[Audio]
Tony only closed his eyes for a minute, and when he opened them he wasn't in his apartment anymore. He was in a room. Blackboards...a school house? No, he'd been here before. Chalked equations and patterns mapped out and he focused on those because then he wouldn't have to look at the bodies nailed in place in the middle of those softly glowing patterns. Shadows stretched around his feet and Tony swallowed hard, wanting to scoff, wanting to wave his hand and tell the shadows that he'd been there, and done that. And then one of the crucified bodies dripped blood at his feet and Tony made the mistake of looking up.
Not strangers this time. Not wizards from far off worlds that he never knew. Vicki stared down at him, her glasses smashed and twisted on her face, jaw slack and blood trickling from her mouth. Beside her, Lee's green eyes were dull and blank as he kept pounding nails into her skin. When Tony tried to grab the hammer, he found that the shadows at his feet swept up and covered him, mouth and nose until he fell, suffocating, on the floor. When he could breathe again, he felt his body climb to his feet without his permission. Saw himself turn to the last chalkboard where Henry was stretched out, silent and sleeping. Was it dawn? The room had no windows.
Lee placed the hammer in Tony's hands, then the shadows seemed to leave him and the actor fell to the ground, screaming. Tony watched himself swing down, once, and heard the wet crunch of bone as Lee's skull caved in. Then he hefted the hammer again and stepped towards Henry...
[There's a strangled scream, and then the sound of someone sitting up very fast and possibly falling out of bed.]
W-what...
Fuck.
Not strangers this time. Not wizards from far off worlds that he never knew. Vicki stared down at him, her glasses smashed and twisted on her face, jaw slack and blood trickling from her mouth. Beside her, Lee's green eyes were dull and blank as he kept pounding nails into her skin. When Tony tried to grab the hammer, he found that the shadows at his feet swept up and covered him, mouth and nose until he fell, suffocating, on the floor. When he could breathe again, he felt his body climb to his feet without his permission. Saw himself turn to the last chalkboard where Henry was stretched out, silent and sleeping. Was it dawn? The room had no windows.
Lee placed the hammer in Tony's hands, then the shadows seemed to leave him and the actor fell to the ground, screaming. Tony watched himself swing down, once, and heard the wet crunch of bone as Lee's skull caved in. Then he hefted the hammer again and stepped towards Henry...
[There's a strangled scream, and then the sound of someone sitting up very fast and possibly falling out of bed.]
W-what...
Fuck.