Ok, I'm in a really weird mood today. I've sacrifized the whole day for the sole purpose of freaking out as many ppl as I could. I called up my mother and told her I'm going to switch majors and become a stand up comedian. She started screaming before I managed to say I was kidding. Then I called up my boyfriend and told him the same thing, and he said 'Sweetie, if you told me you're going to assasinate the president of Russia tomorrow, it probably wouldn't faze me.' I think that says a bit about my crazy mental state at this point. But enough of that. Second part of this chapter should be out really soon, b/c it's already half done. Now the crap. BSB and N'Sync, to my knowledge, don't go around screwing guys, vampires, or any types of male natural or supernatural beings. With that said, on with the story.
JC was terrified. He could not remember ever being so scared in his life. Everywhere he looked, black trench coats surrounded him, twisted faces, and sharp teeth covered in already crusty blood. He kept losing the sense of reality every couple of minutes... he was convinced he was dead and on his way to hell, then he was sure he was a vampire and those bloody faces are where he belonged... then he would regain his senses and scream off the top of his lungs from fear of actually ever seeing himself as a vampire. It was like traveling through a nightmare. Blood was dripping down his face, and his nose was broken, but he could barely feel any pain from the amount of fear he carried in himself. The vampires around him pushed him forward, kicked him, and every time he ended up on the ground, they would hit him until he managed to get up and keep walking. Somewhere subconsciously, he was aware of the pain in his ribs and his face, but it was somewhere far, far away, in a place his mind couldn't reach. He had no idea where they were going or how long he had been forced to walk. To him, it seemed to stretch into ages, or at least years... the darkness around him never shifted, and the faces never changed... even the pavement seemed the same; it never rose, and it never traveled downhill. It seemed as if he was walking a straight line for years, and after a while he was too tired to even half-consciously wonder where the vampires were taking him. Only one thing was left clear in his mind. The picture of AJ smiling, looking down on him and whispering softly 'I love you'. Every time that picture appeared in his sub-conscience, his step would strengthen, and he would will himself to walk, to breathe, and to live. To live for that one day when AJ would tell him that he loves him. He couldn't allow himself to think that those words will never leave AJ's mouth... he had to believe it, or he wouldn't survive... he wouldn't have anything to live for. Then suddenly, the line of vampires in front of him stopped... in his dream state, he didn't notice it, until he trampled one of them, and for that he received a sharp kick in the stomach that sent him back to the pavement. He curled up in a ball, waiting for his breath to come back, and expecting another storm of pain coming. His breath returned... painful and harsh, but he welcomed it. Suddenly aware no one had hit him yet, he dared to look up. Mike stood above him, grinning widely with white fangs shining like flashlights in an unwelcoming darkness that surrounded them. The circle of disfigured faces had widened around him, and blended into the darkness so it seemed as if Mike and JC were the only ones left there for miles that surrounded them. Mike knelt next to JC and caressed his hair like JC was a child that had fallen down and hurt his knee. His voice was unusually soft: "Sorry for the rough treatment boy. My gang knows nothing about mercy and forgiveness. I'm afraid God has made them that way." JC jerked his head back and rose to his knees: "God would never make creatures such as you are... You're spawns of the Devil." Mike threw his head back and laughed. Rich, almost human laugh echoed the space around them shattering the quiet with a horrifying ease. When he spoke again, it was in between the chuckles: "You have some spirit there, boy. Too bad we have to use you as a bait... I could use couple of vampires like you in my gang." "I'd rather die." Mike was still grinning when he responded: "Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it." With another attack of laughter, he rose to his feet and pulled JC by the shoulder with such an ease, as if JC was a year old kitten. The vampires appeared from the darkness again, and JC's eyes finally became accustomed to the night. They were still in some black alleyway, that much he could tell, but the tall crumbling buildings around him could have been anywhere in the town. Mike pulled him along roughly, and it was all JC could do to stay on his feet and manage to follow Mike's pace without ending up on the ground again. The alleyway slowly opened into an abandoned gas station and an enormous parking lot around it. It was full of trash and the spray paint covered every piece of pavement and walls in sight, while the weak light from the back of the gas station threw dancing shadows across those painted walls making them seem alive. Even the feeling of the place made JC shiver; it made him feel so cold... he could smell the graves and death... that cold, sharp smell of opened coffin and long rotten away body. He gagged twice, which caused another attack of laughter from Mike: "I thought you were stronger than that boy. Well, if you have never gotten a chance to live the way the dead do, now is the perfect time." He turned to the group of vampires behind him and spat out loudly: "Hang him up!" JC had learned better than to try to fight. Besides, he wasn't sure that he would even have enough strength to lift his hand against any of those creatures. His whole body was weak and numb; his feet could barely carry him and the blood on his face had painfully crusted, almost blinding him. He was brought to the gas station, and one of the vampires lifted him up on his shoulders, while another one climbed up on the top of the rain roof. At first, JC couldn't figure out what they were doing. He knew they weren't going to hang him, because Mike had said that they would use him as a bait, but on the top of the roof? Soon enough though he figured out what they were about to do, and his whole body tensed up at that thought. His hands were chained so he hung half way down from the roof by his wrists, and another two sets of chains tightly secured his legs on the two poles on each side of him. For a second, he thought it really ironic that Jesus was killed in the similar position. Half-blinded by the pain in his wrists, he was thankful that they haven't drilled nails through his hands and feet, although he thought it couldn't have been much more painful when compared to the pain he was going through at that moment. Mike stood in front of him, that wild grin securely plastered on his twisted face. Then he laughed, and laughed, so hard that the parking lot echoed his laughter hundreds of times over. JC felt tears slide down his face. That had to be the end... he wasn't sure he could hold on much longer. He closed his eyes, and forced his mind away from pain and madness, into a place where he always wanted to be. AJ's arms. And with that, he slipped back into the half-dream stage, praying for the numbness to kick in soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Robby regained his conscience, he and Brian were the only people left by the Lady Lake. The eerie quiet that had enveloped the lake after the battle seemed to have became even heavier, pressing down on souls in pain like a hot iron. The first thing Robby saw was Brian's face, and a deep sigh of relief left his throat. The second thing he felt was hunger... hunger and pain. Brian pressed a soft plastic bag against his lips, and Robby drank in large gulps feeling the blood spill down his face and neck. Emptying the bag, he threw it aside and took a deep breath. The pain was subsiding... another couple of minutes and he would be able to walk again. He felt Brian cleaning the blood off his face and neck with a cloth, and took his hand bringing it to his lips. One thing that he knew would never betray him... one thing that he cared about more than himself... one person that had ever truly loved him, not caring that he was a freak of nature... that thought itself gave him enough strength to move and sit up slowly. As soon as he did though, he found himself in Brian's arms, held so tight that he had to fight for a breath. But he didn't complain; instead, he hugged back just as hard, savoring every breath on which he could taste Brian, feel him, know he's really there. When Brian finally let him go, his face was covered in tears. His breath was harsh, and Robby noticed for the first time that Brian's eyes were swollen and red. Panic took over his body in seconds: "AJ?? Is he all right? I was sure he was..." Brian swung his head left and right vigorously, obviously trying to find enough breath to speak: "AJ is fine... they're all gone to find JC and help the rest of the guys. I didn't know if you were OK." He swallowed and went on louder, in almost angry voice: "I mean you just passed out... how am I supposed to know what to do? It's not like you have an actual heartbeat or anything... I thought you were gone..." Robby touched his cheek with a serious, no nonsense expression on his face: "I'm fine now Brian... I told you I wouldn't leave you, remember? Now tell me exactly how long have I been out... and where did everyone go. Their exact destination." Brian wiped his face, and took couple of seconds to calm down and gather his thoughts: "It seems like you've been out for years... but I guess judging by moon, it couldn't have been longer than an hour. AJ rose right away... it's like he suddenly had all your strength. He took Lance, Howie and some of Dom's guys with him to find JC. Derrick, Justin, and Kevin went back to the Blood headquarters find Nick, Joey and Chris. Dom is still nowhere to be found... Colleen brought the blood, she said you were going to need it when you wake up... then she left to go search for Dom again." Robby slowly rose to his feet; the ground felt unsteady, like deck of a ship on a stormy night, but he was fully conscious, and he couldn't allow himself a minute of rest if Mike was still out there. Brian looked concerned, but he clearly saw the resolution on Robby's face, and did not say anything. Instead, he offered his arm for Robby to lean on, and asked in the calmest voice he could manage at the moment: "Where are we going now?" "To find Mike. And I think I know exactly where he is." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Derrick had noticed the flashing lights of emergency vehicles at headquarters, and took a first real breath since they left Robby. Justin and Kevin noticed the lights when they turned the last corner, and would have ran straight to them if Derrick hadn't put his hands on their shoulders. Stopping on the side of the road, he turned to them and whispered in the most commanding voice he could manage: "The paramedics are already there. Go see your friends... go to the hospital with them. Stay there until you get the word that it's safe to leave." Just like he predicted, Justin was the first to speak up. Fear was louder in his eyes then in the part of his mind that Derrick could touch. His voice was a giveaway too: "No! I'm not leaving you. They will be fine, I know they will. But you might not if you go by yourself." Derrick touched Justin's hand, and felt pain eating his soul like a serpent hungry for blood. He felt as if he was being ripped apart... the beautiful blonde in front of him was the only thing he had left that was worth living for. If he lost him... That was the type of pain he could not bear. But being separated from him, and having Justin hate him for it was something he could not live with either. Especially if Justin got hurt when Derrick was not there to protect him. Kevin stood aside, quietly staring at his feet. He looked years older too, with his shirt ripped in so many places that it looked like a pile of rags, and his right forearm badly bandaged with pieces of Justin's undershirt. Derrick sighed turning to Kevin: "Will you go to the hospital with them?" Kevin looked up, his eyes bleary and unfocused: "Yeah... I can't seem to feel my arm any more. Much help would that be..." "All right then. Justin is coming with me... we will come to the hospital as soon as everything is taken care of." Kevin nodded, but there was something in his eyes that pained Derrick. It was that knowledge... something only a rare number of people had... that feeling. When they knew they would never see one of their friends again. Derrick whispered softly, only for Kevin's ears: "It was an honor to know you." Kevin nodded, knowing that more words would make Justin suspicious, but his eyes spoke back returning the compliment. As soon as his tall shape disappeared down the street, Derrick pulled Justin in the opposite direction. His mind raced with such a force and intensity that he could barely see where he was stepping. Mike had to have taken JC somewhere... somewhere to use him as a bait. But where?... There was so many places in that God forsaken city, and there was no time to search them all. JC's life might depend on it. He went through the same information in his head over and over again. Mike wanted a spectacle... a circus show, but with a touch of his horrid imagination. Somewhere meaningful, somewhere the Blood had killed in great numbers during the last couple of years. Suddenly it came to him. He almost laughed at himself for not thinking of it earlier... it was such an obvious answer. His moment of good mood disappeared as fast as it came though. If Mike took JC to the place Derrick was thinking of, then Mike also knew that would be the first place Robby and Derrick would look for him. Which could mean one thing and one thing only; Mike was expecting them. It was a trap. Sighing, Derrick quickened his step hoping Justin can keep up. There was no choice but to jump into the trap and see what happens. He wished he had left Justin with Kevin... now, there was no other choice but to bring him along and hope for the best. And the best was nothing more but a chance of survival. Sorry it was this short, but I had to cut the chapter in two parts and I think this was the best place to cut it... part 2 is coming out soon Criticize!!!