This story is set 6 months after Original Sinner (the first part of which will be ready for posting tomorrow) but this will (I hope) leave you wanting to read it. There are hints and clues all the way through it as to what's going to happen.

Enjoy.


Prelude to a Nightmare.

Set six months after the events of "Original Sinner!"



The nebulous shadows surrounded the lone figure. She hated walking home at this time of night, especially now, with everything that had been happening in the world lately. Everything was off balance somehow. She didn't know why, the only thing she knew for absolutely certain was that she had to get home. The idea of going to Central Station and getting a taxi drifted into her mind. It would be expensive, but at least she would get home in ten minutes, as opposed to the hours walk that was before her. The thought lingered for only a few seconds though. She needed to keep her money. Davey needed new shoes, that's what she was w**king for. The thoughts of her son brought light into her previously dark and oppressive thoughts. He was her angel, he was what she lived for now, the reason she did what she did.

w**king in a "sauna" wasn't really all that bad, at least she could shower and get herself clean before leaving. She never had any problems with the 'clientelle' either, big Stu on the door made sure there were never any problems. 'His girls' were always well looked after. The fact that Stu only took 20% of the girls takings had shocked some of the newer girls, who had moved in from other establishments. They told her horror stories of guys taking over half of the take, and sometimes taking more than the money.

She could live with what she was doing. She had to. Nobody else was going to look after her and her son.

The darkness surrounding her faded slightly as she stepped under another ghastly street light. "When will the bloody council get rid of these orange lights?" She asked herself out loud. "When hell freezes over. That's when." She answered her own question.

"If that were the case cherie. The lights would already be gone."

The voice, so close behind her, made her spin on her feet. Her eyes, already adapted to the semi darkness found not a soul there. She had been so certain the voice had been behind her.

"What's the matter petit? Can't find what you're looking for?" Again she spun, again the voice was behind her. But this time a figure was there. Impossibly tall, and wearing some kind of robe with sigils and charms, some of them shimmering like diamonds, adorning the length of the garment. "Are you lost chile? You can't find your way home?"

"Ah kin find ma way fine thanks." Her composure not yet fully restored, she hid it behind anger as she tried to step around the figure in the robe. As she moved, arms grabbed at her, but not the arms of the figure in front of her. These arms appeared from nowhere, from the very air around her. Dread and panic filled her heart as more and more hands grabbed at her. She screamed, or at least she tried to. One of the hands from nowhere clamped firmly over her mouth. She clamped her own teeth into the flesh of the offending hand, she tasted the copper like substance, she knew to be blood trickle between her teeth, but still the hand remained firmly in place.

"Oh chile. You are so terribly lost. Lost to the world. Lost forever. Aint dat such a shame?" The tall figure stepped closer towards her, drawing the hood of his robe back to reveal something that made her muffled scream stop in her lungs. Blind terror gripped her, as the darkness of oblivion rolled over her, she could only think of Davey, what would happen to him? As though reading her mind the figure in front of her replied, "Oh, we go plans for him....." Then the world fell away, and the darkness claimed her forever.


Sunrise came to reclaim the world from the darkness. Well, the word sunrise is a very subjective term in the city of Glasgow. You know that the sun should be there, and you even know that it is there, purely by the fact that the darkness is slightly diminished.

Senga returned to her flat. It still felt strange, 'her flat' after her father had died the housing association had allowed her to remain there. In honour of the fact that she was... Well because she was a slayer. It was strange, up until six months ago, she had been led to believe that Slayers were secretive, always staying out of the limelight, keeping the world safe from the things that most people didn't even know existed. But after all that had happened, the slayer lineage had become so much more than that. No more were they a secret army, waging war on the forces of darkness, now they were publicly known, they had become a police force of sorts. She still couldn't get her mind wrapped around the chain of events that had led to this. She could remember The Axe of the slayer lying shattered in her hands. Willow telling her that all the magiks in the world had been drained, and then there was Buffy. She couldn't bring herself to think about Buffy. She had done what she had to. What was neccesary. What all slayers knew they might have to do. She gave up everything, but, it hadn't helped.

Still the slayers had to guard the points around the world where, as Willow said, points of dimensional instability existed. With this Universe in such a weakened state, it would be easy pickings if some extra dimensional force decided to come knocking. The Powers were in a state of almost complete disarray. Evil itself had no hierarchy to speak of, if something big came to town, there was no serious power left in the world to stop it. Except for the Slayers. Even they had become factional after Bufy... No, she couldn't think about it, not now. It wasn't the time.

Senga flopped into the armchair, and again, as she had done every morning for six months, she looked mournfully at her fathers empty chair. No guest was allowed to use it. It sat there, a permanent memorial to someone who died in the fight against the chaos. She was too tired to even reach for the remote control for the television, but still it flickered into life. She spun her head and saw Jean, her dearest, and possibly, only friend standing in the doorway. A wan smile crossed Senga's lips as her friend placed the tv remote onto the small coffee table, and also handed a hot cup of coffee to Senga. "Four sugars, just how ye' like it."

"Thanks Jean. I don't know whit ah'd dae withoot ye." Senga responded. Her attention was quickly grabbed away from Jean by the voice from the television.

"Where wuz the slayer eh? This would never o' happened if she'd been daein her job. She was probably swannin' aboot in some club a' night when this wiz happenin." The face of an old woman was on the screen, a news reporter held a microphone to her. "It's jist no' right. She was only a young lass, an' wi' a wean o' her ain."

"Whit happened Jean?" Senga turned to Jean, who's face had turned ashen.

"There wiz a murder last night Senga. Just aff Hope Street. A woman, wi her heart ripped right oot o' her chest, and some kind o' symbol carved into her forehead. It's ritualistic. I've emailed the photo to Willow, she's researching it right now."

"Ah wiz oan the south side last night. There wiz a vampire next in Queens Park. They had to be stopped, they've been killin' people for near a week noo. I cannae be everywhere at once can I?"

"Naw, ye cannae Senga, don't worry about it. People are jist scared is a'. Six months ago, they didnae know this kind o' stuff went on. Now they do, they have to find someone to blame when it does."

"An' I'm it am ah?" Senga rested her cup on a coaster, as the images of the woman's corpse was shown on screen. "They would never o' shown this on telly last year." Senga muttered to herself.

"Aye, everyone has forgotten all about taste and decency Senga."

"An' I suppose I'm to blame for that an a'?" She half smiled to Jean, who's face lit up in a smile of her own.

"Naw, but there are some people who think you're the one that pushed the button that nuked Jerusalem." Jean's smile deepened.

"That's no' funny ya daftie." Senga also smiled as she shook her head in apparent disgust and disbelief." She stood up from the armchair. "So, Willow's doing research is she? Well, I'll go and do some o' my ain." Senga strode from the room.

"But ye've no slept Senga." Jean shouted after her rapidly departing friend. But she knew it was futile. "Whit are we gettin into now Senga?" Jean asked the walls of the room. She shivered slightly as a sudden blast of cold air came from nowhere in reply to her question.

"Oh, now that just cannae be good."

To be (inevitably) continued........

excellent :thumbsup:

Greet! Soa'tis :thumbsup:

And I even get a character named after me!! :yahoo:

What? Your name's Senga? :o

Wow. I learn new stuff about you guys every day :lmao:

Shhhhhh :o dont tell everyone :rolleyes: