Challenge from Imzadi List:

Here is the first of the challenge series. This is a glimpse of a scene using description and the senses. What do you think is going on? Develop a story around what you think has happened or is happening. Let your imagination run free! and please share!
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Heat rose in a gray-white fog, the taste of rotting vegetation filled his nose, the flavor lingering on the back of his tongue. Sweat slicked his body and yet a cool breeze, like the gentle breath of a woman seemed to dust over his bearded face. The fog beguiled his eyes, images tortured his mind, a voice sometimes
faint and distant, other times close and breathless touched his soul. He moved forward slowly, as if a stasis cuff had been tied around him and his captors opposed each other. Each step forward or back became more difficult.

A breath blew against his neck, lonely and cold, another contrasted it with a sweet warmth, an almost haunting call. He spun around quickly, fighting the push and pull of his restraints, and listened. The gray-white fog faded to pale black and the shadows called to him.

"Imazdi"

It came from the night and from the deepest part of his heart. His hand lowered to his side as the single word reiterated and in a flash of mindless thought, he fired; not only at the voice in the shadows, but at the familiar silhouette that approached him.

Answer to Challenge #1
Author: IzzY
Rating: R
Paramount knows what they own

Heat rose in a gray-white fog, the taste of rotting vegetation filled his nose, the flavor lingering on the back of his tongue. Sweat slicked his body and yet a cool breeze, like the gentle breath of a woman seemed to dust over his bearded face. The fog beguiled his eyes, images tortured his mind, a voice sometimes faint and distant, other times close and breathless touched his soul. He moved forward slowly, as if a stasis cuff had been tied around him and his captors opposed each other. Each step forward or back became more difficult.

A breath blew against his neck, lonely and cold, another contrasted it with a sweet warmth, an almost haunting call. He spun around quickly, fighting the push and pull of his restraints, and listened. The gray-white fog faded to pale black and the shadows called to him.

"Imzadi"

It came from the night and from the deepest part of his heart. His hand lowered to his side as the single word reiterated and in a flash of mindless thought, he fired; not only at the voice in the shadows, but at the familiar silhouette that approached him.

Orange and bright, the phaser blast illuminated the immediate area for but a brief second but long enough for Will Riker to realize that the creature had disappeared...again.

Wake up Riker......wake up, his mind screamed. But with each agonizing second that passed, the reality of it all was sinking in that this was no dream. A nightmare, yes...but no dream.

Riker slumped to the ground and rested back on his hunches. He could feel each drop of sweat that rolled down his bare back and chest and then scratched away the beads that clung in the hair of his chest. He looked at his feet; bare and filthy, and sure to match the remaining exposed skin of his body. His pajama bottoms, tattered and torn, hung loosely around his waist but he didn't care. The only thing that seemed real anymore was the sound of himself breathing, and now he was beginning to question that.

Glancing back over his shoulder in a nervous search, there, cast in the mist and shadows of the forest, he saw the castle from which he had just run from; the castle that haunted his every waking second from the moment they had stepped into it. The castle from which his Imzadi had disappeared only two short days ago.

And now, whoever or whatever that had ripped his life, his imzadi, from him in a sickening wail of grotesque apparitions, was treasing him like a cat would tease a mouse before the kill. Toying and baiting him, pushing his body to its limit.

"Deanna!" he cried out. "Please..." His voice echoed back in an ethereal and yet mocking tone forcing him to bow his head in defeat.

"Imzadi"

It was her voice again and he felt his hands cover his ears. He couldn't listen to it again. "Nooo," he cried loudly.
His body fell to the damp ground and he curled up into a ball, unwilling to free his hands from his ears just yet.
Will Riker, proud first officer of the USS Enterprise remained that way until the new morning dew settled upon his body the following day.

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A fierce animalistic cry brought the commander from a restless slumber. Scanning the edge of the forest, he heard the rusting of leaves. "Dee?"

The noise immediately stopped as if his voice frightened away whatever was there.

Arching himself slightly backward, the bones in his spine cracked giving him little relief. His entire body ached but what hurt worst of all was the emptiness he felt in his heart. The terrifying knowledge that Deanna was missing and he was no closer in finding her than he was two days ago when she had first disappeared.

Walking back towards the castle, in hopes of remembering anything that would help him find her, he began to recall the events that led up to her disappearance....

~~~The castle was the last remaining Arthurian landmark from centuries past. Recommended by the tour guide as a fine hotel, they chose to stay only one night before heading to the southern coast  where they would spend their remaining shoreleave in a cabin on the beach.
Their first clue that something was wrong should have been the fact that only the consierges and a handful of staff was inside the establishment. Not a single other guest seemed to be present. Will suggested on leaving but Deanna insisted on staying. She said it was romantic and one night wouldn't hurt. Little did they know........
Tired from the day's travel and long hikes, Deanna fell asleep immediately on the king size bed in their room. So much for romance, Will remembered thinking. He changed into his pajama bottoms and crawled into bed next to her. Wrapping a loving arm around her torso, he too quickly fell asleep.

It was around one o'clock when he was awakened by the warm and succulent kisses Deanna placed against his chest. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw her silhouetted by the pale moonlight, kneeling over him. It didn't take long for him to become aroused and she laughed at his eagerness.
Wearing a thin ivory colored negligee, he could see the firm peaks of her nipples pressing against the fabric. He gasped when she slipped his pants down past his waist and grabbed him with more than a gentle touch.
Seconds later, he was inside of her. Will remembered the way she looked when she flipped her head back wildly with unbridled passion, the way her hair tumbled like silk ribbons around her shoulders.

It was then that everything went horribly wrong.

He was moments away from the edge. The muscles in his abdomen were tight and he closed his eyes knowing the explosive release was near. He felt her lean forward onto his chest, her hot breath against his neck...remembering the silkiness of her hair tickling him, then he felt the bite. His eyes popped wide open and he watched as the face of his beautiful, beautiful fiance change into a hideously grotesque monster that had just taken a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.

He gasped as the creature seemed to smile at him. Blood mixed with saliva dripped from its teeth and onto his chest, pooling in the recess just below his sternum.

Pushing himself away as fast as he could, he found his eyes still drawn to the monster. The body was still that of Deanna's, but the face...oh god, the face!!! ~~~~

Haunted by the image that had taken over his imzadi, Will stopped walking and rubbed his eyes. What happened?
Letting out a frustrated wail, he clobbered his fist into a nearby tree, replacing the sting from his shoulder with the pain from his hand. The phaser he had somehow retrieved from his suitcase, fell to ground landing softly in the thick grass.

As he bent down to pick up the weapon, a shadow cascaded over his body creating a brief moment of relief as the morning sun began to bake his already singed skin. Almost afraid to turn around to see what had created the shadow, Will straightened up and swallowed hard. With his heart punding wildly in his chest, he took a step forward.

"Imzadi"

It was calling to him, and he refused to face it. Instead he ran full steam to the castle's front door and threw it open. Reaffirming his suspicions, he glanced around the abandoned lobby and braced his body against the door in hopes of keeping the monster out.

A second later, a bright mystical fog seeped through the door jamb and began to envelope him.

"No!" Will stumbled backward, away from the fog.

Gripping the phaser as tight as his sweaty palms would allow, he watched the fog form into a shadow and then finally...Deanna. "Imzadi?"

Will buried the heel of his palms into his eyes. "No. This is a trick! ITS ANOTHER TRICK!!"

"Will?"

Will aimed the phaser at the now fully formed body. Of all the training he had undergone at Starfleet, of all the away teams he commanded...nothing had prepared him for this. Steadying a shakey hand, Will moved his thumb over the trigger...and fired.

The smell of charred flesh was his first clue that something was wrong. Deadly wrong. And when the body fell to the floor instead of changing back to the fog as it had done previously, he dropped the phaser to the concrete floor.
In a sickening moment of realization, he fell to his knees beside the body.
He had just shot Deanna Troi squarely in the middle of her chest.

"Oh God! NO!" he cradled her limp body. "Imzadi!" he cried out. "NO!!!"

He couldn't bring himself to look at her. He refused to see the death he caused. Instead, he buried his face in her hair and weeped, openly and unrestrained.

Crushing her lifeless body to him, he could feel her blood mixing with his sweat as it poured onto him. He held a listless hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Please...wake up!"

Countless moments later, from the corner of his eye Will saw another shadow approaching. Defeat etched into his face, he prepared himself for the inevitable gnashing of teeth that was certain to bring him to his own pathetic end.
As the shadow grew closer, he pulled Deanna to him and held her as close as possible. "I'm so sorry, baby," he cried.

His muscles grew taught as the shadow enveloped their bodies. Will closed his eyes as the stench of death entered his nostrils. He did not want to fight any longer, there was nothing left to fight for.
 He tensely waited to see the other side, certain that Deanna would be there with open arms, waiting for him.

The shadow turned brightly white and began to encircle the bodies. With increasing speed, it spun around the lovers creating a whirlwind pattern.
Gathering enough courage, he opened his eyes just enough to see the blinding pattern in front of him, and yet he waited for the end.

The breeze the whirlwind created felt good against his heated skin. He watched with reverent awe as the pattern changed into a colorful collage, ever changing from hue to hue.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, the breeze ended and the colors vanished...
and Will felt a tremor within his arms.

Looking down, he saw Deanna's eyes flutter open, and her chest...her glorious, beautiful chest was completely free of blood and charred skin!

Will felt tears burning once again in his eyes. "Deanna?" he was slow to speak, scared as hell that she would not respond.

And when she reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand, he crushed her to him once again.
"Thank God! Oh Crist, thank you!" he sobbed into her hair.

Deanna pushed against his chest enough so that she had room to breathe. "Will?"

He looked into her life-filled eyes and kissed her deeply. "Yes?"

"Can we move to another hotel?"

Will laughed. For the first time in days, he laughed. "You'd better believe it, baby!"