Disturbed Observer

Fendari stood behind the two-way mirror in the atrium. He watched Leana there, under the waterfall, using his hand to pleasure himself. He didn't want to be here, jerking off and watching her from afar. He wanted so badly to run to her, to hold her against that stone pillar, to feel himself inside of her once more... but the time was not right. Not yet. But soon, very soon, she would be his.

She looked better than he had ever remembered. When he had known her, she'd been older, less vibrant. But now he was seeing her at her most beautiful... The water came up to her waist... but he could see everything. Her small, perfect breasts shone in the water and light, her white, smooth skin unblemished, untainted, her beautiful violet hair falling down around her face and her long neck as she ran her hands through it. She was taunting him, teasing him... Her body was so warm, so soft, her voice so sweet, so young...

His hand stopped, his business finished. He took deep, shivering breaths and looked down. Even his seed glowed with the Azoth... He wiped his hand off on the wall, nearly crazed with desire. He had been following her ever since she had left the torture chamber, using secret passages and chambers to stay hidden. He knew every inch of the mansion, inside and out. He was afraid he'd have to save her himself from the snake pit... but the dog figured it out. The snakes had been venomous, not extremely deadly, but with her amount of bites, she would die without the proper antidote. And of course he would be there to give it to her...

He kept to his dark thoughts, re-doing his belt and watching her flexible, nude body as she bathed herself. He had been trying to pretend to help, but still wanted her afraid of him. That made the experience that much more exciting, when the moment finally came he wanted her to protest, to scream... He had succeeded. He could smell her fear when he approached, he could taste it, and it aroused him even more. Soon he would have her where he wanted, and she could help him, save him... She was the only one who could save him...

There was a knock at the door. The main doors were near the other side of the mansion... but Fendari could still hear it. This curse... she would save him. He tried to rip his eyes away from her perfect form as he left to answer the door, but found it harder than he'd expected. Finally, he turned his masked face away from her, toward the door. It must be Leonardo returning, he thought. He would make sure that man got what was coming to him soon enough... All in good time.

Daniella stepped out of the water, feeling refreshed and clean. Poppy came running over to meet her. The dog apparently decided that what she had been doing looked fun, and took a plunge into the pool himself. She smiled as put her clothes back on and watched him paddle along happily, completely soaked and shedding fur into the water. He swam around the pillar once, then jumped back up onto the rocks and shook himself all over Daniella. She shielded herself, giggling for the first time in a while.

"Quit it, you stupid dog! At least my clothes were dry..."

Poppy just looked up at her with that innocent open-mouthed grin on his face. She reached down and pet him on the head, then turned back toward the large glass doors that led back into the dark hallway. She knew she had to leave sometime... and she wanted to look for the other crests. She had no idea where to start looking, but she knew she had to find them. She looked straight overhead to the high glass ceiling, and saw that it was still dark without a hint of sunlight, and the moon was still visible overhead. She had no idea what time it was, but she guessed dawn must be approaching sometime soon.

Daniella called Poppy and together they headed for the doors. She opened them and stuck her head out, making sure nobody was outside, then opened it more and stepped out. Immediately, the atmosphere changed from the bright, colorful atrium back to the dark, poorly lit halls. She sighed and began walking down the hall when Poppy stopped. She looked backwards, calling him, but he didn't come. He had turned around by now, and was growling at something at the other end of the hallway. She walked up to where he was, staring fearfully down the hall.

The shadow of a man stood there, unmoving at first, then making a strange noise and walking forward. Daniella backed up a few steps as Poppy began to growl louder. She could tell it wasn't Fendari... somebody else must be living here! She stopped, watching the man step closer to her and into the light, and her face contorted into an expression of terror.

It was the agent. He was alive... He was walking... but she could tell he wasn't the same man as before. The nails were still stuck in his head, and she saw the blank eyes, the slack jaw... The nails must have given him some sort of brain damage... She stumbled backwards, unable to find her footing as she stared at the hideous sight in front of her. She saw the flash of metal in his hand, the gun aimed at her, and she barely had time to scream for Poppy before he shot at her...

The bullet hit the stone wall right next to her head, sending dust and stone fragments flying into her face. She noticed he was no longer aiming for her legs... he was shooting to kill. She ripped her gaze away from him and ran the other way, to the end of the hall and down the curving stone steps, calling her dog again. If he was hurt... she didn't know what she would do... As she ran down the stairs, she noticed her legs starting to feel jelly-like, her stomach beginning to hurt, her vision beginning to blur and distort... What was happening to her? She saw Poppy appear, running at her side, and was once again running for her life.