CHAPTER 5 - THE GLASS CAGE
Reality.
Emily and presumably Dennis watched over Cordelia's motionless form as she lay on her bed in the silent apartment. Both ghosts had not moved from Cordelia's bedside in the last five hours, and they were intent on remaining that way until their favorite vision girl was back.
Emily sat in a chair and held Cordelia's hand into hers, tightly, as the whole apartment bathed in deep silence.
In the seemingly empty chair beside her, she could feel Dennis fidgeting, waiting.worrying.
Suddenly, something above Cordelia's bed, on the wall, caught their attention. The paint seemed to move a little, as if a hand was moving from inside the wall. And there, in bold letters written in blood, their worst fear came true. Five letters. Dripping with blood.
LORNE
Emily lowered her eyes and held on to Cordelia's hand with a tighter grip.
-------------------
Inside Cordy's head.
Cordelia managed to bring herself in a kneeling position.
The pain she felt in her arms and on her forehead brought tears to her eyes.
She was still feeling a little groggy and suddenly remembered the sedative. It made her head feel like mushrooms. The glass prison in which she found herself was spinning around her in a malicious dance that threatened her sanity. Locked up. Tied up. Restrained. She felt like a mental patient, which sounded ironic to her considering she was inside her own head.
Cordelia felt her heart pound against her chest as she leaned her forehead against the glass wall, closing her eyes in pain.
One small tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to regain her strength. She kept her eyes closed and whispered a silent prayer to herself..
"Help!!!" she then blurted out in a desperation-filled yell. "Somebody help me!!" she repeated as her voice trembled through her words.
She took a deep and shaky breath and bowed her head, muttering something to herself.
"Great Cordy. Way to go.alert all the demon army that resides in your head of where you are so they can just come and kill you faster." she berated herself in a low mutter.
She then lifted her eyes, looking for a way out of this cage, and mostly, looking for a way to get that straight jacket off of her. There had to be a way.
----------------------
Wesley and Angel rushed through the corridors in a frantic attempt to trace the yell they had just heard. They were now positive the voice had been Cordy's.
If Angel had had a heart, it would have broken his chest for her voice seemed filled with terror.
He and Wesley stumbled from one hallway to another, peering through every window, every doorway, in an attempt to find Cordelia. She was nearby. She was close. Angel could feel it. He could smell her. Something inside of him was on the verge of snapping. The thought of Cordy in danger was a definite instigator of panic within him. As he and his ex-watcher friend ran everywhere, Angel came upon the room in which Emily was being held captive.
He stopped and froze in the doorway for what seemed a mere instant. The shock and pain on his face did nothing to help the calm he was trying to keep. There, locked up in a cage, like an animal, was Emily, tied up to a bed like a mental patient in the worst Hitchcock scenario. Angel threw himself against the grillage and he didn't even try to control his begging voice.
"Emily." he let out as Wesley barged in behind him. "Where is she? Emily.??" he asked, seeing how out of it the young girl was.
A tear rolled down Emily's pained face as she stared up at the ceiling above her.
"Find her." Emily urged him in a tone that sent shivers through Wesley entire body.
He and Angel barely had time to try and respond to the young girl when they heard the sound of a door slamming.
"Angel." Wesley hurried the vampire as the two men stormed out into the corridor and looked around frantically. That's when they saw it. At the end of the corridor was a large door from which a bright light came from. Unable to control his growing desire to get to Cordelia, Angel began running like a mad man towards the door. Wesley followed closely behind. The more they approached the secret room, the more Angel could smell her. Cordelia.
Cordelia Chase.
He had come to know her scent perfectly well by now.
When Angel got to the door, he didn't even try to open it and went straight for the kick of death. If Cordy was behind that piece of metal, he would not let it stand in his way a second longer. He gathered all his strength and kicked the door down in one swift and anger-filled movement.
Cordelia, who had been kneeling on the watery ground inside her glass prison, lifted her eyes up only to see the door crashing down onto the floor before her eyes. The fear that came across her face was quickly replaced by a profound sense of relief when she saw Angel and Wesley burst in, out of breath and clearly in a frantic.
Angel's dark and pain-filled eyes suddenly locked with Cordelia's emotionally drained hazel ones.
In that moment, she held her breath and stood still, staring back at him, standing on the other side of the glass wall.
"Angel!" She then let escape her throat as she sprung to her feet, careful not to lose her balance, and weakly started for the wall.
She saw his lips move as she did so, but could not hear one word he said.
"Cordy!" Angel yelled back, but by the confused frown he saw on her face, he understood that she could not hear one single word he was saying.
The soundproof wall between them the only obstacle that was left for them to finally be able to say that they had found Cordelia. It tugged at his un- beating heart to see the small tears well up in her eyes suddenly. That's when he took into full consideration the state in which she was. She could barely hold herself up on her feet. Her body was trembling, her hair was wet from the water and from the blood that had dripped from the wound on her forehead. More than a few strands fell on the side of her face and nearly covered her eyes. Strands she couldn't push away for lack of physical freedom. She was stuck in a straight jacket that seemed to hurt her entire upper body. Angel felt a growl escape his throat as his stare grew into a painful realization of what they had done to her.
She was, indeed, a prisoner. One he was intent on delivering.
"Cordy, we're going to get you out of there!" he shouted, mouthing the words so that she could understand him.
"What?" Cordy found herself asking, on her own side of the glass wall.
"Wesley, how did they get her in there?" Angel asked as he momentarily turned to his friend.
"I don't know, I don't see a door anywhere." Wesley informed the impatient vampire as they both looked around the room frenetically.
Angel's gaze fell back upon Cordelia, who seemed to be desperately trying to maintain her calm. He could see she was breathing quickly, also searching for a way out.
Not finding any door or any way to climb or jump the wall, Angel threw his fist onto the glass wall, attempting to break it with his strength. He withdrew his hand as quickly as he had thrown it, realizing that the wall was much more solid than he had anticipated.
"Angel." Cordelia said out loud as she almost leaned against the wall, right in front of Angel.
Even with his vampire hearing, he couldn't hear a word she was speaking. All he could do was read her shivering lips as she spoke his name once again.
"I'm going to get you out." he said, mouthing the words so she could comprehend.
"How?" he saw her reply from the other side.
"How did you get in?" he asked but Cordelia obviously did not understand what he was saying, so he repeated it a second time. "How did you get in?"
"I don't know." she said, shaking her head in an exhausted manner, which proved Angel's worst fear.
They had drugged her.
Angel leaned against the glass, clenched teeth and piercing eyes and began hitting the wall with all his strength. Wesley came from behind him and joined him in trying to break down the wall. She saw them kick and punch and hit the wall repetitively until Wesley was out of breath. He even tried his dagger but in vain.
Cordelia backed away from the glass, lifted her leg up and tried a side kick of her own. Several minutes passed, and the three of them were getting more and more desperate. Angel painfully threw himself against the wall as Cordelia watched in tears on the other side. Angel saw the look in her eyes and if he had been breathing, it would have taken his breath away. She wasn't giving up, he kept trying to remind himself. She couldn't be giving up.
Yet, in her eyes, he saw a pain he'd never seen before. A sadness. She was fighting to get rid of the straight jacket, and she was kicking the wall with her right foot, but through it all, there was a fear in her eyes.
He couldn't. He wouldn't. He would not let her think for a second that he would not be able to get her out.
A painful groan escaped his throat as he kept on savagely trying to break the wall. It barely shook under his and Wesley's attempt.
"Angel."Cordelia's tear-filled voice could not break through the soundproof glass.
Angel was not hearing her as he slammed his hands on the glass, not even able to make it crack a little.
As she watched, catching her breath, her eyes widened with fear. Right above Angel and Wesley's shoulder, a giant, three-headed demon had just walked into the room. She began screaming for the guys to turn around but her voice never reached him.
"Angel! Wesley!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as her face twisted in fear. "Angel behind you!!!" her voice was nearly breaking as the words left her mouth.
Angel and Wesley were not paying attention as she tried to warn them of the attacker walking in their direction. Then, Angel lifted his eyes up and met Cordelia's frightening expression. He saw her shout and get agitated.
"Angel!"
Angel turned around just in time to see the evil multi-headed demon throw itself at him and Wesley. Angel didn't have time to duck and was slammed against the wall, under Cordelia's distressed eyes. She threw herself down on her knees, in front of the spot where Angel had fallen to the ground.
"Oh my God Angel." her voice was shaking and her eyes welled up with tiny tears as her worst fears began to take control of her mind.
She saw Wesley launch at the demon with fierce determination. Dagger in hand, he proceeded to stab the creature several time only before being thrown to the ground violently. Angel jumped to his feet once again, as did Wesley and a long and dramatic battle ensued. Feeling more helpless than ever, Cordelia could only watch from her side of the prison, silently praying to herself. She saw Angel's fist vehemently landing across the demon's face, and then Wesley cold-bloodedly s8ticking his dagger into the demon's stomach. But nothing seemed to appease the beast. Cordelia found herself frozen as the two men battled for their lives - and hers.
In the midst of the fight, Wesley found himself trapped between the glass wall and the demon. Angel made an angry attempt at freeing his friend but the demon, with one hand movement, threw Angel back onto the floor. Then, he grabbed Wesley by the neck and throws the ex-watcher onto a wall covered with spikes.
"Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!"
Angel and Cordelia's voices rang into the atmosphere as they saw Wesley's back hit the sharp spikes with a violence unknown to them before. The deadly spikes pierced through Wesley's body like knives through fresh meat. Time suddenly stopped as horror dawned upon them.
Angel felt something inside of him give away as he rolled over quickly and reached one of the other walls. He grabbed a long piece of metal that looked like a sword from the wall and threw himself at the demon with rare strength and anger. The pole Angel was holding went through the beast's body in one vengeful movement and the demon quickly fell to the floor writhing in pain.
"Wesley!!" Cordelia yelled, helpless and unheard as she frantically stared at the horrible scene in front of her.
A look of terror was now imprinted on her pale face.
As the demon died on the floor, Angel jumped over its body and rushed towards Wesley, who was still hanging from the spikes on the wall. Tears welled up in Angel's eyes as he urgently tried to unhook Wesley's bleeding body.
"Come on Wesley." his voice broke as he gave up on holding back his tears.
Wesley opened his mouth to speak, while Angel tried to lift his body enough so the spikes would unhook themselves, but no word came out of his mouth. Angel looked up and saw the blood dripping down his lips and onto the side of his neck.
"Wesley..no..No!" Angel angrily yelled as he managed to bring Wesley down.
"An.Ang." Wesley tried to speak but it was too late.
Cordelia watched, shocked and heartbroken as she saw the pool of blood in which her friend lied. Her face twisted in pain as she squatted down a little, feeling as if her legs were going to give out any seconds now. She closed her eyes in pain, silent tears rolling down her face.
Angel grabbed Wesley's cold hand, begging him not to give up now. Begging him to live.
"Get her out." Wesley whispered with his last breath, before his head fell to the side and his eyes closed.
Nothing could have ever prepared them for something like this. Nothing in the world could have prepared them to watch something as horrific as what they had just seen. Cordelia opened her eyes and lifted herself up at the same moment that Angel lifted his glance and looked at her. Their tear- filled eyes met in an instant and a silent conversation passed between the two. Cordelia's heart was aching.aching with guilt and with pain. She had seen a lot in her twenty odd years but never had she seen this. Looking into her eyes, Angel felt each and every one of her emotions.
He let go of Wesley's hand as the body of the ex-watcher disappeared before their eyes and Angel turned to face Cordelia once again.
Their eyes locked in a stare they both knew they would never forget.
--
The Ghost of Dennis' mother watched the whole scene through a glowing magic bubble that hung above a large table.
As she stood alone in the room, a demonic laugh escaped her throat.
"Isn't the mind a beautiful thing..and it's only the beginning. " She wistfully smiled, looking into the bubble with pure delight and enjoyment.
--
Catch your breath
Hit the wall
Scream out loud
As you start to crawl
With a rage he didn't know he still had in him, Angel grabbed the pole that he had dropped on the floor and repeatedly hit the glass wall with it. Such a rage would have made anyone frightened, but not Cordelia. She did not flinch at his act, but only stared, until she lowered her eyes.
A tear rolled down her exhausted face and Angel stopped hitting the wall, bowing his head down and leaning against the glass in defeat.
Back in your cage
The only place
Where they will
Leave you alone
Cordelia, with her eyes still closed, leaned her forehead against the glass and let herself crawl into a corner, her back slowly sliding down the wall until she was sitting down in the water, curled up and teary.
'Cause the weak will seek the weaker
Until they've broken them
Could you get it back again
Would it be the same
The realization of what had just happened in the last five minutes suddenly took its toll and dawned upon them.
With no strength in her left to fight, she just sat there, leaning her head against the glass that stood between her and her freedom. Her and Angel.
Fulfillment to their lack of strength
At your expense
Left you with no defense
They tore it down
And I have felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
Angel looked down at Cordelia with a deep sadness in his eyes and suddenly felt helpless for the first time in his life.
He slowly walked to the corner of the room, on his own side of the glass and sat down beside her, his eyes never leaving her.
Locked inside
The only place
Where you feel sheltered
Where you feel safe
You lost yourself
In your search to find
Something else
To hide behind
A tear fell from Emily's eyes as she lay, strapped to her bed inside her cage. With her eyes riveted at the ceiling still, she just stayed there. A prisoner. Like all of them.
The fearful always preyed upon your confidence
Didn't they see the consequence
When they pushed you around
Emily and Dennis, the two vigilant ghosts looked up with fear as they saw something move on the wall once more.
The arrogant built kingdoms made of the different ones
Breaking them until they've become
Just another crown
Emily stared with dreadful eyes as she saw Wesley's name be written in blood on the wall above Cordy's head by an invisible force.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
And I have felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
A young 10-year-old Emily stood all by herself in a large green field, filled with flowers, overlooking the beautiful mountains. She stood in the shadow of a willow tree, staring out at the beautiful scenery before her. It was a magical setting. Beauty at it's purest.
But she wasn't smiling.
No.
Her eyes were dark. Lonely.
Lost.
And she just stood there.
Refuse to feel anything at all
Refuse to slip, refuse to fall
You can't be weak, you can't stand still
Watch your back 'cause no one will
Fred wrapped her arms around a shaken Gunn as the two of them knelt on the ground, holding one another. Fearful eyes, mourning stares, sad embrace.
They did not move, simply holding on to one another as they stood a few feet above the abyss in which Lorne had disappeared. Desperately clinging to one another, neither was willing, or strong enough to let go.
You don't know why they had to go this far
Traded your worth for these scars
For your only company
All Angel wanted was to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. All he wanted was to hold her. But instead, all he could do was sit beside her, with a wall between them, as he helplessly watched the pain in her eyes.
Don't believe the lies that they have told to you
Not one word was true
Cordelia lifted her eyes and looked into Angel's, taking a deep breath.
You're alright
You're alright
You're alright.
Angel reached a hand up and placed it against the glass, his emotions obviously showing in the way he looked at her from his side of the world. Cordy, unable to untangle herself from the straight jacket, simply rested her head against the glass where his hand stood.
And I have felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
They would find a way.
They had to.
As they stood like that for an instant, emotionally drained, bathing in profound quietness, they struggled to keep the hope floating.
After a few seconds, a loud noise startled them both as their heads snapped up. just as they were beginning to think nothing worse could happen, a large valve open up from the ceiling, pouring gallons of water inside the cube in which Cordelia was trapped.
Now she was trapped, with no way out.and with very little time as the room began to fill with water.
----------------
SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER: With the water rising at a frightening speed, will Angel be able to free Cordelia in time? Gunn and fred stumble upon one of Cordelia's deepest secrets...what will it be?
Reality.
Emily and presumably Dennis watched over Cordelia's motionless form as she lay on her bed in the silent apartment. Both ghosts had not moved from Cordelia's bedside in the last five hours, and they were intent on remaining that way until their favorite vision girl was back.
Emily sat in a chair and held Cordelia's hand into hers, tightly, as the whole apartment bathed in deep silence.
In the seemingly empty chair beside her, she could feel Dennis fidgeting, waiting.worrying.
Suddenly, something above Cordelia's bed, on the wall, caught their attention. The paint seemed to move a little, as if a hand was moving from inside the wall. And there, in bold letters written in blood, their worst fear came true. Five letters. Dripping with blood.
LORNE
Emily lowered her eyes and held on to Cordelia's hand with a tighter grip.
-------------------
Inside Cordy's head.
Cordelia managed to bring herself in a kneeling position.
The pain she felt in her arms and on her forehead brought tears to her eyes.
She was still feeling a little groggy and suddenly remembered the sedative. It made her head feel like mushrooms. The glass prison in which she found herself was spinning around her in a malicious dance that threatened her sanity. Locked up. Tied up. Restrained. She felt like a mental patient, which sounded ironic to her considering she was inside her own head.
Cordelia felt her heart pound against her chest as she leaned her forehead against the glass wall, closing her eyes in pain.
One small tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to regain her strength. She kept her eyes closed and whispered a silent prayer to herself..
"Help!!!" she then blurted out in a desperation-filled yell. "Somebody help me!!" she repeated as her voice trembled through her words.
She took a deep and shaky breath and bowed her head, muttering something to herself.
"Great Cordy. Way to go.alert all the demon army that resides in your head of where you are so they can just come and kill you faster." she berated herself in a low mutter.
She then lifted her eyes, looking for a way out of this cage, and mostly, looking for a way to get that straight jacket off of her. There had to be a way.
----------------------
Wesley and Angel rushed through the corridors in a frantic attempt to trace the yell they had just heard. They were now positive the voice had been Cordy's.
If Angel had had a heart, it would have broken his chest for her voice seemed filled with terror.
He and Wesley stumbled from one hallway to another, peering through every window, every doorway, in an attempt to find Cordelia. She was nearby. She was close. Angel could feel it. He could smell her. Something inside of him was on the verge of snapping. The thought of Cordy in danger was a definite instigator of panic within him. As he and his ex-watcher friend ran everywhere, Angel came upon the room in which Emily was being held captive.
He stopped and froze in the doorway for what seemed a mere instant. The shock and pain on his face did nothing to help the calm he was trying to keep. There, locked up in a cage, like an animal, was Emily, tied up to a bed like a mental patient in the worst Hitchcock scenario. Angel threw himself against the grillage and he didn't even try to control his begging voice.
"Emily." he let out as Wesley barged in behind him. "Where is she? Emily.??" he asked, seeing how out of it the young girl was.
A tear rolled down Emily's pained face as she stared up at the ceiling above her.
"Find her." Emily urged him in a tone that sent shivers through Wesley entire body.
He and Angel barely had time to try and respond to the young girl when they heard the sound of a door slamming.
"Angel." Wesley hurried the vampire as the two men stormed out into the corridor and looked around frantically. That's when they saw it. At the end of the corridor was a large door from which a bright light came from. Unable to control his growing desire to get to Cordelia, Angel began running like a mad man towards the door. Wesley followed closely behind. The more they approached the secret room, the more Angel could smell her. Cordelia.
Cordelia Chase.
He had come to know her scent perfectly well by now.
When Angel got to the door, he didn't even try to open it and went straight for the kick of death. If Cordy was behind that piece of metal, he would not let it stand in his way a second longer. He gathered all his strength and kicked the door down in one swift and anger-filled movement.
Cordelia, who had been kneeling on the watery ground inside her glass prison, lifted her eyes up only to see the door crashing down onto the floor before her eyes. The fear that came across her face was quickly replaced by a profound sense of relief when she saw Angel and Wesley burst in, out of breath and clearly in a frantic.
Angel's dark and pain-filled eyes suddenly locked with Cordelia's emotionally drained hazel ones.
In that moment, she held her breath and stood still, staring back at him, standing on the other side of the glass wall.
"Angel!" She then let escape her throat as she sprung to her feet, careful not to lose her balance, and weakly started for the wall.
She saw his lips move as she did so, but could not hear one word he said.
"Cordy!" Angel yelled back, but by the confused frown he saw on her face, he understood that she could not hear one single word he was saying.
The soundproof wall between them the only obstacle that was left for them to finally be able to say that they had found Cordelia. It tugged at his un- beating heart to see the small tears well up in her eyes suddenly. That's when he took into full consideration the state in which she was. She could barely hold herself up on her feet. Her body was trembling, her hair was wet from the water and from the blood that had dripped from the wound on her forehead. More than a few strands fell on the side of her face and nearly covered her eyes. Strands she couldn't push away for lack of physical freedom. She was stuck in a straight jacket that seemed to hurt her entire upper body. Angel felt a growl escape his throat as his stare grew into a painful realization of what they had done to her.
She was, indeed, a prisoner. One he was intent on delivering.
"Cordy, we're going to get you out of there!" he shouted, mouthing the words so that she could understand him.
"What?" Cordy found herself asking, on her own side of the glass wall.
"Wesley, how did they get her in there?" Angel asked as he momentarily turned to his friend.
"I don't know, I don't see a door anywhere." Wesley informed the impatient vampire as they both looked around the room frenetically.
Angel's gaze fell back upon Cordelia, who seemed to be desperately trying to maintain her calm. He could see she was breathing quickly, also searching for a way out.
Not finding any door or any way to climb or jump the wall, Angel threw his fist onto the glass wall, attempting to break it with his strength. He withdrew his hand as quickly as he had thrown it, realizing that the wall was much more solid than he had anticipated.
"Angel." Cordelia said out loud as she almost leaned against the wall, right in front of Angel.
Even with his vampire hearing, he couldn't hear a word she was speaking. All he could do was read her shivering lips as she spoke his name once again.
"I'm going to get you out." he said, mouthing the words so she could comprehend.
"How?" he saw her reply from the other side.
"How did you get in?" he asked but Cordelia obviously did not understand what he was saying, so he repeated it a second time. "How did you get in?"
"I don't know." she said, shaking her head in an exhausted manner, which proved Angel's worst fear.
They had drugged her.
Angel leaned against the glass, clenched teeth and piercing eyes and began hitting the wall with all his strength. Wesley came from behind him and joined him in trying to break down the wall. She saw them kick and punch and hit the wall repetitively until Wesley was out of breath. He even tried his dagger but in vain.
Cordelia backed away from the glass, lifted her leg up and tried a side kick of her own. Several minutes passed, and the three of them were getting more and more desperate. Angel painfully threw himself against the wall as Cordelia watched in tears on the other side. Angel saw the look in her eyes and if he had been breathing, it would have taken his breath away. She wasn't giving up, he kept trying to remind himself. She couldn't be giving up.
Yet, in her eyes, he saw a pain he'd never seen before. A sadness. She was fighting to get rid of the straight jacket, and she was kicking the wall with her right foot, but through it all, there was a fear in her eyes.
He couldn't. He wouldn't. He would not let her think for a second that he would not be able to get her out.
A painful groan escaped his throat as he kept on savagely trying to break the wall. It barely shook under his and Wesley's attempt.
"Angel."Cordelia's tear-filled voice could not break through the soundproof glass.
Angel was not hearing her as he slammed his hands on the glass, not even able to make it crack a little.
As she watched, catching her breath, her eyes widened with fear. Right above Angel and Wesley's shoulder, a giant, three-headed demon had just walked into the room. She began screaming for the guys to turn around but her voice never reached him.
"Angel! Wesley!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as her face twisted in fear. "Angel behind you!!!" her voice was nearly breaking as the words left her mouth.
Angel and Wesley were not paying attention as she tried to warn them of the attacker walking in their direction. Then, Angel lifted his eyes up and met Cordelia's frightening expression. He saw her shout and get agitated.
"Angel!"
Angel turned around just in time to see the evil multi-headed demon throw itself at him and Wesley. Angel didn't have time to duck and was slammed against the wall, under Cordelia's distressed eyes. She threw herself down on her knees, in front of the spot where Angel had fallen to the ground.
"Oh my God Angel." her voice was shaking and her eyes welled up with tiny tears as her worst fears began to take control of her mind.
She saw Wesley launch at the demon with fierce determination. Dagger in hand, he proceeded to stab the creature several time only before being thrown to the ground violently. Angel jumped to his feet once again, as did Wesley and a long and dramatic battle ensued. Feeling more helpless than ever, Cordelia could only watch from her side of the prison, silently praying to herself. She saw Angel's fist vehemently landing across the demon's face, and then Wesley cold-bloodedly s8ticking his dagger into the demon's stomach. But nothing seemed to appease the beast. Cordelia found herself frozen as the two men battled for their lives - and hers.
In the midst of the fight, Wesley found himself trapped between the glass wall and the demon. Angel made an angry attempt at freeing his friend but the demon, with one hand movement, threw Angel back onto the floor. Then, he grabbed Wesley by the neck and throws the ex-watcher onto a wall covered with spikes.
"Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!"
Angel and Cordelia's voices rang into the atmosphere as they saw Wesley's back hit the sharp spikes with a violence unknown to them before. The deadly spikes pierced through Wesley's body like knives through fresh meat. Time suddenly stopped as horror dawned upon them.
Angel felt something inside of him give away as he rolled over quickly and reached one of the other walls. He grabbed a long piece of metal that looked like a sword from the wall and threw himself at the demon with rare strength and anger. The pole Angel was holding went through the beast's body in one vengeful movement and the demon quickly fell to the floor writhing in pain.
"Wesley!!" Cordelia yelled, helpless and unheard as she frantically stared at the horrible scene in front of her.
A look of terror was now imprinted on her pale face.
As the demon died on the floor, Angel jumped over its body and rushed towards Wesley, who was still hanging from the spikes on the wall. Tears welled up in Angel's eyes as he urgently tried to unhook Wesley's bleeding body.
"Come on Wesley." his voice broke as he gave up on holding back his tears.
Wesley opened his mouth to speak, while Angel tried to lift his body enough so the spikes would unhook themselves, but no word came out of his mouth. Angel looked up and saw the blood dripping down his lips and onto the side of his neck.
"Wesley..no..No!" Angel angrily yelled as he managed to bring Wesley down.
"An.Ang." Wesley tried to speak but it was too late.
Cordelia watched, shocked and heartbroken as she saw the pool of blood in which her friend lied. Her face twisted in pain as she squatted down a little, feeling as if her legs were going to give out any seconds now. She closed her eyes in pain, silent tears rolling down her face.
Angel grabbed Wesley's cold hand, begging him not to give up now. Begging him to live.
"Get her out." Wesley whispered with his last breath, before his head fell to the side and his eyes closed.
Nothing could have ever prepared them for something like this. Nothing in the world could have prepared them to watch something as horrific as what they had just seen. Cordelia opened her eyes and lifted herself up at the same moment that Angel lifted his glance and looked at her. Their tear- filled eyes met in an instant and a silent conversation passed between the two. Cordelia's heart was aching.aching with guilt and with pain. She had seen a lot in her twenty odd years but never had she seen this. Looking into her eyes, Angel felt each and every one of her emotions.
He let go of Wesley's hand as the body of the ex-watcher disappeared before their eyes and Angel turned to face Cordelia once again.
Their eyes locked in a stare they both knew they would never forget.
--
The Ghost of Dennis' mother watched the whole scene through a glowing magic bubble that hung above a large table.
As she stood alone in the room, a demonic laugh escaped her throat.
"Isn't the mind a beautiful thing..and it's only the beginning. " She wistfully smiled, looking into the bubble with pure delight and enjoyment.
--
Catch your breath
Hit the wall
Scream out loud
As you start to crawl
With a rage he didn't know he still had in him, Angel grabbed the pole that he had dropped on the floor and repeatedly hit the glass wall with it. Such a rage would have made anyone frightened, but not Cordelia. She did not flinch at his act, but only stared, until she lowered her eyes.
A tear rolled down her exhausted face and Angel stopped hitting the wall, bowing his head down and leaning against the glass in defeat.
Back in your cage
The only place
Where they will
Leave you alone
Cordelia, with her eyes still closed, leaned her forehead against the glass and let herself crawl into a corner, her back slowly sliding down the wall until she was sitting down in the water, curled up and teary.
'Cause the weak will seek the weaker
Until they've broken them
Could you get it back again
Would it be the same
The realization of what had just happened in the last five minutes suddenly took its toll and dawned upon them.
With no strength in her left to fight, she just sat there, leaning her head against the glass that stood between her and her freedom. Her and Angel.
Fulfillment to their lack of strength
At your expense
Left you with no defense
They tore it down
And I have felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
Angel looked down at Cordelia with a deep sadness in his eyes and suddenly felt helpless for the first time in his life.
He slowly walked to the corner of the room, on his own side of the glass and sat down beside her, his eyes never leaving her.
Locked inside
The only place
Where you feel sheltered
Where you feel safe
You lost yourself
In your search to find
Something else
To hide behind
A tear fell from Emily's eyes as she lay, strapped to her bed inside her cage. With her eyes riveted at the ceiling still, she just stayed there. A prisoner. Like all of them.
The fearful always preyed upon your confidence
Didn't they see the consequence
When they pushed you around
Emily and Dennis, the two vigilant ghosts looked up with fear as they saw something move on the wall once more.
The arrogant built kingdoms made of the different ones
Breaking them until they've become
Just another crown
Emily stared with dreadful eyes as she saw Wesley's name be written in blood on the wall above Cordy's head by an invisible force.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
And I have felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
A young 10-year-old Emily stood all by herself in a large green field, filled with flowers, overlooking the beautiful mountains. She stood in the shadow of a willow tree, staring out at the beautiful scenery before her. It was a magical setting. Beauty at it's purest.
But she wasn't smiling.
No.
Her eyes were dark. Lonely.
Lost.
And she just stood there.
Refuse to feel anything at all
Refuse to slip, refuse to fall
You can't be weak, you can't stand still
Watch your back 'cause no one will
Fred wrapped her arms around a shaken Gunn as the two of them knelt on the ground, holding one another. Fearful eyes, mourning stares, sad embrace.
They did not move, simply holding on to one another as they stood a few feet above the abyss in which Lorne had disappeared. Desperately clinging to one another, neither was willing, or strong enough to let go.
You don't know why they had to go this far
Traded your worth for these scars
For your only company
All Angel wanted was to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. All he wanted was to hold her. But instead, all he could do was sit beside her, with a wall between them, as he helplessly watched the pain in her eyes.
Don't believe the lies that they have told to you
Not one word was true
Cordelia lifted her eyes and looked into Angel's, taking a deep breath.
You're alright
You're alright
You're alright.
Angel reached a hand up and placed it against the glass, his emotions obviously showing in the way he looked at her from his side of the world. Cordy, unable to untangle herself from the straight jacket, simply rested her head against the glass where his hand stood.
And I have felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
As you
I've felt the same
They would find a way.
They had to.
As they stood like that for an instant, emotionally drained, bathing in profound quietness, they struggled to keep the hope floating.
After a few seconds, a loud noise startled them both as their heads snapped up. just as they were beginning to think nothing worse could happen, a large valve open up from the ceiling, pouring gallons of water inside the cube in which Cordelia was trapped.
Now she was trapped, with no way out.and with very little time as the room began to fill with water.
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SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER: With the water rising at a frightening speed, will Angel be able to free Cordelia in time? Gunn and fred stumble upon one of Cordelia's deepest secrets...what will it be?