The rhythm of the war drums
The moon was so bright through the windowpane, it cut right through the darkness and spilled across the wooden floor. Something....something wasn't right with it. Could feel that much without even takin' a look around the place. Something wrong. Tilting my chin up slightly I watched as lightning flashed across the window and lit up the room. The darkened silhouette of someone standin' in front of the window caught me by surprise. I gasped and took a step back quickly.
Shaking my head, I ran the palm of my hand along the comforter, the mattress, the sheets. That was where all the secrets were hidden, underneath the sheets. In between the sheets, tucked away all safe and quiet. Like sweepin' 'em under the rug. Looking up again, a slow smile crossed my mouth as I met a pair of familiar dark eyes.
"I don't think this is right." I said thoughtfully, pressing my lips together as I looked him over.
"Of course it's not right, Faith. You're not exactly Buffy are you?" He did have a point with that, even if it irritated me to no end. This bed? With him? Not right, very wrong. It all went back to want, take, have. I wanted, I wanted to take and have but it wasn't for me. It was for her. Big sister.
Blinking I saw a flash of the silhouette again, slowly turnin' around to face me. All I had to do was take a step forward and I could see who it was. Just one step....
"Were you expecting someone else?" Angel asked, his fingertips on my arm jolting me back to attention. Right. In bed with Angel. And it all just felt so good, even though it was wrong. I wanted to smile pretty and be good and be the one he wanted. But it wasn't supposed to be that way.
"I think I'm forgetting something important? You know? That feeling like a snake...just crawls up on ya when your back's turned." My lips weren't moving but I knew the voice was my own.
"I know all about snakes...and demons. Can't forget about the demons. It's coming, Faith. Can you feel it?"
Pulling away from Angel I walked towards the window and looked outside at the sun. The sun was wicked bright, and shining on the bed. He couldn't be here for that. This wasn't for him. It was for me and....who? The window.
Pressing the palm of my hand against the cool glass I could see it again. Standing in the darkness, the form of his body as he turned around to look at me. Dark eyes cutting right through me, like he could see inside me or something. Who was he?
"I know you!" Angrily I stormed over to him. Dark eyes clouded by something so familiar I could reach out and touch it.
As soon as my fingers clasped around his arm I rocketed backwards, with my eyes closed. A whirl of images flying past me, so hard and loud and violently that I couldn't keep up with it. Like being sucked in through a tunnel, or a black hole full of gore and anger and that little feeling in the back of your mind. The one that just pokes and pokes and pokes and demands attention, like an itch you couldn't scratch.
Opening my lips I let out a loud scream and just as I did the noise and static went away. Taking a deep breath I looked around, but I couldn't see anything. Just could hear something....something so faint and distant I had to strain to listen. A voice, a little kids voice whispering. Narrowing my eyes I walked, blindly reaching out with both hands until I finally hit a patch of light. A little boy was kneeling by a small bed, his hands clasped together in prayer.
"Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep If I should die before I wake I pray the lord my soul to take." His head was still bowed, even as I began to approach him. And just as I got close enough, he turned to me with razor sharp teeth and roared like a beast from the pit of the farthest hell.
"Ow!" I yelled, as I peeled open my eyes, only to be starin' at two guards standin' over me with clubs in hand. Oh yeah, that was a wicked awesome way to wake up in the morning.
"You were screaming again, Hanley." Eddie said, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Thought you were having some kind of night terror or something."
I snickered, as I lazily and cautiously sat up on my bunk. "You know every night around here's a terror."
Yeah, I didn't think they'd find that as amusing as me, but you gotta get your kicks in where you could find 'em. With a sigh, I stood up without even waitin' for the 'on your feet, prisoner' which inevitably came out of their mouth's every morning. Could they go with something a little less obvious? There was a small comfort in the routine of it all though. Like there were things you could just count on living inside these walls. The guards were gonna wake your ass up at six every mornin', the food was gonna suck for real, and you couldn't trust anyone. Kinda like growin' up back in Southie, ya know? Just like when I was a kid, it was all just an excercize in self control. Everything was about self control, because I knew how easily I could break out if I wanted to.
It wasn't until the warm water of the shower hit my face that I remembered the dream. Remembered it with such clarity it almost knocked me off my feet. Landin' on your ass in a group shower at the California State Penn? Not exactly my smartest move ever, so I was glad I managed to keep it together. Furrowing my eyebrow, I studied the chipped tile as I thought about it. The guards were sorta used to it by now. Screaming in my sleep, and just generally freakin' out at night every once in awhile. Just cause I was trapped behind bars didn't mean I wasn't still a slayer. I still had the dreams, and sometimes that was worse than nothing at all.
Thing was? Usually I could tell a slayer dream from the rest of my dreams. Standin' in line naked at Wal-Mart? That was your run of the mill dream, but violence and bloodshed? I just didn't know, cause it was so different from the one's I usually had.
"You gonna stand under there all day?" One of the girl's asked me snidely as she walked past me toward the door.
"Huh?" Shaking my head I pushed more wet dark hair out of my face before shutting off the water and reaching for a towel. "Oh."
It was gonna be a long day.
Shaking my head, I ran the palm of my hand along the comforter, the mattress, the sheets. That was where all the secrets were hidden, underneath the sheets. In between the sheets, tucked away all safe and quiet. Like sweepin' 'em under the rug. Looking up again, a slow smile crossed my mouth as I met a pair of familiar dark eyes.
"I don't think this is right." I said thoughtfully, pressing my lips together as I looked him over.
"Of course it's not right, Faith. You're not exactly Buffy are you?" He did have a point with that, even if it irritated me to no end. This bed? With him? Not right, very wrong. It all went back to want, take, have. I wanted, I wanted to take and have but it wasn't for me. It was for her. Big sister.
Blinking I saw a flash of the silhouette again, slowly turnin' around to face me. All I had to do was take a step forward and I could see who it was. Just one step....
"Were you expecting someone else?" Angel asked, his fingertips on my arm jolting me back to attention. Right. In bed with Angel. And it all just felt so good, even though it was wrong. I wanted to smile pretty and be good and be the one he wanted. But it wasn't supposed to be that way.
"I think I'm forgetting something important? You know? That feeling like a snake...just crawls up on ya when your back's turned." My lips weren't moving but I knew the voice was my own.
"I know all about snakes...and demons. Can't forget about the demons. It's coming, Faith. Can you feel it?"
Pulling away from Angel I walked towards the window and looked outside at the sun. The sun was wicked bright, and shining on the bed. He couldn't be here for that. This wasn't for him. It was for me and....who? The window.
Pressing the palm of my hand against the cool glass I could see it again. Standing in the darkness, the form of his body as he turned around to look at me. Dark eyes cutting right through me, like he could see inside me or something. Who was he?
"I know you!" Angrily I stormed over to him. Dark eyes clouded by something so familiar I could reach out and touch it.
As soon as my fingers clasped around his arm I rocketed backwards, with my eyes closed. A whirl of images flying past me, so hard and loud and violently that I couldn't keep up with it. Like being sucked in through a tunnel, or a black hole full of gore and anger and that little feeling in the back of your mind. The one that just pokes and pokes and pokes and demands attention, like an itch you couldn't scratch.
Opening my lips I let out a loud scream and just as I did the noise and static went away. Taking a deep breath I looked around, but I couldn't see anything. Just could hear something....something so faint and distant I had to strain to listen. A voice, a little kids voice whispering. Narrowing my eyes I walked, blindly reaching out with both hands until I finally hit a patch of light. A little boy was kneeling by a small bed, his hands clasped together in prayer.
"Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep If I should die before I wake I pray the lord my soul to take." His head was still bowed, even as I began to approach him. And just as I got close enough, he turned to me with razor sharp teeth and roared like a beast from the pit of the farthest hell.
"Ow!" I yelled, as I peeled open my eyes, only to be starin' at two guards standin' over me with clubs in hand. Oh yeah, that was a wicked awesome way to wake up in the morning.
"You were screaming again, Hanley." Eddie said, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Thought you were having some kind of night terror or something."
I snickered, as I lazily and cautiously sat up on my bunk. "You know every night around here's a terror."
Yeah, I didn't think they'd find that as amusing as me, but you gotta get your kicks in where you could find 'em. With a sigh, I stood up without even waitin' for the 'on your feet, prisoner' which inevitably came out of their mouth's every morning. Could they go with something a little less obvious? There was a small comfort in the routine of it all though. Like there were things you could just count on living inside these walls. The guards were gonna wake your ass up at six every mornin', the food was gonna suck for real, and you couldn't trust anyone. Kinda like growin' up back in Southie, ya know? Just like when I was a kid, it was all just an excercize in self control. Everything was about self control, because I knew how easily I could break out if I wanted to.
It wasn't until the warm water of the shower hit my face that I remembered the dream. Remembered it with such clarity it almost knocked me off my feet. Landin' on your ass in a group shower at the California State Penn? Not exactly my smartest move ever, so I was glad I managed to keep it together. Furrowing my eyebrow, I studied the chipped tile as I thought about it. The guards were sorta used to it by now. Screaming in my sleep, and just generally freakin' out at night every once in awhile. Just cause I was trapped behind bars didn't mean I wasn't still a slayer. I still had the dreams, and sometimes that was worse than nothing at all.
Thing was? Usually I could tell a slayer dream from the rest of my dreams. Standin' in line naked at Wal-Mart? That was your run of the mill dream, but violence and bloodshed? I just didn't know, cause it was so different from the one's I usually had.
"You gonna stand under there all day?" One of the girl's asked me snidely as she walked past me toward the door.
"Huh?" Shaking my head I pushed more wet dark hair out of my face before shutting off the water and reaching for a towel. "Oh."
It was gonna be a long day.