Cafe Nightshade

[Violent C]

So it begins

He rested in his sparsley decorated quarters for hours, delaying the inevitible. Although he knew what he was doing was right it didn't make his job any easier. Finally, he decided it was time. Time to avenge the victims. Time to rain down retribution. Time for punishment. He exited his room and walked down a concrete hallway that was lit only by randomly placed torches which caused the shadows to jump and flicker. He kept going until he reached a nondescript door and pulled on the iron wrought handle. The ancient hinges screamed in protest when he flung it open to reveal a naked man hanging from the celing by chains attatched to the manacles around his wrists and a gag in his mouth. As soon as the man in chains saw the clown coming for him he grew frantic, twisting his body in futile efforts to distance himself from this monster. The clown came closer to the man, closer, until their noses almost touched. The man's eyes grew large with horror when the clown began to speak.

"Hello sir. My name is Trevor. I feel that it is rude to kill someone before introductions. So...impersonal. Now, do you know why I've brought you here?"

A frantic shaking of the head.

"Ah. Well, people seldom do. It's one of mankind's quirks; we can see the faults and failures of others quite readily, but tend to ignore our own. You sin, my dear sir, is the most horrible, deplorable act a man can commit. Your sin is rape. You thought no-one would find out and perhaps you were right. You preyed on a poor, innocent girl who will always be too frightened to speak up which makes your sin all the more horrible. Tonight you shall repent, even if I must tear it from your flesh with my bare hands."

As he said that he walked to a table of wicked instuments, ranging from corkscrews to scalpels to hacksaws. The man in chains heard the shhnk of metal running across metal and began his convultions again, still trying to escape his prison.

Abruptly Trevor spun about and flung two spikes with deadly accuracy straight towards the man's heart. He smiled as both spikes hit thier marks and the man began to scream in agony. Trevor then grabbed a nine-inch dagger and strode over to the man. In a single motion he swung the blade down and lopped off the man's dick. The man's eyes glazed over as he stared down at the fountain of blood where his member used to be. He hardly noticed as Trevor popped up behind him with a broom handle covered in barbed wire.

"Okay, this might hurt a lot. What am I saying, might?"

He thrust the broom handle into the man's ass and pumped it in and out, twisting it this way and that.

"How do you like it, fucker? HOW THE FUCK DO YOU LIKE BEING RAPED WITH STEEL AND WOOD FUCKER??"

The man screamed, screamed until his throat was raw and filling with blood. This...this was excruciating...

The man was finally dead. Trevor stood there for a moment and watched all of the man's blood swirl around the steel grate in the centre of the room, draining even lower into the catacombs. He took a while to calm down and then went to his room to get cleaned up. After he had washed all the blood off of his hands and began prepping for the rest of the evening. Then he plastered a huge grin on his face and climbed three stories to ground level and emerged from the back to greet his customers.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please, allow me to welcome you this evening to the darkest, most wicked club in the city! Welcome to...CAFE NIGHTSHADE!!!"

 

[crysede]

Kass:
Getting home from work around midnight, Kass changed into a figure hugging black dress and matching stocking and heels, then threw on her black leather jacket and headed out. As she walked down the street, she got the usual cat calls from cruising Johns, their shiny SUV's looking amusingly out of place on a street owned by dealers and pimps. One of the uptown pretty-boys tailed her in his jeep, urging her to hop in for a ride. She silenced the asshole with an icy stare.

A few blocks later she entered Cafe Nightshade, slipping into noisy exterior like a wraith. She had come here every night since discovering it a week ago, but not to dance and show off as did the inescapable clutch of posers that infested all goth hangouts. Kess came to dwell in the shadows, to savor her solitude in the company of the darkness here. It was different than the ordinary dark of night, in the club the shadows seemed to be more than the mere absence of light, they were a real presence and if you joined them in the corners you could feel their cold touch on you spirit. The coldness drew her like a moth to a flame: it slid into her, anaesthetizing her soul in a its passionless embrace. She felt safe here, at home.

 

[Lady_J]

Angelina

L.A. was so used up, she had been there, done that and it and had decided to move on. Besides, it was hard to keep a low profile when you never aged.

This new town had propects, both in terms of fresh faces, and fresh blood. Things could get interesting here, well they always did when Angelina the Dark Angel of the Streets was about.

She did a little dance, something she had learned from the beat boys back in the 80's, and walked down the alley. As she rounded the corner she spotted a crowd gathering outside what looked like an old warehouse. There was some bizzaro mutant clown talking to the people as they entered. Now here is some fun. She slinked a little closer watching as wannabes and yuppies entered what was obviously a pretty sick joint. I wonder how much you have to pay to get spanked? This was exactly the kind of place where a girl could move in and set up shop. Hell, these freaks might even pay me to suck their blood after I suck their dicks.

Keeping a wary eye on the killer klown from outer space, she moved into the crowd.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Chloë Byrnes

Chloë Byrnes: walking out of her $3.000.000 downtown apartment wearing an ultrafashionable Prada camisole top, shimmering black disco pants, black stiletto shoes, black Armani sunglasses, her face masklike. She gets into her gleaming red Jaguar XK8 and speeds off into the city traffic. Racing recklessly in a skilful way through car crammed streets. Chloë makes a sweeping U-turn, changing direction because of streets blocked off duo to fires and gang related incidents, as Primal Scream's "Rocks Off" blasts out and the Jaguar speeds up, careening around a corner. You can open your eyes now, this ain't Kansas anymore...

One or two more traffic delays provoke cursing. Finally she arrives at weird looking building and brings the Jaguar to a full stop right in front of the entrance, nearly running over a couple of goth-look-a-likes standing outside with the crowd, waiting to get in. Chloë gets out of the car ignoring the line of protesting club-goers and lowers her sunglasses to Trevor, the manager of "Café Nightshade":

"Hello there, Krusty! Is my table ready?"

 

[Violent C]

Trevor Dallas

He stared at the little redhead from behind his makeup. Then he broke out in a huge grin.

"Chloe! I thought I told you to quit calling me that! Come right on in sugar, your table's been waiting all night!"

At that moment a wave of nausea passed over him. He knew everything that went on in his club; he had eyes everywhere. He knew the moral degregation, the posers, the freaks...even the demons. Yes, he knew that supernatural beings were drawn to his club, and for very good reasons he mused, and he also knew that they used it as a hunting ground. He could understand them, for they were inheritly corrupt. But this creature...this Chloe...she robbed men and women of their lives for sport! There was no explanation for her actions aside from pure ennui. And yet...he had to respect a woman who knew how to have fun. He reminded himself that no matter how she got her kicks she still had her own code of honor. At least she didn't steal her employer's soul.

Trevor was so wrapped up in his own musings the daemon girl nearly passed his notice. But just as she passed by him on her way into the club he caught a whiff of the supernatural. He turned towards her and shot her a knowing look, letting her know that he was aware there was something different about her.

 

[Lady_J]

Angelina

What the FUCK?! That sack-licker shot me the evil eye. I know that wasn't a "hey you're too young to be in here look." Jesus, I hope he's not into kiddie porn.

Angelina got shivers as she looked at his creepy-ass face.

"Hey watch it asshole." Some goth kid with a spiked collar removed his hand from her ass, and in return she removed her hand from his testicles. Kids, they ain't got no respect.

She walked to the back bar, strictly avoiding the kids hopped up on whatever, and began looking for a john.

 

[Zircon]

J.W.C (Tony) Birch

I drew my fingers slowly along her smooth silky thighs. I noticed that she had very pretty dimpled knees. I drank with pleasure the fear that was showing in the whites of her eyes. An appetizer for starters.

She was struggling, but her struggles only increased my hunger. The space-age micro-fibers straps that were binding her hands and ankles got only tighter the more she struggled.

I looked at the small knife in my hands. It was a gift from one of my industrialist friends. It was made of Ceramic alloy, very sharp and light weight.

Down on her inner thighs ran a major artery. A little nick would not kill her. Ah…nothing like the taste of blood, freshly pumped from the heart. I collected the droplets in small gold rimmed cup.

It tasted not too bad.

The fear in her had grown to enormous proportions as she saw me wipe the droplets from the corner of my mouth. That was what I have been waiting for. More than the taste of blood. The terror that had now become the center core of her being.

I relished in that her agony and emotions were feeding me. Soon it will reach satiation point. Then I could go out and get something to quell the hunger in my stomach.

More fear. More agony.

I pointed my finger at the dark shadow crouching in the corner. The two red eyes were the only thing visible under the deep cowl. She turned her head slightly to see the figure.

She screamed once.

Then she arched her back once and fell back sedately onto the table, dead.

ARGH…it always happened when things were getting interesting. I guessed I would have to ease up if I wanted my victims to last more than two days. Got to rethink my techniques a little bit.

‘Clean this up, will you…,’ I directed my instructions to the creature in the corner.

I was glad that her blood did not get splashed onto my jacket. Now I could get into my Porsche and head on down to THE Café. Hope that they got those little Shitake mushrooms that I liked so much.

 

[misterK]

Zolt

He came out of the shadows where he dwellt as the customers to the cafe started coming in. His expressionless eyes scanned over the crowd, dejectedly capting their emotions, their excitement and their pettiness.

All were not so base he knew, some had a purpose here. The owner of the Cafe, Trevor he believed his name was, maybe had the most important purpose of all, although Zolt doubted he himself knew about it. His Cafe was more than just that. His Cafe was a rendez-vous for lost souls, souls waiting to be harvested, begging to be taken away from the pain and horror of everyday life. Little did they know these sheep. The horror was only beginning.

He sensed a familiar aura and he let his senses pervade the room, searching, seeking the scent he had caught. There! A vampire! She is still young but he can feel she lacks nothing of her inherited killer instincts. Zolt prods her mind with his gently so as not to make her aware of his presence. Vampires are nottoriously jealous and even though Zolt is only half vampire and hasn't drunk blood in ages, he doesn't want to create a commotion.

The Cafe is a haven for him, a place where he can wallow in the silent cries of these lost souls and revel in the fear and excitement of these unknowing lambs. He smiles then, a rare sight on his wooden face, but the smile never reaches his eyes. Yes, lamb to the slaughter. Who knows, maybe it is time to shake away the lethargy and start hearing the screams again.

A stirring deep within his black heart. A flash of memory. Fires burning, the smell of burning flesh. The shouts, the pleas for mercy. The blood, spattered everywhere, running in rivulets down into the abyss. Yes, maybe, just maybe the answer to his doom is the doom of others.

 

[crysede]

Kess:
From her place in the shadows Kess watches the cafe's owner interact with his customers. He has never spoken to her, but that was not surprising. She preferred to remain unnoticed, to watch others live their lives while holding herself removed from their world, a detached observer. Her own life she had let go of years ago, pushing the painful memories aside she now lived day to day, without past or future. Cut off from her own feelings and desires, she filled the emptiness within her soul by vicariously feeding on the passions of others - ecstasy or pain, it didn't matter, all that mattered was that it was real and the stronger the better.

The teenagers competing to out-goth one another on the dance floor held no interest to her: they were as artificial as their appearances, their lives a carefully constructed window display designed to appeal to others rather than reflect themselves. They could not give her what she needed. But there were others, such as the owner, Trevor, she had heard him called. Behind the show he put on, with his suits and makeup, there was something real, something powerful that drove him, but what it was she couldn't identify. She studied him as he spoke to the red-haired woman who also seemed to come every night, the one whose eyes were those of a bored predator.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Chloë Byrnes

Chloë Byrnes: Bemused by Trevor's nauseated look, Chloë entered the café checking her wristwatch for the time "Damn, I'm driving too fast. I'm early again". She roamed the room with her eyes. People definitely noticed and started whispering to each other as she had entered. The crowd in this place wasn't something she really wanted to deal with. Most of them were wannabe losers on a number of psychotropic drugs, hiding their fears behind a neo-gothic completely artificial look. Posers!

There was no discernible centre at the "party", its hosts, apart from the psycho-clown, invisible, the crowd coming up with strained explanations as to why they were there, nobody really caring. Chloë slouched in a black leather armchair next to the cute Goth girl that had been coming here every night for the past week and just stayed all alone in a dark corner dismissing all those who tried to make a pass at her. Chloë noticed the way this girl had been staring at her since the moment she walked in.

She just stayed there silently returning the gaze for almost a minute, sipping Stoli Cristall, before saying "So, what's your game, cutie? Are you some kind of voyeur?"

 

[misterK]

Zolt

Feeling better than he has for centuries Zolt circles around the Cafe going from shadow to shadow. He knows the ordinary people in the center and at the bar cannot see him, at least not as long as he doesn't want them to. But there are some others persent. He can feel their predatory hunger, their supernatural aura pervading the room, indicating to who had the Sight how dangerous they could be.

His eyes linger a moment over a red-haired girl sitting next to a dark-haired one. They are both special. He can feel it. Their auras are too strong to be normal humans. He wonders a moment if he would enter their minds, explore the darkest recesses of their souls, but he decides against it and wanders off to another corner of the Cafe.

He needed to find a victim. He needed blood. It had been too long since last he had fed on an innocent. He scanned the crowd one last time and his eyes came to rest on a young girl standing by herself near the bar.

he closed his eyes and let his mind seep into hers. The images are out of focus, scenes from the girl's life. He can feel the despair, the fear, the desire to disappear. Flashing pictures of a life too brittle. The disappointments, the pain, the betrayals. Yes, she would do nicely.

He dissolved in the shadows and materialized behind her. "Hello little one," he whispers. She turns around, uncaring, her eyes unseeing. He places a hand on her shoulder, gently, almost carefully and draws her to him, draws her into the shadows. They disappear into the darkness and reappear on the other side. She is puzzled at first, not comprehening what has just happened. And then she sees where she is. Her eyes widen as she takes in her surroundings. The walls are made of shining black glass and the floor is black marble with blood-red veins. There is no ceiling and the sky above is dark, roiling clouds menacingly shifting in an ominous shape.

They are standing in the middle of the room and the shadows around them seem alive, wanting to jump on them and devour them. She then looks at him and sees him for the first time. And she screams.

She turns around trying to run away, but there is no escape, nowhere to hide. She is panicking now, still not understanding where she is nor what is happening. He stands there watching her, drinking in her terror. She finally collapses on the floor, whimpering, too weak to continue.

He closes in for the kill then, draping himself over her like the shadow of doom. Sucking in her lifeforce as she succumbs in his arms. And her scream echoes down in the abyss of the damned.

 

[Lady_J]

Angelina

By the time she had walked around the bar twice, she was frustrated. No one was biting her line, well, no one worth biting anyway. Sometimes it was fun to take a sip of some kid on E, but then you had the tendency to go and do something stupid, like try to eat one of the bouncers, and clubs generally looked down upon that sort of thing.

She looked back, scaning the crowd, Wait a minute, who needs a john when you can have a fucking RICH jane?! She saw the two women sitting in the dark, one was a goth, probably drinking absinthe or some gothy shit like that, but the other, now here was one rich bitch. Mmmm, good eatin's.

She reached down into her boot and removed a small zip-up change purse, yeah, the funds are running low, better make this one last. She never knew how the older vamps did it: making all that fat cash on the market. She did her best living on picking pockets, which was much easier when the owner of those pockets was dead.

She had just started her landing approach when she felt it: Oh shit! Something had just killed; something very big, very evil, and not something she wanted to mess with. You didn't last 30 years in the body of a 15 year old without the sense to stay away from the bigger baddies. They ate little vampies like Angelina for breakfast. She had just started to turn and run like hell when she caught a movement out of the side of her eye. Someone, something, had just walked through the back wall.

 

[misterK]

Zolt

His senses still quivering from the pleasure of the kill Zolt returns into the more sedate environment of the Cafe. It takes him a minute to reorient himself, it is never easy to travel the shadows. He remembers a time long ago when he was revered as the Master of Shadows and smiles inwardly. Stupid, stupid people. Supertitious and weak, all of them.

He spots the little girl vampire again. She has seen him and looks frightened. Zolt is puzzled by her fear not understanding how his appearance could frighten her. He would have expected anger or disappointment maybe at seeing her hunting ground already taken, but not fear. It intrigued him. The little girl's life intrigued him and he suddenly desired to know more. He looked in her direction and smiled, trying to put some warmth in an expression he had seldom used in his whole existence.

 

[crysede]

Kess:
Her yellow-green eyes regarded the red-headed invader of her solitude cooly. She was surprised that the woman remained unfazed, steadily returning her gaze, and curious at the predatory hunger burning behind her eyes - but Kess' expression remained as impenetrable as cold marble, giving away nothing of her thoughts. After a long moment the woman spoke, her voice bearing a distinctly upperclass accent to match her up town looks.

So, what's your game, cutie? Are you some kind of voyeur?

The question struck Kess as amusing: a voyeur? Perhaps, . . . she had never thought of herself in those terms, but what do voyeurs do but watch and consume the passions of others? "Kess," She replied, her voice soft and rich, "and yes, I suppose I am. And what are you?"

 

[Violent C]

Trevor grimaced at the remaining thralls outside the club and slammed the heavy doors firmly shut.

He surveyed his surroundings. A batch of posers had cropped up with the hardcore goths, as usual. He sensed the presence of a few daemons this evening, nothing odd about that. Then he remembered the little one he confronted at the gate. He sought her out while making his rounds, buying drinks and keeping up the appearance of the genial host. Finally he spotted her confronting Zolte. This should be interesting. He had known Zolte for quite some time, and knew the sheer level of his power. Quite frankly, he himself would think twice before tangling with such a strong vampiric creature. I'll make sure to keep an eye on them. With his curiosity quelled he sought out Chloe. Disgusted as he was by the mortal, he still found her intruiging. Anyone...or thing...that could be that ruthless was worthy of his personal attention. He found her on the sidelines, conversing with another of the regulars. Tess or Bess, something like that. He strode past the writhing bodies on the dance floor and couldn't help but think that he could make this world a much better place in just a few minutes. A single conjuration, one summon, and all these festering pussbags would be gone. No no, mustn't attract attention, he thought. He manuvered past them and sauntered up to the table where Chloe and her friend sat.

"Hello ladies! What's your poison?"

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Chlöe couldn't prevent a smile to come to her face. "Hey, you do talk! First time I see you do that in a week..." She kept staring silently at the young woman, gauging her for a few seconds before answering her question. "Chlöe... But I don't think you want to know what I am... It would actually be safer for you not to..."

But Kess's answer was interrupted before it even started when Trevor, the "master of ceremonies" at this circus of a club approached them:

"Hello ladies! What's your poison?"

"Kr...Trevor! Glad you dropped by! Meet my new best friend, Kess! The ambience is a bit shady tonight, are you going to provide for some entertainment for us?" and in a lower tone proceeded "...or have you heard of anyone requiring my expertise?"

 

[Violent C]

Trevor leaned close to Chloe's ear.

"Not yet sugar, but the night is young yet." Then to the young goth sitting at the table, "You know what you could use? A Long, Slow Comfortable Screw Againt the Wall. Garcon!" The last was shouted the bartender who, upon seeing who it was, hurriedly stirred up two rather interesting drinks in tall glasses and rushed them over to Kass' table. After a curt nod from Trevor he returned to his post dispensing more exotic drinks to the customers.

Trevor sat one of the glasses in front of Kass and was drinking heavily from his own when suddenly the world seemed to spiral around him. The lights seemed too bright, the colors all wrong...his knees buckled as he heard laughter like hot lead dripping through his mind.

Then as soon as whatever it was began, it was over. He quickly caught himself and glanced at Chloe and Kass. Grinning weakly he murmured some excuse while frantically searching the club to see if anyone else had been affected.

 

[Lady_J]

Angelina

Oh shit oh shit ohshitohshitohshit!!!!! He looked right at her and smiled, what in the hell was she going to do? Well, once you have been targeted like that, there was no running. Angelina pulled herself up to her full height and assumed what she hoped was an air of confidence.

"Balls of steel, come on Angie baby, balls of steel, " muttering under her breath she approached the dark one.

"Hey there big Daddy, you got any left overs for me?"

 

[misterK]

Zolt

He watched as the little vampire girl seemed to have made a decision and walk towards him. 'Good,' he thought, 'she is not that afraid after all.'

"Hey there big Daddy, you got any left overs for me?" She says looking up at him. His smile has faded away, forgotten, and his eyes bore into the girl's.

"You interest me little one." His voice is little more than a whisper but he knows the girl will hear it as if he had spoken out loud in a silent room. "You are a Hunter, and a good one. I wish to know you. I am Zolt." He waited for her response when suddenly he felt the world go upside down. A wave of sickness and dread washed over him and he almost toppled over managing to catch himself on a stone column before falling. Nausea gripped him and it seemed the universe would be turned inside out.

The feeling passed as quickly as it had come and he straightened again puzzled by the occurrence.

 

[crysede]

Kess:
Be safer for her not to know? Kess almost laughed out loud: like she hadn't heard that line before! She was tempted to dismiss the woman as just a higher class of poser, but there was something disturbing, perhaps even threatening, about her that drew Kess' interest.

Before she could reply, Trevor approached their table, and she took the opportunity to study him more closely. There was definitely something odd about him, more so even than her self- proclaimed 'best friend,' and she liked odd. She accepted the drink with slight smile: it was an interesting mix of favors, if nothing else, the man had good taste. Suddenly a strange sensation passed over her making her skin crawl - not an altogether unpleasant sensation - and she noticed Trevor leaning heavily on the table, his eyes unfocused. Making excuses he hurried away, and Kess turned back to Chlöe, "Well, whatever you are, did feel that?".

 

[Zircon]

J.W.C (Tony) Birch

I sat at an empty table away from the swirling and twirling, and generally nauseating, scene of over-dressed with poor makeup miserable rejects trying to loose themselves in the senseless revelry. As my eyes got used to the mass of dejected and useless human emotions, they turned to a few people of interest.

One was a stunning red-head. I knew her well, even if she cannot say the same for me. Often, I had to engage outside ‘help’, and she was recommended, although business was done through a third party. She did not come cheap, but I had the resources. I must admit though, she was a thorough professional, if nothing else. I would not hesitate to recommend her services myself.

The other, who had just joined her table, was what drew my attention next. She was pretty, unpretending, in her own way. Quite unlike the rest on the dance floor, which really in my opinion, made her stand out more. I could sense no power emanating from her. Yes, quite unlike Mr. Dallas, who had just joined the ladies’ table.

I sometimes get the feeling that Mr. Dallas would prefer that I shop for my ‘hobby’ somewhere else. But he had not mentioned any prohibitions directly yet. Yes, Mr. Dallas was an intriguing man to say the least. I also sensed great powers from the deck of Tarot cards that he always carried with him.

My gaze then shifted to the vampires in the club. Their aura was all that was needed to announce their presence. However, one was different. Different in the sense that he was not fully a vampire. Strange. I had seldom seen one of his kind up close before. I heard that my Master sometimes send his best ‘knights’ out in the field. I wonder if my Master was checking up me to see if I had been a good boy.

The young vampire was bold, far too bold for her young age. She would not last a century if she kept it up. She was pretty though, that would account for something, when a stake if pushed through her heart. But I get the feeling that she will grow up one of these days. Then, things would get interesting. I wonder if she would like to come work for me. I could always use the extra help. Money had not been a problem for me for ages now.

Then suddenly, I felt a presence. Powerful. Very Powerful. I was glad I was sitting down. That was peculiar phenomenon. Not that this club had seen anything ‘normal’ since it opened. But still…

My gaze had turned back to the pretty companion of Ms. Byrnes as I searched for answers.

I got up slowly, glad that food had not touched my lips yet. I walked over to Ms. Byrnes and her companion’s table.

Quietly, I asked, ‘Good evening Ladies. May I be permitted to join you?’

 

[Violent C]

Trevor Dallas

As much as he wanted to get to know Kess better he knew that anything that could make that powerful an entrance couldn't possibly be benificial to his health. He darted through the crowd until he reached the "restricted" doorway. He opened the door and, after checking for the reassuring weight of his joker's deck in his coat pocket, began his decent into the depths of the building.

After decending a myriad of stairways, he found what he was looking for; a huge solid oak door with a pentacle permenantly etched in blood. He frantically pounded at the door until a small, wizened man opened it just a crack.

"Hello Trevor. I've been excpecting you"

Trevor forced his way into the room, nearly knocking the old man aside.

"Of course you were, Pelswick. So cut the bullshit and tell my why half of my clientele were just assailed by daemons!"

"The masters have been summoning again. They discovered a previously unknown verse in the book of the dead, the Necronomicron. The mad arab wrote of a daeomon that would, once summoned, give ultimate power. That is, provided the summoners can control him."

"Let me guess. The boys upstairs couldn't handle him."

"Precicely."

Trevor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"How can he be put back down?"

"The only way is to overpower him. But beware; he is extremely powerful. The first thing he will do, once escaping the basements, is feed on both flesh and souls to build up his strength. My guess is you must defeat him before he breaks out into the city, for then he will be unstoppable."

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

Trevor stared bleakly into space. Those damn occultists...what kind of hell had they delivered him this time?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

It was like her heart had missed a beat, somehow. It didn't last for more then a second, but Chlöe felt something she had never felt before. It was almost physical pain, or more like an enhanced vertigo sensation. What ever it was, it made her blood flow faster then anything before. It took her a while to get back to anything similar to consciousness. Long enough for Trevor to hurriedly scram away, long enough for some not bad-looking thirty-ish tall man to come over, long enough for Kass to re-direct her attention to her, so all three voices came out simultaneously:

"Good evening Ladies. May I be permitted to join you?"
"Well, whatever you are, did feel that?"
"What...the hell...was that???"

Chlöe's eyes wondered from Kass to the newcomer, through the surrounding faces of the crowd... It was obvious that most of these fuckers didn't feel a thing, but some of them did. Kass, of course, this guy, in spite of him trying to act cool about it, Trevor, or he wouldn't have ran away so fast, the obviously underage girl in the corner and her weird looking date, maybe one or two others...

She got up, quickly scanning the room for Trevor, and turning to her two companions said "You both felt that shit, don't try to act like it was nothing important... I'm going to look for that damned clown and I'm going to get an explanation for this if I have to beat it out of him. Are you coming with me?"

 

[Zircon]

J.W.C (Tony) Birch

‘Sure Why not…’ I answered, looking at the swishing of Ms. Byrnes dress as she quickly got up and followed Mr. Dallas. The feeling of nausea had passed, strangely, enough, I had felt something of the same kind a long time ago. I wonder if my Master is really checking up on me.

Besides, I do have a small proposition, more like a gift, for Mr. Dallas. I wonder if he would like to a have in his custody a very special gentleman. This gentleman was a child pornographer. I have no use for such vile perverts, moreover they do not last long enough for me to enjoy my hobby.

 

[crysede]

Kass:
What ever it was had certainly caught Chlöe's attention, not to mention the reaction Trevor had to it. It was clearly otherworldly: something of the occult perhaps? She didn't think twice before getting up and following her companion and the strange man who'd joined them. "Yes," she answered Chlöe, walking with her to the door Trevor had disappeared into "let's go."

The occult had always been a fascination of hers: the one piece of jewelry she wore was an obsidian stone on a leather thong about her neck, it had belonged to one claiming to be a necromancer - she had fallen for lines like that as a kid. But in this case, she never found out whether he was as he claimed, the night he had promised to do a summoning for her, she had arrived at his apartment to find him dead... very dead, strewn about the room in large chunks in fact. Studying the deliciously horrifying scene, she had noticed the stone hanging from what remained of his neck, a drop of ruby-red blood suspended from it. Without a thought she had picked it up, wiping the blood off on her dress, then placing the stone about her neck. It was her closest link to the darkness she felt lying beneath everyday reality.