Lamprolign
First Post
Thanks for the comments! We're trying to post once a week.
First Sight: A d20 Modern Story Hour (Updated 01-03-2008)
- Thread starter Jodo Kast
- Start date
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Lamprolign said:
Oh my gosh! It's the gray Hulk!
just kidding....
But this character reminds me of him for some reason. Keep up the great work guys!
Lamprolign
First Post
You know, I didn't think about it, but now that you mention it he does remind me of the Hulk in a coat and tie. 
Glad that you're enjoying the story!
Glad that you're enjoying the story!Funny Broccli, hadn't thought of the Hulk's "Mr. Fixit" days in a while. That was a weird, weird run. Looking forward to Ang Lee's big-screen version. I have my doubts, but I'm trying to remain optimistic. Also can't wait for X2 this weekend.
Thanks for the comments everyone, they are much appreciated. It's taken a while, but we've developed a good readership, and there is still plenty of story to tell. We're still at the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
Thanks for the comments everyone, they are much appreciated. It's taken a while, but we've developed a good readership, and there is still plenty of story to tell. We're still at the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
Lamprolign
First Post
017
You live in a church
Where you sleep with voodoo dolls
And you won't give up the search
For the ghosts in the halls
You wear sandals in the snow
And a smile that won't wash away
Can you look out the window
Without your shadow getting in the way
-Sarah McLachlan, Building A Mystery
"You know I could get into some seriously deep
bringing you lab results like this," Chris said when he returned later that day. He waved a manila folder under Gabe's nose.
"I don't know, and I have no opinion," Gabe mumbled as he plucked the folder from Chris's grasp.
"I had one hella rough time sneaking this out, old man. You owe me."
"All part of your training, grasshopper." Gabe dumped the contents of the envelope on his kitchen counter and leafed through the sheets of paper. He paused when he reached the report of the microscopic examination. "Hmm.... Not human, well that tells us a lot." Gabe continued shuffling the stack of reports. What he really wanted was the DNA analysis. It occurred to him that there wouldn't be one since other examination showed the evidence was not of human origin.
"Not a lot to go on, is there?"
"Do you think you can talk anybody down in the molecular bio lab into sequencing this sample?"
"Well..." Chris began slyly, "Lindsey has been rather friendly lately, maybe I could get her to sneak it in."
"You are incorrigible, man." Gabe grinned knowingly. Chris was an inveterate flirt with all the women on the force. His boyish face had gotten him into, and out of, more trouble than Gabe could remember. "When you're talking to Lindsey, just try to remember why you're there. Now get on it, before the trail's too cold.""
****
The sun had just disappeared below the horizon when Gabe left his house.
"It's about time we went there," Mary said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Gabe responded.
"You should be a little more considerate," Mary said. "After all, I didn't ask to get stuck in your head."
Gabe felt at once aggravated and a little guilty. He hadn't asked for the situation either, but it would do no one any good if he let himself get too irritated. He had to admit that she had saved his ass after he'd fallen into that old cellar.
"Damn straight!" Mary chimed in.
Gabe rolled his eyes and shook his head. He really hoped the Sister could find a way to get Mary back in her own body soon.
The L was still packed at this time of the evening. Gabe was forced to stand for most of the trip. He was fairly exhausted by the time he had walked the last leg to the Haven. All was quiet around the former church building. No one lingered on the steps or about the building. It was as deserted as the first time he had come here in the small hours of the morning.
"There are normally more people hanging around this time of night," Mary said. "I wonder if something's up."
****
Asher had indeed found out what the 'or else' was when he arrived at work that morning. It was a dressing down that would put a marine drill sergeant to shame. Through some miracle he'd been given a reprieve until tomorrow's addition. This would entail an all-nighter at the office since his laptop computer was long gone.
"Bloody hell," Asher muttered.
"Excuse me?" the aging janitor asked.
"Nothing," Asher responded. He hadn't noticed the old man come into the cubicle farm where his desk was nestled among many others.
He turned back to the sprawl of documents and scribbled notes that covered his desk. On his initiative he'd put together a pretty solid background investigation of this Abrams character. Probably better than the cops, he thought smugly. Asher had spent many days in Abram's neighborhood, talking to the people who lived there. He had compiled a fairly complete record of Abrams' comings and goings. His most interesting lead had come from a phone call he received from a young woman on the janitorial staff at Miller Nursing Home. Some research revealed that Miller was originally established in nineteen hundred and one as an asylum. It was one of the oldest facilities in Oaklawn, maybe in the entire Chicago region.
Two days after the Abrams story broke, Asher received a phone call from a very nervous girl. She told him that she had seen Abrams pay several visits to a patient at the home around the time that the first of Abrams' victims had disappeared. The visits took place long after normal visiting hours had ended. The girl became evasive when he asked her why she had not contacted the police. He guessed that she had her reasons for wanting to remain unnoticed by the authorities.
Asher had visited Miller Nursing Home to follow up on the lead. No one else there had any recollection of Abrams' visits. The staff there was agreeable enough, especially when he gave them some bull story about highlighting their facility in an article on historical buildings. They were a little puzzled when he asked to question the night staff. He had simply responded, "These old places always have some ghost stories. Readers love that stuff."
It was good enough to get him the opportunity to snoop around after hours. He interviewed all the staff over the course of a night, including a young woman on the janitorial staff. A young woman with a very familiar voice named Jenny Matthews. She evaded his questions and quickly slipped away. Before he left that evening she bumped into him and pressed a folded scrap of paper into his hand. He read the message scrawled on the paper on the way home. Can't talk here, I need this job. I'll call you later. A few days later Asher saw the name Jenny Matthews on the regular crime report issued by the CPD to the press. She had been murdered in her apartment. No details were given.
Asher leaned back in his chair, stretching mightily. It was getting close to eight o'clock. After last night he thought he might sleep at the office even if he didn't have a story to put together before dawn.
****
Piotr sat near the window of a small cafe on West Chicago Avenue, across the street from the offices of the Chicago Tribune. Come out to play, comrade. We have much unfinished business.
****
"I wonder if something's up," Mary said as they approached the Haven.
"These are your people, kid," Gabe replied. "I don't have a clue."
"They aren't just my people," Mary's voice held an edge. "You have a power of your own, not just the ones you've 'borrowed' from me."
It did seem eerily still around the stone church building. As Gabe approached the front doors they opened suddenly. There stood Poe, framed by the doorway.
"She's been expecting you." She turned and walked into the interior.
"Nice to see you too, Poe," Gabe muttered as he followed her into the church.
"Poe's upset," Mary said.
"Really? All I noticed was her normal charming demeanor."
Poe stopped and spun to face Gabe. "You're lucky Mary is sharing your body, pig."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Gabe! Stop baiting her!"
Gabe locked eyes with the vampire. A heavy silence blanketed the old church's main room, the still air before a storm.
"DAS IST GANUG!" A powerful voice echoed through the high rafters. "Kriege machen sie nicht!"
All looked toward the source of the voice. The Sister swept into the great hall, her searing glare sweeping across Poe and Gabe. Both shot a needle filled glance at the other before looking away.
"I told you to stop," Mary said.
"And I'll have none of it from you either, Miss Johansson." The Sister's ire spared no one in the room. "We have more than enough problems without childish squabbles!"
"I'm going to hazard a guess here, but I'll bet this has something to do with Jenny Matthews and the bear attack on the bus last night," Gabe said.
"No, Sherlock," said Poe with a derisive snort.
"Gott in Himmell! Give me patience! Poe...." The Sister's voice carried an implicit warning.
Gabe opened his mouth to respond to Poe's remark, and then thought better of it. Verbal sparring was going to get him nowhere. Poe stood facing The Sister, arms folded, her posture evidencing overwhelming irritation.
"Yes, Mister Ansgar, our problems have everything to do with last night's events," the Sister said. "However, that was no bear. It was a werewolf."
Gabe's first thought was that the Sister's statement was impossible. But then, he had spent the last few moments quarreling with a vampire. The boundaries in which his reality once resided continued their inexorable erosion.
"I believe the werewolf killed Jenny Matthews. Poe fought him on the roof of the building adjacent to the crime scene. Apparently he was taking great interest in your work, as he was watching Jenny's apartment window when Poe confronted him."
Gabe remembered the blood trail leading up the fire escape, ending on the roof. A small chill crept down his spine as he realized he had been watched.
"And the bus attack last night?"
"That was no coincidence. The creature was pursuing one of my former wards." The Sister paused a moment before continuing. "He escaped, but has chosen not to remain here, under our protection."
"Foolish of him," Gabe said. "There was another similar murder on the same night that Matthews was killed."
"Charles Druyon," the Sister said, "was also a former resident here. Anyone associated with the Haven is potentially in danger."
"We've wasted enough time," Poe said. "I'm going out."
"Where," Mary asked.
"Hunting."
© 2003 Austin Hale
You live in a church
Where you sleep with voodoo dolls
And you won't give up the search
For the ghosts in the halls
You wear sandals in the snow
And a smile that won't wash away
Can you look out the window
Without your shadow getting in the way
-Sarah McLachlan, Building A Mystery
"You know I could get into some seriously deep
bringing you lab results like this," Chris said when he returned later that day. He waved a manila folder under Gabe's nose."I don't know, and I have no opinion," Gabe mumbled as he plucked the folder from Chris's grasp.
"I had one hella rough time sneaking this out, old man. You owe me."
"All part of your training, grasshopper." Gabe dumped the contents of the envelope on his kitchen counter and leafed through the sheets of paper. He paused when he reached the report of the microscopic examination. "Hmm.... Not human, well that tells us a lot." Gabe continued shuffling the stack of reports. What he really wanted was the DNA analysis. It occurred to him that there wouldn't be one since other examination showed the evidence was not of human origin.
"Not a lot to go on, is there?"
"Do you think you can talk anybody down in the molecular bio lab into sequencing this sample?"
"Well..." Chris began slyly, "Lindsey has been rather friendly lately, maybe I could get her to sneak it in."
"You are incorrigible, man." Gabe grinned knowingly. Chris was an inveterate flirt with all the women on the force. His boyish face had gotten him into, and out of, more trouble than Gabe could remember. "When you're talking to Lindsey, just try to remember why you're there. Now get on it, before the trail's too cold.""
****
The sun had just disappeared below the horizon when Gabe left his house.
"It's about time we went there," Mary said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Gabe responded.
"You should be a little more considerate," Mary said. "After all, I didn't ask to get stuck in your head."
Gabe felt at once aggravated and a little guilty. He hadn't asked for the situation either, but it would do no one any good if he let himself get too irritated. He had to admit that she had saved his ass after he'd fallen into that old cellar.
"Damn straight!" Mary chimed in.
Gabe rolled his eyes and shook his head. He really hoped the Sister could find a way to get Mary back in her own body soon.
The L was still packed at this time of the evening. Gabe was forced to stand for most of the trip. He was fairly exhausted by the time he had walked the last leg to the Haven. All was quiet around the former church building. No one lingered on the steps or about the building. It was as deserted as the first time he had come here in the small hours of the morning.
"There are normally more people hanging around this time of night," Mary said. "I wonder if something's up."
****
Asher had indeed found out what the 'or else' was when he arrived at work that morning. It was a dressing down that would put a marine drill sergeant to shame. Through some miracle he'd been given a reprieve until tomorrow's addition. This would entail an all-nighter at the office since his laptop computer was long gone.
"Bloody hell," Asher muttered.
"Excuse me?" the aging janitor asked.
"Nothing," Asher responded. He hadn't noticed the old man come into the cubicle farm where his desk was nestled among many others.
He turned back to the sprawl of documents and scribbled notes that covered his desk. On his initiative he'd put together a pretty solid background investigation of this Abrams character. Probably better than the cops, he thought smugly. Asher had spent many days in Abram's neighborhood, talking to the people who lived there. He had compiled a fairly complete record of Abrams' comings and goings. His most interesting lead had come from a phone call he received from a young woman on the janitorial staff at Miller Nursing Home. Some research revealed that Miller was originally established in nineteen hundred and one as an asylum. It was one of the oldest facilities in Oaklawn, maybe in the entire Chicago region.
Two days after the Abrams story broke, Asher received a phone call from a very nervous girl. She told him that she had seen Abrams pay several visits to a patient at the home around the time that the first of Abrams' victims had disappeared. The visits took place long after normal visiting hours had ended. The girl became evasive when he asked her why she had not contacted the police. He guessed that she had her reasons for wanting to remain unnoticed by the authorities.
Asher had visited Miller Nursing Home to follow up on the lead. No one else there had any recollection of Abrams' visits. The staff there was agreeable enough, especially when he gave them some bull
story about highlighting their facility in an article on historical buildings. They were a little puzzled when he asked to question the night staff. He had simply responded, "These old places always have some ghost stories. Readers love that stuff."It was good enough to get him the opportunity to snoop around after hours. He interviewed all the staff over the course of a night, including a young woman on the janitorial staff. A young woman with a very familiar voice named Jenny Matthews. She evaded his questions and quickly slipped away. Before he left that evening she bumped into him and pressed a folded scrap of paper into his hand. He read the message scrawled on the paper on the way home. Can't talk here, I need this job. I'll call you later. A few days later Asher saw the name Jenny Matthews on the regular crime report issued by the CPD to the press. She had been murdered in her apartment. No details were given.
Asher leaned back in his chair, stretching mightily. It was getting close to eight o'clock. After last night he thought he might sleep at the office even if he didn't have a story to put together before dawn.
****
Piotr sat near the window of a small cafe on West Chicago Avenue, across the street from the offices of the Chicago Tribune. Come out to play, comrade. We have much unfinished business.
****
"I wonder if something's up," Mary said as they approached the Haven.
"These are your people, kid," Gabe replied. "I don't have a clue."
"They aren't just my people," Mary's voice held an edge. "You have a power of your own, not just the ones you've 'borrowed' from me."
It did seem eerily still around the stone church building. As Gabe approached the front doors they opened suddenly. There stood Poe, framed by the doorway.
"She's been expecting you." She turned and walked into the interior.
"Nice to see you too, Poe," Gabe muttered as he followed her into the church.
"Poe's upset," Mary said.
"Really? All I noticed was her normal charming demeanor."
Poe stopped and spun to face Gabe. "You're lucky Mary is sharing your body, pig."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Gabe! Stop baiting her!"
Gabe locked eyes with the vampire. A heavy silence blanketed the old church's main room, the still air before a storm.
"DAS IST GANUG!" A powerful voice echoed through the high rafters. "Kriege machen sie nicht!"
All looked toward the source of the voice. The Sister swept into the great hall, her searing glare sweeping across Poe and Gabe. Both shot a needle filled glance at the other before looking away.
"I told you to stop," Mary said.
"And I'll have none of it from you either, Miss Johansson." The Sister's ire spared no one in the room. "We have more than enough problems without childish squabbles!"
"I'm going to hazard a guess here, but I'll bet this has something to do with Jenny Matthews and the bear attack on the bus last night," Gabe said.
"No
, Sherlock," said Poe with a derisive snort. "Gott in Himmell! Give me patience! Poe...." The Sister's voice carried an implicit warning.
Gabe opened his mouth to respond to Poe's remark, and then thought better of it. Verbal sparring was going to get him nowhere. Poe stood facing The Sister, arms folded, her posture evidencing overwhelming irritation.
"Yes, Mister Ansgar, our problems have everything to do with last night's events," the Sister said. "However, that was no bear. It was a werewolf."
Gabe's first thought was that the Sister's statement was impossible. But then, he had spent the last few moments quarreling with a vampire. The boundaries in which his reality once resided continued their inexorable erosion.
"I believe the werewolf killed Jenny Matthews. Poe fought him on the roof of the building adjacent to the crime scene. Apparently he was taking great interest in your work, as he was watching Jenny's apartment window when Poe confronted him."
Gabe remembered the blood trail leading up the fire escape, ending on the roof. A small chill crept down his spine as he realized he had been watched.
"And the bus attack last night?"
"That was no coincidence. The creature was pursuing one of my former wards." The Sister paused a moment before continuing. "He escaped, but has chosen not to remain here, under our protection."
"Foolish of him," Gabe said. "There was another similar murder on the same night that Matthews was killed."
"Charles Druyon," the Sister said, "was also a former resident here. Anyone associated with the Haven is potentially in danger."
"We've wasted enough time," Poe said. "I'm going out."
"Where," Mary asked.
"Hunting."
© 2003 Austin Hale
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Lamprolign said:
YES!
Another Poe v Piotr rematch!
Lamprolign
First Post
018
Do you care what the line is,
Do you care if you won't,
Lesson one is let's stop waiting for the sunlight
It's not crazy to bow down in the full moon, in the full moon
Do you care what the riot is,
Do you care if its falsefied,
Lesson one is let's stop waiting for the sunlight
It's not crazy to bow down in the full moon, in the full moon
Hey, hey I'm dead on arrival,
Hey, hey I'm distant
Crawling right back, yes, I'm crawling right back
- Urge Overkill, Honesty Files
"Where are you going?"
"Hunting."
****
"More coffee sir?" The waitress waved a half-full carafe towards the man's cup.
"No thank you," the man responded with an accent that she thought was Slavic.
She considered asking him where he was from. She had just started a Russian language class at university and was curious. The man turned and looked at her for a brief moment before staring back out onto the street. His gaze chilled her to the core. She turned and walked quickly away.
Piotr glanced at the young woman as she disappeared into the cafe's kitchen. Her revulsion amused him. He looked at the clock that hung above the counter of the small cafe. Midnight. He began to wonder if Asher was going to leave the building this night. No matter. We can finish our business indoors....
****
The northeast wind bit through Gabe's coat, causing him the shiver violently. "Where the hell are we going?"
"Asher said he needed to work. He'll be in his office. We're going there to watch and wait. He'll be our bait."
"I don't suppose this guy knows that he's bait?"
"He made it clear last night that he didn't want our help," Poe said with an edge in her voice. "I'm out to stop this freak before he goes after somebody else from the Haven. We're not here to protect Asher."
"Poe," Mary protested, "he's still a person. We can't just let him die."
"He should have thought of that before he turned his back on us," Poe shot back. "His loss will be well worth it if it allows us to stop the beast."
"Why am I following a psycho?" Gabe's mumble was heard only by Mary, who remained uncharacteristically silent.
****
Piotr sighed. Too many people, he thought as he walked past the building's rear entrance. Trucks were already there, lining up in preparation to deliver the morning edition. He turned the corner out of the alley, heading back toward the cafe. A blast of cold wind greeted him, cold that would have sent most hurrying indoors. Piotr raised his face to the wind and embraced the chill despite his relatively sparse attire consisting of a gray turtleneck and faded jeans. A dark blue toboggan pulled over his brow covered his head. He weaved his way quickly between the numerous pedestrians crowding the sidewalks. Perhaps you will live yet another night, comrade.
The wind shifted direction as it eddied around the buildings. Piotr stopped. A familiar scent triggered a short burst of adrenaline. Have you come out to play little girl? Piotr scanned the faces surrounding him to no avail. A twist of wind carried the scent to him. With the wind swirling there was no way he could discern where she might be. He didn't believe it was a coincidence that the vampire was in his hunting ground again. She would have to be dealt with before Piotr could continue the hunt. A thin smile creased his face at the thought.
****
Poe stood quietly in the shadows of a darkened doorway. The werewolf paused ten yards from her. He slowly looked around, turning a full circle, and then he moved on. As he moved past, she slipped out into the flow of people behind him. She could hear her pulse beating in her head, feel the strength coursing through her. Her recent feeding had replenished her beyond the cost of regeneration. Poe grinned wickedly. The werewolf had toyed with her. He would pay dearly.
Gabe followed a few paces behind the vampire. He wondered again why he had tagged along. He supposed that part of it was professional interest. A crime had been committed, and even though this was not exactly conventional investigation, the bad guy needed to be stopped. Maybe part of it was something Mary had said. They're your people too. He wasn't quite ready to admit that to himself, but it lurked in his subconscious.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Mary said quietly.
"Me too," Gabe whispered.
****
Piotr continued to walk. He passed the cafe where he was seated earlier, and then turned down a narrow alley that led off of Adams into shadows. Follow, little girl.
****
Poe watched the man in the gray sweater pass into the shadows of an alley. She slipped silently into the dark lane. A stygian mist gathered around her, swirling up from the ground, until she disappeared. The black mist spread from the dark recesses of doorways and from under overhangs. Tendrils filled the alley, blocking the light from the thoroughfare behind her. She smiled, pleased by the darkness.
The slightest scraping sound gave scant warning as several hundred pounds of fur and claw rushed toward her. She sidestepped, testing his ability to see in her shadow mist. He changed direction immediately, bearing down on her. Leaping to the side, she barely evaded the swipe of razor talons. Damn! How can he see me?!
Poe rolled to her feet. She spotted her quarry skidding around for another charge, fully transformed, a mass of bristly fur, sharp teeth and claws. In a single leap she closed the distance between them. Her booted foot landed squarely on the monster's eye with a wet crunching sound and the spatter of blood. He snarled in rage, swiping sideways with his tooth filled maw. Poe bounded away, landing on a second floor fire escape platform.
The beast angled its head toward her. One eye was bloody but the other transfixed her with a baleful yellow stare. It leapt, easily clearing the distance to the platform. Poe sprang away at the last instant, sailing across the alley to find a tenuous perch on a third floor windowsill. No sooner had the beast's feet made contact then it jumped again. Poe somersaulted into midair, arcing gracefully to the pavement below. The creature crashed through the window and inside the building.
****
Gabe stood on the sidewalk where the alley disappeared behind an inky veil of unnatural darkness. Sounds of a struggle pierced the black veil, followed by the crystalline refrain of breaking glass.
"We have to go in there," Mary said. "Poe could be hurt."
"If we go in there, I could be hurt. Poe's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Gabe responded. Several minutes passed and the darkness in the alley dissipated. He saw no sign of Poe or the beast.
"."
Gabe cautiously walked down the alley. About fifty paces brought him to a spatter of blood on the pavement. I wonder whose.... There were gouges in the pavement where the creature's claws dug in as it leapt. A shard of broken glass caught his attention. He looked up and saw the shattered window.
"."
Gabe stared at the window three stories overhead, and then looked around at street level. There was a steel door opening into the building a few yards away. He knew before he tried that the door would be locked.
"Fosgail an dràstar," Mary spoke.
Gabe heard his voice speaking in time with hers. The door crumpled inward, ripping from its frame and crashing against the wall of what looked like a hallway.
"Oops."
"Nice Mary," Gabe said. "Why don't we get some trumpets and firecrackers to announce ourselves while you're at it. You could ask before you hijack my vocal cords, you know." He stepped through the door.
****
Piotr's right eye was useless. He could feel the blood trickling down his cheek, taste it in the corner of his mouth. Moving swiftly, he crossed the long narrow room. By the light of computer monitors he could make out a door at the far end. The corners of his mouth turned up in a horrific parody of a smile. The tight quarters here would work to his advantage. He slipped through the door into the corridor beyond.
****
Glass crunched under her feet as Poe stepped from the windowsill. Scattered spots of blood led away from the window into a long narrow room lined by desks. Poe stood for a moment listening. Silence. She moved across the room toward the only door. The blood trail continued down the corridor beyond. A multitude of doors opened on either side of the hallway, black openings through which her quarry might be waiting.
****
He heard the faint scuff of a booted foot. He became still, his breathing a barely audible whisper. The central heating carried the smell of fresh earth to his nostrils. She was near. The muscles in his legs tensed, readying to spring. His ears strained to hear her approach.
****
Poe stopped. Did she hear something? Every nerve was strung snare-tight. Then she heard the soft sound of exhalation. She whirled and saw the beast hurtling toward her. There was no room to dodge in the close confines of the corridor. It slammed into her with bone crushing force. She was pinned between the beast and the wall. One arm under the creature's snout barely kept the jagged teeth from her face. Blood seeped through her coat where talons had raked her shoulders. She brought her knee up hard into the creature's rib cage. Bones gave way beneath the blow and Poe heaved the beast back. She felt the walls pressing in. She couldn't maneuver in such tight quarters.
It charged again. At the last moment Poe dropped to the floor with her legs pulled tightly to her chest. As the creature pressed its attack, she uncoiled explosively, planting both feet in the creature's chest. Up and over it went, carried by its own momentum. Its back tore through the drop ceiling. Pieces of plaster tile and steel frame rained from above. The beast's trajectory carried it through a steel door into a stair well.
Before the rain of ceiling had stopped it scrabbled to its feet again. Poe considered her options quickly. She had to get out of this building. It would only be a matter of time before the werewolf's greater weight and weaponry won the battle in the enclosed space of the hallway.
It leapt. Poe could not evade this time. They rolled down the hallway, Poe trying desperately to keep the toothy muzzle away from her throat and face. She was unable to land any blows of her own. The talons ripped long gashes on her shoulders. Its hind feet lacerated her legs. The gray carpeting of the hallway floor turned dark with Poe's blood.
****
Gabe had just entered the stairwell when he heard the door above him explode open from a great impact. He looked up to see a light rain of white dust float down from the third floor landing.
"."
Gabe ran up the stairs, wondering exactly what good he was going to do when he got there. He skidded through the ruined third floor door into a hallway. There was Poe, pinned under the beast and from the looks of things not doing too well.
"POE!"
It seemed to Gabe as if Mary's voice had split his skull in two. He felt an incredible surge of emotion coarse through him as Mary's thoughts spilled into his consciousness. Gabe's arm raised before him, his fingers and hand held flat, pointing toward the creature.
"Balaas aingeal!" their voices intoned together.
Red light swirled around his hand and then surged forward to strike the beast in the shoulder. It howled in pain. The air reeked of burnt hair and flesh. It turned a baleful eye in their direction. Gabe's other hand swung around as if throwing.
"Ròiseal viitahea!"
A compression wave, outlined in pale blue light, streaked outward from the arc of Gabe's arm. It tore down both sides of the hallway, shattering drywall and steel frame. It struck the still smoldering beast, sending it flying to the opposite end of the hallway with a sickening crunch of breaking bones and tearing flesh. Gabe brought his hand in front of his face and gawked at it as if it were some alien thing suddenly grafted to his body.
The beast rose from the floor, staggered two steps, and then disappeared through the far door. Poe climbed to her feet, dripping blood but still moving.
"Don't let it get away!"
Gabe sprinted after the werewolf, Poe a step behind. They burst through the far door. A trail of blood drops made it a simple task to follow the creature. It led to another stairwell. The trail went up. Gabe thought they must be at the fifth floor when the trail exited the stairwell. The door deposited them on the top floor of an adjoining parking building. Gabe skidded to a halt. An image flashed across his mind of the creature flying through the air. He turned in time to see the beast leaping from a dark corner where the parking building connected with the building they had just exited. Its jaw clamped down hard on Gabe's left arm as he failed to dodge the attack. Gabe felt a great pressure and was sure he heard bones splintering. Then he was slung from side to side as the beast began to rip him apart. Suddenly it released him.
Gabe saw Poe on the creature's back. With both arms locked around its neck she clamped its windpipe shut. It thrashed wildly for a moment then jumped straight up, flipping over onto its back and pinning Poe between itself and the concrete floor. Her breath was taken away as the impact forced all the air from her lungs. Her grip loosened enough for the beast to roll away. Poe sprang to her feet, landing in a crouch, ready for another attack.
Gabe lay still on the concrete. He was still conscious but he couldn't move. His left arm was a shattered ruin from the elbow down. He could see bits of broken bone protruding from several places. Blood pulsed out. Gabe's battered brain registered that an artery must be cut. He had to stop the bleeding.
"Voraes ni tuagh banigh."
"Gabe," Mary's voice seemed muted, as if she were speaking through a wall. "Gabe, you have to stay with me here."
"Voraes ni tuagh banigh."
Gabe felt a tingling in his arm, and a small measure of strength returned to him. He looked at the shattered arm. Blood continued to ooze out of the many lacerations, but it no longer surged. He looked over to see Poe and the werewolf warily circling. Each looked for a weakness in the other's defenses. Gabe could not stand. He crawled back toward the wall and propped himself up against it.
Poe kept her eyes locked on the creature's left eye. The right eye was swollen shut in an angry red mass that was still dripping blood. As they circled, Poe gradually closed the distance between them. She dropped straight down, catching her weight on her hands, swinging both legs around. The kick caught the creature on the end of its snout. A tooth flew out and skidded across the concrete.
The werewolf lunged, its jaw snapping shut inches from Poe's face. She fell back on her shoulders, pulled her legs to her and kicked out. This time the blow landed solidly in the creature's throat. It made a gasping rasp and backed away. Poe was up in a heartbeat, catching the beast just below the ear with a roundhouse kick. It faltered for a moment and then lunged, seizing Poe's leg in a crushing bite. It thrashed Poe from side to side, slamming her into the concrete.
Gabe saw the vampire fall with the creature latched onto her leg. He raised his right arm, fingers outstretched.
"Caer’aroon naes naeor," Gabe said in time with Mary.
Bolts of blue light shot from Gabe's hand, striking the creature in the ribcage. Howling, it released the vampire. It turned to face Gabe. Poe rolled away and regained her footing. Her leg was broken. She nearly fell when she tried to put weight on it. Poe balanced on the good leg and looked around. The edge of the deck was only a few yards behind her. If she could only get the beast near enough.…
Gabe's arm hung limp at his side. He'd lost a lot of blood before Mary slowed the bleeding ... too much blood.
The beast watched Gabe's head loll to the side. This one was no longer a threat. He turned back to face the vampire in time to receive a vicious kick to the head. Bright lights exploded in its vision. It turned, snapped blindly and felt fabric tear through its teeth. It saw the vampire standing just a short distance away. She seemed to be favoring one leg. A final attack should finish her. He leapt toward the vampire clawed forelimbs fully outstretched. He would tear her apart. More swiftly than his eye could follow she feinted to the left. Where his target had stood now he saw only open space and lights far below.
Poe crawled back to the edge and peered over. Bakayaro, she thought. She could just make out a crushed form on the sidewalk far below. Good riddance. Poe looked at Gabe's unconscious form. Maybe he wasn't such a loser after all...
****
Gabe opened his eyes. He saw a varnished tongue and groove pattern above. That's not my ceiling. Sunlight was flooding the room through windows that were out of his line of sight. He heard a sound to his side.
"Well, I see that you are finally awake Gabriel." The Sister's voice floated from across the room.
"How...?"
"...did you get here?" the Sister finished for him. "Poe carried you."
Gabe's eyes widened and he felt his neck with his right hand. At the same time he realized his arm was bound in an elaborate splint.
"I think Poe might be offended by your reaction," the Sister chuckled softly. "As amusing as it was."
"How is Poe?"
"She's fine, Mary," the Sister answered. "She is much more durable than our unfortunate public servant here."
"Thanks," Gabe said. "What happened to the hairy-scary?"
The Sister allowed the spinning wheel to coast to a stop. She looked out the window before answering. "He disappeared. No body was found."
"Lovely," Gabe replied, "meaning he could be and probably is still out there."
"Yes," the Sister continued looking out the window. "He must be severely injured though. I don't believe we will see him for some time. The most troubling aspect of these events is why. Until we know that it will be very difficult to guard against." The Sister paused and looked back at Gabe. "I fear there is something more at work here than the werewolf, I just don't know what or who...yet."
© Austin Hale
And so ends episode 2 of First Sight. Episode 3 will start in two weeks...
Do you care what the line is,
Do you care if you won't,
Lesson one is let's stop waiting for the sunlight
It's not crazy to bow down in the full moon, in the full moon
Do you care what the riot is,
Do you care if its falsefied,
Lesson one is let's stop waiting for the sunlight
It's not crazy to bow down in the full moon, in the full moon
Hey, hey I'm dead on arrival,
Hey, hey I'm distant
Crawling right back, yes, I'm crawling right back
- Urge Overkill, Honesty Files
"Where are you going?"
"Hunting."
****
"More coffee sir?" The waitress waved a half-full carafe towards the man's cup.
"No thank you," the man responded with an accent that she thought was Slavic.
She considered asking him where he was from. She had just started a Russian language class at university and was curious. The man turned and looked at her for a brief moment before staring back out onto the street. His gaze chilled her to the core. She turned and walked quickly away.
Piotr glanced at the young woman as she disappeared into the cafe's kitchen. Her revulsion amused him. He looked at the clock that hung above the counter of the small cafe. Midnight. He began to wonder if Asher was going to leave the building this night. No matter. We can finish our business indoors....
****
The northeast wind bit through Gabe's coat, causing him the shiver violently. "Where the hell are we going?"
"Asher said he needed to work. He'll be in his office. We're going there to watch and wait. He'll be our bait."
"I don't suppose this guy knows that he's bait?"
"He made it clear last night that he didn't want our help," Poe said with an edge in her voice. "I'm out to stop this freak before he goes after somebody else from the Haven. We're not here to protect Asher."
"Poe," Mary protested, "he's still a person. We can't just let him die."
"He should have thought of that before he turned his back on us," Poe shot back. "His loss will be well worth it if it allows us to stop the beast."
"Why am I following a psycho?" Gabe's mumble was heard only by Mary, who remained uncharacteristically silent.
****
Piotr sighed. Too many people, he thought as he walked past the building's rear entrance. Trucks were already there, lining up in preparation to deliver the morning edition. He turned the corner out of the alley, heading back toward the cafe. A blast of cold wind greeted him, cold that would have sent most hurrying indoors. Piotr raised his face to the wind and embraced the chill despite his relatively sparse attire consisting of a gray turtleneck and faded jeans. A dark blue toboggan pulled over his brow covered his head. He weaved his way quickly between the numerous pedestrians crowding the sidewalks. Perhaps you will live yet another night, comrade.
The wind shifted direction as it eddied around the buildings. Piotr stopped. A familiar scent triggered a short burst of adrenaline. Have you come out to play little girl? Piotr scanned the faces surrounding him to no avail. A twist of wind carried the scent to him. With the wind swirling there was no way he could discern where she might be. He didn't believe it was a coincidence that the vampire was in his hunting ground again. She would have to be dealt with before Piotr could continue the hunt. A thin smile creased his face at the thought.
****
Poe stood quietly in the shadows of a darkened doorway. The werewolf paused ten yards from her. He slowly looked around, turning a full circle, and then he moved on. As he moved past, she slipped out into the flow of people behind him. She could hear her pulse beating in her head, feel the strength coursing through her. Her recent feeding had replenished her beyond the cost of regeneration. Poe grinned wickedly. The werewolf had toyed with her. He would pay dearly.
Gabe followed a few paces behind the vampire. He wondered again why he had tagged along. He supposed that part of it was professional interest. A crime had been committed, and even though this was not exactly conventional investigation, the bad guy needed to be stopped. Maybe part of it was something Mary had said. They're your people too. He wasn't quite ready to admit that to himself, but it lurked in his subconscious.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Mary said quietly.
"Me too," Gabe whispered.
****
Piotr continued to walk. He passed the cafe where he was seated earlier, and then turned down a narrow alley that led off of Adams into shadows. Follow, little girl.
****
Poe watched the man in the gray sweater pass into the shadows of an alley. She slipped silently into the dark lane. A stygian mist gathered around her, swirling up from the ground, until she disappeared. The black mist spread from the dark recesses of doorways and from under overhangs. Tendrils filled the alley, blocking the light from the thoroughfare behind her. She smiled, pleased by the darkness.
The slightest scraping sound gave scant warning as several hundred pounds of fur and claw rushed toward her. She sidestepped, testing his ability to see in her shadow mist. He changed direction immediately, bearing down on her. Leaping to the side, she barely evaded the swipe of razor talons. Damn! How can he see me?!
Poe rolled to her feet. She spotted her quarry skidding around for another charge, fully transformed, a mass of bristly fur, sharp teeth and claws. In a single leap she closed the distance between them. Her booted foot landed squarely on the monster's eye with a wet crunching sound and the spatter of blood. He snarled in rage, swiping sideways with his tooth filled maw. Poe bounded away, landing on a second floor fire escape platform.
The beast angled its head toward her. One eye was bloody but the other transfixed her with a baleful yellow stare. It leapt, easily clearing the distance to the platform. Poe sprang away at the last instant, sailing across the alley to find a tenuous perch on a third floor windowsill. No sooner had the beast's feet made contact then it jumped again. Poe somersaulted into midair, arcing gracefully to the pavement below. The creature crashed through the window and inside the building.
****
Gabe stood on the sidewalk where the alley disappeared behind an inky veil of unnatural darkness. Sounds of a struggle pierced the black veil, followed by the crystalline refrain of breaking glass.
"We have to go in there," Mary said. "Poe could be hurt."
"If we go in there, I could be hurt. Poe's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Gabe responded. Several minutes passed and the darkness in the alley dissipated. He saw no sign of Poe or the beast.
"
."Gabe cautiously walked down the alley. About fifty paces brought him to a spatter of blood on the pavement. I wonder whose.... There were gouges in the pavement where the creature's claws dug in as it leapt. A shard of broken glass caught his attention. He looked up and saw the shattered window.
"
." Gabe stared at the window three stories overhead, and then looked around at street level. There was a steel door opening into the building a few yards away. He knew before he tried that the door would be locked.
"Fosgail an dràstar," Mary spoke.
Gabe heard his voice speaking in time with hers. The door crumpled inward, ripping from its frame and crashing against the wall of what looked like a hallway.
"Oops."
"Nice Mary," Gabe said. "Why don't we get some trumpets and firecrackers to announce ourselves while you're at it. You could ask before you hijack my vocal cords, you know." He stepped through the door.
****
Piotr's right eye was useless. He could feel the blood trickling down his cheek, taste it in the corner of his mouth. Moving swiftly, he crossed the long narrow room. By the light of computer monitors he could make out a door at the far end. The corners of his mouth turned up in a horrific parody of a smile. The tight quarters here would work to his advantage. He slipped through the door into the corridor beyond.
****
Glass crunched under her feet as Poe stepped from the windowsill. Scattered spots of blood led away from the window into a long narrow room lined by desks. Poe stood for a moment listening. Silence. She moved across the room toward the only door. The blood trail continued down the corridor beyond. A multitude of doors opened on either side of the hallway, black openings through which her quarry might be waiting.
****
He heard the faint scuff of a booted foot. He became still, his breathing a barely audible whisper. The central heating carried the smell of fresh earth to his nostrils. She was near. The muscles in his legs tensed, readying to spring. His ears strained to hear her approach.
****
Poe stopped. Did she hear something? Every nerve was strung snare-tight. Then she heard the soft sound of exhalation. She whirled and saw the beast hurtling toward her. There was no room to dodge in the close confines of the corridor. It slammed into her with bone crushing force. She was pinned between the beast and the wall. One arm under the creature's snout barely kept the jagged teeth from her face. Blood seeped through her coat where talons had raked her shoulders. She brought her knee up hard into the creature's rib cage. Bones gave way beneath the blow and Poe heaved the beast back. She felt the walls pressing in. She couldn't maneuver in such tight quarters.
It charged again. At the last moment Poe dropped to the floor with her legs pulled tightly to her chest. As the creature pressed its attack, she uncoiled explosively, planting both feet in the creature's chest. Up and over it went, carried by its own momentum. Its back tore through the drop ceiling. Pieces of plaster tile and steel frame rained from above. The beast's trajectory carried it through a steel door into a stair well.
Before the rain of ceiling had stopped it scrabbled to its feet again. Poe considered her options quickly. She had to get out of this building. It would only be a matter of time before the werewolf's greater weight and weaponry won the battle in the enclosed space of the hallway.
It leapt. Poe could not evade this time. They rolled down the hallway, Poe trying desperately to keep the toothy muzzle away from her throat and face. She was unable to land any blows of her own. The talons ripped long gashes on her shoulders. Its hind feet lacerated her legs. The gray carpeting of the hallway floor turned dark with Poe's blood.
****
Gabe had just entered the stairwell when he heard the door above him explode open from a great impact. He looked up to see a light rain of white dust float down from the third floor landing.
"
." Gabe ran up the stairs, wondering exactly what good he was going to do when he got there. He skidded through the ruined third floor door into a hallway. There was Poe, pinned under the beast and from the looks of things not doing too well.
"POE!"
It seemed to Gabe as if Mary's voice had split his skull in two. He felt an incredible surge of emotion coarse through him as Mary's thoughts spilled into his consciousness. Gabe's arm raised before him, his fingers and hand held flat, pointing toward the creature.
"Balaas aingeal!" their voices intoned together.
Red light swirled around his hand and then surged forward to strike the beast in the shoulder. It howled in pain. The air reeked of burnt hair and flesh. It turned a baleful eye in their direction. Gabe's other hand swung around as if throwing.
"Ròiseal viitahea!"
A compression wave, outlined in pale blue light, streaked outward from the arc of Gabe's arm. It tore down both sides of the hallway, shattering drywall and steel frame. It struck the still smoldering beast, sending it flying to the opposite end of the hallway with a sickening crunch of breaking bones and tearing flesh. Gabe brought his hand in front of his face and gawked at it as if it were some alien thing suddenly grafted to his body.
The beast rose from the floor, staggered two steps, and then disappeared through the far door. Poe climbed to her feet, dripping blood but still moving.
"Don't let it get away!"
Gabe sprinted after the werewolf, Poe a step behind. They burst through the far door. A trail of blood drops made it a simple task to follow the creature. It led to another stairwell. The trail went up. Gabe thought they must be at the fifth floor when the trail exited the stairwell. The door deposited them on the top floor of an adjoining parking building. Gabe skidded to a halt. An image flashed across his mind of the creature flying through the air. He turned in time to see the beast leaping from a dark corner where the parking building connected with the building they had just exited. Its jaw clamped down hard on Gabe's left arm as he failed to dodge the attack. Gabe felt a great pressure and was sure he heard bones splintering. Then he was slung from side to side as the beast began to rip him apart. Suddenly it released him.
Gabe saw Poe on the creature's back. With both arms locked around its neck she clamped its windpipe shut. It thrashed wildly for a moment then jumped straight up, flipping over onto its back and pinning Poe between itself and the concrete floor. Her breath was taken away as the impact forced all the air from her lungs. Her grip loosened enough for the beast to roll away. Poe sprang to her feet, landing in a crouch, ready for another attack.
Gabe lay still on the concrete. He was still conscious but he couldn't move. His left arm was a shattered ruin from the elbow down. He could see bits of broken bone protruding from several places. Blood pulsed out. Gabe's battered brain registered that an artery must be cut. He had to stop the bleeding.
"Voraes ni tuagh banigh."
"Gabe," Mary's voice seemed muted, as if she were speaking through a wall. "Gabe, you have to stay with me here."
"Voraes ni tuagh banigh."
Gabe felt a tingling in his arm, and a small measure of strength returned to him. He looked at the shattered arm. Blood continued to ooze out of the many lacerations, but it no longer surged. He looked over to see Poe and the werewolf warily circling. Each looked for a weakness in the other's defenses. Gabe could not stand. He crawled back toward the wall and propped himself up against it.
Poe kept her eyes locked on the creature's left eye. The right eye was swollen shut in an angry red mass that was still dripping blood. As they circled, Poe gradually closed the distance between them. She dropped straight down, catching her weight on her hands, swinging both legs around. The kick caught the creature on the end of its snout. A tooth flew out and skidded across the concrete.
The werewolf lunged, its jaw snapping shut inches from Poe's face. She fell back on her shoulders, pulled her legs to her and kicked out. This time the blow landed solidly in the creature's throat. It made a gasping rasp and backed away. Poe was up in a heartbeat, catching the beast just below the ear with a roundhouse kick. It faltered for a moment and then lunged, seizing Poe's leg in a crushing bite. It thrashed Poe from side to side, slamming her into the concrete.
Gabe saw the vampire fall with the creature latched onto her leg. He raised his right arm, fingers outstretched.
"Caer’aroon naes naeor," Gabe said in time with Mary.
Bolts of blue light shot from Gabe's hand, striking the creature in the ribcage. Howling, it released the vampire. It turned to face Gabe. Poe rolled away and regained her footing. Her leg was broken. She nearly fell when she tried to put weight on it. Poe balanced on the good leg and looked around. The edge of the deck was only a few yards behind her. If she could only get the beast near enough.…
Gabe's arm hung limp at his side. He'd lost a lot of blood before Mary slowed the bleeding ... too much blood.
The beast watched Gabe's head loll to the side. This one was no longer a threat. He turned back to face the vampire in time to receive a vicious kick to the head. Bright lights exploded in its vision. It turned, snapped blindly and felt fabric tear through its teeth. It saw the vampire standing just a short distance away. She seemed to be favoring one leg. A final attack should finish her. He leapt toward the vampire clawed forelimbs fully outstretched. He would tear her apart. More swiftly than his eye could follow she feinted to the left. Where his target had stood now he saw only open space and lights far below.
Poe crawled back to the edge and peered over. Bakayaro, she thought. She could just make out a crushed form on the sidewalk far below. Good riddance. Poe looked at Gabe's unconscious form. Maybe he wasn't such a loser after all...
****
Gabe opened his eyes. He saw a varnished tongue and groove pattern above. That's not my ceiling. Sunlight was flooding the room through windows that were out of his line of sight. He heard a sound to his side.
"Well, I see that you are finally awake Gabriel." The Sister's voice floated from across the room.
"How...?"
"...did you get here?" the Sister finished for him. "Poe carried you."
Gabe's eyes widened and he felt his neck with his right hand. At the same time he realized his arm was bound in an elaborate splint.
"I think Poe might be offended by your reaction," the Sister chuckled softly. "As amusing as it was."
"How is Poe?"
"She's fine, Mary," the Sister answered. "She is much more durable than our unfortunate public servant here."
"Thanks," Gabe said. "What happened to the hairy-scary?"
The Sister allowed the spinning wheel to coast to a stop. She looked out the window before answering. "He disappeared. No body was found."
"Lovely," Gabe replied, "meaning he could be and probably is still out there."
"Yes," the Sister continued looking out the window. "He must be severely injured though. I don't believe we will see him for some time. The most troubling aspect of these events is why. Until we know that it will be very difficult to guard against." The Sister paused and looked back at Gabe. "I fear there is something more at work here than the werewolf, I just don't know what or who...yet."
© Austin Hale
And so ends episode 2 of First Sight. Episode 3 will start in two weeks...
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