A/N: Okay... first things first... please don't hate me after you've read this chapter. On second thought... I'd best start running! *grabs her coat*
Sethoz: Not the Dorian glare! *screams* Okay... I'm calm. Glad you liked the creepy line :D Took me ages to actually think of something eerie :S Your sister is officially insane!
Anacalagon: Hmm... best change the end then ;) Only kidding... or am I?
drowchild: *looks at crumbled heap* Hmm... *throws a blanket over you*
Beck2: I try to update as soon as I can to keep people interested. Hope's it's working :D
Silent bob 546: Glad I could clear things up.
Capt. Cow: Hmm... *thinks carefully* My answer would be a big, fat 'no'.
Amelia allowed the smile to come to her face as she felt her control slipping from the mind of the tortured Agent Sawyer into that of the murderous Mina Harker. The wounding and shock had done much to weaken her, and Amelia met little resistance. She pushed deeper, forcing the vampire's own rebellious consciousness further and further below the surface where it could be buried.
She took a great sense of comfort in knowing that she had not only wounded the vampire, she had caused her great pain. Whilst forcing Sawyer into the second kiss to keep Harker's mind in a swirling state of confusion, Amelia had made the young man's hand twist on the hilt, ripping open the wound horribly. It only served to make her job easier.
"I have her..." she breathed to her associates, closing her eyes and letting her mind flood and merge with that of the vampire.
Skinner was still crouching on the floor in shock and a moderate state of horror after the gunshot when he looked up at the sound of a scream... a feminine scream. Mina... she was hurt, and he saw to his dismay that Sawyer had driven a long dagger into her abdomen, and then twisted it. That wasn't all... he was kissing her now.
Oh, god... what do I do? Skinner thought, shaking with fright. He couldn't remember being this afraid in a long time. All of this was getting a bit too much, and he had to do something to help Mina... not to mention Sawyer, if the American was saveable at all. Skinner, with a sudden sense of dread, had a terrible feeling that he might be beyond the point of help.
But it was with all the bravery he could muster that Skinner pulled himself off of the floor, and ran towards the sight in front of him. He rammed into Sawyer, and gripped his jacket tightly with his fingers, yanking him forcefully off of the wounded woman. Mina simply lay, panting.
When they rolled away, Skinner and Sawyer parted, and the latter let out an anguished cry. Skinner composed himself after the shock of doing what he had done, and turned his gaze upon the American to see him curled up in pain on the floor, head to the ground, eyes clamped shut. He groaned loudly.
Skinner had an awful feeling all of a sudden that only heightened when the sound of heels firmly hitting the ground travelled to his ears. He raised his head, and saw Mina standing, eyes glaring, face void of expression... like Sawyer had been not so long ago. A growl filled the air.
Skinner froze, even as Mina placed a hand on the protruding hilt of the dagger Sawyer had used, and pulled, ripping it out of her stomach without so much as a show of pain. Skinner's jaw dropped.
This was not good... not one bit.
Tom was in so much pain he could barely keep his mind running, but he froze when he realised he was no longer with his parents in Missouri, and when his consciousness suddenly felt very prominent... he was back in control. He cursed himself for letting the illusion of his mother and father take over, and he placed a hand on the ground to try and steady himself, to try and stop the shaking.
He tried to comprehend what had happened, and then he realised what Amelia had sensed, and on a sudden whim, he managed to utter one word, a name; "Skinner?"
"Dammit, Sawyer, don't just sit there, move!" Skinner's voice came back to him, urgent, and Tom opened his eyes and looked up... into the face of Mina Harker.
"Mina?" Tom gasped, breathing irregularly. Then he realised what had truly happened. "Oh god... Mina..."
She had reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and jacket before he could so much as scramble away from her, and she lifted him clean off the floor with a ferocious growl. Tom looked into her eyes, seeing the red bleed into them. He snatched at her hand as it shifted to close around his throat, and she drove him back into the wall behind them, snarling loudly.
"Mina!" he choked, kicking out at her, knowing that he could only try his best to rouse her from the control of Amelia. "Mina, don't!" She tightened her grip, cutting off his oxygen, and he closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth, trying to breathe.
"Sawyer!" Skinner's disembodied voice shouted from a little way off to the side, before something slammed into Mina, knocking her off balance. Mina and Tom fell to the ground, the latter coughing violently and trying to regain his footing, though it pained him to even attempt movement.
Mina was back on her feet in moments, and her red eyes cast about in search of her invisible attacker.
Tom panted for breath, trying to regain some semblance of a rhythm, and looked around quickly, trying to locate something that might help. Then he spotted it... his rifle. Before he moved to grab it, he stopped himself, reaching with his left hand to his waist... his guns. He drew one from the holster, and aimed at the vampire, calling her name.
There was nothing even remotely like a response from her, and then Tom glared and shouted, "Amelia!"
The red eyes turned on him then, and another growl formed in Mina's throat, though she was not in control of her own actions. Tom locked gazes with her.
"Amelia... stop," Tom said in a low, dangerous voice as he pushed himself to his feet, swaying dangerously for a moment. He felt something at his side, a brushing against his coat. Skinner.
Mina's mouth opened, and Amelia spoke through her, saying, "Or you'll do what, Agent Sawyer? Pull the trigger?" A laugh, and Tom shuddered. "I think not. You wish to save her life, not end it with a bullet... though that would be difficult, and you know it."
Tom ignored the burning in his wounded shoulder, and pulled the other pistol from its holster, levelling it with the first, pulling both hammers back simultaneously, and adding, "I'd rather see her die this way then put her through what I've suffered."
The laugh sounded again, hollow and threatening. "How very noble of you, Agent Sawyer. But I could simply let enough of Harker surface for her to smell the blood you can feel under your bandages even now. Do you really think, in her state, that she would be able to resist the urge to feed?"
"Sawyer..." Skinner warned, and Tom could hear his heavy, panicked breathing.
Tom ignored his friend, guns never wavering, though his hands shook slightly. His shoulder burned madly, and he could indeed -as Amelia said- feel the sticky warmth of blood flow from under the bandage over the wound. He had lost count of the amount of times it must have been torn open, again and again.
"What is it to be, boy?" Amelia asked him through Mina, and he closed his eyes so as not to let his emotions get in the way. "Will you leave her fate in my hands... or pull the triggers and try to 'save' her yourself?"
Tom trembled anew, and opened his eyes suddenly, determination flashing through him for just an instant. Amelia seemed to recognise his newfound resolve, and she let a growl emerge from her host. She started forward suddenly.
Even as Skinner shouted at him to do otherwise, Tom pulled the triggers.
Skinner shouted at the top of his lungs for Tom to stop, but as he did so he found he'd closed his eyes and covered his own head, for the volume hurt his ears and he couldn't bear to watch. When he looked up at the sudden silence, he saw no bleeding body on the floor, only nothingness.
Okay... where'd she-
A hissing from above caused Skinner and Sawyer to look up suddenly, and with yelps they both threw themselves aside, even as Mina came swooping down towards them from the ceiling. A few bats coiled around her, but Skinner seriously doubted if the woman had enough control over the vampire to summon them all into being.
Skinner landed roughly on the floor, and grumbled, looking back as Mina came swooping towards him. The noise of his landing had attracted her attention, and he scrambled to get to his feet.
Sawyer had rolled with his own landing, obviously trained, but he unbalanced and fell onto his back, wincing. He had dropped both pistols, and held a hand to his right shoulder.
Skinner was too preoccupied to go help his friend, and he managed to stand. He contemplated trying to fight Mina, but then realised how incredibly dumb and reckless that would have been. She would have made short work of him. So instead, he paid heed to the next natural instinct... run. He darted off sideways across the room, hoping the woman would become confused.
To his horror, the red pupils followed him, and she started to move towards him, growling menacingly.
Skinner ducked under a blow that was aimed at him, but still felt the breeze caused by it as it rushed past his bare skin. She would have him soon if he didn't find some way of distracting or confusing her... perhaps both.
Without realising what had happened, Skinner felt her grab his arm, and as he looked her in the face, he saw the sly smile there. If it were possible -which he would never have suspected until now- Mina wasn't quite so appealing anymore. She was downright horrifying.
Tom turned his head, and looked through pained eyes to see Mina standing on the other side of the room, and he furrowed his brow at her posture. Then he realised the reason behind it, as he saw her clasped hand around an intangible object that could have only been Skinner's arm.
Without thinking, Tom rolled onto his knees, and stretching out with his good arm he grabbed his Winchester by the barrel. He managed to scramble to his feet, unsteadily, and moved immediately over to the other visible figure, swinging the stock around like a club.
It was so sudden he barely registered it, but Mina ducked as if having sensed the blow, and her other arm shot out. It struck Tom in the wounded shoulder, knocking him down. Luckily he hadn't hit Skinner instead after missing Mina. The Winchester clattered away across the floor.
Tom heard a cry and then a subsequent crash as Skinner was thrown across the room. He kicked out with both feet, cursing his clumsy aim when he missed by only an inch, disturbing Mina's skirts as she approached him.
With a growl, she came down on top of him, fangs bared, eyes blazing terrifyingly. Tom tried to push her off, but she only slammed his hands down onto the ground, pinning him. One of her knees came down on his stomach, keeping him down, her other on his legs, and she lowered her face towards his.
"Mina," he tried, and he looked for signs of recognition on her face, finding none, "don't do this... please, listen to me."
She growled again, and shifted her grip, holding both of his wrists tightly with only one of her hands now. Her fingers on her other hand twined through his tousled hair, and pulled his head roughly down to the ground. He winced, and tried to struggle against her, wincing when it pained him to attempt it.
"Mina," he said again, but he gave a sharp hiss and he found no more words would come.
Fangs exposed, she lowered her head to Tom's exposed neck.