Bloody Rhapsody (Damon Salvatore Love)

28. Vampires and Scratches

  My head lulls to the side, sleep fighting to take over my consciousness. I snap to attention, willing my body to stay focused, and glance around to see if anyone has noticed. I can not be sleeping at a time like this!

  Everyone is too preoccupied with their own thoughts to have noticed my little snooze. Elena paces in front of the broken window, the dead body no longer hanging through it. She has said very little since the attack, focusing more on keeping watch. She keeps her attention outside these walls, avoiding looking at us at all. When she does spare a glance, her eyes are full of sadness and regret. I know she blames herself for us being in this mess, even if no one else does.

  Leo on the other hand has said quite a bit, at least at first. He spent over a half hour trying to convince us to run, to leave without Stefan and Damon. We all refused, never even considering abandoning our friends. This only seemed to make him angrier, which resulted in more time listening to him rant about us all being stupid. Honestly, I wasn't listening to any of it. My thoughts never straying far from Damon, I hope he is alright.

  Now Leo sulks around the room, occasionally mumbling something or another about needing to make a move. Nothing is said in response to him, all of us too tired to keep arguing.

  Brightside, any crush Leo may have had on me seems to have vanished. Downside, he doesn't seem to like me at all anymore. Anytime he addresses me, his eyes are hard and uncaring. Then again, maybe it's just because of everything that is going on.

  Zeke drops another piece of broken wood from a table leg onto the fire, making the flames flicker to life once more. There are more logs outside, but there was an unspoken agreement that no one wanted to go out and get them. So, we have slowly been sacrificing bits of broken furniture. The fire isn't blazing like it was when we first arrived, but we have managed to keep it alive.

  With a sigh, Zeke drops into place beside me, pulling his knees up to his chest. He doesn't say anything, or even look at me, only stares blankly ahead. I am starting to worry about him.

  Through this whole thing he has been excited about the idea of an adventure. Ever since his close up experience with the zombies however, he has been different. True, maybe now he will be more cautions, but it hurts me to see him like this.  So drained of everything that makes him, well, him.

  I adjust, hoping the movement will help keep me awake. Sitting up straighter against the wall, I stretch my legs out, crossing them at the ankles. I can feel the cloth of my sweatshirt catching on the rough wood behind me, but I pay it little attention. In a time like this, who really cares if their clothing gets a little ripped up?

  Looking around the room, trying to find anything to focus on that will help keep my eyes open, I spot a hint of purple sticking out from under the couch. I squint at it, straining my eyes to make out the shape, and wishing that the room had more light. Finally, it dawns on me, my purse! It must have fallen to the ground, and then kicked to the side, when we were blocking the door with the couch.

  Not wanting to stand and draw attention to myself, I stretch my leg out. With a little effort I manage to hook the long strap around my foot and give it a little tug. The bag drags across the floor easily, if a bit louder than I was hoping for. The weight of it scraping along the worn floorboards, making everyone stop and look.

  "Sorry," I mumble, not knowing what else to say.

  Once the strap is in reach, I pull it free of my foot and pull it close to my chest, hugging it tightly to me. I can feel all eyes on me, but I do not dare return their gaze. I have nothing more to say than any of them does.