Wickenburg - Alone in the Dark ((Brennan))

[LILY RANIARI]

Lily wiped sweat from her brow on the sleeve of her dress, scowling a bit at the hot, bright sun overhead.

Sighing, she trudged along, wondering at her decision to go out for a walk on such an inhospitable day. But, truthfully, she'd spent so much time inside working at the shop, or at home cleaning and preparing everything for her parents' return--whenever that may be--that she just had to get out for a while. So she'd packed a small lunch into a basket, hidden her 1858 Remington revolver in the secret pocket in her skirt, and set out.

Lily had lived the past couple of years in Wickenburg, but had really done little to get to know anything about her surroundings. Partly it was stubbornness on her part, for she thought that if she remained aloof and miserable for long enough, her parents would notice and finally send her back home, to Avignon, France. Partly too, though, it was because she had a lot of trouble speaking and understanding English, which meant she hadn't made any real connections with anyone in the town. Without friends, why even bother leaving the house, after all?

Just a little ways outside of town, there were a handful of old, abandoned mines, boarded up and left nearly twenty years ago, when gold had been found elsewhere in the area. The thought of those tunnels had always intrigued Lily, and she'd wanted to go check them out for a long time. True, she was a little afraid, but it wasn't like they were far away. Close enough to town to make her feel safe, but far enough way to seem adventurous...

In short, they were exactly what Lily needed right now to make things exciting and interesting.

Reaching the mines took barely a half hour, and she decided to sit and eat before exploring. Once she'd had her fill of the bread and hard cheese that she'd brought along, Lily wrapped the left over food back up and tucked it into the pocket of her skirt, leaving the cumbersome basket behind as she made her way over to one of the boarded up shafts.

As she neared, Lily frowned a little. It looked like some of the boards had been removed, leaving a space large enough for someone her size--or a little bit bigger--to squeeze through.

Probably one of the children from town, she thought, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

Crouching down, Lily peeked her head in, trying to get a good look inside. It was far too dark though, and she mentally cursed herself for not having brought some candles, or a lantern. Sighing, she was just about to stand and leave when a sound from within the tunnel caught her attention. It had been a soft, scraping sound... Like someone or something walking...

"H... Hello?" she called out, that single word heavily accented.

Suddenly there was a rush of air, and Lily barely had time to let out a shrill, terrified scream as a pair of powerful arms shot forward to grab her, dragging her roughly inside. Before the girl had a chance to try and reach for her gun, or to even scream for help, her head was knocked against the roof of the tunnel, and everything went dark.

***

Lily didn't know how much time had passed when she finally awoke, her wrists and ankles bound in rough rope.

She was laying on cold, damp stone, surrounded by the deepest, most hopeless darkness she'd ever known. There was no inkling of light at all, not even the faint flicker of a candle, or the dim glow of starlight. Nothing, just the all encompassing blackness.

Panic welled up within her, and all she could do was scream and scream.

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan’s mind wandered in the muggy heat as she rode, almost dozing in the saddle.

She’d been called out of her bed at an indecent hour last night and ridden hard to reach the tailor’s wife as she struggled to deliver. It was the first baby for the young woman, barely out of childhood herself, and labor had not treated her kindly. By the time the tailor’s brother had arrived at Brennan’s farm, she had already been struggling to deliver for going on three hours, and it had been another ten before she had anything to show for it. Finally, though, the newborn was delivered, clean, and happily nursing by the time Brennan and the local physician had packed up their things and headed home. They had parted ways some miles back, and now Brennan’s eyes drooped as the adrenaline wore off and she was finally able to relax.

Her bay gelding was an old hand at this by now, and he plodded steadily back toward her homestead, his swaying walk lulling her into a stupor. Luckily, though strenuous, there had been no other problems with the delivery, and Brennan hadn’t needed to bring her healing energy into play. Aiding a mother in labor in this way was thankfully less conspicuous than healing an injury outright, and Brennan hadn’t yet been caught at it. That’s not to say that it would never happen, but the witch had been meticulously careful about using her powers, and she hoped that she’d never have need to flee her home. On top of that, healing could be strenuous, and she was grateful that she hadn’t ended up passed out for the better part of the afternoon.

At least she didn’t have to worry about her livestock, few though they may be, and her chores. When it looked like they were in it for the long haul, the tailor’s brother had been kind enough to ride back out to her farm and make sure everything was taken care of. There wasn’t much he could do in the way of harvesting magical ingredients or working on the various polices, liniments, and salves she was making, but the animals were fed, the cow was milked, and the eggs had been brought in for the day. Therefore, she wasn’t in any all fire hurry to get back, so there was no use pushing her gelding in a heat spell like this. She had never been one to cause anyone unnecessary discomfort, person or animal, and she could only hope that most other intelligent folk behaved the same.

At least around her, anyway, or they could hope that they didn’t come down with something that the physician couldn’t take care of. Most folks knew that the local physician had a good heart and could fix most common ailments, but they were happy to travel the longer distance out to her farm when there was something he just couldn’t deal with. She could and would turn someone away, however, if they felt the need toward needless and outright cruelty. It had taken her a long time to decide, and then to make peace with her decision, but she couldn’t abide by letting thoughtless people do what they would with nary a nevermind. She wouldn’t carry it to the point of letting someone die, but a little physical discomfort could be a mighty useful tool for getting someone to stop and think about things.

Brennan’s thoughts ground to a halt as a scream split through the air, breaking the torpid silence. Blinking away her stupor, Brennan’s head whipped up and she glanced around, nudging her gelding in a circle as she tried to figure out where it had come from. Brennan was pretty sure that the screaming was coming from the area around the old mines, but there were a good handful in the area, and most of them had two or three entrances. Brennan could only hope that the scream had come from some young thing scared to pieces by a beau’s prank. Every once in awhile, the kids from town would try and enter one of the mines on a dare, and it never ended well for them. Most of the time, it was only their parents tanning their hide, but on occasion… Several years ago, a kid and a couple of his friends had decided to go looking for some fun in one of the more unstable tunnels. The after math was still something no decent person cared to talk about. The two they had found had been barely recognizable, and the third… Well, the third one they never did find under all the rubble.

Scowling in frustration, Brennan now pushed her gelding into a canter, then a gallop as she headed for the nearest mine entrance, leaving the verdant flood plain surrounding the river for the sprawling desert, baked hard in the heat. She slowed the gelding to a jog as she circled the dark entrance, but there was no sign that anyone had been here recently. The boards were still holding solid across its gaping maw, and the dusty ground leading into the sloping tunnel showed nothing but the occasional comings and goings of small rodents. At least it didn’t look like there’d been a cave in, since the dust billowing out would have covered their tracks. Well, it didn’t look like there was anything out of the ordinary here. Frowning, Brennan nudged her gelding around and set off for the next mine shaft.

The witch had checked half a dozen tunnels, and her gelding was sweating profusely in the relentless sun by the time they reached the one where the scream had come from. Where she thought it had come from, at any rate. She was fairly certain this was the place, though, judging by the recent foot prints in the dirt and the gap left by a missing board. This was all she had time to notice, however, as her gelding threw his head up and reared back unexpectedly. Brennan grabbed the saddle horn and threw her weight forward, trying to pull him around while keeping him from breaking her nose as he continued to rear and plunge. She managed to stay on him long enough to get him several yards away, where he seemed to quiet, though his eyes were still showing a bit of white and his movements were stiff and nervous.

Brennan didn’t waste any time throwing her leg over his back and hopping off, dropping his reins to ground tie him. It wouldn’t do any good if whatever had spooked him returned, but he knew the way home, and she’d rather leave him free to run and walk home herself than to have to try and replace him. With a reaction like that, it might’ve been a rattle snake or a pole cat; they both liked dark, dry places to hole up in, and even the big cats could slip through surprisingly small openings. Brennan automatically reached for the revolver at her hip. She might’ve been a woman, but she wasn’t stupid, and she didn’t care what people said about her carrying it, as long as it kept her alive. Bullets were just as good on normal critters as they were against a number of the more supernatural predators, and living alone was a good excuse to justify her carrying it.

Now she held it ready as she slowly approached the mine, scanning the ground for any sign of wildlife as she slipped under a missing board. At least the walls of the mine were chiseled smooth so she wouldn’t have to worry about a pole cat jumping her from above. Glancing around, Brennan conjured a softly glowing ball of witch-light to light her path, murmuring a quick illusion to make sure that anyone that saw it would perceive it as a lantern. That done, Brennan descended into the now eerily silent mine shaft, only now realizing that the strange marks along the floor looked like those of something heavy being dragged through the dust. Or more likely, someone…

~tagged: Lily ~words: 1,349 ~notes: None

[LILY RANIARI]

Lily screamed for what seemed like an eternity, until her voice was hoarse and her throat in agony.

She had no idea how much time had passed since she'd been taken, but surely someone would have noticed her missing by now, wouldn't they? But really, who was there to notice? Her parents were still out on the road, and she didn't have any close friends in town. Lily didn't even really have any casual acquaintances, just a handful of regular customers. And that meant, most likely, no one would notice her absence until the next day, when she didn't open the shop.

But what if the next day had already come and gone? What if no one was going to come for her?

That thought caused two very conflicting feelings to well up inside of her. The first, of course, was despair; she was going to be trapped here until she was killed, or worse. But the second feeling was defiance; how dare someone drag her down here like this? That defiance somehow managed to force aside her fear and despair, and it took hold of her heart and mind, steeling her and driving her on.

Clenching her eyes shut, Lily took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her hands were bound behind her back by some thick, coarse material, like heavy rope. Her fingers were numb, as the rope was tied very tightly, but she managed to feel around until she found a jagged shard of stone, and she used that to begin sawing through her bindings.

That was when she heard it. A faint rasping sound, like someone taking a shallow breath. Then came a scraping, shifting sound.

She wasn't alone.

Panic and fear threatened to take over again, but still that shred of defiance held tightly to her mind. Forcing herself to think clearing, Lily began to cry out again, as much as her raw throat would let her. It wouldn't do to have the other person knowing that she was working to cut through the ropes. And she was so close...

A slight snap accompanied the breaking of the rope around her wrists. Blood flowed suddenly back into her hands, the heat of it causing her to let out a legitimate cry of shock and pain. Whoever was in the darkness with her must have heard the severing of the rope as well, because Lily sensed a shift in the air as something moved suddenly toward her.

Screaming again, she scrambled back, drew the concealed Remington revolver from its hidden pocket in her skirt, and fired a shot into darkness before her. The flash from the shot illuminated everything for just a moment, and what she saw made her blood run cold.

Scrambling toward her in the darkness was a man, or rather, it looked like a man. Even though she saw it for the briefest of seconds, its appearance was temporarily burned into Lily's mind: tall, willowy, skin white and sallow, head smooth and bald; its eyes were inhuman, and its mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth.

The sound of the bullet striking hard stone and ricocheting around what seemed to be a small chamber pulled Lily's attention away from the thing. She curled into a ball, making herself as small as possible to avoid being hit with her own bullet. The sound of the shot reverberated throughout the mine shafts before finally dying down, leaving only silence again.

Then, without warning, strong hands seized Lily, lifting her from the floor throwing her violently across the chamber. She struck the opposite wall hard, sliding down it and vainly trying to cling to consciousness. In the end though, the promise of comforting oblivion was too much to resist, and the darkness claimed her.

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan froze when all sound inside the mine abruptly stopped.

She’d been listening to the poor woman’s screams for the better part of the last hour, and her heart gave a painful lurch, wondering why they had stopped so suddenly. It had been all she could do to bear them in silence, unable to do much of anything to help her. The trail of drag marks had quickly petered out, giving way to smooth rock. Brennan had expected dirt and dust to lay heavy within the abandoned tunnels, but the floor of the passages looked like they had been well traveled of late, the smooth trails lending no insight into where the young woman had been dragged off to.

And then the screams had begun.

The witch’s skin had crawled at the desperate, pleading cries, but at least they had given her a hint as to which direction she needed to go. It had been good luck, too, since it looked like she’d been headed in almost the opposite direction. It had taken her at least half an hour to make her way back to the main tunnel, from what she could judge, but she had been making progress since then. The mine was an unintelligible warren of tunnels, dead ends, pits, and ventilation shafts, but the screaming led her slowly on. Now even that was gone, and Brennan couldn’t help shivering in the sudden silence, praying that she wasn’t too late.

As the witch peeked around the corner and slipped quietly down the tunnel she thought it had been coming from, she grew more and more aware of a sickening smell emanating from the ancient stone. The overpowering stench seemed to cling to her face and lungs, and a spike of fear jolted through her at the stories she had heard of miners falling prey to sour air and deadly gasses clogging the deep tunnels. Brennan didn’t know if she could heal that kind of damage and continue on without breathable air, but she couldn’t turn back now. Not when she was so close, not when she could make the difference between life and death. If it wasn’t too late for the woman already.

Brennan jumped violently as the screaming suddenly started up again a short distance away. Trying to control her breathing in the uncertain air, she cautiously sped up, hoping the screaming would mask her footsteps. The oppressive tons of stone seemed to absorb and reflect sound of its own accord, sometimes muffling it completely, and sometimes throwing it in strange directions, playing with the direction and distance without regard. There was no doubt that Brennan was almost there now, though. The screaming was getting louder, it must be coming from just ahead…

Brennan redoubled her pace as she heard a single gunshot, then silence once more. The screaming had stopped once more, but this time it didn’t start up again. Caution be damned. Brennan raced toward an opening up ahead, skidding around the corner, witch-light bouncing crazily off the jagged stone. It took a moment for her eyes to make sense of what she was seeing.

The monster was unlike anything Brennan had seen before, and that was no mean feat. Pale and skeletal, it’s skin hung from the framework of its bones as if it was a starved thing. And maybe it was. In the glowing light, Brennan could make out a handful of discarded bones, but not as many as she might have expected if the monster had been here for any length of time. That didn’t mean that it couldn’t have several of these hidey holes all throughout the abandoned mine, but from what she could tell, these were all human bones, and there hadn’t been a rash of disappearances in these parts. At least not in town, anyway, and she didn’t think the mines stretched far enough to get into Indian territory.

Indians…

That sparked something in the back of her mind… It seemed like there was an old Indian legend about a monster, starving and pale, that fed on human flesh. Weendigo, Witiko, something like that? She couldn’t remember the specifics, but she distinctly remembered hearing the legend from an old trader. He’d heard about them from a tribe in the rough, cold country to the far north, though, and it had sounded like that’s where they preferred to stay. Well, apparently this one hadn’t gotten the message, or else the old trader’s information had been off. Either way, she needed to figure out how to kill it. It seemed like the old trader had mentioned something along those lines, but damned if she could remember what it was now.

And she wasn’t going to have time to dwell on it.

Brennan brought her revolver up and fired three shots point blank as the creature advanced on her. Damn the thing was fast! She couldn’t be sure if any of the shots had hit it or not, but if they had, they certainly weren’t slowing it down any. Brennan barely missed the creatures claws as she ducked out of the way, further into the cavern. Maybe if she could get him to back up a little, she could block off the entrance long enough to tend to his victim. She had no idea whether the thing would be able to break through a shielding circle or not, but she supposed she’d find out. Gathering her magic about her, Brennan simultaneously fired another three round burst and sent a wall of power rushing toward him, slamming the thing backwards.

Wasting no time, Brennan called up a protective barrier across the entrance to the cavern, watching warily to see how the monster would fare against it. It seemed to have him stymied for the moment, so Brennan took another few moments to reload her revolver. That done, she turned her attention to the creature’s victim, frowning as she realized that she recognized her. She’d met the young woman in passing on her visits into town. She ran a general store of sorts, but mostly the shop specialized in high fashion items, something Brennan could never afford to waste time or money on. Seemed like she did well enough, though, or at least well enough that her parents could afford to travel most of the time. She’d have to be careful around her and not give herself away. Her farm was all she had left, and it wouldn’t do for one of the townsfolk to show up injured from the mines and start blabbing about witchcraft.

Sighing, Brennan approached the young woman and knelt next to her, carefully reaching out to check for the pulse at her neck. It looked like she had taken quite a hit to the head, and Brennan was relieved to feel the fluttering heartbeat under her fingers. The witch called up her healing sight, in any case, just to be sure. It wouldn’t do to have her bleeding out from internal injuries if they were going to make a go of it. Other than the angry gashes on her wrists, though, it didn’t look like there was anything else the matter. Dropping her healing sight, Brennan glanced up at the woman’s face, reaching out to give her shoulder a gentle shake.

“Hey there,” she said, keeping her voice low and soothing but not completely hiding a note of urgency. The woman’s name suddenly surfaced from the depths of her subconscious. “Lily, can you hear me?”

Keeping a cautious eye on her, Brennan sat back on her heels and hoped for the best.

~tagged: Lily ~words: 1,263 ~notes: None

[LILY RANIARI]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LET ME GO, I CAN'T BREATHE
I DRAG MYSELF THROUGH THE DEBRIS
_{I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALONE THAN ON THIS STARRY ROAD}
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lily was having the most pleasant dream.

She was stretched out in the middle of a sprawling meadow of tall green grass that swayed lazily in the slight breeze. It was a cool day, but not unpleasantly so, and the sun shown brightly in the clear, cloudless sky. Her head rested comfortably in Noelle's lap, eyes closed as the other woman ran her fingers lightly through Lily's hair.

Birds were singing somewhere in the distance, and Noelle easily picked up their tune, whistling and mimicking their songs in a way that always made Lily just a little envious. She was still shaking inside a little after confessing to Noelle all of the details of nightmare she'd had last night, of being whisked away to a strange, hostile country where no one understood her and everyone was violent and unpredictable. Noelle had reassured her that everything was alright now. That it was just a dream.

That they would always be together...

"Lily, can you hear me?"

Lily was momentarily confused. Of course she could hear Noelle, each and every word that she'd said. But why had her voice sounded so strange? And what was it about those words that didn't feel right? Didn't sound right...? English. The words that Noelle had spoken had been in English, but Lily knew that her companion didn't speak that language...

Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she took a deep, gasping breath as reality came rushing in. The darkness of the mine was unspeakably oppressive after the bright openness of the meadow, and the pain that shot through her body was a bitter counterpoint to the relaxed contentment she'd experienced with Noelle's fingers lightly playing through her hair...

That... That was the dream, Lily realized with a start. And this is... real...

With this realization came a feeling similar to having a bucket of icy water dumped over her head. It was a nearly physical pain, an ache, like she'd lost a part of her all over again. She began to shake, remembering just how alone she really was, remembering exactly what it was that she'd lost: her home, her friends, her love... All gone.

Before she had a chance to completely lose herself in her sorrow, though, Lily realized that she wasn't alone in the chamber, and that it wasn't nearly as dark as she'd first thought. There was a woman here with her, a familiar woman who's name and face she couldn't quite recall at the moment. Her head ached, and her vision swam a little with every movement... The truth was, she didn't fully remember exactly what it was that had happened...

Glancing around, she took in her surroundings, remaining silent. the chamber was larger than she'd thought it was in the darkness, with a single entrance on the far side. The air around that entrance seemed to shimmer and waver a bit, and she closed her eyes to fight down a wave of sudden nausea. She must have hit her head harder than she'd thought...

"I... Who you are?" Lily asked in her slow, broken English. "Where... are we?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_{TAGGED: Brennan
NOTES: None
LYRICS: Tsunami Bomb - "Dawn on a Funeral Day"
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0}

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan let her breath rush out in relief as the young woman stirred, even if her eyes did take a little longer to focus on her than she would’ve liked.

She was awake and talking, and that was the important thing at the moment. Brennan still didn’t particularly like the way she was shaking, nor did she care much for the angry gash on her head. She’d been a mere two inches away from having one hell of a shiner in the morning. As she chanced another glance with her healing sight, though, she was relieved to see that the young woman seemed to be coming around alright. She was more than a little shook up now, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and she’d doubtless hurt like the dickens tomorrow, but Brennan thought she could get her walking. Maybe not fast, but it was a start. Now, to get her away from this brute… Brennan’s lips thinned as she glanced back toward the entrance a moment before turning her attention to Lily.

“Might be you don’t recognize me, miss, but I’ve been through your shop a time or two. Name’s Abbie, but most folks call me Brennan.”

She didn’t know what prompted her to give her first name to the stricken woman, except that she wanted to comfort her, and it seemed like the right thing to do. It was easy to see how scared and confused she was, and Brennan’s heart went out to her. People like this didn’t need to be drug out into the supernatural world. People like this should be allowed to lead their simple, relatively carefree lives without knowing what lurked about out of sight. Meeting the young woman’s eyes for a moment, Brennan vowed then and there that she was going to do everything in her power to make sure the girl came away from this without her world shattered. Offering her a reassuring smile, Brennan reached out to rest a steadying hand on her shoulder.

“You might be feelin’ a bit dizzy and confused for a spell. Nothin’ to worry about. You just went explorin’ in the mine and ran into a little trouble.”

Frowning, Brennan wondered if she might be able to place an illusion on this Weendigo creature before Lily got another good look at it. She’d been worried about running into a polecat’s den back when she’d entered the mines, and that might not be such a bad notion. It wouldn’t take care of what the young woman had already seen, but if she was able to disguise the thing before she saw it again, it might be that she’d attribute the rest to the bump on her head. And if she didn’t, the witch could always muddle things up a little, so she wouldn’t really remember what she’d seen. Brennan was reluctant to alter the mental state of another human being, but this was where ethics got tricky.

On the one hand, she’d most likely be doing Lily a favor by making her forget that she’d ever encountered something out of the ordinary. She’d probably go home, live her life as if nothing had happened, maybe get married and have a couple of kids. Or maybe a whole slew of them, with her looks, and if she found the right man for herself. She’d never know that anyone had ever tampered with her head, and she could go on living her normal, happy, if possibly dull life. On the other hand, she was another human being, entitled to her own thoughts and decisions on the subject. By making that decision for her, Brennan would be denying her free will, no matter if she did only have her best interest in mind. Was it still wrong to use her magic on people when her intentions were only to help them?

Brennan scowled inwardly, remembering only too well what people said about good intentions. Well, she’d let Lily decide for herself, then. She’d do what she had to to see that she wasn’t found out, but beyond that, she’d let her make up her own mind. In fact, making her forget completely, if that’s what she chose, might work out a sight better than trying to put an illusion on that thing. Her decision made, she turned her attention back to the young woman.

“Don’t you worry yourself, now. We’ll get you out of here alright. I just need you to trust me, and be brave. Think you can do that?”

~tagged: Lily ~words: 752 ~notes: None

[LILY RANIARI]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LET ME GO, I CAN'T BREATHE
I DRAG MYSELF THROUGH THE DEBRIS
_{I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALONE THAN ON THIS STARRY ROAD}
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The woman's words did wonders in helping calm Lily down, though she was still terrified and shaking.

Studying her, Lily realized that she did, in fact, know who Brennan was. The other woman had been through the shop a time or two, always to purchase practical things and never the frivolities that the other women in town tended to gush over. Lily had often watched and admired her--quietly and secretively of course--wondering at what sort of life she lived, and imagining what she might look like in one of her mother's fashionable, Parisian dresses.

In fact, out of all the women in town that came through the shop, Brennan was the only one that Lily had really found herself curious about and, admittedly, perhaps a little bit attracted to. All of the others were just so... boring. So plain, and predictable, and always chattering on about nonsensical things that Lily often had trouble following, though they automatically assumed that, being a fashionable young woman herself, Lily must want to be included in all of the latest gossip and girl talk.

Mostly she just nodded and smiled, and heaved a sigh of relief when they finally purchased something and left.

Blinking, she realized her mind had been wandering, and she wondered if it was because of the blow to the head. Here she was, deep in the bowels of the earth, her life undoubtedly at risk, and she was concerning herself with the gossipy, catty women in town! and beyond all that, there was a... a something down here with her, trying to--

"There is man..." Lily began, clinging suddenly to Brennan, her body shaking violently. "No... not man... Thing. Monster..." her voice broke and she swallowed a cry of fear, wanting to be brave for Brennan. "We not can go. We not can leave here. It will kill us..."

Taking a few deep, calming breaths, she finally pulled away from Brennan with difficulty. Using the dim light provided by the "lantern," Lily looked around until she found her revolver, picking it up and clinging to it like it was a life line. She felt better having it in her hands, safer even, and she relaxed considerably. A little bit of anger at her situation even rose up in her, and her eyes flashed with it for just a moment.

"I shoot it if it comes back."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_{TAGGED: Brennan
NOTES: None
LYRICS: Tsunami Bomb - "Dawn on a Funeral Day"
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0}

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan’s arms closed automatically about the young woman as Lily threw herself into her arms, shaking.

She was surprised to feel an unexpected rush of tenderness toward the woman, so alone and scared and so far underground. Most women she knew would’ve been beside themselves and struck senseless, screaming their heads off or babbling incoherently, assuming, of course, they weren’t struck completely dumb. One of the frontier women might’ve done alright, seeing as they were used to hardship and fighting back the pests and predators that seemed intent on chasing all settled life out of the west. They’d had to stare down wolves and bears and pole cats, and to some, a Weendigo would’ve just been the next bloodthirsty critter intent on ruining their crops and terrorizing their livestock.

But most of the young girls, especially the moneyed girls, would’ve fallen to pieces, and Brennan was impressed to no end when Lily pulled herself together after a scant moment of giving way to her panic. She gave the woman her space as she cast about, eyes finally lighting on a well cared-for old pistol, probably given to her by her parents when they skipped town and left her to mind the shop. Lily’s hands still shook a little, but she held the revolver like she meant it, and Brennan wondered whether she might actually be handy with the thing. This was not the time or place to find out, though.

Reaching out to put a hand on Lily’s arm, Brennan gravely met her eyes, her tone serious.

“I want you to listen to me, alright?” she said, keeping her eyes on Lily’s. “I took three shots at that thing, and it dodged ever’ one of ‘em. This thing’s fast, and wavin’ a gun around’ll probably do more damage to the mine than it will to whatever that is. There’s patches of bad air that’ll go up in flames at the drop of a hat, old support beams, and there’s always the chance that one’a those shots’ll come back and hit us instead.”

The witch paused for a long moment, letting her words sink in. Brennan normally would’ve been a good sight more than leery about leaving a civilian with a loaded weapon. There was a good chance that this thing might double back through another tunnel and separate them somehow, though, and she didn’t want to leave the woman with no way to defend herself. Speaking of which…

Brennan glanced back to the mouth of the cave, not liking the fact that the monster had given up so easily. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since just after entering the cavern, and she hoped it wasn’t lying in wait for them out of sight somewhere. She wanted to give that thing as little advantage as possible, and she turned her attention briskly back toward Lily, continuing on.

“Now, if you’re gonna hold onto that gun,” she said, nodding toward the revolver in her hands, “I’m gonna need you to promise me that you’re not gonna use it unless there’s nothin’ else you can do. I want you to get out ahead’a me and run. Just keep going up. Tunnels are all slanted up toward the way out, and I’m not gonna lay off’a that thing until I know you’re safe.”

Brennan gave the woman another sober look, her tone brooking no argument.

“So, you promise me that right now, and I’ll see about gettin’ us both outta here.”

~tagged: Lily ~words: 580 ~notes: None

[LILY RANIARI]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LET ME GO, I CAN'T BREATHE
I DRAG MYSELF THROUGH THE DEBRIS
_{I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALONE THAN ON THIS STARRY ROAD}
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chewing her lip and shivering a little, Lily nodded at Brennan's words.

The truth was, she was having a bit of trouble understanding everything that the other woman was saying. Lily didn't know if it was because of her difficulties with the language, the speed at which Brennan was talking, the blows she'd taken to her head, or some combination of them all. In the end, though, Lily thought she'd gotten the gist of what Brennan was telling her:

Shooting bad.

Squeezing her eye shut, Lily took a few deep breaths to calm herself, feeling the panic welling up again. She wouldn't lose it though, not now, not in front of Brennan. She'd be brave--or at least put on a good show--and she'd do whatever Brennan told her to. After all, what did Lily know about situations like these? And the older woman seemed to be handling things just fine, which gave Lily the impression that she, at least, had some idea of what was going on.

The young Frenchwoman let out a long, shaky sigh, but opened her eyes to nod at Brennan. She wasn't relishing the idea of running around in these tunnels in the pitch blackness with no light, with a not-human possibly chasing her around and trying to eat her--or worse--but what other choice did she have? Sure, she could curl up down here and blubber like a scared child, but there was some part of her that wanted Brennan to see that she wasn't just some rich, spoiled little girl.

"Okay," Lily finally said, her voice a bit tremulous. "Follow ground that slant up. Okay..." Glancing at Brennan, Lily started to bite her nails nervously. "You will be careful? And... I wait outside until come you out. Not will leave you."

Taking another deep breath to steel herself, Lily wrapped her fingers tighter around the handle of her revolver, then ran out of the chamber and into the inky darkness of the mine. And though she was terrified of what lay ahead of her, it was the memory of what might be chasing behind that kept her pressing on.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_{TAGGED: Brennan
NOTES: None
LYRICS: Tsunami Bomb - "Dawn on a Funeral Day"
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0}

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan murmured a silent prayer as she dropped the magical barrier protecting the mouth of the cavern and watched Lily bolt out through the jagged opening.

She had debated giving Lily the “lantern,” but she wasn’t sure if the girl would’ve agreed to leave her without a light source, and time was short. She could only hope that Lily could feel her way toward the entrance to the mine without help while Brennan lingered to watch her back and deal with this thing. Brennan held her revolver in front of her as she followed Lily’s path at a slower pace, alert to any sound or motion that might warn her of an impending attack. There were all sorts of nooks and crannies for the Weendigo to hide in, and that was if he’d decided to hole up and hope for a chance to ambush her. Might be that he’d taken another tunnel around to come up behind her instead.

Frowning, Brennan paused a moment and glanced behind her, not moving or making a sound save her pounding heart as she scanned the oppressive darkness. The only blessing was that the witchlight didn’t waver like a lantern would have, so she wasn’t left to jump at shadows, thinking the creature was coming for her. Very faintly, she could hear something skittering and brushing against the rock, but she thought there was a good bet it was Lily heading for the entrance. It seemed to be coming from about the right direction, but it was powerful difficult to tell down here in the warren of branching and intersecting tunnels. Not wanting the Weendigo to hear the sounds of Lily escaping and decide to try and make a meal out of her, Brennan started off again, hoping to divide its attention.

It worked.

Somehow, the thing had worked around her, and was now following her progress, motions soft and stealthy. The first time she heard something brush softly against rock, she thought she might have imagined it, or that it was caused by her own skirt brushing the side of the passage. A moment later, though, the noise came again, barely registering at the edge of her hearing. It sounded like it was following her from a good ways back, and Brennan couldn’t figure out why it hadn’t attacked her yet, until she remembered how she’d first found the creature. The cavern had been pitch black, and she was willing to bet that the only reason she’d gotten off so easily on their first go-round was that it had been light-dazzled. Something to remember if she ever ran into these things again.

Brennan’s mind was so focused on the creature following behind her that she didn’t realize she’d missed the switchback tunnel leading upwards until she was already well past it. The passage wound around a large outcropping of rock, and the trail leading upward cut back along its far side, easily missed in the darkness. The witch’s heart leapt, but she wrestled herself under control and forced herself to act as if nothing was amiss. But she had to get back by that creature somehow. She had no idea where this tunnel might lead, or if there was another way toward the entrance from here. And all the while, the Weendigo was getting braver. She could hear its claws scratching over the rock every so often, a little nearer each time. There was only one thing to be done.

Thinking quickly, Brennan doused her witchlight, squeezed her eyes closed, and put her back to the wall as the tunnel was instantly bathed in utter and complete darkness. It was an eerie feeling. Even at night, there was always a little light to be had, whether from the stars, the moon, or something made by man. Not here. She could see nothing but the fading after-glow where her light had been, and she was shaken to realize that she couldn’t hear anything either. Had the Weendigo stopped? Why wasn’t he moving?

Brennan frowned, calling up her healing sight to get an idea of where he might be. She recoiled as a blinding blur flashed before her eyes and she was thrown to the ground, her breath leaving her in a rush. She didn’t even have a chance to cry out as the creature raked her with its vicious claws, just barely missing her face and neck. Not bothering with finesse, Brennan called up a writhing mass of pure energy and blasted it outward, giving her just enough time to scramble back to her feet. With a thought, the young woman conjured another witch light, far brighter than the last, and opened her eyes, sighting in on the stunned monster. She shot three, four times, and kept firing as she backed toward the mouth of the tunnel leading to safety. The Weendigo screamed as at least one of her shots connected, still disoriented from the searing light.

Brennan finally reached the opening and turned, putting all of her remaining reserves into a headlong sprint, wracking her memory. There were deep air shafts not far ahead, and it might be possible to knock this thing into one, neatly solving the problem of how to take this thing out. Her bullets still didn’t seem to be slowing it down, and as she skidded around a narrow corner, she could hear the beast’s claws skittering against the rock floor, somewhere close behind. She was never going to be able to outrun this thing. He was gaining on her at an alarming rate, and she doubted she have enough time to orchestrate some sort of plan once she found the blasted air shaft.

It turned out she didn’t need to.

As Brennan raced along the sloping passage, she was assaulted with a dank, rotten smell, and was suddenly thrown into a couching fit. She’d reached the patch of bad air, laying thick and heavy in a dip of the tunnel. This was it. Brennan forged ahead into the foul-smelling cloud, trying to take shallow breaths, and finally she burst through the other side. Now she ran all out, knowing her life depended on it. She’d only have one chance at this. Brennan risked a glance over her shoulder, carefully timing the Weendigo’s approach, and as it reached the edge of the cloud, going fast enough now for its momentum to carry it well into the patch of bad air, she struck. In a flash of blinding light, the spark she had conjured set the gasses alight, and for a few short seconds, the tunnel was bathed in a violent light.

Brennan had just enough time to call up her remaining power, throwing every last bit of it into a protective circle as the world around her erupted in flames.

~tagged: Lily ~words: 1,131 ~notes: None

[LILY RANIARI]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LET ME GO, I CAN'T BREATHE
I DRAG MYSELF THROUGH THE DEBRIS
_{I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALONE THAN ON THIS STARRY ROAD}
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

All of Lily's bravery evaporated the instant she heard the gunshots echoing throughout the tunnels.

She couldn't hold back the sobs that escaped her, causing tears to run freely down her face and her shoulders to shake violently as she ran. The darkness pressed in all around her, and she found it hard to breath, but she continued onward, following the tunnels that slanted upward, never stopping except the few times she tripped and fell. Her entire body was afire with pain, and she could feel blood trickling from various scrapes and cuts, but still she continued to run through the darkness.

Lily hadn't even realized that her eyes were clenched tightly shut until daylight suddenly hit them, glowing red through her closed lids. Stumbling forward, she hit the dry, sandy ground, crying out as all of her injuries suddenly seemed more real and severe in the bright light of day. Unable to lift herself up from her hands and knees, Lily stayed on all fours, shaking and crying uncontrollably.

When the dull sound of the distant explosion echoed up from the tunnel, accompanied by a sudden burst of displaced air and dust, she couldn't stop herself from vomiting in pure terror. Then she swayed, her vision blurring, and fell over onto her side, blacking out and losing herself in the most vivid, real nightmares she'd ever had in her entire life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_{TAGGED: Brennan
NOTES: None
LYRICS: Tsunami Bomb - "Dawn on a Funeral Day"
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0}

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan groaned as she slowly came back to herself, disoriented in the total lack of light.

Her body ached, both from a myriad of minor injuries she could feel starting to stiffen up, and from draining her reserves so drastically in such a short amount of time. A deep chill was also starting to permeate her body, and she shivered as she tried to sit up a little, hissing as her leg and ankle lit with pain. She couldn’t see anything at all, let alone what had caused the nauseating wave of agony, and she sluggishly marshaled her thoughts enough to call up a faint witch light, thankful that they required next to no energy to produce. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to even that small amount of light, but once they had, she was taken aback by the sight that met her stinging eyes.

The tunnel behind her was simply gone. Whether there had been an air shaft nearby, or it was just the result of the way the surrounding rock had fallen, there was nothing more than a yawning crevasse behind her. At the edges of the crater were veins of fused stone, recalling visions of lightning strikes or volcanic eruptions in the way the heat had fused them and made them run like liquid for that brief moment. Pieces of debris and fallen rocks were scattered for several feet along the remaining tunnel, and there were several large chunks of stone that had missed doing serious damage to her by inches, though she had taken more than a few bumps and bruises from smaller ones. And there, collapsed across her feet and legs, were the charred remains of the Weendigo.

Brennan recoiled at the sight of the decimated carcass, crying out as the action sent sharp lances of pain shooting up her leg. The thing had gotten its claws into her before it died, and there were angry rents carved in her flesh from knee to ankle. And speaking of her ankle, she wasn’t sure how she had injured it, but it was purple and swollen fit to beat all. She really wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to walk or not, and she wasn’t much looking forward to finding out. Still, she couldn’t just stay down here, and the longer she dallied, the worse off she’d be. She needed some ice for her leg, and something to splint it with, not to mention getting somewhere where she could get some decent rest. Not to mention Lily.

It was the thought of the young woman, alone and injured, that finally got the witch moving. Her skirt was too torn and singed to be of much use, but her blouse had made out alright. Brennan slipped gingerly out of it, leaving only her shift to stand between her and modesty’s sake, and started tearing the blouse into long strips. She wound these tightly about her ankle, hissing softly at the pain it caused her, and finally tied off the last of her impromptu bandages. Biting back a cry, she pulled herself up, fingers digging for purchase on the rough stone wall of the tunnel. What remained of the Weendigo’s carcass fell away as she dragged herself up, her various injuries oozing blood all the while. She was in rough shape, but she’d had worse, and at least there was no immediate threat before her. No, now it was just a matter of whether or not she’d be able to navigate the rough, slanting tunnels in the state she was in, and how long it would take her to find the entrance, if she could.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Brennan began to make her slow, painstaking way along the narrow corridor, her vision wavering in and out as she went. She almost blacked out several times, and as it was, she remembered little of her journey upward. She was so focused on her progress in terms of inches and feet that she didn’t realize she’d reached the opening until a beam of late afternoon sunlight seared across her face. All but moaning in relief, Brennan carefully ducked between the rough timbers nailed across the entrance and collapsed to the ground, alarmed to find Lily already there. The traumatized young woman had fallen unconscious again, and Brennan prayed desperately that she hadn’t fallen victim to shock.

Once again, she knelt heavily at the young woman’s side and gave her shoulder a gentle shake, taking in her condition as she called to her.

“Come on, Lily. Our work’s not over yet. I need you to get up, now…”

~tagged: Lily ~words: 773 ~notes: None

[LILY RANIARI]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LET ME GO, I CAN'T BREATHE
I DRAG MYSELF THROUGH THE DEBRIS
_{I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALONE THAN ON THIS STARRY ROAD}
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lily blinked open almost immediately when Brennan shook her.

A strangled scream escaped her, and she scurried away, eyes wide with terror. It took her a moment to realize that she was outside, and that the setting sun had cast a rosy glow upon everything, and that Brennan was kneeling in the dirt not far away, bleeding, bruised, and battered. Blinking, Lily's eyes shot from the other woman to the entrance of the mine, where a cloud of dust was still wafting out slowly. She didn't know what'd happened, but she hoped that the monster was gone...

Shaking violently, she crept closer to Brennan, her expression changing from fear to one of concern. All of her own, minor injuries were forgotten as she took in Brennan's state, chewing her lip, brow furrowing. Standing and managing to hide a wince as her weary, sore body protested, Lily reached down to help Brennan up, letting the injured woman lean on her.

"Come, we must go," she said slowly, trying to make sure her words were easily understandable. "Do you have horse? Or wagon?"

Lily didn't really know what direction to go, but she continued to help Brennan along, just wanting to put as much distance between them and the mine as possible. It was slow going, of course, for both young women were exhausted and hurt, but every foot they got away from the entrance made Lily feel just a little bit better.

"You... you save me... Merci..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_{TAGGED: Brennan
NOTES: None
LYRICS: Tsunami Bomb - "Dawn on a Funeral Day"
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0}

[ABIGAIL BRENNAN]

I've got the scars to prove it

Only the strong survive

Brennan nodded absently in response to Lily’s question.

She wasn’t sure where her gelding had gotten off to, but if she was lucky, he hadn’t wandered far. He’d seen more than his share of alarming creatures and situations, and didn’t tend to head for the hills unless he was under direct threat from something nasty. The witch squinted her eyes, scanning the desert through the oppressive dust cloud that still wreathed the entrance to the mine. It took her a moment to spot him, but there he was a few yards away, head drooping as he lazed in the shadow of a mighty cactus. Things seemed to be looking up. Now, if she could just get the breath to whistle…

It took her a couple tries, but she put her fingers to her lips and finally managed a shrill summons, slumping as her horse’s head came up and he jolted into a sluggish trot. She’d forgotten how hot it was after being down in those godforsaken mines for most of the day. The sun had baked the desert dry and hard, and the uneven crazing along the ground’s surface made walking a chore, with or without the injuries the women had sustained. Still, they needed to keep moving. She doubted there was more than one of those things, but she wasn’t much one for tempting fate. She gladly accepted Lily’s support, turning her head to the young woman as she spoke.

“Don’t mention it. Wouldn’ta been right to leave you down there with that thing.”

Brennan trailed off as her gelding reached them, grabbing ahold of the saddle horn and transferring her weight off the young woman. There was no way she was going to be able to mount up like this, but this was exactly why she’d spent long months looking for a smart horse with an even temperament. There was no telling what kind of scrapes she’d get herself into, and she wanted to know that her horse could get her out of a bad situation if need be. She’d spent over a year training him just so, and she had to say that she was uncommonly proud of how he’d turned out. All Brennan had to do was tap his leg in the right spot, and he obediently folded his front legs to the ground, waiting patiently for her to mount. He would’ve laid right down in the dirt if she’d asked it of him, but she thought she could manage without making more effort for him.

Clasping the saddle horn tightly, Brennan painfully shifted her weight again, dragging her leg over the saddle bow and settling onto his back. She gathered the reins and slipped her feet into the stirrups before turning back to Lily and nodding for her to mount. The young woman chewed her lip a moment, but after a brief pause, she swung her leg over behind Brennan and settled in behind her. Brennan watched her fidget uncertainly for a moment, her hands lighting on something, then drawing away before they’d scarcely had a chance to register. Shaking her head, the witch took one of Lily’s hands and pulled it around her, turning to look back over her shoulder.

“You hold on tight to me, now. Gonna be a bit of a ride back to the ranch, and it wouldn’t do to have you fallin’ off.”

Turning to face forward again, Brennan leaned back and clucked to her gelding, keeping a tight hold on Lily’s arms as he heaved himself to his feet and turned his nose toward home. Maybe now, she could finally get that rest...

~Complete~

~tagged: Lily ~words: 604 ~notes: None