[Bonus] Aine's Fate.
Title: Aine's Fate
Author/Artist: hellzabeth
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Aine, several hunters, Gabriel
Rating: 18
Warnings: violence, torture, offensive language
Summary: Aine dies before the story even began. But her demise is important as anything else...
Running was one of Aine’s favourite things to do in the whole world. Her skirts whipped about in the wind, her unbound hair flowing in red streaks behind her. She went so fast and darted so swiftly between the trees, it felt like she was flying. She wasn’t hunting anything tonight, just running for the freedom of it. After so long of being cautious of the woods because of the wolves, she finally felt like she could move without restraint. She jumped up into a tree, swinging herself like an acrobat up into the top branches, sticking her head out of the leaves and gazing up at the stars above. The crescent moon lit up the landscape, not a house in sight for miles.
But her sharp eyes spotted movement. Fire. A light.
The smell of a camp fire.
Humans.
Food.
She ran her tongue along her sharp teeth, swallowing saliva. She hadn’t eaten today. Sure, she wasn’t starving, but she and James had had to share one yesterday and her dear brother was an absolute pig, hogging nearly all the good blood. She deserved a little treat. Silently, she dropped back down onto the lower branches, jumping from tree to tree as quietly as she could. Yes, they were definitely cooking something. They would surely be distracted. Through the gaps in the trees, she counted them. Four of them, one woman and three men, all in their 20s from what she could hear and smell. If she could drag the rest home, Arthur would have to refrain from bitching at her for at least a week.
Carefully, she circled the clearing so she could get a better look. Yes, the girl looked the weakest. An easy catch. Tensing her muscles, Aine curled, and lept forwards.
There was a crack of bones shattering as she made impact, projecting herself at the speed of a canonball and throwing the girl sideways, Aine’s teeth clamped on her neck and her hands on her shoulders. The girl’s gurgled final sigh came quickly, and the vampire felt the taste of blood spilling into her mouth. She couldn’t get caught up in the feeling, though, she had to silence the others before they could...
… could...
There was something not quite right about the taste of this girl.
Aine pushed herself off the body, feeling the world tip sideways. What was going on? Why was the forest spinning? She hit the floor with a groan, curling up into herself and clutching her head. It hurt. It hurt! Everything was burning like she’d been pushed into sunlight, but on the inside. Her head was swimming and her vision was tunneling out. She heard the voices of the others around the campfire like they were far away.
“Hey, that worked well. I think that was your best dummy yet, Orion.”
“Yeah, but look, it’s ruined it now.”
“But it’s worked, way quicker than any crossbow.”
Their laughter dimmed into nothing, and Aine knew only blackness.
-----
She felt like she’d been trampled on by a herd of elephants. What did she drink last night, an alcoholic straight from the local pub? Her stomach churned like she was going to throw up. What, was it a plague ridden alcoholic now? She tried to open her eyes, but regretted it immediately. Light. It was really, really bright, wherever she was.
Memories rushed back.
Shit.
She tried to move her arms, but they were chained to a wall with silver. That was why they itched so much. Her feet were much the same, chained to the floor. Twisting her body only made her head hurt even more. Nothing was working. She was trapped, completely trapped. The room was large and white and had very large windows and...
… and the sun was coming up.
“Shit!” she hissed, staring at the horizon as the first colours of dawn appeared and the night receded. Those damn hunters. How could this have happened? What were they planning to do? Just leave her here to fry in the sunlight?
Footsteps came from the doorway to her right, an echoing sound. She kept her eyes trained on it, ready for whoever would come in.
The door opened, and a small cat slinked through. A very familiar cat.
“Antonio!” she breathed. That could only mean... “Gabriel!” The hunter came through the door with a cautious look about him. “Oh thank you, thank you whoever up there still cares!” She smiled with relief. Gabriel was here, Arthur’s friend despite being a hunter. A man on the inside. He could help her escape! “I’m so glad you’re here. Hurry up and let me down, we don’t have much time!” she nodded towards the view out of the windows. “It’ll be up any minute!”
The Iberian man was about to open his mouth to say something, when the door opened again. This time, the three men from the camp fire came in, giant grins on their faces.
“Well hey there Gabriel, didn’t think you’d be in here.” said the one with a lazy eye, shouldering a large, lumpy looking bag. “Wanna play?”
Gabriel mutely shook his head. Aine watched him, a cold pit of dread opening in her stomach.
“No... you can’t.” she muttered. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Olive eyes met hers, then turned away. Rage replaced the dread, and her eyes burned crimson with anger.
“You bastard!” she shrieked, pulling at the chains that bound her. “You son of a whore! You can’t do this to me! To us! You lying, traitorous little-”
“Don’t listen to anything she says.” Gabriel spoke calmly to the other hunters. “I know this one, an expert at getting people to turn on each other.”
“Slimy, slippery little, wretched slut!” Aine continued to yell. “I’m going to tear you to pieces, and then the rest of my family can see how disgusting you are on the inside!”
“Oh?” said the taller, beefier hunter. “You have a family? We did catch a good one boys.” The other two laughed. “Orion, let’s get the bag open.” The brown sack hit the floor with a jangle, silver glittering in the light. The third, thinner man reached in and picked up a variety of items. A star of David, a Hindu symbol of some kind, a pentagram, and a silver cross.
At the sight of the last one, something inside Aine flinched, but she dared not let it show. She bared her fangs at Gabriel while the others were still rustling about.
“I want you to watch.” she hissed lowly at him so only he would hear. His eyes flickered up to her for a moment. “I want you to listen to me die. I want you to feel my pain. Those eyes that saw me burn are going to have to look at Arthur’s, and you’re going to have to explain. While looking at him. Don’t you dare look away.”
Antonio mewled reproachfully at her feet, she glanced down at him. “... sorry Toni. I won’t be petting you any more.”
Suddenly something frozen touched her arm, and she screamed, trying to move away from it. The hunter pressed the cross deeper into her skin, a smile twisting his features. “Oh, that was quick. First one was the right one. Bring out the rest.” The holy symbol was removed for a moment, leaving Aine panting for breath, but she looked over to find Gabriel sitting on the floor by the window. He was watching. Good.
The pain returned. This time she swallowed her own sound. “Tell us where your coven is.” said one of the hunters, she didn’t care to know which.
“Fuck off!” she ground out between her teeth. Another cross joined the first.
“We could give you mercy... tell us where they are, how many.”
“You don’t even know your own holy book!” she laughed. “Thou shalt not lie!”
“This is your last chance. Tell us where they are, and you may get a swift death.”
Images of the young ones, of her siblings and their house, of bonfire nights and St Catherine Wheels, group hunts with shared kills, reading stories aloud by the fire, flashed before her eyes. “Never.”
Coherent thought left for a moment as the hunters started hanging crosses all over her body, strapping them to her arms and legs and throwing one over her thrashing head. They were all so cold, she could feel her skin burning under them but it was still so cold. So empty, so without care or love. For her, a monster, these symbols held no salvation.
“Feculant maggots!” she screeched at them. “Whores of the Vatican! Sons of jackels!” The first rays of sunlight finally hit the room, and she smell of smoke from her own body burning filled her nose, and the room. “Traitors to your own creed who don’t even know the mercy your Lord preached! Liars from a wench’s womb! I’ll wait for you in hell and offer you my place in line!” A bitter, half-screamed laugh escaped her. “At least I’m not fucking pissing off the guy I know I’m going to meet by denying him! You were his long before I was- Gabriel!” The man froze where he’d stood. “Coward! Miserable dog of a dead religion! Don’t you dare run from me! Look at what you’ve done!”
She suddenly couldn’t see. There was just white as the sun blinded her completely. Her lips were burning. Her hair, her face, everything was aflame. Her voice came out, otherworldly, scratchy and mad with pain. “Crawl back home and suck on my brother’s cock for forgiveness! May he never give it to you!”
The world exploded in white hot agony, just as she heard the door to the room slam. Cold metal separated her head from her body.
And then there was silence.
Author/Artist: hellzabeth
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Aine, several hunters, Gabriel
Rating: 18
Warnings: violence, torture, offensive language
Summary: Aine dies before the story even began. But her demise is important as anything else...
Running was one of Aine’s favourite things to do in the whole world. Her skirts whipped about in the wind, her unbound hair flowing in red streaks behind her. She went so fast and darted so swiftly between the trees, it felt like she was flying. She wasn’t hunting anything tonight, just running for the freedom of it. After so long of being cautious of the woods because of the wolves, she finally felt like she could move without restraint. She jumped up into a tree, swinging herself like an acrobat up into the top branches, sticking her head out of the leaves and gazing up at the stars above. The crescent moon lit up the landscape, not a house in sight for miles.
But her sharp eyes spotted movement. Fire. A light.
The smell of a camp fire.
Humans.
Food.
She ran her tongue along her sharp teeth, swallowing saliva. She hadn’t eaten today. Sure, she wasn’t starving, but she and James had had to share one yesterday and her dear brother was an absolute pig, hogging nearly all the good blood. She deserved a little treat. Silently, she dropped back down onto the lower branches, jumping from tree to tree as quietly as she could. Yes, they were definitely cooking something. They would surely be distracted. Through the gaps in the trees, she counted them. Four of them, one woman and three men, all in their 20s from what she could hear and smell. If she could drag the rest home, Arthur would have to refrain from bitching at her for at least a week.
Carefully, she circled the clearing so she could get a better look. Yes, the girl looked the weakest. An easy catch. Tensing her muscles, Aine curled, and lept forwards.
There was a crack of bones shattering as she made impact, projecting herself at the speed of a canonball and throwing the girl sideways, Aine’s teeth clamped on her neck and her hands on her shoulders. The girl’s gurgled final sigh came quickly, and the vampire felt the taste of blood spilling into her mouth. She couldn’t get caught up in the feeling, though, she had to silence the others before they could...
… could...
There was something not quite right about the taste of this girl.
Aine pushed herself off the body, feeling the world tip sideways. What was going on? Why was the forest spinning? She hit the floor with a groan, curling up into herself and clutching her head. It hurt. It hurt! Everything was burning like she’d been pushed into sunlight, but on the inside. Her head was swimming and her vision was tunneling out. She heard the voices of the others around the campfire like they were far away.
“Hey, that worked well. I think that was your best dummy yet, Orion.”
“Yeah, but look, it’s ruined it now.”
“But it’s worked, way quicker than any crossbow.”
Their laughter dimmed into nothing, and Aine knew only blackness.
-----
She felt like she’d been trampled on by a herd of elephants. What did she drink last night, an alcoholic straight from the local pub? Her stomach churned like she was going to throw up. What, was it a plague ridden alcoholic now? She tried to open her eyes, but regretted it immediately. Light. It was really, really bright, wherever she was.
Memories rushed back.
Shit.
She tried to move her arms, but they were chained to a wall with silver. That was why they itched so much. Her feet were much the same, chained to the floor. Twisting her body only made her head hurt even more. Nothing was working. She was trapped, completely trapped. The room was large and white and had very large windows and...
… and the sun was coming up.
“Shit!” she hissed, staring at the horizon as the first colours of dawn appeared and the night receded. Those damn hunters. How could this have happened? What were they planning to do? Just leave her here to fry in the sunlight?
Footsteps came from the doorway to her right, an echoing sound. She kept her eyes trained on it, ready for whoever would come in.
The door opened, and a small cat slinked through. A very familiar cat.
“Antonio!” she breathed. That could only mean... “Gabriel!” The hunter came through the door with a cautious look about him. “Oh thank you, thank you whoever up there still cares!” She smiled with relief. Gabriel was here, Arthur’s friend despite being a hunter. A man on the inside. He could help her escape! “I’m so glad you’re here. Hurry up and let me down, we don’t have much time!” she nodded towards the view out of the windows. “It’ll be up any minute!”
The Iberian man was about to open his mouth to say something, when the door opened again. This time, the three men from the camp fire came in, giant grins on their faces.
“Well hey there Gabriel, didn’t think you’d be in here.” said the one with a lazy eye, shouldering a large, lumpy looking bag. “Wanna play?”
Gabriel mutely shook his head. Aine watched him, a cold pit of dread opening in her stomach.
“No... you can’t.” she muttered. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Olive eyes met hers, then turned away. Rage replaced the dread, and her eyes burned crimson with anger.
“You bastard!” she shrieked, pulling at the chains that bound her. “You son of a whore! You can’t do this to me! To us! You lying, traitorous little-”
“Don’t listen to anything she says.” Gabriel spoke calmly to the other hunters. “I know this one, an expert at getting people to turn on each other.”
“Slimy, slippery little, wretched slut!” Aine continued to yell. “I’m going to tear you to pieces, and then the rest of my family can see how disgusting you are on the inside!”
“Oh?” said the taller, beefier hunter. “You have a family? We did catch a good one boys.” The other two laughed. “Orion, let’s get the bag open.” The brown sack hit the floor with a jangle, silver glittering in the light. The third, thinner man reached in and picked up a variety of items. A star of David, a Hindu symbol of some kind, a pentagram, and a silver cross.
At the sight of the last one, something inside Aine flinched, but she dared not let it show. She bared her fangs at Gabriel while the others were still rustling about.
“I want you to watch.” she hissed lowly at him so only he would hear. His eyes flickered up to her for a moment. “I want you to listen to me die. I want you to feel my pain. Those eyes that saw me burn are going to have to look at Arthur’s, and you’re going to have to explain. While looking at him. Don’t you dare look away.”
Antonio mewled reproachfully at her feet, she glanced down at him. “... sorry Toni. I won’t be petting you any more.”
Suddenly something frozen touched her arm, and she screamed, trying to move away from it. The hunter pressed the cross deeper into her skin, a smile twisting his features. “Oh, that was quick. First one was the right one. Bring out the rest.” The holy symbol was removed for a moment, leaving Aine panting for breath, but she looked over to find Gabriel sitting on the floor by the window. He was watching. Good.
The pain returned. This time she swallowed her own sound. “Tell us where your coven is.” said one of the hunters, she didn’t care to know which.
“Fuck off!” she ground out between her teeth. Another cross joined the first.
“We could give you mercy... tell us where they are, how many.”
“You don’t even know your own holy book!” she laughed. “Thou shalt not lie!”
“This is your last chance. Tell us where they are, and you may get a swift death.”
Images of the young ones, of her siblings and their house, of bonfire nights and St Catherine Wheels, group hunts with shared kills, reading stories aloud by the fire, flashed before her eyes. “Never.”
Coherent thought left for a moment as the hunters started hanging crosses all over her body, strapping them to her arms and legs and throwing one over her thrashing head. They were all so cold, she could feel her skin burning under them but it was still so cold. So empty, so without care or love. For her, a monster, these symbols held no salvation.
“Feculant maggots!” she screeched at them. “Whores of the Vatican! Sons of jackels!” The first rays of sunlight finally hit the room, and she smell of smoke from her own body burning filled her nose, and the room. “Traitors to your own creed who don’t even know the mercy your Lord preached! Liars from a wench’s womb! I’ll wait for you in hell and offer you my place in line!” A bitter, half-screamed laugh escaped her. “At least I’m not fucking pissing off the guy I know I’m going to meet by denying him! You were his long before I was- Gabriel!” The man froze where he’d stood. “Coward! Miserable dog of a dead religion! Don’t you dare run from me! Look at what you’ve done!”
She suddenly couldn’t see. There was just white as the sun blinded her completely. Her lips were burning. Her hair, her face, everything was aflame. Her voice came out, otherworldly, scratchy and mad with pain. “Crawl back home and suck on my brother’s cock for forgiveness! May he never give it to you!”
The world exploded in white hot agony, just as she heard the door to the room slam. Cold metal separated her head from her body.
And then there was silence.