Chapter 14: A Shot In The Dark
Sara's motorcycle screeched to a halt outside of the Vorchlag building. Dark clouds were filling the sky. Sara quickly dismounted and limped towards the large ominous building.
"Hey, Pez...slow down." The familiar voice made Sara stop and turned towards it. Danny stared back at her as a few raindrops began to fall.
"Not now." Sara turned again, but Danny reappeared in front of her. "This had better be important." She sighed.
"Pez...you don't know what you're walking into." His voice carried concern. Sara gave him a don't-you-think-I-know look and waited to hear more. "I can't tell you much, but this...Remember that everything is not what it appears to be. Remember who you can trust, this is the key." Danny vanished right before her eyes.
"Darn riddles!!" She muttered. She pulled her gun and continued limping towards the building.
Sara was out of breath. It had taken her longer than she had expected to make it up to Irons' office. The receptionist wasn't even at the desk, in fact everyone Sara usually saw weren't in the building. The office was dark around her. She breathed in deeply as she made her way down the dimly lit hall that branched off of Irons' office. Her stomach churned as she neared a large door. She heard voices; one was Irons and the other... She tasted bile in her mouth. The other voice was that of the man whom Ian had called "Mr. Big". She crept closer to the door, listening intently. Her hand went to the doorknob and she opened the door just enough to take in what she would be up against. The big man was pointing a shiny gun at two bodies, Sara held in a small scream when she realized who they were. Ian and Constance!! The big man's finger was on the trigger, "Two in one shot." Hearing this Sara leapt from her hiding place and fired her gun. The bullet flew through the air drilling into the man's back. His gun went off as soon as the bullet hit him, luckily Sara's shot threw off his aim. His bullet smacked into Constance's shoulder.
Constance's body twinged in pain. This shot was the last draw for her body. She fell against Ian. He tried to steady her, lifting her face. Her eyes, filled with pain, looked lovingly at him, "Goodbye...my son." The pain took over her body and she fell limp in his arms.
Ian pulled her close to his body, cradling her as he rocked her. "No..." His crackled with emotion as tears streamed down his face. "No...no no no..." He mumbled over and over as he dropped to his knees, placing her motionless body on the floor. He clenched his fists. His body tensed up as he looked at her. The torchlight flickered around him. Anger was building. "NOOOOOOOO!!!" The torches blew out as the surrounding mirrors shattered.
Sara fired again; sending this shot into the man's back closer to his heart. He turned and ran towards her. His eyes looked as though fire was burning within. He looked like a charging bull. Sara knew she wouldn't have a chance if he got his hands on her. She jumped out of the way right as his hands reached for her neck. She looked up from where she had fallen to see Irons looking down at her. "Sara, the Witchblade. It's on Constance." He looked behind Sara with fear in his eyes. Sara jumped to her feet and out of the way, just as Big grabbed at her again. Big's large body sent him hurling into and on top of Irons. Irons groaned and then blacked out.
Sara ran over to Constance, her ribs were aching and screaming at her to stand still, but she kept moving. Sara saw the gauntlet on Constance's arm. Sara looked behind herself to see where her attacker was. He was struggling to get to his feet. Blood oozed from the two wounds in his back. Sara could tell that he was slowing. Sara turned back to the Constance and stroked the Witchblade, talking softly to it. "I'm here, come to me. I am the true wielder." The Witchblade slipped off of Constance's arm and fell silently to the floor.
Darkness surrounded Ian as he held onto his "mother's" cold hands. He felt them move in his hands, she was slowly slipping from him. He desperately tried to hold onto her but she slipped away from him into the blackness.
Sara reached for the Witchblade and placed it on her wrist. It breathed softly in contentment. She could tell that it knew who she was. Sara stood to her feet, watching Big as he fell back to his knees. The bullets were finally taking affect. Sara heard a noise from behind her.
"S...Sara..." The voice was Constance's. Sara turned quickly and knelt by her friend's side. Constance smiled up at her. "You came. The Witchblade called you." Constance body shook with chills.
Sara took off her jacket and laid it over Constance. "I thought you were dead." She smiled tenderly, "What's going on here?" Sara kept her eye on Big, making sure she was still safe.
"Big made a dream world that he could control. It sucked me in as soon as I put the Witchblade on. Then it got Ian. He's still in there. Please save him! He thinks I'm dead." Constance shook with more chills. Sara's face became very worried. Constance only smiled, "I'll be all right. It doesn't look like Big is going anywhere for awhile." They looked over to see Big lying on the ground unable to move and his life seeped from the two wounds.
Sara looked at the Witchblade. "I don't know how to go into Big's dream." Her voice was frantic. "Please... help me."
"Trust in the blade, it will show you the way." Constance voice became distant as Sara drifted into a coma. He body fell into Constance's lap. She stroked Sara's hair. "I just hope that you can find a way out."
Sara found herself in a very dark room. She was dressed in full armor; the Witchblade sword was drawn. Blown out torches surrounded her. Wind blew around her as great mirrors grew out of the floor. This place looked like more of a Nightmare than a dream. She walked slowly to the center of the room, "Ian!?" She called his name, "Ian are you here?" Her voice echoed around the room. A cold breeze blew past her face as lightning started flashing around her.
Constance watched Sara's eyes move beneath her thick eyelashes. She lifted her eyes and saw Big struggling to breathe. His voice muttered in his labored breaths, "He will not know her name, confusion shall overtake the knights, a battle will kill and maim, their blood will spill in the fight ..."
The chanting made Constance's skin crawl. She kept stroking Sara's hair as she looked over at Ian, "Tell him, Sara. Help him see the truth."
Sara kept calling Ian's name. She was starting to worry. The flashing of the lightning lit the room for only split seconds. Chills blew over Sara's body. FLASH! Smoke started to fill the room. FLASH! Sara heart began to beat faster as images of her recent nightmare came back to her. FLASH! She could see a man moving towards her in full armor, sword drawn. Sara moved towards him. FLASH! His face appeared. IAN!! FLASH! His face was filled with hate, anger... FLASH! Death was in his eyes. FLASH! His sword flew towards her. FLASH!
