Love or Die

Missing Persons

The Next Day

            Travis' head was throbbing as he woke up. As his mind slowly surfaced to consciousness, he was able to register the uncomfortable position he was in. His arms were chained above his head, leaving the rest of his body dangling from the ceiling. His feet were bound too, though not with a chain. Trying to free himself from the chains, Travis pulled down hard and his wrists began to burn suddenly.

            “I wouldn't do that if I were you,” a familiar voice not too far away warned. “They're silver chains. All you're going to do is hurt yourself even more.”

            Travis stopped his struggling and looked in the direction of the voice. “Liz?” he called into the darkness. He could see her standing on her own two feet, unbound by anything. “Can I get a little help here?” Liz walked towards him and stopped in front of him, meeting his eyes blankly.

            “I can't,” Liz replied. “William would be mad if I did.”

            “What does it matter-” Travis started before a new realization hit him. “He compelled you.” Liz was silent as a door opened, flooding part of the room with light.

            “It's an amazing thing how a maker can compel one of their own,” William said as he walked into the room. “Not as easy as compelling a human, but affective enough.”

            “What do you want?” Travis asked angrily. “What did we ever do to you?”

            “Ah, and so the questions begin,” William smirked, his brown eyes seeming to shine. “Unfortunately, not all of my party guests have arrived so we can not begin. But once they have, I will answer that question. And trust me, it will be very interesting.”

             Travis didn't like what he was hearing and had a bad feeling that he knew who the un-arrived party guest was. “If you go anywhere near her, I will kill you,” Travis said through gritted teeth.

            “Big talk for someone currently chained up in my basement,” William replied. “However, I do admire your protective gesture for her. Now if you don't mind, Liz and I have some things to tend to before your girlfriend's arrival.” Travis began to thrash in his bindings, trying to free himself and stopped them when Liz stepped towards him again.

            “This might hurt a little,” she said.

            “What-” Travis started before she jabbed syringe into his abdomen and pumped melted silver into him. Travis let out a loud and painful sound as the silver seemed to burn its way through his body.

*          *          *          *          *

The Next Evening

            When Jade and her mother got back home, she struggled between wanting to rest in her comfortable bed and running over to Travis' house and throwing herself at him. As per her mother's request, she had turned off her phone for the weekend and hadn't spoken to him the entire time. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be but there was no denying that she missed him. Being around her family, being the only vampire among them for three days made her appreciate having Travis around so much more. When she was in school she was the only vampire too, but at the end of the day she would be with Travis and she couldn't feel more normal and human than when he was around.

            Jade flopped back on her bed, hugging her plush Labrador to her as she turned on her phone. Though she told him her phone would be off, Travis insisted that he would send her at least two messages a day for her to find when she finally turned it on. As the phone company logo disappeared, her phone buzzed a few times and Travis' name popped up. Smiling, she clicked the first message and noticed it was sent just after she left.