Bound to You

A few hours later that day, Val walked into the bedroom, a saddened expression on her face when she met Eliza’s gaze. She sighed, and knew without being asked that Eliza wanted to know where Zack was, and how he was doing.

“They aren’t telling me anything, either.” Val told her quietly. “I think they realize that I’d tell you.”

“I’ll knock down every damn door in the house, Val. I swear to God I will.” Eliza replied haughtily, tears forming in her eyes. “Why won’t they let me near him? It’s not as if he’s going to kill me or anything.”

“No.” Val answered. “No, he wouldn’t kill you. He’s…Eliza…He’s a vampire, and if he’s doing what I think he’s doing, he’s...Well, there’s no easy way to say this, but he’s killing himself.”

“What?” Eliza questioned, her head shooting up. “No, he…He can’t fucking do that. Not after everything he’s fucking put me through!”

“El, it’s not like that. He’s not deliberately trying to hu—“

“Like Hell he’s not!” Eliza snapped, jumping to her feet. She was glad now that she’d changed into clean clothes before, and she walked briskly past Val towards the door, turning to look at her friend.

“If Jacob or whatever the hell his name is comes looking for me, you can tell him exactly what I’m doing. I don’t give a shit. I’m not letting Zack do this.”

Val knew she couldn’t convince her friend otherwise, so she only nodded quietly as Eliza tore out of the room, walking quickly down the halls. She opened every door down the long hallway, all of them bedrooms but none of them containing Zack. She found a staircase leading up to what was presumably the third floor of the house—more of a mansion than a home, Eliza told herself darkly—and ran up it two stairs at a time, not wanting to waste time on them. When she got to the top she found another series of halls, one that led straight and another at the end of that one that led to the left. She resumed the same tactics she’d used on the last floor, opening every door she saw, still seeing no sign of Zack. Finally when she was at the last door and still hadn’t found Zack, she fell to the ground in a frustrated manner, pushing her hands through her long hair as she tried to think of where else she could look.

“Hey, you’re that Eliza chick.” A voice said, bringing Eliza to attention. She lifted her head, seeking out whoever had recognized her, and saw a man standing a few feet away from her. He had straight, semi-long dark hair and a handsome face, though nowhere near as handsome as Zack’s.

“Who are you?” She demanded angrily. “And where is Zack?”

“Well, for starters, my name’s Tobin.” He told her, offering her his hand in a friendly gesture. When she didn’t take it, he sighed and pulled it back towards him. “And secondly, I’m not supposed to tell you. None of us are.”

“Then I don’t feel like talking to you.” She told him, standing up and turning around. She’d find him one way or anther, with or without help. She just hoped it was before Zack managed to do what Val had suggested he might be trying.

“Wait.” Tobin sighed, causing Eliza to stop in her tracks. She didn’t turn to look at him, not wanting to meet his gaze. When he saw that she had stopped, he continued. “Why do you want to see him? From what everyone’s said about you so far, you didn’t really get along well with him.”

Eliza had no reply for as to why everyone still thought they hated each other because most of the time, they did. But there was something about Zack which made her feel connected to him, a bond that she’d never had with anyone else, and a bond she didn’t feel like explaining to someone she didn’t know.

“We don’t hate each other.” She told him. “I want to see him because I’m worried. Now, if you’re not going to help me, I’ve got to—“

“Come with me.” Tobin sighed. He must have seen the surprise on her face when she turned around to face him because he gave her a small smile. “What? You didn’t think I’d help?”

“No.” She replied. “How do I know you’re not just going to—“

“Look, you’re not a prisoner here. You’re a guest, just the same as Avenged. And you’re clearly worried about Zack—for reasons I don’t understand. I don’t want to get into the middle of this, but I’m going to cut the crap and tell you what Zack told us not to. He’s dying, Eliza. And he’s doing nothing to stop it. I don’t want to just sit by and watch it happen.”

Eliza’s eyes widened at the information Tobin had just given her, and she had to fight the tears from forming in her eyes again. “Where is he?” She asked.

Tobin didn’t say anything, just motioned for her to follow him. He led her back down the hallway and turned left, down a hallway Eliza hadn’t yet found. He didn’t say a word as he walked down the hall, this one lit just as dimly as the ones back at the Avenged house had been. What was it with vampires and dim lighting anyway, she thought to herself as he led her.

Finally, after about three minutes, he came to a stop outside of a door. He turned to look at her before walking over to her.

“Do not tell him I brought you.” He whispered, his voice barely audible. “Just tell him you found him on your own.”

Eliza nodded, understanding what he meant. Tobin had promised Zack he wouldn’t tell Eliza where he was at, and he’d broken that promise. He didn’t want Zack to think that, amidst this battle that Eliza knew nothing about, his friends were betraying him.

She waited until Tobin disappeared down the hallway before she opened the door, stepping inside before closing it so that it was the way it had been when Tobin had brought her. Immediately when she stepped inside, she was expecting to hear Zack yell at her, or at least ask what the hell she was doing in his room.

Instead, the room was eerily silent, devoid of any sound at all. If it hadn’t been for the rumpled sheets on the bed that she saw, obviously covering a person’s body, she would have thought it was just another empty bedroom. She slowly walked over to the bed. Zack was lying on the mattress, his body covered up in a tangled array of sheets and blankets, his forehead drenched in sweat. Almost instinctively, Eliza brushed the back of her hand across his skin, feeling a flushed, fever-like temperature radiating off of him. The instant her skin touched his, Zack’s green eyes shot open, seeking hers immediately.

“What are you doing here?” He asked raspily, though still clearly angry. “I told them not to—“

“They didn’t bring me.” She replied, cutting him off with a soft voice. “When they wouldn’t tell me where you were, I decided to find you for myself. I thought you said you’d be fine.”

“I lied.” He said simply, offering no other explanation. She narrowed her eyes at him and fought the urge to slap him. Now was not the time to hurt him; now was not the time to argue with him, demanding reasons. Now, she thought to herself, it was time to help him.

“What’s wrong?” She asked softly, not expecting him to answer. There were a few minutes of long silence; silence that seemed to fill the room with a tension so thick it could almost be cut with a knife. Finally Zack finally gave her a response.

“I’m dying.” He replied. “Please just go away, Elizabeth.”

“The hell I am.” She retorted, her voice rising just a little bit. When she realized it, she sighed and used a quieter voice. “You’re a vampire, Zack. I thought they didn’t die?”

“Oh, we’re just as mortal as humans are in the sense that we die.” He replied, his voice sounding strained. It was obviously taking a lot of strength for him to talk. It almost made Eliza want to retreat. Almost, but not quite.

“Then why aren’t you doing anything to stop it?” She asked him, keeping her voice low deliberately. “You really think that I’m just going to let you…let you kill yourself after everything you’ve put me through?”

Zack gave her a low laugh, one devoid of humor as he met her gaze again. This time, his eyes were far more serious, a darkness in them that Eliza had never seen from him before. It was enough to cause Eliza to take one small step away from the bed. “The reason is you, Eliza.”

“Me?” She asked. “How is this—“

“Just. Go.” He snapped. “I don’t have to answer your questions, and I far from owe you anything. Just leave me alone.”

“No.” She replied. “Is it because—“

And then it dawned on Eliza, hitting her with a sudden realization. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? Why hadn’t she questioned it before? She should have figured this out sooner, she thought to herself before glaring at Zack.

“You’re starving yourself.” She replied. “You’re not drinking blood, and by doing so you’re slowly killing yourself. Why?”

“Go!” Zack yelled. “Get away from me!”

Eliza shook her head, not saying anything as she walked over to a desk on the other side of the room. Now that she knew what was wrong with Zack, she was going to fix it. Even if he didn’t want her to, she wasn’t going to let him kill himself. She rummaged around in the desk trying to find anything sharp, but found nothing. She muttered a slight curse word and looked back to the bed to make sure that Zack was still in the bed. He was; he seemed too weak to stand, let alone walk over and stop her. She saw no mirrors in the room, so she began analyzing the rest of the room, trying to find something…anything…to cut herself with for blood she could force feed to Zack.

Finally, she saw the window on the wall. Realizing she had no other options, she walked over to it and slammed her fist through the glass, not hesitating for even a second as she did so. She pulled a piece of the broken glass out of the frame it was held in and made a deep gash right above her wrist—not too far down to kill herself, but low enough that she could force the blood down Zack’s throat—, a cry escaping her mouth at the sudden feel of sharp pain. She’d never intentionally hurt herself before, and hadn’t realized how badly it could hurt. She winced for only a second before storming back over to Zack, who’d watched her in anger.

“Jacoby!” He yelled. “Get her out of here! Jacoby!”

She realized she didn’t have long before someone would come and stop her from saving him against his will and while he was yelling for his friend, she shoved her arm up to his mouth, the gash bleeding directly into it. He struggled to push her away for a moment, but after only a few minutes his need for blood and the ultimate instinct to survive took over, and he held her arm steady at his mouth to drink from her.

He stopped after about two minutes, having taken enough blood from Eliza for her to feel lightheaded and just a little nauseous. When she met his gaze, she didn’t see thankfulness or relief.

She saw anger in his green eyes. Anger she had not seen from him since she’d known him.

“It was for your own good.” She told him quietly, unsure of whether or not he’d listen to her reasoning.

“Go away.” He snapped, wiping the excess blood from the corner of his mouth in disgust.

She sighed but knew that she had at least stopped him from dying for awhile; already the color was beginning to return to his face, strength now backing his words instead of weakness. She knew that he wouldn’t listen to her reasoning now, and just walked quietly out of the room, not understanding why he was so angry with her after what she’d just done for him.