Chapter Text
“Wait! Please no please! Please!” Avid shrieked as Pyro’s claws ripped through his skin. “PLEASE!”
Owen lifted his hand and Pyro stepped back. The older vampire stepped toward Avid, pressing the stake into his chest.
“And why shouldn’t we kill you? You’ve given us every reason to hate you.”
“I can be useful, I swear! Please…” The boy’s eyes were locked on the stake, hovering just over his heart. “I’ll do anything…”
“Hm. I don’t trust it, do you?” Owen looked at Pyro.
“Not really.”
“I swear, I’ll be loyal, I’ll do whatever you want, please don’t kill me!” Avid whimpered as Owen pressed the stake further into his chest, drawing blood.
“You’ll do anything? Even betray Scott?”
Avid nodded pitifully. He didn’t want to do that, but he *really* didn’t want to die.
“Why should we trust you then, if you’re so ready to betray someone to save your own skin?” Pyro chimed in. Owen nodded thoughtfully.
“I won’t betray you, I swear! I’ll die before I do that!” Avid was trying so desperately to convince them, to save himself, he didn’t even know what he was promising anymore.
“If the humans had you cornered, you wouldn’t beg for your life? You’d just fight back and die with honor?” Owen seemed skeptical.
“Yes, sir,” Avid whimpered, trying desperately to stay on the vampire’s good side.
“And you’ll follow any order we give you? Even if it goes against what Scott says?”
Avid nodded.
“You’ll bring us food, fight for us, defend us?”
“I will, I swear, *please don’t kill me*.”
Owen pulled the stake back, chuckling as Avid’s hand flew to where it had been. The vampire looked at the stake, seeing the blood coating the tip.
“It would be so *easy* to kill you now… but I suppose you might be useful later. We’ll see.”
Owen took a threatening step toward Avid. “Remember, boy. If you make a *single* mistake, this stake will be in your heart before you can even think.”
“Yes sir,” Avid said, watching as Owen slipped the stake back into a pocket on his belt.
The trio returned to the castle, Avid trying and failing to hide the tremor in his hands, the racing of his heart. He had to be useful, had to prove himself, otherwise he’d be dead. He had no doubt that the other two vampires had planned to kill him in that hole.
The youngest vampire headed over to their pasture, bottles in hand. He’d work on farming their animals and getting food for the others, he decided. Make himself useful.
Drift walked up to her friend, watching him slaughter the chickens and collect their blood.
“Whatcha up to?” She asked.
“Just getting some food,” Avid mumbled, not looking at her. He didn’t know if he could keep the tears from flowing if he saw her face, saw what he’d been so close to losing…
“Oh. Mind if I join you?”
Avid nodded and the two worked on food collection for a while in silence.
“You okay?” Drift asked. Avid wasn’t usually this quiet.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just shaken from when I died earlier.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue. After he’d died he felt horribly weak, unable to really fight back, painfully aware of the target on his back.
“I should go get some rest,” Avid said after a moment. “It’s been… a long day.”
“Yeah. Okay. See you tomorrow?”
Avid nodded as he vaulted over the fence keeping the chickens contained and made his way to the crypt where Owen and Pyro were talking in whispers.
“I brought some food,” Avid said, keeping his head down as he handed the bottles over. “I know it’s not much…”
He flinched as Owen’s clawed hand reached toward his face, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look up.
“Don’t act like that. You’re acting weird, and the others will get suspicious. Just be normal, especially around them.”
“Okay.” He didn’t know what normal was anymore. He was so scared. “Is it okay if I rest for a little while? Get my strength up so I can be more helpful?”
“Whatever.” Owen waved his hand dismissively, returning to his conversation with Pyro.
Scott came down to check on Avid a few hours later. The young vampire had tried to sleep, but the fear that consumed him made it impossible.
“How are you doing?” The elder vampire asked, coming to sit beside Avid on his bed.
“Been better,” Avid said with a sigh, sitting up and scooting closer to Scott.
Avid suddenly realized nobody else knew that he’d gone out with Owen and Pyro. They all thought he’d been holed up down here that whole time. Like a coward.
“I’m gonna go out with you guys to turn some beacons soon, I swear,” Avid said. He didn’t want someone else thinking he was useless, especially not Scott.
“It’s okay,” Scott said gently. Avid was surprised by the tenderness in the vampire’s voice. “It’s your first death. It takes a toll on you. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
Avid nodded hesitantly. “I still feel so weak,” he whispered.
“I know. You’ll recover soon, I promise. Do you have any food?”
Avid shook his head. He’d given it all to Owen.
“Here. Eat, get your strength back. It’ll help.” Scott handed him a few blood bottles, which Avid gratefully accepted.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
“I need to go check on the others. Be safe, get some rest.” The elder vampire stepped out of the room, his cape swirling behind him.
Rest. Okay. He could do that. Avid drank the blood bottles, which did help him feel a bit better, and curled up to try to sleep again. He was finally able to make his mind quiet down enough to sleep, though his dreams were plagued with pain and fear and that horrible dark hole, Owen’s smug face, Pyro’s claws…