The Eleventh Hour (FINISHED)

62 - Elijah

She squirmed in his grip, trying to break free but he only held her to him tighter, preventing her from moving.

"No!" she cried. "Let me go! LET ME GO!"

"Stop screaming," he hissed. "You should know I'll only hurt you if you make me, Meadow."

She froze in his grip, though despite her listening, her body was stiff.

"The deal wasn't to harm her," Elijah stated, looking up to the beams where Cedric stood, staring angrily up at him. "In fact," Elijah continued, "I said not to touch her."

"But, I-" Cedric started, face draining of color.

He clearly did not know Elijah would be here.

"Nah-ah," Elijah interrupted, Meadow still stiff in his arms. "Another fact," he said, "you just tried to kill the poor girl. Now, was that part of the deal?"

"Elijah," Cedric protested, "but, I-"

He waved away his confession. "I've heard enough."

Meadow watched in horror as a rope rose from the wall and flipped toward Cedric, leaving no time for him to fight back as it wrapped around his throat and the other end to the beam; looping and knotting itself like a venomous snake.

Cedric choked, clutching the rope with his hands.

But some force kicked him off the beam, and he dropped off the ceiling, dangling there like a human chandelier.

She could hear his choked screaming, and even though he tried to kill her, she knew he didn't deserve to die this way.

Meadow cried out, fighting Elijah's hold as something cold consumed her. She felt like the murderer, and she hated it. "No! Stop! Stop!"

When Elijah didn't listen, she shoved her heel into his side, making him choke and double over while dropping her. And she darted straight for the bleachers and ran up them.

"Meadow!" Elijah called angrily.

She climbed the latter at light speed, jumping off the metal and caught a climbing rope, swinging over to Cedric and caught his rope.

She tried untying him with one hand because he was still struggling, and she failed, so she searched herself for sharps.

She couldn't use the dagger because Elijah would know she had one.

Her eyes caught on his pocket.

Meadow then dug around in Cedric's jean pocket, pulling out his pocket knife and starting to cut the rope, but it was incredibly thick.

Cedric was still choking.

"I know," she said, slicing it faster, "hold on."

The rope broke and she caught his hand before he fell, straining as she slipped her hands down the rope, the sharp ends burning her skin.

But she dropped to the ground, lying him down as he stared up at her blankly.

There was clear liquid slipping from his nose, but he was alive still, and Meadow's eyes stung with tears.

"Ah," Elijah said, making anger burn up her spine, "brain damage. That clear liquid is spinal fluid, Meadow."

She clenched her fists.

"You were too late, sadly. Horrible thing, isn't it? That you went through all that trouble to save him when he'll never be able to speak again? He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life."

She stood then and glared at him, still not daring enough to get close. "Why did you kill him? YOU TEAMED UP WITH HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE TO KILL ME? SO WHY?"

"I never wanted to kill you," Elijah stated honestly. "I wanted to kill everyone who wanted to kill you."

"You wanted to kill EVERYONE that I love. So, I'm all yours."

"See?" Elijah stated, something bright glowing in his eyes. "You get it, right? I've done it all out of love."

"YOU'RE SELFISH!"

His bright expression faltered, and he eyed her for a moment.

The moment he glanced behind her and nodded, she could tell something was off.

Before she could turn around, someone caught her waist, muffling her cry with a rag as she struggled in their grip.

He said he wasn't going to kill her, so why did he allow this guy to smother her?

But the moment she felt slightly faint after trying to breathe, she knew he wasn't going to smother her. He put chloroform on the rag.

Her lashes started falling, and she tried to fight them, but they wouldn't listen.

"You will learn to love me, Meadow," Elijah said. "You will."

And after his words, darkness consumed her.