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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lamprolign" data-source="post: 761728" data-attributes="member: 7860">I'll tell you something I am a wolf but I like to wear sheep's clothing I am a bonfire I am a vampire I'm waiting for my moment.- Garbage, Temptation WaitsGabe awoke on the hard floor of the warehouse, ringed by candles.  Outside of the circle of light all was pitch black, save for a pair of red eyes piercing the darkness.The eyes blinked and tilted to one side.  Their owner sprang from the shadows to land astride Gabe's prone body, a dark form looming above him.  A small hand gripped his throat, lifting him from the floor with surprising strength and pinning him against the wall."What have you done with Mary?" demanded a woman's voice, edged with steel."Ach uurgh aach," was all Gabe could manage through the constriction of his windpipe."I know that voice!" Mary said.That's nice, you know who's about to kill me. Gabe thought"Us."You're already dead."Answer me!"  The woman's voice was even more threatening.  "I haven't had a good feed in weeks.  You'll be dinner if you don't answer me!""You had better respond," Mary began.  "She's not known for her patience.""How can he answer if he can't breathe, Poe?"  From outside the ring of candles came another woman's voice.  This one sounded older, filled with a quiet power much like the silent flow of deep water.  And it was strangely familiar."Grrrrr.""Release him, Poe."  The second woman said sternly.  "You've haven't killed anyone in months now, let's continue that trend shall we?"The grip on Gabe's throat eased, but did not release entirely.  A broken light bulb dangling from frayed wires in the center of the ceiling began glowing, intensifying until the room was filled with light.  Gabe blinked his eyes, trying to adjust.  He saw a tall, wiry girl, her thin hand clamped firmly about his neck.  She was attired in a long black coat, open to reveal a black leather vest, fastened with numerous straps and heavy buckles.  On her exposed neck Gabe glimpsed the trailing end of a reptilian tattoo, whether snake or dragon he could not discern.  Black fatigue trousers neatly stuffed into military style boots completed the ensemble.   Her height belied the stereotype associated with her obviously Asian features.  Thin black brows arched above elliptical dark red eyes.  Hair like a shimmering shadow, broken by random tresses of copper, cascaded to her waist.  Her smile revealed four interlocking canines, each nearly an inch long.  Gabe's eyes widened, causing her smile to broaden..   "Okay you can breathe... now." Poe brought Gabe's face nearer till their noses almost touched.  "Where is Mary?" "Um ... why do you have fangs?"  Gabe stammered."She's a vampire, you twit," said Mary.Oh, thought Gabe.  She's a vamp...what!?   "There are no vampires!" "And I suppose there are no demons that go about possessing people and chasing timid crime scene investigators through dark alleys?"  Mary responded in a voice dripping with feigned sweetness."Crap," Gabe replied, resigned.  "She really is a vampire."Poe's mouth softened and her brow furrowed.  "Who are you talking to, you sick freak?""Mary."  Gabe said.  "I guess you two know each other.""You disgust me, you psychotic bastard.  Start talking straight or start bleeding."  Poe's grip tightened on Gabe's windpipe again.Gabe's eye's bulged out of his head and he made small gurgling noises.  "Poe.  Put him down NOW!" the other woman's voice commanded.  The sound of wood striking concrete accompanied the end of her sentence.  A wind sprang to life inside the small room as the light from the dangling broken bulb flared to painful intensity.The vampire dumped Gabe unceremoniously to the floor.  He sat there blinking against the incredibly intense glare.  The light dimmed and the other woman stepped into view.  She was not overly tall, yet she was not slight of stature.  Her face and build spoke of northern European ancestry.  Brown hair, streaked with gray, was gathered into a single braid.  It looped over one shoulder to reach the leather belt that supported all manner of pouches and artifacts, including a very large bowie knife.  She wore a plain brown dress, the hem of which swept the floor when she moved.  A shawl of reds, browns, and orange yarns, woven in a way that Gabe had never seen before, clung loosely about her shoulders.  She was favoring Poe with a glare that would have pierced steel.  Poe looked like a small child, chastised for sneaking a handful of cookies.  The woman turned to face Gabriel, her expression softened."You may call me Sister," she said.  "Now, you were speaking to our Mary?""Yes," Gabe responded, feeling oddly like he was back in grade school and being questioned by his teacher."And where is Mary?" the Sister asked.Gabe tapped his temple opposite the gunshot wound.  "That is a long story.  You see...." Gabe paused.  "Uh, pardon me for asking, but just who are you people?""They're the closest thing I have to family.""I imagine that you have many questions, Mister Ansgar," the Sister responded.  "This is no place for extended conversation and I am weary from this day's work.  Nightfall is upon us again and we can safely make our way home.  Won't you accompany us to more comfortable surroundings?" Gabe was fairly certain the invitation was not a request, but a polite order."You can trust her," Mary said."Onee-san," Poe began.  "I don't like this.""Trust must begin somewhere," the Sister replied.  "Wouldn't you agree, Mister Ansgar?"The unlikely trio emerged from the abandoned warehouse.  Gabe half expected to see the devastation wrought on the street from his dream, but the scene was deceptively tranquil, the ugliness of the city masked by a pristine blanket of snow.  Gabe was slightly surprised by the brisk pace that The Sister kept.  Her apparent age and physical condition did not correlate with rapid movement.  Poe walked with a predatory grace, sometimes in front by several paces, sometimes behind.  It unnerved Gabe.  He felt as though he walked with a leopard, and he was in no way at ease with her intentions.  They walked through one of the roughest areas along the Orange Line.  Gabe cast his eyes about nervously.  He had been called out to many murder scenes in this neighborhood, mostly gang related killings, and after recent events he really didn't want any more excitement.  Through the window of one of the few storefronts that was not boarded up Gabe caught a glance of the evening edition of the Chicago Tribune.  He stopped, staring at the headlines.63 Found Dead as Police Continue Search for Victims, Clues - Questions Linger Regarding Death, Disappearance of ChicagoDetectivesThe death toll continues to rise aspolice search the underground lairof the most prolific serial killer to haunt the Greater Chicago area since John Wayne Gacy.  Sixty-three bodies have been excavatedfrom beneath the home of primesuspect Hugh Abrams.Abrams, 41, is described byneighbors as a shy, quiet man who kept to himself.  Abramsremains missing.  Also missingis crime scene investigatorGabriel Ansgar, 34.  Ansgarwas examining the crime scenefor clues when he mysteriouslydisappeared.The body of Chicago Police Detective Jack Casey was found near the Kedzie Station of the Orange Line.  Casey was alsolast seen alive at Abrams' home.Police have not determined whether Casey's death is relatedto the investigation, or to thedisappearance of Ansgar.  Caseywas hit by the Orange Line trainearly Wednesday morning.   Gabe's thoughts were pulled from the story by Mary's insistent voice.  "I told you to look under the stairs.  I didn't expect so many though.""Move it."Gabe's reverie was broken by Poe's voice directly behind him.  He moved on, trying not to think.  Too much had happened.They walked for nearly a half hour before arriving in front of a two-story building made entirely of quarried stone.  Even in the scant lighting Gabe could tell that it was originally a church.  The steeply sloped roof peaked at a height over four stories.  Two sets of double doors opened onto the street.  Above these was a neatly boarded over opening that probably was once a stained glass window.  A small sign above the door announced that this was the "New Haven Coalition for the Homeless."  The Sister led them around the north side to a door about halfway down the length of the building.  The door swung open at their approach, spilling light onto the snow.  It was warm in the narrow hallway, a pleasant change from the frigid temperatures on the street.  The walls were paneled with polished hardwood that appeared freshly varnished.  A very slight musty odor hung in the air, mixing with the smell of baking bread.  Gabe's stomach growled noisily, reminding him that he'd not eaten in twenty-four hours.  They turned a corner.  Gabe thought that they must be near the rear of the building.  Doors broke the continuity of the walls on either side here.  The Sister paused at the third door and opened it.  They stepped into a room paneled much like the hallway.  Two lead framed windows with arching tops framed the fireplace on the center of the far wall.  Four overstuffed chairs were arranged in a loose semi-circle before the hearth.  Bookshelves filled most of the wallspace.  The Sister seated herself in the chair furthest to the left of the hearth.  She looked at the logs placed carefully in the fireplace and they ignited beneath her gaze. "Please take a seat, Gabriel."  The Sister gestured toward the vacant chairs.  "Poe, why don't you be a dear and bring down some hot tea?"Poe glared at Gabe before turning on her heel and leaving the room with a growl.Gabe grumbled in response.  He'd recovered his wits enough to be more than a little irate.  After a night and day of being shot, beaten, and choked, his patience was wearing thin."I'd appreciate some answers.  No obscure language or veiled references, just plain English please.  How did you find us?" The Sister regarded Gabe for a moment before speaking.  "Interesting that you are using the plural pronoun."  A small grin played across her face.  "In 'plain English,' I followed Mary's aura like a beacon.  I expected to find her, but instead found you."Poe and I were on our way to Abrams' home when I felt Mary's spirit cry out.  Unfortunately we were... delayed.  I must assume that Abrams did something very foolish before we could arrive.""You could say that," Gabe began."Yeah.  He tried to exorcise the demon himself!"  Mary interrupted A look of consternation crossed Gabe's face.  "Excuse me, I believe I'm telling the story.  The biggest remaining piece of your Abrams is a tooth embedded in a door jam."The Sister wrinkled her nose.  "Ew.  He should have waited.  You probably already know that you were possessed by a demon.  The same demon, of course, that possessed Mister Abrams."  "Oh yeah.  Mary told me that Abrams botched an exorcism spell and turned it loose."  Gabe paused for a moment.  "In the house, when I arrived.  I had some kind of a ... vision?  Watched Abrams blow himself to smithereens, like I was there when it happened.  I saw something in the fire after that.  I think it was the demon."  Gabe shivered.  He scarcely believed that he had stood against the demon in his dream.  "What about young Mary.  How is it that she ended up in you?" asked the Sister as Poe stepped back into the room.Gabe sighed and stared at the patch of wood flooring between his feet.  "Abrams killed her."Poe growled and lunged for Gabe's throat.  A small wave of the Sister's hand cut her off as if she had struck a stone wall."Poe!  Behave yourself.  Please, Gabriel, go on.""Poor Poe," Mary said"Poor Poe my ass!  She's been trying to kill me all night!" Gabe exclaimed."Hmmm..." The Sister furrowed her brows in deep reflection.  "Ahhh.  This will do nicely: Abarach meanma biadh."A pale shimmering light engulfed Gabe.  He leapt to his feet."Do not fear, Gabriel.  This is merely a seeing spell," the Sister said disarmingly.Poe gasped.  The shimmering likeness of Mary appeared, obscuring Gabe's form."Well, that confirms that," the Sister stated in a matter of fact tone as Mary's spectral image faded."Mary," exclaimed Poe in a very small voice.  "Baka!  Why did you have to go ahead of us!?""Well, I can't say it was the smartest thing I ever did."  Mary spoke in Gabe's head.  "I thought I could help him, or at least keep him there until the Sister arrived."  Gabe repeated Mary's words."This mode of communication is far too awkward," the Sister stated.  "Cluinim tua tagradh bruidheann."Gabe looked around, expecting something to happen.  "What was that all about?""Something about ghost speech, I think," Mary said.  "I can't remember all my Gaelic...""Indeed Mary, you were never as studious as one might have hoped."  "You heard me!""Yes, Mary.  Poe and I will be able to hear you now."  The Sister looked toward the vampire.  Poe's expression was at once puzzled and hopeful.  "Poe?""I can hear her, inside my head!" Poe replied, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth."Wait a minute, can you both hear ME now, too!?  As if it wasn't invasive enough having a sixteen year old girl monitor my every thought....""And let me tell you, there's lots of dirty laundry in here.  Half of your mind seems to be a database devoted to girls you went to high school and college with, female co-workers, babes on cheesy TV shows, and oh yes, that woman you passed on the street on the way to work last week ... an awful lot of memory devoted to a lady you only saw for about six seconds.  She's not even that cute, if you ask me.  Believe me, Sister, you don't want to know this stuff."Gabe, blushing spectacularly, buried his forehead in his hands.  "Argh!  Get out of my head!  I have rights, constitutional rights, or something."The Sister chuckled evilly at Gabe's discomfiture.  "Be at ease Gabriel, we can only hear Mary, and then only when she intends to project her thoughts as speech."    "At least I'm not the only one stuck with your inane teenaged chatter now," Gabe said."Humph!  You'd never of gotten away from the demon if it weren't for me, fingerprint boy!" Gabe closed his eyes.  Twenty-four hours ago he was sitting in his small house in Rosemont, eating a plate of General Tso's Chicken from the Chinese restaurant down the street, contemplating nothing more disturbing than the small patch of peeling paint on his living room ceiling.  He had been blissfully ignorant of such things as demons, vampires, sorcery, and dead girls abiding in his head.  What else do I not know that I really don't want to find out?  "Oh there's much more, Gabe.  Much more."© 2003 Austin Hale</blockquote>

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