RAGE || Alastor x Human! Reader x Vox
NOTES: First chapter!! NOT PROOFREAD It's on AO3 too you guys can read there too! Also, next chapter things will start to be more interesting, this chapter was to introduce characters and so. Hehehehe hope you like it!!
Warnings: NO SMUT. It can get gory, violent and graphic. So if you don't like these type of themes, I recommend you not to read this story!!
The warmth emanating from the duvet enveloped me like a hug, one I didn't want to leave. I settled back into my bed and sighed, feeling a smile spread across my face. How I loved sleeping. Peaceful, comfortable, ignoring all my problems. I didn't want to get up. Just thinking about having to go to work and deal with my colleagues made me feel nauseous. I felt myself falling into Morpheus' arms, carrying me off to the world of dreams. I released the air I had been holding the moment I felt a heavy weight fall on top of me. Then something wet rubbed against my face. I wrinkled it when a disgusting smell reached my nose. God, it was as if someone had eaten something that had gone off, thrown it up, eaten it again and then... Oh, I know what this smell reminds me of. Elur. That dog was on top of me, licking my whole face as if her life depended on it. βKnock before you come in, will you?β I muttered, trying to dodge the dog's tongue.
I sighed to myself. I sat up in bed, nudging Elur a little, and reluctantly left the room. Ugh, life seemed so tedious. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I opened the cupboard furthest from the door, where I kept the dog food. I always kept a bag there just in case Xabier asked me to walk Elur, just like today. I tried to ignore the dog's thick claws scratching my leg as I prepared his breakfast. I frowned at the loud sound of the kibble hitting the metal bowl; it was too loud for this time of day. The sun hadn't risen yet, not even announcing its arrival with that orange line it showed every morning. I left the bowl in a corner of my small kitchen and smiled a little at Elur's enthusiasm. It seemed like she really wanted to live. Of course, she only slept, ate, and pooped. I wish I could live like that and not have to deal with a bunch of assholes at work. My hands opened the drawer where I kept my antidepressants, and I looked at the plastic compartment with the days of the week engraved on it. I hadn't taken my pills for two days. It wouldn't hurt to skip one more day, right?
While Elur ate her breakfast, I went to my room to get dressed. I opened the wooden wardrobe next to my bed and looked at my clothes. Almost all of them were sportswear, company T-shirts, and not many elegant ones, because I wasn't invited to premieres or interviews. I grabbed the polo shirt from the television company where I worked. It was simple, black with a white logo on the side. I put on some black hiking trousers and grey hiking boots with small light blue details. I put on the windbreaker that the radio broadcasters had given me at a company dinner. They were the only nice people in the whole building, which is why I would go up to the floor where the radio studio was during breaks. From time to time, the two of them, Valeriano and Iker, would ask me to be the sound technician on their programmes. Honestly, I felt more comfortable in the radio studio than down on the set.
I heard Elur burp from the kitchen. That was the signal that we could go out for a walk. I grabbed the leash, just in case, since Xabier never used it; he always whistled to the dog if he wanted her to follow him. I grabbed my house keys and the backpack I took to work. βCome on, Elur,β I murmured, and surprisingly, she followed me.
I took her along my favourite route. A hill that formed a cliff overlooking the sea and had a small hidden beach. Almost no one went there, just me and the occasional pilgrim. On the way to the small beach, Elur gave me several scares as it was completely dark and I couldn't see where she was coming from. It was just me and my torch against the world. I tilted my head back; it was difficult to distinguish the dark sky from the different shades of dark green. It made the tall trees look like the real sky, flooding my head with a vast expanse of green. When I looked back down, it seemed as if I were in a landscape worthy of a fantasy book. It reminded me of that typical landscape where the princess escapes from her guards, trying to escape her life full of strict rules in search of freedom and a future without golden chains on her hands. Waiting for that companion who would do anything to be by her side. From walking through the fires of hell, facing the Greek gods or the warriors who resided in Valhalla. But that only happened in the movies. Unfortunately.
We arrived at the small beach, which was full of rocks that you could climb on. I always climbed on the one furthest from the path, where no one could see or hear me. I often wondered why people didn't come here to fuck. It was a place away from everyone else. Oh, right, few people knew about this place. I let Elur explore the place while I sat on my favourite rock. I looked at the sea, it was calm. And curious, especially curious. How could something so beautiful and relaxing be so dangerous and deadly at the same time?
Elur came with a crab in her mouth, lay down near the rock I was sitting on and started eating it. I tried to ignore the crunching of the crustacean's exoskeleton. It wasn't the most pleasant sound in the world, to be honest. The sun finally began to rise, painting the sky orange and red. I jumped off the rock and tried not to twist my ankle when I landed. I crouched down and petted Elur; her fur was rough and full of knots. I could tell how tired Xabier was just by looking at the knots. The next time I saw him, I would offer to comb Elur's fur, so I could take my mind off things for a bit. I walked back to my house, where I would leave Elur so that Xabier could pick her up later.
βYesterday we had a 10% higher audience than usual, well done guys,β said the programme director as we all got ready to go live. The presenter was with the make-up artist who was touching up his concealer, a young man who had been hired recently. βTry not to touch your face too much during the programme, Γlvaro,β said Mikel as he put the concealer away in his waist bag. Γlvaro, the presenter, smiled and touched up his blond hair. βThanks, Mikel, I'll try,β he joked. The young man left the set and sat down on the stools in a corner of the set, ready for the minute of commercials we had to change the set's position. I stood behind my assigned camera. Today I was assigned to camera 1, which would be the one pointing at Γlvaro. I analysed my shot list and yes, most of them would be pointing at him. So I put on my headphones that connected to the control room and muted my microphone. βMake me look handsome, huh, Y/N?β Γlvaro joked with a laugh so formal it almost seemed fake. I wrinkled my face with a decent smile in return. What a hypocrite. I heard the director's voice from my headphones, βWe're starting in 3, 2, 1...β
βGood morning, everyone. Today we'll start with the most important news...β The presenter began, walking over to his desk and sitting down. I followed him with the camera. Γlvaro seemed so friendly on camera that no one would believe he was actually a huge piece of shit. He always pretended to be funny, but that was always down to the magic of the script. The camera felt cold under my hands, the levers were softer than usual. I clicked my tongue; I had brushed against the focus wheel and the shot had become blurry. βCamera 1, stop playing with the controls. We're live.β The director's sharp voice warned me through my headphones. Shit. I could feel the weight of the other camera operators' stares on me, I could even see one of them snorting. My heart felt heavy, each beat like a hammer blow, constantly taking my breath away. I tried to stop my hands from shaking. If I could touch the controls as little as possible until the commercial break, maybe no one would tell me anything and I could fix the camera settings later.
I had trouble swallowing. Come on, Y/N, the adverts are about to start. I thought to myself, each passing second felt like an eternity. I could hear the director's voice in the distance, as if he were trying to get my attention from underwater. I frowned every time the focus sensor moved and the camera captured a blurred image. βY/N, seriously. Stop it,β said the director. I lowered the microphone on my headphones and brought it close to my mouth, feeling as if everyone was listening to me now. I opened my mouth. I wanted to answer, I wanted to say it wasn't my fault, that someone had touched the controls on my camera and ruined it. My whole body was shaking. They're going to fire you, I kept thinking. You can't even operate a camera. You're useless. It's your fault. I swallowed again, feeling a thousand needles stabbing me as the fluid went down my throat.
βAll right, change positions! Come on, come on, we only have a minute,β exclaimed the stage manager. I raised my microphone again and muted it. I let out a sigh that I didn't know I had been holding back in the back of my throat. And I pushed my camera to my assigned position. I tightened the screws on the zoom lever to make it stiffer and easier to control, and I changed the focus settings so I wouldn't have so many problems. I was looking at my camera's monitor, framing Γlvaro. The focus revealed his smile; he was staring at me. βFocus properly on my face, Y/N.β My eyes snapped open. The trembling in my hands stopped suddenly. It couldn't be. That bastard had changed my camera settings.
Once the programme was over, I left the headphones on the tripod handle and watched them sway from side to side. It was my break before starting to record some fake live broadcasts with some colleagues. I escaped the producer's complaints and went up the stairs to the radio studio. βThey should be finishing up around now,β I said to myself. I greeted the editors and walked down the hall until I found the window overlooking the broadcasting room. For some reason, my muscles relaxed when I saw Valeriano and Iker laughing at something. Iker was leaning to one side, covering his mouth, while Valeriano was banging on the table and leaning back. I smiled. Then, entered the control room and greeted the sound technicians.
βSo, Iker, the next programme will be a surprise, right?β, asked Valeriano, leaving his script on the table. βYes, our listeners wonβt know what cases weβll be talking about. A surprise never hurts.β replied Iker, who was playing with his pen in his hands. They said goodbye and left their headphones on the table. Iker was the first to see me, his face lit up and he pointed at me. He quickly left the recording studio. βAh, Y/N! Just the person I needed. How are you? Have you finished the morning news programme?β He began, leaving his formal presenter persona behind. I got up from my chair, a smile forming on my lips. Finally, all the buzz about my mistakes on set stopped ringing in my head. βFine, you know, surviving on set,β I joked as the two of them led me to the break room. There was a black coffee machine gleaming under the cheap LEDs in the room. It had four empty cupboards, probably used to hide biscuits or something tasty. The chairs were plastic, but to me they were the most comfortable chairs I could ever have sat on in my entire life.
βWhy did you need me, Iker?β I asked curiously. It was perhaps the most emotion I had shown all day. They would probably ask me to be the sound technician for their next programme, and I would gladly accept, as I enjoyed it much more than being on set. Valeriano placed a cup of coffee in front of me, and I could see the steam rising from the liquid. βYou know that on our programme we talk about serial killers, paranormal cases, and legal cases. Things like that,β he began, his grey eyebrows raised as he explained. His face, slightly wrinkled with age, lit up as he talked about his programme. It was clear that he loved his job. βWe've already talked about quite a few cases,β Iker continued while Valeriano took a sip from his own cup of coffee. Iker was younger, a few years ahead of me. He was more imposing, with a larger build than Valeriano. This made him seem less friendly. His dark, curly hair was combed today, which was rare. Normally, it was Valeriano who combed his hair, but today it was more tousled. He hadn't had it cut in a while, his hairline was parted and mixed with the strands that fell below his ear. βThe thing is, since we've run out of ideas, we thought you could help us find more.β Holy shit.
βMe? No, no. I'd ruin the programme.β I felt anxiety growing in my stomach like a nettle. βDon't say that,β Valeriano intervened to scold me. βYou'd help us a lot, we can help you with the research if you want.β He leaned his back against the wall and put his hand in his pocket, suddenly my whole body went cold. I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead. This was a lot of pressure. However, if I said no, they would most likely be disappointed in me and stop talking to me. Then I would be left alone in the studio, and my life would be much worse than it is now. I can't disappoint them. βAll right, I'll help you.β Iker's eyes lit up and Valeriano smiled. βYou don't know what a big favour you're doing us, Y/N.β
I huffed as I took out my house keys. I didn't hear any barking as I approached the door, so I assumed that Xabier had already stopped by my house to pick up Elur. The door creaked as I leaned my shoulder against the damp wood; I had to use a little force to get it to open all the way. I put my backpack on the floor and threw my keys on the nearest table as I prepared to push the door again to close it. I took off my coat, feeling the cold inside the house.
I threw some wood on the fire and watched it for a few seconds, waiting for the flames to grow a little bigger. As I got up, I noticed a box on the living room table. βHow strange,β I murmured. βI don't remember leaving this here.β The box was dark blue with a lighter blue V engraved on it. It looked quite expensive compared to my salary. I reached out to grab it; the box was smooth. It had no hair, but it looked well cared for, with no dents. The V was made of a metallic material that glinted in the orange light of the fire. A note fell out of the box, which I managed to catch in mid-air. I inspected it; it was good paper, a little thicker than the one I used to write things down.
Don't panic, it's not a bomb hehe. Consider this a small gift before we meet. - V
βWhat the hell?β I frowned. V? Maybe it was a gift from Valeriano? I wasn't understanding anything. I swallowed, still feeling a little pain in my throat and took a deep breath. βYou better be right about the bomb.β The lid revealed a digital watch with dark blue straps. The screen was off, it had straight edges. I removed the pad it was resting on to look for a charging cable, but it was empty. The box only contained the watch. βI think this is a problem I'll deal with tomorrow.β I left the watch on the living room table and headed to my small home office to look for serial killer or paranormal cases. I had to keep my word.
