Falling into Darkness Chapter 4
By Shinigami y Inochi
Genre: angst, supernatural
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam wing, or any other characters in this story that belong to Bandai.
Reviews: Would love critiques! Using this as a way to get back into writing and would love suggestions!
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. USE DESCRETION WHEN READING.
"Solo? Solo!" Duo cried running up to his childhood friend enthusiastically. Solo's grin seemed to say, could you expect anyone else? "What are you doing here?" He asked clasping his hand in a mock high five, "I thought you were…"
"Shh!" Solo whispered still smiling happily. "Come on." He grasped Duo's wrist and dragged him along behind as he lead the pilot down a deserted alley. Duo followed him obediently into a large dark tower, up the stairs they climbed, somehow able to see where they stepped and through the huge cathedral door at the tower's apex. Solo held back so Duo could push the door open, the light slowly revealing the scene before them, hanging in chains from the stonewalls across the room from them hung Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. Duo's grin vanished as he looked upon them, their eyes hollow with despair. Slowly, sister Helen turns her eyes upon the shocked pilot, recognition dawning on her face.
"Duo!" She called in a ragged voice. "Duo, save us! Please, Duo, you have to get us out of here." She repeated his name like a mantra, the only thing keeping her head above water. Father Maxwell looked up at her words, his eyes meeting Duo's in silent prayer.
The instincts of a pilot took over and the braided youth took a cautious step forward, hoping to come to their aide, but before he could move any further; something whizzed past his head at lightning speed. He watched in horror as an invisible weapon sliced across Sister Helen's stomach, like the opening of a piñata. She screamed in agony, throwing her head back against the wall as blood poured from the wound in great streams. The unholy blade came down again, striking her chest and colliding with the already opened wound. The contents of Sister Helen's abdomen came pooling out onto the floor with a sickeningly wet thud, leaving her belly a dark empty cavern. The dying woman coughed once, blood dripping from her lips and then laid still, her eyes adrift in a sea of never ending pain. The soft sounds of blood slowly pooling on the concrete floor held the silent room captivated in gut wrenching horror.
"No!" Duo screamed rushing forward to come to the woman's aide, part of him knowing that he was already too late for that, but unwilling to admit it. "Sister Helen!" He grabbed for one of the chains circling her wrist in an attempt to pull her free, but as suddenly as he touched the metal, he was thrown back against the far wall with enough force to shatter bones. He felt something snap in his shoulder momentarily blinding him by the searing pain like a wounded animal.
"Duo run!" Father Maxwell commanded, drawing Duo back into the scene, foregoing him the bliss of unconsciousness. "Duo, get up! You have to get out of here before…" The priest never got a chance to finish his words. The unseen hand that had stolen Sister Helen's life returned again to claim another. The whoosh of the blade sliced swiftly across his lips, silencing him with little effort. Suddenly, as if the priest stood before a wind tunnel full of shrapnel, thousands of shallow cuts began to appear along his flesh, biting into him like tiny teeth and forcing a scream from his torn lips. Blood flowed slowly from every wound, dripping menacingly in a puddle on the dark stone floor.
"No, Father Maxwell." Duo shook off his own pain, sprinting forward to place himself between the elderly man and the invisible instrument of torture. He spread his arms out wide, protectively, wincing when he felt the blade bite his own flesh deeply. Abruptly the strikes stopped, as if his assailant knew that Duo was not to be harmed in this exchange.
"Be gone street filth." Came the hauntingly mechanical voice through the air, like static along a charge wire.
"I will not move!" The voice seemed to chuckle at him, the echo of mechanical laughter reverberating through the room, sending shivers down the pilot's spine.
"Very well then." The machine appeared to slowly drift from the room, giving the young hero a moment's reprieve. Solo gave him a grand thumbs up from the doorway, greatly proud of his partner in crime. Duo began to give him a faint pain etched smile in return when an expression of shock crossed Solo's face and his head slide slowly from his shoulders to bounce ungraciously across the floor.
Duo looked on in horror, unable or unwilling to process the scene laid out before him. Duo did the only thing he could think of, he turned to father Maxwell for support, but the older man's eyes were glazed long since had his soul passed on from the pain. His flesh hung from the bone in huge chunks, like some rabid dog had tested the meat for flavor, but decided there was better prey elsewhere. Blood pooled on the floor, thick and spreading like worms.
"Show yourself!" Duo demanded with the last of his will power, knowing that he would break any moment from the horrors he had just witnessed. "Reveal yourself to me you murderer!" He whipped around angrily facing the doorway, Solo's severed head only feet from his toes.
The voice chuckled again, standing right before him. Slowly, and image appeared, growing ever more tangible as the seconds passed. Duo gasped, mortified as he realized who now stood at eye level with him; he was staring into his own sea foam blue eyes.
The twin's gaze was cold and lifeless and his face wore an angry frown, but it was Duo nonetheless. The image revealed the knife at his side drenched in crimson blood. The copy began to lick the cooling liquid from the blade, relishing in the taste as if it were a sweet wine. Those cold eyes seemed to laugh at Duo, and challenge him all at the same time, daring him to react.
'I killed them.' Duo realized a darkness beginning to creep into his vision. 'Everyone I come close too dies.' The dark realization made his double grin maniacally and shake his head in agreement.
Duo could take no more; his vision went black and his heart thumped heavily in his chest. The braided pilot tilted his head back and howled out to the person who he felt was the only one who could save him.
"Heero!!!"