Of Screams and Silence

[Angst]

She waits inside the shadows,


The shadows of the NIGHT,


And he hides from her behind locked doors,


Paralyzed with FRIGHT.





@Annabella

 

[Angst]

Part One:


In which a very particular man meets a very peculiar woman.

___________________________________





:Anthony Gatlin:


__________





Anthony had always despised the city.


To begin with, statistics had shown it to be the most ideal area in which to start what would eventually become the most successful accounting firm for three states over. After all, cities generally meant large, condensed populations, and large, condensed populations, as any common fool could most likely figure out, generally meant a wide range of people in need of the service that he was aiming to provide. No amount of business, however, was worth the crowds, the noise, all the insolent, impatient people, and the thick haze of smog that hung in the air every day of the year. Still, though he had been presented with the opportunity on several occasions to that very day, Anthony had not left the city. The astonishing level of success that his firm had garnered since the day of its opening was not one that he was so easily willing to part with.


It was on nights like these, though, the ones that he hated the most, that he wished that he had decided to sell the thing and just move on. One mistake. Just one tiny error in the numbers by a group of some of his less than competent employees, and the entire financial record of the man who happened to be their current wealthiest client had been completely and utterly - for lack of a better phrase - fucked up. Simpletons, all of them, and Anthony had made that fact very clear to them as they'd walked out the door for the evening, leaving him to work on his own into the late hours of the night to amend the consequences of their inadequacy. Now, as he walked back to his apartment in the eerie stillness of the city's back alleyways, which were illuminated only by the few flickering street lamps that towered overhead, he found himself getting frustrated all over again. One more mishap, and he would fire them. He would need to, to preserve his sanity.


Suddenly, as he was rounding a corner, a cat jumped out into his path with a hiss that caused him to start and jump three feet in the air. Embarrassed by this foolish display, although he was fairly certain that no one had seen, Anthony adjusted his coat before continuing on his way. He felt strangely uneasy, all of a sudden, though he couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason why. It must have been the product of nerves. The accountant was, in all truthfulness, usually an exceptionally bold individual, but there was something about walking through a dark, shadowy alleyway in the middle of the night that put a drain on one's confidence.

 

[kou]

Dylan

Hunger of the Pine. Alt-J

Mood || Satisfied, Slightly Anxious.


Location || Alleyway


Theme Song || Hunger of the Pine-Alt-J





............

She had been patient.


Extremely patient. The man had developed a pattern that could not possibly be broken by any outside factors and Dylan had ensured that he would stick to this routine, she had eliminated anything that had been made to impede his progress and today had gone fairly well. She had not expected him to stay so late but it was good that he had even crossed paths with her, he didn't know it yet but someone was watching him. The woman stayed within the comfort of the shadows, creeping quietly on the balls of her feet in order to preserve the balance that had been established. She could touch him with how close she was and yet the narrow space in which he was walking had two direct exits, if she blocked his path then he would simply run the other way. She was directly beside him but the darkness assisted her greatly, her eyes trained on his figure before she nearly tripped over a cat whom darted out towards the man in question; Dylan quietly sucked in a breath and then exhaled as he resumed his trek home. She had been studying him from afar for weeks although she had been unable to approach him.


Dylan usually didn't have a hard time conversing with people but this needed to be absolutely perfect; it was Fate, it was meant to be. She just needed to time it perfectly. The woman receded into the shadows, placing a safe distance away from the man before setting to work. She would have to do this quickly or it wouldn't be believable, the young woman reached into her purse that she had taken along with her before scattering change onto the ground underfoot, ripping a large portion of her shirt before leaning down and rubbing her hands into the dirt below. This worked well when paired with a clean face and Dylan rubbed a believable amount of dirt on her skin, turning towards the brick wall of a building before sighing quietly. Slender fingers weaved their way into a large crack in the building, removing an amenable portion of brick before Dylan brought it down onto her brow.


Pain.


Absolute pain.


She hissed quietly as blood trickled down her face, slamming the brick into the wall before letting out a loud and fairly tortured screech. It would work, he would come. Wouldn't he? If he didn't, Dylan would try again another time. She clutched her face before screaming once more, she had done fairly well in Theater as a child and she didn't doubt that it would be believable.

​

 

[Angst]

___________________________________


:Anthony Gatlin:


__________


The blood curdling scream that ripped through the nighttime air completely shattered the eerie silence that had defined the alley's atmosphere only moments before. With another, more violent start, Anthony was halted in his tracks as his blood turned to ice in his veins. Every hair on his body stood on end. The sound had come from horrifyingly close; the woman responsible couldn't have been more than a few yards away. What was going on? A robbery? A murder? A rape? None of the possibilities that Anthony considered were exactly encouraging, to say the least. He had heard remarks of the city's many issues with crime after dark from the evening news report on innumerable occasions, but never had he had the misfortune to be involved with any of it himself, and for that he was infinitely thankful.


So sound reasoning would have told him to run in the direction away from the sound, and, on any other night, he would have. After all, it was better to save his own skin than to go about trying to play the part of hero for someone who had already most likely been condemned to whatever terrible fate they had been met with, correct? Later, when asked, he would never be able to explain why he did it - maybe it was because her voice had sounded so young, or maybe it was simply fate - but it appeared that it just wasn't logic's day, and, surprising himself, Anthony ran off in the exact direction of the woman's screams, his heart pounding in his ears.


By the time he reached the source of the screams, it appeared that whatever confrontation had taken place there had already come to an end. What remained was a young, blond haired woman, her purse and all of its contents scattered at her feet. Grime coated her pale skin, and a sizable patch of cloth had been torn from her shirt. To Anthony's horror, a steady stream of blood flowed from an ugly laceration on her forehead, and the man felt himself grow weak at the knees just looking at it. He had never been very good with the sight of blood. Nevertheless, he addressed the girl with the expected level of human concern, reaching into his pocket for his phone as he prepared to dial 911.


"What happened, Miss? Who attacked you? Which way did they go? Do you need an ambulance?"


The questions poured out of his mouth involuntarily. He must have really been feeling woozy,

 

[kou]

Dylan

Mood || In pain, content.


Location || Alleyway


......

Ah.


That was more like it. Dylan resisted the urge to smile as she wiped the blood from her face, smearing the side of her cheek as she did so before fixating on the man with what could be taken for a terrified look. Inside, Dylan was jumping in glee at the thought of her plan working but the moment the man slid out the phone was the moment she decided that this could not escalate. If he contacted any form of law enforcement then they would no doubt find that this had been self-inflicted and the woman shook her head wildly, raising her hands in order to let him know that she was fine. "I am fine sir, just a couple of rotten kids; this wound does hurt though.." Dylan raised a hand to the bruised area which was extremely painful to the touch, she wasn't lying when she said that which would make this all the more believable. This part of the test required the extent to the man's hospitality, if he was kind then he would accept.


Dylan knew that he wasn't generous. That could be fixed. "They ran off in the other direction, it would be hard to catch up with them now...say, my head is really fucking killing me do you have anything I could use? I wandered into the wrong side of town and I have no idea where I am. Please, sir." She fixated on him with a pleading look, it had always been her best tactic when convincing others to do something and she found it to be the most rewarding as well. The woman recalled a similar situation concerning a fisherman's son, that had ended in pain.


Not on her side..in fact, she had dealt it. If he didn't believe her then a quick brick to his skull would fix the situation, the only problem was that he was twice her size and hovered over her.


Ah well, she would simply have to jump.

​

 

[Angst]

___________________________________


:Anthony Gatlin:


__________


Something should have struck him as odd right then and there. Her immediate dismissal of his offer to call the appropriate authorities would, if he had truly given the action any thought, have been cause for suspicion. However, as it happened, Anthony was weary and impatient, and really just all too anxious to return home to focus much upon the details. He raised his eyebrows at her assertion, as he did think it a bit of an unwise decision to allow her assailants to run free, but he wordlessly complied, slipping the phone back into his coat pocket. It was no skin off of his nose if they got their hands on someone else.


Her plea for assistance brought a deep frown to the accountant's face. No doubt this was going to end up being a further waste to time that he didn't have. What made him obligated to help her? He had offered to call on professionals, and she hadn't wanted that. What could he do for her that they couldn't, besides becoming thoroughly annoyed? But the look on her face was terrified. It was as if she were begging him with her eyes, and it was quite obvious that the wound was hurting her immensely. So, with a heavy sigh, Anthony gave the woman a nod, reaching for the bag that hung at his hip. Exhaustion made him generous, it seemed.





"I hope you aren't allergic to Tylenol. The last thing I need is a homicide on my hands," he stated in a huff as he produced two of said pills from a small bottle in the bag along with a clean, white handkerchief, making his displeasure excruciatingly evident as he did so in hopes of discouraging her from requesting any further favors. He carried Tylenol on his person always, as his employees were the source of frequent headaches. The handkerchief he had received as a Christmas gift from a fairly wealthy client, and honestly having found no practical use for it had never taken it from his bag. Extending his hand a good distance away from his person and with his palm facing upwards, he handed the items over to her, taking great precaution not to look at the smear of blood that covered her face. He didn't much desire to lose the meager supper that he'd had back at his office.





"Now, if you will excuse me, I really should be going."





He had done his good deed for the day. She could figure out her way home for herself.

 

[kou]

Dylan

Mood || Nauseous, Aggravated.


Location || Alleyway


......

Dylan smiled, fighting off the rising wave of nausea before quickly swallowing the pills. Her mouth was extremely dry so it didn't help reduce the risk of choking, she would have to deal with it; she was more concerned with how she was going to be able to interact with the man if he was already walking away.


Luckily, Dylan had a backup plan. The woman ignored the throbbing pain before snapping her fingers as if she had come up with an idea. "Thank you for the Tylenol but I really need to get home..can I walk with you until I at least find where the hell I'm at? It's dark and I'm already injured." This would prove to be slightly suspicious seeing as she could easily walk alone but it was believable, she had just been attacked..well, not really. Dylan was unwilling to allow the man's need to be alone to prevent her from going through with her plan, she had thought of this ever since she had seen him and he would thank her later.


If push came to shove, there would certainly be another time. There always was.

​

 

[Angst]

___________________________________


:Anthony Gatlin:


__________


Was she honestly serious? Had his blatant display of impatience not been explicitly clear to her? Apparently it hadn't, as she was still talking. Either that, or she just didn't care. But apprehension would do that to a person, Anthony supposed. The girl appeared to be desperate. No doubt she thought herself an easy target for anyone else who might be lurking in the shadows. That was how women did it. They clung to men when they were lost or afraid, and that in itself was excessively tedious.

Truthfully, Anthony would have sooner shot himself in the foot than extended the invitation that she was asking for. All he wanted was to get home and out of the oppressive darkness of the city's back alleys, and he wanted to do it in the peace of his own company. But he had no gun, and something told him that this girl would not be so easy to shake. With another sigh of annoyance, he turned in the direction of his apartment complex, beckoning for her to follow.


How had he even managed to get himself into such a situation as this? It all traced back to his excruciatingly incompetent employees. Scratch what he'd settled on earlier. There needn't be another mishap. He would fire the lot of them first thing in the morning.


"As long as you stay quiet and keep your distance. And wipe that bloodstain off of your face. It's unsightly."

 

[kou]

You are my angel. Massive Attack

Mood || Smug, content.


Location || En route with 'Him.'


Theme Song || Angel: Massive Attack.

Spoiler

[media]
​

[/media]
......

As long as she kept quiet, huh? She could do that seeing as it was a specialty of hers, observing others without them taking heed of her presence. She kept her gaze fixated on the ground as she walked, discreetly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she did so. The bloodstain on her face was wiped off by a slightly dirtied hand and Dylan sniffed quietly. Everything was unnervingly silent tonight, as if everyone had ceased to exist and it was her and him.





That would be amenable. She was intent on letting him know soon that she was the only one, the only choice, the only person he could turn to. She could cook and clean for him, do anything he wanted and she could be happy. Of course, he didn't know that her but Dylan was a confident woman. She decided it couldn't hurt to ask him one question. "What's your name? If you don't mind me asking...I'm Dylan."

 

[Angst]

___________________________________


:Anthony Gatlin:


__________


"I thought I asked you to remain silent," Anthony grumbled under his breath as they continued to walk, paying an uncanny amount of attention to the sound of their feet hitting the asphalt of the street. All he wanted was to be rid of the girl. Exchanging introductions would be contradictory to that desire. Furthermore, it might give her reason to believe that he wished to continue their association when it was quite obvious that he did not. The fact that she was still with him at that moment was enough of an annoyance in itself. But from what he had learned from her during their brief time together, Dylan, as she called herself, was persistent, and there was a chance that she would ask again if he held his tongue.

"Anthony. My name is Anthony. Please refrain from asking anything else."


Before long, Anthony began to recognize the familiar scenery of his apartment complex, and was visibly perplexed. Had she not yet been able to figure out the direction of her own home? Perhaps she lived nearby? The second option was highly unlikely, as if that were the case, then she would not have had a reason to asks for his assistance. So...what then? Just a block from his home, he stopped to confront her about these concerns.


"I am confused as to why you are still here."

 

[kou]

I think I found Hell. The Neighbourhood

Mood || Smug, content, slightly aggravated.


Location || Apartment Complex


Theme Song ||

......

It was nice to hear his name from his own mouth. As if she was somehow being allowed in on a secret that only they could know, Anthony wasn't entirely optimistic but he would eventually succumb to her. She just had to be patient, she was never good with that although this was a..special case. Of course she had thought this out, it had been on her mind since day one when she had laid eyes on him. Dylan placed on a mask of surprise, nearly jumping in glee as she looked at the apartment complex. You see, the woman was very meticulous and she preferred everything to be thought out beforehand, all it took was some ounce of finesse with the tenant and she had gotten her way. She always did. "Oh my God, I was so close and I didn't even know it. I've just moved into the place and I was having trouble getting around, got lost on my way back from a party and that was that, I suppose I didn't recognize how close I was seeing how dark it is outside. Um, thank you Anthony. It's been a pleasure...I guess I'll see you around." That was all that needed to be said, Dylan had gotten what she wanted and now she had access to the man when she needed.


She had moved in beforehand, mapping out everything and planning when she could possibly encounter Anthony. Today had been her lucky day and she had struck out, now all she had to do was get him to take the bait. Dylan shifted awkwardly before pointing towards the entrance. "I know it's late and you must be tired but I wanted to thank you somehow, would you like to come up for something to drink? My roommate might be home although she'll probably be passed out in her room. If you don't want to, that's fine as well but since you're kind of my neighbor..."





Lies.


All of it.


Her 'roommate' was rotting in an abandoned warehouse at the moment. The bitch had found the photographs, Dylan had taken care of it before she could call the cops.

 

[Angst]

___________________________________


:Anthony Gatlin:


__________


Well, wasn't that just the icing on the cake? She was his neighbor. His motherfucking neighbor. The current situation, to Anthony, could not have possibly been any worse if he had tried to make it that way. When had she even moved in? He had never even laid eyes on Dylan prior to that day. When had she moved in? All of this constant questioning was making Anthony's head hurt, and he reached up to rub at his temples with an exasperated sigh.


No. The answer to her question was a clear and simple no. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to spend another moment in e young woman's presence. This had quite possibly been the most trying, aggravating, stressful day of his entire life, and all the accountant wanted to do was return to his own home and ready himself for what few hours of much-needed sleep he could manage to obtain before he was required to awaken again in the early morning hours. Besides, this entire thing was beginning to seem a bit too fishy for his liking. Hadn't this woman been attacked less than an hour before? Shouldn't she have been at least a little more shaken after such an experience? What exactly was it that she wanted with him? Was she going to turn out to be one of those neighbors who was constantly dropping in uninvited for no reason at all but to annoy the hell out of you? Anthony sincerely hoped not.





"That will not be necessary, thank you," he replied curtly, just wanting the entire ordeal to be over with already. "I wish you a pleasant evening."





And may we never cross paths again, he thought crossly to himself as he turned on his heels.


(It is so hard when you want him to go in, but you know that he wouldn't. XP)

 

[kou]

Mood || Exceedingly irritated.


Location || Apartment Complex.

No.


No.


No.


That wasn't how she had worked everything out, it was not something she had planned for and Dylan didn't like surprises. The young woman quickly scanned the area for anything, something, and instantly broke out into a ravenous smile as she spotted a broken beer bottle. She recalled using something like this on the last person she had become intrigued with, it would have to hit the correct spot to prevent excessive bleeding seeing as she didn't wish to kill him.


Unless he gave her a reason to do so. She waited, inconspicuously grabbing the bottle before hiding it strategically behind her back. She was going in the same direction as him anyways.

Perhaps he would come to his senses and figure out that she was quite a nice person, maybe he wanted to socialize, Dylan highly doubted that but she was extremely desperate to prevent further injury to his person. She wanted to preserve every ounce of him, she didn't want to outwardly alter him although that seemed to be necessary. Taking a deep breath, Dylan moved quickly, utilizing the lack of light to her advantage before sneaking up behind him. The plan was to take him by surprise, it was simplistic if he didn't notice her beforehand. Bringing up the object, Dylan brought it crashing down and winced as the sound of glass shattered against her palm. That was certainly going to hurt.


She would tell him she was sorry once he was awake again.

 

[Angst]

Part Two:


In which the woman accomplishes(?) her goals, and the man experiences utter terror.

___________________________________


:Anthony Gatlin:


__________





Darkness. Complete, all-encompassing darkness. It was as if he were floating in an endless void, into which no light could enter, and from which no life could escape. Try as he might, he could not form any conscious thought, forced simply to dwell inside the endless expanse of nothing until, suddenly, a faint light struck his eyelids, stirring him from the throes of unconscious sleep. What day was it? In his groggy state of mind, he managed a breathy sigh at the thought of having to return to his workplace and supervise his less-than-efficient employees, especially after the ordeal with the numerical errors that had occurred the evening prior. Those incompetent, useless, sons of-


Anthony's train of thought came to a screeching halt as he attempted to lift a hand to rub at his eyes and found himself strangely unable to move his arms. Seized by panicked confusion, he tried once, twice more to lift his arms, only to find that they were securely bound in place. Attempts to move his legs were met with similar results. In a burst of cold terror, he opened his eyes and threw his head into an upright position, immediately regretting the action as soon as he had done so. Searing pain shot through his skull, the sheer magnitude of which drew an agonized groan from his lips and brought his head back down upon his shoulder. A sudden feeling of nausea overcame him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, reaching desperately into the depths of his memory to recall the events that had led him to this moment.


Where was he? How had he gotten there? What was the cause of the debilitating pain in his head? As the details of the previous night returned to him, Anthony's blood turned to ice in his veins. He remembered the girl in the alleyway, who had claimed to have been attacked and to whom he had offered reluctant assistance. He also recalled bidding her goodnight, and after that, all was enveloped in darkness, what had she done? What exactly had happened?


Forcing his eyes open despite the effect that the dim lighting had on his pounding skull, the accountant surveyed his environment as best he could without turning his head, breathing ragged and heart beating fiercely in his chest as terror gripped him once more. He was in someone's kitchen - whose, he did not know exactly, but he did have his prime suspect - tied fast to a wooden chair. Frantically, his eyes, with a look resembling that of an animal trapped in a cage, scanned the room for any possible routes of escape, but, finding none, he once again began to to fruitlessly at his restraints, nearly crying out at the pain it brought to his skull. It was for this reason that he did not make an attempt to shout for help.


Once he had grown tired with this, finally struck by defeat at the realization that escape, at the moment, was totally impossible, he let his head fall to his shoulder as he tried desperately to think through the fog that clouded his terrified mind, only to find himself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes. It appeared that he was not alone.