archives: II. you shot me down.

I. II. III. IV. V.

click “play” and then pause it immediately after, allowing it to load.
when it has loaded, press “play” once more.

Never leapt for Pan, eyes black, like that of a shark. It was a rash move, but it had the element of surprise, and bloodlust was clouding his vision, making him ravenous. Unsurprisingly, she sidestepped, continuing her sentence as if she hadn’t even been interrupted. “-be an insult to my good looks.” He swiped, she wove around him, but it wasn’t frustrating – merely amusing. That is, until a glimmer of light in the dark room alerted him to the blade in her hand. He noticed just in time, and sprung back as she darted for his neck with the knife. Her eyes were wild, her hair flaring up like fire.

They dodged around each other, again and again, never quite meeting. Perhaps they had been together for too long; it seemed as if they each knew the rythmn of the battle, and clung to it. Finally, Never had had enough. It took only one well-timed swipe to knock the switchblade away, and he swung, catching her with a stony fist and sending her skidding across the splintered floor.

Before she had time to recover, his monstrous form hit her like a speeding train. She was so small. He could hear her vertebrae snapping as he pinned her down, and her cold breath hit his face, inches from hers. “Pan, my dear, I understand that you must be unhappy, and I apologize. But really, darling, you must learn not to pick on those larger than you-“

In the instant he lunged for her neck, teeth bared, what felt like a small vehicle hit him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards onto the floor of the deserted diner. He felt his ribs crack and winced, trying to look up and see what had hit him. Pan’s legs were outstretched on the floor. Her eyes – they were dark, unnaturally so. She kicked me. How –

He didn’t have time to think; she was lunging for him again, and he rolled to the side, trying to get up despite the ache in his middle. She was still speaking, he noticed. “…only larger in body, Nevermore.” And they were at it again, dancing like cobras around each other. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was aiming for – she was certainly outmatched thanks to his enormous size, and she was armed with nothing but her fists. Well, that and the strength of a woman scorned. One of her hands caught him, clawing his neck and tearing his shirt, and he reacted with an instinctive swipe that glanced off her midriff. “Darling, must this continue? We’re both very tired, I’m sure. I understand your anger, but you must understand – it is hard to stop looking for something that has been with you for so long.” He was looking into her eyes now, holding her expression. She was bleeding from the scalp, and one of her wrists was twisted unnaturally. Still, she gazed back at him, smiling slightly with teeth bared.

“You misunderstand me. She is somebody else’s now, and he has turned her into a creature of our ilk, to be sure. But she is not one of us. She was not one of us to start with. And she has made you soft – she is your undoing.”

The dim light that had illuminated the deserted building disappeared with a crack. Never was plunged into darkness. He froze, black eyes adjusting to the black, only able to distinguish a sliver of moonlight coming in through a window. But trepidation passed through him for only a moment. She can see in here as well as I can. I need only to be silent, and sooner or later she’ll have to give up her attempt at stealth. He grinned wolfishly, waiting.

And then he felt breath like an open furnace on his ear. Time slowed down, and he looked back, seeing her out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes were ink, her skin now a bleached white. She was wrapped in shadows. Her mouth drifted towards him, opening wider than was possible, displaying rows of needle-sharp teeth.