i will follow you into the dark [party post]
[OOC: Party Post! Operation Cassie Blackout is go! Thread hop like it's yer birthday, have fun, have dramaz, thread to your heart's content. Cassie is open for threading if you can reach her.]
It’s been a surprisingly calm autumn day in Chicago for once; a little chilly with a slight breeze, but the sun’s been bright and the skies clear. As the sun sets, the city slows and all is well. But it’s a well known fact to many people of the city that things can never go smoothly and there is rarely such a thing as a ‘nice day in Chicago’. The fact it’s been nice for so long today is a miracle in itself. Well, Chicago... say goodbye to your good day. Because things are going to fuck up. Again.
Cassie isn’t feeling well. To be honest, she hasn’t had the most super time here in Chicago since arriving. It’s been what, six months? She’s had her share of good times here; she’s met some amazing people who she’s proud to call her friends. But even still, she’s had more than her fair share of troubles here. Trouble always seems to find her here in this city, she doesn’t understand why and she knows it’s not fair. But Cassie can’t do anything about it, there’s nothing that can be done to stop it. She lies awake most nights, seeing flashes of everything that’s happened. Each one feels more real than the last; the smell of rubbish and urine in the alley, the feel of the brick wall against her back, the strong scent of spilt coffee on old rugs and lumpy cushions. Bones and bruises may heal, but memories don’t seem to ever fade. Her heart fills with panic and fear and she’s isn’t sure what to do.
Playing usually gets her mind off things. Whenever she felt down back down, she’d shut herself in her room at her keyboard and play for hours and hours until she couldn’t play anymore. It was a good way to help her vent her sadness or frustration. She tries to lose herself in it, pushing all the horrible feelings far away into the back of her mind. But as Cassie sits alone in the Piano Room at Kashtta Tower on this particular evening, she struggles to play anything at all. She’s spent the last two hours, hopelessly touching a few notes on a cover she’s trying to play.
“Come on, Cassie...” she tells herself in a stern murmur. “You can do this... just play,”
Taking a deep breath, she tries again. D, F, A#, F, C... her fingers seem too tense and awkward - unable to move with a usual gentle flow. Cassie closes her eyes, feeling even more worked up and frustrated. Her mind seems elsewhere, pondering over the horrible things that have happened to her. A darkness grows in her mind. She remembers the night Ianto tried to kill her, the tornado at the fair, being thrown like a ragdoll in the coffee shop, hearing Iris being in the infirmary after an operation on God knows what. All these horrible things. She feels the sharp sting of tears behind her eyelids. This isn’t fair. She just... just...
The ceiling of the room grows dark; a thick, black smog falling heavy down towards her. She can hear a voice in the back of mind uttering weakly: ‘Stop it. Please, just stop it..’ And as she opens her eyes again, tears dribbling down her face - she notes how dark everything looks. She blinks, confused and stops playing. What she hasn’t noticed is the state of her eyes. The warm chocolate browns of her irises and whites of her eyes are lost, drenched in an oily black. Cassie looks up and gasps at what she’s doing. She stumbles back and falls off the stool, sending it and herself to the floor with a clatter and a thump. Clambering back to her feet, she stares with shock at the fog that seems to be falling fast on her; she shakes her head madly.
“No. No, no, no... Come on.. No, stop it,” she whispers, frightened at what she’s doing. She doesn’t like this, she wants it to stop. Right now. But it won’t. She feels a fearful rage bubble in her stomach, in her blood, racing to her head. “Stop it!” she’s screaming now, over and over again.
And it doesn’t stop. Instead, it moves like an explosion. It reaches out quickly, engulfing the entire room and then the whole tower and surround blocks in a thick, unending darkness. People scream out in terror and confusion, cars crash and lights both inside and out explode; the area is lost in the smog. Power fails, nothing works. No one can see. No one knows what to do. Enjoy, Chicago.