The Alpha's Doll || #wattys2023

Chapter 35

My back hit the mud behind me. I was completely backed against the wall with nowhere to escape. The vampire opened its mouth and hissed something at me, a black forked tongue escaped from inside. I screamed again at the terror that built up inside of my lungs. My elbows fell into the crease of a passageway beside me that I hadn't realized was there. I used my palms to search for the flashlight and found it. I flashed the light into the eyes of the creature who drew back and hissed some more. I took the half a second to collect myself up. I threw the flight light so it lit the other side of the room and escaped through the pitch black tunnel. I had no idea where I was headed, I only hoped that the vampire could not see me. I could feel the entire tunnel shake as the creature searched for me. It only took her a second to realize that I had gone the other way, with lightning speed, the vampire was headed down the same passageway as me. I stumbled across a branch and pulled at it to realize it smelt of lemon.
Vervain, I thought with relief. I pulled at the root and held it close to me.

"I could smell you," the girl hissed, backing me into yet another wall," drop the plant, come to me. I promise it will feel good."

"Leave me alone!" I screamed out.

"Do you know how long it's been since I last fed? The others thought I must have died, they left me here to rot."

I began to sob as the creature drew its tongue to my face again.
"Please," I cried out," please, just let me go."

"No chance."

Above me, something began to rattle. We both peered up as the roof began to shake.

"What is that, who's there-" the girl hissed. She knocked the plant out of my hands and wrapped long talons around my neck. I choked on my own spit, almost biting on my tongue. The girl buried her teeth into my neck just as the roof opened up to reveal an opening.

"Let her go, now!" I recognized that voice.
It was Damon.

"You're too late," the creature withdrew its fangs," she's mine now."

Damon was choking on something that I cannot see. He brought something down that looked like a wooden cross. The object touched against the vampire's shoulder and the girl jumped as if it burned her. She threw me away and crouched into the corner, hissing and growling. I was finally free of her deathly grip.

"You don't have time, you have to jump!" Damon screamed out instructions. The opening must have been a few feet up, it would be impossible for me to make it.

" I can't reach it!"

Damon crawled through the hole and held his arms out," jump, I'll catch you!"

"You'll fall-"

"We don't have time," he choked again," the silver is making me weak. I can't keep going for much longer," he choked between every word," you have to jump, now!"

I looked straight ahead. In the tunnel across, was massive loads of silver suddenly glistening as if reminding me that it had been there the entire time. I took a step towards it and Damon shouted again.

"She's getting up, hurry!"

I could hear the vampire hissing again.

Too late. 

I jumped up and Damon grabbed onto my wrists with his, pulling us both up and out of the hole.
I plummeted against the soil while Damon struggled to shut the window. He seemed weak, weaker than I could have ever imagined, he could hardly lift the metal and then it was too late once again. The vampire girl had crawled out, as if strengthened by the power of the blood pouring from my wounds, she leaped straight at me. I felt her teeth sink into my thighs and screamed out in pain. I felt her body dragged off of me and sat up to see a giant werewolf in place of Damon.
The two fought for a few minutes, the vampire threw Damon across the tree and his wolf whimpered and slid, thudding against the soil. I backed further from the girl who was headed towards me in long slow strides. Suddenly, Damon was up and in the air. He landed on top of the vampire who whipped her talons across her face. The splash of his blood splattered across my entire body. I knew I had to help him, he was far too weak to win this fight. I had to get the wooden stake, it was balancing from the metal window. I limped to where it was and quickly grabbed it.
Damon and the vampire were tumbling across the mud, he was now on his back and she had her fangs and talons both dug inside of his skin. Damon's eyes met mine and they began to flutter.

"Go," he choked out," run."

I held up the cross and forced it against her back. She jumped up again and hissed at me, I held it firmly and threatened to touch her with it again.

"Let him go!" I yelled out.

"You fool!" She screamed out just as Damon leaped back up and bit her head off. His massive jaw and teeth clamped around her neck and separated the entire thing from her body. I vomited to the side as her head rolled down and hit my feet.

When I finished vomiting, Damon had shifted back into a man. He was lying, unmoving by the tree. Everything had gone silent. I took a moment to stumble back against the trunk of a tree. My head as well as my thoughts were spinning uncontrollably.
Why had he come here? How did he even know I was here?
I could leave him here to die, I thought, it could all be over.
And the silver, it's so close.
But there would be no point, the council will know that he died because of the vampire. They will not enforce tradition that allows me to have a say, I need him alive, they need to see that I was the one to kill him.
I crawled to where he was.
I tried to wake him up, I slapped his face and tried to force his eyes open.

"Damon, wake up. It's me."

He did not move. I felt tears escape my eyes. I shook him as hard as I could, but both the mental and physical exhaustion was catching up to me. His eyes suddenly moved, they began to flutter and he choked out," the silver...it's too close."

That meant that I had to further him from the silver. I grabbed his arms and dragged him further away and into the woods. It was not easy, Damon was heavy. Around ten minutes later, Damon was far enough from the silver that he was able to stand. I balanced his arm across my shoulders and we limped back towards the car. I forced him inside of the passenger seat and took my place as the driver, and sped home as quickly as I could while he was passed out. 

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