Shadows Still Remain
Prologue
Rating: Mostly R. but with some NC-17 bits thrown in.
Summary: Cordelia Chase finds herself suddenly pulled back into the world it
seemed she'd left behind—but with everything changed, can she find her place in
it again? (Post-"Not Fade Away," Angel/Cordelia)
Feedback and archiving
polite. I usually allow archiving, but please ask first so I can have a chance
to look at the site and make a definite answer.
***
*** ***
"And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way…"
—"November
Rain," Guns N Roses
***
*** ***
When she woke, all she knew was cold so
intense it felt as if it could sear her without heat. She gasped for air, her
sluggish limbs reaching out blindly, searching for an escape.
Suddenly, her arm hit glass, and the glass
shattered under the blow, causing her to topple down to the hard ground. She
gasped again, pulling desperate, burning breaths into her lungs, then began to
cough, her body curling as she shivered uncontrollably.
Around her, alarms began to sound, red
lights flashing and making her eyes ache. The ground trembled and shook, and
through it all, she knew one thing.
She needed to run…
Intense pain coursed through her with every
movement, but still she pulled herself from the ground and to her shaky feet.
She took a step, then stumbled, barely catching herself on the edge of a steel
table. The room shook again and she grasped the table tighter, determination
setting in her dark eyes. Though her legs were weak and she still trembled from
the cold, she pushed forward, her focus set firmly on the door. Near it hung a
white coat, and she grabbed it, wrapping it around her chilled body before she
walked out into the hall.
There, she found chaos, as if the world
around her were falling apart. People ran around in all different directions,
yet none of them seemed to notice her, their own survival foremost on their
minds.
She stopped in the hall, her eyes squinting
as she adjusted to the strange lights and tried to decide where she should go.
Then, with a terrible roar, she had her answer. She looked behind her to see
the building collapsing in on itself, stone and concrete falling like straw.
Ignoring the pain still filling her, she ran, refusing to look back again until
finally, she was bursting through an emergency exit. She threw herself onto the
grass, panting heavily as she turned around and watched the building crumble
into rubble.
Fearing she wasn't far enough away, she pulled
herself up and ran until she could carry herself no further and darkness
engulfed her again.
***
*** ***
Intrigued? Please leave a review and let me
know if you want me to continue with this story.