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fandomweekly2017-02-27 09:29 am
sealrat) wrote in fandomweekly2017-02-27 09:29 am
Entry tags:
[#034] Heart-Stopping (Original)
Theme Prompt: Signs and Portents
Title: Heart-Stopping
Fandom: Original Universe
Rating/Warnings: Mentions of blood, dead bodies; PG?
Bonus: No
Word Count: 989
Summary: Devin's past is quite literally coming back to hunt him.
There was a sharp knock at his door, and before he could say anything it opened. James never waited. The hunter had always been rude to Devin, and the vampire couldn’t blame him. He was the enemy, living among them. It was unnatural, and just as Devin didn’t relish the idea of James and the others becoming accustomed to his presence – or, God forbid, beginning to like him – he could tell that James was uncomfortable with something less than outright hostility towards each other.
"Sam needs you."
"And he couldn’t just call me himself because…?"
James rolled his eyes. "He called me, wants both of us; you’re on the way." Without another word, he headed back out into the concrete corridor, leaving Devin’s door open. He would always get digs in where he could, but this was subtly different. James carried tension the way Devin did, both eternally coiled like springs ready for action. What he had just seen and heard in fifteen seconds of interaction was not simply the usual tightness. Something was awry.
Devin let that thought settle for a moment or two before he got up and followed James. It was a short walk to the stairwell and a floor down to the infirmary. Sam was nowhere to be seen, since currently the team was hale and whole. James gestured over his shoulder when Devin entered that they should make their way to the morgue. He pushed one of the heavy metal doors open and didn’t hold it for Devin, who caught it before it swung into his face.
Inside, Sam was bent over a body he was autopsying, his hair covered in a protective cap and wearing a blue apron over a set of scrubs. The apron and his latex gloves were coated in dark, stagnant blood. Not a human body, Devin surmised as he stood at James’ shoulder outside the bright circle of light that made already too-pale vampire skin appear white as a sheet. His eyes slid over the spidery pattern of veins beneath, along the corpse, and finally up to Sam’s face.
"Rather pointless to perform an autopsy on a twice-dead creature, isn’t it?"
Sam and James exchanged a brief glance before the hunter spoke. "It’s useful to know how or why something kills one of you."
"So you can make it more efficient," the vampire understood. He sounded approving. "Haven’t you got your consortium for this kind of study?"
"We do, but when something unexpected comes up, the local hub is usually responsible," Sam chimed in, extracting his hands from the dead vampire’s chest cavity. "Shipping vampire bodies around is too risky under most circumstances."
Devin’s eyebrows had gone up. "This isn’t most circumstances, then?"
"Not even close," Sam affirmed.
"This body was local," James cut in. "But it’s not the first Sam’s been tapped to examine. There have been others across New England, enough to suggest a genuine pattern."
"You’ve been keeping this from me," the vampire observed calmly, holding Sam’s gaze. The doctor looked apologetic.
"I hope you don’t think I’m stupid enough to tell you everything that crosses my radar, Parker," James growled. "You’re on a need-to-know basis."
"Stupidity is in the eye of the beholder," Devin said cheerfully. "And apparently, I now need to know. What’s killing them?"
The silence that followed gave Devin his answer well before anyone spoke. Uncertainty.
"We have no idea," Sam admitted. "Granted, there’s still a lot about vampire biology we don’t understand but this… this is entirely foreign to me and to anyone else with a clue."
"They’re just dropping dead."
At that, Devin turned abruptly to look at James, startled confusion written across his features. "Excuse me?"
"There are zero discernible indicators for cause of death," Sam restated. "I’ve gone over them again and again; I’ve done every test I can think of. Nothing. Except this."
The doctor gestured for Devin to come closer, and he leaned in to peer at where Sam was pointing. It was the vampire’s heart, no longer hidden behind flesh and bone. And on its surface, a scar that could only have been put there intentionally, forming the rough shape of a symbol.
If Devin had a pulse, it would have stopped. Everything about him stilled, face suddenly ashen and eyes wide in shock. Primal, jagged fear shot through him.
"Devin?" Sam’s voice seemed to come from very far away, and he sounded concerned. The vampire tried to remember how to form words, but his tongue felt like lead.
"How many?"
"How many what?"
"Bodies, how many bodies, Samuel?" he demanded hollowly, unable to tear his gaze from the scar.
"Seven," Sam answered, and Devin swore. He nearly staggered away from the table, as though the symbol had sapped him of strength. "You’ve seen this before?"
Devin laughed bitterly. "Oh, yes. Yes, I have. So have you."
"What are you doing?" James asked in disbelief as Devin began pulling his shirt up and over his head, revealing the extensive map of scars across his torso.
"Showing you."
The vampire turned and pointed to a thick, ropy scar above his heart. It took a moment, but then Sam breathed in sharply. The mark Devin bore was an incomplete, ruined version of the one marring the corpse.
"What is that, Parker?"
"That," Devin said darkly, "is a binding sigil, and a message. I need to get as far away from you all as possible. Right now."
The words may as well have been a physical blow, judging by Sam’s expression. He needed to get better at hiding his feelings, Devin thought distantly.
"I don’t understand," Sam said, quiet.
"Beelzebub is hunting me, and she doesn’t like to share. She’ll take each of you apart in front of me, slowly, if she gets the chance. I don’t intend on giving it to her. Burn the bodies and forget you ever knew me; I’ll be gone within the hour."
Title: Heart-Stopping
Fandom: Original Universe
Rating/Warnings: Mentions of blood, dead bodies; PG?
Bonus: No
Word Count: 989
Summary: Devin's past is quite literally coming back to hunt him.
There was a sharp knock at his door, and before he could say anything it opened. James never waited. The hunter had always been rude to Devin, and the vampire couldn’t blame him. He was the enemy, living among them. It was unnatural, and just as Devin didn’t relish the idea of James and the others becoming accustomed to his presence – or, God forbid, beginning to like him – he could tell that James was uncomfortable with something less than outright hostility towards each other.
"Sam needs you."
"And he couldn’t just call me himself because…?"
James rolled his eyes. "He called me, wants both of us; you’re on the way." Without another word, he headed back out into the concrete corridor, leaving Devin’s door open. He would always get digs in where he could, but this was subtly different. James carried tension the way Devin did, both eternally coiled like springs ready for action. What he had just seen and heard in fifteen seconds of interaction was not simply the usual tightness. Something was awry.
Devin let that thought settle for a moment or two before he got up and followed James. It was a short walk to the stairwell and a floor down to the infirmary. Sam was nowhere to be seen, since currently the team was hale and whole. James gestured over his shoulder when Devin entered that they should make their way to the morgue. He pushed one of the heavy metal doors open and didn’t hold it for Devin, who caught it before it swung into his face.
Inside, Sam was bent over a body he was autopsying, his hair covered in a protective cap and wearing a blue apron over a set of scrubs. The apron and his latex gloves were coated in dark, stagnant blood. Not a human body, Devin surmised as he stood at James’ shoulder outside the bright circle of light that made already too-pale vampire skin appear white as a sheet. His eyes slid over the spidery pattern of veins beneath, along the corpse, and finally up to Sam’s face.
"Rather pointless to perform an autopsy on a twice-dead creature, isn’t it?"
Sam and James exchanged a brief glance before the hunter spoke. "It’s useful to know how or why something kills one of you."
"So you can make it more efficient," the vampire understood. He sounded approving. "Haven’t you got your consortium for this kind of study?"
"We do, but when something unexpected comes up, the local hub is usually responsible," Sam chimed in, extracting his hands from the dead vampire’s chest cavity. "Shipping vampire bodies around is too risky under most circumstances."
Devin’s eyebrows had gone up. "This isn’t most circumstances, then?"
"Not even close," Sam affirmed.
"This body was local," James cut in. "But it’s not the first Sam’s been tapped to examine. There have been others across New England, enough to suggest a genuine pattern."
"You’ve been keeping this from me," the vampire observed calmly, holding Sam’s gaze. The doctor looked apologetic.
"I hope you don’t think I’m stupid enough to tell you everything that crosses my radar, Parker," James growled. "You’re on a need-to-know basis."
"Stupidity is in the eye of the beholder," Devin said cheerfully. "And apparently, I now need to know. What’s killing them?"
The silence that followed gave Devin his answer well before anyone spoke. Uncertainty.
"We have no idea," Sam admitted. "Granted, there’s still a lot about vampire biology we don’t understand but this… this is entirely foreign to me and to anyone else with a clue."
"They’re just dropping dead."
At that, Devin turned abruptly to look at James, startled confusion written across his features. "Excuse me?"
"There are zero discernible indicators for cause of death," Sam restated. "I’ve gone over them again and again; I’ve done every test I can think of. Nothing. Except this."
The doctor gestured for Devin to come closer, and he leaned in to peer at where Sam was pointing. It was the vampire’s heart, no longer hidden behind flesh and bone. And on its surface, a scar that could only have been put there intentionally, forming the rough shape of a symbol.
If Devin had a pulse, it would have stopped. Everything about him stilled, face suddenly ashen and eyes wide in shock. Primal, jagged fear shot through him.
"Devin?" Sam’s voice seemed to come from very far away, and he sounded concerned. The vampire tried to remember how to form words, but his tongue felt like lead.
"How many?"
"How many what?"
"Bodies, how many bodies, Samuel?" he demanded hollowly, unable to tear his gaze from the scar.
"Seven," Sam answered, and Devin swore. He nearly staggered away from the table, as though the symbol had sapped him of strength. "You’ve seen this before?"
Devin laughed bitterly. "Oh, yes. Yes, I have. So have you."
"What are you doing?" James asked in disbelief as Devin began pulling his shirt up and over his head, revealing the extensive map of scars across his torso.
"Showing you."
The vampire turned and pointed to a thick, ropy scar above his heart. It took a moment, but then Sam breathed in sharply. The mark Devin bore was an incomplete, ruined version of the one marring the corpse.
"What is that, Parker?"
"That," Devin said darkly, "is a binding sigil, and a message. I need to get as far away from you all as possible. Right now."
The words may as well have been a physical blow, judging by Sam’s expression. He needed to get better at hiding his feelings, Devin thought distantly.
"I don’t understand," Sam said, quiet.
"Beelzebub is hunting me, and she doesn’t like to share. She’ll take each of you apart in front of me, slowly, if she gets the chance. I don’t intend on giving it to her. Burn the bodies and forget you ever knew me; I’ll be gone within the hour."
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