Title: Asystole

Author: Alex Foster

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Category: General

Setting: Minutes after Not Fade Away

Rating: PG

Summary: Charles Gunn tries to make sense of the last few seconds of his human existence

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Mutant Enemy, Dark Horse, and Joss Whedon. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

Author’s Notes: This is my entry in the Taming the Muse writing challenge. The prompt was the word Keckle. Webster’s Dictionary said Keckle as a form of the word Keck meaning to attempt, and fail, to induce vomiting. I hope that definition is close enough to the challenge. Thank you for reading.

I wish they would only take me as I am.

-Vincent van Gogh, Dear Theo: Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh

He could feel it inside him.

On his back in the alley, rain still pouring down around him, Charles Gunn felt his life slipping away and the demon crawling into the empty space. He slowly blinked and tried to make sense of the last few seconds of his human existence. The vampire bite marks on his body still throbbed painfully. A couple of them were from the fight in the senator’s campaign office, but he picked up several others in the massive alleyway fight as well.

The blood intake part was his own damn fault. In the confusion of battle he had cut and stabbed and never noticed the inhuman blood spattering his face. He wasn’t sure how much it would take exactly to do the turn, but hopefully this was a morbid testimonial to how many of the bloodsuckers he was taking with him to hell.

Through the pain and the fear of what was trying to overtake him, Gunn almost smiled. The last human standing. Of course the fang brothers would survive, and Illyria was still enough of a god to outlast them all, but old Charlie Gunn didn’t have any of the powers his superfriends could fall back on.

Combat still raged around him, Gunn could hear. Creatures screamed in pain as Spike and Angel cut a path through the horde. Bodies were everywhere and he had just fallen haphazardly among them. In the tight confines of the alley, it was doubtful they even noticed him missing yet. He idly wondered when Angel won in the end if anyone would find him. If they’d take care of him before he rose as a vampire.

Turning his head took effort. Gunn blearily tried to see through the rain. It was darker out than he remembered. The water pooling around the storm drain was greasy with blood and ichor. He reached out and swept his arm blindly through the severed limbs, tentacles, and debris. Hoping for a stake or anything made of wood he could use as a weapon. If Darla could do it so could he…but there was nothing useful.

Spent just from that action, Gunn let his arm fall back against his chest. He felt sticky warmth there. Sleep pulled insistently at his eyes and he again lost focus. The pain was starting to lessen but cold numbness was taking its place. That probably wasn’t a good sign, he knew.

Memories of his sister and their time together as kids floated up. About time the greatest hits of his life started flashing by, Gunn thought. He probably already missed out on reliving a few of the good years. Instead of seeing Alonna as she was in life, however, he saw her in the last few minutes of her unlife. He remembered her beautiful face mutilated by the demon inside, fangs bared, trying to turn him as well.

The feel of wood scraping her sternum as he pushed the stake in her chest came back to him too. Not really his sister. Just a demon wearing her skin.

One last thing to try. Gunn attempted to bring his hand to his mouth. If he could bring the blood back up maybe he could stop the transformation. Vomiting up a demon, the new way to save a soul. He opened his mouth and tried to tip his head down to meet his index finger, but he couldn’t get his body to move the way he wanted. Desperate, he watched as his hand dropped limp against his side.

A gurgling whimper emerged from this throat.

The world faded from his eyes and he could no longer feel raindrops hitting his skin. This was finally the end, he thought. Somehow it just didn’t seem fair. A vampire fighter all the way up to the end of the world and he goes out as one of them.

His hearing was the last sense to leave him. Charles Gunn could still make out the sounds of his friends as they battled against overwhelming numbers. He wished he could see them win. Watch Angel and Spike duke it out for the final prize of becoming human again.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

He was no longer on that side of the fight.

End