Right there, in my hold and before my very eyes he completely transformed from an angry and raging monster, to a calm and gentle soul. He went from one personality to another and with a sigh, I pushed the thought of the other half of him to the back of my mind and pulled away from him to turn him around. I gripped onto his sides as I stared up at his blank expression then raised my hands to cup the sides of his face. "What happened?" I whispered, scanning my eyes over every inch of his face. I frowned at the sight of a bright red splotch surrounding his right ear and imagined just how hard he’d gotten hit to leave such a visible mark. He wasn’t gonna respond and I knew that, so without hesitation I moved my hands back down to his chest and stopped once I reached his hips. Lifting his shirt just barely, I pressed the tips of my fingers against the warm skin of his abdomen and trailed my fingers upward to his chest. His nostrils were flared and with his back against the door, he leaned his head against it and bit down into his bottom lip, leading me to believe he’d calmed down enough to speak to me. "Baby... tell me what happened." I said, keeping my tone low and gentle. He slowly shook his head and finally dropped his gaze down to me. His eyes roamed over my face for a while and without warning, he abruptly grabbed the sides of my neck, tilting my head back and planting his lips on mine. He didn’t bother taking his time or moving slow. The kiss held urgency almost immediately and I stood there, clutching onto his wrists as he propelled me into a whirlwind of emotions. -- My hands were pressed against the front of his shoulders and I kept my eyes shut tight as I tossed my head back and grinded slowly. With my bottom lip tucked into my mouth, I rolled my head around to one side and pried my eyes open to stare down at him. I couldn't help but smirk at the sight of him lying there with furrowed brows and his eyes shut as he too bit into his bottom lip. Sex definitely wasn’t the solution to his problem, but if I had the power to at least make him feel good in his hour of need, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so. The way he gripped onto my hips and dug his fingers into my skin in the most dominating manner had me clenching my walls around his shaft with more juices leaking than I could have imagined. It didn't take long for the submissive position to become too much for him to handle and I quickly found myself flipped over onto my back with his face buried in the crook of my neck, and my legs wrapped securely around his waist. I moaned softly, paying close attention to the manner in which he thrust into me… he moved slow and deliberate, as if to make sure I could feel the passion in every inch of him. He raised his head suddenly from the crook of my neck and stared down at me as I focused on the curly hairs sprouting from his chin... his gaze was entirely too intense and I could sense this wasn’t just regular sex between us and that thought alone left me shying away from him like it was my first time all over again. "Look at me Sy." He spoke, for the first time all night. I kept my gaze glued to his chin for a while longer, struggling with the prospect of peering into those fiery eyes. I finally raised my eyes to meet his and he quietly studied my face for an unbearable moment. "Do you love me?" He asked quietly as he thrust into me and filled me to the brim then froze, never bothering to pull out. My lips flew open with a gasp at the sensation of him buried so far inside, but I slowly nodded as I continued to keep my eyes focused on his. "How much?" He asked. "So much...." "Tell me." He said, cutting me off abruptly. "What..." "I need to hear it… tell me you love me." I knew he’d just gotten into a fight that left his emotions rattled. I also knew he’d been drinking heavily before the show down. But what was it that had him questioning my love for him? What had caused him, for the first time, to slow things down and actually make love to me? What exactly had Rashad said to him that had him behaving in such a way I’d never seen before? My thoughts were instantly halted as I felt him pulling his half erect penis completely out of me, never once dropping his gaze from my eyes. "Please let me hear you say it Sy." His voice was so low, I could just barely hear him over the sound of my own labored breathes. "I love you so much Charlie." He leaned up onto his forearms and entangled his fingers in my hair, pulling my head back and gently pressing his lips against the center of my neck "You not gone leave me right?" I shook my head in his grasp and stared up at the ceiling, blinking frantically as I felt the brim of my eyes tingling with the urge to cry. "Please don't leave me..." He sounded so dejected and desperate and with my hands planted at his sides, there was no way for me to wipe away the tears that now fell freely from my eyes. "I won't leave." I expressed in a quivering tone. He released my hair from his grasp and nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck once more, mumbling incoherently after kissing the sensitive skin just below my ear. I gasped quietly when I just barely made out what he said. With my eyes now closed and tears still falling, I grazed the tips of my fingers up along his back and embraced him as tight as our chests would allow. I was confident he was a drunken mess and because of that, his emotions were entirely out of whack. Eventually he started to doze off in my arms and while I held him tight, I couldn’t help but replay what he’d just mumbled over and over in my mind… I love you Hope. -- I made it my goal to set my alarm early and wake up before Chris the next morning. I wanted to be sure to send a mass text to the girls to let them know that we needed to do whatever we could to keep Chris away from Rashad for the remainder of the trip. We decided, after meeting up down in the kitchen well before the sun even came up, that it would be ideal for me to spend the day with Chris while they all enjoyed our final day in Florida site seeing to entertain themselves and Rashad. Once we’d all agreed on a good time for them to exit the suite later in the day, I made my way back upstairs to the bedroom. The moment I pushed the door open and set foot in the darkened room, I nearly jumped from my own skin as Chris flew past me toward the bathroom. I stared at the door as he slammed it shut, quickly realizing that his body was finally reacting to the amount of alcohol he’d ingested the night before. “Charlie.” I muttered once I’d shut the bedroom door and made my way closer to the door of the bathroom. “Hmm?” “You okay?” I asked. “I’m good.” He responded gruffly. I lingered outside the door for a while longer, listening as he flushed the toilet then went right back to vomiting less than a minute later. After climbing back into bed, I sat up and stared over at the bathroom door for quite a while until it finally cracked open, revealing him at his absolute weakest. He had a towel tossed around the back of his neck and he held one end of it up over his mouth. He looked utterly miserable and it took everything in me not to cry as I watched him struggle to even stand up straight. Rather than coming back to bed like I assumed he would, he turned and limped on toward the bedroom door. “Where are you going?” I asked quietly, wasting no time hopping out of the bed. He turned to look at me through squinted eyes and I watched as he raised a hand to show me a bottle of medicine. I rushed over to him before he had a chance to get to the door, scooping the medicine bottle from his grasp “No, no… you lie down. I’ll go get you something to drink.” He didn’t bother to respond… he simply turned to face the bed and slowly lowered his body down onto it once he was close to his side. Making my way out the room, and being careful not to slam the door shut behind myself, I bolted back downstairs to the kitchen to retrieve a can of sprite from the fridge and a plastic cup that I filled with ice. I raced back up the stairs, carefully balancing the cup of ice and can of soda in my hands. As I made my way back into our room, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Chris sprawled out in the middle of the bed with the towel draped over his head. I eased into the room completely, making sure to shut the door gently behind myself, and headed for my side of the bed where I carefully popped the can of soda open and filled the cup up halfway. After situating the can on the nightstand, I crawled onto the bed beside him, holding the cup in one hand and the small medicine bottle in the other. “Charlie,” I whispered, “I have your drink here so you can take this medicine.” He didn’t respond immediately and I hoped he hadn’t drifted off to sleep while I was gone. I placed a hand against the back of his shoulder and frowned at the feeling of sweat saturating his shirt… I really hoped he wasn’t actually getting sick. “Chris.” I whispered once more in an attempt to wake him up. He still didn’t flinch, so I reached for the corner of the towel draped over his head and lifted it to reveal his face. I smiled when I noticed that he wasn’t asleep at all… he simply lie there, staring up at me through lazy eyes. “Do you wanna take this medicine now?” I asked. He stared at me a bit longer then slowly pushed himself into an upright position while I popped the bottle open and waited for him to extend his hand. I watched as he tossed the two pills I’d handed him in his mouth and swooped the cup from my hand so he could down both capsules. He sat there with his head tilted back and his eyes closed for a while, though I was sure he’d swallowed the pills seconds ago. He finally lowered his head and opened his eyes then turned to look at me “Thank you.” “Sure.” I muttered. “I feel like shit right now.” He finally admitted after a while of silence. I giggled and moved back just enough to give him space to stretch his long limbs as far as he needed to make himself comfortable “I bet you do.” “Hell yeah I do.” He muttered with a sigh as he eased his head down right in my lap. I sat with my legs crossed, which gave him just enough room to make himself comfortable right there on me. He released a groan and shut his eyes and I took that as an opportunity to slither a hand up and down his back to hopefully lull him to sleep. As I expected, within only ten minutes, he was knocked out and it didn’t take long for me drift off right behind him.

[reveriequill-rai]

Blood Candy: Chapter 8

When I came to, I found myself in a sickeningly familiar office. 

I was bound to the same chair I was in yesterday using the same thick rope Seb used to choke me. 

“Hope the ride wasn’t too bumpy,” Jasper Kermit’s voice said. He entered the room and crouched down to my level with an arrogant smile. “Took you long enough. Though…” He frowned. “You’re not nearly as bloody as I expected you to be.” Jasper’s smile suddenly returned, only more cheerful this time. “Good! Means your little friend Sebs is actually marginally obedient and isn’t a greedy little leech.”

“Let me go!” I demanded as Jasper got up to go to his syringe cabinet. “I’ve done nothing to you!”

“I don’t exactly care,” he said, “but thanks for reminding me.” 

“I hope you realize I only took your stupid vampire candy just to be polite,” I snapped at him. “I should’ve just turned it down and saved myself the trouble.” 

Jasper laughed, a cruel and condescending sound. He crouched down to my level, syringe in hand. 

“You really think I would’ve given you that choice?” he taunted. “God, you are so naive. It’s embarrassing, really.” 

My heart was thundering. I was gonna die here, I thought. I’ve been kidnapped, I can’t call anyone for help, he’s gonna drain all of my blood and feed it to his army of vampires, he’s gonna—

Suddenly, Jasper started poking needles in the back of both hands, then in both wrists, and in both arms. Though the pain of blood works didn’t affect me as much anymore, having six needles stuck in my veins at once, plus the knowledge that these six needles were going to drain me of all my blood and kill me, made the entire process much more painful. 

Finally, he hooked all six needles up to one longer-than-normal syringe, with several others on the sidelines. 

“Oh…hold on,” Jasper said with a smirk. “Before we start, there’s one last thing I need to do.” 

He grabbed a nearby roll of duct tape, ripped off a piece, and taped it over my mouth. 

“Wouldn’t want a noise complaint, now, would we?” Jasper taunted. He wore a sadistic grin on his face...revealing fangs in his mouth and confirming any remaining suspicions. “Now we can get started…” 

Suddenly, a fire alarm went off in the building. 

“Wh-what the hell…?” he said, then turned to me, an annoyed look on his face. “I’m gonna go check out the alarm. Fortunately, you can’t really escape, so I guess enjoy the last minutes of your life.” He stood up and walked out the door. 

I tried to ignore the pain in my arms and wrists as I tried to figure out a way out of the situation. 

Chances are, I thought to myself, that I wouldn’t be able to escape before Jasper gets back. And if he sees that I tried to, then he’s probably gonna kill me even faster. I could sit here and die, and if/whenever Sebs snaps outta this, then he’ll have to live with the knowledge that he’s the reason his ‘best friend in the whole wide world since kindergarten’ is now six feet under with empty blood vessels and ghostly white skin. And you know what? I’m okay with that. I hope Seb feels like the scum of the earth for this—

Wait. No. Why am I blaming him? This is Jasper’s fault. He was the one who spiked the candy—with what?—he probably enlisted Seb to choke the consciousness outta me, and he is the person draining my blood. Not Seb. He didn’t want this. He wants me alive, and every remaining conscious part of him is probably screaming at himself mentally for putting me in harm’s way—

“Dakota!” a familiar voice called. I looked up to find Akira, Kaveri, and the kid from the other day, Oliver. He had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder with a bloody spot in the middle. 

“Hey! Finally!” I cheered. “GET THESE THINGS OUTTA ME NOW.”

“Alright, alright, geez,” Akira said. “You act like you’re dying.” She and Oliver began gently taking the needles out of my veins. The two of them raided the desk for bandages, and put them on my wrists and arms. 

“How did you guys find me?” I asked. 

“This hospital is one of the main headquarters of Clueham’s top vampire guild,” Kaveri explained as she was cutting me loose. “It’s also the only local hospital--because the Clueham officials all share a single brain cell--so I figured you’d be trapped here.”

“Oliver—or Oli, for short—is Jasper’s younger brother,” Akira said. “He was in the waiting room crying, and I asked him what was up. He told me about his brother who caused both the small bleeding hole in his shoulder and Seb’s newfound insanity. I triggered the fire alarm to cause a distraction, and boom!” She pulled out the last needle as Kaveri finished freeing me. “Here we are.”

“Akira, you genius,” I said. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s,” Oliver said, “before Jasper gets back. Exit’s just upstairs—“

“No,” I said. “I need to face Jasper.”

Oliver’s eyes widened with fear. 

“A-are you crazy?!” he cried. “He’ll kill you! And if he doesn’t, then Sebastian will!” 

“Seb wouldn’t kill me,” I said with a smile. “Hurt me, probably, but he could never bring himself to actually kill me.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” He pulled out his phone. “Can you set up some barricades?” he asked Akira and Kaveri.

He closed and locked the door, then opened up a video. Both girls nodded as they pushed the two chairs in the room in front of the door. Then, Oliver pressed play. 

The video showed Jasper in his office, experimenting with what I assumed to be blood and a variety of chemicals. The camera was positions a little higher up, but not high enough to be security footage.

“All the vampires in the facility—Jasper included—busted the security cameras,” Oli explained, “so I set one up behind the books in his office.

“What if he pulled out a book from that shelf?” Akira asked. 

“Well, he didn’t. He doesn’t read anymore; they’re just for show.”

Suddenly, Seb stormed into the office in the video. Jasper whirled his head around, a confused expression on his face. However, it quickly turned into a smile. 

“Oh, you must be Sebastian Briggs,” Jasper said. “Yeah, you definitely came here before. I recognize you from our database. How’s it going?” 

Silence. We could only see the back view of Seb, so if he was smiling, we couldn’t tell. 

Seb pointed to his neck with a shaky finger. “…m-make me…one of you…”

“Ohhhh…” Jasper said, nodding. “I see.” Suddenly, he gave Seb a slight glare. “Wait…no, no no no. I just…I can’t really do that, see. I don’t exactly know if I trust you to not be a filthy leech like some of the other greedy…subjects from before.” Jasper stood up. “See, you’re just the errand boy. You get Dakota for me, and once you do, then you get to start your real job. Got it?

Seb nodded.

“…b-but…I must…feed…like you…” 

Jasper sighed.

“You made a candy that gives people bloodlust,” Jasper murmured to himself. “Of course this was gonna happen.” He let out a sigh, and leaned back in his chair. 

“You know what?” Jasper said. “Sure. I’m gonna have to convert you anyways.” He stood up and grabbed something from his drawer. “But biting’s just…so informal, y’know? You’re my colleague now, I can’t just bite you on the neck like you’re some random on the street. Don’t worry. I got just the thing for that.” 

Jasper pulled out a small dagger-like device. The blade resembled that of the tooth of a wild beast, and the metal handle had dark red markings on it. 

“This little thingy allows me to give people the vampiric curse without biting them. Originally made for a vampire who got her teeth knocked out. Gimme your neck.”

Seb did, obeying Jasper with such blindness that it caused my blood to boil. I watched as Jasper held the other side of his errand boy’s neck as he made a decent-sized slit along his throat. As he did, the dagger’s markings lit up. When he was done, Seb was on his knees, holding the area where he was cut. Finally, he stood up, as Jasper gave a triumphant smile.

“Perfect,” he said. “Sebastian, you work for me from now on.” He took out a black long coat from his closet. “Put this on. There’s a small mirror over there if you wanna check yourself out.”

Seb put on the coat, and went over to a nearby mirror—which just happened to be on the bookshelf. That’s when Seb noticed the camera. 

The video cut off just after he looked at it. 

“I was controlling the camera from my phone,” Oliver explained. “So I turned it off right as I saw Sebastian looking at me.” 

“…so, he’s a vampire now?” I said. 

Kaveri nodded solemnly. I looked over at her.

“Can we cure him?” I asked. 

“We can probably cure his bloodlust,” she said, “but if you want him to, well, not be a vampire…you’re gonna have to kill him.”

I sighed. 

“Guess I’ll just have a vampire for a friend,” I said.

“Once this is over,” Akira said, “I want at least 90% of the credit for this conspiracy.”

“You’re still gonna make a post about this?!” Kaveri cried. “This isn’t a game, y’know. This is an actual threat.”

Akira just shrugged. 

“Gotta keep the hustle goin’,” she replied simply. “Besides...best to keep the people informed, right? They might take it a bit less seriously since it’s a ‘conspiracy,’ but they’ll believe us. They always do.” 

“Let’s actually get this done first,” I reminded her. “But yeah, I can respect that. Don’t want anyone else going through what we’ve been through.”

Suddenly, a loud BANG came from outside the door. 

“DAKOTA!” Jasper yelled from the other side of the door. “I better not find you untied in there, or I will MURDER YOU.” 

Akira rummaged through the drawers and shelves, then finally found and grabbed a reflex hammer. She motioned for Oliver and I to open the door. Reluctantly, we both stood on the other side of the door, out of sight, and pulled down the barricades. Jasper stormed into the room, just as Akira threw the reflex hammer at his head with a sickening thud. Jasper stumbled backward as Kaveri rammed into him, shoving him out of the threshold and trying to stick a dagger in his arm. However, Jasper kicked her out of the way.

“You three go on ahead!” Kaveri yelled. “I’ll deal with this vampire.” 

“Can you handle him?” I asked. “You just have a knife; is that gonna--” 

That’s when I noticed the other sheath on her belt. It was shorter than a full sword, but longer than her knife. The hilt appeared to be dark and wooden, and I could only pray that it was a stake.

“Yes,” Kaveri called, holding Jasper back. “Yes it will.”

I nodded, and took off down the hallway with my friends.

“Alright,” Akira said as we ran down the hallway. “Here’s the plan: Oli knows where the secret files are...don’t ask me how, he just does. I was confused too. Anyway, he’ll take us there and we’ll figure out what this whole candy situation is about.”

“You guys do that,” I replied. “I’m gonna try and subdue Seb, then you guys come back up when you have a cure.” 

“You’ll be okay, right?” she asked. “Can you take Seb by yourself?”

“He and I used to play fight when we were younger,” I explained. “If I could take him then, I certainly can now.” 

Akira sighed. 

“Fine,” she said. “If there’s any trouble, find a hiding spot and text me ASAP. Worst comes to worst, we can abandon ship and find Seb another day. He’ll likely come to us, anyhow.”

“No. I’m ending this now.” We stopped at a stairwell.

“This is it,” Oli said, holding my hand. “Be safe, Dakota.”

“I will,” I said. “I have to be.” With that, we went our separate ways.