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Episode 062 |
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“My
desire, pretty thing, is to rip your limbs off while you still have life…to
turn you, crying and screaming, into a living pendent with which to adorn my
chest! There could be no greater happiness than to hear your pleading voice,
every moment, every day.” Makaku, Still blindfolded, Sarah was shoved down into a wooden chair. The stark cold of it made her jump. Her cuffed hands were cuffed to the back of
the chair, while her feet were cuffed to the legs. Her skin became covered in goose bumps in
the damp chill that was choked with the stench of mold and growth. With an abrupt yank, the blindfold was pulled off her
head. The rush of light caused Sarah
to look away. Before her, Ominous sat
down in a chair like hers. He gave the
two men behind her a look and they headed out, leaving the vampire alone with
the prisoner. As the metal door shut, Sarah breathed out, her eyes
adjusting. She looked at Ominous,
anger filling her. He stared at her
for a long time, his gaze dismissive, but not without sympathy. “Things are not going according to plan,”
he confided with something of a smile. “Really?” Sarah asked.
“I thought you had a thing for girls in their underwear tied to
chairs. Was there something else going
on?” Ominous spared her a sarcastic look, then shook his
head. “We knew the creature wasn’t
Grendel,” he said. “We do know the
creature’s lineage; we can track it back to Grendel. But that was never a big issue for us.” He crossed his legs and sighed. “The Clan of Caine is a civil liberties
group.” Sarah looked down at her
restraints, then at Ominous with a disbelieving look. “Making omelets, my dear,” he allowed with
a weak smile. “We were approached with
an offer that we simply could not pass up.
An offer for magical entities to immediately and permanently walk
freely in this world, that they would take their place side by side with
humanity.” “What happened?” Sarah asked, feigning interest. “What always happens when you make a deal with someone
more powerful than yourself,” Ominous said with a smile. “They start to take more than they said
they would. A little bit at a time,
but more and more each time.” “You have my utmost sympathy,” Sarah said
emotionlessly. “On the flight over, I was actually considering making
a deal with you,” Ominous explained.
“If I released you and your cohort, and turned myself in to you, that
you would not allow reprisal against the Clan. Only a few members had any knowledge of
this plan, fewer still anything to do with it.” A predatory smile came to his face, his teeth
glinting. “But then, I learned
something about the Responders.” Sarah
swallowed hard, desperate not to show any emotion. “The man whom you first met is called Yun
Tai.” He looked at Sarah, watching for
her reaction, smiling more broadly when her face became awash with
recognition. “I wouldn’t get your
hopes up. Yun Tai is a catchall term
that is used by the organization that contacted us. It’s the name of any of their
representatives.” “And what organization would that be?” Sarah asked. “Yun Tai, the late Yun Tai I should say, told me that
the Responders have been following up on a series of leads concerning the
works of Allen Ivers.” Ominous stared
at Sarah, his smile fixating on her.
“He explained that the Responders, specifically your group, that very
group we were seeking to gain access to, have none other than one of the six
books that Allen Ivers wrote.” “That’s what they wanted,” Sarah concluded. “They wanted you to get them access to our
base so that they could get the book.”
Ominous tapped the front of his nose.
Sarah’s blood went cold. “And
now you’re going to go after the book.” “My…employer, my former employer,” he explained, “were
a group of self-righteous madmen who sought to use the books to ‘set the
world right’ as it were. They talked
about bringing about a cataclysm, one that this time, would never be averted,
could never be averted.” He looked away
with a smile. “At least, that’s what
Yun Tai told me before he left us.” “And you want the book to force the world to recognize
magical creatures?” Sarah asked. “I want the book,” Ominous said contentedly. “How it is used after the Clan has it is
still up in the air. But before we open
that chapter in the tale of the Clan, I need the book first.” “The book won’t do you any good,” Sarah leveled. “It’s the third of the six. It’s like an index. You can’t use it unless you have one of the
others.” “Which we’re working on,” Ominous grinned confidently. With a smoothness that was beyond human
capability, he sat forward, moving close to Sarah. “But let’s you and me talk about the book
the Responders have.” “There’s nothing else to tell,” Sarah insisted,
fighting not to lean back as Ominous drew close. The cold breath that came from him caused
her to shiver. “Torture hasn’t worked,” he said with a smile. “Magic hasn’t worked. Reason hasn’t worked.” He opened his mouth wide, his two teeth
flaring outward from the others. “That
leaves us with only one choice.” “No!” Sarah
screamed, trying to pull away. But
Ominous grabbed her, holding her down.
She struggled as best should could, but he held her easily, slipping
beneath her jaw. She tried to butt him
with her head, but he held her head back, exposing her neck. With deliberate slowness, he lowered down to her,
sliding his fangs within her skin.
Puncturing her body, he slipped inside of her, feeling the pulsing
life that surged within her. Holding
her still, he began to drink from her very essence, drawing out of her every
ounce of strength and resistance. He
lapped at her lifeblood, sucking it greedily from her. Holding her close, he drank from her very body. But after only a moment, he drew away. Blood covered his lips as color rushed to
his face and body. He sat back in his
chair, sighing contentedly, licking the bloodstains from his lips. Across
from him, Sarah’s head hung low, her body aching and stiff. She looked up at Ominous, her eyes filled
with pain. “Now,” he said with a
smile, slightly out of rapturous breath, “that you’re a little more amicable
to my voice, let’s begin with the entrance codes to the Responders’
headquarters.” |
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