I wrote another metapost like this a while back, talking about the art and science behind the creation of story. I mentioned in that article that the plot of my vampire story has largely been set for many years.
But what makes a story transcend from just series of disjointed episodes to something greater? Usually great stories have an overarching theme that gets woven into the plot. I'll admit there wasn't one for this story. It was a simple fictional biography of a fictional vampire, based upon people I've known in real life and a roleplaying game campaign.
That's no longer the case. A theme is developing organically. On its own, almost spontaneously. And I'll admit I'm a little awed as to how it's happening.
As I've made clear, there are strong story elements in this fan fiction that are drawn from my real life. Several characters, the setting, all taken from real life, in many cases altered dramatically for various reasons, and then transposed into the fictional world.
And now it feels like the reverse is happening. The art is now transposing itself back into real life.
Michael's story is becoming a story of redemption. He falls into darkness and falls hard, and he will spend a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to climb back to the light, working to atone for his mistakes and recapture his humanity. That's a suitable theme for VtR. But what's funny is how it's playing out in real life too.
After a nearly ten year hiatus, I've recently become reacquainted with the woman on whom the character of Rebecca is based. That ten year hiatus came about because of some really stupid and hateful things I did. I want that friendship back. I want to make amends. I want to show that I'm a different person. And progress is being made...slowly perhaps, but it's happening.
So Michael is me and I am Michael...maybe in ways I haven't realized. But if it makes the story better...and my life better, so be it.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Act Two Chapter Six - I Feel You
A week passed. Each night, Michael took his new protégé out into the town to hunt and to hone the skills she would need to both survive her new life as well as, at least in part, enjoy it.
But there were appearances to be maintained. Staying away from his own sire, however quiet and unobtrusive she wanted him to be, was bound to bring suspicion. Spending time with Deborah cramped his plans for this particular Saturday night, but it could not be helped.
Rebecca awoke to find herself alone, or at least mostly so. Corwin was there at the cabin, apparently waiting for her.
She walked out into the living room of the cabin and gave him a look-over. Rebecca had taken Michael's thrall a few times already and the look on Corwin's face indicated an eagerness for her to do so again. She smiled.
“Where's Michael?”
“He was summoned away for an important meeting. He will return later.” Corwin paused. “He gave me strict instructions to keep you here. You may as well make the most of it.”
Rebecca chuckled at his final comment. “You'd like that, wouldn't you?”
“I can think of a few things you can do to me.” said Corwin somewhat flippantly.
Rebecca looked at him without giving an answer. Although Corwin didn't know it, what she was contemplating was not what pleasures she could share with him, at least not without an additional motive. Which would be easier, she wondered. Take him, ravish him, and leave him weakened and unable to stop her from leaving, or simply overpower him and go?
The former might be more fun, but Rebecca determined that it take too much time. She had learned that Corwin was almost a stereotypical gamer nerd in his appetites. He was much like the kid in the candy store, and once inside was oh-so-reluctant to leave. His hungers and lusts were nearly insatiable.
“Not tonight.” she answered at last. “I think I will find my pleasures elsewhere.”
“Michael told you not to leave.” If Corwin was disappointed, it did not distract him from his duties.
“And how will you stop me?” said Rebecca coldly. “You may be a thrall. You may be my sire's favorite thrall, but you are no match for me and you know it.”
“I'm not his favorite.” corrected Corwin.
“All the more reason for you not to challenge me.” said Rebecca sharply. “He may not be quite so upset if I leave you bloody and broken on the floor.”
“I have strict orders.” said Corwin. “You are not to leave.” Her threats appeared to have no effect.
“Very well.” Then, without warning, she lashed out with a vicious punch, slamming her fist hard into Corwin's midsection. He doubled over and she brought another blow down on his back. Down he went.
She knelt down to ensure he wasn't too badly injured, just incapacitated. She had no real desire to hurt him. After all, the same thrall-bond that drove him to defy her for Michael's sake also drove her and she had no interest in harming one her sire considered so valuable.
Still, some disobediences were worth it. On her own, she could snare some pretty thing, bring him back to the lair, and give Michael a threesome he'd not soon forget. She'd planned this for several days and now was her chance to implement it.
She took Corwin's car and drove into town. She had a particular mark in mind: tall, dark, and male. Although she'd done the lesbian thing a couple more times in the past week, her appetites ran towards more masculine fare this evening. She wondered what Michael would think if he saw her taking it in more than one orifice at once. The thought of it being done to her and of Michael's likely reaction aroused her and spurred her onward.
Hokie House was her first stop. It was the first time she'd been back there since Corwin had brought her and Shawn here. It had only been a week, but what a week.
She scanned the crowd eagerly, trying to find a suitable mark. Blond, brunette, pretty boy, drunken frat brother, nerd-about-town, football player, pretty much the gamut of male college life was present before her. But her eyes kept being draw away from them to a petite redheaded Goth girl at the bar.
Rebecca shook it off. “No, I'm looking for a guy tonight. But goddamn, she's something else. Wow is she hot!”
The Goth noticed her stare and locked eyes with Rebecca. There was a “come-hither” look behind her eyes, and Rebecca almost caved. But she resisted. “Who's hunting who tonight?” she asked herself. She turned away and headed into the midst of the crowd to escape her.
Now up close, the smell of all the people was intoxicating. She felt a hand grope her ass and she spun around to see a handsome giant. He was black, but had piercing blue eyes. “Giant” was not an exaggeration, he must have stood at least 6'6”. A basketball player perhaps, or someone just inordinately lucky in the tall department.
“Hi.” she said quietly.
“Hey, you look a little lost. Looking for someone?”
“Yeah, but I think I've found him.” She gave him a coy smile. “Is it true what they say about black men?” She grabbed his crotch for emphasis.
“I take it you want to find out.”
“Call it a scientific study.”
“Is that what they call it these...” He stopped mid-flirt and both of them turned to find the Goth standing there beside them.
“He's not the one you want.” she said, almost in a purr. Rebecca found herself entranced, unable to take her eyes off of her.
“Hey, there's enough of me to go around.” said the basketball player.
“Scram.” said the Goth with authority. He backed off and disappeared into the crowd. She turned to Rebecca. “Outside.” Her tone was gentle, but insistent.
It was not what Rebecca had in mind, but she no longer cared. All that mattered to her in that moment was being with this irresistible beauty. Those handful of steps out into the night air were almost agony, because Rebecca could not look at her and see where she was going at the same time.
Rebecca headed to the car. The Goth followed. “My place?” offered Rebecca. She was still cognizant of her plan, and if Michael thought this creature as exquisite as she did, this would be an even better gift that she'd hoped.
“Yes.” said the Goth, climbing in. “And keep your eyes on the road. Wouldn't want to get ourselves killed before we have our fun.”
“No, that wouldn't serve.” Rebecca started the car and began heading for Michael's cabin. She drove with some haste, but still mindful of the road. She was impatient to have a taste of this Gothic goddess beside her.
She pulled the car alongside the road just short of the cabin, in essentially the same place that Corwin always parked. The Goth girl got out first and Rebecca followed, coming up behind her like a predatory cat. When the moment came, she pounced. She grabbed the girl, spun her about, then pinned her to a tree, smothering her mouth with hers.
They kissed passionately for a long moment, and then Rebecca reached up for the neckline of her tank top, running her hands eagerly across the girl's ample bosom. She gave the neckline a tug downward, exposing the girl's breasts. The left one was tattooed, the mark of an Oriental dragon with its tail snaking around beneath it.
“Oh shit....” Rebecca almost didn't get to finish when Deborah slammed her hands into her chest, knocking her all the way across the road and into a tree. The impact was accompanied by the crunch of bone.
Rebecca tried to scramble to her feet, but the pain was intense. Before she could move, Deborah was on her again, hoisting her back to her feet.
“Son of a bitch!” Deborah snarled. “You're Rebecca, aren't you? Damn him to hell. What was he thinking, turning you? Making you one of us?” Deborah began to squeeze tightly on Rebecca's neck. “I should just twist your head off right here.”
“You'll do no such thing.” barked a command.
Deborah tossed Rebecca aside and turned to face the new arrival. She found a sword pointing at her face, brandished by a very angry looking Michael.
“You dare wield a weapon at me?” snarled Deborah in fury. “After what you've done?”
“You promised me vengeance.”
“Not like this.” Retorted Deborah. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
“I do.” said Michael coldly. “Death was too quick, too painless. There is a worse fate, as you well know.”
Rebecca stood up. She was shaking, half from fear of Deborah but also in shock from the words she was hearing from Michael. “What...what are you talking about, Michael?”
“You poor pathetic little thing.” answered Deborah. “You have no idea what he's done to you. No concept of the fate to which he's condemned you. The nightmare that has just begun for you. Tell me, Michael, did you only embrace her or did you do more?”
“More.” Michael answered.
Deborah's face, already contorted in anger, became even more intense. “God damn you, Michael. How could you be so cruel? Was not the embrace enough?”
When Michael gave no answer, Deborah let out her breath. “Well, now you have her, your pet for all eternity. Not that it will be very long. Mathias will kill us all if he finds out.”
“Not if he's dead.” said Michael forcefully.
On one level, she knew he was right. There was no longer any choice. No laying low to bide their time. No longer. Michael forced all their hands. Now it was a race to see who would strike first.
“I'll contact Solomon.” said Deborah. “He can meet us tomorrow night after the concert.”
“Concert?” asked Rebecca.
“Krushed Prophet, our cover band. We have a gig tomorrow night.” answered Michael. “I would have kept you home, in order to ensure Deb here didn't learn of you, but now that's moot.”
“Who's Solomon?” asked Rebecca.
“Enough of the questions.” Snarled Deborah. “Time is of the essence. If Mathias learns what you’ve done before we’re ready…”
“He won’t.” said Michael.
“Then keep her on a tighter leash.” said Deborah. “You’re just made your third strike, Michael. If we survive all this, there will be consequences for your disobedience. I promise you that.”
----
Corwin drove Deborah back into town, leaving Michael and Rebecca alone together at the cabin. Rebecca slunk inside quietly, fearful of Michael's anger and frustration.
Michael, for his own part, was more angry at himself than Rebecca. He should have known Corwin was no match for Rebecca if she proved determined to leave. And likewise, in his rage, he had spoken much too openly of his purposes within Rebecca's earshot.
Rebecca sat on the sofa, demure and contrite. Michael pulled out a chair from the dining room table and sat down glumly. He looked at her. “Why did you leave? Corwin gave you my instructions.” His tone was firm, but not harsh.
“I wanted to surprise you. Bring you back someone we could both enjoy. I didn't think...”
“No, you clearly didn't.” snapped Michael. “You knew I was at a meeting. You knew or should have guessed that other vampires would be there, therefore realizing that they were others of our kind in town tonight. But you didn't think of that, did you?”
“I'm sorry.” Her voice was pleading. “I never meant to put you in danger.”
“Never mind that now. What's done is done. Thankfully,” he continued. “it was Deborah who found you and not someone else.”
“Your sire?”
“Yes, that's her.”
“I can see why you couldn't say no to her.”
“Actually," Michael's tone softened, his anger now spent. "I did for quite some time. I was able to because I had you. Once you were gone, I had no reason to resist any longer.”
“Once I was gone...” Rebecca repeated. “What did you mean about vengeance, Michael?”
Michael looked into her eyes. “I brought you here. I took you from everything you knew, everyone you loved. I turned you to darkness, enslaved you to a hunger for living blood. I gave to you as your first victim one who loved you. And I've made you a slave to my will. That is what I meant by vengeance.”
“All because I slept with Shawn and not with you?”
“Yes.” said Michael. “You know, you were right about me all along. I was a monster. I am a monster. And now and for all time, so are you.”
----
Pedro's was reasonably crowded for a Sunday night. The little Mexican restaurant was the venue of Krushed Prophet's latest gig and Michael was setting up on stage. Rebecca was helping. They had said little to one another since the previous night, since the revelation of Michael's true motives.
Deborah wandered in and joined in with the set up. She too said little. It wasn't until Bob joined them and made some snarky comment about the tension in the room that the three vampires tried to lighten up.
“Is Ernie coming?” Michael asked of Deborah.
“No, thank God.” she replied. “His allegiance is still suspect. I worry what he might do if he learned about your pet.”
“I haven't threatened the Masquerade.”
“And you’re not so naïve to think that’s the only thing he cares about.” Retorted Deborah. “Imagine, if all you’ve presumed about his motives is true, how he’ll react to find you’ve taken another lover, one so special and dear to you?”
“I can’t imagine he’d turn me in over that. If Mathias kills me, then what does Ernie gain? I’ll be dead. His prize lost.”
“You’re banking on his obsessions?”
“Good point.”
“So we move forward without him.”
“Yes.”
Michael shook his head. “It will be harder.”
“Indeed it will. You have risked much by this, Michael.”
The rest of the band arrived and they finished their set up. Rebecca sat off to the side of the stage, separate from the audience. Michael walked over to the mic to begin his usual introduction.
“Evening, everyone. We are Krushed Prophet and we so glad to be here tonight. Before we begin, I want to ask you all something. Anyone here bought the new Depeche Mode album?” There were a few cheers. “Ok, a few of you. We’re going to open with a track off of it.” Deborah began playing the distinctive guitar rift of I Feel You. “Now those of you who have the album know that this isn’t how the song really begins. A few of us old fogeys with tape players did not appreciate the real beginning of the song. So we’re going to play this with a big ‘fuck you’ to De’Mode for your little joke. You got us.” Michael paused. “Just kidding. We love you guys. This is I Feel You.”
The band ripped into the song and the crowd cheered.
After a few more songs, as usual from a variety of bands, Michael gestured to Rebecca and invited her to come forward. Deborah gave him an ugly glance as Becca walked onto the stage. She came to the center mic.
“I want to introduce to all of you, my girlfriend Rebecca.” said Michael. “She doesn't normally sing with us, but I think you'll enjoy it when she does. Most of you know the band Journey; you know Steve Perry and how broad his voice range is. Well, we tried and tried and tried and the only one who could match his voice was a woman. This is Don't Stop Believin'.”
Michael began playing the distinctive four chord pattern that began that song, as Rebecca grew more relaxed at center stage. Deborah came over to the keyboard and glowered at Michael.
“Trust me.” he whispered as Rebecca began to sing.
Rebecca had always had a strong singing voice and her embrace as a Daeva only strengthened that. As Michael had guessed, she hit every note, singing with passion and power. The crowd was entranced and even Deborah found herself barely able to concentrate on playing guitar while she sang.
Michael smiled as he played. He also noted Solomon walk in and take a seat in the back of the crowd.
They played a few more tracks and then finished their set, Rebecca keeping the main mic the whole time. She was quite the hit with the crowd.
Michael felt inordinately pleased with himself as they finished up and came down from the stage. The crowd began to break up and Michael watched as Deborah went to Solomon, presumably to bring him up to speed on what all had happened. Michael did not look forward to what Solomon would say, but he tried to not let that dim his mood.
“Girlfriend?” Michael heard behind him. “Now I know why I haven't seen you in two weeks.”
He turned and faced someone he had not expected to see: Kris. She looked cross.
“Oh, hi.” replied Michael. “Yeah, I've been busy.”
“No doubt.”
“You've never been jealous before.”
“You've never referred to any of your one-night-stands as a girlfriend before either. That's me, remember?” Her tone was angry and Michael found her insubordination somewhat galling.
“Things have changed.” said Michael firmly. “And you need to remember your place.”
“In your bed is my place.” Kris continued defiantly.
“And it still will be.” promised Michael. “Come. There's someone you need to meet.”
Kris shuffled her feet behind Michael as she followed, making no bones about her anger. But she did follow.
“Kris, meet Rebecca. My childe.”
“You gave her the Embrace?” Kris seemed crestfallen. “You never offered it to me.”
“For five years, I've haunted his dreams.” taunted Rebecca. “Every night, he prayed to have me and now he does. Could he say the same of you?”
Kris went from angry to dejected in her face, but said nothing. “Still,” Rebecca continued. “you are cute. Perhaps you'll prove worth some fun.”
This aggressive tone was another first for Michael to witness in Rebecca. She's always been so demure, but now she was bold, assertive. He liked it.
“Rebecca, darling, why don't you go get to know Kris better? Deborah's apartment is half-a-block away. I think you can keep each other entertained while the rest of us talk.”
Rebecca reached out and groped Kris's amble breasts. Kris gave out a slight moan of pleasure. “Oh, I think we can have a great deal of fun.”
“Save some for me.” chided Michael. He turned and walked towards Solomon and Deborah.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Michael?” snarled Solomon.
“I see Deborah has filled you in.” This tone was flip, which only aggravated Solomon further.
“Don't be coy with me. Do you have any idea how much this endangers things?”
“I called in a debt. I was promised my revenge and now I have it.”
Solomon glared at Deborah. “I warned you about this.”
“We have to move against Mathias and soon.” said Deborah, ignoring Solomon's comment. “The time has come.”
“Acting in haste because of this fool's impulsive stupidity is not a good strategy. We still have to take the Djinn down first.”
“I think we have the perfect bait.” added Deborah. “Something to lure him out and finish him.”
Michael read between the lines. “Wait a minute...”
“Call it recompense for your folly.” she snarled. “And if we play our cards right there's no reason for Mathias to suspect she's yours. Just a nomadic kindred whose encroached on new territory without meeting the Prince. As the Prince's chief enforcer, The Djinn will come to fetch her. And then, we strike.”
Solomon nodded. “I will alert the Prince that a new Kindred has come to the city, one who seeks sanctuary here. Michael, prepare her for The Djinn's coming. She must be able to fool him into buying our story at least for a brief time. Hopefully, it will be long enough. For all our sakes..."
Act Two Chapter Seven
But there were appearances to be maintained. Staying away from his own sire, however quiet and unobtrusive she wanted him to be, was bound to bring suspicion. Spending time with Deborah cramped his plans for this particular Saturday night, but it could not be helped.
Rebecca awoke to find herself alone, or at least mostly so. Corwin was there at the cabin, apparently waiting for her.
She walked out into the living room of the cabin and gave him a look-over. Rebecca had taken Michael's thrall a few times already and the look on Corwin's face indicated an eagerness for her to do so again. She smiled.
“Where's Michael?”
“He was summoned away for an important meeting. He will return later.” Corwin paused. “He gave me strict instructions to keep you here. You may as well make the most of it.”
Rebecca chuckled at his final comment. “You'd like that, wouldn't you?”
“I can think of a few things you can do to me.” said Corwin somewhat flippantly.
Rebecca looked at him without giving an answer. Although Corwin didn't know it, what she was contemplating was not what pleasures she could share with him, at least not without an additional motive. Which would be easier, she wondered. Take him, ravish him, and leave him weakened and unable to stop her from leaving, or simply overpower him and go?
The former might be more fun, but Rebecca determined that it take too much time. She had learned that Corwin was almost a stereotypical gamer nerd in his appetites. He was much like the kid in the candy store, and once inside was oh-so-reluctant to leave. His hungers and lusts were nearly insatiable.
“Not tonight.” she answered at last. “I think I will find my pleasures elsewhere.”
“Michael told you not to leave.” If Corwin was disappointed, it did not distract him from his duties.
“And how will you stop me?” said Rebecca coldly. “You may be a thrall. You may be my sire's favorite thrall, but you are no match for me and you know it.”
“I'm not his favorite.” corrected Corwin.
“All the more reason for you not to challenge me.” said Rebecca sharply. “He may not be quite so upset if I leave you bloody and broken on the floor.”
“I have strict orders.” said Corwin. “You are not to leave.” Her threats appeared to have no effect.
“Very well.” Then, without warning, she lashed out with a vicious punch, slamming her fist hard into Corwin's midsection. He doubled over and she brought another blow down on his back. Down he went.
She knelt down to ensure he wasn't too badly injured, just incapacitated. She had no real desire to hurt him. After all, the same thrall-bond that drove him to defy her for Michael's sake also drove her and she had no interest in harming one her sire considered so valuable.
Still, some disobediences were worth it. On her own, she could snare some pretty thing, bring him back to the lair, and give Michael a threesome he'd not soon forget. She'd planned this for several days and now was her chance to implement it.
She took Corwin's car and drove into town. She had a particular mark in mind: tall, dark, and male. Although she'd done the lesbian thing a couple more times in the past week, her appetites ran towards more masculine fare this evening. She wondered what Michael would think if he saw her taking it in more than one orifice at once. The thought of it being done to her and of Michael's likely reaction aroused her and spurred her onward.
Hokie House was her first stop. It was the first time she'd been back there since Corwin had brought her and Shawn here. It had only been a week, but what a week.
She scanned the crowd eagerly, trying to find a suitable mark. Blond, brunette, pretty boy, drunken frat brother, nerd-about-town, football player, pretty much the gamut of male college life was present before her. But her eyes kept being draw away from them to a petite redheaded Goth girl at the bar.
Rebecca shook it off. “No, I'm looking for a guy tonight. But goddamn, she's something else. Wow is she hot!”
The Goth noticed her stare and locked eyes with Rebecca. There was a “come-hither” look behind her eyes, and Rebecca almost caved. But she resisted. “Who's hunting who tonight?” she asked herself. She turned away and headed into the midst of the crowd to escape her.
Now up close, the smell of all the people was intoxicating. She felt a hand grope her ass and she spun around to see a handsome giant. He was black, but had piercing blue eyes. “Giant” was not an exaggeration, he must have stood at least 6'6”. A basketball player perhaps, or someone just inordinately lucky in the tall department.
“Hi.” she said quietly.
“Hey, you look a little lost. Looking for someone?”
“Yeah, but I think I've found him.” She gave him a coy smile. “Is it true what they say about black men?” She grabbed his crotch for emphasis.
“I take it you want to find out.”
“Call it a scientific study.”
“Is that what they call it these...” He stopped mid-flirt and both of them turned to find the Goth standing there beside them.
“He's not the one you want.” she said, almost in a purr. Rebecca found herself entranced, unable to take her eyes off of her.
“Hey, there's enough of me to go around.” said the basketball player.
“Scram.” said the Goth with authority. He backed off and disappeared into the crowd. She turned to Rebecca. “Outside.” Her tone was gentle, but insistent.
It was not what Rebecca had in mind, but she no longer cared. All that mattered to her in that moment was being with this irresistible beauty. Those handful of steps out into the night air were almost agony, because Rebecca could not look at her and see where she was going at the same time.
Rebecca headed to the car. The Goth followed. “My place?” offered Rebecca. She was still cognizant of her plan, and if Michael thought this creature as exquisite as she did, this would be an even better gift that she'd hoped.
“Yes.” said the Goth, climbing in. “And keep your eyes on the road. Wouldn't want to get ourselves killed before we have our fun.”
“No, that wouldn't serve.” Rebecca started the car and began heading for Michael's cabin. She drove with some haste, but still mindful of the road. She was impatient to have a taste of this Gothic goddess beside her.
She pulled the car alongside the road just short of the cabin, in essentially the same place that Corwin always parked. The Goth girl got out first and Rebecca followed, coming up behind her like a predatory cat. When the moment came, she pounced. She grabbed the girl, spun her about, then pinned her to a tree, smothering her mouth with hers.
They kissed passionately for a long moment, and then Rebecca reached up for the neckline of her tank top, running her hands eagerly across the girl's ample bosom. She gave the neckline a tug downward, exposing the girl's breasts. The left one was tattooed, the mark of an Oriental dragon with its tail snaking around beneath it.
“Oh shit....” Rebecca almost didn't get to finish when Deborah slammed her hands into her chest, knocking her all the way across the road and into a tree. The impact was accompanied by the crunch of bone.
Rebecca tried to scramble to her feet, but the pain was intense. Before she could move, Deborah was on her again, hoisting her back to her feet.
“Son of a bitch!” Deborah snarled. “You're Rebecca, aren't you? Damn him to hell. What was he thinking, turning you? Making you one of us?” Deborah began to squeeze tightly on Rebecca's neck. “I should just twist your head off right here.”
“You'll do no such thing.” barked a command.
Deborah tossed Rebecca aside and turned to face the new arrival. She found a sword pointing at her face, brandished by a very angry looking Michael.
“You dare wield a weapon at me?” snarled Deborah in fury. “After what you've done?”
“You promised me vengeance.”
“Not like this.” Retorted Deborah. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
“I do.” said Michael coldly. “Death was too quick, too painless. There is a worse fate, as you well know.”
Rebecca stood up. She was shaking, half from fear of Deborah but also in shock from the words she was hearing from Michael. “What...what are you talking about, Michael?”
“You poor pathetic little thing.” answered Deborah. “You have no idea what he's done to you. No concept of the fate to which he's condemned you. The nightmare that has just begun for you. Tell me, Michael, did you only embrace her or did you do more?”
“More.” Michael answered.
Deborah's face, already contorted in anger, became even more intense. “God damn you, Michael. How could you be so cruel? Was not the embrace enough?”
When Michael gave no answer, Deborah let out her breath. “Well, now you have her, your pet for all eternity. Not that it will be very long. Mathias will kill us all if he finds out.”
“Not if he's dead.” said Michael forcefully.
On one level, she knew he was right. There was no longer any choice. No laying low to bide their time. No longer. Michael forced all their hands. Now it was a race to see who would strike first.
“I'll contact Solomon.” said Deborah. “He can meet us tomorrow night after the concert.”
“Concert?” asked Rebecca.
“Krushed Prophet, our cover band. We have a gig tomorrow night.” answered Michael. “I would have kept you home, in order to ensure Deb here didn't learn of you, but now that's moot.”
“Who's Solomon?” asked Rebecca.
“Enough of the questions.” Snarled Deborah. “Time is of the essence. If Mathias learns what you’ve done before we’re ready…”
“He won’t.” said Michael.
“Then keep her on a tighter leash.” said Deborah. “You’re just made your third strike, Michael. If we survive all this, there will be consequences for your disobedience. I promise you that.”
----
Corwin drove Deborah back into town, leaving Michael and Rebecca alone together at the cabin. Rebecca slunk inside quietly, fearful of Michael's anger and frustration.
Michael, for his own part, was more angry at himself than Rebecca. He should have known Corwin was no match for Rebecca if she proved determined to leave. And likewise, in his rage, he had spoken much too openly of his purposes within Rebecca's earshot.
Rebecca sat on the sofa, demure and contrite. Michael pulled out a chair from the dining room table and sat down glumly. He looked at her. “Why did you leave? Corwin gave you my instructions.” His tone was firm, but not harsh.
“I wanted to surprise you. Bring you back someone we could both enjoy. I didn't think...”
“No, you clearly didn't.” snapped Michael. “You knew I was at a meeting. You knew or should have guessed that other vampires would be there, therefore realizing that they were others of our kind in town tonight. But you didn't think of that, did you?”
“I'm sorry.” Her voice was pleading. “I never meant to put you in danger.”
“Never mind that now. What's done is done. Thankfully,” he continued. “it was Deborah who found you and not someone else.”
“Your sire?”
“Yes, that's her.”
“I can see why you couldn't say no to her.”
“Actually," Michael's tone softened, his anger now spent. "I did for quite some time. I was able to because I had you. Once you were gone, I had no reason to resist any longer.”
“Once I was gone...” Rebecca repeated. “What did you mean about vengeance, Michael?”
Michael looked into her eyes. “I brought you here. I took you from everything you knew, everyone you loved. I turned you to darkness, enslaved you to a hunger for living blood. I gave to you as your first victim one who loved you. And I've made you a slave to my will. That is what I meant by vengeance.”
“All because I slept with Shawn and not with you?”
“Yes.” said Michael. “You know, you were right about me all along. I was a monster. I am a monster. And now and for all time, so are you.”
----
Pedro's was reasonably crowded for a Sunday night. The little Mexican restaurant was the venue of Krushed Prophet's latest gig and Michael was setting up on stage. Rebecca was helping. They had said little to one another since the previous night, since the revelation of Michael's true motives.
Deborah wandered in and joined in with the set up. She too said little. It wasn't until Bob joined them and made some snarky comment about the tension in the room that the three vampires tried to lighten up.
“Is Ernie coming?” Michael asked of Deborah.
“No, thank God.” she replied. “His allegiance is still suspect. I worry what he might do if he learned about your pet.”
“I haven't threatened the Masquerade.”
“And you’re not so naïve to think that’s the only thing he cares about.” Retorted Deborah. “Imagine, if all you’ve presumed about his motives is true, how he’ll react to find you’ve taken another lover, one so special and dear to you?”
“I can’t imagine he’d turn me in over that. If Mathias kills me, then what does Ernie gain? I’ll be dead. His prize lost.”
“You’re banking on his obsessions?”
“Good point.”
“So we move forward without him.”
“Yes.”
Michael shook his head. “It will be harder.”
“Indeed it will. You have risked much by this, Michael.”
The rest of the band arrived and they finished their set up. Rebecca sat off to the side of the stage, separate from the audience. Michael walked over to the mic to begin his usual introduction.
“Evening, everyone. We are Krushed Prophet and we so glad to be here tonight. Before we begin, I want to ask you all something. Anyone here bought the new Depeche Mode album?” There were a few cheers. “Ok, a few of you. We’re going to open with a track off of it.” Deborah began playing the distinctive guitar rift of I Feel You. “Now those of you who have the album know that this isn’t how the song really begins. A few of us old fogeys with tape players did not appreciate the real beginning of the song. So we’re going to play this with a big ‘fuck you’ to De’Mode for your little joke. You got us.” Michael paused. “Just kidding. We love you guys. This is I Feel You.”
The band ripped into the song and the crowd cheered.
After a few more songs, as usual from a variety of bands, Michael gestured to Rebecca and invited her to come forward. Deborah gave him an ugly glance as Becca walked onto the stage. She came to the center mic.
“I want to introduce to all of you, my girlfriend Rebecca.” said Michael. “She doesn't normally sing with us, but I think you'll enjoy it when she does. Most of you know the band Journey; you know Steve Perry and how broad his voice range is. Well, we tried and tried and tried and the only one who could match his voice was a woman. This is Don't Stop Believin'.”
Michael began playing the distinctive four chord pattern that began that song, as Rebecca grew more relaxed at center stage. Deborah came over to the keyboard and glowered at Michael.
“Trust me.” he whispered as Rebecca began to sing.
Rebecca had always had a strong singing voice and her embrace as a Daeva only strengthened that. As Michael had guessed, she hit every note, singing with passion and power. The crowd was entranced and even Deborah found herself barely able to concentrate on playing guitar while she sang.
Michael smiled as he played. He also noted Solomon walk in and take a seat in the back of the crowd.
They played a few more tracks and then finished their set, Rebecca keeping the main mic the whole time. She was quite the hit with the crowd.
Michael felt inordinately pleased with himself as they finished up and came down from the stage. The crowd began to break up and Michael watched as Deborah went to Solomon, presumably to bring him up to speed on what all had happened. Michael did not look forward to what Solomon would say, but he tried to not let that dim his mood.
“Girlfriend?” Michael heard behind him. “Now I know why I haven't seen you in two weeks.”
He turned and faced someone he had not expected to see: Kris. She looked cross.
“Oh, hi.” replied Michael. “Yeah, I've been busy.”
“No doubt.”
“You've never been jealous before.”
“You've never referred to any of your one-night-stands as a girlfriend before either. That's me, remember?” Her tone was angry and Michael found her insubordination somewhat galling.
“Things have changed.” said Michael firmly. “And you need to remember your place.”
“In your bed is my place.” Kris continued defiantly.
“And it still will be.” promised Michael. “Come. There's someone you need to meet.”
Kris shuffled her feet behind Michael as she followed, making no bones about her anger. But she did follow.
“Kris, meet Rebecca. My childe.”
“You gave her the Embrace?” Kris seemed crestfallen. “You never offered it to me.”
“For five years, I've haunted his dreams.” taunted Rebecca. “Every night, he prayed to have me and now he does. Could he say the same of you?”
Kris went from angry to dejected in her face, but said nothing. “Still,” Rebecca continued. “you are cute. Perhaps you'll prove worth some fun.”
This aggressive tone was another first for Michael to witness in Rebecca. She's always been so demure, but now she was bold, assertive. He liked it.
“Rebecca, darling, why don't you go get to know Kris better? Deborah's apartment is half-a-block away. I think you can keep each other entertained while the rest of us talk.”
Rebecca reached out and groped Kris's amble breasts. Kris gave out a slight moan of pleasure. “Oh, I think we can have a great deal of fun.”
“Save some for me.” chided Michael. He turned and walked towards Solomon and Deborah.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Michael?” snarled Solomon.
“I see Deborah has filled you in.” This tone was flip, which only aggravated Solomon further.
“Don't be coy with me. Do you have any idea how much this endangers things?”
“I called in a debt. I was promised my revenge and now I have it.”
Solomon glared at Deborah. “I warned you about this.”
“We have to move against Mathias and soon.” said Deborah, ignoring Solomon's comment. “The time has come.”
“Acting in haste because of this fool's impulsive stupidity is not a good strategy. We still have to take the Djinn down first.”
“I think we have the perfect bait.” added Deborah. “Something to lure him out and finish him.”
Michael read between the lines. “Wait a minute...”
“Call it recompense for your folly.” she snarled. “And if we play our cards right there's no reason for Mathias to suspect she's yours. Just a nomadic kindred whose encroached on new territory without meeting the Prince. As the Prince's chief enforcer, The Djinn will come to fetch her. And then, we strike.”
Solomon nodded. “I will alert the Prince that a new Kindred has come to the city, one who seeks sanctuary here. Michael, prepare her for The Djinn's coming. She must be able to fool him into buying our story at least for a brief time. Hopefully, it will be long enough. For all our sakes..."
Act Two Chapter Seven
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Act Two Chapter Five - Mysterious Ways
“Good evening.” Said Michael, pulling open Rebecca’s coffin. He did his best to match Deborah’s bad Bela Lugosi accent that she had used on him on his first night as a kindred.
Rebecca looked up at him and simply shook her head. “Is that supposed to be funny?”
“I thought you’d appreciate the joke.” Said Michael with a smile. He looked down at her. She had gone to sleep in her coffin in the nude and now he was delighting in her immodesty. It seemed so out of character from the innocent and rather chaste young woman who a year before had refused him after the dance.
She got up. Michael walked over to the table and sat down. He just watched as Rebecca looked herself over, as if not believing herself what she had become.
“This is real, isn’t it?”
“Every bit of it.”
“Not a mark. No zits, no discoloration, nothing.” She walked before a mirror to marvel at herself. “Every blemish gone.”
“One of the gifts of our kind of vampire. We are reborn flawless, beautiful. The same as we were and yet not.” He stood up and moved behind her, running his hands across the soft skin of her shoulders and arms. His fingers lingered at the butterfly tattoo on her upper right arm.
“That stayed, I notice.” she commented.
“And I’m all the happier for it. Not the Rebecca I remember, but I like that you’ve so adorned yourself.” He gave her a playful kiss on the neck.
“So what sort of ink does she have?”
“She?”
“The one that turned you.”
“What makes you think it was a she?”
“A guess. But a right one I think. Someone had to teach you how to do what you did to me last night. Shawn never…” She paused, remembering.
“She has a Chinese dragon.” Michael interjected quickly. “Its head by the shoulder, snaking down to the center of her chest, with its tail curled under her breast like so.” He traced with his finger the path that Deborah’s dragon tattoo followed. “It’s quite beautiful, as is she.”
“I killed him, didn’t I?”
“Yes, he is dead. And when Corwin arrives, we will need to find a way to dispose of his body. You will also need to learn to temper your hunger. We need not kill to feed and the dead tend to draw too much attention to us.”
“I feel like I should be more upset at what I’ve done, but I’m not. I killed him and I don’t feel anything.”
Michael smiled, almost imperceptibly. It had worked. Her lack of remorse was due to the bond between them, not any lack of conscience on her part. Three times, she had fed from him, twice without even knowing it. The first in the 2-liter of soda Corwin had offered on the night of their arrival. The second, dropped with the drug into the sodas Corwin had given them at Hokie House the night of their supposed food poisoning. The third was the blood that brought her to unlife.
“Perhaps," he suggested coldly, "it is proof that he wasn’t as important to you as you once thought.”
“Maybe” Said Rebecca, confusion in her voice. “But even so...”
“I wouldn't dwell on it. What's done is done.”
They were interrupted by a rapping at the door. Corwin walked inside, accompanied by Julia. “Ah, just in time.” Said Michael.
“What’s going on?” asked Rebecca.
“Time to clean up the mess." said Michael. "All of you, outside.” He moved quickly between the new arrivals and headed out the door. He walked over to the parked car where Shawn’s body still lay in the mud. A light rain was falling and fog had descended upon the woods.
“The rain will provide a good rationale.” Said Michael.
“I don’t follow.” Said Corwin.
“We have two lives whose disappearance we have to make excuses for.” Michael hoisted Shawn up into the front seat of the car. “Car accident will work. Slick road. Unfamiliar territory. Crash and burn to mangle the bodies beyond recognition. Two closed casket funerals and no further questions asked.”
Michael looked at Julia without saying a word. “We’ll need to find a second body and burn the car.” She replied.
“Yes, A Jane Doe in the morgue would be nice, but we might be able to make due with less.”
“My parents will bury their second child. Only John’s left.” Said Rebecca with a quiet whisper.
“Yes, how tragic.” Said Michael somewhat apathetically. “Speaking of that, it might be of some use to our purposes to play up the unfortunate tale of these two tragic figures. They did, after all, come to our wonderful town to pay respects to a friend who had died by suicide.”
“Isn’t that a bit risky? Tying these two to you?” asked Corwin.
“Hiding in plain sight.” Said Michael with a dismissive tone. “The more detail that emerges in the police report and in the press will convince people that all the proper authorities have done their homework and that there’s no need to inquire further into the real fate of Shawn and Rebecca.”
“And how would they know that?” Julia asked.
“Why, Blacksburg’s finest will no doubt have interviewed the person who saw them alive last, a mutual acquaintance of the suicide victim.” He looked sharply at Corwin.
Julia nodded.
“It seems we have our story. Now you guys just need to make it real. Come, Rebecca. Let’s leave these two to their work.”
Michael headed back inside and wiped the rain from his hair. “This doesn’t feel right.” Said Rebecca.
“What do you mean, my dear?”
“You’re writing me off like you did yourself. Everything back home I must leave behind: my parents, my brother, my friends…”
“There are costs to pay to be what we are.” Michael pulled her into his arms. “In truth, I struggled with the same regrets. The same concerns when I was turned. It’s normal.”
“Is it also normal to feel nothing at having killed someone? And not just someone, but someone who had shared my life for the past year, who’d been intimate and caring and loving towards me? I know who I am, Michael, and I know the person I should be would have been utterly traumatized to have taken a life, any life, let alone the life of someone close to me.”
“That I have no answers for.” Lied Michael.
“How did it feel for you?” she asked bluntly. “You’ve killed; I know you have.”
“Twice. Three times, if you count Shawn. It may have been by your hand, but…” Michael let the thought trail off.
Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. You knew what I would do once I became what you are.”
“I warned him to leave. He didn’t listen.”
“It does bother you.” Deduced Rebecca. “You remember each one. You consider yourself to blame for Shawn. But why does it affect you and not me?”
“You underestimate yourself.” Said Michael. “The dark gift deadens certain emotions, yes. But the fact that we are having this conversation is proof in my mind that Shawn’s death has not left you unmarked. You may not feel what you think you should feel, but what you’ve done disturbs you nonetheless. That’s good. We need to hold on to that which keeps us human.”
“Because we are monsters.”
“Never doubt that. Alright, Rebecca. It is time for you to learn as I did what it means to be a wolf in the midst of lambs.”
----
It felt odd, Michael had to admit, to find himself in the role Deborah had taken on just one year before. Here he was, imparting what wisdom and knowledge he had, to his childe, a newly turned vampire who knew nothing of the world she had just entered.
After they had left Julia and Corwin to the task of disposing of Shawn's body, Michael drove Rebecca to downtown Blacksburg for her second night of hunting. As Deborah had done with him, he intended to teach Rebecca restraint while feeding. Shawn's unfortunate demise was easily covered up, but further deaths would draw attention to them. Michael was particularly anxious about this. It was bad enough to endanger the Kindred's sacred Masquerade, but he could be doubly damned for embracing a childe without permission.
“I see why you love this town so much. Why you wanted to come all the way down here to go to school.” commented Rebecca as they walked up Main Street. All around them were students enjoying the Saturday bar rush.
“You have all the benefits of a large city with few of the drawbacks.” admitted Michael. “Culture, entertainment, a lively nightlife, but little traffic, noise, crime, and all the other mess. Here, regardless of your interests and hobbies, you can find a kindred spirit. There are clubs for just about everything on campus and many of the townsfolk participate. Of course, part of that is because many of them are former students themselves, the ones that couldn't handle the work.”
“That would be me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I'm not the student you were and you know it. Books and learning all that dry stuff, no thanks. I'm more theatrical than academic. I'm much more at home on a stage in front of a crowd.”
“People come to this school for that too. Boar and Mitch were both theatre majors.”
“Who?”
“Two friends. You'll meet them soon enough.”
“Are they like you?” She paused. “Like us?”
“No, they are still human although they know the truth.”
“Like Corwin and that policewoman?”
“Yes, they too. But one must be careful. The most sacred and important of our laws is to keep ourselves secret from those around us. That is the reason you must not kill when you feed.”
Rebecca looked embarrassed for a moment. “I...” she began.
“A baby must learn to crawl before walking. So too a vampire often kills in their first feedings before learning restraint and control.” Michael stopped walking and turned her to face him. “This lesson you must learn quickly. Secrecy is not our only law. There are...hierarchies, systems of government, and one must often obtain permission from one's betters before creating another of our kind. When I turned you, I did so without permission and if any other vampires find out, we could be in a lot of trouble.”
Rebecca nodded. “You broke the rules to bring me into your world. You wanted to be with me that badly?”
Michael nodded. It was a lie of course. But it had been less than 24 hours since she'd been turned. There were many nights yet to come for Rebecca to learn the fullness of the curse he had inflicted upon her.
Rebecca smiled, content with his answer. “So, how does one keep discrete when trying to drink someone's blood? It's not exactly normal human behavior.”
“There are a variety of means.” said Michael, continuing his walk. “You are more physically powerful than your prey, so you can overpower them like a robber in a dark alley. But that's rather crude, if effective from time to time. It's quick and easy. Personally, I prefer a subtler tactic.”
“Such as?”
“Well, consider what you saw in the mirror earlier tonight. A body without blemish; sexy, seductive, beautiful. As a member of the Daeva clan, you have latent powers to enhance that. Draw your prey into your web, seduce them, ravish them, and leave them breathless, all the while drawing what sustenance you need without them ever knowing. People in the throes of passion tend to overlook certain things.”
“But, isn't that a bit disloyal?”
“To whom? To me? Oh, come now. There's a difference between sex and love and you know it. Besides, seeing you take some pretty young thing into your bed, seeing them utterly under your power, that's kind of a turn on.”
“Is it now?” she said with a curious smile. "You've changed. You used to be so moral, so judgmental. I find it hard to believe you'd find me with another woman arousing. That just isn't you."
"Much has changed." admitted Michael. "I'm free of all that now."
"Free?" she repeated. "And so am I."
Michael nodded.
“Well, shall we go find some pretty young thing then?”
“Don't be so hasty. The night is still young. It's one thing to know how to hunt. It's another to know what to hunt. It is still yet another to know what to do once you have someone at your mercy under your fangs. Here is the most important lesson. For it is after you bite that things become most critical. We are creatures of passion, and restraint is not in our nature. Thus, you must be cautious not to take too much or your new found lover will die in your arms.”
“How will I know?”
“I was told you will simply know and that was proven right to me.”
Rebecca nodded. “Alright. Let's try. I'm getting hungry.”
They wandered inside Bogen's. Michael himself immediately began scanning around for a meal for himself. He was being somewhat particular tonight. Contrary to his usual habits, he wanted something quick and easy. No calculated seduction for him. He wanted a quick bite so he could focus on Rebecca and her lessons.
He soon spotted a group of four sorority sisters in a booth across the restaurant. One of the four had clearly had a few too many and was passing out in the booth. Her friends, either apathetic or oblivious, seemed more interested in their conversation and in checking out the comings-and-goings of various young men to notice.
“So,” interjected Rebecca, momentarily distracting him, “seeing me with someone else is a turn on?”
Michael nodded and returned his attention to the four sorority girls. Two of them got up and headed towards the bar. A third lingered for a moment to check on her now unconscious friend before following. Michael saw his chance.
So did Rebecca.
As Michael moved carefully towards the booth, Rebecca intercepted the straggler. She gave the blond a piercing stare, which stopped her in her tracks. Michael paused to see what would happen next. Rebecca walked up to the sorority girl and grabbed her, pulling her into a passionate kiss, right in the middle of the restaurant.
Michael could hear the comments of disgust, annoyance, and arousal explode from all the nearby observers. With all eyes, or at least most, now centered on Rebecca in the middle of the room, Michael slipped into the booth undetected and went down on the sleeping sister's neck.
He drank quickly and quietly. No one noticed him, and even if anyone was watching, what they would see would appear no more odd than a guy making out with his girlfriend. Michael had spent the last year teaching himself to mask the Kiss as a kiss and now it was proving useful.
That skill that Michael had practiced, Rebecca seemed to come to naturally. She moved from the lips to the neck and only Michael, with his sharpened senses, could tell that her fangs were drawing blood beneath her mouth. She held the kiss for a few seconds and then released her prey. The girl staggered a bit, flushed with passion, looking at Rebecca with confusion and desire, before continuing on to the bar to join her friends.
Michael rejoined her. What he said to her earlier was true. Watching her in action was arousing, especially when she was with another woman.
“That came to you way too easily.” commented Michael, standing up as Rebecca approached.
"Which part? The feeding or my choice of victim?" retorted Rebecca.
"Both," Michael looked her up and down, as if this young woman that he had loved and obsessed over for years was a total stranger to him now. Was this behavior something that had she had hidden from him for all the years he'd known her, or something new? Michael didn't know which.
"I always told you I had things about me that I couldn't tell you." she paused. "This was one of them."
"Really?"
"Yeah." she admitted. "But, as you said, I'm free now. I've never had the courage to do that before, no matter how much I've wanted to. It's fun."
"Your first step into a larger world."
"One you've already taken. So, I'm disappointed. You got to watch me in action. Would've been nice to see the newer bolder Michael Allens at work tonight.”
“One kiss wasn't a lot of action.”
“I thought the purpose of this lesson was to be discrete.”
“That wasn't exactly discrete. This may be a college town, but there are still some behaviors that people find a tad shocking. Even for me. I never knew. I would never have guessed you swung both ways."
"I never told anyone. Never acted on it until tonight. You've given me quite a gift." she gave him an affectionate pat on the cheek.
“You didn't take much. That came naturally too.”
“Again, discretion. Having her pass out in my arms would have made a bigger scene.” Michael obviously couldn't disagree with that. Once again, he looked her up and down, mystified. All that had taken him weeks and months to master seemed to come so easily and naturally to her, and she'd been a vampire less than a day.
Rebecca brushed past him and headed towards the patio door. Michael followed her outside in the cool autumn night. Because of the temperature, few were outside.
Rebecca leaned against the railing and breathed deeply, taking in the scents and aromas of the town around them. “Give her a few minutes.” she said as Michael moved beside her. “I'm sure she'll come looking for me. I'll bet you $100 she's bi or a lesbian, probably in the closet like I was. But I've awoken something within her, and I don't think she'll be satisfied with just a kiss. If you think what I did in there was hot, just wait until I take her home.”
“Caution, my childe. It's never wise to reveal your lair to your prey, especially since the purpose of this exercise tonight is to leave them alive.”
“Dark alley, back of her car, either one would work instead.”
“You take to this life almost too easily.”
Rebecca shrugged. “Maybe so.”
“Alright, it is time for the teacher to become the learner. What makes you so certain that your prey tonight is homosexual or has those tendencies?”
“Little clues. Hints. They way she walks, carries herself. The way she smells. Her awkwardness at her friends ogling those guys. Subtle, almost imperceptible, but still there. You've never picked up on that sort of thing?”
“A woman's a woman to me. Whatever their normal inclinations, they seem vulnerable to my charms.”
“And gay men?”
“I don't hunt men generally.” answered Michael. “In a pinch maybe, but they're more the snatch-and-grab types for me. Although...” he paused for a moment, “there is a way they can be fun. Taking some arrogant ass down a peg or two before snacking. It's quite a treat to see some frat boy or football player who thinks he's all that try to beat me up. That is fun, but I don't seduce men or specifically hunt gays in order to feed. That I don't enjoy.”
“How do you know? Maybe you should try sometime.” she suggested slyly
“No, thank you. I don't exactly have the proper anatomy for a dick to feel good going into me.”
“You don't have to be on the bottom.” she teased.
Michael gave her a sidelong glance that indicated he was done with this line of conversation. Rebecca took the hint and shrugged. “You've given me the freedom to be who I am. I just wondered if maybe there was some of that in you too.”
"No, and it's not that I haven't had the opportunity to explore that. It's just not there." He looked at her. "Does that disappoint you?"
"No. You are who you are. And I think you know who that is now more than ever." She paused. “She's back.”
Sure enough, the sorority girl had come out onto the patio. She looked about, clearly searching for someone. Michael stepped away from Rebecca and moved further into the shadows. Now, with Rebecca alone, the blond girl approached.
“Glad I didn't take that bet.” thought Michael to himself.
----
Michael did watch for a time as Rebecca ravished the girl in the alleyway behind Bogen's. There was an almost feral passion to the two of them and Michael did find it arousing, and the temptation to join them as he sometimes did with Deborah emerged. But he let it pass.
He walked away, close enough to still hear them, but far enough that the sounds of their sex were not distracting or overpowering. He watched the masses of students and townspeople on the street, waiting for Rebecca to finish. He didn't worry that Rebecca would control herself. Everything about her unlife seemed to come easily and naturally to her, as if she was born to become a vampire.
It scared him, in some ways. He began to wonder if her lack of remorse of Shawn really was just the blood-bond, or was there something truly that cold and unfeeling within her. He did not like such thoughts, but the evidence was there nonetheless.
And then there was this newly emergent bisexuality. Rebecca was right about one thing: His former self would have responded to that with moral indignation, even if deep down he found it stimulating. Still, he'd seen Deborah hunt and seduce women on occasion so that no longer shocked him. But Rebecca? Sweet little church girl that she had once been? It was nearly impossible to imagine her in the arms of another woman, and yet that was exactly what was going on just a few short yards behind him.
“She's your reflection, Michael.” The thought came almost as an epiphany. “Just as it was all a ruse and a mask for you, so too was it for her. This is her true self now emergent, unhindered by religion or morality or conscience. All that she once wanted to do, she now feels free to do. Just like you.”
That realization brought no comfort. For along with it was the voice of Mathias. “You have a spirit of wrath about you. Someday, it will get you into more trouble than you know.” Michael shivered visibly at that, even though the temperature was hardly that cold. But his thoughts were chilling. “What if she reflects me there too?”
Act Two Chapter Six
Rebecca looked up at him and simply shook her head. “Is that supposed to be funny?”
“I thought you’d appreciate the joke.” Said Michael with a smile. He looked down at her. She had gone to sleep in her coffin in the nude and now he was delighting in her immodesty. It seemed so out of character from the innocent and rather chaste young woman who a year before had refused him after the dance.
She got up. Michael walked over to the table and sat down. He just watched as Rebecca looked herself over, as if not believing herself what she had become.
“This is real, isn’t it?”
“Every bit of it.”
“Not a mark. No zits, no discoloration, nothing.” She walked before a mirror to marvel at herself. “Every blemish gone.”
“One of the gifts of our kind of vampire. We are reborn flawless, beautiful. The same as we were and yet not.” He stood up and moved behind her, running his hands across the soft skin of her shoulders and arms. His fingers lingered at the butterfly tattoo on her upper right arm.
“That stayed, I notice.” she commented.
“And I’m all the happier for it. Not the Rebecca I remember, but I like that you’ve so adorned yourself.” He gave her a playful kiss on the neck.
“So what sort of ink does she have?”
“She?”
“The one that turned you.”
“What makes you think it was a she?”
“A guess. But a right one I think. Someone had to teach you how to do what you did to me last night. Shawn never…” She paused, remembering.
“She has a Chinese dragon.” Michael interjected quickly. “Its head by the shoulder, snaking down to the center of her chest, with its tail curled under her breast like so.” He traced with his finger the path that Deborah’s dragon tattoo followed. “It’s quite beautiful, as is she.”
“I killed him, didn’t I?”
“Yes, he is dead. And when Corwin arrives, we will need to find a way to dispose of his body. You will also need to learn to temper your hunger. We need not kill to feed and the dead tend to draw too much attention to us.”
“I feel like I should be more upset at what I’ve done, but I’m not. I killed him and I don’t feel anything.”
Michael smiled, almost imperceptibly. It had worked. Her lack of remorse was due to the bond between them, not any lack of conscience on her part. Three times, she had fed from him, twice without even knowing it. The first in the 2-liter of soda Corwin had offered on the night of their arrival. The second, dropped with the drug into the sodas Corwin had given them at Hokie House the night of their supposed food poisoning. The third was the blood that brought her to unlife.
“Perhaps," he suggested coldly, "it is proof that he wasn’t as important to you as you once thought.”
“Maybe” Said Rebecca, confusion in her voice. “But even so...”
“I wouldn't dwell on it. What's done is done.”
They were interrupted by a rapping at the door. Corwin walked inside, accompanied by Julia. “Ah, just in time.” Said Michael.
“What’s going on?” asked Rebecca.
“Time to clean up the mess." said Michael. "All of you, outside.” He moved quickly between the new arrivals and headed out the door. He walked over to the parked car where Shawn’s body still lay in the mud. A light rain was falling and fog had descended upon the woods.
“The rain will provide a good rationale.” Said Michael.
“I don’t follow.” Said Corwin.
“We have two lives whose disappearance we have to make excuses for.” Michael hoisted Shawn up into the front seat of the car. “Car accident will work. Slick road. Unfamiliar territory. Crash and burn to mangle the bodies beyond recognition. Two closed casket funerals and no further questions asked.”
Michael looked at Julia without saying a word. “We’ll need to find a second body and burn the car.” She replied.
“Yes, A Jane Doe in the morgue would be nice, but we might be able to make due with less.”
“My parents will bury their second child. Only John’s left.” Said Rebecca with a quiet whisper.
“Yes, how tragic.” Said Michael somewhat apathetically. “Speaking of that, it might be of some use to our purposes to play up the unfortunate tale of these two tragic figures. They did, after all, come to our wonderful town to pay respects to a friend who had died by suicide.”
“Isn’t that a bit risky? Tying these two to you?” asked Corwin.
“Hiding in plain sight.” Said Michael with a dismissive tone. “The more detail that emerges in the police report and in the press will convince people that all the proper authorities have done their homework and that there’s no need to inquire further into the real fate of Shawn and Rebecca.”
“And how would they know that?” Julia asked.
“Why, Blacksburg’s finest will no doubt have interviewed the person who saw them alive last, a mutual acquaintance of the suicide victim.” He looked sharply at Corwin.
Julia nodded.
“It seems we have our story. Now you guys just need to make it real. Come, Rebecca. Let’s leave these two to their work.”
Michael headed back inside and wiped the rain from his hair. “This doesn’t feel right.” Said Rebecca.
“What do you mean, my dear?”
“You’re writing me off like you did yourself. Everything back home I must leave behind: my parents, my brother, my friends…”
“There are costs to pay to be what we are.” Michael pulled her into his arms. “In truth, I struggled with the same regrets. The same concerns when I was turned. It’s normal.”
“Is it also normal to feel nothing at having killed someone? And not just someone, but someone who had shared my life for the past year, who’d been intimate and caring and loving towards me? I know who I am, Michael, and I know the person I should be would have been utterly traumatized to have taken a life, any life, let alone the life of someone close to me.”
“That I have no answers for.” Lied Michael.
“How did it feel for you?” she asked bluntly. “You’ve killed; I know you have.”
“Twice. Three times, if you count Shawn. It may have been by your hand, but…” Michael let the thought trail off.
Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. You knew what I would do once I became what you are.”
“I warned him to leave. He didn’t listen.”
“It does bother you.” Deduced Rebecca. “You remember each one. You consider yourself to blame for Shawn. But why does it affect you and not me?”
“You underestimate yourself.” Said Michael. “The dark gift deadens certain emotions, yes. But the fact that we are having this conversation is proof in my mind that Shawn’s death has not left you unmarked. You may not feel what you think you should feel, but what you’ve done disturbs you nonetheless. That’s good. We need to hold on to that which keeps us human.”
“Because we are monsters.”
“Never doubt that. Alright, Rebecca. It is time for you to learn as I did what it means to be a wolf in the midst of lambs.”
----
It felt odd, Michael had to admit, to find himself in the role Deborah had taken on just one year before. Here he was, imparting what wisdom and knowledge he had, to his childe, a newly turned vampire who knew nothing of the world she had just entered.
After they had left Julia and Corwin to the task of disposing of Shawn's body, Michael drove Rebecca to downtown Blacksburg for her second night of hunting. As Deborah had done with him, he intended to teach Rebecca restraint while feeding. Shawn's unfortunate demise was easily covered up, but further deaths would draw attention to them. Michael was particularly anxious about this. It was bad enough to endanger the Kindred's sacred Masquerade, but he could be doubly damned for embracing a childe without permission.
“I see why you love this town so much. Why you wanted to come all the way down here to go to school.” commented Rebecca as they walked up Main Street. All around them were students enjoying the Saturday bar rush.
“You have all the benefits of a large city with few of the drawbacks.” admitted Michael. “Culture, entertainment, a lively nightlife, but little traffic, noise, crime, and all the other mess. Here, regardless of your interests and hobbies, you can find a kindred spirit. There are clubs for just about everything on campus and many of the townsfolk participate. Of course, part of that is because many of them are former students themselves, the ones that couldn't handle the work.”
“That would be me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I'm not the student you were and you know it. Books and learning all that dry stuff, no thanks. I'm more theatrical than academic. I'm much more at home on a stage in front of a crowd.”
“People come to this school for that too. Boar and Mitch were both theatre majors.”
“Who?”
“Two friends. You'll meet them soon enough.”
“Are they like you?” She paused. “Like us?”
“No, they are still human although they know the truth.”
“Like Corwin and that policewoman?”
“Yes, they too. But one must be careful. The most sacred and important of our laws is to keep ourselves secret from those around us. That is the reason you must not kill when you feed.”
Rebecca looked embarrassed for a moment. “I...” she began.
“A baby must learn to crawl before walking. So too a vampire often kills in their first feedings before learning restraint and control.” Michael stopped walking and turned her to face him. “This lesson you must learn quickly. Secrecy is not our only law. There are...hierarchies, systems of government, and one must often obtain permission from one's betters before creating another of our kind. When I turned you, I did so without permission and if any other vampires find out, we could be in a lot of trouble.”
Rebecca nodded. “You broke the rules to bring me into your world. You wanted to be with me that badly?”
Michael nodded. It was a lie of course. But it had been less than 24 hours since she'd been turned. There were many nights yet to come for Rebecca to learn the fullness of the curse he had inflicted upon her.
Rebecca smiled, content with his answer. “So, how does one keep discrete when trying to drink someone's blood? It's not exactly normal human behavior.”
“There are a variety of means.” said Michael, continuing his walk. “You are more physically powerful than your prey, so you can overpower them like a robber in a dark alley. But that's rather crude, if effective from time to time. It's quick and easy. Personally, I prefer a subtler tactic.”
“Such as?”
“Well, consider what you saw in the mirror earlier tonight. A body without blemish; sexy, seductive, beautiful. As a member of the Daeva clan, you have latent powers to enhance that. Draw your prey into your web, seduce them, ravish them, and leave them breathless, all the while drawing what sustenance you need without them ever knowing. People in the throes of passion tend to overlook certain things.”
“But, isn't that a bit disloyal?”
“To whom? To me? Oh, come now. There's a difference between sex and love and you know it. Besides, seeing you take some pretty young thing into your bed, seeing them utterly under your power, that's kind of a turn on.”
“Is it now?” she said with a curious smile. "You've changed. You used to be so moral, so judgmental. I find it hard to believe you'd find me with another woman arousing. That just isn't you."
"Much has changed." admitted Michael. "I'm free of all that now."
"Free?" she repeated. "And so am I."
Michael nodded.
“Well, shall we go find some pretty young thing then?”
“Don't be so hasty. The night is still young. It's one thing to know how to hunt. It's another to know what to hunt. It is still yet another to know what to do once you have someone at your mercy under your fangs. Here is the most important lesson. For it is after you bite that things become most critical. We are creatures of passion, and restraint is not in our nature. Thus, you must be cautious not to take too much or your new found lover will die in your arms.”
“How will I know?”
“I was told you will simply know and that was proven right to me.”
Rebecca nodded. “Alright. Let's try. I'm getting hungry.”
They wandered inside Bogen's. Michael himself immediately began scanning around for a meal for himself. He was being somewhat particular tonight. Contrary to his usual habits, he wanted something quick and easy. No calculated seduction for him. He wanted a quick bite so he could focus on Rebecca and her lessons.
He soon spotted a group of four sorority sisters in a booth across the restaurant. One of the four had clearly had a few too many and was passing out in the booth. Her friends, either apathetic or oblivious, seemed more interested in their conversation and in checking out the comings-and-goings of various young men to notice.
“So,” interjected Rebecca, momentarily distracting him, “seeing me with someone else is a turn on?”
Michael nodded and returned his attention to the four sorority girls. Two of them got up and headed towards the bar. A third lingered for a moment to check on her now unconscious friend before following. Michael saw his chance.
So did Rebecca.
As Michael moved carefully towards the booth, Rebecca intercepted the straggler. She gave the blond a piercing stare, which stopped her in her tracks. Michael paused to see what would happen next. Rebecca walked up to the sorority girl and grabbed her, pulling her into a passionate kiss, right in the middle of the restaurant.
Michael could hear the comments of disgust, annoyance, and arousal explode from all the nearby observers. With all eyes, or at least most, now centered on Rebecca in the middle of the room, Michael slipped into the booth undetected and went down on the sleeping sister's neck.
He drank quickly and quietly. No one noticed him, and even if anyone was watching, what they would see would appear no more odd than a guy making out with his girlfriend. Michael had spent the last year teaching himself to mask the Kiss as a kiss and now it was proving useful.
That skill that Michael had practiced, Rebecca seemed to come to naturally. She moved from the lips to the neck and only Michael, with his sharpened senses, could tell that her fangs were drawing blood beneath her mouth. She held the kiss for a few seconds and then released her prey. The girl staggered a bit, flushed with passion, looking at Rebecca with confusion and desire, before continuing on to the bar to join her friends.
Michael rejoined her. What he said to her earlier was true. Watching her in action was arousing, especially when she was with another woman.
“That came to you way too easily.” commented Michael, standing up as Rebecca approached.
"Which part? The feeding or my choice of victim?" retorted Rebecca.
"Both," Michael looked her up and down, as if this young woman that he had loved and obsessed over for years was a total stranger to him now. Was this behavior something that had she had hidden from him for all the years he'd known her, or something new? Michael didn't know which.
"I always told you I had things about me that I couldn't tell you." she paused. "This was one of them."
"Really?"
"Yeah." she admitted. "But, as you said, I'm free now. I've never had the courage to do that before, no matter how much I've wanted to. It's fun."
"Your first step into a larger world."
"One you've already taken. So, I'm disappointed. You got to watch me in action. Would've been nice to see the newer bolder Michael Allens at work tonight.”
“One kiss wasn't a lot of action.”
“I thought the purpose of this lesson was to be discrete.”
“That wasn't exactly discrete. This may be a college town, but there are still some behaviors that people find a tad shocking. Even for me. I never knew. I would never have guessed you swung both ways."
"I never told anyone. Never acted on it until tonight. You've given me quite a gift." she gave him an affectionate pat on the cheek.
“You didn't take much. That came naturally too.”
“Again, discretion. Having her pass out in my arms would have made a bigger scene.” Michael obviously couldn't disagree with that. Once again, he looked her up and down, mystified. All that had taken him weeks and months to master seemed to come so easily and naturally to her, and she'd been a vampire less than a day.
Rebecca brushed past him and headed towards the patio door. Michael followed her outside in the cool autumn night. Because of the temperature, few were outside.
Rebecca leaned against the railing and breathed deeply, taking in the scents and aromas of the town around them. “Give her a few minutes.” she said as Michael moved beside her. “I'm sure she'll come looking for me. I'll bet you $100 she's bi or a lesbian, probably in the closet like I was. But I've awoken something within her, and I don't think she'll be satisfied with just a kiss. If you think what I did in there was hot, just wait until I take her home.”
“Caution, my childe. It's never wise to reveal your lair to your prey, especially since the purpose of this exercise tonight is to leave them alive.”
“Dark alley, back of her car, either one would work instead.”
“You take to this life almost too easily.”
Rebecca shrugged. “Maybe so.”
“Alright, it is time for the teacher to become the learner. What makes you so certain that your prey tonight is homosexual or has those tendencies?”
“Little clues. Hints. They way she walks, carries herself. The way she smells. Her awkwardness at her friends ogling those guys. Subtle, almost imperceptible, but still there. You've never picked up on that sort of thing?”
“A woman's a woman to me. Whatever their normal inclinations, they seem vulnerable to my charms.”
“And gay men?”
“I don't hunt men generally.” answered Michael. “In a pinch maybe, but they're more the snatch-and-grab types for me. Although...” he paused for a moment, “there is a way they can be fun. Taking some arrogant ass down a peg or two before snacking. It's quite a treat to see some frat boy or football player who thinks he's all that try to beat me up. That is fun, but I don't seduce men or specifically hunt gays in order to feed. That I don't enjoy.”
“How do you know? Maybe you should try sometime.” she suggested slyly
“No, thank you. I don't exactly have the proper anatomy for a dick to feel good going into me.”
“You don't have to be on the bottom.” she teased.
Michael gave her a sidelong glance that indicated he was done with this line of conversation. Rebecca took the hint and shrugged. “You've given me the freedom to be who I am. I just wondered if maybe there was some of that in you too.”
"No, and it's not that I haven't had the opportunity to explore that. It's just not there." He looked at her. "Does that disappoint you?"
"No. You are who you are. And I think you know who that is now more than ever." She paused. “She's back.”
Sure enough, the sorority girl had come out onto the patio. She looked about, clearly searching for someone. Michael stepped away from Rebecca and moved further into the shadows. Now, with Rebecca alone, the blond girl approached.
“Glad I didn't take that bet.” thought Michael to himself.
----
Michael did watch for a time as Rebecca ravished the girl in the alleyway behind Bogen's. There was an almost feral passion to the two of them and Michael did find it arousing, and the temptation to join them as he sometimes did with Deborah emerged. But he let it pass.
He walked away, close enough to still hear them, but far enough that the sounds of their sex were not distracting or overpowering. He watched the masses of students and townspeople on the street, waiting for Rebecca to finish. He didn't worry that Rebecca would control herself. Everything about her unlife seemed to come easily and naturally to her, as if she was born to become a vampire.
It scared him, in some ways. He began to wonder if her lack of remorse of Shawn really was just the blood-bond, or was there something truly that cold and unfeeling within her. He did not like such thoughts, but the evidence was there nonetheless.
And then there was this newly emergent bisexuality. Rebecca was right about one thing: His former self would have responded to that with moral indignation, even if deep down he found it stimulating. Still, he'd seen Deborah hunt and seduce women on occasion so that no longer shocked him. But Rebecca? Sweet little church girl that she had once been? It was nearly impossible to imagine her in the arms of another woman, and yet that was exactly what was going on just a few short yards behind him.
“She's your reflection, Michael.” The thought came almost as an epiphany. “Just as it was all a ruse and a mask for you, so too was it for her. This is her true self now emergent, unhindered by religion or morality or conscience. All that she once wanted to do, she now feels free to do. Just like you.”
That realization brought no comfort. For along with it was the voice of Mathias. “You have a spirit of wrath about you. Someday, it will get you into more trouble than you know.” Michael shivered visibly at that, even though the temperature was hardly that cold. But his thoughts were chilling. “What if she reflects me there too?”
Act Two Chapter Six
Monday, November 28, 2011
So what happened to the campaign?
Well, as you may have guessed, during the year hiatus my writing wasn't the only thing that dropped off. So did the Philly by Night 2012 campaign.
World of Warcraft Cataclysm had a lot to do with it. So did going broke, having a car accident, being sick, giving birth (not my wife, but one of the players in the campaign) and all the ups and downs of life. We just couldn't keep it going.
I may revisit the plot at some point in fan fiction, since that is up and running again.
World of Warcraft Cataclysm had a lot to do with it. So did going broke, having a car accident, being sick, giving birth (not my wife, but one of the players in the campaign) and all the ups and downs of life. We just couldn't keep it going.
I may revisit the plot at some point in fan fiction, since that is up and running again.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Dance in the Vampire Bund
One element of my "past life" at Virginia Tech that hasn't really made it into the fan fiction is that is where I became a rabid anime fan. Now 20 years later, I'm something of an "old fogey" otaku ("Current stuff all sucks. Back in my day...") so I'll fully admit I don't keep up with thing as well as I once did.
Lately, I've been using my Netflix account to remedy that to some degree. It should probably come as no surprise that vampire/gothic themed anime are one of the things I've been checking out. The series I've been enjoying the most is Dance in the Vampire Bund.
This is a somewhat disturbing series. It's not scary because it's not really horror. It's much more the "urban fantasy" romance genre (like, ugh, Twilight). But that's part of what makes it disturbing. There is a lot of fan-service in this series, most of it focused on the lead female protagonist, Mina Tepes.
Have I mentioned that Mina has the body of an 11-year old girl? Yeah, fan-service plus that equals creepy. I'm marginally familiar with the Japanese genre of "lolicon." Never thought I'd get interested in an anime series based thereon.
The opening title is a good example of what I'm talking about...
The series plot is solid enough for me to overlook the creep factor to a large degree. (Most of us wouldn't have gotten into the gothic scene if we weren't willing to get a little creeped out from time to time.) And the character of Mina herself raises an intriguing question that I'm going to explore in the fan fiction later.
Either way, if you don't mind the creepy lolicon stuff, check it out.
Lately, I've been using my Netflix account to remedy that to some degree. It should probably come as no surprise that vampire/gothic themed anime are one of the things I've been checking out. The series I've been enjoying the most is Dance in the Vampire Bund.
This is a somewhat disturbing series. It's not scary because it's not really horror. It's much more the "urban fantasy" romance genre (like, ugh, Twilight). But that's part of what makes it disturbing. There is a lot of fan-service in this series, most of it focused on the lead female protagonist, Mina Tepes.
Have I mentioned that Mina has the body of an 11-year old girl? Yeah, fan-service plus that equals creepy. I'm marginally familiar with the Japanese genre of "lolicon." Never thought I'd get interested in an anime series based thereon.
The opening title is a good example of what I'm talking about...
The series plot is solid enough for me to overlook the creep factor to a large degree. (Most of us wouldn't have gotten into the gothic scene if we weren't willing to get a little creeped out from time to time.) And the character of Mina herself raises an intriguing question that I'm going to explore in the fan fiction later.
Either way, if you don't mind the creepy lolicon stuff, check it out.
Act Two Chapter Four - Sympathy for the Devil
Knock. Knock. Corwin rapped on the motel room door.
The door to the motel room cracked open. “Can I help you?” said a suspicious Shawn from behind it.
“I’m Corwin. Michael Allen’s roommate. I’m the one who contacted you.”
“Ah, good. Come on in.”
“Thanks. I brought food.” Corwin proffered a bucket of Kentucky Fried and a 2-liter of soda.
“Thanks. We’re starved.” Admitted Rebecca.
Corwin set down the bucket and popped open the 2-liter. Rebecca sat down next to him and dove into a breast, while Shawn stood back for a bit.
“So, you think he’s alive?” said Shawn.
“Michael? Yes, I do.” Said Corwin. “Eat. They’ll be time enough to talk in a bit.”
Shawn stepped forward and grabbed a drumstick. He sat down. “You explained some in your letter. But not everything.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come. I’ll need your help if what I think has happened has.” Corwin took a bite himself.
“And that is?”
“Well, let me start with a story. Last October, about a year ago now, Michael was in bad shape. He’d broken up with his high school girlfriend and was pretty depressed over it.” Corwin’s tone gave no indication that he knew Rebecca was that girlfriend, and if her glance to Shawn gave it away, Corwin gave no sign. “I think that left him open to get involved with some bad people. A few days later, he came by our room, gathered up a bunch of things and left. That was the last time I saw him. When he was declared missing about three weeks later, I presumed foul play. Now I have a different theory.”
“Go on.” Said Rebecca, getting more food.
“What if that rough crowd didn’t kill him but recruited him instead? It’s the only thing that makes sense given what I’ve seen.”
“You’re sure you saw him?” inquired Shawn.
“Absolutely. And if it hadn’t been a crowded bar, I’d even have spoken to him. But by the time I got through the horde of people, he was gone.”
“If you saw him, then so have others.” Concluded Shawn.
“Indeed. Finding him, now that we know he’s alive and around, shouldn’t be too difficult. The tricky part is going to be what to do with him once we do find him.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” said Shawn, looking at Rebecca as if sharing a private joke. “So where do we start?”
“If you’re up for it tonight, we can go downtown and do some asking around. But I know you’ve been on the road today and may want to rest.”
Rebecca looked at Shawn. “What do you think?”
“I say we get started. The sooner we get to it, the sooner we’re going to have our answers.” Shawn paused. “Sooner we can get back home.”
“Then let’s finish our food and get going.”
----
They parked downtown and walked towards Hokie House, figuring to start there. Any number of the bars in Blacksburg could have sufficed, but Corwin decided that would be the best starting point. It was popular and often crowded.
Rebecca and Shawn lagged behind Corwin a bit, conversing with one another. “It seems such an odd thing for Michael to frequent this sort of place.”
“Everything points to him being a vastly different person that he used to be. Let’s not forget, the last time we were here, my brother almost died. Now, the reason why makes sense.”
“You think Michael did it?”
“It adds up, doesn’t it? Michael falls in with the criminal element, gets a taste of power, sees his old nemesis from high school and decides to settle the score.”
“And what will you do when we find him?”
“He has a lot to answer for, Becca. Not just for what he did to Todd, but what he did to you, his parents, all his friends back home. I don’t know what I’m going to do when we find him, but I’m certain that Michael will regret whatever it is.”
“No,” said Rebecca forcefully, stopping and putting her hand on Shawn’s chest to stop him. “No, we’re here to save him not punish him.” Corwin noticed their pause and turned around to rejoin them.
“I didn’t contact you two to avenge the wrongs he may have done you. You were his friends once, as was I.” Emphasized Corwin. “And we may be the only chance of bringing him back from whatever hell he’s condemned himself to.”
“Michael and I were never friends.” Said Shawn sharply.
“And yet here you are.”
“I came for her. She’s the one who used to love him.” He turned to Rebecca. “And the more we learn about what’s really going on, the more I hope you realize how unworthy he was of that.”
“Stop it, Shawn. You’re not making this easier.”
“You can always go home.” Said Corwin. “if you’re not going to help. Rebecca and I can do this alone.”
“You think I’d trust you to lead her into danger alone? No thanks. I may not like it or any of this, but I’m in.”
“Very well. Let’s see what we can find out.”
----
Their search was not entirely fruitless, but what they gathered they found of little use. Yes, Michael had been there. No, no one had seen him tonight. No, no one knew where he lived or what he did for a living. Still, Corwin’s story now had corroboration. They knew he was telling them the truth.
Although tired, Shawn was restless when they returned to the Red Lion Inn. “I think there may be a more efficient way of going about this.”
“What’s that?” asked Corwin.
“Alright, what do we know? You suspect he’s involved with criminals of some sort, a gang or the Mob or whatever. We know he’s been seen in the Hokie House and whatever other bar you were in…”
“Sharkey’s.”
“Alright. Hokie House didn’t card at the door; they card at the bar.”
“You can bet he’s got a good fake ID by now.”
“Maybe so, but here’s my theory. Whatever criminal element exists in this town, I can guarantee it’s here to cater to the student body. Drugs or prostitution. Vices. We’re not talking gun running or animal smuggling or money laundering here. He’s probably a dealer, a point man, or a pimp. So he’s going to want to hit those places with the easiest access to the most students.”
“In other words, those places that let in the under-21 crowd?” said Rebecca.
“Exactly. He may frequent other bars for his own pleasure, but when he’s doing business, he’ll be at places like we were tonight.”
“Convenient,” added Rebecca, “since none of us have fake IDs and can’t get into those bars that check at the door.”
“So what do you want to do?” asked Corwin.
“Stake out the same location. Hokie House seems quite popular. I say we cage the joint for a few nights.”
Corwin shrugged. “Works for me. Rebecca?”
“Can’t hurt, especially if we know he’s been there within the last week. He’s bound to come back at some point.”
“Then it’s agreed. Tomorrow night then.” Corwin got up to leave.
“Tomorrow.” Agreed Shawn. “See you then.”
“Good night.” Added Rebecca as Corwin departed.
---
Corwin came over to the pool table, his hands full with three sodas. “Two Cokes, one Diet, as requested.”
“Thanks. It’s your shot.” Replied Shawn. It was the next night and they were back at Hokie House. The three of them had staked out a pool table for themselves and had played several games of Cutthroat to pass the time. No sign of Michael yet though.
Corwin lined up his shot and sank a solid. “So how long do we wait?” He took the offered soda and drank.
“Place is pretty dead tonight. It was busier last night.” Observed Rebecca. She drank from her diet as she tried to figure out her next shot.
“Thursdays are an off-night here. You get the hump-day crowd on Wednesday and, of course, the weekend starts tomorrow.”
“A light crowd doesn’t help us. Whatever poison Michael may be peddling, a quiet bar means two things. Fewer customers and what he’s doing may be more obvious to probing eyes.” Said Shawn. “I say we finish this game and call it a night. Better luck tomorrow.”
Rebecca shook her head rapidly, as if trying to shake off something. “I agree. I’m not feeling myself.”
“Yeah, I’m a little off too.” Admitted Shawn. “Must be something we ate.”
“That’s Chinese for you.”
“No, that’s cheap Chinese for you.” Said Rebecca with a wry smile. Her look contorted a bit. “Ugh. Feeling a little dizzy.”
“Maybe we should go now?” offered Shawn sympathetically.
“Doesn’t matter to me. I’m losing anyway.” Replied Corwin.
“Nothing’s going to happen tonight. Let’s get back to the motel.”
They knocked the remaining balls into the pockets and put away their cues. Corwin took a couple of big gulps off his drink and then headed out the door. Shawn and Rebecca followed.
“Too bad you’re not feeling well,” admitted Shawn. “I was kinda hoping you and I would…you know…tonight.”
“I’m not exactly in the mood even if I hadn’t eaten bad Chinese.”
“You’ve been kinda cold lately.” Complained Shawn mildly. “Distant.”
“Can you blame me?” she replied as they reached Corwin’s car. “I’ve spent the last year of my life thinking I had something to do with his disappearance. Now I find out it’s all faked. I’m a jumble of emotions, Shawn. You don’t want to be in the middle of that mess.”
“Yeah, I do.” Offered Shawn. “You couldn’t sort it out alone with your brother and you won’t here.”
They got in. “Yeah, I had Michael to help me.”
“And me." reminded Shawn.
“And what would Michael say to that? That you’ve already taken his place in my heart and in my life. And now, you want his job too? To be that consoling shoulder like he was?”
“If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be like this to begin with. One tragedy in your life was enough, but he didn’t see it that way. His faking all this was deliberate and you know it as well as I. He did it to hurt you.” Shawn’s temper flared. “You say you’re a jumble of emotions. You shouldn’t be. You should be angry.”
“Maybe I am. But maybe there’s a part of me that still loves him.”
Shawn darkened at that admission. Rebecca continued. “Yeah, that’s a part of this too. You say it should be simple. It’s not. You forget something, Shawn. I cheated on him. I betrayed him. Michael has a right to be angry with us.”
“And that justifies what he’s done?”
“No, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. But to pretend that we’re blameless and that it’s all his fault is a lie.”
Shawn was quiet for several minutes as they drove across town. “Maybe we shouldn’t be here.” He admitted after a bit.
“We’re his only hope.”
“But if what you say is true and if what I think about what happened to Todd is right, he may just as easily shoot us as talk to us.”
----
By the time they got back to the Red Lion, both Rebecca and Shawn were feeling quite queasy. Shawn staggered back to the bathroom and began to vomit. Rebecca collapsed onto the bed and watched the room spin above her for a bit.
“Maybe the hospital…” she began to think, just as unconsciousness took her.
She awoke to find the room still spinning and someone atop her, hands groping at her. “Shawn…” she muttered weakly. Or did she? Was she even awake? Rebecca couldn’t tell. The whole world seemed unreal and dreamlike.
“Not Shawn.” Came a voice.
“God, Michael! Is this real? Or just a dream?”
“What do you want it to be?” His voice seemed distant, and yet close.
Rebecca didn't know how to answer that. Is this real? Do I want it to be? What do I want? Why did I come here? The questions spun around in her head but a single moment of clarity cut through them.
“Hold me. Tell me you’re real. Tell me…” she said. There was a desperate longing in her voice that Rebecca knew she meant it.
“I can do more than that.” She felt him enter her.
“Oh God, I should never…” She felt his hand against her mouth, gently silencing her. She kissed the fingers, relishing each thrust of his body.
“We’ll be together again soon.” Said the voice. And Rebecca slipped into oblivion once more.
The world rushed back into her mind in what seemed to be a few seconds later. She was alone, lying on the bed. Shawn was next to her, sleeping soundly. Her head hurt. She ran her hands down her belly and discovered her pants and panties had been removed. Her nethers were still moist and tender. What had happened? Had it been a dream? A hallucination?
She sat up. “Shawn, you awake?”
“Ummm” was the only sound she got out of him.
She gave him a shake. “Hey! Wake up.” He stirred.
“What?”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?” He looked down at her naked lower half. “Maybe.” He admitted. “I don’t remember. Everything’s so fuzzy.”
“I thought I felt someone on me last night. In me.” She looked embarrassed, but decided to say nothing more.
“You moaned his name several times last night.” said Shawn, as if reading her thoughts. “Whatever made us sick really fucked us up. I was seeing things. Hearing things. I’m not sure what was real.”
“Can food poisoning do that?” wondered Rebecca.
He shrugged. “We probably should have gone to the hospital instead of coming back here. How you feeling now?”
“Death warmed over. But I think I’ll be alright.” She paused. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called out to him. Shouldn’t have said his name.”
“Don’t worry about it.” That surprised Rebecca. “I really shouldn’t be so jealous. He used to be a good friend and I know you still care about him. We wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”
“I want to save him, Shawn.” In the back of her mind, she admitted to herself she now wanted more than that. But she said nothing of it. “What time is it?”
“11:30am. Wow.” exclaimed Shawn. “We have most of the day ahead of us. What shall we do with ourselves?”
“Might be a good idea just to stay in.” admitted Rebecca. “We got our asses kicked by whatever that was last night. Neither of us is 100%. And I've got an idea of what we might do...” She opened and closed her legs tantalizingly. “Maybe I can make up for last night a bit. I think we might enjoy it more fully conscious.”
“I’m sure.” Said Shawn with a smile. As he climbed on top of her, she closed her eyes and imagined someone else.
---
Corwin was right on schedule that night. Shawn let him in. He came inside, minus his almost customary offering of food, and looked the two of them over briefly.
“You both look better than when I dropped you off last night.” He said. “Feeling better I hope?”
“Much.” Said Rebecca.
“Let’s hope for some better luck tonight…and no food poisoning. What are you up for dinnerwise?”
“Something mild. No Chinese.” Said Shawn adamantly.
“Fair enough. I think I know just the thing.”
Macado’s was a semi-local restaurant chain, serving sandwiches of various sorts. Corwin figured that was “mild” enough and drove them over from the Red Lion to the nearest Mac’s off University City Blvd.
“From here to Hokie House.” Declared Corwin after they’d ordered.
“Right now, I just hope this meal stays down.” Confessed Shawn. He looked over at Corwin. “Out of curiosity. Did you get sick last night?”
“A little.” Admitted Corwin sheepishly. “But not, I’m almost embarrassed to say, like you guys.”
“Not sure what we had on the buffet that you didn’t.” wondered Rebecca.
Corwin shrugged. “Beats me. I hope you guys aren’t too upset with me. It’s not like I brought you down here to give you food poisoning.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Said Shawn. “No harm done.”
“I hope we see him tonight.” Said Rebecca, changing the subject. She tried not to sound too eager.
“Well, tonight and tomorrow should be good bets.” Said Corwin. “If all our guesses about his activities are right, he’ll be working the town tonight. I can’t imagine he won’t hit Hokie House at some point before last call.”
“You sound almost a little too eager.” Said Shawn.
Rebecca blushed. She apparently didn’t sound as uneager as she'd hoped. “I want to know the truth, that’s all.” It was not a complete lie, but she was now trying to cover her tracks. “You still upset about last night? I would have thought today would have ended that.”
“Did I miss something?” asked Corwin, confused.
Shawn looked like he was about to say something, but then thought better of it. “No, it’s nothing. Just a private joke.”
“You don’t share your girlfriend’s enthusiasm for finding our mutual friend.”
“I said before Michael and I were never friends.” Shawn said defensively. “I’m here for her. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. After all, one of our guesses is that this guy nearly killed my brother, beat to within an inch of his life. Not exactly someone I’m eager to see.”
“Well, eager or not, odds are good we’ll see him tonight.”
----
Getting a pool table on a Friday night at Hokie House proved far harder than the night before. So the trio had to content themselves with simply mingling amidst the crowd. That had an advantage: Allowing them to spread out a bit. But there was also a disadvantage: Those looking for a salve for their loneliness were drawn to an attractive young woman who appeared to be alone.
For their parts, Shawn and Corwin were left to their own devices. Guys, even handsome ones, tended to be the hunters, not the hunted, in this environment.
Shawn noticed Corwin watching him almost as much as he surveyed the crowd. It was a look of curiosity more than anything else, as if Corwin was gauging Shawn’s reaction to all that was going on. Shawn didn’t appreciate the scrutiny and found that he was liking their guide less and less as time went on.
Rebecca made her way over to Shawn’s side. “I’m growing tired of being hit on.”
“You should be flattered.” His tone was insincere. After a second, he softened. “Hell, I’d hit on you if I was on the hunt here.”
“Thanks, I think.” She replied. “You know, if I wanted a dick between my legs, I could take home any guy in here.”
“If you want a dick between your legs, all you need do is ask.” Flirted Shawn.
She gave him an askance look. “Thanks for proving my point, Mr. One-of-the-guys-in-here.” She teased in return.
“I would have thought you had enough earlier. Between last night and this afternoon.”
“I did,” she said, half-truthfully, wandering over to the stairs to look down on the lower level of the bar, “but there’s something about this…” She stopped mid-sentence.
“What is it?” asked Shawn, straightening up and looking below as well.
A tall pale young man in a black trench coat had walked inside. As he entered, it was as if the entire room turned to look at him.
“That’s him.” Said Shawn. “My God, he’s changed.”
They both could see it. Gone was the sheepish nerd they had remembered. The young man before them seemed self-assured, confident, and completely within his element. They watched closely as two or three young women made their way to his side. Rebecca felt a twinge of jealousy herself as one of them put her arms about his waist. She let out a slight cry.
Despite the noise in the room, the distraction of the crowd, and everything else, Michael looked up and looked right at her. A predatory smile crossed lips. It chilled her to the bone.
“Go,” barked Shawn to Rebecca. “He’s seen us.”
Michael took a step back and headed back towards the door he came in, making for an escape. Rebecca tried to dash down the stairs, but the press of the crowd slowed her progress. By the time she reached the bottom, he was gone.
“God damnit.” She swore. “How did he hear me in this noise?”
“I don’t know, but the streets are clearer. Keep moving.” Pressed Shawn. They pushed their way outside onto the street. They glanced about looking, but did not see him amidst the crowds of college students walking up and down the strip.
“Damn. We can’t have come this far to fail now.” Lamented Rebecca.
“There, that black sedan!” barked Shawn. He pointed and Rebecca saw Michael’s tall form get into the driver’s side of a nearby car. The car started up. Rebecca darted into the street, determined to block the car with her body.
“Becca!” screamed Shawn when he saw what she was doing. Michael veered and swung around her, missing her by a good bit and scaring a number of the mingling students on the sidewalk.
“Are you mad?” snarled Shawn as he dashed out to fetch her.
“I wasn’t going to let him get away that easily. He knows it’s us.”
Corwin’s car came around the bend and Corwin laid on the horn. The pair spun around startled. “Come on. Now’s our chance.” Shawn and Rebecca dashed over and got in. And the chase was on.
“Did you see him?” asked Shawn as Corwin sped down Main Street. “Black Pontiac or Buick, some GM car. Couldn’t get the exact make and model in the dark.”
“I saw him. That should be him about three cars up. Looks like he’s turning onto Price’s Fork.”
“Stay with him.”
“Pray the lights are cooperative.” Said Corwin, making the turn.
At the next light, Michael’s car made a right, heading up Tom’s Creek. Corwin stayed with him. They followed him through town, keeping close, but not too close.
“I don’t want to spook him into racing off on us. I want to know where he’s going.”
“He knows we’re after him.” Said Rebecca. “He saw us.”
“The more threatened he feels, the more dangerous this becomes.” Said Corwin. The black car reached US 460 and then sped across the highway onto an old road leading into the woods. Corwin continued to follow, but the darkness of the woods made it harder to see their quarry.
“What is this place?”
“Undeveloped land. There’s been talk of putting apartment complexes back here, but none of the contractors have started any work here yet. The only thing back here should be old farmhouses and cabins.” The pavement quickly turned to dirt and Corwin slowed his car down to avoid crashing in the dark woods.
“You sure he’s still ahead of us?”
“Quite sure. The woods are too thick for it to have gone off-road and there’s been no side roads. Look, there’s a cabin up ahead.”
“And a car parked outside.” Added Rebecca. “The one we want.”
“Alright, let’s be careful.” Said Corwin. “I’m going to drive past and then park a little bit away. That’ll put some distance between us and the cabin and maybe make him think he lost us. Maybe then we can approach unnoticed.”
Corwin kept going down the road and pulled over to the side after about 200 yards. He got out, and Shawn and Rebecca followed suit. They said nothing, a palpable sense of danger had come over each of them. The only sound they could hear was the noise of the woods, birds, crickets, and what not. Rebecca had a brief flashback to another woodland adventure, nearly a year ago, her and their quarry alone in the night.
“Had we gone all the way that night, would it makes things now worse or better?” she wondered grimly. She followed close behind Shawn. Corwin took point as they closed on the house.
“No lights on.” Whispered Corwin, crouching behind a fallen tree. “Odd.”
“He can’t have been more than 2 minutes ahead of us.” Added Shawn in a hushed tone. “He's got to be here.”
“He’s probably waiting for us.” Added Rebecca, remembering Michael’s smile at the bar. The thought chilled her.
“We can come back tomorrow. I don’t like this.” Admitted Shawn.
“No,” said Rebecca. “I want to know now.” She stood up and headed towards the house.
“Becca!” said Shawn with exasperation, almost raising his voice. “Be careful.”
“He won’t hurt me.” She said and then headed for the front door. The others followed, more cautiously.
The door was unlocked. She stepped inside. The first room, a kitchen/dining room combo, was somewhat messy, with a stack of books on the table. Rebecca paused at the pile to examine them.
“Roleplaying games. Shadowrun, BattleTech.” she said aloud.
“Those were Michael’s staples.” Added Corwin. “He’s here all right.”
“Indeed he is.” Said a voice. The lights came on with a flash, blinding the three of them.
When the blindness faded, they could see the same tall lanky figure they’d spotted at the bar in the doorway behind them. Now seen up close, they knew for sure.
“You’ve done well, Corwin.” Said Michael.
“Thank you, mi’lord.” He replied. Rebecca and Shawn looked at him in disbelief, doubly so at the handgun Corwin now pointed at Shawn.
Michael walked inside and closed the door behind him. “Bind him.” He ordered.
Corwin motioned for the two of them to move further inside. Wary of his weapon, they did as commanded.
“So it was a trap. All of it a trap.” Said Shawn.
“You wouldn’t have come if I’d just asked.” Said Michael.
“You underestimate how she still feels about you if you believe that.” Shawn almost didn’t believe those words escaped his lips, but he was too angry now to care.
“We came to help you.” pleaded Rebecca. She turned to Corwin. “How much of it was a lie?”
“Not as much as you might think.” Answered Michael. “Falling in with the wrong crowd, all that was true. Although not quite in the way that you think. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Shawn, it was in fact me who hospitalized your brother a year ago. You had that right too.”
“Son of bitch, I knew it.” Heedless of Corwin’s gun, he lunged at Michael. Michael grabbed him by the throat and flung him back, as easily as he might manhandle a small dog.
“You should take a lesson from what happened to him. If I can so easily pulverize him, surely I’m not the skinny little wimp you remember. Hurry up, Corwin, before he hurts someone.”
Corwin grabbed Shawn and forced him down into a chair. Corwin then bound him securely, tying his wrists together and then his arms to the chair.
“What are you going to do with us?” said Shawn, unable to conceal his fear any longer.
“I’m going to talk.” Said Michael. “I’m going to tell you what’s really going on.”
“Then why tie him up?” said Rebecca.
“That will become clear in time.” Said Michael. “He stays put. As for you, I will not harm you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Said Rebecca. ““You’re not the Michael I remember. He was kind. You’re a monster.”
Michael laughed at that, a loud boisterous laugh that chilled Rebecca down to her very bones. “You said yourself once I had a dark side. You were right. I’ve simply come to terms with who I really am. The whole world has been telling me all my life that I’m a freak, an outsider. Well, they were right and I’m not fighting it anymore. Is there darkness about me? Yes. I don’t put up with people’s bullshit like I used to. No one makes a fool of me, not anymore.” He looked at Shawn fiercely. “Your brother learned that lesson the hard way.” He softened as he turned back to Rebecca. “Besides, I think you’ll like this version of me just as much, if not more so, than the old me.”
“Not likely.” she said. It sounded only marginally more forceful than she meant it. Deep down, she knew he was right. Every word, every motion, even the most frightening, seemed to turn her on all the more. She couldn’t believe how attractive she found him. It was almost unnatural.
“You never could lie to me.” Said Michael with a sly smile.
“That doesn’t change what’s happening now. You trick us into coming down here, hold us at gunpoint, tie Shawn up.” Rebecca tried to sound fiercer than she felt, but Michael seemed unfazed.
“Each of those things you accuse me of has a reason behind it. A good one. Let’s start with the trickery. Ok, I admit to that. I had Corwin write that letter to pique your interest. I wasn’t sure if I still mattered. I didn’t know if you’d come. If I made it into a mystery to be solved, that would give me time to find out for sure. Corwin’s been spying on you the whole time, relaying to me your thoughts, concerns, and ideas about me all along.”
“The whole thing a set up.”
“It also gave me a clear picture about him.” Said Michael, pointing to Shawn. “What his real motives were.”
“He came because of me. If Corwin’s been spying on us all along, you know that.”
“But at one point,” Interjected Corwin. “he let slip the truth. Something about making Michael regret running into you two again.”
“And I contradicted him.” Added Rebecca. She looked at Michael. “I told him we weren’t here for that. We came to help you.”
“I don’t doubt that you did. But not him. He came for revenge. As his attempted assault on me a minute ago proves.”
“I don’t believe you.” Said Rebecca.
“I’ve said no lies tonight, Rebecca.” said Michael, walking over to Shawn. “But what have we here?” He reached into the pocket of Shawn’s jacket to pull out a small pistol. “A H&K P7. Nice little gun. Small, concealable. Perfect for keeping secrets from the woman you’re sleeping with, eh?” He looked at Rebecca.
“That’s not mine. I don’t own a gun. I swear, Rebecca, I’ve never seen it before.”
“So, who do you believe?” said Michael, ejecting the clip and tossing the gun to Corwin. “Did I abduct you tonight, hold you at gunpoint without reason? Do I plan to murder you or worse? Or is it as I’ve said, just an elaborate scheme to find out the truth about you and to protect myself from him.”
“I don’t know.” She replied honestly.
“This may not sound like much reassurance, but if I truly wanted to harm you, I could have done it at any time.”
“You still can.” Said Rebecca with a shiver.
“Yes.” Admitted Michael. “I could. But tell me, which is the better course? To want to do something and be unable or to be able to do something and not want to?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The difference between who I was and who I am now.” He reached up to run his hand across her cheek. She did not flinch at his touch.
“Don’t touch her!” demanded Shawn. “She’s mine.”
“A mere possession, Shawn? How cold of you.”
“I didn’t mean it that way and you know it.”
“But how can we trust your word when you’ve been caught in a lie?”
“No more than we can trust you. You faked your own death. Disappeared. Do you have any idea what that did to her, especially after she buried her brother under similar circumstances? Which of us is the greater sinner, I wonder?”
“That!” exclaimed Michael excitedly. “is a very good question. Which is the worst indeed. Or the better? Perhaps we should let Rebecca decide. If she chooses you, you both may walk out of here, minus your gun of course, and I will bother you no more. If she chooses me, then you can go, but she stays.”
“And you accuse me of thinking of her as a possession.”
“Oh, you are right, Shawn. That was a poor choice of wording.” Admitted Michael. “Regardless of her choice, you are both free. But with or without her, I want you out of Blacksburg by this time tomorrow. Corwin, untie him and leave us.”
“Yes, mi’lord.” Corwin cut Shawn’s bonds and freed him. He then headed out the door without a word.
“Your bodyguard is gone, with the guns.” Said Shawn, coming to his feet.
“I believe you’ve already seen ample demonstration that I am quite capable at hand fighting. And working to carry out your vendetta is not likely to win you points with the lovely Rebecca.” Retorted Michael.
“You can’t seriously be thinking of staying with him. Living in his world, with all that violence and ugliness.” Pleaded Shawn.
“Who says we have to stay there?” replied Rebecca, her eyes never leaving Michael. “Surely there’s a better life than that for you, Michael.”
“Ah, yes, and now we get back to your purpose in coming.” Said Michael. “To redeem me, to save me from myself. What will you do to bring me back to the light?” Between his words and the look in his eyes, it was obvious what Michael had in mind.
“Don’t do it, Rebecca.” Said Shawn. “He’s toying with you. Can’t you see it? This is just a game to him!”
“Forgive me, Shawn. But I can’t leave him here. I have to do this.”
“That sounds like she’s made her choice.” Said Michael. Michael dug into the pocket of his trench coat and tossed his car keys to Shawn. “Go back to the Red Lion. You are free to go.”
“Don’t do this to me. Rebecca.” Pleaded Shawn.
“Now you know how it feels.” Said Michael cruelly.
Shawn’s face hardened in anger. “This isn’t over, Allens. I won’t let you do this to her.”
“Go, before you regret it.” Said Michael commandingly.
Shawn turned and headed out the door in a rage, slamming the door behind him.
Rebecca looked at the door for several long minutes, saying nothing. “I hope I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life.”
“You can always follow him out if you think so.”
“I don’t know anything anymore. Nothing is certain.”
“Is that truly so? Nothing?” said Michael, coming to her side.
“I came for you. I stayed for you. And yet there’s still a part of me that can’t believe you’re really here. That you’re really alive. Shawn was right about one thing. What you did hurt me just as badly as my brother's death, if not more so. And I don’t know whether to hate you or love you.”
“You broke my heart, Rebecca. With him. That act, more than anything else, condemned me to this hell.”
“So you don’t know whether to hate me or love me either.”
Michael gave a curt nod in reply to that.
"So what happens now?" said Rebecca, fear rising in her voice.
"You can either kill me or kiss me. I leave that choice to you."
“I don’t think I’ll stop at just kissing.” She admitted.
Michael pulled her into his arms. “Stop fighting it. We’ve waited far too long.”
---
Shawn sat in the car, pensive. Even through the closed windows, he could faintly hear the sounds within the cabin. His girl with him, with twice the gusto and ten times the passion she’d ever mustered with him.
He should have left. He should have taken the keys and driven back to town. Left her to her own stupidity.
That wasn’t his first mistake. He should have pressed Michael on the lie about the gun. There had been no gun in his pocket. How Michael had managed that bit of prestidigitation, Shawn didn’t know. But it was well played and Shawn knew he’d been outmaneuvered.
He’d been outmaneuvered on everything. Everything masterfully played. The letter, the spy in their midst, the planted gun, everything there to undermine him and to win her back. Even Corwin’s pointed questions, designed to draw attention to his jealousy. The only thing that didn’t seem to add in was the food poisoning from the night before.
"Wait a minute," he thought. "Could it have been?"
Rage filled him. “He did it!” Shawn yelled aloud. “He had us drugged. He came into the room! He raped her. I didn’t touch her last night, he did!”
He stepped out of the car and was about to head towards the house. Suddenly, Rebecca was before him, naked as the day she was born.
“Eeyah!” exclaimed Shawn, startled. “How did you…Why are you naked?”
She gave him no answer, but looked at him with an odd look. Like a predator toying with its prey. It was extremely unnerving.
“There’s something you need to know…” Shawn began.
Rebecca growled at him, a sound no human should be able to make. He jumped back, striking the car, his heart in his throat. He watched as her canines lengthened. “What the…Oh, God, no!”
Rebecca lunged in, fangs bared. Shawn got out a scream, but only for a second.
Act Two Chapter Five
The door to the motel room cracked open. “Can I help you?” said a suspicious Shawn from behind it.
“I’m Corwin. Michael Allen’s roommate. I’m the one who contacted you.”
“Ah, good. Come on in.”
“Thanks. I brought food.” Corwin proffered a bucket of Kentucky Fried and a 2-liter of soda.
“Thanks. We’re starved.” Admitted Rebecca.
Corwin set down the bucket and popped open the 2-liter. Rebecca sat down next to him and dove into a breast, while Shawn stood back for a bit.
“So, you think he’s alive?” said Shawn.
“Michael? Yes, I do.” Said Corwin. “Eat. They’ll be time enough to talk in a bit.”
Shawn stepped forward and grabbed a drumstick. He sat down. “You explained some in your letter. But not everything.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come. I’ll need your help if what I think has happened has.” Corwin took a bite himself.
“And that is?”
“Well, let me start with a story. Last October, about a year ago now, Michael was in bad shape. He’d broken up with his high school girlfriend and was pretty depressed over it.” Corwin’s tone gave no indication that he knew Rebecca was that girlfriend, and if her glance to Shawn gave it away, Corwin gave no sign. “I think that left him open to get involved with some bad people. A few days later, he came by our room, gathered up a bunch of things and left. That was the last time I saw him. When he was declared missing about three weeks later, I presumed foul play. Now I have a different theory.”
“Go on.” Said Rebecca, getting more food.
“What if that rough crowd didn’t kill him but recruited him instead? It’s the only thing that makes sense given what I’ve seen.”
“You’re sure you saw him?” inquired Shawn.
“Absolutely. And if it hadn’t been a crowded bar, I’d even have spoken to him. But by the time I got through the horde of people, he was gone.”
“If you saw him, then so have others.” Concluded Shawn.
“Indeed. Finding him, now that we know he’s alive and around, shouldn’t be too difficult. The tricky part is going to be what to do with him once we do find him.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” said Shawn, looking at Rebecca as if sharing a private joke. “So where do we start?”
“If you’re up for it tonight, we can go downtown and do some asking around. But I know you’ve been on the road today and may want to rest.”
Rebecca looked at Shawn. “What do you think?”
“I say we get started. The sooner we get to it, the sooner we’re going to have our answers.” Shawn paused. “Sooner we can get back home.”
“Then let’s finish our food and get going.”
----
They parked downtown and walked towards Hokie House, figuring to start there. Any number of the bars in Blacksburg could have sufficed, but Corwin decided that would be the best starting point. It was popular and often crowded.
Rebecca and Shawn lagged behind Corwin a bit, conversing with one another. “It seems such an odd thing for Michael to frequent this sort of place.”
“Everything points to him being a vastly different person that he used to be. Let’s not forget, the last time we were here, my brother almost died. Now, the reason why makes sense.”
“You think Michael did it?”
“It adds up, doesn’t it? Michael falls in with the criminal element, gets a taste of power, sees his old nemesis from high school and decides to settle the score.”
“And what will you do when we find him?”
“He has a lot to answer for, Becca. Not just for what he did to Todd, but what he did to you, his parents, all his friends back home. I don’t know what I’m going to do when we find him, but I’m certain that Michael will regret whatever it is.”
“No,” said Rebecca forcefully, stopping and putting her hand on Shawn’s chest to stop him. “No, we’re here to save him not punish him.” Corwin noticed their pause and turned around to rejoin them.
“I didn’t contact you two to avenge the wrongs he may have done you. You were his friends once, as was I.” Emphasized Corwin. “And we may be the only chance of bringing him back from whatever hell he’s condemned himself to.”
“Michael and I were never friends.” Said Shawn sharply.
“And yet here you are.”
“I came for her. She’s the one who used to love him.” He turned to Rebecca. “And the more we learn about what’s really going on, the more I hope you realize how unworthy he was of that.”
“Stop it, Shawn. You’re not making this easier.”
“You can always go home.” Said Corwin. “if you’re not going to help. Rebecca and I can do this alone.”
“You think I’d trust you to lead her into danger alone? No thanks. I may not like it or any of this, but I’m in.”
“Very well. Let’s see what we can find out.”
----
Their search was not entirely fruitless, but what they gathered they found of little use. Yes, Michael had been there. No, no one had seen him tonight. No, no one knew where he lived or what he did for a living. Still, Corwin’s story now had corroboration. They knew he was telling them the truth.
Although tired, Shawn was restless when they returned to the Red Lion Inn. “I think there may be a more efficient way of going about this.”
“What’s that?” asked Corwin.
“Alright, what do we know? You suspect he’s involved with criminals of some sort, a gang or the Mob or whatever. We know he’s been seen in the Hokie House and whatever other bar you were in…”
“Sharkey’s.”
“Alright. Hokie House didn’t card at the door; they card at the bar.”
“You can bet he’s got a good fake ID by now.”
“Maybe so, but here’s my theory. Whatever criminal element exists in this town, I can guarantee it’s here to cater to the student body. Drugs or prostitution. Vices. We’re not talking gun running or animal smuggling or money laundering here. He’s probably a dealer, a point man, or a pimp. So he’s going to want to hit those places with the easiest access to the most students.”
“In other words, those places that let in the under-21 crowd?” said Rebecca.
“Exactly. He may frequent other bars for his own pleasure, but when he’s doing business, he’ll be at places like we were tonight.”
“Convenient,” added Rebecca, “since none of us have fake IDs and can’t get into those bars that check at the door.”
“So what do you want to do?” asked Corwin.
“Stake out the same location. Hokie House seems quite popular. I say we cage the joint for a few nights.”
Corwin shrugged. “Works for me. Rebecca?”
“Can’t hurt, especially if we know he’s been there within the last week. He’s bound to come back at some point.”
“Then it’s agreed. Tomorrow night then.” Corwin got up to leave.
“Tomorrow.” Agreed Shawn. “See you then.”
“Good night.” Added Rebecca as Corwin departed.
---
Corwin came over to the pool table, his hands full with three sodas. “Two Cokes, one Diet, as requested.”
“Thanks. It’s your shot.” Replied Shawn. It was the next night and they were back at Hokie House. The three of them had staked out a pool table for themselves and had played several games of Cutthroat to pass the time. No sign of Michael yet though.
Corwin lined up his shot and sank a solid. “So how long do we wait?” He took the offered soda and drank.
“Place is pretty dead tonight. It was busier last night.” Observed Rebecca. She drank from her diet as she tried to figure out her next shot.
“Thursdays are an off-night here. You get the hump-day crowd on Wednesday and, of course, the weekend starts tomorrow.”
“A light crowd doesn’t help us. Whatever poison Michael may be peddling, a quiet bar means two things. Fewer customers and what he’s doing may be more obvious to probing eyes.” Said Shawn. “I say we finish this game and call it a night. Better luck tomorrow.”
Rebecca shook her head rapidly, as if trying to shake off something. “I agree. I’m not feeling myself.”
“Yeah, I’m a little off too.” Admitted Shawn. “Must be something we ate.”
“That’s Chinese for you.”
“No, that’s cheap Chinese for you.” Said Rebecca with a wry smile. Her look contorted a bit. “Ugh. Feeling a little dizzy.”
“Maybe we should go now?” offered Shawn sympathetically.
“Doesn’t matter to me. I’m losing anyway.” Replied Corwin.
“Nothing’s going to happen tonight. Let’s get back to the motel.”
They knocked the remaining balls into the pockets and put away their cues. Corwin took a couple of big gulps off his drink and then headed out the door. Shawn and Rebecca followed.
“Too bad you’re not feeling well,” admitted Shawn. “I was kinda hoping you and I would…you know…tonight.”
“I’m not exactly in the mood even if I hadn’t eaten bad Chinese.”
“You’ve been kinda cold lately.” Complained Shawn mildly. “Distant.”
“Can you blame me?” she replied as they reached Corwin’s car. “I’ve spent the last year of my life thinking I had something to do with his disappearance. Now I find out it’s all faked. I’m a jumble of emotions, Shawn. You don’t want to be in the middle of that mess.”
“Yeah, I do.” Offered Shawn. “You couldn’t sort it out alone with your brother and you won’t here.”
They got in. “Yeah, I had Michael to help me.”
“And me." reminded Shawn.
“And what would Michael say to that? That you’ve already taken his place in my heart and in my life. And now, you want his job too? To be that consoling shoulder like he was?”
“If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be like this to begin with. One tragedy in your life was enough, but he didn’t see it that way. His faking all this was deliberate and you know it as well as I. He did it to hurt you.” Shawn’s temper flared. “You say you’re a jumble of emotions. You shouldn’t be. You should be angry.”
“Maybe I am. But maybe there’s a part of me that still loves him.”
Shawn darkened at that admission. Rebecca continued. “Yeah, that’s a part of this too. You say it should be simple. It’s not. You forget something, Shawn. I cheated on him. I betrayed him. Michael has a right to be angry with us.”
“And that justifies what he’s done?”
“No, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. But to pretend that we’re blameless and that it’s all his fault is a lie.”
Shawn was quiet for several minutes as they drove across town. “Maybe we shouldn’t be here.” He admitted after a bit.
“We’re his only hope.”
“But if what you say is true and if what I think about what happened to Todd is right, he may just as easily shoot us as talk to us.”
----
By the time they got back to the Red Lion, both Rebecca and Shawn were feeling quite queasy. Shawn staggered back to the bathroom and began to vomit. Rebecca collapsed onto the bed and watched the room spin above her for a bit.
“Maybe the hospital…” she began to think, just as unconsciousness took her.
She awoke to find the room still spinning and someone atop her, hands groping at her. “Shawn…” she muttered weakly. Or did she? Was she even awake? Rebecca couldn’t tell. The whole world seemed unreal and dreamlike.
“Not Shawn.” Came a voice.
“God, Michael! Is this real? Or just a dream?”
“What do you want it to be?” His voice seemed distant, and yet close.
Rebecca didn't know how to answer that. Is this real? Do I want it to be? What do I want? Why did I come here? The questions spun around in her head but a single moment of clarity cut through them.
“Hold me. Tell me you’re real. Tell me…” she said. There was a desperate longing in her voice that Rebecca knew she meant it.
“I can do more than that.” She felt him enter her.
“Oh God, I should never…” She felt his hand against her mouth, gently silencing her. She kissed the fingers, relishing each thrust of his body.
“We’ll be together again soon.” Said the voice. And Rebecca slipped into oblivion once more.
The world rushed back into her mind in what seemed to be a few seconds later. She was alone, lying on the bed. Shawn was next to her, sleeping soundly. Her head hurt. She ran her hands down her belly and discovered her pants and panties had been removed. Her nethers were still moist and tender. What had happened? Had it been a dream? A hallucination?
She sat up. “Shawn, you awake?”
“Ummm” was the only sound she got out of him.
She gave him a shake. “Hey! Wake up.” He stirred.
“What?”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?” He looked down at her naked lower half. “Maybe.” He admitted. “I don’t remember. Everything’s so fuzzy.”
“I thought I felt someone on me last night. In me.” She looked embarrassed, but decided to say nothing more.
“You moaned his name several times last night.” said Shawn, as if reading her thoughts. “Whatever made us sick really fucked us up. I was seeing things. Hearing things. I’m not sure what was real.”
“Can food poisoning do that?” wondered Rebecca.
He shrugged. “We probably should have gone to the hospital instead of coming back here. How you feeling now?”
“Death warmed over. But I think I’ll be alright.” She paused. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called out to him. Shouldn’t have said his name.”
“Don’t worry about it.” That surprised Rebecca. “I really shouldn’t be so jealous. He used to be a good friend and I know you still care about him. We wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”
“I want to save him, Shawn.” In the back of her mind, she admitted to herself she now wanted more than that. But she said nothing of it. “What time is it?”
“11:30am. Wow.” exclaimed Shawn. “We have most of the day ahead of us. What shall we do with ourselves?”
“Might be a good idea just to stay in.” admitted Rebecca. “We got our asses kicked by whatever that was last night. Neither of us is 100%. And I've got an idea of what we might do...” She opened and closed her legs tantalizingly. “Maybe I can make up for last night a bit. I think we might enjoy it more fully conscious.”
“I’m sure.” Said Shawn with a smile. As he climbed on top of her, she closed her eyes and imagined someone else.
---
Corwin was right on schedule that night. Shawn let him in. He came inside, minus his almost customary offering of food, and looked the two of them over briefly.
“You both look better than when I dropped you off last night.” He said. “Feeling better I hope?”
“Much.” Said Rebecca.
“Let’s hope for some better luck tonight…and no food poisoning. What are you up for dinnerwise?”
“Something mild. No Chinese.” Said Shawn adamantly.
“Fair enough. I think I know just the thing.”
Macado’s was a semi-local restaurant chain, serving sandwiches of various sorts. Corwin figured that was “mild” enough and drove them over from the Red Lion to the nearest Mac’s off University City Blvd.
“From here to Hokie House.” Declared Corwin after they’d ordered.
“Right now, I just hope this meal stays down.” Confessed Shawn. He looked over at Corwin. “Out of curiosity. Did you get sick last night?”
“A little.” Admitted Corwin sheepishly. “But not, I’m almost embarrassed to say, like you guys.”
“Not sure what we had on the buffet that you didn’t.” wondered Rebecca.
Corwin shrugged. “Beats me. I hope you guys aren’t too upset with me. It’s not like I brought you down here to give you food poisoning.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Said Shawn. “No harm done.”
“I hope we see him tonight.” Said Rebecca, changing the subject. She tried not to sound too eager.
“Well, tonight and tomorrow should be good bets.” Said Corwin. “If all our guesses about his activities are right, he’ll be working the town tonight. I can’t imagine he won’t hit Hokie House at some point before last call.”
“You sound almost a little too eager.” Said Shawn.
Rebecca blushed. She apparently didn’t sound as uneager as she'd hoped. “I want to know the truth, that’s all.” It was not a complete lie, but she was now trying to cover her tracks. “You still upset about last night? I would have thought today would have ended that.”
“Did I miss something?” asked Corwin, confused.
Shawn looked like he was about to say something, but then thought better of it. “No, it’s nothing. Just a private joke.”
“You don’t share your girlfriend’s enthusiasm for finding our mutual friend.”
“I said before Michael and I were never friends.” Shawn said defensively. “I’m here for her. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. After all, one of our guesses is that this guy nearly killed my brother, beat to within an inch of his life. Not exactly someone I’m eager to see.”
“Well, eager or not, odds are good we’ll see him tonight.”
----
Getting a pool table on a Friday night at Hokie House proved far harder than the night before. So the trio had to content themselves with simply mingling amidst the crowd. That had an advantage: Allowing them to spread out a bit. But there was also a disadvantage: Those looking for a salve for their loneliness were drawn to an attractive young woman who appeared to be alone.
For their parts, Shawn and Corwin were left to their own devices. Guys, even handsome ones, tended to be the hunters, not the hunted, in this environment.
Shawn noticed Corwin watching him almost as much as he surveyed the crowd. It was a look of curiosity more than anything else, as if Corwin was gauging Shawn’s reaction to all that was going on. Shawn didn’t appreciate the scrutiny and found that he was liking their guide less and less as time went on.
Rebecca made her way over to Shawn’s side. “I’m growing tired of being hit on.”
“You should be flattered.” His tone was insincere. After a second, he softened. “Hell, I’d hit on you if I was on the hunt here.”
“Thanks, I think.” She replied. “You know, if I wanted a dick between my legs, I could take home any guy in here.”
“If you want a dick between your legs, all you need do is ask.” Flirted Shawn.
She gave him an askance look. “Thanks for proving my point, Mr. One-of-the-guys-in-here.” She teased in return.
“I would have thought you had enough earlier. Between last night and this afternoon.”
“I did,” she said, half-truthfully, wandering over to the stairs to look down on the lower level of the bar, “but there’s something about this…” She stopped mid-sentence.
“What is it?” asked Shawn, straightening up and looking below as well.
A tall pale young man in a black trench coat had walked inside. As he entered, it was as if the entire room turned to look at him.
“That’s him.” Said Shawn. “My God, he’s changed.”
They both could see it. Gone was the sheepish nerd they had remembered. The young man before them seemed self-assured, confident, and completely within his element. They watched closely as two or three young women made their way to his side. Rebecca felt a twinge of jealousy herself as one of them put her arms about his waist. She let out a slight cry.
Despite the noise in the room, the distraction of the crowd, and everything else, Michael looked up and looked right at her. A predatory smile crossed lips. It chilled her to the bone.
“Go,” barked Shawn to Rebecca. “He’s seen us.”
Michael took a step back and headed back towards the door he came in, making for an escape. Rebecca tried to dash down the stairs, but the press of the crowd slowed her progress. By the time she reached the bottom, he was gone.
“God damnit.” She swore. “How did he hear me in this noise?”
“I don’t know, but the streets are clearer. Keep moving.” Pressed Shawn. They pushed their way outside onto the street. They glanced about looking, but did not see him amidst the crowds of college students walking up and down the strip.
“Damn. We can’t have come this far to fail now.” Lamented Rebecca.
“There, that black sedan!” barked Shawn. He pointed and Rebecca saw Michael’s tall form get into the driver’s side of a nearby car. The car started up. Rebecca darted into the street, determined to block the car with her body.
“Becca!” screamed Shawn when he saw what she was doing. Michael veered and swung around her, missing her by a good bit and scaring a number of the mingling students on the sidewalk.
“Are you mad?” snarled Shawn as he dashed out to fetch her.
“I wasn’t going to let him get away that easily. He knows it’s us.”
Corwin’s car came around the bend and Corwin laid on the horn. The pair spun around startled. “Come on. Now’s our chance.” Shawn and Rebecca dashed over and got in. And the chase was on.
“Did you see him?” asked Shawn as Corwin sped down Main Street. “Black Pontiac or Buick, some GM car. Couldn’t get the exact make and model in the dark.”
“I saw him. That should be him about three cars up. Looks like he’s turning onto Price’s Fork.”
“Stay with him.”
“Pray the lights are cooperative.” Said Corwin, making the turn.
At the next light, Michael’s car made a right, heading up Tom’s Creek. Corwin stayed with him. They followed him through town, keeping close, but not too close.
“I don’t want to spook him into racing off on us. I want to know where he’s going.”
“He knows we’re after him.” Said Rebecca. “He saw us.”
“The more threatened he feels, the more dangerous this becomes.” Said Corwin. The black car reached US 460 and then sped across the highway onto an old road leading into the woods. Corwin continued to follow, but the darkness of the woods made it harder to see their quarry.
“What is this place?”
“Undeveloped land. There’s been talk of putting apartment complexes back here, but none of the contractors have started any work here yet. The only thing back here should be old farmhouses and cabins.” The pavement quickly turned to dirt and Corwin slowed his car down to avoid crashing in the dark woods.
“You sure he’s still ahead of us?”
“Quite sure. The woods are too thick for it to have gone off-road and there’s been no side roads. Look, there’s a cabin up ahead.”
“And a car parked outside.” Added Rebecca. “The one we want.”
“Alright, let’s be careful.” Said Corwin. “I’m going to drive past and then park a little bit away. That’ll put some distance between us and the cabin and maybe make him think he lost us. Maybe then we can approach unnoticed.”
Corwin kept going down the road and pulled over to the side after about 200 yards. He got out, and Shawn and Rebecca followed suit. They said nothing, a palpable sense of danger had come over each of them. The only sound they could hear was the noise of the woods, birds, crickets, and what not. Rebecca had a brief flashback to another woodland adventure, nearly a year ago, her and their quarry alone in the night.
“Had we gone all the way that night, would it makes things now worse or better?” she wondered grimly. She followed close behind Shawn. Corwin took point as they closed on the house.
“No lights on.” Whispered Corwin, crouching behind a fallen tree. “Odd.”
“He can’t have been more than 2 minutes ahead of us.” Added Shawn in a hushed tone. “He's got to be here.”
“He’s probably waiting for us.” Added Rebecca, remembering Michael’s smile at the bar. The thought chilled her.
“We can come back tomorrow. I don’t like this.” Admitted Shawn.
“No,” said Rebecca. “I want to know now.” She stood up and headed towards the house.
“Becca!” said Shawn with exasperation, almost raising his voice. “Be careful.”
“He won’t hurt me.” She said and then headed for the front door. The others followed, more cautiously.
The door was unlocked. She stepped inside. The first room, a kitchen/dining room combo, was somewhat messy, with a stack of books on the table. Rebecca paused at the pile to examine them.
“Roleplaying games. Shadowrun, BattleTech.” she said aloud.
“Those were Michael’s staples.” Added Corwin. “He’s here all right.”
“Indeed he is.” Said a voice. The lights came on with a flash, blinding the three of them.
When the blindness faded, they could see the same tall lanky figure they’d spotted at the bar in the doorway behind them. Now seen up close, they knew for sure.
“You’ve done well, Corwin.” Said Michael.
“Thank you, mi’lord.” He replied. Rebecca and Shawn looked at him in disbelief, doubly so at the handgun Corwin now pointed at Shawn.
Michael walked inside and closed the door behind him. “Bind him.” He ordered.
Corwin motioned for the two of them to move further inside. Wary of his weapon, they did as commanded.
“So it was a trap. All of it a trap.” Said Shawn.
“You wouldn’t have come if I’d just asked.” Said Michael.
“You underestimate how she still feels about you if you believe that.” Shawn almost didn’t believe those words escaped his lips, but he was too angry now to care.
“We came to help you.” pleaded Rebecca. She turned to Corwin. “How much of it was a lie?”
“Not as much as you might think.” Answered Michael. “Falling in with the wrong crowd, all that was true. Although not quite in the way that you think. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Shawn, it was in fact me who hospitalized your brother a year ago. You had that right too.”
“Son of bitch, I knew it.” Heedless of Corwin’s gun, he lunged at Michael. Michael grabbed him by the throat and flung him back, as easily as he might manhandle a small dog.
“You should take a lesson from what happened to him. If I can so easily pulverize him, surely I’m not the skinny little wimp you remember. Hurry up, Corwin, before he hurts someone.”
Corwin grabbed Shawn and forced him down into a chair. Corwin then bound him securely, tying his wrists together and then his arms to the chair.
“What are you going to do with us?” said Shawn, unable to conceal his fear any longer.
“I’m going to talk.” Said Michael. “I’m going to tell you what’s really going on.”
“Then why tie him up?” said Rebecca.
“That will become clear in time.” Said Michael. “He stays put. As for you, I will not harm you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Said Rebecca. ““You’re not the Michael I remember. He was kind. You’re a monster.”
Michael laughed at that, a loud boisterous laugh that chilled Rebecca down to her very bones. “You said yourself once I had a dark side. You were right. I’ve simply come to terms with who I really am. The whole world has been telling me all my life that I’m a freak, an outsider. Well, they were right and I’m not fighting it anymore. Is there darkness about me? Yes. I don’t put up with people’s bullshit like I used to. No one makes a fool of me, not anymore.” He looked at Shawn fiercely. “Your brother learned that lesson the hard way.” He softened as he turned back to Rebecca. “Besides, I think you’ll like this version of me just as much, if not more so, than the old me.”
“Not likely.” she said. It sounded only marginally more forceful than she meant it. Deep down, she knew he was right. Every word, every motion, even the most frightening, seemed to turn her on all the more. She couldn’t believe how attractive she found him. It was almost unnatural.
“You never could lie to me.” Said Michael with a sly smile.
“That doesn’t change what’s happening now. You trick us into coming down here, hold us at gunpoint, tie Shawn up.” Rebecca tried to sound fiercer than she felt, but Michael seemed unfazed.
“Each of those things you accuse me of has a reason behind it. A good one. Let’s start with the trickery. Ok, I admit to that. I had Corwin write that letter to pique your interest. I wasn’t sure if I still mattered. I didn’t know if you’d come. If I made it into a mystery to be solved, that would give me time to find out for sure. Corwin’s been spying on you the whole time, relaying to me your thoughts, concerns, and ideas about me all along.”
“The whole thing a set up.”
“It also gave me a clear picture about him.” Said Michael, pointing to Shawn. “What his real motives were.”
“He came because of me. If Corwin’s been spying on us all along, you know that.”
“But at one point,” Interjected Corwin. “he let slip the truth. Something about making Michael regret running into you two again.”
“And I contradicted him.” Added Rebecca. She looked at Michael. “I told him we weren’t here for that. We came to help you.”
“I don’t doubt that you did. But not him. He came for revenge. As his attempted assault on me a minute ago proves.”
“I don’t believe you.” Said Rebecca.
“I’ve said no lies tonight, Rebecca.” said Michael, walking over to Shawn. “But what have we here?” He reached into the pocket of Shawn’s jacket to pull out a small pistol. “A H&K P7. Nice little gun. Small, concealable. Perfect for keeping secrets from the woman you’re sleeping with, eh?” He looked at Rebecca.
“That’s not mine. I don’t own a gun. I swear, Rebecca, I’ve never seen it before.”
“So, who do you believe?” said Michael, ejecting the clip and tossing the gun to Corwin. “Did I abduct you tonight, hold you at gunpoint without reason? Do I plan to murder you or worse? Or is it as I’ve said, just an elaborate scheme to find out the truth about you and to protect myself from him.”
“I don’t know.” She replied honestly.
“This may not sound like much reassurance, but if I truly wanted to harm you, I could have done it at any time.”
“You still can.” Said Rebecca with a shiver.
“Yes.” Admitted Michael. “I could. But tell me, which is the better course? To want to do something and be unable or to be able to do something and not want to?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The difference between who I was and who I am now.” He reached up to run his hand across her cheek. She did not flinch at his touch.
“Don’t touch her!” demanded Shawn. “She’s mine.”
“A mere possession, Shawn? How cold of you.”
“I didn’t mean it that way and you know it.”
“But how can we trust your word when you’ve been caught in a lie?”
“No more than we can trust you. You faked your own death. Disappeared. Do you have any idea what that did to her, especially after she buried her brother under similar circumstances? Which of us is the greater sinner, I wonder?”
“That!” exclaimed Michael excitedly. “is a very good question. Which is the worst indeed. Or the better? Perhaps we should let Rebecca decide. If she chooses you, you both may walk out of here, minus your gun of course, and I will bother you no more. If she chooses me, then you can go, but she stays.”
“And you accuse me of thinking of her as a possession.”
“Oh, you are right, Shawn. That was a poor choice of wording.” Admitted Michael. “Regardless of her choice, you are both free. But with or without her, I want you out of Blacksburg by this time tomorrow. Corwin, untie him and leave us.”
“Yes, mi’lord.” Corwin cut Shawn’s bonds and freed him. He then headed out the door without a word.
“Your bodyguard is gone, with the guns.” Said Shawn, coming to his feet.
“I believe you’ve already seen ample demonstration that I am quite capable at hand fighting. And working to carry out your vendetta is not likely to win you points with the lovely Rebecca.” Retorted Michael.
“You can’t seriously be thinking of staying with him. Living in his world, with all that violence and ugliness.” Pleaded Shawn.
“Who says we have to stay there?” replied Rebecca, her eyes never leaving Michael. “Surely there’s a better life than that for you, Michael.”
“Ah, yes, and now we get back to your purpose in coming.” Said Michael. “To redeem me, to save me from myself. What will you do to bring me back to the light?” Between his words and the look in his eyes, it was obvious what Michael had in mind.
“Don’t do it, Rebecca.” Said Shawn. “He’s toying with you. Can’t you see it? This is just a game to him!”
“Forgive me, Shawn. But I can’t leave him here. I have to do this.”
“That sounds like she’s made her choice.” Said Michael. Michael dug into the pocket of his trench coat and tossed his car keys to Shawn. “Go back to the Red Lion. You are free to go.”
“Don’t do this to me. Rebecca.” Pleaded Shawn.
“Now you know how it feels.” Said Michael cruelly.
Shawn’s face hardened in anger. “This isn’t over, Allens. I won’t let you do this to her.”
“Go, before you regret it.” Said Michael commandingly.
Shawn turned and headed out the door in a rage, slamming the door behind him.
Rebecca looked at the door for several long minutes, saying nothing. “I hope I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life.”
“You can always follow him out if you think so.”
“I don’t know anything anymore. Nothing is certain.”
“Is that truly so? Nothing?” said Michael, coming to her side.
“I came for you. I stayed for you. And yet there’s still a part of me that can’t believe you’re really here. That you’re really alive. Shawn was right about one thing. What you did hurt me just as badly as my brother's death, if not more so. And I don’t know whether to hate you or love you.”
“You broke my heart, Rebecca. With him. That act, more than anything else, condemned me to this hell.”
“So you don’t know whether to hate me or love me either.”
Michael gave a curt nod in reply to that.
"So what happens now?" said Rebecca, fear rising in her voice.
"You can either kill me or kiss me. I leave that choice to you."
“I don’t think I’ll stop at just kissing.” She admitted.
Michael pulled her into his arms. “Stop fighting it. We’ve waited far too long.”
---
Shawn sat in the car, pensive. Even through the closed windows, he could faintly hear the sounds within the cabin. His girl with him, with twice the gusto and ten times the passion she’d ever mustered with him.
He should have left. He should have taken the keys and driven back to town. Left her to her own stupidity.
That wasn’t his first mistake. He should have pressed Michael on the lie about the gun. There had been no gun in his pocket. How Michael had managed that bit of prestidigitation, Shawn didn’t know. But it was well played and Shawn knew he’d been outmaneuvered.
He’d been outmaneuvered on everything. Everything masterfully played. The letter, the spy in their midst, the planted gun, everything there to undermine him and to win her back. Even Corwin’s pointed questions, designed to draw attention to his jealousy. The only thing that didn’t seem to add in was the food poisoning from the night before.
"Wait a minute," he thought. "Could it have been?"
Rage filled him. “He did it!” Shawn yelled aloud. “He had us drugged. He came into the room! He raped her. I didn’t touch her last night, he did!”
He stepped out of the car and was about to head towards the house. Suddenly, Rebecca was before him, naked as the day she was born.
“Eeyah!” exclaimed Shawn, startled. “How did you…Why are you naked?”
She gave him no answer, but looked at him with an odd look. Like a predator toying with its prey. It was extremely unnerving.
“There’s something you need to know…” Shawn began.
Rebecca growled at him, a sound no human should be able to make. He jumped back, striking the car, his heart in his throat. He watched as her canines lengthened. “What the…Oh, God, no!”
Rebecca lunged in, fangs bared. Shawn got out a scream, but only for a second.
Act Two Chapter Five
Monday, October 31, 2011
Act Two Chapter Three - Peace Sells
“You fool!” snarled Mathias at Deborah. “No vampire, and I mean none, has any business in the forest. I work tirelessly to keep the lupines away with promises and threats, and now your childe and Solomon have ruined everything.”
Deborah stood silent. In all the years she had lived under Mathias as her Prince, she had never seen him quite this angry. She was grateful that Solomon and Michael had both (on her advice) declined Mathias’ invitation to appear before him. Who knows what might have happened then?
“Don’t forget the mages, mi’lord.” Quipped Ernie. “They’re in this too.”
Ernie had told the Prince the same story he’d shared with Deborah and her allies the night before; the exact same story, no additional omissions or revelations.
“Yes,” said Mathias. “That makes things worse.” He glared hard at Deborah. “I should end your childe for this travesty.”
“Oh, don’t do that. He’s too much fun.” Added Ernie again.
Mathias looked askance at Ernie. Deborah read between the lines. Ernie was making an ultimatum. Would Mathias blink?
“Solomon is guilty also.” Interjected Andreas. “Should not the ancillae suffer the same fate?”
Deborah did not like where this was going. “My Prince,” she added hurriedly. “after the Djinn, Solomon and Michael are your two strongest fighters. If you offer them up as sacrificial lambs to the werewolves and this offering is rejected, who then will fight your war for you?”
“Oooh, good play.” Commented Ernie. “Although, it seems unfair to allow pretty little Deborah to get completely off the hook for her folly.”
“You have a suggestion?” queried Mathias.
“Kill the thralls. Particularly the two most likely candidates, Mitchell and Boorman.”
“Maybe Michael was right,” Deborah mused. The suggestion had not surprised her. In fact, she had a ready retort. “Blacksburg has seen much death lately. How long before someone starts asking questions?”
“That we can lay at your feet as well, dear Deborah.” Spat Mathias. “Another sin for which Michael goes unpunished.”
“He is young and impulsive, as are all kindred in their first years. Tell me. Have not Andreas and Sophia had to cover up their childer’s indiscretions as well? It seems Roanoke’s unsolved murder rate has gone up recently as well.” Deborah went on the attack. “Besides, my lord Prince, I somehow suspect that if the mages and the werewolves are after those two thralls of mine, then they’d hardly be happy to find them corpses on the morrow.”
Mathias glared at her with frustration and she knew she’d won. Mathias was boxed into a corner and everyone knew it. His only option was to fight.
“I will not have open war on my watch. Blood in the streets will call down too much scrutiny from mortal authorities, regardless of whether it is mortal, werewolf, or Kindred blood. Djinn!” He barked the last word loudly, although his bodyguard had been standing silently behind him the whole time.
The Djinn stepped forward. Mathias continued. “Chief Tyler needs to know who rules this city. Remind him. The rest of you, get out!”
Deborah departed quickly, wondering what price she might pay for her victory here tonight.
After the assembled kindred had left, the Djinn remained. “Mi’lord,” he said softly. “Might I ask a boon for this task. After all, Tyler is a seasoned warrior. He will not be easily defeated.”
Mathias gave him an incredulous look. “Not for you.”
The Djinn, realizing now he would not even get to make his proposal with Mathias in this mood, gave his sire a curt nod and then vanished into the shadows.
----
“So, how did it go?” queried Michael.
“There will be no war.” Said Deborah with frustration.
“I wasn’t aware that was up to us.” Interjected Solomon. “Or the Prince for that matter.”
“Chief Tyler dies tonight at the Djinn’s hand. That will end it. No war. No casualties. No vulnerability.”
“So what happens now?” asked Michael.
“We lay low and hope Mathias is prone to forget the events of these past few nights.”
“What about your plans? Your coup?”
“It waits. All of it.” Said Deborah. “Now is not the time. Not with…” She stopped short, unwilling to divulge any further details of her meeting with the Prince.
If Michael or Solomon either one was curious about the conclusion to her thought, they made no comment.
“And my plans? What of them?” Michael asked instead.
“It waits.” Repeated Deborah.
“Things are already in motion. She’s coming next week.”
“Then figure it out, Michael. You’re a smart boy. But you will make no move against Rebecca so long as Mathias’ anger is kindled against us.” Deborah glared hard at him. “You will get your chance. But it will be in the future. Not now.”
Michael ground his teeth together in aggravation. Without a word, he turned and left.
---
Tyler Bennett pulled his pick-up truck to a stop in front of the secluded A-frame house he called home. No one bothered him out here, tucked away in the woods as he was some ways off Route 11 between Salem and Shawsville.
As he stepped out of the truck, he reached back and pulled out a crossbow from the passenger seat, along with a quiver full of quarrels. Casual observers would note the oddity of these particular bolts having no metal arrowheads; each ended in a sharpened wooden point. His fellow werewolves might question the use of a weapon at all for the task before them. Tyler was no fool. His physical abilities were formidable, but these vampires were no cannon fodder. They would sell their lives dearly and it was always best to take out an enemy before he could reach you.
The night was quiet, almost unnaturally so. Tyler noted the stillness, and drew the bowstring taut. He placed one of the quarrels in place and moved towards the house cautiously. It would not be unexpected for the black prince of the vampires to make the first move. But he sensed no movement, only the ongoing stillness.
He opened the front door and stepped inside with some caution. His foot planted in something slippery and nearly went out from under him. In the dark, he could not see what it was, so he knelt closer and as he did so, the smell assaulted him. The smell of blood. The smell of death.
“Candice?” he asked nervously into the darkness. She wasn’t supposed to be here tonight. She was never to be around when the grim duties of his wolf blood called. But if they’d hurt her…
The darkness gave no answer. Tyler paused, fighting back the growing sense of panic within him. Was she here? Had they hurt her? He willed his body to morph, almost afraid to learn what his wolf senses would tell him.
The smells grew more pungent. The darkness gave way to the dim hazy vision of the beast. And Tyler had his answer. A slick of blood. A crumpled body on the floor. A head on the mantle.
He moved forward swiftly, unwilling to witness the desecration of her body even a second longer. He briefly felt the tripwire at his feet. He heard the twang of another crossbow, but it was too late. Two heavy bolts found their mark. Agony seared through his chest. Unlike his bolts, these had metal heads, and not just any metal.
The darkness seemed to coalesce and take human form. The prince’s lapdog. Tyler tried to lunge forward, but found his motion sluggish.
The Djinn laughed. “All too easy.” He said in a mocking tone. “If this is all the fight you dogs will put up, why does my master fear you so?”
“This is not the end.” Stuttered Tyler.
“For you, it is.” Replied The Djinn. “And your tribe will learn the dangers of crossing us.” The tulwar flashed in his hand and Tyler knew no more.
---
Michael walked inside his cabin to find a gathering of vampiric thralls, some his, some Deborah’s. He laughed to himself as he saw them huddled over the small table in his kitchen, playing Shadowrun. Regardless of all the grand affairs that went on in the background, some things never changed.
“Hey, Michael.” Greeted Boar. Michael looked him up and down briefly before acknowledging the greeting. Could it be that he really was a werewolf and not know it? Or was he the mage?
“You look like shit.” Commented Mitch.
“Apparently, the war has been cancelled.”
“That would seem a good thing.” Interjected Corwin.
“Peace was bought with a price apparently.” Replied Michael snidely. “It doesn’t matter.”
“So we’re still a go?” asked Corwin.
“Yes.” Said Michael defiantly. “We stick to the plan. I’m not waiting any longer. It’s far past time for Rebecca to learn the price of crossing me.”
Act Two Chapter Four
Deborah stood silent. In all the years she had lived under Mathias as her Prince, she had never seen him quite this angry. She was grateful that Solomon and Michael had both (on her advice) declined Mathias’ invitation to appear before him. Who knows what might have happened then?
“Don’t forget the mages, mi’lord.” Quipped Ernie. “They’re in this too.”
Ernie had told the Prince the same story he’d shared with Deborah and her allies the night before; the exact same story, no additional omissions or revelations.
“Yes,” said Mathias. “That makes things worse.” He glared hard at Deborah. “I should end your childe for this travesty.”
“Oh, don’t do that. He’s too much fun.” Added Ernie again.
Mathias looked askance at Ernie. Deborah read between the lines. Ernie was making an ultimatum. Would Mathias blink?
“Solomon is guilty also.” Interjected Andreas. “Should not the ancillae suffer the same fate?”
Deborah did not like where this was going. “My Prince,” she added hurriedly. “after the Djinn, Solomon and Michael are your two strongest fighters. If you offer them up as sacrificial lambs to the werewolves and this offering is rejected, who then will fight your war for you?”
“Oooh, good play.” Commented Ernie. “Although, it seems unfair to allow pretty little Deborah to get completely off the hook for her folly.”
“You have a suggestion?” queried Mathias.
“Kill the thralls. Particularly the two most likely candidates, Mitchell and Boorman.”
“Maybe Michael was right,” Deborah mused. The suggestion had not surprised her. In fact, she had a ready retort. “Blacksburg has seen much death lately. How long before someone starts asking questions?”
“That we can lay at your feet as well, dear Deborah.” Spat Mathias. “Another sin for which Michael goes unpunished.”
“He is young and impulsive, as are all kindred in their first years. Tell me. Have not Andreas and Sophia had to cover up their childer’s indiscretions as well? It seems Roanoke’s unsolved murder rate has gone up recently as well.” Deborah went on the attack. “Besides, my lord Prince, I somehow suspect that if the mages and the werewolves are after those two thralls of mine, then they’d hardly be happy to find them corpses on the morrow.”
Mathias glared at her with frustration and she knew she’d won. Mathias was boxed into a corner and everyone knew it. His only option was to fight.
“I will not have open war on my watch. Blood in the streets will call down too much scrutiny from mortal authorities, regardless of whether it is mortal, werewolf, or Kindred blood. Djinn!” He barked the last word loudly, although his bodyguard had been standing silently behind him the whole time.
The Djinn stepped forward. Mathias continued. “Chief Tyler needs to know who rules this city. Remind him. The rest of you, get out!”
Deborah departed quickly, wondering what price she might pay for her victory here tonight.
After the assembled kindred had left, the Djinn remained. “Mi’lord,” he said softly. “Might I ask a boon for this task. After all, Tyler is a seasoned warrior. He will not be easily defeated.”
Mathias gave him an incredulous look. “Not for you.”
The Djinn, realizing now he would not even get to make his proposal with Mathias in this mood, gave his sire a curt nod and then vanished into the shadows.
----
“So, how did it go?” queried Michael.
“There will be no war.” Said Deborah with frustration.
“I wasn’t aware that was up to us.” Interjected Solomon. “Or the Prince for that matter.”
“Chief Tyler dies tonight at the Djinn’s hand. That will end it. No war. No casualties. No vulnerability.”
“So what happens now?” asked Michael.
“We lay low and hope Mathias is prone to forget the events of these past few nights.”
“What about your plans? Your coup?”
“It waits. All of it.” Said Deborah. “Now is not the time. Not with…” She stopped short, unwilling to divulge any further details of her meeting with the Prince.
If Michael or Solomon either one was curious about the conclusion to her thought, they made no comment.
“And my plans? What of them?” Michael asked instead.
“It waits.” Repeated Deborah.
“Things are already in motion. She’s coming next week.”
“Then figure it out, Michael. You’re a smart boy. But you will make no move against Rebecca so long as Mathias’ anger is kindled against us.” Deborah glared hard at him. “You will get your chance. But it will be in the future. Not now.”
Michael ground his teeth together in aggravation. Without a word, he turned and left.
---
Tyler Bennett pulled his pick-up truck to a stop in front of the secluded A-frame house he called home. No one bothered him out here, tucked away in the woods as he was some ways off Route 11 between Salem and Shawsville.
As he stepped out of the truck, he reached back and pulled out a crossbow from the passenger seat, along with a quiver full of quarrels. Casual observers would note the oddity of these particular bolts having no metal arrowheads; each ended in a sharpened wooden point. His fellow werewolves might question the use of a weapon at all for the task before them. Tyler was no fool. His physical abilities were formidable, but these vampires were no cannon fodder. They would sell their lives dearly and it was always best to take out an enemy before he could reach you.
The night was quiet, almost unnaturally so. Tyler noted the stillness, and drew the bowstring taut. He placed one of the quarrels in place and moved towards the house cautiously. It would not be unexpected for the black prince of the vampires to make the first move. But he sensed no movement, only the ongoing stillness.
He opened the front door and stepped inside with some caution. His foot planted in something slippery and nearly went out from under him. In the dark, he could not see what it was, so he knelt closer and as he did so, the smell assaulted him. The smell of blood. The smell of death.
“Candice?” he asked nervously into the darkness. She wasn’t supposed to be here tonight. She was never to be around when the grim duties of his wolf blood called. But if they’d hurt her…
The darkness gave no answer. Tyler paused, fighting back the growing sense of panic within him. Was she here? Had they hurt her? He willed his body to morph, almost afraid to learn what his wolf senses would tell him.
The smells grew more pungent. The darkness gave way to the dim hazy vision of the beast. And Tyler had his answer. A slick of blood. A crumpled body on the floor. A head on the mantle.
He moved forward swiftly, unwilling to witness the desecration of her body even a second longer. He briefly felt the tripwire at his feet. He heard the twang of another crossbow, but it was too late. Two heavy bolts found their mark. Agony seared through his chest. Unlike his bolts, these had metal heads, and not just any metal.
The darkness seemed to coalesce and take human form. The prince’s lapdog. Tyler tried to lunge forward, but found his motion sluggish.
The Djinn laughed. “All too easy.” He said in a mocking tone. “If this is all the fight you dogs will put up, why does my master fear you so?”
“This is not the end.” Stuttered Tyler.
“For you, it is.” Replied The Djinn. “And your tribe will learn the dangers of crossing us.” The tulwar flashed in his hand and Tyler knew no more.
---
Michael walked inside his cabin to find a gathering of vampiric thralls, some his, some Deborah’s. He laughed to himself as he saw them huddled over the small table in his kitchen, playing Shadowrun. Regardless of all the grand affairs that went on in the background, some things never changed.
“Hey, Michael.” Greeted Boar. Michael looked him up and down briefly before acknowledging the greeting. Could it be that he really was a werewolf and not know it? Or was he the mage?
“You look like shit.” Commented Mitch.
“Apparently, the war has been cancelled.”
“That would seem a good thing.” Interjected Corwin.
“Peace was bought with a price apparently.” Replied Michael snidely. “It doesn’t matter.”
“So we’re still a go?” asked Corwin.
“Yes.” Said Michael defiantly. “We stick to the plan. I’m not waiting any longer. It’s far past time for Rebecca to learn the price of crossing me.”
Act Two Chapter Four
Monday, October 17, 2011
Act Two Chapter Two - Every Breath You Take
The nights passed but Michael’s mood remained sour. He felt trapped and confused. What was he? A monster or not? A beast to be feared or one utterly powerless? He found no answers within the confines of his mind.
Michael marched grimly down Tom’s Creek, heading for downtown. It was the walk he did nearly every night from his haven in the woods into town. Like it had been for the past several nights, it was done with an almost mechanical frustration, like a soldier off to do his duty with great reluctance. He no longer found much joy in the willing arms of whatever student he enraptured with his powers. But feed he must and this was the easiest way to do it.
He cut a quick turn down Price’s Fork towards Turner Street, coming up towards his old dorm in Thomas Hall. He cut across to the left side of the street, towards the old convenience mart that he’d frequented during his brief stint as a student, thinking he might see Mitch or Boar there. There were not, so Michael continued on.
As he cleared the parking lot, two hands grabbed him somewhat forcefully and flung him into the small copse of trees between the convenience mart and its neighboring house. Michael skidded across a patch of fallen leaves and was ready to leap back to his feet for a fight when he saw that his “attacker” was Deborah.
“What the…” he started to say angrily.
“Just shut up.” She snapped, cutting him off. “I’m sick of your bullshit lately.” She popped open his jeans and yanked them half down his thighs. He was about to continue his protest when she took him into her mouth. He hardened immediately and decided to keep silent.
She worked him with her mouth for several minutes and then climbed up and slid him inside her. By now, Michael was enraptured in pleasure, although confused about Deborah’s rather spontaneous and hurried seduction. Her touch was overwhelming and he climaxed hard, harder than he had in months.
“Maybe now, that’ll put you in a better mood.” She said, running her hand affectionately down his cheek.
“I thought you were mad at me.”
“I was, but not for the reasons you think.” She let out her breath in frustration. “Look, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have been so blunt with you the other night.”
“You told the truth. I’m the one who couldn’t handle it.” Admitted Michael. “I still can’t.” His tone was despondent.
“Hush.” She said, putting her fingers across his lips. “I rushed you into the ugliest part of our existence and I shouldn’t have done that. The counter to what I told you is that our choices still matter. I should have made that clearer, but I figured you could reason that out on your own. That’s the secret of the cliché I told you.”
“Monsters we are, lest monsters we become.” Michael repeated.
“Yes. What monster will you choose to be to keep yourself from becoming the monster you do not wish to be.”
“Or are.”
Deborah nodded. “Yes. Or to keep yourself from being the monster you are. That’s what I wanted you to learn.”
“But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m alone and always will be.”
“Stop dwelling on that.” She said. “You’re not alone now. You’re with me.”
“A lie.”
“Is it?” she replied.
Michael looked at her keenly. “You're trying to backpedal on a truth you should not have revealed so soon. Little point in closing the barn door once the horses are gone.”
“Perhaps, but our choices still matter.” She took his hand and gave him an affectionate nibble along his palm. “Right now, I choose to be with you. If what we have now is a lie, then it is one I choose to believe. You can too.”
“Tempting, but ultimately empty.” said Michael.
“Pretending is sometimes all that keeps the ennui of the long years away.” She paused. “It's not the only way, but it works from time to time.”
“What are some of the others?”
“The Danse.” she said. "The ongoing struggle for power and prestige. To overcome our enemies.”
“Like you're trying to do with me and Ernie and Solomon against this unnamed foe. Building alliances. Purchasing weapons. Garnering favor.”
“Destroying your enemies provides a good distraction. Once you have some, that is.”
“I have one.” he said.
“Ah, yes. That mortal girl who broke your heart. Rebecca, I believe was her name.”
“Yeah.” Said Michael weakly. “You know, the more I think about it, the less what she did bothers me. After all, I have any woman I want now. I have you and Kris and anyone else I choose to turn my charms upon. Not entirely sure she really qualifies as an enemy anymore.”
“Oh, please.” said Deborah incredulously, almost mockingly. “You honestly think I’d believe that after all you’ve done.”
“All I’ve done?” There was confusion in his voice.
“Have you forgotten what you did, the day she left you?” Her voice was teasing, playful even. “The way you lost your virginity that night. Not exactly the stuff of romantic daydreams. If I’d been anything but Kindred, you’d have split me in two. Don’t tell me that fire has gone out. It’s a lie and you know it. Our dead frat boy is proof. Why did he die? Why did you kill him?”
She let the question hang, but didn’t expect an answer. Michael did not provide one.
“There is the truth and then there are the lies we desperately want to believe. Tell me or yourself or anyone what you chose, but there’s no denying that your anger drives you, Michael. Your fury at the world around you. Your rage at losing what could have been.”
“You said yourself that path would be denied to me under any circumstance. I was, even before my embrace, a monster.”
“And is that fair? Imagine even a little grace on her part. Then what? She could have overlooked those flaws in your character. Instead, she held them against you and used them as rationale for her betrayal. Are you really going to leave her unpunished for that?”
“Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”
“In truth, because your anger is becoming a liability.” she said frankly. “You're no good to me dead and too many more dead frat boys will force Mathias' hand against you. And since you are still my childe, it will move against me as well. Better to give you the means to resolve your frustrations rather than have you try to rationalize them away as you've been doing. The simple truth is, Michael, it's not working and there's a moldering corpse in the Blacksburg morgue to prove it.”
The two of them looked in each others eyes for a long moment. “I know what you want. I know what you fear.” Said Deborah. “But what you did the other night is not the way to go about it. Master your anger and you will discover true power. Channel it into a goal, a purpose. Randomly killing any jerk who ticks you off only makes you an animal, a mindless beast. Meticulously destroying a hated enemy, bit by bit, that makes you Kindred. My question to you, which will you choose to be?”
“I am a vampire.”
“Then act like one. Bring Rebecca here and prove it.”
-----
“Alright, you've seen exhibition shooters before, right?” asked Solomon, scooping up about a half dozen clay pigeons from a box.
“On TV a few times.” said Michael. His training had progressed beyond melee weapons and hand-to-hand techniques into firearms. Thus, they had come to a secluded clearing within Jefferson National Forest, somewhere off I-81 between Roanoke and Blacksburg. There, Solomon had pulled out a variety of guns: rifles, shotguns, and pistols. Plus a few blades in case they decided to spar a bit before finishing.
“This is one of their tricks.” Continued Solomon. “For a human, this is a very difficult shot. With your vampire reflexes and senses, you should be able to pull this off without too much trouble.” He tossed the pigeons skyward, then fast as lightning, brought the shotgun in his other hand to his shoulder, fired off six shots, and hit all six pigeons before they hit the ground.
Michael stood their dumbfounded. Solomon smiled at Michael's look. He reloaded the shotgun. “We'll start you easy. Semi-automatic shotgun with birdshot. With practice, you'll be able to do this with pump shotgun, then slugs, then rifle and pistol. And if you can pull off this trick, shooting at live targets will be a piece of cake.”
He tossed the shotgun to Michael. “Two rules for fighting with a gun when you're Kindred. The first is to take your time. With your reflexes and senses, you can afford a bit of hesitation to set up your shot. Remember that in order to do this trick.”
“And the second?”
“Bullets don't really hurt, so if your enemies are shooting back at you, there's little need to flinch or duck or let that rattle you. No need to rush things to get a shot off before they do. Odds are good you'll do that anyway, but even still...unless they're using a mini-gun like the guy in that Predator movie, there's nothing to fear in their firing back at you. Now, let's try the trick shot.”
“Ok.” said Michael hesitantly. He scooped up the pigeons, tossed them in the air. He brought the gun to his shoulder with the same fluid motion as Solomon had. He fired. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! He got four of the six before they hit the ground.
“Not bad.” said Solomon. “Told you it wasn't that hard. Humans practice that trick for years before mastering it. And yet, on your first shot, you took down two-thirds of the pigeons. Reload and try again.”
It wasn't five minutes before Michael had mastered the trick. Then, as promised, he moved up to the pump shotgun. Now he had to pump each round out of the chamber between shots. That proved a more difficult challenge. It took Michael nearly an hour to get that one down.
“Alright, we've squeezed off enough rounds for one night.” said Solomon, starting to put away the guns, ammo, and what few clay pigeons he had left. “We'll spar for a little while with the swords.”
“You missed a box.” said Michael, picking up a stray box of ammo, .44 magnum pistol rounds to be precise.
“That one stays out.” corrected Solomon. He drew his Ruger Blackhawk revolver from his belt and opened the cylinder. “Check them out.” he said, as he dropped the loaded rounds from the cylinder.
Michael drew the bullets out of the box and immediately noticed their unusual color. “Those aren't standard rounds.”
“No, they're not. They're a precaution. We're out in the woods and there are certain things out here that might see our practice as encroachment on their territory.”
Michael put two-and-two together. “Silver bullets.” he said.
Solomon nodded. “Bane of werewolves everywhere.” He started slotting six new silver bullets into his pistol. 'I should have done this when we got here. I let myself get distracted.”
“Are they common?”
“Werewolves? No supernatural being can be considered common on this earth, but they are around here. Prince Mathias has had his dealings with them. Deals made. Favors traded. Treaties signed. The forest is theirs. And while our presence here will likely go unnoticed, it never hurts to be prepared.”
Michael felt both a sense of excitement and a sense of fear at the possibility of an encounter with a skinchanger. He picked up a sword, and gave it his characteristic twirl.
“I keep telling you not to handle your weapon that way.” said Solomon. “This isn't Hollywood.”
“It hasn't hurt my chances against you.” said Michael with a bit of bravado. “I'm up to 50/50 against you.”
Which was true. “Then, I suppose I will have to alter that ratio a bit tonight. Get it back where it belongs.” Solomon lunged with a powerful thrust, one Michael just barely parried.
They went back and forth, slashing, thrusting, parrying blows. Michael's skills had improved considerably and Solomon found beating him, while certainly still possible, was far more difficult than it used to be.
After a match that left the two of them battered and bruised as always, Solomon turned to Michael. “Alright, it’s time you at least got the book lesson on decapitation. Obviously, this is something we can’t practice, so you’ll have to try to apply what I tell you to the real world on your own. Again, forget all the Hollywood stuff you’ve learned. Taking a man’s head is not easy, not even for the sharpest of blades. It’s a matter of historical record that even Madame Guillotine often took multiple hits to end the lives of the French nobility. And that was against a stationary target.”
Solomon pulled out a katana. “For lighter blades, one of these is probably your best bet. Or you could go the route of our friend, The Djinn, and use a heavy blade. He carries a tulwar, but a machete or any other large hacking blade will do. The first trick is to hit the neck, not always easy on a moving and dodging target. The second is to get through the vertebrae, which are thicker and denser bones than just about any other.”
“So they neither break nor cut easily.”
“No, the bones of the arm or leg are either thin enough to be cut or brittle enough to shatter under the blow of a sword. The bones in the neck will not give so easily. Now, mind you, a strike to the neck by any sword, even if it doesn’t decapitate, will likely kill a normal human. There’s way too many vital things in there that they cannot survive without. A vampire or skinchanger on the other hand can survive such a strike; the vampire because all those vital things aren’t vital anymore and the werewolf because they can heal the wound so fast it’s like they weren’t even hurt.”
“So aim true and swing hard or it’s my funeral.”
“Basically. Now, let’s go again.” Solomon switched back to his other sword and came at Michael hard. Thrust, parry, slash, and Solomon found he had gained the initiative against Michael. First time tonight and now he was doing to take advantage. He pressed his attack. Michael stumbled on a tree root and Solomon was about to deliver a faux coup de grace to end the skirmish when he stopped mid-stroke.
“I hear it too.” said Michael, coming to his feet. “We’re not alone.”
Two burly men emerged from the woods into the clearing. They looked to the casual observer to be nothing more than typical western Virginia rednecks, but there was a feral look in their eyes that said to Michael he'd just gotten his earlier wish about meeting some of the other denizens of the night.
“Evening, gents.” said Solomon.
“You're intruding, bloodsucker.” The tone was unmistakably hostile.
“We were just leaving.” Solomon gave Michael a telling look, but said nothing else.
“You come on our land. You become fair game.” With that, the man growled out a noise no human should be able to make. His skin seemed to ripple and morph, and within seconds where a man once stood there was the largest wolf Michael had ever seen.
His companion also began to shift, taking on the form of a giant man-wolf, nearly 9 feet tall. And for the first time since his turning, Michael felt fear.
Beside him, he saw Solomon tense up, ready for battle. His fingernails lengthened as he consciously used one his vampiric powers. Michael, absentmindedly, twirled his sword.
The two vampires faced off with the two werewolves. And then, in a split second, everything exploded into violence.
Michael couldn't remember who “blinked” first, but he did remember the man-wolf charging towards him. But Solomon tackled the giant and knocked him aside. Michael lunged forward but was taken off his feet by the wolf. He brought his foot up and landed a solid kick in the gut of the werewolf, launching it over his head.
Michael came back to his feet as the wolf leaped again. This time, Michael was ready. He dropped backwards, and brought his sword up with a powerful thrust. Just as the wolf reached him, his sword pierced flesh. He gave the sword a hard yank to the left and felt it cut through. He dashed to his feet to see the wolf at his feet, half decapitated and yet still moving.
“Solomon was right. It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies.” Thought Michael, swinging his sword around in a long arc. Before his very eyes, he could see the savage wound on the werewolf’s neck closing again, but it did not finish before Michael’s blow connected with the side of its neck and cleaved through to what remained of it. The wolf’s head came loose and bounced on the ground at Michael’s feet.
One down. One to go. Michael turned to see Solomon sorely pressed by the giant man-wolf thing the second skinchanger had transformed into. With his vampire claws, Solomon had given the werewolf a number of nasty scratches across its belly and chest. Despite the ugliness of those wounds, the werewolf was not stopping.
Michael charged forward and sank his sword deep into the man-wolf’s side. It howled in shock and pain, and then gave Michael a solid backhand which sent him flying. Michael landed hard on his upper back and then tumbled over to land flat on his belly. Although he’d sustained numerous injuries in his sparring bouts with Solomon, this blow hurt worse than all of them combined. How hard did the werewolf hit him?
Despite the injury, he knew he couldn’t leave Solomon to face the monster alone. He popped to his feet and went looking for his sword. It was at that point that the second werewolf determined enough was enough. His companion dead and now facing two well-equipped and well-trained vampires, he decided discretion was the better part of valor. With a mighty leap, he bounded over Solomon’s head, shifted into the form of a normal sized wolf, and dashed off into the night.
“Are you alright?” Michael asked of Solomon.
“I’ve been better, but I’ll live. What happened to the second?”
Michael gestured to the body of the werewolf he’d killed. It had shifted back to human form and was now a naked decapitated man on the forest floor.
“Fuck me. You took down a skinchanger?”
Michael shrugged. “What choice did I have?”
“We should have lost that fight. Vampires are usually well outmatched by werewolves. And yet, there’s hardly a scratch on either one of us.”
“Guess they fucked with the wrong pair of vampires.”
“Guess so.” Said Solomon. “Damn, you even took his head like I taught you.”
“Luck helped.”
“I’ll take it.” A loud howl pierced through the night. “Let’s get out of here before he comes back with more friends.”
-----
“War!” screamed the youth. He was no more than 17, but carried with him all the energy and impulsivity of his age. “They dare come onto our land and slay one of our own.” He was one of several, perhaps a dozen, individuals encircling a large bonfire deep within the forest. They came from all walks of life. Some were clearly rural, wearing the dusty clothing of farm workers or forest residents. A handful were dressed more sharply, marking them as urban folk, a mix from Blacksburg, Roanoke, and Christiansburg.
“The vampires grow stronger.” Said another. “They have created at least three more of their kind in the last twelve months. They have spread their filth into Blacksburg and now encroach upon our forests and wilds. The young one is right, we must retaliate! Before it is too late.”
“And die under the fangs of the ancient one.” Retorted a third. “You forget they are ruled by one who has seen uncounted nights, whose bodyguard walked the earth when the tales of Robin Hood and King Arthur were first being written.”
“Your fear is misplaced.” Said the leader, a venerable but still vigorous werewolf named Tyler. “With our strength combined, we are a match for any of them, even their decrepit misshapen prince.”
“A man is coming.” Said the woman at the chief’s side. As if on cue, there was a flash and within the circle stood Professor Nolan Baranski.
“You mock our sacred ways by your presence, mage.” Snarled Tyler. “You are not welcome here.”
“You don’t exactly keep appointments with wizards, great chief. Thus, I must disturb you at odd times. Normally, I would respect your people’s ways, but the urgency of this matter necessitated a more direct approach. This is a war moot and you need what I offer to make its decisions wisely.”
“You have nothing we want.” Retorted Chief Tyler. “And I should gut you for daring to intrude on this hallowed ground.”
“Do you really want to test what I’m capable of?”
“You couldn’t stop us all, Doctor.” Said the youth.
“Perhaps not, but I can assure you that your belligerent plans against our common neighbors will be far more difficult if you try anything. Who wants to lay bets on how many of you I can roast in your own juices before you cut me down?”
“Enough!” barked Tyler. “We know your ways, and your power. What do you offer?”
“An exchange, of sorts. Call it a token of good will between our peoples.”
“An exchange of what?”
“Information and mutual assistance. Within the circle of the vampires in Blacksburg travel seemingly normal mortals. Thralls they call them. But one of them, as I’m sure you know, is a cub, an unblooded werewolf, ignorant of his heritage and true potential. He is not alone. There is another, a friend of his, who has shown the potential to be one of our kind.”
“They are vampiric thralls.” Spat Tyler with a sense of disgust. “Tainted and worthless. They are bound slaves to their vampire master and useless to us and to you.”
“We both know that when they awaken to their true selves the bond of blood will break. You may be willing to discard one of your own, but I am not. Your war plans endanger our own fledgling.”
“What matter is that to us?”
“Do you really want to battle on two fronts? Against the vampires and the magi? Besides, I wonder if all of your pack shares your disdain for this unblooded cub. He’s an innocent, or worse, a victim of their treacheries. Will you not rescue him?”
“Mind your courtesies, mage.” Snarled Tyler. “You are not welcome here and you are certainly not allowed to question my judgment in these matters. I lead this pack, not you. He is a vampire’s plaything and he is condemned for that reason. Let him die with his masters.”
“Bravado robs you of logic, Chief Tyler. If you can kill his masters, you can rescue him. Surely, he’s not beyond redemption.” Nolan looked about and could see the assembled werewolves in the circle mumble among themselves. “Stay your hand, mighty chief, and we will work with you to ensure that both your cub and our fledgling mage are safely rescued from those who would enslave them. Do not continue on this violent course, both for you pack and for the younglings you would so callously sacrifice.”
“You go too far, wizard. I forgave your first attempt to question my leadership, but my grace has limits. You dare to try to plant seeds of dissension within my pack and at a moot of my calling!” Tyler jumped to his feet and immediately began to morph into a massive man-wolf.
Baranski was ready. As Tyler leaped forward in what would be a massive tackle, the mage simply vanished.
He reappeared on a hillside about a half-mile away, next to his waiting apprentice, Darren.
“They sound mad.” Observed Darren. The howls in the distance were loud and furious.
“Their chief should be. I deliberately embarrassed him before his pack. And werewolves tend not to be the forgiving sort.” Said Baranski.
“What did you hope to accomplish by this?”
“Tyler is a bitter old bigot. His hatred of the vampires blinds him and makes him willing to sacrifice his own needlessly. Hopefully, his own have now seen that clearly. With luck, one of his subordinates will now challenge him for leadership. Undoubtedly, at least one of the others now questions whether it is right and just to simply abandon one of their own because a vampire has forced their way into his life.”
“And how does that help us?”
“Oh, a lot of different ways. A more open-minded chief will probably be more amenable to diplomatic relations with our kind, but regarding our immediate concern, he will be far less likely to go in 'guns blazing' as it were.”
“And if Tyler overcomes their challenge?”
“The distraction will keep him occupied for a while. Long enough, I hope, to figure out a way to get our boy out before the wolves slaughter him in an orgy of blood. Besides, if I know anything about vampires, there's an orgy of blood coming the tribe's way anyway.”
-----
Deborah paced back and forth somewhat nervously. “This is disturbing to put it mildly.”
Ernie nodded. “Yep, the puppies and the wizards together. It didn't look like they were too happy, but they were talking.”
“How do you know all this?” challenged Michael.
“I saw them.” replied Ernie. His tone changed, becoming more formal. He'd switched personalities mid-stream again, responding to Michael’s mistrust.
“How?”
“I thought it wise to learn their plans after the skirmish the other night. So I crept up on their ritual circle under the cover of shadow and listened in.” Ernie looked angry, defensive. “Something I would not have need to do if you hadn't slaughtered one of them.”
“We didn't have a whole lot of choice.” said Solomon, defending Michael.
“And then there's your part in this, Solomon.” said Ernie, his voice like ice. “Nowhere else in all our territory for you to take him for your belligerent exercises than land belonging to one of our most dangerous enemies?”
“I don't need to apologize to you for my training techniques. Mortal police tend to frown upon discharging firearms within city limits. Explain how I’d keep the Masquerade safe doing that?”
“Enough.” barked Deborah. “I'm content to take Ernie's report at face value. But why the mages? The werewolves don't get along any better with them than they do us. And this isn't their fight anyway.”
Ernie shrugged innocently. “Something about a cub.”
“A young werewolf is still no concern of the mages.”
“This cub has a friend: A wizard fledgling.”
“An unawakened mage and a cub werewolf together?”
“And both of them, thralls to a vampire. One of us.”
“Cause for war.” said Solomon. “Above and beyond what we did the other night.”
“Who are they?” asked Ernie. “Who's the cub and the baby wizard? Whose thralls are they?” He glowered at Deborah, expecting an answer.
“You don't know?” said Michael.
“They didn't confide that much openly. I got the sense I was the only one there who did not know who they were talking about.”
“Regardless, hell is coming.” said Solomon. “War with the werewolves will be unpleasant.”
“And worse if the mages ally with them.” Added Ernie. “You need to cut these thralls loose. Eliminate the reason for the conflict.”
“You presume they’re mine?” said Deborah. “Michael has his, as do you. Without knowing who they are talking about, how are we to proceed? No, I say we let them bring their war.”
“What?” exclaimed Solomon.
“It's an opportunity.” said Deborah. “The Prince will be distracted and we can make our move. There will never be a better time.”
“Fear of Mathias is one of the few things that keeps the werewolf threat in check.” argued Ernie. “They'll move to overrun us if we take him down now.”
“So he is the enemy.” said Michael; His answer had come at last.
“Yes, you've learned everything you need to face him and his allies.” said Deborah. “We had planned to bring you up to speed tonight anyway, but Ernie's news complicates things.”
“This is not the time for rash action.” interjected Ernie fiercely. “Rashness is what has brought this upon us in the first place. Unvetted thralls, a dead werewolf, and now you want to move against the Prince immediately. No, there are too many variables. I'll have no part in this.” With that, he marched out of the apartment.
“He may be right.” observed Solomon. “This is delicate situation and I'd be more inclined to side with the Prince when a werewolf war looms. Killing him now leaves us all vulnerable.”
“Maybe that’s what Ernie wants. He’s not telling the whole story.” observed Michael.
Deborah looked at him keenly. “Why do you say that?”
“He can read minds. And if those werewolves and mages had no cause to think they were being observed, I presume he could loot their brains at his leisure. And yet he didn't. Why not? I doubt they could innately resist his powers. For one, Ernie is nearly a thousand years old as best we can guess. His power should be far beyond what those werewolves and mages could resist. And yet, he tells us nothing of what he read in their thoughts.”
“You don't trust him.” said Deborah.
“No, I don’t. There's something fishy about all this. Sure, I can imagine the werewolves being angry at the killing of one of their own. But to have them and the mages stalking us because we've enthralled one of each is a stretch. And let's be honest. We know exactly who the prime candidates are: Mitch and Boar. Ernie probably knows of your discovery of Boar’s odd blood and Mitch’s uncanny luck and has woven a story that fits those facts.”
“So you think the whole thing's a lie? The whole story just made up?” said Solomon.
“It could be. The question is why.” said Michael. “And I think I know that too.”
Deborah gave him a quizzical look. Michael continued. “I don't know if you've noticed but Ernie shows an almost unhealthy interest in me personally. He hovers a little too close, is always excited to see me. And when Kris and I visited his 'church' last Christmas he essentially propositioned me. And has done so since. I've been dismissing all this as pieces of his crazy personality but maybe there's a method to the madness. Maybe Ernie wants me for himself. Isolating me from the two people I know who bridge between my life before and my life now would only benefit that.”
“Perhaps,” said Deborah, “I’ve certainly noticed his interest in you, but like you I’ve not given it too much heed. After all, any guesses as to what he’s up to are probably moot. Who are we to try to figure out the mind of a thousand year old lunatic?”
Solomon shrugged. “It's as plausible as anything else, I suppose. Regardless, Michael is right about one thing. Ernie did not tell us the whole story. There’s no reason he wouldn’t know the minds of those he was spying on. And he did not tell us.”
“Mark one in the ‘Lying through his teeth’ column.” Said Michael confidently.
“You’re learning how the game is played.” Complimented Deborah. “Still, Ernie’s known for his theatrics and few of us volunteer information of this sort for free. That he told us anything is probably a mark in the ‘May be the truth’ column. He told us this without extracting a favor; Ernie probably thinks this information too important not to be shared.”
“But he did not disclose all of it.” Michael wasn’t sure now if this wasn’t another exercise. To see if he could discern the truth of the matter.
“No, but perhaps he didn’t have to. It didn’t take you long to discern who our most likely mage-and-werewolf pair are. It may be a lie, as you say, but it’s a good one because it does fit the facts. Fits well enough to be the truth.”
“All this is academic.” Said Michael impatiently. “What are we going to do now? Challenge Mathias or stand by his side against the werewolf onslaught? Do we hold fast to Boar and Mitch or cut them loose somehow?”
“All good questions.” Interjected Solomon. “It may be theatrics, but I think we have to presume that we've lost Ernie's support for the time being. It would be unwise to move against Mathias without him. And since we don’t know if the threat of war is real or not, it would probably be good to take a wait and see attitude. Odds are good the werewolves will make a move against us soon enough. They’re not exactly known for subtlety. Or patience.”
“If they do,” added Deborah, “We’d better hope there's a deity up there who's favorable to vampires.”
Act Two Chapter Three
Michael marched grimly down Tom’s Creek, heading for downtown. It was the walk he did nearly every night from his haven in the woods into town. Like it had been for the past several nights, it was done with an almost mechanical frustration, like a soldier off to do his duty with great reluctance. He no longer found much joy in the willing arms of whatever student he enraptured with his powers. But feed he must and this was the easiest way to do it.
He cut a quick turn down Price’s Fork towards Turner Street, coming up towards his old dorm in Thomas Hall. He cut across to the left side of the street, towards the old convenience mart that he’d frequented during his brief stint as a student, thinking he might see Mitch or Boar there. There were not, so Michael continued on.
As he cleared the parking lot, two hands grabbed him somewhat forcefully and flung him into the small copse of trees between the convenience mart and its neighboring house. Michael skidded across a patch of fallen leaves and was ready to leap back to his feet for a fight when he saw that his “attacker” was Deborah.
“What the…” he started to say angrily.
“Just shut up.” She snapped, cutting him off. “I’m sick of your bullshit lately.” She popped open his jeans and yanked them half down his thighs. He was about to continue his protest when she took him into her mouth. He hardened immediately and decided to keep silent.
She worked him with her mouth for several minutes and then climbed up and slid him inside her. By now, Michael was enraptured in pleasure, although confused about Deborah’s rather spontaneous and hurried seduction. Her touch was overwhelming and he climaxed hard, harder than he had in months.
“Maybe now, that’ll put you in a better mood.” She said, running her hand affectionately down his cheek.
“I thought you were mad at me.”
“I was, but not for the reasons you think.” She let out her breath in frustration. “Look, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have been so blunt with you the other night.”
“You told the truth. I’m the one who couldn’t handle it.” Admitted Michael. “I still can’t.” His tone was despondent.
“Hush.” She said, putting her fingers across his lips. “I rushed you into the ugliest part of our existence and I shouldn’t have done that. The counter to what I told you is that our choices still matter. I should have made that clearer, but I figured you could reason that out on your own. That’s the secret of the cliché I told you.”
“Monsters we are, lest monsters we become.” Michael repeated.
“Yes. What monster will you choose to be to keep yourself from becoming the monster you do not wish to be.”
“Or are.”
Deborah nodded. “Yes. Or to keep yourself from being the monster you are. That’s what I wanted you to learn.”
“But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m alone and always will be.”
“Stop dwelling on that.” She said. “You’re not alone now. You’re with me.”
“A lie.”
“Is it?” she replied.
Michael looked at her keenly. “You're trying to backpedal on a truth you should not have revealed so soon. Little point in closing the barn door once the horses are gone.”
“Perhaps, but our choices still matter.” She took his hand and gave him an affectionate nibble along his palm. “Right now, I choose to be with you. If what we have now is a lie, then it is one I choose to believe. You can too.”
“Tempting, but ultimately empty.” said Michael.
“Pretending is sometimes all that keeps the ennui of the long years away.” She paused. “It's not the only way, but it works from time to time.”
“What are some of the others?”
“The Danse.” she said. "The ongoing struggle for power and prestige. To overcome our enemies.”
“Like you're trying to do with me and Ernie and Solomon against this unnamed foe. Building alliances. Purchasing weapons. Garnering favor.”
“Destroying your enemies provides a good distraction. Once you have some, that is.”
“I have one.” he said.
“Ah, yes. That mortal girl who broke your heart. Rebecca, I believe was her name.”
“Yeah.” Said Michael weakly. “You know, the more I think about it, the less what she did bothers me. After all, I have any woman I want now. I have you and Kris and anyone else I choose to turn my charms upon. Not entirely sure she really qualifies as an enemy anymore.”
“Oh, please.” said Deborah incredulously, almost mockingly. “You honestly think I’d believe that after all you’ve done.”
“All I’ve done?” There was confusion in his voice.
“Have you forgotten what you did, the day she left you?” Her voice was teasing, playful even. “The way you lost your virginity that night. Not exactly the stuff of romantic daydreams. If I’d been anything but Kindred, you’d have split me in two. Don’t tell me that fire has gone out. It’s a lie and you know it. Our dead frat boy is proof. Why did he die? Why did you kill him?”
She let the question hang, but didn’t expect an answer. Michael did not provide one.
“There is the truth and then there are the lies we desperately want to believe. Tell me or yourself or anyone what you chose, but there’s no denying that your anger drives you, Michael. Your fury at the world around you. Your rage at losing what could have been.”
“You said yourself that path would be denied to me under any circumstance. I was, even before my embrace, a monster.”
“And is that fair? Imagine even a little grace on her part. Then what? She could have overlooked those flaws in your character. Instead, she held them against you and used them as rationale for her betrayal. Are you really going to leave her unpunished for that?”
“Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”
“In truth, because your anger is becoming a liability.” she said frankly. “You're no good to me dead and too many more dead frat boys will force Mathias' hand against you. And since you are still my childe, it will move against me as well. Better to give you the means to resolve your frustrations rather than have you try to rationalize them away as you've been doing. The simple truth is, Michael, it's not working and there's a moldering corpse in the Blacksburg morgue to prove it.”
The two of them looked in each others eyes for a long moment. “I know what you want. I know what you fear.” Said Deborah. “But what you did the other night is not the way to go about it. Master your anger and you will discover true power. Channel it into a goal, a purpose. Randomly killing any jerk who ticks you off only makes you an animal, a mindless beast. Meticulously destroying a hated enemy, bit by bit, that makes you Kindred. My question to you, which will you choose to be?”
“I am a vampire.”
“Then act like one. Bring Rebecca here and prove it.”
-----
“Alright, you've seen exhibition shooters before, right?” asked Solomon, scooping up about a half dozen clay pigeons from a box.
“On TV a few times.” said Michael. His training had progressed beyond melee weapons and hand-to-hand techniques into firearms. Thus, they had come to a secluded clearing within Jefferson National Forest, somewhere off I-81 between Roanoke and Blacksburg. There, Solomon had pulled out a variety of guns: rifles, shotguns, and pistols. Plus a few blades in case they decided to spar a bit before finishing.
“This is one of their tricks.” Continued Solomon. “For a human, this is a very difficult shot. With your vampire reflexes and senses, you should be able to pull this off without too much trouble.” He tossed the pigeons skyward, then fast as lightning, brought the shotgun in his other hand to his shoulder, fired off six shots, and hit all six pigeons before they hit the ground.
Michael stood their dumbfounded. Solomon smiled at Michael's look. He reloaded the shotgun. “We'll start you easy. Semi-automatic shotgun with birdshot. With practice, you'll be able to do this with pump shotgun, then slugs, then rifle and pistol. And if you can pull off this trick, shooting at live targets will be a piece of cake.”
He tossed the shotgun to Michael. “Two rules for fighting with a gun when you're Kindred. The first is to take your time. With your reflexes and senses, you can afford a bit of hesitation to set up your shot. Remember that in order to do this trick.”
“And the second?”
“Bullets don't really hurt, so if your enemies are shooting back at you, there's little need to flinch or duck or let that rattle you. No need to rush things to get a shot off before they do. Odds are good you'll do that anyway, but even still...unless they're using a mini-gun like the guy in that Predator movie, there's nothing to fear in their firing back at you. Now, let's try the trick shot.”
“Ok.” said Michael hesitantly. He scooped up the pigeons, tossed them in the air. He brought the gun to his shoulder with the same fluid motion as Solomon had. He fired. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! He got four of the six before they hit the ground.
“Not bad.” said Solomon. “Told you it wasn't that hard. Humans practice that trick for years before mastering it. And yet, on your first shot, you took down two-thirds of the pigeons. Reload and try again.”
It wasn't five minutes before Michael had mastered the trick. Then, as promised, he moved up to the pump shotgun. Now he had to pump each round out of the chamber between shots. That proved a more difficult challenge. It took Michael nearly an hour to get that one down.
“Alright, we've squeezed off enough rounds for one night.” said Solomon, starting to put away the guns, ammo, and what few clay pigeons he had left. “We'll spar for a little while with the swords.”
“You missed a box.” said Michael, picking up a stray box of ammo, .44 magnum pistol rounds to be precise.
“That one stays out.” corrected Solomon. He drew his Ruger Blackhawk revolver from his belt and opened the cylinder. “Check them out.” he said, as he dropped the loaded rounds from the cylinder.
Michael drew the bullets out of the box and immediately noticed their unusual color. “Those aren't standard rounds.”
“No, they're not. They're a precaution. We're out in the woods and there are certain things out here that might see our practice as encroachment on their territory.”
Michael put two-and-two together. “Silver bullets.” he said.
Solomon nodded. “Bane of werewolves everywhere.” He started slotting six new silver bullets into his pistol. 'I should have done this when we got here. I let myself get distracted.”
“Are they common?”
“Werewolves? No supernatural being can be considered common on this earth, but they are around here. Prince Mathias has had his dealings with them. Deals made. Favors traded. Treaties signed. The forest is theirs. And while our presence here will likely go unnoticed, it never hurts to be prepared.”
Michael felt both a sense of excitement and a sense of fear at the possibility of an encounter with a skinchanger. He picked up a sword, and gave it his characteristic twirl.
“I keep telling you not to handle your weapon that way.” said Solomon. “This isn't Hollywood.”
“It hasn't hurt my chances against you.” said Michael with a bit of bravado. “I'm up to 50/50 against you.”
Which was true. “Then, I suppose I will have to alter that ratio a bit tonight. Get it back where it belongs.” Solomon lunged with a powerful thrust, one Michael just barely parried.
They went back and forth, slashing, thrusting, parrying blows. Michael's skills had improved considerably and Solomon found beating him, while certainly still possible, was far more difficult than it used to be.
After a match that left the two of them battered and bruised as always, Solomon turned to Michael. “Alright, it’s time you at least got the book lesson on decapitation. Obviously, this is something we can’t practice, so you’ll have to try to apply what I tell you to the real world on your own. Again, forget all the Hollywood stuff you’ve learned. Taking a man’s head is not easy, not even for the sharpest of blades. It’s a matter of historical record that even Madame Guillotine often took multiple hits to end the lives of the French nobility. And that was against a stationary target.”
Solomon pulled out a katana. “For lighter blades, one of these is probably your best bet. Or you could go the route of our friend, The Djinn, and use a heavy blade. He carries a tulwar, but a machete or any other large hacking blade will do. The first trick is to hit the neck, not always easy on a moving and dodging target. The second is to get through the vertebrae, which are thicker and denser bones than just about any other.”
“So they neither break nor cut easily.”
“No, the bones of the arm or leg are either thin enough to be cut or brittle enough to shatter under the blow of a sword. The bones in the neck will not give so easily. Now, mind you, a strike to the neck by any sword, even if it doesn’t decapitate, will likely kill a normal human. There’s way too many vital things in there that they cannot survive without. A vampire or skinchanger on the other hand can survive such a strike; the vampire because all those vital things aren’t vital anymore and the werewolf because they can heal the wound so fast it’s like they weren’t even hurt.”
“So aim true and swing hard or it’s my funeral.”
“Basically. Now, let’s go again.” Solomon switched back to his other sword and came at Michael hard. Thrust, parry, slash, and Solomon found he had gained the initiative against Michael. First time tonight and now he was doing to take advantage. He pressed his attack. Michael stumbled on a tree root and Solomon was about to deliver a faux coup de grace to end the skirmish when he stopped mid-stroke.
“I hear it too.” said Michael, coming to his feet. “We’re not alone.”
Two burly men emerged from the woods into the clearing. They looked to the casual observer to be nothing more than typical western Virginia rednecks, but there was a feral look in their eyes that said to Michael he'd just gotten his earlier wish about meeting some of the other denizens of the night.
“Evening, gents.” said Solomon.
“You're intruding, bloodsucker.” The tone was unmistakably hostile.
“We were just leaving.” Solomon gave Michael a telling look, but said nothing else.
“You come on our land. You become fair game.” With that, the man growled out a noise no human should be able to make. His skin seemed to ripple and morph, and within seconds where a man once stood there was the largest wolf Michael had ever seen.
His companion also began to shift, taking on the form of a giant man-wolf, nearly 9 feet tall. And for the first time since his turning, Michael felt fear.
Beside him, he saw Solomon tense up, ready for battle. His fingernails lengthened as he consciously used one his vampiric powers. Michael, absentmindedly, twirled his sword.
The two vampires faced off with the two werewolves. And then, in a split second, everything exploded into violence.
Michael couldn't remember who “blinked” first, but he did remember the man-wolf charging towards him. But Solomon tackled the giant and knocked him aside. Michael lunged forward but was taken off his feet by the wolf. He brought his foot up and landed a solid kick in the gut of the werewolf, launching it over his head.
Michael came back to his feet as the wolf leaped again. This time, Michael was ready. He dropped backwards, and brought his sword up with a powerful thrust. Just as the wolf reached him, his sword pierced flesh. He gave the sword a hard yank to the left and felt it cut through. He dashed to his feet to see the wolf at his feet, half decapitated and yet still moving.
“Solomon was right. It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies.” Thought Michael, swinging his sword around in a long arc. Before his very eyes, he could see the savage wound on the werewolf’s neck closing again, but it did not finish before Michael’s blow connected with the side of its neck and cleaved through to what remained of it. The wolf’s head came loose and bounced on the ground at Michael’s feet.
One down. One to go. Michael turned to see Solomon sorely pressed by the giant man-wolf thing the second skinchanger had transformed into. With his vampire claws, Solomon had given the werewolf a number of nasty scratches across its belly and chest. Despite the ugliness of those wounds, the werewolf was not stopping.
Michael charged forward and sank his sword deep into the man-wolf’s side. It howled in shock and pain, and then gave Michael a solid backhand which sent him flying. Michael landed hard on his upper back and then tumbled over to land flat on his belly. Although he’d sustained numerous injuries in his sparring bouts with Solomon, this blow hurt worse than all of them combined. How hard did the werewolf hit him?
Despite the injury, he knew he couldn’t leave Solomon to face the monster alone. He popped to his feet and went looking for his sword. It was at that point that the second werewolf determined enough was enough. His companion dead and now facing two well-equipped and well-trained vampires, he decided discretion was the better part of valor. With a mighty leap, he bounded over Solomon’s head, shifted into the form of a normal sized wolf, and dashed off into the night.
“Are you alright?” Michael asked of Solomon.
“I’ve been better, but I’ll live. What happened to the second?”
Michael gestured to the body of the werewolf he’d killed. It had shifted back to human form and was now a naked decapitated man on the forest floor.
“Fuck me. You took down a skinchanger?”
Michael shrugged. “What choice did I have?”
“We should have lost that fight. Vampires are usually well outmatched by werewolves. And yet, there’s hardly a scratch on either one of us.”
“Guess they fucked with the wrong pair of vampires.”
“Guess so.” Said Solomon. “Damn, you even took his head like I taught you.”
“Luck helped.”
“I’ll take it.” A loud howl pierced through the night. “Let’s get out of here before he comes back with more friends.”
-----
“War!” screamed the youth. He was no more than 17, but carried with him all the energy and impulsivity of his age. “They dare come onto our land and slay one of our own.” He was one of several, perhaps a dozen, individuals encircling a large bonfire deep within the forest. They came from all walks of life. Some were clearly rural, wearing the dusty clothing of farm workers or forest residents. A handful were dressed more sharply, marking them as urban folk, a mix from Blacksburg, Roanoke, and Christiansburg.
“The vampires grow stronger.” Said another. “They have created at least three more of their kind in the last twelve months. They have spread their filth into Blacksburg and now encroach upon our forests and wilds. The young one is right, we must retaliate! Before it is too late.”
“And die under the fangs of the ancient one.” Retorted a third. “You forget they are ruled by one who has seen uncounted nights, whose bodyguard walked the earth when the tales of Robin Hood and King Arthur were first being written.”
“Your fear is misplaced.” Said the leader, a venerable but still vigorous werewolf named Tyler. “With our strength combined, we are a match for any of them, even their decrepit misshapen prince.”
“A man is coming.” Said the woman at the chief’s side. As if on cue, there was a flash and within the circle stood Professor Nolan Baranski.
“You mock our sacred ways by your presence, mage.” Snarled Tyler. “You are not welcome here.”
“You don’t exactly keep appointments with wizards, great chief. Thus, I must disturb you at odd times. Normally, I would respect your people’s ways, but the urgency of this matter necessitated a more direct approach. This is a war moot and you need what I offer to make its decisions wisely.”
“You have nothing we want.” Retorted Chief Tyler. “And I should gut you for daring to intrude on this hallowed ground.”
“Do you really want to test what I’m capable of?”
“You couldn’t stop us all, Doctor.” Said the youth.
“Perhaps not, but I can assure you that your belligerent plans against our common neighbors will be far more difficult if you try anything. Who wants to lay bets on how many of you I can roast in your own juices before you cut me down?”
“Enough!” barked Tyler. “We know your ways, and your power. What do you offer?”
“An exchange, of sorts. Call it a token of good will between our peoples.”
“An exchange of what?”
“Information and mutual assistance. Within the circle of the vampires in Blacksburg travel seemingly normal mortals. Thralls they call them. But one of them, as I’m sure you know, is a cub, an unblooded werewolf, ignorant of his heritage and true potential. He is not alone. There is another, a friend of his, who has shown the potential to be one of our kind.”
“They are vampiric thralls.” Spat Tyler with a sense of disgust. “Tainted and worthless. They are bound slaves to their vampire master and useless to us and to you.”
“We both know that when they awaken to their true selves the bond of blood will break. You may be willing to discard one of your own, but I am not. Your war plans endanger our own fledgling.”
“What matter is that to us?”
“Do you really want to battle on two fronts? Against the vampires and the magi? Besides, I wonder if all of your pack shares your disdain for this unblooded cub. He’s an innocent, or worse, a victim of their treacheries. Will you not rescue him?”
“Mind your courtesies, mage.” Snarled Tyler. “You are not welcome here and you are certainly not allowed to question my judgment in these matters. I lead this pack, not you. He is a vampire’s plaything and he is condemned for that reason. Let him die with his masters.”
“Bravado robs you of logic, Chief Tyler. If you can kill his masters, you can rescue him. Surely, he’s not beyond redemption.” Nolan looked about and could see the assembled werewolves in the circle mumble among themselves. “Stay your hand, mighty chief, and we will work with you to ensure that both your cub and our fledgling mage are safely rescued from those who would enslave them. Do not continue on this violent course, both for you pack and for the younglings you would so callously sacrifice.”
“You go too far, wizard. I forgave your first attempt to question my leadership, but my grace has limits. You dare to try to plant seeds of dissension within my pack and at a moot of my calling!” Tyler jumped to his feet and immediately began to morph into a massive man-wolf.
Baranski was ready. As Tyler leaped forward in what would be a massive tackle, the mage simply vanished.
He reappeared on a hillside about a half-mile away, next to his waiting apprentice, Darren.
“They sound mad.” Observed Darren. The howls in the distance were loud and furious.
“Their chief should be. I deliberately embarrassed him before his pack. And werewolves tend not to be the forgiving sort.” Said Baranski.
“What did you hope to accomplish by this?”
“Tyler is a bitter old bigot. His hatred of the vampires blinds him and makes him willing to sacrifice his own needlessly. Hopefully, his own have now seen that clearly. With luck, one of his subordinates will now challenge him for leadership. Undoubtedly, at least one of the others now questions whether it is right and just to simply abandon one of their own because a vampire has forced their way into his life.”
“And how does that help us?”
“Oh, a lot of different ways. A more open-minded chief will probably be more amenable to diplomatic relations with our kind, but regarding our immediate concern, he will be far less likely to go in 'guns blazing' as it were.”
“And if Tyler overcomes their challenge?”
“The distraction will keep him occupied for a while. Long enough, I hope, to figure out a way to get our boy out before the wolves slaughter him in an orgy of blood. Besides, if I know anything about vampires, there's an orgy of blood coming the tribe's way anyway.”
-----
Deborah paced back and forth somewhat nervously. “This is disturbing to put it mildly.”
Ernie nodded. “Yep, the puppies and the wizards together. It didn't look like they were too happy, but they were talking.”
“How do you know all this?” challenged Michael.
“I saw them.” replied Ernie. His tone changed, becoming more formal. He'd switched personalities mid-stream again, responding to Michael’s mistrust.
“How?”
“I thought it wise to learn their plans after the skirmish the other night. So I crept up on their ritual circle under the cover of shadow and listened in.” Ernie looked angry, defensive. “Something I would not have need to do if you hadn't slaughtered one of them.”
“We didn't have a whole lot of choice.” said Solomon, defending Michael.
“And then there's your part in this, Solomon.” said Ernie, his voice like ice. “Nowhere else in all our territory for you to take him for your belligerent exercises than land belonging to one of our most dangerous enemies?”
“I don't need to apologize to you for my training techniques. Mortal police tend to frown upon discharging firearms within city limits. Explain how I’d keep the Masquerade safe doing that?”
“Enough.” barked Deborah. “I'm content to take Ernie's report at face value. But why the mages? The werewolves don't get along any better with them than they do us. And this isn't their fight anyway.”
Ernie shrugged innocently. “Something about a cub.”
“A young werewolf is still no concern of the mages.”
“This cub has a friend: A wizard fledgling.”
“An unawakened mage and a cub werewolf together?”
“And both of them, thralls to a vampire. One of us.”
“Cause for war.” said Solomon. “Above and beyond what we did the other night.”
“Who are they?” asked Ernie. “Who's the cub and the baby wizard? Whose thralls are they?” He glowered at Deborah, expecting an answer.
“You don't know?” said Michael.
“They didn't confide that much openly. I got the sense I was the only one there who did not know who they were talking about.”
“Regardless, hell is coming.” said Solomon. “War with the werewolves will be unpleasant.”
“And worse if the mages ally with them.” Added Ernie. “You need to cut these thralls loose. Eliminate the reason for the conflict.”
“You presume they’re mine?” said Deborah. “Michael has his, as do you. Without knowing who they are talking about, how are we to proceed? No, I say we let them bring their war.”
“What?” exclaimed Solomon.
“It's an opportunity.” said Deborah. “The Prince will be distracted and we can make our move. There will never be a better time.”
“Fear of Mathias is one of the few things that keeps the werewolf threat in check.” argued Ernie. “They'll move to overrun us if we take him down now.”
“So he is the enemy.” said Michael; His answer had come at last.
“Yes, you've learned everything you need to face him and his allies.” said Deborah. “We had planned to bring you up to speed tonight anyway, but Ernie's news complicates things.”
“This is not the time for rash action.” interjected Ernie fiercely. “Rashness is what has brought this upon us in the first place. Unvetted thralls, a dead werewolf, and now you want to move against the Prince immediately. No, there are too many variables. I'll have no part in this.” With that, he marched out of the apartment.
“He may be right.” observed Solomon. “This is delicate situation and I'd be more inclined to side with the Prince when a werewolf war looms. Killing him now leaves us all vulnerable.”
“Maybe that’s what Ernie wants. He’s not telling the whole story.” observed Michael.
Deborah looked at him keenly. “Why do you say that?”
“He can read minds. And if those werewolves and mages had no cause to think they were being observed, I presume he could loot their brains at his leisure. And yet he didn't. Why not? I doubt they could innately resist his powers. For one, Ernie is nearly a thousand years old as best we can guess. His power should be far beyond what those werewolves and mages could resist. And yet, he tells us nothing of what he read in their thoughts.”
“You don't trust him.” said Deborah.
“No, I don’t. There's something fishy about all this. Sure, I can imagine the werewolves being angry at the killing of one of their own. But to have them and the mages stalking us because we've enthralled one of each is a stretch. And let's be honest. We know exactly who the prime candidates are: Mitch and Boar. Ernie probably knows of your discovery of Boar’s odd blood and Mitch’s uncanny luck and has woven a story that fits those facts.”
“So you think the whole thing's a lie? The whole story just made up?” said Solomon.
“It could be. The question is why.” said Michael. “And I think I know that too.”
Deborah gave him a quizzical look. Michael continued. “I don't know if you've noticed but Ernie shows an almost unhealthy interest in me personally. He hovers a little too close, is always excited to see me. And when Kris and I visited his 'church' last Christmas he essentially propositioned me. And has done so since. I've been dismissing all this as pieces of his crazy personality but maybe there's a method to the madness. Maybe Ernie wants me for himself. Isolating me from the two people I know who bridge between my life before and my life now would only benefit that.”
“Perhaps,” said Deborah, “I’ve certainly noticed his interest in you, but like you I’ve not given it too much heed. After all, any guesses as to what he’s up to are probably moot. Who are we to try to figure out the mind of a thousand year old lunatic?”
Solomon shrugged. “It's as plausible as anything else, I suppose. Regardless, Michael is right about one thing. Ernie did not tell us the whole story. There’s no reason he wouldn’t know the minds of those he was spying on. And he did not tell us.”
“Mark one in the ‘Lying through his teeth’ column.” Said Michael confidently.
“You’re learning how the game is played.” Complimented Deborah. “Still, Ernie’s known for his theatrics and few of us volunteer information of this sort for free. That he told us anything is probably a mark in the ‘May be the truth’ column. He told us this without extracting a favor; Ernie probably thinks this information too important not to be shared.”
“But he did not disclose all of it.” Michael wasn’t sure now if this wasn’t another exercise. To see if he could discern the truth of the matter.
“No, but perhaps he didn’t have to. It didn’t take you long to discern who our most likely mage-and-werewolf pair are. It may be a lie, as you say, but it’s a good one because it does fit the facts. Fits well enough to be the truth.”
“All this is academic.” Said Michael impatiently. “What are we going to do now? Challenge Mathias or stand by his side against the werewolf onslaught? Do we hold fast to Boar and Mitch or cut them loose somehow?”
“All good questions.” Interjected Solomon. “It may be theatrics, but I think we have to presume that we've lost Ernie's support for the time being. It would be unwise to move against Mathias without him. And since we don’t know if the threat of war is real or not, it would probably be good to take a wait and see attitude. Odds are good the werewolves will make a move against us soon enough. They’re not exactly known for subtlety. Or patience.”
“If they do,” added Deborah, “We’d better hope there's a deity up there who's favorable to vampires.”
Act Two Chapter Three
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