Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten
Daylight Raid

I heard an alarm. A very insistent one. I was barely conscious. So while working on virtual autopilot, I reach around to the left side of my bed, aiming for the snooze button. “Shut up.” I muttered.

But instead of hitting the button, I roll off the bed, landing on a cold linoleum floor. Fortunately, it wasn’t a very long way to fall, as my bed was just a mattress on the floor. But the impact was enough to jar me into consciousness. I blink my eyes and try to rub the sleep from them, but my arms responded so slowly, they felt like they were trapped in some viscous liquid. Furthermore, I couldn’t move my left arm past my chest. I look around and see that there is no alarm clock. The alarm was issuing out over the speakers in the building. I also notice that I now wore a cable chain on my wrist, and the cable mount had been set into the floor. Shit. I was trapped! Guess it served me right for trying to make a break for it.

I look around for Greywolf. He was nowhere to be found. Damn him. The alarm was getting louder, the wail turning to a piercing shriek.

Gunshots echo through the building. One, two, three, with no return fire. The alarm shuts off, as if the shots had deactivated it. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs. Well, I was upstairs, but still helpless. I try to slip out from the loop of cable, but it was cinched tightly against my wrist. With a snarl of frustration, I pull at the cable. My limbs were still not responding quickly, but I concentrate hard, and before too long, the cable mount pulls away from the floor. I look at the thing in disbelief. What the heck? How did I do that? I hear another gunshot. I try to run, but wind up walking into the office where the computer was, as that room had no windows and was entirely dark. Better to stay on the more familiar floor than risking the hazards of gunfire or a less familiar floor. I crouch in a dark corner, back up against the wall, waiting for the gunfire to stop. It always does. Eventually.

While I wait, I pull at the cable chain. Now that it was free of its anchor, the chain had loosened, and I was able to remove it from my wrist. I rub my wrists, more out of habit than a need to restore circulation. After all, dead people don’t have circulation, right?

I hear someone approaching the door to the stairs. Someone was coming. But who? Was it Greywolf or someone else entirely? And here I didn’t have a weapon. But then again, maybe I did. I reach for the cable chain that had been my restraint only a few moments ago. I could use that as a weapon. I could strangle anyone that got too close. But wait, what if the assailants were Kindred? Greywolf said that there were few things that could harm us. Or did he say kill? Now I do not correctly recall.

The door opens, and I hear giggling. Not the cheery giggling of a young girl, but rather, something more malevolent. “Come on Charlie.” One of them says. “There’s a whole ‘nother floor we can trash.” I peer around the corner. There were two of them. Where the hell was Greywolf? Shouldn’t he be here protecting me? I still felt sluggish, like I was moving through jello. I hear a clattering of plastic, a sound like a can of aerosol hairspray being shaken up.

“Can we smash some of the windows up here?” One asks. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Give me that bat.” I am startled as I hear the sound of something metallic clattering to the ground. Aluminum bat, not wooden. “You know the rules. We can trash the place, but we can’t break any windows. Otherwise Marcel says he’ll make us pay for the windows. He’s got an easy payroll deduction plan if you’re interested.”

“Aw, you’re no fun.” The other complains. Looking at the wall facing me, I can see that the lights had been flipped on, as the shadows had suddenly lightened. I hear footsteps. Heading in my direction. But I was so very lethargic; I didn’t feel like moving an inch, even though I knew that I could be in great danger. I hear a hissing sound, followed by more shaking. “Fuck. I told ya we shoulda stolen another can of spray paint. This one’s toast.” The can bounces against a wall and starts to roll. I hear a gunshot, and a ping as the bullet hits the can, sending it to collide with the wall again.

“Dude, that was an AWESOME shot!” The other exclaims. There is another shot, and another ping. Obviously, in typical macho fashion, the guy had to prove that it wasn’t just a lucky shot. So damn, he had pretty good aim. Wonder if he could bulls eye a womp rat from five meters, just like Luke Skywalker. Personally, I liked Han Solo better. As if in answer, I hear another shot and a pop across from me. I let out a shriek and look over, and the monitor was now a dull gray-brown, with a neat bullet hole in the exact center of the monitor. Through the hole, I can see sparks coming from the injured machine.

“Hey, you just hear that? Sounded like a scream coming from that room.” Crap. I should have run when I had the chance. I slowly pull myself to my feet. I could use the chain as a whip. Maybe I could get away from them.

“Well, then that’s a bit more fun for us then, isn’t it?” The pair starts to approach the room. I try to prepare myself for the battle to come.

I hear the door open a second time. “Leave…her…alone, boys.” I hear a shuffling sound as something heads toward them. It sounded like Greywolf’s voice, but he didn’t move like that. Was it really he? I wasn’t sure.

“Now lookie who’s come back to play with us. Ready for another beating?” I hear the sound of something or someone slamming against the wall, along with laughing. While they are distracted, I start to make my way to another part of the room. I could only manage the equivalent of a fast walk. What the heck was wrong with me? I hear more scuffling. And even though Greywolf had not been entirely kind, I can’t bear to see him harmed. The two guys had gotten the better of him, it seemed, because one was holding Greywolf while the other used him as a punching bag.

Instead of making a break for it, I go over to where the fight was. Lucky for me, they were distracted, because they didn’t see me until I grabbed the arm of the guy that was doing the punching. “That’s enough.” I order, somehow finding an ample supply of courage. My muscles were starting to loosen a bit, and I felt like the heavy fog was starting to lift from my body.

The guy was a bit winded. I could tell by the sound of his breathing. Of course, that also meant that the guy wasn’t Kindred, and I was hoping the other one wasn’t either. The guy pulled himself out of my grasp. “Fuck off.” He told me, and went back to beating on Greywolf, who was unable to do anything. Neither of them must have considered me a threat, because they were ignoring me. In fact, they were laughing at me. I was feeling and seeing red, and I felt my body separating from my more rational self as my instincts took over. Bastards! I’ll show them.

I called upon the self-defense classes I’d taken in college, and remembered that if one was not able to escape, and the assailant had no weapon, the first goal was to disable the attacker. There were two of them, so I aim my first attack at the aggressor of the pair. I run at the guy, and once I make contact, I continue pushing him so that he hits the wall. I bring my knee up hard and fast, hitting him in the vulnerable groin area. With a grunt of pain, he reflexively doubles over, which allows me the perfect opportunity to bring my hands together and hit him on the back of the neck, just like my instructors had taught me back in school. He drops like a rock.

The other guy stops laughing. He lets go of Greywolf, and starts to back toward the wall. I watch him carefully. I lunge at him, and he cringes. He looked like he was about to pee his pants. “D-Don’t kill me.” He raises his hands to chest level.

Greywolf comes to stand next to me. “You’ve had your fun, Randy. Now take your friend and get the hell out of here.”

The guy, Randy starts to help up the other one, who must have been Charlie. “Marcel’s gonna be pissed.” He looks at both of us.

“Tell the Prince I’ll come see him tonight.” Greywolf replies. “Now leave.” We watch the two men head down the stairs, and we follow, with Greywolf taking the lead. The adrenaline buzz must have been starting to fade, because once again, I was feeling sluggish, and movement was still difficult. As the pair reaches the door to the first floor, Greywolf puts a hand in front of me, blocking my progress. “Wait.” I stop, and watch the door closing behind them.

I give Greywolf a what the hell? sort of look. He looked like hell, too. The beating seemed to have taken its toll on his face, and the bruises would probably be pretty nasty,

“It’s still light out.” Greywolf warns. When they open that outer door, the sunlight will come in.”

Still light out? I thought we slept during the day. “What do you mean it’s still light out?”
I hear the bang of the outer door. Greywolf then opens the door to the first floor. It didn’t seem quite so dark as it was last night.

Greywolf looks at his watch. “It’s only one in the afternoon, my dear.” He told me. While we do sleep during the day, we can be awakened, but our bodies react very slowly, which makes us very vulnerable indeed. Which is why a good security system is so important.”

Didn’t seem to work so great this time. “So who were those guys? I know they weren’t Kindred. I could hear them breathing.”

“They are some of the Prince’s ghouls. Prince Marcel sometimes likes to send them to raid a Kindred’s haven during the day. One reason why it’s a good idea to keep the location of your haven a secret.” He grabs my shoulder and spins me to face him. “But even so, we are not allowed to hurt them…too much. Even though he will suffer no permanent damage, you may have gone a bit too far. But then, neither are they allowed to do this much damage to one’s haven. Which is why we are going to see the Prince tomorrow. To formally present our grievances. And to formally present you.”

“Me?” I ask. “The tradition thing?”

Greywolf nods. “All Camarilla Kindred are required to present themselves to the Prince of the City. And though I’m not sure that you are entirely ready, we can only hope that you are.” He looks me up and down. “You did at least manage to break free of the cable leash. It is rather common for Kindred gifts to work during times of great frustration or fear. The real question is whether or not you can do it intentionally. That takes time and practice, and you will have opportunities to do both soon enough.”

But when? I wonder. Greywolf had promised me a great deal, but I had yet to see anything come of it. I’m not even entirely sure why I tried to protect him. I liked him, and yet I hated him, all at the same time. Sort of like the relationship I used to have with my father, though with a difference: I can’t recall a time when I actually loved my father.

Greywolf had a firm grip on my arm and was leading me back up the stairs. He opens the door and leads me back to the mattress. I look at him, and the red welts and marks on his face were entirely gone from his pale skin. “The marks. They’re gone.” I put a hand on his face, wondering what had happened. His skin was neither warm nor was it cold.

“Kindred can heal normal wounds very quickly.” He told me. “All it takes is blood.” Normal wounds? What would abnormal wounds be? “Now then, Raven, go back to sleep. We should be safe for the rest of the night, but it will be the last time we stay here.”

I get back onto the mattress and curl up into a fetal position. Greywolf takes a seat on a nearby chair, facing me, watching me. I was already feeling very sleepy. I could barely keep my eyes open.