Chapter 4
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"You see I'm falling in a vast abyss, clouded by memories of the past."
"Forsaken" David Draiman
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Wesley could do nothing. He was frozen to the spot he stood on, staring into his father's cold blue eyes.
Cold blue eyes as cold as he felt inside.
The demon that had taken his father watched with pleasure, as Wesley stood there dumbfounded as he moved forward, embracing Wesley in what first looked like a hug.
Wesley let his father hug him, felt the breath being crushed out of his lungs and his ribs dig into them, but he still did nothing. He denied the truth that stood before him. His father was not dead, could not be dead.
"It's good to see you Wesley."
It was a game. Another game that his father had concocted. Stay still and he would be fine, he would survive the game. Move and it would be the cupboard again. He hated the cupboard, but he endured it for his own good.
A long moment passed and Wesley thought he would never breath again. Lack of oxygen to the brain would cause him to pass out any moment, but he held on. If he passed out the game would be over and he'd wake up in the cupboard. His father released him at last and he let the oxygen fill his lungs, and even though it hurt to breathe he persisted.
"Are you ready?" his father asked, smiling. His face changed but Wesley did not even flinch. A trick of the light, possibly? Wesley swallowed nervously and nodded.
"Good." His father said, his voice distorted as he moved towards Wesley again. He felt something graze his neck. 'It's all a game, all a game,' he said to himself.
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"Think Cordy. Green sign or pink sign?" Cordelia looked at both signs side- by-side outside nightclubs and shrugged at Angel,
"I don't know I can't - all I can see is frightened faces and hear people screaming." She turned to look into his eyes,
"They're all scared Angel. Including Wesley." She turned back abruptly as she heard a scream,
"Green one." She said in unison with Angel as he jumped out the car. Gunn and Cordelia followed.
"English will be fine. He can handle himself." Gunn said patting Cordelia on the back.
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Wesley felt something pierce his neck,
"All a game." He heard his father echo his own words for a moment before he felt all his blood rushing to the one place. He felt his knees go weak and he wanted to pass out again, but his father held him upright. Something whistled past his ear and he felt his father pull back, a grunt coming from him.
"Game Over." Angel said as he handed the crossbow back to Cordelia who loaded another bolt. He pulled a stake from his pocket,
"Get to Wesley and get the rest out."
Wesley knees gave in and he collapsed onto the floor as a hand went to his neck. His eyes turned up to his father standing over him. He watched as he pulled the crossbow bolt from his shoulder, licking his lips of Wesley's blood. Wesley felt his breathing slowing. His father would never have taken it as far as to kill him, would he? His father knelt beside him, his face shifting back to his human features. He pulled Wesley into a sitting position, treating him as if he were a rag doll,
"Wesley you won't let them kill me will you?" he asked, preying on the last ounce of loyalty Wesley had left. He licked his lips as he watched the blood soaking into Wesley's shirt. His face changed back and he couldn't resist any longer,
"You can make up for all of it now." Wesley's father launched himself at Wesley's neck, sucking the life out of his son.
Cordelia continued to push people towards the exit not caring if they tripped and fell on the way out. They would damage themselves yeah but that wouldn't compare to how dead they would be if they didn't move. She saw a vampire struggling with a girl and she moved towards them, stamping on the vampire's toe with the heel of her shoe,
"She's not your type." She said smiling sweetly before elbowing him in the face and plunging her stake home. The vampire exploded into dust and through it Cordelia could see a vampire feeding on Wesley. She panicked.
This was what she had seen. Wesley was going to die. Either that or live forever and be Lestate's right hand man. She tried to move towards him,
"Wes -" she was cut off as a vampire grabbed her from behind.
Wesley felt his pulse slowing, even as he wrapped his hand around the crossbow bolt. He plunged into the demon's heart with what remaining strength he had left and watched him disintegrate into a thousand particles.
"My father never asked me favours." Wesley collapsed back onto the stone cold floor, screams echoing in his head and the whooshing noise that vampires made when they were dusted. His eyes closed, as the lights seemed to dim but he didn't care. He knew he wouldn't wake up in the cupboard.
Gunn swung his axe at another vampire and its head rolled before exploding into dust. He saw Cordelia being grabbed and he batted another vamp out the way,
"Cordy, duck." Cordelia looked confused at first but did as she was told, the vampire not knowing what had hit him, even after he lost his head. Cordelia didn't even stop to thank Gunn. She left him standing as she ran to Wesley.
"Your Welcome." Gunn called after her before he turned back to what he was doing. He hadn't even seen Wesley go down he was so caught up in fighting vampires. There were only a few left now. Angel had handled most of them pretty well. Suddenly the last handful fled,
"Hey come on." Gunn said running to the door.
"Gunn," Angel called after him, a warning not to follow,
"Chickens." Gunn shouted into the night. He hefted his axe and turned back into the warehouse,
"Just when you're getting' into it they up and leave on yah." He moved towards where Angel and Cordelia were crouched,
"Where's -" he stopped as he saw the pale form of Wesley lying on the floor, Cordelia's hand over his neck trying to stop him from bleeding anymore.
"English?"
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"You see I'm falling in a vast abyss, clouded by memories of the past."
"Forsaken" David Draiman
*********************************************************************
Wesley could do nothing. He was frozen to the spot he stood on, staring into his father's cold blue eyes.
Cold blue eyes as cold as he felt inside.
The demon that had taken his father watched with pleasure, as Wesley stood there dumbfounded as he moved forward, embracing Wesley in what first looked like a hug.
Wesley let his father hug him, felt the breath being crushed out of his lungs and his ribs dig into them, but he still did nothing. He denied the truth that stood before him. His father was not dead, could not be dead.
"It's good to see you Wesley."
It was a game. Another game that his father had concocted. Stay still and he would be fine, he would survive the game. Move and it would be the cupboard again. He hated the cupboard, but he endured it for his own good.
A long moment passed and Wesley thought he would never breath again. Lack of oxygen to the brain would cause him to pass out any moment, but he held on. If he passed out the game would be over and he'd wake up in the cupboard. His father released him at last and he let the oxygen fill his lungs, and even though it hurt to breathe he persisted.
"Are you ready?" his father asked, smiling. His face changed but Wesley did not even flinch. A trick of the light, possibly? Wesley swallowed nervously and nodded.
"Good." His father said, his voice distorted as he moved towards Wesley again. He felt something graze his neck. 'It's all a game, all a game,' he said to himself.
*********************************************************************
"Think Cordy. Green sign or pink sign?" Cordelia looked at both signs side- by-side outside nightclubs and shrugged at Angel,
"I don't know I can't - all I can see is frightened faces and hear people screaming." She turned to look into his eyes,
"They're all scared Angel. Including Wesley." She turned back abruptly as she heard a scream,
"Green one." She said in unison with Angel as he jumped out the car. Gunn and Cordelia followed.
"English will be fine. He can handle himself." Gunn said patting Cordelia on the back.
*********************************************************************
Wesley felt something pierce his neck,
"All a game." He heard his father echo his own words for a moment before he felt all his blood rushing to the one place. He felt his knees go weak and he wanted to pass out again, but his father held him upright. Something whistled past his ear and he felt his father pull back, a grunt coming from him.
"Game Over." Angel said as he handed the crossbow back to Cordelia who loaded another bolt. He pulled a stake from his pocket,
"Get to Wesley and get the rest out."
Wesley knees gave in and he collapsed onto the floor as a hand went to his neck. His eyes turned up to his father standing over him. He watched as he pulled the crossbow bolt from his shoulder, licking his lips of Wesley's blood. Wesley felt his breathing slowing. His father would never have taken it as far as to kill him, would he? His father knelt beside him, his face shifting back to his human features. He pulled Wesley into a sitting position, treating him as if he were a rag doll,
"Wesley you won't let them kill me will you?" he asked, preying on the last ounce of loyalty Wesley had left. He licked his lips as he watched the blood soaking into Wesley's shirt. His face changed back and he couldn't resist any longer,
"You can make up for all of it now." Wesley's father launched himself at Wesley's neck, sucking the life out of his son.
Cordelia continued to push people towards the exit not caring if they tripped and fell on the way out. They would damage themselves yeah but that wouldn't compare to how dead they would be if they didn't move. She saw a vampire struggling with a girl and she moved towards them, stamping on the vampire's toe with the heel of her shoe,
"She's not your type." She said smiling sweetly before elbowing him in the face and plunging her stake home. The vampire exploded into dust and through it Cordelia could see a vampire feeding on Wesley. She panicked.
This was what she had seen. Wesley was going to die. Either that or live forever and be Lestate's right hand man. She tried to move towards him,
"Wes -" she was cut off as a vampire grabbed her from behind.
Wesley felt his pulse slowing, even as he wrapped his hand around the crossbow bolt. He plunged into the demon's heart with what remaining strength he had left and watched him disintegrate into a thousand particles.
"My father never asked me favours." Wesley collapsed back onto the stone cold floor, screams echoing in his head and the whooshing noise that vampires made when they were dusted. His eyes closed, as the lights seemed to dim but he didn't care. He knew he wouldn't wake up in the cupboard.
Gunn swung his axe at another vampire and its head rolled before exploding into dust. He saw Cordelia being grabbed and he batted another vamp out the way,
"Cordy, duck." Cordelia looked confused at first but did as she was told, the vampire not knowing what had hit him, even after he lost his head. Cordelia didn't even stop to thank Gunn. She left him standing as she ran to Wesley.
"Your Welcome." Gunn called after her before he turned back to what he was doing. He hadn't even seen Wesley go down he was so caught up in fighting vampires. There were only a few left now. Angel had handled most of them pretty well. Suddenly the last handful fled,
"Hey come on." Gunn said running to the door.
"Gunn," Angel called after him, a warning not to follow,
"Chickens." Gunn shouted into the night. He hefted his axe and turned back into the warehouse,
"Just when you're getting' into it they up and leave on yah." He moved towards where Angel and Cordelia were crouched,
"Where's -" he stopped as he saw the pale form of Wesley lying on the floor, Cordelia's hand over his neck trying to stop him from bleeding anymore.
"English?"