Through the funhouse mirror
Sep. 24th, 2015 06:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
subtenebrisOnce they were out of sight, Alessandro threw back his head and screamed. "FUCK!" Formerly passive shadows raged, tearing up plants, smashing a window of Samantha's car. The area outside the asylum grew ominously dark as the energy from the Abyss gathered. There was so much he should have seen. So much he didn't realize...overlooked, until it was too late. Had he really thought Zola was harmless? Scared? He sneered and shattered another window. Playing him. He hadn't realized it until Jason's comments. He should have killed them all.
Where the Hell was Edmund?
Hunters, they had to be. The girl saw ghosts and resisted all his attempts to subjugate her mind. Well, and perhaps he didn't try hard enough, but she was food! She wasn't supposed to resist at all! Alessandro strode back to his car and angrily grabbed the gun from his glove box. He stepped into a deep shadow and reappeared behind Wolf, who was still curled up and sleeping off Alessandro's mental commands. He aimed the gun.
He should have seen the hunters. He would have seen them, had he not been preoccupied with the girl and Edmund's mutt. Edmund's mutt, who was mad as his master from the Malkavian blood. Honestly, how did he expect to keep that from spilling secrets? He sighted along the barrel. It had to be a perfect shot. The dog was still mortal, but it had the Blood and it was tenacious. Alessandro aimed at the base of the skull. He'd blame the girl. He had an extra gun for things like that. Edmund would be none the wiser.
A shot rang out.
Alessandro knelt to unhook the leash, and then he turned his back and headed up the stairs to the asylum. Viscous, inky darkness followed. He couldn't see what Edmund saw in the place. Couldn't see what the girl saw. Ghosts. He sneered. They'd do well to keep out of his way. "Edmund!" He picked up the wine, shattered it against a wall. "Edmund Deyncourt, come out this instant!" He followed the hallway back the way the girl had come, followed until he reached the hole in the ceiling.
He didn't need the electrical cord rope. It was child's play to jump up to the next floor. The door to the room was closed, but he could see signs it was disturbed, and so he kicked the door open. It crashed open and splintered against the wall, and Alessandro was left with a perfect view of several bullet holes. He drove a fist into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster and came back with the remains of a spent round. He brought it to his nose, and when he couldn't smell anything, his tongue flicked out. And he promptly dropped the bullet. Ice shot through his tongue. Fear gripped him for a moment. It was enough that his hands shook and he had to suppress the urge to fire the gun in his hands. But there wasn't enough blood left to truly infect him, and the moment passed as his body recovered from the poison.
Alessandro looked up at the ceiling, then around the room. Only one way out. He touched one of the new blood stains, then jumped up through the ceiling to the next floor. There, in the dust, were a set of footprints headed straight to a balcony. He smiled and followed, taking the balcony at a run and landing lightly in the grass below. He followed a straight line, the likely course Edmund would take in a panic, and was rewarded by a basement door busted in just enough for a person to squeeze through. Alessandro called out again, "Edmund, get out here this instant!"
It was quiet as a tomb. Alessandro kicked the door in the rest of the way, then coughed as the stale air escaped. On the floor, Edmund crouched, shaking in terror. Alessandro gave a sharp huff of irritation and walked down the stairs to grab him by the arm. "Edmund."
"Shhhh, Alessandro. They'll hear you." Edmund looked around in terror.
"They damn well can't because that girl made off in a car with a bunch of hunters. She's gone." Alessandro used brute strength to drag the Malkavian kicking and screaming out of the musty basement and into the night. "Listen! Edmund!"
Edmund shook his head stubbornly. He clutched at his shoulder, and Alessandro tore his hand away to see the bullet wound. The bullet tore clean through, and it was starting to heal. Edmund protested wordlessly, but Alessandro just heaved him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried him back around the front of the building.
"Put me down. Alessandro, I mean it, put me down. I'm not a sack of wheat for you to just throw around." It was halfway there when Edmund regained some of his speech. By the end, he was fluently protesting Alessandro and all that the Lasombra was doing.
Alessandro dumped him on the ground unceremoniously at the door to the asylum. "Edmund, you idiot! Feed if you're going to feed, but don't cause another fuck up like what I witnessed tonight! That girl is gone. She shot up your old room. Shot Wolf. She resisted me and hopped into a car with others like her and they'll be back. Do you understand? Do you?"
"Wolf's dead?" Edmund looked forlorn. "I...I didn't think...He had the Blood."
"The Blood doesn't help kine and beasts like it does us, you know that. They're still mortal. Listen. They're going to be back, we need to go." He reached down and dragged Edmund to his feet. "You're going back to New York. The girl mentioned Bellevue. I want to know how she resisted me."
"Well, you're downright ugly when you're feeling grumpy, Alex." Edmund grinned at Alessandro, but it died when he noticed the dog's crumpled form. "She didn't have to shoot Wolf."
"I gather it was a kill or be killed scenario. You fed him more Blood, you know how he got. That's why we leave animal monstrosities to the Gangrel and the Nosferatu where they belong." Alessandro offered Edmund a hand up and they moved towards Alessandro's car. "Edmund, I'm serious. Keep working on our plan, but I want to know why this girl got away."
"Yes, yes. You know, if you'd just let me teach you, you wouldn't be such an easy mark." Edmund moved to the passenger side and Alessandro let him in, then sat down beside him.
"When we get to the safe house. Not on the road, please, I can't drive us straight and deal with hallucinations."
Edmund gave him a look that suggested he wasn't sure Alessandro was telling the truth. "If you're sure. We can peel back the layers."
"When we're safe."
Where the Hell was Edmund?
Hunters, they had to be. The girl saw ghosts and resisted all his attempts to subjugate her mind. Well, and perhaps he didn't try hard enough, but she was food! She wasn't supposed to resist at all! Alessandro strode back to his car and angrily grabbed the gun from his glove box. He stepped into a deep shadow and reappeared behind Wolf, who was still curled up and sleeping off Alessandro's mental commands. He aimed the gun.
He should have seen the hunters. He would have seen them, had he not been preoccupied with the girl and Edmund's mutt. Edmund's mutt, who was mad as his master from the Malkavian blood. Honestly, how did he expect to keep that from spilling secrets? He sighted along the barrel. It had to be a perfect shot. The dog was still mortal, but it had the Blood and it was tenacious. Alessandro aimed at the base of the skull. He'd blame the girl. He had an extra gun for things like that. Edmund would be none the wiser.
A shot rang out.
Alessandro knelt to unhook the leash, and then he turned his back and headed up the stairs to the asylum. Viscous, inky darkness followed. He couldn't see what Edmund saw in the place. Couldn't see what the girl saw. Ghosts. He sneered. They'd do well to keep out of his way. "Edmund!" He picked up the wine, shattered it against a wall. "Edmund Deyncourt, come out this instant!" He followed the hallway back the way the girl had come, followed until he reached the hole in the ceiling.
He didn't need the electrical cord rope. It was child's play to jump up to the next floor. The door to the room was closed, but he could see signs it was disturbed, and so he kicked the door open. It crashed open and splintered against the wall, and Alessandro was left with a perfect view of several bullet holes. He drove a fist into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster and came back with the remains of a spent round. He brought it to his nose, and when he couldn't smell anything, his tongue flicked out. And he promptly dropped the bullet. Ice shot through his tongue. Fear gripped him for a moment. It was enough that his hands shook and he had to suppress the urge to fire the gun in his hands. But there wasn't enough blood left to truly infect him, and the moment passed as his body recovered from the poison.
Alessandro looked up at the ceiling, then around the room. Only one way out. He touched one of the new blood stains, then jumped up through the ceiling to the next floor. There, in the dust, were a set of footprints headed straight to a balcony. He smiled and followed, taking the balcony at a run and landing lightly in the grass below. He followed a straight line, the likely course Edmund would take in a panic, and was rewarded by a basement door busted in just enough for a person to squeeze through. Alessandro called out again, "Edmund, get out here this instant!"
It was quiet as a tomb. Alessandro kicked the door in the rest of the way, then coughed as the stale air escaped. On the floor, Edmund crouched, shaking in terror. Alessandro gave a sharp huff of irritation and walked down the stairs to grab him by the arm. "Edmund."
"Shhhh, Alessandro. They'll hear you." Edmund looked around in terror.
"They damn well can't because that girl made off in a car with a bunch of hunters. She's gone." Alessandro used brute strength to drag the Malkavian kicking and screaming out of the musty basement and into the night. "Listen! Edmund!"
Edmund shook his head stubbornly. He clutched at his shoulder, and Alessandro tore his hand away to see the bullet wound. The bullet tore clean through, and it was starting to heal. Edmund protested wordlessly, but Alessandro just heaved him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried him back around the front of the building.
"Put me down. Alessandro, I mean it, put me down. I'm not a sack of wheat for you to just throw around." It was halfway there when Edmund regained some of his speech. By the end, he was fluently protesting Alessandro and all that the Lasombra was doing.
Alessandro dumped him on the ground unceremoniously at the door to the asylum. "Edmund, you idiot! Feed if you're going to feed, but don't cause another fuck up like what I witnessed tonight! That girl is gone. She shot up your old room. Shot Wolf. She resisted me and hopped into a car with others like her and they'll be back. Do you understand? Do you?"
"Wolf's dead?" Edmund looked forlorn. "I...I didn't think...He had the Blood."
"The Blood doesn't help kine and beasts like it does us, you know that. They're still mortal. Listen. They're going to be back, we need to go." He reached down and dragged Edmund to his feet. "You're going back to New York. The girl mentioned Bellevue. I want to know how she resisted me."
"Well, you're downright ugly when you're feeling grumpy, Alex." Edmund grinned at Alessandro, but it died when he noticed the dog's crumpled form. "She didn't have to shoot Wolf."
"I gather it was a kill or be killed scenario. You fed him more Blood, you know how he got. That's why we leave animal monstrosities to the Gangrel and the Nosferatu where they belong." Alessandro offered Edmund a hand up and they moved towards Alessandro's car. "Edmund, I'm serious. Keep working on our plan, but I want to know why this girl got away."
"Yes, yes. You know, if you'd just let me teach you, you wouldn't be such an easy mark." Edmund moved to the passenger side and Alessandro let him in, then sat down beside him.
"When we get to the safe house. Not on the road, please, I can't drive us straight and deal with hallucinations."
Edmund gave him a look that suggested he wasn't sure Alessandro was telling the truth. "If you're sure. We can peel back the layers."
"When we're safe."
no subject
Date: 2015-09-25 01:18 am (UTC)We both have "after" posts.
By the way, no story of yours should ever end (or closely) end with the words, "we can peel back the layers."
Just saying.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-25 01:33 am (UTC)I'm going to edit this and post tomorrow. Too busy at work tonight.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-25 02:49 am (UTC)It's absolutely community worthy!
Ah, work. Yes, THAT. Have you noticed how spectacularly FAST I've been replying lately? I've been trying to reply before the cray cray starts up again, so I get it. Take care of you.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-25 02:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-25 03:01 am (UTC)