Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction ❯ The Jacaranda Tree ❯ Chapter 5
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: prophecygirl 
Non Anime: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.10.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 873 | Visits: 206 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.10.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 873 | Visits: 206 | Status: Completed
Faith sat in a lone chair between two doors. She desperately wanted something to eat, but she didn't know the floor too well, and hesitated to leave. As though maybe if she stayed, nothing bad could happen. What a joke.
Life was a joke, in fact. The whole sordid concept was funny, but not in the way that made you laugh. Her whole life was one big fucking joke, from start to finish.
She dug her nails into the padded arms of the chair, clenching her teeth. Thoughts swirled around her angrily and she nearly choked on them. She stood and walked out of the hospital, taking a seat in the abandoned courtyard to have a cigarette.
Suddenly her gut contracted and her heart began to race. The hair on her arms stood on end.
A vampire.
Faith licked her lips and stood nonchalantly, dropping her cigarette to the ground and stomping it out with her new sneakers. She'd never been much for running shoes, but her black platform boots had gone the way of the rest of her typical wardrobe. The heat of SoCal in summer just made an all-black wardrobe seem totally inappropriate.
She forced herself to focus, narrowing the vamp's location to just behind her, concealed by bushes that led to trees that led to woods. She put her cigarettes back in her pocket, lightly fingering the stake there for reassurance. The vampire stalked her silently through the high shrubs, and Faith watched carefully with her eyes, never once moving her head.
She smiled.
And lept.
~*~
Faith was a force to be reckoned with. When she slayed, it was like watching a very violent ballet, every move graceful and calculated.
Not this time.
The vamp quickly got the upper hand, ducking her blows easily and grabbing her by her hair. He swung her around by it and she shouted out in pain, too focused on the ripping sensation in her scalp to do anything about it. He let go of her and she slammed into a mottled old tree.
The collision made her brain rattle inside her skull. She saw flashes of deep red among the view of the vamp coming back for her. He kicked her side so hard that she heard, more than felt, her ribs cracking.
"Fuck!" she yelled, curling into a ball instinctively to protect her injured side. For the first time in her life, she felt that she might lose a fight.
Faith took as deep a breath as she could manage as his foot reared back for another blow, and rolled away.
'It takes more energy to swing and miss than to swing and connect. Remember that.'
It was as though her Watcher were standing beside her as she continued rolling, able to see only flashes of the vampire as he fell backward.
She stopped at the edge of a ravine and let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding as he came after her again.
"Didn't.. anybody ever tell you.. it's not nice.. to hit girls?" she said, every breath more painful than the next.
He ignored her and squatted over her, grinning and baring his gleaming fangs. Faith closed her eyes. Swung out at him, knocking him off her. And rolled again, right into the ravine.
~*~
Faith dragged herself back through the woods, hoping she'd find the hospital soon. Not that a few shattered ribs couldn't wait or anything, but she was a city girl. Not much for the nature.
Not much for the Slaying anymore either, apparently. She'd never run away from a fight in her life. Well, technically she hadn't run. She'd rolled. Right into a deep ravine filled with murky water.
Her arms were scratched and bruised, her ribs cracked with every step she took, and she was pretty sure her meeting with the tree earlier had given her a concussion.
She hiked painfully, and when she finally saw the hospital in the distance, she broke into an all-out run, her gangly arms flying. She practically grabbed at the air and willed it to pull her forward to the hospital lobby, where she promptly fainted.
~*~
When Faith awoke, she was hooked to an I.V. that was pumping morphine straight into her veins. She glanced around blearily and sat up. No one was around, so she pulled the I.V. out and stood, walking out into the hallway.
She found herself across the hall from where she'd been sitting earlier that night. She looked at the door wistfully, not wanting to go in while she was in this condition, but knowing she had to.
She paced outside the door for awhile, feeling more lost and alone than when the blood had come last month. Her womb still ached hopelessly, clenching like a fist around emptiness. She rubbed her stomach absently and entered the room.
Life was a joke, in fact. The whole sordid concept was funny, but not in the way that made you laugh. Her whole life was one big fucking joke, from start to finish.
She dug her nails into the padded arms of the chair, clenching her teeth. Thoughts swirled around her angrily and she nearly choked on them. She stood and walked out of the hospital, taking a seat in the abandoned courtyard to have a cigarette.
Suddenly her gut contracted and her heart began to race. The hair on her arms stood on end.
A vampire.
Faith licked her lips and stood nonchalantly, dropping her cigarette to the ground and stomping it out with her new sneakers. She'd never been much for running shoes, but her black platform boots had gone the way of the rest of her typical wardrobe. The heat of SoCal in summer just made an all-black wardrobe seem totally inappropriate.
She forced herself to focus, narrowing the vamp's location to just behind her, concealed by bushes that led to trees that led to woods. She put her cigarettes back in her pocket, lightly fingering the stake there for reassurance. The vampire stalked her silently through the high shrubs, and Faith watched carefully with her eyes, never once moving her head.
She smiled.
And lept.
~*~
Faith was a force to be reckoned with. When she slayed, it was like watching a very violent ballet, every move graceful and calculated.
Not this time.
The vamp quickly got the upper hand, ducking her blows easily and grabbing her by her hair. He swung her around by it and she shouted out in pain, too focused on the ripping sensation in her scalp to do anything about it. He let go of her and she slammed into a mottled old tree.
The collision made her brain rattle inside her skull. She saw flashes of deep red among the view of the vamp coming back for her. He kicked her side so hard that she heard, more than felt, her ribs cracking.
"Fuck!" she yelled, curling into a ball instinctively to protect her injured side. For the first time in her life, she felt that she might lose a fight.
Faith took as deep a breath as she could manage as his foot reared back for another blow, and rolled away.
'It takes more energy to swing and miss than to swing and connect. Remember that.'
It was as though her Watcher were standing beside her as she continued rolling, able to see only flashes of the vampire as he fell backward.
She stopped at the edge of a ravine and let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding as he came after her again.
"Didn't.. anybody ever tell you.. it's not nice.. to hit girls?" she said, every breath more painful than the next.
He ignored her and squatted over her, grinning and baring his gleaming fangs. Faith closed her eyes. Swung out at him, knocking him off her. And rolled again, right into the ravine.
~*~
Faith dragged herself back through the woods, hoping she'd find the hospital soon. Not that a few shattered ribs couldn't wait or anything, but she was a city girl. Not much for the nature.
Not much for the Slaying anymore either, apparently. She'd never run away from a fight in her life. Well, technically she hadn't run. She'd rolled. Right into a deep ravine filled with murky water.
Her arms were scratched and bruised, her ribs cracked with every step she took, and she was pretty sure her meeting with the tree earlier had given her a concussion.
She hiked painfully, and when she finally saw the hospital in the distance, she broke into an all-out run, her gangly arms flying. She practically grabbed at the air and willed it to pull her forward to the hospital lobby, where she promptly fainted.
~*~
When Faith awoke, she was hooked to an I.V. that was pumping morphine straight into her veins. She glanced around blearily and sat up. No one was around, so she pulled the I.V. out and stood, walking out into the hallway.
She found herself across the hall from where she'd been sitting earlier that night. She looked at the door wistfully, not wanting to go in while she was in this condition, but knowing she had to.
She paced outside the door for awhile, feeling more lost and alone than when the blood had come last month. Her womb still ached hopelessly, clenching like a fist around emptiness. She rubbed her stomach absently and entered the room.