tangent
29-09-08, 06:34 PM
Title: Chrysalis.
Description: Set in the Wishverse, this is an exploration of how Vampwillow might have been sired.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, you know the drill.
CHRYSALIS
Willow hunkered even further down into the shadows beneath the school desk, trying desperately to remain silent. She listened carefully, straining every one of her senses, trying to block out the thump of her own heartbeat as she waited for the sounds she knew must come. Eventually, just as she was almost beginning to hope that her ordeal might be over, she heard the sound she had been dreading; the sound of slow, measured footsteps in the corridor outside.
The evening had all started so well too. She had known that her mission to deliver the information to Mr Giles and the others would be dangerous, had known that she would be risking her life to do so, but the importance of what she knew and what it would mean to the fight against the Master and his minions outweighed any personal concerns.
So she had set off, risking the dangers of the Sunnydale night, keeping to the secret ways that Larry had shown her, staying as far as possible from the main streets. In any other town the side streets and the lonely alleys would have been the natural hunting grounds of the vampires, but not in Sunnydale. Ever since the Master had risen and taken over the town in a wave of concentrated violence, the vampires had left the shadows and now they walked brazenly through the moonlit streets, leaving the humans to cower in the darkness they had left. So she had stuck to the outskirts of the town and she had made good progress too, as she ducked from cover to cover. There had been a couple of close calls along the way, a moment or two when she was sure she must be discovered but eventually she had found herself outside of the high school. That was when things had started to go wrong.
Willow had just place her hand hand on the handle of one of the big double doors when something had made her turn. She had scanned the darkness, searching desperately for what had caused her sudden feeling of uneasiness. Had it been a noise? Some small movement caught from the corner of her eye? All that she had known was that something had registered in her unconscious, some small note of wrongness that had raised the alarms in the back of her mind. Willow had learned to listen to those alarms a long time ago and knew that something was wrong. All had seemed still, though. A small night breeze disturbed the surrounding foliage and somewhere back in the town a harsh cry sounded out but apart from that not a thing moved, not a whisper sounded. She had turned back to the door and begun to open it again when she was forced to turn once more. This time there was a definite sound, not the stealthy sounds of hidden movement she had imagined, but a soft deliberate snigger, filled with playful malice.
That had been it for Willow. She hadn't need to see the face of the figure that emerged from the shadows, she had merely flung the door wide and fled, as fast as she could, heedless of direction, just trying desperately to put as much distance between herself and the thing she knew would be giving chase. She had run like this, careering wildly through the shadow clad corridors of the school, until her sides had felt like they would split and the breath had burned in her lungs. She had run until she could run no more.
Flattening herself against a wall, she waited for the sounds of pursuit. Deep ragged breaths exploded from her, her heart was racing madly from fear and desperate exhilaration. The school remained silent though; the expected footfalls rushing towards Willow conspicuous by their absence. Slowly she had calmed herself, still keeping her senses focused on the dark corridors, still wary of the threat the darkness contained. As her heartbeat slowed she had glanced around her, trying to place her whereabouts in the building and, with a small lurch of relief, had realised that her wild flight had actually landed her within reach of her goal. The library was close at hand.
With nervous caution she had pushed herself away from the wall and headed towards the safe haven that was so tantalisingly within her reach. She had moved slowly, all thoughts of haste banished as she concentrated on keeping her movements silent; aware that, although she appeared to have shaken off pursuit, the monster that hunted her may still be near. Turning one final corner she saw the doors that led to her sanctuary, a dim light shining through their glass windows. She pressed on, scanning the depths of the shadows carefully for the slightest sign of lurking danger. Nothing presented itself though and soon Willow found herself slipping inside the murky interior of White Hat Central.
The library was deserted. A single light shone from a lamp placed on the book laden table that sat in the centre of the room but all else was empty darkness. Willow's heart sank. She had risked everything to get here and it had all been for nothing. But where was everyone? Mr Giles should be here, researching the Master looking for ways to defeat him. Larry and Nancy should be here too, readying their weapons for the next sortie; but there was no-one; not one sign of life.
“Hello.” Willow ventured, uncertainty making her way towards the stairs that led to what Mr Giles called the stacks. “Is anyone here? Anyone?”
“Ain't nobody here but us chickens.”said a voice from the gloom between the bookshelves “Everyone else has been sent out to play.” The speaker moved forward coming into the light “looks like it's just you, and me.” That was it for Willow, the sight of the figure above her was enough to send fresh terror flooding through her. Turning swiftly, she barged back out of the library.
And so she had run once more, heading back the way she had come. Glancing over her shoulder occasionally, each time caching the slightest glimpse of her pursuer as he followed behind unhurriedly, seemingly content to simply keep her in sight. Turning a corner a corner she had caught sight of a door, slightly ajar, and grasping her opportunity she had dived inside as quickly as she could, hoping the thing that tracked her was far enough behind not to have seen her, closing the door quickly and heading towards the back of the classroom, secreting herself in the shadows beneath the desk furthest from the door, waiting, hoping; fearing what she knew must come.
And now, as she retreated further beneath the desk,all she could do was to try to hold on to that hope..The footsteps in the hallway were closer now, still beating out their unhurried rhythm. Closer and closer they came until it sounded like they were immediately outside the room in which Willow hid.
Then, abruptly they stopped, and Willow heard the sound of a long drawn out sniff.
She held her breath, counting the seconds silently in her mind, unable to stand the silence that pressed in all around her. Finally after the longest ten seconds she had ever known the footsteps continued. Willow let out her breath as carefully as she could and risked a peek over the table catching sight of a retreating shadow through the door's small window. If she could get out of the room behind the prowling vampire, she thought, then maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she could double back and find another way out of the school. It had to be her best chance. Trying to outrun a vampire, especially this vampire was just unrealistic and if she stayed where she was it would only be a matter of time before it found her.
No, stealth was definitely her best option. She would use everything that Larry had shown her and with a little care and a little luck she would make it back out into the night. Slowly, with as much care as possible she began to extricate herself from her hiding place, heading over to the door as stealthily as she could, hoping that a glance outside would reveal nothing but empty corridor. Before she was even half way there though, disaster struck.
The chair could only have moved a fraction of an inch as she brushed against it, but the noise it made in doing so pierced the stillness of the school. Willow froze, her senses once more straining out towards the presence in the hallway. The footsteps had stopped.
As quickly as she dare, Willow returned to her burrow, hoping against hope that the vampire hadn't heard, that maybe the noise would be put down to some creaking door deep in the building's belly. Still she could hear no noise other than her shallow breathing and her racing heart. Then the sound of footsteps returned, faint at first but getting louder as they came closer. Willow hugged her knees, willing the footsteps to carry on past her hiding place. It was to no avail though and soon enough she heard the gentle creak of the door of the room opening and felt the atmosphere of the room subtly change as another presence made it's way inside.
There was a pause. Willow guessed the vampire was still over by the door, taking it's time, probably scanning the shadows for some sign of her. She remembered Mr Giles telling her that they had better than normal night vision and tried to make herself smaller, willing herself to become one with the shadows. Eventually she heard the measured footfalls again as the vampire made it's way more fully into the room, still in no hurry, still drawing out her torture.
“Wiii-loow, oh Wiii-loow.” The vampire said in a soft, sing-song voice “come out, come out wherever you are” A chair crashed back suddenly, overturning as the vampire pushed it sideways “C'mon hiding's no fair.” Another crash. “I know you're in here Willow. You know I'm gonna find you.” The footsteps had almost reached her now, only a few desks away at most. “C'mon, I only want to talk: honest injun.” A pair of boots came into Willows view now, black and shiny, a slight scuff on the left toecap. She watched them, mesmerised as they closed in on her position, getting nearer and nearer, until they were almost close enough for her to reach out and touch. Willow felt herself shaking, a single tear escaping from one eye and slaloming lazily down her cheek. She watched as the boots stopped and the figure that looked so much like a man bent at the knees, ducking it head so that it was able to look Willow directly in the eye.
“Ah, there you are.” Said the vampire that had been Xander Harris.
Description: Set in the Wishverse, this is an exploration of how Vampwillow might have been sired.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, you know the drill.
CHRYSALIS
Willow hunkered even further down into the shadows beneath the school desk, trying desperately to remain silent. She listened carefully, straining every one of her senses, trying to block out the thump of her own heartbeat as she waited for the sounds she knew must come. Eventually, just as she was almost beginning to hope that her ordeal might be over, she heard the sound she had been dreading; the sound of slow, measured footsteps in the corridor outside.
The evening had all started so well too. She had known that her mission to deliver the information to Mr Giles and the others would be dangerous, had known that she would be risking her life to do so, but the importance of what she knew and what it would mean to the fight against the Master and his minions outweighed any personal concerns.
So she had set off, risking the dangers of the Sunnydale night, keeping to the secret ways that Larry had shown her, staying as far as possible from the main streets. In any other town the side streets and the lonely alleys would have been the natural hunting grounds of the vampires, but not in Sunnydale. Ever since the Master had risen and taken over the town in a wave of concentrated violence, the vampires had left the shadows and now they walked brazenly through the moonlit streets, leaving the humans to cower in the darkness they had left. So she had stuck to the outskirts of the town and she had made good progress too, as she ducked from cover to cover. There had been a couple of close calls along the way, a moment or two when she was sure she must be discovered but eventually she had found herself outside of the high school. That was when things had started to go wrong.
Willow had just place her hand hand on the handle of one of the big double doors when something had made her turn. She had scanned the darkness, searching desperately for what had caused her sudden feeling of uneasiness. Had it been a noise? Some small movement caught from the corner of her eye? All that she had known was that something had registered in her unconscious, some small note of wrongness that had raised the alarms in the back of her mind. Willow had learned to listen to those alarms a long time ago and knew that something was wrong. All had seemed still, though. A small night breeze disturbed the surrounding foliage and somewhere back in the town a harsh cry sounded out but apart from that not a thing moved, not a whisper sounded. She had turned back to the door and begun to open it again when she was forced to turn once more. This time there was a definite sound, not the stealthy sounds of hidden movement she had imagined, but a soft deliberate snigger, filled with playful malice.
That had been it for Willow. She hadn't need to see the face of the figure that emerged from the shadows, she had merely flung the door wide and fled, as fast as she could, heedless of direction, just trying desperately to put as much distance between herself and the thing she knew would be giving chase. She had run like this, careering wildly through the shadow clad corridors of the school, until her sides had felt like they would split and the breath had burned in her lungs. She had run until she could run no more.
Flattening herself against a wall, she waited for the sounds of pursuit. Deep ragged breaths exploded from her, her heart was racing madly from fear and desperate exhilaration. The school remained silent though; the expected footfalls rushing towards Willow conspicuous by their absence. Slowly she had calmed herself, still keeping her senses focused on the dark corridors, still wary of the threat the darkness contained. As her heartbeat slowed she had glanced around her, trying to place her whereabouts in the building and, with a small lurch of relief, had realised that her wild flight had actually landed her within reach of her goal. The library was close at hand.
With nervous caution she had pushed herself away from the wall and headed towards the safe haven that was so tantalisingly within her reach. She had moved slowly, all thoughts of haste banished as she concentrated on keeping her movements silent; aware that, although she appeared to have shaken off pursuit, the monster that hunted her may still be near. Turning one final corner she saw the doors that led to her sanctuary, a dim light shining through their glass windows. She pressed on, scanning the depths of the shadows carefully for the slightest sign of lurking danger. Nothing presented itself though and soon Willow found herself slipping inside the murky interior of White Hat Central.
The library was deserted. A single light shone from a lamp placed on the book laden table that sat in the centre of the room but all else was empty darkness. Willow's heart sank. She had risked everything to get here and it had all been for nothing. But where was everyone? Mr Giles should be here, researching the Master looking for ways to defeat him. Larry and Nancy should be here too, readying their weapons for the next sortie; but there was no-one; not one sign of life.
“Hello.” Willow ventured, uncertainty making her way towards the stairs that led to what Mr Giles called the stacks. “Is anyone here? Anyone?”
“Ain't nobody here but us chickens.”said a voice from the gloom between the bookshelves “Everyone else has been sent out to play.” The speaker moved forward coming into the light “looks like it's just you, and me.” That was it for Willow, the sight of the figure above her was enough to send fresh terror flooding through her. Turning swiftly, she barged back out of the library.
And so she had run once more, heading back the way she had come. Glancing over her shoulder occasionally, each time caching the slightest glimpse of her pursuer as he followed behind unhurriedly, seemingly content to simply keep her in sight. Turning a corner a corner she had caught sight of a door, slightly ajar, and grasping her opportunity she had dived inside as quickly as she could, hoping the thing that tracked her was far enough behind not to have seen her, closing the door quickly and heading towards the back of the classroom, secreting herself in the shadows beneath the desk furthest from the door, waiting, hoping; fearing what she knew must come.
And now, as she retreated further beneath the desk,all she could do was to try to hold on to that hope..The footsteps in the hallway were closer now, still beating out their unhurried rhythm. Closer and closer they came until it sounded like they were immediately outside the room in which Willow hid.
Then, abruptly they stopped, and Willow heard the sound of a long drawn out sniff.
She held her breath, counting the seconds silently in her mind, unable to stand the silence that pressed in all around her. Finally after the longest ten seconds she had ever known the footsteps continued. Willow let out her breath as carefully as she could and risked a peek over the table catching sight of a retreating shadow through the door's small window. If she could get out of the room behind the prowling vampire, she thought, then maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she could double back and find another way out of the school. It had to be her best chance. Trying to outrun a vampire, especially this vampire was just unrealistic and if she stayed where she was it would only be a matter of time before it found her.
No, stealth was definitely her best option. She would use everything that Larry had shown her and with a little care and a little luck she would make it back out into the night. Slowly, with as much care as possible she began to extricate herself from her hiding place, heading over to the door as stealthily as she could, hoping that a glance outside would reveal nothing but empty corridor. Before she was even half way there though, disaster struck.
The chair could only have moved a fraction of an inch as she brushed against it, but the noise it made in doing so pierced the stillness of the school. Willow froze, her senses once more straining out towards the presence in the hallway. The footsteps had stopped.
As quickly as she dare, Willow returned to her burrow, hoping against hope that the vampire hadn't heard, that maybe the noise would be put down to some creaking door deep in the building's belly. Still she could hear no noise other than her shallow breathing and her racing heart. Then the sound of footsteps returned, faint at first but getting louder as they came closer. Willow hugged her knees, willing the footsteps to carry on past her hiding place. It was to no avail though and soon enough she heard the gentle creak of the door of the room opening and felt the atmosphere of the room subtly change as another presence made it's way inside.
There was a pause. Willow guessed the vampire was still over by the door, taking it's time, probably scanning the shadows for some sign of her. She remembered Mr Giles telling her that they had better than normal night vision and tried to make herself smaller, willing herself to become one with the shadows. Eventually she heard the measured footfalls again as the vampire made it's way more fully into the room, still in no hurry, still drawing out her torture.
“Wiii-loow, oh Wiii-loow.” The vampire said in a soft, sing-song voice “come out, come out wherever you are” A chair crashed back suddenly, overturning as the vampire pushed it sideways “C'mon hiding's no fair.” Another crash. “I know you're in here Willow. You know I'm gonna find you.” The footsteps had almost reached her now, only a few desks away at most. “C'mon, I only want to talk: honest injun.” A pair of boots came into Willows view now, black and shiny, a slight scuff on the left toecap. She watched them, mesmerised as they closed in on her position, getting nearer and nearer, until they were almost close enough for her to reach out and touch. Willow felt herself shaking, a single tear escaping from one eye and slaloming lazily down her cheek. She watched as the boots stopped and the figure that looked so much like a man bent at the knees, ducking it head so that it was able to look Willow directly in the eye.
“Ah, there you are.” Said the vampire that had been Xander Harris.