Bound to You

As the hours went by and Jimmy continued driving without stopping, Eliza lost sense of time. It was light outside now, the sun shining into the car. She had stopped staring out the window, and instead worried about Zack. Her worry had been delayed, she knew, but she didn’t think it was totally out of the question. She and Zack had only lust between them; they were nothing more than a pair of people tied together with a strong bond of chemistry.

He looked rough, and she had her doubts that Zack had been telling the truth about healing fast. He was still covered in cuts, most of which looked rather deep to Eliza. Blood covered parts of his arms, blocking out the tattoos which she’d come to like. His eyes were closed for now, and Eliza wondered if he was sleeping. Despite his pained appearance, he looked content and peaceful as he slept, as though none of what had just happened was real.

“Don’t let his appearances fool you.” Jimmy’s voice said from the front driver’s seat, his eyes finding hers in the rearview mirror. “He’s good at deceiving people.”

Eliza only nodded, realizing that Jimmy was right. She flicked her gaze back to Zack just in time to see his own eyes open. The green orbs found hers, locking them in his gaze, and he reached to touch her hand lightly with his, wincing just barely as he did so.

“I thought you said it’d only be a few hours before you healed, Zack.” She told him, her voice low with worry. “It’s been a lot more than that, and you’re only starting to look worse.”

“I’m fine.” Zack snapped, his voice strained. “Jimmy, how close are we?”

“Another hour, give or take a few.” Jimmy replied. “Matt and Brian are quite awhile away. Sean kept on their tale for awhile, but they managed to lose them about three hours ago. They won’t be there until sometime this afternoon.”

Zack only nodded before looking at Eliza. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She replied, her voice soft. “Jimmy kept me safe when we left the house.”

“That’s not what I meant, Elizabeth.” Zack told her.

Eliza sighed, knowing exactly what Zack meant. To be honest with herself, no, she wasn’t okay. She was the furthest thing from it that it didn’t even seem possible. But because of her pride, she wasn’t going to let Zack know that, even if she had a feeling he already knew that she wasn’t.

“Yeah.” She told him. “I’m fine.”

Zack nodded, his eyes telling her that he didn’t believe her for a second. He dropped it, however, and closed his eyes again, presumably to sleep. Eliza yawned and it was only then that she realized how tired she had become. The night had been exhausting for her, she thought as she leaned against the opposite door, closing her eyes and letting sleep take her.

-x-

When Eliza woke up next, she was in an unfamiliar room. It was painted eccentrically, with dark, burnt orange walls and a dark wood flooring. She was lying on a comfortable, queen-sized bed with four posters. She was still dressed in the same tank top and jeans she’d been in the night before, the only thing missing from her body being the Converse she’d had on her feet. She sat up on the bed, pushing the blankets off of her body before standing up. She had no idea where she was. Just as she stood up, the door opened and exposed a man taller than herself with black hair and green eyes that weren’t quite as stunning as Zack’s were.

“Hi. I’m Jacoby.” The man said, not walking into the room. “When you guys got here, you were asleep and Zack said not to wake you up. So Tobin carried you up here.”

“Tobin?” She asked. “Where am I? Where’s the people I actually know?”

Jacoby laughed. “Jimmy’s downstairs with Jerry and Dan. Brian and Matt aren’t here yet, but they should be within another hour or so. Val’s with them.”

“What about Zack?” Eliza asked, noticing that Jacoby hadn’t said anything about her pseudo-boyfriend. At the mention of Zack’s name, Jacoby’s eyes darkened, and he looked towards the floor.

“He’s recovering in another bedroom.” He said quietly. “And honestly, he’s only getting worse.”

“Then why aren’t you taking him to a damn hospital?” Eliza asked, her voice rising. She had seen too many dead people last night; too much blood. She didn’t think she could handle it if Zack didn’t live, too.

“Taking a vampire to a hospital would be the worst thing you could do for him.” Jacoby told her. “And before you ask, no. There’s no vampire hospitals. Even for the elite, like Avenged.”

“Where is he?” Eliza asked. Jacoby sighed.

“He told me not to let you see him.” Jacoby told her. “And I don’t go back on my word. I told him I wouldn’t.”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll knock down every goddamn door in this house!” Eliza yelled at him, feeling herself becoming more and more desperate for reasons she didn’t understand. Jacoby sighed again.

“I’m sorry, Eliza. I can’t tell you where he’s at.” He told her, turning away. “If you need anything, the layout of the house is pretty self explanatory.”

Eliza sighed as he closed the door on her and kicked the wall in frustration. She was in an unfamiliar house, with unfamiliar people who were probably vampires just like Zack and the others. She had no idea where she was, and no idea if Zack—the only constant thing left in her life—was even going to live.

Tears formed from her pent up feelings began pouring down her face, and she threw herself back onto the bed, pulling herself up into a tight ball, wishing everything could just go back to the way it’d been at Zack’s cabin in the mountains, where she’d had no idea that any of this would happen.