CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE
[81]
song: the beach slowed by lil gijs
THE RAPID BEEPING NOISE BECAME TOO MUCH TO BARE. Wherever it was coming from, it wasn't turning off any time soon. Daisy let out a loud groan, her head sunk into the cheap pillow of the hospital head. "Hello?" She said with a raised voice, hoping to catch the attention of whoever was next door with Kai.
When she got no response, she clenched her jaw and glanced down at the IV's in her arm. Before she could squirm over it for any longer, she braced herself and yanked the needles from her veins.
Frustratedly, she shoves the thin blanket off of her legs and lugs herself out of the bed. As her bare feet hit the cold hospital tiles, she straightened out her hospital gown before leaving the room.
She shut the door behind her as she glanced both ways down the hall, the floor they were on was completely empty- probably due to the amount of supernatural healing that was taking place.
Daisy stomped her way down the hall to the other room, where the beeping only got louder and more annoying. As she turned into the doorway, she spoke. "Is someone going to turn that off?" She asked annoyedly, but her annoyance was soon replaced with confusion.
Elena stood above the hospital bed, doing a panicked attempt at CPR on the unfamiliar woman in front of her. Kai was nowhere to be seen. Daisy narrowed her eyebrows confusedly, stepping forward. Elena glanced up quickly, then back down to what she was doing.
"Where'd he go?!" Elena asks as she pounded on the woman's chest, a mix of pure anger and pure fear in her voice.
Daisy shook her head, overwhelmed. "I- I don't know is he not here?!"
Elena swallowed harshly, glancing back up at the monitor and back to the woman. "He disappeared." She said, a panicked look on her face as she desperately performed compressions on the woman.
Daisy's chest began to rise and fall with stress, as she didn't know what to worry about first. Kai had left, who knows where, without her- but there was a woman about to flatline not two feet in front of her.
Before the devil on her shoulder could drag her away, she felt herself rushing forward. "Flatten the bed." Daisy said quickly, gesturing to the other side of the mechanical hospital bed where Elena stood.
Elena was taken aback at first, glancing up at the girl with a hint of shock before quickly beginning to lower the bed so the woman lay flat. "I know you're freaking out but you're not pushing hard enough." Daisy said, swallowing harshly.
She wasn't sure why she was doing this. It was like some old part of her just broke through a shell of desensitization, and basic human decency came back.
"Like this?" Elena asked, in between strained breathing.
Daisy nodded quickly, watching as the pale blonde woman in the bed showed little to no sign of life. "Aren't you a med student?" Daisy asks, trying to joke as an attempt to eliminate the knot growing in her throat. Elena didn't laugh, obviously.
When that wasn't doing anything, Daisy looked up, frantically looking around the room for something else to help- when her eyes landed on Damon, who's knocked out body was on the ground across the room.
"Wh-" Daisy confusedly struggled to get a sentence out. She returned her focus to Elena. "Where's Josette?" She asked, a worried feeling creeping up on her.
Elena clenched her jaw as she pound against the woman's chest. "Kai took her." She said, before glancing up at the monitor again. "Come on!" She yelled, tears forming in her eyes.
Daisy's surroundings began to slow as she realized where they'd gone, and what they were doing. An overwhelming feeling of fear erupted in her body and she knew she had no choice but to leave. Her eyes slowly trailed back to Elena, and the woman she was so desperately trying to save. But that was Elena's job, and Daisy had one too.
As her breathing became rapid, she felt herself stumble back and out of the room, into the hallway. "Daisy!" Elena yelled desperately, but she ignored her.
She shoved on her boots, not even bothering to tie them. She ran back out into the hall, slipping her coat on over the hospital gown before she shoved open the exit doors.
She didn't care about anything else in front of her, only the sky that hung above her heads. She so desperately wanted it to be a dark void— but the twinkling, bright stars that were most definitely planets you would not see on a normal night said otherwise.
"Fuck!" She let out, much louder than she meant to.
She ran her hands through her hair as she looked around, seeing only the poorly lit parking lot. She wasn't prepared for this; she wasn't ready to experience a merge or whatever was happening. Why didn't he tell her? Did he expect her to just sit aside and wait, like he was just going to work and coming back at 5?
Her heart thundered against her chest as the cold breeze swept past her bare legs. She was confident that he'd win, Josette was nowhere near as strong as him, but there was always that slim chance of it going wrong.
She wrapped her coat around her for warmth as she walked down the cement steps. Of course she had no clue where she was going, not only because she didn't know where Kai was, but because she was in a completely unfamiliar area.
She fought against the tears that formed in her eyes, she tried to convince herself it was because of the cold, but she knew it wasn't. She knew there was a tiny, tiny chance that Kai could come out of this dead.
She rubbed her throat, that all too familiar choking feeling desperately fought it's way up her body. She couldn't help but picture what could be happening right now, although she had no prior knowledge on how a merge worked- she knew it couldn't be a harmonious occasion.
Either way, someone was dying tonight. And she knew deep down she wasn't okay with losing either of them.
A bright light, that was followed by a swift, powerful force of magic swept by her. Daisy brought her hand up to shield her face, as her feet struggled to stay in place on the ground due to the force.
Like a small nuclear explosion, the magic swept past the town like a ripple. She quickly brought her hand down as she watched the light fade between distant trees. This couldn't be a coincidence.
"You need to get out of the road." A male voice says from behind her.
Daisy whipped her head around, her eyes clouded with tears. A man had brought his car to a stop in the road, and had stepped outside of the door.
Daisy opened her mouth to respond, but stopped as she took in her surroundings. She stood in the middle of a dark, empty road, tall trees on either side. A shuttered breath fell from her lips as she struggled to remember how she even got here.
"What's your name?" The man asks, in a kind, but cautious tone.
Daisy returned her attention to the man, who was clearly picking up on the fact that Daisy was confused and scared. "I- um." Daisy swallowed, and as she blinked a tear from her eye. "I need to find someone."
The man stepped out from behind the car door, "Okay." He nodded slowly, glancing at her hospital gown. "Where did you just come from?"
Daisy's thoughts were too clouded with other worries to think of an easy way out of this situation. "I—" Daisy glanced around, up to the trees where the light had just come from.
All of this would be a lot easier if she just knew where she was.
"I can help you if you want me to." The man says cautiously. "I work for the neighborhood watch."
Daisy narrowed her eyebrows slightly, trying to get a better look at the guy. She then glanced at his perfectly well running car that he stood behind, and finally some quick thinking kicked in. "I need to go to the hospital." Daisy spoke.
The guy nodded cautiously, "Okay, do you want me to take you there?" He asked.
Daisy eyed the guy, he didn't really look much older than her. Whoever he was, he came at the perfect time. Daisy nodded in response.
The guy slowly approached her, with his arms out to help guide her back over to his car. Daisy didn't know whether the gesture was stupid or kind. Probably kind, as he still thought this girl had just escaped a hospital.
She got in the passenger seat, breathing heavily as she watched the guy go back around the car to get into the drivers seat. Was this another one of her dumb, impulsive moments? Yes. Was this also exactly how people went missing? Yes.
He gave her a kind smile before he put the car back in drive. "You must be freezing." He says, turning the car back around in the road and driving her back to where she came from.
Daisy nodded, not really in the mood for small talk, and more in the mood for how she was gonna get herself behind the wheel instead. She eyed the drivers seat, glancing around for any and everything she might use to his advantage.
There was a gps hooked up on the dashboard, and below that was his phone. She looked up in the rear view mirror, getting a look at the back seats; which behind them had a whole closed off section like it was some sort of transport car.
Her eyes slowly drifted back to the blonde guy driving. As they approached a stop light- Daisy knew this was her best chance to take action.
But before she could do anything, they were both distracted by the 'ding' of a text alert. They both directed their attention to the phone on the dashboard that dimly lit the dark car.
On the screen, read a text from Elena.
'Have you found her yet?' It read.
If it wasn't for the guys shift in body language, Daisy might've taken the text as a very strange coincidence. But as she shifted her attention to him, they both knew what was coming.
Daisy sprung into action first, yanking back the emergency break that sat in between them.
The guy then reached into the side door and pulled out a gun, aiming it at her. Daisy didn't flinch, raising her eyebrows lazily. "Good idea." Daisy taunted, watching the man's moral struggle in his eyes. "Go ahead and shoot me, let's see what happens to Elena." She says. The guy clenches his jaw, as Daisy slowly brings her hand up to the gun. "I don't even think a vampire can survive a bullet in the head, but you're welcome to try."
Daisy didn't break eye contact with the guy as she pulled the gun from his hands, turning it back around to aim at him. "Get out." She demanded.
The guy shook his head, disgust on his face. "What are you gonna do?" He asks.
Daisy scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Why does everyone think I'm gonna go on a killing spree or something?" She says annoyedly, flailing the gun around as she speaks. "You know, all I needed was a fucking car." She huffs, then waves the guy on with the end of the gun. "Out." She repeats.
The guy clenches his jaw, clearly infuriated, but also not dumb enough to make any moves at the girl with the gun. He frustratedly opens the drivers seat door, stepping out.
Daisy smiles proudly as she climbs over to take over where he was just sitting. The guy looked defeated as he watched her shut the door, then roll down the window. "See, your friends need to be more like you. You cooperate, no blood spilled. It's that easy." She says. The guy didn't think she was very funny. As the light in front of her changes green, she turns off the emergency break. "Thanks for the car!" She says, before slamming her foot on the gas.
She scoffed as she glanced at the side mirror, the guy just stood in the middle of the road and watched his car drive away. "Too easy." She mutters to herself, placing the gun in the passenger seat.
There was no telling where she was going, the only direction she had to follow was the faint memory of the bright light that had burst over the tree line. She wasn't even sure that was him, it could've been anything. But it's all she had.
Only the sound of her shaky exhales filled the silent air of the car, along with the unnecessarily loud engine. She swallowed harshly, glancing around the dark road for any sign of him.
She clenched her jaw, trying to keep whatever 'calm' was still left inside of her at the surface. Her eyes dart around the dark, empty road as she tried not to think about what she might see if she did find him.
Someone would be dead- that she knew. However, who, was the real question.
Daisy rubbed her neck as she anxiously drove on, fighting against the knot that grew in her throat. She didn't dare open her mouth, in fear that a sob would be let out.
She hated that her mind was already panicking with what she would do if he was gone. She would have nothing, and no one. She would have nowhere to go. She couldn't do this without him. She couldn't live without him.
As she left what felt like an infinite line of trees, the lights of the town began to illuminate her surroundings. The streets were eerily empty, as if the citizens of Mystic Falls were smart enough to stay out of supernatural business, whether they knew it was supernatural or not. They just stayed away. Daisy wished she was as blissfully ignorant as them.
The street lamps flickered as she passed, and when she felt the familiar radiance of magic in the air- she knew she was near. She quickly pulled the car over to the nearest car, putting it in park.
She turned the car off and just sat for a few moments, letting herself enjoy what could be her last seconds of peace. Although it wasn't as peaceful as you'd assume, as she couldn't help but frantically look around for him.
Getting out of the car, she was soon reminded of the freezing cold that waited for her outside. Slamming the door behind her, she wrapped her coat around her as tight as she could as she trudged on.
Small buildings lined the edge of town, a large unlit Christmas tree sat in the center. It was familiar to her in a way that visiting a town you've driven through once or twice was. The harsh wind fought to knock her over, and her dark hair whipped around in front of her face.
"Kai!" She yelled over the wind. She didn't care how crazy she looked, standing in the middle of an empty town and yelling for someone who may or may not be anywhere near.
But she could feel him on her fingertips, she could feel the fight he put up with his magic. Like it was their magic, it was just as familiar to her as it was to him. It was a sort of warmth that surged through her body, like she was walking right through it. She wanted that to be a good sign, but a part of her couldn't help but think the worst.
Then, as if there was someone right next to her telling her to turn around, she felt the most forceful urge to do just that. She spun around quickly, her hair now blowing with the direction of the wind.
On the other side of town, there was movement near a fountain that sat in the center of a nicely landscaped courtyard. She blinked a few times, trying to clear the tears that caused her blurry vision.
She saw Damon first, although he was far away, she could tell it was him. He was still, looking down. She started walking towards him, like the wind was practically pushing her to get moving already.
All hatred or conflict between them was gone as Daisy spoke. "Damon?" She yelled, worry in her voice pulling his attention to her.
His sad expression didn't change as he lifted her head up towards her, and she so badly wished it did. She stopped in her tracks as they exchanged knowing looks. Damon's eyes faltered back down to the ground, and she followed his gaze.
Two bodies lay on the ground a few feet away from each other. Josette sat beside one of them, and as Daisy's eyes focused on hers, the sound of her sobs filled her ears.
Daisy's chest began to rise and fall with panicked breathing at the sight of her alive and well. She was too terrified to look at the other figure on the ground only a few feet away from her.
As her eyes fell from Josette, they landed on Lucas, who sat lifeless in Josette's arms. Daisy's initial thought was that she stumbled across the wrong thing, and that Kai was nowhere near.
But she turned to face the other body before her mind could stop her. Kai lay on the concrete, his eyes peacefully closed.
Her body was frozen still. There was no telling what she was feeling by glancing at her face, as the only thing visible was her glassed over eyes, and her red cheeks and nose. Both of which could've been triggered from the cold.
But she brought her hands up to her face, letting herself cry. Her chest rattled against her rib cage as the sobs made their way up. She clasped her hands over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sounds, and she desperately wished she could tear her eyes away from the sight of him.
Her feet started pulling her towards him, although every step closer to his still body crowded her brain with more questions, the first being, "What happened?" She spoke with a shaky, quiet voice. She stood over him, her mouth gapped open in disbelief as her lips trembled. She just kept waiting for his eyes to open.
"He merged with Luke." Josette responded, her voice just as pain filled as Daisy's, but for different reasons. Daisy had forgotten she was there, and she realized that she had spoken that question out loud. Her eyes stayed glued on Kai. "It's up to them now. Whoever wakes up is the winner."
Daisy's eyes squeezed shut, desperate tears streamed down her cheeks as she lifted her head up towards the night sky.
How ridiculous she felt as she prayed. Prayed to a God that she'd almost forgotten existed. She begged and begged but she knew she would earn no response, as what God would help her now? Why now? Why not all the other times her body had been racked with pain and fear and torment? He didn't care then. He wouldn't care now.
Her knees buckled to the ground and she sat beside him, wanting to topple forward and hold onto his body. She opened her eyes slowly and hesitantly, and she examined his face.
Although he was perfectly still, she knew he was in there fighting. She knew he wouldn't leave her, he couldn't.
She watched him with pained eyes, forcing a soft smile as if that would bring him back to her. Clinging to his shirt, she leaned down, burying her head on his chest- focusing on the rhythm of his inhales and exhales.
She kept her eyes closed, trying to picture him waking up as if that would change the outcome at all. She balled her fists as she tugged on his shirt, her shoulders shaking as she let out quiet cries.
Apart of her was glad he didn't tell her where he went. The thought of having to watch this all happen would've sent her over the edge. Although, if she knew, she would've been able to say goodbye.
"Kai." She spoke so quiet she could barely hear herself. She let more tears fall from her shut eyes. "Please don't leave me." Her voice cracked.
As if her body could not drain itself of anymore pain, she felt herself begin to shut down. If he was truly gone, she could not go on with the suffering that would follow. She'd experienced too much for her frail body to handle. As her teeth began to chatter with an overwhelming amount of agony- she felt a hand on the back of her head.
Her eyes slowly opened, not yet processing what was happening. Her hair that had been blown in front of her line of sight was brushed out of her face and behind her ear.
She could feel his magic on her skin, like something that had been missing had finally been returned to its rightful place. It was that that gave her the courage to turn and face him.
"Why are you crying?" Kai asked sweetly, in a worried, hushed tone.
The smile on her face shot serotonin throughout her whole body, healing every inch of hurt that she'd let sink in too deep these past moments.
She wrapped her arms around him, and he sat up quickly to return the hug. She clung to him desperately, her sobs turning to happy cries in between the quiet laughter.
Kai could feel her tremble under his arms, he could feel her panic with how tightly she held onto him. He wrapped his arms around her cold body, trying to keep her warm- though all he could really focus on was the amount of power he felt surge throughout his body.
It was overwhelming, the feeling of an entire coven's lives beneath you. He felt each branch of life inside of him. And he felt the control he had over each and every one.
He opened his eyes, watching as Josette sobbed over Lucas' body, Damon standing besides them in solace. His lips curled into a slight smirk as he realized what he'd done.
His attention was redirected to Daisy, as she slowly pulled away. She held his face, her eyes darting in between his as she adjusted to their new reality.
"You cheated." A loud, malicious voice spoke from behind them. Daisy and Kai both redirected their attention to Josette and her tear stained face. She gently let go of Lucas' body before standing up, walking towards Kai with anger in her eyes. "Luke won. And you know it."
Kai glanced at Daisy quickly, then back to Josette, before standing up, holding out a hand for Daisy and helping her up too. "He knew exactly what he was doing." Kai says, not phased by her comments.
"Did he?" Josette narrowed her eyes. "Did she?"
Daisy didn't realize the 'she' Josette was referring to was her, not until she looked up and realized everyone was looking at her. Kai lifted his chin, straightening his back. "It's not cheating, sis." Kai says, satisfaction in his voice. "It's using your resources." He raises his eyebrows. Daisy looks up at him confusedly, clearly missing something here. He glances down at her for a split second before continuing. "You win some, you lose some. Except for me." He sighs, and readjusts his grip on Daisy's hand. "I always win."
And then they were gone.
a/n
hope u enjoyed !!