Okay.....kinda short, but I hope it makes sense. Oh, and thank you all for
waiting so patiently for an update.....my computer keeps breaking down
without warning, leaving me internet access free for weeks on end. I hope
to get this finished before the next interruption......fingers crossed.
**********
Alex sighed, arching her back and wincing as her joints popped, protesting her movement after so much inactivity. She was currently seated on her bed, after retreating to her room with a headache. The pain had actually lessened to a tolerable state sometime earlier before disappearing all together, but she had decided to stay upstairs, so that Rachel had a chance to talk to Nick. Now on top of feeling quite stiff because of sitting in the same position for so long, her eyes had become blurry after reading the case files she had brought up with her to pass the time.
She was completely focused on her reading when the storm struck.
Alex didn't know how, or even why, but she felt......*compelled* to go to the window. She stood shakily, moving forward almost as if in a trance, but she couldn't stop herself.
The feeling of dread that she had been experiencing lately was rising steadily. She tried to command her limbs to turn, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed and ignore whatever supernatural force was calling her, but they wouldn't listen. So hard was she trying to resist the pull, that she felt tears fall down her face at the effort. But nothing worked.
Alex soon found herself at the window. There was normally a beautiful view from here, but now it was obscured by fog. The rain pelted down so hard that the windows shook. It strangely enough reminded her slightly of the weather they sometimes got in San Francisco.
Suddenly, she felt a tiny prickling in her consciousness. It felt as if......someone were gently blowing air, first on her neck, then her spine, and finally her *mind.* The same compulsion that had brought her to the window turned her head, until her gaze caught something that made her breath catch in her throat.
Not far from the house, the horrible fog that had blanketed the surrounding area so quickly, parted. As if some giant hand had just......scooped it away.
In it's place, stood a figure.
From her position, Alex could see that the figure looked male. He was wearing a trench coat of all things, tightly belted up. Alex couldn't explain it, but when her eyes set on the figure, one feeling raced through her body --- *terror.*
As she watched, the figure raised it's arm as if in greeting, and then dropped it suddenly.
Just as suddenly, she jumped back, her arms shooting out of their own accord and knocking something off her dresser table, causing a large bang. She didn't notice this, instead crying out as the world around her receded, and the colours surrounding her bled out, leaving her vision tinged a dirty gray. She knew in her mind that she was experiencing a vision, but the acknowledgement of her situation, couldn't stop the panic that swept through her system.
The images were coming so fast, that Alex could barely keep herself upright. But she was powerless to stop the cries that escaped her lips. She found herself dimly aware of the sound of pounding feet, as the door to her room burst open. She recognised Nick's voice, and felt his strong hands, gripping her upper arms. She tried to tell him what was happening -- why was it going on for so long? -- but couldn't force the words through the tightness in her throat.
Feeling started to come back to her body, and she became aware of a hand, rubbing soothing circles on her back, and Rachel's voice in her ear, murmuring words she assumed were meant to comfort. If only she could make them out.
As if responding to her plea, sound seemed to become clearer next, and she could vaguely understand the words that Nick was saying. He sounded like he was telling Rachel that Alex was in the grips of a vision.
Alex felt relief at this. Nick could tell what was going on, had experience with it. Rachel, despite having a daughter gifted with the Sight, probably would have tried to medicate her.
As quickly as it had begun, the vision ended. Alex couldn't stand against the sudden wave of dizziness, and would have fallen if not for Nick, who caught her and placed her gently down on the bed.
"It's okay, Alex," she heard him whisper. She felt the pillow under her head, and tried desperately to relax the muscles so tight that fresh tears escaped her eyes.
Then without warning, darkness descended, as every light in the room went out.
On a normal, sunny day, this would not have made a difference. But with the black storm clouds that were brewing outside, the only light other than the dead artificial illumination was the lightning that flashed occasionally.
Blinking her eyes several times, Alex tried to focus. The first thing she saw clearly was Nick. In the dim light, Alex could see he was perched on the edge of the bed, clearly intent on protecting her. Rachel hovered near by, obviously worried but relying on Nick's experience.
After a few more seconds of darkness Nick stood, muttering several colourful curses.
"The new back up generator I installed should have kicked in by now. I'm gonna go check it out."
He unholstered his gun, glad that he had decided to carry it with him in the first place. Then, he grabbed Rachel's hands, forcing her to take a hold of it. He cut her protests short and told her to watch Alex, and not to hesitate to defend them if she had to. "We have no proof that this isn't natural phenomena occurring. But I want to be careful, okay?" With one last look at Alex, who managed a weak smile, he turned and moved to leave.
"What are you going to use, Nick?" Rachel called after him.
"I'll pick up a few things from my room," he shouted back. "Don't worry."
As the door closed behind him, Rachel sat, sighing as she did. "Where you're concerned," she whispered, thinking over the numerous injuries Nick had incurred in the line of duty, "You may as well ask me not to breathe."
**********
Nick entered his room cautiously. Seeing no immediate threat, he rushed over to the large chest of drawers in the corner. Quickly opening the top drawer, he scanned the contents before selecting a small revolver. He put the gun on top of the cupboard for a moment, much the same as he had done this morning. He located an ankle holster, and resting his leg on the edge of his bed, quickly fastened it. He then took the small revolver from the top of the cupboard, firmly holstering it at his ankle, before pulling his jeans over to hide it.Then he pulled out the gun to replace the one he had given Rachel. Happy with it, he pushed it securely into the vertical holster he had put on this morning. Picking up an ammunition belt, he quickly fastened it, making sure that it was ready. Now that he was prepared, he left the room, scanning the halls for any sign of a threat. When none was visible, he began to move stealthily, his destination the back up generator.
**********
In Alex's bedroom, Rachel had just finished checking her vitals. Pulse and respiration were back to normal. 'Well, that's good,' she told herself.
Alex opened her eyes again, grateful when the pain that she had closed them against, didn't immediately slice into her skull.
Rachel took this as a good sign, and decided to see if Alex was up to answering any of her questions.
"Alex? Honey, can you tell me what happened?"she questioned gently.
Alex groaned slightly, trying to raise herself into a sitting position with Rachel's help.
"I was.....I was sitting here, in my room. And then the storm started. I looked out of the window.....and I saw someone."
Rachel looked at her in shock, a cold feeling sweeping through her body. "You saw someone?" she repeated, her hand unconsciously tightening on the gun that she held pointed away from them both, safety on.
Alex nodded slowly. "Yeah, he was.......outside, just standing and staring. He raised his arm," she said, lifting hers in an unconscious echoing of his actions. "And then he dropped it." She turned her eyes to Rachel. "That's when the vision hit me." Alex rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the muscles still knotted with tension. "It was....I've had plenty of visions, Rachel. But that......was unlike anything that I've ever felt before. And.....and I don't think it was natural."
"What do you mean?"
"I....I think that whoever or....whatever was out there......*made* me have that vision. I don't know how, but......"
Rachel's brow knit in confusion. "But why?"
Alex sighed, giving up on making her neck feel any better. "Maybe.....maybe, he was trying to communicate with me, or......maybe he just wanted us all off balance. I just don't know."
"Hey," Rachel soothed, "it's okay. Just try to relax, alright?"
"I can't, Rachel," Alex said in frustration. "Derek isn't here, the power's out, some.....strange figure, is sending me horrible visions, and Nick is gone."
As she finished speaking, there was a sudden whirring noise. And as Rachel stood, the lights flickered, and then stayed on.
"Well, that's one problem solved. Alex?"
Alex sat staring, her eyes wide as she focused behind Rachel. Curious, the blond woman turned. Stifling a scream, Rachel aimed the gun at the figure now standing opposite them.
**********
**********
Alex sighed, arching her back and wincing as her joints popped, protesting her movement after so much inactivity. She was currently seated on her bed, after retreating to her room with a headache. The pain had actually lessened to a tolerable state sometime earlier before disappearing all together, but she had decided to stay upstairs, so that Rachel had a chance to talk to Nick. Now on top of feeling quite stiff because of sitting in the same position for so long, her eyes had become blurry after reading the case files she had brought up with her to pass the time.
She was completely focused on her reading when the storm struck.
Alex didn't know how, or even why, but she felt......*compelled* to go to the window. She stood shakily, moving forward almost as if in a trance, but she couldn't stop herself.
The feeling of dread that she had been experiencing lately was rising steadily. She tried to command her limbs to turn, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed and ignore whatever supernatural force was calling her, but they wouldn't listen. So hard was she trying to resist the pull, that she felt tears fall down her face at the effort. But nothing worked.
Alex soon found herself at the window. There was normally a beautiful view from here, but now it was obscured by fog. The rain pelted down so hard that the windows shook. It strangely enough reminded her slightly of the weather they sometimes got in San Francisco.
Suddenly, she felt a tiny prickling in her consciousness. It felt as if......someone were gently blowing air, first on her neck, then her spine, and finally her *mind.* The same compulsion that had brought her to the window turned her head, until her gaze caught something that made her breath catch in her throat.
Not far from the house, the horrible fog that had blanketed the surrounding area so quickly, parted. As if some giant hand had just......scooped it away.
In it's place, stood a figure.
From her position, Alex could see that the figure looked male. He was wearing a trench coat of all things, tightly belted up. Alex couldn't explain it, but when her eyes set on the figure, one feeling raced through her body --- *terror.*
As she watched, the figure raised it's arm as if in greeting, and then dropped it suddenly.
Just as suddenly, she jumped back, her arms shooting out of their own accord and knocking something off her dresser table, causing a large bang. She didn't notice this, instead crying out as the world around her receded, and the colours surrounding her bled out, leaving her vision tinged a dirty gray. She knew in her mind that she was experiencing a vision, but the acknowledgement of her situation, couldn't stop the panic that swept through her system.
The images were coming so fast, that Alex could barely keep herself upright. But she was powerless to stop the cries that escaped her lips. She found herself dimly aware of the sound of pounding feet, as the door to her room burst open. She recognised Nick's voice, and felt his strong hands, gripping her upper arms. She tried to tell him what was happening -- why was it going on for so long? -- but couldn't force the words through the tightness in her throat.
Feeling started to come back to her body, and she became aware of a hand, rubbing soothing circles on her back, and Rachel's voice in her ear, murmuring words she assumed were meant to comfort. If only she could make them out.
As if responding to her plea, sound seemed to become clearer next, and she could vaguely understand the words that Nick was saying. He sounded like he was telling Rachel that Alex was in the grips of a vision.
Alex felt relief at this. Nick could tell what was going on, had experience with it. Rachel, despite having a daughter gifted with the Sight, probably would have tried to medicate her.
As quickly as it had begun, the vision ended. Alex couldn't stand against the sudden wave of dizziness, and would have fallen if not for Nick, who caught her and placed her gently down on the bed.
"It's okay, Alex," she heard him whisper. She felt the pillow under her head, and tried desperately to relax the muscles so tight that fresh tears escaped her eyes.
Then without warning, darkness descended, as every light in the room went out.
On a normal, sunny day, this would not have made a difference. But with the black storm clouds that were brewing outside, the only light other than the dead artificial illumination was the lightning that flashed occasionally.
Blinking her eyes several times, Alex tried to focus. The first thing she saw clearly was Nick. In the dim light, Alex could see he was perched on the edge of the bed, clearly intent on protecting her. Rachel hovered near by, obviously worried but relying on Nick's experience.
After a few more seconds of darkness Nick stood, muttering several colourful curses.
"The new back up generator I installed should have kicked in by now. I'm gonna go check it out."
He unholstered his gun, glad that he had decided to carry it with him in the first place. Then, he grabbed Rachel's hands, forcing her to take a hold of it. He cut her protests short and told her to watch Alex, and not to hesitate to defend them if she had to. "We have no proof that this isn't natural phenomena occurring. But I want to be careful, okay?" With one last look at Alex, who managed a weak smile, he turned and moved to leave.
"What are you going to use, Nick?" Rachel called after him.
"I'll pick up a few things from my room," he shouted back. "Don't worry."
As the door closed behind him, Rachel sat, sighing as she did. "Where you're concerned," she whispered, thinking over the numerous injuries Nick had incurred in the line of duty, "You may as well ask me not to breathe."
**********
Nick entered his room cautiously. Seeing no immediate threat, he rushed over to the large chest of drawers in the corner. Quickly opening the top drawer, he scanned the contents before selecting a small revolver. He put the gun on top of the cupboard for a moment, much the same as he had done this morning. He located an ankle holster, and resting his leg on the edge of his bed, quickly fastened it. He then took the small revolver from the top of the cupboard, firmly holstering it at his ankle, before pulling his jeans over to hide it.Then he pulled out the gun to replace the one he had given Rachel. Happy with it, he pushed it securely into the vertical holster he had put on this morning. Picking up an ammunition belt, he quickly fastened it, making sure that it was ready. Now that he was prepared, he left the room, scanning the halls for any sign of a threat. When none was visible, he began to move stealthily, his destination the back up generator.
**********
In Alex's bedroom, Rachel had just finished checking her vitals. Pulse and respiration were back to normal. 'Well, that's good,' she told herself.
Alex opened her eyes again, grateful when the pain that she had closed them against, didn't immediately slice into her skull.
Rachel took this as a good sign, and decided to see if Alex was up to answering any of her questions.
"Alex? Honey, can you tell me what happened?"she questioned gently.
Alex groaned slightly, trying to raise herself into a sitting position with Rachel's help.
"I was.....I was sitting here, in my room. And then the storm started. I looked out of the window.....and I saw someone."
Rachel looked at her in shock, a cold feeling sweeping through her body. "You saw someone?" she repeated, her hand unconsciously tightening on the gun that she held pointed away from them both, safety on.
Alex nodded slowly. "Yeah, he was.......outside, just standing and staring. He raised his arm," she said, lifting hers in an unconscious echoing of his actions. "And then he dropped it." She turned her eyes to Rachel. "That's when the vision hit me." Alex rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the muscles still knotted with tension. "It was....I've had plenty of visions, Rachel. But that......was unlike anything that I've ever felt before. And.....and I don't think it was natural."
"What do you mean?"
"I....I think that whoever or....whatever was out there......*made* me have that vision. I don't know how, but......"
Rachel's brow knit in confusion. "But why?"
Alex sighed, giving up on making her neck feel any better. "Maybe.....maybe, he was trying to communicate with me, or......maybe he just wanted us all off balance. I just don't know."
"Hey," Rachel soothed, "it's okay. Just try to relax, alright?"
"I can't, Rachel," Alex said in frustration. "Derek isn't here, the power's out, some.....strange figure, is sending me horrible visions, and Nick is gone."
As she finished speaking, there was a sudden whirring noise. And as Rachel stood, the lights flickered, and then stayed on.
"Well, that's one problem solved. Alex?"
Alex sat staring, her eyes wide as she focused behind Rachel. Curious, the blond woman turned. Stifling a scream, Rachel aimed the gun at the figure now standing opposite them.
**********
