Blood for blood Read online

  “Think I’ll be right,” she said, “You have any interest?”

  Dameon shook his head, the look in his eyes said he felt similarly to her. Good. They sat smoking in silence, until the sky got so dark with rain clouds that they decided to move inside before it bucketed down on them.

  As they walked down the hall, they could see Slasher was coming out of the office. She didn’t look too angry… “Tank tell you what the fucking Commander in Central thinks? Fucking prick. Fucking head up his own fucking arse! How I would love him to come the fuck down here and say that to my fucking face!”

  Uh oh. Looked like she was. Slasher opened one of the doors that lead to a classroom, ushering them inside. Lupa and Dameon sat at a desk each, but Tank leaned against the wall, there was no way he would have fit in one of the chairs.

  “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what he thinks,” Slasher took a deep breath and pulled a chair out to sit in front of them, “Our interrogator hasn’t been able to get any information out of the wolfblood, well, not anything useful. Where would you like us to go from here, Little Red? The Commander in Central doesn’t think we have a case, but he has agreed to let us go ahead. Fucking condescending arse wipe… sorry. Anyway. We will all need to write reports, I’ve told him some of Hammer’s men said they followed them, but as we discussed before we will leave out the fact that Hammer is Tank’s brother.” Tank made a strange noise that Lupa had heard a couple of times. Tank clearly didn’t want to be known as Hammer’s brother even in this room.

  “Well, there’s a full moon in three days, could you organise it for then?”

  “I can. Would you like to choose what teams we take on? This is your hunt, Little Red, I don’t want to take that away from you.”

  “No… I think you should do it. I’ve never organised a hunt with other people, you have the authority here. You choose. I’d prefer not to be weighed down with that shit either really, if you don’t mind that is…”

  Slasher smiled that wonderful, loving smile at her, the anger disappearing from her eyes. “You could do it, you’re smart enough, but I’m happy to organise it if that’s what you want. I think we should have at least six teams, and ten or so lookouts. I’ll check with Hammer if we can use that warehouse across the road for hiding our cars... I’d prefer not to have them on the street… I would like to capture at least two strong wolfbloods, so I’ll pick two teams who have strong curses to be in charge of that…” Slasher zoned out, doing a mental checklist of what she needed to do.

  “We might go then,” Lupa said, pulling Slasher out of her thoughts.

  “Ok, hun, come see me Thursday and I can fill you in on who we’ve got joining us.” Slasher kissed Lupa’s forehead and gave Dameon’s shoulder a familiar squeeze. Tank just nodded as they left, but his wary eyes were on his Hunter.

  Outside the rain was pelting down, making it almost too hard to see. Lupa and Dameon pulled their hoods over their heads and made a mad dash for her car, panting as they threw themselves in and shut their doors forcefully.

  “Shit, this is all happening hey,” Dameon said, “Life certainly aint boring with you.” He beamed at her, and she returned the smile. Friday evening they would be attacking the nest.

  They always attacked as the night settled in when they had a pack to fight. The moon would rise and give the witches more power, but also the wolfbloods that slept together in a nest tended not to rise until after midnight. The Organization didn’t really know why, as wolfbloods never disclosed their ways to them, but it had been this way for as long as they had been around. Who was she to question it? She was looking forward to fighting. Looking forward to fucking killing them. Looking forward to finally being able to avenge Karl just that tiny bit more. Sure, it wouldn’t bring her fucking friend back, but nothing would. This was the next best thing.

  Chapter Twelve

  “We must always save humans where possible…”

  Lupa pulled up out the front of her place, after dropping Dameon off home, to see Janice pacing up and down the footpath, seemingly oblivious to the weather that was soaking her. “You alright there, Janice?” Lupa asked, stepping out into the rain.

  “Not good hey, hey. Aint hearin’ from Dave. Tryin’ call him up hey, hey, hey, but he no answerin’.”

  Right. She presumed Dave must be the boyfriend, then. Lupa stepped into the doorway, out of the rain, lighting a smoke and offering one to her neighbour. “You been round there to see him?”

  Janice continued pacing, her wet unkempt hair sticking to her head. “Thinkin’ I waitin’ for you, hey, hey? I aint feelin’ safe, I worried he might’n got attacked or something hey, hey, hey. Or sayin’ something to the wrong person. He real worried about that wolfblood he dun seen hey, hey. Even dun thinking about makin’ if official, he was.”

  “Alright, I’ll drive us there. Where’s he live?”

  They hopped into Lupa’s car, Janice was soaking wet, so Lupa turned the heat up hoping it might help the skinny woman warm up... She didn’t suppose Janice even noticed though, she looked high as fuck.

  “Down in dun Blackwater, you knowin’ the Sable Towers hey, hey?”

  Fuck. Yeah, Lupa knew. Everyone fucking knew Sable Towers. Two massive apartment buildings. Rent was cheap, really fucking cheap. Mostly housing junkies and poverty stricken families. The halls reeked of piss and despair. It was rumoured to have the highest murder, as well as suicide rate in all of Black City. It didn’t surprise Lupa one bit, fucking horrible place that it was.

  “Ok, we’ll sort this out, Janice.”

  And so back to Blackwater she drove. Usually Lupa wouldn’t be so charitable and help out, but Janice was messed up, and in their own strange way they were… kinda friends. She supposed Janice didn’t have many of them, just people out to use or abuse her. Probably both a lot of the time. She wondered whether Dave was one of those people and might have just gotten sick of Janice, or whether he truly gave a shit about her…

  Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of Sable Towers. A few skeletal people stood out the front smoking and shivering. A kid was throwing rocks at a stray cat. Someone somewhere was yelling. The windows of the building were either boarded up or covered in newspaper, much like any other building in Blackwater… in a lot of Black City in general. But Lupa knew it was different on the inside…

  Janice jumped out of the car and went over to one of the androgynous people out the front, Lupa sighed and followed, double checking she’d locked the car doors. Not that it really mattered, if someone wanted into her car, locks weren’t going to stop them.

  “Any you dun see Dave, hey, hey?” They all shook their heads, staring at Lupa suspiciously.

  Janice turned and looked at Lupa, biting her nails and twitching. Lupa scanned the area around them, trying to put off the inevitable. “Wanna take me up to his place then, Janice?”

  Janice nodded and they entered one of the buildings. Trash littered the floor of the entrance, Janice opened the door to the stairs and started heading up. Needles lay clustered in every corner, looking used more than one or twice. Lupa sure was glad she still wore her thick soled boots.

  Four flights of stairs up, Janice opened a door that lead to an equally filthy hallway. The stench making Lupa gag. She placed the sleeve of her jacket over her nose and mouth, trying in vain to keep the stink out of her body.

  “Here bein’ his door hey, hey,” Janice said as she knocked on the metal door anxiously.

  Lupa and Janice waited. Janice knocked again. Nothing. Lupa reached out her other hand and tried the knob, shit, it was unlocked and opened with a grating sound. She glanced over at her neighbour who was staring through the gap, wide eyed.

  “Not usually unlocked?” Lupa knew it was a stupid question, but it just slipped out. Everyone knew it wasn’t safe to keep your door unlocked in a place like this. “Alright, stay behind me.”

  Lupa pulled out the smaller knife in her jacket and stepped though. The floor was covered in rubbish; take away wrapp
ers, pieces of foil, cigarette butts… she sniffed the putrid air. Not good. She could smell blood, and it smelled fresh...

  “Stay here,” Lupa said as they entered the poor excuse for a kitchen, “Is that his bedroom?”

  Lupa looked at the closed door, Janice nodded and started biting her nails again. Ah fuck. Lupa went to the door and took a deep breath. Bad idea, she wanted to vomit from the rank air entering her lungs and making her eyes sting, pushing the door open she held her knife close, ready if something should be waiting.

  Something was waiting for her alright, but nothing alive. What she could only guess was Dave, lay on the bed, his stomach torn open and his intestines strewn all over the mattress. Blood was splattered all over the filthy walls and his already soiled mattress was dark with it. Fuck.

  “Janice, don’t come in-”

  Too late. Janice screamed, slamming against the back wall. Her whole body was shaking as she collapsed onto the floor, still screaming. Lupa ran to her and dragged her out of the room, pushing her onto the ravaged couch.

  “Look at me. Look at me, Janice, calm down.”

  Janice stopped screaming, but she was far from fucking calm. Her breath drawing in hard and rasping. Her eyes bulging out of her head, her hands near the sides of her face were shaking uncontrollably.

  “Did… did you dun seein’ that hey, hey? He dead. He dead! He dead!”

  Lupa pulled the hysterical woman to her in what she hoped was a comforting hug. Fuck. This was not good. She’d have to report this, but how was poor Janice going to cope? She wasn’t exactly a well put together woman in the first place…

  “Janice, I’m going to need you to calm down. Take some big breaths for me, I’m going to call Clean-up here, alright? I aint going anywhere, I’ll just go shut the door, ok?”

  Janice nodded, her eyes wide, her fingers scratching at her arms. Lupa dug in her pocket for her phone, calling Clean-up to come out. They’d be twenty damn minutes. Fuck. She didn’t want to wait in here, she glanced over at Janice who was snorting something out of her purse. Ah well, if that’s what it took…

  “Come one, let’s go wait outside, you don’t need to be staying up here.”

  She dragged the skinny woman to her feet and they left the disgusting apartment, a young boy was standing in the hallway watching them intrusively. No doubt hoping to rob the place once they were in the stairwell.

  “Don’t go in there, kid,” Lupa said, closing the door behind them, “Aint pretty. And he doesn’t have anything to steal. Go on, fuck off.”

  The kid gave her the finger and ran off. She doubted he’d listen to her, but it wasn’t her fucking problem. He’d probably seen much worse already. Probably experienced worse… Lupa shook her head and helped Janice over to the stairs, she wasn’t going to think about that shit right now.

  By the time they were outside Janice was calm, she looked high as fuck and a small peaceful smile was on her lips. Lupa sat her down on the steps gently and went over to the group of people still watching her.

  “You see anyone go into Dave’s apartment today?”

  One of the scrawny people answered her. “I gettin’ dun paid for sayin’?”

  “Yeah, if you give a statement to Clean-up when they get here.”

  They looked over at the others, who had their mouths firmly shut, and turned their eyes away. “I seen someone goin’ there. Aint knowin’ him none. Just movin’ in hey. Livin’ down the end. I aint knowin’ nothin’ else though. I still dun get paid?”

  “Sure. Thanks. You’ll need to talk to Clean-up when they get here. If you are wanting to get paid.”

  Lupa went and sat down next to Janice, lighting a smoke and watching the street. She hoped they’d hurry the fuck up, she needed a damned drink. Fuck, probably a lot more than one.

  ⃝

  Lupa sat in Demon’s drinking her fifth beer. It was still too early to be very busy, but there was a band playing their fucking hearts out as though the whole world was watching. She lit another smoke and sighed. Janice hadn’t wanted to come home with her, she’d decided to go out and score with one of the other residents. Lupa didn’t think it was a great idea, but she wasn’t her fucking mother.

  “Hey, Little Red, what’s the go?” Grey sat down next to her flashing his most charming smile.

  She gave him a half smile back, not really in the mood for company. “Hey, Grey.”

  He dropped the smile, looking closely at her. “You alright?”

  “Been better, few more of these and I might be. How are you?”

  “Not really so great myself, actually. But I will be eventually. Want a drink?”

  Lupa nodded as he got up. Sure, she wasn’t in the mood, but she could suck it up for an hour or so, then head home and go to sleep. Hopefully the images of Janice’s screaming face and Dave’s ravaged body would leave her… What a fucking joke. She’d be seeing them for a long time. Just as she had seen other fucked up images before, many of the memories threatening to rush to the front of her mind now. She shook her head trying to disperse the dark thoughts and finished off the beer.

  Grey returned with the evil stuff she’d been drinking the night they’d met. “So, what’s troubling you? And what happened to you hair?” he asked.

  Lupa put a hand to her hair, now only shoulder length, she hadn’t really thought that much about it. Fuck, she hadn’t really had any damn time to think about it, but now she felt strange. Like something had been stolen from her.

  “Just… don’t really want to get into it, what about you?” They both took a sip of their drinks and winced.

  “Fair Light has finally left The Organization,” he said, a dark look filling his eyes, “Her and her boyfriend are moving away. Apparently they are getting married, and she’s already fucking pregnant. Guess he finally managed to convince her to quit. She didn’t even fucking tell me, the Commander did. I’ve tried calling her but she won’t answer. Like I meant nothing to her…”

  “Fuck.” What else was she supposed to say?

  “Fuck, indeed,” he spat, taking a long drink, “Least it means I can go down on the books to look for another Hunter. And hey, I volunteered as a lookout for the nest on Friday. Need to get the fuck back out there, been stuck in limbo for months…”

  Lupa nodded. “Sucks, Grey. But… I guess at least you know for sure now.”

  Grey downed the rest of his drink, and got up to go get another one. She glanced around the room, it seemed to be filling up a bit more. Must be getting close to ten… she startled, was that… Brianna? The blonde girl turned away, Lupa couldn’t be sure it was her. She’d certainly never seen her here, and never in such an outfit. Short leather skirt and a fishnet top. No fucking way...

  “Fuck, this shit is deadly.” Grey said, sitting back down with three full glasses, “Want one?”

  Lupa finished off her drink, and he slid one over to her, she scanned the room but couldn’t see the blonde anymore. Nah, couldn’t have been her. No way fucking Brianna would be in a bar like this… dammit.

  “Hey Grey… you heard from Brianna?”

  He raised an eyebrow, “Why’s that?”

  “She was at my place the other night hey. Watching my place from her car. We had… an altercation. She says she’s in love with you.”

  “Shit!” Grey ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it away from his face, “Yeah, she was at mine last night, she’s fucking lost it. She wouldn’t leave, kept saying she’d do anything to be with me. Saying she’d… saying crazy shit. We didn’t even date that long, I dunno what’s going on with her. But she isn’t in love with me, she’s just obsessed and I have no idea why…”

  “Huh.” Lupa said, seeing the blonde girl staring at them from the bar. “Think she’s here now. Watching us.”

  Grey stiffened, staring at Lupa intensely. “Where?”

  “She’s over at the bar, she’s stopped looking at us now. She’s wearing a fucking fishnet top. Never would have thought I’d see that.”


  Grey leaned back on his seat, turning his head slightly to try and spot her. Lupa waited as he very slowly wandered his eyes over to the bar. Then he leaned forward, putting his head in his hands and groaning.

  “Fucking hell!”

  Lupa drank down the rest of her fucking awful drink. Conversation was one thing, but she was really, really not in the mood for more of Brianna’s crazy shit. Hadn’t her day been long enough already? Screw this.

  “I’m leaving, Grey. You’re welcome to come with me, but I’m not in the fucking mood for this crap tonight.”

  She stood up as Grey finished off his two glasses. He slammed the second one down, shook his head and stood up with her. They walked casually outside and into the light rain. People leaning against walls smoking, people coming up the street in large groups... Yep, definitely getting to that time of night.

  “Wanna come back to mine?” Grey asked.

  ‘No’ was on her lips. But then, had she drunk enough to chase the images out of her head? Had it been enough to let her sleep? Probably not. Fuck it. “Yeah ok.”

  They started walking down to Grey’s bike when a voice rang out behind them. Brianna’s fucking voice. They turned to see her running down to them, her wide, blue eyes bloodshot. Fuck fuck fuck.

  “I thought you said you weren’t dating him!” she cried, standing far too close, “You fucking slut!”

  Lupa backhanded her, surprise filling the blonde girl’s eyes. “Fuck off, Brianna, this is the only warning I’m giving you.”

  Brianna looked past her to Grey, who was standing just behind Lupa with his hands in his pockets and an odd look on his face. Brianna’s pathetic lip started trembling, her blue eyes filling with fresh tears.

  “Bree,” he said gently, “just go home, hey? Little Red and I are just friends, but even if we weren’t, it’s none of your damn business.”

  Brianna blubbered. A disgusting pathetic sob ringing out. She pulled a herb stick out of her bag and went to light it. Grey stepped forward went to grab her hand, but Lupa was quicker, punching the other Hunter square in the face. Brianna toppled over with a girlish scream, people were turning to look now. Lupa couldn’t give less of a fuck, she grabbed Brianna by the hair and shoved her face against the pavement. Kneeling to whisper in her ear, Lupa held on tighter.