Experiment
Escapee
31 years
95 posts
0 likes
Played by Scorch
|
Post by Drew Schultz on Aug 6, 2016 10:38:38 GMT -5
The morning was a quiet one, the kind that Drew preferred to spend playing his guitar, watching the mild drizzle through the window. Most mornings, he would have done it, too. The guitar would have lent him a sense of security and calm that he'd been lacking for the past week or so. But he didn't dare to disturb the bedroom today, not when Lilith was asleep in his bed. She'd not slept well the night before, and when she'd woken in the middle of the night, she'd panicked for a second to find him in bed beside her. He'd slept on the couch the rest of the night, not caring how uncomfortable it was for a man of his size. If it would help her get the rest she needed, it was worth the sacrifice and the soreness.
It had been some time since he'd used the light switch, since he could see equally well in darkness and light, and so he made coffee in the kitchen with the dim light of the morning sunshine filtered through fog and clouds. Leaning forward on the counter as he waited for the pot to fill, he breathed in the scent of coffee as it began to infiltrate the still apartment. The groceries he had would last for another week, probably, if he was conservative with them. At this point, he kept from leaving his apartment when at all possible, which had pushed him even further into his boss's debt, but what other choice did he have? He couldn't leave her alone.
The microwave beeped and he opened the door to reveal the sausage patties that would make up his breakfast. He pulled the plate out with his fingers, a droplet of water rolling down his finger and hissing off of the ceramic as he poured himself a cup of black coffee. Once his breakfast was prepared, he crossed the living room and sat on the couch, sinking into it a little.
With a sausage patty in between his teeth, he switched on the television and put the remote on the seat next to him. The volume was low enough that Lilith wouldn't be bothered by it, but his ears were sensitive enough to pick it up anyway. The ringing in his ears from the gunfire had subsided a few days before, thankfully. He'd felt half-blind in those days afterward, with his most significant early-warning system on the fritz. The news were not usually of great interest to him, but he had learned what signs to watch for, to know when Axium was on the move. Mysterious disappearances. Tragic deaths of healthy people.
|
|
Illusionist
Civilian
123
85 posts
3 likes
Played by Kat
|
Post by Lilith Prescott on Aug 7, 2016 14:51:39 GMT -5
There was so much darkness...
Lilith's feet felt heavy as she waded through the thick darkness. It almost felt as if it had substance, like heavy smoke that felt like it was able to stop you in your tracks. She didn't know what she was running from, just that she needed to go the way she was going. She felt fear spike in her mind.
There was hope in a twinkle of light at the end, but no matter how fast or how far she ran towards it, it never got any closer.
Tripping, Lilith fell into the thick blackness as it swallowed her whole....a silent scream leaving her lips...
Lilith sat up straight in bed, her hand over her mouth to stop the scream that was about to erupt from her. Her breathing was heavy as she slowly lowered her hand, heaving deep breaths of air in her lungs. Looking around, she recognized where she was, it was Drews room. Drew. She felt tears soak her cheeks. She grasped the blankets, her eyes taking in the darkened room. It was clear the sun wasn't coming through the window, but there was some light coming through. Lilith could hear the rain on the windows.
She curled the blankets closer to her chest. Every morning she woke from the same nightmare of darkness swallowing her and it terrified her to no end. She hated the darkness, and just wanted light back in her life. Her stomach ached and she looked down, assessing the partially healed wounds she had. Moving stiffly, she slid out of the bed. The door was partially opened and she stopped beside it, her eyes squinting against the brighter light of the living room. She leaned against the door, looking at Drew. It smelled like sausage and she swallowed. She wasn't hungry, she knew she should be...but food just didn't sound appealing. She already knew in the short time she had lost some weight, become thinner.
Taking a couple steps away from the door, she chewed on her bottom lip. Should she go into the living room. Lilith felt bad that Drew hadn't slept in the bed last night, because of her. She maybe should go home...stop burdening him so much...she knew he wouldn't let her but still...she let out a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt herself sway, and leaned against the wall, sliding down it into a sitting position. The not eating was taking a toll on her, but she couldn't let Drew know that. She felt more tears fall down her face. Wiping them away, she studied her fingers. They were cold. She realized she was cold. She glanced at the door.
The warmth she sought was right in there, all she had to do was get up and take it. She used the wall for support as she got to her feet, opening the door a bit. Could she do it? "Drew.." Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.
|
|
Experiment
Escapee
31 years
95 posts
0 likes
Played by Scorch
|
Post by Drew Schultz on Aug 7, 2016 15:41:14 GMT -5
Drew looked up as he heard the door move, and he could smell Lilith nearby, but he didn't move to get up until he heard her voice. The contrast between the quiet, fearful Lilith and the cheerful, chatty Lilith that he had first met was one that bothered him on a fundamental level, one that made him equally afraid for her and angry at the people who had done this to her, and made her this way. He should never have allowed even one of them to escape with their lives. The time he'd spent in the real world had made him soft, and the thought made him clench his jaw before he put his plate down on the side table. Standing, he made his way over to her and opened the door. Her face already looked sharper, her joints a little more pronounced, and he knew it was because she wasn't eating. Whether she tried to hide it or not, he could tell.
"Good morning," he said, trying to smile and managing only a vague quirk of his lips.
He knelt in front of her, his hand moving to rub her cool fingertips. His attempt at a smile became a frown as he felt how cold she was. It was like touching the skin of a corpse. He had never been very good at walking on eggshells, so he could only do his best to help her without frightening her. On his knee, he was shorter than she was, minimizing his sheer size. He still hadn't decided how much she remembered of the aftermath of the farmhouse, but he was afraid to ask. Did she fear him now? He didn't think so, but sometimes she shied away from him as if she did.
It reminded him of the few occasions in which he'd been allowed to interact with the smaller children at Axium, the ones who'd just had their memories wiped. They'd all had that same vague, fearful cast to their eyes, mixed with a confusion that he could do nothing to alleviate. The comparison only made him angry, and he stood slowly.
"I made coffee and sausage patties," he told her, extending his hand to help her to her feet. "If you're hungry, you can have some. If not, well... I guess you can just watch the news with me."
|
|
Illusionist
Civilian
123
85 posts
3 likes
Played by Kat
|
Post by Lilith Prescott on Aug 7, 2016 17:40:42 GMT -5
Watching Drew walk up to her, she weighted for the feeling of fear to fill her. She waited as he knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his. His were so warmth, and she could feel the warmth permeate through her skin, up her arms. It was the most delicious feeling to her, and her hair stood on end as she felt his warmth in her hands. Looking at his face, she noticed his frown and resisted the urge to pull her hands away from his. She took one hand, touching his warm cheek. Her fingers were still warm from his hands and she sighed, moving a bit closer to him.
This was what she had been missing, the light. She knew that the nightmares wouldn't stop, that recovery was really only beginning. But to feel Drew next to her, she had truly missed the feeling of him. Closing her eyes, Lilith moved her hands through his hair. It was like a whole new experience as she slid down and knelt next to him so she could wrap her arms around him, mostly, and feel his warmth move through her chest. Feeling the hot tears trickle down her cheeks she buried her face on his shoulder.
"Drew I'm sorry...I feel..." She sucked in a breath, trying to banish the thoughts that were trying to crowd her mind. Lilith pulled away from Drew, wiping her face. She wasn't really hungry, but coffee sounded good, and she gave him a strained smile. "I'll get better....and coffee sounds good.." Well it was a start.
|
|
Experiment
Escapee
31 years
95 posts
0 likes
Played by Scorch
|
Post by Drew Schultz on Aug 8, 2016 8:06:47 GMT -5
His eyes narrowed with confusion as she spoke, apologizing to him. What could she possibly have to apologize for? Still, he chose not to comment on it, but nodded and headed to the kitchen to get her the coffee. He didn't have a whole lot of dishes, considering that he had lived alone until quite recently, and never had visitors, but he could spare a mug for her, even if it was only one of three that he owned. He poured the cup for her, enjoying the steam that rose from the cup. He paused, biting his lip as he tried to remember how she had taken her coffee, the one time that she had made it. It had been over a month ago, and so much had happened since then...
Absorbed as he was in making the coffee, it didn't register in his mind that the news had taken a dark turn. The news anchor looked grave on the small screen as he moved on from the weather to the next story on his docket, his gray mustache shifting around under his wide nose.
"And now from Deckard County, we have Channel Five anchor Sera Rollins at the scene of what officials are calling the deadliest multiple murder in recent history," he announced. "We have been asked to warn you that some of this footage may be considered graphic and disturbing to some viewers. Sera?"
"Thank you, Harris," the woman announced, appearing in the corner of the screen in her hot pink business suit.
The middle-aged woman stood in the front yard of the farm house, clearly scrambling to keep her professional demeanor intact. Bullet holes decorated the faded white paint of the wall behind her, along with a mass of red and blue lights that showed that the police were still on the scene. The yellow tape that kept her from contaminating the crime scene also held back press from the surrounding counties, and one of the younger reporters was scribbling on a notebook in the background, looking decidedly green.
"Police responded to the 911 call of a passerby this morning, who stumbled upon the scene of a grisly multiple murder on his morning jog," she reported, holding the mic just a little too close to her chin. "Details are still sketchy, but the police have confirmed that at least 11 dead bodies were recovered at the scene, some of them exhibiting signs of an animal attack, which leads them to suspect the use of dogs in the deadly attack."
The camera panned to a wide shot of the yard, which still had certain patches stained red, although the bodies had been removed. By that point, Drew had returned to the living room with the coffee in hand. His eyes hardened as he saw the news report, with the byline that read, "Unknown Assailants Murder 11."
"At this time, the police have not identified any suspects, but say that they are running down any leads that they can find. If you or anyone you know has information on this heinous attack, police are asking that you call the non-emergency number listed on the screen. Back to you, Harris."
Drew clicked the television off, wishing that he had gotten to it sooner. The last thing Lilith needed was to see that place again.
|
|
Illusionist
Civilian
123
85 posts
3 likes
Played by Kat
|
Post by Lilith Prescott on Aug 19, 2016 23:15:30 GMT -5
Watching Drew move to the kitchen, Lilith moved to the couch and sat down. She was still watching Drew's muscles move as he worked about in the kitchen, making coffee and what not and she felt a small smile touch her face. She knew she was going to be fine as long as she had Drew here in her life. Letting out a small sigh, she leaned back, looking at the television. The news was on and she was about to switch it when a familiar house panned into view, a news lady standing in front of it in a bright pink suit. Lilith froze, her heart stopping for a second.
Gulping she tried to push the darkness from her mind until she heard what the woman on the television was saying. 11 people...dead? Animals used in the attack? Her eyes widened as she choked down some bile from her stomach. As the story ended the television clicked off in front of her. Drew was there, and she slowly turned and looked at him. He was the only one there at the house....as far as she remembered he was the one who got her and there was no one else.
She stood up, moving away from him. "Was...was that all you?" Lilith hadn't known the exact way he had gotten to her, and knew that he had to have been mad about everything. But....he wasn't really a killer right? He was her sweet Drew. The one who had made sweet love to her, the one who helped her when she nearly broke her neck at the church, and slept on the couch when she freaked out about nightmares and him in bed. She shook her head, her hands pushing her wild red hair away from her face. Lilith turned away. "Drew...no...you..you don't kill people. Not like that....not...it couldn't have been you...you.." She felt tears fall down her face.
There was no other explanation. He had to have murdered all those people. She felt her world fracture. She was in love with someone who murdered in such....a way. He murdered all those people. And to top it all off...he had done it to get to her. Her eyes widened as she let that thought sink in. For her. It was her fault those people were dead. She fell to her knees, wiping her tears. Because of her, 11 people were dead. She felt her nails dig into her skin as she grabbed her head, trying to find some excuse, some reasoning through the fact that was sitting in her mind.
----------
]]]]]]]]]]]
|
|
Experiment
Escapee
31 years
95 posts
0 likes
Played by Scorch
|
Post by Drew Schultz on Aug 20, 2016 12:10:03 GMT -5
Drew could only grit his teeth as she finally seemed to grasp what had happened. Part of him was grieved to see her in pain, and it made his wolf restless to know that there was nothing that they could do to make it better. His wolf was a creature of pure instinct, which was simultaneously its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It couldn't understand context, only that their mate was in pain, and that it was his job to put a stop to it. But the human part of him was irrationally furious. The tears leaking through her fingers made him remember how he had found her. He could still hear the scream of horror and pain that had led him into the house, still see the terror in her bloodshot eyes, and her naked body, bruised and covered in her own blood. Those men didn't deserve to be grieved, especially by their victim.
"Don't you dare cry for those men," he growled, unable to censor himself to allow for her feelings.
His footsteps were virtually silent as he walked around and knelt beside her. He reached for the palm of her hand, his heart aching for the smallness of it as he gently pinched it in between his thumb and index finger and pulled it toward himself. The amber of his eyes didn't show anger, since it was from the distress of his wolf, rather than the anger of the man, but there was still an intensity about his pale stare as he made sure that she was looking into his eyes. He wanted her full attention.
"What I did..." he said, his rough voice quiet. "I regret none of it. You can't afford to stay this naive. There are people in this world who are predators inside, down at the soul. Those people would not blink twice about hurting you. If you aren't prepared to respond in kind, you will not survive to celebrate your moral high ground. That is the truth of this world."
As much as she seemed to understand his past in the abstract, he could tell from the look on her face that she had never understood the full implications of it. He was dangerous, and it didn't have a lot to do with either his powers or his training. It was the fact that the rampant abuse of his childhood had made it so that he didn't see most people as real, unless he could see their pain and empathize with them. Hurting those men hadn't bothered him, and it still didn't, because he didn't register them as human beings. They were obstacles, targets. Only alive to be destroyed. The only thing that bothered him about it all was the fourteen that he'd allowed to escape. The wolf didn't like to leave witnesses.
Perhaps it was best that she had never seen this side of him before. It had allowed her to see the heart of the man before she had ever seen what the world had made of him.
|
|
Illusionist
Civilian
123
85 posts
3 likes
Played by Kat
|
Post by Lilith Prescott on Aug 21, 2016 23:27:40 GMT -5
Lilith flinched when he took her hand. It was more that she wasn't expecting it, and she glanced up into his eyes. There was no anger there. He growled out that she should not cry for the death, that they wouldn't have blinked at hurting her. They didn't blink twice at hurting her. That night flew back into her memory in crystal clear quality. Her eyes widened and she buried her face into Drew's shoulder.
Everything he had told her was true. She leaned into his warmth, trying to banish all the memories from that night. He was a murderer. She let out a breath. Her thoughts were moving a mile a minute. He murdered 11 people. But those people didn't care. He called her naive...in which he was right. But her life had always been this way, normal. Well..before last month it had been. She felt his arms encircle her. He may be a murderer, but he saved her. She would have died. She pulled away, wiping her face.
"I am naive, Drew. I...I am." Lilith moved her hands to his chest, noticing how small they were and dropping them self consciously. She cast her eyes down. She needed to grow up. The pink scars on her body proved that she needed to. She placed her hands on her stomach, taking a couple of deep breaths. She felt her eyes tear up again and turned away from Drew, pacing to one end of the living room.
No matter what had happened, Drew had saved her. He had been there....he killed people for her, and her accepting that was her accepting the love she felt for him. She looked out the window, chewing on her cheek. Drews presence always filled the room, and she knew he was distressed. She licked her lips, and putting her hand on the window, feeling tears drip down her face again. The rain was pouring down now and she realized she had a choice.
She could go back to the life she had before...with all the memories of what had happened...with all the loneliness of it. Or she could stay here, with Drew. She gulped, her choice being made for her when she turned around and quickly walked up to Drew, throwing her arms around his waist, resting her forehead on his chest. She breathed in his smell, memorizing it. She wanted to remember this moment, the feel of his muscles under her hands, of his warmth that he always seemed to possess. She wanted this moment to never end.
Her voice was a whisper against his chest. "I love you."
|
|
Experiment
Escapee
31 years
95 posts
0 likes
Played by Scorch
|
Post by Drew Schultz on Aug 22, 2016 17:16:16 GMT -5
He didn't stand up to follow as she began to pace, though the amber tone of his eyes stayed bright as his gaze followed her back and forth. Instead, he forced himself to stay put, knowing that she was having trouble squaring with what he had said. It wasn't until he smelled the salt of her tears that he stood, and he was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him again, pressing her nose into his shirt. He gently wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on top of the head. The scent of her hair was calming, and it allowed his eyes to finally fade back to their usual dark brown. He held her there for a long moment before answering her, his hesitation due mostly to the fact that he couldn't remember ever saying the words before.
"I love you too," he said, wanting to pull her in tighter, but not daring to, in case he scared her.
He could hear a car rolling into the parking lot, but it wasn't until he heard a pair of unfamiliar voices on the stairs and the muffled chatter of a radio that he tensed and stood to his full height. The creaking of leather on the staircase left little doubt as to who it was. Their scent, strengthened by the humidity and the wetness of their skin, was unfamiliar, but he still knew who it was. What were the police doing on his floor? He looked to the door a few seconds before there was a knock at the door.
Drew released Lilith as he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking through the door. For the first time since all of this began, he felt the chill of fear climb his spine.
"NOPD, open up!" the male voice commanded, following with a few more heavy knocks on the door.
Lifting a finger to Lilith in a request that she say nothing, he crossed the few large strides to the door and unlocked the privacy lock and the deadbolt, before swinging the door open. The two police officers at the door paused, their eyes meeting him somewhere in mid-chest before rising to take in his full size, the younger one in the back had wide eyes, but the solid, dark-skinned man in front had a better poker face.
"Are you Drew Maxwell Schultz?" the officer asked, his hand resting on his belt, but not quite the gun.
"I am," the much larger man answered, tilting his head as if in curiosity. "What can I help you with, officers?"
"I'm going to need you to come downtown with us," the officer said. "You are a person of interest in an ongoing homicide investigation, and we're going to need to ask you a few questions."
"Am I being arrested?" Drew inquired, lifting an eyebrow.
"Not at this time."
Drew nodded, glancing back at Lilith for a moment. The fact that they were not arresting him meant that they didn't have enough evidence to tie him to the crime scene. Without evidence, they wouldn't be able to hold him, and that meant that all that they had was the word of that trash that he had allowed to live. In legalese, that was called "hearsay." According to his boss, anyway. Perhaps this wasn't as bad as he thought.
It took a minute to get his shoes, but it wasn't long before the three of them were heading for the police car. Suppressing his discomfort at the rain, he headed out. Time to get it over with.
|
|
Illusionist
Civilian
123
85 posts
3 likes
Played by Kat
|
Post by Lilith Prescott on Aug 23, 2016 13:24:18 GMT -5
Lilith couldn't begin to express the joy her heart felt when Drew said those words back to her. She loved the feel of his arms around her and she smiled into his shirt, her first real smile in a month. She placed a gentle kiss on his chest, before he released her. She blinked, about to question why when there was a knock at the door. Her eyes widened as the voice spoke through loudly. The police? She let out a breath, her chest tightening as Drew raised a finger, telling her silently to be quiet. She nodded, frozen in place as Drew answered the door.
The police were here. They were going to take the one good thing she had left in her life away from her. She listened to Drew talk calmly at the door. He glanced over at her and she held her breath. He knew what he was doing...right? Then he was grabbing his shoes and he was gone. Lilith stared at the door. They had said he wasn't being arrested. And he was smart. She pulled her hair up, nodding. He would be home before she knew it. She knew he was careful...he was always cautious about everything. But....what if he had messed up. What if because he was desperately trying to get to her, he had screwed something up and left some kind of evidence of himself behind. She moved to the window, staring at the rain hit the pavement of the street below.
How fitting that it would be raining. She sunk to the ground, placing her forehead on her knees, tears leaking from her eyes. She was partially amazed that she could even still cry. She should be tougher than this, Drew was going to be ok. It was going to be ok. She stayed like that as the rain continued to pound on the window, and before she knew it, her eye lids were heavy. She never slept well anymore, and she fought it for a few minutes before sleep claimed her.
There was Drew. He was standing in front of her. Everything was dark but him, he was filled with light and around him was filled with light. He held out his hand. Lilith smiled, running to him. After a few steps, she felt her foot stick, and looked down as black sludge filled the floor where she was, preventing her from running any further.
Panicking, Lilith looked back up. Drew was frowning and just standing there. She was trying desperately to get to him before something happened. Something was going to happen, and she struggling, falling over. The sludge started engulfing her hands, and she let out a silent scream, her eyes searching for Drew. The light, it was gone. Where did it go? Her breathing quickened as she felt the sludge swallowing her up, choking her and filling her lungs as she attempted to scream.
Lilith woke, gasping for air. She took in deep breaths of air, tears streaming down her face. Looking around, she was on the floor under the window, light was still streaming in. She must have only been asleep for a couple hours at most. She curled up into a ball, trying to banish the darkness from the nightmare she had. It was just a dream. "Just a dream...nothing more. Drew will be back soon and everything will be fine and we will live our life happily...together." Lilith whispered to herself, pushing herself off the floor. She stumbled into the bedroom, pulling out one of Drews shirts. She held it to her face, breathing in his smell. Putting it on, she crawled into his bed. His smell surrounded her and it was a source of comfort as she waited for him to return.
|
|
Experiment
Escapee
31 years
95 posts
0 likes
Played by Scorch
|
Post by Drew Schultz on Aug 24, 2016 8:01:45 GMT -5
It took a few hours to be released, considering that the cops had no real evidence to hold him with. He knew that they were waiting for some evidence to tie him to the scene of the crime so that they could press charges. Without that vital detail, they could only hold him for 72 hours, and they had gotten nothing out of him that would help. All they had was suspicious accusations, and the fact that he had been declared legally dead a number of years ago. With no criminal record, and the fact that his prints and dental records weren't in the system, they could only suppose that it was a clerical error, rather than an intentional alias. In all, it went as well as Drew could have hoped, except for the one detail that escaped his notice. The man at the booking counter who caught a glimpse of Drew's barcode tattoo didn't say anything, but he had sent the message before Drew walked back out the front doors.
Axium was coming. And Drew had missed the clues that should have been his early warning.
It had been a few hours since he'd left Lilith behind at his apartment, but fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time he made it home. Turning the key in the lock, he opened the door to find that the lights were all still off. Sniffing unobtrusively, he caught Lilith's scent. She was still here. He closed the door behind himself and locked it again, turning the deadbolt into place before he took off his wet shoes and socks. Finding his way into the bedroom, he laid down behind her and pulled her close, relaxing his rein on his body temperature in response to her cool skin.
"I'm home," he rumbled, his voice soft. "Are you okay?"
The smell of fear lingered over the bed, the evidence that she had been having more of the nightmares that seemed to have characterized her sleep over the past weeks. It was a sour scent in his nose, but one that he was growing used to. In the shadows of the bedroom, she couldn't see how the scent stirred the wolf, casting his dark eyes to gold for a moment. With her safe in his arms, it didn't take much effort to get the wolf to subside, as if it had woken for a moment and then curled up to go back to sleep. As long as she was here in his arms, there was no price too high for him to pay. He knew that he would have gone to jail with no regrets, if it had gone down that way.
Pressing his face into the gap between her shoulder and her neck, he moved her ginger hair and gently kissed the fragrant skin there.
|
|
Illusionist
Civilian
123
85 posts
3 likes
Played by Kat
|
Post by Lilith Prescott on Aug 24, 2016 8:58:30 GMT -5
Lilith felt the bed move and opened her eyes, feeling warm arms move around her and push her back up against a warm, solid body. Drew was home. She smiled as his voice rumbled behind her, her smile drooping a little when he asked if she was ok. She leaned into him, not thinking about anything that had happened, the police, the farm house, her nightmares...none of it mattered. What mattered was this blissful love she felt for the man who was placing kisses on her neck.
Smile returning, Lilith turned around on the bed, a feat that twisted up the shirt she was wearing. She touched his face gently. "I am better now that you are home. Is...is everything ok?" Her eyes turned nervous for a second, but the calm that completely exuded off of Drew helped calm her. Here was this man, who would do anything for her. Their love was a love that defied all other love out there. Lilith would die happily drowning in the dark depths of Drews eyes, it would be a blissful death.
Blinking, she quickly banished those weird death thoughts and pressed up against Drew. "I love you." She so loved saying those words to him, and in response she felt lips cover her own, soon becoming a tangled mess of arms and legs as Lilith put her feelings into every kiss and ever touch, the darkness leaving her mind completely as she gave in to the love and light that was Drew.
[fade to black]
-----
END
-short but I felt the need for the super sappy post explaining their love blah blah blah before tragedy hits!!!!!
|
|