Number of fucks given in this post: 7
I get a call while Xander is on watch. He reports that the Chinese girl has returned to the shop but this time she looks spaced out and is still wearing bed clothes.
Shit. He’s called her in some mystical fashion and now the same thing is going to happen to her that happened to the other two. I wish that Twig had got back to me so that I knew what that was! Yeah, well, can’t really just stand about and let it happen since nothing I’ve seen says that it will be good!
Right, think fast. I tell Xander to get down to the building – somewhere close where he might be able to hear screams. I’ll get Pelican and myself to meet him there. Victor can wait nearby in a pub in case things go bad and we need the cavalry. Victor’s great but with stuff like this he’s a bit of a blunt instrument and I want us to try to get to talk to this guy, maybe negotiate, instead of going straight for the kill.
Anyway, the plan is that I’ll go in the front, noisy but not too aggressive and the other two can sneak in the back and rescue the girl. Set up some code-words too and set up some group call thingy on our phones so that they can hear me (I really need to get those radios sorted). If I say “Red” then we attack. “Orange” and Victor runs in. “Brown” haha and we get the fuck outta there.
It’s dark on the streets and the wet roads are starting to turn to frost, so that makes it a fun drive on the motorbike at speed. Pelican has already arrived and is standing with Xander when I get there… and the lights in the building are off. The inside of the shop is very dark with only the illuminated window displays being visible.
Jack “Pelican” McGregor: ‘Here, it look’s like he’s just shut shoaps fur the night. 24/7 a arse’
I take off my helmet, “He did what?” Shit! We’ve watched him for almost a full month and the first time the lights go out is when the victim shows up?”
Xander: No ones left from what I’ve seen. So there’s still at least two people inside.
Pelican: ‘Right well, in we go?’
Heather Jackman: Fuck. Fuck, yeah, we’re going to have to go in there. I’d hoped to do this the easy way. Let’s try this quiet.
I sighs, “Any of you good with locks? Then we can do both entrances at the same time.”
Pelican: I’m really good wae locks, to be fair.
Pelican: Ma taxi stopped ootside when he turned the light aff but, so a didny hear any locks.
Heather Jackman: Yeah? Maybe has hasn’t locked it. I’ll go in the front. You two take the back.
Pelican: But fair enough, roon the back of the shop we go
Heather Jackman: I might just bang on the front door and get his attention. While you two head in the back, like my original plan.
Xander: Yeah
Heather Jackman: Your mission is to get the girl out… and survive
Pelican starts to head around to the back of the shop, “Right’o Jack, see ye on the other side.” He gestures Xander to follow.
I nod once, then head for the front and knock loudly on the front door, “Hello? Anyone there?”
Pelican and Xander head around the back. The places was stinking and littered with human waste, filth, retail detritus and any other rubbish you can think of. Glad it wasn’t me doing that bit! Especially because there was a massive pile of crap and bins in front of the rear shop exit and the two guys were going to have to clear it before they could get in!
Meanwhile, nobody is answering me from inside the building so I keep going, trying to give the other two loads of time to get the door open. Not that I know exactly what they’re facing at that point.
I knock loudly again, shouting, “I was told you’d be open! Hello?”
Xander: Do you think we can get over this quietly, Pelican?
Pelican: Not easily no, it’ll take a a while if we were to try and do it quietly.
Pelican takes a quick look around both sides of the shop for a window but there are none on the back and the windows on the front are pretty secure. The Brujah brings his phone out of his pocket at texts Jack.
Too jailbait. May have to bust in, if we’re to save this lassie.
My phone vibrates in my pocket so I take it out, read the message and send a reply.
ok, I’ll give a count. Go in 3
I pause for a moment, then speak so that they can hear me over the open line, “1… 2… 3”
On “3”, I grab the door handle and attempt to open it, shouting, “Hello” again.
McGregor and Xander move on my count and start noisily clearing rubbish out the way as fast as they can.
The ding ding of the door bell, from above, announces my entry. A weak and weary voice finally replies to my shouting, “We’re closed.”
Heather Jackman: I was told that you could help me! It’s urgent!
From the doorway, I can see a faint red glow illuminating from the shop floor, beyond the display cases so I start to walk towards through a corridor of display cases. The way the glow is moving, it looks like someone is wearing a head lamp. Apart from that it is dark
I shout again, trying to sound like a stroppy customer who won’t give up. With luck, he won’t see me as a real threat until I’m closer. I say, “I saw a girl come in here so I know that you’re still taking customers!”
The voice responds “No you didn’t. Now LEAVE ME ALONE!” The voice changing to a heavy, deep, bestial voice mid sentence.
Oh shit, thinks I. I really hope that isn’t someone turning into a werewolf cos we’re totally not equipped for that!
The two out the back have cleared enough by now so that they are just about at the bins blocking the back door.
I quietly draw my machete, “I definitely saw her go in. That’s like a red light, man. What’s going on?”
Look.. code-word! This guy is definitely not human and, whatever he is, growly voices don’t fill me with confidence that he’s going to talk. Either way, I don’t want to be facing it myself!
Moving a bit closer I keep going with my pretense, although my voice is probably sounding a bit nervous at this point. “Look, I just need some cash and I’ll be outta here!”
I finally get to the end of the entrance way and I can see the wee old man, but his eyes are glowing a horrible blood red colour which is also emanating from his mouth! He is standing over the girl who is slumped on her knees. In his hand he holding a small jade ornament. He looks up at me as I round into view and he screeches.
I don’t know how to describe that noise, but it completely fucking terrifies my beast. I was a hair’s breadth away from running out of there in complete terror but I managed to keep on top of it. I really hope he doesn’t do that again – not sure I could hold on a second time.
Heather Jackman: I really don’t think you want to do that. Put the jade.. thingy.. down.
Out the back, the other two are throwing everything into getting in the door. Xander, with a herculean effort, pushes the wheelie bin aside and uses it as a plough to clear the rest of the rubbish.
Pelican: Nice one, In! Its gunna get ugly mate, hope your ready!
Pelican bursts into the back of the shop, followed closely by the Gangrel.
So I’m standing ready to defend myself in the shop, machete in hand, and waiting for the “old man” to attack. I have no idea how fast he is, or how hard he can hit so I’m not going all-in.
I hear the duo burst into the darkness at the back shop to the unmistakable smell of death. Xander and Pelican find themselves wading through ankle-high human remains. At the sight and smell, Xander focuses on his hands to grow vicious claws.
Pelican: whispers under his breath, “dirty bastard”
Fucking thing looked me straight in the eye and slammed the jade ornament against the Chinese girl’s skull. The ornament smashes, but so does her skull and his fist gets embedded deep inside her head.
Fucking prick, I think. Yeah, well, guess he made the first move. That’s probably given him some kind of extra power and now we’re about to get our asses whupped.
Heather Jackman: Ah fuck, you shouldn’t have done that. We could’ve talked.
The girl’s lifeless body slumps to the deck and brains splattered out, The boys burst through the door into behind the counter. The man, if you can call it that, turns to face them, and they are met with the red glow and the stench of fresh blood.
with surprising speed for his frail build, the old man lunges at me and he slams a fist in my direction. I mostly get my arm in the way to block the punch but I feel the shock all the way up to my shoulder.
Pelican: in a panicked tone, “Oh, ya bastert”
He bounds over the desk and comes up behind the old man, poised to strike. Xander flexes his claws and vaults the desk, but he stumbles on landing and can’t close the distance.
I aim a swing with my machete at the arm holding the remains of the jade ornament, in the hope that depriving him of it reduces his power, but it’s a small target and I miss. McGregor smashes wildly down the back of the old man who lets out a howl of pain and blood gushes out of the wound.
Like some kind of horror movie, the old man explodes like an over filled water balloon. Blood explodes out and splats out everywhere then, over the space of moments, it coagulates and flows back inwards. The gaping wound has been sealed mostly shut.
Aha! Despite the horrifically disturbing special effects, whatever this creature is can still be hurt!
With a massive swing, I cut through both legs and it howls with rage and pain. The place is turning into a Tarantino film with the crimson deluge. A part of my brain wonders why my beast isn’t showing any interest at such a feast. Again it seems to explode blood and then coagulate back into to itself. This time one leg completely re-attaches but the other seems somehow wrong.
Jesus, this thing is fast. I mean, the powers of the blood mean I still have the advantage but it can still start moving before I get the chance. It went for me again but I barely got out the way. Then I moved in and wrestled it in for a clinch…. and squeezed. McGregor slashed it twice with his machete and Xander clawed into it’s body. I was surprised that Xander’s claws didn’t hurt it any more than the machete did, but all their hits counted and we all got even more covered in the blood. That’s when Victor burst through the door, to see us pretty much soaked in gore.
Of course, my plan to hold it was doomed to fail. I should’ve realised that something that could turn to splooshly blood would have no problem escaping a hold. It turned to liquid but somehow managed to still keep a hold of me enough to spin me and throw me face-first onto the floor! It might have looked pretty funny except that I’d already committed to using the Presence power of Majesty to try to stop it fighting us. I got up and commanded him to “Submit” while looking fecking awesome or something.
Pelican has the idea that it’s some kind of powerful Gangrel so he goes in to try to stake it through the heart. He doesn’t quite hit the heart but he does do a good job of embedding the wood in its chest. Victor claws it’s arm off and Xander retrieves the damaged jade statue from the limb once it lands on the floor near him.
Not content to be surrounded, the “old man” makes multiple fists out his bloody form and attacks us all at the one time! It lacks the strength in the punch it aimed at me to do any real hurt. Pelican makes no attempt at a defence but instead aims a mighty swing with his machete. The creature explodes again but this time doesn’t coagulate and the blood remains splattered over ourselves and the room.
…and the enchantment that was keeping the blood and smell contained in the room suddenly cancels and we are all hit with a wave of tasty/delicious fresh blood fragrance. Xander and Victor held it together but McGregor and I had been pushing our powers and now we were hungry. The smell put us over the edge and we dived in to the old man and Chinese girl corpses in front of us.
But I tell you, Majesty made it the freakiest thing ever. It was a feeding frenzy with fresh human on the menu so my beast went for that. Pelican’s beast was letting me because of the Majesty, but then my beast when into some weird lion pack thing and started throwing him leftover bits like the arms and his beast was happy because it was still getting fed. It was all a bit embarrassing really, in retrospect. In fact, let’s never mention it again.
