Something Sweeter - Alec Volturi

XVI. Hazard

The dark hallway was familiar. It was dark, empty, and eerily silent.

My legs moved automatically. I only had one class left for the day and it would have been pointless to take an absence. In the pit of my stomach I wanted to run for the hills, but my body continued to move forward, as if it were disconnected from my conscious mind.

My footsteps echoed down the hallway as I approached the door to my seventh period Spanish class. The cold metal door groaned as I pushed it open. I stumbled through the door and stopped dead in my tracks. The door swung closed behind me, the metal bar driving home with a loud click.

The desks were occupied by my classmates. I didn't know them well, but I was able to recognize a few faces. Even if I knew everyone personally it would've been just as difficult to identify them. They were all brutally murdered. Massacred.

The classroom was painted red. Blood was splashed up on the walls and sprayed across the ceiling. Bones jutted from limbs and teeth were scattered about the room. Some students slumped in their seats, others were pulled over their desks and dumped on the floor. The look of fear and shock were etched on their faces.

I gaped at the revolting scene before me. The putrid odor of congealed blood and freshly evacuated bowels overwhelmed my senses. I took a half step backward and nearly slipped. My sneakers squelched on the tile; it was slick with blood.

As I caught my balance I noticed movement from the middle of the room. I hurried over as fast as I could, slipping and sliding as I went. My stomach turned each time I had to catch myself on the corner of one of the filthy desks. The blood on them was still wet and warm to the touch.

I made it to the source of the movement and realized it was Liam, who was mutilated badly and barely clinging to life. He was on the floor, slumped against the side of his desk.

Hot tears welled up in my eyes as I fell onto my hands and knees next to him.

"Liam! Liam!" I cried, reaching out to cup his face in my hands. His breathing was shallow and strained; each breath rattled through his chest.

"Liam, what happened?"

His eyelids fluttered, but he was unable to open them.

"Liam," I pleaded.

He let out a low moan. The back of his skull was bashed in and bits of brain matter clung to his hair. His body was still intact but his legs twisted backwards at the knee. He laboriously opened his eyes, but instead of looking at me his eyes drifted to something over my shoulder. Before I could say anything else the life faded from his eyes, leaving them glassy and cold.

I gently let go of Liam and I turned slowly. Fear splintered through my chest as I peered behind me.

In the doorway stood Alec, in slim black jeans and a dark green flannel. His eyes were blazing red instead of muddy brown. He stared at me intently, with ravenous eyes. He had blood spatter all over him and his hands were coated in so much blood that they almost appeared black.

I stood up with the intention to run but I slipped and fell flat on my back. My head bounced on the linoleum. Pain tore through me, but my cry was cut short as Alec appeared in front of me. He stood at my feet and looked down at me, unblinking.

I was paralyzed in fear as he slowly sank to his knees and crouched over me. His face drew closer to mine until he was merely inches away. He placed one hand to the left of my head and cradled my face with the other. He hovered so close to me that I could almost feel the contours of his body against mine. His top lip curled over his teeth and he let out a low growl from deep within his chest as his eyes glinted hungerly.

I snapped awake to see Alec hovering over me, just as he was in my dream.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, only stopping long enough to suck in more oxygen so I could start again. I wailed and lashed about, although my violent movements didn't make Alec budge.

"Violet," he said urgently, his expression was distressed. He cupped my face with his hand just as he had in my dream. I screamed louder as I tried to shrink away from his touch.

"Violet!" he said louder.

I was gasping for air when a slim white hand curled around Alec's arm and yanked him off of me, hurling him across the room.

Renesmee appeared at the side of my bed, her face etched with concern. She gently took my hand and a thought flooded my mind. I saw a beautiful, lush meadow full of lavender and sunshine. The warmth on my skin was comforting, and I could hear the soothing sound of a babbling brook nearby. It was like a memory, but it wasn't my own.

I resurfaced from the memory of the meadow as Renesmee let go of my hand. My chest began to tighten in panic again but she shushed me quietly, calming me down. I forced myself to take deeper, slower breaths until I was able to speak.

"What happened?" I asked Renesmee shakily. I glanced across the room at Alec. He was even wearing the same clothes as he was in my dream. After a moment I remembered that it was just the outfit he wore to school that day.

Renesmee looked at Alec wearily. "You had a very, very bad dream."