Night 25: Intercom, Midnight

[damned_intercom]

The intercom crackled on, all vestige of civility lost from the Head Doctor's voice as his words came out, quick and frothy.

"Schizophrenic sasquatch? Sasquatch? Surely, you can come up with something better than that, old friend

Comments

M74

[secret_orchard]

Armand St. Just hadn't told Jeanne about the nightmares until their wedding night. After that, most nights her physical presence was enough to calm him, even if he woke from terrible dreams. Her small hands on his shoulders, her kisses on his cheeks, and he'd be able to curl around her and shut out the phantoms long enough to sleep again. So when he woke this time -- the jeers of the bloodthirsty crowd around la guillotine echoing in his ears -- he reached for Jeanne, vaguely surprised in his half-asleep state that she wasn't still snuggled against his chest.

His groping hand found nothing. He sat up and looked for her. He could just hear the fading of an angry voice as the intercomm clicked off. Had that been English?

He wasn't in his bedroom in the cottage he shared with his new wife. His fears that she'd been taken in some obscure plot to get at Percy through him faded to be replaced by the realization that he was the one taken. He immediately assumed he was in France, although this cool, dark room was cleaner and better appointed than any prison he'd seen. There was a cold antiseptic smell in the air, and the crisp sheets were finer to the touch than expensive linen. He was in a tiny bed. If Jeanne had been in it with him, she would have to lie on top of him, it was that narrow.

Armand sat up, raking his long, dark brown hair back out of his face -- where had his ribbon gone -- then he absently rubbed the scar just below his hairline. For a long while it had been a painful reminder of his lack of faith in his brother-in-law's plans, but it had long since ceased to hurt as it had fully healed since winter. Now he only rubbed it out of habit when he tried to think or calm himself. He needed badly to do both now.

He could see very little in the darkened room, so he strained his ears to catch more clues of where he was. He realized then that he wasn't alone in the room.

Re: M74

[secret_orchard]

((To here.))