16-Apr-2005
Title: The Nightmare Within - Part 7
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: GW Addiction
Date: November 14, 2003
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: 3+4, 1+2
Warnings: OOC, language, sap, slight angst, slight lime
Disclaimer: same old, same old.
Story: Heero is a Preventer assigned a case involving the mysterious death of a nine-year-old girl. He soon finds a link to another case, along with a series of unsolved murders. The characters are GW, but the story has nothing to do with the series.
Author's Notes: I got this idea after reading an article in the local paper. There will definitely be some sci-fi down the road so be forewarned. And a note to the naggers.this is a direct result of your efforts. Thanks!
"Stupid, stupid, stupid." He grumbled to himself as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. It was an absolutely stupid thing for him to be doing right then and was only made worse that the information that led him to the spot he was now standing in came from the very same person he had just made a complete ass out of himself in front of a few nights earlier. Despite all that here he was anyway; standing alone on pier 84 with his too-thin coat pulled tightly up around his ears and his favorite black cap tucked down low over his eyes. The night was clear and somewhat chilly with the breeze promising frost by morning despite what all the newscasters had been reporting. He hadn't been able to sleep since he left the warm comfort of Heero's bed and was desperate to keep his mind off the mess he'd made from their brief encounter just days before. Each time he closed his eyes and tried to focus on his new self-appointed mission, his mind wandered back to the sweet caresses and heated touches that he and Heero had shared. The cold night air and the starless sky made the gnawing loneliness prick at him more sharply as he walked quietly to the edge of the walkway and stared out over the black, rippling water.
"Well Hilde-girl, I'm on my own again. I thought for a second there that I had found someone who'd help us, but... Damn-it, I'll do this without their help. Without him. I mean I don't need Heero, right? Damn, Hilde I wish you were here. You'd tell me to shut the hell up and get on with it already. I know you would."
Duo closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. Hilde had been killed right where he was standing. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt. She'd been moved later. Dumped in a burnt-out, old car on the edge of the city where the authorities had found her. The killer was smart to try to throw them off his tracks, but Duo knew better. He'd seen it after all. Every last gruesome detail of her sweet life was being choked from her. There had to be a clue here somewhere. He had walked along the dark allies by the dock houses and listened to the lapping of the waves against the pier as he retraced the killer's steps.
"All I need to do is let myself go. To see what he sees... to know what he knows."
It was dark and the light from the warehouses only lit a small section of the pier's walkway as he stalked silently behind them. She was laughing. It was a light, bubbling sound that bounced across the water as she cooed over her escort making the dark night seem brighter somehow. He walked stiffly beside her as she guided him towards a secluded little spot off the main drag. There money would be exchanged and a quick time would be spent in bliss before she send him back off towards the bars and clubs a few streets over.
The young man staggered away as she quickly straightened herself out and smoothed her hair back in place. She was busy tucking the newly acquired bills into an inside jacket pocket so she didn't even notice when he came up behind her. There was struggling. There was crying and pleading as she begged for her life. There was the sound of the gulls screeching that mingled with Hilde's soft, gurgling breaths and muffled sobs as he fondled and touched her. Pushing past the dark images and ignoring the hot tears as they rolled down his cheeks, Duo focused on what lay just beyond the killer's hands as they finally squeezed the life from Hilde's warm blue eyes. He focused on the white knuckled fingers as they tightened around Hilde's throat trying desperately to memorize the insignia of the ruby studded ring. There was a crest of some kind, and a sword.
A sharp blast of a car horn made everything suddenly go black. When he came back to himself he was on the cold, wet ground and shaking uncontrollably in the middle of the wooden boardwalk. The distant ping from a buoy out in the water pulled him fully back. He took a stuttering breath and shook violently as the fleeting images bleed into the dark waters and finally disappeared completely. "Oh Hilde." He ran shaky, almost numb fingers through his bangs and stood up taking in his new location. He didn't know how he'd managed to walk that far from where he had started and found it fairly disturbing how vulnerable immersing himself into the visions had left him.
"Hey you!"
The booming voice made him jump where he stood as he spun in the direction of it.
"Hey, what are ya doin' down here boy?" A burly man lumbered towards him and momentarily blinded him with the beam from a bright flashlight. Deciding he wasn't quite up to a four-block dash to the nearest bus stop right then, he held up his hand to shield his eyes in order to get a look at who was coming towards him. From the clothing the man wore Duo figured that he was a docksman working the late shift or maybe a mechanic from the shipping yard. "It's awfully late to be out for a stroll, kid. You waitin' for someone?"
"Naw. Just got turned around." Duo chirped back pleasantly despite how all his nerves had suddenly gone into overdrive. He was somewhat relieved there was another breathing human being nearby and tried to focus on the guy waking heavy steps towards him and not the creeping chill that had run up his spine.
"Not much down here at night, kid. 'Cept the bad type. Which from the look of ya, you ain't."
"Oh I dunno. Appearances can be deceiving." Duo answered with a slow, charming smile.
The man had been frowning the whole time he approached but suddenly barked out a burst of laughter. "You're safe enough with me kid, no need for the veiled threat. You packin'?" Duo shrugged casually. "Well... don't matter. I just wanted t'make sure you weren't one of those ladies turning tricks down here tonight. There's been some bad things happening on these docks lately and it's my new job to keep things in check. That long hair you got kinda fooled me in the dark."
It bothered him that it hadn't really occurred to him how much he resembled bait just then. Long hair, slim build, out on the docks alone at night and in a place that was rumored to be a haven for working girls and pimps. The shipping docks were a great place to take johns. Many of the older ships being stored there were left unattended and usually unlocked. But even locked they were still easy enough to get into. No one seemed to notice or care too much about the flurry of street trash getting picked off over the last few weeks, but when the story of the little girl who had been kidnapped and murdered finally hit the papers, suddenly everyone was on alert. If this guy had only been hired to patrol the dockyards and pier before that story broke, then maybe Hilde would've been more cautious. Maybe she'd still be alive.
"You working the night shift from the shipping yard then?"
"Yep, and we don't need no more trouble. Business is bad enough without those damn workin' girls getting killed down here at night."
Duo's stomach dropped. "Do don't have any idea who could be doing it, do ya?" He wanted to cringe at how shaky his voice sounded and almost blushed at the look it earned him from the big guy.
"Naw. But the police say it's the same guy that killed that little girl last month that made the papers. Damn shame that was."
Duo shut his eyes and fought off the creeping chill that was edging it's way up his spine again. He suddenly wished very much that he could crawl into Heero's arms just then, despite how angry he was still with him. He tried to focus on the cheery little light coming from the man's flashlight, dreading the walk all the way back to the bus stop.
"You okay kid? You look kind-a.strung out. Ya wanna cab or somethin'? I can call ya one."
"Naw.I'm gunna walk back down the pier and catch the bus."
"All right then, I git goin'. The police make their rounds soon and they don't take too kindly to kids wandering around down here. They don't treat `em as nicely as I do. And you'd better hurry up if you want to catch the last bus too. It stops running at 2am." He chuckled and lumbered off with his flashlight in the direction of the marina. "You'd better run, less you want to wind up as a policeman's guest tonight."
"Shit." Duo huffed as he glanced at his watch. He had lost two hours retracing the killer and was going to have to haul ass for the bus if he was going to make it. He started off at a slower pace before warming up into a full out run. The burn in his legs felt good as he found his stride and his body warmed with the exertion. He could just about make out the sign to the bus stop when he heard the chirp of a siren behind him. He slowed down and panted as the bubblegum looking red and blue lights from a patrol car clicked on and pulled up behind him. "You've got to be kidding me. Do you believe this Hilde-girl? This is the second time this week I'm caught running from cops."
End Part 7
(:./ebony/within7)
