The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Five

Dr. Feinberg, Elena perspective wildly, trying to twist well-nigh to look and simultaneously press herself into the shadows. alone it wasnt the sm totally, hawk-nosed visage of the doctor that met her eyes. It was a breast with features as fine as those on a papist coin or medallion, and haunted green eyes. Time caught for a moment, and at that placefore Elena was in his arms.Oh, Stefan. StefanShe mat his body go electrostatic with shock. He was retentiveness her mechanically, lightly, as if she were a oddishr whod mistaken him for almost adept else.Stefan, she tell desperately, burrowing her face into his shoulder, trying to get some response. She couldnt bear it if he rejected her if he hated her now she would dieWith a moan, she tried to get heretofore closer to him, wanting to merge with him completely, to disappear inside him. Oh, please, she thought, oh, please, oh, please Elena. Elena, its all right Ive got you. He went on talking to her, repeating silly berth me ant to soothe, stroking her hair. And she could feel the change as his arms tightened almost her. He knew who he was holding now. For the polish offshoot time since shed awakened that day, she matt-up safe. Still, it was a long epoch to begin with she could relax her grip on him so far off slightly. She wasnt crying she was gasping in panic.At last she felt the world starting signal to settle into place around her. She didnt let go, though, non yet. She simply s to a faultd for undying minutes with her division on his shoulder, drinking in the comfort and protective cover of his nearness. whence she raised her head to look into his eyes.When shed thought of Stefan earlier that day, shed thought of how he might answer her. Shed meant to ask him, to beg him, to save her from this nightmare, to reconstruct her the way she had been before. however now, as she looked at him, she felt a unusual despairing resignation flow through her.Theres no subject to be through with (p) ab come forth it, is there? she verbalise very softly.He didnt pretend to misunderstand. No, he said, equally soft.Elena felt as if she had taken some final st unloosee over an invisible line and that there was no re bend. When she could speak once more, she said, Im morose for the way I acted toward you in the woods. I dont know why I did those intimacys. I remember doing them, unless I cant remember why.Youre sorry? His voice shook. Elena, afterward all Ive d one and and(a) to you, all thats happened to you because of me He couldnt finish, and they clung to each another(prenominal)(prenominal). very(prenominal) touching, said a voice from the stairway. Do you want me to imitate a violin?How did you get here? said Stefan.The same way you did, I presume. Attracted by the blazing beacon of the fair Elenas distress. Damon was really angry Elena could tell. non secure annoyed or discommoded but in a uninfected heat of rage and hostility. s railcarcely hed been decent to her when shed been confused and irrational. Hed taken her to protect hed kept her safe. And he hadnt kissed her while shed been in that horrifyingly vulnerable state. Hed been gracious to her.Incidentally, theres something going on down there, Damon said.I know its Bonnie again, said Elena, releasing Stefan and moving hold.Thats not what I meant. This is discoverside.Startled, Elena followed him down to the first malefactor in the stairs, where there was a windowpane over flavour the parking lot. She felt Stefan behind her as she looked down at the scene below.A drive of commonwealth had come out of the church, but they were standing in a solid phalanx at the edge of the lot, not going whatever farther. Opposite them, in the parking lot itself, was an equally large fable of dogs.It looked bid devil armies facing each other. What was eerie, though, was that both groups were absolutely motionless. The masses seemed to be paralyzed by uneasiness, and the dogs seemed to be waiting for something.Elena apothegm the dogs first as different breeds. There were small dogs like sharp-faced corgis and dark-brown-and-black silky terriers and a Lhasa apso with long sumptuous hair. There were medium-sized dogs like springer spaniels and Airedales and one beautiful snow white Samoyed. And there were the big dogs a barrel-chested rottweiler with a cropped bed, a panting gray wolfhound, and a giant schnauzer, pure black. Then Elena began to recognize individuals.Thats Mr. Grunbaums boxer and the Sullivans German shepherd. and whats going on with them?The people, in the beginning uneasy, now looked frightened. They stood shoulder to shoulder, no one wanting to break out of the figurehead line and move both closer to the animals.And yet the dogs werent doing anything, just sitting or standing, some with their tongues lolling gently out. Strange, though, how still they were, Elena thought. Every diminutive motion, such as the slightest twitch of tail or ears , seemed vastly exaggerated. And there were no wagging tails, no signs of friendliness. unsloped waiting.Robert was toward the back of the vauntd. Elena was surprised at beholding him, but for a moment she couldnt call back of why. Then she realized it was because he hadnt been in the church. As she watched, he drew farther apart from the group, vanish under the overhang below Elena. psyche had moved out of the front line at last. It was Douglas Carson, Elena realized, Sue Carsons married older brother. Hed stepped into the no-mans-land between the dogs and the people, one hand slightly extended.A springer spaniel with long ears like brown satin turned her head. Her white stump of a tail quivered slightly, questioningly, and her brown-and-white muzzle lifted. only when she didnt come to the young man.Doug Carson took another step. Chelsea good girl. Come here, Chelsea. Come He snapped his fingers.What do you whizz from those dogs down there? Damon murmured.Stefan shook his h ead without face away from the window. Nothing, he said shortly.Neither do I. Damons eyes were narrowed, his head tilted back appraisingly, but his slightly bared teeth reminded Elena of the wolfhound. exactly we should be able to, you know. They ought to beget some emotions we can pick up on. Instead, every time I try to try out them its like trial into a blank white wall.Elena wished she knew what they were talking about. What do you mean probe them? she said. Theyre animals.Appearances can be deceiving, Damon said ironically, and Elena thought about the rainbow lights in the feathers of the crow that had followed her since the first day of school. If she looked closely, she could see those same rainbow lights in Damons silky hair. But animals invite emotions, in any case. If your Powers are strong adequacy, you can bear witness their minds.And my Powers arent, thought Elena. She was blow out of the water by the twinge of envy that went through her. Just a few minutes ago shed been clinging to Stefan, frantic to get rid of any Powers she had, to change herself back. And now, she wished she were stronger. Damon eternally had an odd effect on her.I may not be able to probe Chelsea, but I dont think Doug should go any closer, she said aloud.Stefan had been staring fixedly out the window, his eyebrows drawn together. Now he nodded fractionally, but with a sudden sense of urgency. I dont either, he said.Cmon, Chelsea, be a good girl. Come here. Doug Carson had roughly reached the first row of dogs. tout ensemble eyes, human and canine, were fixed on him, and correct such tiny movements as twitches had stopped. If Elena hadnt seen the sides of one or two dogs cakehole and fill with their breathing, she might have thought the whole group was some giant museum display.Doug had come to a halt. Chelsea was watching him from behind the corgi and the Samoyed. Doug clucked his tongue. He stretched out his hand, hesitated, and then stretched it out farther.Y es. She could see his gaze unfocus with concentration then, he shook his head, exhaling like a person whos tried to lift some-thing too heavy. Its no good Im burnt out. I cant do it from here.Below, Chelseas lips skinned back from her teeth. The red-gold Airedale rose to her feet in one beautifully smooth movement, as if pulled by strings. The hindquarters of the rottweiler bunched.And then they sprang. Elena couldnt see which of the dogs was the first they seemed to move together like a great wave. Half a dozen hit Doug Carson with enough force to knock him backward, and he disappeared under their massed bodies.The air was full of diabolic noise, from a metallic baying that set the church rafters ringing and gave Elena an instant headache, to a deep-throated continuous growl that she felt rather than hear. Dogs were tearing at clothing, snarling, lunging, while the crowd scattered and screamed.Elena caught sight of Alaric Saltzman at the edge of the parking lot, the only one who w asnt running. He was standing stiffly, and she thought she could see his lips moving, and his hands.Everywhere else was pandemonium. Someone had gotten a hose and was turning it into the thick of the pack, but it was having no effect. The dogs seemed to have gone mad. When Chelsea raised her brown-and-white muzzle from her masters body, it was tinged with red.Elenas heart was pounding so that she could barely breathe. They need help she said, just as Stefan broke away from the window and went down the stairs, taking them two and three at a time. Elena was middle(prenominal) down the stairs herself when she realized two things Damon wasnt following her, and she couldnt let herself be seen.She couldnt. The hysteria it would cause, the questions, the fear and hatred once the questions were answered. Something that ran deeper than compassion or discernment or the need to help wrenched her back, flattening her against the wall.In the dim, cool interior of the church, she glimpsed a boi ling pocket of activity. People were dashing back and forth, shouting. Dr. Feinberg, Mr. McCullough, Reverend Bethea. The still point of the circle was Bonnie lying on a church bench with Meredith and aunty Judith and Mrs. McCullough bent over her. Something despicable, she was moaning, and then Aunt Judiths head came up, turning in Elenas direction. Elena scuttled up the stairs as quickly as she could, praying Aunt Judith hadnt seen her. Damon was at the window.I cant go down there. They think Im deadOh, youve remembered that. dear(p) for you.Hell think youre an interesting specimen, all right.Then I cant go. But you can. why dont you do something?Damon continued to look out the window, eyebrows hiking up. Why?Why? Elenas affright and overexcitement reached flash point and she almost slapped him. Because they need help Because you can help. Dont you treat about anything besides yourself?Damon was wearing his most impenetrable mask, the expression of civil inquiry hed worn whe n he invited himself to her house for dinner. But she knew that beneath it he was angry, angry at scrapeing her and Stefan together. He was baiting her on manipulation and with savage enjoyment.And she couldnt help her reaction, her frustrated, impotent rage. She started for him, and he caught her wrists and held her off, his eyes boring into hers. She was startled to hear the sound that came from her lips then it was a hiss that sounded more feline than human. She realized her fingers were hooked into claws.What am I doing? Attacking him because he wont defy people against the dogs that are attacking them? What kind of sense does that attain? subsisting hard, she relaxed her hands and wet her lips. She stepped back and he let her.There was a long moment while they stared at each other.Im going down, Elena said quietly and turned.No.They need help. totally right, then, damn you. Shed never heard Damons voice so low, or so furious. Ill- he broke off and Elena, turning back quick ly, saw him slam a fist into the window-sill, zippy the glass. But his attention was outside and his voice perfectly composed again when he said dryly, Help has arrived.It was the fire department. Their hoses were much more tidy than the garden hose, and the jet streams of water drove the lunging dogs off with sheer force. Elena saw a sheriff with a gun and bit the inside of her cheek as he aimed and sighted. There was a crack, and the giant schnauzer went down. The sheriff aimed again.It ended quickly after that. Several dogs were already running from the barrage of water, and with the second crack of the shooting iron more broke from the pack and headed for the edges of the parking lot. It was as if the purpose that had goaded them had released them all at once. Elena felt a rush of relief as she saw Stefan standing unharmed in the middle of the rout, shoving a dazed-looking golden retriever away from Doug Carsons form. Chelsea took a skulking step toward her master and looked into his face, head and tail drooping.Its all over, Damon said. He sounded only mildly interested, but Elena glanced at him sharply. All right then, damn you, Ill what? she thought. What had he been about to say? He wasnt in any modality to tell her, but she was in a clime to push.Its all over, Damon said. He sounded only mildly interested, but Elena glanced at him sharply. All right then, damn you, Ill what? she thought. What had he been about to say? He wasnt in any mood to tell her, but she was in a mood to push.He stiffened, then turned. Well?For a second they stood looking at each other, and then there was a step on the stair. Stefan had returned.Stefan youre hurt, she said, blinking, utterly disoriented.Im all right. He wiped blood off his cheek with a shattered sleeve.What about Doug? Elena asked, swallowing.I dont know. He is hurt. A lot of people are. That was the strangest thing Ive ever seen.Elena moved away from Damon, up the stairs into the choir loft. She felt that she had to think, but her head was pounding. The strangest thing Stefan had ever seen that was saying a lot. Something strange in Fells Church.She reached the wall behind the last row of seats and sit a hand against it, sliding down to sit on the floor. Things seemed at once confused and frighteningly clear. Something strange in Fells Church. The day of the founders jubilation she would have sworn she didnt care anything about Fells Church or the people in it. But now she knew differently. Looking down on the recollection service, she had begun to think perhaps she did care.And then, when the dogs had attacked outside, shed known it. She felt somehow responsible for the town, in a way she had never felt before.Her earlier sense of nakedness and loneliness had been pushed aside for the moment. There was something more important than her own problems now. And she clung to that something, because the justness was that she really couldnt deal with her own situation, no, she really , really couldntShe heard the gasping half whoreson she gave then and looked up to see both Stefan and Damon in the choir loft, looking at her. She shook her head slightly, putting a hand to it, touch as if she were coming out of a dream.Elena ?It was Stefan who spoke, but Elena addressed herself to the other one.Damon, she said shakily, if I ask you something, will you tell me the truth? I know you didnt chase me off Wickery Bridge. I could feel whatever it was, and it was different. But I want to ask you this was it you who dumped Stefan in the old Francher well a month ago?In a well? Damon leaned back against the turnabout wall, arms crossed over his chest. He looked politely incredulous.On Halloween night, the night Mr. Tanner was killed. After you showed yourself for the first time to Stefan in the woods. He told me he left you in the clearing and started to walk to his car but that someone attacked him before he reached it. When he woke up, he was trapped in the well, and h e would have died there if Bonnie hadnt led us to him. I always assumed you were the one who attacked him. He always assumed you were the one. But were you?As a matter of fact, no, he said.Elena let out her breath.You cant moot that Stefan exploded. You cant believe anything he says.Why should I lie? Damon returned, clearly enjoying Stefans loss of control. I admit freely to killing Tanner. I drank his blood until he sere like a prune. And I wouldnt mind doing the same thing to you, brother. But a well? Its hardly my style.I believe you, Elena said. Her mind was hurry ahead. She turned to Stefan. Dont you feel it? Theres something else here in Fells Church, something that may not even be human-may never have been human, I mean. Something that chased me, forced my car off the bridge. Something that made those dogs attack people. Some terrible force thats here, something evil Her voice trailed off, and she looked over toward the interior of the church where she had seen Bonnie lyin g. Something evil she restate softly. A cold wind seemed to blow inside her, and she huddled into herself, feel vulnerable and alone.If youre looking for evil, Stefan said harshly, you dont have to look far.Dont be any more stupid than you can help, said Damon. I told you four age ago that someone else had killed Elena. And I said that I was going to find that someone and deal with him. And I am. He uncrossed his arms and straightened up. You two can continue that private conversation you were having when I interrupted.Damon, wait. Elena hadnt been able to help the shudder that tore through her when he said killed. I cant have been killed Im still here, she thought wildly, feeling panic swell up in her again. But now she pushed the panic aside to speak to Damon.Whatever this thing is, its strong, she said. I felt it when it was after me, and it seemed to fill the whole sky. I dont think any of us would stand a stake against it alone.So?So Elena hadnt had time to gather her thoug hts this far. She was running purely on instinct, on intuition. And intuition told her not to let Damon go. So I think we three ought to bank together. I think we have a much better chance of finding it and dealing with it together than separately. And maybe we can stop it before it hurts or-or kills-anyone else.Elena stared at him. Of course it wasnt her choice, if he meant romantically. She was wearing the ring Stefan had given her she and Stefan belonged together.But then she remembered something else, just a flash looking up at Damons face in the woods and feeling such-such excitement, such affinity with him. As if he understood the flame that burned inside her as goose egg else ever could. As if together they could do anything they liked, conquer the world or destroy it as if they were better than anyone else who had ever lived.I was out of my mind, irrational, she told herself, but that little flash of memory wouldnt go away.And then she remembered something else how Damon had acted later that night, how hed kept her safe, even been gentle with her.Stefan was looking at her, and his expression had changed from belligerence to hot anger and fear. Part of her wanted to reassure him completely, to throw her arms around him and tell him that she was his and always would be and that nothing else mattered. Not the town, not Damon, not anything.But she wasnt doing it. Because another part of her was saying that the town did matter. And because still another part was just terribly, terribly confused. So confusedShe felt a trembling begin deep inside her, and then she found she couldnt make it stop. Emotional overload, she thought, and put her head in her hands.