The rank scent of death and destruction mixed with bitterness of smoke
choked the air. Debris from the partially collapsed building scattered the
ground, blocking for the moment any possible exit. The building, which had
been a vampire fortress a few short hours earlier, had been reduced to a
large pile of ruble with little pockets of space wedged in between large
slabs of concrete. In one of these small pockets is where Angel found
himself trapped. He and Wesley had gone to empty out the vamp hideout, and
Cordelia had unknowingly came along to help. Posing as a "present" to the
boss from another unknown vampire, she managed to worm her way into the
compound using a seductress act, a slinky little red silk dress, and a pair
of strappy heels. Had he a heart, it would've exploded at the sight of her.
Buffy often wore provocative clothing, but she paled in comparison to the
usually sweet and innocent but now teasing and tantalizing Cordelia Chase.
Cordy stationed herself in the main chamber, conveniently along-side
Nikolas, the leader of the vampire gang, which is where the two men had
found her. She managed to stake Nikolas before he realized what was
happening; saving Angel the trouble of fighting the strongest one. It left
him with only the followers and weaklings; humans and vampires alike. What
none of them planned on though was Nikolas's "last resort." As an attempt
to destroy his killer, he planted a self-destruct device. Once his body
turned to ashes, everyone had 5 minutes to get out before the solid
fortress was reduced to unstable rubble. Nikolas forgot to mention that
little detail even to his closest advisors, because when the building blew,
everyone had looks of fear and shock. Most didn't survive. Every half-hour
or so the anguished cries of the scared and trapped were heard, echoing
through the screaming silence of the night. Wesley, he knew, had gone for
the car and was out of the building when it blew. Cordy, on the other hand,
wasn't as lucky.
Angel's throat tightened in fear and dread. Pictures of Cordelia's mangled body stared wickedly back at him every time he closed his eyes.
'Why'd you have to be so stupid?' he silently asked his missing partner, venomously. 'Why couldn't you have just stayed back like you were told?'
The dust and ash burned his eyes and throat like fire, but still he continued on, plunging deeper into the darkness in search of her. Bodies of the dead and dying were scattered through what used to be hallways and rooms. Some were pinned under things, others impaled on rocks and metal poles. Most were dead. Those who clung to life he killed, for the mere sake of ending their misery. His mad search wasn't for survivors though, only Cordy. She was all that mattered, getting her out alive. He threw big concrete slabs across the rooms as if they were tinkertoys, due to his great vampiric strength. Yet even the immortal weaken. As the minutes ticked by, the energy in his lead muscular body began to slowly drain. More and more he felt the weight of the obstacles. His injuries, though slowly healing, hampered his rescue efforts as well.
"Cordy, be alive!" he shouted into the endless blackness. His voice caught in his throat as he half-sobbed out "please."
"Angel." Faintly he heard his name, as if murmured by the afternoon breeze. His heightened senses pricked to their fullest. He stood absolutely still, waiting - praying - for another hint of life. The seconds went by like hours, with no response. His soul grew heavy with the though of his own senses deceiving him. But no! He heard it, low rasping breathing coming from somewhere off to the right. The cavern was relatively large, lit only by the moonbeams that leaked in from the small gapes in the ceiling. Quickly he scanned the room for any sign of his friend. Out of the corner of his eye, the tiniest speck of red flashed in amongst the dull gray of the debris. Hope surged through him. Cordy! With lightening fast speed he was at her side. Both relief and despair claimed him at the sight of her.
"Oh god." Angel murmured, kneeling down next to her. "Cordelia."
Weakly her eyelids fluttered open, revealing endless cinnamon pools beneath. He could tell right off the bat she was in trouble. 'Maybe it has something to do with the fact that her legs are stuck under a god damn slab of concrete!' he thought dryly, reviewing the situation. Whether or not her legs were crushed he had yet to determine, but nevertheless she was pinned under the rock.
"Cordy, can you hear me?" he asked.
Gently, he ran his fingers through the soft mass of spilling curls that encircled her head like a halo. She had put it up in such a way, with black lipstick and heavy mascara, to try and win over Nikolas's attention.
'Well it worked,' he told her silently. 'You look absolutely stunning.'
In sharp contrast to the red and black she donned, her face and skin had slipped several shades paler.
"Angel?" Cordelia tried to focus on his face, but apparently was having a hard time.
"It's me Cordy," he told her softly. "I'm here."
The smallest flicker of a smile crossed over her face and her features softened.
"Wh. what happened?" she asked, her voice tired and bewildered. He smiled down at her, thanking all the Gods he hadn't already killed off that she was alive.
"The building blew up," he said with warmth in his voice, as if to soften the blow. "We're trapped inside."
The general message got through, and her eyes opened wide with alarm.
"What?!?" she shrieked, shooting up.
Sitting up, she found, was an impossible task. The panic on her face only increased when she realized with full clarity that she was indeed trapped.
"Oh God Angel! I." Cordelia settled into full panic mode. "I can't move! I'm stuck! Oh God, please help me! Angel I."
"Cordelia." His tone was low and firm, silencing her at once. "I'm going to try and lift this thing off you okay? I need you to lie still."
Her breath came out in low, shallow pants as she nodded, and lowered herself to the floor. With all the energy from the sudden adrenaline rush gone from her body, even keeping her eyes open seemed and impossible task.
'How the hell am I gonna get this thing off of her?' Angel thought.
He craved blood profusely, and that plus the heavy lifting had deprived him of nearly all his natural strength. Standing up from his crouched position seemed hard enough, much less hauling a mongo concrete slab off the body of this imprisoned friend. As he looked down at her limp body, and the paleness of her usually tanned skin, he knew what he had to do.
"Lie still," he murmured a final time, stroking her hair gently. With a silent groan, he shoved himself to his feet. A save of dizziness washed over him, and he nearly toppled over.
'No!' he screamed at himself. 'I must do this for Cordy!'
Mustering every ounce of remaining strength he had left, Angel grabbed two corners of the 5 by 3 cement block and heaved with all his might. Every muscle, nerve, and bone in his body protested under the weight of the massive object. A soft whimper escaped Cordelia, one that tore and every fiber of his being. He wanted badly to reassure her, to tell her that everything would be over in a few seconds, but that would take extra energy. Extra energy he didn't have. Angel silently rejoiced as the block moved higher and higher in the air. His legs shook like leaves as he hoisted it into the air and threw it 10 feet across the cavern. With a loud crack in hit the wall, instantly shattering into a million pieces. Like a gunshot, the deafening roar of the contravention echoed through the crumbled building. The last of his energy drained, angel collapsed on the ground beside Cordelia.
Angel's throat tightened in fear and dread. Pictures of Cordelia's mangled body stared wickedly back at him every time he closed his eyes.
'Why'd you have to be so stupid?' he silently asked his missing partner, venomously. 'Why couldn't you have just stayed back like you were told?'
The dust and ash burned his eyes and throat like fire, but still he continued on, plunging deeper into the darkness in search of her. Bodies of the dead and dying were scattered through what used to be hallways and rooms. Some were pinned under things, others impaled on rocks and metal poles. Most were dead. Those who clung to life he killed, for the mere sake of ending their misery. His mad search wasn't for survivors though, only Cordy. She was all that mattered, getting her out alive. He threw big concrete slabs across the rooms as if they were tinkertoys, due to his great vampiric strength. Yet even the immortal weaken. As the minutes ticked by, the energy in his lead muscular body began to slowly drain. More and more he felt the weight of the obstacles. His injuries, though slowly healing, hampered his rescue efforts as well.
"Cordy, be alive!" he shouted into the endless blackness. His voice caught in his throat as he half-sobbed out "please."
"Angel." Faintly he heard his name, as if murmured by the afternoon breeze. His heightened senses pricked to their fullest. He stood absolutely still, waiting - praying - for another hint of life. The seconds went by like hours, with no response. His soul grew heavy with the though of his own senses deceiving him. But no! He heard it, low rasping breathing coming from somewhere off to the right. The cavern was relatively large, lit only by the moonbeams that leaked in from the small gapes in the ceiling. Quickly he scanned the room for any sign of his friend. Out of the corner of his eye, the tiniest speck of red flashed in amongst the dull gray of the debris. Hope surged through him. Cordy! With lightening fast speed he was at her side. Both relief and despair claimed him at the sight of her.
"Oh god." Angel murmured, kneeling down next to her. "Cordelia."
Weakly her eyelids fluttered open, revealing endless cinnamon pools beneath. He could tell right off the bat she was in trouble. 'Maybe it has something to do with the fact that her legs are stuck under a god damn slab of concrete!' he thought dryly, reviewing the situation. Whether or not her legs were crushed he had yet to determine, but nevertheless she was pinned under the rock.
"Cordy, can you hear me?" he asked.
Gently, he ran his fingers through the soft mass of spilling curls that encircled her head like a halo. She had put it up in such a way, with black lipstick and heavy mascara, to try and win over Nikolas's attention.
'Well it worked,' he told her silently. 'You look absolutely stunning.'
In sharp contrast to the red and black she donned, her face and skin had slipped several shades paler.
"Angel?" Cordelia tried to focus on his face, but apparently was having a hard time.
"It's me Cordy," he told her softly. "I'm here."
The smallest flicker of a smile crossed over her face and her features softened.
"Wh. what happened?" she asked, her voice tired and bewildered. He smiled down at her, thanking all the Gods he hadn't already killed off that she was alive.
"The building blew up," he said with warmth in his voice, as if to soften the blow. "We're trapped inside."
The general message got through, and her eyes opened wide with alarm.
"What?!?" she shrieked, shooting up.
Sitting up, she found, was an impossible task. The panic on her face only increased when she realized with full clarity that she was indeed trapped.
"Oh God Angel! I." Cordelia settled into full panic mode. "I can't move! I'm stuck! Oh God, please help me! Angel I."
"Cordelia." His tone was low and firm, silencing her at once. "I'm going to try and lift this thing off you okay? I need you to lie still."
Her breath came out in low, shallow pants as she nodded, and lowered herself to the floor. With all the energy from the sudden adrenaline rush gone from her body, even keeping her eyes open seemed and impossible task.
'How the hell am I gonna get this thing off of her?' Angel thought.
He craved blood profusely, and that plus the heavy lifting had deprived him of nearly all his natural strength. Standing up from his crouched position seemed hard enough, much less hauling a mongo concrete slab off the body of this imprisoned friend. As he looked down at her limp body, and the paleness of her usually tanned skin, he knew what he had to do.
"Lie still," he murmured a final time, stroking her hair gently. With a silent groan, he shoved himself to his feet. A save of dizziness washed over him, and he nearly toppled over.
'No!' he screamed at himself. 'I must do this for Cordy!'
Mustering every ounce of remaining strength he had left, Angel grabbed two corners of the 5 by 3 cement block and heaved with all his might. Every muscle, nerve, and bone in his body protested under the weight of the massive object. A soft whimper escaped Cordelia, one that tore and every fiber of his being. He wanted badly to reassure her, to tell her that everything would be over in a few seconds, but that would take extra energy. Extra energy he didn't have. Angel silently rejoiced as the block moved higher and higher in the air. His legs shook like leaves as he hoisted it into the air and threw it 10 feet across the cavern. With a loud crack in hit the wall, instantly shattering into a million pieces. Like a gunshot, the deafening roar of the contravention echoed through the crumbled building. The last of his energy drained, angel collapsed on the ground beside Cordelia.