The Basement Cell

[Flynn]

Flynn made a soft sound when he was pushed to the floor and another one when he felt the blade of the dagger cut into his skin, but he didn’t struggle. He saw no point in it considering that he wouldn’t get far and that the consequences for doing so were unknown and very likely painful. Since pain was already being promised, he was currently of the mind to keep it as minimal as possible. He knew that he was in for it- he didn’t know exactly what was coming after the branding, but he highly doubted that it would be pleasant, whatever it may be- and he wasn’t (at least, not at the moment) crazy enough to attempt something that would make things worse. Once the branding iron came closer was a different story, though. He knew that he would try and keep the branding from happening- of course he would- even if he knew that he couldn’t actually get out of it.

When Katrina bared her fangs in his face, Flynn instinctively tried to shrink away from her, even despite knowing that he couldn’t go anywhere. Needless to say, he did not want to be part of the ‘family’.

[Eli]

Eli’s eyes watered; whether they were actual tears of any kind of just some kind of reaction in memory of his own branding, he didn’t even know himself, but he blinked it back at once, knowing Katrina would not like to see it.

He didn’t waste time, especially when he knew he wasn’t privileged to that time in the first place. He didn’t pull his sweater on again, simply moving towards the fire instead, taking the handle of the iron, feeling the heat that ebbed down from the brand itself, his nose already wrinkling as if he could smell the burned flesh ahead of time. Reminding himself that he couldn’t hesitate, especially not near the flames, he took it with him as he went back towards Katrina and Flynn, swallowing the dry, foul-tasting guilt in his throat as he shifted his grip a fraction, turning the brand so that it was up the right way.

[Flynn]

Shifting, he saw Eli moving over with the brand and that was it. Panic washed over him like a crushing wave and he pushed himself up and turned, putting his back against the cool wall. He knew that he couldn’t actually go anywhere, the chains made sure of that, but he wasn’t going to make this easy, even if he knew that fighting against what was coming was pointless and might only lead to more trouble.

He could feel his heart pounding rapidly and in the back of his mind, it seemed like there was something else… something was just as afraid as he was and wanted desperately to get away.

[Eli]

The hesitation would cost him, he knew, and as soon as Katrina moved, he knew what was coming. The slap was hard, but nothing he hadn’t felt before; that didn’t mean it had anything less than the usual effect however, and after it had landed and Eli had winced heavily as the sensation slowly started to return to the side of his face. Eli closed his eyes as Katrina grabbed Flynn again and moved him back into position for the blow, and after ensuring his aim wouldn’t miss its mark and further anger the vampire, the older werewolf pushed the brand down.

Immediately, the sound and smell of the burning hit him and he grimaced as if he were feeling his own branding all over again, his own shoulder seeming to ache and throb in remembrance of the event, so long ago.

[Flynn]

When Flynn was forced to the floor again, he managed to turn his head just in time to keep his face from smashing into the floor. With everything else, he wanted to avoid whatever pain he possibly could because he knew that there would be more that would be completely impossible to avoid.

And how right he was… As the brand was pressed against his skin, Flynn let out a scream of pure agony. There was no way to get away from the pain and he knew that. Pushing himself up would only succeed in pressing against the brand and rolling sideways wouldn’t do any good either. There was really nothing he could do but scream out in pain.

[Eli]

Eli wanted to stop. He remembered his own branding, vividly, feeling the scar burn on his shoulder as if the wound was fresh, and still in the process of being inflicted, and hearing Flynn react as he undoubtedly had in the past, made him want to toss the iron and run, back up to his room where he wouldn’t have to do anything except curl up under the blanket on his bed, or hide beside the sink in his bathroom.

But one glance at Katrina shattered that wish. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t stop. Eli knew that, more clearly than he knew anything else in that moment, so he shut his eyes and kept his hold, maintaining the pressure until the vampire told him to pull it away.

[Flynn]

Never in his life had Flynn felt anything even remotely close to the pain that was searing through his shoulder and if he was especially lucky, he never would again. He didn’t know of anything else that could cause so much pure pain, but if there was something out there, all he could really do was pray that he never discovered it. If he did, he didn’t know if he would be able to survive it. As overdramatic as it sounded even to him, he thought that it was a good thing that one couldn’t really die of pain (at least, as far as he knew, it wasn’t possible) because as much as the branding hurt, he honestly thought that he would have been dead otherwise.

[Katrina]

Katrina's lips were curled in a smile as she watched Flynn writhe on the ground - and Eli's obedience, well that was just icing on the cake. Blood red icing - just the way Katrina liked it.
Flynn's flesh was smoking and the edges of the brand were begining to sink into his skin - blood not running any longer because of the cauterizing of the heat. But soon the brand would cool.. and when Eli pulled it then, flesh would stick to it.. marring the wound. We couldn't have that.

"I suppose that will do, Eli." Her words were low, but she knew the wolf would hear it. A deliciously sickly smell was coming from the flesh, and she licked her lips briefly. She was well fed and beginning to feel the need to rest for the day.

Leaning down, she forced Flynn's face up to hers. "Welcome to the family." She gave a light laugh at the pain and anguish in his eyes... and the faint glow she could see there. There was so much fun to be had tonight.

[Eli]

At Katrina’s words, Eli pulled back, taking little care with his removal of the brand in his own haste to cease the action altogether, daring to breathe again, and feeling his stomach churn at the powerful assault of burning flesh against his sense of smell. His expression twisted as the vampire put her face to Flynn’s, and he felt the colour drain from his cheeks for only a moment. It came back as he stepped away, putting a suitable distance between himself and the new werewolf.

Eli kept obediently silent, still holding the brand simply because Katrina had not yet told him to drop it. It was engrained; the need to obey her, and do as she said, when she said. He simply didn’t know how else to be.

[Flynn]

Passing out would have been a blessing in its way, but Flynn obviously wasn't that lucky. He knew that he could wish for that temporary relief as much as he wanted, but it wasn't likely to happen. And, even if it did, who was to say that things wouldn't be worse when he woke up? He didn't know how things could actually get worse, but he didn't want to find out, so he supposed that, in a way, the fact that he was still awake was actually a good thing, despite the searing pain and desperate wish for a quick end. He honestly didn't think that he wanted to be around long enough to see what was looming in his future.

When Katrina forced his head up, he didn't even have the strength to fight it right now. The echoes of his cries were only now fading and his throat felt raw from the sheer force of his screams. He didn't want to be a part of the 'family', but damn it, he didn't see any choice. He didn't know where he was and he knew that there wasn't any way he could get past Katrina. Not right now anyway. It really was starting to look like biding his time was going to be his best option. That and praying.

[Katrina]

Katrina stood up and moved back from Flynn, surveying the brand with glittering eyes. "Lovely work, Eli. Put the brand back into the fire a moment - burn the rest of the flesh off." The grin was twisted. She took two steps from Flynn and felt her balance sway.

Je ne le permettrai pas. Non. Anger flooded her. I have been down here too long. Pride made her face flush. Before Eli could take the brand she took it from him and threw it into the fire, making coals spark everywhere. "Faster, dog!"

She spun on her heel and moved to the stairs - her vision beginning to blur. Strong as Katrina was, every vampire needed to sleep come daylight. And it was far into the day. "Non..." Her voice was low and growling... she slumped going up the stairs, but the sleep was upon her before she got to the first one. Her eyes closed, all semblance of breath stopped - and she became what she was - dead. Her last thought as she faded was that Eli would do as he should.

There was no doubt in her mind.

[Flynn]

As soon as he was able to get up, Flynn sat and pushed himself back against the wall, turning slightly sideways so as to not cause himself any undo pain. As bad as the brand was hurting, he didn’t think a little more pain would really be that noticeable, but he wasn’t about to add to the agony he was already in.

Panting from the pain, he watched as Katrina slumped going up the stairs and a thought struck him so violently that he was almost certain that he was losing his mind. Maybe everything was finally getting to him and he would wonder where the thought had come from later, but that was up in the air.

Barely realizing what was happening, he heard his voice saying, “We have to kill it. I mean, actually kill it. Take the head off or something.”

[Eli]

Eli, at least for a minute or two, was too panicked and cowed by Katrina’s rush and eruption of anger to really react to her slipping into a dead kind of sleep right there in the basement. It was rare, very rare for the Lady Katrina to do such a thing; essentially, she was leaving herself open, vulnerable, but Eli would never even entertain the thought of doing anything other than what he had been ‘trained’ to do. He didn’t have the strength to fight his warped instinct.

His back was against the far corner of the room, his retreat from the vampire’s rage having been instantaneous and reflexive, one hand up near his mouth, thumbnail between his teeth, even as Flynn’s voice penetrated the cloud of confusion and concern there. It was enough to snap Eli’s focus from the slumped vampire on the stairs. His eyes actually widened, and his head started to shake, hand dropping, but almost uncertainly, as if he didn’t know what to do with it.

“N-no, she—” Eli swallowed and pressed on, his voice a rush of dread and distress. “It can’t be done. No one can do it. She’s too strong, too fast, too old. She would know. You can’t…”

[Flynn]

Flynn looked at the still vampire and then back to Eli, his voice oddly calm and rational considering what he had gotten it into his head to do. She was dead anyway, so it wasn’t really murder. Was it? Right now, he couldn’t afford to second guess himself and he pushed any doubts he had to the back of his mind. This had to be self-defense of some sort, even if she wasn’t currently in any state to be doing anything.

“If I do it now, there won’t be any problems. I’ll make it quick and then we’ll get out of here. You can stay at my place until we can find something better.” It was obvious- at least, to him- that he couldn’t just leave Eli to fend for himself. While he might be able to, it was clear that he was far too loyal and perhaps even too dependent on the vampire to really manage on his own right now. Of course, those two issues would have probably been enough to make Flynn stop right then and there if he wasn’t so desperate to get out of there. “The only thing I need you to is let me out of these chains. I’ll handle the rest.” The technician had no real idea as to what he would do, but he would figure out some way of dealing with the vampire once and for all. He just needed to be let loose, first.

[Eli]

The thought of even trying to attack Katrina, especially while she slumbered, was so terrifying to Eli that he was almost literally paralysed in the corner of the room, having hunched down, long legs bent up at the knee in front of his chest. One of his hands was near his mouth, dirty thumbnail between his teeth, being chewed in his nervousness even as he shook his head in response to Flynn, the words sounding like nothing more than senseless, impossible rantings to his ears.

With a noise not unlike a whimper, he looked to the newly-made werewolf, his face pale and his eyes wide and wild with panic. “She’ll know,” he whispered harshly against the oppressive silence of the room, as if horrified that Katrina might hear him. She wasn’t technically dead, and though her sleep would be deep enough for him to carry her up to her room without waking when he couldn’t put it off any longer, the thought of trying to kill her, whether it was him or Flynn who did the ‘killing’, was just too ridiculous and petrifying. “She’ll wake up, and then she’ll hurt you more.” Katrina wouldn’t kill Flynn; he was a new pet, and while she could make him wish she would kill him, she would never take him to the brink without a chance of bringing him back.

Eli knew that all too well to believe anything else.