~ MARIE ~

They walked side by side as he led her to the elevators. The vampire didn’t touch her or keep her next to him in any way. Gregory didn’t even look to see if she was following him. He whistled as he strolled along, stopping here and there to greet any vampires they passed.

Once they entered the elevator, he opened the bottom panel and inserted a key into a keyhole located at the very bottom. He turned the key to the right and the elevator began to descend. The display wasn’t doing its usual countdown and instead flashed three letters ‘SFL’.

Where was he taking her?

The elevator opened onto a plain concrete corridor. The man smirked at her before he walked out. She followed Gregory down a series of hallways. All of them looked the same. Just long concrete hallways with no doors or windows. No markings, or signs to mark which way to go. They continued to walk in silence for several minutes before he stopped several feet short of a three-way intersection.

“Just turn right up ahead and you’ll find your Master.”He wanted her to go first? Did he think she was stupid? In this kind of place, there could be traps that didn’t need to rely on magic. Marie shook her head. His smile dropped as he walked up to her. Gregory grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. He leaned over and brought his face close to hers. “I could always carry you but if I have to do that, his worth shrinks. The choice is yours.” Marie put her palm against his chest and pushed. He let her go but didn’t move back.

She turned back towards the corner. It didn’t look like Gregory had any magic sensing abilities. He hadn’t noticed the tracking spell she’d placed on him when she touched him. It wasn’t a strong spell and would only work for a few hours but if she managed to rescue Adrian in time, she’d be able to follow the spell back to him.

“Are you going to move?” Marie pressed her lips together. She’d better move before he grew impatient.

Marie cautiously rounded the corner and came face to face with her worst nightmare. Her chest felt tight, and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. A push at her back got her shaky legs to move a few steps but she stopped again. She had thought that maybe Gregory was working for the man but she’d wanted to be wrong. The vampire pushed her forward and kept pushing until she was no more than five feet from the Doctor. The Doctor stepped closer and she could feel herself becoming numb as her body prepared itself for whatever he was about to do to her. The static in her head increased as her surroundings shrank further.

“You seem to be in good health. I was worried we would have to start over. The company you’ve been keeping is less than ideal.” The Doctor circled her before stopping in front of her again.

“It’s almost time, Dr. Lenus.” Another voice spoke but her attention was focused on the Doctor. The man turned to someone else and gave a short nod.

“You’re right. We will have to speed things up. Take care of him and I will finish up with her.” The Doctor put his hand out, palm facing towards her. Her barrier became visible and now his hand rested on her barrier. “Break.” Her barrier shattered into hundreds of pieces and disappeared. The Doctor then reached into his pocket and took something out of his pocket. “Marie, kneel.” She dropped to her knees and stayed there. Back to that place. Back to that feeling. She was jerked back to the present by intense pain. The talisman on her shoulder disappeared as the pain increased.

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Marie fell on her side and curled in on herself. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. It was the only thing she could think of as the intense pain wracked her body. Don’t cry or scream. He hates that.

She went limp as the pain subsided to a manageable level. Gregory picked her up and turned. A single cell lay in front of them. He went inside and placed her on the floor next to the wall. Gregory lifted her arms one by one and chained them to the wall. The vampire turned towards the opposite wall and talked to the person sitting on the ground. His arms were chained to the wall but he looked fine.

“This won’t hurt a bit.” A sneer crossed Gregory’s face as he pulled out a syringe and plunged it deep into Adrian’s shoulder. A hiss escaped Adrian’s tightly clenched teeth as the other vampire pushed the stopper in. Gregory pulled the syringe out and tossed it to the side. The glass shattered as it hit the wall. The vampire studied Adrian for a few moments before he turned and left the cell. Gregory closed the door and locked it. Marie caught a glimpse of the Doctor through the bars and shivered. “See you later.” With that parting remark, Gregory and the Doctor walked down the hallway and out of sight.

Was he going to come back for her? The static was getting louder again.

“Marie.” Adrian’s voice was gentle but firm. She focused on him. He looked back at her but she could see sweat collecting on his forehead and his breathing was a little ragged. She pressed her lips together and gave herself a mental shake. What was she doing? There was no telling what was in that syringe. He needed to be healed as soon as possible. “Who was that?”

“Gregory?”

“The other man.”

“Dr. Lenus.”

“How do you know him?” Adrian tensed as his jaw flexed.

“Can you free yourself?” His eyes narrowed but he let her change the subject.

“I think so.” He strained his muscles as he pulled on the chain. She could see the metal beginning to bend. Adrian relaxed for a moment before he gave one quick yank on the chain. The chain flew from the wall and slammed against the floor. The floor cracked and pieces flew in all directions.

“Adrian?” His eyes were unfocused as he sat there, staring at nothing. Adrian shook his head before he staggered to his feet. He leaned against the wall for a moment and took several deep breaths.

“I’m alright.” His feet were steady as he made his way over to her, the chain dragging behind him. He knelt beside her and put his hand on one of her chains. “This might hurt.”

“It’s fine.” Adrian nodded before he pulled on the chain holding her right arm. Her chains barely gave any resistance before they popped out of the wall. Adrian grabbed the shackle between his hands and pulled it apart. The pieces fell to the floor. He placed his hand on the other chain. Instead of pulling it out, he used it to lean on. Adrian’s breathing was getting heavy and his eyes were unfocused. Marie reached out and touched his forehead. She yanked her hand back. He was burning up. She put her hand on his chest and tried to call on her magic but only pain rose up in response.

Damn that talisman!

She still had access to her magic but every time she tried to use it, the pain would follow. Marie glanced at Adrian. He was still breathing hard and he was leaning more heavily against the chain. She licked her lips and flinched as her tongue tasted blood. She must have bitten her lip harder than she thought. Adrian leaned forward and she turned towards him, thinking he was about to collapse, instead, he tried to lick the blood from her lips. Marie turned her head away on impulse.

Bad move.

His fangs sank into her neck. She gasped at the sudden pain. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back further. His other hand held onto her shoulder as he continued to drink from her. Marie’s mind raced as she tried to come up with a solution. She needed to stop him before he drank too much blood. With no magic, she wouldn’t be able to replenish what she lost. The only problem was, stopping him would put her at more of a disadvantage.

Marie took a deep breath before she exhaled. There were no other options

The spell was quickly written out on his side with her free hand. This was going to hurt quite a bit. Marie clenched her teeth before she forced her magic into the spell. Her vision went dark as pain crashed into her.