Entry tags:

glory, molly suresh

WHO: Molly Suresh and Glory
WHAT: Glory focuses her sights on her best chance to find her Key.
WHEN: Early morning
WHERE: The basement of the Grand Library.
RATING: HIGH. Not kid-friendly. Please heed all warnings.
STATUS: Complete; narrative
WARNINGS: Descriptions of violence, blood, torture. Naughty language. Character death.

Molly wasn't sure what had happened. She knew she had been on her way to the park to meet James Sirius for a bit of flying. She remembered having to park at the far corner of the parking lot due to some sort of local family gathering for a reunion of sorts, and she remembered getting out of her car and shutting her door.

And that was it.

She felt herself slowly returning to consciousness and knew instinctively that something was very wrong. For starters, she was standing up. Her arms were above her head, she couldn't move them, and her shoulders ached to the point she half-wondered if they were physically on fire. Her head was pounding and she could feel what she was sure was dried blood along the back of her neck.

All-in-all, Molly was pretty sure that she'd managed to fall into someone's clutches and was equally sure that it wasn't going to end well for her. Because the fact was, if Adam hadn't already showed up to save her that meant he probably wasn't coming. She'd be lying if she wasn't a bit hurt at that fact but she also understood. He had rules he had to follow, no matter what, and she wasn't an exception to that as much as she might wish she were. So okay. She was going to have to try to figure out some way out of this on her own. That meant she had to open her eyes, take in her surroundings, and figure out just what she was up against. Which was easier said than done, considering the fear that was coursing through her, but she had to at least try.

With a quiet, muffled moan, she forced herself to raise her aching head and slowly opened her eyes. She didn't see anyone right away so busied herself with trying to spot something she might recognize. However, as she took in the dust and cloth covered objects that littered the room and what looked like a cell of some sort – metal bars and all – running along the far wall, she had to admit that where she was probably wasn't somewhere she'd been before. Her eyebrows knit together as she allowed her eyes to slide shut, hoping her headache wouldn't hinder her ability.

Whether that was the case or something else was, Molly didn't know, but her ability definitely came up lacking. Not only could she find herself by looking – which was tricky and therefore not that alarming that she couldn't pull it off – but a quick check of anyone proved absolutely futile. Considering she was breathing and was pretty sure her heart was running a marathon in her chest, she had to assume she was alive. Which meant that someone had figured out a way to keep her from using her ability.

And with that thought, Molly felt fear the likes of which she hadn't known since she was a child.

Trying not to panic wasn't easy but she managed to keep her breathing even. She also managed to go completely still when she heard the telltale sounds of heels clicking against the ground, growing closer with each step. There was the feel of someone close enough that they were practically touching her then the unmistakable feel of a warm hand smacking her cheek likely.

"Wakey wakey," a feminine voice called out in a sing-song voice. When Molly didn't immediately open her eyes, the hand next grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her head backward. "Hey!" the voice snapped. "I said wake up already!"

With a gasp of pain, Molly's eyes flew open. The second they'd focused on the face in front of her, she wanted nothing more than to close them again but didn't dare. Glory, her mind screamed as images of what she'd done so far in the city as well as back in Sunnydale took the forefront of her thoughts. Swallowing hard, she tried to get herself under control and simply hung there, the tips of her toes struggling to keep the weight off her arms while she waited for the Hell God to get on with it. She wasn't stupid. She knew what Glory wanted and she also knew she wasn't going to tell her. Which meant she was definitely dead if help didn't arrive. Soon.

"There we go!" Glory all but cooed, patting her on the cheek and ignoring Molly's flinch and attempt to pull away. "I was starting to think you'd sleep all day!" Taking a step back, she eyed the girl for a long moment. There was a bright smile on her face, as though she seemed to think this was a perfectly normal social setting. Odds were she did.

"What-" Her throat was hoarse so Molly paused, clearing it, before trying again. "What do you want?"

Glory laughed. "Oh, aren't you cute. Don't play dumb with me sweetie. We both know exactly what I want," she replied lightly. "And you're going to give it to me."

"No," Molly replied quietly, meaning every word as she met the Hell God's gaze. "I'm not."

"Oh yes," Glory responded with a grin, "you are. It's just a matter of time and, well, we have plenty of that."

Molly wasn't sure what she meant by that and couldn't quite bring herself to ask. It didn't matter though because Glory was already turning from her, moving to a table just off to her right that she hadn't noticed before. Now that she did, though, and could see what was laid out on it, she wished she was still blissfully ignorant of its existence. A fact probably made obvious when Glory ran her fingers along the various objects, finally selecting one, and turned back to the girl with a large dagger in her grasp.

Once upon a time, Molly remembered reading a story about a man who had survived a robbery. When asked, repeatedly, what he remembered about the unarmed assailant that he'd been threatened by for nearly ten very long minutes, all he could describe was the gun that had been shoved in his face. She felt a bit like that now as everything else – their dank surroundings, the cell across the room, even the Hell God herself – faded into the background and all she could see or think about was that dagger. Biting her lip to stave off the tears that were threatening to fall, she made herself meet Glory's eyes and tried to find her courage again.

"I'll bite off my own tongue before I'll tell you anything," she said in as steadfast of a tone as she could manage. She wasn't sure if Glory believed her or not and, all too soon, the question fled her mind as the blade the God held sliced along her abdomen. Although she knew it wasn't a terribly deep cut, it most definitely hurt and she couldn't help but try to pull away even though it was near impossible with only the tips of her toes scraping along the floor.

"Not if I cut it off first," Glory finally sing-songed, flashing Molly a smile and grabbing her by the hip before slicing her once again. The cut was a bit deeper this time, and just below the other one. The girl's skin was already slippery with blood but Glory paid that no mind, She simply gripped Molly's chin, forced the girl to meet her eyes, and slowly dragged the blade across her abdomen one more time.

"Stop!" Molly shrieked, trying to jerk away but finding it near-impossible. The blood tickled her leg as it dripped down but served as little distraction.

"Oh, honey, don't start asking for mercy yet," Glory tsked with a shake of her head, a smile, and another vicious jerk and twist of her wrist. "We're just getting started..."

-----

When Molly was a little girl a monster came to her house late one night. He killed her parents while she hid, listening to their screams and pleas for mercy. He eventually found her and very nearly hurt her too but she was saved by someone she thought was a real, life hero. She was sent to live with him, told she would be safe, and given a chance at a brand new life. Then something very strange happened.

Through a twist of fate, Molly came to know the man who had once been nothing more than a monster to her. She also came to learn about the man she thought had been a hero. And somewhere during that time, she came to realize something very, very important.

Sometimes the ones that you think are monsters aren't and, sometimes, the ones you think aren't monsters turn out to be exactly that.

Molly wished that was the case, this time. She wished that Glory would suddenly have a change of heart or that one of the people she had put her faith in within the city would show up and save her. As she hung from her wrists with her legs much too weak to maintain her weight any longer, she prayed for something to happen to get her out of the mess she was in. Even if that something was death, she welcomed it and, unlike the times she'd faced it as a child, she was no longer afraid. Because as awful as the thought of dying was for her, anything was better than suffering anymore.

Feeling the cool water touch her lips made her wince a bit but she still drank gratefully. Bleary eyes tried to focus on her tormentor, her mind whispering that this was a tried and true torture technique and she shouldn't fall for it. However the hand that was brushing her sweat and blood soaked hair from her forehead was soft to the touch and the water took away the burn in her throat. Sure, there was a good chance Glory would wind up cutting her with the glass or drowning her in the water but, for the moment, Molly couldn't bring herself to care.

"You can put an end to this anytime you want, you know," Glory murmured sympathetically. "All you have to do is tell me where the Key is. Just one little address and I'll let you walk right out of here."

It was hard to concentrate with her head feeling like it had been split in two and her entire body throbbing like one giant open wound. However Molly did manage a slight scoff, only barely audible beyond the wheezing that had started around the time Glory had damn near crushed her larynx a half an hour or so before. She also let her head lull somewhat, finding it much easier to shake her head no that way than to force the aching, strained muscles to move it. "Never," she breathed out, already anticipating the backhanded strike to her cheek that swung her sharply enough to threaten the dislocation of her shoulders.

The taste of blood once again filled her mouth and, this time, she heard a crack as pain flared through her jaw. Broken, she realized distantly. Apparently the bitch expected her to answer questions with a broken jaw now. Wasn't that just lovely?

The thought wasn't a very amusing one, really, yet Molly couldn't help but find it somewhat funny. Maybe it was her mind finally giving way to the pain or maybe it was just some psychological response to keep the fear and sense of hopelessness from being too much, but whatever the reason it felt good to want to laugh at something even if she was physically incapable at the moment.

"Well." Glory's flat, disappointed tone was enough to jerk the girl's attention back to the here and now. That was new. She'd never sounded like that before. Not in the three hours that they'd been doing this song and dance had she ever once sounded like that. "I don't know about you but I'm starved. I need a brain. And since you won't use yours to help me out..." Glory grabbed her by the hair, hauling their faces close together. She smiled coldly. "I guess I'll just have to take it."

It wasn't until that moment that Molly knew true fear. But as the implications of what Glory was saying washed over her, she knew nothing else. She had assumed this entire time that she was going to be killed when it was all said and done. For some reason the thought of having her brain messed with hadn't crossed her mind and, now that she had to think about it, she knew she had to do whatever she could to keep it from happening. Because not only was the thought of spending the rest of her days as a babbling, helpless simpleton something she could barely bare to dwell on but she honestly couldn't swear that, without her mind intact, she wouldn't just babble away Dawn's location simply by being asked. It wasn't a risk she could take. Not for Dawn, or anyone else in the city. And as she stared into Glory's face, mere inches from her own, she started trying to work out a way to get out of her chains and stop this before it went too far.

She started by spitting in the Hell God's face.

For a moment, Glory didn't even react. She simply stood there, eyes wide as blood-coated spittle slid down her cheek. Molly smirked as best she could. An instant later agony washed over her in waves as the chains she was hanging from were ripped suddenly from the ceiling and she was sent flying across the room with a punch to her face that caused one eye to immediately go dark and deafness in one ear. She hit the bars of the cage with enough force to bend them slightly before she bounced off, collapsing on the ground to the sound of three or four ribs snapping.

Blood spurted from her mouth and a groan of pain that she couldn't bite back sounded throughout the room. Distantly she was aware of Glory shouting and screaming and basically losing what little bit of sanity she'd had to start with but, honestly, Molly couldn't' make out the words past the pounding sound of rushing blood. Trying to get to her feet proved all but impossible although, after two or three tries, she did manage to raise her head and push herself partially up with her arms.

Glory was pacing the other side of the room, still ranting and raving about respect and Gods versus humans and whatever other inane views she had of how things should work. Molly focused on her own task of getting to her feet, very nearly managing it – courtesy of quite a bit of clinging to the bars that she'd smacked into seconds earlier – before the ranting stopped suddenly and there was a hand wrapped tightly in her hair and jerking her head backward.

"And just where do you think you're going, huh?"

The voice was hard. Cold. Whereas before her tormentor had tried to sound caring and giving, now she sounded cruel and heartless. Molly felt tears fill her eyes as she was jerked away from the bars and, held tightly against Glory's front, was forced to look around the room with an arm wrapped tightly around her neck. She clawed at the vise-like grip but it was useless. She broke two nails before realizing she wasn't going to get Glory to release her and finally opted to just go limp instead.

"There we go," Glory murmured soothingly. "Now, where were we? Oh! Right! Dinner!" She released Molly suddenly, grabbing ahold of the chains that were still attached to the girl's wrists and wrapping them a few times around her own arms to maneuver them more easily. "I think I want my meal with a view tonight," she intoned with a laugh as she dragged the girl across the length of the floor. Spinning on her heel, she gave a yank on the chains and laughed merrily as Molly smashed into the table filled with her various torture instruments.

"Oops!" the Hell God giggled. "You know, you really should watch where you're going." Then she jerked on the chain once again and sent the girl stumbling into a stack of nearby crates. That's when Molly saw her opportunity and took it.

She wasn't sure how she did it, really. It had been a long-shot to start with, a hastily crated plan born of desperation and fear. She had been fairly sure when she'd been incapable of grabbing even one single weapon off that damn table that she wouldn't be able to manage this either. However as her body was shoved by those damn chains toward those crates, Molly managed to spot something sharp and shiny sticking out of one. She didn't know what it was, didn't really care, but she flung herself toward it with all of the strength she had left. It slid through her abdomen like a knife through warm butter, only stopping when her chest slammed into the crates themselves. She hadn't felt it penetrate her spine but knew, logically, that's what had happened. And as dark blood bubbled from her mouth and Glory's shriek of anger echoed in her ears, there was only one thought that flickered through the impaled girl's dying mind.

At least the Hell God hadn't won.