Amnesia: Through The Ashes

Spike's clawed feet thundered across the stone floor. His heart beat like a hammer on a drum.

"Charlotte!" He howled into the dark even as he feared for his own life. "Where are you!?"

He received the answer he feared when the hideous squealing of metal mixed with agonized moans echoed from a hall he could scarcely even detect. The terrified drake wasted no time in slinking off in the other direction, praying to whatever cruel gods might exist for even a hint of a miracle.

Using his hands to probe the walls, Spike blindly stumbled through the darkness into a hallway with a few doors leading elsewhere. Behind him he still heard the beast approaching. He opened the nearest door on the left and slipped inside, closing the door behind him. He spied the outline of a wardrobe in the corner and approached it for shelter.

Already he heard the nightmarish creature stalking the hall he was occupying but a moment ago. He nervously hid within the cupboard and closed it tight. Once he was in position the door to the room sounded as if every demon in Hell were hunting him. The beast pounded ferociously and won entry within a matter of seconds. It moaned and the sounds of rusted metal followed every movement. For what felt like an eternity it simply bumbled around the room. Then the noises came frightfully close to his location, likely no less than two feet away stood what could easily be his doom. Nothing could aid him in making peace with the fact that he might be eviscerated before he could draw another breath. He did not have to listen hard to hear his own heart beat like a drum in his chest and yet he barely noticed the distinct sound of the metallic scraping moving away from him and into the hall.

There was a soft couple knocks at the cupboard door a few moments later.

"Spike?" The soft voice asked curiously. Confusion joined the flurry of emotions Spike was experiencing. "Can you help me? I'm scared..."

His words were caught in his throat. If indeed by some impossibility it was her he couldn't abandon her...but what if was some kind of trick? Could it simply be toying with him like a cruel predator might toy with its prey? How could it have returned so quietly? He was paralyzed with indecision.

"Please? It might come back and I can't find the way out on my own."

Nervously, Spike slowly opened the door. He was relieved beyond words to see that it truly was her. They embraced each other in a blissful hug.

"I'm glad you're safe, Charlotte. I'm sorry for losing you."

"And I'm sorry for doing this..."

"For doing w-" Without any further warning he felt teeth upon his neck, followed by a them clamping down and tearing his throat out.

Spike's eyes widened as he held a hand to his throat and fell to the floor. Blood spurted from his neck despite his efforts to keep pressure. His consciousness drained at an alarming rate and all he could think about was why this happened. His eyes pleaded the question as she looked down at him with an emotionless expression and blood dripping down her chin.

"It's the only way to escape this place...please...do me now. Quickly." He stared at her as the edges of his vision began blurring and his pulse weakened. She knelt down just in front of him so that he could do the same and yet he couldn't bring himself to follow her twisted logic.

"Please!" She took hold of his hand and held it to her cheek. "I want this...don't think about it like that. Pretend if you want. Pretend you'll sing me to sleep."

It took all his effort for Spike to shake his eyes in a way that told her he wouldn't do it.

She embraced him and began crying as the last of his consciousness slipped away.

"Please forgive me..."

Spike awoke suddenly and was panting as if he had narrowly evaded death. He let out a few low, terrified screams until he realized he was currently in no danger. Immediately he felt about his throat to make sure all was normal. Once he was satisfied with that he checked the rest of the body and was displeased to remember how he obtained all of his cuts.

His eyes snapped to the woman beside him in fear. He stumbled to his feet and braced himself against the wall opposite of her. All the ruckus he made in doing so successfully roused her from her slumber as well and she was met with the sight of the young drake staring at her as if he saw evil incarnate within her.

"Spike? Are you okay? What's wrong? Is it still safe here?" She stood up carefully, still hurt from the events of the day before.

"Please, stay away..." He pleaded.

"You were having nightmares weren't you..."

He nodded.

"I've had them too..." She approached the terrified drake slowly. He hesitated as she came within arm's reach.

"What was yours? In mine I was running from those monsters until I jumped out of a window. It felt like I was falling for ages...and then an angel saved me." She gave Spike an endearing look and quickly hugged him. Spike visibly tensed up and moved his hand to cover his neck.

"I take it yours did not end well..."

"I dreamed I ran too...I took shelter in a cupboard just before a monster entered. It left before long and then you were there and asked me to help you..." Spike paused for a deep breath and to try and steady his nerves.

"I said I was sorry for losing track of you and then you..."

"Well go on." She looked at him with pure blue eyes.

"Then you tore out my throat...you said it was the only way to escape and...you asked me to do the same."

Her hug around him tightened. "Let me assure you that is never going to happen. We'll make it through this if we're careful."

Spike cautiously lowered his hand from his neck as his own paranoia died down. "How are you so calm about this?"

"I've lived nightmares worse than it." She said soberly.

"Oh..."

A long moment of silence passed as the pair merely enjoyed their moment of safety.

"So assuming we do make it out...what are you going to do after?"

"I don't know...I don't have any family nor a place to call home anymore. You?

"Well it would be no surprise that I'm not from around here...but I know a way that I might be able to get to where I'm from. I didn't come alone. I have friends but I was separated from them and I have to find them before...before something unspeakable happens." He confessed.

"Wherever you go, do you think...do you think I could come with you?"

Spike blinked in surprise at the request.

"I don't belong anywhere anymore. When this is all over just take me. It doesn't matter where except away from here." She whispered with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I see no reason not to." He shrugged. "You're welcome to stay with me when this is over."

"Thank you so much. I wouldn't even be here without your help..."

"You're welcome...I couldn't leave anyone to that fate."

"But you risked your own doing so! Why?"

"What's the point of living if you live only for yourself?"

"Heh...I suppose chivalry isn't dead after all. " She said, adjusting the various mismatched fabrics on her so that she could keep herself both covered and warm.

"Well I suppose we should-" Spike stopped himself as he heard the steady beat of shoes hitting the stone floor not far away. Not bare feet, shoes. Regardless he tried to formulate a way that Charlotte could hide in case the individual turned out to be unfriendly.

"Charlotte." He whispered. "Hide under the clothes and don't move. Someone's coming and I don't know if they're friendly." She tried to say something in response but Spike shushed her as the footsteps came closer. She took the hint and buried herself in the small hill of cloth, careful to leave a way for her to breath as well.

Scarcely a moment later an individual bearing a lantern in his left hand approached from a wide hall that had been flanking theirs. As soon as he turned the corner he spotted the rather imposing drake and paused for a moment. He immediately thought about running and hiding and would have if not for the calm demeanor and spark of intelligence in the eyes of the creature before him. His greatest relief was likely to find something that didn't immediately attempt to pursue him.

"What in the hell..." The man said uncertainly.

"My name is Spike...look I know I'm not a human but I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm a dragon."

"I...um..." He stopped to recollect himself. "My name is...Daniel. What are you doing here?" Daniel asked, completely unsure what to make of this stranger.

"I'm trying to find my friends...it's a long story but I'm not leaving without them."

"Well I have my own business to attend to as well...may you find the best of luck in your own endeavors." Daniel said dismissively and may well have continued on if he had not caught a glimpse of movement from the pile of clothes laid in such a conspicuous location.

Charlotte listened carefully as the two spoke. At first she was thankful it was not a monster, but then she realized she recognized that voice. Her anger flared and she took hold of a chunk of rock from under the clothes.

In the span of a second Charlotte burst from the pile of fabric and charged Daniel with her weapon, caring not for modesty even as she was left bare and freezing when the loosely tied clothes fell off.

Daniel fell to the ground and Charlotte looked for an opening to strike him as he desperately tried to keep such an opportunity out of her reach.

"Monster! You fucking bastard! Die!" She shouted in a rage.

"Ah! Dragon, help me!"

Although surprise held him still for a moment Spike still rushed to help the stranger and sort out what was going on. Spike pulled Charlotte off of him as soon as he was close, though it was made more difficult from the violent flailing and screaming.

"Let me go! He can't get away with what he's done!" She howled.

Spike carefully set Charlotte back on the ground but held her in place as Daniel stood back up and brushed himself off.

"Now, just what is going on!?" He asked the pair.

"This bastard is the one that kidnapped me and brought me here! He's a murderer! He personally tried to kill me!"

"What!? Is this true?" He glared at Daniel suspiciously, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know! I don't remember anything!"

"Liar!" Charlotte pointed an accusatory finger before attempting to cover herself.

"I barely remember my own name! I don't recall ever seeing either of you!"

"What are you...you drank some didn't you?" She asked, already aware of what the answer might be.

"I...yes. The amnesia drink...I can recall that...I don't remember the things I did."

"Charlotte...what did he do exactly?" Spike whispered.

"He kidnapped me and many others...and he tortured us. I think I'm the only one that isn't dead yet but It seems like he drank this potion that's designed to make someone forget everything they had been through for the past few weeks...he tried to force feed it to me but I would spit it out when he wasn't looking."

"How could someone..." Spike looked at Daniel with a gaze of horror and disbelief. "You should keep dressed. It's cold." He said, glancing back to Charlotte.

"First boy I've seen that doesn't lose all his brains at the sight of tits." She huffed in amusement as she carefully wrapped some of the clothing from the pile as tightly as she could while remaining comfortable.

"If you don't remember anything how do you know where you're going?" Spike asked Daniel.

"I left a note for myself."

"What did it say?"

"I shouldn't say, it could-"

"What. Did. It say." Spike said with a surprising edge in his tone the demanded compliance.

"It said I needed to find and kill Alexander." He explained reluctantly.

"Yet another kill, should be easy, shouldn't it!?" Charlotte hissed.

"He deserves it." He fixed her with a cold stare.

"I'm sure that's so easy for you to justi-"

"Enough! I am sorry for whatever I did! I cannot remember much and what I do recall I would have rather forgotten! Let my crimes drag me to hell but not before I exact vengeance on the man that turned me into a monster!" He shouted back in an wounded tone. When he finished he stared at the floor and took long, deep breaths.

"So you are looking for redemption?" Spike asked curiously.

"In a way...yes."

"Do you think you could help find my friends?"

Daniel gave him a sad, bitter look.

"If you wish my help...but I want help finding Alexander."

"Deal." Spike said.

"Like hell he's coming with us! At least we know what the monsters want!"

"There is safety in numbers, is there not?" Daniel offered.

"Charlotte. He has a point, and if anything happens I'll protect you but maybe you could try to forgive him?"

"Spike, I saw him murder a little girl in cold blood. People don't come back from such a thing." She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Spike winced and seemed to think for another moment before continuing. "Give him a second chance. A true monster wouldn't be on the verge of collapsing from the horrors of what he's done."

"You're taking his side!?" She whispered back loudly. "Are you not hearing what I told you of his misdeeds?"

"No I'm not, but I see no reason not to let him try to redeem himself, especially if he can help save my friends."

"Fine. But promise me that you'll take me somewhere safe after all this..." She asked with a pleading look in her eyes.

"I promise, Charlotte."

"Well if we are going to find your companions we should not dawdle here. There's a shadow following us. It's like a living nightmare, breaking down reality. I may sound mad saying it but you'll believe me when you see it closing in."

"Okay...where should we begin searching though?" Spike asked.

"We'll have to descend deeper into Castle Brennenburg. There is an ascending room nearby. It was not working before but I managed to fix it"

Daniel led the others in tow towards the elevator after Charlotte scooped up more clothes for herself to keep warm, leaving the rest of it behind.

As they approached the ascending room Daniel guided the other two in. Once inside, he closed the heavy iron doors and pulled the lever.

The ascending room groaned and bellowed before slowly starting to descend into the darkness below, carrying yet more victims into an even darker hell.