Venom ( Torrid x Morathor )

[torridsoul]

Lola “Lo” Staten sat in the green corner booth at Earl’s Diner. From her position she could see everyone in the small dingy diner as well as anyone who entered. She had her cell phone pressed against her ear as she stirred creamer into a cup of stale coffee. “I just need you to do some digging for me Jimmy” she said before bringing the cup to her lips and cringing at the horrible coffee, it could barely pass as sludge. She nodded at something her brother said and pushed the coffee aside “Right, use your whizz kid skills for me baby brother. I’m in a town called Deep River and something just isn’t right here. Get me some stats population, economy, missing persons, deaths, odd arrests, check the drug situation for me and scan some of the local papers... it’s the Deep River Tribune.”

“Alright, what is it I’m looking for in the paper Lo?” he asked sounding confused, and Lola sometimes thought her brother was thicker than an elephant's foot.

“Suspicious happenings Jimmy... anything out of the ordinary. You know the business we’re in, you’re looking for anything out of the ordinary! Get back to me soon, I’m going to stay in town here for a little bit and check things out.” With that she ended the call, tossed a few bucks down on the table and slid out of the booth.

Right this second Lola looked like any other girl with her raven waves pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, leaving flyway strands to plaster against her face or hang in front of her vivid blue eyes as she stepped outside. The windy day had her pulling the zipper of her grey hoodie up to hide her tight trim little body, she wore the heavy sweatshirt big so that it could hide the handgun she had tucked into the back of her jeans. Lola pulled the hood up over her head and stuffed her hands into her pockets as she walked down the street.

On the surface Deep River looked like a typical mid-sized mountain town, a place full of small businesses. A place that still had family owned book and toy stores, as well as small personal boutiques. The kind of town where everyone knew everyone else and they were all friends, but Lola was a hunter she was trained to look below the surface. She could see the things that people wanted to hide. Her mentor, trainer, partner and retired vampire hunter Charles Roman had taught much more than just fighting and she thought he’d be proud of her for catching the undercurrents that were running through this town.

Lola walked past a woman who was standing in front of an electronics store that had a wall of T.V.’s as a display in their window. They were playing reruns of some reality show that was out now, but instead of watching she seemed to be staring through the wall of T.V’s. The woman was completely spaced out. She had the look of a woman who’d just recently gotten high and this wasn’t the first time Lola had seen something in this town that spoke to some type of addiction. Earlier in the day barely a half an hour after arriving in town she had seen a woman who looked as though she was going to scratch right out of her skin, she hadn’t gotten the fix she had so desperately needed. Drugs weren’t unusual she knew that but for a town this size it seemed odd to see both women in such a short time span..

Her phone rang and she knew it was her brother calling with the easy to get a hold of information “Talk to me, Jimmy.” she said instantly giving her brother the go head to lay out the information.

“Alright here are the basics. Deep River has a population of 7,745 people. 85% of those people are middle class to upper class. There is an unusual amount of missing people cases right now for a town of that size and class with a whopping 150 people most of them however are considered runaways or people who simply don’t want to be found. It is easy to hide in mountain towns.” he stopped for a moment and she heard some tapping away at a keyboard “Surprisingly the death count is fairly low, with next to none of the deaths being homicides. But oddly enough most of the deaths that have occurred have been suicides.”

“What about the articles or odd arrests?” Lola asked, stopping in front of the door of a noisy tavern that seemed to be the town hangout.

“I’m still digging Sis.” Jimmy said “I’ll get back to you with more when I have it.”

“Okay, Jimmy I’m going to hang out here. There is definitely something strange going on here and I want to see what it is.”

After hanging up with her brother she pushed open the door and stepped inside. The sun was setting behind her and the lighting in the tavern looked nearly the same, except a cloud of smoke hung heavy on the air. If any place was the best to siphon information it was where liquor loosened the lips of the town folk, get enough beer or vodka into someone and they’ll have no problem talking about their fears... even if their fear was that a vampire was running loose in their town.

 

[Morathor]

The moment Lola stepped in she was presented with a morbid sight--a noose hanging over the bar. No one seemed to be paying it any attention, but no one seemed to want to go near it. Even the bartenders gave it a wide berth.

Even apart from that disturbing fixture, the decor of the building seemed at odds with itself, as though it couldn't decide if it was supposed to be a sports bar or a nightclub. A wide area that was clearly designed as a dance floor was cluttered with small tables and folding chairs. Bland, unobtrusive music trickled through speakers that were clearly designed to flood the building with an ear-shattering beat.

The clientele was similarly divided. Most of the customers looked like they had come straight from the office to drink away the weariness of the day. A number of men had their ties loosened or their shirts untucked; women had traded high heels for more comfortable shoes. But one corner of the tavern was dominated by a decidedly different crowd--young people who were clearly dressed for a night on the town, many of whom were occupied in glaring at the other patrons.


Halfway across town, a man sat in a dimly lit office, leaning back in his chair as he leafed through a stack of papers as thick as his thumb. The office was enormous, taking up almost an entire floor of its fifteen story building, and filled with luxurious furniture and expensive art. Apart from the odd absence of any windows, it was far too nice an office for a man who would have a hard time passing for thirty. It didn't help that James Boucher didn't look or dress like the president of a major holding company should. Instead of expensive suits, he wore tight black t-shirts and jeans which hugged his slim but athletic figure, coupled with a white button down shirt a size too large for him. Silky blond hair hung down to his shoulders and framed a delicate face, with high cheekbones and a narrow jaw.

James glanced at his watch. I suppose that's enough of this drudgery for one day... He tossed the pile of papers on his desk. He leaned back and wondered how he would amuse himself tonight. He'd had a snack not too long before, but he was hardly sated. Besides, he was growing bored of his latest toys, which meant he'd have to find a new one.
...it's been a few weeks since I've been to The Box. He had to take care not to visit the same hunting ground too often; even the thick-headed simpletons of Deep River could get suspicious. The tavern known simply as The Box was one of his favorites, though. Not only did it attract some of his favorite sorts of people, he had so many fond memories of the former owner. I wonder what's on the menu tonight.

 

[torridsoul]

Once the smokey tavern air settled Lola’s eyebrow raised at the sight before her. A noose? What the hell was up with that? If Lo had thought it was a question she could approach with she’d have asked the bartender about it. Thing was... everyone seemed to be pretending the thing didn’t even exist. It was the elephant in the room and she had to get down to the bottom of it, at the bar she ordered a beer and then took it back to a corner table. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, and since no one seemed to be paying any attention to her she snapped a picture of the noose and emailed it to her brother the caption below the picture read: Find out anything you can about “The Box” Tavern in Deep River, and why they’d have a noose in their bar.... something tells me it’s more than just ‘decoration’.

The immediate response from her brother said: Whoa... that’s nasty. Leave it to Jimmy to sum it up in three words. Lola was fairly certain that the reason for the noose hanging in the tavern was nasty indeed. She had chosen a table on the side with young people ready for a night out, figuring she’d hear the most gossip from them. Young women with enough alcohol in their system couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Lola caught bits and piece of conversation.

When are they going to take that thing down... it’s been months.

My dad is talking about moving out of Deep River, I just might go with him.

Kelly just found out her sister is addicted to drugs, the weird thing is they don’t know what kind and they haven’t found any drugs on her... but she is sure as hell strung out on something. I saw them the other day and she looked like death, seriously.

Mark just got a promotion it doesn’t make sense for him to have just run off, but thats what the police are saying... it’s not a crime for an adult to pick up and leave. It’s just weird that he didn’t PACK up.. you know?

Everything Lola heard pretty much confirmed it. There was definitely vampire activity here, missing people, men and women strung out on ‘drugs’, and slowly but surely people were going to start packing up and heading out of Deep River so they can feel safe again. Even though she probably had enough information from the young crowd Lola still stood, got a refill on her beer and headed over to the other side of the bar. She stayed on the outside, listening once again. Lola couldn’t help but find it funny that the groups were so separated when they were talking about the same things, it was was identical. Bosses missing, people looking to transfer to different states and accusations of drug use amongst co-workers.

She was halfway through her second beer when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. A picture text from her brother, he’d taken a shot of his computer screen that showed a Deep River Tribune article the headline read: The Box owner commits suicide in bar. Lola shivered her eyes sliding over to the bar, and wondered... why would they keep the noose on display?

 

[Morathor]

As the light of the sun faded from the sky, more and more of the 'business' crowd headed out, and as more party-goers filtered in, they began to be bolder as a whole, gathering at the bar or wandering out to the dance floor which was being cleared of tables and chairs as quickly as the other customers left them. A small group wearing mostly black settled in directly under the noose.

Just as the relaxing bar music yielded to a pounding dance beat, a tall blond man walked into the club, as if he had timed it intentionally. Which, of course, he had; James owned The Box, and while it didn't fit his assumed persona to meddle too much in the businesses controlled by the Boucher Corporation, he had a weakness for theatrics. He had insisted on a very strict schedule at The Box simply so he could make a dramatic entrance.

He strolled confidently through the tavern, glancing at the clique gathered by the noose with a slight smile. He had refused to take the noose down at first by saying the police wouldn't let him--they were investigating the suicide, just in case it had been something more sinister. By the time that excuse had worn thin, people had stopped asking.

He glanced around the rest of the tavern, and a woman in a hoodie caught his eye. No one came to The Box dressed like that. And he didn't recognize her face. Deep River wasn't a very big town, and James had an abundance of free time. He would like to think that he at least recognized every lovely woman in town--and this one was lovely--but he had to admit the possibility that he had missed one or two. Still, it was more likely she was an outsider.

And outsiders can disappear without much fuss... He gradually made his way towards the dark-haired woman, though he tried not to be obvious about it.

 

[torridsoul]

Lola was glad that she'd gotten to eaves drop on the business crowd long enough to gather more information. With the departure of one business person it seemed that at least four more party goers arrived. The bar was now filled with young people ready to dance and the change in the music spurred them on. Bodies filled the floor and the bumping and grinding reminded Lola just how long it'd been since she'd been that close to a man. There was training of course but being flipped over your mentors head and then pinned to the mat was anything because you weren't taking the lesson seriously definitely was not sexual. What was going down on the dance floor was all about sex... it was like foreplay and she almost wanted to be apart of it.

For Lola who was all about observation it was hard to miss the man who'd entered the bar, or was it club now? Just as the music changed. He was tall, blond, handsome, well dressed and predatory. With the change in crowd she was feeling under dressed and out of place which was never a good thing, there was no way she could have predicted that this place would turn into a nightclub. She picked up her cellphone and sent another text to her brother: E-mail me everything you have on that, I'll be back at the motel in 15 to go over it. That would give him plenty of time to dig up more information.

She stuffed her phone into her pocket and then slipped off the chair she'd been sitting in. A quick glance told her that the handsome blond was headed in this general direction, there must be some pretty girl dressed in something glittery and short she told herself even as her mind screamed that he was headed towards her. To feel a little safer Lola weaved between people in the crowd making her way clear to the other side of the room. She may desperately want some one on one male attention but she didn't think that Mr. Blond was the right man to get it from. Even from across the room she could tell that there was just something not right about him.

 

[Morathor]

James frowned a little as the woman began making her way to the other side of the room. Had she noticed him? He quickly regained his composure and continued his approach a little more quickly, making himself a little more obvious in the process. Still, an ordinary club-goer wouldn't notice the difference, caught up as they all were in their pleasures.

But you're not an ordinary club goer, are you? The way she moved and carried herself, the way she slipped through the crowd without being noticed, suggested expert training. So did the way she looked around the room, seeing everything without drawing attention to herself. He recognized her methods and mannerisms, because he used them himself. She was a predator in her own right. He smiled at the thought.

Confident that the girl had noticed his quickened approach, James was eager to see how she would respond to it. Would she flee? Would she appear to flee in order to lure him into a trap? Or would she rise to meet the challenge? Am I meant to be your prey, little girl? He couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since anything so interesting had fallen into his lap.

 

[torridsoul]

The last thing that Lola felt was caught in pleasure, especially when she saw the man begin to move a bit faster. She'd been wrong, he was definitely heading towards her and not some glammed up party girl. In a normal situation Lola would say that the man was drawn to the difference in her in comparison to the rest of the high maintenance women that were swarming the place. However, for Lola there hadn't been a normal situation in years and with a vampire on the loose here it wasn't good to have attention on her.

Even from across the room she could tell the man had a dangerous feel to him and all she had on herself right now was her gun and her cellphone, if she had to fight she'd be at a disadvantage. She slid her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her cellphone for a moment, she didn't have enough time to get a text off to Jimmy. She could insert herself into a group, join the conversation and wait for the man to lose interest but as he neared she realized he was locked on.

Lola's only option was to face it head on, she turned abruptly as the man neared "Is there a reason you're stalking me or are you just that much of a creep?"

 

[Morathor]

James raised an eyebrow. "Stalking? I wanted to say hi. That is why people come to these places, isn't it? To meet new people? And you're certainly new." He put on his most charming smile, a mask he'd spent centuries refining. "This isn't the biggest town; I'm pretty sure I've seen every face in it at least once. And I would have remembered yours. So." He crossed his arms and leaned back a little. "Did you just move here, or are you visiting?"

 

[torridsoul]

Lola eyed him wearily, it was her nature to be suspicious of everyone and pretty much anything that seemed off to her and this man was off. She wanted to point out that it was pretty close to stalking when a person crossed the room to obviously avoid contact. "Well I came here for a beer, unfortunately I lingered a little too long." her eyes drifted from the man to the door and then back again, her entire body was on alert. He was feeling her out, he was a predator all right but was he a vampire? "Just moved to town." she lied "Staying with family." she continued trying to make it seem like someone would notice if she'd gone missing.

 

[Morathor]

James noticed her glancing towards the door, and knew that she was nervous. Good, little girl. You should be. She was doing a pretty good job hiding it, though, and remaining casual. He was impressed. James took a small step to the right, appearing to be doing nothing more than casually shifting his weight, but he now blocked her view of the door and her path to it.
"That must be nice. What prompted the move? New job? Or was it some sort of... sorry, I really shouldn't pry. It's a bad habit, one I ought to break, but you can learn so many interesting things just talking to people, I can't help myself." He held out a hand to her. "I'm James."

 

[torridsoul]

Lola caught the movement and she almost smirked, she'd been right about him from the very start he was a predator and a dangerous one. Had she been any other woman she probably wouldn't have noticed his move to block her view and path to the door, she took a silent breath and shifted herself. "Just looking for a change of pace, fast moving city to small town. It should be a nice change" she continued to lie, just then her cellphone went off in her pocket. "That must be my brother" not a lie "I told him I'd only be an hour." she brushed past him then letting his hand linger in the air. "It was nice meeting you James" she called back wondering if he would follow her.

 

[Morathor]

James smiled to himself as she walked past him, ignoring his hand. It will take more than a charming smile to win you over, eh? Good... the easy ones are so boring. Rather than alarm her by obviously following her out of the club, James headed deeper into the club as she left. Of course, there was a back exit that opened onto an alley. He slipped out that and then scurried up the brick wall of the building opposite. He crouched low on the roof, peering about to see if he could catch a glimpse of his fleeing prey.

 

[torridsoul]

Lola shivered as she headed out into the night air, she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd just made contact with the vampire that was stalking the town. However she had no proof and as much as she'd like to act on her hunch alone she just couldn't do that it would be unprofessional and she could attack someone innocent. She tugged her hoodie tighter around herself and scanned the darkness.

She caught a shadow moving above her but shook it off, cursing slightly as she remembered that she had to walk back to her car which was parked outside of Earl's Diner. At this hour with a vampire on the loose it wasn't the safest thing she'd ever done, but she figured she was better equipped to handle it than an ordinary citizen.

 

[Morathor]

James spotted his prey and began to follow her, effortlessly traversing the rooftops of the city without a sound. The small businesses that dominated this part of town tended to close early, and while there might have been people shopping and working an hour, even half an hour ago, now she was all but alone on the street. If James was careful--and he always was--there didn't have to be any witnesses...
But he had to move fast. She was getting closer to a diner which was open practically all night, and while there weren't always a lot of customers, there would be clerks and waitresses there. He would have to act soon. So, as quietly as he could, he hurried ahead of her and dropped into an alley. Barring a sudden change of course, she would have to pass by him, and he would pounce. It could be over so very, very quickly.
Unless you're more than you seem... unless you're prepared... in which case... this will be more fun than I've had in years...

 

[torridsoul]

She couldn't say why she'd done this but as she was walking to reached behind her and slid the gun that was tucked into the back of her jeans around so that it rested against her hip. The pain of the metal digging into her skin helped to keep her alert, something wasn't right. Lola knew she was being stalked and she was fairly certain she knew who was following her. She stopped moving for a moment and scanned the roofs of the business, no one was there.

Lola pulled her phone from her pocket and sent her brother a text: may have encountered vampire sooner than expected she shoved the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Her brother responded almost immediately but Lola ignored the text and began moving once again, there was a alley just ahead, she eyed it wearily as she approached. A vampire with could easily have passed her up and be waiting there for her. As she reached the mouth of the alley her hand rested against the butt of her gun but she didn't stop moving.

 

[Morathor]

James had half expected his prey to cross to the other side of the street rather than pass by the alley. He wasn't sure what it meant--was she unaware of his presence? If so, this would not be as much fun as he had hoped, though he was sure he could still get some enjoyment out of such a lovely girl. Or perhaps she did know he was here, and was eager to confront him. Overconfident? Or rightfully proud of your talents? Either way, the end will be the same...
None of this musing mattered. At the moment Lola started to come into view, James struck, fast as a snake. One long step forward brought him within arm's reach of her. With one hand he snatched at her arm, trying to grab hold of her elbow so that he could drag her into the alley. The other hand shot towards her face in an attempt to cover her mouth and quiet any cry for help she might have made. Not that a few shouts would do her much good when the area was so empty. If he let her carry on and on, though, things would get difficult. Better to shut her up right away.