A/n: Okay. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a horrible writer for never being able to finish a story, but... I can't help myself. I'm sure that when my fleeting obsession returns to whatever my other stories happen to based on, I'll manage to finish them. Until that day; enjoy!

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

As the World Falls Down

Prologue

At three o'clock a.m., Serena collapsed onto her forest green sofa with a heavy sigh. It had been another long night at the bar, where she worked. Her feet were throbbing and her eyes were dry from the smoky atmosphere and itched with exhaustion. Despite the perpetual loud voices of drunken people and the even louder music of the bar, Serena's head spun and ached for a very different reason.

In the past few weeks, the normally level-headed and calm woman had been hiding stress and anxiety from everyone she encountered. She had been clenching and unclenching her jaws-- the only sure indicator to her anger or anxiety-- so frequently she was surprised her teeth hadn't shattered long ago.

She lay on the couch, too drained to even drag herself the whopping ten feet across her small apartment to the kitchen for some kind of nourishment or another. And with the hunger pangs relentlessly harassing her stomach, she closed her eyes and began to doze off.

Brrriiiiing! Brrriiiing!

A loud groan escaped Serena as her phone rang. Cracking open a hazel eye she glared at the offending object with malice.

Brrrrriiiiing! Brrrrriiiing!

Her heart leapt as she suddenly realized that the call could have something to do with her current situation. Amazingly she managed to force herself into a sitting position and extended her hand towards the phone, her entire mind bending towards it. From where it hung on the wall of her small kitchen, the phone flew into her outstretched hand and Serena expertly wrapped her fingers around it and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked quickly. "Dulcie, is that you?"

The voice on the other end was unmistakably that of her good friend, Dulcie. The only one of their circle of friends, other than Serena, left remaining.

"Serena," the voice whimpered. It was full of fear and she could practically hear the tears that were streaming down Dulcie's face.

"Dulcie where are you! What's wrong?" Serena shot to her feet, staring at the wall in front of her, listening intently for her friend's reply. Subconsciously her jaw began to clench and unclench.

There was a shuddering breath from Dulcie's end as she tried to breathe through her panic-induced sobs. "They're here," she whimpered through the phone. "They've come to take me too." She had barely got out her last sentence before her voice broke with a fresh sob.

Serena's heart dropped and for the first time in a long time, she was scrambling to remain calm. "Dulcie," she managed to get out as the same panic and fear her friend was experiencing began to wash over her as well. "Can…can you hold them off?"

"I'm trying," Dulcie managed to choke out between sobs. "I don't think I can do it much longer."

"Try!" Serena shouted as she struggled to pull on her boots, cursing herself for not being able to astral-project. "You have to try to hold them off until I can get there! Do you hear me Dulcie?"

There was another shuddering breath from Dulcie. "I'm so scared," she whispered.

Serena opened her mouth to respond. To comfort her only remaining friend but she didn't have the time. A piercing scream filled her ears and Serena's heart leapt to her throat. There was a thud as Dulcie's phone was dropped and her screams became muffled by the sounds of a struggle.

"Dulcie!" Serena screamed into the phone. "DULCIE!"

A fresh scream erupted from Dulcie. There was a sharp crack! and the scream was suddenly cut short.

Silence. It came upon her like a predator pouncing on its prey. It pounded in her ears like drums and was far more deafening than any noise she had ever heard.

The phone fell from Serena's hand and clattered to the floor as tears streamed down her face.

She was alone.

And she was next.