Now and Forever 7/? - Gundam Wing
Oct. 2nd, 2004 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yellowhordeDisclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no money from this or any fanfic I write.
Pairings: 5x1 13x5
Category: Angst, Supernatural, AU
Warnings: Yaoi Dark Vampirism Violence
Rating: R Title: Now and Forever
Author: yellowhorde
Feel free to send comments/constructive criticism to me at yellowhorde@hotmail.com
Wufei pulled the car over to the side of the road with a savage yank of the wheel and flung open the door. He then leaped out ignoring the pouring rain that assaulted him the minute he left the protection of his vehicle. Stumbling and weaving like a drunkard, he made his way towards a stand of maples crowded together a few yards away. Their leaf-burdened limbs waved and danced with the ferocity of possessed demons, caught in the grip of the roaring wind.
The torrential downpour had transformed the soft earth into a quagmire of mud and footing had become treacherous. With each step Wufei's shoes sank deep into the earth. Only with great effort was he able to pull free. He had just reached the relative safety and shelter of the trees when his foot snagged against an unseen tree root and he collapsed to his knees in an ungraceful sprawl. A hot wave of nausea burned through his body and it was not to be contained or denied. He began to retch violently, emptying the meager contents of his stomach onto the sodden ground.
Lightning forked through the sky and the air was heavy with rain and the sickly sweet stench of vomit as Wufei pulled himself shakily to his feet gritting his teeth at the sharp daggers of pain shooting up his leg. He had sprained his ankle, perhaps even broken it. He bit back the scream of mingled fear, pain, and rage that wanted to surge forth from his mouth. If he started screaming now he would never be able to stop.
Wufei's dark navy suit was covered with mud and last year's dead leaves. Rain cascaded over and around him in an almost solid sheet and his clothes clung to his slender form, the heavy wet folds accentuating how much weight he had lost in the last few weeks. Jet-black hair, usually pulled back in a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck, hung freely in dripping strands about his too-pale face.
Wearily Wufei closed his eyes and raised his face to the sky allowing the cold rain to wash over him. It slid over his skin like tears, pouring down his cheeks and clinging to spiky lashes. He began to shiver uncontrollably, his whole body spasaming as it struggled to ward off the combined effects of the wet cold and delayed shock. A cold deeper and more savage than any he had ever known seeped into his flesh. Penetrating to his very bones, it encircling his heart with invisible icy hands and squeezed mercilessly.
With a soft moan he stumbled back against one of the many maple trees and slid slowly to the ground.
"Oh, God, no, please, no." he mumbled, his voice choked and full of equal parts despair and disbelief. Like a prayer he repeated these words unable to say more.
Hot tears slipped from under closed lids combining their salty wetness with the raindrops on his face. He buried his face into his scraped and bleeding hands ignoring the mud that smeared them and sobbed out his frustration. He wanted to run, to hide, to find someplace safe, warm, and dry but Wufei could only lie there at the base of the tree, his arms clutching his shivering body, almost literally unable to move from the spot. The events of the day on top of the almost unbearable stress of the last few weeks had finally proven too much for him. In an attempt to protect his sanity his mind tried to unplug itself from reality but the memories of early events stubbornly played against the dark screen behind his eyes.
*****
A silent and stealthy breeze slipped in through Wufei's office window like the proverbial thief in the night. It swirled restlessly around his ankles and mischievously ruffled the pages of his accounting ledgers that lay scattered across a large oak desk. Quite playful in its own way really, if such a thing could actually be said about a breeze.
The office was small, barely more than a cupboard, but the view from the only window more than made up for the lack of space. It was large and took up most of the western wall. From his desk Wufei commanded a dizzying view of the cityscape. Beyond the vast concrete jungle was the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean, which sparkled and gleamed to the distant horizon as it reflected the golden rays of light of the sun, which would soon be engulfed by approaching storm clouds.
The desk, made from real oak, which gleamed with a secret inner light even in the soft glow that slanted across the floor, had been a battered antique found at a garage sale that he had lovingly restored with great care and at some cost. It was worth all the effort and money though for not only did Wufei now have a perfectly functional piece of office furniture, he was also the owner of a rare and beautiful piece of art.
Despite his love of antiques, Wufei understood the need of comfort and convenience in today's hectic high-tech world. His chair was ergonomically correct with real padded leather, a very modern and sophisticated piece of work that served its purpose admirably which was more than he could say about the computer that sat unused in the corner of his large desk. A thin film of dust covered the blank screen. It sat there looking rather lonely and out of place in the tiny office furnished in equipment and furniture from a bygone era. A very expensive paperweight.
The computer, the latest model complete with more memory than Wufei could ever conceive of using, had been a gift from his old college buddy and current business partner/secretary, Duo Maxwell. The violet-eyed American was fully entrenched in the technological era and believed that computers could solve all of the world's problems. He and Wufei never saw eye to eye as far as decorations and furnishings were involved and therefore his work life was always guaranteed to be...interesting.
Wufei knew how to use the computer to do his accounting work but he preferred to work out the columns of figures by hand as he had been originally taught in college. The computer was no doubt faster but he found a certain comfort in working with numbers that he just couldn't find doing his work electronically. Math and the general principles of accounting never changed - unless of course, you were working in Tax accounting, which was an entirely different beast. For the most part they were constant and reliable in a way that life simply could never be. In math two plus two would always equal four. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about people.
Suddenly the door to his office door swung open and Duo strolled nonchalantly into the room with his amazingly long chestnut brown braid trailing behind him. His heart-shaped face was open and sunny, his eyes sparkling with good humor. The first button of his white cotton oxford shirt was undone, his red tie at half-mast, and his khaki slacks were belted about his slender waist and hung loose and slightly rumpled down his long legs.
It was Wufei's opinion that his partner was one of the friendliest people on the face of the earth. He always managed to set their clients at ease and with his sexy good looks and easygoing manner he was a natural with customer service. Which was one of the bonuses of having Duo on Wufei's team because although Wufei was a steady and reliable worker, he wasn't exceptionally good at dealing with people. He would rather be left alone with his numbers and leave the clients to Duo. It was an arrangement both found beneficial especially since Duo had no patience in dealing with the routine and rather boring tasks that Wufei excelled at.
"Mail call!" Duo called out cheerfully, producing a rather impressive stack of letters and packages.
"Don't you ever knock?" Wufei muttered with a small smile as he returned his attention to his ledgers.
"Now, where's the fun in that?" Duo padded silently across the room and propped one narrow hip on the corner of the desk and began flipping through the day's mail.
"Bill...bill...junk...junk...junk...bill...Oh! Here's one addressed to you, Wufei!" He hefted the package testing the weight then peered more closely at it. It was a rather sizable manila envelope but not at all bulky. Files, perhaps?
"Hm." Duo mumbled, "No return address. No stamp. They must have hand delivered it. Odd, I didn't notice anyone..." Duo grinned at Wufei. "Hey! You've got a secret admirer! I wonder what it says..." Long slender fingers slid under the envelope flap but before any damage could be inflicted, Wufei snatched away the package casting a brief but severe frown in the direction of his friend.
"It's got my name on it, Duo, not the company's, not yours, so that means I get to open it." He slid open one of the desk drawers and deposited the mystery item into its depths before shutting it once more. Duo looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"You're not going to open it now?" He made it a question rather than a statement.
"No, it's almost five o'clock and I still have tons of work to finish before I can go home. I'll look at it later." He announced smugly knowing that the not knowing what was in the package would drive Duo crazy.
"Where's your sense of curiosity, of adventure?" Duo cried in mock exasperation.
"I left it in my other pants. Sorry." Wufei offered his most angelic smile but Duo was not fooled.
"You're not sorry one little bit. This is just your way of getting back at me for not knocking."
Sighing dramatically, Duo stood and headed for the door. As he grasped the doorknob he turned. "What are you bringing to the Memorial Day picnic?"
Wufei almost groaned aloud. He had entirely forgotten about the picnic. "Jell-O molds." he announced trying to sound as if it wasn't a spur of the moment decision. "Heero will be bringing Sloppy Joes."
'Cool!" Duo grinned in anticipation and all but wiped drool from his chin. "Heero makes the best Sloppy Joes I've ever had! I'll be manning the grill, of course. I make a mean steak if I do say so myself."
Wufei snorted back laughter. "You just want to wear your 'Kiss the Cook' apron."
"You have to admit that I look damned sexy in that thing, though!" Duo grinned. "Oh, and speaking of sexy, Heero called earlier while you were out to lunch. He wants you to bring home some champagne tonight. Things must be getting all hot and heavy between you two, huh?" Duo wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. If his grin got any bigger his head would split in two.
"You could say that." Wufei admitted, then adverted his face so Duo couldn't see the blush that flooded his face. He had never been comfortable discussing his sex life with people, not even his best friend. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being in love with another man; he just believed that some topics were not entirely appropriate for the work environment. Besides, it was no ones business anyway. Duo understood this about his friend and didn't mind if Wufei slept with Heero. In fact, it had been Duo who had first introduced them in their last year of college. It was something that Wufei would be eternally grateful for.
"You know I'm just giving you grief, Wufei!" Duo chuckled.
"Yes, I know. You just like to make me squirm with embarrassment."
"But you just look so damned cute when you blush!"
Snatching up a large rubber band, Wufei swung around in his chair and made as if to shoot his friend. "Good-bye, Duo. I'll see you Monday. I'll bring Jell-O. Now just go!"
Duo wisely decided to beat a hasty retreat.
Over an hour and a half had passed when Wufei finally finished his work and the first few drops of rain began to splatter against the glass. A loud and ominous rumble of thunder seemed to shake the building and Wufei idly wondered if it would rain all weekend. It had been one of the wettest springs on record and he had really been looking forward to spending some quality time with Heero. His face darkened for a moment but cleared as he made preparations to depart. He would make things right between them or die trying!
The past two weeks had not been easy for the young couple. Wufei had not shared intimacies with Heero since that first night, fearful that he would hurt him again. Since then there had been an almost unmentionable tension between them. Wufei often found himself keeping his distance, physically and emotionally, afraid that he would fall victim to the erratic and often violent impulses that floated into his mind now with ever increasing frequency. It was as if his thoughts were no longer completely his own. He had no way of knowing what might set off the visions of carnage that swarmed in the dark depths of his mind like angry wasps.
Nights were the worst and when he did stay over at Heero's place he made a habit of not going to bed until long after Heero was asleep. He used work as an excuse but he sensed Heero's growing doubt. When Wufei did finally go to bed, his eyelids heavy, his body and mind slow and sluggish, he would turn his back to the other man and resist touching him less he unleash his pent up desires, desperately afraid that he might lose control. The memory of silver tears streaking down his love's usually calm face burned before his eyes each time he glanced his way and it hurt to think that he was the one responsible for such pain.
And then there were the dreams...
With some effort Wufei drove these depressing thoughts from his mind. To distract himself he cast his gaze to the window and the world outside now dark and stormy. Lights twinkled in the gathering gloom. It was a breathtaking sight.
Refreshed by the wet blessing, the world was once again dewy, lush, and full of life. From his window Wufei bore witness to the watercolor wash of fresh green that enveloped the city. New leaves and purple lilacs alike stood out more clearly against the dark gray background than they ever did on the sunniest days. The rain had temporarily washed away the clinging stench of car exhaust. The perpetual smog had been beaten back leaving the city air alive with the rich scents of moist earth and growing things. Country clean in the midst of the big city.
'If the scent could be bottled up and sold,' Wufei thought with a wry grin, 'I could make a fortune.'
The pattering or the rain against the glass was a steady lulling thing. It blending well with the steady surf-like whoosh of traffic as automobiles rushed through the overflowing streets shooting up geysers of cold muddy water onto unsuspecting pedestrians. Heero had always said that he could tell what the weather was like outside simply by listening to the sound of the traffic. Winter days with its never-ending cold and occasional snow were heralded by the crunch of tires on treacherous streets while predominating rain brought the steady hiss and swoosh.
Sighing, Wufei brought his attention back to his office and as he reached into the desk drawer to retrieve his wallet he remembered the strange package Duo had given him earlier. He removed it gingerly as if it were a bomb, the first stirrings of misgiving twisting in his gut. It was a large manila envelope, nothing special about it, but as Duo had already noted there was no return address or stamp. Odd.
It was not an especially heavy thing and when he carefully shook the package he only heard the faint shifting of papers within. 'Well, it certainly wasn't a bomb,' he surmised. Pulling it closer to his face and berating himself for being a suspicious fool, Wufei inhaled deeply and caught the faintest hint of perfume, something soft and feminine but not too flowery. It was a no-nonsense sort of fragrance of a serious woman, no frills and flights of fancy here. No wonder Duo had teased him about a secret admirer.
Using his letter opener, Wufei carefully slit open the envelope flap and spilled the contents of the package out onto his desk, an odd assortment of newspaper clippings and another smaller envelope that appeared to be responsible for the bulk of the weight. The clippings had been snipped from both local newspapers and national tabloids.
Wufei scanned the bits of paper quickly and his internal temperature plummeted. The articles detailed the ongoing investigation of the gruesome deaths of four young women. Every one of them had been discovered battered and mutilated, discarded like so much trash in alleys. A little boy at Elmwood Park had found the last victim, a woman by the name of Dorothy Catalonia. In every incident, not a single drop of blood remained in the victims' bodies. The reporters hinted that this might be to work of some deranged serial killer. The police would neither confirm nor deny this.
Quite a few of the clippings taken from the national tabloids were, of course, taking a more bizarre slant on things. The twin punctures wounds that were found on the throat of every victim, the complete lack of blood in the bodies. It was not the work of a serial killer, but a much more sinister creature - a vampire. They even had an interview with a man who claimed to have witnessed the latest attack, a local man whose name was not being disclosed.
With trembling hands Wufei reached out and picked up the smaller envelope. His mouth was dry and his heart jumped in his throat. He did not want to see what the envelope contained but he felt compelled to do so. Taking a deep breath he opened the flap, reached inside, and removed its contents.
The strength left his legs and Wufei sat down hard. The envelope had contained several glossy 8x10 black and white photographs of a young woman. Her throat had been torn out and her body battered almost beyond recognition. One arm was flung over her head as if she were sleeping and the wrist was twisted in such an extreme angle that left no doubt that it had been badly broken.
With a shuddering groan of dismay, Wufei ran trembling hands through his thick black hair, which hung thick and shiny to his shoulders. He could not take his eyes from the savagely mauled body of the young woman. It seemed so unreal.
Colors were too bright and the world seemed to dance and spin crazily. Closing his eyes, Wufei fought to calm his breathing, which was shallow and rapid. His heartbeat boomed in his ears. It wasn't real, his mind insisted, and yet irrefutable proof lay right before his eyes.
He had never seen her before in his life except for the nightmares that stalked him restlessly night after night, but the young woman staring out from the black and white photographs was no stranger. Her long blond hair that flowed down past her narrow shoulders in a waterfall wash of golden silk, her deep blue eyes that had once sparkled with life and humor. Her smooth milky skin. Up until a few moments ago her name had been a complete mystery to him but all the same he knew her with the intimacy that rivaled that of a lover's. He had never known her but he had savored the rich copper of her life's blood, relished the terror that had spilled from her in invisible waves, tasted her frantically beating heart in his mouth.
Wufei knew her, recognized her, remembered her. For he had found dark joy in the hot spill of her blood, the salty tang of her tears. Her cries and screams rang in his ears, adding kindling to the blaze of need that consumed him. Night after night she died in his dreams, in his arms. And she was no stranger.
She was real.
And she was dead.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Pairings: 5x1 13x5
Category: Angst, Supernatural, AU
Warnings: Yaoi Dark Vampirism Violence
Rating: R Title: Now and Forever
Author: yellowhorde
Feel free to send comments/constructive criticism to me at yellowhorde@hotmail.com
Wufei pulled the car over to the side of the road with a savage yank of the wheel and flung open the door. He then leaped out ignoring the pouring rain that assaulted him the minute he left the protection of his vehicle. Stumbling and weaving like a drunkard, he made his way towards a stand of maples crowded together a few yards away. Their leaf-burdened limbs waved and danced with the ferocity of possessed demons, caught in the grip of the roaring wind.
The torrential downpour had transformed the soft earth into a quagmire of mud and footing had become treacherous. With each step Wufei's shoes sank deep into the earth. Only with great effort was he able to pull free. He had just reached the relative safety and shelter of the trees when his foot snagged against an unseen tree root and he collapsed to his knees in an ungraceful sprawl. A hot wave of nausea burned through his body and it was not to be contained or denied. He began to retch violently, emptying the meager contents of his stomach onto the sodden ground.
Lightning forked through the sky and the air was heavy with rain and the sickly sweet stench of vomit as Wufei pulled himself shakily to his feet gritting his teeth at the sharp daggers of pain shooting up his leg. He had sprained his ankle, perhaps even broken it. He bit back the scream of mingled fear, pain, and rage that wanted to surge forth from his mouth. If he started screaming now he would never be able to stop.
Wufei's dark navy suit was covered with mud and last year's dead leaves. Rain cascaded over and around him in an almost solid sheet and his clothes clung to his slender form, the heavy wet folds accentuating how much weight he had lost in the last few weeks. Jet-black hair, usually pulled back in a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck, hung freely in dripping strands about his too-pale face.
Wearily Wufei closed his eyes and raised his face to the sky allowing the cold rain to wash over him. It slid over his skin like tears, pouring down his cheeks and clinging to spiky lashes. He began to shiver uncontrollably, his whole body spasaming as it struggled to ward off the combined effects of the wet cold and delayed shock. A cold deeper and more savage than any he had ever known seeped into his flesh. Penetrating to his very bones, it encircling his heart with invisible icy hands and squeezed mercilessly.
With a soft moan he stumbled back against one of the many maple trees and slid slowly to the ground.
"Oh, God, no, please, no." he mumbled, his voice choked and full of equal parts despair and disbelief. Like a prayer he repeated these words unable to say more.
Hot tears slipped from under closed lids combining their salty wetness with the raindrops on his face. He buried his face into his scraped and bleeding hands ignoring the mud that smeared them and sobbed out his frustration. He wanted to run, to hide, to find someplace safe, warm, and dry but Wufei could only lie there at the base of the tree, his arms clutching his shivering body, almost literally unable to move from the spot. The events of the day on top of the almost unbearable stress of the last few weeks had finally proven too much for him. In an attempt to protect his sanity his mind tried to unplug itself from reality but the memories of early events stubbornly played against the dark screen behind his eyes.
*****
A silent and stealthy breeze slipped in through Wufei's office window like the proverbial thief in the night. It swirled restlessly around his ankles and mischievously ruffled the pages of his accounting ledgers that lay scattered across a large oak desk. Quite playful in its own way really, if such a thing could actually be said about a breeze.
The office was small, barely more than a cupboard, but the view from the only window more than made up for the lack of space. It was large and took up most of the western wall. From his desk Wufei commanded a dizzying view of the cityscape. Beyond the vast concrete jungle was the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean, which sparkled and gleamed to the distant horizon as it reflected the golden rays of light of the sun, which would soon be engulfed by approaching storm clouds.
The desk, made from real oak, which gleamed with a secret inner light even in the soft glow that slanted across the floor, had been a battered antique found at a garage sale that he had lovingly restored with great care and at some cost. It was worth all the effort and money though for not only did Wufei now have a perfectly functional piece of office furniture, he was also the owner of a rare and beautiful piece of art.
Despite his love of antiques, Wufei understood the need of comfort and convenience in today's hectic high-tech world. His chair was ergonomically correct with real padded leather, a very modern and sophisticated piece of work that served its purpose admirably which was more than he could say about the computer that sat unused in the corner of his large desk. A thin film of dust covered the blank screen. It sat there looking rather lonely and out of place in the tiny office furnished in equipment and furniture from a bygone era. A very expensive paperweight.
The computer, the latest model complete with more memory than Wufei could ever conceive of using, had been a gift from his old college buddy and current business partner/secretary, Duo Maxwell. The violet-eyed American was fully entrenched in the technological era and believed that computers could solve all of the world's problems. He and Wufei never saw eye to eye as far as decorations and furnishings were involved and therefore his work life was always guaranteed to be...interesting.
Wufei knew how to use the computer to do his accounting work but he preferred to work out the columns of figures by hand as he had been originally taught in college. The computer was no doubt faster but he found a certain comfort in working with numbers that he just couldn't find doing his work electronically. Math and the general principles of accounting never changed - unless of course, you were working in Tax accounting, which was an entirely different beast. For the most part they were constant and reliable in a way that life simply could never be. In math two plus two would always equal four. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about people.
Suddenly the door to his office door swung open and Duo strolled nonchalantly into the room with his amazingly long chestnut brown braid trailing behind him. His heart-shaped face was open and sunny, his eyes sparkling with good humor. The first button of his white cotton oxford shirt was undone, his red tie at half-mast, and his khaki slacks were belted about his slender waist and hung loose and slightly rumpled down his long legs.
It was Wufei's opinion that his partner was one of the friendliest people on the face of the earth. He always managed to set their clients at ease and with his sexy good looks and easygoing manner he was a natural with customer service. Which was one of the bonuses of having Duo on Wufei's team because although Wufei was a steady and reliable worker, he wasn't exceptionally good at dealing with people. He would rather be left alone with his numbers and leave the clients to Duo. It was an arrangement both found beneficial especially since Duo had no patience in dealing with the routine and rather boring tasks that Wufei excelled at.
"Mail call!" Duo called out cheerfully, producing a rather impressive stack of letters and packages.
"Don't you ever knock?" Wufei muttered with a small smile as he returned his attention to his ledgers.
"Now, where's the fun in that?" Duo padded silently across the room and propped one narrow hip on the corner of the desk and began flipping through the day's mail.
"Bill...bill...junk...junk...junk...bill...Oh! Here's one addressed to you, Wufei!" He hefted the package testing the weight then peered more closely at it. It was a rather sizable manila envelope but not at all bulky. Files, perhaps?
"Hm." Duo mumbled, "No return address. No stamp. They must have hand delivered it. Odd, I didn't notice anyone..." Duo grinned at Wufei. "Hey! You've got a secret admirer! I wonder what it says..." Long slender fingers slid under the envelope flap but before any damage could be inflicted, Wufei snatched away the package casting a brief but severe frown in the direction of his friend.
"It's got my name on it, Duo, not the company's, not yours, so that means I get to open it." He slid open one of the desk drawers and deposited the mystery item into its depths before shutting it once more. Duo looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"You're not going to open it now?" He made it a question rather than a statement.
"No, it's almost five o'clock and I still have tons of work to finish before I can go home. I'll look at it later." He announced smugly knowing that the not knowing what was in the package would drive Duo crazy.
"Where's your sense of curiosity, of adventure?" Duo cried in mock exasperation.
"I left it in my other pants. Sorry." Wufei offered his most angelic smile but Duo was not fooled.
"You're not sorry one little bit. This is just your way of getting back at me for not knocking."
Sighing dramatically, Duo stood and headed for the door. As he grasped the doorknob he turned. "What are you bringing to the Memorial Day picnic?"
Wufei almost groaned aloud. He had entirely forgotten about the picnic. "Jell-O molds." he announced trying to sound as if it wasn't a spur of the moment decision. "Heero will be bringing Sloppy Joes."
'Cool!" Duo grinned in anticipation and all but wiped drool from his chin. "Heero makes the best Sloppy Joes I've ever had! I'll be manning the grill, of course. I make a mean steak if I do say so myself."
Wufei snorted back laughter. "You just want to wear your 'Kiss the Cook' apron."
"You have to admit that I look damned sexy in that thing, though!" Duo grinned. "Oh, and speaking of sexy, Heero called earlier while you were out to lunch. He wants you to bring home some champagne tonight. Things must be getting all hot and heavy between you two, huh?" Duo wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. If his grin got any bigger his head would split in two.
"You could say that." Wufei admitted, then adverted his face so Duo couldn't see the blush that flooded his face. He had never been comfortable discussing his sex life with people, not even his best friend. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being in love with another man; he just believed that some topics were not entirely appropriate for the work environment. Besides, it was no ones business anyway. Duo understood this about his friend and didn't mind if Wufei slept with Heero. In fact, it had been Duo who had first introduced them in their last year of college. It was something that Wufei would be eternally grateful for.
"You know I'm just giving you grief, Wufei!" Duo chuckled.
"Yes, I know. You just like to make me squirm with embarrassment."
"But you just look so damned cute when you blush!"
Snatching up a large rubber band, Wufei swung around in his chair and made as if to shoot his friend. "Good-bye, Duo. I'll see you Monday. I'll bring Jell-O. Now just go!"
Duo wisely decided to beat a hasty retreat.
Over an hour and a half had passed when Wufei finally finished his work and the first few drops of rain began to splatter against the glass. A loud and ominous rumble of thunder seemed to shake the building and Wufei idly wondered if it would rain all weekend. It had been one of the wettest springs on record and he had really been looking forward to spending some quality time with Heero. His face darkened for a moment but cleared as he made preparations to depart. He would make things right between them or die trying!
The past two weeks had not been easy for the young couple. Wufei had not shared intimacies with Heero since that first night, fearful that he would hurt him again. Since then there had been an almost unmentionable tension between them. Wufei often found himself keeping his distance, physically and emotionally, afraid that he would fall victim to the erratic and often violent impulses that floated into his mind now with ever increasing frequency. It was as if his thoughts were no longer completely his own. He had no way of knowing what might set off the visions of carnage that swarmed in the dark depths of his mind like angry wasps.
Nights were the worst and when he did stay over at Heero's place he made a habit of not going to bed until long after Heero was asleep. He used work as an excuse but he sensed Heero's growing doubt. When Wufei did finally go to bed, his eyelids heavy, his body and mind slow and sluggish, he would turn his back to the other man and resist touching him less he unleash his pent up desires, desperately afraid that he might lose control. The memory of silver tears streaking down his love's usually calm face burned before his eyes each time he glanced his way and it hurt to think that he was the one responsible for such pain.
And then there were the dreams...
With some effort Wufei drove these depressing thoughts from his mind. To distract himself he cast his gaze to the window and the world outside now dark and stormy. Lights twinkled in the gathering gloom. It was a breathtaking sight.
Refreshed by the wet blessing, the world was once again dewy, lush, and full of life. From his window Wufei bore witness to the watercolor wash of fresh green that enveloped the city. New leaves and purple lilacs alike stood out more clearly against the dark gray background than they ever did on the sunniest days. The rain had temporarily washed away the clinging stench of car exhaust. The perpetual smog had been beaten back leaving the city air alive with the rich scents of moist earth and growing things. Country clean in the midst of the big city.
'If the scent could be bottled up and sold,' Wufei thought with a wry grin, 'I could make a fortune.'
The pattering or the rain against the glass was a steady lulling thing. It blending well with the steady surf-like whoosh of traffic as automobiles rushed through the overflowing streets shooting up geysers of cold muddy water onto unsuspecting pedestrians. Heero had always said that he could tell what the weather was like outside simply by listening to the sound of the traffic. Winter days with its never-ending cold and occasional snow were heralded by the crunch of tires on treacherous streets while predominating rain brought the steady hiss and swoosh.
Sighing, Wufei brought his attention back to his office and as he reached into the desk drawer to retrieve his wallet he remembered the strange package Duo had given him earlier. He removed it gingerly as if it were a bomb, the first stirrings of misgiving twisting in his gut. It was a large manila envelope, nothing special about it, but as Duo had already noted there was no return address or stamp. Odd.
It was not an especially heavy thing and when he carefully shook the package he only heard the faint shifting of papers within. 'Well, it certainly wasn't a bomb,' he surmised. Pulling it closer to his face and berating himself for being a suspicious fool, Wufei inhaled deeply and caught the faintest hint of perfume, something soft and feminine but not too flowery. It was a no-nonsense sort of fragrance of a serious woman, no frills and flights of fancy here. No wonder Duo had teased him about a secret admirer.
Using his letter opener, Wufei carefully slit open the envelope flap and spilled the contents of the package out onto his desk, an odd assortment of newspaper clippings and another smaller envelope that appeared to be responsible for the bulk of the weight. The clippings had been snipped from both local newspapers and national tabloids.
Wufei scanned the bits of paper quickly and his internal temperature plummeted. The articles detailed the ongoing investigation of the gruesome deaths of four young women. Every one of them had been discovered battered and mutilated, discarded like so much trash in alleys. A little boy at Elmwood Park had found the last victim, a woman by the name of Dorothy Catalonia. In every incident, not a single drop of blood remained in the victims' bodies. The reporters hinted that this might be to work of some deranged serial killer. The police would neither confirm nor deny this.
Quite a few of the clippings taken from the national tabloids were, of course, taking a more bizarre slant on things. The twin punctures wounds that were found on the throat of every victim, the complete lack of blood in the bodies. It was not the work of a serial killer, but a much more sinister creature - a vampire. They even had an interview with a man who claimed to have witnessed the latest attack, a local man whose name was not being disclosed.
With trembling hands Wufei reached out and picked up the smaller envelope. His mouth was dry and his heart jumped in his throat. He did not want to see what the envelope contained but he felt compelled to do so. Taking a deep breath he opened the flap, reached inside, and removed its contents.
The strength left his legs and Wufei sat down hard. The envelope had contained several glossy 8x10 black and white photographs of a young woman. Her throat had been torn out and her body battered almost beyond recognition. One arm was flung over her head as if she were sleeping and the wrist was twisted in such an extreme angle that left no doubt that it had been badly broken.
With a shuddering groan of dismay, Wufei ran trembling hands through his thick black hair, which hung thick and shiny to his shoulders. He could not take his eyes from the savagely mauled body of the young woman. It seemed so unreal.
Colors were too bright and the world seemed to dance and spin crazily. Closing his eyes, Wufei fought to calm his breathing, which was shallow and rapid. His heartbeat boomed in his ears. It wasn't real, his mind insisted, and yet irrefutable proof lay right before his eyes.
He had never seen her before in his life except for the nightmares that stalked him restlessly night after night, but the young woman staring out from the black and white photographs was no stranger. Her long blond hair that flowed down past her narrow shoulders in a waterfall wash of golden silk, her deep blue eyes that had once sparkled with life and humor. Her smooth milky skin. Up until a few moments ago her name had been a complete mystery to him but all the same he knew her with the intimacy that rivaled that of a lover's. He had never known her but he had savored the rich copper of her life's blood, relished the terror that had spilled from her in invisible waves, tasted her frantically beating heart in his mouth.
Wufei knew her, recognized her, remembered her. For he had found dark joy in the hot spill of her blood, the salty tang of her tears. Her cries and screams rang in his ears, adding kindling to the blaze of need that consumed him. Night after night she died in his dreams, in his arms. And she was no stranger.
She was real.
And she was dead.
TO BE CONTINUED…
