Through the Darkness

Chapter 16: The Rescue

Klaus continued to run after the invisible train, using all his other senses to track it as best he could. He knew that the massive amount of energy it took to keep the train cloaked would soon exhaust the heretic and he would be able to stop it. However, he would need to replenish his strength if this kept up much longer. Reluctantly, he stopped running and walked to the nearby town. It was beginning to get dark. An innocent female teen crossed his path, obviously drunk. She barely looked at him when he grabbed her and fed, stopping the blood flow just before death could overtake her. He then compelled her to forget what happened. As he walked away, his phone rang.

"Yes, Elijah."

"Have you found her yet?"

"Found her and lost her, I'm afraid."

"Where are you?"

"Some little town to the north. Barely a speck on the map."

"Stay there. I have something for you."

"No, Elijah. You are to stay and protect Hope..." He had already hung up. Cursing under his breath, Klaus sat down on a park bench and did the thing he hated more than anything...he waited.

When Elijah showed up, he handed him a syringe. "Freya made this concoction for you. Vervain and aconite."

"You overheard that, too? Well, I'm impressed with your eavesdropping techniques, Brother." Klaus examined the syringe and imagined the joy he would feel plunging it into the heretic.

"Niklaus, I did not leave Hope unprotected. Hayley is with her."

Klaus looked stunned. "The curse is broken, then?"

"Our big sister is amazing. That's all I can say." Elijah couldn't stop smiling and Klaus was tempted to say something rude to him, to remind him that he was a fool for lusting after a married woman, but he held his tongue. He actually was relieved to see his brother and enjoyed his company.

"Well, I have a train to find and a heretic to torture, so I best be on my way."

"Wait, Niklaus," he paused, seeming to almost regret what he was about to say before he said it, "I want you to know that I never want to see you again the way you were all those years ago, when you lost her..."

"Stop, Elijah," Klaus raised a hand in protest, "I refused to discuss her with anyone then and I refuse to discuss her now. I can appreciate your sentiment, but I assure you that Camille will be different. I will not lose her the same way."

"She is mortal. You are not."

"I know." He stared at Elijah for a moment, reading his concerned expression, then stood up to leave. Elijah immediately stood up as well.

"I'm going with you. Let me help you get her back."

Klaus secretly welcomed the assistance and simply nodded. The two darted off to find Cami. After a few hours, Elijah stopped suddenly and began walking back the way they came. He stared at the train tracks with deep concentration.

"Didn't you feel that, Niklaus? As we ran by, there was a difference in the air rushing past us. I think we passed it about...here."

They both began to focus their senses and realized that they were very close as Klaus could hear the faint pounding of a human heart...

When she awoke, Cami found that her ropes had been untied. She quickly tried to get up, but found herself barely able to stand. Collapsing back into the chair, Cami managed to quietly shout, "What the hell did you do to me?"

John was sitting in a corner, asleep. She quickly repeated herself, but he didn't wake up. It took her a few tries, but Cami managed to get into a crawling position and inch her way towards the door. John suddenly woke up and grabbed her around the waist. She fought him as best she could in her weakened state, but only managed to exhaust herself even more. As if on cue, the boxcar door slid open with jarring force. Elijah and Klaus headed straight for the heretic. Catching him off guard, Klaus managed to sink his fangs into his shoulder, drinking a bit of his blood before driving the syringe into John's neck while Elijah took Cami out of the large creature's grasp. Adding a powerful kick to the abdomen, Klaus sent the heretic flying against the boxcar with a satisfying thud. He then continued to drive his fists across his face, full of rage and hate.