*I DIDN'T KEEP MY PROMISE GUYS. I'M SORRY. MY BRAIN JUST WANTED TO BE A COMPLETE RETARD AND NOT LET ME WRITE OR THINK. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I FEEL LIKE THIS CHAPTER WASN'T WELL PLANNED OR WRITTEN, SO IN ALL THINGS SHORT IT SUCKS. BUT MAYBE THAT'S JUST ME. ANYWAYS, I'LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME AND KEEP MY PROMISE. YOU MAY PROCEED. STAY CREEPY MY FRIENDS!~*

Chapter 53

Elizabeth's POV

Aching pain was all I felt when I woke up. My back hurt, my muscles were sore, my arms stung and my head pounded. I started off with a coughing fit, then wheezing and I ended with hacking up some blood. "Oh shit...," I mumbled and looked for something to clean myself up with. I found a box of tissues on a nightstand and picked out a few of them. As I wiped my face, I looked around the cozy, warm room and slowed down as I realized that I have no idea where I am.

I cleaned myself up and threw away the tissues in a trash can next to the bed. I checked my arms and saw lots of scratches and bruises. I remembered what happened to me before I passed out. The car crash had happened, I woke up and found a bunch of Corrupted around us and I couldn't let them kill Jeff so I got out out the car and lured them away as far as I could. I got beat up pretty bad but I had managed to kill them all. But I had passed out from blood loss and didn't make it back to Jeff. Where is he? Oh god, I hope he's okay! I need to find him! But first I need to get out of here....wherever here is.

I climbed out of bed and stood up, wobbling slightly and getting whiplash. I breathed in and found my clothes and changed out of the sweat pants and baggy shirt I was given by my kidnapper. It took me a while to change because of my soreness but I managed. I finished and headed for the door, opening it and sneaking out carefully. I snuck down the hall and turned the corner to find myself in a living room, which was beautiful! Lavish furniture made the place look like something out of a Victorian noble's house. I could just keep marveling the elaborate decor but I needed to escape and find Jeff.

The front door was right across the room so I made my way over. No one seemed to be in the house, making this pretty easy. A little too easy. I made it to the front door and opened it only to find someone standing outside. I screamed and fell back. The figure stepped inside and looked down at me. They wore goggles with orange tint on the lenses and a black mouth piece. I trembled and scooted away from this man. He must've been the one who took me here. But why? What if he intends to have me stay here? Shit!

I looked down and saw that he had a hatchet in hand and some chopped up wood propped up on his shoulder by his other arm. He closed the door and set the wood down on the floor. He looked down at me and came closer. I kept scooting back until I hit something. It was the one of the couches and it blocked my escape. Damn! He crouched down to meet at eye level with me and twirled his hatchet in his hand. He planted it into the hard wood floor and reached a hand out, to which I screamed and covered my face. I felt something poke my hands and I peeked to see him poking them. His hands were gloved for some reason and I looked up at him. The mysterious man raised up his goggles so they rested on his head and I saw his brown eyes.

He seemed to be deathly pale yet he wasn't showing any signs of weakness or sickness. He removed the mouth piece and breathed in. "Damn, this thing can be a real pain sometimes. But anyways, hi! I'm Toby!" He reached a hand out, offering a handshake and I reluctantly obliged. He smiled and said, "I didn't expect to see you up. Well, I guess you've recovered successfully. Other than the scars, you should be back to normal in no time!" Toby picked up his hatchet and the wood and walked into the kitchen. I got up slowly and followed him in. I peeked around the corner and saw him set the wood down in a metal holder next to the refrigerator.

Toby turned around and saw me peeking. He giggled and said, "Well, don't be shy! Why don't you tell me your name?" I stared at him for a while and then mumbled, "My name is Elizabeth..."

He smiled even wider and said, "Well, Elizabeth, you must be starving. Let me make you something!" I was about to say that there was no need but he jumped next to the fridge and started rummaging around. I might as well let him, I need the nourishment anyways. Who knows how long I've been here. I took a seat at the breakfast table and watched him run around the kitchen. I twiddled my thumbs as I waited and watched, wondering who this guy was exactly and why he was giving me such hospitality.

"So, Elizabeth! Where are you from?" Toby asked me suddenly, as he was making me a sandwich.

"I...Illinois...," I answered quietly.

"That's cool. I hear it's got nice houses," Toby complimented. I nodded and remarked, "But not as good as the ones here. The architecture of the houses are amazing."

"That's what I love about Iowa, and I love the snow too!" Toby said cheerfully and I smiled. He grabbed a slice of cheese and unwrapped it but he suddenly twitched and it fell on the floor with a slap. We both just stared at it for a few seconds and he whined, "Dammit! Not again...!" He picked up the cheese slice and threw it in the trash then went to go get another. The same thing happened again and he wiggled his arms out of frustration. I giggled and said, "Let me do it." I for up and grabbed another to put it on my sandwich. He thanked me and I nodded. As Toby threw away the second cheese slice I asked, "How come you twitch so much?"

He turned and explained, "Oh, well, I have Tourette Syndrome. It's a nueropsychiatric disorder that causes me to have motor tics. I twitch involuntarily because of it but I've learned to deal with it."

"Oh...," I muttered, "I'm sorry."

"No it's fine," Toby assured me, "It's not a problem now as much as it used to be when I was a kid. But sometimes it can really get to me and annoy me." I nodded and watched him finish up the sandwich and hand it to me. I thanked him and sat down to eat. Before I knew it, I was done and Toby chuckled. "You must've been really hungry." I nodded bashfully and got up to wash my plate.

"You don't have to wash it," he said but insisted. "It's a habit," I told him and washed the dish. When I was done I found Toby in the living room and decided to ask, "Why did you bring me here? And how long have I been unconscious?"

He took a seat on one of the couches and said, "Well, I was out doing some chores and I heard someone calling for help. I checked the area and saw you and this guy passed out in the snow together. You guys were in really bad shape so I brought you here and tended to your needs. I'd say you've been here for five days already."

At the mention of this guy I asked, "Did the man with me happen to have a slit mouth, black hair and all that?" Toby nodded and I sighed in relief. Jeff made it out of the crash. Last time I remembered he was still in the car passed out. I looked up at Toby and asked, "Can I see him?"

He shook his head and said, "He's sleeping right now. But I'll let you know when he's ready to talk." I nodded, a little sad about not seeing Jeff but I'm sure I'll talk to him later.

...

I had spent my time recovering and exploring the places that I was allowed to go into in the house. Toby had gone outside to retrieve the stuff we left behind in the car crash. As for the car...I'm glad it was a rental. I only knew where my room was, the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom. Every other place is either off limits or I'm just afraid to enter into them. I have no idea which room Jeff is in, but I don't want to snoop around and seem weird.

I was sitting on the couch, staring at the decor of the living room. I lost my phone in the crash, so I can't text or call anyone about this. I still need to find my grandma. Maybe Toby knows where she is. They do kind of live in the same area. I'll ask once he gets back. He's been gone for at least an hour or so. I looked at my arms and legs, wondering how long it'll take until the wounds to away. I'll be walking with a limp for a while, due to a corrupted wolf biting it severely. Two wolves actually, coincidentally in the same spot. I'm so fucking lucky.

I have a bunch of scratches on my arms, and it's unnerving to feel them. And I've also been having nosebleeds because of the impact on my head from the car crash. Toby says it's nothing serious but I'll be bleeding for a couple of days. Just as I was about to close my eyes and rest, the front door opened and Toby walked in, shaking off some snow from his jacket. "I got all of your stuff from the car, though it was a hassle to get them out of that wreck," he said and set mine and Jeff's bags down.

"Sorry you had to do that for us," I said and he shook his head. "It's fine," he said with a little smile, once he took off his mouth piece. I nodded and rested again. Toby went into another room to put his stuff away and then came back to flop onto the other couch. He twitched and I heard something crack. I have him a freaked out look but he only sighed in relief and relaxed. I shook my head and chuckled. It's gonna be a while until I can get used to that.

"Hey, Toby?" I said and he turned to me. "Do you live here all by yourself?"

Toby was about to answer me when the front door opened and I got quiet. There was a figure standing there and then they started walking in. They removed their hood and sighed in relief. "Damn it's cold out there! I swear I was about to get frostbite! But at least I earned some money today," they said. It was an old woman yet she looked young with energy. She flashed a smile at Toby but when she saw me she froze. I did too.

Her eyes were brown yet held a strange golden hue. Her gray hair held dark streaks that made her eyes stand out and her face looked so familiar. The way she had smiled, the way her face wrinkled a bit when she frowned and her whole presence made me feel intimidated yet safe. She looked like she could take down a grown man just with a glare. She was very familiar. I recognized her. There's not doubting it.

"Grandma?"

...

"Who?" she asked with a puzzled expression. I couldn't help but smile like a total idiot. I found her. I really, really found her! Oh my gosh! All of that hard work really paid off and now the woman I've been searching for is right in front of me! I think I might pass out from sheer joy! Wait, I think I might actually pass out- holy shit I need a paper bag.

"Elizabeth are you okay?" Toby asked me. I gave him a thumbs up for an okay but my face seemed to show otherwise. He wafted air to my face and I started feeling better. "Sorry, Miss Umber, I should've informed you of our guests," Toby said.

"There's more than one?" she said. Toby and I both nodded and she sighed. Once I finally got myself together I said, "Hello! You don't know me but I've been looking for you for weeks. My name is Elizabeth Umber! My dad is Louis Umber, he is also your son, which makes me your granddaughter. So....hi grandma."

She stared at me for a while, taking in every last feature on me and her eyes widened. I smiled and was about to speak when she opened the front door and walked right out, slamming it shut behind her. Toby and I stood there, dumbfounded by her sudden gesture. I began to frown and said, "She doesn't believe me."

"I-I'm sure she's just trying to think about all of this-."

"I'm going to prove to her that I am her granddaughter! Whether she likes it or not!" I said as I opened the front door and stormed out to follow her. Toby called out for me but I drowned him out. I found my Grandmother pacing around in the snow, with an agitated look on her wrinkled face. She saw me and frowned harder, which made me frown too. "Listen," I started, "this may be hard to deal with, but you are my grandmother."

"Kid, I can't be your grandmother! I don't care who your mother or father is, I refuse to believe even for a second that you are my grandchild! And, if you call me Grandma like the first time, I will bury you alive in the snow."

I have to admit, that hurt me, but I wasn't about to give up. She's stone cold, just like my father -though he's not necessarily like that with me and mom- but she has to open up and come to terms with the reality that I'm the offspring of her goddamn offspring!

"All right, fine, Maribel, I'll lay off the Grandma shtick. But, I will prove to you that I'm your granddaughter!"

"Try as you may, but you'll only be putting yourself one step closer to hitching a tank truck ride home...!"

"I can walk."

She gave me a glare and so did I. I shouldn't let her scare me. Sure, she's slightly intimidating...okay she is -but I won't let her get the best of me! I don't care how much trouble I get myself into just by persisting, I will prove myself!

"It's cold out here," I muttered and started walking back to the house.

"Can't take the cold, shrimp?" Maribel remarked and I stopped in my tracks. She smirked and I frowned. "I'm not a 'shrimp'," I grumbled. She huffed and said, "You're pretty small to me."

I clutched my fists and said through gritted teeth, "I'm not small, just haven't grown completely."

"Denial."

She's got some nerve! I stormed up to her and raised a hand to point. "For your information, people that are tall have a greater chance of getting cancer! So, consider me lucky!"

"Don't believe anything you see on the Internet, shrimp." she said flatly and I growled.

"I'm not a shrimp!" I said as I stomped my foot slightly.

"Then you must be a brat," she said.

Steam should've been coming out of my ears by now, but this isn't a cartoon. I raised my arms up in frustration and said, "You know what? I've already had enough of this. Clearly you don't like me but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to prove to you that your my grandmother!"

She chuckled and said, "These false accusations that you're trying to prove will never work-." She suddenly froze and stared at my hands. I gave her a strange look and asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you having some sort of old person moment-?"

Maribel suddenly reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a magnum pistol. I froze on the spot and my body grew as cold as the snow. She pointed it straight at my face and growled, "I was done with this whole proxy shit!!! I had enough!!! I should've known it'd come back to bite me in the ass...!"

"Wh-what?! Put the gun down!" I squealed.

She pushed it closer towards my face and I shut my mouth. I raised up my hands in surrender but that only made her more hostile. She fiercely grabbed hold of my right wrist and pulled me closer. She put the barrel of her gun right on my forehead and gripped my wrist tightly. "You shouldn't be the proxy, and you shouldn't be here!!! I was done with this and I'm not about to let you drag me or Toby into a filthy game of life and death!!!"

My eyes widened as she dug the barrel of the gun into my skin and set her hand on the trigger. My body was shaking and I was frozen with fear. I could see the intent to kill in her eyes and finally understood why she was wanted in twenty-two fucking states! How could my father come from a woman so...so...so insane?! She was put into a mental hospital for a reason. But she wouldn't kill me, would she?

Maribel pushed lightly on the gun trigger and I gulped.

I take that as a yes.