Chapter 11: Rose
I woke up to a searing pain in the back of my head. I reached for it and felt a round bump. I was lying on a hard metal floor. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Ben lay a few feet away from me. I scanned the room for Kristal and Jake, but they were nowhere to be seen.
I was sitting in a dark, damp room. And it felt like we were in some kind of vehicle or vessel, because we were moving forward. The lower deck of a boat, or perhaps the storage chamber of a submarine.
Memories flooding back, I scrambled over to Ben and shook him. He didn’t budge at first.
Oh, God.
I turned him over onto his back and placed my ear against his chest. I exhaled sharply when I heard his heartbeat.
“Ben!” I whispered, shaking his shoulders. “Ben, wake up!”
I shook him more violently. When he still didn’t open his eyes, I gave him a slap across his face.
That woke him. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. “Wh-where… what happened?” He sat up, wincing as he rubbed the back of his head.
“I don’t know. I just woke up a few seconds ago.”
“Where are Kristal and Jake?”
“I told you, I don’t know.”
He pulled himself off the damp ground and we both sat on the bench.
“I don’t understand why these vampires want us,” he said. “I thought that vampire left you on the beach, even though he could have easily taken you?”
My brain was throbbing. “Yes,” I said. “He let me go. He even seemed scared to come near me.”
“Then what the hell are we doing here now? Who are these vampires? Where have they come from? They shouldn’t even exist.”
I paused and ran a tongue over my parched lips as a more disturbing question entered my mind. What will they do—or what have they already done—with Kristal and Jake?
“Some supernatural powers would come in handy now,” Ben muttered.
My throat was so dry, I was dying for water. I scanned the room, but there was nothing down here except a few dirty blankets in the corner. I buried my face in my hands and breathed deeply.
If anything happens to them, it will be all our fault.
We should have just gone to that stupid Scottish island.
“Ben,” I said suddenly. “Check your pockets. Is your phone still there?”
He reached into his back jeans pockets and shook his head.
“They must have searched us and confiscated it.”
I swore.
Ben got up and walked over to the metal door of the chamber and banged his fists against it.
“We’re awake, you assholes!” he yelled, his voice as hoarse as my own. “Some water would be appreciated.”
Ben returned to his seat. Several minutes later, footsteps sounded outside and the door creaked open.
A tall ginger vampire stepped in and placed a tin bowl filled with water down on the floor. I recognized those light blue eyes of his instantly.
“What have you done with them?” I hissed, jumping up and running toward the door.
He slammed it shut before I could reach it.
I shouted in frustration and kicked the door. I looked down at the bowl and brought it over to the bench.
“You have some first,” Ben said.
I took a sip, then passed the bowl to him. We alternated until we’d drunk it all up. It tasted stale and metallic, like it had been stored in some kind of old rusting container for too long, but at least it wasn’t sea water.
Ben placed the bowl on the floor and I rested my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer against him.
“I miss our parents,” Ben admitted.
“Me too.”