The Slayers Ch. 04

He sipped at his coffee while looking at the real-estate section of the paper. He could afford to buy a new home now- he had the money. He had been working with the monsters for years. That money sat in a separate account under a different name that his greedy mother didn't know about. She and that damned HSN, QVC and her trips to Atlantic City was why he had been in so much debt. The money from the monsters had saved him from financial ruin. Finally he got smart and got his mother one of those prepaid debit cards. Each payday he loaded a certain amount on it and when it was gone, it was gone. She would have a coronary if she knew that her baby boy had well over five million dollars sitting in the bank.

There was another reason why he didn't spend much of the money. It would have drawn too much attention. The "I won a little from the lottery" excuse wouldn't work. He didn't gamble and everyone knew it so on occasion he would treat himself to something small. No one ever questioned him about it because he didn't go hog wild.

As he perused the real estate ads, he decided that he no longer wanted to stay on the east coast. It was time to move somewhere warm. Of course that would depend on what his employer said, but he could still purchase a condo for vacations and live there part time. In fact, he could purchase one now or he could go on a cruise. Who would know where the money came from? He could always say that he saved for the cruise. The condo would be harder to explain but he didn't have to mention it to anyone. He began to plan for his first vacation without his mother and he couldn't wait. Who knew? He could meet a nice woman, settle down and get married. He didn't know what he was going to do with his mother, but she sure as hell wasn't going with him. Maybe he'd send her on a cruise. He jumped when the phone rang. He glanced at the phone and saw that the number was blocked. He knew who it was.

"Ephraim," Xavier's smooth voice crooned. "You have something to share with me?"

Ephraim's stomach roiled. He had never seen his employer nor did he want to. Hearing him was more than enough. And if he looked anything like the others that he had seen....

"Ephraim?"

"Ah yes sir- I think –no I know that I saw a slayer. I didn't get a good look at him, but he looked Asian."

"I see," Xavier replied, "and this slayer- did he see you watching him?"

"No sir, I turned away before he saw me."

"Very good, now what about the woman that was with him? Was she a slayer too?"

"I don't know sir, if I had to guess..."

"I don't pay you to guess," Xavier cut in coldly. "Is she a slayer? It's a yes, no or I don't know question."

Ephraim swallowed before he answered. "I-I don't know sir."

"Was that so difficult?" Xavier asked sarcastically. "You have an address?"

"Yes sir."

"Well give it to me," Xavier said as if he were talking to dolt.

Ephraim gave Xavier the address while fighting the urge to vomit.

"Well done," Xavier said and then hung up.

Ephraim didn't make it to the bathroom. He threw up everything he had eaten in the past two hours all over himself. During that time he reconsidered what he was doing. By the time he was done throwing up, he had gotten over his doubts.

****

Xavier tapped his desk with long thin fingers weighing his options. He could go after the woman and dispose of her if she wasn't a slayer-but she was; he could feel it. The other option was that he could leave well enough alone. If he did that, the attention of the slayers would be focused on finding the killer. There was a small chance that the killer was one of his, but he didn't think that any of his people would be that stupid. But then again one of his own foremen was stealing from him in a monitored setting. If the killer was one of his people it was only a matter of time before the slayers were knocking at his door. He had to find out who the killer was before they did. Once he did that he would know what to do.

He pushed the intercom button on his desk and got an immediate response.

"Yes sir," a soft feminine voice said.

"Get Cherie on the phone and then you get in here-I need attention."

"Yes sir."

A moment later, the secretary was under the desk and Xavier was on the phone with Cherie. He really didn't like the female but she was the best at what she did. She also wasn't cheap.

"Xavier darling! To what do I owe this call?" Cherie asked in a voice that some found seductive but Xavier found grating. To his ears she sounded like fingers being scraped across a black board.

"First of all, drop the darling," he said coolly. "I am not your darling."

Suddenly he found the woman under the desk a distraction and shooed her away.

"I want you to find someone for me."

"Of course da-Sir. Who am I looking for?"

"All I can tell you is that he or she is one of our kind. They murdered a human in her home and I need to be sure that whoever the murderer is that they can't be linked back to me."

"I see and since when are you concerned about murdered humans?" Cherie asked

Xavier hesitated. He wasn't sure of how much he should tell her but if slayers were involved, she needed to know.

"I tell you this only because this could become dangerous. I also know that you know how to keep your mouth shut."

"Your secrets are my secrets," Cherie replied.

"There may be slayers involved," Xavier said. "The human woman is the sister of a slayer."

"Oh fuck..."

"Oh fuck is right," Xavier agreed. "I need for you to find the killer before they do and dispose of him if he's one of mine."

"And if he isn't?"

"Find out who he belongs to and lead the slayers there. If he belongs to no one, dump him on Troy Cross's doorstep. I want this to work in my favor. One more thing, I want you to find out what you can about the female slayer. Her name is Brittney Marsh. You report to me and no one else is that clear?"

"Am I to approach her?" Cherie asked.

"No just gather information on her," Xavier replied.

"There is the matter of my fee," Cherie cooed. "I'm actually doing two jobs and I expect to be compensated for both of them."

"Of course you do," Xavier replied. "What is your fee?"

The fee agreed upon, Xavier hung up and motioned to the secretary who was still under his desk to continue tending to him. He reached under the desk and held her head in place as she thrust into her mouth as hard as he could. He ignored her cries of discomfort and released her only when he had climaxed.

"Get back to work," he snarled suddenly in a bad mood.

He leaned back in his chair thinking of all the possible scenarios and their outcomes. Best case scenario was that the killer belonged to Troy Cross, his biggest competitor. Cherie could lead the slayers to him thus opening his operation up for a takeover. Somehow he didn't think that the killer belonged to Cross. Cross was as controlling of his people as he was. But there was an opportunity here- he could smell it. His mood brightened. Things were going to be just fine.

***

Jian walked into the M.E.s office unseen. He didn't expect anyone to be there but he needed a name and an address. There was a woman at the desk, a Dr. Julia Reynolds M.E. her name tag said. She was the night shift M.E. Jian stood in the doorway to see if she looked in his direction. When she didn't, he knew that she couldn't detect him. He slipped behind her to see what she was reading hoping that it was something useful.

"Ephraim," she muttered, "what is this shit?"

She turned the page of the notebook and laughed. The notebook wasn't work related but a manuscript that Ephraim was working on in his spare time. It took Jian a minute to realize that the woman was invading Ephraim's privacy. The drawer with his name on it was opened and the combination lock lay on the desk.

"Close the notebook and put it back," Jian whispered in her ear.

The woman hesitated and then put the notebook back.

"Now, lock the drawer."

The woman complied and sat back in her chair.

"You will forget everything that you just read. They are Ephraim's private thoughts. You will not invade his privacy again. Do you understand me?"

"I understand," the woman replied.

"Good, now tell me about Ephraim."

Twenty minutes later, Jian had a good idea of what Ephraim was like and why he would be drawn to a monster. They probably promised him everything that he didn't have and boosted his ego. He left with Ephraim's address and phone number. Instead of going there, he went back home where Brittney was still asleep on the floor.

"She woke up once and went back to sleep" Winona said when Jian walked in. "What did you find out?"

"I have the phone number and address of the medical examiner but I will wait to approach him," Jian replied. "I believe that he is working for the monsters, which one I do not know."

"But you suspect that it's someone big," Winona said.

"Yes, I also believe that whoever killed Amanda is a free agent."

"And?" Winona prompted.

"I don't know yet," Jian replied. "Brittney cannot be alone so she will need to stay here."

"How do you plan to convince her of that?" Winona asked. "As far as I can tell you haven't moved beyond a friendship."

"True, but we are friends," Jian replied. "She will stay here and train, but first we have to get her through the services and grieving process."

"What about the man Paul?" Winona asked. "You know that she's going to feel responsible for him and here's another thing, what if what killed Amanda comes back for him?"

Jian had already thought about that. He wasn't without resources of his own and was confident of Paul's safety. He didn't know who would be watching him, but he would be safe.

"It is taken care of," he replied. "I also think that you should stay here as well."

"No, I'll be fine," Winona replied. "I can be here in a split second if need be and it's important that things appear as normal as possible. No one will think much about Brittney staying here since you're together so much as it is, but Jian you have to tell her."

"Tell me what?" Brittney asked sitting up.

"Brittney this is Mrs. Nolan from two houses down," Jian said.

"Oh sure, I remember you."

"Jian was just telling me about what happened, I am so sorry for your loss."

Brittney felt tears welling up but fought them back. It was time to pull herself together so that she could plan the service and help Paul.

"Thank you," she said as a tear managed to escape.

"It's a hard thing to lose someone," Winona said. "There's no pain quite like it. Jian, I'm going to head on home now, you call me if you need anything."

"I should be going too..."

"You will stay here," Jian said. "I have room and you shouldn't be alone."

"You've done more than enough for me today and besides; I don't have any clothes or anything."

"Then we will go to your home and get what you need," Jian replied. "But you cannot stay there."

"Why not?" Brittney asked.

"Because whoever killed your sister could be after you," Winona replied before Jian could say anything. She knew that he would tell her the truth and she wasn't ready to hear it.

Brittney looked at her and didn't believe her. There was much more going on than they were telling her but she was too tired and sad to argue about it.

"Fine," she said wearily, "but there's something that you're not telling me," she said to Jian, "and as you know; I hate secrets."

Jian and Winona exchanged a look that wasn't missed by Brittney. She felt an inexplicable surge of jealousy toward the old woman as she watched them turn away and walk to the door.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She murmured as she waited for Jian to come back.

"We will drive," he said a few minutes later."

"Drive? Jian it's only ten blocks from here and I'm not moving in..."

"We will drive," he said again more firmly.

"Fine," she grumbled as she stood up. "So what's with you and the old woman?"

"She is a friend," Jian replied pleased to see the jealousy. "Shall we go?"

"I want to go see Paul first."

****

Paul wavered in and out of consciousness. When he was unconscious, he had the most horrific dreams except that they didn't feel like dreams. Amanda was dead. He watched as that... that thing killed her. He had been powerless to move. He had been terrified, but he was trying to break free. He tried to distract it, but its focus was on Amanda.

"Hey you! Over here!" He had yelled several times.

Someone shouting woke him up. It was him. A nurse came in when she heard the shouting and was calling his name. Paul took one look at her and began to scream. The nurse was a female version of what had killed Amanda. Another nurse, a male ran into the room to see what the ruckus was.

"She's a monster!" Paul screamed. "Oh Jesus get her away from me!"

The male nurse said something to the female nurse that made her grotesque features turn even more grotesque. Before she left, she gave Paul a look that made him cower.

"Did you see her?" Paul asked still panicked. "She wasn't normal."

"Paul- I need for you to calm down and listen to me. My name is Josh..."

"You're not a nurse are you?" Paul asked scooting back on the bed as far as he could go.

"No I'm not, but I'm not one of them either. I know that you've had a really rough time and I know that you haven't had time to mourn the loss of your woman, but I need you to listen to me. I'm here to help you."

"Help me? Help me how? Are you going to help me find that thing that killed Amanda?" He demanded.

"You aren't ready for that," Josh replied. "The first thing that we need to do is to get you out of here. Can you walk?"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where we're going..."

"Your life is in danger!" Josh hissed. "That thing that was in here is making calls as we speak. I could have killed her, but that would have caused more of a problem. You my friend would have been accused of murder and a manhunt would have begun. You're already under suspicion for the death of your woman now let's move!"

Josh began pulling the telemetry leads off of Paul's chest while Paul yanked out the IV.

"Let's go!" Josh yelled as the alarms began to sound.

The next thing Paul knew, he was tossed over Josh's shoulder like he was a sack of potatoes. The walls of the hospital whizzed by making him dizzy and then nauseated. Just as they reached the door to the stairs, Paul caught sight of the monster nurse. This time he vomited and then passed out.

When he came to, he thought that he was at home and that it was time to get up to make his coffee. He reached over expecting to find Amanda's warm body next to his. When he felt nothing but an empty space, reality came crashing back. He closed his eyes and sobbed.

"I'm sorry baby..."

Josh stood outside of the door listening to the big man cry. A tear of sorrow slipped down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away with the hand that was missing its ring finger. He felt for the man and in a way; he envied him. At least this man knew that his beloved was gone never to return. His beloved was an entirely different story. She was close, but he couldn't go to her just yet. His only hope was that she knew deep in her heart that he still lived.

When the sobs quieted, Josh tapped on the door and went into the room. Paul was lying on his right side staring at the wall. He didn't move although he had to have heard Josh come in.

"We've got some clothes that you can wear," Josh said. "I know that you want to go back to your home, but that isn't possible..."

"Why her?" Paul asked. "Why not me? I would have done anything it wanted."

"I don't have any answers," Josh replied. "But what I do know is that you're being searched for. The thing that killed your woman should have killed you as well. At the very least it should have taken her body."

"What are those things?" Paul asked. "Why haven't I seen them before?"

"The humans call them monsters but what they really are is rogue vampires. There are those of you that can either see or sense them. Most of you never see one."

"Vampires?" Paul asked. "There aren't any such things as vampires."

"Yes," Josh said, "there are. There are different types of vampire ranging from the ones who live peacefully with other species to those like what you call the monsters. There was a time when they ran rampant but their numbers have decreased and they've become smarter. They've learned to assimilate with other species even pulling a few into their ranks."

"How do you kill them?" Paul asked.

"I know why you're asking," Josh said, "and it's impossible for a human to kill them..."

"You keep saying human- what are you?" Paul asked.

"I'm not one of them and I am not human although I appear to be human. I am also not vampire- I am what is called a slayer. My primary function is to hunt and kill monsters of any species."

"Where do I sign up?" Paul asked.

"You don't," Josh replied. "This isn't like your military where you enlist. It is something that you are born with just as you were born with the ability to see the monsters. Your ability to see them is where you will be the most help."

"Are there others like me?"

"There are, but far too few. We are in the process of trying to locate as many of you as we can, but it is a slow process. Many of you go through an entire lifetime not ever seeing one of the rogues. Some of your kind is in mental institutions being treated for psychiatric conditions that they don't have."

"How do you know when you find one of us?" Paul asked.

"I received a call about you," Josh replied. "Sometimes one of you will send us to someone that they know can see or sense the monsters. The thing is this; the monsters are looking for you too. Not as aggressively as we are because they rely on the fact that the person will not be believed. They are looking for one particular type of person- the person that can sense other beings- slayers in particular. Fortunately these humans are extremely hard to find. "

"Are you saying that there are humans who work for these things?" Paul asked shocked. "How could they?"

"Humans have one fatal flaw," Josh replied. "You love pretty things. You equate material things with happiness. Those who work for the rogue are easily swayed by the promise of riches. The rogue plays on human weaknesses and exaggerates their strengths. What they don't understand is that as soon as they outlive their usefulness-they will die. The only human that is relatively safe is the one that I have described. They are worth their weight in gold."

Paul didn't say anything for a long time. When he did, it was about Amanda.

"I was going to ask her to marry me. I had it all planned out. I was going to take her on the late night river cruise- the one where they have dinner and dancing you know? I even had the song picked out. My family didn't understand at first, but then they met her and they fell in love with her... and now some fucking monster took her! You tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."

"For now get some rest," Josh said. "We also need to figure out a way to get you into her services."

"I'm glad that you said that," Paul said. "I was going no matter what. I need to call her sister Brittney; can I do that?"

"I'll work on it," Josh replied as he left the room.

***

"Gone?" Brittney asked. "Gone where? He was unconscious when we left!"

"I know, but he woke up screaming about monsters, attacked a nurse and ran off," a doctor explained.

He was lying and Brittney knew it.

"So you're trying to tell me that Paul woke up and attacked someone?" Brittney challenged. "You're lying! Paul would never hurt anyone- especially a woman. Where is this nurse?"

"She's indisposed..."

"Get her," Brittney demanded. "I want to hear what happened from her!"