New fic - Cat and Mouse
Writer's Toybox is running another challenge. This one is all about Games. Anything goes. So I came up with a rosebud-sized tale.
It's called Cat and Mouse. Can you guess what happens?
It would be nice to hear your thoughts on it.
Ares
Cat and Mouse
Author: Ares
ares13@spin.net.au
http://ares132006.livejournal.com/
Written for Writer’s Toybox Game-theme challenge.
Pairing: B/A
Rating: PG
Word count: 591
Disclaimer: Joss is still king of his castle
Thank you to my wonderful beta Jo who read this and declared it fit for consumption. *smooch*
Summary: It’s all a game, hunter and the hunted.
Cat and Mouse
Feet ran desperately along rain-slick cobblestones, the heels of shoes ringing out a staccato of sound. Lungs heaving, the man banged on doors that refused to open. Locked tight against the dangers that lurked in the night, people turned their thoughts towards the safety of being indoors. Forget about the poor unfortunate fool who hammered frantically outside. He would be found dead come morning. No business of theirs.
Faster than any human, he could have snatched his prey up in a moment. Instead, he allowed his quarry to gain a little distance. Give the man a sliver of hope and savour the moment when that hope died. Watch as realisation dawned and drink in the moment as resignation washed over his victim. Like a cat with a mouse, Angelus liked to play with his food. And like a cat, his prey tended to end up torn and bloody and lifeless.
Frantic now and glancing back in fear at the thing that was hounding him, the man gave up banging on doors and darted down the alleyway, looking for an escape that way. Instead, he found the thing that had been harrying him. Slit-eyed, ridged-brow, and with a grin that bristled with fangs, it stood before him. It wore a man’s clothing but it wasn’t a man.
Opening his mouth to scream, he found he couldn’t utter a sound. A cruel, cold hand wrapped itself across his mouth, the demon’s other hand was at its lips, indicating him to shush.
“Plenty of time for that later,” the demon promised, and the man’s bladder let go.
Angelus wrinkled his nose. “Now look at what you’ve done.”
The vampire’s head darted towards the man’s throat and fangs impaled the heaving flesh. Angelus drank enough to render his prey unconscious. Lifting the man up by the collar of his coat, he sauntered away with his prize, his mind on the things he could do to the human to make him scream. He hoped to be entertained for many an hour.
+++
Rain-slick cobblestones were no hindrance to their quarry. Its feet were silent as it darted along, no sound did its heels make as it tried to escape capture. It never made for a door: it could never attain safety that way. Instead, it tried to outdistance them with speed.
“It’s headed for the alley!” Buffy shouted, as they sprinted behind.
“I take the roof!” Angel called to her, and he left off to scale the building’s wall.
Reaching the roof in mere seconds, he bounded along, hoping to cut off the fleeing vampire below. Unlike the prey he hunted as Angelus, the vampire was fast. Angel was faster. He leapt off the roof and landed in the alley ahead of their quarry. The vampire about-faced and ran straight into the slayer’s stake. Buffy stepped away from the resulting ash. She wrinkled her nose, holding back a sneeze.
“That was too easy,” she said. “I thought it would offer up more of a fight. What is it with vampires these days? The new ones just don’t hold a candle to you old ones.”
Buffy’s smile took the sting out of her jest. Angel smiled back, shrugging his shoulders.
“Maybe the next one will entertain you more.”
Buffy took his hand and led the way out of the alley.
“I hope so. You know what they say about slaying?”
Angel looked down at her upturned face.
“What do they say?”
With a wicked gleam in her eye, she said, “I’ll show you later.”
End
June 2012
It's called Cat and Mouse. Can you guess what happens?
It would be nice to hear your thoughts on it.
Ares
Cat and Mouse
Author: Ares
ares13@spin.net.au
http://ares132006.livejournal.com/
Written for Writer’s Toybox Game-theme challenge.
Pairing: B/A
Rating: PG
Word count: 591
Disclaimer: Joss is still king of his castle
Thank you to my wonderful beta Jo who read this and declared it fit for consumption. *smooch*
Summary: It’s all a game, hunter and the hunted.
Cat and Mouse
Feet ran desperately along rain-slick cobblestones, the heels of shoes ringing out a staccato of sound. Lungs heaving, the man banged on doors that refused to open. Locked tight against the dangers that lurked in the night, people turned their thoughts towards the safety of being indoors. Forget about the poor unfortunate fool who hammered frantically outside. He would be found dead come morning. No business of theirs.
Faster than any human, he could have snatched his prey up in a moment. Instead, he allowed his quarry to gain a little distance. Give the man a sliver of hope and savour the moment when that hope died. Watch as realisation dawned and drink in the moment as resignation washed over his victim. Like a cat with a mouse, Angelus liked to play with his food. And like a cat, his prey tended to end up torn and bloody and lifeless.
Frantic now and glancing back in fear at the thing that was hounding him, the man gave up banging on doors and darted down the alleyway, looking for an escape that way. Instead, he found the thing that had been harrying him. Slit-eyed, ridged-brow, and with a grin that bristled with fangs, it stood before him. It wore a man’s clothing but it wasn’t a man.
Opening his mouth to scream, he found he couldn’t utter a sound. A cruel, cold hand wrapped itself across his mouth, the demon’s other hand was at its lips, indicating him to shush.
“Plenty of time for that later,” the demon promised, and the man’s bladder let go.
Angelus wrinkled his nose. “Now look at what you’ve done.”
The vampire’s head darted towards the man’s throat and fangs impaled the heaving flesh. Angelus drank enough to render his prey unconscious. Lifting the man up by the collar of his coat, he sauntered away with his prize, his mind on the things he could do to the human to make him scream. He hoped to be entertained for many an hour.
+++
Rain-slick cobblestones were no hindrance to their quarry. Its feet were silent as it darted along, no sound did its heels make as it tried to escape capture. It never made for a door: it could never attain safety that way. Instead, it tried to outdistance them with speed.
“It’s headed for the alley!” Buffy shouted, as they sprinted behind.
“I take the roof!” Angel called to her, and he left off to scale the building’s wall.
Reaching the roof in mere seconds, he bounded along, hoping to cut off the fleeing vampire below. Unlike the prey he hunted as Angelus, the vampire was fast. Angel was faster. He leapt off the roof and landed in the alley ahead of their quarry. The vampire about-faced and ran straight into the slayer’s stake. Buffy stepped away from the resulting ash. She wrinkled her nose, holding back a sneeze.
“That was too easy,” she said. “I thought it would offer up more of a fight. What is it with vampires these days? The new ones just don’t hold a candle to you old ones.”
Buffy’s smile took the sting out of her jest. Angel smiled back, shrugging his shoulders.
“Maybe the next one will entertain you more.”
Buffy took his hand and led the way out of the alley.
“I hope so. You know what they say about slaying?”
Angel looked down at her upturned face.
“What do they say?”
With a wicked gleam in her eye, she said, “I’ll show you later.”
End
June 2012