Clare-Dragonfly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clare_dragonfly) wrote2014-10-03 09:54 pm
clare_dragonfly) wrote2014-10-03 09:54 pm
Fiction: Can't Cut It
Title: Can't Cut It
World: Extranormal Crimes
Word count: 583
Rating: R for blood
Prompt: Thimbleful Thursday: cut the mustard
Notes: Hey, I managed to write a story with Tay in it!
“No! Dammit—“ Maggie scrambled over to the man, their only witness, whose shirt had suddenly bloomed with red. For no reason. Except in this job there was always a reason.
She pressed her hands over the wound, but she already knew it wasn’t going to be enough. The witness was choking, gasping, his hands shaking. “Tay!” Maggie screamed, her voice cracking in the middle and scratching a line of pain down the middle of her throat. Was it—no. The only person really injured here was their witness, and if they didn’t get him back to a state in which he could talk, they wouldn’t even know who’d injured him. “Tay!”
She didn’t even know where Tay was. She could only hope that her friend could hear her. Even untrained as Tay was, she was their best hope. Not even Hugh could get this man to a hospital on time.
The witness’s movements slowed, but the blood was still trying to pump under Maggie’s hands. She could feel it, hot and sluggish and death. She looked around wildly. “Tay—“
And there she was, dragged along by Hugh, who must have been able to hear what Tay couldn’t with his vampire ears. When Tay saw what she was being dragged to, she went white and tried to stop, but Hugh wouldn’t let her. He literally pulled her along by her arm. “No,” Tay moaned. “I can’t.”
“You’ve got to,” said Maggie, ashamed of the way her voice was shaking.
“There’s no one else,” said Hugh. “This is what you signed up for. To help people.” He gave Tay a little push, keeping himself at a prudent distance. Maggie had never seen Hugh succumb to bloodlust, but she’d never seen him around this amount of blood, either.
Tay knelt down slowly beside Maggie. Her hands were shaking even worse than the witness’s. “What do I do?”
“Figure it out,” said Maggie desperately. “You’ll know.”
“I don’t know!” cried Tay.
“Try.” On impulse, Maggie lifted one of her blood-covered hands and grasped Tay’s, pulling it down to cover the wound. Tay yelped, but didn’t pull away. In fact, she seemed to calm as her hand became covered with the hot arterial blood.
“I think—“ she said, then stopped, biting her lip.
“Go with it,” Maggie encouraged her. “Whatever it is, you probably know it. Remember how you kept that bastard out of your head without any training at all? This is the same thing.”
Tay sucked in a breath, then nodded. She leaned forward and put her clean hand on the witness’s forehead. After a moment, she closed her eyes.
Maggie felt the blood under her hand slowing and stuttering, not pumping as quickly as it had. She prayed that it was Tay’s work doing it, and not that there was no pressure left in the artery to pump out the blood with.
Suddenly Tay snatched Maggie’s hands out of the way. Maggie resisted, but when she looked down, she saw that the hole in the man’s skin had closed over. It was still covered in blood, but there was no more coming out.
Maggie leaned forward and pressed her fingers to the witness’s throat in hope. Then she sat back, shaking her head. “He’s gone.”
“No!” cried Tay. “I—I healed him—“
“You did,” said Maggie. “You did your best. Next time you’ll do better.”
Tay sat back and shook her head, wiping at her eyes with her shoulder. “But it wasn’t good enough.”
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World: Extranormal Crimes
Word count: 583
Rating: R for blood
Prompt: Thimbleful Thursday: cut the mustard
Notes: Hey, I managed to write a story with Tay in it!
“No! Dammit—“ Maggie scrambled over to the man, their only witness, whose shirt had suddenly bloomed with red. For no reason. Except in this job there was always a reason.
She pressed her hands over the wound, but she already knew it wasn’t going to be enough. The witness was choking, gasping, his hands shaking. “Tay!” Maggie screamed, her voice cracking in the middle and scratching a line of pain down the middle of her throat. Was it—no. The only person really injured here was their witness, and if they didn’t get him back to a state in which he could talk, they wouldn’t even know who’d injured him. “Tay!”
She didn’t even know where Tay was. She could only hope that her friend could hear her. Even untrained as Tay was, she was their best hope. Not even Hugh could get this man to a hospital on time.
The witness’s movements slowed, but the blood was still trying to pump under Maggie’s hands. She could feel it, hot and sluggish and death. She looked around wildly. “Tay—“
And there she was, dragged along by Hugh, who must have been able to hear what Tay couldn’t with his vampire ears. When Tay saw what she was being dragged to, she went white and tried to stop, but Hugh wouldn’t let her. He literally pulled her along by her arm. “No,” Tay moaned. “I can’t.”
“You’ve got to,” said Maggie, ashamed of the way her voice was shaking.
“There’s no one else,” said Hugh. “This is what you signed up for. To help people.” He gave Tay a little push, keeping himself at a prudent distance. Maggie had never seen Hugh succumb to bloodlust, but she’d never seen him around this amount of blood, either.
Tay knelt down slowly beside Maggie. Her hands were shaking even worse than the witness’s. “What do I do?”
“Figure it out,” said Maggie desperately. “You’ll know.”
“I don’t know!” cried Tay.
“Try.” On impulse, Maggie lifted one of her blood-covered hands and grasped Tay’s, pulling it down to cover the wound. Tay yelped, but didn’t pull away. In fact, she seemed to calm as her hand became covered with the hot arterial blood.
“I think—“ she said, then stopped, biting her lip.
“Go with it,” Maggie encouraged her. “Whatever it is, you probably know it. Remember how you kept that bastard out of your head without any training at all? This is the same thing.”
Tay sucked in a breath, then nodded. She leaned forward and put her clean hand on the witness’s forehead. After a moment, she closed her eyes.
Maggie felt the blood under her hand slowing and stuttering, not pumping as quickly as it had. She prayed that it was Tay’s work doing it, and not that there was no pressure left in the artery to pump out the blood with.
Suddenly Tay snatched Maggie’s hands out of the way. Maggie resisted, but when she looked down, she saw that the hole in the man’s skin had closed over. It was still covered in blood, but there was no more coming out.
Maggie leaned forward and pressed her fingers to the witness’s throat in hope. Then she sat back, shaking her head. “He’s gone.”
“No!” cried Tay. “I—I healed him—“
“You did,” said Maggie. “You did your best. Next time you’ll do better.”
Tay sat back and shook her head, wiping at her eyes with her shoulder. “But it wasn’t good enough.”
Did you enjoy this story? You can read more stories in this world or see all my fiction posted at Dreamwidth!
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