A weak stream of sunlight filtered through ragged curtains covering the window above the sink, dappling the dusty counters. Eliza paced close by, her footsteps unsteady against the rotten, wooden floors.
She knew she was running low on food, but the idea of leaving the abandoned home and venturing into society was overwhelming. She knew she could play blind again - it was soothing reverting back to what once had been for her, but she knew it would not prevent her seeing visions. They were becoming frequent and erratic, and if she were to put herself in a crowd, she knew it would only end badly.
She grimaced at the thought and put an end to her pacing, her fingers twitching as she struggled to come up with a better idea. "There has to be a way," she whispered, closing her brown eyes as she rubbed her temples. Her thoughts remained jumpy, refusing to allow her to focus in on one at a time.
With a frustrated groan, she opened her eyes and leaned against the kitchen sink, lowering her head as she stared blankly at the stagnant water that had pooled over the clogged drain. She could feel exhaustion creeping in her veins as she closed her eyes, wishing she could somehow control this… this curse. She just wanted to be normal. She just wanted to be able to be among other people without frightening everyone in a mile radius. She just wanted-
"Hello?"
Her body stiffened at the sound of the soft voice and her eyes opened, her heart almost stopping in her chest. Fleeting panic consumed her mind for a moment, and she remained in her position in silence, hoping the person would leave.
"Eliza, are you in here?"
Eliza flinched at the sound of her name being called and she quickly straightened, squaring her shoulders as her blood roared in her ears. Slowly, without thought, she began to creep out of the kitchen, her heart pounding heavily against her ribs. She stopped in the entrance, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, and warily peered around the corner.
There, hovering close to the front door, was a nervous brunette, her eyes sweeping the worn down living room.
Quickly, Eliza looked away, closing her eyes as she held her breath, feeling a brief sense of relief when no vision violated her tattered mind. She then cautiously moved out of the kitchen, the floor creaking under her weight, and she felt the eyes of the other lock onto her. "You shouldn't be here."
For a moment, silence fell, and Eliza felt the urge to open her eyes. She turned away and did just that, staring at the moss and mold covered wall. "Have you lost your tongue?"
"N-no, I just…" The other woman trailed off and she cleared her throat. "Are you Eliza Addy?"
Eliza flinched again, her own name piercing through her skin like needles. "Why are you asking?"
"Well, uh, the CIA has been looking for you. Your father told us about your ability and-"
She scoffed, interrupting the woman. "Oh, he told you did he? Well, in that case you better just leave and ask him why he's so concerned suddenly."
"What?" Surprise was evident in the woman's tone, causing her voice to almost squeak. She then cleared her throat to try and regain her composure. "Well, it might be your best interest to come with me. He does have a right to be concerned."
"How so?"
For a brief moment, the other woman said nothing, but Eliza had a feeling she may have been gesturing with her hands.
"This house," she said, struggling to add a lighter air to the situation. "This house is a hazard for one thing. Not to mention, you might be hunted down by a terrorist organization. It's in the CI- my best interest to be sure that you aren't harmed."
"How do I know you aren't that terrorist organization? You don't seem like a CIA agent at all." She turned to face the other woman, but kept her gaze locked on the ceiling above her, refusing to look directly at her. "I'm fine here, you should just leave," she said, hostility lacing her words like barbed wire.
The woman inhaled sharply and took a step back. "I… alright, I'm not with the CIA. But you're still in danger. I-if you need help getting your ability under control, the others, including myself, can he-"
"Others?" Eliza scowled. "Have you ever thought of why I decided to stay here?"
The woman stammered for a reply before clearing her throat once more. "Aren't you lonely?"
A dry, bitter laugh escaped Eliza's lips as she shook her head, lowering her gaze and finally looking at the other woman. "Believe me, this loneliness won't go away. But, I deal with it."
She began to feel a tingling deep within her mind and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists as her mind began to buzz. Her eyes suddenly opened, startling the other woman, and began to glow a brilliant blue, her body stiff as visions began to invade her line of sight. Her gaze locked back onto the frightened woman and she jerked her head in surprise, seeing dark shadows hovering behind the other, staring at her with disgust and unease. They whispered to each other rapidly, their voices muffled and words mumbled, and Eliza quickly staggered back, shaking her head to try and rid herself of what she saw.
However, it didn't work, and the she spotted more figures forming out of the corner of her eye, one in particular standing out. His gaze was fixed onto the terrified woman, but Eliza couldn't make out his features; she still knew he was upset.
She squeezed her eyes shut and staggered back, lowering her head and gritting her teeth. "Hear me, woman that has gone astray," she said, her voice quaking as she opened her eyes once more, locking her dead gaze onto the other's frightened one.
"Pardon?" Alarm rang clearly in the other's voice, and she quickly took a step back, her eyes wide with fear.
Eliza paid no attention, shaking her head and muttering incoherently under her breath as she lurched forward, the vision fading from her gaze but others still buzzed in her mind like a hive of angry bees. "Your friends will always just be in your way."
The other woman quickly scurried back, only to hit the wall behind her with a soft oomph. "What are you even talking about?"
Her voice was shrill with fear, causing Eliza to flinch and shuffle back a few steps.
With a huff, she jerked her head away, staring out in the dusty living room, her mind flooded with blurry scenes that were going too quickly for her to process. "They'll die or leave you either way," she rasped, her body stiffening as a vision quickly came into view.
A man was sitting on the ground, staring up at a different woman, their features unrecognizable, and Eliza watched in horror as the man began to turn to stone before his body shattered away.
Almost as quickly as it came, it disappeared, being replaced by yet another image. This time, Eliza found herself staring at yet a different man from behind a windowed door, two screaming voices filling the space around her as the man watched as she fell out of the sky.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the other woman squeaked, unaware of the two visions that Eliza had just witnessed in a matter of moments. "My friends would never – they wouldn't leave me."
She could hear the doubt mingled with the terror in the other's voice, but she was unable to process it. Her ruined mind was overcome with the visions that had violated her sanity, the blue glow from her eyes slowly fading away. "Either way," she repeated, lifting her gaze back toward the other woman, her face blank like that of a dolls.
By that point, it was apparent that the other woman was terribly frightened. "Y-you're crossing a line," she said, her voice faltering. "P-please don't do this."
Eliza sneered in response, though the gesture appeared to be hollow and painful. "You all say that, but the sad fact is I've lost my mind."
In the same moment the other woman let out a strangled cry, there was a muffled crashing sound from the back of the house, and three agents quickly swarmed into the room, their weapons drawn and aimed at Eliza.
She turned around to face them, taking a step back away from them and the woman, her eyes once more glowing a brilliant blue. Visions began to race through her mind, swirling about furiously, refusing to let her catch up to her own troubled thoughts. They were overwhelming her, denying her her precious sanity. As stress and confused anger began to boil in her blood, Eliza squared her shoulders and stared at the three who had entered the room before turning her attention back toward the cowering woman, taking a few unsteady steps toward her.
"Stop moving!" The tallest agent barked, but she ignored him.
"I'm just getting started, let me offend," she said, madness lacing each word as she continued to stare at the petrified woman. A vision blurred her gaze, a vision of the woman staring at the upset man with a pained expression, his face cold as he stared right back. "You will trust each other nevermore."
"I need you to step away, please," another voice interrupted, a warning note in his tone.
Her face flushed with anger as she staggered back, locking her burning gaze onto the man that spoke. "All I want is to be left alone." The pitch increased sharply, a scowl twisting her features. "That's all I ask for!"
She was too busy staring at the man to notice the female agent cock her gun and fire.
xXxXx
Eliza paced her cell, muttering nonsense under her breath. Although she had been unconscious for a little more than an hour, her fragile mind was still riddled with the muddled visions from earlier, her brown eyes tinged with a faint blue glow.
"You really should drink something; the Night-Night gun really takes a toll on hydration."
She flinched as if she had been struck and stopped pacing, glaring down at the cold floor beneath her feet. Slowly, she lifted her gaze up toward the man, feeling a wave of anger when she noticed his calm demeanor. "All I wanted was to be left alone," she snapped, taking a step toward the invisible barrier that separated them.
"You need to calm down," he said, appearing to be unfazed. "You're going to end up hurting yourself."
"Hurt myself?" She sneered, the blue in her eyes glowing brightly. "You're blinded by your own hurt. What you… what you believe…" She trailed off and lurched away from the barrier, pity mixing into her mad tone as visions began to swarm her head. "What you believe is going to be your downfall."
She turned her gaze back toward the man, seeing alarm flare into his eyes, breaking his collected persona. But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, and he gathered himself.
"You don't even understand what you're talking about," he scoffed.
With a scowl, Eliza turned away, stalking back toward the cot tucked away in the corner of the cell. "Can you see? They tell you lies thus keeping you weak. Your weakness is exposed, and you will pay for it dearly."
He said nothing in response.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she lowered herself onto the cot, feeling the springs bend and creak underneath her. She stared wearily at the floor, the blue glow in her eyes slowly vanishing. "Leave me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "My heart is dead for all to see. Can you see?"
"I can."
When she heard footsteps, she slowly turned to look over at him, watching as he made his way up the stairs and out of the basement. With a small sigh, she turned her head away once more, closing her eyes as she struggled to reel in her troubled mind.
xXxXx
Hours had gone by since the man had visited her, and Eliza was pacing the cell once more. The concrete felt cold against her bare feet, but she paid no attention, her mind weary and torn as she struggled to make coherent thoughts. It was a bittersweet feeling being left alone – she no longer had new visions to worry about tearing her sanity apart, but what sanity remained was still in tatters. The feeling of loneliness was trickling in her veins like ice, but she welcomed it, eager to feel something other than her broken mind.
Her isolation did not last.
When she heard cautious footsteps quietly ringing throughout the room, she froze. As the footsteps grew nearer, the person making their way down the last remaining stairs, she turned her head to look at them, a faint spark of curiosity briefly lighting in her heart when she realized she hadn't seen the woman earlier.
Awkwardly, the other cleared her throat once she made her way in front of the barrier, watching her nervously. "I, uh, stopped by to see if you wanted anything."
Eliza snorted, straightening her back as her eyes glowed a faint blue, her gaze dead. "No you didn't. You came for yourself. What do you want?"
The woman in front of her narrowed her eyes, mentally sizing her up, though took a small step back, the height in her nervousness becoming visible. "You crossed a line, y'know, talking to Simmons and Coulson like that."
The names rang meaninglessly in her ears, and she felt no strength nor will to process them. With a halfhearted sneer, Eliza's posture slumped and she turned away. "The sad fact is I've lost my mind, though that seems to be over your head."
The brilliant blue glow blazed in her eyes as her body stiffened suddenly, visions invading her mind and dancing across her sight, voices hissing and mumbling in her ears. With a cry, she lurched to the side, turning to face the other woman, startling her.
Eliza watched as a man suddenly lashed out at his patient and another man, feeling his feral rage as he killed them, sparing them no mercy. The vision then changed just as quickly as it appeared, and she watched as a woman began to drain the life out of someone who appeared to be the woman who stood before her in reality.
With a pained cry, she shook her head and staggered back, dangerously nearing the live barrier, faintly hearing the sudden buzz of electricity behind her back. Quickly, she spun around, locking her crazed gaze onto the alarmed woman. "You will not like what you find!"
The other took a few steps back, holding her hands up in front of her, as if to shield herself from the other's madness. "Okay! Enough with the vague-"
"I'm just getting started, let me offend," she said, her words slurred and desperate. Another vision consumed her gaze, and she watched as a man handcuffed the woman to a metal railing. A spark of recognition flared inside of her, but his physical features slipped through her grasp, causing her to let out a soft cry of frustration, becoming lost in the images that swirled in her mind. "Misery will be your only friend!"
"Enough!"
The other's sharp tone tore through Eliza like knives, causing her to flinch and cower back, the brilliant blue glow vanishing. With a gasp, she shook her head and turned away, trying to clear her mind of the madness that invaded her very soul years before. "Let me be alone," she rasped, her voice trembling as she slowly lifted her head, keeping her back turned on the other woman.
"You could've just said so from the start," the other woman snapped. "No need for the whole oracle thing."
A humorless scoff escaped Eliza's lips as she turned her head, a wry crooked smile twitching at her lips, keeping the woman in the edge of her vision. "Tact from me is like blood from a stone." She turned her head again, staring blankly at the bricked wall across the cell, the smile falling flat. "Please, just leave me be."
xXxXx
Her body jerked as she woke with a start, her eyelids flying open as she gasped suddenly. Quickly, she sat up on the cot, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as a cold sweat beaded her skin. Her wild eyes scanned the room for any danger, and when she saw none, she forced herself to relax, taking shaking breaths to try and soothe her frayed nerves.
Slowly, she laid back down on the cot, tugging the scratchy excuse for a blanket up to her chin, her frazzled mind reeling from the nightmare that had startled her awake – the nightmare she didn't know. She closed her eyes, struggling to think of what had scared her so, but came up with nothing.
With a frustrated sigh, she heaved herself from the cot, her spine cracking as she got to her feet and stretched. For a moment, she stood still, feeling her heart beat slow as a shiver ran through her body by the chill that layered her skin. A sickening feeling wormed its way into her bones, causing her to flinch as though it physically pained her.
Slowly, she staggered away from the cot and began to pace, wondering if she was finally losing what little shred of sanity she had managed to hold onto for so long. A desperate cry escaped Eliza's lips as she shook her head, burying her face in her hands as she struggled to tell if she was in reality or going through the movements of yet another vision.
The silence that followed was short lived, and she felt her body tense in fear as heavy footsteps slowly echoed throughout the room.
With a heavy swallow, she gritted her teeth and lifted her head, turning her attention toward the man that made his way down the stairs. Suddenly, her body jerked as if she had been shocked, her eyes widening as they began to glow a brilliant blue. Visions swarmed her mind, buzzing like a hive of angry bees, viciously tearing at her little sanity.
"You!" She cried, recognizing the man as the same one who had appeared in multiple visions from before. He was the one that had stared at her as she fell from the sky. He was the one who had cuffed the woman to the railing.
Those visions began to replay over and over in her head as she staggered back, barely registering the fact that he was now standing in front of the machine that controlled the cell, punching in a code to disable the barrier that separated them.
As the barrier began to die, Eliza lurched forward, a feral rage burning deep within her tattered soul. However, she suddenly stopped, confusion and fear overcoming the rage, and she stared at him, the visions racing through her mind completely erasing what sanity had remained.
"It's my turn to offend," he said quietly, his voice hard as he drew a gun that had been tucked against the small of his back. His eyes were locked onto hers, showing no fear even as she bared her teeth. "I've heard that Hell has a special place for you, Eliza."
"The Devil's got nothing on me, my friend," she sneered, her voice as sharp as thorns as she took an unsteady step forward, lifting her chin up defiantly.
The moment he held his gun up and pointed it at her, however, she faltered and staggered back, and a smirk played across his hard features.
"All I want is to be left alone," she whispered, cowering away from him as he took a few paces closer toward her.
"Don't worry, you will be soon enough."
Her body jerked and straightened as another vision flooded her gaze, and she watched in confusion as she stared at him lying on the dusty ground, a blue hue covering everything in sight, his hate filled gaze staring up at the man that towered over him. The vision changed, and, with a start, she found herself standing over him, and she watched in horror as she slammed her hand down onto his chest, hearing the crunching and snapping sounds of his ribs and sternum caving and breaking under the pressure.
She staggered back, gasping as the brilliant blue glow faded from her eyes for good, the madness loosening its grasp over her. Eliza stared at the man in terror, her heart pounding faster and faster as he just stood there, his weapon still trained on her.
He was enjoying her terror.
Bile rose in her throat and she struggled to keep it down, the snapping sounds of his bones echoing in her ears as she realized what was going to happen. Tears blurred her vision and spilled down her cheeks, but she didn't dare to sob. "You're going to die," she rasped, her loud voice trembling with each word.
The man just chuckled and cocked the gun. "So are you."
xXxXx
By the time the team made it back to the base, it was too late. Out of the four people they left behind, they found two to be missing. Not a trace of them could be found.
The other two were found dead. One had been strangled with a metal wire and shoved up in the rafters of the storage room, their blood trickling down the wall and dripping onto the cold floor beneath. The other had been shot in the head, left in a pool of blood on the cold concrete floor of the cell in the basement.
xXxXx
For starters, I based this fic off of the song, "Beekeeper" by Keaton Henson (hence the title), so in the outline of this story, I had story text between the lyrics, though that's against the rules so I had to play it a bit differently. I may end up doing a small story with Eliza's backstory, but I'm not 100% sure if I will or not.
Also, here's the AoS characters in the story (in order of appearance): Simmons, Coulson, May, Ward, Coulson again, Skye, and then Ward again. The two dead at the end are Eric Koenig and Eliza, which makes Ward and Skye the ones who had disappeared, since this takes place in… erk, end of season one? Yeah, toward the end of season one. It's been awhile since I've watched it, so sorry if there are any errors!