dialogue – thoughts
"dialogue" – speaking
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Chapter 12
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It was dark, so dark. Everything was inky, pure black with no light.
It was cold.
She didn't want to be here…but…
…How had she gotten here? She couldn't remember.
One minute she was…
…where had she been, again? Someplace warm, someplace safe? She didn't know anymore…
All she knew was that she was here now. Here…
It was dark and she was running, her cloak flapping wildly, loudly behind her.
Running from what?
To where?
There was no moon in this place, but still she could make out where she was going.
There were trees in the darkness; she knew they were there. It was just so dark. Silence engulfed her, but her heavy breathing warded it off, the pounding of her heart a deafening thump in her chest.
The noise warned the inky, thick blackness not to come any closer…
There were footsteps, cracking…
Was there something behind her?
Yes, she could sense it its presence, its feet moving quickly, lightly on the forest floor.
A forest.
Trees whizzed quickly past her moving form, or were the trees the ones really moving?
No, she was the one running.
Running from what? To nowhere? In a place where there was no moon?
The trees and bushes cleared, thinned into a field.
It was so dark.
She could see…
How could she see in this darkness, though?
This blackness all around her?
The field was neat; the grass was trimmed, short, and tough. She looked back into the inky darkness. She could see it jump into the field. Cloaked in black, it was perhaps darker than the night.
What was it??
Why wouldn't it leave??
She didn't know, but she did know she had to get away…
But it was so dark, and she didn't know where she was…!
Wait, what was that??
Eyes.
Cold, blue eyes.
Hating blue eyes that glared out from the darkness…
Just looking at them made her feel cold, colder than she already was. Plunged into a bath of freezing water…
She looked forward.
Too late.
There it was, standing there, staring hatefully at her. A mere shadow in the pale light.
A mere shadow that held so much anger…she stopped abruptly, wanting to get away.
She turned, but there it was again, icy blue eyes glaring manically out at her.
He was clothed in a dark cloak and hood.
Wait.
He…?
Her breathing too loud in her ears, she turned again…
…searching frantically for a way out…
He was there, staring.
She needed to get away!
But he moved, walking toward her.
Blue eyes surrounded her, crushing her mind and filling her with hate.
It hurt…!
She whirled, running away, coldness engulfing her.
But he was there, staring at her, glaring at her.
She backed away, avoiding the eyes…
He stepped forward, pushing his hood back.
She could see his shadow on the field, tall, imposing.
It was so cold; she didn't want to look at him. She turned; ready to run, but he confronted her.
Even in the darkness, even by the dim light originating from nowhere, she could see his face…
It scared her.
It was too familiar.
…It looked like Vash's…
Vash…was he…?
No, it couldn't be…
She tried to yell, tried to get away, but those icy, hating blue eyes held her.
Vash didn't have blue eyes…He didn't hate her…
She wanted to run, she needed to get away from him!
She did, ran across the rough grass, the stalks hurting her feet.
Her bare feet…
She dared to look back, dared to see him again…
He wasn't there.
She turned forward…
The ground before her suddenly let away, leaving nothing but air, nothingness.
A cliff…
She screamed as she fell, down into darkness.
She shut her eyes tight, wishing to be away…
Meryl awoke with a start, jolting up from her bed with a shock so great she almost fell forward. Gulping at the air frantically, her wide eyes took in her surroundings with panic. A cold sweat coated her body, leaving her shivering, frightened.
She felt alone, in a panic.
Meryl's heart raced wildly, but calmed considerably when she realized she was in her room.
She closed her eyes and fell back onto her pillow, clutching at her heart and trying to slow her erratic breathing. Only then did she find the time to smile at her stupidity.
What kind of a fool was she, anyway?
It had been a nightmare, after all. What grown up woman was afraid of nightmares?
She had had it many times before, she should be used to it by now!
Used to a highly strange dream that reoccurred but seems to be slightly different every time I have it. Meryl corrected herself, sighing loudly and opening her eyes.
Either way, she wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon.
Taking one last deep breath, Meryl slipped her cold body from under her covers and adjusted her nightgown—a simple, large shirt—before setting her feet onto the cold floor. Then, standing up, she padded silently to her closet and rummaged around for her slippers.
She came out with a long robe and her favourite, simple slippers that she had gotten from Milly two years ago. Letting the flowing robe warm her shoulders, the petite woman pulled the sash tight around her middle before quietly exiting the room.
Only when she closed her bedroom door behind her and stood staring down the dark hallway before her did Meryl become nervous, and she stayed perfectly still for a moment, listening to the house, before stepping silently and cautiously down the hallway.
After all, she didn't want to wake Vash, now did she??
Hah! her traitorous mind laughed at her, Like he would hear you anyway. Face it, Stryfe, you're scared of your own house!
She tried to force the thoughts out of her head as she padded quietly down the hall, pausing cautiously at her washroom before slipping past and glancing back, just for assurance.
Meryl wished she had lit a candle.
Upon reaching the stairs leading down to her living room, kitchen and the spare room a half-blooded vampire slept in she stopped and stared.
Down, in the inky blackness of below, she was almost certain she saw something move…
Meryl fought back the urge to run back to her room, and took a deep breath to rid herself of her heart pounding loudly in her ears. How the hell was she supposed to hear anything when her heart was deafening her?
Gulping somewhat nervously, the petite woman pulled the collar of her robe higher up on her neck and bravely took the first step down the stairs. Glancing back, and then quickly forward, she took her second step, wondering fervently why she hadn't just stayed in her room…
Wait…who was this speaking?
Meryl Stryfe??
Since when have I been afraid of the dark, of what sneaks around in it? For gods sakes! This is my damned house!
Straightening herself considerably, Meryl managed to glare down into the darkness.
She descended the steps without another thought on the matter, and made a beeline for her kitchen.
Since she was down here, Meryl was determined to make herself a cup of tea, and maybe she would check to see of Vash was still here. It would be just her luck if he had run out in the middle of the night. And she really wasn't in the mood to chase him around London again.
Reaching up to the cupboard above the sink, she searched around for her kettle in the dimness. The only light was from the streetlamp blaring through the kitchen window, and it wasn't all that great when you were trying to make tea.
Finally fed up with the lack of light, the petite woman huffed loudly to herself and decided to hunt around her living room for a candle and matches. Closing the cupboard soundlessly, she stalked off toward the interconnecting living room.
That was when she heard it.
Just a slight shuffle, but a loud one.
It was awkward.
Freezing in mid-step, Meryl quickly turned at placed her back against her kitchen wall near the entrance to her living room.
There it was again, more shuffling. This time it was accompanied by a slight bang, though.
It—whoever it was—sounded terribly clumsy.
The petite woman listened with a mix of emotions. Surprise, fear, curiosity, a range of suspiciousness, but most of all anger.
How dare whoever was in there break into her home!
Suddenly blinking, Meryl relaxed somewhat. She almost laughed, but restrained herself.
It was probably just Vash, anyway!
Yes, well, lets just see what he has to say for himself! Snooping and stumbling around my house like that! Meryl thought steely to herself, and pushed forward angrily from her hiding stop.
She didn't notice the shadow behind her as she entered the living room with murder written all over her face.
The petite woman regarded her dim room darkly and with a scowl on her face. Ready to confront the half-blood and give him a piece of her mind, she was surprised when an empty space faced her.
It was dark, deserted and devoid of anything looking remotely like Vash.
Frowning slightly, she stepped further into the room, unaware of the shadows creeping up on her. Now where had he gone? She didn't understand it… you had to enter through the kitchen to get to and from the living room, so where had the blasted half-blood run off? Maybe she had just imagined it…Yes, that was right, she hadn't heard anything.
It had been her overactive imagination at work trying to freak her out.
There had been nothing at all.
Meryl, satisfied with her self-explanatory answer, turned to leave.
She didn't see the threatening shadow until it had knocked her roughly from her feet, grabbed her up by the neck, and pinned her firmly up against the wall.
The petite woman choked slightly, her hands coming up to grasp the one set around her neck.
A brief thought that her neck had been having way too much manhandling the past week passed briefly through her mind before being cut off. The hand tightened, and she was severed from her air supply.
She couldn't see its face…let alone guess who it was…
There was hot breath on her neck, brushing lightly over her chilled skin…
She was going to die…!
Meryl squeezed her eyes tight, willing everything to go away, wishing it to disappear.
She was too tired, to weak to be fighting off bloodsuckers in the dead of night!
She had just recovered and once again, she was being attacked.
Its breathing was ragged, steamy…
She had never noticed vampires had warm breath; hot and humid like that of the living…
Meryl found herself slipping away once again…
Something small inside of her head was calling to her, though. It was pricking her mind like a thorn, demanding to be noticed. She found herself ignoring it, anyhow.
She was too occupied with the feeling of dying to care less.
The petite woman was only briefly aware of the hiss resounding around her, a telltale sign her father had taught her never to ignore…
The voice was shouting now…
It was loud…
Meryl's eyes snapped open abruptly, glistening in the darkness, widening in realization.
And then there was one swift, sharp, resounding scream.
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A/N: Yes, I know I'm very evil, but that doesn't mean I'll take mercy on you all!
--Cayenne Pepper Powder