Dark Fever

Status
Not open for further replies.
Gabriel was a predator. If not by nature than by virus, by necessity, by experience. He didn't like backing down from a challenge. He didn't like other predators all that much either, especially not when they made themselves his enemies. He held Nathan's eyes without turning away or wavering, barely even blinking and the self-control it took not to bare his teeth and snarl at the man, letting his eyes slit - though, he didn't know they did that even now - was like trying to stop himself from breathing.

Every instinct, every urge was telling him to tear into the person in front of him, with words or teeth, he didn't even care. Still, it wasn't that thought that stopped him. No, he was far too gone, too close to being feral for that to bother him in the heat of the moment. What stopped him was Cassandra's words. Their affect was instant, like a leash slipped over a savage wolf's neck, bringing him to heel.

His body backed down, every instinct screaming in protest, but something stronger bending his will to Cassandra's. He bit back the growl in his throat when he finally spoke, but his words were chill-inducing all the same, his tone deadly in a way that couldn't really be pinpointed by the humans. "The only reason I'm not going to beat the s*** out of you is for her sake." The bastard better remember that the next time he saw Cassandra.

Gabriel turned away then and the soldier beside Nathan let out a breath, looking at him with a shake of his head. "I think you just avoided being gutted, mate."
 
As the two walked away, Nathan could be heard boasting in the background, though his voice wavered ever so slightly, betraying his nervousness. "No way. I would have kicked his a**. He didn't stand a chance."

Cassandra followed Gabriel for a distance before she stopped and sighed with relief. "Oh my god. It looked like you were going to fight him for sure. I was so worried." She shook her head and took a moment to calm herself. Afterwards, she looked up at Gabriel and tentatively reached for his hand, knowing he was probably still angry. "Are you okay? I doubt that jerk will be there tomorrow morning. We can get the water then."
 
Gabriel didn't really hear her, his mind fogged with a rage, a bloodlust that would have been terrifying had he shown it, acted on it. As it was, when Cassandra's hand found his own, her skin smooth against his, his entire body shuddered notably and he took a deep breath, releasing the fury, pushing it back down, controlling it. He didn't know if his companion realized just how close he'd been to breaking - he wouldn't have fought the solider, he would have killed him - but he was grateful for her presence now as she grounded him, brought him back from the edge.

And she seemed to have done it without even realizing it.

Gabriel finally looked down at her and while residual anger lurked in his gaze, he hadn't gone slit-eyed and that was a miracle in and of itself. "I'm fine." He said it quietly with the same kind of control he'd used while talking to the soldier, only this time without the threat. "We should find somewhere to sleep."

And somewhere he could let this tension go, let his body do what it wanted without being found out.
 
Cassandra certainly didn't realize the magnitude of influence she had over him but she did realize that Gabriel was still angry and that made her nervous. She didn't want to accidentally say something that would set him off so she just nodded in agreement with his words. "There's an inn. I'll take you there." She squeezed his hand reassuringly for a brief moment before letting go of it and turning to walk towards the inn.

When they reached, Cassandra decided it would be best if she did the talking so she approached the woman behind the counter and spoke as cheerfully as she could muster. "Hi. Do you have a room with two beds available? We have food we can use for payment." The woman accepted the cans of food and led them to a room. The room was unimpressive - it was just an old motel room - but it was decently clean and would be good enough for staying the night in.
 
Gabriel didn't speak as Cassandra spoke to the woman and he simply followed as they were led to the bedroom. The woman who'd take them spoke as they went in, giving them a key. "There's cold water that comes from the shower, but it's set to five minutes per person. If ya wanna wash, be quick about it." She left then, taking no more interest in them and Gabriel closed the door. He turned to face the room then and sniffed carefully before stopping almost as quickly, his face showing disgust for the strong odors that assaulted his senses.

He walked further in and set his backpack on the small table by the wall and then went to the blinds, making sure they were drawn before he went to the oil-lamp and lit it, casting the room in a soft glow.

Every movement was done with trembling hands and as soon as the distractions were done, Gabriel stood still, not knowing what to do next, his entire body shaking in reaction. He almost stumbled his way to the bed and once there, curled. He wasn't in pain, but he wasn't okay either. He knew, somehow he knew, he'd never done this before. He'd never gotten so close to going over - and he HAD gone over, he knew that in a vague sort of way because the feeling had been familiar - and then stopping, being dragged back unwillingly. His mind wasn't okay with it and his body was little better. It was like starving one's self and then getting only a little bit of food, enough to make you hungry but not enough to really matter.
 
Cassandra watched Gabriel for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. She wanted to help him, to make him feel better, but she didn't know how. Their argument with the guard had put her on edge but it seemed to be having a much stronger effect on Gabriel. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't come up with a reason as to why he would be so affected. She had no idea about how close Gabriel had been to snapping. She did know however, that she had to do something to help.

She put her bag down next to Gabriel's and then sat down on the edge of the bed that Gabriel was in. Hesitantly, she reached out and began to lightly scratch his back soothingly. "Hey, it's okay. That guy will be gone tomorrow. It was good that we didn't fight him - he wasn't worth it anyway." She didn't know what to say to make him feel better so she kept rambling, hoping something she said would help. "Plus, now we have this room. It's not....perfect, but we'll be able to sleep in beds tonight. There's also the shower. Do you want to shower first? I bet it will help you relax."
 
It was her touch that did it. Gabriel would come to find that it was always Cassandra's touch that could tame his body, sooth his mind when he could not. It was her touch now, gentle and her voice the same way that soothed away the shaking and it was like something unlatched inside Gabriel, letting him uncoil without exploding as he started to relax and took several shaky breaths, slowly uncurling only when he was sure the anger had drained away.

His emotions felt raw and his mind skittish, but when Gabriel finally spoke, it was in a much calmer tone, so completely different than the steel-edged one he'd used earlier. "Thank you. I'm..I'm sorry. I...I'm okay now." He was pretty sure that was true and his dark amber eyes came to focus on Cassandra's vivid blue ones, a slight bit of amusement dancing in his own gaze despite the exhaustion that suddenly lurked there, too. His tone was teasing, gentle and his fingers reached out to tug a section of her long hair playfully, silently telling her that he WAS okay now, even if he hadn't been before.

"Thank you for the offer, Cass, but I don't think cold water is going to help anyone relax."
 
Last edited:
Cassandra visibly relaxed once she realized that Gabriel was okay again. She smiled, laughing a little. "Yeah, I guess not." As she calmed down, Cassandra felt the exhaustion set over her and she knew she needed to sleep soon. "Let's shower in the morning then. The cold water would wake us up anyway." She got up from the bed and blew out the lamp. The pure darkness comforted her immediately - she always felt safe in the cover of darkness. She got into her bed and under the covers with a smile. She had almost forgotten how good a bed could feel. Within just a few minutes, she was deeply asleep.

------

The next morning, Cassandra woke up naturally but she didn't get out of bed. As soon as she became aware of the bed and blankets surrounding her, she buried her face under the blankets and closed her eyes again. It felt so good to wake up in safety and softness that she found herself not wanting to leave at all. She even tried to fall back asleep but when she couldn't, she sighed and rolled over to see if Gabriel was still sleeping in his bed.
 
Gabriel had gotten up with the sun. Some habits died hard, even when one was comfortable for the first time in a while. He hadn't woken Cassandra, though, as it was one of his better days of remembering her, remembering what had happened the day prior and he knew she needed the sleep. Technically he did, too, but oh well. The male had decided to shower to pass the time - well, five minutes of it anyway - and after getting clean he'd been almost startled to see himself in the dirty, chipped mirror in the bathroom.

He'd....grown up. It was an odd thing to notice, but the last time he'd seen himself in a reflection, he hadn't looked this...old. Not that he really did, but it was still strange and stranger still was that he actually remembered what he HAD looked like before. He was leaner now, more muscle, more scars. They littered his body, some obviously made through fights or by accidents but most didn't look like that at all. They appeared deliberately placed to cause pain and the burns were in small streaks across his body, not something occurring via natural causes. His eyes were darker but oddly enough, not so wary, but they were different all the same...wilder than they had been.

Gabriel had tilted his head, thoughtful, but in the end had only reached for his knife and started to cut his hair. It was getting much too long. When he finished it was once again shaggy about his head, but not starting to crawl down his neck. He dressed in a new pair of tan cargo jeans, but didn't put his shoes on yet or a shirt as he furiously dried his hair, walking out of the bathroom. The last thing he wanted was a wet shirt.

His dark amber eyes blinked in surprise, seeing Cassandra awake, but he merely smiled her, head tilting even as he kept drying his blond hair. "Sleep well?"
 
"Yeah, I - " Cassandra's voice caught in her throat and her mind seemed to lock up when she saw him. Her eyes trailed his body, noticing his newly cut hair that was still dripping wet, his amber eyes, the way his muscles shifted with every move that he made. She noticed the scars too, but she couldn't even register how he must have obtained such serious injuries – her mind was on other matters entirely. She felt her face warm as she flushed and she suddenly looked away from him. She cleared her throat and tried to speak nonchalantly.

"Yep. I slept fine. How was the shower?"
 
Gabriel's nose picked up her scent easily, but he noted that there was something different to it. Cassandra almost always smelled calm to him and yet powerful all at the same time, like the ocean upon rocks. She was deceptively small and gentle, but there was a fury that lay underneath those compassionate blue eyes and he sensed it always even when no one else noticed, even when Cassandra herself didn't seem aware of it. That was what she smelled like to him, but now...there was an undertone of something...primal, like instinct alone had taken over part of her mind and it intrigued the wild part of himself greatly.

His hair now mostly dry, Gabriel dropped the towel and ran his hand back through it, trying to obtain some order to the mess, but his dark amber eyes never left Cassandra, curious, studying every move and the various points of tension in her body. His eyes trailed over her the same way hers had done to him, intent. She was acting strangely and he wanted to know why.

"Cold. It will surely wake you up." he laughed the words out, finally letting his eyes leave her as he headed over to his bag to find a shirt. It didn't last long though as her scent still tickled his nose and Gabriel looked back at Cassandra, the shirt now in his hands, but almost entirely forgotten as he took a few steps toward her, head tilting like a wolf's might, trying to figure something out that puzzled him.

"Are you okay? Your scent...it's different..." Not unpleasant, no never that, just....strange to him...
 
Cassandra was already flustered as it was and Gabriel's persistent scrutiny and interest was making it impossible for her to distract herself with anything else. The warmth hadn't left her cheeks yet and her heart was beginning to thump loudly in her chest. She noticed him walking towards her but she didn't dare look at him, afraid her mind might short out again. Instead, she forced a hurried laugh as she tried to change the subject. "My scent? Well, that's my cue to take a shower, huh?"

Before Gabriel could approach her any closer, she suddenly got up and went to her bag. She began to dig around for a fresh pair of clothes so that she could retreat to the bathroom to take the necessary time to recover and hopefully stop making any more of a fool of herself.
 
Gabriel watched her with a puzzled and yet genuinely amused expression on his face, honestly unsure what had made her so completely out of sorts. He pulled his shirt on, another army one like the kind he'd had before, and then approached Cassandra, his bare feet making no sound on the carpeted floor as he came up behind her. Seeing that she was almost frantically digging through her bag, he reached out, his fingers closing over her wrist with a gentleness that might have seemed unexpected from someone of his size.

Knowing he'd probably startled her, Gabriel was quick to speak, turning her slowly to face him and the fingers from his free hand reaching up to tuck her dark hair behind her ear with a smile. It was an action he didn't even think about, something that just felt right, felt natural and if Gabriel had been aware of his own 'moods' on various days, if he'd been able to remember them, he would have known his day was going to be filled with moments like these. Moments where he ran on instinct more than human thought.

"It's not a bad scent."

His eyes sought her own and when she wouldn't look up, his fingers found her chin without any hesitation at all, tilting her face up until his dark amber gaze locked on her blue with the beginning of concern. He let go of her face, but his hand were still wrapped lightly around her wrist - not so tight she couldn't get away if she wanted - and he could feel her pulse pound and fluttering against his fingers.

"Are you all right?" Now worried, he wasn't planning on letting his friend go anywhere until he knew she was fine. She was behaving much too strangely for his comfort.
 
The proximity to Gabriel was starting to make Cassandra's head swim. The warmth in his hands was making her skin tingle and even without enhanced senses, she was able to catch wind of his scent at this closeness. He smelled wild and powerful and absolutely predatory. Her understanding of smell was much less refined than Gabriel's was however, so she wasn't able to pinpoint everything that made his smell distinctly his. All she knew, was that it made her nervous while simultaneously exciting her and the combined feeling overwhelmed her senses.

Still, she was doing a decent job of maintaining some level of composure, but when Gabriel lifted her chin to meet her eyes, she lost it. She swooned and began to laugh nervously. "I-I uh…" She wanted to look away again but she found herself lost in his eyes. "Um…y-yeah. I'm fine." She was so preoccupied that the words felt empty to her and she hardly understood them herself. She laughed softly again and bit her lip, looking up at him with what, for some reason, appeared to be hope.
 
Her eyes captivated him. He was beginning to wonder if they always had. They were bluer than the sky, more brilliant than anything he could ever remember seeing and the expressions they held! Cassandra's eyes were the window to her soul, they could tell him anything in a way few people's gazes could, but for the life of him....Gabriel couldn't figure out what they were saying now. And it didn't even seem to matter. Nothing his mind could think seemed to matter as her scent suddenly overwhelmed everything else and her voice filled his ears, the warmth of her skin suddenly burning against his own but not painfully.

No, there was nothing painful about this - even if he didn't understand what 'this' was - and Gabriel found himself smiling faintly, his lips pulling upward and his eyes searching her own slowly, trailing across her face like he wanted to remember every curve, to never forget it again. His hand left her wrist, coming up without hesitation or nervousness to brush the backs of his fingers across her cheek. His voice was deep, quiet as his amber eyes seemed to shift somewhere between normal and slitted, but entirely focused on Cassandra.

"Are you sure?" He wasn't even sure he wanted the answer anymore or even needed it as something powerful drew him closer to Cassandra, bringing his face closer to her own.

Gabriel wasn't sure what would have happened next but whatever it was, it never did as shots rang out. He instantly sprang away from Cassandra, but stayed in front of her, a dangerous snarl erupting from his mouth as his cat-slit eyes darted to the window. Something was wrong. He could feel it now, sense it and he went to the window quickly, his mind sharpening into focus as he looked out the blinds. What he saw made him growl deeply. S***.

He glanced back at Cassandra, saying only one word. "Agents."
 
The foggy daze that had enveloped Cassandra's head was forcibly ripped away and the suddenness of it smacked her back into reality. She cursed under her breath and grabbed her bag before going to the window as well to look at the chaos outside.

"Do you think they know we are here?" If the agents were doing a normal town check, then they would be safer staying in the motel than if they tried to escape the town by going outside. If somebody had tipped the agents off to their presence though, then staying in the motel would be a death trap. Either way, the whole thing deeply bothered Cassandra. They still hadn't gotten water from the town well and if they needed to take refuge in the wasteland again, they wouldn't last long with the water supply that they currently had. She then looked at Gabriel, hoping he would know what to do.
 
Gabriel watched the agents outside, his gaze calculating. The shots had come from them, but it would appear it had been to attract the townsfolk's attention as they were gathering around the men in the jeep. Only soldiers of the government had vehicles so it really hadn't been necessary for them to shoot, but they tended to like to inspire fear whenever possible. Now they were talking to those gathering around and two other soldiers were scanning the buildings, guns held tightly in their hands.

When their gaze swept over their hotel window, Gabriel moved the curtain closed again carefully and looked at Cassandra, his face tight and his body the same way. His eyes were still cat-slit, but he seemed to still be in control of his voice and his actions. "Take a shower. Quickly." He didn't explain to her, trusting that she'd trust him enough to not question. Gabriel's reasons for having her do so were actually very logical. He was clean and she was not. If they had to try and escape casually, if they wanted any hope of blending in, they had to look relaxed. If she was filthy while he was not, it would draw attention and maybe even look like they had panicked and tried to get away. That would alert the agents to the fact that they were Infected faster than anything else would.

"We'll stay until they declare themselves." he informed her softly, looking back out the window. They would wait and see what the agents did, if they started searching or not, or just kept going before they made any moves of their own.

---------

Gabriel couldn't have known - or maybe he just didn't remember - that the dark-haired and dark-eyed man sitting in the vehicle, scanning every face in the crowd carefully was not here without purpose. No, he and his men had followed these two across the waste with deadly accurate precision and now they knew their targets were here. In fact, Vince - for that was the leader's name - knew exactly where they were.

He took his time, though, letting his men question the people, seeing what they knew. They talked to the soldiers in the small town specifically, wondering if they'd seen anyone new come in, anyone suspicious.

The game of it almost made Vince chuckle as his gaze returned to the hotel window. Hmm, decisions, decisions. Was it time to bring the wolf back to the kennel? Time to see what his little friend knew or should this chase last longer? Perhaps it might be more fun if the Infected knew they were actually being hunted...
 
Gabriel had been right; Cassandra didn't question him. She was too panicked to try to decipher his reasoning behind the request, but she trusted that his judgment was sound. She grabbed her clothes and darted to the bathroom. She showered as quickly as she could and then put on her new change of clothes, even though she was making them wet.

As she moved to leave the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The reflection startled her. There were the expected changes – she was taller than she remembered and her hair was longer. What really took her off guard however, were her eyes. She had blue eyes – she knew that – but they were not this bright. They were not unnaturally bright per say, but they were much more vivid than she remembered and she wondered if the virus running in her blood had anything to do with it. Her pupils too, were larger than the lighting would imply, suggesting their permanent dilation. It was no wonder she shied away from the light. All of this, she noticed in less than second. She didn't dare linger.

She emerged from the bathroom and grabbed her bag, ready to bolt if they had to. Until then however, she would be forced to wait and that was the worst part. She hated waiting. She stood next to Gabriel and looked outside with him. She couldn't believe their bad luck – what were the odds that agents would visit their town twice in a row? She didn't suspect anything out of it however, as she carefully watched the scene below unfold.
 
Vince caught them looking, his sharp eyes catching the movement and the leader smiled, darkly amused as he came to a decision. It was time to flush out the prey, but no, he wouldn't bring them in yet. They'd led him no where useful and past experience had taught him that patience resulted in more rewards than hastiness did. He nodded to his men, a signal that they were to begin searching the buildings.

And glancing at the hotel window again, he pointed specifically to the hotel itself, sending in two men there as he smiled. Well, this would be fun.

-------------------

Gabriel was moving as soon as the soldiers were, going to the dresser and grabbing his backpack and then toward the door. His hand reached out as Cassandra went past, grabbing her hand in a firm grip as they left the room and made their way quickly down the hall in the opposite direction from the front door. There had to be a back entrance and Gabriel's nose worked furiously to catch a whiff of fresh air, something to tell him they were going on in the right direction.

His senses were on high alert and the hairs on the back of his neck and along his arms stood on end. He could feel something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it. His memories weren't cooperating - shocking - jumbled through his head, giving him flashes of a face or eyes, words he couldn't make out.

It wasn't help at all, but he couldn't get them to stop.
 
Cassandra let Gabriel lead, her eyes quickly scanning everything in front of her, hoping they would find a potential escape route. She tried to keep her mind quiet but like Gabriel, her head just wasn't giving her a break. She couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong. The soldier giving orders had looked several times at the hotel, more so than he looked anywhere else. Perhaps he had suspected that escapees would not be permanent residents and would be staying at a hotel instead – that was a sensible thought. However, it still struck her as odd that agents would pursue them not once, but twice, and with extraordinary precision at that.

Her mind continued to grasp for solutions until her eyes landed on something that finally shut her head up. One of the room doors was left open and in passing, Cassandra could see that nobody was there. Whoever had been staying there must have left earlier or taken off when they heard the gunshots.

"This way."

Cassandra stopped and went into the room. She glanced out the window and was satisfied with what she saw. This room faced the opposite side of the building and the soldiers and jeep weren't in view. She quickly opened the window, and then looked down. They were on the third story – high enough that they certainly didn't want to fall. However, she knew that the agents chose this hotel for a reason and they would most likely be guarding all of the conventional exits. Hopefully, they wouldn't think to look up.

"Climb up. We'll travel by rooftop."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back