Something Sweeter - Alec Volturi

XII. Audience

"Alec!" I pleaded.

It wasn't enough.

The shrub shuddered and two burly men shot up into view before sprinting at full speed away from us. I grabbed Alec's arm, but it made no difference.

In an instant, I was all alone in the middle of the untamed forest, completely surrounded by a solid wall of unimaginably large trees.

I froze when the screaming started. My blood went cold and the color drained from my face. I was trapped, forced to listen to the violence in silent revulsion.

'How many more people would I have to witness die?'

The wet gurgling of someone chocking on their own blood and the clear snapping of bones made my stomach turn. I was too terrified to cry and too shocked to run.

Suddenly, the images from Italy that stained my memory came flooding back to my consciousness. It felt so vivid, so lifelike - it was as if I were transported back in time to that calamitous day.

I clapped my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. I tried with all of my might to keep the poisonous thoughts at bay, but I wasn't strong enough. I sank down to my knees as I drowned in agony.

I was ripped out of my nightmare by a pain that tore through my scalp. I screamed as I was yanked to my feet by my hair.

"Shut up!" a deep, unfamiliar voice snapped at me.

The man, who seemed to be in the same party as the two men Alec was actively brutalizing, jerked his hand back, causing more pain to rocket through my skull. He had managed to sneak up on me while I was blinded by grief.

Another scream was building in my chest when I felt something cold and metallic press against my throat.

"Shut! Up!" the man screamed at me.

Alec returned to the clearing, stopping at the perimeter when he saw the man holding me against my will.

"I'll fucking kill her! I swear to God, I'll do it!" the man spat.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at Alec. I did my best to suppress a sob; the man held the knife so close to my neck that if I took too deep of a breath the blade would break my skin.

"Shut up!" the man screamed at me when a whimper escaped.

My eyes, wide with panic, remained fixed on Alec. His deep crimson eyes were devoid of life; his face was completely smooth and expressionless. My lips trembled as a few tears streamed down my cheeks.

I'd just begun to lose control of my weeping when the world went black.

I was still conscious, as my thoughts were racing just as quickly as they were before the darkness. But I couldn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything, or feel. I couldn't even use my sense of smell anymore.

I tried screaming, but I couldn't hear my own voice. I tried flailing, but I could feel myself move. I was suspended helplessly in a dark void.

Then, as quickly as the world disappeared, it returned.

My senses were overwhelmed by the sudden flood of stimulation. I had no idea how long I was gone, but I quickly realized I was still in the forest. I was laying on my back, gazing at the distant treetops and a sliver of grey sky.

I sat up slowly, checking myself for pain or wounds but I found none. It was as if I had gently laid down on the forest floor and took a little nap. I glanced around the clearing, trying to get my bearings, when I was greeted with a gruesome sight.

I couldn't recognize the man who was pinned to the tree, but my intuition told me that he was the man who held me at knife point. I didn't dwell on his identity long - I couldn't - because of how awful he looked.

The man had been pinned to a tree by a thick branch that had been torn from another. The branch jutted straight out of the man's chest and his feet dangled four feet above the ground. Slick blood oozed down the tree, glistening like a fresh coat of paint.

I approached the body slowly, unsure of what to do. I was only a few paces away when I realized the body was twitching like a freshly dead rat, its muscle spasms causing its limbs to jolt.

My mouth gaped open as I stumbled backwards until I bumped into a tree. Sick dread churned in my stomach. My eyes darted to the right and landed on Alec, who was standing at the edge of the clearing again.

He looked completely unruffled, like nothing had happened within the past five minutes. His angelic face was smooth as he gazed at me. His bright eyes brimmed with deep concern as he waited for me to react.

I took a deep, shaky breath, unable to break eye contact with him. After a moment I was able to collect myself enough to speak. I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"How the hell did you not get blood on yourself!?"