Werewolves and Vampires and Psychics: Oh my!

[The Lilith Myth]

Blair awoke to the loud squawking of birds above her head and the cold morning Seattle fog that was creeping into her hidey-hole. One eye opened, then the next, and finally both together. Her vision was blurry for a few seconds before finally clearing up and confirming that she did, in fact, spend the night under a tree curled up in a little ball. She heaved a heavy sigh and uncoiled herself from underneath the roots and sat down on the ground. "I'm just going to safely assume that my body is made of pins and needles and wait to stand up for a while." She mused to herself as she picked leaves and twigs from her hair and clothes. There was blood staining the places where the road had scraped away bits of sweater and skin leaving her feeling bruised and broken. Another heavy sigh as she remembered why she slept out in the cold and dirty open of the forest along whatever highway they had been taking her down. Some friends. That was a good enough reason to keep her little 'gift' secret, but they believed in vampires? Seriously? And all that hurtful stuff about their friendship. Blair didn't really know what to do in this situation. Not only was she woefully unequipped to be outdoors at all, she didn't know where she was and she didn't know what to do about it. But her mind was beginning to make her feel panicked about still trying to get away. What if they were still here? What if they were just waiting for her by the road, waiting to take her back to that ridiculous vampire cult they were a part of now.
Slowly she laid her body down on the ground and closed her eyes. Just one vision would help. Anything to get her one step ahead of the game, just like she always was in life before any of this totally bat-s**t insanity began happening.

Focus.
Quiet.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.

Blair waited patiently for what seemed like eons, and nothing came to her. Nothing. It was like she had no gift at all anymore. Which was absolutely terrifying because she relied on it so much. Frustrated, she tried again.

Focusing.
Quietness.
Breathing.

Still nothing. Blair sat up quickly and stumbled to her feet. "Oh, pins and needles! Too soon..." She staggered forward as her legs crumpled and she grabbed onto the tree bark on her way down. "Ugh!" She pulled back her hands to her chest and fell back, landing with what would have sounded like a satisfying 'thud' to anyone else but her at that moment. "Dammit!" She shouted, immediately covering up her mouth. "Dammit." Blair whispered, furious with herself for being loud when she needed to be quiet. She was never very good at being sneaky though, so she wasn't sure how this was going to work if she was going to get out of here without being taken to that freaky sounding cult.
Quietly she contemplated several different ways of getting out of the forest undetected but none of them were really useful since she didn't know where she was, which way was out and which way was further inside, and she wasn't sure she could even climb a tree in her current condition. With a lot of effort, she pushed herself back up off the ground and stood up. There was no plan though, no reason for her to stand other than the fact that she didn't want to be on the ground any longer. But, there was only one way to find out if she was going to be chopped up into food for the vampire cultists or free for a few more hours until something else happened. Resolutely, she started off in the direction opposite of her hidey-hole tree. If she were lucky, her so-called friends wouldn't be there and she could hitch a ride with someone else to get her to safety.

~~~

"HOW could you be so stupid as to leave the doors unlocked?" Lindsey shouted, furious that she had to be out all night instead of living in the lap of luxury by delivering Blair to the Vampires. She kicked a rock and it went flying.
"I didn't think she would actually jump out of the car? Who does that?!" Phillip yelled back, making an exasperated gesture with his arms. "I didn't know that she was going to take that moment to be a brave person for once in her meek little life." He grumbled, looking up in the branches of a nearby tree while Lindsey watched with annoyance from a few feet away.
"You should have at least thought of something!" Lindsey tapped her feet impatiently as she watched Phillip look around the base of the tree. "For shits sake, Phil! She didn't climb up any tree." She shouted at him again.
"Well, it isn't as though you have any bright ideas to share with the class, is it?" He asked sarcastically, looking from behind the tree. "Pretty sure you've never had a bright idea in your life." He grumbled under his breath.
"Excuse me?" She asked, incredulous that he could even suggest such a thing.
"You heard me, idiot." Phillip grumbled as he moved on, leaving Lindsey behind knowing she'd follow him anyway with nothing better to do.
"You know we're lost, right? We've been out here for hours! I'm freezing. My feet hurt, and I'm tired and hungry. We're not going to find her."
"If we leave now and don't return with her, we're as good as dead. You've seen what they can do. Do you really want to return without her?"
"No, but-"
"'But' nothing, Lindsey." Phillip interrupted her. "We don't return with her, we're as good as dead. We would have to hide from them for the rest of our lives. We're bringing her back even if it takes forever."
"Okay, fine." Lindsey sighed in defeat. "But we seriously aren't going to find her unless we get working GPS signal anytime soon."
"Just use the damn map!"
"I can't read it, you a**! I wasn't a gay boy scout like you!" She shouted, tossing the map at him. "Ugh! We're going to be out here forever!"
"No we aren't. Just calm down with the theatrics, okay?" He caught the map and turned it the right side up and then began trying to read it. "The boy scouts aren't gay..." He whispered to himself as he looked over the map. "Okay, come over here. Take a look."
"Why?" She asked, shivering quietly in place.
"Because I said so. Just do it." Phillip growled at her.
Lindsey rolled her eyes and walked over to see the map she knew she wouldn't understand. "What do you want me to see?"
"We're here, okay? She has to have at least figured out how to get back to the highway from wherever she is. She's not likely to stay hidden for long since she's likely scared shitless."
"Okay...?" Lindsey looked at him with a half blank, half annoyed stare. "Your point being?"
"We should go back to the car, dumbass." He shoved the map back at her and began walking back towards the road and his abandoned car, leaving Lindsey to catch up.
"Hey! Wait up!" She called out, shuffling her cold feet back into life.

~~~

"Welp, I'm lost." Blair complained to herself, looking at her surroundings and feeling quite a bit more hopeless than she had before, which was surprising since she wasn't sure she could feel any more hopeless than she already did. "How do I even get back to the main roads at all? Did we even take a main road? UGH. This is so lame. Stupid Lindsey and Phillip getting dragged into a stupid vampire cult!" The more she thought about it thought, the more it didn't make any sense. How would a run-of-the-mill cult know she was psychic? No one knew that. Honestly, her parents never believed in that stuff anyway, so she always just kept it to herself. She'd told no one, said nothing, done nothing to draw attention to herself. At least she thought she did... "Okay, now I'm just really scared and confused." Blair continued walking forward. The faintest sounds of cars were coming from that direction, so she just assumed the state roads were in that same area. But this far out, she knew it would be quiet anyway. "How could anyone have possibly known about my abilities? I don't get it. I've got to be-" Suddenly open air. Suddenly road. Suddenly... mysterious man from the bar. "The unluckiest human being on the face of the planet. s**t! What the hell are you doing here?" Blair didn't even bother running at this point. She was too tired, and this was probably better than being caught by Lindsey and Phillip. She looked at the man with defeated eyes. Her whole body ached, the scratches on her arms and legs, the bruises from jumping out of the car; her legs were just now beginning to return to normal. "How the hell did you even find me? I don't even know where I am! What are you? Who are you?" Blair crossed her arms, watching the muscular man carefully. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now, but it was most likely not something she really wanted. "Don't people have better things to do other than stalk me?" She complained, sitting down on the side of the road where she stood moments before. "I'm not sure what you guys want from me, but it doesn't work like that. I've never been able to use my ability for anyone else." Blair looked up at the man with her bright blue eyes and sighed. "And now I can't even do that. I'm pretty much normal at this point. Totally useless to everyone who wants me to joint their weird cults." She shrugged and folded her arms together over her chest, shivering quietly.  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Keep on Chooglin....
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Sasha, had listened to the scurrying in the treeline. He had been able to hear the rants of the female. When she finally emerged from the tangled mess of branches, he physically had to hold back a scoffing laughter. Something of the imagery, something of the outburst, and a slight paining of feeling sorry for her. She was right on damn near every account. No reason for her to become a player iin the grimdark reality. His mission to grab her was simply to keep her away from the brood lords of the vampire cult, it had taken him until now to consider it. And it was her small rant, and the sudden news that he was a wanted man by both sides now, even if his pack was only participating under the point of a gun. The sides of a war were pulling out the stops and the whole landscape had changed in the power struggle.

He was going to respond, but was cut off as she continued on, ranting about the situation. He couldnt help but hold back a smirk and another scoffing laugh. After taking it all in he decided that he wouldnt be able to convince her of much in her current state. And Niome had... done more intimate research. He held up one finger, trying to take a less aggressive pose as he opened the trunk of the vehicle and fished out the Nike, gym duffle bag, in it were a pair of loose fitting but comfortable gym clothes, water, ibuprofin, and other supplies, makeup remover, Sasha didnt need to know. He turned back to a flustered Blair and offered the bag as a peace tribute, pulling out the bottle of ibuprofin and a bottle of water for himself.

He slide down the small embankment and took a seat on his haunches, tossing back 4 ibuprofin and taking a swig of the water. In some aspects try to show it was safe, and in others to stop the massive headache from his skull being split open earlier in the night. He tossed the bottle back over and it landed on the top fabric of the bag.

"You have a lot of things correct." Sasha armed himself with a smile as she looked over at him finally talking. "One thing wrong, I don't stalk. Stalking makes me sound like a coward. Call it masculinity issues if you want, but I don't like to be thought of being so lowly. If you have to call it something. I hunt. How I found you, you'll figure it out in time." Vampire cult had escaped her lips, but just how much did she associate it with the real thing or a bunch of human party goers to obsessed with a Halloween theme? She would learn in time. "That would also be my proof then. I found you. If I wanted to hurt you it would have already happened. Following that statement there ARE others looking for you. We just both happen to now be floating down s**t creek together now, and there are rapids up ahead. Sasha looked eyes with her, haunting eyes that had been in the back of his mind since the hotel. "The truth is. I dont know why, I do know who, and I know they won't be giving up anytime soon. I don't have much of a plan, I do have a lot of cash, a fast car, and a fair amount of guns, which I am going to have to bet on for now. I need you to understand something. Weither you like it or not, you and me are a WE now. And if you die, then I die. If I die.... Sasha flashed to the fates that could be waiting for her. Few of them good. "You will likely wish you would be dead...."

He reached in his left pocket, of the jacket he had borrowed and pulled out a small bottle of clear liquid and a rag. "Full disclosure? I would like to take you to the mountains and a shitty motel until I can come up with a plan. I would like that not to involve the actions that will be taken if you decide not to get up, and enter the passenger side door of the vehicle on the road behind us." His eyes would be pleading with her to obey. "I don't think knocking a pretty girl, with a ripped dress, in the middle of the woods, with cloroform is something we can recover from, if this whole team thing has to last for awhile....."




 

[The Lilith Myth]

Blair watched his smiling face with a frustrated frown. “Awfully cryptic, aren’t you?” She eyed the bottle of ibuprofen sitting on the duffel bag between them. “And just because you took those doesn’t mean I’m crazy enough to believe they’re safe for me.” She scoffed quietly, crossing her arms and listening to the rest of his spiel. The small bottle of liquid and the rag made her eyes go wide and her spine stand up straight. Once he was finished she stood and paced in front of him, arms crossed in front of her.
“So this is all supposed to convince me that I should go with you because of some threat to me? I’m supposed to just believe you and jump in your fancy car and just disappear?” She paused and looked at him with her bright blue eyes. He seemed earnest enough; he looked just like a guy stuck in a rock and a hard place as he sat there with a bottle in one hand and a rag in the other. Blair quietly took stock of her situation and sighed, leaning against the car and watching the man watch her. “No matter how I look at it, I’m not getting away without being snatched by someone, am I?” She sighed. “Might as well go with the nice kidnapper instead of the dirty creep from the bar or the false friends who tried to take me hostage.”

She snatched up the duffel bag and bottle of water, trudged behind the car and downed two ibuprofen with the water and a mental <******** it. before pulling out the clothes he had brought for her. “Turn around.” She ordered him, pointing her finger at him and making a circle. Once he had done that, she pulled out a dark teal sweater and a gray tank top, pulling out the capri gym pants last and pulling them up under her dress. She struggled with the zipper slightly, jumping up somewhat in an attempt to twist her arm just enough to grasp the blasted little piece of metal and yank it down. She tossed the dress aside and pulled on the rest of the clothes on quickly. “Alright.” She walked back in front of the car and sat down next to him and pulled out the ankle socks and tennis shoes, shoving her dress back into the duffel along with her heels. She left her necklace on, though. “I’m just gonna assume you’re not going to tell me your real name, so I’ll just go with what I saw and call you Sasha. Fair deal? I also assume you already know mine.” She halfheartedly chuckled while she pulled up the socks and slipped on the shoes. Blair stood up again and tossed her bag into the trunk before shoving it closed and admiring the car. “You’re not exactly low-key as far as kidnappers go, are you?” She placed her hands on her hips and turned to look at him. “You kind of stick out like a sore thumb, what with the car and the good facial features. No one would ever suspect you’re some sort of doomsday kidnapper.” She laughed quietly, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. “Okay, sorry. Probably shouldn’t be teasing you.” Blair sighed. “Well, let’s get going then. Might as well get going since my so-called friends are probably out looking for me, and who knows who else, which I’m hopeful you’ll be explaining at least a few things on the way to wherever we’re going. Like how you people know about me in the first place.” That was something she was curious about the most, beside the fact that she couldn’t use her weird gift anymore.

Hesitantly, she opened the passenger side door and slipped into the seat, looking back at Sasha. "Didn't think it'd be this easy, huh? Well, let's go, handsome." She closed the door and waited for him to start the car, heart beating so hard in her chest she thought it would explode out of her rib cage. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, but it was at least one idea she could see right now, and it was the only idea that seemed the least terrifying as far as she could see. Besides, her visions were almost always true to life or had grains of truth in them. Somewhere down in there, this Sasha was exactly like the man she had met in her dream. It didn't seem quite to likely right now, but if he wasn't she could always try running away.

Once he was inside and started the car she pulled her seat belt on and buckled it up. "I don't suppose you would tell me where we're going at least?" Blair glanced at him and chuckled to herself. "I didn't think so." She sighed softly and leaned her head back against the head rest, looking out the window at the passing trees. Let's just hope my vision comes back so I can figure out what the hell I'm doing! I'm apparently no good as a human being without it... I've relied on it for so long, I think I might be in really hot water if it doesn't come back. She thought, turning her head to watch Sasha as he drove, making mental notes about his probable height and weight, along with little things about his appearance. If ever they were separated, she would at least remember what he looked like so she could run in whatever direction she needed to at the time. He mentioned being a team now, and something about death: either hers or his. She didn't like the thought of her own death at the hands of some mysterious group of people, nor did she like the way he paused when he talked about his own death and what would subsequently happen to her if he were to pass. Just what were they up against?  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Boom Boom Boom Boom, Gonna Shoot You Right Down.
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Girl talks big talk when she's nervous. Noted... Sasha listened and let her take over the action, performing dutifully at her requests for privacy, and let her continue, as his ears picked up an all to familiar sound in the distance. Still some way out. He didnt let it get to him as Blair continued to talk. Answering his questions for him. He could only give slight nods, and grins. As she entered his car, mouth still flying he could only smirk and do a slight curtsy before entering the car.

It was 100 feet down the road when she seemed to simmer down. It was 125 feet as the back window of the big block Ford, splintered, under the hit of what Sasha could only assume was a shotgun's buckshot load, nothing the bullet resistance couldnt take a couple more of. Mentally, and smoothly, practiced he found a gear that could take the speed and corners of the forested road, as puddles still stood on the morning pavement, He looked over the visable shock, and cutely anger. She was having a bad day, and to him the fun was just not getting started.

Both engines roared as if two prehistoric beast from millennials past had once again found each other on the fields of an older earth. The guttural, bellow of the Ford vs the High Pitched European sports car, of 30+ years younger. Fiberglass, vs Chrome, speed vs. Horsepower. They had them on the straights, but on the curves the Ford would be happy to put some distance between the two of them again, and the passenger of the vehicle would find a shot, putting another spray of a shotgun into the vehicle.

Sasha began to talk after remaining so silent. Did he see annoyance in the eyes of his captured audience? His voice was calm, as his eyes darted, and his hands and feet worked the steel beast on the winding roads, heading away from the city.

"The ibuprofen you took is two years out of date, it won't kill you." The trees whistled by. "Threats are verbal, gunshots are normally the realization that s**t has hit the fan." The parted white lines of the road moved so fast that they could have been a solid stripe. "Sasha, kidnapper, a*****e, errand boy, just about anything works, hell cook me breakfast, scratch me behind the ear and I'll be more loyal then Fido."

Another blast, this one missing the rear window, and finding it's place into the woods, Sasha's mind mentally tacked the conversation they were having as his right hand took the wheel and his left began manually rolling down his window, letting a ripping of morning air storm into the cabin of the vehicle. "This isn't some trip for ransom to your parents. This isn't a mob attempt at leverage on your father. This has everything to begin with you, and as of four hours ago I'm not a kidnapper, You're my ticket out of this s**t."

The corner was sharp, and Sasha couldn't risk hitting the gas as the Vehicle nailed 85 mph. He felt the heavy frame of the vehicle begin to lift as he flung the vehicle around the curve, he couldn't help but grimace. His eyes flew to the rear view mirror as he saw the quick snap of yellow lights as his pursuers were forced to tap the brakes on their lighter vehicle. His eyes snapped back to the stretch of open road, no more corners, end of the road, and the motor of the trail car whined as the driver began to accelerate for the kill.

It was quick. Sasha tapped the break, sliding the gear into neutral cutting the wheel hard, and then into Reverse, almost missing the window, as the car lurked in the change of direction, Sasha almost hit his head on the wheel. Blair was clinging to the car like a cat, which was likely the only thing that stopped the seatbelt locking up and tearing her should from her socket.

Sasha's eyes met with the frantic driver of the vehicle behind them. A three piece suit and scarf around most of his face, a hat upon his head. It was a vamp. Trying to get the most of his daylight time he could, Sasha right hand found the thick wood stock of the large barreled 'gun' he had tucked behind Blair, and yanked. He tossed the huge breach loader to his left hand, bearing it out the window, he braced his arm, every muscle locking like steel as his finger found the trigger and the gun belched a 40mm High Explosive round through the window of the pursuing car, impacting somewhere between the passenger and the driver, popping the internals of the car outward, as the loudest firework explosion Blair would ever hear echoed throughout the hills and trees.

Sasha finally took a full breath as the Ford rolled to a stop, facing backwards on the side of the road some 100 yards from the twisted steel now littering the road, unlike Hollywood their was little fire, just twisted steel, and a glint of red, on the silver body and frame of the vehicle under the morning sun. Sasha slid the 40mm grenade launcher back behind Blair before, looking her in the eyes again. Continuing his conversation from before.

"I thought we would get some groceries and head to a cabin of mine and lay low for a couple of days, until I figure out what we are doing. They were shooting at both of us. And while they want you alive, you will serve them just as well dead. Welcome to the world of Grimdark, you didn't think you were the only one with super human gifts did you?"

The hot tires of the Ford found pavement again as it turned into the correct direction and took off, following the speed limit signs. Sasha's head was pounding, and his mouth went dry as Flight or fight reflexes began to shake his nerves, his right hand went for what would appear to be a cigarette, but wouldn't smell like one. Instead it would smell lightly of lavender, and other relaxing scents. It was a special blend to calm more.... predatory behaviors, even now as Sasha's skin itched. He cracked the window of the vehicle and held the small stick of wrapped herbs near the cracked window. "There is one more thing. I peeked... Hotel Pretty Boy missed out." He smirked as the front tires came to a stop at a small mom and pop shop, off of the main roads, could be seen peering out of the thick fog, yellow lights illuminating the grey wispy trails of thick, visible air. A small sign reading open was the only sign of life. And Sasha left a wad of money on the center seat for Blair to buy anything she needed.




 

[The Lilith Myth]

He was so quiet. She assumed he would be a lot mouthier, just judging by the gruff way he looked and had talked before. But before she could even continue to think in the awkward silence that had fallen between the two of them, a gunshot rang out and she heard the crack of the glass in the back window. Suddenly the car lurched forwards quickly, a smooth motion for what seemed like a very clunky car. Blair wasn’t sure what to feel at this moment, aside from surprise. She couldn’t help the sudden motion of ducking down a little further in her seat. A slight glare was all she could muster as she clung to the seat, fingernails digging into the leather, trying to keep herself from flying out of the chair and into the dashboard. And then he spoke. She wasn’t honestly paying attention to much of what he said, and it was even harder to hear what he said over the wind billowing into the cabin of the car. He spoke of ransom and leverage, which she assumed this wasn’t about after her ‘friends’ had put her in the car and confessed their true motives. But his ‘ticket out’ didn’t make much sense to her. How could she be a way out of anything? She could only think of very unsavory possibilities, and currently she was thinking she was going to be shot before she could even be properly kidnapped!

Just as soon as they had been found and pursued with deadly intent, that their pursuer and his car blew up! Blair couldn’t help but cover her ears at the deafening noise while the car began to drive once again, pulling them back in the right direction. Admittedly, she was fairly shaken up, physically and literally. This was the beginning of the second worst day of her life. Oh joy. He spoke again, and Blair began to calm, although she didn’t particularly like what he had to say to her at that moment. And he mentioned ‘Grimdark,’ which was something she’d never heard of before. Blair swallowed hard, trying to get the lump out of her throat. “G-grimdark?” She spoke quietly, not really expecting an answer from him. She was still trying to process what exactly had happened over the course of the morning. It was barely even 10 am and she had already been successfully kidnapped and shot at. Blair, again, wasn’t paying much attention to what Sasha was doing but the smell of his herb cigarette was rather relaxing on her frazzled nerves. As the car pulled into the little parking lot of the small, country style convenience store, he admitted that he had looked at her while she changed. She felt her cheeks warm and a very red color creep up on her face; she could only assume she looked as red as a beet! Snatching up the money he dropped next to her, Blair pulled her shivering body out of the car and slammed the door behind her, trudging into the store alone.

“What a jerk!” She complained to herself, under her breath. The store was quiet except for the jingle of bells above her as the entered and a little old-fashioned radio playing some music she couldn’t identify with so little brain power left to use. The store almost looked like a truck stop, except for the lack of parking for semi-trucks. The tile was a dingy yellow color, which was not a tile color Blair would have chosen to go with. It had not aged well. There were random assortments of clothing for men and women, a limited produce section, those tacky displays of pocket knives and lighters up near the counter. A kindly older woman was sitting behind the register, and as Blair had entered the store she looked up from her book and waved with a small smile. The door jingled once again, and she looked back to spot Sasha entering the store. She scowled and headed in a different direction, grabbing a basket and selecting several canned foods she wasn’t really excited about. Blair generally strayed from anything canned, but it seemed she didn’t have much choice since they were going to stay at a cabin he had predestined for their hideaway. She grabbed a few other options, some pancake mix and syrup, a small carton of eggs, a half-gallon of milk. She assumed the cabin had at least a fireplace or an oven, but she didn’t particularly want to speak with Sasha as she was still feeling rather embarrassed at his last comment. When Blair felt satisfied with her grocery shopping, she handed the basket to Sasha who had come up beside her and went to look at the clothes.
There wasn’t much to look at, but she knew she could probably use some shorts and tank tops, possibly another sweater and some socks. She basically grabbed what she thought she could use and took the clothes over to the counter top where the kindly woman smiled up at her from her seat with a look that said she wanted to know but wasn’t going to ask. Blair obliged with a quickly fabricated story to keep suspicion at bay.
”My boyfriend over there,” She tossed a thumb back towards Sasha, ”He surprised me with an impromptu trip but forgot some essentials.” A light laugh escaped her as she saw the woman grin with a knowing look in her eyes.
“Ah, well, I can’t blame him for being distracted.” She chuckled, patting Blair on the hand sweetly before beginning to ring up the clothes.
Blair blushed and turned away, scanning the store for Sasha. When she found him, she motioned for Sasha to bring the basket of food over if he was done picking out whatever he wanted.
”Oh, do you have a first aid kit?” She smiled, watching the woman notice her scratches and bruises that sprinkled over the exposed parts of her body she hadn’t covered up with the clothes Sasha had brought. ”I took a tumble earlier and I need a few bandages.”
The kindly woman nodded and pulled out a small kit from behind the counter, adding it to the bag she had packed the clothing in. Sasha brought up the groceries, and soon she was outside with change and some bags in her hands. As she approached the car, she spotted a payphone outside standing up against the wall of the store. She stood there a moment, quietly pondering whether she should call someone. But… who would she call? There wasn’t anyone she could trust, and no one would believe her even if she did call someone to come find her. Her friends betrayed her, her parents never paid any attention to her to begin with, and her older brother just awkwardly avoided her if he could. Lindsey and Phillip were the closest things she had to any kind of a family, and they didn’t even want to be her friend in the end. Blair was beginning to get depressed with the realization that anyone she could call would never bother to come for her. It had never bothered her that she was alone most of the time. Blair liked being independent and was generally introverted. Sasha, even though he was basically kidnapping her, was just about the closest person she could trust. He was only one that wanted to be around her currently, and for some reason that was strangely comforting. Against better judgments, she turned away and brought the bags to the trunk of the car.

Opening the door to the car made her anxious all over again, her heart racing in her chest as she settled down into her seat while Sasha shut the trunk. Once they were back on the road, she felt her nerves settle down about ten minutes later. He had turned on the radio, and it was playing some rock through the speakers that she wasn’t really listening too. She was intently watching the road for anything identifying. If there was anything she learned in the last while, it was to pay attention to her surroundings. It was another forty-ish minutes before she felt the car begin to slow in preparation to turn off the road. Blair’s attention perked up as she sat straighter in her seat to look around. The road was almost completely covered in brush everything was so overgrown, and it was rather bumpy. She felt her elbow smack the door and winced, waiting to see the cabin he had talked about. Eventually the trees parted and a fairly large log cabin came into view. It was nestled in a small clearing, and even though everything around it was overgrown and it seemed as though nature was reclaiming its land, the place felt slightly calming to her frazzled nerves.

The car finally rolled to a gentle stop and she stepped outside, breathing deeply and stretching out her arms. The fog had lifted already, and the air felt crisp and clean. Her blue eyes looked around the secluded area, looking at the cabin with mild concern and a lot of confusion. The cabin was large, and the logs that made up the walls were robust looking. She noticed, though, that the doors were rather unusual: they were steel and looked like they had a rather complicated mechanical lock on them. That uneasy feeling gathered her stomach into knots again as she went back to help Sasha with her bags. ”This is a nice place you’ve got here.” Blair quietly spoke, grabbing a few of the bags of groceries and the duffel bag he had given to her earlier. She followed him back towards the cabin as he unlocked the sophisticated door, and she stepped inside. The musty smell hit her first as she blinked in the darkness. The air was stale and her lungs longed for the fresh air just outside. Tossing her bags to the side of the door she took a few more steps inside using the pooling light from the open door to guide her. She noticed basic furnishing and what looked like the door to a bathroom. Hopefully there was hot running water so she could take a shower, but even if it were cold she still wanted to rinse off the dirt and grim from the last twenty-four hours. Blair ran a finger along a table and pulled it back up with a layer of dust. ”Been a while, huh?” She looked around and wondered if he kept any cleaning supplies around so she could freshen up the place. If she was going to stick around here for a while, she wasn’t going to be living like a caveman. But first thing was first: a shower. Blair kicked off her shoes and walked back to the door where she left her duffel bag, picking it up and slinging it on her shoulder. Sasha came back with the last of the provisions and Blair gave him a severe look he probably thought was hilarious. ”Okay, peek and you die, handsome.” She turned on her heels and walked to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it, double checking to make sure the door was secured. Blair checked the cabinets and found a towel, turned the knob on the faucet and waited for hot water to grace her presence. She fished into the duffel and found some essentials she would need, still wondering how he knew her sizes but not willing to ask, and set them aside on the counter after dusting it off with another towel. It was just about the only slight pleasure she had to look forward to today, besides maybe a nap afterwards. ”What else could possibly happen today?” She asked herself sarcastically as she glanced back to check the door was indeed still locked.  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Shoot to Thrill
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Sasha didn't answer her question about the grimdark. It was something in the soul of any being who find themselves in this life. It was a power and a curse, like many of the afflicted in the lifestyle. It came with power, enemies, and weaknesses. And it would shred her thoughts in the next coming days. Her life would never be anything but the grimdark for now on. Every day holding a title of a bad day to most others in the world. A good day now being judge by how much you had to heal, or if you still had all of your limbs. Did the new scar ruin your face? Did it becoming something that couldnt be covered and therefore something that would make it harder to hide? Did you die? The grimdark was a new style of life that she had been forced into. And as he watched her actions through the windows of the store he generally felt something dip in the bottom of his stomach, for again he had dragged another being into this new hell of a life. And from what he could tell, she deserved little of it.

He glanced down to the car as she turned to peer out the window at him. Why the hell couldn't have been a rapist, or a killer, or a cultist, hell even someone who wanted to find us. This is just some kid way over their heads. His mind tried to define the fact that he had dragged the innocence out of her and forced her into this life, but he knew that when he took this job. knew that the second he was handed her file. The least she could do was be a mega b***h... He glanced back up from the car damage, But nooooo had to have long dark hair, and sapphire eyes. That would have been to easy....

He sighed as he made his way inside the small building and began grabbing supplies. Jerky, dried fruit, peanut butter, a Bottle of an off-brand Spiced Rum. It was a simple diet for a person who had lived to long to care much anymore. He followed when motioned. Smirked at her store of being her boyfriend, and followed up that he needed wrapping papers as well, to which the store clerk agreed and asked for ID, the thought made Sasha laugh inside. What had it been? 150-200 years? To damn long, still he followed along with the act. Meanwhile he watched Blair's eyes move back and forth to the payphone out front. And as they headed to the door exchange pleasantries and goodbye to the staff he dug for the quarters in his pocket. He opened the trunk, with the twist of his key, and traded Blair the three bags of groceries for a handful of quarters. Speaking as he brushed aside the small bits of metal from the bullet impacts that made it through the car's body, placing the bags inside.

"If you think there is anyone out there who can help you now, call them. If there is anyone left out there who can help you disappear do so now. A good criteria would be someone who can hold back the actions of the US Federal Marshals, FBI, Mobsters, gang members, and some small branches of the CIA. A large cash of military gear, training, and a large understanding of strategic property locations and safe houses, that... or a standing military, but I find it easier to hide if you move as a small entity."

He moved the military style laundry bag full of combat gear out of the way third bag of supplies. Happy to see that only two bullet holes entered the bag, likely destroying whatever was inside, but two is better then Swiss cheese. He didnt know if relieved was the word he would use when she got into the car with him, placing the change in the small drink holder, eyes not really meeting his. He had in some sense hoped she had someone to call.

The car would drive. A couple of bullet holes and a shattered rear window, he couldnt give the car back anyway. And as much as he loved the car. It would likely have to be abandoned at the hideout. It would drag to much unwanted attention, maybe someday he would be able to come back and fix it up.... perhaps in another life... Blair remained quite most of the car ride. He turned on the radio to whatever station the antenna could communicate to in the mountainous terrain. Anything but silence. He couldn't be sure what was racing more, the big engine under the hood or his own thoughts as he constructed different paths and began mentally traveling down them. Mentally grimacing when he calculated his own death, or his own failure. He began to struggle with the idea that the ball was not in his court this second and he needed more information to go on.

The cabin was overgrown. The forest around it was overgrown, with the exception of the 40 yard clearing that encircled the building who he paid to have cut every week by a gentleman down the road, 35 miles back or so. An old friend who he hadn't actually seen in the better part of 53 years, it was good to see the man was still among the living, still getting the work done, for the 100k a year, just like he had when he was 18 years old all of those years ago. Maintain a circle, don't ask questions, don't enter the woods, and don't speak a word of the location to anyone. If the money stops coming in, then stop working simple orders that had kept the man happy for many years. Blair would be happy that since Sasha had planned to make this his home two weeks ago the electricity and therefore water heater were online, and the plumbing had been turned on as well.

He answered her remark bluntly. "6 years, 4 months, 2 days." It wasn't from memories it was a small card on the table. The handwriting Niome's from the last time she had come up with him and Mac. The date of the last time he had entered the building. There was a small picture of the three of them on the couch. sitting in the living room. The small kitchen breakfast bar in sight behind it. The same aged Television just barely visible in the corner. Another Time.... Another Life.... Sasha felt his attitude drop as the memories tried to burst through the floodgates of his mind, but he doubled the mental effort to keep them at bay, their actions only causing him to stop the formatic breakdown of the chess game they were playing in his head. He watched as she peeled away to the large bathroom, which with the exception of the dust was actually one of the more welly designed parts of the house. Niome's idea when the pack was so much smaller then the mansion they called now. It was designed by a woman willing to take care of those in her life. A hot tub style bathtub, pressed against the river rock walls of a standing shower, with overhead shower head, that felt more like standing in a rainstorm of warm water, then a shower. More then enough room for two people to stand under the water, it was the outlier of the simple house. As he heard the water begin to run through the pipes Sasha moved to get to work.

Placing the groceries in the bare refrigerator, the dry goods next to the cabinets stocked with MRE's after MRE's, while they at one time generously had the room to hold groceries from he same store down the road Sasha had inherited the house, and had filled it with the means he knew. Under the dust more and more of the house would become seen, and it would become more and more obvious that Sasha was the odd one out, and perhaps not the building that he had now designed to be a fortress for himself far from the world.

The water kept flowing... That first washing after a long fight... After the first real fght.... goodluck washing it off kid...... Blair. Her name is Blair. He began to work on the house, quickly dusting of the flat surfaced, turning on the ceiling fans, opening the windows, flooding the building with a natural light and fresh air. Flipping on the switches next to the fuse box that activated the perimeter defenses, 20+ Claymores, Motion sensors, cameras, and Electrical fences purred to life, and the lights in the cabin dimmed for a second as the new draw of power was taken from the grid.

He began taking the gear from his military laundry bag, and opened the locked 'closet' door revealing a rather large cache of weapons, and the linens of the house, all vacuum sealed. And began thinking about the needs of the missions at hand, moving between the equipment, putting some back, taking some out, cleaning supplies and ammo for what he was grabbing began making its way to the long table in the living room. He figured Blair would stay in the bathroom until the hot water ran out.

Before he got to work on his gear he moved over and opened the closet on the wall directly across from the bathroom. A large walk in closet full of clothes, all in bags, all sealed, the room itself ventilated, another one of Niome's ideas. Everything from Victorian dresses, battle uniforms from almost every age of the American lifespan doubled, and more modern clothes as well. Sasha was almost certain that Blair and Niome would almost be in the same size clothing.

Blair would come to Sasha on the couch in her own time. At this time there was no one to call, no where to run to. She had a long day and night, To Sasha this was a rather bad 'Monday' of what was becoming a long 'week'.

emotion_omnomnom yum_burger

 

[The Lilith Myth]

Nothing was as she expected it to be. The cabin was larger and much better decorated than she had thought it would be. She had expected a shanty in the woods, something you see in horror movies where the kidnapper takes the kidnapped to. She didn’t really stick around to see much else, as she longed for a shower to try and rid herself of the dirt under her fingernails and the dried blood from her skin. The water heated up faster than she had thought it would, and again the bathroom was designed expertly. Wearily she stepped in and quietly went about washing the coat of dirt that covered her body. The soap rinsed away everything that was topical, the dirty water pooling at her feet near the drain was intermittently rust or earth colored. No matter how many times she scrubbed and rinsed, though, she never felt quite the same as she had before any of this had happened. She was sure there was something else; something hidden from view that she couldn’t see. Her skin was becoming raw from all the scrubbing, turning red under the streams of soft water that flowed from the shower faucet. Blair sat down under the barrage of water, hugging her knees to her chest as she let herself feel any human emotions she had choked back from before. The water began running colder as time passed, but her face still felt hot. Tears poured silently out from her eyes, and she knew she was going to have puffy eyes the next day. She’d not let anyone in her life for a long time, and Lindsey and Phillip were close to family for her. And they had betrayed her for promises they weren’t even sure were real. Promises they might not even receive even if they were real. Had they always been obsessed with the idea of living like vampires? She had never seen any evidence that supported it, but almost any normal person would have called them crazy had they said a word to support it. The betrayal had wounded her far more than she had expected it to. Trusting in people was a waste of her time.

One hand reached up to turn off the water, the other helped her up and reached for a towel waiting for her on the bar. She dried herself off and wrapped the fabric around herself, wiping the mirror fog away to gaze at her reflection. Her eyes were rimmed in red, offsetting the stark blue. She mostly felt empty now. She had had no one to call, even though Sasha had given her the quarters to do so. He seemed slightly more disappointed than she was that she had no one to even chance a phone call to. What was the point, though? It wasn’t as if she knew any people other than Lindsey and Phillip. Her family had long ago cut ties with her when she was young. Blair was all alone.

That was changing though, seeing as she wasn’t about to have any alone time for a very long time. Part of her minded very much. Another part of her, a buried and lonely part of her, didn’t mind quite as much. He wasn’t horrible to look at, and he seemed somewhat decent for a kidnapper. Blair shook her head, wet hair limply waving about. What, did she already have Stockholm syndrome or was she just having a stroke? You’re not supposed to like your kidnapper. With a heavy sigh, she dressed herself in a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top, pulling over a blue sweater and some plain white ankle socks. Blair eyed her choker necklace with the moon pendant and put it back on; it was about the only thing she had left of her own now. Everything else was given to her, and it held some sentimental value as far as reminding her of her old, quiet life. It suddenly dawned on her that she was going to lose her job since she likely wasn’t coming back any time soon. Part of her was mildly upset, and another part of her was laughing because her boss was a horrible woman who wore too much eye shadow and was heavy handed with the perfume. And those pant suits were eyesores for the whole office staff. It wasn’t a good job, but she was comfortable there. Her houseplants were likely going to die, as well. Good thing she didn’t own any animals or she would be actually worried. There wasn’t really anything she was too fond over in her home, either. Quietly she pondered what kind of life she was really living if she wasn’t particularly attached to anything surrounding her. Not her job, her home, her family. She had nothing to keep her there and yet she had stayed. Her life was so depressing when she actually let herself think about it.

Blair quietly shook the thoughts from her mind as she pulled her wet hair into a ponytail to keep it from her face and took leave of the bathroom. She found the cabin airing out; fans running, windows opened, and it looked like Sasha had even dusted. Her face twitched into mildly impressed, but it was all she could manage to muster. Her body had run out of energy on the car ride to the cabin, after having the wind taken out of her sails as she dropped the quarters into the ash tray of the car. And the rest of the emotions she had left were used up by now. Blair took another look around and spotted Sasha on the couch, and she padded over to where he was sitting and sat down. Her hands found a throw pillow and she hugged it gently to her while she looked out the window. Her body and mind were tired, but she was filled with questions, only she wasn’t sure what to ask first. Quietly they sat for a few moments while she gathered her thoughts and mustered enough energy to talk. Her eyes watched the soft breeze outside dance between the leaves of the trees, wiggling branches and bending grass stalks in the distance. It was quiet, but it wasn’t awkward or eerie as she would have expected it to be. It was somehow peaceful and calming to her racing mind and heart.

Eventually she turned her body back towards facing Sasha and solemnly examined him. She was sure that the man she had seen in her vision was somewhere inside of him, but right now he looked weary and tired. She sensed the look was more of an emotional issue. Softly she sighed, wondering if she could really trust this man and take what he said at face value. ‘We’re a team now.’ Somehow she suspected not, having been forced into this partnership to begin with. But a part of her seemed to believe those words, whether she wanted to or not. Was there reason to doubt his words? Was there reason to believe them in the first place? She was so confused, and not having her ‘gift’ was incredibly harder to cope with than she wanted. Blair had only ever wanted it gone as a child, but when she embraced the difference her life became very easy. She knew everything about her life. It had all been carefully planned out. But after that vision with Sasha, it hadn’t worked properly. In fact, it hadn’t worked again. Why was she unable to see things now? Why did this man keep her visions from her? Again with the unanswered questions. She doubted he could answer them though, at least about that.

“Why…” Her voice was low, soft. “Why am I being targeted? Who is after me?” Her sapphire eyes held countless questions in their gaze as she watched Sasha think the question over. He had to have some answers at least. All she wanted was a little clarity to easy her mind; hopefully the answer would. Blair did not like being left in the dark, and she liked being ignorant even less.  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Shoot to Thrill
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Sasha had waited the better part of two hours, going on three for Blair to come into the living room area of the cabin. Choice weapons laid on the table but the mess had been cleaned up. And he had made a descent guess on the timing of her emergence back into his vision. He let he sink into the couch had even placed the pillow near her, after beating some of the dust off of the material. He didnt answer her question right away. Instead handed her a descent sized cream colored bag of simple black print on the side read, MEAL #7 BUTTERED RICE. Sasha shared a similar bag in his left hand.

He watched her sniff the bag, and the new form of food, most likely preferring something she had bought but the time would come for that latter. The rice would be warm and filling as the sun began to sink towards the four pm range in the sky. The air cooling as it moved through the cabin. Warm, but not so much that a pair of sweats lost any value in comfort. "You need to understand the playing field a bit better... Blair. You weren't picked, you were played. Targeted? They raised you. In the absence of parents they never were far from you. We were never far from you either it would seem by the informational packet I was given. You're parent's were promoted by a subsidiary company that is own by... the same Vampire Brood that tried to lure you into a rather one sided business deal the other night." He watched as her eyes twitched like everyone did when they first witnessed something paranormal. That argument in the back of your head when you are forced to listen to the voices remind you that Vampires in this case are not real and this man is a only her to hurt you. These are lies! On second thought.... maybe the eyes didnt scream of that much panic.

"You're not the only one in the world who is special. The world is so much bigger then the day to day life that most humans live. A life that can be controlled as to not see what they need not see. The striving for money, higher rank, the demand of bills and taxes. The fact of the matter is these people, this Brood has been influencing all of the friends you have ever had and didnt have. All those nasty rumors about you at school? The rumor you got knocked up by that one jerk you dated in high-school and the effect of ruining prom? All planned. All ment to keep you isolated. The woman who set you up on that date? That was one of the many mistresses of the man you were having dinner with. He spoke through the mouthfuls, letting himself eat the food while it still was warm, but not speaking with his mouth full.

"I guess I am wrong in the aspect that you aren't special, though why exactly I can't tell you. Thinking about that I have never witnessed someone your age have the powers they say you have. The ability to read minds? Futures? Normally only comes in small bursts as you hit the teenage years, in pregnancy and comes to life during older age. They think you have had some forms of it before you even started grade school. Someone somewhere thinks they can use that. Had you stayed in that hotel you would likely have found yourself as an exotic play-toy by some vampire high cast."

Sasha smirked and shook his head, as he looked back to her. "Then again your life on the other end of the spectrum wouldnt be much better. Likely turned you, likely try to do anything they can to get ride of the power you have. For no other reason then to thwart the bastards. Pack leader here thinks you would have lead the Vampires to us, our business routes, our plans, safehouses, all of it. You are a threat and would be dealt with as such. At least that was my wish, the change can bring out more.... lustfull desires in the victims anymore.

Welcome to the ******** club. Occupants, me and you. " The words came out almost as if a true host had spoke them. Stained with self pitty, but something of them seemed truthful. He even flashed a real smile at her. Laughing or humor in the face of the enemy. Defiance in the stand of the looming threats on the horizon.

emotion_omnomnom yum_burger

 

[The Lilith Myth]

Blair quietly took the meal handed to her and sniffed it. It was not something she really wanted to eat, and she had little appetite anyway. She set it down on the coffee table and curled back up with her pillow. She listened to his words, trying to fathom how any of this was possible. And he knew so much about her life. The gossip in high school that ruined any chances she had at having a nice time, her carefully saved for dress tossed in the trash can at home afterwards. Her eyes began watering at the reminder and she defiantly looked away from Sasha in an effort to keep him from seeing the pain etched across her face. And Lindsey being a mistress to that creep from the bar? That made no sense! She’d been with Phillip for years; she’d seen that long ago. All the isolation, all the pain and emptiness she endured. It was all planned? Were her parents in on it as well? Was everything she knew a lie? It was hard to think that her whole life was planned, controlled from afar.

He knew more about her gift than she did, though. She had never done any research on her powers, but she had always been admittedly curious about them. Blair never assumed she was the only one, but she was sure she was doomed to live like she was living before for the rest of her life. She didn’t honestly feel special, she felt trapped. It was like she was a rat in maze looking for the cheese that she would never find. The idea of being some ‘exotic play-thing’ to some ‘vampire’ was sickening. She couldn’t even imagine being ‘turned’ into whatever anyone else had planned for her. Pack leader? Meaning, like, werewolves? What the hell had she stumbled into? No, wait. Not stumbled. It wasn’t an accident she was exposed the way she was.

“So, I’m either to be used as some kind of creepy, sexualized tool or murdered. Seems like some reasonable answers to my ‘threat.’ Who the hell am I a threat to?” Blair wiped away the tears from her eyes with the too long sleeves from her sweater, sniffling quietly. Dammit. She didn’t want to cry again. She had spent the better part of almost two or three hours crying. Crying didn’t solve anything, and it didn’t make her feel any better. It wasn’t cathartic, it wasn’t helpful. It was weakness. “And how are you included in this, anyway?” Her sapphire eyes pointed at Sasha, expertly manicured eyebrows turned down to accompany a frown settling into a what felt like a permanent facial expression for her lately. “What, are you some rogue agent? I suppose you’re just like me, right?” She asked sarcastically, knowing it was likely true. He came alone. He took her alone. He took her to a lonely cabin in the woods. He was talking to her as if he were just as ******** as she was. Why should she trust him? Did it make any sense to believe him even if he told her?

She had never been so damn confused in her damn life. Until now, all of this was just fairytale nonsense. Vampires and Werewolves were something that existed in horrible romance novels or fantasy based movies. They weren’t real life threats. They weren’t controlling her life from behind the scenes, controlling the underworld of cities. They were works of fiction. Quietly she averted her eyes from Sasha’s and rested her chin on the pillow in her arms. This was all a bit much to take in, that her life was planned out not by her but by shadows. Blair eventually came to the conclusion that this was her life currently, and it was ‘fight or die’ with her new ‘teammate.’ Her head tilted as she looked back towards Sasha on the couch across from her. She watched him, contemplating his calm demeanor, his explanations, his possible trustworthiness. Blair didn’t like trusting people; case and point, her whole life was a gigantic shitty lie. And the people she had let herself trust betrayed her. Why couldn’t she find just one person on earth who wasn’t going to leave her eventually? She didn’t let herself hope this man was it, and she would likely be crazy if she did at this current junction anyway. But she felt that he was telling the truth, and he was being forward with answers so far. She felt, in only a way she could, that he was the person she needed to be somewhat trusting in.

If she was going to live long enough to see any semblance of freedom, he was her ticket there. Like it or not, Blair was struck by that fact. It was sobering to think that she had to rely on strangers to keep her alive, since she had no skills of her own to keep herself alive besides the basic instincts to feed herself and sleep, and sometimes work out when it suited her fancy. She had no other skills to protect herself. s**t. “Alright, what’s our next step, then?” A sigh escaped her lips as she grabbed her now much colder meal and started eating it with reluctance. What the hell. Blair thought, mentally throwing her hands in the air. If this was going to work she was going to have to push back the mounting fear of trusting another human being. She wanted to stay alive, and Sasha was how she was going to keep herself that way for now. The situation was weird, but it wasn’t as though she’d never experienced weird things, now was it?  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Shoot to Thrill
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Sasha let it out. The air he tried to hold back in his cheeks at Blair's romanticized title she had given him. The stress that was building finally blew a little as well. Her perspective of the situation was grim, but refreshing. He hadn't been able to see black and white into situations in his own life for quite sometime. Rouge agent? What am I James Bond all of the sudden? "I'm sorry but that was a good one. Rouge agent? Nothing so clear cut, nothing so, so, something out of one of those love novels that are all of the same and yet people keep reading them?" He laughed as he pushed himself off of the couch and moved to throw away the empty containers of food. Grabbing a bottle of Spiced Rum, un-tucking his shirt from his belt, and turned back to continue his explanation, a sly smirk on his face. The laughing was genuine, no sarcasm intended. He felt her eyes follow him to the small center island of the kitchen area and grab the bottle.

"No.... Im more of the cop that was two days away from retirement, who just realized he's going to be pulling a long shift, and that his boss has been replaced by a corrupt ******** from another precinct." He pulled out the bottle stopper and took a swig and moved back to the couch as he continued. "As for a plan, his right arm, hand still clenching the bottle waved a motion towards the table of guns before them. Right now? Being honest? Running a bit short on anything other then load as many guns as I can..... That and make it to retirement without the weight of some pretty things death on my mind." He offered the bottle to Blair, as he leaned back and stretched his legs further into the room. Taking another large swig and letting the cooling evening air brush his skin.

"Where I used to fit, was a middle finger to an old friend before I took a bow off of the field. Take you to the lesser of two options get paid and leave, try not to think about it. Who ever would have guessed I picked now to grow a ******** conscious. 200 plus ******** years, and now I start to give a damn." His eyes glossed over slightly as he reran some of the many memories. "....Redemption is a bad dream at this point in time...Gets you killed, maimed, forgotten, laughed at, spat on, your gravestone forever destroyed and vandalized.... The fog in his eyes cleared as he took another swig, not even close to a buzz, just tasting the smooth rum across his pallet.

"What about you? What's your plan? Got any insight into this situation? With the whole power thing? Anything that gets us out of her without a bullet in my skull, and you in chains?" Sasha's mind already began lazily coming up with plans, his mind noted the business card in his wallet as well. There was a third party.... but that option didnt leave a lot of wiggle room for him at the moment.

emotion_omnomnom yum_burger

 

[The Lilith Myth]

Blair couldn’t help the color that crept into her cheeks. She knitted her brows together, crossing her arms under her chest and watching Sasha laugh. He seemed genuine enough, but he was still laughing at her. Her vulnerability was starting to get to her. She’d never been so transparent in her life; everything was laid bare for people to see. And most of it was without her consent. Her life had been under the microscope of several factions of people, or whatever they were, since her power first came to light. She was always watched, every little thing exposed, every single part of her uncovered. Nothing was secret, which would explain why this random man knew such painful, intimate memories she had pushed far back into her mind. Blair quietly watched him as he took several swigs of rum and then offered it to her. She shook her head slightly, curling up on the opposite side of the couch. She watched his eyes gloss over, his memories were running through his head. She knew that look. Knew it well. Many nights were spent in the past, reliving painful memories, reliving the painful feelings of rejection and fear. She saw the pain first, then felt it second. Her heart had always bled for people, never for herself. Strange how she was sitting beside her kidnapper and looking at him with empathy. How the tables turn.

He elaborated slightly on his own life, giving her analogies and quite a few very unpleasant thoughts about their future. He turned to look at her, asking her if she had any plans. Blair glared daggers at him, mouth turned down in a frown with a withering look aimed at him. Plans? How was she supposed to make plans for something she didn’t understand or know about? How was she supposed to even think in this situation? She averted her gaze and stared out the window again. What kind of plan could she come up with? Without her gift, she wasn’t sure she could even function like a normal human. It was all she had wished for, but without it she didn’t know who she was anymore. Maybe she could get it to work just a little bit.

“I don’t have any ideas. I’ve never had to think about this kind of stuff happening. I didn’t foresee any of this.” She threw her hands up in a frustrated manner, exasperated with everything. She was tired, everything was sore from jumping out of the car and then sleeping under a tree, and all she wanted to do was cry. Again. How useless she felt. All she could do was emit salt water from her eyes in the middle of the crisis. “I’m not exactly thrilled about our options here, and definitely not thrilled about the outcomes if the options bottom out…” Blair quietly contemplated the choices they had, but nothing seemed as good as staying in the cabin hidden away. She wanted to shy away from everything that was making her life difficult. She glanced at the clock on the wall but it looked like the batteries had died in it long ago. It was getting to be dusk outside now; the day had gotten away from them, it seemed.

Blair stood and pulled her hair out from the ponytail she had hastily made to keep her wet hair out of her face and made her way towards the bedroom, intending to sleep for days on end. She was sure she wouldn’t wake up in the morning with how tired she was feeling currently. She was also sure she didn’t really want to wake up in the morning anyway. Maybe it was all a bad dream, a bad vision. Maybe I’ll wake up and this will as just be a fleeting memory, a forgettable dream… Yeah, fat chance, girl. Blair changed course and walked over to the bag she had dumped by the door and rummaged through it to find the bottle of ibuprofen, gripped it and walked back to Sasha. Quietly she grabbed the bottle of rum from his hands, popped about three or four pills into her mouth and took a hardy swig of the alcohol before wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her sweater and handing the bottle back to Sasha. “I’m going to bed…” Blair quietly stated, tossing the bottle of medicine on the couch and shuffling her sore body over to the bedroom. She left the door ajar and stripped the sweatshirt away, tossed aside her jean shorts and crawled under the covers. She had about no cares right now if he saw her or not. All she could think about was sleep.

It took some time to fall asleep, but eventually her mind did quiet down and slowly she relaxed and drifted into slumber. But it wasn’t a calm feeling that swept over her. Instead it was a fitful sleep that plagued her body and mind. She felt herself toss and turn, but her mind wouldn’t let her wake up. Bad dream after bad dream assailed her, quick little snapshots of horrible things Sasha had said would happen. In one such dream that was much too vivid to bring any comfort to the fact that it was certainly just a dream, she was stripped bare, dirty, cold, laying on the ground with chains around her wrists and ankles. Faceless men and women stared at her as if she were a carnival amusement, shoes kicked at her limp body. Blair wanted to wake up. She was screaming for a release from the assault of horrible dreams. Nothing worked to wake her up. Nothing she did in her dreams let her out of this punishment. And then suddenly nothing.

Nothingness washed over her. Everything was white, bright light surrounding her cowering form in the middle of what seemed like a room. But it had no windows or doors. She watched herself stand, squinting against the white light that surrounded her. Tentatively she called out in a fragile sounding voice. “H-hello?” She wasn’t expecting an answer, but it was somehow a letdown to hear nothingness swallowing up her small voice. The sound didn’t reverberate against anything; it just simply ceased. Blair wanted to believe this was a peaceful respite from the nightmares that were so recently plaguing her. But something about this didn’t feel right. It felt real, like she was actually in the room, not laying in a bed in a cabin with a man keeping an eye on her. “Is this a vision?” Her voice was swallowed up again into nothingness, and it was beginning to make her feel more and more uncomfortable. Abruptly the light, wherever it came from, was cut off and the room fell into a darkness she was sure was in some way ominous. Pictures began to run along the walls. Images that were blurred or taken from a strange angle. They looked almost as if it were from someone’s own point of view. Videos of memories, numbers, images of research papers, books. But it was going too fast, it wasn’t in focus. She couldn’t seem to take any of the information in in time. The images were frantically dancing across the walls, and all she could do was watch. One looked like a spear tip glinting in the sunlight. Another looked like a montage of clips from an old dig site. So much information passed by that she couldn’t possibly remember much of it. “What is going on? What are you trying to tell me?” Blair frantically asked, turning around in slow circles to try and catch what little information she could. She felt as though she were not alone, that someone was with her. But she didn’t know who, and she mostly didn’t want to know who. She just wanted out.

And again everything went abruptly white, the lights turned back on. But instead of nothingness, she felt her blood run warm in her veins. Her muscles twitched, her eyes flew open wide. Her body was moving, but it wasn’t doing so of its own cognition. Something was controlling her, in her dream-like state and in the real world. She could see herself, slowly sitting upright in bed, arms at her side and breathing slightly erratically. Her eyes weren’t normal anymore, instead she found them entirely blue; pupil, iris, and all the white space completely made of the same blue color of her iris. And they were bright, almost glowing, in fact. Blair watched in horror as her body was being taken over, her own consciousness being pushed aside by whatever was trying to take hold of her. What was happening? What was going to happen? If only she could wake up. If only she could get out of here! Wake me up, Sasha! Do something! She screamed into the nothingness, fear overtaking all rational thought and elevating her senses. All she wanted to do was wake up and be herself. Blair watched in horror from a tiny corner of the white room; it was so surreal to be watching from the outside. Did she really look like that? She shook her head; she was getting distracted.

Eventually she felt the other presence run out of steam, her eyes blinked several times and her vision went back to normal. Suddenly she was looking around the bedroom, tears streaming down her cheeks. Quietly she reached up and wiped them gently away with her fingers, quietly placing her face in her hands. Nothing like that had happened before, and she couldn’t figure out why it was happening now. Something was trying to tell her something, but it wasn’t powerful enough to get the job done. What was happening to her? First her visions short out and now she was fighting possessions! Kidnapped and hunted, to boot!

Quietly she pulled up the covers and slid back down into bed, wiping away wayward tears, sniffling softly as she lay with eyes wide open and mind unwilling to go back to sleep. She didn’t want the entity to try again, to push her aside like so much garbage. Like her mind and personality were unimportant. The entity didn’t feel malicious in nature; just frantic. But why? Nothing made sense. She had more questions than answers. What exactly was this ‘Grimdark’ Sasha had mentioned? Why was her ability sought out to begin with? Blair’s heart was filled with anxious energy, still beating fast and the blood within her veins finally cooling off. If she couldn't even keep her self safe mentally, she wouldn't be able to keep her self safe physically, much less help anyone else. What a fine pickle she'd stumbled into. Blair grabbed an extra pillow and hugged it to her chest. It was going to be a long night; a long, restless night.  

[~Lonewolf703~]

"Your stories grow boring, so boring and dull, with plot holes and inconsistencies" The voice literally sounded like a scorning parent, or an teacher over a student in a higher education classroom. A touch of arrogance, or was it pride? Sasha has always called is Narcissism, or Narcolepsy. "If you have no recollection of sending the man, and are willing to call his actions traitorous to your wishes, or as you put it so dully that you simply didnt know his intentions then just tell me where he would be. Surely it cannot be so hard to toss out the trash of this pack? He obviously does not listen when called, so why is it worth the bother? I could almost believe you if you would simply give me his locations of hiding. He did after all almost cause a full out war between us in the past."










Sipris, could here Sasha bellyaching about this man's demeanor all of those times in his head now. He fought back a grimace at how correct he had been. Despite Dracul and himself being the key players in the local broods and packs they had, had little time in the same room, and the only communication normally came via phone, or recently email. Everything screamed at him to just give away the operation. All of the evidence that Sasha had even stayed in the mansion had been burned. The entire operation was deniable from the begining, but this man had insulted him. Came into his den, ******** with his pack, and in the end Sasha had friends in these walls, even if he did smell different then the others. Even if his tastes had been differing, the man was respectable for what he had done for the pack. That and watching this man before him not getting what he wanted was like watching a small child be spanked for throwing a temper in the local store. He weighed his options from the chair that Sasha normally occupied in his office, facing the Vampire p***k now sitting in his chair. Inwardly he growled, Sasha was right... and the ******** had taken his car..... albeit expectedly.

The two men had in some ways both lead the pack. Sasha from the shadows and by example. While he had maintained the title... he would admit that some of the respect was held in Sasha's hands more then his own. The two men where in the end good teammates, but neither of them would see it like Niome had. She had seen the two of them cover each others backs without knowing it. Sipris, smelling of cologne, riches, drugs, spice, shampoo, women. He lived his life gettiing what he wanted. He did not fight cravings he satisfied them. Lust, Drugs, Happiness, Enemies, Victory. The man took what he pleased, but he would never not work for it either. He simply lived the life of being the boss who had scratched himself a pleasing lifestyle.

Sasha.... Sasha never didn't smell of war, gunpowder, pine, oil, gasoline. The man had walked through to many wars and it was if the earth he had fought on had stained him deep. He did not succumb to lust, anymore so then any man in the company of attractive women. He did not sample the drugs they ran. He kept to himself. No surrounding by women and friends, no hiding behind riches. But the two men inspired those in the pack to be their absolute best. Even if both of them refused to see it. Even when the brazenly had bashed heads. And as Niome watched she knew that-

"There's a cabin..." Sipris began and Niome felt her heart sink. He was going to give the location of not only Sasha, but THE safehouse. THE place to get away that so long ago the four of them had built. Empty now at the loss of a single member of the original pack. Sasha's partner, dead at the hands of the man now in her house. Sirpris must have sensed her tensing, if not everyone in the damn house. As he glanced to her to stay calm.

"He's likely pinned up there. If you would allow me I would be happy to retrieve him. Bring him here to you."

"This is grand. The man who disobeys you, you yourself will go and retrieve. What then about the girl whom I desire? Should I trust you? An enemy to bring her back to me? And how does one as yourself bring in Sasha? Are you in possession of a higher strength? I do not see how the two of you compare. Surely you both would be to wounded to even drag your pelts back before me. No I will send my men to do the job. Sasha will be disposed of and when I get what is mine, this house will be burned to the ground, but the occupants may found comfort in a couple more years of life. I am a business man after all"



=================================Still Workng on It=================  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Shoot to Thrill
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Sasha watched as Blair, mentally gave up and declared her own bedtime. He gave a small, short lasting smirk as she fully moved out of the room. She was a fighter at least. In way over her head, but be damned she isnt a push over. The fire in her eyes just dim embers in a dark light, but perhaps in time she would explode into the fire of potential she had. Or at least thats what everyone in the mess kept assuring themselves, he did wonder if anyone would ever explain that to her. That she would be a light in the Grimdark. An answer to promises and needs in a world of somber grey and deep night. She had already begun that role, albeit in a selfish perspective of Sasha who was now left to deal with that perspective. She was his ticket out of this mess. He could call two different people and this would all end. He could fight to the third and settle and old score and walk away with nothing in the way of ties or regrets on getting out.

Two hundred years of playing cat and mouse in the darkness that never left, both in mind and heart, it was enough to break anything that had once called itself human. Was that title still valid to him? As he peeked through the bedroom crack at a sleepy Blair. "At least you won't have to worry about the long life....." He let slip under his breath. Bullets and Blades didn't kill you in the darkness. The monsters in your head did. Having an outlet, and little in the way of their questioning moral shattering natures the outlet could become a black hole. The opening gate of the cell most people keep them locked in easily collapsing on the void of the empty prison of mind, a black hole is born in your head, with everyone.... and everything slipping into a greedy event horizon. Lovers, haters, enemies, time itself not immune to the pull of immense gravity.

Blair was asleep. Sasha, had begun to slip off, bottle of booze still close by. Mind still on the table of weapons and ammo. Sleeping with one eye open. Knock on the door. Sasha wrote it off as wind. Knock on the door, Racoon. Slamming on the door. Sasha was up with a large frame revolver in his hand moving towards the man door of the compound.

No one should know about this place. No one should be here. And no Vampire should have any idea where they were. Three people knew of this place. And one was burried in the ground. This wasn't the safehouse of THIS pack of wolves. This was the safe house of Sasha, and a pack that stopped being family long ago, himself the lone inheritor of the establishment. He undid the dead bolt, revolver in hand, held low at the hip, hammer in the locked back position,finger moving to the trigger. A sharp tug and the door tore open to reveal, two white faced, panting, members of the pack. Members of Sipris' pack. They collapse into the building, trembling.

Sasha dropped the revolver as the two fullsized men collapsed like sacks of potatoes into both of his arms. On reflex he pulled the 'boys' into the building and kicked the door shut with his foot. His mind had to downshift to hear the warning that was coming from their mouths as he dragged them to the floor with him slowly, his hand slipping on the canvas of their rain jackets. Red liquid began to coat the hardwood floor. His mind raced for names as he realized that both of them were mortally shot to s**t, their chest mainly hamburger. Punctured lungs tried to fill with air.

"S---s---Sasha.... Tobias.... lead them....home." Sasha tried to calm the remaining man down. Marcus, had already passed away, within five seconds the man had slipped into the afterlife, an uncanny happiness on his face. Sasha called these full grown men boys, but they had fought, albiet for the wrong side in WWII. They had lived long lives. Sasha finally made eye contact with Jacob in his arms. His eyes filling with exhaustion and pain. "Sorry Boss." No stammering, and his last words before his body went limp. His face and body as white as chalk. Sasha's stomach dropped.

Death, while it came from his hands plenty of times had remained personal when those who looked up to him, friends, no..... no these men had died to get this information to me. These family members passed away in front of him. Leaving him with nothing to do. Bandages, medicine, knowledge he had it all, but within ten seconds of getting the two men inside he had lost them both to the coldness of death. Blair was just now making it into the living room. Five hours of sleep under her belt, only to wake up to bood, and rage.

Sasha gently laid the two men propped up against the wall of the doorway. In a gently hurried manner he closed their eyes with his two fingers. His heart was on fire. His blood was magma, and the beast in his heart was demanding to be let out. His vision blurred at the ridges, his stomach sunk in hunger pains. IIt had been to long.. there was no fighting it this time. He looked over to Blair, standing in what she had slipped into bed. His mind not focused on her body, but it would seem her very soul in the presence of his darkness. He re latched the heavy door, and flipped a light switch, the steel panels hidden in the window frames slammed down, putting heavy metal between him and what was coming. He forcefully kicked the couch he had been resting on under a minute ago out of the way and pulled back the heavy carpet. To the untrained eye, nothing, but Sasha, knife in hand pried up the floor boards revealing a means into the basement of the Safehouse. He guided Blair into the opening and lowered the door back in on the opening, "Theres a security screen in the corner, light switch on the wall."

He hated it. Watching her face begin to catch up. Begin to show the ice cold anger of this continuing to happen to her. The confusion was beginning to turn to anger. Anger at him, the chaos, life. The Grimdark itself was this feeling. She reached out and flicked the switch, just as Sasha sealed the floor closed, leaving her in the extremely well lit basement. He eyes wincing from the sudden exposer to the white light. Sasha moved to the corner of the room. Opened a small wall latch, and flicked to life a series of switches, arming the claymore's, mines, Electrical counter measures, security cameras, and an intercom to the loudspeaker mounted outside his safehouse.

Blair found the large office chair and the desk as the camera flicked on, the whirring of electronics stirring to life, The sudden smell of dust as everything kicked over. Audio stammered to life as a claymore went off on the screen. Three shadowy figures flown backwards from a stunning flash of light. A dull rumble like thunder from the explosion filled her ears, as an unfamiliar voice of a female greeted her ears, and a much more lively, full color figure of Aurora (name revert to what it should be) filled the screen from her ornate room in the mansion. She had snuck away. She knew of the assault. Knew the men where downstairs watching the outcome. Her concerned was on the living female, whom she had been herself not long ago.

Her voice was soft and sweet, and concerned. "Hello.... Blair." The world began to swirl again as another explosion thundered over the low volumn audio of the cameras. More fgures swarming amoungst the tree branches. Fast and low on the camera's, uncaring for the four new bodies laying on the ground, faintly illuminated by sparks and flames of the explosion.

Meanwhile, Sasha grabbed the small Bluetooth receiver and placed it in his ear. Tobias, you self serving piece of s**t. Sasha had been warning Sipris about his ambition for the last ten years. The open challenges out of his mouth not amusing to Sasha, as it was to Sipris. He needed dealt with before, and if Sasha was honest with himself he was glad he was the one who was going to be the one to deal with the situation.

His right finger found the speak toggle on the ear peice, the small boom mic snapped to life in front of his lips. As he placed the sudo x-ray visor accross his eyes, the world swallowed into warm blues. In reality it was not sci fi or magic but just as high tech. The display allowed him to view the outside of the cabin via the camera array encircling the house, pointed outwards he could see what was coming as soon as it breached the treeline of the deep woods.

"He offered his challange to Tobias, knowing full well the assault was not just the young Werewolf, but humans and vampires swarming his woods. As the second claymore that Blair had herself witnessed downstairs triggered to life in the woods. I made a promise once that I wouldn't kill you, but looks like I have to toss that one aside for now. Come on out kid. Time to learn the TRUE meaning of pain you little s**t."

Blair would see it all. And hear it all. And Aurora would be right with her....

emotion_omnomnom yum_burger

 

[The Lilith Myth]

Knocking. Who was knocking? Blair was so tired she couldn’t muster much effort to get up to see what the knocking was about. She chalked it up to a tree branch hitting the window with the breeze. After all, Sasha said no one knew about this place; it was a safe house. But the knocking persisted. Finally, the door opened and she decided that that was likely a very bad thing. Blair propped herself up on one elbow and used the heel of her free hand to rub at her tired and sore eyes. She was sure she looked affright, but she was becoming increasingly worried. Voices could be heard now, and they were not voices of people happy to see one another. Blair pushed herself out from under the covers and grabbed her sweatshirt to go and see what the commotion was about. The sight that greeted her was not what she had expected when she did manage to drag herself out. Although, on second thought, she wasn’t sure what exactly she had expected in the first place.

She only had a few seconds to take in the sight of the two dead men on the floor near her feet. Sasha was looking at her, in a gaze that took what felt like hours. It was as if he were staring at her very soul, and it was somehow comfortable. He looked at her as a person, like no one ever had. It was a strange feeling. Suddenly the windows were boarded up and the door re-latched, and the couch kicked over. Quickly, Blair took this brief moment to pull her sweater on before he beckoned her over and guided her down the stairs. “O-okay…” She replied softly, using her hands to feel along the wall for the switch. It took a moment for her sleepy eyes to catch up to the light. She winced when the lights flickered on, surprised at the brightness. As her eyes adjusted, she watched Sasha switch on quite a few different switches and wondered what exactly they were for. She would find out soon enough, she supposed, knowing his affinity for weapons she had seen already.

Making her way across the room, she went to the desk and dusted off the large office chair, feeling useless and angry. A loud noise rumbled dully through her head as she watched men fly backwards from the force of whatever they had stepped on. And then one of the screens changed to the vision of a woman. Her soft, concerned eyes focused on Blair. She knew her name, which she wasn’t about to question at this point in her new journey. Everyone knew who she was at this point, so it would probably be strange if someone didn’t know who she was. “Hello…” Blair padded over to where Sasha was and grabbed a small handful of the back of his shirt, standing close to him to calm herself down. She was angry, and she didn’t like it. It was frustrating not knowing things, not understanding. And now people were dying, were putting their lives on the line just to get their hands on her? What was so important that they needed her psychic ability to do? She couldn’t help the anger welling up inside, the anger at her kidnapping, at her betrayal, at her confusion, at these people willing to go to the grave just to get their hands on her. Anger and fear began to mix, a dangerous combination.

Blair felt as though she should trust in the woman on the screen, her soft eyes watching as she laid her forehead against Sasha’s back for a moment. She was trying to block out the sounds of the explosions, the feelings she had as these people were hurt or killed. Her gift didn’t have to work properly to let her feel pain. In this heightened state, she was pretty sure she could likely use her ability to help if she concentrated. But at what risk? Would the images come back? The lack of control over her own body? Had Sasha even seen what had happened to her? There were so many questions. With a deep breath, she decided that she would use it if necessary, but she didn’t want to risk anything that would put either herself or Sasha at risk. Whoever was outside, swarming the cabin, had Sasha on edge, more so than she’d seen before. And he seemed to know who they were, which made her question herself for going with him in the first place. But now was not the time for such doubts. Now was the time to stay calm and help in any way she could. Blair picked up her head and went back to the office chair in front of the screen with the woman sitting calmly on it. She sat down and took a deep breath of dust that had kicked up. "Can you tell me anything?" Blair asked, quickly looking back at Sasha worriedly before looking back to the screen. "I want to help. How do I help?"  

[~Lonewolf703~]

Sasha McAndrews
Nothing could ever stop us from claiming our place in the sun.
Werewolf
Lonewolf
Wanted By: FBI, Federal Marshals, Vampire Brood Seattle, Seattle Werewolf Pack.

Tobias gritted his jaw as a loud thud came from within the cabin, a large caliber round punched through the wooden walls, still with more then enough power, the round itself half blossomed and the man next to him simple seized to exist. Blood splattering against Tobias' leather jacket. He bent down and picked up the loudspeaker that had been in the possession of the recently fallen. Tobias stood on the edge of the treeline, a cowardly commander, though he didnt know it yet. Meanwhile Sasha smirked as he snapped open the breach of the double rifle (Elephant Gun) in his hand, and extracted the smoking cartridge, only to replace it with a fresh, oversized round.

Tobias spoke voice as thick as mud, gravel in the rear of his throat. "All hail the conquering hero.... Sasha. It had to be you right? Had to be you in that cabin, with that stupid little girl. You were supposed to save us! Now our home is in ruins, and the enemy is at the gate, and you have NOTHING! to say against it! Give up the girl! She means nothing to you! And I offer you freedom, you can walk away from this."

Sasha's eyes took in the surrounding forces. Most of them off-put heat. Most of them were not the un-dead. Wither they were human or wolf was a different argument, but there were few.... if any vampires in this fight. He did hear the man outside. He did hear Tobias. Blair in the basement likely heard him, but the words were lost in the echo of his mind. His mind had already stiffened his resolve. Arguments to change that decision would not work. Sasha was surrounded. He was cut off. Military wise, he was likely a dead man...... he was familiar with the odds.

"This isn't Cussler's stand"
Though here Sasha was, a high caliber single fire weapon in hand.
"This isn't the Alamo."
Yet, here Sasha was looking at a hoard outside the gates.
"This isn't Verdun Forest."
Yet, here Sasha was surrounded by the remnants of friends long gone, fallen in battle.
"This isn't Bastogne, there is glory for you here. No flags to fly. No country to serve."
The safety of Blair.... for some odd reason had become his flag, even in the parts of his mind that war had sharpened Blair was now his flag, ether that or...... the want to see other people not get their way. He would take from them, as they had taken from him. Ruin their plans, that they had found his intelligence lacking to understand. Sasha was a soldier, his mentality that of a soldier. He didn't want to live forever. There was no power that time would not corrupt and steal. No rule, that would not be overturned in time.
"Just give up, you old piece of s**t, make room for others. This is dementia, you forgot what the hell you're even doing."

Sasha scoffed, behind smirking lips. He smoothly and quickly shouldered the double rifle and fired another round straight into the wall of the cabin. Guided by the high tech optics, his large round turned another's chest cavity to mist in the moonlight. His finger slammed on the intercom button upon the desk, his voice a growling roar of defiance. "I CAN STILL KILL" All hell broke loose and the thermal showed a pouring of white flaying bodies from the treeline rushing up to the house. A better part of a nightclub worth of wannabees. Likely promised glory if they made it to the otherside. Sasha's eyes wandered to the table and the bottle of alchole left, he calmly reached for it, and peeled back the high tech headset, connecting him to the enemy outside. He took a swig and thought of Blair, the target.... the gir-..... woman from his dream. Woman, who had somehow found her way into his small list of things he suddenly ******** gave a s**t about.

Even if it was out of the jealousy of her innocence. Maybe it was in a defense of the ideal. She wasnt a weapon yet, she laid upon the center piece of a battlefield. A prize to be won between to factions, the imagery realigned the fibers of his ideals. No prize. Not to them. Not without a fight. A fight for one person, one person who could reach to maintain an ideal form of a human. Something that Sasha craved more then he had ever admitted to himself, to anyone.

Blair was safe in the basement, he was on the first floor. Her small window of hope was them not finding the boards in the floor under the carpet. His mind retraced the warmth of her head in his back before he had left her downstairs, that and the warmth of the alchole calmed his nerves. Knocking them flat back into place.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aurora, tried to keep calm, tried to show a face of someone who cared, despite the danger of the men outside of her room. Despite her own life if she was found out. And for what? For what? Just to be there for this random girl? This random person that Sasha had decided was worth something. Anger in her heart, but her head, her memories reminded her of ages of Sasha being right. Somehow, someway. Right. His gut feeling, as faithful as North in the star lit sky above. And she would stand by him in this. She sighed as the monitor showing Blair the upstairs, reported gunshots, followed by yelling. Sasha struggling to keep out attackers, clawing though the shuttered windows, pounding against the doors, the walls, ever breach being delt with with deft hands of a trained soldier.

"It can't be helped you know, he follows his own means, somehow in the dark you showed up." She eyed Blair over again.

The fighting intensified. A flash of light, the entire cabin shuttered. A breaching charge, and part of the wall of the living room went up in flames, a clean hole, Sasha spent no time shot-putting a grenade into the skull of an incoming combatant, the blast taking out anyone who was bum rushing into the gap with him. In three minutes the 'stronghold' was already looking bent out of shape. In three minutes of combat, Sasha now stood in front of a swarm standing just outside the emergency lights, now illuminating the inside of the cabin. Waiting.

Aurora, must have seen it in Blair's face. She reconsidered her request to help. "Ok, there is something you can do." Open the lower left drawer of the desk. There is a black case. Open the case. She waited as Blair grabbed at the case, opening it to reveal a handgun, and a loaded magazine. Blair glanced back to Sasha, then back to Aurora. "Im not asking you to be a hero. Use it. Kill youself, or prepare to use it to kill to live. You have a demon on your side, and you are likely going to figure that out really soon. But he isnt s**t, if you arent willing to fight to live. That is your new life. That is the new creed. If you can't embrace that, then use that gun and end your life now, because gunshot to the head is far better then what they could do to you.... it isn't pretty being the female in the land of thirst.... Sasha can't always be there." Aurora herself was shocked to find tears in her eyes. God she had been there, she had been Blair tens of years ago. "Please. You have to make a choice right here and now."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This wasn't Cussler's last stand, or the Alamo but an old Colt, revolver was seen in Sasha's hand, firing one handed, his back straightened as if following the training guide for firing from horse back, another thin line of defense, another defiant building standing through the storm.

This wasnt Verdun forest, or Bastogne, but Sasha 'put meat on the table' with every cracking rifle shot, as he ducked and weaved behind interior walls, and furniture in the small cabin, the enemy within his lines. He moved amoungst them. Clubbing and firing. The drugs had the enemies, blood boiling, but after they entered the cabin, only faint lights in corners, their knowledge of what to do was limited, and they began to falter, before a non flinching enemy.

Sasha was bleeding them. Perhaps if Blair was watching him, she would find some hope the idea crossed his mind in a positive light. He could do this. He could hold them off. This was his home. He turned the corner that seperated the living room from the Kitchen, a small solid cover from the incoming intruders. Shoulder. He fired the large Garand, the spent en-bloc clip pinged from the rifle. He hadnt seen more then the Shoulder, hadnt seen the man attached to it. His reload was fast, but not fast enough for the three cracks, of return fire, not fast enough to avoid the custom rounds from passing through the walls and into his right upper leg, a tight group of firey pain, and Sasha's heart dropped. He felt his hair stand on end. He felt his stomach become a vacuum. His back collapsed into the wall. Blood soaking his pants. He heard the order as the tables and chair were kicked out of the way of the others in the house. "Find the girl."

Sasha leered as Tobias, the runt turned the corner, his lips hooked into smiles of victory. Pistol barrel leveled at Sasha's face. Taunting his failure. "Long live the conquering hero." Tobias cackled, full of himself. "You, know you were supposed to save us, but now look at you." Sasha heard the men out of sight stamping on the floor listening for a sound difference, as a small fire still was being fed in the corner of the room from the breaching charge. "Now I'll save us."

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Aurora, felt the air change as Blair's face went white, the pounding over head coming closer to the hidden floor door that Sasha had lead her down, only moments before. Moments? It had seen like much longer. "You have to choose Blair! Don't get caught, Blair don't let them catch you!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tobias's eyes moved down the iron sights on the top of his pistol. Sasha only continued to leer. "Tobias, you were always mad that I never sparred for my position. Im gonna show you why."

"WE FOUND IT!" Confirmations from the others one room over, as they began to search for the means to open the door to Blair. Tobias laid his eyes off of Sasha for a moment as he looked back curiously. One moment was all Sasha needed, as the lights of the building went dark, and the rooms filled in starch darkness.

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Aurora, waited for Blair's true response. Desperation in her eyes, her heart yearning to be there. Yearning to help more herself.

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