#thelastcomrade

Hazel wanted to be wanted. She wanted someone to love her. Someone who would tuck her in at night, give her hugs and kisses, someone who would smile when they saw her and would take care of her when she was hurt or sad. She wanted to know she was needed, to know someone loved and cherished her.

But she didn’t have any of that at all. Her mum and dad didn’t love her. All they did was yell at her and hit her and talk about how disappointed they were in her. She could never do anything right. All her attempts to try and get them to love her never worked. Trying to do all the chores or making them cards saying how much she loved them – that they only ended up ripping apart. She couldn’t do anything to make them happy.

She was walking home from school, but she just didn’t have it in her to go home. It was a foggy and rainy day – the sky was cloudy and miserable and it matched her sad hopeless mood perfectly. She went in another direction, walking towards the forest, her silver bracelets clanked loudly together as she walked. Maybe she should leave home and not go back. They would be happier without her anyway, wouldn’t they be? She walked further into the forest, remembering teacher’s warnings not to go places where no other adults or kids were around. But she was too sad to care. She found a tree and took off her backpack and sweater and sat against it. Without her sweater on, all the bruises on her arms could be seen. Bruises she always had to keep hidden with the sweaters her parents made her wear, even on hotter days like today. But no one would see them here. Maybe she should really just not go home at all.

She would never be loved… and on top of being worthless and a mistake she was a werewolf. With her magic spelled bracelets she was harmless but still…she was a freak and unlovable. If she left where would she go?Realizing how alone she was here and at home made her start to cry. She couldn’t stop once she’d started. All she could think about was how unloved she was. Her own mum and dad hated her. She was worthless. What was the point anymore? She was sobbing and she wasn’t paying attention to anything anymore. “Why don’t they love me?” She sobbed. “What am I doing wrong…” And then she couldn’t speak anymore, just sobbing and sobbing until she was to tired to cry anymore. She shut her eyes, not wanting to leave and go back home. She couldn’t stand the thought to go back to being hit. She ended up drifting off.

By the time she awoke, she realized the mistake she had made. It was pitch black. She couldn’t even see herself. She moved her hands in front of her face and she couldn’t see them either. She began to feel panicked. What had she been thinking? She should have gone back home. She was scared. She felt terribly alone and frightened. What if someone bad was around? Kids weren’t supposed to be out at night. There were bad people to watch out for. She knew about stranger danger, and the scary kidnapping stories. She felt around for her backpack and sweater, picking them up, moving forward but then tripping. She picked herself back up, rubbing her eyes. “I’m so stupid.” Her parents were going to be so mad at her. Who was she kidding? She didn’t belong anywhere else. No wonder they didn’t love her, she couldn’t do anything right. Maybe they didn’t love her, but she loved them and she wanted to go back and try again. But she would be punished for not being home after school. Not because they’d worry about her, but because she knew they didn’t want anyone to know about how they treated her. She didn’t understand why because she was their daughter and they could treat her how they wanted too. But they always got panicked if they thought people would know. She started to cry, thinking of the punishments, her mother and father yelling and her father’s favorite punishment method – his belt. She would have to go back and face that.  But she deserved it. “I’m so stupid,” she sobbed. She was so scared.

“That’s for sure,” a man’s voice said suddenly, and before she could react something crashed into her, slamming her onto her back. Hands held her arms and legs pinned down her legs. She screamed and struggled but it was no use. She couldn’t move. “I’ve always wanted to try young blood like yours,” the man said, touching her neck. “It’s hard to get at kids like you. So well protected in public places or in house I can’t get into. But then I find one wandering around at night! Much better than a hiker.” Hazel whimpered and screamed again.

She could smell a strange scent – and realized as she saw veins appear under his eyes, saw fangs in his mouth. He was a vampire. She’d never met one before but she knew they were real and now one had found her who was going to hurt her just like her mum and dad. When he sank his fangs into her neck, it was agony. It felt like two needles were being put into her neck. She screamed and tried to kick him but she was pinned. She could hear him swallowing. She felt sick. Slowly her attempts to struggle got weaker. She got weaker. Her body felt heavy and weak. She felt like sleeping.

"Stefan." Rebekah took a few steps within her perimeter before taking a seat. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Welcome one and all to Dante's Inferno. Do enjoy your stay."