Vengeance Is My Name
Chapter Two
The sky was dark in this world. An overcast grey that never seemed to brighten. No matter which direction she looked, Yang was unable to see any hint of the sun behind the wall of grey, and the whole landscape around her appeared to be washed out. It was snowing out, but the cold didn't seem to bother her as she found herself standing in front of a set of aluminum double doors. She hesitated a moment, and looked around. The landscaped seemed to fade away from her sight, growing fainter and less detailed the further away from the doors she looked.
This was it, then. The way she was supposed to go.
Yang reached out and grabbed the metal pull handle on the door. She was expecting it to be ice cold, but her expectations were subverted as she realized that it almost felt like nothing. There was the sensation of a lower temperature, but it didn't truly feel cold to her.
Even the sensation of temperature was washed out in this world.
She effortlessly pulled the door open and stepped into the monolithic building. As the door gently closed behind her, she tuned into an almost painful silence, the sound of wind blowing outside not registering in her mind until it was shut out by the sturdy metal doors.
With the sound of her footsteps resounding loudly in her ears, she took careful, measured steps down the hall. She wasn't exactly sure where she was, or what she was looking for, but sure enough, if she looked long enough, she would find it.
She always did.
She didn't have to search for very long. As the end of the hall materialized into view through a dark, hazy gloom, she saw a lone figure sitting on the floor and leaning up against the wall.
As Yang drew closer, she felt herself speaking. Uttering a single name, the sound was distorted as it reached her ears until she couldn't be sure exactly what she was saying. The figure, raven haired and light of complexion, leaning up against a wall of lockers with a book in their hand, however, seemed to understand her just fine. After the second or third time attempting to speak, the lone figure seemed to register her presence.
Yang came to a stop in front of the figure, which she identified as The Girl.
Yang had taken to referring to her as The Girl, a mysterious, lonely figure who appeared to her, always in a different time or place, but always without fail.
Yang felt, rather than heard, herself speaking once more, and after a moment's contemplation, The Girl carefully dog-eared the page of the book she was reading before slipping it into her backpack. Slowly, she stood, stopping to wipe some imagined dust from her backside before looking to Yang and nodding slowly.
They fell into step together, and Yang silently wondered if she would glean any more information from this encounter, or if she were doomed to wonder eternally what the meaning behind these encounters were.
Against her will, the faces of two more people flashed through her mind. A girl who appeared to be a few years younger than herself, with black hair ending in red dye. She was short, the weapon she carried taller than she was.
Unbidden, her name came to her lips, sounding familiar, yet strange all at the same time.
Another girl, short, with flawless skin save for a scar over her left eye. Her silver hair was a point of interest, as was her odd choice of a side ponytail.
She knew these people. Or, at least, it felt like she should.
Their names were familiar to her, yet intangible. She couldn't for the life of her remember what they were, yet they rolled off her tongue effortlessly as she found herself speaking to The Girl.
The Girl however, seemed to be distracted. Yang found herself repeating whatever it was she had said earlier, this time asking a question about herself as she did.
The Girl glanced up at you, then said something that made you grin widely. You ran your fingers through your beautiful golden locks as you replied with something cheeky, but whatever it was, she apparently didn't like it as she stared at the floor.
Your heart panged at the thought of The Girl being downcast, and you jogged ahead of her to hold open the door for her.
She nodded her thanks to you, choosing to say nothing. A splash of boldness wormed it's way through you, and you sidled up close to her and threw an arm around her shoulder. She seemed to stiffen for a moment, and you vaguely entertained the idea of removing your arm. That is, until she relaxed into your side, resting her head on your shoulder.
It was snowing outside, and with The Girl by your side, the world seemed... more real. The snow felt cold when it landed on your skin, and there was a bright spot in the sky where the sun hid behind overcast, pregnant clouds.
A power stirred and boiled beneath your skin, surprising you with it's presence. You weren't aware of it until now, but it seemed like it wanted to be unleashed. You were curious about the feeling coursing through you, and much like one would crack the tap for a trickle of water, you closed your eyes and turned your face to the sky as you let the feeling of power flood through your body.
And then you were warm.
The Girl by your side tried to suppress a shiver of delight, but you felt her tremble against you before she unfolded her arms and pulled herself closer in a one-armed embrace.
You giggled lightly at the uncharacteristic contact, but otherwise say nothing. She doesn't mind your laughter, and makes no move to pull away.
You relish in the contact, as The Girl filled you with a peace and tranquility that you've known precious little about in your life.
It doesn't take long to reach another set of doors, and before you can say or do anything, The Girl pulls away from you and skips forward, grabbing at the door handle and pulling it open for you.
Feeling more daring than you had in the past, you reach out and gently caress her cheek, pinching her lightly and laughing at the scowl that darkened her face as she glared at you.
You ignored the glare as you sauntered through the door, every step somehow feeling lighter with her by your side. A smile graced your lips as you thought of her, and momentarily you realized that she was lagging a bit behind you.
You come to a stop, spinning on your heel as you open your mouth to ask her why she was walking so slowly. The words don't have time to leave your mouth, however, as The Girl plows face first into you, her face nearly colliding with your chest.
Quickly you reach out and grab her wrists as she gives her head a shake, and you feel a smirk forming on your lips.
You ask her a question, and she raises her head to look at you, her amber eyes wide and defenseless.
You speak again, your voice a husky whisper that you know she'll have no problem hearing.
She seemed to be frozen in place, and you took advantage of her surprise to lean in closer to her, whispering one final sentence as your lips close in on her own...
Yang awoke suddenly, snapped out of her dream by a bright light shining in her eyes. Groaning softly to herself, she sat up and pushed her long golden hair out of her eyes with her left hand as she threw back the light blanket she had been sleeping under with her right.
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she looked around her temporary campsite as she replayed the dream in her head, attempting to etch every detail into her mind before it could be forgotten.
It was a strange environment this time, she thought, as she glanced up at rays of sunshine breaking through the tree cover overhead.
It seemed to be, from what she could remember, some sort of institute of education. A large building, with a statue in the courtyard, and she was almost certain she had glimpsed a winged flying machine soaring around the darkened sky.
The girl...
Yang sighed, and slowly pushed herself to her feet. Reaching up above her head she stretched mightily, allowing her muscles to awaken before she put them to work packing up her camp. Glancing around, she saw that the fire had died out at some point in the night, and now not even a tendril of smoke rose from the ashes of the fire surrounded by a makeshift stone pit.
Before she left, she would have to remember to kick some dirt over it, to ensure it was truly extinguished.
Bending over at the waist, Yang felt her spine crack and pop as it stretched. Wincing at a particularly loud crack in her neck, she grabbed her pack from the ground and straightened up. Ripping open the top, she quickly found what she was looking for. Retrieving a canister of water, she popped the lid off and took a gulp before upending it over her face. As the cold water splashed over her face, effectively waking her up, she shook her head and exhaled loudly as cold droplets ran down her shirt onto her chest.
Replacing the water canister back into her pack, she set about packing up her cooking and sleeping supplies. As she did so, she let her mind wander.
She couldn't really explain who the girl in her dreams was, or why she dreamt of her. A few times a week, at least, without fail, Yang would have vivid, recurring dreams of her. She had for the last year. It would have driven her crazy by now, if she hadn't felt a deep, unexplainable connection to the raven haired mystery woman. So, Yang had done the only rational thing she could think of. A few months ago, she had packed up as many supplies as she could carry, and left her home in search of the girl. Understandably, her father was a little more than upset at her choice, and had pleaded with her not to go.
His logic hadn't won out over her strong will, and she had bid him farewell as she left the house she had been born in, and set out from Parvus Solis, the only town she had ever known.
Parvus Solis, or simply Solis, as the locals called it, was not a large town by any definition of the word. Less than three hundred full time residents occupied the town year round, and most of the revenue in the town was made by those who labored in the mines. The town sat on land that was rich in galena, an ore of lead and a source of silver. Mining the ore was arduous, and although the town attracted a high amount of people looking for work every year at the beginning of the mining season, few of them lasted and made Solis their home. Mining the ore was largely left up to the locals, and kept the majority of the money in the town.
Yang's father had started out as a mere laborer in his teens, much like his father before him. Over the years, his fiery work ethic, combined with his ability to soak up knowledge like a sponge lead him to advance to a more leadership based role, and along with a small increase in income, allowed him to provide a better life for his daughter and wife than he had had as a child.
Her mother had been more accepting of her desire to strike out on her own. She hadn't told either of them that she was going out to look for a mysterious girl - her father, a strong believer in the occult - would have firmly disallowed it based on that fact alone, but when she had explained to her mother that a strong, unrelenting force seemed to be tugging at her soul and calling her name, her mother had merely smiled and written it off as a desire to travel, a sort of wonderlust that she couldn't quite quench.
Yang exhaled mightily as she straightened, items tightly gathered into her pack. Running her hand through her hair, she pushed it back out of her face as she spun around on her heel, surveying the small patch of dirt that had been her overnight home.
"Oh! Right!" She spoke cheerily to herself, before moving over to where her fire had burned last night. Dragging her boot sideways along the ground, she gathered up a small pile of dried dirt before swiftly pulling it into the fire, smothering anything that might have still been burning underneath the ashes.
No need to set the surrounding forest on fire, after all, no matter how unlikely that might be.
Satisfied with her handiwork, she grabbed her backpack off the ground and hoisted it onto her shoulder. It was significantly lighter than when she had set out from Inlustris, a larger town a few days behind her, toward the west. Luckily, a town called Nova was a bit east of her, if not slightly south and a bit out of the way. It couldn't be helped though, she thought, as she set out at a comfortable pace. Stopping in each town along the southern coast was the most efficient way to gather supplies and gather information on this girl she was searching for.
She didn't have a lot of money, but she had a few silver ingots given to her by her father that she refused to trade for cash. They were expensive, and concealed quite well on her person, and wouldn't see the light of day unless it were truly an emergency.
So that left working for her money. Luckily, there was always someone in need of assistance in the bigger, bustling towns. If not a shop-keep looking for someone to fill in on a busy market day, or a farmer looking for a helping hand, Yang was no stranger to labour, and would happily work as hard as she could if it meant moving one step closer to her goal.
Of course, it hadn't been her first choice in the beginning. Not out of any sort of laziness, but because she had seen it as an unnecessary delay. Once realized it provided an opportunity to make a few coins, or trade her labor for supplies, and talk to some people about the girl she sought, she didn't mind it so much.
Slowly, over many inquiries, she had learned that there was almost an art form to talking to people. If she came on too strong, people shied away, not willing to get mixed up with a stranger from out of town who seemed hell-bent on finding someone in their town. It was seen as disruptive, a way to cause trouble.
And of course, others still saw it as a business opportunity, wanting to trade information for coin.
The problem with that was, often what information they had was useless or wrong.
So Yang had gotten more skilled in the art of conversation, and when she eventually steered the conversation toward the mysterious girl that haunted her dreams, it was seen more as a way to make idle conversation rather than a forced interrogation.
Yang glanced up at the morning sky as she broke through the edge of a forest that had provided her cover throughout the night, and was simultaneously thrilled and disappointed to see a cloudless blue morning sky overhead. She loved the sunshine, but in the midst of the summer months it could often times become far too hot for sustained foot travel, forcing her to take more breaks in the shade than she would have liked, and draining her water supplies faster than she would have preferred.
She slightly increased her pace, determined to make up time in the morning when it was cooler out, in case the afternoon sun forced her to stop for a while.
She'd stopped in three towns so far in her journey from her home town on the west coast to the city of Lunae on the far east. At first she hadn't been sure where to look, and the idea of asking every single person she saw was obviously ludicrous. For a while she had thought about putting up missing persons posters, but that idea was quickly shot down when she realized her memory of the girl was fuzzy around the edges and shrouded in mystery. No idea what her name was, or, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, if she even really, truly existed.
So Yang had devised a plan that she felt offered her the best chance of success whilst not dallying too long in each city.
She would enter a town and inquire at the top three most popular inns, bars, and stores, no matter what they may be. Armorys, bookstores, foodstores, whatever seemed the largest or busiest was the target of her focus, as she felt it gave her the best access to the largest amount of people.
It was a lot of legwork, but in the smaller towns she often got lucky in that they weren't large enough to have more than three bars, or three inns, or three stores. It streamlined the process for her, and got her in and out of the town a lot quicker than otherwise possible.
So far, she had gained a grand total of...
Nothing. No one she had talked to knew of the girl she had been asking about, and although it had been incredibly disheartening, it came as no surprise. Yang was essentially asking about a dark haired girl of average height. With precious few other defining characteristics to describe, the girl she was asking about was so laughably common that Yang almost considered giving up halfway through her first town.
That night, however, she'd had the most vivid dream yet of the enticing, beautiful girl, and it had renewed her determination to figure out exactly why she was having these dreams.
With a sense of urgency slowly energizing her limbs, Yang increased her pace once more, knowing that if she kept her delays to a minimum, she could make it to Nova before sunset.
That would leave her plenty of time to get a room at the local inn for the night, and to get ready to go out to the bars and survey the night scene.
It was late evening and the sun had begun its decent through the western sky, radiant heat warming the air as a light breeze intermittently stirred the leafy green treetops.
The gentle movement of the breeze was just pronounced enough to keep the air from being stifling, and the breeze carried with it the faint scent of flowers.
Blake could feel her heart hammering painfully in her chest as she walked side by side with Weiss, and as they strolled along the well groomed path through the beautiful forest at the edges of Nova, she was sure that every passer-by could as well. Every attempt to calm down was met with the overwhelming realization that this was Weiss by her side, the girl she had loved since she was young, and the one she couldn't get out of her mind.
Weiss glanced at her from the corner of her eye, acutely aware of her agitation.
"What has you so nervous?" Weiss asked softly as she reached up to adjust the hood around her face.
Blake shrugged as she took measured paces beside the silver-haired girl.
"Nothing I can really describe." Blake answered cryptically, tilting her head back and closing her eyes as splashes of sun burst through the trees overhead to cascade warmly across her cheeks.
Weiss hummed softly, not pleased with the answer. They walked side by side for a moment, Weiss bowing her head ever so slightly to hide her gaze beneath her hood whenever they passed someone else on the sparsely populated walking trails.
"How long have we known each other, Blake?" Weiss asked, her voice a soothing balm to Blake's ears.
Blake took a moment to pretend to think about it, although truthfully she could name down to the day they had met.
'Six years, four months, and twelve days ago... '
"Ehh... about six years ago... ish?" Blake slipped her hand underneath her hood and rubbed the back of her neck.
Weiss smiled, knowing Blake well enough to see through her disguise.
"Life was so carefree all those years ago." Weiss murmured, raising her head to examine the trees around them.
Blake shifted uncomfortably at those words.
"Our future is so uncertain, isn't it?" Weiss asked, pausing along the path. She reached up and gently laid a hand against the rough bark of a white poplar tree.
Blake was at a loss for words, unable to speak.
"You and I, it's so clear that we aren't meant to work out, but... somehow, we cannot stop. We cannot leave each other alone. It's funny, isn't it?"
Blake bit back a haughty reply. She didn't find any humor in their situation at all.
"I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that we're never apart." Blake stated firmly, although the conviction in her voice was stronger than the conviction in her heart. Her belief in a future with Weiss seemed to grow weaker by the day, and with each word Weiss spoke, she believed in her certainty less and and less.
"You've certainly said that before." Weiss said. Blake bristled at the words, despite her tone holding no scorn or hint of mockery.
Weiss let her hand fall from the trunk of the tree in front of her. Slowly turning, she reached up and pushed her hood back, revealing her flawless skin to the setting sun. Taking a step back until she was pressed up against the tree, she raised her hands up helplessly.
"What will you do when the kingdom needs an heir?" Weiss asked. She raised a slender eyebrow, looking Blake up and down.
"We both know you aren't... equipped for that task."
Flushing a dark red at the implication, Blake stepped a bit closer, attempting to shield the girl from any potential onlookers.
"A political marriage is looking more and more likely every day." Weiss spoke softly, speaking the truth despite taking no joy in it.
Blake ground her teeth together, her jaw clenching so tightly her fangs felt like they would shatter.
"My father is quite fond of the Vasilias clan."
Blake tilted her head to the side, her golden eyes catching a slash of sunlight and glinting brightly.
"Are you?" She asked.
Weiss shrugged noncommittally.
"If there's one thing that should be readily apparent here, Blake, it's that my opinion doesn't matter. It carries no weight, and will affect nothing."
"Just because it doesn't matter doesn't mean you don't have it."
The corner of Weiss' mouth curved up, apparently amused by Blake's response.
"The Schnee kingdom would do well to align themselves with another royal family like the Vasilias clan. They're the first, and best producer of ocean faring vessels in the world. Seeing as Nova is surrounded on three sides by water, and our naval fleet is... aged, to say the least, aligning with them would do wonders for our navy."
Blake clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as she struggled to organize her furious thoughts.
"So that's it, then? 'Thanks for fucking me Blake, but someone else has more money and ships'?"
Despite being a half-demon, Blake didn't see the strike coming. She felt it though, the hot stinging that burned across her cheek. Weiss' nostrils flared slightly in anger as she glared up at Blake, cheeks red with a sudden fury.
"You say that like it's my choice!" Weiss hissed, her voice low. "You're not the only one suffering Blake, I'm just a little better at hiding it than you!"
Blake fell silent, choosing to rub her cheek slowly instead of replying, lest she make the situation worse.
"You say you'll do whatever it takes to hold on to me, but all you've done the last few months is bitch and complain!" Weiss growled. "You know as well as I do that my father- the kingdom- won't stand for this. A filthy, ragged half-demon from the streets and the heir to the kingdom that liberated them from the dreadful rule of the Winchesters, it'll never happen, Blake!"
Weiss' voice was louder now, and Blake folded her ears back against her skull as she tried to block out the loud voice and hateful words. Confusion rippled through her at the sudden turn in attitude, and she took a step back to put some distance between them. Her heart stung much more than her cheek did at the angry words Weiss uttered, but the look on her face was enough to collar her into silence. Weiss' face was twisted into an unrecognizable mask of despair and defeat.
"It'll never happen, Blake." Weiss whispered once more, her voice breaking as she fell silent.
Blake was unsure of what to say, unsure of what could be said to fix this. She fought back tears as she wondered how it had come to this. This wasn't at all how she had wanted this to turn out, but despite her best intentions it was spiraling quickly out of control.
Reaching up to scrub at her eyes with the back of her wrist, one final thought entered her mind, and she decided that she had nothing to lose as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Can't we run away?" Blake asked, her voice broken and pleading as she watched a myriad of emotions flash across Weiss' pale blue gaze.
Weiss stepped closer to Blake, closing the strange, unfamiliar distance between them. Reaching up, Weiss pushed back Blake's hood to reveal her lightly tanned face. Sunlight danced through the trees and swayed across Blake's face, drawing sunlit lines between the freckles that dotted her cheeks and splashed across her nose.
Resigned blue eyes searched frantic gold for any hint of understanding before Weiss wrapped her arms around Blake's neck, leaning up on her tip toes and kissing Blake on the mouth.
In this moment, neither seemed to care who might see.
Blake wrapped her arms possessively around Weiss, clutching her tightly as Weiss licked hesitantly at Blake's lips.
Blake tilted her head to the side and parted her lips willingly, allowing Weiss to deepen the kiss as she threaded her fingers through Blake's smooth raven locks.
There was an unfamiliar hunger to Weiss' kiss, as if she simply couldn't get enough. Blake winced as Weiss roughly bit her bottom lip, but the pain was soothed as Weiss gently passed her tongue over the indentation she had left before resuming the passionate kiss.
The kiss was over almost as soon as it had begun, with Weiss reluctantly pulling away. For the first time she could remember, Blake fought to catch her breath, her chest heaving as she stared down at the shorter girl with a confusing mixture of adoration and confusion.
Pale, emotionless blue eyes regarded Blake steadily as Weiss licked her lips slowly, as if to savor the taste of the kiss. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak.
"I am."
Confusion furrowed Blake's eyebrows at the two words, until she remembered what she had asked her just a moment earlier.
"What are you-"
Blake was cut off as a rustling to her left caught her attention, and her sharp cat ears swiveled toward the sound quicker than she could turn to look.
Her sharp instincts kicked in, and she leaned back as she turned toward the sound, a sharp knife whizzing past her face and flying off into the brush behind her. Instantly her pulse skyrocketed, and she dropped into a crouch as she glanced at Weiss.
"Weiss!" Blake growled, "Get down!"
Weiss, however, seemed frozen in place, whether by fear or disbelief, or some combination of the two. She stayed rooted to her spot, immobile, a wide open target for the unknown assailant.
A few yards away, a large man pushed away a thick covering of brush, stepping onto the path as he drew another slender knife from a belt slung over his shoulder. He was clad in all black, a vest covering his upper body and leaving his large, tattooed arms bare. The belt, more so a bandolier, was slung across his left shoulder and draped over his right hip. It carried, at a quick glance, eight or so small, razor sharp knives. Black leather pants covered his lower body, and seemed tight fitting enough to eliminate the possibility of more hidden weapons.
He was bald, faded tattoos covering his skull and a once black, now graying beard hung from his chin down to his chest. His stomach, while not an overly large gut, seemed to protrude a few inches further than his wide chest. His eyes, a chestnut brown, were beady and almost black in the dim forest lighting, and seemed to be set too close together in his head as he studied the half demon facing him.
Blake cursed, reaching into her cloak and finding her dagger handy. Drawing it from her waistband, she leaped into action, throwing herself at her attacker with furious, reckless abandon.
"Weiss!" Blake yelled, sparing a single, momentary glance at her lover, "Run, please!"
Without waiting for a response, Blake turned back to the stranger in front of her. Growling loudly, Blake swung her dagger in her left hand in a wide arc, aiming for the assailant's throat. The assailant, easily a foot taller than Blake, grinned cockily at her as he leaned back out of her reach. In a flash, another thin knife was in his other hand, and he motioned for Blake to press the attack.
Ears pressing flat against her skull, Blake uttered a few choice swears as she hesitated, unsure of what to do.
"If you won't, I will." He growled, his voice a deep, guttural roar that emanated from his large, barrel chest. He took two steps toward Blake, swiftly closing the distance between them as he swung his left hand toward her, the point of his knife whistling through the air.
Blake ducked under the attack, and swiftly brought her left arm up, blocking his right that she knew was sure to follow. She winced as his large wrist collided with her forearm, and she backpedaled, retreating out of his range as she quickly reassessed her options.
To defend against someone that large would be to let him use his weight against her... so evasion was her only recourse. As for how to end the altercation...
"Try me, you gluttonous bastard." Blake hissed, crouching down and raising her dagger up in front of her. She steadied herself with her right hand on the ground, fingers scratching at the dirt.
Her enemy shrugged, a grin spreading across his face. He stepped closer, boots crunching across the leaves and twigs scattered across the path as he fearlessly approached the prone half-demon.
Blake had left her pride in the gutters of the streets of Nova, along with her first defeat in a street fight so many years ago, and as she stood to meet her attacker, she whipped her right hand forward, throwing a handful of dirt and gravel into her attacker's face. He grunted in surprise at the attack, the fistful of dirt catching him square in the face.
Catching him off guard, he stopped, reaching up to protect his face as Blake leaped forward, intent on sinking her dagger into his soft belly.
He seemed to anticipate her attack, however, and flailed his right hand blindly in front of his body. Blake tried to duck under the swinging fist, but wasn't quite quick enough. The edge of his closed fist clipped the side of her head, and he grunted in satisfaction at the feeling of contact. Bringing his left arm away from his face, he turned his red eyed, watery gaze on Blake as she collided with the ground, the impact winding her by pure chance of landing awkwardly.
Blinking dirt from his eyes, he delivered a harsh kick to her side, instantly removing any thought of clambering to her feet to continue the fight.
Another kick, and she whimpered as she felt something break, pain shooting through her right side in hot streaks.
"Fuckin' bitch." He heaved, sheathing his knife in his bandolier as he leaned down, reaching out toward her.
Blake still had her grip on her dagger, and despite the pain lancing through her body at the movement, she twisted toward him as she swung her dagger with all her might, a cry of pain forcing it's way past her lips as her blade made contact with flesh.
"Half demon filth!" He spat, pulling his hand away as hot blood dripped down his forearm and spattered onto Blake's face. She ignored it in favor of reaching up to slash at him again, her entire body screaming in protest.
"Enough of that." His deep, guttural voice tore through her as he kicked at her, the metal toe of his boot making contact once more with her broken ribs, crushing them further as Blake screamed, her hand clutching her dagger falling to the ground.
Swiftly he stepped on her wrist, pinning her hand to the ground and crushing her fingers to her dagger beneath his weight.
Kneeling down, he reached out and wrapped his meaty, sausage sized fingers around her throat. With an almost effortless grip, he crushed the air from her throat, silencing her scream as her golden eyes widened.
"You were almost pathetically easy to defeat." He muttered, reaching toward his bandolier with his free hand to withdraw a sharp, gleaming blade. Beneath him, Blake doubled her frantic thrashing in an attempt to break free from his iron grip, but she swiftly ran out of air and fell limp beneath his grasp.
He lessened his grip on her throat, and she inhaled what little precious air she could, her lungs frantically aching for any iota of oxygen she could find. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, rapidly shuttling de-oxygenated blood around her body.
"I want you conscious when I kill you." He leaned in close to Blake's pale, sweat slicked face, baring his teeth in a ferocious grin. His emotionless, dark brown eyes bore into Blake's panicked gold, reveling in her frantic discomfort.
Reaching down, he positioned the point of his knife just below Blake's sternum. Beneath him, Blake trembled uncontrollably at the inevitability of her death. Tearing her eyes away from her attacker, she looked all around for Weiss, eyes wide as she searched for any hint of silver-white hair, but all she saw were splashes of green everywhere she turned.
'Weiss must have run... '
Somewhat comforted by the thought that Weiss had escaped, Blake stopped struggling. Resigned to her fate, she had the presence of mind to think it awfully funny how, while her spirit raged on and refused to accept defeat, unwilling to simply lay down and die, the logical part of her had accepted that there was no possible recourse that would turn the tide of battle and let her live.
She really didn't want to die, but... in the end, what could she do?
She was defeated.
So easily. So sickeningly easily.
The assailant leaned down ever closer, until his face was mere inches from Blake's, the tip of his blade pressed painfully into her skin.
"The Winchesters send their regards." He growled, his foul smelling hot breath gliding over Blake's skin.
Blake's eyes widened first in surprise, then in unconcealed pain as he slowly slid the dagger into her stomach, blood squelching sickeningly in the deafening silence that had fallen in the forest.
Blake opened her mouth to cry out, but she found she couldn't utter a sound. She couldn't take a breath, and as an overwhelming, fiery pain lashed through her body, her fragmented mind tried in vain to understand the connection between the Winchester name and her impending death.
As darkness tugged at the edges of her vision, blurring her sight and slurring her thoughts, she wondered if death would be much kinder to her than life had been.
With the last bit of her consciousness, she vowed to herself to wait, for all of eternity if she must, for Weiss to meet her at the crossroads to the afterlife.