• Hunter and Hunted

Posted: **Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:46 pm**

She spotted him right away and stepped in front of him. Perhaps it was his strong jaw and broad chest that made her approach. Perhaps it was the predatory look in his eyes that made her know he was exactly what she wanted.

She twisted and turned in front of him, making sure her short skirt rode a little further up her long legs and giving him an excellent view down the plunging neckline of her top. She smiled and winked and traced a finger along his chest.

The offer was obvious and the response predictable. She took him by the hand and stalked off towards an alley.

She kept talking to him as they headed further from the light and noise of the streets. The bums and the druggies seemed oblivious to their passage.

Finally, around a corner and hidden among the dumpsters, they reached her office.

Her friendly demeanour suddenly vanished. “Okay Tiger, 25 for a blow, 50 for a bang. If you want to take me in the rear it’s an extra 50. If you don’t want to wear a rubber it’s another 50. Anything else will cost you extra.”

He looked her up and down, and then shoved her back against the wall.

“Ow! Hey buddy . . . the rough stuff costs extra and you gotta pay up front!”

“I’m not paying.” His backhand staggered her.

His eyes flashed scarlet as he began his transformation. His face and jaw elongated into an alligator’s fanged snout. His body bloated and distended, ripping away his clothing. His skin became reptilian and scaly with patches of ash grey hair sprouting at odd locations.

He snapped his jaws an inch from her nose and locked eyes with her.

Posted: **Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:47 pm**

Surveillance footage? Reports? Hopefully not made posthumously...

Posted: **Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:59 pm**

So Ron you think there are more of these beggers in the D.C. area?

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:37 am**

She stared back, unimpressed.

The creature paused, suddenly unsure of it self. “Aren’t you scared?”

“Not really.”

The monster bared it’s fangs at her and, spittle dribbling from its jaws onto her chest.

She reached into her purse. “Breath Mint?”

The creature took half a step back. “You weren’t even surprised, were you?”

She put her hands on his hip. “I smelled you coming from halfway ‘round the block, Bub.”

The beast backed up another half a step. “Then why did you come down here with me, all alone?”

She looked deep into its eyes, as if hungering for something inside. “Because I’m not alone.”

The demon roared and charged.

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:38 am**

Shadowstalker wrote:So Ron you think there are more of these beggers in the D.C. area?

If there are, I'll find 'em.

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:51 am**

Ok I am guessing the lady in this little story is a Hunter, and was working with you Ron. So who is she, and have some here already talked to her, or met her in person?

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:23 pm**

She dropped a split second before I opened fire. Each round struck home on the lizard-thing was like a stinging hornet, making it shriek and shudder in agony. The silencer on my M-16K kept the sounds of gunfire from leaving the confines of the alleyway.

The beast dropped to its knees as I emptied the first mag. I emerged from my hide as I flipped the mag over; slamming home the fresh magazine I had taped to the first.

I advanced slowly, making sure each round found the mark. At this range, there was no missing, the creature flopped and flailed, trying to protect its head.

Another mag down, I let the sling take the gun and drew my Piece from its hip holster. I was close enough to the creature now that I could hear the wet smack of each round impacting with the scaly green hide.

My Blade slid from its sheath and swung down on the join between the monster’s head and shoulders. A second slash and the head dropped off like a rotten fruit from the vine.

I put two more rounds into the head and two more into the body to make it stop twitching. Soon the creature was discorporating into a cloud of wailing mosquitoes which flew upwards and away into the night.

I turned to the hooker. “What were you thinking taunting him like that? If he’d thought a little faster he would have eviscerated you before you had a chance to defend yourself! You’re supposed to bring him down the alley and get clear of my line of fire!”

She picked herself up and took a few moments deliberately smoothing her skirt before responding. “Hey, we’ve done this dozens of times and always got our monster. I just wanted to see one of them scared for their lives for once.” She pulled out her make up mirror and started checking her hair. “Besides Arthur, I know you’d never let anything happen to me.” She gave me a smile and a wink.

I hated that Arthur Nordstrom alias of mine ever since Not Me had stolen it. Still, that was the name she’d always known for me and changing it now would only cause problems.

She took my momentary silence as a victory and clapped shut the compact. “Did you see if he dropped a wallet?” She walked over to where the tattered clothing remained and bent over, purposely letting me see her skin from ankle to bottom. I turned away and checked the area for loose brass.

“Only a lousy 15 bucks . . . the dude it killed for this musta been a public servant.” She turned back to me. “Okay Arthur, in the three years I’ve known you, I’ve done everything for you but unzip your pants and you still ain’t paid attention. Do you even like girls?”

“What sort of question is that Becky?”

She placed her hands on her hips, she was obviously quite perturbed. “I’m a professional at what I do. I’ve been graced with an awesome bod and a technique that’ll make any man think he’s died and gone to heaven and even using some of my best material, you haven’t even looked twice at me. So seriously, are you a fag or what? Not that it bothers me; I just want to know if I’m wasting my time.”

“Becky, you’re a pretty girl and I have the same weakness as any man does for pretty girls, but I’d rather keep our relationship professional.” The sparkle in her eye made me rephrase myself. “By that I mean killing monsters. Besides, I’d offered you many times the chance to quit whoring yourself out and make this your full time career.”

“Hey, I like what I do. I like the attention I get. I like how guys think that I am special, even if it is only for 5 minutes at a time.” She came over to me and traced her finger along my jaw. “Maybe if you wanted to pay a little more attention to me, I could go legit . . . but I’ve been a really bad girl and might need a bit of discipline first.”

I did my best to keep an even expression when I looked back at her.

She gave a frustrated sigh and turned away. “If you ain’t a fag you gotta have ice cubes for balls Arthur. I’ve made guys mess their pants with less.”

I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. “Its no flaw in your approach.”

She looked back at me and smiled. “Thank you.”

We worked our way out of the alley and to my car. I dumped my gear in the trunk and then we headed off to the diner we used for our usual after action chats. I’m pretty sure the old doll behind the counter thought I was another one of Rebecca’s Johns, but she treated us decently.

As usual, Becky chose the most expensive entrée and made it a double. “I know you think you’re doing the best thing trying to get me off the streets, but I like it here.” She explained around a mouthful of pork chop.

“You’ve been out her what, 4 years now?” As I said that I realized that she didn’t look that much older than Hannah . . . being a father really changes your perspective on things. “You know what happens to the girls out here, you know how lucky you’ve gotten to make it this long. It’s only matter of time before you end up with a knife in your gut, HIV in your blood or snorting the wrong batch of chemicals.”

She wasn’t listening, as usual. So I played the trump card I had been holding since we met. “I’m sure that baby whose picture you carry would feel much better to have his mommy back and helping rid the world of scary monsters.”

She started coughing and spit out a chunk of spinach. “How’d you know that?! Nobody knows that!!” She shouted at me, eyes flashing angrily.

The old doll behind the counter, used to our outbursts just kept filling the ketchup bottles.

“When I met you the first time, after I killed those werewolves it took you quite a while to come to. So I spent the time checking out who I was dealing with.” I didn’t often get an upper hand on Becky, so I saved it for a moment.

“So the one time you did put your hands on me, I was unconscious and don’t remember a thing.” She seemed profoundly disappointed. “Did you at least have some fun while you had me like that?”

I gave her that flat look I’d given her in the alley.

“I wouldn’t have minded, if you like I can pretend to be out of it and you can do it again.”

“Eat your spinach.”

“Look Arthur, Zach ain’t mine. Not no more. They took him away from me because a 12 year old ain’t supposed to be a good mother. I don’t know where he is and I’ll never find out. I ain’t got nothing else left after they took him, so I came out here. I only got one life skill, so I might as well make use of it.”

“Don’t be that way Becky. You can tell if a guy walking down the street is human or not with just a glance. You can smell a vampire a block away. Heck, you’ve even driven away stuff I couldn’t touch. If I had half of your abilities I’d be twice as good at this job as I already am. The world needs people like you taking care of what goes bump in the night.” I looked her in the eyes. “Zach does too.”

For a moment I thought she was about to cry. For a moment I thought I’d finally broken through. But here eyes iced over with that coldness people get living on the streets of the Blight. “Ivan’s gonna skin me if I don’t show up soon with some money.”

I nodded and pulled out the roll. “The usual, 500 in 20s or less.” She slid the roll into her purse; it had taken about 2 years for her to stop insisting on counting it. “Do us both a favour and spend some of this one on food instead of smack.”

She smiled weakly. “I really don’t get you sometimes Arthur. You haven’t fucked me, even though I’d do you for free. You treat me like I’m worth something and you try to get me to stop whoring. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you actually think I’m a good person.”

She slid off the bench and headed for the door. The first rays of sunlight penetrating into the dark heart of the Blight.

She strode past the window as I stabbed the last morsel of meat from her plate.

“Someone has to, even if you don’t.”

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:48 pm**

Damn she sounds like a good kid in a bad situation. Don't know exactly what I could do, but would be willing to offer help getting her out of that situation.

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:37 pm**

I've been working on her for years . . . short of mind control, I don't think she's gonna budge.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:47 am**

Well I know some people who may be able to track down her boy Zack, if you think it could help, and who Knows maybe if she meets a few other hunters... Who knows it couldn't hurt to try, I really wish Huntress was around I have a feeling She could reach this kid.
Hmm another thought is for her to maybe meet Eilonwy, and Angel maybe they could talk to her. I don't know, I just get the feeling it couldn't hurt to try.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:29 am**

Couldn't hurt I suppose.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:15 pm**

Poor girl. Spent too long being a wild animal. Doesn't know any different, or think that there's anything different that she can do or would be good at. Perhaps, she should meet a few of us... 'mental' people. *smiles*

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:11 pm**

I've known girls like that. Most of the time, it's much more complicated than you think. Hell, I feel sorry for the ones who still have their kids, and have to sneak out, or explain why their mommy's on the corner.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:20 pm**

Its people like that, the good, redeemable types... that are the reason why I still care to be a healer. To help people that need it. I hate seeing good people in a bad place.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:08 pm**

I know most of the working girls in the Blight pretty good (not like that, mind out of the gutter) most of them is pretty decent, at least at the beginning. But living and working in the Blight, it gets to you after a while. I'm surprised she's hung on as long as she has.

If she believed in herself a bit more, she might just make it off the streets. Lord knows she'd make good money from any of us that can afford to pay her.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:06 pm**

How can you work with something like that?

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:10 pm**

Ron Caliburn wrote:His face and jaw elongated into an alligator’s fanged snout. His body bloated and distended, ripping away his clothing. His skin became viridian and scaly with patches of ash grey hair sprouting at odd locations.

Another one? :shock:

A. Pendragon wrote:How can you work with something like that?

I don't follow you, jack.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:18 pm**

Willie Long wrote:Another one?

Apparenetly.

Willie Long wrote:
A. Pendragon wrote:How can you work with something like that?

I don't follow you, jack.

Me neither.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:00 pm**

Make that a trifecta Pendragon because I don't quite understand what you are talking about either, or rather I Hope you aren't saying what I think you are.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:03 pm**

Isnt the hooker a demon of some sort? If not, I apologize. If she is, then I repeat my question.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:12 pm**

Uh you need to reread things Pendragon, the girl in Question is a 16 year old who as near as I can tell has had a hard life, and is either a sensitve or a Latent Psi with Sensitive talents. At least that is my guess from what I have read.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:27 pm**

I killed the demon.

Becky, the prostitute, is a psychic whom I sometimes work with. I can kill demons just fine, but she can sniff 'em out like they were a dead skunk at a flower show.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:30 pm**

I do apologize the Ron. I did indeed misread things. I know it has been only a few days since I have been back, but while I was a prisoner, it seemed as if weeks had past.

Again, I am sorry for insulting your friend/co-worker.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:32 pm**

She's been called worse - part of her "day job" as it were.

You sure Malakai didn't give you 1 too many to the head?

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:34 pm**

I think Pendragon needs a little more down time before he gets back on the horse, as it were.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:00 pm**

I'm glad she's okay. I was worried for her at first, the way Ron left off like that...

I'd almost swear he took suspense lessons from Holister. Or the other way around. =P

Posted: **Wed Sep 19, 2007 12:39 am**

I think it was kinda both.

Aurthur... yeah, I was wondering what you were getting at. She sounds like a Diviner, to me... but yeah, possibly a latent psychic.

Posted: **Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:49 am**

Nobody should be out on the streets like that. I've never been keen on public relations, but if you want, I'm sure I could have someone contact a social worker in the area to talk to her.

Do you think, if someone could get her the custody of her child (which, it needs to be explained to her that something like that can never happen unless she has a steady home!) that she'd be willing to give up the street life and make something decent of herself? Not even hunter, necessarily, just something... productive.

Also, "Another one?" What the crap are these things? I don't remember the last time we encountered something like it. Maybe I just don't remember. Maybe it was before my time... I dunno. This supernatural stuff moves too quick for me sometimes.

Posted: **Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:41 am**

Willie ran into a similar beast a few weeks back, though if I remember his post right, the one he found was female.

Posted: **Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:25 pm**

Oh yeah, that's right, he did, he did. I forgot all about that. I didn't think much of it at the time. Hmm... looks like some more sniffing and snooping needs to be done, yes?