Souls and the Carniverse
Okay, it's not the best, but I wanted to contribute something...
Elijah wandered into the largest tent, the sound of an organ drawing him in. It was as if he had no control over his legs, his body was acting on its own accord. Where the hell was he? Why was this happening to him? All he had wanted to do was go out for a long drive by himself - to get away from Orli and their break up. But somehow he’d ended up here, in some weird carnival in the middle of freaking nowhere. It might have been Vegas though. Yeah, maybe it was Vegas. The last road sign that he remembered seeing said that he was about a hundred miles from Sin City, but that was before he’d finished the bottle of Jack that he’d brought along with him.
“Come in,” a voice boomed out from the dark. “Come in and have a seat. We have lots to show you.”
Elijah’s hand shot up to shield his eyes when a spotlight illuminated him. “Where am I?” he asked, his legs still carrying him further into the tent despite his trepidation. “Who are you?”
“Just call me Joss,” the ringmaster said with a smile.
Once his eyes had grown accustomed to the bright light, Elijah saw the man standing in the center ring, glowing an unearthly white. “Joss? But you look like maybe you could be…”
“God? Yeah, I get that a lot. That’s what my fans call me, but you can call me Joss. Come in, sit down.”
“I don’t think I want to,” Elijah stated with a shake of his head.
“It’s okay,” Joss replied, still smiling. “We don’t bite. Well, at least I don’t bite, but Spike here might.”
“S-Spike?”
“Hey there mate,” a bleached blond man greeted, walking up next to the ringmaster. He was wearing a long, black leather duster that billowed behind him as he walked. “Welcome to our little corner of the world. And to set the record straight,” he said with a scowl directed towards Joss, “I won’t bite you. I got me a soul now.”
Elijah tried to back up, to stop his feet from moving forward, but he couldn’t. The eerie music continued to play. “A soul?”
“Vampire,” Spike stated, pointing to himself.
“What? Are you joking? Vampires don’t exist!” Elijah laughed hysterically.
“Laugh all you want,” Spike sniffed. “But it’s true. I’m a vampire with a soul. A noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the hopeless.”
“I don’t think I understand…”
“You will,” Joss responded. “Let me introduce you to Angelus…”
“Did you have to bring the great poof into this?” Spike whined. “Couldn’t we just take care of this ourselves without bringing Peaches into it?”
Elijah watched as Joss rolled his eyes at the supposed vampire.
Joss smiled at Elijah and then grabbed Spike’s arm, turning him away from the lost traveler. “You know we had to,” Joss whispered dramatically. “He lost his soul…”
“Again?” Spike demanded loudly. “Have you thought of putting a bell on the damn thing?”
“Actually, I was hoping that we could take the kid’s soul and shove it into Angelus. It would make for a great new season. New storyline. New characters. I could pitch it to HBO.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Let’s do it. I really need the work and besides, my fans won’t stop until I’m back on the airwaves.”
Elijah frowned. What the hell were they talking about? Souls? Angelus? This was the weirdest damn carnival he’d ever been to. Not to mention that fucking eerie organ music that seemed to be getting louder by the second.
“This won’t hurt a bit,” Spike and Joss said in unison when they glided up to next to Elijah.
“What? What won’t hurt?” But it was too late. Their hands were all over him and his body started to glow. Suddenly a cage appeared next to him. Inside was a dark haired man who was thrashing wildly, his face distorted and his teeth elongated and jagged. “No!” Elijah screamed as his soul was being sucked out of him. “No!”
***************
“Elijah,” Orlando said, shaking his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Lij, wake up. You’re having a nightmare or something.”
Elijah sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. He looked around the room and saw that he was home, in his bedroom, with his boyfriend.
“Are you okay?” Orlando asked, rubbing Elijah’s back soothingly.
“Dude,” Elijah sighed. “Remind me to never watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and eat bad sushi before going to bed again!”
Elijah wandered into the largest tent, the sound of an organ drawing him in. It was as if he had no control over his legs, his body was acting on its own accord. Where the hell was he? Why was this happening to him? All he had wanted to do was go out for a long drive by himself - to get away from Orli and their break up. But somehow he’d ended up here, in some weird carnival in the middle of freaking nowhere. It might have been Vegas though. Yeah, maybe it was Vegas. The last road sign that he remembered seeing said that he was about a hundred miles from Sin City, but that was before he’d finished the bottle of Jack that he’d brought along with him.
“Come in,” a voice boomed out from the dark. “Come in and have a seat. We have lots to show you.”
Elijah’s hand shot up to shield his eyes when a spotlight illuminated him. “Where am I?” he asked, his legs still carrying him further into the tent despite his trepidation. “Who are you?”
“Just call me Joss,” the ringmaster said with a smile.
Once his eyes had grown accustomed to the bright light, Elijah saw the man standing in the center ring, glowing an unearthly white. “Joss? But you look like maybe you could be…”
“God? Yeah, I get that a lot. That’s what my fans call me, but you can call me Joss. Come in, sit down.”
“I don’t think I want to,” Elijah stated with a shake of his head.
“It’s okay,” Joss replied, still smiling. “We don’t bite. Well, at least I don’t bite, but Spike here might.”
“S-Spike?”
“Hey there mate,” a bleached blond man greeted, walking up next to the ringmaster. He was wearing a long, black leather duster that billowed behind him as he walked. “Welcome to our little corner of the world. And to set the record straight,” he said with a scowl directed towards Joss, “I won’t bite you. I got me a soul now.”
Elijah tried to back up, to stop his feet from moving forward, but he couldn’t. The eerie music continued to play. “A soul?”
“Vampire,” Spike stated, pointing to himself.
“What? Are you joking? Vampires don’t exist!” Elijah laughed hysterically.
“Laugh all you want,” Spike sniffed. “But it’s true. I’m a vampire with a soul. A noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the hopeless.”
“I don’t think I understand…”
“You will,” Joss responded. “Let me introduce you to Angelus…”
“Did you have to bring the great poof into this?” Spike whined. “Couldn’t we just take care of this ourselves without bringing Peaches into it?”
Elijah watched as Joss rolled his eyes at the supposed vampire.
Joss smiled at Elijah and then grabbed Spike’s arm, turning him away from the lost traveler. “You know we had to,” Joss whispered dramatically. “He lost his soul…”
“Again?” Spike demanded loudly. “Have you thought of putting a bell on the damn thing?”
“Actually, I was hoping that we could take the kid’s soul and shove it into Angelus. It would make for a great new season. New storyline. New characters. I could pitch it to HBO.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Let’s do it. I really need the work and besides, my fans won’t stop until I’m back on the airwaves.”
Elijah frowned. What the hell were they talking about? Souls? Angelus? This was the weirdest damn carnival he’d ever been to. Not to mention that fucking eerie organ music that seemed to be getting louder by the second.
“This won’t hurt a bit,” Spike and Joss said in unison when they glided up to next to Elijah.
“What? What won’t hurt?” But it was too late. Their hands were all over him and his body started to glow. Suddenly a cage appeared next to him. Inside was a dark haired man who was thrashing wildly, his face distorted and his teeth elongated and jagged. “No!” Elijah screamed as his soul was being sucked out of him. “No!”
***************
“Elijah,” Orlando said, shaking his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Lij, wake up. You’re having a nightmare or something.”
Elijah sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. He looked around the room and saw that he was home, in his bedroom, with his boyfriend.
“Are you okay?” Orlando asked, rubbing Elijah’s back soothingly.
“Dude,” Elijah sighed. “Remind me to never watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and eat bad sushi before going to bed again!”