Cry Little Sister
Who? Johanna Skye Lancaster-Anderson and "The Shadow Man" (with mentions of her parents)
What? The beginning of her nightmares
When? Shortly after her fourth birthday
Where? In the hospital/In her mind
Why? Because everything has to begin somewhere.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is cut for language and a little violence (along with a smidgen of disturbing imagery). Meta/OOC comments are welcome but since it's happening in Joey's head and she hasn't told anyone the whole story...well you all should know the drill! It's mun knowledge only lovelies!
It all started with a mistake, a mistake that could have been avoided had she been more careful...
Joey the Brave is what she had been called on several occasions, and perhaps that had led her to believe she was invincible. After all children often believe that no harm can come to them. That brings on the fearless nature one can find in so many young souls and Johanna's was as fearless as they come. So step by narrow step, she climbed the ladder like she had so many times before.
The events that followed happened so fast that they quite literally run together making everything blurry when she tries to think about it. Whether she missed a step or forgot that the ladder went a little higher than the platform is irrelevant. What matters is she lost her balance, what matters is she fell. What matters is she hit the stage floor...hard.
The cool surface connected with her small body with such a force that it knocked the wind out of her. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks but she couldn't vocalize her pain and that only made things worse. Her head was pounding and when she tried to push herself up she found that she couldn't make her right arm move the way it was suppose to move, she couldn't move it at all. Once she was able to cry out someone had already scooped her up off the floor. Joey had no idea who it was because things were starting to go dark. The last thing she heard was her father's panicked voice yelling for someone to call 911.
~*~
It felt as if she was in a dream as the world slowly drifted away. Something was different though, it was as if her subconscious had been left behind still listening to the rest of the world. She tried to speak but couldn’t. She tried to move and had the same results. She couldn’t see what was going on around her, but could hear every word. She had lost all sense of time, pain, and emotions. Something inside her was fighting hard to come back to reality, but another part was content just where it was.
"She looks so small Ashton," her father said his voice heavy with exhaustion.
"That's because she is small! Jesus Christ she's barely four! Did you hear what he said? She might not wake up! SHE MIGHT NOT FUCKIN' WAKE UP TOBY! I'll never fuckin' forgive myself. Never!" It was then her mother's voice cracked and she began to sound like Joey did when she was about to cry. "Oh God...what if she doesn't wake up?"
Joey couldn't hear anything else before the darkness that she had been fighting swallowed her completely. No longer could she hear her parents or the doctors talking. It seemed like she had slipped into another universe completely and there was nothing she could do to hold onto the world she had been a part of. Alone and terrified she convinced herself it was only a dream, because dreams aren't real...and nothing in them can hurt you.
~*~
The 'dream' sequence that unfolded in front of her was a familiar one. She recognized the park and immediately took off running toward the merry-go-round. Giggling, she grabbed a hold of the smooth bars and began to run around in circles. Within a few moments she was jumping on top of the playground toy and laughing joyously as it spun around and around.
"Hey pretty girl...want a push?"
The voice caught her off guard and made her jump a little, but she smiled up at the man none the less. "Yes please."
He began to push the merry-go-round. At first Joey giggled and enjoyed the wind on her face, but the sun was going away and the man kept going faster and faster. It wasn't long before her giggles turned into screams for him to stop.
"STOP! PLEASE! I'M GOING TO FALL!"
Her words made him laugh and he continued to push the toy with such a force that she had to lay down. The only thing that was keeping her from flying off was her hands wrapped tightly around the bars. Her screams got louder as she began to lose her grip.
The man was getting some sick pleasure out of her cries for help and never slowed his pace, even after she was sent flying off and onto the ground. Smirking he walked over and knelt over her. "Don't go to sleep yet pretty one...I'm not done."
Opening her eyes she looked at him, her bottom lip quivering and her eyes stinging with tears that were threatening to fall.
"That's a good girl...I have a present for you little one." Reaching behind him he produced a knife that gleamed in certain places from the moonlight. He smirked and held it over her flicking it once, twice, and three times over her.
She tasted the warm copper substance as the drops splattered across her face. When her mind finally registered that it was blood his knife was drenched in, her eyes widened with a breathtaking gasp and she began to move backwards on the ground.
"Do you know who's it is Johanna Skye," he asked clearly amused by her attempt to get away. Still smirking, he bent down and grabbed her hard by both arms, bringing her up to eye level. His voice was ragged in her ear. "It's your daddy's blood little one, my pretty knife slid into him like he was butter. He was an easier task than your mother...she squirmed....like you."
"No. No. No. NO! NOOOOO!" Almost as if on cue Joey began squirming in his arms. She kicked her legs and hit him with her fists. She was doing any and everything she could to get away. Her tears were falling heavily at the thought of her parents being gone.
The man held her out away from him as she kicked her legs and threw her punches all the while that damned laugh passing through his lips.
She somehow managed to get her leg high enough to kick him square in the jaw. Joey had never been so happy to fall before and as soon as she hit the ground she began running towards the place that was light.
His laughter followed her the whole way and right before she woke up his ragged whisper came to her again. "Two down...three more to go. Don't you worry I'm saving the sweetest little one for last Johanna Skye."
~*~
Joey awoke gasping for air and was immediately surrounded by her parents. When she saw them she began to cry and reached for them to take her home. "I want out...please don't make me stay here! Please take me away!"
It wasn't long before her wish was granted. Clinging tighter than she ever had to her father as he carried her out of the hospital her eyes settled on a man standing in the shadows of the lobby. A familiar smirk spread across his face and he held up two fingers. Her eyes automatically snapped shut and she told herself that it was just a dream...."I'll wake up soon."
Title: The Start
Word Count: 1206
What? The beginning of her nightmares
When? Shortly after her fourth birthday
Where? In the hospital/In her mind
Why? Because everything has to begin somewhere.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is cut for language and a little violence (along with a smidgen of disturbing imagery). Meta/OOC comments are welcome but since it's happening in Joey's head and she hasn't told anyone the whole story...well you all should know the drill! It's mun knowledge only lovelies!
It all started with a mistake, a mistake that could have been avoided had she been more careful...
Joey the Brave is what she had been called on several occasions, and perhaps that had led her to believe she was invincible. After all children often believe that no harm can come to them. That brings on the fearless nature one can find in so many young souls and Johanna's was as fearless as they come. So step by narrow step, she climbed the ladder like she had so many times before.
The events that followed happened so fast that they quite literally run together making everything blurry when she tries to think about it. Whether she missed a step or forgot that the ladder went a little higher than the platform is irrelevant. What matters is she lost her balance, what matters is she fell. What matters is she hit the stage floor...hard.
The cool surface connected with her small body with such a force that it knocked the wind out of her. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks but she couldn't vocalize her pain and that only made things worse. Her head was pounding and when she tried to push herself up she found that she couldn't make her right arm move the way it was suppose to move, she couldn't move it at all. Once she was able to cry out someone had already scooped her up off the floor. Joey had no idea who it was because things were starting to go dark. The last thing she heard was her father's panicked voice yelling for someone to call 911.
~*~
It felt as if she was in a dream as the world slowly drifted away. Something was different though, it was as if her subconscious had been left behind still listening to the rest of the world. She tried to speak but couldn’t. She tried to move and had the same results. She couldn’t see what was going on around her, but could hear every word. She had lost all sense of time, pain, and emotions. Something inside her was fighting hard to come back to reality, but another part was content just where it was.
"She looks so small Ashton," her father said his voice heavy with exhaustion.
"That's because she is small! Jesus Christ she's barely four! Did you hear what he said? She might not wake up! SHE MIGHT NOT FUCKIN' WAKE UP TOBY! I'll never fuckin' forgive myself. Never!" It was then her mother's voice cracked and she began to sound like Joey did when she was about to cry. "Oh God...what if she doesn't wake up?"
Joey couldn't hear anything else before the darkness that she had been fighting swallowed her completely. No longer could she hear her parents or the doctors talking. It seemed like she had slipped into another universe completely and there was nothing she could do to hold onto the world she had been a part of. Alone and terrified she convinced herself it was only a dream, because dreams aren't real...and nothing in them can hurt you.
~*~
The 'dream' sequence that unfolded in front of her was a familiar one. She recognized the park and immediately took off running toward the merry-go-round. Giggling, she grabbed a hold of the smooth bars and began to run around in circles. Within a few moments she was jumping on top of the playground toy and laughing joyously as it spun around and around.
"Hey pretty girl...want a push?"
The voice caught her off guard and made her jump a little, but she smiled up at the man none the less. "Yes please."
He began to push the merry-go-round. At first Joey giggled and enjoyed the wind on her face, but the sun was going away and the man kept going faster and faster. It wasn't long before her giggles turned into screams for him to stop.
"STOP! PLEASE! I'M GOING TO FALL!"
Her words made him laugh and he continued to push the toy with such a force that she had to lay down. The only thing that was keeping her from flying off was her hands wrapped tightly around the bars. Her screams got louder as she began to lose her grip.
The man was getting some sick pleasure out of her cries for help and never slowed his pace, even after she was sent flying off and onto the ground. Smirking he walked over and knelt over her. "Don't go to sleep yet pretty one...I'm not done."
Opening her eyes she looked at him, her bottom lip quivering and her eyes stinging with tears that were threatening to fall.
"That's a good girl...I have a present for you little one." Reaching behind him he produced a knife that gleamed in certain places from the moonlight. He smirked and held it over her flicking it once, twice, and three times over her.
She tasted the warm copper substance as the drops splattered across her face. When her mind finally registered that it was blood his knife was drenched in, her eyes widened with a breathtaking gasp and she began to move backwards on the ground.
"Do you know who's it is Johanna Skye," he asked clearly amused by her attempt to get away. Still smirking, he bent down and grabbed her hard by both arms, bringing her up to eye level. His voice was ragged in her ear. "It's your daddy's blood little one, my pretty knife slid into him like he was butter. He was an easier task than your mother...she squirmed....like you."
"No. No. No. NO! NOOOOO!" Almost as if on cue Joey began squirming in his arms. She kicked her legs and hit him with her fists. She was doing any and everything she could to get away. Her tears were falling heavily at the thought of her parents being gone.
The man held her out away from him as she kicked her legs and threw her punches all the while that damned laugh passing through his lips.
She somehow managed to get her leg high enough to kick him square in the jaw. Joey had never been so happy to fall before and as soon as she hit the ground she began running towards the place that was light.
His laughter followed her the whole way and right before she woke up his ragged whisper came to her again. "Two down...three more to go. Don't you worry I'm saving the sweetest little one for last Johanna Skye."
~*~
Joey awoke gasping for air and was immediately surrounded by her parents. When she saw them she began to cry and reached for them to take her home. "I want out...please don't make me stay here! Please take me away!"
It wasn't long before her wish was granted. Clinging tighter than she ever had to her father as he carried her out of the hospital her eyes settled on a man standing in the shadows of the lobby. A familiar smirk spread across his face and he held up two fingers. Her eyes automatically snapped shut and she told herself that it was just a dream...."I'll wake up soon."
Title: The Start
Word Count: 1206