6/9/2021 0 Comments Chapter EightSunday June 25, 2017 “It’s 11:58, Flynn,” Gabby quietly commented after glancing at the white numbers on her phone screen. She was standing in the backyard with Flynn and Jojo. They had invited Rex to join them, but he said he would be on watch inside just in case someone decided to venture outside. That was likely for the best considering the purpose for their late night outing: They were finally going to summon Rhiannon and free Jojo.
To prepare for the ritual, Flynn had dug a small hole into the ground. He had placed the clay bowl Rex had miraculously found inside it, which he then filled with spring water. At midnight, the ritual would begin. It was apparently one Rhiannon had made up herself, according to Flynn, so that any who truly needed her aid could call upon her. It was a rather obscure ritual these days, which meant it was unlikely anyone else but them would be performing it. They weren’t necessarily doing anything bad since bringing Rhiannon here wasn’t breaking any rules, but the reason why they were doing it made Gabby’s stomach flip-flop on repeat. Would Eve be mad if she found out? If she really did favor Jack, and the collar was on Jojo specifically for his use… She wrapped her arm around Jojo’s waist and leaned against him. Even though it was summer, the night air was chilly. Jojo’s body was warm, and she felt a little less anxious being close to him. “I know, I know,” Flynn muttered. He was kneeling down over the bowl, his wrist extended over it. His other hand had his sword ready to cut. “I can do this. I know I can. I have to. I just hope I don’t cut too deep, you know?” “Flynn,” Jojo said worriedly, his voice soft, “You doing this means a lot. I hope you know that.” Flynn laughed softly. “Of course I know that. But that’s what I’m here for, so…” Gabby closed her eyes and hid her face in Jojo’s side as Flynn drew the blade across his wrist. She felt the gentle touch of Jojo’s hand against her head, softly stroking her hair as she avoided looking. She could hear Flynn muttering something in what she assumed was Welsh, but after a few moments he fell silent. Everything was quiet now; even the chirping of the crickets seemed to have stopped. Gabby opened one eye and turned her head towards where Flynn was standing, curiously peeking now. Flynn had stepped back from the hole a bit and seemed to be watching it intently. As they stared at the bowl in the ground, something flew slowly through the air towards it, landing by the edge. Peering closer, Gabby realized it was a little white moth with dark markings on its wings. “It worked,” Flynn whispered excitedly. “She’s coming!” “She is?” Gabby lifted her head and opened her other eye excitedly. More and more moths seemed to be pouring out of nowhere, excitedly flitting about and diving towards the bowl. It was then that Gabby realized Flynn still had an open wound. It was easy to forget mortals couldn’t heal when she had been living solely with vampires for the past forty years. “Flynn,” she called out quietly. “Come here. I can heal your wrist.” “Oh, right!” Flynn exclaimed, retreating back towards her and holding it out. The cut wasn’t too deep, but there was still blood welling up and slowly running out of it. “Did you need a drink before you heal it up?” he joked. She glanced at him warily. “Are you, um, really okay with that?” To be honest, it had been a few days since she had fed (her mom had insisted on it the day they’d arrived in Rhine City before going to the house). “I’m not gonna be doing anything else with all that blood, so go ahead,” Flynn insisted. “You are a sweet man, Flynn,” Jojo smiled. She gently grabbed his arm and brought it to her mouth. It wasn’t the best way to feed, but she didn’t mind. She placed her mouth over the wound and kneaded the skin below it with her thumb, pushing more blood to the surface, which she lapped up and swallowed. She was careful to only drink a little bit as the last thing she wanted to do was make her friend pass out. When she was done, she removed her mouth from the wound and shifted further down his forearm. “This will only hurt for a second, okay?” Without waiting for a response, she bit into his skin and injected no more than two drops of venom. It was something all vampires could do, mainly to heal their victims. Still, it came in handy in this case as she could heal Flynn’s wound. As unique and helpful as a vampire’s healing ability was, it was incredibly limited. As her mother had explained it to her after her turning, a vampire could easily heal a small wound (like a bruise or a cut), but larger wounds required more venom, which was far too dangerous. Mortals couldn’t handle large quantities of vampire venom. A drop or two was just right. When she removed her fangs from his arm, she was relieved to see it had worked. “All better,” she promised him. The cut on his wrist was already healing itself. “Thanks, Gabby,” Flynn grinned. “I—” He let out a surprised grunt as a moth flapped into his face before fluttering off towards the bowl to join the others. They turned back to where the moths continued to pour out of nowhere before finally spinning around each other and emitting a faint glow. The moths continued swirling around and around, forming into the shape of a woman, the glow intensifying for a moment before finally breaking. There were no longer any moths swirling before them, and the sounds of the summer night had resumed, but standing in the backyard just a few feet from them now was exactly who they had hoped to see: Rhiannon Rhydderch. She was tall, regal, and dressed in a set of dark green robes. Her hair was tied tightly into a large braid that hung past her waist. In her left hand was an ornate wooden staff covered in various runes and carvings; her right hand was free, but was adorned with markings tattooed onto it. None of this would have been quite so visible if there wasn’t an ethereal glow illuminating the woman. She tenderly tapped her bare foot against the grass before speaking in English, “Ugh, American grass. I was rather hoping for…” She turned her attention towards the group, her eyes widening. “Gabby? Gabby Cross? Is that you, sweet child?” Gabby’s lips turned upwards into a bright smile. “Hi, Rhiannon!” It had been a long time since she’d seen her, but Rhiannon was exactly as she had remembered. Rhiannon glanced around. “And you have friends with you! That one there, hmmm…” She pointed to Jojo. “I know your face from somewhere, can’t quite place it… And same with you!” She turned to Flynn and leaned in close, peering over him. “Oh! Wait! You were Fiona’s child, Fiona Dangerfield! How is she? I haven’t heard from her in so long.” Flynn went quiet, and that seemed all the answer Rhiannon needed to bow her head sympathetically. “I’m terribly sorry, dear,” she whispered. “Rhiannon?” Gabby asked in a nervous, quiet voice. “We need your help. Jojo has a collar on that you made, and we need to know how to take it off.” Rhiannon looked over at her, confused. “What? A collar?” She moved swiftly over to Jojo, looking at his collar intensely. “This… This is indeed my work. But I’ve never made a collar for a human to wear. What on Earth is this?” Gabby glanced nervously at Jojo standing beside her. “I think you made it for, um, Jack.” “Jack? Jack… Jack… Jack, what Jack did I make a collar for…?” Rhiannon closed her eyes. “I believe… Jack Fairchild, came to me once, back at the very end of the nineteenth century, asking for a collar for a puppy he was getting his lover. He wanted a spell to ensure that the dog who wore it would be unable to take it off, and would obey whenever he spoke a special phrase… But why would he put it on a person? That doesn’t seem right…” Gabby turned back towards the woman with a worried frown. “He… He did awful things to Jojo…” “A dog? This explains so much…” Jojo remarked bitterly. “Please tell me you can get it off,” Flynn pleaded. Rhiannon opened her eyes and nodded. “Indeed. I can. But, it will take me some time. Mostly to ensure it is removed safely. This is truly, truly unnerving… That someone would take a gift and use it like this. It is wretched, appalling…” Gabby turned back to Jojo, though this time with an excited grin. It was really happening! He would be free soon! Jojo seemed just as excited as she was as well as a bit relieved. “So,” Rhiannon asked, a coy smile on her face, “I’m sure your mother is here, Gabby?” “Mmhm!” “I may need her help. My memory is not quite what it used to be, but if I had someone to help me focus, I could probably do this a lot quicker.” “She might be in her room. Come on, I can lead you!” Gabby headed for the house with Rhiannon, Jojo, and Flynn following her. It was quiet inside, and the air conditioning chilled her skin. She could hear someone watching tv in the living room, but she was certain it wasn’t her mom, so instead, she led the group through the massive house until they were in front of her mom’s bedroom door. She knocked loudly, just in case her mom was sleeping. The door opened a few moments later, her mom looking positively exhausted. “Gabby? Are you alright? It’s so l—“ She froze, her eyes widening as she realized who else was standing outside her door. “R-Rhiannon?!” “Surprise?” Gabby smiled shyly. “Um, she… came to visit us.” “Came… to visit…” her mother stammered slowly, confusion written all over her face. “Something like that,” Rhiannon chirped. “Now, I need a room to stay in. Do you have any left? Or shall I sleep on the couch? I have no preference.” “I know what your preference is,” her mom muttered nervously. “Er. Um. I, well, there’s a room right next door to mine that’s free, actually. I, um. Well. I’d be happy to help you settle in, if you’d like.” “I’d love that, Mary,” Rhiannon smiled. “We’ll see you in the morning, right?” Gabby asked Rhiannon. As much as she wanted to know what was needed to free Jojo, she knew it was probably better that the woman got some rest before she got to work. Rhiannon nodded. “Indeed. For now, I must recharge my batteries, so to speak. Travelling such a distance is exhausting; magic or no, you can’t prevent jet lag.” Gabby’s mom gestured to the room next door. “Go ahead and get settled in, Rhiannon. I’ll be along to help you with anything you need shortly.” “Anything, hm?” Rhiannon smirked before turning back to Gabby. ‘Goodnight Gabby, Flynn, Jojo. Rest well, and rest easy, alright?” The woman walked on over and slipped into her new room, leaving Gabby and her friends alone with her mother. “Gabby,” Marianna began, “how did you… I… I have so many questions, I don’t know where to begin.” She shrugged sheepishly and simply said, “I thought you could use a friend right now.” Even though they hadn’t exactly summoned Rhiannon for that reason, it was still true. Her mother covered her face, but she could tell she was blushing a bit. “Dear, you are… You’re far too sweet to me, and when I’ve done so little for you or your friends since we got here… I think I need to make it up to you, somehow. I can’t let this act of kindness go unrewarded.” She shook her head and smiled gently. “You saved me, Mom. That’s enough for me.” Her mother moved forward and pulled her into a tight hug. “I don’t think anything I could do for you would ever be enough to satisfy me. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve a child like you. Now, um… I suppose I should help Rhiannon get settled in. I’m sure your friends here will be able to keep you safe. Don’t stay up too late though, alright?” “I won’t,” she promised, an even brighter smile on her face. “Night, Mom.” She politely waved before leading Flynn and Jojo down the hall. “Do you guys want some ice cream? I think I saw some in the freezer earlier.” “At this time of night?” Flynn balked. His hesitance soon gave way to a cheesy grin. “I’d love some. Think I need it to help with the blood loss.” “Sugar always helps,” she agreed as she skipped down the hallway. Part of being a vampire meant doing fun things like eating ice cream after midnight. There weren’t really any consequences since they couldn’t gain weight. Unsurprisingly, there was no one in the kitchen, though Gabby could still hear the tv in the living room. She rushed to the freezer and opened the smooth grey door to peek inside. To her disappointment, there wasn’t any ice cream, but there was a big box of fruit-flavored popsicles. She pulled it out and held it up triumphantly. “What flavor do you want?” “They got raspberry?” Flynn asked. She glanced at the flavors listed on the back of the box. “Yep! Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and orange!” She opened it up and pulled out a popsicle with little red raspberries printed on the white plastic wrapping and handed it to Flynn. “Ooh, strawberry, may I have one?” Jojo inquired. She happily pulled one out and handed it to him before picking an orange one for herself. She returned the popsicle box to the freezer and turned back around towards the boys. “I think I’m gonna go outside to sit by the pool if you want to come.” “I will, but first I’m gonna wash up,” Flynn said. “I still got some blood on me.” “We’ll meet you out there, then,” Jojo grinned. “Don’t take too long, okay?” Flynn smiled shyly. “Okay.” Gabby waved to him as they split up. Truthfully, she was happy to have a moment alone with Jojo, even if it was a short one. As it was late at night, there was no one outside, so they sat down at the edge of the pool and opened their popsicles. “I’m really glad this worked,” she admitted before sticking the citrus-flavored frozen treat in her mouth. “I am too,” Jojo replied, wrapping one arm around Gabby as he gave his popsicle a lick. “It almost feels unreal, that things would go so smoothly for once… And I have you and Flynn to thank for this.” “I think Flynn more than me. We never could have done this if he didn’t know how to get Rhiannon here.” She might have gotten an answer from her mom about his collar eventually, but she wouldn’t have any idea how to bring the woman to the house. Flynn was the real key to freeing Jojo. “Well, true,” Jojo laughed. “That sweet man did a lot of the heavy lifting this time, and Rex as well. But still… you have given me so much hope and joy in our short time together… Thank you, liebling. You are a blessing.” She beamed happily while she continued eating her popsicle. Then it dawned on her that he’d said something she didn’t quite understand. “Wait, what did you say?” Jojo froze, his face turning red. “Oh, uh, haha… ‘Liebling’ is German for ‘darling.’ Is it too soon to call you that?” She smiled shyly, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. “No, I like it.” He pulled her closer. “Then that is what I shall call you.” Gabby was practically overflowing with happiness. She had a nickname now! She happily ate her popsicle while sitting close with Jojo. It was risky, especially if someone saw them. Remembering that they had to be together secretly put a small frown on her face. “I wish we could just be like this all the time. I hate having to hide.” “Well… We might not have to, much longer,” Jojo smiled. “Rhiannon is here and she’s going to get this damn collar off, and then Jack will have no power over me.” “What are you going to do first when it’s finally off?” “Probably kiss you,” he said with a wink. With a shy smile, she tilted her head back to glance up at him, “You don’t have to wait to do that, do you?” He shook his head. “No, but I’d still want it to be the first thing I do when I’m free.” It certainly gave her something to look forward to. She lowered her head again and kept eating her popsicle, which was half gone. “We should do something nice for Flynn,” she thought out loud. “As a thank you.” “Absolutely,” Jojo agreed. “He deserves something good. He is a sweetheart.” She nodded her head and frowned as she finished her treat. What could she and Jojo do that would be a nice gift for Flynn? He’d been nothing but kind to the both of them since they’d all met in the forest, even going out of his way to accompany them on their first date. Gabby wanted to get him something that would make him smile just as much as Jojo made her smile. Then an idea hit her. “Jojo?” she quietly asked. “Are you busy tomorrow?” “Of course not,” he snorted. “What could I possibly do besides spend time with you or the others?” Nervously, she proposed an idea. “Then… wanna sneak out with me tomorrow?” “Absolutely,” Jojo grinned. With renewed excitement, Gabby grinned back. “We can have a day with just us at the mall! I’ll figure out the bus routes to get there and everything.” She paused, realizing that sneaking out meant they would be going alone. Her smile faded and, with worry, she asked, “Do you think Flynn will be mad if we go without him?” Jojo paused, then slowly shook his head. “I don’t think he’d be mad at us. I’m certain spending some time with his peers would be nice. And maybe he can finally spend quality time with Rex, like I know he wants to.” Gabby peered at him suspiciously, but reluctantly nodded in agreement. “I think the others would like to spend time with him. It’d probably be better for him, right? Cuz… we’re not always going to be together.” She fell quiet as sadness arose. She hadn’t meant to drag the mood down, but remembering that when the mission was over, everyone would go their separate ways, and she, her mom, Amon, and Eve would leave for somewhere new brought about a melancholy mood. What would happen with Jojo? Would Eve make him leave? Would they still be able to be together? Jojo gently stroked her hair. “When I’m free, I think you will have to try very, very hard if you want to be rid of me, liebling. But… Flynn? I do not know what he will want to do… If he will want to try and stay with us. Rex could very well do anything, Mina will probably get dragged back to her family, and who knows with Jerrod, the Quinceys, and Hannah. All I know is, I hope Moore goes to Hell.” With her popsicle gone, Gabby set the empty, orange-stained stick on the ground next to her and crossed her arms over her stomach. “I’m going to lose everyone again,” she whispered. “Maybe not you...but everyone else will leave. That’s how it always is.” “Maybe you need freedom as well, ja?” “Freedom from what?” “Freedom from all this secret vampire crap,” came Flynn’s voice from behind them. She turned to see Flynn approaching with his half-finished popsicle, looking very tired and somewhat upset. “I agree. You deserve better than being dragged from place to place. You should be able to experience the world and everything in it. What’s the point of being immortal if you can’t do that?” “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it, I guess. I’ve just…” She sighed. “Mom saved me. She gave me a home and a family, and I’ve never wanted to seem… ungrateful, I guess.” Even if she had complained on more than one occasion. No wonder Gabby’s mom thought she hated her. “It is not ungrateful to wish for a better life,” Jojo whispered softly. “But Mom… She needs me right now.” “I don’t think I can argue that,” Jojo sighed. “That poor woman is at wit’s end. She is far from the woman I met a century ago… Although, I still see the old her sometimes. Mostly when she talks about you.” Gabby sighed again. “Mom seems… happier when we can do something together. When she’s not busy with the coven, anyway.” “You two both need a vacation,” Flynn sighed as he sat down beside Gabby. She shrugged. “Maybe. But Grandma needs Mom. It’s part of her job.” With a third sigh, she changed the subject. “How are you, Flynn? Are you feeling better?” He shrugged. “I guess as good as I can be.” Smiling gently, she said, “You probably need some sleep.” Flynn shook his head. “I’m staying up as long as you two are.” She frowned at him sternly. “Flynn. You need sleep. I need sleep. We all need sl—” She paused for a short moment before correcting herself. “Well, Jojo had a nap, so he probably doesn’t need much sleep.” “A very good nap, too,” Jojo added with a shy smile. Flynn scowled. “I’ll be fine. I want to spend time with you both.” “And you can tomorrow.” Gabby stood up, grabbing her popsicle stick from the ground. “But if I’m tired, then I know you’re tired.” And she was. She had only planned on staying outside with them long enough that they could eat their treats. Gabby had never been much of a night owl despite what the stereotypes about vampires said. “Fine,” Flynn grumbled. “I guess I’ll just… I’ll…” “Why not come stay in the room with Gabby and I?” Jojo interjected. Gabby smiled brightly again. “Yeah! I don’t mind if you want to!” Then she glanced at Jojo. “Wait, you want to sleep in my room again?” Jojo nodded enthusiastically. “Why would I not want to stay with my girlfriend?” Gabby felt like she could float away with pure happiness. Her face almost hurt with how much she was smiling as the trio walked back inside and went to her bedroom. Flynn briefly went to his room to change, which gave Gabby the chance to give Jojo a quick kiss. “I’ve kind of wanted to do that all day,” she sheepishly admitted. “Then why didn’t you do it sooner?” Jojo teased. “Because someone could have seen!” ”Be sneakier, then,” he retorted. “I may well wither away if you keep me waiting so long for your kisses, liebling.” Gabby tried to hide her blushing smile and decided to quickly change the subject before Flynn returned. “So, um, where do you want to sleep?” “Might I be so bold as to ask to sleep in the bed with you?” Jojo asked sheepishly. Her face grew even warmer than before and she stared at him with wide eyes. “You… want to sleep next to me?” He nodded in reply, the red of his face matching her own. She smiled shyly and admitted, “I’d like that.” “Now the question is, who will hold who?” Jojo joked. “Can I hold you?” “Absolutely, liebling,” he smiled gently. Once again, she was beaming. Flynn returned, and she set up a makeshift bed on the floor with spare pillows and blankets. “I hope it’ll be comfy enough,” she frowned. She was used to sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces (albeit not in recent years), but that didn’t mean she wanted her best friend to. “I’ll be fine, I promise,” Flynn reassured her. She gave him a quick hug. “Sleep well, okay? If you need anything, just wake me up.” Flynn nodded before curling up on the pile of pillows and blankets on the floor. “Good night, you two.” “Night!” Gabby crawled into bed still wearing her jean shorts and tank top she’d been wearing all day. She felt awkward changing in front of the boys, but sleeping in her day clothes wasn’t uncomfortable for her. She patted the mattress next to her and smiled at Jojo. “Can you turn off the light?” With a nod, Jojo flipped the switch and crawled into bed, cuddling up against her. “Good night, liebling.” “Night night, Jojo,” she murmured, wrapping an arm around him and snuggling close. Gabby didn’t feel awkward in the slightest. He was a warm, comfortable teddy bear, and she started falling asleep almost immediately. This is where I’m meant to be, was the last thought running through her mind as she fell asleep. ****** The Golden Rose seemed like an odd choice for a wealthy lawyer to take his wife and friends to considering it was a bar decorated with gothic decor, but that was where Robert Snyder had been for the past four hours while Jason and Anna had been waiting for their cue in the parking garage Snyder’s luxury car was parked in. Rika had already scaled a nearby building and was presumably perched on a rooftop looking down at the street in front of the bar while Lilith sat with Aiden in her car just around the block ready for a quick getaway. David was in an alley nearby ready to intercept Snyder to set their plan in motion while Valentine was in another alley closer to the lounge’s location keeping an eye out with his camera at the ready. Jason and Anna were patiently waiting for him to report that the lawyer was leaving so they could finally enact their plan. The warm air of the summer night would likely have been far more pleasant if Jason hadn’t been wearing a hoodie as part of his disguise. How does David wear these in this weather? he thought. He turned to Anna beside him who, true to her word, had decided to match him with her outfit, wearing red jeans and a black hoodie as well as his brother’s red wig from last Halloween. “You ready for this?” Jason asked. “Ready as I can be,” she answered honestly with a shrug. “I want you to know… I’m glad you’re here. I know this isn’t easy for you, but your dad deserves justice, and you’re gonna help make sure he gets it.” Her face hardened with the determination he’d seen when he’d first met her. “I sure as hell am. Dad deserves better.” Jason grinned. “Exactly. Now let’s see if everyone’s in position.” He pulled out the walkie-talkie he’d brought to keep in touch with the others and asked, “Alright team, you in your positions?” “Sure am, boss!” Lilith chirped. “Aiden too, he says hi!” “Mhmm,” came David’s yawning reply. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m on the roof now,” Rika replied, her voice sounding a bit shaky. “You alright, Rika?” Jason asked. “I’m fine, don’t worry. Just, uh, out of breath.” Before he could ask if that’s something that vampires could even experience, his brother’s voice came through the speaker. “This is so boooooooring.” “Just keep an eye out, Val. I’m counting on you.” His brother grumbled through the speaker and then went quiet. Turning back to Anna, Jason said, “Alright, we’re ready to do this whenever we get the signal.” Anna smirked. “So, what do you want to talk about now?” “Hmm,” he pondered. They’d made plenty of small talk to keep from going nuts in the dull four hours they’d already waited. What else could they discuss? Inspiration struck him fairly quickly, and he began, “Well, let me ask you: What do you wanna do with your life? I’m guessing you don’t wanna be a barista forever.” She looked perplexed. “I don’t know, honestly. I’ve never really thought about it.” “Well, what are you passionate about?” “Coffee?” She laughed, indicating she was joking. “I mean, not enough to want to work in a coffee shop my whole life. I guess my only real goal when I was younger was teaching myself to fight so I could get justice for Dad. I never really considered what I wanted to do for a career.” “Well, no rush,” Jason chuckled. “We got a few dirtbag lawyers to go through before you gotta worry about that.” “I guess that’s a good thing.” Silence fell between them for a moment before Anna spoke again. “Can I ask you something?” “Shoot,” he replied. Tilting her head to the left, she asked, “How come you don’t have a girlfriend?” Jason nearly fell over in surprise. “Say what?” “I’m just curious,” she insisted with a smile. “I—Well, I don’t know. Haven’t really put much thought into dating, honestly. Kinda hard balancing vigilantism and a stable dating life, y’know? Real life’s not like comic books.” “Would you want to?” “Maybe,” he sighed. “I mean, my last girlfriend ditched me when I got sent to jail. I’d like to move on from that. I just don’t really see it happening any time soon.” She lifted a dark eyebrow. “Why?” He shrugged. “Like I said, fighting crime and stable relationships only work together in comics. Shit, and not even all the time! I don’t think Batman has ever been able to have a steady relationship!” “But you’re not Batman,” she pointed out. “You’re Jason Leeds, a smart, tough, strong, and super handsome guy. I can’t believe girls aren’t falling over each other trying to get you!” “You’re way too sweet, popsicle,” he snorted. “Guess we’ll have to see if girls start breaking down my door after our big debut.” With a cocky grin, she said, “I know one that would.” His eyebrows shot straight up at this. No way, he thought, She can’t seriously mean…? Clearing his throat, he tentatively asked, “Who exactly do you mean?” Her grin grew even wider, and she moved her mouth to talk, but with perfect unfortunate timing, the radio crackled, and Val’s voice interrupted. “Hey guys, what does this lawyer look like again?” he chirped. Looking disappointed, Anna rattled off Snyder’s general description. “He’s white, has greying brown hair and a goatee, and he usually wears navy or grey business suits. His wife, if she’s with him, has long blonde hair and a fake tan. Oh, and she laughs like a donkey.” “Okay, yeah, that’s definitely them, pretty sure they can hear that lady from space. Our boy’s out front saying goodbye to his friends, hugging them, blah blah blah…. Oooh, one of his pals is kinda cute! Think he’s single and into young black guys?” “Please stay focused, Val,” Jason sighed. He wished he had had a few more minutes to talk with Anna, but it seemed like it was soon to be showtime. “You two better get ready to move. I’ll update Davey-boy on the situation.” “Ready as I can be,” Anna sighed. “I guess it’s time to kick Dad’s ex-best friend’s ass.” “That’s the spirit,” Jason replied as he cracked his knuckles. The two began to make their way out of the parking garage. Once they were at the exit, Jason motioned to Anna to stop, and the two pressed themselves up against the wall. They cautiously peered around the corner to see where Snyder was at. He was walking slowly with his wife just a few feet away, likely presuming he was safe; petty crime tended to stay out of the higher class neighborhoods, after all. That fact alone was probably what led to the shock on his and his wife’s face as David stumbled towards them, shaking with his hands outstretched. He had dressed down a bit for this and looked for all the world like a starving, exhausted homeless man. “Please sir,” David wheezed, “can you spare some change?” Anna snorted and whispered, “This is fucking great!” Jason gave a slight nod of agreement. “Now let’s hope this rich white asshole acts like you’d expect him to when confronted with poverty.” The sound of intoxicated laughter quickly made it very clear what Snyder’s thoughts on those in need were. “Get out of my way,” he snapped. His speech was slurred, and he stumbled past David, tightly clutching his wife’s hand. “Please sir,” David pleaded, reaching out towards Snyder again, “just a bit of change is all I need, just for the bus. Have a heart.” He’s laying it on a bit thick, but I admire the spirit, Jason noted. He saw the red of his brother’s jacket a ways off down the street. It looked like he had just started filming, waiting for the middle of the action so it seemed less fishy. “Go bother someone else,” Synder barked. “Leave me and my wife alone!” He, once again, stumbled past him. Unsurprisingly, he was pretty trashed. David quickly moved towards Snyder again, carefully positioning himself in line with Val’s camera. “Sir, please, I—” He stumbled backwards, gasping in horror, clutching at his chest. “Y-You hit me! You… hit…” With a choking gurgle, David collapsed to the ground and fell eerily still. “Shit, maybe he’s better at this than I thought,” Jason muttered. “Oh my god!” came Rika’s voice from nearby. “Someone, help! This guy is assaulting a homeless man!” “Is that our cue?” Anna asked, looking raring to go already. “You’re damn right it is, popsicle,” Jason grinned as he pulled his bandana up around his nose and mouth. “Let’s go give this bastard a little payback.” He caught a glimpse of her grin before she, too, pulled her own bandana up. Side-by-side, they made their debut, turning the corner and walking menacingly towards Snyder and his wife, whose backs were turned towards them. The man had his hands in the air as though protesting his innocence, backing away from David. “I didn’t even touch you! How dare you accuse me of… of…” He struggled to finish his sentence, eventually growling instead with, “Do you know who I am?” “Robert Snyder,” Jason intoned theatrically as he stepped forward into the light, making a dramatic flourish as he did so. He took note of a small crowd of confused onlookers from the bar nearby. “It seems you haven’t been doing your job very well. You haven’t been upholding the law, and fighting for those in need. In fact, according to our information—” He pulled out the documents Vinny had given them from inside his sweatshirt and tapped them dramatically “—you’ve been doing quite the opposite. Extortion, blackmail, presenting illegally obtained evidence… You’ve done it all! Everything but be a decent person, it would seem.” Snyder turned around towards him, appearing both shocked and confused. “How dare you! This is slander!” Anna quickly approached him. “Oh, shut the hell up, would you?” She pulled her arm back and punched him square in the jaw. Snyder reeled back as his wife started screaming. “Oh my God, Robert? Are you okay?” “Now,” Jason continued, ignoring Snyder’s wife, “you have evaded justice for quite a long time. But for quite a long time, there was no one like us out to protect the city from your kind… There was no one like me.” He knew he was really hamming it up, but it had been so long since he’d gotten to really let loose and act like he did back in high school, so he didn't particularly care. He was going to relish this moment. Anna glanced at him. Though he couldn’t see her mouth, he could tell by her eyes that she was smiling. It was quick, though, because she turned her attention back to Synder and grabbed his arms, twisting them behind his back to restrain him. He immediately began struggling and thrashing about wildly. “Let me go, you bitch!” Anna looked shocked for a split second before her eyes were glaring at the back of his head. She kicked her foot out, connecting with the back of his knee. Snyder howled in pain, his good knee falling to the concrete below with a heavy thud to support himself. His wife continued screaming, seeming completely lost and, for their benefit, being completely useless to the situation. While this was happening, Rika had run up and made a show of trying to revive David. When she’d first run up, Jason had been impressed by the authentic look of genuine fear on her face; in fact, it had seemed so real, he had almost broken character to comfort her until a look of determination returned to her face and a small, sly smile curled at the corner of the seemingly unconscious David’s mouth. Jason turned to the crowd of onlookers. “My fellow citizens, I am here because, like you, I live in a city known for violence, crime, and senseless brutality. These things are weaponized against the little people, the poor, the homeless,” he gestured towards David, “and towards anyone without power to fight back. Well, I have the power to fight back, and I am here to fight for you! I am here to make this city a better place to ensure no mother has to fear the day when their child won’t come home, to make sure no one needs to keep an eye open in fear for who may crawl in through the window… I am here for a better Rhine City, and if that means my team and I must crush each and every smarmy, rich asshole in the city, so be it!” “Stupid punk,” Snyder spat. “You’re going to get crushed like the little roach you are.” Anna immediately kicked the back of his knee again. “I thought I told you to shut the fuck up.” There was a chorus of howls, both from Snyder himself and his wife. “You see?” Jason addressed the crowd as he paced back and forth. “This man, this criminal, thinks he has the right to call me a roach. To call anyone a roach! If any among us tonight is a roach, it would surely be him, but perhaps that is far too unkind to roaches. They are remarkably clean insects, after all.” He approached Snyder now, towering over him. “You, Robert Snyder, are anything but clean. As I have said, you have done nothing but wallow in filth for years, and I have the evidence to prove it. No one particularly cared about some snivelling little lawyer before now… But all those who take advantage of the weak are in my crosshairs.” Through clenched teeth, Snyder muttered, “You won’t get away with this, ni—” Anna punched him again, cutting him off before he could even finish his sentence. “Fuck sake’s, just shut the hell up before you embarrass yourself more.” There were audible murmurs and gasps of disgust from the crowd. Jason simply shook his head. This wasn’t anything he hadn’t come to expect from people like Snyder. “Damn, right to that? I know you’re drunk, but that right there was fatal.” Jason gestured towards the small crowd. Two young women in the crowd had apparently decided they didn’t want to be a part of this as they were walking backwards and shaking their heads. A few other people had their phones out, probably recording what was going on. One man seemed to be making a phone call, possibly to contact the police. “The people aren’t on your side, my man. I’m thinking they wanna see you go down as much as I do… and considering what just got caught on film? You’re done for.” David shakily got to his feet with Rika’s help. “What… What happened…? Did you… save me?” “It’s okay,” Rika said gently. “Let’s get you out of here, I’ll get you something to eat, okay?” Rika glared at Snyder. “I hope they lock you up for a long time, you bastard.” “Oh, I think they might, Miss,” Jason chuckled as Rika led David away. He held up the information Vinny had given them yet again. “This is evidence of this man’s many, many crimes! I’m sure it will interest even a police force as incompetent as Rhine’s. He has been screwing this city for long enough! Crime has poisoned Rhine City for far too long! I am here to take it back for all of you,” he pointed at the crowd, “so that we might all be able to sleep at night without fear! My name is Loveless! And that is because I have no love for criminals like him!” He dramatically pointed at Snyder with a grand, sweeping flourish, before delivering a brutal punch to Snyder’s stomach. He made sure to hold back a bit; he didn’t want to kill the man, just make sure he’d be hurting for a good, long while. Anna released him with a shove, which caused the man to fall on the ground. He was groaning in pain, and his wife immediately knelt at his side practically sobbing, her makeup running down her face. Anna was careful as she walked past them, though she was glaring at Snyder until she was by Jason’s side again. “It seems that we must make our exit, citizens,” Jason proclaimed. “Now, who would like to turn this evidence over to the police?” He held the dirt on Snyder aloft for the crowd to see. The man who had made a phone call raised his free hand. “I, uh, I can take it. I’m on the phone with 911 right now.” Jason approached him and handed him the information. “You’re as much a hero as anyone else here tonight, my man. Godspeed to you.” With a small salute, he turned back to Anna and gave her a wink before they started sprinting off towards the location of Lilith’s car. When they were a safe distance away, Anna started laughing. “That was awesome!” “Can’t disagree!” Jason laughed back. It was really fun to ham it up again, and he couldn’t deny some sense of satisfaction from giving that smug lawyer a punch. As they got closer to Lilith’s car, his mind wandered back to what Anna had said moments before they began their work. Should I…? he pondered as he tapped on the door to get Lilith’s attention. Well, let’s regroup first. Give me more time to think about what the hell I’ll even say. ****** Aiden felt tired, which was to be expected considering the night’s events. He’d spent several hours at the bar with Eric and his friends mostly chatting (and kissing). At 11:00 P.M. sharp, with impeccable timing, Lilith had shown up to pick him up for the Loomer Street Gang’s first real “gig”. Even though his job was to stay in the car with Lilith and act as her support, he was still incredibly tired and eagerly awaited the moment he could return home and fall asleep. Until then, however, he had a job to do, and part of that job was entertaining Lilith (which some days he honestly couldn’t believe he was being paid to do). The conversation was light at first with Aiden telling her about how Eric had been supportive when he’d come out to him and how he’d felt meeting a bunch of vampires. He'd recalled most of the evening's events, which had miraculously eaten up more of their waiting time than he'd thought it would considering how, finally, Val had reported their target was leaving the bar he was at around 3:30 A.M. Eventually, though, he decided to ask her a burning question racing through his head, one he was sure would make him sound pathetic and easy. “So, um, how soon is too soon to tell someone you love them?” “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, buddy! You can’t just say that when I’m not ready!” Lilith picked up the water bottle in her cup holder and took a big sip, then gestured with her hand as if implying he should run it by her again. Feeling more embarrassed now, he mumbled the question again. This time, Lilith spit the water out of her mouth all over the dashboard in a comically overblown fashion and excitedly squealed, “You love the vampire guy?” “Y-Yeah, I think so…” Lilith pointed at him, closing her scarred eye. “Okay, but you’re positive it’s love, right? Not just, ‘Oh this is my first boyfriend and I can’t imagine life without him?’ We’ve all been there, I just wanna make sure.” He lowered his head and stared at his lap as his face burned. “How do I know the difference?” “Well, I guess, do you see yourself having a future with him? Can you imagine marrying him someday? Would you be able to buy a house, adopt a kid, wait for three hours at the DMV, or sit through that shitty Arya Mourneblade movie with the aliens in it with him by your side?” He took a moment to consider this. He definitely could imagine maybe, someday, doing all of that with Eric. Slowly, he nodded his head in reply. “Well then,” Lilith stated, “that answers that I think. If you know, then you know, y’know?” He lifted his head again and smiled. “Yeah… But…” His smile quickly transformed into a frown. “...How do I know when it’s okay to tell him?” Lilith shrugged. “That’s a personal thing, bro. You’ll know the right time when you see it.” Nervous fuzzy caterpillars crawled over his skin. “What if I don’t? What if I say it at the wrong time?” “Dude, he’s like five hundred years old or whatever, he’s probably dying to hear someone say that to him. You’ll be fine.” Aiden slumped in his seat. “He’s not five hundred,” he corrected. “He’s fifty, I think.” “Huh,” she responded, “That’s not so bad. Still! Don’t stress out too much about it, dude. I think things’ll work out if you take it easy.” He glanced at her nervously and asked, “Do you think that’s weird? The age difference? I mean, he was thirty when I was born.” She shrugged yet again. “I mean you’re of legal age now. It’s not like he was creeping on you when you were a toddler.” She gave him a pointed look. “...Right?” His eyes widened in horror. This wasn’t something that had even crossed his mind. “I… I don’t know. I don’t think so…?” He certainly hoped not, anyway. “Well, he better not have or I’m gonna shove a silver spoon right down his throat,” Lilith said matter-of-factly. “Please don’t,” he quietly replied with worry. “I really don’t want to lose him.” “No, no, I didn’t mean… I was just… Uh, shit. Let’s… move on.” Lilith cleared her throat, then said, “So, did I tell you my sister has a vampire girlfriend now?” “Really? What’s her name?” Maybe he’d met her earlier that night. “Her name’s Chastity. She’s the stripper my sister has been drooling over for the past couple of years. She got turned last night apparently.” “Oh, I probably don’t know her, then.” He certainly didn’t recognize the name, anyway. “Say, you just met your boyfriend’s coven. They seem normal and not like a bunch of freaks?” “Yeah,” he nodded. “They’re really nice, actually.” Which had made the whole experience better considering how nervous he was. “Well, here’s the thing: I know Rika wanted to check them out. Maybe you could introduce her and Chastity to these vamps so they can get some vampiring advice?” Aiden pulled his phone from his pocket. “I can ask if it’s okay.” He quickly typed out a text to Eric, happy for any excuse to talk to him again. “Hey, is your coven taking in anyone new?” He replied almost immediately. “Of course! Always.” With a small smile, he replied, “My friend knows two who might be interested.” “Ooh, two newbies. Lovely. They’d be the first in nearly 20 years. When do they want to come?” Aiden glanced at Lilith again. “So, good news. They can definitely meet everyone. You, um, wouldn’t know when, would you?” “I’d have to run it by my sister, but I know Rika at least will wanna go as soon as possible.” He nodded and sent Eric another text. “Probably ASAP.” “Then I will inform Victoria in the morning,” Eric replied, ending the text with a smiley face. He sent him a heart and a smiley face in return and reluctantly slipped his phone into his pocket again. “So, uh, yeah, that’s a go.” “Fuck yeah!” Lilith cheered. “And now that that’s all settled, can I ask you something since you’re literally the only person in this gang with a boyfriend?” “Yeah, sure.” He silently vowed to answer the best he could, though he didn’t feel confident considering he’s only had a boyfriend for a week (if even that). “Ok,” Lilith began, taking a deep breath, “so there’s this guy who works with Chastity. And, like, he’s someone I used to crush on in high school, right? And my sister is trying to get me to go see him, and I said if this all went well, I’d finally grow the fuck up and try asking him out, but, I dunno man…” She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. “Nervous?” he asked with a small, knowing smile. “I mean, yeah?” she moped. “I haven’t talked to him since my accident.” “Have you, uh…” He paused, realizing he had no idea what exactly this guy did. “Does he, um, do the same thing she does?” “Oh, yes he does,” she sighed happily. “I’ve, uh, never actually gone to see him dance though. I’ve only seen pictures my sister takes of him when he and Chastity hang out on their break.” “You should go. Maybe you’ll get a chance to talk to him.” “I dunno though. Is it weird when your former high school classmate walks up to you at your stripper job to ask you out?” Hesitantly, he presented her with his next question. “Do you, um, want some company?” She looked at him incredulously. “You’d come to the strip club with me?” “Um, yeah, why not? If it’ll help…” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck before inquiring, “Could Eric come?” “Yeah, sure, why not?” He felt relieved and smiled again. “He, um, could probably help, too. He’s… way more confident than I am.” “Sweeeeeet. I wonder if that lady Venus mentioned will be there too. Or the mafia guy.” “Mafia guy?” he softly exclaimed, slightly alarmed. Lilith waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it, dude.” It certainly sounded like something to be worried about, but he nodded regardless, wanting to trust his friend. “Uh, so when do you want to go?” “Uhhh, shit, probably tonight when my sister goes in. Like, not right now tonight, like tonight as in… like, tonight. The other tonight that isn’t this night right now. You get me?” “Yeah, I think? I’ll check with Eric and, um, let you know?” He briefly wondered if Eric would even be interested in going to a strip club with him. Was that his kind of thing? Aiden had never been to one, so he really had no idea how he’d feel until they were there. “Sweeeeet.” Lilith peered out the window, squinting into the distance. “Really hope those two crazy kids didn’t get shot.” The hair on his arms stood straight up. “Wait, do you think they could have? I… I didn’t hear anything…” If anyone would recognize a gunshot, it would be him. “If it happened, you wouldn’t hear it. Rika’s out there, remember? She would’ve rewound that shit.” “Oh.” He’d completely forgotten about that. “Is it supposed to take this long?” “I mean—” Lilith began before a tap on the door interrupted her. Outside were Jason and Anna, still dressed in their vigilante getups. Lilith quickly unlocked the door to let the two in. “So, kids, how was being vigilantes?” Lilith asked sweetly. “Fucking awesome!” Anna grinned as she slid into the car. “Dad’s finally getting some justice!” “Hell yeah,” Lilith cheered. “So, now we loop around and pick up my fourth favorite gay person, right?” “Who are your first three?” Anna asked curiously. “Me, then my sister, then Aiden here,” Lilith explained, counting them off on her fingers. “Though next time my sister pisses me off, Val and Aiden are moving up a place.” “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear that,” Jason snorted. Aiden smiled to himself. I’m her third favorite? Anna buckled her seatbelt. “Think he got a good shot of everything?” “You know he did! Val could be a director if he wanted to,” Jason proudly proclaimed. “Sounds like you two could make your own movie,” she laughed. “With him directing and you acting, I bet that’d be a box office hit.” “Damn, Jay, you never told me you were toast! That girl is laying the butter on extra thick!” Lilith smirked. Before Jason had time to respond (but thankfully after they were all buckled in), Lilith hit the gas and zoomed around the block to where they were meeting Val. True to his word, he was there, dancing on a street corner. Lilith screeched to a stop beside him. “Yo dork, get in.” “Not even gonna offer me candy?” Val pouted. “You’re the worst abductor ever.” Aiden watched as Anna unbuckled her seat belt, shifted to the middle, and Val slid in beside her. “Time to check in with our last two members,” Jason said as he pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Rika, David, you make it out of there okay?” A few moments went by before a reply came through. “Yeah, yeah, we’re good. Go ahead to Vinny’s. We’ll get a cab there.” “So, this was a success, huh?” Aiden yawned. “We won’t know until I upload this footage, but things are looking good,” Val laughed. “Man! Wish I coulda punched that guy!” “It felt damn good, believe me!” Anna gloated. Lilith drove around at normal speeds this time as the cops approached. She continued driving normally even as they sped past what Aiden assumed was the scene of the incident and kept on like that all the way to Vinny’s. As she parked the car, she turned around and said, “Hey, you guys go on ahead, alright? I wanna ask Aiden something before I head in and join the festivities.” While everyone exited the car, Aiden glanced at Lilith with concerned curiosity. Was she okay? Did he do or say something wrong? Once the trio had entered the restaurant, Lilith leaned over to Aiden and grinned. “Bro, you look like you’re about to pass out. You want me to take you home, sleepyhead?” Sheepishly, he replied, “If it’s not too much trouble. I’m sorry, I really want to join, but the whole meeting Eric’s friends thing drained me.” ”If there’s one thing I know about Jay, it’s that he’s not a judgy person,” Lilith nodded. “Then again, I didn’t think he ever killed anyone either, but hey! Neither here nor there. I’ll let ‘em know, and then I can swing you by your house so you can rest your sleepy little head.” “Thanks, Lilith,” he sighed with relief. He was really glad he had an amazing friend like her in his life. “No problem, bro,” she winked. “I’ll be just a second.” In a flash, she rushed inside the restaurant and almost as quick as her usual driving speeds, she was back out and in the driver’s seat. “Hey, I might make it back before Rika if I’m quick! But, y’know… Think maybe I’ll take it easy so you can get a little bit of peace before you sleep. How’s that?” “You don’t have to,” he reassured her. “I’ll probably fall asleep as soon as I’m in bed, honestly.” “Nah, don’t worry. Here, let me put on some tunes.” She hooked up her phone, fiddling with it before a very odd, dreamy song came on. “Okay, this might sound weird, but just like, close your eyes and listen to the sounds, don’t try and make sense of the lyrics, okay? This is from the album where I got Jay’s superhero name from.” He nodded and leaned his head back against the seat. He felt a little skeptical as she started for his house considering the guitar and drums, but he felt his body start to relax. Maybe it was the calmer drive, or maybe it was the weird gentleness of the song, but by the time Lilith pulled up in front of his house, he felt ready for bed. With a small smile, he said, “Thanks. That, um, helped, I think.” “Guess Loveless is helping everyone tonight, eh?” Lilith winked. “Now get your ass inside and sleep! You deserve it after listening to me ramble all night.” “I will.” He unbuckled his seat and, before he left the car, thanked her again. The street was quiet save for the roar of Lilith’s car as she hurried back to Vinny’s. As he unlocked the front door and walked into the house, he smiled to himself. It had been an exhausting night, but a great one, and he was excited to see what was in store for his relationship with Eric and his friendship with Lilith. Life finally seemed to be going well for him, and he had a feeling it was only going to keep getting better from here. ****** The night hadn’t been super exciting for Rika. Sure, she’d scaled the sides of a few buildings looking for a good vantage point, but that was basically second nature to her; she’d been doing stuff like this even when she was mortal, trying to find places to hide out and sleep when she’d been homeless. Hell, she’d done stuff like this with David even after she’d moved in with him. For the past few hours, she’d been climbing up and down buildings as the gang waited to attack Robert Snyder and set the plan in motion. David had said he was going to accost the man as he walked to his car and move into the perfect angle so it would look like Snyder assaulted him on Val’s camera, followed by him faking a heart attack and playing dead. Rika would scream for help, hopefully draw a crowd of onlookers, and then rush over to help him like the good Samaritan she was. Meanwhile, Jason and Anna would be doing their thing, Val would be filming, and Lilith would probably be in her car explaining in detail to Aiden about how she once had sex with a vampire for the umpteenth time. “I wonder if it was Allen,” Rika muttered to herself before immediately pushing the thought out of her mind. Allen was not the type to do one night stands. It was moments like these that she kind of missed him. Wouldn’t being perched atop a gargoyle like she was now be a lot more fun with a vampire pal like him? As much as she’d felt hurt and betrayed by him turning her without permission, she knew he meant no ill will and maybe someday she’d look for him again. He’d been stupid and overzealous, and he had made a mistake. Even if it had changed Rika’s life, she’d vowed to use this opportunity to help others. She couldn’t find it in herself to not forgive him, no matter how much David would love to beat the poor guy up. She peered down over the edge of the building she was on again, watching the entrance of The Golden Rose, her eyes soon after drifting to the alley Valentine was huddled in as he awaited his cue. After that, she turned her attention towards another alley where David was hiding. As she looked up again, something caught her eye, and she nearly fell off of her perch because of what she saw. There was a large, winged figure perched on the rooftop above where David was hiding. Even from this distance, she knew it was far too big to be a bird. Curious and concerned for her friend’s safety, she crawled down the building and into the alley before quickly darting across the street and into an alley on the opposite side where she once again scaled a building. I hope I can get to whatever that thing is before it decides to vanish, she thought as she pulled herself onto the roof and began sprinting as silently as she could towards the figure. As she approached, she noticed that it was humanoid and dressed in some sort of robe. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but the being’s wings appeared to be a shade of red. Around its waist was a rope belt with an hourglass emitting a faint blue glow dangling against its hip. She could hear the thing muttering to itself as she crept towards it. “...the things I get roped into… Ah, well, he did beat me, so I do owe him… Stopping his heart shouldn’t be too hard...” Just as she closed in on the winged man, Jason’s voice came over the walkie-talkie in her pocket. “Alright team, you in your positions?” The figure froze. Slowly, it turned to face her; whatever it looked like, its face was obscured by the darkness of its hood. “Oh dear. It seems I lost concentration on staying obscured… How foolish that I’d overlook this. You weren’t meant to meet me yet, Rika.” “H-How do you know my name?” she sputtered. “I do apologize for this,” the being stated sadly as it thrust out its arm, extending a hand and tapping a cold, pale finger against her forehead. Rika’s entire body went cold, and she could hear the whirring and ticking of a clock as time reversed itself. She soon found herself back at the bottom of the building the winged being had been on. Confused and disturbed, she quickly scrambled back up the side, only to find that the winged being was no longer there. “What the fuck…” Rika muttered, absolutely perplexed and unsettled. What was that thing? Was it another vampire, or something even more bizarre? The only times she unconsciously rewound like that were if she suffered extremely fatal injuries. How was it possible that the winged being could kill her with a touch? Is that even what happened? Her thoughts were interrupted by Jason’s voice coming over the walkie-talkie yet again, repeating, “Alright team, you in your positions?” Rika let a couple others reply before her while she tried to compose herself, before finally responding with. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m on the roof now.” “You alright, Rika?” came Jason’s concerned reply. “I’m fine, don’t worry. Just, uh, out of breath.” This was an incredibly lame lie, and one she doubted he actually believed, but before he could catch onto her, Valentine began complaining about how bored he was. Rika couldn’t help but laugh a little, and a bit of her tension eased away. Still, she kept her guard up as she crouched by the edge of the building and kept an eye peeled. Thankfully, it was only a few minutes later when Snyder and a gaggle of stuck-up idiots stumbled out of The Golden Rose and began chatting and saying their goodbyes. Soon enough, they were on the move, and Rika clambered down a nearby fire escape and leapt to the ground, awaiting her cue. There was David, right on schedule, accosting Snyder and begging him for change. He was really laying it on a bit thick; Rika had to cover her mouth to suppress a giggle. She’d seen him ask for change before, and he’d never done it sounding like a Dickensian orphan. Then came his big fall, where he angled himself just right and stumbled back in a way that Valentine’s camera would make it look as though he’d been punched. David gasped, stumbled backwards, and fell to the ground completely still, and Rika crept out and shouted, “Oh my god! Someone, help! This guy is assaulting a homeless man!” She knew people in the bar would hear her since it was still fairly close, and there had been a few people outside smoking when she’d headed down. With that done and Jason appearing to begin delivering his monologue, she ran over to David to make a show out of resuscitating him. As she knelt over him to start faking CPR, she froze. Her blood ran cold. There was no pulse. There was no sound of a heartbeat. David wasn’t breathing at all. “No, no, no, this is just supposed to be fake,” she muttered frantically. She could tell Jason was looking at her with deep concern, and she almost screamed out to him to call things off when a chilly hand brushed against her wrist. She glanced down to see David’s stupid mouth curled into a sly smile. “Aw, you’re really that worried about me?” he mumbled. Rika leaned in and angrily hissed, “You’re a dick, David! I was scared shitless for a second there and you’re just—” At that moment, Anna punched Snyder, and his wife screamed in response. All eyes were on the action, so Rika sighed and moved to a crouching position to help David up. Curiously, she glanced at the crowd that had formed. Valentine was among the people who had gathered filming the whole thing. She fought back the urge to smirk, but was immediately distracted by someone else standing nearby. There was a man with messy, tousled brown hair. A pair of black glasses were perched on his pale, pointed nose, and he was dressed in a black hoodie and jeans. He looked rather ordinary, and she couldn’t quite understand what it was that had caught her attention. There was something about him that had drawn her to him, and it was hard to tear her eyes away. He, along with several others in the crowd, had his phone out and was taking photos, if the occasional tapping of his finger on the screen was any indication. “Who is that?” she whispered, utterly mystified. Confused, David glanced over and whispered back, “I don’t know, some dude with a camera. Now come on, let’s finish acting this out.” With a quick clearing of his throat, David gasped out, “What… What happened…? Did you… save me?” “It’s okay,” Rika replied, glancing towards the cameraman again, only to see him retreating down the block. Shit, she thought, I’ve gotta catch up with him. “Let’s get you out of here, I’ll get you something to eat, okay?” With a venomous glare at Snyder, she spat, “I hope they lock you up for a long time, you bastard.” This comment wasn’t even remotely acted as she had plainly heard him about to hurl a racial slur at Jason. She hurriedly dragged David off and around the corner out of sight as she pursued this mysterious cameraman who had somehow caught her attention. “I’ve gotta talk to that camera guy,” she told David. “Wait right here, got it?” Before he could even reply, she’d already sprinted off towards where the guy had headed, calling out, “Hey! Hey, camera guy!” The man, annoyingly enough, kept walking. Whether he couldn’t hear her or was pretending not to, she wasn’t sure. What’s his deal? Can’t he hear me? Rika thought in irritation. “Hey! Come on man!” she shouted. “I just… I have a question!” Finally, he slowed down. He turned around, his face showing clear confusion. He looked around the immediate area, then back at Rika. “Are you talking to me?” “Yes. Yes I am.” She paused, trying to consider what, exactly, she wanted to ask this guy. “Who… are you?” “Why?” She honestly had no idea how to respond to that because even she had no idea why she wanted to know who this guy was. Then a thought occurred to her. “You, uh, you wouldn’t have happened to be on the rooftop back there a little while ago?” He raised an eyebrow beneath his messy brown hair. “No.” She figured as much. It would have been an unbelievable long shot if this guy was the huge winged being she saw. With a sigh, she said, “Sorry. I guess… I don’t know. I didn’t mean to bother you, sir. I bet you could get a good price on those pictures, though. Absolutely crazy the stuff that happens in Rhine, huh?” He shrugged and seemed to let his guard down just a little. “I guess. No more crazy than anywhere else.” She let out a small laugh at this. “You’d think that, huh?” “Considering some of the shit I’ve seen, yeah.” “What have you seen?” Rika asked, genuine interest creeping into her voice. He snorted and a small smile broke on his face. “That’s a bit of a story.” She stepped a bit closer, suddenly becoming aware of the soft ticking of the watch nestled in her pocket. This excited her; she’d never really known why, but at some points in her life, the clock had begun to noisily tick as if trying to push her to make certain decisions. She figured now it was telling her to push onwards with this strange man. “Well, I’m willing to listen.” His defenses seemed to rebuild, and his smile faded. “On a random sidewalk in the middle of a city infamous for crime? Don’t think so.” She froze in her tracks and nodded. “That’s… fair,” she admitted. “Why are you so interested anyway?” he asked, his tone sounding bored despite his curious question. “Some Good Samaritan or something? You save some homeless guy, and now you randomly want to get to know someone watching from the crowd?” “Something like that,” she muttered in reply, the ticking having increased in intensity. What are you trying to tell me? I’m about to blow it with this guy, can’t you be less vague? She decided to tread more carefully and be more cautious with whatever she said next so as not to care this guy off. “Why me?” he shrugged, his curiosity increasing tenfold. “There were probably fifteen people standing there, so why me?” “I might have to get back to you on that,” she answered. “Like you said, the city’s famous for crime, and it's getting late… Maybe we could meet somewhere safer sometime in broad daylight?” He hesitated. “I don’t know. How do I know I can trust you?” She didn’t exactly know how to convey she was trustworthy, so she simply said, “I can give you my name. It’s Rika. Rika Paine.” He was still very hesitant if by the way he paused and considered this was any indication, but after a few seconds, he seemed to relax again. “Easy.” Easy? It almost didn’t sound like a real name at all, more like a code name, but Rika ultimately decided if he was going to lie, he’d pick something less unique. Not to mention she hadn’t exactly given him her real full name anyway, so she had no right to judge, doubly so because she was acting like a huge weirdo and chasing after the guy for reasons that still escaped her. “Easy…” she nodded finally. “I like it.” He snorted. “Glad someone does. So, when and where?” “Well, considering we both probably need some rest after our exciting night…. How about Tuesday at Liquid Heaven Cafe?” He shrugged. “Sure. What time?” “I think around twelve thirty should be good.” “Twelve thirty, got it.” The hint of a smile was back as he awkwardly waved. “So, uh, see you then.” “Yeah,” she replied, returning his grin and wave with one of her own. “See you then.” Almost as soon as Easy had left, a slightly cold hand clapped onto her shoulder. “Well, look at you! You got a date!” “It’s not a date, David,” Rika grumbled. “Come on, let’s call a cab. I don’t want to hold the team up all night.” “That’s not what you were saying a minute ago when you were getting mesmerized by that camera man,” he teased. “Oh my god, just call a cab,” Rika groaned. As they waited, Rika thought back over the night once more, and as she did so, something occurred to her. The being on the roof had mentioned something about stopping someone’s heart, and David had not had a heartbeat when she had approached him on the sidewalk. This couldn’t be a coincidence. Rika turned to David. “Have you ever met a man with wings before?” David raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?” “On the roof tonight. I ran into some sort of winged man, and he said something about stopping someone’s heart, and he killed me with a single touch, I think. And then earlier, you didn’t have a heartbeat. Do you know anything about the winged guy?” David stared at her silently for several long, silent moments, before he let out a barking laugh. “Oh yeah, totally! I know a winged guy! Had dinner with him and Bigfoot just last night!” Rika rolled her eyes. He wasn’t going to take this seriously, she knew that much. Still, she couldn’t help but feel there was some connection between that winged man and David’s possum act earlier. The cab soon pulled up, and they piled in. For the time being, she set aside her thoughts of the winged man and tried to relax. Thankfully, the driver delivered them to Vinny’s in record time. As they exited and headed towards the front door, Rika was astonished to see that Lilith’s car wasn’t in the parking lot. “Are they here?” Rika asked. David pressed his face up against the restaurant’s window and waved to someone inside. “Yep, they are.” “Huh, weird,” Rika muttered as the two headed inside and took their seats at the table with the others (sans Lilith and Aiden). Valentine gave them both a wink. “Good work you two! You really knocked ‘em dead, Davey!” “Yeah,” Anna agreed from where she sat across from him. “I don’t think we could’ve pulled this off as well as we did without you.” “Aw, come on, I wasn’t that good,” David admitted sheepishly. “You had me worried for a second, so I’d say you were,” Jason laughed. “In case you’re wondering, Lilith took Aiden home. Poor guy was dead tired.” “He looked like he was about to pass the fuck out in the front seat,” Anna giggled. “Guess he’s not much of a night owl.” “Can’t say I blame him,” David yawned. “Only time I stay up this late usually is when I feel like drinking.” “They got beer here, don’t they?” With a shrug, Anna added, “Not like I’d know from experience. Too young to drink. Legally, anyway.” “Well if they do, I’m drinking a bunch so I can just pass out when I get home,” David said as he slumped further into his chair. “Think that might be my cue to go and text,” Val chirped as he got up out of his seat. “I’ll be back in a few.” He darted towards the door, exiting as Lilith entered. “Aw man!” Lilith groaned as she gestured towards Rika and David. “You guys beat me!” Rika smiled, but it was offset by the confusion she felt as her mind drifted back to the big questions of the night. Who had that winged man on the roof been? What was he? She had a crazy idea, but it was almost too ludicrous to even think… Vampires were one thing, but angels too? And what had been up with her watch? Why had it been compelling her to talk to Easy? She sat there chatting the rest of the night while she mulled these thoughts over, only returning to the present again when Lilith touched her shoulder. “Yo, girlfriend. Aiden told me that you can visit his boyfriend’s coven tomorrow, or today during the daytime, or whatever. You up for it?” Rika gave her a determined nod. Maybe she wouldn’t be getting the answers to those questions, but she’d be getting answers to other things on her mind. My life is just getting stranger by the day, she thought to herself. ****** Sierra had a massive headache. Usually, her headaches didn’t last long (probably a positive side effect of being a vampire), but tonight, with the constant noise from the damn party, her head was pounding. Thankfully, after Armstrong made a last call for alcohol sales just before 2:00 A.M., people started leaving. By 2:30, it was nearly empty, and the noise level was back to normal. Even though it had been well over an hour since everyone had left, she continued to lean on the bar top with her head buried in her arms. “This is bullshit, Armstrong,” she grumbled for the twentieth time that evening. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Goldilocks,” the massive man snorted. “Maybe that’s because it was so loud, I couldn’t hear myself speak,” she shot back. Reluctantly, she lifted her head and glared at him. He returned her glare with a stony look of indifference. “Sorry for actually having business for a change. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be dead tomorrow.” “What the fuck do you need these noisemakers for? Don’t I spend enough as it is?” She groaned and sat up, rubbing her forehead. The headache was still lingering, albeit less painful than before. “Believe it or not, I like people,” he grumbled in reply. “Noise doesn’t bother me. Spent enough time in silence as a kid.” She rolled her eyes and muttered, “I spent enough time with loudness as a kid.” “Well, from what you’ve told me, I’d have traded. You could have my quiet, peaceful childhood, and I’ll kick your dad’s ass.” “Yeah,” she sighed, lowering her head to stare at the faded and stained wooden bartop. “If only.” Hypotheticals wouldn’t change anything. What happened had happened, and it had impacted her life for the worse. The sound of her glass being refilled snapped her out of her funk, if only for a moment. “It’s on me. Don’t say I never do anything for you. And don’t tell the cops,” Armstrong chuckled. She lifted her head again and glanced at her cup. “What, is that supposed to make the headache go away?” He shrugged. “Maybe. Helps me sometimes. In fact, I might drink some after I close up.” Sierra stared at him incredulously. “You drink? Since when?” “What kind of bartender would I be if I didn’t know how my own drinks tasted?” “Fuck if I know.” She reached for her glass and chugged it slowly. She hadn’t drank nearly as much as she normally did thanks to the overwhelming noise the vampires made. How were they able to tolerate it? Surely they could hear as well as she could? Weren’t they irritated by how loud they were being? When her drink was gone, she gently set the glass on the wooden bartop with a light thud. The beer certainly didn’t make her headache go away, but the familiarity of the taste comforted her and soothed her irritation. “Hey,” she said quietly, “I’m, um, sorry. For, you know…” “For what?” Armstrong asked. She sighed. “For being an ass, okay? I just…” She trailed off and shrugged. She hated talking about how she felt to anyone, even to someone she considered a friend. “Hey,” Armstrong said gently, “you don’t have to apologize. I know your bark is worse than your bite.” Sierra snorted and rolled her eyes. “So I’m a fucking dog now?” “Don’t know anything else that could demolish a plate of buffalo wings like you do other than one,” he smirked. She rolled her eyes again and playfully replied, “Oh, shut up.” He chuckled before pulling out a rag and polishing the countertop, though he paused a moment later and gave her a curious look. “Hey, did Mack seem alright to you tonight? They seemed a bit frustrated.” “They seemed fine to me,” she answered even though she knew exactly why they were acting that way. Armstrong sighed. “Got a weird feeling it’s my fault. Then again, I’m not the most in touch with my emotions.” “You and me both.” The sound of Sierra’s phone buzzing in her pocket caused the two of them to freeze. “Since when do you get texts?” Armstrong asked. She cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, ignoring that subtle insult, how the hell did you hear that?” She had hearing better than a human’s (both a blessing and a curse), but as far as she knew, Armstrong’s five senses were normal. “It’s my job to hear everything in this bar,” he replied simply. “Uh-huh.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. She could live without a phone, in all honesty, as she only really used it for playing a few games. She didn’t text or anyone since the only people in her life were Armstrong and Mack, and she saw both of them every night. The message in the notification simply read, “hey sierra,” but it wasn’t the message itself that shocked her so much as who sent it. The number was saved as that of her youngest brother, Valentine. Her blood ran cold as she stared at the message, reading those two simple words over and over again. Why? After all this time, why? “Goldilocks? You alright?” Armstrong asked. His voice brought her back to reality. She blinked and tore her eyes away from the screen to look at him instead. “I… Yeah.” “You look like you just saw a ghost. I’m pretty sure I don’t have any of those in the bar.” “I feel like I just did,” she mumbled. She felt numb. Why? He’d been silent for so long, so why now? Her phone buzzed yet again with another message from her brother. “i know this is out of nowhere. but i decided this isnt right. will you come back to loomer st?” Loomer Street. He didn’t have to say where; she knew the address. Her grandparents lived in a house on the quiet residential street, and when they’d both passed away, it was revealed it had been left to Val in their wills. Her hands trembled as she typed out a short reply to send back. “Why?” “cuz I miss you??? i think ive made us suffer long enough. please sis.” Guilt hung heavily in her stomach. How could he possibly think any of this was his fault? He was innocent. If anyone was to blame, it was her. She ran her hand through her thick, curly hair in confused frustration. Armstrong leaned down onto the counter next to her. “What’s bugging you, Sierra?” The bartender knew the bare minimum about her past. She’d mentioned her dad was abusive, but she’d never said a word about the rest of her family. On any normal night, she’d shrug off the question, but Val had pummeled through even the best of her defenses. “My, uh, brother wants to see me.” Armstrong raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you had a brother.” “Well, I do. Two, actually.” She sighed and stared at her phone again, rereading Val’s words. Even though it had been years since she’d seen him, she could practically hear his voice reading the text out loud. “And I’m guessing that, considering you’ve never mentioned them and how you’re reacting to getting a text from one, they did something really bad.” Shame and guilt returned, and she shook her head. “No. I did.” “Hrrrm,” he grumbled. “Well, either way… if he’s reaching out to you, then whatever you did can’t really be unforgivable, can it?” “He’s just a kid.” She sighed again. “He probably doesn’t even understand.” “Kids understand a lot better than adults sometimes,” Armstrong pointed out. “Not this time.” How could he? He was probably having a great time with Jason. How could he understand what she did? “Well, let me ask you something. How much do you miss your brothers?” “I’m doing just fine right now, aren’t I?” Armstrong straightened up, looking down at Sierra as he towered over her. “You know, I’ve got an older sister myself. Pretty much the only person I could stand growing up, but I haven’t really seen her much since I left Europe. She’s off dealing with the Silverwing bullshit out there, I’m helping them out here. Everyone needs an Armstrong, after all.” He chuckled before returning to a serious tone. “But I’ll be honest, I miss her a lot. And if I had an opportunity to see her again, I’d probably take it. And for perspective, I haven’t taken a vacation from this bar since I opened it back in the eighties.” She wanted to make a comment about how sad his dedication was, but she decided against it considering how sternly serious he was being. Maybe Val was the same. Maybe he missed her just like Armstrong missed his sister. But how could she go back knowing how her family broke apart because of her? If she hadn’t left to live on her own, maybe things would have played out differently. Maybe she could have taken her brothers away from their dad, too. If she was going to be completely honest with herself, then she’d have to admit that, despite not thinking about them much, she did miss Val. She missed his smile and the way he could light up a room without even trying. She glanced down at her phone again and, with a soft sigh, typed out a reply. “Ok. When?” “are you busy tuesday? need time 2 rest + make jay clean everything.” She snorted. “Make him wear a French maid costume too. Ya, I’ll be there Tues.” “good! see you then!” He followed this up with every single heart emoji possible. She blinked back tears she hadn’t realized had appeared. She did miss her brothers, and even though she was scared to face them again, she was excited to be reunited. ****** The night had been about as tedious as they’d come for Jerrod. He’d been picked to go out on patrol and see if he could uncover information about where Dracula’s coven was hiding out along with Moore. Much like everyone else, he hated Moore and thought he was a sick fuck, so he’d hurriedly left without him and started wandering around the city looking for something, anything to go off of. It didn’t help that, once again, Marianna had brushed him off before he’d left saying she wanted to turn in early. After that, he stalked the city muttering to himself until by sheer chance, he came across Rhyme or Reason Karaoke Bar. His face had lit up with excitement; everyone in the Silverwings was aware of Armstrong and his karaoke bar (a lot of them having a mean-spirited laugh about it, but only far behind the man’s back). His brother, Charlie, who was probably the least mean-spirited person on Earth, loved karaoke and had raved about the drinks the bartender could mix when last he and his girl, Roxie, had visited Jerrod back at his place in Florida. In the hours following this discovery, Jerrod had sat in a nearby alley where he’d bitterly reminisced over his family situation. He loved his brother, but he really did get everything handed to him on a silver platter (no pun intended). The man had been instrumental in helping redeem the Carters in the eyes of the hunter community. He’d risen through the ranks of the Silverwings fairly quickly to the point where he was now the personal friend and bodyguard of the head of the organization. He’d also personally recruited some of the schmucks who were now working in Rhine (he’d specifically mentioned some new recruit and her cousin helping him take down a bloodfiend a couple years back), and he’d managed to score a gorgeous (and somewhat unstable) vampire girlfriend. “And what did I get?” Jerrod had muttered bitterly to himself. He then answered himself in his head as he realized how stupid he must have sounded talking to himself in the dark: Alcoholism, car accidents, DUIs, alienation from his father, sadness from his mother, failing out of the Silverwings multiple times, and eventually taking up hunting jobs from shady individuals out of necessity just to afford a shitty little shack down in Florida where he could mope for the rest of his days. Imagine his surprise when opportunity had come knocking in the form of that mysterious, regal vampire, Amon, making him an offer he couldn’t possibly refuse: A chance at a redemption of his name if only he’d join in on this one simple, little task. Jerrod hadn’t particularly been enthused about the prospect of murdering a bunch of chumps who were hiding out in a dumpster fire of a city like Rhine, but he also didn’t want to have to deal with walking into his kitchen in the middle of the night and tripping over an alligator again, so he just shrugged and took the job. His stay in Rhine had, at first, felt like a step up, but he still felt like he got no respect. He’d gotten to crash in a manor, he’d gotten to eat and drink whatever he felt like, and he was surrounded by gorgeous women, but none of them wanted anything to do with him. Gabby was way too young for him and seemed to have a thing for the skinny German kid (or maybe the scarred guy). He couldn’t figure it out. Hannah was cute, but she didn’t seem too interested in anything other than books. Rhapsody was a babe, but she was high as a kite almost all of the time, and he felt like it would be an exercise in futility trying to get anywhere with her. Mina had two big issues keeping him away from her. First, there was Rex. She seemed to be Rex’s property (or at least that’s what he’d thought at first), but regardless of what they were or weren’t, the two were pretty close, and he really didn’t want to get on the bad side of a guy they called “The Suicide King” because whatever the Hell that meant couldn’t be good. And the second and far more pressing issue was that Mina was a Lovett, and Jerrod did not want to think too hard about what that might entail. He’d seen Lovetts before, and if Mina was anything like them, he didn’t want any of his body parts anywhere near her. And then came the big boss ladies. Eve was absolutely out of the question; sure, she was pretty, but she scared him shitless. If the stories were true, she also was pretty incapable of love, so that was totally out of the question. But Marianna, ooh boy, Marianna Cross… What he wouldn’t give for her to stop brushing him off. She was pretty, blonde, thin, and considering she had a kid, she was a certified MILF. The problem was that she just seemed so utterly disinterested in him. Was it his reputation preceding him? Was it the fact that, technically, he was a vampire killer and had hunted her kind? He sent a silent prayer to whatever gods were listening so that he could get some sort of big break to prove himself to her so that maybe she could give him the time of day. His prayers were seemingly answered as at around 2:00 in the morning, all the vampires and young Silverwings finally started to file out of the bar. Among the crowd, he managed to single out one couple in particular to tail. He figured they would be the easiest to follow if only because they were utterly and obnoxiously absorbed with each other to the point where they’d sat outside talking, kissing, and flirting well after everyone else had left. When they’d finally started leaving, it had taken all of Jerrod’s willpower not to heave. It had almost made him gag how sickeningly sweet the two were. Some cute, curly-haired Southern girl and this handsome rogue were prancing down the street and pausing every three seconds to kiss… He’d almost puked at least three times in the course of tailing them, the only thing ensuring he tried his best to listen in on their inane baby talk now and then being his burning desire to finally get somewhere with Marianna. “I can’t get enough of you, sweet thing,” the blonde man had said after they stopped making out for the fifth time. “I’m glad to hear it, hun,” she’d replied breathlessly. Damn, she’s pretty hot, Jerrod had thought before she’d continued with, “And to think, a few days ago, even I might have thought you were full of it by sayin’ that. But I know you mean it.” “I swear on my life I mean it. I’m sorry it took me so long to stop being an idiot.” They’d stopped again and for a second, Jerrod had been afraid they’d start kissing again. Instead, however, the man had lifted his hand to caress the woman’s cheek. “Why the fuck did I ever resist you?” “You said it yourself,” the woman had murmured back smugly. “You were an idiot.” And then came yet another makeout session. God, these two are fucking annoying, Jerrod had gagged internally. Truth be told, he was a bit jealous, and envied the loving relationship these two had. It had been a long time since he’d had a steady girl who would walk around with him at night like this, just kissing and talking. As much as he hated having to see it, a part of him was glad this guy treated his girl right, even if he was, unfortunately, going to have to take the poor sap hostage. When they’d finally broke away again, the man laughed. “Probably should actually get you back home before I try getting in your pants, huh?” “Oh, I dunno, we might be able to find a nice, secluded little parkin’ lot or somethin’ if you can’t wait,” she’d teased. Jerrod had been intrigued by this, but at the same time was rather repulsed. As hot as this girl was, the last thing he wanted when he was on a serious mission was to see her bouncing on some vampire’s dick in a dirty parking lot. “You joke, but I’d be really down for that,” the man had smirked before taking her hand again and continuing on. Jerrod had momentarily breathed a sigh of relief… That is, until the girl had dragged her vampire boyfriend off to a secluded lot nearby and did exactly what she’d mentioned. He’d gritted his teeth in frustration as he’d spent a good thirty-five minutes listening to her (poorly) suppressing her moans as she’d fucked the brains out of this vampire. Jerrod had almost considered putting his gun to his head and pulling the trigger, but he’d stopped himself. That’s gonna be me and Marianna if I just suck it up and play my cards right here, he’d thought. Plus, let the guy have one last bang. It’s the least I can do for the guy. What am I, Moore? If Moore had come across these two, he didn’t doubt the girl would be bleeding to death on the sidewalk while he did horrible things to the guy. More than anything these two had done, the thought of Moore had made Jerrod actually puke a little. He’d been brought back to the business at hand by the two approaching again. Their laughter had echoed through the lot, eventually growing louder as they’d made their way back to the sidewalk once they were clothed again. They’d exchanged bright smiles now and then and were holding hands once more. Jerrod had started to feel a pang of guilt. He seriously hadn’t wanted to do this at this point, but he’d already come too far to pussy out at the last second. If Charlie could handle living with guilt over breaking up a relationship due to forces beyond his control, so could he. Finally, the two had made their way to a bakery. Considering the woman had keys to the place, he’d been pretty safe in assuming she was an employee of some sort or maybe even the owner. They had slipped inside and locked up, leaving Jerrod to skulk about outside to figure things out. He’d decided it was best to stake out the place and wait for a perfect opportunity. “I’ve got something!!” he’d texted Marianna, but she had probably been asleep considering she didn’t even read the message. He’d quietly watched the shop from across the street until the sun started to come up. In times like these, he was very glad he was a night owl. He was pulled out of his recollection of the night before and brought back to the present by the sound of footsteps. It was the vampire who seemed to be on his own sneaking off somewhere. This is too easy! Jerrod cheered internally as he silently tailed the man. While he followed him, he once more felt guilty for what he was going to do. This guy seemed to be absolutely on top of the world, and that poor girl was going to be crushed by him kidnapping the guy. He knew all too well the pain vampires felt over their loved ones. In his case, he also knew how they felt about having to break the heart of someone who wasn’t their one and only. They were emotional beings, that was for sure, and no matter how this went down, there were going to be people who were gonna be heartbroken. Sorry to say, man, but it’s not gonna be me this time, Jerrod sighed internally. Pissing off Eve just ain’t worth it. And getting Marianna’s attention is. Eventually, the vampire walked into a small, cozy coffee shop. Jerrod waited until he’d exited just a few minutes later holding a white box likely full of donuts and a cardboard beverage to-go container with two cups of coffee in his hands. Gritting his teeth with frustration about how he was going to ruin these two’s breakfast, Jerrod decided now was the time to strike. As he walked behind him down the street, he drew his pistol and pressed it right against the back of the vampire’s head. “Gotcha.”
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AuthorsMichael & Tierney Ford Archives
July 2023
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