Second Chances

Numb

I try to rest before the next round. I close my eyes and use my remaining strength to reach out to someone, anyone.

It's dark, I'm in the cellar but not chained anymore.

When I step out of the door, the hall looks like it goes on for miles. I see a figure.

"Nik."

"Victoria, what am I doing here?"

"Help."

I got sucked back by a pain in my shoulder. Dammit.

This time when I reach consciousness, I see this ugly fucking dude.

"Oh god no." I groan.

"It seems you already know who I am." He kneels down, pushing some of my hair out of my face.

I use all my energy to spit on his fucking face.

"Go to hell, Mikael."

"Well I was going to be nice and give you this," He pulls out a blood bag from behind his back. "But now I don't think you deserve it."

He brings it closer to my face and my fangs protrude but then he pulls it back as soon as I move my head to reach for it.

He tuts. "I was told to give you this if that happened."

As soon as he finished his sentence, he shoved a handful of vervain into my mouth.

It burned my entire mouth and throat. And when he forced me to swallow it, my stomach burned as well.

I choked on it, gagging and trying to expel some of it from my mouth. I was able to spit some on the ground.

As soon as he stepped back, Damon took his place.

"Now, I'm usually a big supporter of only drinking from the vein, but it looks like we have another ripper on our hands. What I have in my hand here is deer. Fresh, actually. I need you to drink this."

I shake my head, tears are streaming down my face.

When he forced it in my mouth, it was still burning. This seemed to make it worse. I choke and spit in on the ground, coughing from the irritation in my throat.

"I can't."

"We'll try again later."

And that's what they did. For the next day or two. That's all they did.

Human blood, vervain, animal blood, repeat.

And every single time, I was repulsed by the blood. Now I'm too exhausted and in pain to even react to the human blood that they bring out. And yet they still force down the vervain and animal blood. But now, they've added mugwort to the equation.

Mikael made sure to taunt me every time. Using words like "abomination", "unlovable", and "monster".

And I'd be lying if I said those words didn't get to me. I was miserable, dirty, and desiccating.

I could see veins coming from my fingertips. I was literally dying right before their eyes. But they didn't care.

I didn't think that Damon would ever do this to me, I was wrong.

My only escape was thinking of Kol. If I had any energy left, I would try to speak with him, but I'm afraid it will kill me. I had just hoped that Nik would come and save me.

I drifted out again, my entire body was in pain, my wounds weren't healing.

I hear a commotion outside, then the cellar door swings open.

I crack open my eyes to reveal Nik. I'm hallucinating, I have to be.

"No more."

"Victoria." He rushes over and I flinch.

"I can't take anymore, please."

"Love, look at me." He holds my face delicately.

I look at him again. "Is it really you?"

He rips off my chains but I'm still pinned. He notices and rips out the stake that has been in my shoulder for over a week. I yell out in pain.

He carefully picks me up bridal style, leaving the cellar.

In the hall, I see Damon on the ground with his neck snapped and Elena kneeled next to him.

Once we leave the house and get to the car, Nik opens the passenger door and tries to settle me into the seat. I grip onto his shirt, not wanting to leave the comfort of his arms.

He sighs but doesn't let me go. "Tony, you're driving."

He steps into the passenger seat, with me in his arms.

"Wait, where's Mikael? And Stefan?"

"I killed Mikael at the homecoming. Stefan vanished." I breathe out a sigh of relief. "With the coffins." He adds. I tense up.

"What?"

"We are trying to track him down."

"Trying? What have you done?"

"Threatened someone close to Elena. In return for her family's safety, she gave us you and Rebekah."

"Rebekah?"

"She was daggered in the cellar with you, I'm guessing you were too weak to realize."

I sigh and lean my head on his chest, closing my eyes. I drift off into sleep.