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rainbowfic2021-06-27 09:03 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2021-06-27 09:03 pm
Candy Green #10, Colour of the Day 27/06/21 [Divide & Rule]
Name: It’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Barn Tonight
Story: Divide & Rule/Heroes of the Revolution
Colors: Candy Green #10 (gumdrop); Colour of the Day 27th June 2021 (shivoo)
Supplies and Styles: Graffiti (June Challenge) + Eraser + Tapestry
Word Count: 1072
Rating: PG
Warnings: Zombies/undead.
Notes: 1958; Zombie AU from the giant list. Edward Iveson/Julia Graves, Lewis Evans. (I thought this probably had to be part of the same universe as the one where Edward nearly got sacrificed one time by one of those satanic cults that were apparently in every single sleepy village in England, according to certain 1960s & 70s TV shows.)
Summary: The French Minister of Foreign Affairs’s stay was going so well until the undead crashed the party.
***
Julia threw the last of the plates at the advancing hordes, if not to much avail, and then raced for the far end of the room, keeping her head down as she ploughed through the melee. As she reached the fallen buffet table, one of the Special Branch officers caught hold of her and then lifted her up and over the table and mess of trampled food and smashed crockery and glass. Her grey taffeta evening dress was not cut out for escaping an invasion of the undead.
She pictured them bursting in through the windows again, all grey-skinned, their rotting flesh falling apart and dropping off – the terrible stench they’d brought with them –
Someone else caught hold of her arm as the Special Branch man let go. She looked up to see Edward, and breathed a small sigh of relief, moving closer and pressing her head in against his shoulder. She knew he would have been one of the first people Special Branch would have tried to pull out of the way, but she didn’t trust him not to do stupid things regardless. “You’re safe.”
“None of us are yet,” said Edward.
As if he’d engineered it to illustrate his point, the lights went dead and several people screamed. Julia tightened her hold on Edward, her fingers trembling.
“This way, if you will, Foreign Secretary,” said the man from Special Branch, leading them out of the banqueting hall used for receptions like these, and into one of Donningford’s many long carpeted corridors – Edward, Julia, and Mr Lewis, one of Edward’s numerous different secretaries, plus two other plain clothes policemen. The foremost Special Branch officer switched on his torch once the doors swung shut behind them. The noise of the fighting grew more muffled, but still impossible to ignore.
Edward gripped Julia’s hand as they walked on at a pace. “How the hell did this happen? Where did they come from?”
“I didn’t put any denizens of the local churchyard on the guest list,” said Julia; breathless as she tried to keep up with his long strides. “Someone who didn’t like Mr Fields conjured them up, I suppose.” She had to keep back a shudder. What they had done to the Prime Minister when they had burst in so suddenly was not something she wanted to recall.
“They got Diana out. M. Delacroix was with her,” said Edward. “I trust that we can therefore at least avoid a diplomatic incident, even if we don’t escape with our lives. You don’t happen to have any ideas, I suppose?”
Julia’s education had been faulty on the classics, but it had included some important aspects of folklore, which was more than most people had. She shook her head. “I only have the most basic charms to hand and they don’t seem to be doing much good. Salt wasn’t any use either. I think we need to find who wished them onto us. Or cut off their heads, perhaps, but if someone’s animating them, they might just carry on anyway, and I don’t think that’d be much improvement.”
“That was what we found,” put in Herring from behind, a more familiar member of Special Branch. He was often part of the detail keeping Edward and his family and staff safe. “No use at all. Sorry, sir.”
Julia had a thought that brought her to an involuntary halt, causing Edward to tug at her arm to keep her moving.
“Wait,” she said. “There is one way that always works.”
Edward pushed her out through the back exit that the first Special Branch man was holding open for them. “Good God, Julia, no. That’s out of the question. Donningford belongs to the nation!”
“I’m just pointing out,” said Julia, addressing Mr Lewis instead, as a more reasonable being, “that it would work – and I can’t help but wonder if someone was angry about that bill. If they were, they wouldn’t want to stop at killing the PM.”
Mr Lewis coughed. “The government’s efforts to clamp down on criminal occult activity in the remoter areas of the country will not have gone down well with some very dangerous people.”
“Demons. Warlocks. Who knows what else? All those dodgy priests,” put in Julia helpfully. “And if so, then they will want Diana and probably you as well. I’ve told you before, if people want to kill you, then I don’t care what happens to them. Very much.”
“Mrs Iveson?” said Herring. “You’re proposing, what?”
“Julia, don’t you dare –”
“Fire,” said Julia. “Provided we’ve got all the survivors out, but if we can keep the horrid things in – ashes can’t come after us and tear Edward and Diana apart.”
Edward looked at the Special Branch officers. “Donningford is too valuable to lose. And it’s too dangerous. If anyone’s left alive inside –”
“Mrs Iveson has a point,” the officer Julia didn’t know said. “We’re waiting for a response from Supernatural Section currently, but I don’t know how fast they’ll be. It’s still not a large section and the enforcing of the bill has put a huge strain on the department. Fire will do it. I’ll make enquiries – there is, ah, a contingency plan in place for – that’s not important, but it’s a possibility.”
The officer then hurried away along the side of the building. From inside Julia could still hear the sounds of glass breaking and fighting, and faint cries. She put her hand to Edward’s arm, and tried not to think about any of it too hard. They’d all have nightmares later, no doubt, but first they needed to survive.
Half an hour later, when she and Edward were standing side by side on a nearby hillside watching the Georgian manor house become the biggest bonfire the area had ever seen, Julia could feel Edward’s exasperation without having to look.
“Darling,” she said, her hand in his, mostly unrepentant, “I’ll write a formal apology to the nation later if you like, but we can’t have hordes of the undead killing cabinet ministers and foreign dignitaries. Especially not when one of them is you.”
His expression softened, but she couldn’t help adding, “Anyway, strictly speaking it wasn’t me this time.”
“Strictly speaking,” said Edward dryly. And then, to her surprise, he kissed her head, despite the presence of Mr Lewis and various other civil servants, politicians and members of the emergency services around them. “I suppose that is true.”
***
Story: Divide & Rule/Heroes of the Revolution
Colors: Candy Green #10 (gumdrop); Colour of the Day 27th June 2021 (shivoo)
Supplies and Styles: Graffiti (June Challenge) + Eraser + Tapestry
Word Count: 1072
Rating: PG
Warnings: Zombies/undead.
Notes: 1958; Zombie AU from the giant list. Edward Iveson/Julia Graves, Lewis Evans. (I thought this probably had to be part of the same universe as the one where Edward nearly got sacrificed one time by one of those satanic cults that were apparently in every single sleepy village in England, according to certain 1960s & 70s TV shows.)
Summary: The French Minister of Foreign Affairs’s stay was going so well until the undead crashed the party.
***
Julia threw the last of the plates at the advancing hordes, if not to much avail, and then raced for the far end of the room, keeping her head down as she ploughed through the melee. As she reached the fallen buffet table, one of the Special Branch officers caught hold of her and then lifted her up and over the table and mess of trampled food and smashed crockery and glass. Her grey taffeta evening dress was not cut out for escaping an invasion of the undead.
She pictured them bursting in through the windows again, all grey-skinned, their rotting flesh falling apart and dropping off – the terrible stench they’d brought with them –
Someone else caught hold of her arm as the Special Branch man let go. She looked up to see Edward, and breathed a small sigh of relief, moving closer and pressing her head in against his shoulder. She knew he would have been one of the first people Special Branch would have tried to pull out of the way, but she didn’t trust him not to do stupid things regardless. “You’re safe.”
“None of us are yet,” said Edward.
As if he’d engineered it to illustrate his point, the lights went dead and several people screamed. Julia tightened her hold on Edward, her fingers trembling.
“This way, if you will, Foreign Secretary,” said the man from Special Branch, leading them out of the banqueting hall used for receptions like these, and into one of Donningford’s many long carpeted corridors – Edward, Julia, and Mr Lewis, one of Edward’s numerous different secretaries, plus two other plain clothes policemen. The foremost Special Branch officer switched on his torch once the doors swung shut behind them. The noise of the fighting grew more muffled, but still impossible to ignore.
Edward gripped Julia’s hand as they walked on at a pace. “How the hell did this happen? Where did they come from?”
“I didn’t put any denizens of the local churchyard on the guest list,” said Julia; breathless as she tried to keep up with his long strides. “Someone who didn’t like Mr Fields conjured them up, I suppose.” She had to keep back a shudder. What they had done to the Prime Minister when they had burst in so suddenly was not something she wanted to recall.
“They got Diana out. M. Delacroix was with her,” said Edward. “I trust that we can therefore at least avoid a diplomatic incident, even if we don’t escape with our lives. You don’t happen to have any ideas, I suppose?”
Julia’s education had been faulty on the classics, but it had included some important aspects of folklore, which was more than most people had. She shook her head. “I only have the most basic charms to hand and they don’t seem to be doing much good. Salt wasn’t any use either. I think we need to find who wished them onto us. Or cut off their heads, perhaps, but if someone’s animating them, they might just carry on anyway, and I don’t think that’d be much improvement.”
“That was what we found,” put in Herring from behind, a more familiar member of Special Branch. He was often part of the detail keeping Edward and his family and staff safe. “No use at all. Sorry, sir.”
Julia had a thought that brought her to an involuntary halt, causing Edward to tug at her arm to keep her moving.
“Wait,” she said. “There is one way that always works.”
Edward pushed her out through the back exit that the first Special Branch man was holding open for them. “Good God, Julia, no. That’s out of the question. Donningford belongs to the nation!”
“I’m just pointing out,” said Julia, addressing Mr Lewis instead, as a more reasonable being, “that it would work – and I can’t help but wonder if someone was angry about that bill. If they were, they wouldn’t want to stop at killing the PM.”
Mr Lewis coughed. “The government’s efforts to clamp down on criminal occult activity in the remoter areas of the country will not have gone down well with some very dangerous people.”
“Demons. Warlocks. Who knows what else? All those dodgy priests,” put in Julia helpfully. “And if so, then they will want Diana and probably you as well. I’ve told you before, if people want to kill you, then I don’t care what happens to them. Very much.”
“Mrs Iveson?” said Herring. “You’re proposing, what?”
“Julia, don’t you dare –”
“Fire,” said Julia. “Provided we’ve got all the survivors out, but if we can keep the horrid things in – ashes can’t come after us and tear Edward and Diana apart.”
Edward looked at the Special Branch officers. “Donningford is too valuable to lose. And it’s too dangerous. If anyone’s left alive inside –”
“Mrs Iveson has a point,” the officer Julia didn’t know said. “We’re waiting for a response from Supernatural Section currently, but I don’t know how fast they’ll be. It’s still not a large section and the enforcing of the bill has put a huge strain on the department. Fire will do it. I’ll make enquiries – there is, ah, a contingency plan in place for – that’s not important, but it’s a possibility.”
The officer then hurried away along the side of the building. From inside Julia could still hear the sounds of glass breaking and fighting, and faint cries. She put her hand to Edward’s arm, and tried not to think about any of it too hard. They’d all have nightmares later, no doubt, but first they needed to survive.
Half an hour later, when she and Edward were standing side by side on a nearby hillside watching the Georgian manor house become the biggest bonfire the area had ever seen, Julia could feel Edward’s exasperation without having to look.
“Darling,” she said, her hand in his, mostly unrepentant, “I’ll write a formal apology to the nation later if you like, but we can’t have hordes of the undead killing cabinet ministers and foreign dignitaries. Especially not when one of them is you.”
His expression softened, but she couldn’t help adding, “Anyway, strictly speaking it wasn’t me this time.”
“Strictly speaking,” said Edward dryly. And then, to her surprise, he kissed her head, despite the presence of Mr Lewis and various other civil servants, politicians and members of the emergency services around them. “I suppose that is true.”
***
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....also the AU where Edward what
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Julia coming up with a very practical idea and Edward being like "oh my god" is beautiful.
....also the AU where Edward what
Look, the thing is, if you burn down nationally-owned estates, there will be questions asked in parliament, and guess who will have to answer them? Also related to the second, Julia burned things down last time.
And, yes, well, I had to do a Supernatural AU one time ages ago and it seemed somehow logical that obv if this was originally a fake 1970s TV show, then the Supernatural AU would be also like 60s/70s Brit TV, which is to say Evil Quaint Villages everywhere! The link is there if you want to risk it. <3
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I came here intending to catch up on your newer canon, which I still will, but Edward and Julia are rather distracting!
(I only have the one shippy icon, so there, you get Seven and Romana.)
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