Turned

Chapter Fifty Seven

I lost count at four. The amount of vampire blood was beginning to take effect, not the one they wanted. I kept pulling at my restraints, feeling them loosen every time. The silver burnt but I kept pulling, determined to live, refusing to just give up, to lay down and die once they were done. I kept pulling and pulling, closer and closer until finally, they dropped to the ground.

"Leave me here, go, someone would've heard that" Nick hissed.

"I'm not leaving you" I snapped as I pulled them, hearing his drop to the ground. "We're both getting out or we're going to die trying, I won't give up on you, I won't leave you behind!" I hissed. 

"Jack, no" he whispered as I kicked at the iron.

I wanted to get out, I wasn't going to stay and let them torture me. I kicked again, harder this time, denting the metal. One, maybe two more and it would be down, that's what I told myself as I built up momentum, hope swimming through my head, thoughts of Lena, Matt, my friends... everyone I cared about at one point or another. I kicked again and again, Nick slammed his weight into it and it shattered into the ground. 

"Now it's your turn to leave me" I whispered.

"What?" Nick asked as I struggled.

"The vampire blood... I can feel it wearing off, I have about fifteen minutes at the most before I... become a monster, with all this blood... I can't guarantee"

"Shut up, we're getting out of here" Nick ordered.

"I can't... help you" I warned.

"Who said I need help?" he asked as his own eyes glowed. "Stay still" he ordered as he jumped.

I could hear the people screaming, smell the blood... I wanted to... but I couldn't, I fought myself to stay put, I had to, otherwise I'd be a monster. I stood up, trying to find a way out. I gasped as something plunged into my back, the burning agony I was no stranger to. I fell to my knees, my back bleeding profusely.

"No!" I heard in the middle of a roar, not Nick, the man. I was too weak to turn and see. Nick covered my wound as he looked at his hand.

"It's bad" I whispered.

"Don't you dare, not now" he snapped.

"This... this is my end" I whispered.

"No!" he snapped again.

"I wanted to tell you that... I'm sorry... that I brought... all this shit to your door... no matter what... I said... I did care"

"What's this? You tell me you're not leaving me behind, now you're dying on me, I don't think so!" Nick snapped as he put my arm around him, hoisting me up. "You do not get to die on me, just let the vampire blood flow through you, you'll be fine"

I fell out of consciousness, I didn't know what was going on when I awoke, I just felt something strong and heavy on my wrists. I thought that perhaps some of it was a dream, hoped most of it was a dream. Silently, I tried to move, to find I was more restricted but on clean, solid concrete.

"Where am I?" I asked quickly as I looked around.

"You're okay" Nick promised as he kept his distance.

"Did I... no... no... please tell me I didn't..."

"No, no, not yet"

"Yet? What do you mean yet?"

"You look like a corpse, I stitched you up but you're not healing" Nick explained.

"So, let me die" I begged.

"Can't do that, he'd kill me" Nick explained as he moved to reveal Matt standing there.

I didn't get what was happening, for a few moments until I drifted out again. I fell onto the concrete, laid there as I felt something sharp dig into my skin, into my veins. Smooth liquid ran through my veins, like melting ice as it flooded me completely. I sat up moments later, confused as I looked around again, still chained, still scared.

"What... what did you do?" I questioned.

"You're going to be fine" Nick promised as he crouched, keeping his distance.

"You might want to move back further" I hinted.

"I'll be fine" he promised.

I lay down on my back and looked at the chains. "These yours?"

"Full moon nights"

"You sure you don't need them back?" I joked.

"Oh, you can keep them for another week"

I sighed, groaning as I sat up. I didn't want to ask when they'd let me out, I felt hungry, dangerous. If I had a chance, I'd kill, I knew I would, I just wanted to feed, to drink as much blood as possible. I just let myself slouch against the wall, the hunger wanted to take control as they pushed a bottle of blood under my nose. I drank it, every last drop that I could get out of it, it was mine, I needed it all.

I knew I'd be like that for a while, vampire blood did that to me, whether I liked it or not.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked.

"Never mind me, how are you? How is Lena? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, don't worry about us" Matt insisted but I did, I did worry.

They were all I could think about, ideas that I'd killed them, tore them apart like a monster, feeding on their blood. I wanted those thoughts to end but those thoughts were powerful, they liked being there to torment me, such was the side effect of vampire blood, the monster within liked to kill people like me, monsters... I suppose, not beautiful but definitely dead.

What I told them and what I wanted to, were two different things. Sooner or later, I'd be going through withdrawals, dangerous and deadly to anyone in my path, anyone foolish enough to be. I didn't want to hurt anyone but feared I wouldn't have a choice.

"How long am I going to be here?" I asked.

"Until you've gone through it" Nick admitted.

"So, a while then" I whispered with a sigh of defeat.