panic room

It was very clear something was wrong when Lawrence woke up feeling like he’d been run over by a thousand trucks. Then, when he tried to dash to the kitchen sink to be sick, he moved at a snail’s pace, missing the sink entirely and throwing up on Phoebe’s floor. He promised to clean it—when he could function. But first, he had to go to work. Calling in sick wasn’t an option because he was a vampire. Vampires didn’t get sick.

Unless he wasn’t a vampire anymore. That theory hit him when he couldn’t make it to the sink in time. Usually, speed wasn’t a problem, but now everything felt so damn slow. Even walking to Teddy’s apartment, which was only a few floors down, felt like a chore. During the elevator ride, Lawrence pressed his cheek against the cold metal wall, letting out a long sigh as the doors pinged open and his stomach flipped again.

It wasn’t just the slow pace though. Shortly after waking up, memories of Penny overwhelmed his mind, indicating Elijah could be dead. Every memory from the second they met to stepping inside Elijah’s apartment was crammed into his mind in the space of a few seconds leaving him clutching his head in agony. What the hell was he thinking compelling those memories away?

He made it to Teddy’s front door without collapsing, though just barely. Fumbling around in his pockets for his key, he slotted it into the lock and pushed the door open. “Teddy!” he called immediately, the door slamming closed behind him.

Rushing to the kitchen, he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. His body craved it in a way that felt foreign and alarming. “Jesus Murphy… Teddy!” he called again, louder this time, before knocking back the entire glass of water. One wasn’t enough. He poured himself another as Teddy finally appeared in the kitchen. “Help,” Lawrence muttered, downing the second glass in a single gulp. He held out his hand toward Teddy. “Take my hand. Try and syphon from me,” he said, his voice hoarse and unsteady. “I think something is wrong.”


TEDDY AARONSON