FIC: Screams (Dawn/River)
Title: Screams
tth100 prompt: Dawn
Crossover fandom: Firefly
Characters: Dawn, River (also Mal and Zoe and Jayne and Simon)
Prompt: 006 -- Blood (master table)
Word Count: 1101
Rating: PG-13/FR15
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and all things Firefly. Only the story is my own.
Note: Follows Dance. The second in a series within the tth100 challenge. The story is set after Serenity, but has only the tiniest hint of a spoiler.
~~*~~
There was blood in the world; River could smell it. Not like she smelled the oil on Jayne's gun, or the dirt on Zoe's boots. It was in her head, in the air, tangy on her tongue.
"What you got in your head, girl?" Jayne growled as River's steps slowed.
"Is there a problem, River?" Mal's voice masked a sound River knew she needed to hear. She cocked her head, ignoring the near and listening to the far.
"The job's done, last thing we need is gorram trouble..." Jayne muttered.
"Quiet," Zoe ordered. The dark alleys seemed to close in around them, tall walls and unfriendly eyes and over it all, knowing that there was something River couldn't hear. "We got trouble?"
River shook her head. "Too many words," she said, backing away from Zoe. The far vibrated, a clang of metal on bone, and River whirled. She knew she would hear the scream before it rent the air, and she ran.
Muffled curses and footsteps behind her, but River paid them no heed. She had no gun to weigh her down, and if she ran fast enough, she knew she could fly.
The sounds in her head became real, as she flew around a corner in the moonlit slum, and the blood grew thick.
Over ten creatures, dead inside their heads but refusing to lie down and be dead inside their bodies, gnashed teeth at a girl and a woman. The only weapons were a silver axe that the woman held, and a sturdy stick in the girl's hand.
The axe swung, and one of the creatures fell back, into dust. The remaining creatures howled at their companion's death, and charged en mass.
The woman fell under the onslaught, axe dropping to the ground. The girl watched her companion fall in a split-second of wide-eyed hesitation. River didn't have time to cry out a warning, as one creature slammed a knife into the girl's heart.
River was too close as the girl died, her mind too open. As she died Slayer dies as she lives, dust on her hands and ashes upon her heart, River tasted all her thoughts and fears and rage and dying dreams. And River screamed.
The creatures turned, ready to attack another untrained child. But River was not untrained, not a Slayer of only a few weeks on this outer rock. She knew pain and the horrid grace of death, of blood slick and coating the ground. As the creatures leapt at her, River already had the fallen axe in her hand.
They never stood a chance. They fought like Reavers in battle, and that was how River killed them, slicing them into dust.
The axe flew one last time, chopping the last creature in half, and River stopped screaming.
Mal and Zoe and Jayne stood by the wall, guns out. River knew they hadn't wanted to shoot her, and they had held their fire. Distantly, she thought she should tell them that bullets wouldn't have helped, but they would ask her how she knew and then she'd have to start screaming again, with the Slayer's death still in her head.
The fallen woman let out a moan. "This is bad," Zoe said, looking at Mal.
Mal stared at the woman, then at River, then at the dust. "How..." He shook his head. "We're almost to the ship. Simon can help her."
"We can't go taking in strays!" Jayne hissed, as Zoe hastily put pressure on the woman's neck wound.
River pointed the axe at Jayne, and he shut up. "Not a stray," River said, the woman's thoughts vibrating in her head. "She's the sunrise. Always need to watch for the sunrise."
"Right," Jayne said to the axe point.
As Mal and Zoe lifted the woman, River crouched by the Slayer's body. The knife was still in the girl's heart as River whispered a promise of sunrise to the dead child.
Jayne went first, then Zoe and Mal, then River came last, axe in hand. The people in the buildings had heard the screams, but they hid like always from the screams in the night. They would find the body the next morning, and shake their heads at another death, and not care what happened.
No more creatures attacked on the way to the ship, River knew that they watched from the shadows, had thought the Slayer and her sunrise would be easy prey for so many of them. They didn't dare attack the one who'd beaten the Slayer-killer.
That thought fell out of the air as River's foot landed on the ramp, and she stopped. They were waiting, and she could kill them, for killing the Slayer, for killing everybody they could.
"River?"
Simon's voice, worried, floated from the ship, quieting the revenge in River's head. If she went to kill the creatures, who would protect Simon?
She backed up the ramp, watching the darkness. She watched until the ramp lifted. Only then did she turn to the living.
Mal was gone, up to the bridge to get Serenity out of the world. Simon knelt by the wounded woman, putting pressure on the wounds, while Zoe and Jayne went to get the stretcher.
River knelt at the woman's other side, laying down the axe down. "River, what happened?" Simon asked, glancing up at her. "Why are you covered in dust?"
"Ashes of the dead," River said absently. The woman moaned again and opened her eyes, revived a bit by the pain. Clouded hazel eyes passed over Simon and settled on River. There was a spark of recognition in those eyes, and River almost fell back, stunned at the woman's thoughts.
"River?" the woman whispered.
Simon pulled his hand back. "What--"
"You watched me dance," River murmured. She lifted a dusty hand and brushed the hair off the woman's face. "You watched me dance and wondered when I'd fall."
"You didn't... fall..." She started coughing up blood, and Simon shouted for Zoe and Jayne to hurry up.
"Not for long," River promised.
After another fit of coughing, the woman asked, no hope in her voice, "Alicia?"
River shook her head, and something in the woman's eyes died. "She's gone where Slayers go."
The woman's answer was lost in a gasp of pain as Jayne and Simon lifted her onto the stretcher, and she passed out.
River slumped in relief as the crew carried the woman to the infirmary, and she was alone in her head again. "Sun will always rise," River whispered to Serenity. The ship hummed in agreement under her hands as they left the dusty world.
--fin
tth100 prompt: Dawn
Crossover fandom: Firefly
Characters: Dawn, River (also Mal and Zoe and Jayne and Simon)
Prompt: 006 -- Blood (master table)
Word Count: 1101
Rating: PG-13/FR15
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and all things Firefly. Only the story is my own.
Note: Follows Dance. The second in a series within the tth100 challenge. The story is set after Serenity, but has only the tiniest hint of a spoiler.
~~*~~
There was blood in the world; River could smell it. Not like she smelled the oil on Jayne's gun, or the dirt on Zoe's boots. It was in her head, in the air, tangy on her tongue.
"What you got in your head, girl?" Jayne growled as River's steps slowed.
"Is there a problem, River?" Mal's voice masked a sound River knew she needed to hear. She cocked her head, ignoring the near and listening to the far.
"The job's done, last thing we need is gorram trouble..." Jayne muttered.
"Quiet," Zoe ordered. The dark alleys seemed to close in around them, tall walls and unfriendly eyes and over it all, knowing that there was something River couldn't hear. "We got trouble?"
River shook her head. "Too many words," she said, backing away from Zoe. The far vibrated, a clang of metal on bone, and River whirled. She knew she would hear the scream before it rent the air, and she ran.
Muffled curses and footsteps behind her, but River paid them no heed. She had no gun to weigh her down, and if she ran fast enough, she knew she could fly.
The sounds in her head became real, as she flew around a corner in the moonlit slum, and the blood grew thick.
Over ten creatures, dead inside their heads but refusing to lie down and be dead inside their bodies, gnashed teeth at a girl and a woman. The only weapons were a silver axe that the woman held, and a sturdy stick in the girl's hand.
The axe swung, and one of the creatures fell back, into dust. The remaining creatures howled at their companion's death, and charged en mass.
The woman fell under the onslaught, axe dropping to the ground. The girl watched her companion fall in a split-second of wide-eyed hesitation. River didn't have time to cry out a warning, as one creature slammed a knife into the girl's heart.
River was too close as the girl died, her mind too open. As she died Slayer dies as she lives, dust on her hands and ashes upon her heart, River tasted all her thoughts and fears and rage and dying dreams. And River screamed.
The creatures turned, ready to attack another untrained child. But River was not untrained, not a Slayer of only a few weeks on this outer rock. She knew pain and the horrid grace of death, of blood slick and coating the ground. As the creatures leapt at her, River already had the fallen axe in her hand.
They never stood a chance. They fought like Reavers in battle, and that was how River killed them, slicing them into dust.
The axe flew one last time, chopping the last creature in half, and River stopped screaming.
Mal and Zoe and Jayne stood by the wall, guns out. River knew they hadn't wanted to shoot her, and they had held their fire. Distantly, she thought she should tell them that bullets wouldn't have helped, but they would ask her how she knew and then she'd have to start screaming again, with the Slayer's death still in her head.
The fallen woman let out a moan. "This is bad," Zoe said, looking at Mal.
Mal stared at the woman, then at River, then at the dust. "How..." He shook his head. "We're almost to the ship. Simon can help her."
"We can't go taking in strays!" Jayne hissed, as Zoe hastily put pressure on the woman's neck wound.
River pointed the axe at Jayne, and he shut up. "Not a stray," River said, the woman's thoughts vibrating in her head. "She's the sunrise. Always need to watch for the sunrise."
"Right," Jayne said to the axe point.
As Mal and Zoe lifted the woman, River crouched by the Slayer's body. The knife was still in the girl's heart as River whispered a promise of sunrise to the dead child.
Jayne went first, then Zoe and Mal, then River came last, axe in hand. The people in the buildings had heard the screams, but they hid like always from the screams in the night. They would find the body the next morning, and shake their heads at another death, and not care what happened.
No more creatures attacked on the way to the ship, River knew that they watched from the shadows, had thought the Slayer and her sunrise would be easy prey for so many of them. They didn't dare attack the one who'd beaten the Slayer-killer.
That thought fell out of the air as River's foot landed on the ramp, and she stopped. They were waiting, and she could kill them, for killing the Slayer, for killing everybody they could.
"River?"
Simon's voice, worried, floated from the ship, quieting the revenge in River's head. If she went to kill the creatures, who would protect Simon?
She backed up the ramp, watching the darkness. She watched until the ramp lifted. Only then did she turn to the living.
Mal was gone, up to the bridge to get Serenity out of the world. Simon knelt by the wounded woman, putting pressure on the wounds, while Zoe and Jayne went to get the stretcher.
River knelt at the woman's other side, laying down the axe down. "River, what happened?" Simon asked, glancing up at her. "Why are you covered in dust?"
"Ashes of the dead," River said absently. The woman moaned again and opened her eyes, revived a bit by the pain. Clouded hazel eyes passed over Simon and settled on River. There was a spark of recognition in those eyes, and River almost fell back, stunned at the woman's thoughts.
"River?" the woman whispered.
Simon pulled his hand back. "What--"
"You watched me dance," River murmured. She lifted a dusty hand and brushed the hair off the woman's face. "You watched me dance and wondered when I'd fall."
"You didn't... fall..." She started coughing up blood, and Simon shouted for Zoe and Jayne to hurry up.
"Not for long," River promised.
After another fit of coughing, the woman asked, no hope in her voice, "Alicia?"
River shook her head, and something in the woman's eyes died. "She's gone where Slayers go."
The woman's answer was lost in a gasp of pain as Jayne and Simon lifted her onto the stretcher, and she passed out.
River slumped in relief as the crew carried the woman to the infirmary, and she was alone in her head again. "Sun will always rise," River whispered to Serenity. The ship hummed in agreement under her hands as they left the dusty world.
--fin