Haunted History | TVD

26

"How'd it go?"

Elijah sighed, "We've come to an agreement. It's just a matter of whether or not they honor their part."

Audraya turned on her signal and checked her blind spot, pausing the conversation until she switched lanes. She pressed the gas pedal and increased her speed, maneuvering around the slower cars.

"Elijah, I know that honor is an important virtue for you, but it's not exactly the Salvatore's strong suit," she reminded.

"I'm aware of that. But we have no other choice."

She grumbled incoherent words under her breath and sped up even more. The phone held up on her dashboard slid back towards her slightly.

"Where are you now?" he asked.

"I'm almost at the storage facility where Damon and Rebekah are at. They're taking too long to retrieve Nik's body."

"Very well."

He paused and let the silence linger between them before asking a sensitive question.

"How does your wound feel?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She turned the corner and pulled into the one way street that led to the building down the road.

"I've got to go."

She pressed the red button to end the call and glanced down at her wound. There was no bleeding, but it still hadn't healed completely. The edges of it had developed a bruise-like state and the initial pain had only been dulled.

She brushed it off as she pulled into the parking lot of the facility. There was only one other car there, making her already suspect that something was wrong.

She busted the lock on the door and pulled it open. She frantically ran through the rows of storage units, picking up her pace as she searched.

"Rebekah!" she shouted, "Damon!"

She stopped when she heard a soft groan from down the row. She sped over, bursting through the door that led to the loading garage.

Damon sat on the ground, clutching his head in pain. She ran to him and kneeled, examining his body to make sure he wasn't too badly hurt.

"What happened?"

Damon reluctantly looked up. He softened when he saw the worry etched on her face. He sighed and gave her sad eyes, "I'm sorry."

He gestured to the coffin behind them. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted it, slowly standing up.

She took nervous steps towards the coffin until it was right in front of her, waiting to be opened. She inhaled deeply before sliding her fingers under the edge of the lid and lifting it.

As she looked down into the contents of the box, she instantly lost her breath. Her bottom lip quivered and her body trembled. She stumbled back away from the coffin, distancing herself from the body of her brother.

A strangled cry caught in her throat. She shook her head in denial. Tears rose in her eyes and fell down her cheeks in heavy streams.

"He can't-"

She choked on her cries. She fell to her knees and thumped down on the cement. Damon got up and moved over to her, gently cradling her. He tried to soothe her but her loud sobs echoed over his voice.

She couldn't hear him anyway. All she could hear was the lack of a heartbeat. All she could see was her dead brother. All she could feel was agony.

She cried and screamed until her throat went raw. Her body couldn't produce more tears and no sound could escape her voice.

Once her sadness settled, it turned into rage. Her body locked up and stiffed. Damon let go of her when he felt the sudden change. She shoved him off and pulled herself up with unexpected strength.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She neglected to answer as she stormed out, the door slamming behind her.

-

Audraya went home immediately, worried about the state of her other siblings. She found Rebekah and Elijah in the living room, a quiet sadness overwhelming the room.

As she stepped inside, their heads snapped over to spot her and they simultaneously sighed in relief. They got up to console their sister, who had clearly been in distress, considering the red eyes and puffy nose.

Elijah and Rebekah enveloped her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around them and together they silently cried. Elijah kept his sisters together, holding them up as their bodies threatened to fall out from the pain.

"He's gone," Rebekah sobbed.

Audraya tried to stay strong but she trembled. She avoided their sympathetic gazes as they looked to her, curious on how she was handling the situation.

She let go and pulled away, turning her back to them. She sniffled and wiped away the tears that had left a trail on her face.

Elijah and Rebekah straightened up. The former hesitantly moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and inhaled sharply. Elijah retracted his hand and watched as she stormed away.

She ran to her room, shutting the door loudly. While attempting to take deep breaths, she paced around, tugging at the roots of her hair.

She shouted in frustration and swiped her hands across her desk. Books and glass fell on the floor, scattering all over the room. The glass shattered and cracked, the tiny pieces falling into the little cracks in the wood.

Screams of anguish tore through her throat. Tears didn't fall, but they watered in her eyes. Her rage overpowered her urge to cry.

She paced back and forth, breathing in and out through her mouth. Her hands ran down her face in an attempt to soothe her frown.

Her back was to the door as it swung open. Elijah saw her frantic state and shut the door quickly. He ran over and placed his hands on her shoulders.

She cried out and pulled away but he latched onto her arm. He pulled her into his chest and fought her resistance.

"No!" she cried, "No! Let go!"

Elijah grunted as her hybrid strength kicked in. She shoved his chest and pushed against him as he held her close. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

As he squeezed her her figure, she froze. Her back broke down and Elijah held her up. Her tears finally fell and landed on the smooth fabric of his suit.

The sobs that fell from her mouth made him tear up. He held her gently and stayed silent as he let his sister cry over their dead brother.

"I was mad at him," she sobbed, "The last thing I did was pick a fight with him."

She sucked in her bottom lip as it trembled.

"I didn't get to say goodbye."

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