Bound to You

“Johnny, think about it. You can’t step down; not now. Not when Bat Country needs you.” Val said quietly to Johnny later that night. After he’d made his threat, everyone in the room had blown up at him angrily before leaving, claiming they didn’t care if he stepped down; that he was the youngest, and didn’t need to be there for the country to properly function. But Matt, Brian, Zack, and Jimmy had all gone straight to Val, repeating to her what Johnny had threatened to do. She’d taken it upon herself to be the mediator and calm him down before he did something they’d all regret if she could help it.

“I’m not going along with his idea, Val.” He told her angrily, taking another drag off of his ever-present cigarette before puffing the smoke out of his mouth, watching it create intricate patterns in the stale air of the basement before evaporating. “It’s sinking just as low as what Sean’s doing.”

“No, it’s really not.” Val said. “War is never pretty, Johnny, but think of how many people would die if a few weren’t willing to put their own lives on the line to defend those who are innocent? We’d be in a state of chaos.”

Johnny shook his head, disagreeing with her. “I agree that people will die. Potentially lots of people. But we can take other measures to protect them, Val, and you know it. We can start evacuating the cities, and—“

“And in the process, cause riots and mass panic. Which would only get more people killed, Johnny. The more chaos and panic there is, the more violence will rise up from petty criminals who’ll get a kick out of causing even more terrorism to citizens. It’ll be a never-ending cycle.” She told him pointedly, trying to stay patient with him. She knew that he was the softest of all five of them, and that he hated to see anyone around him die. But she also knew that Zack’s idea was in the best interest of Bat Country, and it was beginning to annoy her that Johnny was being so stubborn.

Johnny didn’t reply to her statement, telling Val that he had no comeback to her logic. She gave him a small smile and touched his shoulder lightly, letting him know that she was still his friend too. “Look, Johnny. I know you don’t like war. Hell, no one likes war. But sometimes it’s necessary.”

“War is never necessary, Val.” Johnny said in a dark voice. “You know where these dog tags come from?”

She looked at the dog tags that were hanging around his neck; the set that she’d never seen him without, though never asked why he always wore them. She shook her head, and Johnny continued.

“They’re my father’s.” He said, his tone of voice angry. “He was a soldier, and he was killed in the last vampire war. I’ll be damned if I watch one of my friends die because of war again.”

“You’re looking at this emotionally, not logically.” She told him, narrowing her eyes angrily. “If you had the best interests of Bat Country at heart, you’d try and see it from Zack’s point of view. Face it; there is no other way that Sean can be taken down. You five have allowed him to get far too powerful to be taken down quietly, and with his leaking information to the human media, something needs to be done quickly and drastically to prove to the vampire population that you’re still competent leaders. Otherwise, Bat Country will only turn into a haven of violence and criminal activity.”

“And you’re not looking at it emotionally enough!” Johnny retorted. “Do you honestly think you could handle it if Matt was killed in this war that Zack is proposing? That you wouldn’t blame Zack for his death?”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Val replied, trying to keep her voice even. Very rarely did Val ever become pissed off, but the more and more Johnny talked, the more and more she was getting angry with him. “Because I would know that he was doing what was best for me, for him, and for every other person he cares about. He’d be doing what’s right, and he wouldn’t die in vain. That is why I wouldn’t blame Zack, or you, or anyone else.”

A short scream prematurely cut off their conversation, and Johnny turned towards the staircase, where he saw Matt and Brian standing there with Leigh. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back, her red hair a fuzzy mop around her head as she tried in vain to struggle to get out of Matt’s hold.

“Let her go, Sanders.” Johnny told him angrily, glaring up at Matt from the bottom of the stairs. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”

“Sure she does.” Brian said. “Johnny, it’s not like we want to hurt her. Sure, she’s annoying as hell, but so are you. We don’t want to hurt you either. But you’ve given us no other choice.”

“What are you talking about? Matt, let her go.” Val told Matt, narrowing her eyes at her husband in anger. “You know I’m on your side, but Johnny’s right about this. Leigh has nothing to do with his decision.”

“Val, go upstairs.” Matt told her, ignoring her comment, softness in his eyes when he looked at her. “We’re not going to hurt her unless we have to.”

Val glared at him but knew she couldn’t change his mind, and walked up the stairs past him, shutting the door behind her and leaving the four of them in the basement alone.

“You’re hurting me! Let me go!” Leigh screamed, trying to pull her wrists free again, thrashing her legs angrily. Brian sighed and picked her legs up so that she couldn’t kick anymore, and he and Matt walked down the stairs as they carried Leigh, who was still fighting them.

“Let. Her. Go.” Johnny told them. He’d die before he let them hurt Leigh, he realized. He knew they didn’t really have a relationship; hell, they’d spent virtually no time together except for at the grocery store and the times when she was screaming and cussing at him. But he felt the need to protect her, and he’d do so with his dying breath if he had to.

“Calm down, Short Shit.” Brian sighed, putting her feet down again. “We ain’t gonna hurt her unless you don’t give us any other options.”

“You’re not stepping down as the fifth ruler of Bat Country.” Matt told him. “We won’t allow for it. It’s been us five since the beginning, and it’s going to be us five at the end of Bat Country. So don’t even think that your stupid little threat is going to work.”

“You have no control over what decisions I make pertaining to staying in power.” Johnny told them angrily. Brian shook his head.

“No, we don’t.” He agreed before jerking his head in Leigh’s direction. “But evidently, she does. You’ve become attached to her in the same way that Matt is attached to Val and Zack is attached to Eliza. So, we’ve decided to give you an ultimatum.”

“Your petty games aren’t going to work, guys, so cut the fuckin’ bullshit.” Johnny said angrily. Matt sighed and then jerked Leigh up, looking at her.

“Alright, then. If that’s how you want it.” Matt said before looking Johnny dead in his eyes. “If you step down, she dies. And you won’t be able to stop us. If you don’t step down, she will continue living…Though, conditions will need to be set so that she stops screaming and breaking shit, or that won’t last long.”

“Are you threatening me?” Johnny asked. Brian shook his head.

“Oh, it’s not a threat, Johnny. It’s a promise. If you step down, she dies. No questions asked.”

“So what’s your decision?” Matt asked Johnny, looking at Leigh, who now had tears in her eyes. Johnny briefly looked into her mind and saw that, even though she had been hating him since she’d arrived here, she was begging silently for him to let her not die. She was depending on him, he realized. She didn’t want to die, and even though a small part of her thought she would anyway, she didn’t want it. She wanted to continue living, even if it was in a place she considered to be psychotic and insane.

He couldn’t let her down, he thought to himself. But what was more important to him? His morals, or Leigh?