Claws

*Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven - Torture

Daniel's POV

Three Days Later...

A strange thought occurred to me as I pulled away from the human, wiping the blood off my face with the back of my hand.

I hadn't seen Caleb in a while. We hadn't even spoken for a while...

Sighing, I compelled the human, turned around, and walked away.

He hasn't found another reason to hate me...has he?  I wondered as I walked towards the forest.

Sighing, I called Lucas.

"Have you heard from Caleb?" I asked without greeting him.

"No, I haven't. It's only been a few days, Daniel." He told me, not fazed by the bluntness of my statement and the lack of a greeting.

"I know, but I can't help thinking something's wrong." I muttered, kicking dirt aimlessly as I walked through the forest. "It's probably nothing. See you in a bit."

I ended the call and sighed. I couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong with my brother...

---

Markus' POV

I winced with every inhale that sent a wave of pain across me. Glancing across at Caleb and Chloe, I let out a shaky breath and felt a strong urge to help them. It was my fault they're here...I shouldn't have killed Evan.

"I'm so sorry..." I managed to say, my voice weak and barely audible.

Caleb shifted his gaze to stare at me, his eyes full of pity. "It's not your fault..." He murmured.

Isaac and Robyn had just left the room and locked it behind them. For the first time in hours, we weren't being hurt, though the pain never dulled.

Isaac had made use of some knives by using them on me; the deep wound in my side was what sent shockwaves of pain through me whenever I moved. Not to mention the wolfsbane on the ropes.

Caleb and Chloe were no better; Robyn had staked Caleb multiple times, and the vervain on the ropes that secured him to the wall had been burning his wrists much like the wolfsbane had to mine. And every half an hour or so, Isaac would feed from Chloe as Robyn hurt her with some sort of spell. It was torture watching my friends in so much pain, knowing I was the cause of it all.

From what I could tell, Chloe was unconscious, and Caleb and I weren't far off, either. We were being held in some sort of cell, with no windows and only one door that Isaac and Robyn had locked - and double locked - on their way out.

There was no escape.

"You're a terrible liar." I responded, watching as a smile lit up his face. It fell almost immediately, and was replaced with a grimace of pain.

He inhaled sharply as he tried pulling his hands free of the ropes. Nothing happened. If anything, he put himself in even more pain.

He didn't stop trying to free himself, and I soon joined in, knowing that we had no other choice if we wanted to get out of here anytime soon.

We froze upon hearing footsteps echo outside the room. The lock clicked open, sending a shiver of ice-cold fear down my spine.

---

Daniel's POV

One Week Later...

"Anything?" Lucas asked me, frowning slightly.

I shook my head, ending the call. It'd gone to voicemail again. "Nothing." I lifted my gaze to stare at him. "Something's wrong, dad. We've heard nothing from any of them, and neither has Georgia."

He nodded slowly, his gaze trained in front of him. "You're sure they weren't at the house?"

"No one answered. Their cars were there, but not them." I told him, sighing in frustration. "Where the hell are they?"

"Well?" Georgia asked, wondering into the house. She did this often; her sudden appearance was nothing new to us. Lewis was behind her, his expression grim. "Do you know where they are?"

"Not yet--" I began.

"It's seriously unlike Markus to disappear. And Caleb has no reason to, either." She continued.

"Have you heard anything from the vampires and witch?" Lewis asked me.

"Vampire." I corrected solemnly. "Markus killed the other vampire. And no, we haven't. As far as I know, Isaac hasn't killed anyone for a week or so."

He stayed silent, and I watched him carefully.

"The same amount of time Markus, Caleb and Chloe have been supposedly missing?" He mused aloud.

I stared at him, my mind unwilling to accept it. "You mean...Isaac and Robyn have them?" I asked hesitantly.

He shrugged. "It makes sense--"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Georgia demanded, promptly turning around and leaving the house. Lewis followed her.

Lucas and I shared a short look before we followed her out of the house, hoping she had a plan to help us find them as fast as we possibly could.