Last Chance

[The Cedar Witch]

for Saiketsu


Laurent, clad in a black tank top and slim blue jeans, waited in his room on the fourth floor, chain-smoking and staring pensively out the window.  It had been a few days since Nikolai’s unfortunate failure, but Laurent was a lenient demon.  A few days was more than enough time for Nikolai to make up for his Spectacular Incompetence.   The shadows went tugging, tugging, tugging the vampire back to the little hotel on the outskirts of the city.  By now he should have found something worth reporting.  Laurent was running out of time himself.  Zeus was not a patient man and Laurent was keen on delivering Results.

Maybe tonight the Whore would be getting his Reward.

When the elevator began to whirl, alerting the demon to Nikolai’s approach, he crossed the hotel room to the door.  Before the elevator reached the fourth floor, he opened the door and leaned against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest, cigarette dangling from his lips.  There was a cruel smile on his face when the elevator doors slid open.  Laurent waited for the vampire to exit before beckoning him into the room.

[Saiketsu]

Any immortal that lived in the city and who had picked up a newspaper in the last week knew about the information that Nikolai had gathered. It was a small piece, but big news, affecting both Laurent's hunt for information on McCloud and his former search for the little human bitch that he had previously wanted him to find. Like digging in old wounds. But what choice did he have?

The leeches in his skin had started to whisper loudly last night, pulling his attention away from his high to thoughts of visiting Laurent outside the city. When he resisted, little knives found their way into the muscles behind his eyes, inside his left temple, or the inside of his throat. Still Nikolai fought the urge, knowing that there really was no new information he had to give to the demon about the updates in the city. The election had begun and in three months time the election would be over, a new ass sitting in the seat for Central. Wasn't that enough?

Nikolai was hoping to have his head in check by the time he stepped out of the elevator, but clearly Laurent had other plans. At first he tried to stop, keeping his distance from the demon until he summoned and, like a dog, the leeches forced him to follow. Nikolai clenched his jaw, eager already to have the night over with.

His shoulder was the last thing that was healing, yellow-green bruising from damaged ligaments and tendons mending first improperly, then, thanks to the beautiful Lisa-Joe, back like normal. His face had returned to its normal state, an odd tenderness remaining no matter how much blood he drank, and his left arm was fully useable again. There was a haggard look to his face and spots of dried blood on his grey button up. His hair was combed backwards with the longest strands pulled back into an elastic, a few strands loose in his face. The human he had drained at the beginning of the night had snorted enough coke to kill Elvis and Nikolai felt almost good. His pupils were huge, the emerald irises sliver-like and without their typical enthusiasm.

He ignored the demon and entered the room where Laurent leaned, knowing what was expected of him. Nikolai stood in the room and waited for the demon to make his way back in and for his torture to begin. "You rang?"

[The Cedar Witch]

"You look like shit," Laurent grinned and took a final drag from his cigarette, letting ashes fall to the floor of the hotel room as he closed the door.  "Not as bad, but still like shit."  He crossed over to the table with the ashtray full of half-smoked butts and added another one to the pile.  The demon pulled a chair out and spun it around so its back was to Nikolai.  He sat, crossing his arms over the back of the chair.

"Have something better to tell me than last time?" 

[Saiketsu]

His nostrils flared with his defiance, glowering down at the demon silently, but he knew it did him no good but to acquiesce. The leeches drew his eyes to the floor instead, reminding Nikolai who he belonged to. Who had control.

"The election for Central will happen in three months time. Currently it's Jake McCloud against Benjamen Samson, Kerr Galvin's fledge. Galvin is the city's ex-Luminary." He licked the backs of his teeth, knowing he was about to step into shark-infested waters, just like the last time he brought Laurent knowledge about Damien Evans.

"Damien Evans, who is the vampire who is still holding onto that girl you wanted me to find, is McCloud's campaign manager. Rachel is now his girlfriend." Nikolai closed his eyes and looked back down at the carpet, feeling cold.

[The Cedar Witch]

Laurent brightened visibly, an eerie smile plastered across his face.  This was altogether Too Perfect, exactly the information that Laurent was looking for.  But it could work out well for the boss in the end if he played his cards right.  Timing, he knew, was crucial.  Especially to Chtahzus'aak. 

And the girl.  His girl.  He already knew exactly where to find her, and she was growing bolder by the day.  Laurent was feeling Positively Giddy.

He let out a pleased hum and dismounted from the chair, crossing over to Nikolai.  "Well, that's certainly more interesting information than last time,"  he reached out and cupped Nikolai's face in his hand, "But I can't be certain it is good enough."  Zeus was unpredictable and Laurent was no fool.  He knew he had Others gathering information, and he had to compete with them--though the majority were, in his opinion, amateurs. 

[Black Philip]

Benny, former KGB agent, Nosferatu, and shadow of the Black Prince moved silently along the edge of the city, following his mark. Nikolai had proven uneventful up to this point, and he and Eva had been swapping duty since this assignment was given. He'd slept in the sewer nearest to Nikolai's domicile, and after a belly full of rat blood, had dimmed himself both in sight and sound and now moved along quieter and more gentle than a whisper. The first few days had shown Nijolai's penchant for boring hedonism, and tonight's draining of a coke head was no different. Benny didn't actually care a human druggie was dead, but it was caught on his camera, and so Lisa-Joe already knew.

He wore an ACDC band shirt, jean shorts that showed his nubby, fat calves. He didn't need shoes. He had a nice set on toe claws, and they made climbing things a breeze. Had he not been cloaked in shadows his yellow eyes, mouth full of razors, pointy ears and bald head would've scared all but those with the highest constitution. However, he was cloaked, and he was also silent as death. The second technique had come from his time with Banu Haquim, and he'd enjoyed their business first, pleasure never dispositions.

He stayed back about a quarter of a mile, using rooftops, and soaring leaps to keep up. Once he realized he was heading towards the edge of the city, he radioed in and made sure his signal booster was working properly. On his right eye was a green eyepiece that connected to a computer that rested over his ear, like glasses. He'd called it ratdar! He was very proud.

This device was actually quite complicated, despite it's silly name. It gave live video recording, tracked thermal energy and could tell cold bodies from warm ones, improved Benny's night vision, and worked as a two way radio to base. From the office, Eva clacked away on her computer, ready to assist Benny if he needed.

Unlike most people who might pass through, Benny liked this area. He liked the darker things of the world. He didn't fear them like the pretty's did. He saw reality for what it was, facts, and that sentiment, and anything beyond obvious morality, was just the monster's way of feeling better about being one. He laughed at a vulgar piece of graffiti, unheard by all but himself. Nikolai entered the hotel, and Benny debated going in directly after him. He decided against it, as he sensed some kind of guard that he couldn't detect, even with his ratdar. He would be cautious. He looked around the parking lot, and found what looked like a series of private cameras, across the street at a rundown looking car wash.

He pulled out a small tablet and started fiddling.

[Saiketsu]

Nikolai cringed as Laurent put his hands on his face, looking away and doing his best to not react more. In his ears the leeches giggled and swirled, mocking him. He bit down on his tongue as the demon spoke.

His gambit had failed. Nikolai pressed his eyes closed and willed the rest of the world away while everything sank in him. Now the punishment would come - it was a familiar cycle. He steeled himself for it and tried not to clamber for any shred of hope of escaping. "What do you want from me, huh?" He asked tiredly, a small bite in his voice. "You gave me four days."

[The Cedar Witch]

Laurent gave a gentle smile, which did not fit his face in the slightest, and pulled Nikolai's face to meet his eye.

"Ah, you are correct."  No sense beating a dead horse.  Slowly he stroked Nikolai's bottom lip, thoughtfully biting his own.  "I suppose I owe you the payment I promised."  He pulled abruptly away and went back to the table for his pack of cigarettes.  "And I always keep my word."  After lighting one for himself, he crossed back over to Nikolai and perched one between the vampire's lips.

Laurent took a drag and blew the smoke into his face before lighting the second cigarette.

"Odessa Turkevich has been sighted in two places,"  Laurent held up one finger "Sticks and Stakes Pool Hall," he held up the second figure "and the home of Damien Evans."  He seemed pleased with himself for generously imparting the information.

[Saiketsu]

He winced again at his intimate touch, and the leeches cackled in his head, rattling him. Nikolai fought the temptation to bash his head against Laurent's; the shadows would allow no such thing. Instead he stood there and let the demon do what he wanted, half expecting to be injected with more leeches through a kiss. He was prepared for that eventuality. He expected that eventuality.

He was blindsided by what actually came from Laurent's mouth. His expression dropped completely and his heart jumped into his throat. "You're lying," he hissed furiously, grabbing the front of Laurent's shirt and held him in place, the lit cigarette falling from his mouth onto the floor. His eyes bore into Laurent's as the demon started to laugh. It was some obvious ploy to fuck with him.

Sonya was out in the ocean somewhere, buried under the sand. She had been for almost two years. Nikolai had gone to that house and checked it regularly. He spent early mornings on that beach, strung out. He would have noticed if Sonya was back. No, this was some game of his and he didn't want to play. He never wanted to hear her name come out of this demon's mouth again. Not after everything that Laurent had done.

[The Cedar Witch]

"Now why would I do that?"  Laurent sighed wistfully before shoving the vampire roughly away from him.  "When was the last time you've checked?"  His voice carried a taunting edge--he'd seen Nikolai's dreams.  Aching and pining between incomprehensible cocaine-induced madness.  Well, a madness that was swallowing him now regardless of the coke.  Pity.

It mattered very little to the demon whether or not he was believed.  It would gnaw at the vampire, he was sure.  But he disliked not being given some credit, and a frown edged into his expression.  "Sit."  A single finger extended toward the chair Laurent had occupied earlier.

[Black Philip]

It didn't take long for Benny to hack the car wash cameras. Their firewall was a joke, a step above a home computer by only a hair. It was probably all hooked up to some standard size monitor, that one security guard watched; at least when they weren't watching porn. He let out a greasy hiss at the thought. His tablet was able to upload a virus and within minutes he could rotate each of the four cameras and patch one of their feeds at a time through his Ratdar. The rat cycled through the different angles quickly, searching for anything in the windows that looked like the target. He decided to start on the top floor and work his way down, as the cameras had the best window view of those particular rooms. Within a few minutes, he got a body frame and hair outline that matched the suspect, at an accuracy of 82%. It would have to do. He kept the camera feed going on his ocular screen, while the other eye searched for the easiest way to the top floor.

The two guards who stood out front looked like nothing special, and the desire to just slip in and climb up the elevator shaft presented itself. He ran probability outcomes in his head. No, the climb was the faster and safer plan by a 62% - 93% difference. Within a few seconds of scanning the perimeter he saw the best route of approach. A silver eighteen wheeler sat parked close to one of the side walls. A storm drain and gutter ran beside it. Benny started to move, but kept his speed low despite his disciplines. Ratdar was still showing no bogies, but somewhere out there his Animalism told him there were beasts of one kind or another, lurking and waiting for less sophisticated - and unsuspecting - foes. The truck was an easy jump. However, hooking onto the storm drain took a running start and his claws ended up piercing the metal. He held any further actions, and while he heard nothing, the rodent waited to see if that perception was universal.

When he was sure he hadn't been made, he slowly began to climb, using his Potence, and claws to crawl his way up to the fourth floor. He was on the wrong side of the building though, and he would need to either mount the roof and walk, or shimmy one window at a time until he reached the one he'd seen in the cameras. The feed told him that Nikolai was still there, and had picked up another, although less clear, outline. Benny decided to shimmy. Something told him the roof was compromised, and after living as an American for the Russians, he'd learned to trust that instinct when something didn't feel right. He jumped, window to window, and while the first few were uneventful, Benny soon found a number of interesting opportunities buried in these room's smut. A major broadcaster was currently tied up and being tickled by a woman wearing a French maid outfit. The city police chief was wearing a Donald Duck costume and peeing on someone, and was that a city council member eating...

He was getting distracted, but had those images on file to extort some juicy blackmail later. Jake and he had always had a deal about his services. Whatever else he found was his to sell, so long as it never traced back to Jake, and it never did. He jumped the last few windows until he was just to the left of the room in question. He slowly began to peer in, wondering what information this room would have. He double checked that his feed was going. Eva was getting all of this.

[Saiketsu]

His words played with him and his leeches chewed on every scrap of confidence Nikolai could muster. When was the last time he visited the beach? Recently, of course. Not last month, though. Or the one before. Nikolai swallowed, having no memory of going to Awelfor Manor for several months. He abruptly stopped counting, lest he give his doubt anymore ammunition. Judas rattled his chain.

Weakness, he growled in Nikolai's ear with a grasp on the back of his neck. The hair prickled and the leeches bent his knees into obedience of Laurent's command. There was no choice to disregard.

[The Cedar Witch]

Laurent's smile was wide and he followed Nikolai to the chair.  "I can't quite decide which I like better," he slammed both hands down on the arms of the chair and brought himself nose to nose with the vampire.  "This obedience or your fight."  He pushed off on the arms of the chair to move quickly away and circled around to the back of the chair. 

"Now," he leaned in, placing a firm hand on either shoulder and placing his lips beside Nikolai's ear.  "You might want to brace yourself for this next bit."  The shadows began to writhe at his command.  Laurent slid one hand sensually to the front of Nikolai's chest and the other hovered over his nose and mouth.  He did love a good extraction, not as much as the insertion but it was still Fun. 

Slowly the leeches drew together in one mass, pooling and wrigging at the base of Nikolai's throat.  Laurent held him firmly against the back of the chair as they began to work their way up toward the mouth and nose, eager to meet the outstretched hand of their maker, caring not for the damage they left behind.  When coming into contact with Laurent's hand, the shadows bubbled against the skin and sunk blissfully into his flesh with a sigh.  About midway through their exodus, Laurent stopped.

"Because I don't trust you not to run your mouth,"  he gave a playful tap to the side of Nikolai's head before releasing him.  "I'll be taking only half of these back."  There was an almost boyish smile on his face.  "I'm sure you're used to them by now--you won't even notice they're there!"  He giggled.  "So long as you behave."

[Saiketsu]

More of his repulsive touch, making it clear that Nikolai's body and peace was not his own. As if he had forgotten.

He tried not to give Laurent the satisfaction of hearing his agony at the mass moving through him. A vacuuming his muscles, a growing heart attack blooming in his chest. His skin broke out into a cold sweat and his throat threatened to rip open. The mass oozed up and into his mouth, bringing with it the gag of burnt meat, sulfur, and acid, heavy on the back of his tongue. He wretched with it, felt it slither out of his stretched mouth. Nikolai sat with the passage of the shadows as easily as he could, coughing with the effort of the purge. At least he would be free.

When Laurent slapped the side of his head and face, Nikolai panicked, a throat and mouth full of shadow. He choked on the attempt to expel them, black smoke issuing from his mouth as the remainder of the shadows found anchor again in his flesh with hooks in soft tissue. There was blood in his mouth and something wet trickled down from his nostrils, running over his lips.

"You sick fuck," he whispered hoarsely. "You said you'd let me go if I brought you what you wanted."

[The Cedar Witch]

"Did I?"  Laurent pressed a finger thoughtfully against his lips as he circled to the front of the chair.  He did so enjoy the wet sounds that came out of Nikolai's throat, and the gravelly voice after.  It made him long for Other Things, but he didn't have the time to play with him.

"Well, as I recall, I said I would take these back when you found what I needed."  He grinned with a mouth full of teeth.  "How am I to determine that you've brought me what I needed?"  He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the vampire.  How tired and pathetic he looked.  Boring. 

"Besides," he sighed and looked at the ceiling before fixing his eyes on Nikolai's face.  "I never said I wasn't letting you go."  He gestured openly at the door.