Threads: Insomnia (Part 5)
Oct. 23rd, 2010 04:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akainagiThreads: Insomnia (Part 5)
Author: AkaiNagi
Rating: R for language
Genre: X-over with Stephen King’s Insomnia. AU: does not adhere to season three cannon i.e. Faith, Angel’s return, etc.
Summary: Buffy returns from Phoenix carrying a curse, one she must face alone. But when she disappears again, will anyone, even her Watcher, keep faith in her?
The walk from the school to Buffy’s house was a long one. Thankfully, the rain from earlier had subsided, the skies clearing to reveal a sunny, if crisp, California winter day. The walk gave Buffy plenty of time to think, and she could only come to one conculsion. She was being an ass. Grade-A, complete and total.
Giles was trying to keep her safe, in his own stodgy and overprotective way. And she repaid him by not only failing to tell him crucial information, but by outright lying to him. She wasn’t even sure why she had done it either. A combination of not wanting to worry him further (that had backfired; now he was probably doubly worried), and something else she had trouble naming.
The auras had been beautiful. It was like getting a glimpse of another plane of existence. But something about them was frightening, too. Underneath the pretty lights and balloon strings she felt something dangerous. Like eyes on her. She hoped she was just being paranoid, and that wasn’t the case.
Because the auras were back.
Downtown Sunnydale in late afternoon on a weekday was hardly a happenin’ place. But from Buffy’s current point of view, downtown Vegas was a string of Christmas lights compared to this.
Just like before, each person was surrounded by their own individual colored glow, each with their own streamer of light rising from the top of their head. The variety was enormous. Buffy hadn’t known that many colors existed in the world.
Her walk slowed to take it all in. A dull green man walking a bright blue dog walked past her on the sidewalk. Even the dog had a balloon string, this one rising from the end of its snout. Buffy giggled. The man gave her an off-color look and she realized she had been staring. She wondered what the man would say if she explained, ‘sorry sir, but I was just admiring your dog’s aura.’ She squelched another giggle and refocused her attention.
Buffy passed from the brilliance of downtown and crossed into the no less impressive suburbs. God, even the trees were aglow. Every blade of grass, every well-manicured suburban shrub gave off a gentle pulsing light.
This part of the burbs was fairly deserted, save for a couple of children playing in a driveway. One was engaged in a pursuit more typical of summertime. Bundled in a pink ski parka that was kind of overkill for a mild southern California winter, the child was writing on the driveway in brightly colored chalk. She was surrounded by a rosy aura that glowed with health. The other little girl bounced up and down, skipping across the driveway in what looked like a game of hopscotch. There was something odd about the hopscotch player, though. She was wearing a pink ski hat and something that resembled a gown that a doctor would wear for surgery, only it was dingy and stained. But that wasn’t what struck Buffy as odd.
The second child had no aura.
Still several houses away, Buffy crossed the street so she could get a better look. About two doors down she realized that it wasn’t a little girl at all in the dirty smock, but a small man, maybe four feet tall. It resembled a child not only because of its size, but because its skin was perfectly smooth, without a line or crease to be seen.
Suddenly Buffy caught a flash of something metallic glinting in the sun. The little man, still bouncing across the driveway, held what looked to be a knife, or maybe a scalpel. With her heightened senses she picked up his voice, he was chanting in a kind of sing-song voice, although Buffy couldn’t see his mouth moving at all. The voice was grating and sinister as it chanted:
Crouch little bird, inside your cage.
When will you come out?
In the evening of the dawn?
The crane and turtle slipped and fell,
Who stands behind you now?”
The doctor-creature (Buffy called it a creature, because she had never seen something so malicious looking that was human), stopped right behind the little girl, who was still drawing away with her chalk, completely unawares.
Buffy sped up her walk to a jog, as the creature reached out to grab the child’s balloon string, scalpel at the ready.
Jesus. He’s going to cut it, Buffy realized.
[“Hey!”]
She yelled at the creature, trying to get its attention. She succeeded. Both the girl and the creature looked up, the girl with a look of surprise, the dwarf with a sneer and a snarl.
[What the fuck do you want short-timer? ]
Buffy was taken aback for a moment. The Demented Doc’s voice reverberated in her ears and her mind at the same time. It was a disconcerting sensation. She threw the entire weight of her mind and her voice into her reply.
[“I want you to leave her alone!”]
The creature grinned, showing two rows of jagged, pointed teeth.
[Piss off, Shorts. The kid’s mine.]
Buffy tried a different tactic, she shouted at the startled little girl. “Hey, kid. Get in the house, now!”
The little girl didn’t need to be told twice. The child scrambled up and ran to her front door, quickly disappearing inside, no doubt running to tell her mother about the deranged teenager who had appeared out of nowhere and started yelling at her.
[Short-time cunt!]
The creature swore, ripping its hat off in anger to reveal a perfectly smooth bald head.
[Fucking short-time whore! I told you the goddamn kid’s mine!]
The Bald Doc turned to follow the child.
Completely on instinct, Buffy shot her hand out, as if throwing a stake. From her empty hand flew a bullet of gold light. It clipped the creature on the shoulder, leaving a singed mark on his tunic and making him yowl, probably more in surprise than pain.
[Don’t fuck with me, shorts! I’ll fuck you over! I’ll fuck your friends over!]
Buffy drew back her hand, readying another salvo of light. The creature cringed, appearing genuinely frightened.
[I’ll get you, you short-time bitch! Since I can’t play with the kid, I guess I’ll have to play with you instead. I’ll fuck you good, shorts!]
With this charming sentiment, the creature ran up the street, disappearing between two houses.
Buffy stood and watched it disappear. Her first thought, the world still aglow around her, was that she doubted she had seen the last of this particular baddie. Her second thought was that she had to get to a phone. She owed Giles an apology and probably a box of jelly donuts before all was said and done, because she was out of her depth. She needed to put him to work researching demons that looked like little bald doctors. Stat.
Author: AkaiNagi
Rating: R for language
Genre: X-over with Stephen King’s Insomnia. AU: does not adhere to season three cannon i.e. Faith, Angel’s return, etc.
Summary: Buffy returns from Phoenix carrying a curse, one she must face alone. But when she disappears again, will anyone, even her Watcher, keep faith in her?
The walk from the school to Buffy’s house was a long one. Thankfully, the rain from earlier had subsided, the skies clearing to reveal a sunny, if crisp, California winter day. The walk gave Buffy plenty of time to think, and she could only come to one conculsion. She was being an ass. Grade-A, complete and total.
Giles was trying to keep her safe, in his own stodgy and overprotective way. And she repaid him by not only failing to tell him crucial information, but by outright lying to him. She wasn’t even sure why she had done it either. A combination of not wanting to worry him further (that had backfired; now he was probably doubly worried), and something else she had trouble naming.
The auras had been beautiful. It was like getting a glimpse of another plane of existence. But something about them was frightening, too. Underneath the pretty lights and balloon strings she felt something dangerous. Like eyes on her. She hoped she was just being paranoid, and that wasn’t the case.
Because the auras were back.
Downtown Sunnydale in late afternoon on a weekday was hardly a happenin’ place. But from Buffy’s current point of view, downtown Vegas was a string of Christmas lights compared to this.
Just like before, each person was surrounded by their own individual colored glow, each with their own streamer of light rising from the top of their head. The variety was enormous. Buffy hadn’t known that many colors existed in the world.
Her walk slowed to take it all in. A dull green man walking a bright blue dog walked past her on the sidewalk. Even the dog had a balloon string, this one rising from the end of its snout. Buffy giggled. The man gave her an off-color look and she realized she had been staring. She wondered what the man would say if she explained, ‘sorry sir, but I was just admiring your dog’s aura.’ She squelched another giggle and refocused her attention.
Buffy passed from the brilliance of downtown and crossed into the no less impressive suburbs. God, even the trees were aglow. Every blade of grass, every well-manicured suburban shrub gave off a gentle pulsing light.
This part of the burbs was fairly deserted, save for a couple of children playing in a driveway. One was engaged in a pursuit more typical of summertime. Bundled in a pink ski parka that was kind of overkill for a mild southern California winter, the child was writing on the driveway in brightly colored chalk. She was surrounded by a rosy aura that glowed with health. The other little girl bounced up and down, skipping across the driveway in what looked like a game of hopscotch. There was something odd about the hopscotch player, though. She was wearing a pink ski hat and something that resembled a gown that a doctor would wear for surgery, only it was dingy and stained. But that wasn’t what struck Buffy as odd.
The second child had no aura.
Still several houses away, Buffy crossed the street so she could get a better look. About two doors down she realized that it wasn’t a little girl at all in the dirty smock, but a small man, maybe four feet tall. It resembled a child not only because of its size, but because its skin was perfectly smooth, without a line or crease to be seen.
Suddenly Buffy caught a flash of something metallic glinting in the sun. The little man, still bouncing across the driveway, held what looked to be a knife, or maybe a scalpel. With her heightened senses she picked up his voice, he was chanting in a kind of sing-song voice, although Buffy couldn’t see his mouth moving at all. The voice was grating and sinister as it chanted:
Crouch little bird, inside your cage.
When will you come out?
In the evening of the dawn?
The crane and turtle slipped and fell,
Who stands behind you now?”
The doctor-creature (Buffy called it a creature, because she had never seen something so malicious looking that was human), stopped right behind the little girl, who was still drawing away with her chalk, completely unawares.
Buffy sped up her walk to a jog, as the creature reached out to grab the child’s balloon string, scalpel at the ready.
Jesus. He’s going to cut it, Buffy realized.
[“Hey!”]
She yelled at the creature, trying to get its attention. She succeeded. Both the girl and the creature looked up, the girl with a look of surprise, the dwarf with a sneer and a snarl.
[What the fuck do you want short-timer? ]
Buffy was taken aback for a moment. The Demented Doc’s voice reverberated in her ears and her mind at the same time. It was a disconcerting sensation. She threw the entire weight of her mind and her voice into her reply.
[“I want you to leave her alone!”]
The creature grinned, showing two rows of jagged, pointed teeth.
[Piss off, Shorts. The kid’s mine.]
Buffy tried a different tactic, she shouted at the startled little girl. “Hey, kid. Get in the house, now!”
The little girl didn’t need to be told twice. The child scrambled up and ran to her front door, quickly disappearing inside, no doubt running to tell her mother about the deranged teenager who had appeared out of nowhere and started yelling at her.
[Short-time cunt!]
The creature swore, ripping its hat off in anger to reveal a perfectly smooth bald head.
[Fucking short-time whore! I told you the goddamn kid’s mine!]
The Bald Doc turned to follow the child.
Completely on instinct, Buffy shot her hand out, as if throwing a stake. From her empty hand flew a bullet of gold light. It clipped the creature on the shoulder, leaving a singed mark on his tunic and making him yowl, probably more in surprise than pain.
[Don’t fuck with me, shorts! I’ll fuck you over! I’ll fuck your friends over!]
Buffy drew back her hand, readying another salvo of light. The creature cringed, appearing genuinely frightened.
[I’ll get you, you short-time bitch! Since I can’t play with the kid, I guess I’ll have to play with you instead. I’ll fuck you good, shorts!]
With this charming sentiment, the creature ran up the street, disappearing between two houses.
Buffy stood and watched it disappear. Her first thought, the world still aglow around her, was that she doubted she had seen the last of this particular baddie. Her second thought was that she had to get to a phone. She owed Giles an apology and probably a box of jelly donuts before all was said and done, because she was out of her depth. She needed to put him to work researching demons that looked like little bald doctors. Stat.
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Date: 2010-10-24 03:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-10-27 11:02 pm (UTC)