fic - Beginning 2/4
previous chapter
Chapter 2
John Constantine opened the door of his apartment and hit the lights, stepping out of the doorway.
“Come on in kid.” He told the girl behind him. She looked so small with his jacket over her shoulders, covering the bloody pajamas, and hugging the red tinted bunny.
Liv entered the room carefully, looking around a bit afraid. She wasn’t sure if she should trust that strange man who saved her. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to believe in what happened.
She watched as Constantine closed the door behind her. One thing she was certain, for some reason, she couldn’t help it but like him. Maybe it was all that knight in a shining armor thing, but there was something about him that made Liv like him instantaneously.
Liv watched as John moved around the apartment, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his stained shirt. She stood by the door, unmoving. He disappeared for a while behind a frosted glass wall. She was looking at the gallons of water laying bellow the window when John appeared again.
“There’re clothes for you on the bed.” John informed. His niece, Gemma, had forgotten them there last time she slept over. The two girls had about the same age. They should fit.
Liv nodded before going into the bathroom. Constantine sighed; feeling tired and poured himself a drink. He looked around his dirty apartment while swallowing the alcoholic liquid at once, grimacing.. He was going to need help.
John grabbed his phone and dialed Cheryl’s number. After a single ring, the answer machine picked up. “Hey, it’s me. Can you come over tomorrow? It’s important.” He was about the hang up when the thought occurred him. “Oh, and bring some of Gemma’s clothes.” Constantine cut the call, as Liv stepped back into the kitchen, looking a little more like the girl she should be, now that she was wearing one of his niece’s dresses, but her face still had a lost expression.
“Are you hungry?” He questioned, opening the fridge. Liv only shook her head. “Yeah, I thought so. I don’t have anything eatable in here anyway.” Constantine closed the door and looked at her.
“It’s been a long night. You should go to sleep now.” He wasn’t really sure if the girl would be able to, but Liv agreed silently anyway. “You know where the bed is. Make yourself at home.” John almost kicked himself at his choice of words when her eyes filled with tears. But she didn’t cry, she only nodded and went back to his bedroom, turning the lights off.
Constantine kicked his shoes off frustrated, grabbing a bottle of wine and a glass, letting himself fall on the couch. Pouring himself another drink, he lighted a cigarette and sighed. The events from the previous hours haunting his mind.
When John arrived at the house, he was sure it was too late. There was blood everywhere and no sign of a living soul. He was about to leave and call the cops when he heard her scream. He climbed the stairs as fast as he could, gun ready to fire. But there was no demon, only the girl knelt on her father’s blood. She didn’t have a scratch on her body, the killer hadn’t even gone into her bedroom. She had been spared from the slaughter, John just didn’t know why.
---
Constantine blinked a few times in the dark. Something had awaken him, he wasn’t sure what anymore. Staying in silence for a moment, John tried to pick any sound, but there was nothing. He ran a hand over his face, and tried to find a comfortable position to go back to sleep, but it was impossible on that couch.
After a few minutes tossing around, he gave up and got up, crossing his bedroom silently. He was almost at the bathroom when he heard a sniff. That’s what woke him. John turned around noticing a lump on the farther corner of the room, under the widow sill and between the gallons of holly water. He stepped close, turning the lights on.
“What are you doing over there?” Constantine asked crouching in from of her. “Bad dreams?” He continued questioning, but Liv didn’t say a word, only buried her face further in her arms. John sighed and sat down. He was clueless about what to do.
“They’ll go away eventually.” He said sincerely. Liv lifted her head. “The nightmares. They’ll fade away after a while, so will the lost. After a while, you won’t even remember, the only thing left is a hollow feeling in your chest.” John wasn’t sure anymore if he was talking to the girl or to herself. But it had an effect anyway, Liv looked at him, her face was stained with tears.
“If I tell you something, you promise not to tell anyone?” She asked in such a low whisper that John had to lean forward to hear.
“I promise.”
“I dreamed about my parent’s death…” Liv informed.
“It’s ok, it’s still fresh in your memory, you’re going to dream…”
“Before it happened.” She interrupted him, frightened of herself. John stared at her surprised. Liv sobbed. “Theirs throats were slashed open and bleeding.” She had a strange look on her face.
“When I heard my mother screaming tonight, I knew it was happening. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t help them.” There was so much pain in her voice that made something clench inside John’s chest. “They couldn’t see what was attacking them.” Liv looked deep inside Constantine’s brown eyes; a tear ran down her cheek silently. “I wish I couldn’t see either.”
John pulled the girl into his arms and whispered soothing words against her hair. Liv looked beyond his shoulder, staring at the wall. She didn’t have any tears left to spill for her parents.
xxx
Chapter 2
John Constantine opened the door of his apartment and hit the lights, stepping out of the doorway.
“Come on in kid.” He told the girl behind him. She looked so small with his jacket over her shoulders, covering the bloody pajamas, and hugging the red tinted bunny.
Liv entered the room carefully, looking around a bit afraid. She wasn’t sure if she should trust that strange man who saved her. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to believe in what happened.
She watched as Constantine closed the door behind her. One thing she was certain, for some reason, she couldn’t help it but like him. Maybe it was all that knight in a shining armor thing, but there was something about him that made Liv like him instantaneously.
Liv watched as John moved around the apartment, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his stained shirt. She stood by the door, unmoving. He disappeared for a while behind a frosted glass wall. She was looking at the gallons of water laying bellow the window when John appeared again.
“There’re clothes for you on the bed.” John informed. His niece, Gemma, had forgotten them there last time she slept over. The two girls had about the same age. They should fit.
Liv nodded before going into the bathroom. Constantine sighed; feeling tired and poured himself a drink. He looked around his dirty apartment while swallowing the alcoholic liquid at once, grimacing.. He was going to need help.
John grabbed his phone and dialed Cheryl’s number. After a single ring, the answer machine picked up. “Hey, it’s me. Can you come over tomorrow? It’s important.” He was about the hang up when the thought occurred him. “Oh, and bring some of Gemma’s clothes.” Constantine cut the call, as Liv stepped back into the kitchen, looking a little more like the girl she should be, now that she was wearing one of his niece’s dresses, but her face still had a lost expression.
“Are you hungry?” He questioned, opening the fridge. Liv only shook her head. “Yeah, I thought so. I don’t have anything eatable in here anyway.” Constantine closed the door and looked at her.
“It’s been a long night. You should go to sleep now.” He wasn’t really sure if the girl would be able to, but Liv agreed silently anyway. “You know where the bed is. Make yourself at home.” John almost kicked himself at his choice of words when her eyes filled with tears. But she didn’t cry, she only nodded and went back to his bedroom, turning the lights off.
Constantine kicked his shoes off frustrated, grabbing a bottle of wine and a glass, letting himself fall on the couch. Pouring himself another drink, he lighted a cigarette and sighed. The events from the previous hours haunting his mind.
When John arrived at the house, he was sure it was too late. There was blood everywhere and no sign of a living soul. He was about to leave and call the cops when he heard her scream. He climbed the stairs as fast as he could, gun ready to fire. But there was no demon, only the girl knelt on her father’s blood. She didn’t have a scratch on her body, the killer hadn’t even gone into her bedroom. She had been spared from the slaughter, John just didn’t know why.
---
Constantine blinked a few times in the dark. Something had awaken him, he wasn’t sure what anymore. Staying in silence for a moment, John tried to pick any sound, but there was nothing. He ran a hand over his face, and tried to find a comfortable position to go back to sleep, but it was impossible on that couch.
After a few minutes tossing around, he gave up and got up, crossing his bedroom silently. He was almost at the bathroom when he heard a sniff. That’s what woke him. John turned around noticing a lump on the farther corner of the room, under the widow sill and between the gallons of holly water. He stepped close, turning the lights on.
“What are you doing over there?” Constantine asked crouching in from of her. “Bad dreams?” He continued questioning, but Liv didn’t say a word, only buried her face further in her arms. John sighed and sat down. He was clueless about what to do.
“They’ll go away eventually.” He said sincerely. Liv lifted her head. “The nightmares. They’ll fade away after a while, so will the lost. After a while, you won’t even remember, the only thing left is a hollow feeling in your chest.” John wasn’t sure anymore if he was talking to the girl or to herself. But it had an effect anyway, Liv looked at him, her face was stained with tears.
“If I tell you something, you promise not to tell anyone?” She asked in such a low whisper that John had to lean forward to hear.
“I promise.”
“I dreamed about my parent’s death…” Liv informed.
“It’s ok, it’s still fresh in your memory, you’re going to dream…”
“Before it happened.” She interrupted him, frightened of herself. John stared at her surprised. Liv sobbed. “Theirs throats were slashed open and bleeding.” She had a strange look on her face.
“When I heard my mother screaming tonight, I knew it was happening. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t help them.” There was so much pain in her voice that made something clench inside John’s chest. “They couldn’t see what was attacking them.” Liv looked deep inside Constantine’s brown eyes; a tear ran down her cheek silently. “I wish I couldn’t see either.”
John pulled the girl into his arms and whispered soothing words against her hair. Liv looked beyond his shoulder, staring at the wall. She didn’t have any tears left to spill for her parents.
xxx