BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - HORROR

PA1NE

The Last Firefly: Chapter 05
Monday, June 18, 2007

It's been three years since the planet Miranda was publically released. The Alliance has had three years to think of something new... (Rating might change later)


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 1587    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Note: I thought of this when I was running one morning. I decided to write it because it could be fun. :) Okay, note: This chapter was a b*tch to write... I think I know why.... but it's still annoying. xD

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Serenity: The last Firefly

Chapter Five: Bloody Nightmares

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River Tam laid on her back inside one of the vent shafts in Serenity. Above her body was a large fan which pushed air throughout the ship. River dazed at the spinning blades and her thoughts found refuge elsewhere. Her arms were spread away from her body as the cool feeling of the ship soaked into her skin. Slowly she breathed in the smell of Serenity. River listened to voices, and calmed to feel the humming of her home.

Her mind wandered as her body slowly drifted into a wakeful sleep. Slowly her senses were dulled and a soft feeling crept across her fingers. The breeze of the cool fan altered to a warm wind that brushed against her face. River looked around to see her asylum slowly fading away to a long lost memory. She sat up in a warm bed with milky-white silk sheets. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she was in an old room at the Alliance run school. It was similar to hers, but different at the same time. River looked around, gathering what knowledge she could from this waking dream. Her hands drifted over her hair, gently brushed and soft, body clothed in the finest material, and she felt normal.

Inside her enclosure were elaborate décor. At the far side of the room was a wall of books. The stained blue shelves were ordered perfectly. Not too far from her bed were a dresser and a wardrobe. Both had engravings that looked hand-made by the finest of craftsmen. The wooden floor was of the finest quality even her home with her family never looked this magnificent. Gently she set her feet against the floor; there was a gentle humming between her toes. Warm. She thought. A smile came to her lips.

With soundless movements she pulled herself to the dresser at the far side of the room. Her fingers lightly touched the smooth wood. She felt somewhat at ease when her fingertips brushed across the intricate carvings. Everything that she was feeling at that very moment was a sense of pure bliss. It was as if all her problems had dissolved away and she became carefree. Her attention was grabbed by a small tarnished box hidden by a pile of books. She reached for it with both hands and brought it before her. It looked like it had gone through a terrible fire; the once majestic gold was partially melted away and warped. She placed her thumbs at either side of the object and drew her fingers down the sides of the lid. Curiosity took the better of her and she made to open it. With a slight cracking noise the top of the charred box flipped halfway up to reveal a very striking sight. There was an onyx dragon twined around a jade fairy in the center of the box. Beautiful. River thought. They sat on a round, copper disk enveloped by the rest of the inner box which was a fine blue color. River attempted to open the box further, but it was damaged to the point that the lid was partially sealed at the corners.

A rapping sound echoed through the room. Leaving the charred box to rest, River gently padded around and approached the elegant window at the far side of her room. Outside she could see her past classmates running around in the knee-high grass near the old oak tree. She felt a warm feeling spread through her chest and dashed to her door. The large wooden entrance opened with ease as she stepped outside with her classmates. Each child was waving an arm beckoning her to come and play with them. Her bare feet took flight through the soft grass.

As River approached the other kids, she felt a bit of nostalgia. This is what she missed… this is what was stolen from her: Childhood. River kept running to try and catch up with the other children; however no matter how hard she tried to run they seemed to elude her. All she wanted to do was play along. As she approached the old oak tree she stopped to catch her breath. She pressed her hands into her knees and leaned over to stare at the cool grass. Her lungs reveled in the fragrant air and took in the abundant oxygen.

“Hey, let’s play hide and seek!” River looked up to see a young boy bending over with his face close to hers. He had dark curls that framed his face and a kind smile. The rest of his friends were of equal caliber in happiness. And each one was donned with the most exquisite clothing. The boy held out his hand to the young Tam.

“Okay.” River said without hesitation. She smiled, took his hand and skipped over to the oak tree. Several other children frolicked around waiting for their new friend to begin the count. As the intricacies of the tree came into view, River couldn’t help but notice the bluish leaves that hid the upper branches of the oak. The bark, as her hands graced its trunk, was soft. For a moment River actually thought the tree was warm, she figured it was her imagination and the heat of the day. Her eyes couldn’t tear away from the unique tree. River folded her arms, rested her head and closed her eyes. Slowly she began to count.

As she approached the count of her final number the light behind her eye-lids became dark. A cold tickling started to poke at her feet which drew her attention to the ground. She stopped the count and pulled back from the oak tree. Something was very, very wrong. No longer was the tree soft and white. It had melted away to a metallic form; its trunk twisting and winding in an unknown agony. The young girl tempted to step back but felt a stabbing pain in her toes. River looked down to her feet and saw needles sticking from her toes. An icy realization swept over her body and pain ripped through her mind.

Trying to make a move she stepped and felt only more agony tear through her nerves. Her knees gave as and collapsed to the floor. In an attempt to break her fall she extended her arms out in front of her head. A slimy liquid ruined her of making a safe landing and River felt her head make a sickening splash to the freezing cold floor. Her surroundings were on fire and melting away around her. The soft green grass curled into black, stinking lumps of dead plant-life. Red coals glowed at the base of the old oak, the dim light revealed more than what she wanted to know.

Metal walls were everywhere. It seemed that the walls would rise and rise to find to ceiling, never to end. To her left and right were hallways that kept going, red lights shone from nowhere lighting the metallic path. She could smell the copper from the blood at her feet. Using her abdominal strength, she sat up and reached to her face. To her horror her hands were bathed in a red, sticky blood. Desperately she attempted to wipe the liquid off on her dress. Get it off. Get it off. She mentally repeated.

Everywhere she glanced she could see it, blood, blood, and more blood. It dripped from the walls, rained from the nonexistent ceiling. It was a nightmare, a terrible agonizing nightmare that wouldn’t let up its reign of tyranny. The anguish in her hands felt like a kick to the ribs. Impaled beneath her fingernails were toothpicks and needles. Bending her fingers was an impossible task once she felt that the needles were buried into her joints and tendons. River’s mind splintered when she felt the oozing of red fluid touch her skin beneath her clothes. She could feel it slither between her breasts, down her belly, between her thighs…

Terror flooded her thoughts and River Tam screamed.

****

Malcolm Reynolds stretched his back and felt a pop in his lower spine. He exhaled and rubbed his scarred hip. His boots clanked on the grates away from the cockpit as he made his way to the kitchen. He ran his thumbs through his khaki suspenders and adjusted his pants. You can only sit for so long and feel comfortable. He trudged through his kitchen and hunted down a cup. Mal rummaged through the cabinets for a few moments before finding an aluminum tea cup. He shrugged and accepted what he discovered. After being awake for close to 20 hours, an aluminum tea cup is perfectly fine.

The captain of the Serenity sighed as he poured himself a cold cup of water. Whiskey and beer were all good during the evenings… Yet, sometimes a good cup of cold water just hit the spot like no other liquid. Mal wandered over to his wooden table and took a seat in one of the more stable chairs. He knew that the air was always somewhat tense before a job. Once his duty was over, he could get back on his ship and rest for a good, long while before docking again. He breathed in slowly and set his cup onto the table for a moment.

Mal leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest to think. He furrowed his brows in concentration about what Tux said. Outer rim settlements being attacked, eh? He pondered. Towns being attacked by an outside force weren’t something new. He had seen it happen many times before, it wasn’t exactly uncommon. However, attacks were one thing; slaughter was a completely different chapter in a completely different story.

“Troubled thoughts Captain?” Spoke a proper voice. Mal leaned forward to see Simon standing in the kitchen. He had one hand on the door signifying that he had just arrived not seconds before. Simon Tam had his white shirt neatly tucked into his black dress pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his short hair was done to the side as usual. Mal expected to ruff the young doctor up enough to release a bit of the proper side, after three years he seemed to be wrong. The captain leaned back in his chair once again and monetarily closed his eyes.

Simon made his way to the opposite side of the kitchen away from Mal. Their crew-captain relationship was still on edge after all these years, but they could tolerate each other much more. There was a soft clanking sound and a pouring of liquid before an awkward silence spread across the room. “I can give you something for sleep deprivation.” Mal looked at the young doctor that had a large mug pressed against his lips to where only his eyes were visible. That’s where the gorram cups went. Mal noted.

“No problems here Doctor. Now run along and keep me to my business.” He said. Simon shrugged and leaned back against the counter. Silence was a common sport between Mal and Simon. It seemed it was only becoming more and more intense over the years.

The doctor sipped in his warm cup of coffee when a gut wrenching sound pierced his ears. A blood curdling scream erupted from the cargo bay. Simon dropped his cup and ignored the crashing sound against the floor. Mal jumped up from his chair and sprinted to the location of the horrific noise behind Simon.

“Simon!!” A voice cried out. The young doctor ran to the cargo bay and stopped his running force by plowing into the guard rail. Kaylee was squatting at the far end of the cargo bay near a large dump of boxes. The doctor dashed down the stairs to see River huddled in a ball away from Kaylee. Simon sat next to Kaylee and held a hand out to his sister.

River pressed herself up against the crates as hard as she could. Her hands were buried in her hair pressed hard against her head. “Blood, fire…” River mumbled. “Gone, gone, gone…” She shook slightly. Simon could see that his sister had her eyes shut tightly. He reached out and set a hand on River’s shoulder. In a panic the girl screamed and pushed her brother away. “Get away! They’re all dead!” She cried out incoherently.

Simon stepped back and kept his voice calm. “River, did you have another dream?” He asked. His hands were held up in a defensive position. “What’s gone River?”

She moaned slightly as if reliving a night terror over and over again. Simon scooted forward and wrapped his arms around his sister who began to cry. She buried her head in his chest and sobbed softly. “Here, Simon. They’re here.” She said into his shirt. It was a long while before River stopped crying. She rubbed her eyes before speaking again. “I’m okay now.” She rubbed her head roughly and sighed. “Now they’re gone.”

Loud thumping of boots caught the group’s attention. Jayne stood there with a shotgun in his grip. “What in the ruttin’ ‘verse is goin’ on!?” He said bluntly.

Mal spoke next with confusion written on his face. “That’s what I’m beginning to wonder myself.”

COMMENTS

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 12:44 AM

JAYNESGIRL212


Maybe it's my cold medicine, but I'm pretty sure this is very disturbing. I wait with my bottle of Benylin for more!

Friday, June 22, 2007 6:02 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Uh...it's disturbing, even without the cold meds, Jaynesgirl212;D

Some brilliant work here, Pa1ne! Things have definitely improved, quality-wise, since things have slowed down and gotten all kinds of deep. Can't wait to see more!

BEB


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