Hanna Falk Cross (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
falkeditupagain) wrote2012-11-07 11:53 pm
falkeditupagain) wrote2012-11-07 11:53 pm
And he never came home.
Full up on over steeped tea, Hanna had finally dismissed himself from the Greek house, not expecting an escorted walk home. And he got no offer for one, like he had thought, left on the front stoop when the door shut behind him. The city was dark, and full of noise as he walked down the steps, his hammer giving off a very low pink light. Each day it had dimmed, and pretty soon, all the lights would go out. Or at least that was what Hanna feared would happen. Not that he was afraid of the dark, but rather the tricks it played on people when the lights were out. He had learned just how frightening the dark could be after the incident with his parents, how quiet could ruin a man's calm as easily as screams could.
But it wasn't quiet tonight. Howl's from distant monsters filled the air, shrieks from things that he couldn't identify and the groaning of trees as they moved along the scenery. He hadn't seen anything on the way to Demyx's and he hoped that was how it would go on the way back.
But, having finally made up with Demyx, Hanna slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his PCD. The clock on it read 1:45 PM, even if it looked to be AM. Glancing up again, he slipped the hammer into his belt loop, scrolling through his contacts to start typing out a short message to Axel. He had stared at it a moment, finding it harder to think of what to say, when he finally, and very simply, just typed 'We should talk, see you in about an hour.'
He had kept himself from typing anything extra as he pressed send. No 'I miss you's' or 'I love you's' because he would say them in person rather than through text. The week they hadn't talked had been a bit hard, but Hanna had thought it was necessary. He was sure it wasn't a deal breaker, that they could talk it over, come to a simple conclusion that might involve some compromises, and that would be that. Everything would be smoothed over again. And he smiled at himself as he slipped his PCD back into his pocket, sure that the rest of the day would bring about a change for the better.
And even the simple thought of not sleeping on the couch by himself, cold and with just the one blanket was a good one.
Pulling his hammer back out from his belt loop, he started up his walk again, moving in a way that was quiet so that he could hear, and also not attract so much attention from anything in the immediate area. He had a few miles to go yet, but getting there would be quick if he just kept his wits about him and stayed positive.
And it went on like this, uneventful for the first ten minutes, until a snap of wood was heard not too far off, and the calm heart that had done Hanna so well the first small stretch of his walk started to beat harsh against his chest. His steps slowed, movements now a crawl, and his breaths were silent, blue eyes trying to see out into the darkness outside his tiny sphere of light. Nothing.
He could see nothing. And there were no more sounds. And Hanna had almost stopped, silent and motionless like a stone, before the bark of a dog far off had startled him into jumping. He smiled to himself, trying to make light of what he had heard, and started up again, though this time a little faster, a little more clumsily than before. The first spook had made him more skittish if anything. And when it happened again, this time closer, his breath caught in his throat, and instead of slowing down, he sped up, crashing forward, almost running into tree's and rubble as they entered his line of sight until he swore he could see his destination, all the way on the other side of the lake.
And his heart sunk deep into his stomach, because as he spotted the tiny light off into the distance, as his next harsh breath fell, a growl rumbled just out of the circle of pink light that barely spread past the tips of his shoes. Something was there that he couldn't see. It could be right in front of him. Behind him. The darkness made it come from all angles, and before Hanna could even figure out where it came from, he heard it start to run. He didn't have time to make any noise, he didn't put any thought into it, he just ran. His eyes closed, not wanting to see the animal if he was running right towards it.
But when he stopped, it wasn't by choice. He tripped, or perhaps slipped. Whether his foot had caught on a root, stubbed itself on a rock or slipped on a leaf, Hanna didn't know, but what he did know was that he was down, and scrambling to get up, to grab his hammer, but as his fingers curled around the thick wood of its handle, a heavy weight settled on his leg and searing pain shot through the back of his upper thigh. The bite was solid. He could feel it rip into him, and the sound of pain caught in his throat as he swung around, putting as much strength and momentum into the swing of his hammer to catch what ever it was that had bitten him.
The sound in response was a yelp followed by a growl and jaws released their hold on his thigh.
Holding his injured leg and trying to pull himself back and away from the animal, the magical glow from the rune atop his hammer caught the now disfigured face of a large dog, obviously dead with a long snout and striped fur. Hanna swallowed sharply as he took note of its teeth, covered in his blood, and looked up sharply to connect with it's eyes. The immediate predatory growl in response marked it a bad move as the tiger-dog's lips curled in a snarl, finding an easy challenge in the eye contact, taking another step forward.
A million things raced through his mind as he sat there, staring into the undead eyes of the creature. He wondered what he should reach for first between the three items on his person. He wondered about the message he had sent out not fifteen minutes ago, about the person he was supposed to meet. What Axel would think when he never showed up. About what he had to give up, what could possibly be taken from him. Because right as this moment, like the last time Aelia had been the main orchestrator of an event, Hanna realized that he was going to die. And this time, it would be with a price. It would cost him, and he wasn't prepared to pay any price. Like a man faced with a death sentence, he was filled with a surge of strength, filled with a will to live, a want to live. But in moments it would be drained out of him as quickly as it had come.
And before Hanna could even try to make another swing, the animal tackled him, dropping the hammer in favor of trying to push it back. The weight of it was immense, more than he had expected, and as it's jaws came closer to ripping at his throat, its claws and massive paws dug into his chest through the thick layers of his sweater and undershirt. Something seized in his chest as it pressed forward, tearing the skin above his heart and disrupting one of the topmost runes. And it was a familiar pain that he felt now. One that he had spared himself from years ago, one that he had managed to save himself from, but now it ate away at him. It sucked the life from him.
And it was at that moment that all that fight, all that will to live left him, the strength in his arms failing. He hadn't even managed one last sound before the tiger-dog above him pressed down and let its jaws close around his throat.
But it wasn't quiet tonight. Howl's from distant monsters filled the air, shrieks from things that he couldn't identify and the groaning of trees as they moved along the scenery. He hadn't seen anything on the way to Demyx's and he hoped that was how it would go on the way back.
But, having finally made up with Demyx, Hanna slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his PCD. The clock on it read 1:45 PM, even if it looked to be AM. Glancing up again, he slipped the hammer into his belt loop, scrolling through his contacts to start typing out a short message to Axel. He had stared at it a moment, finding it harder to think of what to say, when he finally, and very simply, just typed 'We should talk, see you in about an hour.'
He had kept himself from typing anything extra as he pressed send. No 'I miss you's' or 'I love you's' because he would say them in person rather than through text. The week they hadn't talked had been a bit hard, but Hanna had thought it was necessary. He was sure it wasn't a deal breaker, that they could talk it over, come to a simple conclusion that might involve some compromises, and that would be that. Everything would be smoothed over again. And he smiled at himself as he slipped his PCD back into his pocket, sure that the rest of the day would bring about a change for the better.
And even the simple thought of not sleeping on the couch by himself, cold and with just the one blanket was a good one.
Pulling his hammer back out from his belt loop, he started up his walk again, moving in a way that was quiet so that he could hear, and also not attract so much attention from anything in the immediate area. He had a few miles to go yet, but getting there would be quick if he just kept his wits about him and stayed positive.
And it went on like this, uneventful for the first ten minutes, until a snap of wood was heard not too far off, and the calm heart that had done Hanna so well the first small stretch of his walk started to beat harsh against his chest. His steps slowed, movements now a crawl, and his breaths were silent, blue eyes trying to see out into the darkness outside his tiny sphere of light. Nothing.
He could see nothing. And there were no more sounds. And Hanna had almost stopped, silent and motionless like a stone, before the bark of a dog far off had startled him into jumping. He smiled to himself, trying to make light of what he had heard, and started up again, though this time a little faster, a little more clumsily than before. The first spook had made him more skittish if anything. And when it happened again, this time closer, his breath caught in his throat, and instead of slowing down, he sped up, crashing forward, almost running into tree's and rubble as they entered his line of sight until he swore he could see his destination, all the way on the other side of the lake.
And his heart sunk deep into his stomach, because as he spotted the tiny light off into the distance, as his next harsh breath fell, a growl rumbled just out of the circle of pink light that barely spread past the tips of his shoes. Something was there that he couldn't see. It could be right in front of him. Behind him. The darkness made it come from all angles, and before Hanna could even figure out where it came from, he heard it start to run. He didn't have time to make any noise, he didn't put any thought into it, he just ran. His eyes closed, not wanting to see the animal if he was running right towards it.
But when he stopped, it wasn't by choice. He tripped, or perhaps slipped. Whether his foot had caught on a root, stubbed itself on a rock or slipped on a leaf, Hanna didn't know, but what he did know was that he was down, and scrambling to get up, to grab his hammer, but as his fingers curled around the thick wood of its handle, a heavy weight settled on his leg and searing pain shot through the back of his upper thigh. The bite was solid. He could feel it rip into him, and the sound of pain caught in his throat as he swung around, putting as much strength and momentum into the swing of his hammer to catch what ever it was that had bitten him.
The sound in response was a yelp followed by a growl and jaws released their hold on his thigh.
Holding his injured leg and trying to pull himself back and away from the animal, the magical glow from the rune atop his hammer caught the now disfigured face of a large dog, obviously dead with a long snout and striped fur. Hanna swallowed sharply as he took note of its teeth, covered in his blood, and looked up sharply to connect with it's eyes. The immediate predatory growl in response marked it a bad move as the tiger-dog's lips curled in a snarl, finding an easy challenge in the eye contact, taking another step forward.
A million things raced through his mind as he sat there, staring into the undead eyes of the creature. He wondered what he should reach for first between the three items on his person. He wondered about the message he had sent out not fifteen minutes ago, about the person he was supposed to meet. What Axel would think when he never showed up. About what he had to give up, what could possibly be taken from him. Because right as this moment, like the last time Aelia had been the main orchestrator of an event, Hanna realized that he was going to die. And this time, it would be with a price. It would cost him, and he wasn't prepared to pay any price. Like a man faced with a death sentence, he was filled with a surge of strength, filled with a will to live, a want to live. But in moments it would be drained out of him as quickly as it had come.
And before Hanna could even try to make another swing, the animal tackled him, dropping the hammer in favor of trying to push it back. The weight of it was immense, more than he had expected, and as it's jaws came closer to ripping at his throat, its claws and massive paws dug into his chest through the thick layers of his sweater and undershirt. Something seized in his chest as it pressed forward, tearing the skin above his heart and disrupting one of the topmost runes. And it was a familiar pain that he felt now. One that he had spared himself from years ago, one that he had managed to save himself from, but now it ate away at him. It sucked the life from him.
And it was at that moment that all that fight, all that will to live left him, the strength in his arms failing. He hadn't even managed one last sound before the tiger-dog above him pressed down and let its jaws close around his throat.