5. Captive

FIVE

captive

The smell of copper and death fills my nose as I fight to open my eyes. I recognize the smell immediately as blood. My mind replays the events of Charles's death and being taken by the creature. That was a dream. It had to be a dream. There's no other explanation. The sensation of something wet sliding down my cheek lets me know I am awake.

I'm lying on something hard, and my body is in a strange position, with my legs curled underneath. The more aware I become, the more I realize everything hurts.

"Hello?" I try to call out.

"Shut up, girl. Are you dumb?" a hoarse voice says from somewhere in the room.

"Where am I?"

The voice laughs, sounding more animalistic than human. "You're aboard Kragen's ship. "

"Kragen?"

"Aye, the vampire that brought you here."

"Vampire?" I ask, remembering the same word Smith said before the creature lifted me into the sky. "They're real?"

The voice laughs again. "Very much so."

"Who are you?" I struggle to sit up, not able to move much of anything.

"I am no one. At least not anymore." The voice sounds sad. "I used to be someone once upon a time. Now I'm just a shell of a human as you will be soon."

I slide my back against something solid and lower my head into my hands. "I can't see anything."

"That's because we're in the bottom of the ship. There are no windows or light. Your eyes will adjust."

"Are we alone?"

"We are not alone, but we're the only ones living."

Sliding my hand around, I bump into something cold and solid. Oh, my God. I remember that feeling from my father. There's a dead body next to me. I can't control the tears that flow.

"Don't waste your water," the voice warns. "You'll need everything you can get. Most of them die from dehydration or starvation. You choose."

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. A few days, weeks, months." The voice gets quiet. "I've lost track at this point. I must not be very tasty. I'm still alive."

"Tasty? "

"Why do you think you're here, girl?" I don't answer. "You're here as a snack when they can't go on land."

"A snack?"

"Have you lived your whole life in a hole? They're vampires. You're on a ship full of pirate vampires. They have to eat, and we're their food."

I stare toward the voice for what seems like an eternity before being able to process his words. "We're their food?" I repeat.

"More like a blood donor…an unwilling blood donor."

On cue, a door opens, flooding the dark room with dim light. "Get the boy," a man says. My eyes won't focus on who or what's coming through the door.

Instinctively, I close my eyes, pretending to be passed out or dead. Whichever works the best.

"I'm empty," the weary voice says from across the room. "There's nothing left."

"I can smell ya, mate. You're good for at least a few more feedin's," a man answers. The sound of grunting and something being drug over a wooden surface pierces my ears.

"It's time to dump some of these bodies," a different voice says. "They're starting to smell."

"Nah, leave ‘em. They're food for the rats."

"I ain't eatin' no rats." The two men share a laugh, making me sick to my stomach. "What about that one? "

"Cap'n says hands off. That one is his." I know without asking, they're talking about me.

"I can smell her blood from here."

"Aye, me, too." The door closes, taking the light with it.

I can't stop the tears from flowing. I try to stand without much luck. My legs are weak and barely able to hold my weight. Seconds later, I fall to the ground, landing on something solid and cold. Another body. My stomach empties onto the floor in front of me. This is how I'm going to die. Being held captive by a band of vampire pirates.

My mind flashes back to Charles and his lifeless body collapsed on the deck of Thorne's ship. My poor mother. Losing her husband, son, and daughter so close together. I've never felt so helpless.

The door opens not long after and provides enough light to see the room is littered with corpses. I can't make out any details, other than they're lifeless. Another body is thrown back into the room, landing with a crunch.

I wait until the door closes again before speaking. "Are you all right?" I whisper, receiving no response. "Hello?"

I know without being able to see that the person who was talking to me earlier is now dead, joining the rest of the corpses on the floor. I'm alone. I'm truly alone.

I have no idea how much time has passed, and no one has been back in the room since returning my only companion. My stomach rumbles louder than I thought possible, echoing through the small room. My lips and mouth are caked in sores from thirst. I don't need a doctor to tell me I won't make it much longer. I'm dying. Maybe that's what he wants?

Out of nowhere, a feeling I recognize hits me hard. My legs and arms begin to cramp, curling me into a small ball in the area I've claimed as my own. Without food or water, my body is out of my control. When the convulsions begin, my body is thrown around stronger than ever before. The sound leaving my throat is terrifying, even to me. It's a mixture of a cry, a scream, and death all rolled into one. I'm going to die alone, surrounded by bodies, in the bottom of a pirate ship.

Dim light floods the room, and my body is lifted off the floor. Seconds later, light floods my eyes, and the heat of the sun covers me.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," a familiar voice clicks. "It seems your demon has come out to play."

"I'm not possessed," my mind screams.

"I can take this pain from you, but what shall I do for a food source until the next port?" He leans against the wall, watching me, relishing the pain wracking my body.

I know what he's offering. He's going to make me one of them. One of the bloodsuckers. One of the killers. "I'd rather die!" my mind screams.

"Careful there. You don't want to bruise that beautiful skin of yours." His laugh fills my ringing ears. "Oh, all right. You've talked me into it. Your heartbeat is slowing down, which means you're about to die, my dear. I simply cannot allow that to happen."

"Let me die…"

He lifts me into his arms, forcibly holding my body still. I don't see what pierces my neck, but my body reacts instantly. The sun begins to fade, leaving only a small circle of light. I'm dying…I'm dead.

……

The smell of death surrounds me. From the feel of the floor beneath me and the bodies around me, I'm still in the bottom of the ship, surrounded by death. Every part of my body aches. The blood filling my body is on fire. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I want to die.

"Is she still alive?" a voice I don't recognize asks.

"Aye, looks that way," a second voice laughs deeply. "Smells that way, too."

"I knew I shoulda drained her when I had the chance," the first voice answers.

"That's a good way to die, that is."

"Grab that one over there." I feel something next to me move followed by a faint cry.

"No, please," a young woman begs. "Let me go, and I won't tell anyone about you."

The two lower voices share a laugh. "Did ya hear that? She won't tell anyone about us?"

Her soft whimpers become screams as she kicks into my leg. "Help me!" I scream through my mind.

A loud thud echoes through the room, and the cries stop. "Dammit, you killed her. You know I don't like to eat from something dead. It tastes weird."

"Her blood's still warm. There's enough for both of us." The sound of sucking makes my stomach turn. Several minutes pass before the weight of a body is thrown on top of me and the door creaks closed.

What kind of hell am I in?

……

My eyes open to darkness, but unlike before, the room isn't black. Sitting up is easier and gives me the ability to see that I'm surrounded by dozens of decaying bodies. "Is anyone alive?" I whisper. No one responds.

My stomach growls loud enough to echo through the room, causing me to double over in pain. I've never been so hungry. Going weeks without eating never made me this hungry before.

Something scurries past my foot. Without thinking, I grab it, realizing it's a rat the size of a small dog. I bite into its body, draining it of every ounce of blood inside. Throwing the empty vessel to the floor, I'm appalled by what I did but craving more.

Did I just drain the blood from a rat? My stomach growls, begging for more. I've lost count of how many rats I've drained, as I sit, surrounded by corpses. My mind hasn't caught up with my body, and I begin to try to make sense of what's happened.

I stand, wading through the sea of bodies, and move toward the door. "Hello!" I scream, not caring who hears me. "Help me!" My voice sounds guttural and inhuman. "I'm hungry!"

Time slows down as I sit alone, waiting for someone to open the door. No one comes. Even the rats hide from me.

……

"Good evening, my dear," Kragen says, entering the room that's now my own. My legs and arms are bound behind me, wrapped in chains made from silver. The metal burns into my skin, leaving me bloody from the constant injuries.

"Shut up," I spew.

He laughs. "Seems we're in a good mood today."

In his hands is a glass of fresh blood. The smell makes me rabid with desire. My breathing picks up as the scent fills my body.

"Is this what you want?" He taunts me, holding the glass closer before taking several sips. He makes a face. "Tastes a bit…stale." He throws the glass and its co ntents against the far wall, smashing the glass along with the blood my body calls for.

"Oops," he says with a laugh. "Did you want that?" He stands, leaving my side. "You smell like shit. It's time for a bath."

I resist the urge to close my eyes at the thought of what Kragen's baths entail. He moves toward the door. "Elliot," he says softly. Seconds later, a young man with white blonde hair opens the door.

"Yes, sir?"

"She smells. It's time for a bath."

"Sir?" the young boy questions. "The last time nearly killed her."

Kragen stares at the boy. "Are you questioning me? She's a vampire. She can't die."

"No, sir." The boy bows his head in submission. "How long, sir?"

Kragen turns back toward me. "A week should be sufficient."

A week? I refuse to react to his words. Although he holds every ounce of power over me, I refuse to let him know it.

"Yes, sir," Elliot answers. Kragen leaves the room, and Elliot moves to my side.

"Elsbeth, I'm sorry," he whispers. "I don't have a choice."

I refuse to make eye contact with him.

Elliot looks around the room before pulling something from his pocket. "Here, I brought this for you." He hands me a small satchel full of blood. "It's fresh."

I don't wait to be told again. I empty the contents in one gulp, feeling the sensation flow through my body, quenching the thirst my body demands. "Thank you, Elliot."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry for what I have to do." I nod, understanding he has no choice. "Play nice," he begs as he pulls me to my feet.

"Take off the chains, and I will."

"You know I can't do that." He tugs, pulling me forward. With the addition of silver, my body is weak and unable to fight against the younger vampire.

"What year is it?" I ask as we work our way toward the deck.

"1808," Elliot answers.

I stop walking, realizing I've been on this ship for nearly one hundred years. "You have to help me, Elliot. I don't belong here."

He closes his eyes. "I know, and I'm sorry. The blood is the only thing I can do right now." He leads me to the back of the ship, wrapping the now familiar anchor chain around my waist. "I'm sorry, Elsbeth. Just relax, and it will be over soon."

I fight to keep the tears from flowing and nod at his words. He's right. There's no point in fighting. I'm not strong enough to fight Kragen. My only hope is to escape.

Elliot turns me toward the water and knocks me into the stream that follows the ship. Even though a vampire doesn't need to breathe, the sensation of drowning is terrifying as my body bobs up and down under the water for the next week.