CHAPTER 14 – Awakening
They stood silently in front of a large metal door.
He could feel her heart racing, even without his vampire powers. He could feel the moistness of her hand in his as she stood beside him, her eyes riveted on the door in front of her.
She had told him she knew. She had told him she knew exactly how to get out of here. And he had followed her. The two of them, hand in hand, had slowly followed the little girl out of the Secret Garden and straight into the darkness. Angel had recognized some of the corridors he and Cordy had been trapped in many hours before, but he still had no idea where they were going. He'd felt Cordelia's hand tug at his hand as she followed the little girl quickly.
The girl, otherwise known as a ten-year-old version of Cordelia, had led them through the humid and creepy corridors without saying a word. Their silent walk had stopped when the young girl had abruptly stopped in front of a large door.
This large door.
Angel had looked sideways to Cordelia, and he had recognized that look in her eyes. That look of certainty and determination. She knew perfectly well what she was doing, and somehow, he trusted she was doing the right thing. Emily had warned him that the only way for them to ever get out of Cordelia's head was for Cordy, herself, to find the exit. And somehow she knew now. One look at that little girl, and Cordelia had known that whatever way out there was, it lied in her past. Her memories.
It lied within herself.
She and Angel had watched as their friends had died, one by one, because of this living nightmare that Dennis' mother had inflicted on them. This game in which she had forced them to participate. This labyrinth in which she had trapped them. All their friends, gone…dead…and all they had been able to do was watch. Lorne's fall into the abyss, Wesley's body being pierced with spikes…Fred being savagely sliced, Emily turned to stone…Gunn bitten by Darla…all that was left was them. Angel and Cordelia.
Cordelia vowed to end this game, a vow she had no intentions of breaking, no matter what.
The image of the 10-year-old Cordelia Chase had looked at them with pleading, tearful eyes before disappearing into thin air.
And there they were. Standing in painful silence in front of the large door.
"Are you sure about this?" Angel said in a low voice, as Cordy turned her eyes to his face. "Cordy…"
"I don't know how I know Angel." She whispered in all honesty. "But being in that garden…finding that place again…being there…with you…I just knew. I know that the only way we can get out of here is by following her." Cordy said referring to the smaller version of herself. "I mean me…I mean…you know what I mean." She rolled her eyes and Angel couldn't help the smile that crept on the corner of his lips.
"Okay…" Angel whispered back, squeezing her hand into his, sensing the fear hidden behind her beautiful hazel eyes.
Cordelia faced the door again, knowing that whatever lied behind it would be their only chance of survival in this sick game. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel the ghost of Dennis' mother close to them, she could feel her playing her mind games again and it took everything in Cordelia not to let her overpower her.
"Just don't let go of me…" she whispered, her eyes still closed as she tightened her grip on Angel's hand.
Keeping a reassuring hold on her hand, Angel moved forward and opened the metal door slowly. He and Cordelia walked into the dark room and Angel had to remind himself to breathe. Being human had its ups and downs and the fact that he'd forgotten to breathe a few times was surely one of the downs.
Everything was dark.
Silent.
Then, the lights seemed to be magically turned on and Angel and Cordelia spotted the little girl standing a couple of feet away from them.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Cordy took a step forward in order to reach the little girl, but something stopped her.
A bright, blinding flash of blue light illuminated the room, creating a large blue screen in front of them. The blue screen perfectly separated the room in two distinct and symmetrical sections. Angel tightened his grip on Cordelia's shaking hand, but he saw the anger and fearlessness in her eyes when she saw the face of evil behind the little girl.
"Oh my God…" Cordy whispered when she saw Dennis' mother standing right behind the little girl, a knife in hand, ready to slice the young girl's throat.
"Well, well, well…what do we have here…" The demon spoke as she grabbed the young girl.
"Let go of her!" Angel yelled, throwing himself forward, only to hurt himself against the large blue screen. "If you touch her…"
Angel pulled himself up off the floor and looked up into the demon's eyes with such hatred and rage that Angelus would have been proud.
Dennis' mother held a small globe in one hand, which Angel assumed was what kept the blue screen up, and in the other she squeezed little Cordy's neck. Angel barely had time to form a thought before he heard Cordelia's gasp beside him. He turned around and saw her fall to her knees in pain, gasping for air, her hands quickly going to her throat. He rushed back towards her, trying to help her up, but all she did was crumble more onto the floor in pain. Angel's eyes went back and forth for a moment between the two versions of Cordelia, the real one and the 10-year-old one, and he understood. Cordelia was connected to the little girl. They were both the same person. Whatever Dennis' mother did to one of them, the other felt it.
"You see….that's where the fun is…" the demon laughed proudly. "All I have to do is snap this little girl's neck and your lover here will be dead…and so will you…again." She then giggled with pleasure.
"Let go of her!" Angel yelled again, seeing her tighten her fingers around the young girl's neck.
Angel panicked when he saw Cordelia gasping even more for air. He knelt on the floor beside her, fear rising in his eyes.
With one quick move, the evil ghost cut one of LittleCordy's cheeks with her knife. Immediately, Cordy's cheek began bleeding as well as the young child's.
"Or what?" the woman asked from her side of the blue screen. "You can't fight me. You can't stop me. And you won't escape me." She said. "You did once…but you won't do it twice. Don't you understand by now?!" she then shouted at Angel and a breathless and tearful Cordelia. "Don't you get it?!? I'm in control here and you will not get out! This is my game and these are my rules…you can't change them…" she said through her teeth, staring intently at Cordy's helpless form on the ground.
Still desperately trying to breathe, Cordelia looked up and she froze. Something caught her eyes behind Dennis' mother. Something moved.
Angel also noticed and he gasped, not sure if this was good or not. He looked at Cordelia and the two shared a stunned and confused silence.
"You can't defeat me. I make the rules here…Don't you know by now?" she then laughed. "I'm a master at making the rules…" the demon breathed out.
"Really…" Angel said in strange calmness as he wrapped his arm around Cordy's weak body. "Then I guess you forgot something…" he said through his teeth.
"And what would that be?" the demon asked, impatiently.
There was a loud thump behind her, and a familiar voice was heard into the room.
"That I'm a master at breaking them." The female voice spoke from behind.
Dennis' mother barely had the time to turn around before Faith hit her in the face with a large pipe. Dennis' mother fell to the ground, inadvertently freeing the young girl, and automatically allowing Cordelia to breathe again.
"Faith?" Cordy managed to speak as Angel helped her up to her feet, and the two of them stared at the uninvited guest, who was now busy battling the demon.
Alarmed by what was happening, a handful of big, creepy demons appeared from nowhere, circling them.
When Faith hit the woman again, the globe fell out of her hands and rolled around on the floor. Without hesitation, Faith lifted the solid piece of metal she held in her hands and smashed the globe with every ounce of strength she had in her. Immediately after, the blue screen vanished.
"Angel…" Cordelia said, seeing one of the demons coming towards him.
"Cordy, get the little girl…" he told her as he engaged into a battle with three of the demons.
Cordy heard screams, she heard punches being thrown, Angel growling…Faith falling backwards…the sounds of war. The sounds of fear. She managed her way through the newfound battlefield and tried to reach little Cordelia, but couldn't. She was stopped by a large beast that grabbed her from behind and threw her across the room.
"C! The door!" Faith yelled, pointing to the door that appeared on one of the walls. "Get out dammit!"
Just as the words left her mouth, she was grabbed violently and shoved against the floor. Faith's name escaped Cordelia's lips as she watched the scene unfold. Cordy watched in horror as Dennis' mother plunged a sharp dagger into Faith's abdomen, prompting the slayer to gasp in pain.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from then on. Cordelia vaguely saw Angel throw himself at the demon, pushing her off of Faith's lifeless body. With one quick move, Angel managed to snap her neck and let her fall down onto the ground. Dennis' mother limply crashed down, and Cordy stopped breathing for an instant.
"Cordy!"
She heard him yell her name, and saw him rush in her direction. She was still lying down, her head hurting like never before.
"Angel…" she tried to speak but it was too late.
One of the guard demons had caught up with him and the two had begun battling again.
"The door, Cordy…The door!" Angel yelled at her.
For a moment, Cordelia raged a mental war with herself. She couldn't leave Angel behind. She couldn't leave him…And then his voice rang in the room again, urging her to get out. Her eyes fell on Faith's dead body in one of the corners and confusing sipped through her. Why Faith? How? Where had she come from?
A small tear ran down her face. So much blood on the floor.
So much blood.
Faith's blood.
Cordelia swallowed with difficulty, looking back and forth between Angel and Faith, and then her eyes rested on the now slightly opened door. She hesitated to move when she saw Angel being thrown across the room and her heart skipped a beat. But then, she remembered Emily's words. The only way to save themselves is if Cordelia finds the way out. With a newfound determination, Cordy pulled herself up and ran, as fast as she could, towards the door.
As soon as she set foot on the other side, all the noise stopped.
No more fighting.
No more screaming.
No more blood.
Cordelia froze at what she saw. Everything inside of her threatened to break in that one instant. She stood there, tears rolling down her face, catching her breath, staring at the crowded room.
Lorne…Wesley…Fred…Emily…Gunn…Faith…Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Joyce…everyone was there. Everyone except Angel. They were silent, just staring at her as if they were mere statues waiting for her to move.
And then her eyes fell onto the small table in the corner.
She knew that scene. She had hated that scene for so many years as a child.
Cordy spotted her parents, talking away with some guests, a couple of people were dancing, soft music was playing…and sitting all by herself in one of the corners was herself. Young, little, sad and lonely.
Cordelia took a deep breath and headed straight for the table in the corner. She stopped right in front of her clueless parents and took a long hard look at them, before glancing at the little 10-year-old girl staring back at her.
That was her way out.
"Come on…I'll take you out of here." Cordy said to the little girl, offering her her hand.
Cordelia's dad jumped up and faced her.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you are not taking my daughter anywhere." He threatened.
Cordelia couldn't help the tiny smile that crept on her lips. If they only knew she was the person that that little girl had become…
"That's always been the problem hasn't it?" Cordy told him calmly. "You never paid enough attention to know who I was…" she whispered as the little girl got up and walked towards Cordy.
The man stood, speechless and Cordelia looked down at the girl she had once been. She took a deep and shaky breath before extending her hand to the little girl once again.
"I knew you would come…" the girl spoke in that relieved, childish tone.
Cordelia bent down and the girl wrapped her tiny little arms around Cordy's neck, desperately pleading her to get her out of there. Cordelia lifted the girl up in her arms, gave one last look at her unknowing parents and turned around, carrying the bruised and tired little girl away from the table.
As the girl tightened her arms around Cordy's neck, Cordelia heard her little voice whisper in her ear.
"Thank you…"
--
There was a bright flash of light in Cordelia's bedroom and Cordy's body shot up in bed, a loud and painful scream escaping her throat. A mixture of blood and sweat covered her forehead and Cordelia gasped for air, sitting up in bed, feeling herself being released from the mental prison she had been kept in.
She breathed heavily, in pain, quickly glancing around the room and taking in her surroundings, looking for the familiar faces she so desperately wanted to find.
But her heart sank.
These faces were nowhere to be found. No Wesley, or Lorne, or Gunn or Fred…
No Angel.
She sat there, trying to catch her breath, her body still weak and bruised, all alone. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized everything that had just happened and fear invaded her.
She had found the way out.
She had gotten out.
She'd woken up from the spell.
Alone…
They stood silently in front of a large metal door.
He could feel her heart racing, even without his vampire powers. He could feel the moistness of her hand in his as she stood beside him, her eyes riveted on the door in front of her.
She had told him she knew. She had told him she knew exactly how to get out of here. And he had followed her. The two of them, hand in hand, had slowly followed the little girl out of the Secret Garden and straight into the darkness. Angel had recognized some of the corridors he and Cordy had been trapped in many hours before, but he still had no idea where they were going. He'd felt Cordelia's hand tug at his hand as she followed the little girl quickly.
The girl, otherwise known as a ten-year-old version of Cordelia, had led them through the humid and creepy corridors without saying a word. Their silent walk had stopped when the young girl had abruptly stopped in front of a large door.
This large door.
Angel had looked sideways to Cordelia, and he had recognized that look in her eyes. That look of certainty and determination. She knew perfectly well what she was doing, and somehow, he trusted she was doing the right thing. Emily had warned him that the only way for them to ever get out of Cordelia's head was for Cordy, herself, to find the exit. And somehow she knew now. One look at that little girl, and Cordelia had known that whatever way out there was, it lied in her past. Her memories.
It lied within herself.
She and Angel had watched as their friends had died, one by one, because of this living nightmare that Dennis' mother had inflicted on them. This game in which she had forced them to participate. This labyrinth in which she had trapped them. All their friends, gone…dead…and all they had been able to do was watch. Lorne's fall into the abyss, Wesley's body being pierced with spikes…Fred being savagely sliced, Emily turned to stone…Gunn bitten by Darla…all that was left was them. Angel and Cordelia.
Cordelia vowed to end this game, a vow she had no intentions of breaking, no matter what.
The image of the 10-year-old Cordelia Chase had looked at them with pleading, tearful eyes before disappearing into thin air.
And there they were. Standing in painful silence in front of the large door.
"Are you sure about this?" Angel said in a low voice, as Cordy turned her eyes to his face. "Cordy…"
"I don't know how I know Angel." She whispered in all honesty. "But being in that garden…finding that place again…being there…with you…I just knew. I know that the only way we can get out of here is by following her." Cordy said referring to the smaller version of herself. "I mean me…I mean…you know what I mean." She rolled her eyes and Angel couldn't help the smile that crept on the corner of his lips.
"Okay…" Angel whispered back, squeezing her hand into his, sensing the fear hidden behind her beautiful hazel eyes.
Cordelia faced the door again, knowing that whatever lied behind it would be their only chance of survival in this sick game. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel the ghost of Dennis' mother close to them, she could feel her playing her mind games again and it took everything in Cordelia not to let her overpower her.
"Just don't let go of me…" she whispered, her eyes still closed as she tightened her grip on Angel's hand.
Keeping a reassuring hold on her hand, Angel moved forward and opened the metal door slowly. He and Cordelia walked into the dark room and Angel had to remind himself to breathe. Being human had its ups and downs and the fact that he'd forgotten to breathe a few times was surely one of the downs.
Everything was dark.
Silent.
Then, the lights seemed to be magically turned on and Angel and Cordelia spotted the little girl standing a couple of feet away from them.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Cordy took a step forward in order to reach the little girl, but something stopped her.
A bright, blinding flash of blue light illuminated the room, creating a large blue screen in front of them. The blue screen perfectly separated the room in two distinct and symmetrical sections. Angel tightened his grip on Cordelia's shaking hand, but he saw the anger and fearlessness in her eyes when she saw the face of evil behind the little girl.
"Oh my God…" Cordy whispered when she saw Dennis' mother standing right behind the little girl, a knife in hand, ready to slice the young girl's throat.
"Well, well, well…what do we have here…" The demon spoke as she grabbed the young girl.
"Let go of her!" Angel yelled, throwing himself forward, only to hurt himself against the large blue screen. "If you touch her…"
Angel pulled himself up off the floor and looked up into the demon's eyes with such hatred and rage that Angelus would have been proud.
Dennis' mother held a small globe in one hand, which Angel assumed was what kept the blue screen up, and in the other she squeezed little Cordy's neck. Angel barely had time to form a thought before he heard Cordelia's gasp beside him. He turned around and saw her fall to her knees in pain, gasping for air, her hands quickly going to her throat. He rushed back towards her, trying to help her up, but all she did was crumble more onto the floor in pain. Angel's eyes went back and forth for a moment between the two versions of Cordelia, the real one and the 10-year-old one, and he understood. Cordelia was connected to the little girl. They were both the same person. Whatever Dennis' mother did to one of them, the other felt it.
"You see….that's where the fun is…" the demon laughed proudly. "All I have to do is snap this little girl's neck and your lover here will be dead…and so will you…again." She then giggled with pleasure.
"Let go of her!" Angel yelled again, seeing her tighten her fingers around the young girl's neck.
Angel panicked when he saw Cordelia gasping even more for air. He knelt on the floor beside her, fear rising in his eyes.
With one quick move, the evil ghost cut one of LittleCordy's cheeks with her knife. Immediately, Cordy's cheek began bleeding as well as the young child's.
"Or what?" the woman asked from her side of the blue screen. "You can't fight me. You can't stop me. And you won't escape me." She said. "You did once…but you won't do it twice. Don't you understand by now?!" she then shouted at Angel and a breathless and tearful Cordelia. "Don't you get it?!? I'm in control here and you will not get out! This is my game and these are my rules…you can't change them…" she said through her teeth, staring intently at Cordy's helpless form on the ground.
Still desperately trying to breathe, Cordelia looked up and she froze. Something caught her eyes behind Dennis' mother. Something moved.
Angel also noticed and he gasped, not sure if this was good or not. He looked at Cordelia and the two shared a stunned and confused silence.
"You can't defeat me. I make the rules here…Don't you know by now?" she then laughed. "I'm a master at making the rules…" the demon breathed out.
"Really…" Angel said in strange calmness as he wrapped his arm around Cordy's weak body. "Then I guess you forgot something…" he said through his teeth.
"And what would that be?" the demon asked, impatiently.
There was a loud thump behind her, and a familiar voice was heard into the room.
"That I'm a master at breaking them." The female voice spoke from behind.
Dennis' mother barely had the time to turn around before Faith hit her in the face with a large pipe. Dennis' mother fell to the ground, inadvertently freeing the young girl, and automatically allowing Cordelia to breathe again.
"Faith?" Cordy managed to speak as Angel helped her up to her feet, and the two of them stared at the uninvited guest, who was now busy battling the demon.
Alarmed by what was happening, a handful of big, creepy demons appeared from nowhere, circling them.
When Faith hit the woman again, the globe fell out of her hands and rolled around on the floor. Without hesitation, Faith lifted the solid piece of metal she held in her hands and smashed the globe with every ounce of strength she had in her. Immediately after, the blue screen vanished.
"Angel…" Cordelia said, seeing one of the demons coming towards him.
"Cordy, get the little girl…" he told her as he engaged into a battle with three of the demons.
Cordy heard screams, she heard punches being thrown, Angel growling…Faith falling backwards…the sounds of war. The sounds of fear. She managed her way through the newfound battlefield and tried to reach little Cordelia, but couldn't. She was stopped by a large beast that grabbed her from behind and threw her across the room.
"C! The door!" Faith yelled, pointing to the door that appeared on one of the walls. "Get out dammit!"
Just as the words left her mouth, she was grabbed violently and shoved against the floor. Faith's name escaped Cordelia's lips as she watched the scene unfold. Cordy watched in horror as Dennis' mother plunged a sharp dagger into Faith's abdomen, prompting the slayer to gasp in pain.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from then on. Cordelia vaguely saw Angel throw himself at the demon, pushing her off of Faith's lifeless body. With one quick move, Angel managed to snap her neck and let her fall down onto the ground. Dennis' mother limply crashed down, and Cordy stopped breathing for an instant.
"Cordy!"
She heard him yell her name, and saw him rush in her direction. She was still lying down, her head hurting like never before.
"Angel…" she tried to speak but it was too late.
One of the guard demons had caught up with him and the two had begun battling again.
"The door, Cordy…The door!" Angel yelled at her.
For a moment, Cordelia raged a mental war with herself. She couldn't leave Angel behind. She couldn't leave him…And then his voice rang in the room again, urging her to get out. Her eyes fell on Faith's dead body in one of the corners and confusing sipped through her. Why Faith? How? Where had she come from?
A small tear ran down her face. So much blood on the floor.
So much blood.
Faith's blood.
Cordelia swallowed with difficulty, looking back and forth between Angel and Faith, and then her eyes rested on the now slightly opened door. She hesitated to move when she saw Angel being thrown across the room and her heart skipped a beat. But then, she remembered Emily's words. The only way to save themselves is if Cordelia finds the way out. With a newfound determination, Cordy pulled herself up and ran, as fast as she could, towards the door.
As soon as she set foot on the other side, all the noise stopped.
No more fighting.
No more screaming.
No more blood.
Cordelia froze at what she saw. Everything inside of her threatened to break in that one instant. She stood there, tears rolling down her face, catching her breath, staring at the crowded room.
Lorne…Wesley…Fred…Emily…Gunn…Faith…Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Joyce…everyone was there. Everyone except Angel. They were silent, just staring at her as if they were mere statues waiting for her to move.
And then her eyes fell onto the small table in the corner.
She knew that scene. She had hated that scene for so many years as a child.
Cordy spotted her parents, talking away with some guests, a couple of people were dancing, soft music was playing…and sitting all by herself in one of the corners was herself. Young, little, sad and lonely.
Cordelia took a deep breath and headed straight for the table in the corner. She stopped right in front of her clueless parents and took a long hard look at them, before glancing at the little 10-year-old girl staring back at her.
That was her way out.
"Come on…I'll take you out of here." Cordy said to the little girl, offering her her hand.
Cordelia's dad jumped up and faced her.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you are not taking my daughter anywhere." He threatened.
Cordelia couldn't help the tiny smile that crept on her lips. If they only knew she was the person that that little girl had become…
"That's always been the problem hasn't it?" Cordy told him calmly. "You never paid enough attention to know who I was…" she whispered as the little girl got up and walked towards Cordy.
The man stood, speechless and Cordelia looked down at the girl she had once been. She took a deep and shaky breath before extending her hand to the little girl once again.
"I knew you would come…" the girl spoke in that relieved, childish tone.
Cordelia bent down and the girl wrapped her tiny little arms around Cordy's neck, desperately pleading her to get her out of there. Cordelia lifted the girl up in her arms, gave one last look at her unknowing parents and turned around, carrying the bruised and tired little girl away from the table.
As the girl tightened her arms around Cordy's neck, Cordelia heard her little voice whisper in her ear.
"Thank you…"
--
There was a bright flash of light in Cordelia's bedroom and Cordy's body shot up in bed, a loud and painful scream escaping her throat. A mixture of blood and sweat covered her forehead and Cordelia gasped for air, sitting up in bed, feeling herself being released from the mental prison she had been kept in.
She breathed heavily, in pain, quickly glancing around the room and taking in her surroundings, looking for the familiar faces she so desperately wanted to find.
But her heart sank.
These faces were nowhere to be found. No Wesley, or Lorne, or Gunn or Fred…
No Angel.
She sat there, trying to catch her breath, her body still weak and bruised, all alone. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized everything that had just happened and fear invaded her.
She had found the way out.
She had gotten out.
She'd woken up from the spell.
Alone…