The hallway was long and twisted so that it was impossible to see where you were going or where you had been. William walked steadily down the hall, making his way to a destination that he even was unsure of at the moment, but he kept his eyes glued steadily on the path ahead. Along the walls were doors, most of which were crooked or warped, but he didn't even pause to see if any were unlocked or to see why lay on the other side of the door. While it wasn't something he would have typically admitted to himself, he was afraid. He felt as if there was something lurking behind the doors just waiting to swallow him up like some sort of monster from a children's story. There was some unnamed darkness in every corner and it was trying to consume him.
The thought made him walk faster.
Finally, he saw the door to his office, and he felt himself relax. This was his space and his sanctuary. Here, he should be safe. Quickly, he reached for the doorknob, but there was no sensation of cool metal beneath his fingers. He frowned as he looked down, and suddenly a realization bloomed in his mind like a black flower in the middle of a desert.
This was a dream.
William knew he had heard of knowing you were dreaming before, although this was the first time he had experienced it firsthand, and had even been told that he should be able to control the dream. He had no such desires, however, as he simply wished to awaken.
"Wake up," he said to himself, and was shocked to find his voice only came out as a hoarse whisper. Seeing that he was still trapped in his dream, he carefully twisted the doorknob and the door began to loudly creak as it opened. Even in an uncertain dream, he felt his office offered at least some safety.
The darkness, that unnamable evil, was approaching now and he could feel the echo of its footsteps down the crooked hallway. William tried to calm down and focus on simply escaping from this nightmare. "Wake up. Wake up," he said again and again. He finally managed to open the door, but he found that it wasn't his office. The room before him was bathed in the ultimate blackness except for a single panel of light. He realized that this panel of light was actually a mirror, and William could see his own form reflected in it, except one thing was altered. His reflection had no face. There was only an empty void where his face should have been.
"What's the matter, Will?" a voice that was all too close hissed.
William screamed uncharacteristically as he spun around and slammed his fist in the direction of the voice. To his surprise, it made contact and he heard a cry of surprise as something fell backwards. He breathed heavily and watched in amazement as the twisted hallway melted into his bedroom, and he was sitting up in his own bed. The vestiges of the dream were still fading as he looked down onto to see a rather confused redhead sitting on his floor. Her glasses were askew and she was rubbing her cheek which was turning an ugly shade of purple from where his fist had struck. Scattered on the floor around her were pieces of a bowl and glass. It had appeared she was about to serve him food.
"Sutcliff," William managed, his voice thick and hoarse, "What are you doing here?"
She straightened her glasses before rising to her knees. "I was worried," she said, pouting slightly, "You left work early, and you never do that." Sighing softly, she looked at the mess around her and bent over to gather the broken pieces.
William watched her for a moment and noticed that she wasn't wearing her red coat. She had probably taken it off while cooking, but he found his eyes drawn to her rear accentuated by her tight pants. She wasn't trying to be seductive, but the gentle motions she made while cleaning the floor was certainly alluring. This wasn't particularly confusing to William as she was attractive, but the strength of the feeling was frightening. With something like a roar, he jumped out of bed, grabbed Grell's arm, and jerked her to her feet. "What business do you have here?" he roared.
She blinked a few times in obvious surprise. "I told you," she replied, "I was worried." She tried to jerk her arm away, but he dug his fingers into her skin.
The smell of her so close to him, a few strands of her hair brushing against his hand, and even her struggling only caused his lust to rise. "No," he growled, "How did you get in here? Did you break in? I should file a complaint."
"You left the door unlocked!" she yelled, this time managing to pull away, "I knocked on the door and it swung open. What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"
William felt guilty since Grell hadn't done anything wrong beyond entering his apartment without being invited, but other feelings were overwhelming him. Like a perverted cinematic record, he kept seeing himself ripping Grell's clothes and forcing himself on her. Grell probably wouldn't even argue, but he was horrified to realize that it didn't even matter to him.
He spun her around and shoved her roughly towards the door. "Get out!" he yelled, "Just get out of here!"
"Fine," she snorted, as she grabbed the doorknob and jerked open the door, "You really should know how to treat a lady."
"I know how to treat a lady," he said, walking up to her so that he was glaring down into her face, "but you're no lady. Not even close." He heard her sharp intake of breath, but he didn't give her a chance to respond before shoving her out of the door and slamming it behind her. The sound of the lock clicking into place was similar to that of his heart as it sunk. He knew his words had hurt her, but he had to push her away. There was something wrong with him, and he couldn't trust himself.
((x))
The Shinigami realm had been designed to look clean and pure. Caught both physically and spiritually between Heaven and earth, it was supposed to look pristine as if it was beyond the darkness and sins that plagued the human world, but it wasn't only a thinly veiled illusion. Beneath the white blocked buildings and smooth, curved streets, the same darkness still lurked, crept and grew. It wasn't even hard to find, although many purposely blinded themselves to its presence.
Grell was too honest with her own emotions to pretend it wasn't there. Instead, she let it work for her when it was convenient, and now she was in the desperate need to work off this angry energy that flow and pulsed through her veins. She had only been trying to be nice to William, but he had been so cruel. In one sense, she was used to his cold behavior since it was their pattern – the heart of their relationship, but William had acted differently than usual. He had been mean with no real reason and had made sure to hurt her in the worst way possible. Her anger rose as she replayed the scene in her head, and her the sound of her heels echoed loudly as she walked through the library. No one even glanced her way as she stomped past and shoved her way through a narrow door that was encased in the shadows.
The steps leading down towards the basement were narrow and steep, but she practically ran down until she reached the bottom. There were makeshift shops, pubs, and other sorts of businesses that were frowned up on their realm, although none were technically illegal. It just had to be hidden from the bright, faux sun of the masses. A few milled about, but Grell knew precisely where she needed to go and she walked over to a small counter and slapped her palm down sharply.
After a minute, a man walked to the counter with a bitter smile on his wrinkled face. In the bright lights of dispatch, he worked tirelessly on glasses for all of the agents, but here in the shadows Lawrence Anderson held a slightly different office. "I expected to see you sooner or later," he said.
She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. "What do you have on this newest deserter?" she demanded.
Anderson nodded as he reached beneath the counter and produced a thin file. "There's not a lot," he said, "but young Benjamin did manage to keep his scythe since he was supposed to have been out on assignment.
"Perfect," she said as she took the file.
Anderson leaned forward. "You're awfully happy for someone who almost had a bounty on their head at one time," he said.
Grell laughed slightly. "Almost is the key word, darling," she replied, "I never fully deserted, and, besides, this is my deal. I bring in the deserters."
"And no extra time is added to your sentence," Anderson said.
She smiled sharply. "Oh, I don't worry about foolish things like time and sentences," she insisted, "This job just suits me so well." The smile didn't slip as turned and walked away, but she could feel her hands shake with repressed emotions. "And a good bloodbath is precisely what I need right now."
((x))
William stood before the council, but he felt his anger rising with each passing second. He had been in this room more than a few times, and it was never easy or comfortable. No seat was provided, which forced you to stand uncomfortably in the center of the room. The only light was overly bright and fixed so that it would shine directly on whoever it was before the council. This left the members hiding in the faceless shadows where only their voices could cross over into the light.
"Mr. Spears," announced one of the men, "We've called you here concerning this matter with the deserter, Benjamin Miller."
"Yes, sir," William said, as he fought the urge to rub his temples. His headache was growing worse with each passing minute. He just wanted to be out of this room and away from all these staring eyes. He hadn't believe able to sleep because every time he closed his eyes he only saw the same nightmare each time – except the darkness kept getting closer.
"Agent Miller deserted while on your watch," stated another voice, "What do you have to say about that?"
William shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled. He felt as if his head was going to explode. There was a growing ringing in his ears that almost sounded as there was a hive of angry bees trapped within his head.
"Nothing!" a voice shouted painfully, "Surely you have something to say. You have failed! This is not the first time, either."
"I don't see how you can blame me," William replied. He knew he should keep his mouth shut, but it was hard for him to care with this headache. He was just tired of being treated unfairly, and he was tired of this mockery.
"What was that?" someone demanded, "Mr. Spears, you should rethink that statement."
"There's no need of it," grumbled William, as he turned and started walking towards the door.
"Mr. Spears, return to your spot immediately!"
"No," he said, and his hand was already upon the door.
"You will be suspended indefinitely if you leave this room without permission!"
"Suspend me then," William said and left the room. His headache had increased indefinitely so that the walls around him began to twist and turn. It was almost like his nightmare, and he could just feel the darkness starting to loom again. Staggering as if drunk, he blindly made his way to the front entrance.
He had to get out of here, but he wasn't planning on returning home just yet.