X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Corrupted Intentions ❯ Stakeout ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: Stakeout


It was a beautiful day in Sunnydale, California. The sun shone down upon the masses of students making their weekend exodus from Sunnydale high, birds sang cheerfully above the din of teenage chatter and the general atmosphere was one of joy and freedom. One young man however, sat apart from the masses and their infectious cheer, surveying the crowd like a cat waiting to pounce.

The man looked to be in his mid-twenties, yet something about his light brown eyes seemed to suggest a maturity far beyond his years. He absent mindedly brushed away a stray lock of his wavy black hair, his fingers strangely stiff as they completed the motion. He dressed much like the other students, a black jacket over a white t-shirt, loose blue jeans and white tennis shoes; yet something about him seemed to stick out like a sore thumb, if the curious glances of the happily departing students were anything to go by.

He shifted uncomfortably on the stone bench and grimaced. This stakeout had been a terrible idea. What had I been expecting to find here, anyway? He asked himself, resting his head on his fist as he watched. Some big, evil demon lurking in the shadows, ready to prey upon the unsuspecting students currently milling about the schoolyard? He watched a group of students laugh at some personal joke and slap each other on the back. Another group of students was currently engaged in a game of hacky-sack, while a nearby couple watched from beneath the shade of a tree. Let's face it, Kurt. This is Sunnydale, a perfectly normal California small-town. All your hunches and suppositions have come to nothing. The only demonic thing around is you.

Kurt dropped his eyes from the crowd to look at his own body instead, feeling strangely self-concious in his body as long as the image-inducer was at work. He let loose a small, mirthless laugh. Ja, it's my body alright. They just can't see it. He lifted his head from its resting place on his arm and sat up straight once again. He rubbed his hands together, feeling the softness of his short blue fur and the three fingers of his true hands, hidden beneath the illusion of a perfectly normal human boy. He shifted his weight again, trying unsuccessfully to take the weight off of his long, spaded tail which was currently hidden both by the cloth of his baggy jeans and the image inducer that he carried in his pocket. I wonder if I will ever live to see a day when I can come out in public as my true self and not attract unwanted attention?

Kurt sighed and got up. The campus was almost completely empty now and he figured that he should also be heading home. What a waste of time. Kurt grumbled to himself, before stopping that line of thought. You're brooding again, Kurt. That's not going to help anyone and you know it. He forced himself to smile and took a deep breath. At least it means that I won't have to fight anything! The others are sure to get a laugh out of this. Me and my superstitions.

Still, as Kurt walked quietly down the sidewalk towards his temporary home, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong about this place and he had simply failed to see it.

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“He's doing it again.” The teenager who had spoken narrowed her gray-blue eyes at the man sitting in front of the school. “Watching.” She flicked her shoulder-length chestnut brown hair and crossed her arms, creating a slight jingle from her golden bangles as they moved. She wore a dark maroon halter top patterned with golden flowers, hip hugger blue jeans and a pair of black leather shoes, all of which accented her lanky frame.

The blonde woman standing beside her shaded her blue eyes and looked around for the man the teenager had indicated. She soon spotted him, sitting on a bench near the school's interest. He stared intently at the students that passed, with a look on his face that she had seen many times before; on edge and ready to fight. “He's definitely up to something.” She muttered, biting her bottom lip. She adjusted her jean jacket, briefly wondering whether her outfit would look better with the jacket closed, or exposing the bright red tank top underneath. She opted to unbutton it and looked again at the stranger. “He's leaving.” She remarked casually, glancing at the teen as she did so.

“We gonna follow, Buffy?” She asked, a slight smile pulling at her mouth.

“What else is a Slayer to do?” Buffy replied and, after pausing to brush some non-existent dust from her dark green pants, set off to discretely follow the strange man. After a few moments of uninterrupted tailing, their prey suddenly turned and looked around as if sensing they were following. Buffy quickly pretended to be adjusting her ponytail, watching her reflection in the storefront window and the teenager with her got suddenly interested in the shoes the store was displaying.

“What do you think of this pair, Buffy?” she asked in a calm, casual voice as if they had been in the middle of a conversation.

“Oh, I don't know Dawn.” Buffy replied, turning to peer at the pair of shoes that Dawn had indicated. “Those heels seem a little too high…” she trailed off as the guy continued on his way and continued her pursuit.

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Kurt walked quietly towards the hotel that he had been staying at, wondering once again why he had bothered to come here. It wasn't as if the deaths were all connected to a single murderer. There were many different types of strange deaths here; very few seemed to fit the same profile. And the town itself seemed to be in denial about anything strange at all going on. To be perfectly honest, there was very little reason for Kurt to have decided to come and investigate. Maybe Logan was right. Maybe I really did just want to get away from the others for a little while…Convinced myself that there was something bad going on here that I could deal with on my own.


Kurt shook his head. No, something had drawn him here, he was sure of it. Even if it wasn't the killings, something was strange about this town, a dark and sinister force in stark contrast to its cheerful name. Something about that school called to him, whispered to him of the dark secrets of the occult that drew him in further every day. There was a corruption there, he could feel it in the depths of his soul, even if his 5 senses of the tactile world denied it. He could sense it, but he could not see it, and it drove him insane. It was as if someone was following his every move, making certain that he would never discover the truth...

As a feeling of paranoia spread throughout his mind, Kurt spun around and looked nervously down the street. He shook his head, smiling at the absurdity of his thoughts. No malevolent being stalked the streets behind him, only two young women window shopping and an older couple walking down the street. I'm being stupid. He told himself as he turned around, shaking his head. To think that there is something evil here is absurd! He smiled to himself; he was almost to the hotel. Soon he would call up the Xmen to have one of them come pick him up and they would have a good laugh over his paranoia.

He felt a sense of comfort wash over him as he approached the hotel's doors and stepped inside. At last I can go home. He waved a cheery hello to the receptionist as he walked past, eager to reach the privacy of his room where he could finally shed his false appearance. I'll feel more like myself once I'm looking like myself again. He assured himself as he scanned the numbers above the doors. He vaguely noted hearing the receptionist arguing with someone, but he was concentrating too much on the task at hand to pay attention. "Ah!" he exclaimed happily as he spotted his room, voice heavy with a german accent. "There it is. Room 23!"

He fumbled with the door for a moment, grimacing as he tried to grip the small silver key with his thick and awkward fingers. They really ought to make those keys bigger. He complained to himself silently as he let himself into his room. Even if they aren't meant for three-fingered hands like mine.

As soon as Kurt stepped into his room a sense of relief and comfort washed over him. He immediately pulled out his image-inducer, flicking it off with relish. It was only when a blood-curdling scream rang across his room that a horror-struck Kurt realized that he had left the door open behind him.

 

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“And just where are you going, ma'am?”

Buffy flinched at the sound of the receptionist's voice. She turned around, flashing what she hoped was a convincing smile at the girl. “Ah, hi! Well, you see, we think that guy is a friend of ours that we haven't seen in a while and-” She broke off as she saw the receptionist's face darken with suspicion. “And uh...and...”

Dawn rolled her eyes and grabbed Buffy's arm, pulling her down the hallway despite the loud protests of the woman behind the desk. “We don't have time for that!” she reminded Buffy, who made a face.

They ducked behind a janitor's cart as their quarry slowed, obviously catching sight of his room. “Ah! There it is. Room 23!” he exclaimed happily, his voice thick with an accent. The two girls exchanged looks of vague surprise.

Dawn grinned. “A German? How politically incorrect!” Buffy quickly shushed her, though she was smiling as well. As soon as they heard the door open, the two broke cover and crept silently towards the door. To their surprise, he had left it wide open, allowing them a full view into his room, startling a shriek out of Dawn.

For standing in the middle of the room, looking just as horrified as her was a fuzzy blue creature, with deformed hands and a long spaded tail that could only be described as a demon.