Thirty-Six | Survival
I rolled over, accidentally hitting my body against something. My eyes fluttered opened and I smiled, seeing Kol still in my bed. I watched him sleeping for a while, his lips slightly ajar and his hair was messily sprawled across his forehead.
The house was quiet to the point where I could hear birds chirping outside in the sunlight.
"Morning, darling." Kol suddenly said, his voice deep.
"Hm. I could get used to hearing that." I replied, smiling. He opened his eyes, looked down at me and grinned.
I turned around and went to get up but Kol pulled me back onto the bed, "Where are you going? Not going to kill more of the innocent are we?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, "Depends."
"Cassie..."
I held my hands up, "I'm joking. I got enough last night and I know it was stupid but I was upset. Come on, it's not like you didn't want some."
Although I was joking, I craved blood, a magnificent amount more than I usually did. I pushed my back up against the headboard.
"You're right, I did -- "
I cut him off, "See."
"But the only thing stopping me from being the pscyhotic killer that I am is you." Kol replied.
I froze for a few seconds before turning to him, "What?"
"You are the only thing keeping me, from being me." He said.
I furrowed my brows, "Is... Is that a good thing?"
"The best. Because of you, I don't crave the blood as much, you keep me sane. You make me happ -- " I didn't need to hear anymore, I kissed him hard, pushing him down onto the bed.
I was sat on top of him, my lips against his. My stomach was filled with a beautiful feeling that I couldn't get enough of. I opened my mouth and he instantly inserted his tongue.
We made out for a few minutes until I pulled away, remembering a problem.
I sat up, still straddling his waist, "Elena. I need to see her."
I quickly got up from the bed and headed to the wardrobe. I opened it and scanned through the clothes, "She only has until tonight to feed or she'll die."
"I'm sure she will choose the right thing." Kol replied. I picked out an outfit and turned to him.
"I don't think there is a right thing, Kol. She either gets to be a blood sucking vampire or dead." I looked at my clothes and back to Kol, "Uh, do you mind?"
"Not at all, get undressed here all you want, darling." He smirked, remaining on the bed. I rolled my eyes at him and chuckled before walking into my ensuite to get changed.
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I walked down the path of the Gilbert house and slowly made my way up the steps. I could hear Stefan and Elena inside. I knocked on the door twice before feeling a sharp pain in my back.
I could feel a burning sensation travel intensely through my veins. Vervain. I was stronger than I was before because I had fed last night so I managed to stay up.
I turned around to see several people holding up guns. I vamp ran to one and knocked the gun out his hand, but another man shot me several times and one stabbed me in the neck with more vervain. I became weak and my eyes slowly began to shut. I blacked out.
I woke up on a cold, hard ground, in a barn. I was inside a cage that was blowing out vervain. I could tell because every time I inhaled, it made my throat burn like I was swallowing a razorblade. I sat up and looked through the bars.
I could see someone familar in the cage opposite. I squinted, "Stefan?"
"Yeah." He replied.
"Where are we?" I asked, coughing harshly from the vervain.
"In a bloody vervain infused barn, full of vampires because Alaric outed us to the council." A familiar female voice in the cage beside me said. I couldn't see them as there was a concrete wall.
I groaned, pressing my eyes shut, "Please tell me that's not Original blondie."
"Lovely to hear your voice too, Cassie. I'm surprised you're not still drowning, over and over." She sneered.
"I'm surprised you haven't been daggered, once again." I replied. I heard her huff im response. There was a small groan from a cage next to Stefan.
"I thought I killed you." Rebekah said.
I pressed my head against the bars to see Elena weak on the floor. She looked around as best she could, "Where am I?"
"They thought you were a vampire, so they stuck you in here with us." Rebekah replied.
She looked over to me, "Cassie?"
"Hey." I replied.
"Where's Stefan?" She asked.
"Elena, I'm right here." Stefan replied, "Are you okay?"
"I didn't feed." Elena told us.
Worry spread across my face, "What?"
"Ah, I see what's going on here. You died with vampire blood in your system and you didn't feed and now you're locked up in here without a drop of human blood in sight. That is a problem." Rebekah said, making me want to punch her.
"Just ignore her." Stefan said.
Rebekah continued, "Has anyone done the math or shall I? I'd say you've got less than three hours to feed before I get to watch you die all over again. My day just got a whole lot better."
I frowned, "God, you're so irritating."
▂▂▂▂
We had been in the barn for several hours, I could see through the opening that it was now dark outside. I was getting weaker from the vervain.
"Stefan, Cassie." Elena groaned, her voice low.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned.
"I'm out of time. I need blood. I'm dying." Elena replied, her voice breaking.
Stefan stood up and began shouting to the guards outside, "Hey! Anyone, hey! You think we're afraid of you?"
An officer opened the barn door fuller and stormed over to Stefan, "You want more vervain? Keep it down."
"Listen to me. Elena's gonna die if you don't let her out of here." Stefan frowned.
The officer looked to Elena then back at Stefan, "Sorry, not my problem."
"She's innocent. Let her out. Let her out." Stefan begged. The officer shot Stefan in the stomach, making him fall to his knees in pain but he quickly got up, "I said, let her out!"
The officer shot him again in the leg before leaving. I could hear Elena breathing heavily but I could no longer see her. I began to worry more, "Elena? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I -- I'm fine." She replied. I could tell she wasn't but I just needed her to keep responding and to stay with us.
"Damon was right, you should have fed this morning. I'm so sorry." Stefan said to her.
"Don't be. You had hope. That's all I ever wanted you to have and you had it." Elena replied.
"I love you so much." Stefan said.
I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. The emotions were easily getting to me but mostly the fact that Elena and Stefan didn't deserve any of this.
"Do you know why I was even on that bridge? I was coming back for you, Stefan. I had to choose and I picked you." Elena said, "Because I love you. No matter what happens, it's the best choice I ever made. God. It sucks that I can't see you right now."
"I'm smiling." Stefan replied.
"Me too."
▂▂▂▂
After a while, two officers came back into the barn carrying more vervain. Stefan looked at me and I nodded my head at the plan we had quickly created while they had left.
"I got this. Bring the other one in." The officer said. The other one left.
"Excuse me? Hello, sir?" I said. I pretended to cough harshly. I remained sitting on the floor, waiting. The officer loaded his gun and walked over to me.
"I thought I told you all to shut up." He frowned.
I started making up some stuff, "Here's the thing, I could get you whatever you wanted, money, jewels, cars, anything you want. Name it and I'll get you it, if you let me out this cage."
The officer came closer to my cage, "I'd much rather watch you die."
I looked away from him before quickly running at vamp speed towards the bars, pushing the stunned officer hard towards Stefan. The officer tried to pull out his gun but fell back towards the bars of Stefan's cage.
Stefan grabbed him and slammed his head repeatedly against the bars until he began to bleed. Stefan dropped the dead officer on the floor near Elena's cage.
"Elena. Elena!" Stefan shouted.
I saw the blood spilling across the floor. I felt the veins under my eyes bulge and my fangs uncontrollably came out. I started breathing heavy.
I needed the blood.
I forced myself backwards into the cage, avoiding eye contact with the blood. And tried to block out the smell as best I could.
Stefan took the keys from the officers pocket. He thumbled for a while but finally unlocked his cage and got out. He unlocked Elena's and then mine. I hugged them both before we slowly started walking towards the exit.
"Hey! Forgetting someone?" Rebekah said from her cage.
I took the keys from Stefan's hands and walked to her cage, "And what makes you think we want you free?"
"Because I could kill you in an instant." She vamp ran at the bars. I stood there, unfazed.
"Well, that is one way to make me like you." I replied, sarcastically. I looked towards Stefan and Elena then back to Rebekah, "I will let you out, if, IF, you promise not to hurt Elena."
She thought about it for a while, "Fine."
"Is that it? Fine?" I questioned, twirling the keys, "When I could give you your freedom?"
"It's all you're gonna get." She replied.
"Okay, I'll take it." I said. I opened her cage and she vamp ran out. We walked out the barn.
Outside, I immediately noticed Damon kicking Matt, who was clearly already wounded, onto the ground.
"Go ahead and kill me. You can't possibly hate me more than I hate myself." Matt said, crawling backwards.
"Oh, yes I can." Damon frowned. I started running towards them as Damon walked closer to Matt, "It should have been you."
I stopped when a figure ran at vamp speed, pushing Damon away from Matt. It was Elena, "Leave him alone!"
I ran to Damon, "What the hell are you doing?"
"He doesn't deserve to be alive." Damon frowned, continuing to walk towards Matt.
I stood infront of the Salvatore and pushed him backwards, "Stop! Elena needs you right now, she needs us all, she doesn't need you killing her friend."
"But this is his fault." Damon spat.
"Just get away from him." I said, turning Damon around and pushing him away from the scene.
▂▂▂▂
I made my way into the Mikaelson mansion looking for Kol. I held onto the front door incase I needed some immediate escape, such as Rebekah being there. I glanced up towards the stairs. I couldn't see anyone. I shut the door behind me and slowly walked down the hallway.
"I mourned you. My heart broke thinking I'd never see you again!" I heard Rebekah yell.
"Put the blood down, Rebekah. There's a good girl." Klaus' voice rang through the house.
I frowned. Klaus' voice. He as dead. Alaric killed him.
I came to a halt behind the doorframe, listening, "It's always been me. Not Finn, not Elijah, not Kol, me. I loved you through everything and you don't even care!"
"Drop it!" Klaus shouted.
"You want your family?" Rebekah asked. After a few seconds, I could smell blood, "Here's your family!"
I felt a sudden slam against the opposite side of wall I was leaning against. I slightly jumped forward in surprise, "You know something, Rebekah, you're right. I don't care. From this moment on; you're not my family, you're not my sister, you are nothing."
After a moment, Klaus came through the doorway. He saw me standing near the wall and stopped, "Cassie, what are you doing here?"
"I thought you died." I said, my voice low with confusion.
"And you came to celebrate?" He frowned.
I shook my head, "No. I..."
I stopped myself, unable to concentrate as the smell of the blood grew stronger.
"Or are you here for Elijah?" Klaus asked, "Or is it Kol?"
"Uh, I -- excuse me." I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned into the room Klaus had came from.
I saw Rebekah unconcious on the floor. There was fresh blood spread around her. I started breathing heavily at the smell. I allowed my fangs and the veins under my eyes to come out. I felt Klaus' presence behind me and spun around.
"Cassie..." He furrowed his brows, a tone of concern in his voice. I looked down at the blood then back at Klaus, "You want the blood, don't you, love?"
I couldn't take it anymore and vamp ran out the house. I saw a couple on the street, holding hands. I instantly bit into one of their necks, draining their blood completely. The other ran, screaming down the street.
I vamp ran to them and did exactly the same, draining every drop of their blood. Feeling it in my body, making me stronger. I took my fangs from their flesh. I grinned, breathing heavily. I let the body drop to the floor and licked the blood from my lips.
"And here I thought you didn't kill the innocent, Cassandra." I quickly spun around to see a grinning Klaus.
I glared at him through dark, cloudy eyes. I could feel the blood still dripping down my mouth and chin as my fangs and veins retracted.
"Please, you can't tell anyone." I said, breathing heavily.
"Why is that?" He asked.
"Because this -- " I looked down at the bodies, "This isn't me."
"This is you, love." Klaus replied, a hint of confusion in his voice.
I shook my head, "I don't do this but I can't stop. I can't control it, Klaus. I need it."
Klaus walked closer, "You're a vampire, of course you need it. I don't blame you."
I looked up at him through pleading eyes, "Please, don't tell anyone."
He grinned, "I won't tell anyone, love."