Retribution
by Laura Spudzmom
Summary:
She came into his world and the consequences were devastating, something the predator within resolved to rectify. Unknowingly, she'd awoken the beast and now...he'd see his day of retribution. **DARK FIC, Major character death** Do not read if you don't enjoy! Not fluffy, no HEA. Vamp/human
She came into his world and the consequences were devastating, something the predator within resolved to rectify. Unknowingly, she'd awoken the beast and now...he'd see his day of retribution. **DARK FIC, Major character death** Do not read if you don't enjoy! Not fluffy, no HEA. Vamp/human
Weeping…
She was weeping…
...again.
It was all the girl seemed to do these days.
That, and scream in her sleep, such as it was…
The predator's lip curled back as he listened from the tree outside her window, his black eyes glittering with malice.
'Disgusting, pathetic little human,' he thought as he relaxed back on the limb he was perched on, his long, denim-clad legs crossed at the ankles.
He'd been watching her for several days now, just biding his time...waiting for the perfect moment…
He was patient because he wanted her coherent. He wanted her to know what was happening when it happened. He wanted her to want to live again...
...before killing her.
~o0o~
The morning air was chill and thick with moisture as the girl left her house and climbed into her ancient truck. The starter whined in protest before the engine finally caught and coughed to life, a puff of smoke billowing from the tail pipe in a display of fatigue.
Reaching over, the girl flipped the switch for the heat and blew into her clasped hands as she waited for warmth to exit the vents. As she waited, her eyes fell upon the ragged void where a stereo had been and her gaze darted quickly to her lap.
It had been two months since…
She took a deep breath and allowed herself to think his name…
'Edward…' With squared shoulders, she nodded to herself. She was getting better every day. The nightmares had finally ceased and with the help of her best friend, she was getting back to the business of living.
She smiled a tiny smile at the thought of her friend-her own personal Sun... Warmth suffused the area in her chest that had been an empty void since Edward had left, her heart beat quickening at the thought of the happiness Jake had brought her and the kiss they'd shared just the day before…
It had been sweet and gentle and real and just more than she ever could have imagined-more than she thought she deserved, but still, she would accept it, just as Jake told her to.
He'd spent the first month just keeping her alive and sane, nursing her along gently with kind deeds and caring words until she'd slowly begun to believe...
She was worth something-her Sun had said so...
The next month they'd spent together, slowly and carefully weaving their souls together until she woke up one morning, just days ago, realizing she loved him, more deeply than she ever thought possible…
Her smile brightened and she put the old truck into gear. It was time to get to school and on with life; a life that, she finally realized, was worth living again.
~o0o~
He was in the tree again, a wicked smirk upon his lips as he watched the wolf leave for the night.
It had been a simple thing to mask his scent from the shifter. All he'd done at first was clothe himself in the mind-reader's left-behind garments and he'd blended easily with the scent that was still thick around the human's house. His menacing grin widened. Now, he had an even better method of masking his scent… Venom...and plenty of it.
His manic red gaze cut to the duffel bag he'd brought with him on this jaunt to the human's house and a low, deadly chuckle escaped him. He couldn't wait to present her with his 'gift'.
He hoped she liked it…
Movement at her window caught his eye and he watched as she slid the pane open while breathing deeply as a tiny smile curved her kiss-plumped lips. "Good night Jake," she whispered, her eyes glittering with love...
...and life.
The predator hissed lowly, his top lip curling back to show a deadly fang. This was it. That look in her eyes… That thick, cloying emotion that now rolled off her in waves… It's what he'd been waiting for…
It was time.
Getting into her house was simple as he'd merely twisted the flimsy handle on the back door. With a quiet snap, it had given and he'd crept in silently.
He knew, from all his weeks of watching, he was now in the kitchen. Moving quickly, he exited and ghosted up the stairs to what he knew was the Chief's room. He'd retrieve him first and let her watch.
Opening the door, he surveyed the room's occupant with cold detachment. This aspect wasn't personal; not really. He wouldn't even bother if the man's death wasn't such a potential source of pain for the girl. So, it was toward that end that he strode forward and snatched the slumbering man from his blankets.
Standing the man on his feet before he'd even awoken fully, the predator gave the mortal two stinging slaps; one to each cheek. His eyes were wide when he finally focused. "Wha… Who the hell are you?" he demanded with a scowl.
The predator slapped the mortal again and dragged him from the room. The man struggled feebly all the way into his daughter's room where he began to plead. "Look, take whatever you want. My wallet's in my room along with other valuables...take me back there and I'll show you…"
The predator chuckled and slapped the mortal again, drawing a grunt of pain from him as his words cut off abruptly.
A gasp drew the predator's attention as the sleepy girl shot up. "Dad?!" she questioned frantically.
"It's okay Bells," the mortal said, trying to hush the girl. "Just stay there, baby girl. It'll be all right…"
"So touching," the predator drawled lowly. "But also very inaccurate," he finished coldly as he turned to face the terrified girl, his face obscured by shadows.
"Who-who are you?" she stammered while reaching for the lamp.
She sucked in a shocked breath as the lamp disappeared from the table and crashed against the wall in the next second.
"No lights," the predator ordered.
The girl whimpered with a nod as the mortal man twisted and struggled, to no avail.
"What do you want with us?" the mortal demanded gruffly and the predator had to admire his courage, if only fleetingly.
The predator tossed the mortal against the wall and grinned down at him. "What do I want with you?" he repeated back to the crumpled man. "Satisfaction," he murmured smoothly. "Nothing more...nothing less."
"I-I don't understand…" the mortal muttered with a creased brow.
"It's not for you to understand, mortal, but to deliver."
The girl gasped, her dilated eyes wide with realization. "Mortal…" she whispered as cold dread filled her. "Oh god, you...you're a vampire..." Tears now coursed down her cheeks as she peered around the darkened room frantically, as if searching for a savior to appear.
Low, chilling laughter filled the relative silence as the predator yanked the mortal to his feet by the front of his sleep shirt, drawing a grunt from him.
"Why?" the girl sobbed. "Why are you doing this?"
The predator pulled the mortal close, his hand around his neck as he tilted the man's head with a flick of his thumb. "This is all for you sweetheart. Let this be a lesson against playing in worlds you shouldn't." He chuckled and the sound of it sent chills racing down her spine. "A shame it will be a short-lived lesson…"
With that, he tilted his head and bit deeply into the mortal's neck. The man screamed in terror and pain and the girl reached out desperately with one hand toward the darkened figures that were now seemingly melded into one. "Please!" she begged. "Please spare my father! Kill me instead!"
He pulled back from the struggling mortal's neck, blood smeared all over his mouth and running down his chin as he smiled. "Oh don't worry, you're next," he said before covering the coursing wound with his lips again.
"Bells...baby, run!" the mortal gasped as his hands clawed and flailed at the iron grip that held him.
The girl sobbed as she watched the shadowed struggles of her father slow before ceasing altogether. The sound of his body hitting the floor was punctuated by a high pitched wail of grief and a sinister laugh. "It's painful having everything dear taken from you isn't it?"
She stared blankly toward the darkened figure, her mind numb with shock as one question plagued her. "Who are you?" she demanded as tears dripped from her chin and jaw.
"You really want to know who I am?"
"Yes!" she hissed as her fists clenched at her sides.
He moved to grab the discarded duffle which he unzipped. "Let me present your gift first. I really think you'll like it. I know I do…"
That said, he dumped the contents onto her bed and her breath caught in her throat as she gagged, a scream lodged behind the action as she stared in horror. There, just inches from her lap, was the head of Edward Cullen, his horrified, sorrow-filled black eyes rolling wildly.
Losing the fight against her nausea, she leaned over and retched, the contents of her stomach covering the opposite side of her bed as the predator grinned coldly. "I take that as a no?" he questioned dryly and she coughed and retched again. He shrugged and tossed the bag away. "Aw well, I tried," he drawled in mock regret.
When she'd finished, she sat up and looked toward him. "Why?" she wailed, her voice raw and cracking with abuse and grief.
He was on her in the next second, her face pinned to the side as his nose traced up the length of her neck. "Why…" he stated flatly against her wildly throbbing pulse. "Because you ruined everything that was good in my life, and all for a teenaged crush!" he sneered while his hold on her neck tightened gradually.
"How?" she choked. "I don't even know you…"
His dark laughter crawled over her like a hoard of insects and she shuddered. "You just don't get it do you?" he snarled as his fingertips dug into her skin, drawing blood. "You're so selfish that it didn't even register when your very presence devastated my world…" He eased his hold and she gasped as tears ran onto her pillow unchecked. "It's okay though," he murmured as his thumb rubbed over her jawline almost gently. "I'm about to take care of that and there won't be a question in your mind as to who I am and why I'm doin' this."
So saying, he yanked her up from the bed and walked into the shaft of moonlight that spilled through the window. Turning her body, he stared down into her face coldly, his black eyes a seemingly endless void of hatred.
"Jas-Jasper!" she croaked in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Now do you see?" he demanded while his grip on her arms tightened painfully as he shook her. "Now is it clear? You shouldn't have been in my world! My home was my only safe haven-the only place I had to get away from the constant thirst. And now, because of you, I've been cast out-I've lost everything!"
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen…"
He hissed and slapped her sharply. "You're sorry…" he spat as he studied her for a beat. "Yeah, I believe you are...now, but guess what?"
She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes, her own full of defeat. "What?" she murmured.
"It's...too...late."
A ragged scream pierced the night as he opened widely and bit into her neck viciously, her adrenalin driven blood spraying in a wide arc from the corners of his mouth.
He reveled in it; even caught some with his hand and bathed in it as he drank. This… This was his moment and he closed his eyes as her heart gradually slowed and eventually stopped.
It was done.
He was free again...
Dropping the girl's spent corpse, he grabbed the mind-reader's horrified head and placed it back in the bag before lithely jumping from the window.
"Well Major," a familiar voice drawled from the trees. "Ya done had your fun, we best be gettin' home."
He turned to his Captain and inclined his head.
"Home… Sounds good to me."
~Fin
She was weeping…
...again.
It was all the girl seemed to do these days.
That, and scream in her sleep, such as it was…
The predator's lip curled back as he listened from the tree outside her window, his black eyes glittering with malice.
'Disgusting, pathetic little human,' he thought as he relaxed back on the limb he was perched on, his long, denim-clad legs crossed at the ankles.
He'd been watching her for several days now, just biding his time...waiting for the perfect moment…
He was patient because he wanted her coherent. He wanted her to know what was happening when it happened. He wanted her to want to live again...
...before killing her.
~o0o~
The morning air was chill and thick with moisture as the girl left her house and climbed into her ancient truck. The starter whined in protest before the engine finally caught and coughed to life, a puff of smoke billowing from the tail pipe in a display of fatigue.
Reaching over, the girl flipped the switch for the heat and blew into her clasped hands as she waited for warmth to exit the vents. As she waited, her eyes fell upon the ragged void where a stereo had been and her gaze darted quickly to her lap.
It had been two months since…
She took a deep breath and allowed herself to think his name…
'Edward…' With squared shoulders, she nodded to herself. She was getting better every day. The nightmares had finally ceased and with the help of her best friend, she was getting back to the business of living.
She smiled a tiny smile at the thought of her friend-her own personal Sun... Warmth suffused the area in her chest that had been an empty void since Edward had left, her heart beat quickening at the thought of the happiness Jake had brought her and the kiss they'd shared just the day before…
It had been sweet and gentle and real and just more than she ever could have imagined-more than she thought she deserved, but still, she would accept it, just as Jake told her to.
He'd spent the first month just keeping her alive and sane, nursing her along gently with kind deeds and caring words until she'd slowly begun to believe...
She was worth something-her Sun had said so...
The next month they'd spent together, slowly and carefully weaving their souls together until she woke up one morning, just days ago, realizing she loved him, more deeply than she ever thought possible…
Her smile brightened and she put the old truck into gear. It was time to get to school and on with life; a life that, she finally realized, was worth living again.
~o0o~
He was in the tree again, a wicked smirk upon his lips as he watched the wolf leave for the night.
It had been a simple thing to mask his scent from the shifter. All he'd done at first was clothe himself in the mind-reader's left-behind garments and he'd blended easily with the scent that was still thick around the human's house. His menacing grin widened. Now, he had an even better method of masking his scent… Venom...and plenty of it.
His manic red gaze cut to the duffel bag he'd brought with him on this jaunt to the human's house and a low, deadly chuckle escaped him. He couldn't wait to present her with his 'gift'.
He hoped she liked it…
Movement at her window caught his eye and he watched as she slid the pane open while breathing deeply as a tiny smile curved her kiss-plumped lips. "Good night Jake," she whispered, her eyes glittering with love...
...and life.
The predator hissed lowly, his top lip curling back to show a deadly fang. This was it. That look in her eyes… That thick, cloying emotion that now rolled off her in waves… It's what he'd been waiting for…
It was time.
Getting into her house was simple as he'd merely twisted the flimsy handle on the back door. With a quiet snap, it had given and he'd crept in silently.
He knew, from all his weeks of watching, he was now in the kitchen. Moving quickly, he exited and ghosted up the stairs to what he knew was the Chief's room. He'd retrieve him first and let her watch.
Opening the door, he surveyed the room's occupant with cold detachment. This aspect wasn't personal; not really. He wouldn't even bother if the man's death wasn't such a potential source of pain for the girl. So, it was toward that end that he strode forward and snatched the slumbering man from his blankets.
Standing the man on his feet before he'd even awoken fully, the predator gave the mortal two stinging slaps; one to each cheek. His eyes were wide when he finally focused. "Wha… Who the hell are you?" he demanded with a scowl.
The predator slapped the mortal again and dragged him from the room. The man struggled feebly all the way into his daughter's room where he began to plead. "Look, take whatever you want. My wallet's in my room along with other valuables...take me back there and I'll show you…"
The predator chuckled and slapped the mortal again, drawing a grunt of pain from him as his words cut off abruptly.
A gasp drew the predator's attention as the sleepy girl shot up. "Dad?!" she questioned frantically.
"It's okay Bells," the mortal said, trying to hush the girl. "Just stay there, baby girl. It'll be all right…"
"So touching," the predator drawled lowly. "But also very inaccurate," he finished coldly as he turned to face the terrified girl, his face obscured by shadows.
"Who-who are you?" she stammered while reaching for the lamp.
She sucked in a shocked breath as the lamp disappeared from the table and crashed against the wall in the next second.
"No lights," the predator ordered.
The girl whimpered with a nod as the mortal man twisted and struggled, to no avail.
"What do you want with us?" the mortal demanded gruffly and the predator had to admire his courage, if only fleetingly.
The predator tossed the mortal against the wall and grinned down at him. "What do I want with you?" he repeated back to the crumpled man. "Satisfaction," he murmured smoothly. "Nothing more...nothing less."
"I-I don't understand…" the mortal muttered with a creased brow.
"It's not for you to understand, mortal, but to deliver."
The girl gasped, her dilated eyes wide with realization. "Mortal…" she whispered as cold dread filled her. "Oh god, you...you're a vampire..." Tears now coursed down her cheeks as she peered around the darkened room frantically, as if searching for a savior to appear.
Low, chilling laughter filled the relative silence as the predator yanked the mortal to his feet by the front of his sleep shirt, drawing a grunt from him.
"Why?" the girl sobbed. "Why are you doing this?"
The predator pulled the mortal close, his hand around his neck as he tilted the man's head with a flick of his thumb. "This is all for you sweetheart. Let this be a lesson against playing in worlds you shouldn't." He chuckled and the sound of it sent chills racing down her spine. "A shame it will be a short-lived lesson…"
With that, he tilted his head and bit deeply into the mortal's neck. The man screamed in terror and pain and the girl reached out desperately with one hand toward the darkened figures that were now seemingly melded into one. "Please!" she begged. "Please spare my father! Kill me instead!"
He pulled back from the struggling mortal's neck, blood smeared all over his mouth and running down his chin as he smiled. "Oh don't worry, you're next," he said before covering the coursing wound with his lips again.
"Bells...baby, run!" the mortal gasped as his hands clawed and flailed at the iron grip that held him.
The girl sobbed as she watched the shadowed struggles of her father slow before ceasing altogether. The sound of his body hitting the floor was punctuated by a high pitched wail of grief and a sinister laugh. "It's painful having everything dear taken from you isn't it?"
She stared blankly toward the darkened figure, her mind numb with shock as one question plagued her. "Who are you?" she demanded as tears dripped from her chin and jaw.
"You really want to know who I am?"
"Yes!" she hissed as her fists clenched at her sides.
He moved to grab the discarded duffle which he unzipped. "Let me present your gift first. I really think you'll like it. I know I do…"
That said, he dumped the contents onto her bed and her breath caught in her throat as she gagged, a scream lodged behind the action as she stared in horror. There, just inches from her lap, was the head of Edward Cullen, his horrified, sorrow-filled black eyes rolling wildly.
Losing the fight against her nausea, she leaned over and retched, the contents of her stomach covering the opposite side of her bed as the predator grinned coldly. "I take that as a no?" he questioned dryly and she coughed and retched again. He shrugged and tossed the bag away. "Aw well, I tried," he drawled in mock regret.
When she'd finished, she sat up and looked toward him. "Why?" she wailed, her voice raw and cracking with abuse and grief.
He was on her in the next second, her face pinned to the side as his nose traced up the length of her neck. "Why…" he stated flatly against her wildly throbbing pulse. "Because you ruined everything that was good in my life, and all for a teenaged crush!" he sneered while his hold on her neck tightened gradually.
"How?" she choked. "I don't even know you…"
His dark laughter crawled over her like a hoard of insects and she shuddered. "You just don't get it do you?" he snarled as his fingertips dug into her skin, drawing blood. "You're so selfish that it didn't even register when your very presence devastated my world…" He eased his hold and she gasped as tears ran onto her pillow unchecked. "It's okay though," he murmured as his thumb rubbed over her jawline almost gently. "I'm about to take care of that and there won't be a question in your mind as to who I am and why I'm doin' this."
So saying, he yanked her up from the bed and walked into the shaft of moonlight that spilled through the window. Turning her body, he stared down into her face coldly, his black eyes a seemingly endless void of hatred.
"Jas-Jasper!" she croaked in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Now do you see?" he demanded while his grip on her arms tightened painfully as he shook her. "Now is it clear? You shouldn't have been in my world! My home was my only safe haven-the only place I had to get away from the constant thirst. And now, because of you, I've been cast out-I've lost everything!"
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen…"
He hissed and slapped her sharply. "You're sorry…" he spat as he studied her for a beat. "Yeah, I believe you are...now, but guess what?"
She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes, her own full of defeat. "What?" she murmured.
"It's...too...late."
A ragged scream pierced the night as he opened widely and bit into her neck viciously, her adrenalin driven blood spraying in a wide arc from the corners of his mouth.
He reveled in it; even caught some with his hand and bathed in it as he drank. This… This was his moment and he closed his eyes as her heart gradually slowed and eventually stopped.
It was done.
He was free again...
Dropping the girl's spent corpse, he grabbed the mind-reader's horrified head and placed it back in the bag before lithely jumping from the window.
"Well Major," a familiar voice drawled from the trees. "Ya done had your fun, we best be gettin' home."
He turned to his Captain and inclined his head.
"Home… Sounds good to me."
~Fin
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.