Chapter 44 - Fur Against Fangs

The mud behind me struck my back. There was nowhere for me to go because I was entirely backed against the wall. From within, a black, forked tongue protruded as the vampire opened its mouth and screamed something at me. The horror that was rising inside my lungs made me scream once again. Beside me, I didn't notice there was a channel until my elbows slid into its fold. Finding the flashlight with my palms, I searched for it. The thing withdrew and snarled once again as I shot the light directly into its eyes. Taking a moment to gather myself, I took five. It illuminated the opposite side of the room and fled through the dark tunnel when I tossed the flight light.

I really hoped the vampire couldn't see me because I had no idea where I was going. It was searching for me, and I could feel the whole tunnel tremble. The vampire was traveling down the same tunnel as me, and it took her a mere second to recognize that I had turned around. I chanced upon a branch and, upon tugging, discovered it had a lemon scent. I felt relieved, Vervain.

Holding it near to me, I tugged at the root. The girl growled, pushing me back into another wall, "I can smell you," and said, "drop the plant, come to me. You'll feel good about it, I promise."

"Leave me alone!" I let out a cry.

"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, let me go," I shouted out.

"No chance." Something started rattling overhead. Shaking as the roof started, we both looked up.

"What is that, and who's there?" hissed the girl. She took the plant from me and clasped it around my neck with her sharp talons. My tongue nearly got bit by my own spit, choking me. It was as the roof parted to show an aperture that the girl bit my neck with her teeth.

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

It was Damon. The beast pulled out its fangs and said, "You're too late. She's mine now."

Damon was holding something i could not see. What appeared to be a wooden cross was dragged down by him. The girl jumped as though something had scorched her as it touched the vampire's shoulder. Whistling and growling, she flung me aside and ducked into the corner.

Eventually, her death grip had released me. "You don't have time, you have to jump!" Instructions were screamed by Damon. I could never have made it through the aperture; it must have been many feet above.

"I can't reach it!"

Stretching out his arms, Damon said, "Jump, and I'll catch you!" as he squeezed through the opening. "You'll fall-" He coughed and said, "We don't have time."

I'm getting weaker from the silver, he gasped again, "We don't have time." Between each phrase, he coughed, "I can't go on much longer. You have to jump, now!" I gazed directly forward. Abruptly, enormous amounts of silver in the tunnel beyond shimmered, as though to remind me that it had always been there. Once more, Damon yelled as I moved in its direction. "She's getting up, hurry!" That vampire hissing sound was back. 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 stood there still. My eyes began to well up with tears. I tried to give him a firm shake, but I was getting tired both mentally and physically. Then his eyes flitted and he gasped, saying, "The silver...it's too close."

So I would have to move him away from the silver. I pulled him into the trees and away from me by grabbing his arms. Because of Damon's weight, it was difficult. After a duration of approximately 10 minutes, Damon had moved sufficiently away from the silver to make him stable. As we hobbled back in the direction of the car, I balanced his arm across my shoulders. As I took over as the driver, I pushed him into the passenger seat and sped home as quickly as I could while he was passed out.