Bound to You

“It’s Leigh. She…She woke up, and needs to talk to you.” Matt said to Val, his voice quiet. “She doesn’t look good. I don’t…I don’t know if she’s gonna make it through the night.”

Eliza immediately jumped up, but Val put her hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently back down onto the cot. Eliza looked at her, worried for Leigh, but Val shook her head.

“Don’t, Eliza. She’s going to be fine, but seeing too many people at once will stress her out.” Val told her. Eliza sighed, but nodded, realizing that her friend was right. Val walked towards the curtained off area, slipping between the sheets out of Eliza’s view.

When Val stepped into the small area, she immediately realized that Leigh’s condition had worsened. She was a pallid white color, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat. Her red hair was plastered all over her face and the thin pillow in damp bits and pieces, her eyes barely opened as they looked at the concrete ceiling. When she felt Val’s weight sit on the bottom of the bunk, she directed her gaze to Val and gave her a halfhearted smile.

“Where’s Johnny?” She asked quietly, unable to muster a voice louder than a whisper. Val gave her a sympathetic look. Leigh still wasn’t aware that Johnny was virtually comatose. She didn’t want to tell Leigh the truth, but she knew lying was not an option. Leigh was already so close to death she could probably almost taste it; finding out she’d been lied to about Johnny, who had been the only person out of them who had done everything in his power to keep her safe, might push her over that edge. Val wasn’t willing to do that to the girl.

“He’s unconscious.” Val replied quietly, looking at the floor. “He’s expected to make a full recovery within a couple of days, maybe a week.”

“I won’t be here that long, Val. We both know it.” Leigh replied, causing Val to look up in shock. Until just now, she hadn’t had any idea that Leigh was that pessimistic about surviving her injuries.

“Of course you will.” Val told her. “You’re strong, Leigh; you’ll live through this.”

“No, I won’t.” Leigh retorted. “I…I’ve heard you guys talking about me, when I’m asleep. You think I have a collapsed lung, which is probably true. I’ve got three broken ribs, my whole body has gashes, cuts, and bruises, and I’ve probably got internal injuries as well. I’m not going to recover, Val.”

“You’ve just got to think on the bright side.” Val told her, thinking for a moment. “You’re feisty; that means you’re strong. If you can make it this far in a house full of vampires who weren’t particularly fond of you, you can live with the injuries long enough to heal.”

Leigh shook her head as much as she could, tears forming in her blue eyes. It was the first time Val had seen Leigh cry. “No. I’m not strong all the way through, Val. Not nearly as much as you think. But…Maybe there’s away. I don’t want to die; not like this, not here.”

“What are you thinking?” Val asked quietly, taking Leigh’s words to heart. If the girl didn’t think she would live, then she wouldn’t. If she didn’t have the willpower to survive her injuries, then it wouldn’t happen. But she was willing to help Leigh, if she could. And if listening to her meant she was helping, then it was what she’d do.

“Is it…possible…That I could become what they are?” Leigh asked her in a whisper, curiosity in her eyes. “I mean, I know it’s a serious matter, but…It’s my only chance, Val.”

Val’s hazel eyes widened at Leigh’s words. Was she suggesting that one of the guys turn her into a vampire? To save her from human death? It was an outlandish idea; one the guys surely wouldn’t go for. It was extremely rare for born vampires, such as Matt and the others, to turn humans into vampires as well. But when they did, it was for big reasons that Val wasn’t even sure of. They definitely wouldn’t turn Leigh, not if the only reason was to save her life.

“Leigh, I don’t think they’ll do that.” Val told her, meeting her gaze. “It’s not like it is in the movies; it’s not a romantic deal at all. It’s painful. You must die, and then be brought back. And even then, it’s not uncommon for something to go wrong.”

“I don’t want to die, Val.” Leigh sobbed. “I just have this feeling…I don’t know what it is, but Johnny…I feel almost like I’m bound to him. I can’t die, not while he’s unconscious.”

Val’s eyes softened at Leigh’s words. Somewhere between all the fights, screaming, and breaking of things, Leigh had fallen in love with Johnny. It was obvious in the way that she spoke of him; the way she held fast to the idea that if she could become vampire, then things could somehow work out between the two of them. And even more complicating still, Val knew that Johnny had fallen in love with Leigh, even if he himself didn’t know it yet. She had felt the same attachment to Matt that Leigh said she felt for Johnny; she knew what it was like to love someone that much. She had no doubts that, if she were in Leigh’s position, she’d be asking the same thing.

She knew she needed to at least see what she could do about convincing one of them to turn Leigh. She wouldn’t make promises, but she could try. Who was she to deny Leigh life, after all?

“I’ll try.” Val said, standing up and smiling at Leigh before walking over to the edge. “I’m not sure what I can do, but I’m going to try.”

-x-

The warehouse was a large, brick building that looked more as though it belonged on the setting of some sketchy ‘70s cop show than it did on the block of newly developed housing, Nicole thought to herself as she stepped out of her champagne-colored Sedan and walked towards the building. It had large windows with broken out panes, the outside made of crumbling red bricks covered with bright graffiti. Castro had chosen an excellent area for a private meeting; there was no one around, not even the usual suspicious characters that often hung out in the dank alleyways of Los Angeles. There were two streetlights that lit the area dimly, reflecting the condensation from the marine layer that had moved in over the city hours ago.

She pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her knee-length trench upon feeling it vibrate, looking at the blinking name. Source 01, it said to her, telling her exactly who was calling. Because of the delicate situation Castro had put her in, she had chosen to add him in vaguely rather than with his direct name. She knew it could prove to either be her saving grace or her lethal mistake. Were Michaels to actually manage to get a subpoena, he would have no idea which source was the one she was using for the story. On the other hand, were Castro to kill her tonight, there would be no trace of him. She kept the notes that he’d given her in a file only she knew about; a file that was locked and hidden within a safe no one knew she had.

“I’m here. Where are you?” She asked, keeping her tone neutral as she answered the phone. A slight chuckle answered her before Sean’s musky, slightly Caribbean-accented voice responded.

“Just walk into the warehouse, Ms. Dekker, and you’ll see for yourself.” Was his response before he hung up. Nicole sighed, but hung up her phone, placing it back into her pocket before gripping the yellow legal pad firmly in her hand, walking towards the industrial-looking door of the warehouse. She found that it was already open a crack, and she pushed it only enough so that she could slide through into the building.

She took in her surroundings, looking around the room as she gave it a once-over quickly. The ceilings were high, as they were in any warehouse, old lights that hadn’t been used in many years hanging with dusty cobwebs. The windows were covered in so many layers of dirt and dust that it would be just short of impossible to see through them, and the floor was in just as dirty a condition.

“Sorry, I didn’t have time to clean up before our meeting.” Sean’s voice said from somewhere within the warehouse. His voice echoed, making it hard for Nicole to figure out where it was coming from. Finally, she looked up and saw that he was standing on the upper level of the building, dressed in all black, his face turned away from her so that she could not see his figures.

“Show me what you look like.” Nicole said, her voice carrying up to him. He chuckled again, the sound reverberating in the room, making it seem as though he were everywhere at once.

Suddenly, he was no longer standing there. Nicole had been watching him the entire time she’d seen him, and he seemingly vanished. Just then, she felt a cold hand brush along her cheek almost gently, causing her to jump in shock and fright. She turned around to see the black-clothed man, his face still hidden from view, this time from the large hood of his sweater.

“Ah, but do you really want to know that, Nicole?” He asked her, his voice much lower than it had been before. “You’re playing with fire, asking that question.”

“It wasn’t a question.” She told him, holding her head high. “If we’re going to continue our conversations, I want to at least know who I’m talking to.”

“You do know that if I show you my appearance, I’m going to have to kill you when this is all said and done, don’t you?” He murmured, his mouth closer to her ear now. “After all, when my story has been told and my mission has been accomplished, what’s going to stop you from turning me in to the authorities?”

“I don’t go back on my word.” Nicole told him, keeping her tone level. “I’m sure you would have looked at my credentials and dug into my history and past sources before you chose me.”

“Smart girl, Nicole. Very smart.” Sean told her. “But sometimes it’s smarter to be stupid, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re trying to mess with my head, that’s what I think.” She told him, pulling away from him sharply. “Now, are you going to show me this evidence or not? If this is going to be the lead story for tomorrow’s newscast, I need time to process the report.”

“Always to the point, aren’t you?” He asked her, sighing. “But…Very well, if you insist.”

And just like that, Nicole let out a scream as he pulled her tightly against his chest. He covered her mouth with one hand, touching her face gently with the other. “Don’t say you didn’t ask me for this, Nicole. After all, you wanted the evidence, did you not? What better way to give you proof than make you be my evidence?”

Nicole’s eyes widened at his words, and she began struggling against his hold. She’d known this was going to happen; she should have known better than to come here tonight. When Sean felt her attempting to pull away, he laughed again and pushed the hair off of her neck, exposing it to him.

“Oh, don’t be silly. Of course I’m not going to kill you…Yet, anyway. I still need you, Nicole. I can’t very well go tell any other reporters my story. See, they aren’t like you. No, you can’t die now. I’m just going to give you a little…taste…of what your kind are up against.”

With no other words, she felt his mouth on her neck, and winced in pain when she felt two sharp objects bite into her neck. What surprised her the most, however, was when she felt her blood actually being siphoned out of her; she felt it leaving her body and filling his mouth. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, something she’d never imagined. It wasn’t quite painful anymore, though it was far from pleasant.

Sean had been drinking from her for about forty-five seconds when he pulled away, breathless, a chuckle leaving his mouth as he wiped her neck with his sweater, stopping the blood from seeping into her trench coat.

“Now, listen to me.” He told her, pushing her away from him and covering his head with the hood again so that she couldn’t see him. “You’re going to go to the newsroom tomorrow night wearing your usual outfit. Your hair will be up, exposing the wounds I have just given you. You will tell them what you felt; you will explain how it is real, not just the acts of a delusional psychopath. And after you have said that, I want you to address someone for me.”

“Wh-who?” Nicole asked shakily.

“The leaders of a country called Bat Country. Do not say that name; do not call their country by anything other than a faction. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes.” Nicole said.

“Good. Their names are Shadows, Synyster, Christ, and The Rev. But most importantly, I have a message for the one called Vengeance.”

“What do y-you want me to say?”

“Tell him that the attack the other night was nothing compared to what’s going to be happening within the coming weeks. Also, I want you to air this photograph. Tell him it’s a gift especially to him from me.”

Nicole took the photograph he had handed her, and gasped in horror when she saw the image. It was of a horribly disgruntled woman, her brown hair matted to her hair with sticky blood, her face almost beyond recognition. She was covered in bite marks and gashes, wearing only her bra and underwear.

“Her name is Leana. She belongs to the one called The Rev, and she was a friend of Vengeance. Tell him we got her in the attack, and her body will not be returned.”