3AN: - This story was inspired by 'Second Chances by Kionos', the story has been abandoned by the looks of it, so I decided to give it a go and write it myself. All credit for the original idea goes to them.
- Also, new chapters will come whenever there ready, which may take a while.
Chapter 1 – The Sacrifice
"This is a waste of time. Tell me why I'm here again," Angel called out loudly, even though the two people he was talking to were only on the other end of the 'd been ambling around an old warehouse at the edge of the city for almost an hour now, but nothing and no one was there as his voice echoed in the large barren space.
"You're there because Cordelia had a vision about a box full of darkness," Wesley's voice sounded from down the line. "And the only clue we had was that warehouse. Have you found anything yet?"
"No, nothing. Not a single thing. No weird box full of darkness that we have no idea what it does, no shadowy figure in a dark suit. Just this boring, empty warehouse. So, I repeat, this whole thing has been a waste of my..." Before he could complain any further, the fast sound of footsteps came pounding from the other side of the room, the source of the sound causing a scowl to spread across his face. "God, just what I need. Look I'll call you back in a few minutes Cordie, just got to deal with a small nuisance." As he slid his phone back into his jacket pocket, the vampire sighed in frustration. "What are you doing here Lindsey?"
"I came to warn you." Panting for air through dry and chapped lips, the lawyer doubled over as he looked up at Angel. His usually pin-straight hair curling at the sides with small ringlets that gently brushed his ears. "You're in danger... You need to leave now."
"Why, Lindsey? You have some nefarious plot that you don't want me to ruin. Or are you just pouting still about that client I sent soaring out of your window three months ago?"
Please Angel…" Lindsey stopped, choking on the words as he seemed to cough up a lung. He then tried to stand up, shaking out the soaking wet strands, only to stumble over tired legs.
"Please? Who gave you manners all of a sudden? What happened to all the snark and the attitude, or did it do a runner with the rest of your suit?"
"Angel, I'm not messing with you. Just go, before they get here."
"Who's they?"
"Look I don't have time to explain. Angel, please you need to"
"To do what?" A strange voice called from a shadowed corner, the sound smooth and deep as it echoed throughout the metallic room. "Oh please don't stop on my account. Carry on Mr McDonald, this was all starting to get interesting.
"What's going on here, Lindsey?"
Looking around, Angel soon noticed a tall man strolling merrily out of the shadows, wearing a dark green suit and a gold tie. He looked confident just standing there, watching from a distance as the other two men argued in front of him, despite his pale skin and bone-thin and slightly crooked face. His posture held tall as two gnarled hands protruded from long, dark sleeves, clutching a black cane adorned with gold detailing.
And when he spoke, well just say, oil had less slick than that man's voice.
"Yes, Mr McDonald. I too would like an explanation of what you are doing here. It seems we have a security breach with some of our more... delicate files." The man smiled as he spoke, but the lawyer could clearly see the anger bubbling just below the surface, and it had him trembling, the concoction of his swirling emotions about ready to spill over the sides.
"Angel, you need to run now. He has a box that will..."
"Enough, Lindsey!" Scoff. "It seems like Mr Manners needs to keep better control of his pet."
"Will someone tell me what is going on here?"
"Angel, please just run. I don't know how long I can fight this…"
"It's too late, Lindsey. Angel's fate is already set and there is nothing you can do about it." The stranger smirked, pulling out a large, wood-carved box, seemingly from nowhere.
It somehow looked both alive and dead, with old twisted bark making up its sides and ancient lettering carved into its body. With a few chanted words, the box opened and the pure darkness that lay trapped inside started to escape.
And as Angel's eyes met with the lawyer's, he saw the fear in those shockingly blue irises, Lindsey still stood between the vampire and the box, holding Angel back as if it would actually do something.
"Lindsey, I would move out the way if I were you." The man goaded, smirking as the purest black smoke plumed from the box's opening, filling the air like an ominous fog. "You don't want to get caught up in this."
At the centre of the growing cloud, was an eery green light, pulsing with dark energy, and from what the lawyer could understand, someone needed to walk into that glow before the spell could be completed.
And wasn't that a pretty prospect?
With a stench that pervaded the air, so distinct that they could not compare it to anything else, the vampire and man were both certain that it was the scent of pain and misfortune, of ill content and evil desires. However, if someone didn't step into that dark void voluntarily, some poor soul would be picked from whoever was closest and dragged kicking and screaming into its depths.
More thick black smoke oozed out, so much so that the stranger was completely out of sight, all they could hear of him was a maniacal laugh as he toyed with their fates.
Lindsey looked at the vampire, unsure what his true feelings for the man were, wondering if things could have been different between them if only Lindsey had more choices in his life.
Whooshing winds surrounded them like a vortex, pushing the pair closer towards the light. It was so loud in fact, that it almost drowned out Lindsey's words.
"I'm sorry."
And before Angel could stop him, Lindsey's hand shoved the vampire back as he jumped bravely into the box's core, the smoke and smell rushing back in with him as the lid sealed closed, seemingly permanently.
"Lindsey?"
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RAAAAAAWR!
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"LINDSEY!"