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bamblepee · 4 months

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Into Your Veins- Part IX

Ao3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

It's the middle of the night when you're woken up by the sound of a generator being kicked on and a floodlight coming to life inside of the barn. You hadn't even meant to fall asleep, but you were just so tired, you must've nodded off in Ghost's arms. You squint into the bright light, trying not to scald your fucking retinas.

"Well, well, well. Two new visitors to our little compound! How exciting!" There's a blonde man with a slight southern twang to his voice standing outside your cages. Two things strike you immediately- number one, how clean he is compared to everyone else. Number two, his teeth are pointed. They aren't quite like Ghost's, whose canines are more pronounced. It reminds you more of tiny, sharp kitten teeth, which is weird and unnerving to see on a grown man.

"Is that- Ghost? That you in there?" The man laughs, but it's a weird laugh. It almost sounds victorious, like all he's ever wanted is to see Ghost in a cage.

"Graves." Ghost says in the way of a greeting, stretching his legs a bit before moving to stand.

"And who have you got with you? A little snack for the road?" Groves asks, bending at the waist a bit to look at you like you're a small child or an animal. You get up to your feet, dusting yourself off.

"Breakfast, actually." You say, earning you a chuckle from both vampires. Behind his head you can see movement in the dark hayloft above the lights. It's Nikto, and he holds up an index finger over where his mouth would be under his mask. Quiet. I'm not here.

"Oh, she's funny! I like that." Graves says, sauntering closer, giving you a blatant once-over that makes your skin crawl. "You must be doin' pretty good if you're able to keep her as soft as this. They always taste so much better when they're well-fed, dontcha think? May I?"

Graves tries to lean in closer to you through the open cage door, but Ghost pushes at his chest with two thick fingers, sending him stumbling back a few paces. He doesn't look surprised, though, and just chuckles a little as he gets his legs back under him.

"Touch her and I will break your fucking fangs." Ghost warns, voice rumbling as he steps out of the cage. You're not so gung-ho, perfectly content to stay back and behind your giant protector.

"Should've figured you're not the sharing type." Graves chuckles, a little too good-naturedly. It feels like an act, for sure.

"We were told that we could go once we hear you out. So let's hear it, then." You pipe up, sounding far more confident than you feel. You're pretty sure Ghost won't let you get eaten. Not by this asshole, anyways.

"Well, normally I'd have a big 'ol speech about the mission of the ranch and what we're tryin' to accomplish here, but frankly, I know Ghost. He's not interested. So we can skip all that and just have you on your way. Unless you want to stay?" Graves says with a car salesman's smile aimed directly at you.

"She doesn't." Ghost says.

"I don't." You say at the same time.

"That's too bad, I know my Penny likes you. The three of us could have had some fun together." You can't even force yourself not to wrinkle your nose in disgust at that. The idea of this man touching you makes your skin crawl. Poor Penny.

"Yeah? Well I like Penny. Since you're so fond of sharin', you'll just let her come home with us, yeah?" Ghost taunts, clearly knowing full well that this is not a two-way street for Graves. He holds his hand out to Penny, who's still smiling softly, despite the panic in her eyes. You try to tamp down the weird pang of jealousy that you feel silly about experiencing. He's just trying to save her, get a fucking grip, you tell yourself.

"Oh, but Penny's so useful here. AB negative, that's a rare treat, you know." Graves says as he aggressively throws an arm around Penny's shoulders, causing her to flinch a little as he pulls her in close and takes a few steps back.

"You don't think it should be her call?" You chime in, and you can see the effects of your words immediately ripple through the crowd. Knowing, nervous looks are shared in the group and Penny's eyes grow wide with fear despite the smile permanently affixed on her face. Graves takes three steps towards you, leaving Penny behind.

"Nikto!" Ghost calls out before Graves can say or do anything, and from the darkness of the hayloft a knife comes whirring through the air, embedding itself in the back of Graves's skull with a sickening thud before the man crumples to the ground. There's a few startled screams, but none of these people seem to be capable of doing much more than staring down at his body with trembling hands and wide, terrified eyes. Ghost immediately takes advantage of the time he's got before Graves recovers.

"She and I going to a separate camp, down the highway a few hours drive. It's one that's well-defended and doesn't require anything more than helping in whatever way you're able. There's certainly no biting. If you want to come with us, say so. You're welcome to join, and you can leave whenever you want." Ghost calls out to the crowd. In the front, to the far left, you see another woman with a soft smile and silent tears streaming down her face. The longer you look, the more her smile seems forced, pained. It reminds you of Penny. She's shaking with the energy of someone who doesn't want to hold back anymore. Someone who's been compelled to stay.

"Ghost-" You say as you step out of the cage, tapping his arm and nodding towards the woman. He doesn't seem to be surprised.

"Really, Graves? The whole flock thralled?" Ghost asks, and Graves just chuckles into the dirty floor as he slowly gets up, the knife sliding out from the back of his skull with a dull thud on the hay-covered ground. A few people gasp in shock at the realization that he's still alive.

"Not all of 'em. Believe it or not, Ghost, lots of people find me and my vision rather convincing. Charming, even." He says with an expression somewhere between a snarl and a smile.

"I do not believe that, no." Ghost says flatly.

"I do! I believe in Master Graves!" Pipes up Derek from the back of the crowd, and Graves points at him with a look that says 'See? I told you'.

"One incredibly weird robin doesn't make it spring." You point out, earning you a 'Hey!' from the back of the barn. "Look, if you're so magnanimous, it's no issue if folks have changed their minds and want to come with us, right?"

"Stop." Graves hisses, losing the last bits of the facade of friendliness instantly.

Graves's eyes go red... but it feels wrong. Different. Like there's a chunk of ice that was suddenly dropped in your stomach that you know would suddenly go away if you did what you're told, and will just slowly melt in your guts if you don't. You know somehow that can choose the discomfort and keep your autonomy or be rid of it and do as you're told. It's not at all like when Ghost does it. You do your best to keep your face neutral so he won't know anything is off.

"Get Konig." Graves hisses at Derek, who immediately runs off at top speed to eagerly do his master's bidding. "Clearly you two aren't here with good intentions for my flock. And attacking me from behind? Well, that's just rude. Where are your manners, Ghost? Honestly."

"Left 'em in the cage you put my girl in." Ghost says before he turns to the crowd in front of you with red eyes flashing. "Alright, you lot- get the fuck out of this barn."

He marches towards Graves, rolling up his sleeves and everyone, including Nikto, hustles out of the big open barn doors. Most of them stop and turn to watch the action with wide, uncertain eyes, while a few others keep running straight to the house, probably to loot what they can in case escape is possible. Unlike the others, however, the second Nikto steps out of the threshold he turns on his heel, sprinting back inside to grab the discarded knife from the ground. He throws it with incredible force, whizzing past Graves's nose, slicing the power cable running up to the floodlights, plunging you all into darkness. Only the silver light of the moon pouring through the open barn doors and leaking through gaps in the slatted walls illuminate the struggle.

"Do not-" Graves starts before Ghost socks him in the jaw, sending him flying back against the far wall like some sort of real-life cartoon. He grunts and dusts himself off, quickly resetting his obviously broken jaw with a sickening crunch. You run to the wall where various tools are hung up and resting against the wall, grabbing a shovel. If anyone tries to run in and help Graves, you're determined to smack 'em with the flat of the shovel to knock them out. Mind control is clearly at work here, and you're loathe to kill anyone over things they can't control. Fuck Derek, though, that little weirdo can eat shovel.

Out of nowhere, a giant man with a hangman's mask and a hammer in each fist strolls up to the barn door, backlit by the full moon. Your breath catches in your chest, there's no way you can take this guy on. He pauses a moment to survey the scene, which gives Nikto enough time to grab the shovel from your hands and swing it at the man, catching the behemoth in the throat with the edge. Blood pours everywhere as the giant drops it's weapons and clutches at his lacerated neck, falling to his knees with a sickening, choking gurgle. You barely have time to react before Penny comes rushing through the open doorway, pitchfork in hand, screaming at the top of her lungs like a wild animal before she buries the tines in the back of the giant man.

"Die! Just die!" She screams through a horrible, forced smile, tears streaming down her face. It's horrifying to witness, maybe one of the worst things you've ever seen. She plants her foot on his back and pulls out the pitchfork, only to thrust it in again, clearly using her entire bodyweight to sink the tines even deeper into the man's body. He must be dead, because he doesn't move or make a sound, simply lays on the ground as the silver-dark puddle of blood shines in the moonlight and grows ever larger. Penny just keeps sobbing on top of his corpse, only holding herself upright by the handle of her embedded weapon, smile still in place.

Behind you, Graves and Ghost are still going at it, moving too fast in the dark for you to see properly. Graves seems to have picked up a weapon of some kind, a blade shining in the dark, while Ghost has contented himself with smacking Graves around with just his knuckles. You can hear the impact of crunching bone and heavy bodies against the floor, but it's difficult to track what's actually happening. There's really no way for you to interject or even try to assist Ghost without getting in the way. You grab another shovel off the wall, but you know it's a useless gesture, really. There's nothing any of you mortals can do but watch and wait to see who comes out victorious.

"Don't just stand out there, help me!" Graves calls out to what's left of the crowd, red eyes flashing. That lump of ice settles in your belly again, and you fight through the discomfort to throw Ghost a length of chain you found on the ground. He wraps it around his fist with a wink to you before he clocks Graves across the nose with it. It's instant chaos. People rush in from outside, and Penny's still holding the pitchfork in her shaking hands, the tines pointed towards Graves and Ghost. She's fully sobbing, clearly unwilling to do as she's commanded as she reluctantly shuffles towards Ghost. You and Nikto put yourselves between the fighting vampires and the crowd, shovels in both of your hands.

"You know, if you think about it, keeping me and Nikto from helping is actually helping Graves." You point out, hoping to somehow loophole your way out of killing these poor people with a shovel. Nikto throws you what you think is an amused look from under his mask. "So you guys can just stand there and keep out attention and that's fulfilling the order, right?"

"Penny, get the girl! Shut her up!" Graves yells out as he swings at Ghost with a small sickle, missing completely. Penny's big, wet eyes look to you, despair leaking through her every pore as her slow shuffling is redirected towards you.

"This isn't your fault, Penny. I won't hurt you. I know you don't want this." You say as you readjust your grip on the shovel, trying desperately to think of ways to disarm her without injuring her. You mean what you'd said, you don't blame her for any of this, and you're loathe to hurt an innocent person.

A shot rings out somewhere in the crowded barn, made even louder by virtue of being inside four walls and a ceiling. Everyone turns to look, and there's Derek, rifle raised your direction... with Nikto standing between you. It's like everything moves in slow motion- Nikto falling to his knees as Ghost full-body tackles Derek in a flash, ripping the firearm from his grip. Someone is screaming. Multiple someone's, actually, and you happen to be one of them. By the time you rush to Nikto's side, Ghost has beaten Derek to a bloody pulp and snapped the stock of his rifle in half, throwing the sharp, jagged chunk of wood as hard as he can just over your shoulder. You can feel the breeze created by the projectile and you shudder at the close call.

"What the fuck?!" You yell at your pair, who simply nods behind you. Following his gaze over your shoulder, you see it. Graves, with the sharp shard of rifle stock sticking out of his chest. He's choking on something wet and black that pours out of his mouth at an alarming rate and volume, his veins growing dark under the skin as his eyes roll back and his skin shrinks against his deteriorating muscles. Queasiness forces you to look away after a few moments of watching muscle shrivel and shrink under tightening skin, and when you hear the heavy thud of a rapidly decaying body behind you, it's clear that Philip Graves is dead. Again.

Nikto is in your arms, slumped kneeling on the floor, and you look at the bullet hole. It's in the middle of his chest, center-mass, and bloodless. It takes a moment to register that he's looking up at you, those blue eyes boring a hole through your soul.

"Are you OK?" You ask anxiously, and something tight inside your chest loosens with relief as his eyes crinkle in the corners. A smile.

"Perfectly fine, the force just knocked me off of my feet. The vest is bulletproof, I am uninjured. Very kind of you to be concerned." He says it like he's actually touched, and you can't help but chuckle a little incredulously.

"I mean, pretty sure that bullet was for me. Least I can do is check on you, my guy. I owe you one. Two, actually, since you handled that big motherfucker with the hammers." You put your hand over the bullet hole, patting twice for emphasis.

"We are a team now, yes? Teammates do not keep score like this. You owe nothing." Nikto says dismissively as his hand reaches up to touch yours.

"Yeah, well, you might not keep score, but I'm not gonna forget anytime soon." You say as you help him to his feet. Nikto takes a breath like he's going to say something, but is cut off when Ghost hops up on a hay bale and whistles loudly, getting everyone's attention.

"All right, you lot. Listen up. We are headed to a secure base, and you are all invited to come along. Any work you put in at camp is to serve all of us, not just me. I am not Graves, I will not bite any of you. You will only be asked to contribute what you can, and nothing more. There's food, thick walls, and some medical staff there. You don't have to come, but if that sounds like something you want, all you have to do is follow us when we leave. That said- there is one important rule for entry." Ghost pauses, and you can see the wide, eager eyes of the survivors as they all lean in to hear what it is that might bar them from entry. Ghost's eyes flash red. "You will not tell anyone what I am, or that vampires exist. It's nobody's business, especially since I won't be feeding on any of you. Now, if you want to come along, load up and get ready, we leave in twenty."

Without another word he hops off the hay bale and strides outside towards the van. Nikto follows him automatically, as do you. Judging by the murmuring in the crowd, it sounds like the vast majority are going to tag along, which is a relief. More hands on deck means bigger projects can be undertaken, like building and maintaining greenhouses or digging moats. You haven't even seen the base yet and already your mind is swimming with ideas on how to make life there a lot more bearable. There's just... more hope now that one nasty fucking bad guy is gone and his prisoners are free. You can see the hope on everyone's face, the way folks are giving each other spontaneous hugs as they load their vehicles and fill their canteens in preparation for the journey. It's infectious. You're busy double-checking the van for any fuckery or sabotage when you hear a voice behind you.

"Excuse me, I just-" You turn around, and there's Penny, her smile gone, replaced with a nervous biting of her lips. It strikes you that you're really seeing her for the first time, not the thing that Graves had commanded her to be.

"Hi, Penny." You say gently, and she bursts into tears. You automatically rush in with open arms, and she lets you hold her close as she sobs into your shoulder. You have no idea the things this woman's been through, but you know the acute relief of surviving something that you probably shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She sobs wetly against your shirt.

"It's OK. There's nothing for you to be sorry for. Everything's all right. You coming with us to base?" You ask softly, and she nods against your shoulder. "Good. I hoped you might. I hope you don't mind me saying so, but it seems to me like you've been put through the ringer. You deserve a chance to feel safe."

"You think we'll be safe?" She asks, and the hesitant hope in her voice is heartbreaking.

"If Ghost says we will be, then we will be. I trust him with my life." You say honestly, and Penny pulls back a little, wiping her eyes.

"But he's a- you know." She says, eyes darting around to look for him.

"Yeah, but he's nothing like Graves. Promise." Penny looks you in the eye for a good minute, like she's trying to see if there's any deception there. You didn't know Phil Graves very long, but just in the brief amount of time you got to know him, you can understand why Penny doesn't trust easily. She nods, seemingly content that you're not in cahoots with a bigass vampire to make her suffer even more.

"Come find me after we get settled in? I think- I mean, I- you seem nice. I just, um-" She's struggling to find the words, but you get it. You do. And you feel the same. You reach out and hold her hand.

"Absolutely. I would love that. It's been a minute since I've had dinner with friends, anyways. We'll get together and split a can of peaches or something, yeah?" You say, and Penny's face lights up with a smile, a real one this time, and it's so much prettier than the fake one Graves made her wear.

"I'll look for you when we arrive." She says, wiping at her eyes. "See you there!"

Penny turns and goes back to the line of cars that are slowly being filled with supplies, and it makes you heart feel full to see her skip a little as she trots over to help a group of people load a big water barrel into the back of a pickup.

It doesn't take long to finish arranging the caravan, car after car after car filled with anxious, nervous people waiting to escape Graves' farm and the horrible memories they've built there. You can't say you blame them, really. Their options are to follow the man who liberated them and promised a life free of involuntary blood loss and hard labor, or fend for themselves. It's a no-brainer, really. Ghost starts up the van and slowly pulls out onto the dirt road, moving slowly enough not to kick up dust. The drive is quiet, the three of you mulling over everything you'd seen and experienced at that wretched farm as you watch the stars in the sky keep pace with your van as you speed through the night.

"How did you know Graves?" You ask, trying to distract yourself from the memory of Penny's horrible smile as she killed that man with a pitchfork. It'll be a miracle if you can sleep tonight, what with that memory in your brain.

"Run into each other a few times, before people started comin' back from the dead. He and I worked together to try to keep Valeria in check a long time ago." Ghost says very matter-of-factly, no emotion behind it at all.

"How'd that go?"

"Mixed results." There's a long pause after his answer, he's clearly unwilling to go into more detail about it.

"Graves couldn't make me do things. Not like you can. There was, like, twice that he tried to thrall me and it just... didn't work all the way." You say to nobody in particular, just trying to process what happened out loud.

"You're paired. My understanding is that the only one who can do that to you is him." Nikto supplies after a beat of silence, nodding towards Ghost in the Driver's seat.

"Thought that was just an old wives tale about pairin'." Ghost says quietly, barely audible over the road noise, keeping his eyes forward. "Glad it's not though, eh Breakfast?"

"For real. Hate the idea of being bossed around by anyone but you." You say with a small, relieved laugh. A thought suddenly strikes you, and you smack Ghost's shoulder.

"What?!" He says, more surprised than hurt.

"Vampire married!! You got me fucking vampire married!!!" You shriek with a small laugh in your voice. It's so fucking absurd, all of it. You can't even be annoyed, really, you know it was done for the right reasons and with the best of intentions, but that's not gonna stop you from giving Ghost shit about it.

"You said you weren't mad!"

"I'm not! I'd be dead if you hadn't done it! But way to bury the lede my guy!" You thwack him again. Nikto just laughs from the back seat.

"You didn't tell her?!" Nikto asks incredulously through a laugh. You can't see his eyebrows, but you're sure they're sky-high.

"It's not your-" Ghost starts before you cut him off.

"No! He didn't!" You shriek-laugh, which elicits a weary sigh from your pair.

"Next time, I'm letting you die." Ghost grouses, which just makes you and Nikto laugh even harder.

"No, you won't, Ghost. Who would feed you?" You tease.

"What's your blood type, Nik?" Ghost teases right back.

"I am not the marrying type." Nikto says with a smile in his voice, and it makes you chuckle. Fuck, it feels good to be around people again, to joke and tease and laugh with other people again. Going to the base is going to be good for you, you can feel it in your bones. Independence was nice, but in your constant fight to survive and stay hidden, you'd become so fucking lonely without even realizing it. Now you've got people, friends, and a partner, even. Things you didn't think you'd ever have again after the world went to shit. It's almost overwhelming how fucking happy you are in this shitty van, with two masked men and a caravan of ex-cultists behind you. What a world, eh?

By the time the morning light starts to roll in, you pull up to a big gate with barbed wire and two armed guards. Tall, thick walls extend from either side, layer upon layer of breezeblocks mortared together, and you can see the movement of patrolling guards moving along the tops. It's impressive, really. You've never seen any sort of colony or camp that looked this secure, it looks almost professional, considering how well it's built. A man in full military gear and a grown-out mohawk hops down from the top of the barricade to help open the large, heavy gate.

"Welcome home." Ghost says as he raises his hand in greeting to the guards, and the gate slowly starts to roll open with a creaking moan.

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