abby has been twelve for a very long time (becauseihaveto) wrote in colligo_threads, @ 2013-01-21 13:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | abby, john winchester |
who | John Winchester & Abby
what | Vampire hunting.
when | Late night.
where | Random alley.
rating | PGish (mentions of death and other not pleasant things)
status | Complete; Log
John by his very nature was a skeptical man. That didn’t mean he had a hard time believing. He believed plenty of things when there was direct proof of it. But he found that being wary of what he was told allowed him to form opinions well outside of what he was lead to believe the reality was. And while the reality of this place, as he had been told, was that everything that lived here behaved itself, he had noticed several things that didn’t mesh with what he had been lead to believe. Bodies with the clear signs of mauling, animal like but too precise to be the work of wild dogs or anything else that he had seen in the city so far. All the targets selected from one specific pool, left in one similar area, as if a hunting ground had been laid out, and they were all killed afterward by some method not related to the bite marks on their necks. These signs, save the last, were all clear indicators to John of a vampire not only present (as several were) but actively killing.
There were definitely going to be consequences for looking into this matter. His family had made it all too clear that the last thing anyone did here was interfere with the others present, but John could not in good conscience just let this lay. If there was a vampire out there killing people, he had a duty to make sure it stopped. Even if it was this Benny that Dean was so fond of.
Though, a small part of him hoped that it wasn’t. Dean had never had many friends, and while it wouldn’t surprise John that the one time he put himself out there, he’d end up getting hurt, that small part of him did want his son to be right about this. But whether it was Benny or not, there was a vampire here who wasn’t living up to the standards that this place seemed to hold. Having laid out the pattern from the kills, John had tracked the vampire back to the general area of their hunting ground, having found the center and settled himself back in the shadows to watch the people coming and going.
It might take awhile, but he was sure that someone would give themselves away eventually. And when that happened, he was prepared. He was always prepared.
It was cold outside. Abby liked it when it was cold. It was easier to trick someone, to trap them. People took notice of a young girl, running about without a coat or shoes, in the middle of winter. She, meanwhile, didn't feel the cold. She didn't feel the heat, either. She hadn't, for a very long time.
The names on the list she'd been given were struck off, one by one. She was down to five - she was going to have to get more, soon. For now, though, she focused on her prey. A man in his mid-thirties, he was a real piece of work. People called her a monster but it was really these people, these rapists and killers, these kidnappers and molesters, who were the monsters. They hurt everyone they came in contact with. She killed because she had no other choice. They did it because they liked it.
Following after her prey, Abby wasn't too worried about anyone around them. The area of town wasn't the greatest and most people kept to themselves because of that fact. Knowing the streets fairly well after so much time spent walking them while tracking her food, she knew that there was an alley coming up that would let her cut the guy off. Cutting a hard right, the second she was off the main road, she was on the move. Up the side of a building in the blink of an eye, she scaled a few rooftops until she came to another alley, about half a block from where the man was now walking.
Dropping into the alley, Abby shed her coat and boots quickly and started making her way toward the street. If her calculations were correct, which they should be, her path would cross his as she exited the alley and she'd have the perfect setup to get him alone and finally have her dinner.
John had taken note of the criminal nature of all the victims that he had found since he had been tracking this vampire. Two rapist, a murderer, and a serial kidnapper who John had some inkling had ties to a human trafficing ring, it was baffling to think that a place this small had this high a crime rate. While he was sure there were people here who would say that the vampire killing here was doing this whole place a favor, and could see the merits to that argument himself as well, John couldn't reconcile the reality of the people dying with the fact that people were dying. While this vampire was limiting themselves now, there was nothing to say that this would continue. They could very well run out of criminals or just find themselves in a tough spot where their regular hunting pattern wasn't possible. There were so many possibility where John could see this situation getting out of control, and he wouldn't stand by and allow that to happen.
As it was, he was surprised at just how little time it took to spot his target. He'd barely noticed the girl's presence until she made her descent from the rooftops and stripped off her protective outer layers. In this cold, nobody would be able to stand it for long, especially no one that age, save for someone whose body wasn't affected by ambient temperatures.
Bracing himself against the wall, John took a step forward, hand moving down to the knife tucked in the holster on his belt. There was a brief internal debate going on in his mind. Take her out now and spare the life of the scum she was attempting to attract, or allow her the kill and wait until she was distracted to make in for the killing blow. They both had their pros and cons, but even as what was left of his mortality bit into him just a bit, he decided the second was probably safer. It wasn't likely she was exactly the sort of vampire he was used to. Better to let her be distracted than allow her full awareness and run into a surprise.
It never took much to gain the attention of her target. After all of this time, all of these years, Abby had perfected it to a fine art and, really, even before that it had never been hard, getting someone to help her. She was young, and seemingly fragile. It brought out the best in people. The irony that their best is what would get them killed wasn't lost on her, either. But it was what it was, and she wasn't about to starve herself over it.
Bumping directly into the man, Abby made a show of stumbling back a few steps and cutting her gaze quickly up to his before nervously dropping it back to the ground. "S-Sorry," she breathed out her apology, then made to skirt around him. Sure enough, he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her as she thought he would. She stiffened, ever so slightly, then made herself relax again and look back up at him with a slightly fearful, slightly curious expression. He was smiling. She hated it when they smiled.
"Now where are you going in such a rush?" he asked, thumb tracing lightly along her collarbone. Abby ignored the sensation and bit at her lip. Before she could answer, he seemed to take notice of her state of undress. "And without a coat or shoes? Well, that just won't do." He pulled her closer, not giving her a chance to object. "You come along with me, sweetheart. I've got my car just up the street here."
Abby had watched his man for days now, and knew, once she got into his car, there wouldn't be any getting out. Cutting her gaze left, then right, she didn't see anyone else around. It was a bit more of a public street than she would've liked, but she had to make do. Letting him lead her toward his car, she waited until he was fumbling with his keys before stepping away. A shadow crossed over his face as she formed an objection.
"I need to go home. My momma will be waiting..."
He grabbed her wrist, squeezing it tightly. Abby bit off a cry of pain, even though she truly felt none. "Now I told you," he hissed, "I'm gonna take good care of you. Come along."
That was all it took. With a low growl, Abby yanked her arm free and quickly scurried up the man's side, screeching into the night before sinking her razor sharp fangs into his throat and ripping with all her might. Blood splattered in every direction, spraying the meter beside his car and spilling onto the ground at his feet. One hand dug tightly into his scalp, keeping his neck against her mouth, while the other covered his lips to keep his screams smothered. Within a few seconds he was on the ground, Abby crashing right along with him. She continued to drink deeply, feeling his strength starting to wane as his life drained from his body.
John had followed them, quietly, inching along in the shadows and making very sure to keep his footfalls as quiet as he could. There were twists in his gut as he watched the proceedings, first at sitting by as this man, clearly a child molester who had either avoided prosecution or been released at some point, abducted who he thought was a helpless child. There was something in John, even though he knew that this young girl was not what she seemed, that hated standing here and watching this.
And then things took a dramatic turn, the girl moving like he had never seen any vampire move before. It was some sadistic combination of monkey and spider and a gnashing of teeth which could have easily contented with any predatory animal. John's stomach turned as his grip on his knife tightened. The second that the man succumb and it looked as though the girl had shifted from attacking to feeding, he took his first cautious step out of the shadows, drawing the knife out of the holster and raising it before charging forward, intent on removing her head from her shoulders hopefully before she realized something was even happening.
In those moments of feeding, of satiating the thirst for blood that always boiled just beneath the surface for her, Abby was at one of her weakest points. Her senses were alert, but not to her surroundings. She was focused solely on the sweet blood that was flowing down her throat, peppered a bit with the fear that her prey was filling but ultimately satisfying in knowing she was doing the world a favor. Those who missed him would pale in comparison to those who would not.
For some reason, though, tonight was different. Rather than losing herself completely in what she was doing, as she typically did, Abby was aware at the last second that something wasn't right. Her hand shot up and grasped the wrist of her would-be attacker. Ripping her mouth away from the gaping wound of her victim, she set her unholy gaze on the newcomer. With a screech of warning, she twisted then shoved, propelling him away from her and her meal. Looking down at the man on the ground beneath her, Abby quickly snapped his neck then leapt to her feet.
Blood covered her mouth and the front of her dress. Her chest heaved as she screeched at having been stopped before she could have her fill. She eyed the man who had interrupted her feeding, a wariness in her pose as she debated her quickest means of escape. She didn't want to hurt him, but if he got to his feet and charged her she wasn't going to be responsible for what she did next.
John had been so sure that he was going to manage it. He had been so sure right up until the second that her hand was on his wrist, blocking the knife blow from landing on its target. Whatever advantage he'd had from her being distracted hadn't been enough, and as he was thrown backwards and onto the ground, John's head swam from just how not like the vampires he'd faced before this way. As if he method of attack wasn't enough to make him realize that, the fact that she killed her victim the second after initial feeding instead of drawing the situation out and the unearthly shrieking that erupted from her throat at having been interrupted solidified the matter. Fear was something he was so used to pushing aside that when it bubbled up in his throat, he very nearly didn't recognize it for what it was. He was afraid, afraid that he had overestimated his own ability and underestimated what he would be facing. He wasn't even sure if how he knew to kill a vampire would work on the abomination standing before him.
But his hand was already back on his knife, his muscles tensed and readied to attack again. The only thing holding him back was his own uncertainty, his own fear that he'd end up in over his head and die before he even got much of a chance to enjoy the family that had been returned to him because of his own determination to keep things safe, but that was shaken off in a moment, duty trumping any worry as he shoved himself to his feet and lunged forward toward her, blade outstretched and aimed to disable her escape.
He couldn't very well kill her, after all, if she could just run away.
Had he simply let her go, Abby would have run off into the night. Forget her jacket, forget her boots, forget all of it. She'd just go, and figure out what to do later. However, it was obvious from the way he was eying her that he had no intention of letting her leave. Not in one piece. Not with her life.
Struggling for control, she quelled the monster and looked upon her attacker with her human facade. "I don't want to kill you," she said simply, quietly, falling back as he lunged. She made no move to strike out, no effort to stop, or even disarm, him. Instead she backed up a few more steps. The building wasn't far off to her left. She could make it, if she could just inch a bit closer.
"I just want to leave," she tried again, turning her gaze back to the man who wanted nothing more than to see her dead. "Please." There. She'd said it. Her pride was gone. She didn't care. She just wanted to live. That was all. She took a few more footsteps back.
The transformation was an odd one, unnerving in how much difference it made compared to the vampires he'd seen before. They were little more than their teeth when it came to changing their appearance. It helped them with concealment, but this vampire, this monster, seemed to change that much more yet fall back into the same cover as easily as the vampires he knew retracted their teeth. There was also a sincerity in the pleading that made his stomach turn, an edge that he couldn't tell whether was true honesty or just well practiced cover, as he froze in place in front of her, his eyes narrowing at the retreat. It was impossible to say whether she was putting distance between them to better enable her to runaway or to give her more room to get up speed when she lunged at him, and the uncertainty in it left John bracing himself for either as he tightened his grip on his knife.
"And why should I?" John asked, barely able to keep the fear and anxiety out of his voice as he stared her down. She might have looked harmless in this moment, but there was nothing in him that was going to believe that she was. "You just killed someone. Why should I believe that you won't happily kill another? It's not like you got your fill off the last guy."
After all, he might have been armed, a more difficult kill, but he was still just as much of a meal ticket as the corpse that had just been abandoned. More so, if anything, since his blood flow would already be elevated. A much quicker meal and with nobody else around to intervene.
Abby sighed. "I can get by," she stated pointedly. She backed up a bit more. It looked like she was getting close to having her back against the wall. That was good. She raised up to her full height. She wasn't very tall. Her hands hung loosely at her sides. Her steps were steady, moving her futher and further away.
"I only feed from bad men."
The statement was offered even as she looked right then left, guessing at the distance. If she didn't time this right, if he reached her before she got away, he was going to wind up dead. She hoped that didn't happen but she knew there was every chance that it would. The wind picked up, lifting her hair. Her skin should have been covered in gooseflesh, her teeth chattering. There was nothing.
Abby's gaze slid back to the left once more before she gave the man in front of her one final shot. Take it or leave it, she was out of there. "You're not on the list, so you don't have to die. Just let me go."
Strictly speaking, none of this made any sense to him. There were always rumors in the community, rumors of monsters that tried to go straight or stick to a code, but things always ended the same way. Someone ended up dead. Whether it was the monster themselves or the innocents that were allowed to suffer when a hunter looked the other way, that was up to those who came across the offending creature to begin with. Which meant if anyone ended up dead at the hands of his vampire, anyone whose death would prick stronger at his conscience than the man he'd just watched savaged, he would have to live with that for the rest of his days.
It was a debate between safety and duty, between this own and others, and a question of whether or not he could bring himself to allow the chance that someone else would be harmed because of his own inaction and whether it was worth the risk of his own life to make sure that they weren't. Gritting his teeth, his knife twisting in his hand, John stood on the precipice of action, but his own mind held him back. It had been so long since he'd even so much as had a chance at a life with a family that was whole and intact. And as much as he hated himself for it as the thought occurred to him, he was willing to risk someone else's death in order to secure his own happiness.
Twisting the knife in his hand, it was back in its holster in a moment, his eyes never leaving the girl in front of him. "Fine. Go," He said, the words coming out in short bursts. "But I'll be watching."
Abby didn't have to be told twice. The second he'd given her the nod to go, she was on the move. Up the side of the nearest building, bending and twisting and leaping in ways that no one should ever be able to do. She reached the rooftop and paused. When she looked back down, over the edge, she was once again human looking.
"Thank you," she called down after him before turning toward the next building and taking a running leap at it. She was determined not to stop running until she'd gotten home and could decide how she wanted to handle the latest bit of trouble to come her way.
Thank you. Thank you. If there were any words he'd heard during the course of his life that were going to haunt him, it was those two. It was a reinforcement that this was a decision he'd made, that any consequences from it would fall squarely on his shoulders. And while the bodies seem to have been ignored so far by the very agencies in place to keep these sort of things in check, he knew that if one should show up with the same signs he'd been tracking but with none of the record attached to it that they usually did, his heart would break at knowing he was responsible.
But there was little that could be done now. She was already gone, moving far faster than he could ever hope to keep up with. Whatever happened now was out of his hands, and he had to accept that, accept that he'd had his chance and allowed it to slip away. All he could hope was that it was the right decision in the end. He was alive. Perhaps that was the best he could hope for out of this, to have stayed alive.
Now, to just figure out how to explain this one to Sam.