1. Macabre Marmalade (COMPLETED; EDITING)

VIII (4.1)

Todor grasped for coherent thought but it eluded him. When he got close to a waking point pain pushed him back down into the abyss. His mind was awake and alert but his body was an unknown. Todor somehow knew he was unconscious and carried somewhere. Am I dead? Thought passed through his awareness. No, I don't think so. He didn't know how he knew that considering that all he felt was darkness. How do you feel the darkness, anyway? He wondered, for a second forgetting predicament he was in.

All of a sudden he felt a presence. A bundle of emotions that swirled around him like a happy child. Ezezu is that you? He asked himself, recognizing the feeling. The cloud of emotions materialized next to him in the form of a red cloud. It was the only thing he could see in the darkness. He felt the anger, the fury building up in him. How dare they attack me!? How dare they snatch me from the street like I am some common stray dog!? The thoughts disturbed him. He was never easy to anger.

Then it hit him. This was not his feeling but Ezezu's. The thoughts were his, he knew that. But they were caused by the infectious anger that Ezezu exuded. The rage cooled down as fast as it appeared once he realized from where it came.

It's alright buddy. I am alive. He thought and the flying cloud of red slowed down. Now just to figure out how to stay that way.

The pain came back, just a trickle but it grew stronger and stronger. Suddenly he opened his eyes. At least he tried to open both but only left eye obeyed. The right eyelid was shut and every attempt made pain blossom through his face. What he saw was muddy ground that waved in front of him. He moaned and rose his head to look around. The realization that he was being carried over somebody's shoulder made anger bubble up inside of him. He forcefully relaxed not wanting to alert his captors just yet. At one point he noticed someone looking at their direction but everything was shifting around him so he couldn't discern if it was a human or one of his capturers.

"Hey, what are you doing with him?" the silhouette of the person yelled. It sounded familiar, he heard that voice somewhere.

"Grab him as well, the boss said to do it quietly," growled one of his tormentors. The old man with a cane is commanding, Todor thought as his eye closed and he drifted into the darkness once again.

***

Todor gasped for air, water attacking his nose and mouth. He spat it out and greedily inhaled. The air was musty and soon after the smell of urine and cement assaulted his nostrils. The pain came back in force a moment after, like a wave crashing on to the shore. Todor refused to open his eyes, fearing what he will see when he opens them.

"He is awake," A calm and rough voice said coming somewhere from Todors left.

"I can see that," the cultured familiar voice responded.

"Why?" Todor asked. Or tried to but it came as a weak croak. He cleared his throat and tried again with more success. "Why do this?"

Midnight Breeze laughed somewhere close to him. Todor still held his eyes shut but he could imagine the pasty white skin of the vampire and his arrogant bearing.

"I don't like you. Do I need a better reason?" Midnight Breeze said amused.

"Yes," Todor said and coughed. He tried to move for the first time but other than sharp pain spreading around his wrists he couldn't move an inch. "I doubt you have enough emotions left to do something impulsive like this," Todor said the first thing that came to his mind which made him cough again. Ezezu's ball of emotions buzzed under his scalp, agitated and angry.