Disclaimer: I do not own Bones. Author's Note: First the story was meant to have the title When Darkness Falls. But someone already had that title (yay for her), so I changed it into Shadows of Fear. I hope that will do the trick too. This is my first story in the angst genre, so please let me know what you think :-) Past
A stormy wind made her window clatter. Temperance rushed towards it and closed it carefully. She stood still for a few moments, her hearing focused on movements in the house---complete silence. She tiptoed towards her closet, and continued stuffing her bag. She didn't need much, just an extra pair of clothes, her savings, water, and her bracelet. It was the most valuable thing Temperance had ever owned. She let out a little sigh, and turned around to look at her room, probably for the last time. Many memories ran through her head, all memories of what her childhood had been like, all of them attached to this room---her mother putting her into her bed when she was little, she and her brother laughing and playing a game, her father helping her with her homework, the four of them painting her walls in a new colour...
She lay her hand up against the frame of her bed. Her Dad had made it himself. Her warm touch against the cold wood made her shiver at the solidarity of her parents. She moved her thumb over the smooth surface, and mumbled a quiet goodbye. Every muscle tensed, Temperance walked towards the stairs, trying to be as silent as possible. She could hear her brother snore softly, while she went downstairs. She entered the living room, and again a shiver sneaked down her spine. The room was surrounded by an eerie moonlight, and behind every object rested a dark shadow. A cupboard, made of some kind of dark wood, drew her attention. Temperance opened it, causing a tearing sound that broke the strained silence. She jumped a little; she'd forgotten how old the cupboard really was. Again, she listened closely if she had woken Russ.
She hadn't. Agitated Temperance shoved some papers aside, reaching for the small object in the back. The shiny metal flickered in the moonlight when she opened her hand. Suddenly a bird outside shrieked, and she dropped the object, causing another loud sound. Quickly Temperance bent over, picked the clasp knife up and shoved it into her pocket. Then she scampered towards the back door, her heart beating at an uncontrollable rate.
Not bothering to follow the stone path, she ran through the neglected garden. A sudden jerk on her leg caused her to tumble down as she tried to jump over the fence. She cursed quietly and took a deep breath. Then Temperance looked down to her leg, to a spot that began to hammer. An average tear had appeared in her denim, and what she thought was a graze became visible. The hammering pain didn't stop her from rising to her feet and escaping from what had been her home.
Temperance kept running until she was lost. In the dark, nothing looked the same. She was wandering throughout streets, alleys and parks. What she did know, was that she was in the unknown part of the city, the parts where she has never been before.
In the meantime her heart had begun to pound at a regular beat again. Danger still was around every corner so she remained very cautious. She was sweating all over, her muscles were weakened and she had trouble breathing. She walked towards a bus stop, and collapsed onto a seat.
There were two single lights in the street, coming from two street-lamps. Only a small beam fell upon the bus stop, and for the first time she relaxed a little. Breathing heavily, Temperance became aware of the hammering pain in her leg again. She pulled up her leg to take a better look. What she thought was a graze, turned out to be an average cut. An amount of dirt rested on the sides of it, and the denim around the tear had turned a dark reddish colour.
Temperance knew she had to clean it, but didn't know how. The dirt had to get out, so she grabbed into her pocket, searching for her clasp knife. Her fingers clamped around the cold metal once she found it and took it out. In one click the knife appeared. It was an old object, but the knife still was sharp with a point even surface.
Temperance brought the blade to her skin of her hand. It felt cold, yet powerful. She slowly moved the blade back and forth, easy on the force so she wouldn't cut herself. She almost lost herself in the moment, but a sting in her leg brought her back to reality. With a little tremor she moved the blade towards her wound. She took a deep breath, and narrowed her eyes. The visibility wasn't great, her blade wasn't all that clean, but it was the best she could do.
Slowly she moved the knife over the edges of the wound. Pain washed over her, but the worst feeling was her stomach turning over every second. Temperance thought she was going to throw up but after a minute the feeling subdued. She grabbed a black cotton shirt, and ripped it apart. After she'd bound her leg up, she packed her things and rose to her feet again.
Her leg felt weird, but Temperance couldn't stay at the bus stop. Staying too long in one place didn't make her feel safe. She had to keep moving, she couldn't let herself get caught. With rapid steps she pushed herself forward. Every now and then Temperance looked around, but neither her sight nor her hearing picked up another human being. After an hour of walking, her throat was dry, her eyes were tired and her vision became blurry. The streets had become more neglected. Most of the stone walls were tore up, the paint blistered. The cars were less expensive and rusty. The streets itself had tire tracks on them, and the trash on the pavement was spread by the wind. Both her legs were hurting, and she had a major headache, which felt as if it was splitting her brain apart. Temperance needed sleep, or at least a little rest, and she needed it now. So she slipped into an alley, small and stuffed, but a few beams of the streetlamps fell into it. The alley seemed to have a dead end, so she crashed onto a few trash bags against the wall. A smell of rotten food surrounded Temperance, but to her, it didn't matter.
Her fingers touched her bracelet. It belonged to her mother, but now it was hers. One by one Temperance looked at the figures, dangling on the silver chain. Of course, they were dolphins. The bracelet triggered many feelings. She loved it; it made her feel close and connected to her mother. But it made her feel angry, and abandoned too. Sometimes her feelings were too much to bear, it made her feel nauseous.
She closed her eyes firmly, not only to give them a rest, but also to keep her from crying. The disappearance of her parents had hurt her so much, and her brother couldn't take her of her, Temperance knew that. So she ran, she ran away and now she was here. Left out and alone, just by herself. No one to count on. Temperance Brennan had become a ghost from her own past.
A faint sound of feet being dragged on the floor, more like a slow shuffle, made her tense up again. Now that she listened more closely, she also heard a deep and rough respiration. She quickly opened her eyes, seeing nothing at first. Her eyes needing to adjust to the darkness, Temperance couldn't see anything but dark spots. Slowly a vague posture began to form in front of her, moving towards her. While digging her fingernails into soft trash bags, she gasped for air. Maybe if she'd hold herself very still, this person wouldn't notice her.
Apparently he did. In a somewhat husky, thin voice he asked where she was. He said he had seen her. He said he wanted to feel her. Temperance crawled upwards the trash bags; this man was getting way too close. She couldn't say anything, she could hardly breathe. But suddenly he seemed to move faster towards her. Temperance murmured he should stay away. She didn't know if he had heard her. It didn't seem to have any effect on him, he was now on the bottom of the dump. He grabbed her leg at once and pulled her down.
Air escaped her lungs and she tried to cry out for help. One weak extract from what should have been a scream exited her mouth. Big, greasy fingers covered her mouth quickly. The owner of them hissed she had to shut up. Tears began to gather in her eyes, and her body began to shake, feeling the desperate need of fresh air. The unknown man shushed her, as if she were a helpless child. He said to Temperance if she made a sound, she would be dead. Temperance noticed he had a strange accent, and carefully his grip on her began to loosen. Now only one finger rested on her lips, and she inhaled the moist air in short breaths.
The man leaned in even closer, his face almost buried in her neck. Temperance could feel his breath on her skin, warm and pricking and his stubbles grating against her jaw. His fingers were everywhere. Temperance had never longed so much for her home and her family, her home base to keep her safe. Her hand, hanging against her thigh, hit something hard. Her clasp knife! The man crawled on top of her, pressing her deeper into the trash bags.
Suddenly a bird beat its wings and flew away, leaving the man distracted. Temperance quickly put her hand in her pocket, her fingers eagerly claiming the knife. His distraction had made the invader only more desirous. His grasping fingers enclosed the fabric of her shirt, slowly pulling it upwards. A strange sound, Temperance couldn't determine if it was some sort of giggle or a moan, escaped his mouth. Temperance rolled a little to her left, and took the clasp knife out of her pocket before the man harshly pulled her back. He growled at her, indicating she shouldn't move again. She felt one hand roaming over her back, the other pressing against her thigh. The stubbles travelled from her neck to her abdomen, leaving a burning trail on her skin. Pressing the little button in the metal, Temperance clicked the clasp knife open. Teeth nibbled on the edge of her jeans, his soggy lips tickling her skin. His hands were wrapped around her just developed curves.
Temperance raised her arm slowly, her hand with the knife shaking. The button from her jeans popped away from the fabric, and a warm breath travelled down. Then, out of nowhere, fingers pushed onto her wound---hard. Temperance let out a scream of pain, and in reflex her arm smashed into the man's back. A tear escaped her eyes and made its way down her cheek. Gasping for air, the man rolled off her. All she could do was breathe. It was the only thing she knew how to do. In, and out. In, and out. Over and over again.
There's still an epilogue coming.. Please review!